The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 11 verses 28 through 37.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 11. We're going to be looking at verses 28 to 37 as we continue to go verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book through the New Testament on Sunday mornings and we find ourselves in the book of Numbers on Wednesdays and just oh, I tell you, I have really been enjoying my time in the Old Testament and it's been a tremendous time for those of you who are here on Wednesday, you know exactly what we are talking about, just having a great time studying the word of God and Father is this word we want to thank you for.

And Lord, we pray that as you drew us here, this is the word you want us to hear. Now reveal the secrets of our hearts, convict us of things, Lord, that are not like you and draw us closer to Jesus Christ. Help us, Lord, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. John 11 looking at verses 28 to 37. The title of this message is when God doesn't make sense part three. When God doesn't make sense part three. Now the last time we were together, we saw how Jesus finally comes to Bethany, the village where Lazarus had died.

And when he arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days according to verse 17. Martha, his sister hears that Jesus is coming and she runs to him and said in verse 21, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus tells her in verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life and he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And Martha responded in verse 27 and says, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God who is coming to the world.

Well, what happened next? Well, look at verse 20 eight. And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary, her sister saying, the teacher has come and is calling for you. Now Martha leaves Jesus on the outskirts of Bethany and returns home where she takes her sister aside and tells her the teacher has come and is calling for you. Mary was still at home being comforted by the mourners who came from Jerusalem. It is obvious that Jesus sent Martha back to get Mary and this is why when she got to the house, she took Mary aside secretly.

Well, that Greek word for secretly is lathra and it can be translated privately or it can be translated secretly. It is believed that Martha was trying to get Mary to have a private conversation with Jesus like she had with him in verses 21 to 27. The question is did it work? Look at verses 29 to 31 to find out the answer. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the town but was in a place where Martha met him. And then the Jews who were with her in the house and comforted her when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her saying, she is going to the tomb to weep there.

Mary responded immediately to the call of Jesus and according to verse 29, she arose quickly and came to him. And as we mentioned earlier, Jesus had not made it all the way to the village of Bethany but was in a place where Martha met him according to verse 30. And that private conversation that Martha thought that Mary was going to have with Jesus wasn't going to happen because according to verse 31, as soon as Mary got up to go to Jesus, the Jews followed her and thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Now there is something I would like to draw to your attention. And something that stood out to me in verse 29. When Mary heard that Jesus was calling for her, notice she arose quickly and came to him. My question is does that describe us today? When Jesus calls us in the pages of Scripture, do we arise quickly and come to him? When he calls us in the morning when we wake up in the morning, do we arise quickly and come to him in the word like Mary did? And when the Lord calls us to gather together collectively to worship him and to sit at his feet and study his word, do we arise quickly on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening, do we arise quickly and come to him or do we try to find a good enough excuse not to come and gather together?

Or when we come, we're dragging our feet. Or we come, we're kicking and screaming because you're tired of your wife or your husband or your boyfriend or your partner to you're tired of them asking you so you come kicking and screaming. And because we really don't want to do what Jesus is going to ask us to do when we come and hear the word of God and so we make up and try to make up a good enough excuse why we can arise quickly and come like Mary did. Oh, this wasn't Mary. She arose quickly and came to him.

And so what happened when Mary finally gets to Jesus? Well, look at verse 32. Says then when Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet. Stop right there. Notice how when Mary sees Jesus, she falls down at his feet. Oh, this really shows us how special Mary is because in Luke chapter 10 verse 39, we see her sitting at the feet of Jesus during good times. Here in this verse, we see her at the feet of Jesus during hard times. Mary is one who both in good times and in hard times could be found sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Oh, I have seen people during the good times in life sitting at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him, praising him and saying, Lord, you just so good. You're so good to me. And we see you at church and you got that that cheesy grin on your face. Oh, Lord, it just so good. But when difficulty comes your way, you pull away. And in frustration, you say, well, why spend the money or put forth the effort to go to church? I would just stay home. Others, you run the church in hard times and you sit at the feet of Jesus but when things get back to normal, you disappear.

Then there are some of you who like Mary regardless of the situation, you will be found sitting at the feet of Jesus. Do you want to know how to navigate through the storms of life? It is by sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning from him, listening to his words. And Mary was able to get through this difficult season in her life because she developed a habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him and hearing his word. Oh, we saw in verse two that of this chapter that she anointed the feet of Jesus with a very expensive perfume called spikenard that was imported from India.

It was so expensive as we talked about last time, it was so expensive that it would cost a year's salary. And she took that oil and she anointed the feet of Jesus. And once again, she was at the feet of Jesus. And this is how she was able to endure this difficult time in her life because she had developed the habit in the good times and the bad times to sit at his feet. Some of you in good times you at his feet, bad times you go. Others bad time you at his feet when things are back to normal, you go.

Oh, no, no, no. Mary in the good times and the bad times, she was at the feet of Jesus. This is the only way you'll be able to navigate the storms of life when death comes knocking at your door in whatever form. This is the only way you're going to be able to navigate through that difficult time if you develop the habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus. Don't notice what Mary says in verse 32, the second part of verse 32 as she fell down at his feet saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

Now notice these are the exact words Martha said to Jesus in verse 21. Now this was not a rebuke but it was a cry out of her sorrow. However, this teaches me something about human nature. We began to talk like the people with whom we hang out with. I am sure as they watch Lazarus gradually get sicker, they said, where is the Lord? Didn't he get the message? We sent the messenger. Didn't he get it? Doesn't he care? And they spoke the same words. And this is why it is so important to establish relationships with people who speaks the word of God because that's the language you want to speak.

I don't want to be I don't know about you but I don't want to be a person that is negative, who doubts, who complains, who is grumpy. Why? Because I will look up and everyone around me will start to be grumpy, complainers and doubters. You want to spend time with people that will take you higher in the Lord because if you don't, you will find yourself speaking the same language as they do like Mary and Martha. Look at the people you hang out with. I guarantee you that you guys talk alike and you don't even realize it until now.

Ask yourself these questions. Do they speak the word of God or they speak the words of the world? And no matter how they speak or talk, just know you will talk just like them. Hey, I'm telling you this this is why it's so important to marry someone singles. It's so important to marry someone who is in the Lord, has a relationship with the Lord, who speaks the word of God to you because eventually however they are, if they are strong personality in the relationship, you will begin to speak like them. It's just a guarantee that that would happen.

Look at verses 33 and 34. Says therefore when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And he said, where have you laid him? And they said to him, Lord, come and see. Now the scene was understandably one of intense sorrow and pain. And we see in verse 33 that Jesus saw her weeping referring to Mary and the Jews who came with her weeping. It says that Jesus groaned in the spirit. Now I want to draw your attention to the Greek word for weeping.

Uh, klaio is that particular Greek word and it means to wail or to lament loudly. According to Jewish custom, even the Poors family was expected to hire at least two flute players and a professional wailing woman. And since Mary and Martha and Lazarus were a prominent family, and they would likely have uh, had even more professional mourners in addition to others who came to pay their respects that we saw in verse 19. And what I want to bring to your attention is the Greek word for groaned in verse 33. It said that he groaned in his spirit speaking of Jesus.

Well, that Greek word is and it means to snort like a horse. It it appears three times in the New Testament and it is translated sternly warned, scolding. It can include the connotation of anger, outrage or indignation. And so with this in mind, Jesus may have been angry over the painful reality of sin and death of which his dear friend Lazarus was an example. But perhaps he was angry over these professional mourners only putting on a show of sadness and sorrow because that was the custom of the day. And perhaps at one time they had a death in the family and they carried on in such a way that people said, well, we need to hire her next time.

When we have a death in the family now, there's just carrying on just out of uh, for a show. It's not real. It's something that that just it's just a show. And see many of you came out of churches like that where it's just a show. It's it's it it's nothing wrong with emotion. God has given us emotion but when emotion slides over into watch this emotionalism, that's where the problem comes in because emotionalism becomes a show. It just to be show of look at me, look how spiritual I am or look how in the spirit I am.

And it's just a show. And perhaps this is what Jesus was angry over. This just show when sin destroys and sin breaks hearts and sin causes death and sorrow. And here you have a bunch of people putting on a show. And no doubt this broke his heart. This verse also said that Jesus was troubled. Well, that Greek word is terasso and it further describes strong emotion. It is also translated indignant or furious. And then in verse 34, Jesus asked, where have you laid him? And they said, Lord, come and see. The they in this verse must refer to those directly involved in the burial of Lazarus.

Now what happened next? Look at verses 35 and 36. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, see how he loved him. Now here in verse 35 is the shortest verse in the Bible but it packs a big punch. Now I am just going to bring out just a couple of things. There's more I could have spent the whole time on verse 35 alone. Now it says that Jesus wept. This Greek word is dakruo and it is different from klaio weeping that Mary did. This Greek word means to silently burst into tears. And it is a rare word only used here in the New Testament.

And this word is in total contrast to what the typical professional mourners were doing. The tears of Lazarus were generated no doubt from his love for Lazarus and his grief over what sin has done to his creation. And truly as Isaiah 53 verse three says, it rings true that Jesus was a man of sorrow acquainted with grief. And the Jews were correct in verse 36 as seeing Jesus tears as evident of his love for Lazarus but they were incorrect in thinking that his tears reflected the same hopelessness and despair that they felt. And we must understand as believers what 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, it says that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope when someone dies.

Now this verse doesn't say that we do not sorrow but it says we do not sorrow, notice as those who have no hope. That particular phrase those who have no hope is a reference to unbelievers. To those who have no hope that there is life after death, that they have no hope that they will see that loved one again. Now why is it that people believe that there is life after death when someone dies but don't spend the time to prepare themselves for such a life. Or if there is life after death, what is it like?

Is there a certain criteria to get there or does everyone automatically go to this good afterlife when they dies? Oh, the Bible has the answers to these questions and we experience a wonderful life in heaven through Jesus Christ. And anyone who has repented of their sins and made Jesus the Lord of their lives will spend eternity in heaven with him. And this means everyone doesn't go there automatically when they die. Only his children. It blows me away. I I'm baffled because of social media, we get to see the thoughts of a lot of people because everyone puts everything on social media.

Everyone wants everyone to know what their thoughts are every moment of the day. I'm looking at this tree. Hashtag bored. So we we we we see everything. We we're exposed to everything. And we hear such craziness, such mind-boggling craziness when people die. I well, oh, well, you know, now oh, they got their wings now. Since who said that when we die, we get some wings? We become birds all of a sudden or we some kind of Well, God wanted his angel back. Are you kidding me? Where is that in the Bible? We have all this crazy folklore that's out there that's not rooted in Scripture anywhere.

I hear some of the most mind-boggling things. Guy I remember gang member. Guy gang bang, shot up, shoot them up, drugs the whole night, killed folks, all kind of stuff. When he stretched out here, oh yeah, bet he up there doing some gang signs with Jesus, you know, up there. I'm like, what? What kind of mess? I I'm baffled. Every see everyone believes in the afterlife when they're faced with death but how many people are preparing themselves for such a life? Or is it just that every automatically everyone goes there? You die, you go, everybody goes there.

I I have never heard or seen on social media someone died and said, well, yeah, he bust hell wide open, you know. No. He ride he ride he ride his bike in heaven, you know. What? Who said there bicycles or motorcycles in heaven? Who said that? Yeah, he he probably got that thing throttling through the pearly gates. Who says these things? Because people are ignorant of the Scriptures, of the word of God. They just go based upon the craziest thoughts and like, I bet he up there wearing Jesus to death. She wearing everybody here but I bet he she wearing Jesus in that what?

The Bible says be anxious for nothing, worry for nothing but everything by prayer and supplication. However, she's up there worrying Jesus to death. Well, she was a talker. I bet she's talking Jesus here all what? I hear this kind of stuff. It is crazy man-made folklore. It's not rooted in the Bible anywhere. And if there's an afterlife, we need to prepare ourselves for such a life. Only his children go to heaven and everybody is not a child of God. Let me tell you something. Stop saying that. We're all his creation but we are not all his children.

You're only a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, for as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to them who believe on his name. The Bible is clear about that. Everyone is not his children. We are all his creation. You're only a child of God by putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The question is have you received him? For as many as received him, to them he gave the right. That word in the Greek, the right means it means the power, the authority to become children of God even to them who believe on his name.

The way that you know that you're a child of God, it will be reflected in the way that you live. Look at your life. Does it reflect Jesus Christ? Or does it reflect just however you want to live? I'm telling you don't be fooled into thinking you're a child of God just because you believe that there is a God. Oh, it just shows that you're not a fool. The Bible said the fool has said in his heart there is no God. All because you acknowledge there is a God just means you're not a fool. It doesn't mean you're a believer.

That that that word believe means to trust in, to adhere to, to rely upon. It means that that Greek word means to place one's weight fully upon something, to place the weight of your life fully upon Christ, trusting him. Just like when you sat in that chair, you placed all of your weight in in that chair. You were trusting that that chair was going to hold you up. You put all your weight upon Christ to trusting him for your salvation. Oh, somebody needs to hear this today cuz you thinking that you are a believer just because you believe that there is a God.

The Bible said the demons believe and tremble. Did you know Satan that did you know there are no atheists in Satan's kingdom? Satan is not an atheist. Or he promotes atheism. You're atheist, you know, that which the belief that there is no God. He promotes that but Satan believes that there is God. I tell you. So those who don't have this hope in Jesus mourn like those who have no hope during funerals. Look at verse 37. And some of them said, could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying?

Now listen to what some of the people in this crowd said about Jesus. Oh yes, they were impressed with his tears in verse 36 and some said, see how he loved him while others were questioning Jesus and perhaps uh, you know, picking up on what the sister said, could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind have kept this man from dying? No doubt this is a reference to the miracle Jesus performed in John chapter nine of the blind man when he healed the blind man in verses one through 12 that we studied some time back.

Now they were being critical of Jesus. They were implying that Jesus had the power to heal a blind man and according to Mary and Martha could have prevented their brother Lazarus from dying. So they're wondering why is it that he didn't come and heal him? What took him so long to get here? He's getting here now. Lazarus been dead four days. So something else must have been going on.

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