Right on time

Right on time.

John 11:17, 39.

17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. … 39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Introduction: 

The sickness and death of Lazarus shines a bright light on the fact of Jesus being an “on-time God.” We are creatures of time, but time is putty in the hands of God. By man’s standards and calculations, Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus four days late. However, with a long look of faith, may we study, see, and believe that Jesus arrived right on time! A popular inspirational or spiritual song is “He’s an on- time God.” “[Jesus is] an on-time God, yes, he is. He may not come when you want him, but he’ll be there right on time. He’s an on-time God, yes, he is.”

1. By the time Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days.

• He came four days late, right on time. His not coming when they wanted him:

o Was not because he did not know. Mary and Martha sent him a message, verse 3.

o Was not because he did not care. Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus, verse 5.

o Was not because of the circumstances. He stayed in place for two more days, verse 6.

o Was not because he could not do anything to help. He could have healed him, verses 21 and 32.

2. By the time Jesus came to Bethany: 

• Lazarus was dead & buried (v. 17)

• Martha & Mary were distraught (vs. 21, 32)

• Friends had gathered to comfort them (v. 19)

• The disciples were confused (vs. 7-16).

3. When Jesus spoke to Martha & Mary, they testified their belief in him.

• They believed Jesus could have healed him, verses 31, 32.

• They believed Jesus was Israel’s Messiah and God’s Son, verse 28.

• They could not quite believe that Jesus had arrived right on time.

• They are about to see Jesus “do exceeding abundantly above all that [they could] ask or think” Ephesians 3:20

4. When Jesus came to Lazarus’s tomb, he spoke life into the dead.

• If Jesus had arrived early, he could have merely healed Lazarus. Verses 31, 32.

• Since Jesus arrived right on time, he raised Lazarus from the dead! Verse 43.

• John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

Conclusion:

We walk by faith and not by sight. By faith may we see, understand, and believe that Jesus is an on-time God. He may not come when you want him, but he’ll be there right on time. Jesus came to his own, right on time. When he sprang from Mary’s womb in a stable in Bethlehem, he arrived right on time. Paul said, “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman.” Jesus grew up in the carpenter’s home and was subject to his parents, till in his purpose he came to reveal himself, he went to be baptized of John in Jordan right on time! “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” When Jesus came to Lazarus’s tomb, it may have seemed like he was four days late, but he was right on time! Jesus said he came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost, and to give his life a ransom for many. Six days before the Passover, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt the foal of an ass, right on time! The people strewed branches before him and cried, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” When he was sufficiently ready, he was arrested and tried. The Jews thought they had achieved exactly what they wanted; Pilate and the Roman authorities thought they were in charge of things. But when they nailed Jesus to that old rugged cross, then slammed that cross into the ground, so that he hung between heaven and earth, they did it right on time! Jesus hung between heaven and earth from the third hour to the sixth hour, and from the sixth hour to the ninth hour a thick darkness engulfed the earth, and in the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice of victory, “It is finished” – right on time. They took Jesus down from the cross, laid him in a borrowed tomb, “as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” The first day, the first night, sadness reigns. The second day, the second night, all is silent. The third day, the third night passes, and when he fulfilled had three days and three nights, Jesus came up out of that tomb, right on time! For forty days he showed himself alive by many infallible proofs, then in the presence of his disciples ascended back into heaven, right on time! He left them with this blessed promise, “I will come again.” The angels said “why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Fifty years. No return. One hundred years pass. One thousand years pass. Two thousand years pass. Scoffers and mockers, unbelievers all, ask  “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Oh, but things will not continue as they were. One day Jesus will split the eastern sky. We are looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and I assure you, brothers and sisters, by the authority of God’s word, and by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is coming back RIGHT ON TIME!

Comfort one another with these words. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

As thy days, so shall thy strength be

The following hymn by Baptist minister John Fawcett was published in 1782 in Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion (Leeds: G. Wright and Son). Fawcett is probably best known as the writer of “Blest be the tie that binds.” In The Christian Harmonist “As thy days, so shall thy strength be” appears with the tune Bordenton and in Baptist Chorals with Asa Brooks Everett’s Vesper Hymn. Elsewhere it has been paired with Lowell Mason’s Uxbridge, which tune in The Sacred Harp we use with “Thanks to the hand that set us free.”

Hymn XIII. L. M.

As thy days, so shall thy strength be. Deut. xxxiii 25.

1. Afflicted soul, to Jesus dear,

The Saviour’s gracious promise hear;

His faithful word declares to thee,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

2. Let not thy heart despond and say,

“How shall I stand the trying day?”

He has engag’d by firm decree,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

3. Thy faith is weak, thy foes are strong;

Yet sure the conflict shan’t be long,

Thy Lord shall make the tempter flee;

For as thy days, thy strength shall be.

4. The christian race with patience run,

Till grace compleat the work begun;

Wrestle and strive for victory,

For as thy days, thy strength shall be.

5. Should persecution rage and flame,

Still trust in thy Redeemer’s name;

In fiery trials thou shalt see,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

6. When called to bear the weighty cross,

Or sore afflictions, pain, or loss,

Or deep distress, or poverty,

Still as thy days, thy strength shall be.

7. When ghastly death appears in view,

Christ’s presence shall thy fears subdue;

He comes to set thy spirit free,

And as thy days, thy strength shall be.

Above is the hymn as it appears originally in Fawcett’s hymn book. Below is the more common, slightly revised way that it appears in many modern hymnals.

1. Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,

The Savior’s gracious promise hear;

His faithful word declares to thee,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

2. Let not thy heart despond and say,

“How shall I stand the trying day?”

He has engaged by firm decree,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

3. Thy faith is weak, thy foes are strong;

And though the conflict should be long,

Thy Lord will make the tempter flee;

for as thy days, thy strength shall be.

4. Should persecution rage and flame,

Still trust in thy Redeemer’s name;

In fiery trials thou shalt see,

That as thy days, thy strength shall be.

5. When called to bear the weighty cross,

Of sore affliction, pain or loss,

Or deep distress, or poverty,

Still as thy days, thy strength shall be.

6. When ghastly death appears in view,

Christ’s presence shall thy fears subdue;

he comes to set thy spirit free,

And as thy days, thy strength shall be.

The dying Christian

"The dying Christian has a God to go to; a Saviour into whose arms he may cast his weary soul; a blessed Spirit who from time to time relieves his doubts and fears, applies a sweet promise to his burdened spirit, gives him resignation and submission to the afflicting hand of God, and illuminates the dark valley of the shadow of death, which he has to tread, with a blessed ray of gospel light." -- J. C . Philpot

High in Yonder Realms of Light

The hymn below was written by Thomas Raffles (1788-1863). According to John Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology, it was first published in the Supplement to the Evangelical Magazine for December 1808, and then in William B. Collyer's Collection in 1812. It originally had six 8-line stanzas. It was sung at his funeral.

1. High in yonder realms of light
Dwell the raptured saints above,
Far beyond our feeble sight,
Happy in Immanuel's love.

2. Pilgrims in this vale of tears,
Once they knew, like us below,
Gloomy doubts, distressing fears,
Torturing pain, and heavy woe.

3. But, these days of weeping o'er,
Past this scene of toil and pain,
They shall feel distress no more,
Never--never weep again.

4. ‘Mid the chorus of the skies,
‘Mid th’angelic lyres above,
Hark--their songs melodious rise,
Songs of praise to Jesus' love!

5. Happy Spirits! ye are fled
Where no grief can entrance find:
Lulled to rest the aching head,
Soothed the anguish of the mind.

6. Every tear is wiped away--
Sighs no more shall heave the breast;
Night is lost in endless day--
Sorrow, in eternal rest.

Joy and Peace in Believing

Hymns, XLVIII. Joy and Peace in Believing. (Meter 7s.6s.D.)

1. Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

2. In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God’s salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say—
E’en let the unknown morrow
Bring with it what it may.

3. It can bring with it nothing,
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
Will clothe His people too:
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He, who feeds the ravens,
Will give His children bread.

4. Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit shall bear;
Though all the fields should wither
Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice,
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

From Olney Hymns (1779) by William Cowper.

The Believer's Struggle for Assurance

"Any religion that does not stand in divine teachings, sweet applications, blessed manifestations, and heavenly testimonies, I would throw it aside from me as an unclean garment. I would bury all such rags and tatters in the first dunghill that I came to." -- J. C. Philpot 

A Present Help in Time of Trouble

1 Why sinks my weak desponding mind?
Why heaves my heart the anxious sigh?
Can sovereign goodness be unkind?
Am I not safe when God is nigh?
 
2 He holds all nature in his hand:
That gracious hand on which I live,
Does life, and time, and death command,
And has immortal joys to give.
 
3 'Tis he supports this fainting frame,
On him alone my hopes recline;
the wondrous glories of his name,
How side they spread, how bright they shine!
 
4 Infinite wisdom! boundless power!
Unchanging faithfulness and love!
Here let me trust, while I adore,
And from my refuge ne'er remove.
 
5 My God, if thou art mine indeed,
Then I have all my heart can crave;
A present help in times of need,
Still kind to hear and strong to save.
 
6 Forgive my doubts, o gracious Lord,
And ease the sorrows of my breast;
Speak to my heart the healing word,
That thou art mine--and I am blest.

By Anne Steele

The Word for Today

I Thessalonians was the first letter written by Paul to the young congregation he gathered in the city of Thessalonica. God gave Paul a vision whereby he understood that his party was to go and preach the gospel in Macedonia. After ministering in Philippi they traveled to Thessalonica and preached there. He stayed there possibly nearly 4 weeks, but also possibly barely over two (three sabbaths, Acts 17:2). Some of the Thessalonians believed. Those Jews who did not caused such an uproar they had to leave the infant congregation and move to the next town. After a period of time in Berea, Paul left Silas and Timothy there and went to Athens in Greece. Evidently they met him there and were sent back for a time to Macedonia before meeting him again in Corinth (cf. Acts 17:14-15; I Thess. 3:1-6; Acts 18:5). From Corinth, and possessed of good news from Timothy, the apostle writes to the Thessalonian Christians.


Paul writes to encourage the Thessalonians. This he does by his memory of and thankfulness for them. He prays for them regularly (1:2-3ff.). Good memories lift the spirits. It is encouraging to know others are praying for you. Paul affirmed them in their faith, hope and love (cf. 1:3; 3:6).

Paul writes to exhort the Thessalonians. Their walk with the Lord must not remain static, nor go backwards. They must move forward; they should abound more and more (4:1). Knowing the commandments of God, they should obey them and love one another according to the love God has taught them (4:2,9-10). Not only are they to love another, they are to deal honestly with those outside the church (4:12), even their enemies that persecute them (2:14).

Paul writes to correct their errors. This he does by demonstrating the false way and by teaching the true way. He encourages, comforts and edifies by the blessed hope of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The dead are not gone; they are "asleep in Jesus." The Lord will return for the living and the dead, and all those in Christ will forever be with the Lord (4:13-17).

What a blessed benefit that the absent apostle encourages, exhorts and teaches this young flock through an inspired epistle. These inspired words also teach, exhort and encourage all of us "who have hope."

A sea of comfort

(Rom. 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

"A self acclaimed minister boldly informed me some years ago that only good things work together for good: bad, evil, and sinful things, said he, could never work together for the good of the redeemed. Does this not drain dry the sea of comfort found in this verse? Where does the child of grace go for comfort when plagued with inner sin and outward trials if God does not work evil for their good?" -- From 'A Blessed Promise', Wayne Gregory, July 9, 2011

To the afflicted

To the afflicted, tossed with tempests and not comforted.
Isa 44:5-11

Pensive, doubting, fearful heart,
Hear what CHRIST the Savior says;
Every word should joy impart,
Change thy mourning into praise:
Yes, he speaks, and speaks to thee,
May he help thee to believe!
Then thou presently wilt see,
Thou hast little cause to grieve.

"Fear thou not, nor be ashamed,
All thy sorrows soon shall end
I who heav'n and earth have framed,
Am thy husband and thy friend
I the High and Holy One,
Israel's GOD by all adored;
As thy Savior will be known,
Thy Redeemer and thy Lord.

For a moment I withdrew,
And thy heart was filled with pain;
But my mercies I'll renew,
Thou shalt soon rejoice again:
Though I scorn to hide my face,
Very soon my wrath shall cease;
'Tis but for a moment's space,
Ending in eternal peace.

When my peaceful bow appears
Gen 9:13,14
Painted on the wat'ry cloud;
'Tis to dissipate thy fears,
Lest the earth should be o'erflowed:
'Tis an emblem too of grace,
Of my cov'nant love a sign;
Though the mountains leave their place,
Thou shalt be for ever mine.

Though afflicted, tempest-tossed,
Comfortless awhile thou art,
Do not think thou canst be lost,
Thou art graven on my heart
All thy walls I will repair,
Thou shalt be rebuilt anew;
And in thee it shall appear,
What a God of love can do.

John Newton (1725-1807)
Olney Hymns, 1779

Hear what the Lord hath spoken

Hear what God the Lord hath spoken,
"O my people, faint and few,
Comfortless, afflicted, broken,
Fair abodes I build for you:
Themes of heartfelt tribulation
Shall no more perplex your ways;
You shall name your walls, Salvation,
And your gates shall all be praise.

"There, like streams that feed the garden,
Pleasures, without end, shall flow,
For the Lord, your faith rewarding,
All His bounty shall bestow;
Still in undisturbed possession
Peace and righteousness shall reign;
Never shall you feel oppression,
Hear the voice of war again.

"Ye no more your suns descending,
Waning moons no more shall see;
But your griefs forever ending,
Find eternal noon in Me:
God shall rise, and shining o'er you,
Change to day the gloom of night;
He, the Lord, shall be your Glory,
God your everlasting Light."

William Cowper (1731-1800)
Olney Hymns, 1779

Complete in Him

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him...

Hungry? Jesus said, I am the bread of life.
In the dark? Jesus said, I am the light of the world.
Outside? Jesus said, I am the door.
Fearful? Jesus said, I am the good shepherd.
Dead? Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life.
Lost? Jesus said, I am the way.
Unlearned? Jesus said, I am the truth.
Disconnected? Jesus said, I am the vine.

Saints of God preserved by the Grace of God

A few things that convince me that saints of God are preserved by the Grace of God:

1. The Power of God, which is the greatest power (John 10:28-29; I Peter 1:5; Jude 24)
2. The Love of God, which is beyond measure (Rom. 8:28; John 3:16; Eph. 3:18.19)
3. The Immutability of God - He will never change; not His love; not His power; etc. (e.g. Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8)
4. The Sufficiency of the shed Blood of Christ (I John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; John 1:29)
5. The Guarantee (Earnest) of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; II Cor. 1:22)
6. The Intercession of Jesus Christ (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34)
7. The Predestination of God (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:29-39)

There is a song I like that always make me think of preservation by the Grace of God -
No Vacant Seats in Heaven by Mrs. J. B. Edwards (found in The Harp of Ages). Here is the first verse and chorus:

Our hearts are filled with sorrow,
When Jesus calls to claim His own;
A seat is then left vacant,
Yes, vacant in our earthly home.

No vacant seats in Heaven -
No vacant seats around God's throne;
Up there 'tis joy and gladness,
Oh, gloryland, sweet heavenly home.
There will be no vacant seat in Heaven. If God has prepared a seat there, it will be filled not vacant. If it is filled, it will never become vacant at some future time, either.

Comfort For The Lord’s People

“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem , and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned…” Isaiah 40:2

Christ has done all the fighting with Satan, sin and death, and, "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us," "that her iniquity is pardoned." All Zion's iniquity in one lump was removed in one day when Jesus put it away by the sacrifice of Himself. How comfortable the privilege to say with the Psalmist, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and do not forget all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities," (Ps. 103:2,3). How many? "All your iniquities." How clearly Paul states this in Col. 2:13: "having forgiven you all trespasses." Where are the sins of God's people? Hezekiah says, "You have cast all my sins behind Your back," (Isaiah 38:17). The soul says, "Sought for, they shall not be found," (Jer. 50:20). Micah says, "You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea," (Micah 7:19). Not in the shallows, but where they can never be seen or re-appear. The soul that once enjoys the comfort of that, is very uncomfortable without the enjoyment of it. And what a blessing to know that we are now receiving double favors, favors more abundant, in spite of all our sins.

By Thomas Bradbury, as posted on Shreveport Grace Church bulletin, Sat, 26 Apr 2008

Give to the Winds Thy Fears

1. Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope and be undismayed.
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God will lift up thy head.

2. Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
Then shalt thou, wandering, own His way,
How wise, how strong His hand.

3. Far, far above thy thought,
His counsel shall appear;
When fully He the work hath wrought
That caused thy needless fear.

4. Through waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears the way;
Wait thou His time; so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.

Meter = S. M.
Words by Paul Gerhardt
Translated by John Wesley

Commentary on Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs 16:3 - “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

and thy thoughts shall be established; when a man has, by faith and in prayer, committed himself, his case, his ways and works, to the Lord, his mind is made easy, his thoughts are composed and settled, and he quietly waits the issues of things; he says, the will of the Lord be done; he knows that He causes all things to work together for good; and whatever is for his good and God's glory shall be brought to pass; and this makes him calm, sedate, and easy; and he is in a fair way of having his designs, desires, and endeavours accomplished; see Ps 37:5. -- John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Determined to save

John Newton:

"Determin'd to save, He watch'd o'er my path,
When, Satan's blind slave, I sported with death.
And can He have taught me to trust in His name,
And thus far have brought me to put me to shame?"

Also amazing

In Tuesday's post about the hymn 'Amazing Grace', I wrote, "William Cowper was struggling with depression...[and] sank into a suicidal melancholy which lasted several months. He recovered to a large degree. But afterward, he no longer attended the church at Olney. He never wrote another hymn. He did not loose his faith in God, but evidently lost all in himself."

Many people are familiar with Cowper's unstable state of mind -- something he apparently struggled with throughout most of his life. Other's may have no knowledge of it. Such knowledge is unnecessary to understand the meaning of Cowper's hymns. But knowing the trouble he suffered makes all the more amazing to me hymns such as "Walking with GOD" and "Light shining out of darkness".

Hymn 3, Walking with GOD. Gen 5:24
O! for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heav'nly frame;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

Hymn 15, Light shining out of darkness.
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Perhaps it is easier for us to sing "O! for a closer walk with God, A calm and heav'nly frame" when the world inside our minds is mostly calm. Or to sing "Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face" when we have seen much more of the smiling face than the frowning providence. Regardless of the storm, may we be blessed to know HIM who rides upon it. May we learn that "The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow'r."

* Wm. Cowper wrote "Walking with GOD" in 1769 when his adoptive mother, Mrs. Mary Unwin, was seriously ill and believed to be at the point of death. Various stories surround his "Light shining out of darkness" and when it was written, some of which may be apocryphal.

Comfort my people

"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. Isaiah 40:1

"To seek comfort from priests or parsons is the very perfection of religious folly, yet the world is full of it. Look at them as described in Isaiah 56:10,12: they are blind, ignorant, speechless, lazy, greedy, grasping, besotted. Painful descriptions are given of the incompetency of the prophets and pastors of Israel in Jer. 23, and Ezek. 34. The priest and the Levite had no cordial nor consolation for the Zionite who fell among thieves. But where His own ministers fail, God's will is not frustrated nor His purpose of grace defeated, "His compassions fail not," for where men and means fail in comforting His people, He will comfort them Himself, and thus prove the stability of His appointments, the sovereignty of His will, the immutability of His counsel, the power of His hand, and the love of His heart." -- Excerpted from the sermon "Comfort My People" By Thomas Bradbury, Preached in Grove Chapel, Camberwell, Sunday Evening, November 7th, 1897. (Sent by Jerry Mourer, 17 Dec 2007)

What a comfort divine

My God, I am Thine, what a comfort divine,
What a blessing to know that my Jesus is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His Name.

True pleasures abound in the rapturous sound;
And whoever hath found it hath paradise found:
My Jesus to know, and feel His blood flow,
'Tis life everlasting, 'tis Heaven below.

Yet onward I haste to the heavenly feast:
That, that is the fulness; but this is the taste!
And this I shall prove, till with joy I remove
To the heaven of heavens in Jesus' love.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1749.
As posted on Song to the Lamb Fri, 24 Aug 2007