I've Got Blessed Assurance - John 11:27

Introduction

When you hear the words Blessed Assurance, I’m sure for many of you the great hymn of the church comes to mind. The first stanza of the hymn goes blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His spirit washed in His blood. The hymn writer was Fannie Jane Crosby was blind at the age of six weeks. Yet she pens the text oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Seemingly having an inkling and a positive outlook that since Jesus is mine I have a hope even in my blindness concerning what lies ahead. Yet considering her physical condition that she is blind it begs the question how does one who writes such powerful, prolific, potent, and prodigious lyric of the expectation we who are in Christ have yet God does not heal her of her blindness. When we consider the profundity of power in the lyrics it is evident that only one who is in relationship with God can testify through the power of lyrics of the glory of God that is revealed or disclosed in such a powerful way to those who know Him. It is here considering the story of Fanny Crosby that I must ask the question has there every been a time in your life where you were aggravated with the Divine? I knew some of you would like at me funny because were in church and nobody wants to answer in the affirmative that yes, I’ve been aggravated with God. We’d rather say emphatically no, how could I ever be aggravated with God? I could never have the audacity for such. But I submit unto you, my brothers and my sisters, that since Isaiah 55:8 declares that God thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways not our ways - there will be times in which what we desire of Him and what He does will be in contrasts. All things considered when I am in relationship with God, when I am coming to Bible Study, and Sunday School, and worship service on Sunday morning, and prayer throughout the week, and loving my neighbor as myself, and abstaining from the very appearance of evil surely God ought acquiesce to my most earnest petition and prayer. The one who receives an eviction notice and prays to God for the money to pay the rent and God does not respond. God called momma or daddy home too soon and you prayed earnestly that God would heal them in physical body down here and he did not. What do you do when you’re aggravated with the divine? God I feel You! Can I go deeper? In order to understand the dichotomy of what is being considered in this mornings sermon that being the juxtaposition of relationship with God and at times His not responding to our beckoning call we must consider first the ramifications and the definition of time. Let the church shout time. In the New Testament upon a simple word study we discover that Greeks of which the majority of the New Testament was originally written have two words for time. There is the word kronos and the other is kairos. Y’all stay with me were headed to the mountain. Kronos is that which is time as you and I know it. It is that which can be measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and so forth. Yet kairos speaks of the opportune moment. When a baby comes into the world a woman can take all the prenatal’s, go to all the doctor’s appointments, all the mommy and me sessions in the world. But nothing that is done dictates when the baby is coming. The mother always prays that the baby will come between 39 and 40 weeks and that the baby will be healthy. But no matter how the mother plans it is God who determines when that baby will come. This is a kairos moment when God moves at what His will has already declared is the opportune moment. Kronos - time as we know it and kairos which is God’s opportune moment in the life of His children are very distinct from one another yet they have one thing in common. That one thing between kronos and kairos is that they are all left up to the sovereignty of God. That just means that God can do what He wants, when He wants, how He wants, to whom He wants, to the extent He wants to. There’s no use of thinking you’re in control of anything because just one situation, one predicament in your life will show the contrary that it is God and God alone who has the sole power of the trajectory of your life. Oh… I’m trying to contain myself its too early in the sermon to get happy. But look at your neighbor and say neighbor you ain’t in control of nothing! The old song of the church use to say “He’s an on-time God, yes He is.” And at times if we’re honest we question if that song is really true. But you’ve got to understand that the song is true because being on time is not predicated or indicated by what and how we think. But it is solely God therefore whenever He moves its on time! By now you ought to have come off of your high horse and come to grips with the fact that there have been times and might be times in the future you might have been or be a little aggravated with God!

Context

The pericope of this mornings sermonic spotlight is a very familiar one dealing with the story of Lazarus death and the subsequent reaction of Mary and Martha. Mary is always mentioned before Martha but it is really Martha as you read the text that is the main part of the discourse. You know the story, Lazarus was sick and the two sisters sent for Jesus saying “he who thou lovest is sick.” The text indicates that Jesus loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha. This indicates they had relationship with God. Jesus throughout the Gospels had performed many miracles for strangers and given much grace to sinners - when the law demanded justice. So surely Jesus will come through for those He has relationship with, those whom He loves. Yet we are instructed that even after Mary and Martha sent for Jesus - Jesus stayed where he was for two days. Oh my God, what happens when you call on Jesus and He doesn’t move when you want to? And if you haven’t experienced it yet - keep living. There comes a time in the life of every believer where you will contend or grapple with the sovereignty of God. We’ve been in a pandemic going on two years now, people have lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost so much and we say I thought God would have put an end to this by now. But we can’t explain it at times, we don’t understand it and we wonder how is this God who I am in relationship with causing me to go through so much! I submit unto you situations as such present anger, ambivalence, and aggravation. Let me roll on here, I’m almost through. Jesus after two days decided to go see about Lazarus whom he loves. Imagine being sick and it takes someone you love two days to call you, come and see about you, pray for you! Jesus got up after two days to go see about Lazarus whom He loves who had been wrapped up and entombed for four days. What happens when it seems like Jesus has stepped into your situation quote on quote too late? The Bible lets us know that people began to gather to comfort Mary and Martha in the passing of their brother. Martha knows that Jesus is now coming so she went to meet him. She said to Jesus if you would have been here my brother would not have died. Hold up, wait a minute. I don’t want you to miss it. Martha aggravated, frustrated and grieving what blessed me and I hope it blesses you to is with all that going on she still went to meet Jesus. In other words, she may have been aggravated, frustrated, and grieving but she still believed! That’s my first point in my little three point sermon do what Martha did. Be aggravated, frustrated, and grieve as long as you need to but go and meet Jesus. I love what she said, she said “if you would have been here my brother would not have died.” In other words if I could use my sanctified imagination, Martha ran out the house where all the people in the community had come to comfort her and her sister but she knew in her knower none of these folk can help me but “if you.”

And I just want to know today if there are any “if you” people under the sound of my voice? That can say I am not running to people, places and things that can’t help me when I am aggravated but I will keep on running to meet Jesus! Because God if you don’t fix it, God if you don’t step in, then I’m doomed! But oh God “if you” will step in nothing is impossible for You! Not even death! And I’ve come to speak life to somebody this morning that death is not the end! You gave up on your dream, you gave up on your business, some folk have given up on your children to be saved! But don’t give up! “If you” steps in it will all turn around for your good and His glory! Oh God, I’m almost through.

She further signifies her assurance in Jesus in verse 22 she says “but I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it to thee.” And I’m just curious to know if I’ve got about 10 people in here who can say in spite of being aggravated and frustrated at times I’ve got an even now mentality that says my situation might look dead but even now oh God I know you’ve got the power to turn it around for my good. And that’s my second point this morning that since God hears Jesus, God hears you! I told you last Sunday your life is hidden with Christ in God! That means that every petition you pray God hears it. And you can’t decide because God is not answering when and how you see fit that you will stop talking to Him! Because since God hears Jesus, and Jesus is representing you before the Father, He hears you also! And even now Ephesians 3:20 God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think! Cancel the funeral home! Cancel the mortician! Cancel the funeral! Its time to live again!

Yet the text shows us something so powerful. That sometimes there are those who will run to Jesus when they are aggravated. But for others Jesus must call for them to come. It’s all good - by any means necessary! I am grateful to serve a God that if I am too aggravated to run to Him, the Holy Spirit will remind me that He’s calling me and I’ll come because He called! In verse 28, Martha came to Mary and said Jesus has called for you and in 29 she got up quick and she went to Jesus. That’s my last point today and I’m about to close. Don’t you allow your aggravation to keep you from beckoning to the voice of God to come. It is sometimes common for believers to be so weighted down with aggravation, human emotions, and frustration that we don’t want to read our Bible. We don’t want to pray. Sometimes we don’t even want to come to church. But you’ve got to know that your obedience to come to God just might be the beginning of your miracle. Mary said the same thing Martha said - if you would have been here my brother wouldn’t have died. But before she said that she fell down at His feet! Just like Martha this wasn’t a complaint on behalf of the sisters. It was recognition that you’ve got the power to do anything but fail. Nothing is impossible with you or for you. And so I know without a shadow of a doubt if you stepped into this situation Lazarus would be alive. But I wish I could have been there to tell the sisters something I wish I could have been there to tell them He was there all the time! I wish I could’ve told them not only was He there all the time but He’s hear right now! When God steps into your situation you’ve got to just let him move!

Close 1

I’m getting ready to close but I’ve got to go back to verse 23-27. Jesus told Martha your brother shall rise again. She knowing Jesus had the power to resurrect from the dead said I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Signifying what the apostle Paul said, the dead in Christ shall rise first. She had no intentions or idea that Jesus would restore Lazarus to life now. Death is not final! The only thing final is Jesus and you’ve got to be careful not to pronounce death to anything in your life before Jesus does. Because “if you” steps in what was dead will come back to life. Jesus said to her I am the resurrection and the life and he that believeth in me although he were dead shall he live. And whosever liveth and believing in me shall never die. And he asked her believest thou this? And this is my shout for the day. Martha said “yes Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

I’ve got to go but what Martha was really saying is that I’ve got blessed assurance. That Jesus is mine. And because He’s mine oh what a foretaste of glory divine. I’m an heir of salvation, purchased of God. Born of His spirit - washed in His blood. And I’ve come to let the church know no matter how you feel about what might be happening in the world, or in your life you’ve got to cling to the blessed assurance that in spite of what you go through God is able to bring you out. And if He doesn’t bring you out He’s able to bring you through. And if He doesn’t bring you out or through, He’ll bring you over. He’ll keep you in all that you face and all that you go through. Death is not your story. COVID-19 is not your story. Cancer is not your story. Diabetes is not your story. Somebody said I’ve been sick but thats not my story. Somebody said I’m broke but that’s not your story. Somebody said I’ve got a broken heart but that’s not my story! But Fannie Crosby got it right when she said “this IS my story. This IS my song. Praising my savior all the day long.

We’ve got to go but we’ve all got to learn no matter what we go through to never stop praising Him. My praising Him does not negate the fact that my brother is dead but my praise is recognition that even now God is able even now..... I’ve got a blessed assurance. Lift up your head oh ye gates...

Close 2

In all of what you face and all of what you go through know that there will come times where you might be aggravated and frustrated with God. The sin is not being aggravated or frustrated. The sin is deciding to turn away from God because you are aggravated or frustrated. When we turn away from God in our aggravation we don’t always know what we are prone to do. Turn to God no matter what you face or go through because regardless of how you feel or what is happening you’ve got blessed assurance.