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Bible teachings
Jesus and Lazarus
Beloved
to Jesus
The man by the name of Lazarus from the village of Bethany was
sick. The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha sent an announcement to
Jesus; "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick."
Mary was the one who, with her hair, wiped the feet of Jesus
Christ.
Lazarus
was extremely beloved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only is
Lazarus beloved of Jesus, but also Jesus Christ loves each
person. That's why He went to the centre of the cross at
Calvary and died there for the sake of our sins. As the red wine of the
Bible is the love of God towards mankind, so the manifestation
of that love is the atonement of Jesus Christ through His death.
Glory
and brightness of God
The sisters'
message reached Jesus Christ. When He heard the message
He stayed yet two days in the place were He was. Jesus said that this disease
is not to be death to Lazarus, but for the glory of God, and the
glorification of the Son of God. After two days from receipt
of the message about Lazarus, Jesus went on the journey toward
Bethany. Why didn't Jesus go immediately to Bethany? He
loved the man, but why did He delay? This question certainly
rises in your and my heart. We agonize and feel pain when we wait
for Jesus Christ to come into our life's hard and painful situation. We
shout in our pain: why don’t you come, Jesus, and help me? Why
does Jesus not react quickly, why does He delay? This question
certainly troubled the hearts of the disciples and the hearts of
the Mary and Martha. So, Jesus, why do you delay and don't help
me? When you are waiting for Jesus, you are thinking: don't you love me
Jesus? Have you abandoned me? Do you feel like that
- that you don't get the answers to these questions?
The
reason for Jesus' delay in the situation of Lazarus and also in
your situation is the same. There is a purpose why Jesus delayed for
those couple of days, so that He would be in Bethany on the fourth day.
Jesus Christ loves us, even though He also deliberately delays His
response to our calls and doesn't always come when we would like Him to
come. In Lazarus' case, the reason for Jesus' delay was so that
the flesh of the man would be dead and through the dying of the
flesh the glory and the brightness of God could be revealed in this
world.
The
Jews buried their dead immediately after they died. The old Jewish
belief was that the soul stayed very near the grave about three days,
hoping that it can return to the body. On the
fourth day, the body started to decay and according to this belief,
the soul cannot return back to the body, but then leaves the body forever.
The Bible doesn't teach that the soul stays very near the grave for
three days, wishing to return to the body. But the Jews were under
this belief and this was the reason why Jesus came to Bethany on the
fourth day.
Jesus
waited four days for that reason, so that the Jews, according to their
beliefs, understood that Lazarus was certainly dead. Jesus of course didn't
Himself hold to this belief. There is a very important
teaching in the death of Lazarus: after the flesh of man
dies, the Spirit of God can function and the works of God can be
revealed to this world. When the possibilities open to people have been
exhausted, then God can still function and bring glory to Himself, so that
what happens is certainly from God and not from the
flesh.
Also
in your life, situations and circumstances can exist which are under the
power of the flesh, and that's why Jesus is delaying acting in your life,
because He never blesses the act of the flesh. The Bible teaches that
one the many missions of the Spirit of God is to bring death to our
flesh, so that we can live a righteous life through the power of the Holy
Spirit (Romans 8:13). The most common reason for the fact that
Jesus is delaying in our life is that our flesh doesn't want to die away
from the sins of this world, and that we want to cherish our fleshly desires
and lusts. There are no shortcuts to the godly and righteous
life. The only way is the cross of Christ, after which
the Holy Spirit starts, by way of the word of God, to kill the
desire of our flesh, so that the Spirit of God may rule and result
in a righteous life. Without the death of the flesh, there is no
righteous life and the effect of the Holy Spirit is to keep disciplining our
flesh because we are with Christ, crucified to this world.
Lazarus
is dead
Jesus said to His
disciples that Lazarus is dead. Jesus said also that He is rejoicing
about that, that He wasn't in Bethany, so that the disciples could
believe in God.
The
complete time, the situation was in God's control. We can feel
safe in being His children. Our flesh fears such conditions where
matters are out of its control. God often makes such situations in our
lives, where the possibilities open to the flesh have been completely
exhausted. When the possibilities of the flesh have finished, so then
we will see how God functions, we will see His works. God often leads
our flesh in front of the impossibility of things, after which He works with
His power and changes the impossible to the possible. Remember
that faith is the indication of the work and power of God. This
belief doesn't need power of the flesh, because faith is the revealing of the
work and the power of God. You, who you are hopeless, remember
that God does not have hopeless cases. God sets only one condition,
so that the impossible can become possible. This is the death of our flesh,
so that His effective power may change the impossible into the
possible in your life.
Martha
Jesus arrived close to
Bethany. Martha came to meet Him and said to Jesus "Lord,
if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died". But also
now I know that God will give you all, whatever you will ask from God.
Does
Martha really know what Jesus can do? Do we know what Jesus can do?
Jesus
said to Martha that Lazarus will rise up. Martha answered to Jesus
"I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day." Martha knew that Lazarus will rise up on the day of the
resurrection. The understanding of Martha was right, but she didn't
know that Lazarus would be restored to life from the dead in very same
day.
We
also know, that God can do miracles. But we also set the
possibilities of God's action afar into the future and often we don't
believe that God functions today. He works now, and of course as
also in the coming days. God wants to teach to us by way of
Lazarus, that God functions today. He has the ability to function in the
future, but he functions today also; He can do His work now. Do you
believe this?
Jesus
said to Martha "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?" Do
you also believe this? " Martha answered to Jesus "Yea, Lord: I
believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the
world."
Jesus
meant that not any condition or matter of life is impossible for
God to change. Not even the dead are dead, if they have
belief in Jesus. Jesus knew that Lazarus was not dead, only
his body was dead, but he himself was alive. Martha knew, that Jesus is
the Son of God. We also know that Jesus is the Son of God. But do
we know what Jesus can do? Firstly we must know, that Jesus is the Son
of God, but after that Jesus wants to teach to us what He can do.
This all so that we believe and we will understand that He is able to
change our lives in accordance with the will of God. Jesus can remove
all hindrances from our lives, which prevent us from believing and serving
God.
Jesus
cried
When Jesus
arrived in Bethany, He meet Mary and many Jews. Jesus
saw Mary and the crying crowd. Because of her weeping and the weeping
of the Jews who came down with her, Jesus wept.
Then Jesus ask "Where have you put him?
They said to Him, Lord, come and see." And then Jesus cried. To
this the Jews said: "Behold how He loved him!"
Jesus
was earlier said this is was not sickness to death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God be glorified by it. Jesus knew that
all is well with Lazarus. Jesus cried because of the pain and
distress, which Mary and the other Jews felt as a result of the
death of Lazarus. Jesus saw their pain and distress and He took part in
theirs pain by crying. How great is Jesus - He really takes
part also in your pain and your distress. Jesus will come into your
life and heal your pain and distress, which is in your heart. He comes
to you on the fourth day, when the possibilities of your flesh have
completely finished, that His glory can be reveal to this world. Wait
for Jesus, He cries with you in your distress. Wait, He comes certainly
into your life. Those tears, which flow from the heart of Jesus
announce freedom and bring freedom to your life - freedom from the
slavery of the sins.
Few
Jews, which were on the tomb of Lazarus said: "Could not this man,
which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not
have died?" And when Jesus heard this He groaned in the Spirit and
troubled Himself and went to the tomb, which was a cave, and in front of the
cave was a big stone.
The
Jews thought that if Jesus had been in Bethany, he would have been
able to prevent the death of Lazarus. In this they were right, but
Jesus can do greater works as we can believe. Jesus wants to
teach us, that He can do more than what we can understand. And we
understand this so we can believe and let Him do His works in our life.
Dead
ones comes out from their caves
God has spoken to
my heart much of this case of Lazarus. Jesus awakened the dead person,
for Lazarus had been dead already for four days. The teaching of this
is that Jesus awakened the dead person. But God has spoken also to my
heart that the case of Lazarus also exemplifies the awakening
of the person who is the dead in his sins, and that Jesus gives him a
new life by regeneration.
Jesus
comes, weeping, close to the tomb because he identified with the
pain and distress of the people. People of this world are also in the
dark cave of sin, and there is in front of the cave a heavy stone. The
sin locks and binds man to the slavery of sin. Sin seals the slave
of sin with the large and heavy lock, which the slave of sin
cannot open with his own power. The sin enslaves the sinner
and would not allow man to be free from its grip. The slave
of sin is completely corrupted by the sin and hardened by the
sin. Only God can save a man from the power of the sin and Satan.
Do
you feel pain for the people of this world, which sin has enslaved?
This slavery produces in them eternal damnation. Jesus wants His
disciples to draw near to the people of this world and that His
disciples feel a healthy pain in their hearts for the sake of those who are
in slavery to sin and Satan. This kind of healthy pain
produces tears on our face for the sake of the people of this world.
Jesus wants to affect in His disciples real pain on behalf of the people of
this world. The key to winning people to Christ is love, which
feels healthy pain for the sake of the people of this world. The hearts
of these sinners are as thick chains and fetters, as thick as
those stonewalls which were surrounding Lazarus in the tomb. The
sin has vaccinated them to be immune to the gospel.
What
is the help for those who are walking to damnation?
Jesus came to the
tomb of Lazarus and said: "Take ye away the stone." Jesus says also
to you: take the stones and chains of sin off from the hearts of the sin
makers! Hopefully you do not answer with the same answer as was given
to Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. Martha said to Jesus "Lord,
by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. " The sin
smells and the stench is really bad. Can you stand the smell and
stink of sin? God has stopped me to this. Do we believers
avoid sin makers when the sin smells so bad? Is it nicer to sit in
prayer rooms, than go to find those who are lost? Are we like this or
has the love of Jesus conquered our hearts? Is in our
hearts pain for the souls, which are going to go to hell?
If there is pain in your heart for the souls which are lost,
then Jesus sends you to this world where those sin makers are, that we
can love and preach to them the gospel, that Jesus can give them freedom from
the darkness of sin and forgiveness of sins.
Jesus
answered to Martha "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" Do you
believe Jesus Christ? If you believe, so then also you can see the
brightness and glory of God. But you have to be persuaded to go near
the sinful, even though the gruesome smell of sin emanates
from them.
Come
out
So they took the
stone away from the tomb of Lazarus. And Jesus lifted His eyes upward
and said, Father, I thank You that You heard Me. And I know that you always
hear Me, but because of the crowd standing around, I said it, that they might
believe that You sent Me. And saying these things, He cried out with a loud
voice, Lazarus! come forth! And the one who had died came out, the feet and
the hands having been bound with sheets, and his face being bound with a
cloth. Jesus said to them, Loosen him and let him go. Then many of the Jews,
those coming to Mary, and having seen what Jesus did, believed into Him.
Jesus
doesn't have disbelief. In Him is faith. He has the ability to
affect belief in your heart . When Jesus shouted: "Lazarus,
come forth", so the dead one came out, the feet and the hands having
been bound with sheets, and his face being bound with a cloth. Also the
sinners of this world are as tightly bound with chains of sin as Lazarus
was bound with sheets.
Only Jesus can
call the sinner out from his cave, but Jesus wants you to roll
the stone away from the heart of the sinner. What does the rolling
of this stone mean? That
means, that you will allow Jesus to have an effect in your heart
resulting in healthy pain for the souls who are lost. It means that
God sheds His love into your heart, whereby you can love those who God loves. That
means, that you will preach the gospel in the Spirit of love and truth
to sinners of this world. And then they can get salvation.
The decomposed
body of Lazarus became in a moment completely healthy, but the sheets in
which he was bound stunk really badly because they smelled of
rotten flesh. Think about this. Jesus calls you to release people
from the bondage of sin. Jesus said: " Loose him, and let him go.
" Do you want to go to nearby sinners who are stinking really
badly from their sin? Jesus wants that you help those who
need saving from the power of sin and Satan. Help them to release
them from the sin, which stinks really badly. Jesus gives you the anointment,
so that you are able to help them. The question is only will you agree
to go and help them to loosen their bondage to sin. Do not do what
unfortunately, some believers are doing - they start to bind them,
preventing the growth of the new spiritual babies because the believers are
still in their flesh putting people down (binding is also a tradition
of men), when they would come to loosen them from the bounds of the
sins.
The
key for the coming of the dead ones out from cave is the love and the
truth of God. Before Lazarus got out from the dark tomb, it was
preceded by healthy pain, which resulted in weeping. Only then did the
real liberation form the power of sin begin. Only when believers
are found who weep tears from the heart for the sake of the lost can
liberation begin. Then the Holy Spirit can show the difference between sin
and the righteousness to people's hearts and they can repent of theirs sins
and receive salvation in their lives.
Several
Jews believed in Jesus, when they saw what Jesus had done. If you
follow Jesus you will listen to what He commands to you to do, so then
many of these who see what Jesus makes through your life can come to
salvation. You, who are a disciple of Jesus, today Jesus calls to you
and says "come and follow me, in that I, Jesus Christ want to
manifest my brightness and glory in this world". Do you allow
that Jesus can become glorified through you? You need only agree in the
death of your flesh, and after that the whole earth is full of the glory of
the Lord. You don't need to die yourself in your own power, but Jesus
helps you. Will you allow that Jesus can fill this earth with His
glory?
Petri Paavola from Finland
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