How We Love His Promise Series

How We Love His Promise

John 11:17-44

Introduction

Adrian Rogers said, “There is no promise God cannot keep, no prayer God will not answer, and no problem too hard for Him to solve.” That is a great expression of the life of faith in God. He keeps his promises, He answers prayers, he solves problems. But in our experience, there have been times when we weren’t sure about these things. Have you ever wondered, when things go wrong in life, if you can count on God? If he actually listens to our prayers? If he has reached the end of His work in our life?

Our text today centers on a family that has experienced a loss. A faith-filled family, a Jesus-devoted family. In John 11 we have, at first, an experience that is common, followed by a miracle that makes it uncommon.

Mary, Martha, Lazarus are friends of Jesus. Mary, the one who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped

his feet with her hair. John records this in chapter 12. (Found in all four gospels.) Mark 10:9 “And truly, I say to you, where’ve the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” These friends have close connections to Jesus. So when Lazarus becomes ill, the sisters send for Jesus. Jesus delays in coming, and during that time Lazarus dies. When Jesus does arrive, the sisters express disappointment. Jesus does not rebuke them for their expressions, instead he asks to go to the tomb of Lazarus. There he prays, calls Lazarus to come forth, and raises him from the dead.

This text relates to us all, addressing so many human questions.

1. Questions About Suffering

John 11:1-5 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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

When we have disease, death, significant losses in life, it’s easy to wonder if it matters that we are disciples of Jesus. How can Jesus be my friend and allow suffering? (1-3). Is my suffering wasted or can God redeem it? (4)

If I suffer, does that mean God doesn’t love me? (5).

Every Christian has struggled with the idea that God allows suffering to take place. We should take some comfort in the truth that we are not alone in this struggle, the Bible does not dodge the question, but we may not always know an answer.

2. Questions About Death/Grief

John 11:21-24; 32 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” .... 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Is it ok to be unhappy with God? “If you had been here”. Mary and Martha expressed their feelings to the Lord - and He did not rebuke them. Lipe: “The question men have been trying to answer throughout the ages is ‘How can we defeat death?’” When a loved one dies we often have many questions for God and often we may feel that those questions go unanswered. But it is ok to express them to God.

3. Questions About the Love of God

John 11:32-37 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Does Jesus care when we hurt? Does He see? The plaintive song, Does Jesus Care?, asks that question in a haunting verse, but affirms in the chorus, “Oh yes, He Cares, I know He Cares, His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary the long nights dreary I know my Savior cares.”