Raising Lazarus | Brad Straarup

Today I really feel like I'm here and I'm here to speak to anyone who is in this place and you're facing disappointment.

Anyone ever faced disappointment in your life?

Can come into this place, and if you've lived a long time, you'll know this that every single one of us are gonna have moments in our lives where we experience pain and we experience heartache.

And I think sometimes we can get to this place where life lets us down, and I think that's one thing.

It's one thing if life lets you down.

How many of you know it's something completely different when it feels like God lets you down?

When you speak, when you pray, when you know that he hears, but for some reason he doesn't do what you want, and I know we can come into this place and we can often believe God is able.

I think so often that's not the question that we have.

We're not questioning whether or not God is able, we're questioning why he didn't.

Like, God, I know that you're able.

That's not the question.

My question is this why didn't you?

And you're facing that disappointment, you're facing that discouragement.

If you're in this place today and that resonates with you in any way, shape, or form, I believe that God wants to speak a word into your heart.

I believe that he wants to encourage you.

You know, throughout this series, we've been in a series entitled The Miracles of Jesus.

Have you guys been enjoying the series, The Miracles of Jesus?

And during this series, what we've done is we've been looking at the seven miracles or signs that Jesus performed.

And these are signs that show us who Jesus is and what the kingdom is all about.

And the purpose of a sign is always to point you to something greater.

That is the purpose of this entire book, is that you will know who Jesus is.

The theme verse for the series, as well as this book, comes in John 20, and it says this, John 20, verse 30, Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

John 20:30

But these signs are written, and here's the purpose statement, so that you may believe.

Which shows that Jesus is the transformer.

He can take the ordinary things in our lives and he can transform it.

He can give us the new covenant, he can give us new life.

That is who he is, that's what he came to do.

Week two, we looked at the healing of the nobleman's son, and we met Jesus as the life-giving word.

Man, his arm was not too short.

From a distance, he was able to heal someone, and that encourages me because it lets me know no matter what I'm going through, his arm is not too short.

He is just a reach away.

Week three, we looked at the healing at the pool of Bethesda, which showed us Jesus as healer.

It doesn't matter how broken you've been for how long you've been.

We serve a God that can bring restoration.

Amen.

Week four, we looked at the feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus is our great provider that when we don't have what we need, he has more than we need.

And last week, we looked at the man born blind.

And Jesus says, Man, I came so that blind can see, and those who can see can become blind.

What Jesus came to do is he came to open our spiritual eyes more than anything.

And today I'm excited because today I get to introduce you to Jesus as resurrector.

Jesus as resurrector.

We're gonna be learning about a man by the name of Lazarus, and in this story, spoiler alert, he dies.

But another spoiler alert, Jesus raises him from the dead.

I love it, I love it.

And you need to know this is this is a crazy story because what the story does, it actually catapults Jesus to the cross.

Like once he does this, everyone starts believing in him in such a phenomenal way that the Pharisees are like, no, we gotta kill him.

Like we have to do something about this because everyone's gonna start believing in him.

This is the inciting incident.

This happens, he withdraws, and then he comes into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday today.

He gets crucified on Friday.

But the best news is on Sunday, he rises again.

Come on, who's excited for Easter?

This is our first Easter at Spirit, and I cannot wait.

Man, I'm so excited for everything that God is gonna do this Easter.

Let me say this that uh Easter is one of the moments that if you're praying about someone that is far from God, they're close to you but far from God, Easter is the moment to invite them.

Studies say this that 80% of people will say yes to an invite to Easter.

You just gotta invite them.

So I want to encourage you, that coworker, that family member, whoever you're praying for, invite them.

Here's a challenge: 35% of us studies say have actually never invited someone.

May this be the week.

You invite someone and bring them home.

That they can meet with our Savior Jesus.

It's gonna be amazing.

This is one of the best miracles.

I think it's profound because it shows Jesus' power to heal the dead, but not only is it profound, it's personal.

Why?

Because I think every single one of us has a Lazarus.

Every single one of us has a moment in our lives where something has died.

Dream, desire.

For some it's maybe a loved one.

And when you face disappointment like that, the question is this: what do you do?

And I believe today is gonna give us exactly what we need.

So, God, I want to come today, and Lord, I want to pray that you will do Lord, what only you can do.

Lord, what only you can do.

Lord, I thank you that this was the moment that you went to the cross, this was the moment that catapulted you to that place.

But God, even though that is the case, Lord Jesus, you still went.

And God, for that we're so grateful.

We love you.

I pray that you will do what only you can do in this place.

In Jesus' name.

And everybody said.

Come on, everybody said.

Amen and amen.

If you have your Bibles today, we're all jumping in because this is a mega passage of scripture.

Go to John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

We're gonna be reading 45 verses today.

So if you love the Bible, let me just say this: you are at the right church.

Welcome to this church.

We love the Bible.

If you do not like the Bible, then maybe you're not gonna love it here.

But we're gonna be going through 45 verses, and I'm gonna give you all the points at the end.

Okay?

So we're doing something completely different.

It says this, John 11, verse 1.

John 11:1

Now a man named Lazarus was sick.

He was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha.

This is Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

So the sister sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick.

And when he heard this, Jesus said, The sickness will not end in death.

No, it is for the glory of God, so that God's Son may be glorified.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Lazarus.

Okay, everything up until this point makes sense.

Okay?

Lazarus is sick, Mary, Martha, they're in Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem.

Like, all of this makes sense.

This is the same Mary and Martha, if you guys know the story where Jesus is teaching, and Mary comes and sits at Jesus' feet, and Martha's doing all the stuff.

She gets mad.

She's like, Jesus, tell her to work.

It's that couple.

Okay?

This is the same Mary that is going to anoint his feet right before he dies.

It hasn't happened yet.

John is writing about something because he is writing in AD, 80 AD.

So he's writing with hindsight.

But all of this makes sense.

Okay, this would have been where Jesus would have rested.

And he loved them and they loved him.

And how you know their love is by what they omit.

They come up to Jesus, they send a messenger, and he says this Jesus, the one you love, is sick.

Doesn't make a request.

Just Jesus, the one that you love, is sick because they believe that if you just knew what was going on, you would show up.

Anyone ever had something in your life that you're walking through something and you didn't even have the strength to make the ask?

Jesus, I'm struggling.

Jesus, this is hard.

Jesus, I don't have the strength.

Jesus, I'm weak.

Jesus, it happened again.

You don't even have the strength to make the request because you believe that if he just knew, he would come.

And I love that.

They say the one that you love is sick.

All of it makes sense.

But the next verse is probably the most interesting verse in the Bible, at least for me.

It's one of the most interesting verses.

And here's what it says it says, so Lazarus is sick.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Verse 6.

So, say so.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

That makes no sense.

Like I would have expected Jesus loves them, so he came.

Or Jesus loved them, but he was busy, so he couldn't come.

That would make sense.

That's not what it says.

It doesn't say Jesus loved him, but Jesus loved him so he came.

It says this because he loved them, he stayed.

Because of his love for them, he stayed.

I wonder if sometimes the hardship that we're experiencing in our lives we think is punishment from God, more than anything, the pain and suffering that we experience.

I wonder sometimes if it's God trying to show us something.

There's this belief in Christian circles that if you become a Christian, you're not going to suffer.

Health, wealth, prosperity.

It's not what the Bible says.

Bible says this in this life, you will have trouble.

Brad, be more positive.

Gladly.

I am positive in this life, you will have trouble.

And we'll say things like, Jesus suffered, so you don't have to.

Disagree.

When it comes to the cross, agree.

When it comes to life, disagree.

Because Paul didn't say Jesus died and he suffered, so you don't have to.

Paul says this, Jesus died, so you're going to suffer too.

That's what it is.

If you're coming because you're looking for an easy gospel, it's not this one.

We persevere, we suffer, we go through things, but when we go through things and persevere, we receive the crown of life in the life to come.

We do suffer, we do have heartache.

In those moments, though, what do we do?

Sometimes I believe that we suffer because God trusts us, because he loves us.

That's what we see in the book of Job.

I think it's one of the hardest realities for us to understand as Christians is that sometimes we can speak, sometimes we can pray, and we know God hears.

Bible says a Psalm 34, 17, the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them, he delivers them from their troubles.

He hears us.

So God, if you hear us when I cry, why don't you do anything?

If you hear me when I'm in pain, why don't you do anything?

Understand this.

God will always hear what we say, but God doesn't always do what we want.

He always hears what we say, but he doesn't always do what we want.

And that's where faith and trust have to come in.

I need you to imagine this moment.

They send off this messenger, and this messenger comes back.

They're like, oh my gosh, did you not find Jesus?

Like, I'm not found him.

Oh, is he right behind you?

Is he coming?

No, no, no, he stayed.

Oh, was he busy?

He was doing miracles.

He chose not to.

He chose not to.

I don't know about y'all, but in that moment I'd be questioning his love.

You see, because for me, love is so often defined as presence.

If you look at the five love languages, if you've ever done that, Paige has a love language.

Her love language is quality time.

Or my quality time people.

Yeah.

Quality time, it doesn't matter what you're going through.

Paige is like, if you can just be with me, I'm going to be good.

Like, if you can just be with me, I'm going to be good.

We so often equate love with presence.

So when we feel the love of God and when we feel like he is absent, all of a sudden we feel like he doesn't love us.

You need to understand this that if you're always going to base your theology based on your circumstances, you're always going to be disappointed.

We cannot base our theology based on circumstances.

What we have to do is base our theology on the word of God, which means sometimes that feels like he is close.

But sometimes it may not.

In this moment, it didn't feel like closeness.

In this moment, it felt like absence.

And it's like, God, at the most, I thought you would heal.

Man, I remember the man that you healed from a distance.

You could have just said something.

At the most, I wanted you to heal.

At the least, I thought you would just be here.

At the least.

You've done neither.

I don't know about y'all, but I feel like in that moment I'd be questioning so much.

He loved them, so he stayed.

It can feel absent.

We know that the Bible says that God will never leave us nor forsake us, but in this moment, that's exactly what they felt.

Could it be that sometimes God isn't answering our prayers because there is something that he's trying to do in our lives that we don't understand?

And man, if we can just get to a place where we realize that we actually believe, it doesn't matter what culture says, because I believe this, that God is working all things together for the good.

Whether it makes no sense, whether he does what I want or he doesn't do what I want, that doesn't matter because he's already proven who he is.

So if he comes, I'll praise him.

If he doesn't come, I'll praise him.

If he says yes, I'll praise him.

If he says no, I'll praise him.

If he says wait, I'll praise him.

No matter what he says, I will praise him, not for what he's done, but for who he is.

And if he never does a thing again, he's already did enough because he went to the cross.

Who he is?

The disciples said, he said to the disciples, then let's go back to Judea.

But Rabbi, they said, a short while ago, people try to kill you.

Why would you want to go back there?

The disciples had no idea the motives of Jesus, which is so humbling to me because they were with him all the time, and if they can't understand Jesus' motives, what makes me think I can?

So humbling to me, they were nervous because in John 10, Jesus basically called him God, called himself God, and they try to stone him.

So they're like, Man, you're going back into the fire zone.

That's what you want to do.

So Jesus says to them, This makes so much sense.

They're like, Jesus, we're gonna die, you're gonna die.

And he says, Are there not 12 hours of daylight?

Anyone who walks in the day will not stumble, for they will see by the world's light.

It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.

Wait, what?

Jesus, what the heck are you saying?

That makes no sense.

That doesn't answer my question.

Need to know this.

They're saying it's dangerous, but Jesus is saying it's still time because Jesus understood something.

He couldn't be harmed until his assignment was complete.

That's what we're seeing right here in this moment.

Daylight is the window that God has given him to do the thing that God called him to do.

And he is saying, until that thing is done, I am safe, even though it looks risky.

There is something about being in the will of God when you're walking in the will of God, even with other people, they might seem that that looks dangerous, but if you're in the will of God, it's actually safe.

Now, sometimes it might not be.

Sometimes it is.

That's what he's saying.

You need to know that sometimes we don't know what we're going through or why we're going through what we're going through or what God is trying to do with the things that we're going through, but we have to come to a place where we don't have to understand what he's doing in order to be obedient and walk in his light.

We just have to walk.

Like I felt this when we were moving here initially.

Great jobs, everything's going well.

We have a baby on the way, and everyone was saying, hey, it's risky for you to go.

But you see, we understood that God was actually calling us to something.

What was risky was not coming.

What was risky was staying.

What was risky is not being where God is calling you to be.

Some of us, you might be like, Man, I don't feel like God is calling me to go somewhere.

Great, stay.

Some of you, God is calling you to take a step.

If he's calling you to take the step, take the step.

Because it's riskier not to.

It's riskier not to.

So they're confused.

And after he said all of this, he went on to tell them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.

Okay, he's speaking symbolically.

Whenever the Bible talks about Christians falling, dying, it actually says they're falling asleep.

Why?

Because we know that we're going to rise again.

If you're a Christian, you understand this, this is the closest to hell you're ever going to be.

If you're not a follower of Christ, you need to know this.

This is the closest to heaven you're ever going to be.

The Bible says that we have fallen asleep.

Saints fall asleep.

Why?

Because they will rise again.

He's talking symbolically.

The disciples often don't get this.

Like at one point in, I think it's Matthew, Matthew 16, Jesus is talking and he's like, Be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees.

And they're like, did any of you take bread from the Pharisees?

They're like, Don't touch that yeast.

It's got arsenic in it.

That yeast will kill you.

And Jesus is like, Are you still talking about bread?

Don't you remember the feeding of the 5,000, the feeding of the 4,000?

Be careful of the yeast.

And the Bible says, Then they understood he wasn't talking about bread, but he was talking about their teaching, which pervad pervades everything.

I love the disciples.

They don't get it, and so often so don't I.

I'm like the same as them.

He says, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him.

And they're afraid of being stoned.

So his disciples say, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.

God, I don't know why we're doing all these things.

If he sleeps, he's gonna be fine.

No, an apple a day, keeps the doctor with just a little bit of sleep.

Like Jesus, he's he's fine.

Jesus was speaking of his death, but the disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

There's moments in our lives where something's gonna happen, where some of us might experience a death in us or around us.

And I think how we respond to that is critically important.

How you respond to that will determine if that thing is something that heals and propels you, or if it's something that harms and postpones you.

Harms and paralyzes you.

How we deal with that matters.

How are we questioning God?

Is it making us bitter or is it making us better?

Is it increasing our belief in him or is it destroying our belief in him?

Lazarus is dead, and he says this, and for your sake, I'm glad I was not there, so that you may say that word, believe.

Here it is again, so you may believe.

Jesus knows something that we don't.

What he's saying is, I'm actually glad he's dead, because I'm about to do something, because you need to know that I can do it, because in a couple of weeks I'm gonna die, and I need you to know that what I'm about to do to Lazarus, I'm gonna do again.

And I need you to believe because you're gonna doubt, you're gonna leave me when I die.

I just need you to know that this is something that I can do.

Let us go to him.

And I love doubting Thomas.

It says, Then Thomas, also known as Didymus, said to the rest of the disciples, Great, let's go that we can die with him.

I think Thomas is gonna get to heaven, doubting Thomas, and he's gonna be like, What do you mean, doubting Thomas?

I'm ready to die, Thomas.

He's like, Here we go.

I love it.

Jesus is like, let's go raise him, and Thomas is like, Great, let's go die.

Man, I think God just puts this in this is humorous.

Like the disciples are so funny.

I love it.

I see humor in it all the time.

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been dead in the tomb for four days.

It's just Christian colloquialism you often hear.

God is never late, he is right on time.

Yet Mary would disagree with that.

And sometimes we think that God is right on time.

Get this, he is not right on your time.

He is right on his time.

And sometimes it looks like he's late, he's not, he's right on his time.

There was something that Jesus was trying to reveal about who he was, and he knew that in order for him to reveal that part of who he was, he didn't need to show up when Lazarus was sick.

He needed to show up when Lazarus was dead.

There's some moments in your life that God is gonna actually allow it to die because when that thing dies, you're gonna see a part of him that you've never seen before.

And he's saying, No, I'm gonna let it go the whole way that I can show a part of you, part of me that you have not seen yet.

I'm not coming to a bedside, I'm coming to a grave.

He's in the tomb four days.

That's significant because they had this weird belief that if someone died, that their spirit would be over their body for three days and they could technically come back to life.

Bad belief, but it was a belief that they had.

So when Jesus actually raised a widow's son in Luke 7, or Jairus' daughter in Mark 5, they had just died, so it wasn't as significant.

He is actually waiting past the point that they believe someone can be raised from the dead that he can unequivocally say, This is who I am.

Sometimes he is gonna wait past the period of our expectation so he can truly show us his power.

That's what he was doing in this place.

Now Bethany was about two miles away from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him.

Watch this.

But Mary stayed home.

Martha came out, but Mary stayed home.

Martha moves towards Jesus.

She brings questions, she brings attentions.

But Mary stays exactly where she is.

The Savior didn't come when I expected him to, and there's anything.

Lord, Martha says, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

She's not rebuking him.

This is this is words of grief and Faith.

She's saying, Lord, I know that if you had been here, he wouldn't have died.

But I want you to notice something.

What does she call him?

Lord.

She's saying, God, even though you didn't do the thing that I wanted you to do, I do not doubt who you are.

Because even though you didn't come, even though you waited, even though I knew that you waited and you could have come, I'm still gonna call you Lord.

Man, can we have the faith of Martha?

God, even when you didn't, you were Lord.

Even when I don't understand, you are Lord.

Even when it makes no sense, you are Lord.

She prays a really honest prayer.

And it says this, but even now, say even now.

She says, even now, God will do whatever you ask.

And a lot of times, what people are saying is they think that what she's saying is she's asking him to raise Lazarus.

She's not doing that.

She has no concept that this can even happen.

And when Jesus goes to do it, she's like, Don't.

She's saying, even though I feel like you failed me, that doesn't make me doubt in your ability to heal.

Some of us, Jesus didn't heal the way that we wanted, so now we don't know if he's a healer.

He didn't provide the way that we wanted, but now we don't know if he's a provider.

That's what she's saying.

Even in this moment, even now, God, I know that if you were to ask, he would do whatever.

Not talking about resurrection, but just talking about his divinity, even now when it doesn't make sense.

Jesus said, Your brother will rise again, and Martha said, I know he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day.

She's referring to the time when Christians are gonna rise at the end of time.

Okay, Jesus talks about this, John 5, 28.

Do not be amazed at this, he says, for a time is coming when all who are in their grave will hear his voice and they will come out.

Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

Okay?

She's like, I know we're gonna rise.

And Jesus says this.

No, that's not what I'm talking about.

And he gives an I am statement, he says this, because I'm M the resurrection and the life.

What he's saying is I'm being offered of it.

I dictate what resurrection can do.

It's not something that I do, it's something that I'm an raise everyone on the life.

But if I'm gonna raise someone now, I can raise someone now.

And what am I dumb?

If you if I have dumb mouth, if I have the ability to raise something, the resurrection, it's not what I do, it is who I am.

I'm gonna dictate it, I'm gonna create the rules of it.

I am the resurrection and then the life, the reason this is coming, the reason I didn't do what you wanted me to do is because I needed to show you another part of me.

A part that you haven't seen before.

The one who believes in me will live even though they die, and whoever believes in me will never die.

Talking about the afterlife.

And he says, Do you believe this?

And she gets it.

He knows she knows exactly what he's talking about.

She says, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who is coming to the world.

I believe that you are.

You didn't, but you are.

I'm broken, but you are.

I'm hurt, but you are.

I'm frustrated, but you are.

I'm angry, but you are.

After she said this, she went back and called her sister Mary.

The teacher is here, she said, and he's asking for you.

And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but he was still at the place Martha had left him.

I want you to know this.

Jesus will come as close as you will let him.

He didn't come into her house.

Reminds me of Revelation 3.20, that Jesus says, Here I am, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come and eat with that person and lay with me.

He will come as close as you let him.

And it says this that when the Jews had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, notice how quickly she got up.

They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb.

But when Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

Watch this.

She says the exact same statement as Martha.

But the way she says it is different.

She falls at his feet.

If you had been here, he wouldn't have died.

I want you to notice something.

Is when Martha comes up to Jesus, she comes with a theological conversation.

And Jesus responds theologically.

He has a theological conversation with Martha.

But when Mary comes, she says the exact same sentence, but what she does is she falls at his feet.

And he doesn't have a theological conversation with her.

He meets her in her pain.

The wisdom of Jesus.

Isn't that crazy?

Martha needed to know that.

Mary didn't need that.

She's just like, Jesus, I just need to know that you feel what I feel.

He meets her in her emotion.

And before he speaks a word to the situation, he weeps with her.

Says, then the Jews said, or says this, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews that came along with her weeping, he was deeply troubled.

Where have you laid him?

He asked, Come and see, Lord.

They replied, and Jesus wept.

He met her in her pain.

Then the Jews said, See how he loved them.

Some people think that Jesus doesn't care about the suffering that we experience.

He does.

I think in this moment he is so frustrated at death.

He is so frustrated at pain.

He is so frustrated because this is not the way he intended it to be.

Sin entered.

That wasn't his fault.

He didn't do that.

He came to fix that.

The Bible says that we do not have a great high priest that is unable to sympathize with our weakness.

He knows, he has felt, he knows our pain, and he empathizes with us.

And he says this, take me to him.

And they say, Come and see.

My question for you today is this.

I don't know what that thing is, but can you invite Jesus into that place?

That place where you're hurt.

That place where you're trusting.

That place where you're frustrated.

That place where you're angry.

Can you say, Jesus, come and see?

But some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of blind men have kept this man from dying?

That's the voice of the enemy.

One person is saying, see how much he loves them, and another is saying, see how much he dislikes them.

Because he could have fixed this.

What voice are we going to believe?

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.

It was a cave with a stone date across the entrance.

Take away the stone, he said.

But Lord said, Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days.

Then Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

So they took away the stone.

I want you to notice something.

In every single one of these miracles that we've seen, it has taken someone's participation.

Water into wine, they had to hand it out.

And we don't know when it turned into wine, but I believe it was when they let it go.

Nobleman's son, he had to believe and he had to go without seeing.

Healing at Bethesda, he had to take up his mat.

Feeding of the 5,000, they had to distribute it.

The healing of the blind man, he had to go and wash.

Over here, Jesus could have removed the stone, but he said, I'm gonna see you remove it.

There is action so often that God actually wants us to take.

And then Jesus looked up and he said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

I know that you always hear me, but I've said this for the benefit of them standing here, that they may believe that you sent me out.

And when he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, Lazarus! Come fuck! Come fuck! And what happened in that moment is Lazarus caught up and he walked out in full view of them all.

One of my favorite preachers, Virgin, did this.

It's a good thing he said Lazarus.

Because if he just said come out, he would have emptied the grave.

Lazarus! Come forth.

Come forth.

In that moment, it says the dead man came out.

His hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, clothed around his face.

And Jesus said to them, take off the grave clothes and let him go.

He has been resurrected.

Take off that stuff.

Some of you have come to Christ, and what's happening is you're still wearing the old dead clothes.

And what he's saying is, I need you to take that off.

The shame that you've experienced, I need you to take it off.

The path that you've done, I need you to take it off.

I'm not looking at that.

You are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

You are something different in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did and they believed in him.

That was the whole point.

That they would believe, and everyone believed to such a degree that they wanted to kill him.

I need you to know this that when God doesn't do what we want, so often it's because he is calling out what he wants.

When God doesn't do what we want, he is often calling out what he wants.

They wanted him to call out healing, but he wanted to call out Lazarus.

I want this to be easy, but he's trying to call out perseverance.

I want to do this whole thing without trust, but he is trying to call out faith.

So often when he's not calling out the thing that we want him to call out, it's because he is doing something entirely different.

He is healer.

How do we know that?

How do we know that if we never experienced it?

He is provider.

How do we know that if we've never needed him to provide?

He is peace.

How do we know that if we've never had an experience where we needed peace?

He is calling out something different.

And this was the sign that set everything off.

I am the resurrection.

What does that mean?

There will come a time when I die, it's right in front of us.

And when I rise again, I need you to know it's not something that I do, it's who I am.

So on Sunday, when we get to celebrate, what we're celebrating is who he is.

That he is the God that can raise himself from the dead.

That he is the author of it.

And if he can do it with himself, he can do it with us.

And he will do it with us, every single one of us.

I'm the resurrection and the life.

I told you I'll give you the points at the end.

Here they are.

Number one, believe that he can.

Some of you, that's what you need to do.

You need to believe that he can do it.

Even if he's late, even if he doesn't make sense.

Believe that he can.

Second thing is this.

Trust if he won't.

If he doesn't do what you expect him to do, which sometimes happens, I need you to trust him regardless.

Believe that he can.

Trust if he won't.

And number three, in the end, know that he will.

Sometimes the resurrection, the life, everything that we're trying to experience, we're not going to experience it in this life.

We'll experience it in the life to come.

But regardless, we walk in faith.

We are people with faith.

We walk in faith submitted.

That's who we are.

That's what Christians do.

We know he can, but we trust him even if he doesn't.

We walk in faith, but regardless, we are always submitted, knowing that at the end of time, he will make it all better.

Love y'all.

Y'all receive that today?

Y'all receive that?

Okay, let me pray.

Lord, I want to thank you.

For today, God, I want to thank you for every single person that's here.

God, I don't know the need.

Lord, I don't know how many people just need to believe that you still can, that you're writing a story that they wouldn't see, that you're writing a story that they wouldn't expect.

Lord, I pray that you will just increase their belief.

Lord.

But I also pray, Lord, for some of us, God, that we're just gonna trust you regardless.

We're gonna trust you even if you don't, even if you never, we're gonna trust you.

Saying that if that's what you choose for us, there must be something in it.

There must be a reason why you're allowing us to experience what we're experiencing.

And God, I think you're in the last day, you will make everything better.

Lord, I pray peace upon your people.

I just want to take a moment, and there may be some people here today, and you have never made the decision to follow Jesus.

I said this that if you are not following Jesus, this is the closest to heaven you're ever gonna get.

And there might be some people here, and you're like, Man, Brad, I know Jesus loves me.

I've been running away, I'm far from him, and it's time that I come back to him.

If that's you, I want to give you a chance just to pray a prayer.

And this prayer doesn't save you, it's you following Jesus that does.

But the Bible does say this if you believe in your heart and you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

So we're gonna pray a prayer.

I want everyone to pray it for the benefit of those praying it for the first time.

Just say, Dear Jesus, I believe that you're the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I believe you came to this earth and you died on a cross and you were raised, that I may have life.

And right now, I make you my Lord, I make you my savior.

In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name.

With every head bowed and eyes closed, if you're here today and you said that for the first time, I want to count to three.

And if that's you, I just want you to lift up your hand.

No one's looking around.

I just want to celebrate with you.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

If that's you, lift up your hand.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I love that.

I love that.

Praise God.

Praise God.

Hey church, can you do me a favor?

Can you put your hands together?

Come on, for everyone who just said that.