Taking Responsibility IV: Faith Response

Taking Responsibility IV:  Faith Response

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace

Without knowing Jesus you cannot know yourself. You cannot know and realize your nature, abilities, and rights in Him for they are revealed in him. When you look into God he mirrors to you his best for you so you can aspire and receive it. It is only when you give God his place that you will find your place in him. As Paul our life goal should be to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

All that God has done and made available to believers can be described by one word - Grace. Grace is God's trust in humanity (man). Faith is man’s trust in God. God trusts that man will respond well to what he has done for them. He is so confident he chose you for his race. He even boasts of you as he did about his servant Job. On the human side, believers trust that the provisions God has provided without merit are enough for  all the needs for life and godliness. Grace is what God has already initiated and established.  What God has done in the past is sufficient for all your future requirements. That which happened by Grace in the past we make happen in our world by faith today. Even though grace by nature is unmerited it is however more than just favor. It is God come down.  It is God's presence. It is God's hand extended towards humanity. It is God self-revealed. 

When God makes a move it is done.  Human core business is to respond well to access and benefit. Responding well to what God has done is called faith. Faith is therefore the human response to Grace.  The Christian makes choices to respond to God in relationship with people and situations. For you, God has believed in you and made a move in your favor. Your business is to also believe in him and move in his favor. He has extended his hand of grace and your business is in turn to extend your hand of faith. God has acted and spoken also act and speak the same. Give thanks for what he did for you and take corresponding action.

The bible says a pure heart and clean hands qualify a person to go up God's holy hill. A pure heart is a positive condition and attitude of faith.  So faith is an attitude of believing whereas clean hands are the works that show faith.    Faith works and faith is seen by works. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and choices are made. Faith is therefore not complete without corresponding confession and action. If the attitude of faith does not result in action it is dead. Note, without works faith  is not absent but dead.. unresponsive, unproductive and lifeless. Corresponding action gives life to faith and puts it to work (James 2). Faith in action is evidenced by for example, changed lives, taking a stand for righteousness and good works. The challenge of faith is to express or demonstrate your faith. To act on God's word for the miracle – seeing God at work.

Often we have learnt faith from many Bible, historical and contemporary characters. What can be learnt from God? He created the universe by faith.  Out of faith in himself he spoke things that were not as if they were (Hebrews 11:3). Let's also learn faith from Jesus the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is the best example of a person who lived by faith. He demonstrated that taking actions of faith can raise dead situations.  When Jesus was confronted with an impossible situation of Lazarus’ sickness and subsequent death he showed faith in the following ways (John 11:1-44).

He had a divine agenda. Faith needs a divine agenda. Faith is substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is informed by Gods will.  For every fear  and worry God has a word of peace to calm the threatening storms. Jesus boldly said the sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God.  He understood it was an opportunity to serve the purpose of glorifying God.  Jesus declared a plan to glorify God and a goal to wake Lazarus up from death.  God’s plan for humanity is a good plan to give hope and a desirable end (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus had confidence in his strengths and capabilities from trusting God. When Jesus says yes nobody can say no. Is clear, is unstoppable. He declared the plan in advance when there was no guarantee it could happen except by his word.  He did the same when he declared what he was going to accomplish by the anointing on his life (Luke 4:18). He knew that nothing can say no when God said yes. Nothing was impossible to him who believed. He world not call him dead but asleep. Faith will not call it what it is not. It's not hopeless when God hasn’t said so.

He let nothing stand in his way. Faith involves risk and requires commitment. Jesus’s credibility was now on the line. He had already said the sickness was not unto death yet the person was now dead.  He overcame threats to his opportunities.  He would not allow the crisis to prevent what he had to do where he was. He was so calm about the disturbing news that he even took two days to round off his business before going to Lazarus. Going to raise Lazarus was a high risk choice Jesus made.  So risky that even His own disciples tried to dissuade him because last time they were in the area the people there wanted to stone them.  But Jesus was committed to going anyway.  If you have faith to raise the dead you might as well have faith God will protect you.  Nevertheless, the threat was so real that Thomas the worst candidate to encourage anyone encouraged the disciples to go along with Jesus so that they could die with him there.

Walking by faith is not always easy. God himself demonstrates faith by sending his son (John 3:16).  God can move anything, pull down any barriers, fight any battles, make any sacrifice, and pay any price to reach people with his love.  Further they had a long walking journey to take to reach Lazarus’ house. Nothing will stand in his way. He watches over his word to perform it.

He wept. Faith works by compassion. Jesus did not have to weep since he was to raise Lazarus from the dead anyway.  His heart was however touched by the hard experience people affected by the situation were going through. He acknowledged it was hard to go through the night even though joy comes in the morning. 

He perhaps may also have reflected on his night on the cross that was coming.  Jesus may have also been touched by the much suffering God’s people go through only because of failing to believe. He also wept over how lack of faith blinded God’s people from seeing God’s glory. He reminded Martha, ‘did I not say, if you believe you will see the glory of God’. 

He reopened a closed case. Faith sees opportunity NOW. To the people at Lazarus house it was over regarding Lazarus - the bus had left. It was too late and they could only wish things had happened differently.  If only Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. Wishful thinking did not help what they needed was faith.  Martha also believed in the resurrection but at some future date. She relegated her miracle to the future.

Jesus reopened a closed case because he knew he was the resurrection NOW. God is the great I AM, the now God not the I will be God.  He believed God could raise Lazarus but also that the time was ripe. Lazarus was dead and buried for four days but that was not the end of his story. Jesus still believed what he declared when he first heard about the sickness - his sickness was not for death but for the glory of God.

He took action. True believing results in action. The action brought about the miracle.  Jesus asked to be taken were they had buried Lazarus. He told them to remove the tomb stone. He prayed and called out, Lazarus come forth. He risked embarrassment. He broke graveside silence, decorum and decency. Sometimes as blind Bartimaeus showed, the choice is as stuck as you forget about people’s opinion and shout in faith for your miracle or be blind for the rest of your life.  

Loose him and let him go. Faith frees people.   Lazarus came out wrapped in grave clothes. It was however not enough for Lazarus to be alive he also had to be free to be what God created him for. Jesus’ faith freed the lives of other people. Faith is not just for self-consumption but for the loosing of people.  Jesus could have made Lazarus his slave but respected his freedom.  Faith takes away grave clothes and lets you go free. Faith will undo heavy burdens.  Faith will break yokes of bondage.

If you can believe you can also bring dead situations back to life. If you believe, you will see the glory of God in your situations. In your body, in your bank account, in your relationships, at your work place, in your ministry, and everywhere else every time. You will see waters part. You will see God rain manna and send the ravens to feed you.  You will move mountains and kill giants. You will see the glory of God. You will reveal the glory in gloomy situations.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

First Floor Dhando House,

66 Eloff Street Extension,

Village Deep,

Johannesburg,

South Africa