This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.” Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
Read John 11
Yesterday, we saw Jesus bring Lazarus back to life. Before closing out this story, there are a few more points I want to bring out. Let’s go back to the fact that Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days to show up. I will expand on the significance of this.
It was a Jewish custom to wait three days to legally pronounce death as if to ensure the person was truly dead. Some Jews believed that a person’s spirit hovered over the body during the first three days of death. Those who believed in this superstition could use it as a counterargument to the two previous miracles where Jesus raised people from the dead. One was the son of the widow of Nain (see Luke 7:11-15). This lady’s son died, she did not have a husband or any other sons, and she was left very vulnerable in a man-dominated society. Jesus came up to the funeral procession, basically stopped it in its tracks, and raised her son back to life on the spot. This obviously had a tremendous impact on the widow and all who were present.
The other time was Jairus’ daughter (see Luke 8:41, 42, 49-55). Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, swallowed his pride and took the risk to come to Jesus when his little 12-year-old daughter was dying. Jesus agreed to go to his house to heal the little girl, but Jesus was stopped along the way by a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. Jesus healed the woman from her blood condition and took the time to listen to her testimony. While the woman was telling Jesus her story, the little girl died. Jesus was not phased by the fact that the little girl had stopped breathing. When He finally made it to the house, He raised her back to life.
Neither one of those accounts, however, was like this one. The widow’s son and Jairus’ daughter had not been dead for four days. As you know from this series, Jesus arrived after the professional mourners had come and gone. He arrived after the body had been prepared for burial (wrapped in burial clothes). He arrived after the body was placed in the tomb, and the tomb was sealed with a large stone. He arrived after the Jews had already legally pronounced Lazarus’ death. Jesus arrived after Mary and Martha had cried all the tears their bodies could produce. He arrived after rigor mortis was setting in, and the body had begun to stink. He arrived after everyone on the scene (Mary and Martha included) had given up hope. No one was prepared to ask Jesus for a miracle at this point. Life for Lazarus, after four days, was beyond their capacity to believe. It was a terrible situation, but remember, nothing is impossible for God! Jesus was on the scene, and the introduction of God changes every equation. No matter how bad the situation seems, if God wants to get involved, then when you factor HIM IN, you have to factor failure OUT! You + God = Victory!
So what’s the message in the mess for this morning? The message is what I call “Maximum glory.” Let’s get into it.
1. God wants all the glory.
— In church, we sing a song that says, “All the glory belongs to You! All the glory belongs to You, Oh God!” We get this from the very first commandment in the 10 Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:3). Our God reserves the place of “God” all for Himself.
— Our God is a jealous God. Exodus 34:14 says, “”For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God does not want us to give any of the glory that belongs to Him to any other god or any other person.
— God is okay with you enjoying the benefits of walking with Him, but He still wants all the glory! All the glory (the credit) belongs to Him. Don’t ever make the mistake of taking His glory or attributing the glory for something He did to someone else.
— If you want to walk in God’s favor and blessing continually, remember that He gets the glory, and you get the benefits. That arrangement is just fine with me.
— Whenever God blesses you richly, the accolades come, and the spotlight is on you, just remember to give Him the glory. You can accept the promotion, but give Him the glory. You can accept the pay increase, but give Him the glory. You can accept the award, but give Him the glory. Because our God is still a jealous God where glory is concerned.
— God has no problem blessing you richly on this planet, just as long as it is clear that He was the one behind it. God does not want people to think that YOU did it or that anyone else did it, either.
2. Because it is in God’s nature to get “the glory,” He sometimes does not “step in” until the situation is so beyond human possibility that He will get “maximum glory” from it.
— Sometimes God waits until our situation gets so bad, so ridiculous, so humanly impossible, that He knows that if He shows up at that point that He will get maximum glory out of it. At that point, you won’t be able to give His glory (or credit) to any human because it was beyond humanity.
— When God manifests His power after all human possibility has been factored out, you cannot confuse God with anything or anyone else. At that point, you can’t give God’s glory to a doctor, a lawyer, a friend, or anyone else. At that point, the situation is so bad you cannot even take credit yourself because everyone will know that you could not do it; it had to be divine intervention.
— Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days before He arrived on the scene, ready to raise him back to life. As I already explained, this resurrection was unlike the one with the widow in Nain or Jairus’ daughter. Lazarus had been dead long enough for everyone to believe he was indeed dead and long enough for all human hope to be gone. So when Jesus raised him from the dead, there was no question that it was God and God alone. No one else could have done this. As a result, God got maximum glory, and the “fame” of Jesus spread greater than it had before. Consequently, this is what truly drove the Pharisees to want Jesus killed.
— No matter how dead your situation may seem, when God shows up, He can make the world’s impossibilities a reality in your life. And sometimes, as we learn today, He actually waits until all human hope is gone.
— It’s easy to say, “There’s nothing too hard for God.” But do you have the faith to believe in God’s power AFTER it seems like the situation is certifiably dead? If God tells you that He still wants to do it, then please believe Him because the testimony will be GREAT! Great testimonies require great tests!
— Will you take a chance on believing God, even when it makes no sense whatsoever? That’s the kind of faith God is looking for!
3. Embrace the process that leads to God’s maximum glory.
— Sometimes, we must go through a period of waiting, challenges, and trials in order to fully appreciate the magnitude of God’s power when He finally intervenes.
— This process not only strengthens our faith, but it also serves as a testimony to others, inspiring them to trust in God’s ability to work wonders in their lives as well.
— Remember, our journey is not only for our own benefit but to showcase God’s love and power to the world.
— God wants to use your life as a testimony of His power. But He can’t if you are not willing to go through situations that will bring glory to His name.
— In moments of doubt and despair, remind yourself that God is still working! He is working behind the scenes to orchestrate a breakthrough that will bring Him maximum glory.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
You have reminded me this morning that there is nothing too hard for You. Nothing is impossible for You.
Lots of things are impossible for me and with man, but when You get involved in my situation, human limits can no longer dictate the outcome. You are the God who dictates outcomes!
So no matter how bad situations get, I will keep believing, trusting, operating in faith, and expecting You to do what only You CAN DO!
I will never say a situation is dead until You tell me to move on.
One Word from You can turn any dead situation around in a moment, and when You do it, after all human hope is gone, You will get the MAXIMUM GLORY from it!
I give my life to You, Father. Use me for Your glory! Even if it means I have to endure difficult situations in the process. In the end, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
