Introduction

We're looking at John 11, today, not quite going. the book of James, but special message for a special day. I just share with you a statement I read recently. It goes, “As I get older and I remember all the people I've lost along the way, I think to myself, maybe a career as a tour guide wasn't for me.” We laugh at something like this, because it's funny when a tour guide gets lost, but it's not quite funny when your boss or your CEO is lost because he may just lose your job, or you may lose your job. It's also not funny when your Prime Minister or your president is lost because he may just lose the country. But it is even worse, if a spiritual or religious leader is lost, you may just lose your soul if you follow him blindly. That's why it's so important to examine what Jesus said some years ago, when he said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. And he goes on to say, No man comes to the Father, but by Me, He gives a very extreme statement, a statement that you just have to sit up and pay attention to. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6-7) He gives a very extreme statement, a statement that you just have to sit up and pay attention to. Is He lost? Is He crazy? Is He a liar? Or is He speaking the absolute truth? All of us, when we look at a statement like this, have to decide for ourselves, is Jesus a lunatic, a liar, or a true leader who leads us to God? Well, someone in the Bible wants to help you. You see, the Bible contains 66 books written by different authors. One of the authors, his name is John, and he wrote the book of John to tell us and to convince us that Jesus is legit. He's the real deal. John, a long book, 21 chapters is summarized, or His purpose is encapsulated in John 20 and verse 31 he says,”these”, if I may add the word ‘signs’, because that's clearly what he's referring to. These signs, these miracles. And John records several miracles and signs for us. He says, “These signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ.” The word, Christ means the anointed one or the chosen one, the one whom God has chosen for a long time ago to be our Savior. That Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen One, the Son of God, and that, by believing, you may have life in His name. So John writes this to give us the privilege of knowing who Jesus is, so that by believing in Him, you may have life. He did not write these things just for the people of those days. I think he wrote it for you and me. God intended for his writings to be the source of blessing for you and me, that you may have life. And John is not talking about mere physical existence, but the life with God, knowing him, having a right relationship with Him, having our sins forgiven, and having the hope of eternal life. That’s what John is saying. So he gives us signs in the book of John and in chapters 1 to 11 of John, He gives us seven signs. So he says, Sign number one is water to wine. Sign number two is the healing of the noble man’s son. Sign number three is the healing of the paralyzed. Sign number four is the provision for the 1000s using five loaves and two fishes. Sign number five is walking on water. Number six is the healing of the blind, and number seven is the raising of Lazarus. Now, obviously, today we have no time to look at all seven, so let's do a shortcut. Singaporeans love shortcuts. So we go to the last one, and maybe the most spectacular one, the raising of Lazarus. “Lazarus come out”. And in this sign, John is going to show us why Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

1. A very bad situation

This story begins with a very bad situation. Lazarus is dead. In fact, we are told that he has been dead for four days already. There is nothing more hopeless than death, isn't it? I watch TV shows, movies, and I would look at how the medical personnel would frantically do all they can to keep a man alive. So they do all sorts of things, inject here, run all around the place, and the machines will go beep, beep, beep, beep. But after a while, despite all their efforts, the machine would go means beeeeepppp. Means die already, Makiao, si liao. Nothing could be done. And when you hear the beeeeeeppp, you also see the doctor take out his mask, shake his head. Then the nurses will take the blanket and pull it all over the patient's face, and then you hear all the relatives wail and cry, and then they hug one another. Why? Because before he died, there is still hope. After he died, no hope. There's no way to bring the dead back to life. There's a sense of finality when it comes to death, and so when Lazarus is dead, it is a very bad situation, because it's a hopeless situation. Mind you, he's not just dead for a few hours. He's been dead for four days. The Jews have a tradition that the soul. Now this is not in the Bible, but the Jews have a tradition that the soul hovers over the dead body for three days, kind of like hoping somehow they can squeeze back in and come back alive. But four days means gone already, they know it's game over. Besides that, Martha, later on would comment how there will be odour if the tomb is opened, because in Middle East, they don't embalm the dead. And in a hot climate, after four days, the body turns bad, decomposes, Chao Liang. Now, I used to study medicine, I used to study pathology, it will tell you how you can estimate or tell how long the body or the person has died. But I forgot all about it already. I mean, I don't deal with dead people all the time. So I went to chatGPT. And chatGPT very good. Tells us that after four days, there will be a bloating in the body. That's a good response. That is the right response cannot be wahh, I mean ewww is correct. The body bloats because gasses produced by the bacteria accumulate, causing it to swell, particularly in the abdomen, because there's lots of space there. There will be discoloration, the skin may turn greenish or bluish, particularly in the abdomen. There will be fluid leakage. Body fluids, including blood and other tissues, may start to leak from the orifices, the mouth, the nose. Strong odor, the release of gasses like hydrogen sulfide, methane and other by products of bacterial decomposition will produce that odour. Insects. You like insects, is it? Ok? Flies and their larvae, maggots, are attracted to the body and contribute to the decomposition process, feeding on the decaying flesh. The skin may start to slip away from the underlying tissues, especially in the hands and feet. Anyone who puts SKII for your whole lifetime, also can't escape this. Hair and nail loss. Hair and nails may start to loosen and fall off.

So that's what chat GPT says, but I don't think you can picture it, so let me show you a picture. Don't worry. Don't worry. I'm very sensitive. I understand there are kids today, so don't fret. I just want to tell you, it's a very bad situation. Chill, all right, chill. Well, this is where we begin.

1. A very bold statement

Secondly, in this story, we are going to hear a very bold statement. This comes from the conversation between Martha, who is the sister of Lazarus with Jesus, and Jesus is going to say something really, really bold. Martha said to Jesus,” Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Now, Martha is a believer. Clearly, she believes that Jesus would have healed Lazarus, and Lazarus wouldn't have had to die if Jesus was around. So she believes Jesus that he's a great healer. And she went on to say, “But even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (John 11:22) So she has faith to the degree that God can raise Lazarus from the dead if Jesus asked God to. Now, later on, we'll realize she does believe Jesus can call on God to raise Lazarus on that final day, the last day of judgment. But there's something about Martha here. She believes Jesus as an intermediary between God and man, as someone who can call on the power of God, but she doesn't quite believe Jesus Himself can do it. There's a certain distancing between Jesus and God. So she says, “I think you can ask God, and God will give it to you. God will hear you and raise my brother someday.” Jesus didn't quite rebuke that, but Jesus, as you will see now, is moving Martha along in her understanding of who Jesus is. He's trying to grow her faith. So he said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23)

But he's very ambiguous here. He doesn't say now or later, just says, “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha says, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24) So she is thinking, last day, not quite now. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) What Jesus is saying here is, you thought I would ask the Father, but I want you to know that I am the resurrection and the life, that I am the power, the effect, the cause of the resurrection and the life. In me is the resurrection, in me is the life. There's this preacher called D L Moody in time past who was supposed to preach at a funeral service. And so, being a smart guy, he realized he doesn't want to come up with his own sermon. He better learn from Jesus. So he was searching for a funeral sermon Jesus preached, look through the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and he came back with this conclusion, there is no funeral sermon Jesus preached, because wherever Jesus went, He broke up the funeral service, He brought the dead to life. Jesus brought a widow of Nain’s son back to life. Jesus brought Jairus’s daughter back to life, and Jesus will bring Lazarus back to life. Why? Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

But there's something more in this statement, and it's found in the first two words, I am. Now to you and I, when we read I am. My name is, I am Jason, you don't think very much about it, but the way Jesus used it and spoke of it in those days meant a lot. Because Jesus repeatedly used this ‘I am’ language to describe Himself in seven ways. So John is well known for the seven miracles in John 1 to 11, but John is also well known for the seven I am’s. Jesus said, from going from left to right, up and down, I am the bread of life, John six. He says, I am the light of the world, John eight. I am the door or the gate. John 10. I am the good shepherd, John 10. John 11, which we are studying today, I am the resurrection and the life. John 14, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. John 15, I am the vine. And when Jesus used these seven, I am’s, He is saying, in effect, my name is the same as God's name. Because when Moses saw or met with God at the burning bush and asked God, what is your name? God said, my name is I am. I am who I am. I am the self-existent being. So when Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life seven times, Jesus is claiming divinity. Now he said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). You know what the Jews thought of what He said. The Jews thought that He was committing blasphemy. How can you call yourself I am? How can you call yourself God? And “so they took up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59). So when Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life, Jesus is claiming divinity and that He is the cause of resurrection and eternal life, spiritual life, all life.

So this was a huge statement, a very bold statement. And he goes on to say, “Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Obviously, Jesus is talking about spiritual life, eternal life. And though a man may die physically, that physical death does not interrupt that spiritual, eternal life. And He goes on to say, “and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26), because that's what it means to have eternal life, to know God, to have the forgiveness of sins, to have a right relationship with Him. Physical death cannot interrupt that. Even if I am to die physically today, I'm with Christ, with God, forevermore. D L Moody again, said, “One day you'll hear”, actually, Billy Graham quoted from D L Moody I think. “One day you'll hear that D L Moody is dead, don't you believe a word of it, he says, because on that day, I will be more alive than I have ever been.” For the Christian, for the believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe “everyone who lives and believes in him shall never die”. So Jesus now asked Martha, do you believe this? Actually what is Jesus asking? Is Jesus asking, Martha, do you believe that there's a resurrection? No, He's not, because she already believes that. But He's asking her, Do you believe this? That I am the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that I am God, the very God, and that in me is the cause, the effect, the power to bring about eternal life and resurrection. To which Martha replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe” (John 11:27). And I would have expected her to say, I believe that you are the resurrection and the life, just to pipe or to mimic or to parrot what Jesus said. But she didn't. She said, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). I think Martha is thinking to herself, Jesus said, He is the resurrection and the life. And it makes sense, because Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of God. And therefore, because you are the Christ, the Son of God, you are also the resurrection and the life.

So this story started with a very bad situation, a dead, decaying, rotting, smelly corpse. Jesus used this very dire situation to draw out faith in Martha and presented her with a very bold statement, I am the resurrection and the life.

1. A very big spectacle

And thirdly, the anticipated climax, as it were, a very big spectacle of raising Lazarus from the dead.

There was a man who got into the taxi one day, told the driver, I want to go to such and such a place. Halfway in the journey, he decided to change his mind, so he sat up, tapped the uncle on the shoulder, and said, uncle ah, to which the uncle got a huge shock. He screamed out loud, lost control of his taxi and was almost getting into a traffic accident. They calmed themselves down at the roadside, and the man says, sorry uncle, I didn't know, tapping on your shoulder and calling you will cause you such a great shock. The taxi driver says, It's okay adi, it's my first day driving, but for the past 25 years, I've been driving a funeral car.

It will be quite a shock if anybody is raised from the dead today. I mean, it will be front, it will be headline news for a long, long time, not Donald Trump, not our elections. And so the raising of the dead is an amazing, stunning spectacle. We are told that Jesus said, “Take away the stone” (John 11:39). Now, why take away the stone? Because the graves, the tombs in those days, are carved into the hillsides, not like what you see at Choa Chu Kang, on the floor or on the ground. Martha, hearing that said, Are you sure Lord? Paiseh la, because my brother died a long time, very chao (smelly in Hokkien). “There will be an odor” (John 11:39), you really want to do that? He's hopelessly gone you know. Well, Jesus then reminded her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Now Jesus, earlier on, said in verse four, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). So Jesus is saying, don't you remember what I told you, that this is not unto death, but for the glory of God, and for the glory of the Son of God. “So they took away the stone. and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, and I knew that you always hear me. But I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:41-42) Why did Jesus offer that prayer? By the way, it was not even a petition. It was not even a request. He did not ask for anything. He only gave a thanksgiving. Obviously, he had already prayed before this, and he really didn't need to say anything like this to effect the resurrection of Lazarus, but he said that so that everyone would know that Jesus is the Christ, sent of God. And so “when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus come out” (John 11:43) And the man who had died came out. You can almost imagine the pin drop. Everyone can hear that, because it's so filled with suspense. Is Jesus a liar, a lunatic, or is he the real deal? And after he shouted, Lazarus, come out. I think, for what seems like an eternity, they all kept their eyes fixed on that grave and “the man who had died came out” (John 11:44). Can you imagine dramatic music? I'm not good with Spielberg stuff, but dramatic music, the camera panning in. Everybody with their mouths wide open. Well, this man then came out, “his hands and feet bound with linen strips, face wrapped with the cloth. And Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go” (John 11:44).

Lazarus, come out. Commentators often say tongue in cheek that it was very important that Jesus said Lazarus, because if He didn't, everyone will come out. Such is the power of Christ. He is the resurrection and the life.

1. A very befitting sign

Hey, but just in case we all get so fixated on this amazing spectacle, I want to remind you that, though this is a very big spectacle, we must not miss the point of John. John wrote this not just to amaze you with a miracle, but to show you that this is all a very important sign. These signs, including sign number seven, raising of Lazarus is given or written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that's why, earlier on, Jesus would say this illness does not lead to death. I mean, what is Jesus saying? Lazarus is going to die? Why he says it's not going to lead to death? Ah, this illness is not intended to bring about that death of Lazarus, per se, but that this might show the glory of the Son of God. That this extremity will be God's opportunity to manifest who His son really is, and that's why Jesus stayed two days longer, even though he knew Lazarus was dead. You know, in Singapore, someone is in need. You call 995, is it still 995? I've not called it my life, so I suppose it's still 995. You call 995, people have to come immediately, right? Jesus knew Lazarus is dead, He should have gone immediately, but He didn't. He purposely stayed two days. Why did He do that? For the Son of God to be glorified, not in the healing of Lazarus, but in the resurrection of Lazarus. And so he said, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake, I'm glad that I was not there.” (John 11:14-15) Wah lao, why you say like that one ah? He's very cruel, eh? No, no, no, no, no, listen to him “so that you may believe”. So this was all part of the plan. Lazarus was allowed to die, not finally, but allowed to die so that Jesus would heal him or resurrect him, raise him from the dead, so that everyone may know who Jesus is, that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that you may believe and the Jews did. "Many of the Jews” (John 11:45) seeing this miracle, recognizing the miracle worker, knew that Jesus must be the Son of God, the Christ, the one chosen to save us from our sins.

But I want you to also know that this raising of Lazarus, this sign points to an even greater sign. So yes, this sign points to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, but this sign also points to a greater sign that shows that He is the Son of God, because John tells us earlier on in John chapter two, Jesus at the temple said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Now the Jews assumed that Jesus was talking about the physical building, the temple then, but John told us, no, it's not about the building, It's about Jesus talking about His body, because Jesus is the temple of God. Jesus is the dwelling of God. The Spirit dwells in him. So Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up” (John 2:19). So Jesus is prophesying a long time ago that He will die and that He will raise Himself from the dead. The greater miracle is that He will raise Himself from the dead, and that's what He repeated in John 10. “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” (John 10:18) This raising of his own life, this resurrection of Jesus, is that ultimate sign in the Bible.

Jesus Himself would say so in Matthew, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matthew 12:39-40). They want to ask, show me that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus says, this is the generation. It's evil, it's adulterous. It doesn't want to believe in God, but there will be one sign, the ultimate one. “No sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah”, which is “just as Jonah was in the fish for three days, three nights, the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days, three nights,” (Matthew 12:39-40) meaning He will die and He will rise again. And the biblical authors knew it. Apostle Paul, for example, said Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). This is the reliable witness that John is presenting and the biblical authors are presenting.

Recently, I had a meal with one of our brothers in church. I asked him for a place that is convenient. He suggested this place at 19 Kalidasa Avenue, postal code 788398. I remember it because I do not know where this place is, but I have to drive there. I keyed into my iPhone app, Mac application. I don't know how to spell Kalidasa. So, 788398, you remember ah, you try on your phone later. So I keyed it in, entered it didn't check a lot, just followed a map la. So just drove along, and I knew somewhat it's in the north. It's in a Neesoon, Sembawang area, drove all the way there, and then I realized it's near Springleaf, where it's leading me is Springleaf. And in Springleaf there's this private residential estate, and it's right at the corner. So I drove in. I said, Wow, this restaurant very high class, so deep in in the residential estate, must be very nice. Drove all the way there. It came to a dead end. You know what's happening? Right? All landed houses, no restaurant. I say the restaurant is private chef, or what? No restaurant, nothing. So I thought maybe my fat fingers didn't key in properly. So 788398, key again, still the same place there. Then I checked the address. It's not 19 Kalidasa, it’s 5 Springleaf Cresent. Why like that? Nah. So now I try it again. 788, not bad. 398, but it is not in that map application. All it came out is 788358, and so I've been following the wrong instruction. Don't have 398, 358, and as such, I was late.

But this is not the first time, second time, because just a few weeks ago, I was supposed to preach at St Luke's nursing home and St Luke's nursing home, I think 1 Sumang Walk. I can't remember the postal code now, but it also leave me on the wild goose chase, don't know where I went. I was late. I was late for both appointments. So embarrassing, I realized that my app is not so reliable. Bet better next time. If not sure, better cross check with another app, because a few apps together, you know you should get the right answer.

How do you know if Jesus is the Christ? Maybe one witness, buizhun (Not accurate in Hokkien). So seven signs, enough or not? Not enough? I give you the eighth one. Jesus Himself, raised Himself from the dead. And just in case you ask, Is Jesus really able to raise himself from the dead? Well, that's why John wrote John 20. So people say there are seven signs in John. I actually think there are only seven signs in John in chapters one to 11, but in chapter 20, there's another great sign. And the great sign is the resurrection of Jesus Himself. And that is verified when Jesus appeared to Mary and then appeared to the disciples, and then appeared to the disciples plus Thomas. Three post resurrection appearances beautifully recorded in John 20. And after these records are given, then he says to us, “these signs are written that you may know Jesus is the Christ” (John 20:31). You see, John is dutifully presenting to us his evidence, his incontrovertible evidence that Jesus is the Christ. Look at the seven signs and look at the ultimate sign. He was raised from the dead, so that now, “by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

1. A very benevolent Savior

I'm saying to you, we are all confronted with this, with this question, who is Jesus Christ? Is he a lunatic? Is He a liar, or is He a true leader? Well, John, I think, has done his part. But all this, I think, is not just for the Jews in those days. It's for you and for me and so let me close by saying you may have life in His name. Why? Because Jesus is our very benevolent savior. He's the kind, gracious, loving Savior. Because, as we read in John 10, “no one takes my life from me, but I lay it down” (John 10:18) When Jesus went to the cross, it's not because He was forced there. It was not because He was helpless, it was not because He was weak, but because He willingly laid it down. He became the Lamb of God, slain to take away your sins and my sins. I mean, there's no religion like this. There's no god who will die for sinners like us. This is Grace. This is God's goodness and love.

And I say you have to decide for yourself, what will you do with this knowledge of Jesus? Because in that day, there were religious leaders who hated Jesus and wanted to put Him to death. They loved their power, they loved their sins, they loved their walks of darkness, and therefore they would not come into the light. I hope it will not be you. I hope it will be that you follow the footsteps of many of the Jews who believed in Jesus and find that indeed He is the resurrection and the life. People all over the world gather this Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because we say He is risen. He is victorious over sin, over death, over hell, and those who believe in Him, we have eternal life. We do not say we have eternal life because we are good. We do not say we have eternal life because we earned it. We do not say we have eternal life because we are better than anyone. We have eternal life because Jesus paid it all. We believe him, and he's the power, the cause, the effect.

I hope today you will come to Jesus and find eternal life. See, we are all like Lazarus. We are dead. You say, I'm not dead. Well, I say you're dead because I was dead. All of us are dead. We are dead spiritually, we do not know God. We do not really know the real meaning and purpose of life. We don't really live life the way God wants us to. We are all walking, zombies, working, earning, feeding, enjoying the things of this world, but never really knowing the real purpose and meaning for which you are made and for whom you are made. We are all dead, but not only dead, you are like Lazarus, decaying and decomposed. You are smelly, you are dirty, you are filthy, you are offensive. I am, we all are, we are all sinners. Just look at how the Bible describes a sinner in Romans 3, and you will realize just how repulsive and depraved man is before God. And we are doomed in and of ourselves. We are doomed. We cannot come back to God. We cannot come back to life. But that's why God gave His Son that through Him, we might be delivered from our sins, and through Him, we may have eternal life. How will you decide today? John, I think has done his part. I hope you will do your part to think and to decide for Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Let's bow for word of prayer together. Thank you for listening in and for paying attention to the word of God. My job today is just to tell you what John has said and John has written what he has written because he knows Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and He knows that there is only one way you and I can be reconciled with Him, and that is by believing in Jesus and His name, you may have life. Life. What does it mean? In the Bible it means knowing God and His Son, not just knowing about God, but having that intimate relationship with God and His Son. The Bible describes it as the privilege of being adopted into the family as sons and daughters, that we are no more enemies of God, that we are no more rebels, but we are His children, beloved, blessed and destined to inherit the riches of the glories that are to come. To have life means that we are forgiven of our sins. We are spared that damnation that befalls all sinners. To have life means our giant chasm in the heart is finally filled with the knowledge of God. And God is saying all these things are given to those who will humble themselves and believe in my son. He who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son of God has not life. God so loved you, God so loved this sinful world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. My friends, how will you decide today?

For all my brothers and sisters in Christ on this Resurrection Sunday, let us once again sit at the foot of the cross, behold our Savior crucified, and then sit outside that empty tomb and consider, He who is crucified for us is now risen from the dead. How can we live unto sin any longer? How can we live for ourselves? Why will we not give our lives to follow Jesus and live for the eternal joy that is to come.

I know life is worth the living just because He lives. So Father, thank You for this morning and how we can gather on this beautiful Lord's day to hear Your word. Thank you for the story of Lazarus. But more than that, thank you for this sign that shows us Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and by believing in His name, we may have life. Thank you for letting us have a glimpse, so that we may see not just Lazarus, but Jesus raised from the dead, and not just Jesus raised from the dead, how we will one day also be raised from the dead. What a blessed morning, what a blessed word, what a blessed Savior. Bless each one, may men and women repent and believe in Jesus, your son. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.