I'm going to say some things here today that you might have to think about. Let me start by saying the battles, the struggles, the warfare that you see and experience in the world today, it's not really about us fighting the devil. It is really about two super powers fighting it out.
I don't even like to give the devil the status of a super power, but he is a supernatural being, and he is the ruler of all the dark hosts, as God is the ruler of all the forces of heaven.
So everything ultimately is about worship. The battle is over the hearts of men... who will you worship, and who will you serve? Because you will serve whoever you worship.
God must be worshipped intentionally, acknowledging him and honoring him as your supreme king, and serving him out of a heart of love.
Satan on the other hand does not demand or require that same love and devotion and intentionality in your worship or your service.
Fear, doubt, worry, confusion, resentment, criticism, hate, jealousy, bitterness, and hopelessness are all received by him as worship.
So the devil will create conditions, circumstances, problems, hardships, sickness, loss etc. In order to get your attention and your affection away from God.
And almost any reaction that you have outside of intentionally, worshipping, glorifying, and magnifying God, the devil will steal for himself and identify it as worship.
So the devil will will create circumstances, to produce feelings of negativity, such as fear and frustration and confusion and ultimately hopelessness, and dispair, and he will take that to himself as worship.
So here we go let's get into this message... Have you ever looked at a situation that had "done, finished, the end, hopeless, give up" written all over it? I think if we'll be honest about it, we've all been there at least once, or more.
When we look at this story in the Bible, we see "the end, hopeless, terminal, forget it" written all over it.
Mary and Martha watched their brother Lazarus as he became sick, and they watched as the life drained from his body. As the sickness worsened and he became weaker and weaker, their hope began to slip away. But they had one last hope, we must send for Jesus, Jesus can heal him. Jesus can stop the plague of death.
So they sent for Jesus, but he didn't come. Let's be honest, we have all been in that same situation, and some are there right now. You've been praying and praying, believing for a change, and all that has happened is, it has gotten worse. In other words Jesus hasn't showed up, he hasn't come through for you.
Now I admit this is where this story causes some confusion. Jesus has gotten the message. So now he knows Lazarus is terminally ill. Jesus knows that all their hopes are that he will come before Lazarus dies, and he will heal him. But Jesus waits deliberately until he knows Lazarus has died, then he says to his disciples, our friend Lazarus is asleep, I must go and wake him up.
I think we could rightly assume that in Jesus humanity, he wanted to rush to Lazarus the moment he heard he was sick.
But Jesus said of himself... I only speak what I hear my father speak, and I only do what I see my father do. So now we can understand that Jesus reluctance to rush to Lazarus side came from his acting in obedience and in harmony with the Fathers will.
I personally believe that it was very hard on Jesus humanity, to not drop everything he was doing, and run to the aid of his dear friend Lazarus.
So why the delay? The delay is for the greater glory. If Jesus would have rushed to Lazarus and kept him from dying, so many of the unbelieving Jews would have said, well he wasn't really that sick, he just recovered, it was just coincidental that Jesus prayed for him before his recovery.
Here is something we rarely recognize... When we are crying out for a miracle, a healing, a breakthrough, a restoration, a deliverance. Our attention, and our intensity, and focus are all centered upon that particular need, and we assume that since that is what has our full attention, that must be where God is focusing his attention too.
Of course God cares about your need. Of course God feels your pain and your sorrow. But what we must recognize is that God is a multitasker. You want his full attention on meeting your need. "Hold on tight, we're going to hit some turbulance here." God's ultimate desire is to...
*Grow us up.
*To reveal himself more fully to us.
*To mature our faith.
*To be glorified.
We think God is completely occupied with meeting our need, that's what we want... But God is even more comitted to growing our faith and our confidence in him.
Can you prove that pastor? I think so. Jesus could have arrived before Lazarus died, and healed him. Why didn't he? Because God was going for a greater glory. You say Yeah the greater glory is Lazarus being raised from the dead.
That's true but Jesus was after resurrection faith. Mary and Martha both had "we believe you can heal him faith." But when Lazarus died so did their faith.
Jesus deliberately waited for two days. Now we take a look into the spiritual realm and get a glimpse of what is happening when you pray, and you don't see any change. And sometimes it feels like God isn't even listening, but he is.
Jesus waited for Lazarus to die, in order to solicit a dead raising faith in Mary and Martha.
When Lazarus died they turned the switch of faith off, they said that's it. It's over, it's finished, I don't believe anymore. And they rolled the stone over the door.
That stone was not just a boulder blocking the door to Lazarus tomb. "That stone was a grave stone that said here lies the faith of Mary and Martha."
That stone said, we believed up to this point, but our faith ended right here.You may be at that point right now, you may be in the very act of rolling the stone across the door and calling it done.
But hold on. Tell your neighbor, hold on.
Let's go on... When Jesus came they did not rush to meet him with passionate living faith. They met him with frustration, disappointment, and even some resentment. They actually scolded Jesus... If you would have got here sooner our brother would not have had to die.
Now let's be fair about it, you would be upset to, if you believed someone could heal you, or deliver you, or give you a miracle, but they didn't.
Let's go a step farther, we have all been disappointed at one time or another that God didn't come through when or how we wanted him to.
Now follow me. If all Jesus was after was to perform a miracle, and raise Lazarus from the dead, he would have just said... take me to the grave, and he would have raised Lazarus from the dead.
But he didn't do that.
I know this concept I am going to share with you is going to be a little hard to swallow, it has been for me, more than once. But we have to get this revelation in our spirits. God loves us dearly, but his ultimate reason for everything he does, is for his glory. "Absolutely everything is that he will be glorified."
That means when he does it, how he does it, where he does it, who he does it with, or if he doesn't do it at all... "Everything is determined and decided by the degree of glory it will bring to him."
Lazarus is now dead, but Jesus starts speaking to them about their faith. He says to Mary and Martha, if you believe you will see.
Why is he speaking this way, doesn't he know it's over? The reason Jesus speaks to them about their faith, is... they need a faith resurrection.
"The first resurrection that day was the faith of Mary and Martha."
You may be standing today in the same place where Mary and Martha stood. You're looking at a stone that says... the end. Hopeless. It's over.
It could be...
*Your marriage: Your marriage may be hanging by a thread, headed for the rocks. There might not be one spark left, and everything you're feeling or not feeling is telling you it's over.
*Or maybe it's a relationship between you and your children or your siblings.
*It could be a physical situation where it seems like sickness has ruled the day, and everything is saying... give up pull the plug, it's over. End of story.
*Or it could be a financial struggle, where you feel like you're sunk... You can't see any way out of the hole you're in.
*Or it could be your ministry. Something happened that set you back, and you feel like it’s over. And the devil is telling you it’s over. Maybe you blew it. Maybe you slipped and fell, and then let’s get where the rubber meets the road. Maybe you just jumped into it. Well friend there’s forgiveness. If you will confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
Or maybe you didn’t slip at all. Maybe it’s just jealousy and envy and criticism, and people who want to destroy your ministry. And you’re feeling like it’s over. You got hit hard, you got hurt, and you're thinking what’s the use anyway? You’re thinking it’s over.
Let's be honest, we've all been there. Many are possibly there right now.
I know that this is what the devil is trying to accomplish in your life, and in this country. He is trying to paint a picture of hopelessness and corruption, and dispair, and make things look so bad that you will roll the stone over the door, and you will pull the plug on your faith.
The devil loves to see people feeling desperate, and hopeless. He thrives on our pain, and anger, and frustration, and resentment.
My wife and I often watch the old show Emergency. Many times they will treat a patient who goes into cardiac arrest. But they don't say, oh that's too bad we lost another one.
No, they get the electric paddles out, and they shock their heart to get it beating again. It is not always successful, but many times it is.
In other words, many patients live, because the paramedics don't quit. They don't look at the evidence on the screen and call it done, even though they see the flatline, they keep working on the patient. Then all of a sudden the flat line jumps and then something happens that they call conversion. They say, "we have conversion."
I thought, wow that's amazing encouragement. You may have been praying for your spouse or your children for years, and all you see is flatline. No response. And the devil wants you to call it done, and say it's over, and roll the stone over the door.
But you need to get those Holy Ghost paddles out, and keep praying, because it could be just one more Holy Ghost shock, and we will have conversion.
Conversion means "the process of changing or causing something to change from one form to another."
From sickness to health.
From sorrow to joy.
From anxiety and stress, to peace and rest.
From lost to found.
From bound to free.
From fretful and fearful, to faithful and courageous.
From discouraged and depressed, to happy and blessed.
I feel like the Holy Spirit is telling me to tell you, you're on the verge of conversion.
Tell your neighbor, neighbor I believe...
*You're on the verge of conversion.
*You're on the edge of a break through.
*You're on the brink of a miracle.
*Don't give up now.
*Don't turn the switch of faith off now.
*You're getting ready to see something that looked impossible become possible.
*You're getting ready to see something that is going to put your eyes on stems.
*God is getting ready to show up.
Don't put those shock paddles away. Don't quit praying, in fact turn up the voltage, some situations are really stubborn and they require a little more voltage. Let's be honest about it, some people are a little more stubborn, and need a little more voltage.
The point here is, no matter what it looks like or feels like, don't give the devil any pleasure. Don't give him an ounce of attention. Keep praising God.
Say it with me... I don't believe it's over. I refuse to submit to fear, and doubt, and discouragment, and depression. I refuse to become angry at God, and critical and resentful.
I refuse to give the devil one crumb to rejoice over... My hope is in God.
My hope for my family.
For my healing.
For my deliverance.
For my break-through.
For my miracle.
For my country.
My hope is in God, and I don't believe it's over.
Finally there is a spark, and faith comes back alive in Mary and Martha. They say... I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God which should come into the world.
This is what Jesus needs, because faith is the determining factor for everything.
Jesus instructs "take away the stone" Mary and Martha's faith wavers, but Lord he's been dead four days, by now he stinks.
This is like saying...Ok Lord, we got it, we believe you can do this, but to tell the truth, we've kind of moved on. We don't really want to stir this up again.
But Jesus jolts them back to their faith confession. Did I not say that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
—What Jesus is saying is ... I'm not afraid of the stink, I can handle it no matter how bad it is.
—How many would be honest enough to say that you're glad that Jesus didn't let the stink stop him?
Then Jesus cries with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him and let him go.
I don't know what Lazarus means to you today.
*It could be a relationship that looks and feels like it has died.
*It could be your hopes and dreams for the future that you desired and planned for.
*It could be your walk with God.You may be so far away from God that you don't even feel his presence anymore.
The list can go on and on, I really don't know what Lazarus means to you, but you do.
But what I see in this story is this... there is a situation that is screaming hopeless. But Jesus is saying, don't say it's over.
—I don't believe it's over.
I'm going to say it again...
—I don't believe it's over.
I don't know who this is for today, I'm just the messenger, and I have delivered the message.
If you know this message is for you, I want you to come up here. I want to agree with you for a resurrection anointing to be released on your behalf.
I believe the reason God wanted me to preach this is because it's prophetic... There are some situations that are looking hopeless, and the devil is pushing hard to get you to say it's over and roll the stone across the door, and post it no tresspassing.
But I hear God saying, If you will believe, if you will agree with me that it's not over, you will see the glory of God.
You need to know that this miracle is much bigger than you, look at these verses.
John 12:1-2 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. [2] There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
John 12:9-11 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. [10] But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; [11] Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
What this is saying is... God is setting the stage for something that will be indisputable and undeniable. Many that wouldn't listen to your words, will not be able to defy or dispute the miracle that God is doing in you.
Many came to see not just Jesus, but also Lazarus the miracle man, the one who was dead for four days and was raised from the dead. And they left believing.
Say it with me... I don't believe it's over!
Sister _________, you're a miracle in motion.
Bro____________, you're a miracle in motion.
Sister _________, you're a miracle in motion.
Sister _________, you're a miracle in motion.
Say it with me... I don't believe it's over!
Psalm 126:1-3 When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. [2] Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. [3] The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
I believe God is going to do something in your life that is so unbelievably magnificent, that you’re going to say… Somebody pinch me, I think I’m dreaming. “This is too good to be true.” No it’s not, too good to be true, it’s because we serve a too big, God, and a too much God.
He is not just the God of enough; He’s the God of too much.
I’ve seen it in my own life; I’m a living testimony, and an eye witness. It has happened to me, and I prophesy… You’re next in line.
Say it one more time… I don't believe it's over.
