WEBVTT 00:01.000 --> 00:02.000 In the name of the Lord. 00:02.000 --> 00:05.200 Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life. 00:05.700 --> 00:06.200 Amen. 00:08.700 --> 00:15.500 So as we see today is a special day of commemoration. Commemoration 00:16.500 --> 00:24.600 our order says here of Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. These three 00:24.600 --> 00:31.500 friends of Jesus, and the narrative that involves, all three of them 00:31.500 --> 00:33.200 has just been read for us 00:33.200 --> 00:35.600 from John Chapter 11. 00:37.400 --> 00:44.200 The account begins in verse 1 by identifying these characters, these 00:44.200 --> 00:51.100 friends of Jesus. Now a certain man was ill Lazarus of Bethany, the 00:51.100 --> 00:55.200 village of Mary and his sister Martha. 00:56.800 --> 01:04.500 So the sisters sent to Jesus saying Lord he whom you love is ill now, 01:04.500 --> 01:09.200 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 01:11.000 --> 01:15.900 So it clearly indicates here that there is a special relationship of 01:15.900 --> 01:18.400 affection between Jesus 01:18.400 --> 01:22.800 and these three siblings, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. 01:24.700 --> 01:29.000 And so Jesus is summoned when Lazarus is ill. 01:30.400 --> 01:38.300 But Lazarus dies before Jesus arrives. And when he does arrive, both 01:38.500 --> 01:43.900 Martha and Mary, who this text indicates, have different 01:43.900 --> 01:44.900 personalities. 01:44.900 --> 01:49.500 And we know that from other passages of scripture as well, but they 01:49.500 --> 01:57.000 share together in the same statement individually asking him or saying 01:57.000 --> 01:57.700 to him. 01:58.100 --> 02:00.000 Lord if only you had 02:00.200 --> 02:03.700 been here, our brother would not have died. 02:05.300 --> 02:10.000 If only you had not delayed. 02:11.600 --> 02:16.400 If only you would have arrived earlier, our brother wouldn't have 02:16.400 --> 02:17.100 died. 02:18.700 --> 02:27.900 Now in that statement, if only there is a sense of disappointment even 02:27.900 --> 02:33.100 questioning why why did you delay? 02:34.500 --> 02:39.000 If you wouldn't have delayed, you could have healed him and he 02:39.000 --> 02:40.300 wouldn't have died. 02:42.100 --> 02:43.700 It's a very valid question. 02:44.300 --> 02:46.000 Why the delay? 02:47.800 --> 02:53.100 Well, in one sense we could say Jesus could have delayed 02:54.400 --> 02:59.900 because of the other option, the other option would be for him to 03:00.000 --> 03:04.700 arrive in time to heal Lazarus of his illness. 03:05.800 --> 03:06.900 But what is healing? 03:07.900 --> 03:11.000 Healing itself is just a delay. 03:12.000 --> 03:17.500 It's a delay of death, you just putting off death to a later date. 03:19.100 --> 03:25.000 Even today with our medical advances of the wonder drugs and various 03:25.100 --> 03:26.800 medical procedures. 03:27.100 --> 03:32.800 Wonderful as they are, it's simply delaying death. 03:33.900 --> 03:39.500 So we have drugs like insulin that delayed death from diabetes or 03:39.700 --> 03:45.200 chemotherapy that delays death from cancer or lipids that delayed 03:45.200 --> 03:48.700 death from heart disease. Or then there's 03:48.900 --> 03:53.000 surgeries like heart bypass surgery that delays death from heart 03:53.000 --> 03:58.400 disease or removal of a tumor that delays death from cancer. 04:00.000 --> 04:01.600 Now don't get me wrong, 04:02.500 --> 04:07.800 I am thankful for those kinds of medications and medical procedures. 04:08.900 --> 04:16.000 And those who carry out these Healthcare professions do so, as filling 04:16.100 --> 04:18.000 noble vocations. 04:19.600 --> 04:24.500 The advances in medical science are a gift from God. 04:26.000 --> 04:26.600 Yet. 04:28.200 --> 04:33.300 All they do is delay, death, ultimately. 04:34.800 --> 04:37.900 Months years decades. 04:39.400 --> 04:48.000 But inevitably for sinful mortals, and we are called mortals for a 04:48.000 --> 04:48.600 reason. 04:49.300 --> 04:51.400 We inevitably die. 04:52.700 --> 04:57.900 It's simply delaying death. As George Bernard 04:57.900 --> 05:02.700 Shaw, has put it the statistics on death are quite impressive. 05:03.200 --> 05:06.000 One out of one people die. 05:08.800 --> 05:11.200 Which brings us then back to that question. 05:11.800 --> 05:18.900 Why? Why did Jesus delay his arrival in Bethany? 05:20.400 --> 05:23.300 Well, our text gives us the answer. 05:24.400 --> 05:25.500 Jesus himself 05:25.500 --> 05:29.200 gives us the answer, it's in verse 4. 05:29.900 --> 05:35.000 He says this illness is for the glory of God. 05:35.700 --> 05:39.600 That the Son of God may be glorified through it. 05:42.000 --> 05:43.800 It's for God's glory. 05:45.200 --> 05:51.300 What will transpire relating to this illness and to bring glory to the 05:51.300 --> 05:52.500 Son of God. 05:53.400 --> 05:58.500 And of course, that's what happens because the delay 06:00.000 --> 06:10.100 displays who Jesus is. It displays that he is the Lord over death. That 06:10.100 --> 06:17.900 he is the Lord of life. That he is the one who has dominion over death. 06:19.600 --> 06:21.700 And so we heard the narrative. 06:21.700 --> 06:23.500 Very dramatic story. 06:24.400 --> 06:27.800 Jesus arrives in Bethany 06:28.000 --> 06:30.900 Lazarus has been dead for four days. 06:32.400 --> 06:41.100 He's encountered by Martha and Mary, he goes to the tomb, he observes 06:41.100 --> 06:48.100 all the mourners and he joins in weeping with them sorrowing over the 06:48.100 --> 06:51.000 reality of death in this world. 06:52.200 --> 06:57.600 And then he directs that this tombstone be removed. 06:58.800 --> 07:03.900 Martha always the Practical, one pragmatic one says no no no, it'll 07:03.900 --> 07:06.000 stink, he's been there four days. 07:06.200 --> 07:09.300 It'll stink the stone is moved. 07:10.400 --> 07:14.100 And Jesus, then offers up a prayer to his Father 07:15.600 --> 07:20.400 and declares Lazarus, come forth. 07:24.600 --> 07:27.400 And in the shadow of the tomb 07:28.500 --> 07:30.900 we see a figure emerge. 07:32.100 --> 07:34.100 The man wrapped in linen. 07:35.900 --> 07:38.400 He has been brought back to life. 07:39.200 --> 07:41.900 He is revivified. 07:43.000 --> 07:43.900 Amazing. 07:44.900 --> 07:46.100 Wonderful. 07:48.600 --> 07:49.200 Yet. 07:51.400 --> 07:52.100 Yet. 07:54.000 --> 07:56.600 Lazarus will die again. 07:57.800 --> 08:03.700 So even this raising of Lazarus is just a delaying of his ultimate 08:03.700 --> 08:04.300 death. 08:05.600 --> 08:06.800 He still bears 08:06.800 --> 08:08.300 corruptible flesh. 08:09.200 --> 08:10.700 He's still a sinner. 08:11.400 --> 08:13.300 He's still mortal. 08:15.700 --> 08:21.200 So what's the ultimate solution that just doesn't delay death, but 08:21.200 --> 08:23.100 destroys death? 08:25.100 --> 08:27.500 That comes chapters later 08:27.500 --> 08:32.500 in John's gospel towards the end of the Gospel narrative. 08:33.600 --> 08:36.299 And that's where there is another death. 08:37.500 --> 08:39.400 And another Resurrection. 08:40.799 --> 08:45.400 In this case, the death of Jesus Christ himself. 08:46.200 --> 08:53.000 But this is unique, this is unparalleled and unprecedented because 08:53.000 --> 08:57.600 this is a death of someone who doesn't deserve to die. 08:59.100 --> 08:59.500 This is someone 09:00.400 --> 09:06.500 who is sinless and as the scriptures declare, the wages of sin is 09:06.500 --> 09:07.100 death. 09:07.400 --> 09:11.200 Jesus doesn't have to pay that wage of death. 09:12.400 --> 09:13.300 But he does. 09:15.000 --> 09:15.600 Why? 09:17.100 --> 09:20.100 Hebrews tells us, he tested death. 09:20.100 --> 09:23.000 He tasted death for everyone. 09:24.500 --> 09:32.400 As the substitute, he tastes death for you and me, sinners mortals. 09:32.700 --> 09:36.600 Those deserving death as our substitute. 09:38.800 --> 09:45.200 But of course, on the third day, he burst forth out of that age old 09:45.200 --> 09:55.700 tomb of the dead alive glorified in a glorified incorruptible body, 09:56.500 --> 09:59.300 one that would never die again. 10:00.800 --> 10:05.600 Paul says in Romans chapter 6, we know that Christ being raised from 10:05.600 --> 10:08.800 the dead will never die again. 10:09.600 --> 10:13.700 Death, no longer has dominion over him. 10:15.200 --> 10:18.500 This is the resurrection 10:19.500 --> 10:24.200 that truly gains dominion over death. 10:25.300 --> 10:31.300 Because death no longer has dominion on this one who has been raised 10:31.300 --> 10:32.200 from the dead, 10:34.100 --> 10:39.300 This is not simply now, putting off death, kicking the can down the 10:39.300 --> 10:41.100 road for a later date. 10:42.100 --> 10:50.500 This is ending death, the demise of death, the destruction of death. 10:52.300 --> 10:58.000 As we were waiting for this service this morning, the musician was 10:58.000 --> 11:03.800 playing "Christ the Life of All the Living Christ, the Death of Death, 11:03.800 --> 11:04.800 our Foe." 11:06.000 --> 11:12.800 And indeed, in his resurrection he is the death of death our foe. 11:14.000 --> 11:16.000 But it is the death of death 11:16.100 --> 11:20.500 our foe. IIt's not just his resurrection. 11:21.200 --> 11:25.300 Now, he joins us in that resurrection. 11:25.300 --> 11:32.100 And in that Resurrection, Hope just as he promised Martha, I am the 11:32.100 --> 11:37.600 resurrection and the life, but whoever believes in me, even though 11:37.600 --> 11:43.700 they die, even though there will be that day of death, yet 11:43.900 --> 11:49.000 shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never 11:49.700 --> 11:51.500 ultimately die, 11:51.800 --> 11:53.700 die for eternity. 11:55.200 --> 11:59.700 That is the promise he makes for you as you are united with him. 12:00.000 --> 12:06.700 Who is the resurrection and the life. United in baptism and faith. 12:07.700 --> 12:12.300 You now share in that victory over death 12:13.100 --> 12:18.800 so that his dominion over death become yours as well. 12:20.500 --> 12:27.600 And so, with the Apostle Paul, we can declare with great joy and 12:27.600 --> 12:30.000 triumphal confidence. 12:31.100 --> 12:37.700 Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus 12:37.800 --> 12:38.700 Christ. 12:41.600 --> 12:42.100 Amen. 12:45.300 --> 12:51.700 And now we join in singing the song of his triumph over death for us.