WEBVTT 00:00:01.604 --> 00:00:01.985 Hey, what up? 00:00:01.985 --> 00:00:02.587 It's Mark Carter. 00:00:02.587 --> 00:00:03.870 I'm the pastor of Fierce Church. 00:00:03.870 --> 00:00:04.892 Welcome to our podcast. 00:00:04.892 --> 00:00:07.224 I'm so pumped that you're able to join us today. 00:00:07.224 --> 00:00:16.725 I hope this encourages you, inspires you, strengthens you, gives you hope to keep pressing on, and it's my prayer that this sermon gives you a more expansive view of God's love for you. 00:00:16.725 --> 00:00:21.964 Enjoy the message I got to tell you, man, I'm really excited about today. 00:00:22.324 --> 00:00:23.067 I'm really excited. 00:00:23.067 --> 00:00:28.929 Sometimes, see, I get all weak to study the passage and I see so much incredible stuff in God's word. 00:00:28.929 --> 00:00:30.181 I can't wait to share it with you. 00:00:30.181 --> 00:00:31.925 And I'm just reminded all the time. 00:00:31.925 --> 00:00:33.427 God's word is alive. 00:00:33.427 --> 00:00:35.439 God's word is just different man. 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:43.856 It's different than every other book, and if we should open ourselves to it, he will speak stuff that only he could know directly into our hearts and check it out. 00:00:43.856 --> 00:00:46.204 You don't even have to totally believe that for him to do it. 00:00:46.204 --> 00:00:50.081 So even if you're not there yet, hey, just be open and see what happens. 00:00:51.463 --> 00:00:54.508 In 2005, my wife became pregnant. 00:00:54.508 --> 00:00:57.072 It was our third time being pregnant. 00:00:57.072 --> 00:01:00.604 We already had two girls and we're really excited. 00:01:00.604 --> 00:01:03.491 We started to think about this new baby that's coming along. 00:01:03.491 --> 00:01:05.426 Obviously, we're already a little bit experienced. 00:01:05.426 --> 00:01:11.846 We're thinking about all the times we're going to go to the park and play and all the things that young parents do with young kids. 00:01:12.748 --> 00:01:26.150 About nine weeks in, we found out that, though we were having twins, they did not survive and Kenzie had a miscarriage, and that was surprisingly like ugh, like that hit me a lot. 00:01:26.150 --> 00:01:28.004 That was emotionally difficult. 00:01:28.004 --> 00:01:35.969 I don't know why it was a surprise, but maybe the level to which I felt disappointed or felt like, wow, well, we'd already been dreaming about this. 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:39.668 We already had plans of what was going to happen. 00:01:39.668 --> 00:01:43.581 We're already thinking about these kids, and those of you who are parents, you know this. 00:01:43.581 --> 00:01:47.512 As soon as that baby is like conceived, there's part of you for many of us. 00:01:47.512 --> 00:01:53.760 You already love that kid, you're already thinking about that kid, and so that was a little bit disappointing. 00:01:54.483 --> 00:02:00.444 And I wonder if there's anybody in here who has something that you expected it to go one way but then it went the other way. 00:02:00.444 --> 00:02:03.891 You were hoping it was going to come through. 00:02:03.891 --> 00:02:08.609 You were hoping you were going to attain it, you were going to get to it, but it just hasn't happened yet. 00:02:08.609 --> 00:02:13.590 You thought it was really going to work out with that particular relationship, but it really didn't. 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:15.961 You were praying so hard. 00:02:15.961 --> 00:02:22.784 God, I need you to do this, and it seems like, actually, as time goes by, that becomes less and less of what is happening. 00:02:22.784 --> 00:02:24.849 It's hard. 00:02:24.849 --> 00:02:31.762 If you're going to walk with Jesus Now, the world will disappoint you anyway, but if you're going to walk with Jesus, we've got to have a grid. 00:02:31.762 --> 00:02:41.270 We've got to have something that we can do to deal with despair when things come along that it's like I don't understand at all why this is happening. 00:02:41.270 --> 00:02:44.725 We need something that we can grab onto to weather that storm. 00:02:44.725 --> 00:02:46.169 Thankfully, we've got some good coaches. 00:02:47.453 --> 00:02:49.397 Jesus had some very good friends. 00:02:49.397 --> 00:02:51.764 He had some friends he liked to hang out at their place. 00:02:51.764 --> 00:02:52.828 You've got friends like that. 00:02:52.828 --> 00:02:53.330 You've been there. 00:02:53.330 --> 00:02:56.659 There's friends that you're like kind of friends with, and then there's friends you're going to go over. 00:02:56.659 --> 00:03:00.626 Hey, man, let's have some barbecue, let's hang out all afternoon. 00:03:00.926 --> 00:03:17.122 This is the kind of friends Jesus has in Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and they're a little bit tighter than everybody else, and so when Lazarus gets sick, mary and Martha are like we know who we're going to call and they send word to Jesus, who is not with them at that moment. 00:03:17.122 --> 00:03:19.832 We're going to pick it up in John 1 or 11. 00:03:19.832 --> 00:03:22.461 Number one we're going to learn about dealing with despair. 00:03:22.461 --> 00:03:24.425 Here it is A man named Lazarus was sick. 00:03:24.425 --> 00:03:27.652 He lived in Bethany with his sisters, mary and Martha. 00:03:27.652 --> 00:03:31.896 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. 00:03:31.896 --> 00:03:34.067 Her brother, lazarus, was sick. 00:03:34.067 --> 00:03:39.347 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him Lord, your dear friend is very sick. 00:03:39.347 --> 00:03:40.801 Notice how they throw a deer in there. 00:03:40.801 --> 00:03:42.843 They're like remember who this guy is. 00:03:42.843 --> 00:03:44.126 He's a really important one. 00:03:44.126 --> 00:03:45.627 Whatever you're doing, please come and heal him. 00:03:45.627 --> 00:03:51.014 But when Jesus heard about it, he said Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. 00:03:51.014 --> 00:03:56.027 No, it happened for the glory of God, so that the son of God will receive glory from this. 00:03:56.027 --> 00:04:06.032 So although Jesus loved Martha, mary and Lazarus important to note although he loved them, he stayed where he was for the next two days. 00:04:06.032 --> 00:04:11.381 Finally, he said to the disciples let's go back to Judea Now. 00:04:11.401 --> 00:04:12.706 The disciples are a little bit afraid of that. 00:04:12.706 --> 00:04:13.883 They're afraid if they go there. 00:04:13.883 --> 00:04:17.250 Jesus tends to make trouble in a lot of the places that he goes. 00:04:17.250 --> 00:04:30.946 They're afraid Not only is he going to get stoned, but they're probably going to get a little bit stoned as well, not in that way Hit by the rocks, going to get a little bit stoned as well, out in that way hit by the rocks. 00:04:30.946 --> 00:04:32.851 So they don't necessarily think this is a particularly good idea. 00:04:32.872 --> 00:04:33.434 But his disciples objected. 00:04:33.434 --> 00:04:36.264 Rabbi, they said, only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. 00:04:36.264 --> 00:04:37.990 Are you going there again? 00:04:37.990 --> 00:04:41.403 Jesus replied there are 12 hours of daylight every day. 00:04:41.403 --> 00:04:47.593 During the day people can walk safely, they can see because they have the light of this world. 00:04:47.593 --> 00:04:51.488 But at night there's danger of stumbling because they have no light. 00:04:51.488 --> 00:04:55.670 Then he said our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up. 00:04:55.670 --> 00:05:00.372 The disciples ever dim, like, not necessarily cluing in to what Jesus is saying. 00:05:00.372 --> 00:05:02.767 Lord, if he's sleeping, he will soon get better. 00:05:02.767 --> 00:05:10.041 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, as though Jesus would have to cross, go all the way back to wake up somebody from a nap. 00:05:10.041 --> 00:05:12.627 But Jesus meant Lazarus had died. 00:05:12.627 --> 00:05:21.220 And so he told them plainly Lazarus is dead and for your sakes I'm glad I wasn't there For now you will really believe Come, let's go see him. 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:22.723 Verse 17,. 00:05:22.744 --> 00:05:27.653 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 00:05:27.653 --> 00:05:31.728 So this is complicated math, okay, so don't think about it too hard. 00:05:31.728 --> 00:05:37.949 But apparently when they sent this messenger to Jesus, that was the very day that Lazarus also died. 00:05:37.949 --> 00:05:41.189 And now it takes a day to get there. 00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:44.524 Then there's two days that Jesus waits and then he comes back on this day and here he is. 00:05:44.524 --> 00:05:46.966 Okay, so now Lazarus has been dead for four days. 00:05:47.788 --> 00:05:52.875 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 00:05:52.875 --> 00:05:59.819 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:01.579 She's not even going out yet. 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:02.841 Martha comes out. 00:06:02.841 --> 00:06:09.701 Mary, she's like Martha said to Jesus Lord, if only you'd been here, my brother would not have died. 00:06:09.701 --> 00:06:12.487 Where were you, jesus? 00:06:12.487 --> 00:06:15.033 You could have stopped this. 00:06:15.033 --> 00:06:17.903 You could have ended this whole thing. 00:06:17.903 --> 00:06:19.487 What the heck? 00:06:19.487 --> 00:06:21.132 I thought we were tight. 00:06:21.132 --> 00:06:25.608 I thought like we had a little bit more important place in your heart than this. 00:06:25.608 --> 00:06:26.632 Why would you do? 00:06:26.632 --> 00:06:28.165 It wasn't even that hard. 00:06:28.165 --> 00:06:30.605 Like what were you doing? 00:06:30.605 --> 00:06:32.865 That you couldn't come and heal Lazarus? 00:06:32.865 --> 00:06:34.963 And we learn later. 00:06:34.963 --> 00:06:37.009 Eventually, mary does come out. 00:06:37.009 --> 00:06:41.067 She's asked to come out, so she eventually does, and she says the same thing in verse 32. 00:06:41.067 --> 00:06:45.170 She says Lord, if only you'd been here, my brother would not have died. 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:52.247 They've been talking about it and they're both emotionally torn up. 00:06:52.247 --> 00:06:53.834 And I'm sure that you've been this way when you've had various disappointments. 00:06:53.834 --> 00:06:54.315 We can all get. 00:06:54.315 --> 00:06:55.500 Maybe like Martha. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.009 Maybe you're a little bit angry, like you're marching out to Jesus. 00:06:58.009 --> 00:06:59.983 You're like what the heck is going on here? 00:06:59.983 --> 00:07:02.125 You're irritated. 00:07:02.125 --> 00:07:04.290 You're even like accusatory. 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:07.055 You did this or at least you didn't stop it. 00:07:07.055 --> 00:07:10.607 Or maybe we're a little bit more like mary who she's? 00:07:10.607 --> 00:07:16.894 She's so numb, maybe emotionally, she's so confused about what jesus didn't do that she just can't even move. 00:07:16.894 --> 00:07:18.461 Yet she's like I can't even deal with this yet. 00:07:18.461 --> 00:07:20.927 I don't know, I can't think about jesus right now. 00:07:20.927 --> 00:07:22.591 I'm so disappointed. 00:07:22.591 --> 00:07:25.497 I've got so much depression going on. 00:07:25.497 --> 00:07:27.002 I can't even do this right now. 00:07:27.002 --> 00:07:40.353 Maybe you just kind of hide away from people, maybe you get real insulated and you just start to take counsel with yourself and it gets darker and darker and darker. 00:07:40.353 --> 00:07:43.947 We got to learn how to survive these disappointments, guys. 00:07:43.947 --> 00:07:45.752 We got to learn it. 00:07:45.752 --> 00:07:50.870 Verse 22, martha says but even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask. 00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:53.584 Jesus told her your brother will rise again. 00:07:53.584 --> 00:07:57.473 Yes, martha said he will rise when everyone else rises at the last day. 00:07:57.473 --> 00:08:01.966 Jesus told her I am the resurrection and the life. 00:08:01.966 --> 00:08:05.434 Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. 00:08:05.434 --> 00:08:11.471 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never, ever die. 00:08:11.471 --> 00:08:13.254 Do you believe this, Martha? 00:08:13.254 --> 00:08:16.326 That's trippy, this word. 00:08:16.346 --> 00:08:19.377 Belief pistueo we've talked about this word before. 00:08:19.377 --> 00:08:20.240 It's in the book of John. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.069 A lot it's believe, but we have to understand this idea of belief. 00:08:23.069 --> 00:08:24.819 It's not just John. 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:26.403 A lot it's believe, but we have to understand this idea of believe. 00:08:26.403 --> 00:08:26.684 It's not just. 00:08:26.684 --> 00:08:27.266 I think that's probably true. 00:08:27.266 --> 00:08:33.003 It is not only am I persuaded that it is true, I'm committed to it, I'm pledging myself to it. 00:08:33.003 --> 00:08:36.650 I'm so convinced that it's true that I'm going all in on it. 00:08:36.650 --> 00:08:42.991 I'm trusting the high wire and I'm walking out on that high wire because I believe I'm going to be okay. 00:08:42.991 --> 00:08:48.384 Out on that high wire, because I believe I'm going to be okay. 00:08:48.384 --> 00:08:49.528 Well, this word was used earlier in John, chapter three. 00:08:49.548 --> 00:08:52.863 Jesus was talking about himself and he references this story that all the Jews would have understood. 00:08:52.863 --> 00:09:01.577 It's the story of when some snakes were sent, as a form of punishment from God, into the Israelite camp when they're on their way from Egypt and they started. 00:09:01.577 --> 00:09:07.153 These poisonous snakes started to kill a lot of them and so God told hey, moses, you're going to need some performance art. 00:09:07.153 --> 00:09:14.691 I want you to make it sounds weird a pole with a snake on it and I want you to lift it up and everybody who looks at that pole, they're going to be healed. 00:09:14.691 --> 00:09:17.847 It's weird, it's a weird way to heal people, but that's the way I want to do it. 00:09:17.847 --> 00:09:30.059 And Jesus says that was actually about me, by the way Verse. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.229 By the way, verse 14 is as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 00:09:34.229 --> 00:09:36.113 If you look at the snake on Moses' pole, you get healed from snake bites. 00:09:36.113 --> 00:09:45.214 I guess If you look at Jesus and believe who he says he is, you get healed from death. 00:09:45.214 --> 00:09:50.525 My friends and that I mean the world, doesn't even get this Like Jesus is the death cure. 00:09:50.525 --> 00:09:56.085 That means when you close your eyes to die, you are instantly going to wake up and be like what the heck am I still doing here? 00:09:56.085 --> 00:10:01.048 Let's go, let's get to my reward, jesus, come on, whoo. 00:10:01.048 --> 00:10:12.205 I'm so glad I think most of us are really so glad to be done with this body, like, oh my gosh whoo, I feel so much better already. 00:10:12.284 --> 00:10:17.269 Pistueo, believe, or decide to trust, or commit and trust yourself to him. 00:10:17.269 --> 00:10:19.792 What is believing? 00:10:19.792 --> 00:10:32.120 What is it we're supposed to believe, we're supposed to trust, but the question really is not trust what, it's trust whom. 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:32.780 Whom are we supposed to trust? 00:10:32.780 --> 00:10:33.841 And Jesus kind of points this out to Martha. 00:10:33.841 --> 00:10:37.446 You'll notice that he doesn't say, he didn't say hey, martha, yeah, like in five minutes, I'm just going to raise him. 00:10:37.446 --> 00:10:39.327 So what's the big deal, man, come on, give me a break. 00:10:39.327 --> 00:10:41.750 All right, it was a long journey, I'm going to do this anyway. 00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:44.493 He doesn't try to comfort her with what he's about to do. 00:10:44.493 --> 00:10:45.453 Did you notice that? 00:10:45.453 --> 00:10:47.515 He points to who he is? 00:10:47.515 --> 00:10:52.855 He said everyone who believes in me, everyone who believes in me, here's what I'm here. 00:10:52.855 --> 00:10:55.518 Lazarus is tertiary right now. 00:10:55.518 --> 00:10:58.259 Martha, everyone who believes in me, that's where the power is. 00:10:58.259 --> 00:10:59.051 That's what. 00:10:59.051 --> 00:10:59.533 That's what. 00:10:59.533 --> 00:11:03.272 That's what, what is going to get you through, see, trust. 00:11:04.333 --> 00:11:15.541 Trust resists focusing on how God is going to do it, what exactly he's going to do, when he's going to do it. 00:11:15.541 --> 00:11:19.072 Trust is always focused on the person of Jesus Christ. 00:11:19.072 --> 00:11:21.275 Trust is focused on whom. 00:11:21.275 --> 00:11:23.760 That's what trust is about. 00:11:23.760 --> 00:11:24.923 That's what belief is about. 00:11:24.923 --> 00:11:28.258 That's what faith is about the question we're asking. 00:11:28.258 --> 00:11:32.655 Sometimes we ask what is true, but we really need to ask more often what is true about Jesus? 00:11:32.655 --> 00:11:36.552 With regard to my situation, my answer is in the son of God. 00:11:36.552 --> 00:11:37.677 What is true about him? 00:11:37.677 --> 00:11:38.913 Jesus is telling Martha. 00:11:38.913 --> 00:11:52.475 Martha, it matters how you think about me, and we're not denying reality, but what we're choosing to do is see reality through a Jesus lens, as though Jesus really is who he says he is and has the power that he has. 00:11:52.475 --> 00:11:53.775 And this isn't anything new. 00:11:53.775 --> 00:11:56.679 This was, I mean, clearly spelled out all over the Old Testament. 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:00.019 It's in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, 5, and 6. 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:00.471 You know it. 00:12:00.511 --> 00:12:03.458 Probably many of you Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. 00:12:03.458 --> 00:12:08.721 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 00:12:08.721 --> 00:12:09.442 Somebody point to this. 00:12:09.442 --> 00:12:12.235 Say not much help all the time. 00:12:12.235 --> 00:12:14.910 Not much help all the time. 00:12:14.910 --> 00:12:23.880 In all your ways, submit to him and he, who, he, he will make your paths straight. 00:12:23.880 --> 00:12:25.501 Does that mean that you have to make them straight? 00:12:25.501 --> 00:12:27.804 No, it means he will do it. 00:12:27.804 --> 00:12:29.346 He'll be the one that straightens the path. 00:12:29.346 --> 00:12:34.551 You're like well, it's not straight though. 00:12:34.551 --> 00:12:35.212 Yeah, I know he's going to do it. 00:12:35.212 --> 00:12:36.336 You don't have to figure out how to get it straight. 00:12:36.336 --> 00:12:37.620 You do the work of trusting in him with all your heart. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:42.111 This ain't no help, and remember to submit to him and he'll get you there, baby. 00:12:43.575 --> 00:12:55.320 So we need to consider who it is we're trusting, we're believing, we're entrusting ourselves to, and then, as we let it go, we say okay, I know you, because it's you that knows about this situation. 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:57.523 I'm going to try to walk away from it. 00:12:57.523 --> 00:13:06.030 In my heart, I might walk right back, but then I'm going to disciplinedly walk away from it again because of whom it is I am trusting, and we forget this sometimes. 00:13:06.030 --> 00:13:13.635 We forget that, though we work very hard and we're trying to solve every problem and get it done, just so, and we just know it's got to be this way or that way. 00:13:13.937 --> 00:13:21.575 The Bible is very clear that we're supposed to believe God, and sometimes we just make it more complicated than it is. 00:13:21.575 --> 00:13:23.299 Just believe God, I don't know. 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:24.101 That's it. 00:13:24.101 --> 00:13:26.335 That's all the complication that God gives you. 00:13:26.335 --> 00:13:28.961 Believe me, trust me, I can do it. 00:13:28.961 --> 00:13:30.475 That doesn't mean we never have any action. 00:13:30.475 --> 00:13:38.336 But it does mean often, when our heart is all clenched up and we can't see the way forward, we don't know why God did whatever he did and we don't know how he's ever going to get fixed. 00:13:39.451 --> 00:13:43.020 The answer is be like a child and just believe God. 00:13:43.020 --> 00:13:44.812 Look at Jesus. 00:13:44.812 --> 00:13:46.677 Somebody say God's way is best. 00:13:46.677 --> 00:13:48.822 God's way is best. 00:13:48.822 --> 00:13:51.157 It doesn't always look best, but it is best. 00:13:51.157 --> 00:13:53.875 Here's number one God's purposes are best. 00:13:56.390 --> 00:14:01.192 Believe what we decide to trust, what we decide to trust, that God's purposes are best. 00:14:01.192 --> 00:14:02.375 We got our own purposes. 00:14:02.375 --> 00:14:04.317 I can have my purposes of. 00:14:04.317 --> 00:14:07.124 It could be great stuff. 00:14:07.124 --> 00:14:09.414 It could be to help others or to keep others safe. 00:14:09.414 --> 00:14:10.739 It could also be about me. 00:14:10.739 --> 00:14:16.621 It could be that I get what I want or that I become who I think I'm supposed to actualize myself in this world to be. 00:14:16.621 --> 00:14:20.826 I can have lots of agendas, but God's agenda is the one that's important. 00:14:20.826 --> 00:14:24.017 God's agenda is the one that's going to most bring glory to God. 00:14:24.017 --> 00:14:25.561 This is what he teaches us in verse four. 00:14:25.561 --> 00:14:28.057 Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. 00:14:28.057 --> 00:14:30.066 No, it happened for the glory of God. 00:14:30.066 --> 00:14:31.831 Why do we have this problem, Jesus? 00:14:31.831 --> 00:14:33.995 For the glory of God. 00:14:33.995 --> 00:14:39.798 You don't see it yet, but you have the problem for the glory of God, for the son of God will receive glory from this. 00:14:39.798 --> 00:14:43.240 So God's way brings Jesus the most glory. 00:14:43.240 --> 00:14:47.378 God's way is actually the most loving thing he could do. 00:14:47.378 --> 00:14:49.482 Check this out, dude. 00:14:49.482 --> 00:14:50.836 This will blow your mind, I hope. 00:14:50.836 --> 00:14:52.596 I hope you see it the way I do. 00:14:53.210 --> 00:14:59.734 John 11, five and six in the LSB that's a word for word translation. 00:14:59.734 --> 00:15:00.580 I don't want to complicate things for you. 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:03.537 Some translations are thought for thought, meaning they're trying to get the essence of what is being said. 00:15:03.537 --> 00:15:05.265 Other translations are word for word. 00:15:05.265 --> 00:15:08.496 They're both helpful, but the one that's rightest is the word for word. 00:15:08.496 --> 00:15:14.937 And so when you really want to know what is being said here, that's why you have a pastor, so that he can study the Greek for you and he can tell you what it is. 00:15:14.937 --> 00:15:20.692 Not that you can't learn to do some of that on your own, which is totally dope, but here's what it literally says. 00:15:21.495 --> 00:15:32.202 Now, jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in that place where he was. 00:15:32.202 --> 00:15:34.677 So when he heard, he loved them. 00:15:34.677 --> 00:15:40.217 So when he heard that word, so it's consequently because he loved, because he loved them. 00:15:40.217 --> 00:15:43.046 He didn't go because he loved them. 00:15:43.046 --> 00:15:44.892 He chose a different time to go. 00:15:44.892 --> 00:15:46.636 They're like if you love me, you would come. 00:15:46.636 --> 00:15:51.214 He says actually, if I love you, I won't because I actually want what's best for you. 00:15:51.214 --> 00:15:53.336 Have you considered the possibility, I guess? 00:15:53.336 --> 00:15:54.879 I know that it's hard, especially when it's fresh. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.104 So if you're in some fresh trauma right now, I'm sorry. 00:15:58.104 --> 00:16:03.456 I know that it's hard, but there is peace, there is consolation in the idea. 00:16:03.456 --> 00:16:18.741 Have you thought through the idea that God is withholding some stuff from you because he loves you, because he's deliberately thinking through your things and he sees the long game and he knows well, if I give him that, then I can't give him this and this is going to be dope. 00:16:18.741 --> 00:16:23.157 This is way better than that thing that they think that they want and so he just withholds it. 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:27.792 You know, when I was sick for all that time in my early 20s, I'm going to talk. 00:16:27.792 --> 00:16:30.755 I talk about it all the time but I'm not going to bring you deep. 00:16:30.755 --> 00:16:31.677 Most of you know what I'm talking about. 00:16:31.677 --> 00:16:38.265 But when I was sick there was all kinds of stuff that, like God, I'm supposed to be young and strong. 00:16:38.265 --> 00:16:46.360 I look like a skeleton or like a ghoul or something, because I'm so sick I'm missing out on the years that I feel like I should be doing the heavy lifting. 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.051 I can't go to work anymore, I'm thinking about. 00:16:49.051 --> 00:16:54.023 I do get to be with my three-year-old daughter, but it's hard to even go to the park. 00:16:54.023 --> 00:17:03.791 There's all kinds of things that you just begin to shut down at that stage of my life. 00:17:03.811 --> 00:17:04.852 And he'd be like God, why are you doing this now? 00:17:04.852 --> 00:17:06.012 Why do I have to deal with this now? 00:17:06.012 --> 00:17:09.795 What about the relationships that I might be missing now? 00:17:09.795 --> 00:17:11.836 And he didn't say a lot. 00:17:11.836 --> 00:17:15.199 He said a few things over the years. 00:17:15.199 --> 00:17:18.201 Some of them were God can do no wrong. 00:17:18.201 --> 00:17:20.863 Don't accuse me. 00:17:20.863 --> 00:17:22.084 God can do no wrong. 00:17:22.084 --> 00:17:24.025 I'm not Carter. 00:17:24.025 --> 00:17:25.246 I'm not doing you wrong here. 00:17:25.246 --> 00:17:27.488 I'm not doing you wrong. 00:17:27.488 --> 00:17:31.412 He told me to pray for healing. 00:17:31.412 --> 00:17:33.734 He didn't promise me he was going to heal me, but he told me to pray for healing. 00:17:33.734 --> 00:17:34.536 He said sit tight, son, I got you. 00:17:34.536 --> 00:17:36.819 I'm doing this out of love. 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:40.546 God's way brings the most glory to Jesus. 00:17:40.546 --> 00:17:42.734 It is the way that is most loving. 00:17:42.734 --> 00:17:44.317 It's also the safest way. 00:17:44.317 --> 00:17:45.961 I think we might've missed this. 00:17:46.002 --> 00:17:52.231 In verse nine, the disciples are saying hey, lord, should we go back Really, because you might get in a little bit of trouble. 00:17:52.231 --> 00:17:54.157 And Jesus says there's 12 hours of daylight every day. 00:17:54.157 --> 00:17:57.798 During the day people can walk safely, they can see because they have the light of this world. 00:17:57.798 --> 00:18:01.875 But at night there is a danger of stumbling because they have no light. 00:18:01.875 --> 00:18:04.891 He says, guys, I'm the light of the world. 00:18:04.891 --> 00:18:12.674 I know you think we're maybe in danger, but as long as you stay with me and you stay within my light, you keep close to me, you keep following my word. 00:18:12.674 --> 00:18:14.877 My word is a lamp for your feet and a light for your path. 00:18:14.877 --> 00:18:17.060 As long as you stay near me, the dark ain't going to hurt you. 00:18:17.060 --> 00:18:18.542 I got you, man. 00:18:18.542 --> 00:18:20.125 I know the timetables. 00:18:20.125 --> 00:18:21.251 I know my own timetable. 00:18:21.251 --> 00:18:22.836 I know everything about you. 00:18:22.836 --> 00:18:24.260 I know the month that you're going to die. 00:18:24.260 --> 00:18:25.070 I know everything about it. 00:18:25.070 --> 00:18:26.413 Just stay close to me. 00:18:26.413 --> 00:18:27.694 You don't need to be afraid. 00:18:27.694 --> 00:18:29.857 It sounds trippy. 00:18:30.439 --> 00:18:34.726 The safest place in the universe is in God's will, even when it's not the will you prefer. 00:18:34.726 --> 00:18:40.856 The safest place in the universe is in God's will, even when it's not the will that you prefer. 00:18:40.856 --> 00:18:45.613 And it brings the most faith to others when we do it God's way. 00:18:45.613 --> 00:18:49.121 God's way helps other people and that's what happened. 00:18:49.121 --> 00:18:49.843 Verse 15,. 00:18:49.843 --> 00:18:54.895 I'm glad I wasn't there For now you will really believe Disciples. 00:18:54.895 --> 00:18:55.656 You need to double dip for now. 00:18:55.656 --> 00:18:56.337 You will really believe Disciples. 00:18:56.337 --> 00:18:56.817 You need to double dip. 00:18:56.817 --> 00:18:57.859 You're not getting this entirely. 00:18:57.859 --> 00:18:58.641 Let's try again. 00:18:58.641 --> 00:19:05.430 I need you to see it's not just glorious that I can people get better all the time and you've seen me heal people before. 00:19:05.430 --> 00:19:07.009 But you know what's incredible. 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:08.917 That doesn't happen very often Resurrections. 00:19:08.917 --> 00:19:15.395 So let's trust in my way and if we do it my way, god is gonna get much glory. 00:19:15.395 --> 00:19:18.950 But other people are going to see it and faith is going to be sparked. 00:19:19.593 --> 00:19:31.439 I wonder how many people have been encouraged by your tenacity, by your willingness just to keep going, by your willingness to keep blessing God's name when things are tough, because he didn't give up God, he don't miss anything. 00:19:31.439 --> 00:19:35.269 He's using all of that to bring about his highest will. 00:19:35.269 --> 00:19:42.554 When Kenzie and I were in those early years we call them the dark times Up until about 2008,. 00:19:42.554 --> 00:19:45.876 Everything before that was the dark times between 99 and 2008. 00:19:45.876 --> 00:19:52.898 God was good to us, but it was hardship good to us, and there was a song by a gal named Ginny Owens. 00:19:52.898 --> 00:20:00.196 It's called If you Want Me To, and it just was very meaningful to us in that season because there was a lot of difficult stuff. 00:20:00.196 --> 00:20:05.068 I'm not going to sing it for you you can look it up on YouTube if you want but it is a poem, so I want to read you the poem. 00:20:05.088 --> 00:20:05.971 I just want to go slow here. 00:20:05.971 --> 00:20:14.862 The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear and I don't know the reason why you brought me here. 00:20:14.862 --> 00:20:29.122 But just because you love me the way that you do, I'm going to walk through the valley, if you want me to, because I'm not who I was when I took my first step and I'm clinging to the promise that you're not through with me yet. 00:20:29.122 --> 00:20:34.619 So if all these trials bring me closer to you, then I'll go through the fire. 00:20:34.619 --> 00:20:40.074 If you want me to bring me closer to you, then I'll go through the fire. 00:20:40.074 --> 00:20:40.474 If you want me to. 00:20:40.474 --> 00:20:44.890 It may not be the way I would have chosen when you lead me through a world that's not my home, but you never said it would be easy. 00:20:44.890 --> 00:20:47.134 You only said I'd never go alone. 00:20:47.134 --> 00:21:04.083 So when the whole world turns against me and I'm all by myself and I can't hear you answer my cries for help, I'll remember the suffering your love put you through and I'll go through the valley if you want me to. 00:21:06.590 --> 00:21:08.576 We sing some pretty incredible worship songs. 00:21:08.576 --> 00:21:14.076 I think we have the best worship band in the entire world, just so you know, and it's awesome. 00:21:14.076 --> 00:21:29.422 But I think there's an even deeper worship than some of the songs that we sing, and it is that heart cry in the middle of all the pain, in the middle of I don't know why Lazarus is dead, when our heart says I'll go through this if you want me to. 00:21:29.422 --> 00:21:35.940 I don't understand, I don't know where this is going, but if this is what you want, then, Lord, I'll try to do it unto you. 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:38.991 That's worship, baby, that's worship when it counts. 00:21:38.991 --> 00:21:45.395 And so can you and I choose to believe, can we choose to believe that what God is doing right now? 00:21:45.395 --> 00:21:46.858 He's doing it because he loves us. 00:21:46.858 --> 00:21:48.730 He's doing it to keep us safe. 00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:50.912 He's doing it to bring Jesus glory. 00:21:50.912 --> 00:21:53.634 He's doing it so other people learn more about Jesus. 00:21:55.217 --> 00:21:56.157 Somebody say God's way is best. 00:21:56.157 --> 00:21:59.340 God's way is best we decide to trust. 00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:00.221 God's purposes are best. 00:22:00.221 --> 00:22:02.304 Number two God's timing is best. 00:22:02.304 --> 00:22:04.566 God's timing is best. 00:22:04.566 --> 00:22:13.174 Some of us are, like Lord sun's, getting a little low Anytime now. 00:22:13.174 --> 00:22:14.277 Whenever you want to come in and save the day. 00:22:14.277 --> 00:22:14.738 I'm super ready. 00:22:14.758 --> 00:22:18.632 Maybe you thought I thought I'd be at this milestone by now and it hasn't happened. 00:22:18.632 --> 00:22:20.215 And I'm wondering about why. 00:22:20.215 --> 00:22:21.898 Why has it not happened yet? 00:22:21.898 --> 00:22:25.010 Or I had a baby, carter. 00:22:25.010 --> 00:22:25.795 You didn't have that baby? 00:22:25.795 --> 00:22:28.951 Well, I had one when I didn't think it was the right thing to happen. 00:22:28.951 --> 00:22:32.821 I don't think I was ready for that responsibility and it still happened. 00:22:32.821 --> 00:22:39.175 Or my parents gave me too much responsibility at too young of an age and I don't know why that had to happen. 00:22:39.175 --> 00:22:41.902 God, why did you let that happen? 00:22:41.902 --> 00:22:48.951 And I don't know how he'll talk to you about it in heaven, but I know on the authority of God's word. 00:22:49.432 --> 00:22:50.192 God's always. 00:22:50.192 --> 00:22:54.823 He always does things on time and in this case, he did it four days later. 00:22:54.823 --> 00:22:56.570 Four days later would have been the most days later. 00:22:56.570 --> 00:22:57.743 Four days later would have been the most loving thing. 00:22:57.743 --> 00:23:00.548 Four days later would have been the most wise thing. 00:23:00.548 --> 00:23:04.734 Four days later would have been the thing that points out God's power the most. 00:23:04.734 --> 00:23:09.270 Four days later is the thing that helps the most amount of people. 00:23:10.212 --> 00:23:11.355 Jesus is always on time man. 00:23:11.355 --> 00:23:13.858 He always does things at the right time Romans 5, 6,. 00:23:13.858 --> 00:23:17.085 Just at the right time, when we were still powerless. 00:23:17.085 --> 00:23:22.382 He died for the ungodly At the right time. 00:23:22.382 --> 00:23:25.796 There's like a right time for that particular thing and there's a right time for you and for me. 00:23:25.796 --> 00:23:40.654 And honestly, if we just pay attention to the Bible, I know that sometimes we always wanna be like the one that it happened for quick God, like I know that sometimes these take a long time, but can I just be the quick one, and maybe you will be sometimes, and sometimes you'll get that. 00:23:40.654 --> 00:23:43.877 But if we just look at the Bible, I mean God definitely lays out this pattern. 00:23:43.877 --> 00:23:45.511 Okay. 00:23:45.551 --> 00:23:49.156 So Abraham and Sarah I'm just gonna run through them If you don't know who they are, that's okay. 00:23:49.156 --> 00:24:01.006 Abraham and Sarah that's 25 years between when God said it and when that's when it finally happens. 00:24:01.006 --> 00:24:06.592 Joseph 13 years being a slave or a prisoner or both. 00:24:06.592 --> 00:24:11.227 Between when he hears the promise and when God finally elevates him. 00:24:11.227 --> 00:24:14.470 Moses this guy does the entire thing wrong first. 00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:18.512 Then it's another 40 years before God finally comes through and makes it happen. 00:24:19.356 --> 00:24:19.859 What about David? 00:24:19.859 --> 00:24:24.904 It's about 15 years between when the prophet Samuel tells him he's gonna be king and he actually finds himself to be a king. 00:24:24.904 --> 00:24:28.076 And then we got Simeon it's about 15 years between when the prophet Samuel tells him he's going to be king, and he actually finds himself to be a king. 00:24:28.076 --> 00:24:28.617 And then we've got Simeon. 00:24:28.617 --> 00:24:29.140 He's in the New Testament. 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:29.942 He's this old man. 00:24:30.606 --> 00:24:35.526 And somewhere along the line this guy believed God because the Holy Spirit told him you are going to see the Messiah. 00:24:35.526 --> 00:24:40.483 Can you imagine if no one has seen the Messiah yet and it's just been prophesied you know hundreds of years and nothing's happened? 00:24:40.483 --> 00:24:41.865 And God's like, yep, it's going to be you. 00:24:41.865 --> 00:24:42.426 Can you imagine? 00:24:42.426 --> 00:24:44.450 You're like, really, it's going to be me. 00:24:44.450 --> 00:24:49.577 And yet he believed and he saw the baby Jesus. 00:24:49.577 --> 00:24:52.564 He said, wow, I've been waiting all of this time. 00:24:52.765 --> 00:24:58.711 And you just get the sense from the text that dude Simeon's like he's about to croak right now, Like he's got a month or so, like he's old. 00:24:58.711 --> 00:25:06.624 Bless God, he made it that far, but God saved some stuff for the last minute. 00:25:06.624 --> 00:25:08.048