Resurrecting Hope: Miracles in Life's Graveyards

Thank you this morning for the opportunity To be in the house of the Lord I'm going to ask you to stand with me, if you will As we get ready to get into the reading of the word As we were singing that song earlier Great, are you Lord? I can look back on my life And I can see those times in my life That if it had not been for the Lord on my side If it had not been for the greatness of God And I thank the Lord today That as we get ready to approach this Easter season That we serve a God that is a risen Savior And that He is great He's greater than Buddha Greater than Allah Greater than Farrakhan There is no higher power higher than Him In fact, He's in a class all by Himself this morning And I'm so thankful That His word declares I will inhabit the praises of my people And if this God that we serve This great God If He did have a weakness It would be a weakness for praise and worship Because praise brings Him into our situation Praise will bring Him in the middle of a jail cell Praise will bring Him into the middle of an upper room Praise gets God up off of His throne But I want you to know There's a difference in praise and worship Praise thanks God for what He's done Praise says, Lord, I thank you [00:44:49]

God I thank you for this food on my table. I thank you for these clothes on my back. I thank you for this family that I have. Praise. Thanks God for what he's done. But worship says even if I don't have a job and even if I don't have any clothes on my back and even if I don't have any food on my table and even if I don't have any shoes on my feet and even if I don't have a family I'm gonna worship you anyway simply because you are a great God and greatly to be praised. The Bible says what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us onward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand far above all principalities and powers thrones and dominions not only of this world but that which is to come. He's not only great here he's already great over there and there is nothing you're gonna go through that he has not already proven himself to be victorious over death, over sin, over hell, over the grave. He's victorious over cancer. He's victorious over diabetes. He's victorious over bankruptcy and failure and brokenness and hurt. He is a great God and greatly to be praised. Can we take about 10 seconds and just praise him one more time just because of who he is not for what he's done not for what he's getting ready to do but simply because he is great and greatly to be praised. [00:46:11]

and if we were to go around the room this morning and we were to say we want everybody to quote your favorite verse in the Bible we would get a lot of verses and the truth of the matter is we connect to the word at those points in our life that it feels like we're facing the impossible it is the word it is those voices that bring us through those times and we were to go around the room we would get different verses but for Shea Hughes for me probably my favorite verse in the Bible Psalms 91 that declares that he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High God that's part one but there is a second part to that verse and the second part of that verse says shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty and when I read this scripture my brothers and sisters I can feel the heartbeat of David not only in this specific scripture but in everything that he ever wrote where it was David that said as the deer panted for the water so my soul longeth after thee it was David that said thou oh Lord art a shield for me the glory and the lifter of my head it was David that said one thing that I will seek after is that I would dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life that I would behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple it was David that said Lord create in me a clean heart and renew within me a right spirit it was David that the Bible said had a heart after God's own heart and the reason that the writer uses the word after here is because he wants you to understand the context of the word he does not use the word after in the sense of being in the likeness of or similar as but he uses the word after in the context that he is in pursuit of he said his heart is after me his heart is chasing me his heart is pursuing me ladies and gentlemen it was David's very pursuit of God that allowed him to find the heartbeat of God it was his pursuit of God that allowed him to find the pulse of God and if you're going to take the pulse of anything you got to be close enough to reach out and to touch it if you work in the medical field or you know somebody that does you understand you can't take somebody's pulse from across town you can't take somebody's pulse from down the block or across the room for that matter but if you're going to take the pulse of anything you got to be close enough to reach out and to touch it what's so powerful about the story of the woman with the issue of blood is that she pushed her way through the crowd and made her way through the multitude and pushed her way through the trouble just to touch the hem of his garment we love to sing that old song he touched me oh he touched me but can I ask you a question this morning when's the last time you reached out to touch him what's so powerful about the story of the woman with the issue of blood is she pushed her way through the crowd and pushed her way through the multitude and made her way through the problem just to touch the hem of his garment the moment she touches Jesus garment Jesus stops everything that he's doing in the midst of the multitudes in the midst of the excitement and he said who just touched me Peter said it must be this multitude that surrounds you and he said oh no no no no somebody just touched me individually because I feel it I feel virtue has gone out of me I want to ask you a question when's the last time you pushed your way through the crowd and pushed your way through the multitude and pushed your way through the sickness and the bills and the problems and the issues just to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus because I want you to understand this morning that the thing that stands in between you and Jesus you and a healing you and a deliverance you and a breakthrough you and a revival you and a miracle is a multitude a multitude of devils a multitude of issues a multitude of problems hear me anytime you get close to touching in Jesus there will always be a multitude there will always be pushback there will always be a restrictive force hear me this morning my brothers and sisters you [00:52:24]

the greatest opposition you will ever face is when your miracle is within your reach everybody knew Jesus had come to town why because there was a multitude what am I saying I'm saying when Jesus shows up get ready for problems let me say it one more time when Jesus shows up get ready for problems we say we want revival we sang songs like come Holy Spirit and send it on down and all these things that we say that we want revival but I'm not so sure we truly understand what real revival is have you ever thought about what would happen if Jesus showed up to church this morning and I'm not just talking about church here in Newville or even in the state of Pennsylvania I'm talking about the Church of America the church of the world if Jesus showed up to church this morning we have to stop him at the door and say now Jesus there's some things you really need to know before you go in there this morning we have to explain to Jesus what an usher is we have to explain to Jesus what a trustee is we we have to tell Jesus now Jesus I know it's gonna hurt your feelings and I know it feels personal and I know it's gonna make you cry but it's not personal but you need to understand that when you go in there this morning there's gonna be some people in there and they're gonna get up set at the other people because they think they're praising you too loud [00:56:57]

Jesus I know it hurts your feelings and I know it feels personal but it's not personal but you need to understand when you go in there this morning there's gonna be some people in there and they're gonna get upset at the other people because they're singing songs that they don't like about you because they have become they have come to a place that they worship worship rather than the worshiping the king that they're singing about have you ever thought about what would happen if Jesus showed up to church see we talk about a visitation from Jesus and a visitation of revival but I'm not so sure we truly understand what real revival is now let me tell you what it is not before I tell you what it is a real revival or a visitation from Jesus it's not about overflowing offering plates it's not about being famous or getting a big paycheck it's not about your name in lights or walk in the red carpet it's not about a self -made Facebook promotion but real revival is about drug addicts and prostitutes and alcoholics coming down to the altar and being washed in the blood of a lamb notice I didn't say that blood was coming from the Republicans elephant I did not say that blood was coming from the Democrats donkey I did not say that blood was coming from Main Street's bull or Wall Street's bear but it's coming from a lamb that was slain for the foundation of the world is there anybody in here besides me that still believes that there's power wonder -working power in the blood of a lamb and I want to tell you this morning we have got to preach the blood of Jesus Christ we have got to preach this word in this hour that we live in like we've never preached it before we don't need to change it manipulate it alter it or repair it for it is able all by itself to deliver to heal to set free to save from the gutter most to the uttermost anybody that'll come into him I don't care if he's been a crackhead I don't care if he's been an alcoholic if he comes to Jesus he'll watch him in the blood and make him as white as snow you see I'm beginning to find out most people don't want anything bad enough from God to get it they just kind of casually hope that it happens and if it don't conveniently come to pass and just fall on top of them or run them over like a bus out in the middle of the road they say well I guess it wasn't meant for me to have it but I'm beginning to find out in my own life that if I'm really gonna touch the hem of his garment I got to be willing to push my way through the crowd and push my way through the multitude and make my way through the problems and make it up in my mind this morning that I'm not gonna leave this house until I touch Jesus I'm gonna touch him if they talk about me I'm gonna touch him if they stare at me roll their eyes and call me a fool I'm gonna touch him even if they scandalize me I'm gonna touch him even if they criticize me and even if they push me away and even if they try to hold me back and even if they try to restrain me I've made it up in my mind that I'm not gonna leave this house this morning until I touch Jesus I'm gonna touch him if I gotta get down on my knees and crawl I'm gonna touch him if I gotta push my way through the crowd and even if I wrinkle my outfit and even if you mess up your makeup and mess up your hair and sweat your perfume there's got to be something down on the inside of you this morning that says I refuse to walk out of here with the same issues I walked in here with this morning I will not take no for an answer I will not be denied I refuse to leave [00:58:32]

here the same way that I came. Excuse me if I lift up my hands and give God the praise. Excuse me if I dance in the aisle because I've got some issues and I'm not going to stop until I touch Jesus. I'm going to touch him. I'm going to touch him until the devil takes his hand off my teenager. I'm going to touch him until the devil takes his hand off my body. I'm going to touch him until he shuts every meth lab down in the city. You've been through too much. You've come too far. You can't quit now. Your miracle is within your reach and I dare somebody to reach out and touch the hymn of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. [01:02:18]

The Bible says that we are all members of the body of Christ and that we make up the body. And as believers we're part of the body. Having said that, my wife and I have raised three boys. [01:02:56]

You see, what's so powerful, my brothers and sisters, about the woman with the issue of blood is that her problem is coming from a private place. [01:04:24]

And because she is wounded and injured in secret, she is now walking and bearing the ramifications in public. Can I tell you, you can be wounded and injured and broken in secret behind closed doors and walk out the ramifications in public. What do you do this morning when you've been wounded in secret places? [01:04:32]

The secret place is a place of vulnerability. It is a place of transparency. And ladies and gentlemen, that's why we have to be careful who we allow into the secret places of our lives. [01:05:03]

For example, many of you in your homes, your secret place is your bedroom. That's why if somebody shows up at our house, the first thing that my wife is going to say is close the bedroom door. [01:05:15]

Y 'all know what I'm talking about. [01:05:47]

Because there are those things in the secret place that we don't want everybody to see. Can I just be real? [01:05:49]

Can I tell you, my brothers and sisters, there can be some messy stuff in the secret place. [01:05:55]

There can be some messy stuff in the secret place. In fact, I would suggest you this morning that we are defined by the secret places of our lives. If you want to know how somebody's house looks most of the time, just look in their bedroom some of the time. Because see, we will clean and we will prepare and we will manicure those places that we know you're going to have access to. That we know you're going to see. [01:06:00]

But that's not who we really are, is it? Now some of y 'all have come to church this morning and you're looking for a revelation word. You're looking for a life -changing word this morning. And here's the good news. I've come with it. Are you ready? Here it comes. Wait for it. Here it comes. Stay off Facebook for one week. Now hear me. Hear me. I'm not a Facebook hater. In fact, it's probably the greatest evangelistic tool of our generation. But here's the problem. The problem is some of you come off of Facebook more depressed than when you went on Facebook because you see those pictures of those other families. [01:06:17]

You know who they are. They got like ten kids and they're all dressed in white and they're all barefooted and they're clean. Their hair's combed. They're all sitting on a log out in the woods and they all act like they love each other and they've got this beautiful family portrait and you see that picture and you say I ain't got but three kids but it'd take me forty -nine shots to get my kids to act right long enough to get that one picture. [01:07:01]

But the truth of the matter is it took them forty -nine shots. But you only see what they allow you to see because we will clean, prepare and manicure those places that we know that you're going to have access to. Now I understand that there may be a small number in here that this don't pertain to you and I... [01:07:24]

get it I respect you you've already got the victory over this there are those people that we can show up to their house unannounced and their house can look like it got hit by a category 5 hurricane and they'll just open up the door and say well come on in if you can get in but for the rest of us for the majority of us we want you to call first right now listen everybody in this building has my permission to tell everybody right down the road in Carlisle you've got a beautiful home on the golf course you can come stay there anytime you want to it is not my house it's your house y 'all allow me to live in it having said that we have an open -door policy you can come anytime you want to but I need you to call me first because I'm not married to a woman that has the mental wherewithal to handle that if y 'all all show up unannounced because at my house I know maybe this don't apply to y 'all but at my house when we hear somebody's coming over there is a militaristic drill that goes into play and we start picking everything up and I want to tell you people have a different definition of being clean and because of how my wife was raised you might walk in and say man this the cleanest place I've ever been in but it's dirty to her because that's how she was raised and there is a drill that goes into place we start picking everything up we start folding 35 blankets because we think we need that many in the living room you know with all the pillows all the blankets we clean up the house we throw the poodle in the bathtub and make her get a bath so she smells decent and in the final moments before your arrival the moment that doorbell rings Abigail's gonna say the same thing she's gonna say close the bedroom door even if it is clean because it's a secret place we got to be careful who we allow into the secret places of our lives it's a place of vulnerability it's a place of transparency you change your clothes in the bedroom you sleep in the bedroom and it is for this reason hear me my brothers and sisters we have to be careful who we allow into the secret places of our lives there are people sitting in churches all over america and the world for that matter this morning who have had their entire life turned upside down because they let the wrong person in a secret place what do you do this morning when you've been wounded in secret places what do you do when you've been broken in a place that no one can see you see it's one thing to be wounded in public it's one thing to be broken out in the open it's one thing to be wounded and here pastor Chris and Sarah and the staff we'll call 911 we'll get you the help and the support that you need but what do you do you've been broken behind closed doors you've been wounded in a place that no one can see and there's a feeling of isolation and a feeling of fear and anxiety that help will never arrive and even if it does it'll probably show up and be too late ladies and gentlemen this is what's going on in John chapter 11 25 Lazarus has been dead for four days when Jesus comes skipping back into town when Mary and Martha saw him at a distance their first word to him was not Jesus we missed you their first words to him is not Jesus tell us about the miracles tell us about the kingdom tell us about what you've done their first words were not it's so good to see you but the first words out of their mouth when they saw him coming was if you would have been here y 'all looking at me like I wrote this this is in your Bible if you would have been here anybody besides me ever heard that one before if you would have been here if you would have been here my brother would not have died but I know even in the midst of the anxiety and even in the midst of her brokenness and even in the midst of her fear and pain and suffering she still had enough faith to say but I know that even now I'm preaching to myself even now you still have the power to do what you said you were going to do can I tell you my brothers and sisters there is an even now anointing that is moving through the church today even now even after the divorce and even after the cancer and even after the pain and even after the betrayal and even after the funeral even now you still have the power to do what you said that you were going to do and Jesus said your brother will rise again and with an attitude she puts her finger and says duh I know he'll rise again at the resurrection and Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and it was right here that Jesus did something extraordinary he said take me by the hand I need you to take me by the hand and I need you to take me to the graveyard where you buried your brother I need you to take me to the graveyard that you buried your dreams I need you to take me to the graveyard where you buried your talent I need you to take me to the graveyard where you buried your hope Take me to the graveyard where your faith gave up Take me to the graveyard that you buried your brother Take me to the place that you quit on your marriage Take me to the place that you quit on your ministry Take me to the place that you quit on your children Take me to the place [01:07:48]

That you buried your brother. Take me to the cold, dark graveyards of your past where you were hurt and broken and betrayed. The places that you don't ever want to go back to again that you have buried in the tomb of your past. Take me to the place where your nights have been consumed with depression and your days have been consumed with anxiety. [01:14:03]

Take me to the place of the what if. [01:14:30]

What if this happens and what if that happens and what if what my mama had I get it too and what if the disease my daddy had I get it too and what if what happened to my sister happens to me and what if I do lose my job and what if I do get sick and what if they do leave me and what if they do walk out and let me take you back to the place of the what is my plan, my purpose and my agenda for your life. [01:14:32]

Take me to the place where it became more about a partnership with me than a relationship with me. [01:14:39]

Take me to the place where you have become a spectator, where you used to be a participator. [01:14:44]

Take me to the place where it's become more about the work of the Lord than the Lord of the work. [01:14:47]

Take me to the place, Shehughes, where it's become more about the church of the Lord than the Lord of the church. [01:14:51]

Take me to the place where it's become more about the house of the Lord than the Lord of the house. He says if you'll take me there and if you'll get me close enough to it, I'll heal it. I'll resurrect it. I'll deliver it. I'll turn the light on in the dark places. He said, Mary and Martha, what you don't understand is that laying out in the middle of that graveyard is a miracle and I'm getting ready to breathe life into the dead places. I'm about to turn the light on in the darkness. [01:14:55]

Psalms 27 says, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I [01:15:59]

The Lord is the strength of my life. In whom shall I be afraid? [01:16:01]

When the wicked, even mine enemies and foes, came upon me to eat my flesh, they stumbled and they fell. [01:16:04]

Though a host should encamp around me, my heart will not fear. Though war may rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing that I have desired that I will seek after is that I would dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I would behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in the secret place of his pavilion. The secret place of his tabernacle will he hide me. He shall set my feet on a rock and now shall my head be lifted up among my enemies who are gathered around me round about and I will offer in his sacrifices sacrifices of joy. I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing praises. Yes, I will sing praises unto the Lord. What does that mean? That means if I got to praise him all by myself in here this morning, I'm going to lift up my hands and I'm going to give God the praise. I'm praising him in spite of the storm, in spite of the sickness, in spite of the enemy. I'm going to give God praise because he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high God. [01:16:07]

And the devil, the devil's here this morning. Can I tell you the devil don't miss church? Did you know that if God decided to give an award, if God in his sovereignty, in his omnipotence, should determine I'm going to give an award for perfect church attendance, the devil is going to jump into the lake of fire with a golden medal around his neck because he don't miss church. And he's here this morning, sitting right back here as the accuser of the brethren. [01:17:44]

And he's sitting right back here and he's saying, you mean y 'all are going to come in here this morning and lift up your hands and sing great are you Lord after that report you got from the doctor? You're going to come in here and lift up your hands and say things like, it's your breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise after what happened to your children? Really? [01:18:06]

You're going to come in here, put money in an offering when you know you're on a fixed income anyway and you don't have the money after what happened in your past? Really? [01:18:11]

We're going to sing, oh what singing, oh what glory on that happy morning when we all shall rise after what happened on your job? Really? [01:18:15]

Yeah devil, I'm going to praise him. [01:18:18]

I'm going to praise him. Job said, though he slay me, yet will I worship him. And I'm going to tell you something else devil, I'm not just praising him about the secret place, I'm praising him in the secret place. I'm not just praising him for the secret place, but I'm praising him in the midst of the secret place because I know that in the midst of the secret place I still got the second part of that verse left. Listen, if you're sitting next to somebody that's going through a tough time, tell them, remember, you got the second part of that verse left and the second part says shall abide. God. God. God. God. [01:18:20]

shall abide and the devil saying you mean you're gonna come in here and lift up your hands and give God the praise yeah devil I'm gonna praise him this morning I'm gonna praise him if I want to cuz I know what's coming next I know what's about to overtake me he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High God shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty I need if I could have the young lady come to the piano I got a way in this plane the Bible says blessed is he that is short -winded for he shall be asked to return amen Selah and they said okay Jesus we'll take you there if you really want to go if you really want to go we'll take you there but Jesus you need to understand that Lazarus died of kovat 19 and we had to quarantine him in a tomb as a matter of fact we found the biggest stone we could find and we rolled it in front of the doorway and we sealed it because Jesus we can't afford to get this and Jesus you're the son of God and you ain't got time to get this either you got a work to do and it don't matter anyway Jesus because by now he stinks I don't know about you but I thank God that we serve a king of second chances I thank God that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty on the stinky stuff I'm so glad we serve a God that's not afraid to reach down into the mud and save a wretch like me and I know some of y 'all can't testify with me because we're all up in church and you got to be dignified but there's some of us in here me one of them that he had to reach way down way down I didn't always do what I do now when I go home to my hometown and they hear I'm preaching they will pack the place out not because I'm a good preacher because they can't believe it this kid that lived the way that I used to live is doing what I do today you see I thank God for driving the car when I was in no shape to do it by myself I thank God but his hand was on my heart doing this right here when there was too much in my system for it to do it on its own I thank God we're staggering into a house three doors down on the hallway I knew that's where my bedroom was and fall down on the bed only to fall down beside a mother that was laying there praying God don't let him go to hell God you've got a plan for his life oh he had to reach way down for me he had to put his hands in the mud to pull me out but yet he loved us while we were yet sinners and it was right here that Jesus does something incredible Jesus steps in to the graveyard can I tell you when Jesus steps into the graveyard it changes everything [01:18:23]

is there anybody in here besides me that's ever had God just step in you didn't know how you were going to pay the bill but God just stepped in you got a bad report from the doctor but God just stepped in your children were on their way to a devil's hell but God just stepped in you weren't able to drive the car and you weren't able to walk on your own but God just stepped in listen that's why I got to praise him in here this morning because he stepped in I made some mistakes but he stepped in I should have lost my marriage but he stepped in I went the wrong direction but he stepped in and I want to warn you this morning if you're sitting next to somebody and they've never had God step in you're probably going to be okay but I want to warn you that if you're sitting next to somebody that's ever had God step in honey they're liable to jump up and lift their hands and shout their shoe heels off at the drop of a hat and drop their own hat to do it because when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me I should have been in prison but he stepped in I should have been in rehab but he stepped in I should have been in jail but he stepped in the devil thought that he had me but God stepped in listen I feel God getting ready to step into somebody's situation he's about to step into cancer he's about to step into failure he's about to step into guilt God he's about to step in and the Bible said that they rolled the stone from the place that the dead was laying and I've come to tell you that that stone that's been blocking your doorway to destiny that stone that's been blocking the doorway to your success that stone that's been holding you captive in your past and keeping God out of your secret place is getting ready to [01:22:50]

shake, rattle and roll under the anointing of the Holy Ghost and he's calling out your name with a loud voice and he's saying, Lazarus come forth now the reason he had to call him by his name is because if Jesus had walked up in that graveyard and said, come forth everybody in the whole graveyard would have got up at the same time but what God wants you to know here is he knows your name he knows where you are he knows everything about you and what God has for you can't nobody else take it what God has for you, can't nobody else steal it, they can't take your job, they can't take your title, they can't take your promotion because what God has for you can't nobody else have it and he's calling you by your name and he's saying, Lazarus come forth, listen I don't care if you're on drugs, I don't care if you're depressed, I don't care if you're struggling with anxiety, when he calls you by your name, you've got to come out of that mess in the name of Jesus Lazarus come forth [01:25:10]