3-22-26 Are You Lazarus?

About this episode

Pastor Matt explores the story of Lazarus's resurrection, emphasizing the importance of community and the expression of faith through questioning God.

Text: John 11:1-45 Series: Together By Grace Have you ever felt like God was absent when you needed Him most? In a powerful exploration of John 11, Pastor Matt delves into the story of Lazarus's resurrection, revealing it as the culminating miracle among seven signs in John's Gospel. Through the raw emotions of Martha and Mary—their grief, frustration, and even anger at Jesus's delayed arrival—we discover that questioning God can actually be an expression of deep faith. Pastor Matt illuminates how Jesus, despite knowing He would raise Lazarus, still wept with the mourners, demonstrating a God who doesn't stand distant from our pain but enters fully into it. The sermon reaches its crescendo with the parallel between God's creative word in Genesis and Jesus's life-giving command, "Lazarus, come out!" But perhaps most striking is the communal aspect of restoration—Jesus instructing others to unbind Lazarus, showing that our spiritual renewal is intimately connected to community. As the church, we are drawn together by the Holy Spirit not just for individual transformation, but to participate in each other's journey from death to new life.

Topics covered

• Lazarus
• resurrection
• faith
• grief
• community
• spiritual renewal

Keywords

• John 11
• Together By Grace
• Martha
• Mary
• Jesus
• Holy Spirit

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: John 11, Genesis

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