圣经故事:Bread of Life认识主(2)复活
【汇总贴】英语圣经故事(mp3) Knowing Christ(2)The Resurrection认识主(2)复活 Have you ever visited a happy home, where you felt loved and welcome?Jesus found just such a place when He visited the home of Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. John 11:5 says, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." Their home was in the little village of Bethany, about 2 miles from the great city of Jerusalem. However, in our Bible lesson for today, a great sadness has come upon that little home. Lazarus has become very ill, so ill that his sisters realized Lazarus was going to die if he didn't get some help. Mary and Martha knew the Lord Jesus could help him! Hadn't Jesus opened the ears of the deaf?Hadn't he healed the poor man with leprosy sores all over his body?Martha and Mary wasted no time in sending a messenger to find the Lord Jesus. The messenger found the Lord Jesus and simply said, "Lord, he whom you love is sick." Even though the messenger didn't say a name, the Lord Jesus immediately knew it was Lazarus who was sick. Jesus loved His friend Lazarus. Peter, James and John and the other disciples were standing around the Lord Jesus. Did He love them too?Yes, and He loves you too! He made you, He knows and cares about you. And Jesus cared about His dear friend Lazarus. He said to His disciples:"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified." Jesus was saying that Lazarus's sickness was going to bring great honor to God and to His Son. Do you think Jesus and the disciples left right away to go to Lazarus?After all, this is an emergency! Martha and Mary are expecting Jesus. Lazarus will die if he doesn't get help. It seems so puzzling when we read that Jesus stayed right there for two more days! Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I'm going to wake him up." The disciples didn't understand until Jesus said plainly, "Lazarus is dead." Then Jesus said something that seems very strange:"Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe." Doesn't it seem strange that Jesus said, "Lazarus is dead and I am glad I was not there.?" But remember Jesus is God, and He has a very good purpose for all that He does when He does it! If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior from sin, have there been times when you wondered why God didn't answer your prayer right away?Or when His answer was no, and you felt sure it should be ?yes.?" Remember, God has a good purpose for everything He does! Ephesians 1:11 speaks of ?the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will." God sees the past, the present and the future. He knows the very best way to work in our lives for our best good. His answers to our prayers may cause us to wonder why He doesn't do something right away, but remember God has a good purpose for all that He does, when He does it! And Jesus knew that waiting two more days before going to Bethany was God's best answer for Lazarus. After two days, Jesus said, "Let's go now." The disciples did not want Jesus to go back to Bethany. They felt it was too dangerous for Jesus to be near Jerusalem, where recently a mob of angry people had tried to kill Him. When they knew that Jesus was determined to go, Thomas said to the others, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Let's read from John 11:"Then when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been in the grave 4 days already. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him:but Mary sat still in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, whatever you ask of God, God will give it to you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.?" Listen carefully to hear what Jesus then told Martha! It is such good news for you and me! Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life:he that believes in me, even though he dies, yet he will live." Do you ever think about dying?The Bible says we all must face that appointment with death. Even though there are many ways people die, there is only one real reason we die. Romans 5:12 says, ?" by one man sin entered into the world, and death (came) by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." The reason everyone has to die is because everyone has sinned. You see, the first people who ever lived, Adam & Eve, chose to disobey God. Disobeying God is called sin. Because of their sin, everyone born after them was born with a sin nature. You and I could write a long list of all kinds of things that displease God, like fighting, saying bad things, breaking rules, etc. Any or all of those sins keep us separated from God and His Home. God's Home is Heaven, where there is perfect beauty and happiness, even a street of pure gold! But there is NO sin there! Because of your sin, you have that curse of physical death. But if you choose to stay in your sin, you will suffer everlasting death in Hell. Did you know that Jesus came to give you another choice?As the perfectly holy Son of God, Jesus left Heaven and came to a world that hated Him and didn't believe in Him. He came in great love to take our punishment for sin. I Corinthians 15:3 says, "Christ died for our sin?" Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and 3 days later came alive again. Now He is in Heaven, and He gives you the choice to believe on Him and be saved from everlasting death. When you are saved, you do not have to be afraid when you think about dying. You can remember Jesus' wonderful promise:"I am the resurrection and the life:he that believes in me, even though he dies, yet he will live." Jesus went on to tell Martha, "Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Martha answered, "Yes, Lord:I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." Then Martha went to get Mary."Mary, the Master is come and He is calling for you." As soon as Mary heard that, she got up quickly, and went to Jesus. When the Jews saw Mary leave, they followed her, thinking, "She is going to the grave to cry." But Mary was hurrying to Jesus! When she saw Him, she fell at down at His feet. I'm sure she was crying as she said, "Lord, if You had only been here, my brother would not have died." Do you think Jesus was hardhearted as He saw this precious friend crying from a broken heart?No, boys and girls, the Bible says ?Jesus groaned in the spirit and was troubled?And then, "Jesus cried." Jesus hates what the curse of death has brought upon the world! It grieves His heart deeply. Where have you laid him?" Jesus asked. They led him to the grave. Some were whispering along the way, "Couldn't this man who opened the eyes of the blind have kept his friend Lazarus from dying?" They didn't understand God's wonderful purpose for this! If you are God's child, you may not always understand God's purpose for allowing things in your life. You may wonder why God doesn't answer your prayers quickly, or why He allowed certain painful things to happen. But remember, God has a good purpose for everything He does. 如果你是神的孩子, 你也许并不理解在你身上发生的每一件事, 到底神有什么旨意?你也许会想为什么神没有马上答应你的祷告?为什么神允许痛苦发生?但是, 你要记住, 神做任何事情都有他美好的旨意在里面。 He promises in Romans 8:28, "All things work together for good to them that love God." God sees so much more than we as human beings can, and He promises His purposes and plans are for our good! Try to remember that even when you don't understand. Link:The Jews with Mary and Martha were whispering what they thought Jesus ought to have done, but they didn't understand the bigger and better plan Jesus had! Jesus walked to the front of the tomb. It was a cave-like place with a stone in front of the opening."Take away the stone, " Jesus said. Quickly Martha protested, "But Lord, by this time he is stinking. He's been dead four days." But Jesus hushed Martha by saying, "Didn't I tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Surely everyone stood with wide eyes focused on the Lord Jesus and that tomb. Some of the men moved the big stone away from the door. Then Jesus lifted His eyes toward Heaven and prayed, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people here I am saying this, so they may believe that You have sent Me." Then with a loud voice that rung with authority, Jesus cried out, "Lazarus, come out!" And the dead body of Lazarus heard the command of the Lord! The Bible says, "And he that was dead came out!" Lazarus?body was bound hand and foot with graveclothes:and his face was bound about with a napkin, but somehow he came out of that tomb!Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go!" Can you imagine how the people gasped in awe and amazement!! Can you imagine Mary and Martha's shouts of praise and gladness, as they pulled those graveclothes away from Lazarus?face, and hugged and kissed their precious brother! God's Word says, "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." Now we understand why Jesus waited! We can see His wonderful plan and purpose! He wanted more people to believe on Him, to understand that He could not only heal the sick, but He was the Son of God Who could raise the dead to life。 If you have already believed on the Lord Jesus and asked Him to make you His child, remember, God has a good purpose for everything He does! You can trust the Lord Jesus, even when you don't understand His bigger plan and purpose! Maybe you will see later in life what that good purpose was, but maybe you will not know til you get to Heaven. Why not memorize Ephesians 1:11 and Romans 8:28 to help you remember to trust the Lord Jesus even when you don't understand. Even though the Lord Jesus had given life to the dead, some of the Jews went away that day still refusing to believe on Him. What about you?As we close this wonderful true story, will you choose to believe on the Lord Jesus and have His gift of everlasting life?Then go now to ?How to be a Child of God?and follow those steps. 【汇总贴】英语圣经故事(mp3) |