(John 11: 1-45)
One of my greatest professional experiences was that of a Drug Court Prosecutor here in Jefferson County. It opened my eyes to the living dead at their very worst. They had family and friends that dearly loved them and hurt for what their lives had become as they watched slowly inch towards death. If you’ve ever known someone with an alcohol or drug addiction, or had one yourself, or have such an addiction now, you know what it is to be one of the living dead. After a careful review of their file, life story and discussions with their attorney, I would make the decision as to whether or not admit them to our 24 month-long Drug Court Program. Our job, the Drug Court Team, was to help them resurrect their life. In order to do that, change was required. We would agree to work with them and show them the steps they would have to take on a path to a new life, but those steps would require change. You’d be amazed at how many people choose death over life if it requires change. Some didn’t make it because they chose death. But the ones who chose life never regretted it, even if they relapsed. A resurrected life is a second chance, a chance to live the life you were always intended to live. I believe there are two resurrections. The more common one for us believers is the life we have after being resurrected from the dead. The second is the resurrection we can experience while we are still alive when we work the steps to change our lives in Christ for the best, a prequel to the eternal life we experience in the resurrection.
And that’s where we find ourselves in our scripture reading for today. In the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John we read the story of the raising of a man named Lazarus from the dead. If you asked most people who Lazarus was, some would say a guy who came back from the dead, not knowing it was biblical. Others would hopefully say a man Jesus raised from the dead who lived on. Others might actually know the whole story.
We learn that Jesus had some friends who lived in Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem, named Mary, Martha and Lazarus. These were very close friends who Jesus would stay with to rest from his travels around the countryside. Word got back to Jesus that his friend Lazarus was gravely ill, as the sisters sent a message stating; “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” They knew Jesus wasn’t a doctor, and a doctor had probably already seen Lazarus, but they felt Jesus could do something to help save Lazarus if he only hurried. When Jesus heard this, he said; This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. After a couple of days Jesus said to the disciples; Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him. By the time they got to Bethany they found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. By now a crowd had gathered, many from Jerusalem, to comfort Mary and Martha. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she ran to meet him and said to Jesus; “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her; Your brother will rise again. To which Martha responded; “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her; I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
We learn that Martha went back to her sister Mary and told her that Jesus had come, so she went to see him. She knelt at Jesus’ feet, distraught and weeping over the loss of her brother, stating that if only Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died. When Jesus saw how grief-stricken Mary was, he was greatly moved, and he too began to weep. Jesus went to the tomb, had the stone rolled away from the mouth, and called for Lazarus to come out. And much to the amazement of all who were present, Lazarus exited the tomb and lived.
This story speaks to me in a way that assures me that belief and faith in Jesus Christ can restore a person’s life. This belief and faith can give a person a renewed life and purpose that is meaningful and pleasing to God. A belief and faith that can resurrect a person’s earthly life which is a mere foretaste of the life to come in eternity.
And, that’s what I saw during my four years in Drug Court. People who had died inside and, by working the steps, had their lives resurrected as loved ones like Martha and Mary prayed for their recovery. I was inspired by the resurrection of many of my Drug Court children and even read the Big Blue Book of Alcoholic Anonymous to get a better idea of the steps they had to take as they worked their program of recovery, or resurrection.
I was so inspired by what I had witnessed that, a couple of years ago, I took the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and wrote my own program I call: The 12 Steps of Maintaining a Life in Christ. Step One is admitting we are powerless over sin and that our lives have become unmanageable. The first step is admitting you have a problem. Step Two is when we come to believe that a life in Jesus Christ can restore us to a life of peace. At Step Three we’ve made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. Step four is when we make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step Five is admitting to God and ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs. We ask his forgiveness. By the time we get to Step Six we are entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. And, at Step Seven, we humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. Step Eight is where we make a conscious decision to treat others as we would have them treat us, you know, do unto others. Step Nine is where we seek to ask forgiveness from those we’ve hurt, wherever possible. With Step Ten we continue to take personal inventory and, when we’re wrong, we promptly admit it. In Step Eleven we seek through prayer and meditation to improve our relationship with God, praying for knowledge of His will for us, and the power to carry it out. And, lastly, at Step Twelve we’ve had a spiritual awakening as a result of our growing relationship with God, and we carry this message of a new life to other sinners, and work to continue refining our Christian walk in all our affairs.
Some of my Drug Court participants thought that once they got to Step Twelve in our program they were done and ready to graduate. The successful ones would come to the realization that the program was a life-long program and that there would times when they would have to go back and reword one or more of the steps. They were fond of saying; It only works if you work it. The same is true with working the 12 Steps of Maintaining a Life in Christ. Just because you’ve been saved and let Jesus into your life doesn’t mean you can stop. A life in Christ only works if you work it.
He who is life can surely restore life. Whoever believes in Christ has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or diminish in any way. When we realize his power and how wonderful his offer to us really is, how can we help but commit our lives to him? If we allow him, God works in us to make our work in cooperation with God possible. Remember Step Three; We’ve made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. It’s God’s justification of us that frees us from our sin and guilt so that we are enabled to do God’s will and live a life resurrected in Jesus Christ. So, If you’re tired of being one of the living dead, God is waiting for you to take that first step, and He, along with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, will take you the rest of the way.
Please pray with me.
I am weak and I need thy strength and power to help me over my weakest hour. Help me through the darkness thy face to see. Lead me, O Lord, lead me. Help me tread in the paths of righteousness, be my aid when Satan and sin oppress. I am putting all my trust in thee. Lead me, O Lord, lead me. I am lost if you take your hand from me. I am blind without thy Light to see, Lord, just always let me thy servant be. Lead me, guide me, along the way, for if you lead me, I cannot stray. Lord, let me walk each day with thee. Lead me, O Lord, lead me. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.