Behind a Frowning Providence (John 11:1-16 Jeff Kliewer)

Cornerstone Church

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April 3, 2023

Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org Behind a Frowning Providence

07:57: I'm not prepared. First Corinthians, I think. First Corinthians 4.
08:04: So this morning, about the men's retreat, which is coming at the end of the month.
08:10: I think you're all aware of it now because Pastor John has been announcing it for at least a month.
08:19: But we reserved space for 35 guys, and as of today, we've only had 16 to sign up.
08:28: So we need to double that number at least. So this morning,
08:34: I was thinking about how I felt about it. And the last verse I read, literally this morning, when
08:40: I was doing my Bible reading, was, what do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod or with the love in the spirit of gentleness?
08:53: That's a true story. So anyway, if you, either you're going and you signed up or you're not going, let your yes be yes and your no be no,
09:04: OK. But for those of you who are sitting on the fence, who've been procrastinating, or who say,
09:10: I like to sleep in my own bed. I don't want to go somewhere and sleep on another pillow. It's only for one night.
09:17: So it's actually less than 24 hours between check -in and check -out. So if you could, just psych yourself up and go on the
09:27: Church Center app today and sign up for the men's retreat. And the other thing is tomorrow, as usual, our men's breakfast fellowship is meeting here at 6
09:37: AM. Thank you. And if you don't, he'll have a stick in the hall to force you to do it.
09:45: We have a Good Friday service this Friday at 7 o 'clock. It'll be over about 8 o 'clock.
09:51: So this Friday, 7 o 'clock, try to make it. We also have an Easter sunrise service for the first time this year.
09:58: Out on the field, it's going to be very simple, just hymns sung a cappella out there in the field and then a sermon by John Laskin.
10:06: We also have two regular services for Easter. And I'm just going to preach the gospel.
10:12: How about that? Because it's Easter Sunday. Bring a friend. This is a great one to bring someone who doesn't know the
10:18: Lord. So at the 9 and the 1045, we'll be preaching the gospel and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
10:25: Any other announcements? Think we got it. Let's pray. So Father, we are so glad to come into your house this morning.
10:33: We are here to praise your name. And we are thankful for the children that will be helping us to worship and leading us in worship for a moment.
10:40: We pray for them, God, that you would bless them, that you would fill them with the Holy Spirit, give them joy. We pray that this would be a time that honors you.
10:49: We know that you delight in the praises of children. And you even silence your enemies.
10:55: By the lips of infants, you have ordained praise. And Lord, we thank you that you have given us these wonderful children in this church.
11:02: We pray blessing on them, that you would help them in their lives, and that this would be part of how they grow to know you more and more.
11:09: And Father, we pray for all of us that we would have childlike faith in the hearing of your word, that we would have hearts of worship that are filled with wonder at who you are and what you've done.
11:20: So now, Lord, as we come into a time of worship, would you inhabit the praise of your people, that we would worship in spirit and in truth, in Jesus' name.
11:29: Amen. We're going to stand together this morning and sing one song as children prepare to come up and get set up.
11:37: They're going to share some songs with us and lead us in worship this morning. So let's sing this new song,
11:44: All -Sufficient Merit. All -sufficient merit, shining like the sun.
12:10: A fortune I inherit by the work
12:17: I have done. By righteousness I forfeit at my
12:26: Savior's cross, where all -sufficient merit did what
12:36: I could not. In love
12:47: He condescended, eternal now in time.
12:56: A life without a blemish, the Maker made to die.
13:05: The law could never save us, our lawlessness had won.
13:14: Until the pure and spotless Lamb had finally come.
13:23: It is done, it is finished, no more debt
13:30: I owe. Paid in full, all -sufficient merit, not my own.
13:44: I lay down my garments, any empty post.
13:58: Good works all corrupted by the sinful host.
14:07: Dressed in my Lord Jesus, a crimson robe made white.
14:16: For no more fear of judgment, His righteousness is mine.
14:25: It is done, it is finished, no more debt
14:32: I owe. Paid in full, all -sufficient merit, not my own.
14:42: It is done, it is finished, no more debt
14:50: I owe. Paid in full, all -sufficient merit, now my own.
15:07: All -sufficient merit, firm in life and death.
15:16: The joy of my salvation shall be my final breath.
15:26: And when I stand accepted before the throne of God.
15:34: I'll gaze upon my Jesus and thank
15:39: Him for the cross. Yes, I'll thank Him for the cross.
15:47: It is done, it is finished, no more debt
15:53: I owe. Paid in full, all -sufficient merit, now my own.
16:04: It is done, it is finished, no more debt
16:11: I owe. Paid in full, all -sufficient merit, now my own.
16:21: Oh, your merit, not my own. Oh, your merit, now my own.
16:31: You may be seated. Jesus said, if I am lost,
19:28: He will come to me. He showed me a way,
19:39: He will come to me. For the
19:45: Lord is good and faithful, He will keep us safe.
19:53: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
20:04: For the Lord is good and faithful,
20:12: He will keep us safe. And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
20:25: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
25:00: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
26:32: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ. And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
27:16: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
27:23: And we can always run to Jesus, Jesus Christ.
27:29: We mourn till the race is finished and the work is done.
27:39: We will fix our eyes, but live our souls.
27:54: We mourn till the race is finished and the work is done.
28:02: We'll walk by faith and not by storm.
30:29: We'll walk by faith and not by storm.
30:49: We'll walk by faith and not by storm. So we celebrate because of what
30:54: Christ did for us and what that means for those of us who believe. To an unbeliever, it may seem strange that we celebrate our
31:01: Lord's death, but only Christ's death could give us eternal life. And we know the
31:07: Lord didn't stay dead. Our salvation, while a free gift, was costly, though.
31:13: In this memorial meal, we partake first of the bread. The bread is symbolic of Christ's body broken for us.
31:21: When we look at the bread, we see a dual truth. First, we see that the bread speaks to us both of Christ's suffering, but also of his sufficiency.
31:31: He is both the Savior who suffered for us and who himself is sufficient to meet our every need.
31:38: When you look at the bread, you see Christ's suffering. This, of course, is a central message of this memorial meal.
31:45: The Lord's table speaks to us of the death of Christ. It was a painful death.
31:51: It was a death full of suffering which paid for our sins. That suffering reveals the gravity of sin.
31:58: Just how serious does God consider sin that Jesus had to die to forgive us of that sin?
32:04: The fact that Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven indicates that God hates sin.
32:11: We see this in Psalm 5 -5, where it says, The boastful shall not stand before your eyes, you hate all evildoers.
32:19: Our God is a holy God. He is too pure to condone sin. The sacrifice of Christ speaks loudly to the gravity of it.
32:28: But the suffering of Christ also reveals the love of God. It was because of the love of God that Jesus suffered and died on the cross.
32:37: This is why he came. This is why he died. Charles Wesley, who's a great hymn writer, expressed it this way,
32:44: Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
32:49: Our God died for us. When Jesus died on that cross, it was the greatest expression of God's love.
32:58: So today, when you partake of the broken bread, understand that it symbolizes both his suffering and his sufficiency.
33:06: Jesus called himself the bread of life. He is the living bread which meets the deepest needs of our spiritual hunger.
33:13: The second element of the Lord's table is the cup. The cup is filled with the fruit of the vine, which symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ.
33:21: The blood itself is a symbol of life. So when we speak of Christ's blood poured out, we are speaking of his life being poured out.
33:31: And when his life was poured out, it was poured out as a payment for our sins. We see the truth of this in Leviticus 17 .11,
33:38: where it says, For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls.
33:46: For it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. A life had to be given, and blood had to be shed for forgiveness.
33:54: It says in Hebrews 9 .22, This is why a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins had to be made.
34:09: In the Old Testament, it was the sacrifice of an animal. But this was not sufficient. What was needed was not the sacrifice of a lamb, but the sacrifice of the
34:19: Lamb of God. Jesus is the Lamb of God. It was at the celebration of the
34:26: Feast of Passover when Jesus instituted the Lord's Table, and the
34:31: Feast of Passover commemorated God's salvation of the
34:37: Israelites when they were in captivity in Egypt of the Angel of Death. A lamb had to be sacrificed, it had to be slain, and the blood had to be placed on the doorposts and lintel of each house.
34:49: And when the Angel of Death came through, any believers who had done that were passed over.
34:55: Jesus is called our Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5 .7. Christ, the Lamb of God, has been sacrificed for our
35:02: Passover. His blood was shed for us in a once -for -all sacrifice.
35:08: Christ's blood poured out speaks of the forgiveness for sins. Because of His shed blood, we can now be fully and freely forgiven by God.
35:15: Christ's blood poured out also speaks of a new covenant of grace. Now, under this new covenant of grace, our sins are forgiven and salvation does not depend on our works.
35:28: Our salvation depends upon another's work. It depends upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
35:34: He did what we could not do. He paid the penalty for our sins by His blood poured out on Calvary's cross.
35:40: Now we can enter into a new covenant with God. Not based on our own works, but based on the grace offered to us because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
35:50: In this new covenant, we now live for Christ by letting Christ live in us. When we receive
35:56: Jesus, His righteousness is credited to our account. Just like it said in the song that we were singing.
36:03: We are saved through Christ's blood poured out. We are forgiven through Christ's blood poured out. We are kept through Christ's blood poured out.
36:11: So when you partake of the cup today, understand that Christ's blood poured out has purchased your salvation.
36:19: If the men could come. Lord God, I just thank you so much for this day. I thank you that you sent your
36:25: Son, that you loved us that much, that you sent your Son to die on the cross for us for the forgiveness of sin.
36:31: We come to you as sinful people and ask for your forgiveness. God, we thank you that you stepped into time and took our penalty.
36:40: Amen. Jesus said, this is my body broken for you.
39:48: Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
43:37: Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. Let's go to the
44:07: Lord in prayer. God, it is so good to be reminded of the gospel.
44:18: In the bread and in the cup, to be reminded of the body and the blood. This is our life.
44:26: This is the forgiveness of our sins. This is the new covenant. Thank you,
44:32: God, for saving us. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us. And thank you,
44:37: Holy Spirit, for applying this grace in our lives that we would know and believe in Jesus the
44:45: Christ. We pray now, Lord, as we open the word of God that your spirit would move in us to have ears to hear and eyes to see.
44:55: We pray that you would help us to think rightly about you. And that you would transform us from the inside out by the working of your spirit.
45:05: And I pray, God, that you would help me to preach with freedom and clarity. That your word would come forth in power in Jesus' name.
45:12: Amen. The cross comes before the crown.
45:19: There are crowns of glory and of joy that can only be worn by those who have carried a cross of suffering.
45:28: Think back to the Old Testament. Abraham had great joy, overwhelming joy, to receive
45:35: Isaac figuratively back from the dead. But imagine the days of agony as he went from his hometown to that mountain to sacrifice his own son.
45:48: Carrying a cross, as it were, of the knowledge of what was to come. Think about Moses.
45:56: He had the great joy of leading the people out. But when he first came to Egypt, Pharaoh did not listen to what he said.
46:04: And even his own people turned against him because Pharaoh doubled their load and made them gather their own straw to make bricks.
46:13: Things got worse before they got better. There was a cross to carry before the crown.
46:22: Think about King David. Before he was king of Israel, he was on the run for his life.
46:29: Saul sought to take his life and he traveled about and hid in caves and ran from place to place until the time came for him to become king.
46:39: And his joy was greater for having suffered. It was part of God's plan.
46:46: In the New Testament, of course, Christ himself is the perfect preeminent example of this.
46:53: We're told that for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, and then sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.
47:04: The cross comes before the crown. Think about Peter. He endured crucifixion upside down before entering into glory.
47:16: Think about Paul. He calls the churches that he planted his joy and his crown.
47:21: Remember the book of Philippians. His joy and his crown. But before he ever planted a church,
47:28: God said to him, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake.
47:35: The cross comes before the crown. In my own life, I look back on the 12 years as a missionary in the inner city and the great suffering that we did endure with the loss of many young people that we loved and other difficult trials.
47:50: How many of those things were the cross that we had to bear before coming here?
47:57: And so much of the joy and reward that we're experiencing in this place, it took the preparation of those 12 years as a missionary to be ready for this.
48:11: And I thank God for many of the difficult things that we endured as I look back on it and I see how it all fit together as part of God's plan.
48:19: But probably the hardest thing is when we see our own loved ones suffer. And we wonder why our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling.
48:29: How many prayers have you prayed for a loved one, but the answer didn't come in the time that you expect?
48:36: Right now, we're suffering as both of our mothers, my wife's mom and my mom, suffer.
48:43: Both of these women are the salt of the earth. Neither of them ever said a harsh word to anyone.
48:50: Just kindness and the love of the Lord in both of them. And yet one suffers with Parkinson's, her mind and her body grinding to a halt, and the other with cancer and the pain associated with that.
49:05: Or we think of this dear girl in our church, little Vivian. For some of you who know little
49:10: Vivian, her smile would light up this room. Her joy is contagious.
49:16: Her love and sweetness is just palpable. Everyone who knows her knows that the love of Christ shines forth.
49:24: And yet why is it that she would go through this difficult surgery? And then the trauma of waking up at times to find tubes in her mouth and the fear that she experiences.
49:37: And we wonder how long, Lord, and why do you allow suffering? This morning, we turn to what is a difficult passage to read at first, but a passage that surprises you with joy.
49:53: Because the secret will of God includes the suffering of his loved ones.
50:00: The ones that he loves so deeply, he allows to go through a valley of the shadow of death.
50:07: But it is not pointless. It is not without purpose. God is concealing in his secret will some of the greatest rewards of joy that you could imagine on the other side of suffering.
50:22: Turn with me to John 11. We come to the story of Lazarus. One of the most beloved stories in the entire
50:31: Bible. And so amazing how John tells the story. We're going to read it through for the first time, and then break it down verse by verse.
50:44: Jesus conceals many glorious secrets of his will behind what almost sometimes appears to be indifference.
50:54: Almost as if he doesn't care, as if he doesn't love. But it is precisely because Jesus loves
51:01: Lazarus and Mary and Martha that they endure the things they do.
51:07: Let's read it. John 11 verses 1 to 16. Now a certain man was ill.
51:16: Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was
51:22: Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
51:29: Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying,
51:36: Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when
51:42: Jesus heard it, he said, This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the
51:49: Son of God may be glorified through it. Now, Jesus loved
51:56: Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
52:11: Then after this, he said to his disciples, Let us go to Judea again. The disciples said to him,
52:17: Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you. And are you going there again? Jesus answered,
52:25: Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world.
52:33: But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.
52:39: After saying these things, he said to them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.
52:48: The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant he was taking rest in sleep.
53:01: Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died. And for your sake,
53:08: I am glad that I was not there so that you may believe. But let us go to him.
53:14: So Thomas called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go that we may die with him.
53:21: Amen. And may the Lord bless the reading of his word. Let's look at it more carefully.
53:27: First of all, did you notice in the first verse that Lazarus comes from the city of Bethany?
53:35: What does Bethany signify biblically? Well, the word means house of affliction.
53:42: In Hebrew, Beth -Ani. Beth as in Bethlehem, which means house of bread.
53:48: Beth -Ani means house of affliction. House of affliction.
53:55: It was a place where afflicted people would go to find help.
54:02: So there would be an almshouse in Bethany for the poor or those afflicted with various diseases.
54:09: They could go to get charity. We learn of Simon the leper who lived there.
54:15: A leper would live in Bethany because there's an almshouse, a poor house, where he could gain help in his affliction.
54:22: Bethany is known as a place of affliction and a place of comfort. A house for those who are afflicted.
54:31: Now, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived there. It's about two miles east of Jerusalem.
54:38: So if you picture Jerusalem, and to the east is the Mount of Olives, this is just over the Mount of Olives, on the bottom of the mountain, the east side, the city of Bethany.
54:50: Mary is the primary figure in the story. It's the village of Mary.
54:58: Now, where else have we seen Mary prominent in the
55:03: New Testament? She really has three cameos, three major points where she stars in the
55:10: New Testament. Remember the first one back in Luke chapter 10? Jesus was in the house of Mary and Martha, and one of them was the busy bee just floating around trying to get everything done.
55:23: That was Martha. But where did we find Mary? At the feet of Jesus, listening and learning.
55:31: Every place that we see Mary in her three major appearances, we find her at the feet of Jesus.
55:41: She's sitting there listening and learning earlier on. Here, look at verse 2.
55:50: It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
55:59: Lazarus was ill. Do you guys remember reading that earlier in the book of John? Okay, you're all nodding your head, but that was a trick.
56:08: It hasn't happened yet. John is commenting for the reader about a story that they're familiar with, and that actually happens.
56:17: Turn one page in John chapter 12, verse 3. You see that this is where Mary will pour the nard and the ointment on Jesus' feet.
56:28: So back in John 11, verse 2, John, the author, is pointing out that this is that Mary, the one that they famously know.
56:38: To have poured oil on his feet. Now, I want to ask you a question about Mary, and maybe compare it to your own worship.
56:49: When you see Mary at the feet of Jesus, pouring out the oil, using her very hair to wipe his feet, is that not a picture of pure, adoring, devoted love for the
57:05: Messiah? Wouldn't you like to feel that kind of passion, that kind of love for the king?
57:13: That she would be at his feet? Now, you cannot understand this third episode in the story of Mary, where she falls at his feet and worships with this adoring affection, unless you understand the second instance.
57:26: And that is John chapter 11. In verse 32, you will see her fall at his feet and cry to him,
57:39: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. In John 11, 32, you see her at the feet of Jesus, but it is in a moment of suffering.
57:52: Intense suffering. Calling on the Lord, and even complaining in a sense, Lord, you didn't come when
57:59: I called. Where were you when I needed you? Only days earlier,
58:08: Lazarus had died. And shortly thereafter, he will be resurrected.
58:17: You see, the kind of worship that Mary gives to the Lord Jesus, when she wipes his feet with hair, is the kind of worship that only comes through suffering and deliverance.
58:35: There is a purpose in suffering. The cross comes before the crown. The crown of rejoicing.
58:42: The crown of glory is given on the other side of suffering. Mary, first of all, had to go through the death of her own brother.
58:52: Imagine what this looks like. In chapter 11, verse 1, it says a certain man was ill. But this illness is not just a cough and a headache that shuts down the whole world.
59:05: This illness results in death. This is a progression of illness that takes over the body, painfully vomiting and gasping for air.
59:22: And the death pains in the throes of death before modern medicine to alleviate some of those things.
59:30: This is intense suffering. And it results in death.
59:35: In verse 3, if you look at it, when the sisters send to the
59:41: Lord, they address him as Lord, which means they're praying.
59:47: They're sending word to the Lord to do something about the suffering of their loved ones.
59:54: There's a kind of suffering that a man endures in his own body. And that kind of suffering can be endured.
01:00:04: But how much harder is it for a man or a woman to watch the suffering of a loved one?
01:00:13: To have such deep love and to see a person that you love and be able to do nothing.
01:00:20: This is the situation of Mary and Martha. And they send a prayer, a request to the
01:00:25: Lord, essentially saying, come, rescue, deliver. This is what we call a frowning providence.
01:00:36: It was within the power of God to keep Lazarus healthy from the get -go.
01:00:43: For his heart to remain strong and his body to fight off all disease. It is within the power of God to uphold the health of Lazarus.
01:00:52: Yet in the frowning providence of God, he falls ill. And so they pray.
01:01:02: And within the frowning providence of God, they hear no answer. This is difficult and hard to understand.
01:01:13: And it would even make you begin to question whether Jesus loves Lazarus back.
01:01:20: Look at verse 3. Lord, he whom you love is ill. Lord, you love him, right?
01:01:29: You'll surely come because you love. And so even in that question, even in that request, there's an appeal to the love of God.
01:01:41: And the love of God becomes central in the text. So don't miss that because it'll happen again here in a moment. Moving on to verse 4.
01:01:49: When Jesus heard it, he said, this illness does not lead to death.
01:01:57: It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
01:02:07: This illness does not lead to death. But notice that this illness is part of God's plan.
01:02:18: God intended it to be this way it in fact is for, it is accomplishing something and what is it doing?
01:02:26: According to verse 4, it is for the glory of God so that the
01:02:33: Son of Man, the Son of God may be glorified through it. So not only for the glory of the Father but also for the glory of the
01:02:40: Son. There is purpose in the suffering of Lazarus.
01:02:48: Now at this time, we don't know what that purpose is. But definitional to God himself is the knowledge of everything that happens under the sun.
01:03:00: God has a secret plan, a purpose for everything that happens. Although we don't often know what that is.
01:03:10: We're very limited. Consider how little we know of all the events that have ever happened since the beginning of the world
01:03:18: God knows not only what happened but the reason for it.
01:03:25: He makes this point in Isaiah chapter 41. You can read it later. Go there if you have some time.
01:03:31: But in Isaiah 41, 21 to 24, he points out that he knows what happened in the past and what will happen in the future and the outcome of these things, how they all fit together.
01:03:48: God has secret knowledge of everything that happens including the purpose for it.
01:03:56: But now we come in verses 5 and 6 to the central point of this text this morning.
01:04:04: It's regarding the love of God and the suffering of one that he loves.
01:04:14: Now Jesus, note it, loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
01:04:24: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Jesus loves you,
01:04:31: Christian. Even though you've prayed and you've sought him to answer a prayer and it seems like he's not coming through.
01:04:41: Things that you might have prayed for for years and years for a prodigal son who's been gone and he doesn't ever seem to come back.
01:04:52: For a disease that you've asked God to heal and he never seems to answer.
01:04:58: Do you ever pray and wonder why God doesn't answer your prayer?
01:05:06: And have you ever begun to wonder if he really loves you? Have you begun to question his love?
01:05:13: Notice verse 6. I think this is the thrust of where John is teaching us this morning.
01:05:21: That word so is crucial. It could also be translated therefore. It's not a throwaway word just a transition.
01:05:28: It's the point. So, because he loves
01:05:35: Martha and Mary and Lazarus, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
01:05:51: Let that sink in. You would think that because he loved the second he heard that Lazarus was ill, he left where he was and made a beeline to Lazarus to help his friend.
01:06:08: But that's not what the text says. It's precisely because he loved
01:06:14: Mary and Martha and Lazarus so deeply, this special intimate connection he had with them, that in his providence he allowed the suffering to go on for two more days.
01:06:28: And then traveling slowly back up to them, when he gets there, Lazarus has been in the grave for four days.
01:06:36: And the suffering of the sisters has gone on for six more days.
01:06:42: So the verse is very surprising, isn't it? What can we make of this kind of love?
01:06:57: We can understand that the plans of God, the purpose of God, in our lives as Christians, includes suffering.
01:07:10: That's part of his secret will. It's not taking God by surprise. It's not outside of his control.
01:07:16: That's the lesson that we've focused on in recent weeks, that God has these things as part of his plan.
01:07:23: But here's the element that we need to add this morning from this verse. Because of his deep love, he is preparing for us, through that suffering, a joy and a reward and a pleasure and a glory that we would never experience unless we went through that valley of the shadow of death.
01:07:48: Stated very precisely, if you look at 2 Corinthians 4, 17, these light momentary afflictions are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.
01:08:02: Because he loves you so much, he will allow you to endure hardship for a time and for your good,
01:08:11: Romans 8, 28. And what could that good possibly be?
01:08:17: Well, from this particular story, we learn at least three things. One is the fellowship of his suffering.
01:08:27: That in suffering, we begin to call on the Lord like never before. They're praying and they're desperately seeking in a way that, you know, when you're coasting through life, when everything is sunshine and roses, we have a tendency to forget
01:08:42: God. But there is a fellowship in Christ's suffering, according to Philippians 3, 10, that we begin to know him more as we suffer like him.
01:08:54: And we draw near to him, but that's not the end. A second thing that we will see in future weeks is that the suffering that happens in Bethany results in the salvation of many souls.
01:09:10: Very often, salvation comes through the instrument of people who have suffered.
01:09:18: Peter says everyone who has suffered is done with sin. Suffering refines us and makes us more
01:09:24: Christ -like. And it makes us a more fit instrument for evangelism. And suffering becomes a part of our testimony.
01:09:34: And we comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. And we begin to see
01:09:40: God use us as evangelists on the other side of suffering.
01:09:45: Bethany, the house of affliction, becomes a house of evangelism. In fact, in John 12, we'll learn later, the triumphal entry of Jesus is launched from Bethany.
01:09:59: All the people came to see Lazarus and gathered around, and from there surrounded
01:10:04: Jesus in weeks to come. It's for evangelism. And third, there is an eternal weight of glory that we experience in heaven related to our suffering on earth.
01:10:18: It's something we don't experience necessarily in this life, which is why the prosperity preachers have it all upside down.
01:10:25: Paul suffered greatly in this life, and his reward in the next life far surpasses anything he endured in this life.
01:10:35: So future reward on the other side of the veil. That's the reason why the love of Jesus in verse 6 is connected not to a quick answer to prayer to take them out of suffering, but that they would endure for a time, that their joy would be made full later on.
01:10:57: Verse 7 and 8 introduce a second area of suffering. The first six verses are about the suffering of Lazarus and the suffering of the sisters who love him so deeply.
01:11:10: The second set of sufferers actually revolves around the disciples and their fear of dying.
01:11:20: Look at verses 7 and 8. After he had said this to his disciples, after this he said, let us go to Judea again.
01:11:32: The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you.
01:11:38: And are you going there again? Notice in verse 7, he didn't put a topic for debate on the table.
01:11:49: He didn't throw out a suggestion or just like this wild hair of an idea. You know what? Maybe we go down.
01:11:55: What do you guys think? He didn't do that at all. Look at verse 7. It's a directive. He's saying, he's revealing his will and saying, let us go to Judea again.
01:12:06: And the answer of those disciples who heard that was to try to dissuade him.
01:12:14: Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you and are you going there again?
01:12:19: They're trying to talk him out of it. And the reason they're doing that clearly is because they are afraid.
01:12:29: When God reveals his will through his word by commands or the providences, sometimes hard, frowning providences of this life.
01:12:42: When God reveals his will, two responses are competing for your attention.
01:12:49: The first is that you would obey what God has commanded and directed you to do.
01:12:55: And the second is fear. Fear invades to try to keep you from obeying the revealed will of God.
01:13:05: Jesus had told them where to go and what they were to do. And right away, they were filled with fear and anxiety and began to fight against the purpose of God in going to Jerusalem.
01:13:18: In verse 9 and 10, Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in the day?
01:13:25: If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world.
01:13:33: But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.
01:13:42: Strange answer to what they said, isn't it? They begin trying to talk him out of going to Judea again because that's where the
01:13:52: Jews were seeking to stone him. And he says, there are 12 hours in the day.
01:13:58: If you walk in the day, you're not going to stumble. If you walk at night, you'll stumble.
01:14:06: Why does he answer in that way? He's teaching this principle that when you walk in the light, you have absolutely nothing to fear.
01:14:22: There are frowning providences in this life. Hard things that you'll have to endure.
01:14:31: But Christian, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
01:14:39: The God who lives in you is the light of the world. And as long as you keep your eyes set on Christ, as long as he is in you and you are in him, and you're walking in the light, you're not harboring hidden sin, you're not cherishing sin in your heart, but you're open and you're in the light.
01:15:00: It's you and God as you go. There is nothing on earth that you have to fear.
01:15:08: No circumstance, no enemy, no trial, nothing to fear.
01:15:14: You just worry about walking in the light. Now, there are people in this world who ought to fear suffering.
01:15:23: And it's those who do not have the light in them. Look at this.
01:15:30: The light is not in them, in verse 10. They walk in the night. When they stumble, they fall.
01:15:39: And when they fall, they die. And when they die, they're buried. And when they're buried, they depart to eternal suffering, that outer darkness, that eternal night of conscious torment.
01:15:52: There is a such thing as night. And there are things to be feared.
01:16:01: But do not fear the one who can merely harm the body. Fear the one who can cast the soul into hell.
01:16:09: Jesus knows why they objected to going to Judea. It's because they're afraid.
01:16:19: And he tells them, simply walk in the light. There is nothing to fear. Now, notice next, that fear can only thrive in your life in the gap between what
01:16:34: Jesus says and what you hear him say. There is a gap between the word of God, what
01:16:43: Jesus has declared in the word, and that which you have heard and understood.
01:16:51: Many of you, and all of us, at times, struggle with fear. Anxiety that overwhelms us.
01:17:00: That fear and that anxiety is only owed to the gap between what
01:17:07: Jesus says and what we hear. Look at verse 11. After saying these things, he said to them, our friend
01:17:14: Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. Now, what did
01:17:21: Jesus say? Well, the words are plain enough. He's fallen asleep.
01:17:28: I'm gonna go wake him up. But what did he say? What did he mean?
01:17:35: He said that Lazarus is dead. Sleeping is a euphemism here for dying.
01:17:44: And I will go wake him up. I am going to resurrect a dead man.
01:17:49: This will be his crowning miracle We're not going to Jerusalem to fight with the
01:17:55: Jews right now. The time has not come. We're going to Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem, to raise a dead man.
01:18:04: You're gonna see something that you've never seen before and the world has never seen. This should be the most exciting thing you could possibly hear.
01:18:15: You're gonna see me conquer death. You're gonna be overwhelmed with joy and glory and your face will shine.
01:18:25: This should be a really sweet moment but notice instead what they heard. Verse 12.
01:18:32: The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.
01:18:41: There's not much compassion in their voices. They're not seeking to get down to Bethany so Jesus can save Lazarus.
01:18:49: They want to avoid that because they themselves are afraid of suffering. But why did they say it? Verse 13. Jesus had spoken of his death but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
01:19:09: So there's a gap between what Jesus says and what they hear.
01:19:17: And because of that difference, fear overwhelms them and steals their joy and keeps them from being compassionate and being good ministers.
01:19:30: It turns them inward and it perverts their hearts.
01:19:39: Fear is that enemy. So if fear lives in the gap between what Jesus said and what we've heard so far and understood so far, what's the remedy to fear?
01:19:53: It's to listen more carefully to the word. It's to go back into the word again even though you think you've already heard him and to understand more deeply what he's really saying about suffering and about all things.
01:20:09: The man who daily dwells in the word of God is a fearless man.
01:20:18: The man who really hears what he says is like a tree planted by streams of water.
01:20:24: Did you guys see your trees blowing last night in the wind? I looked out the window in that 50, 60 mile an hour wind and gust after gust seemed to push that tree halfway over and yet it stood straight back up as soon as the gust came through.
01:20:41: In Psalm 1, the tree planted by streams of water yields its fruit in season and whatever he does prospers.
01:20:49: Not so the wicked. They're like chaff that the wind blows away. When you're rooted by the streams of water, when you're in the word, you become a tree that cannot be moved.
01:21:01: It's not afraid of the wind but you see that the tree planted by the streams of water is that person who's drinking deeply of the word, really hearing what
01:21:15: Jesus says and so they go back in. Let's hear what he was saying. He tells them plainly.
01:21:21: Now they get it. Let's spell it out for you guys. Disciples, Lazarus is dead.
01:21:33: He has died and for your sake, for whose sake?
01:21:38: For your good. I'm glad. That's an amazing statement.
01:21:48: It sounds and it appears almost unloving. For your sake,
01:21:54: I'm glad that I was not there so that you may believe. You see, he lives outside of time.
01:22:01: His mind understands the purposes of God, the secret will of God and he can delight in these things because he knows the end of the story.
01:22:10: He knows what he's going to Bethany to do, to raise the dead but let us go to him.
01:22:21: We must hear the word of God and rightly divide what Jesus intends to say, not import meaning and miss the point of the story.
01:22:34: Thomas, in closing, I think he gets halfway there. I don't think he fully grasps it, but I think he's encouraged by Jesus' bold words.
01:22:46: Look how Thomas reacts. He's called the twin. He said to his fellow disciples, let us go also, that we may die with him.
01:23:01: On the one hand, Thomas has overcome a fear of death and he said, you know what?
01:23:07: Let's go. Let's go die. Lazarus is dead. They're going to kill Jesus. They're going to kill us too.
01:23:13: Let's go die with him. That's a courage that's inspired by hearing the word of God, knowing who
01:23:19: God is and trusting Jesus. He's seen enough. Jesus opened blind eyes.
01:23:27: Every time so far they've tried to arrest Jesus, he just walks right through their midst. He's beginning to get it, but on the other hand, he hasn't fully grasped that now is not the time.
01:23:40: He hasn't fully understood. I love the courage of Thomas.
01:23:47: Proverbs 28 says, the righteous are as bold as a lion.
01:23:53: The wicked, they flee when there's no one chasing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
01:24:01: Thomas has that boldness. When you make it to heaven and you see
01:24:08: Thomas for the first time and you approach him, do not say, doubting
01:24:16: Thomas? I've wanted to meet you for all these years. I think that's just,
01:24:24: I wouldn't want to have the nickname doubting Jeff for the rest of my life in all eternity.
01:24:33: Call him lion -hearted Thomas. You were willing to go and die with Jesus, and you did die with Jesus.
01:24:40: He was speared to death, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. As were all the apostles.
01:24:47: It's foreshadowed here in the text, but the willingness to die, the courage is being born by the word of God.
01:24:57: We can't understand all these things by human interpretation, by human sense.
01:25:06: You can't understand the ways of God by human wisdom. Listen, your feeble sense can only make so much of your circumstances.
01:25:21: There will be frowning providences in your life. Suffering that tends to go on and on, and you don't know why
01:25:29: God doesn't answer. By all appearances, He doesn't love you. But according to John 11, 6, in the wisdom of God, it's precisely because He loves you that His plan for your short, temporary life will include suffering that results in greater glory and greater joy in days to come.
01:25:54: Amen? Have you heard of William Cowper? Cooper, it's pronounced
01:26:00: Cooper, but spelled C -O -W -P -E -R. In the 1700s, his mom died when he was only six years old.
01:26:11: He wrote a poem called Lines on Her Picture. It goes like this, a momentary dream that thou art she.
01:26:24: My mother, when I learn that thou wast dead, say, wast thou conscious of the tears
01:26:32: I shed? However thy spirit over thy sorrowing son hovered thy spirit over thy sorrowing son, wretch even then life's journey just begun.
01:26:45: Perhaps thou gavest me, though unseen, a kiss, perhaps a tear, if souls can weep in bliss.
01:26:55: He was a poet as a young man. He struggled deeply with depression all his teenage years.
01:27:05: He began to pull it together in his early twenties, and he was invited to be a clerk for the
01:27:11: House of Lords. But in order to do that, he had to pass an exam, and he studied, and he studied, and he studied, and then he broke.
01:27:21: And when I say he broke, I mean he broke. He tried to take his own life three times and was plunged into the depths of depression, a depression that consumed him for most of his life.
01:27:37: Years later, he met John Newton, that slave trader who then was saved and then pastored in Olney.
01:27:47: And the two of them comforted one another because each of them struggled with this melancholy.
01:27:55: And they were best of friends. If anybody ever asked you what is the greatest album of all time?
01:28:05: Somebody in First Service said, well, it's clearly Elvis Presley. I said, no! Not Elvis!
01:28:12: Not the Beatles! The greatest album of all time was released in 1779, and it's called
01:28:21: Olney Hymns. Olney Hymns. It's John Newton and this broken man.
01:28:31: The frowning providence of God brought him through the deepest waters imaginable.
01:28:38: And Cooper and Newton joined together and wrote Amazing Grace. And there is a fountain filled with blood, and oh, for a closer walk with thee, and God moves in a mysterious way.
01:28:53: That the words of William Cowper. Let's read them. Judge not the
01:29:00: Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace.
01:29:07: Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.
01:29:14: His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.
01:29:26: Take some time today to read God moves in a mysterious way.
01:29:32: The poem and the song by William Cowper. My sermon title today was
01:29:38: Behind a Frowning Providence, and of course it comes from Cowper's hymn. Behind that frowning providence of the suffering of your life, he hides a smiling face.
01:29:51: You don't understand it now, and you might not until you get to glory. But there are purposes in everything that happens under the sun.
01:30:01: It's what makes God, God, vis -a -vis the idols of the nations, according to Isaiah 46.
01:30:09: 47. God has purposes in a decree that includes everything, including our suffering.
01:30:18: Bethany became a place of evangelism, John 12, 11, because on account of him, many of the
01:30:24: Jews were going out and believing in Jesus, because of Lazarus rising from the dead. Next week, this place becomes
01:30:32: Bethany. I couldn't have timed it any better, and I didn't even divide up my sermons to make it match, but it just so happens that next week,
01:30:46: Resurrection Day, the passage falls on John 11, 25. I am the resurrection and the life.
01:30:56: And the sermon will be evangelistic, like Bethany, from start to end. So bring someone to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
01:31:05: But what is today in the calendar of the church? Palm Sunday.
01:31:12: According to John 12, 17, and 18, the crowd that had been with him when he called
01:31:18: Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.
01:31:24: The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they had heard he had done this sign.
01:31:34: So according to John 12, 17, and 18, that crowd that came to meet Jesus at Bethany came because Lazarus died and rose from the dead.
01:31:46: And so that crowd was there for the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
01:31:54: Do you see how the purposes of God all fit perfectly in God's timing?
01:31:59: They ripen fast. And to his glory and for our joy. Let's pray.
01:32:06: God, on this Palm Sunday, we thank you that you have brought us to Bethany.
01:32:14: To the house of affliction. God, we don't understand why you delay.
01:32:26: We pray, Lord, the one that you love is suffering.
01:32:33: And yet it seems that you wait and you wait. And there are some here this morning that have felt,
01:32:41: God, do you even love me? We thank you for your word this morning that affirms that it is precisely because you love us, and you love us so much deeper than we could ever imagine.
01:32:57: That we have to endure suffering for a time. That you're hiding a smiling face behind this frowning providence.
01:33:12: Lord, remind us of the good things that you have promised, and that you will surely do it.
01:33:20: The salvation of many souls. Fellowship of your suffering.
01:33:26: And eternal glories that far surpass the light and momentary afflictions that we endure in this life.
01:33:36: Thank you for your grace to us, and thank you for your word. We pray that you would take fear out of this room.
01:33:43: That every Christian who has struggled with anxiety and with fear would begin to take you at your word and understand what you really say.
01:33:54: And what you mean. And trust in your plan.
01:34:01: Help us, Lord, to walk in faith and not be afraid.
01:34:06: You have said do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Fear not.
01:34:13: Lord, help us to be like Thomas. To go to the ends of the earth for you.
01:34:19: To die with you. Knowing that we will also be raised to a better inheritance.
01:34:27: Thank you for your word to us this morning. Send us out with courage in Jesus' name. Amen. His kingdom knows no end.
01:35:04: Through its resurrection, death has lost its hope.
01:35:11: I know on that final day arises Jesus' rose.
01:35:19: On that day we will see you. Shining brighter than the sun.
01:35:26: On that day we will know you. As we lift our voices one.
01:35:33: Till that day we will praise you with never ending praise.
01:35:40: We will keep on singing on that glorious day.
01:35:52: What a blessed hope. Lord of time and Lord.
01:35:59: We will spend eternity around the Savior's throne.
01:36:05: Though we grieve our losses. We grieve not in vain.
01:36:12: For we know our crown. We will see you.
01:37:52: Shining brighter than the sun. On that day we will know you.
01:37:59: As we lift our voices one. Till that day we will praise you.
01:38:45: Glorious day. Amen.
01:38:56: What a day it will be. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.
01:39:03: And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our
01:39:09: Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.