2017 The ressurection and the life James Shepherd
Series: Summer Hits
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 21st January 2017
Passage: John 11:1-57
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 When reading a passage like John chapter 11, we are confronted with both the reality of death, its pain,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 but also the hope of being raised from the dead again.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 It can be a very difficult narrative to process for us.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 For most of us, we're used to the narrative of the world.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 We engage with the world each and every single day,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:24 and we hear that there is no hope in the face of death when looking at the world and how the world views death.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:28 Because the world finds this kind of narrative in John 11 quite foreign, quite different.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 Death is something that can't be stopped.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 It can't be explained.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 It brings the wonderful gift of life to an end.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 And this is a narrative that our world is so used to seeing and hearing each and every day.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 But for them, for our world, it's too much to grasp.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 It's too much to handle.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 For a narrative without hope, a narrative that just ends, is not one we want to pay any attention to at all.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 Instead of acknowledging death as something we should talk about, we redirect our focus.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 We focus on something else.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 We focus on any other narrative that gives life or exemplifies life.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 And every product we buy, every service we use, every policy that we might have,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:16 plays on its underlying theme of life in its narrative.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:22 Everything from beauty products that use every single life-giving adjective in the book to sell its product,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:30 to superannuation policies that guarantee you a secure retirement so you can go and live your life the way they want.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:36 They, all at the heart of it, are trying to sell you life, trying to get you to focus in on life.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:43 And we're in a world where now eating healthy, going to the gym, in our active wear is considered cool
00:01:43 --> 00:01:48 because of the benefits to your health and to the quality of your life.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:54 We're always hearing about the new power foods such as the cyborgs and the almighty kale,
00:01:55 --> 00:02:01 foods that are supposed to give us all we need to live a vibrant and healthy life now in the present.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 The narrative we are constantly engaged with each and every day,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:11 a version of life and life abundantly with no end at all in sight.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 We never hear about death in our world.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:19 No one ever talks about death in the services, the products or the policies that we take.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 No one wants to talk about the reality of death in our life.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 Our world would rather live in a fantasy world where death is not even a thing.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 But whilst we might be able to put off death for some time,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 death has a way of catching up to us and confronting us when we least expect it.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 You could be healthy for a very long time in your life.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 And then one morning you wake up with sharp pains in your chest.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 Your blood pressure is through the roof.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 And you need to call an ambulance to come pick you up, unaware of what's going to happen next.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:58 You could wake up one morning with a headache to find out a week later you've developed a brain tumour.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:04 You could be driving up the coast on your way to the holiday you've been looking forward to for a very long time.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 And one moment you're driving, everything is fine.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 And the next moment you're waking up in hospital, you can't fit your legs,
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 the doctor tells you you have damaged your spine, and you won't be able to walk again.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:23 The signs of death painfully pull us back into reality, out of our fantasy world,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:29 and places us in this reality where we have to deal with death in front of us.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Recapturing our focus.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 Uninvitingly putting death on the table again is something we have to deal with.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 Something we have to talk about.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 And so what then?
00:03:40 --> 00:03:44 What do you do when you are confronted with death?
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Our world is so ill-equipped to deal with the real narrative of life,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 that we live and that we die.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 That death is real and something that we must face.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:57 But in John chapter 11, the narrative is a bit different.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 Here we see Jesus and his disciples confronted with death.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 News has come to them that their friend Lazarus has fallen ill.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:12 And before they even arrive in Bethany, Jesus pronounces to them in verse 16 that they are dead, that he is dead.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:17 However, he ends his sentence by saying to them, let us go to him.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:24 Which begs the question, what is going to happen when Jesus arrives on the scene?
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 When he is confronted with death, what will he do?
00:04:28 --> 00:04:35 If Jesus is the one who has come to bring life and life to the full, as we see back in chapter 10,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:42 what can we expect will happen when the one who has come to bring life is confronted with death?
00:04:42 --> 00:04:48 The story of Lazarus is written for a world that is confounded by death.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:54 When we struggle to know how to respond to death, we must look to Jesus who shows us how.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 So looking at Jesus' example here in John chapter 11, there are a few things we can see.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:09 Firstly, we see that we must acknowledge that death is a destructive and painful and unnatural force in our world.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:17 Death not only takes away our opportunity to enjoy life in this world, but it also takes away life in community.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:26 Death will always come in between and end all of our relationships, even our deepest and most closest ones.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 In excess was wrong.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 Nothing will tear us apart.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 Wrong.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:34 No.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:40 Death will tear us apart, and death has been tearing us apart for a very long time now.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 Again, a song like that appeals to us, doesn't it?
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 A world in which we will always live together forever.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 Jesus' own response says it all.
00:05:52 --> 00:06:01 Verse 35, the shortest verse in all the Bible captures the grief that Jesus was in when he was face-to-face confronted with death.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 It says,
00:06:02 --> 00:06:14 At a distance, back up north, Jesus was able to keep his emotions in check, simply to say that Lazarus is dead.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:25 But when he is face-to-face with the grief and the pain, the sadness of death, he can't help but feel the sharp pain that it brings.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:33 One of the reasons why it's so often easy for us to ignore death in our life is because we rarely are confronted with it.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:39 And I'll admit, as someone who is pretty young, I've rarely confronted death in my own life.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:49 We see it only far away in the news, in statistics, articles, in TV shows and movies, in places where it doesn't seem quite real to us,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 where we don't feel the gravity of what's going on.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 But rarely do we see it face-to-face.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:59 And so when we do see it face-to-face, the grief, the pain of death can be overwhelming.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:06 We have been so used to the narrative of life and life abundantly that our world projects on us
00:07:06 --> 00:07:10 that when the reality of death strikes us, it confounds us.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 How do we respond?
00:07:12 --> 00:07:12 What do we do?
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 But Jesus' response here is quite interesting.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 In verse 33,
00:07:18 --> 00:07:23 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 he was deeply moved and troubled.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 The phrase deeply moved there, I think, is a bit of a soft translation.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:38 The word used here is often used elsewhere in the Bible to describe the angry snorting of war horses.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:45 So if you can imagine a war horse as they anticipate battle, the anger they feel,
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 as they feel the battle coming, this is Jesus' response.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 It's not simply that he is moved, but he is angry.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:58 Angry as he stares down at his enemy, death.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 And for what it's doing to the people around him that he loves.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 Now the word troubled here intensifies this emotion as well.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:14 The same word for trouble is used back in John chapter 5 with a beggar by the pool of Siloam.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 The beggar who wants to be healed in verse 7, he says this,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:24 I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred or troubled.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:33 If you imagine a lake that's entirely still, you're on holiday, you're enjoying the pristine, crystal clear lake.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:39 And all of a sudden, annoying little rat bag kids come up and start skimming rocks across the lake.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:45 And you are annoyed because you're trying to enjoy this lake and the beautiful, pristine nature of it.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:50 But now you are troubled, just as this lake is also just being troubled and disturbed.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 That's how Jesus feels right now.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:02 This picture of what is going on for him right now, the death of Lazarus has made him deeply angry within,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:06 to the point that his anger is bubbling up inside of him.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 He is not at peace, he is stirred.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 The best translation I found was in the message, actually.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:18 And it says this, the anger welled up in him, like a wave coming up.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Why this intense anger?
00:09:24 --> 00:09:32 Because death is not a natural part of life, but an unnatural phenomenon that rules our present age.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:37 He is angry because death stands opposed to God's good order,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:45 and robs the glory of God found in creation, blinding humanity to the goodness and love of God.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 We have been blinded if we think death is a natural part of life.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 But the thing is, many people do feel it's natural.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:58 Many people think that if eventually all things die,
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 if we can observe that everything dies in this world,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 then it must be natural, it must be normal.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 It is repeatable, and I can test it.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 It's the way our world functions.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 But even those who might believe death is natural
00:10:11 --> 00:10:16 struggle to accept the loss of relationship that we talked about in death.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 And you see this all the time at funerals,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 when you hear people say,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 he hasn't really died,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 but he lives on in our hearts and our memories.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 She's with the angels now looking down on us.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:33 His spirit will always be with me.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:39 If you remember when Philip Hughes passed away after being struck by a cricket ball,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 Michael Clarke gave a very emotional, moving eulogy.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:49 And you could see in his face that he really, really struggled to deal with death,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 death of one of his closest friends.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:55 And he said that Philip Hughes' spirit will always be with him when he went out to bat,
00:10:55 --> 00:11:00 trying to somehow make him live on beyond death.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:06 People refuse to accept that the ones they love are gone forever.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 Even though our scientific world would say otherwise,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:16 our grief and our pain says something is very wrong and very unnatural about death.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:20 And Jesus' own grief, he testifies to this.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 You might be sitting here waiting for me to get to the good bit,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 and we will get there, I promise.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:31 But it's so important, you don't miss the reality that we are all under.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:35 If we caricature the reality and power of death,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:40 we will end up caricaturing the power and reality and the hope of the gospel.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:44 If we caricature the reality and power of death,
00:11:44 --> 00:11:48 we will end up caricaturing the power and the hope of the gospel.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 As Christians, we do have an answer to suffering and death,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 for the one that's facing terminal illness,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 when tragedy strikes and goes south for us in our health.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:03 But the worst thing we can do for a brother and a sister,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:07 for a friend who is grieved by the passing of a loved one,
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 is to not acknowledge the pain of death,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 the separation, the loss that is there,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 and therefore just jump straight to the good news.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:23 Remember, even though Jesus knew what he was about to do in waking up Lazarus,
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 he wept.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 He felt the pain that death brings.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 He mourned.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 And so a correct response to death,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 indeed, the first response is to grieve.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 Indeed, weep.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 It's to acknowledge the loss and the separation that happens,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 and to mourn that loss.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 It's to be angry,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 and to acknowledge that this isn't right,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 this isn't good,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 this isn't natural,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 this isn't the way things are supposed to be.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 We can't beautify death.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 It's not part of the circle of life,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 as the Lion King might tell us.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:07 Death is a real and destructive force
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 in our broken and corrupt world.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:16 But we are not those who grieve and who mourn without hope.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 And so secondly,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 this passage teaches us to respond to death
00:13:21 --> 00:13:26 by looking forwards to the hope of a future resurrection.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 When confronted with death,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 the Christian has a profoundly different narrative.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 When, whilst there is grief and anger,
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 there is also hope.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 And the basis for this hope
00:13:37 --> 00:13:41 is in the one who is able to call us back to life again.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 And so Jesus, stirring with anger,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 will not let death have the final word.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 With Lazarus,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 he asks in verse 34,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 Where have you laid him?
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 When they take him to his body,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:55 he weeps.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 Those around him are amazed at his love for him.
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 But some are confused.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 In verse 37,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 But some of them said,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:06 Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 have kept this man from dying?
00:14:07 --> 00:14:11 The power of sin and death
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 has so influenced
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 and corrupted the minds of men
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 that people question the power of God
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 to bring life,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 to bring someone back to life.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 This leaves Jesus in verse 38
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 to again be deeply moved,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 to be stirred with anger,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 to be warded with anger.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 Why?
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 Because the power of death
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 has threatened
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 to rob his authority,
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 his power,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 and his glory.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 The power of sin and death
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 has dictated for far too long
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 the hearts of men,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 causing them to fear,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 robbing the worship of man
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 that belongs to God alone.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 And so Jesus no longer allowed us to go on.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 He who calls himself the resurrection
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 and the life,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 in verse 25,
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 will do only what God can do.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 And that is raise the dead,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 promising that he would do,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 as he said in verse 5,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 give glory to God.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 Verse 41,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 Then Jesus looked up and said,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 Father, I thank you
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 that you have heard me.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 I knew that you always hear me,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 but I said this for the benefit
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 of the people standing here,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 that they may believe that you sent me.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 When he said this,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 Jesus called in a loud voice,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 Lazarus, come out.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 The dead man came out,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 his hands and feet
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 wrapped with strips of linen
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 and a cloth around his face.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 Through the power of his word,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 Jesus gives life to a man who was dead.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 He doesn't invoke some foreign spirit
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 or a power to raise him,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 nor does he mutter an incantation
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 or a spell to bring him back.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 He orders Lazarus to come out,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 and the dead man responds.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 He hears the call to new life
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 and responds and comes out.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 It's through the command of his word
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 that he overturns the power of death
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 that had so taken Lazarus.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 And such is the basis for our hope as well.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 When confronted with death,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 we will be grieved,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 we'll be angry.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 But facing death well,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 it's not trying to explain it away,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 it's a natural part of life,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 it's not trying to soften its impact
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 by saying our loved ones
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 live on in our hearts and minds.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 Facing death well
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 is acknowledging the grief
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 and the pain that is there,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 but knowing full well
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 that sin and death
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 have been put unnoticed.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 Celebrating the day
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 when Jesus will call us
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 out of the grave
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 to new life.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 As he spoke of in John 5,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 he says this,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 Very truly I tell you,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 a time is coming
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 and has now come
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 when the dead
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 will hear the voice
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 of the Son of God
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 and those who will hear
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 will live.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 And verse 28,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 he says,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 Do not be amazed at this,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 for a time is coming
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 when all who are in their graves
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 will hear his voice
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 and come out.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 Those who have done
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 what is good
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 will rise to live
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 and those who have done
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 what is evil
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 will rise to be condemned.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 As verse 42 reminds us,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 Jesus raised Lazarus
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 in order that we might believe
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 that he was sent by God,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 that he is the Christ.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 It was for this purpose also
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 that Jesus healed the man
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 who was born blind
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 back in chapter 9,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 which we looked at two weeks ago.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 That he would believe
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 and respond in worship,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 that we too,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 as we read,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 might also believe
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 and respond in worship
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 in the one
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 who can and will
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 raise us from the dead.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 Although,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 we look forward
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 to a much better
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 resurrection
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 than Lazarus.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 He was raised mortal,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 but will be raised immortal.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 He was raised still
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 under the power
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 and the reign of sin
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 and death,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 but will be raised
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 under the reign of Christ
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 in the kingdom of God.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 His resurrected body
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 still subject to decay,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 but our resurrected bodies
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 will be heavenly
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 and perfect
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 and never will decay.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 A funeral is different
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 for a Christian.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 No less painful,
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 it's no less sad.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 The loss of a loved one
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 is very real
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 and it grieves us.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 But we are not
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 without direction
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 and hope.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 We don't need
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 to try and explain
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 death
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 to make it fit
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 somehow in our life
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 and make it make sense.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 We can accept
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 the painful reality
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 of death.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 We can accept
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 its unnatural
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 destructive force
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 because we know
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 the one who has overcome
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 the power of death
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 and we look forward to
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 and he will not only
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 call out our loved ones
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 from the grave,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 but us also
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 to new life.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 We anticipate
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 the day in which
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 sin and death
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 will be no more.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 It will be rendered
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 powerless.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 It's that hope
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 we hold to
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 when confronted
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 with death
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 in the present.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 A glorious future
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 for all who trust
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 and believe in Jesus
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 that he can raise
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 them from the dead.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 It's a wonderful hope
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 to hold on to
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 in a world
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 that is so afraid
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 and so scared
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 of dying.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 But this,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 it's a hope
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 that's already begun.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 It's a hope
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 that's already begun
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 to be realized
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 in the present.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 Because this passage
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 is not only
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 what we anticipate
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 in the future,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 but it's also
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 paradigmatic
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 of what we experience
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 as a Christian
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 in the present.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 Which brings me
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 to my last point
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 I want to
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 take out of this passage.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 The resurrection
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 of Lazarus
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 teaches us
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 to hope
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 in the resurrection
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 of our bodies
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 to come,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 but to also
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 celebrate
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 the new life
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 we have received
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 in the present
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 by the Spirit.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 As we've mentioned
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 before,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 we exist in a world
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 that cannot accept
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 the narrative
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 of death.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 Their hope
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 is in remaining
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 in a state
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 of ignorance,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 living out lives
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 in a fantasy world
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 where death
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 doesn't exist,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 turning a blind eye
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 to the decay
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 of their own bodies.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 But the irony
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 of their pursuit
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 is that they're
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 already dead.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 The Bible
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 not only talks
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 about death
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 physically,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 but also spiritually.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 Dead in sin
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 and without any hope.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 Ephesians 2.1
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 makes it very clear
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 stating that
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 we were all dead
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 in our sins
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 at one stage.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 So it doesn't make sense
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 that dead people
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 can't see,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 can't smell,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 can't hear.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 They can't be persuaded
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 of anything.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 They can't be
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 persuaded to follow God.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 They're dead.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 That was once us.
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 although we had
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 the image of life,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 we were spiritually dead.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 So how do those
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 who are dead
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 hear the life-giving
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 word of the gospel?
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 The resurrection
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 of Lazarus
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 not only points
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to what we can
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 anticipate
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 in the future,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 but testifies
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 to the incredible
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 life-giving
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 work of the Spirit
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 in the present.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 it testifies
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 to the magnificent
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 creative work
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 of the gospel.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 When we heard
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 the gospel
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 and believed
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 for the first time,
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 we were receiving
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 the call of God
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 to be made alive again.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 Just as Jesus
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 called Lazarus
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 out of the tomb
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 to be made alive,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 we who were dead
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 in our sins
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 were called
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 through the gospel
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 to be made alive
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 once more
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 by His Spirit.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 The resurrection
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 of Lazarus
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 shows us
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 that the gospel
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 is not merely
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 a message
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 by which we try
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 and persuade people of.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 It's a creative word
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 that gives life
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 to those who are dead.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 Lazarus
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 had no power
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 to raise himself
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 up from the dead,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 let alone
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 the mind
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 to persuade it.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:12 It wasn't like
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 Jesus went there
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 and said,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 Lazarus,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 come on, mate,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 you want to come out?
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 I know you do.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:17 I know you don't
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 want to stay dead.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 Jesus didn't coerce
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 Lazarus
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 and say,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 come on,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 you have to come out.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 No,
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 Jesus said,
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 Lazarus,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 come out
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 and by that powerful
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 life-giving word,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 a man who was dead
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 was given life.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 It was a creative event.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 It was not a persuasive event.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 It was a word
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 of creation,
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 a creation event
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 similar to what we see
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 in Genesis chapter 1
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 where God says,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 let there be light
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 and there was light.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 God speaks
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 and the world
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 comes into existence
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 in the same way
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 through the incredible
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 power of the gospel
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 God declares
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 he speaks to us
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 be alive
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 in Christ
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 by the power
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 of spirit
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 to which we respond
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 in repentance
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 and faith
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 which is why
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 Paul can say
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 in 2 Corinthians 5
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 17
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 therefore
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 if anyone
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 is in Christ
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 he is a
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 new
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 creation.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 New creation.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 The old is gone,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 the new has come.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:24 the only chance
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 for life
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 for immortal life
00:23:27 --> 00:23:30 is hearing
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 the life-creating
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 word
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 of the gospel
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 which gives
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 life now
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 and in the future
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 with the resurrection
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 of our bodies.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 Our confidence then
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 in a future
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 bodily resurrection
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 can be based
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 upon our experience
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 of a spiritual
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 resurrection
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 in the present.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 we do not need
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 to fear death
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 when we are those
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 who have been
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 made alive
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 in Christ
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 by his spirit.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 We will face
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 death
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 in this life.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 It will grieve us
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 as we experience
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 the unnatural loss
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 of relationship
00:24:02 --> 00:24:04 and the joys of life
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 but we can remain
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 confident
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 that Jesus
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 will call us
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 out of our graves
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 because he has
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 already called us
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 out of our
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 spiritual graves.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:16 the story
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 of Lazarus'
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 resurrection
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 gives us
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 the means
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 to face
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 death well
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 in a world
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 that is confounded
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 by death
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 and how to respond.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 This miracle
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 reminds us
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 that death
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 is still
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 a painful
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 reality
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 that we must
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 face
00:24:31 --> 00:24:34 but one
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 we don't face
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 without hope.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 The only question
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 we must ask
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 of ourselves
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 is the one
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 Jesus asked
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 of Martha.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 Do you believe
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 that Jesus
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 is the resurrection
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 and the life?
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 Can you face
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 death well
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 in this world
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 knowing that your
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 future is secured
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 and you have new
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 life in the present?
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 Because death
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 and suffering
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 will come
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 when we least
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 expect it
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 and when the
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 signs of death
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 come
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 or indeed
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 death itself
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 comes
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 will you resign
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 yourself to
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 despair
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 and hopelessness?
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 Will you choose
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 to ignore it
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 and just jump
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 into the fantasy
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 world
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 and pretend
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 and ignore
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 that death
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 is not a thing?
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 Or
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 will you
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 through your grief
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 look forward
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 to the redemption
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 of your broken
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 body?
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 That in the present
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 you have new life
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 by the Spirit
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 and because of
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 God's gracious
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 and effective
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 life-giving word
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 you are able
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 to walk with
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 him
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 and show
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 all those
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 around you
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 the great joy
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 you have
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 in Christ
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 in the face
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 of death.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 If you do not
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 believe in Jesus
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 if you are
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 hearing the good
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 news that
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 he has come
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 to bring life
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 for the first
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 time
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 do not turn
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 away
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 do not retreat
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 into the fantasy
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 world
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 hear and receive
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 the call
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 to life
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 both spiritual
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 life now
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 and eternal
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 life to come
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 the Bible's
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 narrative is not
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 only far more
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 satisfying than
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 the world
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 when it comes
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 to how we
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 should respond
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 it's far more
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 logical
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 it recognizes
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 that it's
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 unnatural
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 to which our
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 grief also
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 testifies to
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 but it also
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 provides the
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 solution
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 that Jesus
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 has come
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 as the
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 resurrection
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 and the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 life
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 to overturn
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 the power
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 of sin
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 and death
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 that he
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 might give
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 us
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 as he said
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 in John 10
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 life
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 and life
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 of the
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 fool
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 let me
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 leave you
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 with Jesus
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 words to
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 Martha
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 from verse
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 25
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 I am
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 the
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 resurrection
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 and the
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 life
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 whoever
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 believes in
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 me
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 though he
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 die
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 yet shall
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 he live
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 and everyone
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 who lives
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 and believes
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 in me
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 shall never
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 die
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 do you
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 believe this