“Thank God Today!” (John 11:38-44)

“Thank God Today!”

(John 11:38-44)

Experiencing God

William Wilberforce was an English politician, and he was a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. He had a conversion experience when he was 26 years old. He was also a close friend of William Pitt. Pitt was a youngest Prime Minister, and he was a man of great capabilities. One Sunday Pitt and Wilberforce went to church together. That Sunday a pastor preached on “How to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Wilberforce thought that it was the best sermon that he had ever heard. So after the service, he was about to share his thoughts about the sermon, but his friend Pitt started a conversation first. He said to Wilberforce, “Did you understand what the pastor said this morning? I tried hard to pay attention to him, but I couldn’t understand what he was talking about.” Wilberforce was shocked by what his friend said. He realized that not all people would understand the word of God and experience God in their lives. Today’s scripture teaches us how to experience God in our lives today.

In today’s Scripture we meet three main characters – Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They were close friends of Jesus. They were like an extended family for Jesus. So, when Lazarus was getting sick, his sisters knew where Jesus was, and immediately they sent word to him, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They had confidence that as soon as Jesus heard the news, he would drop everything and come running to them. But, against all expectations, Jesus didn’t come to them right away. Instead, he stayed where he was two more days. I think that must have hurt them badly. They might have felt forsaken by Jesus. I think even their faith would be severely shaken. However, the Bible clearly affirms Jesus’ love for these three siblings. Verse 5 says, “Jesus loved (egafa) Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Here in verse 5 Apostle John uses the word, “agafao,” which means unconditional love. Jesus unconditionally loved these three people. But in verse 3, when Martha and Mary sent word, “Lord, the one you love (fileis) is sick,” they used the word, “fileo” which means a friendship-like love. They loved Jesus as a friend, but Jesus loved them more than himself. In other words, Jesus loved them much more than they thought. The more striking fact is that in Greek manuscripts between verse 5 and 6 there is a conjunction (“woon”) referring result or consequence. In other words, Jesus loved Lazarus, “so,” “therefore,” he stayed two more days (ex. ESV, NET). Jesus waited until Lazarus had died. Why? Jesus answers his disciples the question in verse 15, “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” Jesus had to wait until God’s time, so that the three siblings, the disciples and all the people there might experience the God of today.

God of Yesterday

When Jesus arrives in Lazarus’s house, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days. Both Martha and Mary say to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vv. 21, 32). They are saying, “Lord, it’s too late. Now there’s nothing you can do. It’s over.” They believe in “Jesus of yesterday,” but they don’t believe in “Jesus of today!” All of us in this room have our own testimonies. We have our own experiences, healing experiences, and love stories with Jesus at some point of our lives. We believe that Jesus died for our sins. We believe that Jesus was raised from the dead to make us righteous. We believe in Jesus of yesterday. But sometimes, we think that there is nothing even Jesus can do in front of our endemic problems that we have “today.” We think, “It is too late,” “Even Jesus cannot do anything at this point!” However, today Jesus comes to Martha, and he says to her, “Your brother will rise again today!” (23)

God of Tomorrow

Then, Martha answers, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”(24) Now she believes in “Jesus of tomorrow,” but she still doesn’t believe in “Jesus of today!” She has an abstract belief in the far future resurrection of the last day. But she doesn’t have a present experience with Jesus Christ. She doesn’t have a personalized belief in him who is at work in her life here and now. So, Jesus says to Martha, “I AM the resurrection, and I AM the life today!” (25)

I could see myself in Martha. I was born into a pastor’s family. I have experienced miraculous divine healings several times. I had a saving faith. But I didn’t have faith in God of today. I started to serve a local church as a youth pastor since 2006. But after a year I had to resign from the position because I was burnt out. The most serious problem was that I didn’t have faith in God who is at work today. Although I read the Bible, it was just a history, poetry, and narrative. The Bible story was just a pie in the sky. Although the word of God is almighty, it was almost powerless in my life because I didn’t take God at his word. Since that time, my top prayer request was to experience the living God of today. God is faithful. He answered my prayer. In December 2008 Joyce and I attended the intercessory prayer conference. During the conference he healed my wounded soul. He showed me my broken relationship with my father. On the surface there was no problem, but in a deeper level I had damaged emotions. But God touched me and healed my broken heart. That night I also received the gift of tongues. I had been praying for 17 years, and God did answer my prayer. That experience was very meaningful to me in my spiritual journey because it took away the stone of my doubts and unbelief whether God was really at work in my life. Since that time, God started to open my eyes to see and experience the God of today one by one.

God of Today!

Now Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (26) In a word, “Do you believe in the God of today?” And she says, “Yes, Lord” Then, Jesus says to her, “Then, take away the stone” (39). She is shocked and says, “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” In Jewish tradition, if someone is buried in a tomb for 4 days, then people consider a person dead completely. So, from a man’s perspective, Lazarus is completely dead. But now, Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? Take away the stone!”(40) So the people take away the stone. In the same way, Jesus is asking each of you in this room, “Do you believe in the God of today?” “Do you believe that I am able to solve your chronic problems today?” If you answer “Yes, Lord,” then he will ask you “Take away the stone!” Jesus wants us to expand our faith by putting it into practice. He wants us to believe with our heart. He wants us to confess with our mouth, and he wants us to put it into practice before we see the result.

In August 2010 I went on a mission trip to China with the church members. One of the members was pregnant at that time. The mission trip schedule was heavy, and we had to move a long distance each day. One night she discharged blood heavily and had several other symptoms of miscarriage. One member said, “My wife had exactly the same symptoms like this, and finally she had a miscarriage. So we have to prepare for the worst.” As I heard what he said, my heart was so heavy. I didn’t know what to do. The word, “miscarriage” was ringing in my ears. The next morning I had a personal devotional time before starting a day, and the word of God came to me. It was Psalm 27:12-14, “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” As soon as I read that passage, I knew that God would make the baby alive and keep both the mother and the baby safe from all harms and dangers. So, immediately, I wrote down that scripture and gave it to the baby’s mother before she went to the hospital that day. While we were waiting for the result, we had a prayer meeting. In the meeting I shared my testimony and read Psalm 27, and then we earnestly prayed all together. By faith all of the members took away the stone of our doubt and unbelief, and then we did see the glory of God. Both the mother and the baby had no problem at all. Everything was ok. Finally, the baby was born healthy and completely normal. Praise the Lord!

Thank God Today!

Now Jesus stands in front of the tomb. Everyone is weeping. Everything seems to be over. But Jesus looks up and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me!” (41) Jesus completely trusts in the God of today. And he calls in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” Then, the dead man, Lazarus, does come out. The God, in whom we believe, gives life to the dead and creates new things out of nothing (Rom 4:17). God wants us to believe in the God of today as well as the God of yesterday and the God of tomorrow. He wants us to experience him today. And he says to us, “If you really believe that I am at work in your life today, take away the stone.” What is your stone? It might be the stone of sins, doubts, unbelief, prejudice, wounds, pride, or fear. Whatever it is, by faith let us take away our stone and thank God today. And we will see the glory of God and experience the God of today! Amen.