John, pt. 72 | John 12:9-11

The Witness of Lazarus and the Call to Christian Boldness

All right, if you would at this time, take your copy of the scriptures and turn with me to the gospel of John chapter 12. Gospel of John chapter 12, we will consider verses nine through 11. The gospel of John chapter 12, verses nine through 11.

And this is our 72nd message in this glorious gospel. Oh God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lord, as we gather together to devote ourselves to the teachings of your apostles. Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, that you through the power of your spirit will speak forth through this broken vessel to feed your people.

Lord, we have come here this day, not only to feast on physical bread, but to feast on your word. So God, please be gracious and generous to us today and use this word to conform us to the image of your beloved son.

We pray this in Jesus name, amen. All right, let's begin with the text. John chapter 12, verses nine through 11. When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

So the chief priest made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. Our theme for this Lord's day is the witness of Lazarus.

The witness of Lazarus. And my proposition is this, when we are a witness for Jesus, others will come to believe in Jesus. Do you believe that? When we are a witness for Jesus, others will come to believe in Jesus.

It's been rightly stated that the problem with most preachers today is that no one wants to kill them. We live in a time where pulpits are filled with limp-wristed preachers who are afraid of the congregation, who are afraid that you're gonna get up and leave, who are afraid that you're gonna stop giving and the doors are going to close.

My dear friends, preachers are not living by faith in the word of God. They're afraid to challenge you. They're afraid to tell you, listen, you as a Christian are to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Not only in word, but in deed.

I saw this yesterday when I was preaching at the funeral. People storming out of that building because the gospel is being heralded. Maybe it is my background that allows me not to be afraid of men. Well, my dear friends, when it comes to Jesus Christ in this message, we as Christians are to be bold as lions, even though we are weak.

We're living in a time where Christianity, in one sense, is being mocked. And there's people all around the world, they're thanking to themselves. They're saying, why aren't the Christians standing up to do anything about it?

The Bible's clear. The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Why would you not expect Christianity to be ridiculed?

It's foolishness to these people. Our boldness is not getting up and fighting people physically. It's proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ by which people are footstooled. And every one of you, if you're Christians, you're a witness to that.

If you're a Christian here today, you have been footstooled to the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you are to be his witness. When it comes to other beliefs, what's going on around the world, they, these weak pastors, are indifferent to these things today.

They're unconcerned. They have no interest in the well-being of their neighbors for their salvation or the salvation of their family and friends for that simple fact that they don't want to look foolish.

My dear friends, that kind of attitude spreads from the pulpit to the congregation. If the pastor is unwilling to stand for truth, guess what the congregation is going to be unwilling to do? Stand for truth.

Christians are more likely to pack up and run with that kind of attitude because it's coming from the pulpit and it cradles to our comfort. Going out and witnessing the gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples for Jesus Christ is not appealing to the flesh.

If you don't believe me, just go out with me one time just to hand out tracts. It's flesh killing. Therefore, that fire does not seem to spread. We have some well-meaning Christians and some who are not well-meaning that believe that the ministry of reconciliation is for ministers or just men, but my dear friends, you will not find that in scripture.

The position of eldership is for qualified men, not women, but to tell your neighbors about Jesus Christ is for all Christians, no exceptions. And no, our ministries probably don't look the same, but we are to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

Today, we're going to see the religious leaders plot to kill Lazarus because of his witness for Jesus Christ. Does anyone want to kill you? Does anyone want to kill you? What are we missing? Remember, I was going through Acts and was talking about these, was just looking at these gospel presentations and what would revival actually look like.

I made the statement like, I do not want to be persecuted. And at the same time, I do not not want to be persecuted. I am torn, I'm divided. I don't want my luxuries taken away from me. And at the same time, I'm saying, please someone take them away from me for the sake of Christ Jesus, to know him as Paul said, to know him in his suffering.

I think we as Americans, we don't understand what this means and in one sense, I don't want to understand what this means and then I'm torn and thinking, I don't want to understand what this means, right?

In our outline, we're going to compare and contrast the similar, our similarities between Lazarus and ourselves. We'll look at three of them and that's the death, resurrection and witness. But as we transition, we're going to see from this text that the news of Jesus Christ, him being in the home of Simon the leopard has spread.

If you remember last week's message, we saw that this gospel as in this gospel, as well as in Matthew and Mark, that Jesus was in the home of Simon the leopard. But at that time, Simon was not a leopard because he had been healed by Jesus.

But right now he's in the home of Simon the leopard with Lazarus, him and Lazarus are reclining at table, they're probably listening to Jesus teach, more likely about the last day, the resurrection of the dead.

Lazarus' sister Martha was serving him as well as his disciples and her brother and Simon the leopard and Mary takes this expensive bottle of perfume, 300 denaria, right? This expensive bottle that was for the purpose of burial, she probably saved up this money that she earned from her sins and she pours it on Jesus.

Our text in John says, just to speak, when you read the other accounts is she breaks this bottle, she pours it on his head, she covers him and it's for preparation for his burial. It is as if she has taken the money that she's earned from her sin and she's clothing the body of Jesus this gives us a word picture of him bearing our sins.

As the oil covers his body, so too our sins. And today we're going to notice that as that is happening, a large group of Jews learned that Jesus was there along with Lazarus. And so point number one, death.

And in this point, I want us to answer the question, how does the death of Lazarus, excuse me, how is the death of Lazarus similar yet different from our death? Read with me verse nine. When the large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there, speaking of Simon the leopard's house, they came not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

What did it mean for Lazarus to be dead? The Greek word here for dead is nekros, which can mean literally dead or figuratively dead. The context in chapter 11 tells us that Lazarus was literally dead.

He was four days dead. In chapter 11, verse four, Jesus said that Lazarus's illness will not end in death. The Greek word there for death is thanatos. That's where you get that Marvel movie that just came out a few years ago.

That's where that name comes from. And it means the death of the body, the death of the body. And it didn't, Lazarus did in fact die, but that sickness did not end in the death of his body. Jesus spoke the name.

He spoke his name. He called him by name from among the dead. And he came out that grave. He called him from among the dead to once again live among the dead. You say, how is that? You see, Lazarus, once again, being among the dead, excuse me, being among the living is living among the dead, not the literal dead, but the figurative, the spiritual dead.

Turn with me to Ephesians chapter two. If you were here in our Sunday school class, was talking about grace and how the message that we was looking at in Sunday school was, it was tap dancing on my message that I'll be preaching today, right?

I got to reach out to that Presbyterian group who made that curriculum and say, hey, hold up now. Read with me Ephesians chapter two, verse one. Listen to what it says. It says, and you were dead and the trespasses and sins.

Now, is that dead literal or figurative? Right? It's the Greek word for dead here, again, is necros. And from the context, we know that this is not speaking about literally dead, right? This is not speaking about someone's body who has died and is buried.

This is speaking about the spiritual dead. And it's also speaking about all humanity. Everyone who was born after Adam and Eve, we are born in the state of death. Spiritual death, heart of stone, a heart of self-righteousness, a heart that is trying to get to God or a God, even if it's that God is yourself.

Like if you had my background, right? Ex gangbanger who worshiped the man in the mirror. My heart of stone was aimed to please myself. The heart of the Jews, they used God's law as a way to get to God and all the while found themselves condemned because that law is a letter of death and it led to their dead.

Now let's look at verses one all the way to three. Again, Paul speaking, and you were dead and the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince and the power of the air, speaking of the devil, that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we once all lived and the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath.

We are, if you're a Christian, you are alive in Christ and yet you are living among the dead, the spiritual dead. Physical death is the death of the body and spiritual death, although it is death, it is not, it is very different.

It is not the death of the body. Spirits to be spiritually dead means to be dead and trespasses and sins. It means that you're living in your sins. You are lavishing in your sins. There's nothing that you love more than your sins.

It is to follow the course of this world. It is to follow after the devil. It is to be a child of wrath. It is to be a child of the devil. Spiritual death is to be sons and daughters of the adversary.

That's what, when the Bible says, and you were dead in your sins, when it talks about spiritual death, when it talks about people who are not Christians, it's pointing out this, that we are slaves of the devil.

Jesus tells the Jews in John 8 that the devil is their father. And dear friends, if you are not in Christ, that's what it means to be dead. And after, and if, let's just say, if that death meets the death of the body, if your spiritual death meets the death of your body, the results will be both your body and your soul thrown into hell.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. We'll just read one verse, verse 28. Matthew chapter 10, verse 28, Jesus speaking. He says, do not fear those who can kill the body. Let's just stop right there.

So according to the law, the law of Moses, there's certain laws that you could break that were punishable by death. Adultery, blaspheming, so on and so forth, right? You'd be strapped to the ground and the figure of an X in the whole village would stone you to death.

He says, do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Do not fear the authority that is over you in this world. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. We are living among the walking dead.

And for the most part, this is what our government system has become. And we're fearing those who can persecute us rather than fearing the one who has saved us. We're living a life in fear, cowarding in fear, afraid to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

And our life isn't even at stake. The ridicule might be, but our lives are not at stake. What, can we be, I'll be canceled? What are we fearing? What are we fearing here? We are to live a life looking to Jesus Christ, fearing nothing but God, having respect for God, loving God, living a life looking to Jesus Christ.

And my dear friends, if you live your life looking to Jesus Christ, what can man do to you? We're living a life in the grace of God, following Christ. I tell my wife this all the time. We have these conversations that an apple tree doesn't know it's producing fruit.

It's just doing what it's supposed to do. There's no knowledge of it. It's just being an apple tree. If we as Christians live our life looking to Jesus Christ, we produce fruit. And some of that fruit that we produce, people will want to kill us over.

To die in the state of spiritual death is to face the wrath of God. My dear friends, it is better to be physically dead in the presence of God spiritually than to be spiritually dead, following after our slave master.

Death versus death. The death of Lazarus was literal. Before Christ, our death was spiritual. Resurrection, point number two. At this point, I want us to answer the question, how is the resurrection of Lazarus similar and yet different from our resurrection?

Again, look at verse nine. So when a large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came not only on account of him, so not only on account of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead.

We've been talking about the resurrection of Lazarus and how it is a picture of our resurrection. We talked about the shadow versus the substance, that my shadow is not my body. My body casts the shadow, right?

It's not the same thing, right? When you want to see Jeff, you don't go see my shadow. We talked about the type and the anti-type and how there's a type in the scriptures, they point to something greater.

We talked about a menu that when you go to a restaurant, they bring you a menu and as you, and I point this out every time, I like pictures. And so I like to go to a restaurant that has pictures and I point to something that I want.

This is what I want, because it might be in a Mexican restaurant, some of this stuff, I can't pronounce, I can't read that stuff. Like I'm not that smart, right? And I'll just point, I'm like, this is what I want.

And they take my menu away and they bring me back the food, they bring me back the substance, they don't bring me back the menu, right? They bring me back what the menu pictured. And we talked about how this resurrection is a shadow, it's a type, it's a picture of something greater.

And that something greater is our physical resurrection on the last day. However, in the same way that that physical death follows spiritual death, the physical resurrection of the body follows a spiritual resurrection.

This is what's called the here and not yet. Right? So right now we have the here, if you're a Christian, you have witnessed, you have undergone what's called a spiritual resurrection, right? You were dead in your sins and now you've been brought to life in Christ.

That's the here, the not yet is the last day when Jesus Christ returns and your body is raised from the grave or it becomes at a time when we're alive, we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, Corinthians tells us.

This is what's called the here and not yet. And you can also view this in the lens of two-tier typology, meaning that something can serve its purpose and its fulfillment and also point to something greater.

And I think a perfect example of this that I haven't used here yet is the sacrificial system. So in the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant, it actually fulfilled the purpose of provision of forgiveness of sins according to the flesh, not salvation, it's not salvific.

Right? Whenever you were here, when we walked through the book of Hebrews, it was as if, I made a statement, I said, imagine your house is a wreck. Like your table has dishes on it, you haven't done anything to it, right?

And I called you, I said, hey, I'm three minutes from your home, I'm coming over, we're doing a pastoral oversight. And they're saying, you know, no one cleans better than they can in minutes, right? And like, you've never done that before, right?

Had someone call you and he was like, oh, look, you look around and like you do your best work in minutes, right? What can take you two days to clean, you can clean like that. However, it's so much that you start throwing, you start sweeping things under a rug, you start putting things on the couch, you take a blanket and you throw it over your table, right?

So if you're looking at the forgiveness of sins according to the sacrificial system, that's all it was. But the text tells us it did purify the flesh. And so for that, look with me in Hebrews chapter 11.

So although its purpose is fulfilled in the provision of forgiveness sins according to the flesh, it also pointed to a greater provision that would one day, which that day has passed, bring the forgiveness of sins for all people who are called according to his purpose.

Hebrews chapter nine, verse 11. It says, but when Christ appeared as a high priest of good things that have come, then through a greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy place, not by the means of blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Right here, verse 13. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctified for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offer himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

The things according to the flesh point to the things of spiritual matters. It served its purpose in purifying the flesh. You can be an Israelite at that time, you can partake in the sacrifice, it would purify your flesh, but it did not save you.

Salvation has always been by grace through faith. If Christianity is to be true, Christianity has to be owed the same way that Abraham was saved, we are saved. And it's by believing God. Abraham had to believe that a seed was coming from him that would not only keep the covenant, but through that inherit the land and bless the nations.

We are looking back at the person who kept the covenant, inherited the land and blessed the nations, Jesus Christ. He looked forward, we're looking back. That is how people are saved. However, this sacrificial system served its provision, it served its purpose in purifying the flesh all the while pointing to one who was to come.

Who would be the sacrifice to purify the soul. Those that were raised to spiritual life think regeneration will be on the last day raised to physical life. The resurrection of the dead. This is how, like, you know, I don't know if you study, you know, theology that goes in depth, but this is what gets my gears rolling, right?

Finding like these type antitypes, these shadows and substance and putting these things together. So the work of regeneration will in fact serve its purpose. Right? If you're here today, you have been born again.

The work of regeneration will serve its purpose. While also like the resurrection of Lazarus, which points to a greater reality, your resurrection and spiritual life points to a greater reality. And it's the same thing that Lazarus's resurrection points to.

And it's the resurrection of the body. Again, the shadow and the substance. I order something from a menu, they don't bring me back the menu. So in this case, it's my being born again, my receiving spiritual life, right?

That's what's on the menu. When Christ comes, he's not gonna bring me my receiving spiritual life. When Christ comes again, my body will be raised from the dead and my spirit man and my body will come together once again for eternity.

So today I wanna compare Lazarus's, I don't wanna compare Lazarus's resurrection with our future resurrection, like we had been doing. So it's in the comparison of our spiritual resurrection with, I mean, our physical resurrection with a new birth.

Turn with me one more to Titus chapter three. Again, if you were in Sunday school, we touched on this a little bit. Titus chapter three. We'll dive into regeneration real quick. Read verses four and five.

Titus chapter three, verse four. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our savior appeared. So when did he appear? First century, right? Speaking of Jesus Christ. The goodness and kindness of God, our savior appeared.

What did he do when he appeared? Verse five, he saved us. How did he save us? Not by works done in righteousness, not according to the law, right? But according to his own mercy, him not giving to us what we deserve.

That's what that means. By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word here for regeneration is Pauline Genesia. Pauline meaning again, Genesia meaning birth. Switch it around the order, it's birth again.

The analogy of scripture when it comes to salvation is the analogy of birth. The theology comes from Ezekiel chapter 36, verses 25 through 27. And Jesus points this out. He lays this out for us when he speaks to Nicodemus in John chapter three.

And he tells him that you must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. In regeneration, if you heard my debate recently, you'll understand this. In regeneration, we receive grace, which is the forgiveness of sins, a new heart, which is faith to believe and the Holy Spirit, which causes us to keep God's law.

The new birth, which happens to us is how we go from being where we were, which is dead in our sins, slaves of the devil, children of wrath, children of the devil to be given spiritual resurrection. So turn with me to Romans chapter 10.

Romans chapter 10, verse 14 through 17. I'm gonna read Romans 14, but then I'm gonna go back and read 13. So part of this says, how then will they call upon him whom they have not believed? So how are the spiritual dead going to call upon him whom they have not believed?

You look back at verse 13, it says, for all, for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And it says, well, how will they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And it explains the answer.

It says, how are they to believe in him in whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach? So how are these people to preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? Verse 17. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

Any walking dead fans? Like wanting people to watch the walking dead. I know it's not a great show, right? But just as by way of analogy, kind of humor me, right? I used to go downtown a lot and do street preaching and stuff like that.

And you really saw this, right? It's the living among the dead, right? Imagine having a cure for the dead and not giving it to them to appropriate, right? Imagine you're a doctor and you have the cure to someone's disease and you're unwilling to give it to them for them to appropriate.

Like how evil would we be? Like if you knew for sure that I had someone's cure but I was resistant to give them this cure, you would think, Jeff, what is wrong with you? You're not loving, you're not being Christ-like.

Well, my dear friends, we are living among the dead. And how are they to believe in him whom they have not heard? How are they to come to life? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?

They can only be saved by grace through faith if they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God or the message of Christ.

In that debate, the guy pointed out, well, what do you say about Muslims who have dreams and visions? I said, well, is the gospel preached to them? Listen, all I have is this. It says that this message has to be told to them.

And listen, I don't care if you read it from the book, you read it from a gospel track, or if you hear someone preaching, that message of the gospel has to be spoken in order for someone to have faith.

My dear brother who's been preaching at the conferences that we have, Kevin Hay, when he told me his conversion story, it blew my mind. His grandmother brought him up in church. And the moment of him being born again, he was tripping on shrooms, mushrooms.

He was having a trip on drugs. And in this trip on drugs, he remembered what the preacher said to him and was radically born again on mushrooms, on a message told to him years before. It always comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God, hearing this message about Jesus Christ.

And my dear friends, most of us Christians, we put our hands in our pocket, and we keep our mouth shut when we're among the dead. We're not giving them the cure so they can appropriate it. I guess it's better to have no one wanting to kill us, right?

Turn with me to John chapter five, verse 24. I ask that you pray for me. I woke up this morning and I got a really bad headache in my right eye. So I'm having troubles up here, trying to stay focused and my head is pounding.

Look at verse 24. Jesus is speaking. He says, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life. And he does not come into judgment, but he passed from death to life.

In verse 24, we see two different deaths and lives. It's the death, it's speaking about spiritual death and life, meaning resurrection, as well as physical death and life, meaning resurrection. How many of y 'all know that the moment you believe in Jesus, you have eternal life, right?

It's not a pair of car keys. You know, you kind of want them through your pocket. I mean, what do I do with those keys? And you can't find them, right? If you're like me, I have a certain place that I keep everything.

My wife doesn't. She just kind of walks in and just throws things behind her back, right? She can't find anything. I'm like this, everything has its spot, right? Like I don't lose my keys unless my wife borrows my keys.

But this is not how salvation works. The moment you believe in Jesus, you have present tense, eternal life, but that's your death. But it's a now and not yet, right? And when you die, you're gonna be entering into eternal life, which is still a now and not yet because your spirit longs to be with your body.

And then at the last day, we're gonna have this true experience of that eternal life, right? And so in verse 24, it says, truly, truly, I tell you that whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life.

And he does not come into right here judgment, but has passed from death to life. Look at verse 25. In verse 25, you're gonna see spiritual resurrection. He says, truly, truly, I say to you an hour. Y 'all must be praying because my eye feels better.

I should have said that earlier. An hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live. That's what happens when you preach the gospel. I can remember being dead in my sins and hearing Ray Comfort stand up and preach.

And I saw myself exposed and naked knowing I needed to be clothed. And Ray Comfort told me what the clothing was, the righteousness of Christ. Something had happened to me that I could not articulate.

And that is a now and not yet. Look back at it. He says an hour is coming and now is. Present tense. When the dead will hear his voice, the spiritual dead will hear his voice and will come out. For as the father, verse 26, has life in himself, so he has granted that the son also have life in himself.

In verses 27 through 29, you're gonna see spirit, I mean, physical resurrection. Look at verse 27. And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at this for an hour is coming.

Notice there is no now and here. It doesn't say that it's here. It says an hour is coming right here. When all who are in the tombs, the graves, meaning all who are dead will hear his voice and come out.

And those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment. Go back to verse 24. It tells you that he does not come into judgment. The one who has eternal life does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The moment you are born again, you have passed from death to life. When you die, you don't enter into a judgment. You enter into the life that is the here and not yet, that is still like here and not yet to the last day when he comes and on that day, it says you will enter into the resurrection of life, but those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment.

My dear friends, we're living in the grace of God. Why? Because someone told us the gospel. We went from being spiritually dead and raised again in a here and not yet and the new birth serving Christ, living in his grace, having eternal life.

Why would we hold this back? Why would we withhold this from others? Point number three, witness. With this point, I want us to answer the question, how is the witness of Lazarus similar and yet different from our witness?

Look at verses 10 and 11 from our text, John 12, verses 10 and 11. It says, so the chief priest made plans to put Lazarus to death as well because on account of him, speaking of Lazarus, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Lazarus, on the basis of him being raised from the dead has religious leaders plotting to kill him, plotting to put him to death. His witness is him being alive. He who was dead is now alive. Remember, I was speaking about how right now the Jews are under what's called the Roman peace.

So in our text, they were under the Pax Romanis, the Roman peace. Rome had taken over the known world and they were allowed to govern themselves as long as they tip the hat to Caesar, right? And we spoke about how when the Romans would enter in and they would take over other nations that they would adopt the gods of that nations and even say, well, this God reminds me of this God over here that we serve.