More Than A Miracle

Well, today Singapore turns 61, so happy birthday, Singapore.

You know, in just six decades, we have gone from a small island with no natural resources to becoming one of the world's most prosperous and influential countries.

Every National Day, we celebrate how far we have come.

But this morning, I'd like to ask a different question.

Has Singapore reached her destination, or is God preparing her for a greater assignment? Now, that may sound like an unusual question to ask, but I believe that the answer is found in one of the most unexpected places in Scripture.

John chapter 11 records one of Jesus' best-known miracles, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Now, you may be wondering, what does Lazarus have to do with Singapore? On the surface, absolutely nothing, because one is a man, the other is a nation.

One lived in Bethany, the other is a little island in Southeast Asia.

One was wrapped in grave clothes, the other is known for skyscrapers and success.

So what could they possibly have in common? Perhaps more than we realize, because John chapter 11 is more than a story of one man's resurrection.

It reveals how God works, because John 11 is more than a story.

And again and again throughout Scripture, whenever God is about to reveal His glory, whenever He's about to accomplish a greater purpose, whenever He's about to begin a new chapter, you always find a tomb, a cave, or a stone.

God has a way of bringing life where others see only finality, and that is why I believe John chapter 11 carries a prophetic message for us in Singapore today.

Because the God who called Lazarus out of the tomb is the same God who still calls people, who still calls churches, and who still call nations into His purposes.

One of the lyrics that we sing, uh, for one of the National Day song, We Are Singapore, it says something like this, "There was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it, but we did." [laughs] Humanly speaking, Singapore's story is remarkable.

Against all odds, this tiny red dot has become a nation whose influence far exceeds its size, and God has entrusted this nation with unusual influence.

And where God entrusts unusual influence, He also expects unusual faithfulness.

Today, the world may call Singapore an economic miracle, but I believe in God's eyes, and like Lazarus' story, we are more than a miracle.

We are born for such a time as this.

We have been raised for more.

And hence, my message is titled More Than a Miracle, and our text is taken from John chapter 11.

The story opens with Lazarus falling seriously ill, and yet Jesus deliberately delayed His journey to him.

And then Lazarus died, and for four days, he lay in a tomb.

Martha was disappointed, Mary was heartbroken, and those around them had already accepted the outcome.

The stone was in place.