Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, demonstrating his power over death. When Jesus weeps at the tomb of Lazarus, it shows his humanity and God's compassion. The Jewish leaders plot to kill Jesus because many are believing in him, threatening their power. Caiaphas prophesies that it is better for one man to die for the people. Jesus's death will fulfill the role of the sacrificial lamb and gather God's scattered children.

1. John 11:25-57
Have You Been Raised Like Lazarus?; The Rapture in
John 11?; “the Christ, the Son of God”; no use of
“repent” in John; Weeping Jews; God’s Compassion;
"hypostatic union”; not embalmed; “believe”; Public
Prayers; Regathering
The fantastic weather continues! The view from Eagle River Valley. Brent Reynolds Photography

2. Have You Been Raised
Like Lazarus?
2

3. John 11:25, 5th “I am” [ego eimi]
• John 6:35 …”I am the bread of life…
• John 8:12 …”I am the Light of the world…
• John 10:7+9, "I am the door…
• John 10:11+14, "I am the good shepherd…
• NAU John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am [ego eimi]
the resurrection and the life; he who believes
[present active] in Me will live even if he dies,
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life…
• John 15:5+1, "I am the true vine…
3

4. John 11:25-26, Jesus And The Rapture. Follow Up,
gracethrufaith.com
• Q. Re: John 11:25-26. Inferring the rapture from “Whoever lives and
believes in me will never die” seems like a big stretch…
• A. Here’s John 11:25-26. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
• According to John 11:24 this part of Martha’s discussion with Jesus
concerned the resurrection of believers “at the last day” and the Lord
referenced two different groups in His response. The first is believers
who will live even though they die. The second group is believers who
live and will never die. View the Lord’s statement in that context and
you have one group who will be brought back from death to eternal life
and another group who will transition straight to eternal life without
passing through death. This is exactly the way Paul described the
rapture of the Church in 1 Thes. 4:16-17.
• I’ve said repeatedly that people who don’t already know about the
rapture will probably not see it in John 11:25-26. But if you’re going to
fault me for knowing the rest of the Bible and putting 2 and 2 together,
then I plead guilty as charged.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/jesus-rapture-
follow/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

5. John 11:27, She Believed!
• NAU John 11:27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed
[indicative perfect active] that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He
who comes into the world.”
• NAU John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am [ego eimi] the resurrection
and the life; he who believes [present active] in Me will live even if he
dies,
• NAU John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your
sins; for unless you believe that I am [ego eimi] He, you will die in
your sins.”
• She hit the nail on the head, like Peter did in; Matthew 16:16.
• Jesus did not correct her by saying, “Be quiet the Pharisees
might hear you and think that I'm claiming to be God.”
5

6. John 11:27
“the Christ, the Son of God”
• John 11:27 …the Christ, the Son of God…
• NAU Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
• NAU Matthew 26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the
high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living
God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ,
the Son of God.” [Mark 14:61-62]
• NAU Matthew 14:33 And those who were in the
boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly
God's Son!”
6

7. John 11:27
“the Christ, the Son of God”
• NAU Romans 1:4 who was declared the Son of God
with power by the resurrection from the dead,
according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our
Lord,
• NAU 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God
has come, and has given us understanding so that we
may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is
true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and
eternal life.
• Psalm 42:2, Joshua 3:10, Matthew 4:3, 4:6, 11:27,
Jeremiah 10:10, John 20:31, Acts 8:37, 17:3, 7

8. John 11:27, no
use of “repent”
Three Gospel
Studies
by Bill Fiess,
Grace in Focus,
page 14, March/April 2016
8
Don't squint! The complete article
follows after the THE END slide.

9. John
11:27, no
use of
“repent”
Three
Gospel
Studies
by Bill
Fiess,
Grace in
Focus,
page 14, March/April
2016
9

10. John 11:33, The Weeping Jews
• NAU John 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, and the Jews who came with her also
weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was
troubled,
• Jewish custom, and the oral tradition, indicated that
even a poor Jewish family should hire flute players,
and at least one professional wailing woman (vs. 31,
they got up quickly).
• NAU 1 Thessalonians 4:13 …those who are asleep,
so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have
no hope. 1
0

11. John 11:35, The Glory Of God,
God's Love, God’s Compassion
• NAU John 11:35 Jesus wept.
• Shortest verse in the English Bible. (1 Thess. 5:16, Greek)
• Why God Lets Friends Die, By Glenn Durham, “We Must Not Doubt the
Compassion of God's Love (John 11.35)…Never does the Bible say that
Jesus laughed. Indeed, he was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
Jesus' tears prove three things (at least):
• 1) Jesus was truly human… 2) God truly cares. God is not "out there,"
disinterested in your hurts. He came near, wept with those who weep,
and loved his own. 3) There is terrible wrong in this world. Lazarus is
dead… Why does God record this shortest of verses? So that when you
face the powers of hell and the frowning providence of God, you will not
doubt God's compassion. Jesus wept.”
• NAU Matthew 23:37 …How often I wanted to gather your children
together…
1
1

12. John 11:35, "hypostatic union"
• NAU John 11:35 Jesus wept.
• Jesus was/is 100% deity, and 100% humanity [Revelation 1:13,
5:6]. He had/has human emotions.
• This doctrine is called the "hypostatic union” theologically. It
is essential doctrine, and fully Biblical. Jesus retained all His
divine attributes, and yet took on the form of a servant, even
a baby in the manger. Christ alone had/has two natures,
infinite deity, fully human with all our attributes.
• NAU John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had
already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I
am thirsty.”
• NAU John 18:4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were
coming upon Him… (John 13:3)
• NAU Matthew 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts…
• NAU Matthew 4:2 …He then became hungry.

13. John 11:35, "hypostatic union"
• NAU Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in
all things as we are, yet without sin.
• NAU Hebrews 7:26 … a high priest, holy,
innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and
exalted above the heavens;
• NAU Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, He had to be
made like His brethren in all things, so that He
might become a merciful and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people.

14. Question: "What is the hypostatic union?"
gotquestions.org
• Answer: The hypostatic union is the term used
to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ,
took on a human nature, yet remained fully
God at the same time. … Jesus' two natures,
human and divine, are inseparable. … In
summary, the hypostatic union teaches that
Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, that
there is no mixture or dilution of either nature,
and that He is one united Person, forever.
• www.gotquestions.org/hypostatic-union.html

15. John, Believe And Live,
Elmer Towns, Mal Couch and Ed Hindson,Twenty-
First Century Biblical Commentary Series, page
15
What brought tears to Jesus's eyes?, Page 111

16. John 11:39, KJV “he stinketh”
• KJV John 11:39 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.
• Dr Ryrie says, “Although Jews used aromatic spices, their
custom was not to embalm the body but to use the spices
to counteract the repulsive odors from decomposition.
They would wrap the body in linen cloth, adding spice in
the layers and folds. The Jews did not wrap the body tightly
like Egyptian mummies, but rather loosely with the head
wrapped separately. This is indicated by the fact that
Lazarus could move out of the tomb before he was
unwrapped…”
1
6

17. Tomb, Wrapping the
Body, Bone Box
Dr. James Fleming,
Explorations in
Antiquity Center

18. John 11:40, “believe”
• NAU John 11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that
if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
• NAU John 20:31 but these have been written so that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing you may have life in His name.
• The root of this Greek word “believe” is used 86 times in
John. Almost 3 times more then any other NAU book in the
entire Bible. John never uses “faith” here.
• The Gospel of John does not use the words “pray,” “prays,”
“prayed,” “prayer,” or “praying” even once, but “believe”
often.
1
8

19. John 11:42, Public Prayer
• NAU John 11:42 "I knew that You always hear
Me; but because of the people standing around I
said it, so that they may believe that You sent
Me.”
• Sometimes our public prayers can seem canned,
or rehearsed, and not as personal as our private
prayers.
• Jesus prayed publicly to His Father “because”
and “so that” the prayer fulfilled His purpose for
those humans who heard. 1
9

20. John 11:44, “Unbind him”
• NAU John 11:44 The man who had died came forth, bound
hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped
around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let
him go.”
• This commandment Jesus gives to us every time He calls
someone out of death.
• NAU Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit,
• We cannot make someone born again, born of God, but we
are to disciple every person God saves. Help them to take off
their grave clothes, shed the old ways.

21. John 11:44
How Did Lazarus Come Forth?
• Q. In John 11 is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the
dead. It says he came forth bound hand and foot. I heard
someone say once that they thought Lazarus was levitating
when he came out of the tomb, but just the use of the word
“levitating” frankly gives me the creeps. But it does say he
was “bound” — any thoughts on how Lazarus “came forth”?
• A. The Bible doesn’t give us a clear answer as to how
Lazarus was able to come out of the tomb, but some
translations say his hands and feet were wrapped with strips
of linen. This could explain his ability to walk and clear up
the confusion. The important thing is that Lazarus did come
out of his tomb, and there were so many who became
believers in Jesus because of it that the officials plotted to
have him murdered (John 12:10-11).
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/lazarus-come-
forth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

22. John 11:44
How Did Lazarus Come Forth?
• Differently than the resurrected Christ.
• NAU John 20:7 and the face-cloth which had been on
His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but
rolled up in a place by itself.
• Lazarus apparently could be killed again, and did die
again. Jesus, however, resurrected in a glorified state.
• The stone of Lazarus had to be rolled away by
humans.
• NAU Matthew 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake
had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended
from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and
sat upon it.

23. John 11:48, “our place”
• NAU John 11:48 "If we let Him go on like this,
all men will believe in Him, and the Romans
will come and take away both our place and
our nation.”
• Some say that the phrase “our place” refers to
the Jewish leaders position or job. However I
believe from the context of this word,
topos/topon, is referring to the Temple
(English word topographical comes from
topos). 23

24. John 11:49 But one of them,
Caiaphas, who was high priest that
year, said to them, "You know
nothing at all,
I installed a short video clip
showing Caiaphas’ bone box
http://vimeo.com/62872166#t=15

25. John 11:50
One Sacrificial Death
• NAU John 11:50 nor do you take into account that it is
expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the
whole nation not perish.”
• NAU John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and
said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!
• NAU John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one
lay down his life for his friends.
• NAU John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made
through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to
His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,25

26. John 11:52, Gather Into One
• NAU John 11:52 and not for the nation only, but in
order that He might also gather together into one
the children of God who are scattered abroad.
• NAU Ezekiel 11:17 "Therefore say, 'Thus says the
Lord GOD, "I will gather you from the peoples and
assemble you out of the countries among which
you have been scattered, and I will give you the
land of Israel."'
• NAU Zechariah 6:15 "Those who are far off will
come and build the temple of the LORD." Then you
will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to
you. And it will take place if you completely obey
the LORD your God.

27. John 11:52, Regathering
• NAU Deuteronomy 30:4 "If your outcasts are at the ends of
the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and
from there He will bring you back.
• This regathering is not after the Babylonian captivity. It's
referring to the Diaspora after 70 A.D., when the wandering
Jews were driven to “the ends of the earth.”
• NAU Isaiah 11:11 Then it will happen on that day that the
Lord will again recover the second time with His hand The
remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt,
Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of
the sea. 12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations And
assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the
dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. [Jeremiah
16:14-15]
27

28. Deuteronomy 30:4, Regathering
• NAU Deuteronomy 30:4 "If your outcasts are at the ends of the
earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from
there He will bring you back.
• NAU Romans 9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "THOUGH
THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE
SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED;
• NAU Romans 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is
written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL
REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” 27 "And this is My
covenant with them, When I take away their sins." 28 From the
standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from
the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of
the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
28

29. Regather, Regathering Verses
• Genesis 13:15 Hag 2:7 Obadiah 1:20-21 Lev
26:14-45 Micah 7:19-20, 2:12, 4:6 Hos 14:4-8,
3:4-5 Joel 3:20-21, 3:2 Deut 30:1-10, 30:1-30
Amos 9:11, 9:15 Rom 11:25-27 Zephaniah
2:1, 8, 3:8-20, Zechariah 10:6-12, 8:1-23,
14:20-21 Matthew 3:12 Ezekiel 36:8-12, 37:12-
14, 37:21-23, 11:17, 28:25 Jeremiah 23:3,
30:11, 16:14-15, 31:35-37, 29:14, 30:3, 31:10
Isaiah 66:8, 49:14-16, 41:10-11, 11:11-12,
29

30. • Jerusalem Daily Photo, A family praying together at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, by
Noam Chen. During the High Holidays we pray for the health and happiness of our loved
ones.
Have a blessed Independence ha ha ha ha Ha

31. In
Closing
31

32. THE END
32

33. BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and
there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge.
Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

34. Question: "Why does God allow good things to
happen to bad people?” gotquestions.org
• Answer: This question is similar to its opposite: "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" Both
questions refer to what seems to be the perplexing injustice we witness every day. The 73rd Psalm is our answer to the
very same questions that also tormented the psalmist. Finding himself in terrible distress and agony of soul he writes,
“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3).
• The writer of this Psalm was a man named Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs. Obviously, he was not a wealthy
man, but rather one who had dedicated his life to serving God (see 1 Chronicles 25). But, like us, he had experienced
some difficulties and questioned the injustice of it all. He watched the evil people around him living by their own rules,
enjoying all the wealth and pleasures of the world and collecting riches. He complains, "They have no struggles; their
bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills"
(Psalm 73:4-5).
• Asaph was looking at these people who didn't have problems. They could pay their bills. They had plenty to eat and
plenty of luxuries. But poor Asaph was stuck with directing the choir and trying to live godly. And to make things worse,
his choice to serve God didn't seem to be helping him. He began to envy these people and even to question God as to
why He would allow such a thing to happen!
• How often do we find ourselves relating to Asaph? We dedicate our lives to serving God. Then we witness the wicked,
ungodly people around us get new possessions, luxurious homes, promotions, and beautiful clothes, while we struggle
financially. The answer lies in the rest of the psalm. Asaph envied these evil people until he realized one very important
thing. When he entered the sanctuary of God, he fully understood their final destiny: “When I tried to understand all
this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place
them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by
terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies” (Psalm 73:16-20).
Those who have temporary riches on earth are in reality spiritual beggars because they do not have true riches—eternal
life.
• There are many times when we do not understand what is happening to us, nor do we understand how providence
works. When Asaph entered the sanctuary of God, he began to see that there was no need for him to be envious of the
34

35. Question: "How will our resurrection body be different
from our current body?", GotQuestions.org
• Answer: In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul discusses the great differences between our earthly bodies and
our resurrected bodies (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-54). Contrasting our earthly bodies with the splendor of our heavenly
(resurrected) bodies, Paul says, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it
israised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (vv.
42-44, emphasis added). In short, our resurrected bodies are spiritual, imperishable, and raised in glory and power.
Through the first Adam, we received our natural bodies, perfectly suited to an earthly environment. However, they
became perishable as a consequence of the Fall. Due to disobedience, mankind became mortal. Aging, deterioration
and eventual death now affect all of us. From dust we came, and to dust shall we return (Genesis 3:19;
Ecclesiastes 3:20). Our resurrection bodies, on the other hand, will be “raised imperishable.” They will never experience
sickness, decay, deterioration, or death. And “when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable… then the
saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
As a result of the Fall, we are “sown in dishonor.” We were originally made perfect and in the image of God
(Genesis 1:27), but sin has brought dishonor. Yet believers have the promise that our imperfect and dishonored bodies
will one day be raised in glory. Freed from the restrictions imposed by sin, our resurrected bodies will be honorable and
perfectly suited for pleasing and praising our Creator throughout eternity.
Our current bodies are also characterized by weakness and debility. Our earthly “temples” are undeniably fragile and
susceptible to the plethora of diseases that ravage mankind. We are also weakened by sin and temptation. One day,
though, our bodies will be raised in power and glory, and we will no longer be subject to the flaws and fragility that
pervade life today.
Lastly, our resurrected body will be a spiritual one. Our natural bodies are suited for living in this world, but this is the
only realm in which we can live. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians15:50). After the
resurrection we will have a “spiritual body,” perfectly suited for living in heaven. This does not mean that we will
beonly spirits—spirits do not have bodies—but that our resurrected bodies will not need physical sustenance or
depend on natural means of supporting life.
We get a glimpse of what our resurrection bodies will be like when we recall Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. He
still had visible wounds, and His disciples could physically touch Him, yet He was able to travel effortlessly and appear
and disappear at will. He could go through walls and doors yet could also eat and drink and sit and talk. Scripture
informs us that our “lowly bodies” will be just “like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Indeed, the physical limitations
imposed by sin that hindered our ability to fully serve Him on earth will be forever gone, freeing us to praise and serve
and glorify Him for eternity.
Recommended Resources: Heaven by Randy Alcorn and Logos Bible Software.

36. Sequence Of The First Resurrection
gracethrufaith.com
• Q. A post-trib believer is demanding Scriptural proof from me that the first resurrection
really is divided into several phases. If you can lead me to the Bible passages I need to share
with him, I’d be most grateful.
• A. The Bible teaches a span of time between the beginning of the First Resurrection and it’s
conclusion exceeding 2000 years, and requiring three different events.
• Paul wrote that Jesus was the first fruits of the first resurrection, and Matt 27:53shows that
others came out of their tombs at the same time. Rev. 20:4-6describes its end, involving
those who will have been martyred for their faith during the Great Tribulation, following the
Lord’s return to Earth.
• In between are two other mentions of a resurrection event, one in 1 Thes. 4:16-18 and the
other in 1 Cor 15:51-53. The one in 1 Thes 4 says it will take place concurrent with the
Rapture of the Church under circumstances that can not be compared to Rev. 20:4-6 so it has
to have occurred sometime prior. 1 Thes. 4:16 is for all the dead in Christ and takes place at
the same time as living believers are raptured. Rev. 20:4-6 is specific to martyrs from the
Great Tribulation and does not include the rapture of the living. It also takes place after the
2nd Coming, too late for the rapture.
• Also in 1 Cor. 15:51 Paul said the announcement of this resurrection was something that had
been a secret until then. But Job 19:25-27 and Daniel 12:1-2 both describe a resurrection at
the end of the age and were written centuries earlier, so again Paul had to have been
speaking of a different event.
• Put it all together and it’s clear that the First Resurrection began with Jesus, continues at the
Rapture and is completed after the 2nd Coming with the Tribulation Martyrs (Rev. 20:4) and
Old Testament believers (Daniel 12:1-2).
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/sequence-of-the-first-resurrection/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

37. • Question: "Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important?"
Answer: The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself.
To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has
power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who
created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the
sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God
reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.
Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian
faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His
followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians,
we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could
not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the
resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1)
preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of
the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have
perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the
dead and “has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in
resurrection.
The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer's resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His Body (the Church) at
the Rapture. Such hope and assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O
death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
How do these concluding verses relate to the importance of the resurrection? Paul answers, “...you know that your labor in
the Lord is not in vain” (v. 58). He reminds us that because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can suffer
persecution and danger for Christ’s sake (vv. 29-31), just as He did. We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs
through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.
The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third
day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are
alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of
Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has
the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be
resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!
Recommended Resources: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Logos Bible Software.
• GotQuestions.org via icontactmail1.com

38. NAU John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the
life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
• Question: "How can it be said that we have everlasting life when we still die?"
Answer: The Word of God assures us that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will have everlasting life
(John 3:16; 6:47; 1 John 5:13). The Greek word translated “everlasting” means “perpetual, eternal,
forever.” Perhaps the word perpetual best explains the biblical concept of everlasting life; it is life that,
once begun, continues perpetually into eternity. This speaks to the idea that man’s life is not merely
physical. Rather, the true life of human beings is spiritual, and while the physical life ends, the spiritual
continues throughout eternity. It is perpetual.
When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden with the tree of life, intending that they
would live joyously forever, both physically and spiritually, but they sinned and brought physical and
spiritual death to themselves and to all subsequent generations (Romans 5:12–14). God then sent Adam
and Eve from the Garden and stationed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life, and He did so
because in His mercy He did not want man to live forever under the weight of sin. But sin must be punished
and the only acceptable punishment to a holy God is everlasting punishment (Mark 9:43–44). However, our
merciful God sent His Son as a perfect sacrifice to suffer, once for all time, the punishment due mankind for
sin, thereby providing a perfect way to the tree of life for anyone and everyone who believes in Him (1
John 5:12; Revelation 22:14).
We receive everlasting life by dying to our own efforts and receiving Christ Jesus into our hearts as our Lord
and Savior, and, when we do, we are instantly reborn and made alive in Christ. We may not feel any
immediate change, but there has in fact been a rebirth in the heart (John 3:6–7), and we are now free of
the fear of death; we have the promise of God that we will never die spiritually, but instead will live forever
with our Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10). Later, when we die physically, our soul will immediately be
with the Lord, and still later, when He returns, the Lord will resurrect our bodies to meet Him in the air. As
for those Christians who are alive at His return, their bodies will be changed “in the twinkle of an eye,” and
they will not experience even physical death (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
Jesus Christ instructed the Apostle John to write the last book of the Bible, and therein we again read about
the tree of life: “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of
God'” (Revelation 2:7b). The tree of life in Revelation is symbolic of Jesus Christ. It is in Christ that all
Christians trust, and it is in God’s power that we rest, assured of our everlasting life (1 Peter 1:3–5). The
one true God who created all things, including life and death and rebirth, will keep His Word. Our God is all-
powerful and full of grace and truth (John 1:14), and He wants us to know that our eternal state is assured:
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25).
Recommended Resources: Heavenby Randy Alcorn and Logos Bible Software.
• GotQuestions.org via icontactmail1.com

39. John 11:25, Question: "What did Jesus mean when He
said 'I AM'?"
• Answer: Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ question “Who do you think you are?” said
“‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was
glad.’‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen
Abraham!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At
this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the
temple grounds.” The violent response of the Jews to Jesus’ “I AM” statement indicates
they clearly understood what He was declaring—that He was the eternal, incarnate
God. Jesus was equating Himself with the "I AM" title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.
If Jesus had merely wanted to say He existed before Abraham’s time, He would have
said, “Before Abraham, I was.” The Greek words translated “was” in the case of
Abraham, and “am” in the case of Jesus, are quite different. The words chosen by the
Spirit make it clear that Abraham was “brought into being,” but Jesus existed eternally
(see John 1:1). There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying because
they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Such a
statement, if not true, was blasphemy and the punishment ascribed by the Mosaic Law
was death (Leviticus 24:11-14). But Jesus committed no blasphemy; He was and is God,
the second Person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.
Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He
combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship
toward the world. All appear in the book of John. They are: I AM the Bread of
Life (John 6:35, 1, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the
Sheep (John 10:7,9); I AM the Good Shepherd(John 10:11, 14); I AM the Resurrection
and the Life (John 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); and I AM
the True Vine (John 15: 1,5).

40. John 11:27, no use of “repent” Three Gospel
Studies, by Bill Fiess, page 14, Grace in Focus,
March/April 2016
40

41. John 11:38
Tomb, Wrapping the Body, Bone Box
• Tomb, Matthew 27:60 Mark 15:46 Luke 24:2 John 11:38 John 20:1
• Dr. Reagan: Let's take a look at the New Testament tomb. It was a classic rolling stone type of tomb.
• Dr. Fleming: Yes, and it would have been quite big. Joseph of Arimathea was one of the elders, which means a member of the Jewish ruling Sanhedrin. Archaeologists have discovered some
tombs in Jerusalem with this same large entry stone, so we know the tomb Jesus was put in must have been a wealthy tomb.
• The entry stone rolls uphill to open. It would be easier to close the tomb than open it. Because opening was going to take a lot of pushing, that's why the women who came to prepare Jesus' body
were wondering who would help them push back the stone.
• Usually a wealthy Jewish tomb's entryway was decorated with floral or geometric designs.
• Outside of the tomb, there would be a mourner's bench. For one week you would visit the tomb daily and you would cry. There were even tear vases or tear cups that they would use to collect
their tears. That way the mourners could inter their grief by putting the tear cup into the tomb. Archaeologist have found many tear cups in the tombs. The act is about burying your grief with
your loved one. There are even mentions of these tear bottles in the Bible.
• After coming up a flight of stairs in our tomb here at the Center, we enter the anterior of the tomb. In order to have people be able to view the inside of the tomb easier, we've made it so there
are three fully preserved niches and two of these niches are preserved though the roof "broke" and later "collapsed" for ease of viewing externally.
• There would be three more niches running in other directions. In front of the niches is a U-shaped bench on three sides. That's where you would dress the body and then afterwards slide it into a
niche. At the Center we have one sort of example "body" to see.
• The tomb of Christ is a typical Herodian Period tomb. These kind of tombs were only found in Jerusalem from 37 BC to 70 AD, which is a very restricted period. Because of the timing, they're
called Herodian Period tombs.
•
Wrapping the Body,
• Dr. Fleming: You can imagine then that Friday Jesus' body would have been brought up to the tomb, but not yet slid into a niche. He would have simply been laid on the bench because due to the
Sabbath the women couldn't work and so would have had to return to the tomb on Sunday to add grave cloths and spices. Usually the women would be bringing grave clothes with the body.
Possibly Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea may have been bringing a mixture of myrrh and olives and some grave cloths as well so that they could have wrapped the body with the spices. But,
the Sabbath was coming so they couldn't properly prepare the body for burial. Remember the Scriptures say as they exited the tomb the Sabbath was being manifest, and that means the Jewish
people were lighting their oil lamps just before the sunset. It wouldn't be then the tradition of the women to come back on Saturday.
• At the first light Sunday morning, the women wanted to add more grave cloths because they didn't have enough time before sunset Friday night to properly prepare Jesus' body. So, here they are
coming back to the tomb wondering who would help them roll back the massive stone that covered the entryway. Anyone familiar with the Resurrection story knows the stone was already rolled
back when they got there, and so we have this mystery of the resurrection narrative.
• Let's mention a bit more about burial practices. Those tending the body would wrap the body from foot to head. Notice they'd have to tie off the shoulders and then come around again and start
with the head. The head was a separate wrapping from the body. That separate head wrapping is mentioned in John 11:44 and the Gospel narrative of John 20:7.
• If someone had just stolen Jesus' body after unwrapping the grave clothes, you'd expect to see a jumbled pile of grave clothes left behind. Instead, the women and Apostles saw the head
wrapping separately folded apart from the body wrapping. Remember that there's a little space between them because there is a tying off at the shoulders and starting anew with the head.
That's significant!
• When the women tell the disciples, and Peter and John run to the tomb, remember John got there first. I guess he could jog faster. He stooped and looked in because the entryway was only five
to seven hands high for the door. Peter when he got there walked right in, so he is the first one to witness the empty tomb. It must have been so strange a thing to see when he saw the head
wrapping separate from the body wrappings. Once he saw them all neatly laid out, he finally believed. If someone had stolen the body and left the grave cloth,s there would have been just a pile
of grave cloths.
• People back then would have understood to tie off the body and then start again coming in from the shoulders for the head. The witnesses to the Resurrection were seeing the head clothes
separate from the body clothes, and that made them realize they could not explain the arrangement of the grave clothes. The body was missing, but the grave clothes were left undisturbed.
• Normally what would happen is that the preparers of the body would add more spices the rest of that week as the body decomposes and gets smellier. Remember in the Lazarus story in John's
gospel Martha says, "By now Lazarus stinks." So, they would have added more spices for the entire week as they kept coming back for the funeral wake. They would add time for crying out on the
bench out in front.
•

42. Question: "What is the hypostatic union?"
gotquestions.org
• Question: "What is the hypostatic union?"
• Answer: The hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human
nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. Jesus always had been God (John 8:58, 10:30), but at the
incarnation Jesus became a human being (John 1:14). The addition of the human nature to the divine nature
is Jesus, the God-man. This is the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ, one Person, fully God and fully man.
• Jesus' two natures, human and divine, are inseparable. Jesus will forever be the God-man, fully God and fully
human, two distinct natures in one Person. Jesus' humanity and divinity are not mixed, but are united without
loss of separate identity. Jesus sometimes operated with the limitations of humanity (John 4:6, 19:28) and
other times in the power of His deity (John 11:43; Matthew 14:18-21). In both, Jesus' actions were from His
one Person. Jesus had two natures, but only one personality.
• The doctrine of the hypostatic union is an attempt to explain how Jesus could be both God and man at the
same time. It is ultimately, though, a doctrine we are incapable of fully understanding. It is impossible for us
to fully understand how God works. We, as human beings with finite minds, should not expect to totally
comprehend an infinite God. Jesus is God’s Son in that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). But
that does not mean Jesus did not exist before He was conceived. Jesus has always existed (John 8:58, 10:30).
When Jesus was conceived, He became a human being in addition to being God (John 1:1, 14).
• Jesus is both God and man. Jesus has always been God, but He did not become a human being until He was
conceived in Mary. Jesus became a human being in order to identify with us in our struggles (Hebrews 2:17)
and, more importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Philippians 2:5-11). In
summary, the hypostatic union teaches that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, that there is no
mixture or dilution of either nature, and that He is one united Person, forever.

43. Philippians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 13, Galatians 5:22, Knowing each
other in heaven?, Dr. Ed Hinson, Saint Valentine's Day, Who is a
saint?

44. The Seven Miracles In John
Saturday, April 5th, 2014
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• The Seven Miracles In John
• Saturday, April 5th, 2014Featured
• Grace
• Healing
• Israel
• Salvation
• A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• In the past I’ve explained the need for 4 Gospels and the tremendous increase in understanding we can gain by comparing events from the different perspectives of each (read The Four Faces of Jesus). In this study we’ll focus on the unique character of John’s Gospel.
• Due to his extensive use of symbolism John’s Gospel, written to the church, can be the most intriguing. Everything he recorded in his gospel actually happened, but he arranged and described them in such a way as to convey additional truth beyond the obvious point of his narrative. Sometimes he even rearranged the
order of events to underscore emphasize this additional truth. John 2 is a good example of this. He placed the cleansing of the Temple right after the wedding at Cana to illustrate the point that the Lord came to create an intimate personal relationship with His church (as in a marriage), not to fix a broken religion.
• The focus of John’s gospel is the Lord’s Judean ministry and really only the last part of that. He devoted most of 9 chapters (John 12-20) to the Lord’s last week and used 1/3 of the gospel’s 879 verses to describe His last 24 hours. The first 11 chapters define the Lord’s ministry through John’s selective use of 7 miracles,
and we’ll use them to show how John’s Gospel contains more than meets the eye.
• Miracle 1, Water Into Wine (John 2:1-11)
• This one is misunderstood by most and yet results in the disciples putting their faith in the Lord. (This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His Glory and the disciples put their faith in Him, John 2:11). It seems so insignificant when compared the opening miracles in the other
gospels, which involved either casting out demons or curing leprosy.
• This miracle took place because an embarrassing discovery had been made. A wedding banquet Jesus was attending was in full swing when the servants suddenly realized they were out of wine. His mother, who was also there, asked Him to help. The Lord had 6 empty jars of stone filled with water which He then turned
into wine. The master of the banquet proclaimed the wine Jesus had made to be superior to the wine they had served earlier, saying they had saved the best for last.
• Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life. Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper.
• What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living,
joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration.
• Miracle 2, Healing the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54).
• Here’s an act of God’s Grace, pure and simple. There’s no indication of the official’s nationality or background, his religious conviction or his worthiness, only his faith. He had heard of Jesus and of His miraculous power and begged Him to come heal his dying son. Jesus didn’t go with him but simply told the man his son
would live. The man took Jesus at His word and departed for home. The next day, while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his son had recovered. From their discussion he learned that his son had been made well from the very time he had spoken with Jesus. Because of this He and all his
household became believers, saved by grace through faith.
• Miracle 3, The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9)
• Tradition holds that an angel periodically stirred the waters at the Pool of Bethesda. The first one into the water when that happened was healed. Many people who were sick or disabled waited there by the pool day after day for a chance to be healed. But a cripple can’t get himself to the pool in time. This man had
been crippled for 38 years and had repeatedly tried and failed. Then Jesus came along and healed him.
• I believe this man’s predicament demonstrates the poverty of the Law, which was never intended to heal us of our infirmities (physical and spiritual) but to show us our need for a Savior … that we’re hopeless and helpless without Him.
• He was at the very edge of healing, but all of his unsuccessful efforts to get into the pool had only made it obvious that his infirmity was preventing him from being healed. In the same way, the Law leaves us at the very edge of salvation but all of our unsuccessful efforts to keep it only make it obvious that our sinfulness
will prevent us from being saved. Just like the cripple needed someone to heal him, we need someone to save us.
• Miracle 4, The Feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-5).
• This is perhaps the best known of all the Lord’s miracles and the only one before the resurrection that is recorded in all four gospels. A large crowd had followed Jesus into a remote location and Jesus could see that they would need to be fed. But the men alone numbered 5,000 and adding the women and children could
have more than doubled that number. Andrew found a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, and Jesus multiplied it into a satisfying meal for everyone with enough left over to fill 12 baskets.
• This is the practical demonstration of the Lord’s promise that if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, all our other needs will be met as well (Matt. 6:31-33). But there’s more in view here than just our physical needs. We who believe in Jesus will never again feel that emptiness that tells us there’s more to life than
just having our physical needs met. This is what Jesus meant when He said;
• I AM the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35).
• Miracle 5, Walking on the Water (John 6:16-25).
• The 5th miracle is also well known to everyone familiar with the Lord’s ministry. The disciples had labored all night long to row only about half way across the Sea of Galilee (about 3 miles), when the Lord passed by them … walking on the water! When they realized it was Jesus, they let him into the boat and immediately
reached their destination. Without Him they were struggling just to make headway, but with Him in their midst the struggle was over.
• Miracle 6, Healing The Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41).
• A man had been blind from birth. Jesus made some mud, put it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash it off. When the man did as Jesus instructed he could see.
• While Jesus performed this miracle early in Chapter 9, the balance of the narrative clearly (and sometimes comically) shows how much more spiritual discernment this blind beggar had than the learned officials of the religion, who had studied all their lives. In their experience, no one had ever opened the eyes of a man
born blind and they were determined to discredit the lowly beggar, especially since this event took place on the Sabbath. A lengthy interrogation followed, where the beggar put the religious experts to shame, and they ended up throwing him out. Afterward Jesus found him and introduced Himself. The man became a
believer and worshiped him.
• Jesus said He came so the blind would see and those who see would become blind. When the Pharisees asked if He thought they were blind He said, “If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:39-41).
• As it concerns your eternity, it doesn’t matter what you claim to know about Jesus. What matters is whether you know Jesus.
• Miracle 7, Raising Lazarus From The Dead (John 11:1-44).
• The last miracle John recorded before the resurrection shows the fulfillment of our Lord’s promise to all who believe in His name, as He called Lazarus out of the grave and restored him from death to life. The text shows that even though Jesus knew Lazarus was sick He actually waited until Lazarus was dead and buried
before He responded to the sisters’ call for help. He did this so He could bring Lazarus back to life. It was an unmistakable model of the resurrection of the believing dead that contains the tiniest hint of the rapture. I don’t think people who don’t already know about the rapture see this, but those who do can take
comfort in this faint hint contained in John 11:25-26.
• Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
• What’s The Point?
• Near the end of his gospel account John said, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).
• This tells us he selected these seven miracles specifically for their ability to help us believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that by believing we might have eternal life. So what does these particular miracles show us that would help us believe?
• Miracle 1 shows He came to take us from the stone cold and empty way of man’s religion into a living and joyful relationship with Him.
• Miracle 2 shows we are saved by grace through faith.
• Miracle 3 shows our own futile works are insufficient to save ourselves. We need Him to save us.
• Miracle 4 is a demonstration of His supernatural care and provision for those who seek Him.
• Miracle 5 shows that because of His miraculous power, we can easily accomplish things through Him that would be all but impossible on our own.
• Miracle 6 reveals that if we’ll allow it, He can cause even the lowliest person born spiritually blind to see and believe, and
• Miracle 7 is a promise that all who believe in Him will live even though they die, and those who live and believe will never die.
• I purposely confined my commentary on these miracles to what I believe John was trying to convey to us in his gospel. Some of these miracles are contained in one or more of the other gospels where you might see details John didn’t include or where the emphasis might be a little different. Matthew’s account of Jesus
walking on the water is a good example (Matt. 14:22-33). I encourage you to read the different accounts of all these miracles to get the whole story. Selah 04-05-14
• http://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/the-seven-miracles-in-john/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

45. Resurrection Of Old Testament Believers
• Resurrection Of Old Testament Believers
• Thursday, May 29th, 2014End Times
• Great Tribulation
• Prophecy
• Resurrection
• Q. I was reading a post “Who Goes Where And When” and you gave the reference (Daniel 12:1-2, Rev. 20:4) to show that the Old Testament saints
would be resurrected at the 2nd coming. It has been my understanding that all people before Christ will sleep through the thousand years and I did
not see anything indicating differently. What am I missing?
• A. Daniel 12:1-2 says, “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not
happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
• The phrase “at that time” refers to the time of the anti-Christ’s unsuccessful attempt to gain world dominance (Daniel 11:36-45). Four things will
happen then; Michael will come to the aid of the Jewish people, the believing remnant of Israel will be delivered, there will be a time of distress such
has never been seen before, and there will be a resurrection of Jewish people.
• The phrase “There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” was quoted by Jesus in Matt. 24:21 to
describe the Great Tribulation. This confirms the timing of these things.
• Then the angel told Daniel “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt.” This is the Bible’s first reference to two resurrections; the resurrection of believers which will take place at the time of the Great
Tribulation, and the resurrection of unbelievers that will take place at the end of the Millennium, 1,000 years later (Rev. 20:11-15).
• The angel made two references to “your people” indicating he was speaking of Daniel’s people, the Jewish nation.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/resurrection-old-testament-
believers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

46. John 11:52,
• Acts 2, Joel 2, John 11:52, 1 Corinthians 14:20–
22, Matthew 24:34
• Grace in focus, November December 2015
• When The Holy Spirit Came (Acts 2:1–21), by
Zane C. Hodges, pg. 31
46

47. Why God Lets Friends Die
By Glenn Durham John 11:1-44
•
• Prayer Requests
•
• Why God Lets Friends Die
•
• By Glenn Durham
John 11:1-44
•
•
• John 11 contains the well-known story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and (for trivia fans) the shortest verse in the Bible is in this chapter. We also find here the last of the seven miracles (or "signs" as John calls them) which structure this book. Miracles (of course) are exciting, but Jesus is no mere magician. God has come to die for the sins of his people and to rise for our justification. This culminating sign is a parable revealing deep truth about God's love and work in our
lives. Please give your attention to the reading of God's Word in John 11. [Read John 11.1-44. Pray.]
•
• One ill effect of an evil heart is that I naturally assumethat my will should be the axis around which the universe turns. This perspective often reveals itself by how muchthe affairs of life control my feelings. When events please me, I believe God is good and his love safe andsolid. When circumstances go awry, I wonder that God's love is so fickle and frail. Such attitudes betray a most basic form of idolatry. I look at life's problems and assumethey reveal the nature and character
of God. The Bible condemns that approach.
•
• The book of Romans does say that creation reveals God exists and deserves worship. The Apostle Paul learned this from Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." But Paul adds that sin both bends creation's story to hide the truth, and corrupts our ability to interpret "general revelation" properly. As a result, circumstances actually deflect us from the true nature of God. We must have the Word (both in flesh and in Scripture)
reveal God to us.
•
• William Cowper struggled with depression muchof his life. This led him to meditate frequently on God's love andgoodness in the midstof pain and suffering (what he called God's frowning providence). One fruit of his anguishwas the hymn, God Moves in a Mysterious Way. Listen to these words: "Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, the clouds ye so much dread, are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his
grace, behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding ev'ry hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flow'r."
•
• Today, a frowning providence; tomorrow a smiling face. ESV Psalm 30.5b:"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." God's unfolding flower of providence will one day reveal blessings unimaginablysweet for his people.
•
• Our family found a corollary example of this when we left off sweets for lent - pleasure can increase when we do without for a season. What that experience taught in a small and simplistic way is also true in substantialand significant events: hard circumstances anddifficult trials can bring "joy inexpressible andfilled with glory" (1Peter 1.8).
•
• As I grow older I am more and more convinced that our attitude towards our troubles drastically affects the outcome. We find it easy to nurse poor attitudes until they infiltrate every pore of our lives. Rather than trust God and count trials as opportunities to grow in grace and faith, our attitudes drive us to self-pity, self-absorption, self-trust, fear, defensiveness.
•
• These attitudes seem to lead to one of two errors. The first subordinates thoughts of God's glory to desire for personal happiness. Then, when bad things happen, when we are displeased with God's providence, we either reject God completely or dissolve into a morass of destructive emotions. We may say, "I'm not interested in a God who let's my friends die (or suffer)." Or we may simply feel sorry for ourselves and take out our pain on whoever happens to be near.
•
• The other error imagines that God's concern for his own glory makes him unfeeling and indifferent to our suffering. Religion, then, helps me grit my teeth and endure. But this is the false faith of stoicism. You know people whose faith is joyless, and not content with their own bad attitudes, they steal joy from others.
•
• The Biblical balance is ESV James 1.2-4:Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
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• The Bible clearly teaches that God delights to glorify himself. That truth is the only rock that holds firm when storms of suffering slam against us. But (and do not miss the other half) God's glory is the only thing which will make me infinitely and eternally happy.
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• Both of these truths come to light in John 11, in the person of Jesus Christ. Pain, suffering, death of dear friends - these miseries of a fallen world combine to cast doubt on God's love. But Jesus steps into our world to show us both the power and purposes of God - and to deliver us from errors andattitudes which threaten hope and joy. To get there, first...
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• 1. We Must Remain Certain of God's Love (John 11.3,5,36)
• ESV John 11.3: So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." John 11.5: Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. John 11.36:So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
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• After singing, "Oh, How I Love Jesus," Philip Bliss commented: "Those words are true. Yet I feel guilty for having sung so much about my poor love for Christ and so little about his endless love for me." So he wrote a hymn with these words: "I am so glad that our father in heaven/Tells of his love in the book he has given;/Wonderful things in the Bible I see/This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me."
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• John wants us to remember the certainty of God's love; he tells us three times. But why must we be reminded?
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• We mustbe reminded of God's love because of sin. When people sin againstus, we feel anger and coldness and (sometimes) contempt. Since we know that we sin againstGod, we can assumethat God's love for us fades like a cut flower left on the dashboard of the car.
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• We mustbe reminded of God's love because of Satan. When the enemy destroys your confidence in God's love, your usefulness in the kingdom is shattered.
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• We mustbe reminded of God's love because of circumstances which argue againstthat love. Notice how the sisters describe to Jesus the need: "Lord, he whom you love is ill." They do not make demands;they are humbleand confident. "Tell God about your problems and the problems will go away," seems to be their plan. They picture in their mind's eye Jesus mounting his trusty steed andracing furiously to arrive in time.
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• But time ticks away. Minutes are marked by dozens of worried glances through the window - "Do you see him?" "Is that him?" "Is he coming?" After a day or two the dreaded word is whispered: "It's too late; Lazarus is dead."
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• When God lets friends die, you may doubt his love. So John reminds us: Jesus loved Martha; he loved Mary; he loved Lazarus. And if you are his, if you have been born-again of his Spirit, then he loves you. Yes, I love Jesus, but my soul needs a greater anchor, a more glorious truth: Jesus loves me. This is especially critical when we realize that...
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• 2. We Must Not Deny the Difficulty of God's Love (John 11.5-10)
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• I see two ways the love of God is shown to be difficult.
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• First, Jesus stays two more days. John 11.5-6:Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." Jesus does not rush to help; he does not hurry to comfort. Jesus seems to care little about Lazarus' sickness or the sisters' sorrows. Indeed - he intentionally waits until Lazarus dies before departing! Difficult! And you know when God seems not to care about your problems how difficult it is
for you to hold on confidently to God's love.
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• Second, the difficulty of God's love is shown in his taking his people into great danger, John 11.7:"Let us go to Judea again." To which his disciples answer, John 11.8: "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" We know the difficulty of what Jesus was asking by Thomas'response: John 11.16:"Let us also go, that we may die with him." Jesus takes his people where they may die. Eventually, most of the disciples will be martyred for their
faith.
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• So God's love must not be defined by our health or comfort or safety. God loved Lazarus; Lazarus got sick and died. God loved Martha andMary; Martha andMary wept and mourned. God loved his disciples and leads them to the place of stoning. Throughout church history Christians have mistakenly assumedthat God's love is best experienced in health, wealth and prosperity.
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• John Newton, known for writing, Amazing Grace, also wrote a poem to capture the difficulty of God's love:
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• I asked the Lord that I mightgrow
In faith, andlove, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.
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• 'Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.
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• I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He'd answer my request;
And by His love's constraining pow'r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
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• Insteadof this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow'rs of hell
Assaultmy soul in every part.
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• Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
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• "Lord, why is this," I trembling cried,
"Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?"
"'Tis in this way," the Lord replied,
"I answer prayer for grace andfaith.
"These inward trials I employ,
"From self, and pride, to set thee free;
"Andbreak thy schemes of earthly joy,
"That thou may'st find thy all in Me."
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Martha and Mary discovered this truth; so did Lazarus and the disciples - you too must travel through the difficulty of God's love before you will know its joy. To connect the certainty anddifficulty of God's love...
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• 3. We Must Consider the Purpose of God's Love
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• ESV John 11.21:Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." ESV John 11.32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
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• These were not words of condemnation, but expressions of faith. Mary and Martha had talked together about what God could do. They trusted God's power and were certain that the purpose of God's love must be to keep Lazarus from dying. And such purpose would have been accomplished if Jesus hadbeen present.
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• ESV John 11.35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind manalso have kept this manfrom dying?"
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• It was not only Jesus'friends who knew best what God's love should do; the Jews were sure that if God really loved Lazarus, he would have kept him alive. I have often felt the same - if God loved me, so-and-so would happen. And I doubt God's love when he crosses the fair designs I scheme. That is precisely why John reminded us three times of Jesus' love.
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• So what were these friends of Lazarus missing? And whatare we missing when circumstances cause us to doubt God's love?
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• ESV John 11.4: But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
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• ESV John 11.14-15:Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, 15 andfor your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
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• In other words, God's love mustbe channeled toward a greater purpose than my pleasure - glorifying Jesus Christ. Additionally, God's love must seek a greater result than my comfort - faith in the surpassing goodness and joy of God's being glorified. My momentary pleasure and comfort cannot be the end for which the world exists. Even if it were, I would not be happy. God's glory is so infinitely beautiful that if I were to remove one drop of honor from his goals and his purposes, I
would be miserable forever.
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• Suppose I take a can of black spray paint and repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Would this display of my art delight anyone? No, least of all, myself. My days would be filled with remorse over defiling such surpassingbeauty. The glory of Jesus and our faith in him andhis purposes are the Sistine Chapel across which my comfort would be hideous black graffiti. God's love is certain, though it seems difficult because it is constrained by God's purposes, not our own.
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• 4. We Must Not Doubt the Compassionof God's Love (John 11.35)
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• Never does the Bible say that Jesus laughed. Indeed, he was a manof sorrows, acquainted with grief. Jesus' tears prove three things (at least):
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• 1) Jesus was truly human.Ina few moments, he will raise the dead, his greatest miracle before his own resurrection andundeniable proof of his deity. But first, he weeps over losing a dear friend. God has become man.
2) God truly cares. God is not "out there," disinterested in your hurts. He came near, wept with those who weep, and loved his own.
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48. John 11:35,
• Jesus Wept
• http://www.blogos.org/organicfruit/jesus-wept.php
• What's behind our emotions?
• By Tiffany Wismer
• Jesus wept. It's a strange thing to consider, isn't it? God shedding tears.
• Back in college, I had a discussion with a med student about emotions. He told me, "Your feelings are just a series of
chemical reactions within your body." I had no way to refute this statement, and it upset me. I just couldn't understand
how it could possibly be true that all the things we feel are nothing more than chemical reactions. What about the soul?
• Honestly, I still have no way to refute what he said. It's probably true — at least as far as science can tell. Something sad
happens, and the chemicals in our brain start firing, telling our eyes to cry. We hear something funny, and involuntarily,
the laughter comes. Our chemicals know what to do, and when.
• But Jesus wept. Even though Jesus was sinless, knew that God had everything under control, and had perfect peace in
the will of God, he still wept. When Lazarus died, and when Jesus saw a lack of faith in people, he wept. Why? Simple. It
hurt. The reality of a fallen world, perceived through the sinless perfection of his soul, produced a physical reaction:
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