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turn with me to a very familiar story
I’ve gone over it many times but I want
to do it from the perspective of what
I’ve been talking about in John
11 God why are you killing
me for a number of weeks we’ve been
asking that question and we’ve looked at
various scenarios in the Bible where it
looks like God was working against his
people God was looking like the one
causing the
problem rather than the one solving the
problem
God why are you killing
me why are you hurting me like
this and we all know the story of Martha
Mary and
Lazarus Martha and Mary have come to
Jesus and they said our brother is
sick our brother is sick they had a they
had a go to Jesus meeting chapter 11
veres 1 and two and
three and you love him and he’s sick
verse three says Jesus gave him a
promise that sickness is not to end in
death but for the glory of
God now the first thing you’ve got to
know is that God uses sickness he says
this sickness is for the glory of God so
God does use sickness and allows it so
anybody who says if you saved you don’t
get sick that’s just not
true that is just not true true in fact
if that were true you would never die
because nothing would ever be
wrong but God was going to use it it’s
for the glory of God so that the Son of
God may be glorified by it so God allows
negative scenarios and he uses some
negative scenarios for his
glory the problem
occurs in that Lazarus we would say dies
but notice what Jesus does in verse 11
then he said and after that he said to
them our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep Jesus Takes the word death and
switches
it he says he’s fallen asleep he wanted
to give them a different view of
death and by the way when you die quote
unquote to use our normal nomenclature
you fall asleep you end that and that
word is only used of Christians by the
way you fall asleep you enter into
another Realm Of
Consciousness so the problem occurs in
verse 20 Martha therefore when she heard
that Jesus was coming went to meet him
but Mary stayed at home because Mary is
not talking to Jesus she’s
upset because she called on Jesus and
Jesus did absolutely nothing and if you
tell the truth many of us get upset cuz
we didn’t called on him and called on
him called on him him and he was nowhere
to be found verse 21 Martha then said to
Jesus Lord if you would have been here
my brother would not have died
translation is your
fault cuz cuz you weren’t here I called
you and told you we needed you here you
didn’t come here is your fault cuz if
you came here if if you would have come
here when we called you we wouldn’t be
in this
mess even now I know whatever you ask of
God God will give you now that that is
an amazing amount of
Faith because even though she’s upset
because she blames him she says if you
would have even
now he’s been dead now four days even
now God will listen to you she has a
very high view of Jesus which is I’m G
end with that in just a moment but Jesus
said to her your brother will rise
again Martha said said to him I know
that he will rise again in the
Resurrection on the last day i’ I’ve
been to prophecy conferences and I know
that one day in the sweep by and by when
we cross over the Chile Jordan River he
will rise
again verse 25 Jesus said to her I am
the resurrection and the life whoever
believes in me will live even if he dies
and everyone who lives in Believes In Me
will never die do you believe
this that’s what I want to talk about
for a few minutes I want to ask you a
question here’s my question it was
Jesus’s
question do you believe this that’s the
question do you
believe
this Jesus says your brother will rise
again she says well I know he will rise
again in the
resurrection Jesus raises the question
do you believe I am the
resurrection that’s a different
belief she believed in the theology he
will rise again you know in the future
resurrection that was theologically
accurate but Jesus’s question question
is not about a theological statement
it’s about a
person I am the
resurrection see many of us believe
about Jesus who don’t believe in the
Jesus we believe
about in other words we believe the data
we’ll amen we will amen the sermon we
will amen the the
information but Jesus switches the
question the truth of God the
information you learn about God is
always designed to lead you to the god
you learn the information
about so if all you do is go to the
information you have not experienced The
God Who gave
it we don’t need more data we need to
experience the God who gave the data we
already
know Jesus says I am the resurrection
please notice he makes it personal not
merely
doctrinal and he makes it present tense
not merely future tense I know my
brother will rise again Jesus says I
am he brings it back from sometime in
the unforeseen future to the presence
present right now I am and those of us
who remember the book of Exodus that was
the name for God I am that I am I am now
what is
he he is the resurrection what needs
Resurrection something that has
died that that’s what you resurrect
something that has died so watch
this
why does God allow something in your
world to
die so that you can experience
Resurrection why because once you
experience Resurrection you’ve had a
personal experience with God and not
merely an informational study about
God see most of us here tonight don’t
need another sermon we need a we need a
fresh
experience doctrine that is biblical
truth is designed to bring you into
personal
experience biblical truth is is the
roadway to the
supernatural it is not merely to know
the
information and once you stop with the
with the information and Mr I am the
resurrection then you’ve missed the
experience so God let Lazarus
die because he wanted them to see that
he was the
resurrection so suppose right now what
God is letting you or me or us go
through is on purpose now I know you’re
praying to get out of it you’re praying
to be delivered from it you praying I
got that and there’s nothing wrong with
that but suppose his purpose
yes okay when she went to him she said
my brother is sick in the first three
verses so it was bad but it was not as
bad it was going to get cuz he was going
to die so she went to him in a bad
situation and guess what it says Jesus
stayed where he was longer stayed in
Bethany longer in other words he
intentionally let it get
worse a lot of us would say uh why call
on
Jesus if because my situation has only
gotten worse suppos it’s gotten worse on
purpose
suppose God is letting it get worse cuz
he wants that thing to
die because resurrections are Miracles
and only God can perform
them this a little different perspective
of what you’re going through he
literally could be answering your prayer
by letting the thing get
worse he literally he literally could be
answering your prayer
by letting what was sick get worse and
die do you believe this do you believe
that I am the resurrection that I’m in
the resurrection
business so what’s dying in your
world do you believe
this well let’s say you say yes I
believe this I believe not only the
doctrine I not only believe the
information I trust in the person the I
the
person I believe I don’t only believe
the truth I believe in the person who is
the truth I am the way the truth and the
life I am looking to you Jesus in this
dead dying sick situation that there is
no human solution
for you remember the lady with the issue
of blood
for 12 years she had spent all the money
she had to get a resolve to her
problem and then she heard Jesus was
nearby this woman got on her hands and
knees to crawl to
Jesus to touch the Hemm of His
Garment Jesus said I felt power leave
me I felt power leave
me the disciples said what what what
what Jesus said who touched
me the disciples said well a whole bunch
of folk touch you you got you see all
this crowd people bumping into you and
all that he said no no no no no that
ain’t what I’m talking about I’m talking
about who came to me for
me Jesus can draw a
crowd he can get a crowd but it’s
different than getting a crowd and
getting
power she got down and touched the she
was not going to be denied she got there
and touched the Hem of His Garment she
was
insistent on getting to the person she
was not satisfied to be in the
crowd and the problem is that many of us
are satisfied to be in the crowd well I
went to church today I was in the I was
in the audience I was in the crowd but
we ain’t pressing to the
hym and it’s the pressing to the H that
got the power not the being in the crowd
bumping up against
Jesus see a lot of time on Sunday we
bumping up against Jesus we just Jesus
here I’m here we here we just bumping up
to
Jesus but this woman was
desperate this woman was desperate
so do you believe this do you believe in
the I am I personal am present do you
believe that I am present right now in
the midst of your dead dying
situation do you believe
this so she says yes verse 23 she says
yeah I believe it I believe
it well then Jesus tells her in verse 39
remove the
stone remove the
stone the stone that was in front of the
Tomb Martha the sister of the deceased
said to him
Lord by this time there will be a stench
for he has been dead four
days Jesus has moved the stone she gives
him a lecture in mortuary
science she said let me explain explain
something to you
Jesus there is a
stench because he’s been dead four days
Rick of mortise has set in there’s been
bodily Decay there is an order what you
just asked for isn’t
practical doesn’t make
sense it’s
ridiculous it is not unusual for us to
instruct God
on what he ought to
do given the
fact we have
degrees we’ve been in the college we we
you know we know a little something
something you know what’s interesting is
that she was absolutely
correct he had been there four days and
when a body’s Dead four days it
decays and it stinks
that’s all
true but she had just said yeah to the
theology yeah you the resurrection Jesus
can fix it I know he’s able I know a
wheel in the middle of a wheel and a
bomb in Gilead and a bright and Morning
Star and you know all that I know
it I know it say Amen but Jesus said
remove the stone okay let me tell
believing this will always require an
action of faith and the action of faith
will often be something outside of your
realm of natural
understanding because removing the stone
did not make
sense because she was right she had the
facts
right but Jesus said Do you believe I am
the resurrection well yeah okay remove
the don’t look at what Jesus says here I
Think Jesus a little ticked
off cuz Jesus said to her did not I say
to
you that if you believe you would see
the glory of God okay please notice the
order of that if you believe you would
see not if you see you would
believe and how would we know she
believed by the moving of the stone not
by the discussion of the
theology so here’s the question you must
always ask ask in a dying situation when
you’re looking to Christ to be the
resurrection what stone do you want me
to remove what ridiculous thing do you
want me to do because the Holy Spirit
has to reveal that it’s GNA Be Different
Strokes for different folks but but what
is it that you want me to do as to
demonstrate my faith and not simply to
recite
it what’s my point of
action what thing do you want me to do
and it may not make
sense and the Bible’s full of God asking
people to do what would appear to be
ridiculous things that didn’t make sense
but is what God wanted to test their
faith so they removed the stone verse 41
Jesus raised his eyes and said oh no the
most important word in verse 41 is then
somebody say then then meaning not until
she removed the
stone then Jesus raised his eyes and
said father I thank you that you’ve
heard me I know that you always hear me
but because of the people standing
around I said it so that they might
believe that you sent me when he had
said these things he cried out with a
loud voice Lazarus come
forth when she moved the stone
demonstrating the faith in the person
not merely in the
theology then Jesus
prayed okay let me close with this
here’s what you
want you just don’t want you you to pray
you want Jesus to
pray now let me tell you why you want
Jesus to pray cuz Jesus said when he
pray prayed you always answer
me see our problem is he doesn’t always
answer us but he always answers Jesus so
the question is how do I get Jesus to
pray what I’m
praying I’m praying Lazarus is healed
I need Jesus to pray Lazarus is healed
CU I know if Jesus prays him it’s going
to break through that means I need to
get Jesus’s
attention how do I get Jesus’s attention
removing the stone what does removing
the stone say I believe
Jesus unfortunately many of us are
practical
atheist I mean we’re theologically sound
but when it comes to Life’s decision
we’re
atheist cuz Jesus been trying to get us
to move some stones for
years things that he’s wanted us to
shift that we didn’t want to shift or we
didn’t think we needed to shift or we’re
unwilling to shift or it didn’t make
sense to shift God said Jesus said
saying I’ll wait let me know when you’re
ready then I’ll
pray and notice what Jesus
said Lazarus come forth
now if he hadn’t said Lazarus it just
said come forth everybody in the grade
would have got up and we would have been
in Zombie Land someplace but notice that
Jesus’s answer was specific to the
situation because they had gone to him
about their brother named
Lazarus so Jesus directly
addressed the
situation I kind of knew two days ago
that I I was gonna you know review this
passage
a little did I know I would get a phone
call
today from a sister in the church she
she’s in here now I won’t identify her
but a sistant in the
church who asked me to pray about a
situation in her
life that needed a
reversal but there was
no human way that a reversal could be
seen in the particular
situation there was no way
and the reversal would almost virtually
have to happen immediately so there was
a there was the size of the problem the
reversal then it was the timing of the
problem it had to be it had to turn on a
dime and so there was so the question
the question we discussed was what
should be the response to the situation
what should be the response to the
situation so we discussed it and and
discussed back and forth the situation
and we came to a a faith response a a
moving the stone kind of response and
the reason I call it a moving the stone
kind of response is because the response
was not the
preference the response that we agreed
on was not the preference we agreed on
the opposite to what was
wanted so we prayed we came to a a
agreement that you know and that’s what
the Bible talks about two or three
agreeing and you know and and and that’s
why that agreement is is important so
there was an agreement so we agreed it
was an impossible situation it was a big
issue it was a timing issue and the
decision was opposite to what was wanted
but it was the best decision to make
even though it wasn’t what was wanted
and I get a phone call
today telling me God intervened in that
thing and flipped it completely
180° and here’s the thing without the
person having to do a
thing in other words nothing had to be
done nothing was done by the person to
change the scenario God just dipped down
into that thing and twisted it and
tweaked it and turned it after the
decision was
made see a lot of us want God to work
for us to make the decision
and God wants you to make the decision
so he can
work a lot of us are waiting for God to
move so we can make the
decision God is waiting for us to make
the decision so he can move