Lazarus! Come out! (4th March 2012)

Scripture Reading: John 11:38-44

38. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.

39. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

40. Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

41. So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

42. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

43. When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

44. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon: Lazarus, come out!

Today, I want to share this story with you in the theme that even though any hardship and adversity is coming to us, if we have dreams and hope given from our Lord, we can enjoy happiness of our lives. Where can we have happiness? if we have success with a lot of money, how can we enjoy them? Some would ruin their lives because of money. Some would enjoy their happiness because of money. The standard is not money. it belongs to Jesus Christ's grace. "True happiness" comes true when we received Him in our heart.

For keeping and controlling happiness, Jesus Christ showed us a miracle. It is a today story. Like our lives, unexpected despair came to a family of Lazarus. Lazarus got illness for death. only the illness could be cured by Jesus Christ. However, it was impossible. Following as fronts of chapter 11, Jesus Christ and His disciples argued each other whether they can go to Lazarus in Bethany or not. Because Jews looked at the opportunity to catch Jesus who showed miracles for the poor, the ill, and so forth. The place "Bethany" was a centre of the Jew residence. How they could go with risking their lives? But, Jesus Christ strongly told them to go there for saving Lazarus. At the moment, Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:16) Risking their necks, they went to Bethany where Lazarus and his family lived.

BUT! He had already died for four days. Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Now she grumbled Jesus who came there risking his life. Even though Jesus said to her, ""I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ad whoever lives and believes in me will never die"(verse 25-26), she did not know his meaning and truth! Who can change Lazarus from being dead to being alive? only Jesus Christ, a living God can do so! Martha sincerely loved Jesus Christ but did not believe in him. Now We are Martha! Although we believe in our Lord, in fact, we show ourselves as a weak, deficient, and sinful one. Why are we not happy believing in Jesus Christ? The reason is that we have lived as a way of the flesh, not as souls. It comes from the disconnection of God by our sin. How can we do? How can we live, enjoying happiness from our Lord? We should believe in Jesus Christ, receive God as our only Father. This only way is to live our soul again. After being alive, we can live to scatter perfume of Jesus Christ.

For this, I want to introduce a person, "Stormie Omartian". She is a famous Christian writer. Her books became mostly bestseller. it has sold over one thousand two hundred million copies. She was born and raised up by mother who was suffered by mental illness. Because of her illness, Stormie received a child abuse by her mother. Her father did not take care of her family. Accordingly she got hurt and despair in the awful circumstances. In her growth process, she was suffered by depression, death wishes, and so forth. When she grew up, she was alcoholic, or drug addict. Sometimes, she fell into oriental mysterious religions. In course of times, she can meet Rev. Jack Hayford of The CHURCH on THE WAY in California. The Church is pentecostal, considering spiritual movement. There, she met Jesus Christ, filling with Holy Spirit. Afterwards, her hurted life was totally changed. Jesus Chrit healed her body and even souls. Now she is sending His grace which saved her life to the World. Whenever some who are suffered like her listen her witness, they are touched and return to believe in Jesus Christ, their true healer.

She said to them "I tried to live by myself, but all trials reached to my death...I was always scared and could not sleep in every night. But now I am free. Jesus Christ made me free from all my trials and sufferings. God must do for you as He did so for me".

It strikes me that without any changes, we can not enjoy happiness from God. Like Stomie, we have to be changed spiritually with all our heart.

Look at the text back to read vers. 39-40.

39. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

40. Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Martha saw the reality, her brother's death while she was with Jesus Christ. However, Jesus told her that If she believed in His saying, she could see the glory of God. In this point, we can get the importance. "if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" What we can need is this faith! As Hebrew 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Among most difficult situations, we have to see only Jesus Christ's Cross with strong faith. So we can meet wonderful miracle from our Lord. The blessing is coming! The grace is with us. With your eyes and you evaluation, if you are saying the negatives, you can not only see the miracles but also enjoy happiness. Everybody can do it with general belief, but blessed one can enjoy happiness with sincere belief during that can not wish. This it the belief that we can obey God's words. Why don't we have the belief? because our soul's eyes are closed like Martha. That is to say, "If our souls' eyes were open, we can see God's miracle as following His words".

We need to obey His words not secure thoughts. Do not say like Martha. " My brother is already dead. you are my best friend to our family. notwithstanding you are powerful but you can not make him alive." This can be applied to our lives, "Dear Lord, my life is limited, my circumstance is awful, my friends are saying I am a loser. How can I live again?" Don't be questioning to Jesus' saying like Martha. Just do it when Jesus commands you! Just obey it when Jesus leads you! There is no questions and reasons to what Jesus is doing even though it is shown unreasonable to us.

Finally, Martha and Mary took away the stone of tomb. Yes it is. we have to remove our stone, negative and critical thoughts in front of Jesus Christ. The stone is a symbol of disbelief. "I can not do it, I ended, I wanna be dead" all these kinds of thoughts must be removed, then we can experience changes and miracles from God. For instance, we say " I believe, I believe" in our mouths, we can not see the miracles. Surely believing is our only way to see it! You knows the lyrics "He will carry you"

There is no problem too big, God cannot solve it

There is no mountain too tall, He cannot move it

There is not storm too dark, God cannot calm it

There is no sorrow too deep, He cannot soothe it

Like this song, we take all ours to him with belief, His miracle is coming to us. Then let us see how Martha and Mary had happiness after removing the stone! Jesus said to Lazarus after giving thanks to God " Lazarus! Come out!" Then Lazarus came out from the tomb. All the impossible are disappeared! Now we can shout out like "all the impossible of our lives in the name of Jesus Christ, disappear from me!" In the absolute despairs, give thanksgiving prayer of absolute hope! We can see the miracles.

Moreover, we have to release from all our past and fixed ideas. When Lazarus came out, his body was wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. So Jesus said "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Many Christians have been wrapped by many problems in spite of believing in God like Lazarus. From past hurt, fear, guilty, and so forth, they are not free, so they are not fully happy. Wrapping of poverty, curse, illness, and all our problem must be taken off. We have to be free from all the impossible and all the negative.

Jesus said to us in John 8:32 " you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Jesus as be a only truth must set you free from all the binds of this world. Now do not live like Lazarus who was wrapped by all the impossible! This is the time to take off all the binds and live as a person of majestic bearing with power of God and Holy Spirit. Let's have in mind! We belong to God! Obeying His way and words, we will get a happiness and freedom by God. Let's pray!

Dear Lord, a living God! Thanks for your mercy on us! Whenever we are depressed and suffered, you gave me a way for being from all the impossible. Now we want you who become only truth. Please come with us, and enjoy the happiness given from you. In Jesus name we pray Amen.