God Hears Us - 11-23-25
Overview
God Hears Us
At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus stands "greatly disturbed"—a Greek word that can also be rendered "irate." His anger is not sin but holy indignation against the effects of death itself. Yet before He calls His friend out of the grave, Jesus does something striking: He gives thanks. Looking up, He prays, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me" John 11:41-42. The Greek tense indicates a past prayer with continuing effect—Jesus had already prayed about Lazarus, already knew the Father's will, and already trusted the answer. This is why He could confidently say, "Take away the stone."
This is the third thanksgiving in our study of Jesus' words: He gives thanks for the Father's perfect will, for the Father's provision, and now for the Father who hears. And the promise that God hears is not reserved for the Son alone—it extends to us. "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears" Psalm 34:17. "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear" Isaiah 65:24. The psalmist declares, "Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice" Psalm 55:17.
But what about when God's answer is not what we hoped? David asked to build the temple, and God said no. Elijah, exhausted and dejected, asked to die, and God said no 1 Kings 19. Moses wanted to refuse his calling, and God said no. Sometimes God says no. Sometimes He says wait. Sometimes He answers in a way we did not anticipate. In those moments we may be tempted to think God hears but does not really listen—that our prayers go in one ear and out the other. Scripture testifies otherwise. When blind Bartimaeus cried out above the noise of the crowd, "Son of David, have mercy on me," Jesus stopped, called him, and restored his sight Mark 10:46-52. He heard, and He listened.
We can trust the Father's answer because we know His heart, revealed in the Son who died and rose for us. The empty tomb is the proof of His mercy; the cross is the measure of His love. So bring your prayers honestly—your complaints, your longings, your griefs—and trust the One who not only hears but listens. That is music to our ears: God hears you, God listens to you, and you can trust Him with whatever answer He gives.
Transcript
Job in your Bibles, please, for our time in God's Word to the 11th chapter of the gospel 3s
of John, John the 11th chapter if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture. 8s
You're going to find that in the New Testament page 92, John the 11th chapter, for our 13s
study this morning. 20s
Frazes, phrases, phrases like, I hear you, I hear you, or keep your ears open. 21s
Or that's music to my ears. 38s
Frazes that have to do with hearing, phrases perhaps we use every now and then. 43s
We find ourselves in the second chapter of this long series, the red letter words that 52s
goes to the end of May of next year, or examining what Scripture records as Jesus is saying. 59s
And we've seen that Jesus gave thanks for four things. 66s
We've seen that Jesus gave thanks for God's perfect will, secondly that he gave thanks 72s
for the provision of the Father. 78s
And here today we come to the third sermon in this the second chapter, where Jesus gives 82s
thanks and it has to do with hearing, with hearing. 89s
When we turn to John the 11th chapter, it is the dramatic and powerful story of the raising 98s
of Lazarus. 104s
Lazarus and Jesus were close, they were friends. 106s
Lazarus dies. 111s
Jesus is now in our text for today at the tomb. 113s
Look with me please, at verse 38. 117s
Then Jesus again, greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. 121s
It was a cave and a stone was lying against it. 125s
You see that words translated greatly disturbed. 131s
That's one word in the Greek. 134s
And that also appears up in verse 33. 137s
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly 141s
disturbed and spiritually moved. 147s
This is greatly disturbed. 150s
Is that a fine translation? 152s
Sure it is. 154s
It is. 156s
It can also be translated as I rate. 157s
I rate. 161s
Now we know that anger is not necessarily sinful. 163s
Anger can become sinful. 168s
But just because one is angry doesn't mean that there is sin. 172s
Sin can be associated with anger. 175s
We know that Jesus didn't sin. 180s
It says here that Jesus is I rate. 182s
Well, what does he? 185s
I rate about. 186s
He's I rate about the effects of death. 187s
The effects of death. 192s
Going on. 197s
In to verse 39, Jesus said, take away the stone. 197s
Martha the sister of the dead man said him Lord already there's a stench because he's 201s
been dead for days. 205s
Jesus said to her, did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? 209s
What's the glory of God? 216s
Well, the glory of God is the revelation of his attributes. 217s
So Mary has been told here that she's going to see the revelation of the attributes 224s
of God, the glory of God. 229s
The miracle recorded beginning with verse 43. 234s
When he had said this, he cried out with a loud voice. 239s
Lazarus come out. 242s
The dead man came out his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped 244s
in a cloth. 249s
Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. 250s
And before the miracle, what does Jesus do? 258s
He gives thanks. 265s
Look, please, at verse 41. 270s
So they took away the stone and Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having 276s
heard me. 286s
I knew that you always hear me. 288s
But I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here so that they may be 292s
that you sent me. 296s
He gives thanks for being heard. 301s
He gives thanks for always being heard. 304s
Let's get into the weeds here a little bit. 308s
Verse 41 again. 310s
Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. 313s
In the Greek, that's in the arrest. 318s
The arrest tense tells us that that was a past action that has continuing effect. 320s
That tells us that Jesus had prayed about this before he came to the tomb. 329s
And the prayer had been answered. 340s
Why we see that Jesus knew exactly what the will of the Father was going all the way 344s
back into the very first verses of chapter 11. 349s
Look at verse 11, verse 4, when Jesus says to Mary, this illness does not lead to death, 353s
rather it's for God's glory so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. 362s
So you've got the arrest here in our text and you see going back into the early verses 371s
here of chapter 11, Jesus knew prayer answered, Lazarus was going to be raised from the 377s
dead. 387s
What does he say in verse 39, Jesus says, take away the stone. 389s
He knows exactly exactly what is going to occur. 393s
And the third form of the expression of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, the third of the 399s
Gives thanks at the Father, heard Him and that He continues in all ways. 407s
Here's Him. 419s
That promise is for us too. 423s
We see, for example, in Psalm 34, when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and 427s
rescues them from all their troubles. 436s
Isaiah 65, before they call, I will answer, while they are yet speaking, I will hear Psalm 55. 440s
I call upon God and the Lord will save me, evening and morning and at noon, I utter 451s
my complaint and moan and He will hear my voice, my C7. 457s
But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation. 464s
My God will hear me. 471s
God hears us when we pray. 477s
But, but there's another phrase with regard to hearing. 489s
Have you used it? 499s
I imagine probably most of us have. 502s
He heard my prayers. 506s
He heard my prayers. 510s
What is that said? 515s
It's when one has prayed and God has answered in accordance with what we were hoping 516s
He would do. 523s
He heard my prayer. 526s
But now let's think about that a little bit. 528s
Does that mean then that when we pray and He answers it in a different way than what 531s
we were hoping that He didn't hear our prayer? 542s
No. 552s
Sometimes God just says, no. 555s
Sometimes God just says, wait. 559s
Sometimes God answers the prayer in a different way than what we were praying for. 560s
Sometimes He just says, no. 566s
The scripture tells us that King David wanted to build a temple for the Lord and the 571s
Lord said, no. 575s
No. 577s
I think of Elijah. 580s
Elijah was dejected and he was depressed because he had been given this word from 581s
the Lord to preach and he saw absolutely no results. 587s
He was faithful in proclaiming it and saw no results. 592s
He was so depressed and so dejected that he just wanted to die. 596s
And God said, no. 600s
No. 604s
God chooses Moses to lead the people out from the hand of the oppressive Pharaoh, out 608s
of slavery and Egypt. 614s
He was a terrible situation that they were in. 615s
God chooses Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and headed toward the promised land. 618s
And Moses doesn't think too highly of that idea. 626s
Moses wants to veto that idea. 629s
He wants to override the will of God and God says, no. 631s
No. 639s
Sometimes God says, no. 642s
No. 648s
But it's a mids times like that. 652s
It's a mids times like that that we can be tempted to think that God lives out another 654s
phrase. 665s
Another one of those hearing phrases that God hears us, but he just doesn't listen sometimes. 667s
Well, we're tempted to think another one of those hearing phrases in one year and out 686s
the other. 696s
Is that how God acts sometimes with our prayers in one year and out the other? 700s
Is that how God is that he hears us, but that just sometimes he doesn't listen? 706s
Think of the story of Bartomans, Mark the 10th chapter. 719s
Bartomans was a blind man. 722s
He was a beggar. 724s
The Bible tells us that there was a large crowd, large crowd that was leaving Jericho and 726s
Jesus is in the crowd. 732s
Bartomans hears that Jesus is there. 735s
And so the blind beggar, he calls out and he says, son of David, have mercy on me. 738s
And even though it is a large crowd, even though there's going to be a noise level with 748s
this crowd, is it leaving Jericho? 753s
Jesus stops because he's heard. 755s
He's heard Bartomans. 760s
And he calls Bartomans to come and he turns to Bartomans and he says, what do you want 764s
me to do for you? 769s
Bartomans says restore my sight. 773s
And Jesus restores his sight. 777s
Jesus heard and he listened. 784s
Psalmist tells us, Psalm 61, hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 792s
From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. 802s
Hear me, God, in listen to me. 806s
And this exactly what God does. 813s
When we turn to him in prayer, he not only hears us, but he listens to us. 818s
How do we know that for sure? 826s
Because we know it's heart. 828s
He's revealed himself in the sun, the Lord Jesus Christ. 830s
We know of his mercy and his grace in sending the sun to die for us on the cross and be 833s
raised. 839s
The tomb is empty. 841s
God redeems us. 844s
He buys us back. 845s
He reconciles us. 846s
He forgives us. 847s
We know the heart of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. 849s
And so we can cry out in our prayers, knowing that not only does he hear us, but he also 854s
listens to us. 863s
And we can trust him. 869s
We can trust him because we know it's heart. 872s
We can trust him in his answer. 877s
Jesus said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. 887s
I knew that you always hear me. 895s
He gave thanks for the perfect will. 902s
That was number one. 905s
He gives thanks for the provision of the Father. 906s
That's number two. 908s
And now number three, he gives thanks that the listening Father hears him. 909s
Here's him. 920s
Beloved in the Lord, God through His Word has some hearing phrases for you today. 923s
For God through His Word sets. 933s
I hear you. 937s
I hear you. 941s
God through His Word says to you, keep your ears open. 945s
Keep your ears open. 952s
And God in His grace enables that very exhortation to become reality as through Word and 954s
to become reality. 964s
And He opens up our ears so that we hear His promises. 965s
He opens up our ears so that we understand the depth of His grace and His mercy. 972s
He opens up our ears so we understand and knew His heart. 979s
And it responds to that. 990s
Well, it's one of those hearing phrases, isn't it? 995s
That's music to our ears, isn't it? 999s
Trust him. 1013s
Trust him. 1015s
For he hears you. 1018s
And he really listens. 1023s