Suffering Death and The Glory of God: And the Work of Solidifying Faith

John 11:1-27 Suffering Death and The Glory of God (And the Work of Solidifying Faith) Introduction: One of the Greatest objections to the truth of a loving God is that there is so much pain, suffering, and death in the World. John 11 is one of those portions of scripture that gives us so much insight into the heart, will and power of God toward us in the face of suffering and death. But yet it’s not the comfort that we would choose for ourselves. It’s funny that this is often one of those stories that we find in a children's Bible, and the reason it’s funny is because they all focus on the fact that Jesus raises lazarus from the dead, but none of them bring up the fact that Jesus could have prevented the whole thing…Maybe they don’t think our kids are ready for that? I love how C.S. Lewis speaks of Aslan, the lion King, a depiction of Christ in his children’s series, the Chronicles of Narnia. Mr Beaver says, “Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” The trouble with so much of our Christian teaching these days is that it is so one sided. God is love is the mantra of the western Church, which is a biblical truth. But what does God’s love really look like? How do the scriptures and the church define that? If we don’t answer this essential question we will find that our faith will not hold up when the fire turns up. We are finding more and more that rather than a Biblical view of God’s love many people have adopted what is termed, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - -A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. -God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. -The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. -God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. -Good people go to heaven when they die. This kind of belief does not prepare the individual for what is the inevitable in life: Suffering and Death. Therefore they conclude, God is a hoax. 1. The God Who Loves Let’s People Suffer and Die 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. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”9 Jesus answered, “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.10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 1. These two sisters, in a prayer like fashion, inform Jesus of their need - “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 2. Jesus upon hearing the news, comments that this particular sickness is not going to terminate in death. Death, as this chapter will teach us is not the end for Lazarus, or for any follower of Jesus for that matter…. 3. Jesus does not say that Lazarus will not die but that it does not end there. The purpose, or end, of all of this is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Many will see and know through this work that Jesus is the Son of God who has been uniquely sent into the world. 1. This verse shows us that there is a greater, deeper purpose behind our suffering. What is it? That God might be glorified and our trust in him might be deepened.. 2. Cheer up, Jesus Loves you. 1. John wants to make it clear to us that Jesus does truly in fact love Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Because what Jesus is about to do, and even what he has said to the disciples, seems indifferent and unloving. Jesus waits two more days before leaving for Bethany. 1. We need this reminder; amidst tragedy disciples of Jesus need every assurance of Jesus’ love that they can possibly get…..God does not always answer our prayers immediately and this can cause us to doubt his love and care. 2. Have we ever had a like experience? I would say, yes! Jesus does not often answer immediately, he delays, and we feel deeply discouraged. The Lord’s timing does not always seem good. 3. “We readers know the end of the story and so we have some relief; but this hurting family (and every other hurting family before and since) does not know the future particulars at all and so is very vulnerable. I am thankful that our text is honest…Jesus’ delays always hurt.” -Bruner 3. Real Love Hurts 1. But consider the kind of Love that Jesus has for this family. The text says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.6 Therefore, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” 1. This doesn’t sound like love to us. 2. Now commentators seem to agree that Lazarus would have already have died before Jesus was able to reach him regardless. But Jesus remains so that by the time Jesus gets there Lazarus had been dead four days (Jewish belief was that a soul hovered over a body for three days waiting to re-enter the body, but once decomposition settled in the soul would depart forever or at least until the resurrection) This makes Jesus work all the more powerful because beyond any doubt by the time Jesus shows up Lazarus is postmortem. He is beyond the hope of life. 3. Our text might as well say, “Jesus loved Mary and Martha, and Lazarus so much that he let Lazarus die.” Remember Jesus could have healed Lazarus with a word; he had done it before (Luke 7:1-10). Sometimes we think it’s okay in this case because Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Well, maybe, or maybe not. Lazarus really died. It is not an easy thing to die. And as far as Lazarus knew, Jesus didn’t come. And his sisters saw him die. And they buried him. And they wondered where Jesus was. This was real death. And real loss. And Jesus really didn’t show up to stop it; and unlike most people Lazarus died twice. Talk about the short end of the stick… 4. Then Jesus adds this -“Lazarus has died,15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But If Jesus had intervened his glory and power would not have been put on display, and people would not have opportunity for greater faith/trust in him. 1. "The disciples already believe in one sense. But each new trial offers scope for the growth of faith/trust.; so that which is potential becomes real. Faith can neither be stationary nor complete: faith always becomes” - Bruner 2. And for us also, this is one of the reasons God delays in answering our prayers… Something God cares for more than anything, apparently even more than life or death is our faith, our fully trusting in his Son! 3. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” -Hebrews 11:6 4. This was Grace and my experience as we walked everything out with our daughter Evelyn. 5 Hours after she was born the Dr discovered that she had a congenital heart disease known as TGA. Evelyn would need open heart surgery immediately. We would have never asked God for that. But it was what we needed to draw us closer to the Lord to take faith from the hypothetical to the real and actual. We had believed God was good and faithful, and now we can say we know. 1. God says, “Child, when one of mine makes a request, I always give that person what he or she would have asked for if they knew everything I know.” -Tim Keller 4. So What is Love? 1. What does it mean to be loved by Jesus? Love means giving us what we need most. And what we need most is not physical healing, but a full and endless experience of the glory of God. Love means giving us what will bring us the fullest and longest joy. And what is that? What will give you full and eternal joy? The answer of this text is clear: a revelation to your soul of the glory of God that you might believe and trust in Christ to a greater degree. 1. The aim of love is to bring people to the fullest knowledge and the fullest enjoyment of the glory of God. Jesus didn’t just let Lazarus die for this. He died for this. “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus prayed that on the other side of his death his redeemed people would see his glory: “I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24). 1. “What is love? Love is the longing that labors and suffers to enthrall others with what is infinitely and eternally satisfying: the glory of God.” - John Piper Conclusion: I believe that God allows suffering, and even death to remind us that our ultimate hope in life is not in this life, but it is in Jesus the resurrection and the Life. And by allowing us to suffer he brings us to that glorious truth We Christians believe in a God who is infinite in power, in wisdom and in love, and who loves us so much; he will do whatever is necessary for our ultimate good. In moments of darkness, suffering and uncertainty, we must as God’s people, trust, though we don’t understand all that God is doing, he is wiser than us and he loves us. He proved that in the giving of his most precious possession, His only Son.