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Resurrection Realm | Ps. Glenn
A powerful message from John 11 that reveals how God works beyond human timelines. This sermon explores the story of Lazarus to show that delays are not denial—God often waits until situations seem impossible to reveal His resurrection power. It challenges believers to trust God beyond their expectations, embrace surrender, and step into the “resurrection realm,” where His power brings life out of what looks completely dead.
Transcript
From the beautiful sunshine coast of Australia, this is the Awake Nations Ministries podcast equipping the church for revival, reformation and kingdom impact.
Speaker A:Learn more about us by visiting awakeaus.com all right, we're going to start off this morning reading in John chapter 11.
Speaker A:John chapter 11.
Speaker A:I'm going to read from the NLT.
Speaker A:There's a reason for that.
Speaker A:I'll explain in a moment.
Speaker A:And the NLT will start at verse number 17.
Speaker A:John, chapter 11.
Speaker A:This is the story of Jesus friend Lazarus, or Lazarus, as we say.
Speaker A:And he actually was a good friend of Jesus.
Speaker A:He died, and you know the story.
Speaker A:But let's pick it up in verse 17.
Speaker A:When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus or Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.
Speaker A:Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.
Speaker A:When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house.
Speaker A:Martha said to Jesus, lord, if you had have been here, my brother would not have died.
Speaker A:But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.
Speaker A:Jesus told her, your brother will rise again.
Speaker A:Yes, Martha said, he will rise when everyone else rises at the last day.
Speaker A:Then Jesus told her, I am the resurrection and the life.
Speaker A:Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying.
Speaker A:Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never, ever die.
Speaker A:Do you believe this, Martha?
Speaker A:All right, we'll stop right there.
Speaker A:There's so much more.
Speaker A:We're going to go.
Speaker A:We're going to actually unpack this story today.
Speaker A:And looking at this, because it's really, really powerful.
Speaker A:There's a lot of things in here that we miss often when we read this passage.
Speaker A:And I've not really heard some of the things I'm going to share today.
Speaker A:I've not really heard preached before.
Speaker A:It's truth.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You just got to dig into history a little bit and understand the culture.
Speaker A:But let's look at this story.
Speaker A:This is actually the seventh miracle in the book of John.
Speaker A:You love the book of John.
Speaker A:How many love the book of John, Right?
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's a very different gospel.
Speaker A:It's not considered part of what they call the Synoptic gospels.
Speaker A:Matthew, Mark and Luke are similar, but John is a different type of gospel.
Speaker A:And one of the things that John is, well, really his primary focus is to show who Jesus was so that people would believe in him.
Speaker A:And he actually presents seven miracles in the Gospel of John.
Speaker A:The final miracle is this story right Here, Lazarus, it's the final.
Speaker A:It's number seven.
Speaker A:Seven is the number of completion.
Speaker A:So it's very significant.
Speaker A:It's really important that we understand what's going on.
Speaker A:And here Jesus gets word, a report is sent to him.
Speaker A:Messengers are sent to him.
Speaker A:Jesus, the one you love.
Speaker A:Lazarus is sick.
Speaker A:He's very sick is what the text says.
Speaker A:And unlike the other miracles that Jesus had performed, this is different because this is someone that Jesus actually knew very well.
Speaker A:He was a close friend, very different than all of the other marriage.
Speaker A:So it was like a family that he loved.
Speaker A:And it actually says in verse five, Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
Speaker A:And then verse three says, lord, the one you love is very sick.
Speaker A:So we see the bond here, we see the closeness here.
Speaker A:And of course, the reason for them approaching Jesus is that he would come and visit Lazarus in a sickbed and heal him, right, Jesus, if you care, if you can, we know you can come and heal Lazarus.
Speaker A:But verse six tells us that Jesus actually refused to respond to their invitation, regardless of how urgent it seemed.
Speaker A:Like Jesus, he's really, really sick.
Speaker A:You've got to come, you've got to intervene.
Speaker A:If you really care, come now.
Speaker A:Jesus says, no, I'm not leaving, I'm staying here.
Speaker A:And the scripture tells us that Jesus stayed where he was for the next two days, verse six.
Speaker A:Now, by that time, okay, the Jew in the Jewish custom, right, what had happened was he had died.
Speaker A:And when someone died in that culture, first century Jewish culture, what they would do was they would bury that person within 24 hours.
Speaker A:They didn't embalm them, they just simply started the process and they buried them.
Speaker A:And you know how it was, they put them in a tomb, put a stone in front of it, and that was it.
Speaker A:So at that point there would be a mourning process.
Speaker A:It's called Shiva in Hebrew.
Speaker A:And it literally speaks of a seven day mourning process where the whole community, not just the family, the whole community would mourn for this, for their love, the loved one that had passed away.
Speaker A:And they actually, even the poorest family was expected to hire a paid mourner, at least one someone who would mourn and lead in the mourning process and someone who would play the flute.
Speaker A:So think about that.
Speaker A:And we think, oh, that's just fake.
Speaker A:No, it's not.
Speaker A:Theatrics.
Speaker A:This was actually someone who knew how to lead the people through a grieving process.
Speaker A:And unlike our culture where it's kind of like we go and we grieve a little bit, they actually would continue this for A good month.
Speaker A:So here they are grieving.
Speaker A:Lazarus is dead, and the burial had taken place.
Speaker A:And so when Jesus arrives at Bethany, verse 17 says he was told that Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.
Speaker A:Then in verse number 38, a stone was rolled across its entrance.
Speaker A:So what had begun as a crisis was now a conclusion.
Speaker A:Understand that the people, the family in particular, had given up on their initial request.
Speaker A:Jesus, if you had been here, both Mary and Martha say this, we know you would have been able to intervene and heal Lazarus.
Speaker A:But the implication is, it's too late, it's foregone, it's over.
Speaker A:Jesus, thank you for coming and being with us.
Speaker A:We appreciate your presence with us during this time mourning.
Speaker A:But Jesus sees things very differently.
Speaker A:He actually speaks to them and he says, lazarus is not dead.
Speaker A:He's sleeping.
Speaker A:Whoa.
Speaker A:Can you imagine?
Speaker A:Lazarus is not dead.
Speaker A:He's sleeping.
Speaker A:Now, Lazarus had been dead for how long?
Speaker A:Four days.
Speaker A:Now, interestingly, there was a particular belief in that time.
Speaker A:You can read it in the Jerusalem Talmud.
Speaker A:And the Jews believed that the day four actually represented a point of hopelessness.
Speaker A:So their belief was their theology.
Speaker A:And their custom was that when a person died for three days, the person's spirit would hover above their body.
Speaker A:And so there was a possibility that person could be restored.
Speaker A:But once day four happened, rigor mortis, what took place was, it's too late.
Speaker A:No one had ever been raised from the dead beyond three days.
Speaker A:Read about it, and we know the story maybe of the bones of Elisha, but that's different.
Speaker A:So here is Lazarus now on the fourth day.
Speaker A:So why is this important?
Speaker A:Jesus intentionally waits to the fourth day because he.
Speaker A:It's no longer just about healing someone.
Speaker A:It's no longer about intervening in a situation.
Speaker A:And as miraculous as that would be, Jesus intentionally waits till the fourth day when everyone said, it is impossible.
Speaker A:And when they're looking at him and they're saying, lord, you know, you should have been here.
Speaker A:You should have came quickly.
Speaker A:And he did not respond.
Speaker A:It wasn't a case of this delay, wasn't a case of denial.
Speaker A:It was actually all about him going into a place where God was going to do something beyond what he had they'd ever seen before.
Speaker A:In other words, this was about something so supernatural.
Speaker A:Jesus said this.
Speaker A:He is not dead.
Speaker A:This sickness is not unto death, but unto the glory of God.
Speaker A:I have a purpose in this that goes beyond just meeting a need and healing a person.
Speaker A:We can obviously comment on that and say, Jesus did not respond to human need.
Speaker A:He didn't react to the urgency of the time.
Speaker A:But he actually responded to what his father was saying.
Speaker A:And the Father was saying, no, wait, it's not time.
Speaker A:And so Jesus actually waits until decomposition has begun.
Speaker A:This is a condition that is obviously hopeless.
Speaker A:And in the natural, God often works that way in our lives.
Speaker A:Have you ever said, lord, you can do anything, right?
Speaker A:Lord, you can do anything.
Speaker A:If you've been here, my brother had not died because you can do anything.
Speaker A:Doesn't matter what the sickness was.
Speaker A:You can do anything.
Speaker A:But what happens now is actually Jesus is saying, no, I'm not responding because I have a greater purpose and destiny that is the glory of my Father, that my Father would be exalted and glorified in a way that you've never seen before.
Speaker A:And there are times in our lives as Christians when God delays answering us.
Speaker A:And I want you to see something today, because often we equate delay with denial.
Speaker A:We equate something that has happened as like, this is gone.
Speaker A:This is hopeless.
Speaker A:It's beyond hope.
Speaker A:Maybe it's a report that you received and you're believing, you know, for a good outcome in your health could be a business that you launched that had collapsed, and perhaps a marriage that didn't work out.
Speaker A:Children, kids that ended up getting addicted to drugs, and they've changed their very appearance.
Speaker A:You don't recognize who they were anymore.
Speaker A:And when you see these things in life, we look at it and we go, lord, there's nothing I can do.
Speaker A:We need you to intervene.
Speaker A:And this is the message of Easter.
Speaker A:This is the message of first fruits that Jesus rose from the dead, the first fruits of.
Speaker A:Of those raised from the dead, that we in the future would be raised from the dead also now in this life, that we would be able to live in a place that I call the Resurrection Realm.
Speaker A:The Resurrection Realm is a place of no limitations.
Speaker A:It's a place that very few Christians ever journey into because it requires waiting on God, trusting God, being tested.
Speaker A:And Paul put it this way.
Speaker A:In 2 Corinthians 1:9, he said, we have the sentence of death in ourselves.
Speaker A:And he was speaking about how we're being crushed.
Speaker A:I'm being crushed, and things aren't going well for me in the natural.
Speaker A:But there is this sentence of death in ourselves that we might not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.
Speaker A:So I want to encourage you this morning, if you are in a place where you're just saying, lord, I need you to move.
Speaker A:I need you to answer.
Speaker A:I need you to do something, perhaps you feel like it's hopeless, it's out of my hands, beyond my control.
Speaker A:You are in the place that God can move because when you get to the end of yourselves, you find yourself at the beginning of God.
Speaker A:And often many of us have believed God to a certain point, but the reality is God wants to raise up a people in these days that actually will experience and release the power of the resurrection.
Speaker A:And this goes beyond what many of us have experienced.
Speaker A:Because if we are going to unleash this power on the earth, if we're going to see God do amazing things in Breakthrough, we have to come to a place where we recognize that what we're actually trusting in isn't God necessarily, but in the outcome that we were hoping for.
Speaker A:So if you've ever come to a place where you said, I believe this is going to happen, I'm.
Speaker A:I'm believing that this is going to take place and it just doesn't go the way you were anticipating, please understand that your definition and your understanding of God and how he works and what he should do and how quickly he responds to our suffering and our difficult situations in life.
Speaker A:It may be being challenged not by Satan, but by God himself, but because he's trying to bring you to a deeper place of surrender and transformation.
Speaker A:We have the sentence of death in ourselves, that we might not trust in ourselves.
Speaker A:I want to say that again.
Speaker A:We have the sentence of death in ourselves.
Speaker A:Paul said, I'm hard pressed.
Speaker A:I don't know which way to go.
Speaker A:I don't know if I'm going to survive, if I'm going to make it to the next day.
Speaker A:But I know that God actually is doing something.
Speaker A:We have the sentence of death in ourselves that we might not trust in our resources, in our wisdom, in our abilities, in all that we can do, but that we would trust in God who raises the dead.
Speaker A:And when you recognize that he is a God that raises the dead and you see that, you maybe don't understand, you know, exactly what you think you were trusting as God, but you ended up, you were trusting more in your picture and your concept and your perception of God than actually God himself.
Speaker A:So isn't it interesting that we make unto ourselves, we don't necessarily create idols today, build and fashion idols that we bow down and worship, but we do create a caricature of God himself.
Speaker A:This is God.
Speaker A:This is what he should do.
Speaker A:This is how he should act, how he should respond.
Speaker A:And I've got it all figured out because I've seen him do it before.
Speaker A:Tick, tick.
Speaker A:And next Time.
Speaker A:This is the way God should move.
Speaker A:The scripture is very clear.
Speaker A:He is God and you're not.
Speaker A:He does what he wants and when he wants.
Speaker A:And it may not make sense to us, but he's trying to bring us to a place where we'll go on the journey and we'll trust him.
Speaker A:Some of you have heard this testimony, but many of you have not.
Speaker A:I want to share it again.
Speaker A:Lynn and I had lived in Perth for about five years, and then we went back to North America.
Speaker A:We were living there and Covid happened.
Speaker A:And we're kind of glad we were in Dallas, Texas during COVID To be honest, it was pretty bad here.
Speaker A:I understand that.
Speaker A:And so we were there.
Speaker A:But then I was preaching in Brazil and I received a prophetic word one night.
Speaker A:It was a young man who called me out after I had finished preaching.
Speaker A:And he said, I hear the Lord saying, you have many sons and daughters in Australia.
Speaker A:Now, we had not shared anything with anyone, but Lynn and I were already sensing that, hey, maybe we should not have left Australia.
Speaker A:Maybe we should have stayed.
Speaker A:And it was like, okay, Lord, we don't know.
Speaker A:Is this us?
Speaker A:Is that you?
Speaker A:And next thing you know, we get this prophetic word.
Speaker A:So what is that God saying, hey, I'm highlighting something, but can I tell you that there were things I tried to do to make it happen.
Speaker A:I reached out to some friends in ministry and I said, hey, we've been thinking and praying and you know, we had this word about coming back to Australia.
Speaker A:Maybe you could help us.
Speaker A:Because we had given up our visa, we needed to start all over again and end up nothing.
Speaker A:No one responded.
Speaker A:No one wanted to help.
Speaker A:And so at that point, when I was in prayer one morning, I felt Holy Spirit say to me, glenn, stop trying to make this happen.
Speaker A:Trust me, if I want you back in Australia, I'll open a door.
Speaker A:So at that point, I made a commitment to the Lord.
Speaker A:I said, lord, I won't ask anyone, I won't share with anyone.
Speaker A:If it's your will, you're going to have to make a way.
Speaker A:Shortly after that, I was on a zoom meeting with some pastors in Europe.
Speaker A:And one of the pastors communicated to me, French speaking conference.
Speaker A:He said to me that God is going to open a door for you before the end of the year.
Speaker A:So this would have been probably in about July or August, June it actually was, I remember.
Speaker A:And he said, it's going to be an opportunity and he's going to open a door of opportunity for you.
Speaker A:He didn't Mention Australia.
Speaker A:He didn't say what it was, but I felt that then one day, we're connected with Randy Clark's network.
Speaker A:We're part of Randy Clark's network, Global Awakening.
Speaker A:And one of the things that we received was a prophetic word from one of the team members that said, we're praying for you.
Speaker A:And I just felt like, there's this one nation that's on your heart right now.
Speaker A:There's this one nation that's on your heart, and God is saying that he's going to give you the desires of your heart again.
Speaker A:I had made a promise to the Lord.
Speaker A:Lord, you're the waymaker.
Speaker A:I'm the messmaker, right?
Speaker A:Like Abraham, God gave me a promise.
Speaker A:And then, boom, Ishmael.
Speaker A:What a mess.
Speaker A:So the point is, I had to wait.
Speaker A:And then what took place was one day I received an email from a pastor in Australia, and he said, hey, we're having a conference in August.
Speaker A:We would like you to be one of the keynote speakers.
Speaker A:So we were praying about it, and we just felt like, okay, this is the opportunity.
Speaker A:So we came and we.
Speaker A:We preached at the church.
Speaker A:And God did amazing things.
Speaker A:It was such a powerful move of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Then we got invited to come on the team and be part of the staff.
Speaker A:And at that point, what occurred was they actually said, we'll work with you to get a visa.
Speaker A:We'll help you relocate here to Australia.
Speaker A:And we went through the process, and we actually now fast forward our permanent residence here.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Yeah, God is faithful.
Speaker A:Not citizens yet, but.
Speaker A:So the point is, we had to trust God to make a way.
Speaker A:But I want to tell you another story, because how many know that when God gives you a promise that it doesn't always.
Speaker A:It doesn't always go uncontested?
Speaker A:When God said, hey, I want to do this.
Speaker A:I've got this plan.
Speaker A:I've got this promise.
Speaker A:You receive a prophetic word, and then the enemy challenges you.
Speaker A:Sometimes God tests you.
Speaker A:It actually says in Psalm 105 that the word of the Lord tested Joseph.
Speaker A:And it actually says that God tested his character in the nlt.
Speaker A:And so what happened was we got invited, as I said, to speak at this conference.
Speaker A:So I went online and I applied for a visa, right?
Speaker A:Boom.
Speaker A:Normally a couple of days, got a visa, had done that previously.
Speaker A:2 Days, 5 days, 10 days, 12 days.
Speaker A:I'm starting to panic.
Speaker A:No visa.
Speaker A:We booked our flights, ready to go to Australia, and no visa.
Speaker A:So I began ringing Home Affairs.
Speaker A:I'd say, hey, I've submitted An application for my visa and my wife as well.
Speaker A:You guys, anything we can do?
Speaker A:No, there's nothing you can do.
Speaker A:You just have to wait.
Speaker A:You just have to be patient.
Speaker A:And I wrote a letter and I told them, I said, our flight's on this date.
Speaker A:We need the visa.
Speaker A:And nothing.
Speaker A:Nothing.
Speaker A:So Here we are, 40 days later.
Speaker A:40 Is the number of testing, right?
Speaker A:Wilderness.
Speaker A:40 Days.
Speaker A:Says in Revelation, Satan will test.
Speaker A:You say 10 is also testing.
Speaker A:But 40 speaks of kind of like the ultimate test.
Speaker A:10 Is test.
Speaker A:But 40 is the ultimate test.
Speaker A:Refining.
Speaker A:So what happens is, here we are, and we're waiting.
Speaker A:All right, Lord, what do we do?
Speaker A:And the Lord's like, trust me.
Speaker A:And then all of a sudden, Lynn is praying, and she hears the Lord says, you're going to get the visa in the airport, the midnight hour.
Speaker A:And then we had friends from literally all over the world praying for us and different prophetic voices in different parts of the world.
Speaker A:It's going to be the last moment.
Speaker A: It's going to be: Speaker A:He's the God of the midnight hour.
Speaker A:And then we had two or three people actually say, you're going to get the visa in the airport.
Speaker A:I don't like that.
Speaker A:Get the visa in the airport.
Speaker A:I want all my ducks in a row, right?
Speaker A:So the pastor of the church rings me two days before our flight, and he says, glenn, we're really looking forward to having you come and speak at conference, but can I tell you something?
Speaker A:I said, what?
Speaker A:He goes, mate, do you have the visa?
Speaker A:I said, no.
Speaker A:And he said, all right.
Speaker A:And he said, what do you want to do?
Speaker A:And I said, I really believe we're going to get the visa.
Speaker A:And he said, I do, too.
Speaker A:We'd been praying, all right, we won't find a replacement for you.
Speaker A:We'll actually wait.
Speaker A:That's faith.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:So the day of the flight, I wake up and I'm like, lord, today is the day.
Speaker A:Just a reminder.
Speaker A:And I know that people are saying, and I must admit that I really have a witness in my spirit that it's true, that we just have to go to the airport and trust you that we're going to get a visa at the airport.
Speaker A:And what happens is, you can't apply for a visa in an airport.
Speaker A:You know that, right?
Speaker A:You can't.
Speaker A:You've got to.
Speaker A:You've got to do it through the government, right?
Speaker A:You just can't do it.
Speaker A:So I said to the Lord, this morning is a really good time for the visa.
Speaker A:The email to come through saying, Approved, by the way.
Speaker A:A couple of days before that, Lynn got hers, but not me.
Speaker A:So she's got more favor.
Speaker A:But I ended up just saying, lord, this will be a great time.
Speaker A:And the Lord spoke to me so clearly, he said, don't tell me how to work in your life, because I'm going to do what I know is best.
Speaker A:And he said, are you.
Speaker A:Do you believe that you'll get the visa?
Speaker A:And I said, I believe so.
Speaker A:And he said, what good will come out of this if you're not granted a visa?
Speaker A:What good?
Speaker A:How will my name be glorified through that if your visa is not approved?
Speaker A:And I thought about it, and I said, oh, this isn't really good.
Speaker A:Because some people might say, oh, yeah, right.
Speaker A:God didn't.
Speaker A:Obviously, wasn't with him, wasn't God's will.
Speaker A:You know how it goes, right?
Speaker A:And so I'm praying, and the Lord speaks that to me.
Speaker A:And so then it's time to go to the airport.
Speaker A:Our son, he drops us off at the airport in Dallas, and he says, hey, there's a car park over here.
Speaker A:I'll just go wait in the car park just in case you need me to come and pick you up, because.
Speaker A:And we actually said, no, go home.
Speaker A:We're going to get the visa, I'm telling you.
Speaker A:We walked through the doors into Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Speaker A:Doors opened up, and as soon as we stepped inside, I felt the presence of the Lord.
Speaker A:And the Lord spoke to me, and he said, we are flying with Qantas Airlines.
Speaker A:He said, go speak to the person at the desk at Qantas and tell them.
Speaker A:So I told her, and she said, oh, all right.
Speaker A:And she rang someone, I'm not sure who, and said, is there anything we can do to push through this visa?
Speaker A:And they ended up saying, no, there's nothing.
Speaker A:So then here we are.
Speaker A:Lyn's got a visa.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:It's about three hours away from our flight to go, and then can't do anything.
Speaker A:And she says.
Speaker A:She looks at me, and then just randomly, she says, how did you apply for the visa?
Speaker A:And I said, I went to the Home affairs website.
Speaker A:And she said, oh, you didn't apply through the.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:The et, Whatever they call it, the app.
Speaker A:And I said, no.
Speaker A:I didn't know I could apply that way.
Speaker A:And she looks at me and she says, yes, do it right now.
Speaker A:You'll have a visa within 10 minutes.
Speaker A:I said, no.
Speaker A:I was like, shut up.
Speaker A:You know, no.
Speaker A:And I'm like, God, think about It.
Speaker A:So, sure enough, we sit there, she's helping me upload my passport, fill out the application form, Boom, press it, guys, three minutes, I get an email.
Speaker A:Approved.
Speaker A:Approved.
Speaker A:Now, the story is like, God, why couldn't you have taken.
Speaker A:Told me that earlier?
Speaker A:Like, I rang Home Affairs.
Speaker A:How incompetent are those people?
Speaker A:That no one told me on the phone, if you just use the app, you can get it quickly, but no one, no, there's nothing you can do.
Speaker A:You just have to wait.
Speaker A:You just have to be patient.
Speaker A:But the visa was approved supernaturally, powerfully.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:When we arrived in Australia, we've been, as I said, we lived here.
Speaker A:We flew in and out of Australia so many times.
Speaker A:Never had any dramas, no issues.
Speaker A:This time, when we enter, we basically get arrested and taken in a back room.
Speaker A:No, we weren't arrested, but we were questions.
Speaker A:And I'm like, what, you travel to other nations a lot?
Speaker A:Why do you do that?
Speaker A:What are you doing in these other nations?
Speaker A:And I said, we're in ministry.
Speaker A:We preach the gospel.
Speaker A:This is what we do.
Speaker A:Oh, then another man comes over and they take our mobile devices and they go through our mobile devices and literally come back and he goes, all good, mate, you're good to go.
Speaker A:We walk into Australia, preach at the conference, and now here we are.
Speaker A:But how many know?
Speaker A:That would have not been my preferred method, right, Lord, why did I have to go through this?
Speaker A:But he said to me, glenn, did you trust me?
Speaker A:And I said, I believe.
Speaker A:So I believe I did.
Speaker A:He said, yes, you did.
Speaker A:And he said, and I was testing you.
Speaker A:He said, I was testing you.
Speaker A:If you'd actually do what I asked you to do, will you go to the airport?
Speaker A:Will you believe?
Speaker A:Will you trust me?
Speaker A:And we did.
Speaker A:And the Lord made good on his promise.
Speaker A:Now, my point is this.
Speaker A:When we look at our lives, when there's things that seemingly promises that are delayed, doors that won't open, opportunities that we think we've missed, don't think it's final.
Speaker A:God knows exactly what he's doing.
Speaker A:And the Bible says this.
Speaker A:He's not only a God that heals our sickness, but he's a God who raises the dead.
Speaker A:I am the resurrection and the life anyone who believes in me will live even after dying.
Speaker A:Now, remember, Lazarus will rise again.
Speaker A:Yes, Lord, I know he will.
Speaker A:At the last day, at the resurrection of the just.
Speaker A:In other words, this is part of the Jewish belief there will be a resurrection.
Speaker A:And one day, all those who fear God will be raised to life again, will be resurrected and Jesus Said I am that day.
Speaker A:I am the day.
Speaker A:I'm not just.
Speaker A:It's not just today like I am.
Speaker A:I can resurrect.
Speaker A:I can raise the dead.
Speaker A:He said, I am resurrection.
Speaker A:I am life.
Speaker A:I have the power to do anything, anytime.
Speaker A:But will you trust me?
Speaker A:I'm the very source of life.
Speaker A:I'm not just the channel of life.
Speaker A:Will you trust me to make a way where there is no way.
Speaker A:Jesus continues from that point, and he actually walks toward the tomb of Lazarus.
Speaker A:And the Bible tells us two things about Jesus.
Speaker A:It says the people were.
Speaker A:They were mourning.
Speaker A:They were weeping.
Speaker A:The word in Greek means loud wailing.
Speaker A:But then there's a different word that's used for Jesus, and it's only used one time in the entire New Testament.
Speaker A:And it speaks of someone who just breaks out into.
Speaker A:Breaks into tears.
Speaker A:It's not loud.
Speaker A:It's quiet.
Speaker A:So Jesus is grieving.
Speaker A:He's mourning.
Speaker A:Of course, Lazarus is dead.
Speaker A:It's a terrible thing.
Speaker A:But then the Bible tells us something else about him.
Speaker A:It actually says that Jesus was angry.
Speaker A:And you see it in particular in the NLT, that it even says that Jesus, as he approached the throne, the tomb, was still angry.
Speaker A:The word that is used literally means like a war horse that's just angry, ready to go into battle.
Speaker A:That's the word that is used of Jesus.
Speaker A:He was angry.
Speaker A:He was like Satan, what you've done.
Speaker A:He was angry with the destruction that the enemy had wreaked upon God's people.
Speaker A:He was angry that death was in the world.
Speaker A:It was never part of his father's plan.
Speaker A:And he was moved to do something about it.
Speaker A:And then he does something that staggers.
Speaker B:Everyone placed at the entrance.
Speaker B:Take the stone away.
Speaker A:There will be a bad smell.
Speaker A:Lord, he has been buried four days.
Speaker B:Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?
Speaker B:They took the stone away.
Speaker B:Jesus looked up.
Speaker B:I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.
Speaker B:I know that you always listen to me.
Speaker B:But I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.
Speaker B:After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, Lazarus,.
Speaker A:Come out.
Speaker B:He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave clothes.
Speaker B:And with a cloth round his face, Untie him and let him go.
Speaker B:Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.
Speaker B:Yeah, take the stone away.
Speaker A:This is the same one.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Hey, that's so powerful.
Speaker A:You think about it and what I want to Point out something that maybe you've never thought about before with this story.
Speaker A:Do you understand that what was resurrection life for Lazarus was actually a death sentence for Jesus?
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because, as I said, this is the seventh miracle that Jesus performed, the greatest miracle.
Speaker A:How was the Father glorified?
Speaker A:The Father is glorified in that Jesus actually said, father, I know it's your desire to reveal your glory to a generation in a way they've never seen before.
Speaker A:It was just a few weeks, perhaps two or three months before Jesus would go to the cross.
Speaker A:And he had to demonstrate in a way that the people had never seen before the power and glory of God.
Speaker A:He had been working quietly in some respects.
Speaker A:Many people had heard the stories.
Speaker A:But now he was going to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that he was God, that he is resurrection, power and life.
Speaker A:And he knew and he recognized that this miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead not only would be a demonstration and a testimony to an entire generation, but if you read the story, it says that though many believed in him.
Speaker A:And he said, did I not say to you if you would believe, you would see the glory of God.
Speaker A:The religious people were infuriated.
Speaker A:They were furious.
Speaker A:The whole nation is going to follow after him now that he's done this.
Speaker A:And they wanted to kill Lazarus too.
Speaker A:And what this is, is Jesus had sealed his death.
Speaker A:It was a death sentence.
Speaker A:Lord, I know once this happens and I step out and I raise this man from the dead, it is going to cause such an intense and adverse reaction from those who are hostile that it's going to be the final straw.
Speaker A:And I know it's going to result in me going to the cross.
Speaker A:So by being obedient to the Father and delaying and waiting for death to happen, he sealed his death sentence.
Speaker A:He sealed his fate.
Speaker A:Now Jesus would be killed at the hands of evil men.
Speaker A:Now they were ready.
Speaker A:That's it, Jesus.
Speaker A:We tolerated you, we put up with you, but that's it.
Speaker A:No more.
Speaker A:You've gone too far, Jesus.
Speaker A:This is too much.
Speaker A:You've got to die.
Speaker A:And it was all part of the Father's plan.
Speaker A:Jesus said, no one takes my life from me, but I give it freely.
Speaker A:Father, glorify your name.
Speaker A:Into your hands I commit my spirit.
Speaker A:This is the hour.
Speaker A:Not saying, father, rescue me says, no, Father, glorify your name.
Speaker A:Have your way.
Speaker A:And from this, something powerful happens.
Speaker A:Jesus becomes the first fruit offering.
Speaker A:Jesus literally becomes the substance.
Speaker A:Lazarus was a sign, but Jesus is a substance.
Speaker A:He chose the cross before he called Lazarus from the tomb.
Speaker A:Ephesians 3:20 says this now, all glory to God, who's able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Speaker A:Now, when we think of this power, he's saying, the power, it's in us.
Speaker A:A lot of times we say God is able to do immeasurably, more exceedingly, abundantly than all we could ask or think, right?
Speaker A:We quote that haphazardly in many ways.
Speaker A:But he says this according to the power that works in us.
Speaker A:And I want to encourage you today, whose report will you believe you may be on your fourth day?
Speaker A:Right now, you might have a Lazarus situation, but whose report will you believe?
Speaker A:Will you believe the report?
Speaker A:This is, Lazarus is dead.
Speaker A:It's final, it's over.
Speaker A:Or that Lazarus is sleeping.
Speaker A:There's hope.
Speaker A:See, every miracle, every trial that we experience in life presents us with one or two opportunities.
Speaker A:Either we're going to trust in God who raises the dead, or we're going to look at the testimony of man that says, it's hopeless, it's too late, it's beyond.
Speaker A:I want to encourage you today that Jesus died.
Speaker A:He was the firstborn, and his spirit, the Same Spirit Romans 8 says that raised him from the dead has been given to us.
Speaker A:It's available to us.
Speaker A:It's in us.
Speaker A:If we know Jesus, we're filled with his spirit and it's limitless.
Speaker A:There's no hesitation.
Speaker A:There's no reservation.
Speaker A:There's no boundaries.
Speaker A:It's infinite, his power.
Speaker A:Will you believe?
Speaker A:Will you trust him even when it doesn't make sense?
Speaker A:Will you trust him to make a way?
Speaker A:I could tell you more about our story.
Speaker A:I'll just add one detail.
Speaker A:We should not have been able to get a visa.
Speaker A:But they literally waived the conditions, the government, so we could have a visa and permanent residence.
Speaker A:They waived the conditions?
Speaker A:Is that not favor?
Speaker A:When God wants you to do something, when God's called you to do something, nothing can stop it.
Speaker A:God is looking for a people who will learn to live in the realm of no limits.
Speaker A:The realm where nothing is impossible.
Speaker A:The resurrection realm.
Speaker A:The reality of his resurrection power.
