THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 46 – Monday, 12th November, 2018
(Jn.11:1-46)
MIRACLES AND THE MYSTERY OF BETHANY
(Part 2)
Welcome to ANOTHER section of the message which commenced last week on the Miracles and the Mystery of Bethany. Since God is in the business of teaching us through this magazine, The Message Now, it is our wish that our readers will spread the good news of the Bible being dispensed through this magazine. Take note however that this magazine is not a substitute for the Bible and must not be allowed to replace the bible.
Recall that only one out of five questions was answered last week. The task at hand in this edition therefore is to unravel by salient and subtle means the mystery behind the events at Bethany. This unravelling without doubt will provide answers to the posed questions.
The questions once again are as follows: (1) why did the Lord wait until Lazarus was four days in the grave before turning an eye of attention to his plight?
(2) Why couldn’t anyone come to assist Lazarus remove the grave clothes he was yet putting on until the Lord requested that to be done for him?
(3) Why couldn’t the Lord take off those grave clothes Himself?
(4) The Lord stood at Lazarus’ grave and wept, why?
In addition, in the overall, what lessons may be learnt from the Bethany account? What antidotes are spiritually available for healing and for solving bad situations of life when they arise?
To begin with, understand that there is none as compassionate as the Lord. Understand also that of all things created by the Lord, only man is saddled with the duty of giving reverence, worship and praise. So then why would it interest the Lord in any instance to fail to keep alive him/her that was created to give him praise? By the way, for whom is the Lord so compassionate? For angels? Absolutely not. It is strictly for man. Why? Man is the object and the subject of God’s love. He loves man so much that He allowed Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God’s ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to pay the price for man’s iniquity.
God has no other thing which calls for or costs His attention but man. His sole priority is man. Man is His delight and He expects man to make Him man’s delight too. So waiting behind for extra four days is without doubt for a reason. What reason?
God, by Lazarus’ death gave man an all-time lesson that for as long as He is alive, man should take every problem with a pinch of salt. The finality of all things is death in this physical realm. It creates the height of sorrow when a loved one dies. Death of anyone is the point of the end when no man can do nothing. It is usually the biggest and toughest spiritual mathematics that ordinary man cannot solve. But as tough as it is, the Lord demonstrated that whether instant death or death which has occurred a number of hours ago, it is nothing before God. Thus the four days delay by the Lord is a lesson asking man never to give up. It is a lesson informing man that all things are possible by God (see John 14:12-14, Luke 1:37, Mark 9:23). However, understand that these are only the salient answers. There is a subtle aspect of the Lord’s waiting for four days before turning up.
Therefore, in the subtle spiritual sense, the Lord was using Lazarus’ case to teach the Apostles and would-be Christian leaders a big ministry lesson. It is the lesson that do not be swift to pray for every kind of problem brought before you. For it is not enough to just pray and get the problem solved. Sometimes, it is necessary to carry out a spiritual research for the cause of the problem so that should solution be found at the first through instant prayer, the problem dies forever and does not repeat itself.
As we shall later see in part 3 of this edition, the family lineage of Mary, Martha and their brother, Lazarus was such that was fraught with foundational issue. Therefore, the Lord’s waiting behind to solve that foundational equation was not necessarily because the Lord could not speak a word and the foundational problem would disappear instantly.
But the Lord was indirectly saying ‘O Christian leader, tarry in prayer no matter how long until heaven comes to your attention over that issue of life and/or ministry. To the Lord, dealing with foundational issues was an act of dealing with a problem right from its root.
So, dear sister and dear brother, have your prayers been delayed these years? Check up on the foundation. What is the foundation of your marriage like? The very night you got married, what happened? Certainly, we all need lectures on the nights of marriage.
Sir, did you sleep with your wife before marriage? That’s one reason why that marriage must suffer from poverty. The antidote is genuine repentance and restitution. Did you interview your parents about your childhood? Who was the first to touch you on the day you arrived on the earth? Where was your placenta buried? Who was the first to give you the very first birth? Was the water of your first bath salted? To whom did you hand over your virginity? What is historically forbidden thing in your family line? Have you taken time to find out why? (TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK).
IN THE END, FOUR MOMENTS IN LIFE DETERMINE OUR DESTINY: THE MOMENTS OF THE NIGHT OF MARRIAGE, THE MOMENTS OF CONCEPTION IN THE WOMB, THE VERY POINT OF BIRTH THROUGH TO THE EIGHTH DAY AND THE MOMENTS OF DECISION-MAKING WHEN WE ARE ALREADY OF KNOWLEDGE. OFTENTIMES, THE START AND END OF ALL MARRIAGES AND THE FAMILY PROCEEDING THEREFROM WERE DETERMINED ON THE NIGHT OF THAT MARRIAGE. GOT IT? SEEK FOR LECTURES ON THIS. IF THAT NIGHT WAS MISSED, THEN THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR MARRIAGE AND THE CHILDREN TO COME THEREFROM ARE ALREADY IN JEOPARDY.
Question and Answer Section:
Question: For how long were the children of Israel in their first captivity?
Answer: 70 Years.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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ALTAR CALL:
Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Psalm 54 in closing and pray more).
HYMN: Blessed Saviour Hear my cry
PRAY NOW:
1. Lam.5:7; Repent for any wrong foundation of your parents and fore-parents especially in the area of marriage and other misdeeds.
2. Psalm 11:3 Repent for any wrong foundation you laid before your marriage.
3. O God, detach my life from evil placenta.
4. O God, detach my name from every foundation and the placenta used for evil purposes.
5. O God, purge out of my destiny contaminations from my childhood.
6. O God, because of your mercy and through your mercy, silence every blood crying for vengeance in my foundation.
7. Repair and re-prepare my marriage altar.
8. O God, send me the money and the help I do not deserve.
9. I cancel from my life and family every end of year sorrow and tears.
10. My life shall be celebrated more than that of Lazarus after his resurrection.
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