Invite Jesus To Your Funeral

Carter, from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Jesus Christ your funeral warning in my welcome to this week's call to the nation program with Carter come in the Bible when Jesus attends a funeral person comes back to life, the daughter of gyrus Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus, John 11, the widow's son in Luke seven. Jesus even ruined his own. He died on the cross of Calvary.

Let's find out why there is joy to be found when you invite Jesus to your few years. Carter is a specific call to people feel hopeless to feel like there's no way out.

There's no way for it seems like death is literally surrounding you.

You don't know what you're going to do you don't know how you're going to get through tomorrow. The circumstances against you're so ominous that you don't know how you're ever ever going to get through it. Let me just give you a few examples. There's Hannah from Brooklyn, just as my family and I have drifted away from the Lord in Sweden. Somebody write sentences. My depression in life is so dark. The only solution is that I'm begging for death. I don't want to live anymore. Life is too dark and from new Australia. Steve says I'm unable to live in victory. My wife left me and it's broken me, my children are rebellious on the Christian Bud Light feels like it's in a downward spiral.

Please pray for me there just so many so many people in situations exactly like these that I've read to you and I want to suggest something to you.

It's a message the Lord put on my heart and the firefighter title. I would simply call it invite Jesus to your funeral. Invite Jesus to your funeral. That's not as light as it seems Jesus Christ had a tendency to wreck every funeral that he attended you notice that in the Bible. He never went to the funeral where he didn't raise the dead person and if if you want your funeral to be destroyed. Then just invite Jesus to really talk about that for a little bit and ever going to leave for life. So father, I just want to thank you for giving me this thought Lord this weekend. You have confirmed and over and over and over again all throughout the service.

Those who don't even know they confirmed that just that the Scripture readings everything God has confirmed everything you've spoken in my heart this week's Lord you are desirous to do something in this generation that is so far beyond us is beyond our thinking.it's it's out of the realm of our own ability.

It's something that you have initiated and you are simply looking for us to invite you into whatever situation of death. It is that we're facing. Whether it's death. The family death. The hopes and dreams that our self-image is died. Whatever it is God we want to invite you, Jesus.*Funeral whatever it is because you have a tendency to raise the dead, and father, we thank you for it and we praise you for it.

In Jesus name, amen. I love the fact when I read about Jesus attending a funeral in the New Testament. The upper ends every funeral and you'll find that he casts out this corners and cast the contents of the mourners everywhere he goes. Leave even though that the people have everything down there.

According the Scriptures are singing their songs there crying their tears the moment Jesus comes on the scene. Everything changes in the good news for everyone is listing online as well as here is that he is the same yesterday today and forever.

He does not change we do and we try to create use of circumstances perhaps were we think he can't work like he used to do. But he doesn't change. He does the same thing that he's always done. Let me give you three quick examples in Mark chapter 5, you don't have to turn their there was a rumor.

The synagogue will just called for Jesus because his 12-year-old girl was sick at home and died on route to this house word came to Jesus and those with him that this little girl had died and he said to the people. Don't be afraid only believe when they walked into the house.

You know there's a little girl. She's probably laid out on the bed or what where it is that they replaced her and the mourners and scorners are all there, that the Scripture says he walked into the house and he says don't be alarmed. She's not dead, she's only sleeping in the Scriptures as they laughed him to scorn they place you will basically say we know she's that she's not breathing our hearts, not beating in and that he said he said no she's not dead, she's only sleeping now this corners wouldn't believe in this corners everywhere in society.

You just don't believe that Christ is able to do anything in a situation that they believe is impossible. So the first thing he did as he cast the scorners out of the house and he sent about size.

Matter fact he told the people in the house after raising her from the dead. Don't tell them what you saw here today is something about when people scorn the power of God.

There left outside of the realm of what God is able to do and I love the fact that you know the fact that little girl is sleeping. It speaks to me on different levels. Number one. A lot of young people are our sleeping sound asleep to the presence of God there there asleep and assents to the purpose of God for their lives a lot of young people are not aware maybe listing to meet you. Just unaware who has come into the room you're not aware of God's presence. You not aware of God's purpose for your life is in effect. You just you completely asleep to the reason why you were created in the first place by God and to the purpose that God has for your life. Jesus says the same as he said the so great just looked at her and he said little girl, I say to you, arise in this little girl got up and and this is what I'm believing God for for some children that are listening on my children that are sitting in their parents home made it there with your guardians or your friends you're listening to this and Jesus himself.

The Bible says he's on the present know what that that's a big word, but what it really means is that he is everywhere. There is nowhere that Jesus is not in this world so that means he's actually in the room with you right now, not just my voice not just here in Pennsylvania or online but is actually in the room. The thing is that you are asleep some some of you are asleep to the fact that he's there and he has a divine purpose for your life. And then he just speaks to you if you would let him speak to you and he says your little girl or little boy. Whatever the cases I'm telling you to get up in the Scriptures is a little the little girl arose and when she rose he said give her something to eat. Now that's not just a coincidence. In other words, I've got a journey for your little girl and you're going to need strength on this journey so I'm going to provide for you the strength that you need your you're going to need physical strength. I'm going to give you the physical strength and I'm gonna give you the spiritual strength you need to finish the journey that I've set out for your life. Now there is a lot of people in this generation that are scorning the presence of God among children. They score his presence in our school system and much not all, but much of the school system. Maybe in our generation is filled with scorners marking the presence of God on unaware that the presence of God is actually there mocking his his presence marking his ability, laughing him to scorn telling these children that his hope was don't believe in God. Don't believe the promises of God.

What I want to suggest something to you today that we need to pray again in our time that God cast the scorners out of our school system and get them away from our children, our sons and our daughters and I say without reservation. I say without apology father in Jesus name we are asking you again today cast the scorners away from my children in this generation. Those that are trying to keep our sons in our daughters from finding their full purpose and their potential in God, Lord, and cast them out and open the years, these children begin to speak to them as a little boy little girl, I say to you, arise and give them what they need for the journey. We ask you Jesus Christ invade our school system in our grade schools in radar public schools.

God Almighty enough of the scorners enough of the death enough of the mockery.

We ask you to invade this places and speak directly to our children and raise them up to their divine purpose. Their appointed purpose. We invite you to invite you into this place of death. We invite your Jesus Christ into this place where our children's ears have been closed by scorners in the room God Almighty. We invite you into this place and as you, Lord Jesus does to them and raise them up and use our sons and daughters for your glory. Luke chapter 7 is another situation where Jesus is walking into a city with his disciples and there's another group that are walking out and the Scripture tells us it was a widow.

This was her only son so this is this is their whole family. She is nobody else she lost her husband.

This is no indication she has any other relatives this is this is everything. This is her heart. This is her home.

This is everything and it's a type of a person who's was coming out of the city and grieving in morning and there's a funeral here and she's lost her future. It seems like your family is is gone and Jesus encounters this funeral and he stops this funeral procession. He sees the cry in the heart of this particular mother and he says to this boys as young men are say to the rise in the Scripture says that this young boy came back to life in this funeral procession, and he began to speak. Now is this is an amazing word because the work that use the original text for speak admin speech ascribed to God. In other words, he started speaking under the power that God gives you to speak it's it's the type of they shall speak with new tongues. There will be given a new heart to be given a new mind to be given a new spirit to give you an example of this many years ago there was a young lady on our staff in New York City at times for church and very godly young lady if she came to me one day. She said pastor Carter says that I have to go home to St. Louis. She said my my brother is in the gang. My sister is in the Geiser Street carries my sisters again my brothers in the gang. My father's in jail and my mother is in really bad condition.

She said I'm the only believer in my family since I feel like I have to go on.

I'm losing my whole family and I feel I have to go and at least make an attempt to do something in the Lord gave me a word for her and I told her so. Did you stay right where you are and there's the words got dimness of the anchor holds the ship.

The ship doesn't hold the anchor. I said you stayed planted right where God has put you and the ship may swirl around in a circle because of the winds and the tides, but the anchor will hold an events it'll come right door. The acre is followers word from the Lord, and based on that word, she stayed where she was. Even though it looked hopeless brother in the gang cistern. The gang father in jail than jail.

It is actually been to jail for much of his life and mother on drugs and in a in a terrible situation but long story short, those two came to Christ. I remember her brother coming to church and I remember him sitting in his seat become a curious look on his face and a member when he came to Christ and he came to hear to our Bible school. He graduated after two years. I remember his sister, then coming to Times Square church giving her life to Christ and coming to Summit international school of Ministry and graduating from our Bible school. I was there when her father came to Christ. I preached her father's funeral, helically left and so is there at the funeral, to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Her mother was at the funeral due to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You see he is able to bring back to life those things that we think we've lost those things that we think we are that you hold firm you hold firm to that you might be the only one who believes in God and your family and you might think your families got a death sentence on it but I want you to invite Jesus to that funeral. You invite Jesus to come and see Jesus you're welcome to come in here looking to change whatever you want to change and I love the fact that this boy sat up and the Scriptures. He started speaking as God speaks to think about the brother and the sister and I got a chance to know them in the school and from street gangs in St. Louis to speaking as God speaks in the Bible school to do speaking the things of God's miracles don't happen in this generation. But God doesn't raise the dead believe it. If you try to tell me that seen it too many times I've seen too many miracles. Praise be to God hallelujah hallelujah Holiday Inn to see her dad. After spending almost his life in jail in the house of God, worshiping God to preach at his funeral.

Praise be to God. John chapter 11 there is a man who gave up on himself, his name was Lazarus. Not only did he probably gave up just before he died.

This is Phil tried to tell us and not only he gave up but everybody around him, gave up on the coatings even the people quoting Scripture of given up on the sisters are given up on all his friends are given up on the they put them in a place they rolled the stone in front of them and everybody saying leaving their leaving there. Everybody knows somebody like that. Or maybe that's who you are. You just feel like like everybody's given up on me and not given up on myself and I feel like just everybody wants me to stay where I am and I have no desire to be anywhere other than than what I become and everybody sitting just leaving. There is only one person saying bring it out and it's Jesus Christ the son of God is the only voice in the whole scene that say no I don't even dare bring them out bring about bring in the me, and to be all you labor and are heavy laden, coming to me and learn of me am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your soul. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me this is the cry Jesus coming to me there's no death. There's no power of hell.

There's nothing of darkness, it can hold you when I call you I created you.

I have the power Christ would say to you to bring you out of darkness I want to encourage you as you pronounce your own death invite Jesus Christ your funeral and watch what God will begin to do now. Last but not least, this is very dear to my heart. This I want to encourage you to have an actual funeral under everyone who you are young, but nonetheless a nuclear bomb hits us, and you probably won't to be dissolved, but barring that you're going to have a funeral that people are going to be in a place like this. And they're going to be all decked out in on the to be in your box and you be here and will all be crying.

Sagan and you can have a funeral and I want that's the ultimate invitation when you invite Christ to your funeral when Jesus Christ bears witness to who you are, that you belong to him.

1111 Satan says wellheads have you heard of the thoughts that he or she thought or the things they might have done of the things they might've said if you could split itself up to set up your task is say is what it brings up your tent level I invited Jesus the Christ funeral, the son of God is at the zero and he that did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not freely with him also give us all things, who shall bring a charge against God's elect who it is God who justifies. Who is it who condemns it is Christ who died and furthermore is also business even at the right hand of God also makes intercession for us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall persecution or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.

Fred is as it is written work for your sake, killed all the day long in the candidacy for the slaughter. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I'm persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I don't know about you but I have invited Jesus Christ to my funeral the day I die I will not be alone here. Christ will be here the presence of God will be here. I will not be dead. I'll be very very much alive.

I will have abandoned the soul shell of a body and I'll be at the throne of God shall be singing I'll be shouting up against him for giving God glory with everything that's in my heart hallelujah to the Lamb of God, because I chose to invite Jesus Christ in my funeral. I chose to let him be my Savior. I chose to believe that I could not save myself and as such he came and died on the cross and paid the price for my sins.

I chose to open my heart to him and confess him as my Lord and Savior.

I invited him to my funeral and the day you open your heart to the son of God, that the day you invite Jesus Christ your funeral.

That's the day when Christ bears witness. That's the day there's no warning in my funeral. Want dancing. I want traffic I want shouting.

I want glory because I won't be here anymore.

God is not under the voice of the kingdom to the Lamb of God, glory to the name of Jesus glory glory glory glory glory. I wrote a song years ago for my funeral is called them I will be crying for you because I'm feeling that soon I'll be gone.

I hear Jesus calling me home at the end you'll be there and you'll all be blue but I won't decry for you know I won't be crying for you. I will be crying for you, so strike up the bad and sick out of tune because I won't decry for you.

I'll be standing with Christ at the zone and praise God. Last saw the home with the Angels.

I will sing on to Jesus my king and I won't decry them for you and now it may seem callous to. I won't decry them for you because over there or not a care will be guided through you know I won't decry and for you. I won't be crying for you, so strike up the band and sing tune because I won't decry for you who have followed because of invited Jesus to my funeral is the biggest and best decision you'll ever make in your life. You see when you get to the end you now just at the beginning of eternal life with God because you opened your heart and you invited him to be your Lord and Savior through this life through the valley of the shadow of death and into eternity. You did by admitting you couldn't save yourself by believing that he took your place on the cross and by confessing him as Lord and Savior with your mouth and when you invited him into your life. You also invited not just eternity but you invited the abundant life.

The comes with the presence of God.

You invited him to begin to speak about your future and give you the strength you need for your future. You invited him to bring your family in the places of victory that is impossible apart from God you you actually invited him into the death of your dreams, your family, your relationships and you watch the healing that God will begin to do. I've lived, I've seen it is been absolutely amazing. The healing that God can do. You. You just hold firm. The anchor holds the ship. The ship does not hold the anchor you stay anchored in Christ in you watch one after another, your family or brothers or sisters your mom your dad your sons or daughters or cousins even start coming to Christ.

It's amazing. I'd love to see it and you'll just see it as you as you hold firm and then he you invited him to bring you out of every place of death and hopelessness. Everywhere we you don't think you have a future and maybe even others agree that you don't have a future.

But there is one that doesn't agree with that assessment and that is the son of God. He has a future for you. He has a divine purpose for your life if you will invite him into that place of death in your life he'll bring it back to life again. I am the resurrection and the life did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God, you would see that which only God is able to do if you would believe if you've never received Christ as your Savior. Oh God Almighty II don't know what else is out. I beg you. If I have to I will not too ashamed to beg you, because it's the best decision you will ever make is the only decision that takes you into eternity with God. Jesus Christ himself said I am the way, the truth and the life and no one no one comes to the father except through me. You can't get to heaven through good works can't get there through church attendance is good is that is you can do good deeds and you can't get there. Can't get there by just being a good person as wonderful as being a good person is a KK going to have.

You need a Savior. So I challenge you with all my heart.

Just open your heart and don't be afraid I would lead you in a prayer just a real simple prayer I want to encourage you just make it your own. For make it your own words of mine are insufficient and let let it be your own words, but let it sound something like this and say it after me right now.

Okay Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for giving me the promise of forgiveness in life and a reason to live.

That open my heart as best as I know how and I invite you into my life to be my God, my Lord and my Savior. You're not ashamed of me. Jesus so I won't be ashamed of you. I will tell others that given my life to you and you are now the God of my life. I believe that because of Jesus Christ my death is turning to life. My darkness is turning today my morning is turning to dance God Almighty, thank you for loving me. I believe that heaven will be my home. When I'm done on this earth. Jesus name. Let's do this together. Let's walk together. Let's cancel your funeral hallelujah this is cancel. Let's rejoice instead to imagine like events of the weather was like outside the city of Nancy's then Sen. Ted is talking God talked his brother never talked to before that wave.

Who knows there is a trust targeting agent knows what he was when he was raised from the dead. He started speaking as God's because of the Scripture says little girl to do bad to those dances in the house and all daddy mommy heard the voice of God that I've got a purpose and plan for my life.

You know that this corners tried to tell me that God couldn't help but he came anyway and he spoke to my heart. In the tomentosa sleeping, but he woke me up and now I have a purpose in life can imagine. Imagine Lazarus coming out of the grave. There were them dancing the graveyard over to but if I was Lazarus I tried to look like the dance McGregor Suzanne unwrap me in the eye what it is let loose in the joy that must've been there in the in the presence of all the skeptics and doubters, Scripture coders when somebody invited Jesus to the ship for a speedy God, I hope you invited him to yours because he is the author of life.

He doesn't do funerals just doesn't just can't handle the reason that that's that's the reality of who you you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ.

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