I want to look at a passage that I believe explains pressing on in a way different from what you have heard before. I want to look at John 11: 17-28. On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles[a]from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,[b]the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."So, given this new information about Martha, we see Martha as a woman of action. She goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary who has a heart to be His disciple, stays home. But, look at the difference in heart attitude. “But, I know that EVEN NOW, God will give you whatever you ask.” Even though she didn’t understand what Christ was doing, she believed anyway, and went out to meet him to find Him. He asks her “Do you believe this?” She replies “Yes, Lord…”. She knows full well who He is. She knows in her heart as well as her head.
21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,[b]the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."So, given this new information about Martha, we see Martha as a woman of action. She goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary who has a heart to be His disciple, stays home. But, look at the difference in heart attitude. “But, I know that EVEN NOW, God will give you whatever you ask.” Even though she didn’t understand what Christ was doing, she believed anyway, and went out to meet him to find Him. He asks her “Do you believe this?” She replies “Yes, Lord…”. She knows full well who He is. She knows in her heart as well as her head.
Do you know what is interesting about this passage? According to this account, Jesus chooses Martha’s reply to set the plans in motion for His crucifixion. According to John, Martha is the first person to publicly declare Him the Christ. Up to this point, people have put their faith in Him, or called Him a prophet, or not known who He was. But, He uses Martha to spread the Word that He is the Christ. Two people with the same worries and cares of this life, yet two different attitudes. Peter gets choked by the world’s standards, and Martha has the faith to set in motion a plan for reconciliation for all the world.
This is great news for us as women! Through a women he comes into the world, and according to this passage, he uses the faith of another woman to usher in His death, and eventually, new life.
We are going to take a look at how to move forward in our lives after we have shown God glory through the way we react to the trials in our lives, we now will find out how to move forward in reaching our goal.
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