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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of John. We're working our way through 
the gospel of John. We are in chapter 11, the resurrection 
and the life, Jesus' doctrine, Jesus' teaching to Martha. Last 
week, we looked at the first section. We saw the death of 
Lazarus in verses one to 16. This morning, we're gonna consider 
the dialogue with Martha in verses 17 to 37. And then finally next 
week, God willing, the resurrection of Lazarus in verses 38 to 40, 
46. But I want to read the section 
just by way of reminder, and we'll start beginning in chapter 
11 at verse 1. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus 
of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was 
that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his 
feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, 
the sister sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love 
is sick. 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. Now, Jesus loved 
Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was 
sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then 
after this, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again. The 
disciples said to him, Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone 
you. And are you going there again? 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. 
But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light 
is not in him. These things he said, and after 
that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that 
I may wake him up. Then his disciples said, Lord, 
if he sleeps, he will get well. However, Jesus spoke of his death, 
but they thought that he was speaking about taking rest and 
sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, 
Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not 
there that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him. 
Then Thomas, who is called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, 
let us also go that we may die with him. So when Jesus came, 
he found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now, 
Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the 
Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them 
concerning their brother. Now, Martha, as soon as she heard 
that Jesus was coming, went and met him. But Mary was sitting 
in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, Lord, 
if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even 
now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. 
Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha said 
to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at 
the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection 
and the life. He who believes in me, though 
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes 
in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said 
to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the 
son of God, who is to come into the world. And when she had said 
these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary, her 
sister, saying, The teacher has come and is calling for you. 
As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to him. 
Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place 
where Martha met him. Then the Jews who were with her 
in the house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose 
up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, She is going to 
the tomb to weep there. 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. Therefore, 
when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, 
he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And he said, Where 
have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come 
and see. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 
see how he loved him. And some of them said, could 
not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this 
man from dying? Then Jesus, again groaning in 
himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay 
against it. Jesus said, take away the stone. 
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, Lord, 
by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days. 
Jesus said to her, did I not say to you that if you would 
believe, you would see the glory of God? Then they took away the 
stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus 
lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you 
have heard me. And I know that you always hear me. But because 
of the people who are standing by, I said this, that they may 
believe that you sent me. Now when he had said these things, 
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he who had died 
came out, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face 
was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, loose him 
and let him go. than many of the Jews who had 
come to Mary and had seen the things Jesus did believed in 
him. But some of them went away to 
the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God and Holy Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. 
What a glorious, what an awesome Savior. What a blessed friend 
for sinners. And even now we pray that the 
Holy Spirit would shine the light upon this passage of Scripture, 
that we would see Christ, His perfections, His glory, His divinity, 
His true humanity, and that we would stand in awe of such a 
wonderful, wonderful Savior. We ask that you would forgive 
us now for all of our sin and transgression, We pray for Indy 
and all who've come here this morning who are dead in their 
trespasses and sins, that the resurrection and the life would 
speak the word, and that the Holy Spirit would take that word 
and apply it to their hearts and bring them forth, even as 
Lazarus was called forth from this grave. We thank you for 
the power of the Christian gospel. We thank you that it is the power 
of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first 
and also to the Greek, because we know that in that gospel the 
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. So bless 
that word as it goes forth today, and may it be the case that many 
would see Christ as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this particular 
passage of scripture is a wonderful demonstration or illustration 
or evidence of what John tells us in the prologue to John's 
gospel. Remember that in John 1, John 
tells us who Jesus is according to his divinity. In the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
And then John, moving through that prologue, tells us in John 
1 14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth. Now in theology, we refer to 
that as the hypostatic union. The Bible teaches that there 
is one person named Jesus Christ, But in that one person there 
are two natures. One is divine and the other is 
human. And it's a hypostatic union. 
So there's this union of natures in the one person. So it's not 
that Jesus has a toggle switch and on a Tuesday he wakes up 
and he says, I'm going to do God things today. And then on 
Wednesday, he flips the switch and says, I'm going to do man 
things today. And I think we see that union 
of natures here at the tomb of Lazarus. The son of God who is 
able to raise Lazarus from the dead also says, where have you 
laid him? The Son of God, who is able to 
raise Lazarus from the dead, groans in His Spirit. He weeps 
over the condition of man. He sees the various things that 
affect us in terms of a sin-cursed world. And according to true 
humanity, He weeps over this particular scenario. So when 
we look at John 11, it does embody for us what we find concerning 
our Lord Jesus Christ. He is one Jesus, one person, 
two natures. So as I said this morning, we're 
going to take up the center section. Remember, we have the death of 
Lazarus, verses 1 to 16, that's the problem. We have this dialogue 
with Martha and interaction with Mary in verses 17 to 37, which 
sets forth some doctrine. And then the resurrection of 
Lazarus is the resolution to the particular problem. So as 
we look at this dialogue with Martha, we're gonna look at three 
things. First, the arrival at Bethany 
in verses 17 to 19. Secondly, the dialogue with Martha 
in verses 20 to 27. And then finally, the interaction 
with Mary in verses 28 to 37. But if we drop down to chapter 
11 at verse 17, notice, so when Jesus came, he found that he 
had already been in the tomb for days. So Lazarus is dead. Jesus knew that he was going 
to die. And remember, back in verses 
5 and 6, we're reminded of Jesus' love for the family, according 
to verse 5, and then Jesus' delays, according to verse 6. And we 
made the observation there that the providence of God doesn't 
always fall out for absolute happiness for the people of God. 
The providence of God doesn't always mean that everything goes 
right. We always recover from sickness. 
We never die. That's not what the providence 
of God teaches. So verse 6 doesn't undo verse 
5, but rather verse 5 governs verse 6. So Jesus stayed behind 
two days to ensure that Lazarus was dead for verse four. He wanted the father to be glorified 
and he wanted the son to be glorified in the resurrection of Lazarus 
from the dead. So by the time he comes now to 
Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. In fact, when 
he says, let's pull away the stone from the tomb, we see the 
sisters say, there's a stench, he stinks, he smells, he's already 
entered into that state of decomposition. Well, with reference to a particular 
funeral in the Jewish tradition, it would have been the case that 
they would have buried the man the day of his death. And then 
for about a week's time, the decedent's family would get visited 
from various people. They'd bring food, they'd bring 
condolences. They would do those things that you do when there's 
a death in the family. And then notice that we have 
the location of Bethany heralded to us. And I think there's several 
reasons for that. Notice in verse 18, it says, 
now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many 
of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort 
them concerning their brother. So the proximity of Bethany to 
Jerusalem indicates the reason for a lot of these Jews present 
from Jerusalem. It also underscores, I think, 
the prominence of this family in Bethany. Lazarus and Martha 
and Mary had many Jews from Jerusalem that wanted to come and see them. 
And then as well, what John is doing in terms of the narrative 
is he's placing Jesus near Jerusalem. That's the final act in the ministry 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to chapter 11 at verse 
54, he spends a little time in a city called Ephraim. He goes 
back to Bethany, according to chapter 12, verses 1 to 8, and 
then he embarks on Jerusalem at the triumphal entry in John 
12 at verse 12. So Bethany fares or looms large 
here because of its proximity to Jerusalem. Now notice, let's 
look at the dialogue with Martha in verses 20 to 27, and there's 
the revelation of an I Am statement. We've seen there are seven in 
this book. This is the fifth one, I am the 
resurrection and the life. So first, I wanna look at the 
confidence of Martha in verses 20 to 22. Notice what it says, 
Jesus comes to Bethany, and then in verse 20, it says, now Martha, 
as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, 
but Mary was sitting in the house. Mary doesn't know yet that Jesus 
is present. Martha will tell her according 
to verse 28, and that's when Mary will quickly go and see 
the Savior. But at this particular time, 
Jesus doesn't come all the way to their house. He rather tarries 
a bit of a distance away. And now Martha comes to see him. 
And then notice what it says according to verse 21. Now Martha 
said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not 
have died. But even now I know that whatever 
you ask of God, God will give you. So I would suggest this 
evidence is some things about Martha and her understanding 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the first place, she recognizes 
something unique about him. She recognizes something unique 
about him. If I came to you after your brother 
died, you probably wouldn't say, well, had you been here, he wouldn't 
have died. I don't have that power. I don't 
have that authority. I don't have that wherewithal 
to keep people from death. So she recognized that. She understood 
something concerning his person. He was unique as far as she was 
concerned. But secondly, I would suggest 
she had a bit of misunderstanding. She thought that Jesus needed 
to be physically present in order to work his power, to work his 
miraculous ability. I would suggest as well, she's 
probably a bit frustrated. I don't wanna read into her and 
I don't wanna read into Mary, but they say the exact same thing. You notice in verse 21, she says, 
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 
Now that could just be a wonderful, honest admission about the reality 
that she understands something of his power, or it could be 
a bit of frustration. You should have been here. We 
called for you. We made this report according 
to verse three. We know that you loved him. We 
know that you love us. We sent for you. She doesn't 
know that he tarried for two days, but she probably could 
have worked out the math. Had she known where he was, having 
sent the report to him probably wouldn't have taken that long. 
And so she says, if you'd have been here, he wouldn't have died. 
But notice she falls back to her default position in terms 
of her confidence in his person, according to verse 22. She says, 
but even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give 
you. So we may not get what we're 
looking for in terms of God's providence, but that doesn't 
mean we throw up our hands in exasperation and abandon the 
faith and turn our backs upon the Lord God Most High. Rather, 
we understand that in the midst of the trial, in the midst of 
the hardship, in the midst of the affliction, God nevertheless 
is working out His purposes in our lives. And if we are familiar 
with the Apostle Paul's writings, we know that God causes all things 
to work for good to those who love God and to those who are 
the called according to His purpose. Now, that doesn't mean all good 
things work for good because we certainly know that. It's 
all bad things work for good. All hardships work for good. 
All afflictions work for good. All difficulties work for good. 
All obstacles work for good. All difficult people in our lives. 
All oppressive governments. All these things work for good 
to those who love God and to those who are called according 
to His purpose. So she perhaps has that frustration. Lord, had you been here, he wouldn't 
have died. But nevertheless, I understand. I know that you 
maintain close communion with the God of heaven and earth. 
And I know that whatever you ask Him, He is going to give 
you. She doesn't know what's going to happen. She doesn't 
know that her brother's going to come out of that grave in 
a few minutes. But rather, she is trusting. She has this confidence expressed 
in the Son of God. Now notice the response of the 
Lord Jesus. The response of the Lord Jesus, 
he makes this declaration concerning Lazarus and then he gives some 
revelation concerning himself. Look at the declaration concerning 
Lazarus in verses 23 and 24. So verse 23 says, Jesus said 
to her, your brother will rise again. Now, brethren, if you 
know the Bible, you know that's true. That's absolutely, positively 
true. But in this context, it is completely 
vague and very much ambiguous. Your brother will rise again. 
Well, she takes it in terms of the last day. Well, of course, 
I believe that. Of course, I believe the Old 
Testament. Of course, I believe the Psalter. 
Of course, I believe Job. Of course, I believe that Enoch 
walked with God and then he was not. Of course, I believe that 
Elijah was taken up bodily into heaven. Of course, I know that 
there is a resurrection at the last day. So Jesus gives her 
this true statement again, but it's very vague. And I think 
it sets the stage for what he says in terms of the revelation 
of his glory. So Jesus said to her, your brother 
will rise again. And this is supposed to comfort 
us. Now, it's not the case, most 
likely, that when we lose people to death, they're going to rise 
again in four days' time. That's not going to happen, brethren. 
For the most part, this is the statement that is calculated 
to comfort us, those who are not standing at Lazarus' tomb, 
those who are not going to witness their dead brother walk out of 
that tomb at the behest of the Son of God, who speaks with absolute 
power and authority. Rather, we have this hope of 
the resurrection at the last day. In the words of the Nicene 
Creed, we confess, I look for the resurrection of the dead 
and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Apostle Paul 
tells us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we grieve or we sorrow when 
loved ones pass into the tomb. but not like the world. Why is 
that? Because we have this hope of 
the last day. We have this hope of the glory 
of the resurrection. We have this hope that when the 
Son of God calls men forth from the graves, that it will bring 
them into that everlasting bliss. This is calculated to promote 
hope and confidence in the people of God. Your brother will rise 
again." Again, though, very vague in terms of this particular statement. 
Does he mean at the last day? Or does he mean in a few moments? Does he tip the hand here? No, 
he just gives her this vague statement. And so notice what 
Martha responds with in verse 24. I know that he will rise 
again in the resurrection at the last day. She's a good confessor 
of the Jewish faith. She's a good confessor of the 
Old Testament and sides with the party of the Pharisees. The 
Sadducees didn't confess the age to come. The Sadducees didn't 
confess the supernatural. The Sadducees didn't confess 
the angels. The Sadducees didn't confess 
resurrection. They didn't have that. She did, 
however, so it shows a bit of sympathy towards the faith of 
the Pharisees who affirmed those particular things. And it was 
indeed taught in the Old Testament. I have a whole litany of texts 
here. I'll just call them out instead of going through each 
and every one. But look at these later. Again, Genesis 5, Enoch 
walked with God and then he was not. Elijah, 2 Kings 2.11, he's 
caught up by God in a whirlwind into heaven. Job 19.25-27, Job 
knows that he will see his Redeemer. Job knows that he will lay eyes 
upon his Redeemer. Job 21, verse 30. Psalm 1, 5 
and 6. Psalm 16, 10. Psalm 17, 15. Psalm 73, 24 to 25. Proverbs 14, 32. 
Proverbs 16, 4. Proverbs 16, 25. Ecclesiastes 12, 14. Daniel 12, 1 and 2. The point is, is that in the 
Old Testament, it taught the resurrection of the dead. And 
so Martha embraces his doctrine, Martha understands his truth, 
and Martha sides with him. I know that my brother will rise 
again at the last day. Now that brings us to the revelation 
concerning Jesus in verses 25 and 26. Notice what he says, 
I am the resurrection and the life. Again, this is the fifth 
I am with a predicate. You have in John 6, I am the 
bread of life. In John 8, I am the light of 
the world. John 10, I am the door of the sheep. John 10, I 
am the good shepherd. Here, I am the resurrection and 
the life. John 14, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And 
in John 15, I am the true vine. Now, this I am is reminiscent 
of Exodus 3.14, where God Most High reveals His glory as I am. Jesus does that without predicates 
in John's gospel. If you don't believe that I am, 
John 8, you will die in your sins. Before Abraham was, I am. And they took up stones to throw 
at him because he being a man made himself out to be God. So 
he is reminiscing with this Exodus 3.14 allusion. He is asserting 
that he has that equality with the Father. And in some places, 
he adds this predicate. And here, notice, he doesn't 
say, I have the ability to raise people and to convey life. That's 
not what he says. He says, I am the resurrection 
and the life. Not just that I have the power 
to do that, but I am. Definitionally, that's who I 
am. That's what I'm about. That is what is true of me. I 
am the resurrection and the life. Now, with reference to this statement, 
there are two aspects. Notice, I am the resurrection 
and the life. He goes on to explain that in 
verses 25b and 26a. Notice, he who believes in me, 
though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes 
in me shall never die. I think the first statement in 
25b illustrates the fact that he is the resurrection. Notice, 
he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. The 
emphasis here is on the limitation of physical death. The emphasis 
is upon the limitation of physical death. Yeah, Lazarus is dead, 
but that's not the end of the story. Lazarus is in the tomb, 
but that's not it. Lazarus is gone presently, but 
that's not the final chapter in terms of Lazarus's life. It 
is true for Lazarus, but it's true for us as well. Look at 
what he says. I am the resurrection. He who 
believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. Now, this 
passage does not teach the immortality of humans at the level of physical. We are immortal in the sense 
that we derive that from God. We will continue on into eternity, 
whether in heaven or in hell. But this passage does not say 
that Christians aren't going to die. The passage does not 
assure us that once you're in Christ, you could go out and 
stand in the middle of the road and get run down by a bus, and 
then get up and brush off your pants and head over to Walmart 
for a candy bar. It doesn't teach that. But it 
assures us that there is a physical limitation upon physical death. 
It can go so far but no further. It cannot cause us to be devoid 
of the presence of God Most High in our life. It's a portal through 
which we pass ultimately to get more of God. Philippians 1.21, 
for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Heidelberg Catechism 
number one, what is your only comfort in life and in death? 
My only comfort in life and in death is the Lord Jesus Christ. It has been said of our people 
that they die well. And by that, it doesn't mean 
they're the noble warriors at every step of the way, but they 
have this resignation that passing through this phase, they will 
enter into the very presence of God most high. So Jesus says, 
I am the resurrection. The emphasis is upon the limitation 
of physical death. And the application is ultimately 
to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it also 
illustrates his divinity. Go back to John chapter five. 
John chapter 5, it illustrates that he does God-befitting tasks. He engages in those things that 
are unique to God Most High. Notice in 521, For as the Father 
raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives 
life to whom He will. Notice in John chapter 5 verses 
25 to 29. Do not marvel at this, for the 
hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His 
voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection 
of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation." 
These are God-befitting tasks. Who has the ability to raise 
men from the dead? Who has the ability to confer 
spiritual life? Who has the ability to do that 
which is unique to God alone? God alone, that's who, and Jesus 
is asserting that here. and then go back to John 11. 
So he deals with the resurrection bit, second part of verse 25. He who believes in me, though 
he may die, he shall live. Now notice the life emphasis 
in verse 26. And whoever lives and believes 
in me shall never die. The emphasis here is on the benefit 
of spiritual life. The emphasis is upon the benefit 
of spiritual life. Notice, he says, and whoever 
lives and believes in me shall never die. Again, that doesn't 
mean you can stand in front of a bus and not expect nature to 
take its course. It simply means that when you 
pass from death spiritually into life spiritually, there is nothing 
that can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. He is the resurrection, and though 
they may die, they will nevertheless live in his presence. And then 
he goes on to say, and whoever lives and believes in me shall 
never die. You'll never have that spiritual 
death. You'll never be cast off from the goodness of God most 
high. You'll never be shunned. You'll 
never be thrown off. You'll never be discounted. You'll 
never be thrown away. So what Jesus says here in terms 
of being the resurrection and the life, he explains, he who 
believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. He explains, 
and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Now, notice 
what Jesus does here. Jesus does what I think is somewhat 
suspect in some religious traditions. He asks a question about somebody's 
religion. You just don't do that. You don't 
talk about religion or politics. You don't ask anybody how is 
it with their soul. You don't actually press people 
with what the scriptures... I mean, who would do that? What 
kind of an obtrusive fellow would or intrusive fellow would do 
that? But look what Jesus says. He tells her, I am the resurrection 
and the life. And then he says, do you believe 
this? He examines her. He confronts 
her. He interrogates her. He is calling 
for a decision, if I could even use the language there. Do you 
believe this? You see, for the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and you'll see later as you move through the New Testament with 
the apostles, they don't just throw out the doctrine and then 
let's go and have a coffee. Repent, and let every one of 
you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins, Peter says at the end of the sermon on the day of Pentecost. The Apostle Paul, preaching in 
Pisidian Antioch, sets before them forgiveness of sins by our 
Lord Jesus Christ. They call upon sinners to believe. They call upon sinners to repent. They call upon sinners to own 
the truth as it is in Jesus, and Jesus does that here with 
Martha. believe this? It's a good thing 
for all of us to ask ourselves, do we believe this concerning 
Jesus as being the resurrection and the life? See, I would suggest 
not only is it legitimate to do this, it's illegitimate not 
to do it. Preaching that never asks any 
searching questions, preaching that never gets a little uncomfortable, 
is probably not apostolic preaching. The kind of preaching you see 
in the New Testament is the kind of preaching that leaves towns 
in some sort of confusion. It leaves towns in some sort 
of division. The same sort of ministry of 
our Lord Jesus Christ as we work through our way in this gospel 
narrative. Yeah, many believe, but many 
don't. And the many believe, they want 
to bow down and confess Him and worship Him and serve Him. The 
many who don't want to kill Him. They want to deliver Him up. 
They want Him to be crucified. So you see, apostolic preaching 
is about calling sinners to belief and repentance. Apostolic preaching 
isn't content with you to just go out and make your own decisions 
and do your own thing. It's pressing of the conscience. 
Martha, do you believe this? Ask yourselves this morning, 
do you believe this? Is there something about this 
passage that resonates with your heart? You may not get all the 
details concerning his statement about the resurrection and life, 
but do you see Jesus as Jesus is portrayed in Holy Scripture? 
Do you see him as that John 1-1, John 1-14 man that came into 
this world, sinners to save? He presses the conscience. Now 
brethren, as you press the consciences of others, you've got friends, 
you've got family, you like to be an evangelist, just don't 
be obnoxious about it. There's nothing good about being 
obnoxious either. Every step of the way, every 
moment of the day, every 24 hours, do you believe this? Press the 
conscience when it's appropriate. Press the conscience after the 
presentation of truth. Press the conscience of those 
who are living in light of the fact they've heard a lot of things. 
But if they ever examine, if they've ever been called upon 
to examine themselves, he asks her specifically, do you believe 
this? Now, notice the confession of 
Martha in verse 27. She affirms Him. Verse 27, she 
said to Him, yes, Lord. Remember, she had a confidence 
in Him. Perhaps a little bit of misunderstanding. There's 
still Kind of moving forward, they're still learning, they're 
still growing, they're still coming to grips with this man 
who is God. They're coming to grips with 
this man who can multiply loaves and fish, with this man who can 
walk on the water, with this man who says that he has a unique 
relation to the Father, with this man who's able to raise 
people from the dead, though at this point she still does 
not know that. We know the end of this passage and she doesn't. 
Notice she doesn't condition her response on that. Well, you 
know, Lord, if my brother walks out of that tomb, then I'll know. 
If my brother walks out of that tomb, then I'll know and then 
I'll believe. Who does that later? John 20. The man, according to chapter 
11, verse 16, who's ready to accompany Jesus into Judea and 
is ready to die with Jesus in Judea, says, unless I see and 
unless I touch, I will certainly not believe. He is the biggest 
skeptic in the New Testament. And then Jesus manifests himself 
to him, and what does he say? My Lord and my God. And Jesus 
pronounces the beatitude upon those who believe without having 
first seen. So notice that Martha doesn't 
do that. She doesn't lay down conditions. Sinners are like 
that, aren't they? God, if you deliver me from this 
precarious position, I'll go to church on Sunday. As if we 
can bargain with God as if he's Baal. Baal, I'll do this, and 
all I ask in return is that you water my crops so that I have 
a good yield. We try to barter with God? Yeah, 
Lord, if he comes out of that tomb, then I know you're the 
real article, the genuine thing, and I will believe. She doesn't 
do that. I mean, she doesn't know that the brother stinking 
of death is gonna walk out covered in grave clothes. She doesn't 
have that knowledge. She doesn't have Johnny Levin 
in her lap on a Sunday morning in church. She just doesn't. 
So the fact that she makes this confession shows us the grace 
of God in her life, shows us the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, 
the one who is to come into the world. This is a lofty confession 
of faith made by Martha in a very difficult situation. Again, she 
doesn't know he's going to walk free. She knows that he's dead. She's mourning. She's grieved. 
She has sorrow of heart. And nevertheless, she says, Lord, 
I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come 
into the world. So she recognizes that he is 
the Son of God by nature. Not by creation, not by adoption. He's not like us, who by God's 
grace have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. He is the Son of God 
uniquely. He is the only begotten Son. 
Her confession here is what is in tune with the prologue in 
John 1. As well, the similarity with 
other confessions of faith. Remember Peter? Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus pronounces him blessed. Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood 
did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. The 
confession of John the Baptist in John 1.29. Behold, the Lamb 
of God who takes away the sin of the world. Look at the confession 
of faith in Jesus in John 1. 49. So you got 129 and then 149. Nathanael answered and said to 
him, Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are the king of Israel. See, this is what it's about, 
brethren. This is what is uniquely different 
about Christianity. It's not, you know, the ethics 
are altogether different. You know, most religions and 
philosophical systems endorse at least decent ethics. I mean, 
not the glorious ethics of Old and New Testament, but most world 
religions are pretty intent that you don't murder each other, 
and you don't steal from one another, and you don't have each 
other's wives or husbands. I think that's a pretty general 
maxim as you survey the world's religions and philosophies. What 
is unique about Christianity? It's that sixth statement in 
John 14. I am the way, the truth, and 
the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. The unique thing about Christianity 
is Christ. And what we think of Him, whether 
we confess Him or not, whether we own Him or not, whether we 
believe on Him or not. Look at John 4. John 4, verse 
42. Then they said to the woman, 
now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves 
have heard Him, and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
Savior of the world. That's the Samaritan testimony. 
And then notice in 6.69. Chapter six and verse 69. Well, verse 68, Simon Peter answered 
him, Lord, to whom shall we go? This is on the heels of Jesus 
saying, do you also want to go away? Simon Peter answered him, 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, 
the son of the living God. And then most recently, look 
at John chapter nine, after Jesus heals the man who had been born 
blind. Look at John 9, specifically at verse 35, after that man tangles 
with the religious leadership, after that man preaches to the 
religious leadership, theology proper. Verse 35, Jesus heard 
that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said 
to him, Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said, 
Who is he? Lord, that I may believe in him. 
And Jesus said to him, You have both seen him, and it is he who 
is talking with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe, 
and he worshiped him. So back to our text, she's in 
good company, isn't she? Lord, I believe that you are 
the Christ, the Son of God, the one he who is to come into the 
world. I believe that, I own that. And you know, as we survey 
these brief confessions of faith in the New Testament, we need 
to ask the question, at least I'm gonna suggest that we need 
to ask the question, what did they feel like when they made 
that confession? Did they have hearts filled with 
joy? Did they see physically fireworks 
up in the sky? I mean, isn't that what religion 
yields? Emotional response? Doesn't it 
yield feelings that are able to fight off all of the dreariness 
of the present evil age? Notice there's no emphasis on 
what these confessors felt. There's no emphasis on the emotional 
life of these confessors when they confessed. It's simply the 
truth that they understood who Jesus was and they confessed 
faith in him. Now brethren, there might be 
the time when your heart is swollen with love for Jesus and all the 
warm emotional response that goes with that. Other times, 
it may not be like that. It may not be like that. It may 
be devoid of any emotion or feeling. Does that invalidate the confession? Listen to Edward Mote. He says, 
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame. Huh! How many people today are 
in the business of trusting sweet frames? Do you feel like a Christian 
today? Well, yeah, I've done pretty 
good thus far. Got up, I had my coffee, I read 
my Bible, I prayed, I've been nice to my people, I've done 
good work. Yeah, I feel like a Christian 
today. My hope is built on nothing less 
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame. What happens on the next Thursday? 
Do you feel like a Christian today? Man, I woke up late. I yelled at my bride. I was vicious 
to my kids. I even think I kicked the cat 
on my way out to the garage. No, just don't feel like a Christian 
today. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame, but what? Holy lean on Jesus' name. See, the confession isn't about 
the confessor. The confession is about the confessed. It's about the Christ, who is 
the Son of God, who came into the world to live for us, to 
die for us, and to be raised again for us. The power isn't 
in our confession. The power is in the one confessed. Faith brings us into saving contact 
with Him. But faith may or may not be attended 
by sweet frames. In the absence of sweet frames, 
holy leaning on Jesus' name brings the same net effect as the sweet 
frames by leaning on Jesus' name. It is a most glorious thing that 
God has ordained for the salvation of guilty, vile, and helpless 
sinners. He has purposed not to call us 
to behave better, not to simply engage in moral reformation, 
not to simply try a bit harder, but in the fullness of the time, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 
to redeem those under the law. so that all the guilty sinners 
who have this recognition of who He is. And again, you may 
not be able to recall the hypostatic union or the definition I gave, 
or you might not be able to rehearse that He's one person in two natures, 
though you really should learn that, and you should be able 
to rehearse that, because that's the sort of thing that your soul 
rests upon. You may not get all those particular details, but 
seeing Him as the Christ, the Son of God, the one to come into 
the world, is what we need. This is what guilty, vile, helpless 
sinners need. They need, by grace, to lay hold 
of Him through faith. And by grace, through faith, 
laying hold of Him means everlasting life. It means the benefits that 
He confers in verses 25 and 26. I am the resurrection and the 
life. He who believes in Me, though 
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes 
in Me shall never die. So ask yourself the question. 
Listen to Jesus' question. Do you believe this? You don't 
need to stand up right now. You don't need to make any sort 
of a parade or track up forward. But if you believe this, own 
it. Confess Him and live in light 
of that blessed reality and know the joy of the Lord as your strength. Don't rest upon sweet frames. 
When they come, bless God. Praise God. I'm not anti-sweet 
frame, by the way. I don't like getting up and being 
miserable and kicking the cat, should we have one. But I'm going 
to tell you, when you bank on that for your soul's health, 
that's a fool's errand. It's not feelings. It's not emotion. It's not, oh, but my heart hasn't 
been melted yet. What does that mean, your heart 
hasn't been melted yet? Or, I don't know the degree of 
my sin. Brethren, if anybody in this 
room knew the degree of their sin, we'd burst out in flames. 
We do not know the degree of our sin. The fact that we're 
sinners is what we need to appreciate, and the fact that Jesus is the 
Savior is the fact that we need to confess. This, well, I'm not 
sure, he's altogether on board with just how bad he is. Again, 
brethren, find that teaching in the New Testament. Remember 
way back in Matthew 9, those of you who were here when we 
preached through that, Matthew chapter 9, Jesus is passing by 
the office of a tax collector. And the tax collector is named 
Matthew. Matthew gives us his own conversion 
account in the gospel that bears his name. So Jesus is passing 
by the tax office and he says, follow me. What happens? Matthew 
says, you know, Lord, I need a few weeks because I got to 
ponder just how bad I am. I need a few weeks, Lord, because 
I need to really embrace the degree of my depravity. I just 
haven't felt it yet. I just haven't gotten to that 
point yet. I've just not been broken yet. That's not what Matthew 
does. Matthew leaves all and follows 
Jesus. Remember that Philippian jailer 
in Acts chapter 16? Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Well, 
go pray to the Lord for a new heart. And in a year's time, 
when you're fully convicted about how sinful you are, believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ. No, they said, believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Now brethren, I'm not 
trying to beat up on anybody unnecessarily, but I am trying 
to beat up on some necessarily. Because if we put an obstacle 
between Jesus Christ and a guilty sinner, even if that obstacle 
may appear to be good, they got to know their sin. Yeah, but 
the degree to which they got to know their sin is not specified 
in the Bible. The degree to which they need 
to be able to recite the Confession of Faith, the 1689 London Baptist 
Confession, we don't put that on anybody. You know, you've 
got to rehearse for us of the decree of God. Can you please 
explain superlapsarianism with sufficient ability? And then 
only then you may come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. Anything 
that we put between a sinner and Christ is an obstacle, and 
we need to get rid of those obstacles. We need to get rid of sweet frames 
as the basis upon which I have sweet frames. The only sweet 
frame you and I will ever enjoy comes as a result of faith in 
Jesus Christ. See, when you put the sweet frame 
first, that's an idol. Oh, I gotta have the feelings 
in religion. One man well said that. I'm not 
sure, he said, concerning modern-day worship, if we love the worship 
of God or we love what the worship of God does to us. I think that's 
an appropriate statement, especially in a reformed church. We don't 
have a lot going on. We don't have a band. You know, 
we're not shredding up here. We're not banging the bongos. 
We're not doing all that. It's pretty low-key, pretty simple, 
pretty New Testament-ish. So it's kind of hard to get sort 
of revved up. Right? We need 25 minutes of 
some, you know, a bit of dancing, a little jig, you know, get the 
heart flowing. You know, I played tennis yesterday. 
The curse to me next time I go, I'm going to have to stretch 
before I try that again, because there's some muscles exacting 
their retribution upon me today. We got to get warmed up. We got 
to get spiced up. We can't just move into worship. 
You got to get me there. That's not how Reformed worship 
is. What's the conclusion of some? 
Well, then you're not worshiping. Is worship obeying God according 
to the written word, or is worship the feelings that we get as a 
result? I think you'll be able to say, 
you know, there was a time I was a bit hesitant to come to the 
house of God. I didn't have David's heart in Psalm 122. I was glad 
when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. 
It was one of those mornings where, you know, everything just 
seemed to go wrong. We noticed when we had five little 
kids in the home, Sunday morning was the toughest time to get 
out of the house. Sunday morning was a chore. You might as well 
climb Everest and get five little kids ready, church, shoes. Inevitably, you get in the car, 
well, where's your shoe? You didn't think to put your shoes on? Come 
on. So you come to church, and you think, I don't know if I'm 
fit. I don't know if I'm ready to 
be here. I just don't know. We start singing the hymns of 
praise to God. You start looking around at your 
brothers and sisters in the Lord. You hear from God's holy word, 
and what happens? You say, it's good to be in the 
house of God. See, feelings will catch up, 
brethren. The sweet frames will catch up. 
The business of your soul right now is to look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ in faith. Do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus is 
the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that He is the 
Son of God, the Christ who is to come into the world? Do you 
believe that He lived a life of perfect obedience? Do you 
believe that He died a death of sacrifice and substitution? 
Do you believe that he was raised again on that third day? If you 
say, yeah, I believe that, then confess him. Own him. Do what 
these confessors do. Don't wait for the feelings. 
Don't wait for the frames. Don't wait for the approval of 
friends or family or consistories or whoever. You need to own Christ. You need to come to Christ. Again, 
let's look one more time at that John 6 confession. We're not 
going to get to Mary, brethren. Just don't worry about it. We're 
not going to get to Mary. Notice in John 6, once again, 
the larger context is that Jesus is preaching what they perceive 
to be hard things. They don't like what he's saying. 
It's not about, you're dead, and the only way you're going 
to have life is by God's grace and power. He's preaching what 
we call now reform theology. He's preaching the total depravity 
of man, the absolute sovereignty of God, the power of God in terms 
of election and sovereign grace and predestination. Much like 
our own day, that particular day was similar. You think people 
like to hear there are filthy, vile, wicked sinners that are 
absolutely dependent upon the grace of God for salvation? They 
don't like that. I don't know how much you've 
ever shared that with people. They don't usually say, thank 
you. That's such a positive and warm message. It gives me sweet 
frames. No, they don't do that. They 
despise it. Well, they despised it in Jesus' 
day as well. So notice what happens in verse 
65, just to sort of summarize or sort of recapitulate his teaching. 
He says, therefore, I have said to you that no one can come to 
me unless it has been granted to him by my father. That's carpet bombing, brethren. That's napalm. That's theological 
decimation of the opponent. Now he's not doing it like that. 
That's my comment on what he's doing. So notice what happens 
in verse 66. From that time, many of his disciples, and I 
don't think disciples means they're saved people. Disciples could 
have a general meaning of just followers, somebody who followed 
along for a time. Why did they follow along for 
a time? Because he made bread and fish and fed them. That was 
certainly one of the reasons why they liked being around him. 
I mean, we've got Costco and Walmart and Superstore and all 
that, but these fellows and ladies were wandering around, you know, 
the desert and the wilderness, starving. And here's Jesus making 
bread, making fish. Sure, I'll attach my cart to 
that pony for a little while, at least until the bread runs 
out. And that's what happened. The bread ran out. The doctrine 
comes. They don't like the doctrine. 
So many of these supposed disciples or followers, they went back 
and walked with him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 
do you also want to go away? But Simon Peter answered him, 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. There's no other place. There's 
no other religion. There's no other safety. There's 
no other harbor. There's no other refuge. There's 
no other answer. To whom shall we go, Lord? Thou 
hast the words of eternal life. Of course, we're gonna stick 
with you. Of course, we're gonna hang on to you. Of course, we're 
gonna do this because we've come to see and appreciate and know 
that you're the Christ. You're the one. You're the one 
promised from Genesis to Malachi. You're the one promised in the 
prophets. You're the one promised in the 
law. You're the one promised by David in the Psalms. David 
was writing about his greater son, and we've come to embrace 
that by God's grace through faith, and there's no place other than 
we want to be. That's Simon Peter's response. That's Martha's response. That's 
what people learn when they receive the truth as it is in Jesus. There is no other place, there 
is no other hope, there is no other help under heaven for guilty, 
vile sinners. It is Christ alone who saves. It is Christ alone who brings 
forgiveness. It is Christ alone who brings 
that righteousness by which we may enter into the very presence 
of God. Our brother read Revelation 19. 
What are we clothed in? We're clothed in righteousness. 
Do you know how to sew up a garment of righteousness? Do you know 
how to fix yourself and present yourself at that great wedding 
feast? Do you know how to make it such that you will be accepted 
by a thrice holy God into His presence for all eternity? I'm 
gonna answer for you. No, you don't. You don't know 
how to bring that garment together. You don't know what the prophet 
is talking about in Isaiah 61, where we're clothed in the garments 
of salvation. That comes as a result of Jesus. That comes by virtue of his life 
and by virtue of his death. Do you believe this? If not, 
guess what I'm going to encourage you to do? Believe it! And if 
you do, confess it and own him as Lord and Savior, and find 
that joy that Paul speaks of in Philippians chapter 3. He 
has a righteousness, not of his own, but the righteousness which 
is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You can, by God's grace, 
enter into heaven if today happens to be the day you stand in front 
of a truck or you pass from this world in some other way. Because 
Jesus is, in fact, the resurrection and the life. And though he may 
die, he will live eternally with Jesus. And the one who believes 
will never die. Why? Because he's passed from 
spiritual death into spiritual life and simply, or physical 
death then, simply becomes the portal by which we access more 
of Jesus Christ the Lord. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Our God and Father, we thank 
you so much for your word. We thank you so much for your 
only begotten son, the word who became flesh and dwelt among 
us. We thank you for what he has accomplished in terms of 
his life and death and resurrection. We thank you for the gospel of 
our salvation. And again, we pray that you'd 
open eyes and hearts to receive this wonderful truth. And may 
it be the day of salvation today all over this earth. for sinners 
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And we ask 
this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, you can turn 
with me in your hymn books to 568. We'll close our worship 
service by singing praise to our triune God, 568. ♪ Praise 
God around the world ♪ Praise to thee, O Israel, dearly 
loved. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for 
with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption, 
and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. God, we thank 
you for this good news. We thank you for the blessedness 
of the Spirit of God who takes these things and applies it to 
our hearts. We pray that you would encourage us, that you 
would strengthen us with might in the inner man, so that Christ 
may dwell richly in our hearts through faith. And go with us 
now and help us to call this day a delight. And may we, by 
your grace and for your glory, bring honor and praise unto you. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We may be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.