John 11:1­–16 - Cameron Jungels - Sun AM, September 14, 2014

“The Sleep of Death” (John 11:1­–16)

^{Cameron Jungels/Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/September 14, 2014}

John 11:1–16 (NIV)

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

 

1.       A time to wait and a time to go: We may not understand all that God does and why and when he does it, but we must understand that all that God does for his children he does in love.

 

2.      A time to work and a time to rest: Jesus is safe as long as he in the Father’s will. They cannot touch him before his hour has come. Jesus is in the last hours of the daylight of his ministry, but he must continue to work until his hour comes. The disciples also are safe as long as they are in the light of Jesus, because he is the light that has come into the world. 

 

3.       A time to sleep (die) and a time to wake up: Death is but temporary sleep for those whom Jesus determines to bring back to life. Because of the power of Jesus, death does not need to be permanent. For those who follow Jesus, death is but temporary sleep from which they will awake. (John 6:37–40; John 10:27–30; 1 Cor 15:51–58; 1 Thess 4:13–17)