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The Unbelief of Assumption

by Steve Countryman  
8/17/2014 / Bible Studies

John 11:3-6 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. John 11:14-15 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

John 11 20-27 20 When 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. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

John 11: 38-44 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Recently I was reading this awesome story again when I got snagged on a couple of things. This story has so many strange things happening in it that are easily missed when read. It is a powerful story of Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. But as it turns out the story is also about the unbelief of the two sisters. Martha made two strong statements. The first one was when she said, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." The second one was when she said, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Those two statements sum up who Jesus Christ is. But later Jesus said, "Take away the stone," when Martha should have started to praise and worship Jesus for what He was about to do, but instead she says, "But, Lord by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." That was her unbelief speaking to Jesus.

A little background on what really had transpired prior to Jesus showing up at their home. When the messenger had finally reached Jesus Lazarus had already died. For it states that Jesus waited there two days before leaving to go to their home. It was a two day journey to reach their home. Then later Martha warns Jesus about the smell of the tomb for Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Her comment confirms that Lazarus had already died by the time the messenger had reached Jesus.

What is so puzzling is Martha's response to what Jesus had commanded. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha quickly warns Jesus about the smell in the tomb. Did Martha forget who she was talking to? Did she think that Jesus the Son of God needed to be reminded that there would be an odor? What did she think Jesus was going to do after having the stone removed? Did she think that Jesus was going to go inside the tomb to cry over Lazarus' body? Did she think that Jesus wanted to see Lazarus one more time? Lazarus was wrapped up in his burial clothes so his body was not exposed. After making those two powerful statements regarding who Jesus is, her response to Jesus totally ignores both statements. She let her unbelief overshadow what she knew to be true.

Unbelief is the deal breaker! Satan uses doubt in your mind to get you to set aside your faith and trust to believe a lie. It is easy to assume that what you look at every day will also limit what God can do every day. Your limited vision of the natural affects your assumption of unbelief. So you treat God as if He is part of this world. That assumption of unbelief will limit what God can do in your life. For a God only of the natural cannot do the supernatural. Unbelief is not the absence or lack of faith but the doubt that has been cast upon that faith. Unbelief is a sin for it leads to disobedience to God's command for us to believe. Jesus said to Martha, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" That is what we His children are to doBELIEVE! Believe that Jesus is the One and only Son of God. Believe that Jesus died for your sins. Believe even when everything around you tells you otherwise. Believe that your faith and trust in your God is more than enough.

Assumption leads to unbelief. When you rationalize what you feel is truth verses what God says is truth then you are walking by assumption instead of walking by faith. That is what Martha did here. Because Jesus didn't come when the messenger found Him, she assumed Jesus didn't or wouldn't heal her brother. Though she knew who Jesus is and that Jesus healed people everywhere He went, she flat ignored her own two statements of faith and fell into unbelief of assumption.

It is what the Israelites did when they believed what the ten spies said and ignored what Joshua and Caleb said about Canaan. Even though God had performed miracle after miracle in bringing them out of Egypt which they all witnessed, their unbelief sided with that of the ten spies and robbed them of entering the promised land.

In Romans 9 Paul talks about Israel's unbelief being a work of the flesh. They believed that since they were descendants of Abraham that they were entitled as Jews to enter heaven. They have wrapped their unbelief of assumption around their religious traditions and of the Law.

How many times do we pray to God and tell Him how and when to answer our prayers? As if the God who created the universe needs any instructions from us. When we do that we are showing our unbelief in God's ability to answer prayer. Faith is trusting and believing in God and that He knows what is best for you and is FULLY capable of taking care of you and your needs. "Does this mean that prayer isn't necessary?" No, it means that when you pray you trust that God will hear and answer your prayers His way. Believing in God that you don't have to know all the details of how and when He will do it but you just trust that He will!

Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Mark 5:36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe." Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." Mark 16:17-18 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Don't let the unbelief of assumption cause you to miss out on all of the blessings that God has in store for you. Don't let your unbelief cause you to become anything less than what God has predestined for you! Remember what Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

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