Two Sad Sisters over one Dying Brother
Sermon Starter
John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 11:2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 11:3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 11:4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 11:6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
John 11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: 11:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 11:28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 11:29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 11:30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 11:31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 11:32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 11:35 Jesus wept. 11:36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 11:37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Prayer
Introduction
It can be frustrating, heartbreaking and devestating to want more for someone that you care about than they want for themselves and if you would be honest and not to holy to admit you're hand cuffed by helplessness by the fact that you see their associations, stupidity and their death defying actions that have them in a dead state and they are stuck like chuck and your your heart is grieved because the man whom you love won't obey any of the warning signs. It is as if you want more more for them than than they want for themselves.
What if I suggested to you, you showed up here tonight because the men that you love are being taken down by bad decsions and mistake after mistake or by the crowd that they hang around.
Story
I watched a story on TV One about a Rythym and Blues Genius by the name of David Ruffin of the famous group the "Temptations" who made pain based decisions because there was something rooted deeper in his past that was messing with his future. Ask this R&B genius why he blew his life on blow. If Tammy Terrell were alive he would probably testify that she wanted more fr David Rufin than he wanted or himself. Tammy would testify that he was living a "Pained Based Life", dealing with his past in present. If you're not careful and don't deal with the ailments of your past those very things you call yourself hiding will show up in your future. What you have not dealt with, will not only take you down but take others down with you
OK you don't believe me let me prove my point:
Marvin Gay was a stone cold genius in the relm of R&B with his prophetic insite, had his own soulful soultry swagger and approach to his audience, sings a song What's Going On.
According to Michael Eric Dyson
But Marvin had to deal with two facts, (One) he knows that the father he knows was supposed to represent an influencial voice in the the kingdom but is a crossdresser (his father) and therefore lived a dual lifestyle one in public and another in private. So Marvin was always on a quest to prove the masculinity he embodied by any means. Let's get it on and Sexual healing were two writings that define what he wanted or what he could do.
Your manhood should never be defined how you satisfy your appitite, that is nothing but the dog in you. Dogs have sense to check out what he wants to attempt to get
Marvin was a Phenom in his gift and abilities but the secret of his molestation and a father as a crossdresser drove him into living a "Pain Based Life". The world loved Marvin but Smokey Robinson asserts "Marvin did not love Marvin". What happens when your life as well as it is you're making Pain Based Decisions?
Maybe you don't know David - Maybe you don't know Marvin but if you would be honest to me tonight, you would admit that you know a David or a Marvin in your family
Just because it looks bad God has a way of setting a stage of what looks bad and turn it around for your good.
Who am I talking to tonight?
1) Who am I talking to - A sad sister over a dying brother -
"Sad sisters maintain a resurrection faith that believes that the best is yet to come even if thought the worst has already happened"
2) Who am I talking to - A dead Man - who the more you try to get things right the worse they get
"When you check out every negative statistic you're on top and every positive statistic you're on the bottom"
Vs. 1 - 6 God does not show up when you want him but he shows up on his time - In time Glory is given to God
What if I suggested to you ; The fact that you called on Jesus is not to imply that he is coming when you want him; know this, that when he comes it will not be in your time, if so it will be for your satisfaction. So he shows up in his own I me that God may get the Gory out of the supernatural manifestation.
Text indicates he waited two days to arrive; Why? Because if he showed up when you wanted him to things would have went the way you planned them, so, he shows up much later than your expected time to turn the story around, that it would surely be accredited to God.
Lazarus is called by name calling him,
just simply saying come forth is to call all that rests in his name to life
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
When you know who you are you don't answer to nothing else as a matter of fact you refuse to answer to anything else other than your name, therefore you refuse to stay in predicaments and settings that are contrary to who you are.
Vs. 17 - 20 Before he was near the city Martha met him and Mary stayed home
Vs. 11: 21-39 Lazarus was called:
Stinky
Dead
but never called by name, it is important that we stay focused on the situation and not the condition, the condition is subject to change according to the power of the spirit that emboies those that are calling for help
Vs. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. - Conjunction, the function of a conjunction is to tie whatever is after to that which is before.
Adversative Conjunction is a However, Howbeit, but or Yet
in this verse Martha says: But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God will give it thee, this cancels out any negative statement that's spoken before this one here.
Two Sad Sisters over one Dying Brother
While we may not know Marvin Gaye or David Ruffin, I believe that we would admit that there's someone in our life that we are seeing dye before our eyes and we feel hadcuffed to hopelessness, because, we feel like it is out of our hands to command a healing, therefore, we turn to Jesus but he does not show up in our time. Nevertheless, he does show up.....
