Title: Christ’s
Love in Waiting
Text:
John 11: 1-53
Date:
March 18, 2018
Place: SGBC,
New Jersey
John 11: 1: Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of
Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2: (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment,
and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3: Therefore his sisters sent unto
him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
What a
petition? Usually, the greatest need is expressed in the shortest petition. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy
kingdom.” “Lord, behold, he whom thou
lovest is sick.”
They
acknowledged Christ as their sovereign and they his servants: “Lord”. They expressed their need for
Christ to take knowledge of them: “Behold”.
And they based their petition on something far better than their own will—“he whom thou lovest is sick.”
John
11: 4: When
Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Believer,
when the trial comes, rest assured that “it
is for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” And the next verse tells us it is for the
good of those Christ loves.
John 11: 5: Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6: When he had heard therefore that he
was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
Our Lord
loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. For
that reason, when he heard that Lazarus was sick he did not rush to where they
were right away. He did not speak the word and immediately heal Lazarus. No, because he loved them he waited. He abode two days still in the same place
where he was.
Subject: Christ
Love in Waiting
When we
enter a trial, we send our petition to God through Christ our Mediator just as
Mary and Martha sent Christ word through a mediator. But sometimes it seems like the Lord does not
hear our cry. Things continue the same. We
get no relief from the trial. Sometimes we even feel as though all communion
with Christ has been cut off and we have no strength at all.
Proposition:
Our Lord’s delays are not denials: because he loves his elect, he waits that he
might be glorified and that he might work that which is good for his child.
Divisions: I
want to show you four reasons our Lord waits which are revealed in this account
of the Lord raising Lazarus from the dead.
In our trials, these are four reasons the Lord waits 1) To teach us to lay
down our lives as he laid down his life for us; 2) To teach us to believe his
word; 3) To make us behold his glory; 4) To bless our brethren around us
HE TEACHES US TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES
John 11: 7: Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go
into Judaea again. 8: His
disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and
goest thou thither again? 9:
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the
day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10: But if a
man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
By
waiting, the Lord teaches us to deny ourselves for his sake as he denied
himself for us. He teaches us to lay down our lives for him, as he laid down
his life for us.
Lazarus,
Mary and Martha were in Bethany near Jerusalem—that whole area was called Judea.
That is where the self-righteous Pharisee’s lived who hated Christ more than
anyone. They rejected the Giver of the
Law, the Fulfiller of the Law, the very Righteousness of God, for Moses and the
law and their own works. They hated our
Redeemer most because he declared that harlots and publicans would enter the
kingdom before the self-righteous and the self-sanctifiers. He came to fulfill
the law therefore he gets all the glory. He is the LORD our Righteousness! For
this the self-righteous hate him.
But understand,
Christ is God the Son, all-knowing. He knew he was about to raise Lazarus from
the dead. He knew the Father would use it to bring many to believe on his name.
And he knew this would be the last straw for the Jews that hated him. After he raised Lazarus from the dead,
John 11: 46:
But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things
Jesus had done. 47: Then
gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we?
for this man doeth many miracles. 48:
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans
shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49: And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest
that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50: Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should
die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51: And this spake he not of himself:
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52: And not for that nation only, but
that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad.
Caiaphas
did not mean to preach the gospel of substitution. In his mind, he was saying “to
retain our own political positions of power, this Jesus must be slain rather
than the Romans be provoked into tearing down our playhouse.” But like Balaam
of old, God put these words in the mouth of this blind, Christ-hating Pharisee
who was high priest so that everyone would heed his word and fulfill God’s
eternal will. And that is what they did.
John 11: 53: Then from that day forth they took counsel together for
to put him to death
Our Lord
knew this would be the catalyst that would lead to his crucifixion. Yet, even though our Lord knew raising
Lazarus would result in his crucifixion, he waited two days until word spread of
Lazarus’ death, so plenty of Jews would be at his tomb to witness him raise
Lazarus from death.
So Christ
was laying down his life that he might give Lazarus life. By that, he was
illustrating to us how he laid down his life, that he might give all his elect
life.
So he was
speaking of doing God’s will, when “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve
hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he
seeth the light of this world.” Christ
is saying, “God sent me to do his will and finish the work he gave me to do while it is day. For his sake, I must deny
myself and lay down my life that I might give my people life. But I will not
stumble because I am doing my Father’s will therefore his light shall light my
way.”
“But if a man walk in
the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.” If a man go against God’s will, attempting to prolong his
day, attempting to save his life, he shall stumble because there is no light in
him because he goes against God’s will. Christ
is saying, “If I fear the Jews and try to
save my own life then I will lose it because I will be walking in darkness by
not walking in God’s will.”
These two
statements is another way of saying, “Whosoever
shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life
shall preserve it.” (Lu 17: 33) So
his waiting was Christ denying himself. He was laying down his life, not only
for Lazarus sake, but for the sake of his elect, that he might raise us from
the dead according to the will of God our Father.
Therefore,
take this trial with this sick child in our congregation for example. The Lord
could have healed her right away and ended the trial. But by waiting, he makes us deny ourselves.
He makes us take up our cross of suffering. He is sweetly forcing us to lay
down our lives in submission to his will. By this he reminds us how he denied
himself, took up his cross and laid down his life for us.
And by
waiting, he reminds us—“whosoever will
save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and
the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mk 8: 35) Did he save us by losing
his life? Indeed, he purged our sins, obtained eternal redemption for us and perfected
forever those God elected. So seeing
that our eternal good came from him denying himself, we know that his waiting
to make us deny ourselves will be for our good. The apostle Paul said, “I want
to know the fellowship of his sufferings that I might be made conformable to
his death.” (Php 3: 10) It seems Thomas got the lesson and was made willing to lay down his life. “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples,
Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Brethren,
if Christ waiting in the trial makes us submissive to God’s will so that we are
more ready to lay down our life for the sake of Christ and for the good of our
brethren then it is well worth the wait!
HE TEACHES US TO BELIEVE HIS WORD
John 11: 14: Then said Jesus unto them
plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15: And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there,
to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
The Lord
Jesus waited so that he was not there when Lazarus died to the intent (or for
the purpose) that he might teach his apostles to believe his word, that he is
the resurrection and the life.
Then he
teaches Martha the same.
John 11: 17: Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the
grave four days already. 18: Now
Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: 19: And many of the Jews came to
Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20: Then Martha, as soon as she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the
house. 21: Then said Martha unto
Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22: But I know, that even now,
whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23: Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother
shall rise again. 24: Martha
saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day. 25: Jesus said unto her, I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: 26: And
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27: She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I
believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the
world.
When the
Lord increases our faith the first thing he does is teach us not to trust our
faith because we do not have much.
Martha believed that whatsoever he asked “of God, God would give it
thee”; but the Lord Jesus taught to
her, “I am God.” She believed that her brother would rise
again “in the resurrection”; but the
Lord taught her, “I am the resurrection,
and the life.” She believed her
brother would live again “at the last day”;
but the Lord taught her, “He that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die.”
So by the
time the Lord said, “Believest thou this?”
by the gospel he preached to her he had effectually given her faith to believe
his word that he is the resurrection and the life. So she answered him, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the
Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” The Lord waits that he might teach us to
believe his word.
Then he
teaches Mary the same.
John
11: 28: And
when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly,
saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee…32: Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell
down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother
had not died. 33: When Jesus
therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he
groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34: And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord,
come and see. 35: Jesus wept. 36: Then said the Jews, Behold how he
loved him! 37: And some of them
said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that
even this man should not have died? 38:
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave,
and a stone lay upon it. 39: Jesus
said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith
unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four
days.
During
trials, our unbelief returns quickly. Soon after he strengthens our faith to
believe he indeed is the resurrection, unbelief takes over and we are saying, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
been dead four days.” But this too
is to keep us ever mindful that it is Christ our Life who maintains our faith!
John
11: 40: Jesus
saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe thou shouldest
see the glory of God? 41: Then they took away the stone from the place where
the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
that thou hast heard me. 42: And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because
of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast
sent me.
Be sure
to get this: just as faith is the gift of God by grace, apart from our works
lest any man should boast, so is the maintaining and strengthening of our
faith. Often it is by making us wait in
the trial that the Lord does just that.
God
promised Isaac more children than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.
But Rebekah was barren. The Lord was
teaching them that he alone fulfills his promised word, not us. So Isaac and Rebekah waited. In the meantime,
Isaac’s brother, Ishmael, who God cast out, had twelve sons who he grew up to
be princes. But God made Isaac and Rebekah wait twenty years before God raised
up life in Rebekah’s womb with Jacob and Esau.
Yet, God’s blessing was upon Isaac, Rebekah and their son Jacob, not
upon Ishmael or any of his sons. God was
teaching Isaac and Rebekah to believe God’s word, that he alone is the life.
So
remember, delay does not mean denial with God. By waiting, Christ bring us to see
we have no faith of ourselves. He makes us see we should not trust in our faith
because we have so very little. He makes
us see how quickly unbelief takes over. Then Christ strengthens our faith in
him. So by waiting, Christ teaches us to believe his word, that Christ really
is our Life. He alone gives faith and he alone maintains our faith.
HE MAKES US BEHOLD HIS GLORY
John 11: 40: Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe thou shouldest see the glory of God?...43: And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come forth. 44: And he
that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face
was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him
go.
By
waiting, the Lord Jesus makes us behold his glory in his power to raise the
dead to life.
John 5:21: as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
At our
regeneration, Christ quickens us dead sinners to spiritual life. During the
life of faith, Christ renews our inner man continually. In the end, there will
be no sting of death when our bodies die because our spirit shall live and be
with the Lord immediately by Christ our Life. Then when Christ returns, Christ
shall raise our bodies from the grave like he did Lazarus. Christ is our Life in every way. “He
that lives and believes in Christ shall never die.”
But in
order to makes us behold his glory more clearly, Christ waits during the trial until
we have no strength in ourselves so that it is obvious to us that it is his
glory in his power that quickened us.
The apostle Paul said we are,
2 Corinthians 4: 10:
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11: For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’
sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh…
What does
he mean by dying in the body that life also might be manifest in our body?
2 Corinthians 4: 16…though our outward man perish, yet
the inward man is renewed day by day.
So in
every trial, Christ made Paul experience that he was totally weak in his flesh but
he also made him experience the power of Christ resting upon him by whom his inner
man was renewed. So Paul saw Christ’s glory. He was brought to rejoice that “when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2
Cor 12: 10)
With
Lazarus our Lord waited until it was obvious he was dead so that his glory was undeniably
manifest in his power to raise Lazarus from the dead. Likewise, sometimes the
Lord waits until he has whittled a congregation down to where it appears dead. He
waits till the members see they have no strength among themselves to carry on
the work. Then Christ will quicken the members and use fewer to do more. So by waiting, he makes it obvious that
the glory belongs to Christ by whose power life was breathed into the
congregation and they accomplished what he would have them to do!
Another
reason he waits to show his glory is when his child keeps trying to strengthen
ourselves. On one occasion, the children
of Israel looked to Egypt for strength instead of waiting on the Lord as Isaiah
told them to do. So Isaiah said, “And therefore
will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be
exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed
are all they that wait for him.” (Is 30: 18) The Lord waited until Israel had no strength
in themselves like a tree with all its branches broken off. He did it that he might be gracious. He waited that it might be obvious that the
Lord breathed life into them so that he alone might receive all the glory and
be exalted by them. He waited because he
knows what is best to do for his people—“for
the LORD is a God of judgment.” So
Isaiah waited on the LORD to work this work and the LORD blessed him so that
Isaiah said—“blessed are all they that
wait for him.” Isaiah is saying to us, “When you see your brethren
suffering in a trial because they keep trying to strengthen themselves like as I
saw the children of Israel do then just wait on the Lord; the LORD will do what
is best for our suffering brethren so that it is obvious it is by his power; this
way he gets all the glory to himself; this is how he blessed me as I waited on
him to work in the children of Israel and that is why I say, ‘blessed are all they that wait for him.’”
So brethren,
again, delays are not denials for God’s child.
He waits that he might be gracious to us by making us behold he alone is
the power to raise us from death to life so that we might give him all the
praise and glory for his mercy upon us.
TO BLESS OUR BRETHREN AROUND US
John 11: 45: Then many of the Jews which came
to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
By
waiting the Lord not only blessed Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he blessed his
elect among the Jews that came to the graveside in those two days while he
waited. It was grace to his elect alone
because the rest of those Jews ran off mad to report it to the Pharisees.
So it is
with us. By waiting, the Lord not only blesses us who are in the trial, he also
blesses his elect around us. I was in a
trial once with a dear brother who suffered with me. As I saw the way Christ made
gave him strength to endure that trial, Christ strengthened me using my dear brother.
It was just like Christ giving these elect Jews life and faith through
beholding him raise Lazarus. My Lord always
strengthens me when I behold one of his little ones endure affliction,
persecution, distress, and yet standing with Christ even when rejected by their
dearest loved ones. I know it is by his
grace and it strengthens my heart.
Brethren,
for you who are suffering in trial, I know the cross you bear is heavy. I know
you grow weary and faint continually. But hear God’s promise:
Isaiah 40: 30:
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31: But they that wait upon the
LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
There are
more reasons Christ waits. But we have seen four. In the midst of trial let us
remind ourselves of these four things:
·
Christ waits to teach me to deny myself and take
up my cross of suffering and lay down my life as he did for me.
·
He waits to teach me to believe his word that
he is my Life.
·
My gracious Redeemer waits until I have no
strength so it is obvious that he raised me up so that I will see his glory and
know that he alone has power to quicken me from the dead.
·
And he waits that he might not only bless me
but my brethren around me.
This is Christ’s love in waiting! His love and grace
makes the wait worthwhile!
Amen!