Message: Can you see the glory of God? (John: 11:1-44)
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries Date:
3/312016
My
friends, can you see the glory of God in His timing?
According to the New Testament John: 11:1-44 stated, there was a
man from Bethany, Lazarus, who was sick. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha.
And the Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet
with her hair. When Jesus heard Mary’s brother was sick, He remained at the
time in the place where He was for two days. Then, He said to disciples. “Let us go into Judea again.” (v.7) “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.”
(v.11). But disciples did not know Jesus had spoken about Lazarus’s death. When Jesus arrived, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord if You had been here, my brother would
not have died.” But Jesus said to her, “Thy
brother shall rise again…I am the resurrection, and the life: He that believeth
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”(vv.23,25-26) Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
me, and I know that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which
standby I said it, that they may believe that thou has sent me.” (vv.41-42.) Then,
Jesus cried with a loud voice” Lazarus,
come forth”, Lazarus that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes:
and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them, “loose him, and let him go.”(vv.43-44).by
the power of Jesus, Lazarus was dead, but rose again.
What is the implication and application of the narrative in John: 11:1-44?
1). God’s timing is best. Patiently wait upon the Lord; you will
see the glory of God in His timing.
When Jesus said, “this sickness will not end in death. No, it for God’s
glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) but the
reality is that Lazarus was death, not even died, even buried in the cave four
days. Jesus’ words and assurance seems
like contradict to His disciples, the followers in village, Mary and her sister
Martha. During the four days waiting hours in cave they were weeping, and
mourning. Facing this contradict scenario, disciples, Mary, Martha, and the
people in the village must full of doubts, confusion, and criticized about
Jesus. Did he speak truth? Is he really prophet? Did he lie? For he said, this
sickness will not end in death. But the truth is that Lazarus was not only
died, even buried four days in the tomb.
2). Before see the glory of God, you may experience the darkness
hours. Don’t just look at the
circumstance; rather, let God unveils His purpose, vision, and lesion. As Jesus
said, “It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
3). Humankind can’t see the glory of God, so often, the blindness are
resulted by their own perception, concepts, notions, ideals, and pre-knowledge. When Jesus told Mary’s Sister Martha, “your brother will rise
again.” Martha was well-educated and had
pre-knowledge of the resurrection at the last day. Martha didn’t know that
Jesus meant to say, “You will see the resurrection of Lazarus now”. In other
words, you will see the glory of God now, neither the past tense, nor future
tense, it is present tense.
4). Don’t intend to change others, don’t insist you are right or
depend on your own experience, perception and knowledge. Rather, let God
unveils His glory and purpose in His timing. When
Jesus came to the tomb, Mary sounds regret of His delay and said, “Lord, if you
had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32). Jesus told them to take away the stone laid
across the entrance. Martha (Mary’s sister) with a doubting heart, she
criticized, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
(John11:39). Jesus reassured Martha, “did I tell you that if you believed, you
would see the glory of God?”(John11:40).
5). Faith is being sure what we hope for; faith may be tested by
the Lord in the period of times. It’s only keep a heart of steadfast, persistence
with perseverance, hope will become the reality and faith will see the glory of
God. “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus called in a loud voice. The dead man
came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around
his face. Jesus told them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
(John11:43-44).
6). In every circumstance, remember, Jesus wept together with you
in your every grieving hour, for he loves you. When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who had come along with
her also weeping; he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Jesus wept.
(Jh.11:35). When we face circumstances, focus on the sovereignty of God rather
than on the will of men. Jesus wept
together with you in your every grieving hour.
7). Trust in the Lord with all your heart and believe His assurance. In this era continually talk to you, “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 me? ”(John11:25).
Jesus indicated, he who believes in me, even if he dies physically shall live
spiritually and eternally. Whoever lives physically and believes in me will
never die spiritually and eternally.
Conclusion,
My friends, do you believe,
in this era, Jesus still talking to you? Do you believe Jesus raised from
death, do you believe He has power to rise Lazarus from death? My friends, you
may be Mary or Mary’s sister Martha, it is your natural instinct to doubt
Jesus’ resurrection power when you had faced long hours waiting and weeping.
You may wonder that Jesus is alive or Is Jesus a real God? Will you wait for Him patiently? My friends
listen to His voice again, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you
would see the glory of God?” (John11:40).
Bibliography,
Anderson,
Neil. The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming negative
thoughts, irrational feelings, habitual sins. Sisters Oregon: Harvest House
Publishers, 2006.
Bauer,
Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early
Christian Literature. 3rd Chicago: The University of Chicago
press, 2000.
Brown,
Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English
Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc.1990.
Bruce,
Katherine L. Book review: the bondage
breaker by Neil T. Anderson. M.Div. VAN670. Orlando FL: Liberty University
Baptist Theo. Seminary, 2012.
Countryman,
Jack. If my people. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016.
Friberg,
Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon
of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford
Publishing, 2005.
King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company
Lee,
Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry,
1985.
Lucado, Max. God is with you every day. Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson, 2015
__________. Glory Days. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, 2015
Myers, Roth. 31 days of praise. Colorado
Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 1994.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded
exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 2010.
Towns, Elmer. Fasting for a Spiritual Breakthrough: a guide to nine biblical fasts. Ventura:
Regal Books, 1996 .
No comments:
Post a Comment