I love the story of Lazarus: I believe that Lazarus and his situation or condition and his resurrection is so powerful because it reminds us, “that it's not over till God says it's over”
It reminds us that God can do anything
It reminds us that God works in the dark
It reminds us that man's impossibilities are God's opportunities
It teaches us that God is not glorified by our sin or sickness and disease, but he is glorified by our deliverance, our healing, and our salvation.
In our story word comes to Jesus (Lazarus is sick) But Jesus waits 2 days to respond:
It could just as easily been 12 years like the woman with the issue of blood.
Or 38 years like the man at the Pool of Bethesda.
The point is: it doesn't matter
And the point is: it doesn't matter how long or how wrong or how strong: it is all the same to Jesus.
It's the same power that heals a headache that drives cancer out of your body
It’s the same power that heals a pulled muscle that drives demons out.
After 2 days Jesus says (Now Lets go wake Lazarus up)
Jesus is even reluctant to speak of Lazarus as dead, he simply says: he's asleep and I'm going to wake him up.
Because as far as God's power is concerned there is no difference.
Somebody here today needs to know: your case it's not too hard for Jesus.
It may be too hard for doctors, but Dr. Jesus will take your case.
Jesus is the healer
Another thing this story shows us is: it's never too late.
Never give up
Never quit
Never quit praying,
Never quit confessing,
Never quit praising God.
Never quit believing.
You're closer than you think, you're on the edge of a miracle.
And this story shows us: sometimes God delays in answering our prayers why? So God alone gets the glory.
For many years the church has used this portion of Scripture to refer to what they have called the Lazarus generation.
Because Lazarus represents a hopeless cause, an irreversible situation, a condition beyond repair.
That which has gone beyond the Hope of no return, and that, which from all natural evidence is dead and buried.
That’s what it meant when they rolled the stone across the door: It meant (It’s over, it’s passed, it’s decided (it is what it is) and it’s never going to change.
But I feel something pushing me here:
Cause you can't refer to the story of Lazarus and end at the tomb, because the whole message of Lazarus is one of redemption, of resurrection, of healing and wholeness and deliverance.
At the voice of Jesus: Lazarus is raised from the dead and the end becomes a new beginning, Where death had reigned life begins again.
And that is the message to what has been called the Lazarus Generation
(God is not finished with you: You may be bound, you may be full of demons, you make look dead, and act dead, you may look like you’re beyond hope)
But at the Sound of His voice (The dead are raise)
This generation: Is not unreachable, they are not beyond hope.
But the answer is not in religion, it’s not in philosophies, or traditions of man: It’s not in our ideas, and churchanity, and it’s not in these semi religious songs today that make no difference between your boyfriend, or girl friend or Jesus.
Just like Lazarus: They Must hear the Voice of Jesus
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
The sad thing today is that: There are not many places where Jesus Voice is being heard
We’re hearing all kinds of goofy doctrine, and all kinds of self-help gurus, and gracism, teachers and life coaches:
We don’t hear very many Pure Simple Undiluted, Unadulterated preachers of the gospel anymore.
When Lazarus Hears the Voice of Jesus he is resurrected:
When this Lazarus Generation hears the Voice of Jesus they will also be resurrected.
*And they might rise from the dead with green hair, with tattoos, with piercing all over their bodies, and they might even rise from the dead not sure of whether they are male or female. But the Church has to be ready to loose them
We have to have enough of the love and the compassion of Christ to look past their past and equip them for their destiny.
If the Church is not able to do this: (As far as making a difference in the world is concerned, the church is irrelevant).
I’m not talking about endorsing all this weird stuff: I’m talking about loving the person enough to deal with the weird stuff in order to loose them into their destiny.
Now I’m going to take this story to another level: You might want to check your seat belt and make sure you’re buckled in:
I Believe that if we were honest about it: We can see that Lazarus also represent this generation church age that we are living in.
Lazarus represents the church that has fallen asleep
They are spiritually lifeless, dormant, powerless.
Note: Lazarus was sick before he dies
The church has become sick she has become sick by mixing with the world, The spirit of worldliness has poisoned the church.
Something that shouldn't be in the body has poisoned it.
Sin is poison to the body of Christ
Sin kills
Sin destroys
Sin weakens
Sin makes us cowards
The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Pro 28:1)
Sin separates us from God
Sin robs us of our power
Lazarus was sick (By and Large today: The Church is Sick)
Isa 1:5-6 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is (sick), and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
He whom thou lovest is sick:
I want you to know God loves the church: but she is sick.
Gambling, social drinking, fornication, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, Shacking up, perversion, is poisoning our churches.
if you want to know why the church you see today for the most part is powerless: it's because she's been drinking poison
Statistics say: between the ages of 18 to 30 years of age 77% of professing Christian men look at porn at least monthly
36% of them daily
32% admit there addicted to it
12% think they may be addicted to it.
It's estimated today that 9.4 million women view porn monthly, and 13 percent of women admit accessing porn at work..
Every minute 184,000 dollars is spent on porn
10-14 Billion dollars are spent annually on porn
And here's the part that really disturbs me:
It's How many Christians are watching these sex charged sitcoms: watching men kissing men and women kissing women and justify it by saying it's just comedy and they're just actors.
And watch movies that glorify sexual domination bondage intimidation and perversion.
Or go to the casino and gamble all night Saturday maybe have a couple beers and then come in on Sunday raise our hands and sings songs and wonder why we don't experience the glory and the power of God.
I'm afraid that we're becoming the people Jeremiah was speaking about
Jeremiah 6:15 were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No they were not ashamed at all, neither could they blush. Therefore they shall fall among them the fall when I visit them they shall be cast down.
and the people in
Malachi 3:14-15
Living Bible You have said: It is foolish to worship God and obey him. What good does it do to obey his laws, and to sorrow and mourn for our sins? From now on, as far as we're concerned, "Blessed are the arrogant" For those who do evil shall prosper and those who dare God to punish them shall get off scott-free.
You may not hear those exact words: But that is the message that is coming from many pulpits today:
What are your telling me?
I'm telling you that the church is asleep and many would even go so far as to say dead:
(But The good news is that Lazarus was raised from the dead.)
Even though he had been sick and died that wasn't the end of the story
from a human perspective and natural perspective when they rolled the stone in front of the cave that was announcing its over, its finish, it's done. There's no possibility of any change, forget it.
Don't pray anymore, don't fast anymore, don't confess the promises anymore, just let it go.
How many are glad right here that somebody didn't let it go.
Somebody held onto God
somebody kept praying
somebody kept confessing the promises of God somebody kept believing.
Somebody I'm talking to right now you are just like Lazarus, you are dead and stinking in your mess.
But God.
But God didn't write you off: Some of you were angry, some were fornicators, some were alcoholic's, some were drug addicts, some were prostitutes, and lesbians, and homosexuals, some of you even told people leave me alone let me go to hell at least I know I'll have some friends there.
You did everything you could to roll the stone in front of the door.
But God
God love you too much to give up on you
God love you when you hated yourself and everyone around you
And he came to your stinky cave
He came right into your mess
God is not afraid your mess
Mess doesn't stop God's love
Mess won't stop God's power
Some of you are in a mess right now: but Jesus is coming to you.
Some of you feel like you've gone too far, you've done too much, you can never be saved, you can never be free,
but that's why this story is in the Bible: to show you the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
To show you His love of power
To show you that His love power is greater than any Stone that sinned has rolled across your life.
His love power will come to you right where you are.
A crackhouse
A bar
A house of prostitution
A Church House
It doesn't matter: the Holy Ghost will come to you
The church like Lazarus is loved by God, and also like Lazarus the church has become sick
Spiritually sick
Lukewarm, indifferent, materialistic, carnal, worldly.
And the easy thing to do is just to roll the stone over the cave and say it's over:
The church is dead
She’s lost her power: she's played the harlot and now she's dead
She has no anointing, no authority, and no power.
Just like Samson she has laid her head in the lap of Delilah and like Samson While he slumbered he was shaven and shorn of his power and didn't even know what happened.
And they found him and poked out his eyes.
Again that's not the end of the story: Samson's hair began to grow again.
This speaks of a new consecration, of repentance.
And Samson killed more Philistines in the hour of his death than he killed throughout his life time.
Lazarus come forth
There is a call going forth to the slumbering church
“Lazarus come forth”
Slumbering church wake from your slumber
Wake from the seducing spirits that have lulled you to sleep
Wake from the sleep of worldliness and pleasure seeking
Wake up to take up your cross and follow Jesus
There are a lot of people that have written the church off.
They say the church is no longer relevant
They say the church is dead
They say the church has no power
They say the church is just an outdated religious institution
They say the church is just a bunch of dried up old bones
But I came to tell you: something is getting ready to happen
in fact it's happening already
All over the world people are hearing the voice of the Son of God.
All over the world people are hearing the voice of Jesus
All over the world people are hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit and people are waking up.
All over the world the dry bones are hearing the word of the Lord
The wind of God is blowing through the valley of dry bones
Resurrection power is coming
The church is returning to a book of acts anointing and power
Jesus is not coming for a beat up, bruised up, broken down, dried up, lukewarm, half in half out, can't tell the difference between the church and the world bride.
He's coming for a holy separated consecrated fire baptized; Holy Ghost anointed, without spot or wrinkle victorious, overcoming, conquering bride.
Just like the children of Israel went out of Egypt with a high hand the church is going out with a high hand.
(If you're hearing his voice today)
To come forth in resurrection power
To come forth in divine health
To come forth in holiness and righteousness
To come forth into a fresh anointing and authority
I want you to meet me here in the front of this building:
Meet me here this altar
For the Next few minutes I want us to bury our heads and Cry out to God for a visitation (Like our lives depend on it) Because they do.
The church is waking up.
*The Lazarus Church is Waking Up*
And we’re coming out:
We’re coming out with a fresh fire
We’re coming out with a new commitment to the word
We’re coming out with a new Zeal and new Passion for Holiness
We’re coming out clothed with a new Mantle of Power.
