St John 11:14 says, “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” Then 38-44 verse. Vs. 14 talks about Lazarus is dead. Before we accept Jesus as our savior we are like Lazarus, dead. We are not physically dead, but we are dead in our sins. We were born in sin and shapen in iniquity. Many people are in bondage to Satan; they are bound in grave clothes and on their way to hell.
Some people are bound by drugs, some by alcohol, and others by pornography. Others are bound by anger, hate, bitterness, guilt, unforgiveness. Still others are bound by fear, unbelief and low self-esteem. Others are bound by sexual immorality, women with women and men with men and other types of the works of the flesh. However, if you are bound, you don’t have to stay that way. This list of things a person can be bound by goes on and on. These are filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
What does it mean to be bound? To be bound is to be confined. When you are in sin, you are bound.
Galatians 5:19-21 says, if you are engaged in these and other works of the flesh that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Repeat shall not inherit the kingdom of God. They which do these things are dead; they are bound in grave clothes and are on their way to hell.
So often people who go to church and even those who don’t walk around thinking that I am on my way to heaven anyhow. I might be involved in adultery, (adultery doesn’t have to be physical, it can be spiritual) but I am on my way to heaven anyhow, I might be lying, have hate and envy in my heart, but I am on my way to heaven anyhow. The scripture says wide is the gate that leads to destruction and narrow is the road that leads to eternal life and there will be few which will make it in. Look at what happened to the 10 virgins. So many people don’t even recognize the fact that they are bound in grave clothes and on their way to hell; they are the real walking dead.
Let’s look at shall not again. I Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuality), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves (different ways to steal – ideals), nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners (using force or threats to gain something), shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said by their fruits shall they be known, because a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. “Not everyone that says Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but they who do the will of the Father. Many will say to Jesus in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And Jesus will say depart from me I never knew you.” Matthew 7:16-23.
Why am I stressing this? Because I want you to get this. It is amazing how many people say they want to know God, but not really. It is amazing how many people are playing with God.
Shall not enter in is a hard saying, who can hear it?
But the good news is that we don’t have to stay bound. We don’t have to be weighed down with heavy burdens. Jesus died on the cross so that we don’t have to stay bound. He came to set us free. To set us free from drugs, sexual immorality, alcoholism, bipolarism, hate, envy, jealousy, fear, guilt, witchcraft, and a gossiping spirit. He died to set us free from a broken heart, from depression, a lack of patience and so many others. He takes away these things and replaces them with the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness.
Jesus came to set us free; he came to set us free from bondage, and he came to set us free from sin. He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
He came to set us free because Satan had the keys of death and hell. He was our master, whatever he said do, we did it. If he said jump, we jumped, if he said go right, we went right, if he said so go left, we went left. If he said commit adultery, we did. If he said use profane language we did, if he said drink we did, etc. We followed him without question because we were walking after the lusts of our flesh and spirit.
We followed the dictates of our flesh without question but now we are always questioning God. God tells us to give more in the offering and we question it, we say, I don’t think that was God. God says, it’s time to leave that job and get another one, or it’s time to start your own business and we question Him. He says pray for that person, and we question Him. He says put Him first and we question Him. He tells us to forgive, and we question Him. He says, read the bible, pray, stop talking, turn off the TV, and we question Him. He says fast or pray and we question Him. What is God speaking to you today, but you are questioning Him?
So, as we look at people being bound, it is not only sinners who are bound, but saints can be bound also. They can be bound by fear; they can be bound by doubt and a lack of faith. They can be bound by envy, jealousy, and low self-esteem. They can be bound by guilt, unforgiveness and other things. These are a filthiness of the spirit, and it keeps the Holy Spirit from operating in our lives the way He should.
People are in captivity to Satan and they don’t realize it. So why are people bound? They are bound because they don’t know the truth. Many people think they do, but they don’t. They think they have power over their own selves, but they don’t. They think they have the power to free themselves. We think we are following our own directions when we do the things we do. We think we are in control, but we aren’t. Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” We are either yielding ourselves to God or to the devil.
Paul wrote, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” II Timothy 2:26.
Satan has some of you wrapped up, tied up and tangled up in sin.
Some people are bound because they are holding on to whatever they are holding on to. You refuse to change; you refuse to submit. You hear the word, but you refuse to let it penetrate your heart. You refuse to let it go and allow the seed that has been planted to grow.
Verse 32 says, “Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Martha and Mary both told Jesus that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died. Martha said she believed that her brother would be resurrected at the last day, but she didn’t believe that Jesus could raise him from the dead. Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
Jesus wept when Martha and Mary didn’t understand. They didn’t understand what Jesus meant when he said that Lazarus would rise again. This is what we do, we believe God for somethings and not for others. We believe he can bless us with a job but not heal our body. We believe He can save us but not use us to go forth and do the same works Jesus did when He was here on this earth. It is as if we believe him for things we think are easy, so to speak but not for things we think are impossible. The scripture says, is anything too hard for God? Let us examine ourselves and see whether we are in the faith.
In the scripture we see that Jesus wept, he was grieved. Not only because of the unbelief of the people but also because he felt their pain, just as he feels our pain also. Isaiah 53:3 says, “he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted (familiar) with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him, he was despised and we esteemed him not.”
When we look at the place Lazarus was laid it was in a tomb with a stone rolled in front of it. The stone represents sin. Why? Because it is an obstacle; it prevents God from reaching us. It is something that has to be removed. That’s why Jesus died on the cross. He broke down the middle wall of partition. Now we can come boldly to the throne of grace. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again and took his blood back to the Father he rolled the stone away because our sins separated us from God. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear, Isaiah 59:2.
Jesus said, ROLL THE STONE AWAY.
Now, after the stone was rolled away Jesus prayed to the Father. He said Father, I thank you because you have heard me. He said, “Lazarus come forth.”
Jesus called Lazarus by name. Lazarus come forth.
Jesus calls each of us by name. He called me by name, He said Nadine come forth; He is saying, come forth. He wants to set you free, free from the bondage of sin and shame and death.
He is saying, come forth, you no longer have to live in darkness. You no longer have to live separated from me. You no longer have to be defeated; you no longer have to live in despair. Come forth. Come out of depression, come out of fear, come out of homosexuality. Come out of alcoholism, come out of drug addiction. Come out of anger, doubt and unbelief. Come forth. That spirit of fear can be broken, that spirit of anger and low self-esteem can be broken. Come forth Jesus says. He said I rolled the stone away so come forth, come forth out of your grave.
But some of us say, thanks Lord but no thanks. I’m O.K. where I am.
The scripture says the day you hear his voice do not harden your heart. Today is the day of salvation. Do you hear him speaking? Do you hear him calling your name? Come forth He says. Let him take away that stony heart and give you a heart of flesh. Let him shower you with his love. Let him create a clean heart in you and renew a right spirit within you.
Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus, and he came forth. He came forth in his grave clothes, bound hands and feet with a napkin over his face. He heard the voice of God in his condition; he heard the voice of God in his mess.
But unfortunately, some of us say, I hear you Lord, but I have to get myself together first. I have to stop smoking. I have to get out of this relationship first. You say, I have to stop drinking, fornicating, lying, cheating or whatever your condition is first.
But don’t you know that you don’t have the power? We can’t clean ourselves up first. We have to come just as we are, bound in sin and in our mess. We don’t have the power to clean ourselves up. Jesus has the power, that’s why he died on the cross and He sent us the Holy Spirit. But we shall receive power after we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When Lazarus came forth, the napkin was over his face so he couldn’t see. He was blind, and he didn’t know where he was going, but he let Jesus be his guide. He followed the voice of Jesus. Today those who know Christ and have a relationship with him are that voice of Jesus. Those who follow him and keep his commandments because we are the body of Christ.
When we’re in sin, we are blind, and we cannot see. We need a guide. If we let him lead and guide us, we will never go in the wrong direction.
When Lazarus heard Jesus’ call, he didn’t say, thanks Jesus but I think I’ll stay in this grave. I hear you calling Lord, I hear you calling my name. I know you are trying to resurrect me; I know you are trying to revive me, thanks but no thanks. He didn’t say thanks but no thanks, I prefer to stay in this dead situation, stinking and decaying. I like it here, yet this is what many people say.
When they hear the voice of God calling. When they hear him calling their name. When they hear him calling them out of the grave, out of their mess, they say thanks but no thanks Lord. You can keep your salvation. You can keep your eternal life. Yet that is what many people do. They say I prefer to stay in this dead, stinking, decaying situation. I prefer to stay in this grave. I am happy where I am.
But Lazarus wasn’t. He was bound, hands and feet with a napkin over his face and when he heard the voice of Jesus he came forth. He came up out of that grave.
Jesus said, “loose him and let him go.”
He told Satan, I died for him, you no longer have any power over him, he is free from bondage. Loose him and let him go. I have the keys of death and hell. I have the power when I rose from the grave.
Will you allow Jesus to deliver you on today? Will you respond to his call to come up out of your grave? Will you allow him to set you free from bondage today? Or are you going to stay bound in your grave clothes and on your way to hell? Wide is the gate that leads to destruction and narrow is the road that leads to eternal life.
The choice is yours. Jesus has the power to set you free. He has defeated death, hell and the grave and now we can say like Paul, in I Corinthians 15:55, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
