I Am–Hope

Introduction

I read a story this week while studying this section of Scripture that is a great fit to start this “I Am” sermon with. It is especially fitting since this sermon is titled “I Am–Hope.” We all struggle with hope today, but it is there regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.

Years ago an S-4 submarine was rammed by a ship off the coast of Massachusetts. It sank immediately. The entire crew was trapped in a prison house of death. Every effort was made to rescue the crew, but all ultimately failed. Near the end of the ordeal, a deep-sea diver, who was doing everything in his power to find a way for the crew’s release, thought he heard a tapping on the steel wall of the sunken sub. He placed his helmet up against the side of the vessel and he realized it was the Morse Code. He attached himself to the side and he spelled out in his mind the message being tapped from within. It was repeating the same question. The question was, from within: “Is … there … any … hope?”[1]

This story does not end with a mighty rescue or a deliverance of some. No, this story leaves us wondering if there is any hope. It makes us wonder if these men in this submarine will be rescued. Maybe that is the state you are in today. Maybe you are struggling with walking forward or even moving. Maybe life has sunk you, and you feel trapped inside a submarine. In your situation, you may be asking the same question that the crew asked, “Is…there…any…hope?”

Well, today, I am telling you there is hope. You have hope in the One who came for you. We see in the text we will study today that Jesus was summoned by some friends to come to heal a dear friend of His.

Jesus, the text says, “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” (John 11:5-6). He stayed longer where He was rather than go to those He loved.

We struggle to comprehend this. We struggle to understand why Jesus would stay rather than go. Maybe it was because those in Judea wanted Him dead (John 11:8). Maybe He was giving them time to settle a bit before He went. But this does not fit with the context of Him saying that about light and twelve hours in a day, we see He was not worried because He was walking in the will of the Father.[2]Hence the statement, “if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles” (John 11:10).

The reason Jesus did not go immediately as we humans do is because He is entirely in control over death. He has “complete mastery of death.”[3]But even with the complete control of this and Jesus being clear of the purpose with the disciples (John 11:14-15), they still demonstrated pessimism, as Thomas clearly exhibits (v. 16).

We do the same thing even though we know that Jesus is the One who can fix everything. We still become pessimistic and struggle with life. We grieve and hurt and wonder why and think Jesus is far away from us. Interestingly enough, Jesus does not shun or condemn our emotions or feelings like this. No, as we will see in John 11:17-27, Jesus demonstrates deep love and compassion for us.

John 11:17–27 ESV

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

One of the first things we see in this text is that Jesus is never far away.

Jesus is Never Far Away

Jesus came and found Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Then, we read that Jesus was only two miles away. He was close enough that even someone who maintains a slow pace walking could make it in around thirty minutes. Jesus was right there and could have gone immediately and been there quickly. Yet, He waited.

As we just saw in the preceding verses, Jesus has mastery over death. He did this for a reason. He did not just go; besides, He could have just thought it, and Lazarus would have risen or been healed. But let’s not get too hung up on the theological aspect of this and miss the wonder of Jesus being near and our response to Him.

With Jesus coming to Bethany, we see two distinct responses from the two grieving sisters. Martha actively goes to Him to seek comfort and answers while Mary stays inside. Both sisters were grieving like any would in this situation. Both were upset and possibly a bit angry at Jesus for not healing their brother. We have all felt this way at one point in our lives. Jesus never rebukes either for their questions or grief. He is calm and compassionate with both.

But again, Martha went to Jesus. She did not wait but went to Him immediately. She knew He was the one who had answers. She knew Jesus could help her in that difficult time. Mary eventually goes to Jesus only after Martha tells her He was calling her (11:28). She hung out with the people who could only offer her empty consolations and no “constructive suggestions.”[1]She did this while Jesus was near right amongst her.

Too often, we do the same thing. We will stay with the hope of the world when Jesus is right there. Jesus is standing amongst us, but rather than go to Him for peace, comfort, and hope, we stick with people who can only offer condolences.

Think about it like this. If you have a question about how to build a barn, do you ask your doctor friend or ask a welder or contractor? If you have a medical issue, do you ask the welder and contractor or the doctor? I hope you will ask the expert for the proper help in either of these situations.

Jesus is the expert. Jesus is the one who is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Jesus is the one who will listen to you when you have that nagging question.

That Nagging Question

When Martha went to Jesus, she did not praise or worship Him. No, she did what any of us would do: she asked the nagging question, as we see in verse twenty-one. She asked, “Why, Lord?” “Why did my brother die?” “I know you were near and could have saved his life?” “You could have stopped all this grief and pain if you just would have been here.”

We all have this nagging question floating around in our heads. We all wonder why some things happen to some people but not others. We all wonder why we struggle along, and others do not. We all want to know why the world is so bad, and evil is not being judged.

Mary had the same question for the Lord (11:32). Jesus looked upon Mary and wept with her. He knew the pain she was experiencing. He knew the power of sin in our lives and why we die: sin. It is not because of our sin as a punishment for failing to be perfect but because of the fall in Genesis three. Jesus knows the pain of sin more than any of us. He knows what that hurt is and that our deaths are not natural, not how it is supposed to be. He grieves with us in this because He knows life is what we are meant for, and abundant life at that.

Martha exhibited faith in the Lord for what He will do in the future. Martha had hope because of the future resurrection. This is much like what Paul taught in First Thessalonians four. We have hope in death because of the future resurrection and the fact that all believers are with the Lord at the instant of death (c.f., 2 Cor. 5:8). Martha had this same hope. However, she was still missing the immediate comfort that Jesus had. She was missing the fact that He is the resurrection and life. She missed the point that Jesus is life, and all that lives anywhere does so because of Him. Martha only knew of the general resurrection at the end of time but not that Jesus is life eternal. He is the one who gives this extraordinary life.

Think of this like a person who knows that there is a benefactor who will pay their debts when their loan is due. But they are standing with that benefactor who can remove that debt for them at any moment. They know a general debt relief awaits them but miss that they can rest in this benefactor now.

Now, think of this general debt relief as death at the end. All people will have that relief from debt, but if they look to the benefactor standing amongst them now, they can have life before that day. Yes, the debt will still need to be paid, and you will pay it from your own account, but the benefactor offers you redemption for that debt.

This is what Jesus is saying to Martha in this text. He is saying that all will die, but all who believe in Him will never die. Your debt must be paid, but in Him, that debt does not keep you because He covered the debt. And since He covered the debt, you will live with Him forever. Life from death. Death to death through life in Christ.

One commentary states, “Believing in Jesus is the means by which people are joined to his resurrection life. To believe in Jesus is to be plugged into the life that guarantees resurrection. To believe in Jesus is to be united to the one who has life in himself, the one whom death cannot keep down. Those who believe in Jesus may experience physical death, but it will not be permanent, and those who believe will not undergo the second death.”[1]

That nagging question of why is answered in Jesus. Jesus tells us here that we all face death because of sin, but in Him is life. Death is to drive us to Christ, not away. Death points us to the only hope of life: Jesus.

Life, true life, is only found through Christ. Jesus is the answer. Jesus is how we find the eternity God has placed in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11). Jesus is the only hope we have in this crazy, evil, sick, twisted, and painful world. Jesus is the answer to life and death because in Him we never die; we only live and live and live beyond anything we could ever imagine.

This is hope. This is peace. This is comfort. But even when hope prevails, pain is still real.

When Hope Prevails, But the Pain Is Real

“Jesus wept” (11:35). Jesus is hope, and He knows true hope, but even He wept over the pain felt. Martha knew that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. But she still struggled to accept that Jesus could do anything for her brother. Hence, she says removing the stone would release the odor of Lazarus’s death (11:39).

She knew the hope of Christ and that He could do wonderful things, but the pain of her brother’s death was still present. Having hope does not remove the pain of the present. In this instance, Jesus does something miraculous for His grieving friends. He raised Lazarus from the dead and alleviated all their pain that day.

One thing we can conclude from this section is that God genuinely cares. He is not a sadistic God who coldly does things just to demonstrate His glory. The Lord does not just cause us pain just so He can benefit from it. No, as we see in the section of John 11:33-36, the Lord genuinely cares. He hates our pain and suffering. He does not desire that any die and suffer.

The one thing we definitely see about our Savior is that He knows pain is real even within hope. Hamilton and Vickers state of this,

The fact that Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen does not keep him from reacting emotionally to the facts of death and pain. Jesus knows he is going to raise Lazarus from the dead (vv. 11, 23). That does not make him cold to the realities involved.

Sin is awful, and death is its terrible consequence. The woe and misery of death troubles Jesus (v. 33). He is no heartless judge, withdrawn from the pain people feel, clucking that they got what they deserved. John tells us that Jesus was “deeply moved” and “greatly troubled” and that he wept (vv. 33, 35). No one knows better than Jesus what is going to happen in this episode. No one is better at mourning with those who mourn than Jesus. Jesus loves people, so he weeps with them, and over them.[1]

Jesus is not cold or indifferent to our pain. Jesus is not sadistic and sitting out there watching us suffer just so He can nudge the Father and say, “Watch what I am about to do and blow their little minds.”

But, through our pain and suffering, Jesus will very well use the situation as a teaching moment for us and others. He does not abuse our pain but takes that pain and makes it into something glorious. He involves us in His work and blesses us with the good that comes. Look at verse forty-five. In this verse, we read that many who saw what Jesus did believed in Him.

Through all the pain and misery, the Great I Am used that and did a miracle. Now, I know that raising the dead is not what happens today like it did then, but Jesus still uses hope when the pain is real. He works still in us and around us when suffering is present.

Jesus knows that death and grief from death are not how things are supposed to be. He knows that death is not the normal course life is supposed to take. Jesus knows that death is a curse on us because of sin. But, in that abnormal occurrence, Jesus works for us and in us and for those who are around us.

Our God knows the pain we suffer through. He knows and feels this pain. He feels it in a way we can’t understand or even comprehend, but He does. I read this week about this section that,

John stresses that we have a God who cares. This portrait contrasts with a Greek concept of God that was popular in John’s day—a God with no emotions and no empathy for humans. Here we see many of Jesus’ emotions—compassion, indignation, sorrow, even frustration. He often expressed deep emotion, and we must never be afraid to reveal our true feelings to him. He understands them, because he experienced them. Be honest, and don’t try to hide anything from your Savior. He cares.[2]

The Lord cares about what you feel and what happens in this life. Jesus would not have come into this world and suffered for us to live if He didn’t. Sometimes, when hope prevails, the pain is still real because only in our pain do we thoroughly look to the Lord. G.K. Chesterton said it best: “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all…As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”[3]

Let the struggle give you strength. The Great I Am Hope, the Messiah and keeper of eternity, is for you and with you. In your hopelessness, look to Him and trust that He is the resurrection and the life, and all who believe in Him, though they die, will live because all who believe in Him never die.

Conclusion

There are two things from this message that we all need to remember. When things do not happen as we think they should, we need to trust God has a better plan and that God’s plan is eternal, not temporal.

Along with these two things, we must remember that Jesus is never far away; we can ask that nagging question, and even when hope prevails, the pain is real. Above this, we have hope that our life is kept in Christ even in our tragic world. Christ is our hope and peace. Christ is our method for living a full life despite the tragedies we face. Christ is how we move through the quicksand of life on this planet.

Just like quicksand will suck you down when you fight on your own without help, this world will draw us down if we don’t let Christ fight for us. Christ will carry us through and pull us out when we seek Him actively, as Martha did. He is for us and not against us; we can have peace and hope in all things through this amazing Savior. He is life, resurrection life, as well as regular life. He is our full life, and nothing can wreck this for us, but we sure can miss this wonder if we let our minds focus on the things of this world.

R. Kent Hughes gives a great illustration of how we, as believers, can live in these trying times with the hope of Christ. Hughes wrote, using an illustration of his flying into an airport and seeing a traffic jam but not being bothered because he could see the red lights heading to it to fix it. He stated that,

Perspective is everything. As believers, we know that all our times of sorrow will eventually turn into joy. Revelation 21:4 promises:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

That is a wonderful verse about a fantastic future! But what about right now? We can choose our perspective. We can dwell among the traffic jams, standing on the bumpers, trying to see what in the world is going on, perhaps even discussing it with others. Or we can, choosing to believe Scriptures like John 11, be elevated above the traffic and see that help is on the way, that God is in control. His delays are delays of love! I believe that with all my heart. I believe it on the authority of Scripture. God’s silence is a silence of love. He wants us to ask the big questions. He wants us to pour our hearts out to him. He cares so much that he enters into our sorrows. He is not an impassible, stoic God. Rather, he feels our pain and weeps along with our weeping. He understands us better than we understand ourselves. He brings joy and resurrection life into our afflictions. Believing him, we find peace and joy in the delays. What a positive, exciting, wonderful truth!

Where is your perspective? Down here in the traffic, standing on a bumper? Or is it from above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God?[1]

Our hope is in Christ, which is an excellent place for it to be because He is the Great I Am–Hope. Let Him fill you with peace and hope because only He can do this for all who suffer, which is every one of us in some way or another.