Power Over Death (#1 of 2)

Greg Laurie: If God loved me, why did he let this happen? We've asked this before.
Guest (Male): We know God is all powerful. He could have prevented our pain. Could have, but didn't. Well, that's a crisis point for many. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us the big picture.
Greg Laurie: God has made everything beautiful in his time. See, we look at the temporal. God looks at the eternal. He's looking at what he's ultimately going to do in your life.
Guest (Male): Many people ask one question when tragedy strikes. It's the one word question that reverberates in our very soul. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why? Why me? Why now? Why this? Maybe you've asked that question, or maybe you've tried to answer that question. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie addresses that challenge head on. When earthly answers don't satisfy, we have to look to what God tells us in his word. Truth that speaks to the heart.
Greg Laurie: Let's turn in our Bibles to John chapter 11 and the title of my message is Power Over Death. So, my grandchildren used to have a bunch of rabbits. And there was uh they had different names, a Fuzzy and Cotton. One was named Chubby Cutie. Which is funny because that's what my wife calls me. But um So, back to Fuzzy and Cotton. They were a couple that let's say they had they were very successful at bringing more rabbits into the world. And uh my granddaughter Ally came to me one day and she was in tears and she said, Papa, Fuzzy the rabbit died. And then she said, it's not fair. And uh I assured her that Fuzzy had lived a very long life. He had many offspring that he left behind. We counted around 80 bunnies that were left from Fuzzy. And so this happens. And of course, we wonder, will we see our pets again in heaven? Well, I think it's pretty simple answer. All dogs go to heaven, no cats do. Simple no no. But will we see them I don't know. Who knows? It's possible that you might see your pet on the other side somewhere. But uh we don't have certainty of that, but we know that uh when heaven comes to earth and what we call the new earth, that there will be animals with us. And we read about a little child leading a lion, which would be the ultimate pet, a lion. That's one cat I can get behind, right? A lion uh and so we don't know about these things, but Ally raised a good issue. And it's simply this, death is not fair. Death is harsh, it's mean, and it rips people that we love away from us. Sometimes expectedly, we know it's coming. Other times unexpectedly. It's so hard for us to wrap our minds around the death of a child. You know, we know that grandparents are going to definitely die and then parents in time and even us in time, but nobody plans or thinks through uh the death of a child or doing a funeral service for your child. Our son Christopher, he's in heaven. He's been in heaven for 14 years now. And we know we will see him again. And Kathy and I and our son Jonathan went to uh his grave. And we reflected on his life. And we all prayed and recommitted ourselves to the calling God has put on our lives. And And you say, well, that's a really morbid thing to do. I mean, go to a grave and what yeah, but it's a it's it's a grounding thing to do. I'll tell you that because it just reminds you, one day I will be here too. I've told you this before about a person who was walking through a cemetery and they saw a tombstone and on it were inscribed these words. Pause now, stranger, as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be. So, prepare for death and follow me. And a person reading that was over her to say, to follow you is not my intent until I know which way you went, right? The Christian can look death right in the face and not be afraid because we know death is not the end. We know there is life beyond the grave. Sure, we're realists. You know, people accuse Christians of being out of touch with reality. I think other people are out of touch with reality that don't deal with this topic head on as we ought to. Because only those who are prepared to die are really ready to live. So, we look at death and we say, I'm not looking forward to it, but I know it's not the end and I know I'm simply changing my address from earth to heaven because I put my faith in Jesus Christ. And that's how we can view it. And this is um not only does the believer have the hope that the moment they die, they go immediately into the presence of God, but the Bible also teaches there will be a bodily resurrection. That means the body that is in the grave now will one day be resurrected. We will see our loved ones again. But we're so uncomfortable with this topic. We don't even like to use the actual words. So, instead of saying someone died, we'll say, well, they they passed on or uh technically you might say, well, they expired. Uh an undertaker, we call him a mortician. A coffin is called a casket. A graveyard is a memorial part. Well, that's whatever you want to call it. It is what it is. And death is harsh and death is mean and death is final and death is real and death is not our friend. It is the enemy. In fact, 1 Corinthians 15:26 says the last enemy to be destroyed is death. And actually, God never wanted us to die. There was no death in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. There was no sickness. There was no aging. There was no need for police officers or the military or anything of that kind. There was no suffering at all. It was pure bliss, but our first parents ate of the forbidden fruit and sin entered the world and so did death. And this is a story before us now in John 11 of three people that were impacted by the death of someone they love. We're talking about Mary, Martha and Lazarus. And we're talking about when Lazarus, the brother, got sick and died. And by the way, they were inseparable. They were close siblings. Not all siblings are close. Sometimes we have sibling rivalry. They're fighting with each other all the time, but other siblings do everything together. I remember when I first met my wife Kathy, she wasn't my wife yet. And uh she was at a Bible study with her two sisters. They went everywhere together. Mary, Kathy and Dody. And uh so there they were sitting in front of me and I noticed Kathy. And I noticed her because there was a light shining on her. And I realized later Dody was holding a flashlight over her head. So, and I noticed her and I thought, wow, there's something about this girl. I want to meet her. So, I went up to all of them. Hey, how are you? I'm Greg and and so I said, you want to go get coffee after church? And we did. And then another week passed, I saw them again. Hey, you want to go out after church and get some dessert? Sure. We all went. And the third week I said to Kathy, hey, you want to go out after church and get some dessert? She said, sure, I'll get my sisters. I said, I don't want your sisters. I just want you. And thus our relationship began. But uh they did everything together and so did Mary, Martha and Lazarus, a tight-knit family.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's encouraging when we hear from listeners who watch Pastor Greg during his Harvest at Home weekly program.
Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, I want to thank you for making the most of every opportunity in these troubling times. I love how your messages in God's word meet us where we are and offer hope, the hope of Jesus. You present the gospel so clearly and always offer an opportunity to respond. Then you encourage us to live out the gospel with hope, joy and peace. As I've been encouraged, I've been able to encourage others too. Thank you again.
Guest (Male): Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and let him know? Send it to [email protected] or you can watch Pastor Greg weekly during his Harvest at Home broadcast at harvest.org.
Guest (Male): Well, today Pastor Greg is offering insights based on the resurrection of Lazarus recorded in John chapter 11. It's a message called Power Over Death.
Greg Laurie: So, this is sign number seven in our series that we're calling the seven signs of Jesus. The first sign was turning water into wine at a wedding. The final sign was a resurrection of a man from the dead. So, we go from a wedding to a funeral reminding us that God is in control of all things in our life from the beginning to the end. He's there with us in our joys and our sorrows. But the ultimate sign of Jesus was not even the resurrection of Lazarus, as amazing as it was. The ultimate sign of Jesus was his death and resurrection. Everything was building to this crescendo. Jesus said, a wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to them but that of the prophet Jonah. And as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster or the great fish, so will the eye, the son of man, Jesus speaking, be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Loose paraphrase, Jesus says, you guys want a miracle? You want a sign? Here it is. I'm going to die on a cross. I'm going to bear the sin of the world and I'm going to rise again from the dead. But let's see what happened to Lazarus. Uh John 11, I'm starting in verse one. I'm reading from the new King James version. Now, a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore, the sisters sent to him saying, behold, he whom you love is sick. So, we'll stop there. What do we learn from this story? Point number one, if you're taking notes, life is filled with pain and sorrow and the death of loved ones. Is that not the most oppressing point of all time? But is it not true? Sorry, but I have to be the one to break this to you in case you don't know it, but life is filled with the pain, death and sorrow of loved ones. Now, when you're younger, this is hard to wrap your mind around. But you see people dying and and it starts to settle in that one day this will happen to you as well. So, this is what we see. And when tragedy comes in our life or we lose a loved one, we say, why me? Why is this happening to me? But it's ultimately going to happen to everyone including you. In fact, we're told in 1 Peter 4:12, don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which will try you as though some strange thing is happening to you. So, we have to accept this fact. But that brings me to point number two. God loves us. God loves us. Don't rush over that. Don't misunderstand it. Let it sink in. God loves you. I want you to say this out loud. God loves me. Go.
Guest (Male): It's true. Do you believe that?
Greg Laurie: God loves you. Okay, so no matter what you're facing right now, don't forget this simple fact. Therefore, what he does or allows to happen in your life as his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you. God loves you. Therefore, whatever he does or allows to happen in your life as his child is motivated by his everlasting love for you. Now, I'm interested in what Mary and Martha do. Now, remember he Lazarus is still alive, but he's very sick. They know this is serious. So, they send word to Jesus, the one that you love is sick in verse three. Another translation of this same statement is, Lord, your dear friend is very sick. And this is an excellent example of what we need to do when we are in crisis. We are not here to tell God what he should do, but we are here to tell him about our problem and say, Lord, here's my problem. And they describe it to Jesus. Call on the Lord. There's nothing wrong with asking God to help you. Nothing wrong with asking God to deliver you. In fact, you should do it. Because in the book of James it says, you have not because you ask not. Now, God may deliver you from your problem and he may simply walk with you through your problem, but bring it before the Lord. When the issue of lights are criticizing and turning against Moses, we read in Exodus 15:25, he cried until the Lord. When Hezekiah received a threatening letter, we read in Isaiah 37, he spread it out before the Lord. When John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples went and told Jesus. That's what we should do. Crisis hits, go and tell Jesus. Hey Jesus, I have a problem. I have a need. I have a burden. I have this thing that's happening to me right now and I 'm asking you to help me. Psalm 46:1 reminds us that Jesus is a very present help in times of trouble. A present help. Now, they could have said, now, look Lord, you owe us. We fed you and your disciples a lot of times. You see, Jesus and his boys would often frequent the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Mary, Martha and Lazarus could legitimately say, Jesus is our friend. You see, they lived in Bethany and Bethany is striking distance from Jerusalem. So, as Christ would make his way into the city, he would just stop by. I wonder if he came by unannounced. He certainly couldn't text Martha. Hey Martha, how's it going? Uh we're on our way into Jerusalem. Man, are we hungry and we all know what a great cook you are. Could you make something for us? Sure, come on in Lord. And then they would all come. They probably all went into the kitchen together. Why is it that in our homes everyone wants to hang around in the kitchen? You might even have a proper living room that no one ever uses. The most worthless room in a home, the living room. We all want to be in the kitchen because that 's where the action is, right? Isn't this making you hungry right now? Cuz that's where the food is. And everyone you people are leaning up against the stove and they close their kitchen on fire, but the food's there. It's good, right? So, they could have said, Lord, uh we we fed you so many times. You kind of owe us. It's time to reciprocate. But they didn't do anything like that. They just said, Lord, the one that you love is sick. They didn't even say the one that loves you is sick. They said the one that you love is sick. They weren't even appealing on the basis of their love for him. They were appealing on the basis of his love for them. Let's pick the story up. John 11 verse four. When Jesus heard about it, he said, Lazarus' sickness will not end in death, no it happened for the glory of God. So, the son of God will receive glory from this. Now, don't miss this verse. Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. I'd underline that actually. Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Then he said to his disciples, let's go back to Judea. He loved them, so he waited. That doesn't make sense. And we would expect that verse to say because Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus, he got on the back of the fastest horse and rode to them. Or hey, in the case of Christ, he could have just moved there. Just foom, here I am. Or he could have spoken the word. He didn't even have to go to them. He could have spoken the word and said, Lazarus, you are healed. But none of this happened. He delayed his arrival. Why? Listen, because he loved Lazarus. Now, we think this is a contradiction. If Jesus really loved Lazarus, why didn't he immediately go and heal him? And in the same way, when hardship, tragedy or even death come into our lives, we wonder if God really loved me, why did he let this happen, right? We've asked this before. If God loved me, why did he let this happen? It's hard to see through eyes that are filled with tears. And the point that we need to see in all of this is not why it's happened, but remember God is in control. And also remember that his delays are not necessarily his denials. A verse I love, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, God has made everything beautiful in his time. See, we look at the small picture. God looks at the big picture. We look at the temporal. God looks at the eternal. See, I'm an artist of sorts, more of a cartoonist if you want to call that an artist. I like to think of myself as an advanced doodler. But I like to draw. If there's a piece of paper near me and a pen, I'll start drawing. I can't stop myself. And people will say, do a caricature of me. Now, a caricature by its very definition is an exaggeration of something. And so if someone says, draw me, I'll look at them and I see them in a certain way uh as something of an artist and also as someone with a warped sense of humor. And I might see flaws and go, wow, your ears are quite big. So, when the drawing I do of you, your ears are going to be gigantic. And that's what a caricature is. That's why I never do caricatures of girls. Cuz I'll draw a girl make her perfect, flawless. I'm so cute and adorable. She say, I don't look like that. But guys, I'm brutal, man. I just yeah, I'm going to go for it. It's meant to make you laugh, right? So, even before I begin to draw, I might start laughing. You don't see anything in the paper, but I see it in my imagination. I know what I'm going to do. So, God is drawing a picture of our life. He does a stroke here, uh a line there. And we say, I don't what is this? I don't see what this is going to be. Lord says, you're going to like it. Wait till it's done. We're a work in progress. He's looking at what he's ultimately going to do in your life.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie is presenting his message called Power Over Death. And obviously, there's more to come from this study here on A New Beginning. But God's plan for our lives is not only for the here and now, for the problems and crises we may be facing today, he has a plan for your eternity. He's extended his invitation for you to go to heaven when this life is over. But you may not be sure you're headed there. Pastor Greg, how can someone be sure?
Greg Laurie: Yes. Here's what the Bible says. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So, you need to reach out to God, not just think about it, not just say one of these days I would like to just do it. In fact, you can do it right now. You say, well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord? You do it through prayer. God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know him. He wants to reveal himself to you. So, you just need to call out and say, Lord, save me and help me. How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God and you could pray it after me right now. You ready? Pray this after me. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior. And I want a relationship with you. So, as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin. And I am asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank you for loving me and sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to send you his new Believer's Bible. It's a special edition of God's word for those who are new to the faith with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg. So, get in touch and ask for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it your way free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime, 24 hours a day. 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org and click the words No God. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue. Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online you'll find us at harvest.org and there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now. That's harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions? They're a great way to start your day with extra insight and inspiration. Sign up for his devotions today at harvest.org. Well, next time more helpful encouragement on reaching out to the Lord in our times of trial and tragedy. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.