When God Is Late

Introduction:

God’s ways are not our ways. His ways are above us.

Some storms are of our own making, some are from the effects of something others may do.

Some God allows, like the one in out text. For those that are Children of God, those that love God All things work together for good. God never promised all things would be good, but that all things would work together for Good.

I. To Declare the Son - vs. 4

A. This Miracle would Upset the Religious - vs. 47-48

B. This Miracle would Uplift the Messiah - vs. 45, Php 1:20

II. To Develop Faith - vs. 15, 21-27

A. The Need of Clear Faith - vs. 7-16

1. God’s Will is safer than Man’s Understanding (vs. 8-11)

2. God’s Wisdom is greater than Man=s Understanding (vs. 12-14)

B. The Need of Confirmed Faith - vs. 21-27

1. It was not a Question of future belief, but PRESENT belief

2. It was not a Question of Faithfulness - Her declaration - vs. 27

C. The Need of Committed Faith - - vs. 28-32, Lu 10:39

III. To Demonstrate His Compassion - vs. 33-35, Heb 4:15

A. Jesus is Effected by what He Sees - vs. 33 - His eye affects His heart!

1. He cried on behalf of the hurting

2. He cried over those that rejected Him - Lu 19:41

B. Jesus is Effected by what We Face - vs. 34

C. Jesus is Effected with Our Grief - vs. 35

IV. To Deliver the Hopeless

A. The Condition - Dead four days, beyond hope

B. The Cry - There was no mistake! Joh 12:46

C. The Call - Lazarus, come!

1. The Disciples - Mr 1:17

2. The Lost - Mt 11:28

3. He told Peter to "Come" out on the water with Him.

4. The Children - Mt 19:14

5. The Cry to All - Joh 7:37

V. To Direct Servants - vs. 39, 44

A. The Master Calleth - vs. 28

B. The Master Commands - vs. 39

1. The Stone of Ignorance -who will tell them Lack of Knowledge

2. The Stone of Discouragement - Cannot find the right answers

3. The Stone of Hypocrisy - Excuses used of false lives

4. The Stone of Apathy - We must tell them Jesus is coming.

C. The Master Charges - vs. 44

1. Loose Him

2. Let Him go

Conclusion: The Test seemed to defeat, until Jesus stepped toward the grave, and all of the sudden songs of defeat became songs of delight! Jesus spoke and Victory came forth from a place where no victory could even be imagined!

Disclaimer: A man once told me that if it is true, it is not new. If it is new, it is not true. We all know there is nothing new under the sun. With that said, I glean ideas for my sermons from God’s Word, my own thoughts and work, and many other sources. Any similarity to my sermons and others, where credit is not given, is either coincidental, or an unintentional mistake on my part. As none of us have a corner on the wisdom and teaching of God’s Word, it is my desire that any of my outlines be an encouragement, a help, and hopefully a motivation for others to preach God’s Word clearly. Please feel free to use any portion of my sermons if they can be of help to you and your ministry. I purposely include a skeleton outline, and not my full text, for this purpose. It is all for His Glory.