Big Idea: The resurrection and eternal life are represented in Jesus Christ.

John 11: 1-21

The resurrection and eternal life are represented in Jesus Christ.

1. Delay doesn’t mean denial.

John 11: 1-6 Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.

2. Courage under fire.

John 11: 7-15 Then after that, he said to the disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." "Rabbi," the disciples told him, "just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you're going there again?" "Aren't there twelve hours in a day?" Jesus answered. "If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.'' He said this, and then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm on my way to wake him up." Then the disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well." Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. So Jesus then told them plainly, "Lazarus has died. I'm glad for you that I wasn't there so that you may believe. But let's go to him."

3. If only…

John 11: 16-21 Then Thomas (called "Twin") said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go too so that we may die with him." When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem (less than two miles away). Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.

Next Steps

- I need strength while I wait for a response from God.

- I need the Holy Spirit to comfort me in my storm.

- I will trust God more this week.