Jesus Christ - Lesson Ten: Raising Lazarus - Resurrection and Life

On Sunday, April 24th 2026, Assistant Pastor Dillon Meadway delivers a message that wrestles with one of faith's most challenging questions: what do we do when God doesn't meet our expectations? Through the story of Lazarus in John 11:17-44, we're invited to explore why bad things happen to good people and how our response shapes our spiritual journey. The narrative centers on Martha and Mary's desperate plea for Jesus to heal their brother, only to find Him arriving four days after Lazarus had died. Their confusion mirrors our own when we pray fervently yet seem to receive silence in return. The teaching unpacks six key reasons why suffering enters our lives: for God's glory and testimony, for the trial of our faith, as a wake-up call to draw us back to Him, as part of God's sovereign plan, because we live in a fallen world, and to equip us for ministry through our suffering. The climactic moment comes when Jesus declares 'I am the resurrection and the life'—not promising merely a future hope, but offering present resurrection power. This means that even in our deadest moments, when pain and disappointment threaten to overwhelm us, we can experience spiritual life and renewal today. The message challenges us to let patience have its perfect work, to trust God's character even when we cannot understand His ways, and to recognize that our trials produce something far more valuable than gold—a faith that will be found unto praise and honor at Christ's appearing.