WEBVTT 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:12.720 This podcast is a ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:17.760 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.519 Praise the one who paid my debt. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.120 Thank you, Jesus, for paying that debt of sin for us. 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:31.679 Thank you, God, that you also raised him from the grave. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:36.880 Oh, God, you didn't let Lazarus stay in the grave. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.799 You didn't let Jesus stay in the grave. 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.560 And you will not let us stay in the grave if we believe in you. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:50.960 And so, God, what I pray for is that we realize and that we show off that grave-free life. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:56.320 And Lord, for those here this morning that don't know you, I pray to God that you would reveal yourself to them. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:03.039 Never in human history did anyone start with the idea of, I think I'll go to God. 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.680 God, it was always your idea from the very beginning. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:09.920 You were the initiator of paying the price for us. 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:11.840 Thank you for doing so. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:13.200 Speak now. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:17.599 Let us be moved by you and do what you would have us to, for it's in your name, Jesus. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:18.560 Amen. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:21.439 Well, good morning. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:25.280 As I said earlier, my name is Wade Burgess, and I'm the executive pastor here. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:35.840 Um, executive just means that I'm in charge of the operations of the church, and you can always tell what your church thinks of you and your preaching prowess based on the Sunday they give you to preach. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:40.560 So, welcome to spring break and time change Sunday. 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.879 We've hit the uh we've hit a double winner here. 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:50.000 You've decided to get up, you've decided to move your clocks forward, and this is who you get in front of you. 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:51.200 So, congratulations. 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:55.519 I told the first service we'd have your$25 gift cards on your way out this morning. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:59.519 So be sure to pick those up on your way out. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.000 Well, this morning we're going to continue uh moving through the the book of John. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:06.319 And let me just footnote this for you. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:15.039 I know that if you've been here any length of time, you know how we feel about going through the Bible kind of book by book, almost word by word, as we do that. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:20.159 Because what we believe here at Grand Parkway is that God's word comes alive when we do it. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:40.400 We believe that by exploring the word like that, what we get to see is how we live out our lives, what God plans for us, what he has in store for us, and all the while, besides giving us counsel and talking to us about situations, all the while, the Bible tells us about the character of God. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:42.240 And that's what we'll explore this morning. 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.560 That's really what chapter 11 does for us, I think, is it gives us the character of God. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:51.280 So this morning we're gonna talk about what God does and why he does it. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.599 Now, this morning we're gonna read from verses 1 through 44. 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:56.479 And that's a lot of reading. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:00.719 So here's what we're gonna do to make sure you stay uh paying attention and stay awake. 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:02.560 I'm gonna stop a little bit along the way. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:05.439 Now, have you ever um, you know what a cutting horse is? 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.039 I told the class that I taught last week for what you call your. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:10.159 You know about a cutting horse? 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:11.520 Here's what they say about a cutting horse. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:14.080 He's the one that keeps the cow in front of him the whole time. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:20.800 They say that if you're on a really good cutting horse, what'll happen is you'll get thrown off because he sees where the cow is going. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:22.319 He moves before you realize it. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.520 So your job as rider is just to hang on. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:27.680 That's your job this morning, okay? 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:36.400 Because we're gonna stop and start a few times during this because I think it's important for us to point out as we go what that looks like. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:41.360 And then we'll come back and kind of summarize what we've read in those points that I'll make. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:44.960 And so I just wanted to warn you uh uh about that uh before we get started. 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:46.560 So hang on to the saddle horn. 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:56.879 Your responsibility, besides that, is just to listen and think, take away and apply whatever God's talking to you today from his text. 00:03:57.120 --> 00:03:58.000 So let's get started. 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:02.319 We'll start in John chapter 11, verse 1. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:05.199 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:16.399 He was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha, this Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the one who had poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:17.600 Let me stop right there. 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:27.360 If you've been walking with us through John, you're probably thinking, and you've not read ahead, you're probably thinking, now, wait a minute, John, you just wrote something that hasn't happened yet. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:34.399 Actually, where Mary pours the perfume on Jesus' feet and wipes it with her hair, that actually happens in chapter 12. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:38.800 But John is not necessarily writing this real time, obviously, right? 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:40.399 All these events have already happened. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:48.160 And so as he's writing this, he recognizes his readers are going to know about some events in the quote future that they're going to read about. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:52.959 So already he's establishing for the reader who Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:57.360 Okay, so I didn't want you to get tangled up in, wait a minute, this chronologically isn't working right. 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:58.319 That's why. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:01.839 All right, back on the horse, and we've got the cow and the pen now. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:06.319 So the sister sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:10.160 When he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:15.040 No, it is for God's glory, so that God's Son may be glorified through it. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.399 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:24.160 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:29.839 Now John clearly establishes how Jesus feels about these three. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:37.920 He tells us early on, twice, in fact, in those first kind of five or six verses, exactly what he feels about the two sisters and the brother. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:39.839 He says he loves them, says he cares for them. 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.439 In fact, they refer to Lazarus as one that Jesus loves. 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:57.600 The reason I think John is trying to be so emphatic with that point is that if he didn't, I think we'd be likely to be real quick to judge that, oh, Jesus' lack of action is caused by a lack of love. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:00.079 I think we get that way sometimes. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:01.600 We pray, God, where are you? 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:02.800 You're not coming through for me. 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.199 God, you must not care because you're not doing anything. 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.240 You know, God, I've been asking and asking, I don't know where you are. 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:11.199 I mean, I asked you yesterday, I don't know why you didn't do it today. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:16.160 And so I think that's the first takeaway out of the text is be careful. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:21.839 Don't assume that just because there is a quote lack of action, that there is also a lack of love. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:24.639 We'll unpack that more in just a little bit. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:30.480 But I wanted you to just not miss that first point that I think we'd be very easily to assume. 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:32.079 All right, let's continue. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.680 We pick up in verse 7. 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:37.360 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Let us go back to Judea. 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:42.639 But Rabbi, they said, A short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, yet you're going back there? 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.319 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:51.920 A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by his world's light. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:56.480 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light. 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:03.759 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, Our friend Lazarus had fallen asleep, but I'm going there to wake him up. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.639 His disciples replied, Lord, if uh if he sleeps, he'll get better. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:14.720 Jesus had been speaking of Lazarus' death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:23.120 So then he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I'm glad I was not there so that you may believe. 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:24.879 But let us go to him. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:28.240 Now let me just pause for a commentary here. 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.839 Um, this is just maybe let you in on some insight of my thinking. 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:39.600 Do you think that maybe the disciples at some point, now they've been with Jesus about two and a half years at this story? 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:47.600 Do you think that at some point they're kind of either tired of talking or they're tired of asking questions and getting these kinds of responses? 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:52.079 I mean, the disciples are saying, Jesus, are you really going to go back where they were trying to stone you? 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.759 And by the way, maybe us too, but are you really going to go back to where they were trying to stone you? 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:58.639 And Jesus is like, in there 12 hours in a day? 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:00.480 Uh duh. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.079 I I don't know why. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:09.519 I think at some point some of the guys in the back, maybe a couple of the disciples, we can't remember their names, are saying to each other, Didn't I tell you not to ask him any questions? 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:17.600 Every time you ask a question, he makes us feel foolish, and then he says something, and then we got to look around and go, uh, he doesn't stumble in the light and the dark and the what, and uh Mr. 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.839 Captain Obvious over here, why not just everybody go back to the ground rule? 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:23.600 Nobody ask questions, nobody say anything. 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:25.279 Let's just get done what we got to get done. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:27.199 That's kind of how I think they were responding. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:30.480 And by the way, I think that's how we do as well sometimes. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:38.320 This is the analogy that came to me as I was preparing for for today, and that was this idea of um of Pythagoras. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:40.000 Do you know the name Pythagoras? 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:46.000 He was kind of the father of numbers, kind of the the uh one of the original great minds of math. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.200 And this is what I think about related to this exchange. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:53.120 I think Pythagoras has got, you know, this room full of students, okay? 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:59.120 And he's talking to them about, I don't know, whole numbers and integers and uh how to solve for infinity. 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:00.879 You know, he's going through all these things, right? 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.360 And he's educating his students on math. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:12.080 And his students are probably imagining, you know, let's pretend maybe have you been in one of those classes where they got the two black boards and the whole problem is across both of those boards. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.080 I went to one of those and then dropped it. 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:17.440 But anyway, there's two problems across the board, right? 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:21.279 And his students are like, man, Pythagoras, what are we gonna do to solve that? 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:24.960 I mean, there's X's and Z's and the alphabet and the thing and the deal and those. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:25.519 What are we doing? 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.720 And Pythagoras is going, shh, guys, guys, hold on. 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:32.320 All I want you to do is know your multiplication and division. 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:33.200 That's all. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:36.960 And they're like, uh eight times two is 16. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:38.720 But listen, Pythagoras, you're not listening. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:43.679 We got a whole two blackboard worth of problem to solve here, and you're telling us, yeah, yeah, listen. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:50.960 What I need you to know is that if you know your multiplication and division, you'll likely be able to solve any problem that comes along. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:53.200 This is kind of how I think Jesus is. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.720 The disciples are worried about this two blackboard worth of problem. 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:58.720 And by the way, we'll do the same thing. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:04.559 We'll worry about kind of this huge problem, and Jesus is going, hey, didn't I tell you just to pray? 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:06.240 Yeah, but Jesus, you don't understand. 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.159 I got this two blackboard worth of problem. 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:09.279 I got some issues. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:11.279 Didn't I tell you just to read? 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:14.720 Yeah, yeah, I get all that, Jesus, but really what I need is some help. 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:15.679 Yeah, but didn't I? 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:16.960 What are you missing? 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:19.039 That's what I think I at least this is for me. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.440 This is what I take away from this little exchange. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:28.000 The disciples are so worried about big problems, and Jesus is like, hey guys, let's just focus on what we've got to get done. 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.960 Now, on the other hand, here's what else I think about that. 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:38.159 I think sometimes the disciples probably feel like, you know what? 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.279 Um, it might be simpler than we're thinking. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.399 And Jesus is saying, hey guys, you know what I'm doing? 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.039 I'm inviting you into an experience. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:49.919 Not a problem solving, not a particular issue. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.879 I'm inviting you into an experience. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:56.080 Now, this is the analogy that came to my mind for that. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:58.480 Um it's spring break. 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:00.399 A lot of people are out snow skiing. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:02.080 Pretty soon you'll wish I was. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:05.039 But anyway, um, I love snow skiing. 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:06.639 It's one of my favorite things to do. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:08.399 I don't know, there's just something about it. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:10.720 It is, oh man, it is awesome. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:19.679 And I've taken a few people skiing before over time, and I've had the privilege of uh educating them on how to ski, kind of teaching them what that looks like. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.320 So I'm skiing one year and I've got a friend with me, very athletic guy. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:28.720 He goes to college on a football scholarship, and man, he's ready to go skiing. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:30.960 I'm like, all right, I let's go. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:36.720 And so we get out there on the slope, and I'm telling him the nuances of how to make a turn. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:38.720 Not like this, right? 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.120 Where you're driving a truck, okay? 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.000 I want you to make a turn like this and just apply pressure. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:45.519 That's all I want you to do. 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:47.039 And he is not getting it. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:53.120 And I mean, by the way, if you've ever been skiing for the first time, you know you cannot wear blue jeans or anything that stays wet. 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:54.960 He is soaking wet, right? 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.360 He's got perspiration falling down on him. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:11:58.559 It's like minus 20. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:11:59.840 He's sweating, okay? 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.639 His clothes are soaked from the snow, and he's trying to get it, and he has not given up. 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:12.159 Now, if you've ever done something for a while, particularly if you've done it fairly well, you kind of forget the little nuances. 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:14.559 You forget how long it took you to learn. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:16.159 You're like, why don't you just get it? 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.120 And then you forget it took you 10 years before you were doing the same thing. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:22.240 And so we're out there, and we're out there a half a day. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:23.360 I mean, we're not giving up. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:29.440 And I'm like, look, all you've got to do, put your skis down, trust your momentum, make a turn, bring your tails around. 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:30.879 This is all you need to do. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:32.960 I'm gonna get to the point in just a second. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:36.879 And so he's looking at me going, I don't know. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:40.799 Finally, at the end of the half day, it hits him, it clicks. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:42.320 And this is what he says. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:44.159 Wade, you know what I realized? 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.039 I've got to push my big toe to start the turn. 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:49.039 All right. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.360 Whatever works for you, that's fine. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:51.919 Okay. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:53.840 I kind of get the sense. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:02.240 Every now and then Jesus is talking to his disciples, and he's kind of saying to them, Hey, fellas, I'm skiing these black diamonds. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:02.799 This is awesome. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:05.120 Hey, you gotta use your legs as shock absorbers. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:05.840 Here we go. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:09.840 And the disciples are like, You gotta push with your big toe. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:12.159 That can be like us. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:17.919 Jesus sometimes is talking to us so simply, giving us such simple commands that we miss it. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:19.600 We try to make it way too complex. 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:27.440 And sometimes Jesus is inviting us into an experience with him, into just enjoying the process. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:29.759 And we're going, Oh, how do you do? 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:31.360 You gotta push your big toe. 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:32.799 We can't worry about that. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:35.279 So if you didn't get that out of the text, then you're not reading. 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.960 But um that's that's what I get, okay? 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:45.360 That sometimes Jesus will speak to us both very simply, like he says there, in there twelve hours in a day. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:51.600 You don't stumble in the daylight, and sometimes he invites us in by saying, Hey, he's fallen asleep. 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:52.639 You don't understand that. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:57.279 He's dead, but we're gonna go back, and there's a reason for that. 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:02.080 All right, let's pick up in verse 17 here, or 16 actually. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.600 So he says, But let's go. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:08.559 And in 16, then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:13.919 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.919 All right, just another note here. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:17.759 Four days is very significant. 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:21.840 Now, there's a lot of commentary written about, well, where was Jesus? 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:23.039 How long did it take him? 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.519 He waited two days, and then he went two more. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:27.120 No, wait, he traveled a long way. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:31.360 That's not what I want to get into this morning about where Jesus was. 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:34.639 What I want to get into is the duration of time. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:37.840 Four days is very specific. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:50.879 In ancient Jewish culture, one of the beliefs was that after someone died, their spirit would kind of hover over the body for three days until it went on to its final resting place, they believed. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:15:00.639 And so the reason Jesus is very particular about the length of time is he does not want to walk in and somebody say, Oh, you know what, Jesus, you came two and a half days. 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:02.240 His spirit was just waiting to go back in there. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:03.360 That's all that happened. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:05.840 Or, well, you must have scared his spirit back in. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:07.440 That that's that's what took place. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:09.200 That's why Jesus said, Oh no. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:10.480 I waited four days. 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:11.039 You know why? 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:16.559 Because I wanted you to know he was dead, both in body and his spirit was gone. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:20.799 And so that's why the significance around that four days. 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:23.759 All right, pick back up on 18 here. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:31.440 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. 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:36.320 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:41.039 Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:45.360 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.879 Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:53.759 And Martha answered, I know, he'll rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:58.480 And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:05.200 He who believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:06.720 Do you believe this? 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:12.399 By the way, great way to start a conversation if you want to have one about someone in their faith, to simply ask that. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.200 Hey, do you believe Jesus is the resurrection? 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.919 Do you believe Jesus well what do you think happens after you die? 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:19.440 Great question there. 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:28.240 Verse 27, yes, Lord, she told him, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world. 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:32.399 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:38.639 When Mary heard, uh sorry, uh, the teacher is here, she said, and is asking for you. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:41.840 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:48.000 Now, let me say that we have no indication in the text that Jesus has said anything about Mary. 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.279 Martha is running off, and here's why I think Martha runs off. 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.519 This is just my own personal opinion on this. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:07.839 I think because John told us how much he loved them, because how much time they had spent together, I think, over the term of Jesus' ministry, I think Martha kind of knew that little glint in Jesus' eye when he says, Hey, you believe me? 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.519 I think she kind of recognized, oh, something's about to go down. 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:13.440 You wouldn't be asking these questions. 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:15.920 Hold on, let me go get Mary. 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:19.680 And I think she ran off to get Mary to say, Mary, we don't want to miss this. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:21.599 We don't want to miss what's going on here. 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.440 And by the way, the disciples a lot of times missed it. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:36.079 Let me just encourage you, the more that we pray, the more that we listen, the more that we observe, and the more that we are obedient, the less we're gonna miss it ourselves. 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:42.880 Have you ever been in a place where you leave a conversation or you leave something and you're like, ooh, something doesn't feel right. 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:45.759 I think I should have said, oh, you know what I should have told them? 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:47.119 Ooh, you know what I should have done? 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:49.359 I felt like you ever been there? 00:17:50.799 --> 00:18:02.240 That's what I don't want us to miss is that the more we pray, listen, observe, and are obedient, God is gonna continue to reveal himself, but he's also gonna continue to involve you in what he's doing, and that shouldn't be a scary thing. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.720 Martha is not scared about what's about to happen. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.640 She didn't go get her sister for a little support. 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:11.759 She went and got her to say, Come on, the master, the rabbi, the teacher, he's about to set it off in here. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.880 I don't know what's gonna happen, but we don't want to miss it. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:17.759 All right, so let's pick up in 31 now. 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:19.519 Oh, excuse me, let's go back to 29. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.240 So when Mary had heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:27.680 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:37.359 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:49.759 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had not been here, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:56.480 Now get this neither sister is understanding Lazarus' death as beneficial. 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:01.920 Each one of them has kind of this tunnel vision around the event itself. 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:11.599 All they're seeing is, my brother's dead, you didn't come, if you'd have come, he wouldn't have been very myopic in their view of what's going on here. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:16.160 They're not expecting nor understanding the possible outcome. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:18.400 I think we can be a lot like this. 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:27.519 In the middle of that something, we so focus on that one something, and we're so concerned about that one something that we're not seeing it from a big enough picture to say, you know what? 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:29.759 God's at work in this potentially. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:32.240 God, what are you doing in this? 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:41.200 And I just want to encourage you that one of the things we should always do, we're in the midst of something, we ought to just simply ask, God, what are you doing? 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:46.400 And if He, God, if you're not going to reveal that to me, just give me strength to get through this. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:50.000 And God, I trust you enough to do whatever it is you want to do in this. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:53.680 Mary and Martha, I think, kind of missed it there. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:20:05.200 They're kind of seeing this one event happened, and instead, Jesus is kind of setting them up for hey, you need to expect and understand possible outcomes. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:08.480 That's what we're going to see here in just a second. 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:11.359 All right, so let's finish up the text here. 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:12.880 Verse 33. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:20.720 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:22.240 Where have you laid him? 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:23.039 He asked. 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:25.279 Come and see, Lord, they replied. 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:26.720 And Jesus wept. 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:29.759 Then the Jews said, See how he loved him? 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:35.839 But some of them said, Could not he who had opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.920 Jesus once more, deeply moved, came to the tomb. 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.119 It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:44.400 Sound familiar? 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:46.319 Take away the stone, he said. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:53.839 But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, man, by this time, this is a bad odor, for he's been in there four days. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:59.440 And then Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.599 So they took away the stone. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:06.079 Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you've heard me. 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:13.599 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:19.279 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:25.759 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.880 Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go. 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:41.759 Now recognize there's a lot in these 44 verses, and I'm not talented enough to unpack them all for you, so I wanted just to focus on really kind of two points today. 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:44.960 One, I wanted to talk about what God does. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:49.680 What do we get out of these 44 verses to understand what God does? 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:53.200 Well, the first thing we get, and it's really not a stretch, is that God heals. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:58.720 Now, it doesn't take much reading in the ministry of Jesus to understand God is about healing. 00:21:59.039 --> 00:21:59.759 The Jews knew. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.240 It. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:01.759 They said it right there in 37. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:06.480 They said, if this guy could have healed the blind man, couldn't he have kept this one from dying? 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:09.839 So certainly they had seen his miracles and knew what he was up to. 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.559 They knew that he had the power to heal. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:14.079 And so God heals. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:20.319 Probably, I would guess a lot of us, most of us, have experienced that power of healing in one way or another. 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:24.960 And so we recognize one characteristic of what God does is heal. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:28.000 Here's the second thing I think God does. 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:29.599 He doesn't heal. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:33.119 Now, some of you are like, wait a minute, is that a typo you just said he healed? 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:34.799 Now you're saying he doesn't heal? 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:36.160 Get it together, fella. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:39.680 Let me just remind you: sometimes God doesn't heal. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:46.799 This could be the only account that we see where Jesus denied the request for healing. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:51.200 You remember in other stories, they're dropping guys through the roof to heal the paraplegic. 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:53.200 People are touching his garment and he's healing. 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.000 They're not even asking. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:58.880 They're just grabbing on and they're being healed, and he's healing lepers and he's casting out demons. 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:00.400 He's doing all these things. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:03.440 But here, oddly enough, Jesus refuses the healing. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.720 You remember the centurion? 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:10.160 The story where the centurion, his daughter, is sick and he says, Hey, Jesus, you don't even have to come. 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:12.720 You just say the word and she'll be well. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:19.279 Jesus doesn't deny him, but yet he's denying these three that he loves, so John tells us. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:21.519 God doesn't always heal. 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:31.200 And many of us have prayed for maybe spouses or parents, or, hey, I prayed for my grandmother and she still passed, or I prayed for my children, and it's not going the way I prayed. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:36.000 What I want to encourage you is to explore where has God not answered? 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.200 And I want you to examine that in hindsight. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:46.880 If you can, I want you to understand a little bit better about where you might be glad he didn't answer. 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:54.160 And where he didn't answer and you don't understand it, I want you to still be okay with obedience. 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:56.880 I want to encourage you that there's going to be a lot of answers. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:59.039 We're not going to get this side of heaven. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:02.559 But by us being obedient is the responsibility. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:07.119 It's kind of like when uh if if you're a parent and you've got kids, and by the way, I said I would never do it. 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:10.640 How many of you sound a lot like your parents when you parent your kids? 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:11.440 Is there any? 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.720 Apparently it's just me. 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:13.119 Okay. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.440 So this is what it sounds like sometimes at my house. 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:16.720 I said that I would never do it. 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.000 I've already used back in my day, I've used that one. 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.079 And I've used a few others. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:22.799 Here's one. 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:24.880 Oh, you do it because I told you to. 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:32.720 Now, when I was growing up, that seemed like the perfect logical thing for my parents to say because it just, I don't know, it just shut me down and I went and did whatever. 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:34.480 You know, that doesn't work today, by the way. 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:39.839 I don't know if it's the way we're raising kids or what, but sometimes I want to say because I told you to. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:43.519 You don't understand why I'm telling you to do that, but it's because I told you to. 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.119 That's how I think God is with us. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:48.480 He's saying to us sometimes, I don't always heal. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:51.759 I don't always answer your prayers, and I'm not going to. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.599 And you know what I need you to do? 00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:55.039 Still be obedient. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:55.680 Why? 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.359 Because I told you to. 00:24:57.680 --> 00:25:00.000 You got to trust that I know more than you. 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:02.640 And sometimes it's going to be very confusing for you. 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:04.160 Here's your responsibility. 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:06.720 Be obedient because I told you to. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:14.720 That's why I think God doesn't heal sometimes, but I can promise you this: none of the reasons will be because he doesn't care. 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:18.720 Not a single one of them will be because he doesn't care. 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:26.240 The third thing I think that the text obviously shows us related to what God does is he raises from the dead. 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:30.880 The climax of the story is calling Lazarus out of the grave. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:33.440 Now, by the way, I don't know how true this is. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:35.279 Somebody told it to me in between services. 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:38.559 I'm going to use it because it's going to take up just a minute of time, but let me tell you about this. 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:47.359 He said that he read a commentary on this idea of Jesus calling Lazarus out of the tomb. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:57.759 The commentary said, and it tells us in 1 Thessalonians, that when Jesus comes back for the second return, Jesus is going to come back. 00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:59.839 There's going to be a trumpet sound and a loud voice. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.079 He is going to call out those who have died and believed in him and they're going to rise up. 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:12.079 The commentary said that's why Jesus was very specific to say Lazarus, because if all he said was come out, everybody would have come out of the grave. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:14.480 I don't know if that's true or not. 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:17.599 I'm just telling you what I heard, okay? 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.440 But the climax of the story there obviously is he comes out. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:27.920