A Greater Miracle
In the village of Bethany there lives a man named Lazarus as, you can read in John 11:1-6
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
Lazarus lives with his two sisters Mary and Martha. They have a special friend named Jesus who loves to come to their home whenever He has the opportunity. One day Lazarus gets ill and what is the first thing his two sisters do? They send a message to Jesus informing Him of the illness of their brother. The question is; why do they want Jesus to know that their brother is ill? Is it because He is such a caring friend and would, therefore, want to know of their brother’s condition? No doubt, this is so. However, that is not the main reason the sisters want Jesus to know of Lazarus’ illness. They want Jesus to know about Lazarus’ condition because they know He is the only One who can do something about it. You may want to say, “Ok, that is all very well. But on what basis do these sisters know that Jesus can actually do something about the condition of Lazarus? Is He perhaps a medical doctor who has studied at the best Medical College?” If the sisters were here today, they would say to you that their friend Jesus was so much more than just a kind and caring man and even so much more than a medical doctor because He had healed many people not by prescribing the right kind of medication but by speaking words of healing over these people. They would tell you that He could do so because he was the Son of God who had been sent by God. That is quite a statement to make, is it not, to call someone not just a good and caring person but to call Him the Son of God? Going back to the story, let’s read John 11:4-7 to find out Jesus’ response to the sister’s message
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.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. Then He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
No doubt, the sisters expect Jesus to come and see them right away but that is not what He does. Instead, he stays on for two more days. You may well want to say to Jesus, “Jesus,
how can you do that? Is that how You show Your love for Your friends? You must know they are expecting You to come as soon as possible. What if Lazarus dies because You have delayed Your departure for Bethany?”
Eventually Jesus arrives in Bethany, as you can read in John 11:17-27
On His arrival Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said
to Jesus, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know He will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
The unthinkable has happened; Jesus has not come in time so Lazarus has died and has had to be buried. Then four days after his funeral, who appears on the scene? None other than Jesus. Martha is the first sister to seek Him out for she just needs to let Him know how she feels about His delay as you can know from her words “If You had been here, my brother would not have died.” To her Jesus could have prevented the death of her brother and she does not understand why He did not come when He was needed.
Jesus’ answer to her was very interesting, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.” What did He mean by these words? Let me explain.
Jesus said in fact, “Mary, you believe that I am not only a man but that I am the Son of God. And Mary, I have come to give life to all who believe in Me.”
Why would Jesus want to say that? Because He knew that just as Lazarus has died, so all people everywhere have died and will die, including you, and He had come to bring change into that situation. For people were not meant to die but to live. Now, you may want to say, “If people are not meant to die, then why does it happen?”
To help you understand that I will need to take you back to some events that took place a long time ago. In fact, I need to take you back to the time when the world was created by God. At that time He created a man and a woman, as you can read in Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Life was wonderful for them. They had a great relationship with each other and a very close relationship with God. They had been placed in a Garden to take care of you, as you can read in in Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the Garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will die.”
But then one day something happened that changed everything: they disobeyed God, they sinned, as you can read in Genesis 3:6-8
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the Garden.
One day they did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and because of their disobedience their close relationship with each other and their close relationship with God was broken and a separation between each other and between them and God took place. Their sin has affected all people everywhere, including you, for everyone comes into this world with a sinful nature and is separated from God not just now but after death, as you can read in Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
For God is a Holy God. Therefore, your sinfulness makes it impossible for you to have a close relationship with Him, no matter how hard you may try by doing good things and being kind to others. For your good things are never up to God’s standards.
But God is a God of Love too and in His love He designed a way whereby you can have a close relationship with Him. He did that by sending His Son into the world to die on a cross for all people everywhere, including you, as you can read in John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This happened 2000 years when His Son came to earth as a Baby, as you can read in Luke 2:7
And she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
The name of this Baby is Jesus and He lived on earth for 33 years. In the last three years of His life He taught people about God, healed sick people and afterwards He was crucified, as you can read in John 19:18
Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
When He hung on the cross He bore the sins of the world, including your sins so that you can be forgiven of all of your sins and be made right with God as, you can read in II Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
And when you receive forgiveness of all of your sins you become a child of God and you receive real life, not just for now but for eternity as you can read in John 1:12
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.
So when Jesus said that He was the Resurrection and the Life, He was referring to the fact that He had come to die for all people and that includes you.
Now, when Martha is talking to Him, He has not yet been crucified but it did happen soon after. She understands that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life but she does not know that she is about to see a demonstration of the fact that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. However, she is so comforted by the words of Jesus that she goes home to encourage her sister Mary to go and see Jesus. And Mary does just that. When she sees Jesus, she falls at His feet and uses the same words her sister has used for she too says to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” However, her words are spoken in a very different tone from her sister for they are a sign of her grief. She next breaks down in weeping and her weeping moves Jesus into action for He asks them to take Him to Lazarus’ tomb. Let’s read John 11:38-44 to see what happens at the tomb.
Jesus, once more deeply moved came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” He said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is
a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took
away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said his for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You
sent Me.”
When He had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
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.”
Jesus has come to do an even greater miracle than the sisters expect They expect Him to heal their brother and have become very distressed when that has not happened. But Jesus has something much greater in mind for them to experience, to help them have an even greater understanding of who He is. So He asks them to take Him to the grave. That will not have made much sense to them, apart from the fact that they may have thought He wants to go there to mourn the loss of His friend Lazarus. But that is not what Jesus has in mind, is it now? For it is not the time to mourn the death of Lazarus, quite the opposite, in fact. As soon as they get to the cave in which Lazarus’ body is laid, Jesus tells them to do something that cannot have made sense to anyone; He tells them to remove the grave stone. And the ever-practical Martha makes a comment, which others may have wanted to say too. “Lord, it is not a good idea to remove the stone for You may not realise it, but Lazarus has been dead for four days already. You were not there at his funeral. But I was there and I know it took place four days ago. So by now his body is in the process of decay, and that will mean a very bad odour.”
But Jesus insists that the stone be removed and that is what happens. He then simply speaks three words. They are like a command. “Lazarus come out.”
The people must have held their breath to see what will happen next. But Jesus knows what is going to happen and yes, that is exactly what happens.
First the people hear some noise coming from the inside of the tomb and soon thereafter a figure appears They can’t really make out who it is for this figure is all wrapped up in grave clothes, but it can only be Lazarus for they had witnessed him being placed in that tomb just a few days ago. And this figure is obviously very much alive even though he is hindered in his walking by the grave clothes. So Jesus tells the people to remove these grave clothes from Lazarus for he does not need them any longer. In fact, they are a hindrance to him.
Now, Jesus is no longer walking the earth. After His crucifixion and death, He came back to life and then went back to heaven. However, He sent someone in His place, the Spirit of God and you may sense the Spirit of God saying to you, as you read this “Jesus says of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No-one can come to the Father except through Me”.Jesus died on the Cross 2000 years ago so that your sins can be forgiven and you can be made right with God, so that you can become a child of God and receive true life which will be for ever and ever.”
Jesus is calling you out of your tomb of spiritual and emotional death, just as He called Lazarus out of his tomb of physical death. And He wants you to respond to His words of hope and life.
How can you do that? By recognising that you are a sinner and that you cannot get yourself right with God, no matter how hard you try. And then by faith accepting the fact that Jesus died for all of your sins so you can become a child of God.
God will then help you to live right as you make Jesus the Lord and Saviour of your life. Why don’t you say the following prayer:
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.
Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the Cross so I can be forgiven of my sins.
By faith I now receive Your forgiveness.
I now accept Your Son Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.
Please help me to live in a way that is pleasing to You.
Amen.
You have now become a child of God and are now a part of the family of God. However, you will need a lot of help to know how to live right. That is why I would like you to join a church for they will be like a family to you to help you learn more about God.
And remember, Lazarus, after he had come out of the tomb, was still wrapped in grave clothes and Jesus told the people around him to help him get rid of these grave clothes. You too, will have some “grave clothes.” These are wrong habits that you may have formed, as well as painful and challenging things that have happened to you in your life and you will need others to help you deal with these issues so you can be set free from the affects of them. It is, therefore, very important for you to join a church fellowship so you can grow in your faith. And one day you will be able to share with other people about your faith in Jesus and help them be set free from whatever prevents them from living life as God means for them to live it.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question 1: Who lives in the village of Bethany?
Answer: A man named Lazarus lives in the village of Bethany.
Question 2a: According to John 11:1-6 who was sick?
Answer: According to John 11:1-6 a man named Lazarus was sick.
Question 2b: According to John 11:1-6, apart from Lazarus, who lived in Bethany?
Answer: According to John 11:1-6, apart from Lazarus, his two sisters,
Mary and Martha lived in Bethany.
Question 2c: According to John 11:1-6 who had poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair?
Answer: According to John 11:1-6 Lazarus’ sister Mary had poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.
Question 2d: According to John 11:1-6 who sent word to Jesus that Lazarus is sick? Answer: According to John 11:16 the two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus that Lazarus is sick
Question 2e: According to John 11:1-6 what do the two sisters Mary and Martha call Lazarus?
Answer: According to John 11:16 the two sisters Mary and Martha call Lazarus the one Jesus loves.
Question 3: Who does Lazarus live with?
Answer: Lazarus lives with his two sisters Mary and Martha.
Question 4: What is the name of the special friend of Lazarus, Mary and Martha?
Answer: The name of the special friend of Lazarus, Mary and Martha is Jesus.
Question 5: What does Jesus do whenever He has the opportunity?
Answer: Jesus loves to come to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha whenever
He has the opportunity.
Question 6: What happens one day to Lazarus?
Answer: One day Lazarus gets ill.
Question 7: What is the first thing the two sisters of Lazarus do?
Answer: The first thing the two sisters of Lazarus do is to send a message to Jesus informing Him of the illness of their brother.
Question 8: Why do the two sisters of Lazarus want Jesus to know that their brother is ill?
Answer: The two sisters of Lazarus want Jesus to know of Lazarus’ condition not just because He is such a caring friend but because they know that He is the only One who can do something about it.
Question 9: What do you possibly want to say to the two sisters of Lazarus about Jesus being able to do something about Lazarus’ illness? Answer: You may possibly want to ask the two sisters of Lazarus if they believe that Jesus is able to do something about Lazarus’ illness because He is perhaps a medical doctor who has studied at the best Medical College.
Question 10: If Lazarus’ two sisters were here today, what would they say to you about their friend Jesus?
Answer: If Lazarus’ two sisters were here today, they would say to you that their friend Jesus is so much more than a medical doctor.
Question 11: If Lazarus’ sisters were here today, why would they say that Jesus is so much more than a medical doctor. Answer: If Lazarus’ sisters were here today, they would say that Jesus is so much more than a medical doctor because He has healed many people, not by prescribing the right kind of medication but by speaking words of healing over these people
Question 12: If Lazarus’ sisters were here today, why would they tell you Jesus could speak words of healing over people?
Answer: If Lazarus’ sisters were here today, they would tell you Jesus could speak words of healing over people because He is the Son of God, who was sent by God.
Question 13a: According to John 11:4-7 what did Jesus say when He heard that Lazarus was sick? Answer: According to John 11:4-7 Jesus said that Lazarus’ sickness will not end in death.
Question 13b: According to John 11:4-7 for whose glory is Lazarus’ sickness?
Answer: According to John 11:4-7 Lazarus’ sickness is for God’s glory.
Question 13c: According to John 11:4-7 who may be glorified through this sickness?
Answer: According to John 11:4-7 God’s Son may be glorified through it.
Question 13d: According to John 11:4-7 who did Jesus love?
Answer: According to John 11:4-7 Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
Question 13e: According to John 11:4-7 how many more days did Jesus stay where He was after he had heard that Lazarus was sick?
Answer: According to John 11:4-7 Jesus stayed two more days after He had heard that Lazarus was sick.
Question 13f: According to John 11:4-7 what did Jesus say to His disciples after He has stayed for two more days?
Answer: According to John 11:4-7 after they has stayed for two more days, Jesus said to His disciples that they should go back to Judea.
Question 14: What do Lazarus’ two sisters Martha and Mary expect Jesus to do ? Answer: Lazarus' two sisters Martha and Mary expect Jesus to come and see them right
away.
Question 15: What may you want to say to Jesus?
Answer: You may want to ask Jesus how He could have delayed His departure for Bethany since He loves His friends and Martha and Mary are expecting Him to come as soon as possible.
Question 16: Do you possibly want to say to Jesus that because He delayed His departure for Bethany Lazarus might die?
Answer: You may want to say to Jesus that Lazarus may die because He delayed His departure for Bethany.
Question 17a: According to John 11:17-27 what did Jesus find on His arrival at Bethany?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 at Jesus’ arrival at Bethany Jesus found that Lazarus
has already been in the tomb for four days
Question 17b: According to John 11:17-27 how far was Bethany from Jerusalem?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem.
Question 17c: According to John 11:17-27 who have come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother Lazarus? Answer: According to John 11:17-27 many of the Jews have come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother Lazarus
Question 17d: According to John 11:17-27 what did Martha do when she heard that Jesus was coming?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 went Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him.
Question 17e: According to John 11:17-27 who stayed at home when Martha went out to meet Jesus? Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Mary stayed at home when Martha went out to meet Jesus.
Question 17f: According to John 11:17-27 what did Martha say to Jesus when she went out to meet Him?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Martha said to Jesus that her brother Lazarus would not have died if He had been there.
Question 17g: According to John 11:17-27 what did Martha know God will do?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Martha knew that God will give Jesus whatever He asks.
Question 17h: According to John 11:17-27 what did Jesus reply to Martha?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Jesus replied to Martha that her brother Lazarus will rise again.
Question 17i: According to John 11:17-27 how did Martha respond to Jesus’ words that her brother Lazarus will rise again?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Martha responded to Jesus’ words that her brother Lazarus will rise again by saying that he will rise again at the last day.
Question 17j: According to John 11:17-27 what important statement did Jesus make about Himself to Martha?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Jesus made the important statement about Himself to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Question 17k: According to John 11:17-27 what did Jesus say to Martha will happen to those who believe in Him?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Jesus said to Martha that those who believe in Him will live, even though they die, and that that whoever lives and believes in Him will never die.
Question 17l: According to John 11:17-27 what did Jesus ask Martha? Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Jesus asked Martha if she believed that those wh believe in Him will live, even though they die and that whoever lives and believes in Him will never die.
Question 17m: According to John 11:17-27 what did Martha say to Jesus in response to His words to her?
Answer: According to John 11:17-27 Martha said to Jesus that she believes Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.
Question 18: What has happened?
Answer: The unthinkable has happened; Jesus has not come in time so Lazarus has died and has had to be buried.
Question 19: Four days after the funeral, who appears on the scene?
Answer: Four days after the funeral, Jesus appears on the scene.
Question 20: Who seeks Jesus out when He arrives at Bethany?
Answer: Martha seeks Jesus out when He arrives at Bethany.
Question 21: Who does Martha seek Jesus out when He arrives at Bethany?
Answer: Martha seeks Jesus out when He arrives at Bethany because she just needs to let him know how she feels about His delay in coming to them.
Question 22: How does Martha let Jesus know her feelings about His delay in coming to
them?
Answer: Martha lets Jesus know her feeling about His delay in coming to them by saying to
Him that if He had been there her brother would not have died.
Question 23: What does Martha believe about Jesus?
Answer: Martha believes that Jesus could have prevented the death of her brother Lazarus.
Question 24: Does Martha understand why Jesus has not come when He was needed?
Answer: Martha does not understand why Jesus has not come when He was needed.
Question 25: What does Jesus mean when He said to Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: Jesus said to Martha that He knew she believed He was not only a man but the Son of God and that, as the Son of God, He had come to give life to all who believe in Him.
Question 26: Why would Jesus want to say that He is the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: Jesus would want to say that He is the Resurrection and the Life because He knew that, just as Lazarus had died, all people everywhere have died and will die, including you, and He had come to bring change into that situation because people were not meant to die but to live.
Question 27: What do you possibly want to say?
Answer: You may want to ask why people die if they are not meant to.
Question 28: To which events in time do I need to take you back to help you understand why people die? Answer: To help you understand why people die, I need to take you back to the time when the world was created by God.
Question 29: Who did God create when He created the world?
Answer: God created a man and a woman when He created the world.
Question 30a: According to Genesis 1:26-28 who did God say He was going to make?
Answer: According to Genesis 1:26-28 God said that He was going to make man in His image, in His likeness.
Question 30b: According to Genesis 1:26-38 what task did God plan to give man?
Answer: According to Genesis 1:26-28 God planned to give man the task of ruling over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
Question 30c: According to Genesis 1:26-38 who did God create?
Answer: According to Genesis 1:26-28 God created man, in His own image, male and a female He created them.
Question 30d: According to Genesis 1:26-28 what did God say to the male and the female?
Answer: According to Genesis 1:26-28 God said to the male and the female to be fruitful and increase in number; to fill the earth and subdue it. To rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Question 31: Was life wonderful for the man and the woman?
Answer: Life was wonderful for the man and the woman.
Question 32: Why was life wonderful for the man and the woman?
Answer: Life was wonderful for the man and the woman because they had a great relationship with each other and a very close relationship with God.
Question 33: Where have the man and the woman been placed?
Answer: The man and the woman have been placed in a garden.
Question 34a: According to Genesis 2:15-17 where did God put the man?
Answer: According to Genesis 2:15-17 God put the man in the Garden of Eden.
Question 34b: According to Genesis 2:15-17 why did God put the man in the Garden of Eden?
Answer: According to Genesis 2:15-17 God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Question 34c: According to Genesis 2:15-17 what did God tell the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden?
Answer: According to Genesis 2:15-17 God told the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden that he was free to eat from any tree in the Garden.
Question 34d: According to Genesis 2:15-17 what tree did God tell the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden he could not eat from?
Answer: According to Genesis 2:15-17 God told the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden that he could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Question 34e: According to Genesis 2:15-17 what will happen to the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden if he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Answer: According to Genesis 2:15-17 the man who had been put in the Garden of Eden will die if he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Question 35: What happened one day?
Answer: Something happened one day that changed everything.
Question 36a: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the woman see was good for food and
pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 the woman saw that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom.
Question 36b: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the woman do after she had seen that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom? Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 the woman ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after she had seen that the fruit of the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.
Question 36c: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the woman do after she had eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 after the woman had eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she gave some to her husband, who was with her.
Question 36d: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the man do after the woman had given him some of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 after the woman had given her husband, who was with her, some of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he too ate it.
Question 36e: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what happened to the man and the woman after they had eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 after the man and the woman had eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised they were naked.
Question 36f: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the man and the woman do after their eyes were opened and they realised they were naked?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 after the eyes of the man and the woman were opened and they realised they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Question 36g: According to Genesis 3:6-8 who did the man and the woman hear in the Garden?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 the man and the woman heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden.
Question 36h: According to Genesis 3:6-8 what did the man and the woman do when they heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden?
Answer: According to Genesis 3:6-8 the man and the woman hid among the trees of the Garden when they heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden.
Question 37: What did the man and the woman do one day?
Answer: One day the man and the woman ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Question 38: What happened to the man and the woman because of their disobedience?
Answer: Their close relationship with each other and their close relationship with God was
broken because of the disobedience of the man and the woman.
Question 39: What took place between the man and the woman and between them and God?
Answer: A separation took place between the man and the woman and between them and God.
Question 40: Who has the sin of the man and the woman affected?
Answer: The sin of the man and the woman has affected all people everywhere, including you.
Question 41: How has the sin of the man and the woman affected all people everywhere, including you?
Answer: The sin of the man and the woman has affected all people everywhere, including you, because everyone comes into this world with a sinful nature and is separated from God.
Question 42a: According to Romans 5:12 how has sin entered the world?
Answer: According to Romans 5:12 sin has entered the world through one man.
Question 42b: According to Romans 5:12 what entered the world through sin?
Answer: According to Romans 5:12 death entered the world through sin.
Question 42c: According to Romans 5:12 to whom came death?
Answer: According to Romans 5:12 death came to all men.
Question 42d: According to Romans 5:12 why did death come to all men?
Answer: According to Romans 5:12 death came to all men because all sinned.
Question 43: Why does your sinfulness make it impossible for you to have a close relationship with God?
Answer: Your sinfulness makes it impossible to have a close relationship with God because God is a Holy God.
Question 44: Can trying to do good things and being kind to others make it possible for you to have a close relationship with God?
Answer: Trying to do good things and being kind to others will not make it possible for you to have a close relationship with God.
Question 45: Why do trying to do good things and being kind to others not make it possible
for you to have a close relationship with God.
Answer: Trying to do good things and being kind to others do not make it possible for you
to have a close relationship with God because your good things are never up to
God’s standards.
Question 46: Besides being a Holy God, who is God as well?
Answer: Besides being a Holy God, God is a God of Love.
Question 47: What has God done in His love? Answer: In His love, God has designed a way whereby you can have a close relationship with Him.
Question 48: How did God design a way whereby you can have a close relationship with Him?
Answer: God designed a way whereby you can have a close relationship with Him by
sending His Son into the world to die on a cross for all people everywhere, including
you.
Question 49a: According to John 3:16 who did God give?
Answer: According to John 3:16 God gave His one and only Son.
Question 49b: According to John 3:16 why did God give His one and only Son? Answer: According to John 3:16 God gave His one and only Son because He so loved the world.
Question 49c: According to John 3:16 who shall not perish but have eternal life?
Answer: According to John 3:16 whoever believes in the one and only Son shall not perish but have eternal life.
Question 50: When did God give His one and only Son?
Answer: God gave His one and only Son 2000 years ago.
Question 51: How did God’s Son came to earth?
Answer: God’s Son came to earth as a Baby.
Question 52a: According to Luke 2:7 who gave birth to her firstborn, a Son?
Answer: According to Luke 2:7 Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.
Question 52b: According to Luke 2:7 where did Mary place her Son? Answer: According to Luke 2:7 Mary placed her Son in a manger
Question 52c: According to Luke 2:7 why did Mary place her Son in a manger Answer: According to Luke 2:7 Mary placed her Son in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
Question 53: What is the name of this Baby?
Answer: The name of this Baby is Jesus.
Question 54: How long did Jesus live on earth?
Answer: Jesus lived on earth for 33 years.
Question 55: What did Jesus do in the last three years of His life? Answer: Jesus taught people about God, healed sick people and afterwards He was crucified.
Question 56a: According to John 19:18 who did they crucify? Answer: According to John 19:18 they crucified Jesus.
Question 56b: According to John 19:18 besides Jesus, who else did they crucify?
Answer: According to John 19 they crucified Jesus and with Him two others - one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Question 57: What did Jesus do when He hung on the cross?
Answer: Jesus bore the sins of the world, including yours, when He hung on the cross,
Question 58: Why did Jesus bear the sins of the world, including yours, when He hung on the cross? Answer: Jesus bore the sins of the world, including yours, so that you can be forgiven of all your sins and be made right with God.
Question 59a: According to II Corinthians 5:21 who did God made sin for us?
Answer: According to II Corinthians God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us.
Question 59b: According to II Corinthians 5:21 what might we become in Jesus because He who had no sin became sin for us?
Answer: According to II Corinthians 5:21 in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God because He who had no sin became sin for us.
Question 60: What happens when you receive forgiveness of all of your sins? Answer: You become a child of God when you receive forgiveness of all of your sins.
Question 61: What do you receive the moment you receive forgiveness of all of your sins?
Answer: You receive real life, not just for now but for eternity, the moment you receive forgiveness of all of your sins.
Question 62: According to John 1:12 who did God give the right to become children of God? Answer: According to John 1:12 God gave to all who received Jesus, to those who believed in His Name the right to become children of God
Question 63: What was Jesus referring to when He said that He was the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: When Jesus said that He was the Resurrection and the Life He was referring to the fact that He had come to die for all people, and that includes you.
Question 64: Has Jesus already been crucified when He talks to Martha?
Answer: Jesus has not yet been crucified when He talks to Martha but it did happen soon after.
Question 65: What does Martha understand about Jesus being the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: Martha understands that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life but she does not
know that she is about to see a demonstration of the fact that Jesus is the
Resurrection and the Life.
Question 66: What does Martha feel after she has heard the words of Jesus that He is the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: Martha feels comforted by the words of Jesus that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Question 67: Where does Martha go because she is so comforted by Jesus’ words that He is the Resurrection and the Life?
Answer: Martha goes home because she is so comforted by the words of Jesus that He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Question 68: Who does Martha speak to once she goes home?
Answer: Martha goes home to encourage her sister Mary to go and see Jesus.
Question 69: What does Mary do when she sees Jesus?
Answer: Mary falls at Jesus’ feet when she sees Him.
Question 70: What does Mary say to Jesus when she falls at His feet?
Answer: Mary uses the same words Martha used that her brother Lazarus would not have
died if the Lord had been here.
Question 71: Are Mary’s words to Jesus spoken in the same tone of voice as Martha’s?
Answer: Mary’s words to Jesus are spoken in a different tone of voice from Martha’s for they are a sign of her grief.
Question 72: What does Mary do after she has said to Jesus that her brother Lazarus would not have died if He had been there? Answer: Mary breaks down in weeping after she has said to Jesus that her brother Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been there.
Question 73: How does Jesus respond to Mary’s weeping?
Answer: Jesus responds to Mary’s weeping by moving into action.
Question 74: Where does Jesus ask the people to take Him to? Answer: Jesus asks the people to take Him to Lazarus’ tomb.
Question 75a: According to John 11:38-44 who came to the tomb of Lazarus?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus.
Question 75b: According to John 11:38-44 how did Jesus feel when He came to the tomb of Lazarus? Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus was once more deeply moved when He came to the tomb of Lazarus.
Question 75c: According to John 11:38-44 what did the tomb of Lazarus consist of ? Answer: According to John 11:38-44 the tomb of Lazarus consisted of a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
Question 75d: According to John 11:38-44 what did Jesus say to the people at the tomb of Lazarus?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus said to the people at the tomb of Lazarus to take away the stone from the entrance at the cave.
Question 75e: According to John 11:38-44 what did Martha say to Jesus?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Martha said to Jesus that by this time there is a bad odour in the tomb of Lazarus.
Question 75f: According to John 11:38-44 why is there a bad odour in the tomb of Lazarus? Answer: According to John 11:38-44 there is a bad odour in the tomb of Lazarus because his body has been there for four days.
Question 75g: According to John 11:38-44 how did Jesus respond to Martha’s words to Him?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus responded to Martha by saying that He had told her if she believed she would see the glory of God.
Question 75h: According to John 11:38-44 what did the people at the tomb of Lazarus do?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 the people at the tomb of Lazarus took away the stone at the entrance of the cave.
Question 75i: According to John 11:38-44 what did Jesus say in His prayer to His Father?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus thanked the Father that He has heard Him.
Question 75j: According to John 11:38-44 for whose benefit did Jesus thank the Father that He has heard Him?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus thanked the Father that He has heard Him for the benefit of the people standing at the tomb of Lazarus.
Question 75k: According to John 11:38-44 how did Jesus’ words thanking the Father that He has heard Him help the people standing at the tomb of Lazarus?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus’ words thanking the Father that He has heard Him help the people believe that the Father sent Jesus.
Question 75l: According to John 11:38-44 what did Jesus call out in a loud voice?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus called out in a loud voice for Lazarus to come out.
Question 75m: According to John 11:38-44 who came out of the tomb of Lazarus Answer: According to John 11:38-44 the dead man Lazarus came out of his tomb.
Question 75n: According to John 11:38-44 how did the dead man Lazarus come out of his tomb?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 the dead man Lazarus came out of his tomb with his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Question 75o: According to John 11:38-44 what did Jesus tell the people at the tomb of Lazarus to do?
Answer: According to John 11:38-44 Jesus told the people at the tomb of Lazarus to take off the grave clothes from Lazarus so that he can go.
Question 76: What has Jesus come to do?
Answer: Jesus has come to do an even greater miracle than the two sisters, Martha and Mary, expected Him to do.
Question 77: What did the two sisters, Martha and Mary, expect Jesus to do?
Answer: The two sisters, Martha and Mary, expected Jesus to heal their brother Lazarus.
Question 78: How did the two sisters, Martha and Mary, feel when their brother Lazarus was not healed?
Answer: The two sisters, Martha and Mary, have become very distressed when their brother Lazarus was not healed.
Question 79: Why do the two sisters, Martha and Mary, possibly wonder why Jesus wants to be taken to the grave?
Answer: The two sisters, Martha and Mary, possibly wonder if Jesus wants to be taken to the grave to mourn the loss of His friend Lazarus.
Question 80: Is it the time for Jesus to mourn the death of Lazarus? Answer: No, it is not the time for Jesus to mourn the death of Lazarus, quite the opposite in fact.
Question 81: What does Jesus tell the people to do when they get to the cave in which Lazarus’ body is laid? Answer: When the people get to the cave in which Lazarus’ body is laid, Jesus tells them to do something that does not make sense to anyone.
Question 82: What does Jesus tell the people to do that does not make sense to anyone? Answer: Jesus tells the people to remove the grave stone from the cave in which Lazarus’ body has been laid.
Question 83: What comment does Martha make in response to Jesus words for the people to remove the grave stone from the cave in which Lazarus’ body has been laid?
Answer: Martha makes the comment that it is not a good idea to remove the grave stone from the cave in which Lazarus’ body has been laid.
Question 84: What does Jesus possibly not realise?
Answer: Jesus may not realise that Lazarus has been dead for four days already.
Question 85: Why would Jesus not realise that Lazarus has been dead for four days already? Answer: Jesus may not realise that Lazarus has been dead for four days already because He was not there at the funeral.
Question 86: Who was there at the funeral of Lazarus? Answer: Martha was there at the funeral of Lazarus and knows that it took place four days ago.
Question 87: What is happening to Lazarus’ body?
Answer: Lazarus’ body is in the process of decay.
Question 88: What is happening because Lazarus’ body is in the process of decay?
Answer: There will be a very bad odour because Lazarus’ body is in the process of decay.
Question 89: What does Jesus insist happens?
Answer: Jesus insists that the stone be removed.
Question 90: How many words does Jesus speak?
Answer: Jesus simply speaks three words.
Question 91: What are the tree words Jesus speaks? Answer: The three words Jesus speaks are “Lazarus come out.”
Question 92: Does Jesus know what is going to happen?
Answer: Jesus knows what is going to happen.
Question 93: What do the people hear first of all?
Answer: First of all, the people hear some noise coming from the inside of the tomb.
Question 94: Who appears? Answer: A figure appears.
Question 95: Can the people make out who this figure is?
Answer: They cannot make out who this figure is.
Question 96: Why can the people not make out who this figure is?
Answer: The people cannot make out who this figure is because it is all wrapped up in grave clothes.
Question 97: Why can this figure only be Lazarus?
Answer: This figure can only be Lazarus because the people had witnessed him being placed in the tomb only a few days ago.
Question 98: Is this figure alive?
Answer: This figure is very much alive.
Question 99: What is this figure hindered by in his walking?
Answer: This figure is hindered in his walking by the grave clothes.
Question 100: What does Jesus tell the people to do? Answer: Jesus tells the people to remove the grave clothes from Lazarus.
Question 101: Does Lazarus still need the grave clothes? Answer: No, Lazarus does not need the grave clothes any longer. In fact, they are a hindrance to him.
Question 102: Does Jesus still walk the earth?
Answer: Jesus is no longer walking the earth.
Question 103: What happened to Jesus after His crucifixion and death?
Answer: Jesus came back to life after His crucifixion and death.
Question 104: Where did Jesus go to after He came back to life?
Answer: Jesus went back to heaven after He came back to life.
Question 105: Who did Jesus sent to earth in His place?
Answer: Jesus sent the Spirit of God to earth in His place.
Question 106: What do you possibly sense the Spirit of God saying to you?
Answer: You may sense the Spirit of God saying to you that Jesus says of Himself He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Question 107: What else do you possibly sense the Spirit of God saying to you?
Answer: You may as well sense the Spirit of God saying to you that Jesus died on the Cross 2000 years ago so your sins can be forgiven and you can be made right with God, so that you can become a child of God and receive true life which will be for ever and ever.
Question 108: What tomb is Jesus calling you out of ? Answer: Jesus is calling you out of your tomb of spiritual and emotional death just as He called Lazarus out of his tomb of physical death.
Question 109: What does Jesus want you to do?
Answer: Jesus wants you to respond to His words of hope and life.
Question 110: In what way can you respond to Jesus’ words?
Answer: You can respond to Jesus’ words by recognising that you are a sinner and that you cannot get yourself right with God, no matter how hard you try.
Question 111: What are you to accept by faith?
Answer: You are to accept by faith that Jesus died for all your sins so you can become a child of God.
Question 112: Who will help you to live right as you make Jesus the Lord and Saviour of your life? Answer: God will help you to live right as you make Jesus the Lord and Saviour of your life.
Question 113: What prayer might you like to pray? Answer: You may like to pray:
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.
Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the Cross so I can be forgiven of my sins.
By faith I now receive Your forgiveness.
I now accept Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.
Please help me to live in a way that is pleasing to You.
Amen.
Question 114: What has happened to you once you have prayed the prayer of salvation?
Answer: You have become a child of God once you have prayed the prayer of salvation.
Question 115: Which family are you now part of once you have prayed the prayer of salvation? Answer: You are now part of the family of God once you have prayed the prayer of salvation.
Question 116: How can you learn more about God?
Answer: You can learn more about God when you join other believers for they will be like a family to you.
Question 117: What did Jesus tell the people around Lazarus to do for him, after he had come out of the tomb?
Answer: After Lazarus has come out of the tomb, Jesus told the people around Lazarus to help him get rid of the grave clothes.
Question 118: Will you too have some “grave clothes”?
Answer: You too will have some “grave clothes”,
Question 119: What might your “grave clothes” be?
Answer: Your “grave clothes” may be wrong habits that have developed as well as painful or challenging things that have happened to you in your life.
Question 120: How can you be set free from the affects of these wrong habits as well as
painful or challenging things that have happened to you in your life?
Answer: You can be set free from the affects of these wrong habits as well as painful or
challenging things that have happened to you in your life by allowing others to
help you deal with them.
Question 121: What is very important for you to do?
Answer: It is very important for you to join a church fellowship so you can grow in your faith.
Question 122: What will you one day be able to do?
Answer: One day you will be able to share your faith in Jesus with other people.
Question 123: What will happen as a result of your sharing with other people your faith in Jesus?
Answer: When one day you will begin to share with other people your faith in Jesus, you will help them be set free from whatever prevents them from living life as God means for them to live it.