Signs - The Story of Lazarus

01 Jesus Is The Death Killing Life Giver 

John 11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

Astheneo - to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless.  

 “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Lazarus Is Probably Already Dead.

To Prove The Point

11 He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 

 21 Now 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 of 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 at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever 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 to come into the world.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 

02 Death Is An Enemy Of Jesus

33 when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but this is incidental. His soul is held by rage: and he advances to the tomb, as a champion who prepares for conflict. The raising of Lazarus thus becomes, not an isolated marvel, but a decisive instance and open symbol of Jesus’ conquest of death and hell. What John does for us in this particular statement is to uncover to us the heart of Jesus, as he wins for us our salvation. Not in cold unconcern, but in flaming wrath against the foe, Jesus smites in our behalf. – B.B. Warfield,

02 Death Is An Enemy Of Jesus

John 10:10 - The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

So death is a tool of the devil and an enemy of God… and anything that steals, kills and destroys comes form the kingdom of darkness and not of God. 

Your personal circumstances are not evidence of how God feels about you.

John 16:33 In the world you will  have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Your circumstances do not define God's love for you; the cross defines God's love for you.

God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, 'I love you.' - Billy Graham

02 Death Is An Enemy Of Jesus

An enemy that Jesus was willing to suffer under to free you from.

03 Jesus Want to Minister To Us In Our Pain

“Suffering always prompts heart-wrenching questions” 

35 Jesus wept 

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Contrite - crushed like dust. 

40 “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

04 Jesus Does WOW and We Do The Work

Identify it

John 11:34  “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Expose it

John 11:39 “Take away the stone,” he said. 

“But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 

Unbind Him

John 11:41 So they took away the stone.  43 Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, 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.” 

James 5:16-18 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. 

05 It’s Hard To Ignore A Dead Man Walking 

The raising of Lazarus from the dead was a sign but raised from the dead Lazarus walking around was a sign too! 

John 11:45 Therefore 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. 

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” 49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”  

John 11:53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Jesus has brought resurrection to their door!

I ACTUALLY HAVE A MAP FOR YOU

John 12:9-11 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

The invitation of Lazarus's life is that you and I are now meant to be the modern day living signs of the reality of Jesus in this world!

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). 6 And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus,

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is...