Thank you, ladies. Well, go back
to John chapter 11 if you would, and I want to talk to you about
a beloved family in Bethany. This is a family our Lord loved. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Our Lord just before this in
the latter part of John chapter 10, He had been in Jerusalem
in Judea And when he said that he and his father are one, the
Jews were ready to stone him. And a little bit later in chapter
10, they were more irritated, even more irritated at the things
that he had to say. And they were once again ready
to take his life. And he escaped and he went into
Galilee. And I mentioned Wednesday night
that between John 10 and John 11, roughly two to three months lapsed or
took place. Our Lord's in Galilee, and of
course, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, they lived in Bethany, a couple
of miles from Jerusalem. So obviously, they're in Judea. They sent a messenger, Martha
and Mary sent a messenger to the Savior where He was. He was over in the area where
John the Baptist had been preaching and baptizing. And the message
was a simple one. They didn't say, would you come
heal our brother? They just said, he whom thy lovest
is sick and left it with the Master. to do as he would. And so they sent a messenger.
A messenger goes beyond the Jordan and informed the Savior. And
the Lord Jesus then told his disciples, after he delayed a
couple of days, he told his disciples, he said, I'm going back into
Judea. And his disciples said, you shouldn't
do that, because you know, the last time you were there, they
tried to kill you. But the Savior insisted. You
know, before this, there are several occasions where it seemed
like our Lord's life was in jeopardy, but he said, my hour has not
yet come. In old eternity, it was purposed
that the Savior would come into this world and lay down His life
for the sheep. It's the only way God could be
a just God and a Savior. It's the only way He could deal
with our sins was by His death, because as we all know, the wages
of sin is death. but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And so the Savior, he couldn't
die until this hour was come. But as we get to John chapter
11, and then even in the next chapter, he says, my hour has
come. You see, from the resurrection
of Lazarus to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ is roughly,
roughly about two weeks. So that time is drawing ever
nearer. And he would never avoid that. It was for that purpose of dying
that he came into the world. He knew full well all the things
that would befall him because he purposed all things himself.
And that time ordained for him to die. had been written down in the
book of God's eternal decrees, and now it's just about time
to come to pass. And so, he tells his disciples,
and he's in Galilee now, he tells his disciples, I must go back
into Judea. And the disciples said, that's
not a good idea. You know, the last time you were
over there, they tried to kill you. And he said, well, I'm going
back. In fact, Didymus also called
Thomas, verse 16, look what he said. When the Savior said he
was going back, look at verse 16, John 11, 16. Then said Thomas,
which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, let us
also go that we may die with him. And he's not talking about
dying with Lazarus, he's talking about dying with the Lord Jesus.
Let's all go with him, we'll all die together. Our Lord had
indeed told His disciples as early as Matthew chapter 16 that
He must go to Jerusalem and He must suffer many things at the
hands of these cruel men and He must be put to death and buried
and raised again the third day. He said these things must happen
and they had to happen because they were purposed by God. And now he says, it is the time,
and Thomas says, remembering no doubt what the Savior had
said, on that occasion, and if you remember Matthew chapter
16, that's where Simon Peter said, thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God. Remembering that occasion when
he said, the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things, well, Thomas says, Well, let's go with them, we'll all
die together. No, they wouldn't die together. His death would be that death
of all deaths. That's the death that satisfied
God's justice. That's the death that put away
our sins. That's the death that established
righteousness. Well, once our Lord received
word concerning the sickness of Lazarus, and might I say this,
he didn't need to receive the word. He knew. He knew. So let me begin this
message, and I'll be continuing this this evening, the Lord willing. Let me begin the message by speaking
to you about the compassionate Savior. Our Lord had great compassion
for this family in Bethany. I don't know anything about the
rest of the folks in Bethany. We're not told anything about
them. But I do know that in the town of the village of Bethany,
there were three people, our Lord loved them from all eternity. Because the scripture says, if
you'll look down at verse 5 of chapter 11, now Jesus loved Martha
and her sister, who was Mary, and Lazarus. I don't know anything
about the rest of the people in the village, but I know this
was a beloved family. This is a special family to the
Savior. And when Lazarus got sick, he
was sick by the appointment of the Lord Jesus Christ. These
things don't happen by accident. They don't happen unforeknown
by him or unordained by him. He knew full well that Lazarus
was very sick. And when the messenger got there
and gave him word that Lazarus was ill, the Lord Jesus purposefully
delayed two days. Let me say to some of you who
are suffering, some of you who are sick, there are people who
are watching, some are bed-fast, some have other physical ailments,
And you say, I've sought God, I've sought the Lord and asked
Him to heal and to restore, but He hasn't done that. Well, do
not misjudge Him in the fact that He doesn't immediately do
something. Don't misjudge Him and conclude,
well, He doesn't care. He does care. And any apparent, apparent, delay
will bring him the greater glory and work together for your good. Do not despair. You'll notice
that Mary and Martha, when they sent the messenger to the Savior,
they just said in verse number three, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick. They didn't even say, Lord, come
heal him. They didn't even say, Lord, if
it be your will, please restore our brother to good health. They
left the matter in his hands. Because listen, all things are
in his hands anyway. And he full well knows what our
desires are. I'm certainly not suggesting
that you don't bring your prayer requests and your petitions to
the Lord. We're instructed to do that.
But know this, He thoroughly understands everything you're
going through with and what might seem to you to be a delay or
that He's not acting on your behalf. When you think anything
like that, you're misjudging the Savior. You see, the Bible
says all things are of God. And for the child of God, all
things are working together for your good, that is, to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
And because He doesn't answer your prayer request immediately,
Do not think that indicates unconcern or that you're in disfavor with
Him. You have no idea, I have no idea
the depth of our Lord's affection for all of His children. It says here in verse 5 again,
now Jesus loved these people. And I say to those of the people
of God who are suffering, who are sick, who have disease, some
have cancer, some have heart disease, some have other physical
ailments, some the infirmities of old age, I say to you, remember
this, you are greatly loved by the Savior. He loved you to such
a degree that he came and gave his life for you. He bore your sins and iniquities
upon the cross of Calvary. He put away your sins, and he
said, I'll never leave you, and I'll never forsake you. He's
a compassionate Savior. Compassionate Savior. You see,
this apparent delay was with a purpose. For if he, let's just,
for the sake of argument, let's say he had left Galilee and immediately
gone and healed Lazarus. Well, that would have been wonderful.
It'd been glorious. But that would not have been
a miracle to the same degree as raising a man from the dead
who's been dead four days. Can you not trust God? Can I not trust God to always
do what's best for us in every single situation? We read in Romans 11, for of
him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory
now and forever. And so our Lord goes into Judea. He is the compassionate Savior.
He has determined everything about this event. I'm sure the disciples thought
when the messenger came to Christ on the other side of the River
Jordan, I'm sure that the disciples said, pack your bags, we're leaving
immediately. The Savior said, no, He's gonna
stay there and preach a while longer. He was governing all things.
And we see his compassion for Martha and for Mary. The shortest verse in the Bible,
Jesus wept. He's full of compassion for his
children. That song, Every once in a while we sing
it, does Jesus care? And you know how the chorus goes?
Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is
touched with my grief. Oh, he cared, but he didn't act
immediately because he would act when he would receive the
greatest honor and glory. And then I want you to consider,
secondly, not only the compassionate Savior, but the chosen family.
Now after thinking about this, first of all, let me say, if
there's a person in here who perhaps you live by yourself
or maybe you're a spouse and your husband or wife is an unbeliever. It's a blessed thing that there
is a child of God in the home. God didn't bypass you with his
grace, with his mercy. Just one, just one. And I think of the song we sometimes
sing, no, never alone, right? That's an old one. No, never
alone. He promised never to leave me,
never to leave me alone. It's a blessed thing where you
have one. But in this situation, the Spirit
of God has said before us a beautiful portrait of a family in union
They not only love each other, but they're the beloved of the
Lord. And they love the Lord. What
a special family this is. It's a glorious site, an entire
household, worshiping together, honoring God together. breaking
bread and praying together. What a blessing! And if in your
house, husband and wife, perhaps children as well, that's a beautiful
picture. It's a beautiful thing. Where
husband and wife and children pull together, all seeking the
honor and glory of Christ Jesus. That's marvelous. Certainly the
natural union of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, that was special
because it, hey, same mom and daddy. And I don't know, they
probably had their fusses, because brothers and sisters sometimes
have brothers and sisters have fusses in the family. But they
loved one another, but there's an even deeper union and harmony
in that little house in Bethany. By the way, Bethany means the
house of misery. And when Lazarus got sick, it
was a miserable place. And when Lazarus died, it was
even more miserable. But I'll tell you what the Lord
can cause. He can cause misery to change and bring joy. And
that's what he did. But here's this household, three
people, pulling together. honoring the Savior, living as
brothers and sisters in Christ. The Spirit of God shows us a
blessed sight. You see, here's the tie that
binds the children of God together in one home. Not just the natural
ties, And that's important. I certainly wouldn't downplay
that. But there's an eternal union that the children of God
in one home have, and that will never be broken. That will never
be interrupted. Members of the family of God,
of the household of faith, Born of the same seed. The incorruptible
seed by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever. Born
by the power of the same Spirit. Washed in the same fountain filled
with blood. Robed with the garments of God's
own salvation. You stand in the beauties of
Christ Jesus. What a beautiful family this
was. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus standing
clothed before a holy God in the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. What a beautiful family. And I'm talking to several people
now and several families within your household. All are washed. All are robed. That is a great blessing to you. This is a chosen family. Because
you see, earthly relationships, they've got to end. But spiritual relationships,
they go on forever. How blessed is the family where
all within the house worship God through the Lamb of God. I was thinking as I prepared
this message, I was thinking about when the Lord told Moses
to tell the elders of Israel, instruct the families, Passover
night was coming, and the Lord said, choose a male, a lamb,
could be from the sheep or the goats, Choose a male of the first
year in the perfection of strength. Nothing wrong with him. Put it
up for four days. Examine it. Make sure there's
nothing wrong with it. Doesn't have some kind of disease
or whatever. And then dad, dad would kill
that offering unto God, that Passover lamb. He'd catch the
blood in a basin. grab some hyssop and go outside
and put that blood on both sides of the doorpost and over the
top of the doorpost and go back in and they'd roast that lamb
and the family would sit down and dine together. And I'll tell you, because of
our Lord Jesus and His substitutionary death for us, we have come in
here once again this morning, the family of God, to dine together. And we feast on that lamb of
God. He said, my flesh is bread indeed
to you. It's meat to you. Blessed are
those, he said, who eat of me and drink of me. I tell you,
when we come in and we hear the gospel of God's grace, irregardless
of who the speaker is, the speaker's not important, as long as he's
one of God's servants, of course. But as the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ, as the grace of God is laid out, it's like we're
spreading before you a banquet table full of wonderful things. It's the diet that a child of
God needs. And we feast together. We're
the household of God, you see. We're the family of our Lord.
He brought us into His family. He purged us. He washed us. He
robed us. We're His. When the Spirit of
God quickened us, He made us aware of the fact that we now
have the privilege of saying, I'm a child of God, and I can
sit at the family table. We're like Mephibosheth. We sit
at the king's table. Oh, he was still lame on both
feet. But David having sent orders
to fetch him, to fetch Mephibosheth to him, David the king said to
Mephibosheth, you'll eat at my table the rest of the days of
your life. And we're the lame ones that
sovereign effectual grace has gone out and fetched us and brought
us to Christ Jesus. Do we still have our lameness?
Do we still have our sinfulness? Yes, we do. But he says, sit
at my table and dine on an exquisite diet, which is the gospel of
God's free and sovereign grace. You see, we are the household
of God. And when we come together, we
do so as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were
the children of the same Heavenly Father. And our Lord Jesus, He was touched
with the feelings of their infirmities. Martha, Martha seems to be the
head of the household. Tradition says that she was the
widow of Simon the leper, and that she had now become the head
of the household. And it was her house, according
to Luke chapter 10 and verse 38, I believe it is. She was
the head of the house, Martha. She was kind of rambunctious, you know,
and always ready to step out. To me, Martha and Mary had different
personalities, which often happens among siblings. And Martha was
a take-charge kind of gal, and those are necessary. She was
ready to serve. But Mary, in that passage in
Luke chapter 10, she set at His feet. Even in this portion of
Scripture, when Martha heard Christ was coming, she got up,
she went out to meet Him. That's her personality. What about Mary? She sat still
in the house. A lot of differences in the household
of God, aren't there? A lot of different personalities
and all that sort of stuff. But that's okay. That's okay. We all get along by the grace
of God, whatever we be. Martha, Mary, She sat at Jesus'
feet and heard his word. And then Lazarus, and Lazarus,
by the way, it's a New Testament name for the Old Testament, Eleazar,
which means God is my helper. And literally, it means God has
helped. God has helped. You say, well,
how had the Lord already helped Lazarus? He chose him unto salvation
in old eternity. He helped him then. He sent his
son into the world to redeem him. He helped him then. And
he's gonna help him now. And once Lazarus has died, our
Lord is gonna bring him back to life. But of course, he was
destined to die again. I've been asked numbers of times,
well, where did Lazarus, where'd he go? Where'd he go for three
and a half days or whatever, ever how long he'd been dead?
Well, he went into paradise. That's where he went. And then he came back. Our Lord
raised him. And Lazarus never said one single
word about what he saw in heaven. They had met something. And the apostle Paul, he was
caught up to the third heaven, is what he wrote. He said, I
saw things that, well, it's not lawful for me to even tell you
about them. So don't you believe these folks
who say, you know, I died and I went to heaven and I saw this,
that, and something else. I was talking to a lady not too
long ago and said somebody in her family said she had a dream
and in her dream she saw, she went to heaven, she saw Elvis
Presley sitting on a horse playing his guitar. I wouldn't believe that if I
was you. But it's all kind of stuff, you
know, that people say. But we have, we have, Illustrations
in the scripture of men who died, and they never said a word about
what they saw. But our Lord raised him. Give
you one last thing. And I'm trying to alliterate
this a little bit, if you're keeping up. When I finish tonight,
I will have covered seven points. First one's the compassionate
Savior. Pay attention to the C. The chosen
family, the seed. Now here's the common, common
thread. Common thread. What is the common
thread? What is the common thread that
bound these three together? What is the common thread? It's
verse five. Jesus loved Martha and her sister. and Lazarus. That's the common
thread. Here's one family living in harmony,
and this is what they all had in common. The Savior loved them. In fact, when the sisters sent
word to the Lord Jesus that Lazarus was sick, they didn't say, our
brother whom we love so much is sick. And they didn't say,
our brother, Lazarus, who loves you with all of his heart, he
is sick. No. Because you see, their love
for the Lord Jesus, as with our love for the Lord Jesus, is not
worth mentioning. Here's the love that is worth
mentioning, and talking about, and singing about, and preaching
about. Here's the common thread. Jesus
loved them. That's the amazing thing. You see, there are those in this
world who are loved by the Lord, and others who are not. And I
don't know who he loves and who he doesn't love. None of my business.
I cannot tell you, smile, God loves you. Because I can't look
into the book of God's eternal decrees. God said, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. My business is not to pry into
the secret things of God. My business is to preach the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He'll sort out all these things
that he's decreed. I'm confident of that. I can't
tell you, if you're an unbeliever, I cannot tell you whether the
Lord loves you or not. I have no knowledge of that.
I can't look into the book of God's eternal purpose. I don't
know whether Christ died for you or not. I don't know whether
the Holy Spirit's gonna draw you or not, but I do know this.
I know the message that he uses to draw people to Christ. It's
this glorious gospel of free grace. And if within your heart right
now, God the Spirit shows you something of the holiness of
God, the demands of God of perfection, your own imperfections, your
own sinfulness, and if it shows you the Lord Jesus Christ, the
only Savior of sinners, the only One who helps the helpless, the
only One whose bloody death put away sin, The only one who established
a righteousness for sinners who are in our self-righteous rags
by nature. I know this, if the Spirit of
God shows you those things and draws you to Jesus Christ, and
in your heart you think this way, I must have this Savior. I've got to have this salvation.
Oh God, save me by your grace. If God puts that within your
heart, I can tell you then, He loves you. And Christ died for
you. And the Spirit of God is regenerating
you. Our Lord loved these three. That's the common thread. And those that He loves is not
due to anything in them or done by them. And I've had people say this
to me, and occasionally the thought crosses my mind, but really it's
not a good thought. I don't know how the Lord could
love me. Wait a minute. There is no reason why He should
love you. So just abandon that kind of
thinking. He loved you because He would.
and He loved you and the Lord Jesus, the Savior. You say, well,
I'm not worthy of His love. Nobody is. That's a fact. We're not worthy to be loved
by our Lord. We're not worthy of Him to come
and sacrifice His life, to lay down His life to save the likes
of us. It's not about our worthiness. It's about His worthiness. It's
about His fitness. The one who died in our stead. Hosea chapter 14 verse 4 says,
I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely without
a cause. There's no cause in you. You
just abandon that kind of, I don't know why the Lord loved me. Come
on now, let's get away from that. You're going to start sounding
kind of self-righteous or something if you're not careful there. Let's just understand this. There is no reason in you in
the sentence. Let's get on with it. He loves
you in the Lord Jesus, the Savior. That's who He loves. He loves
you from old eternity in Christ. God put you in Christ before
the world began, and He did so in everlasting love. And that
love of God for you is in Christ Jesus. It was then, it is now,
it always will be. He loves us freely. And he loves us, though we're
all different. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Now,
we don't know much about the personality of Lazarus. Maybe he never had an opportunity
to talk. I don't know. Maybe he's like a rose between
two thorns. I don't know. I don't know anything
about that situation. But I do know this, they were
greatly loved by the Lord Jesus Christ. And that which he did
for them, he did for them out of his heart's great compassion
and love. And that which he is doing for
you, my brethren and sisters in Christ, those of you who are
watching, the things that he does for you, is always from
His great heart that's just bursting, bursting and overflowing with
affection for you. That's something good to take
home with you. Think about that. You know, even the enemies of
the Gospel, when they saw the Lord Jesus weeping at the tomb
of Lazarus with Mary and Martha, You know what they said? Behold
how he loved him. And I say to you, behold how
he loves you and me. I believe I can go to lunch on
that. That helps. Let's get a songbook
and we'll turn to