This Sickness is not unto Death, but for the Glory of God

It takes the moving of the Holy Spirit upon our minds to see what Jesus Christ is talking about. As Jesus said, “Lazarus is not sick unto death, but his sickness is going to be one that the Son of God will be glorified.”

The disciples said, “If he sleeps, he shall do well.”

Jesus said to them, “Lazarus is dead.”

How could they understand that? How could we understand it as we think Jesus is talking about death one time, and sleep another? Jesus said plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” So this sickness was unto death to the disciples, but this was not a sickness unto death spiritually.

Many things we cannot understand, but if we have that wonderful foundation of yieldedness, submissiveness, willingness; thank God, it seems to solve the most of our problems. If you have this foundation, then God can bless you, reveal His will to you, and straighten you out. He can make the darkness light; He can bring life out of deadness; He can make the low things high, and the high things low if we will stick it out.

Do we insist upon our own rights? Do we look out for number one? If we do, then it will be a hard way. “The way of the transgressor is a hard one,” God tells us in His word. If you have taken the unyielded way, then it will be a hard one.

I heard one say, “The past three years have been the most miserable years of my life.” Ah, because of the unyieldedness; the unwillingness to pay the price. It is truly, under such circumstances, the hard way. The lashes come thick and fast. But to those who go on all the way, this is not so.

Here we have a sad scene. It touches our hearts, and it touched the heart of Jesus. As we read on later, we find that Jesus wept when He came near the grave. He loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He did not choose them as pets, or because they were of a certain temperament, or in a certain stratum of society. No, He loved them because they did the will of God. Was not this the Mary who broke the alabaster box over the Lord? The word says she was. She brought all that she had and gave it to Him.

Now her brother is sick unto death naturally, but Jesus does not rush to the scene of action. He does not say, “Come on, we have to hurry now.” No, thank God, He walked in the light and used wisdom. When they asked Him why He was going, now that Lazarus was dead, He gave them a spiritual answer, “If I walk in the day time, then I will not stumble.” He meant by that that He did the Father’s will. He did not do what men called Him to do. He did not answer the calls and whims of those who chose to call Him. No, He walked in the will of God, and in that way, He walked in the light. You do not find Him making mistakes. We do not hear Him saying, “If I had gone quickly, Lazarus would not have died.” Ah no, He knew well what He was doing. He was walking in the light, that light was white and pure before Him. The path of the just is as a shining light. Jesus never stumbled because He was always in the light.

There will come a day when darkness will come, and no matter how much we will want to do the will of God, our work will be done. We might rise up and lament; we might be on a bed of sickness and cry out, “Oh for the fields; oh for the call of God; oh the longing that is in my breast to do His will,” but the light will be gone; the thing to do is passed on to someone else. If we would try to walk in it then, we would walk only in darkness.

Jesus was walking in the light. It did not take Him long to finish His ministry. Only three and one-half short years for One who did such perfect work. There were no regrets, no mistakes, but an effective work. We hear Him saying, “This sickness is not unto death.” This does not mean that Lazarus is sick unto death, that there is no hope, that God cannot be glorified. Praise God, there was faith in that grave. There was something that was alive in Lazarus even though he was dead, something that had a foundation. There was a groundwork underneath for Jesus to work upon.

Isn’t it wonderful? It is wonderful to know that there was One in another town that could go, no matter if death was going to face Him, when all would seem to be lost. What is more hopeless than death, especially when one has been dead four days, lying in the grave, with a stone pressed tightly against the tomb? There was no natural hope there, no life. But, thank God, there were three there whom Jesus loved because they had done and proved it by doing the will of God. He had something to work upon. He came in the power of the Holy Spirit. He knew people would be there who would react to the moving of the Spirit. There must be a cooperation between us and God. We cannot expect to sit down in lethargy and unbelief, and expect God to work. There must be something to cooperate with God.

We find a sickness in our souls. There is not one here tonight who is as healthy as he or she should be. There is not one here in whom faith is moving as it should, where the Holy Spirit moves as He wants to. Have we a sickness unto death, or a sickness, even though it looks terribly bad, can we find something underneath that the Holy Spirit can work upon? Have there been fruits, works, that will prove that He can have communion with us even though He seems lost to us for a season? Is there something within our breasts that He can touch no matter how defeated we may be? Is there a spot underneath that He can move upon? Or are we spiritually dead? Is our sickness one that is unto death? Though our souls are not as healthy as they should be, though we be sick, there can be something there upon which God can work.

Praise the Lord, Jesus had something He could work upon, and what a hopeful business after all! How discouraging to think of some people: no matter how you put yourself out; you go to the limit; you hold out your hand, plead with them; do all sorts of things for them; but all is spent in vain. But when you think of another, and there comes a reaction, a cooperation, though there might be sickness, yet to know there is something there that Christ can hit through to. Isn’t there something that Christ can see in our lives tonight to make Him hopeful?

David said, “Why art thou cast down oh my soul? Hope in God.” How many times David had real cause and reason to look down. At times, it looked very bad for him. But as he looked up, there was encouragement in God. There is encouragement in Jesus tonight.

When Jesus said, “He is sleeping,” the disciples were satisfied.

They said, “He does well.”

But when Jesus told them Lazarus was dead, Thomas was ready to say, “Well, it is all over; we might as well get in the grave with him. If the one whom Jesus loved so much is dead, then there is no hope for any of us.” Jesus did not answer that talk. He had answered them before, but Jesus does not answer discouraging talk. He did not answer Thomas, and He will not answer you. He goes right on, and if you have anything in you, you will go right on and follow Him.

So Thomas thought, “We will see what Jesus is going to do. It is worthwhile following Him. We will go and press along to the limit.” They went with Him.

Mary came running out and said, “Master, if you had been here my brother would not have died.”

Martha said, “I know he will come forth in the resurrection, etc.” They did not seem to register any great faith. They knew Lazarus would come out of the tomb in the resurrection, but they did not seem to figure he would come out then. Nevertheless, there was something underneath that Jesus could use. They had faith in Him, and they knew something could be done. Had they not sent for Him?

As they followed Him to the grave, they thought, Lazarus has been dead four days, he is stinking by this time. Jesus could calm their alarms. He could put their fears aside. He called to them to take the stone away. He called on His Father, and cried, “Lazarus, come forth.” Praise God, and Lazarus came forth from the grave.

We see many graves today. There are the great vaults, the beautiful monuments, the rails around the graves, the lovely footstones, beautiful marble figures—some representing the angel Gabriel as he puts the trumpet to his lips. But underneath every grave, there are bones. The cemetery is full of dead men’s bones and corruption. It would not be so lovely if we dug up those graves and saw nothing but bones there.

Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were like that. He said they were dead men’s bones. He told them they were whited sepulchers, looking beautiful to the outer eye, but underneath they were full of dead men’s bones (Matthew 23). They were full of good works. What would have looked finer than their beautiful bows—so in submission, praying their long, lovely prayers, for they were not satisfied with short ones. They did not swear by the temple, but they swore by the gold in the temple. They just strained at a gnat and swallowed the camel. They cleaned the outside of the cup, it had to be polished just so. They appeared beautiful. They were so set about everything they did.

But Jesus said, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees.” They were children of the ones who had killed the prophets. Jesus called them serpents and told them they would not escape the damnation. “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:33). They were lovely ones, did everything so fine, but they were full of dead men’s bones underneath. Jesus knew that underneath of them, there was nothing but hypocrisy and corruption. This is sickness unto death.

He was going to the grave of a man who had been dead four days, a man whose body was stinking by this time—yet there was faith there. There was a foundation He could work on. It was quite a different matter when He came in contact with Lazarus’ dead body after the stone had been rolled away, compared to the scribes and Pharisees who were alive, but rotten underneath. They were children of Hell, damnation was in them. There was no hope for them, nothing that Jesus could do for them. They were ones sick unto death. That is what is meant by the sickness unto death. The sickness unto death is the sickness unto damnation and hopelessness.

Although Lazarus was dead and his body rotting, there was hope for him—hope in Jesus Christ, He could do something about it. He called to His Father to put the machinery of heaven in motion in behalf of his beloved friend. He could do something for him. Oh, He said, “Father, I know you hear Me, but for these who stand around, Lazarus, come forth.” Lazarus came forth out of that grave, and many believed.

This was a sickness not unto death. Although death had him and claimed him under the bondage of that which would never be broken, yet Jesus could break it even before He died and say, “Death, give up the captive.” He had the power over death even before His death. Praise God!

It means much to us. We see the same thing reacted as Peter was called to the upper chamber of Dorcas (Acts 9). She was dead, yet as they came around, they told Peter she was a true saint. She was not a monument set up as a beautiful stone, but there was a foundation. They held up the coats, the different garments that she had made. Peter said, “All right, Tabitha, arise.” Many believed, and God was glorified. It not only worked with Jesus, but also with His disciples. They, too, had power over this something. Dorcas was dead, but there was something underneath, so that Peter could say, “Come forth.” There was nothing there to appeal to her brain. How could she hear? By faith. What could she hear Peter say, “Tabitha, arise”?

The graves shall give up their dead, the sea shall give up its dead, everyone will come forth at Jesus’ call. But to see how lifeless a body can be, and yet because of something that was there when the one was living, the cry could go out, “Come forth,” and that one could hear it by faith. It is a wonderful thing to see how this something underneath, though unconscious, benumbed, if it is there, can react to the call of Jesus Christ, there is hope in God.

“My soul, why art thou cast down? Why discouraged? Hope in God.” What a wonderful hope!

Jesus said, “Those who believe shall never die.”

“What kind of a man is this?” they asked. “Didn’t he die? Didn’t Jesus die?” Yes, but His sickness was a sickness of hope, of life, and of eternal life for others.

When we think of Paul saying, “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

We will be put in a grave, and what is more cold or barren than death. Yet if we have lived for Jesus Christ, worked the works of Him who sent us, if we have not stumbled, if we have done what He wants us to do, no matter how cold, He can bring us forth and we shall cry, “Oh death where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?” Praise God for this wonderful hope we have in Jesus Christ. We do not have to have a sickness unto death. As we see ourselves not having the faith we should, if we take courage in Him, He can quicken us, and we can become more healthy souls.

We read in Ezekiel, the 37th chapter, of the valley of bones. Here were these dry bones. They were failures, they were bones of failing Israelites—very dry. The Lord spoke and said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, prophesy that these bones shall live.” That was a strange order, wasn’t it? He talked to them, “Oh bones, you shall come forth to life.” They began to shake, and as they shook, the sinews were laid upon them, and then the flesh. I wonder what we would have done in such a place. I wonder where we would have been when the bones began to shake. I believe we would shake as we heard them rattling together, then as the sinews came upon them and as the flesh came. There was not just one bone, there were many, lying there but with no breath in them. Would you be satisfied in that place that far?

Then the Lord said, “Call to the winds to come breathe upon them.” And as the wind came and put the spirit in the bones, they arose and became a great army. You would think they surely would put you out of existence, and you would want to go, but praise God, Ezekiel could stand by and see those failing bones of the Israelites—unlovely, yet God could say, “That is what I am going to do for Israel.” It is a wonderful thing—dry bones come to life.

Jesus saw them taking the widow’s son to the grave. He was dead and cold, but he could say to her, “Your son shall live.” And He called to him, “Son arise.” If you are barren, dark, sick or unhealthy tonight, is there something underneath that reacts and says, “There is hope in God”? Thank God for it, and take courage and go on. Even old Thomas was willing enough to go and see the end of it. He could say it was worthwhile to trust Jesus after all. You had better keep quiet and follow to the end. Though you cannot see anything, keep quiet and follow to the end. Hallelujah!

We see this work out of Elijah and Elisha. How beautiful when we read of the woman who prayed for a child! She got her child, but one day he died. She put him on the man of God’s bed. There was enough faith in her to put the child in that bed. Though he was dead, cold, and stiff, she put him on that bed. That is all she knew, but she had faith. She left the child and had her husband saddle the mule so that she could go to Elisha. When her husband questioned her, she simply answered, “All shall be well.”

She started on her journey, and as she met Elisha, he called to her, “Is all well with thee?”

She answered back, “All is well.” The child was dead, lifeless, but there was a foundation there that no matter what happened, she believed God would help her. When the right man got on the spot, she said, “I know you are a man of God.” Her faith worked, God worked, her child was restored to her, and she glorified God.

Faith will bring glory to God. In the face of darkness, unconsciousness, looking like there is nothing to be done, praise God, “All shall be well.” When the time comes, the word comes, “All is well.” If everything has gone wrong, if everything is the opposite to what you expected, faith says, “All is well.” God is on His throne. What the devil wants us to say is, “All is darkness, I might as well give up. I am finished, let everything go.” God does not answer that talk. It is just foolishness, the devil’s works—no use arguing with that sort of stuff. You can talk to people forever, but you will never get a place with that talk.

I was talking to a sister, and though it looks mighty black for her, she said, “All is well.” God will help her, for He can work with such a foundation.

I do not care what is wrong outside. If something is inside saying, “All will be well,” God can work, and none can hinder Him. I love the way Jesus goes to the grave. He puts down all fears, and in the face of death, He has no trouble getting the victory. If it would be some of us, we would have to pray, or have someone place a piece, have a testimony, have some moving upon our emotions, but He did not take the victory out there. He had it because He did all things that pleased His Father. He did not stumble. It was day time for Him because He was in communion with the Father.

As He stood there, He could lift up His hand and say, “Father, give Lazarus His life back.” It was so, even in the beginning (Hebrews 11:2). We understand that by faith the world was created but when we look at Genesis 1:2, we find the earth was without form and void. Everything was at a standstill. There was a conflict between Satan and God. Everything was in darkness, but God was not satisfied. To that dark entangled mass, He said, “Let there be light.” The Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the water. The tide came in, and the debris went out. In the face of defeat and the devil, that which was darkened, He straightened out and made it beautiful. He saw that the light was good.

He can do the same with us. It is not that He gets up something new. No, He takes dead men’s bones and says to them, “Let there be light.” If we give Him our cooperation, we will hear Him though our ears be deafened. Though our eyes have blindness upon them, yet we will hear that voice saying, “Arise, shake yourself, look to God, and He will give you light.”

There is no excuse for you to say, “I am spiritually dumb,” or anything else. If there is anything God can work on, He can pierce through the darkness, and He will straighten out your life. He does not have pets or certain names and addresses in a file. He does not deal with certain dispositions, but He looks underneath in spite of our failures, the tangles, etc. He looks to see if He has a foundation to work upon. He sees whether or not we believe Him. If we believe, He will take us through. Do not give excuses. Do not think He has certain bright lights, or that He has pets. If you have something He can work on, Jesus will touch it.

Jesus will never leave you, He will never forsake you. Though it is dark as night, He will say to the Father, “Answer Me for this child. I am going to call to this one. Put Thy machinery in operation, and let this one hear.” Isn’t it wonderful?

Are you discouraged? Hope thou in God. Praise God for the wonderful hope we have in Him. If we will just look to Him, He will bring us out of every trial, test or temptation. Though your way be black, yet if there is something He can touch, if you will just cooperate with Him, He will call to the something underneath, and He will let the tide come in. When the tide comes in, the debris will go.

In the cities that have been flooded this past week, when the water recedes you will find all the debris, dirt and filth that the rushing waters carried into the cities. But when God’s tide comes into our lives, He carries out the shipwrecks, all that was mean and vile. We can go so far. We can put aside certain things in our lives. That is cooperating with God.

But there comes a time when you cannot put them completely out of your lives. At those times, you say to Him, “Now Father, work for me. I am here. I can do nothing more.” And as His tide comes in, those things will go out that we cannot move. That driftwood, the slime, the dirt we leave underneath, it is poured over us. But when the tide comes in, He washes it with His freshness.

The Holy Spirit is always fresh. As the shores are lapped with fresh waves—oh the crispness of them, the air is pure—that is a small type of what the Holy Spirit does. He brings in the freshness and the coolness, and breathes upon us, saying, “Peace, be still.”

What a Saviour we have! He is able to meet every condition in our lives. Though discouraged tonight, let us take fresh hope and courage in Him. Let us acknowledge our guiltiness and sins, and if there is faith underneath, He will have something to work on.

Jesus, even in His death, was winning souls—souls could be won, even yours and mine. He could bring the deadness into life. As death was working in Him, so was life working in others. He was dying, but not spiritually—not with a sickness unto death, but with a sickness unto life to others.

We can die unto self, sin, our nature, that which we long for. And if we do, before our eyes, we will see the life work in others. We can see it in our homes, in our families. As we die, life will come. I have seen it done. As I die and die out to my opinions, I see life work out in someone else. Jesus does not want us to have the sickness unto death. No, He wants us to have life. He wants us to die to the flesh.

May we have that sickness that even as Paul said, “That whether in life or in death, we might glorify God.”

No matter if we die, yet He will say “Arise.” It is wonderful to know that we cannot fail or lose trusting Jesus. As He gave His all, may we give Him our little bit. As Chambers said, “My utmost for His highest.” He gave us His best, and may we give our utmost for His highest. Amen!