The Lazarus Factor (God Of The Outcome)

0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:04.480 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdik. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:06.960 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.000 --> 0:00:10.319 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:12.360 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:15.160 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:20.680 We're so excited about our new single Never Lost that 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:26.840 we were just singing and pray that you'll get that song. 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:28.640 And what I want to do today is I actually 0:00:28.680 --> 0:00:31.320 want to take something that was in that song that 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:35.519 you were just singing and bring it to your life 0:00:36.159 --> 0:00:39.560 at a really practical level today. And the song says 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:44.080 that God still shows up at the tomb of every Lazarus. 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.120 And I want to show you the scripture that that 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:52.200 line came from today, and then I want to speak 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:56.160 to the Lazarus in your life. Everybody in here has 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:01.200 a Lazarus, and everybody in here has a God, and 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:03.680 today we just want to bring these things into God's 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:07.200 presence for a few moments. John Chapter eleven is the scripture. 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:10.360 Welcome to our EPAM around the world. There are tens 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:13.039 of thousands of people right now who are joining us 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:15.640 on their devices and less thank God for them as well, 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:22.720 that this word would be received in your life. I 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:25.600 got smart to beat up, brought my iPad today, my Bible. 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.280 I'm preaching from John eleven, and I'm covering quite a 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:31.720 few verses of scripture. And my Bible yesterday kept blowing, 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:34.480 the pages kept blowing. It wasn't the Holy Spirit, it 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.039 was the air vent and it just kept blowing to 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:39.360 different scriptures. And so I brought it on the iPad today. 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:41.160 I hadn't preached from it in a long time. And 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:43.840 it's locked and loaded and charged, and I want to 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:46.320 preach to you. Well, it's not locked, it's going horizontal. 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:52.480 There's some old men stuff right here. You know, every 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.680 preacher gets persecuted. Paul had shipwrecks, and I have iPads 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:58.440 that go horizontal. It's kind of on the same level, 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:02.040 don't you think. But we're gonna look at something today together. 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.400 From John chapter eleven, Verse one. Now, a man named 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:09.200 Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:13.520 Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.520 now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.200 on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:23.280 So the sister sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:27.520 you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:29.680 the sickness will not end in death. No, it is 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:32.679 for God's glory, so that God's son may be glorified 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:38.399 through it. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:41.160 Everything up until this point, by the way, makes total 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:44.960 sense to me. We're given the name of this man, Lazarus. 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:49.600 His name literally means the one who God helps. Have 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.160 you ever had God just help you out of a 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:54.800 mess that you got yourself into, or a mess that 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:58.480 you couldn't get yourself out of. His name means the 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:02.360 one that God helps. And his sister was Martha. She's 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:05.600 the one who made the mortgage payment. His other sister 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:09.240 was Mary. She was a good listener. And Jesus liked 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:13.440 going by and visiting because Martha made these incredible lemon 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:17.320 pepper wings. He liked to eat her food. And then 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:19.960 Mary would sit at his feet and be discipled. And 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.200 there's nothing better than somebody. Well, I was going to say, 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.080 there's nothing better than a good listener, But a good 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:27.960 cook is better than a good listener. And if you 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.880 ever find a good cook and a good listener, marry him, 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.440 marry her. Okay, and Jesus loved to go to this 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:37.400 little place two miles outside of Jerusalem, and he would 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.040 often be refreshed there in his ministry travels. But now 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:42.680 they need his help. And it says that he loved them. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:45.640 He loved all of them, He loved Lazarus, he loved Mary, 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:49.160 he loved Martha. And as lazarus sickness begins to overtake 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:54.640 the affairs of the family, Martha issues not necessarily an 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:59.240 invitation to Jesus, but a request for help. Lord. The 0:03:59.240 --> 0:04:02.000 one you love is sick. I love how she phrased it. 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.280 You know, send him a message, say Lazarus, no, no, 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.160 say the one you love is sick, because he's very 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:10.760 busy and we need to get him here. So let's 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.760 just remind him of how much he loves Lazarus and 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:15.880 get him here real quick so he can do that 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:19.200 healing thing that he does for us. And everything makes sense. 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.400 You know that he loves them, so he would come 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.360 to them, and he would visit them, and he would 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:26.279 help them because lazarus name means help, so it's in 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.440 his very nature to expect the help that his name identifies, 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:31.440 just like as a child of God, you call on 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.680 your father and you expect him to help you. And 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:38.679 everything up until here makes sense. But the next verse 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:40.520 is something that I want us to talk about for 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:42.719 a few moments today, because some of you are at 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:44.960 a place in your life that doesn't make sense anymore, 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.039 and it's that I want to speak to. It says 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:51.560 that he loved them, that Jesus loved them. He really 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:56.479 loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. Verse six. So when 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:00.160 he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed with where 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:06.360 he was two more days. And that's what I wanted 0:05:06.360 --> 0:05:09.360 to work on together today, because it would be one 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:12.280 thing if the Bible said he loved them, but he 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.440 stayed where he was two more days, because that would 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:19.080 mean that he couldn't come. He had other people to help. 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:25.800 But it says this interesting word, So so he stayed 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:29.160 where he was two more days, and that means that 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:33.920 verse six flows directly from verse five. He loved them, 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:38.960 so he did not come when they wanted him. And 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:40.760 I want to talk about this today from my heart. 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:45.279 I'm going to title this message the Lazarus Factor. The 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:48.760 Lazarus factor. And Lord, I just pray that you would 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.680 enable me to preach this word beyond my human understanding 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:56.599 or my oratorical abilities. God, I pray that something would 0:05:56.760 --> 0:06:00.000 go forth from this pulpit today that would call forth 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.800 from the hearts of your people the kind of faith 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:07.800 that makes the difference in Jesus's name. I pray, Amen, Amen, 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:17.080 you may be seated. Spoiler alert, Lazarus dies and gets 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:22.200 resurrected in John chapter eleven. I didn't want to leave 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:26.520 you in suspense too long. But you ever think about 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:32.320 how different people have different love languages. They have a 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:37.320 book about it, the Five Love Languages. And I'm so 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:39.400 thankful that God gave me a wife that one of 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.520 her love languages is physical touch. Do you're not happy? 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:47.040 That makes me? What a blessing. I'm so glad her 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:49.479 love language is and acts of service. I much prefer 0:06:49.560 --> 0:07:00.160 physical touch. Amen, you know what God's love language, which 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:05.320 is trust. If you were to ask me from just 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:09.160 studying the Bible for however many years I've been studying, 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:13.560 since I was sixteen, how does God receive love? He 0:07:14.160 --> 0:07:17.720 loves to be trusted more than he even loves to 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.320 hear you sing, and I'm not saying you don't have 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:23.320 a great voice. He loves when you trust him more 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:26.680 than he even loves when you, you know, wear a 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:30.480 cross around your neck. He loves when you trust him 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.080 more than he even loves. And I probably shouldn't say 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.000 this as a pastor, but more than he even loves 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:38.840 when you come to church. He loves when you trust 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:43.480 him on Tuesday. He just loves to be trusted. One 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:46.360 of the most difficult things I think in our life 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:50.080 is that we often equate love with comfort, while God 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:56.120 equates love with trust. If we are not studious, and 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:58.400 if we don't give attention to the scriptures, we will 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:02.680 conflate and confuse our human definition of love with a 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:06.400 divine love, a love that is not simply an action, 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:10.040 but an essence of who God is. I don't know 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:14.760 about your first job, but I would put myself out 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:18.200 there as maybe having the most interesting first job in 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:22.080 the whole room, because my first job at age fifteen 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:26.560 was to work at Petrest Cemetery and Cremation Service, and 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.960 I'm proud of that. I did those funerals with dignity, 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:35.439 and I lifted one hundred and eighty pound bull mastiffs. 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:38.800 That's part of how I learned to, you know, preaching 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:45.960 dead churches was because right after my ministry of burying 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:48.240 dogs and cremating dogs, I had to go preach at 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.640 Baptist churches, and you know, the atmosphere could sometimes be 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:54.839 real similar some of the churches. Don't be hateful. I'm 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:59.959 just telling you about my experience. It was a good job. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.320 And people often judge me when I tell them, because 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:04.440 you remember, we used to go out there and I'm 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:06.600 on the way to the mall. I tell Eric, I 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:08.720 just need to stop by real quick and take care 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:10.839 of these dogs real quick. And you could tell who 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.360 your friends are when you stop by the crematory on 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.880 the way to the mall, who your friends are. But 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:18.480 some people would judge me. You know, you tell them 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.880 that you cremate dogs, and they look at you like 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.840 you deal drugs. And it was a service with dignity. 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.280 It was I'm again very proud of the fact that 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:28.200 I was fifteen years old with a job that paid 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:33.520 one hundred and fifty dollars a week. Yeah, and I 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:41.920 got my own beeper. Yeah, I don't know nothing, And 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:46.280 you know what, I think that one of the worst 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.280 jobs would have been to be the pr manager for 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:57.920 Jesus Christ, to have to explain his actions or to 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:03.400 have to give a press conference for Jesus, especially when 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:08.080 John chapter eleven says things like he loved them, he 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:12.440 received hospitality from them, but when it came time for 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:17.239 him to help them, he stayed away two extra days 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:22.880 because he loved them. As an interesting construct, and we 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:26.440 come to find in all of our lives the difference 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:32.040 between God's job and our job. See, God's job is outcome, 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:36.560 your job is process. Can I preach a little bit 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:40.320 to the three people who are awake. The longer that 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:43.720 you think you can control outcomes in your life, the 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:47.040 more frustration you are going to experience in this journey 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.880 of faith. And many of us were taught starting out 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.200 that faith was a way of controlling outcomes. It was like, 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:58.800 if you pray this and do that, then you can 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:03.160 expect this. But everybody in here has a Lazarus. The 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.120 Lazarus factor is the thing in your life that made 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:10.240 the formula fall apart. The Lazarus factor is the thing 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:12.880 in your life that caused you to question the very 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.120 nature of faith and start to see. At this point 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:19.440 in this passage, that faith is rarely a form of 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:23.280 manipulation by which we get God to keep our schedule. 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:27.040 I've got news for you. God will not be manipulated. 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:31.560 God will not be moved just because we get uncomfortable 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:34.160 in a situation. And I hate to break it to you, 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.640 but faith is not a means of manipulation. It is 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:41.880 a patience with mystery, the kind of mystery that can say, 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:45.480 on one hand, God can do anything. But in that 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.640 very same breadth that you say God can do anything, 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.040 there is something in your life right now that God 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.880 will not do. That you see in his word that 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:58.360 he did for somebody else, but he has not done 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:02.679 for you yet. Simply trying to say that everybody in 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:06.800 here has a Lazarus, everybody in here has something that 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:10.520 was supposed to be done. If God really loved you, 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:13.800 he would, If God really saw you, he would. If 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.600 God was really strong like they say he is, he would. 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:19.800 If God really had all power in his hand, he 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:23.920 would have. Because we confuse God's love with proof in 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:28.240 circumstantial evidence, we never really get to the foundational core 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.240 that the love of God is not always proven by 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:33.720 the way I feel his presence. The love of God 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:36.920 is proven by the way I deal with his perceived absence. 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.480 The love of God is not only proven in the 0:12:39.520 --> 0:12:42.440 times where I thank Him for my blessings. The love 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.199 of God is proven in my life where I cannot 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.600 feel Him. But by faith I praise Him because he 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:52.520 is God. Even when I don't sense God. He is God. 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.600 And I wonder, is there anybody who's willing to give 0:12:55.679 --> 0:13:01.120 God a praise by faith in this place today? At Gaston, 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:06.079 at Blakeney, at Valentine, at you see online? Give him 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:08.400 a praise if you don't praise him for what he does, 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:21.760 but who he is. And they didn't have text messaging, 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:25.319 so when Martha sent the message to Jesus, you need 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:29.000 to get here quick. The one who you love needs 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:33.040 your help, she would have to wait several days, two 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:35.920 days to be exact, from the time the messenger got 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.840 there until the time he got back. But there was 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.920 one problem. When the messenger started coming back to Bethany, 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:47.600 he was by himself. He was supposed to bring Jesus. 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:50.760 You know how it is when you see the person 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:52.199 you didn't want to see and they don't have the 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:57.720 person with him that you really wanted to see. Where 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:03.080 is he? She sent him message, and Jesus left Martha 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:10.000 on Red. You ever been left on red? Honestly, I 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:12.760 only became familiar with this phrase a few months ago. 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:15.559 There was somebody I was ignoring and I ran into 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:25.120 him in real life. He goes, bro, I'm like, praise 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:29.240 the Lord. Brother. You know, I get real fake when 0:14:29.280 --> 0:14:30.920 I have to see somebody face to face that I 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:34.920 don't like. Like, what's up, man, what's been going on? 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.000 He's like, I've been texting you. You left me on Red? 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:43.160 You got a new number or something like that. No, 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:52.040 did you get my message? Yeah? I got it, and 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:53.720 then I faked the heart attack. You know, I didn't 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:59.400 know what to do. Hey, Jesus, the one you love 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:06.720 is sit Hey Jesus, I'm depressed. Hey Jesus, I can 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:11.600 hardly breathe right now. Hey Jesus, I feel all alone. 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:16.040 Hey Jesus, I need to know how to make this decision. 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.880 Hey Jesus, I need you to show my husband how 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.960 to stop being crazy. Hey Jesus, I need you to 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.080 do for my kids what prozac can't do and calm 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:31.520 them down. Hey Jesus, I need you to straighten this out. 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:36.560 And Jesus left Martha on red. Have you ever been 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.600 left on red by God? Have you ever prayed a 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.280 prayer that hit the ceiling? Have you ever prayed a 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:45.120 prayer that bounced right back? Have you ever prayed a 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:47.880 prayer that came back to you with such velocity that 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.280 you barely got it out of your mouth before you 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:53.480 had to stare at the same situation back in your face. 0:15:53.800 --> 0:16:00.720 And he left them on red because he loved them, 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:04.960 not because he was busy, but because he loved them 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:09.880 so much he didn't come. I don't know what to 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:14.640 do with that. Humanly speaking, my love language is presence. 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:20.240 You know, I love you, pastor, but you don't come. 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:23.840 You don't love me if you don't come. That's how 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.920 I feel about it. You know, people will say things 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:33.400 sometimes we're there with you in spirit. I appreciate that, 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:37.000 But there with me in spirit doesn't help me move 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:42.760 these boxes. Huh. There with me in spirit doesn't cook 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:45.240 chicken noodle soup when I have a coal talk to me, 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:48.280 somebody there with me in spirit. And then people are 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:52.360 real annoying. They'll give you cliches and think that's supposed 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:56.120 to comfort you. Well, if you know God put it 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.280 on you. He won't give you any more than you 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:03.440 can bear. They always got a scripture for you. You know. 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:06.879 That's why when I sent you the scripture the other day, 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:08.360 I said, delete this if you don't want to see 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:12.919 it right now, because sometimes the scripture is annoying. I 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:14.639 love how y'all look at me when I say stuff 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.280 like that. That's how I know I'm preaching good because 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:19.399 you give me that face. It's the face that you 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:21.320 make when you thought it, but you would never say 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:30.680 it out loud. Halloween is over, take your mask off 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.919 and admit for a moment. Come on, y'all, this is 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:39.240 my job to say the stuff that you're thinking anyway, 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.600 so you don't think you're going to hell for thinking it. 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:47.359 You can have great faith and still be frustrated. You 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:56.480 can have great faith and still wonder sometimes what the 0:17:56.520 --> 0:18:00.280 one day, I'm gonna put out a whole CD call 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:05.520 Honest Worship, and it's gonna have songs you love like 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:10.800 you're never gonna let never gonna let me down, except 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:14.360 that one time you're never gonna It's gonna have ad 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:18.080 libs like you seldom lost the battle, except when I 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:25.760 was fourteen, And you're gonna sing about the real situations. 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:36.600 The one you love is sick, and we often conflate 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:42.160 God's love with the circumstances of our life. Now, if 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:45.680 you look to the circumstances of your life for the 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:50.000 proof of God's love, you are looking for love in 0:18:50.240 --> 0:19:00.680 all the wrong places. So Jesus says one of those 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.080 things that could sound like a cliche on the surface, 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:07.359 He says, this sickness will not end in death but 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:14.600 for the glory of God. Well, hallelujah. Do you know 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:18.159 what I mean? God is your provider, but he's not 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:24.000 paying my rent. The stuff you won't say. In fact, 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:26.760 when we put this online, let's put the stuff you 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:32.760 wish you had the guts to say. But Martha, Martha 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:36.520 said it, and I want to show you how she responded. 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:43.160 Because everybody has a Lazarus. Everybody has something that God 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.800 was supposed to do for you that he did not do. 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.480 What I love about the Bible is that it gives 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:57.960 us the inside of hindsight. The inside of hindsight means 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:02.480 I know why John wrote Book of John because at 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:04.840 the end of it he says, the reason I wrote 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:08.520 all of this was that you may believe. And he 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:11.159 organizes his gospel account. If you ever read the Gospel 0:20:11.200 --> 0:20:13.560 of John, it reads differently than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.000 Those are called the synoptic gospels. That means optic, you know, 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:19.040 like see with sin, sin with see with they saw 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:23.000 with one another. John's on a whole different wave. John 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:28.160 takes seven signs that Jesus did, seven statements that Jesus made, 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:32.239 and then he organizes it not as it's happening, but 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:37.879 after it happened, and after he has the insight of hindsight, 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:43.679 so he addresses who Jesus is with a knowledge of 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:47.000 what he came for, after he saw him do all 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:51.679 that he could do. The insight of hindsight is really powerful, 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:54.639 but we don't live our lives with the insight of 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:58.439 hindsight about every situation. I would like to suggest to 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:02.200 you that Mary and Artha, who were mourning the loss 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:06.040 of their brother Lazarus in John chapter eleven, never read 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:11.160 John chapter twelve. That's just a guess, especially since John 0:21:11.240 --> 0:21:14.919 didn't write it until a D. Eighty five. Jesus died 0:21:15.000 --> 0:21:18.040 in a d. Thirty two, so that means they didn't 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:20.560 get to read chapter twelve while they had to live 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:23.600 out chapter eleven. Who am I preaching to? Who is 0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:26.840 in chapter eleven? Today? Let me show you something. If 0:21:26.840 --> 0:21:32.159 you're in chapter eleven, it's in verse two, it's in parentheses. Now, 0:21:32.200 --> 0:21:35.640 I want to caution you be very careful to never 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:39.119 put a period where God put a parenthesis. What do 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:41.879 you mean by that? I mean that some things in 0:21:41.920 --> 0:21:45.560 your life will make sense after the fact that don't 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:49.560 make sense right now. And John chapter eleven, Verse two 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:52.879 is very interesting because it says, not only did Mary 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:56.120 cook for not only did Martha cook for Jesus, but 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:59.800 Mary worship Jesus. Give me verse two. This Mary, who's 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.800 other Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:07.240 poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.760 her hair. The only catch is this that didn't happen 0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:14.959 until John chapter twelve. That happened after what we are 0:22:14.960 --> 0:22:19.080 about to read. That happened after the revelation that Jesus 0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:21.919 was about to give. But the writer puts it in 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:26.199 chapter eleven because if you do not see yourself worshiping 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:30.120 in John chapter twelve, you will not have the strength 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:33.800 to wait. In John chapter eleven, I don't know who 0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:36.960 this is for, But God said this morning. I want 0:22:37.000 --> 0:22:40.600 you to see yourself in John chapter twelve. I want 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:43.399 you to see your self worshiping. I want you to 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:47.440 see yourself grateful. I want you to see your self restored. 0:22:47.800 --> 0:22:50.520 I want you to see yourself better. I want you 0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:53.280 to see your self free. I want you to see 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.520 yourself delivered. I want you to see your self healed. 0:22:56.760 --> 0:23:02.400 I want you to see yourself with a testimony. Come on, y'all, 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.399 high five twelve people. Tell them I read the next chapter. 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:09.280 I found out it doesn't end in then. But for 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:15.040 the glory of God, I speak that over your children. 0:23:15.280 --> 0:23:19.280 Your children will worship the Lord. Your children children will 0:23:19.280 --> 0:23:22.879 have a legacy. You will see the goodness of the 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:26.560 Lord in the land of the Living. Shouted. You believe 0:23:26.600 --> 0:23:33.840 it now, shout if you want to believe it. But 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:40.280 it's kind of hard right now. God liked that second 0:23:40.280 --> 0:23:45.960 shot better than the first one. They say, you've got 0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:49.959 to see it to believe it. God says, you've got 0:23:50.000 --> 0:23:58.960 to believe it to see it. And what I love 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:07.280 about it, yew's it down is Jesus has to break 0:24:07.280 --> 0:24:09.119 it down. You know. This is for those of us 0:24:09.119 --> 0:24:13.920 who are in the remedial class and for the advanced students, 0:24:13.960 --> 0:24:18.840 the honor Christians. You can make your grocery list while 0:24:18.880 --> 0:24:23.480 I share this. But for the rest of us, the disciples, 0:24:23.640 --> 0:24:28.000 even the ones who followed Jesus, even the ones who 0:24:28.040 --> 0:24:31.600 had the most exposure to him, were constantly confused about 0:24:31.600 --> 0:24:37.000 his motives, and they doubted the outcome because they had 0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:41.200 not yet seen the cross. Even at the cross, most 0:24:41.200 --> 0:24:43.120 of them went home because they had not yet seen 0:24:43.160 --> 0:24:50.600 the resurrection. He's the God of the outcome. He's the 0:24:50.640 --> 0:24:54.720 God of the outcome. I'm not. And the reason I 0:24:54.760 --> 0:24:57.720 need that in my life is because all I can 0:24:57.880 --> 0:25:01.560 do is sow the sea. I was reading one scripture 0:25:01.560 --> 0:25:04.040 where Jesus said that we should pray to the Lord 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:06.880 of the harvest, and for a long time I read 0:25:06.880 --> 0:25:09.000 it just thinking about how we should pray. But then 0:25:09.040 --> 0:25:11.280 I thought about the fact that he called God the 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:16.480 Lord of the harvest. The harvest represents the result, the 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:20.680 seed represents the process. He's the Lord of the harvest. 0:25:21.400 --> 0:25:25.800 He's the God of the outcome. But I'm the lord 0:25:25.840 --> 0:25:31.560 of the seed. I decide what I sew, I decide 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:35.520 what I withhold. He's the God of the outcome, and 0:25:35.560 --> 0:25:37.879 the only thing that's difficult for us in reading this 0:25:38.000 --> 0:25:42.960 passage is that we have the insight of hindsight. The 0:25:43.000 --> 0:25:46.399 disciples didn't. So he said to his disciples verse seven, 0:25:46.760 --> 0:25:50.760 let's go back to Judea. But Rabbi, they said, a 0:25:50.840 --> 0:25:54.359 short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, 0:25:54.680 --> 0:25:57.720 and yet you are going back. What they didn't understand 0:25:57.960 --> 0:26:02.320 is that Jesus was invincible until his assignment was complete. 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.160 He wasn't going to die until it was time to die. 0:26:05.680 --> 0:26:08.040 He wasn't going to die on accident because there was 0:26:08.080 --> 0:26:11.120 a price on his head. He would only die at 0:26:11.119 --> 0:26:14.920 that penultimate glory moment where God was revealing and releasing 0:26:14.960 --> 0:26:17.800 the salvation that he brought him to earth to carry. 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:20.919 But they didn't know that. And see, we don't know that. 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:23.880 You don't know when you're going through what you're going through. 0:26:23.920 --> 0:26:25.880 While you're going through what you're going through. But you're 0:26:25.880 --> 0:26:29.119 gonna find out that this sickness is not unto death 0:26:29.400 --> 0:26:34.960 but for the glory of God. So Jesus answered verse nine. 0:26:35.800 --> 0:26:39.800 Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks 0:26:39.840 --> 0:26:42.040 in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by 0:26:42.080 --> 0:26:44.879 the world's life. It is when a person walks at 0:26:45.000 --> 0:26:49.560 night that they stumble for they have no light. Well, 0:26:49.560 --> 0:26:54.199 that clears it up. Are we going to Judea or not? 0:26:55.240 --> 0:26:57.119 Are we going to health Lazarus or not? I know 0:26:57.160 --> 0:27:00.119 you feel this way when I preach sometimes it's like you. 0:27:01.840 --> 0:27:06.560 But it's not anymore clear because I still don't know 0:27:06.800 --> 0:27:12.159 what to do. So after he had said this, he 0:27:12.160 --> 0:27:14.280 breaks it down a little further Verse eleven, y'all enjoyed 0:27:14.280 --> 0:27:17.320 this Bible study today. After he said this, he wanted 0:27:17.359 --> 0:27:23.040 to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. He 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:28.280 means he's died. He's speaking symbolically, but the disciples are 0:27:28.320 --> 0:27:31.560 kind of literal. You know. He says he's fallen asleep. 0:27:31.800 --> 0:27:37.520 I'm going to wake him up. His disciples replied, Lord, 0:27:38.160 --> 0:27:44.520 if he sleeps, he'll get better. Jesus had been speaking 0:27:44.600 --> 0:27:49.520 of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 0:27:50.400 --> 0:28:00.360 So then he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. Make 0:28:00.440 --> 0:28:06.479 it plain, Jesus, because I will always see things on 0:28:06.520 --> 0:28:11.720 the surface. See, everybody in here has a Lazarus. But 0:28:11.800 --> 0:28:14.520 I'm not just talking about a person that you've lost. 0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:18.600 Everybody in here has a Lazarus, but it might not 0:28:18.640 --> 0:28:23.640 be a relationship. Your Lazarus might be something in your 0:28:23.760 --> 0:28:27.679 character that you thought would be fixed by now, and 0:28:27.760 --> 0:28:31.160 you send a message to Jesus saying, come over here 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:34.960 to Bethany and see about me. Come over here and 0:28:35.440 --> 0:28:38.680 break these chains off of my life so I can 0:28:38.800 --> 0:28:42.880 serve you. Everybody in here has a Lazarus. I'm not 0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:46.440 a rookie pastor anymore. I've been at this about as 0:28:46.480 --> 0:28:49.080 long as my oldest son has been alive. And one 0:28:49.080 --> 0:28:53.000 thing I've learned is everybody has a Lazarus. Some people's 0:28:53.080 --> 0:28:56.520 lazarus is buried so deep they forgot about it. It 0:28:56.560 --> 0:29:00.040 no longer even registers anymore. Because we've learned how to 0:29:00.080 --> 0:29:03.880 move on from the event, but we never process the disappointment. 0:29:04.840 --> 0:29:08.000 And the Lazarus factor says that how you process the 0:29:08.040 --> 0:29:13.160 disappointment determines whether it becomes faith that propels you or 0:29:13.280 --> 0:29:17.080 fear that paralyzes you. So when they send word to 0:29:17.240 --> 0:29:20.680 Jesus and he didn't come when they wanted, now they 0:29:20.720 --> 0:29:23.560 have a decision to make. If he did not come 0:29:23.600 --> 0:29:25.880 when we want him to come, and did not do 0:29:26.040 --> 0:29:29.040 what we wanted him to do, does he still love us? 0:29:29.960 --> 0:29:33.800 This is the Lazarus factor. I know that he loves me, 0:29:34.600 --> 0:29:37.880 and I am no longer looking for proof of that fact. 0:29:38.760 --> 0:29:42.240 I am living from the proof that he loves me. 0:29:43.000 --> 0:29:45.640 This love is not based in just what he did. 0:29:46.320 --> 0:29:49.560 Sometimes this love is proven by what he chooses not 0:29:49.720 --> 0:29:58.360 to do. Jesus said, I'm going to wake him up, 0:29:59.240 --> 0:30:02.840 and I love a well Thomas's faith. Watch this, he says. 0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:05.760 Jesus says verse fifteen, I'm glad I was not there 0:30:06.000 --> 0:30:09.760 so that you may believe. But let us go to him. 0:30:09.960 --> 0:30:13.120 And Thomas, also known as Didamus, said to the rest 0:30:13.160 --> 0:30:16.240 of the disciples, let us also go that we may 0:30:16.400 --> 0:30:24.240 die with him. What great faith. Jesus says, I'm going 0:30:24.280 --> 0:30:31.480 to wake him up, and Thomas says, let's go die. 0:30:32.760 --> 0:30:39.480 The Lazarus factor is the faith to follow him anyway. 0:30:41.040 --> 0:30:43.600 This message is from my heart today, because we all 0:30:43.600 --> 0:30:47.520 have a Lazarus. And whether that's a dream that didn't 0:30:47.520 --> 0:30:49.520 play out the way that you thought it would play out, 0:30:50.520 --> 0:30:52.960 or whether that's a way that you saw the most 0:30:53.000 --> 0:30:57.720 important relationships in your life materializing. You know, the starter 0:30:57.880 --> 0:31:01.920 kit version of Christianity that you started with, and now 0:31:01.920 --> 0:31:06.000 you're having to understand the fact that he'd loved them 0:31:06.680 --> 0:31:12.600 and he was still late. God's never late. You never 0:31:12.640 --> 0:31:17.640 read the Bible. You just memorized the cliche. Jesus was late. 0:31:18.080 --> 0:31:21.160 I started to say he was fashionably late, but actually 0:31:21.240 --> 0:31:26.080 he was functionally late. It means he showed up late 0:31:26.840 --> 0:31:31.320 because of his love, because there was something about his 0:31:31.480 --> 0:31:35.080 character that they would not see if he showed up 0:31:35.200 --> 0:31:39.280 at the sick bed. He had to show up at 0:31:39.280 --> 0:31:42.960 the tomb so they could see something about him. Not 0:31:43.120 --> 0:31:46.400 a new thing that he was, but what God is 0:31:46.440 --> 0:31:49.440 doing in your life right now. He is going to 0:31:49.560 --> 0:31:53.560 show you his glory in a way you've never seen before. 0:31:54.040 --> 0:31:57.840 He's going to show you his demonstration of power in 0:31:57.880 --> 0:32:00.880 a way you haven't experienced it yet. And I know 0:32:01.400 --> 0:32:04.960 it's really difficult to stay in that place of faith. 0:32:05.080 --> 0:32:08.440 In fact, the Bible says in verse seventeen, on his arrival, 0:32:08.720 --> 0:32:12.120 Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb 0:32:12.480 --> 0:32:15.880 for four days. Now. This is significant to the Jewish 0:32:15.920 --> 0:32:19.840 audience for which John intended this gospel account. They believe 0:32:19.880 --> 0:32:22.280 that within the first three days of death, the spirit 0:32:22.320 --> 0:32:24.600 could return to a man. It was a sort of 0:32:24.640 --> 0:32:28.400 superstitious belief that was common to Judaism in the first century, 0:32:28.720 --> 0:32:32.760 but Jesus waited until after their time period expired to 0:32:32.880 --> 0:32:36.480 reveal his glory. I wonder, is God waiting past the 0:32:36.520 --> 0:32:40.360 point of your expectation so his strength can kick in 0:32:40.760 --> 0:32:44.560 with a new velocity. I feel your spirit God, he 0:32:44.720 --> 0:32:50.360 showed up after four days. Now. Now Bethany was less 0:32:50.400 --> 0:32:53.240 than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come 0:32:53.280 --> 0:32:55.440 to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss 0:32:55.480 --> 0:32:58.080 of their brother. So they came to comfort Martha and 0:32:58.080 --> 0:33:00.760 Mary because that's all they could do. There's only so 0:33:00.920 --> 0:33:04.000 much people can do for you, even if they mean well, 0:33:04.160 --> 0:33:06.440 There's only so much your friends can do for you. 0:33:06.960 --> 0:33:11.240 Stop worshiping people. People can only do so much for you. 0:33:11.640 --> 0:33:14.640 Don't make them an idol. They are not your God. 0:33:15.000 --> 0:33:18.120 People can be a gift, but they cannot be your God. 0:33:18.440 --> 0:33:21.720 There's some things in my life that only Christ can do. 0:33:22.160 --> 0:33:25.960 There's some things I appreciate the help. I appreciate the prayers, 0:33:26.160 --> 0:33:29.480 I appreciate the well wishes. But I need Jesus for 0:33:29.520 --> 0:33:32.760 this job. This is a big one. I need the Master, 0:33:33.120 --> 0:33:35.640 I need the healer. I need the great I Am. 0:33:36.040 --> 0:33:38.400 I need the bread of life, I need the light 0:33:38.520 --> 0:33:51.000 of Heaven. I need Jesus. I need Jesus Verse twenty. 0:33:51.000 --> 0:33:53.640 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out 0:33:53.680 --> 0:33:59.600 to meet him, but Mary stayed home. We all have 0:33:59.600 --> 0:34:05.800 different ways of dealing with disappointment. Some of us get 0:34:05.880 --> 0:34:10.319 under the covers. I love Martha. She met him at 0:34:10.320 --> 0:34:17.040 the gate. Oh you want to show up now, Welcome 0:34:17.080 --> 0:34:21.040 to Bethany, the same Bethany. You came to to eat 0:34:21.040 --> 0:34:23.440 my cooking. You came when I cooked, but you didn't 0:34:23.480 --> 0:34:30.600 come when I cried. It's good to see you. Would 0:34:30.600 --> 0:34:33.000 have been really good to see you about two days ago. 0:34:34.480 --> 0:34:37.359 It's good to see you. I appreciate the comfort. I 0:34:37.400 --> 0:34:40.000 appreciate the peace. But why didn't you just keep it 0:34:40.040 --> 0:34:45.920 from happening so I wouldn't need the peace? The stuff 0:34:45.960 --> 0:34:51.040 you won't say, but Martha would, Oh yes she would. 0:34:51.480 --> 0:34:54.080 The significant thing is not even what she said. It's 0:34:54.080 --> 0:34:57.840 the fact that she showed up. She comes to Jesus 0:34:57.960 --> 0:35:01.640 at the gate. And this is because every other time 0:35:01.640 --> 0:35:03.319 he's been to Bethany, she led him in the house, 0:35:03.920 --> 0:35:10.440 not this time. I love how God will come as 0:35:10.480 --> 0:35:15.680 far as we let him in our life. And she 0:35:15.760 --> 0:35:17.719 met him at the gate. This is just a story 0:35:17.760 --> 0:35:20.320 about a man named Lazarus. But it's really a story 0:35:20.360 --> 0:35:23.920 about whatever you brought in here today that died on you. 0:35:24.200 --> 0:35:27.600 It's really a story. People say sometimes that when you preach, 0:35:27.640 --> 0:35:30.000 you shouldn't make the Bible about the people. It's about God. 0:35:31.200 --> 0:35:35.560 A woman named Mary, a woman named Martha, a man 0:35:35.680 --> 0:35:42.520 named Lazard, a man named Jonathan, a woman named Rachel. 0:35:43.520 --> 0:35:45.200 I wish I had time to do every name in 0:35:45.239 --> 0:35:47.600 the house, but some of y'all got hard to pronounce names, 0:35:47.600 --> 0:35:52.120 and you'll be embarrassing me. He deals with her individually, 0:35:54.600 --> 0:36:00.120 and she says exactly what she means, Lord, You're still Lord. 0:36:01.280 --> 0:36:06.160 I love how she shifts the perspective from Lazarus to Lord. 0:36:07.760 --> 0:36:11.120 I love how she still has this understanding. Watch this. 0:36:11.480 --> 0:36:14.160 You didn't do what I wanted you to do, but 0:36:14.200 --> 0:36:22.080 that didn't change my understanding of who you are. I 0:36:22.120 --> 0:36:25.640 want to preach this kind of faith. So when he 0:36:25.719 --> 0:36:28.200 stays two more days instead of running to see about 0:36:28.239 --> 0:36:30.719 what you need him to see about, you won't change 0:36:30.719 --> 0:36:38.200 your mind about who he is. If you would have 0:36:38.239 --> 0:36:43.439 been here, she said, my brother would still be here 0:36:45.080 --> 0:36:48.279 if you would have been here, Like you used to 0:36:48.320 --> 0:36:51.880 come here when you needed a place to stay, and 0:36:51.920 --> 0:36:56.359 you didn't want to go on AIRB and B. I'm 0:36:56.360 --> 0:37:01.080 not cooking for you this time. I'm upset, and she 0:37:01.360 --> 0:37:07.880 offers Jesus an honest assessment about what she expected. The 0:37:08.040 --> 0:37:12.120 most godly prayer you can pray is the most honest 0:37:12.160 --> 0:37:16.160 prayer you can pray. The most honest prayer you pray 0:37:16.400 --> 0:37:19.839 will be the most godly prayer that you pray. So, 0:37:19.920 --> 0:37:23.080 she says, I expected you to come. Did you not 0:37:23.239 --> 0:37:26.160 get the message? You left me on red? You left 0:37:26.200 --> 0:37:29.560 me in my hurt and Lazarus kept getting sicker and sicker, 0:37:29.800 --> 0:37:32.600 and my faith got weaker and weaker. And at first 0:37:32.640 --> 0:37:35.480 I thought, well, just surely he's been detained. But then 0:37:35.520 --> 0:37:38.960 I found out you didn't come on purpose. If you 0:37:39.000 --> 0:37:42.200 would have been here, if they would have raised me, 0:37:43.120 --> 0:37:46.239 if they wouldn't have abused me, if you would have 0:37:46.400 --> 0:37:49.920 stopped it, if you would have prevented it, if you 0:37:50.000 --> 0:37:53.200 can do all things, why didn't you do what I 0:37:53.239 --> 0:37:56.160 needed you to do? That I've seen you do for others. 0:37:56.520 --> 0:37:59.880 I saw you heal people, I saw you touch lives. 0:38:00.280 --> 0:38:02.840 I saw you take better care of people who treated 0:38:02.880 --> 0:38:11.040 you worse. But you have confused my love with conformity 0:38:11.160 --> 0:38:18.080 to your agenda. If you would have been here, Lazarus 0:38:18.280 --> 0:38:22.360 would not have died. And then something takes over Martha, 0:38:22.600 --> 0:38:24.880 and I'm praying it'll take over us today because everybody 0:38:24.880 --> 0:38:27.719 in here has got a Lazarus. Everybody in here has 0:38:27.719 --> 0:38:30.359 got something that you just buried or you're in the 0:38:30.400 --> 0:38:33.560 process of burying, and there's a funeral going on at 0:38:33.600 --> 0:38:35.760 the same time that faith is trying to be born 0:38:36.000 --> 0:38:39.360 in your heart today. But something kicks into Mary's spirit 0:38:39.600 --> 0:38:42.840 and she's like, if you would have then we could have. 0:38:43.000 --> 0:38:45.560 But look at verse twenty two. But I know that 0:38:45.640 --> 0:38:49.759 even now, and I want somebody to shout right now, 0:38:49.880 --> 0:38:54.000 just say now, now, God is present in this moment. 0:38:54.120 --> 0:38:57.040 God is with me in this season. God is for 0:38:57.160 --> 0:39:00.440 me in this moment. God is with me in this season. 0:39:00.880 --> 0:39:04.840 Shout now now, I know that devil has been trying 0:39:04.880 --> 0:39:07.879 to keep you at the graveside, But let's bring our 0:39:07.920 --> 0:39:11.600 disappointment into the presence of God for a moment and 0:39:11.680 --> 0:39:14.799 declare that even now he is sovereign, even now he 0:39:14.920 --> 0:39:18.160 is holy, even now he is good, even now he 0:39:18.320 --> 0:39:27.319 is working, even now he's showing up. Even now, God 0:39:27.400 --> 0:39:31.319 will give you whatever you ask. And Jesus said to 0:39:31.360 --> 0:39:34.480 her your brother will rise again, and Martha answered, I 0:39:34.520 --> 0:39:37.160 know he will rise again in the resurrection at the 0:39:37.239 --> 0:39:40.000 Last Day. And Jesus said, you're missing the point. I 0:39:40.160 --> 0:39:45.480 am the Resurrection and the life. You keep trying to 0:39:45.560 --> 0:39:49.399 prove my presence by what I do, But I want 0:39:49.440 --> 0:39:52.880 you to see who I am. So I didn't do 0:39:53.480 --> 0:39:56.239 what you wanted me to do because I needed you 0:39:56.400 --> 0:40:00.040 to see who I am. I am a frivist. I 0:40:00.080 --> 0:40:10.279 think it's closer. The one who believes in me will 0:40:10.320 --> 0:40:13.640 live even though they die question question next verse, next verse, 0:40:14.120 --> 0:40:16.160 and whoever lives by believing them, we will never know. 0:40:16.200 --> 0:40:28.080 Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Do I 0:40:28.160 --> 0:40:38.480 believe what? Bro Preacher? Do you believe what I just said? 0:40:39.120 --> 0:40:44.000 And she answers, yes, Lord, I believe that you are 0:40:44.080 --> 0:40:50.440 the Messiah. Now it's two things in the text delay. 0:40:51.320 --> 0:40:55.279 One says your brother will rise. One says I am 0:40:55.320 --> 0:41:00.719 the Resurrection. She says, I believe that you are who 0:41:00.760 --> 0:41:03.960 you say you are. I don't even know what you're 0:41:04.000 --> 0:41:09.280 gonna do. But the Lazarus factor is that thing inside 0:41:09.320 --> 0:41:20.280 of you that somehow knows he is God. I believe 0:41:20.320 --> 0:41:23.719 that you are. It sure would have been nice if 0:41:23.760 --> 0:41:29.760 you had. But even though you didn't, you are even 0:41:30.920 --> 0:41:38.560 though you didn't. You are even though I wish you are, 0:41:39.680 --> 0:41:45.040 even though I hoped you are, even though he died, 0:41:45.719 --> 0:41:51.400 You are even though it happened. You are even though 0:41:51.520 --> 0:42:00.800 that's over. Even now I believe you are. And God, 0:42:00.920 --> 0:42:05.319 God brings us to these points to see what will 0:42:05.360 --> 0:42:09.600 we do with our disappointment. She met him at the gate, 0:42:10.280 --> 0:42:13.520 and she confessed faith in him, even in the absence 0:42:13.560 --> 0:42:17.760 of the miracle that she so desperately needed. I believe 0:42:17.800 --> 0:42:20.440 that you are the son of God who is to 0:42:20.480 --> 0:42:23.080 come into the world. And after verse twenty eight she 0:42:23.160 --> 0:42:27.080 had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary. 0:42:27.200 --> 0:42:29.960 A sigh. The teacher is here, she said, and he's 0:42:30.040 --> 0:42:33.200 asking for you. And when Mary heard this, she got 0:42:33.320 --> 0:42:36.680 up quickly and went to him. Now, Jesus, I love 0:42:36.719 --> 0:42:40.160 the Bible. Jesus had not yet entered the village, but 0:42:40.320 --> 0:42:42.359 was still at the place where Martha had met him. 0:42:42.640 --> 0:42:45.680 He will stand where you need him to stand, and 0:42:45.719 --> 0:42:48.200 he will come as far as you invite him. So 0:42:48.360 --> 0:42:51.640 listen what that means if you choose to keep God 0:42:51.800 --> 0:43:02.160 at a distance. He stood at the gate, and Mary 0:43:02.280 --> 0:43:06.000 was mad too. I love how they were both mad, 0:43:06.040 --> 0:43:12.439 but they still got a miracle. I don't know how 0:43:12.440 --> 0:43:15.160 this is gonna go over, but give God an angry praise. 0:43:22.640 --> 0:43:25.480 Mary fell down at his feet, not in faith, but 0:43:25.560 --> 0:43:33.720 in frustration. But she came to him, and everybody followed 0:43:33.719 --> 0:43:39.680 her out there. Everybody that came around, Aunt Margaret just 0:43:39.719 --> 0:43:48.560 started with the letter m Mary. Martha Margaret said, she said, 0:43:48.640 --> 0:43:53.360 verse verse thirty two. She reached the place where he 0:43:53.520 --> 0:43:55.520 was and saw him and fell at his feet and said, Lord, 0:43:55.520 --> 0:43:57.279 if you have been here, my brother would not have died. 0:43:58.520 --> 0:44:01.839 And Jesus saw her weeping. The Jews who had come 0:44:01.880 --> 0:44:04.440 along with are also. He was deeply moved in spirit 0:44:04.520 --> 0:44:10.719 and trouble. When he saw her pain, he participated in it. 0:44:13.280 --> 0:44:18.680 The Lazarus factor is not only that God gives miracles 0:44:18.719 --> 0:44:25.600 in desperation. The Lazarus factor says that He is with 0:44:25.800 --> 0:44:34.800 us in the pain of disappointment as well. And he asked, Martha, 0:44:34.880 --> 0:44:39.440 do you believe this? And he asked Mary for a location, 0:44:40.840 --> 0:44:44.960 where did you lay him? Take me to that place, 0:44:47.000 --> 0:44:50.960 not the place that you let everybody else see, that place, 0:44:53.520 --> 0:44:57.200 that place where you kind of buried your belief in God. 0:44:58.960 --> 0:45:03.760 It was a rejection that place. It was a loss 0:45:05.120 --> 0:45:12.960 that place, it was a betrayal. That place. It's a 0:45:12.960 --> 0:45:16.600 place where you feel exhausted, and it's sometimes a place 0:45:16.600 --> 0:45:19.920 where you're embarrassed of it. It's not the rooms in 0:45:19.960 --> 0:45:22.799 the house that you show the guests, it's the other 0:45:22.920 --> 0:45:30.919 rooms that place. What I couldn't figure out was why 0:45:30.920 --> 0:45:33.760 did Jesus wait when he could have come and spoken 0:45:33.760 --> 0:45:36.800 a word. And if he could have come and spoken 0:45:36.840 --> 0:45:40.280 a word, why didn't he just speak it from a distance. 0:45:41.280 --> 0:45:44.200 He didn't even have to come to Bethany to heal Lazarus. 0:45:45.480 --> 0:45:48.840 But I think he wanted us to see that He 0:45:49.000 --> 0:45:55.280 likes to come close to what other people would push away. 0:45:56.239 --> 0:46:01.600 Everybody has a Lazarus. Everybody as a turn that your 0:46:01.640 --> 0:46:05.080 life took that you didn't see coming and that God 0:46:05.120 --> 0:46:09.399 didn't prevent. And as simple as this message may be, 0:46:10.239 --> 0:46:12.120 I think it may be the deepest one that you 0:46:12.200 --> 0:46:17.440 ever hear, because God is saying, take me to that place. 0:46:19.080 --> 0:46:23.520 It is not a physical location, it is an emotional one. 0:46:23.800 --> 0:46:30.759 Take me to that place where you laid him, where 0:46:30.800 --> 0:46:35.840 you stop being optimistic, where you started going through the 0:46:35.920 --> 0:46:41.160 motions swinging an axe with no blade. Take me to 0:46:41.239 --> 0:46:45.320 that place where you just learned to manage the addiction 0:46:45.719 --> 0:46:49.919 rather than fighting it. Take me to that place where 0:46:49.920 --> 0:46:52.719 you just decided to show people a facade because you 0:46:52.719 --> 0:46:56.000 don't think they can handle what's really you in the 0:46:56.000 --> 0:47:03.120 core of your being that placebody has a Lazarus, And 0:47:03.239 --> 0:47:06.920 the question is not whether or not you have a Lazarus. 0:47:06.960 --> 0:47:11.839 The question is what are you gonna do about it? Now. 0:47:11.920 --> 0:47:15.600 Jesus made the trip to the tomb, and when he 0:47:15.640 --> 0:47:17.440 got there, some of y'all said, you were going to 0:47:17.480 --> 0:47:20.080 memorize more scripture this year. I'm gonna give you one 0:47:20.080 --> 0:47:26.279 to start, verse thirty five, Jesus Web, so you can 0:47:26.320 --> 0:47:28.960 go home and tell somebody you memorize the whole Bible 0:47:29.040 --> 0:47:33.200 verse today. That's the whole verse, Jesus Web. How powerful 0:47:33.440 --> 0:47:38.160 that before he spoke the word, he wept. Before he 0:47:38.239 --> 0:47:42.440 demonstrates his authority, he demonstrates his empathy. He wants you 0:47:42.480 --> 0:47:44.520 to know, I'm with you while you're waiting for it. 0:47:44.760 --> 0:47:47.160 I'm with you while you're waiting for it. I'm with you. 0:47:47.840 --> 0:47:50.359 I was with you when you didn't see me. I 0:47:50.480 --> 0:47:52.960 was with you when you didn't feel me. I was 0:47:53.000 --> 0:47:55.359 with you when people couldn't do it for you. I 0:47:55.480 --> 0:48:01.680 was with you, and he wept. And when they saw 0:48:01.719 --> 0:48:04.480 that verse thirty six, many of the Jews gathered there said, 0:48:04.520 --> 0:48:09.919 see how he loved him, Look how much he loved him. 0:48:10.040 --> 0:48:12.760 And then some of the other Jews said, verse thirty seven, 0:48:13.640 --> 0:48:15.920 could not he who opened the eyes of the blind 0:48:15.960 --> 0:48:20.319 man kept this man from dying. So now I got 0:48:20.360 --> 0:48:23.839 one voice saying, he loves you so much. And then 0:48:23.880 --> 0:48:26.320 I got another voice saying, if he loves me so much, 0:48:26.400 --> 0:48:31.080 then why. And the Bible says that Jesus, once more 0:48:31.080 --> 0:48:34.920 deeply moved, did not respond to their opinions, but operated 0:48:34.960 --> 0:48:38.520 according to his purpose. I feel the presence of God 0:48:38.520 --> 0:48:42.880 in this place. Now watch this moment and receive it 0:48:42.920 --> 0:48:45.920 for your Lazarus in your life. It says, Jesus, once 0:48:46.000 --> 0:48:50.200 more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a 0:48:50.239 --> 0:48:55.080 cave that the stone laid across the entrance. The stone 0:48:55.080 --> 0:48:58.960 across the entrance means nothing else is going in and 0:48:58.960 --> 0:49:04.520 nothing else is coming down. That's some of your hearts today. 0:49:05.320 --> 0:49:07.799 And then Jesus tells them something to do that he 0:49:07.840 --> 0:49:11.560 could have easily done without their help. Take away the stone. 0:49:12.800 --> 0:49:15.480 Isn't that crazy? He's about to raise this man from 0:49:15.520 --> 0:49:20.560 the dead, but he can't push the stone. He could, 0:49:21.360 --> 0:49:27.160 but he didn't until the moment where you open yourself 0:49:27.200 --> 0:49:31.600 to the possibility that God can do it. Your heart 0:49:31.680 --> 0:49:35.640 is a closed tomb keeping dead things in. But here's 0:49:35.680 --> 0:49:42.040 what's beautiful. When Martha responded to Jesus' command, she was 0:49:42.120 --> 0:49:45.960 embarrassed because she didn't want to expose what was inside. 0:49:46.000 --> 0:49:49.160 She said, Lord, by this time there's a bad odor. 0:49:49.440 --> 0:49:51.960 I don't want anybody to see this. I don't want 0:49:52.000 --> 0:49:54.880 anybody to know this. I don't want anybody to go 0:49:55.000 --> 0:49:57.560 know what's really going on in my heart. But then 0:49:57.640 --> 0:50:00.920 Jesus said something, Did I not tell you that if 0:50:00.960 --> 0:50:05.000 you believe, you will see the glory of God and 0:50:05.040 --> 0:50:07.319 get ready to praise him by faith Verse forty one. 0:50:07.840 --> 0:50:12.680 They took away the stone, and Jesus looked up and said, 0:50:12.719 --> 0:50:15.440 get ready to praise him. Father. I thank you that 0:50:15.520 --> 0:50:18.840 you heard me. I know you always hear me. But 0:50:18.960 --> 0:50:22.319 I set it for them that they may believe, that 0:50:22.400 --> 0:50:25.880 they may believe I sent you through trouble, that you 0:50:26.040 --> 0:50:29.480 may believe I sent you through the sea, that you 0:50:29.640 --> 0:50:33.480 may believe that you sent me. And then Jesus get 0:50:33.480 --> 0:50:35.880 ready to praise him. Verse thirty forty three, come on, 0:50:35.960 --> 0:50:38.959 come up. When he had said this, he called out, 0:50:39.280 --> 0:50:48.000 in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. Lazarus, come out. 0:50:49.120 --> 0:50:54.280 Forty four. When he said it, the dead man came out, 0:50:54.680 --> 0:50:59.080 the dead dream came out, the dead thing came out. 0:50:59.520 --> 0:51:07.040 The place gave to lie. The tripones game together to boone. 0:51:07.280 --> 0:51:19.279 Hear the word of the Lord. Latharus, come for, praise him. Lazarus, 0:51:20.640 --> 0:51:30.279 come for. In a loud voice, he commanded that thing 0:51:30.360 --> 0:51:37.280 that was dead to come alive. And the Lazarus factor says, 0:51:38.680 --> 0:51:44.279 you don't always get Lazarus back, but his presence is 0:51:44.320 --> 0:51:49.279 always calling something forth. Come and let us sink in. 0:51:51.600 --> 0:51:54.600 You know I'm right about it. You know he's the 0:51:54.600 --> 0:51:57.799 god of the outcome. You know he's the god who 0:51:57.840 --> 0:52:00.759 is working all things together. Right. You didn't forget that, 0:52:00.880 --> 0:52:05.920 did you, Martha. You didn't let you didn't let your 0:52:06.000 --> 0:52:11.320 Lazarus convince you that he didn't love you. He loved Lazarus. 0:52:12.920 --> 0:52:17.480 He loves Larry Stevens Fredick Jr. He loves Holly Aanna Fredick. 0:52:18.640 --> 0:52:24.520 He loved me so much that he lets something die. 0:52:25.280 --> 0:52:28.759 Showed up at the spot, and he's still showing up 0:52:30.160 --> 0:52:33.960 at the tomb of every Lazarus. They didn't want him 0:52:34.000 --> 0:52:36.160 to show up at the tomb. They wanted him to 0:52:36.200 --> 0:52:41.040 show up in the hospital room. In this place, I 0:52:41.040 --> 0:52:42.560 want you to know that, even though it's not the 0:52:42.600 --> 0:52:46.920 place you planned to be, he's standing here. He has 0:52:47.000 --> 0:52:52.040 not forsaken you. He has not abandoned you. In Greek, 0:52:52.320 --> 0:52:57.479 the word is ume. It means never. When he said 0:52:57.560 --> 0:53:00.000 never will I leave you, never will I forsake you 0:53:00.640 --> 0:53:07.320 is a double negative. Oo mah, it means never, no, never. Father, 0:53:07.400 --> 0:53:10.319 In the name of Jesus, I thank you that you 0:53:10.400 --> 0:53:14.359 hurt us the first time. I thank you that there's 0:53:14.360 --> 0:53:18.960 nobody standing before you today who cannot declare that you 0:53:19.040 --> 0:53:23.719 are weeping with us in our disappointment, and your word 0:53:23.800 --> 0:53:28.359 is going forth into our future. I speak to every 0:53:28.440 --> 0:53:31.360 Lazarus in this room today in the name of Jesus. 0:53:32.200 --> 0:53:36.440 I call joy forth. In the name of Jesus, I 0:53:36.520 --> 0:53:41.920 call peace, purpose and glory forth, for we know that 0:53:42.000 --> 0:53:46.319 this sickness does not end in death, but for the 0:53:46.360 --> 0:53:54.280 glory of God. The Lazarus factor he is getting glory 0:53:54.480 --> 0:53:58.479 out of this situation. Look at me for one moment, 0:53:58.520 --> 0:53:59.920 I'm over my time, but I got to tell you 0:54:01.480 --> 0:54:05.719 it was the situation that gave the opportunity for revelation. 0:54:08.239 --> 0:54:12.160 God is doing that in your life right now. Thank 0:54:12.160 --> 0:54:14.600 you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you 0:54:14.640 --> 0:54:17.640 who give generously to this ministry. Is because of you 0:54:17.760 --> 0:54:20.759 that this ministry is possible. You can click the link 0:54:20.760 --> 0:54:24.640 in the description to give now or visit Elevationchurch dot 0:54:24.760 --> 0:54:28.040 org slash podcast for more information and if you enjoyed 0:54:28.040 --> 0:54:31.120 the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with 0:54:31.160 --> 0:54:33.400 your friends. You can click the share button, take a 0:54:33.440 --> 0:54:35.959 screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag 0:54:36.080 --> 0:54:44.040 us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.