New Life Bible Fellowship Church
3-16-25
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...
  • He's Still The King Of Kings
  • There Is A Redeemer

  • Introduction:

    As we continue on in our trek through this glorious gospel, we saw last week that Jesus was at another of the great feast celebrated by the Jews, the Feast of Dedication. Jesus uses this opportunity to connect the “I Am” statements of the prior week to the security that his sheep have in him, particularly because of the oneness shared between Jesus and his father, from John 10:22-42.
    This morning we will begin to look at another rather lengthly narrative about a miracle unlike any others up to this point; a miracle which constitutes the final and ultimate messianic sign of Jesus in this gospel. A miracle in which the context provides the opportunity for Jesus to declare another “I AM” statement about himself to be the resurrection and the life, removing the hopelessness and finality of the grave. As we look at this narrative both this week and next, we begin to see the transition from Jesus Public Ministry, to one more focused on his disciples and followers, as we read from John 11:1-27.

    Text: John 11:1-27

    John 11:1–27 ESV
    1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

    Main Idea: Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life, we his sheep need not fear death.

    I. Delays With Divine Purpose (11:1-6)

    We begin by setting the stage…
    1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
    Lazarus - Not the Lazarus in the parable of Luke 16:20. This Lazarus of Bethany is mentioned only in John’s gospel, although his sisters appear also in Luke 10:38–42.
    Bethany - Identified in v. 18 as being 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem, this village is the Bethany most commonly mentioned in the Gospels (see Mark 11:1; 14:3 par.; also Luke 24:50), and different from the one on the other side of the Jordan we mentioned last week.
    2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
    Mary. We will see Mary’s anointing of Jesus in our next chapter, 12:1–8.
    3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
    So the sisters sent to him - somehow they contacted Jesus, knowing that he has healed many in his public ministry, and anticipating his prompt response since Lazarus was…
    he whom you love is ill. This is a distress call, apparently sent shortly before Lazarus dies.
    4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
    This illness does not lead to death. In saying this, Jesus is not denying that Lazarus will be dead for four days; rather, He is denying that death will finally triumph, resulting in a greater display of God’s glory in His Son.
    It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
    “Death will not be the final outcome of this illness.” The culmination will be “the glory of God,” which is manifested in the power, love, and wisdom of God, so that men may see and proclaim these virtues.
    Note that when the Son is glorified through the exhibition of his brilliant virtues in works of might and grace, the Father, too, is glorified. These two cannot be separated (we saw this last week in John 10:30 when Jesus declared, “30 I and the Father are one.”).
    In order that this glory may shine forth most brilliantly Lazarus must first die. The illness is for (or “in the interest of”) the glory of God.
    5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. - it is the love that Jesus had for these two sisters and their brother Lazarus that caused him him to react as he did next…
    6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
    So (oun [inferential conjunction] - a conjunction used to state the conclusion of a previously mentioned matter) - in other words, it was because of his love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, that…
    when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. - in order for the love of Jesus for these three to be manifested, and in order for Jesus and his father to be glorified together, Jesus delayed his visit.
    So we saw the Delays With Divine Purpose, next we will look at:

    II. Discipleship Amidst Danger (11:7-16)

    7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
    The two days are over, and Lazarus has died (though the disciples are unaware of this). So Jesus said to the disciples, Let us go into Judea again. They, may have been thinking that Lazarus is on the way to recovery (from Jesus comment in 11:4- This illness does not lead to death), and wonder whether the Lord intends to enter upon a new task in the province of his most bitter enemies.
    8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
    The disciples said to him - almost as if they were trying to remind jesus what happened the last time they were in Jerusalem.
    the Jews were just now seeking to stone you. Jesus and His disciples know that if He goes to Jerusalem, His life will be at risk. Yet by now His disciples should have realized that Jesus’ death, though inevitable, will not occur until the “hour” appointed by God. Jesus’ death will not happen by accident or miscalculation; it is what He came to do.
    Jesus now reminds them of his timing and purpose…
    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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
    If Jesus is the “light of the world” (which Jesus declared in 8:12), then to walk in the day means to walk in the light that Jesus gives; that is, to walk in fellowship with him, believing and obeying his words.
    In contrast, walks in the night means to walk apart from Jesus, not believing him and not obeying him. This is an indication that the person has no spiritual life, for the light is not in him. Most people at this time worked as long as there was daylight; once it was dark, it was time to stop working.
    In summary, Jesus is divinely called to go to Judea; it is part of what constituted walking “in the day” for him, his purposeful, fully calculated timing, even though he is heading toward the cross (11:7–8).
    11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
    fallen asleep. In the NT death is frequently represented as sleep (Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:13). This is a common way of talking about death and says nothing in favor of the doctrine of “soul sleep” for departed saints. Scripture is clear that conscious awareness continues after death.
    I go to awaken him - this is the purpose for Jesus delay, to allow Lazarus to fall asleep (die), so that the glory of God can be seen in his awakening.
    12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
    It has not been uncommon for people to misunderstand Jesus’ use of metaphors…Nicodemus misunderstood the metaphor of birth (3:4) and the Samaritan woman the symbol of water (4:15), so the disciples misconstrue Jesus’ reference to death as “sleep.”
    13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, - Jesus of course must explain his metaphor to those whose mind is focused only on the physical.
    15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
    for your sake I am glad that I was not there - again, Jesus is stating that there was a purpose for him not being there, and that that purpose was for the sake of his disciples…
    So that you may believe indicates that Jesus knows raising Lazarus from the dead will lead to deeper faith on the part of the disciples who witness this miracle.
    16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
    Thomas, who has been branded with the title doubting Thomas because of his tendency toward blunt realism (14:5; 21:24-29).
    that we may die with him. The hostility toward Jesus has now reached the point that the disciples are convinced that a trip to Jerusalem will result in Jesus’ death. If they cannot talk Him out of the trip, they are at least willing to die with Him.
    We have seen so far that with God, his delays are Delays With Divine Purpose, and how Jesus uses this time for Discipleship Amidst Danger, now we will look at how with God’s purpose and discipleship:

    III. Despair Meets Divine Hope (11:17-22)

    17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
    four days. Though burial usually followed soon after death (see Acts 5:6, 10), some later Jewish sources indicate a belief that the soul hovered over the body for three days, hoping to reenter it, but then gave up and departed.
    Also, this reference to the duration of time in the tomb, repeated in v. 39, is designed to show that Lazarus was really dead, and not merely sick.
    18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. - The closeness of Bethany to Jerusalem is mentioned to explain why so many Jews from the capital had come to console the sisters.
    20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.
    when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him - We are not told how Martha knew but, it seems that the Lord wished to talk to Martha, and that he desired to do this in the absence of the busy crowd. He wanted to speak to her alone and undisturbed. So he remained at the outskirts of the village.
    Mary remained seated in the house - We don’t know why Mary remained in the house, however, Jesus, understanding the nature of each sister, allows Mary to remain for a while in the house, while he holds a conversation with Martha just outside the village.
    21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
    Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. The first statement of each sister (Mary, as we will see next week in v. 32), showing the confidence that prompted their urgent message to Jesus before their brother’s death (v. 3).
    Humanly speaking the message had arrived too late. Accordingly, we must look upon Martha’s words as the expression of regretful grief.
    22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
    even now. Martha still expects some miracle, although it seems that her brother is beyond recovery. The situation is well beyond any human hope or remedy, the hope Martha is expressing is a transcendent hope….a hope from outside the norm as she knew it, a hope in her Messiah.
    You can almost feel the theological tension in Martha’s heart; the darkness of grief and the light of hope were engaged in deadly combat. Sometimes her lips gave expression to her near-despair; then again to her optimism.
    So we’ve seen the progression of this whole event moving from Delays With Divine Purpose, to a time of Discipleship Amidst Danger, to where the depths of Despair Meets Divine Hope, and now to our final outcome where Jesus, their Messiah, issues a:

    IV. Declaration of Ultimate Authority (11:23-27)

    Here the reality of all that Jesus has taught them in his “I AM” statements, and his assurance that his sheep will hear his voice and he will give to them eternal life finds its apex…
    23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
    In the simplest possible manner Jesus predicted what was about to occur: “Your brother will rise again.” Martha, suppressing (perhaps even extinguishing?) for the moment her flickering hope, as if it were too good to be true, showed her understanding of the theology of the resurrection by saying…
    24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
    It must not remain unnoticed that in what she said Martha took for granted, as entirely indisputable, the resurrection on the last day. Personal belief in individual resurrection is expressed in many Old Testament references:
    Psalm 16:9–11 ESV
    9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
    Job 19:25–27 ESV
    25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
    This reference to the resurrection at the great consummation was perhaps a kind of conventional consolation, frequently poured forth by professional mourners who were at a loss what else to say.
    But Jesus is about to teach something so profound regarding not only the future state of believers, but their present state as well…
    25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
    I am the resurrection and the life. This is repeated in part in 14:6 (Acts 3:15; Heb. 7:16). Life for the believer does not end at death but continues eternally as an endless life of fellowship with God. This is true for those who, like Lazarus, were in the tomb as well as for those who are still alive. The point of Jesus’ pronouncement is that it is only by means of our union with Christ the risen Lord, through faith alone, that believers come to experience this abundant life of the age to come, which begins now by the Holy Spirit’s power and will reach consummation at the resurrection of our bodies (Rom. 6:3–11; Col. 3:1–3).
    Note: Jesus does not merely say that he will bring about the resurrection or that he will be the cause of the resurrection (both of which are true), but something much stronger: I am the resurrection and the life. Resurrection from the dead and genuine eternal life in fellowship with God are so closely tied to Jesus that they are embodied in him and can be found only in relationship to him.
    Therefore believes in me implies personal trust in Christ. The preposition translated “in” (Gk. eis) is striking, for eis ordinarily means “into,” giving the sense that genuine faith in Christ in a sense brings people “into” Christ, so that they rest in and become united with Christ.
    Again, the I am statement here represents a claim to deity.
    26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
    everyone who lives and believes in me - refers to those who have spiritual life now.
    Those who believe shall never die, in that they will ultimately triumph over death, and even if physically dead, they are currently alive in the presence of God. This is the ultimate consolation for Martha…her brother is alive now!
    Do you believe this? - Martha, in being asked this question by Jesus is asked to exhibit a faith that goes beyond the theological norms of the day. This questions requires Martha to believe in what is humanly unseeable and unknowable simply because Jesus her Messiah said it was so…thus her reply…
    27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
    you are the Christ, the son of God. The conversation elicits from Martha a confession of faith that parallels that of Peter (Matt. 16:16) and expresses the purpose of this gospel (20:31). This confession pulls out all stops and commits herself to whatever Jesus says to be true.
    Martha’s reference to the one who is coming into the world takes up the messianic expression derived from Ps. 118:26 (cf. John 12:13 par.), which we will look at on Palm Sunday.
    Note that this reality of the aliveness of those who died in Christ was a necessary preface to what we will see in the miracle of next week.

    So What?

    Do we understand that God’s sovereign hand over the timing of events is solely for his purpose and glory?
    Are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to disciple us through these hard times by yielding to opposition of even danger if need be?
    Do we find hope in the midst of despair as a result of yielding ourselves to the one who sees beyond our circumstances?
    Does the reality of those in Christ being eternally alive give us hope for our present sojourn and joy as we remember our loved ones who have died in Christ?
  • Let’s Just Praise the Lord
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
16 members • 1 follower