Parresia · Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace, Session 20, “Jesus, Our Resurrection and Our Life”

Welcome to Session 20 of Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace. This session is entitled, “Jesus, Our Resurrection and Our Life.” 

John 11:25-26 – [Jesus said of Himself] “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.”

Jesus said this to His friend Martha in the context of going to raise of her brother Lazarus from the dead – a man who did indeed die and would die again at some point. So when Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me shall never die,” He was talking about eternal life in our spirit. The believer never dies. 

Death has always been the enemy of God. Why do we have death? Because of sin – originally Adam’s sin. The wages of sin is death. God’s desire was Eden – pleasure and abundant life, perfect happiness and health. No sickness, no disease. No pain. No addiction. No depression. No bondage. All which came when death entered the human race.

Since the fall in the garden, death has come for every single human being. 

Romans 5:12 – …through one man sin entered the world, [Who is that ONE man? Adam, who believed the outlaw spirit, satan. Sin entered through that one man] and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men…

God hates death and all its effects because God loves us. That’s why He sent His beloved, only Begotten Son Jesus to destroy death, which Paul called God’s last enemy. 

1 Corinthians 15:26-27 – The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He [God] has put all things under His [Jesus’] feet.”

Today every born again believer is a resurrected being in an un-resurrected body, but one day what was sown in corruption will be raised in incorruption.

When Jesus returns, physical death will end, and we will be given perfect bodies that match our perfect spirit. But in the meantime, we have the Spirit of the resurrection within, to give us abundant life now.

Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for us?

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for us? First of all, Jesus’s resurrection is our victory over death.

Romans 6:5,8-9- if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection… 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. [nor us!]

And Jesus’ resurrection is also the proof of our justification – the proof of our righteousness:

Romans 4:25 – [Jesus] was delivered up [on the cross] because of our offenses, [Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins] and was raised [from the dead] because of our justification. [The resurrection is the proof that when God looks at us, He sees us as righteous]

Jesus’ resurrection is God’s satisfaction in the work of His Son. It is God declaring that we are righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The question isn’t “is God satisfied with me?” The question is this: Is He satisfied with the work of His Son? The answer is yes and the proof is in the resurrection. 

Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection is our assurance that we are no longer in our sins.

1 Corinthians 15:17 – And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 

But the opposite is also true: if Christ HAS risen, then we are no longer in our sins, and we are holy and blameless in His sight.

Therefore Jesus’ resurrection is our assurance of every blessing of heaven.

Ephesians 2:6-7 – [He] raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come [from the moment we are born again into eternity] He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus

So the resurrection of Jesus is the foundational truth which we talk about all the time when we discuss the doctrines of grace and our position of eternal righteousness in Christ. 

But today, I want to look at the story of Lazarus from the perspective of the “here and now.” How can this real life event in the lives of real people whom Jesus loved encourage us to have hope in hopeless situations today? What does it mean that Jesus is our Resurrection and our Life today, in this moment of time? Let’s apply John 10:10 to John 11:11 – 

John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” [John 11:11 – “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” There are dead situations that we are praying for that Jesus is coming to resurrect. He is Our Resurrection and Our Life!]

Jesus loved them

Let’s start with John 11, verse 1 – 

John 11:1-2 – Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that [same] Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

This is referring here to a future act which is recorded in the next chapter of John – John 12 where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus in preparation for His burial. Mary is also the woman who sat at Jesus’s feet in Luke 10 and heard His word while her sister Martha was scurrying around “worried and troubled about many things.” Jesus said of Mary – 

Luke 10:42 – “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

John 11:3 – [Mary, Martha, & Lazarus were Jesus’ dear friends. Vs 3-] Therefore the sisters sent to Him [Jesus], saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 

A couple of things here: #1 – Mary and Martha called upon Jesus. Why? Because they had faith that Jesus alone could heal their brother.

#2 – They were appealing to Jesus based on His love for their brother. Now, they used the word phileō for “love.” This word means to love like a brother or to have an emotional fondness or friendly feeling for another. Keep that in mind for later.

John 11:4 – When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

So Jesus gave the end of the story at the beginning. There is no question about what He was going to do. And He told them WHY He was going to do it – that He would be glorified – that He would manifest the goodness of God to their family and to all who would witness the miracle.

John 11:5 – Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and Lazarus.

So everything that we read from here forward about Jesus’s actions reflect His love for this family.

But what is interesting is that this isn’t the same word for love that Mary and Martha used when they sent for Jesus. His response wasn’t that He had a brotherly love or an emotional fondness or a friendly feeling for them. 

He responded with the word agapaō – a word which, according to Wuest, means “a love called out of your heart by a person’s preciousness to you, a devotional love that impels you to sacrifice yourself for another.”

Agapaō is unconditional love because it’s the kind of love you would die for. So on the basis of that kind of love, listen to what Jesus did next…

Jesus stayed two more days

John 11:6 – So, when He [Jesus] heard that he [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Now this is the strangest part of the whole story. Why didn’t Jesus go right away? Or why didn’t He just speak a word and heal Lazarus like He did with the Centurion’s servant? Remember that story? Jesus offered to come to the Centurion’s house. but the Centurion said:

Matthew 8:8, NASB  – “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Jesus could have done that for Lazarus, but He didn’t. He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  We can be sure that any time Jesus does something that does not make sense to us, He’s trying to show us something we don’t know or fully understand about God’s glory.

As Jesus had said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John 11:6, AGAIN – So, when He [Jesus] heard that he [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Where was Jesus? He and His disciples were ministering on the other side of the Jordan River, about a day or two journey from Bethany.

It might seem obvious to us because we are looking at this story in hindsight, but I just want to point out that Jesus’ lack of an immediate action on their behalf was not because He was saying no to their request. He already told them YES. Just because we have to wait on God doesn’t mean He has said no. All the promises of God are YES in Christ Jesus.

And waiting doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t care about us. The disciples accused Jesus of not caring about them when they were caught in a storm. Do you think Jesus didn’t know that storm was coming? And yet He said,

Mark 4:35, 38-40 – “Let us cross over to the other side.” [There’s enough power in those words to ensure that they would make it safely to the other side. A windstorm arose and -] …38 But He [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. [He’s not worried about the storm, and neither should we.] And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” [When all this time He’s been caring for them.] 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. [Jesus arose, not at the howl of the wind, but at the cry of His beloved.] 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

Back to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus – Jesus didn’t stay two more days where He was because He didn’t care. And it wasn’t because of their sin. Just because we have to wait does not mean that God is punishing us. It isn’t because of something we have done.

This story directly cross-references with John 9 where Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who had been blind since birth, and the disciples asked Jesus –

John 9:2-3 – “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” [Similar to John 11]

It wasn’t because of their sin that this man was blind, and it wasn’t because of Mary, Martha, or Lazarus’ sin that Jesus stayed two more days. It was simply because of THE thing that was of the highest priority in God’s order of all things – the glorification of His Son – the revelation of His glory. Why? He loved them and wanted them to believe in His goodness and have life in His name.

The raising of Lazarus is considered the 7th specific sign in the gospel of John, which is often called the book of signs. Every sign recorded has two purposes.  Near the end of John’s gospel, he wrote:

John 20:30-31 – And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written [why? # 1 – ] that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ [That is His role, His position, His title. ], the Son of God, [That is His identity – He is the image of God.] and [#2] that believing you may have life [Zoe- abundant God-life] in His name

Jesus is never late, and He hears our cries

John 11:6 – [One  more time – ] So, when He [Jesus] heard that he [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

I just want to make one more point about Jesus’s delay. I’m sure it seemed to Mary and Martha that He didn’t hear their cry. Sometimes it seems like God isn’t hearing our cries. He seems so silent. Why isn’t He rushing to help us? Doesn’t He know that time is of the essence?

But again, a passage of time is not a “no” from God.  If we are waiting, it is simply because God is ensuring that we will experience His absolute best. Jesus is never late. And He’s also never in a hurry. 

Do you remember when Jairus’ daughter was on her death bed? Jairus fell at Jesus’s feet – 

Mark 5:23-24 – [He] begged Him [Jesus] earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, [That’s a YES! He’s going to heal his daughter – it’s as good as done!] and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

But then Jesus stopped along the road, with Jairus right there with Him – I’m sure Jairus was quite anxious. But Jesus stopped to speak to the woman with the issue of blood who had touched His robe. He turned around and said “Who touched Me? I felt power go out of Me.” And He stops to have a discussion with this woman. And Jairus is right there with Him. Can you imagine being Jairus? He was probably so upset, but saying nothing because he so honored Jesus. But this woman who was fearing and trembling said, “It was me!” And Jesus called her “daughter,” and He healed her.

In the meantime, the 12-year-old daughter died! But we know the end of the story. After Jesus arrived at Jairus’ home, He said, 

Mark 5:39, 41-42 – “The child is not dead, but sleeping.” [Same thing He said of Lazarus]…41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked…

Jesus DID hear the cry for help from Jairus and Mary and Martha. Jesus hears OUR cries for help, and He answers. And He always grants every request made in His name according to His will – His word is His will! Listen to Session 13, “Jesus, Our Yes” for an explanation of praying in the name of Jesus. He is our YES from the Father, and He answers every request in the perfect manner and in the perfect time.

There are many, many scriptures that promise us that God hears us and answers us, but here are just a couple:

Psalm 34:4, 6, 17 – I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles… 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of ALL their troubles.

Psalm 118:5 – I called on the Lord in distress, the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

We need to decide today that we are never giving in to the devil’s lies, and we are never giving up on the promises of God. Jesus said that we ought always to pray and never give up! 

Luke 18:7-8 – “Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.”

One day you will have a problem, and the next day you won’t, so never lose heart. Jesus said so. 

The difference in Jesus’ resurrection and Lazarus’ resurrection 

Now I want to stop and make a point here:  the resurrection of Lazarus is not like the resurrection of Jesus. Why? Because when Jesus rose from the dead, He would never die again.

But Lazarus would at some point in the future wear those grave clothes again. His body would be subject to death again.

This tells me that this story – while it obviously points to Jesus’s victory over death for all eternity – it also speaks to the victory we have in Jesus this side of heaven.

He is our Resurrection and Life in this moment of time while we are still in bodies which are subject to trials, temptations, sickness, decay, and death. Jesus is our Resurrection and Life in the “here and now,” not just in the “sweet by and by.”

Jesus was glad that He wasn’t there

In the essence of time, I want to skip down to verse 11 – John 11:11

John 11:11-15 – [Jesus said to His disciples – ] “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his [Lazarus’] death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. [Then He says something profound!] 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 

Do you realize that if Jesus had been there, Lazarus could not have died. Why? Because no one ever died in the presence of Jesus. No one! 

Even on the cross, Jesus died first. The two thieves couldn’t die until Jesus breathed His last breath and gave up His Spirit. Then the Roman soldiers came to break their legs so that they wouldn’t be able to support themselves, then asphyxiation would set in so they couldn’t breath, and they would die.

In the presence of Jesus is life! Because he is the Resurrection and the Life. And His presence is here today! Amen?

So Jesus purposefully arrived AFTER Lazarus had already died. He allowed all their hope to plummet – for one reason: “that you may believe.” Believe what? Believe in His glory. What does that mean?

• It means that He can do anything.
• nothing is beyond His power and ability.
• nothing is impossible with Him.
• It is never too late for His plan to prevail.
• And He alone is our hope.

If there is any story in the Bible that should give us hope, it’s this one!

If You had only been here….

John 11:17-25 – [skipping to verse 17 – ] So when Jesus came [to Bethany], He found that he [Lazarus] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. [Probably because she had heard that Jesus was on His way.] 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Like Martha, we too have this reaction sometimes – that if Jesus didn’t step in to prevent something from happening, then it’s too late. Our minds go to the past because we believe that God is limited by time. But again, Jesus had already promised that this sickness would not ultimately be unto death. So the past has no bearing on the results!

John 11:22-25 – [Martha goes on to say -] But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” [It’s kind of a statement of faith, but based on what she says next, not really. She’s sort of hoping for something she dares not say out loud. But Jesus reads her mind.] 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [Jesus is telling her AGAIN what He is going to do. But instead of grabbing hold of that promise in the present, Martha immediately jumps to the future.] 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” [What is the Last Day? Jesus spoke of the Last Day several times. In other gospels it’s referred to as the Day of Christ. In John 6:40 Jesus said that everyone who believes in Him “I will raise him up at the last day.” It’s when He returns, and we are released from these bodies.] 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. [In other words, I AM TODAY – not just in the Last Day – the resurrection and the life – right here, right now – not “I WILL be.” Wherever Jesus IS, the power of the resurrection IS.] He who believes in Me, though he may die, [“though he MAY die” – in other words, some won’t die because they will be alive when Jesus returns – their bodies won’t die – they’ll just be taken up and they’ll get the new ones – but for those who do die – they ] he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. [spiritually speaking] Do you believe this?” 27 She [Martha] said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

She believes in the future resurrection, but she doesn’t realize that Jesus is the resurrection and the life today.  He said Lazarus would rise again, and He meant TODAY – present tense.

Lazarus died. Past tense. We tend to think that if something happened in the past, it cannot be reversed. It’s over. It’s dead. It cannot be resurrected.

But Jesus is still, the Resurrection and the Life! If a relationship is dead, that doesn’t mean it’s over! If we receive a bad report from the doctor, it’s not irreversible! If we have a rebellious or wandering or confused child, it’s only a chapter! It’s not the end of the story! God has written the book! If a business goes bankrupt, God can resurrect the vision and bring it back better than it ever was before!

John 11:28-33 – And when she [Martha] had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” [Martha wanted Mary to meet with Jesus alone, away from the people] 29 As soon as she [Mary] heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with she [Mary] in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, [The same thing Martha had said -] “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 [in other words, in His emotions] and was troubled.

Jesus groaned

Claire and I had an email exchange a couple of years ago on this passage, and she sent me notes with some definitions this word “groaned”: 

indignation and anger at the devil’s work of death and sorrow… vehement agitation…. sharp admonition… emotion causing a physical shudder… 

Jesus “groaned” within Him – He had indignation and anger towards death and the one who had the power of death. He entered into their pain as a human being.

Hebrews 2:14, NLT – Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

Because He is our Mediator, because He is the God-man – in the moment we are living, He feels what we are feeling. And in John 11, Jesus was angry that the enemy of death had penetrated into His innermost circle of friends!

John 11:34-38 – And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. [God chose that the shortest verse in the Bible would reveal His Beloved Son as intensely human and authentic. And the Greek word for “wept” is used nowhere else in the Bible. It means a calm shedding of tears. Jesus experienced the gamut of emotions.] 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him [Lazarus]!” [They used the word “phileō”, just like Mary and Martha had earlier – an emotional fondness or friendly feeling for another. Little did they know that there is a wider, longer, deeper, higher LOVE that Jesus had for them called “agapaō.”  Verse 37 – Some had a different take -] 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” [They were referring to the man born blind that we read about in John 9. If Jesus could heal that man, could He not have prevented Lazarus from dying? Again – they were looking into the PAST instead of seeing Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life in the PRESENT] 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.

He’s feeling their pain again and empathizing. He’s not judging them. He understands why they feel the way they do.

You know, we should never be afraid of empathizing. If you have walked in someone’s shoes, it’s ok to let them express their pain and even enter into their pain to help them out of it and to comfort them with the comfort you have received.

Some Christian ministers won’t let you express your pain or even fears because they think it’s a lack of faith. But Jesus wasn’t like that!

If Jesus Himself who knows the future and has no one greater than Himself to swear by and knows better than anyone that His promises YES – if even Jesus groans, if even the Spirit grieves – it’s ok to empathize and bear each others burdens and then together release them to Jesus who will trade those sorrows for abundant life that is immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.

Take away the stone

John 11:38, cont – [Jesus came to the tomb.] It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, [argued with Jesus and] said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

This is an if-then statement. Since we know the end of the story and that they did see the glory of God, we can assume they did believe. 

Martha’s words, “by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days” are not words of faith. And you can read back through the passage and see that at every turn someone was saying something negative.

So is there anything you can see that indicates that they believed? I only see one thing – and it’s not their words. The ONLY thing I see is an action – they did what Jesus told them to do. They took away the stone.

Maybe “believing” is just putting one foot in front of the other, and not giving up – just doing what the Spirit says, and leaving the rest up to Jesus. This reminds me of Abraham. He had no idea where he was going, but he obeyed because he believed God.

Hebrews 11:8-9 – By faith Abraham obeyed [hypakouō – to listen to, be attentive to, to harken to. Abraham harkened unto the voice of the Lord] when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents…

Sarah, his wife, also believed, but you wouldn’t know it from her words in Genesis 18. When she was 89 and Abraham was 99, the angel said they would have a son within the year. Her response: 

Genesis 18:12 – Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” [She scoffed]

Do you know what is written of Sarah in the New Testament [He truly doesn’t remember our sins!] in the Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11:11?

Hebrews 11:11 – By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, [How far past the age was she? By my calculations her womb had been DEAD for about 40 years. But she bore a child when she was past the age – why? – ] because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

So Sarah’s words in Genesis 18:12 did not trump her actions. She and Abraham decided not to consider their own bodies, already dead, and not to waver at the promise of God through unbelief. Bottom line: they acted on what they believed about God, and Isaac – whose name means laughter – was born.

I see a similarity at Lazarus’ tomb. They acted on what they believed.  Jesus told them to remove the stone of the tomb of a man who had been dead for 4 days.

John 11:41-42 – Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. [Just like He hears us!] 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

The purpose of every sign is so that we’ll believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and we will have life in His name. Martha said she believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Why? Because she had seen Him heal the sick and do miracles.

But the Christ, the Son of God, could do more than she could have imagined – raise a man who had been dead for 4 days. No one had ever seen that!

Is there a miracle you are praying for that you have never seen before? Is there something so far gone, for so long that it seems hopeless? Maybe a sickness you learned to live with? Maybe a loved one who has been living away from God so long you have all but given up hope? 

I pray that this sign – this 7th sign – of Jesus renews your hope that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, for whom nothing is impossible!

Graveclothes

John 11:43-45 – Now when He [Jesus] 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.” 45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. [The sign worked!]

Now, grave clothes…. grave clothes in those days were linen clothes soaked in liquid spices and hardened around the dead body like a cocoon. So I don’t know how Lazarus could have come out of the tomb except that Jesus caused him to come out supernaturally. 

You know when Jesus rose from the dead, He left the grave clothes undisturbed because His glorified body could transcend matter. But Lazarus’ body was not glorified. He would have to be loosed and set free.

When I pondered verse 44 – Lazarus alive, but still found hand and foot – this thought occurred to me: just like Lazarus, we can be alive in Christ; we can even experience the power of God, and still be bound hand and foot in grave clothes – not free to be who we are, not free to go where we’re called, not free to do what we were made for. 

Why? Because some of us still have the mindset of the grave! we have wrong thinking so they wear the wrong clothes.

I wore the wrong clothes for 45 years!! Until about 15 years ago, I thought I was a dirty rotten sinner. But Jesus awakened me to who I really am in Him, and I traded in my grave clothes for the Robe of Christ’s righteousness! I was loosed and set free to be who Jesus said I was.

Conclusion: the land of the living

I’ll end with this: It’s time to enter the land of the living, to shed the mindset of sin and death, and to hope in Jesus, who is Our Resurrection and Life TODAY!

Psalm 27:13-14 – I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. [HERE AND NOW. If it seems like Jesus is late – ] 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! [“Wait” is the Hebrew word, “qavah,” and it means “expect, look eagerly for.”]

You can eagerly expect because God’s delay is not His no. His delay is His patience to give you the best of His goodness and to show you something about Jesus that you never knew.

Jesus told Mary and Martha, “This sickness is not unto death.” He told them what He was going to do before He did it so that when everything in the natural didn’t line up with His promise, they could still believe that they would see the goodness of God.

Jesus said, “I AM the resurrection and the life!” Is He 4 days late in your life? Is He 4 decades late, like He was with Sarah? It doesn’t matter – one day is as a thousand years to Him, and a thousand years as one day!

Has God promised you something? Is there a God-given picture or dream in your heart that has yet to come to pass? Is there a promise in scripture that you have been hanging on to? Are there promises you didn’t even know were there in His Word? Find them, and stand on every one of them. 

John 11:40 – “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Copyright info: All scriptures in the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

• (NKJV) New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
• (NLT) Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
• (NASB) Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)