And I ask you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of John chapter 11. John chapter
11. John chapter 11. The scripture. relates a very, very precious passage of scripture, but a very,
very instructive passage of scripture for God's people. Concerning some of the very things that
Brother Pat just mentioned, and leading us in prayer there concerning those among not only our congregation,
but other congregations that are going through some troubling
times, and especially being sick. The scripture declares, I'll
read verses 1 to 4, but I would like to look specifically at
3 and 4. A certain man was sick. God's people get sick just like
everybody else. This is the effects of sin. Sickness, contrary to the false
claims of false preachers that says God's people never get sick. They're always healed. There was a certain man who was
sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the
town of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother, Lazarus, was sick. The scripture declares that this
family was one loved of God. Look at verse 5. Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus. The Lord loved them. Obviously, he who never changes
had everlastingly loved them. And having loved them, we can
safely, scripturally say, they are the Lord's. And the scripture declares concerning
that love, we know that mercy had been shown that family. And
now in a time of great need, these two sisters have been moved
by the Spirit of God to pray for their brother. What a blessing to have brethren
that would pray for brethren. God forbid, Samuel said, that
I should sin against the Lord, not praying for you. God forbid
that I should sin against the Lord. They called as every believer
calls. Called appealing and addressing
him for who he is. Look at verse 3. Therefore his
sister sent unto him, saying, Lord, Lord, you who have all authority,
over mankind, you who worketh all things after the counsel
of your own will, you who speaks, and it is, Lord, behold. Lord, consider. Lord, look. God's people pray
and speak with a spirit of humility. The Lord is surely going to do
that which He will, that which is pleasing to Him. And the Lord,
according to the Scriptures, declares that He will withhold
no good thing from them who walk uprightly. That's Psalm 84.11. But what we are instructed to
do, we are instructed to seek, ask, and to knock. Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest. Now listen, as the Spirit of
God moved upon these two sisters to pray for their brother, how
did the Spirit of God move upon them to pray. He whom thou lovest. They appealed unto the Lord according
to His covenant mercy. He whom thou lovest. They appealed
unto Him who has a people that He loves and had made it evident
to them, calling them out of darkness. Behold, he whom thou lovest is
sick." Do you know what they did? They cast all of their care
upon Him. That's what they did. Listen
how they appealed. They didn't say, Lord, he who
loves Thee, the one that loves You, Lord, What is our love compared to
His love for us? Lord, the object of your affection,
the one that you've everlastingly loved, chose. Lord, He's sick. Now, what faith? What reverential faith? Lord,
behold. Lord look, He who sees all, the
omniscient God, Lord behold. Here was a statement of need
but a confession of her weakness. What else could these sisters
do? What can we do for those that we love for those that the
Lord has made evident that He loves them, called them out of
darkness, saved them by His grace. What can we do but lay our cares
before Him? What else should they do? They didn't demand the Lord to
do something. They didn't give Him any suggestions. Oh, how many times have I found
myself Immediately, asking the Lord's forgiveness for me seeking
and putting some stipulations on the things that are burdening
me. Asking and laying out, not trying
to do it in an arrogant way, but laying out situations that
I thought might be pertinent to an issue. Lord, behold, He left the matter in his hands
and appealed to his good pleasure to do that which was right. Listen
to this, Philippians 4.6. Be careful for nothing. That is, don't fret or have any
anxiety about a matter. Be careful for nothing, but in
everything, everything, every circumstance by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known
unto God. Don't, don't, don't be anxious
about anything. Oh my. Oh how much I need. How much help I need. Surely our Lord knew the situation.
He is the one who has been given all power over all flesh that
He should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given
Him. But though He's surely going to do His pleasure, remember
in Ezekiel chapter 36, all those things, the Lord said, I will,
I will, I will yet. For all these things will I be
inquired of. by the house of Israel. So let's
learn from this scripture, from this prayer, the direction of
God's Spirit on teaching us as we appeal and approach the Lord
in need. May we lay it at His feet and
wait. Lord, He whom Thou lovest is
sick. That's all they said. You know, there's many, as I
was saying, Brother Pat, Brother Don, Bob Coffey, Sister Sandy, Joe, there's many that we know that
are truly sick. And sickness is no sign whatsoever
for a believer of God's displeasure. For those that believe, I know
according to the scriptures that sickness is a mark of fatherly
love, whom the Lord loveth. He chastened him. Everyone that
he receiveth, he chasteneth. We don't know the heart of each
other. We don't know. The Lord does.
Every situation, you say, yeah, but they're sick. According to
the Word of God, that sickness is an angel in disguise to our
understanding. An angel. An angel. A messenger of God's mercy. I've
told you what Charles Spurgeon said. He said there's no blessing
like health, but no greater blessing than
sickness. Sickness is by God's grace to
a believer is a messenger of His mercy, compassion, oh, how
it causes us to call upon Him. What do you think these two sisters
would have said if their brother was well? They wouldn't have
said that. They wouldn't have cried
out, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. To an unbeliever,
one that dies in unbelief, I can tell you this, sickness is the
token of God's displeasure. and it is the messenger of wrath.
But oh, when we find that God has given us the freedom and
comfort to draw our hearts and unburden our hearts to Him, how
He is honored, how He is magnified. When there appears to be no hope,
how the Lord is exalted, He who is our hope and confidence, And
the believer knows the Lord is going to do that which He is
pleased. He's going to do that which is
best for us, without a doubt. I know that. I know that. You
say, how can it be that I'm in this situation right here? How
can it be that it's like that? In all things, give thanks. This is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. Can it be that this situation
for Lazarus was the best? Absolutely. The Lord knows He's
going to do that which is right. We have not a high priest who
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He cares. He hears. When we find ourselves in situations
as this, and we often do, and if we're not there now, I can
tell you this, we will. We will. This life is not going
to last forever. Our time is coming. Just rest
assured. When we find ourselves in dire
straits, humanly speaking, here's the comfort. I have Him to call
upon. I have Him to lay my burden at
His feet. And He loves me. He loves me. And I love Him. And I'm so thankful
that I can pray. And I can know that He's honored
When I confess unto Him my weakness and His total strength, that
settles my heart. I can settle down asking for
His guidance, asking for His help, asking for His mercy. What did they do? They approached
Him as servants, as beggars, but as children. The Lord loved them. They were
His in adopting grace, redeeming grace. We're not on the throne. He is. We don't dictate. We don't bargain. We don't bargain with Him. We
make our request known unto Him and it's over. It's over. Psalm 37.5. Listen to this. Commit
thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him. What a privilege that the Lord
would give me a heart to trust Him. Neil, where else are you
going? Where are you going? Trust also
in Him, and listen to this, and He shall bring it to pass. There's our confidence in His
time and in His way. Commit thy way unto the Lord,
trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Well, having sent unto the Lord,
this prayer. That's what they did. I don't
know how they did it, they said. Therefore, verse 3, his sisters
sent unto him. Whether they went, whether they
asked somebody, excuse me, Lord, he whom thou lovest is
sick. 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. I'm sorry. assures Martha and Mary of his
knowledge of their brother's sickness. This sickness, this
particular sickness is not unto death. Now here's an amazing
thing. Let me tell you what I saw the
understanding of that passage when he said this sickness is
not unto death. And almost all, everybody that, you know, agrees
with this, though Lazarus would surely succumb to physical death,
his body was going to die, but this particular sickness, unlike
most sicknesses, when someone dies, their spirit is gone, This particular
sickness would not be a sickness whereby Lazarus was finally,
his spirit was finally taken out of this world to eternity.
This sickness is not unto death. This sickness was a marvelous
sickness. This particular type, this sickness is for the glory
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." He didn't
say that Lazarus wasn't going to physically die. He didn't
tell him that he was going to raise Lazarus from the grave.
He just told him. He said this sickness is for
the glory of God. Deuteronomy 29.29 says this,
the secret things belong unto the Lord our God. But those things
which are revealed belong unto us, to our children forever,
that we may do all the words of this law. There are some secret
things that Almighty God does in the lives of His people. Things
that we just don't Understand. We just don't see. We just don't perceive. How is
it, Lord, that you would do it this way? How? Lord, why? The secret things
belong unto the Lord, our God. That's just the way it is. The Lord knows. But those things
that are revealed, this sickness was revealed by the Lord, it
was going to be to His honor and to His glory. Now how that
was going to be manifest, He didn't set that forth, but He
left His purpose to be believed by Martha and Mary. He just left,
He said, this sickness is not unto death. It's not going to
be the way that Lazarus is finally separated from this world, to
be in the presence of God eternally, but are we not often left to
behold that which the Lord is doing with a veiled eye? Do we not behold Those things
that are hidden to us, we see them but we don't see them. And
we don't know. Our lot is to believe Him and
to wait on Him. Wait. It's enough to know that
every detail of the lives of God's people are so ordered to
glorify Him and to cause us to cast ourselves upon His mercy. Is there anything that the Lord
has done or is doing in the lives of His people that's not according
to His good will? He worketh all things. Romans
8.28, as I've said so many times, it's always Romans 8.28. And
we know that all things work together for good. You say, I
just don't see how this was good. Well, that's because we don't
see as God sees. And we don't know as He knows.
And our ways are not His ways and vice versa. Oh, the glory of the power of
God to reveal to me or to any one of His people that our lot
is to honor and glorify Him in His ways In His dealings, what
comfort that is. So if His love is exhibited to
me or to any of His people as it was to Lazarus by being sick,
struggling, financially struggling, suffering for His namesake, what
can I say? But Lord, it's good for me that I've been
afflicted. that I might learn thy statutes. William Mason, one of the old
writers, wrote this. How many are thy thoughts of
love? Thy mercies, Lord, how great. We have not hours nor words enough,
their numbers to repeat. When I'm afflicted, poor and
low, and light and peace depart. My Jesus sees my heavy woe and
bears me on his heart. I pray that the Lord teach us
something concerning prayer. We have brethren, we have brethren
that are afflicted and it is but their appointed time, as
I said a moment ago, And by God's good pleasure, if He's pleased
to leave us here, it shall be according to the Word of God,
it'll be our time. And may the Lord keep us in the
midst, and may we be found praying for one another in this life,
laying it at His charge, not stipulating, not stipulating. Lord, behold. He whom thou lovest
is sick. May God bless these words to
our heart for Christ's sake. Amen. All right.