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53. GODLY POWER UNLEASHED (JOHN 11:38-44) SEPTEMBER 29, 2013
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, ATCHISON, PASTOR LEE HENDON
WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF
SOMETHING SPECTACULAR - AWESOME - BIGGER THAN LIFE ITSELF
- JUST HARD TO BELIEVE? PERHAPS: THE ROYALS WINNING THE
PENNANT? OR THE CHIEFS WINNING THE SUPER BOWL? WORLD
PEACE BECOMING A REALITY? CONGRESS ACTUALLY BALANCING
THE BUDGET? A SURE-FIRE CURE FOR CANCER? 25 CENT GAS
AGAIN? EACH OF THESE WOULD BE SPECTACULAR & AWESOME!!!
WHAT IS THE GREATEST POWER YOU CAN IMAGINE? THE
ATOM I SUPPOSE - HYDROGEN BOMBS & ATOMIC MISSILES; POWER
PLANTS; ATOMIC SUBMARINES, ON & ON. WE SUPPOSE THE U.S.A.
TO BE THE GREATEST WORLD POWER - I THINK SO. WELL, HOLD ON
TO YOUR SEATS, BOYS & GIRLS, YOU AIN’T SEEN NUTHIN YET!!! IN
TODAY’S BIBLE PASSAGE GODLY POWER WAS UNLEASHED UNLIKE
& UNEQUALED BY ANY POWER BEFORE OR SINCE!!! SPECTACULAR
& AWESOME - EVEN STUPENDOUS - DOES NOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE
GODLY POWER! HOW MIGHTY & POWERFUL IS OUR GOD!
JESUS CAME TO LAZARUS’ TOMB - TYPICAL OF THE DAY, IT
WAS A CAVE (NATURAL OR MAN-MADE) - USUALLY WITH MULTIPLE
BURIAL SHELVES INSIDE. WHEN HE - MARTHA - MARY - THE CROWD
CAME TO THE TOMB IT HIGH LIGHTED THE FINALITY OF DEATH LAZARUS WAS DEAD, BURIED, GONE. NOTHING COULD BE DONE
ABOUT IT. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, JESUS HAD RESUSCITATED
PEOPLE - BUT ALL THOSE STUPENDOUS MIRACLES WERE IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO THAT PERSON’S DEATH. THEIR BODIES WERE STILL
WARM - RIGA MORTISE & PUTRID DECAY HAD NOT YET SET IN.
OUTSIDERS COULD BLINK AT THOSE MIRACLES WITH AN EXCUSE
OF MISDIAGNOSIS - PRONOUNCEMENT OF DEATH BEFORE ITS ACTUALITY. BUT THIS LAZARUS THING - WHEN YA VISIT THE CEMETERY
- ONLY DEAD CORPSES ARE ON THE PREMISE. HOW QUIET & PEACEFUL A CEMETERY IS, WE LIKE TO SAY - BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS IN
THAT NEIGHBORHOOD DO NOT MOVE ABOUT & CAUSE A RUCKUS!
THEY STAY PUT!
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO MOVE A VERY LARGE STONE?
ONE OF GREATER THAN HUMAN SIZE? DON’T TRY, YOU CAN’T DO
IT. THAT IS WHY IT WAS PLACED ACROSS THE TOMB. THAT BIG
HEAVY STONE ROLLED ACROSS THE OPENING OF THE TOMB MEANT
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DO NOT ENTER - YOU ARE NOT WELCOMED OR INVITED IN - STAY
OUT!
TRUTH & DARE - WE HAVE OFTEN TIMES PLACED HUGE
STONES OVER OUR HEARTS & MINDS - TOLD JESUS TO STAY OUT WE DON’T WANT YOU INSIDE ME, JESUS! WHY? CAUSE WE FEAR
THE POWERFUL CHANGING PRESENCE OF JESUS IN OUR LIVES.
SECRET CAVES SHUT OFF TO THE PRESENCE OF JESUS. ON THE
INSIDE IS DARKNESS & DECAY - ROTTING LIVES - THE STENCH
WOULD BURN OUR NOSTRILS. KEEP IT COVERED OVER & ALLOW IT
TO FESTER & ROT. WE HOLD ON TO FAVORITE FESTERING SIN(S).
BUT JESUS HAS MORE IN STORE FOR US - HIS PRESENCE IS RIGHT
HERE TODAY - THIS MOMENT - HE DRAWS NEAR TO THE TOMBS OF
OUR HEARTS & MINDS. AS HE DRAWS NEAR, HIS HEART IS FILLED
WITH SORROW & PROMISE - JESUS BRGS LIFE TO CONQUER DEATH!
JESUS SAID, TAKE AWAY THE STONE! WHAT? WHO ME?
THAT IS WHAT HE COMMANDED OF MARY & MARTHA. HE
COMMANDS THAT OF YOU & ME - TAKE AWAY THE STONE - JESUS
HAS HIS MIGHTY WORKS TO PERFORM. DO NOT KEEP JESUS OUT LET HIM IN TO YOUR HEARTS, LIFE, MIND & SOUL. TAKE AWAY THE
STONE! WHY DO OUR LIVES GO ON SO BROKEN & DISJOINTED? WE
HAVE COMPARTMENTALIZED & FENCED OFF PLACES FROM THE
TOUCH OF JESUS. MY FRIENDS, JESUS CAN BE TRUSTED WITH ALL
OF YOU & WILL NEVER HARM OR HURT YOU - WE MUST LET DOWN
OUR GUARD TO LET HIM ENTER IN - TAKE AWAY THE STONE.
LORD, THERE IS AN ODOR BY NOW! EXCUSES ARE MADE DEFENSES ARE ERECTED - WE WANT TO PROTECT JESUS FROM THE
STENCH OF OUR DEATH ROTTING SIN. REALLY? WE PROTECT OUR
FAVORITE SIN(S) SO WE CAN KEEP THEM. WE KNOW WHEN JESUS
ENTERS IN - OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE FOREVER - WE WILL NEVER
BE THE SAME AGAIN. IT IS ONLY FOR OUR BEST - THAT WE MAY
ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF LIFE - WE MUST TRUST THE LORD LAZARUS WILL BE, WE WILL BE BETTER FOR THE POWER & GLORY
OF HIS PRESENCE! NO MORE EXCUSES, PLEASE - HERE COMES
JESUS! HE IS HERE RIGHT NOW!
IF WE BELIEVE, IF WE TRUST, THE GLORY OF GOD WILL BE
REVEALED TO US! THE INTEGRITY, THE POWER, THE GLORY OF
GOD IS ON THE LINE HERE. WE AIN’T SEEN, EXPERIENCED NUTHIN
YET. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE GRAVE OR THE STONE OR THE DEATH OF
LAZARUS - OR THE DEATH OF SIN IN OUR LIVES. IT IS ABOUT THE
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GLORY OF GOD TO BE REVEALED. FOR LAZARUS - MARY - MARTHA
- YOU & ME. JESUS WILL NEVER ASK US TO DO ANYTHING THAT HE
HAS NOT PREPARED US TO ACCOMPLISH - BELIEVE & TRUST IN HIM
& ANY & EVERY TOMB OF DEATH, DECAY & SIN WILL YIELD TO
HIM!
SO THEY TOOK AWAY THE STONE! WAS NOT EASY TO DO GIVING INTO JESUS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO DO - AS LONG AS WE
BLOCK JESUS OUT - HE WILL NOT ENTER IN - TAKE AWAY THE
STONE! WHY KEEP FIGHTING & RESISTING THE LORD? THEY SAID,
“YES!” TO JESUS - TOOK AWAY THE STONE! I IMAGINE THAT IN
THAT HOT CLIMATE - AFTER FOUR DAYS OF ROTTING, PUTRID
FLESH - THE STENCH EXPLODED OUT OF THE CAVE. IT MUST HAVE
OVER-WHELMED THE SENSES OF THE PARADE SIZE CROWD. WHAT
WAS JESUS THINKING? UNLESS WE ALLOW JESUS TO GET AT THE
DEATH, DECAYING SIN IN OUR LIVES - HIS POWER & GLORY IS YET
TO BE REVEALED & BE MADE KNOWN.
WHY WAS JESUS DOING SUCH A THING? WHY WOULD HE BE
SUCH A POWERFUL PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES - WHY WOULD HE GO
OUT OF HIS WAY FOR US? “THAT WE/OTHERS MAY BELIEVE IN
HIM.” OTHER PEOPLE LOOK TO OUR LIVES TO SEE IF JESUS IS
REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE OR NOT - ANY POWER, ANY GLORY
OF THE PRESENCE OF JESUS MOVING IN OUR LIVES? OPENING THE
TOMBS OF OUR HEARTS & MINDS? THAT OTHERS MAY BELIEVE IN
HIM….
NOW IT GETS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY - DID I SAY REALLY EXCITING & SPECTACULAR!!! FOUR DAYS - NOTHING CAN BE DONE.
JESUS, LAUGHS IN THE FACE OF OUR IMPOSSIBILITIES - THERE IS A
MIRACLE TO BE WORKED HERE - HE CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD
VOICE! NOW, FRIENDS, THIS IS NOT EAR PLEASING
CONVERSATION! A LOUD SHOUT THAT WOULD WAKE UP THE
DEAD & ALTER THE COURSE OF ROTTING FLESH - TURN THE HANDS
OF TIME BACK TO SOMETHING NEW & DIFFERENT - THAT JESUS HAS
POWER OVER NOT ONLY LIFE BUT DEATH. WAKE UP DEATH - GIVE
WAY TO LIFE!!!
LAZARUS, COME OUT!!! LET US SHOUT THAT OUT TOGETHER
LAZARUS COME OUT!!! THE LIFE, HEART & SOUL OF LAZARUS WAS
SNATCHED OUT OF THE BOWELS OF THE HEREAFTER. HIS DEAD
BODY WAS AWAKENED - HIS DEAD HEART BEAT - HIS DRIED BLOOD
RUSHED - EMPTY LUNGS FILLED - IN AN INSTANCE - THE CLAP OF
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THUNDER & LIGHTENING ROLLED IN JESUS’ VOICE - THE STING OF
DEATH CONQUERED - LAZARUS WAS RESUSCITATED (NOT RESURRECTED). THEN IT GOT HORRIFYING - DID YOU THINK OTHERWISE?
A DEAD CORPSE CAME BURSTING OUT FROM A DARK, DISMAL
TOMB - STUMBLING - LURCHING FORWARD - BOUND, YES, BOUND
BY STANKY BANDAGES - HIDDEN BY THE ROBE OF DEATH. I THINK
SOME PEOPLE RAN AWAY IN FEAR - HOLLERING AT THE TOP OF
THEIR VOICES - THIS WAS NOT A TAME, BED TIME STORY. THE
POWER & GLORY OF JESUS SHATTERED THE FEAR OF DEATH.
UNBIND HIM & LET HIM GO! JESUS DID HIS PART. ARE WE
GOING TO KEEP HIM BOUND BY DEATH? ARE WE GOING TO KEEP
OURSELVES BOUND BY THE DEATHS OF OUR PAST? JESUS WORKS
HIS POWER & GLORY IN US - BE UNBOUND - BE SET FREE!!! NO
MATTER WHAT THE DEATH CERTIFICATE DECLARES - BE UNBOUND
& SET FREE!!! WE DO NOT HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF KEEPING ONE
ANOTHER IN THE TOMBS OF OUR PASTS WHEN JESUS DECLARES,
COME OUT! BE UNBOUND! WE ARE SET FREE!!!