Jesus' Powerful Plan

Good morning. Appreciate the opportunity. I certainly feel more comfortable in a classroom than I do in this situation. But I'm thankful that we get to open the word to God together and see what God has for us. I'll have you turn in your word, in your text, to John 11. John 11.

I'm going to read a longer passage. And this is a passage, this is a miracle that you know of, you've heard in Sunday school. And as I got into this and chose this amount of scripture and put it in the bulletin, I wish that I had cut it much shorter. So this passage is pregnant, if you will. It is filled with truth. And I'm only going to touch a tip of the iceberg today.

John 11, we're going to read verses 1 through 46. How a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethlehem. A village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who has anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sister sent to him saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it, 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. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this, said to the disciples, Let us go to Judea again. The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?

Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in a day? If anyone who walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night he stumbles because the light is not in him After saying these things he said to them our friend Lazarus had fallen asleep but I go to wake him The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.

Now, Jesus had spoken of his death, but that they thought that he meant taking a rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died. And for your sake, I'm glad that I was not there so that you may believe. But let us go to him. So Thomas called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, let us go that we may die with him. Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off. and many of the Jews had come to Mary and Martha's to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him. But Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.

Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day. And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he died, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

She said to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ. the son of God who is coming into the world. When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, the teacher is here and is calling for you. And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.

When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary had come to where Jesus was and saw him she fell at his feet saying Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died 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. And he said, where have you laid him?

And they said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. So the Jews said, see how he loved him? But some of them said, could he not, who opened the eyes of the blind man, also have kept this man from dying? Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb, and it was a cave and a stone laid against it. Jesus said, take away the stone.

Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I say this on the account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.

When he had said these things, he cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. The man who had died came out, his hands, his feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped with cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and who had seen what he did, believed in him. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for Jesus Christ that you sent to live for us, to die for us, to heal us. Father, I pray that you would help our hearts to believe, that you would strengthen our faith, that our belief would not just be that these things happened, that these things happened for us. That what you have to say, that your son had to say, is true. And that we can live according to your word So I pray that you would be the speaker that you would speak and that we would listen that we would hear, and that we would obey you, and that we would respond to your spirit.

We praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. About six years ago, you probably, some of you may remember, My father, who was very ill, had to have a surgery for some related issues of his stomach, was to have surgery. So I went to go see him the night before at our home, and he was bound and determined that whatever happens for God's glory, and the Lord probably could take me home.

And he was good with that. He was excited about that. Me, on the other hand, I wasn't too thrilled about that plan or that idea, and I tried to encourage him. Oh, you've already had a heart test. You're really strong. You're a very strong man.

Nothing's going to make him waver. So I tried to avoid the whole subject of death because it was a very sensitive subject, and it cuts deep, obviously. so sure enough surgery was good successful until about two hours later he started having issues with his breathing ended up going on to a respirator and soon after died that was not my plan that's not what I told him that isn't the way this is supposed to work out how will you get glory from this death that I didn't plan. I didn't expect it to work this way.

This is the way it usually goes for us. As you know, we don't have a say over death. There's nothing normal about death. It makes you feel uncomfortable and uneasy when we talk about death. In fact, you're probably feeling it right about now. It's all right.

It's all right. This is what we're going to in the life of Mary and Martha. We're going to see their plan. We're going to see their pain, their trials, the response to the Lord's plan, not only for Lazarus' life and death, but for their lives and for our lives as well. John's the author. John the author places a complete focus on Jesus Christ throughout this book.

We do not see as many of the miracles and works of Christ in this gospel as we do in other gospels such as Matthew and Luke. For we see that John's focus in this gospel is centered on Jesus Christ and his eternal message to believe, believe his words, and to give glory to the Heavenly Father through the obedience to him. Now, as we get into the book of John, we go from the beginning to the point that we're going to in chapter 11, we're going to see at least six miracles that we see specifically that Christ is using to establish the fact that his message of who he says he is, he really is, God's son.

So first of all, we see in John 2, 1 through 12, the wedding of Cana, and where Jesus turns the water into wine, and his disciples believed. The second miracle that we see is Jesus heals the official's son at Capernaum, or if you've ever visited Israel, they call it Capernaum in John 4. Jesus restores the paralyzed man on the Sabbath at the pool of Bethesda in chapter 5 of John, which was his third miracle.

The fourth key miracle was the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. And later in that chapter, he tells that crowd that I am the bread or the sustainer of life that's come down from heaven. The fifth miracle was the walking on the water before the disciples in John 6, 16. And then in John 9, Jesus made the man that was blind from birth to see and believe. And now, this miracle, in chapter 11, he going to do something greater than he already done And that is raise Lazarus from the dead This is his last public miracle For all the glory of God, and for the purpose of saying that he is who he is, and that man might believe, is the whole purpose of all of these miracles. now you may be asking well what then why did you read uh about gyrus's daughter didn't jesus raise her from the dead well not only that that jesus also raised the the the widow from from nain's only son raised him from the dead as well and in both of those cases it was a short period of time after death.

So there were those who were doubting of that miracle. So what we see in this situation is something totally different. And I want to look at the situation in a little more detail. But again, what we want to focus on is Christ's perfect plan for us and that Jesus is who he says he is. So let's start out and look at Mary and Martha have a perfect plan. Mary and Martha have a perfect plan, verses 1 through 3.

A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and Martha. Now this is the same Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with hair and whose brother, Lazarus, was ill. What was their plan? They It says, so the sisters sent to Jesus saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. So to set the scene, Bethany was a poor little town on a main road about two miles east of Jerusalem, and many were passing through Bethany en route to the Passover to Jerusalem that was about to take place in approximately two, two and a half weeks.

Jesus' greatest miracle, however, was unknown to Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha, however, had a great, great problem. They were caring for a very ill brother. We know little about him, nor do we know about his illness, but we know that he was a certain man, and we know that Jesus loved him We learn a little bit more about Mary and Martha Turn to Luke 10 Luke 10 through 42 will give us a little bit more about Mary and Martha Turn to Luke 10 38 Luke 10 38 through 42 will give us a little flavor about who Mary and Martha are And you also know this story.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.

But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. This might help us a little bit to understand a little bit what Martha is like. She's a bit of a worrier and obviously has an opinion and is willing to share it. we also learn more about mary and martha back in verse three that there is a specific plan lord whom you love is ill they knew what this plan what these words would do to create a work in this plan who better than jesus to heal their brother than jesus who knows us and loves us this is a great and godly plan that mary and martha have there's nothing wrong with this plan this is even a logical plan if we look in Matthew 4 23 through 25 we understand how this is a logical plan that Mary and Martha have verse 23 in Matthew 4 says and he went throughout all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease every affliction among the people.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria. And they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons those having seizures those who are paralytic And he healed them He healed them all The great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. You see, I shared with you the miracles of Christ coming out of John for a reason.

The great crowds were following him. There was a progression that was going on with these miracles. Little miracles, if you will. They're unbelievable for us to change water into wine. But for Christ, it's a small thing. And as we go, we're going to see that these grow greater to affirm that Jesus is who he says he is, to affirm that he is the Son of God, and to gain, it's gaining strength in Israel.

Who Jesus is is gaining great strength and many are following him. His fame was growing not only throughout Israel but also through Syria and beyond the Jordan. Everyone knew Christ's great power to heal, especially Mary and Martha who served him, kept him in their home, listened and learned from him. It is a godly, logical plan. It's a perfect plan. So you see, Mary and Martha had a great plan, and there was nothing wrong with that plan.

Their very close friend who heals all would surely come if he only knew who this was and how serious this is, besides Lazarus is the one Jesus loves. Let me ask you, you ever had a plan? You ever had a prayer that you revealed to the Lord what you wanted? It was a good thing. It isn't a bad thing. It's even according to Scripture, Lord, this is what you would have.

You would not have my spouse leave me. You would not have my parent die or a child die. this is a hard prayer that we have when we seek the Lord's purpose his will, his word to be applied it's a good thing Mary and Martha had a good plan but there's only one little problem God doesn't always answer the prayer the way we want it, or when we ask for it, or how we want it answered. This is what happened to Mary and Martha.

This is what happened to them. Only it was going to go from bad to worse. Things did not go according to their plan. Verse 6, so when Jesus heard Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Anybody in here have a problem with that? I mean, we know the whole story.

We get it. We understand what Christ is doing because we're on this end of scripture. But if you're in the middle of it, when you've asked something of the Lord and you find that he's not answering when you want him to answer, Do you have a problem with that? If Mary and Martha would have known that he purposely stayed two days longer, would that not feel like betrayal and waiting?

Remember that Jesus is in the process of helping man in man's faith to believe in him and what he says. this is a good time to remind ourselves that our feelings are self-centered. Our feelings are fallible. Our feelings cannot be trusted because they always lie to you. I didn't come up with a statement, but I liked it, so I'm sharing it. Let the truth shape your emotions, not your emotions to shape your truth, the truth. but the truth shaped your emotions not your emotions to shape the truth let's look let's continue on let's look at verses chapter chapter 11 let's look at verses 7 through 16 to continue the story then after this he said to the disciples let us go to judea the disciples said to him rabbi the jews were just now seeking to stone you and you're going to go there again the jews answered, are there not, or Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in a day if anyone walks in the day and does not stumble because he sees the light of this world But if anyone walks at night he stumbles because the light is not in him After saying these things he said to them our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep but I go to wake him up The disciples said, Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he will recover.

Now Jesus spoke of this death, but they thought that he meant taking a rest, taking rest and sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus had died, and for your sake I'm glad that I was not there so that you may believe, but let us go to him. So Thomas the twin said to his fellow disciples, let us go, that we may die with him. You see, even the disciples had a plan.

The disciples had a protective plan. Staying away from Judea was a good idea so we don't get killed. It's logical to the disciples why Jesus would stay two days longer as the Jewish leaders were trying to kill him. Jesus was gaining so much support, they hated him. Jesus was claiming to be God's son, and they hated him for that. He healed on the Sabbath, and they hated him for that.

This is part of the reason why Jesus was where he was. but after two days of waiting i suddenly he suddenly changed directions jesus always has a greater purpose for his disciples and for his children jesus told them plainly lazarus has died and think of it jesus first tells them that he's asleep so the disciples are believing that he is literally asleep so it's can't somebody else wake him up, Lord? Why do we have to go to wake him up? So there's a mixed message that goes on here to them.

Of course, Jesus was talking about death itself. The reality in death is that Jesus can handle death because it's nothing more than like waking you up from your sleep. That's the only difference that death is. For Jesus, there is no difference. Jesus also talks about something very specific and changing the direction. Verses 9 and 10.

Are there not 12 hours in a day? If anyone walks in a day, he doesn't stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. when Christ is saying you cannot shorten or lengthen the day. It is fixed by God. There's 12 hours in the day. There's 12 hours in the night.

The day is fixed like our lives are fixed with God. He's got a plan. He's got a purpose. And God's plan for Christ, his hour had not come yet, was the whole point. So Christ wasn't going to be a coward. Disciples didn't need to be a coward.

And I do have to say, in the defense of Thomas, he does sound like Eeyore. That's been the attack on him because he's a pessimist, the doubting Thomas. But what we have to remember is he was not a coward. He was committed to walk into death as Christ was going to and was walking into death. He didn't run away. But this plan of the disciples was all to protect Jesus and themselves, and Christ has a greater plan.

Mary and Martha have a very painful problem with their plan, verse 17. Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for days. For some reason, I think he already knew that. so Mary and Martha they're looking at this and saying Jesus was to come and heal our brother Jesus was to come and answer my prayers Jesus was to respond to my plan knowing that he knows us personally that he especially loves us he's been in our home we've served him we've worshipped him and he knows that the issues that we're going to have after Lazarus dies, this is not going according to their plan.

Their pain was great. So Mary and Martha heard that Jesus was coming She went to meet him And Mary remained seated in the house Martha said to Jesus Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died If you would have done what I had planned, he wouldn't have died. That's basically what they're saying. If you would have did it my way, death wouldn't have occurred.

The result of this plan wouldn't have come out the way that I said it. And think about it. When we see Mary come on the scene, what does she say? The same thing. If you would have come, this wouldn't have happened. They both have believed that death is the end.

They both hold to the same position. They had the same plan. And I think Mary kind of just followed along. She was a worshiper. she wasn't as opinionated as her sister however Martha the servant could see things going differently you can heal anyone and you could have raised my brother and I know that you're going to raise my brother later on we have a faith like that right we know that the Lord is this is our hope we know that the Lord is going to resurrect us in the last day But this is four days late.

Rigor mortis has already set in. Decay has already occurred. She's given up. Death has won. Jesus, you're too late. Her anxious plan is not going to work now.

Death has the final word. But we've got to remember, Jesus and his time is always perfect. I believe I believe you Lord but not the way that you say it I want it done my way and don't we do that with the word we justify the word of God we turn the word of God to fit what we want it to do for us many times we see what Martha is saying she's just saying i i just believe lord that you will raise him up in the last day but you didn't help me in this situation and she's struggling with her faith in the lord You see, Mary has the same shattered plan, and honestly, so would I.

So would you. We'd have the same thinking about death. Death seems to always have the final word, but Jesus. Jesus, providential power over all plans. let's look in verses 33 start in 33 where it says and the Jews answered I'm sorry I jumped let me go back to Jesus' response to Martha You've got to turn the page. And the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise up quickly and follow her, supposing that she was going to the tomb, wept there.

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. 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. And he said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see.

And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, See how he loved him. But some of them said, Could he not have opened the eyes of the blind and have kept this man from dying? Jesus deeply moved again came to the tomb which was a cave and a stone leaned against it and Jesus said take away this stone and Mary and her sister of the dead man said to him Lord by this time there will be an odor for he has been dead for days what we're going to look at very quickly is the fact that Jesus power is great over death but before Jesus raises him from the dead we learn something very great about how Christ handles grief and death And this is something I think that we can learn from as well.

This was a death designed to strengthen Mary and Martha's faith and encourage their belief as well. But God uses grief to help us to trust and to pray and to draw closer to him. Look at Jesus' great compassion on those he loved. Jesus knew that he would raise up Lazarus. But watch what he does. He shows how to respond to death in godly ways.

He enters into their suffering and pain. Verse 33 says he was deeply moved. he wept. And that term, wept, is not just what we look at today when we're quiet in a funeral home and we're tears streaming down our face. This is a weeping that is a loud groaning, a crying out loud, a large grief, if you will. So Jesus weeps with those who weeps, and he prayed for their faith in their emotional times.

How well, how well do we handle someone's pain, someone's death or loss? Do we weep with them? Do we sit with them? Do we love them? Do we listen to them? Do we try to feel what they're feeling?

Or do we shy away and avoid it and avoid the uncomfortable moments? I have to say, when we were grieving over my dad, many of you came. You barely knew us, but you came. And you encouraged us greatly. This is the kind of example that Jesus is setting for us. He uses this grief to teach.

More importantly, Jesus consoles them with the great hope of resurrection. I am the resurrection. I am life. death does not get the final word with Jesus this wasn even a close battle with a word Jesus conquers death there is no contest in this fight Jesus sovereign plan is always the same If we look at verses 40 through 45 Jesus said to her, did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?

Jesus and his work is the glory of God revealed. Verse 41, so they took away the stone and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said these things, he cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out.

The man who had died came out, his hands, his feet bound with linen strips, his face wrapped in clothing. Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. We don't know what happened after that. The focus is on Christ. The focus wasn't on Lazarus. Nobody asked him and interviewed him.

What happened? What did you see? What did you know? That wasn't part of the plan here. The plan is the power of Jesus Christ. The plan is to strengthen the faith of the disciples, strengthen the faith of Mary and Martha, and to cause those around to believe. verse 46 but some of them i'm sorry verse 45 many of the jews therefore who had come with mary and martha had seen what he did and they believed they believed in jesus christ and what he had to say why did jesus raise lazarus from the dead obviously to reveal his plan that matches his word to prove that he is the resurrection he is who he says he is verse 25 and 26 is part of the reason and part of the answer verse 25 we read i am the resurrection of life whoever believes in me though he died yet shall he live and anyone who lives and believes in me shall never die do you believe this this is a question for both the saved and the unsaved Think about who Christ was talking to But I should say if you don know Jesus do you believe this It is the salvation call.

The second thing, the second reason for Christ raising him from the dead is that this is a preview of his own resurrection. resurrection john 10 17 says i lay down my life and i take it up again jesus does not only has power over the death of others he's got power over his own life he laid it down he raises it up he is the resurrection he can raise it up that should give us great hope and finally jesus demonstrates the power to raise all from the dead as he said in john 5 I want you to turn to John 5, 25. John 5, 25. Truly I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

I'll just think about this is what he said before it happened. Jesus is who he says he is. For just as the father has life in himself, so he gave to the son also to have life in himself. And he gave him authority to execute judgment because he's the son of man. jesus has been given the rights to execute judgment verse 28 do not be amazed at this for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out those who did the good deeds to a resurrection life those who committed the bad deeds into a resurrected judgment.

What's the point? Christ is going to execute this judgment. All that live, that's everybody in this room and anybody listening, and all that die, that's everybody in this room and everybody listening, will all be raised again. That's everybody in this room and everybody listening. listening, we'll all be judged by Jesus. And he said, my judgment is true.

Jesus is who he said he is. Jesus will have the ultimate word. Death does not have the ultimate word. I think we need to realize that we're going to all hear that voice and come alive again. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I want to encourage you as a believer. All of God's words are true. I know my own heart likes to do this. I want to select what I want to select at times to make me feel good about myself. But all of his words are true. I stand before him to be judged. as each do, the good, the bad.

I want to encourage you, if you don't know Christ, He doesn't make it any more clear, He doesn't make it any more simple. We have to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and that His words are true Let pray Father God we just praise you and thank you that you are a God who loves us A God who sends a redeemer. A God who knows how to deal with life and death.

Father, you judge and will judge us. But you'll judge us through your son as your children. So, Father, we just thank you that Jesus lived a life we can't live. We thank you that Jesus took upon himself a death and a sin that we can't take upon ourselves. Jesus says that he is the bread of life, that he is the resurrection, he is life. And so, Father, I pray that we would turn to your son, turn to what he has to say.

Follow him. I just praise you for Christ I praise you Lord Jesus that you have made a way for us to believe in what you had to say to believe that you are our redeemer and to believe that you will raise us up on the last day as your children so we thank you for your truth we thank you for your sacrifice and for your word we pray in your son's name Amen Thank you.