Purkey’s
B i b l e S t u d y
Outlines
H O M E
P A G E
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Rev. Ronald C. Purkey claims no originality for this Bible
study outline.
However, every outline posted on this website
has been taught by Rev. Purkey.
To see more Bible study outlines go to page two: More Bible Study Outlines.
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SCRIPTURE: John 11:17-27
KEY VERSE: Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live. (John 11:25)
BRAKGROUND:
A. Christians today sometimes think of the disciples as “super-saints,”
but that is not true.
They often failed the
Lord, and the Lord was always seeking to increase their faith. After all, one
day Jesus Christ would leave them and they would have the responsibility of carrying
on the ministry. If their faith was weak, their work could never be strong.
B. Jesus Christ was at Bethabara, about twenty miles from the town
of Bethany (John 1:28; 10:40).
1.
A messenger arrived.
Then, one day, a messenger
arrived with the sorrowful news that Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus was sick. If
the messenger had traveled quickly, without any delay, he could have made the
trip in one day.
2.
The Lord sent him back.
The Lord sent him back the
next day with the encouraging message recorded in John 11:4: “When
Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
3.
Jesus waited two more days.
Then Jesus waited two more
days before He left for Bethany; and by the time Jesus and the disciples
arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. This means that Lazarus had died the very day the
messenger left to contact Jesus!
C. The schedule of events would look something like this, allowing
one day for travel:
First
Day -- The messenger comes to the Lord (Lazarus dies).
Second
Day -- The messenger returns to Bethany.
Third
Day -- Christ waits another day, then departs.
Fourth
Day -- Christ arrives in Bethany.
D. When the messenger arrived back in Bethany, he would find
Lazarus already dead.
What would his message
express to the grieving sisters now that Lazarus was already dead and buried?
Christ was urging them to believe His word no matter how discouraging the
circumstances might appear.
INTRODUCTION:
A. The raising of Lazarus from the dead was not the last miracle
of Jesus before the Cross, but it was certainly Christ’s greatest miracle!
This miracle aroused the
most response both from the Lord’s friends and the Lord’s enemies. John chose
this miracle as the seventh in the series recorded in John’s Gospel because it
was really the most important miracle of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Jesus had
raised others from the dead, but Lazarus had been in the grave four days. It
was a miracle that could not be denied or avoided by anyone including the
Jewish leaders.
B. If the Lord Jesus can’t do anything about death, then whatever
else He can do amounts to nothing.
“If in this life only we
have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Death is our last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26), but the Lord Jesus has conquered
this awful enemy totally and forever.
C. The emphasis in John 11 is on faith.
We find some form of the
word believe at least eight times in this chapter. Another theme is “the
glory of God” (John 11:4, 40).
I. THE DEATH OF LAZARUS. (John 11:17-20)
A. Jesus And
The Jews Came To Comfort. (John 11:17-19)
(John
11: 17-19) Then when Jesus came, he found
that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto
Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and
Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Bethany
is about two miles from the Golden Gate at Jerusalem. Many of the Jews walked
from Jerusalem to Bethany to be with Martha and Mary. Apparently they were a
prominent family in Bethany and were well known in Jerusalem.
B. Martha And
Mary Were In Need Of Comfort. (John 11:20)
(John
11:20) Then Martha, as soon as she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Martha
seems always to be the aggressive type. She is the woman of action. She reveals
a wonderful faith but also impatience and a lack of bending to the will of God.
By contrast, Mary is willing to sit at home. She has learned to sit at Jesus’
feet.
II. THE RESTORATION TO LIFE. (John 11:21-27)
A. The Problem That Had Them Defeated: Death. (John 11:21)
(John 11:21) Then said Martha unto
Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
1.
Death is an ugly event.
Lazarus was dead and grief
had invaded a once happy home. Those of you who have experienced this problem
know of the devastation and heartache that it brings. When someone dies, we are
literally ripped apart.
2.
Death is a universal event.
(Genesis 3:19) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
(Hebrews 9:27) And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:
Often we don't like to
talk about it or even think about it… But we need to face up to the fact that
we all will die. A sobering thought is this…we are closer now than ever before
in our life. Here are some mathematical calculations that illustrate this
truth.
The Average Life Span
I took an average life span of 70 years and compared it to a
24-hour day. It's later than you think!
(1) If your age is 25, the time is
9:00 a.m.
(2) If your age is 35, the time is 12
noon.
(3) If your age is 45, the time is
3:45 p.m.
(4) If your age is 55, the time is
6:45 p.m.
(5) If your age is 65, the time is
11:30 p.m.
(6). If you are over 70, you are
living on borrowed time!
-- Adapted from a Rev. Don Robinson sermon.
3.
Death is an unexpected event
a.
It’s surprising.
Martha and Mary probably
thought that Lazarus would recover from his sickness and that everything would
return to normal. They were no different than most of us today. Even though we
know death is coming, it still seems to take them and us by surprise. There is
a great need for being ready, and there is no excuse for not being ready.
(James 4:14) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little
time, and then vanisheth away.
b.
It’s illustrated.
The rich fool (See Luke
12:16-20) thought that he would continue to live and enjoy his life and his
riches, but death came and found him totally unprepared.
(Luke 12:19-20) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:
then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
c.
It’s implied.
You can put off paying
taxes, changing your oil, or million other things, but don't put off your
salvation!
(2 Corinthians 6:2b) …behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation.
Be Ready When God Calls
A little girl had questions about her grandpa's death. In an
attempt to answer them her mom explained that God had called grandpa to come
home with Him and that one day he would call her as well. The little girl ran
to her room, with her mother following to seek to console her. When the mother
got to the little girl's room she found her opening her dresser. Mom asked what
she was doing, and the little girl told her she was packing! She wanted to be ready when God called…good
advice for all of us! – Author Unknown
B. The Power Jesus Described: Life. (John 11:22-25a)
(John 11:22-25a) But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life.
1.
Jesus is life.
That means that those who
know Him also know life eternal. But those who do not know Him do not know
life…because He is life! There is no life in any other…
(1 John 5:12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life.
2.
Jesus is the resurrection.
a.
He raised others from the dead.
Recorded instances of
Jesus raising someone from the dead: (1) Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:41-42), (2)
the Widow of Nain's son (Luke 7:11), and (3) Lazarus (John 11:43-44). I find it
is interesting that we have (1) a little girl, (2) a young man, and (3) an older
adult. That tells me that no matter how old we may be, we need the power of
Jesus in our lives.
b.
He promised to raise His followers from the dead.
Jesus Promised To Raise
His Followers From The Dead -- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
All who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior can have the confidence
that Jesus will one day resurrect their bodies from the grave. He promised us
that He would resurrect us, and He keeps His promises!
(1 Corinthians 15:52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
c.
Jesus raised Himself from the dead.
If the story of Christ
ended on the cross, then it would have been another tragic death. But, thank
God, three days after His death on the cross, Jesus came out of His tomb,
victorious over death, Hell and the grave! The angels told the women at the
tomb, "He is not here, He is risen!"
C. The Promise Jesus Declared: Eternal life is available to all
who will believe. (John 11:25b-26)
(John
11:25b-26) he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in
me shall never die. Believest thou this?
1.
Jesus is the answer to our problems!
a.
He is powerful.
Jesus Christ has the power
to take a life destroyed by sin and give it a brand new start. He specializes
in giving dead men new life
(2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
b.
He is compassionate.
He can take away the
stains of sin and give anyone a fresh start.
(Isaiah 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the
LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
c.
He is amazing.
Lazarus was dead --
everything was over for him. (1) There was to be no more family, no more
friends, no more joy, no more anything. (2) His life was over, until Jesus
passed by and that made the difference between the end and a new beginning. (3)
In John 12, we find Lazarus sitting at the table and dining with the Lord
Jesus. (4) Jesus gave him a new life, and He can do the same for you and me.
2.
We can have life if we will believe.
Those who place their
faith in Jesus Christ will never die! According to God's Word, we have passed
from death unto life and we will live forever.
(John 5:24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
(John 8:51) Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man
keep my saying, he shall never see death.
3.
It is only available by faith.
a.
We must believe on Jesus Christ.
To receive the promise of
Christ and be rescued from spiritual death and from the power of the grave, we
must believe on Jesus. That means we must trust Jesus Christ and Him alone for
our soul's salvation.
(Acts 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
b.
We must place faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible doesn't teach us
to trust our works, our goodness, or our religion…we are to trust Jesus. We
can't place our confidence in the church, our baptism, or in a changed life.
Salvation comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast.
C. The Promise was Believed: Martha Professed her faith in Jesus
Christ. (John 11:27)
(John 11:27) She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe
that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Martha did not hesitate to affirm her
faith. She used three different titles for Jesus: (1) Lord, (2) Christ
(Messiah), and (3) Son of God. The words “I believe” are in the perfect tense,
indicating a fixed and settled faith. “I have believed and I will continue to
believe!”
CONCLUSION:
A. Let me close by drawing your attention to our key verse and an
important question that the Lord asks.
Jesus said, "…Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this?"
1.
What is your answer today?
2.
Do you believe?
(Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
B. Christian, you have believed in Him for salvation, will you
believe in Him for the solution to all your problems?
1.
Christianity isn't just for Sunday morning; it is for every day…24 hours a day.
2.
What do you need to trust the Lord for today?
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “True
trust in God stays strong even when He is silent.”
REV. RONALD C. PURKEY’S
OFFICE
E-Mail: Rev. Ronald Purkey
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