Take It To the Lord!
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John 11:1–6 (ESV)
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
A few things that are going on to help us with the context.
You’ll remember that Jesus left the Temple and the city when the religious leaders were wanting to arrest Him.
We were told that He went NE of the Sea of Galilee…
Where John the Baptist ministered.
Also, we notice that the sisters sent to Jesus…
Meaning they sent messengers to tell Jesus what was going on.
Lazarus, Mary & Martha lived in the village of Bethany that was under two miles from Jerusalem.
It was more than a 60 mile trip from the village of Bethany, where Lazarus, Mary & Martha lived…
To where Jesus was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
Mary & Martha would need to tend to Lazarus…
Not to mention the dangers of travel.
So, more than likely there a few men traveling on their behalf to get the message to Jesus.
The detail that John gives about Mary here, when John writes…
2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
This is most likely because this story was well known by the time John wrote this gospel…
And, the readers would have heard of her because of the miracle of Lazarus.
It also gives more detail to the story, which allows for investigation, for those who may want to inquire.
Though that specific story is not until John 12, it immediately brings the reader into a familiar scene.
The Scene of Sickness
The Scene of Sickness
John 11:1–3 (ESV)
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Imagine the scene, place your self in their shoes.
Your brother is ill unto death.
This isn’t a cold or the flu.
This is something that has the capacity to take Lazarus’ life.
This word ill can mean incapacitated.
The Jews had two categories of sickness…
Sickness unto life
meaning not life threatening
Sickness unto death
meaning life threatening
Lazarus had a sickness that threatened his life.
This is why the urgency.
This is why they sent messengers.
They were desperate.
They did not want to lose their brother.
They needed help.
They needed a miracle to save their brother from this life threatening sickness.
And, so they send word to the One who can intervene.
Notice, that what we see here is…
The Right Kind of Plea
The Right Kind of Plea
Prayer is intentional communication with God.
3 So the sisters sent to him,
They sent communication to Christ.
They intentionally communicated with God.
What did they say?
“Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
There’s reverence in the communication.
—> They address Him as Lord.
There’s the information of the burden that they’re bearing in the communication.
Notice that there is no demand of what Christ should do.
There’s no instruction of how He must respond.
They just want Him to know so that He will do what He deems best.
Now, understand, that that does not mean:
That plea’s to God cannot have specifics.
That plea’s to God cannot have requested outcomes.
But, the important thing to note is the contentment in this plea…
They just want Him to know.
They trust Him to do what is right.
And, this shows the trust they have in Him to handle it.
A similar request could have included...
Lord, please come and help Lazarus.
Lord, come so that you may heal.
But, to have the same contentment of heart, the addition of…
Not our will, but yours be done, must be added to specific requests.
This is prayer.
An acknowledgement of our dependence upon God…
And, an abiding trust that He will handle it in a righteous way…
—> That is for our ultimate good.
Prayer is trusting the Lord and asking for our faith to be strengthened to battle our natural tendencies…
There’s fear and doubt in their minds.
There’s urgency in their message.
There’s unrest in their heart.
But, they’re handing it over to their Lord.
It’s…
1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Prayer is designed to be an expression of our entrusting our souls to the Lord.
That we trust Him to be the good Shepherd…
To lead us in the right path.
To heal our wounds; physical, emotional, spiritual.
To grant wisdom & strength to move forward.
He is faithful.
Now, we get this beautiful insight into the manner in which God sometimes answers our prayers.
John 11:4–6 (ESV)
4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
This should confirm/correct our view regarding…
The Providence of God
The Providence of God
Let’s ask some questions of these verses:
To whom is this happening?
Why is this happening?
Can we rule out reasons?
Do we see divine reasoning for this suffering?
What is Jesus’ response?
This is happening to Lazarus, primarily, but Martha & Mary are suffering, as well.
This is happening to Lazarus, primarily, but Martha & Mary are suffering, as well.
Are they enemies of the gospel?
Are they enemies of Christ?
No, they are participants in the gospel.
They are participants in the earthly ministry of Christ.
They love the Lord.
They are proponents of the gospel.
And, we are told in the sisters’ message…
That Jesus loved Lazarus, and implied is that He loved them as well.
Which is further confirmed in…
John 11:5 (ESV)
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Suffering comes upon us all, in a fallen world.
But, Christians have a Savior who walks with them…
And, uses it for our good.
Jesus is walking with them through their suffering…
And, He will give them precisely what they need throughout the entirety of the suffering.
We need to understand that this is not happening because God is angry with Lazarus or his sisters.
We need to understand that this is not happening because God is angry with Lazarus or his sisters.
We’re told that Jesus loves all three.
In Christ, there is no wrath.
There is nothing but love towards His sheep.
There is Fatherly chastisement, but not wrath.
Chastisement is meant as gentle, patient correction.
But, this suffering is not chastisement for sin.
This is not happening for correction of sin in Lazarus’ life.
This is not happening for correction of sin in Lazarus’ life.
Yes, suffering occurs because of sin, in general.
But, this suffering by Lazarus, Martha, & Mary is not due to a specific sin in their life.
We are told why in…
John 11:4 (ESV)
4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
This suffering is happening for God to be glorified.
This suffering is happening for God to be glorified.
It is good to glorify God.
—> He is worthy.
It’s the chief end of man.
How is God glorified in this suffering?
How is God glorified in this suffering?
The messengers, family members, all those around…
Now knew who the family went to in time of need.
Who they trusted with their life.
Who they trusted for answers to their life problems.
The crowd that will later gather…
Will witness a miracle of resurrection from the dead.
Christ is affirmed…
As not only God’s anointed One to heal…
But, God’s anointed who has power over death.
The One who has power to raise someone from the grave.
This is the great hope of all who truly believe God.
To be raised from the grave to live with God, reconciled and righteous in His sight.
This miracle is the Father attesting through Him that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God…
To recreate the world for His people.
To reconcile a people unto Himself for the enjoyment of the newly re-created world in which…
Sin is absent.
Death is vanquished.
Pain is obliterated.
Suffering is eliminated.
Sorrow is abolished.
Righteousness reigns.
To live in such a relationship with God in which sin cannot enter.
—> Come, Lord Jesus!
Now, look at Christ’s response to the news…
John 11:6 (ESV)
6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, [Jesus got up immediately, packed His bags, and hurried to Bethany] he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
What?
Did you hear the message Jesus?
Did you hear what is going on in the life of someone you love?
This is not the response we want…
—> When the heat is on in our life.
But, it’s not the response we want because our knowledge of things is short-sighted and limited.
Imagine the messengers…
Should we tell Jesus how bad Lazarus is actually doing?
Man, Lazarus is going to die and it will be because of His lack of urgency.
Does He really love Lazarus?
This isn’t what I’d do, if I was Him.
The disciples are probably thinking similar things.
Oh, if we had our way…
We would have kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from ever walking into the flames.
We’d never heard of their willingness to die for the glory of God.
To hear that God’s glory was more important to them than life itself.
And, we’d never seen the Son of God in there with them…
Protecting them from the intense flames.
Nebuchadnezzar would have never proclaimed before the whole of his kingdom…
—> Blessed be the God of these three men.
And, make a declaration that the God of these three men shall never be spoken against or death will come upon that person.
Oh, if we had our way…
David would have never had to use his sling.
We would have slayed that giant before David ever walked out onto the battlefield.
We would have wanted to protect David.
But, we would have never known David’s declaration…
1 Samuel 17:45 (ESV)
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
We wouldn’t have seen that we need one greater than David to slay the real giants we face…
Sin, Death, Judgment.
Oh, if we had our way…
We would have never let Christ be taken prisoner and crucified.
And, we would have never known the redemption of the Lord.
Rejoice in the Patience of the Lord
Rejoice in the Patience of the Lord
The patience of the Lord is why you’re saved dear Christian.
Rejoice in the patience of the Lord.
Let’s think about this...
Let’s think about this...
As we see, and we learn more deeply as we move along in this passage...
Christ knows exactly what is going on…
He knows exactly what needs to be done…
He will do everything perfectly, according to the perfect will of God…
And, so we should trust Him.
We should communicate to Him:
Our fears
Our concerns
Our thoughts
Our desires
And, we should humble ourselves to His answers.
If we knew what God knew, we would ask God for exactly what He’s currently giving.
—> Trust Him!
He not only knows perfectly.
He loves His own perfectly.
And, nothing falls on us that He hasn’t ordained for our good and His glory.
What’s going on in your life right now?
—> Take it to the Lord!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
