John 11:1-27 “The Presence of God in the Face of Death”

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What a joy and delight to worship Jesus, to think about who He is, what He's done for

us.

I don't know how many of you were here when we started John's Gospel.

It was 37 years ago and we've made it halfway, which is pretty exciting.

But if you were here at the beginning, do you remember when we marveled at where John started?

That in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God become flesh with life and light

and grace upon grace so that we could be a part of God's family, so that we could actually

know God Himself.

And John was about to lay out for us how that developed in real space and time and history.

It's been amazing for me to encounter the real Jesus time and time again in John's Gospel.

I was talking this week with Allie Trammell, who is the teaching leader for the Women's

Bible Study Fellowship class that meets here.

And they've been going through the Gospel of John.

They're a little further along, closer to the end than we are.

But we were just sharing together how we have been impacted as week after week we open God's

Word here and see who is Jesus and what's He really like?

And see His glory.

I hope you have been too, those of you who've been here, moved to worship Him.

Met with comfort in hard things you've been walking through.

Inspired with hope towards true life and true purpose with Him.

That's what God's Word does as we open it.

And I just want you to know this about the Gospel of John at the halfway mark.

It's only getting better and more glorious from here, okay?

I'm unlikely to calm down through the end of John 21.

Apologies.

John 11, where we are this morning, it's about the seventh and final sign that Jesus does here

to show us who He is.

He's been ruling over creation.

And some of these signs, water to wine, feeding 5,000, walking on water.

And some of these signs, He's been healing people from various diseases, sicknesses they've had.

But now John 11, He's going to take it up a notch as He raises Lazarus from the dead.

And He's also going to tell us what this final sign points to about Himself.

It's a long story about resurrection.

But that means that the problem that hangs over this whole passage is death.

It's everywhere.

So we're going to need to talk together about something that we often avoid talking about

or even thinking about.

Maybe it seems unknown or uncertain to us.

Maybe, for many of us, a source of anxiety.

Maybe a source of deep grief to you right now.

Maybe we think of death as the end of all things.

Maybe as the great enemy.

But regardless, I want you to think this morning how much of life is plagued by the specter of death.

It's really all around us.

Socially and politically, debates continue to rage over abortion.

Refrostation, the death penalty, euthanasia.

If you read the news, every day, you can click on it any day of the week,

there are going to be stories of death.

Shootings, murder trials, wars all around the world raging,

bridge collapses, natural disasters, there are death tolls all around the world.

And then even more personally, we face painful realities like miscarriage,

like the death of loved ones,

like cancer diagnoses,

and we wait and run tests and wait to learn if it's terminal.

Suicide rates increasing.

Whether we like it or not, and most of us do not,

we are faced with death every day, aren't we?

I'm asking us not to ignore it right now,

not to avoid it,

even though I know it is really difficult.

And most of you didn't come to church this morning wanting to talk about it.

We sense that about death,

that it's an interruption in God's good design.

But we also hope it doesn't interfere with God's good plan.

So where does God show up in the face of all this death?

Where does he fit in?

Where could he even show his glory?

And how does he help us navigate the darkness,

and the grief,

and the fear?

We're going to spend three weeks here in this chapter.

I promise not staying in death all the time.

There's life and there's light.

Most of you know that the way this chapter unfolds,

near the end,

Lazarus walks out of the tomb alive.

And there's hope.

But along the way,

I want us to see in the face of death,

three different things.

The presence of God this morning.

Next week, the tears of God.

And then finally,

the ultimate glory of God.

We need that full picture,

but we're going to take it one step at a time.

Let's pray together this morning,

and then we'll read the beginning of the story as we go.

God, some of us are hurting

almost too much to listen any further.

Some of us are so uncomfortable with this topic

as to be right now even shutting off our hearts.

It doesn't feel safe.

Others of us would honestly just like to believe

that we don't need this now.

But all of us need to hear from you.

We need to see Jesus.

To see in Jesus your perfect image,

the word made flesh,

the one who is one with the Father,

to show us exactly how you feel,

exactly what you do,

exactly who you are

in the face of death.

So Father, speak to us

by your word,

through your spirit,

we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

As we begin to read this great story,

there are a few lessons that we'll see along the way,

and they're all brought together

by this one main lesson

at the end of today's passage.

So we're going to move through

the first part of the Lazarus story.

We're always at issue here at the beginning

is God's presence.

Where is Jesus?

It starts with concerns

about his presence or absence.

Verse 1.

Now a certain man was ill,

Lazarus of Bethany,

the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment

and wiped his feet with her hair,

whose brother Lazarus was ill.

So the sisters sent to Jesus,

saying,

Lord,

he whom you love

is ill.

Lazarus is ill,

but Jesus is not

there.

They send a message to him,

and

when Jesus heard it,

he said,

this illness

does not lead to death.

It is for the glory of God

so that the Son of God

may be glorified

through it.

The end,

the purpose here,

is not death.

The illness

is actually going to be

to the end of

God's glory.

Now that is true of this

particular illness,

but the potential is there

for that in every illness,

every trial,

isn't there?

To be about

more than meets the eye,

more than

merely physical.

To be about

God's

glory.

That means

to be a situation

in which God

reveals to us

more of

who he is.

That's what

God's glory

means

in

John.

When Jesus says

it's for

God's glory,

he's not saying,

well,

it may be bad

for Lazarus,

but it'll be good

for God

and people will

praise him.

That's not really

what it means.

In John's gospel,

being for

God's glory

means

showing people

who God

truly is,

especially

through

Jesus,

the Son,

through

his person.

And that should

be our

greatest longing

all the time,

right?

Our greatest

longing

to see

God's

greatest

glory

in this

relationship

with him

that impacts

eternity,

that we would

see some of

what we've been

singing and

reading about

this morning

and to know

more of who

he is and to

share in that

even now with

him.

That's what we

long for,

that's what we

need.

So yes,

we pray

and we

long for

healing,

for protection,

for deliverance,

we should,

and no matter

what,

we most

long to

see God

clearly.

Pray that

too,

right?

When you

pray,

we pray a lot

when we

long for

healing,

when we

face death,

pray also

for yourself

and for

others to

see God's

glory.

Kids,

if you don't

know how to

pray when

somebody is

sick or

when somebody

loved has

died,

pray that

they and

that you

would see

who God

is,

would know

him more,

that we

would see

his glory.

Hold that

thought for

two weeks

or so

because showing

us God's

glory is

the end

of this

story and

I just

got to tell

you now,

it is even

bigger than

Lazarus walking

alive out of

the tomb.

It's crazy

glorious.

Please don't

miss this.

That's later.

Right now

we're at

verse five.

We're not

there yet.

Now Jesus

loved Martha

and her

sister

and Lazarus.

The second

time, by the

way, that

Jesus' love

is highlighted

after verse

three,

Lord, he

whom you

love is

ill.

friend, your

illness is

not evidence

that God

doesn't love

you.

In fact,

Jesus

especially

loves the

needy.

His love

is drawn

to the

weak and

wounded,

sick and

sore.

So many

of us,

as we

suffer, we

wrestle with

this personal

problem of

evil.

could God

still really

love me if

he's letting

this happen

in my

life?

Don't get

confused by

those who

say that

your sickness

means you

don't believe

enough or

you don't

pray enough

or you

don't deserve

God's love.

No.

No, he

loves you.

So of

course,

loving

Lazarus

and having

the power

to heal

him,

Jesus then

rushes

immediately

to his

side.

No.

So,

therefore,

because he

loved them,

when he

heard that

Lazarus

was ill,

he stayed

two days

longer

in the

place he

was.

Then he

says,

let's go.

And we

find out

later,

Lazarus

dies in

the meantime.

I thought

Jesus said

that's not

where this

story was

headed.

This

delay has

puzzled

Christians

since it

puzzled

those disciples

that first

day.

We've felt

their pain,

haven't we?

God,

where are

you?

Why aren't

you answering?

What is

taking so

long here?

I thought

you said.

I don't

understand.

I still

couldn't tell

you why

after the

pain of

miscarrying

our first

child,

God seemed

to delay

month

after

month

for so

long

until we

felt like

stopping

praying

and stopping

hoping

would feel

better.

God,

are you

really

present

in the

face of

death?

We'll

hear

concerns

about

Jesus'

presence

or lack

thereof

repeatedly

here.

We're

going to

hear them

again

from

Martha

and then

from

Mary

and then

from the

mourners

who have

joined

them.

Why

the delay?

Things

could have

gone

differently,

Jesus?

Well,

we often

don't know

exactly

why,

do we?

But it

does seem

throughout

Scripture that

God often

delays until

we can't

comprehend

how he

could

possibly

fulfill

his

promises.

Have you

felt that

before?

He's done

that in

most of

our lives.

He certainly

has something

to show

us in

this

situation.

But

regardless,

I want

us to

note

here that

God's

delays do

not

disprove

his

love.

Whatever

they may

mean,

whatever

they may

feel like,

Jesus

delays

because

he

loves.

Don't

let

Satan

convince

you

otherwise.

That's

not what

you're

experiencing

right now.

Brother

or sister

who's

wondering

if it

is time

to give

up,

have I

waited or

endured

this long

enough?

I think

that perhaps

he's quit

loving me.

No.

His

love

never

fails.

No

one

can

snatch

you

out of

his

hand.

And

his

delay

in

your

life,

as

painful

and

awful

as the

circumstances

of it

may be,

it may

be

specifically

because of

his

great

love

in a

way

more

glorious

than

we

can

imagine.

He

delays,

but after

delaying,

Jesus

says,

verse 7,

to the

disciples,

let us

go to

Judea

again.

The

disciples

said to

him,

Rabbi,

the Jews

were just

now seeking

to stone

you and

are you

going

there

again?

Jesus

not safe

over there.

Remember

the stones?

Let's

not do

that.

Can we

go

somewhere

else?

Jesus

answered,

are there

not 12

hours in

the day?

If anyone

walks in

the day,

he does

not stumble

because he

sees the

light of

this world.

But if

anyone walks

in the

night,

he stumbles

because the

light is

not in

him.

Now,

this seems

pretty cryptic,

doesn't it?

I think,

in fitting

with some

of the

things he

says here

and elsewhere,

Jesus is

telling us

to have

hope because

we are

with him.

He's

saying,

walking

anywhere

with me

is safer

than walking

on your

own.

Trust me,

walk with

me in

the light,

even walking

into the

jaws of

death.

Better to

be with

me than

to try to

figure a

way around

it on

your own,

your own

wisdom,

your own

strength.

It's another

invitation from

Jesus to

trust,

to follow,

to rest.

Verse 11,

after saying

these things,

he said to

them,

our friend

Lazarus has

fallen asleep,

but I go

to awaken

him.

the disciples

said to

him,

Lord,

if he's

fallen asleep,

he will

recover.

There's

another way

out,

right?

Maybe we

don't have

to go

there after

all.

Now

Jesus had

spoken of

his death,

but they

thought he

meant taking

rest and

sleep.

So Jesus

told them

plainly,

Lazarus has

died,

and for

your sake,

I am glad

that I was

not there,

so that you

may believe,

but let us

go to

him.

It seems

an awful

turn,

doesn't it?

Lazarus has

died.

A reality

that we

know already

and especially

we'll see

next week

grieves

Jesus deeply.

But there's

hope in

Jesus.

There's hope

specifically for

the disciples'

faith,

right?

The good

of their

seeing God's

glory,

seeing more

of who

he is.

Jesus so

values our

belief.

He so

loves to

build our

faith in

him.

And he

says,

let's go to

him,

Lazarus.

Even to a

dead man,

Jesus is

coming.

His presence,

his showing

up is

hopeful.

Thomas hears

this reminder

to trust

Jesus even

to death.

So Thomas

called the

twins,

said to his

fellow disciples,

let us also

go that we

may die

with him.

Now listen,

doubting Thomas

gets a bad

rap later in

the story,

okay?

But he is

consistently a

realist,

isn't he?

He's very

practical.

No sugar

coating the

situation.

If Jesus is

going to die,

and he is,

let's go die

with him.

Do we

follow Jesus

like that?

There's a lot

of faith there.

Verse 17,

now when Jesus

came, he found

that Lazarus had

already been in

the tomb four

days, very

much dead.

Bethany was

near Jerusalem,

about two miles

off, and many of

the Jews had

come to Martha

and Mary to

console them

concerning their

brother.

Jesus has

arrived in the

vicinity, but

someone can't

wait for him to

get all the way

there, hoping,

longing for his

presence.

She's been looking

forward to this.

Verse 20,

so when Martha

heard that Jesus

was coming, she

went and met him,

but Mary remained

seated in the

house.

And Martha said

to Jesus,

Lord, if you had

been here, my

brother would not

have died.

But even now,

I know that

whatever you ask

from God,

God will give

you.

If only you

were here,

Jesus.

But now you

are.

And I don't

really know what

that means.

I mean, the

concept of an

immediate

resurrection of

her brother from

the dead after

he's been buried

four days doesn't

even seem to be on

Martha's radar.

But Jesus, I'm

going to throw

myself at your

feet.

I'm going to

trust that your

presence means my

blessing.

Martha's faith

here in a

Jesus who has

delayed, whose

delay has in the

meantime brought

grief upon grief

to her.

Her faith is

remarkable, isn't

it?

She must really

know this Jesus.

She must have

been following the

signs he's done

already and to

know that he and

God the Father are

one, that blessing

flows from his

very presence, that

he is worthy of

her trust.

Because then, when

you know Jesus like

that, then nothing

makes more sense than

trusting him.

Even when, humanly

speaking, it makes no

sense.

Nothing then, don't

you know that

experience?

Where from a human

perspective, you look

at your circumstances

and say, it doesn't

make any sense to

trust Jesus right

now, but I know

Jesus and nothing

makes more sense

than to trust

Jesus.

It doesn't make

sense.

Lazarus is dead.

Game over.

The end.

Except, Jesus is

here.

Trusting him, hoping

in him always makes

sense.

Verse 23.

Jesus said to

Martha, your

brother will rise

again.

Martha said to

him, I know that

he will rise again

in the resurrection

on the last day.

Martha has hope.

There's a Messiah

and a kingdom

when all who

follow him will

rise at the end

of time to reign

with him.

She's got that

hope.

And this is where

Jesus changes

everything.

It is certainly

a great comfort

to know that

there is a

resurrection to

eternal life

coming one day

someday.

I am so

grateful for

that.

I hope you

are.

But what Jesus

wants you to

see here is

something that

is even better,

even more

glorious, even

more hopeful

than that.

If you can

imagine, Jesus

is going to

teach us

something about

his identity

here that

shatters Martha's

categories and

most of our

categories.

When he is

present, something

amazing is taking

place.

He's about to

speak his fifth

I am statement

of self-disclosure

here in John.

Who is Jesus?

Martha speaks of

the resurrection

to come and

Jesus replies,

I am the

resurrection.

The Sadducees

at that time

said no

resurrection.

The Pharisees

and others

like Martha

said,

resurrection

in the Messiah's

eternal kingdom

one day,

someday.

Jesus says,

resurrection

immediately,

always,

with me,

the Messiah

who brings

the kingdom.

look, Martha,

watch what I'm

going to do.

I am dragging

the resurrection

from the future,

from that future

hope you have,

I am dragging

it back into

your present

reality right

here where I

am with you.

That's what he's

saying to us.

There is a coming

physical resurrection.

Jesus is about

to display the

certainty of that

by bringing

Lazarus back to

life here.

Right here in

his presence.

When you trust

in Jesus,

he is the

resurrection,

that means

even though

you die,

yet you

shall live.

Who?

Whoever

believes in

him,

he is the

resurrection.

But what's

more,

he explains,

Jesus is

the life.

And he says

what that means,

those who

live

spiritually,

who believe

in him,

that's the

kind of living,

shall never

really die

spiritually.

It's not that

you're going to

die and then

you're going to

wait years or

millennia for

eternity to

begin.

No, as Paul

tells us,

it is absent from

the body,

present with the

Lord.

Instantly,

death is

undone in

Jesus.

He is the

resurrection

and the

life.

He's saying

the reality

is that

true life

found in

relationship

with me

in my

presence

will never

stop.

See,

true life

is not

stuff.

It's not

experiences.

It's not

success.

It's not

comfort.

No, it is

God and

knowing him.

It is

Jesus

himself.

Jesus

as the

resurrection

and the

life is so

much the

essence of

life.

That when

you are

united to

him, you

will never

ever be

separated.

Not even

for a

moment.

Never

will you be

separated from

Jesus, the

resurrection and

the life.

Which means,

and don't miss

this, that

means if you're

now connected

to him, that

the worst

thing that

could ever

possibly happen

to you will

never, ever

happen to

you.

You know

what that

worst thing

is?

The worst

thing that

could happen

is you being

separated from

God.

Jesus says,

never, never

will you ever

experience that.

I have come

that you may

know life

with me.

Jesus drags

that future

hope into

our present

reality.

He's saying,

you've been

singing about

one day,

someday this

morning.

You've been

reading about

a day where

you meet

me in the

air and

you're with

the Lord

forever.

And I am

here with

you, Mary,

Martha,

Lazarus,

Southwood,

to say I

have brought

it to you

now.

Yes, there's

a fulfillment

to come, but

I am here

with you

now.

We ache

for those

we love

who go

before us,

don't we?

When they

die, we

miss them.

But for

them, it is

not true

that their

life ends,

that it

ends early.

No, it

continues

truly.

The truest

life, deeply,

relationally,

with the

God of

heaven.

It never

stops.

They're never

separated.

And one

day, physically,

it continues in

his restored

creation with

us.

Praise the

Lord for

that hope.

That is the

promise of

God.

God, that

the presence

of Jesus,

the resurrection

and the

life, makes

certain.

Jesus brings

resurrection

life from

the future

into our

present.

See,

resurrection is

not simply

something Jesus

does.

Like, he

raises

Lazarus from

the dead.

That's true.

He does

that, but

that is merely

a sign,

right?

It's pointing

to who Jesus

is.

He is the

resurrection.

That eternal

life in the

Messiah's kingdom

where Jesus

is.

He wants his

disciples and

these sisters that

he loves and

you whom he loves

to see it and

believe it.

That's what he

says to Martha.

Do you

believe this?

And she said

to him, yes,

Lord, I believe

that you are the

Christ, the

Son of God,

who is coming

into the

world.

That there is

life in him,

not just bread,

not just

healing from

sickness, but

life from

death.

The glory of

who God is

in Jesus is

coming into

the world.

His presence

coming to

you.

There is

life.

Friends,

do you

believe this?

See, that's

the difference

in facing

death.

And we face

death.

It's the

difference in

facing death

with Jesus.

When Jesus

shows up,

where, oh

death, is

your sting?

The sin,

the sting of

death, sin

that so deeply

has defined

us, that so

dangerously has

separated us

from God,

that so

completely has

defeated you,

sin is

defeated once

for all,

done away

with, forgiven

forever by

Jesus.

Death is a

mystery to

us in so

many ways,

isn't it?

We feel a lot

of different

things.

I think we

feel at times

trapped,

fearful,

uncertain,

but not

Jesus.

He's the

resurrection

and the

life.

Listen to

his words

in Revelation

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

He laid

his right

hand on me

saying,

fear not,

I am the

first and

the last

and the

living one.

I died,

he's been

there, he

has faced

death,

and behold,

I am alive

forevermore,

and I have

the keys

of death

and Hades.

Listen,

if you are

facing death

in any way,

stay near

the one

with the

keys.

You hear

me?

Stay near

him.

He is

alive

forevermore.

He has

triumphed

over death.

Jesus lives

nevermore

to die.

If you

are,

if you're

trapped in

a dark

building behind

a bunch of

locked doors,

right,

you've got

no way out,

and you're

going

everywhere,

you can't

figure out

how to

get through

all these

locked doors,

you're stuck

in the dark,

stay near

the one

with the

keys.

If there's

somebody

with the

keys to

those doors

in there,

stay with

him.

Y'all,

death all

around us

can feel

like it

has us

trapped,

stuck,

dark,

confused,

afraid,

there's no

way out,

it just,

it feels

so final

to us,

time-bound

creatures,

stay near

the one

with the

keys.

We've

always known

that that

was the

key,

Jesus'

presence

with us,

right?

All the way

back to

Psalm 23,

even though I

walk through

the valley

of the shadow

of death,

I will fear

no evil.

Remarkable!

How?

Why?

For you,

my good

shepherd,

are with

me.

It's your

rod and

your staff,

my only

comfort.

As soon as

I'm absent

from this

body,

present with

the Lord,

I don't

have a moment

to realize

that something

has changed

for me,

I'm present

with you.

What comfort

that is.

It's not

something that

is merely

uncertain,

it is something

so gloriously

uncertain,

you can't

imagine how

wonderful it

is.

You're never

alone,

not for a

moment.

Wasn't that

one of the

deepest griefs

of COVID

in that season?

Reading stories

of people

dying alone,

separated

from loved

ones,

isolated

from community

because we

didn't know.

It grieves

our hearts to

think about

that.

Perhaps,

if you could

flip that

on its head,

perhaps it's

a special

taste then

of God's

goodness

when you

get to be

present

with someone

who's dying.

When you

get to

bring the

presence of

God

into the

life of

someone

facing death,

facing the

death of

a loved

one,

wrestling

wrestling

with the

fear of

death in

their own

life,

and you,

friends,

know the

one with

the keys.

He lives

in you.

By his

spirit,

you have

life,

so you

can bring

his presence

into the

room with

someone

fearfully

facing

death.

life.

The

resurrection

and the

life is

yours,

is living

with you.

See,

staying near

Jesus is

not some

burdensome

task that

I'm heaping

on you this

morning when I

say,

stay near the

one with

the keys.

No,

Jesus comes

near to us,

doesn't he?

In this

story, he

moves toward

Martha and

Mary and

Lazarus.

He comes to

bring his

resurrection

life into

our present,

into our

stories,

though it

is, we

will find

out in a

way going

to cost

him his

life.

His presence

with us

in the face

of death

leads to

his death.

Spoiler

alert.

But how

else

could Jesus

ensure that

those he

loves would

never face

the worst

thing that

could ever

happen to

us.

That we

would never

be separated

from God.

He had to

endure that

separation

himself.

My God,

my God,

why have

you forsaken

me?

So that you

can be assured

of his presence

with you,

especially when

the wrongness

and the

awfulness of

death tempts

you to feel

utterly

abandoned.

No.

No, that's

not true.

He loves

you.

Remember?

Even in

this delay,

this long

delay of

life that we

live in as

we await

his return,

he loves

you.

He's showing

you more

of his

glory.

As you

learn that

walking with

him is

safer than

walking on

your own.

As you

trust him,

even when it

doesn't make

sense.

Why?

Because

Jesus is

the resurrection

and the

life who

is present

with us

everywhere,

especially

in the face

of death,

to pull out

the keys

and open

for us

the gates

of life.

That is

glorious.

If that is

not glorious

enough,

thus far,

only the

promise

of the

person

and the

presence

of Jesus

still to

come,

the tears

Jesus weeps

with us

and the

glory.

Jesus shows

us his

glory.

Let's pray.

Jesus,

thank you

that we

are not

alone.

Thank you

that you

have given

us yourself

as fully

and completely

as you

could,

that you've

even given

us of your

spirit that

we will

never be

separated

from you.

we need

that comfort.

Some of

us would

like to

think that's

true,

but it

doesn't feel

true.

Holy Spirit,

draw near

right now.

Bring comfort.

Assure us

of your

presence.

Remind us

of your

love,

Jesus.

thank you

for meeting

us in the

hardest places.

Thank you

for having

the keys.

We trust

you.

We need

you.

We find

life in

you, our

resurrection and

life.

We pray in

your name.

Amen.

For more

information,

visit us

online at

southwood.org.

law firm,

life.

Thank you.

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on the

list.