Finally preached in CG for the very 1st time and I enjoyed it! Though I was quite nervous at first but I think I was calmer few minutes after. Thanks so much to all the beloved members who was super supportive! This is the sermon which I preached, based on Pastor Tan Ye Peng's sermon.
John 11:1 - 5 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard [that], He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Just because you are sick, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you. Most of our understanding is that if God loves us, He will meet all of our needs. He will help us to receive our miracles, answering all of our prayers. That’s the kind of mentality that we have. We’ll try our best to interpret God’s love to us in our own ways but it is not like that.
Jesus stayed 2 more days when he heard that Lazarus is going to die. It is the total of 4 days since Mary and Martha sent someone to Jesus. In btw, probably Lazarus died.
V 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
V 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
They thought Jesus was too late.
But what did Jesus said? V 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
V 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Do you believe this? Jesus said that you do not have to go to His house. But could Jesus just stayed where ever he was and said Lazerus be healed? He could have and Lazerus will be healed. The problem was never in the ability of Jesus doing miracles. The problem was the timing of the miracle. Timing is always our weakness. If God loves me, He should meet our needs whenever we want it to be met. But God at His wisdom always knows exactly when the miracle should happen to bring the glory back to Himself. Learn to trust in the timing of God. If everything comes to our timing, God wouldn’t receive His glory. It is when it comes according to His timing. It is according to when God wants it to happen. God will get the glory.
Our expectations of God often discourages us or draws us away. But God wants us to bear fruit with 2 attitude which is the heart of repentance and a heart of faith. We must be willing to continue in our faith even when it does not come according to our timing. Our minds must be more and more renewed. It is not about me but for God. That we must live our life for Him and not for ourselves. According to His time, everything will come to pass.
John 11:8 [The] disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"
Why did they want to stone Jesus? Because Jesus said that He and the Father (God) are one.
John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
The disciples were correct. They asked Jesus why does he wants to go back to that place?
V 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
Jesus is trying to say don’t worry. Everything rests in its timing. How many hours are there in a day? 12 hours. Say 7am to 7pm.
You can’t rush things. You can’t change it. For example, the sun always rises at the same time and the moon always comes up at a certain timing. You can’t rush it or change it.
There is a sequence in the kingdom of God. You can’t rush it. And you can’t change it. Something must have happen first before the Son of God being nailed to the cross.
So what are the things which will happen?
V45-50 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. For a person who live after being raised from the dead, the only way for him to live is to listen to the word of God. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." 49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." 51 Now this he did not say on his own [authority]; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
After the resurrection of Lazerus, many of the Jew saw the miracle and told the Pharisees about this man who did the miracles and He will draw the people to him. Whoever who have the heart of the people, the Roman government will give the authority to the person which is Jesus. The chief priests were threatened. From that moment on, they started to plot to kill Jesus.
V 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.
That is the miracle that makes Jesus a wanted man. We often ask why Jesus did not come earlier. Why can’t you meet my needs and do miracle right now? To God, He sees what more we can see. The moment Jesus did the miracle, He cannot walk openly among the people anymore.
What if everyone are healed when they come to church every weekend? We would want that revival. Do you agree with me?
But if that happens, the whole nations will hear about it and people will come from everywhere.
It’s not so simple to be God. That’s why we are not God because we cannot see what will happen after one miracle.
This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God.
V 17 So when Jesus came, He found that Lazerus had already been in the tomb four days.
What glory do you see the glory in a dead man who died for 4 days? We can’t see. That’s why, don’t try to tell God what to do.
Learn to trust in Him. You can’t see glory in a dead person. What’s more a person who dead for four days? How did Jesus resurrect Lazerus from the dead? It wasn’t massage or medications but It was just simply hearing the word of God.
What common problem do we have? It is in the way we handle the situation in life is we try to do everything else except hearing the word of God.
John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
When Jesus returns the second time, how are you and I will be risen from the dead? He is not going to send his angels to lay hands on our tomb or ashes. Jesus will just say ARISE and everyone of us will appear before him.
That’s the power of God’s word. But do we understand the power of God’s word? How often do you hear the word of God.
Ps Tan and Ps Kong listen to a sermon everyday. They normally listen to them on their Ipod at wherever they are whether they are waiting for people in Starbucks or driving instead of reading magazines or listening to the radio. They don’t listen to sermons only when they are thirsty but everyday.
You are to grow with the word of God. Whenever you are thirsty, just read your bible because it is the word of God which will change situations.
When you’re in trouble, all you friends will do is to weep with you when you weep. When you do something right, they’ll be with you. When you do something wrong, they’ll be against you. None of this is going to change the situation. The only thing which will change your dead end situation, your friends will only be able to comfort you at a surface level. The only thing which can change and comfort you is the word of God! Amen?
Every weekend why do people come? If not because their parents, but the word of God? It is something about the word of God. Do you hear enough of the word of God? Do you spend enough time in the presence of God to hear the word which will lift up your situation?
2 things that I want to share with you about what do you understand by the miracle and God’s love? By the end of the day, you have to understand that God has His timing and when the miracle comes, it will bring glory to Him.
The only thing which will really change your situation is to hear the word of God.
If you don’t obey God today, in the last day, you still have to submit to Him. The most your friends can do is just be around you but can’t do anything to change your situation. SO hear and speak God’s word!
John 15:1 - 8 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
What is the central theme there : Bear much fruit
What will the Father be glorified?
By you bearing much fruit, the Father will be glorified.
It’s not about us, it’s about Him. Our focus is not just about fruits. Because we can have fruit be apart from God. It can be the rich, the successful, sinners, non believers can bear fruits but it does not bring glory to God.
The issue is not about the fruit but it’s whether do the fruit glorify God. God wants you to bear fruit that will glorify Him.
V2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
What is our normal understanding? We could think about non believers.
But verse2 says every branch in me. What is in me? It means they have came in but they came in but they are not willing to bear fruit and not willing to abode in Jesus. They are to be cast out. God takes away the branches which do not bear fruit. Every branch that bear fruits prunes that it may bear more fruits.
How do you know that you are in God ? How do you know that you are abiding in God?
Matt 7:18 – 21 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor [can] a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
When will you know them?
It’s not for you to judge people but yourself. Ask yourself, are you bearing fruits? We have to ensure we are bearing fruit.
How do we know that we are bearing fruit?
John 15:2-3
The one that bear fruit prunes, then cleans.
What will prune us? It is the word of God. Because God’s word cleaned us.
John 15:7 if you abide in me and my words abide in you
You should ask for what you desire and it will be done for you.
How do we know that we are bearing fruit?
We have to constantly allow the word of God to renew our mind so that we can live a life of repentance and the word of God which will hit our Spirit and heart so that we can live a life of faith and because of repentance and faith, we will bear fruit in our life.
How can you become successful?
Joshua 1:7 by meditating on the word of God day and night and I’ll make you prosperous and have great success.
You are cleaned and pruned by the word of God and after you’re cleaned and pruned, you’ll bear more fruit.
Let’s get back again to the word and prayer and the word.
I want to encourage you to listen to more sermon, to get started with bible study. Do that and you’ll see amazing result. Do you realize the importance of the word of God? That is what we means by discipling the word of God.
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