Untitled Sermon (4)

Psalm 130 / John 11:1-4

Life and Death

Why did they ask Jesus?

God is Sovereign over Life:

Genesis 2:7 “7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Ezekiel 37 :

Eze 37:1-3 “1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.””

Eze 37:5-6 “5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.””

Eze 37:10 “10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”

1 Sam 1:10-11 “10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.””

God is Sovereign over Death:

Job 1:21 “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.””

David - 1 Sam 12:22-23 “22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”

Lazarus - John 11:6 “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

Christ - Acts 2:23 “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

Us - Matt 6:27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

The Gritty Realities of Life

Sickness and Loss are inevitable in this broken existence

Jesus was PRESENT! (He always is)

War, WWII, Concentration camps

NYC on 9/11/01

Today. Now. Here.

Jesus answered needs; not necessarily wants

We don’t need our loved ones back

Our loved ones don’t need to come back

No one is ever pictured as coming back to life to be converted

Our lost loved ones need no miracles

Christ is sometimes pictured as being absent in the ugliest and toughest parts of our lives, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is we who neglect and ignore Christ, rather than welcoming His embrace in these times.

The Glory of God

Habakkuk - God can’t use evil men for His Glorious Purposes

John the Baptizer - I can’t baptize Jesus

Peter - Jesus can’t be taken and die or wash my feet

The Glory of God is decisively displayed in His welcoming our requests and complaints

The Glory of God is decisively displayed in His not being swayed by our emotions, grief, or ignorance

The Glory of God is decisively displayed in His providing what is actually needed and best for us.

John 11:38-44 “38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 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.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.””

Church Family, no matter what struggles we are dealing with in our lives now, or what struggles are just around the bend, God has proven Himself faithful time and again so that we may rest in two certainties: 1. That what God does is FOR us. For our best, and 2. that He WILL reveal and magnify His Glory in our lives. He is a God to be trusted; to be clung to.