Wednesday Night Bible Study

Thank you so much for your giving. Thank you musicians for always leading us in worship. And thanks to all of you for being in the house of the Lord on this Wednesday night for worship and the word. I would join with Pastor Anthony's voice and invite everyone to that special event on Friday evening, our annual spring program, Apostolic Christian school and Apostolic Kitty Academy. Always an exciting time. Full house. We'll have a lot of guests here. And hopefully we'll have a lot of home folks here as well because you will enjoy the uh performance and presentation by our Christian school and child care center students. So, please be here. Uh we so are so excited about all the events that are taking this time taking place this time of year. It's always a an exciting time, but a busy time. And we're just a few weeks away from uh the commencement services of uh first of Apostolic Christian School. And we're excited about that, and I want to encourage our church family. Um the events and celebrations that we have uh of with the different ministries of our church, sometimes uh if we're not careful if uh it's not uh one of our kids or one of our grandkids that are involved, uh we feel like it's uh less important for us to be at some of these events. And it really is the opposite because they're all our kids and our grandkids. And uh you may not have a grandchild uh or a child that's graduating this year, but someday you might or you already have, and you want that event to be uh very special. So, I encourage all the church family to uh stay attuned to all the events that are going on and be supportive of those things. Hey, I want to say uh happy birthday to Michael Pierce. Found out it was your birthday. Happy birthday. I love you, my friend. Happy birthday to you. I'm glad that we have a chance to study the word of the Lord. I always uh want to give honor where honor's due, and I honor Bishop and Sister McCool. Thank you uh for your labor of love for us, to all of our ministers, pastors, leaders, and the saints of First Apostolic Church. Thank you for your faithful service in the kingdom of God. I want to get into our Bible study curriculum for tonight and our lesson title is simply this, "Raising Lazarus." Raising Lazarus and the subtitle stated, "I will have faith in Jesus for healing and resurrection." We're going to be studying tonight from the 11th chapter of the book of St. John and we will study most of it but in particular the events that dealt with the sickness and the death of Lazarus. So, I'm going to read a few verses that we'll say as our key text for this study tonight in John 11 beginning with verse number one. Now, certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, his sisters sent unto him saying, "Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick." When Jesus heard that, he said "This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Notice that. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. God, I pray that your word will be fresh in our hearts and our minds. Lord, though the scripture the passage and the story is familiar, Lord, let us find fresh anointing and fresh food from your table tonight, from your word, that would make us better in you, build our faith stronger in you. For all this we're grateful and thankful. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. All in this house and those who would listen online who are scripturally literate or aware know the details and the highlights of the sickness, the death, and the resurrection of Lazarus. But I hope tonight as we revisit St. John the 11th chapter and the events that led up to this miraculous event, I hope it will lead to a maturing of our faith and we can consider some things that maybe we have never considered before even from this passage and how we might better understand how faith in the face of the impossible still gives us hope in Christ. It's important to understand the idea of having faith when it seems there's no way anything can be accomplished. Hebrews 11:1 is the faith scripture that we're all most usually able to quote. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Both Galatians and Hebrews make the statement that says the just shall live by faith. Not just have faith, but the just shall have a life living by faith. In the early 1900s, Robert Emmett Winsett, who was an American composer and publisher of gospel music, by the way, he was from Bledsoe County, Tennessee, he co-authored a hymn that the first verse and the chorus went like this. The hymn said, "I care not today what tomorrow may bring, if shadow or sunshine or rain, the Lord I know ruleth over everything, and all of my worry is vain." The chorus said, "Living by faith in Jesus above, trusting, confiding in his great love, from all harm safe in his sheltering arms, I'm living by faith and I feel no alarm." What admirable and inspiring lyrics to sing and to write, but how difficult we sometimes find it when adversity appears to have been victorious and won above one's faith. The text that we read tonight, speaking of the sickness of Lazarus, and his sisters beckoning Jesus on Lazarus' behalf, tells us that Mary and Martha had great expectations of what Jesus would accomplish if they called for him. They sent word that Lazarus is sick. Simple as that. They didn't even make a specific request of Lazarus is sick, come heal him. They just assumed and expected if they sent the word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, Jesus would act immediately and would get there as soon as possible. AND FRANKLY, ALL OF us who are believers in the healing power and the miracle working power of Christ have done similarly. We pray for a miracle. We send a text message or give a prayer request. We might post on post a need on social media or call a minister or a saint that we trust to help us pray. Illness of any kind leaves the concerned sometimes of all of us with a helplessness. For as a believer it's just in our intuition, it's intuitive for us to pray and expect prayers to be answered. Mary and Martha expected Jesus to heal Lazarus sickness. And why shouldn't they? They had all as his followers seen him time and time again heal the sick. No doubt Mary and Martha had been eyewitnesses to account after account of the miraculous power that Jesus had portrayed and had healed others. And in fact, we still read about those miracles today and are inspired by them. Lazarus' sisters just simply sent word to Jesus letting him know that his dear friend was ill. They thought he would take care of Lazarus. But something happened along the way. They thought he would be inclined to respond immediately. But instead Jesus said and in our humanity we would read it as being a little bit uh unconcerned. Jesus said, "His sickness is not unto death. It's just that God would be glorified." He could have taken a holy detour and headed straight to Bethany. But Jesus lingered where he was for a couple of more days. Instead of meeting their expectations Jesus went about the business that he had prioritized. Jesus and Lazarus were close. They were friends. But in reality the thing we have to think about many times we have expectations of the Lord doing things a certain way. But that's not his will. I've heard it said and I don't know who to credit with the original quote. So I will not try, but I'll just say someone that was very wise said, "I'm not concerned so much about when bad things happen to bad people, but it bothers me when bad things happen to good people." But you see there are times that we have certain expectations for God to deal with things a certain way. As a pastor, frankly, it's difficult to watch good people go through difficult situations. How can I reach them? How can I help them? How can I build their faith and give them encouragement? We see faith-filled people go through health issues, relationship breakups, trials and tests. And I know they've prayed about it, and I've helped them pray about it. Yet, it seems like the healing that they're expecting just does not show up. Has God forgotten them? Has God failed to keep his word? Is he a false god? A thousand times, no. Jesus loved Lazarus, but on the surface, it appeared that he didn't really understand the seriousness of Lazarus' illness. You know, we sometimes feel that way. Lord, I'm praying about this, but you just don't really get how difficult this is. That's the spirit we sometimes develop. Look, Lord, you don't understand. I I know there's a lot of folks ASKING YOU, BUT MY PROBLEM IS the most important thing, and to you it is. And God, I need my prayer answered, and this is how I want it answered. John is the only one of the Gospels who actually recounts this story. In all the synoptic recounts of events in the Gospels, this is the only time that this particular miracle is recounted. And John's retelling of the events, frankly, they it it comes across a little bit brutal. He wrote, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus when he heard that he was sick. He abode two days still in the same place where he was." It just does not seem like Jesus has the urgency and understands the seriousness of Lazarus' illness. He didn't respond with the immediacy that seemed appropriate for such a dire situation. But put yourself in Mary and Martha's place. They sent for Jesus and a day passed and no Jesus shows up. Well, surely he'll be here tomorrow. Another day passes. Jesus is not here. Have you ever found yourself feeling that way? Have you ever felt like that, man, I've asked and I've asked and I've I've cried, I did everything I know I'm supposed to do, but Jesus is not hearing me. And there was disappointment in both Martha and Mary. For you see, they had faith for healing, but they did not have yet faith for resurrection. There was a difference. As long as Lazarus was sick, they had faith believing that Jesus could get there and heal him. But they didn't have faith yet for a resurrection to take place. For to bring someone back from the dead, especially someone who'd been dead for several days was the impossible. So to them all hope was lost. Lazarus was dead now and Jesus still hadn't showed up. Sometimes when we put human limitations in our expectations of what God can do, we will get disappointed. But you see, when you really put your trust in God, when you mature in your faith, even though that thing, that entity, that issue seems impossible for God to solve it, it's time for him to do his best work. Hallelujah. When it APPEARS THAT IT'S ALL IMPOSSIBLE, that thing that you wanted to be healed cannot be healed for it has died. So let's look a bit at the chronology of the story. This is where not our faith should become weak. This is where our faith in God should become stronger. For that's when our faith in God must stand the test of being able to say, "God, whatever your will is, that's what I trust in." Lord, I'm praying for healing for Lazarus, but if he dies, I'm not going to let my faith be weak. I'm going to say, "GOD, I'VE STILL GOT my trust in you and I still have faith in you. I'm disappointed that I didn't get the answer I wanted, but I know it was in YOUR SOVEREIGN WILL. THAT'S FAITH IN THE RESURRECTION, not just faith in healing. So, Jesus arrived on the scene. We sing songs about that. We sing he's an on-time God. Yes, he is. It'd be hard for Mary and Martha to sing that. Now, some of us like to sing he's a part-time God. Yes, he is, just when we need him. But, our song says he's an on-time God. Yes, he is. Another song says he may not come in come when you want him, but he's right on time. You see, MARY AND Martha were about to get a lesson in God's timing. The God I serve does not need a Timex or a Rolex to be on time. He's on his time. And his time's the right time. John 11, that we're studying, go to verse 11. It says, "These things said he, and after that he said unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. But I go that I may awake him out of sleep." Now, the disciples are hearing this now. Jesus, you don't get it. What What's your deal? Jesus, you know everything it appears, and I've seen you do so much, but can you not understand Now, they didn't say that, but you know they were thinking it. Je- You haven't heard. He's He's not asleep. He's dead. I mean, as they say in the South, he's graveyard dead. Then said his disciples, "Lord, if he sleep he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death. But they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest and sleep. Then then said Jesus unto them plainly. He let them know, I know what's going on. He said, Lazarus is dead. But once again, it seems so uncaring and coarse. And I'm glad for your sake that he was not I was not there. To the intent you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go unto him. Jesus timing didn't fit Mary and Martha's expectations. His conversation didn't work with the disciples that were with him. Cuz he said our friend Lazarus is asleep. And let me pause here and tell everybody this. Sometimes we in our humanity take what God is saying always literally when we should have spiritual insight to understand that God sometimes speaks and performs his will in our lives figuratively. Now, let me explain. There are miracles and there are healings. And there's a difference. Some folks think that healings have to take place instantaneously. Sometimes God instantly heals a physical need. But sometimes it's a gradual healing. But some there are some physical healings that never take place because they were not in God's will. At what level is your faith when that takes place? You see, everything that Jesus did was intentional. He said, "Lazarus is dead, and I'm glad for your sake that I was not there." And then it goes on to say, "To the intent ye may believe." It was my intentions to let you know that you There's a different kind of faith we're about to step into now. We're about to step into resurrection faith. Nevertheless, let's go unto him. God's not late. He's not inattentive. He's not uncaring about the issues. I said he didn't need a Timex or a Rolex. He doesn't need a metronome to be in time, either. All he did was intentional. And I I I just have to show you this aside as since we're studying this 11th chapter. I want you to notice what happened now. To give you a little background, we we skipped over because we're talking about Lazarus, but where Jesus was when he delayed his coming, the disciples actually had encouraged Jesus, "You don't need to go here." They said, "Man, they're out to get us. They They going to stone you." And they'd had a conversation about Jesus' safety in in the earlier part uh uh of of this passage. And uh Jesus finally makes the decision, "Okay, now we've done and I've accomplished what I need to accomplish here. It's been a delay. It's not in their time, but we're going to go check on Lazarus now." And I want you to notice John 11:16. I I don't know if y'all have that up there. Let Let me give you a minute, but I I want you to see this. It says, "Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellows fellow disciples, Now, notice he didn't say this to Jesus. He said it to the guys that were following Jesus. Let us also go that we may die with him." Now, if you want to know who that Thomas, which is called Didymus, is, that's the same Thomas when Jesus would be resurrected, that he wasn't there the first time that Jesus showed up. And when Jesus told them to tarry, they had to hear all the stories of of a resurrected Jesus, and he didn't believe it. That's the same dude that end up carrying the moniker of doubting Thomas. NOTICE HIS SARCASM THERE. WELL, we may as well go with him and die with Lazarus is what he's saying. He He didn't have any faith, either. He was a follower, but his faith was weak. So, Jesus arrives on the scene, and by their estimation, he's 4 days late. The on-time God is 4 days late. And so, scripture in St. John 11 records their response to his arrival. John 11:19, "And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother." The community was concerned. "Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary sat still in the house. Just as we've studied Mary and Martha and the difference in the way they reacted to Jesus when he first came to their house. One wanted to serve and one wanted to sit at his at his feet. They both acted differently and reacted differently to Jesus' arrival in this time of loss. Martha ran to Jesus. Mary grieved and sat alone in the house. And notice, then said Martha unto Jesus, "Lord, if thou had been here, my brother had not died. I I don't think she said that in the greatest of tones. I just perceive that she was a little bit put out with Jesus at this point. I called you and plenty of time for you to get here. Where have you been? If you'd have been here, he wouldn't have died. Now, she's expressing faith and doubt in the in the same statement. She believes he could heal, but she hasn't considered the power of the resurrection. She was disappointed. She had faith in God. And then it strikes her who I'm speaking to. She said, "If you'd have been here, my brother wouldn't have died." But verse 22, she said, "But I know that even now, whatsoever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee." She suddenly realized who she was talking to. In her grief, in her despair, even in her anger and a time of loss, SHE SUDDENLY REALIZED, "I CAN'T BLAME GOD. I CAN'T BLAME ANYTHING. I NEED TO TRUST IN HIM CUZ NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. LET ME TELL YOU, IN THE DIREST OF SITUATIONS IN YOUR LIFE, DON'T YOU GIVE UP AND BLAME GOD. INSTEAD, BACK UP AND SAY, "GOD, I KNOW YOUR WILL IS SOVEREIGN. YOUR WILL IS PERFECT. I TRUST IN YOU." WHAT DID JOB SAY? JOB SAID, "YEAH YEA, THOUGH YOU SLAY ME, I'M GOING TO TRUST YOU." YOU SEE, REAL FAITH ISN'T ALWAYS EXPRESSED IN THE GREATEST OF TIMES, IN the greatest OF VICTORIES. TRUE FAITH IN GOD COMES WHEN EVERYTHING LOOKS THE BLEAKEST AND IT SEEMS TO BE AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION. But again, I remind you, this is speaking figuratively in our life. You're going to be sorely disappointed if you think this passage of scripture is about literal resurrection in every case because since then till now, literally millions have passed and died. Faithful souls. Cuz scripture also says, it's appointed unto man once to die. Now, could I'm going to give you great revelatory word in the house. Are you ready? I don't know you You might want to record this. You might want to write this down. You You You You might think, "Oh, Pastor McCool's about to give a special revelation, everybody." Here it is. Life happens. I SAID LIFE HAPPENS. It rains on the just and the unjust. SCRIPTURE SAYS TIME and chance HAPPENETH TO THEM ALL. LIFE HAPPENS. GOOD PEOPLE SOMETIMES GO THROUGH BAD THINGS. ARE YOU TRYING NOT TO BUILD MY FAITH? NO, I AM TRYING TO BUILD TRUE FAITH IN GOD. YOU CAN'T JUDGE YOUR FAITH BY A PHYSICAL HEALING. WHETHER HE HEALS YOU OR WHETHER HE DON'T, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE TRUST IN GOD AND HIS SOVEREIGN WILL. IF HE CHOOSES TO HEAL ME, I'M GOING TO TRUST HIM. IF HE CHOOSES TO TAKE ME, I'M GOING TO BE FAR BETTER OFF. I CAN'T LOSE IF I'VE GOT RESURRECTION FAITH. HALLELUJAH. SOMEBODY HEAR ME TONIGHT. MAYBE YOUR FAITH HAS BEEN TRIED AND TESTED AND YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT FROM HEALING ASPECTS. I CHALLENGE YOU TO LOOK AT IT FROM a resurrection faith tonight. You see, Jesus was there now. And Martha was dealing with the conflict in her own mind and Jesus began to remind her theologically about the resurrection. Verse 23, Jesus said unto her, "Thy brother shall rise again." Martha said unto him, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." She proved that she believed in the long-term prophecies and resurrection. But then Jesus revealed to her who he was and the special relationship that was going on then. Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" Man, there's the resurrection message and the salvation message. If you'll just look at it. You see, when we repent of our sins, just as as in Brother Co, how do you always end up in Acts the second chapter? Because that's where it takes us. BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIGURATIVE EXAMPLE OF WHAT we do when we repent, just as they did ON THE DAY WHEN PETER PREACHED on the day of Pentecost, they were pricked in their heart. MAN, YOU GET PRICKED IN THE HEART, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE. BUT THAT WAS A SPIRITUAL STATEMENT. THEY WERE CONVICTED. THEY WERE PRICKED IN THE HEART. AND HE SAID, "MEN AND THEY SAID, "MEN AND BROTHER, WHAT SHALL WE DO?" THEN PETER SAID TO THEM, "REPENT." GOT TO DIE. DEATH'S GOING TO take place. But you see, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Repent and be baptized, EVERY ONE OF YOU, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS. YOU'RE GOING DOWN SIGNIFYING DEATH AND BURIAL. UH-HUH. AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. THERE IS RESURRECTION POWER. A NEW MAN IS BORN. THE OLD SINNER MAN'S BEEN PUT TO DEATH AND SUDDENLY RISING TO WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. OH, HALLELUJAH. IS A NEW MAN. You see, Jesus had to slip a little resurrection message in to Martha. She said unto him, "Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." And when she had so said, she went away went away. She got her satisfaction. She went into the house secretly. She called me and said, "Mary." She didn't seem to be as sad as she been. She didn't seem to want to scold anybody more. Suddenly, some revelation had come THROUGH TO MARTHA. SO, SHE WENT TO MARY, THE BIBLE SAYS, SECRETLY AND SAID, "HEY, Jesus is here. THE MASTER'S COME AND CALLETH FOR THEE." MARY, the one that had sat at Jesus' feet, she was so distraught, she didn't even go out to meet him. She just sat in the house. She might have been mourning, but she was half mad, too. She was heartbroken that Jesus hadn't showed up on her timeline. But now, at Martha's prompting, Mary made her way to Jesus. She still had faith, but she was in grief. And she would have the same response to Jesus. Lord, this is John 11:32. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Jesus responded a little bit different to Mary. John 11:30 says, "Now, Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met him. And the Jews then, which were with her in the house and comforting her, when they saw Mary that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, 'She goeth unto the grave to weep there.' Then, when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.' And when Jesus therefore saw her weeping, her sorrow was different than Martha's. Everybody grieves differently. She was weeping. When Jesus saw what was going on, he saw her weeping, the Jews also, her the comforters that were around her. The Bible says he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. Jesus in his flesh was feeling the agony, the pain, the suffering that Mary was going through. And at this point he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said unto him, "Lord, come and see." Verse 35, if you want to say you can memorize one passage of scripture, this is the shortest one in the Bible. Jesus wept. You know one now, anyway. That's not by accident, either. It makes no great fanfare. Jesus in his humanity showed his humanity. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, they looked up, "Oh, behold, he loved Lazarus." Man, it's time for grieving. Jesus in his humanity indeed is mourning. He's groaning. He's crying. You see, we must never forget that the humanity of Jesus was the catalyst of a experience of human suffering that would go to the cross to forgive our sins. Hebrews said it this way in Hebrews 4:14-15, "Seeing then we have a great high priest that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted." In other words, he experienced the same thing that we experience, our emotions. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He dealt with suffering and grief just like we do in the loss of his friend Lazarus. And those mourners around acknowledged Jesus' humanity, but yet there was a few. There'll always be a few that want to be second-guessers. Cuz verse 37 said, "And some of them said, 'Could not this man which opened the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not have died?'" Now, these are likely some of the same folks that found fault with Jesus when he healed on the Sabbath, when he fellowshipped with publicans and sinners. These were the ones that no doubt murmured about the healings that he did do because it didn't meet their Pharisaical laws. But now, they're criticizing criticizing him because he didn't heal. Let me tell you, there will always be critics in this world. There will always be somebody that wants to second-guess what God is doing. You see, it said that Jesus therefore AGAIN GROANING HIMSELF COME INTO THE GRAVE. It was a cave, AND A STONE lay upon it. But you see, resurrection faith is about to be manifest. For verse 39 says, Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him that was dead, SAID TO THE LORD, "BY THIS TIME HE STINKETH, FOR HE'S BEEN DEAD FOR 4 DAYS. WAIT, WAIT, UH UH UH THE THE LIMITATIONS OF humanity behoves me to TELL YOU, JESUS, THAT uh uh for proper decorum, we don't do this. He's been dead for 4 days. Uh if you want to see him, you should have been here 4 days ago." Jesus said unto her, "Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. One of the most important prayers that Jesus would pray. He begin with thanks. It's a good lesson for us to learn. Before we start asking God for anything, we ought to thank him for what he's already done. Jesus said, "Thank you that you heard me." The humanity praying to the deity saying, "I'm thankful that you're hearing my prayer right now." Jesus lifted his eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always, but because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may as believe that thou hast sent me." He prayed his prayer out loud. Sometimes you hear Pastor Whitley and some of the other ministers say, "Pray loud enough that you can hear yourself pray." That's a good thing to learn to do. I There's a time for silent prayer, and there's a time to open your mouth. Jesus said, "I need to pray loud enough everybody around can hear what's going on." And when he had thus spoken, he cried with A LOUD VOICE, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH." SOMETIMES JESUS GOT TO get loud. Sometimes we do, too. I like it sometimes the choir sings, it might get loud. I believe in reverence unto the will of God, but being quiet is not always being reverent. Sometimes dead things are quiet. Sometimes we get noisy and exuberant. Jesus got loud. It said he cried with a loud voice, "And Lazarus, come forth." And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, "Loose him and let him go." PLEASE NOTICE THESE FACTS. Jesus did the supernatural. Raised him from the dead. But Jesus commanded humanity to remove all the barriers that they had put in the way. I'm sure Jesus had all the power. He could have gone "Wink." And the stone goes "Shh." and rolls away. But he said, "You put the stone there, you move it." Jesus could have at the wink of an eye dressed Lazarus in the finest clothes of the day, but he said no. Y'all put the grave clothes on him. Y'all take the grave clothes off of him. Let me tell you, Jesus wants to do the supernatural in our lives, but there's some human limitations that we place on ourselves that we sometimes ought to remove so Jesus work can be established in our lives. SOMETIMES WE LIMIT WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO DO SUPERNATURALLY BY PUTTING OUR LIMITATIONS ON IT. REMOVE THE STONE. Loose him, let him go. Verse 45 states, "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary and had seen the thing which Jesus did believed on him." He prayed a simple prayer. He did the supernatural healing. And he performed the miracle. Stand with me. I want to take us somewhere in closing. This miracle like many others caused people to believe. They saw Jesus command death and death bowed and they believed. Miracles are for a reason that some maybe who are unbelievers would believe. But we have to have faith in both healing and resurrection for it never mistake. The greatest healing there is is not a physical malady or illness being healed. It's when a sinner individual is washed clean and comes to God. That's the greatest miracle of all. Yes, Jesus is able to heal us. This is why we pray for physical healings. We pray for miracles of protection and safety and provision. But none of those things are as important as the salvation, healing. All pale to salvation. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 said, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are asleep." You see, there's an ultimate healing coming and an ultimate faith and resurrection. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the air, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE with the Lord. WHEREFORE COMFORT ONE another with these words. Before we dwell too much on physical healings, I believe in physical healings. Our faith must not be predicated on physical healings, but instead it must be in resurrection power. I will close with this. You see, in the book of Mark, I'll paraphrase much of it but might read a bit. The book of Mark, there was one of the multitude brought their son to Jesus and said, "Master, my my son has a dumb spirit." And said, "This spirit taketh him and teareth him." And he foameth at the mouth and he knasheth his teeth and he pineth away. And he said, "I I went to your disciples and they couldn't heal him." Jesus basically rebukes them, all the disciples. He said, "O faithless generation. Just bring him to me." When they brought him to Jesus, the Bible says that the spirit begin to tear him. And he fell down on the ground and wallowed foaming. That's the way the Bible words it. Jesus asked his father, he said, "How long's he been like this?" And he said, "Since a child." Said, "Oft times he'll cast himself in the fire, into the water, tries to destroy himself, he's trying to take his own life." "If you can do anything," he said, "have compassion on us." Jesus said, "If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Now, I want you to notice what the father of the young man said at this point. For this is where many of us find ourselves. And straightway the father of the child cried out and said, with tears, "Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief." Think about it. Lord, I believe. Now, help my unbelief. We find ourselves sometimes in that quarry of Lord, I I believe in you trust in you, but I need you to heal my unbelief for this one. I I just can't deal with it. Jesus commanded the spirit to leave the young man. And when the spirit left, the young man fell down as he was dead. And so many folks around said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand, the Bible said, and lifted him up. And he arose. You see, verse 24 sums up our faith. I believe, help my unbelief. I Let's tonight, Let's walk forward in faith. But not just in the faith for healing. Let's have the faith, a resurrection faith, that God can do anything. Let's not limit it to a physical healing or a physical dead person. For that's not the intention of the story. The intention of the story is us to realize when the impossible is there, our God is capable of doing the impossible. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. God, I thank you for your precious word that God's direct strengthens and gives us power. Lord, we celebrate tonight resurrection power that is alive in every Holy Ghost-filled individual. Lord, for that resurrection power takes the center man, puts the center man to death, and brings forth life afresh. Now, God, I pray in this house tonight there are situations that seem to have an impossible resolution. And God, it seems like there may be death only to face. But God, I know that you have the power of restoration. You have the power of the resurrection. You have the power of healing the impossible. Let us have strong faith in you that your will is sovereign, sure, and divine, and trust in you whatever path our lives take. Lord, we thank you. We praise you. We love you. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen and amen. Lord bless you. We'll see you Sunday morning. Come expecting a great time. No, I'll see you Friday night for a spring program. You're dismissed in Jesus' name. Shake hands and be friendly.