Jesus: the Miracle Worker
John 10:
10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
There are only two kinds of people on earth. And I do not mean Men and Women. They are people who are Alive and those who are Dead. You can be Dead before you are dead. If you are Alive you know it. If you are Dead you know it. The devil is the merchant of death. Jesus came that we might be Alive.
The ultimate purpose and mission of the devil is to kill and destroy. The devil deals in death and destruction. Jesus gives LIFE and deals in RESTORATION. All problems and attacks are designed by satan to kill us and destroy us. The devil wants death and destruction to take us over. Jesus wants Life and Restoration to take us over. How did Jesus deal with death? The Bible says He conquered death, hell, and the grave. If He conquered them, they are still conquered. Jesus never has to re-do what He has already done. His work is complete and perfect. He has “finished” it (as we heard last week: Jesus did not say “to be continued” on the Cross, He said “it is finished.”) We need to deal with death just like Jesus dealt with it.
Relate the story of Lazarus.
Lazarus = “whom God helps”
Every Attack is an OPPORTUNITY.
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Jesus “heard” the bad report. Faith comes by hearing and doubt also comes by hearing. Unbelief can be stimulated by hearing. Distress can come by hearing. Fear can be initiated by hearing. What are you hearing? Whatever you are hearing will either build your faith are add to your unbelief. Jesus determined to be NOT MOVED by what He heard.
Then, Jesus declared with His mouth what the situation was going to be. He took the opportunity to Prophesy what the situation was going to be because he knew the will of God in the matter. Jesus “heard” and then He “said.” What He heard did not alter what He said. He refused to give in to the sense realm by believing what the opinions of men were.
“It’s not over. It’s not final. It’s not what it’s going to be. God is working. I am waiting. I am believing. I am standing. I am speaking. I am prophesying. What I say is in agreement with God and because of this, the devil (and all his works) will have to move aside.”
Sickness is an opportunity. Adversity is an opportunity. Every impossibility is an opportunity. Your fiery trial is an opportunity. Our fiery trial is an opportunity. An opportunity for us to exercise our faith. An opportunity for us to get into the Word and find out what God is saying. An opportunity to turn tragedy into testimony. God is the Master at giving us Beauty for ashes. (Isa 61:3). When we see our “death” situation in this light, we will be encouraged to say the same thing Jesus said: “This thing is not unto death…. it is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong in my behalf and to give me a powerful testimony of His Faithfulness.”
We are all faced with “Lazarus” attacks. What we do, how we act in the midst of such situations will demonstrate just how deep we are in God. We can say what others are saying. We can agree with what the Facts are. We can accept the “inevitable” or we can Prophesy to the situation. God has called you into His Kingdom and given you the power to create with your mouth the things that are in the will of God. Speak the Word!
Our fiery trial… our graveyard tribulation… our Red Sea and our Furnace heated 7 times its capacity… our den of Lions and our Goliath… all these are only opportunities for God to get Glory and for us to experience a miracle. Jesus knew that impossibilities are opportunities for God to Show Himself Strong in behalf of those who would DARE to BELIEVE!
When under pressure: Don’t Change your Plans.
John 11:6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
The devil wants us to change directions… especially if we are in the will of God. If we are on the way to where God wants us, then satan and all the forces of darkness are aligned to make us change our plans. Remember how satan tried to stop Jesus on the Sea of Galilee with the great storm before He made it to the other side? Here, Jesus was in the Flow of God and was not willing to change His direction just because He received bad news. Jesus stayed. Sometimes it is hard to Stay. When we hear of pressing needs and powerful attacks, we are tempted to run ahead of God. Remember… the Battle is the Lord’s and the Victory is ours.
Satan is the author of all bad news. Bad news is demonic. Bad news is a fiery dart of the enemy. Bad news is satan’s attempt to get you to change your plans and alter your direction. Bad news tends to make us worry. Worry is fear. Fear has torment. Fear is not out of a “sound mind” but rather the product of a double mind. When we are receivers of bad news, keep we must keep our eyes on our objective… we cannot allow discouragement, worry, fear or distractions to make us change our plans about Who we believe and What we believe.
Job was a man who was a servant of the Most High God. He had some bad news brought to him… over and over again. On the very heels of one messenger, another would come until it seemed that Job could not stand any more. And yet “in all of this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly…” It was the devil attempting to change the course of Jobs life. Learn from the Life of Jesus…. do not allow demonic pressure to change your faith position.
How many times do we want Jesus to “hurry up?” Our need presses us to prompt Jesus to hurry to our rescue. However, God has a time. And His time is the RIGHT TIME. Things are happening in the realm of the spirit that we cannot see and if we could, we would not understand. God is working. satan is fighting. We are waiting. While we wait, He is working in our behalf. If He is not hurrying, He has a reason. Jesus needed to remain where He was in order that God would get all the glory for the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection.
Remember, when you are in the Will of God, you do not have to change your plans when satan attacks and emergencies arise. Hold steady. Do not panic. Do not change your plans because of demonic emergencies.
Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is Present.
John 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Nothing can be more final than death. When you are dead…. you are dead! It’s over! It’s finished! It’s done! UNLESS Jesus is there! Listen:
1Cor. 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
So many times our attitude is like that of Thomas: “Let us also go, that we may die with him…” (Verse 16). Nothing is FIXED in the world system. Not even death! Jesus is the Great Changer. He changes things. When it seems totally final and nothing more can be done… when death looms and defeat is at hand and all hope is gone… Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is present. If He can raise Lazarus from the dead, He is more than Able to resurrect our dead hopes and dreams.
Both Mary and Martha fell into the trap of the “IF Syndrome.”
John 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
John 11:32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
You cannot afford to live in the land of IF. “If I had just done this… ” “If I had just said this…” “If I had tried harder…” “If ” moves you into the place of legalism. IF is not Grace. IF is works. IF will short circuit the Will of God. It does not matter what we are, what we have done, or what our need may be… all we need is JESUS. He will erase all our “Ifs” and deliver us from our negative thinking.
Don’t Yield to Religious Thinking.
John 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Every time you are faced with an impossibility, Religion will attempt to rise up and “explain” the situation. Religion attempts to make the Word of God agree with the death situation you are experiencing instead of making the death situation agree with the Word of God. Religion is dead doctrine. Religion is self-righteous pride and arrogance. Religion is form and tradition and legalistic law. Religion is a heavy burden. Religion works with the devil to keep you in death. Religion is deception. Christianity is not Religion… it is LIFE. Read Matthew 23 to see what Jesus said concerning Religion.
Religion will help the devil kill and destroy you. Pious platitudes that look way into the future for pie in the sky by and by will not help you in the NOW. Most of what we were taught about God had nothing to do with the present. It was either History or Prophecy. God is a God of the NOW. And Jesus is a Jesus of TODAY. HALLELUJAH.
Don’t Be Moved by the Opinions of Men.
John 11:37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
What people think has nothing to do with what the Word Says. All the opinions of men will not heal the sick or raise the dead. What you say and what you think is worthless unless your WORDS and your THOUGHTS line up with the WORD OF GOD. Most who are so quick to advise and counsel know little or nothing of the Power of God. The ones looking on, seeing the grave and the grieving family, began to murmur. Skeptics always murmur. Doubters and Unbelievers are always looking for REASONS. God is not a reasoning God and He does not operate REASONABLE… He is a FAITH GOD and He operates in the SUPERNATURAL.
Attempt the Impossible.
John 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Jesus “went too far.” When you begin to ROLLAWAY STONES from IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS, satan and all his helpers will accuse of GOING TOO FAR. “You can’t be serious.” “You really don’t mean that.” “Do you realize what you are doing?” “What will people say?” “What will my relatives think?” DO IT. If you never ATTEMPT the IMPOSSIBLE you will never get a MIRACLE. When you refuse to ROLL AWAY THE STONE you accept DEFEAT and LIMIT GOD and STOP ALL MIRACLES from happening. What stone will you roll away today? What stinking corpse of impossibility will you UNCOVER and present to GOD? YOU WILL NEVER get a RESURRECTION if you REFUSE TO ROLL AWAY THE STONE. This is your INITIAL ACT OF FAITH and it is this ACT that Moves Heaven in your behalf.
Pray Right.
John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Refuse to Pray in doubt and unbelief. “If it is Thy will” praying will never get a miracle or experience a resurrection. If you do not know how to Pray the Word, you better never roll away the stone. Jesus knew (1) What God’s Will was (2) How to Pray in God’s Will (3) How to Pray in Great Faith. He was SURE of HIS POSITION in GOD. He KNEW WHO HE WAS and what GOD had promised to do for Him. He did not beg. He did not plead. He did not anguish. HE THANKED GOD.
Speak Faith Boldly.
John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
I get great comfort from this verse. If Jesus “cried with a loud voice” I guess it’s OK for me to preach with a loud voice. He boldly and specifically spoke out and called for a miracle. He “got what He said!” Remember Mark 11:23? “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH…”
Roll away the stone and SPEAK TO YOUR IMPOSSIBILITY.
Get Free.
John 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Get free and stay free. Do not get entangled again with the yoke of bondage that kept you bound. Tear off the grave clothes and let the NEW LIFE come forth. Refuse to stay in the graveyard dressed like and looking like the dead. Get Up. Get Out. Get Free. Stay Free.
Jesus is Your Miracle Worker
dickbraswell 
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