Jesus Will Surprise You Series

JESUS WILL SURPRISE YOU

When I was a kid I wanted to be a scuba diver. A friend brought over his scuba gear to our pool when I was 12 and let me try it, and from that moment I was hooked. I wanted to be the next Jacques Cousteau. For those of you who do not know who that was, he was a French explorer and conservationist. He helped pioneer the Aqualung, the precursor to todays scuba tanks. In the 1970s there was a TV show called the Underwater Adventures of Jacques Cousteau that I always watched. You had to be 16 years to take scuba training but I begged and pleaded and they let me do it when I was only 13. I wanted my own scuba equipment so bad, it dominated my life. I would lie awake at night dreaming about it. Maybe you understand what I mean. We can laugh now at those childhood desires. But what is it that you are wanting today? I do not know where you are at with your relationship with Jesus today, but I do know that probably most of us here want something. There is something that you are longing, something that you are praying about.

Some are praying for a job right now, you are seeking a better more meaningful career. Maybe you are a women and you have trying to get pregnant and for whatever reason they can’t right now. There are parents here this morning who have kids that have wandered away spiritually and your desperate prayer is that they would come back. There are people here whose marriage is in trouble. I am sure there are people here today who want physical healing. If not for themselves, for loved ones. There may be people here trying to kick an addiction.

You are wanting something and you are waiting for something to happen, but the answer to your prayers seems to be taking a long time coming.

John 11:17-27 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 Lord, Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 Yes, Lord, she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

What does Jesus offer us in our hours of greatest want and need? In this story Jesus offers us 5 things;

1. Punctually– always on time

It’s surprising that Jesus doesn’t go to Lazarus right away. It may be even disturbing. His friend is sick and he seems to be in no rush. Let’s look at the background of this story;

John 11:1-7 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

It took a few days for the messenger to reach Jesus. Then Jesus stayed were he was for 2 days. Then he travelled back to Bethany, so that by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had been dead 4 days.

Put yourself in Mary and Martha’s place. Our brother is dying! Where is Jesus? Why is he not here? Did he get our message? Does he know what is happening? For many of us this is the most frustrating part of trusting our life to Jesus. That he doesn’t operate on our predetermined time schedule. And delay is torturous.