You Always Hear Me

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  “And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”  John 11:38-44

The story of Lazarus death and resurrection is one of the riches stories in the bible, as it’s full of wisdom and truths that we can use in our present day lives. Through prayer and by the Spirit, Jesus was constantly in touch with the Father and prayed up. He was doing nothing that any true child of God cannot do. He was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit and listened to what the Father had to tell Him about everything. So when one of his best friend’s Lazarus died and his sisters Mary and Martha sent him at note, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” when Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” It wasn’t a surprise or shock to Jesus because He knew it fitted in God’s plan and purposes and Lazarus would be healed because Jesus loved His friend. Jesus wasn’t upset by any negative circumstance or news because He knew what faith in God and the power of God would do to anything negative.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was until he died. And then by the Spirit He told His disciples  “Lazarus is dead. “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” (John 11:15-16).

By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. The bible records:

 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. Luke 11:20-29

To me Martha is representative of many Christians who have faith in their head but not in her heart. She knew all the answers to the questions that Jesus posed to her but really didn’t believe that her brother would rise from the dead at the present time. She knew that Jesus could have healed her and that whatever Jesus would ask of God, God will give Him. She had great faith for yesterday and great faith for tomorrow but not faith for today. Even Mary knew and believed that if Jesus had been here, her brother would not have died. The bible records what transpired next:

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”  And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”   Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” John 11:34-40

When Jesus saw Mary weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled and proceeded to deal with this disastrous situation.  But first Jesus wept because He really loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha and was upset about all that they had and were going through even though it would all work out for the good in the end because His Father was a miracle working God. We can take great comfort in the Father that our Father God knows and understands all that we are going through and He is the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who neither faints nor is weary and his understanding is unsearchable. He still gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength. As a result those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary,  they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31) He is a God who in Christ Jesus He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses  He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Yes, we have in Christ Jesus a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses and therefore we can come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Yes, what God has done for one, He will do for another as God’s word is unchanging:

And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Luke 7:21

After Jesus finished weeping came to the tomb, which was a cave, and had a stone laying  against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” But Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” In this incidence we have a good desription of why many people don’t receive their needed miracles. Miracles from God don’t just happen from God unless man plays his part including believing and removing the different stones that hold back the miracles such as stones of unbelief, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, stubbornness, pride, arrogance and other sins and weaknesses.

It’s to be noted that miracles happen to those who believe in the Word of God.  When Jesus, who was the Word made flesh, dwelt among men, He performed great miracles  for those who believed. When Jesus came into His own country, He could not  do many mighty works because of their unbelief.  When the people looked at  Him, they could not look beyond the flesh, and see the Word made flesh. He is more than just a man, and He can do great and mighty things for us.  He is the Word made flesh, and He has all power; and in  that  Word there is healing for soul, mind and body. So when they believed  and took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying Jesus was able to do His part and ensure that a miracle would happen.

Jesus told us, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). And that is exactly what Jesus did, He confessed to His Father God, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Jesus also told us, for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20). So then Jesus cried with a loud voice saying , “Lazarus, come forth!”  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

God’s purpose in Lazarus death and resurrection was fulfilled for many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. And the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and  plotted how to put Jesus to death saying,  For this Man works many signs.  “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” Yes, carnal religious ones hate miracles, signs and wonders because it exposes the emptyiness and hypocrisy of their religion.

Now God has planned and purposed that each true child of God use their faith in God, their believing and speaking to any mountain in their life and saying to it  ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for them. He told them not only rejoice at the resulting miracles but in the fact that their name is written in heaven. God’s word is true:

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”  And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”   Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; “for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” Luke 10:17-24

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:21-24

WALTER KAMBULOW

VICTORY MINISTRIES