Tonight we want to conclude our current series on how to minister to others in need. And so let me invite you to open your Bibles with me to the book of Job, Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 13 clearly instructs us as believers by these words. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. And as we walk in fellowship with the Lord, the fruit of the Spirit is agape love, which then motivates us to sacrificially seek to meet the needs of others. But lest we run around like a chicken with our heads cut off, or spend a lot of money or time in unwise and ineffective ministry to others, We have considered a number of very helpful biblical principles that relate to grasping the big picture in ministry as well as grasping the specific details in ministry. And then for the last two studies we've been seeking to grasp some principles when ministering to those in mourning or those that are in need of comfort. And in doing so, we observe that personal suffering and affliction are realities that are unavoidable in this life. So we need to know how to respond and not react to them biblically, along with letting the Lord use us to minister in love to others who are experiencing suffering and affliction in their lives. Secondly, we noted that God wants to comfort those who are suffering, especially his people. The Lord is a God who wants to comfort you. He wants to comfort his people, whether it was his chosen earthly Old Testament people, the nation of Israel, or whether it is his chosen heavenly New Testament people, the church. He is the Father of mercies and He is the God of all comfort. Thirdly, we noted that real comfort is found in the Lord, with His promises and providence, not in detailed explanations. Real true inner comfort will only be found in turning to the Lord in your tribulations and suffering. and embracing by faith God's great and precious promises, leaving the results to God's providence and God's plan and God's purpose. But keep in mind how Satan wants to use these times of grief and pain, for you are in a very real spiritual battle. And in those times Satan wants to tempt you to unbelief. He wants to tempt you to dishonor the Lord. He wants you to become bitter toward God. And this is how we ended our last study as we observed in Job chapter one that the godly character of Job, the behind the scenes conversation between God and Satan, the divine permission given to Satan to touch Job's possessions and personal servants, even experiencing the death of all 10 of Job's children all in one day. And how did Job respond? We read in verse 21, and he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now notice, he responds vertically. He responds by remembering something about the Lord. The Lord gave. And remember, the idea of gave speaks of His grace. It doesn't say the Lord paid. It doesn't say the Lord rewarded, though there are Hebrew words that could have been used there. No, the Lord gave. You see, the Lord owes us nothing by way of His blessings. Grace is undeserved favor and blessing. And in His grace and in His mercy, He has shown us compassion and He has blessed us physically and He has blessed us spiritually. He's the one who gave and we must never forget that. But also the Lord is taken away. And this speaks of His sovereignty. And He is the Lord. He is the sovereign, strong, powerful, relational God who is in charge of the universe, who still sits on the throne. And he is the one who has given us his blessings. And in this case, he has taken away these possessions and even people. And Job ends by saying, blessed be the name of the Lord. For he is worthy of all praise, for God is right and has treated us in mercy. And how does Job chapter one end? Well, verse 22 says, and all this Job did not sin, nor charge God with wrong. Isn't it amazing? We can stub our toe and sin in a second. And Job went through all of this and yet did not sin. He did not charge God. Satan's accusation about Job and God is then thwarted and seen to be slanderous. But the trials and suffering that Job would experience did not end in chapter 1. For as we begin chapter 2, we will see the loss now of Job's health and support from his wife. We read in verse 1 again, there was a day when the sons of God, those angels, came to present themselves before the Lord, which means he is sovereign. And Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord, which means Satan is still under the permissive will of God functioning. In a sense, he's on a leash. He's only free to do what God permits him to do. Verse two, and the Lord said to Satan, notice he again initiates it, from where do you come? As if he didn't know. And Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth, from walking back and forth on, and just like chapter one. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? That there's none like him on the earth? What an evaluation! A blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him without cause. And it's your fault, Satan. So Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh. He will surely curse you to your face." That phrase, skin for skin, yes, all that a man has, he'll give for his life, is really saying, in essence, this. Anyone would give up all that he has in order to preserve his own life. Satan is saying to God, you've only tested him at the superficial level. You just took away his possessions. You just took away his personal servants. You just took away his children. But touch him. And by the way, that's hardly superficial. But do you think Satan's reasonable? And by virtue of the fact that Satan even knows, skin for skin, yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life, that Satan uses false teachers and even faith healers, I should say fake healers, and the prosperity gospel to appeal to the flesh of man for material blessing. And so often they miss the true gospel of the grace of God, who is willing to save an unworthy sinner and forgive all his sins because of what Christ did on the cross, received through simple faith in Him. But the point of Job's accusation is that Job's motives for trusting and serving God are still selfish. In chapter 1, it was for physical blessing. Now in chapter 2, it's for self-preservation. And self-centeredness dominates all of Satan's thinking as a fallen angel, and he knows that sinful man by nature is also inherently self-centered. Thus, this is the only motive Satan personally knows by experience, and he projects it upon others. And understandably so, because Philippians 2.21 tells us what? All seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ. And yet we know by virtue of the new birth and the new nature and the Spirit of God, it is possible for a believer to think this way, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. It is possible for the believer to say, none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, which is exactly the opposite of verse 4. that I am not holding my life tight. I am not out to just preserve my life, but I want to finish my course with joy and the ministry I've received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel, the grace of God. And if that means chains and afflictions await me, so be it. And the spirit of God can actually transform a person's mind to think in those kind of terms, contrary to his natural inbuilt tendency of self-preservation. So what happens? Verse six, and the Lord said to Satan, behold, he's in your hand. I'll let you touch his bone and his flesh, but spare his life, you can't kill him. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and he struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself as he sat in the midst of the ashes. These sorboils, we're not exactly sure what they were, but we know that the same Hebrew word was used of one of the ten plagues in Egypt. We know it was a serious disease, evidenced by its extent around his whole body, the symptoms that we read in chapter 3 and others, the isolation he felt, and that potsherd was a piece of cracked pottery by which he would scrape himself in light of the boils he was experiencing. Now at times like that, when you're experiencing medical problems, physical problems, da-da-da-da-da, Unless you are responding to the Lord in His Word, you can think, the Lord really doesn't love me. And if He loved me, why is He allowing this in my life? And the fact is, He does love you. He proved that at Calvary. He loves you unconditionally. You can do nothing for Him to love you more or love you less. And now that you are his child through the new birth, no one and nothing will ever separate you from that special love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And that's why the quotable prince of preachers of the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon, aptly said years ago, God is too good to be unkind, too wise to be mistaken, and when you cannot trace his hands, you can always trust his heart. In a similar way, the late great 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody said, if you can't see his way past the tears, trust his heart. And so we've seen that Satan wants to use times of grief and pain to tempt you to unbelief. He wants to use this to get you to dishonor the Lord and to become bitter towards God. But in contrast, how does God want to use these times of grief? Well, in at least four ways, and go to Job chapter 19 to see the first. Job chapter 19. Many reasons really could be given, but the first one I underscore for you is to prepare you for eternity and desiring God's presence. To prepare you for eternity and desiring God's presence. We begin in verse 25. He says, I know that my Redeemer lives. Let me pause for a minute. He knew that God had promised a Redeemer. He calls him, my Redeemer. He knows that he lived. He knows, therefore, that he was in need of redemption. And all of this had become personal to him through faith. I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth. This intersects exactly with Genesis chapter 3, verse 15. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh, by way of resurrection, I shall see God. Whom I shall see for myself, and my eye shall behold, and not another. Now watch this, how my heart yearns within me. How my heart yearns within me. Job's entire being was bursting and consumed due to his holy desire to look upon and see God and all His glory throughout eternity. And frankly, dear friends, if everything in life was going good, By way of Job's possessions or his kids or his health or his wife, Job may not have been thinking and yearning within himself like this. For God uses afflictions to prepare you and me for eternity and to desire God's presence and part of the suffering of this present time. is designed to want us to yearn to go home, to yearn to be with the Lord, to yearn to receive the redemption of our body, to yearn to be released from a sin nature, to be ultimately placed where there's no more tears, no more crying, no more sorrow, no more death. It reminds me of the story, again, of Spurgeon, who was walking around with this multimillionaire in his day, who was showing him his mansion, and while he was doing it, Spurgeon really wasn't saying anything, and at the end, he says, well, Dr. Spurgeon, what do you think? And he says, kinda makes it hard to die. Do you realize that perhaps the suffering you're experiencing is helping making it easier for you to die? It is preparing you for eternity and desiring God's presence. But there's a second reason why or how God is seeking to use the sufferings of your life. It's to mature your faith as a believer. It's to mature your faith as a believer. Well, let's close, look at Job chapter 23. Job chapter 23. And find verse 10. It's a great verse. Job says, but he, God knows the way that I take, and when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. You see, these tests are like the refining fires of a smelting pot by which the impurities of our faith surface so that we can be matured as believers. You see, apart from the trials and tests of life, you may gain knowledge, but you may not gain maturity. The Lord knows we need these trials. Can you say this in your present trial, that God knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold? That's a great verse for you to memorize. Ron Hamilton couldn't at first say this when he heard of the cancer in his eye, which would result in its removal. But as he went beyond his feelings to faith in God's promises and providence, he was able to write down the following words and put them to music. God never moves without purpose or plan when trying a servant and molding a man. Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long, In darkness, he giveth the song. Oh, rejoice in the Lord. He makes no mistake. He knoweth the end of each path that I take. For when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold. I could not see through the shadows ahead. Why? Because he had cancer. So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead. How did he do that? By faith. I bowed to the will of the master that day. I accepted the providence and plan of God. Then peace came and tears fled away. Now I can see testing comes from above. God strengthens his children and purges in love. My father knows best and I trust in his care. Through purging more fruit I will bear. And I think when he wrote those words, little did he know that God would use that cancerous eye and that removal to cause Ron Hamilton to become Patch the Pirate. And have a great ministry to many, many people. God knows what he's doing. We just don't know what he's doing. And he wants us to trust him. and let him refine our faith. That's why in Psalm 100 in 1967, it says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. You see, through the affliction, God got his attention. Through the affliction, showed him his need, he awakened his conscience, he humbled him. In fact, you know, sometimes it's through the trials of your life, maybe, that cause you to see your need for the Savior. Blessed trials, as difficult as they are, Before I was afflicted, I went astray doing my own thing, but now I keep your word. Psalm 100 in 1971, it is good for me that I've been afflicted that I may learn your statutes. Can you say that tonight? It's been good for me that I've been afflicted. I don't wish the affliction on anyone, but you know what? It's worked together for good, and through it I've learned the word of God. Do we think of how God wants to use the afflictions of life to mature our faith? I'm reminded of 1 Peter 1, verses 6 and 7. And this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you've been grieved how by various trials. that the genuineness or the refining of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As much as we dislike trials, they're a reality of life. God permits them, and he works them together for good, and they're the very things God uses to mature us as a believer. And so not only does he use them to prepare you for eternity and desiring God's presence, not only are they needed to mature your faith as a believer, but number three, he then uses them so that he can use you to minister effectively to others in their trials. And that's why 2 Corinthians 1 verse 4 says that God comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. See, real comfort's not found in a bottle during a happy hour as we seek to forget life for a while. Real comfort's not found in a pill devoid of reliance on the Lord. Real comfort's not found in a change of circumstances as you bring you wherever you go. Real comfort is found in faith resting in the Lord and His principles and His promises, relying on His person and power to undertake for you. And this demands that you think principally, even in highly emotional situations. That you remember, is God sovereign? Does He have a plan for your life? Is God gracious and merciful so that His plan is a good, perfect and acceptable one? Is God omniscient? Does He know everything already and what's best for you? and what your real needs are? Is God omnipotent? So when it comes to your troubles, is there anything too hard for God? Does God love you? Did He not prove that at the cross? And hasn't He accepted you in Christ on the basis of grace? So where are you going to find real comfort in your trials? You're going to find them in the Lord. in the Lord, who is in reference to the God of all comfort. And you know, sometimes people don't understand this. You know, I can remember a while ago a lady who was married to an unbeliever telling me, she said, you know, my husband really grumbles a lot about me coming to church so often. and such, what he doesn't realize is that what I've learned here from the Word of God is the very reason why I'm still with him today. And sometimes unbelievers, because they're not wired for sound, don't realize what a stabilizing effect and a perspective God can give in the heart of the believer to the benefit of the unbeliever, but they don't get it. And therefore, in a sense, they would like to cut off the food chain of spiritual nourishment that is actually helping the relationship, but they don't realize it. because they're not wired for psalm themselves and therefore they've perhaps done everything they could do to help the person but they can only give them what they have and they don't have the Lord in his word therefore they don't understand how this all can work. And you've just got to realize as a believer The natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2.14. And just keep on looking to the Lord. You see, the God of all comfort comforts us in all our tribulation. Why? Here is a purpose clause that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. So here is God, as it were. Here is you, the believer, as you are turning to the Lord in faith. And His promises, He is comforting you, and as He's comforting you, He then can use you in the life of someone else who needs comfort. And what are you gonna be able to do to them? You're gonna say to this person, hey, I'll tell you where I found comfort, I found it in the Lord, and I found it in His word. And so you're pointing this person to the very person that they need to get focused on and rely on. And by the way, you don't have to go through the exact same trial or trouble that someone else is going through in order to minister to them. Because notice that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble. with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. Whether that problem's a marital problem, or a family issue, or church conflict, or marital separation, or even a divorce, or a rebellious child, or the death of a loved one, or the loss of your health, the promises work any way you cut them. You keep pointing the person to the Lord. And God has an amazing way of working it all out. And so God wants to use these trials and these sufferings, number one, to prepare you for eternity and desiring God's presence, number two, to mature your faith as a believer, number three, to then use you to minister effectively to others in trials, and number four, ultimately, to glorify God and touch many hearts for Christ's sake. to glorify God and touch many hearts for Christ's sake. Go with me now to the book of John, chapter 11. John, chapter 11. As we read about the earthly ministry of our Lord, Verse one tells us, now a certain man was sick. His name was Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. So Martha and Mary are sisters. Their brother Lazarus is sick. And the word sick means severely sick, nigh unto death. Verse two, it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil. and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." Now it's mentioned a second time. Therefore, the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. Now notice, the sisters didn't personally come. They sent a messenger of some kind to tell him. Again, here's the telegraph, as it were. Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. Now, the word love is phileo, actually, not agape here. It's speaking of a love that's on a very friendship, personal, intimate basis. See, Lazarus was a believer, Mary was a believer, Martha was a believer, but they were not merely believers. They were very close companions, intimate fellowshippers with Jesus Christ. He had a very personal relationship. Behold, whom you love is sick. Now, that's mentioned, you love, even before the word sick. Now, if you notice closely, there's no request. They anticipated Jesus Christ would come immediately. What they did was right. They turned to Jesus Christ. What they didn't do right is expect that Christ would immediately come. Verse four, when Jesus heard that, he said to the messengers, who then would relate to Martha and Mary, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Notice it's for the glory of God, and God knows what he's doing, even if we do not. And God can use a sickness, God can use an accident, quote, or whatever, to glorify himself. And by the way, there's no such thing as luck. Don't say even good luck. And there is no luck. You might say good providence. You might say hope things go well for you. There's no such thing as luck for the believer. And God was working this for the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified through it, Jesus Christ. It's for Christ's glory, ultimately not even Lazarus' resurrection. The glory of Christ is the primary focus of the story. And by the way, the same is true in your life. It's really not about you, even though the Lord wants to mature you, it's really about the glory of God in your life. So what happens next? Verse five, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary. Now this is interesting because this is told before we're told of Christ's delay. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Now this is puzzling. If you hear someone sick nine to death, what do you usually do? You gotta get there now, right away. He stays two more days. See, the timing of God is certainly different than ours. So while he's a long ways away, how about two miles? Not long at all. And that's why sometimes in our trials we're saying, why, Lord? Why didn't you show up quicker? Why didn't you meet this need faster? But he is totally in control. Verse seven, then after this, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again. And the disciples said to him, Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you back in Judea, and you're gonna go there again? Isn't this suicidal? By the way, why weren't they successful in stoning him in the past? Jesus was still in control. And if he was in control then, do you think he can handle it now? Oh, how quickly we forget. divine viewpoint. Verse nine, Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. See, the word day is speaking of the time assigned by God for each of us to do the work God has for us. In other words, isn't God in control of the length of your life? Are you not immortal to the day God wants to take you home? Isn't he in control? Aren't there 12 hours in a day? Aren't your times in the Lord's hands? And I tell you, when you begin to think that way, boy, that really relieves you and gives you a perspective and a willingness to challenge things that you never thought otherwise. Verse 11, these things he said, and after that, he said to them, our friend Lazarus sleeps. In other words, sleep is a euphemism for physical death. But I go that I may wake him up, in other words, out of sleep. I'm going to raise him from the dead. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he'll get well. And they don't get it. But so often we don't get it either, do we? And by the way, they're probably thinking, hey, he sleeps, he's gonna get well, and that way we don't have to go back to Judea, because we don't want to get killed. Verse 13, however, Jesus spoke of his death. But they thought that he was speaking about taking rest and sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, without any metaphor or euphemism. Don't you love this? Lazarus is. You know, the Bible has a way of saying some things pretty bluntly. So often, you know, some people, you know, you talk to them, they're kind of spiritualized, and they're saying all this God, and all this, and I don't know. And finally after you say, he's dead. Okay. And I'm glad for your sakes, not that Lazarus is dead, but that through this death, You can learn something. And I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him. Now you say, what do you mean that you may believe? I thought they were believers. They were. But believers have their faith tested. Isn't it amazing when you see somebody starting to walk with the Lord, grow in the Lord, how Satan seems to have a way of coming along and bringing someone along that's gonna undermine their faith? They begin to question this, that, or the other thing. And God wants to use this to refine and strengthen the faith of his disciples. Nevertheless, let us go to him. Verse 16, then Thomas, who is called the twin, said to his fellow disciples, let us also go that we may die with them. Okay, A.R., you know, Mr. Negative here, well, okay, we'll go with you, Lord, I guess we'll all die together. Isn't that the way it is at times of trials? You have Mr. Negative, someone will come along, we're all gonna die. Reminds me of the time I was with my friend, we were I think seniors in high school. He was saved, I wasn't. We were driving this car, we picked up some hitchhikers, you could do that in those days, you know, and they were kids, they were 7th grade, 8th grade, sitting in the back seat, and he takes off, and he goes around the car, and he's passing this car, and there's another car coming. Now, he's got plenty of room, but the kids don't know that. And we're on our way between Aurora and Hoyt Lakes, and all of a sudden, he yells, we're all gonna die! And they go, ah! And then he pulls in, and they're quiet the rest of the way. He didn't say another word. You always have people like that. We're all going to die. Excuse me, I'm going to take my ties off tonight. I hate ties. They're a trial. It's good for me that I've been afflicted. Verse 17, so when Jesus came, he found that he, Lazarus, had been already dead in the tomb for four days. Now you know what a body in a tomb in four days, what it's like? It's not pretty. Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away, which means it wasn't far for Christ to go. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, and why did they come? To comfort them concerning their brother. Now, that was appropriate. It was needed. But I want you to know that when Jesus shows up, the women aren't comforted. In fact, they're not really comforted until Jesus truly comforts them. Verse 20, then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary was sitting in the house, so the sisters were separated. Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Now I want you to notice, first of all, the word Jesus here. The word Jesus, though it means Jehovah saves, is his earthly name. and it emphasizes his humanity. On the other hand, they called him Lord, which emphasizes his deity. And you know, we need to remember, he was fully man and he's fully God. He isn't this God who's far away and long ago, who's austere, who's stoic, who's not compassionate. No, he is the human Jesus who is fully God and fully man, yet without sin, and very compassionate and very personal. And he says, if you had been here second class condition, if you had been here and you weren't, my brother would not have died. And we are disappointed, is the idea. Why didn't you come earlier? What took you so long? You could have made the difference. But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. And the word no is oida in the perfect tense. I know in the past and I know to this day that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. In other words, why don't you ask God to restore his life? See, Martha's faith is evidenced by declaring that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus' death and even now could still overcome his death. And Jesus Christ had healed from afar. Jesus Christ had healed and raised the widow of Nain and Jairus' daughter in the past as well. Couldn't he do it again? But you see, when this request is being made, it's really a selfish request. Because no one in heaven wants to come back, do they? Do you remember when King Saul went to the the witch of Endor, and Samuel was called up from the dead, and God permitted this. And Samuel spoke, and he says, why have you disturbed me from my sleep? In other words, I don't want to come back. And you see, there's not a person in heaven today who wants to come back here and get bitten by mosquitoes this summer. You know, when we want the person back, it's very selfish, isn't it? And at times of physical death and grief, it is imperative that you have divine viewpoint in your thinking, or your emotions will totally overwhelm you, and this is why learning the word of God before the problem hits is so important. So how does Jesus respond? Verse 23. Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. By the way, that is a biblical principle. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day. The idea is, I know he'll rise again, but how about now? And I love verses 25 and 26. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Remember who I am. He who believes in me, remember what you've done. Though he may die, he shall live. That's a promise. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. That's a second promise. Do you believe this? And this is a good use of a question to make Martha move beyond her grief to thinking divine viewpoint. And by the way, Martha is already a believer. When he says, do you believe this, The Lord is saying at this point is, do you believe this right now, in this trial? Do you remember who I am? Do you remember what I've promised? Will you take me at my word? Though this is a very good question for an unbeliever as well. Do you believe this? Because if you're here tonight and you've never trusted in Christ, He is the only way of salvation. He's the only one who died for your sins and rose again. And he promises to you eternal life through faith in him alone. So how does Martha respond? Verse 27, she said to him, yes, Lord, affirming his deity, I, emphatic, believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is to come into the world. See, what was Martha's need right here? A detailed explanation? No. Her need was to focus on Jesus Christ and the promises of God, and to put things in perspective in light of eternity. And she needed to remember that he was Lord, that he was still in control. But what about Martha's sister Mary, verse 28? 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 arose quickly, that's a good response, and came to him, Jesus Christ. Now Mary, too, is disappointed and deeply grieving, and Jesus calls for her in order to comfort her. By the way, is he calling for you tonight? to comfort you in your time of grief. Verse 30, now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met him outside of town. 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, say, she's going to the tomb to weep there. No, she really isn't. She's going to go meet Jesus. But there's a lot of misunderstanding at times like this. So expect it. Verse 32, then when Mary came where Jesus was, and when Mary saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Is there an echo in the room? These are the exact same words that Martha said. Do you think they might have talked about it? She is saying, in effect, why did you wait so long? You could have prevented this. Verse 33, Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. The word groaned really speaks of an internal agitation. And he said, Where have you laid him? And they said to him, Lord, come and see. And Jesus wept. The Greek word literally means burst into tears. By the way, how do you visualize Jesus Christ? Stoic? He wasn't. Feminine? He was very masculine. He was a carpenter's son. He was strong, but he was very compassionate. And by the way, there's nothing inappropriate for men to cry. Jesus wept. Verse 36, 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? And the answer is yes, he could have. But just because Jesus Christ can do something doesn't mean that it's always his will to do it, or that he chooses to do it at this time. Could Jesus Christ end all evil and suffering in the world tonight? Absolutely. Is he able? Absolutely. Has he chosen to? No, and he won't until there is a new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, after he comes again. Verse 38, then Jesus again, groaning himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. And Jesus said, take away the stone, which is something they could do. 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. Don't you love the earthiness of the scriptures at times? Jesus said to her, did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? By the way, he hadn't told them directly. He told them that indirectly through the messenger that he initially told. Notice, what is the bottom line here? The glory of God. This is an amazing scene. You've got Martha and Mary, and they're being comforted, and their faith needs supporting. You've got the disciples, and their faith needs strengthening, and you have other people, and they need salvation. And you see, God is using this to touch many hearts, like He uses so many situations. I've wondered at times, why doesn't the Lord just take this person home? Why is this dragging on? And it's because he's touching many hearts. Nurses, doctors, hospice workers, relatives, friends, da-da-da-da-da. That's why. Verse 41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and he said, he vocalizes his prayer, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. That's an expression of appreciation. And I know that you always hear me. That's an affirmation of the Father's willingness to hear the prayer of the Son, who always prays according to the will of God. But because of the people who are standing by, I said this, that they may believe that you sent me. That's the objective. that they may believe. You see, the salvation of others is never far from the plan of God and the trials of life that we face. And he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And some have speculated, had he not said Lazarus, every grave would have opened. So he said, no, no, no, down, down. Lazarus, come forth. And he who died came out bound, hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. And Jesus said to them, Lose him, and let him go. Notice, Christ could raise him, they couldn't. They could lose him, Christ didn't need to. And what is the result? Verse 45. Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and who had seen the things Jesus said, believed in him. And in the book of John, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and they told them the things Jesus said. They didn't believe in him. Well, that's pretty amazing, isn't it? Both groups saw and heard the exact same thing. Yet one believed in Christ and one refused. What was the difference? Volition. One chose to believe and the other did not. It was not divine election because God is not willing and he should perish. And Christ would die for all so that all could be saved. But God is such a gentleman he will not force you to believe. Just like the thieves on the cross, they all saw and heard the same thing. One said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. The other did not place his faith in the Lord Jesus. And so God is glorified, how? By uplifting the Lord Jesus Christ, by showing the awesome power of God, by strengthening believers' faith, and even people getting saved. And that's where real comfort is going to be found. With the promises and providence of God. Principle number four. Remember that hurting people sometimes say some foolish statements during their time of grieving. You've got to expect this. Sometimes people say really dumb things. when they're grieving. And they don't even mean it a lot of times. Though sometimes out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, other times they're just grieving, they're hurted, they're wounded, they say some dumb things. Do you remember what Job's wife said in Job 2, verses 9 and 10? Then his wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die! Thank you, honey. Keep the encouragement coming. But he said to her, you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? And all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now, don't be too hard on Mrs. Job. She was experiencing great grief as well. She lost 10 children, just like he did. And she has stood with Job up to this point, but she loses her divine viewpoint. She gets her eyes off the Lord, she gets it on her circumstances, and she actually begins to cooperate with Satan's desire. And by the way, a carnal believer can drag you down quicker than an unbeliever because you don't expect spiritual encouragement from unbelievers, but you do expect divine viewpoint from believers. And when they come along and they feed you human viewpoint, discourage you, sometimes you get sucked down quicker than you do from an unbeliever. She's asking her husband basically to commit suicide and die. Now this trial is especially difficult because she's the last remaining member of his household. It's his precious wife. It's a direct assault on his faith. It's especially hard when this comes from your mate. And she verbalizes the struggle that one may mentally experience. And by the way, in the trials you're going through, are you a help meet or a help defeat? Are you a helper or are you a hindrance to your mate? You remember Sarah in Genesis 16 wasn't walking with the Lord. Again, Operation Hagar was the result and we know the problems that happened. We know Eve again gave the forbidden fruit to her husband and he didn't eat. By the way, it's very important who you marry. You want to marry a believer. Not only a believer, a believer is walking with the Lord. who can stand with you in faith. And you two can encourage one another in the trials that come your way. Now notice Job's rebuke of his wife. You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Now, not evil women, but foolish women. By the way, would you ever take on your mate? Like one man told me, he told his wife one day, I'm not eating your apple. in reference to Adam and Eve. One man told me, he told his wife, I'm not afraid of you. Took a lot of guts. And by the way, the reverse can be true too. Not that we shouldn't be respectful, we should. But let's keep our eyes on the Lord. Let's keep moving in the right direction. Let's recognize the purpose this God has. But unfortunately, though Job is passing the test, and he passed this test as well, in Job chapter 3, verse 1, after this, Job opened his mouth, and he cursed the day of his birth! See, the Christian life is truly one step at a time. He was doing really well, and now he's saying something really dumb. I wish I was never born. You know, some carnal believers wish they were dead. Some wish they were never born. Some even wish they were never saved. Some are like the children of Israel who were delivered through the Red Sea, and they get to the other side, and they start to have trials, and they say, oh, would to God we'd have died in the wilderness. Well, I'd rather be back in Egypt with the leeks and the garlics. Oh, what about the bondage? What about the? clay? What about the bricks? What about the no straw? Oh, I forgot all about that. Even thinking of expecting sometimes foolish statements. Remember Martha and Mary, what did they say? Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Very common at a time of grief for people to say if, if, if, if, if. In fact, through your trial, you can either grow spiritually or you can grow and become bitter. Why are sometimes people disappointed or embittered with God at these times? Well, number one, it's because they trusted God for something He never promised. You see, we're not talking about trusting the Lord. We're talking about believing His Word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Well, I trusted the Lord for a mate, and I didn't get one. God doesn't promise you a mate. He oftentimes gives people mates, but He doesn't promise that. He doesn't promise a certain job. He doesn't promise a promotion. He doesn't promise that your children will live to be such and such an age. He doesn't promise that. In fact, in this book, God Forsaken, Dinesh D'Souza shows that almost every one of the major atheists of our days, whether it's Dawkins, whether it's Hitchens, whether it was Charles Darwin of the past, or whether it's Bart Ehrman of today, that all of them had a time in their life in which they experienced something by way of trial, it didn't go what they wanted, they had prayed and God didn't answer, and they became bitter. And now they couch that with evolution and all this intellectual stuff. But yes, strip it all away. You know what? They're bitter towards God. And while they deny the existence of God, the fact is they talk about God more than you and me. Because they're bitter towards God. Because they trusted God for something He never promised. Number two, because they think they deserve better from God. This is why people get disappointed and bitter with God at times, because they think they deserve better from God. You remember what Lamentations 3 says? Notice, it's through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. God doesn't owe you another breath. God doesn't owe you another day to live. It's of His compassions they fail not. Their new of morning great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, for the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation or deliverance of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. And I love what he says later in this chapter. Though he causes grief, he allows that to happen, yet he will show compassion according to the multitude of his mercies, for he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. You see, even the consequences of Adam's sin isn't something God wanted. God wanted people to live forever. To never experience death, to never experience suffering, never experience disease. It was wherefore by one man sin entered the world and death by sin. And so don't think you deserve better. Number three, they become disappointed or embittered with God at times because they fail to take or factor in human responsibility for deserved suffering. Human responsibility. for deserved suffering. Isn't it amazing that oftentimes people do sinful actions and then people blame God? In fact, if I remember right, with Christopher Hitchens, who was blasphemed against God and ended up dying of cancer at the Larnax, that his mom ran away with some Episcopalian priest, and then eventually they both committed suicide. And he blamed God for this. I'm thinking, don't blame God. He didn't make anyone do any of those things. But even in our own lives, isn't it funny how at times we reap what we sow and then we blame God for it? Isn't that what Proverbs 19 verse 3 says? Listen to this one. When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. as if it was God's fault. And it wasn't. A fifth principle that you need to remember is that realize that family dynamics can get interesting at times of trial, grief, or death. Family dynamics can get interesting in times of trial, grief, or death. Without going to Genesis chapter 50, after Jacob died, Joseph's brothers began to scheme and lie and manipulate because they were afraid Joseph would now retaliate for what they had previously done. They failed to realize that Joseph's viewpoint was this, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good in my life. Because I really believe God was in control. And you see, in times of grief and mourning and difficulty, family dynamics can get really interesting. Just ask a mortician at some time of what goes on at times in those kind of situations. You can expect during this time such things as guilt from the past. That's what happened to Joseph's brothers. Or the blame of others. Or old wounds to surface. 20, 30, 40 years old. Manipulation to get what they want. Doubt about what might have been. Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died. Anger, bitterness, emotional instability, misunderstanding. And I'm sure others as well. And this happens when people are not thinking divine viewpoint and looking to the Lord. And so you can expect, these are the kind of things that happen. Times of grief, mourning, sorrow. And you have to navigate through this. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Keep thinking principally. Keep going back to the promises of God. And at those times, be a blessing. God has blessed you to be a blessing. Let the Lord use you at that time to show grace, to show love, and to point people to the Lord. Principle number six, to be used of the Lord to comfort others, learn from Job's wife and the three, quote, comforters that your personal presence or contact may or may not be truly helpful. Sometimes people say, well, you know, they need some help. I'm going to go over and encourage them. And you're thinking, oh, don't go. All you're going to do is just rain on their parade and spew more of your negativity. You see, if Job's adversity wasn't enough, the three stooges come along on the scene. Eliphaz, the Tammanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, pretty short guy, and Zohar, the Namathite. And we read, now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. Isn't that great when people just come and stare at you for a week? You know, they come to the bedside and they just look, they don't say anything, don't encourage you, don't pray. Now sometimes, maybe you're not up to conversation. And then after an hour, they say, you know, I've got to go. And you're thinking, man, I've had to go for an hour. I'm glad you're gone. They weren't a help at all. That's why if you think just by being there you're going to be a help, that may not be true. It might be true. You just want to check in with the Lord and make sure you're bringing something to the table by way of encouragement. Secondly, you must recognize the reality of undeserved suffering and that you may not have all the facts. You see, this is where the three stooges, the three comforters fail. There was this long discourses between them and Job. There was a series of them. And they gave Job a piece of their mind they couldn't afford to lose. And in doing so, they did say many things that were right. But underlying it all, they didn't know the difference between deserved and undeserved suffering. You say, well, what's the difference? Well, deserved suffering means you reap what you sow. Undeserved suffering means you experience hardship you have not sown. Question, was Job experiencing hardship that he had sown? No. There was none like him. He was godly. Now, just because it was undeserved doesn't mean it was unneeded. But it wasn't deserved. See, deserved suffering is due to your sinful choices and pride. Undeserved suffering is due to God's sovereign choice and providence. Deserved suffering may involve punishment for the unsaved or divine discipline for the saved. Undeserved suffering may be the result of the curse or persecution or God's good purposes. With deserved suffering, as a believer, you need to take responsibility for your choices and confess your sins and learn from this. As a believer, when it comes to undeserved suffering, you need to walk by faith in the Lord, even if you don't understand why, and learn from this. And by the way, Job did not know the why. He did not know about Satan and God and conversation in heaven. He didn't know that. And so don't think you know all the facts, and don't start pointing the finger at someone if it's not deserved. You don't know. It could be. And in our society, nobody's responsible anymore. So we got that side of it. On the other hand, there are times when people aren't responsible for what happened. It's undeserved suffering. Which leads us to our last principle. To be used of the Lord to comfort others, rely upon God, and remind believers of the person of God. Remind them who their God is. Remember, that's what Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Remember that the Lord is good. Psalm 27, 13, and 14, I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. Romans 8, 35 and 39 remind us that no one and nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hebrews 13, 5, let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. God will never abandon you, regardless of your trial, even when it's deserved suffering. He still won't abandon you. So you can remind believers of their God, who he is, what he's like. And secondly, you can remind them of the purposes that God has in their life. We don't always know the detailed whys, but we certainly know, Romans 8, 28, that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. We know that even when they meant evil against me, God meant it for good. We know what Isaiah 25.1 says in the New American Standard. I love the way this is translated. Oh Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will give thanks to your name. Why? For you have worked wonders, plans, formed long ago with perfect faithfulness. That's what our God is like. That's what his purposes are. And that's why Jeremiah 29, 11 says, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for wealth are not for calamity. They give you a future and give you a hope. And by the way, God brought Job along in his thinking, beginning in chapter 38. And I wish we had time for this, but we don't. And how did he do it? He used wise questions. to get him to move from his feelings and human viewpoint to think divine viewpoint, and thus bow to God's sovereign will and see his own foolishness. You see, Job had been asking for a hearing with God to discuss his trials and God's supposed injustice because the suffering he was experiencing was undeserved. And he finally has his day in court. However, instead of Job putting God on the witness stand, God put Job there. And Job got what he wanted, but he didn't want what he got. Namely, about 70 questions from God. And not a one could Job answer. And as the questions kept coming, God got bigger in Job's thinking, and Job's got smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller. And that's exactly what he wanted. See, a college student went to class to take a final exam at the end of the semester, and to his amazement, he didn't know the answer to any of the questions on that exam. Not one. He knew he had no possibility of passing the exam, so he attempted to win his professor's favor with some humor. And so across the top of the exam page, he wrote, only God knows the answer to these questions. Merry Christmas. Turned in the paper, went home for Christmas break. During the holidays, the student received through email his exam, been graded by the professor, and at the top it read in big red letters, Then God gets 100, and you get zero. Happy New Year. You know what we're learning in jail? Jump! God gets 100! We get zero. Because we don't get it. You see, the book of Job really isn't about Job. It's really about God. It's about how he's sovereign over Satan, how he's sovereign over man, how he's sovereign over believers, how he's sovereign over our circumstances, how he's using these trials and he permits them in our lives for our good and his glory. And we need to humbly bow to him and trust his plan and trust his purposes for he's treating us in grace. And he's working out his will. and his will is past finding out. And when you're trying to encourage believers and comfort them, you want to remind them that God has a plan and a purpose. But thirdly, you want to remind them of the promises of God as well. And we've touched on this many times. There are many precious promises. In fact, pick up the book, The Promises of God for the Child of God. They're free of charge. Read those promises and bring them along. Write them in people's letters or letters you write or letters or cards you give and so forth. It will encourage your heart and theirs. Fourthly, remind them of the sufficient grace of God. The sufficient grace of God in their trials. Isaiah 43, one through three, but now thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. When, not if, but when you pass through the waters, I'll be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you'll not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. Why? For I'm the Lord your God, the Holy God, one of Israel, your Savior. You know, that reminds me of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, where Jesus Christ said to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. And again, be reminded, believers, he never gives grace in advance. He gives it when you need it, not before. A fifth thing you can remind another believer of in their time of grief is of your prayers, of your prayers. You know, I love Jeremiah 33, 3. 2 Corinthians 1, 11 reminds us of the value of intercessory prayer for others. Or James 5, verse 16 does that as well. Tell them I'm praying for you. And then, by the way, do it. In fact, this is what I do. I tell somebody I'm praying for them, and the very next chance I pray for them, immediately, so that I didn't lie. And then I seek to remember to pray for them after that as well. So what are some effective ways to comfort others in light of this? Again, sharing the word of God with them via personal communication, through the phone, in person, text, email, card, letter, et cetera. Write out the promise in case they do not take the time to look it up. I'd encourage you, just don't put a reference down. Write it out in case they don't know it and they don't have the time or willingness to look it up. Tell them you will or are praying for them. And then, like I said, pray for the person right away. Pray after as well. You can, at times, relieve them of some responsibilities, if possible. You know, can I clean your house? Can I bring over a meal? Can I help you in this way? Can I take your kids? There's various practical ways we can do that. Here's another way. Sing to them or give them some comforting Christian music with good lyrics. When I said sing to them, some of you said, oh, you don't know my voice, Pastor. OK, get them a good CD. But make sure it's got good lyrics to it. And then I'm sure there's many other ways to do this. But again, the key is you walking with the Lord, you're responding to the Lord, you're enjoying the Word of God, you're building up the reservoir of truth in your thinking, so that as situations come along, you can respond and not just react, and then be used by the Lord to comfort others by pointing them to the God of all comfort and the Father of mercies. who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort those that are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. Let's pray.