Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me, if you would, to the gospel of John chapter 11. John chapter 11, verses 36 to 40. The scripture says, Then said
the Jews, Behold, how he loved him. 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? Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave and
a stone lay upon it. And 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. Jesus saith unto her, said I
not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the
glory of God." The scripture sets forth that
our blessed Lord, when he saw Mary and those with her, weeping. He groaned. That's what verse
33 says. He groaned in the Spirit and
was troubled. Now what that means is, he actually
caused himself to be troubled associating himself
with his people and their grief. He troubled. That's what it says. He groaned in the Spirit and
was troubled. He troubled himself. Now, I want you to turn with
me to Hebrews 4. Hold your finger there, John.
Hebrews 4, 15-16. Hebrews 4, verses 15-16. Precious Passenger Scripture,
we've read many times, but I want you to consider this afresh. Hebrews 4, 15-16. Notice it's present. For we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, but was, there was a time when he walked this
earth. but was in all points tempted
like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need." We have not, right now, a high
priest that cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
Right now. He knows. He knows. When he saw Mary and those with
her weeping, he groaned in his spirit, associating
himself with what they felt. He knows what it feels like as
a human being to feel the loss. of one that you love. And he asked, where have you
laid him? Set forth himself as the friend of sinners, actually
setting forth himself to be the Son of Man. Where have you laid
him? That's what I said last time.
That's what we would have said. Where have you laid him? associated
himself with his people. He knew where he was. They said,
come and see. And the scripture says that Jesus
wept. Not false tears. He troubled himself and wept
just like they did. Oh, the intimacy of our Lord
right now. Whoever liveth to make intercession
for us, he knows. Son of man, Son of God. And now
this morning, we want to continue with a statement that was made
by the Jews as they watched Him at the tomb of Lazarus. They
said, in verse 36, then said the Jews, Behold how He loved
Him. Now, I know this. They actually
saw the outward manifestation of sympathy of our Lord as He
beheld the effects of sin upon His people. He knew how they
felt. He entered into that. He groaned
in Himself, troubled Himself, entered in associating Himself
He wasn't just a stoic that didn't understand, didn't know. He willingly
entered in with them. And that willingness was according
to that everlasting covenant of mercy and grace to live as
their federal head, to walk Yet, no sin. But he walked as they
did. He felt as they did. Troubled
himself. He suffered the hatred of rebels
against himself. He knows what his people feels
like. When someone arrogantly speaks disrespectfully, he knows
that. How does he know? Well, look
at the next verse. And some of them said, that not
this man which opened the eyes of the blind hath caused that
even this man should not have died. Now here they were, speaking disrespectfully, arrogantly. Some of them said, behold how
he loved them. And some of them said, well,
let me ask you this. Couldn't this man, one that's opened the
eyes of the blind, couldn't he have caused that this man wouldn't
have died? I mean, if he loved him. Even we ever behold the unregenerate
that is ready to openly rebuke our Lord. to speak disrespectfully
to him according to those words that he speaks. Right now in
this glorious gospel, the heart of the unregenerate is going
to speak disrespectfully. Couldn't this man have done something?
Job 33.13 says, Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth
not account of any of his matters, The Lord doesn't owe any man
an explanation. Why did He choose one and leave
another to Himself? Because it pleased Him. That's
what Scripture says. Because it pleased Him. Why does
God pass by one and call another out of darkness? Because He chose
to show mercy to whom He would. Couldn't this man have done this?
This man could have done anything he wanted to do, and that's what
he did. That's exactly what he did. It is sufficient for us
to know that He does all things well. Whatever He does, whatever
my lot is, whatever your lot is, it's the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth Him good.
John 13, verse 7, the Scripture says, What I do thou knowest
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. We want by faith. Behold how he loved him. That's
the heart of a believer. Here's the same event viewed
by the unregenerate. Could not this man which opened
the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not
have died? Couldn't he have done that? The scripture says in verse 38,
Therefore, again, groaning in himself cometh to the grave."
It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Now, here's the second
time that the Scripture says forth that he groaned. Verse
33, he saw Mary and those with her weeping, and he groaned and
troubled himself, entering in with them in their hurt, And
they're sympathizing in their love for Lazarus. And he knew
and he wept. He wept with them. And now the Scripture says that
he was reprimanded. And he knew exactly what they
were saying. I don't doubt for one second they were over there
off to the side kind of watching. Here he is weeping tender. He was kind, compassionate. Here was Mary weeping for her
brother. The Lord loved Mary, loved Martha,
loved Lazarus. Mary was broken hearted and He
was broken hearted with her. Broken hearted with her. Weeping
with her. Here off to the side where I'm
sure nobody even thinks that He's going to be listening. Scripture says something about
Look at him. If he's so marvelous, he opened
the eyes of the blind. I wonder why he didn't save this
man. The Scripture says, verse 38,
Jesus, therefore, therefore, having heard what they said,
Jesus, therefore, again, groaning in himself. Here he groaned as
he felt and knew the antagonism of those that didn't know him.
Let me tell you the merciful part of this. They meant what
they said. And that attitude right there
is still within the old man of every believer. My friend, don't even think that
we're going to admit with any truthfulness, I never think to
second guess the Lord. Yes, we do. Yes, we do. Did I have to go through this?
I mean, couldn't the Lord have... The One that spoke this world
into existence. Why am I suffering this? Why
am I going through this? I love the Lord. I'm His own. Why couldn't the Lord that did
all of these miracles, couldn't the Lord have spared me from
this? Jesus therefore, again, groaned
in Himself, experiencing in Himself the contradiction of sinners
against Himself. The Scripture says, John 15,
18, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before
it hated you. How did he know that? He experienced it. He was
in all points. He knows what it feels like. He experienced and groaned in
himself. I'll admit it. I will admit it
as I've done numerous times. I struggle. Well, my old man,
you do too. You that know of, you do too.
You struggle. You struggle trying to pray.
You struggle trying to read. You're struggling trying to hear
right now. How far has our minds gone since
we got here this morning? There's not one person starting
right here that has absolutely, without any deviation, concentrated
perfectly on what's being said. My mind has been all over the
place. And here's that old man right here. Here's some right
here without a new man. And here's this new man with
that old man that still wars and strives. And he entered into
it and he knew, he knows what it feels like to feel that antagonism
against himself. He experienced The feeling, the
thoughts of that hatred, yet without sin, and groaned in himself
as he came to the grave. He didn't just walk this earth
being insensitive. He felt as we felt. He experienced
as we experienced. Oh, the effects of that old man.
See, if he didn't, we could truthfully say, Lord, you just don't understand.
You just don't know what it feels like to have to struggle like
this. Oh yes, he does. Oh yes, he does. That's why we have a great high
priest. A great high priest. One that's
able. One that knows. One that's entered
in. He knows how his people feel. He came to the grave. A stone
lay upon it. Lazarus was really dead. He was dead. He was dead. Verse 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. It
has been dead four days. Take ye away the stone. This man that Made the blind
to see. Could he have not caused that
even this man could not have died? Yeah, if he were pleased
to do so. He could have also spoke to the
rock and told the stone to move it. Move. That stone would have
moved. It would have been gone. He spoke
this world into existence. He made it out of nothing. He
made it out of nothing. Take ye away the stone. It is the Lord's way to use human
instruments. It pleased God through the foolishness
of preaching. Now, I'll tell you this, I have
just enough sense to know that I cannot preach eloquently enough. I don't have enough finesse,
I know that, to regenerate a sinner. I don't have the ability to talk
you into something. I cannot regenerate a sinner,
but I can tell you this, by the grace of God, I can preach the
gospel. I can pray. I can ask the Lord. He said when you pray, The unregenerate would say, well,
if He's willed it to do so, what difference does it make? What
we say or pray for? I mean, if He's going to do as
He willed in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants, why
do we have to even pray? Why do you have to hear the gospel?
Because it pleased Him through the foolishness of preaching.
And when you pray, And Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel.
It's the power of God in salvation. God Almighty has been pleased
to use human instruments. And He's going to accomplish
His will. His will is going to be done.
But I'll tell you this. He said, Faith cometh by hearing. by the gospel of God's grace,
the Word of God. I can attend the hearing of the
truth. I can't make it effectual. But
I can be where God's honored. They came to raise Lazarus from
the dead, but the Lord told them to move the stone away. I'll
tell you this, Ask God Almighty to do whatever
He is pleased to do. Pray. Search the Scriptures. Hear the truth preached. Do everything
that you possibly can do. And then realize this, when you
shall have done all these things which you are commanded, you
say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our
duty to do. And don't put any confidence
in your flesh. because you didn't accomplish
anything. Almighty God does all things
well. Remove the stone. And here our Lord, who was getting
ready to raise Lazarus from the dead, and it was a cave, the
Scripture says it was a cave, and a stone was rolled on him. There was a stone there. I want
you to remove the stone. You're going to smell the stench
of what a man is, is dead. You're going to smell him. You
move the stone. You smell the death of Lazarus. And Martha immediately, whenever
the Lord says, move this stone, she voiced what I'm sure everybody
was thinking. It's out there and you get a
whiff of it and you think, ooh. The Lord was going to let them
smell. This is death. This is what it
smells like. You move the stone. Lord, he's
been dead four days. And here we see again our weakness
of faith left to ourselves. I'm telling you, we would do
nothing but just ever put an obstacle before Almighty God's glory. Always ready. How quickly does
that old nature raise its head. Jesus saith unto her, verse 40,
said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God. Our Lord's statement to Martha
probably refers back when He told her, He said, this sickness
is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of
God may be glorified Thereby, by faith, his people were going
to see his glory, his opinion, his thinking. That's what Moses
asked him. Show me your glory. Lord, what
do you think? And now Martha, Mary, and those
that the Lord was pleased to reveal to Himself, they were
going to see it. Here they were going to set forth
The raising of a dead man. Raising from the grave one that
has truly been dead for four days. One that stinks in himself. But all of these beautiful pictures
set forth the glory of God and the regeneration of His people.
This is what we are by nature. We've been dead longer than four
days. But we're dead. Plumb dead in trespasses and
sins. Remove the stone. Remove the stone. You preach
the gospel. You go all over the world. Preach
the gospel. Do what you can. Put an article
in the paper if that's what you can do. Put it on sermon audio. Preach. Preach the truth. And I'll bless you. Remove the
stone. And put no confidence whatsoever
in your ability. Salvations of the Lord. And said
I not unto you that you'll see the glory of God, the opinion
of God, and the raising up from the dead of sinners who in themselves
stink. sinners saved by the grace of
God, that Almighty God would call one out of darkness, what
a smell of life. Lord, speak to our hearts today. Forgive us where we speak disrespectfully
in our hearts against You and question You. You're the Lord. You're the potter with the clay.
We are what we are by Your grace. For Christ's sake, Amen.