It is Not too late

It is Never Too Late

John 11

Main point: There is hope in life and death for those who believe in Jesus.

Introduction

What’s the use…Its too late, It doesn’t matter anymore, why bother now, there is nothing you can do about it now...we use these phrases to describe a lack of hope. 

Some of you may have come here like that today: unanswered prayers of desperation for someone to be saved, no power to overcome the effects of your past or with a struggling sin, 

Maybe you asked for healing for yourself or for someone else that illness or trauma has swallowed up…and crickets…no answer…

What are we to make of God’s silence?

Its like there is no God and if he is there, he is neither good nor loving because he just avoids my desperate situation…

If he is there then why does he not answer, why does he keep silent when my situation is bad…and I need help.

I have thought these things, I have asked the questions: so I know its real and that flowery words are not going to satisfy…only Jesus’ words will 

In the delay, in the silence God’s love for you is working for a greater purpose…

Jesus assures us that it is not coldness rather its his love that causes the delay 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 

In Love He Delays for a Greater Purpose (1-16)

Lazarus’ family has sent for Jesus to come and help…

They have a particular help in mind…an immediate healing…he is in pain, we are in sorrow over his pending death and so they ask him to come, the one whom you love is ill. 

They know Jesus has the power to heal…and they have a special relationship with him.  

Vs. 3: he whom you love is ill

Vs. 5: Jesus loved Martha

Vs. 36: See how he loved him

John wants us to see and feel the love between them…There is an intimate relationship between Jesus and this family…the same way he loves and cares deeply for you.

Psalm 36:7 –

 “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

Lamentations 3:22 – “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases…”

There is refuge in knowing and feeling his unending steadfast love 

I want you to know that you are greatly loved…the Bible is filled with stories of his love for you…and Jesus shows us the love he has for us here in his love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus… 

And so what we read in verse 6 is utterly shocking…its not what we expect from love

We expect him to run to Bethany and fall down on Lazarus and heal him or at the very least speak a word of healing

Instead notice how vs. 5 and 6 relate 

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Therefore, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

It literally says, Jesus did not go because of his love for them. 

It is a strange response to stay two days longer…he seems unconcerned…Lazarus is dying and Jesus sees no need to rush over

Jared said it last week about Jairus and his daughter: cmon lets go before its too late…when you say you love someone then you do something about their pain, you don’t wait

Jesus heard their cry for help, and in his love he delays and while he waits there is sickness and all the pains associated with it

There is sorrow on the part of Lazarus’ sisters and friends seeing him in such pain and anguish 

And then he dies…and that brings more pain and more anguish and more sorrow and tears…

So when we pray and ask in desperation and Jesus does not come when and how we expect its because he loves you

And your like it doesn’t feel like love…it feels unloving, like he is mad at me 

But all the pain and sorrow that happens in the waiting does not mean he doesn’t love you, that he doesn’t care…

I think this is what Paul meant in Romans 8:35-36 – 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

That says: God’s people are not immune to the difficulties and sorrows of life 

But he goes on to say: there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from God’s love. 

The greatest trial, the greatest heartbreak, the greatest illness and trauma and valley of despair, not even death itself can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus 

All the sickness and hardships and pains we go through is because he loves us and his love for us drives him to give us what is best, namely, himself…he wants us to see him, to experience his glory…the greatest act of love is for him to give us himself

That was ultimately seen in the giving of his Son on the cross. 

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…

He demonstrated the greatest act of love for his people when he sent his Son to die for us so that we would see the glory of God in the face of Jesus and experience true life…

The cross is the reminder of God’s love…  

And that’s what we must go back to when we experience pain, sorrow, tragedy and tears and stare the imminent death of a loved one in the face: God loves me…he is a good, merciful, gracious and loving God…and I know that…so that what I am experiencing right now is not hate, its not injustice…it is God lovingly working through that suffering for his glory and the strengthening of our faith. 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – 

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Don’t lose heart…These sorrows are but tools wielded for God’s glory and our faith… so look to what God is doing…look beyond the circumstances to our loving Father who has great purpose in those moments

And that’s what Jesus says here…look at vs. 4 and notice the why of the illness, suffering, sorrow and death

“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.” And then verses 14-15 “Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe….”

When Jesus says the illness does not lead to death, what he means is that the illness has a greater purpose…death is not the decisive end of this sickness…

Yes he will suffer, yes his sisters will have sorrow and tears and yes he is going to die but that is not what this sickness is about. 

And its not what your hardships and sorrows and pains or death is about

When he delays it is the loving goodness of God forming us into the image of his Son so that he is glorified through us as we come to know him in a deeper way! 

I love what Piper says here: “Don’t measure the love of God for you by how much health and wealth and comfort he brings into your life. If that were the measure of God’s love, then he hated the apostle Paul. Measure God’s love for you by how much of himself he shows you. How much of himself he gives you to know and enjoy.” (John Piper)

There is a reason the answer to that prayer is delayed…its driving us into intimacy with God because what we need most is Jesus 

He is giving us himself in the waiting, in the sorrows, in the depths of despair…when there is no answer, when he seems silent…

So that no matter what answer comes we find our deepest satisfaction in him! 

Listen, there is hope in the waiting… 

The story of Lazarus, nor ours ends in death…there is hope in Jesus…its not too late to go to him. 

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

This is significant for John to note because the Jewish belief was that the soul hovers over the body of the deceased person for the first three days ‘intending to re-enter it but as soon as it sees the body decomposing it leaves and death becomes irreversible

Jesus choose for Lazarus to die for his glory and the faith of those around

And we may not see how our situation could possibly bring God glory

We may move in and out of faith…maybe we feel our faith will falter and we may lose heart.

But listen…run to Jesus…hold onto hope for an answer, for a salvation, for relief, for comfort…whatever it is…its not too late with Jesus

Martha hears Jesus is coming and she runs to meet him in sorrow but with hope 

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died

Its too late…why didn’t you come sooner, what was more important than taking away his illness and saving us from this sorrow…if you had been here when he was alive you could have healed him, but its too late Jesus, he is dead and its been four days…he is already in the tomb. 

Jesus you could have stopped this from happening, you could have prevented the grief but you didn’t show up…and now its too late

Don’t let those be your last words to Jesus

Those are not her final words: notice her faith in vs. 22: “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Even now…those are words of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation…

But she believes Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and he can do as he pleases

And Jesus encourages her faith with words of life: “your brother will rise again”

Martha agrees with Jesus…yes I know there is a future day of resurrection, my eschatology is worked out but what about now…

I know you can do something now

Jesus says, “I AM the resurrection and the life” not there will be an event in the future… I AM – he is not offering her some event he is offering her himself… I AM, God with her, he is close to her and he offers himself. 

Jesus is God who has moved into her sorrow with hope

Resurrection is the defeat of death…Jesus has come to defeat death and life will come through him to those who believe

“whoever believes in me though he dies, yet shall live.”

“everyone who lives and believes, shall never die”

Jesus is speaking of both physical and spiritual death here

Even if a person dies physically…those who believe in him will never die spiritually. 

They will live forever through Jesus Christ. 

There is hope in death for those who believe in Jesus

Yes we should weep over death. It is not the way God intended for his world. 

But we do not weep as those who have no hope. 

We do not need to fear death as if it is final…its not for those who believe

We storm into death with the victory flag waving…Jesus has conquered you so you have no power over me 

We face death with a different view: moving from life through death to life…like the song says: death is but a doorway to resurrection life.

And whoever believes in Jesus will experience this life now and then forever! 

And so I ask us what Jesus asks Martha: Do you believe this? 

Notice her response in verse 27

27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

She confesses in front of all those gathered that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and he gets all the glory! 

And she has not even seen the miracle of her request…Lazarus has not been raised, her prayer has not been answered…but she believes in Jesus…she hears the life-giving words of Jesus and responds, professing him as Lord and Savior.

Do you believe he can bring life to your pain and sorrow and brokenness…even now he can…its not too late…

Jesus sees Mary weeping, in anguish and then the shortest verse in all the Bible should give us great comfort: Jesus wept

He had compassion on her…he moved into her anguish, her pains and hurt and he weeps with her

Today, Jesus is our great sympathetic High Priest…he knows your pains…he is soft and tender…he entered into our world and experienced the effects of sin…he has walked in the hurts and it grieves him to see you weeping. 

And he wants to bring abundant life to you…

And in that moment he cries: “Lazarus, come out.” – and he does! 

And many Jews see it and respond in faith…Jesus gets the glory and the faith of his people is strengthened because in love he delayed an answer to their prayer! 

Conclusion:

It is not too late for new life…

You may have come here this morning searching for answers to the things you are going through, at the end of your rope…perhaps Jesus is actively loving you into his kingdom this morning through those things! 

He is using all of the unanswered prayers, all the sorrow and anguish to draw you to himself, to cause a desperation for him…not for comfort and ease or even an  answer to your prayer

But that you would come and give him your life.  

Maybe you would say I haven’t lived for Jesus, I have lived for the pleasures of this world, you don’t know where I have been or the things I have done…your right but I know what Jesus did for you. 

He took all that sin, both small and great, he took everything you have done and will do against God on himself and died the death we deserve. 

I was reminded this week of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, gaging on his blood as his life is beginning to drain from his body…yet in that 11th hour he cried out to Jesus and in grace and love Jesus looked at him and said today you will be with me in paradise…it is not too late. 

I don’t say that so you will wait…we do not know when our last breath will be…it is appointed for us all to die and then the judgment…so don’t delay…

Even now its not too late…if you repent and confess him as Lord, even now…after everything you have done and said…even now you will be saved and have eternal life. 

Perhaps you have been praying a long time for someone who has been wandering far from God, over a temptation that you struggle with, for healing

Perhaps praying for a marriage that seems too far gone to save

Or over the destructive behavior of a friend or family member that has wrecked their lives and it just seems too late. 

Listen, it is not too late for the Lord. 

His timing is perfect so take it to Jesus and rest in him

In the waiting, God is working to strengthen our faith and bring glory to his holy name. 

Even now…all may seem lost and hopeless in your life or the life of someone you love and are praying for…but even now…Jesus can save that person, that marriage, that relationship, heal that hurt and disease…even now he can bring life from the brokenness and pain of life…its not too late. 

So keep praying, keep hoping, keep sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ…it is not too late for new life and that life is found in Jesus. 

If you want prayer I will be down front…___________ will be in the back…

Prayer: 

Father, transform us in the waiting. Give us a resolve to pray without ceasing. Remove our doubts and fears that it’s too late for you to do anything.