Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] So let's pray. Lord, I just thank you today for amazing grace and mercy that you shower upon us every day. And, Lord, we're not gonna, we're not gonna fall apart. We're not gonna faint. We're not gonna give up. We're not gonna despair. Lord, our eyes are fixed on you. And yes, there may be some that are walking through maybe one of the most difficult times in their lives. But I pray as a church family, help us to pull together, to seek your face together, to pray for one another, to cry, cry out to you, Lord, and to witness your mercies even on a greater scope. Lord, I believe that you're going to impart miracles. You're going to bring healing and restoration. And I just pray, Father, that your will would be accomplished and that you would lead us out of this season of fire and water and bring us to that abundant place that you're calling us to. And we just thank you for that. Help us to learn amazing lessons through this veil of tears. And we thank you for that in Jesus name. And God's people said, amen. Amen. You may be seated.
[00:01:08] I'm going to continue our series in John's gospel. We're in John, chapter eleven. And, you know, it's very fascinating to me how you can actually get to a text, and it's just perfectly in line with where we're at as a church. Isn't that amazing? And so I've entitled a sermon, how to hope in the devastating moments of life. How many know you cannot shield yourself from unexpected difficulties in life? They just come, you know, I think it's difficult when our dreams get shattered. You know, we're looking forward to some, and we can just end up in such a state of despair. Tragedy and loss comes in many faces. It can be an overwhelming health issue. It can be a relational one. It can be a huge financial reversal or the loss of a loved one to death. And when tragedy strikes, life can soon lose its luster, its purpose, its meaning. We just falter in those moments. Often we can struggle with the desire within us to move forward. You know, ive noticed some of the people that are grieving, theyre withdrawing. You know, ive learned one thing in life. Withdrawal is the worst response to difficulty. We need to reengage. We need to be in community. We need to, you know, support one another. Thats what its all about. Thats where we get stronger and we end up developing and growing and healing through those experiences.
[00:02:32] Probably one of the great sermons of all time was preached by a scottish minister. His name was Arthur Gossip, who the Sunday following the sudden and unexpected death of his beloved wife had to speak, probably was a solo pastor, smaller church in Scotland. You know, one Sunday, life is normal. By the time the next Sunday rolls around, his beloved wife is gone. And so he wrote a sermon. I read it. When life comes tumbling in, what then?
[00:03:06] It's a question I think that we all need to answer in an hour of trial and tragedy. I want us to look at the events that triggered what was happening about to happen to Jesus. His own death and ultimately his own resurrection.
[00:03:21] Here in this chapter eleven, we're going to see an hour of great victory that I think is the trigger. Probably one of the most tragic moments in one sense, the cross, you know? Yeah, we look at the cross as a point of victory. We understand that spiritually. But how would you like to be living through this experience as one of the disciples, when everything you've banked on and all of a sudden, Jesus, who you think is the messiah and who your expectations are, he's going to deliver them from political oppression? Immediately the dream becomes a nightmare, and they're now hiding in fear in an upper room for fear of the Jews, because Jesus is going to be crucified in just less than a week.
[00:04:04] It's such a tragic situation in many, many ways. John tells us of the resurrection of Lazarus. It's really the straw that breaks the camel's back and triggers the course of events, which we call the passion week, or the suffering of Jesus. This incident is only found in John's gospel, and we discover something that's both disturbing and delightful. How can you have sweet and sour at the same time? It really is that kind of an element, and I think we can learn something from it. It raises both painful questions and gives comforting answers, and I think we have to hear both of them. It's a story that shatters dreams, but ultimately restores hope in that most devastating moment, especially when it comes to us personally. So I want to look at three questions. The question that this incident reveals is the disturbing human predicament.
[00:05:01] You realize that in the world we will have trouble.
[00:05:04] We just are not immune from these things. We walk around like, you know, if God really loved me, why is he going to let this happen? Well, God really does love us, and he lets a lot of things happen, because in this world, because of the nature of sin, we're all affected, and it's affecting all of our lives. We're dealing with sorrow and loss and unpredicted things that are occurring all the time. And we wonder sometimes, why does God allow pain to go unchecked? How often in our darkest hour, heaven seems to be so silent? That's probably the hardest part for most of us. We're kind of like job, you know? Where are you, God, in all of this mess? You know, it just seems like at the moment I need you the most. I'm not hearing from you. So let's take a look at the context of the story. Jesus had been summoned to come to the home of his friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. And there was a severe medical crisis happening in their lives. Let's pick up the story in verse one now. A man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who had poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. She obviously loved Jesus. We know that's true. It goes on to say, so the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. Isn't this interesting? So there's no question in their mind that Lazarus is loved by Jesus. You know, I want to just make a statement. If you're a child of God this morning, you need to hear this. You're loved by Jesus. Isn't that nice? How many like that? Isn't that encouraging? You're loved by Jesus. He loves you. You're a beloved child of his. And yet Lazarus was sick.
[00:06:43] As the events play out, we find that Jesus doesn't immediately respond to the needs as they thought he should. Now, how many know that we always want to help God along? Anybody here want to be God's little helper and tell him how to run the universe? Or at least your personal world or how we should fix a problem? You know, this is what you should be doing, God, in this situation. Nobody's ever coached God, right.
[00:07:05] I think we can say a lot about that. We often give sometimes pad answers to people who are going through difficult times. And how many know that doesn't usually help anybody? Just makes everything worse? You know, sometimes just being there and being silent is a good thing. How many say, that's probably true?
[00:07:25] And we wonder sometimes, why does God allow these things? So how often do we wonder when we're in crisis and God doesn't immediately come to our rescue? The question arises in our mind, well, doesn't God really care about us? Or, you know, sometimes I've already said this, you know, where are you in this situation?
[00:07:43] Or why is this happening to me? Like, you know, why me.
[00:07:47] And that was one of my pastors, my first pastor. That was one of his greatest lines. And he'd always answer it, why not you?
[00:07:55] Oh, I tell you, you can't dodge those bullets because you know something. You know, just because we're loved by God doesn't mean God doesn't let us experience trial, crisis or trouble. We can question sometimes God's love in these situations, but notice in the text, this is not the issue, nor should I put out, is God enduring love. The issue for God certainly loves us. And the sisters knew that Jesus loved Lazarus, so that wasn't the issues. It says now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Isn't that beautiful? So that's not the issue. So when I'm in trouble, I got to move away from the thought that God doesn't love me.
[00:08:36] Okay, can you just write that down in your little notes? When I'm in the next problem, God still loves me. Okay. How many you got to settle that in your heart? See, there's two things that I say to myself that really helps me through every situation. Here's the two irrefutable facts. Number one, God is good and God is love.
[00:08:58] God is good to me and God loves me. So no matter what is happening right now, that's unchanging. That's the foundation. And then I think of romans, chapter eight, verse 28. And for we know that in all things, God is working.
[00:09:14] What, for good? He's working all these things for good. Sometimes we look at the things and we go, I don't know how good that is, but I have to remind myself, he's going to use this for good. I just don't see it at the moment. That may not be a good thing. He even uses evil things for good. It's amazing what God can do.
[00:09:34] So it says. Now, when he had heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Now, how many you read that verse, you go, really? Can you imagine? If God really loves this person, why is he getting down here right now and taking care of this problem? I mean, isn't that the way we think? I mean, if you really care about me, why aren't you hustling over here and taking care of it? You know, Jesus can only do what the father wants him to do and only say what the father wants him to say.
[00:10:03] God had a bigger plan in mind.
[00:10:08] See, you and I, many of us know the story. You go, oh, yeah, what he's about to do is even better, pastor. Yeah, I know. But at the time when you're in the story and you think there's still a measure of hope, you don't think, like, this is a good thing. Why didn't Jesus hustle down here and heal Lazarus?
[00:10:28] God had a different plan now 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.
[00:10:42] Here's a vital truth we must all wrap our heads around. We were designed in order to bring glory to God.
[00:10:52] Okay? One of the great shifts I think has to happen in our soul is this life that I'm living is not about me, okay? Can you say that? Not about me.
[00:11:03] It's about him.
[00:11:05] It's about him.
[00:11:07] If you ever make that shift in your soul, it changes the whole trajectory of what's going to happen in your life. I need to start thinking differently. My life is not about me. It doesn't belong to me. It belongs to him. I'm not living for me. I'm living for Christ. I'm not living for my betterment. I'm living for his glory. You have to change the whole paradigm of the track that you're on. A lot of people struggle because really it's just about them.
[00:11:34] As a believer, God wants us to mature to the place where it becomes about him. That's a major shift.
[00:11:41] And we know it says here, when Paul was describing the nature of sin, he said, the essence of sin is that we do not bring glory to God. Isn't that true? Look how he defines sin. For we have all sinned and what, fallen short of the glory of God. We have not given God the glory. We haven't produced glory to God. That's what sin is all about. See, we think of sin as, I did this bad thing, or I didn't do this thing. No, it's all about, am I glorifying God? That's what determines what is sin or not sin. It's a very ultimate description of what it's about, isn't it? Can I bring glory to God? Is my life bringing glory to God? So the essence of life then is to bring him glory. Here we see that God is something even more profound, more powerful in mind in this particular situation. And we're often like Jesus disciples. We don't understand in the moment of our pain why or what is happening. We do not see the eternal significance of what is happening because of the challenge and pain that we're living in. How many know pain gets us to focus on pain that's what it does. And what we need to do is say, yeah, I'm not in denial. I'm not pretending. There's no pain. Yes, there is pain. Let's not kid ourselves. This is painful, this is hard, this is difficult. We can say that, but we're not letting that define us. It's just like, you know, you and I can be afraid at times, but we don't let fear define our lives. We're not making decisions based on fear and pain. We're making decisions to bring glory and honor to God.
[00:13:10] Why did Jesus wait to go into Judea and do something about Lazarus? The question was on the mind of many people. And later on in the chapter, it says, but some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?
[00:13:24] You know, everybody's questioning God.
[00:13:27] You know, sometimes we wonder why, you know, when you're a leader, people will question your decisions.
[00:13:33] I mean. Oh, that's true. No matter what you do, for some people, they're going to question it. You know, I've been at this role for so long now. I know how to live with this. I just go, that's people. They're going to question things. Hey, they questioned Jesus here. You know, couldn't he have just come at that moment and healed them? Of course he could have, but there was something else going to happen here, something far more significant. It was another plan that God had in mind.
[00:14:01] God has a different timetable than us. You better write that one down because I think a lot of us get frustrated with God and go, hey, what's the deal here? How many have you ever felt God's late?
[00:14:15] You know? Anybody besides the pastor? You know, hey, what's going on here? The timetable, it just seems to be off. You know, I've actually pointed out, I said, I know, God, you're not hung up on time. But I just want to point out a couple things. I have a deadline here.
[00:14:29] You know, my mortgage is due, my rent's due, whatever's due. You know, there's deadlines, right? We live under deadlines. And I always point out to God, you know, just because you're eternal, I have a shelf life.
[00:14:43] It's only, you know, if you don't show up pretty soon, it's not going to happen in my lifetime. It still may happen, but I may not be around for it. The way this is developing, God's timetable is different. So why does God delay in our pain, sorrow and loss? Why does God not rescue us when we're in trouble immediately. Rather than wait till we come to the end of ourselves, maybe that's the right answer. We've come to the end of ourselves. God is waiting for us to finally surrender everything, finally give up, stop trying to be in control, stop trying to figure it out. Stop trying to come up with all the answers. I'm at the end of myself, God. Okay, whatever is good for me, whatever you're going to do is fine with me. Right?
[00:15:28] It's interesting. Jesus knew that Lazarus had died. His disciples only knew Lazarus was sick, and the sisters had sent word to Jesus to come. One of the great lessons of life is that God's delays are not necessarily God's denials.
[00:15:45] We do not know what God ultimately intends. God has an eternal scope while we're locked into an earthly perspective.
[00:15:54] And I think that's good to realize that, you know, God has an infinite perspective on things. He's seeing the big picture. We're seeing a little picture. And then I've already quoted this, and we know that in all things, God works for the good to those who love him, who've been called to his purpose. And we know that in all things. And we know that in all things, I'm repeating it because sometimes you got to say this verse many times, and especially when things don't make sense. This is a great verse. You got to memorize this verse. And we know that in all things, God works together for good. I'm going. Okay. I'm just going to be patient here. God, I want to see how this plays out. Right. I'm kind of interested how you're going to play this one out.
[00:16:40] Jesus would be glorified through this experience. It would cause a deeper level of faith to arise in the heart of his followers and bring others to faith. And I think also it was preparing them for what was about to happen. Jesus wanted them to see that he had power over death.
[00:16:57] He'd been telling them he's going to be crucified. He'd been telling them he would rise again from the dead. He was telling them he had power over death.
[00:17:05] But now he's going to demonstrate it before he himself dies. How many think he's preparing them? God knows what he's doing. He's preparing them for something. After he had said this, he went on to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going there to wake him up. Okay. Now, we know from scripture that falling asleep is the euphemism for christian death. Because as far as christians are concerned, when we die. We're just falling asleep. It's just like that. It's no big thing, you know. His disciples said, lord, well, if he sleeps, he'll get better. See, these guys are still locked into. Hey, Lazarus is sick. Oh, you're gonna wake him up. Great. Let's go down there and he'll get better. How many know if he sleeps good?
[00:17:49] Jesus says he had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
[00:17:56] So he's told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
[00:18:02] That's kind of a shocking statement.
[00:18:05] Do you ever get the idea of hanging with Jesus? It's really an interesting experience.
[00:18:10] You never know what's going to happen. But I think that's true in our lives as we're hanging with Jesus, you just never know what's going to happen. Isn't that true? You know, and then he says this, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there. So that you may believe. But let's go to him now. They're really thinking, okay, wait a minute. I can understand why Jesus would go down there when he's sick, but now why are we bothering to go down there? Because he's dead. What are you going to do? Can you see what's playing on in their minds? You know, and as we're going to find out, this is not a safe thing to be doing, Jesus.
[00:18:46] But here I want to remind something about God's timing. Listen to what ecclesiastes says. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. So no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. So what is God saying? You're saying I got a totally different timetable and you have no idea what I'm up to.
[00:19:06] That's pretty humbling because a lot of us, we like to be in on the know. We want to be on the inside. Well, there's some things you're not going to know.
[00:19:14] We cannot fully understand Palm Sunday without this incident because this happened just days before Jesus goes into Jerusalem riding on the donkey. And this is what's triggering the whole experience, because what Jesus is about to do is going to totally trigger and transform the landscape. Because if you've been following the series of sermons it's been building, how many have sensed that it's been intensifying as we're going through, John, and that some of these people are really angry at Jesus. They're ready to kill him. And this is now going to be the event that sends it over the top. Watch what happens so love risks all for the sake of others.
[00:19:58] Notice how this situation is so intense in Jesus life when he suggests to his disciples to go down to Bethany. By the way, Bethany is just a few miles from Jerusalem, where he's been talking to these religious leaders.
[00:20:12] And they say to him in verse seven, they said, and then he said to his disciples, let's go back to Judea.
[00:20:20] Notice their response. Rabbi, a short while ago, the Jews had tried to stone you, and yet you're going back, in other words. Are you kidding me? We just barely blew out of Jerusalem alive, and you're suggesting we go right back in that lion's den? I mean, this is not a safe thing to be doing right now.
[00:20:40] Then Thomas called Dittmas. I mean, Thomas is always known as whom?
[00:20:45] Doubting Thomas. Okay, why don't we ever call him courageous Thomas? Because look what he says.
[00:20:52] Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, let's also go. That we may die with him.
[00:20:59] You say, well, he's kind of a skeptical kind of guy. He just thinks the worst all the time. Well, listen, he actually summarizes it pretty carefully. He says, listen, this is going to cost some lives here. Are you guys ready to die with Jesus? He says, I am. That's pretty courageous. So I just want to, you know, poor Thomas. He's had this rap through all of history. I'm going to just throw another moniker before him. So when you just think of doubting Thomas, think of as courageous Thomas. He's willing to die with Jesus.
[00:21:27] But it's telling you that Jesus is risking his life to go down to Bethany to do what he's about to do. Does everybody see that this is a risk?
[00:21:36] So this act of Jesus and raising Lazarus from the dead becomes, as I've said, the triggering event leading to his own death. Jesus is willing to sacrifice his life for his friend.
[00:21:49] Didn't Jesus say there's no greater love than a man would sacrifice his life for a friend? Jesus, when he said he loved Lazarus, he's willing to lay down his life for Lazarus. Can I tell you something? Jesus loves you and me so much, he's willing to lay down his life for us.
[00:22:04] You know, if we would meditate on that for a little bit, we'd have to ask ourselves the question, how much do I love Jesus?
[00:22:11] Have I really been gripped by the love of God? Do I really understand the depths of his love? Do I really get how much he loves us? And he loves you and he loves me, and that you and I could be so gripped by that we could say, lord, for you, I'm willing to do anything. Because I'm overwhelmed by your love.
[00:22:34] It's a crystallizing moment, raising Lazarus from the dead. It brings some people the faith. And others, it reveals the hardness of their hearts. Verse 45. Therefore, many of the Jews that come to visit Mary. And had seen what Jesus did. Put their faith in them. This is after he raises them from the dead. But notice some of them immediately went to the pharisees. And told them what Jesus had done. How many go, how can you not.
[00:22:58] How many are sitting down going, why is it that some people, no matter what you say, what you do, how many miracles, whatever, they're shut off. They just get harder and harder and harder? You know, it's either. You know, we keep thinking a miracle will bring people to faith. I'm not that convinced. You know, miracles sometimes can trigger people to reconsider things. But generally speaking, we're moving in one of two directions. Rather than moving towards God or away from him.
[00:23:23] And certainly that was happening right here.
[00:23:26] Now, these Pharisees were part of that religious leadership of the day. And they met with their. Their leadership in their Sanhedrin, which would be our parliament today. And not everybody in that Sanhedrin agreed with everybody. You know, we get the picture that all the jewish leaders were against Jesus. No, some of them were. Some of them actually believed in him. We're going to see that at the end of the book. There is some. But these people were afraid they would lose their position of authority. With the Romans, they felt like, this is going to be bad. And so when we read in verse 48, it says, if we let them go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Just let it keep going on. It would be great if everyone believed in him. Then they said, then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation. They felt like Jesus was going to incite a revolt. They saw that as a potential. And that's why these leaders were willing to get rid of Jesus.
[00:24:18] It's always an issue of trust.
[00:24:23] The great lesson we need to learn in all of our disappointment, losses and difficulties. Is not to try to figure out the whys. But rather to trust and have confidence in God's unfailing love. We need to trust that what God is allowing us to walk through. Will one day be used for good. Not only in our lives, but in the lives of other people. For us, these things are designed to bring glory to God. And shape us more into the image of Christ. Can I ask you a question?
[00:24:52] Did you learn the most by getting your way or the most in your life, by having to suffer things and be disappointed in having to mature and grow up?
[00:25:04] I think it's the latter, isn't it true, that's what changes us. You know, I like the good times in life, but I don't learn a lot there. I certainly learn a lot more when life isn't working out the way I think it should. And I'm experiencing pain. It's causing far more reflection, and it creates a deeper empathy in our lives for the pain that other people are experiencing around us.
[00:25:26] Martha and Mary had no idea what Jesus was about to do in their lives. They knew that Jesus was the Messiah. They believed that he was able to, you know, that he would raise people back from the dead. They believed in the resurrection. They did. Jesus now was about to demonstrate that he himself is the resurrection, and he was about to do something they did not expect. How many get excited when God does something you don't expect? And it's good? Jesus was not just there to comfort them. Rather, he was there to demonstrate a greater degree of trust and confidence in him. You may say that doesn't help me in my current situation or loss.
[00:26:02] However, when we consider that we have a hope that goes beyond this life, it helps us through the difficult parts of our earthly pilgrimage, and we'll see that in a moment. We must remember that we were never designed to remain here. In other words, to live in this current state. The Bible teaches us that while on earth, we're, in a sense, in one sense, absent from the Lord. You know, we're not totally, fully, you know, saved. Can I say it that way? Salvation is a progressive thing, you and I.
[00:26:35] We've been saved from the penalty of sin. God saving us from the power of sin and will continue to save us from the power of sin. But one day he's going to save us from the very presence of sin. Won't that be nice? No more sin. No more sickness, no more disease, no more sore, no more losses. No more death, no more tears. No more crying. I love this. No more remembering all the bad junk. I like that.
[00:27:00] Let me move on to the second question that this incident reveals is where to find our hope and our losses. How do we find the courage and strength and hope to move forward when our worlds have crashed on us? Or to state it differently when facing loss? Where can we find hope? And it was Viktor Frankl who experienced such devastating losses. He was a jewish survivor of Auschwitz. He was a boy. Can you imagine living through a concentration camp, that would be pretty tough. You know, a lot of people today are very weak because they haven't suffered very much. Actually, this culture today, this current culture, is very weak. It's very fragile.
[00:27:37] All we're seeing is expressions of the fragility of a very weak culture. Can you imagine having to go through something like that and what kind of stuff it produces inside of your soul? But he wrote a book called a man's search for meaning after he came out of Auschwitz. He survived. He said, a loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect on a man. Frankl contended that when a man no longer possesses a motive for living, no future to look forward towards, he curls up in a corner corner and he dies. Any attempt to restore man's inner strength in camp had first to succeed in showing him some future goal. What's he saying? You have to have a reason for going on. You have to have a hope that transcends this life. And, you know, folks, we have that hope in Christ.
[00:28:20] You and I know that this isn't all there is to it. There's more to this life than our earthly pilgrimage. You and I are going to live forever and ever, ever and ever. And what we're experiencing now. Paul says, I consider these things light afflictions compared to the glory, the weight of glory that I will experience in eternity.
[00:28:43] That's beautiful. And that's what you and I can look forward to. We have an amazing future just in front of us.
[00:28:52] We should rejoice in that.
[00:28:54] The key concept in our text in facing loss and restoring hope is the resurrection. Death is not the final word, nor is is it the ultimate end. Jesus now explains that reality to Martha. He said to her, your brother will rise again.
[00:29:10] Here's a good theological statement. Martha says, I know he will. He'll rise again in the resurrection. At the last day, Jesus said, 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. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord. She said, I believe that you are the Messiah, the son of God, who's come into the world. If death is our greatest enemy and we can face it because of Jesus, then we can also face whatever else comes against our soul. Right? It's the great enemy. We can defeat that one. We can defeat all the rest. Faith in Christ and in his resurrection power elevates us in every trial.
[00:29:55] You get what I'm saying? If you just beat the biggest giant, you don't have to worry about any of the other ones. If you can overcome the fear of death, if you can overcome that understanding that death itself is not the ultimate enemy, the death of the Christian is nothing to be afraid of or overwhelmed by.
[00:30:18] William Jennings Bryan, who served as the secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson once explained explain how powerful his faith, his christian faith was. To himself he said immortality, which means that we're going to live forever. Who will estimate the peace which belief in the future life has brought to the sorrowing? You may talk to the young about death ending all, for life is full and hope is strong. But don't preach this to the mother who stands by the deathbed of her baby. If the heavenly father decides to touch with divine power the buried acorn to make it burst forth from its prison walls, will he leave neglected in the earth man who is made in the image of his creator? What's his argument? He's saying if God can raise seed that had died from a tree don't you think God's going to raise you who have made in his image? Of course he will. That's what he's saying. That's the hope that we have.
[00:31:18] We must live with the hope of eternity before us.
[00:31:23] We may be willingly, we may willingly forfeit in this life for eternity.
[00:31:29] What we will may willingly forfeit in this life for eternity is not folly but wisdom. In other words, what I'm saying here is it's real simple. What we're willing to give up for our future in eternity in this life means very little.
[00:31:45] See, when you and I get into eternity all of a sudden all the things we thought were important in this life will mean nothing to us. A lot of these things are immaterial. I mean, we're living in a material world. Yes, we have a life to live. I get all of that and it's important at the moment. I'm not putting that down. But what I'm saying is when you get into eternity you think these things are going to be that important?
[00:32:06] I think when we get to eternity we're going to think to ourselves, man, I should have been living a little bit more focused on eternity. That's what I'm trying to get across here by saying that.
[00:32:16] But let me move back to Arthur gossip. I did this on purpose. I introduced him, but now I want to talk about him. Here's the pastor that lost his wife. Now he's preaching to his congregation. That Sunday morning in 1927 when he preached that message. When life comes tumbling in, he went on to share the following. And I think this is interesting. I do not understand this life of ours. But still less can I comprehend how people in trouble and loss and bereavement can fling away peevishly from the christian faith in God's name. Fling to what? What is he saying? You know how many people have said, I'm giving up on God? This bad thing happened in my life and I'm packing it in. I'm turning my back on God. Why would you do that? He says, what are you going to run to now?
[00:33:00] This is when you actually desperately need God in this moment. He said, have we not lost enough without losing that too, our faith? But if we turn from faith in the time of trouble, what should we turn to?
[00:33:15] There's only one thing I should like to say which I've never dared say before. Not feeling that I had the right.
[00:33:23] So I have to have an experience before, before I can say this. He said, we christian people in the mass, or most christian people, are entirely unchristian in our thought of death.
[00:33:35] Okay, what's he gonna say? We have our eyes wrongly focused.
[00:33:40] We're selfish, self centered and self absorbed. Well, he's pretty harsh here, but he's now talking in a moment of grief. He's gonna explain something. He said, dare you complain? The clumsy nothings our poor blundering love can give them here with what they must have yonder, where Christ himself has met them. What's he saying? He's saying for us to hang on to them and want to stay here so we can keep loving on them. Compared to the love of Christ, are we kidding ourselves? What they're getting now is far superior than anything we could give them. Isn't it really about us rather than them? Who?
[00:34:14] I say, this is pretty heavy stuff that he's sharing with this congregation, he said, and has heaped on them. Who can think out what happiness and glory to us? It will be long and tire lonesome and they won't even have looked around them before we burst in. In any case, are we to let our dearest be wretched out of our hands by force? In other words, are we willing to just kind of give them up to the love of God? Allow them to slip away into eternity? That's what he's talking about, he said, or, seeing that it has to be, will we not give them willingly and proudly, looking God in the eyes and telling him that we prefer our loneliness rather than that they should miss one small amount of their rights?
[00:35:00] He's showing us that we should be thinking of the person who's gone and how happy they are, rather than focus on our loss. That's what he's trying to say.
[00:35:09] When the blow fell, that was the one and only thought that kept beating like a hammer in my brain. I felt I had lost her forever. Must have lost her then realize that to all eternity she must shine far ahead of me. And my heart kept crying out, I choose it. I choose it.
[00:35:25] Do not, for my sake, deny her anything. I know now that I have not lost her. For love is not a passing thing one leaves behind.
[00:35:33] So what is he saying?
[00:35:35] He's saying, really quickly, and I'll summarize it. He's saying, you know what? Before she even knows what's happened, she's standing in the presence. And when she turns to look for me, I'll be there. Because you see time in eternity, there's no time. It'll just be like, oh, there you are, Arthur, standing before the savior. And he said, why would I begrudge her of experiencing for 1 minute the love and the joy of heaven and knowing that I haven't really lost her? Because I will soon be with her and I will be joining her. It's an amazing thought.
[00:36:10] You and I have a hope that transcends this world.
[00:36:14] Let me move on to the third thing, is how the resurrection restores our hope.
[00:36:20] It's true that before the resurrection, we see a cross, a tomb, a sense that all that was once hoped for is lost, but that is preparation for something that's far greater, the miracle of the resurrection. Jesus came to Lazarus not to heal his sick body, but to resurrect it from the dead. This was to help prepare his disciple for what was about to happen to him shortly. Even though they experienced this amazing miracle, when the hour of darkness came, they forgot that Jesus is the resurrection. Jesus had promised that not only that he would die, but that he would rise again. Isn't that amazing? Think about that for a moment. They had just witnessed this days before that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. I mean, that's pretty. Is that impressive? This guy had been dead for four days. Anybody impressed with that? I'm impressed with that. You know, well, Gordon McDonnell says this, usually the turnaround moments usher people into greater, more powerful performance of character, courage, and achievement. Let's pick up where Jesus, now deeply moved, comes to the tomb. It's a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone. But Lord Martha, the ever pragmatic Martha, practical Martha, the sister of the dead man, she says by this time, Lord there's a bad odor.
[00:37:46] He's been in there for four days. What's she saying? He's decomposing. This is not a pleasant experience. Are you kidding me? You want us to roll that stone away?
[00:37:57] Anybody tracking? Yeah, Martha. She's just.
[00:38:01] Jesus said, did I not tell you that if you believe, you'll see the glory of God? So they took away the stone, and then Jesus looked up and said, father, I thank you that you've heard me. I knew that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they might believe that you sent me. So this is a miracle to show people that you sent me. When he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. He commanded Lazarus to come out of that tomb.
[00:38:31] Now, if you're not God, you're not commanding a dead person after four days to come out of a tomb. I can guarantee you that ain't happening. Right, but I like the next line. The dead man came out, his hands and his feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. And Jesus said to them, take off the grave clothes and let him go. Wow.
[00:38:55] How many people know this got people's attention?
[00:38:58] Anybody know how many ever went to a funeral? All of a sudden, the person comes back to life. That would get people's attention. I am sure that would get people's attention. You might have media from all over the world.
[00:39:10] We know that Jesus is with us in our loss and moments of perplexity, just like he was there for Martha and Mary. What we need to understand death, our greatest enemy, is defeated through the work of Christ's resurrection. Then, whatever happens to us, God is able to renew and restore.
[00:39:27] There's no challenge too great that God cannot help us with.
[00:39:32] What does God want to do with those challenges in our lives that seem beyond us? Do we not realize that these are the moments for his glory? How does God want to use these things in our lives? Ultimately, we live in a present moment, but God is preparing us for a future moment. That's what we need to understand. We're in training. We're developing, we're maturing.
[00:39:56] Why are we doing all these things? So that we can be with him. That's the goal. We were created and designed for that.
[00:40:06] But it also was to prepare the disciples for what was about to happen.
[00:40:11] And then I repeat this. Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, they believed in him. That's the positive side. But, you know, not all things turn out positively here because it created even a greater tension for Jesus. Some of them went and told what Jesus had done, and the chief priests and the Pharisees called the meeting of the Sanhedrin. What are we accomplishing here? There's this man performing many signs. Hello. You think they might pay attention to what he's doing? How many know? Most people don't walk around healing blind people and raising people from the dead. This should have gotten their attention. Anybody kind of go along with that?
[00:40:48] Not these guys.
[00:40:50] If we let them go on like this, everyone will believe in him. We've already read that verse. Then one of them named Caiaphas, who was high priest that you spoke of, said, you guys know nothing at all. He said, you do not realize it's better for you that one man die for the people than the whole nation perish. In other words, let's just take him out and then we'll be okay.
[00:41:12] But he did not say this on his own. But as the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the jewish nation. In other words, God used his negative remark in a positive way. How many know God does that? Yeah, he takes the worst thing. He just flips it around, says, oh, yeah, you're saying the right thing, but you don't understand what you're really saying.
[00:41:31] It says, and not only for that nation, but also for the scattered children of God to bring them together and make them one. And so from that day on, they plotted to take his life. Now, as great as this miracle was, we need to remember that Lazarus eventually died later. He's not still walking around the planet, you know. He died. This was simply a postponement of the inevitable. This is something we all have to address in life, the loss of someone we love as well as our own departure. Jesus resurrection changed the whole dynamic and destiny of his disciples.
[00:42:07] So let me close with this. What dream has been shattered lately in your life? What stone that seems to leave love buried needs to be opened by the command of Jesus? What plan has gone awry? The resurrection is not just a symbol of renewed hope, but the beginning of a new and wondrous relationship with Jesus. Every loss in our lives needs to be factored through the lens of resurrection. That's true.
[00:42:35] What does God want to birth in your life from your current struggle, your current heartache, your current sorrow, your current loss?
[00:42:45] My prayer today is that we're going to look past our losses and sorrows and see God's coming victory. Let's stand, you know, I.
[00:42:58] I sit here and I say, you know, it's amazing to me how we could be at this place, in this juncture in our lives, and then we hear this message. There's hope in Jesus.
[00:43:11] I said, there's hope in Jesus. Okay, just checking.
[00:43:17] Make sure that you heard hope in Jesus.
[00:43:21] So what I want us to do, I want you to take your pain right now, your sorrow, your confusion, your perplexity, your doubt, your fear, your apprehension. I want you just to take them to Jesus. Just lift your hand. Just say, lord, I'm giving them to you.
[00:43:42] All the things in my life that you know that are troubling my heart, my greatest enemy is death itself, and you've already fixed that problem.
[00:43:53] There is no giant that's coming against me right now that's greater than that giant, and you took that giant down.
[00:43:59] So all of these giants in our lives, they're not that big for you. They may feel overwhelming for me, but they're not that big for you. And I want to just lay them down. My fears, my losses, my sorrows.
[00:44:16] And, Father, I pray today that your spirit would come, your holy spirit would come and fill our hearts with a quiet peace, a beautiful joy, a divine confidence and trust in you.
[00:44:31] I believe that there's a resurrection power living inside of me. The same spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead now dwells inside of me.
[00:44:40] And I'm looking to you, Father, to see a great work accomplished. Accomplished. Because I'm living not for myself, and I'm living for your glory.
[00:44:51] And I pray, Lord, that whatever is occurring in my life at this moment, I pray that you would be glorified in it. That's my prayer. You would be glorified in it. That you would use the challenge that I'm facing, the sorrow, the difficulty, the loss, whatever is going on in my soul, Lord, you would use this for your honor and for your glory. And we thank you for that, Lord. In Jesus name, amen. God bless you as you leave.
