Faith and hope in Jesus

John 11:17-37

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, He was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 

 

Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,

 

and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss.

 

When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him.  But Mary stayed at home.

 

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 

“But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask.”

 

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.”

 

“They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish.  Do you believe this, Martha?”

 

“Yes, Lord,” she told Him.  “I have always believed You are the Messiah, the Son of God,  the One who has come into the world from God.”

 

Then she left Him and returned to Mary.  She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”

 

So Mary immediately went to Him.

 

Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met Him.

 

When the people who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’ grave to weep. So they followed her there.

 

When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell down at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, He was moved with indignation and deeply troubled.

 

“Where have you put him?” He asked them.

 

They told Him, “Lord, come and see.”

 

Then Jesus wept.

 

The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much He loved him.”

 

But some said, “This man healed a blind man.  Why couldn’t He keep Lazarus from dying?”

 

Martha proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who has come into the world – and this is all true. Jesus also wanted her to remind her that He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world.  He is the One who conquers over sin and death – once for all. 

Martha trusted Jesus and knew that He wanted only what was best for them.  She knew that whatever He asked, His father in Heaven would do for Him.  Mary in her vulnerability, perhaps being influenced by the professional mourners, was tempted to grieve as one who had no hope.  Due to the overwhelming emotional pull at her heart, perhaps she’d forgotten the miraculous power Jesus had shown to prove His Deity, or His teachings which pointed to the hope of salvation and hope through what God was plannning to do through Him on the cross. 

Many of His disciples also didn’t understand that Jesus’ Kingdom was not of this world.  They were grieved that Jesus was headed to Judea and would be near Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders had plotted and tried to kill Him so many times before.  They feared for His life. 

Mary grieved over her brother’s death and perhaps felt disappointed in Jesus – thinking that He didn’t really care because He didn’t come to help them while Lazarus was still alive, two days earilier.  She had sent word to Him, but He didn’t come.  It appeared as thought He didn’t really love them.  Mary’s faith was being  tested by this trial. 

She had previously sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His words of hope. She loved Jesus in believed in Him.  Perhaps in the weakness of her flesh, she listened to the lies of the devil, who has been speaking the same lies since He deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, that God didn’t really love Eve, but was trying to keep her from something good and from being like Him. 

He lies to us today in the same manner.  He will always try to tempts us when we are most vulnerable and susceptable to his lies. This is why our faith in Jesus is so foundationally important.  We must guard our hearts and minds continually to keep from falling away from what we’ve heard and know about our loving, redeeming Savior and Lord.

Perhaps Mary was pressured due to the circumstances and gave a foothold to the devil by mistrusting Jesus’ motives,  causing her faith to faulter.  Being moved by her emotions and the temptation to doubt Jesus, she became grieved in the loss of her brother as one who has no hope, and her faith in Jesus was shaken.

This is something we all struggle with at times.  We can be moved to think and act according to the fluctuation of our emotions, rather than thinking and acting by faith in God and allowing our emotions to follow.  When we are led by our emotions, our faith can be shaken and we can be led astray, also. 

Perhaps this is what had happened to Mary.  Perhaps this is why Jesus was moved with indignation and deeply troubled when He saw Mary and the others with her grieving at Lazarus’ grave. 

Sin always grieves our Savior’s heart.  He paid a dear price on the cross for our sin.  He wants us to know Him so well, that when we are tempted to doubt, we will remember His faithfulness and His promises.  When we allow ourselves to be led by anything but faith, we sin against God. When we give into the temptation to be led by our emotions in our trials, we lose our firm footing of faith, and our trust in God is clouded by doubt. 

As Jesus’ disciples,  we want to please God.  God says through apostle Paul in  Hebrews 11:6  that apart from faith in Jesus, it’s impossible to please Him.  We are reminded in Romans 14:23 that whatever is not done in faith is sin before God. We are reminded in 2 Cor. 5:7 to walk by faith and not by sight.  God grieves over our sins.  Our sins cost Jesus His life. Our sins grieve the Holy Spirit within us.  In  Hebrews 11:6  we are reminded that all who come to Jesus must come to Him by faith, we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of all who diligently seek Him.  Sin is not a small matter with Jesus.  We want to have the mind of Christ and to love what He loves and to hate what He hates.  We can only do this if we will abide in Him and obey Him.  In 1 John 1:9  we’re reminded that God extends His merciful grace and forgiveness toward us if we will confess our sin and repent.  He reminds us in 1 Peter 1:3-7  that our faith in Christ will be tested.  He tells us in 1 Cor. 10:13  that He has provided for us stand against the temptation to sin.  We remain faithful to God by faith and trust in Him.  In 2 Peter 3:18, we are encouraged to know Jesus and to grow in our relationship with Him.  In James 1:12 we are reminded to be prepared for the trials and storms of life, as they will come.  We are also encouraged that God promises to use the trials we face to show us approved by Him to receive the crown of life promised to all who love Him. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves ahead of time and continue in our walk of faith everyday.  This is how we remain faithful to Jesus. This is how we abide in Him. God will deliver us, our responsiblity is to stay close to Jesus and show our love for Him by obeying Him, and by obeying His word.

 

Previously when Jesus came to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) – He’d rebuked Martha for putting preparation and serving the guests above sitting at His feet, as Mary had done.  Jesus taught Martha, “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Vs.42 – Now it seems as though the sisters have reversed roles.  Mary seems to be led by what she feels and sees, and Martha is  is trusting in Jesus to intercede for them to His Heavenly Father.  When Jesus arrived, Martha rushed out to meet Him.  She gave testimony of His Deity and her trust in Him,  but Mary stayed back until Jesus called for her.  She fell at His feet in grief and accused Him of not caring.  Certainly this grieved Jesus’ heart.  No one cared more than He did.  His ways are not man’s ways.  He would be glorified by Lazarus’ death.  But Mary lost sight of Who Jesus was and perhaps at that moment didn’t believe He was the Resurrection and the Life.

Jesus wept.  Some who saw Him remarked how much He loved the family.  Certainly Jesus deeply cared for Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Jesus was a man of great compassion for people who hurt and were in need.  In His humanity, Jesus expressed His emotions with tears. Jesus is very approachable, very tenderhearted and loving.  He cares so deeply for us, so much so that He gave His life to redeem us and to save us from death and hell.  It was no small thing that Jesus came from Heaven to earth in His Deity to live amongst us and to be tempted to sin, yet to remain faithful to Father and go to the cross for the sin of the whole world.  We must grasp the reality of life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Our life depends upon it!

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for sending Jesus and for the compassion and love He showed to those who came to Him and trusted in Him.  Thank You for Your great compassion and love that was expressed by sending Jesus to the cross for our sins. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who strengthens us and helps us to know Jesus and to be filled with all Your goodness and love.  Thank You for life in Christ You offer us and for the faith to receive Him.  Thank You for the opportunities You give us to serve You and to be in fellowship with You.   May our hearts to faithful and true to You.  May we chose You over all we see and feel. May we walk by faith and trust in You.  May we not be swayed by the crowds and the ways of this world.  Please help us when we are overwhelmed by grief and are weary by the pressures of this world and the weakness of our humanity – please help us to run to You as our refuge and help.  Please help us to love You with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength.  Please go before us and guide our way.  Please help us hold onto our faith and always remember who You are.  You are our Creator, our Redeemer, our Comforter, our Peace, our Solid Rock, our Life, You are everything to us. You are all we need.  May our faith be strengthened as we continue to trust in You when things are difficult and when we are tempted to be led by our emotions and circumstances.  Please help us to please You in our walks of faith. Please help us to be watching for You, Lord Jesus.  Please help our families to receive You and to be ready when You come back for Your church. 

 

Please help our pastors and leaders who serve You. Please strengthen them in their faith and their walks with Jesus.  Please continue to open doors for them to serve you.  Please strengthen Your church and help all who come regularly to be actively seeking You every day and to be loving and serving You with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength. You are worthy of all honor, praise and glory.  We love You, Lord Jesus.  We praise Your name.  In Your name we pray.  Amen.

Whose voice are you listening to?

John 10:1-21

“I assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and robber”

 

“For a shepherd enters through the gate.”

 

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” 

 

“After he has gathered his flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice.”

 

“They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice.”

 

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what He meant, so He explained it to them.  “I assure you, I am the Gate for the sheep,”  He said.

 

“All others who came before Me were thieves and robbers.  But the true sheep did not listen to them.”

 

“Yes, I am the Gate.  Thos who come in and through Me will be saved.  Wherever they go, they will find green pastures.”

 

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give life in all it’s fullness.”

 

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

 

“A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming.  He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd.  And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.”

 

“The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep.”

 

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me,”

 

“just as My Father knows Me and I know the Father.  And I lay down My life for the sheep.”

 

“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold.   I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and there will be one Flock with one Shepherd.”

 

“The Father loves Me because I lay down My life that I may have it back again.”

 

“No one can take My life from Me.  I lay down My life voluntarily.  For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again.  For My Father has given Me this command.”

 

When He said these things, the people were divided in their opinions about Him.

 

Some of them said, “He has a demon, or He’s crazy.  Why listen to a man like that?”

 

Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon!  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

 

Because Jesus never sinned, death had no hold on Him.  No matter how badly He was beaten when He was nailed on the cross, He wouldn’t have died unless He gave up His own spirit.  He had the power to send legends of angels to His defense if He wanted to.  He had the power to disappear in the crowds so when others who hated Him wanted to arrest Him, they couldn’t – because it wasn’t His time.  Jesus did only what the Father sent Him to do.  It was planned before all creation for Jesus to come redeem mankind and to give His life for our sins.  The power and majesty of God is so far above anything we can imagine.  The people who didn’t know the Scriptures concerning the Messiah and in particular the passages in Psalms 22 that spoke of the suffering He would endure on the cross, also didn’t understand He was fulfilling prophesy concerning Himself.  Those who viewed Jesus through their own human understandings and limitations could not receive Him. They didn’t have faith and trust in God.  They weren’t looking for the Messiah, but a kingdom on this earth.  This world had become their home and they were looking for a king they could exalt and worship who would deliver them in a manner pleasing to their intellect and flesh.  They were looking for deliverance from their earthly enemies, not realizing that their greatest enemy was death and eternal separation for God is Heaven.

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for Your word that teaches us of Jesus, our Great Shepherd!  Thank You for Your magnificent love for us and for the power to live eternally with You in Heaven through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us.  Thank You for the blind eyes that Jesus has opened, those physically blind as well as those spiritually blind who love You and who love Jesus.  Thank You that You take such wonderful, tender care of us and refer to Your children as ‘sheep’ – so that we may have a visual of our deep, deep need for You and of Your deep, deep love and care for us.  Please work in our hearts and lives today that we may love You more, that we may listen to You with ears tuned in to Your voice and that we may follow You more closely.  As Your desire is to care for us, being closest to You is the very best place we can be.  Please help us to call out to You moment by moment in our heart of hearts that we may fellowship with You and be attentive to Your voice when You answer us.  Please help us to follow only You. There are many voices speaking for You,  but they are not all from You.  Please give us discernment to know Your voice, and especially when You whisper, that we may follow only no other voice or influence.  May You be glorified in our lives.  May we have Your peace which passes all understanding that we may shine Your light in this dark world and do that for which You’ve prepared for us to do.

 

Please help the team in Mexico this week.  Please strengthen our pastor and keep him healthy.  Please give him rest and deliver him from his migraines.  Please help each person there make time to get alone with You and spend time in Your word that they may be strengthened spiritually.  Please help the team to work together in unity and love.  Please guide them in their work.  Please give them safe food to eat and help them remember to keep their hands sanitized so that they may not have stomach problems.  Please bring safe water to the area where the missions base is being built.  Please touch the government’s heart to provide better provisions for the poor people in the work camps.  Please minister to the hearts of the people who live down there to hear the voice of their Great Shepherd calling their name that they may have life – abundant life today and eternal life to come.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.