When a Friend of Jesus Dies

Message Transcription

SUMMARY

In his sermon, Bishop Leonard Chatham explores the concept of miracles, particularly through the lens of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He begins by establishing that miracles often arise from problems, making those facing difficulties prime candidates for divine intervention. The Bishop shares personal experiences of loss to illustrate the importance of finding support during trying times.

Chatham delves into the dual nature of Jesus, being both fully human and fully divine. He uses examples from scripture, such as Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-27), to demonstrate this concept. The sermon emphasizes the importance of friendship with Jesus, referencing John 15, where Jesus calls his disciples friends rather than servants.

The Bishop concludes by highlighting God's perfect timing in performing miracles, even when it may not align with our expectations. He encourages the congregation to maintain faith and trust in God's plan, reminding them that "every day holds the possibility of a miracle, because God is in it."

TRANSCRIPTION:

Well, I count of honor to be here, and I want to thank you all so much for having me this morning. And I'm going to try to get through this without crying, for there's many miracles that God has done in my life, and this is a miracle series. The one thing about a miracle is, is that they always begin, most of the time with problems. So if you're in here and you got a problem, your candidate for a miracle. So there's nothing.

First of all, we need to establish it's too hard for God. In every situation, everything we go through, there is a need. There is a most important thing that we should be able to understand about God is that he come alongside of us in those deepest moments of distress and moments to where we feel left alone and outcast. He always does those things. My message today is entitled, when a friend of Jesus dies, what takes place, what happens, what happens prerequisite to death and what happens after death.

There's a thing that happens most often, seemed like more frequent than often hear lately, is that some of us encountered so many deaths. My whole family is gone except for my sister and myself. Started out with eight people, and it always seemed to be doubled right on top of each other. I could tell you this. My grandmother passed away 1 May.

Our oldest brother passed away that September. And then four months to the day from that brother on February 4, my other brother passes away to the second, to the day four months apart. My father is stricken with grief, suffers, and every day he would call me, tell me to come by the house to talk to him. I became his therapist, mainly letting him do all the talk, praying and hoping that he would not succumb to the grief. But a year later and three days passed the death date of the last brother, he grieves himself to death, and we have to bury him.

And then a few years later, my mother is overcome with so many things in her life that she dies on September 1. And then months after that, on May 1, my last brother passes away. Now my sad story. How about yours? If you have been stricken this morning with needing to have a friend and those moments to where you think that you can't make it, I could rest assured that God has some people in this earth that will share along with you and sympathize with what you go through and make your life a lot easier.

I found that friend to be Broadway, our congregation, full armor, and many of you in the congregation are Broadway. Proverbs 17 and 17 says this. It says, a friend loveth at all times but a brother is born for adversity.

Have you become somebody's brother or sister because of their adverse situations, or do you continue to think about your four no more? Well, this is thinking outside the box today and becoming everything that God has called you to be, giving you a reason to love somebody other than yourself. So, looking at this, I think about many different things. Miracles occurs when a natural law is in effect that needs to be interrupted by a spiritual being that no longer can natural remedies take care of a situation, that you could take care of yourself. This miracle was needed by two sisters that were suffering because their brother, first of all, whom Jesus loved, and that they knew that if they could get a word to somebody named Jesus, that he would respond to their call.

Have you ever been so faithful to God? And you've been a good person? You consider yourself a good person, but why does bad things happen to good people? I'm glad you asked, because Hebrews four and 15 says, we have a high priest who can empathize with our feelings. You say, well, what about feelings?

What is all the feelings about? Can you explain to me why a feeling is so important to God? First of all, he gave them to you.

Tear ducts are for tears. That's the only thing on your body that man cannot explain. And why tears come? Tears come because when a person gets in a certain emotion and we don't know where they come from, other than when a person in a certain feeling, whether it be happy, whether it be sad, whether it be joyous or painful, tears come. And they come out of these little things called tear ducts.

Well, it also means that God comes close to us when we're struggling, when we're going through. I think brother Ky and brother Gary, I lean on them so much that one day they set me up with a therapist.

And I'm glad they did.

And not to say that they were tired of me, but they tried to get me the help that I needed. And, boy, was it help what is helpful to me. I learned one thing about God when Jesus came on the scene. Jesus was just as much God as he was man. Let me prove a point.

You remember when the boys was on the boat and Jesus was in human form, and he was tired and he was in the bottom of the boat, and he had his pillow, and he was on his pillow and he was doing the Curly, whoopopop woo.

And he was getting a strength, because rest is reclaiming your energy, your strength and your thoughts. So he was resting, but here comes a storm, and the storm is coming toward the boat, so much so that it was filling the boat with water.

Now, my question is, how can Jesus get all this water in his face and did not wake up? So they run down to Jesus in a panic and says, Jesus said, master, do you not care that we're about to die here? Man, you need to come up here and see about this.

Jesus wipes to sleep out of his eyes, and he gets up out of the bottom of the boat, he stands up, and he yawns like a man, and he looks out there at the storm, and he speaks as God. I'm glad he didn't say stop, because if he would have said stop, there would have never been another storm. But what he said in the original writing was, you settle down now.

And then he looks back at them and says, oh, ye little faith. How many times have God stepped into your situation and said, settle down and gave you reprieve, that you don't have to struggle anymore? So that proves my point. He was just as much God as he was man to speak to their storm. How about another occasion?

How about in the book of Daniel, Shadrac, Meshach, and Abednego was thrown in the fiery furnace. And, boy, was that far hot. It was so hot that it consumed the guards who threw them in. And when they were thrown in the fire, they would not bow. They would not be.

But what they did was they worshiped God. And even if he does not deliver them, they believed that he was able, and so the fire should have consumed them. But the king heard noise coming from the furnace, and he looks in and he says, I see three that we threw in, but I see a fourth man in the fire.

And let me show you something that makes him God and man at the same time that the king recognized that he was the son of man.

Wow. He didn't have to prove anything to the king. You know why? Because the king's heart is in his hands, and he could move it whenever he gets ready. But God comes into your life for a miracle, to prove to your miracle the thing that you needed transforming the most.

He says to the fire, he said, you may have burned a lot of people, but this time I've gotten in the fire with my children, and there are some fires that have to be told that there are some people you just cannot burn.

I heard my people say amen. It's okay to say amen. Have God ever done something in your life that it took him to do? And you have to recognize it was nobody but God. Mary Martha and Lazar was Jesus friends.

And he loved them. He loved them. Mary was the one that Jesus says to give her memorial.

That she came and interrupted a men's meeting. And that's a no no.

And she breaks in dancing, takes her year's worth of anointing all. A year's worth of anointing all. And breaks the box with no possibility of putting it back.

Puts it on Jesus feet, wipes it with her hair. And Jesus says to the men that was harassing her, leave her alone.

You didn't do this for me. When I was tired, when my feet were sore, you didn't do this for me. And then she goes right home.

And when Jesus comes to their house in Bethany, you would always find Mary at his feet. Mary was a worshipper. Martha was a servant. Servers get mad at worshippers because they feel like they ought to come over here. Do what I'm doing. Jesus, tell them to come. Do what I'm doing. Help me. And Jesus says to her on one occasion, said, look, she desires the better part.

Not to say what you're not doing is important. And old Lazarus, after he gets resurrected from the dead, the Bible said he's sitting over in a lazy boy while Jesus is teaching in Bethany. And the Bible says they come to hear Jesus preach and teach. But they really came to see the one who, Lazarus. The one whom Jesus raised from the dead.

Now let's get into the story.

If we were to look at this miracle, you would say that Jesus was partial. He was not practical. Because they had always given their tithes, they have always given their support. They have always been there for Jesus. But when they called for Jesus, Jesus did not run to their rescue immediately.

And the Bible said that when he got the message, he could have came there and healed him on the spot. But he says, let's stay a couple more days. And then they send another message that says, don't worry about it. He's already dead. If you can make it to the funeral, fine.

But if not, that's okay. So Jesus said, I'm going to stay a little while longer. And it was four days after the day that he died. Jesus has the nerve to show up to his friend's house. Didn't even get to do repast.

But he shows up and he has the nerves to say, hi, hello, how you doing? So they didn't wait till he got to the ring on the door. They ran out and met him.

If you would have been here trying to place guilt on him, you know, you know how people get your attention. Well, the Lord told me to tell you they couldn't say that because they were standing before the Lord. But if they could have said that, they would have said, the Lord told me to tell you, you're not a real good friend.

But what Jesus did, he listened at their complaint.

And he says, I know. And here he is being man again. He leans on Marys's side of the genes. After they explain to him what Lazarus went through, he says, my my my. And the Bible says the shortest verse in the whole Bible, Jesus wept.

And then he says these words, he that believes and me shall never die.

He that believes and me shall never die. I'm going to say that one more time. He that believes and me shall never die. Do you believe this?

You may sleep. Which he said, Lazarus was that Lazarus was asleep. He told his disciples, and that God would get the glory out of his sleep.

And so Mary was okay with it, because she knew that if she didn't see him now, sooner than later, then she would get to see him in the resurrection. But when Martha comes in and spoils the whole thing, she comes in and says, yeah, but I thought we were real good friends. I thought that he has did enough for your ministry that you would consider to be there for him. And he said, well, show me where you laid him. I know, but Lord, we know he's going to raise up in the resurrection, but don't try to pull this thing on me about the resurrection.

We know he's gonna rise again in the general resurrection, but no, show me where your laid. Most miracles don't happen until things get stinky. Have you ever had things that get stinky in your life? I mean, it starts to smell. It reeks of death.

It reeks of not having. It reeks of not being. And I've been there plenty times. Sometimes I'm almost there today, but sometimes I have to lean back and I have to stop and I have to say, God, you're the God that never lost the battle. That's the reason why I had the song saying, because he's at every Lazarus TMB, and every one of us is like, Lazarus, we're innocent.

The Bible said that death is the last enemy. According to Corinthians, two Corinthians, chapter one Corinthians, chapter 15, the last enemy that shall be conquered is death. And guess who's going to help us conquer Jesus.

And so he says, show me where you laid him. And he said, roll the stone away. And he said, lord, Father, you've always heard me. I have no problem with our relationship, but these people do not understand John, chapter 15. Because it had not been written, he says, no longer shall you be called a servant, but you will be a friend.

Martha, you're going to have to transition from becoming a servant to becoming a friend. A friend is one who sticket closer than a brother. And he said, there is no greater love in John chapter 15 than he that would lay down his life for his friend. You are my friend. And he said, by this shall all people know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.

He said, I love you. Just as the father has loved me, so shall I love you. Just as the father has send me, so shall I send you. And he says, continue in my words in order that your joy might be full. That John, chapter 15.

And then the conclusion of John, chapter 15, he says, your love for each other is gonna be challenged when I leave. He said, but don't ever forget, the way that people will know that you are my disciples is that you love one another. In the midst of your trial, don't blame others in the midst of your situations, don't criticize others. And every one of us is like job, it seems like bad thing. Keep on happening after bad thing after bad thing.

But Jesus friend died, and he showed up right on time. See, what we thinking is we're looking at a timeline. But God is not confined by time. Amen. He's not confined by time.

He can step outside of time and look in time. And when he steps in time, he on time. I'm going to say that again. God is outside of time looking at time, and he can step in time. And whenever he steps in time, he's on time.

He's right on time with the schedule. And he says to his friend, Lazarus, Lazarus. Now, why didn't every other million Lazarus step out of the grave? Because that one, Lazarus was his friend. And when you and I can have him to call our name, you're going to step out in a miracle.

You are a miracle. Say, I am a miracle. And every day holds the possibility of a miracle, because God is in it. So if you're down day and you're going through something and you feel like you're not going to make it cry a little bit, but remember, he's right there by your side. He promised never to leave you nor forsake you.

It may be stinky, but God is a good deodorant. You know what they call him? A sweet smelling savior.

You can smell God before he gets in the room. That's what good perfume does. Perfume will meets you in the hallway before the person even get there. That's the way God is ready to do us with the miracle. Now, here's my last thing.

My granddaughter came home one day. She came home and on her, on her homework book, her teacher had posted a little, little singing. And I said that I'm to start saying this from now on because I got a spiritual meaning out of it. It says I can, we can do it.

Okay, now what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do an exercise in this room and everyone is going to participate. I said everyone is going to participate. I'm going to start out over here and I want this group that's on this last aisle on this side all the way to the back. Said I can. Come on, practice.

I care. Come on, you got to be louder than that. Now you go to Dunkin Donuts and be louder than that in the, in the speaker. I want a donunty donut.

Come on. I'm just kidding. I can, we can do it. Okay, one more time.

Okay, now here's the last thing about it, is that when we get to do it, let's all of us say, I can t do it. Okay, do it. Okay, one more time.

Okay, now this time we're going to do the last part together. All of us is gonna do what the last row does al together.

Do it. That's what I want you to do. Go out and receive your miracle today.