Scripture: Matthew 24, John 11
Bishop Willard Saunders, pastor of Creator for So Much More Worship Center in Baltimore, preached a message “Even now,” in celebration of Bishop and First Lady’s 25th Pastoral Anniversary. Here is an excerpt of notes from the message.
Notes: Pay attention to firsts. This is a year of firsts. First time for an earthquake to happen on Friday and a hurricane on Saturday. We’ve never seen things like this before. Disrespect for the presidency et cetera. People have no respect for each other or leadership. When you see these things happening you should know this is not the end, but the beginning of the end.
Part of my assignment today is to be the congregation’s cod liver oil (or an awful pot of beans), providing instruction that might not taste good, but is good for you. The church has not prepared people for the fact that suffering does come and the first time people suffer they want to leave the church because they feel it’s not what they signed up for – what’s called “violated expectations.” Things are going to get worse, before they get better because God is trying to have mercy on us. He is trying to take our focus off what we possess and focus on who possesses us.
In John 11, the writer is giving us context on Lazarus and his family and you see the sisters’ expectations of their relationship with Jesus. The story is really about Martha, because that’s where the conversation was. When Lazarus dies, Martha beseeches the Lord for the life of her brother based on His word. “You said you love me. If you love me, then you will respond…” Sometimes, we have these preconceived notions that God is letting us down and has forsaken us. But sometimes the only way for us to make it through to go through Gethsemane (the trial).
God may not respond always respond to you the way you would like Him to. But His Delay is deliverance and it is deliberate. Sometimes there comes a moment when it just seems like God is not responding. When Martha said if you had been here Lord Lazarus would not have died, she was right. And sometimes we do wonder why God isn’t there to prevent us from going through. But look at Job. The Lord gives and takes away and it was He told Satan to consider His servant Job.
There is a conversation going on behind the scenes, but the Lord has equipped you with everything you need. The reason we get messed up like Martha is because we expect things that we don’t deserve. Even if you are going through the worst time in your life God can still bless you with peace, joy, patience…
You may not understand and the situation looks like it will never end, but is not over till it’s over. When you are in that place the enemy will try to make you lose hope. But this message is about hope and believing that God understands what you are going through.
Even when you are going through praise Him. Let His praise be continually in your mouth. Let us be patient, looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. And if He is the author, finisher of our course than He is already aware of every obstacle and is finishing it with us.
What happens is we tend to get off track and start looking at the obstacle and not to Jesus’ example. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Tags: Gethsemane, Lazarus, Martha, patience, race, suffering
