Responding to Life Events

Responding to Life’s Events.

#4b How to Live Like A Christian!

Life is full of events - some good, some not so good. But each life event is actually a divine opportunity. Here’s the question: How are we to live like a Christian as we experience difficult life events?

God designs some & uses all of life’s events to build our faith. There is an undeniable relationship between the life events & our faith. The brother of Jesus wrote this: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the TESTING OF YOUR FAITH…: There is a connection with the testing of your faith, the life events. God will use life events to produce: “perseverance &^“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature & complete, not lacking anything.(Jam 1:2-4 )

In other words, James says it’s NOT accidental that Christians face difficult “life events”. It’s not accidental that in the midst of those “life events” that something happens to their faith in God. Those difficult “life events” are what God uses to grow our faith, even though none of us would sign up for these events. The difficult life events that have the potential to turn us away from God or turn us to God.

The Story: In this story Jesus createsa difficult life event to grow someone’s faith. Jn 11:1-44. This is the story of Lazarus & his sisters. v1 – “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary & her sister Martha.”These were three close friends of Jesus. The sisters send a message to Jesus. Listen to what they say: v3 “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They didn’t say Lazarus was sick, but “the one you love is sick.” They knew that Jesus would know who they meant. Their relationship was so close that they could simply describe Lazarus as “Lord, the one you love.”

In light of that you would expect Jesus to drop everything & come to Lazarus aid. v4 – “When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus says that difficult events CAN BE for God’s glory!

And most of us would say, I don’t like that. I like the glory that comes from throwing the winning touch down pass or hitting the kill shot that wins the volley match or runs the fastest time for your team to win. Then the reporters put the mic in my face & I say, “I just want to give Jesus the glory!” I want that kind of glory. I like that kind of glory when something I think is good happens.

But Jesus says here is another kind of glory. It’s the kind of glory that comes when something really really difficult comes into your life. And God says, I’m going to allow that & I’m going to use that for my glory.

v4 – “No, it (difficult event) is for God’s glory so that God’s Son (Jesus) may be glorified through it.” Reflect on that thought for a moment.

John, the writer again tells us how Jesus felt about Lazarus & his sisters: v5 - “Jesus loved Martha & her sister & Lazarus.” There was a special relationship between Jesus & these people.

Now look at v6 –^“Yet when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”Jesus didn’t do what you would expect him to do! Jesus did not drop everything & come running to Lazarus’s bedside. Jesus waited TWO more days. Was he too busy? Were other people, other things more important than his friends life? Jesus waited two more days while Lazarus was dieing.

Have you ever experienced Jesus inactivity? You need his help now, but he doesn’t come through now. It’s an awful lonely difficult feeling. I like what Chuck Swindoll says: In times of crisis, it is essential that we understand some important facts about time & perspective.

Regarding time: Jesus is never late. He often delays His response, but He is never late. His watch is merely set to a different timetable, calibrated to matters of eternal consequence rather than temporal.

Regarding perspective: we can adopt either a human or a divine outlook. The human perspective focuses on the urgent. It concentrates on our immediate welfare rather than our ultimate welfare, on our temporary good instead of God’s eternal glory. The divine perspective however, factors eternity into the confusing events of life.

What do you see when difficult life events happen to you or your loved ones? Do you see these events as a divine opportunity? Do you see God using these events to build our faith?

Jesus tells his disciples they are now going back to Bethany, but notice what he says in v14 & 15 - “So then Jesus told the disciples, “Lazarus is dead, & for your sake I am glad I was not there,…” But what about for Lazarus sake? What about for Mary & Martha’s sake? Notice again what Jesus said: “I am glad I was not there,…”,Why? Because I have something so huge, so important, so significant that I want you to learn, that I am willing for the one I love to die & the people I love to experience the pain that a difficult event brings.

This lesson is that important! You want to know why I let Lazarus die? V15 “..so that you may believe.” Jesus is saying that he is willing to let his beloved friend die, his beloved friends grieve, just so that we will grow in our faith. Jesus set this whole thing up to teach the disciples & us about faith! Is it worth that to Jesus? Yes! Is Jesus willing to allow difficult events to happen in order for our faith to grow? Yes! Jesus allows & even sets up difficult events so that we will grow a strong faith.

You may be thinking, I’m not sure I like that? Well, I’m not sure I like it but that’s the way Jesus works sometimes. The human perspective focuses on our on our temporary good instead of God’s eternal glory. The divine perspective however, factors eternity into the difficult events of life.

But what about Mary & Martha? While they are waiting for Jesus to do something, Lazarus dies. By the time Jesus finally gets to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days. (v17) And Martha & Mary both said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”(v21 & 32) , Others said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” They, like many of us have felt angry, hurt, confused, & crushed because Jesus didn’t come through.

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

“If only”: those two words speak volumes:

If only we hadn’t moved here….

If only I hadn’t married him or her…

If only we had more money…

If only my parents would have stayed together….

If only I would have sold my stock a year or even six months ago…

What are your “if onlys”? Do like Mary & Martha did & take them to Jesus & trust that He cares.

Jesus then asked to be taken to the grave. He stands there with all the other mourners & v35 says this: “Jesus wept.” This is an epic verse because it shows that Jesus is with us. Instead of just rushing in to perform a miracle, Jesus pauses to feel what Mary & Martha had been feeling. He takes time to feel what you & I feel. He shows us that he feels with us when we go through difficult events in our lives. Jesus says, “I know how you feel.”

Jesus then comes to the tomb & tells the people to take away the stone covering the tomb. v41 – “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” It must have looked like a scene from “The Mummy’s Tomb”.

The story ends in v45 “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, & had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.” Jesus didn’t just use a painful event, he CREATED one to build their faith. Jesus uses the difficult events to grow our faith.

"When it feels like Jesus is allowing something to happen TO you, it is easy to lose faith. But when we accept that he is doing something IN us, we are candidates for the grace we need to endure & for Jesus to do something THROUGH us."

If God uses life events to build your faith in him, what should your response be next time a difficult life event comes? “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature & complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

I know that sometimes our response is disappointment – not joy. Philip Yancy said this: “There is only one thing worse than disappointment WITH Jesus, it is being disappointment WITHOUT Jesus.

And all of us, at times in our lives, are going to be disappointed with Jesus in what he didn’t or what he did do. If you are one of those who are right now experiencing one of those difficult events, would you pray “Jesus I need to see you IN this!”

Personal Study Guide

1. In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis writes: God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Why does God almost always become part of the conversation when bad things happen?

2. Read James 1:2-4. James says that trials test our faith, or confidence in God. How is a trial a test of our faith?

3. James says the goal of these tests is "perseverance." The implication is that trials can create persevering faith in God. But why trials? Can you think of other ways God could create persevering faith in us?

4. Read John 11:1-6. How does it make you feel when you read that Jesus loved Lazarus but didn't go to him in his time of need?

5. Is the idea of God using human pain for his glory disturbing to you? Is this a new concept for you?

6. Read John 11:11-15. According to these verses, what is the relationship between Lazarus' death and the disciples' faith?

7. Does it seem to you that Jesus is asking too much of Mary and Martha? What difference would it have made had they known that Jesus was using their brother's sickness as an object lesson?

Read John 11:21-27. Listen carefully for, or even circle in your Bible, the terms believe, believing, and believes.

8. What did Martha already believe about Jesus? What did Jesus ask her to believe? What is the difference?

9. What difference does it make if an individual really believes that Jesus is the resurrection and the life rather than simply one for whom God does an occasional favor (see verse 22)?

10. Read John 11:38-45. As Jesus prays (verse 41-42), he cites the reason for pausing to pray before performing the miracle. What is that reason?

11. According to verse 45, what was the outcome of this miracle?

12. What is the relationship between the new-found faith of the bystanders and the tragedy that befell Lazarus and his family?

13. Do you think it would have been possible to incite that kind of belief any other way?

14. Respond to this statement. "When it feels like God is allowing something to happen to us, it is easy to lose faith. But when we accept that he is doing something in us, we are candidates for the grace we need to endure."

15. If God uses pivotal circumstances to build our faith in him, what should our response be next time life takes us by surprise?

Often times, what shapes our response to these major events is the support that we have around us during these experiences. Is there a community? . . . Are there providential relationships? . . . that help us frame these circumstances in a way for us to see that God is not doing something to us, but is doing something in us and through us. With that in mind, close your group time by praying for the individuals or couples in your group who are currently facing a faith-stretching trial.