Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to Wednesday night Bible study at Clifford Baptist Church with Pastor Jeffrey Campbell. Tonight's sermon is Believe in Me from the Me Centered Life series. A Question of Belief. And the scripture is John, chapter 11, verses 25 through 26, please. As you look around, I know tonight I'm competing against two things. The first thing I'm competing against is the teenagers who serve in La Coretta tonight, and they invited all the parents to join them over there. So I can't compete with John. Says he has to go tonight. I can't compete with La Coretta. I know that. I cannot. I don't hold a candle. The second thing is, at this time right now, the NFL season is kicking off, and I know that. All right.
[00:00:44] I sent a meme to my wife, Terry, today, and it was a video of this man crying, seeing his wife come down the aisle.
[00:00:53] And I sent it to Terry and I said, this is my face when I see football coming on TV right here.
[00:00:58] So I'm so excited. I'm so excited. Was that bad? I'm in trouble now, right? I gotta get. I gotta dig myself out of that hole tonight. So, anyway, if you have your Bibles tonight, John, chapter number 11. John, chapter number 11 is where I want you to go. Actually, I'm gonna start in a little bit different place. Second Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 5. I'm gonna start with that verse. If you wanna look there, just. Normally, I would start with a story, an illustration, to kind of set the direction in which I'm leaning or looking to go. But tonight, I want Scripture to set that direction, and I want to use a verse that is familiar to us, but also one that is challenging to us. And that comes from Second Corinthians, chapter number 13, verse number five.
[00:01:48] It says this.
[00:01:50] Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves, know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.
[00:02:05] That's a tough verse.
[00:02:07] It's a challenging verse. But Paul calls on the Corinthians to examine themselves. Now he is preparing to go a third time to. To visit them. He is writing a second letter. And many of you know the history. If you get one letter from Paul, you better tighten up. If you get a second letter from Paul, you better really tighten up. And Paul was preparing to go a third visit to see this church. Well, what he writes and what he learns is this church is in some trouble and he needs to give instruction. So he calls on them to examine the themselves. He has spent time at this church. He has spent time with these believers and he still writes encouraging them, encouraging them or desiring them to take a look at their own lives and show the proof that the Lord is Lord in their lives. And so we are reminded also David's words as he writes in Psalm 139, Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there's any wicked way in me, and lead me into the way everlasting. That's David's prayer in Scripture. So we see David's desire in Psalm 139 for God to search him, to search his heart. But we also see Paul writing to the church, saying, church, look, you better examine yourself and make sure, make sure there's proof there that you are a believer in Jesus Christ.
[00:03:38] Now that's hard.
[00:03:40] How many of you like to do a self examination? None of us like to look at ourselves, do we?
[00:03:46] That's hard because when the truth rises to the top, when the issues rise to the top, then we are to take care of them. This self testing or this self examination should take place in our lives as well.
[00:04:02] And what he's telling these believers is don't you realize Christ is in you?
[00:04:07] Don't you realize that you're acting totally different unless you fail that test?
[00:04:14] That's what reprobate means.
[00:04:17] They're living as ungodly, like Christ doesn't even live in them. They fail the test.
[00:04:23] And so when Paul calls this church to examine themselves to us, when we examine our faith ourselves, there should be no surprise that when the test comes, if Jesus is in our life or not, we should know that we are walking with the Lord.
[00:04:43] The third part of our series tonight is that we are looking at an invitation to believe.
[00:04:49] To believe in me.
[00:04:52] What does that faith in Jesus look like? This is a very personal invitation to a very personal question that is addressed to Martha in John chapter 11. And this question is one that we must be certain of our answer as well as we look at it tonight, if our faith is in Jesus, our life becomes devoted to him. We can't be like Agrippa, who almost believes, almost has faith.
[00:05:25] We must believe in Jesus. So what does it mean to believe?
[00:05:30] That's a question that the answer must be lived out every day if you truly believe in Jesus. It moves beyond a confession, it moves beyond words. It is a lifestyle that is lived out and that must be examined, that calls on God to search our hearts and to rid out those things that don't belong there.
[00:05:51] That is a lifestyle that we are after. And that is a lifestyle which answers the question, do you believe in Jesus?
[00:06:00] So with that said, John, chapter number 11 tonight. John, chapter number 11.
[00:06:08] And I put the whole chapter.
[00:06:10] Ultimately, the verses that we're going to focus are verses 20, 25 and 26. But we'll get there in just a second. Look at verses two and three.
[00:06:21] Excuse me, three through five. Three through five.
[00:06:28] Therefore, his sister sent unto him, saying, lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
[00:06:34] 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, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
[00:06:49] You know the story of Lazarus. If you have been in church, and I want to walk through that just a little bit with you, you know, this man whom Jesus dearly loves falls sick. And there are two sisters that not only love their brother, but they love Jesus. And they know that Jesus can fix this problem. And so they send word to Jesus that Lazarus is. Is sick. And as Jesus receives that news in verse number four, he says he's not sick unto death, but this is going to bring about the glory of God. This is going to show who God truly is. This sickness will show who I am.
[00:07:29] There are three things tonight. The question that we are going to. A question of belief that we are going to ponder. When you ask yourself, or in the times of questioning your belief, do you question Jesus? Point number one. When you are discouraged.
[00:07:47] When you are discouraged, can I ask you to be honest with the Lord? Not out loud with me. Not out loud with your neighbor. Be honest with the Lord. When was the last time that you were discouraged as a believer?
[00:08:03] Think about that just for a second.
[00:08:06] The last time you were discouraged. Here's what I want to probably say. Most of the time, we as believers get discouraged with people.
[00:08:20] People can discourage you.
[00:08:22] Maybe you met someone that was a Christian that you thought would be a good influence, and that person was far from the influence that you. They discouraged you.
[00:08:35] Maybe you've been to a church that left you discouraged.
[00:08:40] You've been hurt by church, hurt by people, and that you take that blame out on God, you get discouraged altogether. In faith, you get discouraged with the Lord. Maybe you've been discouraged by doubt. The pressures and the problems of this old world cause doubt to creep in and to get a grip in your life.
[00:09:00] Has anybody ever been discouraged in their prayer life?
[00:09:04] You know, you've asked God to do something and there's been no answer.
[00:09:09] At least you thought it's been no answer.
[00:09:12] And so you get discouraged in your prayer life. Weariness and burnout and loneliness, all of these things can lead to us being discouraged. But we're introduced to this family who loves Jesus.
[00:09:27] Jesus extends that love back to them. And Lazarus is now sick.
[00:09:32] And they send word to Jesus, but guess what? Jesus doesn't come immediately.
[00:09:41] Jesus even says, God's going to get the glory out of this.
[00:09:45] And I'm a firm believer that God can get glory out of any situation. Amen.
[00:09:50] God can get glory out of lots of things.
[00:09:53] But sometimes when we're trying to trust and we're trying to have faith in Jesus, we get discouraged because it's not going the way that we thought it should go.
[00:10:04] Well, this family has sent word to Jesus. Lazarus is sick. In verse number six of chapter number 11, you see that he still stays two days in that same place.
[00:10:16] And not only that, in two days in that same place. And. And then in verse number seven, he goes unto Judea again. He is going on with the business that he needs to take care of.
[00:10:28] And so we see that Jesus is busy. Jesus has not forgotten. Jesus knows Lazarus is sick.
[00:10:37] He's sick.
[00:10:41] Look at verse number 17.
[00:10:46] Verse number 17 tells us that by the time that Jesus gets there, they've been. That Lazarus has been in the grave for four days.
[00:10:58] Mary, or excuse me, many are comforting this family. Many love this family. But Mary and Martha are troubled because they have sent word to Jesus. They've asked Jesus to come. And Jesus is. Is just dragging his feet. So they think so much so that in verse number 21, Martha says unto Jesus, lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
[00:11:26] Jesus, if you would have just came, my brother would not be dead.
[00:11:31] Look at verse number 32.
[00:11:34] Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died, my brother would still be alive. Jesus, if you would have just came.
[00:11:49] Now remember, they love Jesus, but they're discouraged.
[00:11:57] They're disappointed.
[00:11:59] They understand in their own minds that if Jesus would have just came, things would have been all better.
[00:12:11] Well, listen, if you stay in ministry long enough or in church long enough, your feelings will get hurt and you will be disappointed or discouraged.
[00:12:25] But let me ask you this. People may disappoint you. Church may disappoint you. Ministry may disappoint you. But has Jesus ever disappointed you? Don't answer that question out loud.
[00:12:36] Has Jesus ever disappointed you?
[00:12:40] Well, that's where Mary and Martha were.
[00:12:43] Jesus, if you would have just been here, if you would have just came when we sent word, our brother would still be there. Listen, disappointment with.
[00:12:55] Excuse me. Disappointment happens when Jesus and our expectations of Jesus greater than our understanding of Jesus.
[00:13:05] I'm going to say that one more time.
[00:13:07] Disappointment with Jesus happens when our expectations of Jesus are greater than our understanding of him.
[00:13:19] You remember the verses we read at the beginning of the chapter, don't you?
[00:13:23] Go back to verse number four.
[00:13:27] When Jesus heard it, he said, the sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
[00:13:35] Mary and Martha didn't hear that.
[00:13:38] Jesus has a plan.
[00:13:41] Jesus knows that he's going to work in this situation.
[00:13:45] Jesus knows this is not going to be the end.
[00:13:50] And what Mary and Martha don't realize is, is their understanding of Jesus is not fully there. They really don't understand why Jesus is late. And Jesus, what are you doing?
[00:14:05] If I can answer that question, I would be the best counselor in the world.
[00:14:14] The most godliest of people don't always understand what Jesus is doing.
[00:14:22] But here's what we need to trust that Jesus is at work.
[00:14:27] Maybe you have thought the Lord would do something another way, or even your way. And we get disappointed, don't we, when that doesn't happen.
[00:14:39] Maybe we want a situation to change.
[00:14:42] Have you ever prayed for something and it never happened?
[00:14:45] I remember one of the biggest discouragements for me as a teenager. I remember vividly praying for my aunt and uncle not to get a divorce.
[00:14:57] I remember that.
[00:14:59] And the divorce still happened.
[00:15:02] Oh, I was so discouraged I was praying faithfully.
[00:15:07] God, you didn't answer my prayer.
[00:15:13] Maybe you have had an incident where it didn't work out like you thought it was, or a door stays closed or a healing doesn't happen like you desired and you get discouraged.
[00:15:27] What does Mary do with her disappointment?
[00:15:31] Look at verse number 32. Remember, she comes to where Jesus was and saw him.
[00:15:39] The Bible says she fell down at his feet and said unto him, lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not have died. She brings it to the feet of Jesus.
[00:15:49] Listen, there are going to be times.
[00:15:52] There are going to be times that you're going to get discouraged in ministry. It's not going to work out like you thought, like you planned. And guess what? So long. You bring that to the feet of Jesus, he will take care of it.
[00:16:05] Trust Jesus to take care of it. There's the big question of the night, as Jesus will Turn and ask Martha, do you believe this?
[00:16:22] In moments of discouragement, you've got to come to Jesus believing that he will take care of it.
[00:16:32] There's a second point tonight.
[00:16:36] Look at verses 20 through 24 of chapter 11.
[00:16:43] Then Martha, as soon as she had heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him. But Mary sat still in the house.
[00:16:52] Martha. Then said Martha unto Jesus, lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
[00:16:58] But I know that even now. Whosoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it to thee. And Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again.
[00:17:08] And Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
[00:17:16] Point number two.
[00:17:18] A question of belief must be answered when things are uncertain.
[00:17:25] When things are uncertain, the questioning of our faith happens.
[00:17:31] When things become uncertain. Martha had sent word. She confesses before the Lord, that when you ask God something, he will give it. She makes that confession here in what we see. So obviously she has prayed for her brother.
[00:17:49] Obviously, she has taken him before the Lord. And Jesus says this, your brother will rise again.
[00:17:56] But Martha reaffirms her belief that yes, yes, he is going to rise again one day, one day out in the future when the world ends. Yes, he will rise on that day.
[00:18:11] But you know what Martha really wanted?
[00:18:15] Martha really wanted him to rise today.
[00:18:21] She was certain Lazarus will rise in the last day.
[00:18:26] But deep down, she wanted him to be alive today. That's what she had prayed for. That's why she sent for Jesus. And everything around her is telling her that her prayer would not be answered.
[00:18:41] What do you mean, Jeffrey?
[00:18:43] Well, the people are weeping.
[00:18:45] People are crying.
[00:18:47] The uncertainty of the question. Look at verse number 37 of chapter number 11.
[00:18:55] And some of them said, could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
[00:19:04] Oh, gosh, now the crowd has jumped on him.
[00:19:09] This man has healed other people.
[00:19:13] Couldn't he have healed this man?
[00:19:17] And as the crowd jumps in, Jesus comes on scene. This man could have. This man should have been able to save Lazarus life.
[00:19:29] Jesus then begins to mourn himself. He weeps, John 11:35.
[00:19:38] Because he loves Lazarus.
[00:19:42] But people see his love for this man.
[00:19:48] But they also see that he should have helped this man.
[00:19:52] If you loved him, why didn't you help him?
[00:20:02] His physical body is showing.
[00:20:07] In verse number 39, Jesus says, Take away thy stone. Martha said, Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, lord, by this time he stinketh even the stench of the body. Says, hey, your prayer is not going to be answered today.
[00:20:26] It's been way too long.
[00:20:29] So this day, all around Jesus, everything is pointing to this prayer is not going to be answered. If you would have been here, the crowd jumps on. If you would have been here, you could have raised him.
[00:20:40] The body is to the point of it starting to decompose.
[00:20:45] He's been dead four days.
[00:20:47] He carries the certainty of death, but the uncertainty that he would live again.
[00:20:57] And with that, people think, this Jesus, you can't do anything about this.
[00:21:05] Has there ever been a situation. Now I'm talking to good Christian people, right?
[00:21:10] Has there ever been a situation where you've prayed and you thought and you've asked and you begged God, and deep down in that little voice in the back of your mind says, okay, God's not going to do anything about this.
[00:21:24] I'm certain about that.
[00:21:27] That's where they are.
[00:21:30] Faith.
[00:21:32] Our belief in Jesus must be answered. When things are uncertain, we pray and we say we believe. We read scripture like Hebrews 13:5 that says, I'll never leave you or forsake you. And. And in those moments of uncertainty, when everything is pointing to one direction, Jesus shows up.
[00:21:57] And even when time and smell and the place, the tomb and the people all say, lazarus is dead.
[00:22:13] He was.
[00:22:16] But Jesus, you could have done something.
[00:22:20] What happens?
[00:22:28] What about you?
[00:22:31] What about your future?
[00:22:34] What about your plans in life?
[00:22:38] Do we trust the Lord when we can't see it?
[00:22:42] What about God's timing?
[00:22:45] Did the Lord even hear me as I've prayed and I've asked?
[00:22:51] What about trying to figure out what God's will looks like for your life or for the lives of others?
[00:22:58] All you have to do is turn on the news station and you say, God really allows all this to happen.
[00:23:05] All this happens when we're surrounded by the certainty that it's not going to work out.
[00:23:19] Here's what we need to remember.
[00:23:21] Jesus is still fully in control.
[00:23:24] The only thing.
[00:23:26] Here's what I figured out. The only thing that you can be certain about in life is, is your faith in Jesus Christ.
[00:23:35] That's the only thing certain in this world.
[00:23:38] And your faith in Jesus Christ, what does it mean to believe in Jesus?
[00:23:45] It's more than intellectual knowledge. It's fully relying on Jesus Christ. You commit your life to him. You trust him for salvation. You follow Jesus with your life.
[00:23:56] Then he transforms. Our lives and our lives reflect his teaching that we can examine ourselves to make sure that we know that we're in the faith.
[00:24:06] All of that has to happen.
[00:24:11] And so tonight, we come to the question, the question of the night.
[00:24:17] Do we really believe when things become uncertain?
[00:24:21] Look at verses 25 through 27.
[00:24:28] Jesus is talking to Martha here.
[00:24:32] And Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life.
[00:24:36] He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
[00:24:41] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
[00:24:45] Believest thou this?
[00:24:47] I'm going to translate that out of King James for you.
[00:24:50] Jesus looks at Martha and says, do you truly believe this?
[00:24:55] Do you believe this?
[00:24:58] Over the past couple of weeks, we've looked at the invitation to come and to follow.
[00:25:05] This invitation for Martha is personal.
[00:25:09] Will you believe in me?
[00:25:12] Will you believe? Will you have faith?
[00:25:19] And as we think about Martha's response In verse number 27, she says, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the son of God, which should come into the world. What? She got an A plus on the test? On the written part of the test.
[00:25:38] That's the perfect answer.
[00:25:42] The written part of the test. She aces it after she tells Jesus, yeah, I believe that he's going to rise one day. And Jesus declares to be the resurrection, the life. She declares that she does believe in Jesus Christ.
[00:25:59] I want you to understand this.
[00:26:03] The resurrection and the life is not something that will happen in the future.
[00:26:09] The resurrection and the life is a person, and his name is Jesus.
[00:26:15] Do we truly believe that we can live in him?
[00:26:23] As we look at this part of Scripture, Jesus in Jesus, life is found.
[00:26:34] And whoever lives and believes in Jesus will never die.
[00:26:39] Martha's word in verse number 27 says that she does believe it, but her actions speak another thing. Look at verse number 39.
[00:26:50] This is where they roll the stone away. And Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.
[00:27:00] Jesus just said, now, Martha, I'm the resurrection and the life.
[00:27:04] Do you believe in me?
[00:27:06] She said, yes.
[00:27:08] And when Jesus goes and removes the stone, no, no, no, no, Jesus, don't do that. He's been dead four days.
[00:27:17] The actions show otherwise.
[00:27:23] The question of belief not only answered in times of uncertainty or times of discouragement.
[00:27:31] The answer of do we believe?
[00:27:35] Is answered when it becomes personal. That's point number three. When it becomes personal, Martha, do you believe this?
[00:27:50] What she desired, what she prayed for, what she sought, what she believed. As Jesus rolls back the stone, Jesus said, if you will believe, if you will believe. Look at his response.
[00:28:06] Look at verse number 40.
[00:28:09] Now Martha saying Ho, ho, ho. Jesus. He's been dead four days. Look at verse number 40. Jesus said unto her, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God. Martha, you're not believing, you're not trusting me.
[00:28:27] You said one thing, you just need to believe.
[00:28:33] They took away the stone in verse number 41, and Jesus lifted up his eyes. Pray to the Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me. I know that thou hearest me always. But because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that that Thou has sent me. And in verse 43, three words, Lazarus, come forth.
[00:28:53] With those three words, he shows that he is the resurrection and the life.
[00:28:59] And so tonight, when we think about that question as Jesus faced Martha, do you believe this tonight? That's a question that you must answer as you examine yourself as we started out Second Corinthians, as you examine yourself, we must look and make sure that we truly believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
[00:29:34] We must live and believe in Jesus.
[00:29:37] That way we will never die. Maybe tonight you're discouraged by something or someone or even the even Jesus.
[00:29:47] Maybe you carry uncertainties when things don't look the best or go your way.
[00:29:56] He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
[00:30:01] What you face doesn't hold the final word.
[00:30:06] Jesus does.
[00:30:10] So tonight, do we believe this?
[00:30:15] Have we personally been trusting Jesus as our Savior?
[00:30:23] As you complete that self examination to make sure you're in the faith, what are you looking for?
[00:30:35] You're looking for this.
[00:30:37] A commitment that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, that he is your Lord.
[00:30:46] You're looking for a life that believes that with heart, soul, mind and spirit.
[00:30:56] You're not looking at the circumstances, the uncertainties, or the disappointments when it becomes personal.
[00:31:05] You've got to answer that question.
[00:31:08] Do you believe this tonight?
[00:31:15] This instance shows Jesus power and authority over death, but it also shows him there's nothing too difficult that the Lord cannot handle.
[00:31:30] Do you believe that my prayer is. That will lead into our prayer time tonight as we take those uncertain things and those difficult things and we lay them at the feet of Jesus.
[00:31:46] That's what faith does us.
[00:31:50] Let's pray together, Father. Lord, tonight, please meet us in this place, strengthen our faith.
[00:32:05] So many things stand in our way, Lord. The biggest thing that stands in our way of fully trusting you is our own selves.
[00:32:17] So all across this room tonight, search our hearts. God, I pray.
[00:32:23] See if there's anything within us, Lord, that you will take care of, Take away.
[00:32:32] Let us trust you with that.
[00:32:35] Lord, tonight there are people that are discouraged, uncertain, just like Mary and Martha.
[00:32:45] Lord, help us to believe the prayer.
[00:32:51] I believe, Help thou, my unbelief.
[00:32:55] Lord, tonight. If there is any unbelief in this room, God, I pray that you will take care of it.
[00:33:03] Lord, when we examine ourselves in these moments, let us look to you, knowing that you will take care of us. You will meet us where we are. You will forgive us. You will cleanse us. Your word teaches us all of these things.
[00:33:22] Help us to trust you more. Day by day, I pray, Lord, we love you and it's in Jesus name we do pray.
[00:33:30] Amen.
[00:33:32] As we respond.
