The Death of Lazarus

Transcript

GR 376
10/19/1980
The Death of Lazarus
John 11:1-16
Gil Rugh

John chapter 11. John’s Gospel, chapter 11, in your Bibles. We come to the conclusion and climax of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. You remember with John chapter 12 the public ministry of Christ is over. Chapter 13 carries us to the last night before the crucifixion where He spends His time in that intimate communion with His disciples. Chapter 11 focuses on the greatest miracle that Jesus Christ ever performed during His earthly ministry—the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead.

Now you remember when we started John we noted that John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31 give us the purpose of John in writing. What John says basically is that he has selectively called out a few of the miracles that Jesus did during His earthly ministry and recorded those as an evidence and proof to convince us of the fact that Jesus IS the Messiah, the Savior of the world. So that by believing in Him we might have eternal life.

Now up until now, we have considered six miracles that Jesus performed. They begin in chapter 2 of the Gospel of John, where at the Wedding Feast in Cana of Galilee Jesus turns the water to wine. Then in chapter 4, verses 46-54, Jesus heals the nobleman’s son. Then in chapter 5, verses 1-9, there was a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. We note with this miracle there is a change in the reaction and response as John records it because this miracle evokes tremendous opposition now to the ministry of Jesus Christ. It is strange that a man would do a tremendous miracle like healing a lame man and the result would be the religious people intensely persecute and oppose Him.

In chapter 6 we have the very familiar miracle, in the first 14 verses, where Jesus feeds the 5,000. In that same chapter beginning with verse 15, Jesus walked on the water. He demonstrated to His disciples something of His power and authority.

In chapter 9 we had a tremendous miracle where a man who was blind from birth was given his sight by Jesus Christ, and you can see the opposition building to the ministry of Christ. Because the greater the miracle, the more open the display of His power, the more intense the opposition is from the religious people. And in chapter 9, Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind and the result of that is that the Jews are stirred to hatred, and they even excommunicate the man who was healed from the synagogue. So intense is their hatred of Jesus Christ.

When we come to chapter 11, we come to that miracle that concludes the public ministry of Jesus Christ the healing or raising of Lazarus. After being in the grave four days, Jesus calls him back to life. And that miracle, being the greatest of His earthly ministry, so solidifies the opposition and a hatred of the Jews that in a couple of months when He returns to the region, He will be crucified.

Now as we talk about the resurrection of Lazarus, recalling one from the dead, this is not the only time in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ that He raised somebody from the dead. There are two previous incidences where someone who was dead was brought back to life by Jesus Christ. Luke records both of these. Go back to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7 and note verse 11. "And it came about soon afterwards, that He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large multitude. Now as He approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, 'Do not weep.' And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise!' And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. And fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and, 'God has visited His people!'"
There's almost humor in this miracle as you see it because of the way it must have struck the multitude. You have this crowd and people and a casket being carried out of the city. Here Jesus just stops them and walks up to the young man in the coffin and says 'Get up, young man.' Can you imagine the awe of the people when that man just sits up and looks around, and starts to talk! Tremendous impact and people realize only God could do such a thing. Now you note here, this man had apparently been dead only a short time because he is now being carried out to his burial.

Over in chapter 8, you have another incident where Jesus raises a little girl who had been dead again a short time. I keep mentioning a short time because you're dead, no matter if you've been dead a short time or a long time. Dead is dead, but the difference with the raising of Lazarus will be that he will have been in the grave for four days and his body will have been undergoing the process of decay by that time.

But note in Luke chapter 8 and verse 40 for the context. "And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began to entreat Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes were pressing against Him." And there's another miracle of healing that occurs and then we jump down to verse 49.

"While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, 'Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.'" There's no need to bother Jesus any longer. He's a busy person and your daughter is dead so there is nothing that can be done.

"But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, 'Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she shall be made well."' Then He comes to the house and He confronts the multitude there who are weeping and crying. And in verse 54 He goes in with Peter and the parents, James and John also. "He took her by the hand and called, saying, ’Child, arise!’ And her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed." Then you come to John chapter 11 and you have the third miracle of resurrection. We sometimes call these resuscitations because here are three individuals who undergo physical death and are raised back to physical life. Now as we proceed through chapter 11 of John, we’re going to talk about resurrection, resurrections of the Scripture. What is entailed, etc. But here, these are people resurrected back to physical life. So each of them would have to undergo again at a later time the experience of death or dying.

Lazarus stands out as unique, as 1 mentioned, because he has been dead for four days and the people are aware of that. His family are concerned when Jesus says 'Open the grave’, they remark that his body would have already been undergoing decay and that may not be the wise thing to do. But it is a tremendous miracle, and the result of it will be tremendous opposition and persecution.

As we noted with the healing of the blind man in chapter 9, the Jews not only come to hate Christ more because He does the miracle but they also hate the person who is healed. So they excommunicate the blind man from the synagogue. In chapter 11, He does this great miracle and they hate Him more and they hate the man who was raised from the dead. By the time we get to the end of chapter 11, the Jews are trying to figure out a way to execute Lazarus as well so that there is not a living testimony of the power of Jesus Christ.

Alright, beginning in chapter 11, verse 1. "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha." We're familiar with Mary and Martha from the other gospel account. These are the two sisters with whom Jesus visited often. He had a close relationship with this family. This is the Martha who is busy about preparing the meal, etc. while Mary, her sister, sat at the feet of Jesus and Martha wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help her do the work, etc. It's interesting. It's put here, the man Lazarus is sick, and he's really their brother but that's not mentioned at this point. That will be told us a couple of verses down. The city of Bethany is back in the region of Judea, in the region of Jerusalem. We're further told who Mary is and who Martha is by the identification in verse 2. "It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." So it's a brother here who is sick and Mary is identified here as the one who anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. It's interesting because that incident does not occur until chapter 12. You can turn over to chapter 12 of John and read the first three verses, and you'll read that account. Now John mentions it because he writes this gospel years after the events occur, and this incident that Mary was involved in became well known. So as he writes about Mary in his historical account now, he identifies her as this particular Mary because many have the name of Mary. There are a number in the New Testament. So she is marked off as this person, even though in the historical flow as John writes it this won't" occur until later. Yet as he writes years later, people are well aware of what Mary has done. And we'll do the details of that incident and what it signified when we get to chapter 12.

"The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, (in verse 3 of chapter 11), 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.'" Note here how confident they are of the relationship they have with Jesus Christ. That they are the objects of His love, and particularly they focus in on Lazarus. "This one whom you love is now ill." And they are confident of Jesus' love for them. They don't say ’This one who loves you so much’ but rather ’this one whom you love is ill.’ We use the word for love here, phileo, denoting a family love, the intimacy of family love or relationship. Jesus had this kind of involvement with these people. They were like family. He had this love for Lazarus. Now they don’t ask Jesus to do anything. They simply inform Him of the situation, that Lazarus is ill. And leave it up to Him to make the decision of what ought to be done. Evidently, obviously, it is a cry for help and we'll see this as we move through chapter 11 and subsequent studies. That they realize that Jesus has the power to do something about the illness, but they are satisfied now to simply inform Him of the situation and allow Him to respond.

In verse 4, "When Jesus heard it, He said, ’This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”’ The purpose of this illness is not death but the glory of God. Now that is true in every situation. Of a believer's suffering or illness, obviously. It's for the glory of God, but the point that Jesus is making here is that the issue here is not that Lazarus will die but that the Son of God will be glorified. Even though physical death will occur, it will occur in light of the greater purpose of glorifying the Father and the Son. You note how inseparable the glory of the Father and the glory of the Son are. It's so that God is glorified—for the glory of God—in order that the Son may be glorified by it. So the general purpose is the glory of God. Specifically, that the Son of God may be glorified. What is going to happen in Lazarus' situation will result in the exaltation of Jesus Christ, in the greatest possible demonstration that He is indeed the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Good verse, though, to fix in your mind for its application for our illnesses. Even those illnesses that culminate in death ultimately are to bring glory to God Himself.

Then verse 5. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." Their statement was true in verse 3—"The one that you love is ill." And verse 5 confirms this fact. Jesus loves them. He uses the word agapeo here which is the self-sacrificing love, and that is what it is going to take to deal with the situation, to render assistance to Lazarus. Jesus is going to have to function in light of their good, in light of their needs, not in light of what is best for Him. For to return to Judea to do a miracle like this again in the presence of the Jews would just arouse the hatred to a fever pitch. And that’s exactly what will happen here. But He loves them. He loves Martha; He loves Mary; He loves Lazarus and He is going to act in light of what is best for them. You need to have that solidified in your mind as we go on from here because He is going to function in light of His love for them, but He is not going to do what we might expect Him to do. The first reaction might be, since He loves them He would do one of two things. Either He would simply tell the messenger, "Go back, Lazarus will be well." He did this earlier in a miracle where He said "Go back to your home. Your son lives. Everything is fine." He could have simply spoken the word where He was and Lazarus could have immediately gotten well. And that would have taken care of it. But He doesn’t do that. Or, He could have said to His disciples, "We must immediately go to Judea, to Bethany, because Lazarus needs us. He is seriously ill." And he is seriously ill! He’s not in bed with the flu! He doesn’t have a bad cold. He is dying of his illness, and yet strangely enough, verse 6 tells us "When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was." Now you read in verse 3 that Jesus loves Lazarus with a family love. You read in verse 5 that He loved Lazarus with that self-sacrificing love. You read in verse 6 that upon hearing that he is dying, He stays where He is for two more days! There seems to be something inconsistent, unless we remind ourselves that He is functioning for the glory of His Father, for the glory of Himself. You know, death is a serious matter and what could He be doing that could be more important than going to be with a dying loved one? Especially when He could prevent the death? You know, many of us have busy schedules and things that we just can’t avoid doing. But when someone who is close to us, someone that we love is dying, all of a sudden all of our priorities are rearranged because that supersedes everything else. I wonder as I studied this account what were Mary and Martha thinking about? When the day is past and Jesus still didn’t come. I wonder if they were really beginning to wonder if their minds, "Does He love us, Does He love Lazarus like we really thought He did? I mean, if He really loved us, if He really loved Lazarus wouldn’t He have come immediately?" Could you hear that the one that you love intimately, with a deep lasting love is dying and not bother to come? Especially when you could prevent the death? And Martha and Mary both confront Him with this when He comes. "If you had been here he wouldn’t have died. You could have prevented the death." So the Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what is going on in their minds although later on we do know that what is going through their minds is, If Jesus would have come, if He had been here he wouldn't have died. You say, well we know the outcome. He's going to raise him from the dead. But you think of the tremendous agony and suffering that is entailed when you have a loved one who is close to you going through the experience of dying, and Jesus could have spared them this. But He chooses not to. It is best both for His own glory and for their development, the strengthening of their faith that He not do it. Now I belabor this point so that you and I remember it when we are going through trying times. What comes out of this section is the total, absolute sovereignty of Christ in the situation. He will do what is right at the right time. And I can read the account in John chapter 11 about Lazarus and say, Yes, but I knew how it was going to come out. But you know, then I get under the pressure and I face the difficulty and I say "Lord, where are You?" You know when I send a message to the Lord, when I come in prayer, I mean, Lord, I want you to do something NOW! I’m not asking you to do something in four days. Lord, this is an immediate, TODAY kind of need! And that's this kind of need! You know, when someone is dying that is a today kind of need! And yet Jesus doesn't come. But He's in total control. He still loves them. He's still going to do what is absolutely, perfectly best for them, and they simply rest in the fact that He will do what is best. And you and I are in the same situation. I may cry out to the Lord, I may share with Him what the need is, but He will have to make the decision on how to act and I'll have to rest with no other knowledge than that He is doing the right thing. He's doing the best thing. He's in control. He's not doing it the way I'd do it. I'd raise Lazarus right now before He dies, I'd speak the word and that'd take care of it! But He doesn't do that. But He does the right thing.

Verse 7. After two days, "Then He said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.'" Now you wonder what the disciples were thinking about during this experience. You wonder what's going through their mind. They're thinking, Hm-m, why doesn't Jesus go? Doesn't He love Lazarus like He said He did? Lazarus is dying. He could raise him up. He healed person after person. You know what the disciples are thinking—the reason we're not going down to Bethany is because Bethany is in Judea, in the proximity of Jerusalem. And if we go down there the Jews will probably kill us. So they think Jesus is not going just out of self-preservation. So they don't have any problem with it. Look out for good ole number one! And after two days, Jesus says 'Well, let's go to Judea again.' You note He doesn't say go to Bethany, but He says let's go to Judea because that drives home the point that we're going back to the center of the Jews, the capitol of Jerusalem, that region. And the disciples' response immediately is, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You." We just left there to prevent being stoned. "You are going there again?" this is absurd! It's just not the wise thing to do. But note here. First, Jesus loves Lazarus, with a kind of love that involves doing what is best for Lazarus regardless of the personal loss. Second, Christ is aware that He functions within the timetable of His Father, and operating within the will of His Father on His Father’s timetable nothing but nothing can happen to upset the timetable of His Father. We spent some time looking through the Gospel of John looking at the emphasis on the hour of Christ, where His hour had not yet come. So in spite of the desires of the Jews, they were unable to execute Him because it wasn't God's time. That's what He tells them in chapter 11 of John, verse 9. "Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.'" This is the analogy. Twelve hours in a day—we still speak basically that way as we divide the hours into twelve hours in a day, twelve hours a night, even though the length various according to the time of year. Now in Biblical times, they didn't have all the artificial lighting that we have, so you walked at night there was much possibility of stumbling. And they didn't even have the smooth passageways, the roads, the sidewalks. So the possibility of stumbling was even greater. So He says you walk in the daytime so you don't stumble. Now the analogy He is making is that when you are walking in God's daytime, so to speak, you are safe. There is no problem. I am within the will of My Father. I must function in the daytime. Another way of saying it is My hour has not yet come. When it comes night for Me, the work will be done. But I don't have to be afraid to go into Judea because if God is not finished with Me, My work is not completed, then I am just as secure in Judea as I am in Galilee or anywhere else. The idea of the day being walking in God's will in God's time, and you don't stumble. He cares for you and He protects you. There is total security as you function within the will of God. Now that ought to be encouraging to us. That means there is no chance at all that my life as a child of God, as I live in the will of God will be cut short by accident, by disease, or some kind of mistake. I am absolutely secure in the will of God. And whatever He wants me to do, I can do unafraid. Now that doesn’t mean there won’t be persecution. It does not mean there won't be opposition. Does not mean there won't be suffering. It means I am safe and secure in the will of God. So He’s saying to the disciples. What are you worried about? We function in the will of God and we walk in the day according to His will. And what can happen to us until it's His time?

Now note here, sort of an application that flows out of this. Point being, that the daytime as Christ speaks to the disciples is the time when God wants us to function. Look back in John chapter 9, verse 4. "We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work." Same idea—I must function while God gives me opportunity. In the day. The day speaks of the opportunity God gives us. And you note here. There are twelve hours in the day, we function in the day—the point, there is always ample time to accomplish what God wants me to accomplish. We sometimes think we've got so much to do I can never get it done. We ought to stop and register in our minds. There is ample time for me to get everything done that God wants me to get done. You say, You don't know my schedule. I've got 48 hours of work to get done in 12 hours. Then I need to back up. I say I know that God in His sovereign wisdom would not give me more to do than can be done. So I must ask—How am I using the time? Perhaps I've filled the time with things that are of no eternal significance. They have no significance at all in light of eternity. I don't doubt we're busy—everyone is busy. Busy filling our life with trivia, things which make no difference at all as far as eternity is concerned. I may be too busy to do all those things but I'm not too busy if I'm functioning in the will of God to get done everything He wants me to get done. And that encourages me. I can confront my schedule and say, Wait a minute, it’s not overwhelming. I confront it before the Lord and can determine I can get done everything He gives me to get done. But note here, though, the other side of it. What we are to get done must be done in the day. Jesus spoke of this in John chapter 9, verse 5, when He says "Night is coming, when no man can work."

There'll come a time when God's work for me is over, when the opportunities I have for serving Him will be drawn to completion. And I do not know when that is. I don't know whether it will be today, this week, ten years, whatever. I know I am secure and my work will not be done until God is done with me, but I also know that He has only given me a certain amount of time and I must do everything I am going to do in my service for Him within the day. Within the time He has given me. You know, sometimes we as Christians pull back just like the disciples here. They don't think of the opportunity of going up to Judea and the tremendous ministry that could occur in connection with Lazarus' death—they're saying, 'Maybe we'll die.' You know to one extent or another we get intimidated out of fear of what will happen when we do something, instead of backing up and taking the approach that Jesus took here. We are secure within the will of God until He is done with you, and I don't have to be intimidated. I don't have to be afraid. We can back all the way up until we become hypochondriacs. I can't breathe the air, I might die. I can't eat the food, I might die. And I can't witness here, I might be persecuted. Or I can't do this... I have to back up and say Wait a minute. Now I'm not a fatalist. I believe we ought to eat wisely and breathe wisely. I don't sit behind the exhaust of the car or do foolish things but I need to be aware and confident.
We as Christians get all worked up over things that I need not be concerned about. I may get cancer or die or cancer before the years up or I may live to be 90. But whatever God chooses to do, I know it will be no accident. I won't sit down and say, "Oh, I wish I hadn't eaten that hotdog, think of how different." Now I may get indigestion from the hotdog and wish I hadn't eaten it but I’m aware I’m secure and safe in the plan of God. But I need to be about redeeming the time because that's all I do have. You know that little rhyming phrase, Only one life twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last. There is a certain truth in it. There ought to be an urgency about what I'm doing, but an awareness of who I am in the doing of it.

Verse 10, "If anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." There is a spiritual truth to be conveyed here as there always is when John talks about light and darkness. He talks about the 12 hours of the day. A reminder that as we walk within the will of God, it is only those who have the light of God who can walk intelligently. You'll note in verse 10, you walk in the night and stumble because the light is not in him. We're talking about spiritual light. We have lights in this room, but He's talking about spiritual light. The light that is within the person who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior, Messiah of Israel, the One who died to pay the penalty for sins now, been raised from the dead. That brings life, light, which is the ability to know and understand the will of God. To know and understand the plan of God. It's a result of having inner light.

John develops this in his first epistle. Turn over there quickly. First John chapter 2. He's already made the point that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. And in chapter 2, verse 9, "The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the light, there is no cause for stumbling in him." See the same kind of issues—light, darkness, stumbling? "But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." So you notice you have that inner light which is the result of a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot know and perceive the will of God. You cannot walk with a confidence and assurance that God is in control of every detail and situation of your life. The security of belonging to Him. The joy of knowing He is directing, and controlling and leading in all that you do. Quite frankly, I don’t know how the unbeliever lives his life from day to day, stumbling around in darkness tripping over things, just waiting for a catastrophe or some tragedy to come that will be more than he can handle no matter how strong we are. And yet those of us who have the light within us as a result of faith in Jesus Christ have that assurance of His leading and His control and we can walk in light of His will which is revealed in His Word.

Back to John chapter 11. "After that He said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.' The disciples therefore said to Him, 'Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."' They misunderstand here. They thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was now resting, and they took that as a good sign. If he is resting, that means he'll recover. Sub-point—no sense in us going to Judea and getting stoned for nothing. We would say the same thing today if someone has been ill. Then we hear they are resting well now and we say, well that's a good sign that they're resting comfortably and getting some sleep.

Verse 13, "Jesus had spoken of his death; but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.'" You note how completely in control He is? Now Mary and Martha didn't perhaps know that He was so sovereignly in control because there is a certain despair when they meet Him. Just notice how absolutely in control He is. Have you ever been in a situation where you think? Lord, do you realize what's going on? Do you really know? Could the Lord really know what's happening in my life and not do something about it? Mary and Martha could have been sitting here thinking, Did the Lord realize how serious the situation was when we sent the message to Him? But He did. Very calmly, "Lazarus is dead." It comes as a shock! You mean you knew this and didn't do anything about it? He's in perfect control all along the way. Every detail.

This word sleep is interesting. We're going to be talking about resurrections, etc. as we move through chapter 11. The word 'sleep' as used in the New Testament for the death of a child of God, refers to the temporary inactivity that characterizes the body when death occurs. The Bible says that a person dies when they leave their body. James chapter 2, verse 26 says, "The body without the spirit is dead." Now what happens at physical death regardless of the physical cause—heart attack, accident, cancer, whatever— is that a person leaves their body. Now the person does not cease to exist, but the body ceases to be used. It's just like when you're asleep. It's not being used. It's temporarily inactive. Sleep refers to something temporary, and that inactivity of the body is temporary because there is going to come a future time as we're going to see later in this chapter when that body will be called back to life. It will be glorified, made suitable for God's presence in heaven and that person will move back into his body. In the account in Luke chapter 8 with the raising of the 12-year old girl, about verse 55, we're told that when Jesus raised her back to life her spirit returned. That's when she came back to life. She as a person moved back into that body, and that body lived again. The Bible does say one of two things happen when you die—if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have come to recognize that Jesus the Son of God died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sins, He was raised from the dead the third day as proof that He had paid the penalty for sin, if you are one who has believed that and are relying upon Christ as your Savior, immediately upon physical death you leave your body and go into the presence of God in heaven. II Corinthians chapter 5 says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. In Philippians chapter 1 Paul says "I would rather leave my body and go into the presence of the Lord." Luke chapter 16 says and reveals to us that if a person is not a believer in Jesus Christ, immediately upon physical death that person leaves their body and goes to a place of torment and suffering called Hades. They suffer there until they are called before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne and finally sentenced to an eternity of suffering in Hell. But, the body in both cases (although sleep emphasized with the Christian in the New Testament) is temporarily inactive. And we say that when we come to a funeral and behold the body lying there. And we say, doesn’t it look like they’re sleeping, and their body is. But if they were Christians, they're living it up in heaven! They're just not using their body at the present time. Now you can read 1 Corinthians chapter 15, I Thess. chapter 4 for development of these themes, and we'll touch on those as we move further in chapter 11 in coming studies. Acts chapter 7, verse 16, when Stephen is stoned to death it says he fell asleep. His body collapsed, no longer to be used by while Stephen went into the presence of God in glory.

So Lazarus is asleep. We'll talk a little about what happened to Lazarus after he died, and then he came back to his body. Did he go around giving lectures on life after death and what heaven is like? He had spent four days out of the body—he could really tell some stories. We'll see if he did when we get there.

Note verse 15. "Jesus said, 'Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.'" Sounds like a hard thing to say, doesn't it?
Lazarus is dead and I'm glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. Why? Note how He goes on—"So that you may believe." I'm glad I wasn't there so you may believe. But they do believe. But as a result of the tremendous display of the power of Jesus Christ, the faith of these disciples is going to be strengthened and confirmed. As they stand in awe that He could call one back to life who had been in the grave for four days. But Jesus had said, My purpose in this—I'm glad I wasn't there so your faith might be strengthened. So He's given us both sides. This sickness is not for death, it's for the glory of God so that the Son of God might be glorified. And He's going to die and I'm glad so that your faith might be strengthened. He loved His disciples; He loved those involved. He was going to do the hard thing. He was going to take them through the deep waters, so to speak. Why? Because that will strengthen their faith. That will cause them to rest upon Him more, so that they are more prepared for the coming events that will face them in the not too distant future. I'm glad that He died so that you might believe. You might have your faith strengthened and confirmed. That's when your faith grows—when you go through trying times. When the pressures push in upon you and you are caused to realize how much you need to trust in Jesus Christ. How dependent we really are upon Him, no matter how much we plan. No matter how much we prepare, ultimately the only security is Jesus Christ. And He takes us through trying times. He takes us through deep times. Why? Because I'm learning to trust Him more. I'm learning to rely upon Him more. My faith is growing and I'm becoming a more mature person. More the person that God intends for me to be.This section ends on a courageous note, although it doesn't evidence a lot of faith. "Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him."' Now you appreciate his courage even though you don't necessarily want to emulate his faith! This is the man called 'Doubting Thomas' and that's because of the events later on in the gospel. He won't believe unless he can put his finger in the side and the hands, the wounds in the hands, of Christ. Thomas, called Didymus. Thomas— the Hebrew word that means 'a twin.' Didymus is the Greek word that means 'twin' and John just translates it for us in two languages here. Thomas, or Didymus. He was a twin. And it was common in biblical times, incidentally, if you had twins to give one twin a name and call the other 'twin.' I don't know how the twin felt, but if you had twin boys you might call one Joe and one twin. And you feel a little bit anonymous. Thomas is twin, and no matter what language you call him, he's twin. We don't know who his twin is, it's not brought out. But he is identified as being the twin. He says 'Let's go with Him that we may die also.' For them going back to Judea is a serious matter. He hasn't understood yet what Jesus said about functioning in the light within the plan and purpose of God. He doesn't yet know the security He has. Aren't we as believers often like that? We're worrying about what we have nothing to worry about! What we have no business to worry about. Here he is getting ulcers over going back to Judea. You know what can happen in Judea? Some people are going to oppose them, some people are going to persecute them, but he's not going to die. He spends the next few days worrying about dying, and God's plan is not for him to die at all! That time will come, but not yet. You know, you appreciate his courage here. But he thinks they're going up for the last hurrah! But there's a couple of months left. This will solidify the opposition but Jesus and His disciples will be able to leave Judea again; but the next time they return the crucifixion will occur.

So all preparation for the resurrection of Lazarus. We've laid down the groundwork that the Son of God is sovereignly in control. In every circumstance and in every situation. Functioning in light of the glory that He and His Father deserve. Functioning in light of what is best for those who love Him. In control of every situation. What security is ours as believers! What a privilege to rest and know that God's got all the details under control.

One question—do you belong to Him? Do you have the security being here this morning of knowing that your sins are forgiven? Do you have a personal relationship with God, and that He arranges all the details of your life? He's in total control. There are no accidents, there are no mistakes. Just the joy of knowing that He's preparing you for glory in His presence? That can happen when you simply come to believe that you are a sinner for whom Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died. He paid your penalty when He died on the cross that you might believe in Him and have light, have life, and be given the ability to perceive and understand and know His will as revealed in His Word. Let's pray together.

Father, how we praise you this morning for the greatness of your love to us. Lord, for the greatness of the salvation you have provided for us in Jesus Christ. Complete forgiveness of sins, complete cleansing. Then Lord, the joy of walking with you moment by moment and day by day. May we as your children be encouraged and strengthened by what's been recorded in Your Word, to recognize that you are sovereignly in control of all the details that come into our lives. That you are working out your plan to glorify yourself, Lord, to strengthen and prepare us for glory in your presence. May we be a people who are willing to trust you, even when we don't see the end, even when we don't understand your purposes. We rest secure in knowing that you are working all things for our good and your glory.

Father, I pray for those who are here this morning who don't have that security, who don't have that joy, that they too might come to realize and believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died that they might have life, for we pray in His name.