Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler and I’m speaking to you today from Pensacola, New Jersey. And I don’t know about you all, but we just got dumped on as far as snow is concerned.

Again, there’s snow everywhere out here and the people out here, they don’t have a clue what to do with it. It’s actually kind of funny. But wherever you are, maybe you’re down south and there’s not no snow in sight.

Maybe you’re in certain places that got several feet of snow. Regardless, it’s good to be with you again and good to get to speak with you. I trust that the new programs that we’ve introduced here in the last several weeks have been a blessing to you.

Looking forward to having Mark Gilmore on again next weekend for the next episode of Go Mission. I believe he’s got an interview coming that will be an encouragement to you. And then, of course, Ryan Swanson, satisfied, will be continuing in faith talks from the Faith Twins.

But here today, I want to draw your attention to a passage of Scripture I was meditating on here this morning and thinking about, just as I was thinking about my own situation, really our nation and so many of the things that are happening in our days. I want to give you a little bit of hope. If you have your Bible, feel free to turn.

If not, just listen. But John chapter 11 is a story of a situation that, honestly, if you know the end of the story, was an awesome situation. However, what we’re going to find here as we look at this passage is that even though Jesus was setting them up for an amazing punchline, so to speak, The disciples, Mary and Martha, and all of the people that were in the thick of the situation, they totally didn’t understand.

They totally misunderstood. And because they misunderstood the Master, even though they were surrendered to Him, because they misunderstood the Master, they endured a lot of anxiety that was completely unnecessary. And so with that being said, let’s go ahead and dive into the passage.

John 11, verse 1, it says, Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. And so we’ve got a man, a man who was somewhat close to Jesus, and to those who were close to Jesus, we find out that he’s sick.

And verse 3 says, therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. Now here, what we find is this is an indirect request. They didn’t come out and ask Jesus to come and heal him, but they kind of implied it.

Here they’re saying, oh, Jesus, the one that you love, he’s sick. So why don’t you do something about it, right, is kind of what is implied in their words. Verse four, he says, when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the son of God might be glorified thereby.

Now, I don’t know about you. If I heard those words from Jesus, I would think, oh, good. He’s going to get better.

And this is going to be easy. He’s not going to die. I mean, he said, this sickness is not unto death.

That’s what he said, right? And what we’re going to find as we go throughout the rest of this chapter, Jesus made a prediction. He said what was going or what wasn’t going to happen.

And the disciples thought they understood how this was all going to work. But they didn’t get it. They did not get it.

They did not understand what was in the mind of God when he made this prediction. Now, again, I don’t have a ton of time here, but I’m going to kind of go through the story, make some observations along the way, and apply it to us here at the end. Verse 5, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

When he had heard, therefore, that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. So Jesus heard that he was sick, and he knew that Mary and Martha were implying, hey, why don’t you come and do something about it? So instead of packing his bags, jumping up, and running over to Bethany.

Instead, he stayed where he was for two extra days. Oh boy. Then after that, verse 7, saith he to his disciples, let us go into Judea again.

So now he’s saying, all right, we’ve waited long enough. Let’s go ahead and go ahead. Verse 8, there were other concerns that his disciples had.

It says his disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee, and goest thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not because he seeth the light of this world, but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth because there’s no light in him.

These things said he, and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. So here Jesus makes this statement and he says, oh, Lazarus, he’s sleeping. I’m going to go wake him up.

Then his disciples then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he’ll do well. How be it? Jesus spake of his death, but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

So what we find here, again, we find misunderstanding. We’re going to see it throughout the rest of the chapter, Jesus said, oh, Lazarus is asleep and I’m going to go wake him up. And his disciples thought he meant one thing when in fact he meant something else.

Okay. So verse 14, Jesus puts it to him real clearly. He says, then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Now hold the phone for just a second. I thought Jesus made a prediction that he wasn’t going to Now he says that he’s dead What in the world is up with that?

And to make it even more interesting, verse 15, it says And I’m glad for your sakes that I was not there To the intent ye may believe Nevertheless, let us go unto him He said, hey, listen, I’m glad I’m glad he’s dead I’m glad that I wasn’t there when he died Whoa, whoa, whoa this sounds totally messed up. Mary and Martha contact him and says, hey, Lazarus is sick. You want to come do something about it?

Jesus says, okay, yeah, he’s not going to die. He’ll be fine. Then he waits two days before even going to investigate the situation.

And he says, all right, let’s go. Disciples say, hey, don’t you know they want to kill you out there? He says, Lazarus is asleep and I’m going to go wake him up.

They say, if he’s asleep, he’s fine. He says, no, no, no, he’s dead. Is he just inept?

Is he dumb? I don’t mean to be irreverent here, but you can only imagine the thoughts that had to have been going through the disciples’ mind. Here is a man who has the power to heal.

They’ve seen him do it. Here is a man who could have, with a simple word, gone and prevented this guy from dying. Not only did he say he wasn’t going to die, he didn’t do what they knew that he could have done.

This had to have been incredibly confusing to them. But he said, I’m glad that I wasn’t there when he died. Because I’m wanting you to believe.

My purpose is to grow your faith. So let’s go. And of course, Thomas always, the doubting Thomas here.

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. Don’t you love that sarcasm? Verse 17, then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

Now Bethany was nigh into Jerusalem, about 15 furlongs off, and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him. But Mary sat still in the house.

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Don’t you sense the conflict in Martha’s words there?

Jesus, you could have done something about it, but I am trusting you, but you could have done something about it. Again, she’s struggling with this misunderstanding. He seems to have said he was going to do one thing, but yet he seems like he didn’t do what he said he was going to do.

Jesus says to her, verse 23, Jesus saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again. Okay, here’s another prediction. And Martha’s really second-guessing herself and how she’s understanding what he’s saying here.

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. So she’s kind of consoling herself with theology, saying, well, I mean, yeah, he is going to rise again. We all are at the future resurrection.

Jesus said unto her, verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way.

So here we find she’s all torn up. She’s conflicted with what she believes Jesus is going to do. She’s consoling herself with far off and distant theology, and yet she’s not forsaking her faith.

She’s not saying, well, forget you, I’m out of here. But she’s not exactly at peace either, right? So, verse 29, as soon as she heard that, she arose quickly.

I imagine she was somewhat emotional at this moment and came unto him. And verse 30, now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then, which were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, she goeth unto the grave to weep there.

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hast been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. Why did he groan?

Why was he troubled? I don’t know about you, but it seems like Jesus is saying clearly what he’s going to do. I already told you, this sickness is not unto death.

Martha, I just told you that he’ll rise again. And at first they thought they knew what he meant, but when he died, they began to second guess what he meant. And they’re now theologizing, if I can make up a word there, with, oh yeah, he’ll be raised some future day.

and it’s almost like Jesus is like, for real people, what do you do? Come on, I’m telling you what I’m going to do. And yet they didn’t get it.

They misunderstood. They thought they got it. But then they started second-guessing everything.

Verse 34, and said, where have you laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.

Again, I don’t know whether he wept because he felt terrible about Lazarus and the fact that he died, or if he wept because these people weren’t believing him. Verse 36, then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him. And some of them said, Could not this man which opened the eyes of the blind had caused that even this man should not have died?

Don’t you see how everybody’s second-guessing Jesus? Don’t you think he could have done something about this? Why is he crying?

This didn’t have to happen. It didn’t have to be this way. Verse 38.

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, take ye away the stone.

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always, But because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto him, Loose him and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on him.

Didn’t Jesus say it was all about their faith? Didn’t he say he was training them to believe? And yet in the midst of the trial, in the midst of the difficulty, they didn’t know what he was doing.

They thought they knew at the beginning, but when it didn’t go the way they pictured it in their mind, they began to think, well, maybe that’s not what he was talking about. And yet at the end, it was exactly as he said it was going to be. Not on their timetables, not the way they would have imagined it, but exactly as Jesus intended it.

Why do I take all of the time to go through that story? Here’s why. Because when it comes to surrender, And surrendering to Jesus’ will and surrendering to Jesus’ words, it’s very easy to misunderstand.

Listen, in life, Jesus is going to talk to you out of his word. He’s going to comfort you and say, listen, things are going to be okay, and then you know what’s going to happen? Things are going to get worse.

He’s going to tell you, hey, I’m going to provide for this thing, and then it’s not going to come. And it’d be so easy for us to think, well, he didn’t do it when I thought he would I thought he would, so maybe, oh, I don’t know, maybe he didn’t quite mean it like that, and we can recalculate like the GPS and totally maybe dismiss what he had promised or try to somehow reinterpret it in some other way.

And young people, I just want to encourage you that whatever it is, whatever your trial is where Jesus said he was going to do something or where Jesus made a prediction that didn’t seem to happen the way you thought it would have happened, and maybe you’ve passed the point where it seems like it can’t happen anymore. Let me encourage you, Jesus is working on your faith.

He’s working on your faith because, you see, you can’t learn to believe him when things are impossible unless things are impossible. And what Jesus wants out of every last one of us is he wants us to believe him for the impossible. I don’t know what your circumstances are.

I know what mine are right now. I’ve got some things that I’m praying for God to do that, honestly, I have passed several checkpoints, and it’s like, okay, Lord, what are you doing? But to be perfectly honest with you, I’m not worried because God is faithful.

God will give me what I need when I need it. And I don’t need to be upset. I don’t need to be anxious.

I don’t need to be blaming Jesus because Jesus has a plan that is so much better than I thought it was. And I can trust him and I can believe him and I can depend upon him. Young people, I want to be an encouragement to you here today.

God is moving in your life, whether you see it or he seems eerily absent. So don’t misunderstand your master’s words. Don’t misunderstand your master’s will.

You have to have the humility to be able to understand. It may not be like I envisioned it. It may not be how I understood it, but he is going to do what he said he’s going to do.

So I trust this will be an encouragement to you right now in whatever it is that you’re facing. But young people, we don’t have to understand. We just have to believe.

You know, as we surrender to Jesus and as we depend on his power, no doubt he’s going to take us through the valley of trial. But trust his words. Mark my words.

It’s going to be worth it in the end. So listen, our rallying cry here at The Generation is to be completely surrendered to him and completely dependent on His power so that we can turn the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks for listening.