Now more than ever before, it seems that matters of doctrine and practice differ from person to person.  What has long been considered true is now (in the eyes of many) debatable, while those things that we have always believed to be false or in opposition to the truth, are now being adopted and accepted.  We all have the right to believe whatever we want, and it is sure that no one or no one group will ever have a corner on the truth.  Yet, the Word still encourages us to be likeminded about both our doctrine and practice. The commandment in II Timothy 2:15 to rightly divide the Word of truth still directs us to show ourselves approved by doing so.  This challenge is still accomplishable.  God would not ask us to do something that we could not.

When proper workmanship produces truth that we agree upon, the logical thing to do is to adhere to it until our workmanship improves and we learn more. Change is proper and right, but it must be taken with caution and humility.  There is safety in a multitude of counselors, and the independence and autonomy which we cherish and maintain at the price of our personal integrity must be weighed against the clear exhortations of God’s Word to function together as a Body fitly framed together.

At times our individual and collective pursuits, cause us to throw aside the principles of truth to pursue a sense of freedom that is completely void of truth. For some odd reason, we have bought into the lie that the freedoms we want to experience in Christ as believers, can come about without certain rules and boundaries. . . certain checks and balances.

Unfortunately, too many of us long for the mystical to occur in our lives. We want something magical to happen to us. Well, you better hope nothing magical does happen. Rather than embrace the truths behind sowing and reaping, we want gain without doing what is required. . . doing what the word says. God’s grace doesn’t eliminate effort, an honest realization of the grace of God brings out our best possible effort because of our love and appreciation for what God did for us in Christ.  (I Corinthians 15:10)

As believers, we sometimes get this freedom thing all messed up.  We are free to love, free to serve and free to give.  We are not free to do whatever we want.  That’s called lasciviousness or anarchy.  Isn’t it interesting that the very first time the word “free” is mentioned in the Bible, God follows it up with a boundary in which that freedom can occur.

Genesis 2:15-17:
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Here we see God from the very beginning, providing mankind with instructions on how he can flourish freely within the garden He provided, along with the boundaries he needed to observe in order to live and succeed.

Psalms 119:45:
I will walk at liberty for I seek Thy precepts.

When doing God’s Word and will is our priority, we will walk at liberty. God wants us free. Jesus said the truth would make us free. Apart from the truth there is no real freedom. That’s why when we find the truth we stay put.

Galatians 5:1, 13:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  [We must avoid legalism.] ¹³ For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, [We must avoid license.] but by love serve one another.

The freedom God provides us requires boundaries.  God will help each of us to establish boundaries that will protect us and provide for our safety and growth. Unless we establish proper boundaries with the truth of God’s Word, our lusts and addictions will take over and our freedom in Christ will disappear.

God bless you

In Part IV of Living in God’s Power, hour two we learned there is a fight or flight mechanism that we all have.  We also learned that some people’s fight mechanism is turned up and a little louder than their flight mechanism and vise versa. But whatever our natural tendencies are, there are times when either response is godly, appropriate and necessary. I have also recently learned to add another component to those two options:  freeze. Both fighting and fleeing are deliberate actions and are appropriate to consider quickly.  However, freezing is not an appropriate option. Freezing is inaction.  Freezing is what the roar of the lion is supposed to cause (I Peter 5:8).  Our adversary roars to frighten us so we freeze so he can prey upon us (Isaiah 5:29; Amos 3:4 ). We cannot afford to be frozen and not act when only acting will bring deliverance.

In I Kings 19:3 God has Elijah flee from Jezebel. Similarly the brethren sent Paul and Silas away from Thessalonica when things got hot in Acts 17:10. David was indignant when friends encouraged him to flee in Psalms 11:1, but we are well aware of all the times he did correctly flee from Saul’s vicious attacks.

There are also times to stand and fight. Elijah did show himself to the king and went toe to toe with the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18. David didn’t run from Goliath, but rather ran toward him with God’s guidance.  When Jehoshaphat sought the Lord’s counsel in II Chronicles 20, he was told to stand and fight.  Unlike David who had to engage Goliath, Jehoshaphat’s battle was to stand and see the Lord fight for him.

God’s promise is clear. He will deliver His people. Sometimes he calms the storms and sometimes He calms his children in the storms (Matthew 8:26 vs Acts 27:23 & 24). He either removes us from the trouble or sees us through to the end of it. God didn’t deliver Daniel from being thrown into lion’s den, but he delivered him from the lions while he was in there. God didn’t stop Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from being thrown into the fire, but he stopped the fire from harming them. Sometimes He takes us from the situation and sometimes He takes us through it. It’s important that we stand and fight when God requires it for deliverance.

Psalms 91:15:
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

There are situations we will face in life in which God’s will is not to flee, but to fight.  He is simply not going to remove us from the situation. Rather, He is going to give us what we need to slug it out right where we are and win.  If He doesn’t deliver us from it, He’ll see that we make it through it.

Many times, we get tired of the people we work with, or tired of the job we do, or tired of the house we live in, or tired of this that or the other. We might want to leave ever so badly; we may want the situations to change in the worst way.  However, it may very well be that God wants you to stay right where you are and fight it out.  Furthermore, if He wants you to stay and fight, He will equip you to slug it out and win right where you are, He will not leave you to do it alone.  If He takes you to it, He’ll see you through it.

He said that He would be with us in trouble.  God will help us bear every burden and break every yoke. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee one way, to flee before thee seven ways. (Deuteronomy 28:7)  That’s why we need to find out if this is the time to stay and fight or take to flight. God has the answers we need.  You can be sure that if God says to stay, He will equip you with all you need to win the battle.  God causes us to triumph in Christ; that means we can win every time. Fight, flee, but never freeze.

God Bless you

When addressing events of the future, II Thessalonians 2 gives us the reason why the wicked one’s use of power, signs and lying wonders in the next administration will be so affective.  He will deceive people because they just don’t love the truth.  Verse 10 says.

II Thessalonians 2:10b: 
… because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

It’s our love for the truth that will make us whole.  When we love the truth, we settle for nothing less.  Only the truth will satisfy the longings of our hearts and souls.  This love must be such as to root and ground us in the truth (Ephesians 3:17).

The parable of the sower reflects upon the impact of the power of our love for the truth.  The stony ground and the thorny ground represented people who received the Word, but their love for it did not root or ground them to it.  Rather, they sacrificed the truth upon the altar of pressure and pleasure.  They loved other things more than the truth, and when things got tough, the truth was forsaken.

It will be the same for us as for those of whom II Thessalonians 2:10 speaks if we do not receive the love of the truth.  If we seek signs and wonders apart from the truth, we will only be deceived by them.  It’s our love for the truth that gets us through.  Maintaining our love for the truth takes continuing in it.

John 8:31-32 36:
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth [that you know] shall make you free. . .
³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

It’s the truth we know that sets us free.  The devil keeps us in bondage by keeping us from the truth that can set us free.  He uses pleasure and pressure to keep us distracted.  Remember the parable of the sower?  Continuing in the Word makes us disciples.  That’s because it takes some discipline… some effort… some focused thinking… some directed action.

In our administration we are not called simply to be disciples.  That’s only a step along the way.  We are called to be doulos(es), bond-slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The distinguishing characteristic of a doulos is love.  Because of his great love he never vacillates in his commitment to his master.  His love constrains him.  That’s what II Corinthians 5:14 says our love for Christ should do for us.

This love needs to be strong enough as to control our other affections.  It doesn’t mean that we do not have other passions, pleasures or delights, but they should all pale in comparison to our love for the truth.  Our love for the truth must control our love for every other passion pleasure or delight.

Now don’t be silly.  That doesn’t mean that our love for the truth is to be greater than our love for God or the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our love for truth can only be realized or actualized in love for God and His son Jesus Christ.  Our God is a God of truth, and Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

Our relationship with God can only be based and built upon truth.  Psalm 119 entwine God the psalmist and the truth in almost every verse.  The only way to know our Father and His only begotten son is in the truth and by the truth.  Don’t be fooled by any thing else.  Only the truth that we know will set us free and bring us into a full knowledge of our Father and His son.  Love the truth, be rooted and grounded in it and you’ll walk above the pressures and pleasures of life and enjoy an ever deepening relationship with your heavenly Father.

God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ

During Roman antiquity, to honor a returning general into Rome after he had conquered a foreign enemy, a triumphal procession ceremony would take place. The Roman Senate would grant a triumphal procession only if certain criteria were met.

The conquering general would have to:

1. Have slain at least 5,000 of the enemy
2. His victory must be over a foreign enemy
3. His victory had to be decisive and complete
4. His captured cities were to be added to the Roman Territory
5. His battle had to end the war
6. Only those that commanded on the day of battle could qualify
7. The general (Triumphator) would have to remain outside Rome until receiving Senate confirmation that he could make his entry into the city.

Upon entering through the Triumphal Gate (Porta Triumphalis), the general would be met by magistrates and Senators who would head the procession. Behind these magistrates and Senators would be wagons weighted down with captured spoils and floats outfitted with model-sized replicas of the captured cities. After the floats would be musicians; next the white cattle used in sacrifice. Following the cattle were the captured and chained enemy and behind the enemy would be the general, clothed in a special robe and carrying a laurel branch and a scepter. A wreath was put upon the general’s head and his face would be painted red. The general would be riding in his four horse drawn chariot, and escorted by his mounted officers. Lastly was his army which closed the procession. Placed along the processional, lining the way, would be burning incense that would permeate the air with a sweet smelling fragrance. To the conquering army, it was a sweet smelling savour, but to the captives being led in chains, it was the smell or savour of death.

Ephesians 5:2:
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

Just as the general and his army equated the fragrant air with triumph and victory, we too can look upon the offering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as our sweet smelling savour of triumph and victory.

II Corinthians 2:14-16:
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place.¹⁵ For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:¹⁶ To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Who is to come to, to reach to, or is worthy of such a sweet smelling triumphal procession? Christ and the believers, that’s who is worthy. Every time we open our mouths and declare the greatness of God’s word, we manifest the savor (sweet odor) of His knowledge by us in every place. Think how magnificent this is. When we live our lives according to the precepts of God’s word, it is like participating in a triumphal procession. Imagine the insult and sense of defeat we can inflict on our spiritual enemy when we walk in this light.

Philippians 4:18:
But I have all, and abound; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

When we give in any capacity, when we sacrifice to help others and bless those in need, our sacrifice is well pleasing and a sweet smell to God. Each time we make the effort to give and serve and perform God’s word, we declare our victory. If Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was acceptable to God, then we as His brothers and sisters can claim the same. We enjoy God’s acceptance of how we serve and how we as individuals and a collective body defeat the adversary through our sacrifices. We produce a beautiful fragrance in the nostrils of God when we march victoriously, celebrating our defeat over our enemy.

In the book of Luke, there is an account of a just and devout man in Jerusalem who had the holy ghost upon him. The man’s name was Simeon and he went to the temple to see and bless the family of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus.

Luke 2:34:
And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his (Jesus’) mother, behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against.

To some, Jesus Christ would be the fall, the stumbling block, and the savor of death unto death. This category of people would be those who do not believe and are to perish. To others however, those that believe unto everlasting life, Jesus Christ is the savor of life unto life.

Each day we have the privilege of deciding whether or not we want to walk in that triumphal procession. Do we want to claim victory and march with the victors, or do we claim defeat and march handcuffed by the adversary? Do we smell that sweet savour each day and walk with great honor for being part of the victory? Let’s go out and defeat our enemy, living our lives in service for God and let us enjoy the sweet savor we produce as we walk through that Triumphal Gate.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ

In Philippians 1:1 Paul proudly describes himself and Timothy as “servants of Christ Jesus.”  The Greek word translated “servants” is more accurately translated “bondslaves.”  He is saying that the relationship to Jesus Christ that he and Timothy had was one of total obedience and complete loyalty.  That same relationship is available for every believer, but we, like Paul and Timothy, must continually affirm and reaffirm it.

The cannon of the church epistles begins with Romans.  The first word in the church epistles is “Paul,” an individual.  The second word is doulos, bondslave.  The first thing for every individual believer is to make himself a doulos. . . to decide by his freewill choice because of his love for the master to serve him unconditionally.  The third element that completes this exquisite truth is found in the next words, “Jesus Christ.”  He is the one to whom we dedicate our lives in service.  Following his example, we commit ourselves to serve God unreservedly.  This is the beginning of the revelation of the mystery, and prescribe the first steps of the child of God in his walk with His Father.

There is much to learn from the doulos analogy.  The Old Testament law prescribed how one was to treat slaves.  If a Hebrew man fell upon hard times and had to sell himself into slavery, the law limited the length of his bondage.  He could only serve 6 years.  Then he had to be released and given adequate means for supporting himself after he left.  However, this servant could request to remain in the service of his master.

If he loved and trusted his master and wanted to continue to serve him for the rest of his life, he could ask to become a bondslave, a doulos.  This concept is really unique to the Hebrew culture for it is a Biblical concept. Once freed, the servant could voluntarily relinquish his freedom to be part of the master’s household.  The master of course would consider the request carefully, because if he decided to agree to this request, he would be bound by his freewill commitment to protect and provide for this bondslave for the rest of their lives.  Let’s read about it in Deuteronomy 15.

Deuteronomy 15:12-18:
And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.¹³ And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:¹⁴ Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.¹⁵ And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.¹⁶ And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;¹⁷ Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.¹⁸ It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

Although the Hebrew man sold himself into slavery initially because of hard times, his decision to become a bondslave had nothing to do hard times.  He would be provided with an abundance so that he could leave without fear of providing for himself.  That’s how Israel left Egypt, with all the wealth of Pharaoh.  The only reason to remain was love.  If he loved his master and his master loved him, they could make this commitment to each other and seal the deal with an aul on the doorpost.  (Of course, the symbolism in all of this is astounding.  Remember it was the doorpost where the blood of the Passover lamb was to be placed.  So, when the ear was bored on the door blood was placed there also.)

So for us, once we have been made free from sin by our master, our love for our kinsman redeemer, moves us to commit our lives in service to him.  Becoming a doulos is a commitment of love because one wants nothing more than to serve the master for the rest of his life.  Although becoming a doulos of Jesus Christ is the first priority for every believer, we were not always servants of Jesus Christ.  At one time we all were slaves to sin.

Romans 6:16-18:
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

We were once a slave to sin.  We had no other choice.  But, when we changed lordships everything changed.  Christ has set us free from sin.  But our freedom from sin requires another allegiance.  Our allegiance has been transferred from our former master, sin, to a new master, Jesus Christ.  So, we are now bondslaves of Christ Jesus.  We must constantly affirm and reaffirm our freedom from sin and our fidelity to Christ.  Paul stated boldly and proudly that he was a bondslave of Jesus Christ.  That would be a great example for us to follow.

How do you see yourself?  How do you speak of yourself?  Do you see yourself as a bondslave of Jesus Christ?  Many people see themselves, not as bondslaves, but as volunteers.  What’s the difference?  A volunteer gets to choose the agenda.  A servant does not.  A volunteer gets to define the terms of his or her service.  A true bondslave must be obedient to the will of the master.  A volunteer does what he wants to do, when he wants to do it.  A doulos does what he is asked when he is asked to do so.

Do you see yourself as a volunteer for Christ or a bondslave of Christ?  Paul saw himself as a bondslave of Christ.  That is where Philippians begins, and that is where we should begin.  Paul proudly spoke of himself and Timothy as bondslaves of Jesus Christ.  We, too, need to reaffirm our allegiance.  We affirm our freedom from sin and our fidelity to Christ.  We are proud to be servants of Jesus Christ.

God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ in whose steps we are to walk (I Peter 2:21).

In Biblical times walking was the most common way of going somewhere, even over long distances.  It is not surprising, then, that references to walking in the Bible number over four hundred.  A survey of references to the physical act of walking reveals that Jesus is noted as the most frequent pedestrian in the Bible.

In the Old Testament walking is frequently paired with the image of a path to illustrate the lifestyle and choices people should make or avoid.  The blessed person “does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalms 1:1), and the wise person avoids walking “in the way of evil men” (Proverbs 4:14).  Nebuchadnezzar learned that God will humble “those who walk in pride” (Daniel 4:37).  Positively, people should walk “humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).  In practice this means living in conformity with God’s paths (Isaiah 2:3) or way (Psalms 119:3) or law (Psalms 119:1).  To obey God’s law is to “walk about at liberty or in freedom” (Psalms 119:45), and “the man of integrity walks securely or surely” (Proverbs 10:9).  Similarly, “those who walk uprightly enter into peace” (Isaiah 57:2).  Passages such as these use the metaphor of walking to identify a person’s conduct of life and the results that flow from it.

References to how people walk yield a composite picture of how the godly person lives.  The model person walks in all of God’s ways (Deuteronomy 8:6), in the fear of God (Nehemiah 5:9), in God’s truth (Psalms 86:11), and in the light of God’s presence or countenance (Psalms 89:15), in the way of good men (Proverbs 2:20), in the way of righteousness (Proverbs 8:20) and understanding (Proverbs 9:6) and wisdom (Proverbs 28:26).  The ideal person is one “who walks uprightly” (Psalms 84:11).  Such a person is also known by human companions with whom he or she walks — going “unto the house of God in company” (PsalmS 55:14), and walking with the wise (Proverbs 13:20).

New Testament references to walking build on Old Testament motifs.  Walking now becomes a metaphor for how believers are expected to live.  John speaks of Jesus as encouraging people to walk in the light rather than in darkness (John 8:12).  This expression also occurs in John’s letters.  Believers are not to walk in darkness (I John 1:16) but in the light (I John 1:7); they “must walk as Jesus did” (I John 2:6), in the truth (II John 4), in obedience to God’s commands and in love (II John 6).

In Paul’s letters the figurative use of walking is primarily drawn from Paul’s extensive practice of it.  In keeping with his tendency toward heightened contrasts, Paul portrays the Christian life in terms of contrasting walks:  believers are to walk in newness of life rather than death (Romans 6:4), in good works rather than trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-2, 10), as children of light instead of darkness (Ephesians 5:8), with moral self-control rather than in sensuality (Romans 13:13), by faith rather than sight (II Corinthians 5:7).

So walking is one of the Bible’s vivid metaphors for how godly people should live, both positively in terms of what to follow and negatively in warnings about what to avoid.  Unfortunately, some recent translations tend to replace the concrete vigor of the original with prosaic words like live, conduct, or behave.  The result is to diminish a reader’s capacity to allow concrete, everyday activities to illustrate divine realities.

Let’s enjoy the blessing of walking by the spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  Enjoy your day putting on the mind of Christ and walking in his ways.

God bless you and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ

Yesterday we saw the difficult and perplexing dilemma Jesus worked through, and now we will see the deliverance as Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

John 11:38-39:
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself [In verse 33 it said, groaning in the spirit; the usage that meant “in himself.”] cometh to the grave.  It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. ³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.  Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

We cannot do this, Jesus.  He stinks!  He is decaying.

John 11:40-41:
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? ⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.  And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said. . . .

We are going to see that he prays here.  We will see, also, that he does not pray for God to raise Lazarus.  He is praying, but he is not praying to God to get Lazarus up.  Look at his prayer.  He says:

John 11:41b-43:
. . .And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. [And, he is praying by revelation out loud.] ⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. ⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice. . .

And then he speaks to Lazarus.  He speaks to the dead body.

John 11:43b:
. . .Lazarus, come forth.

And Jesus is still calling today.  People, come out of your graves of unbelief!  Come unto me and have a more abundant life!

John 11:44:
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.  Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Did he walk out of there?  No, he did not.  How could he walk?  He is bound hand and foot.  He did not walk out of there.  God moved him out of there.  Now, Lazarus had to respond; Lazarus had to agree, but he was bound hand and foot; he did not hop out like a mummy.  He came out; God brought him out.  He was transported just like Jesus was transported; just like Enoch was transported; just like Philip was transported.  It was not until he came out that they loosed him.

John 11:44b-45:
. . .Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. ⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

That is what we are supposed to do; we are supposed to believe on him.  He declared his will.  He said what he wanted, and it is time.  “Get out of your grave.”  “Come on, get up.”  It is the same cry today for you and I; it’s the same cry today for God’s people.  Get out of your graves!  Get out of your hideouts!  Get out of your caves!  Come on out and help!  Come on out and get involved.  There is more for you to do, Lazarus!  Come out of that grave!  You cannot die yet; your life is not over.  God needs you!  God needs you!  God needs our help!  Come on out of the grave!  And he came out.  He came forth!

That is the challenge all of us have. . . to get out of our graves, to get out of our hideouts, to get out of our fears, to get out of our weakness, to get out of our shame, to get out of our guilt, to get out of whatever holds us back from moving with God and to move and to do what He has called us to do.  To heal ― to love ― to teach ― to minister ― to give ― to serve.  That is really what we want.  That is what the relationship with God allows us to do.  He has touched our lives and our hearts, and He wants us to do the same for God’s people.  We are His hands, His feet.  He works with us.  We are laborers together with Him.  What a joy!  What a way to live life!  What a privilege we have; our God is so good. and so big, and there is so much we can do.

The world binds us up.  We may be still breathing, but we are all wrapped up in dead clothes, just waiting for the digger.  Only we can change it.  God says there is life out there; there are things to do.  This is a big body of Christ.  There are people all over this world that need to hear this stuff.  They need to hear the Word of Godlike we have; they need to hear about the Word of Life!  Then they will to be able to walk in victory.

We are thinking about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, but it is so much more than that.  People are dead.  Christians are dead wrapped up in their grave clothes.  All bound up in the world trying to figure out what life’s all about and having all kinds of problems.  Cut yourself loose.  Yes, we have problems and challenges, but we can face them down.  Just spit them out!  Spit them out, because you have got the Lord Jesus Christ inside.  Boy, when you really believe that, it will be a new day for you.  It really will.  It will be more than words on a page.

We are all unique, and God has a special program for us, each one of us.  We will be doing things we never thought about doing, going places you have never thought about going, and seeing things we never thought were possible to see, only to be read about ― but, all of a sudden ― we are in the middle of it.  It is written, and we are part of it.  Now, that is living!

God bless you and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ

Yesterday we saw the discussion, and now we will see the dilemma as Jesus deals with Mary and Martha’s hearts.

John 11:18-21:
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: ¹⁹ And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. ²⁰ Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. ²¹ Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

In her hurt, Martha spoke these words.  They could have been very condemning if Jesus would have taken them that way.   It could have been very hurtful to him.  We will see that Jesus ends up crying with Mary and Martha.  He ends up linked with them in their sorrow and their grief, but these words of Martha could have been very hurtful.  But he understands their pain; he does not take it personally.  He does not say, “Aw, I wish you had not said that.” or “Man, that hurts.”  He understands what she is going through.

John 11:22-24:
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. ²³ Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. ²⁴ Martha saith unto her, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

She had her theology right.  She knew how it worked.  He is going to rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

John 11:25:
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

In our administration, when we apply it to Romans 10:9 and 10, and give people that Word.  They are dead in trespasses and sins; yet, they will live, because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.  Though he were dead, yet shall he live…

John 11:26-27:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this? ²⁷ Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

What a great declaration!  She believed in him; she believed.  That was the basis on which she rests her faith.  That was the basis on which she rests herself.  He is the Son of God; he will do what he says.  Do you know a better basis on which to rest.  Do you know a better foundation on which to build?

John 11:28-32:
And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. ²⁹ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. ³⁰ Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. Y The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. ³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

Again, look at the hurt, “Oh, I wish you would have been here; you could have kept him alive.”

John 11:33:
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned [embrimaomai] in the spirit (that’s usage 4; he groaned in himself), and was troubled, ³⁴ And said, Where have ye laid him?  They said unto him, Lord, come and see. ³⁵ Jesus wept.

Embrimaomai, only appears five times in the New Testament.  Two of those times are found in this account (John 11:33 & 38).  It has to do with anger and indignation, and means to be moved with anger or admonish sternly.  It springs out of displeasure, anger, indignation or antagonism expressing indignant displeasure.  It is used outside of the Bible of horses snorting with angry rage.

Jesus was angry that Satan had stolen Lazarus away by death.  He was angry about the hurt of Mary and Martha.  His groan indicates how He feels about sickness.  He saw it as a malignant foe.  He was not going to allow the enemy to get away with this murder of one of His closest friends.  Jesus groaned because he really cared for Lazarus and his sisters.  He cares for us the same way.

He was a man of like passions like we are.  He had feelings; he had emotions; he loved these people.  Outside of the apostles and his immediate family, these were probably the closest friends that he had.  These are the people that put him up every time that he went to Jerusalem.  He stayed in Bethany with these guys.  He stayed in their home, and he walked back and forth to Jerusalem.  These were among his best friends.  This hurt.  This was dear; and he wept; he cried.

I know there is a lot of debate whether they were tears of joy or tears of sadness; but, you know what, it does not make much difference, as far as I am concerned, because they are still tears.  They are still emotions.  It still shows you that he is involved in life, and whether he is crying out of their hurt–identifying with their hurt–or if he is crying out of tears of joy because he knows he is getting him up.  They are still tears, and he still had to endure this.

John 11:36-37:
Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved them! ³⁷ And, some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind [referring to the healing of the man born blind in chapter nine], have caused that even this man should not have died?

Although Jesus knew from the beginning that Lazarus had died and that he would raise him from the dead, his sisters did not.  Neither did their Jewish friends who came to comfort them in their grief.  Jesus works through this difficult or perplexing situation to arrive at the deliverance we will read of tomorrow.

God bless you and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ

Yesterday we saw the difficulty, and now we will see the discussion.  The disciples were concerned with Jesus’ safety.

John 11:7-8:
Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

In John 7:1 and as recently as John 10:31, the people are trying to kill him.  They are saying, “Wait a minute.  We do not want to go back there.”

John 11:9a:
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?

Yes, there are.  They varied in their culture from 49 minutes to 72 minutes, whether it was winter or summer.  They had sundials, remember?

John 11:9b:
… If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

This is the figure erotesis.  He is talking about walking by the Spirit; he is talking about being led by God’s power.

Proverbs 4:19:
The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.

That is not us; we walk with the light of the Word.  We know what we walk on.  This next part of the discussion proceeds to how Lazarus is sleeping.

John 11:11-12:
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

If he is sleeping, he is going to recover.

John 11:13-14:
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

He could only know that by revelation.  God told him.  That is pretty harsh, but he explains in verse 15:

John 11:15-16a:
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. [Let’s go unto him; let’s go see Lazarus.] 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go….

Let us go also, that Lazarus may live?  Let us go also, that Jesus will be blessed?  No!

John 11:16b:
…  Let us also go, that we may die with him.

That is pretty negative, don’t you think?  Pretty self-centered.  Was he thinking about Lazarus?  Was he thinking about Mary or Martha?

John 11:17:
Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

How long did he wait?  Two days.  So, if he had left two days ago, would he have found Lazarus alive or dead?  It did not make any difference, did it?  It would have made no difference if he would have just run immediately.  When he got there, Lazarus would have been dead anyhow.  So, God told him to wait; and He told him to wait until he was dead for more than three days and three nights.  And that was important for him, because he knew that he would be dead for three days and three nights.  So, he was in the grave four days already.

Tomorrow we will see the dilemma as Jesus meets with Lazarus’ sisters.

God bless you and greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, the great physician

When Mary and Martha had a need, they sent a short, simple message to Jesus.  “He whom thou lovest is sick.”  I always thought it was interesting that they stated it that way.  They did not say, “He who loves you, he who believes in you, he who serves you, he who has done so much for you is sick.”  They said, “He whom you love is sick.”  The sisters knew that it was Christ’s love for Lazarus that would activate him.  Similarly, we should understand that it is God’s love for us which is in Christ Jesus our Lord that provides a basis of our trust in Him.  Knowing the depth and the riches of God’s love for His own, we are assured He will act on our behalf so we can be more than conquerors.

This situation was not without difficulty.

John 11:1-3:
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ³ Therefore, his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold he whom thou lovest [phileō] is sick.

Love in verse six is the Greek word phileō.  Mary and Martha make no requests or demands of Jesus.  They simply want to inform him that their brother is sick.  They want him to know the situation, and the fact that he would know was enough to comfort to them.  Because they knew the depth of his love, they expected him to act.  What they did not expect was a delay.

John 11:4:
When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

The way this verse is punctuated in the KJV would lead one to believe that God instigated this sickness so that Jesus could heal it and bring glory to God.  Although we know that God never makes anyone sick, Jesus returned this devilish attack on his friend to bring glory to God.  Let me suggest a better way to translate and punctuate this verse.

John 11:4:
When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness will not end in death.  But in contrast his healing will bring glory of God, with the result that the Son of God might be glorified by it.

Then the unexpected happened and the Word of God explains:

John 11:5-6:
Now Jesus loved [agapē] Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. ⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. that

Phileō, brotherly love, dictates that Jesus go immediately.  That is what Mary and Martha were relying on when they said, “He whom thou lovest is sick.”  That is phileō.  Jesus would come because Lazarus was such a good friend.  But verse 5 explains that agapē dictated that he not go.  Verse 5 is not out of place.  A lot of commentaries say it is out of place; it doesn’t fit.  But it does fit; it is supposed to be there.  It explains Jesus’ motivation.  “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.”  That is the word, “agapē,” the love of God.

Phileō would dictate that Jesus jumps, that he runs out of friendship.  But, it is the love of God that we operate from, and that dictated that he not go.  Phileō tugs on our hearts, but it cannot bring results.  It is agapē, in contrast, that brings results.  It energizes our believing and obedience to do the Word.  We do not react to situations.  We act on the Word.  We are not run by emotions; we do not get all shook.  Remember the father whose son wallowed foaming?  It did not even seem to bother Jesus.  He keeps asking the father questions while the kid is down there wallowing and foaming.  We stay cool and maintain our peaceful seas.

Tomorrow, we will see the discussion that Jesus had with his apostles to comfort their hearts and to teach them about walking by the spirit.