If You Would Have Been Here

Resurrecting Hope

If You Would Have Been Here

John 11:1-44

Good Morning

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Next week Confirmation combined here

and meal to follow – Youth Fund Raiser – Eat here or take it to go.

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Shaefer Pounding

Jay Monson Surgery – Ending service with time of prayer for Jay

Sermon Series – Resurrecting Hope

We remember from looking at Mary Magdalene’s trip to the tomb, that in the midst of our despair – God shows up

We remember from Peter’s restoration on the beach that, in the midst of our disappointment and failure – God shows up

This week, we are going to look a little deeper into the story from John Chapter 11, of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and we will again see, that Jesus meets us in the midst of our sorrow and grief.

Throughout my life, I have had experiences of loss and death. My PaPaw on my dad’s side died when I was 7. I vaguely remember the period around his death. My Aunt died when I was about 24, and I wasn’t in a great place in life during that season. I’ve lost my mom since I’ve been here and lost my grandparents not long before that… but the one that impacted me the most had to be my dad’s death, maybe because I just wasn’t ready for it. Yes, he had Osteoporosis and COPD, both of which worked against each other, but he kept fighting on. He had both hips replaced while he was still working, and then kept fighting. He survived a horrible car wreck in the midst of that, breaking his sternum and he kept fighting. Then, as happens with Osteoporosis, he had another vertebrae collapse. He went in the hospital to have the vertebrae repaired with, what was at that time a new procedure that injected a foam into the old vertebrae, kinda pumping it back to normal and hardening. But, while he was in the hospital dealing with the pain, the Orthopedist came by and prescribed him Demerol for the pain. Which, would have been OK, except for his COPD. One of the side effects of Demerol is reduced lung function, and that is exactly what happened. 13 painful days later, I walked into the bathroom of a hospital waiting room, locked the door and had a very loud conversation with God. I yelled at God, I cried to God, I asked Why? Why was he having to suffer… why did it have to happen… I went through the emotions – all of them.

Now, I’ll tell you, when I walked out of that bathroom, not a person said a thing to me and no one even made eye contact with me. Later that day, my dad breathed his last breath. But I want you to know something. God was with him in those moments and dad is with God in the hearafter. I also want you to know, that when I was in that bathroom, banging against walls and yelling out at God – God was with me. I was not grieving alone – we never grieve alone.

The gospels are full of stories of Jesus’ interactions with people during their grief and loss. These stories shine a light on Jesus’ compassion, his humanity, his love and grace for us. One of the best known is the story that we mentioned on Easter Sunday, the story of Lazarus’ resurrection as Jesus meets Mary, Martha and those around in the midst of their grief.

Turn with me to John 11. Like we did last week, we are going to work our way through this story one point at a time.

John 11:1-7

Here we find Jesus in the midst of ministry when he is interrupted with the news of his friend being sick. Mary and Martha want Jesus to come right away, but Jesus lingers. He stays for 2 more days as Lazarus gets worse and worse. Why? Because it will give glory to God in the end. You see, Jesus sees something we don’t, Jesus sees the bigger picture.

Jesus Sees the Bigger Picture

I know, we can all think of times when we needed Jesus to show up… but he seemed so far away. That afternoon when I locked myself in that bathroom, God had seemed so far away. I had pleaded for my dad to be healed… I had prayed for him to be restored… then I saw him in so much pain, and it was then that I began to see a glimpse of what God saw… the bigger picture. God was doing a work in my family, in me, in my dad… It just took me a while to get there.

Sometimes our timing is not the same as God’s timing. With Lazarus, Jesus was strategic in his response. When you put the timeline together, I think Lazarus was dead by the time Jesus received the word, or at least shortly after. I’ll get into the details in a moment, but Jesus knew something that others didn’t know… Jesus was looking at the bigger picture.

I’ve often heard people say that God answers prayers in three ways, “Yes, No, and Not Yet…” But, I want to share something that was shared with me about healing. Pastor Jeff, one of my friends and mentors early in ministry once shared a story. He arrived at a new church, and a family came to him and asked them to pray for their child in the hospital. Of course, Jeff went to the hospital, and the family met him at the elevator, introduced themselves and said… “Pastor, we need you to go in there and pray for healing.” There was something in their urgency, their pain, their vulnerability that led him to pause and say, “Absolutely, but you need to understand the healing that I will pray for. God heals in 4 ways:

1) Miraculous healing – like the woman with the bleeding issue in Mark 5. She had been bleeding for 12 years, and just the touch of his garment healed her… well, it was her faith and the power of Jesus that healed her, but it was certainly miraculous. We still hear of these happening today, though not as frequent as we might like.

2) Healing of Medicine – God has gifted doctors with skills to heal. The Bible speaks of these healings, the community of Laodicea was known for a healing salve for the eyes. The Red Sea Salts are still used today for healing skin wounds. We have surgeries that restore – I know of 3 people that in the last 14 days have had their knees restored through surgery.

3) Healing of Enduring – OK, the only way to get over the Flu, is to endure it, right… the same with COVID and the Cold and Allergies, oh, there are medications to help with the side effects or to lessen the severity of the illness, but the healing comes through enduring. This is also the healing that Paul spoke of when he discussed the thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12. He prayed and prayed, but in the end he realized that God’s grace was sufficient for him.

4) Then, the Ultimate Healing – This is the healing where there are no more tears, there is no more pain, where there is no more illness. The simple truth is none of us get out of this life alive, and if everyone we prayed would live, then no one would ever die and experience the glory of Heaven.

So, Jeff shared that with the family and then he went in to pray for the child. He did make a full recovery, just so you don’t wonder how the story ended… but not everyone does. I prayed for miraculous healing, and medical healing for my dad… but then there came a point, and it happened in that bathroom, that the Ultimate Healing is what I accepted for my dad. You know, we may never see this side of eternity the reasons behind the different healings we see and experience, but, I’m OK with that.

So, back to Lazarus. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead 4 days. Now, as you read the Scripture, you realize that Jesus starts from a place call Al-Maghetas also known as Bethany beyond the Jordan. That is the place down near the Dead Sea where John the Baptist had been baptizing and teaching. It is about 25 miles with a 3500’ elevation change. Sounds trying, I know… but keep in mind, Those of us that went to Philmont covered this distance in 2 days with more elevation change… and we aren’t use to it. Jesus and the disciples traveled this distance many times. Jesus would have been able to make that trip in about 2 days, so if he delayed 2 days, then walked to Bethany near Jerusalem, he would have arrived 4 days after being told about the illness. In other words, by the time he received word of the illness, Lazarus was already dead. Then, by the time he did arrive they had buried him and they were distraught with grief.

Let’s pick up in verse 17.

John 11:17-32

“If only you had been here…” Those words reveal the raw emotion of these sisters, and their faith in Jesus. They are sad. They are broken hearted… just like us sometimes… Jesus, if you had only been there, my brother, my sister, my mom or dad, wouldn’t have died… if you had only been there the school shooting wouldn’t have happened… if you had been there the crime wouldn’t have taken place… the war wouldn’t have started… the fire wouldn’t have broken out… on and on…

Lord, If only you had been here.

Here is what I love about the stories in Scripture. They are raw. They are real. They reveal our own emotions and God’s interaction. If you think I was a little unholy screaming at God in a bathroom, maybe you haven’t read the Psalms. They are some of the most emotional writings and poetry ever penned. They reveal the raw emotions of David and the other authors as they wrestle with how God interacts with them. There’s joy and happiness and worship and there is broken hearts and grief and sorrow and pain. There’s lament and struggle. It is real.

Here is what I want you to see about Mary and Martha’s interaction with Jesus, my yelling at God in the Bathroom, and the Psalms. Jesus can handle our emotions. Amen.

Jesus Is Not Afraid of Your Feelings

Mary and Martha are angry and confused. They are grieving the loss of their loved one. They can’t understand why Jesus didn’t come sooner. In the midst of their pain, in the midst of them actually lashing out at Jesus and scolding him for not being there, Jesus never reprimanded them. He didn’t get frustrated, or offended, or display anything but compassion. He met them where they were and carried them to the resurrection.

Never be afraid to share your feelings and your hurts with Jesus. They don’t scare him – he’s felt them too! As Max Lucado puts it, “Permit yourself tears, God understands.”

God meets us in our grief, and it is then that we find we are not alone. Let’s pick up the story in verse 33.

John 11:33-35

The shortest and yet the most powerful verse in the Bible… Jesus Wept. Someone here is scared today… someone is hurting from a relationship… someone is heart broken today… and you are weeping inside, and sometimes outside. You might put on a face of joy, but inside you are crying… Hear me… Jesus weeps with you. You are not alone. When your heart breaks, Jesus’ heart breaks. When you hurt, Jesus hurts. The Psalms tell us that God is close to the broken hearted and that he binds up all of their wounds.

God is with us in the midst of our pain and sorrow! Just as Jesus was with Mary and Martha as he walked to the tomb. Let’s pick up in verse 38

John 11:38-44

There is no doubt that this is foreshadowing what will happen in Jesus’ life in just a couple of weeks, but we see with post-Easter eyes… they did not. Instead, they were worried about the smell, they were concerned about the logistics, they were “worried about many things” until they returned their focus and their faith to Jesus.

That is the key to Resurrection Faith, that is the Key to living the Resurrection Hope that we are speaking of… That with faith we will see the glory of God through miracles that can only come by the power and presence of Jesus!

This is a fact.

Jesus Brings Dead Things to Life

Why was it important to wait for the 4th day? Because the people believed that the soul hung around the body for a couple of days… a resurrection before 3 days was considered a resuscitation or a revival. Jesus needed the people to see that Jesus brings dead things to life. That Jesus restores that which we had lost hope in.

This morning, I want you to pause and think… what has become dead to you? What have you given up on, that maybe Jesus hasn’t?

I’ve had conversations about calls to ministry recently. One young person felt a call to ministry and a Pastoral figure, actually a District Superintendent, told them to come back when they were 25 and let him know if they still felt it. Another pastor told me that he was told that it was just and emotion and let it pass.

Maybe you have been called into ministry but someone crushed that call and dream of who and what God had called you to be.

God hasn’t forgotten your call. We are all called into ministry – but some of you here today are called into ministry as a career!

OK, moving on…

Remember and never forget – Jesus brings dead things to life.

And, my final point is this.

God is still in the Miracle Business

Yes, God still works miracles of all sorts. God is still healing hearts and binding up wounds and saving souls. God is still in the miracle business,

And, we are about to pray for a healing.

Jay Monson…

Read Scripture

Psalm 116:1-6

Prayer.