Okay, John chapter 11, I'm taking
the title for the message from verse 36. Verse 36, the friends
of Martha and Mary had gathered with the Lord at the grave of
Lazarus and as they watched The Lord Jesus Christ stand there
and weep. They said in verse 36, behold
how he loved him. He loved him. He loved him. So that's the title of the message.
Behold how he loved him. Now it is true. It is true. Certainly true. The Lord God
Almighty loves all of his Not all men everywhere without exception,
that's not true. But God does love His covenant
people with that same holy, eternal, unchanging, and sovereign love
of which He says nothing, not even our sin, Not even our death
can separate us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. You remember from Ephesians chapter
5 when he talks about the description of his church and the head of
the church, the Lord Jesus, and then it says that he loved the
church and gave himself for it. Dying love. He loves the church. He loves his people with everlasting
love, and they shall never, no, never, never shall they perish. Now you remember from John chapter
11, that Martha had heard that the Lord Jesus Christ had finally
come to Bethany. The sisters had waited at least
four days and anxiously, anxiously anticipated the Lord Jesus Christ
coming. Four days later, sure enough,
here he comes. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
be with them and to comfort them in this in time of heartache
and sorrow. The Lord declared unto Martha
that Lazarus would be raised again, as it says in verse 23.
He says to Martha, thy brother shall rise again. The Lord declares that He would
raise Lazarus from the dead, even though that his body was
dead and decaying. and rotting and in the ground,
as Martha said, surely by this time the body stinks. But the
Lord declared unto her that He is the resurrection, that He
is our hope, that He is our salvation. You see, without Him, there is
no resurrection. If Christ be not raised up, we
have no hope of salvation. He is our life, He is our resurrection,
He is our salvation. Without Him, we have no hope
of any spiritual blessing. And apart from Him, there is
nothing but judgment and condemnation. But in Him, Read Ephesians 1
sometime and notice how many times it says, in Him, in Him,
in Him we're chosen, in Him we're blessed, in Him in whom we have
redemption, in Him we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise
unto the day of redemption, in Him was all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily, and in Him we stand complete. What is there
apart from Him? Judgment, wrath, condemnation. The Lord says to Martha in verse
27, last part of verse 26, Martha do you believe this? Do you believe
this? That I am the resurrection, that
I am all of salvation, righteousness, redemption, and that those who
believe in me will never die, to be absent from the bodies,
to be present with the Lord. And she said, when the Lord asked
her that question, verse 27, yes, yes, yes. And I asked you that last week.
We ended up there last week. Yes, yes, Lord. I do believe. It's by His grace
that I do believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I do
believe He is the Messiah, the Prophet, Priest, and King, and
Lord of God, and Son of God. I do believe by His grace that
He is everything in salvation, that He is God Almighty, manifest
in the flesh, that He is the Son of God, and God the Son,
and He is the Son of Man, which should come into this world.
Why did He come? He didn't come here just with
a hope of saving somebody. He came here on a definite mission,
a mission of mercy, a mission of God's purpose to accomplish
all of salvation, of which he cannot fail, and which he did
not fail. He came to seek and to save the
lost. Did he get the job done? He saved
every lost man. You say, wait a minute, preacher,
all men are lost. No, they're not. Most men don't
need a Savior. Those who were plum lost, who
have no hope of salvation in anything but Christ, He came
to save every one of them, of which He says, Of all the Father
hath given me, I'll not lose one of them, but raise them up
again at the last day. That's the sure salvation we
have in Christ Jesus. Now today we see Mary being called
unto the Lord and the conversation that takes place there of whom? Now think about it. We had the
privilege this morning of hearing what Mary says to the Lord and
what the Lord says to her. Verse 28 of John 11, when she
had said, so said, that is Martha confessed that Christ is everything
in salvation, she went her way and called Mary her sister, secretly
saying, The Master has come. He's the Master of all things.
He's come. He's here and look at this. And
He calls for you. Wow. The Master calls for me. I mean, me? Me? That's what He says. He calls for you. For you. Now here we see the call of Mary. Mary responding quickly. Martha called for Mary to come
to the Lord at the Lord's request. The master, which means teacher,
which means comforter. The master we know is the one
who is Lord. He calls for thee. Turn over
to John 13, just a minute. Look at this scripture here.
The Lord used that term in regards to himself, master. He is the
master of all things, but the word actually means teacher.
You see John 13, 13, you call me master and Lord, Lord, and
you say, well, for so I am. I am the master. I am the teacher. No sweeter words can any guilty
sinner hear than the Master has come. The Lord has come and He
wants to see you. He wants to visit with you. He
wants an audience with you. The Master calls for you to come
and see. Now, the effectual call of the
Gospel. The call of the Gospel is effectual. The call of the Gospel. Now,
I realize there's a general call. But there is that secret, irresistible,
effectual call of the Gospel. And whoever brings that Gospel
message by the purpose of God, the will of God, it is sent by
the Lord Jesus Christ. He told us to go and preach the
Gospel to every creature. The Lord calls us to Himself
with the effectual call of the Gospel. The gospel of the grace
of God, the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. That call,
the call of God, with the gospel truth in the hands of God the
Holy Spirit, will not be resisted. It will not be successfully resisted,
although we may resist for a while, He will break us down. He's neither
of a broken heart, save it such as be the contrite spirit. This
call of the gospel in the hands of the Holy Spirit is always
effectual. Now preacher, that's a pretty
big word. Can you break it down? What does effectual mean? It
gets the job done. You understand that? The call
of the gospel. That's why we don't stand down
here at the end of the service and play that psychology game. You know, if you're really serious
about this salvation, you know, raise your hand and come forward
and make a decision and pray through. Salvation's not down
here. You understand that? Salvation's
in Christ. In the Lord Jesus Christ. Look
to Him. I point you to Him. The Lord would have you look
to Him. Notice something about this call.
He calls his own sheep by name. You remember back in John chapter
10? Turn back over there. To him that porteth open, and
sheep hear his voice, he calleth his own sheep, his own sheep,
he calls them by name. He's intimately acquainted with
all His elect, His sheep. He knows them. He's known them
from all eternity. He knows us by name. He calls
us. When He calls us, this call of
the gospel is a personal call. He called Matthew by name. Matthew,
follow me. There was another republican
named Zacchaeus, remember? Up a tree, sycamore tree. And
the Lord was coming through and walked up and fixed his eye upon
Zacchaeus and said, Zacchaeus, make haste. How did he know his
name? He knows his sheep by name. He
knows his sheep by name. He calls them to himself. And
this call of the gospel is personal. This call of the gospel is powerful.
This call of the gospel is persuasive. This call of the gospel is productive. It always produces a new birth. Let's call it the gospel. I like
what Paul said to Timothy, it's God who saved us and God who
called us. Wait a minute, preacher. You
mean he saved us before he called us? Well, that's what scripture
teaches. God who saved us and then one
day he called us with the gospel. God who saved us and called us,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus When? Before the foundation of the
world. 2 Timothy 1.9. Look it up. Check it out. Look
at verse 29 now. And as soon as she heard that,
as soon as she heard the Master calls for you, she responded
quickly and came unto Him. It says down in verse 31 that
she rose up hastily. She made haste. make Ashton come down. When she
heard the good news, she forgot about those who were weeping
with her. She forgot about her friends, her family. She forgot
about the sorrows of the day. The Master calls for me. Mary
came to him. She was determined, she was determined
in her heart to get to the Lord Jesus Christ. She in essence
said, get out of my way. Get out of my way, I'm going
to see my Lord. The Master of the Lord has called
me. She had wings to her feet. to fly to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we let nothing hinder us
from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing hinder us. Our
Lord said, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
I will give you rest. Come. Oh, everyone that's thirsty,
he said, come. Let not anything hinder us, family. Get out of the way. Friends,
get behind me. Finances, not a problem, I got
to have Christ. Friend or foe, let nothing hinder
us from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 30, now when Jesus
was not yet come into the place, into the town, but was in that
place where Martha met him, verse 31, then the Jews, then which
were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw
Mary that she rose up hastily, went out, they followed her."
Now how's the Lord going to gather a large gathering at this at
the grave of Lazarus? To give many, I don't know how
many people gathered there, it must have been a bunch. He's
going to gather a whole crowd at the mouth of that cave, that
grave, to be a witness to His power, to His glory. And they
followed her saying, she goes unto the grave to weep there. I guess we can also see in that,
in that effectual call unto the Lord, and then that general call,
when there's a general moving. But they moved out and went to
the graveyard, didn't go to the Lord. So that general call is
a call, really, that does not produce salvation. It's a call
unto death, a call unto the grave. But notice something here, how
the Lord in his wide providence draws a crowd to behold a most
glorious miracle. He doesn't come into the town,
but remains on the outskirts of the town, close to the cemetery,
for one reason, to perform the work the Father gave him to do.
He was ready to do that work. Remember, he said, I must be,
always must be about my Father's business. He didn't come into
the house, into Bethany, to refresh himself, even though he'd been
on the road four days, covered with dust. I have an important
matter to take care of. Let's go to the grave. Let's
go to the cemetery. He stands waiting on Mary. The
Lord is long-suffering unto his people. He never hides himself
from a true-seeking sinner. Now, we'll read this in Matthew
11. He's hid himself from the wise and prudent, those wise
acres who think they need no salvation, but he reveals himself
unto his people. He said, ho, everyone that's
thirsty, come unto me. Look back over here in John 7.
You remember this? In John chapter 7, verse 37.
John 7.37, at that last day of that great feast. When they'd
been up there feasting and going through all their religious mumbo-jumbo,
the Lord Jesus Christ cried saying, if any man thirsts, let him come
unto me and drink. You see, the Lord never hides
himself from his people, from those who were seeking him. He
said, seek and you shall, what? Find me. Now look at verse 32. What's gonna happen when Mary
comes? When Mary was come, verse 32, where Jesus was. That's a
good place to be. He said, where two or three are
gathered in my name, I'm in the midst thereof. You reckon the
Lord's in the midst of us right now? Absolutely. When Mary was
come, where Jesus was, she saw him. Him, who is altogether lovely. Him, to you who believe He is
precious. She fell down at His feet. A
sight, a true saving sight of the Lord Jesus Christ will put
us in the dust, make our headquarters in the dust before Him, saying
unto Him, Lord, if Thou had been here, had not died my brother,
And that's the way it reads in the original. "...had not died
my brother." When she saw him, she immediately fell at his feet
weeping. Before we saw Mary in Luke 10,
she sat at his feet to hear his word. And then over here in John
chapter 12, turn over there. In John chapter 12, after Lazarus
had been raised from the dead, in John chapter 12, verse 1 and
2 and 3, Look at verse 2, there they made him a supper, and Martha
served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with
him. Lazarus being raised from the dead, then took Mary a pound
of ointment and spiked her very costly, anointed the feet of
Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled
with the odor of the ointment. Always at his feet. Always at
His feet. Good place to be, at the feet
of the Lord Jesus Christ. She followed down to worship,
doesn't she? She followed down there to weep
at His feet. This is where true saving faith
and conviction of sin brings us to. To bow unto the Lord Jesus
Christ in complete surrender. to bow unto the Lord Jesus Christ
in complete submission unto Him, like the leper who came to Him,
recorded in Matthew chapter 8, who said, Lord, if You will,
You can make me clean. He came to Him, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and he fell at His feet and worshipped Him and said,
Lord, if You will, You can make me clean, you remember? And the
Lord said, I will, I will. Be thou clean. She bows in complete
submission unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's where saving
faith brings us. She repeats what Martha had said,
but she weeps. We don't read of Martha weeping.
Mary weeps more than she speaks. If, she says, if, if thou had
been here, you see that? If thou had been here. How often
in sore trials that we go through we lash ourselves, we beat up
on ourselves with this word, if. If. If. And I thought about this. When my oldest son was 12 years
old, he put on a pair of roller skates one day and skated across
this road right here over into the neighbor's yard. And I saw
him do that. I told our boys when we moved
here, never ever under any circumstances cross that highway. Well, he
didn't mind me. And he took off across that road
on a pair of roller skates, stood over in that yard. Well, I saw
it happen. I saw him do it. I ran out to the road to the
mailbox right there and yelled one word, Caleb. He turned and
looked dead at me in the eye and started to cross that road. Here come a car, hit him, broke
both his legs, knocked him 40 feet down the road. What if I
would not have said a word? What if he'd not had roller skates
on that day? What if we'd have stayed at school
that day instead of coming home? What if? What if? You see, we can't live in the
world of what if. It'll drive you crazy. What if? What might have been? How often we complain. It might have
been different. If is a world of make-believe,
isn't it? If is a world of vanity and thought
dreams. We must face reality. We cannot
survive otherwise. The Lord, by His good providence,
ordered that trial for this congregation and this family of my son being
hit that day. All things came out well. They
operated on him, fixed his legs, he was in cast for a while and
grew up, able to walk and play sports, everything was well.
The Lord by his good providence ordered that trial and ordered
this trial for the good of Mary and Martha for their benefit
and for ours. Let's not live in the world if,
if, if. It'll drive you crazy. It will. We can't go back there and change
anything. We can't. You cannot change history. But watch this. I want to point
this out in verse 32. Lord, if I had been here, had
not died my brother. Had not died my brother. Now
I found something by old Arthur Pink. on this verse which he says,
which expresses Mary's worshipful spirit before the Lord. Although
the language of Martha and Mary appears to be the same in our
authorized version, the King James Version, in the original
it's different. And I looked it up, and he's
right. It actually reads, Lord, if thou
had been here, had not died my brother. Martha said, my brother,
my brother had not died. Mary's emphasis on had not died,
my brother. Now here's what Pink said, that
which is uppermost in the thoughts of Mary was, Martha rather, was
her brother's death. That which was recognized by
Mary was that none could die in the presence of Christ. Her
words then are expression of worship, casting herself at his
feet with an act of adoring reverence. My brother could not die had
you been here. So I think there's a difference
there that's worth noting and worth pointing out. Of all the
readers that I read after, the commentators, John Gill, Matthew
Henry, Robert Hawker, and others, no one else saw that but this
old man who one time actually pastored a church down in western
Kentucky, A.W. Pink. Some of you read his books
on the sovereignty of God, the attributes of God. They're very
good, very good, very good. Look at verse 33 now. When the
Lord Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, much weeping
which came with her, he groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. The Lord Himself troubled Himself,
groaned within Himself. He wept with those who were weeping. Look at verse 38. It says there that Jesus, therefore
again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave. Here we see the Lord's sympathy
toward his sin-cursed creation. Here we see He truly is a real
man, tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He too is a real man of sorrows,
touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows our frame
that we are but dust. Matthew says, the Lord Jesus
Christ took our infirmities, bear our sicknesses in Himself. In every way, now think about
this. The God-man mediator, the Son of Man who is the Son of
God. God in human flesh, yet not a
sinner. In every way of emotion and pain,
weariness of body. You remember in John chapter
4, when he went through Samaria to meet the woman at the well,
he sits on the edge of that well, well being weary in body. In every way of emotion, pain,
weariness of body, hunger and thirst, persecution, even the
experience of physical death, the Lord Jesus Christ lived as
a real man, yet without sin. He never one time, that's recorded
in the Scripture, performed a miracle to relieve his own sufferings.
When he was hungry, he didn't create bread, he sent his disciples
out to buy some bread. When he was thirsty, he didn't
create water, he said to the woman at the well, give me a
drink, I'm thirsty. You see, he is a real man, tempted
and tested at all points like as we are yet without sin. Such a high priest became us
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin. He not
only knows them as God, but he also experienced them as man,
as a real man. He's called a man of sorrows
acquainted with grief. The sorrow and sin of his people
brought him to groans and tears. It says of our high priest in
Hebrews 5, who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them
that are out of the way, for that he himself is compassed
with infirmities." He knows our frame. He knows our weakness. Now verse 34, where have you
laid him? Where have you laid Lazarus?
I think he's in the vicinity of the cemetery. I'm sure this
cemetery had many graves. You ever try to find a grave
in a cemetery of someone you're looking for and have no idea
where it's at? You just give up. You just don't
know. They're somewhere. You just don't know. Where have you laid him? Where's
Lazarus buried? Martha and Mary said to him,
Lord, come and see. They knew. Come and see. Come
and see. The all-knowing God, as the Lord
Jesus Christ is, never asks a question for information. When he said,
Adam, where are you? Well, he knew exactly what happened
to Adam and where Adam was. Our God knows all things. Known
unto God are all of his works from the beginning. But here
again, as a real man going about his father's business, he must
be immediately upon that business of raising Lazarus from the grave. Where is he? I've got to go to
the grave. I've got to go to the tomb. And they said, come
and see. One other thing, the reason he asks this question,
now think about this. One other thing here to keep
down any suspicion of some sort of trickery or con game between
the Lord Jesus and this family. This wasn't a staged plot. Lazarus
was really graveyard dead, dead and smelly, graveyard dead and
stinking. The Lord did really raise him
up from the dead. But to put down any sort of suspicion
Or idea that some might have, well they've schemed this up,
Lazarus is really not dead, they just, where's the grave? Where's
the tomb? That I might go, he'd never been
there before. Didn't know where it was as a
man. Look at verse 35. John 11. And the Lord Jesus Christ
wept. He wept. The shortest verse in
the Bible, yet it speaks volumes. Only three times in the New Testament
that we read about the Lord Jesus Christ weeping. Let's turn to
one of them and we'll read it. In Luke 19. Luke 19. The Lord Jesus, when He came
to that city, Jerusalem, the last time to be crucified for
our sin, He stood over that city, knowing what was going to happen
to that city, knowing the destruction that would come upon that people,
and the thousands and thousands of mothers, fathers, and children
that would be slain and killed by the Romans. Verse 41, when
He was come near, Luke 19, 41, He beheld the city and He wept. Saying, If thou hath known, even
thou, at least in this day, the things which belong unto thy
peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the day shall
come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee,
compass thee about, and keep thee on every side. The Roman
armies invaded that city, 70 A.D., and put it to fire and
destroyed it. Verse 44, "...and shall lay then
even with the ground thy children within thee. They shall not leave
thee one stone upon another, because thou knowest not the
time of thy visitation, blind and ignorant to the gospel of
God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul, the apostle, when
he said goodbye to those Ephesians elders, he said, I've preached
to you for three years and cease not to warn you every day and
night with many tears. Tears. He was a weeping prophet
like Jeremiah. The Lord Jesus Christ here shows
his real humanity as he groans in his spirit, as he weeps as
a man, As a merciful man, he could weep. As a merciful man,
he did weep. Romans 12 verse 15 tells us,
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, weep with them that do weep.
His weeping here does not show weakness, But it does show his
love and compassion toward his people. Now, in closing, verse
36 and verse 37, Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved them. And some of them said, Could
not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused
that even that this man should not have died? And here we see
two responses to the Lord's love and compassion. His groaning
in his spirit and his weeping openly before these people. He
wasn't ashamed of his tears. Some said, behold how he loved
Lazarus and his family. And truly the Lord does love
his own. He loves them with an everlasting love, therefore with
love and kindness does he draw those people unto himself. Remember back in chapter 11 verse
3, the sister sent word, Lord behold he whom thou lovest, you
love Lazarus and he's sick. The Lord does love his people
with an eternal everlasting love, One who is the one that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the one who loves us. He loves us with that eternal
holy love, the holy love of God. What an amazing sight that the
Lord loves even us, even though we are most unlovely. The amazing thing about this
love of God is who the one is that loves us. Turn over here
to Romans chapter five. Romans chapter 5. The amazing
thing about the love of God is the one who loves us. In Romans
chapter 5 verse 6, For when we were yet
without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man would one die, yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die. But God committeth
his love toward us. In that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Turn over to Ephesians chapter
two. This love of God, how deep, how strong, measureless it is. In Ephesians
chapter two, but God, verse four, but God who is rich in mercy
for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins. You see, dead and smelly. A graveyard
dead spiritually. For His great love wherewith
He loved us even when we were dead in sin hath quickened us
together with Christ. By grace are you saved. Considering the one who loves
us, what an amazing sight this is. How much does the Lord Jesus
Christ love His elect? How much? How much does He love
His elect? He loves us so much that He,
in electing grace, chose us unto salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ
loves His covenant people, His elect, His sheep, so much that
He took humanity in union with Himself. The Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us. He loves us so much that He took
upon Him the form of a servant and became... He took upon Himself
the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men,
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, wherefore
God hath highly exalted him." He loves us so much. He took
upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness
of men. He loves us so much that he took our sin to himself. Voluntarily laid down his life
for us. He loves us so much. Here in His love, not that we
love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the sacrifice
for our sin. He bare our sin in His own body
on the tree. He loves us so much that God
made Him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. That's great love, is it not? Turn over to 1 John, 1 John chapter
3. Talk about the love of God. Verse John 3, verse 16. Verse John 3, 16. Hereby perceive
we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. He was manifested to take away
our sin, and in Him is no sin. He laid down His life for us. The Good Shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. He loves us so much that he honors
the law of God for us in every precept and the penalty of the
law. He died under the curse of that law, redeemed us from
the curse of that law. He loves us so much. that the Lord Jesus Christ has
blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in
Christ Jesus, having predestinated us in love unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself. The Lord Jesus Christ
loves us so much that he prepared a place for us in glory, and
then he prepares us for the place, and then he brings us to himself.
This love of God. The Lord Jesus Christ loves us
so much. The Lord Jesus, behold how He
loved him. He still does. Always has. The Lord Jesus Christ loves us
so much that He is able to keep us from falling and present us
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. It says that in the book of Jude. He loves us so much. This is
that saving love. Just love, holy love, sovereign
love, this love of God that can never fail. This love of God
for which nothing can separate us from the love of God which
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you can have that universal
stuff. That universal love that saves nobody, this universal
love that keeps nobody out of hell, you can have that. I want
this love of God, this sovereign love, this electing love, this
fetching love, this keeping love, this regenerating love, redeeming
love, hell's sovereign love that first began a scheme to rescue
God's covenant people. There's none in hell. Now listen
to me, there's none in hell for whom the Lord Jesus Christ loves.
If he loves all men everywhere without exception, and Christ
died for all men everywhere without exception, and there are yet
some for whom he loves and some for whom he dies in hell, then the love of God got nothing
to do with salvation. That's right. Then the death
of Christ got nothing to do with salvation. Think about it now.
God loves everybody. Well, some in hell, well, His
love doesn't have anything to do with it. Thank God He loves
His people, and He saves them eternally with His grace. Behold
how He loved them. Verse 37. Others said, Ah, this
man, this man, this wine-dibber, this gluttonous man, this man.
He opened the eyes of the blind, They recognized that he was a
miracle worker, as Nicodemus said, no man can do these things
unless God be with him. But they didn't recognize he
was God who opened the eyes of the blind. And could not this man which
opened the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man
should not have died? Others said with a malice and
hatred of the devil, well, if he really loved Lazarus, he wouldn't
have died. His enemies were always searching
for reason to discredit him, reasons not to believe him, even
though they acknowledged that he did heal others. This is very similar to the words
they said of him as he hangs between two thieves, dying for
our sin according to Scripture. He saved others. Himself He cannot
save. Thank God He didn't save Himself. Thank God He gave His life for
us to put away our sin. Here we see two responses. Some believe, some believe not. To the Gospel, the Gospel message
and the preaching of the Gospel to His elect, it's the saver
of life and the life. To those who were rebels, who
were perishing in their sin, it's a savor of death unto death. Could not this man? Unbelief and wickedness. Well, the Lord soon put his critics
to shame by raising Lazarus from the dead, which is a much greater
miracle. Now you think about this. He
put them to shame. He raised him from the dead.
Now, which is a greater miracle? Merely preventing Lazarus from
getting sick, or raising a dead man from the grave? Now, which is a greater miracle?
You remember everything he said. You remember way back in verse
four, this sickness is not unto death, final death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. You see, everything he does,
in justice or in mercy, everything, without exception, everything.
That's what I said on the radio program this morning, everything
of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to whom be
glory, both now and forever. The grand design of everything
that God does is His glory. He's jealous of His glory.