Expectations
Notes
Transcript
Expectations
Expectations
1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
As we read the scriptures, we have an idea that all the 1st century disciples were super hero’s...
Under their shirt, they had a “S” or SC - Super Christian...
but we all know that this was not the case...
There were people in the Word of God who were:
overwhelmed
Discouraged
Depressed
Definitely a host of backsliders - people just like you and me...
People like -
David
John mark
Demas
Persecutors like:
Saul
Caiaphas, John, and Annas the high priest
Hymenaeus & Alexander the coppersmith - 2. tim 4.14
But for some reason, we envision the believers as possessing some mystical - super Christian traits… that are not a reality...
They, along with us, possess a sin nature that is just as sinful as it had ever been...
The scripture account begins in Bethany… with a family that Jesus and his disciples had a close relationship. This relationship will be opened up so we can see into their lives so we can grow thereby.
We will see how this friendship and closeness brought with it a certain amount of expectations… a certain amount of entitlements...
As we look into these passages this morning, may we be honest with ourselves and with God about our own expectations and entitlements.
Expectations
Expectations
Pray:
I recently read a book by a pastor’s wife and in it, she revealed how life brings expectations...
We woke up
We opened our eyes
We climbed out of bed
We ran through a list of things we wanted to do…
Relationships come with expectations...
parent / child
husband / wife
family
friends
Faith comes with expectations as well...
Some of our expectations are are well within the realm of reason - and we can see how and why those expectations would be there...
Others are expectations that we have that are not reasonable...
In our text, we have a family who is facing a health issue, and they have a close friend who has healed many who were sick…
He has healed the
halt and the lame
Blind and the sick
cast out demons
This friend is a close friend
This is one who they love and who loves them...
He is not only their friend, He the One in whom they have faith… He is their Savior -
Lazarus is sick...
He is deathly ill, and his 2 sisters send for the Savior to come… they know that Jesus can heal their brother...
Mary & Martha are watching their brother deteriorate...
They also keep watching down the road to see the Savior when he comes down their road...
…but he didn’t come...
I remember as a child - not knowing my biological dad - my sister’s dad was the only one I knew… he left us when I was 5, but I remember him promising us kids that he would have us come over for a weekend… we would look forward to the weekend, and when it would finally get there, we would anticipate his coming to get us… I remember on several different occasions - standing at the window - watching for him to come… but he never came…
I am sure - as Mary and Martha watched Lazarus get weaker and more frail - the anticipation of the Savior’s arrival would grow...
The message went out...
The messenger returned - having completed the mission
They knew that Jesus was aware of the dire situation
But Jesus didn’t come...
The looks down the road were no longer necessary - Lazarus is dead...
Expectation of a Healthy Life
Nobody plans for sickness
Nobody expects bad health
Those who have worked and lived and labored for their whole life...
Healthy as an ox...
Strong / competent / able
they don’t have an expectation of:
weakness
sickness
cancer
heart attack
kidney failure
dementia
pain
We go to a marriage altar with the expectation of:
Happy marriage
children
dreams of future blessing...
Not with expectations of:
divorce
death
inability to have children
wayward children
handicapped children
Expectations - life comes with expectations...
Mary and Martha had an expectation of the Health of their brother...
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Expectation of a Healthy Life
Expectations of Happy Life
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
The absence of Lazarus was overwhelming...
Protector
Provider
Pal - friend, companion
They knew of Heaven
They had a firm grasp on the reality of the bodily resurrection of the saints- At the judgment - the resurrection would take place and we would receive a new body -
But the eternal wasn’t now...
The hurt was now
Expectations of Hope-filled Life
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Faith is never in vain...
Expectations of the miraculous was rewarded...
not in their timeline
Jesus’ plan was on a different plane than where Mary and Martha were at - but God was glorified...
Miracles are not necessary when everything is going well
Prayer
Faith are not tested in the good times, but in times of turmoil and toil
Are our expectations in life creating a spirit and attitude of discontentedness?
Are we looking to the Lord -
through the veil of tears
through the times of loss
through the disappointments… and still trusting him???
Our disappointments may be because we are tied up in our own plans, thoughts, desires...
Expectations that God is going to answer everyone of our prayers:
immediately
positively
personally beneficial to us...
these expectations are not realistic...
unmet expectations leads us to places of doubt and despair - not to places of trust and faith
The Lord allowed those he loved to hurt so that many would believe and that God would be glorified...
May that be the case in our lives - may we trust the Lord - even when our expectations are not met...
J Vernon McGee, the old preacher once said this: “This is God’s universe, and God does things his own way… You may have a better idea, but you don’t have a universe”
May our expectations be filtered through true faith and trust in the Sovereignty of God...