Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
- John 11:40
Our Lord is standing before the tomb of Lazarus with Martha and Mary, Lazarus’s sisters. It appears that Martha had questioned the wisdom, goodness and power of the Lord Jesus because He had not come sooner to prevent her brother’s death – verse 21 and she questioned His power and ability to raise Lazarus from the dead in verse 39.
Without question, Martha was a believer. She was loved of God and she loved God. She was redeemed and born again by God’s almighty grace. She had a problem, a fault, and weakness of the flesh that kept her from seeing the glory of God. Her problem was unbelief. She did not trust Christ in the matter of her brother’s death. She looked at her present situation and circumstances told her that Lazarus who had been dead for four days was beyond hope. She had grace enough to believe for the future because she said, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” – verse 24, but she did not trust Christ for the present. She walked by sight and not by faith.
Then Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, though shouldest see the glory of God? The only thing that kept Martha from seeing the glory of God on this occasion was her unbelief. If she had only trusted Christ, as He ought to be trusted, she would have seen the glory of God in Lazarus’ sickness and even in his death. “If though wouldest believe…” These words were not spoken to Martha alone. They are recorded for our learning. This is what the Lord Jesus says to you and me: “If thou wouldest believe, though shouldest see the glory of God.”
How much like Martha we are! We profess that we trust Christ for our atonement, justification, eternal life and acceptance with God, but how quickly we murmur against the circumstances of life He allows. If we trust Him for the future, for the welfare of our immortal souls, shall we not also trust him for the present, for the welfare of our lives in this temporary house of clay? Let us pray that the Lord will grant us grace to trust him as we ought today.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
“Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”
- Ezekiel 37:4
Death is a terrible picture of our natural condition before God, but it is by no means any exaggeration. Israel lays before us as a valley of dry bones according to Ezekiel’s vision and in reality the whole world. If ever these dry bones are to live, it will not be through some instinctive energy in the bones themselves, or through the influence of the most zealous prophet. Education cannot develop life out of death. Persuasion cannot excite a dead man to life and reason cannot instill lofe into a corpse. The crucified Christ must be revealed through the preaching of the gospel or the case is beyond any hope. Let men do all they can: pray, plead, preach and prophesy – all will be vain unless the Lord himself breathes life because dry bones cannot live.
Even the inspired prophet Ezekiel could not make the dry bones live, but he could prophesy to them. God commanded him to do so and God gave him the ability to do it. Ezekiel was responsible to simply prophesy unto the dry bones. Eternal life and faith in Christ are gifts of God’s grace created in the hearts of men. We can preach the gospel of Christ, make known the way of life, we can instruct men in gospel truth; and that which we can do, we must certainly do it to the best of our ability.
The Apostle Paul said “Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel”. If you know that a man is perishing under the sentence of eternal death, and if you know the way of eternal life by faith in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, and if God gives us the ability and the opportunity to share the gospel to that perishing sinner, it becomes our God given responsibility to do it. Share the gospel because you love Christ, because you love His saving message, and because you love the souls of mankind.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.