This article is based on Pastor Adrian Rogers' message, Jesus is God's Answer to Man's Death.
Jesus’ miracles in the Gospels are literal, actual miracles. They are miracles of glory that have in them messages of grace.
Consider John 11, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. What is message in this miracle? That Jesus is the answer to death.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:25).
If you want the full, abundant life Jesus came to give, here are some things you must have.
Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14).
There might have been wonderful things you could say about Lazarus. He might have had a full set of hair and a nice suit and been surrounded by many friends, lying on a nice couch—but no matter how many things might have been right about him, there was one thing that was very wrong: he was dead.
You might be thinking of all the wonderful things about you. But if you don’t know the Lord Jesus—if you are dead in sin—what do those things matter? “She who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives” (1 Timothy 5:6).
And there are yet other people that we call dead, who are not dead at all. You say, “My mama and daddy are dead.” Not if they knew Jesus.
Their bodies may have ceased to function. But the Bible calls our bodies “an earthly house.” (See 2 Corinthians 5:1.) Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26).
So many people think they have life, but Jesus says they are dead. But when you know Christ, you never really die, because you have eternal life.
Sociologists say people just need examples, encouragement, environment, and education. But those things will not raise a dead man.
Salvation does not come by learning lessons from the life of Christ, but by receiving life from the death of Christ.
Watch how Jesus raises Lazarus. It is very simple and sweet.
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43).
The Word of God is quick and powerful. Quick means alive, and energizing. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
So how do you raise a dead man spiritually? The same way that Jesus did: by His Word. That is why we are to be “holding fast the word of life.” (See Philippians 2:16.)
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44).
Imagine that scene. Jesus says, “Roll away the stone.” Every eye is fixed on that gaping hole. Then Jesus commands, “Lazarus, come out!” A figure appears in the door of that tomb—wrapped around and around.
He has life but he doesn’t have liberty. Lazarus is bound, blind, gagged. He cannot walk, he cannot speak, he cannot see. Yet, he has life.
Lazarus, at this stage, is like so many Christians. They have been truly saved, but they are not living in Christian liberty. Lazarus was raised, but the stench of death was still on him. Those grave clothes were relics of his old life. Our Lord says, “Take that off of him.”
Jesus did not just simply come to give you life. He came to give you abundant life. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free….Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:32,36). So many of us are still wearing the grave clothes of the old life—the old lusts, the old lies, are still there. But Jesus says, “Set him free.”
That is the reason we need the Church. The ministry of the Church is 1) to call forth the dead, and 2) to unwrap the saints—to give them liberty.
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him (John 12:1-2).
Lazarus has gone from the tomb to the table. No more grave clothes. He is face to face with Jesus.
Wouldn’t you love to have fellowship with Jesus? You can. That is what we have every time we come to the Lord’s Table—a meal with Jesus Christ. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
It is our legacy to fellowship with one another, and to fellowship with and love Jesus. Salvation is not a penalty that you pay in order to get to Heaven. You should want to be a Christian even if there were no Heaven—just to know Jesus in this life, to be loved by Jesus, and to love Him back.
Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead (John 12:9).
Here is Lazarus with his new life in Christ, and his Christian liberty, and his love for Jesus, and now he is expressing loyalty to Jesus. He is a testimony for Jesus, dangerous to Satan’s kingdom. People are coming to Jesus and being saved, receiving eternal life.
But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus (John 12:10-11).
The Pharisees were saying, “We’ve got to do something about Lazarus. Shut him up. Kill him.”
Talk about a joke! Do you think death held any more terror for Lazarus? Do you think he was at all intimidated that they might put him to death?
Satan is the minister of fear, and the Bible says he keeps people in bondage through the fear of death. (See Hebrews 2:15.) Lazarus is no longer afraid of death. He knows now that he has the Lord of Life. They may destroy his body, but all they will do is hasten him on to Heaven.
When we are no longer afraid to die, then we live as this man Lazarus lived—because of Christ our hope in life and death. When we have life and liberty and love and fellowship and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are experiencing the life Jesus was talking about when He said:
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
John 6:63, 8:32,36, 10:10, 11:14,25-26,43-44, 12:1-2,9-11; 1 Timothy 5:6; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 2:16; Revelation 3:20; Hebrews 2:15
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…(Deuteronomy 30:19-20a).
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:27-28).
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
