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Introduction
John 11:3-4 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 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.”
What a positive, different, confident response to a negative report.
The Holy Spirit in the Christ rose above the facts of the situation to the possibilities hidden in God.
An answer birthed out of faith, a faith developed out of intimacy with God. A pure roar of the King, the Lion of Judah, against the facts.
Jesus was operating on a different level of perception and understanding than the rest of the people around Him. The disciples, Mary and Martha all dealt with the facts, according to natural understanding and perception. Jesus’ total response and action was from Faith, moved by Spiritual perception, insight and foresight.
1. What gets God’s attention?
Matt 16 : 13-20 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hade will not overcome it.19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beg loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Jesus asks the disciples a question. All of them answer the best possible answer that they thought fit. But only Peter gives an answer that was birthed out of Spiritual perception or the Spirit.
Meaning God has already said something about Jesus (“He is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”), His word has gone into the atmosphere. Peter is tuned in, and receives that word and speaks it. What has happened? Peter came into AGREEMENT WITH GOD’S WORD! WHICH CREATED FAITH!
God wants someone to come into agreement with His Word!
His Word cannot return unto Him void or unfulfilled. Meaning that we need to be tuned in enough with God’s Word about a situation that we can receive it and come into agreement with it.
When we come into agreement with it, we move out of the fact realm into the faith realm. And that gets Jesus’ response immediately!
Jesus wasn’t moved by the negative report received from Martha, He was moved by faith because He had the correct perception on things, and His faith was in agreement with the Word of God over Lazarus.
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
The problem is the Christian doesn’t KNOW God’s Word enough.
The Christian is not tuned in enough.
The more we know His Word, the more faith we will have .
Many of us allow circumstance to determine our faith. For example:
Jesus in the Storm
Jesus and Peter with the temple tax, etc.
2. Why is it so that we are not functioning like we should?
Many are dressed with the past. Dressed with their past pains, hurts, offenses, bitterness and anger, many have so clothed themselves with themselves that their identity has become the sum total of their experiences.
Jesus came to set people free from this and therefore all Christians should be clothed with Christ and Christ should become their identity. Out of this identity Christ flows.
Rom 13: 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Galatians 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Without identity there can be no understanding of stewardship, belonging or understanding what is yours in My household.
Many are sons, yet they live as orphans.
Christians must look to the cross, for there lays the Power of Salvation, the message of grace and reconciliation. But sadly many just stay looking at the cross, and they don't move beyond the cross, they stop there.
Look beyond the cross to the Mighty Christ standing beside the Father.
The cross brings us to Christ. Therefore we must know Him. For all that call on His name must walk like He walked. (1 John 2: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.)
When we look to Christ the power of the Cross becomes real, evident, tangible.
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