The Believer Will See

Turn back to the Gospel of John, chapter 11, and we want to read again at verse 40.

John 11 · chapter mention

! Jesus said to her, that's Martha, did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?

Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?

Can I ask you a question off the back of that verse?

Would you like to see the glory of God?

The quick answer would probably be yes, but I suppose the more we think about it,

the more hesitant we might be to see that glory.

The more we think about it, it probably becomes a terrifying prospect.

But if our quick answer is yes, just to imagine if we could see, just for a moment,

if we got a glimpse of the glory of God, if we could see that beauty, if we could behold that wonder,

if we could see into the throne room of heaven,

if we could see that glory, so often many say, then I would believe.

But that's the wrong way around, isn't it?

That's not what the verse says.

It says, if you believe, then you will see the glory of God.

But one comes first.

That's believing.

But if you read that passage there, like that verse there again,

there's a very weighty if in it.

A very weighty if that lands squarely on our laps this morning.

If we believe.

And we can deduce from it if we do not believe.

We won't see glory.

We won't see the glory of God.

There's an eternal ring about this verse.

An eternal truth in this verse.

If we don't believe, there'll be no comfort, no grace, no mercy, no compassion.

And in the context of the chapter that we're reading, there'll be no life.

And the word of God is speaking to you again this morning to listen.

Maybe it's a second time.

Maybe it's a third time.

Maybe he's back again, fourth, fifth, twelfth, hundred and fortieth time.

Jesus wants you to believe.

You can see it in verse 15.

Jesus waited there so that you may believe.

And it comes through again in verse 42.

That all things were done in this account as he prays to his father.

So that the crowd that were standing around would believe.

Jesus wants you to believe.

So when we think about this resurrection account of Lazarus, who's it for?

I think it's for Lazarus.

He got his life back.

But it's not really.

It's for the people.

It's for everyone standing around.

It's for everyone standing around.

That they might believe.

And it's for us, as we stand at a distance, that we might believe.

You can imagine these people who saw this running off and telling their friends.

Jesus brought Lazarus back to life.

And being persuasive with them.

And the joy bursting out of them.

The question is, would they believe?

And the question is, do you believe?

So I want to hinge your thoughts on that.

That this resurrection account, it's for you this morning.

So that you might believe.

And what we're going to do is we'll just really kind of throw a skimming stone over this passage.

There's a lot in it.

But I want to land on four points about this resurrection account, which is for each and every one of us.

And the first point is going to be that there's a time in it for you.

The second point is that there's going to be a promise in it for you.

The third point is that there's sympathy in it for you.

And the last point is that there's evidence here for you to believe.

So there's a time for you.

Now, Ecclesiastes tells us there's a time for everything.

There's a good and a right time for everything.

Now, you know that yourself.

You can tell the simplest of jokes.

Tell it at the wrong time.

It doesn't land with the effect that you were maybe hoping.

Tell it in the wrong company.

It turns out to be terrible.

Even the best invention in the world, if it lands at the wrong time, it's revealed in the market at the wrong time,

it doesn't have the right effect.

And in our passage here, Jesus' timing grabs our attention.

You'll see Jesus' approach to time really come through in verse 6.

When he had heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

He delays to act.

The Son of God would have rightly have known the severity of Lazarus' condition.

How ill he was waits not just one, but two days.

And the message has come from his two sisters, Mary and Martha.

And it's not a message that says, brother, is ill.

Come quickly.

It's a message that says, Lord, he whom you love is ill.

And the love of Jesus, it kind of backdrops this whole scene.

Because it's highlighted and emphasized in verse 5.

It says there specifically, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

It's almost like he loved to be with them.

And the message from his sisters that he whom you love is ill almost emphasizes that great love that was evident between them.

And you would, well, we would expect Jesus to go straight as he could to the one he loved.

That they might get better.

But we see Jesus doesn't respond in the way that we would expect or the way in which Mary and Martha would expect.

And all this is happening whilst in the conversation with the disciples.

Jesus goes on to say that they're going to return to Judea again.

The disciples hearing that, their ears plucked up.

Because if they're going to go to Judea, they know that the Jews are there ready to stone Jesus.

If we're going to go there, we're possibly going to get killed.

For the disciples, it seems like the right time to stay put, doesn't it?

It would be the wise thing to do.

Stay where we are.

Jesus responds by saying in verse 9 that, well, there's 12 hours in a day.

He refers to time.

And commentators will agree that, well, what he's saying here is that, well, there's a time for work to be done.

You know, you graft your hours in the daytime and then you rest in the dark in the evening.

Jesus is saying, what needs to be done will be done.

And the time that I've been given, my hour has not yet come.

These are the days to work for the glory of God.

So for the disciples, Jesus doesn't respond the way they would expect.

Mary and Martha want them to come.

Disciples, they want them to stay.

But they shall delay.

They say, sisters are sure he can help.

So they send that urgent cry to him, that message.

Does he stay because he doesn't care?

No.

We've seen that he loves them.

And they're dear to him.

Why does he do it?

Well, it tells in verse 4, at the end of it.

It is for the glory of God.

First thing is that this would be for the glory of God.

And the second thing is in verse 15.

So that those may see and believe.

Not in someone that goes to do a healing.

Jesus didn't want you to believe in a healer, primarily.

But someone that could bring life.

Willish death.

Someone that can bring resurrection.

Someone that has the power over death.

To conquer that power.

Jesus waited for the right time.

And what is evident in our own lives is that God does not work the way we would expect him to.

There's a time where we cry out for help.

Nothing happens.

There's a time where he says, get up.

We need to go.

And we want to say, no.

Let's stay.

I'm comfortable here.

I'm safe here.

Neither imply a lack of love.

Times of suffering, sorrows, hardship may come to us.

But God has it in his time.

In his control.

And the right response for us is to say that, well, this is a time for us.

And a time which we must say for the glory of God.

Today is a time for you.

To hear this message.

To hear the hope of the gospel.

Maybe it's a time where he's saying, get up and follow me.

Time to trust me.

Stop hiding.

With only 12 hours.

Hear his word and listen to his voice because it comes with great promise.

That's our second point.

The time is ours.

The time for us to hear.

But to hear these words of promise that are for us today, this morning.

Those promises give us a sense of certainty.

When everything's uncertain.

And promises, when it's made by someone who can fulfill it, make all the difference.

When they're capable to do it, uphold it, keep it, makes all the difference when we're at the center of that promise.

Where is Jesus' promise in this passage for you this morning?

Well, you'll read it in verse 25.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

What a promise.

A promise that is made by someone who is capable, able and faithful to uphold it.

It's a promise for you.

But in this conversation, and in this promise that is made, firstly to Martha,

we read in verse 23 that Jesus said to her,

your brother will rise again.

He puts it so simply.

But Martha recognizes, yes, there's going to be a day of resurrection.

She knows and she understands that everyone will rise.

Some to eternal life.

Some to eternal death.

Some to heaven.

Some to hell.

She's got all that right.

Jesus makes it exactly clear what the difference will make on that day.

Whoever believes they'll live.

They'll never die.

Whoever believes in me will live.

The body will die for sure.

Nothing surer.

But the believer, their soul will live.

Jesus makes that promise for us.

And he validates that he is the person who can uphold it.

I am the resurrection and the life.

The promise is there.

But there's a question there too.

For you to answer.

A question that's set before us every time we open the word of God.

And a question that Jesus asks by the power of his spirit this morning.

Do you believe this?

Do you believe it?

Do you believe it?

That even though the body dies, you live.

There's a promise here of life for you.

He can keep it.

And he will keep it for you.

With a very weighty if.

Place it in your lap.

If you believe.

if you believe

it's a promise

but it's not a cold and empty promise

it's a promise that comes with great compassion

great sympathy

for he knows that you need to hear it

that's our third point

there's a sympathy in this

for you

now knowing that someone has been

through something difficult

makes all the difference

when we are looking for help ourselves

we can go to that person

there's a common ground

there's a sympathy with one another

although our feelings may be very different

we can talk about things that are similar

and we do that when we face these difficult times

whether it's extreme suffering or sorrows

or maybe it's even that we've made a grave mistake

in our lives even as a Christian

you know

people that have made mistakes are helpful for us

they've been through it

and they understand it

and to come out the other side

should be a thing that should likewise glorify God

there's a huge value in speaking to others

who know it first hand

and we see that Jesus is not detached

from feelings and emotions

associated with death in this passage

he's not detached from us

as a son of God

he knows that experience

amongst these experiences

this is one of the well-known verses in the Bible

the shortest one

Jesus wept

and it's an interesting verse

because if you look at the other resurrection accounts of Jesus

woman of name son

he says to her do not weep

the raising of Jairus' daughter

he says to the mourners

do not weep

so it's interesting now

when we come to this death

we find

these emotions

in Jesus

as he weeps

for one that he loved

but is it

because Lazarus has died

or is it

because he loves the crowd

that are full of sorrow

that know the full effects of sin

knowing how much that loss means

when they lose someone they love

the despair of losing a brother

he sympathizes

with that pain

he knows what it's like

to lose someone you love

the son of God

in our nature

and the full effect of it

we see that he has this sympathy

with those who mourn

with those who have the questions

where were you

with those who have the questions

why

but alongside

this emotion

of sadness

and sorrow

there's another emotion

that comes through

in this passage

and

it's maybe not the clearest

in the English

that we have here

although

your Bible might have

a footnote

beside the word

deeply moved

it's here in verse 33

and it appears again

in verse 35

there's an emotion

there

that implies

when it's used in the Greek

when it's used everywhere else

it implies an anger

towards something

a hostility

towards something

it says

indignant

if you have the ESV

food note

it's almost as if

something's unfair

something's wrong

and it's not an anger

towards Mary or Martha

of course

it's an anger

a hostility

against death

it shouldn't be this way

the effects of sin

the sorrow

that it brings

the wages of sin

is death

that's what comes

and so much

there's this hostility

against it

the commentator

Mullen says

that

yes his eyes

are tears

of sympathy

but his soul

is held

by rage

he advances

towards the tomb

as in words

that Calvin says

as a champion

who prepares

for conflict

it's almost as if

he's got that

mind

to defeat

sin's devastation

the effect of it

the power of it

the sorrow of it

we can feel

and know

the sorrow of death

we can sometimes

have an anger

in our hearts

deep within us

a hostility

full of questions

Jesus isn't detached

from these circumstances

that he can sympathize

with us

and it's not just

knowing this

in our heads

it's knowing it

in our hearts

knowing what it means

in that day

it's easy to say

in our head

it's easy to say

when we don't have

these heavy

weighty

questions

in our lap

but knowing it

in practice

knowing what it

means on Monday

knowing what it

means when these

things meet us

in our experience

even when we're

struggling to believe

we see Martha

walking to the tomb

with Jesus

standing there

in front of it

Jesus says

roll away the stone

and she's there

saying

what are you doing

he's been dead

four days

Martha had all

the right answers

she knew about

the resurrection

she knew about

God's power

but when it came

to the moment

she couldn't help

but doubt

so he says

to her

do you not

remember really

did I not tell

you

that if you

believed

you would see

the glory

of God

having it

in our heads

it's totally

different

believing it

in practice

so what I was

saying to the

children

it's good to

come to church

to be reminded

it's good to

read our

bibles

to be reminded

we so easily

and quickly

forget

we have so

many truths

in our heads

that in the

moment

the mist

comes down

and we

forget them

it's good to be

reminded

to hold on

to these

truths

so that in

these days

and in these

circumstances

that are most

difficult for us

where we face

the strongest

of emotions

in our hearts

God the

Father

speaks to

us

great promises

great comforts

great assurances

sympathizing

with you

in your

need

and it's a

word that

evidence

is itself

our last

point

there's been

a time

for you

there's a

promise for you

there's a

sympathy for you

in this passage

and lastly

the evidence

is here for

you

evidence

makes all

the difference

when you've

got a decision

to make

evidence

makes all

the difference

in the

courtroom

when they're

making life

changing

decisions

over people's

lives

there's evidence

here for you

that'll change

your life

if you

believe in it

every

Christian

here is

evidence

of the

life

giving

power

of Jesus

they have

been born

again

taken

from

the death

of sin

freed

from the

effect

of sin

there's

evidence

in every

Christian

for you

and maybe

you've seen

that change

in someone

as you look

at yourself

there's

evidence

of sin

there's

evidence

that you

be guilty

before God

if you

are put

face to

face

with his

glory

John

wrote this

gospel

so you

would

believe

Jesus

performed

this

miracle

so you

would

believe

Lazarus

come out

in verse

43

he comes

out of

that tomb

I don't

know how

he came

out

was he

crawling

shuffling

rolling

I don't

suppose

it

matters

but

out

of

death

he

came

it

is all

done

for the

crowd

that

stood

by

it

was

evidence

for them

so that

they might

believe

in

him

that

they may

have

that

promise

that

they may

have

that

assurance

that

Jesus

is the

one

that has

power

over

death

and when

death

comes

knocking

at the

door

you know

this in

your head

I'm pretty

sure all

of us

know it

in our

head

but when

death

comes knocking

at the

door

when we're

face to

face

do you

believe

that

you'll

have

life

it's a

hard thing

to believe

if we're

honest with

ourselves

we're often

plagued

with unbelief

we have

our doubts

like Martha

so we need

to be

reminded

we need

to come

to this

evidence

this

truth

and the

greater

truth

of the

resurrection

of Jesus

himself

power

over

death

assurance

for you

this

morning

for the

one who

believes

will see

the glory

of God

in measure

and work

in this

life

the work

of God's

hand

in the

life of the

believer

bringing them

from death

to life

but yet a

greater sense

with a

believer

in time

when the

twelve hours

of their

life have

passed

that they

behold

the glory

of God

in ways

that words

cannot

express

so this

resurrection

account of

Lazarus

it's actually

it's more about

the people

that we're

standing by

isn't it

it's a

resurrection

account for

you

and in

God's

timing

we're here

together

twelve

hours

a time

to hear

his call

a time

to trust

Jesus

maybe it's

a right

time now

for you

to come

to him

he's got

a great

promise

for you

the greatest

of all

assurances

if you do

come and

believe

the body

will die

but you'll

have eternal

life

and you'll

battle with

all the

emotions

in your

experience

all the

difficulties

that plague

us

but he's

a sympathetic

God that

knows

our

suffering

and so

there's

evidence

here for

you

to believe

in

the

resurrecting

power

of God

that you

may believe

and be

assured

you will

have life

and that

you will

see

the glory

of God

people

that are

dead in

sin

brought

to life

and kept

eternally

in

his hand

forever

knowing

the beauty

of the

glory of

God

for all

eternity

the

questions

in your

lap

do you

believe

it

amen

our

Lord and

God we

pray that

you would

help us

to believe

give us

years of

understanding

at this

time

as we

stand before

this evidence

speak to

us we

pray

you give

us

assurance

of your

great

promises

that we

may come

humbly

before you

and fall

at your

feet

and believe

in the

giver

of life

be with

us we

pray

help us

in these

things

in Jesus

name

amen

we'll

conclude

by singing

in

psalm

90

psalm

90

of the

scottish

psalter

version

which

you'll

find

on

page

350

we'll

sing

from

verse

15

i'll

sing

the last

three

stanzas

of the

psalm

psalm

90

psalm

speaks

of the

beauty

of the

lord

and yet

in

measure

a

work

that

is

evident

in

the

believer

that

even

though

they

die

they

shall

live

according

as the

days

have been

wherein

we

grief

have

had

and

years

wherein

we

ill

have

seen

so

do

thou

make

us

glad

let

thy

work

and

power

appear

thy

servants

face

before

and

show

us

to

their

children

dear

thy

glory

evermore

and

let

the

beauty

of

the

Lord

our

God

be

as

upon

our

handiworks

establish

them

each

one

so we

stand

to

sing

these

words

to

God's

praise

according

as

the

days

of

year

when

we

dream

of

year

and

year

we

we

ever

have

seen

so

do

thou

make

us

glad

oh

let

thy

power

and

power

appear

thy

servants

face

before

!

and

show

unto

their

children

dear

thy

glory

evermore

!

and

let

the

beauty

of

the

Lord

may

may

Rest upon and remain with you all, now and forevermore.

Amen.

Amen.