Scripture – John 11:1-44 NIV –
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Bob’s thoughts:
We were able to come back and hear the third message from the Wait For It series.
The encouragement to wait on God’s timing gave me cause to smile. Many years ago, one of my daughters was lamenting to Jan over my lifestyle and lack of God in my life. They sat together and prayed for me. I wish I could guess how many years it was before God claimed me, but when He did, it was overwhelming. Keep praying!
Not long after I was saved, the house we were living in was being sold, we had nowhere to go nor the money to get there. Shortly before the closing a cousin offered to give us his late father’s house at South Hills Country Club. I had given my concerns to God and His timing was perfect, His timing. Any worrying would have accomplished nothing.
More recently when we place our order in a restaurant, our grandson will frequently ask “Where is our food?” sometimes before we order. God’s timing hasn’t failed, we still eat.
A lot of the younger children smile and wave; they make a great welcoming committee and it warms my heart.
I was happy to get a few more Just Because cards. I’ve found it’s an easy way to not take credit for whatever help we might be and it’s a good way to challenge ourselves to do more “Just Because.”
Jan’s thoughts:
Unusual as it is, our grandtwins were with us again this weekend so we visited here for the second straight week. However, our other family members were not here this week and I missed worshiping with them.
Five people took vows of membership this morning.
Pastor Mike updated everyone on the Just Because initiative, reading some comments posted to the website (justbecausepgh.com). Two were from recipients of kindnesses and one from someone testifying to the good feelings he and the recipient experienced. I’m looking forward to reading more about this, as the good feelings extend beyond the giver and recipient.
Today’s installment in the Wait For It series was called If Only…, something I and everyone I know has said or thought at some point. He began by relating the story of a man who had to choose between making a business trip and taking his sick daughter to the doctor. He chose to tend to his child and learned the flight he would have taken crashed and all onboard were lost.
Pastor Mike pointed out that we can trust God’s timing because He always has a purpose and only He knows the future. He said when we trust God’s timing we realize:
1 – God is bigger than we thought,
2 – our faith grows deeper, and
3 – God accomplishes His purposes.
He closed with the statement, “God is not in a hurry.” This reminded me that everything for which I am waiting, I can entrust to God’s purposes because His purposes will certainly be fulfilled. I’m still/again learning to surrender my hopes to Him, and I’m grateful for His faithfulness in the midst of my struggle.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray Your continued Presence with Your church. We ask that Your blessings rain down upon all involved in the “Just Because” encounters. Amen.
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