John 11:4, 40 - If you believed

But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

When the messengers came to Jesus to tell him that Lazarus was deathly ill, he replied, “This sickness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) Jesus is saying that when he raises Lazarus from death, both God and the Son of God will be glorified. They will be shown to be as amazing, powerful, majestic, awe-inspiring, and worthy of worship as they in fact are. That is what will happen when he raises Lazarus.

But later, when he is there at the tomb, just about to raise Lazarus, Jesus adds something in his question to Martha. “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) Jesus introduces the phrase “if you believed.” In other words, even when Jesus raises Lazarus from death in a few minutes, Martha will only see God’s glory if she has faith. God will in fact be glorified (see 11:4), but Martha will not see God’s glory without faith. It is Martha’s faith that will determine what she sees in the miracle Jesus is about to perform.

We can see the stark difference between faith and non-faith after Jesus raises Lazarus. There were a bunch of others there when it happened. But only some put their faith in Jesus in a personal or spiritual sense. “Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done” (John 11:45-46). All of these Jewish people who were there for the funeral and mourning saw what Jesus did. And it says that “many of the Jews” believed in him. But some of them who went and reported Jesus’ miracle as if it were some kind of crime, even though they also “had seen what he did.” In other words, in a factual sense, they believed that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. They had seen him do it. It is the very fact of Jesus’ raising Lazarus which they are reporting to the Pharisees. But, even their eye-witnessing of this astounding miracle did not lead them to believe in Jesus as Lord or as the Christ. They could only see Jesus as an evil person who must be stopped. They certainly believed that Jesus raised Lazarus. But, they did not believe in Jesus in any sense. Their belief in what Jesus did had no influence on who they believed Jesus was.

So, it is faith in Jesus that makes the difference.

Returning to John 11:4, God will be glorified when Jesus raises Lazarus. And Jesus, the Son of God, will be glorified through this miracle. But, only those who are spiritually receptive to God and to Jesus will, through that miracle, see the glory of God.

It’s kind of like the sun. It is always shining, but we do not always see it. We may be indoors or asleep or blind or simply have our eyes closed. But it is always shining. God shines with glory. The Son of God shines with glory. Do I see him?

Give me a heart of faith to see your glory, Jesus, Son of God. Shine in my heart, in my mind, in my imagination, in my dreams, in my life. Begin to shine your light in me as brightly as you in fact are.

June 16, 2025

Psalm 90: Dying and Living - Sermon

I preached this sermon when we lived in Flagstaff (on July 24, 2016). This is a meditation on Psalm 90, on the theme of dying in our sin and living in Christ. I believe that as we deeply reflect on God’s Word, we can usually see a connection to Christ and to us-and-Christ. That’s what I try to do in this sermon. I hope it is an encouragement to you!

Psalm 90: Dying and Living - Video

Psalm 90: Dying and Living - Sermon Notes

October 18, 2024

Ecclesiastes - A Meaningful Life - Sermon

When we lived in Flagstaff, I was asked if I would like to preach a summer sermon to wrap up the series on Ecclesiastes. I said yes, not really knowing what I was getting into. :)

It turned out that grappling deeply with the bleak message of this book was a wonderful time! How could that be? It is because I found a connection between Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 15. I noticed overlapping words and themes: vanity, death-as-the-end, and the hope of resurrection. I realized that Paul gives us the rest of the story, which Solomon either did not know or at least did not reveal to us. I try to make these connections in this sermon.

I realized as I kept re-reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon was writing without any reference to what comes after death. Whether he personally knew about the hope of resurrection, he makes no allusions to it at all. So, the book has a very bleak perspective. If each of our lives inevitably ends in death and there is nothing after it, then of course this life feels very empty.

But that is not actually the whole story!

Like most parts of Scripture, the more we refact this portion of the Bible through the lens of Christ, the more and more hope we actually see.

So, my prayer for you is that as you listen to this sermon, you will see how necessary it is that we find hope in Christ. The book of Ecclesiastes is certainly sobering by itself, but it is not the whole story by any means. We now have the full revelation of Scripture, and so we know that “our labor is not in vain in the Lord.” We have the sure hope of resurrection with Christ!

Ecclesiastes: A Meaningful Life - Audio

October 18, 2024

Do you know about the Berean Standard Bible?

I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Working for the Word” by a Bible translation consultant. He mentioned the Berean Standard Bible and I got intrigued. It is a newer translation from the original languages, but with the stated goal of making it freely available to the world. Not only is it free to read online, like many versions, but it is also free to download, use and pass along to others. They intentionally wanted a solid version of the Bible, similar to the ESV or the NIV, but without the encumbrances of copyright restrictions.

I am excited to be able to download whole books of the Bible for my own study, or to make into small group Bible studies for others. And you don’t even need to ask for permission; they have already given us that permission in their licensing! How wonderful that the brothers and sisters who created this version give us the freedom to use and give away God’s Word freely!

I have been reading from it since I heard about it a few weeks ago. So far, I really like it! If you haven’t heard of it before, you may want to give it a read.

You can read it for yourself here.

They even have audio Bible versions you can download for free here.

You can learn more about the translation on their website berean.bible.

October 18, 2024

Do not delay

4 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation always say,
“Let God be magnified!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hurry to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
Psalm 70:4-5 BSB

God is always worthy of our praise and our rejoicing (verse 5).

But sometimes we really need God to move toward us (verse 6).

October 18, 2024

Tempted as we are, yet without sin

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

A few weeks ago, our family were all in a time of stress and challenge. Just normal life stuff, but the stressful kind! I shared with our kids that it is really helpful for me, when I am facing stressors or temptations, to slow down and think that Jesus himself faced the exact same kinds of temptations I face, and that He is understanding and kind to me. No matter what kind of temptations I am currently facing–fear, anxiety, self-pity, anger, lust, pride, distraction–Jesus was tempted “in every respect as we are.”

So, this is the kind of thing we can pray: “Jesus, right now I am feeling really anxious. I’m having trouble focusing on anything else because of this nervousness. I know that when you were on earth, you were tempted to be anxious, too! You know what I’m feeling. And yet you never gave in and sinned in anxiety. You always found a way to trust your Father and rely on the Spirit. And I can do that too, because You are helping me! And to think that now, your temptations are passed and over. You have passed through the heavens to sit with your Father on the throne! And that is my destiny–to be with you where you are, when all my struggles and temptations are over, just like yours are now. Help me to trust your love and your help today. Thank you for telling me to draw near to you, knowing that what I will find is not shame or condemnation, but your mercy and your grace.”

Of course, I don’t always remember to pray this way. But, whenever I read these verses, I gain confidence that this is exactly how I am to face temptations and find the goodness of God to forgive me and to help me each day. I hope these verses give you confidence to draw close to God for his love and help today!

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

August 18, 2022