Always Greater

Transcript

Alright. Thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? You doing alright today? Oh, I trust so, bless your heart. You know, we never can anticipate what kind of a day it’s going to be. But you can always be sure that God is there. He’s the God who is there. He’s the God who said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” So that whatever kind of a day you have before you, or night, as the case may be, because we’re heard during the late evening hours on some stations, whatever kind of a day or night you have before you, beloved, you can be sure that God is there. He’s not gonna fail you. Trust Him. Yield your whole life to your blessed Lord and let Him run it. No regrets when Jesus leads.

Well you and I are looking at John Chapter 11 and we’ve discovered the fact that, after the message concerning the fact that Lazarus was sick, after the message came, the Lord Jesus stayed put for two full days. He was operating on a different schedule than human expectations might have led you to believe. After that, after two days, He said to His disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” His disciples said, “Master, why? Those people sought to stone you and are you going back again? They were trying to kill you. You going back again?” Now, humanly, He ought to stay out of danger. That’s the human reaction.

If they were trying to kill you, don’t go back and give them another chance. A small thought here, there is no law against using good sense. If you know that something you eat is gonna make you sick, don’t eat it. If you know that you are racing your motor and going too hard in your schedule, slow down. You’re not required either to blow up, or bust up, or whatever, you know. Wendell Loveless, who at the age, I guess, nearly 100, recently went to be with the Lord, my dear friend through many years, said to me one day, when I was just out of school and going like a house afire doing the best I could, He said, “Now,” he said, “You ought to learn to relax and slow down a little now and then.” “Oh,” I said, “I don’t wanna rust out.” “Yes,” he said, “But you’re not required to bust out either.” [chuckle]

No, there is no law against using good sense. But there are times when you look at what is involved and you decide that it is worth the risk, because of the need to do God’s will. It is worth the risk, because you are in the business of doing what God told you to do. When God tells you to do something, do it. John 2:5, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” All right, now, that being so, you come back then to this text. The disciples said, “Listen, use a little sense, don’t you? Why not stay out of danger?” “Well,” He said, “There are 12 hours in the day, and if you wait until the night, you’re not gonna be able to see where you’re going.” In effect, He was saying, “I have to do what I have to do, while I have a chance to do it.” He was marching, although they didn’t know it, straight to Calvary. And everything that was to be done before that had to be done. You couldn’t wait until another year. That was the point He was making. So let me stop here long enough to emphasize the fact, that when God puts something on your heart to do, don’t say, “I’ll get at it next week.”

Someone handed me a little wooden coin, a little round wooden coin, about as big as a quarter. And on it were the letters T-U-I-T. And I asked the person, I said, “What is this T-U-I-T?” “Oh,” he says, “That’s a tuit.” Well, I said, “What’s a tuit?” “Well, you can see,” said he, “That it’s round. You’ve always been saying you wanted to get a round tuit.” [laughter] “I’ll do it when I get around to it.” Yes. Don’t put off the Word of God. Don’t put off the will of God. You won’t get a second chance to do the will of God. Well, I can’t say won’t, because Jonah got a second chance, didn’t he? Lots of the rest of us have been forgiven of our shortcomings, and errors, and failings, and God has kept on graciously dealing with us, that’s for sure. But I’m talking, now, about the timing of God’s events. Some things don’t happen again. And you and I need to obey God with the immediacy of knowing that this is God’s time. Now is the accepted time. Would you form the habit of immediate obedience? You’ll find that it serves you well. So what our Savior actually was saying, “Yes, I know it’s dangerous, but Lazarus is worth it, and I’m going straight to Calvary, and Calvary’s worth it.” That is what He was saying.

Now, I come here, then, to ask myself and to ask you this question, “Who is there, and what is there in your life, and in your plans, that is important enough for you to give first priority to it, even though it may involve either risk, or danger, or disappointment, or all of the above? “Lazarus is worth it. Yes, I know they tried to kill me. Yes, I know they’ll try again. Yes, I know they’ll be successful after a few days. All of that is true, but Lazarus is worth it. Let’s go.” What is there in your life that has the highest priority, concerning which you say, “That is worth it all”? Now, I don’t need to know what you’re answering, but you and God need to settle that.

For many people, the priorities are amazingly secular, and they have to do with everyday living, and things, and the money to buy them, with family and relationships, with hopes for children and grandchildren, and all of that. Dear friend, sort out the priorities and make sure that if you’re going to take a risk, you take it for eternal matters. Does it make sense? Make sure that if you’re going to take a risk, as indeed our Savior was, that you do it for matters that are eternal, for precious, never dying souls, for the will of God, for the privilege of walking in God’s daylight. That is the basic priority.

Well, I’m looking now at the passage that goes from Verse 9 to Verse 14. And He says, “Our friend, Lazarus, sleeps.” And they said, “Why, if he’s asleep, he gonna do fine.” And He had to explain that to them. He said unto them plainly, Verse 14, “Lazarus is dead. And I’m glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent you may believe.” Two things. Number one, He says, “Lazarus is dead.” Now, he was still at the Jordan. They hadn’t left yet. They hadn’t left the Jordan and it was going to take them two more days. He had stayed two days after he heard the message, and then he stayed two more days, and when he got there, Lazarus had been buried four days. So He says, “Lazarus is dead.” He knew already that the possibility of healing that poor, sick body was gone and that the man had died.

Could I remind you of something, beloved? We have in management what we call worst case scenarios. You corporate officers, you know about that. You figure out the worst thing that could happen, and you write a scenario about that, as to what might be done, if the worst thing you can think of happens, and you go on from there. This was a worst case scenario. The man was sick and now he’s dead. Where do you go from there? God is greater. Now, listen to me, some of you need this. God is greater than the worst case scenario you can ever imagine or experience. He’s greater. Jesus knew already that Lazarus was dead. But He was able to say, “Lazarus is dead and I am glad.” It’s an amazing statement, isn’t it? “Lazarus is dead and I’m glad. Glad for your sakes, because what I’m going to do is gonna strengthen your faith, and you’re going to believe.”

Now, can you get hold of this? The time will run out before I can chew on it very much, but I just want to go over it with you, so that it fastens in your own mind. Beloved friend, listen. I know that many of you are going through the wringer. I know that many of you have your problems, physical problems that have angered you or that pain you so deeply. You’re suffering all day and all night long. You wonder, “How long can I stand it?” Family problems, where husband or wife is straying and the home threatens to break up. Parent-child problems, where children are rebellious, and out with the wrong crowd, and you’re afraid they’re on drugs, and may get into crime, and all of that, and your heart is just breaking over it. Job problems, where there’s been a re-shuffling of management, and you’re being shuffled out, and you wonder what’s going to happen with you. Educational problems, where you’re wondering which college, or seminary, or Bible school to enroll in, and you’re having difficulty getting into the one you want, and you don’t have money enough anyway. All the different kinds of problems. All of the worst case scenarios, you may say.

Would you believe, today? Would you take into your own heart this concept? God is already there. He knows the worst case and He’s bigger than that. He knows the worst that can happen and He’s bigger than that. “Greater is He, that is in you, than he that is in the world,” so He’s bigger than the devil. “In the world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I’ve overcome the world.” He’s greater than the world’s system in which you live. He’s greater than your troubles. “Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest by us the perfume of His knowledge in every place.” God is greater than the worst case you can imagine.

Look up today, my friend, out of your troubles, and out of your pain, and out of the difficulty, and out of the job situation, and out of the family problems. Oh, look up and trust your blessed Savior, and tell Him, once again, that you are trusting Him, and that you want to obey Him, and listen for the voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you, as to the next step. God will not fail you. He will see you through, just as our Lord Jesus followed through to a glorious conclusion with Lazarus, by raising him from the dead, so our blessed Lord will see you through the worst case scenario. Trust Him.

Dear Father, today, may we trust Thee for thy guidance and Thy perfect plan in all that goes on. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!