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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the gospel according to John. So we continue to work 
our way through John's gospel. Our focus this morning will be 
John 11, 38 to 46, the resurrection of Lazarus. I want to begin reading 
in chapter 11 at verse 17. So when Jesus came, he found 
that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now, Bethany 
was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews 
had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning 
their brother. Now, Martha, as soon as she heard 
that Jesus was coming, went and met him. But Mary was sitting 
in the house. Now, Martha said to Jesus, Lord, 
if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even 
now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. 
Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha said 
to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at 
the last day. But Jesus said to her, I am the 
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though 
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes 
in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said 
to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the 
son of God, who is to come into the world. And when she had said 
these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary, her 
sister, saying, The teacher has come and is calling for you. 
As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to him. 
Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place 
where Martha met him. Then the Jews who were with her 
in the house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose 
up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, she is going to 
the tomb to weep there. Then when Mary came where Jesus 
was and saw him, she fell down at his feet saying to him, Lord, 
if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Therefore, 
when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, 
he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And he said, where 
have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come 
and see. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 
see how he loved him. And some of them said, could 
not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this 
man from dying? Then Jesus, again groaning in 
himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay 
against it. Jesus said, take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him who 
was dead, said to him, Lord, by this time there is a stench, 
for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, did I not 
say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory 
of God? Then they took away the stone 
from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted 
up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard 
me. And I know that you always hear me. But because of the people 
who are standing by, I said this, that they may believe that you 
sent me. And when he had said these things, 
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he who had died 
came out, bound hand and foot with grave clothes. And his face 
was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, loose him 
and let him go. Then many of the Jews who had 
come to Mary and had seen the things Jesus did believed in 
him. But some of them went away to 
the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief 
priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, what shall 
we do? For this man works many signs. If we let him alone like 
this, everyone will believe in him. And the Romans will come 
and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, 
Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, you know 
nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that 
one man should die for the people and not that the whole nation 
should perish. Now this he did not say on his own authority, 
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would 
die for the nation and not for that nation only, but also that 
he would gather together in one the children of God who were 
scattered abroad. Then from that day on, they plotted 
to put him to death. Therefore, Jesus no longer walked 
openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near 
the wilderness to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with 
his disciples. And the Passover of the Jews 
was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before 
the Passover to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus and spoke 
among themselves as they stood in the temple. What do you think, 
that he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests 
and the Pharisees had given a command that if anyone knew where he 
was, he should report it, that they might seize him. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Our God and Father, we thank 
you for this beautiful day. We thank you for the house of 
God on the day of God and the people of God gathered together 
to worship you. We pray that you would be glorified, 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And even now we pray for the 
ministry of the Spirit as we look at this passage of Holy 
Scripture wherein the Son of God calls forth Lazarus from 
the dead. What a blessed Savior, what a 
glorious Lord, and what a one who is altogether lovely and 
chief among 10,000. Again, forgive us and cleanse us from all sin 
and unrighteousness, and cause us to stand in awe at the powerful 
voice of the Son of God, who lived, who died, who was raised 
again, so that we might have everlasting life. And we pray 
in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we come now specifically 
to the actual resurrection of Lazarus. We have spent some time 
in this passage to see not only the true divinity of our Lord, 
that will be on display here, but also the true humanity of 
our Lord. So we have seen the death of 
Lazarus in verses one to 16, the dialogue with Martha and 
interaction with Mary in verses 17 to 37. And now we come to 
the resurrection of Lazarus in verses 38 to 46. And there's 
three things to observe here. First, the arrival at the tomb 
in verses 38 to 40. Secondly, the prayer of the Lord 
Jesus in verses 41 to 42. And then finally, the resurrection 
of Lazarus in verses 43 to 46. Now, obviously, Lazarus was dead, 
physically dead. And the text reminds us of that 
over and over and over again. It's almost as if John doesn't 
want us to think for a moment that what we're seeing here is 
just what is called the swoon theory. It's not that Lazarus 
was sort of dead or kind of dead or mostly dead, but he was actually 
dead. And he was in that state of decomposing. In fact, that's Martha's caution 
to the Lord. Don't roll the stone back. because 
he stinks. There's a stench associated with 
dead bodies and decomposition. But this is a powerful illustration 
of the effectual call wherein Christ, exercising that office 
of mediator, calls forth dead sinners. Our brother read Psalm 
29 which underscores the voice of the Lord. That voice of the 
Lord is able to shatter or break or destroy those mighty cedars 
of Lebanon. That voice of the Lord is able 
to shatter the hardened hearts of sinners and bring them to 
that place of spiritual resurrection where they pass from death unto 
life. And we know that is consistent 
with his office as he reveals to Martha in chapter 11 at verses 
25 and 26. the resurrection and the life. 
He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And 
whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." So notice 
what Jesus says. There is a limitation placed 
upon physical death according to verse 25. I am the resurrection 
and the life. He who believes in me, though 
he may die physically, that physical death is not the end of the story. 
We notice what he says. He shall live. And then we see 
the blessedness of spiritual life indicated in verse 26. And whoever lives and believes 
in me shall never die. Of course we'll pass through 
this physical death, but the never die there refers to spiritually. Those who by God's grace believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ pass from death to life. to use the 
language of the Apostle Peter there, called out of darkness 
into marvelous light. They know now the blessedness 
of being found in Him, not having their own righteousness, which 
is from the law, but that righteousness which is from God, received through 
faith. It is Christ. So when we come 
to the Bible, we find out a few things. We find out that God 
is holy. We find out as well that we're 
not. We're sinful. We're wretched. But we find that 
in the gospel of our salvation, the Lord Jesus not only cleanses 
us from our sin, but He clothes us in His righteousness. We call 
that the doctrine of justification. And so when sinners, by grace, 
come to the Savior, they are cleansed from all their filth, 
all their unrighteousness, all their wickedness and evil, everything 
that would keep them out of that new Jerusalem. They're also clothed 
with the righteousness that avails with God. And then notice, before 
we embark on our study this morning, look at what Jesus says to Martha 
in verse 26 after having made this declaration. He says, do 
you believe this? As we work our way through this 
passage of scripture, it's not simply for those out there. It's 
not simply for those that are already in Christ. It is for 
all of us to ponder. Do we believe this? And can we, 
with Martha, say, verse 27, yes, Lord, I believe that you are 
the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. That, 
brothers and sisters, that, friends, is the confession or profession 
that we desperately need in order to pass from death unto life. 
Well, let's look first at the arrival at the tomb in verses 
38 to 40. Again, we see the emphasis on 
his true humanity. I've mentioned that in the prologue, 
that's John 1, verses 1 to 18, we learn something concerning 
theology. We learn something concerning 
the identification of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the second 
person of the triune God. John 1, 1 tells us, in the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So the true divinity of our Lord 
is underscored there. in John 1.1. But John doesn't 
stop there. He goes on to the wonders of 
the Incarnation. And the wonders of the Incarnation 
simply ought not to be simply observed or considered in December. We ought to ponder that glorious 
truth often. For in John 1.14 he says, and dwelt among us." So that 
Word who was in the beginning, that Word that was with God, 
that Word that was God, comes into this world. He takes on 
our humanity with all the essential properties, all the common infirmities 
thereof, and yet without sin. So as we move through John's 
gospel, we see those. We see the divine nature. We 
see the humanity of our blessed Savior. And we see it certainly 
here at the graveside of Lazarus. The fact that he is able to raise 
him from the dead does not diminish the true humanity wherein he 
weeps, wherein he groans in the Spirit in his trouble. And notice 
what it says there in verse 38. It's a repetition of what we 
saw in verse 33. Jesus, again groaning in himself, 
came to the tomb. As I mentioned last time, this 
verb means one of two things, to feel strongly about something, 
to be deeply moved. You can see that's where most 
English translations go. The other definition I think 
is appropriate in the context. It is an expression of anger 
and displeasure in something. German translations following 
Martin Luther translate it this way. He was angry in the spirit 
and distressed. Now before we think that it's 
wrong for Jesus to get angry, we are able to be angry and not 
sin. I mean, I don't know how able 
we are to do that, but Paul assumes that we can according to Ephesians 
chapter 4. But with reference to God Most 
High, we see in Psalm 711, God is angry with the wicked every 
day. In the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus, in Mark chapter 
3, He looked at the Pharisees and He was angry at them. In 
John's Gospel, in John chapter 2, verses 13 to 16, He cleanses 
the temple. He doesn't have a big phony smile 
on His face while He's turning over tables and driving out the 
beasts, while He is condemning these men that have turned the 
house of God. into a den of thieves. So anger is an appropriate human 
emotion. It is a proper affection to humanity. And so when we see that here 
with reference to our Lord, it underscores that. It demonstrates 
his true humanity there. And again, the reason for his 
anger is not necessarily at the unbelief of those around him, 
but his anger is with reference to sin. Sin is abnormal. Sin is not good. I mean, obviously, 
it's normal for us. Obviously, it's all around us. 
Obviously, we move and live and have our being relative to sin. But sin was introduced in the 
Garden of Eden as chaotic, as an abnormality. For the wages 
of sin is death. And so Christ is angry at sin. And the consequences of sin are 
all too real at the gravesite of Lazarus. There is sickness 
and death associated with sin. And so that's what Christ is 
angry about here at the gravesite of Lazarus. And then notice what 
the text says in verse 38. It was a cave, and a stone lay 
against it, and Jesus said, take away the stone. Again, the one 
who's going to call forth Lazarus from the dead would certainly 
be able to move the stone. The one who's able to call Lazarus 
forth and give him life is certainly able to tell the stone to roll 
away from the mouth of the cave. But he doesn't do that. The purpose 
of Jesus in his earthly ministry is not to dazzle the crowds. 
It's not to be a magician. It's not to be a sorcerer. It's 
not to go around and just try to sort of gin up interest in 
what he's able to do. These aren't parlor tricks. We 
know from verse 4 in John chapter 11, the very purpose for the 
death and resurrection of our Lord was that God may be glorified 
and that the Son may be glorified. Notice in John 11, 4, when Jesus 
heard that, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the 
glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through 
it. So when we consider Jesus, we see Him say, take away the 
stone again. He is a man, a very man of very 
man. He is one like us in all manner 
except without sin. So the true humanity is given 
to us, but as well the practical reason. I think it goes again 
to the reality that this man is dead. The stench will affect 
those who move the stone away from the tomb. He's not mostly 
dead. He's really dead. Again and again 
and again in John 11. We're reminded of that fact. 
This wasn't, as I said, the swoon theory. Muslims teach that. James 
Cameron, a Hollywood guy, teaches that relative to our Lord Jesus 
Christ. That when he went into the tomb, 
he wasn't really dead. He was almost dead. But he was 
revived in the tomb, and then he came out of the tomb, and 
it gave the appearance that he had been raised from the dead. 
Well, if they do that with the resurrection of Jesus, they'll 
certainly try to do that with the resurrection of Lazarus. 
In fact, these men are so upset with Lazarus later on, according 
to chapter 12, they want to get rid of him. Why? Because he's 
Exhibit A, the power and the divinity of our blessed Lord 
Jesus Christ. So roll away the stone, the Lord 
says. Now notice the objection presented 
by Martha. Martha, now notice the threefold 
reference to the death of Lazarus. Martha, the sister of him who 
was dead, said to him, Lord, by this time there is a stench. 
Again, reference to his death. And then she says clearly, for 
he has been dead for days. So this reference underscores 
the reality and the gravity of the situation. See, it's like 
everything is falling into place so that when the Son of God stands 
outside this tomb and he calls Lazarus to come forth, no one 
can deny it, no one can ignore it, no one can say it was a parlor 
trick, it was fake, it was smoke and mirrors, it was all these 
things that sorcerers do just to try to get one over on their 
audiences. That's not the case at all. In 
fact, when Jesus cries with a loud voice, I think there's an antithesis 
with the sorcerers and the mediums and the wizards, according to 
Isaiah 8, that do their things in secret. They whisper, they 
mutter, they have things to hide. They try to deceive people and 
pull the wool over their eyes. Not so the powerful voice of 
the Son of God. And so Martha raises this objection, 
but it shows her evidences something concerning her reluctance. Notice 
the language. Lord, by this time there is a 
stench for he has been dead four days. Why is she reluctant? Well, as I understand, there 
was a desire to protect the deceited. He doesn't want to be seen and 
smelled after he departs from this earth in a way that would 
be unseemly toward those around him. Perhaps she wants to protect 
her Lord Jesus. She doesn't want him to smell 
the stench of her deceased brother. But I think as well there's just 
a reluctance because these things don't normally happen, right? 
Isn't that true? You've got miracles in the Bible. 
What's a miracle? It's something out of the ordinary. 
It's not the norm. The norm is that when you put 
people into a tomb, after four days the decomposition process 
starts and it just continues unabated. You don't have some 
fellow come along and tell them to come out from the tomb. So 
there's a reluctant spirit in her heart because this is going 
to be a miraculous event. Our confession says, God in his 
ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work 
without, above, and against them at his pleasure. That's the definition 
of a miracle. That's what it is, definitionally. Cyril makes the observation concerning 
Martha, it is normal to disbelieve great deeds. And a reluctance 
to marvel is a natural result of events beyond reason. Now, 
he goes on to hammer her for a lack of faith here. But all 
that notwithstanding, you kind of get the drift. You kind of 
get why she says, no, don't take away the stone. He's been four 
days, he stinks, and this is just to no avail. No good will 
come from this. Now notice the reminder given 
to her by our Lord in verse 40. And this is intriguing because 
he assumes that we'll make the connection, not with verse four, 
but with what he said in verses 25 and 26. Notice in verse 40, 
Jesus said to her, did I not say to you, that if you would 
believe, you would see the glory of God." Back to verse 4. I just read it. It bears reading 
again. This sickness is not unto death, 
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified 
through it. So notice back to verse 40. Did 
I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see 
the glory of God? She didn't hear verse 4. She 
wasn't present. He was with his disciples up 
in Bethabara in the Transjordan. According to verse 3, it was 
Mary and Martha that sent a report up there to say to Jesus that 
your friend is sick. Remember that Jesus tarries two 
days to make sure that Lazarus dies. And now that Jesus has 
arrived at the tomb, Lazarus has been dead for four days. 
The decomposition has started. So what does he mean there when 
he tells Martha specifically, did I not say to you that if 
you would believe you would see the glory of God? I think he's 
talking about verses 25 and 26. He's talking about that declaration, 
I am the resurrection and the life. I am the one who has that 
power. I am the one who has that capability. 
I am the one who has that authority. I am that one, based on my identity 
with the Father, who is able to raise dead men from the tomb. 
And so based on that reality, she would see that and would 
bring glory to God Most High. The resurrection of Lazarus would 
confirm the truthfulness of what he said in verses 25 and 26, 
specifically verse 25. I am the resurrection and the 
life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. 
Remember in that context, brethren, there's a bit of ambiguity going 
on. Go back to verse 23. Jesus said 
to Martha, your brother will rise again. That's vague. Of course he's going to rise 
again. The Old Testament scriptures pointed to that. There is a general 
resurrection of the dead at the last day. And that's precisely 
how Martha understood it. I know that he will rise again 
in the resurrection at the last day. It's on the heels of that 
that Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes 
in me, though he may die, he shall live. So the resurrection 
of Lazarus would confirm the veracity of his words to this 
woman. The resurrection of Lazarus would 
demonstrate the glory of God the Father, and the resurrection 
of Lazarus would confirm the glory of God the Son. So her 
confession in verse 27, you are the Christ, the Son of God, who 
is to come into the world, is going to be brought into sharp 
relief when Lazarus comes forth at the beckoning of the Son of 
God. In fact, John Gill makes this observation. He says, And 
such who have their faith most in exercise see much of the glory 
of God, both in the face of Christ and in his providences and the 
performance of his promises. So Martha, hang on, don't object, 
don't rebuke, don't rebuff, don't get between me and this command. 
Tell these men to move away the stone. And that brings us to 
the prayer of the Lord Jesus. Verse 41 is curious, verse 41a. Then they took away the stone 
from the place where the dead man was lying. There's no pushback 
there, is there? Martha says, well, wait a minute. 
It's been four days now, and behold, he stinketh. We don't 
want to do that, Lord. That's not going to be a good 
day. It's not a good way to remember my brother. It's certainly not 
a good way for you to have to deal with the memory of my brother. So notice these others. They 
just come, servants perhaps, or many of the Jews that were 
present from Jerusalem in Bethany at the time to visit this prominent 
family in their ache and in their grief and in their pain. So they 
took away the stone from the place where the dead man was 
lying. So there wasn't the pushback 
involved. They did know something of his 
power. They use it in sort of a complaint 
form in verse 37. Could not this man who opened 
the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying? So 
they knew he had healed a man born blind, according to John 
chapter 9. They knew he had power. So perhaps 
on the heels of his command to roll away the stone, they're 
thinking, OK, Let's see what he can do. Let's see what can 
happen here. Let's see what's going to transpire. There's perhaps an eagerness 
on the part of these onlookers to at least see what Jesus is 
capable in this particular context of sin and sickness and death. And then Jesus prays according 
to verses 41b and 42. Now, a couple of things about 
his prayer. Jesus is not praying here as 
God himself. Remember, we talk about this. 
If you're new to our church or you're visiting today, I don't 
want to bog you down with theological things, but I'm going to bog 
you down with theological things. The person of Christ is unique. Christ is like us, according 
to His humanity, but He's exactly like His Father, according to 
His divinity. So, we talk about being godly 
as Christians. Now, we know the built-in limitations 
to that, right? Creaturely, we can't actually 
be divine, but then sinfully, we're just not as godly as we'd 
like to think that we are. So Christ is unique, and in the 
history of theology, theologians have referred to what's going 
on with reference to the person of Christ. as what's called the 
hypostatic union. It's based on a Greek word, hypostasis. And it simply means the union 
of natures in the one person. So you're not looking at a divine 
Jesus and a human Jesus. Two Jesuses sort of wandering 
around through Israel in the first century. One person, one 
glorious person, who's both God and man. It is a wondrous truth. So as God the Son, he doesn't 
pray. In fact, as one commentator says, 
for as God, it is not fitting that he pray or be heard, but 
rather that he hear the prayers of others. So when we see Jesus 
in the pages of Holy Scripture, in the Gospels, praying, we're 
to understand that he's praying according to his humanity. In 
fact, Matthew Henry, that wonderful Puritan commentator, in Mark 
chapter 1, verse 35, he makes this observation. Though as God, 
he was prayed to, as man, he prayed. So you see what John 
is doing? John the evangelist? John the 
apostle? John the theologian? He's teaching 
us theology all along the way. He is affirming his prologue 
in the life and ministry of our blessed Savior. We see him do 
God things. We see him do man things. Later, 
as we proceed in the gospel narrative, when he's delivered up, when 
he suffers, when he dies, those are things uniquely connected 
to his humanity. Because God doesn't die. There's 
no cessation of God. There's no blood of God. There's 
no suffering properly of God. And so Jesus, according to his 
humanity, prays now. In fact, Cyril makes the same 
observation. He says Christ is speaking in 
an earthly fashion as a human being according to the economy, 
not according to his superiority or to the superiority of the 
divine nature. So as God, he hears prayers. As man, he prays to God the Father. And that is exactly what we would 
expect in terms of true humanity. It's not only the groaning and 
the trouble in the spirit, the anger expressed at the sin and 
the sickness and the death, but we would expect a man to pray 
in such circumstances. we would expect a man to call 
upon God Most High in such a situation. When Christ goes into the Garden 
of Gethsemane and he says to his disciples, my soul is exceedingly 
sorrowful, even unto death, again, according to his humanity. When 
he falls to his face and he cries to his father, let this cup pass 
from me. Nevertheless, not my will but 
thine be done. Well, of course, Christ as God 
the Son has the same will as God the Father. But Christ, according 
to his humanity, has a human will that sees the tragedy that 
waits for him in terms of the cross. So he cries to the Father, 
if it is possible, take this cup from me. So again, Jesus 
isn't flipping a toggle switch. On Monday, he's going to do God 
things. On Tuesday, he's going to do man things. Wednesday, 
he'll just kind of figure out where the wind takes him. No. 
He's always God. He's always man. And as we look 
at the Bible, we see those things. We see the reality of that hypostatic 
union. So now notice the content of 
his prayer. He says in verse 41, Father, 
I thank you that you have heard me. That's an interesting statement. 
He lifts up his eyes. He'll do that again in the high 
priestly prayer in John 17. One, I think of the speaks of 
reverence, speaks of honor. It speaks of adoration to his 
father again, according to his humanity. And then notice this 
gratitude that the father has heard him. Look at verse 41, 
be father. I thank you that you have heard 
me. Now in the context, we suppose he means with reference to the 
raising of Lazarus from the dead. Has he prayed that? It doesn't 
say that, doesn't indicate that. I think it's more appropriate 
to understand it in light of what Martha says of him in verse 
20. Look at, I'm sorry, verse 22. 
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give 
you. In other words, according to 
his humanity, he is baptized with the Spirit without measure. 
We know that he is set apart and fitted for the work of mediator, 
and he lives in vital communion with his Father. That passage 
in Mark's Gospel from whence I cited Matthew Henry, you know 
what Jesus is doing there in Mark 1? Long time before daylight, 
he departs to a solitary place, and there he prays. Again, not 
necessary according to his divinity, but according to his humanity, 
as the prophet, priest, and king, as the one who's supposed to 
carry out all of the obligations placed upon him in terms of covenant, 
of course Jesus prays. And Jesus has this confidence 
that the Father hears him. So he expresses that. But then 
notice he goes on to indicate that the Father always hears 
him. Again, I think this affirms that interpretation. Verse 42, 
and I know that you always hear me. Now it can't be according to 
his divinity. Again, as one man has said, since 
the will of the father is the same as the will of the son, 
whenever the father fulfills his own will, he fulfills the 
will of the son. It's according to his humanity. 
He lives in such a way that he always does that which is pleasing 
to the father. You see those several references 
throughout John's gospel, and it's imperative that he does 
that. And I'm gonna ask you to think way back with me to the 
introduction to this sermon. I mentioned that in justification 
we're cleansed in the blood of the Lord Jesus and we're clothed 
with his righteousness. Jesus had to fulfill everything 
placed upon him by the Father in terms of our salvation. In other words, he had to obey 
the law perfectly. See, being forgiven of our sins 
is fantastic. If you've not come to Jesus, 
let me urge you, come to Jesus and know what it is to have your 
sins forgiven. Nothing makes a pillow softer 
than a conscience cleansed. in the precious blood of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. But you see, it's not just that 
cleansing. We need a positive righteousness. We need what Christ has accomplished 
in always doing the will of the Father. We need a righteousness 
that's not our own, but a righteousness which is from God and received 
through faith. We need to have had a good or 
perfect, rather, standing with God. Now, if you know yourself 
for just a moment, you'll realize that's impossible. There's no 
way if I determine right now to never again sin against God. 
If I come to Jesus right now and he forgives me for my sins, 
cleanses me from everything back there, and now I'm going to do 
everything that God has said. If you have any familiarity with 
the Bible, you have this much familiarity with your own heart, 
you'll know that's a fool's error. You need the righteousness of 
another. You need an alien righteousness. You need 2 Corinthians 5 21. God the Father made him, God 
the Son, who knew no sin. To be sin for us, that we might 
become the righteousness of God in him. So all that to say, when 
you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven, 
and you are positively accounted as righteous in the sight of 
God Almighty, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to you and 
received by faith alone. So when Jesus affirms the fact 
that the Father always hears Him, it's because the Son always 
does that which is pleasing to the Father. And then notice what 
Jesus goes on to say concerning the benefactors of this particular 
prayer. Notice in 42b, he says, but because 
of the people who are standing by, I said this, that they may 
believe that you sent me. So it's for the benefit and the 
belief of those standing by the grave site of Lazarus. Again, 
brethren, the purpose of the miracle, in terms of the resurrection 
of Lazarus from the dead, is to bring glory to God. That's 
the sort of God-word reference. But the horizontal reference 
is that all of these guilty, vile sinners standing around 
there would see the identity of the Son of God, and that they 
would confess Him as the Son of God, and that believing in 
Him, they might have everlasting life. Now think about that. Is that a God who doesn't want 
to save? Is that a God who is sort of 
stingy and miserly when it comes to saving? Is that the sort of 
God that you don't want to come near because he's not in the 
business of saving? I'd say just the opposite. Everything 
in John 11 converges upon you. If you're a sinner, get in your 
trespasses and sins to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, 
to know the joy of being found in Him, to confessing thou art 
the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that confessing that 
you might have life in His name. He says this with reference to 
the confidence He has in the Father for the benefit of the 
family, the many Jews who are present, and his disciples. And 
as well, I think we see, just by way of implication, another 
aspect of that humanity, which I think we can predicate of God, 
too, in terms of compassion and mercy. He's not just there again 
to say, look at what I can do. How many of us are like that? 
If we had that power for the day, I've often cited Samson 
when he kills the lion. If Samson was in the Facebook 
era or in the Twitter era, everybody would know Samson killed that 
lion. He'd have selfies with the lion, his arm around the 
lion, blood dripping all over. Oh, yeah, yeah. This is what 
I did today. What does Samson do? He doesn't tell anybody. 
Samson doesn't tell anybody. Why is that? Because Samson wasn't 
a narcissist that had to plant himself all over Facebook and 
tell everybody how great he was. That's probably the simplest 
answer. Well, Jesus is not there to take selfies with him and 
Lazarus. That's not the point. The point 
is the glory of God. The point is the salvation of 
sinners. This is, again, one of those 
things that should cause us to stand in awe at churches that 
preach God who's unwilling to save, or churches that preach 
a hyper-Calvinistic scheme that God is not about the salvation 
of a great multitude that no man can number. What's Jesus 
saying in Matthew 26? This is my blood of the new covenant, 
which is shed for the remission of sins. For what? For many. You get to Revelation 7. It's 
a great multitude. No one can number it. Tribe, 
tongue, people, and nation. You're gonna... say that, oh 
yeah, there's just this handful, there's just this frozen chosen, 
there's just this small group of people. But that betrays the 
Christ at the grave site of Lazarus. Father, I prayed this for their 
benefit. And then notice the specific 
benefit according to verse 42b. But because of the people who 
are standing by, I said this, notice, that they may believe 
that you sent me. The endgame in terms of the horizontal 
referent with reference to the resurrection of Lazarus from 
the dead. Glory of God and the salvation of sinners. The glory 
of God by the salvation of sinners. You see, God gets glory when 
sinners are saved. And this is another reason why 
we preach the gospel to needy sinners to come to the Lord Jesus. 
Of course we want you to go to heaven. But we want God to be 
glorified. We want people to stand in awe 
and say, what a glorious God. My apologies and warnings to 
the brethren who are here on Wednesday night, but we're going 
to revisit Leviticus chapters 8 to 10 tonight in our Lord's 
Supper service. Leviticus chapters 8 to 10 give 
us the institution of the priesthood, gives us the way of approach 
to this sovereign God, this holy God. You think about that, brethren. You think, well, of course, God 
made man so that we could have communion with him. Of course, 
go back to Genesis chapters 1 and 2. That's precisely what you 
see. Rather, Adam and Eve visited with God in the cool of the day. 
But what happens in Genesis 3? Genesis 3, sin comes. Genesis 
3, chaos comes. Genesis 3, disorder comes. Genesis 3 calls upon God in His 
just judgment to eradicate man from the earth. And yet we see 
just the opposite. Genesis 3, there's a promise 
of salvation by the seed of the woman. Genesis 12, after the 
debacle at Babel, what do we see? God calls out Abram. And 
so, because in Abram, all the nations of the earth will be 
blessed. And we see that divine program and the sending of the 
son. And then notice the language that our Lord uses here. But 
because of the people who are standing by, I said this, that 
they may believe that you sent me. that He is the Christ, the 
Son of God, according to verse 27 in Martha's confession, and 
according to John's purpose in John 20, verses 30 and 31. And that brings us finally, in 
terms of our study in the resurrection and the life, to the resurrection 
of Lazarus. Notice the power of the Lord 
Jesus in verse 43. Now when he had said these things, 
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Again, the loud voice 
there, I think, is to echo the voice of Yahweh that we see, 
for instance, in Psalm 29. The voice of the Lord is over 
the waters. The God of glory thunders. The Lord is over many 
waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. 
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the 
Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars 
of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like 
a calf. Lebanon and Syrian, like a young wild ox. The voice of 
the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes 
the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness 
of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and 
strips the forest bare. And in his temple, everyone says 
glory. Now that's just one among many passages in the Old Testament 
that tells us concerning powerful voice of God. In the beginning, 
God spoke. It is that divine fiat that brings 
the creation to pass. Well, it's the divine fiat at 
the graveside of Lazarus that brings the dead man forth. The 
efficacy of the Son of God. Again, if you and I stood by 
a grave and said to the person inside, come forth, We're going 
to be there a long, long time. We're going to die there and 
enter the grave next to them because we don't have that power. 
As Cyril says, his work was fit for God and his command regal, 
having the power to destroy death and overthrow decay and display 
power beyond our imagination. So the power of the voice of 
the Son of God, the efficacy of the voice of the Son of God, 
and the confirmation that he is in fact the Son of God. Turn 
back to John 5. John chapter 5, there we see 
he does God-befitting tasks, and here it's fleshed out in 
terms of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Notice 
in John 5, 21, for as the Father raises the dead and gives life 
to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. We've got 
the true humanity of the Savior. He's groaning in the Spirit. 
He's angry at the sin, sickness, and death. We see Him weeping. 
We see Him asking the question, where did you lay Him? We see 
Him asking the question or giving the command, roll the stone away. 
All that underscores the true humanity. The prayer of the Lord 
Jesus to the Father underscores His true humanity. But here He's 
telling us in John 5 that He has these God-befitting tasks 
entrusted to Him by the Father. So John 1.14 is true. The word 
became flesh and dwelt among us. But John 1.1 is true as well. 
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and 
the word was God. Notice as well, dropping down 
to verse 25. Verse 25. Most assuredly, I say 
to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear 
the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 
And then again, in verses 28 and 29, do not marvel at this, 
for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will 
hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good to the 
resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection 
of condemnation. So back to the grave site of 
Lazarus. Now, when he had said these things, 
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. Some suggest he says 
Lazarus, because if he didn't, every dead person there would 
come forth. I kind of like to think about that, but I'm not 
sure that he couldn't do that. Come forth, meaning specifically 
Lazarus. But you get the point, right? 
His word is powerful. His word is efficacious. His 
word carries with it the ability for the decedent to comply. An amazing thing. And that brings 
us to consider the response of Lazarus, the obedience of Lazarus 
to the command. Kind of smile, because as I'm 
working through this, I'm thinking, what else would he do? What possible 
thing? No, I'm going to stay here, Lord. I like it quite well in this 
tomb, Lord. Of course he obeys. Again, it's 
illustrative, it demonstrates by way of analogy the spiritual 
ramifications. When you hear the minister, not 
giving you the minister's word, but accurately expounding the 
scripture and exhorting you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
what else are you going to do? Why would you say no? Why would 
you say, I'd rather take this tomb of death and sin and depravity 
and wickedness and just stay here? No, be like Lazarus. Be obedient. See that this is 
in fact the best way. Do you want to stay in the depravity 
and the filth of sin? Or do you want to come forth 
to life and light in our Lord Jesus Christ? Of course, Lazarus 
obeys. Of course Lazarus comes forth. Of course he doesn't want to 
stay dead. Of course he doesn't want to 
stay in the tomb. Of course he doesn't want to 
smell. Of course he doesn't want to continue in grave clothes. 
Of course he doesn't want his face covered with a napkin. He 
wants to come forth. Why? Because that makes perfectly 
good sense. So again, spiritually speaking, 
analogically to that, why would you stay in your sin? Why would 
you stay in your grave clothes? Why would you stay in your filth? 
Why would you stay in your stench? If the offer of the gospel comes 
and the exhortation is simple, notice the simplicity of it. 
Notice that I'll never say, you need to go out, you need to sell 
everything you have, you need to put on an orange robe, and 
you need to go bang a tambourine down at the Vancouver airport. 
And once you've done that, keep doing it. Do it for like 10, 
20, 30, 50 years. And when that's done, provided 
you've done it well, then you'll be received up into heaven. That's 
not good news, is it? Not good news at all, unless 
you have an affinity for wearing orange robes and going down to 
the YVR and banging a tambourine, but I don't know many that would 
have that affinity. What's the call? What's the exhortation? What's the means by which we 
receive the offered gifts given by God Most High? Do You believe 
this? That's what he says to Martha. 
I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? You're going to stay in the grave? 
You're going to stay in the clothes? You're going to stay in the stank 
and the filth? You're going to stay there? Or 
are you going to look and live? You're going to come forth? As 
one man, Matthew Henry says, power went along with the word 
of Christ to reunite the soul and body of Lazarus, and then 
he came forth. This is what's glorious about 
the gospel, because if you understand your problem, if you understand 
sinners' problem, it's not that they're just mostly dead. They're 
really dead, dead in their trespasses and sins. So then some would 
say, well, if I'm dead in my trespasses and sins, Pastor, 
how can I believe? Well, that's the good news. The 
voice of the one who calls you, not me, the voice of the one 
who calls you has the power to make you live. The voice of the 
one who issues the command enables compliance to it. And again, 
keep it in your mind. He's not a miser. He's not Ebeneezer 
Scrooge. He didn't just come for Free 
Grace Baptist Church. He came for a great multitude 
that no man can number. In fact, we might say it's his 
business to save sinners to the uttermost, all them that draw 
nigh unto God through him. It's why he came into the world. It's the focal point. It's the 
purpose. It's the glory of God through 
the salvation of sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to 
A.W. Pink, and he said, come forth. not because Lazarus was capable 
of doing so, but because it was a life-giving voice which spoke. The same omnipotent lips which 
called the world into existence by the mere fiat of his mouth 
now commanded the grave to give up its victim. It was the word 
of power which penetrated the dark portals of that sepulcher. So you see, it's the voice of 
Christ that has the power. Now, that doesn't change the 
exhortation to all of you. Belief. Look unto Him. Look at Him in His offices as 
prophet, priest, and king. This is what I think Martha gets 
at when she says her confession in verse 27, I believe that you 
are the Christ, the Son of God. And then she uses this language, 
who is to come into the world. It's intriguing that when Caiaphas 
affirms that it would be right for us to kill him for the sake 
of the nation. That substitutionary atonement 
from the mouth of Caiaphas, the high priest, in the attitude 
of judicial hardening, wherein they want to put Jesus to death 
by murder. But then John glosses and says, 
not just for that nation, but for all the nations of the earth. Like Jesus says in John 10, I 
have other sheep that are not of this fold. What's the point? The point is, from every tribe, 
every tongue, every people, every nation, our God is benevolent. Our God is gracious. Our God 
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever 
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So 
don't resist, don't carry in your sin, don't continue to stay 
in the grave, bound with these clothes, bound in the filth, 
bound in the wretchedness. Now, when Jesus says, lose him 
and let him go, some see a miracle within a miracle, because they 
would have bound him pretty tightly in terms of his body and in terms 
of the wrap around his head. A miracle within the miracle. 
I don't think that's necessary. Most likely, and kids, this might 
be a bit of an interesting image, he probably hopped out of that 
tomb. He probably hopped out, and that's 
why Jesus gives the command, unbind him, loose him. Why? Because 
he's alive. He's no longer dead. He no longer 
has need for grave clothes. He no longer has the need for 
that inhibition. And then that brings us finally 
to the effect upon the Jews. You've got many who believe and 
then others who rat him out. Verse 45 and 46 underscores what 
we've seen all the way up to this point. We'll see it in further 
contrast as we move forward. There is this antithesis in terms 
of Jesus. There is this divide. It's kind 
of like what you see today, right? Do they really hate Dr. Seuss? 
Do they really hate the nuclear family? Do they really hate? 
Yeah, they hate Christ. That's what they hate. That's 
what they despise. That's who they're out against. 
Do they hate your and my way of life? Yeah, insofar as we identify 
with Jesus Christ. So that divide that we see and 
experience now is the divide that was experienced then. Of 
course, it grows and it's sharper as time goes on. We see it even 
more clearly defined. Well, I mean, it's pretty clearly 
defined in the first century when they They send him to the 
cross, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. Holy, harmless, 
and undefiled. So what do we do with him? Away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. Even Pontius Pilate confesses 
his innocence three times. I find no guilt in this man. 
I find no guilt in this man. I find no guilt in this man. 
What do you want me to do with this man? Crucify him! Why? Because we hate Him. It's Psalm 2, the nations rage, 
the people plot a vain thing against Yahweh and against His 
Christ. They don't want that. They don't 
want that restriction. They want to do whatever it is 
they want to do. They quite like their graves. 
They quite like their stench. They quite like their wretchedness. 
They quite like their wickedness. Thank you very much. And anything 
that tries to get betwixt us, we want to remove it. So get 
this Christ out of here. And that is precisely what you 
see here in verses 45 and 46. Then many of the Jews who had 
come to Mary and had seen the things Jesus did believed in 
him. Don't ever forget that. We oftentimes 
look at the God-haters and say, they're winning, they're winning. 
I mean, there may be ebbs and flows in history, but Christ 
is on the throne. Christ must reign till all of 
his enemies are made his footstool. Christ has promised to build 
his church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 
We mustn't ever forget that very important tidbit as well. So 
many did believe, but verse 46 tells us some of them went away 
to the Pharisees and told them, the things Jesus did, and I highly 
doubt they said it in this way. You guys should really soften 
your opinion toward this Lord Jesus because he really is a 
good man after all. No, they probably went and said 
he's doing it again. He's up to it again. They despised 
him. It's an aroma of death unto death 
and an aroma of life unto life. In fact, Gill makes that very 
observation, 2 Corinthians 2, 14-17 is the background. He says, 
thus even miracles, as well as the doctrines of the gospel, 
are to some the savor of death unto death, whilst to others 
the savor of life unto life. And that's the sharp divide you 
have there in verses 45 and 46. Now in conclusion, just to sort 
of summarize the entirety, and that's not going to take long. 
If I were you and I heard that, I'd say, oh man, we're going 
to be here another 25 minutes. No, it's going to be a quick 
summary. But remember that there is a lesson in this passage that 
I think is helpful for all the people of God in terms of providence. 
Providence, verse 4. I just want to visit one more 
time before we conclude this study in John 11. The providence 
of God is for the glory of God, verse 4. This sickness is not 
unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may 
be glorified through it. Providence is for the glory of 
God. It is Him providing the specifics 
in terms of His glory. Now, brethren, if he wasn't holy 
and righteous and merciful and gracious, that might be a terrifying 
prospect. He's out for his own glory at 
the expense of anybody who gets in the way? No, Romans 8 tells 
us that whatever happens, it is for the good of those who 
love God and those who are the called according to his purpose. 
But the providence of God is for his glory. And in this particular 
account, it's the tragedy of this family. As well, the providence 
of God is not contrary to the love of God, but his love governs 
it. Go back to John 11, verse 4. The sickness is not unto death, 
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified 
through it. Verse 5, the theologian reminds 
us, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when 
he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place 
where he was. That is so counterintuitive, 
isn't it? If he loved them, he should have 
gone to them right away, right? You get that. You see that connection. So you're reminded that he loves 
them, verse 5, and then you're instructed that he waited to 
go to them. And both Martha and Mary are 
savvy enough to register that complaint. Lord, If you would 
have been here, my brother wouldn't have died. So verse 5 functions 
there to teach us something about providence. So if everything 
happens, we call it providence, and it's for the glory of God, 
verse 4, and then Jesus tarries or waits two days to make sure 
that Lazarus is dead, we might be tempted to say, well, that's 
not right. You hear unbelievers do that, too. That's not right. That doesn't seem fair. That 
doesn't seem good. Sometimes believers fall prey 
to that as well. John doesn't have to remind us 
in verse 5, but John does remind us that God's love is not contrary 
to his providence, but God's love governs his providence for 
his people. It's a blessed truth that comes 
out in this passage. As well, and I would say this 
for all of us on this side of the grave site of Lazarus, is 
that God's providence doesn't always work out favorably for 
us. Doesn't. Doesn't. Not every dead Lazarus gets called 
to come forth. Not every dead relation gets 
called forth. Not everything that we think 
is good and we think is beneficial and we know would help us comes 
to pass. In other words, providence is 
up to God. Our task, no, that's probably 
not the best word, our privilege, our response is to trust in God 
in the midst of providence. And the providence of God is 
ultimately designed to draw the believer. We got the God word 
referent. God is glorified in providence. But the providence of God is 
designed to draw the believer closer to God. It's about increased 
faith in the Savior. That's the emphasis, that they 
may believe. All these things have happened 
so that God may be glorified and so that sinners may believe 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is to 
come into the world. Secondly, we have the glory of 
the Son of God. We've rehearsed that all the 
way through, His humanity and His divinity. It's on obvious 
display in this passage. Those two things, John 1-1 and 
John 1-14, are evidenced powerfully at this tomb of Lazarus in terms 
of the humanity of our Savior, with his weeping, with his anger, 
with his expression of troubled in spirit, with his prayer to 
the father, with the questions, where have you laid him? With 
the question of the command to roll away the stone. All of that 
shows us John 1.14. The fact that he is able to speak 
to this dead man and draw him out of the tomb, it is a blessing. demonstration of the divinity 
of the Son of God, and a blessed illustration or analogy of the 
effectual call of grace in the life of the sinner. The sinner, 
by grace, comes forth. The sinner, by grace, leaves 
the stench. The sinner, by grace, leaves 
the tomb. The sinner, by grace, finds the 
Savior and confesses Him, Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, 
and having life in His name. And then the final observation 
is the hope of the future for the children of God. The hope 
of the future for the children of God. When I introduced this 
series on John 11, I quoted the Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible 
says, Christ, in restoring the stinking carcass of his friend 
to life, showeth an example both of his mighty power and also 
of his singular goodwill toward men, which is also an image of 
the resurrection to come. When Lazarus comes forth, that's 
symptomatic, typical, or prefiguring of what's going to happen to 
all of us. Jesus says that in John chapter 5, the day is coming 
when all who are in the graves will hear the voice of the Son 
of God. The Apostle Paul sees that scene this way. He says, 
O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? 
The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. 
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We may not have victory here 
and now. We may have lots of troubles and sufferings in terms 
of God's providence. We may have many afflictions 
and hardships. There might be many tribulations that we find 
ourselves in. But you know what lay in our 
future? The hope of the resurrection of the dead. The bride eyes her 
bridegroom, not the gifts that he gives, but she gazes at his 
pierced hands. She understands that the lamb 
is all the glory of Immanuel's lamb. That's in the future for 
all of God's people. And again, if you're not God's 
people, understand in this passage, it makes Jesus glad when sinners 
believe. Jesus does this whole thing in 
terms of man's response for faith in him as the Messiah of God. And Jesus is about receiving 
sinners unto himself. That's his function as Savior. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this. 
seen in John 11 and the resurrection of Lazarus from the grave. And 
God, we thank you for that power that was operative then is the 
power operative now, whenever a sinner passes from death unto 
life. And we pray that you'd bless the gospel as it goes forth 
all over the earth today. May the spirit attend and may 
sinners live. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close our service 
by singing 568, the doxology of praise to our blessed God. 
♪ Hear me, Lord ♪ ♪ Raise me above 
the heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ 
♪ Amen ♪ Israel hope in the Lord for with 
the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption And 
he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Amen. God. We 
thank you for your word We thank you for this beautiful day that 
heavens declaring the righteousness of God Most High and the Word 
of God Revealing declaring the the mercy of God Most High through 
our Lord Jesus Christ We pray that you would go with us now 
bless and strengthen and encourage our hearts and build us up in 
our most holy faith And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen You may be seated for a brief time of meditation.