I'm delighted to be back with
you, although the circumstances are not exactly what I would
want them to be, but they are what God Almighty has purposed
them to be. Your pastor, Brother Paul and
Brother Clare, have both given their report. I'll give mine
as well. He does look good. I haven't seen him. And since
before the surgery, Mindy and I both were pleasantly surprised,
very surprised to see him looking as he did and does. And I'm so
thankful, so thankful. And I can assure you that he has his heart and his mind in
this place right now. I can assure you of that. He
would rather be here with you, and I would rather him be here
with you. I really would. But I will be delighted to go
back and tell him how things are going. We heard a wonderful
Bible study this morning, Brother Denton brought it, and he will
be very pleased, very pleased with the way things are going
here. But he has a deep, as you know,
a deep abiding love for you and concern for you. Christ, the
preacher of the gospel of Christ and you, his people, are his
life. Absolutely. Are his life. OK, let's turn in our Bibles
to John chapter 11. The gospel of John chapter A
passage of Scripture, a story which you are very familiar with, and one that I love dearly. This passage came to mind when
someone called me recently to tell me of the death of a loved
one of theirs, a family member or someone who died. And the
Scripture came to mind, this passage, along with others, dealing
with death. Now, what a true preacher endeavors
to do is to prepare people to die. The difference between what goes
on today in modern religion and true preaching is, as you know,
most so-called preachers trying to tell people how to live, how
to live in this world, how to live the victorious life and
so forth. But this is temporal. so very,
very temporal. It's a vapor, is it not? I just had my 50th birthday,
and it's just incredible to me. I feel as if
I should still be 18 years old. I mean that. My life is rapidly
going by, and so is yours. a true preacher of the gospel.
What he endeavors to do is to prepare people to die. Man goeth to his long home, the
Scripture says. We're here a very, very short
time. A very short time. But we're going, all of us. The
Scripture says it is appointed unto man. That means men, women,
boys and girls, wants to die. It is appointed. And Job, chapter
14, verse 5, says man's days are determined. They are determined. Who determines them? God does. The number of his months are
with thee, with God. He's the one who has determined
him. He has appointed the bounds. That is, we will go so far, so
long, and that's it. And we will not pass. We cannot
pass. Appointed. Now what gives the
unbelieving world great fear and trepidation brings the believer
great joy and comfort. That these things are appointed.
That all things are appointed. That our death is appointed by
God. The bound are appointed. Let
me read something from your pastor that is in our bulletin this
morning. Confidential that led to put
this article in the bulletin. I'll preach from this. But your
pastor wrote concerning the passage in Acts 22 where the Lord told
Paul the apostle that all things are appointed for thee to do.
And your pastor writes this, he said, the word translates
determined. Appointed means determined, ordained,
set. What a joy to know that nothing
happens but that which our heavenly Father has appointed. We will
face, now he wrote this before his servant, perhaps before he
knew. We will face difficulty and heavy trials, but knowing
they were appointed by our Lord takes the sting out of them.
He is too wise to err. He is too kind to be cruel. And
truly, all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them that are called according to his purpose. God has appointed all things.
and they're on purpose. They're working together according
to his purpose, which he purposed in himself, in Christ, before
the world began. Now, that's the believer's comfort. Here in John chapter 11, you
know this story well. It's about a man who died, a
brother, a family member. It says in verse 1 and 2, Now
a certain was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town which Mary
and her sister Martha were from. It was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother, Lazarus, was sick. A certain man. Scripture is significant. Every
word, if we had the capacity to understand But every word
is significant. There is not an idle word in
Scripture. There is not just merely a word
for information. Every word has divine and infinite
significance and wisdom and power in it. A certain man. And I like
to look at certain words. But this certain man, it says.
Now, this is recorded quite often. It talks about a certain woman
came to a certain well. A certain man, a certain this,
a certain that. God Almighty saves certain individuals. God Almighty chooses certain
individuals. He chose them before the foundation
of the world. They're called His elect. He
loves them. He set His love upon them. They
were given to Christ. Certain individuals given to
Christ to save them. And he came to this earth to
do a certain work. Did he accomplish that work?
He most certainly did for those certain individuals. Everything
he does is certain. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. And the Scripture says, The foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them
that are his. certain individual. Here was
a certain man whom the Lord most certainly loved. It says something.
Look at verse 3. His sisters sent unto him, saying,
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. They knew that the Lord
loved Lazarus. They didn't take this for granted.
This was no idle comment here, as you hear today. as you see
on bumper stickers and billboards and so forth, and there's nothing
I despise any more than to see plastered everywhere, Jesus loves
you. It doesn't say that in this book.
That is not written in this book anywhere. I love what your brother, Ann,
always says to people who say things like that, Well, you know
what the Bible says. Brother James says, chapter and
verse, please. Chapter and verse. Jesus loves
you. Where does it say that? Where
does it say that? Well, it does say here that he
did love Lazarus. Look at verse 5. Now, Jesus loved
Martha and her sister, that is, Mary, and Lazarus. We know for
a fact. that he did love Lazarus, don't
he? And they knew it. His sisters
knew that. And they knew he loved them.
It's particular love. God's love is particular love. And it's a certain love. Whoever
he loves, Jeremiah 31, verse 3 says, it's everlasting. And
whoever he loves, he saves them. This picture, this story is more
than just a story of a man who was sick physically and died
physically, and the Lord raised him physically. This is the story
of every sinner that God Almighty has set His love upon and raises
them from the dead to spiritual life, true life. Everyone whom
the Lord God loves, He raises them from the dead. He saves
them from their sin, every single one of them. Of that you can
be certain. Whomever he loves. Now, Mary
and Martha loved their brother, did they not? They loved him
as you love your loved ones, your relatives. But what really
mattered in the end? What was really important for
Lazarus? What was Lazarus' hope? That
his sister loved him? I'm sure his mother loved him.
What was Lazarus' hope, though? What was his saving hope, life-giving
hope? That the Lord loved him. That's
all that mattered. And though the world may hate
you, and our Lord promised that they will, what really matters
is if He loves you. For if he does, nothing else
matters. Nothing else. Now, look at it. It says in verse 3, the sisters
sent word unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is
sick. One whom the Lord Jesus Christ
loved was sick. That certainly is contrary to
modern religion, isn't it? According to them, someone whom
God loves and someone who loves God and someone who has enough
faith never gets sick. That's not what the Scriptures
teach. Do you know that the prophet Elisha died from sickness? He had a sickness and he died
from it, as this man did. Did not Elisha have enough faith? I venture to say there is no
one in here any greater than that man. He died from sickness. He whom thou lovest is sick. Why was he sick? How did he become
sick? Where does sickness come from?
Where does it come from? Turn with me to Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy chapter 32. What we need to consider is what
God's Word says. What does God say on the subject? It says, he whom Christ loved
was sick. How did he become sick? How did
he become sick? Well, he came in contact with
a certain virus or, you know, something This and that and the
other caused him to be sick. Look at Deuteronomy 32, verse
39. God says, See now, my dad used to say that when
I was a boy. Meaning, sit up and pay attention. You see here. And Clare, buddy,
when he said that, I wasn't chewing gum and looking around. I sat
up and paid attention. If I didn't, I wouldn't be sitting
down very comfortably after that. See now, when God says, Behold,
throughout the Scriptures, that's what that means. Brian, that's
what that means. Behold. See. Now listen. Listen up here.
The whole world needs to listen up here. See now that I, this
is the God of the Bible. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. This is Jehovah. This is the
living and true God. This is the only one there is.
See now, I, even I, am He. What's that? God. All through the book of Isaiah,
God continually says, I am God, there's none else. Capital G.
I am God, there's none else. Why does He keep saying that?
Everybody knows He's God. No, they don't. Look at it. God means absolute,
sovereign, reigning, ruling, controlling, despot. Everyone,
everything is in His sovereign hand. God means absolute controller. Absolute means what? Give me
you English majors here. Absolute means that's the way
it is. There is nothing else. No room
for argument. That's the way it is. You can't
change it. Absolute controller of all things. In His hands. Marnard used to say, everything
that rides or wriggles. Spurgeon gave this analogy. God
controls the specks of dust that are in the sunbeam coming through
the wind of where they will land. We can't understand that, and
because man can't understand that, he doesn't believe it.
But that's God. That's God. He said, I, even
I, am He. Read on. There is no God with
me. Notice that. He says that over
and over again. There is no God. Small g. What's
small g? Small g-o-d means a ruler, Paul.
There is no small ruler. There's nobody ruling anything.
You understand? There's not even anybody in control
of anything. Anything. There's no small G.O.D. with me. You get that? There's nobody in control of
anything but me. I, even I see now. Oh, if we'd
see this. And the believer does see this. God shows it unto them. This
is life eternal, Paul, that they might know thee, the only true
God. And when God shows us that, it
gives us perfect peace. Thou won't give him perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on whom? God. This is what gave Job perfect
peace. This is what gave Eli perfect
peace. It's the Lord. He's God. What makes the world
increasingly mad makes the believer increasingly glad. He's God. He's my God. I'm in His sovereign
hands. Are you glad about that? This
is what the Scripture, Romans 8, 28, people quote that all
the time. It talks about them that love
God. Who loves God? It's those who love God as God. It's those who love the fact
that He is God. And people, through the Psalms,
we thank Thee that Thou art God, in the Revelation. That's what
it says in the Revelation, Mark, that people in glory are saying,
we thank Thee that Thou art God. Now, look on. He says, I, even
I, am He. There is no small g.o.d. with me. None. I kill. You say a person that were killed
in a car wreck or they died of cancer. Now, that was the means
which God used. God says, I kill. No one dies
except it's the Lord. Right? Oh, if you believe that, realize
that, it will give you peace. Whom have I to fear but Thee? I kill. I make alive. I wound and I heal. I wound, I make sick. I make
sick. He whom thou lovest is sick.
Why? Because the one who's about to
heal him made him sick. That's why. Made him sick. Oh, my. That's comforting, is
it not? And there's none that can deliver
out of my hand. Go back to our text now. He whom thou lovest
is sick. Why was he sick? Well, look at
it. Look at verse 4. When Jesus heard
that, they sent word to him that their brother was sick. Did you get that? They sent word
to him, our brother is sick. He says, when he heard, Duane,
it doesn't mean that he just found out about it. That doesn't
mean that. Known unto God, Acts 15, 18.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning. All of this,
it was in his divine purpose and will and power. He's the
one that was controlling this whole thing. He made him sick,
and he's waiting in his good time to go and raise him. And they sent word unto him,
Lord, he whom you love is sick. Well, he knew that. He sent the
sick. But all of this is written, you
see, in our finite understanding. Scriptures are written in human
language so that we can understand the narrative. They sent word unto him, and
he says what he says quite often for the sake of those that are
around him. And it says, when he heard that, he said, when
they came in and out, that their brother was sick and his disciples
were around him. And he says to them, verse 4,
and he says to us, this sickness is not unto death. But wait a minute. It was, wasn't
it? The man did die, didn't he? Yes
and no. This sickness is not unto death,
that is, final death, eternal death, read on, but for the glory
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. This sickness is not unto death,
but for God's glory. Now remember that, because everything
he does, he does for his glory. Everything. He created, Scripture
says, all things are created by him and for thy glory. Well,
they've created all things for the glory of God. And then it
says the glory of the Son. Well, which is it? It's both.
They're one and the same. The Father and the Son are one.
And all things are for their glory. And you can't glorify
God except you glorify the Son. Denominations all over the place
trying to They say, glorify God, and some call Him Jehovah, who
don't glorify and honor the Son. And therefore, they're not glorifying
God. He that honoreth the Father honoreth
the Son. It's all for their glory. And
this sickness, he said, is not unto death. Not unto death. Final, eternal death. Look for
the glory of God, and even the temporal sicknesses that we suffer,
that believers go through. And they will. They all do. The
paphroditus, the pastor at, where was it, Philippi for a while. Timothy, young Timothy, suffered
with a stomach ailment most of his life. The apostle Paul had family and most people believe
the eye condition that he suffered from the Lord never removed it.
Sickness. And in our modern society or recent past,
there were preachers like Robert Murray McShane who died at twenty-nine
years old, sick. Charles Spurgeon was sick for
thirty-eight years. How long was it? Over a year or two, the last
year or two of his life, Charles Spurgeon, he didn't see his congregation
again. He stayed in Menton, France,
sick in a bed. Didn't see them again. Who did that? The Lord did that
according to his purpose. And we get sick. Lots of people
get sick. But it's not unto real death. Although we may die from that
sickness which the Lord sent, we're not really going to die. We're never going to die. Notice with me. Look on down
here. It says when he had heard that he was sick, he abode two
days still in the same place where he walked. The Lord waited
according to his sovereign purpose and will. He doesn't do things
according to our schedule. He's operating on his own schedule,
the fullness of his own time, predetermined before the world
began. Now, it says in verse 7, after
that, saith he to his disciples, let's go unto Judea again. Let's
read on down through here for the sake of time. His disciples
said unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee,
and goest thou thither again? Oh, there's a whole message in
each verse here, is there not? Our Lord was headed to Jerusalem. He sent His face like a flint
to Jerusalem. That's where He was headed from
the day He was born, to Jerusalem, to hang on that cross, to put
away the sins of His people by the sacrifice of Himself. That's
where He was headed. When He was just a young man,
He said, I must be about my Father's business. And that business was
to go to the cross and save those people whom God had given him
before the world. And when he hung on that cross,
he said, I finished it. The work I came to do, I finished
it. I saved your people. Those whom you gave me, those
whom you love, those whom I love, I saved them all. I finished
the work. But he was headed toward Jerusalem,
and he answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any
man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light
of this world." What a message that is. Well, in Christ he stumbled
not. Verse 11. Verse 10, If a man
walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in
him. And after that, he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus
sleepeth. And I go, and I may awake him
out of sleep." He's sleeping. Now, one whom the Lord loves
when they pass away from this world. The Lord does not call
it death at all, but sleep. The scripture says, he giveth
his beloved sleep, as in taking of rest. And that's
precisely what it is for the believer. Eternal rest. It's
not death at all. People think that someone dies,
they leave the land of the living and go to the land of the dead.
No, the opposite is true. The exact opposite is true. This
is the land of the dead, those who are dead and trespassed in
sin. This is where it all ends for most people. When we think
of death, we think of a cessation of everything, that it all stops
when you die. This man died, and that's the
end of all things for him. Not the believer. It's the beginning
for the believer. And it's sleep. It's sleep. Dread going to sleep? Do you? You older people, and I'm just
now finding this out, you look forward to going to sleep. As
a matter of fact, you hope and wish and want to go to sleep.
And if you can sleep for six hours or so undisturbed, it's
just the greatest thing that you can imagine. Young people,
you don't have a clue what I'm talking about. But this is why our Lord calls
death sleep. Our friend, Lazarus, sleepeth.
We've had some friends, some loved ones, those whom we love,
fall asleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. You don't worry
about your children when they go to sleep, do you? You're relieved
when they finally go to sleep. And I'd venture to say, many
of you go in when they're real young and go in and look at them
and gaze at them while they're sleeping. Our friend Lazarus is sleeping.
One whom the Lord loves when passing from this world, He calls
it sleep. It's not death to the believer,
but it's sleep. And when you really go to sleep,
when you really have a good night's sleep, when you awaken, you're
more refreshed than you've ever been. You feel brand new. A new day. And this is exactly
what it is for the believer. To go to sleep. That is, this
body quits functioning. and to wake up forever. I mean really wake up. Life has
just really begun. Life. And you know, as I said,
this story is more than just the Lord raising a man physically.
This is about those who are dead in trespasses and sin. And that's
all of us by nature. And there are still many there
right now in this room who the only hope for is if this same
Lord will pass by their grave and call them by His mighty power
and raise them from the dead to walk in the newness of life.
To make them pass from death unto life. It's going to take
the powerful voice of the Son of God Himself. You're looking
at a man who was dead and trespassing sin. And most believe there was
no hope for me. But the Lord Jesus Christ, through
the preaching of the gospel one day, called me forth, called
me by His gospel from death unto life. Death is you can't see,
you can't hear, you can't feel, you can't be touched by anything,
you can't be convinced by anything, you're dead. And that's the way
we are by nature, to the gospel, to God. Oh, we're very much alive
under the things of this world, but dead to God. Spiritual life
is for God Almighty to make us alive under God and dead to this
world. Well, this man was sleeping.
Look at it. Now, the disciples didn't understand,
just as we don't understand much of anything, really. Lord, if
he sleep, verse 12, he shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spake
of his death, and they thought he had spoken of taking a rest
and sleep. Then he plainly said, Lazarus
is dead. God's word plainly tells us,
doesn't it, that we're dead. That we're dead. Maybe we ought
to be a little more plain with people. He's dead. He's dead. What's his problem?
He's dead. He's dead. But verse 15, he says,
I was glad for your sake. I am glad for your sake that
I was not there to the intent you may believe. Believe what?
That there's life after death? Believe me. Mark, that's what
you were talking about, wasn't it? That's what you were dealing
with. To look to Him. I'm glad for
your sake that you may believe an overcomer. Who is He that
overcome it? the world, he that believeth
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the overcomer. It's not
one who's trying this and trying that. It's one whom Christ has
come to and revealed himself to and gives them faith to overcome. That you may believe me, that
I am life. Verse 16, this said Thomas unto
him. This is called vitamins. Let
us also go that we may die with Him. You know, every believer, every believer really and truly looks forward to that day, don't
they? I don't. I'm going to say this
in absolute honesty. I mean that. I do not envy. These
young people, I would not. Here's a good question to ask
yourself. Here's a very, very revealing question to ask you
older people. You older people. Old, what do I mean? I don't
know. You pick an age, 60, 50, whatever. Very revealing question to ask
yourself. If you could be young again, If you could turn the
clock back 30 years, would you? That's a very revealing question,
you know? It really is. Would you be 20 all over again? Would you? Why? We have here no continuing
city. We have a desire, as Paul said,
to depart and be with the Lord, which is far better. Far better. My, my. We look for a city who
has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Well, they said, well, let's
go with him. Let's go unto him. Let's do it.
Your dad, let's go. Brother Jim fell asleep. Let's go with him. What do you
say? There's nothing to be afraid
of. Our Lord in Hebrew, it says He removed the fear of death.
He removed that which all their lifetime was subject to, the
fear of death. He removed it. He went there and came back and
said there's nothing to fear. Nothing to fear. Now, let's go,
we may die with Him. Verse 17, when Jesus came, He
found He'd laid in the grave four days already. Four days. Why did the Lord wait? Why did
the Lord wait? So that everyone would know for
a fact that this man's dead. That he's dead. And how's he
going to live again? How's he going to live? He's
not in a coma. He's in the grave. He's been in a grave, a sealed
grave, for four days. Back then they had to get the
bodies in the ground quickly, or in a cave or whatever, quickly
else they would start putrefying. didn't have any bombing, as you
know. They put him in the grave or in the ground real quickly.
I mean, that day, within 24 hours. And this man, Lazarus, had laid
in the grave four days. He's dead. A sealed compartment,
no oxygen. He's not in a coma. He's not
on life support. He's dead. Everybody knows he's
dead. And our Lord waited four days
so that everybody would know for a fact he is dead. Why? to show them His power,
His glory, that there's only one person who can raise Him
from the dead. That if this man lived, this
dead man, there's only one person that can do it. Now, I don't
know how long some of you laid in the grave of sin, dead. I'd
venture to say that some in here have laid 40 years, 50 years,
even longer, dead in trespasses and sin. We had a lady in our
congregation. who the Lord revealed himself
to her at the age of 70 years old. Now, a 70-year-old person is
dead in trespasses and sin. They're dying in the woods. They're dead, dead. Graveyard
dead, Barnard used to say. Stinking dead. You're not going
to convince them of anything. You're not going to teach them
anything. You're not going to show them anything. You're not going
to change them. You're not going to turn over a new leaf. You're
not going to do anything for them. They're dead. And she was
religious, but dead. She knew God. She thought. She
knew Jesus. She thought. She'd done this. She'd done that.
She'd tell you after she'd been given life that she was dead. And bless God, one day through
the preaching of the gospel, he opened her blind eye, opened
her deaf ears, loosened her dumb mouth, gave her a new heart,
a new mind, the mind of Christ, quickened her by his Word. Seventy years old. She laid there
a long time in religion. So let everybody know, she's
dead. There's no hope for her. But
there's only one. Only one. Dead. Stinking dead. Somebody said,
the only thing a dead man can do is stink. Stink. Read on. Now, Bethany was nigh
unto Jerusalem about fifteen furlong. That's two miles. Our
Lord is never far from his people, ever. He's near. He's near. Many of the Jews came to Martha
and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. And we try to
do that with our brethren concerning someone's past. But look at this, verse 20. It
says that Martha, Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus
was come, she went and met him. There's only one source of true
comfort. We, our brothers and sisters, are a comfort to us
at this time. There's only one we go to. There's
only one that can really speak peace to our heart. Right? Only
one. He who is our comforter. Hence
said Martha, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not
died. If Thou hadst been here, my brother
had not died. You know, there's nothing wrong.
Believers have questions. Believers have questions. There's
nothing wrong with asking the Lord why. If it's done in fear,
if it's done in reverence, with respect, Pharisees and all will
question the Lord, you know, unbelievingly question Him and
talk back to Him and so forth. And then the disciples afterward,
they said, Lord, we don't understand that. Would you show us? We don't
understand. Why did you preach in parables?
And the Lord answered them. There's nothing wrong with asking
Him why. We wonder often, why, Lord? Why did this happen? I'm sure
you had, haven't you? Every one of us said, Lord, I
don't know. I don't understand. Don't you
tell your children if they come to you like that? Not, Dad, I
don't understand. If he comes demanding a reason,
he won't tell it. God giveth not an account of
his matters to any man. He doesn't have to. The king
doesn't have to answer to anybody. He doesn't have to give an account.
I talked to this woman one time. She was an older woman. She wanted to have children and
could not. She belligerently and blatantly said, she said,
when I get to heaven, when I get to When I get to heaven, she
said, I'm going to ask God why He didn't give me any children
and take these other people. If you get to heaven, He may answer your question.
He may not. He doesn't have to. He may answer them now. He doesn't
have to. But Martha, in respect and love and fear, said, We don't
understand. If you'd been here, he wouldn't
have died. This is how we began this whole
thing, did we not? The Lord said, I see now that
I, even I am he. I kill. He was there, Rich. They said to my dad, When my
brother was killed in Vietnam, a mortar blew up and just blew
him to pieces. Was it Viet Cong that killed
him? They said to my dad, they said,
Where was God when your son died? And he wisely and wonderfully
answered, Same place he was when his son died. Who killed his son? Everybody's
arguing today, aren't they? Jews? Romans? Who killed his
son? Who killed God's son? He said,
No man taketh my life from me. And you know that's the same
that's true of us, Paul? No man and no thing taketh our
life from us. Who does? God does. God does. It pleased the Lord
to bruise him. God killed his own son. God did. If you'd been here, he hadn't
died. I was there, and he did die. I killed him. And the Lord knows our frame.
Aren't you glad he knows our frame? Aren't you glad that he
remembers it was just flesh and blood and dust and ashes and
ignorant little children? And has compassion on them that
are out of the way. Aren't you glad? Lord, I don't understand
it. You mean after all these years? James says, if any man
lack wisdom, let him ask for the Bible. To God who giveth
liberally and upbraideth not. Meaning, He doesn't upbraid you
for the wisdom you wasted. I gave you wisdom. I told you
the other day. I told you this. I told you that. Do I have to
tell you the same thing over again? Yes. Aren't you glad that he has patience? That he doesn't upbraid? What
did you do with what I told you the other day? I told you this
time and again. He said to his disciples, how
long must I bear with you? How long did he? To the end. Kept telling them over and over
again. Same thing. Same thing. Someone said to a young mother
who was telling her child something over and over again, said, I
heard you tell that. Boy, to do something nine times. Why
in the world do you do that? She said, because he didn't get
it after number eight. And we'll be faced with various
things. And we'll go in the same unbelief
and same fears and same everything that we're subject to as human
beings. We'll enter in our minds. Oh
no, oh no. And the Lord reminds us, I see
now that I, even I am he. I was there, and this happened
for the glory of God. Why this happened? Our brother,
by everything he's gone through, it's the Lord. and for God's
glory, he's going to come back a better preacher. I guarantee
you. And you'll be a better listener. You've taken him for granted? Fallen asleep? I guarantee you
he'll be sitting on the edge of your seat when he stands in
his pulpit the next time. Yes, sir. Because this thing
is life and death. This is how we started this thing
out. This thing is life and death. It's appointed unto men once
to die. This message is not just a Sunday morning message. This
person we're talking about here is in whose hands our breath
is in all our way, and we're going to meet him. Young and
old. When I was 15 years old, I pulled
my best friend out of a basement. He'd asphyxiated in the same
place that I slept year after year after year as a boy. A gas
stove, the pilot light went out. He just fixed it. Why? Who did that? God did it. The
same room I slept in. I pulled his body out. My best
friend. Tragic resuscitation. He's dead.
That just blew my mind. That's my buddy. Fifteen. He's got his life ahead of him.
No, he's dead. This is over. That was thirty-five
years ago. Dead. Where is he? Where did he go? This is life or death. It's a savor of life. Paul said,
God always causes us to triumph, making manifest the savor of
His knowledge by us in every place. We're a savor of life
unto life and death unto death. God just graciously, mercifully
given life unto some in him. Just like old Lazarus. Life from
the dead. To see Christ in his life. And
this message is life. Christ is your life. But to others,
it's just a Sunday morning message. Just a sermon. Death. Death. But they said, I know that even
now, verse 22, that whatever you ask of God, God will give
thee. And the Lord said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know
that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. The Scripture says, He that hath
the Son hath life. Not will have life. Hath life. This is what we're talking about. That a person is dead until they
see who Christ is. Life. Dead. They don't see. They
don't hear. They don't feel. God's Word is
called the Word of Life, and people don't feel that, don't
feel it. It has no effect on them whatsoever
unless God quickens them by that same Word of Life. Like a seed
sown. There's life in that seed, but
only if He brings the increase. Life begins and it blossoms and
grows into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
and then He takes them. And then it's like a cocoon,
a worm going into a cocoon and breaking forth into a butterfly,
flying in the face of God Almighty forever. I am the resurrection. We don't
look for an event. Salvation is not an event. It's
a person. Salvation is no person. Are you
with me? Salvation, to be regenerated,
that is raised from the dead, is not an event. It's a person. You know, every funeral our Lord
attended, that person rose. Yes, every time the Lord got
near a dead body, they rose. This is what makes all this foolishness
today on Jesus' walls. He's outside your heart door.
Bull on that. Everyone who Jesus Christ approaches,
they live. They live. They can't stay dead. He's life. You understand a little
decision? This ain't no decision. This
is something God determined for the world. God who is life. Everyone
is under the sun, aren't they? Can't escape it. Well, the sun's
gone down. It never goes down. Just because we can't see it
doesn't mean it's not up. The darkness, obscurity, it's
up. But if the sun, the light shines, I saw the light. Life
is when the light shines on you. Everyone whom Jesus Christ approached
that was dead, they lived. He said, I am life. We don't
give ourselves life physically. We don't give ourselves life
spiritually. He gives life. Whoever He approaches,
they live. They live. I need to get you
anew. That thing doesn't stay on me
very good, does it? I am the resurrection. and the
life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
Do you believe this? Never die. Our brother died. No, he didn't. No, he didn't. He's living. He's really living
now. And here's every believer's confession,
and I'm going to close. I've got to close it. Every believer's
confession is what Martha says here in verse 27. I believe. I do. Do you? I believe that thou art the Christ. The Christ. The Son of God. Which should come into the world.
I believe you. I believe you. You're my hope. You're my brother's hope. Your
life, your resurrection, your everything, I believe. Help my
unbelief. Help my unbelief. Show me your
glory. And he did. And he prayed to
the Father, as you know, and came to the grave and prayed
to the Father as a cave, which Lazarus laid in, stone upon it. He said in verse 39, take away
the stone. Take away the stone. Our Lord removes His stony heart,
does He not? Everyone that He loves, everyone
He came to save, He removes that stony heart. It gives them a
heart of flesh. He removes the impediment. He removes the veil between death
and life. He reveals Himself. And He said,
verse 40, I said unto you that if you would believe, you would
see the glory of God. Do you believe Christ is the
resurrection and life? See, the religious world is looking
for this, looking for that, signs, visions, wonders, glory, this
and that and the other. He that has seen Christ has seen God's
glory. Those who have truly seen Christ,
the glory of God in the face and the person of Jesus Christ,
they don't want to behold anything else. They don't want to see
visions and signs and wonders. They are increasingly, unceasingly
glorified by seeing Him. David said, Open my eyes to behold
wondrous things from Thy Word. What are they? Of the wonderful
One. The glory of God in the face
and the person of Christ. Then they took away the stone
and Christ lifted His eyes. Father, I thank Thee that You
have heard me. Cried to the Father, verse 43, when he thus said,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Somebody said if he had not cried
Lazarus' name, everybody in the grave would have come forth. There is power. Where the word
of a king is, there is power, is there not? When life cries,
live, you live. Only then. Come forth. And Lazarus did. Look at it.
Verse 44. He that was dead came forth. Where did he come to? Where was he when he came forth
from the dead? At Christ's feet. Who was the
first one he saw when he came forth from the dead? Whose voice
was it that he heard first? Christ. That's life, he said. That's life. To see Christ, to hear his voice.
My, my. It says he was bound hand and
foot with grave clothes. His face was bound about with
a napkin. In other words, he couldn't see very clearly, could
he? He had this wrapped around his
face. He couldn't see very clearly,
could he? He was bound. He couldn't do
everything he wanted to do, could he? He was bound up. The Lord
said, Loose him. And what a picture, a beautiful
picture that is of every believer who has life. Lazarus had life. He's alive from the dead. Why? Christ called him from the dead.
But his face is bound up. He can't see clearly. He sees
through a glass dimple. And so it is with every believer
when God brings them to life. They can't
see perfectly. And you older believers, you
that are strong, bear the infirmities of the weak, bear with the ignorance,
the ignorant comments and the ignorance of young believers. Because you want to say things
like we did. You want to say things that are too wonderful
and ignorant. But the Lord keeps removing this
ignorant veil. Let us see more clearly. In these
things, we can't do the thing. The Lord keeps removing these
grave clothes that bind us by His power. And let Him go.
Loose Him and let Him go. Like He said one time to the
blind man, He said, now go your way. Where did he go? He says
he followed Christ. From then on, that was his way.
That's where he wanted to go. You'll find our Lord with Lazarus.
I mean, Lazarus with our Lord from here on. Let him go. And God's people are free, yet
they're bound by their love to the Lord Jesus Christ. And they're
bound and determined to walk with him by his love. to live unto him that loved them,
and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and set them
free from the grave." Well, may the Lord bless that for his glory
and our good. Amen.