071 Easter: The Last Word

If there was ever a prophet of hope in the OT, it was Isaiah. And yet he recognized that, as a diamond is best displayed on a black background, hope is best seen in the midst of despair.  

The voice said, “Cry out!”
 And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All flesh is grass,
 And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
 The grass withers, the flower fades…         

But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:6-8

Even in the darkest of situations…even in the very presence of death itself …God has the last word. 

I want us to look at an illustration of this in John 11. it involves Jesus and a good friend of his, Lazarus. 

One day Lazarus got sick - so sick his sisters, Mary and Martha, knew he was dying. Their only hope was their dear friend…Jesus. They knew He could heal people. They’d seen Him do it. Surely He could heal Lazarus! 

So, they sent a message. “The one you love is sick.” But rather than drop everything and come immediately, Jesus stayed where He was…for 2 more days. When Jesus and his disciples finally made their way to Bethany, they were greeted by a grieving, angry Martha who told them that her brother was dead and buried.

But Jesus replied with a remarkable statement: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn.11:25-26)

Jesus was using the name God gave Himself when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush: I AM. It speaks of God’s eternity and His sovereignty. He is over all things. 

Then He asks Martha a question: “Do you believe this?” 

How about you? Do YOU believe this?

As for Martha, the answer is yes. She has seen enough. The evidence that Jesus is indeed “I Am” in the flesh is beyond reasonable doubt.  

Then Jesus encounters Martha’s grief-stricken sister, Mary, and His response is completely different. He wept.

Why? He knows that Lazarus is going to be okay. Why does grief come pouring out of Him like this?  

Jesus, in a wonderful snapshot of His compassion, wept because of His friends’ hurt.  He wept for their pain and their suffering.  Don’t ever wonder if Jesus is indifferent to your pain.  He cares!

Jesus then asked to be shown to the tomb and to have the stone rolled away. Martha protested because, after 4 days, the body would have begun to decompose…and with is a terrible stench.

Then with a loud voice, Jesus cried out, “Lazarus, come forth!” And to everyone’s amazement, Lazarus walked out of that tomb! 

Friends, I don’t know what you’re facing, but remember this. God has the last word. You may feel like your marriage is over, your health is hopeless, your finances are finished. But hold on to hope, for God has the last word.

Text: John 11

Originally recorded April 18, 2014, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.