Lord, Why Do You Delay?
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Exploring the reasons God sometimes allows those He loves to suffer.
Text: John 11:1-6
Date: 06/10/2018, the Contemporary service.
Series: "John: Encountering Love" Part 94
Description:
While Jesus is ministering in Perea He receives news His beloved friend Lazarus is dying. His sisters, Martha and Mary implore Jesus to come with all haste so He might heal their brother before it is too late. But when Jesus gets the message, He inexplicably delays for two critical days. Even though John assures us how deeply Jesus loves each member of Lazarus' family, we find it difficult to reconcile His actions with that love. But as we carefully make our way through Jesus' response we will realize that love is precisely what prompted Jesus' delay-- an unfathomable, immeasurable, divine, and Providential love. We will apply these principles to our own relationship with God to help explain why He sometimes allows those He loves to suffer. Ultimately we will learn to trust even the silence when we cry, "Lord, why do you delay?"
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, John 11:1-6.
A. Context
1. The "who" of the context.
2. The "what" of the context.
3. The "when" of the context.
4. The "where" of the context.
5. The "why" of the context.
B. An overview of the story of Lazarus.
1. Ignoring skeptical arguments.
2. Noticing John's "bookends".
C. Jesus delays His coming.
1. Meeting the family, vs. 1-2.
a. Introducing Lazarus.
i. A character unique to John's Gospel, Luke 16:20.
ii. A veiled lineage, Matt. 26:6.
iii. A familiar location, John 1:28, Matt. 21:17.
b. Introducing Martha, Luke 10:38.
c. Introducing Mary, Matt. 26:13.
3. Calling out for Jesus, vs. 3.
a. Sending for the Healer, John 7:11-12.
b. The nature of the plea.
i. A passionate plea.
ii. An urgent plea.
iii. A confused plea.
iv. An educated plea, John 4:50.
v. An expectant plea, John 11:21,32.
vi. A plea of love.
4. The reason for the delay, vs. 4.
a. The assurance of life.
i. A study of belief.
ii. Noticing some important details, Rom. 8:28.
b. For the glory of God the Father, John 10:38, 9:3.
c. Revealing the Son, John 10:30,38, 5:23, 1:14.
5. The reassurance of love, vs. 5.
a. The family Jesus loves.
b. The individuals Jesus loves.
6. Grappling with the delay, vs. 6.
a. The wrong perspective.
b. The right perspective.
c. Why Jesus delays.
III. Application
A. A deeper perspective on love.
B. Reconciling God's love and human suffering.
IV. Conclusion
