Come Out - John 11:38-44

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, John 11:38-44. In this passage of Scripture, we read about the story of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. As we see the demonstrated power and authority of Jesus over life and death in Lazarus and then in His own resurrection from the dead, we have complete confidence in Jesus and His promise to give us eternal life. But before all these blessings could accrue, Jesus had to offer His own life on the cross. As we partake of the  bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus and what He has done for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Come Out." I read from John 11:38-44 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 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 believe, you will 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.”

Well, there is no question about it. Lazarus was dead; he had been in the tomb for four days. Martha was right. There would have been a bad odor in the tomb by then, and she did not recommend that Jesus pay His last respects in there. Nevertheless, Jesus did intend to pay His last respects, and His plan was in motion from the beginning. When He was told Lazarus was sick, Jesus said (John 11:4), “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” He had discussed it with His Father (John 11:41-42), “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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.” And then, with a loud voice, Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!" Nothing could have been more impressive except perhaps Jesus had used His own power to roll the stone away. Lazarus was alive again! Yes, he did die again, but he was confident in Jesus' promise (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." But before there was victory over death, the author of life everlasting offered His own life on the cross that we might never die. By partaking of the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember His suffering on the cross that we might have the forgiveness of our sins through faith in Him. Only when are garments are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb are we candidates for eternal life. And in partaking just now, we wait in patience for the trumpet to sound when all the saints will rise from the grave to meet Him in the air, and those that are alive at His coming will be changed and join with Jesus in the air. We will rally with Him there and be with Him forevermore. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father. We are thrilled today to hear once again the story of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. We are comforted by the love You had for Lazarus and amazed by Your power and authority over life and death. Abba, Father, for us personally, we are comforted by the love You have for each of us and amazed at Your power and authority in resurrecting Your Son from the dead. Because of Jesus, we have confidence in both life and death. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Your Son and His sacrifice for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!