Becoming a friend of God Part 11
“Lazarus knew when to get out of God’s Way”
John 11:1 –
12:-19 (pg. 760) says:
1Now a man named
Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the
4When 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." 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister
and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was
two more days.
7Then he said to his disciples,
"Let us go back to
8"But Rabbi," they said,
"a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back
there?"
9Jesus answered, "Are there not
twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees
by this world's light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he
has no light."
11After 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."
12His disciples replied, "Lord,
if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death,
but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly,
"Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that
you may believe. But let us go to him."
16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to
the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with
him."
Jesus Comforts
the Sisters
17On his
arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18Bethany was less than two miles[a] from
21"Lord," Martha said to
Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know
that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother
will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he
will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he
dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him,
"I believe that you are the Christ,[b] the Son of God, who was to come into
the world."
28And after she had said this, she
went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here,"
she said, "and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this, she got up
quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was
still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with
Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out,
they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32When Mary reached the place where
Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had
been here, my brother would not have died."
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the
Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit
and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they
replied.
35Jesus wept.
36Then the Jews said, "See how he
loved him!"
37But some of them said, "Could
not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from
dying?"
Jesus Raises
Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus,
once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid
across the entrance. 39"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the
sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been
there four days."
40Then Jesus said, "Did I not
tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41So they took away the stone. Then
Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I
knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43When he had said this, Jesus called
in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his
hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the
grave clothes and let him go."
The Plot to
Kill Jesus
45Therefore
many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put
their faith in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what
Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of
the Sanhedrin.
"What are we
accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many
miraculous signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in
him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place[c] and our nation."
49Then one of them, named Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! 50You
do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than
that the whole nation perish."
51He did not say this on his own, but
as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish
nation, 52and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of
God, to bring them together and make them one. 53So from that day on they
plotted to take his life.
54Therefore Jesus no longer moved
about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert,
to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
55When it was almost time for the
Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to
John 12
1Six days before
the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had
raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served,
while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took
about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume;
she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house
was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why wasn't this perfume
sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.[b]" 6He did not say this because he
cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he
used to help himself to what was put into it.
7"Leave her alone," Jesus
replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day
of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always
have me."
9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found
out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see
Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to
kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over
to Jesus and putting their faith in him.
The Triumphal
Entry
12The next
day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way
to
"Hosanna![c]"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[d]
"Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14Jesus found a
young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
15"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."[e]
16At first his disciples did not
understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these
things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
17Now the crowd that was with him when
he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to
spread the word.
18Many people, because they had heard that
he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See,
this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”.
Alexander Whyte comments…”Lazarus of Bethany comes as near to Jesus of
Nazareth, both in his character, and in his services, and in his unparalleled
experience, , as mortal men ever come. Lazarus name is never to be read in the
New Testament until the appointed time comes when he is sick…to die, and to be
raised from the dead for the glory of God. Nor is his voice heard. Lazarus
loved silence. He sought obscurity. He liked to be overlooked. He reveled in
neglect…The very Evangelist pass over Lazarus as if he were a worm and no man”.
·
Some
Bible scholars assume Lazarus fled the scene when the Sanhedrin sought to kill
Jesus, for his own safety since they also wanted to kill him.
·
Could
it be that with a deep affection for his friend, Lazarus would withdraw more
for Jesus sake than for his own.
·
Perhaps
Lazarus felt his presence only increased the Master’s danger.
1) FRIENDS OF
GOD KNOW WHEN TO GET _________________(OUT) OF GOD’S _______________(WAY).
·
John
the Baptist modeled this principle.
John 3:27-36 says:
27To this John replied, "A man
can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify
that I said, 'I am not the Christ[b] but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride
belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and
listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That
joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become
less.
31"The one who comes from above
is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as
one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies
to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who
has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has
sent speaks the words of God, for God[c] gives the Spirit without limit. 35The
Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes
in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for
God's wrath remains on him."[d]
·
John
the Baptist knew his role – to prepare the way for Jesus and when it was time
for him to step out of the way, he did.
·
Perhaps
Lazarus too knew when to step out of the way and blend into the background, so
he did not hinder what God was doing.
2) FRIENDS OF
GOD BRING _____________________________(ATTENTION) TO
_________________(GOD) AND NOT JUST TO THEMSELVES – THEY ALWAYS GIVE GOD THE
__________________(CREDIT) AND THE __________________(GLORY) NO MATTER WHAT
HAPPENS!
1 Corinthians
3:1-24 (pg. 807) says:
1Brothers, I
could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave
you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are
still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and
quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow
Apollos," are you not mere men?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what
is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has
assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made
it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God,
who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one
purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are
God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10By the grace God has given me, I
laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But
each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation
other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on
this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his
work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It
will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's
work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is
burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one
escaping through the flames.
16Don't you know that you yourselves
are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's
temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that
temple.
18Do not deceive yourselves. If any
one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a
"fool" so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in
their craftiness"[a]; 20and again, "The Lord knows
that the thoughts of the wise are futile."[b] 21So then, no more boasting about men!
All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas[c] or the world or life or death or the
present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of
God.
·
FRIENDS
OF GOD POINT TO JESUS AND NOT THEMSELVES – THEY GIVE GOD THE GLORY.
John 21:24-25
says:
24This is
the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know
that his testimony is true. 25Jesus did many other
things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the
whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
·
God does not
desire man’s testimony to validate who He is.
John 2:22-27
says
22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples
recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that
Jesus had spoken. 23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the
Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed
in his name.[a] 24But Jesus
would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He
did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
·
In His
sovereignty, God can use man’s testimony to draw sinners to Himself.
·
The
Disciples of Jesus throughout history have always given testimony to what Jesus
has done for them.
·
A
Testimony about God is essentially telling others about God’s
________________________(Goodness) to _____________(you)!
“Every good and
perfect gift comes down from the Father of Heavenly lights who does not change
like shifting shadows”. James 1:17
·
God
uses testimonies to ________________(draw) sinners to Him through the work of
___________________(Christ) on the _____________________(cross).
GUIDLEINES FOR
HEATHLY BIBLICAL TESTIMONIES:
1. Testimonies
should bring ___________________Glory to ____________________(God), not the
____________________(person) God has ____________________(blessed) nor the
person God has _______________(used).
1 John 5:1-12
says:
1Everyone who
believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the
father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children
of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to
obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of
God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even
our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus
is the Son of God. 6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ.
He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who
testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify:
8the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and
the three are in agreement. 9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is
greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.
10Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone
who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not
believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11And this is the
testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
2. Testimonies
should be rooted in the ____________________(saving) and
__________________________(sanctifying) work of ________________
_______________(Jesus Christ).
Revelation
12:9-12 says:
9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called
the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the
earth, and his angels with him. 10Then I heard a loud
voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and
night,
has been hurled down.
11They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is
short."
3. Testimonies
should be ____________________(conservative)
and _____________________(truthful).
Proverbs
12:17-23 says:
17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful
lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 There is
deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but joy for those who promote peace.
21 No harm
befalls the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The LORD
detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.
23 A prudent
man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.
4. Testimonies should be without
____________________(fear) __________________(conceit) _________________(hate)
or _________________(pride).
1 John 4:13-21
says:
13We know that we live in him and he in us,
because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know
and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives
in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that
we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are
like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because
fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God,"
yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother,
whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us
this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
2 Timothy 1:6-12
says:
6For this reason I remind you to fan into
flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of
self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of
me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of
God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we
have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in
Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed
through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and
has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11And of this
gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I
am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to
him for that day.
|
|
·
Some
people do not give public testimonies because they fear going back to the old,
sinful patterns again.
·
When
you give a testimony, you are not saying that you will not repeat the old
behavior – you are giving God glory how he ________________________(delivered)
you today by _______________________(faith).
Hebrews 11:1-6 says:
1Now faith
is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is
what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the
universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of
what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.
By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his
offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this
life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God
had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who
pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone
who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him.
·
You
may fall back into the same behavior tomorrow – but you are giving God glory
that he delivered you today by Faith.
·
We
do not know what tomorrow ____________________(holds), but we do know who holds
____________________(tomorrow).
TESTIMONY
DON’T’S
·
Do
not give a testimony if you want glory and ________________________
__________________________ (personal attention).
·
Do
not give testimony of it is not ____________________________(truthful) and
____________________________(accurate)
·
Do
not give testimony if you _____________________(cannot) or
_____________________ __________(should not) by
__________________________(faith)
·
Do
not allow __________________(fear) or what other people are going to
_________________(think) about you stop you from giving your testimony.
·
______________________(PRIDE)
SHOULD NOT BE THE _______________________(MOTIVE) FOR
_______________________(GIVING) OR _______________(NOT) GIVING YOUR PERSONAL
TESTIMONEY!
NOTE: A FRIEND
OF GOD ________________(BOAST) ABOUT GOD BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT GOOD FRIENDS DO -
THEY _______________(BRAG) ABOUT EACH OTHER!
DO NOT LET THE “ROCKS
CRY OUT” IN YOUR PLACE!
·
A
FRIEND OF GOD PRAISES GOD TO HIS FACE AND BEHIND HIS BACK – HIS GOODNESS IS ALWAYS
ON THEIR LIPS!