craigmanderson

LAZARUS ARISE  –  TUNED IN # 4PM

These stories are relevant for today. This is still how people react to Jesus in a crisis.

CHRISTIANS

We remind Jesus of how much He loves us or the one who is sick.

So the sisters sent to Him, saying, Lord, he whom You love [so well] is sick. (John 11:3 AMP)

John 11:6

Jesus loved Martha and Mary THEREFORE He stayed two more days…..

Jesus has a plan for your miracle, will you trust Him for it? It may look like its not working out the way you planned. Sometimes Jesus will do the opposite of what you think should happen.

If its got to be today… Maybe that’s your timetable. You need to trust Jesus. Enter the TRUST ZONE.

CHRISTIANS

Waiting is tough! You don’t know what to think. You feel like telling Jesus, hey don’t you realise?

John 11:8

The disciples don’t know what is going on. Most Christians don’t know what God is up to.

The disciples point out the dangers of the trip to Judea. By now they should know that Jesus is not afraid of crowds, storms, demon possessed men, Pharisees, or death!

John 11:15

Jesus told them, it’s good that we were WE WERE NOT there to heal Lazarus because it will help you to believe. Every miracle we see, as a disciple, is more evidence that Jesus is willing and able to do miracles for us. We must learn to trust Him.

John 11:16

Thomas the doubter. His expectation was so negative. We are all with Jesus but we are all going to die! Some Christians just keep on expecting the worst….. Thank God this time Jesus wasn’t limited by Thomas’s expectation.

John 11:20

Mary and Martha represent two different believers….

Martha has hope but no faith.

Mary is offended that jesus would take so long.

When god doesn’t do exactly what we expect him to do many of us are philosophical about it…. Oh well God has His plan, it will all work out in the end….

But others are upset and angry at God because we believe that the current circumstances show us that God is wrong, or doesn’t care or deliberately worked to hurt us.

Martha expresses hope that what Jesus asks – God will do. But when Jesus says plainly that Lazarus will rise she’s still thinking future at the resurrection.

Jesus says I AM the resurrection and the life.

He gives her the important opportunity to voice her faith. Do you believe this Martha?

However she qualified her believing – she says a general faith statement, not a personal answer to her immediate problem.

John 11:28

Martha says something to Mary that’s not true….. He’s asking before you. She wants Mary to get involved by overcoming her offences. She knows Jesus can help her to think straight.

Mary is prostrate in prayer, sobbing and truly upset but she’s not in faith, she’s angry at Jesus. He is deeply moved with compassion because of His love for them. He doesn’t agree with their position but although He knows Lazarus will rise soon, He is hurting because they are hurting.

For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. (Hebrews 4:15 AMP)

Crowd reaction: why didn’t Jesus do it, heal him. To question God is to doubt God.

Martha cries out, not in faith but in doubt, no it’s not going to work, trying to believe will create a worse outcome….. He stinks by now.

Jesus reminds her that if she would believe she will see the glory of God right now in her immediate circumstances. We need to be reminded of the word of God and have an expectation of the miraculous right in the midst of our need.

Hope you have a miraculous week!  (For discussion questions see the previous blog)

Blessings, Craig.