St. Timothy's Church

All Saints Sunday

November 1, 2009

“Brokenness that Leads to Blessings”

The Rev. W. Terry Sweeney

Authentic Christianity – the Christianity of Christ and His apostles – is supernatural Christianity.  It is not a tame and harmless ethic, consisting of a few moral platitudes, spiced with a dash of religion.  It is rather a resurrection religion, a life lived by the power of G-d.  John Stott, Christ the Controversialist, p. 63

In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

God is good . . . . . all the time. . . . All the time . . . . . God is good.

This morning we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. . . . men and women whose faith in Christ was lived out in a variety of circumstances, continents and periods of history; they were young and old, educated and not; men and women who God in His wisdom used to further His kingdom in a variety of ways.

There is a hymn in the 1982 Hymnal with these lyrics:

I sing a song of the saints of God, patient brave and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.  And one was a doctor and one was a queen and one was a shepherd on the green: they were all of them saints of God – and I mean, God helping, to be one too.

(hymn in its entirety was sung)

The message is striking and clear – ordinary, everyday folks of all occupations, giftedness, age, race, gender and more have followed after Christ and are all accounted as saints of God.

Some have been used for greater tasks than others – some have great reputations, some are hardly a household name – but all have been willing to follow Christ where ever He would lead them.

As we consider the lives of saints – modern as well as of old – we always have to get back to the basics of the daily carrying of the cross . . . . . the saint carries her or his cross daily . . . . with God’s grace they persevere as Paul says and run the race to the end.

Saints, ordinary people like you and me, used for extraordinary purposes, carried their cross every day . . . so among other things that means overcoming the tough, unexpected and even unwelcomed times of suffering.

Paul seemed to have a chronic eye disease – he suffered beatings, shipwrecks, heat and cold, and mobs of rioters - Julian of Norwich saw visions – as did Joan of Arc – Billy Graham’s daughter Anne has struggled with depression for years – Dr Graham himself suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease . . . . I believe the great evangelical Jonathan Edwards suffered from migraines and untold numbers have been afflicted with depression, chronic fatigue, sleeplessness, headaches, and stomach problems. . . . . some died in prisons, or by riots or through executions. . . . some died of natural causes and in peace . . . . they all had seasons of varying length of suffering.

Mark 13.13 teaches “He who stands firm to the end will be saved” not because salvation is a reward for standing firm but because standing firm is the indentifying mark of the saved.

Roman’s 8 give’s us 15 assurances from God: five convictions about his providence, five affirmations about his purpose, and five questions about his love which together gives us 15 assurances about His pledge that nothing, including suffering and affliction, will separate us from His love for us.

Romans 8.28 is often quoted when suffering overtakes us: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is going to turn out the way we want it to from an earthly comfort standpoint – it means that as we experience life we are to be in conformity with Christ, close fellowship with God and bear good fruit in our affliction

John Stott once said “It’s only because God is steadfast, that we can be steadfast too.”

Through careful study of the bible, that is by reading it, marking it and inwardly digesting it as the “Word of Truth”, we can begin to apply it theologically and extrapolate deep and important lessons that are universally applicable to generations before and after us.

One such lesson deals with suffering and blessings that come from it.

More often than not, spend a few minutes with a cancer survivor and you will sense you’re in the company of a special person; spend some time with a missionary whose life has been spent in the simplest of living among some of the most poor and you will sense a richness about him – the examples could go on.

There is always an anointing of the Lord upon people who have suffered whether it’s a direct result of ministry or something incidental to life.

In their trial they have experienced the Lord in a supernatural and powerful way. 

They have lived through the battle with disease, poverty, or persecution and have heard His still, small voice and known His presence in the whispers of the terrors of the battle.

They are better able to understand the blessings that have come about through their trials.

To illustrate this we’ll turn this morning to the Gospel of John and consider the story of the Raising of Lazarus.  John 11.32-46.

We’ll dissect this story into four small units.

Let me begin by saying this . . . . Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, Lazarus died, Lazarus’ sisters were distraught at his death saying he would not have died if Jesus would have come sooner, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (most often described as resuscitation) and used Lazarus’ death as a blessing to Lazarus, his family and the Jews standing by watching the story unfold.

The events leading up to Lazarus’ death. John 11.1-16

John tells three important things: first, Jesus knew that Lazarus was gravely ill;

secondly, He loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus and when  He learned that Lazarus was very sick He intentionally waited “two days longer in the place where He was” and

thirdly, He intentionally returned to Judea again, turning His face toward Jerusalem where He would die knowing that He would stop at Bethany, turn Lazarus’ affliction into God’s glory, a precursor to His own suffering and glory.

His love resulted in a two day delay –

            His love meant going to Bethany then Jerusalem

                        His love is summarized in this curious sentence:

“Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe (11.14).

God has an end game in mind for us.  It’s hard to grasp that suffering has purpose – let me say it another way – with Christ suffering has purpose.

He knows of our afflictions and will use it for His greater purposes which may mean we will not find immediate relief from disease, but in fact may have to suffer with it.

It’s possible that God sees our suffering in a different light than we do –

It’s also possible that God feels our sorrows with us and suffers with us.

God made flesh – suffered the indignity of crucifixion – thirst, hunger, spiritual attack and temptation – he has suffered in every way we do – he knows our suffering intimately

Knowing what it means to suffer, God does not take pleasure in our suffering but may allow it for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him, to bring us closer to His kingdom and away from the material world, to grow our dependence on Him.

As a result pain and suffering may stay with us for a long period of time – stretching and testing our faith and character at times to the thinnest of limits.

Meeting Martha and Mary

When Jesus arrived Lazarus had been dead four days.

Many mourners had come from Jerusalem to console Martha and Mary.

Both sisters make the same statement of despair, “If you had been here my brother would not have died.”

This could be understood as a statement of affirmation coming from faith – Jesus you have the power that could have prevented his death.

It could be read as an accusation – you could have prevented this, why didn’t you?

Over the years I’ve heard any number of people wonder why God allowed something to happen . . . . . allowing something to happen implies God has the ability to prevent it.

Our minds are strained to understand – it’s a mystery beyond our grasp – but we ask the question nonetheless.

Allowing something to happen means God has refused to prevent it . . . .the result in this instance is suffering – Lazarus died and his sisters are left to mourn.

Martha adds this - “but even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Martha is confident that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”  She said “YES”.

Despair and faith – all wrapped up into one person . . . . . many of us are much the same.

Jesus then went to the tomb and wept.

Calling Lazarus out of the tomb

I have to tell you Jackie Higgs asked me yesterday, “Father Terry, why does God allow this?”  Why won’t he just let me go home?  (Her way of asking to die)

When Olivia and I left her yesterday we promised to return today – her nurse had made several promises to assist her – later she developed shortness of breath and was found to have several blood clots in her lungs. . . . as she was two weeks ago . . . very sick and could easily die from this.

Her question was as sincere as I’ve ever heard it asked. . . Why?  Just let me die instead of suffering?!

Jesus would not just allow Lazarus to die – laying in burial clothes for four days – absolutely dead by every standard of the day – Jesus in a loud voice calls him back to life.

Allowing Lazarus to suffer and die and then raising him back to life are all part of the intentional will of the Lord . . . . Lazarus’ death had meaning – it gave Jesus the opportunity to show His power over death as well as the power of living in His kingdom.

Witnesses saw it happen – they heard the loud cry to come out from the grave – they saw the dead man walk again –

I have no idea why God would allow Jackie Higgs to pull through a near death experience when her liver and heart were so compromised as they were two weeks ago seemingly to find her today with several blood clots in her lungs. . . . .

Yet in faith I have to believe God is using this time for blessing.

Lazarus had to die again – he died a second physical death – yet his first death was turned into an avenue of faith for many of the men/women who witnessed Christ calling him back to the living.

The reaction by the crowd.

Some believed – others went to the Sanhedrin and out of jealousy and fear of losing the Temple and their place of autonomy among the Romans – they decided to make plans to put Jesus to death.

His death would as Paul said be reconciling for those who believe – a payment for their sins – a way to the Father . . . . . a great blessing that comes about through suffering

Some of us have a hard time seeing the blessing in suffering.

Some of us never want to suffer – some of us are unwilling to suffer.

As much as we would much prefer another way sometimes suffering is the way God has set aside for us.

I believe it is only through God’s revelation to us by His Spirit that we can suffer in the right way and begin to see how suffering brings us closer to holiness; suffering is a precursor to blessing . . listen to 1 Peter 4.1, “He who has suffered in his body is done with sin”.  He seems to be saying that physical affliction results in us to stop sinning. . . . The blessing, in part, if we’re understanding Peter is that through affliction we find we have lost our taste for sin.

We know that pain can warn us of danger – in a way it’s a blessing because it tells us something could be wrong and in turn we take some action.

Suffering takes us to the edge of the life to come – the bonds of this world are taken off as someone suffers to the point of near death and then God in His mercy takes us across the river into a new land and a new life.

Suffering gives us an opportunity to trust God believing that His blessing is greater than our suffering.

In times of crisis, the suffering of others, gives us an opportunity to walk with them and be instruments of comfort and mercy . . . . that is a blessing.

We live in a broken world where our choices can lead to suffering through disease, unhealthy life styles, poor relationships, and more . . . . . much of the suffering we will experience is a direct result of someone’s sin against us or our sin against ourselves.

In the midst of suffering we discover the inner content of our faith and souls – suffering reveals what is in our hearts (Job 42.1-17; Ro. 5.3-5; James 1.2-5; 1 Pet. 1.6-8)

One of my personal heroes, if I could call him that, is Samuel Isaac Joseph Shrereschewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1906 – who after stricken with paralysis resigned his sea in 1883 and returned to New York.  Feeling called back to continue his work of bible translation, and finding great difficulty in raising support for his work – finally retuned in 1895.  For the next twenty years he labored to translate the bible and typed 2,000 pages with the middle finger of a crippled hand.  Four years before his death in 1906 he said this: I have sat in this chair for over twenty years.  It seemed very hard at first.  But God knew best.  He kept me for the work for which I am best suited.”  Bishop Samuel is buried in Tokyo next to his wife.

As much as we and perhaps the saints of old disliked it – suffering has its great blessings attached to it – because God Himself is there with us and extends His grace to us to turn that which was designed to be evil and harm us into a blessing.  (Gen. 50.20)

Amen

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