First Baptist Church
Fairbanks, Alaska
805 Sixth Avenue
(907) 456-4923
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Fairbanks, Alaska 805 Sixth Avenue (907) 456-4923 |
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“Jesus Wept” John 11:35 Mark Howdeshell (21 October 2007) John 11:35 Jesus wept. Introduction Have you ever just set down and wept. I mean really cried your eyes out. Maybe you thought that you couldn’t make it through that time. Maybe the pain was so deep that it was tearing your heart in two pieces. Maybe you thought that no one understood exactly how much it hurt to be you right then and there. If you’ve ever felt that way…….or it you find yourself in that situation again, remember this simple truth……Jesus has been there……..and He’ll be there with you again. Review of Last Message Courage stems from our faith in God. Pray that God will grant you the courage to face the opportunities that He places in front of you. Heart of the Matter Sunday night I read part of this passage about the death of Lazarus. This morning I want to look at the entire event and what it says to us today. I’m going to tie in our daily lives with that of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. We’ll look at why Jesus delayed his trip back to Bethany and what Thomas thought about it. And finally, we’ll explore the weeping of Jesus and if He’s still crying today. The Meat of the Message
John 11:1-3 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
· Luke 10 tells of Martha inviting Jesus into their home · Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to all that He said and put perfume on His feet and wiped them with her hair · Jesus was always welcomed at their house · If you invite Jesus into our “home” (heart), He will love you just as much as He loved them!
John 11:4-16 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
· Purpose of the pain that the family would endure would be to glorify God · Though Jesus loved Lazarus and could have healed him with a simple word, He chose to let him die · Why did He stay an additional 2 days……..we’ll soon see! · How did Jesus know that Lazarus was dead? He didn’t get a text message or an email. He didn’t even get a call on His cell phone. The messenger stated that “Lazarus was sick.” o Jesus was with Lazarus at this time of need. His omnipresence felt the heart of Lazarus beating and Jesus knew exactly when He died. o He is with us always and knows our times of greatest need. · Thomas’ remark showed an extreme devotion to Jesus o Willing to give up his life to be with Jesus o Set the example for the other disciples · Jews had just tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy when Jesus told them in John 10:25-30 that they did not believe in miracles because they were not His sheep. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and the follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” The next time there……..HE PROVES IT!!!!
John 11:17 & 39 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
· Jesus waited to go back to Bethany so that there would be NO DOUBT that Lazarus was dead. · He had been in the tomb 4 days…. o Body normally prepared and “buried” within 24 hours o Lazarus may have been dead 5 days o Though the scripture does not say, Jesus escaped the Jews in Chapter 10 in the winter. That means that it was probably spring or summer when Lazarus died and the heat would have made his body start to decay more rapidly. · The odor of death would have been evident.
John 11:18-37 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35 Jesus wept . 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
· Many people were there to witness the miracle. o How many of these same people tried to stone Him the winter before? o How many believed that Jesus was the Son of God? o Some had witnessed His miracles before. (verse 37) · Martha’s statements were a testimony to her extreme faith o Didn’t see her faith so much before as she was cooking o Complained that Mary wasn’t helping o Here she gave no doubt of her faith in Jesus · Mary’s faith was shown as she hurried to see Jesus o Didn’t question why her brother died o Stated that he would not have died if Jesus had been there · Why did Jesus weep? o He knew that Lazarus wasn’t dead. o He knew that all the people would soon be rejoicing. o He knew the purpose of the whole event. o Jesus wept at the pain that His beloved were going through. He was experiencing human pain deep within His spirit. He wasn’t weeping because of the death of Lazarus, but the pain of His children. Death was soon to be overcome because death has no hold on Jesus. o Jesus weeps when we weep. He has experienced the human pain and has shed tears with us. He continues to shed tears with us when we grieve and weep.
John 11:18-37 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." 45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. 4
· Martha being the original realist still did not realize what Jesus was about to do. All she could think about was the logical, “It’s going to stink. Don’t go in there.” · Jesus could have move the stone Himself. o Jesus won’t do what we can do. o Didn’t want to “confuse” the miracle with another less important act. · Jesus prayed aloud for the benefit of us. He did not have to say anything and Lazarus could have walked out of the tomb. He spoke aloud so that we can “hear” the power of Jesus’ words and see the “power” given Him by God. · “Lazarus come out!” There was no doubt that Jesus commanded the dead man to walk out of the tomb. o Jesus had to guide him out of the tomb. § Lazarus did not know where he was. § His face and body were covered with the grave clothes. § Followed the voice of Jesus from death to life. § Loosen the bonds of death (grave clothes) so that he might live again! o Lazarus raised from the dead…..only to die again. · Many put their faith in Him. Many put their faith in Him today!! The Bottom Line Death cannot win a battle that has been fought and won by the blood of Jesus. He has proven that death does not reign in our physical bodies and promised that death will not reign in our spiritual bodies. In fact, He defeated both when He rose from the grave. Rejoice in a Jesus that is risen. Rejoice in a victorious Savior. Praise the Lord!!!! INVITATION Are you afraid of death? If you are not saved by the blood of the Lamb then you should be? Do you believe in Jesus and that He has power over death? Do you believe Jesus’ words when He says that those who believe in Him will never die? Give yourself to Him today. Yes, He wants your all. Yes, He deserves your all. Yes, Jesus is the only way. No, He will not accept anything less. Are there any that need to ask Jesus into your hearts to guarantee your resurrection on that glorious day? |
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