Lazarus Raised

Lazarus Raised
John 11:41b-42

41 Then [oun] they took away [airo] the stone [lithos] from the place where [hou] the dead [thnesko] was [en] laid [keimai] . And [de] Jesus [Iesous] lifted [airo] up [ano] his eyes [ophthalmos] , and [kai] said [epo] , Father [pater] , I thank [eucharisteo] thee [soi] that [hoti] thou hast heard [akouo] me [mou] .
42 And [de] I [ego] knew [eido] that [hoti] thou hearest [akouo] me [mou] always [pantote] : but [alla] because [dia] of the people [ochlos] which [ho] stand by [periistemi] I said [epo] it, that [hina] they may believe [pisteuo] that [hoti] thou [su] hast sent [apostello] me [me] . KJV-Interlinear

41 And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, 'Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me. 42 'And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.' NASB

The eyes, ears, and noses of the crowd roundabout are going to be witness to the events which are about to occur.

Everyone can attest to the fact that Lazarus was dead. All noses are probably cover up by now due to the stench which most likely filled the air. Though it is not stated, it is heavily implied. Lazarus has not yet been raised from the dead. He is in fact still dead.

Jesus looks heavenward and all see His actions. Jesus speaks in a loud and clear voice in prayer to God the Father. All can hear His words.

Jesus does not seek glory for Himself, but offers thanks to God the Father to whom all relationships with God are ultimately pointed. However, as we have studied on many occasions, all relationship with God must go through Jesus Christ. There is no other means by which we might be saved.

Jesus prays to God the Father. All prayer is directed to the Father. Prayer is not directed to past generations of people. Prayer is not directed to angels. Prayer is not directed to Mary, to Peter, to anyone who might be elevated in the minds of man, and somehow thought to have attained some form of omnipresent character such that they might be in a position to hear the prayers of mankind. Even Satan cannot keep track of man, and He is far superior than mankind - for the moment.

When we receive our resurrection bodies, then we will be far more advanced than Satan, and He was, at one time, the greatest of all the angels. Mary (mother of Jesus - she is not the mother of God), Peter, John, and anyone else you can think of, none of them have received their resurrection bodies yet. As of our present date, only Jesus Christ has received a resurrection body. He was the first. We in the Rapture will be the second group to receive our resurrection bodies.

So there is no one else in this universe or even in heaven, other than Jesus Christ Himself, who has the capability of hearing let alone answering prayers from the six billion folks on earth that offer them. And Jesus is not praying to Himself, but to the Father who is in heaven. Even we, when we receive our resurrection bodies will not be capable of receiving all of mankind's prayers, nor will we be authorized for that function.

People gathered around the tomb see this, or they are intended to see this, to teach them that it is God the Father from whom Jesus Christ has come. Of course, as we have already seen, there are those who recognize that Jesus Christ is the son of God, but they just do not comprehend the significance of it all. Martha, Mary, and certainly the apostles are examples of this.

Jesus Christ and God the Father are always on the same page with respect to everything in life. The Father authored the divine decrees of history. Jesus Christ executes the plan of the divine decrees of history. They both operate from the same play book. There is no deviation even in the slightest.

Christ offers thanks to the Father for hearing His prayer, which He is just now offering. But the Father knew of the prayer and has known of the prayer since eternity past. The decision with respect to the prayer was made and approved in eternity past. It is only now (in Christ's time) that the prayer would become a historical reality.

All prayer is approved, if it meets all three criteria of prayer. First, the person offering the prayer must be in fellowship, and thus functioning within the fellowship sphere of sinless perfection, washed, or cleansed as it were.

Second, the prayer must be consistent with Gods plan for history. To ask for all the money in the world would not be good economics for the world economies.

Third, the prayer offered must be consistent with Gods plan for your individual life or the individuals for whom you are praying.

A very simple example of this is to pray for your own spiritual growth. God will answer that one with a positive response. Of that you can be sure, so long as your are sincerely and genuinely positive toward Him. He will give you time, and doctrine, and leave to you the decision to study. If you study consistently throughout your life, and obey His commands with regard to living the spiritual life, then you will receive spiritual growth all the way to maturity.

If you pray for someone else, then God will do the same for them, leaving to them the decision to study or not.. Can we predetermine whether our prayers will be answered in our favor or not? Often times not. But we are commanded to pray all the same. If you do not pray, you will not receive an answer. You can only receive an answer, only if you offer prayer to God. He who asks not, receives not. Normal spiritual growth will drive you almost by default to pray and on a regular basis. Prayer based on spiritual knowledge is the single most powerful weapon that any person can have in this life.

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