1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,640 Thank you for listening to this message from Life House Church. 2 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,640 Amen, amen. 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:23,160 Listen, turn to someone, give them a high five, tell them welcome to Palm Sunday. 4 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:24,160 Come on. 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:25,160 That was a good high five. 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:26,160 You see that in front? 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:27,160 I like that. 8 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:28,160 We'll get you guys to do that again. 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:29,160 Just show everybody else. 10 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:30,160 Come on, one more time. 11 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:31,160 Ready? 12 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:32,160 High five. 13 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:33,160 There it is. 14 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:34,760 Come on, step across. 15 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:36,520 It's good to have you at Life House this morning. 16 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:41,080 We are heading into Easter week and Holy Week and it's amazing. 17 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,280 This should be a time when we're celebrating in our hearts, in our lives. 18 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,840 I've talked to some this morning, they already are. 19 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,400 There's just something different in the air when we start celebrating Jesus. 20 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,160 And He's alive and well. 21 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:53,280 He's on the throne. 22 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,120 He's getting ready to come back again. 23 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:56,720 And that should excite you. 24 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,120 It excites me. 25 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,600 But in the meantime, we're going to talk a little bit about Palm Sunday and Easter and 26 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,320 just really preach all about Christ and what Christ has done for us. 27 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:07,920 But this morning, I kind of want to start off. 28 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,760 They're going to put a picture up there and it's an old picture. 29 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:17,040 And this is from July 19th, actually July 20th, 1977. 30 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,520 How many know that was a long time ago? 31 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,600 How many were not born in 19? 32 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:22,600 Yeah. 33 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:23,600 OK. 34 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:24,600 Wow. 35 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:25,600 OK. 36 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:26,600 1977. 37 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:28,840 I was seven years old in 1977. 38 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,400 And my wife, Dixie, was seven years old. 39 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:33,360 She was the ripe old age of seven. 40 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,040 And we lived in Wimber, Pennsylvania. 41 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,400 And we were about 13 miles outside of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, if you know where that's at. 42 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,080 And something took place on July 19th. 43 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,320 And we call it the perfect storm. 44 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:50,560 And the storm tracked in from the north and actually stalled in the mountains, mountainous 45 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,740 area of Wimber and Johnstown. 46 00:01:53,740 --> 00:02:00,800 And that particular storm that night dropped 12 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. 47 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,040 Six dams in the area overflowed. 48 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:04,520 They over toppled. 49 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,080 And the largest to fail was Laurel Run Dam. 50 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:08,320 And it was released. 51 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,880 They estimated it released one hundred and one million gallons of water that poured through 52 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,200 the village of Tanneryville at that time, which was just part of Johnstown, and killed 53 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:18,800 41 people. 54 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:24,520 The combination of those other five dams released another 27 million gallons of water. 55 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:30,280 And not counting the rain that came along with all that, it was a total of 128 million 56 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,880 gallons of water that poured down from the mountaintops into the valleys and filled up 57 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:41,200 and ended up in the morning with about six feet of water and took 75 lives that very 58 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:42,200 night. 59 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:43,200 It was a perfect storm. 60 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:44,460 It was the right combination. 61 00:02:44,460 --> 00:02:45,620 They weren't calling for it. 62 00:02:45,620 --> 00:02:50,520 But as the storm came in, the combination with the clouds coming in swirled in those 63 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:51,800 mountains. 64 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,600 And the next morning when we got up, honestly, if you'd have went and drove down in Johnstown, 65 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,440 Pennsylvania, it looked like an atomic bomb went off. 66 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,840 It flattened the area. 67 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:03,280 It was a perfect storm. 68 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,280 And a perfect storm is this. 69 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:10,440 It is described as an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation 70 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:18,360 so drastically that it will result in an unusual event of unusual magnitude. 71 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:26,540 2,000 years ago on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a perfect storm was brewing. 72 00:03:26,540 --> 00:03:28,320 And it was not weather related. 73 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:29,540 It was not a flood. 74 00:03:29,540 --> 00:03:30,900 It was not a hurricane. 75 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:38,000 It was not an Arctic winter blast, but a combination of cultural circumstances, divine prophecy, 76 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,480 corrupt religious leaders, and governments that were all colliding and revolving around 77 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,520 this man named Jesus. 78 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:52,380 It was the genesis of an event that would change history and offer salvation to every 79 00:03:52,380 --> 00:03:55,480 person birthed on the face of the planet at that time. 80 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:00,340 And in a week's time, the situation would produce a rare combination of circumstances 81 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:02,360 that would aggravate, right? 82 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:07,160 And the situation was so drastically changed that they would end in a result of unusual 83 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:09,100 magnitude. 84 00:04:09,100 --> 00:04:11,520 Let me set the scene this morning. 85 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:19,300 Some 1,500 years after the first Jewish Passover is celebrated, a man named Jesus is preaching 86 00:04:19,300 --> 00:04:20,560 the gospel. 87 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:27,120 He is uneducated, not recognized by the religious, organized religious leaders of that day. 88 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:33,040 He's not sanctioned by some social movement or rogue religious organization. 89 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:34,240 He's preaching. 90 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:35,320 He's teaching. 91 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:41,040 He's physically healing people with incredible power in synagogues and in public forums, 92 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,040 both. 93 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,600 And this Jesus, he teaches as one with great authority. 94 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,880 He doesn't come as just a teacher of the law, but he comes in great authority. 95 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:55,000 And he confronts and challenges mainstream Jewish teachers and officials who are corrupt 96 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,960 and full of hypocrisy. 97 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,680 And a result of this, there are people who love Jesus. 98 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:02,480 They are followers of Christ. 99 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,200 They love everything that he does, and there are haters of Jesus. 100 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,400 How many of you know there's always haters, right? 101 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:09,980 There was haters of Jesus. 102 00:05:09,980 --> 00:05:14,320 And everywhere he traveled, there was a stir that was beginning to take place. 103 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:18,900 There was something of unrest that was taking place everywhere he went and ministered. 104 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:21,880 And in the passage we're going to read today, and we're going to head to John chapter 11. 105 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:22,880 You can head that direction. 106 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,700 I'm going to talk a little bit before we get there, right? 107 00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:32,760 As we go in that way, he's making his way to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, a traditional 108 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,480 Jewish celebration, Passover. 109 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,160 And he's traveling towards Jerusalem, but he's not alone in his travels. 110 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:40,980 He has 12 disciples with him. 111 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:47,440 And they plan this stop just two miles south, say two miles, two miles south of the city 112 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,780 to a little village called Bethany. 113 00:05:49,780 --> 00:05:50,780 Say Bethany. 114 00:05:50,780 --> 00:05:53,640 It's good you know what's happening in this story, right? 115 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:55,740 It's two miles south of Jerusalem. 116 00:05:55,740 --> 00:05:59,160 And the reason for the stop is he's going to see some old friends. 117 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:00,540 He's going to go see Mary. 118 00:06:00,540 --> 00:06:03,720 He's going to go see Martha and he's going to go see Lazarus. 119 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,580 And this friend group is special in nature because of Lazarus. 120 00:06:07,580 --> 00:06:14,700 A few months earlier to this day and this scene, Lazarus gets sick. 121 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:19,060 And when he gets sick, it's not a sickness, just a cold or the flu. 122 00:06:19,060 --> 00:06:22,780 He actually gets sick and passes away and dies. 123 00:06:22,780 --> 00:06:25,880 And during this time, the family knows Jesus. 124 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,360 They're calling for Jesus to come. 125 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,960 Because they know if Jesus comes and heals Lazarus, Lazarus is going to be fine. 126 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,400 If he comes and speaks to him and speaks over because they've seen it, they've heard about 127 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:36,400 it, right? 128 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,120 He's going to be perfectly OK. 129 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:39,680 But Jesus doesn't come. 130 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,560 He doesn't show up when Lazarus is sick and he doesn't show up when Lazarus dies. 131 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,780 And matter of fact, he waits till four days after he dies. 132 00:06:46,780 --> 00:06:49,560 The funeral is over, right? 133 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:50,720 Everybody is gone. 134 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,680 And Jesus shows up four days later and he doesn't show up to mourn. 135 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:56,600 He doesn't show up to come to grief. 136 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,900 He doesn't show up to lament or sob in any kind of way. 137 00:06:59,900 --> 00:07:02,080 He's not there hoping to get leftover funeral food. 138 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,080 Amen. 139 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,240 I mean, there's always a lot of food or funeral, right? 140 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:12,760 Jesus comes literally to call Lazarus from the grave, from the tomb, four days dead. 141 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,480 And he's going to call his friend back to life. 142 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:22,240 And this is the event that sets off a chain reaction to create the perfect storm in Jerusalem, 143 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,560 which would lead up to his crucifixion. 144 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:32,360 News of a man, right, that people that news of a man who called people back from the dead 145 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,200 spreads like wildfire. 146 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,420 The Jewish people were stirred up. 147 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:39,920 The Jewish religious leaders are beside themselves. 148 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:41,500 They don't know what to do. 149 00:07:41,500 --> 00:07:43,880 And even Rome is starting, right? 150 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,680 Rome is governing over the whole area, is even starting to take notice. 151 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:54,440 Unusual circumstances brewing and a perfect storm beginning to swirl. 152 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:59,360 And each group of people have their own reasons for being stirred, right? 153 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,520 The Jewish people are in awe. 154 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,400 They were in wonder of this miracle. 155 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,600 And honestly, if it happened today, right, we'd be the same way. 156 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,680 If we heard about someone who called someone out of the grave after four days dead, how 157 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,000 many know that would get everybody's attention, right? 158 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,400 They would be on the morning shows. 159 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,860 They'd be in social media, right? 160 00:08:17,860 --> 00:08:20,040 The podcasters would be after them. 161 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:24,360 Everybody, like the news outlets, every single one of them, CNN, Fox, you name it, whoever 162 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,200 the news, they would all want to do the interview. 163 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,600 They'd all want to get Jesus and Lazarus sitting at the table, right? 164 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:33,280 And they'd be talking to Lazarus. 165 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,440 So Lazarus, what's it like to be four days dead, right? 166 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:37,440 Tell us what you saw. 167 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,880 I mean, I'd do that. 168 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,280 What'd you see? 169 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:42,280 What'd you smell? 170 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:43,880 What'd you experience? 171 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,600 What was it like? 172 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,840 And Jesus, how'd you do this? 173 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,860 I mean, the guy had embalming fluid in him. 174 00:08:51,860 --> 00:08:53,320 How'd you do this? 175 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:54,800 How'd you bring him back from the dead? 176 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:57,860 It'd be a media frenzy, right? 177 00:08:57,860 --> 00:08:59,800 And this spreads among the Jews. 178 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,820 But there's the news spread for a different reason. 179 00:09:02,820 --> 00:09:03,820 You got to understand something. 180 00:09:03,820 --> 00:09:05,500 The Jewish people didn't see it like we did. 181 00:09:05,500 --> 00:09:07,180 It wasn't just a news story of the week. 182 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:09,880 It wasn't just a podcast of the week. 183 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,680 What it was for the Jewish people was prophecy being fulfilled. 184 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:16,560 They're looking and they're thinking, could this be the Messiah? 185 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:18,280 Could this be the prophesied one? 186 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:24,760 Could this be the Christ, this powerful leader who is going to come and relieve us from the 187 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,120 brutalness of Rome? 188 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:28,120 Could this be him? 189 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,480 Because no one in history had ever seen somebody call somebody back from the dead. 190 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,800 No one in history had ever just gone and spoke a word and people were healed, right? 191 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:41,560 The lame could walk, the blind could see, the deaf could hear. 192 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:47,160 Jesus spoke to wind and waves and they listened. 193 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,560 They ceased. 194 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:55,880 And the Jewish people, they smell victory over Rome. 195 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:57,480 They smell victory. 196 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:04,920 They see a king who's going to come into power and set them all free from Roman rule. 197 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,200 That's the Jewish people. 198 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:12,640 The religious leaders had a whole different lens they're seeing through. 199 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,440 The religious leaders of the day, the corrupt religious leaders, Jewish leaders, they're 200 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:17,440 seeing red. 201 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,320 How many know what it is to see red? 202 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,000 Look down, you're sitting on a red chair. 203 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:23,580 Okay, come on. 204 00:10:23,580 --> 00:10:24,580 Seeing red. 205 00:10:24,580 --> 00:10:28,600 That means they were seeing through a lens of red. 206 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:30,240 If you're seeing red, what is that? 207 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:31,240 You're what? 208 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:32,600 Yeah, you're mad, man. 209 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:33,600 You're angry. 210 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:35,120 You're irritated. 211 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,760 And you've got to understand something, the religious leaders of that day, they saw Jesus 212 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:40,840 as a hair tick. 213 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:42,600 They saw him as a false prophet. 214 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,240 They saw him, actually some even said he was demon possessed. 215 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:47,520 That's what they said about him. 216 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,040 And they wanted nothing more than for Jesus to be stopped. 217 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:55,880 They were jealous of his power and his notoriety, not to mention that Jesus on a public forum 218 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:02,160 was constantly confronting them on the hypocrisy, on their lies. 219 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:06,400 And they want Jesus dead and they want Lazarus dead. 220 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,160 And they want to make it all go away. 221 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:09,920 And they're plotting and scheming. 222 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,440 The storm is brewing. 223 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,760 The Jewish people are looking for a king. 224 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:17,720 The religious leaders of the day want them dead. 225 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,880 They want no witnesses and they're plotting. 226 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:22,480 They're putting the events together. 227 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,360 And all this stir is under the umbrella of Rome. 228 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:33,960 All this stir is around the under the power of the Roman Empire. 229 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:39,800 And Rome is indifferent to the religious beliefs of the Jews, these captives. 230 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,040 They don't really care about their celebrations. 231 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,560 They don't really care about what they do or what they practice. 232 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:48,120 What Rome cared about was keeping order. 233 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,420 What Rome cared about is making sure that allegiance was to the Roman rulers. 234 00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:57,280 What Rome cared about was for no stir to take place and for everything to be quiet and to 235 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,060 collect their taxes and to move on in life. 236 00:12:00,060 --> 00:12:05,800 And they began to see this stir and they began to care about someone who might possibly be 237 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,520 a Jewish king. 238 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,720 All this is stirring. 239 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:18,400 All the clouds are swirling while thousands and thousands of people are being pouring 240 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:23,760 into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. 241 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,680 Turn to someone right now and tell them that was a long intro. 242 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:30,640 Come on, that was a long intro. 243 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:36,440 All this is stirring while Jesus is two miles away. 244 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:38,160 He's in the south. 245 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,920 He's in Bethany and he's visiting France. 246 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:46,000 John 11 55, I finally got there, says this, and the Passover of the Jews was near and 247 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,880 many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 248 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,600 Then they saw Jesus and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple. 249 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:55,600 What do you think? 250 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,840 That he will not come to the feast? 251 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,720 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command that if anyone knew where 252 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,640 he was, he should report it that they might seize him. 253 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,300 The people are wondering is the miracle man going to show up? 254 00:13:10,300 --> 00:13:14,920 The chief priests are plotting and telling people you must report it to us. 255 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,600 And I'm thinking the disciples, if I was one of the disciples, one of the 12 travel with 256 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,880 Jesus, I'd be thinking Jesus, let's go hang out and do Passover somewhere else. 257 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,160 Let's not buy, let's pass over Jerusalem. 258 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,800 Come on, that was my funny of the day. 259 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,000 Hard pass, hard pass on the Passover in Jerusalem. 260 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,040 That are two funnies. 261 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:38,320 Hard pass, but Jesus doesn't. 262 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,120 He continues on and he goes to Bethany two miles away. 263 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:48,160 John 12 says this, then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus 264 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,960 was who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead. 265 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:56,240 There they made him a supper and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the 266 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:01,920 table with him and Mary took a pound of very costly oil to spike nard, anointed the feet 267 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:06,280 of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. 268 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:11,200 And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 269 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,920 I want you to picture this in your mind. 270 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:20,360 Jesus shows up to Lazarus and Mary and Martha's house and he comes into the house for a visit 271 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,480 and these three friends of his are doing what they do. 272 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,960 Now, I don't know if you catch a little bit with Martha, but I'm pretty sure, I don't 273 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:32,720 know this for certain, but I think Martha was the first born in the family. 274 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,200 She's busy, she's taking care of business. 275 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,040 She's in the kitchen making chicken florentine because Jesus likes chicken. 276 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:42,320 I don't know if that's true, but she's making chicken florentine. 277 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,720 She's making sure that all the napkins match the plates. 278 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,480 She's checking the towels in the bathroom to make sure the gray ones on the wall are 279 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,800 the same as the gray ones on the hand towel. 280 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,760 She's running around, she's got scented candles out, essential oils are everywhere. 281 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,120 She's cooking away. 282 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:04,920 She's getting her favorite Martha Stewart dessert recipes or something with the Martha 283 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:05,920 thing. 284 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:07,200 She's busy. 285 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:08,360 She's preparing. 286 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:09,360 She's getting ready for this. 287 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,200 There's 13 people coming. 288 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,360 She's getting everything in order. 289 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,080 She's running around the house. 290 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:16,080 Then there's Lazarus. 291 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,380 Lazarus is sitting at the table. 292 00:15:18,380 --> 00:15:19,800 He's just hanging. 293 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:21,240 He's hanging out with Jesus. 294 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:22,880 He's just talking. 295 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,080 I don't know what the conversation was, but I kind of wonder sometimes when I think about 296 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:27,480 these things or I read about these things. 297 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,960 It doesn't say in God's word, but I think he's kind of leaning on his elbow and Jesus 298 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:31,960 sitting right beside him. 299 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:36,280 I think he's saying, Jesus, do you know what I saw in those four days? 300 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:37,440 Do you know what heaven looks like? 301 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,440 And Jesus is going, yeah, I got a pretty good idea. 302 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:44,880 I've been there myself, you know, and I think Lazarus is saying there's colors there. 303 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,200 There's light there like I've never seen. 304 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,080 God's presence is amazing. 305 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:50,900 And I think they're whispering. 306 00:15:50,900 --> 00:15:53,320 And Lazarus is probably saying people aren't going to understand. 307 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:54,880 I don't even know how to put it in words. 308 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:56,120 And Jesus goes, I know. 309 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:57,120 I get it, right? 310 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,280 I can just imagine that kind of conversation going on. 311 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,600 And then there's Mary who has to be the baby of the family. 312 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:04,600 Right? 313 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:05,600 She's not working. 314 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:06,600 She's not doing it. 315 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:07,600 She's like, that's all right. 316 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:08,600 Martha's got it. 317 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,280 She'll take care of it. 318 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,880 Go get him, sis. 319 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:13,880 Right? 320 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,440 She comes in and she sits down at the feet of Jesus. 321 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:26,280 And she breaks open a pound of spike nard, of ointment, very expensive, costly ointment. 322 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,040 And she pours it on Jesus' feet. 323 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,040 And she lets down her hair. 324 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:38,400 And in an act of submission, almost a position of slavery, she gets down and she wipes Jesus' 325 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,440 feet with her hair. 326 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:46,120 And it says the whole room was filled with the fragrance. 327 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,680 I think Mary was teaching us something. 328 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:51,160 I think Mary had something right. 329 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:58,120 I think it says in the middle of a perfect storm, we need to park at Jesus' feet and 330 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,700 extravagantly worship Him. 331 00:17:01,700 --> 00:17:07,080 In the middle of the perfect storm, in the middle of any storm, we should park at Jesus' 332 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,160 feet and worship Him. 333 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,400 I think Mary had it right. 334 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,960 Mary knew what to do in the chaos when things were brewing all around. 335 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,800 When the world outside, two miles away, is going completely nuts. 336 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,240 She broke into extravagant worship. 337 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:23,800 She held nothing back. 338 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:25,900 She didn't spare any expense. 339 00:17:25,900 --> 00:17:31,040 She got down on her hands and knees and she worshiped Jesus. 340 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,800 We're so foolish sometimes. 341 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:39,720 We're so foolish, we do everything but worship the King. 342 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,640 We do other things, right? 343 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:43,400 And Jesus commends her for this action. 344 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,360 One of the disciples actually scolds her for it. 345 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:51,000 In John 12, he says, but one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son who would betray 346 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:57,320 him, said, why was this fragment oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? 347 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,120 That's actually almost a year's wages. 348 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:03,520 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. 349 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,440 And he had the money box and he used to take what was put in it. 350 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,180 But Jesus said, let her alone. 351 00:18:08,180 --> 00:18:12,200 She has kept this for the day of my burial for the poor you will have with you always, 352 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,400 but me you will not always have. 353 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:20,440 Too many times we get in the middle of a perfect storm and the last thing we do is worship. 354 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,540 The last thing we think about doing is worship. 355 00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:27,080 We get in the middle of the storm and some of you, some of you I know, I know you, but 356 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:28,440 I don't know you, right? 357 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,920 You just get in and the storm starts swirling and things start going crazy and you think 358 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,080 I just got to hunker down and work harder. 359 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:39,920 If I get my nose to the grindstone, if I keep at it, if I keep working, things are going 360 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:40,920 to all work out. 361 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,640 You just work and you're Martha, man, you're running around the house, making sure the 362 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:45,640 towels match. 363 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,220 You're going to work, you're going to work, you're going to work. 364 00:18:48,220 --> 00:18:51,160 Some of you don't, some of you retreat and hide, right? 365 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:56,600 Some of you hunker down and get into a corner somewhere and start into this an hour or a 366 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:58,940 day or a month of self pity. 367 00:18:58,940 --> 00:19:00,560 Anybody ever do that one, right? 368 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,780 You get off of somewhere and you're just going to pity yourself for a while. 369 00:19:03,780 --> 00:19:06,000 You don't worship, you just pity yourself. 370 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,100 Woe is me. 371 00:19:07,100 --> 00:19:09,600 Nobody else has got to put up with all this, right? 372 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,200 Or we gather a group of people around us and we make sure we get people who are telling 373 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:14,200 us what we want to hear. 374 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,760 How many of you know I always go to somebody I want to hear, right? 375 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:18,960 I go to somebody who tells me what I don't want to hear. 376 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,880 I go to somebody who tells me what I want to hear. 377 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,200 We do all this, but Mary nails it. 378 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:31,960 Storms brewing, things are going crazy and she gets down on her knees, down on her hands 379 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,560 and she worships Christ. 380 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:41,080 Psalm 63 once says this, oh God, you are my God early I will seek you. 381 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,920 My soul thirsts for you. 382 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,960 My flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. 383 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:51,180 So I have looked for you in this sanctuary to see your power and your glory because your 384 00:19:51,180 --> 00:19:54,780 loving kindness is literally better than life. 385 00:19:54,780 --> 00:19:57,040 My lips shall praise you. 386 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,840 Thus I will bless you while I live. 387 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:04,000 I lift up my hands in your name. 388 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:09,640 Mary knows something about walking through a storm and she go to Jesus. 389 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:17,160 She parks herself at the feet of the one who is bigger than any storm we're ever going 390 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,880 to face. 391 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:21,280 She knows, right, that he's the one. 392 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,680 He's bigger than any storm we're ever going to face. 393 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:30,080 I'll never forget being in Mexico City and one of the years I went there on a missions 394 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:34,440 trip I actually got to go out and actually do a little sightseeing and we went to a pyramid 395 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:35,760 and it was one of the ancient pyramids. 396 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,840 I remember standing on top of this pyramid and on top of this pyramid was a, in the middle 397 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,320 was like almost like a little stand and on top of that was a stone that was cemented 398 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:48,000 into the top of it and it was a place of worship and it was a place to worship the sun and the 399 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,000 moon. 400 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,400 And these people would come and they'd put their finger on the stone and they'd raise 401 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,300 their hands to the sun and the moon and I'm standing there thinking I know the one who 402 00:20:56,300 --> 00:20:58,280 made the sun and the moon. 403 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,600 You're worshiping a creation, right? 404 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:06,520 You're worshiping what he created and you could be worshiping the creator up here. 405 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:13,840 Go to the one who is larger than your storm and sit at his feet and worship because he's 406 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,320 the one that's going to take you through. 407 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,400 There's nothing too large, amen? 408 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:25,680 He's the one that speaks to the wind and waves and says stop, cease, be still, amen? 409 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,160 Mary had the game plan in the middle of the perfect storm. 410 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:34,020 John 12, 9 says this, now a great many of the Jews knew that he was there and came not 411 00:21:34,020 --> 00:21:38,520 for Jesus' sake only but that they might also see Lazarus who had raised from the dead. 412 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:43,160 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also because on account of him many 413 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:45,600 of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 414 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,120 The next day, say the next day. 415 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:52,720 The next day a great multitude that come to the feast when they heard Jesus was coming 416 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:56,000 to Jerusalem took branches of palm trees. 417 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,040 That's why we call Palm Sunday, right? 418 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,120 And went out to meet him and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the 419 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:05,880 Lord, the King of Israel. 420 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,040 He knows what these Jews are looking for. 421 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:10,040 They're looking, right? 422 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:11,520 They said it right there, King of the Jews. 423 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,480 They're already hailing him King of Israel. 424 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:16,560 They're looking for a delivering King. 425 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,640 They're looking to take Rome down. 426 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:23,080 The chief priests, biggest fears are taking place unfolding before their eyes. 427 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:24,440 People were chanting Jesus' name. 428 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,480 They're calling him King, right? 429 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,000 And the soldiers, the Roman soldiers are looking on and they're taking notice. 430 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,680 And while that parade looked nothing to a Roman parade, right? 431 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,680 The Romans were used to big fanfare. 432 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:41,400 They were used to gold chariots and white horses and they would walk and parade through 433 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,640 the city and come into the Coliseum. 434 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,960 While this looked like nothing to them, a man, right? 435 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:52,760 Coming in on a donkey and palm branches being laid, they heard the chants. 436 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,080 They heard what they were saying, King of Israel. 437 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,320 And you got to understand something about Rome at that time. 438 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:02,960 For anybody else to call themselves King in that kind of setting was actually tyranny 439 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,260 against Rome. 440 00:23:05,260 --> 00:23:10,360 And the Rome itself starts to take notice and the perfect storm takes place. 441 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:15,700 And Jesus rides right into the middle of it anyway. 442 00:23:15,700 --> 00:23:19,320 He knows exactly why he's going in. 443 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,000 Why would he go there? 444 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,280 Why would he antagonize his enemies? 445 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,160 Why would he give false hopes to these Jewish people? 446 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,280 Because he was not going to rise up and take Rome down, right? 447 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:39,160 Why risk being caught, scourged, beaten, spit on, made a public humiliation, crucified, 448 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:40,320 certain death? 449 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,920 Why do all this? 450 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:43,980 Jesus did all this. 451 00:23:43,980 --> 00:23:48,440 He walked away from personal comfort because he was part of something greater than himself. 452 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:58,680 And he knew that even Jesus, Son of God, he lived for God's greater plan, our salvation. 453 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:04,320 Jesus stepped out of every bit of comfort so he could ride into the city for our salvation, 454 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:10,200 to fulfill God's plan, to reconcile man back to God, to go back to what was originally 455 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:15,080 designed in the Garden of Eden, to bring a chance for us to come back into that kind 456 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:16,640 of relationship with God. 457 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,480 Jesus laid it all down and he lived, right? 458 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:24,160 He lived to love those who did not love him back. 459 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:25,160 He really did. 460 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,020 He lived to forgive those. 461 00:24:27,020 --> 00:24:31,600 Literally when he's on the cross, he's forgiving them for nailing him to a tree while they're 462 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,120 nailing him to a tree. 463 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:39,160 He willingly lived and died for the benefit of all of us. 464 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,880 He rode straight into the perfect storm because he was fixed on the plan. 465 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:49,500 And he laid out an incredible example for us who are saved and know Jesus as Lord. 466 00:24:49,500 --> 00:24:56,600 We should live for something greater than our personal comfort. 467 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:57,860 We chase comfort. 468 00:24:57,860 --> 00:24:58,860 We do, right? 469 00:24:58,860 --> 00:25:03,960 Listen, if there's five chairs in a room and four of them are hard metal chairs and there's 470 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:08,360 a lazy boy and you send me into the room, guess which one I'm hopping in, especially 471 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:10,720 if it has a cup holder. 472 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:12,640 Come on, it's true, right? 473 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,280 You're going after the lazy boy. 474 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:17,280 We seek comfort. 475 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:18,720 We really do. 476 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,440 We want the most comfortable temperature in the room. 477 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,880 That's why you have temperature wars in your house, right? 478 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,200 Somebody's frozen, the other person's sweating to death. 479 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,280 One's turning the thermostat up, the other one's turning the other one down. 480 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:29,280 We seek comfort, right? 481 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,500 That's why there's first class on airplanes. 482 00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:34,300 You got to pay for the additional comfort. 483 00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:35,640 You want the comfy blanket. 484 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,020 You want the extra snacks. 485 00:25:37,020 --> 00:25:39,280 You don't want just the pretzels, right? 486 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,600 You want something more, right? 487 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,140 Jesus set aside all comfort. 488 00:25:45,140 --> 00:25:49,320 He sets it aside to fulfill God's plan. 489 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:58,240 I'm going to ask you to stand. 490 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,300 He was not just riding into an uncomfortable situation. 491 00:26:02,300 --> 00:26:05,320 He was riding, and He knew what was coming. 492 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:08,980 He spoke so many times to His disciples. 493 00:26:08,980 --> 00:26:11,000 So many times He spoke to them. 494 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:17,760 Do you understand that He could have called on heaven in that moment in time, and God 495 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:22,280 would have sent legions of angels and crushed Rome, and actually would have crushed the 496 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,080 Jews as well, and rescued from them? 497 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:31,760 In a moment in time, He could have done that, and He did not. 498 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:37,440 So you and I would have access to the throne room of grace. 499 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,720 We'll lay down our comfort. 500 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:40,720 We will. 501 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:42,120 We'll lay down our comfort. 502 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:49,760 We'll get at the feet of Jesus in worship when we realize what He's done and what He's 503 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,440 called us to do. 504 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:52,800 You're going into Holy Week. 505 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,600 You're going into a week where you're going to bump into people along the way. 506 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,280 Charlie, I see you wearing your necklace. 507 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,920 I started this just about a month ago, and I've seen a bunch of you wearing them. 508 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:03,920 Some of you got them on your wrist. 509 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,240 Some of them got them on your neck. 510 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,360 Some of them you got posted somewhere at home. 511 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:14,360 But every day I put this on for the last month or so, every day I put this on, I'm reminded 512 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:16,360 I'm an ambassador for Christ. 513 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,000 I'm reminded that it's not about my comfort. 514 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,300 It's really about the plan of God and what God wants to do. 515 00:27:22,300 --> 00:27:25,320 Somebody got really uncomfortable somewhere along the way, and that's why I'm here today, 516 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:26,400 and that's why I'm saved. 517 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,440 Because somewhere along the way I decided they were going to do the uncomfortable thing. 518 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,400 They were going to go forward and present the gospel, and I was one of the recipients 519 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,280 of that very thing. 520 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:38,080 And we're coming into this week. 521 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:42,040 Jesus did the most uncomfortable thing, probably the thing that maybe none of us... I don't 522 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,760 know about you, but I probably would have turned tail and let's go to a different city 523 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,600 for Passover, head somewhere else. 524 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,680 But He paid the price. 525 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,640 So this morning I want you to close your eyes. 526 00:27:54,640 --> 00:28:01,560 I want you to get in an attitude of worship, and maybe just picture yourself at Mary, Martha's, 527 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,280 and Lazarus' house. 528 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:10,320 If you're at the East Shore right now, Pastor Eric is coming. 529 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,000 He's going to minister to you in this time. 530 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:16,600 If you're listening online, please get a place to pray. 531 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,840 Please get a place to pray. 532 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:30,080 As you pray, I want you to picture yourself maybe at Mary, Martha, and Lazarus' house. 533 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:31,080 Where would you be? 534 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,040 Would you be one of the people that would be running around, making sure all the stuff's 535 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:35,480 right? 536 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:40,600 Would you be sitting at the table leaned up, or would you be at the feet of Jesus? 537 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:45,960 I don't know, Scripture doesn't tell us, but I kind of believe that Mary, after that experience, 538 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:47,800 was willing to get uncomfortable. 539 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:54,560 I believe she was willing to go out and do whatever Jesus needed her to do. 540 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:56,560 That needs to be us this morning. 541 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,840 Father, I come before you, God, on this most holy week. 542 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:05,120 Lord, as we come into a time, Lord, where we're going to celebrate the resurrection 543 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:10,480 of Jesus Christ, Lord, I pray, break our hearts, God, for what breaks your heart, Lord. 544 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,280 And God, that's people who are far from you. 545 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,440 Lord, I pray right now, God, that you would speak into our lives, and Lord, God, that 546 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:21,200 it would stir us, and God, that we'd be willing to walk into a storm, maybe even a perfect 547 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,200 storm. 548 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:27,640 Lord, God, for the sake of the gospel, Lord, that we would move forward, and God, not fear 549 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,840 and not shudder, but literally sit at your feet and worship. 550 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:36,180 God, get to a place, Lord, where we just look to you, and God, maybe our tears are the thing 551 00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:37,560 that wash your feet. 552 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:42,000 And Lord, God, we come, Lord, just humbly before you, God, knowing that somebody paid 553 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,000 the price for us, and now it's our turn, God. 554 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,440 Now it's our turn to pay the price for someone else. 555 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:51,880 Now it's our time to take up our cross, Lord, just like you said in your word, Lord, and 556 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:52,880 go out. 557 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,400 And Lord, God, die to me and live to you. 558 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,520 And Lord, I ask for that this week. 559 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:00,000 God, there are souls in the balance this week. 560 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,200 There are souls in the balance. 561 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:07,440 And Lord, we ask this in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. 562 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:08,440 Amen. 563 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:19,920 Thank you for tuning in to this message from LifeHouse Church. 564 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,800 We pray that you were impacted powerfully by this message. 565 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,640 If you have been personally affected by our ministry and you would like to partner with 566 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:39,360 us as we love God, love people every day, visit our website at www.LifeHouseCOG.com.