R.T. Kendall - The Unfailing Love of Jesus: When Things Get Tough and You Feel Alone, Discover How He Reaches Out in Answer to Your Need

THE
UNFAILING
LOVE of JESUS

R. T. KENDALL

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T HE U NFAILING L OVE OF J ESUS by R. T. Kendall
Published by Charisma House
A Strang Company
600 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked nas are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )

Design Director: Bill Johnson
Cover Designer: Judith McKittrick
Cover Illustration: Tim Teebken, Photodisc

Copyright 2008 by R. T. Kendall
All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Kendall, R. T.
The unfailing love of Jesus / R.T. Kendall.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-59979-228-6

1. Jesus Christ--Person and offices--Biblical teaching. 2. Love-Biblical teaching. 3. Christian life--Biblical teaching. 4. Martha, Saint. 5. Mary, of Bethany, Saint. I. Title.

BT205.K435 2008
232--dc22

2007052283

This book was previously published as Does Jesus Care? by Paternoster Press, ISBN 0-85364-776-3, in 1997, and originally published by Hodder and Stoughton Religious, copyright 1986.

08 09 10 11 12 987654321
Printed in the United States of America

To Marilyn

L ord, dont you care? Marthas question to Jesus in Luke 10:40 verbalizes what all of us have felt at one time or another about God. It is interesting that the Lord was not offended by what Martha felt, but it is more interesting that Jesus had His own point of view on the matter. So it is every time we ask the question, Does Jesus care?

I take deepest pleasure in dedicating this book to my own sister, Marilyn, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Marilyn was only two years old when our mother died in 1953. Several weeks later I myself moved to Tennessee to begin my academic training, and contacts with her have been far from frequent over the years. Both of us have wondered many times why God allowed things to happen as they did concerning us. This book seeks to answer such questions.

I wish to thank Miss Carolyn Armitage of Hodder and Stoughton for the encouragement she has given me in the writing of this book, not to mention her invaluable suggestions. I appreciate the help given by Mrs. Kim Bush, and I want to thank Mrs. Doris Midgley for typing the original manuscript from the sermons I preached at Westminster Chapel during the autumn of 1985. This present book has been completely rewritten, however, and this is minimal reference to the original preaching.

R. T. K ENDALL
www.rtkendallministries.com

D o you know the feeling of being completely let down by the one you thought was the only person who could help you? Have you had this happen in the hour of your greatest need? Do you know the feeling of being deserted by your best friend? It may have been a parent, or a brother or sister, or your closest confidant and advisor. In any case, it was your last resort, if not your only one, and you discovered that your friends response to your plea was hardly what you expected. You were left in a state of dismay and bewilderment. You had to conclude that this person, difficult though it was to accept, didnt care.

But what if that last resort was Jesus? Surely He cares. When men fail, Jesus is always there. He never fails. He not only cares, but He also can do anything. He has the power to heal, lift depression, cast out demons, and multiply five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed thousands. Jesus can do thateven without being physically present.

So Mary and Martha thought. These two sisters were concerned about their brother, Lazarus, who lay dying. The three of them had one thing in common: they knew and loved Jesus and were sure that Jesus knew and loved them. When Lazarus first became ill, they probably did not worry too much. People become sick and then get better all the time. At any rate, if Lazarus got worse, they could send word to Jesus.

Lazarus indeed got worse, so the word the sisters sent said, Lord, the one you love is sick (John 11:3). Jesus was their only resort. It did not cross their minds that Jesus would let them down in their hour of need. What is more, they got the important message to Him in time for Jesus either to say the word from where He was and heal by remote control as He had done before (Matt. 8:13), or to come in person and heal Lazarus.

To their shock and devastating disappointment, Jesus did neither. Lazarus died. Jesus showed up after the funeral. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21). Mary later repeated exactly the same words to Him with undisguised bitterness (John 11:32).

It is one thing to have a trusted, earthly friend let us down, and quite another to have Jesus do it. That is what Jesus did. So they thought, and so it seemed at the time.

Does Jesus care? was probably what they began to think during the waiting period as Lazaruss condition grew worse. Does Jesus care? they must have asked during the funeral. How could He desert them at such a time? What had they done to deserve this? Had they unwittingly offended Jesus at some point along the way? Were they wrong to lay their need before Him? Were they being presumptuous? Were they taking advantage of what they thought was a special relationship? Were they wrong in actually thinking He cared?

The one thing of which they had no doubt was Jesuss power to heal. It never crossed their minds to question His ability. Could His refusal to heal Lazarus really have been deliberate?

Jesus instead sent a cryptic message to Mary and Martha that no doubt gave them considerable encouragement: This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for Gods glory so that Gods Son may be glorified through it (John 11:4). That encouragement probably lasted until the moment Lazarus expired. Then bewilderment set in, and they were trying to grasp the meaning of it all. Nothing added up.

Are you trying to understand Gods way? Perhaps it concerns the death of someone you prayed for. Or a condition you asked God to prevent. Or the betrayal by a friend whom you considered to be the one and only person you trusted. Or a financial matter you prayed over, only to have things go from bad to worse. Perhaps it was a failure to have presence of mind in a situation about which you had prayed earnestly in advance. Or a feeling of rejection by God when the momentous occasion that you looked forward to finally came. Did you have an accident despite praying for traveling mercies? Did you feel a loss of protection despite earnest praying? Perhaps the job you dreamed of and prayed for fell through. Or was it a collapse of plans after considerable prayer?