Lazarus

John 11

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· Jesus was saying that his time had not come. That no one would stone him because his job on earth was not complete yet

· He also said this as a teaching moment: you live your life and follow me and I’ll be your light and I’ll guide you until your time on earth is through

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· 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.”

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· When he got there, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days.

*It was tradition that a person lay in a tomb for 3 days to make sure they were really dead. Some people were resuscitated or were buried alive.

* It had been 4 days since Lazarus had been put into the tomb. Martha had faith that Jesus was coming and waited for him before making a move

· many people 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.

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· 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. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

· 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

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***Optimism and looking on the bright side in not faith.

· Martha told Jesus “if YOU would have been here” as in her faith was completely in Jesus. “but even now”

o During this time, people would wait 3 days after someone died placing them into their spot in the tomb in case they came back to life

o Optimism is waiting 3 days to see if somehow you were wrong and your family member wasn’t really dead

o Faith is waiting 4 days because you know that Jesus is coming

o Optimism says I think my sickness will get better

o Faith assigns it to jesus

o Optimism is you saying you believe something will get better with time

o Optimism says I won’t always struggle with that

o Faith says Jesus made me new

o Faith says Jesus will take care of this

· Evaluate your prayer life. Are you praying prayers of optimism or faith?

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· 28 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.

***Are you the kind of person that has faith that encourages others? Mary got up quickly because Martha’s faith made her excited

· 31 When the people 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.

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· When you call on the name of your Father, it means something to him.

· He cares and he wants you to call to him. When you feel like you’re in the dark and don’t know what to do, call on Jesus. But then be prepared to do the work.

· Jesus called Lazarus and his sisters good friends. Did you know that people can be good friends of Jesus?

· What do you expect a good friend to do? That’s what Jesus wants to do for you!

· 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?”

· 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.” (he stinketh)

· 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will 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.”

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· many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

· So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

· 54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

· 55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.

· 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

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· Faith comes by hearing. But not everyone who hears will believe

· These people saw Jesus raise up a dead man back to life and they still didn’t believe.

· The Pharisees were too busy following the laws of the OT, being “religious” that they missed what was right in front of them.

· At the end of your life on earth, you get to the pearly gates will God say, man that was fugazi/fake

o You acted like your first response was prayer. But I keep seeing a lot of empty actions.

o Are you consistent in the action part?

o Faith without works is dead. The action is doing the work

o A big part of the work is loving people.

· 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.