First Southern Baptist Church

I wonder have many people have been…

Saved by the Bell

but not from Hell

Saved from meth

but not from God’s wrath

Saved from being sad

but not from being bad

Saved from being ugly

but not from being ungodly

Saved from addiction

but not by God’s conviction

Saved from a flood

but not by His blood

Saved from tragic loss

but not by the cross

Saved by the seat belt

but not by the wounds He felt

Saved from being bored

but not from God’s sword

Saved from what you’ve been

but not from sin

Saved from loneliness

but not for holiness

Saved for an hour

but not by the gospel’s power

Why do I want to take the Lazarus resurrection and apply it to being saved?

1. Because it is a great picture of what happens to us at conversion.

2. Because one reason Jesus did it was to bring about salvation in others. 11:45

3. Because Lazarus being saved from death was surely meant to be are reflection of saving from death and hell.

4. Because many things that happen physically are pictures of things that happen spiritually.

• Jesus used physical things to teaches us about the spiritual side. John 3 (born again),

• Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and physical action Christ commanded to remind us something spiritual.

• Marriage is meant to be a physical picture of our spiritual relationship to our Savior.

Lazarus was dead and before salvation we are spiritually dead.

Why does the Bible use the word “death” to describe us before salvation? Eph. 2

• Because there is something about death that is a picture of who we are before being saved by God.

 Just as dead people do not have breath, unsaved people do not have the spirit.

• The word spirit in the OT and NT means breath. Unsaved people do not have the Holy breath of God breathed into them. And therefore they are spiritually dead.

• Because they are not alive spiritually they do not understand spiritual things accurately.

We are SAVED by power of Jesus’ words

There are three commands that Jesus gave to bring Lazarus to life.  The dead are hopeless w/o Jesus’ command.

1. Jesus’ words remove the barrier to life. 39 “Take away the stone.”

• In the natural realm it is impossible to bring to life someone who has been dead four days. The mummy returns is the kind of thing that only happens in the movies, but Jesus made the original mummy return.

• The stone was in the way of Lazarus coming out of the tomb, so Jesus had it removed.

• There are things that hinder our salvation, but nothing that Jesus cannot remove.

• There are barriers of reason that can keeps us in the darkness of spiritual death.

• There are barriers of circumstances, but Jesus can remove all barriers

2. Jesus’ words command life. 43 “Lazarus, come out”

• Jesus did not say, “You are free to come out if you want to.” He commanded Lazarus to come out.

• On the outside a person my plead with another to be leave their sin behind and by saved and they may think about it and decide not to. On the inside every times someone is truly saved it is because Jesus commands it and they awake from their deadness and come out.

• I wish we had Lazarus’ perspective on this. I wonder how he would have retold the story.

• He might have told it this way, “I was in that cave and the first thing I remember is hearing the words ‘Lazarus, Come out,’ so I did. I didn’t know I there was any other option. I responded by coming out, because I was alive. If I had still been dead I would not have heard the word and I would not have responded. Jesus made be alive and I responded.”

3. Jesus’ words remove the chains of death. 44 “Unbind him, and let him go.”

• Lazarus was alive. He was out of the darkness, but he was still wrapped up and constrained by his death clothes. So Jesus took care of that problem as well.

• Some people have been saved, but they are still wrapped up like a dead mummy. Sin is still pulling on them. They are alive in a coffin.

• Some one might say, “If they’re saved what difference does it make?”

• Jesus never saved anyone so that they could only go to heaven when they die.

• He saved us by his death so we could live for him. Eph. 2:10 good works.

• If you’re saved, you are saved for God’s sake not simply your own. If your life is characterized as a whole by sin. You need to repent right now. You need to turn to Jesus and seek his forgiveness, stop living in sin! Come to Jesus he commands it. If you are not responding to his voice it is because you are still dead. You are not saved. You are lost. You are going to face the judgment of God. You need to come to Jesus. You say yes, I live this way but I believe in Jesus. No, you believe that your sin will make you happier than Jesus. You believe that your sin is better than Jesus. If you really believed in Jesus you would stop that sin and showing that you are alive.