In my previous post, I closed with this question:
“Will we ‘abort’ this nation’s life, or will we ‘sustain’ this nation’s life?
Those are strong words; but I believe this question speaks directly to the main issue that is the driving force of this election spiritually.
In John 11, an event in the life of Jesus is recounted.
Beginning at John 11:1-3 NKJV, “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary, and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with fragrant oil, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent unto Him (Jesus), saying, Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” (insert mine)
This plea comes to Jesus. I wonder what went through His mind upon hearing/reading (?) their request.
Jesus was definitely close friends with this family.
How do I know that?
John 11:5 NKJV says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
It is here that we need to remember that, even though, Jesus loved this family deeply, He was centered in doing His Father’s will, and in His Father’s timing.
John 6:37-40 NKJV, Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and him that comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent me. This is the will of the Father Who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The reality of living these words is the foundation of the story of Jesus and the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
Jesus had received a message from Lazarus’ sisters, that he is sick.
They expected Him to come.
Why?
In their own words, (John 11:3, NKJV), “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
My interpretation, drop everything and come quickly!
What did Jesus do?
In the television series, The Chosen, this episode in life of Jesus is portayed.
He is with His disciples.
If we conclude that the events of John 10 is sequential to John 11, then John 10:40-42 NKJV, tells us where Jesus went when He escaped from Jerusalem, at “the time of the feast of dedication” from the religious leaders because they “sought again to take him” (John 10:1, 39 NKJV).
It says that Jesus “went again beyond Jordan in the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. . Then many came to Him, and said, “John (the baptist) performed no sign,: but all the things that John [the baptist] spoke about this Man were true.” And many believed in Him there.” [inserts mine]
In the place where Jesus was staying, He received the information from Martha and Mary that Lazarus was sick.
In The Chosen, this is shown with Him receiving a note.
He reads it, sets it aside, and is troubled.
Why is He troubled?
A close friend is sick.
A family that He loves is seeking His help knowing that He has the ability to heal their brother.
BUT, as we read earlier in John 6, Jesus is governed by His Father’s will and His Father’s timing.
This is the Lord understanding that it is not His will, but the will of His Father that must be done.
John 11:4, NKJV, Jesus reveals the content of the message He has received; and then explains, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
I believe the disciples assumed that Lazarus would recover; but they had no comprehension what Jesus was saying about the ‘glory of God’, and ‘that the Son of God would be glorified through it’.
Let me share at this time an observation regarding our upcoming election on November 5.
We, too, are asking, and praying about the sickness in our nation.
We are asking Jesus to come and heal our nation.
We believe that Jesus loves this nation.
We are concerned for our nation in the same way that Martha and Mary were concerned about their brother Lazarus.
I know I am using this story, and applying it to our current situation in our nation.
Therefore…
John 11:5 NKJV, has told us that Jesus “loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”.
John 11:5 NKJV, also tells us, when Jesus “heard that he (Lazarus) was sick”, He didn’t tell the disciples to pack up; we got to hurry to Bethany.
It says, “He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”
Lord, what kind of love is this?
The text tells us that He loved this family.
Jesus’ decision is based upon a love that begins with His love for His Father and pleasing Him, first.
It is a love that seeks not its own will, but doing the will of Him Who sent Him.
That is what we read in John 6.
The Father showed Him that He was to wait two days.
John 11:7 (NKJV) says, “Then after this (waiting two days) He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” (insert mine)
The response of the disciples focused on the reason why they had fled from Jerusalem originally.
Lord, don’t You remember that the Jews wanted to stone you? Why are you headed back there? (John 11:8) [Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem] (insert mine) [brackets mine]
Jesus’ answered them.
His answer is recorded in John 11:9-10.
The disciples, I assume, are confused about what Jesus is telling them.
It probably sounds confusing to us, me too!
Lord what are you saying?
Please explain.
I will quote The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, commentary notes. Page 1606.
“During the light of the sun, most people did their work safely. When darkness came, they stopped. The proverbial saying had a deeper meaning. As long as the Son performed His Father’s will(i,e., during the daylight period of His ministry when He is able to work), He was safe. The time would soon come (nighttime) when, by God’s design, His earthly work would end and He would “stumble” in death. Jesus was stressing that as long as He was on earth doing His Father’s will, even at this late time in His ministry, He would safely complete God’s purposes.” (inserts are in the Bible notes)
Jesus, says to them, I can go back to Judea. I am totally safe doing My Father’s will.
John 11:11, Jesus repeats what He had said to the disciples two days earlier, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
A couple of thoughts.
Jesus says, ‘our friend’.
I wonder how a two day delay affected the disciples’ emotional feelings regarding Lazarus’s sickness?
And did it trouble them that Jesus was not going immediately?
We struggle with the same types of issues in our lives.
Are you struggling like the disciples regarding our election?
Lord where are You?
What are You waiting for?
Is our nation asleep regarding this election?
Have we, as a nation, been put to sleep spiritually?
Is the Lord in the process of waking us up?
I believe so.
John 11:12 NKJV, tells us what the disciples heard and how they interpreted what Jesus said, “Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
There are many people today, like the disciples, who are impervious to what is really happening in our nation.
How does the phrase go? ‘asleep at the switch’. This idiom means “to be inattentive or neglectful, and to fail to perform one’s duties or take advantage of an opportunity” (AI overview)
Have we as a nation neglecting our responsibilty to vote intelligently?
Jesus ‘awakes’ His disciples to the truth about what He is saying.
John 11:13 NKJV, “Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.“(emphasis mine)
This brings us full circle to the question that I posed at the end of my last post and reminded us of, at the beginning of this post.
Question: Will we ‘abort’ this nation’s life, or will we ‘sustain’ this nation’s life?
We are battling for the life of this nation.
November 5, 2024 is our national election.
This nation will decide who will be our next President.
Also, at the state levels, all the House of Representatives are up for re-election; and many senate seats, too, are up for re-election; and in each state there are critical issues that need the special attention of the voting electorate that can dramatically change the landscape of our nation’s position regarding abortion, transgender issues, parental rights, drug usage, and a myriad of specific issues for each individual state.
Your vote can be the difference between this nation being ‘aborted’ or ‘sustained’.
Strong words, but necessary words to wake up the Church and the electorate of this nation to vote.
The results of the election on November 5 will reveal the heart and soul of this nation.
[Personal note: Today is November 1, 2024 as I continue this post. This is Day Two of the Six-Day War, that I wrote in a previous post.]
Prior to my personal note I wrote: “The results of the election on November 5 will reveal the heart and soul of this nation.
What do I mean?
Question: Is democracy at risk in our nation?
Do you know and/or do you understand that both political parties have implied and even vehemently stated if the other side wins, we lose our democracy.
Let us reflect upon this, regarding the results of the election, and its effect upon the continuation of our democracy.
Our founding father’s understood the importance of praying and asking God for His help and assistance in fighting for our independence; the form of government that we posses; and the words that were written into our founding documents.
Some people reject what I just wrote.
Many people accept what I just wrote.
The historical fact is that God was prominent and prevalent in the formation of this nation.
Throughout our history, there have been individuals, and now many different ‘ism’s that want to dismantle our relationship to God, undermine our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of
Rights using whatever means they can to convince the electorate of this nation to follow them, and accept their philosophy to bring change to this nation so that this nation can move forward.
God is not an ‘ism’, nor is the Church.
Jesus Christ is a Person.
Consider this, an ‘ism’ means: I Satisfy Myself, or I Serve Myself. The focus is being man-centered, not God centered.
This election is NOT about a woman or a man.
This election is not about choosing the one you despise the least.
This election is not about haranguing over words that avoid the real issues of the day.
Our founding documents espoused that we were “one nation under God”. (AI overview)
In 1956, “In God We Trust” became the official motto of the United States of America. (AI overview)
It replaced, “one nation under God”. (AI overview)
When the votes are counted and the results are in, the party that wins can say, “we have saved our democracy.”
But have we ‘saved’ our nation.
Will we be “one nation under God”
Will we still proceed forward as a nation proclaiming, “In God We Trust”?
Regardless of who is elected as President of our nation, in the ‘natural’, democracy will still function the minds of many; but in the ‘spiritual’, I perceive many people will conclude that the life of our nation is on a ‘life support system’ or they may believe it has even been ‘aborted’.
Strong words, but necessary words to think about and pray about regarding our nation’s election on November 5,2024.
I will now return to John 11.
We left off at John 11:14, NKJV, “Jesus said to them(His disciples) plainly, Lazarus is dead .” (insert mine)
Will the election results show us that we have ‘aborted’ this nation; or will the election results show us that this nation is being ‘sustained’, on a life support system?
When I say ‘aborted’, I mean given over to the ‘isms’ that reject the protection and provision that God covenanted with this nation with its founding, and pursue its own self-serving agenda apart from the living God.
As one Bible teacher has said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Robert Mumford)
Hebrews 12:29 NKJV, “For our God is a consuming fire.”
When I say ‘sustained’ that is inferring that we as a nation have been granted God’s grace to forgive our sins, and graciously intervening to bring this nation back to life as a nation that honors Him.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV, (context is Jesus, the Son of God as our great High Priest) verse 14 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Mercy is God’s kindness and compassion-not being punished as our sins deserve that we should. Grace also includes God’s kindness and compassion-but it also includes us receiving God’s favor or gift. “…mercy is often equated with a deliverance from judgment and grace is always extending of a blessing to the unworthy.(Got Question. com)
I pray that we as a nation will experience God’s mercy and grace as we move past this national election whatever the outcome.
Rest in this truth,regardless of the outcome, God is Sovereign over all the nations of the world.
We are not exempt.
Moving forward to John 11:20-27( Martha’s interaction with Jesus) and John 11:28-32 (Mary’s interaction with Jesus). Both sisters said the same thing to Jesus when they spoke to Him.
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother, would not have died.” (John 11:21, John 11:32 NKJV) (inserts mine)
Martha knows what Jesus is capable of doing.
[Personal note: It has been two days and I still haven’t completed this post. Today is day 3 of the Six-Day War, as outlined in a previous post.]
Question: What will be your reaction to the election results?
There are Democratic Christians and Republican Christians petitioning the Lord to intervene in this nation’s election.
What does Martha know?
John 11:22-24 NKJV, “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.” (This is what Jesus said in John 6) [emphasis mine]
Is Martha’s understanding correct? Yes!
Her answer, at this time in the life of Jesus. is very insightful.
We, too, know what Jesus is capable of doing.
It’s one thing to know the words correctly; however it’s another thing to know the reality of those words experientially in your life.
How does Jesus respond to Martha, and what does Martha say in response to Him?
John 11:25-27 NKJV, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [This is our Blessed Hope] And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Do you (Martha) 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.” (inserts mine) [emphasis mine]
Question: Who else made a similar confession when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” ; and then after their response; Jesus asked them directly, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15, NKJV)
Matthew 16:16 NKJV, Simon Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Question: In John 11, Who is standing there?
Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Martha leaves, rushes back to Mary, telling her that Jesus wants to see her. Jesus hasn’t moved from where He had spoken to Martha. Martha tells Mary that Jesus wants to see her. Mary responds, leaves their home, the people there, see Mary leave, and assume she is headed to the tomb of Lazarus, “saying, she is going to the tomb to weep there.” (John 11:28-31 NKJV)
Mary arrives where Jesus is waiting.
She sees Him, falls at His feet(she has been there before, John 8:1-8), and says to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Martha and Mary are struggling.
Why, Lord, have you allowed this to happen?
When the votes are tallied, and the results are finalized, there will be Christians who will be wondering and even asking the Lord, why have you allowed this to happen?
Recentering on the story of Lazarus’ death, John 11:33 reveals to us Jesus’ reaction to personally being there in the midst of this death.
“Therefore, when Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned* in the spirit and was troubled.” (‘agitated’, TLV)
*KJV Spirit Filled Life Bible, Word Wealth, pg. 1557, groaning, Strong’s #1690, The word is used to express anger (see Mark 14:5), to indicate speaking or acting with deep feeling(as here in John 11:33), and for stern admonishment (see Matt. 9:30; Mark 1:43)
He,who,said, I am the Resurrection and the Life, is angry about the pain and suffering that death brings.
It was never originally designed for life to be lived this way; but the wages of sin is death. Everything in the story points to the fact that Lazarus died a natural death.
We know that the Gospel changes that. Because God’s Redemptive Activity Changes Everything.
Jesus is not saying that Martha and Mary were wrong expressing their grief.
(I Thessalonians 4:13) The Amplified Bible says, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life].”
Grief is real; but we know that ‘in Christ’ when death comes into our lives with the passing of a loved one who knows the Lord, we are not without hope.
Martha knew that her brother Lazarus believed in the Lord. She said that he would be raised from the dead because that was her confession of faith to him about her brother being raised on the last day.
So Jesus asks the obvious question.
Where have you buried him?
Assuming, He asked Martha and Mary, “They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” (John 11:34 NKJV)
John 11:35, NKJV “Jesus wept.” Got Questions explains, “Jesus wept when He gathered with the sisters and others mourning Lazarus’ death (John 11:35). Jesus did not weep over the death of Lazarus itself since He knew Lazarus would soon be raised and ultimately spend eternity with Him in heaven. Yet He could not help but weep when confronted with the wailing and sobbing of Martha and Mary, and the other mourners(John 11:33). The original language indicates that our Lord wept “silent tears” or tears of compassion for His friends (Romans 12:15).”
When the election results are in and the decision has been made who has been elected, there will be Christians,who will wonder,Lord do You care?
And there will probably be non-believers who will ponder,what has happened to our nation?
There will probably be tears of unbelief regarding the outcome on both sides.
John 11:36-37 is the world’s response to this event in the life of Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and Jesus.
Yes, all 4 are interconnected by God’s love.
The world does not understand the depth of God’s love.
That is why the other people present express their unbelief.
As an aside, I wonder what the disciples are thinking?
“Then the Jews said, “See how He loved them?” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus’ reputation is known.
I can imagine that Martha and Mary are struggling with the same questions expressed by the unbelieving Jews.
John 11:38, Jesus steps into the forefront of the setting.
All eyes turn quickly center upon Him.
There is spiritual tension in the air.
The Lord of Life is confronting the spirit of death.
It’s time to fulfill the words that Jesus had spoken two days earlier to His disciples.
John 11:4, In response to His disciples hearing about what had happened, “He said, “This sickness in not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Fast forward to the Revelation.
The Risen Christ had this same John, who wrote the account of Jesus’ life, had him write seven letters to the seven churches that were in Asia.
In each of the letters, the following sentence was included in each letter.
“He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22, NKJV)
Hear Jesus’s words to His Church today.
The sickness that is in this nation is not unto death. It is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
Returning to the account of Lazarus’ death-
Knowing what is being said about Him by the Jews, “Then Jesus (John 11:38 NKJV), again *groaning (see above definition) in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone”.
Continuing to apply this event to our nation and the national election, I see the removal of the stone likened unto the electorate of this nation casting its votes.
Jesus did not personally remove the stone; nor did He speak a word to the stone to be removed.
People moved the stone.
Martha spoke up(John 11:38 NKJV, ) and questioned removing the stone.
Lord, get real, it’s been four days since we buried him.
The stench is going to be unbearable.
Both political parties are concerned about the ‘stench’ that our national election will create after we vote, i.e. when the stone is removed, based upon the finalized election results.
Jesus (John 11:40) lovingly, yet firmly, says to Martha, What did I tell you Martha? “…that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?
No matter the outcome; no matter how bad the stench; a government is going to arise from a tomb.
We, the electorate, of this nation, need to vote; after voting, a stone is going to be removed that has been politically blocking us for many years in this nation and we are going to see the glory of God.
John 11:41, the stone is removed.
Now what?
What was said and done, can only be accomplished by Jesus, who said, I AM the Resurrection and the Life.
What did He do?
John 11:41-42 NKJV relates what Jesus did. Follow the steps : 1. He lifted up His eyes; 2. He addressed His Father and thanked Him that His Father hears Him; 3. He verbally confirms audibly that His Father always hears Him; He says, I have so spoken so that those present “may believe that You sent Me.” 4. is coming later.
Do you see the shift in emphasis?
This is not about Lazarus’ death.
It’s about the revelation of who Jesus is..
He said, I AM.
Why have the Jews been against Jesus?
He has said I AM God.
Is it possible that our election, as important as it is, and I am not diminishing its importance in any way, is about coming to a greater understanding about who Jesus is, and who His Father God is?
The Word of God begins with “In the beginning” in Genesis 1.
God spoke His Creation into existence. God said…
In the New Testament, in John 1:1-5, John writes about this same Jesus that is ‘front and center’ in the flesh in front of Lazarus’ tomb.
It is important to read these words at this time. John 1:1-5 NKJV,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (overcome) it.” (inserts mine)
Jesus (who is Eternal Life in the flesh) is standing in front of a tomb in which there is death.
Who prevails?
He does.
Jesus had told Martha, I AM the Resurrection and the Life.
Are we ready for a dramatic ending? or shall I say an expression of God’s love for this grieving family; and a glorious revelation of the Son of God, in the likeness of human flesh as the Son of Man?
Jesus, the One who spoke Creation into existence, speaks these words for all to hear.
“He cried out in a loud voice (didn’t mumble), “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43. NKJV) [insert mine]
This is just like, Genesis 1, God said…
John 11:44 NKJV, “And he who had died (Lazarus) came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them (In the TV series, The Chosen, Martha and Mary were them), “Loose him and let him go.”
Is is reasonable to say that those present were shocked, aghast, stunned, amazed, overwhelmed at what they just witness?
Absolutely.
When the election is over and the results are known and verified, our nation will come forth from its grave, bound with its graveclothes and its face wrapped with a cloth.
We the people of this nation will be responsible for removing those graveclothes and facial cloth.
How will that be done?
By walking with Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life.
Like Joshua said to Israel, Joshua 24:14-15, “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” These words seem somewhat benign, but in their context of Joshua 24, they are very straight forward and penetrating.
They are words that one day the Lord’s Church may have to respond to itself.
It has been a long journey composing this post. Thank you to everyone who has walked this journey with me.
How do I close?
On November 5, 2024 our nation will conclude its process of voting.
When the votes are counted the results will reveal a new administration with a new President and Legislature.
It will also reveal the results of all the elections that have taken place though out our states.
The results will reveal to us the ‘heart and soul‘ of this nation’.
That said, I believe, that in the past decade, our nation has been bound with graveclothes.
Our nation, like Lazarus, has been undergoing political sickness.
As such this nation is bitterly divided.
We are sick.
Is this sickness unto death?
The election results will show us the state of the heart and soul of this nation.
Will we be “One nation under God” or even a nation that declares, “In God We Trust”?
Many people, in this nation, and throughout the world are praying for God’s intervention in our national election.
I am convinced of this; whatever, is the result of this election, Jesus Christ is Lord, all authority has been given unto Him, God is Sovereign over all the nations, and that Romans 13:1 NKJV,is true.
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”
Quoting Ephesians 5:8-14 NKJV, Paul writes to the Ekklesia, “For you were once darkness (dead in sin), but now you are light (alive in Christ) in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful to speak of those things which are done in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” (Inserts mine)
Jesus said Lazarus was asleep, yet knowing he was dead.
Jesus went and raised Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus is The Resurrection and the Life.
Is it possible that Jesus’s assessment of this nation’s ‘life’ is in His eyes ‘dead’ and needs to be raised to newness of life?
Jesus who is the ‘Resurrection and the Life ‘is going to reveal Himself to His Church, demonstrating a mighty revelation of who He is, and that His Father has sent Him, so that His Church will see and experience the glory of God.
I believe that others will see and experience it.
Many are praying for a Third Awakening in our nation.
I want to encourage you to keep praying regarding our election process, for its integrity, and a righteous accountabilty.
I also remind you that we are in a spiritual warfare.
Today is November 3, 2024 this is the middle of our Six-Day War wrestling against the principalities, rulers, powers, and spiritual darkness in heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
Be strong in the Lord, and stand, in His grace and power.
a brother in Christ, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 