Grace and peace to you all, in Jesus’ name.
My name is Christina.
And today, I have the incredible privilege of sharing the Word of God with you.
My prayer is that the Word of God that you will receive today will not return void
but it would accomplish the purposes of God in your life today, in Jesus’ name.
Now, I don't know about you but I love food and I especially love freshly baked bread.
And I'm always excited if I go to the bakery
and discover that they're just bringing out those warm loaves.
The finished product is magnificent.
And I love it when friends and family come to visit me,
and when they enter through my front door,
they're greeted with that smell of freshly baked bread.
It's so inviting.
But can you imagine for a moment being invited for breakfast,
but instead of being served up that delicious loaf,
you are instead given the individual ingredients.
Can you imagine how horrible it would be to eat a cup of plain flour
or drink a glug of oil or have to eat a packet of yeast?
No one would enjoy that because the individual ingredients are bitter and bland.
But a skilled baker can work them together for our good.
And before that bread can be enjoyed, it goes through quite a process -
a process of kneading and then being left alone to rise.
Then it goes into the oven.
But then out comes an amazing loaf of bread.
To me, this is a picture of life - both good and hard times.
Times of kneading and times of rising again.
Times of growth in lonely places before facing the furnace
but without which, the artisan loaf cannot be enjoyed.
Now, we know in Romans 8:28, it tells us that
God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
But if we are not careful when we go through hard times,
we can be like those who see the individual bitter and bland experiences of life,
thinking that's all there is without understanding there is a bigger picture,
without thinking about what God is preparing us for.
You see, God sometimes allows hard times not to impair us but to improve us.
But if we fail to seek God's heart to see life clearly,
we will never understand what God says about our situation.
And this will take us to the title of the message today - See Life Clearly.
Now, I don’t know what kind of week you have had this week
and what encounters or situations you may have faced.
Perhaps you're feeling lonely.
Maybe you're tired or anxious.
Perhaps you're feeling insecure.
Maybe you are weary from looking after your dependants.
Perhaps you're facing a relationship issue or a health challenge.
Maybe it's a financial battle that you're having right now.
Perhaps you're simply feeling overwhelmed
by some of the news headlines that you've come across this week.
Maybe you've received some worrying news and you just can't seem to see beyond it.
Well, can we stop for a moment and remember that we do not serve a God
who is unable to sympathise with our situation.
Jesus Christ is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
The God who knit you together in your mother's womb -
who knows the number of hairs on your head,
who knows the length of your days -
certainly knows what you are facing right now.
And the Bible says in Hebrews 4:14.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into Heaven,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in all ways, just as we are - yet he did not sin.
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Since Jesus Christ feels what we feel and understands our situation,
today, let us accept that invitation to come boldly before the throne of grace
and let us find mercy and grace in our time of need,
as we spend a moment looking at how Jesus Christ handled His own real situations.
And I want to take us today to the book of John 11. Let’s read from verse one.
“Now, a man named Lazarus was sick.
He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one
who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
So the sister sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’
Now, when he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death.
No, it is for God's glory so that God’s son may be glorified through it’.”
Wow. You see, something special and significant happened
between verses three and four.
Although it doesn't explicitly say this, when Jesus heard the news with His physical ears,
that ‘the one you love is sick’,
He stopped and He listened with the ears of His heart.
He looked with the eyes of His faith.
He sought the Father's heart to see life clearly,
to understand what Father God had to say about the situation.
Now, we know this because Jesus’ response was not one that sprung out of emotion.
Jesus was not suddenly overwhelmed
by the news that His dear friend Lazarus was sick.
He did not begin to panic and rush off to be with the family
without first finding out what Father God had to say about the situation.
And we could see here that Jesus Christ had a great relationship with this man, Lazarus.
Lazarus was the kind of friend that was more like family.
But Jesus had an even greater relationship with the Father.
He cherished that relationship with the Father.
Therefore, He went to pray in secret before He did anything in public.
You see, knowing what God says about your situation
is a greater blessing than healing itself, than breakthrough itself, than restoration itself.
Because what God says about the situation settles the matter.
Now, let's stop for a moment
and think about how we are likely to respond to unfavourable news.
For example, when your child comes to you
and tells you that they have a strange pain in their body, what's your first response?
Do you start to consult ‘Dr. Google’ and ask the Internet what it says about the symptoms?
Do you find yourself scrolling through pages of parents recounting worst case situations
before asking God what He says about the matter?
What about in the workplace?
Maybe you overhear your senior leaders discussing staff budget restraints,
voluntary exit schemes and redundancies.
Do you immediately jump onto your LinkedIn profile
and start updating your CV, turning on job alerts
before asking God where He wants you to work?
What about if you received a text message from a neighbour,
telling you that they saw your spouse in what looked to them
as a very compromising situation?
Do you immediately start to doubt them?
Do you start to consult those who allow your imagination
to run wild in support of your doubts
before asking God what He says about your marriage?
You know, if we are not careful, even our circumstances
can dictate the direction of our prayer.
When we are sick, we pray for healing.
When we lose our job, we pray for breakthrough.
But Jesus Christ understood that Spirit prayer does not spring from emotion.
But when we ask the Father God what He has to say about the situation
and we pray according to His will, He answers us.
You see, Jesus understood that He was not going to rush
and pray the prayer of healing because God's plan was bigger.
God's plan was better.
No, He was about to pray the prayer of resurrection.
Death was about to be swallowed up in victory.
He wasn't rushed by the emergency of others.
In fact, He stayed where He was for two more days.
Now, this seeming inactivity of staying two more days
was actually evidence of a very active faith.
Because within these two days, Lazarus goes from a sick man to a dead man.
And there were those who had differing opinions about what Jesus was doing.
Some of them looked at Him and said, ‘Oh, how He loved.’
But others looked at Him and spoke with criticism
and said, ‘Well, if He had gone earlier,
He could have prayed for this man and healed him.
After all, didn't He open the eyes of the blind man?’
But Jesus Christ was not swayed by the opinions of others or confused by all of this.
He steadfastly held fast to the promise of God -
that this sickness would not end in death but it would be for the glory of God.
So, let's see in verse 38 what happens when Jesus arrived on the scene.
“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.
It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
‘Take away the stone’, he said.
‘But, Lord’, said Martha, the sister of the dead man,
‘by this time there is a bad odour for he has been there four days.’
Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?’
So they took away the stone.
Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank You’.”
Yes, Jesus said, ‘I thank You’ in front of that dead, smelly corpse.
Now, understand very clearly.
Jesus Christ was not socially awkward.
It wasn't that He didn't understand the cultural cues of the day. No.
But Jesus Christ was a tomorrow thinker.
You see, when he was at the burial ground of Lazarus,
in His mind, He was at a revival ground -
because He understood that this was not just an opportunity
for Him to show compassion to people
or to go and pray the prayer of healing.
No, this was an opportunity to demonstrate that He is the Resurrection and the Life,
that what was dead that no doctor could restore, no therapist could redeem,
no amount of human power or might could revive - Jesus Christ could resurrect!
That gave Him the boldness and confidence to stand before that corpse,
in the midst of that decomposing situation that everyone was grieving about
and say, ‘Father, I thank You.’
“I thank You that you have heard me. I knew that You always hear me,
but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,
that they may believe that You sent Me’.
And when He said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’
And the dead man came out.”
Wow. What a victorious God we serve!
You see, when you seek God's heart and you see life clearly,
you can be happy even when there's nothing to be happy about on the outside.
So viewers all over the world,
have you said thank You to Jesus today despite your situation?
If not, do so right now.
For yes, you may have endured a night of weeping
but as a Christian, the Bible says that joy comes in the morning.
You may have been experiencing firsthand the troubles of this world.
But God's Word says, ‘Take heart, for I have overcome them’.
You may be familiar with the arrow that flies by day
or the pestilence that stalks by night or the plague that strikes at midday.
But as a child of God, it shall not come near you.
In fact, right now you may be walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
But if the Lord is your Shepherd, you shall fear no evil.
For Emmanuel, God is with you.
So right now, begin to cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving,
an attitude of appreciation despite your situation.
You see, when you give thanks to God in an attitude of faith and devotion,
it plunges the kingdom of darkness into a confused commotion.
Yes, this is exactly what happened in 2 Chronicles 20
when the people of Israel were faced with their own unfavourable news.
I want to read from 2 Chronicles 20:1.
“After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites
came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
Some people came and told Jehoshaphat,
‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea.
It is already in Hazezon Tamar’ (that is, En Gedi).
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to...”
Did he resolve to fall into depression?
Did he start to consult alternative solutions? No.
“Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord;
they came from every town in Judah to seek Him.”
And then verse 12 - they said, “Our God, will you not judge them?
For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.
We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You’.”
So when the people of Israel heard this unfavourable news -
they learned that they were under attack -
they cried out to the Lord and said,
‘We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You.
For in the natural, our situation looks like death and destruction
but Your Word will point us to life.
So we seek Your heart to see life clearly.’
And you know what? God is faithful! That answer came in verse 15.
“He said, ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem,
this is what the Lord says to you:
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God's’.”
And verse 17, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions;
stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem.”
And put your name there where it is personal.
“Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.
Go out and face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you.”
So, you know what happened?
King Jehoshaphat, led by the Holy Spirit, sent out people ahead of the army
to lift up a shout of praise,
to thank God for His faithfulness throughout generations,
saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever’.
Wow! What great faith.
You know, anyone can say, ‘Thank You, Jesus’, after the miracle,
when the pregnancy test is positive
or when that letter of employment lands in your inbox
or when that physical sickness is no more.
But it takes faith to stand eye to eye with the enemy and give thanks to the Lord,
for His love endures for all generations.
But this is what the people of God did in this situation.
They had the confidence to do that because they sought God's heart and saw life clearly.
They understood what God had to say about their situation.
And something incredible happened.
Yes. The enemy was so confused that they started to attack one another
and the Word of God came to pass that day.
The people of Israel only needed to stay still and see the battle was won.
So what's the lesson here?
When you give thanks to God, despite your situation, your situation will change.
When you give thanks to God, no matter your situation,
it weakens the devil's determination
to afflict you with sickness, with disease, with oppression.
Because when the devil realises the more he gives you that sickness,
the more you give thanks to God,
the more committed you are in prayer,
the more devoted you are to Him,
then his plan is thwarted and your situation will change.
So right now let us say, ‘Thank You, Jesus Christ.
I will not sink into depression.
I will not be crushed by inflation rates.
No, I shall not drown when my God is the God who walks on water.
Yes. I will not be fearing death and destruction
when my God is the Resurrection and the Life. Hallelujah!
I will not be overwhelmed by my weakness or thoughts of worthlessness
when Jesus clothed me with strength and dignity.’
Right now, begin to laugh without fear of the future.
Begin to walk as a blessed child.
Stop talking about your circumstances.
Stop lamenting about your barrenness
for the Lord's faithful love endures forever.
So today, as we have taken a moment to seek God's heart by looking at His Word,
I pray that this Word of God would abide in you and you in it,
and you shall see life clearly in Jesus’ name. Amen!