"Lazarus Come Forth" John 11:25

I heard about a man this week who was sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper, drinking his coffee and paying absolutely no attention to his wife. She got up from where she was sitting and went over to him, pulled the newspaper from his hands, looked him straight in the face and said, "I bet you don't even know what today is." He thought for a moment and said of course I

do. You think I could forget anything like that. He went off to work and that day at noon she received one dozen red roses. At two o'clock a box of candy, and at four o'clock a beautiful black gown. When he came home that evening, on the table were fresh cut flowers, candles were lit, soft music was playing, a sumptuous meal had been prepared, and she was dressed exquisitely. After

their wonderful meal, she got up and came over to him real close, and said: "Sweatheart, I want to thank you for making this the most wonderful Ground HogDay I have ever known."

1. WHAT JESUS PROCLAIMS

Look at v. 25 and 26. Jesus makes a very powerful proclamation to Martha. He says, "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. ."

What powerful words.... "I am the resurrection and the life !!!" With that powerful proclamation,

I believe Jesus wanted to accomplish two things.

Number one...

1. Jesus Wanted To Comfort His Friends

* They had suffered the death of their brother, Lazarus.

Read.... John 11:1-6. Notice also in verses 11b-14, that Jesus says to his disciples...

When Jesus arrives at the home of Mary and Martha, Lazarus is already dead. Look at v. 17-25.

Jesus makes this proclamation. He is assuring Martha that Lazarrus would live again.

He wanted to comfort His friends.

2. Jesus Wanted To Challenge Their Faith

Look back at verses 25 and 26. After Jesus makes this great proclamation, notice that Jesus set forth the challenge of faith.... "Believest thou this?"

* Mary and Martha both had faith, but it was weak.

For example....

When Jesus arrived on the scene Martha went out and met the Lord. Verse 21 tells us that Martha said to Jesus.... "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."

Now look at verse 22,23 we see a glimer of faith in Martha.

To Martha, resurrection was an abstract concept. Something that could happen in the futute, but not an immediate possibility.

Notice verses 39 and 40.

Jesus proclaimed... "I am the resurrection and the life.."

* He wanted to challengetheir faith.

Christian, what about your faith?

* Do you believe that Jesus is able to raise the dead?

* The Bible teaches us that ever person who is unsaved is "dead in their trespasses and sins".

Let's also see...

2. WHAT JESUS PROMISES

verse 25 and 26. Jesus says, "..he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die..."

Some of you may be thinking, We're all going to die."

Well, if that is what you are thinking, you are WRONG !

The difficulty here is with our definition of death.

* They immediately go into the presence of the Lord.

* As Paul put it, we will move out of the temporary house of our earthy bodies and we will move into the eternal presence of Jesus.

*

D. L. Moody used to say: "Someday you will here that Moody is dead. Don't you believe it. I'll be more alive than I ever was."

I recently read about an unusual man named... Charlie Fisher.

He was a little wiry guy that was called "Uncle Charlie" by his friends. He was a man who had a fervent love for his Savior... Jesus Christ. He had an old canvas-covered airplane that he would use as a witnessing tool. For instance he would fly over

county fairs and dump out bushel baskets full of gospel tracts. He would then fly back over the place and with a loud speaker preach to the people on the ground about their need for Jesus. Of the many unusual things "Uncle Charlie" did to spread the gospel, perhaps the most out of the ordinary thing he did was preach

his own funeral. He gave his son a tape, and told him, "When I die, just gather my friends. You don't have to do anything but play this tape." When the day of Charlie Fishers funeral came, his friends were there. His body was there, but he wasn't there. Someone pushed the tape recorder button, and the people heard,

"Hello, friends this is Charlie Fisher. I'm up here in heaven, and it is wonderful." Charlie proceeded to tell all about heaven, and then he said, "I want all of you down there to come and meet me in heaven."

Listen friend... when Charlie Fisher preached his own funeral, he was indeed alive !

3. WHAT JESUS PROVES

1. Jesus not only made a powerful proclamaiton and a great promise.

2. Now he offers undeniable proof that He is the resurrection and the life.

* Notice that Jesus offers the proof of... What He Did For Lazarus [ v. 41-44]

Jesus did three things for Lazarus...

1. Jesus Showed Lazarus Love [v.3,35,36]

2. Jesus Saved Lazarus' Life [v.43]

3. Jesus Set Lazarus Loose [v.44]

Conclusion:

One time a man named Byron was driving with his wife through the beautiful Smoky Mountains. His wife glanced at the dash board and noticed that they were getting low on gas. She suggested that they stop for gas at the station that was just ahead. But Byron kept driving and insisted that they had plenty of time to get gas. They continued their drive and eventually his wife nodded off and went to sleep. After a while Byron noticed that the needle on the fuel gauge was at the empty mark. It was beginning to get dark and he was beginning to worry about maybe getting stuck out there on one of those dark mountain roads. More time passed and he was sure that he was running on fumes. But then as he rounded a bend, he saw the lights of an old country store with a gasoline pump in front. He parked his car, went inside, and asked the old mountaineer if the pumps out front worked. "Yep" was the reply. Byron breathed a sigh of relief and went out side with the old man to begin filling his tank. It was a beautiful evening and everything was working out fine. Byron with a big smile on his face said to the old mountaineer, "It's great to be alive, isn't?"

The old man simply replied, "I don't know. I ain't never been no other way!"

Listen ladies and gentlemen, I have been another way.

* I was once dead according to Ephesians chapter 2, in my trespasses and sins.

* I needed to be raised out of that condition of death.

* I needed Jesus to do for me spiritually what He did for Lazarus physically.

* And He did. He... showed me love, saved my life, and set me loose.

Look at what Jesus claims.... verse 25.

About 2000 years ago, Jesus showed love for us in that He went to Calvary and bled and died there for your sins and mine. He did that so that our lives could be saved.

* He not only died,

* He was buried and placed in a tomb.

* Three days later He arose... victorious over sin, death, hell and the grave. And He Lives.

* He lives today... and He can save you today.