Starting at verse 38, we read, Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.
Deeply moved again. So we have to go look back at verse 33. Look at verse 33.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping,
Jesus was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
And that's the first observation I want to point out to you.
The shepherd king who cries out with power, he is deeply moved.
And he is greatly troubled. Deeply moved, strong feeling.
Moved and stirred to anger. It can also be used to say a stern admonishment.
Now this is in Greek, and I want you to picture Alexander the Great,
spreading the Greek culture across the known world.
And his famous horse was Bucephalus.
So in the Greek, this word greatly, I'm sorry, the word deeply moved.
It's also used to describe the snort of a war horse.
Can you picture Alexander the Great on his great war horse?
That word to describe his horse getting ready to charge into battle.
That's the same word used here to describe Jesus facing his enemy.
And he was greatly troubled, verse 33 says.
Now in Daniel chapter 11, verse 30, we told that the Messiah will be greatly troubled.
He will be troubled over the suffering of his people at the hands of their enemy.
And Daniel chapter 11 says he will return and become indignant at the Holy Covenant and take action.
And what will be the great Messiah's action?
He will come back and show regard.
He will show favor for those who forsake his Holy Covenant.
The very ones who forsook his covenant, broke his law, were banished and exiled to Babylon.
He will come back indignant to show them favor and fulfill his Holy Covenant to them.
Brian Voss, a pastor, pointed out that with this language, John is pushing us to see Jesus not as some weak, helpless, sobbing man.
But instead, it's language of war.
Jesus here is the all-powerful, almighty, death-defeating, Satan-conquering, sin-crushing champion of God.
1 Corinthians 15 says in verse 26, the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Jesus has set his sights on death, looking at the grave, the tomb where Lazarus was buried.
This is his father's world, and he's coming back to claim his own.
Jesus sees the wages of sin, which is death, and the death of his good friend Lazarus.
And he has mounted his war horse.
He will bring the free gift of eternal life.
You know, when Jesus cleansed the temple, he was filled with a righteous, holy zeal.
And that same zeal for the holiness of God consumes him here again, his heart, soul, and mind,
to the point that he's deeply moved, greatly troubled, and going on the offensive.
In the context of John chapter 10, we could say that the shepherd king, he sees one of his beloved lambs
in the fangs of the wolf, and it's war.
Before we move on, I want to encourage you, because this very moment, we just sang the song.
Our Lord Jesus, he pleads for you.
He lives to intercede for his people.
And he is deeply moved.
The wrath of God consumes our living Lord.
When we're offended, or when someone hurts our loved ones, our family,
we see the injustice, and we feel that.
That wrath against sin, it burns.
That's who God is.
He will make all things right.
We have this promise in Isaiah 5.16.
The Lord will be exalted.
How?
In judgment.
God will show himself holy in righteousness.
So Christ is not passive.
He watches the world as Lord over all.
His sword is unsheathed, and by his holy covenant, he will save his own.
Behold him.
Second thing I want to point out to you is that our shepherd king, he keeps his promise.
Look at verse 38.
We read that it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
I want to read a cross-reference that I would have not made this connection,
but a pastor named Sam Ranahan pointed this out.
I would just want you to hear this.
You can turn there, if you like, to Nahum,
and I want you to listen to the similarity in language,
and see if there's a biblical theology here.
See what you think.
Turn to Nahum, chapter 2, verse 9, if you like.
The context of this prophet is that Nineveh, the great capital of Assyria,
taking all the northern tribes into exile.
They broke their covenant with the Lord.
He's banishing them from the land.
And in Nahum, chapter 2, verse 9,
he says, Nineveh is like a pool.
In verse 8, all the waters are running away.
That great capital city has become nothing.
Nahum, chapter 2, verse 9,
Plunder the silver.
Plunder the gold.
There is no end of the treasure or the wealth of all the precious things.
Now, the other verse will make it more clear,
but even with this imagery of plundering,
these treasures that are put away.
In the ancient world, when you collect plunder from attacking another kingdom,
where would you hide that plunder?
You would put it in caves.
You'd bury it, or maybe both.
And now look at what he says in verse 12.
Nahum, chapter 2, verse 12.
The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses.
He filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.
What the lion, the enemy of God's people,
has stored away in caves as his loot, as his treasure,
it's in these dark caves buried.
The enemy is destroyed.
Jesus Christ and his kingdom advances.
He will plunder that cave.
He will take out of it the precious treasures
that the enemy has hidden.
They belong to him.
Now look back at John 11 and verse 39.
Jesus said,
Take away the stone.
In verse 40, Jesus said to her,
I told you that if you believed,
you would see the glory of God.
Jesus keeps his promise.
He's referring to what he had told her back in verse 15.
For your sake, he said,
I am glad that I was not there so that you may believe.
See, it was for love that Jesus delayed.
It was for love that he stayed two more days.
And that when he would raise Lazarus from the dead,
he would be in there four days.
It was out of love.
He never for one moment,
one moment would he ever consider not keeping his promise.
Now look at verse 23.
John chapter 11, verse 23.
Jesus said to her,
Your brother will rise again.
In verse 24,
Martha said to him,
I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.
And Jesus said to her,
I am the resurrection and the life.
Jesus told her plainly,
Lazarus is dead.
You know God's promises.
We know many of them.
And maybe you need that simple truth
that the shepherd king keeps his promises.
But he does so on his own divine timetable.
And he does that so that he will be glorified.
And so that you will believe.
And your belief is tied to his glory.
The more your belief and your faith grows,
the more God is glorified.
So yes, he could have been there before Lazarus died.
Or he could have been there on the first day,
the second day,
the third day.
But his time was perfect
to maximize their belief and his glory.
He is the resurrection.
Look at verse 40.
For you see the glory of God.
It's for you to see the glory of God
that he will do this.
Now in John's gospel,
he works with the number seven,
a sign of completeness.
He also says at the end,
the Lord did many more signs.
There aren't even enough books to capture all of them.
But the number seven represents completeness.
And this is the seventh sign.
However, as important as this is,
even for our faith
and our hope in the resurrection one day,
this is not Christ's greatest display of his own glory.
Look to John chapter 17.
Turn just a few pages forward.
He promises here that they will see his glory.
And in John 17,
verse 1,
our Lord Jesus Christ lifted up his eyes to heaven
and he said,
Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify your son that your son may glorify you.
John 17,
he's praying moments before he's carried off
to lay down his life for his sheep.
It will be through the death,
the burial,
the descent to hell,
the resurrection,
and the ascension of Christ
that he will be glorified.
He will be lifted up.
So Jesus was showing them with Lazarus,
one soul.
He was showing them his power over death,
the death of one of his precious lambs on earth.
But he was doing it to prepare his disciples then
and to prepare you and me now as his disciples
to see the power of the lamb of heaven over death.
Mary,
Martha,
Lazarus,
and over 500 other eyewitnesses
saw the glory of Christ on full display
in his glorified body
as he ascended to the right hand of his father.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
So our shepherd king,
he keeps his promise.
And he promises that when you too,
when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
he will be with you.
He will keep you.
And he will comfort you.
Trust him.
The third observation is that our shepherd king,
when he prays,
his prayers are heard.
They happen.
Look at verse 39.
Martha,
the sister of the dead man,
said to him,
Lord,
by this time there will be an odor
for he has been dead four days.
There's a scientist at the U.S. National Lab
that helped me with this.
And you can talk to him afterwards.
Most of you know Brandon.
If you don't,
you need to meet him.
I'm going to read what a scientist wrote here.
In the first 24 to 72 hours
after a person's body dies,
medically is dead.
That's the first day,
the second day,
the third day.
Here's what happens.
And just beware,
this is going to be very gross.
Excess carbon dioxide
creates an acidic environment
causing membranes and cells to rupture.
The membranes release enzymes
that begin eating the cells
from the inside out.
On a cellular level,
that's what's going on.
On days three and four,
those leaked enzymes
from the first stage
begin producing many gases.
Due to the gases,
the human body can double in size,
giving it that bloated look.
It gets worse.
Sulfur-containing compounds
that the bacteria release
also cause skin discoloration.
The microorganisms and bacteria
produce extremely unpleasant
odors called putrefaction.
By day four,
the bacteria inside the stomach
eats up the intestines
and then it begins eating
all the internal organs.
So on the fourth day,
the internal organs
are all decomposed
and the blood-containing foam
leaks from the mouth
and the nose.
And that's why Martha said
in words that only
the new King James
could get just right,
he stinketh.
Every sister has thought
that of her brother
after a sports game,
but she said it
with more good reason.
You see,
what's the problem here?
So a Jewish funeral
lasted seven days
of mourning and grieving.
This procession,
every time they go to the tomb,
they're singing
the saddest dirge
you could write
in Hebrew and minor keys
and they're barefoot,
they're wearing sackcloth,
they have ashes on their head,
they're fasting,
they're wailing and weeping.
And Jesus
is going to recreate life.
Remember how John
introduced our Lord Jesus
in John chapter one?
This is the word of God.
This is God
who was with God
and who is God
and through whom
all things were made
that were made.
This is our Lord Jesus Christ,
the living word of God.
Now look at verse 41.
So they took away the stone.
Jesus lifted up his eyes
and said,
Father,
I thank you
that you have heard me.
See,
Jesus doesn't even ask the Father.
He just thanks him
because he knows,
he knows.
Look at verse 42.
I knew
that you always hear me,
but I said it
that they may believe
that you sent me.
Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong
and perfect plea.
A great high priest
whose name is love,
whoever stands
and pleads for me,
my name,
just like Lazarus
is called by name,
your name.
The shepherd calls his sheep
by name,
and your name
is written
on his hands
and it's written
on his heart.
What a great comfort
we have,
as J.I. Packard put it,
no matter how impossible
the odds seem
like Lazarus'
decaying body,
you and I
will lack
nothing
in this life
that will detract
you
from any
eternal
joy
that we have
promised to us
in sharing
in Christ's
resurrection.
He prays,
he pleads for you,
and his father
always
hears him
because his word
recreates
life.
So believe him.
The fourth thing
I want you to see
starting in verse 43
is that our shepherd
king loudly
cries out.
Verse 43,
when he had said
these things,
he cried out
with a loud voice,
Lazarus,
come out.
John Calvin
makes that connection
that as God's
great champion,
Jesus is storming
the final citadel.
He is confronting
the last great enemy
by the power
of his word.
he cries out.
It's the strongest
verb you could use.
It's used only
eight times
in all of the
New Testament,
six of those
by the same
author here,
John,
and four of those
times
where we're in
the crowd
of sinners
are crying out,
crucify him.
The same word.
While the sinners
were about to cry out,
crucify him,
our Lord Jesus,
the only sinless
one,
he cries out
to bring the dead
to life.
Listen to how
Ezekiel 37
verse 24
describes this
Messiah.
My servant
shall be their
king,
their one shepherd,
their prince forever.
I will make
an everlasting
covenant of peace
with them.
They shall walk
in my rules
and obey me.
They will dwell
in my kingdom
and I will set
my sanctuary
in their midst
forever.
Do you hear that?
My king
will be their shepherd,
their one prince.
It will be his
kingdom where they
rest at peace
and I will set
my sanctuary
where they will
worship me
within his kingdom.
Our shepherd king
cries out
still today.
Turn to Isaiah
with me.
Isaiah chapter 49.
This is one of our
great servant passages.
Isaiah 49.
The context of Isaiah
is a prophecy
about the servant
of God.
The father
promises a
people and a
reward to this
servant.
He will be the
light of the nations
we're told.
His salvation
will extend
to the very
ends of the
earth.
That's who
this servant
is.
Isaiah 49
verses 8
and 9.
Thus says
the Lord,
I will keep
you and give
you as a
covenant to
the people
to establish
the land,
to apportion
the desolate
heritage.
Now listen
to verse 9.
Saying to
the prisoners,
what are the
next two words?
Come out
to those
who are
in darkness
appear.
Now listen,
what happens
when he calls
them out
of darkness
and says,
come out.
They shall
feed along
the ways
and on all
the bare
heights
shall be
their pasture.
The powerful
king attacks
the enemy.
He calls
them out
and then he
feeds them
on green
pastures.
He is the
shepherd king.
Now,
when Lazarus
dies,
his soul
left his
body.
And this
was before
Christ himself
had died
and descended
to hell.
And the
scriptures are
not as clear
as regarding
the believers
in the old
covenant,
the old
testament.
We do know
his soul
would have
been in a
place of
care and
comfort.
The focus
though on
John,
you notice
it's not
on Lazarus
at all.
Other accounts
say like
when God
did a
miracle,
here's what
this person
did next.
There's
nothing about
Lazarus.
The focus
is on
the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
Out of
that dark
cave
appeared,
look at
verse 44
back in
John 11,
appeared the
man who
had died.
He came
out.
Why did
he come
out?
Because
Jesus is
the good
shepherd and
his sheep
hear his
voice and
follow him.
Matthew
Henry pointed
out it's
a good
thing that
Jesus
commanded
Lazarus
by name
to come
out because
otherwise all
the dead
would have
come out
from the
grave.
All the
dead would
have come
forth because
there is
such power
in the
voice of
Jesus,
the great
shepherd king
who is
Jesus to
you.
To
Lazarus,
he was
the shepherd
king that
he could
not deny.
How could
he not
obey?
He's the
one,
the one who
calls,
the one
who recreates
and when
he calls
you obey,
you follow
his voice.
Hear him.
well, the
fifth observation,
our last
verses here is
that our
shepherd king,
he unbinds,
he unbinds and
calls you to
life when he
raises you from
the dead.
Look at verse
44.
Lazarus came
out, but
his hands and
feet were
bound with
linen strips
and his
face was
wrapped with
a cloth and
Jesus said,
unbind him.
Now notice the
next words,
these are
familiar,
let him
go.
The enemy
of our soul
is not a
man, it's
not a
nation, it's
not an
ideology or a
political party,
the enemy of
your soul is
what leads you
to death,
it's sin,
it's Satan,
it's worldliness
that tempts
your flesh,
and it's wolves
that want to
peel away God's
lambs to
devour.
And to God's
enemy, he
says, let
him go.
In Exodus
chapter 8,
verse 1,
thus says the
Lord to
Pharaoh, let
my people go.
Why?
That they may
serve me.
When Jesus
summons
Lazarus
commanding
death to
unbind one
of his
sheep and
let it
go, he's
saying sin
that leads
to death
has no
longer a
claim on
those who
belong to
the good
shepherd.
Brian Voss
again pointed
out Jesus
summons death
to come
forth and
bind him,
tie him
up in
order to
unbind
his sheep.
There's no
other way for
his sheep to
be spiritually
unbound from
the curse
of sin
unless Christ
himself be
bound in
their place.
Jesus summons
death to
bind him so
that you and
I will forever
be unbound.
We've been let
go.
We are not
prisoners of
sin and
Satan.
He commanded
death to
claim him,
take my life
so that my
sheep can live
and have life
forever.
Unbind him
and let him
go.
Release my
prisoner.
Psalm 107
verse 16
says that he
shatters the
doors of
bronze and
cuts into the
bars of
iron.
It could be
that God has
brought you
here in his
providence to
hear this
truth that if
you are
entangled in
sins of the
flesh but you
have heard your
shepherd's voice
just as powerful
as his word is
to recreate
Lazarus'
physical body,
it's just that
powerful to
recreate your
life in
Christ.
You are not
bound to
sin.
He says,
let them go,
they belong to
me and in
me they have
life and it's
a life that
is abundant.
Romans 8
21, we have
this promise that
there will be a
great day when
the creation
itself will be
set free from
its bondage to
corruption and
obtain the
freedom of the
glory of the
children of God.
What will that
day be like?
How can we
even picture our
risen Lord and
his glorified
body?
Well, listen to
the description of
this same author,
John, in
Revelation chapter
1, verse 10.
He's bearing
witness as an
eyewitness again.
I, John, was in
the spirit on the
Lord's day and I
heard behind me a
loud voice like a
trumpet.
In Revelation 1,
verse 15, he
says, his voice was
like the roar of
many waters.
When I saw him, I
fell at his feet as
though dead.
But he laid his
right hand on me
saying, fear not, I
am the first and
the last and the
living one.
I died and behold, I
am alive forevermore.
And I have the keys
to death in Hades.
When a soldier hears the
bugle sound at the
crack of dawn, he
gets up early, falls in
line, and is prepared
for war.
When Christ's own, hear
his powerful voice of
the shepherd king, we
obey.
I want to wrap this
up by simply letting
you know that this
same shepherd king
from John 11, he
cries out loudly to
you.
And he says, I came
to seek and save the
lost.
Luke 19, whoever
believes in me has
eternal life.
Whoever does not
obey me will not
see life, but the
wrath of God remains
on him.
John 3, I am the
shepherd king, my
sheep, hear my good
voice and follow me.
So if you hear him
today, he's crying out
your name, follow him.
Obey his call on your
life.
We believe that there
are still some trapped
inside the gates of
hell right here where
God has planted our
congregations.
And when they hear the
gospel, they will
believe.
They will go to King
Jesus and they will
follow him.
And his promise is
that my blood cleanses
you from all sin.
First John 1, Jesus
said, look unto me and
be saved.
Who?
All the ends of the
earth for I am God
and there is none
else.
Isaiah 45, 22.
Because Christ lives,
the promise to you
and to me is this,
that Isaiah 26, 19.
Each one of us here has
probably lost a loved
one, but listen to this
promise.
Just like Lazarus, your
dead shall live.
Their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the
dust, praise and sing for
joy for your due is a
due of light and the
earth will give birth to
the dead.
God, the good shepherd
does not leave a single
one of his lambs lost.
He goes and finds you
and he brings you back
to him and no one can
snatch you out of his
hands because he has
destroyed death by his
own death and resurrection
and he has conquered the
grave.
He has risen.
And our King Jesus, our
great shepherd King, he
lives.
Behold him, trust him,
believe him, hear him,
obey him.
Let's pray.
From Isaiah 25, verse 8.
O Lord, you swallowed up
death forever.
You, O Lord, you promised
that you will wipe away the
tears from all the faces of
your people.
Cause us to trust in you, our
everlasting rock, our Lord,
our God, today and forever
more.
May you be glorified in all
the earth for Christ's sake.
Thank you for Jesus.
Thank you for how he rules
over his church by his
spirit.
And may the spirit bear the
fruit of your eternal kingdom
in our lives more and more
each day until you come back.
And please come quickly,
Lord Jesus, we ask.
Amen.