This may be the death of me, but it won’t be the end of me.
Day3
John 11:11,34-44
You shall rise again
For the past two nights we have been examining this text in the book of John. We have discovered on the first night how that we are ever evolving and changing into what God would have us to be.
We later found out on day 2 that many times God may choose to delay in coming to our aid as He did here in the text and as a result, allow tragic things to occur in our lives in order that our faith might be strengthened in Him. Whether He has decided to let us reap consequences for our actions or allow us to be persecuted for his name sake. All of these things He incorporates in His task of helping us grow and transform into mature believers and does all of this in the way He does it because He loves us so much. Then we talked a little bit about that “Tough Love”.
Tonight, I want to talk to you from the subtopic “Hope Resurrected”.
Read: Turn with me to the book of John 11:11
In our text Jesus turns to His disciples after an interval of time. Look at your neighbor and tell them:
At the appointed time, my change will come.
Jesus had waited the proper length of time and not a minute later did He wait. But not a minute sooner did He act. It is important for us to know and to believe that when God acts on our behalf He always does so at the right time. When we are suffering it appears that God has delayed too long because the pain and the wait seems so unbearable. But someone once said it best “He might not come when you want Him but He’s always on time.”
Jesus said enough is enough. It’s time now to go and wake up Lazarus. Turn to your neighbor and ask them
“Have you fallen asleep?
See sometimes while we are undergoing changes in our lives, we can become weary in well doing. Weary in our service for the Lord, weary in our commitment to Him. We start to make excuses and we start to convince ourselves that we, (that is our contributions) are minor and insignificant anyway and no one will ever miss me. Oh but forgetting about someone else. That may be true to some people in the church. Those that have not grown up yet to know and understand and appreciate everyone’s worth, but God knows how valuable you are. God does not create or allow anybody to be, that He does not see to be profitable and meaningful to His divine purpose or plan. You have a purpose. There are dreams and hope for those dreams that He has planted inside of you that He wants to see fulfilled in your life.
I know the thoughts I have toward you. Good and excellent plans, Plans to prosper you and to bring you to an expected end.
Yes, but sometimes when we are reaping consequences for our actions and/or suffering persecution we can loose sight of those dreams and completely abandon our hopes of ever seeing those things come to pass in our lives.
A. We committed a crime and were incarcerated.
B. We have been unfaithful and our marriage has been destroyed.
C. We have been negligent parents and our children despise us.
D. We have abused our bodies with substances.
E. We have hurt many people.
And because of these things, Because of the labels that people have put on us we feel that we are useless to God now and have no value or testimony. The devil is a liar! What the devil meant for your evil God will turn it around for your good.
Fred Hammond sings a song in which the chorus says “Late in the midnight hour, God’s going to turn it around it’s going to work in your favor”.
Remember what I told you 2 nights ago about those labels. Nobody knows who you really are but God. You are undergoing a metamorphosis. You are constantly going through changes. One minute you look like this and another you will look completely different than what you were before. Hence, the reason why we have sang such songs with words that say “The things I used to do, I don’t do no more, the things I used to say, I don’t say no more, places I used to go, I don’t go no more.”
Somebody else who was going through their changes said “I looked at my hands and my hands looked new, I looked at my feet and they did too”. You are not what people see on the outside of you. Turn to your neighbor and tell them:
“Look Again”
We have allowed people, circumstances and tight situations to burry our hopes and dreams. What God said He will do in our lives, we don’t believe He will do any longer because we have messed up. Turn to your neighbor and tell them:
“What God has for you it is for you.”
Samson – I was a Nazarene from birth. Kept free from toxic substances and estranged woman and pagan Gods I was set aside as a mighty vessel whom the Lord used to defend my people from their enemies. But my flesh got the best of me and somewhere I convinced myself to get involved with the wrong woman. As a result I was stripped of my power. I used to have power over all of my enemies, but now I have become their prey. They then called me weak now that my strength was gone, and they abused me and blinded me. I was about to give up all hope I had begun to bury my dreams. But then I remembered my God. I remembered that I served the only living and true God who was rich in mercy and generous in grace. There with my arms bound and body stretched out between the 2 pillars that held palace together, right while they were mocking me and my God. I reached over and grabbed the ropes that held my hands together, and I told the Lord “so that you might get the glory, and so they might know that you are the living God, give me the power this last time to pull down these walls that are binding me. Then something happened. I started changing, going through another phase of metamorphosis. I felt my strength coming back, I felt my hope coming back, turn to your neighbor and tell them:
“Watch out, I feel my help coming!”
Samson said something got a hold of me, I felt more power this that time than I had ever felt in my entire life. Oh I had power before but his was power with a capitol “P” and that down I brought down the house. I made up for lost time. I killed more enemies of the Lord that day than I did before that time.
Listen, you think you had power before you fell, Just wait until Jesus stops delaying. Just wait when the time is up and Jesus says it’s time now, I must go and activate the power. I must go now and awaken my servant from his sleep. I’ve got work for him to do. The season has ended. The storm must end. The darkness must now fade and He must now be resurrected.
Look at the text. In verse 34 Jesus gets to Bethany and after some dialogue with the sisters He says in a sense enough of the small talk where have you laid him. Now Jesus asked this question for 2 reasons.
A. #1 He wanted to get everybody’s attention, I’m sure Jesus knew where they laid him but He wanted to announce to everyone that He was now ready to go to the place where Lazarus was. He wanted as many as would follow to come and see what was about to happen. In verse 42 we find out why, Jesus did it so that all that were present would believe that Father had sent Him.
B. #2 He wanted to bring everybody’s attention to the impossibility of the miracle that was about to be performed. Notice the events as they transpire and the things that are said that sort of paint the picture before the crowds for those that might have just came by and didn’t know what was going on.
a. He says remove the stone. Martha says wait Lord he’s been dead for 4 days and he’s got to be stinking. (Can you just hear the spectators saying Did she say he’s been dead for 4 days, Oh my god, there’s no way he’s coming back.
b. Believe and you shall see the Glory of God. Hear the crowd now whispering, “believe; believe in what?” Glory of God. What’s that? Oh this is getting good. Somebody go get the popcorn!
c. So that they may believe that you have sent me. And you can hear the crowd saying No He didn’t. He must have read my mind. How did He know that I think He’s a fake? He must be feeling the vibes.
d. Lazarus comes forth: The crowd is silent. At this point if somebody so much as moves, coughs or sneezes, he or she is likely to get shushed or hit as everybody is on the edge of their seat. As they wait, their hearts are pounding, and a silhouette slowly appears and comes into the light. Somebody has just fainted, women are screaming and some people are running like mad. But everyone a believer.
I’ve come to let you know tonight, that God has put out the word that His presence is here in this place at Shiloh tonight, you thought you just happened to walk in here tonight, But not so, Some of you are hear tonight just to witness the true power of the living God so that you might become a believer, some of you are here tonight because you need (like Mary and Martha) you’re faith challenged and activated so that you can, through your faith, unleash the Glory of God in your life.
Still there are some of you here tonight who are the ones whose hopes and dreams have been buried and you are the ones whom God has come to resurrect from the dead. You are the ones that God is going to show His mighty power through so that the lost might believe, So that those who already believe might go away with their faith revived and reaffirmed, so that all will ultimately know this day that The Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Son of the Living God.
That He is the great Messiah who has come to save his people from their sins,
That He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and
That He is the one who has conquered death, hell ad the grave.
He is the great Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep,
He is the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father and the prince of peace,
He is the great Jehovah,
The Bright and Morning Star,
He is the Chosen one, the one who sits on the right hand of the father making intercession for us.
He is the one, who when the time has come and time shall not delay any longer whom God the father will say Go now and gather the harvest for the earth is ripe and He shall come in the day and in the hour that we think not. He shall take His people, those who have dipped their garments in the blood of Jesus Christ and have had their sins forgiven. A songwriter penned these words:
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, and sinners who are plunged beneath that flood shall loose all of their guilty stains.
There in the presence of God John, the writer of Revelations said,
Rev 21:3
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.
Rev 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7
He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone:
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Rev 22:12
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
So what are you trying to say Preacher I’m saying it’s time now to roll the stones away, it’s time shake of the funeral garments. God is here and ready to speak the word that will make the difference in your lives tonight that will give you the strength to lay aside every sin and weight that’s keeping you bound.
Stand to your feet and lift your hands believe in your heart tonight. Bring whatever it is to God that’s holding you back tonight and believe with me tonight. As I pray to the father asking him to do the same thing for you tonight that He did for Lazarus and that is to “Loose you and let you go”
Time is late and the hour is far spent and there is still work to do. It’s time to make a change, it’s time to get our house in order, Prepare and make ready the way of the Lord. He’s coming back for a church without spot and without wrinkle.
