Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me, if you would, to the gospel according to John. John 11. We continue through this blessed
book. John 11. I'd like to look at
verses 3 and 4 this morning. And we're considering a certain
man that was sick. It was a man that was loved of
the Lord. A man who had two sisters and
they knew and loved the Lord and He loved them. How precious is the thought that
the Lord Jesus Christ knows his people and loves them, not willing
that any of his people should perish. Long-suffering, gentle,
meek, kind. Mercy. had been shown to this
little family. It doesn't mention anything about
a mom and daddy. I don't know. Maybe they probably
passed away. I don't know. But it mentions
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And now, in a time of great need,
they call upon the great physician. It's a great blessing that we
would have loved ones to pray for us and seek the Lord, call
upon the Lord. James 5, verse 16, the Scripture
says this, Confess your faults one to another.
Pray one for another that you may be healed. It's been talking
about, if you look in that passage of Scripture, it's talking about
healing. It's talking about people that are sick, praying and asking.
The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. I had one day, a few years ago,
I was talking to Doris Mahan. Long since, I'm not able to talk
to Henry on the phone. He just can't hear, you know.
And not on the phone. I mean, he can hear, but not
on the phone. And I was talking to Doris, and
she made this statement to me. She said, I want you to know
that Henry and I pray for you daily, calling your name before
our Father's throne. And I'm telling you, that meant
so much to me. Because I know she meant it. You know? A lot
of times you'll hear on television, you know, people in the news,
people, tragedies and stuff like that. They talk about this, say,
you know, my thoughts and prayers are with you. It's just like
something they just pulled out of their back pocket. You know,
it just sounds, I mean, it's just what you say. But I'm talking
about when a believer He tells you, I'm praying for you, I'm asking
the Lord to have mercy, calling on the Lord on your behalf. This family here, these two sisters,
they called upon Him who is truly all of their hope They asked
him according to his will, according to his deity. They said in verse
3, Therefore his sisters sinner to him, because Lazarus was sick. That's what it says in verse
2. And it said unto him, Lord, You who have all authority. Lord, You who are supreme. Lord, You who speaks, and it
is. Lord, You by whom all things
consist. Lord, You who made All things. Lord, it was You. You're the source of everything. It pleased the Father that by
the Lord Jesus Christ, all things that were made, that's what Scripture
says, all things were made by Him, It was for Him. And without Him, not anything
made was made. Let me tell you why. Because all
power, Mike, was given unto Him from the Father. That He should give eternal life
to as many as the Father had given Him. He's going to save those people.
He's going to call them out of darkness. He knows them. They hear His voice in time.
When He speaks, they're going to hear. And they're going to
follow Him. So what He's done is He's made
all things. And He's ordered all things.
He predestinated all things to bring all things to the salvation of His elect,
to His glory. He raises up nations and He puts
down nations. He shows mercy and He leaves
to themselves. He does as He will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Nobody stops Him. He does as He will. This is God. This is who God
is. And that's who they're calling
to. Lord, behold. Oh, what faith! Lord, you who sees all things,
can you imagine? He made everything. The eyes
of the Lord behold all things. He's omniscient. He knows everything. Why? Because He orders everything. He's ordained everything. Lord,
behold, I'm going to be inquired of by
You. Oh, how honoring it is to our
Lord when we call upon Him. Lord, would You consider? Lord, would You look? Lord, God's
people speak with a spirit of humility. God's people, they're
brought to see. They know who they are. They
say, we're sons of God. That's right. We're heirs of
God. That's right. Joint heirs with
Christ. That's right. And you know the
attitude that an heir of God has? A joint heir with Christ
has? Do you know the attitude that
a son of God has? It's this, Lord, Lord, behold, I know He's going to do that
which is pleasing in His sight. I know that we can but ask and
seek and knock. That's what He told us to do.
Do it with importunity. Those in your family, your neighbors,
those that know not the Lord, pray for them. Pray for them. Lord, would You have mercy? I've told you before, I've got
those in my family that don't know God, don't care. Call their names. I've got a brother. I love him. I love him. Don't talk to him often. Just
a few times a year. Lord, my brother's lost. My brother
is lost. Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest, I want you to consider to what
they appealed. They did not appeal to, Lord,
he that loves thee. They didn't appeal to, Lord,
we that love you. Lord, he whom thou lovest. Oh, to appeal to the very heart
of a man's hope. Lord, He that You love. What is our love compared to
His love? I'll tell you this, that word right there in verse
3, He whom thou lovest, and the word in verse 5, that Jesus loved
Martha, those are two different words. Oh, our love to Him. What is our love to Him compared
to His eternal, perfect love to us? Lord, He whom thou lovest. It's sick. It's sick. What faith. They didn't try to demand to
the Lord to do something. They didn't give Him any suggestions.
Don't we know that the Judge of all the earth is going to
do right? Is He going to do that which is pleasing in His sight?
What did they do? They left the matter totally
in His hands. I think about those in our congregation, those in other congregations. I think about those of us here
that are afflicted, physically afflicted. And I try and ask
and pray to the Lord, Would you bring back this Scripture to
my heart? Lord, those that you love, afflicted, leaving the
matter in His hands, appeal to His good pleasure to do that
which was right. Surely I know the Lord knew the
situation concerning Lazarus. I know that it ordered it. All
power, as I said a moment ago, was given unto Him. But though
He shall surely do that which is right according to His pleasure,
though He is going to show mercy to whomsoever He will, I know
according to Ezekiel 36, 37, yet for these things will I be
inquired of." Ask Him. God's people are not presumptuous.
Pray, as I've said before, pray for this assembly. You say, well,
we've been here. Katie, it's a stable place. I beg your pardon. This place
is only as stable as the will of God. He said, I hold the seven
stars and the seven candlesticks in my hand. Almighty God can
move this assembly. This could be the last time this
place is ever here. Almighty God could burn this
building down and disperse it. He's going to feed His sheep.
He's going to take care of His people. That's what I told them
in Cottagefield. He's going to, last week when
we was there, He's going to take care of His people. God's people
are going to eat. He's going to take care of His own. But
I'm telling you, God's not obligated to leave any place anywhere.
He moves the candlestick. wherever he's pleased to do so.
And I could read of places that were. Metropolitan Tabernacle
over in London, England used to have to get a ticket to be
able to attend the services. You had to have a ticket to have
a seat. Preached over 5,000 people a
week. Mr. Scurgeon did. And He died,
and I mean within just a few years. It was gone. That Tripolitan
tabernacle is not there anymore. Places that God Almighty has
raised up, and they're not there. Lord, appealing to You, appealing
to Your knowledge, appealing to Your will, He whom Thou lovest
is sick. Now, let's learn from the direction
of God's Spirit when we appeal and approach the Lord in need
to lay it at His feet and then wait upon Him. There are a lot
of folks in this world that think they have a handle on God. And
I had somebody tell me one time concerning one in my family that
was sick. And they told me, they said,
I can lay hands on them and heal them. And I said, you're not
going to lay hands on them. I can tell you that right now.
I know what you believe. We worship two gods. No, you're
not. They said, well, then their blood
is going to be on your hands. I said, you're not going to lay
hands on them. Lord, he whom thou lovest is
sick. Sickness is no sign of God's
displeasure. Ecclesiastes 9.1 says the righteous
and the wise and their works are in the hands of God. And no man knoweth either love
or hatred by all that is before them. Somebody might say it's
the displeasure of God that somebody is sick. I beg your pardon. the
Lord loved Lazarus. And Almighty God had set forth
that for his glory this man was saved. Oh, what comfort to be able to
unburden our heart to him and how he is honored when there
appears to the world to be no hope, he is our hope. Ease our confidence. The believer
knows that the Lord is surely going to do that which is best
for His people. Right. Honorable. We don't have
a high priest. We cannot be touched with the
feelings of our infirmities. He knows. He cares. He hears. Why are God's people going through
what they're going through? For God's honor? Why do they die the way they
do? For His glory? For His praise? He keeps them. In the midst of
their frailty, they appealed unto the Lord. He is honored
when we behold our weakness in His all-powerful strength. And
we pray, asking for His mercy and His will. How do they approach Him? Servants. Servants. Lord, we are not on
the throne. He is. We don't dictate. We make our requests known unto
God. And we leave it in His hands
This is the privilege of a believer. Psalm 37 5 says, Commit thy way
unto the Lord. That's our responsibility. Commit thy way unto the Lord.
Trust also in Him. That's our privilege. And He
shall... This is our confidence. He shall
bring it to pass. How? In whatever way He's pleased
to. Whatever way he sees fit. Well,
having sinned unto him, our Lord answered their request. Verse 4, 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. Here, our
Lord assured Martha and Mary of his knowledge of Lazarus'
sickness. This sickness, this particular
sickness, this one that Lazarus is experiencing right now, this
sickness is not unto death. Although Lazarus would truly
succumb to death temporarily, This particular sickness was
not going to be the means by which Lazarus finally was taken
out of this world into eternity to dwell in the presence of God.
Not this one. Not this one. Now, there was
going to come something else. Because Lazarus was going to
die and then truly be out. But I'm telling you, this sickness
is not unto death. This sickness had a marvelous
purpose. This sickness, this particular
sickness, is for the glory of God, that the Son of God might
be glorified thereby. Now the Lord was pleased to not
tell them immediately. what He was going to do. He did
not tell them that He was going to raise, at that moment, He
was going to raise their brother Lazarus from the dead. He just
told them, He said this sickness, told His disciples, whoever the
messengers were, somebody came to tell Him this particular sickness is not unto death. What is God
doing right now? We've got some precious people,
not only in our congregation, other congregations. We've got
some wives of some beloved pastors that are sick. Why are they going through what
they're going through right now? Deuteronomy 29.29 says, The secret
things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are
revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we
may do all the words of His law. Do you know what doing all the
words of His law is? Believing Him. Believing Him. The Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished
all the demands of God's law. This is the will of God, that
you believe on Him whom God has sent. There it is. That you may do all the words
of the law. What are you doing? I'm going
to believe Him. I'm going to trust Him. Lord,
I believe. Help Thou my unbelief. Help me. That which was revealed
was that this sickness is going to be to God's honor. How he
was going to manifest it, he didn't let them know. He didn't
set that forth. But left his purpose to be believed
by Martha and Mary believing him. Doing that which God Almighty
had ordained that they would do. Belief. Faith. Faith. Believe in Him. What peace, what comfort when
I see myself or somebody that's struggling to be able, Lord,
help me. Help me to believe You. We're just not very often allowed
to see what the Lord's doing. We see the manifestations of
some things that are coming to pass, but as far as our lot,
Our lot is to believe Him. Rest on Him. It's enough to know
that every detail of our lives are so ordered, ordained to glorify
the blessed Savior. That's enough to cause us to
cast ourselves upon His mercy. If He reminds me of the power
of His Holy Spirit, And my lot is for His honor and His glory
and my good, what comfort that is for me. Lord, that I shall
see You soon, no more by sight and no more by faith, but by
sight. That's enough. If I could settle down by the
grace of God, come what may, it's okay. David said, it's good
for me that I've been afflicted that I might learn Thy statutes. Lord, he whom thou lovest is
sick." When he 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 going to close, and Lord
willing, next week, pick up in verse 4. Continuing there. But I'm going to close today
with this. A little something that William
Mason wrote that I thought was so good. He says, How many are
the thoughts of thy love? Thy mercies, Lord, how great! We have not ours, nor words enough,
their numbers to repeat. When I am afflicted, poor and
low, and light and pieced apart, My Jesus sees my heavy woe and
bears me on his heart. Lord bless these words to our
heart for Christ's sake.