Title: God's Planned Time
Contents
♡♥♡ God's Planned Time / John 11:5-16
*** Introduction
History has not changed, and we are now in the 52nd and last Sunday worship service of 2003. After the first week of 2003, when I put the bulletin into the storage drawer, I said, ‘53 more sheets should be inserted… ’, but now there is one last page left. It is 54 chapters with the addition of the special Christmas bulletin for 52 weeks and the special bulletin for the Song Gu-Young-Shin worship service. Now, only the bulletin of the Song Gu-Young-Shin worship remains. It's really fast. Growing up kids may feel that time is slow because of the desire to be younger and more beautiful, but most of you here will feel it's getting faster and faster to want to catch up on time.
By the way, the most fair thing in the world is time. The same time applies to all things God created, whether living or inanimate. An hour is not longer for the rich, shorter for the poor, longer for a child and not shorter for an adult. It is God, our Father, who plans and rules this time.
According to God's plan, 2003 is now over. Have you accomplished everything you set out to do at the start of the year? Is there anything unfortunate that no progress has been made in spite of your efforts and efforts? Or are you getting into a more difficult situation? Do you feel frustrated because your work is not going well even after you depend on God and put more effort into your faith? I hope you can think of God's plan for you through the words of this text.
First, let's find the subject of the Word.
The story of this text is the miracle story of Jesus who ‘raised Lazarus from the dead’. It devotes a lot of space for a single transfer story. This means that there are many and important things the Lord wants to reveal to us. There are many important and meaningful themes in this story, such as ‘understanding disease’, ‘understanding death’, ‘resurrection’, ‘perspective of thinking’, ‘about God’s will’, etc. In this time, we are going to take a look at one of these topics according to our current situation.
The beginning of the story of this text is the family of three brothers and sisters living in Bethany, whom Jesus was particularly interested in and loved. They were three children, sisters Martha and Mary, and older brother Lazarus. However, his brother, Lazarus, who served as the pillar and head of the family, fell ill and died. The desperate sister sent someone to Jesus to tell him that ‘my brother is ill.’ I was hoping you could fix it.
But even after hearing the news, Jesus said, “This sickness is not a disease to die, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it.” And he stayed there for two more days. Meanwhile, Lazarus died, and he had already been buried. Then Jesus went out to his disciples, saying, “Let’s go to wake Lazarus.”
In this process, you can easily feel that the thoughts of Jesus and the thoughts of the disciples are completely different. First, when Jesus asked to go to Bethany, where Lazarus was, the disciples jumped and repulsed. The disciples said, “Teacher, the Jews have just been stoned, and are they going to go away?” The disciples' ignorance of Jesus' plan. And Jesus said, “Lazarus is asleep. But I am going to wake you up.” The disciples answered, “Lord, if I sleep, I will get better.” Jesus said with certainty, “Lazarus is dead.” Still, the disciple Thomas said, “Let us also go so that we may die with the Lord.”
Here are the topics we want to explore. The theme is contained in the words of Jesus when the disciples strongly resisted when Jesus said, ‘Let’s go to Bethany.’ “Isn’t it twelve o’clock in the daytime? When a man walks by day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world; but when he walks by night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.” What Jesus tells us in these words is ‘God’s planned time’. Let's look for specifics in this topic.
1. The first is about time.
Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill. Jesus knew before he heard the news. So he stayed there for two more days. Meanwhile, Lazarus died. Jesus left after Lazarus died. He said to the disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going to wake you up.”
From a human point of view, he is truly savage. Even though he knew in advance that Lazarus was ill, he did not go. If you had gone just when you heard the news, the sister's heartbreak would have been less. How eagerly did the sisters wait for the Lord during those days? Even so, he was the older brother who was a dependable person in the world, but if he thought that they were the only ones left, the future would have been dark. The environment at that time was too difficult for the sisters to live in. But why was Jesus taking his time so leisurely?
Jesus was waiting for the ‘time’. In other words, he waited for the time when God's will to be revealed through the death of Lazarus would be fulfilled. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a season for everything under heaven and a time for every purpose to be fulfilled. The time set by God is different from the time people think. God does not work at the time that man thinks, but at the time set by God. God never comes late and never comes early, and He is always correct. Therefore, believers must wait for God's time. The Prophet Habakkuk complained, “Evil people prosper, but those who rely on God only increase suffering.” Then God speaks. Habakkuk 2:3. “This vision has an appointed time, and its end will come soon, and it will not be false. Wait even if it's late. I will surely respond without delay.” In other words, there is an appointed time for God's work. God's time may seem to be late in the eyes of people, but it will never come without falsehood.
Joseph endured unjust suffering and waited 13 years. Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace. Abraham had to wait another 25 years until the human possibility ceased to exist even after receiving God's promise that he would "give descendants." The apostle Paul was a persecutor of Jesus until the time of God came. The 38-year-old sick man, the blind Bartimaeus, and the dwarf Zacchaeus all had a time set by God.
Even though we pray in faith, the reason why it does not come true is because there is a time set by God. To say that God's appointed time is left also means that there are still problems to be solved. God does not work by covering up problems in a hurry. So, faith requires the patience of faith to wait for God's time. Hebrews 10:36 says, “You need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” James 1:4 says, “Perfect your patience. This is so that you may be complete and complete, lacking in the slightest bit.” Do you have any unfulfilled plans yet? Pray in faith, have hope, and wait for God's time. It will surely be accomplished at the appointed time of God. Man's impatience is never edifying.
2. The second part is about the point of view of timing.
When Jesus asked to go to Bethany, where Lazarus was, the disciples were terrified and refused. “Teacher, the Jews have just been stoned, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Isn’t it twelve o’clock in the daytime? When a man walks by day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world; but when he walks at night, he stumbles because the light is not in him.” Let's pay attention to the words of Jesus in this answer, "Isn't it twelve o'clock in the day?"
The phrase “twelve o’clock in the day” has several meanings. First, it means ‘midday’. It is not a time to hide or sleep in fear in the middle of the day, but a time to work long hours. And it means that the conditions are conducive to work. It is a time when the Lord, the light, is with you, and there is good health, opportunity, and power. Conversely, the night will come, and the night of life will be a time of distrust, a time of infirmity, a time of disappearing and no opportunity, a time of suffering, at which time you will not be able to work. Taken together, this is Jesus' point of view, saying, 'Now is the time to work because there is light'. However, the disciples thought, “It is best to hide now” from a worldly point of view. The disciples expressed “just now”, which is referring to the current situation in which the Jews are targeting them. Now, it is the perspective of the disciples that neither Jesus nor themselves should appear before the Jews.
The Bible shows many differences in these views. This was also the case with Abraham, who is called the father of faith. When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and said, “Sara, who is 90 years old, will give birth to a son.” At that time, Abraham fell face down before God and smiled, saying to himself, “How can a hundred-year-old man have children? How can Sarah be ninety years old?” After a while, God came again and looked for Sarah, and said to Abraham, “I will surely return to you at the time come, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” When Sarah heard these words in the tent, she laughed to herself and said, "I am old, and my master is old, how can I be happy?" God said to Abraham, "Why does Sarah laugh and say, 'I am old, how can I have a son?' Is there anything too difficult for the LORD? I will return to you at the due time, and Sarah will have a son.”
I ask you to look back on whether the things you have not yet accomplished are being delayed because of your own unbelief. Our God does not work in human understanding. He is in a realm beyond our comprehension, working beyond our understanding of circumstances, circumstances, and circumstances. Jesus did not seek the understanding of Martha and Mary. He only asked for faith. If we try to understand God, we can never believe or follow Him. Let's move forward in faith, relying on God's promises. Believe that there is a time planned by God in all of our work, and I pray that you will welcome the new year with new courage.