FOR YOUR SAKES
Monday – July 15, 2019, Tamuz 12, 5779
Greetings precious brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus and welcome back to this insightful and powerful Bible Study of the Book of John. Our God, the only Living God, is so good to us, giving us explicit insights into the Kingdom of God of which we are citizens on assignment in the earth. If you are reading this on Facebook please take a moment and share these teaching with your friends with the “share” button or even “tag” your friends making it more certain they will see this and perhaps value it enough to read. There is nothing more powerful or valuable than the Word of God, period. The featured pictures this week will be of various scenes here in Maine and of course Friday will feature yours truly and his newly minted bride. Now, let’s delve into our Bible Study by first reading our primary Bible text.
John 11:14-17 (KJV)
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
As you will recall we are currently studying the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Like every sentence of Scripture there is much to glean and I would not even pretend that what I write on this topic does any more than scratch around on the surface. Our God is so good, I trust Him that whatever the Holy Spirit leads me to write will speak in a life changing way into at least one persons’ life. As we pick up this account we find Jesus is now arriving in or near Bethany four days after the death of Lazarus. We saw where He delayed going to the side of Lazarus and his sisters all of whom were His friends, and all of whom He loved. We were reminded that Jesus did not say anything He did not hear the Father say, he did not do anything He did not first see the Father do, and He trusted, had faith, that the Father would do the works. We then asked ourselves if we were practicing the same diligence. Jesus told us, commanded us, that we were to do the things He did and even greater things.
John 14:12 (KJV)
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Do you suppose to get the results He got that we would have to do it the same way that He did it? Has anyone ever made it clear to any of us that doing what Jesus did and the greater things is not optional? As we shift our attention to verse fifteen, we may think that it is a curious verse. On the surface, it appears that it was the will of God for Lazarus to be sick and not be healed of the sickness but instead die to be raised from the dead. One might think that this scenario would in some way strengthen the faith of those observing, principally the disciples. Just take a second and think about it. Does this sound like the God you surrendered to and placed your trust in? I may not know the exact answer to this question but I know that it is never the will of God for anyone in covenant with Him, or for that matter any person, to be ill or to die. These things came into the earth as the result of sin, the curse. God allows these things as the consequence of spiritual law which applies equally to all persons. God, our God, is a God of equal justice (not social justice).
God, the Father, knew the hearts of these people (Martha, Mary, and Lazarus) and He knew what would allow Him to raise Lazarus from the dead. God operates according to spiritual law and will not violate it for that would be unjust. So, what is my conclusion of this matter? What would have happened if Jesus had not listened for and to the voice of the Father (through the Holy Spirit) but instead was emotion and peer pressure controlled and rushed to the side of Lazarus? It would have been just like Nazareth (where He could do no mighty works due to unbelief), He would have been unable to heal Lazarus or raise him from the dead. His friend and one whom He loved would have died, the family torn apart, and faith in Jesus as Messiah damaged perhaps beyond repair. Most importantly, Jesus would have sinned, and there could be no redemption.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever made a really stupid statement? As for me I will answer in the affirmative before some of you remind me of a few of them. It seems to me that verse sixteen might fall into that category. That is one thing about the Bible, God had recorded the good, the bad, and the ugly in peoples lives and of course this is lifesaving for us. It is also a great encouragement to us for we see God doing wondrous things through very flawed people in the presence of repentance (think King David).
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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