I thought of an interesting question this past week. Aside from Jesus, what person has made the biggest sacrifice for you?
Most of us instantly think of our parents. I don’t know about you, but I certainly hope my parents never present me with a bill for all the things they provided for me, things they gave up for my sake, hours spent meeting my needs. I could never pay all that back in a dozen lifetimes.
We’re coming up on Veteran’s Day, so some of you probably thought of American heroes who paid the ultimate price to secure our freedom.
Perhaps you have a story of a friend or loved one who did something extraordinary for you. I know of a minister who donated a kidney to a man in his church, for instance.
Some of you, because I'm a pastor, probably assumed I meant biblical figures. You could argue for Mary, since she did have to watch her first-born son die for our sins. Paul and the other apostles endured hardship and ultimately martyrdom to spread the Gospel, and we’re all beneficiaries of that, too.
But one person you probably haven’t thought of is Lazarus.
If you're not familiar with Lazarus' story, it's found in John 11, which will be my sermon text this coming Sunday. I never really thought of Lazarus as a sacrificial figure, but I do now, and this Sunday I'll tell you why. More importantly, we'll discuss why Jesus required such a huge sacrifice from Lazarus, His close friend. And we'll explore how that sacrifice should impact our lives today.
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