Two Masters

On September the 9th 1965 James Stockdale was flying a mission over North Vietnam. His plane was struck by enemy fire. Down he went. He ejected, parachuted into a small village. He was captured by the enemy. He was beat and taken prisoner. He would spend the next seven and a half years of his life in the prison camp. Senior naval officer. Often times he was beaten to the point he could barely move. He was denied medical attention. He was thrown and spent most his entire time there, when he wasn't being beaten, in the windowless concrete cell 3 feet by 9 feet. How do you survive circumstances like that? How do you sit there day in day out? How do you mentally, emotionally, physically, how do you endure things like that?

In his book good to great Jim Collins shares a bit of Stockdale story. I love when he said this in the interview: I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never lost faith in the end of the story. I can't always control my right now. There are times when I have to remind myself it's not always going to be like this. I may be enduring hell right now, but this will not define me. I will see an end that is beyond my expectations, if I can hang on to the word that God gave me. I know there's a better day coming. I want to preach to you for a little while: hope does not disappoint. Hope does not disappoint. You may be seated.

Romans chapter 5 verse 1 says: therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character — there's a progression going on here — character, and character hope. Verse 5: now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

It's a fight. It's a fight every day you and I get up. It's a fight every day I take breath in this world that I live in. It's a fight. But if I understand what Paul is writing to the church at Rome, he was simply saying this: there's going to be tribulations that come, but don't dismiss them for what they are. It's a progression in your life, because if you'll go through the tribulation, it produces in you perseverance, and perseverance is what shapes and forms and molds the character that's in your life, and character lead you to hope. Because there very well may be a time that you'll arrive in your life when you're in a prison cell 3 by 9, and there was no window, and there's no sunlight, and the only time you ever escaped that room is to be beat to a pulp and place back in their room. But that's not the end of the story, because character lets you know there's more to this than what I'm going through.

I did some research last night, just for a little while. Didn't take long to kind of find some stuff I was looking at. I was interested in, had there been any studies and anything put together on the amount of people they were projecting to die in the next twenty to thirty years? The forecast for growth and the deceased is interesting. They're predicting to be up a little over 18 percent somewhere between the years 20 30 and 20 float 2040. They're expecting a spike to reach their everything. Well pastor Kevin, what in the world would you look up numbers like that? That seems to be something that's rather depressing. Why would you want to pay attention to what's going on there? Well number one, it's just a part of life. You live long enough, you're gonna die. We don't want to die, and most most everybody who's reasonable thinking, they're not wanting to take the first train out.

But what I find fascinating is that, as a society, we spend a whole lot of time thinking about the funeral and very little time thinking about what takes place after. It's amazing to me, the funeral industry now, it's grown and all the stuff that's there. The Boomers that are in the room — if you're a Boomer, raise your hand. Raise it proud. If you're a Boomer, you've lived this long, you got to put you in there. A lot a lot of boomers going on here. That boomer generation is interesting. They are interested in the final service. They're paying attention to what's going to happen at the end. Fact, there's even such a thing, and I believe I touched on this many years ago, as designer caskets. Fascinating to me, because you're dead. You have no idea whether or not they're really going to do that. They could just chunk you out in the backyard in the box. Some of these caskets go upwards of $20,000. Let me remind you, you're dead. Leather lined, heated seats, cupholders — I'm just making that up — everything. It's interesting, this fascination that we have with death.

Remember the childhood prayer: now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. There's actually a second verse to that. You don't know this. Verse number two says: our days begin with trouble here, our life is but a span. A cruel death is always near, so frail this thing a man. Goodnight sweetheart. Olivia doesn't like leaving that in your child's mind as you walk away and close the door. Is it death?

There was a guy named Mel Blanc. Do we know him? The voice of Looney Tunes. Back before our cartoons were censored — no, there was the violence when wily coyote ran off a cliff. No, I can't see that anymore because it'll mess with our brains. But do you remember the end of the Looney Tunes episodes? There was always that last thing, when porky the pig would pop out of the drum and he would say — what, they didn't stutter — that's all folks. On his tombstone his family put that on there: that's all folks. I bring that up because I wonder if we think that's the truth. That's all. What years you had? 70, 80, 90, maybe 100, 110. Really what is that? Just as the Word of God says: a vapor, just a mist. It's just there and it's gone.

I want to look for just a minute at a story in the Bible, a story about life and death and then life again. It involves Jesus. It involves a man named Lazarus. He lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. Very interesting story. Most everybody who's been around in search for any length of time, you've heard this story talked about, preached about, some point. It was there when Jesus went to Jerusalem. We see from the scriptures that when he was close by, this was the house where he went and where he would hang out. It was, it was friends. In fact we, we would kind of see from scriptures, it was even a little bit more than friends. It was the kind of friends that almost felt like family when you were there. He had a place. That's where he went to.

But at the time of the story, and we're gonna go to John chapter 11, he has not seen his friends for some time. In fact, the last time that he was there, there was kind of a little bit of a fuss that broke out, and some of those in the leadership of the day, we're trying to stone Jesus. So it was kind of his best interest that he hadn't visited there in a while. But news comes. Lazarus gets sick, and he has a fever, coughs up some blood, funds of lump, something's going on. Whatever it is, he goes to seeks out medical advice. But what gets returned back to him is, it's not good. The diagnosis isn't well. The doctors shake their head. They simply say they're sorry, there's nothing that they can do.

This sisters Mary and Martha, they're so desperate. They only have one hope. And we see this in John chapter 11 verse number one: now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. Verse number three: therefore his sister sent unto him saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. Now Mary and Martha know about Jesus. They have seen and understand that he's not normal man. He's something special. He is from God. And they are sending out word to him to let him know that Lazarus is sick. And generally, if there's someone that you and I love, we, we try to pay attention to what's going on and, and you know, it's not like it's a stranger. This is somebody who Jesus has a relationship with. In fact we, we get this, that they don't even mention his name. They simply say someone you love. The one you love is sick, as if that in itself should be indication of who they're talking to. To me the screams, when you read the word of God, this screams to us the depth of relationship that was there. This wasn't something that was normal.

Then Jesus does a strange thing in verse number five: now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Verse six: when he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. That's kind of hard for you and I to really understand. If, if I find out someone I dearly love is sick, I want to run to them. I'll change the plans that I have. I'll put stuff on hold, because the one I love is sick. This could be a sickness that could lead to death, and I might not have a chance to have any final words. So I'm not going to waste time with stuff that's kind of trivial. I'm gonna drop what I'm doing, and I'm gonna make sure that I get there, that I spend some time with the one I love. So this, this, this, this decision that Jesus has in this moment here kind of leaves us scratching our heads just a little bit, trying to understand what's really going on. Why would you choose to delay?

Jesus waits two days, and we're gonna see he does so deliberately. And then finally he says in verse number seven: then after that saith he to his disciples, let us go into Judea again. So he's gonna go back to Bethany, back to where Mary and Martha and Lazarus are, bet back to where his friends are. Now at the begin of the story, Jesus is again some distance away, and it was for his own good, because it was not a safe place for him. In fact, we see this come back up again in verse number 8, as his disciples begin to remind him, hey, just in case you might have forgotten, last time we were there they were chunking rocks at us. We see this — look at verse number 8: his disciples saying him, master, the Jews have laid soft a stone thee, and goest thou did there again? I can almost seem going, evidently he's forgotten. So hey Jesus, just the case you don't remember, it's not good there. We probably shouldn't go. There's a, there's a chance it could go bad for us. Jesus explains to them that he's going to go, and that he's not worried about those that are looking out or trying to do him any hard. Then he says something that's very profound. I want you to catch this. And in verse number 14: then said Jesus unto them plainly — I like that. He's good southern word right there. He's speaking plain. He didn't mix his words. He went straight to the point — the Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.

I don't know you, but that's kind of hard to take when Jesus makes a statement that Lazarus is already dead, and I'm glad, I'm happy about this, for your sakes. What are you trying to tell me Lord? What's possibly could be good that if Lazarus died and passing away, how is it possible that you're happy about this in what's going on? Because, like we oftentimes are, the disciples were short-sighted in what was taking place, not fully understand yet all that Jesus was trying to do. Because oftentimes the things in life that we feel like we need to be removed from us, or the very things that God chooses to use in our life to form and shape us. We don't always like tribulations and trials. We don't always like going through the frustrations and the aggravations of life, but there are times when it's necessary to shape and form and make us, to do, to conform into what God is trying to do in our life. Something, you need some things to die in your life. Some of you need some things to go wrong, to work out the way that God wants them to instead of the way you're trying to make them work out in your life. God's trying to remove some stuff.

And I've come to an understanding in my life: when God takes something away from me, I didn't need it to start with. Now that's hard, because sometimes there's been some things taken out of my life that I really love, and they were precious, and they were very dear to me. It didn't make sense why God was taking those things when he took those things away. But I have to go back to the fact that I understand the end. I know that the end, God is good. I know that God is faithful. And even though it doesn't make sense to me, and I can't fully wrap my mind always around why God does the things that he does, I have to know that he wants what's best for me in my life, that he walks in front of me, that he's not stuck inside of time. He's outside of time, seeing where I am, and then he's constantly trying to encourage me to move forward in him.

And I also understand that sometimes in life, what we sow, we will reap. And there's a law of the harvest that takes place. And sometimes, if I'm trying to prematurely get out of a situation and my heart has not yet changed to the point where it needs to be, I'm doing myself an injustice and a disservice. Sometimes the law of reaping and sowing needs to finish its work. Because sometimes you got to get down to the point that something dies, before you can really realize what it is God's trying to do to you.

They were not thrilled, but they go. And by the time they go to Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. As the custom of the day, Mary and Martha are surrounded by mourners, surrounded by friends, surrounded by family. Martha goes out to meet Jesus. And we see this in verse 24: then said Martha into Jesus, Lord, if thou had us been here, my brother had not died. Every body in this room has some if onlys. Every one of us have some if only situation and circumstance that we can go back to, some scenario that we can play out in our minds that could have been different. If only I would have. God, if only you would have. If, if only it would have been this way, or that way, or you, it allowed it to come in, or you would have taken it away in time. We can sit down and play the if only game all day long. I could pass the microphone around, and we could go from chair to chair, the chair, and we can spend a few hours in here today. And by the time we're done, we could all feel justified why it is our life has turned out the way it's turned out. But let me tell you something today: God has a plan. His plan doesn't always make sense than human logic and understanding, but he has a plan. And his purpose and intent is to always position you and I, to the best ability, for us to accomplish his kingdom work. Whether you know this or not, God is for you. But his for you is also further in his kingdom.

Hmm, I feel resistance. I feel resistance in the Holy Ghost. Someone doesn't like what I said, because it doesn't make sense to you. And what's been taken from you, you're still allowing to control how you view, and how you think, in how you shape your life. God loves us. He loves us enough to die for us. He loves us enough that he will allow things to come into our lives in order to keep us where we need to be. He loves us enough that he left you and I make our own decisions, and weave ourselves into a web of things that will pull us down to the problem. Do we end up being at rock bottom, when we understand that without God I can't make it? But let me tell you something: without God you can't make it.

Now I prefer to learn the lesson sooner rather than later. Now I'll tell you, I'm as hard-headed as anybody in this room. I'm stubborn. My wife will probably take a lap. I can be very set in my ways. But I have resolved and made my mind up many years ago, then when it comes to God, I don't argue with him. I lived through some stuff, and I learned some stuff the hard way. I took a few on the chin, and I lived with the consequences of my decisions, in my bad actions. And I was one that was smart enough to know, I don't want to do that again. I'm tired of being in that position. So God, if I'm supposed to learn something, you have my attention now. If there's something I need to take away from this, God, please point it out, so that I can see it and fully understand him, grasp but you wanted me, deed me, to do something special. His desire is to use you to further his kingdom, and he will position stuff in and out of your life to help affect that. Expect it. In, for you, were you and I get in troubles when we fight the process.

Let me go further. Martha brings her if only to Jesus. If only you would have been here. Maybe she's thinking, you know, I'm mad about this, and the only person I know that I can really go to that could have done something is him. So she goes to Jesus, has said, you know, if you would have been here, this wouldn't happen. He'd have been in life. I've seen firsthand all that you can do. I know that you operate in the miraculous, and the God uses you madly, and there's no doubt in me, my faith is strong. If you would have been here, he would still be alive. Has anybody had a conversation with God like that? Yeah, I'll admit, I got both hands in the air. I've had some conversations where I said, God, I don't understand. You could have intervened anytime you wanted to. You could have taken control. I haven't faith in nothing. You and I have seen enough of my life that without any doubt you could have done something here. We've had some if only moments.

But then Jesus, he makes this statement here in verse 25. He said unto her: I am the resurrection and the life, and he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Then he asked her a question: believe us thou this? He says, I know you're struggling. I know you're having a hard time understanding what's going on. And I know you've come out here and you're putting the blame on me. Your expectation was, the moment I received news, the moment you first cried out to me, that I was going to leave doing where I was — because that's what makes sense to you — and that I was going immediately, as soon as possible, travel here, and that my presence and my, my ability to be here in the moment would have saved Lazarus, and he would still be alive. But I'm going to ask you a question now: do you believe that I'm the resurrection in the life? So I'm coming to ask somebody today: do you believe that he's the resurrection in the life? Do you believe? Do you, do you understand? Do you fully comprehend this staggering claim that is there?

Can you imagine for just a minute if this situation was present-day? Now go with me for just a minute. Don't dismiss this story. Let go with me to the end. By no means could ever be, nor would I ever try, to put myself in the position of Jesus Christ. But I know I'm the pastor of this church now. If you reached out to me and you said, my loved one, his own deathbed, would you please come pray? And I delayed my arrival for a few days. And when you asked me what's going on, I said, well, you know how to go by Home Depot, and I had to go over here for a little bit. There was a sale, and I had to take advantage of a few things. And, and then, as you're sitting there looking to me disbelief, I was to proclaim, well, well the resurrection and the life. Do you, but do you believe that? I mean, you'd be calling the guys and a white coach to come pick me up, like, pastors, then he's checked out now. This building got him. I knew it was gonna get him. It got him. He is checked out. But she's talking to the Messiah. She's seen firsthand what he can do.

Now her faith was strong enough — listen to me, okay, don't miss the point of the sermon — her faith was strong enough to reach out to him on the initial. Mm-hmm, the Holy Ghost is moving right now. Her faith was strong enough on the start to send word to God, because Lazarus, this Vesak, he's lyin to death, God. It's a dire situation. It's as bad as it's ever been. It doesn't feel like there's any hope of this to change. It feels like I have no control over the circumstances. So god, I'm doing my best. The only thing I know to do is to turn to you. And she reaches out faith, believing that he could touch Lazarus. But now that it's dead, Jesus shows up, and he's asking: do you believe that I'm the resurrection and the life? Listen to the words he's saying. Do you only believe me in the life? Do you only believe me in the moments when human logic says there's still a chance? Are you only trusting me in the moments when you can logically see an outcome that works? Or do you trust me still, even though everything is dead, and there's absolutely nothing you can do with your human ability and power? Do you still believe in me now?

See, there will be a time in your life when you, we'll be faced with circumstances and situations where what appears to be is that all hope is lost. The doctor said it's over. Your friend said it's over. The counselor says there's nothing else they can do. You see there is no more sunshine in your sky. And you feel like, God, I have went to you when there was still hope and there was still chance. But I'm telling you, there's a God who showed up in this room today, and he's asking, do you believe me to be the God of the resurrection in life? Am I only the god of life? I'm only the god of when you see a way out? Or is there a possibility that there's enough faith inside of you to understand it, even if it's dead, with me there's still hope?

Martha says, first 27: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. I got a pause here again. She wasn't grasping what he was saying. There's an awful lot riding on this question. Maybe you're not sure. Maybe you're a little curious about this man. Maybe your next step is to say, you know, I'm just not sure if I believe enough. I'm going to kind of explore it out. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna find — in this whole eternity business — is really riding on whether or not you can answer and settle the question inside yourself: do you believe him to be the God of the resurrection and the life? If you're not sure, let me encourage you: you need to dive in to the Word of God. You need to maybe spend some time with it, with it, with somebody who can walk you through the Scriptures and rightly divide the word, so that you can settle some of these things inside your life.

Listen to me. I'm not gonna pattycake this. Life stuff, it's hard. It doesn't work out the way we want to most times. It doesn't, doesn't go always the way it's playing. Sometimes it brings you tough blows and circumstances that are overwhelming. There'll be times when you're gonna cry yourself to sleep for days and weeks and months on end, and you're gonna wonder where in the world is God in the midst of all the situation. We finite human beings, you and I, stuck inside of time, think that God has forgotten us. He doesn't, he doesn't care anymore, and he's not concerned with everything that you and I face, because it seems like all hope is lost. But is God good, or is God not good? You have to settle some stuff inside your life. There's going to be some times when you got to get away in a prayer closet, and you got to get alone with the Word of God, and you got to pour yourself into what the promises are there. And even when it doesn't look good, you still open them up and you begin to read them back to him and say, I'm claiming this promise, and I'm claiming this promise, and I'm claiming this promise, even though I don't see a way out.

Stockton's was in that prison, and he said it wasn't the everyday thing that was there. He was asked — Jim Collins asked him in that book good to great — who were the first ones to die? And he said the optimist. Listen to this. The optimist were the ones that, I, we're gonna be out by Christmas, we're gonna be out by Easter, we're gonna be out by New Year. Slowly they died off, one, one, one, one. He wasn't a pessimist. He was the guy that understood: I can't control my circumstances right now. Externally, everything outside my world is outside of my control. I don't have the ability over when I get to go out to the Sun. I don't have the ability to control even when I get something to eat. Everything about me is being controlled. But I refuse to accept the end. There's something about resolving side of human ability, the spirit that can't be killed, that says, I don't like what I'm going through, but I refuse to accept that this is the best it's going to be. There will come a day when I will be released. There will come a day when I will be set free from my captors. There will come a day when I will see my Savior. And I'm asking, are you that kind of person? Are you the kind of individual, father after Jesus Christ, where you have resolved inside yourself: this is not going to define me. This will not have its final say. I may be bound right now. I may be struggling right now. May not like my circumstances or my situations. But my God is good, and I know, when the time is right and when his time is perfect, he will see me through the other side of this.

Jesus finds Martha's sister Mary and the other mourners, and they are in deep sorrow. Verse 33 says: when Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned. He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. Now that word weeping is a little bit misleading. You and I, weeping is kind of a quiet hush little thing. If you study, study Middle Eastern culture any, you'll understand that was not what was going on here. In fact, there were people who were professional mourners who showed up. It was their gifting. When they took the test, they came back and said, you'd be really good at weeping and wailing. And they showed up at events with reckless abandon. Well I mean this own, you know, I mean he could hear. There was no doubt something was going on, as you approached. There was, there was nothing left to mind. You and I think, somebody's dead, something Bad's going on over there. Weeping and wailing. But even Jesus is touched with the emotion of the moment. Don't miss this, okay? Just because he hasn't intervened doesn't mean he's not touched by what you're going through. He knew the plan. He understood the outcome, and the reason and the purpose behind what he was doing. Yet he was still touched in the moment when he's seen how people were being affected.

He sees the tune. He hears the people wailing. And then he joins in. Verse 35, the verse that most everybody memorizes in the Bible: jesus wept. Why does he do this? To me, not only does he feel the hurt and the pain in the moment, but I feel like his weeping was a mixture of also understanding what was fixing that calm. Couple of days after this, Jesus will stand outside the city of Jerusalem, and he'll weep again. He'll proclaim and say: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have gathered D. I would have put you under my wings, but you wouldn't let me. He's moved, and he's, he's touched by what's going on. He wants to embrace these people that are stubborn and discontent. They're racing through their lives, and they're headed to the graves, and for eternity, without ever giving him a chance. Jesus wept.

Jesus stops, and he stands to face the tomb. A tomb like the tombs in which many before bodies had been placed in. This was a new tomb. First 39: jesus said, take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister him that was dead, saith: Lord, by this time he's stinketh, for he's been dead for days. You know this Martha in the Bible, she's an interesting gal. She probably had a middle name like Stewart or something. She's always this busy and making sure everybody's taken care of. And she's, she's the point, saying, this just ain't time out. Let's, let's talk through this. You wanna, you want to take that away. And I know you probably want to see him, but look, it's, he's been in there for days. I mean, he's probably, it's just not gonna be good. They didn't bomb then. Decomposition would have advanced. There was no hope. Listen to the words I'm saying. There was no hope.

In that part of the world, they, or their understanding was, many believed that for three days the, the soul of a person, the spirit of person, would just kind of hover over the body. But by the fourth day it was gone. This miracle that took place is called the irrefutable miracle. It's the miracle that the Pharisees and Sadducees couldn't do anything with. They couldn't explain a way. They struggled. They had the hardest time on this miracle. This miracle, Jesus knew, was going to lead him to the cross. He knew this was, this was the final segue into where he was going. Mary's still not fully understanding. She's trying to stop him and say, look, look, look, look God, now's not the time. We tried to reach out to you earlier, and it, and it's over. Now's not the time.

And I feel like there are some in this room, do you have given up because it's dead. It's decomposing. It stinks. It's a sore subject. We don't talk about it anymore. We don't want to go there. We've already buried it. We're already in the process of mourning, the process of recovery, the process of moving on. I've already decided, god, it's just not going to happen for me. It's just not in the cards. I've already given up on all that stuff. I'm speaking in the Holy Ghost to somebody right now. You've buried some things in your life that you thought was done. And I'm here to tell you, there's a God standing outside the tomb of what you buried, and he's asking for you to roll the stone back one more time, because he's fixing to call some stuff out in your life.

Verse 40: jesus said in her, said i'm not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe, thou should have see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. In Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: father, I think thee that thou has heard me. Heard you. Now this is one of those moments when you got to understand what's going on. This is Jesus the man talking. Jesus the man is praying. When you see Jesus praying, it's the man, the flesh, that's praying. The flesh is saying, I thank you that you've heard me. Heard what? It's a dead situation that you've just uncovered. It's going to be stinking. What it possibly could we hear? Is, is he just surprised because there's no odor or no smell of death, or because the bodies hold? But Jesus the man prays and says, thank you that you've heard me.

Some of you here today think your life is over. The situation is, it's too far gone and too bad, that there's no hope left inside of what you have. But I'm telling you, Jesus standing here and yourself made tomb, and he's asking you to roll away, because he's desiring to bring something back to you. When he was praying, he's remembering back to what he himself was going through, as he's heading to the trouble. And he cries out to that that was dead and says in 43: Lazarus, come forth. Then Jesus says the second part that is so important for us to get in this message today. You see, more than god giving life back to your situation, verse 44: and he that was dead came forth, the bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. And jesus said unto him, him and let him go. Loose him, and let him go.

Not only does he want to revive that that you have already buried and declared was dead, but the very thing that calls death in the first place, he's here to deliver from you today. In this place, God was going to take you to an extreme place, an extreme measure, so that you could understand that it was only by him this process could take place. That you, inside yourself and your abilities and your logic, you couldn't do anything with it. He allowed that thing to die inside of you. But he's standing here today outside of yourself made tomb, and he's knocking on the door, sin, roll the stone away. I'm here to call what was dead out to life. And not only that, I'm about to loose it, so they can be more effective than it could have ever been before he died.

Well there ought to be somebody stand up on their feet and shout to a God who's about to do something miraculous in this place today. I'm talking about a God who doesn't give up. Even when you buried it, he's still there saying, there's still chance, if you believe I'm the resurrection in the life. I can't imagine what's going through. What a party broke out in that moment. What a celebration, that laster's is back alive. What a transformation inside himself. The next time we hear about Lazarus is just a couple of days later, when the Pharisees are trying to kill him. I wonder how much effect that had on him. I wonder if he said, you're not gonna have to call my insurance agent back again and see if there's another policy for death. What's he thinking? Well can you threaten me with, I was already dead, been dead for days, I'm okay. You can't worry me with death.

I think you're ready to close, as God gets ready to move. You can have the hope I talked about the day, because Jesus is still asking, do you believe I'm the god of the resurrection and the life? Romans 5, I'm going back to my opening verse: therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the whom we, whom also we have access by faith into the grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint. Why? Why does hope not disappoint? Because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was giving us out of God. You have hope in him, no matter how dark the situation, no matter how bleak it seems, no matter how frustrating it's been, no matter how disappointed it's been, no matter how heartbreaking it's been. Let Hope live. Hope is not disappoint.

A little boy named David is up against the giant named Goliath. David's in trouble. He doesn't know what to do. The King says, here, wear my armor. But Saul was 250 to long, and David was a 36 short. It didn't work. Hadn't proved this. I can't make him. It looks like it's over, but hope doesn't disappoint. A man named Daniel gets thrown into a lion's den because he refuses to stop being obedient, and he continues to pray to God. The Lions are hungry. He's there all night. At first light of dawn, Darius calls down. Daniel begins to tell him, the Lions have been put on a low-protein diet. I'm just fine. Hope does not disappoint. A man named Moses convinces an entire nation of oppress slaves, at this time leave. They march out from the most powerful man in the world, of the most powerful army. They come up against the Red Sea. They don't know where to go. Mountains on both sides. Behind them as a fierce army. They feel like everything is lost, but hope does not disappoint.

I'm telling you, our God specializes in difficult situations. Our God thrives in the fact that we can trust and believe that we, even though we have no way of knowing how it's gonna work out, he shows up right when he needs to. And even if it's already dead and buried, all hope is not lost. So I don't know what you're going through today, but I'm here to tell you, hope doesn't disappoint.

When you bow your heads: me condor hero honda Rico show tosya Nando really Yama Torian, holy God, your desire is to move in this place, and I bring back to life some things that have been buried and dead. Hole wonder you're 19, I've reached your world today, God, that anointing breaks the yoke that's in this place, that's keeping some down. In the name of Jesus Christ, let there be a freedom of praise and worship in this place, God. Let oppression and depression fall down right now. That there be a freedom of worship break out in this place, God, that we can praise our way into the promises you have for us. God, I pray for a holy boldness to come over individuals right now. How Lord, that they would step out and exercise their faith and trust in you one more time. God, you are standing at the graveside of, of tombs that have been sealed up, and you are knocking, and you were asking: roll it away, roll it away, roll it away, and I'll bring it back to life, and I'll set it free to do that, that I wanted to accomplish. Jesus name, let it be done.

Friend, this altar is open. For some of you, the pain is so real, it's almost taking your breath right now. I'm speaking to you. You know who I'm speaking. There's a god who's here saying, try me. I don't know what you've buried, and I don't know how long it's been there. But I'm praying right now that you'll step out and Trust, then he has not forgotten what he told you. This officer is open. If you need salvation, and you've tried time and time and time again, only to be disappointed, I'm asking you to come one more time. The God of all is here in this place. He's desired to do a work in your life. Yes, thank you for those that are coming. Thank you for those that are coming. God's gonna honor that faith in your life. God's gonna honor it. No, no, no really short, oh yeah, yes man. A god, woman of God, be sensitive. His spirit is moving in this place. Allow him to use you right now. It's prayer time. It's prayer time in Hungary, or shorter yet, you.