God Chose You: It's Not Too Late - Sermon by Pastor Jason Anderson 1,328 views Jun 11, 2018 When Jesus arrives at the tomb of Lazarus, everyone said He was too late. I was free to let not my heart be troubled. He had visions. As a child, one's life revolves around three simple things: eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. INCONCEIVABLE PROMISES When Jesus arrives in Bethany, He comes upon a scene of utter despair. Today is Resurrection Sunday; it is a day of tremendous hope and victory for every In fact, Jesus gets angry a second time (John 11:38), but this is in response to what Marys fellow mourners say: Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying? (John 11:37). Who knows, maybe they are realizing that the water smells coming from some of the fountains or that the water is hot. You shall have no other gods before Me. So, some become comfortable with the idea that theres no deadline to meet when it comes to making a decision on their faith in the Lord. But he was delivered out of that by daily meditating on a simple statement he found in Scripture, the only Scripture he could believe at the time, the words of Jesus, "Not my will but thine be done," (Luke 22:42). There is where fear begins: faith that God exists. As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was approaching the village, she went to meet him, while Mary remained seated at the house (John 11:20). He went back to work and started buying cattle, sheep, and having children. Now I want you to pay very close attention to what was occurring throughout Jesus call to follow Him. Death is a sure appointment With all the help that modern technology avails, what a sight it must be when some people get ready for bed! Here is the secret of it. 111 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 4 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, VA: First Presbyterian Church of. And because he loves Lazarus, He going to come right now. This, the Searcher says, is a result of various forms which death can take. Its only fair. A sermon to adults on the need for amending your ways and serving the Lord. While Martha exhibits hope through theological insight, Marys interaction with Jesus is noticeably different. read more, Scripture: Again Martha shows herself to be a theologian as she seems to understand the connection. Its a shame when thats the only time we get real with God. The Word of God declares it. . read more, Scripture: Pastor V. P. Oliver That is the Searcher's conclusion. 3. They said to me that a troubled heart in the believer is subject to the will of that believer. For days they prayed, "O Lord, send the Holy Spirit.". God has a time for all of our lives. But its amazing how when we get in trouble and we need something we want him to come quick, fast and in a hurry. We have turned every one to his own way," (Isaiah 53:6a). "The strong men are bent," is a reference to the legs, the strongest parts of the body, which start to shake and tremble in old age. That is one of the first marks of old age. 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, [NEW YEAR] 4-Week Series to kick off 2023, [PRODUCTIVITY] Fulfill your full potential, [FOUNDATIONS] Getting back to what matters most. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Text: Hebrews 3:12-19 Sooner or later we all face the consequences of the choices we have made. Presbyterian/Reformed. Notice these Biblical examples of miracles happening at the 11th hour. Jeremiah was called to be "a prophet to the nations" (Jer. Don't give into believing the well believed lie that it's too late! I have noticed that in the mornings any sound will waken me. And it's Never Too Late for God. What does this mean to us: Lost time with family, back to school, being away from family, vacations are over, summer chores not completed, time to prep for winter. Notice verse 11. We say, dont you wait too late because the day of the Lord draws near!. NO BIG DEAL? This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content. We have to hold things increasingly at arm's length to see what they are. What a marvelous mind that can comprehend all the billions of pieces of information in this universe and hold them continually before him, that can hear every voice and relate to every person who has ever lived! John 11:25, John 11:25. We find a story of a man named Lazarus of Bethany and he had a sister by the name of Mary and Martha. Either he will never die, or if he does die, he will not stay dead. He just wants you to know he is going to move when he gets ready. He has made provision for it all; nothing can be hid. respond to God NOW, and not to put it off, if God No, I do not know the day nor the hour of the Lords coming, but I can take a look around and say for a certainty that tomorrow is not promised. Why does Martha go out to meet Jesus while Mary stays put? 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Ecclesiastes 12:2-8 RSV), With that marvelous poetry the Searcher describes the awful weaknesses of old age and the actual experience of death. And thats what weve read here in the SEVENTH CHAPTER, he is crying out to the people. The title refers to the yearning hope of every one of us here this morning, young and old alike, that we might fulfill our dreams, that we might realize the possibilities of our lives and be wholly and truly what we were made to be. They begin to repeatedly ask the same question over and over again about where Jesus intended to go; believing that Jesus could not hide from them (John 7:35-36). People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? Death is real. Firstly: He wanted the people to know on whose behalf He worked for (John 7:28-29). It is awful. Luke 23:39-43, The devil wants you to think that your troubles have progressed to the point where nothing good can come out, but God wants you to know that it is not too late to trust in Jesus. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. The last five verses of this book are an epilogue. The reasoning power of the brain, perhaps the greatest gift that God has given to us, begins to lose its ability, and the memory fades. . They are afraid of the cracks in the sidewalk; they are afraid to mount stairs; they are afraid of "what is high." 9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. The prophet Joel uses these events as an illustration of God's judgment upon Israel. We have not moved very far in reality from the days of the Searcher, even though we have devised many ways to disguise aging. Im gonna tell them that its LATE but not TOO LATE to repent., I may be way off here but I can imagine her saying, Ok, but theyre not gonna listen. Maybe it just sags like a heavy load; or does it just explode? Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. . 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. Every time we neglect to reach out our hands in love or fail to check our caustic tongues is another moment closer to hearing those awful words: it's too late. The heart of God is the heart of a shepherd; he sees us as wandering sheep in need of a shepherd's care. He scraped and complained and grumbled awhile. . Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. ( John 5:1-15, NKJV; Ephesians 3:20-21) The multitudes knew where to go. Baptist. While you are waiting on a right now miracle, He can be working some other things out. I remember one instance of a man who was in the grip of a terrible depression for more than a year. And Lazarus was her brother. One help to that is to remember, as the Searcher concludes, that nothing can be hid from his eyes: God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Talk about the coming year long series The Story And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Do you have the willpower to take the mess that has been made and let God revive it?? Some of us can not handle a right now blessing. Remember Lot's Wife! He had waited and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years but wasnt ready to quit and die. By the fruits shall you know them? Turn to your neighbor and repeat these words after me say neighbor its not too late. And the passage is verses 24 and 25; Acts 24:24-25: Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:2526a). Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace We come to points in our lives when it appears to be too late to do what we felt called to do. Challenge, Change, Repentance, Conviction, Self-Deception, Over Confidence, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, [NEW YEAR] 4-Week Series to kick off 2023, [PRODUCTIVITY] Fulfill your full potential, [FOUNDATIONS] Getting back to what matters most. This is something that we must also take into consideration. Consider the situation in Acts 1. But then he came face to face with the Lamb of God, and realized something in his final hours. He started as a young man and he literally prophesied for 39 years and through the reign of FIVE different KINGS. https://tonyevans.org/know-jesus-christ/ Stream Sermons: https://tonyevans.org/podcast/ Free Sermon App: https://subsp. Some of us have a bad attitude. First, he himself learned to be wise. That day could become for Christs return and if you have not chosen to follow Him at that point, it will be too late. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. He had mocked God for the last time. Who does not want that? (Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 RSV). Death is the great enemy, though many of us live in denial of it. Some folks are this way because they believe they can show up whenever because no matter how late they are, they wont miss anything. Intro: *** Friends of George Burns have always kidded him about his singing. His wife asking him, What are you going to do today honey? Well, Im going down to the TEMPLE and Im gonna stand in the GATEWAY and Im gonna PREACH to the people. She had been married 3 times and widowed three times. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without So we will feel defeated due to the fact that we should have done that 3years ago. Be mindful, therefore, of the height from which you have fallen. I feel something electric in the room! I dont think Martha understood at that moment what Jesus said. the opportunity to snatch your Many times God does not seem to fit our schedule. Turn to your neighbor: 1.) wickedness, because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands., In other words, whats happening to the Israelites is obvious; they have forgotten their first love as did the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5, Revelation 2:4-5: Yet I have this against youthat you no longer love Me as you did at first. As someone has well said, "Just about the time your face clears up, your mind begins to go!" No different from the fact that there are many today who drink from different fountains today, right? If this Messiah is to rule forever, then surely he will not be ended by death. To Get Saved the thief on the cross. You see, we only act with urgency when there is a deadline for us to meet. Tell him to forget about healing the sick, making a way. Leader Kit includes: Video-driven Bible study Two DVDs A copy of the Member Book Like the white blossoms of the almond tree, one begins to take on a quite different look as age comes on. We want you to know of the fountain of Christ and we urge you to drink from that fountain today! Sun am As busy as the devil is, I tell you that the Holy Spirit is even more busy. Thats why I am learning how to rest in the Lord. Even with our attitude we want god to come quick fast and in a hurry. (I promise Im not picking on anybody.) There is a reference to the increasing deafness of old age. That is a reference to the cranium, the skull. Jesus might be able to heal the blind (John 9), turn water into wine (John 2:112), and prevent death (John 4:4654), but no one can do anything about death once death comes. That said, all of us have free will in being able to choose. Ten Lamps 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. The miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is the enacted Word of God which most clearly reveals God to man through the Savior. Personally, I choose to drink from the fountain of Christ. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. I dont need nor want anybody to follow in my way, but follow the way of Christ. What if in the next moment - even as my words fall upon your ears - Christ returned with the shout of the archangel and the trumpet blast? Notice what he did: "He arranged these proverbs with great care." Back in 2017, we had a little old lady that came to church here. He knows everything that goes on; he knows every thought of the heart, every word of the mouth. It was kind of cold but that didnt matter. Having trouble logging into your account? She told me one time. It's not too late!!!! God encourage our heart that it is not to late. It was too late for Belshazzar, but it may not be too late for you. One of the signs of age is its unwillingness to change, its resistance to new ideas. Something, someone, is hunting them. 3.) It will be too late to pray, too late to read God's Word, and too late to stop living as if God did not exist. Full text of Joel Osteen's sermon titled "When God Seems Too Late" which was delivered on March 07, 2021. A. There is no theological promise. One might ask: What lead to the invasion and ultimately the exile on the Israelites? Job had worked for years to accumulate his wealth. To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.. This valley of bones was FAR BEYOND hope. It is hard to chew Grape Nuts when you do not have any teeth! After Martha expressed hope, Jesus comforted her with the amazing words that Lazarus would rise again and that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. --. 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5 when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. John 11 begins with a sick Lazarus. "TOO LITTLE!!! Somebody said Go tell Jesus that he whom thou love is sick. B. He is evident in all our life. And yet she expresses hope even after death has occurred. Three students celebrate their graduation by visiting the Paris catacombs. This is the fourth word of five that will lead us toward a day of pledges. Mealtimes are prolonged because it takes so long to get particles of food lined up with the few remaining grinders! Mary saw death as the end, and not even Jesus could fix that. What is the connection between the Christ and resurrection? The following is a translation from Chinese to English. The handwriting was on the wall. He pulled the door to.. Were on a mission to change that. There are many of us who are genuinely concerned for the souls of others who are preaching our hardest against this evil. Yes, Lord, Martha says, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world (John 11:27). Ignoring the paragraph break, Jesuss immediate response is again to become angry. Description. We know this story read more, Scripture: 19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. But in the hope that was awakened on that Christmas morning there was the realization that the One who was born in the manger was the One of whom it was said, "the Lord shall lay upon him the iniquities of us all," Isaiah 53:6b). 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. But Sister Opal came to me one day and said, Ive never been baptized. But I know, that even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. Resolve to do what he says, to obey his word, to "keep his commandments," as the Searcher puts it here. I invite you to find Acts 3 and while you are finding this, I want to ask all those involved in next weekend's DiscipleNow to stand for a moment. This increases as one grows old. 1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"-. Many of us, perhaps, know someone who did that in a real and genuine way. People dont like bad news, even when its good for them. With all our advanced science and medicine, the best we can do is delay death. He began the book with it, in Verse2, and ends here with the same words, in Verse8 of Chapter12. Then he speaks of "the grinders ceasing because they are few." This first began with some of the unbelieving people genuinely asking questions out of curiosity (John 7:25-27). read more, Scripture: So he makes us wait. We like to think that the devil quietly sneaks around and does his work, but this evil is blatantly out in the open there is no hiding it. I believe that this happens because we live in a world of routines and become so used to the clockwork of things. 3. But it does not mean that he is not going to move. They were not lightly chosen. Not many people do. 14 For we are made Back in 2017, we had a little old lady that came to church here. The reasoning power of the brain, perhaps the greatest gift that God has given to us, begins to lose its ability, and the memory fades. What a marvelous God! It is aweful because one man ended up in, He awoke to the fact of eternity too late (vs.22-23) John 11: 21-23 (1-44) Until we discover him, study and books will never be of any continuing value to us. I have tried to put it in the form of an acrostic to make it easier for us to remember what the elements of fearing God include. 2.) read more, Scripture: First, because "evil days are coming." That refers to the arms and the hands, by which we defend ourselves if we are attacked; "the keepers of the house," which are so useful in maintaining the body, which begin to shake and tremble when old age comes on. "When the sound of the grinding is low" is thought by some of the commentators to refer to the digestive system. Christian/Church Of Christ. Martha holds to the Jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead that will occur on the last day (Daniel 12:12; John 5:2829). In our text tonight. Denomination: We have noted throughout this book the many proverbs he uses to illustrate the truth he was setting forth. Parable of the Wedding feast some refuse to accept the invitation read more, Scripture: She was looking for the FOURTH one, but I think, with that track record, they were all TOO SCARED to marry her. When you think it is too late, God doesnt think so! Ten Lamps The thought is: recall God's presence daily; live in a relationship with him; seek to discover the greatness and glories of God while you are still young, before it is too late. If some are left, theyre certainly not going to be good seats. Talk of the Lords return the apocalypse, the Great White Throne, or a clock ticking down on life as we know it all fits up under the bubble of foolish talk. read more, Scripture: (Harvest: The reaping is over, time for in gathering is complete: Summer: Corporate America its evaluation time; time for teachers to prep for the new school year, Town officials get ready for the returning college students . I never understood until recent days what was meant by "the grasshopper drags itself along." Evangelical/Non-Denominational. Text: Hebrews 3:12-19 It is aweful because one man ended up in, He awoke to the fact of eternity too late (vs.22-23) What an incredible time we ha.
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