Christ - the Center of our Trials

Introduction: Story about Death-

Have you ever recieved news that just rocked your entire world?

Have you ever had something unexpectedly happen in your life that was so big that you couldn’t see how you would ever get through, or even so big that questioned why God would allow it to happen to you at this time in your life

This morning we are going to look at story in John chapter 11 where a believing family has a trial come into their lives.

A trial that has potential to completely devastate their entire lives as they know it, and when they cry out in their desperation to Jesus , their friend, to step into the story and help them -He doesn’t even come to help, but instead he stays where he was at for two more days.

Turn with me in your bibles and follow along as I readJohn 11:1-46

READ John 11:1-46 {NET}

1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. 11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

11:3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

11:5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days.

11:7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 11:8 The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again?”

11:9 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 11:10 But if anyone walks around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

11:11 After he said this, he added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to awaken him.” 11:12 Then the disciples replied, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

11:13 (Now Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he had been talking about real sleep.)11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 11:15 and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

11:16 So Thomas (called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.” 11:17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already. 11:18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,

11:19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the loss of their brother.) 11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

11:21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you.”11:23 Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.”

11:24 Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.”

11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, 11:26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

11:27 She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world.”11:28 And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”

11:29 So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 11:30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.)

11:31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.

11:32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. 11:34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.”

11:35 Jesus wept. 11:36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said, “Look how much he loved him!”

11:37 But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see! Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?”

11:38 Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.) 11:39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days.”

11:40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” 11:41 So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me.

11:42 I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 11:43 When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

11:44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

11:45 Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him.

This morning many of you may be going through a trial in your life that seems unbearable.

Some you may be going through financial difficulties that could totally collapse your world around you

Some of you may be going through marriage difficulties that seem impossible to fix

Some of you may be going through the loss of a loved one that you cannot seem to let go of.

Some of you may be going through a situation at work that seems totally unfair

This morning my greatest desire for those of you who are hurting is to find your peace and joy in the midst of your trial in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ alone.

Our text begins in verse one -3

john 11:1-2 “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.

The trial:

Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha has come down ill, and his sickness has brought him to the point of death.

Lazarus is on his death bed, and his sisters who love him so much know that the one person who has the power to heal their dying brother is Jesus and so they send a messenger on the a 2 day trip to go get Jesus so that he could come and heal their brother from his sickness.

Talk about what they must have been like:

“Martha- “Mary, there is nothing else we can do for Lazarus is going to die unless God himself steps in and heals our brother.

and so what did Mary and Martha do?-

They did what we as believers in Jesus must do today-

They cried out for Jesus to come and heal their brokenness.

Illustration: 6 years ago Amy and I recieved a phone call that totally disrupted our lives>

I answered the phone and it was my father in law LEE- and he told us that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

As we sat their that night our hearts were broken our minds were numb trying to comprehend the reality that was about to set into our lives.

I remember - what we did that night- We cried out To God to bring us deliverance from this hurt in our lives

We pleaded with God to heal Amy’s dad from this sickness.

Church family- the first place we must run when our world crashes around us is to Jesus. We need to cry out to the one who is sovereign over all of our lives including the trials we must go through.

As we look at trials again this morning I want us to focus on the main character of our tirals.

Big IDEA: Understand this morning that this story is really not about Mary and Martha and their trial but it is all about Jesus

What I want us to grasp together is that we are not the centrals character in our trials

what I mean by that is “ OUR TRIALS ARE ALL ABOUT JESUS”

and as we navigate this text together I pray that I will be able to clearly communicate this truth with you today.

Notice with me how Jesus Responds to the trial when the messenger gives him the news of Lazarus being at the point of death.

John 11:3-5 “So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”

Point 1: Jesus Hears our cries for help in the midst of our trial.

But do you notice what didn’t happen? Jesus heard the cries for help from the ones he loved, but Jesus didn’t immediately run to the rescue and bring them deliverance from the trial..

Why would Jesus not want to deliver the ones he loves so much from the hurt and pain and sorrow that would come upon them if Lazarus was not healed.

Look at the words of Jesus in verse: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” [NIV]

Last week we looked at the man born blind . and remember what the disciples asked jesus when they saw Him?

“ is this man’s blindness because of his sin or because of his parents sin.”

and Jesus responded & said “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this man was born blind, so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

This man had an enormous burden in his life- He could not see, and the purpose of his blindness was for Jesus Christ to be glorified through his life.

And now again, Jesus allowed a family he loved to go through a time great struggle- so that God could use their trial to demonstrate His power- so that Jesus Christ could receive the glory.

verse 14-15 tell us how Jesus receives the glory from the trial-

John 11:14-15 “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. But let us go to him.””

Church family understand this truth:God intends to use the trials in your life for his glory.

When Lee was sick, it was one of the hardest things Amy and I have had to go through as a Married couple.

But even though our hearts desired Lee to be healed physically from the cancer, we did not want to miss the opportunity to bring God glory through this trial in our lives.

We wanted to use Lee’s sickness and his death for the glory of God. And by allowing God to use our family for His own glory many lost sinners heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ through the testimony of Lee and his death.

POINT #2 : Jesus receives glory as a result of our trials - simply put - Jesus uses the Trials in our lives for His glory

Church family if you are going through a trial right now- understand that the greatest outcome should be the glory of God. Let your trial be a catalyst for others to come to belief in the GOD you love.

Don’t miss an opportunity to give God glory in the midst of your trial.

As we continue on, look with me at verse 6:

John 11:6-7 “So, whenJesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.””

Jesus had the power to instantaneously heal his friend from sickness, but Jesus didn’t do that, he didn’t save Mary and Martha’s brother from death- even though they cried out in Belief to him.

Jesus stayed where he was at for two more days before coming to the place where Mary and Martha are now grieving the death of their brother.-

and when Martha hears that Jesus is coming sho goes to meet him and listen to what she says.

John 11:21 “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

and just a few verses later Mary comes to Jesus too and when She sees him verse 32 tells us

john 11:32 “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.””

these hurting women cried at the feet of Jesus and said “ You had the power to heal our brother, but you didn’t even bother to come.

In these sister’s minds I am sure they were thinking of all the miraculous things that Jesus had done for the people he didn’t even know personally . If could He heal the son of the centurion without even going to the man’s house Jesus could have healed Lazarus from his sickness, If Jesus could call on God the Father to 5000 people with just a small boys lunch He had the power to heal their brother, If Jesus could heal the man born blind, and gave him site, then making Lazarus his friend well would have been nothing for Jesus to do.

IN THEIR MINDS THEY WERE ASKING “ So Jesus IF YOU LOVED US AS MUCH AS YOU SAY YOU DO, why wouldn’t you heal OUR brother who was one of your closest friends?

“Jesus you know that we believe that you are the Son of God, you know that we love you, why wouldn’t you love us the same way that you loved all those other people who don’t even follow you?”

Christian- Have you been in this place in your life?

Have you cried out to God and said why would you heal the person who doesn’t even love you from Cancer, and not my husband who has followed you his entire life.

Have your cried out to God and said why would you let my marriage fall apart and leave me miserable when other people who don’t even follow you seem to be happily married.

Have you cried out to God and said Why would you let my business fall apart when all I have done is tried to use it for your glory ?

This is where Martha and Mary are at this point in our story.

They are broken and questioning why God would allow such a bad thing to happen in their lives.

Jesus Finally shows up, but in their minds it is too late.

in their minds - The trial has already ended and the outcome was not what they thought was best for their lives.

But what they cannot see at this moment, is that trial is not final .Jesus is still there working all things for their good for the glory of God.

Point # 3 Your trial is not over until Jesus’s work is accomplished.

Jesus is using the trials in your life for your good for his glory

and they will not be final until Jesus says its over.

Church family- don’t let the valleys be the end of your trial, because God is not finished with you.

Your marriage that is broken to point it seems impossible to fix is not the end of the story for your life- Jesus is still there working all things for your good, and there can still be hope of restoration if jesus is in the midst of trial.

Maybe you finances are collapsing around, your business is falling apart, and you are headed for bankruptcy and the fear of loosing everything you have built up in your life is coming upon you. If Jesus is in the storm with you there is still hope.

God uses our trials in our lives to grow our faith in Jesus, so that we can look back at the trials we have come through and bring him glory.

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Followers of Jesus- - we must cling to the truth that Jesus never leaves us in the valley of a trial but only takes us though it for a time, so that he can build us back up to an even greater mountain top in our walk with Him..

Don’t let the valley of your trial be as far as you can see - God is not done growing your faith- keep trusting in the work of Jesus is your life and remember your trial is not over until the work of Jesus is accomplished in your life.

As we move on in our text this morning I believe there is another truth that can bring us much encouragement as we go through these hard times in our lives.

Look with me at how Jesus responds to the hurt of those who were going through this trial .

John 11:33-37 “When Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

When Jesus Sees the pain, and sadness, and the overwhelming sorrow of Martha and Mary and the crowd of people who are weeping over the loss of their brother and friend , Jesus is moved with compassion for their pain, and He weeps with them.

Jesus loved them so much that his heart was broken to see their pain.

and this caused him to identify with them both physically and emotionally by weeping himself.

Church we have a savior who understands our sorrow.

Jesus Christ knows our pain in the midst of our trials. and because of his great love for us His own heart hurts knowing that those he loves are hurting deeply through the trial

Point #4 Jesus identifies with our Sorrow from our trials -and He weep because those he loves are weeping

Jesus is now at the tomb where the body of Lazarus has been laying for 4 days.

When it comes to dead- Lazarus is dead there is no human possibility for Lazarus to be healed. But the story is still not over.

Let’s continue on in our text this morning

John 11:38-44 “Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Can you picture this conversation in your head.

Jesus “ take away the stone

Martha” whoa whoa wait, He’s been dead for 4 Jesus, you missed your opportunity to say good by.

If you open up that Tomb it is going to be an awful smell.

Illustration:I can understand what Marta is thinking here.

When it comes to smells — God gave me the world’s weakest stomach.

I have thrown up so many times in my life and almost all of them where because of something I smelled.

When My kids were babies- I always jumped at the opportunity to change a diaper with only #1 inside, because I didn't want my turn to end up on #2 poopy diaper Because if I opened up that diaper and it had an awful smell it was inevitable that I was going to start gaging and possible throw up all over the baby!

I threw up in an outhouse at the fair one time when I opened up the lid of the toilet and the smell wafted up into my face,

After I had shot my first deer my dad was teaching me how to butcher it. and as I carefully made the first incision down the belly of the deer my knife slipped and went through the wall of the stomach the most horrendous smell came wafting out of that deer and I instantly threw up all over the deer deer.

I think you get the point

When jesus said to remove the stone Martha was not thinking spiritually but was thinking very logically - Jesus if you open up that door your just going to make things a whole lot worse for all of us.

But Jesus looks at Martha and in verse 40 He says John 11:40 ““Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?””

He is saying “Martha I want you to trust through this trial because I want to use it to blow the minds of everyone around us away.

Jesus is telling Martha “ a human doctor has the power to heal the sick But only God has the power to do the impossible. I want everyone to see the glory of God through this trial in your life

Point #5 Jesus asks us to trust him during our trials - because he sees the whole landscape not just the valleys

Jesus is reminding Martha of the conversation they just had a couple of hours earlier

Remember

When Martha Came to meet Jesus She said to him in verse 21

John 11:21-27 , “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Martha had faith that her brother Lazarus would be in the resurrection of the dead in Christ to Life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

and then what Did Jesus say to her next?Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.””

And now at the tomb Jesus once again looks at Martha, who only sees the trial through her human eyes, and says

Martha trust in me through this trial, and you will see the glory of God through it.

the problem Martha has is that she had already determined in her mind what God had to do in order for this trial to bring him glory.

Martha believed that God would only be glorified by Lazarus being healed and spared from death . and anything else could never work.

Church family Jesus doesn’t ask you to figure out the best way for you to escape the pain of your trials

jesus doesn’t ask you to determine the best way for him to be glorified because of your trials.

Jesus simply asks us to trust him during our trials.

Moving on in verse 41

“So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”

The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Point #6 Jesus has power to deliver us from our trials

At just the right time Jesus did what was impossible- He brought Lazarus back to life.

Church family- if God can raise Lazarus back to life for his own glory.

He can fix your broken marriage for His own glory.

He can heal your sickness for his own glory.

He can restore your business for his glory..

He can use the death of your loved one for his glory.

Jesus has the power over all your trials there is no problem in your life that is too big for him to solve.

Finally lets look at verse 45 together

John 11:45 “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,”

Point #7 God wants to use your trials to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

In January of 2014 we at the camp were very excited because Peter and Gina were about to have their first child

and the time came for Simon to be born, and God in His sovereignty chose to give Peter and Gina trial in their life.

during the delivery process of their precious son God allowed some complication to happen.

and I remember getting a phone call from Phil - the camp boss and He said "e all need to spend time praying for them Because things are not looking good for Simon’s birth. and all of us at camp began to plead with God save little Simon’s life, but God in his love for us chose to take Simon that night.

I am telling church family this was a trial in many peoples lives, but God has used this hard time for his glory because many have heard the message of the hope because of Simon’s life and believed in Jesus.

as hard as this trial was, even to this day God has used it for our good and for his glory. Because of Simon many doors have been opened up for Peter and Gina to proclaim the gospel to the world.

The same thing happend with us

When Amy’s dad was battling cancer we pleaded with God to heal his body, We promised to give him the praise for a miraculous healing, but in the end God chose for Lee to die and leave this earth.

We didn’t like the trial we were going, we didn’t understand the trial we were going through.

But now as we look back we are so thankful that God used us for his glory .

and we give him praise because through our trial many have believe in Jesus and we wouldn’t change that for anything.

BRING IT HOME

Are you going through a hard time right now in your life?

Is there something so overwhelming that seems to totally be collapsing your world around you?

If that is where you are at right now then remember the truths of John 11

Don’t get stuck into thinking that the valley you are in right now is the end of the story-

When we understand that our trials in this life are about Jesus and his glory, it can bring us peace and Joy knowing that God is using our life for His glory.

When you are in the midst of a trial - turn your focus to Jesus and His glory. Dont waste your trial thiking only of yourself. USE it to bring God glory.

Remember- God does ALL THINGS FOR OUR GOOD FOR HIS GLORY and that includes every trial in our lives.

PRAY