Sermon Central
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Don't Give Up On God
Contributed by Cathy Mangum on Mar 19, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is based on the faith of Christians, and dealing with the story of Lazarus,Mary, and Martha.
Don’t give up on God!
Coming up out of a Dead Situation!
20 Then Matha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
The topic today deals with a real issue, maintaining our faith. Not giving up on God. So many times in our life, we find that we lose hope, but I’m here to tell you today, Don’t give up on God! There is a reason why you’re going through what you’re going through. You may not even realize it, but God is allowing you to go through this thing for a strengthening season. Oh somebody ought to feel this thing with me up in here because God has given me an awesome word. As I was preparing my sermon for today, I had been fasting a lot last week, preparing for a sermon, not knowing that God was equipping me for the sermon that I had to deliver today. As I began to work on a sermon today, and got it to completion, it came up in my spirit that this was not going to be the sermon that I was to preach on tonight. As the hour grew longer, God began to minister to me, yet again and said Don’t Give up on me! Whew!
Somebody ought to get excited about that thing on this evening….someone in here this very night was just about to give up, was just about to let go, but God told me to tell you, Don’t give up on me.
God said I know the situation you’re facing now seems unbearable, I know that no one knows what you’re going through, I know that you haven’t spoken a word of this to no one, but don’t give up! Look at your neighbor and say don’t give up, don’t’ give up, don’t give up!
God wants you to know that the waiting period is almost over and all you have to do is reaffirm your faith in him. Not only that, but he wants you to stand on his word like never before. He said there are doors opening up for you right now, there are yokes that are being broken right now, there are binds that has been made for you that has been released right now! God said he knows that your financial situation is in turmoil right now, and that you’re writing checks that has been bouncing left and right, because you thought the money you were looking for would have been here to cover those expenses…but God said Don’t give up. He said he knows how you’ve labored he knows how you’ve prayed, he knows the sleepless nights that you’ve spent, praying, fasting, crying out to him, kneeling praying, laying prostate! God said HE KNOWS!!!!
He said don’t give up! There’s a reason for the delay in the breakthrough, there’s a reason for the slow release…because you were just like an impregnated mother…but you had to go through the growing process and make sure that when your breakthrough comes, that it will be a healthy one. In other words, not something that he’s going to set you free for a minute, but for a lifetime!
Now tell your neighbor, Don’t give up on God!
The Scripture takes us to a story that we all should be pretty familiar with. The story of Lazarus, and how he had fallen ill. It would seem, in verse 4 of the text, that Jesus had prophesied that the illness would not result in Lazarus’ death, but rather a revelation by God of Jesus’ true Glory. So inspite of Lazarus’ illness, Jesus delayed his departure for two days and stayed in the city where he was. Fast forwarding a little bit, the journey back to Bethany was a 4 day journey, and on their way back, Jesus let his disciples know that Lazarus had died.
This is how we get sometimes as we are working on our Christian journey…we begin to have a great need for Jesus and we cry out to Jesus, and we’re hoping and praying that Jesus will go ahead and make a way for us, but Jesus is coming in his own perfect timing. And don’t you know that he may not come when you want him, but he is always on time!!! So as they journeyed back, Martha, Lazarus’ sister met Jesus, and told him, Lord if you had been her, my brother would not have died. But Jesus told her that your brother will rise again.
