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Sunday, April 13, 2008
*Why we don’t trust God*
John 11:45-53
/47 // . . .
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked.
“Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.
48 //If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
/John 11:47-48 NIV
*-----------*
We continue *our study* in the *book of John*.
It’s the *fourth gospel* or the *fourth account of Christ’s life* that we have in the New Testament.
It functions as *a complement* to the *other* *three gospels*, Matthew, Mark and Luke, which are called the Synoptics because of their *similarity in form and content*.
As we read *John’s gospel*, it is obvious that *Jesus did many miracles*.
However, John specifically *only tells us of seven of them*.
This fits into *his purpose* for writing.
(John 20:31) He wants his readers to /believe/ /that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name./
So the *selection of miracles or signs* that John tells us about are intended to help us see *Jesus as the (Christ) Messiah*, the One who has *authority over every realm of life*.
He can change *water into wine *(2:1–11), multiply a *few loaves and fishes to feed thousands *(6:1–14); He can *walk on water *(6:16–21) and *heal a man disabled* by sickness for multiple years (5:1–18).
He can *heal a person* who is not even in His presence simply *by speaking the word* (4:46–54).
He can give *sight to the blind* (9:1–41) and even *raise the dead* (11:1–44).
Together, those *miracles say it strong and clear*: Jesus, the Son of God, has *authority over every realm of life*.
The section of *our present study* brings us to *the final miraculous sign* that Jesus gave so that we would *truly believe* that He is *the Christ*.
It’s the *last of the seven signs* in John.
All seven signs *point to the ultimate miraculous sign* that Jesus will display for us, *His own resurrection from the dead*, completing *the work* He came to do as *the Lamb of God*.
Picking up where we *left off last week*, Jesus has *come to **Bethany** in delayed response* to a request by Martha and Mary to *heal their brother Lazarus*.
But, from the *perspective* of Martha and Mary, and *many others* in Bethany, this *delayed response accounts for why* Lazarus now *lays dead* in the tomb.
*John **11:32** & 37 (NIV)*
/32 //When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
/
/37 //But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” /
Certainly, *embedded* in these *expressions of disappointment* was *confidence* that *Jesus was capable* of doing *miraculous* things.
But, the fact that *He had not done what they had hoped for* and maybe *even expected*, only added to *their grief*.
But, *where* Mary and Martha and their friends *were putting a period*, end of sentence, *Jesus was putting a comma*.
What we see *happen* *next* is a *combination* of *the human and the divine*.
Jesus, *fully human* and *fully God*, engages in an act of *great compassion* and *powerful forecast*.
The act of *raising Lazarus from the dead* is not simply a response of *human emotion* on Christ’s part.
It is a *pre-meditated act* of giving *these people* and the *whole world* a *foretaste* of what was soon to *happen to Him*.
That’s *what signs are all about*.
They point to *something beyond themselves*.
Though we *don’t* want to *miss the compassionate heart *of our Lord for Mary and Martha by *raising their brother Lazarus*, it is important that we *see this miracle* as a *sign* that *Jesus is the Christ* who *gives life to all* who believe in Him.
Remember *the reminder* that Jesus gave to Martha just before He *called Lazarus out* of the tomb?
/40 //. .
., “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” /
Now do you think Jesus was *only referring* to the *glory of Lazarus* coming *back to life*?
Or, do you think *Jesus was even more so* referring to the *glory* that was *still to be revealed* when *God raised Him* from the dead?
You see, *back at the beginning of this story* in verse 4, Jesus declared  /4// //. . .
“This sickness will not end in death.
No, it is for God’s glory so that *God’s Son* may be glorified through it.”
/Lazarus’ sickness was going to *bring glory to the Son of God*.
It is so *easy* for us to *focus on the miracle* and *miss* the *glory of the miracle worker*, *who* He is and *why* He has done such a gracious thing for us.
We *tend to make life* to be *all about us.*
But, when we live life that way *what we miss out in* is *full participation in the glory of God’s Son*.
For, *when He is glorified, we are most satisfied*.~*
When we *walk in His ways*, then *our lives point to Him* as the Master.
And Jesus wants us to *know the fullness of life* that comes only from walking *obediently, and intimately, and worshipfully with Him*.
O what *peace we often forfeit*, O what *needless pain we bear*, All because *we do not carry everything to God* in prayer.
~*Cf.
["God is *most glorified* in us when *we are most satisfied* in Him." John Piper]
Then Jesus instructed *the onlookers at the tomb of Lazarus* to take away *the stone*.
And when they took it away, *Jesus prayed in a voice* that could be heard by those gathered.
He did this *intentionally for the benefit of those standing by* so that they would *believe that God had sent Him* to this world for the mission of being *the Lamb of God*.
And, *when He finished praying*,
/43 //. . .
Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 //The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
/
/Jesus said to *them*, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” /
What a *grand display of Christ’s power*!
What a *confirming statement* that *Jesus is the Son of God*.
To have *witnessed* such a miracle must have been *life-changing for all the people*.
How could they *not all bow down in worship* and *commit to live as servants of Christ* for the remainder of their days?
That seems to me to be *a reasonable response* to this *glorious miracle of Jesus* raising Lazarus.
Does it not?
But, what do we find to be *the actual response*?
*John 11:45-53 (NIV)*
/45 //Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him.
46 //But some of them// went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done./
*Two very different responses*.
Does that *surprise you*?
One group *believing* and the others *threatened*.
Or, is this *simply a continuation* of the *established pattern* of responses to Jesus?
Has it not been *true all along *that *wherever Jesus goes He divides*?
You see, people *can’t be in Christ’s presence *and remain *neutral*.
Here’s what Jesus said in *Luke **11:23** (NIV)*
/23 //“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
/
It does seem true that *as much as Jesus is a uniter*, He is also *a divider*.
Matthew records it this way:
*Matthew 10:37-39 (NIV)*
/37 //“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 //and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39 //Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
/
Jesus stands as *the proverbial fork in the road*.
He makes His case to us that *He is the Christ*, the Son of God, and then says to us, *put your trust in Me and you will live*.
Otherwise, the *wrath of God* will remain on you.
(John 3:36)
Now, for the *remainder of our time*, I want us to explore our text for *reasons we don’t trust Christ*.
We are *not surprised* that many of the *Jews put their faith in Jesus*.
That seems the *logical response* to the *mighty miracle* they had just *witnessed*.
But, are we not a bit *surprised* that some of them *could walk away from the risen Lazarus* unbelieving and even *threatened* by this beautiful *display of grace and mercy?*
So, my *question of our text* this morning is, *Why** don’t we trust Jesus*?
Why are we *so easily threatened by Him*?
We read in verse 46, *John **11:46** (NIV)*
/46 //But some of them// went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done./
O, we can try, and we may even want to try, to *put a positive spin* on this verse.
Like, “*everyone there who witnessed the miracle believed *and some of them *went to the Pharisees* in an attempt to *persuade them to also believe* in Jesus.”
But, for *those who have tried that* have found that it just *doesn’t fit the context*.
Nor does it deal with the *direction changing*, three letter word, “*but*.”
The “*except*” or the “*although*” of verse 46 *creates a contrast* with the people who had *put their faith in Jesus*.
I believe it is *more compelling* to see these *witnesses* who went to the Pharisees as *sympathizers*, if not *actual agents*, of the Pharisees.
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