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Lazarus

Pause V Day 10 New Life

November 5, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Pause V, Day 10

What’s so great about eternity? If you believe in Jesus, the answer is living in Heaven with Him forever. We know that death is not the final word.

But what about Lazarus in John 11? He was a friend of Jesus who got sick and died.

Jesus could have saved him, but He waited three days before leaving for Bethany to see him. It seemed like death had the final say.

But Jesus had other plans.
Plans for new life.
Jesus proclaimed to Martha, Lazarus’ sister,

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Martha believed, not because she understood what was happening, but because she trusted Jesus as Messiah. (John 11:27) We too need to trust Him to bring new life where we see only death.

On that day, He brought new life to Lazarus, resurrecting him from the dead with the words, “Lazarus, come out.” (John 11:43) With this sign finished, Jesus began to speak more frequently of another death which would lead to new life and resurrection, His own.
Even Mary pointed to it with the anointing at Bethany. (John 12:1-7)

Ponder how the resurrection of Jesus brings new life to you, now and in eternity. How can we, like Mary, express our deep gratitude for Him and faith in Him?

Today's Invitation

1) Read John 11 and 12, then re-read John 12:23-26 out loud today twice. Slowly. Linger over those words that stick out to you, slowing and listening as God’s Spirit speaks to your heart! Write out verse 26 on a notecard and place it somewhere you won’t miss its message. Take time to memorize it over the weekend!

2) This weekend, we have a new hand-crafted Spotify playlist! Put this playlist on repeat this weekend and be reminded of the rich truths God has shown you this week in Pause! Know that we prayed for you as we prepared this study!

3) Memorize John 12:25-26

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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John 11

Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”

8 “Rabbi,” the disciples told him, “just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you’re going there again?”

9 “Aren’t there twelve hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.”

11 He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.”

12 Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”

13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him.”

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem (less than two miles away). 19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

20 As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.”

28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there.

32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”

33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.

“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.

36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 “Remove the stone,” Jesus said.

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. 42 I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me.” 43 After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

45 Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he did believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and were saying, “What are we going to do since this man is doing many signs? 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

49 One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God. 53 So from that day on they plotted to kill him.

54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews but departed from there to the countryside near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and he stayed there with the disciples.

55 Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country to purify themselves before the Passover. 56 They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival, will he?” 57 The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it so that they could arrest Him.

John 12

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

7 Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

9 Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the one he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also, 11 because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

12 The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting:

“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord —the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written:

15 Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify. 18 This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

27 “Now my soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he was about to die.

34 Then the crowd replied to him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah will remain forever. So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.

37 Even though he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said:

Lord, who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:

40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke about him.

42 Nevertheless, many did believe in him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, so that they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than praise from God.

44 Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45 And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and doesn’t receive my sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command to say everything I have said. 50 I know that his command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me.”

How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause V Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Pause V!

Posted in: Beloved, Deep, Faith, Pause Tagged: believe, death, Final Word, Lazarus, Messiah, new life, plans, resurrection

The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VIII Week 2

September 5, 2020 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Lazarus had a story to tell. Back from the dead! Talk about the very best come-back-story! The truly radical part of Lazarus’ story, however, wasn’t found in his silent heart beginning to beat again, it was in how Jesus had changed his heart his sisters forever. One day, Lazarus’ body stopped working again, and it didn’t start back up, but his soul was safe forever in the presence of the Lord. Because Lazarus had trusted Jesus with much more than his body, the radical part of his story was that one day, Lazarus would live forever with Jesus Christ in fullness and sweetness. You and I weren’t buried in a tomb and brought back to life, but this picture is the same for our souls. Before trusting Jesus with our everything, our souls were chained up in sin and death. After Jesus, we are free, alive, radically made new! Is this you?! Made new? Tell your radical story!! Pick one person to share with this week! If you aren’t absolutely certain you have a “death-to-life” story with Jesus, send us an email (contact@gracefullytruthful.com) or connect with a friend who loves Jesus. Don’t wait another day!!

2)  Naaman’s skin disease was miraculously healed, but the greater healing was his prideful heart being dramatically humbled before God. It’s easy for us, as human beings, to only focus on the physical instead of the spiritual. We pray for bodies to be healed. We pray for hurts to be made whole. We pray for financial pitfalls to be reversed. We pray for many physical or relational things, and while we are invited by the Lord to pray about all things, the Lord is most interested in our spiritual condition. How He loves to use the physical realm to point us toward the spiritual one! As we come to the Lord this weekend, let’s ask Him to heal our hearts, to root out our sin, to teach us to worship Him in fullness, and for our minds to be renewed by His gentle, Shepherd hand! Expect Him to heal!

3) Disappointment. Loss. Grief. We’ve all walked these roads and felt the depth of emotion associated with these struggles. For Tamar, her disappointment seeped through her entire life. One by one, those who were supposed to protect her and stand up for her, not only let her down, but put her down. They demoralized her. They cheated her. They used her. They abused her. They mocked her. Yet, the Lord heard her, He saw her, and He moved on her behalf to bring about His wonderous glory! While few of us have experienced the severity of circumstance like Tamar, we each walk our own difficulties. Sister, if the Lord used the extreme brokenness of Tamar, grafting her story into the very lineage of Jesus Christ, who extended radical grace to all peoples through His sacrifice on the cross, how greatly will He work in your brokenness?! Sit for a few minutes in total quiet (or as much quiet as you can manage to ascertain!), hold open your hands, and speak to the Lord as you surrender your broken places and sharp, cutting edges. Ask for redemption and wait as He moves!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Isaiah 63:7 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

I will make known the Lord’s faithful love
and the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,
because of all the Lord has done for us—
even the many good things
he has done for the house of Israel,
which he did for them based on his compassion
and the abundance of his faithful love.

Prayer Journal
Lord God, You have done unfathomable things! My tongue can testify endlessly of Your mighty power and I will never tire of sharing the incredible things You have done in my life, Lord! “You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done! I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hand! How magnificent are Your works, Lord! How profound Your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:4-5) Lord, give me more opportunities to share what You have personally done in my life, for none can argue with my personal experience with You. Take my story of redemption and bring others near to Your heart through it! Give me courage, Abba. Courage to share, wisdom to follow Your leading, and tenderness toward those hearts who are utterly lost and condemned without hope in You. Stir my heart to tell of Your healing in my life!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

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Posted in: Fullness, GT Weekend, Jesus, Redemption, Shepherd Tagged: alive, changed, freedom, glory, Heard, heart, Lazarus, Offered, pride, Radically New, Saw, Spiritual, story, trust, wonder

Sketched VIII Day 7 Lazarus: Digging Deeper

September 1, 2020 by Ann Hale Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Lazarus!

The Questions

1)  How can we bless God on a daily basis? (verse 2)

2) What does David mean with the words ‘His greatness is unsearchable’? (verse 3)

3) How can we declare God’s greatness to others and why is this important? (verses 4-7)

Psalm 145:1-7

1 I exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts. 5 I will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty and your wondrous works. 6 They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Original Intent

1)  How can we bless God on a daily basis? (verse 2)
Although David was Israel’s king, he knew Who had given him this position, and he acknowledged God as his King when he proclaimed, “I exalt you, my God the King”. (verse 1) His view of God was so high that he couldn’t stop himself from praising and blessing Him. In studying the book of Psalms, we find a lovely collection of songs where David is actively blessing God. Very quickly, we see how blessing God goes hand in hand with praising Him. For example, Psalm 34:1 reads, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.” He continues by telling the people to join him in proclaiming the Lord’s greatness and exalting His name. (Psalm 34:3). In Psalm 104, the psalmist blesses God for the Creator He is. He begins and ends his psalm with, “My soul, bless the Lord!”. (Psalm 104:1; 35). Between these verses, we hear David praising God for His creation and the wonderful things He’s done. In 1 Chronicles 29:10 we read how David “blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said, ‘May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity.’”  He continues again with praising and exalting God’s name and His character. It’s clear that David blessed God through praises and exaltation from his heart.

2) What does David mean with the words ‘His greatness is unsearchable’? (verse 3)
Since David only used this exact statement in this particular verse, I looked at some other references found in the Bible to understand its meaning in full. Interestingly, I discovered that Job proclaimed similar words. Twice he stated, “[God] does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.” (Job 5:9; 9:10) Just as David proclaimed the greatness of the Lord, so also Job says the same thing (which is incredible, since Job walked through a season of deep suffering and loss). For emphasis, Job adds that God is so great, His wonders cannot be numbered. With this statement, we’re simply told that, no matter how hard we try, we won’t be able to fully understand the greatness of our Father in heaven. This includes the plans He has for us. That’s how amazingly great He really is!

3) How can we declare God’s greatness to others and why is this important? (verses 4-7)
David answers this question within this same passage. He tells us to speak of the Lord’s splendor and glorious majesty, His wondrous works, and awe-inspiring acts. (Psalm 145:5-6) These acts give testimony of God’s greatness and righteousness. (Psalm 145:7) David adds, “speak of the glory of [His] kingdom… informing all people of [His] mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of [His] kingdom.” (Psalm 145:11-12) Later, David writes, “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded, and they were created. He set them in position forever and ever; he gave an order that will never pass away.” (Psalm 148:5-6) Here, he shows us why we should praise Him and bless Him… because He spoke, and everything was created, including us!

Everyday Application

1)  How can we bless God on a daily basis? (verse 2)
At first, it might sound strange to bless God when He’s mainly the One blessing us, but we can bless Him by exalting Him and praising His name. David knew this and praised His name often, daily in fact! He wrote a beautiful psalm that teaches us exactly how to praise God and thus bless Him every day. In Psalm 150, we discover we can praise the Lord

  • In His sanctuary
  • In His vastness
  • For His powerful acts
  • For His abundant greatness
  • With music and dance

David blessed the Lord despite his own feelings or his circumstances. Blessing God was anchored in God’s unchanging character. We can do the same! The Lord is always good, kind, gracious, loving, merciful, tender, gentle, and much more! For which portion of His character will you praise Him today? Let your blessing become a pattern in your everyday life!

2) What does David mean with the words ‘His greatness is unsearchable’? (verse 3)
As we already saw, David used these words to show the enormous magnitude of God’s greatness. Benson’s commentary adds some extra light to this verse by writing, “[God’s] presence is infinite, His power irresistible, His majesty awful, His sovereignty incontestable, His dominion illimitable, His glory insupportable”. In other words, God is so great, it’s impossible for us to fully understand the extent of His greatness. God is so great, He knows the very number of our hairs (Luke 12:7), He knew all of us before we were even formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). His eyes could see us when we were formless, and all our days were already written and planned in His book before a single one began. (Psalm 139:16) How great and marvelous He truly is! Take time to jot down a few things you see around you that magnificent (like, a child’s eyes, the pattern on your skin, the flight of a honeybee, or the silkiness of a flower petal), and let those remind you of the greatness of God!

3) How can we declare God’s greatness to others and why is this important?
In today’s society, we often forget God is the One who blesses and provides for us. He gives us both common grace of our planet, air, and water, and His providential grace to all who trust Him for salvation by shaping them to become more like Jesus. How many times do we take credit for His work? God is the giver of all wisdom (Proverbs 2:6), truth (John 14:6), and strength (2 Corinthians 12:9); they come from the Lord, not ourselves. Yet, we are all guilty of not giving credit to Him, instead keeping it for ourselves. Remember the Old Testament prophet, Daniel (Daniel 2:27-28), and going farther back to Joseph (Genesis 41:15-16)? At the ruler’s request, both men were asked to interpret dreams. Interestingly, both men responded by saying, “No.” They couldn’t accomplish this feat, not on their own power, but God could reveal it to them. Before even stating the dream interpretations, they both gave credit to the One who gave them the wisdom to understand the dreams because God Himself was the giver of both the dream and the interpretation. Similarly, if we want to declare God’s greatness to others, we need to acknowledge His work and power, both in the Bible as well as in our own lives. Our testimonies of what God has done for us will boldly declare of His greatness in powerful and impactful ways to others! Only God is worthy of praise and because of our public praise, people who have yet to know God, may encounter His love and righteousness in personal ways! So, “let our mouths be filled with God’s praise and His honor all day long!” (Psalm 71:8)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Lazarus!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VIII Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up
to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Posted in: Character, Digging Deeper, God, Good, Kingdom, Mercy, Praise, Sketched Tagged: amazing, Exalt, glory, Greatness, kind, Lazarus, My King, proclaim, Unsearchable, wonder

Sketched VIII Day 6 Lazarus

August 31, 2020 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 11
2 Kings 4:8-37
John 12:1-11
Psalm 145:1-7
Revelation 1:1-18

Sketched VIII, Day 6

The glory of the LORD used to fill the tabernacle (2 Chronicles 5:14),
but now God’s glory walked among us in Jesus (Hebrews 1:3).

I know this because I was dead, but Jesus called me back to life. But let me not get ahead. This story is too important to rush.

My sister, Martha, invited a great Teacher to our home. My other sister, Mary, sat at His feet and soaked up His words. I also listened intently. He was different from any other teacher or Rabbi I’d ever heard. He spoke and taught with such authority; I now understand His authority came from Yahweh (John 17:1-2). I could never have dreamed of the Messiah, in our home. But there He sat, befriending us.

Sometime later, I fell ill, but my sisters were not worried. They assured me, “We’ll call Jesus. He will take care of you.”

Our ancestor David wrote, “Put your hope in the LORD, both now and forever.” (Psalm 131:3)

So we did. My sisters sent for Jesus (John 11:3), believing if anyone could save me, He could. But as we waited, I felt my life slipping away. I hoped my sisters’ faith would survive my death. At the time, I couldn’t foresee His plan, but it turns out, He was working something far greater than my immediate healing.

My sisters tell me they were in great despair, wondering why Jesus had not come right away. I grappled with the same questions as I took my last breaths, until I remembered the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.’
This is the Lord’s declaration.
” (Isaiah 55:8)

In my final moments, these words brought me peace.
On the fourth day after my death, Jesus finally arrived and made the most curious statement to Martha.

“I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live
.” (John 11:25)

You see, around this time, Sadducees in my town were bickering with everyone, especially Jesus, about the impossibility of resurrection. (Mark 12:18-27) Yet, in blatant contradiction to their assertions, Jesus declared not only is there a resurrection, but the resurrection is Him!

I’m told He continued to surprise my sisters and their many comforters by weeping
in front of everyone, alongside them in their grief.
Imagine the Messiah
weeping
for my death.
I am still moved to tears just thinking about it.

Jesus instructed them to roll the stone away and proceeded to pray for the people watching to believe Yahweh sent Him. Then, He called me to arise.

I know, it sounds crazy. But if Elisha, a prophet, could receive power from God to raise the Shunamite’s son from the dead, why should we doubt the power of the Son of God to raise me? (2 Kings 4:8-37)

Through the darkness, I clearly heard Jesus, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)

At His words, I awakened to find myself wrapped in grave clothes with strips of linen over my eyes. Despite my bindings, I moved toward His voice, longing to see His face again.

I walked into the bright light and heard Jesus’ command, “Unwrap him and let him go”.
So my life began again!

By His words, I was resurrected. The One Who is the Resurrection spoke me into life; in that moment, I became a living testimony to the glory of God: a proclamation of His power, greatness, and wondrous works. (Psalm 145:3-6)

My testimony came at a cost. Because He displayed His great power, many of the leaders wanted to kill Jesus. They also plotted against me, because my resurrected life inspired many to believe in Jesus, the Messiah (John 12:9-11)

In fact, the new life He gave me accelerated His death. Just before Passover, my sister Mary anointed His feet with expensive perfume and, to our confusion, He indicated it was for His burial. (John 12:1-7) Six days later, I realized it was the beginning of His journey to the cross.

I despised that cross at first. My testimony pointed to His glory, but in the wake of His death, my new life seemed empty and pointless.

But on the third day after He died,
His gravestone was also rolled away.
He was also resurrected.
But He needed no one to call Him out of the grave.
God Incarnate raised Himself from death to life.

He was dead, then alive forever, holding the keys to death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18)
My resurrection had been a small foreshadow of His.
Jesus was truly, “The First and the Last, and the Living One”. (Revelation 1:17)

My brokenness made whole, gave others the chance to live forever with Him. It can do the same for you if you believe in Him, the Resurrection and the Life.
My sisters, believe, and live forever!

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VIII Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched VIII!

Posted in: God, Hope, Jesus, Life, Longing, Peace, Power, Sketched Tagged: Among Us, Arise, Authority, death, glory, Lazarus, Lord, Messiah, resurrection, Yahweh

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14