The Death of Lazarus - God's Glory Through Tragedy

We'll take your Bible this morning. Turn with me to John chapter 11. John chapter 11, of course we took a break from our study in John last week as we celebrated the Lord's Supper and we were in the Gospel of Mark. John chapter 11, we will be in verses 1 through 16 this morning. Now we have transitioned into a new phase in the ministry of Jesus. I think that you are understanding that by now, you're seeing those natural progressions. But now we're seeing Jesus move into more of a private and intimate ministry situation here in these next chapters.

Now we will see Jesus minister more to individuals than the great crowds that we've been accustomed to. And we will see Jesus minister more to his disciples. I kind of call this one-on-one type time with them. Now I want to give you the big picture of what we've looked at so far. The first 10 chapters of the book of Jesus has been Jesus ministering more in widening circles. Started off small and it just got larger and larger. Jesus, he performed his first miracle at the wedding there in Cana of Galilee. This was a private miracle, but news did travel. And I have called this kind of a semi-private miracle.

It happened in a small setting, but news of this miracle did travel. Now right after this miracle, we see Jesus become more and more public with greater crowds and opposition began to develop. But like I have said before, things change in chapter 11 and in chapter 12. I don't remember who said it, but one of the resources that I read said this week that chapters 11 and 12 are a bridge between his public ministry, which we've just finished, and the passion and the cross. And I like that because that's very accurate. These two chapters are a bridge between the public ministry and the cross.

From chapter 13 on, we'll see Jesus drawing closer and closer to the cross, and we'll see him making more and more preparations for the cross. With that big picture in mind, now notice in chapter 11, we have another miracle. We have another miracle. Some of your Bibles are different. I know. But above chapter 11, there'll be some type of a heading that will indicate that there is the death of Lazarus, and then he is raised from the dead. And most Bible translations, most Bible editions will have that. So that's what we have right here in front of us in chapter 11, another miracle.

Now, here in chapter 11, we have the most powerful of all of the miracles so far in John's account. Let me show you the transition in these, or the progression of these miracles. The first miracle I've already alluded to was Jesus changing the water into wine in chapter 2, verses 1 through 11. The second miracle was Jesus healing the nobleman's son in chapter 4, starting in verse 46. The third miracle was Jesus healing the crippled man in chapter 5, verses 1 through 17. The fourth and the fifth miracles are in chapter 6. Jesus fed the 5,000, and then that night, he walked on the water.

And then the sixth miracle was Jesus healing the man born blind in chapter 9, verses 1 through 41. And then the seventh miracle is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. That's what's right in front of you. Now, if I were to give you a test, if I were to give you a test as to what you have learned so far, one of the first questions that I would ask would be, what were the purposes of the miracles? We learned that in chapter 2, verse 11. John uses these words "signs," more so than the word "miracles." Now, there's a reason for that. John's purpose in recording the signs, the miracles, in using this word "signs" was to direct people to Christ.

And this truth is illustrated wonderfully in chapter 2, in verse 11. Jesus performed that miracle, or that sign, and he revealed his glory through that sign. And the verse says that the disciples believed in him. So what do we see? They believed in Christ because the miracle, the sign, pointed and directed them to Christ. So in every miracle or sign, Christ's purpose was to reveal his glory, was to reveal himself as the Messiah. And I have repeated this purposely because it is important to know that truth. And this sign, this miracle that is before us in chapter 11 is no different.

It is meant to reveal the glory of God, but being the greatest of the miracles so far, it reveals his glory in a greater way. And we will see that as we wade into this story. Now I'll give you the title of the message and the truths that we're going to explore. I've already given you our verses. We'll be in verses 1 through 16. Verses 1 through 16. We'll be looking at the death of Lazarus. God's glory through tragedy. God's glory through tragedy. You see the main truths that we're going to explore. We're going to flesh these truths out as we wade through the verses.

And I believe that we're going to see God beginning to unfold his glory, reveal his glory through this death, through this tragedy, through this trial. I encourage you to take notes. I know that many of you do. I encourage you to study your notes during the week so that we would all not just learn, but retain all that God wants us to retain so that he could make us into the people he wants us to be. Let's look at these verses together. Verses 1 through 16. And then we'll dive in head first. "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The sisters therefore said to him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.' But when Jesus heard it, he said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God and that the Son of God may be glorified by it.' Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed then two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to his disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.' The disciples said to him, 'Rabbi,' that means teacher, 'the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?' Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble. But he sees the light of this world.

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.' This he said, 'And after that he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go that I may awaken him out of sleep.' The disciples therefore said to him, 'Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.' Now Jesus had spoken of this death, but they thought that he was speaking of literal sleep.

Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him.' Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.'" Now you see the truths that we're going to explore, so let's dive into this message and let's look at what the Lord wants to say to us this morning. So truth number one, the relationships at hand. The relationships at hand. We're going to notice this out of several verses, you can note those. But within this chapter, there are four main characters.

Four main characters, Jesus, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Now with those four main characters, of course, there are the disciples. Now here in the first 16 verses, we're going to see Jesus and disciples, but from verses 17 on, we'll see Mary and Martha also. And we will see the importance of these relationships as we progress, not only in these verses, but all throughout the chapter. Now let's break down these relationships. Let's examine them. First, we have Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. They were family. They were siblings. Verse one states that Mary and Martha were sisters.

Verse 21, Martha says to Jesus that if he had been there, her brother would not have died. Verse five states that they were sisters as well. So we see that they were siblings and they were well-known siblings at that. Later in the story, we see that there were other people there during this time of sickness and death. There were other Jews there during this family crisis. So they were well-known. But I want us to see Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. They were siblings. They were a family. Second, notice that Jesus loved them. Jesus, he loved them. In verse three, we see that Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick.

In that correspondence, they say, "The one you love is sick." Now all the translations that we study basically say the same thing. We see this repeated in verse five. Jesus knew well their relationship and he states that Jesus, John, he knew well their relationship and he stated that Jesus loved this family. It seems that this love extended even to the disciples as well. As a matter of fact, verse 11 seems to say, it says that Jesus includes the disciples in this relationship. And again, all the translations say the same thing. Another indication of Jesus' intimacy with his family can be seen in verse 35.

We see that Jesus wept at the situation at hand. It is interesting that the word used here for Jesus' weeping is different than the word used to describe the crowds' weeping in verse 33. This word used of Jesus' weeping was a more private weeping, a more quiet weeping in contrast to the crowds bursting out. This was personal. This was intimate. This was not a loud public display like the Jews. So what do we see? Jesus loved his family. And then third, Jesus spent time with them. To see this side of their relationship, we must move not only into John, but also the synoptic gospels.

Luke chapter 10, verse 38 through 42 tells us that Jesus spent time in their home. John alludes to the fact that Mary anointed Jesus with oil. That's further on in John's gospel in chapter 12. And we see that Jesus was in their home then. And there are other accounts in the gospels where Jesus travels through this area where they live. So what we see is Jesus spent time with them. So here we see the relationships of the main characters. We have this family that Jesus was close to and the disciples who were within this relationship. He was in their home several times and he did great things in their family, in their lives and in their midst.

But I want to look at these relationships in light of something else that we've studied in the past. I don't know if you remember what we studied last Mother's Day. But on Mother's Day, we studied Matthew chapter 12, verses 46 through 50. And we came to understand that those of us who were in Christ, we experienced what I called the reality of a relationship change. And within these passages that Matthew gives, we learned that those of us who were born again, those of us who were in the family of God, those of us who do the will of God, we are Jesus' brothers and sisters. He states that obviously in Matthew's accounts. We are His family.

So Jesus was not just close to Lazarus and Mary and Martha. They were spiritually united. They were a spiritual family and He was that close to them. They weren't just good friends. It was more than that. For you, for me, for us today, we must understand that as born-again Christians, Jesus is not just Lord. He is not just Savior. We've been learning that all through John. He is not just deity, God in the flesh. But according to what we see in this example and in what Matthew gives us, Jesus is our friend. He is close like a brother. And I don't think it is disrespectful or irreligious to use that language.

He is our friend and He relates to us not just as Lord and Savior as God, but as a close and intimate friend. And see, we need to see the relationships at hand. And listen, some of you need to hear that this morning. You do not realize that Christ desires to relate to you in this manner. Let's move on. Let's notice truth number two. I want us to examine the sickness that is at hand. We see that in the first six verses. This sickness that is at hand. Lazarus is sick. They sent word to Jesus that he was sick. He heard the news and he delayed. And then he did come. So let's look at this sickness that is at hand.

Now, it is obvious from the start of the chapter that the crisis here is in the sickness of Lazarus. We see this in verse one and in verse three. No mistaking that. But we will see that this sickness is a vehicle. I want you to grab that language. It is a vehicle for the work of Christ. You and I, we all got in our vehicles and we drove ourselves to church this morning. I don't believe anyone walked. And that vehicle brought us to this geographical place. And this sickness that is at hand, it is a vehicle for the work of God. Several truths here I want us to see in examining this sickness for truths specifically first.

Notice that Lazarus was seriously sick. He was seriously sick. According to the language in verses one and three, there is no indication as to the type of sickness that Lazarus was suffering. So nothing from the language would indicate the seriousness of this disease. But if one looks at the timeline, the seriousness comes to light. Notice the timeline in verse one, he's sick. In verse three, a messenger is dispatched to Jesus. That would have taken a day to get word to Jesus because Jesus was across the Jordan from them. According to chapter ten, verse 40. And if you study the geography, you can deduce that.

Verse six says that Jesus stayed two more days where he was. Verse 17 says that Jesus did arrive. So it would have taken him at least a day to get there, just like the messenger. Add that up and that is four days. Then verse 17 says that he was dead for four days when Jesus came on the scene. That would mean that Lazarus must have died just after the messenger was sent. When the messenger left, he was sick and he must have been seriously ill because he died and he died quickly. Second, notice the sister sent word. Verse three is very simple. What is their message? Lord, behold, the one that you love, he is sick.

This was a very simple message. They did not explain the sickness nor the seriousness of the sickness. It seems that the emphasis they placed was on Jesus' love for Lazarus, the sick man. They didn't really emphasize the sickness. They emphasized that relationship. They did not even ask him to come. They simply sent word that his friend, the one that you love, yet he was sick. Then third, notice the purpose of the sickness. I want to read back over verse four.

"But when Jesus heard it, he said to his disciples, 'The sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it or in it.'" See, Jesus has dealt with things like this in the past. If you remember in chapter nine, there was a similar situation. There was the man that was born blind. In chapter nine, verse three, it says, "It was not that this man sinned or his parents sinned, but the works of God might be displayed through him." You see, it is a very similar situation. Now, notice the language, some specifics in verse four.

"This sickness unto death, but for the glory of God." Right there, there's a key phrase. This part of that phrase, this unto death, in the original, it reads like this, with a view of death. Now, let me explain that. Jesus is saying that the ultimate purpose of this sickness was not death, but the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified by it or through it or in it. He was not saying that death would not come, but that the final purpose was beyond or greater than death, and that was a manifestation of his glory. Let's continue. Let's notice the delay in coming.

Verse six, "When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days." He stayed two days longer. Now, this delay could be seen in several ways. One might think that Jesus was being insensitive or unloving, but that's not the case. Jesus knew that this sickness would end in death and that he would raise him from the dead. So why the delay? I think there are probably quite a few reasons. I'm going to list a couple. The first reason, I believe, was to prove that Lazarus was really dead. There was no mistaking. What do we find out later on when Jesus does arrive on the scene? He's been in the tomb four days. No mistaking that he was dead.

I think another reason would be to strengthen the faith of the sisters. They had faith to believe that Jesus could heal him. Later on, we'll see that in verse 21. They really believed that Jesus could heal their brother. But did they have the faith to believe that Jesus could raise him from the dead? I believe a third reason is to provide a greater demonstration of his glory for the disciples, for the sisters, and for those around this miracle. So that was a purpose, a divine, a sovereign purpose in this delay. So here we see this sickness. And I want to illustrate this sickness like you would see a road sign.

You know, in our culture, we have signs on our interstates and we have signs on our highways. Many of us try not to pay much attention to them, but we have signs. But just imagine for yourself a two-sided sign. Now, on the front side, the sign that everyone sees is the sickness which quickly turns to death. Now, to make matters worse here, Jesus, for no understandable reason to them, delays in coming. We understand it, but they would not have.

And now on the backside of that sign, the side that you cannot see, unless you have a heavenly purpose and understand heavenly purposes, Jesus had an ultimate purpose of this tragedy and through this tragedy. And that was for the glory of God. And for the disciples and everyone else involved, they had to travel through the sickness. They had to travel down the road to death. They had to travel down this road all the way to the very end to Jesus dealing with, in what seems like insensitive delay, all the way to the end to the backside of the sign. And the backside of the sign was the glory of God.

For application for me and you, it goes like this. There are some of you here. You have sickness at hand. And I don't necessarily mean physical sickness, trial, tragedy, difficulty, dark days. And Jesus is delaying and coming and you do not understand why. You must see that at the end of your sickness in hand, you must see that at the end of your darkness, you must see that at the end of your trial, you must see that at the end of whatever is in your life is the glory of God. Now I'm speaking to believers here. Those who are truly born again, there is a sickness at hand in your life. And you must see that there is an eternal purpose.

Now, there are two things in application I really want you to get. If you're in trial, if you're in darkness, if you're in difficult circumstances, it doesn't matter if it seems like Jesus is delayed for year after year after year. You must first know that your circumstances are ordained by God. God is sovereign over all and in us and through us and for us, he ordains difficult times and we must see that these things are ordained of God. This sickness didn't sneak up on Jesus. This death of Lazarus was a plan of God. And the second thing you need to know is that your circumstance is for the glory of God.

There is a purpose behind it and when you get to the end of the journey, it is a testimony for Christ, a work of God that will bring him glory. So we see the sickness at hand. Now, it's kind of a transition here that I want to make. We see the relationships. It's very important for you to grasp those relationships. We see these relationships and now we see the sickness. This sickness was ordained of God. It was a purpose behind it and now we will move into how Jesus is relating in this situation and he's beginning to relate to those who are involved.

And this morning we will focus on the disciples and next week we will move into Mary and Martha and others. So the third truth, the disciples, their caution. We see them come into this situation starting in verse 7. Now, we will see that this caution in the disciples come from what Jesus says in verse 7. Look at verse 7. Then after this, he knows of Lazarus. He's delayed two days. Then after this, he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." Now, what's the significance? They found out Lazarus was sick.

Even though Jesus had a close relationship to Lazarus, verse 6 says that he delayed and now he says, "Let's go up again." And that statement is loaded and we're going to see why. So let's examine their reaction because the reaction comes out of what he said in verse 7. First, the disciples feared. What does verse 8 say? Rabbi, the Jews who were seeking to stone you, they are there. We're going back there again. The disciples were examining the situation and they were being honest. They were saying, "Why should we leave this good ministry?" Chapter 10 verses 40 through 42 said that it was fruitful.

Why should we go back there and go back to Jerusalem where they wanted to stone you? If they would have continued, they would have said, "You said this death will not end in death, this sickness." So why do we even need to go? They were fearful. Second, notice the disciples' understanding. Verses 12 through 13, the disciples therefore said to him, "Lord, if he's fallen asleep, he'll recover." Jesus had spoken of this death, but they thought that he was speaking of literal sleep. Now, we will examine what Jesus says to them, which was in verses 9 through 10, a little later, but we're going to weave them back together.

But look at their misunderstanding. They thought that when Jesus was speaking of death, he was saying that Lazarus would fall asleep. And they did not understand what Jesus was saying, nor did they understand the situation. Third, the disciples' pessimism or their negativity. Look at verse 16, Thomas therefore, who was called Didymus, that means twin, he said to his fellow disciples, "It just drips with pessimism. Let us also go that we may die with him." Again, we will examine this in light of what he says in verses 14 through 15, and we'll weave them back together. But look at their pessimism. Look at their negativity.

Now, notice who is talking. It's Thomas. Thomas is generally the cautious one. He is generally the doubting one. We've learned that in our studies of John before, in John chapter 20, verses 24 through 28. He is the doubting one. But there are some good things from Thomas here. First of all, he is asserting himself as a leader. It's rare that he steps to the forefront. Second, he is willing to follow Christ. Third, he is willing to face death. And even though this is gloomy, even though this is negative, he is still willing. See? So notice their caution. Notice this caution. It just drips with fear and misunderstanding and pessimism.

So here we see the disciples' caution as Jesus is leading them into this situation, and in their caution it is just loaded. It drips. It oozes with fear and misunderstanding and pessimism. But it does seem that they are willing to follow. Now, I want to move quickly to the Lord's revelation, because these must be seen together. They need to be broken down, but they also need to be woven back together. So fourth, notice the Lord's revelation. The Lord's revelation. We see that in verses 7 through 16 as well. Now, verse 7, right here, Jesus starts the revelation. Go back to verse 7.

After this, Jesus says, "Let's go to Judea again." That starts it all. And you might say, "He is just saying, 'Let's go to Judea.'" That's the case, but he is doing a work here. He's doing a work for the disciples, and he's doing a work for Mary and Martha and Lazarus and all those involved. Now, let's notice how Jesus relates to them. First of all, notice Jesus' confidence. Look at verses 9 through 10. Notice his confidence. They said in verse 8, "We're going to be stoned." Verse 9, "Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world.

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.'" So, what do we see? There is a confidence that comes right behind their fear. They express fear, and he expresses confidence. But notice what he is saying. This is what's called a proverbial statement. This is a Jewish common proverbial statement. Now, you might not realize it, but we understand proverbial statements. I'll give you a couple of examples. Many of us have heard this one. It goes like this. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That's just a proverbial statement. Another one that's common, a penny saved is a penny earned.

I think you get the gist of what that means. Those mean. Those are proverbial statements that are meant to teach truth. And here, this statement refers to the fact that the Jews divided the daylight hours, or the daylight period, into twelve hours. And that daylight period, it fluctuated for them as the seasons changed. We know that the days get longer and the days get shorter. And with this proverbial statement that reflects how they viewed the daylight hours, there are two truths here. This twelve hours in the day represents the time of Jesus' ministry that on earth, which was determined by God the Father. What is He saying?

It's daylight now. I am here. And the night, the night spoken of in verse 10, represents the end of Jesus' ministry when He would not be present, when He would not be with men. So there was a confidence right behind their fear. Now, notice Jesus' purpose in verse 11. And He said after that, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go, that I may awaken him." Now, He is really clarifying what He has been saying. He reveals His purpose in the situation. But this was symbolic speech. This was symbolism that He was using. Jesus was metaphorically speaking. The sleep spoken of was really speaking about death.

And the awakening here was speaking of Him, raising Him up from the dead. But let's continue. Third, Jesus' explanation. This is over in verses 14 and 15. Jesus said therefore plainly. He's really trying to help them see. "Lazarus is dead, and I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to Him." And we need to understand this explanation right behind verses 12 through 13. Because they thought He was talking about physical sleep. So He gives them the purpose. They didn't understand. And He explains it even further in verses 14 and 15. He expressed confidence in the situation.

"I am here on the scene." His purpose in the situation. And now He explains the situation at hand. Now notice what He is saying in this explanation. "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sake." Does that now not seem strange? Something is very good here. This word "dead" is in the Aristents, which indicates that the action had already taken place. This reveals Jesus' supernatural knowledge. The messenger came and said He was sick. But what is good here is that He explains the situation. He knows the situation. And He is the captain of the situation. So here we see a lot going on. We see a lot going on here. We see the disciples' caution.

They are cautious. They are fearful. They are misunderstanding. They are negative. But then we see the Lord's revelation. And we should see that through that fear, through that misunderstanding, even their pessimism, Christ is working. He is using this situation to increase their faith and enlarge their belief. One Bible commentator that I read, his name is Leon Morris, he says something very good. He says there are depths of faith to be plumbed. And there are new heights of faith to be scaled. I like that. He is enlarging the depth of their faith and the height of their faith.

Notice He does not rebuke them in this mixture of feelings, this mixture of expressions. He does not rebuke them, but He works through that for their own good. And this is a progressive work. This is not an instant work. He does not zap them, the rhythm of how they feel and how they misunderstand. This is an inner work, a progressive work. It is a difficult work. And it is not seen right away. That's why I like what Morris says. It is a work of faith that goes down and it is a work of faith that goes up. And it takes some time. Now in application, I want us to combine the disciples' caution and the Lord's revelation.

It's hard to divide it, but we needed to, to get our mind around it. They need to be understood and applied together. So let me help you make application. There are some of you here and you're facing difficult circumstances. You are in a mud pit. You're just in the middle of a fog bank. The fog is so thick you can't cut it with a knife. You are stuck in the mud pit of difficult circumstances. And listen, it won't go away. It's just like a bottomless pit that you seem to feel like you're falling in and listen.

All types of emotions, all types of feelings, all types of reactions, all types of fears and misunderstandings and even pessimism comes into your mind and comes into your heart. Why? Because you are just like the disciples. And you need to see what the Lord is saying. What is He saying to those disciples? He is saying the same thing to you. The Lord Jesus is saying, "Come with me to where it is difficult." He is saying, "Come to me where it is scary, where the outlook looks bleak.

Come with me where it gets worse and worse to where you think you can go no further." And some of you can't journey with Christ hand in hand because of your emotions, your reactions, your fears, your misunderstandings, your negativity hinder you from simply putting your hand in the hand of Jesus and walking through the darkness no matter what. And you desperately need to see that Christ is with you in your darkness and He will be with you through the end all the way to the end of that darkness. There is a work that will bring about increased faith and belief and a work that will be glorious and bring Him glory.

God wants to work in you and you must put your hand in the hand of Christ and walk through, not around and not over. And remember, this is a journey. This is a progressive work. And remember also that it is daylight. What did He say to them? "I'm here, the light of the world. And for you, for me, for us, Christ is here. Christ is working." Now as I close, I want to touch on the four main truths. The relationships at hand. You see why you needed to understand that? Christ is not just Savior. He's not just Lord. He's not just deity. He is our friend. And the sickness is at hand.

I used that language at hand because that sickness was in their lap and right in your lap, right in the middle of your life, is a sickness. And oh, what about the caution? I struggled with that word caution. I looked for a word that would really describe all that was going on in them. And the fear, the anxiety, the misunderstandings, the pessimism, all of that just describes an amalgamation of feelings.

And right in the middle of all of this is friend Jesus putting His hand out to those disciples and saying, "Walk with me through your fear, through your under-smith's understanding, even through your negativity, and let me work." Now I want to conclude by borrowing a quotation from Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry is an old Puritan commentator. He's very practical, very well known, and he is elaborating on verse 4 when he says, "But this is for my glory." He's talking about the sickness. He says, "But for the glory of God that the Son of Man may be glorified in it." Henry is commenting on that portion.

And I'm going to take his quotation and I'm going to change it up a little. Some of you who might read Matthew Henry, if you were to read what he says, you would notice that I am doing that. But before I do that, I want to ask you to participate with me. Those of you who are in the midst of trial, you are in the midst of darkness. You are in the midst of a sickness. It might not be physical sickness. There is a situation that is at hand. I want you to bring that to the forefront of your mind. If you're bold enough, if you're brave enough, I'd like you to write it on your notepad. See, some of you, you just can't even begin to say it.

It's so hard to even say it. And with that on the forefront of your mind, with those words on paper right in front of you, I want you to listen as I repackage what Henry said. This is an opportunity that is given for the manifestation of God's glory and power. The struggles of Christians are designed for the glory of God, that God may have an opportunity of working in them. And those who are in distress have such greater opportunity. We must let this truth reconcile us to even the most difficult circumstances, even the darkest of times, to the sovereign providential plan of God.

Sickness, great loss, great pain, whether it's emotional, physical, inescapable darkness, immovable obstacles, immovable circumstances, all are for the glory of God, and we should be satisfied in God in them. And I add to what Henry says, and we can be satisfied and joyous in them. Two questions as I close. Would you be satisfied in Christ if your sickness at hand was never healed? Would you be willing to say to God, bring this sickness even to death if it will bring you greater glory? Would you be satisfied in Christ if your sickness at hand was never healed?

And would you be willing to say to God, bring this sickness even to death if it will bring you greater glory? Lord Jesus, thank you for this message. I know this is just the beginning.