His Person

Rom.10:⁹ “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NKJV].

John 11:^22-23 “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” And Jesus said, your brother will rise again, to which Martha responded, ‘yes I know, in the resurrection morning.’ Jesus says, ‘I am telling you that your brother will live again.’ Is Lazarus rising again not part of the ‘whatever’ God can give Jesus when He asks? Anything means anything. John 11:²⁷ “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.” Was that the question? We often answer questions that no one is asking, saying things that God is not even asking us.

But Martha’s real heart is shown when Jesus says in John 11:³⁹ “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” (emphasis added). ‘Jesus, did You not hear me? I said he is not just dead Jesus; he has been dead for four days and the smell will be terrible. Why do you want to embarrass everybody?’ Martha was scolding Jesus. This is the same Martha that said, ‘if you ask anything God will answer You.’ And like Martha, many times we say more than we believe. Why do we say more than we believe? I interact with Christians every day; Christians say big and lofty things but when the rubber meets the road, they behave in a totally different way.

They sing, ‘Shepherd of my soul, I give You full control, wherever You may lead I will follow. I have made a choice to listen for Your voice, wherever You may lead I will go’. Then God says, ‘We need a missionary in the north’. And they say, ‘God we said quiet pastures and gentle streams, not troubled waters.’ If He is the shepherd of your soul, then go. By the grace of God, I try not to say what I do not believe. There are things I am struggling to believe, I am not there yet, I am still growing. But I will never say this is my position if I do not believe it. Martha says, ‘Jesus we know that God will give You anything You ask’, Jesus says, ‘Great, roll away the stone.’ Martha says, ‘the body will be stinking by now.’ Contradictory statements; why do Christians say more than they believe? Interestingly, Christians believe they can impress God by saying lofty things. Is it a case of everybody is saying it so I too would say it? No, it is about what you believe?

The heart is deceitful; your heart can deceive you to think you are who you are not and that you believe what you do not believe. Until you are tested. Note, however, that the fact that you are tested does not mean you have to fail. Jesus did not fail. Peter eventually did not fail. The test will just show you your level. If you believe, when your faith is tested, and if you stand on God’s Word, He will come through for you. We see in John 11:23-26 that resurrection is no longer a matter of time or place but a person. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Prayer [song]: Resurrection and the Life, Jesus is Your Name. At the mention of Your Holy Name, dead things will come alive. Amen!