Jesus Spake Of His Death
John
11:1 “Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of
Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with
ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his
sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he
said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified
thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her
sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard
therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still
in the same place where he was.
7 Then after that
saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea
again.
8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the
Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou
thither again?
9 Jesus answered, Are there not
twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day,
he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he
stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
11
These things said he: and after that he saith unto
them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I
may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his
disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they
thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in
sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly,
Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes
that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said
Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his
fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die
with him.”
1. But for The Glory Of God
2. Walk
In The Day
3. Speaking Of His Death
4. Lazarus
Is Dead
5. Let Us Die With Him
1. But For The Glory Of God
This is the story of “a certain man” named Lazarus [verse one].
Verse four: “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
Do you see that phrase: “for the glory of God”?
Ultimately, this is all it is about. It is all about bringing glory to GOD “that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
The glory of God is the theme running throughout the BIBLE.
Let us look now at a few of these verses in the BOOK. Ready?
Here we go:
• [Jeremiah 13:16] “Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.”
Give God the glory before HE does this to you!
• [Luke 2:14] “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Do you see that?
• [Luke 17:18] “There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”
That is too often what we do not do … give God the glory.
• [Romans 4:20] “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.”
Abraham is our example!
• [Romans 16:27] “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
This should be our constant prayer through Jesus Christ … for the glory of God!
• [Revelation 14:7] “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
This is what will be said in Heaven in a very short time in the future [“give glory to him”]. Amen!
• [Revelation 1:6] “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
This is what we [Christians] will proclaim: “to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
2. Walk In The Day
Verses eight through ten: “His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”
This is common sense logic, and it is amazing to me how many of us lack this common sense.
A person ought to walk in the light of day while it is day lest we trip and fall. The night is coming for us all.
But there is something greater yet to what Jesus Christ is saying here. HE is pointing out a fact to HIS disciples that they ought to walk while it is the day. The day represents here the time duration that the Son of GOD was to be with them on Earth [the forty-two months of HIS ministry].
You may be saying now “prove this.”
Ok, turn to [John 12:35], and see for yourself: “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.”
[Jesus Christ is THE LIGHT!] “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” Jesus Christ is the LIGHT that was with them in the flesh.
What is the application for us [the believers] who are here today on earth in this age of GRACE?
Here is the answer. We find in [Romans 13:12-13] this: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.”
We need to walk as in the day! This means we Christians need to have a pure testimony before God and before man.
3. Speaking Of His Death
Jesus is speaking primarily of Lazarus’s death in verses eleven through thirteen. [Jesus is speaking prophetically of HIS own death here, also.]
“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.”
There is confusion among the disciples over the terms “sleepeth” and “death.”
For with Lazarus’s stone cold body, lying a-moldering in the grave [DEATH], the situation is normally FINAL, or DONE, but according to Jesus Christ, it was AS SLEEP. “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.”
For the LORD to wake Lazarus out of this “sleep” [Death REVERSED or UNDONE] is a small thing [THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD] because HE is GOD.
To say the least … for man to try such a thing as to wake Lazarus out of this sleep [he was dead] was impossible.
The things impossible for man are possible for GOD.
4. Lazarus Is Dead
Verse fourteen: “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”
It is a fact, Lazarus died here! Jesus Christ is stating it very clearly [plainly] to HIS disciples, and to all of us!
Death is a given. Death is a universal. It is certain to claim us all.
We are born, and then we will die! This is certain!
This is a RULE. The only exception to the rule is Enoch and Elijah and also, those believers in Jesus Christ who are alive when He comes for His Church.
Death has been around for six thousand years ever since Adam sinned.
When you were born the clock started ticking down to the appointed event of your death.
At that event you will EXIT this life!
The BIBLE says it this way in the book of Job chapter seven, verse one: "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?" [Job 7:1]
Do you want to know what this all shows us?
This shows us we have an appointed time here on this earth … a set time. "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." [James 4:14b]
May I remind you of something?
Our life is brief like a vapor, or like smoke! Therefore we need to plan ahead for that future meeting with DEATH. [Are you now thinking … forward in time [fast forward] … to that day old Death comes for you?]
Now Death is a real person. More precisely Death is an angel.
You have heard of the Angel of Death before, haven’t you?
The BOOK locates him. In Revelation chapter six, is where this devil is located.
Verse eight: “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” [Revelation 6:8a]
Now friend, where will Death take you? Here is the answer.
Death will take you away to a land of darkness.
Turn to the book of Job chapter seven again, to verse ten: "He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.”
Now skip over to chapter ten, and let us read starting at verse twenty down to verse twenty-two: “Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness." [Job 7:10 & 10:20-22]
Now, here is the two-pronged question I want to pose to you.
What is this land of darkness, and where is the land of darkness?
My friend, the land of darkness is HELL, and Hell is presently located at the center of this earth.
When old Death comes for you, he will quickly take you down to the chambers deep within this earth.
You say, "Show me!" Show me in the Bible where it says all this. My friend, the Bible is replete with the reality of HELL, and identifies the location of this place called HELL.
Let’s turn to a few of the scriptures that show this.
[Psalms 9:17] “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
[Psalms 55:15] “Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.”
[Proverbs 7:27] “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
[Proverbs 9:18] “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.”
Some day Hell will be removed from the center of the earth, and cast into its final location … The LAKE of FIRE!
[Revelation 20:14] “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
5. Let Us Die With Him
Verse sixteen: “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
When Jesus spoke of Lazarus’s death in verse thirteen, I believe HE was pointing at the same time … to another WHO was to die very soon. It was HIMSELF.
Yes, I believe HE was speaking of HIS own DEATH on Mount Calvary’s cross and much more than this, HE was pointing to HIS subsequent RESURRECTION from the dead, and thereby, HIS conquering of death for all of us who put their faith and trust in the SON of GOD.
Now, it is Thomas [in verse sixteen] who is leading the way! Amen! Somehow, Thomas sees [foresees] what is going to happen to Lazarus’s body when the LORD and the disciples get to the grave.
Something else, Thomas wants to experience death with him [Lazarus] because he believes with surety in the resurrection of dead.
Wow! Now, doesn’t Thomas put many of us to shame?
To sum up, here is what Thomas sees by faith. He by faith believes that Jesus Christ is going to raise the dead [in the future] and that HE was going to resurrect Lazarus that very day.
We learned that Thomas wanted to die in order to live. That is why Thomas is an example for us living today of what believing faith is all about.
Listen to him again in verse sixteen: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Are you beginning to see this now … differently?
Let me close here with this Scripture.
Turn to Luke chapter nine, and come on down to verse twenty-one, and let us read what Jesus charged HIS disciples.
Here in these verses is what it means to lose your life in order to save it.
Let’s read: “And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”
Thomas was well on the way that day.
What about you?