John 11
October Memory Verse: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
John 11
As we open up John 11 this is a text full of COMFORT & HOPE. It is a sad chapter. One of Jesus’ best friends has died. He was also the brother of Mary and Martha. This was not easy. There was confusion... There was disagreement…
“Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died... “ (v.32)
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like “if God had only shown up”? Has tough circumstances ever made it hard for you to have your complete trust in God’s goodness or sovereignty?
I think we all have been there… maybe even recently. But in this text what we see is that… IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS THERE IS ALWAYS COMFORT & HOPE.
We see this in two ways…
1) Jesus Acts (v.38-44)
Jesus took action. He saw their pain. He saw their hurt and He chose to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus has full authority to do this, however, this does not mean He will always do this. But one thing we can hold to is Jesus is always working. He is always acting. He is always caring for us, even if we don’t see it. He does not sit passive in our hurt. He is active.
“Even when I don’t see it you’re working… even when I don’t feel it your working…” - Way Maker
2) Jesus’ Promises (v.25-26)
Even in the most hopeless of circumstances we can have hope and comfort in the promises of Jesus. If we are in a relationship with God through Jesus, we know our future. We know that no matter what, we will live with Him. How does the gospel bring you comfort?
Where do you need comfort and hope today? How can you lean into the promises of God today? God is present. He is working. He is faithful. Let’s live on mission today CPC.
“A life lived for God is made up of days lived for God…” - Tim Parsons
By: Nick Parsons
John 11
As we open up John 11 this is a text full of COMFORT & HOPE. It is a sad chapter. One of Jesus’ best friends has died. He was also the brother of Mary and Martha. This was not easy. There was confusion... There was disagreement…
“Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died... “ (v.32)
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like “if God had only shown up”? Has tough circumstances ever made it hard for you to have your complete trust in God’s goodness or sovereignty?
I think we all have been there… maybe even recently. But in this text what we see is that… IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS THERE IS ALWAYS COMFORT & HOPE.
We see this in two ways…
1) Jesus Acts (v.38-44)
Jesus took action. He saw their pain. He saw their hurt and He chose to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus has full authority to do this, however, this does not mean He will always do this. But one thing we can hold to is Jesus is always working. He is always acting. He is always caring for us, even if we don’t see it. He does not sit passive in our hurt. He is active.
“Even when I don’t see it you’re working… even when I don’t feel it your working…” - Way Maker
2) Jesus’ Promises (v.25-26)
Even in the most hopeless of circumstances we can have hope and comfort in the promises of Jesus. If we are in a relationship with God through Jesus, we know our future. We know that no matter what, we will live with Him. How does the gospel bring you comfort?
Where do you need comfort and hope today? How can you lean into the promises of God today? God is present. He is working. He is faithful. Let’s live on mission today CPC.
“A life lived for God is made up of days lived for God…” - Tim Parsons
By: Nick Parsons
6 Comments
Thank you Nick! Reading that quote from your father brought joy to my heart as I think about him enjoying heaven. It's hard to imagine Tim Parsons NOT sharing the gospel anymore. 😂🙠His work is complete, the race is finished, and Jesus is his eternal reward.
I'm excited to see how Center Point Church continues living each day for God. The Lord will guide us to our next lead pastor in His time and we will continue the mission until He returns or call us home.
Thanks for encouraging us today, Nick! It is comforting to know that Jesus is always working. I like what you said about how He is not passive in our suffering. We are praying for you Nick, your family, staff, leadership team, and all of CPC!
Good word, Nick. I love this passage for so many reasons, but you have no idea how deeply that last quotation from your dad convicted me in the days after his "promotion." It was one of the first of his quotables I wrote on the back fly leaf of my Bible when we first started attending in 2006. He believed it and lived it, and I am left with a strong sense that if I (we) don't do the same, then I certainly didn't learn one of the biggest lessons I was intended to learn at CPC. Always on mission with everyone. Failures expected? Yes. But overall, it's a life of onward and upward if the focus of the daily grind is God-oriented.
Thanks for a great post!
Great commentary Nick. Verses 5 and 6 really stood out to me. Verse 5 tells us that Jesus loved this family. Today when I read verse 6 starting with "So" I thought of how I would finish the sentence. I think if I were writing this, in my limited understanding, I would say something like "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So he dropped everything he was doing and went to them right away." But that isn't what the text says at all. It says "So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."
This struck me because it was so different than my assumption of what I thought would be best. But we see through the rest of the passage, that in doing so, Jesus identifies and cares for them in their suffering, let's them experience an amazing miracle, brings glory to the Father, and ultimately many believe in Him as a result. I am thankful this passage shows us a clear picture of God's ways being higher than our own. I pray that it helps me trust him when my circumstances aren't what I perceive as "best."
Exactly what I was thinking, Shelbie! And this passage builds my trust by showing me His ways are so much better than mine!!!
Such encouraging commentary, Nick, and comments CPC friends! Even as we live through "what the...?" moments in our lives, we know that all things work for our good and HIs glory. So reassuring and comforting to know.
(I just wrote that Tim quote in my Bible too. Such a motivation on which to reflect)