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Scripture Reading: John 11:1, 3-8, 11-17, 20-29, 32-44; 5:24-25; Eph. 2:1-5
John 11:1, 3-8, 11-17, 20-29, and 32-44 say, “Now there was a certain man who was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha...The sisters therefore sent to Him saying, Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. But when Jesus heard it, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When therefore He heard that he was sick, He remained at that time in the place where He was for two days. Then after this He said to the disciples, Let us go into Judea again. The disciples said to Him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?...He said these things, and after this He said to them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going that I may wake him out of sleep. The disciples then said to Him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. But Jesus had spoken about his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. So Jesus then told them plainly, Lazarus has died. And I rejoice for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him. Then Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him. Then when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days...Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary sat in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You. Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha said to Him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live; and everyone who lives and believes into Me shall by no means die forever. Do you believe this? She said to Him, Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, He who comes into the world. And when she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Teacher is here and is calling you. And she, when she heard this, rose quickly and came to Him...Then Mary, when she came to where Jesus was, saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Then Jesus, when He saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, was moved with indignation in His spirit and was troubled, and He said, Where have you put him? They said to Him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. The Jews then said, Behold how He loved him! But some of them said, Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also have caused that this man would not die? Jesus therefore, moved with indignation again in Himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him who was deceased, said to Him, Lord, by now he smells, for it is the fourth day that he is there. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? Then they took the stone away. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the crowd standing around, I said it, that they may believe that You have sent Me. And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! And he who had died came out, bound hand and foot with cloths, and his face was bound about with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, Loose him and let him go.”
John 5:24-25 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
Ephesians 2:1-5 says, “You, though dead in your offenses and sins, in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit which is now operating in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all conducted ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest; but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”
John 11 presents the eighth and last kind of people whom the Lord Jesus contacted — the dead. In principle, every person whom the Lord saves is dead. Furthermore, the Lord’s salvation raises people out of death. The first case in the Gospel of John reveals that the Lord Jesus regenerates people. The eighth case reveals that the Lord raises people out of death. The eight kinds of people in the Gospel of John portray eight conditions of an individual person. Although these eight kinds of people seem to be separate cases, they reveal the Lord’s full salvation in every person. The beginning of the Lord’s salvation involves regenerating man, and the issue of the Lord’s salvation involves raising him out of death. Regeneration is the Lord’s life entering into man, and resurrection is the issue of the Lord’s life entering into man. At the beginning of the Lord’s salvation, every believer is regenerated. As the issue of the Lord’s salvation, every believer passes out of death into life; that is, every believer is resurrected. The Gospel of John presents the Lord’s salvation by showing that the Lord’s life enters into man to regenerate man and then raises man out of death.
After someone is regenerated and enlivened with the Lord’s life, there will be several spontaneous issues. Initially, his human life becomes meaningful, and he is satisfied. This is portrayed in the record of the Samaritan woman’s thirst being quenched by the living water in John 4. Then his weakness is turned into strength. This is seen in the case of the impotent man being strengthened in John 5. Next, he enjoys the Lord as the bread of life and the living water of life to be his life supply. This is seen in the cases of the hungry and the thirsty ones in John 6 and 7. Further, he is delivered from his sins. This is seen in the salvation of the sinful woman in John 8. Moreover, his inward eyes are opened, and he is able to see. This is seen in the case of the blind man receiving sight in John 9. Finally, he is delivered out of death. This is seen with Lazarus being raised out of death in John 11. The issues of the eight combined cases form the full issue of the Lord’s salvation. The full issue of the Lord’s salvation is to raise man out of death. Salvation is altogether a matter of life; it is not a matter of improving one’s behavior.
Now we will consider how the life of the Lord Jesus meets the need of the dead. Everyone whom the Lord saves is initially dead. Hence, in John 11 a dead person is chosen to represent man before the Lord. Every person needs to realize that he is a sinner and that he is dead. In the book of Romans man needs salvation because he is a sinner. In the book of Ephesians man needs salvation because he is dead. Although we are alive, the Bible says that we are dead. Let us consider some practical situations to prove this point.
According to John 11, the first characteristic of a dead person is the presence of death itself. Lazarus was a dead man (v. 14). There are three aspects related to death. The first aspect is the loss of function. For example, if I am blind, my eyes are dead; if I am deaf, my ears are dead. I may have eyes and ears, but they are dead because they have lost their function. A person is dead when his functions stop. From the physical point of view, man is living. However, from the spiritual point of view, man is dead because he has completely lost his spiritual function before God.
Ephesians 2 says that we were dead in our offenses and sins (v. 1). Remaining in offenses and sins proves that we are dead. We all know that we should not live in offenses and sins, but we cannot come out of our sins, because we are dead and do not have any function. If someone falls into a mud pit, he will be able to come out of the pit if his legs are living and functional. But if his legs are withered and functionless, he will not be able to come out of the pit even though he wants to come out. If his legs have lost their function, they are dead. Similarly, electricity is “alive” when it passes through a light bulb and shines light. If the filament in the bulb is broken, however, electricity will not be able to pass through it, and the light bulb will not be able to give light. When the light bulb loses its function, it is “dead.”
This also applies to man. Man was created for God, to know God, contact God, fellowship with God, and have a relationship with God. Furthermore, man should pass through God and allow God to pass through him in order to express God. However, man does not know God, contact God, fellowship with God, have a relationship with God, or express God. Instead, man commits sins and does evil. Man cannot do what he should do and cannot free himself from the bondage of what he should not do. Man has lost his function before God. This proves that man is dead.
The second aspect of death is the loss of feeling. Every living part in my body has feeling. If a part of my body dies and withers, it loses all feeling. Likewise, man has lost his feeling concerning sin because he is dead in sins. A person may be well-dressed and well-mannered, but he may not have any feeling concerning his sins. I once met a very well-mannered and highly educated man with a respectable family. However, he used filthy and dirty words that were unbearable to hear. He had no feeling concerning these words. His words were as filthy as sewage water. A living person would never drink sewage water. But a dead person has no feeling concerning the presence of sewage water in his mouth. The words that come out of our mouth are an indication of whether we are living or dead.
Some high-class people in society like to watch dramas. A whole family may watch a drama together. When they see the worst scene, the father claps, the mother claps, and even the children clap. These people are dead because they have no feeling.
The third aspect of death is impotence. From the Lord’s perspective, the impotent man who had been sick for thirty-eight years was dead. Weakness is the precursor of death, and death is the source of weakness. It is as natural for people to sin as it is for water to flow downstream. However, pleasing God is as hard as ascending to heaven. Impotence proves that man is dead.
Nearly everything that people do today shows that they are impotent. Whose behavior matches their intentions? Who wants to be entangled by their addictions or ensnared by their sins? Who desires to do immoral things? People do evil things against their will, and they do improper things against their reason. Some people desire to honor their parents but instead disobey their parents. Some people make up their minds to drop their addictions but instead are defiled by sins. Some people determine to do good but instead do evil. People know that they should not violate the law, but they end up in prison. These situations prove that man is impotent, powerless. Who can do good simply because they desire to do good? Who can eliminate their addictions based on their will alone? Who can determine to conduct themselves properly based on their determination alone? Who can refrain from doing what they know they should not do? Man is impotent because man is dead; the factor of death is in him. Man’s impotence proves that he is in death and is dead.
Ephesians 2:1 through 5 presents three conditions in relation to man’s being dead in sins. The first condition is walking according to the age, the customs, of this world. The second condition is obeying the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that is now operating in the sons of disobedience, that is, the devil. The third condition is indulging in the lusts of the flesh, that is, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts. When man is dead in sins, he is so impotent that he cannot resist the customs of the world, he cannot overcome the devil, and he cannot subdue the flesh. Man is impotent because man is dead.
The influence of the customs of the world may be likened to wind blowing fallen leaves. People are unable to resist the customs of the world, just as fallen leaves are unable to resist the wind. They are always being blown about by the wind. Fallen leaves are unable to resist the wind because they are dead leaves. Likewise, people are unable to resist the customs of the world because they are dead. Many promising young people resolve to not be blown about or be defiled by evil customs. They are determined to be pillars who stand against the downward current. However, when they step into society, they cannot resist the customs of the world. Just as fallen leaves are impotent before the wind, dead people are also impotent before the customs of the world.
The devil is prevailing and powerful in people’s hearts. Who is able to overcome the evil spirit who is operating in the hearts of man? Who does not obey the evil troublemaker? Who is not a son of disobedience? People are captives and slaves under the hand of the devil, and they obey his every order. They are like lambs that the devil can kill at his will. The impotence of man under the manipulation of the devil proves that man is dead inwardly, lacking the power to resist.
The flesh is another invincible troubling force in man. When the lusts of the flesh operate in man, he has no choice but to walk according to the lusts of the flesh and to do the desires of the flesh. Many prominent figures in high positions commit deeds that shame themselves and harm their families because they cannot control the lusts of their flesh. Man’s weakness in following the lusts of the flesh prove that he is inwardly dead. Just like Lazarus, the people in the world are dead.
The second characteristic of the dead is that they smell. John 11 says that Lazarus was dead and also smelled (v. 39). When someone dies, he smells; that is, he has the odor of death. The odor of death is hard to describe, but it exists. There is an odor of death. If you come into contact with a dead man, you will smell the odor of death. Likewise, you may contact a relative or friend whose conduct, words, and expressions have a certain odor. This proves that he is dead. He is so dead that he smells. He has the fact of death and the odor of death. He has death, and he also emits the odor of death.
Someone who tells stories about his sins is dead and has the odor of death. The more he speaks, the more excited he becomes. However, when I hear such a person speak, I am grieved and smell an odor of death. Telling stories about our sins proves that we are dead in sins. We are so dead that we emit a bad odor. As soon as we open our mouth to tell stories about our sins, others can smell the odor of death.
You may wonder why you cannot smell the odor of death. You cannot smell it because you also are dead. You also have the odor of death; hence, you cannot smell the odor of death in others. Most people in northern China love to eat garlic, and there is usually an odor of garlic in their mouth. Some people cannot tolerate this smell of garlic, but if they ate some garlic, they would not smell garlic in others. If you eat garlic and then contact others who eat garlic, you will not smell the odor of garlic. This is because you also have the odor of garlic. There are many obscene things in the newspapers and many disgusting advertisements, but people do not sense that these things are filthy; they cannot smell the odor of death in them. This shows that people are dead and are soaked with the odor of death.
The third characteristic of the dead is that they are buried. The Gospel of John says that Lazarus was buried in a tomb. After someone dies, he needs to be buried. To be buried means to be trapped in a certain thing and unable to get out. To be buried means to fall into a situation and to be unable to get out through one’s own efforts. People in the world are buried in their lusts and addictions. Some are buried in their eating and drinking. Some are buried in fornication and gambling. Some are buried in movie theaters and dance clubs. These places are their tombs. Everyone has a tomb in which he is trapped and buried. What is your tomb? Are you also helplessly trapped in something?
Lazarus was dead and had been buried for four days. Some people, however, have been buried in their addictions for decades. Some people have been buried for half their lives in casinos and cannot come out. Some people have been buried in dance clubs and cannot come out. These situations prove that people are inwardly dead.
The fourth characteristic of the dead is that they are bound. Whether in China or in other places, the dead are not only buried; they are also bound. The Gospel of John says that Lazarus was bound hand and foot with cloths in the tomb (v. 44). To be buried means that someone is trapped. To be bound means that someone is unable to move, having no freedom. If you want to know whether people in the world are dead, check whether they are free to move. People in the world are not free; rather, their whole being is bound. Some are bound by their lusts, and others are bound by their addictions. Regardless of the kind of bondage, man has no freedom, and man cannot break away from the source of bondage. This also proves that man is dead.
These characteristics of death prove that man is dead. Let us consider the need of the dead. Do the dead need healing? Healing is useless. Do the dead need correction? Correction is also useless. The need of the dead is the resurrection life, because their problem is death. Healing cannot deal with death, and correction cannot deal with death. Only resurrection life can deal with death. Therefore, the dead need a life that can enter into and enliven them. This is the basic need of the dead.
When Lazarus was sick, his sisters sent a message to the Lord Jesus, hoping that the Lord would come to heal him. They asked the Lord to heal Lazarus. However, when the Lord Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He remained in the place where He was for two more days. Because of the delay, Lazarus had been dead for four days when the Lord arrived. The Lord Jesus delayed in order to show that His salvation raises people out of death instead of just solving their outward problems. For this reason He did not go to save Lazarus until he was dead. If He had gone to heal Lazarus, His salvation would not have been presented in a proper way. It would have meant that His salvation merely “corrects” people. Healing is in the principle of correction, but resurrection is in the principle of regeneration. To heal is to correct a problem; it is a matter of behavior. To resurrect is to give life; it is a matter of life. The Gospel of John presents eight cases to portray the principles of the Lord’s salvation. The greatest principle of the Lord’s salvation is to raise people out of death. Therefore, the Lord waited until Lazarus had died instead of healing him while he was sick. This shows that resurrection is the principle of salvation. Resurrection is the true need of those who are dead in sins.
The Lord’s salvation is to raise people from the dead, not to correct their problems. Hence, when Lazarus was sick, the Lord did not go to heal him. The Lord did not do anything. This means that if we merely acknowledge that we have problems but not that we are dead, the Lord will be unable to carry out His salvation in us. If we feel that merely our conduct needs to be corrected but not that we need the resurrection of life, the Lord will be unable to carry out His salvation in us. We must see that the Lord’s salvation is not to heal or correct us but to raise us from death and to give life to us. Our problem is not that there is something wrong with our conduct but that there is something wrong with our life. We are not only sick; we are dead. The need of the dead is to receive life in order to be resurrected. The only cure for death is resurrection life. Only resurrection life can eliminate death. The cultivation of one’s character and the correction of one’s conduct cannot eliminate death.
A funeral home modifies the appearance of dead people. However, a person is still dead, regardless of how much his appearance is modified. Makeup can be applied to him so that he looks very nice, but he will still be dead. A funeral home cannot bring the dead back to life or raise them from death. The work in a funeral home cannot solve the problem of the dead; that is not what the dead need. The dead need life and resurrection instead of modification and correction. Modification and correction cannot solve the problem of the dead. The problem of the dead is death. Only life and resurrection can eliminate death. Therefore, the dead need life and resurrection.
Where can the dead go to receive resurrection and the life that they need? Who can give the dead resurrection and life? Who has resurrection and life? Who is resurrection and life? The Lord Jesus answered these questions in John 11.
When the Lord Jesus came to the place where the sisters of Lazarus were, everything was under the shadow of death. The people were despondent and full of despair. Lazarus had died! If he had only been sick, there would have been hope. But he had died. There was no hope. Under such a shadow of death and despair, the Lord said to Martha, the older sister of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v. 25). Here the Lord clearly revealed that the dead need Him as the resurrection and the life. Because people in the world are dead, they need resurrection and life, which are the Lord Himself. He is the resurrection and the life. Hence, He can give resurrection and life to solve the problem of death. Not only does He give resurrection and life; He even enters into man to be resurrection and life. The resurrection and the life that He gives man are Himself. He is the resurrection that man needs, and He is the life that man needs. Only the Lord Jesus can meet the need of the dead. He wants to enter into the dead to be their resurrection life. When He enters into them as their resurrection life, He manifests the power of resurrection and the power of life in them so that they may pass out of death into life.
The Lord Jesus desires to enter into man to be man’s life and to raise man out of death, but He often runs into obstacles within man. The main obstacle is human opinions. John 11 also describes this obstacle that the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus encountered. The greatest hindrance that the Lord encountered was the opinions of Martha, the sister of Lazarus. Martha’s younger sister, Mary, also had opinions, although not as many as Martha had. The Lord could not do certain things because of these opinions. Opinions resist and hinder the Lord’s resurrection life. In this chapter there is a dead man, and there is the Savior, who is resurrection. The dead man needs to be saved by the Savior, and the Savior even needs a dead man in order to express the glory and the power of His resurrection. The Savior needs Lazarus, and Lazarus needs the Savior, but there are opinions that frustrate these needs.
In the Bible women always represent mankind. Therefore, in this chapter Martha represents mankind. The Lord Jesus is resurrection, and Lazarus signifies death. Death needs resurrection, but resurrection also needs death. Without death the Lord’s resurrection cannot be manifested fully. The dead sinner needed the Lord of resurrection, and the Lord of resurrection needed the dead sinner. However, Martha’s opinions frequently came in to frustrate the Savior. Her first opinion was to notify the Lord Jesus that Lazarus was sick so that the Lord would come quickly. As the resurrection, however, the Lord did not need to come quickly. Martha’s request was an opinion. When the Lord Jesus learned that Lazarus was sick, He purposely did not come for two more days. By delaying two days, He went against Martha’s opinion. Martha wanted Him to come quickly, but He did not; it seemed as if He did not care about Lazarus. Because of this delay, Lazarus died of the sickness, and Martha was greatly disappointed because the Lord did not answer her petition. The Lord seemed to ignore her; He did not send a reply and seemingly left her in her suffering. It is not that the Lord did not have the power to heal her brother. Martha had followed the Lord for years. The Lord loved and cared for this family. She had seen the Lord heal many sick people, and she could not understand why the Lord would let her brother die instead of coming to heal him. With such frustration and disappointment, Martha buried her brother.
There are many other opinions in John 11. There are Martha’s opinions, and there are also the disciples’ opinions. When the Lord Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He remained for two days. When He was ready to go to Lazarus, the disciples exhorted Him not to go, because they feared that the Jews would stone Him to death. But because the Lord Jesus was going, they had no choice but to say, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (v. 16). These are also opinions.
There is hardly any person in this chapter who was without an opinion. There is only one person who did not have an opinion — Lazarus, who was dead. Every living person has opinions. Martha and the disciples had opinions; Mary and the other Jews also had opinions. These opinions were against the Lord’s intention. As soon as Martha saw the Lord Jesus, she voiced an opinion. The first word out of her mouth was a complaint: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 21). She was saying, “You are too late. Why did You not come sooner? If You had come sooner, my brother would not have died.” This was her opinion. When the Lord said that her brother would rise again, she gave another opinion, saying, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day” (v. 24). Then the Lord had no choice but to say, “I am the resurrection and the life” (v. 25). The Lord seemed to be saying, “Resurrection is not a matter of time or of the last day but a matter of Me. As long as I am here, there is no problem. I am the resurrection. Being early is not resurrection, and being late is not death. Rather, I am the resurrection. Whether I am early or late, I am the resurrection. There is no need to wait until the last day to have resurrection. I am the resurrection now.” After the Lord said this, He asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” (v. 26), and Martha answered, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (v. 27). This was an irrelevant answer to His question. It was an opinion. It is difficult for those who have opinions to hear or to understand others.
Martha’s opinions hindered and frustrated the Lord’s resurrection life. If Martha had not had any opinions, the Lord Jesus would have been able to manifest His power of resurrection in a simple way. However, there were many troubles that day. These troubles originated from Martha. She was a frustration to the Lord of resurrection.
The obstacle to the Lord’s resurrection power is opinions. After Martha finished speaking, she went to look for her sister, Mary; she had not listened to what the Lord Jesus said. Instead, she told Mary, “The Teacher is here and is calling you” (v. 28). There is no indication in this chapter that the Lord Jesus called for Mary. It was not the Lord who called her; it was Martha. This was not the Lord’s intention, but it was Martha’s intention. Martha was so full of opinions that she took her own opinion as the Lord’s will. As a result, Mary was called to the Lord. As soon as she saw the Lord, her first word was a complaint also: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 32). Mary also had opinions.
The Lord Jesus did not say anything further. It was useless for Him to say anything. He just asked them about the tomb, so they took Him to the tomb. The Jews who were present were also full of opinions, and the Lord Jesus was troubled because of them. The Lord was not sad because of Lazarus. I believe that such an environment of opinions made the Lord Jesus weep. Their condition was pitiful. Resurrection and life were present, but they did not know Him. He even told them that He is the resurrection and the life, and He also made it clear that Lazarus would rise again (v. 23). However, Martha, Mary, and the Jews were distracted and veiled by their many opinions. Therefore, they could not hear the Lord, nor could they see Him. They were indeed pitiful. They could have rejoiced and had peace, but their numerous opinions kept them from knowing the Lord and from hearing Him. Nothing is as strong as opinions in resisting the Lord’s resurrection life. The Lord often is hindered by human opinions and views.
In these circumstances the Lord said nothing. He just went to the tomb and asked them to remove the stone. However, Martha had yet another opinion. She said, “Lord, by now he smells” (v. 39). She seemed to be saying, “My brother already smells in the tomb; what use is it to open the tomb?” This view was right according to a natural view, a human view. Hence, it was an opinion — a frustration and a hindrance. From the beginning to the end, Martha was a hindrance to the Lord. All her opinions were a frustration to the Lord. The Lord responded to Martha and her opinion, saying, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” (v. 40). Then they took away the stone, and the Lord Jesus prayed and thanked God.
Here we need to see a basic principle. In relation to the Lord’s saving man, there is no problem on His side. All the problems are the result of opinions. We need to realize that people are like Lazarus inwardly and like Martha outwardly. Inwardly, people are dead and full of the odor of death; like Lazarus, they are in death. People need the Lord to save them, and the Lord is able to save them. However, outwardly, people have opinions, views, thoughts, and ideas. People are also like Martha. Human opinions, views, thoughts, and ideas are the strongest hindrance to the Lord’s resurrection life; they prevent people from receiving the Lord’s salvation. When people drop their opinions, it is easy for them to receive the salvation of the Lord’s resurrection life. The Lord’s resurrection life is in the Spirit, and this salvation has been placed before every person, but the greatest obstacle to resurrection life is the human mind. People often hinder the Lord with their thoughts. If you can set your opinions aside, the great power of the Lord’s resurrection life will be manifested in you. Your opinions frustrate the great power of the Lord’s resurrection life from being manifested in you. The “Martha” in you is too strong. You must drop your opinions. Anyone who is willing to drop his opinions, intents, views, and perspectives will have the power of the Lord’s resurrection life manifested in his being.
When someone hears the Lord’s word, the Lord’s resurrection life enters into him. The Lord raised Lazarus from the dead by speaking to him. This indicates that the Lord’s resurrection life enters into man and resurrects man by His word. His word is His voice. His resurrection life is contained in His word. His word is also the gospel, which is the words in the Bible and the words that He spoke. When His word meets the death in man, the power of resurrection life swallows up the death in man and enlivens man. Whenever the Lord visits you, His word will come to you. The Lord’s resurrection life is in His word. When His word comes to you, His resurrection life will enliven you.
Unbelievers are enlivened by the Lord’s word, and believers are also enlivened by the Lord’s word. Initially, we were dead inwardly, but we were made alive when we touched the Lord’s word. Now the Lord’s word comes to us in our morning prayer, when we read the Bible or a spiritual book, or when we are listening to a message. Before the Lord’s word comes, we may feel oppressed and inwardly dead, but after the Lord’s word comes, we are enlivened. We may have been dead inwardly, but we are made alive by the Lord’s word. When the Lord’s word touches us, we are made alive. His words are spirit and are life (6:63).
John 5:25 says, “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Lazarus heard the Lord say, “Lazarus, come out!” (11:43). The Lord’s voice made him alive. The Bible contains many words of the Lord. Even the words in this gospel message are the Lord’s voice. If you will listen, you will be made alive. At the beginning of this chapter we read John 5:24, which says, “He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life.” John 3:36 says, “He who believes into the Son has eternal life,” and verse 16 says, “Everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.” If you will listen to these words, you will receive the Lord’s resurrection life and be made alive.
Everyone who hears the Lord’s word has some responsibility. The Lord said, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus had a responsibility to come out. After hearing the Lord’s word, Lazarus needed to come out. Likewise, after we hear the Lord’s word, we need to believe.
Those who hear the Lord’s word need help from others as well. When Lazarus came out from the tomb, he was still bound hand and foot with cloths. Hence, the Lord told others to loose him. This is to have help from others.
There are three steps here. The first step involves the Lord’s speaking, which is the Lord’s doing. The second step involves our coming out, which is our responsibility to believe the Lord’s word. The third step involves help from others, which is to be released from our bondage. These three steps are involved in shepherding others. We should always let the Lord speak first. Those whom we shepherd then need to believe. Following this, we can render them some help to release them from their bondage. First, those whom we shepherd need to hear the Lord’s word, which is spirit and life. After they hear the Lord’s word, they need to take the responsibility to believe. However, after they believe, they are still bound; hence, we need to loose them. It is useless to try to help others and loose them from their bondage if they have not heard the Lord’s word and do not have the Lord’s life, because they are still in the tomb. In this situation our work will be in vain. However, if the Lord’s word enters into them, and they rise up, we can help loose them from their bondage. Then our work will be useful.
A person who passes through the three steps of hearing the Lord’s word, believing, and being released from his bondage is not only resurrected inwardly but also released outwardly. By passing through these three steps, Lazarus came out of the tomb and was released from all bondage. Likewise, when someone is saved by the Lord’s resurrection life, he will come out of his tomb — casinos, dance clubs, and all kinds of sinful places. Furthermore, he will be released from bondage — eating, drinking, fornication, gambling, and all kinds of addictions. When someone is saved by the Lord’s life, he is resurrected and released.
The ultimate issue of man’s salvation is resurrection. The Lord does not correct man; He enlivens man inwardly. This is how the Lord saves an unbeliever, and this is the same principle of the Lord’s resurrection work in believers. As believers, we should be resurrected daily. We are not being corrected daily but being resurrected daily. Every day we need to allow the resurrection life to operate in our being in order to deliver us from the tomb and from bondage. We need to be delivered by the operation of the resurrection life in us from what buries us and from what takes away our freedom.
Furthermore, the issues of the Lord’s salvation are also seen in the resurrected ones. The final condition of the eight kinds of people recorded in the Gospel of John is found in every believer. Hence, a believer is regenerated at the beginning and resurrected at the end. Between regeneration and resurrection, his thirsty human life is satisfied, his impotence is turned into strength, he lives by the bread of life and the water of life, he is delivered from sins, his sight is restored, and he is delivered from death. Thus, he is absolutely in the realm of resurrection. This is full salvation.
If we consider the eight cases recorded in the Gospel of John, we will see that these cases constitute a full picture of the different aspects of the Lord’s saving life. Man is in death. He is dissatisfied in his human life. He desires to do good but has no strength. He does not have the supply or the nourishment to live in the world. He is unable to overcome sins. He is blind and in darkness, and he is dead.
This was our condition. One day the Lord Jesus, in whom is life, came. He came that we may have life. He desired to enter into us in order to save us with His life. After we were regenerated, we were satisfied, and our human life became meaningful. Our impotence was turned into strength. We also ate the living bread and drank the living water, by which we live before God. We are also delivered from sins, our eyes are opened, and we are delivered from death. This is the way that we are fully saved. This is the full salvation that we received when the Lord Jesus came to be our life. This is also the full salvation that we should believe, receive, and enjoy daily. May everyone participate in the Lord’s salvation. May we all thank and praise Him for His salvation. Let us sing a hymn:
