In this exposition of John 11:1–16, Zack DiPrima explores the severe providence of God and the warm friendship of Jesus Christ through the illness and death of Lazarus. Although Jesus deeply loves Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, He deliberately waits before traveling to Bethany, revealing that God’s love does not always spare His people from suffering. Instead, the Good Shepherd purposefully orders all things—even painful trials—for the glory of God and the ultimate good of His friends. Drawing from Job, Isaiah 53, 2 Corinthians 4, Esther, and the writings of Amy Carmichael and J.C. Ryle, DiPrima calls Christians to trust God’s providence when His purposes are difficult to understand and to allow suffering to deepen faith, holiness, dependence on the church, and longing for heaven. The sermon also emphasizes the remarkable biblical truth that believers are friends of Jesus: Christ loves, leads, protects, and remains with His people even through death. Ultimately, Lazarus’s story points forward to resurrection and calls every hearer to repent, believe in Christ, and find eternal life and an everlasting friend in Him.
This sermon is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
