Mike Kines

John 11:38, "Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it."

The fact this man was dead is underlined by the stone on top of his grave. With a stone over his grave there was no coming out for him, and there was no one going into his grave. He was dead, he was buried, and he was covered with a stone. But none of these obstacles hindered the Lord Jesus from raising him from the dead.

Don't look at the circumstances, the hindrance, the impossibility, the big mountains or stones in your way. Instead, focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the power to calm the winds and the waves. He has the power to walk on the water. He has the power to feed thousands of people with a few fish and pieces of bread. Nothing is impossible with God. Matthew 19:26.

Heavenly Father, you have the power to remove the stones that cover me up with impossible situations. The more impossible my situation becomes, the more glory you will receive when you speak your word and the answer comes to us. I know you will come to us, Lord, though we wait long for it, and seems so long, but I know that your word is true, that you are never late, and that you are going to help us, oh Lord Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Amen.

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John 11:31, "The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there."

As believers in Jesus we know that death is not the end of the road. We know we will see our loved ones again one day, those who were also Christians. And yet, even though death is not final, we still grieve and mourn the loss of our loved ones and family members. The Lord enters into this grief, and he weeps with us.

Death no longer has any sting for the believer in Jesus. The grave no longer has victory over the believer in Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:55.

LORD JESUS, the scripture says that you wept with Mary and Martha at the loss of their brother. You felt all of their grief, and loss, and pain. And at the same time you knew that you would in a few moments raise Lazarus from the dead. This is hard for me to wrap my mind around, but I thank you for loving me through all of the temporary and transient problems in my life. You have always been there to comfort me, even though ultimately you already know I will be with you in eternity and all of these sorrows on earth will be forgotten like a dream. Amen.

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John 11:17, "Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already."

Remember that Jesus purposely waited until Lazarus was dead before he went to help them. Do you think God ever waits in your life until everything is hopeless and impossible? I think he does this many times. One purpose in this is to demonstrate his power to raise us up from the dead.

Paul said that he and his companions had the sentence of death so that they would not trust in themselves but in God who raises the dead. And God did deliver him. 2 Corinthians 1:9-10.

Lord, I know at times you wait in our lives until things become humanly impossible to fix. I've seen in my own life the miracles you did in getting me out of trouble. You have many times delivered me out of the paw of the bear and out of the mouth of the lion. I trust in you, Lord, right now to do this in my life. I trust in you that you will always save me, in your own time, in your own way. You are never too late, Lord. I will sing the song of faith on the right sight of the Red Sea, before the waters part, because I know you have all the power to save me. In Jesus name. Amen.

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John 12:17, "The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record."

The Lord Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. At the word of the Lord Jesus death was defeated and life returned to the body of this man Lazarus. Not only raised from the dead but reversed the corruption of four days of death in his body. In a moment. In one instant, at one word from the Lord Jesus, this man was alive and healthy again.

God is never late. Don't give in to fear like King Saul did and take your life into your own hands. Wait upon the Lord to direct your steps and intervene in your life. The Lord loves you, he is faithful, and he will intervene for you. Wait, I say, upon the Lord. Psalm 27:14.

Heavenly Father, I know from this account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead that you are never late. Everyone in this account thought Jesus was too late since Lazarus was already dead. But Jesus still raised him from the dead. Lord, you have your own timing for everything. Please help me to never let go of faith and trust in you, no matter how hopeless or impossible the situation appears to be. You are still the creator of the heavens and the earth. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 15:55, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

Jesus has defeated death through his own death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Those who put their faith in Jesus will not experience this sting of death and will rise up victorious over the grave.

Death has been defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not need to live in fear and bondage any more, because the devil was defeated and death has been overcome by Jesus. Hebrews 2:14-15.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the victory that we have in Jesus. Lord Jesus, I thank you for taking the sting out of death and defeating the grave. Lord, I give you all the praise today. I am thankful, Lord Jesus, that you rose from the dead and became the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, that in all things you might have the preeminence. Glory to your name, Lord. Father, thank you for including me into your plan of salvation through your son Jesus. Amen.

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Luke 9:59-60, "And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. (60) Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."

This is a clear statement that from the Lord's perspective those who are outside of his kingdom are "the dead", even though they may be alive physically they are just as dead as those that need burial. The only hope of mankind is to be born again and receive spiritual life from the Holy Spirit.

The unbelievers have a job to do in this world, but the priority of believers in Jesus is different. Our main priority is the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we helping those whom God has called to preach the gospel? Do we support them with our prayers and material support so they can do this work? Romans 10:14-15; 1 Corinthians 9:14.

LORD JESUS, you said that we must be born again to enter or to even see the kingdom of God. I pray for everyone in my family to be born again. I pray for all the people that I have known to be saved. Lord, may your word go forth in great power in these last days to reach the lost and bring them to the knowledge of salvation in the Lord Jesus. Amen.

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John 19:40, "Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury."

They took great care with the physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ. This has always been the Jewish tradition to take great care and reverence for the body of the deceased.

In a spiritual fashion, we also need to take great care with the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, which is the church. The church is the spiritual body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do we pray for the church? Do we love the church? Colossians 1:18.

Heavenly Father, grant that the people in the church will take the same care with the body of Christ as these early disciples. I pray that we will clothe one another in God's love, and so this will be a fragrant aroma of spices for the Lord. May our love for another demonstrate to the world that we are the body of Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Colossians 2:12, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

It is through faith in the operation of God that we experience the Lord Jesus and his burial and resurrection. All of this is God's work for us and in us as well. What is our part? Our part is to believe and have faith.

Jesus said that the work of God for us is to believe in him. John 6:29.

Father God, I am thankful that you have done all of the work for me. The Lord Jesus accomplished your will through his death, burial, and resurrection. My part is to simply believe and receive what you have already done for me. You have provided forgiveness, redemption, salvation, eternal life, and every spiritual blessing in the heavens through your son Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into my heart, for being my Lord and my Savior. Amen.

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1 Corinthians 15:4, "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

The scriptures declared the burial arrangements of the Lord Jesus. Everything about the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus was prophesied in the scriptures.

The Bible predicted hundreds of years before Christ that he would make his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. This prophecy was fulfilled by Joseph of Arimathea by burying Jesus in Joseph's own new tomb. Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60.

Heavenly Father, you foretold everything in the scriptures that would happen pertaining to the life, death, and resurrection of your son Jesus Christ. Open the eyes of your people to see your son through the entire Bible, that they made know the certainty of what you have said and what you have done. Lord, you spoke your word, and your performed it, and made it happen according to your will. Amen.

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Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

The believer and Jesus are tied together by God in death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism symbolizes the supernatural work of God in the life of the believer in Jesus. We are buried with Christ into death, and we are also raised up from the dead with Christ by the glory of God. Why? So we also should walk in a new life.

Our identity as Christians is in Christ. We don't strive to follow or imitate because we are already in him. We are complete in him. Colossians 2:10.

Heavenly Father, thank you for placing me into your son Jesus Christ. When they put Jesus into that rich man's tomb, I was put in there with him. I died with Christ, I was buried with him, and I was also raised together with him. This is all the work that you, heavenly Father, have done for me. Thank you, Father, for uniting me with your son Jesus Christ. Amen.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikekines.substack.com