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A Lesson in Cirumstances

The Urban Alternative / Tony Evans, PhD
The Truth Network Radio
February 5, 2025 5:00 am

A Lesson in Cirumstances

The Urban Alternative / Tony Evans, PhD

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February 5, 2025 5:00 am

Life has a way of throwing us curveballs—unexpected twists that test our faith and understanding. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans shares how Jesus used an impossible situation to reveal the greatness of God’s plan.

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There are times in your life when God will let things get worse before they get better. Dr. Tony Evans reveals the deeper purpose behind life's challenges.

God allows us to go through death-dealing experiences in order to experience what a resurrection feels like. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. It's been said before that life throws curveballs, those unexpected twists that challenge our faith and understanding. Today, Dr. Evans shows how Jesus uses a seemingly impossible situation to reveal that God's plan is greater than any obstacle or circumstance we'll ever face.

Let's join him as he takes us through a powerful story found in the 11th chapter of John. A certain person is sick—Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary. So these are two sisters and a brother, and they run into a problem.

And the problem is that their brother is very, very ill. So they do what Christians ought to do. They pray. They call on Jesus for a solution. They sent word saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love, verse 3, is sick. So they do the spiritual thing.

They call on the Lord and he who you love. So this is an intimate relationship Jesus has with this family. When Jesus gets this word in verse 4, he says, The sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. So what this means is that all sickness is not due to sin. He says this sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God. So you can have sickness for the glory of God. So anybody who tells you that if you're walking with the Lord, you don't get sick, this contradicts that. Well, of course, if you're Martha and Mary and you get this news, you're going to be excited. This sickness is not under death.

So that's good news that what you're hearing is he's going to get well. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. So now, get this, this is a very intimate spiritual connection between Jesus and this family.

Well, when he hears he's sick, he stayed there two days longer in the place where he was. He delayed answering their prayer. So now Jesus tells his disciples something very important for us. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go so that I may awaken him out of his sleep. Jesus now introduces a new term for death, and he calls it sleep. And then he says something very interesting in verse 15. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him.

There are times in your life when God will let things get worse before they get better because he's getting ready to do something different. Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to the fellow disciples, Well, let us go that we may also die with him. Now, Thomas is an interesting dude. Right now, he's confident Thomas. A little later, he's going to be doubting Thomas.

So you can swing from high spirituality to the depths of rejection. Because right now, he's—and they already said they're going to stone you. And so Thomas says, Okay, well, they're going to stone me too. When the going got tough, you could say that when you were in Bethany.

When the going got tough, he had another statement. So, Jesus comes in verse 17, and he found that he had already been in the tomb four days. He delayed, Lazarus died, the funeral is over, and he's been dead four days. In the tomb four days. So, Jesus takes a two-mile trip from Bethany to Jerusalem, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

So they're having a sort of comforting time. Martha—this is Miss Tell-You-How-I-Think, Tell-You-What-I-Think— she comes to Jesus and says, Lord, verse 21, If you would have been here, my brother would not have died. Translation, it's your fault. It's your fault, because I called on you. You didn't come. If you would have been here, this would not have happened. Where were you?

It's our question, isn't it? Why? Why didn't you do something? Why didn't you come? Why didn't you heal? Why didn't you help? Why did you not answer my prayer? And now, look, he's in the grave.

If you would have been here. Martha goes one step further. Even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. So she's got this catch-22 relationship with God right now. She's got her human disappointment, and she has her biblical theological understanding. And if the truth be told, we all sometimes carry this dual relationship with the Lord. I believe in you, but why?

How come? She says, even now, I know if you call on God, because they knew about all the miracles Jesus had been doing, so even now, if you call on God, God's going to respond. But I'm still disappointed. Jesus says to her, Your brother will live again. Please notice, Jesus responds to her faith in Him in spite of her doubts about Him. She has a doubt, Lord, where were you? But she expresses faith, even now.

Now that it can't get any worse. Even now. So she gets a personal word, Your brother will live again. So she gets a personal word from the Lord because she responds in faith in spite of her doubts. So let me just say this. Even when Jesus, Matthew 28, the disciples came up to the mountain and said, They worshiped Him, but some doubted. The issue is not do you have doubts. We will all face times of questions. And we will all face times of spiritual disappointment with God. So doubts will happen, and sometimes doubt comes when you don't even want it. When you're trying to reject it, but it won't go away.

It's staying on your mind. But even though she had doubts, she spoke in faith. She was honest about her question, Lord, where were you? But then she declared her faith. And when she declared her faith, she got a personal word.

Your brother will rise again. Martha had been to Bible college, so she said, I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. So she believed in the bodily resurrection.

She believed in the life to come. Jesus says, I am the resurrection. And this is another time when He says, I am, the phrase used for God's identification of Himself. I am the resurrection.

Please notice the difference between 24 and 25. I know He will. Jesus says, I am. She says, in the future.

Jesus says, right now. I am His present. He will His future.

That's why every word is inspired by God, because sometimes you've got to even look at the tenses. I will. He will. I am. I am the basis of eternal life, and that's why you get to live eternally as a believer, because Jesus Christ is the resurrection, which is good news for something that has died in your life. Your dreams have died. Your hopes have died.

Your desires have died. All legitimate things I'm talking about, but they died, and Jesus is saying, even if it's dead, I am the resurrection. And there are probably some people here who've experienced Jesus resurrecting something that looked like it was long gone. You ask for one thing, it got worse, and He picked it up from the grave. I love how Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 1. Paul says that we were in a great ordeal of affliction, and I despaired even of life.

I was ready to throw in the towel. And then he wanted to know, well, why did God let me go through this? He says, so that I might experience Him who raises the dead.

So God allows us to go through death-dealing experiences in order to experience what a resurrection feels like. When Dr. Evans continues in just a moment, he'll come back to share with us some of the most powerful words Jesus spoke. First, though, I want to let you know that today's message is part of Tony's 14-lesson study of the Gospel of John. In this New Testament book, Jesus' divine nature is highlighted, revealing Him as the Word made flesh and light of the world. Through this study, you'll gain a deeper understanding of Christ's teachings, miracles, and love for humanity, uncovering timeless truths that'll strengthen your faith and provide solid guidance for your life. We'd like to send you the complete series on CD or digital download as our gift when you make a donation to the Ministry of the Alternative. And as a special bonus, we'll also include a copy of Dr. Evans' encouraging book, Dry Bones Dancing.

It's a study of Ezekiel's vision of brittle bones brought to life by the Spirit's breath. And it'll help you experience the same sort of dramatic transformation in your life or the life of your church. Just visit us today at tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222, make your contribution, and let us send you the Gospel of John audio series and Tony's book, Dry Bones Dancing. I'll have our contact information for you again after Part 2 of today's lesson and this.

I urge you to take this course. Dr. Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible. That covers very important ground, what they are and what they're not. One of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century, the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove of historical and spiritual significance. They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to the New Testament. The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus. You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins better than you ever have before. Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist. Dive into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer, Dr. Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating biblical studies at tonyevanstraining.org.

Explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even if he dies. So even if you die, you live. And everyone who lives and believes in me, what does this say? Will never die.

So watch the contrast. He who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. So you'll die, but you're not dead. You'll die, but you're not dead.

That is, physically die, but you'll never die. So whenever you hear me tell you you'll never die, I'm quoting Jesus. She said to him, Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, you are the Messiah, the Son of God, even he who comes into the world.

That's God's saving message. So when she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister. So she's believing that he's the resurrection without knowing what's going to happen.

She doesn't have any more information yet. And so she calls Mary her sister saying secretly, The teacher is here and is calling for you. So Jesus was looking for Mary. Now, Mary didn't come to Jesus like Martha did.

Mary is very sad and very disappointed. And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to him. What made her come?

Jesus was looking for you. The Jews were with her in the house and consoling her. When they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. So they're following her, although she's going to Jesus. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw him, fell on his feet saying to him, Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died. The exact words of her sister Martha, which means these sisters had had a conversation. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled and said, Where have you laid him? And they said to him, Lord, come and see.

The shortest verse in the Bible, verse 35, Jesus wept. Remember, Jesus is not only the Son of God, he's the Son of Man. Fully divine and fully human in one person.

The hypostatic union. Two natures in one person, unmixed forever. His deity was his deity when he functioned on it, and his humanity was his humanity when he functioned on it. He never used his deity to override or cancel his humanity. So in his humanity, he got tired, he slept, he ate.

But in his deity, he walked on water, you know, and he did all these miracles. So, because he could do both, because he's both the Son of God and the Son of Man, that is, has divine nature and human nature. So when he sees Mary's pain, when he sees the death-dealing effects of sin, he feels it, and his humanity, so to speak, kicks in. And he cries even though his deity is getting ready to take over. So he's both at the same time.

But he operates from one or the other as needed and as determined by the individual situation. So the good news about Jesus is he can feel what you feel, and he has the power to do something about what he's feeling. He is the one-of-a-kind Son of the living God. So Jesus, being deeply disturbed within, comes to the tomb in a cave. Jesus says to Martha, Remove the stone. Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to him, Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days. Everything Martha said was absolutely correct. It wasn't that she was wrong.

She put her knowledge, education, and experience over submitting to divine authority. You will never see what God plans to do in secret until you respond to what he's clearly revealed for you to do. See, he was getting ready to do something in secret, but the secret would not be manifested until the obedience was fully carried out. And when Martha got the message, they removed the stone, Jesus raised his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Now, he didn't just say come forth, because then everybody would have gotten up.

Notice that he was specific. Lazarus, come forth. Only one person coming out of this grave.

But the miracle was tied to the specific prayer request in need of the two sisters. Lazarus, come forth. The man who had died came forth bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. Now, that's very interesting, because he's bound, but he's still coming forth.

His face is wrapped, but he can see where he's going. And then he tells the people, just so that you know this is real flesh and blood, you go in there and unloose him and let him go. Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what they had done believed in him.

I guess so. If you did, if you just witnessed that and you still don't believe, you got real issues. Therefore, the chief priest of the Pharisees convened a council. This council is called the Sanhedrin. Now, you will begin to see the drama unfold. Chapter 12 is a transitional chapter where Jesus ends his public ministry, and now is getting ready to move into the crucifixion. Okay, but the transition actually begins here, because, gee, they call a council meeting after they hear about the resurrection of Lazarus, and we're saying, what are we doing?

For this man is performing many signs. Okay, what are we going to do with this? If we let him go on like this, all men will believe in him. And the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. In other words, if everybody goes to him, the Romans are going to think that this is an insurrection, this is a rebellion, and if that happens, then they're going to come and they're going to destroy us. So what are we going to do about this Jesus? But one of them, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, you know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people and that the whole nation not perish. So Caiaphas steps forth and says, wait a minute, look, we can solve this real quick. Kill one so the rest of us are okay.

Because if we let him go, the rest of us may not be okay. So it's better for one to die that the rest don't perish. Little did he know he was prophesied. He was thinking about the physical, but he was actually, unbeknownst to him, prophesying the spiritual. One would die. One would die so that none would have to perish.

Okay? But of course, he's thinking about strictly in physical terms. Now, he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation. So he's prophesying and not even knowing it. And not for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather together into one, the children of God who are scattered abroad.

So in other words, this would not only be for Israel, it would be for Gentiles too. So his little prophecy in protecting Israel was really a prophecy to fulfill Messiah's purpose of providing salvation for the whole world. So from that day on, they planned together to kill him, to save their position, their temple, their freedom under Rome. They said, okay, let's get rid of him so we don't have to deal with all this other stuff. So Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews.

They planned to kill him. He's not going to walk publicly because it's not quite time yet. It's almost time, but some other things have got to happen first. So he doesn't walk publicly, but he went away from them to the country near the wilderness into the city called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Okay, so now the Jews, verse 55, are all converging on Jerusalem because it's the Passover, the time of consecration and dedication and remembrance of God's deliverance. So people are thinking about deliverance because the Passover was then being deliverance from Egyptian oppression and occupation way back in the book of Exodus.

So this was celebrated every year. Everybody is thinking about deliverance, so keep that in mind. So they come before the Passover to purify themselves, to consecrate themselves before God. So they were seeking Jesus and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, what do you think, that he will not come to the feast at all? Is Jesus going to come to the feast? Of course, he is going to be with his disciples. Now the chief priests and the Pharisees are given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he was to report it so that they might seize him.

So now the drama is getting ready to unfold. The drama that leads up to some of Jesus' greatest teaching, to the preparation for his death, his resurrection, is both tragic and exciting. And Dr. Evans will share more of that with us in the coming days as he continues this comprehensive study of the Gospel of John. Now if you missed any of the lessons up to this point or would like to own the complete series to review on your own timetable, then I encourage you to take advantage of the resource package I mentioned earlier. All 14 messages from both volumes of this series on the Gospel of John along with Dr. Evans' encouraging book on breathing new life into a tired faith, Dry Bones Dancing. They're yours with our thanks when you make a donation to help keep this listener-supported program coming your way. Just visit tonyevans.org to make the arrangements or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222 where team members are standing by to assist with your request. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online at tonyevans.org. True greatness can be found in the most unexpected places like a servant's heart. Tomorrow Dr. Evans reveals that greatness is defined not by power or prestige but by the humility and love we extend to others. I hope you'll join us for that.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-02-05 00:07:36 / 2025-02-05 00:16:41 / 9

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