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Bob Davis: If you’re reading books about what the Bible says, understand that you’re not reading the Bible. Get that, right? Now, you can use books to maybe get a little bit better insight into something and then check it out against the Word of God. But if you’re getting your doctrine straight out of your favorite author, you could be in trouble.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Apply Within, a verse-by-verse study of the Word of God with Pastor Bob Davis of North Country Chapel. We invite you to join with us as we, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, apply His Word within our own hearts as we study line upon line, precept upon precept, verse-by-verse through the Bible. Religious leaders plot to kill Jesus as our study of John continues in Chapter 11, verse 41. Here is Pastor Bob.

Bob Davis: So, we move on now because Lazarus is alive. We are starting in verse 44. After Lazarus is standing before them, they unwrap the guy, and there he is, smiling and hugging his sisters and thanking Jesus. Some that knew him and the people were thrilled. Many of the Jews which had come to comfort Mary and her sister Martha and had seen the things which Jesus did, many believed.

Would you believe if you were there and you knew that Lazarus had been dead four days for sure? He had been buried in that tomb, they got permission to open it, and Lazarus came out on his own. There is no way with the chemicals that they would have used for embalming that he could have breathed in that for four days. I think that was done just so that we could see he is really dead. They believed in Jesus.

But some of them didn’t. In other words, some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus had done. There are always the tattlers. You remember them in school, don't you? "Teacher!" You remember them. I wasn't much trouble, but I was a good kid. I really was. They just liked me. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, everybody. It really happened.

I'll prove to you in a moment that it really happened. The Bible proves to you that it happened. He had been dead and buried for four days, and there were many, many, many eyewitnesses because it wasn't far from town. It was less than two miles from Jerusalem. The feast is coming up, so there are all kinds of people coming in and out.

This is not a fable someone made up. This is not a fable that one of the disciples, John, made up and hoped that he could convince people to believe it. There are many, many eyewitnesses who weren't believers and who didn't know what Jesus was all about. They are eyewitnesses also. It really took place. This was not designed.

You’ve heard the words if you’ve talked to non-believers: "Oh, I've read the Bible, and it's full of junk. None of that stuff really happened. Those are made-up stories." Really? Well, there were eyewitnesses. There are more eyewitnesses that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead than there are that you were born in the hospital that you were born at. There may have been a doctor or a nurse or a midwife or something and a few orderlies running around. But for Lazarus' resurrection, there were all kinds of full-grown adults there. Proof. This is not just a silly story one of the guys made up to try and draw attention to Christianity.

I'm going to read to you Romans Chapter 1, verses 1 through 4. If you get there, good. If not, listen closely because you don't want to miss the language. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. In other words, called and separated to preach that gospel, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, the Old Testament, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, the lineage of David.

And listen closely: and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. How did Jesus prove He was the Son of God? How did God prove to you and me that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? By the resurrection from the dead. And you say, "Why are you reading this now?" Thank you for asking.

The Greek word for "dead" is nekros, where we get our word "necromancy," communicating with the dead. Nekros means physically dead. So Jesus rose physically from the dead. But there’s something bigger here, and that’s why I'm taking you to Romans Chapter 1. Nekros is physically dead, but the Greek word used here is plural. God proved that Jesus Christ was the Son, not just by Jesus rising from the dead, but the word is plural. He raised others from the dead.

He raised Lazarus. He raised the widow of Nain's son. He raised Jairus' daughter, remember? He wasn't a follower of Jesus Christ; he was the leader of the synagogue, and Jesus raised his twelve-year-old daughter. Jesus raised people from the dead to prove to you and me and everybody else, if they’re willing to look and see, that He is God the Son, God Almighty in human flesh. That’s what Romans is teaching us. That’s what we just saw in John Chapter 11.

It’s bigger than people want it to be. Jesus actually raised Lazarus from the dead and with all kinds of witnesses so that no one could deny it. If people come up and say, "I don't believe it. That’s just silly," someone could say, "I was there, dude. I'm an eyewitness. It actually happened. I touched the guy after he was alive just to make sure that he was really standing there." So it wasn't a hallucination or something I had been drinking. It was real.

Jesus had proved to the whole world, and that’s what Paul is saying in Romans Chapter 1. Jesus proved to the whole world over and over, and then He Himself was raised from the dead. He proved He was the Messiah, the one that was sent to save the world. He proved it. He is Messiah, and then He has power over death itself. Didn’t He say to you that you would have eternal life by just believing in the Son of God, by just putting your faith and trust in Him? He promised you eternal life.

And then He proved to you He has the power over death and that you can count on that promise. Do this: Yes. So are you worried? No. I’m not worried. Thank you for asking. No, we're not worried. To be absent from the body, 2 Corinthians 5:8, is to be present with the Lord. I'm convinced of it. And I don't mind leaving this chubby thing behind. You guys do what you want with yours. I'm not taking this with me. You can have this.

Jesus proved to the whole world that He is the promised Messiah and that He does have the power over death. He promised me and you eternal life. He promised He would raise us up. Will He? It's a promise. The only way you can deny it after reading that and seeing that is by choice. Isn't that true? The only way I could deny it now is by choice.

I still say, "I don't believe it's true." Well, there were eyewitnesses. When He rose from the dead, He was seen by more than 500 people all at one time. People say, "I still don't believe it." Okay, that’s a choice you’re making, right? That’s a choice you’re making. The only way you can deny that Jesus Christ is Messiah now is to choose to say, "I don't care, I don't believe it." I’ve heard the stories, and I refuse to accept it.

So you must choose not to believe in Jesus just like you must choose to believe in Jesus. A many, many, many people, you saw here, many accepted the Lord, but some didn’t. They chose to say, "Okay, this is freaky and weird. I can’t explain it, but I’m getting out of here, and I’m going to go tell the Pharisees, the doctors of the law, the Jewish leaders." Many believed that day, but not everyone did. Notice it becomes a choice that I make, that you make. It's up to you.

Some of the people were taking their cue not from God Almighty and what they saw with their very own eyes and what they knew to be true in their hearts. They were taking their cue from their spiritual leaders. Now is that dangerous or what? Taking your cue from somebody you’re listening to on the radio without checking it out? Taking that as gospel even though they may be telling you things that aren't quite there, or they may be twisting it to their version of it? Like right now I'm reading it. Wouldn’t you want to be having it open and mark it and say, "I'm going to mark this down. I’m going to go check it myself and look up in the Greek and see what that says"?

Wouldn’t you want to do that? Because the people that ran to tell the Pharisees, they saw it with their own eyes, but they rejected it. You don't want to do that. If that guy or girl loves the Lord, they’re going to be thrilled you are checking their work. They’re thrilled that you’re going to make sure it’s really in there. You need the Word of God. You need to read the Bible to see what it says, not what someone tells you it says, but to see what it says.

Let me tell you a story. It is a story Jesus tells; it is not a parable. In a parable, He gives you no names, and a parable is to make certain points about the kingdom of heaven or the Messiah's work on this earth. That’s a parable. But this is a story, and it’s about a man named Lazarus. Not the same guy. He was a beggar; he was a poor, sick beggar. They put him every day at a rich man's gate, outside the man's house, because a lot of rich friends came in and out.

He would try to just put his little hat out there or whatever he had, and they would drop coins in it or maybe sometimes food. Lazarus was very sick, but he was very wealthy. Well, because Jesus gives us the man's name, Lazarus, you know it’s not a parable; it’s actually a story. So Lazarus died, went to paradise, Abraham's bosom. The rich man died, went to a place of torment waiting for judgment. He was in agony in that fire. But he could see—there was a great chasm—and he could see over there to Abraham's bosom, paradise.

He says, "Could you send Lazarus over and touch the tip of his finger in water and just drop a drop on my tongue? That’s how miserable I am." And Abraham says, "There’s a great gulf fixed, and we can’t get over there, and you can’t get over here. So we can't help." Then he knew there was no help for him. So in Luke 16, I'll start in verse 27 through 31. Then he said, "I pray thee therefore, father, that you would send Lazarus to my father's house."

"If you can't send him over here to help me, if it's too late for me," he says, "I have five brothers." That means one's in hell and five are on the way, right? That’s what he's saying. "I'm here now, there’s no way out. But I have five brothers. Would you send Lazarus that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment? I don't want my brothers to come here. And I can’t get to them and tell them. Can you send Lazarus to tell them?"

So in other words, one's in hell and five are on the way, and he doesn't want that for them. So he's crying out for help. Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them." Now do you understand that Moses and the prophets are what? The Word of God, the Old Testament. Remember the New Testament hadn't been written. Moses and the prophets are the Old Testament. Abraham, in Abraham's bosom, in paradise, says, "We can't go there. Those that are dead can't come back and speak to the living."

Now that a lot of people don't believe, but the Bible still teaches it. If your Aunt Bertha comes along and talks to you something that happened to you at three years old, understand this: it’s really not your aunt because she’s not allowed to come back and tell you. No one is. Jesus is telling us this as a story; it’s not a parable. They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them. In other words, let them listen to the Word of God.

And he said, "No, Father Abraham, but if one went to them from the dead, I'm sure they'll repent for sure. If someone appears to them from the dead, they would repent." And listen to what Abraham says, everybody. Every Christian, listen close. Abraham says, "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, if they will not listen to the Word of God, they will not be persuaded even if one rose from the dead."

Did you hear that? Jesus rose from the dead. There’s proof of it, more proof that He rose from the dead than there is proof that you were born where you were born. More eyewitnesses. And do people say, "I want Jesus?" No, they say, "That’s just garbage. You guys are weird. You’re making it up." We're not making it up. This is what God's Word says. That is a story. He says if they won't listen to the Word of God, they're not going to listen even if someone rose from the dead.

Notice these people watched Lazarus rise from the dead and decided to run and tell the Pharisees, "No, we don't believe Jesus is Messiah. We just wanted you guys to know you better go get Him." Notice you have to choose to not accept it. It's a choice. This is a heart decision. And you don't choose because that's what your friends are doing. The enemies of Jesus, not once but many times over, confirmed that Jesus did all kinds of miracles, and they verified His miracles.

Remember they wanted to kill Him because one of them He did on the Sabbath Day and healing they said was work. They wanted to put Him to death for He healed a man that had never walked in thirty-eight years. And He healed a man and they said He really did heal him, but we're going to put Him to death because He did it on the Sabbath. That’s a hard heart right there. We've got to stop Him. Or listen to their logic: "The Romans are going to stop us all. You see, Jesus is drawing big crowds and a lot of people are listening to Him and the Romans get a little nervous if they think someone’s trying to do another insurrection. So they might just crush the Jews once again."

So look at verse 49. One of them named Caiaphas, he was the high priest that same year. He said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor consider it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation should not perish." And this he spoke not by himself, but being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation. In other words, he's telling you how he feels about it and that we've got to put this guy to death. But he's actually prophesying the Word of God without knowing it. He just speaks out a prophecy.

That’s how God uses people. And not for that nation only, verse 52. Jesus should die for that nation, not only for that nation, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Caiaphas, the high priest, he spoke up, showing his hatred for Jesus because he wants that guy dead. He says, "You guys know nothing at all. The plan is simple and perfectly clear here. Jesus has to die so the Romans know we're taking care of the situation. If we don't, they’re going to crush the whole nation if they think some guy is rising up trying to be king."

He says the answer to this problem is simple: Jesus needs to die. Jesus, one man, should die for the entire nation. Jesus would die for the nation so the nation could live and not die. I like this. Though Caiaphas was definitely not a believer and he did not know it, the Spirit of God spoke through him and he prophesied Jesus would die for the nation, for the people.

Where’s the prophecy at? Isaiah 53. Let me just read just a few verses, 6 through 8. Read the whole thing when you get time; it is cool. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him, Messiah, the iniquity of us all. He, Messiah, was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and judgment—never got to go to prison or have an honest adjudication—and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of My people was He killed.

He paid the price for everyone else's sin. And the high priest, hating Jesus, wanting Him to die, actually prophesies right out of Isaiah 53 and doesn't even realize it. But see, Caiaphas meant it a whole different way. "We've got to get him out of the way or the whole nation will suffer at the hands of Rome. So it’s better that one die than all of us die. Let one guy die for everybody." But he just prophesied.

That’s how God does it. Remember Balaam was a false prophet, but he prophesied some real things. Argued with his donkey and prophesied some powerful things, even though he was a false prophet. So the best thing Caiaphas says is to get rid of Him. Just bring false charges against Him some way, whatever it takes, so the nation might be okay, might be saved.

So verse 53. Then from that day forth, they took counsel together to put Him to death. They're going to find a way. He will die; they just have to find out how to do it. We've got to catch Him somehow or whisk Him away somehow. Jesus therefore, because of that, no longer walked openly among the Jews. But He went from there to a country near to the wilderness and to a city of Ephraim, and there He continued for just a bit with His disciples.

And the Jews' Passover was near at hand, and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem—in other words, people started flowing into Jerusalem for the Passover feast—to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus. Some of the people started looking to see if Jesus was there. They spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? You think that He will come to the feast?" Everybody knows there’s an amber alert out, all points bulletin out. Whoever sees Jesus, turn Him in. We’re going to arrest Him and kill Him.

They say, "What do you think? You think He'll actually show up? You think He's going to show His face? I mean, the posters, the wanted posters are all over town." Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment. That means it’s law now and the wanted poster talks about it. If any man knows where He is, he should show it, turn Him in, that we might arrest Him. From that day forward, the Jewish leaders, they wanted to kill Him, they’ve decided to kill Him, they’re just not quite sure how they’re going to get it done.

They are looking for anything and everything they could to arrest Him, put Him to death, plotting the death of God, God Almighty in human flesh. Jesus, knowing what they were after, He heads to Ephraim. It’s a secluded little place out the wilderness, out in the desert, about fifteen miles north of Jerusalem. Passover feast is coming up. Of course, all the Jewish men are required to be there, so people start coming into town. Families coming into town, going through the purification process because some came from outside the land of Israel and they have to go through purification ceremonies to get ready for the Passover.

In that huge crowd, notice something: some believe and some don't. You hear the very same words, you read the very same verses, you see the references, you see the prophecies, you see the promises of God. Some believe and some refuse. And that’s the way it will always be. It’s been that way for the last 2,000 years and will be until Jesus Christ returns. Some will believe and some won't. But get the picture: there is no middle ground.

It’s not like there’s this little space where you're safe until you decide one way or the other. To not decide—when I was young and they said do you want to receive Jesus, I remember telling them, "I want to think about it a little more." You know what I said? I just said, "I reject Jesus. I’m not going to do it today." Well, if you live, you might get another chance, but you don't know. Those guys said, "We'll come back next week." I didn't know I had a whole week left. I was in the military and crazy. I didn't know what the next day was going to bring, never mind a whole week.

What about you? You say it’s a scare tactic. Doesn't scare me. It’s just there’s a decision to make, and there’s no middle road. It’s either yes or no. There’s no little thing to try and balance on there. There’s nothing there. You’re either all the way in or you’re all the way out. It’s not a hokey pokey sort of situation.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to Apply Within with Pastor Bob Davis. Apply Within is a radio outreach ministry of North Country Chapel. Our Sunday morning Bible studies are at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. We also have a Friday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM and a Monday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM. You can download today's message in its entirety at northcountrychapel.com/studies. That's northcountrychapel.com/studies.

If you would like a copy of today's message, write to us and ask for the message with today's date. The address is Apply Within, 2281 West Seltice, Post Falls, Idaho, 83854. Or call us at 1-800-572-8851. That number again, 1-800-572-8851. Our mobile app is available for iPhone and Android. Download it to listen to full-length studies, watch the livestream of our services, or to find out more about church events. If you have been blessed by the teaching or have prayer requests that you would like to share with us, write, email, or call us as well. Please join with us every Monday through Friday as we study together verse-by-verse on Apply Within, sponsored by North Country Chapel. God bless you.