All Works, Incidents are for God’s Glory (Jn. 11:1-16)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” The title of today’s message is, “All Works, Incidents are for God’s Glory.”
1. Bethany
1) 3 km from Jerusalem
(1) Village of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Jn. 11:1)
(2) Lazarus lay sick (Jn. 11:2)
(3) Sent word to Jesus (Jn. 11:3)
In John 11, we read about this family that Jesus Christ is very close to, that is living in Bethany. That family is comprised of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and they are all very close to Jesus. However, there was a problem in the family. The older brother, Lazarus, fell sick. When there is a problem in the family, what is the first thing we must do? They sent someone to Jesus to ask Him to come.
2) Jesus’s response
(1) This sickness will not end in death (Jn. 11:4)
Even though someone goes to tell Jesus, Jesus responds, “This sickness will not result in death,” but just because it won’t result in death—it’s still a disease. What happens if you tell someone a problem and they say, “Oh, that’s not that big of a problem,” what would happen? Lazarus has gotten sick and he is almost about to die, and that causes his entire family to suffer because he has to take care of them, then this is actually a very big problem for the family.
(2) It is for God’s glory (Jn.11:4)
(3) So that God’s Son may be glorified through it (Jn. 11:4)
But Jesus tells them, “It’s not that big of a problem,” and the word that Jesus says is, “All of this will happen for God’s glory,” so that God’s son may be glorified through it. From our perspective, this can be a little shocking to hear, we want this problem to be solved as soon as possible. This problem of this disease must be solved in my family in order for our financial problems to be solved as well, but the Lord responds by saying, “That’s not that big of a problem, and all of this is happening for God’s glory.” If people come to church and hear things like this, it’s a little bit frustrating, they say, “Pastor, I have this problem in my family,” and what if the pastor said, “That’s not even a problem,” and if somebody told you, “All of that is happening to give God glory,” then you might get a little angry, right?
3) People Jesus loved (Jn. 11:5)
(1) Not the answer for the family of the sick
(2) Incident within God’s plan
There are some people who receive Jesus’ words in faith, but there are other people who say, “I have this problem; why are you not solving it? Why is Jesus not listening to my prayers?” That’s how we might think, however, our thoughts and God’s thoughts are different. Our thoughts are limited by what we’ve experienced and our intelligence; however, God is the Creator of all of the universe, He has created everything and He is God, and so He gives us His Word from within that position.
(3) Stayed two more days (Jn.11:6)
But Jesus remained in the area He was for two more days. How can we understand that? Jesus is somebody Who can work with great power immediately, but it seems He’s almost wasting time. Do you ever feel like that? You have a problem in your family and it seems like it might be getting better, it might not be getting better, and when you pray about it, you’re not really getting any answers?
2. Jesus worked on the third day
1) Let us go back to Judea (Jn. 11:7)
(1) Where they tried to kill Jesus (Jn. 11:8)
The Bible tells us they had to wait two days, and then Jesus said, “Let’s go back to Judea.” That region of Judea is actually the place where Jesus Christ was almost stoned to death for the crime of blaspheming when He said that God the Father and He are one. For us, we move and we act on something if it is a benefit or gain to us. If something is hard for me, or it’s dangerous for me, I don’t want to go there, however, Jesus Christ receives the perfect and complete guidance of God and goes into the region of Judea even though He might get stoned to death, because His ministry is not yet complete.
(2) Anyone who walks in the daytime see by this world’s light (Jn. 11:9)
Then Jesus says, “Are there not 12 hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble for they see by the world’s light.” This “Light of the world” is talking about Jesus Christ. In this land of darkness, there is no light, and Christ Who is the Light, must come in for people to be set free, that’s what this is saying. That is why Jesus Christ, Who is the Light, goes into the dark place. Where must you and I do our business in order to make the right decision? And for our students, which direction must we take our studies to say, “This is a good decision”? We must go in the direction God desires, God’s desire as well as the direction of your studies and your job is to go into the place of darkness that does not have the light and to shine the Light of Christ there.
You must go where God calls you. There is a situation in the Old Testament where people made the wrong decision, so their entire family was destroyed. It was Abraham’s nephew Lot, he chose to go to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah which was very wealthy and good for business, so from people’s perspective, he went to the best place possible. On the other hand, Abraham chose the Promised Land, the land of the covenant that God gave him. Ultimately, there was disaster in Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot tried to escape because of the disaster, but his wife died and was turned into a pillar of salt. Then, his two daughters lay with him and started to have children. Those descendants became the people who attacked the Israelites.
You and I need to make the decision that God desires in order for our future to be in the place of answers. If I make my decision based on what I like or what I think is best, that might not be aligned with God. So, whether you are starting a business, or no matter what you’re doing, if you’re going in the direction that does not have the gospel, you must be led and guided. You must align your business and your studies to spread the gospel to all nations and all peoples. One of the reasons or the decisions that the Israelites made that led to their destruction was they didn’t have the desire to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. They thought, “Oh, let’s just live with the Israelites in Israel,” but then they faced disaster.
(3) When a person walks at night, they stumble for they have no light (Jn. 11:10)
Why are there disasters in the world today? Why are there disasters in your businesses and your family? It’s because you’re in the path that God does not desire. But Jesus’ decision today is the decision that God the Father desired. John 11:10 says, “It is when a person walks at night that they stumble for they have no light.” “Night” means the place where Jesus Christ, Who is the light of the world, the light of the gospel, is not present.
When do you and I fall in our lives? It’s when we don’t have the light of life, it’s when we don’t have God’s Word. The problems are not what destroy you, but it’s because we don’t have the Word of Life in the midst of that problem, that’s why we fall. Drugs and alcohol are not what are destroying you; it’s a lack of God’s Word of Life that is taking you to that place. Scars are not what are destroying you, your shocks and traumas are not what are destroying your life. It’s that we’re sucked into the darkness because we don’t have Jesus’ Word of Life in that situation. That’s why Jesus says, “We must go into the land of Judea,” which is the land of darkness. For us, we must set the direction of our prayers, our studies, and our businesses to proclaim the gospel to all nations of the world.
2) To Lazarus’s home
That is why, finally, after two days, Jesus says, “Let us go to our friend Lazarus’ house.” Jesus Christ is somebody who could have healed Lazarus even without going to the town immediately, but He purposely waited out two more days. What is the spiritual problem? Our hastiness or impatience. The characteristic of Korean people is, we are very impatient. Because we were worshiping idols for so much of our history, our nature is not aligned with God, it’s a spiritual state that only desires what I want, when I want it, and so they’re really good at doing things quickly. But they’re not very good at going for a long time. America is a nation where you can do something for a long time. If Koreans come to America and try to do things very quickly, they will not do very well in that situation.
There was a news station in China saying they needed to lay out the roads, and they had a plan for 100 years to build these roads. There’s a phrase or saying in Mandarin that means, “Slowly, slowly,” because even if we built a fortress, it’s not just a fortress; it’s an incredibly long fortress. If Koreans build a fortress, it’s just what they do in the village, so their way of thinking is different. God looks long into the future and He is looking at today, you need to look at your life with length and for the long-term when you worship today. If you’re only worried about, “My problem, solve my problem right now,” then that’s a lack of brain cells. I hope you will see today while you look at your entire life long-term.
(1) Went to wake up Lazarus who had fallen asleep (Jn. 11:11)
Jesus says, “Lazarus has fallen asleep; let us go to His house to wake Him.” The Bible says, a person’s physical death is “sleeping,” it’s called “sleeping” because we will resurrect again. However, the physical death of a nonbeliever is a state of eternal death. Even if they also rise again with the resurrection, they will go into eternal death and hell.
(2) Disciples – If he sleeps, he will get better (Jn. 11:12)
(3) Jesus – Speaking of death (Jn. 11:13, 1 Cor. 15:20)
This Lazarus died, and Jesus says, “Lazarus is dead,” that means He waited around for two days until Lazarus died, but that is where God’s message and plan is.
3) Death of Lazarus (Jn. 11:14)
(1) For your sake, I am glad I came 3 days late (Jn. 11:15)
(2) So that you may believe (Jn. 11:15)
Why did God do this? It says in Jn. 11:15, “So that you may believe.” Every incident that God raises, it is to give the disciples faith, and that faith is a faith that glorifies God. This is a situation that actually represents and foreshadows Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection after three days. This is what Jesus or God is foreshadowing, so what is every incident in our lives for? For us, something might seem very difficult and hard, but for Jesus, there is a message behind it. There are two things connected together, one is so that you may believe, and the second is to glorify God.
(3) Thomas – Let us go, that we may die with him (Jn. 11:16)
3. Everything is for the glory of God
Then, when we talk about God’s glory, what exactly is that? Some people use “God’s glory” however they desire, saying, “This is for God’s glory.” What is it that we must do to do it for God’s glory? You need to know what God’s glory is in order for God to use that.
1) The glory of the immortal God
(1) Mortal images – Greed (Rom. 1:23) (Col. 3:5)
Romans 1:23 says that “the glory of the immortal God,” meaning He never changes or goes bad, and the glory of the immortal God was exchanged for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. So, ask yourself, “Am I living for the glory of the immortal God, or am I living for temporary things that will spoil?” That includes people, I might be my own idol. If I’m living for the things that will spoil and rot on this earth for myself, that is blocking God’s glory. So, these mortal images of birds and animals, that’s what other religions do and that is temporary.
However, what is the inner image of idols? Col. 3:5 says that the center of idolatry is greed. If humans are not satisfied with Jesus Christ alone, we are bound to have greed. We need to be satisfied with God alone and believe in God, but because we don’t, we have our own greed and desires, so we live trying to fill it with mortal and temporary things. Matthew 6:23 says that you have to choose whether you will serve money or you will serve God. All of these temporary things that will spoil—people, money, food—it’s all related. However, if you believe in Jesus Christ, the Bible says that everything is hidden within Christ. If you truly believe in that, then you will no longer live to satisfy your own greed.
The reason I’m so discouraged now is because I’m not able to fill or satisfy my greed. People say, “Life is so hard because things don’t go the way that I want them to go.” However, if you’re satisfied with Christ alone, then that is what glorifies God, that’s what we call true happiness and satisfaction. If we’re not able to do that, then even now, we have to work so hard to fill ourselves with something else.
(2) Judas’s betrayal – God and Jesus received glory (Jn. 13:30)
What is another time when the Bible mentions God’s glory? It is during the Last Supper when Jesus Christ gives a piece of bread to Judas Iscariot and says, “This is the one who will sell me.” However, the Bible tells us that Judas Iscariot, running out to sell Jesus Christ to kill Him, is actually an event that is for the glory of Jesus and God. Then what exactly does it mean that God receives glory and Jesus receives glory?
(3) Death on cross, Resurrection – To give eternal life (Jn. 17:1-2)
It is the incident where Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and then resurrected. Judas Iscariot sold Jesus Christ to make money, however, this entire incident will be used for God’s glory on the cross. For thousands of years, God continuously told the Israelites through the Old Testament, “I will send you the Christ.” Finally, two thousand years ago, that Christ died on the cross and resurrected, and that incident gave glory to God.
2) Incident of saving Lazarus
(1) Overcame death through Jesus’s resurrection
John 17:1-2 says that, through the cross, the cross has glorified God and has given eternal life to man. Then, Lazarus dying is actually representing the work of God, Jesus Christ dying on the cross and resurrection, that is to come, and that cross is what glorifies God.
(2) Resurrected 3 days after death
Satan, the ruler of this world, is controlling people with the authority of sin and death. The fact that Jesus Christ has overcome the authority of Satan means that He has overcome the authority of sin and death. That is Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. In today’s scripture, Jesus waited two days after Lazarus passed away and then goes and visits him on the third day to resurrect him, so Lazarus’ death represents Jesus’ death and resurrection. The cross is where Jesus did the work of the Christ. There is something that humans can never solve as soon as they are born with their own strength.
The problem that humans can never solve, no matter how hard they try, is the problem of sin. “Sin” is not believing in God. Everything you do without trusting in God, that is a sin. These children will receive baptism today, but from the moment we were born, we were all born as sinners, so instead of living for God’s glory, every child lives for themselves. So, the fact that Jesus is the Christ means that, on the cross, He has finished all of our unsolvable problems of sin, death, and darkness.
(3) Christ became Lord (Ac. 2:36, Jn. 17:2)
To do what? God has made that Christ as our Lord. The fact that Jesus is the Lord means that He is seated at the right hand of the throne of heaven, and He has received all of the authority to rule, so the ruler of all creation is Jesus Christ, then He sends His Holy Spirit into us to guide us, reign over, and rule us with His Holy Spirit. So, how must you believe in Jesus? You must believe that Jesus is the Christ, but it shouldn’t end with that. You need to believe in the fact that that Christ is the Lord of all of creation and the Lord of me.
3) Everything
(1) For the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31)
All the problems of your family, they might just be there, and God might have allowed that to happen, but the Bible tells us that God allowed that to happen for God’s glory, then how can we give glory to God? The moment we believe in Christ, the moment He becomes my Lord. Confess that. Solving your problem is not the issue, but through this incident God allowed, you must restore your faith and confess, “Jesus is the Christ and He is my Lord.” Jesus as my Lord means, I have to let go of my own problems and entrust them to Christ. No matter what problem you have, even the problem of death itself, that is why, every moment, Jesus is my Christ and Jesus is my Lord. That is when the Lord reigns in and rules over me. If Satan rules over me, then very complicated things take place. That’s what’s happening in the world around you today, but if Jesus reigns over me, then a problem is no longer a problem, because I have given the Lordship to the Lord, it’s no longer my problem. Even if this problem doesn’t get fixed for the rest of my life, it doesn’t matter.
What is the true problem? The real problem is not believing in Jesus as your Lord, and that is called, “Sin.” So for you and I, before we fix our everyday life problems, we must fix the problems of our disbelief. You need to let go of trying to raise your children yourself. You must give the Lordship and control to the Lord. If you’re not able to do that, that itself is the problem. There are families that are suffering with disease or mental illness, or there may be people sitting here who are suffering mentally, you need to give that to the Lord. If you are holding onto that problem yourself, it will only prolong that problem. So, through this problem or through this incident, make Jesus into your Lord. He has finished all problems on the cross. When you find that believable, the Lord receives glory. So, you don’t glorify God by getting a gold medal in the Olympics; you glorify God by believing in Jesus as the Christ and the Lord. You don’t glorify God by succeeding in your business; you need to believe in Jesus as Christ and Lord. I hope that today, your fundamental, innermost state will change.
Then, 1 Cor. 10:31 says, no matter what we do in life, whether we eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory.” What do you eat, what do you drink? May it be for God’s glory. So, what did we say was God’s glory, again? It is Jesus Christ, His death on the cross and resurrection, being revealed, so whatever you do, do it to reveal that.
(2) Try to please everyone in every way for the good of many (1 Cor. 10:33)
Then, how should I treat other people? With other people, do not seek your own good, but the good of many. But there are some nonbelievers who do that as well, they are very selfless.
(3) So that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:33)
There are nonbelievers and people who don’t live for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the people or the nation, but for us, the reason we do that is so that those people may be saved. “Being saved” means you tell them about the cross of Jesus Christ and allow them to accept and believe in Jesus Christ. There are many people who ask me, “How can I live a good life? People ask, “How can I run my business well?” So then they read books and talk to people. “How can I quickly solve my mental problem?” “How can I educate my children correctly?” Do it all for God’s glory, the glory of the Lord.
Do you believe in Christ as your Lord? If you do really believe that, then God receives glory. Is your business, your studies, and everything you do for the benefit of others? This is very important, I haven’t seen many people do this. And I’m sure there aren’t people in our church who do this, but there are some people who will actually steal from others to benefit themselves. Even if they run a business, they want to have the largest profit margin possible, for what goal? That’s not what the Bible tells us. Even for your work, you glorify God, and before that, you benefit and save people. When the economy is hard, then actually keep your prices lower so that people who are struggling might access it more easily, and you do all of that so that through your business, people may receive the gospel of the cross of Christ.
People say that working is hard, and it is hard, but there is a situation where it’s not hard. If I’m working at my job for my reputation, my promotions, and my money, it will be hard. In other words, if you set that as the goal of your American life, then your life in America will be hard. However, just like today’s main pulpit message, use that to benefit and save other people. God is able to do that work through us, in order to save them. You testify of Christ to them, and you change their Lord, and people who live like this will confess that they are happy. If you live without this, then from my experience, that’s nothing. If you take pleasure in something that does not please God, then that’s not real joy.
Conclusion
1. Every day – Glory that Christ is Lord (Ac. 2:46)
So in conclusion, we must make Christ into our Lord and glorify God every single day.
2. Filled with the spirit of Christ – Authority (Ac. 1:8, 2:1-4)
In Acts 2:46, it says the people of the Early Church did not only meet every week, but every single day, in the temple courts and in their homes, and they discussed Jesus Christ being their Lord and how to live their lives for the glory of God. As soon as you wake up in the morning, report to your master. If you start and live your day however you want, that’s nothing. From the moment you open your eyes, you give glory to the Lord. Jesus Christ Who has finished all of the problems of my sin, Satan, and death on the cross and has resurrected and is with me now through the Holy Spirit, I glorify Him. God, may You receive all of the glory today. If I were to ask people to raise their hand if you do this, I’m sure there wouldn’t be many, so raise your hand in your heart. If you’re not able to do this, it means you are not living for the eternal glory of God, instead, you are living for the temporary things of earth that will spoil and rot away. Because every day you begin your day to gain your idols and your greed, that life has no answers, it is darkness. So, how can I live a happy life? You must change your Lord and live for the glory of God. Instead of asking, “How can I solve all these problems in my life?” make Christ into your Lord to give glory to God in that situation.
3. Witness of Christ (Ac. 1:8, 2:32)
Acts 1:89 says, “Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power to be My witnesses until the ends of the earth.” You pray in the morning, in faith, to be filled by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, then you will receive power from heaven. The power from heaven is bound to overcome the things of the earth. You are bound to overcome things like your depression, your mental illnesses, your panic attacks, and your powerlessness, and the emptiness of the void, the meaninglessness of life, that will go away. If you receive the power of God, then you will overcome the scars and traumas of your past. PTSD can never be solved with a doctor’s help. Addiction cannot fundamentally be solved by some program unless you receive a fundamental strength and change, that problem will result in another problem, because we don’t have the power to overcome it.
But only when the Holy Spirit comes upon you will you receive power and be a witness until the ends of the earth. That means you will stand as a witness who tells the evidence to people that Jesus is the Christ and that Jesus is Lord. The moment you arise like this, the field of America will come to life. That’s what you call the “Correct church,” Christ is the head and we are the body. I do not exist, I no longer exist, but am only filled with Christ. So, a normal Christian will come to church and give worship, and that will restore them. And people will be set free from their addictions. Our church never tells you to do better; it’s not you. These kids who were unable to focus on their studies, as they keep listening to the Word of God, they’re now able to focus. Even the business people who were running their business for useless reasons begin to reorganize.
God has already given you the amount of finances according to your need, so for any of you who feel you are lacking money, it’s because you are greedy, and because of your greed, you will continuously suffer. However, if you change “Christ” to be your “Lord,” then you will be satisfied, and if you’ve received this great mission and work of God to do, then God will give you the great power to do His great work. However, if God looks at you and thinks, “He is not going to use this for my great work, but instead, just so that he can satisfy his own greed and make a living for himself,” then He will not. May the offering you give and the various things you’ve done throughout your life glorify God. May every incident and problem be used for God’s glory this week.
Message Prayer
Let us pray holding onto the Word we have received. .
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We confess that everything that we have is from You, Lord. We pray this offering will be used for your work. May this be the time when everything we do in our lives, including our studies and our businesses, may be used by God for God’s glory. May all of the disasters of poverty be cast out, and may we receive the works of being filled with Your Spirit. We pray You will give us the economy, the business, and the academics that will be used to spread this gospel to the ends of the earth. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
God, we thank You. God, we pray You will bless the newcomer, Yoon Hye Shin, so she will live the rest of her life for the glory of God according to the Word You have given her. We pray that everything in her life will be used to glorify God. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer
2. Florida Camp 11/18-20
3. Hollywood camp – Temple
4. 11/17 Communion, 11/24 Thanksgiving Worship.
5. RCA 11/28-30
6. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @Antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, guidance, working, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of all the people who were baptized today, as well as all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to live for God’s glory, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.