YESTERDAY we focussed on TRUST, today: HOW TO GET THERE? THE SHORTEST ANSWER WOULD BE: WHEN WE SHOW LOVE..... Ever experienced illness, death, loosing a loved one WHEN IT IS TO LATE TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK? Luke 11 tells the story: A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, became sick. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. (This Mary was the same one who poured the perfume on the Lords feet and wiped them with her hair: it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.) The sisters send Jesus a message (perhaps they would have saved him earlier had they had access to smsse or facebook like we do in todays life!!): LORD, YOUR DEAR FRIEND IS SICK ~ The DRAMA /PLAY When Jesus heard it he said, The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BRING GLORY TO GOD, AND WILL BE THE MEANS BY WHICH THE SON OF GOD WILL RECEIVE GLORY. Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. When He received the news that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days. Then He said to the disciples, Let us go back to Judea. Teacher, the disciples answered, just a short time ago the Jews wanted to stone you; and you plan to go back there? Jesus said: A day has twelve hours, has it not? So if a man walks in brought daylight he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if he walks during the night he stumbles, because there is no light in him. Jesus said this and then added, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up. The disciples answered, If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well. But Jesus has meant that Lazarus has died: they thought He meant natural sleep. So Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead; but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, SO YOU WILL BELIEVE. Let us go to him. Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow disciples, Let us go along with the teacher, so that we may die with Him. (WHY: the disciples new the Jews wanted to STONE Jesus.) When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brothers death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE, LORD, MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED! But I know that even now that God will give you whatever You will ask of Him. - TRUST?? FAITH?? - Your brother will rise to life. Jesus told her. I know, she replied, That he will rise to life on the last day. Jesus said to her: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME WILL LIVE, EVEN THOUGH HE DIE, Do you believe this? Yes, Lord! She answered. I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who has come into the world. After Martha said this she went back and called her sister Mary privately. The TEACHER is here, she told her, and is asking for you. When Mary heard this she got up and hurried out to meet Him. (Jesus had not arrived in the village yet, but was still in the place that Martha has met Him.) The Jews that were in the house with Mary comforting her followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out. They thought she was going to the grave, to weep there. When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet. Lord. She said, if you had been here, my brother would not have died! Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her wheeping also; His heart was touched, and He was deeply moved. Where have you buried him? He asked them. Come and see, Lord, they answered. Jesus wept. So the Jews said: See how much He loved him! But some of them said, He opened the blind mans eyes, didnt He? Could He not have kept Lazarus from dying? FOLLOW LAZARUS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE Luke 11: 38 - 44 There is a song I have returned to the God of my childhood which stands up in my mind receiving TODAYS message where in Jesus instructs the people: REMOVE THE STONE: I have returned to the God of my childhood, To the same simple faith as a child I once knew; Like the prodigal son I have longed for my loved ones, For the comforts of home and the God I outgrew. I have returned to the God of my childhood, Bethlehems Babe, the prophets Messiah; Hes Jesus to me, Eternal Deity; Praise His name, I have returned. I have returned to the God of my mother, With unfailing faith for the child of her heart; She said bring them up the way that you want them, Thank God when theyre grown, theyll never depart. I have returned to the God of my mother, I learned at her knee Hes the lily of the valley; Hes Jesus to me, Eternal Deity; Praise His name, I have returned. I have returned to the God of my father, The most God-like man a child could know; I just heard a shout from the angels in glory, Praising the Lord a child has come home. I have returned to the God of my father, Creator of heaven and earth, God of the universe; Hes Jesus to me, Eternal Deity; Praise His name, I have returned. I have returned to the Yahweh of Judah, On my knees I did fall where the wall now stands; This lesson I learned as Ive worked my way homeward, The Saviour of all is a comfort to man. I have returned to the Father of Abraham, The shepherd of Moses who called Him the great I am; Hes Jesus to me, Eternal Deity; Praise His name, I have returned. TODAYS MESSAGE: REMOVE THE STONE Jesus has finally arrived, but it was too late; Lazarus was dead! If only He had arrived earlier. Jesus made His way to the tomb with the grieving crowd following. He stood in front of Lazarus’ tomb weeping, revealing His heart to the crowd (John 11). Then suddenly He instructed the people to remove the stone from grave’s entrance. They couldn’t believe their ears. Martha blurted out in her surprise, But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been dead four days. The people obeyed. Jesus calls out to Lazarus and behold the creator of life (John 1:1-3) gave new life to Lazarus. Lazarus waddled out of the tomb still wrapped in His grave clothes alive! Jesus directed the people to remove the grave clothes. This miracle catches us by surprise in several ways. We dare not miss the sign - the miracle of raising a person from the dead is primary. Yet we are surprised by other elements as well. Why did Jesus have the people remove the stone? Was He challenging their faith? Why did He have the people remove the grave clothes? This request seems more obvious. Lazarus couldnt do it for himself. Whatever the reasons one thing is abundantly clear – Jesus chose to involve the people in His work. Amazingly, astoundingly He involved His people in His work. There are many obstacles that hinder people from coming out of their sin – their graves. There is the sin itself biding them. We cannot remove the sin. Only Jesus can do that. But we can work to remove stones. They cannot even hear the voice of God calling because these stones are so thick that they muffle His voice. Though it is impossible for the church, for you and me, to remove all these stones, Jesus is instructing us, His people, to remove the stone. Stones of ignorance; stones of apathy; stones of physical need; stones of misunderstanding; these are just a few of the stones we can address and help remove. And the grave clothes; when people find new life in Christ Jesus they bring with them old habits, experiences, hurts – grave clothes. They need to be discipled – to have their grave-clothes removed. It is our responsibility in partnership with the Holy Spirit to help them remove the excess baggage that they carried with them from their life in sin. This takes time, effort, patience, persistence, diligence and an extra amount of Gods love, which He provides. But Jesus is looking at us and telling us – remove the grave clothes. ~ DAVID LANGERFELDT.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 09:39:33 +0000
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