1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,800 It is good to see all of your faces, a lot of new faces too, 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,720 which is amazing to see. Hey, my name is Sean Stevens. 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,600 I am on the teaching team here at Res Church. 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,200 My wife and I have been coming here for about 5 years. 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,240 Man it is. It is always a blessing to be 6 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,280 here with you today. We are going to continue in our 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,960 series and John, we are going to be looking at John 1117 through 8 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:24,920 27. So if you guys want to turn 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,640 there now, you can go ahead. But we're going to be looking at 10 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:32,759 the life, death and ultimately the life of Lazarus as it 11 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:35,920 pertains to his two sisters, Martha and Mary. 12 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:41,600 I would say that it is safe, that there are moments in life 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:47,480 that feel so outer body, so confusing, so filled with 14 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,320 suffering, that we begin to ask the question, why? 15 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:57,040 Why do these things happen? Where were you, God, in my time 16 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,760 of need? It may be a moment of actual 17 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,800 loss, like what we're going to see in our reading today. 18 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,760 Or it might be just that the rug got pulled out from under you 19 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:10,240 and it's confusing and you don't understand it. 20 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:12,920 I myself have had many of these moments. 21 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,520 Some are from the Lord sovereignly and others are 22 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,000 created by our own bad decisions and then we have to live in the 23 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,960 consequence of that. So just for kind of a frame of 24 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:24,920 reference, so you know who I am a little bit. 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,360 Most of you know my story, but I am about 2 1/2 years sober 26 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,400 today. 2 1/2 years. Yeah. 27 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:33,720 Praise the Lord. God is so faithful. 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:39,280 Yeah, well 2 1/2 years ago I got Volun told to come to an elder 29 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,400 meeting where I got sat down by all the pastors and the elders. 30 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,520 And there was a non negotiable requirement of my life at that 31 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,800 time, which was for the sake of my marriage and for the sake of 32 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,440 me being a part of Rez church, that I had to go into sober 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,440 living for three months. So I find myself in this 34 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:02,600 position where I'm an addict, I'm an alcoholic and all of the 35 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,200 things that come with that. I'd lost my job, I'd lost where 36 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,920 I was living. My wife was 8 months pregnant, I 37 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,400 had a 2 year old daughter. Everything was burning to the 38 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,000 ground around me. I mean, it is safe to say that I 39 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,080 was completely hopeless in that moment. 40 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,680 And I remember going into this sober living facility and you 41 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,120 have guys that are tattooed from their toes to their head, their 42 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:25,360 felons, their convicts. They've lived rough lives. 43 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:30,480 I go into my little room and I sit on my squeaky and stained 44 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:34,960 twin bed with a guy that I'm living with in that room who has 45 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,360 visible signs of PTSD in his life. 46 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,520 And I remember sitting on that bed and everything just became 47 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,520 silent where I had to kind of re evaluate if there was even a 48 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,280 plan for my life. Was God absent in these moments 49 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,800 or was there a purpose to what I was going through? 50 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,440 And ultimately I had to choose to believe right then that in 51 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,440 the midst of my suffering that God still had a plan for my 52 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,600 life. And that what we are going to 53 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,960 see is that in the midst of all of our suffering, God has a plan 54 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,480 for hours. The big idea today is that when 55 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,920 everything feels dead, it's where hope in Jesus begins, 56 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:16,240 where everything feels dead, it's where hope in Jesus begins. 57 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,560 So we're going to be in John 1117 through 27, starting in 58 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:27,040 verse 17, it says now when Jesus came and found Lazarus had 59 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,200 already been dead for four days in the tomb. 60 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:33,240 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of 61 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,480 the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning 62 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,400 their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was 63 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,600 coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the 64 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:50,680 house. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if 65 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:55,120 you had been here, my brother would not have died. 66 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,400 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God 67 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,600 will give you. And Jesus said to her, Your 68 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,640 brother will rise again. Martha said to him, I know that 69 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,200 he will rise on the resurrection on the last day. 70 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:14,160 And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. 71 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:19,240 Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and 72 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,840 everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. 73 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,400 Do you believe this? And she said to him, yes, Lord, 74 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:31,360 I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is 75 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,520 coming into the world. Let's pray Father, we pray for 76 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,560 your word as you promised to not come back void, that you would 77 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,560 do the work in our hearts that only you could do and that we 78 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,440 could ultimately see Jesus for who he is, that He is good, who 79 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,280 has a purpose for our life, He has a plan and that He can be 80 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,880 trusted. We pray these things in Jesus 81 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,640 name, Amen. So as Justin explained last week 82 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:05,400 in his sermon, Jesus knew that Lazarus was on the precipice of 83 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,800 death, that it was imminent Lazarus was going to die. 84 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,880 And what Jesus decided to do in that moment was not rush to 85 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,960 Martha and Mary and Lazarus to make sure that Lazarus didn't 86 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,600 experience this physical death. But what he does is he 87 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:24,840 intentionally delays and inevitably Lazarus dies, Lazarus 88 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,600 dies. Jesus explains this on his 89 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,080 reasoning on why he says that one, that the power of God would 90 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:35,760 be shown and two, that God would receive glory when he resurrects 91 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,800 him. The problem or the challenge at 92 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:43,200 this moment is you still have Martha and Mary bearing the 93 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:49,040 weight of losing a loved one. It is real, it is overwhelming. 94 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,160 I I can imagine the confusion, the hurt in this moment. 95 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:57,280 But as we will see, there is a purpose to his dealings with 96 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:02,640 Martha and there is a purpose to his dealings with us as we find 97 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,320 ourselves in similar situations. Because when everything feels 98 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,680 dead, it's where hope and Jesus begins. 99 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,520 So point number one, God is at work. 100 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,240 God is at work. Jesus is coming into Bethany. 101 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,760 He's riding in, Mary stays in the house, house. 102 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:24,080 Martha sprints out to meet him. And Martha says to Jesus, Lord, 103 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:29,880 if you would have been here, if you would have been here, my 104 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:34,480 brother wouldn't have died. Do you hear the question? 105 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,560 I know, I hear it. I can feel it. 106 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,840 I think we've all felt it. What Martha is asking is why? 107 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:48,400 Why did you let this happen? Why in my greatest time of need 108 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,360 were you absent in this moment? Why did my brother have to die? 109 00:06:54,080 --> 00:07:03,840 Do you know those moments? I know them where God feels so 110 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:07,800 absent, where you begin to question everything. 111 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:12,040 I mean, I just turned 39 and I've had a specific suffering in 112 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,080 my life, my entire life. So 39 years. 113 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:19,280 I have insomnia. And I don't mean like I can't 114 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,920 sleep a little bit. I mean my mom tells stories. 115 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:23,000 When I was a baby, I didn't sleep. 116 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:24,240 When I was a toddler, I didn't sleep. 117 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:28,160 Some of my first memories in life is being 5-6 years old and 118 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:33,360 I'm just sitting in my room playing with toys and it's 3:00 119 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,560 in the morning. It's silent in the house, it's 120 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,080 dark in the house, it's dark outside. 121 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,960 I'm just awake. These are some of my earliest 122 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:44,480 memories I have prayed to God, Lord, please give me sleep. 123 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,560 Some days I I feel like a zombie. 124 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,360 I feel like I'm walking on the moon. 125 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,480 I'm queasy, I'm angry, I'm all of these things and I see God 126 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,480 and say, please remove this. And God has not removed this 127 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,520 thing. And the truth is that although I 128 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:04,960 know, I know it, that he is good and he could be trusted. 129 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,400 I know it. Man, is it hard to believe it 130 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,200 sometimes? Man, is it hard to to see God in 131 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:18,960 the middle of our suffering? Martha is experiencing this same 132 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,800 kind of disconnect. She knows that the issue is the 133 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:25,160 belief at this moment. Listen to what Martha says in 134 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:31,080 John 11/22 she says, But even now I know that whatever you ask 135 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:36,600 of God that he will give you, but right before she says but 136 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:42,280 why did my brother have to die? I know that you have a plan, but 137 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,680 this tragedy has befallen on me and I don't understand why. 138 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:48,960 And what a natural response that is in a moment like this. 139 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,520 That when life hits so overwhelmingly where it feels 140 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,160 like you are outside of your own body, when tragedy strikes, that 141 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:02,400 we are struck by fear and doubt and confusion, despair. 142 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:08,240 Will there ever be hope again? But as the Bible begins to speak 143 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,640 to us about the character of Jesus, we see as we get to know 144 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:16,400 Him that it is for our good. He does have a plan. 145 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,000 We see that it is promised in the Bible, suffering and there 146 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,960 is a purpose behind it. One of those reasons is to draw 147 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:27,080 us closer to God. He wants to draw us in. 148 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,160 Listen to what Hebrews 415 and 16 says. 149 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:35,640 It says we do not have a high priest who is unable to 150 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:41,600 sympathize with our weaknesses. Hey, Hallelujah, Hallelujah that 151 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:47,240 He knows where I'm at right now, but one who in every respect has 152 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,520 been tempted as we are, and yet He is without sin. 153 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:55,320 Let us then, with confidence draw near the throne of grace, 154 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:00,360 that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of 155 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,000 need. Family, he knows where you're 156 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,360 at. He knows what you're feeling. 157 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,440 He knows that this world chews us up and tries to spit us out 158 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,040 and leave us. For that He knows and how He 159 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:17,760 knows, because He has hurt, He has suffered. 160 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,840 He knows our confusion. He knows our weariness. 161 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,640 Jesus has been suffered and tempted with everything that we 162 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,040 have and more, and He understands our hardships. 163 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,160 And He desires to give us a greater revelation of Himself 164 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:37,400 that we would know Him and that we can find peace in the middle 165 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:38,720 of whatever we are going through. 166 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,080 We follow a suffering Saviour. He wants us to know the full 167 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,720 counsel of His character, and part of that is suffering. 168 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,480 The second one is it is to refine and strengthen. 169 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,320 It is to refine and strengthen. Listen to first. 170 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,920 Peter 4 says, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery 171 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,560 ordeal that has come on you to test you as though something 172 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,680 strange were happening to you. The fire is supposed to test our 173 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:08,800 faith. What a good God we serve that He 174 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,520 tests our faith so we know that it is proven and real. 175 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,800 He allows us to go through this so we can see the weight of our 176 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:22,640 hardships and still trust him in it, and that our suffering is to 177 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,200 grow our affection for Jesus brighter and that we would be 178 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:27,880 refined and strengthened through the fire. 179 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:33,160 So that's number one, is that God is at work #2 God offers 180 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,080 resurrection power. He offers resurrection power. 181 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,160 First, we're going to see a physical resurrection. 182 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:46,680 He is talking about that. This is great news. 183 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:50,760 This ain't your best life. Now family, Hallelujah. 184 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,840 I got 2 little kids and it does not take me much to get to the 185 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,720 point where I pray Jesus just come back right now, please, and 186 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,520 just take me to heaven because I'm I'm done with this. 187 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,560 Like literally I took in groceries two weeks ago. 188 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,880 Simple task, right? Groceries are at the door, the 189 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:12,200 counter is 12 feet away and I just have to get these groceries 190 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,280 to the counter. The problem is I have a four 191 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,000 year old and a 2 year old and they saw string cheese in the 192 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,440 bag that I was holding and that's all it took. 193 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,680 So now they're standing in front of the door like armed guards 194 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,000 and they're just staring at me. And I'm trying to tell them 195 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,000 like, hey, if I can get this bag to that counter, I'll give you 196 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,720 the string cheese. But then they did this thing and 197 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,800 I know parents will understand, especially parents with young 198 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,840 kids. This thing never works that kids 199 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:40,880 try to do, and if anything, it hinders. 200 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,680 They did this thing where they try to help you. 201 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:46,200 Ever seen that? Or they try to start helping 202 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,120 you. My son drags a bag out. 203 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,960 Oranges fly on the ground. There's avocados. 204 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,320 I slip on the bag, I knock him over. 205 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,320 My daughter is in the kitchen trying to take a single shoe 206 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,000 off. She's having a meltdown. 207 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,160 And in that moment I'm just like, Lord, come back now, right 208 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,400 now, take me to heaven. That's all it takes. 209 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,840 But that's the truth is that if you have put your faith in 210 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,440 Jesus, this isn't your best life. 211 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,400 Now. There is going to come a time 212 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,120 when you either die or at the second coming of Jesus where all 213 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:19,360 of your pain, all of the hardship, all of those questions 214 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,840 that you have had your entire life, why did that have to 215 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,720 happen to me? Why did it unfold that way? 216 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,880 Why wasn't my dad around? Why did he have to die? 217 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,560 All of those questions are going to be absolved in the goodness 218 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:36,280 of God and we will spend eternity with Him in the 219 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:40,520 fullness of joy. The first one is pointing to a 220 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,880 future resurrection. The second one, praise the Lord 221 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,120 as he's pointing to spiritual life now, spiritual life right 222 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,120 now. Martha is rightfully devastated. 223 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,520 Her brother is dead. She is experiencing the grief 224 00:13:55,560 --> 00:14:00,200 over this and in this moment Jesus comment to her could seem 225 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,360 cold. She asked the question. 226 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,400 She says if you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have 227 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,160 died. Jesus doesn't respond to it. 228 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:10,400 You ever pray to the Lord? Why, why, why? 229 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,920 And he doesn't answer. He just lets you stay in it. 230 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,400 That's where Martha's at. She is in the middle of it. 231 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,720 Jesus says in that moment when he is looking at Martha, he 232 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:28,200 says, I'm not going to tell you why I let him die and I'm not 233 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,600 even concerned about the future. He stands right in front of her 234 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:39,320 and says I am the resurrection and the life, it stands in front 235 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:45,440 of her in that moment. Heavenly life, eternal life, 236 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,760 these things stand in front of her. 237 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,320 Satisfying life in God can be found in that moment. 238 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:57,520 And this is amazing that no matter what befalls on us, your 239 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:02,480 marriage, your health, your finances, that the resurrection 240 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:04,560 is in front of you at this moment. 241 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:10,480 But the truth is that resurrection power, seeing it 242 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,560 for what it is, takes work. It takes a lot of work to see 243 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,640 Jesus for who he is. It takes a lot of work to see 244 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:23,360 Jesus in the suffering. Those parts of your life that 245 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,640 are dead, it's hard to see life in it. 246 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,040 There are some people in this room that have surrendered parts 247 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,440 of your life to death, but there's this area that just 248 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,560 hasn't been given over to the Lord. 249 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,480 And he calls and he beckons, and he wants to heal it and give you 250 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,320 peace in it. I mean, as I was preparing in 251 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:47,920 this message, I began to think of all of the moments that I 252 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,280 have experienced death in my life. 253 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:57,040 And I know for a fact that there are men in this room right now 254 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:00,120 where your marriages are dead. They're dead. 255 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:07,160 You've ascribed them to death, and the Bible would speak to our 256 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,480 marriage the same way that it would speak to every area of our 257 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,720 life that we should care about our marriage. 258 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,280 Listen to what Ephesians 525 through 28 says. 259 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,440 It says, Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the 260 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:26,120 Church, and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, 261 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,960 having cleansed her with the washing of the Word, so that he 262 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:35,200 might present the Church to himself in splendor, without 263 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:39,000 spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy 264 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:44,000 without blemish. In the same way husbands love 265 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:49,440 your wives. He who loves his wife loves 266 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:53,000 himself. The Jesus as we are the bride 267 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,960 cleanses us and purifies us. He spent so much time and so 268 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,120 much effort building us up to ultimately present us to 269 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,400 Himself. He does the work and then He 270 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:06,119 presents us to Himself. Men, we are going to have to 271 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:12,160 present our wives to a holy Creator who is also the Father 272 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,880 of your wife. Is he going to look at you in 273 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,480 that time and say, man, she looks exactly like I hoped she 274 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:25,000 would look like? Or is he going to say, I wish 275 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:31,480 you would have spent more time, sacrificed more, cared more, 276 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,800 done the hard work more? I'm living this right now in my 277 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,360 life. I'm 2 1/2 years sober. 278 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:42,480 This wall of trust takes years to build. 279 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:45,160 And in one moment I pushed it over. 280 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,520 It's gone. So now I got to go find all the 281 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:50,840 bricks and slowly start putting these things in place. 282 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,920 But it takes time to get there. And I remember I'm a year into 283 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,880 sobriety and I'm I'm holy and I'm doing everything I should be 284 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,000 doing. And I'm having this problem. 285 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,280 Like, man, my wife doesn't. She's not showing me the 286 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,720 respect. I'm doing everything I need. 287 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,800 And I would bring this to the men in my life and I'd say, what 288 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,320 am I supposed to do? And all of them would say, get 289 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:18,200 over it, seek God, stay accountable, die to your old 290 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:22,760 ways, sacrifice more, sacrifice more, pursue her more, love her 291 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:27,400 more. That I would have to bring it to 292 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:32,920 the cross. God had the power to send His 293 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,360 Son to die on our behalf, to win our hearts. 294 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:38,680 He will give us the power to sacrifice ours to win hers 295 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:40,840 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 296 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:45,240 He will empower you to do things that you are didn't even think 297 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:50,520 capable. Listen to what AW Tozer says in 298 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,960 the pursuit of God. Speaking about the cross dying 299 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,160 to our old ways. He says that the cross is rough 300 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,480 and it is deadly, but it is effective. 301 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,760 It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. 302 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,240 There comes a moment when it's work is finished and the 303 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:06,400 suffering victim dies and after that is resurrection. 304 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,280 Glory and power in the pain is forgotten. 305 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,480 And I'm not so naive to think that the pain might be your 306 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:20,240 marriage and maybe it's not. Maybe your Martha moment isn't 307 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,920 that and praise the Lord, but maybe it is your health. 308 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:27,160 Maybe it is. Man, I have to see doctors every 309 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,880 single week and it doesn't look like this is going to end well. 310 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,600 And why God? Maybe it's parenting challenges. 311 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,560 Hello anybody. Am I the only one that sits in 312 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,680 my living room sometimes and like, I don't know what I'm 313 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:46,000 doing? Or it could be the actual loss 314 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:50,400 of a loved one. But all of these things can be 315 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,240 brought to the cross of Christ so that in our hardship we can 316 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:59,000 receive a greater revelation of His goodness and His glory, and 317 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,240 that we can find joy in it. It is painful beyond imagination 318 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:08,720 and it is totally worth it. It is totally worth it. 319 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:13,840 Jesus loves you so much you can't even fathom It is totally 320 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,080 worth it. Because when everything feels 321 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,080 dead, it is where hope in Jesus begins. 322 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,320 And then #3 belief awakens new life. 323 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,880 Belief awakens new life. In the life of Martha. 324 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,560 This was an absolute testing of her faith. 325 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,040 She didn't understand why she had all of these questions, 326 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,840 questions. Jesus didn't answer them as 327 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:43,120 Jesus does a lot of times. But in that moment, Jesus stood 328 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:46,280 before her and he said, Martha, your brother will rise. 329 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,080 I'm going to resurrect him physically and he's going to 330 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,880 rise at the second coming. He will rise again. 331 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,000 There will be resurrections. But what he said to her is the 332 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,760 resurrection and the life stands before you today. 333 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,720 And then Jesus asked the question, do you believe it? 334 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,600 Do you believe it? Do you believe that I am capable 335 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,040 of giving you the things that you are desiring, the questions 336 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,800 that you need answers? Do you believe that it can be 337 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:19,760 found in me? There is a passage in John 9 338 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,480 just two chapters before about a blind beggar. 339 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,200 And I don't know if you guys have read this, but this man has 340 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,120 been blind for decades. It's his entire life he's been 341 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:32,840 blind and Jesus miraculously heals this man after being blind 342 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,120 his whole life. And leading up to this moment, 343 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:38,040 there are so many different parties involved and all these 344 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,680 things going on. You have the disciples asking 345 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:43,840 Jesus, was this guy blind because of his sin or his 346 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,280 parents sin? And Jesus addresses that and 347 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,760 then he heals them. And then people, his neighbors 348 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,040 walk by and then they're looking at the blind guy saying, is this 349 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,160 him? Some say yes, some say no. 350 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,520 The Pharisees get wind that Jesus has healed on a Sunday. 351 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,840 So then they get involved and they're trying to put these 352 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,080 claims on Jesus. And then the Pharisees call in 353 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,920 the blind guys, mom and dad, and say, is this the guy? 354 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,760 And you have all of this commotion. 355 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:11,360 He's just healed this man. And it's said that they kicked 356 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:12,840 him out of the temple, the blind man. 357 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,320 So he goes out and listen to this. 358 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:20,880 It says Jesus followed him. And I imagine this moment with 359 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:24,400 this blind man, as he's standing there, he's received this 360 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,120 miracle. He just got ostracized from the 361 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,280 temple and everything becomes silent. 362 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:33,520 He's standing face to face with Jesus. 363 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:36,960 All of his hardship from the past, all of the brokenness that 364 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,960 he's experienced, all of the opinions of others, his 365 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,960 neighbors, his friends, his mom and dad, it's all just quiet. 366 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,880 And Jesus looks at this man and says, do you believe in the Son 367 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,920 of God? And at that moment that man had 368 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:59,480 to make a choice to believe. And it says, he said, I believe. 369 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:05,920 And he began to worship the Lord, began to worship the Lord. 370 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,920 He had lost sight of all of his trauma, all of the years of 371 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:13,080 hardship, the suffering, all of those moments asking God, why 372 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,440 did you let this happen? And all he could see was Jesus. 373 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,800 I spent so many years looking at the past injustices that have 374 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,800 happened in my life, all of the trauma, my own decisions, and I 375 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,920 couldn't see Jesus because my eyes were fixed on them. 376 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,280 But I had to make a choice to look at Jesus. 377 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,960 The blind man had to make a choice to look at Jesus. 378 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:41,320 Martha is in the same situation. She couldn't see God, but then 379 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:45,440 she chose to believe that Jesus had a plan and it was for her 380 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,920 good. And you may be experiencing a 381 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:54,000 Martha moment today where life is so upside down, so backward, 382 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,400 so confusing, so it's all burning to the ground that you 383 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:04,680 cannot see God and what He is doing and you have not trusted 384 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:08,000 the Lord with your life. But it's also become too 385 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,360 overwhelming to continue. Or you may be sitting here 386 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:15,280 today, like Me 2 1/2 years ago, where you look forward, you look 387 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:17,960 backward, you look left, you look right, it's all cinder and 388 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:26,120 ashes, It is all just gone. And you've known, you've 389 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:33,080 reasoned that God is good, that he is maybe has a plan for your 390 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,240 life. You've seen him work in other 391 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,880 people's lives. But you have not yet got to the 392 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:42,360 point of believing. And if you are feeling that call 393 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:46,120 today, I want to give you an opportunity to accept the Lord 394 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,040 as your Savior if He is beckoning you and calling you 395 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,040 today. This is what Romans 10-9 would 396 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:57,040 say. It simply says, if you confess 397 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:03,560 with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and here it is, if you 398 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:05,880 believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you 399 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,640 will be saved. You don't have to work for 400 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,320 salvation. You don't have to put all of the 401 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,360 pieces together. You just have to believe. 402 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,800 Martha had to believe that God had a plan. 403 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:24,800 If we all could, if we could all bow our heads and close our 404 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:31,120 eyes. If you believe that God is 405 00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:34,440 calling you and this life has become overwhelming, it's 406 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,080 unmanageable. And although that you have known 407 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,160 about this Jesus person, you have not yet trusted him. 408 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:45,120 But you know in this moment God is calling you to eternal life 409 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,040 in heaven and also eternal life in this moment. 410 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,200 I want you to pray this prayer after me, either silently or to 411 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:58,920 yourself. Father, I know that I am a 412 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,840 Sinner and I cannot do this life on my own. 413 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:10,760 Today I choose to believe that through Jesus life, his death, 414 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,400 his resurrection, that I will be saved. 415 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,480 Help me live a life that is marked by trusting you in every 416 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,520 situation in Jesus name, Amen. Keep your heads bowed real 417 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,520 quick. If you prayed that prayer for 418 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,040 the first time, can you be brave and just raise your hand for me 419 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,080 to see? Thank you, Lord. 420 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,360 Thank you, Lord. All right, you could put your 421 00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:38,440 hands down if you prayed that prayer. 422 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:39,760 OK, you guys could put your heads up now. 423 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,080 Sorry. If you prayed that prayer for 424 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,280 the first time and you believed in your heart for the first 425 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:50,440 time, I want to say welcome to the family of God, Praise the 426 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:52,840 Lord. We're going to have a gift for 427 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:54,960 you who all accepted the Lord. They're going to be on the back 428 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,400 tables and on the way out. You guys can grab that gift. 429 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,200 So application. So what does this look like? 430 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,920 So what if today we chose to believe? 431 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,960 What if today we say, hey, I have been through the wringer, 432 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,920 it is real, it's valid, but I am choosing today to believe that 433 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,440 God is good and he has a plan. What would that look like? 434 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:22,200 Point #1 It would look like living your life around people 435 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,200 who believe. OK, I'm going to offend some 436 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,480 people right now and it's OK. I don't mean people who go to 437 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,320 church. I don't mean people who've been 438 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,440 baptized. I mean people in every and all 439 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,320 situations of their life, the answer of their heart is praise 440 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,600 God. Do you know those people? 441 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,160 I know them. I see them a mile away and I'm 442 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,320 like, man, I just want to be in their shadow to like rub the 443 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:50,840 holiness off on me. Get around those people that if 444 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,840 it's hardship, the response of their heart is joy. 445 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,440 Jesus is so good. It's joy if it's blessing, it's 446 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:03,440 joy if it's the mundane. They're just like, hey, praise 447 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,360 God. I do the same thing every day, 448 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:07,280 Praise the Lord. Be around those people. 449 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,120 What does that look like? You get plugged into a small 450 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:12,720 group. We do community here at RES. 451 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,000 It's small groups. You can come up to one of the 452 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,240 leaders or one of the staff after and we can get you guys 453 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,400 plugged in. And when you get into that small 454 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:24,560 group, man, you get like, like thermal vision, and you find the 455 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,960 people who are seeking God in that group and you go, man, I 456 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,200 want to believe more. I want to get through this 457 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,840 situation more. I want to see God and all of it. 458 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,840 And that happens by hanging out with people utterly filled with 459 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,360 the Spirit of God. And they will encourage life 460 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,880 into you. Get around people who believe #2 461 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,840 the word of God begins to change you when you decide to believe. 462 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,640 It is nearly impossible. And I say this from experience, 463 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,320 OK? It is nearly impossible to trust 464 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,560 God and suffering if you don't have spiritual eyes, but instead 465 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:04,560 you got a worldly mind. We do not conform to the 466 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,120 patterns of the world. Listen to what Romans 12/2 says. 467 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,840 Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be 468 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:16,000 transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you 469 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,440 may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable 470 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,120 and perfect. We don't want to do what the 471 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:22,880 world does. I don't want to act the way the 472 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:24,680 world does. It offers me nothing. 473 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:28,600 There's death, it's death out there and they wrap it in a 474 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:33,000 pretty box and they say, here you go, take it as I'm dying 475 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,920 from depression and anxiety. No, I don't want to be conformed 476 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:40,200 to the pattern of this world. I want to be transformed by the 477 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,120 word of God. As I encounter Jesus. 478 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,040 That's what I want. It's Jesus. 479 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,040 Faith comes by hearing. You want to grow your faith. 480 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:49,760 You want to grow belief. It's through the Word of God. 481 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,680 Bible reading plans are amazing. Watch the word of God begin to 482 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,880 change your heart. But you approach the word and 483 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:01,440 not in cold rigor. And you just check your boxes 484 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,240 and I've done it for today. But you open the word and you 485 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,800 say, Lord have mercy on my heart for I am broken and feeble and I 486 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:11,560 can't do this on my own. And I'm so fleshly I can't even 487 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,760 see you have mercy on me. And you know what God will do. 488 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:19,160 He'll show himself to you. It says draw near to the Lord 489 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:23,160 and he will draw near to you. Our prayer team is going to come 490 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:27,200 up at this time. Thank you prayer team. 491 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,520 We want nothing more than to pray for you. 492 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,720 I mean, you guys are like me. I know that I'm having 493 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,560 situations all day long where I'm like, Lord, I need prayer. 494 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,560 Help me, help me with the kids, help me with having joy in my 495 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:44,680 job, joy when I'm broke. The finances don't make sense. 496 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:46,200 I don't know how I'm going to make it the next month. 497 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,960 We want to pray for you. Our goal is that you would 498 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:53,520 encounter Jesus. He doesn't just offer you 499 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,480 resurrection. He is the resurrection. 500 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,880 He doesn't just offer you life, He is the life and He stands 501 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,080 before you today. The altars are open. 502 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,400 You all move as the Lord leads. Thank you.