When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.
9 sermons cite this verse
… but it was ordained by God and it would be used by God. in John 11 verse 4 we see a similar verse regarding the sickness that Lazarus had and it's a unique verse because you and I both know that Lazarus would go on to die but Jesus knew something we didn't in verse 4 when Jesus heard that he said this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Jesus knew that this sickness that Lazarus had was not going to be the end of the story. That God would get the last word and that God would be glorified. And what if we adopted this way of thinking when it came to our trials? what if God would say to us regarding the difficult seasons that we often find ourselves navigating what if he would say you're not in this because you've done something against me you're not in this because I'm mad at you I want to let my glory and my power be revealed through your life I hear that and I'm like okay sign me up for that I'd love for the power and glory of God to be on display in my life but God does this in trials what a change of perspective this truly is what if God tonight has you in the crucible so that both you and others around you could see his hand at work? …
… When he heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death. Now, he did not mean by that that the man will not die. He meant death is not the ultimate in this sickness. The ultimate plan is not death. There is more. This sickness will not ultimately end with just death, but for the glory of God. The ultimate end of this sickness is the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified by it. it may very well be that some of you are facing a time of severe sickness. Maybe your child, maybe your parent or close friend. I'll tell you a verse that will help you greatly in accepting the truth of that fact is verse 4. The sickness is not just for death, But the sickness is for the glory of God that in some measure God's Son might be glorified by it. Perhaps you're facing impending blindness or deafness or some crippling, hurting disease or that of your child. You have the option of becoming bitter, resentful, and harsh or saying, Lord, I realize that this has not happened outside your plan. …
… verse 4 but when Jesus heard it He said, this illness does not lead to death. Now we've got death suddenly on the horizon here. So we've got love and we've got death. This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God. And now we've got glory in the picture. So we've got love and death and glory. it is for the glory of God so that the son of God may be glorified through it so the first thing Jesus does when he hears that Lazarus is sick is put the sickness in relationship to the glory of God. This illness is about the glory of God. It's not about something less. It's about the glory of the Son of God. It's not mainly about death. It's about God. It's about the glory of God. Jesus knows he's going to die. He knows it. How glorious is God is the question. How will it be seen? How will the greatness and the beauty and the worth of God be seen in this situation? …
… Now, this is really fun. Go back to John chapter 11, verse 4. You know, John doesn't give a lot of details about the donkey. In fact, when he talks about the donkey, he says something so simple you almost just read right over it. It said, Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it. And that's all the details we get from John. John, like a true man, just gives you the bottom line. Yeah, he found a donkey and he sat on it. But you know what this tells me? I'm speculating, but I have good reason. I studied. John wasn't one of the disciples that got sent to get the donkey. That's what it tells me. It's like my kids fighting around the table. You know, they'll be trying to tell a story at dinner, and they'll be like, shut up, let me tell it. Or, I mean, sorry, we're a church, we're a pastor's family. Please be quiet. Please hearken unto my voice. That's what they say at my table. …
… Master, the one you love is ill. When Jesus heard this, he said, Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this, he said to his disciples, Let us go back to Judea. The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of the world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him. He said this, and then he told them, Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I'm going to wake him. So the disciples said to him, Master, if he's asleep, he'll be saved. But Jesus was talking about his death. Well, they thought he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, Lazarus has died and I'm glad for you that I was not there that you may believe. Let us go to him. …
… poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God so that God's son may be glorified through it. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister, Mary and Lazarus. He loved them. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. Everybody say two more days. He stayed there for two more days. And then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea. But rabbi, they said a short while ago, the Jews, they try to stone you. And yet you are going back. Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours by daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble for they see this world's light. You know what Jesus is really saying to his crew? He's saying, guys, hold on. You think that I'm afraid of what man can do to me? If I'm in alignment and on assignment from the father, it doesn't matter what any man tries to do to me. I'm under a greater authority. Come on, clap if you're walking in the light and come on, praise him. I'm, I'm good. Cause God's got my back. …
… he said, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. Whatever you do, right? Like wherever you live, live there for the glory of God. Treat your neighbors with the love of Jesus instead of driving in your house and never talking to them. Whoever you're dating, date with integrity and purity and the fruits of the Spirit in an honorable way for the glory of God. If you're married, if you're single, be married for the glory of God, be single for the glory of God. Wherever you work, work there for the glory of God. If you work at Life Church as an intern, Work for the glory of God. If you apply for the internship and you want the internship, but you don't get the internship because God didn't allow you to get the internship or because some person didn't see how amazing you are, and then you go to grad school, go to grad school for the glory of God and don't be mad that he shut one door because he's gonna open up another one. …
… Therefore the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. Now when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that He was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. And then after this, He said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again. The disciples said to Him, Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you, and are you going there again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. These things he said, and after that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go, that I might wake him. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well. …
… to Jesus, imploring Him to come and help, saying, Behold, the one you love is sick. And when Jesus heard that, His response was this, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now that, of course, would be a very encouraging response when Jesus declared that the illness of Lazarus was not unto death, but the purpose of it was to glorify God. Now we're told in verse 5 that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so that when He heard that He was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was, which is a jolting statement here in the text, because you would think that when Jesus gets this request in the news of the severity of the illness of Lazarus, and right after John tells us how much he loved Lazarus, you would have expected, as the sisters of Lazarus certainly did, that Jesus would come immediately. But instead, He stayed two more days where He was. And then after that He said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again. And the disciples He said, Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you, and are you going to go back there? …