The Testimony of a New Life

Turn in your Bibles this morning to John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

! We're going to look in just a minute at John chapter 12, verse 9, 10, and 11.

John 12:9

But before I have you follow that passage, I want to take just a moment

and give you perhaps one of the most redundant statements of my ministry,

and that is that I would plead with you to pray for me.

I think one of the things I've said more than anything else would be that I am dependent upon your prayers.

I can't speak for other pastors, but I can tell you this, that for Tim Knoyer,

an indication of where I am spiritually is how consistently and how persistently I beg for prayer.

It is a reflection of my confidence in God answering prayer,

and it is also a reflection of my recognition of my own heart and the need of God's help.

So I trust that as I am preaching that you are multitaskers.

What I mean by that is that you are listening, and along with listening, you are praying for me.

And I am not the least bit put off if at moments you decide that you need to kind of ventilate and say it publicly.

It wouldn't put me off in the least if one of you would stop in the middle of my sermon.

Don't stop, but just say, oh, Lord, help him.

It's not going to bother me because I am aware that preaching the Word of God

is not merely an intellectual or an academic exercise

that is dependent upon an individual's ability alone.

That doesn't mean that preaching is not something that requires study

and deliberate and careful thinking.

But at the end of the day, preaching that is powerful and is used by the Spirit of God

is something that is dependent upon God.

And I want you to remember that.

I want you to pray for that.

Now, with that said, I want to start out by having you just kind of mark this passage in your thinking.

We're going to be looking at verse 9, 10, and 11.

And at the beginning of our lesson, I want to tell you ahead of time what it's about.

The first thing that I want you to recognize is that Christ's power raises the dead to life

and makes them incredible witnesses to His grace.

Christ's power does something that people can't get their head around in one sense

and allows the individual who has been saved by the grace of God to be a testimony to His power.

Secondly, I think another thing that we should see in this passage is that the blindness of sin

isn't simply overcome by more evidence.

I think we'd all like to think that just a little more education,

a little more information is the undeniable key to life transformation,

and that's not the case.

Ultimately, genuine conversion is not simply a matter of information,

but it is the work of God taking information, driving it home in an individual's heart,

and bringing them to the point of understanding, first of all,

the absolute despair of the human soul and man's inability to transform who he is really inside

that brings us to the point of saying,

God, if you don't work, I'm lost,

and I desperately need the work of Christ to change me and to save me.

So with these things in mind, let me read the passage, and then we'll pray.

John chapter 12, verse 9,

John 12:9

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there,

they came not only on account of Him, but also to see Lazarus,

whom He'd raised from the dead.

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,

because on account of Him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Father, this morning as we take this passage in hand,

we are thankful that You've given to us the sure and settled scriptures

that we may rely upon to instruct us, to inform us,

to help us see the power of Christ.

We're thankful also, Father, that we may call upon You to work in us

and in that request we confess that we in ourselves

are not going to grasp the sweetness of the scriptures

apart from Your helping us to see it.

And so, touch our hearts, open our ears,

incline our thinking and our affections towards You

that we would see wonderful and beautiful truths in Your Word,

and that those who are here that know the Lord Jesus Christ

would grow in their affection for Him

and their clear and convincing pursuit of His glory.

And that those that are here that do not know Christ

would be drawn to see their desperate need for the Lord Jesus

as their only Savior, and that today they would call upon His name

and be saved.

And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

So now, as we take this passage in mind,

the first thing that I want you to recognize

is that as we look at these three little verses,

what we are seeing is the powerful draw of a changed life.

And we're going to see primarily Lazarus

that was an attractive and magnetic individual,

not by virtue of his personality,

but by virtue of what Christ had done in him.

I think it's important to understand a little bit of the background

because, as I commented last week,

we're only a week away from the cross.

We're not very far from Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.

And it is interesting that as Christ made His way methodically towards the cross,

He set the stage for His public ministry as the Lamb of God.

Now, there's no specific text to actually support the idea,

but you would have to recognize that it was not an accident

that here is Jesus coming into Bethany

that is only two miles away from Jerusalem.

And He came into Bethany to do a miracle

that because of its proximity,

how close it was to Jerusalem,

it allowed for many of the people in Jerusalem,

the absolute center of the Jewish world, so to speak,

to come down to Bethany

to sympathize with Martha and with Mary

at the death of their brother.

And in that culture,

you'll remember that the death of a loved one

was something that was given a great deal of weight,

and so many, many had gathered around.

They had come to comfort

and encourage Mary and Martha as they were grieving,

and they were witness

to the fact that

Jesus had finally arrived

after a four-day delay.

And when He came into town,

ultimately what He did

was He asked that He be taken to the gravesite,

and there it was.

There was a tomb that had been cut into the rock,

and there was stone rolled across the front of it,

and in that little chamber

was a body that now had been aging

for four days.

And you'll remember that

Jesus had made a statement to Martha

about Him being the resurrection and the life,

and she had borne testimony

to her faith in Christ.

And later,

He had asked that they go to the gravesite,

actually to the point where,

the place where Lazarus was buried,

and in the presence of all this audience

that had gathered around Him,

remember what Jesus said?

He said,

Do you believe?

Yes.

Well, roll the stone away.

What was the response

of Mary and Martha,

and what did the rest of the crowd think

when He said,

roll the stone away?

Huh?

Their very practical statement was,

if you kind of rely on the King James,

it says,

He stinketh.

You know?

There's something going on inside

that we don't want outside.

Just let it go.

We're all right.

And He says,

roll the stone away.

They rolled it away,

and I want you to imagine

the impression on the crowd

that were kind of around Mary and Martha

when they said,

okay, okay, roll it away.

And after Jesus had had the stone rolled away,

you remember what happened.

He prays.

By the way,

who did He pray for?

He prayed,

it tells us in the passage,

to bring information and insight

into the lives of those who were listening,

and after He'd finished His prayer,

He shouts,

Lazarus,

come forth.

Question,

could Jesus have brought Lazarus

through the face of the tomb,

through the stone,

out into public,

completely stripped of the grave clothes

and with new clothes on and all?

Could He have done that?

The answer is,

not a problem.

But He had called Mary and Martha

to an act of faith,

rolled the stone away,

and then out He called on Lazarus,

and out He came,

and there He was with His grave clothes on, okay?

Now, grave clothes,

we're not talking about a three-piece suit.

We're talking about a guy

that basically had a sheet wrapped around Him,

and then,

you know,

it's like they didn't duct tape Him,

they didn't have duct tape in the good old days,

but they had taken strips of linen

and wrapped it around His legs,

and so I gotta tell you,

you can kind of have a little bit of

spiritual fantasy here,

kind of imagining how Lazarus

had gotten out of the tomb,

you know,

hop, hop, hop, hop,

He came to the front,

and Jesus said,

hey, let Him loose,

and it was an impressive moment.

It was something that captured

everybody's imagination.

Now, stop with me just for a minute,

and think about a couple other instances

of Jesus dealing with dead people.

How many of you know

that this was not the first resurrection

that He had done?

One of them is that He had stopped

a graveside procession,

and the widow's son,

the widow of Nain,

He had stopped the procession,

and He'd spoken to the young man,

and He'd risen up.

Another one,

Jairus' daughter,

remember,

they'd called him,

he'd gone down into the town,

and he said,

she's sleeping,

and they said,

no,

she's dead,

and they'd already gathered

to kind of weep and mourn,

but in neither case

had the death

been longstanding.

What I mean by that is that

in Jairus' daughter

and in the widow's son,

because of the burial process

in the ancient time,

the burial happened very quickly,

but with Lazarus,

he had been dead for four days.

There was no question

that he was dead,

to the point

that when the idea

of rolling the stone away

came up,

everybody was,

whoa,

don't go there.

That's not a good idea,

Jesus.

We appreciate what you did

feeding the 5,000,

and dealing with blind people,

we're good with that,

but let him stay.

Roll the stone back,

and out he comes.

Now,

the takeaway on that

is that Lazarus

ended up being

an undeniable

and spectacular

illustration

of the power of Christ.

Lazarus proved

to everyone

what Jesus could do

and who he was.

He served

as an undeniable

proof of Christ's

power and authority

over sin and death,

and I think it's important

for us

to get our head

around that

and recognize

that Lazarus

was an undeniable

testimony

to the power of Christ.

Now,

let's take that

and play it out

a little bit more

in our own personal lives

recognize this.

The reality is this,

is that a painting

is an illustration

of the painter's skill.

Isn't that right?

I look at Thad,

and Thad is an artist.

He went to

Columbus School

of Art and Design,

and anytime we have

some artwork around here,

we don't ask

Tim Knoyer

to do it

because crayons

are about the limit

of my skill.

We ask Thad,

and he does a good job.

By the way,

when you really

want to figure out

whether an engineer

has any capability,

what do you look at?

You look at

what they've made.

You look at

what they've accomplished,

and as you look

at the machinery

or whatever it is

that that engineer

has put together,

you end up saying,

man,

that guy's got it.

I want you to realize

that every genuine convert

points to the power

of Christ.

Every genuine convert

points to the power

of Christ.

And I want you

to recognize

that Scripture

is full

of illustrations

to this point.

Stop and think

with me

of the passage

in John chapter 4,

John 4 · chapter mention

and let's go back there

just for a moment.

John chapter 4,

John 4:28

verse 28 and 29,

after Jesus

touches the life

of the woman

at the well.

Look at what it says

there in verse 28

and 29.

So the woman

left her water jar

and went away

into town

and said to the people,

and stop just

for a moment.

Here's a woman

we know

from the account

was at the well

because she was

embarrassed

with what people

knew about her,

and she was kind

of shunned

and put out

by the society.

She was kind

of on the outskirts

of culture

and community,

and here she is

transformed

by the gospel,

and after she

has converted,

what does she do?

Go to look

at verse 29.

Come,

see a man

who told me

all that I ever did.

Can this be the Christ?

I like the way

in which it says

that passage

in the King James.

Is not this the Christ?

Come,

see the man

who told me

all that I ever did.

Now stop and think

with me just for a moment.

How many of you

have things in your life

that you are really

glad other people

don't know?

Okay?

Here is a woman

who goes into town

and everybody knew

pretty much everything

about her

because in a small town

are there secrets?

What's the answer?

In a small town

are there secrets?

Nah,

not to,

eventually you figure

it out,

right?

And here is a woman

who goes back

into town and says,

hey,

you come meet the man

who told me all about me.

Underlying that

is that

he also loves me

and has forgiven me.

Let me have you look

at another passage

in John chapter 9.

John 9 · chapter mention

John chapter 9

John 9:10

verse 10 and 11.

So they said to them,

this is the man

that was born blind

that Jesus heals

and following that

he ends up

being brought

before the Sanhedrin,

before the council

because of the fact

that Jesus healed

on the Sabbath.

verse 10,

so they said to him,

then how were

your eyes opened?

Verse 11,

he answered,

the man called Jesus,

made mud

and anointed my eyes

and said to me,

go to Siloam

and wash.

So I went and washed

and received my sight.

Third illustration

I want you to see

is over in Luke

Luke 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

Luke chapter 8,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

you're in John,

just kind of turn back

a little bit

to Luke chapter 8

Luke 8:35–39

verse 35 through 39.

Now let me give you

a little bit of background

because I think

it's important

to understand

the significance

of what had taken place.

Here was a man

who had reached

the point

in his extreme

captivity

to Satan's power

that he had not only

been driven out

by the town,

but he was also

living naked

in the tombs

and he was

self-abusive

as well as abusive

to all kinds

of other people.

He was an outcast

by society.

He was hated.

He was disliked.

And Jesus came to him

and delivered him

of all that baggage

and that burden.

And we read there

in verse 35,

then people came out

to see what had happened

and they came to Jesus

and found the man

from whom the demons

had gone,

sitting at the feet

of Jesus,

clothed

and in his right mind

and they were,

what?

Afraid.

And those who had seen it

told how the demon-possessed man

had been healed.

Then all the people

of the surrounding country

of Gazerines

asked him to depart

from them

for they were seized

with great fear.

So he got into the boat

and returned

to the man,

verse 38,

from whom the demons

had gone,

begged that he might be

with him.

But Jesus sent him away

saying,

return to your home

and declare how much

God has done for you.

And he went away

proclaiming throughout

the whole city

how much Jesus

had done for him.

I love this story.

Do you know why?

Because I can identify

as you can as well

at what it must have been like

to be an individual

who was a little ashamed

of their history

and their past.

And here was a man

who Jesus had radically

transformed

with the power

of the gospel

who says,

hey,

I would like to leave

my past behind

and I would like

to go somewhere else

where I can get

a fresh start.

And what did Jesus say?

You go back to town

and serve as an

undeniable illustration

of my power

to change a life.

I'll never forget

many years ago

in ministry,

not here,

I had a man come up

to me in the church

and say,

so would you allow

a convicted felon

to come to church?

And the obvious answer

from any of us

would be what?

Absolutely.

The person went on

and said,

would you allow

a convicted felon

who was in prison

for 10 years

for child pornography

to come to church?

I said,

absolutely.

And I remember

counseling that man

when he came back

to town

after he had been

sent away

for 10 years

and he said to me,

how is it

that you are willing

to have me here?

I said,

well,

sinners need to be here

to hear the gospel.

He said,

well,

I'm saved.

I have come to faith.

I said,

then I expect you here

to be a testimony

of the power of Christ

to change a life.

Does that make sense?

I got a call

two weeks ago

when I was in the hospital.

Terry Wolcott

called me three times.

Three times.

He wanted to know

how I was doing.

And he brought it up.

He said,

Pastor,

I'll never forget

what it was

when you were willing

to let me come

to the church.

Incidentally,

over time,

he ended up

serving cookies

in VBS

with me standing

at his shoulder.

Do you understand that?

Later,

he became a deacon

in our fellowship.

An undeniable,

godly testimony

to the power of Christ.

Do you know

what he's doing today?

He's 72.

He is traveling

back and forth

to prisons

all over this state

and he is telling

people every chance

he gets,

Jesus can change

a broken

and ruined life.

And you know what?

When Terry tells his story,

I want to tell you something.

He's not the hero in it.

Lazarus wasn't the hero

in his story either.

He was proof

of the power of Christ.

Isn't that what we see?

I want you to recognize that.

So here is Lazarus

and you look at the passage there,

go back to John chapter 12

John 12 · chapter mention

and it says that

people came,

verse 9,

not only account of him

but also to see Lazarus.

Yes, people wanted

to see Jesus

but here's the deal.

They really wanted

to see the evidence

of the power of the gospel

to do something incredible

in the life

of a person

who at one point

had been dead.

They wanted to see

the power of Christ

on display

and evident.

And I wonder this morning

whether or not

your life bears

similar testimony

to the power of Christ

to change you

from who you used to be

to who you are

and who you someday will be.

You know,

I wish the fact

of the matter is

is that conversion

made us go from

absolute dark

to absolute light

with no in between,

right?

Okay?

It's like nothing else

to be done

to continue the process

of growing in grace

but here's what conversion does.

Conversion brings life

to a dead heart.

Conversion changes

a person's eternal address.

Conversion gives to a person

a new interest.

Conversion gives to a person

a different desire.

And Lazarus bore testimony

to the power of Christ

to change a life.

So let me ask you

a practical question.

Here is Lazarus

who as a result

of the power of Christ

was undeniable,

irrefutable proof

of the power of Jesus

to change a person.

How clearly?

How clearly

does your life

point to the power

of Jesus

to save and change a heart?

How clearly?

Are you different today?

Are you growing?

Are you different

than you used to be?

And can you see

the evidence

of progressive sanctification,

the process of Jesus

changing you

to be more and more

like Him

and less and less

like you used to be?

I've got to tell you something.

One of the convincing facts,

it's interesting,

I asked the question

last Wednesday night

in our Bible study,

I said,

so what are some

of the theological truths

that you are firmly

convinced of?

One individual said,

I'm convinced of the,

he used the word

soteriology

and that's kind of

like heavy duty.

He said,

I'm convinced

of the power of Christ

to save.

Are you convinced

of that?

Are you convinced

of the power of Christ

to save because you know

what He's done for you

and you're not

who you used to be?

That's what should be

going on in your life.

And Lazarus

was such an illustration

of that power

that the unbelieving world

came to see it

and they came to bear

testimony to it.

Now that brings up

something else

that I want you to see.

Look there at verse 10.

So the chief priest

made plans

to put Lazarus

to death as well.

There is a hateful desire

to destroy evidence.

Do you follow that?

We like to believe

that all people need

is proof

and proof

would stand by itself

and do its job

on its own.

No.

The unbeliever

is not going to be

persuaded necessarily

by the proof.

In fact,

when the proof

is on the table,

one of the things

that often happens

in the heart

of an unregenerate person

is they end up

disliking

what is convicting.

And so as we move

a little further

into this scene,

we see just how dark

and how hard

the hearts

of unregenerate people

can be.

Here the highest authorities

of Jewish culture

had decided

that the appropriate

thing to do

was not only murder

Jesus,

who was the Messiah

and the Savior,

and was doing

all these miracles,

but they decided

that not in addition

to murdering Jesus,

they were going

to murder Lazarus.

Why?

Because he was evidence

of the power of Christ

to change a life.

And so here,

we recognize

that the leaders

of the nation of Israel

had become a law

unto themselves.

They saw themselves

not as the law teachers,

but as the lawmakers.

And as a side note,

one of the things

that you should recognize

and just understand

about culture

is that when a nation

turns its eyes away

from the truth

of the law of God,

ultimately what happens

is those who are there

to support

and encourage

or respect for the law

end up being

a law to themselves

and not applying

the law to themselves.

So don't be surprised

at what we see

in our culture

and the cultures

around the world

where people have

turned their back

on the word of God

and turned their back

on the law of God.

It happens.

It happened here.

Nor should you be surprised

at the sinfulness

of an unregenerate heart.

What I want you to see here,

it says there

in verse 11,

because of an account

of him,

talking about Lazarus,

many of the Jews

were going away

and believing in Jesus

and as a result

of the impact

of the life of Lazarus,

the people

who were in leadership

thought,

hey listen,

we got to get rid

of Lazarus

as well as Jesus.

And so recognize

that sinners

are going to hate

the light

and their hatred

of the truth

will always seek

to suppress

its convicting power.

That's what happens.

I want you to look

at another passage

with me just to kind

of firm this up

in your thinking.

Go back in your Bible

to John chapter 3

John 3:19

verse 19 and 20.

John chapter 3

John 3:19

verse 19 and 20.

He'd like to believe

that all people need

is light.

Ah, get enough light,

the problem solved.

That's not necessarily

the truth at all.

Sometimes all that light

does is give

a clear picture

of the blackness

and the darkness

of the human heart

and it leads

to a rebellion

against the light.

Look at John chapter 3

John 3:19

verse 19.

This is the judgment.

The light has come

into the world

and people love

the darkness

rather than the light

because their works

were evil.

For everyone

who does wicked things

hates the light

and does not come

to the light

lest his work

should be exposed.

Now by the way,

there may be

some of you here

that are in the process

of kind of thinking

through who is Jesus

and what's he all about?

I can't think

of a better thing

for you to do

if that is a curious

question in the back

of your mind.

Who is Jesus

and what's he all about?

The ideal thing

for you to do

would be take

the gospel of John.

In fact,

you can take

the Bible

that is in the pew

right in front of you.

We have stacks

of in the back room

and if you don't have

a Bible,

take it home with you.

You got me?

How many of you

understood what I said?

You want a Bible?

Take it.

Read the gospel of John

and keep on asking yourself

this question.

Who is Jesus?

Why did he come?

Jesus said,

I am the light

of the world.

So when the light

becomes clear,

the unregenerate heart,

apart from the grace

of God,

has a tendency

to dislike

what they see

and react against it.

I want you to recognize

that as we read

this passage,

we see a clear picture

of how the unregenerate

respond to the light.

Now, beloved,

I encourage you

to recognize

that in the culture

in which we live,

we ought to not be surprised

if when we serve

in humility

and tenderness

and serve as the light,

there's going to be

a little bit of pushback.

I want you to recognize

at the same time

when we think about

the issue of serving

in the community

and culture

where God's put us,

that we are careful

at the same time

that we are light,

that we're not brassy

and arrogant

in being that.

I want you to look

at a passage

just for a moment

to kind of confirm

that in your hearts.

You're there in John,

but go to 1 Peter 3.

1 Peter 3.

I'm just going to read

this passage

and let it kind of

soak in

to your own thinking

for a later time.

1 Peter 3, verse 8,

1 Peter 3:8

it says this,

Finally, all of you

have unity of mind,

sympathy, brotherly love,

a tender heart,

and a humble mind.

Stop just for a moment.

Everybody smile at me

so you know

I'm talking to you.

The unbelieving world

completely understands

not really getting along.

Do you follow that?

The unbelieving world

completely understands

really not getting along.

The thing that is stunning

is when people

stay in relationships

despite the frailties

of the flesh

of other people

in the circle with them.

Wouldn't it be nice

if every sinner

in the canoe with you

was better than you are

in their heart?

The problem is

is that all of the people

that are in companionship

and community with you

are struggling

with some of the same things.

And here is Peter

as he is coming

towards the end of his life

and he says this,

hey, he says,

Have unity of mind,

sympathy, brotherly love,

a tender heart,

and a humble mind.

Verse 9,

Do not repay evil for evil

or reviling for reviling,

but on the contrary,

bless,

for to this you were called.

Why were you called?

To be a blessing,

to give a blessing.

Then it goes on there

in verse 10,

Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue

from evil.

Now, how do you keep

your tongue from evil?

Question.

How many of you

don't need practice

at being stupid

with what you say?

Okay.

I think one of the distinct

privileges of being

a little older

is that I have

suffered adequately

for stupid things

I've said

that I at least think

more carefully

than I used to.

Well, in addition to that,

the grace of God

should teach us

to be more gentle

and patient

and cautious

in what we have to say.

And here it says,

Hey, keep your tongue

from evil.

Verse 11,

Let him turn away

from evil and do good.

Let him seek peace

and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord

are on the righteous

and his ears

are open to their prayers.

But the face of the Lord

is against those

who do evil.

Now, who is there

to harm you

if you are zealous

for what is good?

But even if you should

suffer for righteousness' sake,

you will be blessed.

Have no fear of them

nor be troubled.

But in your hearts,

honor Christ the Lord

as holy,

always being prepared

to make a defense

to anyone

who asks you

for a reason

for the hope

that is in you.

Now, mark the end,

yet do it with gentleness

and respect.

Listen to me.

We are living in a day

when the belligerence

of the unbelieving world

is just like it's on steroids.

And I would appeal to you

who are believers

that that kind of spirit

should not characterize

your Facebook posts,

your little comments

that you make

on Snapchat or Twitter

or wherever else,

or even things you say

in the office.

Or here,

let's go one better.

Or things you say

to companions

professedly in the gospel.

I gotta tell you,

I'm tired of snarky statements

from believers.

How many of you heard me?

You know what snarky statements are?

Critical, sarcastic little comments

that belong in a bar room,

not in the family of God.

And all God's people said,

okay.

So next time someone does it,

and I do drift

left of center occasionally,

here's what I want you to do.

Put your arm around me

and say,

Pastor,

you just preached on that.

Stop.

Help me.

By the way,

I'm here to help you.

Okay.

Now we got that out of the way.

Let's talk about

practical textual fruit.

In other words,

when you preach the word,

there's gotta be something

to do with it,

and that's where we're at.

I am struck,

for one,

by the evidence

that a witness

to Christ's power

is simply that.

There's no indication

that before

the woman at the well

scampered into town

to talk to people

about Jesus,

or the man

who once had been blind,

or Lazarus,

took a 12-week course

in how to share the gospel

before they waltzed in

and did their thing,

right?

All they did

was say,

I used to be blind

and now I see.

Come meet the man

who loves me

despite the fact

that I've been a skunk.

So,

I can't tell you

how many times

I've heard people say

that they just

don't witness

because they don't know how.

I'm not convinced of that.

I don't think it's true.

Witnessing is not

about training.

Write that down.

Witnessing is not

about training.

Witnessing is about

being evidence

of His power

to change a broken

and ruined life.

That's simple.

The woman at the well,

the blind man,

the demoniac,

Lazarus,

all they did

was bear testimony

of what Christ

had done in their lives.

So,

if there is a consistent

lack of witnessing

opportunity in your life,

it's fair to ask

a couple questions

of yourself.

Number one,

you may not really be

convinced

of His power

to change life.

Years ago,

I remember

I hurt myself,

my back,

serious injury,

and I had numbness

down the left leg

and it got to the point

that I was staggering

around and

I went to a

doctor and said,

yeah,

you need an MRI

and the doctor said,

you have a herniated disc

and there's no solution

but surgery.

My wife was working

for a group of attorneys

that specialized

in lawsuits

for malpractice,

etc.,

and I said,

find out

who the best surgeon

is in Columbus.

Does all that make sense

to you,

right?

And,

she found out

that Dr. Janet Bay

was top of the line.

I begged,

borrowed,

and whatever else

and got into

Dr. Janet's office

and she did my surgery

and I have never

had another,

I'm good,

my back,

I mean,

that's 25 years ago,

do you follow that?

So,

I am all the time

ready to talk about

the best surgeon I know

when it comes to

back surgery.

It may be that you

don't understand

the power of Christ

and that's the reason

you can't speak

to the power of Christ

and I would plead

with you that if you're

here this morning

and you do not

understand the power

of Christ,

it might be that

you've never really

come to faith.

Do you follow that?

The blind man

put it this way,

I don't know who he is

and what he has to do

but I'll tell you,

I was blind

and now I see.

I do think sometimes

that believers

can get caught up

in things that are

of no eternal purpose

and their lives

can be compromised.

I think about a passage

in 2 Timothy

where it says this,

Demas has forsaken me

having loved

this present age.

we can be seduced

as believers

who are on our way

to heaven

to be so caught up

in the things

of this present life

that we just lose sight

of the glory of Christ.

Isn't that right?

I've got to tell you,

the most important thing

is not what I'm going

to leave behind

or where my vacations were

or whether or not

my children put a bunch

of trophies

on a shelf

that later go in

a cardboard box

that end up

in a garage

that my grandchildren

have to dispose of.

Do you got my point?

The point?

The truth of the matter

is this,

we have been saved

for His glory

and we are to bear

testimony to His power

to change a life.

Don't get caught

and seduced

by the things

of this world.

There's one other thing.

I think about that statement

in Revelation

where it says,

you've lost

your first love.

Some of you

may have forgotten

what Jesus did

in saving you.

Some of you

may have forgotten

the darkness

and the misery

of your heart.

And as a result

of forgetting

the blessing

of His salvation,

you no longer

share it

with affection

and passion.

And there is

no remedy

apart from

rekindling

your spirit

with humility

and saying,

Lord,

restore to me

the affection

and the love

that I had

for you

at that time

when you saved me.

I want you

to think also

of the fact

that witnessing

is about being

an evidence

of His power

but here's another thing.

I want you to know

that you can count

on the fact

that over time

being living proof

of His power

will lead some

to faith.

That's what happened

in John's passage here.

Lazarus,

by virtue

of the life

that he lived,

ended up

drawing people

to Christ.

That's what we see

happening in the Bible.

Do you know

that as a result

of practical,

quiet testimonies

of faith,

people are coming

to faith

all over the world?

All over the world.

The most powerful

testimonies

are generally

in the hottest

crucibles

and under

the greatest suffering.

Do you know

where the gospel

is having

some of the greatest

impact today?

It's in Iran.

People lose

their lives

for their faith

in Iran.

Do you know

that Christians

in China

numerically

are going to

surpass

Christians in America?

And it isn't

because you have

all kinds of

Christian radio

and all kinds

of Christian music

and all kinds

of Christian preaching.

It's because

you have

Christian witnessing.

Lives that are

changed

by the power

of the cross.

So my question

to you this morning

is this.

Where are you

in your testimony?

Are you like Lazarus

who by virtue

of the power

of Christ

to change a life

are being used

by Christ

to draw other

people to see

and to hope

and to believe

in the Lord Jesus

Christ as Savior

of the world

or are you

someone who is

here today

and does not

know Christ?

If you're here

and you know Christ

I would plead

with you

that what you do

is repent

if you've not

been the testimony

and witness

that you should be.

And if you are here

and do not know Christ

then I would plead

with you now is

the hour

now is the time

to believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ

in whom is salvation

alone.

Let's close in prayer.

Our Father God

we are thankful

for the little reminder

of Lazarus

and a life

that was changed

by the power

of Christ

and the magnetic

witness that he was

and the testimony

that that is to us

that we

who know the Lord Jesus

are to bear testimony

to his power.

That that's the purpose

of our life.

And I pray this morning

that as the word of God

sits on the hearts

and lives

of your people

that it would be used

to draw people

to obedience

and to being godly witnesses.

Also that those

who are here

this morning

that do not know

the Lord Jesus Christ

would be drawn

to the cross

by the power

of the gospel

that Christ Jesus

might be exalted

here as he is

in eternity.

And we ask this

in Jesus name.

Amen.