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- How did the shepherds protect their sheep at night?
-Before nightfall, the shepherds would build a corral of rocks or thorns, and make one opening as a door.
- When the corral was finished, and the shepherd would herd his sheep inside of the corral, where would the shepherd sleep?
-The shepherd would sleep in the opening.
- Why would the shepherd sleep in the opening?
-To protect the sheep that were inside the corral.
- What did Jesus mean when He said that He was the door for the sheep?
-Jesus meant that He was the way through whom we are able to be saved from death.
- Who are Jesus’ sheep?
-Those who know that their sin calls for death, and who call out to Jesus to save them.
- Some people say that there are many doors to God.Is this true?
-No. This is a lie.
- How does the one door in Noah’s boat remind us of Jesus?
-Just as there was only one door into Noah’s boat, so Jesus is the only door to eternal life.
-Just as those who entered Noah’s boat by the one door were saved from death, so those who believe in Jesus will be saved from death.
- Who is the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy?
-Satan.
- Jesus said that He loved His sheep so much that He was willing to do what for them?
-Jesus was willing to die for them.
-One day, Lazarus, who was a friend of Jesus and lived in Bethany, became sick.
Let’s read John 11:1-6
1-Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha.
2-This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
3-So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4-When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
5-Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6-Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
-When Lazarus became sick, his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, who was staying very far from Bethany.
-What did Jesus say about Lazarus’ sickness?
-Jesus said that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, but will be for God’s glory.
-Even though Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed where He was for two more days.
-When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, why did Jesus not go to Lazarus immediately?
-Because Jesus wanted to show His mighty power as God the Savior.
-Was Jesus able to heal Lazarus’ sickness from far away?
-Yes.
-Sometime thereafter, Jesus spoke to His disciples.
Let’s read John 11:7-8 & 11-16
7-Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go back, to Judea.”
8-“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”
11-Jesus went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12-His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
13-Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14-So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15-and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16-Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go; that we may die with him.”
-When Jesus told the disciples that they would be returning to Judea, why were the disciples afraid?
-Because the Jews in Judea had tried to stone Jesus.
-When Jesus also told the disciples that Lazarus had died, the disciples did not understand Jesus.
-The disciples thought that Jesus was going to allow the Jewish leaders to kill Him so that He would be with Lazarus.
-This is not what Jesus meant.
-What happened when Jesus and His disciples returned to Bethany?
Let’s read John 11:17-22
17-On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18-Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19-and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20-When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21-“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22-But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
-What did Lazarus’ sister, Martha, say to Jesus?
-Martha said that if Jesus had been there, then Lazarus would not have died.
-Martha was thinking that if Jesus had been there when Lazarus was still alive, then Jesus would have healed Lazarus.
-What did Jesus then say to Martha?
Let’s read John 11:23-24
23-Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24-Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
-Jesus told Martha that He was going to bring her brother Lazarus back to life.
-Did Martha understand?
-No.
-Martha thought that Jesus was going to bring her brother Lazarus back to life on the last day.
-Is that what Jesus meant?
-No.
-Martha told Jesus that she knew that Lazarus would be brought back to life at the last day.
-What did Martha mean by the last day?
-The last day will be the end of time when all people who have died will be brought back to life.
-On the last day, God will bring all people who have died back to life to be judged by God.
-On the last day, God will judge all people for the sins which they have committed.
-What did Jesus reply to Martha?
Let’s read John 11:25a
25-Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
-What did Jesus say to Martha?
-Jesus said that He was the resurrection and the life.
-Jesus was telling Martha that Lazarus did not have to wait for the last day to be brought back from the dead.
-Why did Lazarus not have to wait until the last day to be raised from the dead?
-Because Jesus was there, and Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
-Jesus had the power to give life even to those who died.
-Can Satan and his demons give life to the dead?
-No.
-Can angels give life to the dead?
-No.
-Who alone can give life to the dead?
-Jesus who is God.
-What did Jesus then say to Martha?
Let’s read John 11:25b-26
25-Jesus said, “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26-and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
-Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will live even though they die.
-How can a man live even though he dies?
-What did Jesus mean?
-Jesus was saying that whoever believes in Him will never die to God, even though their bodies die.
-Jesus was saying that whoever believes in Him, their souls will go to Heaven to live with God even though their bodies die.
-What did Martha then reply to Jesus?
Let’s read John 11:27
27-“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
-Did Martha believe that Jesus was God the Savior?
-Yes.
-Then, Martha called her sister Mary.
Let’s read John 11:28-38
28-And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”
29-When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30-Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
31-When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32-When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33-When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34-“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35-Jesus wept.
36-Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!:
37-But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38-Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
-Why did Jesus cry when He came to Lazarus’ tomb?
-Because Jesus was sad to see the other people crying.
-God is sad because there is sin in the world.
-God is sad because there is death in the world.
-When people become hurt, God becomes sad.
-When people become sick, God becomes sad.
-This is because God created all people, and loves all people.
-What did Jesus then tell the people?
Let’s read John 11:39-44
39-“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40-Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41-So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42-I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43-When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44-The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
-What did Jesus do?
-Jesus stood at the entrance of the tomb, and commanded Lazarus to wake up from the dead.
-Did Lazarus wake up from the dead?
-Yes.
-Why was Jesus able to give life to dead Lazarus?
-Because Jesus created all life.
-Why did Jesus decide to raise Lazarus from the dead?
-Because Jesus wanted to show all people that God has power even over death.
-What did the people say after Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead?
Let’s read John 11:45-48
45-Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.
46-But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47-Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.
48-If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
-Because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some people believed in Jesus as God the Savior.
-Because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some people went away, and plotted to kill Jesus.
-Who wanted to kill Jesus?
-The chief priests and the Pharisees.
-Who was leading the chief priests and the Pharisees to kill Jesus?
-Satan.
-Why did the chief priests and the Pharisees want to kill Jesus?
-Because they were evil.
-Because they listened to Satan and not to Jesus.
-To whom are you going to listen, Satan or Jesus?