Confident Trust in the Valley of Death
Notes
Transcript
Journey to Easter and Beyond
Journey to Easter and Beyond
A sermon series that explores how Jesus transforms people's lives on his journey to the cross, and how he continues to transform lives after the cross.
Our prayer is that we will experience transformational moments in our lives, as we journey with Jesus.
3 Challenges
Read 1 Chapter a day
Pray daily for a friend who needs Jesus
Fast 1 day a week
Confident Trust in the Valley of Death
Confident Trust in the Valley of Death
-I want to have a confident trust when I go through the valleys of life. A peace that God is in control, etc.
-There is a simple and profound answer that Jesus gives for why we should have confident trust.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.
What implications will this truth have in your life?
How will things look and feel for you if you believe that Jesus is the ressurection and that you will live even if you face death?
The Valley of Death
The Valley of Death
I am borrowing this imagery from Psalm 23, “Even when I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death”.
• some this morning may be in this valley.
• others don’t think about death, because we perceive that its somewhere off in the distance.
It is in the Valley of Death that we become most aware of the comfort, the hope and the promise of Resurrected Life that Jesus has for us.
These promises are made available to us at great personal cost to Jesus.
What’s happening at the start of John 11?
What’s happening at the start of John 11?
• Chapter 10 ends with an attempt to arrest Jesus, and he successfully escapes.
• What calls him out of that escape? An appeal for help from his dear friends, Mary & Martha.
• Coming back into a public place is no small decision.
• The disciples will warn Jesus not to go near Jerusalem.
• The action that Jesus takes on behalf of Mary, Martha & Lazarus will be enough to push the Jewish Pharisaical leadership into a decided movement to kill Jesus.
1 Now a man was sick, Lazarus, from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.
3 So the sisters sent a message to Him: “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
Lord, the one You love is sick.
Lord, the one You love is sick.
Jesus had a relationship with this family.
• This is a hint that there is a friendship, relationship that is barely explored (D.A. Carson, Pillar New Testament Commentary)
Mary and Martha knew that Jesus loved Lazarus, and so they asked for his help.
APPLICATION: We can ask Jesus for his help in others' lives because we know of his love for them. Pray with faith.
APPLICATION: We can ask Jesus for his help in others' lives because we know of his love for them. Pray with faith.
4 When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus.
6 So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
Distance from Bethany to Bethany MAP (150 km)
On this map here we see the two Bethany’s. They are a 4-day walking journey that covers 150 km. (That means that if you want to walk to Red Deer, it will only take 4 days.)
Jesus will purposefully stay 2 days longer, the timing will work out so that he arrives on the fourth day of Lazarus' death. And in a fantastic twist, it is all going to work out better than anyone would have thought possible.
7 Then after that, He said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”
8 “Rabbi,” the disciples told Him, “just now the Jews tried to stone You, and You’re going there again?”
9 “Aren’t there 12 hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 If anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.”
We don’t have time to go in-depth into what Jesus is saying, but here is the basic idea.
• Safety comes from following Jesus. Darkness, stumbling, comes from straying him.
• Sometimes that means following him into dangerous situations, but its safer to be in a dangerous situation in God’s care, then in a seemingly safe and risk-free situation in your care.
Jesus and the disciples were about to head into a dangerous situation, but they were following the will of God the Father, and so they were walking in the light. (whole other sermon…)
11 He said this, and then He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on My way to wake him up.”
12 Then the disciples said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”
That’s what the doctors say, right. If you are sick, get some rest.
13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought He was speaking about natural sleep.
14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died.
15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go so that we may die with Him.”
They take the 4-day journey from Bethany (near the Sea of Galilee) to Bethany, which is about 2 km from Jerusalem.
A little Background on Martha, Mary & Lazarus.
A little Background on Martha, Mary & Lazarus.
We can learn about this family from both Luke and John. (Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-46, John 12:1-7)
I think of Mary and Martha as being somewhere in their 20s, but I could be wrong. In Jewish families, the home could be passed down to the eldest son. The fact that they are all living in the same home says that Mary and Martha are not married, if they were they would be in their husbands home.
I think its safe to say that they are a tightly knit group of 3, they have each other's backs. At the same time, they have their personalities.
Mary - she's not afraid to show her emotions. She is not afraid to challenge the norms. In Luke 10 we see Mary learning at the feet of Jesus, a place normally reserved for men. But Jesus welcomes her and supports her desire to learn from him.
That’s not something that Martha would feel comfortable doing. Martha - practical, active, outspoken. I guess that Martha is the oldest sibling because she certainly acts that way. She cares for Mary, she tells Mary what the rules are.
Martha also has a quiet confidence in Jesus. She knows that he can heal. She knows that he is the Messiah, the Son of God.
We know much less about Lazarus, except for the fact that he was loved by Jesus.
17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
There was a superstition that was built into the way that people grieved in this middle eastern culture. They believed that the soul hovered around the body for 3 days. So on the fourth day, when there was no hope for anything, the loudest wailing would begin. A total of seven days of grief would occur.
Significantly, Jesus arrives on the fourth day, the day when hope is gone. The wailing had begun. The sisters were grieving, as they walked through the Valley of Death.
18 Bethany was near Jerusalem (about two miles away).
Did you notice that the author, John, is careful to point out the proximty of Jerusalem? Jerusalem is the seat of power. It is where the authorities are who want to kill Jesus. It is the most dangerous place to be. Its also where God the Father wants for Jesus to be.
It was close enough, that many of their friends who lived in Jerusalem had likely made the trip to Bethany to grieve with the sisters.
19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.
20 As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house.
Some of us here this morning might identify with Martha.
We hurry off to confront Jesus directly. We don’t wait. We take a walk towards Christ and let him know what is on our hearts.
If you are going through something this morning, and you have questions, then put yourself into Martha’s shoes.
Go to Jesus with your questions.
Go to Jesus with your questions.
Ask him why things worked out the way that they did. Ask him why he didn’t respond sooner.
And if we are to learn anything from Martha, maybe it is that we should be prepared to be blown away with the response of Jesus. Because his love was bigger than she could have ever imagined. And his timing was for the glory of God, and her good. Jesus was never out of control. Keep in mind that Martha doesn’t fully understand entil the end of the chapter, and sometimes we won’t fully understand right away either.
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
22 Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”
Martha isn’t complaining. Instead, she is demonstrating a Confident Trust in the Valley of Death.
She is in pain, her heart is heavy, and she trusts that Jesus could have healed her brother. She trusts that Jesus is still on her side. She trusts that she has not been abandoned.
23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.
24 Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus response to Martha now, is the key to this whole passage. If you are going to memorize a verse from today’s sermon, memorize this one.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.
Jesus takes Martha’s abstract belief about a future resurrection and directs her focus to a present moment of belief. Believe right now in Jesus. Believe right now that he is the resurrection. Believe right now that he is the Lord of Life.
There is neither resurrection or life outside of Jesus Christ.
There is neither resurrection or life outside of Jesus Christ.
Jesus continues...
26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?”
This is "make or break" for Martha. Her life. Her future resurrected life depends on if she believes Jesus and what he is saying.
Martha, do you believe this?
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”
This is an amazing statement that she makes in the middle of her grief. I think that we would all be blessed to have that sort of faith as we walk through dark valleys. If God can help Martha to have that confident trust, then he can help us as well.
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.
30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met Him.
31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. So they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there.
Mary appears more emotional than Martha. She is crying. Martha is trying to give Mary a private place to meet with Jesus, away from the crowd. But the crowd misinterprets Mary’s actions. They think that she is going to the tomb to mourn, and they will go and mourn with her.
This conversation that Jesus has with Mary, is being heard by a crowd. Mary is not the type of lady who puts on a mask when she is in a crowd.
32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!”
Can you see Mary falling at Jesus' feet? Maybe she’s out of strength. Maybe she’s just drained emotionally & physically.
I don’t read a complaining spirit into Mary’s words. She’s simply stating the truth. Jesus could have healed Lazarus.
I would wager a guess that at this moment, Mary did not understand God’s timing. Why did Jesus take so long?
Its easy to praise God’s timing in hindsight. Its an act of faith to trust his timing in the valley.
Its easy to praise God’s timing in hindsight. Its an act of faith to trust his timing in the valley.
I sometimes pray that I will thank God in the hard times as if I was on the other side of eternity, seeing how God used it all for good.
This passage in the Bible is one that helps me to have a Confident Trust in the Valley.
She’s weeping. And Jesus loves her, and it is hard to watch somebody who you love as they are on the ground, weeping, broken, and spent.
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved.
Why is Jesus Angry?
Why is Jesus Angry?
Death is the enemy. Jesus is the Lord of Life and not the Lord of death. Now Jesus sees what death does to those he loves. He sees their grief. He sees the pain. Death is the opposite of what Jesus is. He is the creator. He is the Lord of Life. He is the one who offers abundant life.
Jesus will himself defeat death. That death-defying power will soon be on display 2 kilometers outside of Jerusalem, in the village of Bethany.
34 “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
Jesus knew what the outcome would be, yet he weeps with Mary.
Jesus knew what the outcome would be, yet he weeps with Mary.
Jesus knows what the outcome of your life will be, he knows what eternity holds for you. Yet he weeps with you in your sorrows, trials, and valleys. The word of God weeps with those who weep.
We represent God well when we mourn with those who mourn when we allow for hopeful grief.
36 So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, angry in Himself again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39 “Remove the stone,” Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Him, “Lord, he’s already decaying. It’s been four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me.
42 I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so they may believe You sent Me.”
43 After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him and let him go.”
He would have looked like an Egyptian Mummy, all wrapped up. It would have taken some effort, but he made it to the opening of the tomb. He is alive from the dead.
His ressurection was a sign for all to see.
Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is the Ressurection and the Life
Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is the Ressurection and the Life
In this story, there is so much to learn, and so much to apply to life. But if there is one person in the story that we should all relate to, its Lazarus.
All we know about Lazarus in this passage is that he is dead and that Jesus loves him.
All we know about Lazarus in this passage is that he is dead and that Jesus loves him.
Why should we relate to Lazarus.
#1 - We know that Jesus loves us. We don’t have to wonder, we don’t have to question. We can have a confident trust that Jesus loves us.
This love is proven once and for all when Jesus faced death on a cross, not because he was guilty. He didn’t die because of his sin.
The prophet Isaiah teaches that
5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.
That's love. Taking on the burden of sin of the people you love, so that they can be forgiven, so that they can be healed.
Jesus loves you. His death is proof of his love. His resurrection is proof of his power to forgive you and to save you from the heavy weight of sin.
This is the second way that we can all identify with Lazarus. Lazarus was dead, and because of sin, we are spiritually dead.
Lazarus was unable to resurrect himself. In the same way, we are unable to save ourselves from the devastation of sin.
But Jesus called Lazarus to life. Jesus is calling us to life as well.
Real-life can only be found in Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of Life. He promises Abundant Life. Nothing else will ever satisfy. Jesus is life.
And when Jesus calls out to you, do what Lazarus did, come out from the tomb into the light of Jesus' life.
How do you respond to Jesus?
It is about your heart, your head, your actions, and your life.
What is the result? You can run to Jesus, free, alive.
26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?”