Talking To The Grieving Believer, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. I am the resurrection and the life is not just talk. He backs it up. He verifies his words, the Lazarus. Lazarus never know what you may know, the most exciting thing in America. That's great. I am the resurrection and the life joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join pastoral Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world created to have an unbroken relationship with God forever. We were created to have an unbroken relationship with each other forever. That's what we were created for sin change that we die. He is troubled and deeply moved. He feels what we feel something he feels what we feel said to them, where have you laid him and they said to him, Lord, come and see Jesus wept, but not quail any crew say is the word it's completely different. It means to cry profusely but silently he's not saying anything to just running down his cheek. When you cry out to the Lord because of the hole in your heart because someone you love has died.

It's as though he grabbed you and whispers in your year. I know I know how you feel. Scott incarnate and he feels what we feel and he weeps. No wonder the Scripture says he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He understands he weeps with them and he weeps for them. So the Jews were saying see how he loved him.

They get this part right. You see it's not just a matter of the principle of sin. It's not even a matter of he sees people crying because of death or matter that he has a relationship with Martha and Mary, but he loves Lazarus died so they say. What we often say, but some of them said, could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying when are you God. I am just stepped in. Why did you do something. Have you ever thought that through much we have Chuck Swindoll writes this he said if the Lord were to answer every prayer for healing by restoring health, no one would ever die, but we would be stuck in bodies that feel pain fall ill experience injury grow tired and wearout forever. We would be forced to write a perpetual roller coaster of illness and health injury and repair until we finally wearied of living and then we wished we were dead. Thank God he has a better way.

See, I think we don't think about that all if you would just step in too soon to young what are you not too young to die see one is that boy.

If you think for just a moment that well somebody I really love guys but the road I'll be just fine with it. Still hole in your heart is the way death operates. She were created to die. Sin causes the die is what amazes me about this and touch me more than anything else that in this passage, he cried and he knew he was going to raise him from the dead, and he cried, you would've done that you notify hey don't cry when you see what I'm gonna do, we would do that. You see it's almost like you can't wait to insert your power. Jesus knows that doesn't change anything. He loves Lazarus and guess what, even after the event Lazarus is going to die. See the he gets it. It's heart wrenching. It shows you his heart, Jesus talks to the grieving believer and says these three things.

One, death does not get the final word. I am the resurrection and the life to.

I have victory over death and you can to whoever believes in me will have that victory as well, and three. I love you. I feel your pain while we do something else. He does something that we often don't do.

He backs up his words. That's what begins in verse 38 so Jesus again being deeply moved within it came to the tomb. It was a cave knows a stone lying against it a very typical scene especially for someone with money and I'm well convinced that Lazarus, Mary and Martha come from a family that's well supported. He has a cave tomb I Jesus was buried in Joseph Army Thea Nicodemus help that it's a whole a cave in solid stone. It's usually about 6 x 9 5 x 10 those kinda dimensions and normally on one side, they would put about three shelves hewn out of the rock, on the other side three and usually to at the end and then they would place each person in the family who died there. That's what Jesus did and there's a stone there for the security of it all.

The stone was lying against it. And Jesus said remove the stone remove the stone maybe don't think like I do, but that intrigued me. Hey, if you're God you can remove the stomata say move it right you pulverizing to make it disappear. It doesn't operate that way he operates under this principle, you do what you can do and let me do what I can do. That's a great principal ministry. You do what you can do you do the small stuff out of the big stuff. But you do what you can do and so he says to them. Remove the stone. I remember Martha is bewildered and Martha, the sister of the deceased said to him, Lord, by this time there will be a stench for he has been dead for four days.

The Jews don't embalm. It's not like an Egyptian Pharaoh all that they do is they wrap the body with about 4 inch wide strips and I don't wrap it like a mommy they wrap it individually.

They wrap the legs individually they wrap their arms individually. They wrap the torso individually and they simply put the spices that they have whatever's available to them on the layers of the wrapping so that it won't smell too bad too soon, but she says I know this is going to smell it for days as a stench she sees thinking he wants one last look cc knows he loves him he must be going in there to see him one more time. He wants to see him one more time she's trying to say Lord it's too late. I am the resurrection and the life I am the resurrection and the life. And Jesus said to her, did I not say to you that if you believe you will see the glory of God. By the way, that's what it even said in verse four of chapter 11 his own disciples were there.

He said, this sickness is not end in death. But for the glory of God's of the son of God may be glorified by it.

Did I not tell you, you will see the glory of God.

I want to believe what I told you I don't know if any of us do this right. What is Jesus saying saying simply this. He saying to them, faith sees the glory of God.

Martha, you're missing the point. It's not that I want you to see a corpse walk. You see it's not that I want you to see a corpse walking. I want you to see the glory of God.

I want to see the son of God glorified. What is the glory of God the glory of God is the attributes of God on display as Tony Evans is the glory of God is God showing off.

That's what he says I want you to see the ability to take someone who is been dead for four days.

Make them alive. I want to seek not the corpse, walking want you to see the glory of God in Romans six, the apostle Paul wrote this Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God. Christ was raised in the dead by the glory of God. You see, we miss this. What we end up thinking about is I want to claim my miracle and I want when I want to have happen so that I'll be happy that what happened happened and we miss the glory of God. John MacArthur is only you can write this if Marcus says her heart on the corpse. All she's going to see is a living body. If Marcus sets her hard on Christ, then the miracle happened. She's going to see Christ glorified. That's the key. And so Jesus saying Martha if you only stop thinking about a smelly rotten corpse and really your attention on me. Then when the miracle happens, you're going to see a true sign of my deity and my glory and that's what he really wanted him to know he says were like that. You know what happens if you go through life and all you see are the problems and you know there are some people are there people that just simply see life as problems, problems, problems that's all they ever see, and they keep their eye on the problems and they get ulcers and they get worries and to get gray hairs and they go all through these problems, problems, problems.

You know what happens when God sees when God answers their problems and what they see.

They see the answer to a problem. All I see there's a solution and it's right there, oh dear, I see another problem and then another solution is that's all they see because they got their eyes on the problems. So what you see when the answer comes the solution to the problem is all they see that's all. But you know what happens to a Christian who keeps their eyes on Jesus Christ. When the solution comes. What does he or she say he sees the glory of Jesus Christ and you know every time a problem is answered person of faith says, praise the Lord.

This is terrific. I have seen the glory of God at work. See that's what you're saying and it's so easy for us to become so central not on the glory of the Lord. See, for every miracle did the Lord enter certain inserts into our life, especially in the area of health it's temporal always it's temporal yes the tumor is benign. Yes your heart is stabilized. You see, yes.

You see, you keep get yes, but you're going to die. That breaks his heart.

You see, that's his point. If you can see what I can do now. It just build your faith to know what I'm going to do. I am the resurrection and the life. And so they remove the stone and Jesus raised his eyes and he said, and I love this father, I thank you that you have heard me, and that word means agreed with me. I thank you that you agree with me. I know that you always agree with me but because of the people standing around. I said it so that they may believe that you sent me that's a prayer right will. How about this. What does he asked the father for nothing and ask him for anything. There's no petitioner says father, I thank you. I thank you that you agree with me and everything that I do, I thank you and I'm saying that a lot of these people here. We can pray that way but he can while he's putting it right out in the open and any said to these after he said these things.

You see, every said these things, I'll get imagine the scene. All these people the stones away. He just thank God already now want to tell you something. If that corpse doesn't come out of that cave, he threw he put it all on the line by the way, I'm always amazed the guys that say I can do everything that Jesus did everything he did. I can do do this, just do it. Bring in CNN for days.

Dead bring it in and split it all on the line just like Jesus Christ did says that he says with a loud voice how God so it's a great word how God so what does that mean as loud as you can always is describing a crowd.

It's as much noise as a crowd can make. It's a close game for the quarter for Don and the dirty birds Mylanta have a ball and you're in the dome. What does that sound like that's his word. Lazarus, for he puts it all out there as loud as he can say he doing minute saying he could've just one like this.

He wants an AdSense to make sure everybody there feels this in the insatiable grave gave up its prey.

The man who died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings in his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them and bind them lingo notice again. He didn't take off the great cause. You can do that you unbind him and let him go. God is all the big stuff. We were always stones and take off great closing, we call it ministry. I am the resurrection and the life is not just talk.

He backs it up. He verifies it with his words. The Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth matter know about you but know the most exciting thing to me is is to verify with me while that's great I am the resurrection and the life bill come forth. The man who died came forth. Dead men don't come forth that men don't wake up dead hearts don't beat dried blood doesn't flow empty lungs do not inhale men don't come out of the grave and message of the voice of the Lord of life see unless they hear the voice of the Lord of life comes music close to first Thessalonians 4. First Thessalonians 4 verse 16. This is called the blessed hope of the church for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a what what a shock. Love that the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout in the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God in the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up ruptured together with them in the air to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words, while see what is seen. That must've been for those people with that gravesite. I'm sure some of the ladies fainted. I'm sure some people screamed. I'm sure people cheered is no season like that every day there something else happens on the scene like that you learn what to say at funerals. You see, that's what I can say is you as a grieving believer speaking about a dying believer. Jesus says look at death does not get the final word know I have victory over death and you will to. But, by the way, I love you and I feel your pain. What does he give us their see what is it happens to us. I love what Paul wrote in first Thessalonians 4 verse 13 he says, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who were sleep so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope when Jesus talks to us is greatly grieving believers. You know what he gives you and gives me hope.

Hope while I am the resurrection and the life. The spray father we can all identify with this passage we have all had a heart torn. We all understand the sorrow for those of us father have experienced much of it. We will we understand that the physical body will give up its living spirit, we realize that physical death will separate us in this physical world and to the reunion that we have with you. Father, I thank you for the words of Jesus Christ, I think you for the hope that those words give me. I thank you for his power. I thank you for his heart.

I thank you for his ultimate victory and I thank you for his embrace of our sorrow father how great is your son and RC in his name. Pastor Brueggemann on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

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