In the last meeting, we learned about taking up our cross. Did you take your cross this week? Hopefully you did.
Ok, today we have a special message from God!
Now, please, Think about your life. I am 100% sure that you have many dreams, many desires that you would like to live, but until the moment, you haven’t. Maybe you would like to live and spend more time in the presence of God. Maybe, you wanted to spend more time with your family. Maybe you wanted to bless somebody or to be blessed. Maybe you wanted to receive a powerful miracle from heaven or see the Right hand of God move in your life. But, along the way, you stopped! Something happened, and you gave up!
I suppose most of us, at one time or another, have felt like giving up. The pressures of our daily problems and the tensions of time, maybe the moral corruption that surrounds us, we get to a point where we say, ”I think I’ll just give up. I think I’ll just lay things aside. I give up.”
When we give up living the plans God has for us, we put a stone blocking our way, our future!
Today, God’s message is: Don’t give up! Remove the stone out of your way!
Say it: Don’t give up! Remove the stone and keep moving!
We can read a powerful lesson in John 11:1-44
Vs 1-3 Read
Mary, a few days ago, poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. She was worshiping Jesus and now She needs a miracle! In the First place, She praised Jesus!
#1 Lesson to remove the stone and live the miracle is: Worship Jesus!
No matters what you are living, just praise Jesus! Glorify his wonderful name!
In Psalms 34:1 says: “I will extol, praise the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips”. No matters want you are living, but praise Jesus!
Every time, every situation, praise Jesus!
If we are in trouble, in anguish, God comes and wipes our tears away, He steps in and saves the day. Even if it’s still raining as the thunder rolls. I barely hear his whisper through the rain, and He says to us:
I’m with you. I’m with you! We must raise our hands and praise The God who gives and takes away.
There is a song who says:
“ I’ll praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That you are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried, You hold in your hand
You never left my side, And though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm”
I remember when I stumbled in the wind, Jesus, You heard my cry you raised me up again
I’ll praise you in this storm, I’ll praise you every moment!
The first lesson to remove the stone is: Worship Jesus!!!
Vs 4-17 Read
V 6 says: Jesus stayed where he was two more day.
Why Jesus didn’t go in the same time, running to help Lazarus and his sisters? Why Did Jesus spend two more days in other village and only after it He went and help that family? Because the Second lesson to take away the stone and live the miracle is:
#2 There is a right time to experience the miracle
–Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
There is a right time to live the miracle. Hallelujah!
-In Psalms 4:1-3 says:
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord. and put their trust in him.
Please, praise The Lord with me! Hallelujah! Praised be your Holy name, God!
So, just wait in God. Jesus is coming to help you. He is never late! He will be in your side in the right time and He will perform a wonderful miracle in your life! Just wait patiently and praise Him!
V 18-28
Jesus said that Lazarus would rise again. But Martha thought of the spiritual resurrection in the last day, she didn’t think Jesus could do a miracle in that moment.
So, in the verse 25, He said:
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Do you believe, Martha? I’m the resurrection! I’m the life! Whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe Martha? Hey, do you believe in me?
#3 The third lesson to remove the stone and experience the miracle is: Believe! BELIEVE!
Jesus asked to Martha: Do you believe this? Do you believe in me? And you, my friend: Jesus is asking you: Do you believe in me?
Disappointment is part of life in this fallen world. As believers, we shouldn’t be surprised when things don’t work out, when we face difficulty, or when life is disappointing. That’s because Adam fell into sin, we all fell into sin. The imprint of sin is on everything. Even the earth itself groans with the weight of it. Sometimes, our struggles are so strong that we give up on believing in Jesus! We fight against sin, the world, flesh’s corruption and we don’t see good results in the short run. The plan we’ve worked so hard for never gets off the ground.
But Jesus says something special for us in John 16:33 “have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Praise God! Believe in JESUS! He has overcome the world, and you also will overcome!!! Believe in Jesus! Have faith in Jesus!
V 32-35
Jesus saw Mary weeping and He was deeply moved in spirit. Jesus deeply move when we are in sadness.
After it, Jesus asked to Mary: Where have you laid him?
#4 The fourth lesson to remove the stone and experience the miracle is: Show Jesus where you gave up.
Please, pay attention: Jesus walked in and said: Show me where you laid him down.
Jesus is walking here and asking to you:
Show me where you gave up?!
Show me! Show me where you stopped believing…Show me!
He said to that woman: Show me! Show me at what point you quit expecting a change?!
Show me where you laid him down….
Think about it and answer him: Where did you put your faith? Where did you stop believing?
You may have buried your dreams because of a delayed answer to your prayers. God didn’t do what you wanted when you wanted it. But now Jesus is saying, “Take me to the place where you laid down those dreams.” We can see that God is working even if all we can see is a mountain of circumstances and facts that are saying it’s too late. Well, hold on and don’t give up! Jesus is never early and He’s never late…He’s ALWAYS on time – the time of God.
V 38
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
After She pointed him in the right direction, He went to the burial site, a place of weakness, of death.
Show Jesus your weaknesses, the place where you gave up. Ask him for help, and He will help you! Please, show Jesus where you gave up! Don’t be afraid! Show him and Let him fix it.
V 39
He said: “Take away the stone”.
You know, in order to take away the stone that stopped you from living, from dreaming, first you need to:
- Worship Jesus, no matter what happens.
- Wait for the right time of the miracle
- You must believe in Jesus
- Show where you laid down your dream, your faith, where you gave up, and now TAKE AWAY THE STONE!
Now, after this lesson, we are ready to experience the miracle! We must get rid of the stone! But we cannot do it alone! We will need brothers and sisters to help us move the stone away!
Maybe, this stone is a sin. You have to confess, repent and you will receive forgiveness!
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” We need the help of our brothers to remove the stone.
Maybe this is stone is fear. Fear of losing somebody, fear of losing something… God says to us: “say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Take away the stone! Jesus said.
Today is the day to take away the stone! But I need help to do it. Please, who here can help me remove the stone? If I want the miracle to happen, I have to take away the stone! (Call 2 people).
Please, my friends help me to remove this stone.
V 41-44
So they took away the stone and Jesus gave thanks to God.
When we removed the stone, the miracle has a way to happen.
After they took the stone, Jesus said in a loud voice:
Lazarus, come out! Lazarus, come out!!!
Isaiah 43:1 says: But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Can you hear Jesus calling you through the grave? Can you hear Jesus shout your name, from the darkness to light? Come out! Come out. He is calling your dreams, your plans, your desire to be a good Man of God, to be a good woman of God!
So can you shout with me and call Lazarus to come out?
1,2,3…Lazarus, come out!
(Pedro will get out in front of the church)
Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Now, is time to take off the grave clothes and let Jesus beginning his plan in our lives. (Help Pedro to take off the grave clothes).
When we remove the stone, our dreams can come true, we receive life.
We were buried beneath our shame, our sin.
We were breathing, but not alive, all our failures we tried to hide
It was our tomb, till we meet Jesus, Jesus called our name
And we ran out of that grave.
So, perhaps you’re as bad off as Lazarus and your dream is dead, buried and nothing more than a stinking memory.
You need to understand this. Jesus told Lazarus’ sister, Martha, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.”
There is no pit so deep that Jesus isn’t deeper still.
The resurrection of your dream is a simple thing for Him, if only you’ll believe. Stay out of fear. Don’t believe the devil’s lies that it’s over.
Now without the grave clothes, we are ready to live God’s plan! Take courage,
Stay steadfast, soul, Hold onto your hope, He’s never failing! Trust in him! He’s never failing!
Sing praise my soul, Find strength in joy, Let His Words lead you on, Do not forget His great faithfulness.
He’ll finish all He’s begun!!!
So take away the stone! live what God has for you!
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Hallelujah!
You have to worship Jesus, while waiting for the right time to experience the miracle; believe, show him where you stopped believing and then remove the stone! He is calling you by your name! Take away the stone and live the miracle. Amen?
Sing and pray.