John 12:17-19

John 12:17-19 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

No threat of persecution, no opposition could stop the crowd of people who actually heard Jesus say, Take away the stone. They listened as He turned his face upward toward heaven saying, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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. In wonderment, they heard him say in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! They saw a dead man come forth after four days in the grave with his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. They spread this news as eye witnesses that the man Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. These people could not contain this good news: they told this story of resurrection wherever they went. Witnessing such an amazing miracle empowered them with energy and focus to share this report about Jesus with others. They could not stop recounting the story. The Pharisees quickly realized the whole world has gone after him!

Miracles are not just old tales but current events. How joyful our churches would be if stories of Jesus' transforming power filled our pews on Sunday mornings. We would not contentedly sit and listen to the sermon after singing a few songs with heart-felt energy, hearing the announcements, and receiving the offering. We would excitedly await our turn to say, "Let me tell you my miracle!" We would want to interrupt and tell everyone the new revelation, the new happening in our lives. We would want Jesus' resurrection power exposed so everyone could know the wonderful and mighty things Christ is doing. Then we would be known as the body of Christ in action. A body does not merely lie there inanimate with few victories and life experiences. From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16) The church should be a powerful, energetic, miracle-working body, performing the will of God--producing a hundred-fold, not theoretically, but powerfully and practically, with signs and wonders in a hurting world. If the body of Christ functioned in this way, a fallen and desperate world would want to see this Jesus of miracles. The world would come to us, saying, We would like to see Jesus. (John 12:21) Lately the pastors at our small church have interrupted the services for testimonies and new life fills the room when people share, such as a dear lady who came in seven months ago a raging alcoholic and found mercy and grace at the cross of Christ. She went through what she calls a "week of hell" in withdrawal with Jesus at her side and has been free ever since. She shines with the light of his love, constantly giving thanks. Praise the name of the Lord God Almighty!

How do we become a miracle church? In basketball terms, we stop playing on the court-of-life where the devil wants up to play. We take every sweet spot on the court away from him. When he wants to go to those places where he scores every time against us, we get there first and take the shot away from him by trusting in the power of the Lord and not in ourselves. We say, "You can't have that victory spot in my life anymore. I reclaim that territory in Jesus' name. Christ's grace is sufficient for me." When the enemy harasses us or pushes us around, we take away his evil advantage by passing the ball to Jesus because He runs a strong offense. As soon as we are ready and in a better place to score because we have grown in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, Jesus passes the ball back to us. That is how we win in the game of life; that is how we allow miracles to surpass defeats. If we allow Jesus to take control and change us, there will be more rejoicing over victories and less complaining about problems. When we stop letting the devil set the agenda for the day and control our lives, we will see a lot more peace, joy, and love, much more fruit of the Spirit. We will have power through the Holy Spirit to avoid the places on the court where the enemy rules and has been successful in the past. We can take up a firm position of faith on the spots on the court where we score every time: meditation, prayer, fasting, praise, fellowship, service, and so much more. Sounds difficult, but it isn't. The essence of the game is FAITH IN CHRIST: He is our source, our power, our strength when we have none. Read the Word: it tells us to pray always, give thanks, trust, believe, endure, hope. We find courage to declare, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) When we are in control of the court through faith in Christ our Lord, we win! Praise God forever!

John 12:12-16

John 12:12-16 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

When the storms of life threaten us, we should find courage in these words, “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” Surely Jesus Messiah has come to Earth in victory over every debilitating, defeating, and harmful process of sin and death. As we have already read, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:7-10 KJV) We no longer wait in the darkness outside the door, under the authority of darkness. Light came into the world: we walk IN THAT LIGHT. Light encompasses us, fills us, guides our steps. We are IN CHRIST; HE IS IN US. Every Sunday we sing songs, reminding us of these truths. As we sing, "Salvation is here, and He lives in me," we rejoice in the truth revealed to the disciples after Christ's death and resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit fell upon them on the Day of Pentecost, they fully understood God's great love for a lost and sinful people, that He would send his ONLY SON to make all things new!

In today's passage, we see a great crowd that had come for the Feast, waving palm branches and going out to meet Jesus as they shout praises: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” They must have been caught up in the emotion of the moment, experienced a sense of hopeful ecstasy that this man now entering Jerusalem was indeed their future king--their long awaited Messiah, Deliverer, the Promised One to free them from their human bondage. But this was not God's plan for his chosen people. He did not send the Light of Heaven to Earth to cast off the oppressive yoke of the Romans. Jesus did not come to set up a geographical kingdom in celebration of God's power among sinful nations. Jesus came to bring God's amazing grace and indescribable salvation plan to the entire world. His kingdom would be a spiritual one that would last forever with weapons not made by man. When He asked Peter who he was, Simon Peter answered,, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:16-18)

Before Peter made his confession of faith, Jesus knew Satan was a defeated foe whose kingdom would not stand against Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The prince of the air would no longer rule over the hearts and minds of people or bind them to sin and failure. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36 KJV) Before the cross and resurrection, the disciples had heard Christ's words but had not discerned them by the Spirit. They had not understood fully the plan of God for the people of this Earth: to make children of God from a wicked and sinful generation of people. But after they received power from on high, the Spirit did not drive them to stockpile weapons or to recruit followers for an insurrection against the murderers of their precious Lord because they had new eyes and new ears. They could receive sound teaching and went forth to spread the Good News. They could be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

People sometimes confuse God's plan with our worldly pursuits. Mankind wants a deliverer, a Messiah to make everything better NOW. We have little tolerance for uncertainty, trials, depravation, or delayed gratification. When life gets hard, we say, "Help me, Lord. I just can't take it anymore." Faced with longterm problems, we seek an immediate way out. That is the way of the flesh. We want God to prosper us physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually: Just let peace reign in my life, God! But that is not the prayer of a committed child of God who fully trusts in him. Earthquakes destroy cities, taking thousands of lives; tornadoes pick up houses, leaving only sticks and rubble; floods wash away the memories of a lifetime; sicknesses invade lives, taking away loved ones before their time. Yet the blood-bought army of the living God has the victory through Christ and does not grieve as those with no hope. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39) WE HAVE ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND. We speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-19) Rejoice! Shout: HOSANNA! The King has come! He Reigns forever, and ever! Amen!

John 12:1-8

John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Many sermons and teachings have been offered concerning Mary's lavish act of pouring about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume on the feet of her precious Lord and then wiping them with her hair as the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. As with most familiar scenes from the Bible, we often come as onlooker, as a person in the room that very day, wondering how we might have viewed the event, how we might have responded, how we might have felt, or what we might have said or done. As believers we also go a step further and ask, "Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me today? What is the Word of the Lord for my life as I read this account of Mary's perhaps foolish yet totally abandoned act of love that Jesus seems so fully to embrace and to validate. In the midst of all this, we have Judas grandstanding against her wasteful use of a commodity that was worth a year’s wages. Had they sold it, he said, they could have used the money to feed the poor, an obviously righteous and worthy purpose for servants of the Lord Most High. In the midst of his account of the event, John cannot help editorializing: He [Judus] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

We would do well sometimes to remember the words of the Scottish poet Robert Burns: "Oh the gift that God would give us to see ourselves as others see us." Jesus always saw what was on the inside of a man or a woman during his earthly ministry. He was the living Word who became flesh and walked among men: the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) He knew Mary loved him from the depths of her being; and her offering represented her life, her everything, just as he knew Judas' words hung in the air as testimony against him, for he had already betrayed Christ in his heart, had already become a thief and a liar and would eventually follow the father of lies to a sorrowful death by totally betraying the Son of God. By removing herself from everything else and giving all she had to Jesus, the best she had, Mary was listening to the Holy Spirit abiding with her Lord. God calls us all to do likewise: And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28) The Bible also continually encourages us to grow up in Christ, to flee the darkness and to seek the light. We cannot engage in pettiness, idle talk, critical attitudes, meddling, frivolous activities, and rarely if ever spend time at the feet of Jesus and then expect to have the fragrance of a love relationship with Christ our Lord fill the room.

The New Testament writers spoke often of the pitfalls of this world. They were writing to believers--people such as we are. Someone told Mom one time that she did not like to be around people who were always quoting scriptures. Mom cannot remember who it was, so this is not personal if it happens to be one of you dear readers. If we are uncomfortable with hearing the Word, then we are uncomfortable with having a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (See Psalm 119:105) Why would we want to stumble in the darkness, demanding our own way? Paul challenged the church to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He went on to say, we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head. There is a lot more you should read, but he ended by saying, Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:1-3, 14-16, and 31-32) May a fragrance arise to the Lord as we worship him today and give him our very best by loving him fully and serving others from a pure heart of love.

John 11:54-57

John 11:54-57 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all?” But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.

Observing Jesus' movements prior to Passover, we see him going to the region of Judea where his life was in danger and then journeying back to a safer area near the desert. Just as He delayed his coming to the house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, his withdrawal to the village of Ephraim was directed by the leading of the Holy Spirit. His very being and the length of his days were determined by God. He did nothing expeditiously without listening to that still small voice. He waited on God and moved only when God told him to do so. He told the people: My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (John 4:34) Of course, looking at Christ's situation in the natural, we can easily understand Jesus moving to the desert to avoid danger, but we also saw him go into Judea where He faced possible arrest or death at any moment. Obviously fear neither motivated nor controlled his attitudes nor his actions. Jesus trusted in the written Word: In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4) More importantly, He trusted in his Father God and in the knowledge He would go wherever the Father sent him regardless of the consequences because He came to bring salvation to all people, to fulfill an new and better covenant with a fallen mankind.

As Jesus sent his 12 disciples to the lost sheep of Israel, He warned of persecution, betrayals, and imprisonments; yet he said, So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:26-28) Jesus walked by faith, obedient to the Father, in step with the Spirit, however difficult the path, knowing his final destination led to triumphant victory. This is the faith that overcomes the world, the faith that sets the captives free from death and the grave. We cannot walk in fear and faith simultaneously; just as we cannot serve two masters or try to follow the ways of Christ and hold onto our old patterns of living. We read in 1 John: We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1:4:13-18)

Those verses offer tremendous hope to sheep who have temporarily lost their way--that's all of us. Whether you have failed miserably, made poor or impulsive decisions, done wrong when you knew to do right, marred precious relationships, walked in fear rather than trust God, chose death over life, wandered into darkness; GOD IS STILL LOVE: HE IS STILL FOR YOU, WITH YOU, NIGH YOU. GOD'S WORD IS TRUTH: HE DOES NOT LIE. YOU JUST READ: HE HAS GIVEN US HIS SPIRIT; JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD; GOOD LIVES IN HIM AND HE IN GOD; AND SO WE KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US. As we recognize and admit our need, we arise from the dark pits of doubt, fear, unbelief, shame dysfunction, sin, and bondage. We escape the agony, pain, guilt, and sorrow of the sins done to us and the sins we have inflicted upon others. The Lord says, "Come all who are thirsty, all who are weary and burdened down. I will make my love complete in you. I will cover you. I will be your everything, all you will ever need." He has loved you with an everlasting love. He entreats you--calls you NOW, but He will not make you come. Surrender is a faith choice. You have to say, "Yes, Lord. I am here. I am so sorry. Help me." Sometimes God gives a clear vision concerning what lies ahead; even then, our lives do not always turn out exactly as we thought they would. Other times He says, "Move NOW: Do not even gather up your belongings. Get out of that poison patch. Do not be afraid. There is no fear in love."

John 11:47-53

John 11:47-53 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Caiaphas did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, something that later became true. Jesus did die for the nation of Israel, for all Jews scattered throughout the nations, and for all Gentiles who would believe in Jesus as the Christ. This unbelieving religious leader inadvertently and unknowingly foretold and confirmed God's will for Christ's life and death, the message Jesus had been preaching to the people: I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:24-27 Christ indeed came to make one people out of many, a mighty army of the Lord, born of the Spirit, created in newness of life, cleansed by his blood, free to serve God. Had Caiaphas truly believed his own words, he too would have bowed down and followed Jesus. But he most certainly did not embrace this step of faith.

Caiaphas and the rest of the Jewish elite viewed Jesus as a threat to their leadership. They wanted Jesus dead because if the people united behind him religiously and politically and somehow threw off the Roman yoke of oppression, they would lose their authority within the Jewish community. To them, Jesus represented a threat to their livelihood and their stature in the culture, a position of long standing. Additionally, Jesus had dealt harshly with the scribes and Pharisees. The Bible reveals numerous passages where He speaks directly to their need of repentance. In one instance he chastises them for heaping heavy burdens upon the people and not helping them. He says, Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28) Their hard hearts, wickedness, fear and anger led them to pursue Christ to the cross. Regardless, the Holy Spirit used their fleshly attitudes and actions to fulfill God's plan, an excellent example of God using the evil in the hearts of men for his own purposes. What they plotted and planned was not good, but God used it for the good of all people That is why we should give thanks in all things, even when we face persecution and people mistreat us for the sake of the gospel. God does not plan for horrible things to happen, but He can and will use the worst situations for his glory as we yield to him. Often we look back and we see how horrible events work together for our good. Therefore, in all things we give thanks, for HE IS GOD.

The Children of God in the Wilderness did not want to be thirsty or desperate for food, but in their life-threatening situations, God manifested himself. God himself became their helper, the lifter of their countenance. He made a way for them when there was no way. He was the way, just as Christ is our way, our all in all. He gave them food and drink to sustain them as Christ is the bread of life and the living water to us when we hunger and thirst for righteousness in the wastelands of human existence. In our lives as Christians, Christ alone is our deliverer, our only hope when we think all hope is gone. Jesus said, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:11-12) Early church believers were known as the followers of THE WAY. Today, Christians follow THE WAY. Jesus Christ is our deliverer in all circumstances. We stand tall in the midst of all adversity. We stand on the Word even when we are so weak that we are lying down. We declare by faith: The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2) Our deliverer has come: He will never leave us or forsake us. The victory is ours: He has defeated our enemy the devil at the cross. Satan's evil intentions cannot destroy those who are IN CHRIST, for we have crossed over into the Promised Land. Caiaphas' inadvertent prophesy has been fulfilled: Jesus Messiah, name above all names, reigns forever. Because He lives, we live, and we are more than conquerors through the power that raised Christ from the grave. Praise Him forever!

John 11:39-44

John 11:39-44 “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.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 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.”

Jesus did not follow a pattern of behavior resulting in the greatest benefit to his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. He followed a course of action and spoke words benefitting those who witnessed these events, the onlookers. Certainly, from the moment He delayed his coming, Christ's choices did not present the easiest route for Lazarus. While one might argue, "Well, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, did He not? That was an amazing gift." Yet rather that coming to his aid when first learning of Lazarus' sickness, Jesus tarried, staying away from Judea. He literally ignored his friend's need and allowed Lazarus to remain in the grave four days. When He tells them to take away the stone, Martha warns, But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor. Undaunted, Jesus does not speak of graves and the death smells, He says, Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? He directs the people's attention to God and the Father's desire to reveal his glory through the Son. Then He turns from the people, further establishing his authority by speaking of the One who sent him, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. Dispelling any confusion over his purposes, his prayer explains to his hearers what God most surely knows, 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.

Now He is ready: ready to do the work of his Father. Jesus calls out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Led by the Spirit of God, obedient to his Father as an instrument of his power and authority, Jesus gives living testimony to his previous words:

When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. (John 8:28-29

Therefore, Jesus speaks in a loud voice so those present might hear, and He commands people to take off the grave clothes. Had Jesus come merely as a friend to this much-loved family to serve them most advantageously and lovingly, He would have hurried to Lazarus' bedside upon hearing he was sick unto death. Had he arrived too late to touch his friend and to restore health to him, he would not have ordered someone else to do anything for his friend. We can picture Jesus speaking softly to the Father, asking him to roll the stone away and to bring Lazarus forth. Jesus would have been the first to lovingly unclothe Lazarus' body from the strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. But Jesus did not act in these ways on that momentous day. The will of God that day was to magnify Jesus Messiah, Son of God, Name above all names: the only name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Jesus walked among them to do God's will.

We who are alive IN CHRIST have been bought with a price: our lives are no longer our own. We no longer live merely for ourselves but for others as well. Even when God delivers us from a trial or heals us from an affliction, He has greater purposes than merely making our earthly lives smoother and better. We should magnify Christ in all we do. Miracles and deliverances bless and restore us, yet how we deal with hardships, struggles and death itself often provides more effective testimony to the lost and the hurting who seek authenticity and a faith that stands when all else is sinking sand. God allows us to face difficult circumstances. If this were not so, we would not find so many martyrs in church history. Peter wrote: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. (1 Peter 4:12) James minced no words in saying, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:24)

Some modern brethren from the name it and claim it camp chastise those God trusts with hard times when they say, "I have asked for healing and deliverance and am believing still; but since God has allowed this trial, I will praise and glorify him in it and sing praises to his name by faith. Regardless of my earthly state, I know my Redeemer lives and makes intercession for me." The body of Christ has always experienced great tribulation: every generation has gone to be with the Lord in victory, not in defeat because their hope was in eternity with God not in temporal things that pass away. Even if an angel preaches something else, do not believe him. Christ himself suffered and died, and we are not greater than our Master. Christ endured the cross for the JOY set before him, saying: Father, not my will, but yours be done. Whatever is happening in your life today, cry out to Jesus, put your trust in him. Maybe you seek normalcy--to just be an ordinary person like Jesus perhaps wanted to go take care of his friend Lazarus, but God had other plans for him. Or perhaps you had a mountaintop experience recently; now the mundaneness of life seems so unsatisfactory. Others of you face a dark valley, and you are weary, do not see a light on the path ahead. We have had some hard days--a hard time getting the breakfasts out. Nonetheless, our hope is to rise, for the light has come! Jesus is the Light: He is in us and with us! He will not lead us astray. Call out to Jesus; hear his voice. He knows how to deal with every circumstance. He will remove the grave clothes, place royal robes around us, and lead us to the Land of Promise.

John 11:35-39

John 11:35-39 Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

When the crowd of friends and onlookers watched Jesus' reaction to Lazarus' death and heard the sorrowful words of Mary, saying Jesus would have been able to prevent her brother's death had He been there sooner, varied emotions must have passed through the minds of the observers. When those who understood the close friendship Jesus shared with this family saw him weeping, they probably said, See how he loved him! Perhaps the less involved or more judgmental members of the group were that ones who spoke out that if he could open blind eyes, why had He not kept this man from dying. Human beings are so prone to make quick judgments based on knee jerk reactions rather than considering the situations before us more carefully, rather than empathizing with the needs of the people before us. When the Lord talks to Samuel about choosing a leader, He tells Samuel he is wrong to look at the outside of a person, for God sees not as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7b) Again in the New Testament Paul asks the church directly, Do you look on things after the outward appearance? (2 Corinthians 10:7)

If we want to know the heart and the mind of Christ rather than following our flawed instincts, we would do well to hold our peace more often than we do, to listen more and to speak less. In today's passage, the Bible shows us Jesus, once more deeply moved, coming to the tomb and saying, Take away the stone. He loved his friend Lazarus; He loved Mary and Martha. But He knew He was there for greater purposes than raising Lazarus from the dead. He was there to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit within him. He was present in their midst that they might know that prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:4-7 KJV)

The description of Lazarus' grave reminds us of another tomb, another cave, another stone blocking a place of death. Lazarus was dead; his body lay in a tomb of death and decay, a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Yet because Jesus knew He could ask anything in his Father's name, according to his Father's will, He approached that tomb in faith and told them to move the stone. Those are the first and most important faith steps any believer must take in answer to the Lord's call upon our lives. We have to know who God is, believe that He speaks to us and has a purpose for our lives. Then we step out by faith and do what He calls us to do. Very soon Jesus would face an identical place of burial; yet He would not die by natural causes. The only begotten Son of God would face mockery, rejection, false accusations; see a criminal set free instead of him; fall beneath the weight of a cruel cross in his human weakness; and suffer the most cruel death known to man. All this He would willingly embrace because He accepted his Father's amazing salvation plan for him to bear the weight of all the sin of the world on his shoulders as a living sacrifice. He would face ignominy, humiliation, and isolation because God so loved a people totally lost in sin and darkness without any hope. Jesus said, "Yes, dear Father, send me. I trust the Holy Spirit to rescue me from the grave that all who believe on my name might reign with us forever." Today, beloved of God: Christ is risen; arise with him! The stone has been rolled away: let Jesus remove the stones that block dark caves in your lives.

John 11:28-35

John 11:28-35 And 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.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 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. 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.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.

Jesus wept with great sorrow for the scene around him. His beloved Lazarus lay in the grave, Mary and Martha placed their broken hearts at Jesus's feet, and friends and relatives who loved this family joined them in their grief. Prior to this event, Jesus probably viewed many other graveyard scenes. Did he cry at all of them? Perhaps, but the Word discloses that on this day, Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and troubled as He cried sorrowful tears. Did he cry from empathetic love for Mary and Martha or out of compassion for the despair of the people over Lazarus' death? Surely, Jesus understood the sisters' feeling that death would not have entered their household if He been there to save Lazarus. They possessed great faith in him. But Jesus knew death is the master of the sinful body of all people; yet even while weeping, Jesus understood God had a plan that would accomplish much more than free Lazarus from his grave clothes. Yes, Jesus wept! To reveal his godliness, He raised Lazarus from the dead, but only to succumb to death once more later on in his life. He knew Martha, Mary, and all the grieving relatives and friends would also take that journey to the grave. He knew the hopelessness of life without the hope of the Great Resurrection. He knew his own life would experience death and the grave for the salvation of all.

Jesus knew all of this; yet he persistently served people with all of his being, for within his breast dwelt a great hope: his Father would rescue him and all who would turn to him from eternal death. He knew an amazing reunion would take place someday, and heaven was the appointed place of meeting. In Acts 2 Peter said: David said about him: I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. In the natural, death and sin reign over the body unless we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus knew what He faced in his journey to the cross and what his agonizing crucifixion required to bring victory over sin and death; yet He also knew He came to fulfill a wonderful salvation plan that would set mankind free for all time. Satan would no longer bind us to this contaminated Earth with all its pain and sorrow. All who would call upon the name of Jesus would be FREE AT LAST. WE WHO KNOW HIM THIS DAY ARE FREE! We who know who Christ is in us and who we are in him are not subject even to the laws of nature, no longer held down by gravity, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We represent God's holy ones; He will not abandon us in the grave. He has freed us to sit in heavenly places in Christ. There will be no more JESUS WEPT when we reign with him in glory. Jesus keeps his promises: He said, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:18-20) Given these precious promises, we can boldly stand upon the word of truth that says: I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” May we walk in truth and life of our Lord today!

Today our beloved daughter-in-law, Jennifer, our son, Doug, their precious children, and her dear parents and family are saying good-bye to a cherished grandma. Our hearts go out to them with love and prayers in their sorrow. We think of them as we send out this breakfast and pray that the God of all comfort will touch their hearts and minds as only He can and hold them close in his loving arms.

John 11:18-27

John 11:18-27 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

Faced with Martha's faith that Jesus could have saved Lazarus had He been there earlier and her assurance he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day, Jesus makes an existentially profound proclamation: I am the resurrection and the life. He goes on to say that all who place their faith in him will experience life because He does not merely restore life to the dead: Jesus is life. Those who place their faith IN HIM HAVE LIFE. CHRIST is the giver of all life: the beginning, the origin, the fountain of all that we call LIFE. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4) Paul told the church, this is the great mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27 KJV) Outside of him there is no eternal life, IN HIM there IS LIFE with God forever.

We have a blessed hope. IN JESUS CHRIST, we are literally dressed in his robes of righteousness. Outside of Jesus there is no righteousness that pleases the Father's heart, for all have sinned, each person has gone astray, all bear the stains of sin on the robes of their lives. Yet IN CHRIST we are found in his likeness; his visage shines through our very being. We walk around in grave clothes, but Jesus comes to our Judea, just in time, in the nick of time; and He says, "My son, my daughter, you will rise again." Salvation is here when Christ lives in us and we IN HIM. After we trust in Jesus Christ, we don't walk this Earth alone anymore, for we have the presence of the Spirit, changing us from glory to glory into the image of Christ as we die to ourselves and come alive to God through the power of the cross. We have many great and precious promises concerning the hope we have in Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Jesus reveals this mystery of eternal life very clearly in the Lazarus story. No other man could have gone to Lazarus' tomb and raised him from the dead, but the Author of Creation accomplished exactly that miracle. Nevertheless, Lazarus a man of flesh and bones would eventually die, for his body was born IN SIN from Adam's seed. But Lazarus' spirit through his faith IN CHRIST would live forever. Jesus confirms this point by asking Martha the quintessential question concerning eternal life: Do you believe I am the resurrection and the life, Martha? In other words, He is letting her know that the person who believes in him will never die! Martha understands her Lord and immediately gives the answer Christ seeks from every person who sits in darkness: Yes, Lord! she answered in the affirmative. Salvation would rest fully upon Martha following Christ's complete sacrifice for sin upon the cross. For she had seen the light of the world in his face and said, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.

We remind you this morning that the Bible says in Galatians 2:20 we have been crucified with Christ; therefore, since you no longer live according to the flesh, your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3) If we fully believe God's Word and walk in the freedom of Christ, we will hold our heads high, knowing WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD, DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN, THE HOLY ONE, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS, WHO CAME TO GIVE US LIFE AND LIFE ABUNDANT. The umbrella of righteousness covers our very beings, hovers over us. We are not alone anymore. Jesus abides with us forever. We are his ambassadors of light to a dark world, so of course we will want to step completely out of the darkness ourselves. Joy floods our souls, for we are no longer contending for righteousness: WE ARE RIGHTEOUS. His great love makes us jubilantly joyful--glad to be alive to sing and shout his praises. Hosanna, Jesus is coming, and He will make that which is dead alive again. Bless you today!