Would you turn back to John chapter
12? Tonight, we're going to observe
the Lord's table together. I have entitled this message,
Lazarus after his resurrection. We're not given a lot of information,
but it's very pertinent. We read in verse 1, Lazarus was
which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. Look at the latter part of verse
2. Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. He was one of them with Him. Look in verse 19 of John chapter
12. But the chief priests consulted
that they might put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason
of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. Lazarus after his resurrection. The resurrection of Lazarus was
the last of the seven miracles performed by the Lord Jesus Christ
in the book of John. All of these miracles attested
to who he is. Jesus Christ is God. I love to say that. Jesus Christ
is God Almighty. Only God can raise the dead. You know, medicine has done many
things with the Lord's blessing, but one thing man's medicine
has never been able to do is raise the dead. Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, raised the dead. Now Lazarus had died. He'd been dead four days. The
process of decay, the decomposition of his tissues, through the enzymes
and the bacteria causing the putrefaction of his body, he'd
already began to stink. Four days, dead. And Christ raised him from the
dead. People even witnessed this. They
saw Lazarus come out of the tomb. You know, I met a woman once
who told me she'd been raised from the dead four times. I said,
oh, oh. And I think she believed it.
I didn't know. I knew that hadn't taken place,
but this took place. Lazarus was raised from the dead. I can't imagine that four days,
what was going on during that time? Was he in the presence
of Christ? I presume he was. Without sin,
you can't be in heaven without, and still be sinful. I don't
understand what all was going on during that four day period.
But now he comes back from the dead. I imagine he had people
asking him, what was it like? I would have asked him that.
You would too. But we don't read wherever, wherever
Lazarus tried to give a description. I think of Paul when he was brought
into the third heavens. He said, I heard unlawful words. Words which are, I used to be
able to quote that. Here I go again. Turn with me
to 2 Corinthians 12. I want you to see it. Like I said last week, Lent will
tell me when I'm slipping so much I can't, I need to quit. Unspeakable words, that's the
word I was looking for. Not unlawful words, but look, he says in verse
one, it's not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I'll come
to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ. I love the way he says this.
I knew a man in Christ. What humility. The only way he
wanted to speak of this as being in Christ. He's speaking of himself,
but he says, I knew a man in Christ, but 14 years ago, whether
in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot
tell. God knoweth. Such in one caught
up to the third heaven. The first heaven is where the
clouds are, where the birds fly. The second heaven is outer space. The third heaven is where God
dwells, where Christ is, heaven. Paul said, I was caught up into
the third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether
in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knows how
he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words,
which is not lawful for a man to utter." Now, that's what Paul
had to say about his experience in heaven. And I kind of suppose
that Lazarus was pretty much the same. What are you going
to say? Here we are back here, place
of death, place of sin. I've been in the very presence
of Christ. I heard unspeakable words which are not lawful for
a man to utter, and here I am. I imagine he had people trying
to interview him. What was it like? He had nothing
to say. As a matter of fact, we're not
given one word uttered by Lazarus. I think that's so remarkable.
If you'd been in heaven and came back, wouldn't you want to talk
to people? I imagine you would. If you were
there, you wouldn't even know how to describe what was there.
Lazarus never uttered a word that we have recorded after his
resurrection. John chapter 12 verse 1, then
Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany where Lazarus
was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. Now that is the biography of
every believer. He had been dead. Dead. I know this is talking about
his physical death, but this is also talking about the autobiography
of me and you. If we're believers, we were dead. Dead in trespasses and sins. Dead. Unable to see the beauty
of Christ. Unable to hear the gospel. Unable
to see the sufficiency of Christ. Really unable to see my sin.
Oh, I might see bad things I do, but as far as seeing the reality
of my sin? Unable to love God. Unable to
come to Christ. Unable. Did the Lord say no man
can come to me? He didn't say no man may come
to me. He said no man can come to me. He lacks the ability to
come. Except the Father which has sent me draw him. Dead. And you, Hethikwik, and
you are dead in trespasses and sins. If you're dead, you can't
do the things of life. You can't hear the gospel. You
can't see the beauty of Christ. You can't taste his grace. You
can't smell the sweet savor of his love. You can't feel the
embrace of his spirit. You're dead, unable. He was dead. Christ raised him from the dead. Now, you and I was raised from
the dead when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Ephesians chapter 2 says that. We were quickened together with
Him. You see, if I was in Him, when
He lived, I lived. There's my righteousness. When
He died, I died. My sin was judged and punished. When He was raised, I was raised
justified in God's sight. That is our testimony. I was
raised from the dead when God gave me life. I was dead in sins.
Through hearing the gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
I was given spiritual life to hear the gospel. I'd never heard it before until
I was given life. I never feared God before he
gave me this new birth. I never had faith. I was clueless. I didn't know what sin was until
God revealed himself to me. I was dead and he raised me from
the dead. Isn't that the biography? of
every single child of God. Verse 2, There they made him a supper,
and Martha served. She's remaining in character.
You can remember that passage of scripture in Luke chapter
10 where Martha was covered about with much serving and Mary set
at his feet and heard his word. Well, we're going to consider
next week, Lord willing, where Mary broke that alabaster box
of ointment upon his head. The Lord called it a good work. But here we have Martha serving,
but Lazarus, here's the description of Lazarus. But Lazarus was one
of them. I wanna be in that group, don't
you? I wanna be one of them. That
what? Lazarus was one of them that
sat at the table with him. I want to be one of them with
him. There isn't anything more glorious.
I want to have the same experience as Lazarus. He didn't say anything. He simply sat at the table as
one of them with Him. One of them, the same them Paul
spoke of in Romans 8, 28, when he said, and we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are called according to His purpose. I want to be one of
them, don't you? For whom He did foreknow predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. Whom he called, them he also
justified. Whom he justified, them he also
glorified. I want to be one of them. Turn back to John chapter 10.
You're awful close. Verse 24. Then came the Jews
round about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make
us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Did the Lord ever speak anything
but plainly? Jesus answered them, I told you.
And you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. There's no excuse for not believing
I'm God because of the things I do. I do what only God does.
I raise the dead. Verse 26, but you believe not
because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you. Notice he
didn't say, you're not my sheep because you don't believe. He
said, you believe not because you're not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them. That's the them I want to be
part of. I know them. and they follow me and I give
unto them eternal life. My father which gave them me. That's the them being spoken
of when Lazarus was one of them that sat with him. Now there's
so much that can be said about being one of them and this is
The claim to fame of Lazarus. You say, where isn't his claim
to fame that Christ raised him from the dead? This more. He
was one of them that sat with him. That's who I want to be. Now
the scripture has a lot to say about being one of them. Turn
with me to John chapter 17. That's where we're going to focus
our attention on being one of them. Verse nine of John chapter 17,
he says, I pray for them. There we have it. I pray for
them. Don't you want to be someone
that the Lord Jesus Christ prays for? Oh, I want to, I want him
to represent me before the father. I want him to be praying for
me. Oh, if he's praying for me, everything's fine. Lord, remember
me when you come into your kingdom. He says, I pray for them. And
notice what he says next in verse nine. I pray not for the world. When the Lord Jesus was praying,
he was not praying for everybody. When he said, father, forgive
them. They know not what they do. Everybody he prayed for was
forgiven. This wasn't some kind of generic
prayer. He says, I pray for them. I pray not for the world. but
for them which thou hast given me." He was praying for the elect. He wasn't praying for the world.
He was praying for God's elect. As a matter of fact, seven times
in this prayer, seven times, he refers to those the Father
gave. Look in verse two, as thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him. Verse six, those which thou
gavest me out of the world. Still in verse six, thou gavest
them me. Verse nine, I pray for them, I pray not for the world,
but for them which you have given me. Verse 11, those whom thou
hast given me. Verse 12, those that thou gavest
me, I've kept. Look in verse 24, Father, I will
that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. Now, his prayer is for those
the Father gave him before the foundation of the world. Now
let me tell you something that's glorious about election. It tells
us who God is. God really is God. He's in control
of everything. And if you're saved, it's because
He saved you. You can't save yourself. But
oh, thank God for election. He chose a people to be saved. These are the people Christ prays
for. Don't you want to be one of them?
Let me also say this. You have no reason to say, well,
I'm afraid I'm not one of them in the sense that if you come
to the Father in Christ's name, you're one of them. You're one
of them. This doesn't shut people out
of the kingdom of heaven. Oh, I want him praying for me, but
he won't do it, because I'm not one of the elect. Don't even
think that way. Don't do it. Know this. Everybody he prays
for must be saved. I pray for them. Now, who are these people he
prays for? Well, look in verse 2. As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give Eternal
life to as many as thou hast given him. Who are they? The
ones he gives eternal life to. And eternal life is not longevity
of life. It's the life of God in your
soul. It's the new birth. It's that
eternal life that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is the them,
verse three, this is eternal life, that they might know thee,
the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Here's the
them, they know God. What an awesome thing to think
about. If you're a believer, you know
the living God. When you speak his name, you're
not name dropping. He knows you too. He knows your
name. You're one of the people he was
praying for. When he says, I pray for them,
he knows you. You know, I want to know God,
but there's something I want more. I want Him to know me.
I want Him to save me. I want Him to love me and have
mercy on me. But these people know the only
true God in Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Verse 6. He says,
I've manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me
out of the world. Thine they were and thou gavest
me and they kept thy word. These are the people who know
the name of God. Because Christ has manifested
that name. Now I'm not just talking about being able to audibly articulate
that name. The name of God is his attributes. That's who he is. That's his
holiness. That's his sovereignty. That's
his power. That's his wisdom. That's his
grace. All the glorious attributes of
God. You know His name. When you hear
a God that's not this, you know it because you know Him. You
know His name. He's manifested His name to you.
And it says, they've kept thy word. This is what every one
of them do. They keep, they guard over, they
preserve His word. His word is precious to them.
All we have is the word of God. We don't look to man's words,
we look to God's words. Peter said, thou hast the words
of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the son of the living God. That's who the them would
be. They're the ones who keep his
words. Verse seven, now they have known,
this them, they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast
given me are of thee. Do you know that? You're sure
of that, aren't you? You know that. You know that
with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ. He says in verse 8, For
I have given unto them, that's the them that Lazarus was part
of, he was one of them. Here's this description, all
of them, that Lazarus was one of, that every believer is one
of. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me,
and they have received them. and had known surely that I came
out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send
me. Are you one of them? Would this
describe you? You have received the words knowing
that they're the words of God, and you believe the Father sent
him and he came from the Father. We believe that, don't we? I'm
one of them, just like Lazarus was, one of them. Verse nine,
I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine, and all
mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I'm glorified in them."
Now think of this. Is Jesus Christ glorified in
your salvation? Do you see that He gets all the
glory and you don't get any, and you like it that way? That's
one of them. They believe that Jesus Christ
is the one who is glorified in their salvation. Not themselves,
not their works, but what Christ accomplished. Verse 11. And now
I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world. The them,
and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
whom thou has given me that they may be one as we are. The them
are the ones he keeps. You know the reason you continue
to believe? Because He keeps you. And you're one with every
other believer because we all have the same Savior. We have
the same righteousness. We have the same gospel. We're one. Oh,
the unity that exists between believers. We're saved by the
same Lord. We love the same Lord. We love
the same gospel. That oneness. That they may be
one as we are. How one are the Father and the
Son? They're the one God. They're the one God. And our
oneness is simply being found in Him. That's where unity comes
from. Verse 12. While I was with them
in the world, there's the them again. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me, I've kept. And none of them is lost. but
the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Now Judas, he wasn't saved. He was one of the 12 disciples,
but he wasn't one of the 12 elect. He was a son of perdition. And
the Lord lets us know about him right off the bat. Verse 13, and now I come to thee
and these things I speak in the world that they might have my
joy fulfilled. in themselves. Now what is the
joy of Christ? Because it says His joy is fulfilled
in us if we're part of the them. What about that scripture Hebrews
12 to looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith
and for the joy that was set before Him. The joy of what? The joy of fulfilling His Father's
will, of doing what the Father sent Him to do. The joy of saving
His people from their sins. You know, the joy of Jesus Christ
the Lord is fulfilled in us in Him saving us. Oh, the joy, the
pleasure of Jesus Christ in fulfilling his father's will and saving
his people. And that is fulfilled in every
one of the them that Lazarus was part of. Verse 14, I've given
them thy word. And the world has hated them
because they're not of the world, even as I'm not of the world
now. When we preach the gospel, and
somebody that's of the world hears us, they hate our message,
and they hate us. The problem's really not with
us, but with our message. And the world hates that message
of the gospel. The Lord said they hated me without
a cause. If they hate me, they'll hate
you, John chapter 15. But notice he says they are not
of the world. Even as I'm not of the world,
my origin is in Christ. That's where I
come from, in Him. I'm not of this world. I'm of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's of all of them. 15, I pray not that thou shouldst
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them
from evil. Didn't the Lord teach us to pray, deliver us from evil,
deliver us from the evil one, deliver us from this evil world,
deliver us from this evil one, deliver us from evil. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world, sanctify them through thy truth. There is no sanctification apart
from the truth. We are, Paul said, we're bound
to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God had from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. And he says, sanctify them through
thy truth, thy word. is truth. Verse 18, as thou hast
sent me into the world, even so also have I sent them into
the world. That's to preach the gospel.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, I set myself apart that
they also might be sanctified through the truth. Christ is
the truth. Both he that sanctifies and they
who are sanctified are all of one. He sanctified himself to
sanctify us. Verse 20, neither pray I for
these alone, I'm not just praying for these disciples, but for
them also, them, there's the them, there's the them, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word. Do
you know when Jesus Christ said this, if you're a believer, he
was praying for you individually. Every single believer is included
in verse 20. that they all, verse 21, that
they all may be one as thou fathered in me and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me and the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. That they may be one, even as
we are one. Now watch this. The glory that
Jesus Christ accomplished. He gives to every believer. So you stand before God in the
very glory of Jesus Christ. That's why you'll be bold on
Judgment Day. Because the glory that He achieved, He gives to
every one of His people. Verse 23, I and them, thou and
me, that they may be made perfect
in one, that the world may know that thou has sent me and has
loved them as thou has loved me. Do you hear that? This them,
God has loved them. The father has loved them with
the precise same love he loves his son with. Don't you want
to be in that them? Oh, what blessing. Father, verse
24, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me
where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given
me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I've
known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me, and I've
declared unto them thy name. and will declare it, that the
love wherewith thou has loved me may be in them and I in them." He was one of them. Don't you
want to be one of them? He was one of them that sat with
him at the table. Not only Do I want to be one
of them? I want to be one of them that
sat with him. That's Lazarus' claim to fame. You say, well, he's the one Christ
raised from the dead. Well, he raised you from the
dead, too, if you're a believer. You experienced the same thing he
did. And one of these days, you're going to be resurrected to a
glorified body if you're in Christ. But here's what I want. I want
to be one of these people with Him. They that are with Him, John
said in Revelation 17, 14. They that are with Him are called,
chosen, faithful. I want to be with Him. In Acts chapter 4 verse 13, when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they
were unlearned and ignorant men, they took knowledge of them that
they had been with Jesus. Nothing else could account for
this boldness that these unlearned and ignorant men had. There's
only one way to account for this. They had been with Jesus. I want to be with Him, don't
you? One of the names of the Lord
Jesus Christ is Immanuel. God with us. Not against us. not away from
us, but God with us. You see, when the Lord said,
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness, He was talking
about all them with Him. When He said, thus it becometh
us, that's me. When He fulfilled all righteousness,
so did all with Him. Them, with Him. Listen to this
scripture. They were crucified with Him.
Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. When He was crucified,
I was crucified. In the Beloved, I went to the
tree. Buried with Him. Buried with
Him by baptism unto death. Risen with Him through faith
in the operation of God seated in him and the heavenlies quickened
together with him this is the all that he prays for i prayed
for them and he said in john chapter 17 verse 24 father i
will that they whom thou has given me be with me where i am
that they may behold my glory." Now that's what it is to be with
Him. I want to be with Him wherever
He is, that's where I want to be. That where I am. That's not just talking about
heaven. You know, He's everywhere with His people and I simply
want to be with Him. That's who Lazarus was. He was
one of them with Him. Now I've already quoted this
but turn back to Revelation chapter 17 if you would. Verse 14. Well verse 13 says, these have
one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast
And these shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And they that are with Him,"
There it is. They that are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. They that are with Him are called
by the gospel. You know how you know if you've
been called by the gospel when you believe the gospel? You look
to Christ only. You know the reason you do that?
It's because you were chosen. You can't say, well, it's because
of my free will, it's because of my decision. No, if you believe
the gospel, it's because God chose you to believe the gospel
and that is why you believe and you know it. You don't argue
with it, you know it. And what is the evidence that
someone has been called and chosen? They're faithful. They believe
and they can be believed. That's what that word means.
They're not phonies. They don't pretend to be something
they're not. Oh, they're aware of their own
sinfulness and hypocrisy. I guarantee you that. But they're
real. They know they're sinners saved
by the grace of God. They're faithful to the gospel.
They believe the gospel. They that are with him are called
chosen and faithful. This is Lazarus' claim to fame. I was dead. He gave me life. Isn't that your testimony? I
was dead. He gave me life. And all I want
to be is one of them. who sat at the table with him. Judah said, with regard to Benjamin,
and Judah represents the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lord
Jesus Christ, he made this statement. with regard to Benjamin being
sent back down to Egypt. He said, send the lad with me. And we will arise and go that
we may live and not die. I will be surety for him. Of mine hand shalt thou require
him, If I bring him not before thee, and set him before thee,
let me bear the blame forever. That's what my Redeemer said
with regard to me. I'll be surety for him. Now let's look at the last thing
said about Lazarus in John chapter 12. Like I said, he didn't say a word,
but what a What a powerful testimony concerning him. Verse 9. Much people of the Jews therefore
knew he was there, the Lord Jesus. And they came not only for Jesus'
sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had
raised from the dead. I reckon I'd want to see him
too. You would too. But, verse 10, the chief priests
consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death. That's
kind of ironic, isn't it? I mean, the Lord raised him from
the dead. Let's kill him again. Yeah, well, you know, stupid. But the chief priests consulted
that they might put Lazarus also to death because that by reason
of him, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. Now,
Lazarus said this. Jesus Christ is God because only
God can raise the dead and my salvation is the work, my resurrection
is the work of God alone. Only God could do this in the
person of his son. Lazarus' salvation, he's made
this claim, salvation is of Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord. What did they want to do? They
wanted to put him to death. He was saying by his life that
Jesus Christ is salvation. This is not something I can,
I can't raise myself from the dead. Only God can do that. Are you and I one of them that
sat with him? and one of them that he raised
from spiritual death to spiritual life. One of them whose salvation
testifies that Jesus Christ must be all in salvation. I'm one of them. Let's pray. Lord, I ask in Christ's blessed
name for Christ's sake, for your glory, by your grace, that everybody
in this room, every man, woman, boy and girl, might be given
grace to be one of them that sat with him that you have raised
from the dead and given life to. Oh Lord, let us be like Lazarus,
raised by you from the dead, one of them that sat with thy
son at his table. Bless us for Christ's sake. Bless
this message for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name
we pray.