Memorial Service - Chad Michael-Craig Wood
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Hope - Lazarus
Hope - Lazarus
Open up and talk a little about passage
Read
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”
speak a little on this that jesus was a great friend of the three, jesus explaining to the disciples why they were not going back just yet…
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.
speak on Lazarus being dead 4 days now…
When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
“Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”
speak on this, yet read through it quickly…
his other sister comes out now…
When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
read while also saying somethings
“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
this morning i want to share with you 5 points here = and out of respect to you and your time i will not hold a 2 hour service (read the room)
but i do want to share with you 5 points i think are important for a time such as this…
and the first point here this morning…
Take Time to Grieve
Take Time to Grieve
First, the story of Lazarus reminds us that we need to take time to grieve.
Sometimes, we convince ourselves that what we need to do is “be strong” and “press on” for the sake of those around us.
speak on jesus weeping
Jesus wept.
When we love someone very dearly, as Jesus loved Lazarus, it is natural to cry.
t is part of God’s plan that we go through a grieving process when we experience loss.
The Bible says, “There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” Ecclesiastes 3:4 “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”
Holding back tears does not mean that we are strong, it means that we are weak — scared to accept how we feel.
Some people never allow themselves to grieve properly, and it only hurts them in the long run. It’s okay to cry. It’s important to grieve. It’s good to remember the precious times we have spent with a loved one, even though it hurts.
When Jesus saw the tomb of Lazarus, he faced what had happened. He likely reflected on the memories he shared with Lazarus when they reclined at the dinner table and laughed while enjoying Martha’s famous home-cooked meals.
Even though Jesus had the power to resurrect Lazarus immediately, He paused and took time to grieve.
We live in a demanding world that tries to push us along to the next activity. But when tragedy strikes in our family, we need to pause.
You have many memories with your loved one, and they are very precious. Take time to remember. Take time to grieve.
It is okay to cry. Remember, Jesus wept.
Jesus Understands
Jesus Understands
Second, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus understands our grief.
I can only offer you a pat on the back, and strong embrace, words of encouragment,
however, our saviour Jesus Christ almighty God understands and can offer you a peace that passes all understanding, comfort that can mend and heal any hurting heart and a strength to get you through this tough time..
In the dark times, we sometimes feel like God is very far away and doesn’t understand how we feel.
But Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
confirms that God is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because he came to earth and lived as a man named Jesus.
He endured the worst kinds of sufferings, from grief over his lost friend Lazarus, to a painful death on the cross.
Whatever we are going through, Jesus really does understand.
I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
He hears us…
God Has a Purpose
God Has a Purpose
Third, the story of Lazarus reminds us that God has a purpose.
preach on this needing to happen for all those in attendance
Both Mary and Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, you could have healed Lazarus from his sickness and prevented him from dying!”
So, why didn’t Jesus come earlier and heal Lazarus?
Jesus explained the reason to his disciples: “Lazarus became sick and died for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it…for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.”
God saw the bigger picture. The eternal destinies of Lazarus’s family and the crowds that gathered at the funeral were at stake.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
When we experience a tragedy, we often ask, “Why?”
If you love God, you can be confident that He will take the worst possible circumstances and use them to accomplish something good. If you do not love God, you can come to know him.
In the case of Lazarus, God’s purpose was to show that Jesus is the Son of God so people would believe and be saved from their sins.
Jesus is Lord of Life and Death
Jesus is Lord of Life and Death
Finally, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus is the Lord of life and death.
Jesus proved to everyone that He was truly God by the incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.
Now, you might think, “my loved one will not be raised from the dead.” But the Bible tells us that someday everyone will be raised from the dead, and we will stand before God.
Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life…everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
What would your answer be? Would you say to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”?
Receive the Lord of Life
Receive the Lord of Life
Heres the unedited Gospel as we like to say here at Sovereign Heights, The Bible teaches that we have all sinned Romans 3:23“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
We have all disobeyed God’s law. We have all ignored God and lived our own way on our own terms. and romans 6.23 lets us know the consquence of those choices…
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But God is very loving. He showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for us. What should have happened to us, happened to Jesus. Jesus died.
Speak the Gospel message here, and hold nothing back
no your truth, my truth, their truth, no jesus says I am the truth
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Beautiful things is romans 6.23 says the wages of sin is death it doesnt end there
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10.9 lays it out for us…
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Although death is a solemn reminder, it also points us to the most wonderful, hope-filled message of all! Jesus is the Lord of life and death. Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life!
Pray
HOLY SPIRIT PLEASE TAKE OVER…
