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He has rolled away the stone
Song: 1. He has broken every fetter (2x) Jesus broke every fetter He has set me free I will sing alleluia (3x) He has set me free. 2. I am what God says I am (2x) I am a winner and not a loser I am what God says I am 3. I am a winner man (2x) Jesus makes me a winner I am a winner man Introduction: The main text is John 11: 1-44 but let’s look at John 11: 38-44 below: Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. John 11:38-44 Remember that Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus. This shows that Jesus is not unfeeling, nor unemotional, but with strong feeling He prepares to strike a blow against death, the enemy of God and man. Jesus is a passionate enemy of death. So what stone has been placed on you? Whether weighty or light, Jesus has the capacity to roll it away. Jesus Calms the Storm 22One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. Luke 8:22-25 In Luke 8: 22-25, we saw how Jesus calmed the storm. Storm here can be likened to stone that needed to be rolled away. Troubles, trials, tribulations and all manner of problems are storm that should quieten and rolled away. They are alien and we should not tolerate them. 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11"No one, sir," she said. John 8:1-11 Jesus can also roll away the stone of fornication and adultery and all manners of sins that have held you captive. Sin is grievous and it can ruin your life whilst also destroying your relationship with God and man. Sin is slavery and you need to be set free from it: “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Conditions for rolling away the stone:
21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:21-26 ). Do you believe in the capability of Jesus to set you free? Do you believe that he will do what he says he will? Do you believe that he is the same yesterday and forever? Do you believe that nothing is impossible with him? Then why not rise up and claim your victory? It doesn’t matter what the world says concerning you, just believe the report of the Lord that it is well with you. Hebrews 11: 1, 6: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. You have no reason to doubt the Lord. Be certain that he is a mighty God that can do mighty things! 2. Patience. Remember always that God’s time is the best. 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. John 11:4-6 Delay is not denial. Our God is timeless and timely. Just at the right time he will intervene. Please not that what patience cannot solve impatience can never and will never solve. Patience is a flower that grows only in a few gardens, so pray that this beautiful flower grows in your garden. Everything will eventually work for your own good even though you may not understand the reason now but assured that our God is just too good to do evil and too kind to be cruel. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). By the grace of God will say one day like Joseph said: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20). Psalm 30: 5-6 : 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, 6 When I felt secure, I said, Your moment and money of laughter is closer to you than you actually imagine! Why not tarry? All those tears will be wiped away very soon. Psalm 126: 5-6: 5 Those who sow in tears 6 He who goes out weeping, All those painful sweat of hard labour will be taken away. Your harvest will have a bumper harvest. Your labour will not be in vain. Your years of harvesting will be longer and sweeter. No power of the enemy can destroy your destiny and labour. All the years of investment on your children will come to fruitfulness. Your children will bring glory to God, honour to you their parents and source of blessings to this generation. I rebuke every spirit of fruitlessness and frustration in Jesus name!!! The Lord the God of heaven will prosper you. I can something great about to happen in your life and I pray that he may open the eyes of your heart to grab it: “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,” (Ephesians 1:16-19). 3. God knows all things and sees your condition. After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." John 11:11 Remember that nothing can take God unawares and nothing has ever taken him unawares. He is the ancient of days, the mighty one and the King of kings! He knows you and cares for you. He knows everything about you, down to the number of hairs you have on your head. He pays attention to the smallest thing that happens to you. So don’t be afraid of what’s going to happen, of what you are going to suffer. You put your pain in His hands, you surrender yourself to Him. You trust Him. That is how you get beyond your fear. “ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:30). God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6). “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:16). Exhortation Here I will like to say something in order to urge you strongly to remain hopeful and I give you earnest advice and encouragement. Proverbs 21:31 : The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. Did I hear you say, ‘yes I believe God will roll away the stone of poverty in my life but I don’t have good business?’ Or did you say, ‘I believe God will roll away the stone of joblessness but I don’t have enough qualification?’ In as much as these are important but God can raise you from nowhere to an exalted position. Victory belongs to our God. Connection belongs to our God. Romans 9: 15-16 : For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. Did you hear that? Testimonies abound if people with right qualifications and what have you who are still struggling and contrariwise, there are many people out there that people have counted as nobody who are now highly blessed and favoured by the Lord. Psalms 34:19-20: A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Oh yes, what are your many troubles? The Lord the God of heaven and earth will deliver you from them all. Below in Luke 5: 1-11, you will read about Peter’s miraculous catch of fish. He had toiled all day and all night but caught nothing. He had laboured in vain but when Jesus came in, the story changed. Your story will change very soon when you allow Jesus into your life. Every stone of bad business, stagnation, unproductiveness, unfruitfulness and frustration will be rolled away in Jesus name! 1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11 And do you know that after you’ve caught the physical fish God will lead you to go and testify to the whole world so that you can catch bigger fishes – winning souls of men back to God? Yes he will do it. God bless. Evang. Oseh J. B. |