Live Free with Josh Howerton - God’s Delays are Not God’s Denials | Ep. 281 | Monday, March 4, 2024

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

John 11 tells us an amazing story about Jesus and His dear friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Although He loved them, Jesus stayed where He was when He heard the news that Lazarus was sick until the time was right. When He finally arrived, Martha came to Him in grief because Lazarus had died. With compassion, Jesus reminded her that He is the resurrection and the life and asked her, “Do you believe this?” We need to ask ourselves the same question today. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, happy Monday, everybody. Hope you had a great weekend. Welcome to the Daily Drive.

My name is Mike Bro, and I'm grateful that you would join us as we try to get to know Jesus better. And today, we're going to start unpacking the story that will just blow you away. You know how John said, I didn't have space to write down all the amazing things that Jesus did, but these are written so that you might believe? Well, this one, this one, is one that John just could not leave out. John chapter 11 is where we are, and it begins this way. A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sister's Mary and Martha.

This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. You can read all about that in Matthew 26 and Mark 14, Luke 7, and we're going to get to it in just a few days in the Gospel of John. Then John writes, Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, Lord, your dear friend is very sick. You know, I've been encouraging you as you read through this to circle words and highlight passages and write notes in the margin of your Bible as you go along.

Well, here's one of the things that I circled as I read this. I just think it's cool that Jesus had, and this is what I circled, dear friends. Jesus had dear friends. I can remember back in grad school, a professor told some of us, he said, boys, now when you get in located ministry, you will not be able to have close friends. And I can remember thinking of myself, dang, you must be a really lonely guy. And besides, Jesus had close friends.

He had a small group of 12. He had an inner circle of three. And obviously there were others that he was very, very close to. He had dear friends. Friendship is crucial to life. I would not have lasted in ministry or in marriage or as a dad without close friends in my life. And it's very apparent that Jesus had him,

and he loved this family. In fact, Jesus and Lazarus may have been like lifelong friends. I love the mini-series The Chosen, and that's the way they depict it. Now, we're not sure, but they may have grown up together. Some scholars believe that there may have been like family connections with frequent stopovers in Bethany

when they would all head down to Jerusalem for festivals. We're not sure, but we do know that they were close, and Jesus hung out with Lazarus and his sisters a lot, and he loved them very deeply. So Jesus gets the not-so-good news that his buddy is gravely ill. So knowing the power he had, of course Jesus dropped everything he was doing and immediately rushes over to Bethany to heal him, right?

Not so much, verse 4. But when Jesus heard about it, he said, Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of Man will receive glory from this. So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. He didn't rush over. He didn't rush over like they wanted him to, like they expected him to.

And I think we've all experienced that with God, haven't we? How he didn't meet our expectations or our timetable. But I'm learning that God's delays are not always God's denials, and his timing is perfect because his wisdom and his perspective is otherly, and his love, it's unfailing. So after a few days, Jesus tells us, guys, All right, let's go back to Judea. Well, does disciples object say, go back?

Only a few days ago, the religious leaders in Judea were trying to stone you. We don't need to go back. We need to stay clear of there. I mean, all of us are in trouble if we go back. You sure? You're sure you want to go back? Verse 9. Jesus replies, there are 12 hours of daylight every day.

During the day, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of the world. But at night, there is danger of stumbling because they have no light. He's just saying, I know, I know, guys. is a dark place. But those people need light. And I go to dark places so people can see. Verse 11, that he said, our dear friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But now I will go and wake him up. And the disciples say, okay, Lord, if he's sleeping, he will soon get better. I mean, it's better for everybody that he just gets some rest. It's better for you. It's better for us if we don't go back

there. John says in verse 13, they thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping. But Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he tells them plainly, guys, Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there. For now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him. And they say, well, okay, even though we think still going there is a super risky thing. We're ready to die with you if need be, and they sat out for Bethany just a few miles from Jerusalem.

Well, they get there, and they can see in the distance a bunch of people, grieving with and consoling the family. And they find out that Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days. How many of you've done one of those personality profile tests or enneagram tests? Got any extroverts out there? Introverts? Some of you might be planners. Some of your more spontaneous. Some of your thinkers, some of your feelers, some are busy bees always moving, and some of you're more artistic and chill and reflective. Well, these two sisters, Mary and Martha, could not have been more different from each other. Mary is more of a planner, more analytical, more of a thinker, more of a worker, a woman of action.

It marries more of an expressive, artistic feeler. She's more reflective in the moment kind of person. You might have heard about the time where they throw a dinner party for Jesus on the guys. And Martha comes to Jesus, all stressed out, and a little ticked off and says, Jesus, could you get my sister to come in here and help me in the kitchen? I am busted my tail and she's just sitting here just lost in the moment. So it's no surprise that Martha is the one who goes out to meet Jesus before he even gets to the house.

And it seems like she's not happy with him. At least she's frustrated her, disappointed, and she don't want to make a scene in front of all the friends who had gathered back at the house, so she meets him out on the road and says to him, verse 21, Lord, if only you would have been here, my brother would not have died.

Ever said that? God, if only. I think there's a mixture of disappointment in him not coming sooner, but also faith in the power of Jesus. She's saying, you have the power. You really could have done something. I've seen you work. I know you could do it.

If only you'd have been here. I'm guessing looking into the eyes of Jesus, who she knew, cared deeply about then. The one who she knew was God of the flesh. And even though he was late, he had calculated the risk to come back to Judea to be with them. So she calms down a bit and says in verse 22, but I know now God will give you whatever you ask.

To which Jesus responds, your brother, he will rise again. Well, she comes back with, yeah, I know, I get that, I believe that. You know, someday down the road he will rise when everyone else rises at the last day, like way down the road, I know we'll all be together, but I'm not talking then, I'm talking about right now.

And I think Jesus probably embraces her and her grief. And he says these life-changing words to her. He tells her, I am the resurrection and the life. Man, I love that. Not just I will be, not just I have been, but I am. Present tense, right now in your midst, Martha, right now in your grief, right now in your heartbreak, right now in your pain, right now in your confusion, right now in your frustration and disappointment, I am. I'm not only the one who has been faithful for generations. I'm not only your hope for the future.

I am right now in this very moment. And I'm just guessing somebody needed to hear that today. That God is not distant. He is with you right now. He is for you. Right now he's helping you. Work through your grief. He's helping you beat that addiction.

He's helping you navigate that relational heartbreak. He's helping you handle that criticism. Right now, present tense. He is near and cares. He raises people. He gives life to hopeless situations. Plus, that future that you're worried about, that thing that's lurking out there for all of us,

the thing that nobody cheats? I mean, the stats on death are pretty impressive. One out of one, people die. And into that, Jesus says, hold up, I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never, ever die.

And then he tenderly asked Martha, Do you believe this, Martha? And gang, that's such a huge question. Do you believe this? It's a question I believe I've thrown out there at every funeral I've ever done because it's an invitation to hope. It's an invitation to freedom. It's an invitation to build your life on something that's solid and true and certain.

It's an invitation and a question that Jesus throws out there to you today. I am the resurrection and the life. whoever believes in me will live even after dying. Everyone who believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Your answer to that question can flood your soul with peace, hope, security, and eternal life. Why not reflect on that today? And we'll pick up right here tomorrow.

Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online. live weekend services on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. For more information, visit lakepoint.com. Church slash daily drive.