THE RESURRECTION
JOHN 11:17-27
JESUS, THE FIRST PERSON TO CALL
V:17. "Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain
in the grave four days already."
A. Death is a normal
part of our human existence.
1. Every person
has an appointed time with death.
2. Life on
earth is designed to be temporary. Job
14:1
B. Tragedy fulfills
the purpose of God. John 11:4
1. Tragedy does
not change the love of God for us.
2. God may use
our tragedy to glorify Himself.
3. We should
never see tragedy as an act of God against us but an act for us.
C. Jesus waited four
days before going to Bethany
1. There was a
Jewish belief that the soul hovered over the body for three days
hoping to
reenter. They believed that the soul departed after the third day.
a. This
superstition would hinder the belief in the miracle of Jesus. So He waited
until
the fourth day. KJV Standard Commentary
2. There was
also the possibility that a person could fall into a comatose state and
be buried
alive.
a. There
was a custom to return to the grave after three days to check the body.
(JNT
Commentary).
3. Jesus allowed
His love ones to go through the sorrow of death so that the
witnessing of
the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus would deepen their faith in
Him.
4. Jesus may not
come when you want Him, but He is always on time.
V:18. "Now Bethany Jerusalem
A. Jesus is never too
far away from us.
1. Jesus is
aware of our problem before it becomes a problem.
2. Jesus has the
solution to our present situation.
3. Jesus solves
our problems according to His divine plan; not ours.
SUPPORT OF FRIENDS
V:19. "And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to
comfort them concerning their brother."
A. It is our duty to
comfort others in their grief.
1. The lost of a
love one takes one through many emotions.
a. There is
sorrow.
b. There is
the feeling of emptiness.
c. There is
the feeling of being lost.
d. There is
confusion.
e. There is
feeling of guilt.
f. There is anger.
g. There is
loneliness.
2. A person in
grief needs reassuring words.
a. A person in
grief needs to be reminded that Jesus is in control.
b. A person in
grief needs to be reminded that their love one is in the
hands of
the Lord.
c. A person in
grief needs a calm environment not confusion that
can be
brought on by other family members.
B. Good friends
should continue to comfort with their presence and reassuring
words from the
Lord.
V:20. "Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was
coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house."
A. Relief begins when
we actively seek Jesus.
1. Grief can
immobilize a person. Mary sat in the
house.
a. Everyone
reacts to grief in their own way.
2. Jesus comes to
us when we meditate on His Words.
3. The Words of
Jesus will in time provide the comfort needed.
B. When trouble comes our way, we need a talk with Jesus.
1. Martha went to
the source of comfort.
2. The best thing
friends and family can do for us is to remind us of Jesus.
3. The Sooner we
get to Jesus, the sooner we will find comfort.
HER DISAPOINTMENT
V:21. "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died."
A. Martha was
disappointed that the Lord didn't show up before her brother died.
1. Martha and her
sister loved Jesus.
2. Martha and her
family served the Lord.
2. They were
constantly in His company and provided for Him from their
substance.
3. These sisters
threw a dinner party for Jesus and His disciples.
B. Martha knew the
word; she studied under Jesus.
1. Martha had
complete confidence in Jesus ability to heal.
a. Martha may
have been an eye witness to the miracles of Jesus.
C. When sickness
visited Her house, Martha naturally expected Jesus to show up.
1. Mary and
Martha had prayed to the Lord for a healing. V.3
2. Jesus, by
divine purpose delayed coming until Lazarus was dead. V.6
E. Having lost a wife
to cancer, I know the grief and the disappointment that
Mary and Martha
experienced.
1. The Lord that
they loved had a different plan than their own.
2. We have to
trust that the Lord's will is better than our will.
3. Regardless of
our disappointment, we have to trust that the Lord's
way is the
best way.
F. What Martha didn't
know was that Jesus could heal from a
distance.
1. We cannot get
to far from Jesus.
2. He is
omnipresence; everywhere all the time.
HER FAITH
V:22. "But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt
ask of God, God will give it thee."
A. Martha continued
to express her trust in Jesus.
1. We can't let our personal tragedy cause us
to stop believing in Jesus.
2. Martha was
hurt, Martha was disappointed, yet she still loved the Lord.
3. Just because
the Lord does not do what we want Him to do, we can't stop
believing in
Him.
B. We have to trust
the Lord's will for our lives.
1. This is hard to
do when it is not what we want.
2. It is the best
thing to do because we do not know what is best.
THE POWER OF JESUS
V:23. "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise
again."
A. Jesus has a better
plan and a better way.
1. The Lord sees
the big picture.
2. We only see
what we know.
3. Our vision is
limited by our lack of knowledge.
B. Death is not the
end, but the beginning of a new spiritual life with Christ.
1. The body
returns to the dust from which it came and the spirit returns to the
Lord. Ecc
12:7
2. At Jesus
second coming all believers will rise to
heaven with the Lord.
1 Th
4:16-17.
V:24. "Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise
again in the resurrection at the last day."
A. Martha knew the
scriptures concerning the resurrection of the dead.
1. Martha had the
best teacher; Jesus.
2. We have the
best teacher; Jesus.
a. The Words
of Jesus are recorded in the Bible.
b. We should
be constant in our study of the scriptures.
c. When
trouble arises the Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus teaching. John 14:26
d. It is in
the Word that we will find comfort and renewed Joy.
B. Martha trusted the
Word of Jesus concerning the future resurrection at His second
coming.
1. She did not
understand that at this time, Jesus was speaking of an immediate
miracle.
2. We should
never limit the answer to our prayers to our expected outcome.
3. Jesus can
answer prayers in ways we cannot understand.
WHO JESUS IS TO US
V:25. " Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and
the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live."
A. Jesus sometimes
will allow trouble in our lives so we come to Him with questions.
1. His answer to
our questions will lead to a deeper understanding of His Word.
B. It is only through
Jesus that there is resurrection and new life.
1. We are
resurrected from a spiritual death; separation from the Father.
2. We are
resurrected into a spiritual life; communion with the Father.
3. Those who believe
in Christ have eternal life from the moment of belief.
C. We have to suffer
a physical death to begin eternal life with the Father.
V:26. "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this?"
A. We gain the
physical death with no effort. We are born to die.
1. We born in a
state of eternal damnation.
B. We gain eternal
life just by believing in Jesus.
1. Our eternal
life begins on earth and continues forever in Heaven.
2. The only
requirement for eternal life is belief in Jesus.
3. After
accepting Christ, it not us that live, but Christ that lives
in us. Gal
2:20
HER CONFESSION
V:27. "She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."
A. The first thing we
must believe is that Jesus is Christ, the Savior of the world.
1. Jesus was
anointed to be the Messiah. Dan 9:25-26
B. The second thing
we must believe is that Jesus is the Son of God.
1. Only the Son
of God qualifies as the Savior of the world. Isa 45:21
2. Jesus has a
divine nature.
a. He is God
in the Person of the Son.
C. The third thing we
must believe is that He came down from heaven to be the
perfect sacrifice
for our sins. 1 John 4:14
TEN POINTS FROM THIS PASSAGE
1. Jesus allows tragedy in our life. V:4-6
2. Jesus uses our tragedy to glorify the Father. V:4
3. Jesus is the solution to all our problems.
4. Jesus allows us to suffer so we can learn of Him. V:21
5. The glory of God is shown in His miracles. V:40
6. Our faith in God is strengthen when He does the
impossible in our lives. V:40
7. Miracles begin with our prayers V:41-42
8. In Jesus is all we need. V:43
9. We are loosed from our problems when we trust Jesus with
them. V:44
10. There is no better love than the love of Jesus for us.
V:5
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