WEBVTT 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:03.720 We have been going through the book of John. 00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:05.200 Nathaniel's been going through it. 00:00:05.560 --> 00:00:06.960 This week, it's my opportunity. 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:10.960 And we are in John chapter 11. 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:16.480 And I hope, my goal is to get through most of John chapter 11 with you today. 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.620 And we might as well just jump right into it. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:28.780 So John chapter 11 verses one through three says this, "Now, a certain man 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:31.540 was sick, Lazarus of Bethany. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:39.900 The village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her 00:00:39.900 --> 00:00:43.270 hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:51.100 So the sisters went, sent word to him saying, 'Lord behold, he whom you love is 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:55.000 sick.'" So Jesus is with his disciples. 00:00:55.020 --> 00:01:01.200 They're up north in Galilee and they receive this news, and it's bad news. 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:05.360 It's the news that their friend, Jesus' dear friend is ill. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:14.360 And I figured that it must be pretty bad if Mary and Martha are sending word to Jesus, because A, 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:22.320 he's far away and B, for Jesus to come and heal Lazarus, he has to go through and 00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:29.340 go into Judea, which is the place where people want 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:30.080 to kill him. 00:01:31.100 --> 00:01:38.420 Now it's unclear if Mary and Martha exactly know that people want to kill Jesus in Judea, but I'm fairly certain 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:41.460 that is the case because they are close to Jesus. 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:43.530 They know Jesus and they follow his ministry. 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:49.720 And it's not exactly private that the Jewish leaders want to kill Jesus. 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.860 And we learn that when we read the rest of this passage. 00:01:55.360 --> 00:02:02.400 So the reason why they asked for Jesus is because they desperately want him to 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:09.400 what, equivalent to a rescue mission down south to save their brother's 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:09.660 life. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:15.980 They want Jesus to intervene, to save their brother. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:26.160 And the message that they send not only explains what Jesus should do, but it also explains why 00:02:26.160 --> 00:02:28.120 Jesus should do that. 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:32.930 I'm sorry if that is a little small, the text. 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:36.600 Hopefully you brought your Bibles this morning, because I messed up. 00:02:36.600 --> 00:02:43.800 But anyway, anyways, the message tells him what he should do and why 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:45.780 he should do it without even saying it. 00:02:45.980 --> 00:02:49.580 I mean, women's messages are just so good. 00:02:49.580 --> 00:02:53.340 They say so much with such a short sentence. 00:02:54.360 --> 00:03:02.500 It says, "Lord behold, he whom you love is sick." Now 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:09.520 Jesus has been healing strangers and all sorts of people with different ailments around the past three years, 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:16.610 and it only makes sense that he would come and heal someone who is like family to him. 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:25.680 And before we go on, I want to ask you guys, have you ever been in Mary and 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:32.820 Martha's position, asking, praying, "Jesus, 00:03:33.380 --> 00:03:36.080 the one whom you love is sick. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:42.720 Jesus, someone who loves you is in terrible pain right now. 00:03:44.940 --> 00:03:51.940 Intervene, do something about this." Mary, Martha and we 00:03:51.940 --> 00:03:59.040 who proclaim that Christ is Lord know that he is capable of healing, that he 00:03:59.040 --> 00:04:06.360 is able and that he loves us, but yet pain, suffering, sickness are still 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:08.680 realities that every single one of us face. 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:17.740 It's not a matter of when, not a matter of if, it is a matter of when those 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:20.680 who we love, those around us will be sick. 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:27.290 Those who are dear to us will be sick and the people around us die. 00:04:29.380 --> 00:04:34.680 And when we get to those moments, we sound a lot like Martha and Mary. 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:39.160 We are incapable. 00:04:39.700 --> 00:04:46.360 And the reason why is because we are incapable of keeping them from death. 00:04:47.840 --> 00:04:55.120 Even the best doctors, even the most capable doctors with the best medicine are unable to keep people 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:56.220 from dying. 00:04:59.370 --> 00:05:06.440 But there is one who is capable, one who is able, one who loves us, who hears 00:05:06.440 --> 00:05:13.600 us, and sometimes he doesn't act the way that we 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.240 believe he should. 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:22.680 Sometimes he doesn't act the way we asked him to. 00:05:25.320 --> 00:05:31.840 So how does Jesus respond to the message that Mary and Martha send? 00:05:33.580 --> 00:05:40.700 Verse four, starting in verse four says this, "But when Jesus heard this, he said, this 00:05:40.700 --> 00:05:48.940 sickness is not meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so 00:05:48.940 --> 00:05:56.220 that the son of God may be glorified by it." So when he heard that he was sick, he then stayed 00:05:56.220 --> 00:05:59.960 two days longer in the place where he was. 00:06:01.580 --> 00:06:04.560 Now, does this make any sense to you? 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:10.260 Because it doesn't really to me, I thought Jesus loved them. 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:14.460 How can Jesus wait and not do anything? 00:06:16.820 --> 00:06:18.880 Lazarus is in pain. 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:24.280 He is dying and Mary and Martha are enduring seeing their brother die. 00:06:25.940 --> 00:06:29.580 Jesus, why are you allowing that suffering? 00:06:29.580 --> 00:06:30.840 You hear the request. 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:32.180 You love Lazarus. 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:35.500 Yet, you wait. 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:40.260 He stayed where he was two days longer. 00:06:42.580 --> 00:06:49.760 Now I can imagine quite clearly in my mind that Mary and Martha are waiting and wondering when Jesus is 00:06:49.760 --> 00:06:57.200 going to show up, calculating the time that it would take for their message to go to Jesus and 00:06:57.200 --> 00:06:59.280 for him to respond in comeback. 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:06.300 And they are keeping an eye on the road and they're keeping on the road for Jesus. 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:10.620 And they're keeping an eye on their brother Lazarus, who's sick in bed. 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:19.420 And eventually it becomes clear that Jesus is not coming, that he will not 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:21.040 be there in time. 00:07:22.940 --> 00:07:30.020 And both the sisters express exactly how they feel when Jesus eventually does come, for they both say 00:07:30.020 --> 00:07:37.340 the exact same thing to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would 00:07:37.340 --> 00:07:44.800 not have died." How many of you have ever waited like Mary and Martha for 00:07:44.840 --> 00:07:45.860 the Lord to show up? 00:07:45.960 --> 00:07:48.000 The Lord, where are you? 00:07:48.820 --> 00:07:50.060 Do you really love us? 00:07:50.440 --> 00:07:51.700 Do you even care? 00:07:51.940 --> 00:07:53.560 What is taking you so long? 00:07:55.700 --> 00:08:01.860 This wouldn't have happened, this would not have happened if you would have just shown up in time. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:11.720 I'm sure almost all of us or most of us who are a little older can 00:08:11.780 --> 00:08:13.600 relate to their situation. 00:08:15.340 --> 00:08:18.400 He stayed where he was two days longer. 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:20.450 You know why? 00:08:22.320 --> 00:08:24.460 The Lord's timing is not our timing. 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:27.340 His thoughts are not our thoughts. 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:35.100 His ways are not our ways, and the reason is that his perspective and his, the goal is much greater 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:36.120 than our own. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:45.080 His perspective comes through the light of eternity and his goal is always the 00:08:45.180 --> 00:08:46.520 glory of God. 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:49.820 How does Jesus respond? 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:57.940 This sickness is not meant for death or in other translations, it will not end in death, but it 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:04.420 is for the glory of God so that the son of man may be glorified by it. 00:09:06.280 --> 00:09:08.560 Jesus already knows what's going to happen. 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:12.820 The news of his good friend being sick does not come as a shock to him. 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:14.800 And because of that, he does not react. 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:18.060 He acts, and his purpose is expressed. 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:26.200 This is for the glory of God to be made known and for the son of man to be glorified by 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:26.300 it. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.560 Jesus gives the explanation and the reason for this happening. 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:37.800 And that is, it will not end in death, but in the glory of God. 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:43.920 Glory, what do you guys think of when you hear that word? 00:09:45.400 --> 00:09:50.380 Glory, the Bible talks about it throughout its pages. 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.140 It comes up all the time at church. 00:09:53.660 --> 00:09:55.520 We think about it at church. 00:09:56.780 --> 00:10:02.540 Yet it remains relatively unused outside of Christian vocabulary. 00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:07.680 It is because, is it because glory is irrelevant? 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:15.900 It's something that is archaic or old-fashioned, an idea that has disappeared with the time or is 00:10:15.900 --> 00:10:17.920 it exclusive to the church? 00:10:18.980 --> 00:10:21.180 And I would say by no means. 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:29.560 The concept of glory is still alive, well, it's still well alive in the hearts and minds of 00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:32.700 human beings as much as it ever has been. 00:10:33.420 --> 00:10:36.720 We just use different terminology to express it. 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:41.560 To understand what glory means, I want to define it for us. 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:50.080 And if you've been thinking about what glory means for these past couple of seconds in which I've mentioned it, you will 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.490 realize that it's not so easily defined. 00:10:54.380 --> 00:11:00.840 It's not, it's an abstract concept that doesn't come quite that easily to say this is what it is. 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:02.010 And this is what it's not. 00:11:03.760 --> 00:11:08.900 It's impossible, it's almost impossible to be measured, but it is seen and it is felt. 00:11:11.920 --> 00:11:19.100 For example, how many of you have ever experienced the glory of In-N-Out 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:19.200 Burger? 00:11:21.160 --> 00:11:22.120 Right? 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:22.960 Right? 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:30.820 If you thought you have, and you hadn't had the animal style burger or fries, you just lied 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:31.420 to yourself. 00:11:32.020 --> 00:11:35.440 You have not tasted the true glory of In-N-Out. 00:11:35.540 --> 00:11:43.080 I have tasted and I have seen, and it is good, In-N-Out burger animal 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:44.120 style delicious. 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:52.160 How many of you guys have ever been to the Grand Tetons or the Grand Canyon or 00:11:52.160 --> 00:11:59.580 even the American Fort Canyon in the fall, or looked up at the stars on a clear night 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:07.300 when you're far away from light pollution and can see the stars in full array and see the 00:12:07.300 --> 00:12:11.180 spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy above you. 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:11.880 It is glorious. 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.880 We know these have glory, but what makes them glorious? 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:22.400 What is glory? 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:29.020 Glory is the greatness of something made known. 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:36.700 It is that which inspires praise, that which brings awe, that which moves our hearts. 00:12:37.220 --> 00:12:44.260 It is the beauty, the magnificence, the unveiling of the worth of an object, an event, an act, a place, a 00:12:44.280 --> 00:12:45.100 thing or a person. 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:46.990 It is a reputation. 00:12:47.900 --> 00:12:49.320 Glory is renown. 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:49.880 It is prestige. 00:12:50.400 --> 00:12:53.360 It is honor, not of mere appearance, but of substance. 00:12:54.980 --> 00:13:02.300 The Hebrew word for glory used throughout the Old Testament has the idea of weight or worthiness, which 00:13:02.300 --> 00:13:09.440 brings up the image of a scale, in glory, although being intangible, having 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:14.360 a weight to it that signifies its great value. 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:23.380 The simplest and my favorite way to define glory is that glory is a revealing of 00:13:23.380 --> 00:13:23.920 value. 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:28.340 It is this display of worth. 00:13:28.420 --> 00:13:30.940 It shows the significance of something. 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:35.000 And because of that, it inspires praise. 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:44.660 Nations have aspired to glory since the beginning of time, building wonders, conquering lands in the name 00:13:44.660 --> 00:13:51.660 of glory from the Pyramids of Egypt, to the Colosseum and conquest of Rome to the vast 00:13:51.660 --> 00:13:58.860 British empire, great endeavors were taken up by people of these nations and nations all over the world 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:06.280 in the name of glory, to display the worth of their God or gods 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:09.300 or their king or their country. 00:14:11.400 --> 00:14:14.280 And we are not really that different today. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.340 How many of you were alive during the Cold War? 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.140 I imagine quite a bit of you. 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:31.060 I was born a year and a half after it finished, the USSR dissolved in 00:14:31.060 --> 00:14:33.300 1991, December 26th. 00:14:33.520 --> 00:14:37.040 And I was born April 10th, 1993. 00:14:37.040 --> 00:14:41.540 So I missed it by about a year and a half, didn't get to live in it. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:50.420 But the Cold War is really interesting because it was a decades-long conflict, almost half 00:14:50.420 --> 00:14:58.140 a century-long conflict, but unlike World War One and World War wo, the wars that preceded it was rarely fought on 00:14:58.140 --> 00:14:58.590 the battlefield. 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:06.200 Now there are some exceptions like Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan that served as proxy wars. 00:15:07.300 --> 00:15:14.440 But most of the conflict was in fact a battle for glory, about 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:18.740 proving the value or worth of one side over the other. 00:15:20.880 --> 00:15:29.340 They had to prove that they were glorious to themselves, to the world and to the other side, which 00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:32.740 resulted in this contest for glory. 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:41.060 Thus, the battle grounds for this conflict became Olympic stadiums, space, 00:15:42.900 --> 00:15:43.760 the economy. 00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:46.790 It became music. 00:15:47.140 --> 00:15:47.650 It became movies. 00:15:48.060 --> 00:15:49.220 It became literature. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:57.720 It became chess games, everything and anything that could prove the value of 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:04.020 democracy or communism, show the worth of America or the Soviet Union. 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:12.300 It was a war, not of armies maneuvering on the battlefield, but of glory, of prestige. 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:17.890 And of course, countries are not the only ones that participate in this business. 00:16:19.280 --> 00:16:26.380 Businesses compete with one another, with advertisements, services, products, trying to build reputations 00:16:26.380 --> 00:16:33.540 that bring and retain customers by their brand, by their image, and that results 00:16:33.540 --> 00:16:40.780 in a value, at least in public companies, by investors putting their money and saying it's worth that 00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:41.120 much. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:47.120 That's how much I'm willing to pay for one stock of this company. 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:49.720 Their worth is measured. 00:16:51.540 --> 00:16:56.740 Not only do countries and companies engage in this struggle for glory, but so do individuals. 00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:05.380 It doesn't take very long, and you can scroll through any number of social media sites and see that people desire 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.160 glory. 00:17:07.040 --> 00:17:14.319 It is alive and well in the human heart to show one's value to the world and to build one's reputation, to prove 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:17.460 that one is worthy. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:27.220 Glory finds its way into every aspect of the human life, and it is wonder, for we 00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:29.460 were made to glorify. 00:17:31.060 --> 00:17:38.300 We were made in the image of God to bear his image, and 00:17:38.300 --> 00:17:46.360 sin is falling short of the glory in which God has created for 00:17:46.360 --> 00:17:53.740 us for more as his image bearers, and when sin 00:17:53.740 --> 00:17:59.470 entered the world, glory and what we glorified became distorted. 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:04.680 Read Romans 1:21 through 23 with me real quick. 00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:11.120 It says, For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:14.940 But they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. 00:18:15.280 --> 00:18:22.420 Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and 00:18:22.520 --> 00:18:30.140 birds and animals and creeping things." Instead of glorifying God, man exchanged 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:37.160 that glorification for glorifying creation, including ourselves, and has been 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:38.260 doing it ever since. 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:46.600 The Grand Canyon, fall, sunsets, the ocean, the goodness in man 00:18:46.600 --> 00:18:54.020 reveals the beauty and wonder and glory of 00:18:54.020 --> 00:19:01.700 our maker, for all are the works of his hand and only experienced by 00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:03.420 his grace. 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:12.580 Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God and 00:19:12.580 --> 00:19:19.580 their expanse is declaring the work of his hands." Isaiah 6:3, "And one called to one another and 00:19:19.580 --> 00:19:22.440 said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:30.300 The whole earth is filled of his glory.'" Certainly all things exist to bring 00:19:30.300 --> 00:19:33.560 glory to the Lord. 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:39.060 Romans 11:36, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. 00:19:39.520 --> 00:19:41.880 To him be the glory forever. 00:19:42.840 --> 00:19:49.920 Amen." Unlike man's glory, the glory of God will not perish because his kingdom 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:57.140 is forever, his glory is eternal, for he is unending and of incomparable 00:19:57.140 --> 00:19:58.320 worth. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:06.720 From the very beginning, we were designed with the rest of creation to bring God glory, but we failed. 00:20:08.340 --> 00:20:12.480 And Jesus fulfills this purpose. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:22.020 Jesus came to glorify the father, and for the son of man to be glorified, to reveal to the world the 00:20:22.020 --> 00:20:29.400 worth of God, to show mankind the beauty, the love, the 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:34.700 power, the grace, the justice, and the truth of who God is. 00:20:35.540 --> 00:20:36.320 And he did it perfectly. 00:20:39.280 --> 00:20:46.340 Read John 1:14 through 18 with me or 14 and 18, you can read the whole chapter if you want, because I 00:20:46.340 --> 00:20:53.440 think it proves the point, but the case to make it short, John at the beginning of his gospel sets 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:57.300 the stage for what his book and what the gospel of John is going to be about. 00:20:57.860 --> 00:21:04.960 And we see it in John 11, but he prefaces that here, the word became flesh, 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:08.220 that being Jesus and made his dwelling among us. 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:15.960 We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of 00:21:16.060 --> 00:21:17.380 grace and truth. 00:21:18.540 --> 00:21:25.760 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only son, who is himself God is in closest relationship 00:21:25.760 --> 00:21:26.800 with the father. 00:21:27.840 --> 00:21:29.720 He has made him known. 00:21:33.080 --> 00:21:40.180 This sickness will not end in death, not meant for death, but is for the glory of God so that the son 00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:43.760 of God may be glorified by it. 00:21:45.280 --> 00:21:52.300 Picking up the story in verse seven, it says this, "Then after this, he said to his disciples, 00:21:53.300 --> 00:22:00.520 'Let's go to Judea again.' The disciples said to him, 'Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and 00:22:00.520 --> 00:22:06.060 yet you are going there again?' Jesus replied, 'Are there not 12 hours in a day? 00:22:06.340 --> 00:22:11.280 If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:18.900 But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.' This he said, and 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:26.120 after this, he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going so that I may waken him from 00:22:26.120 --> 00:22:33.240 his sleep.' The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will come out of it.'" "Now Jesus 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:37.580 had spoken of his death, but they thought he was speaking of actual sleep. 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:44.120 So Jesus then said to them plainly, 'Lazarus has died or Lazarus died. 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:55.160 And I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe.'" Jesus 00:22:55.160 --> 00:23:02.300 said, "I'm glad for your sakes, that I was not there so that you may believe." Jesus is not glad for 00:23:02.300 --> 00:23:03.900 everyone's sake. 00:23:04.040 --> 00:23:06.800 He's not rejoicing over the fact that Lazarus has died. 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:09.460 In fact, he will weep. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:10.460 He will cry. 00:23:11.060 --> 00:23:15.940 He will be moved in spirit over his friend in the pain that his death has caused. 00:23:17.120 --> 00:23:24.200 But even through all of this, Jesus has a plan, a plan for God's glory to be revealed, 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:32.400 to save Lazarus so that his disciples and those who not just witness, but understand God's 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:39.640 glory and the weight of who he is, will be brought into belief and belief into new life. 00:23:41.020 --> 00:23:48.400 This death will not be in vain resulting, but will result in 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:55.400 many having life because of the glory of God will be made known, resulting in 00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:56.160 belief. 00:23:57.820 --> 00:24:04.920 Going on, and it says in verse 16, "Therefore Thomas who was 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:12.000 called Didymus said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go so that we may die with him.' So when Jesus came, he found that he 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.370 had already been in the tomb four days. 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:19.120 Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem, about 15 stadia away. 00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:23.400 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:27.740 So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him. 00:24:28.520 --> 00:24:30.060 But Mary stayed in the house. 00:24:31.040 --> 00:24:37.020 Martha then said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 00:24:38.100 --> 00:24:45.340 Even now, I know whatever you ask of God, God will give you.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:53.400 from the dead.' Martha said to him, 'I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.' Jesus 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:57.120 said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:01.940 The one who believes in me will live, even if he dies. 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:05.840 And everyone who believes in me will never die. 00:25:06.300 --> 00:25:10.620 Do you believe this?' She said to him, 'Yes, Lord. 00:25:10.620 --> 00:25:13.980 I've come to believe that you are the Christ, the son of God. 00:25:14.760 --> 00:25:22.760 And he who comes into the world.'" Martha and Mary have the same 00:25:22.760 --> 00:25:23.360 response. 00:25:24.280 --> 00:25:31.500 Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but their hearts are in very different 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:31.760 places. 00:25:33.080 --> 00:25:36.460 And you can see that when you pay attention to the story. 00:25:37.560 --> 00:25:40.680 And because of that, Jesus responds to them very differently. 00:25:42.100 --> 00:25:44.000 Martha confronts Jesus. 00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:46.160 She goes out to meet him. 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:55.320 And Jesus responds to her and tells her exactly what she needs to hear, "I am the resurrection and the 00:25:55.320 --> 00:25:59.860 life." Jesus shares the truth with her. 00:26:01.120 --> 00:26:08.140 And there are many times in which we need to be refreshed in the truth, to be confronted and 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:08.700 guided. 00:26:09.860 --> 00:26:17.520 A good friend will stand up to you and tell you the truth, which is how Jesus 00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:23.620 ministers to the heart of Martha, "Do not be troubled. 00:26:23.800 --> 00:26:26.420 I am sovereign over death. 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:34.520 If you believe in me, you will be saved." Jesus responds to Martha with 00:26:34.520 --> 00:26:40.760 truth and confronts her and tells her that he is the resurrection and the life. 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:44.400 But Mary is in a much different place. 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:53.970 And there are many times when you confront people with that and it can push them away. 00:26:54.880 --> 00:27:00.340 But Jesus meets Mary exactly where she is at. 00:27:02.020 --> 00:27:09.160 And there are many times when we don't need a statement of fact, but a loving heart that sympathizes someone who will 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:12.260 enter into our brokenness and weep with us. 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:22.060 And this is exactly how Jesus meets Mary, continuing in verse 28, "When 00:27:22.060 --> 00:27:29.140 she had said this, she left and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, 'The teacher is here in his calling for you.' 00:27:29.860 --> 00:27:33.200 And when she heard this, she got up quickly and came to him. 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:38.440 Now Jesus had not come into the village, but was still at the place where Martha met him. 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:46.540 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw that Mary had gotten up quickly and left, they 00:27:46.540 --> 00:27:50.700 followed her thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 00:27:51.980 --> 00:28:00.040 So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw him and fell at his feet saying to him, 'Lord, 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:08.140 if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping and 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:13.940 the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. 00:28:14.760 --> 00:28:22.440 And he said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept. 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:31.400 So the Jews were saying, 'See how he loves him.' But some of them said, 'Could this man who 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:40.340 opened the eyes of the man born blind, not have also kept this man from dying?'" Why 00:28:40.340 --> 00:28:43.020 does Jesus weep? 00:28:45.340 --> 00:28:49.790 Shouldn't he just tell them, "I am the resurrection and the life." What he told Martha? 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:51.200 "Quit mourning. 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:52.780 I'm going to make this all better. 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:57.780 Wait 10 minutes and your tears will turn to joy. 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:05.900 There's no point in them." Yet instead, he is troubled and deeply moved in spirit. 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:11.840 Jesus weeps over the pain, the sorrow, the suffering that is happening. 00:29:12.600 --> 00:29:16.580 And he meets Mary's heart exactly where she is. 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:26.680 She falls at his feet and weeps, and don't forget he weeps with her, even 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:30.260 though he knows what happens next. 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.340 Don't be mistaken. 00:29:37.540 --> 00:29:40.670 You are allowed to weep as a Christian. 00:29:41.800 --> 00:29:43.500 Jesus weeps with us. 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:46.840 This is not how it's supposed to be. 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:54.140 Death, suffering, loss are all the results of the fall of brokenness, the consequences of sin, which separate 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:57.050 us from God and keep us from knowing his glory. 00:29:57.720 --> 00:30:05.180 There is a reason why Jesus came and he came to write all these things and 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:07.600 he doesn't with truth. 00:30:09.540 --> 00:30:15.860 Exactly how Jesus dealt with Mary and with Martha is how he deals with us and how he dealt with the world. 00:30:16.800 --> 00:30:24.460 He came into the world's brokenness and he shared the suffering of the world and 00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:32.620 he met the world where it's at, but he also shared the truth and gave the world hope, the 00:30:32.620 --> 00:30:34.920 hope of who he is. 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:43.580 Verse 38, continuing in the story, "So Jesus, again began deeply moved within, came 00:30:43.580 --> 00:30:44.220 to the tomb. 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:47.700 Now it was a cave and a stone was lying against it. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:55.260 Jesus said, 'Remove the stone.' Martha, the sister of the deceased said to him, 'Lord, by this time, there will be a stench for he 00:30:55.260 --> 00:31:02.280 has been dead for four days.' Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you 00:31:02.280 --> 00:31:09.340 believe, you will see the glory of God?' So they removed the stone and Jesus raised his eyes and 00:31:09.340 --> 00:31:14.730 said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me, but I know that you always hear me. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:22.420 Nevertheless, because of the people standing around, I said it so that they may believe you, believe that you sent me.' And 00:31:22.420 --> 00:31:29.480 when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus come out.' Out came the man who had 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:35.160 died, bound hand and foot with wrappings and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:42.820 Jesus said to him, to them, 'Unbind him and let him go.' Therefore, 00:31:43.260 --> 00:31:50.260 many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he had done believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees 00:31:50.260 --> 00:31:57.360 and told them the things which Jesus had done." This story, 00:31:58.440 --> 00:32:03.440 the story of Lazarus reveals to us the glory of God. 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:12.720 It reveals who he is in many ways, because it is an unveiling of the heart of 00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:19.960 God, an unveiling of his power and of his plans and of his love 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:24.380 because it shows us who Jesus is. 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:35.800 And his plan, that promise that he gives the messenger, this sickness is not 00:32:35.800 --> 00:32:43.000 meant for death, but is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified by it, is 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:50.180 the exact promise and plan that every believer today can hold on to, because this 00:32:50.180 --> 00:32:51.900 is the exact one he gives to us. 00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:59.640 II Corinthians 4:14 through 15, as well as many other passages in scripture relate this idea. 00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:07.020 But it says this, "Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus 00:33:07.020 --> 00:33:14.100 and present us with you, for all things are for your sakes so that the 00:33:14.100 --> 00:33:22.340 grace having spread to more people will cause Thanksgiving to the overflow, to the glory of God." "I 00:33:22.340 --> 00:33:25.540 am the resurrection and the life." That's what Jesus says. 00:33:25.580 --> 00:33:31.020 "The one who believes in me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 00:33:32.680 --> 00:33:40.000 Do you believe this?" John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:47.140 in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." The same promise is given 00:33:47.140 --> 00:33:48.360 to us. 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:52.160 Where is the proof? 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:55.940 How do we know that he is able? 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:00.040 Lazarus himself. 00:34:03.020 --> 00:34:03.620 He is able. 00:34:04.300 --> 00:34:09.280 The glory, if God is made known through the power of resurrection. 00:34:11.980 --> 00:34:17.760 His heart is revealed in his weeping, his suffering, his willingness to enter the brokenness. 00:34:18.120 --> 00:34:22.500 We serve a God that is not just all wise and all powerful, but all loving. 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:25.219 He's all that and more. 00:34:26.020 --> 00:34:27.080 And we witness it. 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:34.940 We are witnesses of this glory in the story of Lazarus, and we might never 00:34:34.940 --> 00:34:38.980 fully understand why things happen to us or the people around us. 00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:42.480 We will encounter terrible suffering. 00:34:43.139 --> 00:34:46.239 And we might ask God, "Where are you? 00:34:47.580 --> 00:34:48.739 When are you going to show up? 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:55.820 What is taking you so long?" But never forget that he suffers with us. 00:34:57.080 --> 00:34:59.080 He weeps with us. 00:34:59.660 --> 00:35:00.800 He was beaten. 00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:08.800 He was mocked, the Lord of all creation, in whom all things were created for entered our suffering to 00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:15.820 suffer and die on our behalf so we might witness the worth of 00:35:15.820 --> 00:35:22.900 who God is, come to know him and believe so that we might have eternal life. 00:35:24.020 --> 00:35:31.320 God works all things for his glory and for our good, the good of 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:36.760 those who love him, who've been called according to his purposes, Romans 8:28. 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:44.700 And we see this clearly demonstrated in how he deals with Mary, Martha, Lazarus, his disciples, and all those who 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:46.080 come into contact with him. 00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:54.940 And of course, that is because his glory is our ultimate good. 00:35:56.480 --> 00:35:57.340 They're one and the same. 00:35:58.200 --> 00:36:02.400 And he asks us to trust and to believe in him. 00:36:03.680 --> 00:36:09.600 Listen to this part of the prayer that Jesus gives right before he dies on the cross. 00:36:10.500 --> 00:36:13.140 It's usually called the high priestly prayer that Jesus gives. 00:36:13.620 --> 00:36:18.990 And he says this, just the first section, "Father, the hour has come. 00:36:19.680 --> 00:36:26.760 Glorify your son, that your son may glorify you, for you have granted him authority over all people, that he 00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:33.900 might give eternal life to all those you have given have him." Listen to this, "Now this is 00:36:33.900 --> 00:36:41.060 eternal life that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, 00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:42.640 whom you have sent. 00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:47.800 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 00:36:47.900 --> 00:36:53.860 And now, Father glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 00:36:54.260 --> 00:36:59.040 I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. 00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:03.940 They were yours and you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 00:37:05.640 --> 00:37:12.660 This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, 00:37:12.720 --> 00:37:19.860 whom you have sent." The glory of God and the son of God glorified for his glory is our ultimate good because 00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:21.880 that is what we were made for. 00:37:24.680 --> 00:37:31.840 And the question that Jesus asked Martha remains and is relevant as it was back then as it is for every one 00:37:31.840 --> 00:37:34.420 of us, because Jesus has not changed. 00:37:35.720 --> 00:37:38.140 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. 00:37:38.180 --> 00:37:42.880 The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 00:37:43.240 --> 00:37:50.620 Do you believe this?" Because when you do, you become a child of the living God 00:37:50.620 --> 00:37:53.360 inheriting internal life. 00:37:55.120 --> 00:38:02.240 He doesn't promise that this life that we live now will not be filled with hardship, or we won't 00:38:02.380 --> 00:38:04.160 feel loss or pain. 00:38:05.600 --> 00:38:09.980 But what he did was suffer with us, cry with us, die in our place. 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:17.400 And his promise is that the suffering now will disappear with the glory of who 00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:20.560 he is, and in the light of eternity. 00:38:22.420 --> 00:38:29.720 I'll end on this last one first found in Romans 8:16 through 18, "The 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:37.080 spirit himself testifies with our spirit, that we are children of God and have children heirs, also 00:38:37.080 --> 00:38:39.650 heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. 00:38:39.720 --> 00:38:46.820 Indeed, if we suffer with him so that we also be glorified with him, for 00:38:46.820 --> 00:38:54.540 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with 00:38:54.540 --> 00:38:58.360 the glory that is to be revealed in us."