Hilltop WesleyanChurch

Hope in The Resurrection Replaces Fear

Hope in The Resurrection Replaces Fear

Pastor Scott Uselman

John 11:1-46 · March 22, 2026

Chapters

Scripture

¹ Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” ⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” ⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” ¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” ¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. ¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” ¹⁷ On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” ²⁸ After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. ³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” ³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” ⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

We learn that real hope in the resurrection frees us from fear, calling us to total trust and faithfulness, especially when adversity comes.

The Sermon's Heart: Facing Suffering With Resurrection Hope

As we draw close to Easter, Pastor Scott called us to look honestly at what sustains us when life gets hard. He reflected on years spent talking with friends in ministry, noticing that many stepped away, some quietly, some through deep loss. The question that haunted those conversations is just as pressing for our church family today: What kind of faith stands up when suffering comes?

Pastor Scott remembered asking fellow pastors years ago, 'How are we doing to prepare God's people for suffering that may come?' He challenged today's popular idea that faith is mostly self-affirmation or a promise of comfort. Instead, he pointed to a harder, redemptive truth:

"Would the church actually be able to suffer if God said it is time for the church to suffer?"

Re-centering On John: From Nicodemus, to the Samaritan Woman, to the Born Blind

Walking us back through John, he gathered the threads: Nicodemus’s confusion about the new birth, the Samaritan woman's encounter at the well where love met her shame, and last week's story of the man born blind. In each case, Jesus overturned easy assumptions and made people confront whether they actually believed.

"Jesus is going to eliminate neutrality and He does it on purpose because you can't sit there and take the middle road in your stance with Jesus Christ. You're going to have to choose one way or the other."

This movement set the stage for the Lazarus story, where the question isn't about religious credentials, but about trust where none of our expectations are met and pain has run its course.

The Lazarus Story: Jesus Delays, Death Comes, And Yet

Pastor Scott read all 46 verses, letting the weight of grief, fear, and loss settle in. He refused to trim it down, saying:

"I'm honestly I'm telling you, I don't want to shorten these down... the church forgets what Jesus did for us."

We heard Martha and Mary’s raw words to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." We were invited into their confusion, a love that delays, a promise that feels too late, and a pain God does not hurry to remove.

Scott named how this cuts against our usual thinking:

"What I find to be amazing... is that Jesus is going to let His friend die. Do you all hear that? ... But Jesus knew that He was going to change the results."

Hope Overcomes Terminal Sickness; Adversity Meets Faith

Jesus’ response was not a quick fix, but a revelation that God’s glory was at work where none of us would look for it. Scott drew a direct line: the resurrection hope shown here is what readies disciples to live and witness without fear.

"You do not have to fear the death or this world because Jesus has power over the resurrection. Place your hope there."

Where most of us would back away from risk, Jesus led His own into loaded danger: “Are you seriously going to take us to Bethany where we might lose our lives, too?” To this, He insisted the truer story was not avoidance, but faith:

"You're going to face adversity and you're going to do it in faith. And the reason... is because you know that I am the resurrection and the life."

The Unseen Kingdom: Becoming Testimony To What The World Can’t See

Scott pressed this further, returning to the “red pill” and “blue pill” contrast he used throughout the sermon. The blue pill lets us believe faith is about comfort or invisibility; the red pill asks us to surrender even our place of safety, allowing Christ’s power to be visible in our struggle.

Through the eyes of the watching community at Lazarus’s funeral, he pointed out that some believed, but others ran to tattle to the authorities. The kingdom becomes visible not in our escape from trial, but when ordinary believers show up in the hard realities of the world and keep trusting.

Scott illustrated this with the story of Jim Cox, a church member with bone cancer. In a quiet moment in the parking lot, Scott dared to ask Jim if he would still love God, even if healing didn’t come. Jim said yes. Healing did not come as hoped, but through Jim’s faith, his family saw the kingdom at work and his wife came to trust Christ.

"His wife was saved through this as well. I'm just saying."

Jesus Raises His Friends, And Sends Them Into Danger

Scott emphasized that Jesus not only draws us back from the grave, but sends us out as witnesses, often at cost. The early disciples saw, firsthand, that Christ conquers death. This gave them the courage to keep proclaiming the message after everything had been stripped away. Martyrdom was not the exception but the shape of their lives.

"He hangs out for two more days. And I'm just going to go ahead and say it to make sure He's good and dead. ... Lazarus died for 4 days for the sake of the disciples. Are you hearing this?"

We are not to think of ourselves as more special than those early friends of Jesus who suffered, but we are called into the same trust. Scott challenged us:

"Jesus expects total commitment, doesn't He? Total faith. ... The only way that you can meet those expectations is that you have to have hope in the resurrection instead of fear of what might happen to you."

Not Just Endurance: The Kingdom In Us Is Meant To Be Seen

Faithfulness here isn't just surviving hard times but letting grace, patience, and hope become visible testimony to Jesus. When we keep showing up, when our loyalty stays through sickness, uncertainty, or loss, others notice the source of our endurance.

"Those who don't know Jesus, they're going to look at you and they're going to say, 'Where did you get that strength from to do these things?' ... And you're going to say, 'Because I know Him.'"

Scott ended by reminding us that facing our own fear and suffering with hope in resurrection is what makes the church visible and faithful in a skeptical world.

Living It Out

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts this week: When adversity comes, are we more intent on our own safety, or will we trust Jesus to be enough? May we show others the reality of His kingdom not by easy answers but by steady, living hope.

Discussion Questions

Where have you seen your own fear exposed, and how did hope in the resurrection change (or not change) your response?
When have you or someone you know had to trust God in adversity, and what did those around you see as a result?
What “blue pill” comforts are easiest for you to cling to, and what might it look like to trade them for a deeper trust in Christ’s resurrection power?

This Week’s Devotional

Letting Hope Speak Louder Than Fear

4 min read · Pastor Scott

When the Stone Hasn't Moved Yet

You know that moment when you’ve asked God for help, and all you get, day after day, is silence? When you find yourself staring at your version of Lazarus’s tomb, hoping for rescue, but the stone stays firmly in place? It is right there, in the long waiting, that Jesus’s words to Martha echo in our ordinary lives: I am the resurrection and the life.

You may wonder why God seems late. You know He loves you, you have the stories and songs to prove it. But what about when the sickness gets worse, or the prayers feel unanswered, or grief settles so thick you can’t see beyond it? This is where fear slips in, whispering that maybe, this time, it really is over. Maybe you will be left alone. But the story Pastor Scott lingered over reminds us: Jesus sometimes waits, not because He does not care, but because His glory, and our hope, grows deeper than our fear can imagine.

This hope is not a denial of hurt. Jesus did not rush to erase Martha and Mary's pain, nor does He always rush to erase ours. But He steps near, and He weeps too. Your suffering is not wasted; your waiting is not a sign you have less faith. In the shadows where fear tries to reign, resurrection hope is born. The end of your story is not the grave. When Jesus says, "Take away the stone," a new sort of courage is called for. Faith does not mean pretending the loss didn’t happen. It means, even with trembling hands, letting God’s power be seen where you’d least expect it.

Meditation focus: Where am I still waiting for a stone to move, and how can I let hope in Jesus be louder than my fear?

Practical step

As you move through this week, when grief or fear creeps in, pause and say, with as much honesty as you can manage, 'Jesus, I trust you, even here.' Let that be your prayer, not just when the outcome changes, but especially when it hasn’t yet. Let His presence draw near.

Prayer

Father, you are good in all your ways, full of mercy even when I cannot see the outcome. Teach me to welcome what you choose and to trust that you are always near. Where I feel empty, supply what I lack. Where I falter, forgive and steady my steps. Protect me from despair or bitterness, and let your hope take root in my heart, stronger than fear. Use my story, whatever it becomes, as a place where your light shines for others to see. I am yours. Amen.

Hilltop Wesleyan Church

735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, SC 29657

Find Us

Contact Us

Hilltop Wesleyan Church believes in providing support and education to foster an ongoing relationship with Christ beyond salvation. Each day is an opportunity for us to grow closer to Him.

735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, S.C. 29657
(864) 777-8472
connect@hilltopwesleyan.org

We saved you a seat. Plan your first visit.

Let us know you’re coming and we’ll help you know exactly what to expect on your first Sunday at Hilltop.