
OUR SERMONS
January 12th, 2020
The Story of Lazarus
Bishop Rich Barker
John 11 32-45, KJV
(32) Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. (33) When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. (34) And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. (35)Jesus wept. (36) Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! (37) And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? (38) Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. (39) Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. (40) Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (41) Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. (42) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. (43) And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. (44) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (45)Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Life Lessons
Jesus Has Power Over Death
Through the story of Lazarus, the Bible delivers a powerful message:
-
Jesus Christ has power over death!
-
Those who believe in Him receive resurrection life.
As a result of this incredible miracle many believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their faith in Christ.
​
Jesus Has Compassion
Jesus revealed his compassion for people through a genuine display of emotion.
-
Even though he knew that Lazarus would live, he was still moved to weep with the ones he loved.
-
Jesus cared about their sorrow.
-
Jesus was not timid to show emotion.
-
We should not be ashamed to express our true feelings to God.
-
We can be honest and transparent with God because He cares.
​
For The Glory Of God
Jesus waited to travel to Bethany because he knew already that Lazarus would be dead, and that He would perform an amazing miracle there.
-
This was done for the glory of God.
-
Many times we wait for the Lord in the midst of a terrible situation and wonder why he doesn't respond more quickly.
-
Often God allows our situation to go from bad to worse because he's planning to do something powerful and wonderful; he has a purpose that will bring even greater glory to God.
-
Against All Odds
Against all odds, Jesus went to the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead.
-
Sometimes God will wait on purpose till the odds look way against you.​
- Mary and Martha prayed for a healing, but God had a resurrection in mind.
God's Ways Are Not Our Ways
Maybe God’s not going to answer your prayers the way you thought.
-
Maybe He has something better than you ever dreamed.
-
Trust Him.
-
Odds don’t determine what He can and cannot do.
"Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the keeper of my hopes and my dreams. I trust that You are entirely for me when all the odds are against me. I believe that You are working behind the scenes and bringing resurrection to what I thought was dead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”