We Need More Than A Miracle - We Need The Glory Of Jesus Christ

John 11:21-27 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Introduction:

How often in life do you and I find ourselves in need of a miracle? Perhaps a provision? Someone’s salvation? A healing? What is it that we need? Not a miracle, but Christ in His glory. The glory of Christ is the truth of His power and Person made known. In this post, we will contend that when the glory of Jesus is understood as our need, all other needs will be more clearly understood or received. We will focus our attention today on Jesus' miracle of the raising of Lazarus. What kind of glories of Jesus are revealed by the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead? We will first consider this miracle in light of the other "sign miracles" recorded in John's Gospel, and then draw out the various glories of Jesus Christ that issue forth from Jesus' performance of the miracle.

Seeing the miracle of Lazarus brought back to life in the context of John's other signs

Most New Testament scholars divide John's Gospel into two divisions: John 1-12 is called "The Book of Signs" and John 13-21 is termed "The Book of Glory". In brief, we find the following seven signs or miracles recorded in John's Gospel:

1. Water to Wine - John 2:1-11

2. Nobleman's son healed - John 4:46-54

3. Healing at Bethesda - John 5:1-17

4. Feeding of 5,000 - John 6:1-14

5. Walking on water - John 6:15-25

6. Healing of the blind man - John 9:1-41

7. Raising Lazarus - John 11:17-46

All of these "signs" are designed to point us to a particular truth about Jesus Christ - namely, as stated in John 20:31 "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." If we had more time and space, we could catalogue how each of these signs demonstrate John's two-fold point: first, of revealing to us how Jesus is the Christ (the "chosen-one" or "anointed one" who came to be man), the Son of God (i.e truly Divine) and then second, by trusting in this Divine and human Savior, we can have eternal life. 

Undoubtedly, Martha's confession of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world" in John 11:27 together with the response of faith from Jesus' audience in John 11:45 demonstrates how the raising of Lazarus contributes to John's overall case. 

The raising of Lazarus represents the final sign recorded in the first part of John's Gospel in chapters 1-12. Jesus' power over life and death culminates what the other six signs have already communicated to us about Jesus. In the water to wine miracle, Jesus introduced Himself as the Mediator of the New Covenant and the Initiator of God's in-breaking kingdom. The raising of the Nobleman's son reveals Jesus' power communicated over a distance. In terms of the lame man at Bethesda, we find Jesus' ability to bring deliverance and healing, a central trait of the Christ or Messiah (see Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18). The feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water miracles remind us of Jesus' authority over the physical creation. Then the healing of a man with congenital blindness shows how Jesus possesses unprecedented power and authority (no examples exist in the Old Testament of people blind from birth being healed). The bring back of Lazarus from the dead sets the stage for what will be the two focal events of John 13-21 - Christ's cross and resurrection from the dead. 

So having surveyed how the raising of Lazarus from the dead fits with the other six signs recorded in John's Gospel, lets consider briefly how Jesus' glory is revealed in that particular miracle.  

1. The Glory of Jesus’ Deity.
John 11:17-27

Jesus' claim to be the resurrection and the life is His way of saying that He possesses the power to bring people back from the dead. Old Testament texts repeatedly testify to Yahweh, Jehovah God raising the saints to glory and immortality at the end of history (see Job 14:14; 19:25-26; Psalm 16:8-11; Isaiah 25:6-9; Daniel 12:1-2). Jesus Himself alludes to His inherent power to raise people from the dead (John 5:24-25). With this statement to Martha, Jesus is asserting His glorious Divine power. The glory of Christ's Deity is revealed in this text. All who attach themselves to Jesus have immediate access to all that is the hidden and revealed treasures of God revealed in the Person of the Son, sharing in co-equality with the Father and the Spirit. 

2. The Glory of Jesus’ Humanity. John 11:28-37

John not only is arguing quite forcefully for Jesus' deity, but equally so for His true humanity. We switch from an exalted view of the Divine Christ to the true humanity of a very human Jesus. As man, Jesus had to travel (John 11:30); had feet (11:32); had a human spirit (11:33); wept (11:35) and of course is identified clearly as a man (11:37). Why is this so glorious? The Son of God can empathize. Passages throughout the New Testament such as Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:13; 4:12-16; 7:24-25 and others praise the Son as man, as God incarnate. The Son's incarnation results in Him being just as glorious in His humanity as He has been eternally with respect to His deity.

3. The Glory of Jesus’ Power. John 11:38-46

The power over death lies in the hands of God alone. Certainly we see instances of people resuscitating or bring other people back to life by God's power (see 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-36; 2 Kings 13:20-21; Acts 9:36-43). However, only Jesus brings people back to life with unprecedented Divine authority, declaring His certainty of the person coming back to life as if it is an already done deal (see Luke 8:49-56; John 11:38-46). Jesus didn't just resuscitate others from death to life by the power of God, He did so with His power as God incarnate (as well as in conjunction with the Holy Spirit Who empowered Him in His humanity as Messiah). Just as God alone could make dead bones come to life, take on skin and flesh and become a mighty marching army and nation in Ezekiel 37-39; so only Jesus can re-animate what was dead. Jesus alone can do this physically and of course spiritually in the miracle of the new birth.

4. The Glory of Jesus’ Cross. John 11:47-57

The raising of Lazarus from the dead seemed to be the catalyst that broke the proverbial camel's back for the Jewish leaders. When we look into John 12, we find the Jews not only plotting to kill Jesus, but also Lazarus. This miracle provided the context in which the high priest Caiaphus would prophesy the substitutionary work of one man dying for the people (John 11:49). Lest the glory of the cross be included in our reckoning of how we behold Jesus' glory in the New Testament, we are then no longer speaking of the Jesus' of the New Testament. We need more than a miracle, we need Him. On then in Jesus Christ can we have clarity on either what we truly need or receive from His hand what He deems necessary for us.  

Reflections On Seeking God In Prayer During The National Day Of Prayer 2017

Daniel 9:19 "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

1 Timothy 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men."

Introduction:

Today is set aside by many people in America by what is called: "The National Day of Prayer". In the above opening passages, we find two men, separated by six centuries of time, bearing the same message: seeking God on behalf of their respective situations, countries, cities and governments. 

The prophet Daniel is the first of these men. He is the one who wrote Daniel 9:19, which is the theme verse for the 2017 day of prayer. For those interested, the entire event - including its history, videos and other resources -can be found at the following website: http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org. Daniel sought the Lord in his day. He had been in a foreign land - Babylon - for some seventy years. He knew what it was like to be desperate for God.

The second man, the Apostle Paul, wrote a letter to a young pastor named Timothy some six centuries after Daniel. His concern was about making sure Timothy knew what it took to pastor the church of the living God. Among his important instructions, we see Paul urging this young pastor to lead the church to seek God in prayer. On this National Day of Prayer 2017, I thought it would be appropriate to consider what it means to seek God in prayer.  We will glean our observations from what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2. For this special "National Day of Prayer" post, we will utilize the acrostic s.e.e.k to discover how we can seek God in prayer.

Start with God.  1 Timothy 2:1
The Holy Ghost says through Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men." Four Greek words for prayer are used by Paul in this first verse. Without going into the details, the four terms speak of a progressive effort to desperately seek God. As you study the subject of prayer, you discover that prayer is born of God in the context of need.  So why pray? Because only God can control outcomes.  He desires Christians to participate in prayer for the bringing about of His will in those outcomes.  When you start with God in prayer, you will also end with Him in prayer (Matthew 6; Luke 11).  So to "seek" God in prayer means you start with God. But notice secondly....

Expect God to respond. 1 Timothy 2:2-3
Paul continues on in 1 Timothy 2:2, noting that as we pray on behalf of kings, authorities and all people, we pray "so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Why do God's people and churches get so discouraged in prayer? we often do not expect God to respond. Prayers with no expectations lead to no results.  Leonard Ravenhill, a long-time evangelist and advocate of prayer, writes: 

"The lightbulb for us Christians is prayer and God has the power.  But it is faith that makes the connection."  

Expect great things from the Great God and watch the Great God do great things.  So you need to start with God, and expect God to respond. Notice thirdly....

Express prayers for non-Christians. 1 Timothy 2:4-6
We read these words in 1 Timothy 2:3-6 "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." So why mention Christ's Person and Accomplishment of salvation in the middle of a section on prayer? Because the cross is the ground of prayer.  

Furthermore, Paul is reminding His people that a praying people must not just pray for themselves but beyond themselves.  Praying for the lost means your are not just seeking the face of God, but also the heart of God.  Before you ever thought about your unsaved loved ones and friends - God had them on His mind before time began.  Prior to any tears the church of God may shed for the unconverted, God ordained the Son to assume humanity to shed His blood on their behalf. Prayer is the sail to which faith is attached.  The Good Gospel Ship is born along by the winds of the Spirit blowing into the sail of prayer.  

As Paul already wrote, praying on behalf of all people will ensure the necessary conditions for proclaiming the Gospel to those who would or could oppose it.  So when you seek God, start with God, expect Him to respond and express prayers for non-Christian people, but notice finally....

Keep Praying, stop complaining.  1 Timothy 2:7-8
Paul writes these words in 1 Timothy 2:7-8 "For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension." Why would Paul tell this young pastor to warn the people not to pray in "wrath and dissension".  Why? Because the church to often is known more for fighting one another rather than fighting the good fight of faith.  The three underlined words (faith, truth and pray) signal to us how it is we must keep praying, and truly stop complaining.  

Faith, rather than fear, will ensure that we pray rather than complain.  Truth, rather than error, will encourage us to pray rather than complain.  Then prayer itself, rather than picking on one another, characterizes the church who is praying rather than complaining.  Paul's preaching in 1 Timothy 2:7 and the exhortation to pray in verse 8 go hand in hand.  

God has blessed us more than we deserve.  Churches who truly seek God in prayer and are about His kingdom work find far less to complain about.  In fact, I would suspect that the complaining that you and I find ourselves doing is a sure sign that we are not praying as we should nor sharing the Gospel as we ought.

Closing thoughts
Lord help us as your church in America and throughout the world to be a people who s.e.e.k you in prayer not only for this day, but everyday.

P2 Freed From An Old Life To Live A New Life - Romans 7:1-6

Romans 7:1-6 "Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter."

Introduction:

Years ago my wife and I had purchased a car that ended up being a true lemon. No matter what we did, the car would break down almost every week. We should had known better when we got nine miles from the dealership on the day of purchase and had to call them to tow the car back. Although they weren't happy about it, they had to fix the problem. The whole time we owned the car, things were breaking. The ceiling even fell in and when I would drive it to work, I would be coughing on the flecks of glue holding up the ceiling. The day we sold it (for $300), was a happy day indeed! We were free from the garage bills, free from the hassle. The next car we purchased was far better. We could once again enjoy owning an automobile that was hassle free. This illustrates our current subject: "freedom". Paul is advocating in his argument from Romans 6:20 into Romans 7:1-6. To those verses we turn once again to see how we are, in Jesus Christ, freed from and old life to live a new life.

Upon saving trust in Jesus Christ, the sinner's bonds to the condemnation of Old Adam and the old life are severed. A bad marriage comes to an end

In our last post, we probed into Paul's illustration of how the bonds of marriage are dissolved upon the passing of a former spouse. This truth is illustrated in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 25:39-42 - "When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil. The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.” 41 She arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”     42 Then Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife."

If you read the back story of Abigail's marriage to Nabal, you find that Nabal was a mean-spirited controlling man, given oftentimes to fits of rage. His maltreatment of David resulted in David almost launching an all-out attack on Nabal. Due to Abigail's pleading for mercy, David chose to stay his hand. Nabal (whose name means 'fool') was feasting and drinking. The next morning, Abigail told him of how he narrowly missed being ambushed by David and his small band of men. Great fear seized Nabal and in ten days time, he was dead. 

Upon Nabal's death, Abigail was free to marry David, which is testified of in scripture as a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Abigail was set free from the tyranny of her first husband and could now enjoy the blessings associated with David - God's man for that hour, the heir apparent to the throne of Jerusalem and the human ancestor of Christ's humanity (see Romans 1:1-3).
  
When I embrace the cross, my so-called marriage to unbelief in Christ is over.  The former husband or spouse dies at the cross. At that point I'm set free to embrace Christ. 

Why being in union with Jesus Christ is the perfect marriage, full of freedom and enjoyment

Now what kind of spouse is Christ in contrast to that old, former spouse of sin? Romans 7:4 explains "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God." He brings me new life. He brings you flowers in the form of righteous living. He brings to light His love letters called the scriptures (see Ephesians 5:22-25). He clothes you in new garments called His righteousness. He is building for you a new home in Heaven (John 14:1-6). He loves you no matter what (Romans 8:32-37). 

Romans 7:6 sheds even more light - "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." The New Husband, Christ, makes all things new. The shame, regret and hurt of your former "marriage" to sin is erased. Now that old husband will attempt to come back through your thoughts and memories, habits and behaviors, old associations and current ones, to convince you that you need to go back to it. However, you need to say to your old self that you are Christ's, and that Christ is yours, and that you are in no way going back! The believer in Jesus Christ can truly say: I am His, and He is mine! As Jesus says in John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

P1 Freed From An Old Life To Live A New Life - Romans 7:1-6

Romans 7:1-4 "Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."

Introduction:

When I was growing up as a child, we had a dear neighbor, an older lady and her husband, that lived next door. As a child, I would often see this dear lady cultivating her small flower garden and also witness her husband cultivating his rather large vegetable garden. The husband, as we came to find out, did not like his wife's flowers getting in the way of either his yard or his garden. So, he had her grow her flowers underneath their porch. My parents, in the nicest way possible, told me that the husband limited what his wife could do, and that he was very particular about what went on with their property. Over time, as we got to the know the couple, the husband would be rather gruff and un-neighborly at times; whilst the wife would exercise hospitality and warmth toward whomever came to their door.

The time came when we got word that the lady's husband had passed away due to a long-standing illness. After mourning his passing, the lady moved to a different house - an apartment. My parents and the lady had gotten to know one another, and so we would visit her. When we went to her home, I noticed she had flowers everywhere! In her former house, conditions were such that she was restricted. But now she was enjoying her new found freedom. She had flowers in her windows, decorative flowers outside her apartment door, flowers on her end-tables - flowers everywhere! No longer was she under the thumb of her controlling husband. She was free to enjoy her love of flowers.

Sin - the Horrible Husband (Spouse)
Romans 7 explores the conflict that exists in the life of the Christian.  Before getting to that main theme, Paul chooses to illustrate the reality of sin and the reality of Christ through the illustration of marriage and how its bonds are severed upon the passing of a spouse.  The theme of "freedom" that we saw in the last post carries on into Romans 7:1-6. In contrast to freedom, Paul lays forth the concept of "slavery". We saw already in Romans 6:20-22 his illustration of these two concepts in the context of the world of slavery, followed by a second illustration of these contrasting principles by way of wages paid to an employee or a soldier in time of service. Paul's point in his contrasting "slavery" and "freedom" is to show the "bad news" (6:20-21) in contrast to "good news (6:22-23)". Remember: the Gospel always begins with the bad news before proceeding to the good news. 

When you and I are born into this world, we are, as it were, wedded to sin.  As we grew and developed, this spouse comes to more and more dominate your life.  In using the analogy of marriage, Paul states that as long as unbelief operates in the human heart, the marriage to the sinful self will become more and more loveless.

Sin's chief function in the life of the unbeliever is that of dominion.  By tracing the argument back to Romans 6:14, we discover that the Christian is set free from the "dominion" or the "necessity" to only sin.  Like a bad marriage, sin abuses, takes over and demands.  In the life of the unbeliever, self is always crying "I want" and never "I'll give".  Sin shouts "mine" and never "His".  Sin will gladly wear a three-piece suit and go to church and be religious, just as long as the cross is not mentioned. 

Christ the Good Husband (Spouse)
Paul teaches that as long as the first "husband" of unbelief is alive in my heart, I am bound to that "bad marriage".  A loveless, lifeless marriage is like a walking death.  This is Paul's point - to show His readers that Good Husband - Christ.  Therefore whenever the Spirit comes calling, I by grace through faith believe and the former life - the former "husband"- is declared legally dead by God.  Death can only be declared at the cross.  

More next time....

True Freedom - Romans 6:20-23

Romans 6:20-7:3 "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Introduction:

Paul's main section on the post-conversion Christian life begins with a preliminary statement on our union with Jesus Christ, the New Adam, in Romans 5:12-21. In Romans 6, we get introduced to the main theme of union with Christ by way of the realities of our Christian identity (a.k.a "Gospel Indicatives") and the responsibilities that follow (a.k.a "Gospel Imperatives"). Paul lays out our Christian identity, our position in Christ, by building up the firm foundation of Gospel indicatives. He uses the language of "in Christ", "through Christ", "into Christ" and so forth to reinforce to his readers who they are and Whose they are. The imperatives (such as "reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive unto God" in Romans 6:11) follow from the indicatives to build our growing experience in Jesus Christ. All of this is Paul's supreme case for the process of sanctification which he will further expound in Romans 7 and 8. 

In today's post, we want to see how Paul layers on another key theme and contrast in his exposition on the post-conversion Christian life - namely "freedom" in Christ as having rescued the Christian from "enslavement" to sin. Paul will develop this key theme by three ways: illustrating such from the world of 1st century Roman slavery (Romans 7:20-22); illustrating the contrast between spiritual freedom and sin's tyranny by way of the world of employment and wages (Romans 6:23) and then thirdly, by how a spouse is freed to marry again once her first husband has passed away (Romans 7:1-6). We will focus upon the first two of these illustrations of true spiritual freedom in contrast to sin's tyranny.
Today's post will consider what it means to have true freedom in Christ, and why being tied to Jesus is the greatest form of freedom there is. 

True Freedom is found under the Lordship of Jesus Christ

It has been said that: "the one who is a slave to the compass will become lord of the seas; but the one who abandons the compass will become a slave to the shoreline." How many of us, if we're truly honest, like being told what to do? None of us do. However, one of the counter-intuitive truths of Christianity is that the more I'm under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the greater amount of spiritual freedom I will have. When we talk of spiritual freedom, I liken it to the amount of enjoyment one has of being a follow of Jesus. 

Jesus Himself talked early on about spiritual freedom in John 8:32 "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” In Paul's other letters, we find this wonderful theme of spiritual freedom in 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Or again in Galatians 5:13 "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Again, spiritual freedom has to do with one's level of enjoyment in being a follower of Jesus Christ. Matthew 11:28-29 records Jesus talking about this in the following command: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." 

Now these passages speak of the interrelationship between Christ's Lordship and spiritual freedom. The more bound I am to Jesus Christ's Lordship, the more enjoyment of the Christian life I will have. To illustrate, lets consider the first-time a man broke the sound barrier.

Chuck Yeager - The first man to break the sound barrier

On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager flew an aircraft named "Bell X-1" to break the sound barrier at a velocity of 700 m.p.h. To achieve this feat, Yeager's aircraft was drop launched from the belly of a modified B-29 Superfortress plane, pictured below:



What would had happened if Yeager's plane had not been attached to the much larger one? Yeager's range of freedom in breaking the sound-barrier would had been hindered. 

In the Christian life, the follower of Jesus must be bound-over to the authority of Jesus and His Word if he or she is to ever break the barriers of growth and progress in Christian faith. The gravity of sin and the old life will attempt to drag on us. This is why we read in Romans 6:22-23 "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We must be aware of the enticement and false-advertisements of sin

Paul repeatedly warns us not to give into the beckoning call to the old way of life from whence we were redeemed. The world, the flesh and the devil promise all sorts of freedom. After all, the unbelieving world is convinced that if we would but sever ourselves from the authority of God, we would be free indeed. Psalm 2:1-4 perfectly captures this attitude of sinful man, and God's response to it: "Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them." In the prophetic tapestry of the Bible, Psalm 2 functions as a so-called "Messianic Psalm", meaning that even though the term "anointed" speaks in the immediate context to King David, the ultimate referent is "The Anointed One", i.e - The Lord Jesus Christ. What unbelievers find most objectionable is the claim Christ has on everything. 

However, Paul utilizes the simple imagery of earning wages at a job. We've already seen his use of this in Romans 6:22-23. The Bible Exposition Commentary on Romans 6:20-23 notes the following: 

"If you serve a master, you can expect to receive wages. Sin pays wages—death! God also pays wages—holiness and everlasting life. In the old life, we produced fruit that made us ashamed. In the new life in Christ, we produce fruit that glorifies God and brings joy to our lives. We usually apply Romans 6:23 to the lost, and certainly it does apply; but it also has a warning for the saved. (After all, it was written to Christians.) “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:17). “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30, NASB). Samson, for example, would not yield himself to God, but preferred to yield to the lusts of the flesh, and the result was death (Jud. 16). If the believer refuses to surrender his body to the Lord, but uses its members for sinful purposes, then he is in danger of being disciplined by the Father, and this could mean death. (See Heb. 12:5–11, and note the end of v. 9 in particular.)"

Years ago I heard the following saying: "sin will keep longer than you intended to stay and it will cost you more than you intended to pay". Righteousness in Jesus Christ has its wages, its payment, its outcome; and sin has its payday too. In Christ, there is eternal life; when we sin as Christians, a little part of us dies. Only the grace of the Gospel and genuine repentance can rescue us from the snares of sin (see 2 Timothy 2:24-25; 1 John 1:9). 

True spiritual freedom comes by staying lashed to the mast of Christ's Lordship and keeping one's eye on the compass of His Word. As the great commentator John Gill notes in his commentary:

"....a life of the utmost perfection and pleasure, and which will last for ever: and as the grace of God, which justifies and sanctifies them, is through Christ, so is the eternal life itself which it brings unto: this is in Christ, comes through his righteousness, sufferings, and death; is bestowed by him, and will greatly consist in the enjoyment of him."

Indeed, to be bound to the compass of the Master and His authority will afford me the ability to truly enjoy the Christian life, no matter how hard it may get.  

Some Of God's Morally Sufficient Reasons For Permitting Pain And Suffering In Our World - A Study Of John 11

Note: The above picture is from a sixth century mosaic of Jesus raising Lazarus. The mosaic is located at The Church Of Sant'Apollinaire Nuovo in Ravenna Italy

John 11:1-4 "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

Introduction:

Today's post is going to cover what is perhaps one of the most familiar miracles of Jesus recorded in the four Gospels - the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In this particular post, we want to consider reasons why God delays (or seems to delay) in preventing pain and suffering. This particular issue has been at the epicenter of both philosophical and theological discussion for millennia. In this particular post, I simply want to lay out some of the Biblical and life-practical reasons that explains God's morally sufficient purposes for permitting pain and suffering. What follows is not meant to be exhaustive, since there are morally sufficient reasons that God has for permitting much of what we see and yet, we're not in the position to necessarily know what those reasons are. With that said, we will use Jesus' delay in John 11:1-16 and its larger context to lay out some of these reasons. Note...

1. God's first morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: A Greater Good

John 11:5-6 states - "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was." Jesus purposefully delayed going to Lazarus. Why? a greater good was in view. What was the greater good? John 11:14-15 tells us: "So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Jesus knew that if He raised Lazarus when He raised Him, the disciples' faith in Him would be strengthened. They were in no position to see that outcome. In many instances, the possibility of a greater good being worked out by God through His Divine permission of evil and suffering seems quite remote. However, the timing of Jesus was such that the delay proved quite strategic.  

2. God's second morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Godly Character development

Why else would God permit evil and suffering to persist in our world? for the development of character in people. Think about His conversation with Martha in John 11:20-27 

"Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

By the end of the conversation, Martha's faith and perspective on Jesus and the meaning of life had shifted to a more Christ-centered direction. She would never be the same after this miracle. What if Jesus had arrived two days prior? would we had witnessed this conversation? would Martha experience such a life-altering change? As Adrian Rogers has noted about God's seeming delays: "God's delays are not God's denials". So, God's morally sufficient reasons for permitting pain and suffering include some greater good and the development of Godly character. Notice a third possible reason....

3. God's third morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Genuine response to the Gospel

In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus has the following conversation - "Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus is dealing with two incidents, both of which He never gives the full reasons for why God permitted them to occur. The only common thread we find in Jesus' recounting is the urgency for His audience to repent. Repentance is both a Divine gifting of grace and secondly, a definite response and turn of the mind and heart from sin unto Christ. Mind you, these morally sufficient reasons cannot on their own explain every instance for why there may be suffering in a given situation. 

Obviously Jesus doesn't lay out the philosophical nor theological reasons for the Tower of Siloam falling on bystanders nor the slaughter of worshipers of God in the temple. But one thing is certain: God can use bad things to get our attention. We may not grasp the "whys". All we know is that it is incumbent upon every person to be sure they are right with God through Jesus. When we return back to John 11:45, we read the following outcome of this miracle - "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him."

4. God's fourth morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: God's Glory being revealed

One may think that God's permitting evil and suffering would detract from the revelation of all that He is (i.e. His glory). However, notice what Jesus says the outcome will be of Lazarus' sickness in John 11:4 "But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” We know by the tail-end of John 11 that Lazarus does die. But, his death is only temporary. Indeed, Jesus' bringing Lazarus back to life demonstrates the truth of His words, namely, the sickness would not lead to death. Jesus, in effect, was already stating what would be the outcome of Lazarus relative to the miracle He was about to perform. 

We read elsewhere in John's Gospel concerning why a certain man had been born blind in John 9:1-3 "As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." God can use bad circumstances to reveal His glory. Much like a jeweler placing a black cloth in the background of a precious jewel to make the jewel's facets pop out in their brilliance, so too, God has chosen to create a world populated by free-moral creatures with the permitted possibility of such creatures rejecting Him. Although it may right now look like God's purposes are thwarted, nevertheless, in the end, God will be glorified (see Habakkuk 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 11:15; 21-22).  

5. God's fifth morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Generate Trust

The one trait I notice about much of the Biblical record devoted to God's Sovereignty and the reality of pain and suffering is how often God doesn't tell the person all the details. In Job for example, the reader is given a gallery view of the cosmic chain of cause and effect going on between the actions of Satan, various villains in Job's life, the weather patterns and of course God's guidance of the whole process through those secondary causes. God doesn't divulge to Job why Job is undergoing his atrocities. However, by the end of Job, we find Job's trust in God strengthened, as seen in Job 42:5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You".

So when we look once more at Jesus' miracle of raising Lazarus in John 11, do we see evidence of somebody's trust in Jesus being strengthened? we do. Mary, Lazarus' sister, was young in her faith. She was the one who sat at Jesus feet, listening to Him teach in Luke 10:38-42. Did Mary grasp why Jesus delayed his coming? no. She tells Jesus in John 11:32 that if He had gotten their sooner, Lazarus would not had died. Now notice what Jesus does: Jesus weeps, but He doesn't explain to Mary why He delayed. Instead, Jesus does the miracle and then we find an extraordinary outcome beginning in John 12. In short, Mary ends up anointing Jesus six days before His crucifixion. Her faith had been strengthened and we see a prime example of what it means to follow Jesus. 

Closing thoughts:

In today's post we laid out five morally sufficient reasons for which God permits pain and suffering from a study of John 11...

1. God's first morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: A Greater Good

2. God's second morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Godly Character development

3. God's third morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Genuine response to the Gospel

4. God's fourth morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: God's Glory being revealed

5. God's fifth morally sufficient reason for permitting pain and suffering: Generate Trust

May the Lord enable us to trust Him more in this world as we find ourselves dealing with what can often-be the hardships of life. I close with these words from John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

How To Get Connected To The Bible In 30 Days

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

Introduction:

Today's post aims to be an encouragement and a challenge to readers. The encouragement part has to do with presenting a feasible way of getting into a daily habit of Bible reading for the next 30 days. The challenge to the reader is to simply do it. 

What is the plan? In the book of Psalms we have a handful of psalms that Bible teachers call "Torah Psalms". These "Torah Psalms" are psalms dedicated to unfolding the value of God's Word to one's walk with God. The plan entails taking the verses in Psalm 19:7-14 and the 22 sections of Psalm 119 (eight psalms each) and sectioning these all up into a 30 day reading pattern. The plan for getting connected with the Bible in 30 days would go something like the following:

Day 1 - Psalm 19:7
Day 2 - Psalm 19:8
Day 3 - Psalm 19:9
Day 4 - Psalm 19:10
Day 5 - Psalm 19:11
Day 6 - Psalm 19:12
Day 7 - Psalm 19:13
Day 8 - Psalm 19:14

The first eight days would involve reading one verse-a-day from Psalm 19:8-14. On the ninth day, the reader would "kick-it-up-a-notch" to reading eight verses a day, beginning with Psalm 119:1-8. The reason being is because Psalm 119 is divided into 22 portions of eight verses. In the original Hebrew, Psalm 119 has each of its eight verse sections start each verse with a corresponding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This would had enabled people to memorize the entire Psalm (imagine that!). In many English Bibles, the sections of Psalm 119 still include the Hebrew name of their alphabetic sections (for instance, Psalm 119:1-8 is called "aleph", Psalm 119:9-16 is called "beth" and so on). Anyway, we could begin Psalm 119 on day 9 and move through its 22 sections until we reach the 30th day. Thus, for example....

Day 9 - Psalm 119:1-8 or "aleph"
Day 10 - Psalm 119:9-16 or "beth"
Day 11 - Psalm 119:17-24 or "gimel"
Day 12 - Psalm 119:25-32 or "daleth"
Day 13 - Psalm 119:33-40 or "he"
Day 14 - Psalm 119:41-48 or "Vau"
Day 15 - Psalm 119:49-56 or "Zain"
Day 16 - Psalm 119:57-64 or "Cheth"
Day 17 - Psalm 119:65-72 or "Theth"
Day 18 - Psalm 119:73-80 or "Jod"
Day 19 - Psalm 119:81-88 or "Caph"
Day 20 - Psalm 119:89-96 or "Lamed"
Day 21 - Psalm 119:97-104 or "Mem"
Day 22 - Psalm 119:105-112 or "Nun"
Day 23 - Ps 119:113-120 or "Samech"
Day 24 - Ps 119:121-128 or "Ain"
Day 25 - Ps 119:129-136 or "Pe"
Day 26 - Ps 119:137-144 or "Tzaddi"
Day 27 - Ps 119:145-152 or "Koph"
Day 28 - Ps 119:153-160 or "Resh"
Day 29 - Ps 119:161-168 or "Schin"
Day 30 - Ps 119:169-176 or "Tau"

By the end of 30 days, the reader will had covered quite a bit of Biblical text, all expounding on the Bible itself. I commend this plan to anyone desiring to get a fresh start in a regular diet of reading God's Word.