Well, this is sad. I appreciate our time here, and
it's always hard to part. I'm thankful for you all, and
thankful for your pastor, Lisa, and just each of you. Love you
dearly, and it's been a pleasure to rejoice with you. Been our
pleasure. If you will turn to John 11.
John 11. I hope to leave with a word of
comfort. We saw in our time together who God is. We saw what he's
done for you and me. I hope this morning he showed
us these trials that's in our lives and those around us. It's
on purpose. It serves a purpose. What if
we was alone on a deserted island? What if I was all by myself?
His words true. I still have trials. I have trials
in me. I stub my toe or get sick or
something will happen. Call this message sickness and
prayer. Sickness and prayer. The Lord
sends sickness. Many of us, our brothers and
sisters around the world, they get sick. Believers get sick.
Believers get sad. Believers doubt. Believers get
depressed. It happens. What does the Lord say to His
people more than anything? Fear not. Why? They were scared. They were fearful. He said, fear not, didn't He?
We get sick, too. It says here in John 11, verse
1. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the
town of Mary and her sister Martha. There's a certain man. Many times
in the Scriptures, when it says a certain man, it's God's man.
How certain was this man? Well, his name was Lazarus. What
if there's more than one? Well, this is Lazarus of Bethany.
What if there's more than one Lazarus in Bethany? Well, this
is Mary and Martha's brother. That's very specific, isn't it? It's very specific. This gospel
comes to us in power. It comes to us one-on-one. We
can't get saved from mommy and daddy hearing something or neighbors
or something like that. The Lord has to call us by name.
Others were sick in that area, I'm sure. But this was the Lord's
child. This was the one he loved. I
know he loved Lazarus. I know he loved Martha. I know
he loved Mary. He said so. Said the Lord loved him. And he's come to save this one. This sickness wasn't unto death,
was it? Served a purpose. The Savior
was going to meet Lazarus in his due time. A Savior does something. A Savior saves. Is that too simple? A Savior saves. What if a Savior doesn't save
anybody? That's called a failure. If they're
doing that, if they're saving, they save, don't they? And a
Savior saves someone, not just anyone. You don't rescue people
from drowning that's on top of a mountain. You rescue those from drowning
in water, don't you? They saved someone. They saved someone.
Our Lord told us to look forward. He was speaking to those Pharisees,
and those Pharisees believed in election. Not a one of them
disagreed with the doctrine of election. I get up and preach
that God saved the people, and they'd say, amen. And I'm it,
because of who my mommy and daddy are. They're wrong. They believed
in election. The Lord said, I tell you the
truth. Many widows were in Israel on the day of Elias. When the
heaven was shut up three years and six months, there was great
famine throughout the land. There's all kinds of widows starving
to death in this famine. And he said, but not one of them
was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, city of Sidon, to a woman that
was a widow, an old Gentile woman. Israel had all kinds of starving
widows. There's one widow that God's
prophet was sent to, a Gentile woman. And he told those Pharisees
that many lepers were in Israel at the time of Elijah and the
prophet, and none of them was cleansed. None of the lepers
were cleansed, it was a mess of them. So they've named Assyria
an old Gentile. We've lost that in our day, we're
far removed. We know what a king is, I know
you do. In America, we know what a king
is, we understand that. Now, I understand what a prophet
is. That's somebody sending God, speaking His Word. We have a
high priest. Oh, we forget that's needed,
a mediator. We have to have one that represents
us, a go-between between us and God. That's necessary. Us Gentiles have a high priest.
That's a big deal. This is must needed. Well, those Pharisees do when
the Lord said that. That's good news. If you're a widow, I have
no husband. I'm a bride without a husband.
I have no defenses that nobody provide for me. I'm a leper.
I'm sick. I can't cleanse myself. Death's
coming. I must have a great position.
And I'm a Gentile. I'm an outcast. I'm everything
that's undesirable and unable in this world. And God sends
his prophets to preach mercy to widows and lepers that are
Gentiles. That's good news. That's good
news. Well, those Pharisees that thought
they were the chosen race, what did they do? They picked up stones
and threw them. They were raw. Those will kill you. What a shame. Everything is created
in this world for us. Every molecule that moves, every
electron that circles the center of a cell or anything else, any
molecule, everything is controlled and perfectly ordained by God
for His people, for the saving of His people and for His glory. All things, A-double-L, all. Good and bad, it doesn't matter.
And that sickness, too. Lazarus got sick. You've got
sick. I've been sick. God sent that. God did it. I told one of our
brothers, about my age, just ate up a cancer. They're an American.
And I looked him dead in the eye and I said, cancer has never
killed no one. God kills and he makes it alive.
He sent that. He's given that to you. That's
a gift. He knows it's for your good and for his glory. And he
does it. That's what he's done. Everything's
created for us is sickness too. Why? It reminds us, physical
sickness will remind us of our sin sickness. We got a disease
a whole lot worse than leprosy. We got something hereditary that's
way worse than cancer. We sinned against the Holy God,
haven't we? Sin's why we get wrinkles. Sin's why I have these. Do you know that? I just started
using them. I'm trying to get used to it.
That's why we get wrinkles. That's why these bodies break
down. That's why we have ailments. Sin, sin. Paul told us, he said,
wherefore, as by one man's sin entered the world, and death
by sin, so death passed upon all men for all sins. There wasn't
a law at that time. People was dying. Why? Sin was in the world. Sin was
in the world. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression. No one else could eat from that
tree. We was kicked out. Can't go back. Seraphims are
guarding it. There's flaming swords that guard it. We can't
do what Adam did. He was our representative, and
mankind by nature hates that. They say, that ain't fair. Well,
it ain't fair to the Lord. He's our representative. Whoa,
the price he paid was hefty, and we're getting everything
for doing nothing, because it pleased him. Death reigned from Adam to Moses.
He had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who's
just a figure of him that succumbed. Adam's just a picture. Never
think that the Lord's punishing sin because of sickness or trial.
There's no punishment. His children are chasing. It
was a rhetorical question, all but sarcastic, that said, what
son's not chasing by his father? When our day, you know, I might
get in trouble where I live for that, but that was just common,
it's understood. The Lord chases his children,
but this isn't a punishment. There's no condemnation. There's
therefore now no condemnation due that's in Christ. This isn't
a punishment. He's instructing his child. And
it seems contrary, he's caring for his child when he gives a
sickness, and he's calling out his own, and it's needed, it's
absolutely necessary. It must happen. We read that
in Acts. Confirming the souls of the disciples
and exhorting them to continue in the faith that we must, through
much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. People think
that the Lord saved somebody, it's just health and wealth and
a more win the lottery, do jumping jacks and everybody's gonna love
me and be happy and friends. And David said their eyes bug
out fat and stuff. He was jealous. David hurt with
that. He had trouble over that. And
he said, all their kids are coming over for dinner and they're all
happy. They're all getting along and they got plenty and all the
crops, their crops haven't failed. He said, then I went to the house
of the Lord and I saw their end, didn't he? Paul wrote to Thessalonians,
and he said, for verily, when we were with you, we told you
before that you should suffer tribulation. Hard times are coming. And it came to pass, and you
know, you know this, don't you? Your pastor's told you faithfully.
There'll be troubles in this world, and then guess what happened?
We had troubles, didn't we? There's a good end to it, there's
a good end to it. Paul told Timothy Gay, All that
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. How's this
good? How's this good? Do we prefer
that? Moses did. When we see the end,
what the Lord's done for us, who is sending these trials and
tribulations to us, we prefer that. Because we know whose hand
it's coming from. By faith, Moses, when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
He refused to be prince, choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
because that's all it is, it's gonna burn. It's gonna burn. You're my brothers and sisters
now, and ain't nothing gonna change. Do you know that? Will
change, my body's gonna change. You're gonna be transformed. I won't be transformed, we'll
be made like Christ, and we're still gonna be family. I know
a man one time, he said, I like hearing that preaching. He goes,
but I just can't stand in people. I said, you're gonna have a hard
time in glory. Who do you think's gonna be there? God's people love God's people,
because they love the one that loved them first. Ain't nothing
different, it's the same. It's the same. Is this just our conception?
Is this just our ideas? Our Lord said, these things have
I spoken unto you that you might have peace. He said, in the world
you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome
the world. He's overcome the world. We read
there in Romans, Romans 8, 28, and it says, and, and we know,
and we know, we quote that easy, don't we? Well, and is something
before that, isn't it? Paul says in Romans 8, 26, likewise,
the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should
pray as we ought, but the spirit itself maketh intercession for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Oh, and those infirmities,
when we cry out prayers that ought to be watered up and thrown
in the garbage, it's translated. That intercession says, here's
what he means. Here's what she's saying, Lord. with groanings. You ever prayed that? Do you
do that in this continent? I know you do, don't you? You
ever just prayed and just went, oh, oh, Lord. Same. Nothing's different, is
it? And he that searches the heart
knoweth what's on the mind of the spirit because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God. This is God's
will. Knowing that, going through those trials and feeling that
and knowing that when I just groaned that the Lord accepts
that for Christ's sake. And we know that all things work
together for good. He sent this. Not for everybody. People say, oh, all things work
together for good. If you're outside of Christ,
I can't tell you that. To them that love God. How'd that come? Did you choose to love God? To
them that are called according to his purpose. What he's pleased
to do. And if we know him, we want his
will to be done, not ours. It's for our good and His glory. We know that. We know these things.
But it's also for the good of our brethren. The Lord sent me
sickness and trials for me, and that's good. It's for my good
and His glory. But when He sends me a trial,
that's for my brethren's good. Look here in John 11, verse 14. And Jesus said unto them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. They said, he's asleep. He's
asleep, that's his language. Lord's language, he said he's
sleeping. And he said, all right, we're gonna wait a couple of
days. We're gonna go wake him up now. We'll walk two and a half
miles, Bethany, and I'm gonna wake up Lazarus. And the disciples
with good common sense looked at him and said, well, Lord,
he's asleep. Do we have to walk two miles to wake somebody up
from a nap? He's sick. That's a good thing to take a
nap when you're sick. Why do I have to go up there and wake
him up? And he spoke in our language, and he says he's dead. Lazarus
is dead, plainly, plain preaching, isn't it? Verse 15, and I'm glad. Who is this speaking? The Almighty
God speaking. He said, Lazarus is dead and
I'm glad. Wow, for your sakes that I wasn't
there. What outcome could be good that
the Lord intended this and he was glad that Lazarus died? To the intent ye may believe. Lazarus closed his eyes and his
body physically died. They laid him in a tomb and he
started stinking and swelling up and rigor mortis and all this
stuff. Why? So these disciples may believe. Well, didn't they already believe?
He said, come, follow me. And them commercial fishermen
left everything they owned, like that movie they had back in the
1940s, they straightway left the boat. They just walked off
the side of it. Followed him. And that mafioso
there at customs, making money off the top handle, to follow
me." He up and followed him. Leave that money, I ain't worried
about that. Of course I know the Lord, but we believe on him
and we're going to have to look to him again, ain't we? He said,
this is good for the intent you may believe. Nevertheless, let's
go to him. That's one reason this happens.
It's for our brethren to believe. What if you got real bad off
sick And the reason for that sickness, God told you, was so
your other brothers and sisters will believe on him. Doesn't
that make that sickness feel just a little bit better? Don't
that take just a little bit of burden off? Maybe that fever
ain't running as high as I thought it was, and that back don't hurt
as bad as it used to. That's one reason, that whether
our brethren be called out, and two, so they're comforted. They're
comforted. We have trials and sickness to
be a comfort to our brethren going through the same thing
down the road. We have this experience and this
hope and looking to the Lord, He puts us through this. That
way, when someone goes through the same thing 10, 12, 15, 20
years later, I can look them in the eye with experience and
say, I know what's gonna happen. I don't know the details of how
this will play out. You're gonna see Christ at the end of this.
You're gonna stop looking to yourself and you're gonna see
Him. It's gonna be sweet. The trial may not be over when
that happens. Rebecca said, Lord, if I am so,
if there is life in me, you're prayed that. Lord, if I'm yours,
am I his or am I not? If I'm yours, why is this war
going on inside of me? He said, there's two nations.
You got an old man and a new man inside of you, Rebecca. She's
still pregnant, wasn't she? She was still pregnant. First
set of twins ever recorded on this earth. The next person to
have twins, you think she could have went to her and said, here's
what's gonna happen. This will, there'll be an end. It's okay,
there's probably two children in there. I've experienced this. Peter said, whom resist steadfast
in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions, the same afflictions
are accomplished. They're accomplished in your
brethren that are in the world. Your brethren in Mexico and Papua
New Guinea and San Diego and Kentucky and wherever they are,
the same afflictions you go through, it's accomplished in them. You've
been through the same thing. You've prayed the same thing.
You've thought the same things. We have. Can you imagine being
on your deathbed And this body of sin just going
through its death throes. And that old man and new man's
in the last battle, and he's giving all he got, just swinging
as hard as he can. And Brother Lazarus walked in
and said, oh, I've been where you are. I've been through this. You know what's gonna happen?
You're just gonna close your eyes, and that fast you're gonna look
Christ right in the eye. You'll be made like him. It's
fine. It's fine. That'll give you some comfort.
The Lord gives us that ability in this life to suffer trials
and tribulations to comfort our brethren. So it saves our brethren,
calls them out, and comforts them. It comforts them. Sickness
and long-term illness and trials in this world, it's a precious
time. Don't throw away a blessing.
Don't throw away a blessing. You'll never be able to do it
again. Do you know that? When we go to glory, there's
gonna be no more sickness. When we go to glory, there'll
be no more tears. You can't cry with somebody. The Lord's gonna
walk away with their tears. There'll be no more tears. There's
no more death. You can't comfort a widow or a widower and hug
them and give them some scripture. We can't sing a song with them.
You can't do that. It won't happen. The Lord's gave
us that gift now. He's gave us that job now. That's
precious. That's precious. John wrote in
Revelation 21, I, John, saw the holy city of New Jerusalem coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I heard a great voice of
heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell
with them. They shall be his people and
God himself shall be with them and be their God. He will wipe
away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more
pain for, because the former things, that's what we're in
now, they're passed away. That's all things were made new
in him, in him. So that's a precious time. Sickness
stirs up our pure minds. And we think on our brethren
that's ill, don't we? That's not gossip. There's a
difference between gossiping and saying somebody's in need.
If I don't know that you're struggling with something, I don't know
what to pray for. But we don't get around a water cooler and
say, hey, you know what happened to so-and-so? I think it was
this. Well, they ought to be doing, no. No, there's a tender
heart in it. The only difference between those
things is the heart. Turn over to James chapter five. James chapter five. There's some times that it's
not our place or we don't know. or we can't mention what it is
someone's going through or what we're going through to cover
the sins of others. But the prayers are the same.
The prayers are the same. No matter what it is, the prayers
are the same. Lord, save. That's what David prayed. Lord,
save. Mercy. Mercy, Lord. Be merciful to us
in your presence. Be with us. Forgive us and be
with us. Prayers are the same, no matter
what the situation. James 5, verse 13. Is any among
you afflicted? You having trouble? Let him pray. We're not always that way, are
we? Sometimes we have good days. Is there any merry? Let him sing
songs. Let him whistle. My friend, John
Chapman, a preacher there in North Carolina, he said, we was
preaching together in Virginia, and he said, I'm not a musician.
That man can whistle like a Disney movie. Oh, it's beautiful. He
whistled hymns. I worked for him for a couple
years as a teenager. It was beautiful. Beautiful. If you're married,
whistle. Sing a song. Is there any sick
among you? Let him call for the elders of
the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord. Now, does that mean we got to
get over and you're going to pour some canola oil on my head
or something and make some funny motions with your hands? No,
that's not what it is. The Lord said, give him a strong
drink. Does that mean get somebody drunk? So get serious with them, who
we are and what he's done. That's what they're talking about.
You know him, pray with them. Tell them, tell them what the
Lord's done for him, how he set his people apart. And the prayer
of the faith, prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord
shall rise, shall raise him up. And if he had committed sin,
they shall be forgiven him. And he says, confess your faults
to one another and pray for one another. Does that mean we gotta
get in a little booth? And I'm going to tell you all the dirty
things I've ever thought and done in my life. Well, one, we
ain't got time for that. It takes eternity for me to tell
you all the bad things. That's not what that means. What's my
faults? Me. Me. I look to me. I have unbelief. Somebody told me, he said, how
about you? I said, if I'm going to tell
you the absolute worst sin I've ever committed, and I've been
around this world, I've had a lot of different jobs. and I looked
you dead in the eye and I was truthful to you. That's the worst
thing I've ever done is I didn't believe God. I had unbelief. Most people would say, ooh, but
that's all he said. That's the worst thing that could
happen. That's the worst thing. Confess your faults to one another
and pray for one another. That's the best thing we can
do. That ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer
of a righteous man. availeth much. That's why Bo
did this. So he sends us these things for
our good and his glory and that our brethren may believe and
that our brethren may be comforted. And why? So we'll pray. So we'll call out to the Lord.
That's why. Look back in our text here in
John 11. That's what happened. Lazarus had got sick. And Mary
and Martha loved their brother. They all lived there in Bethany.
It says in John 11, verse three, therefore, his sister sent unto
him, they sent to the Lord, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest
is sick. We send our petitions. We entreat
the Lord. That's who they were speaking
to, wasn't it? That's who they were talking to. We don't pray
to Mother Mary. We don't pray to a religious
person. We don't pray to our neighbor. We don't pray to our
family. We don't find a local expert. been to the right college
and say, I'm going to tell you everything. We call on the only
one who is able. They called on the Lord, the
Lord, the great position. That's what the Lord said. They
will say to you, they're going to tell me physician, heal yourself.
That's what they said. If you're keen to the Jews, if
you're keen, if you're going to come off at That's what the heathen does.
Christ, you heal yourself. That's what they said. What does
his people say? Lord, heal me. You heal me. Heal me. We call to the Lord. Great position, our kinsman redeemer.
Now Mary and Martha and Lazarus, they used the means that God
gave them. A friend of mine that's preached here before, he said,
faith and good common sense go hand in hand, don't they? They
probably had cool towels to put on Lazarus or a poultice on his
chest, or they put him on his side and took her hands and clapped
on his ribs. I don't know what they did, but
they did the best they knew how, didn't they? They did those things.
They used the means the Lord gave them with the best sense
they had. The Lord gives me food. He gives me food. We know that.
He provides everything. He gave me the power and strength
and understanding to lift the spoon to my mouth. He clothes
me. The clothes I own right now are
His clothes. And I put one leg through my pants at a time this
morning, put my socks on, tied my shoes, didn't I? We do that.
He closed me and I put them on. But they called on the only one
that can help. They did the best thing they
could in their hand to do at that time. And while they were
doing that, they called on the Lord, the only one that can heal. And they knew that. Why did they
call to Christ? Why'd they do that? The trial
the Lord sent caused them to cry. This wasn't on a checklist.
They got handed to them as a teenager. They wouldn't pretend. Like,
well, I think he's sneezing a little bit. They said, Lord, he's sick.
The one you love is sick. They would have never cried that
Lazarus was sick if Lazarus wasn't sick. You get that? Is that too
plain? He had to be sick for them to
call out, Lord, he's sick. I thought the last time I just
felt great. I mean, my body felt good. My neck wasn't hurting.
I was standing up tall. I was energized. Everyone I knew
was doing pretty good. Nobody was really down and out.
Everything was great. Weather was nice. I was in a
good mood. I was doing something I really enjoyed doing. I wasn't calling out to the Lord,
was I? I would. I may have thanked him for a
brief moment. Lord, thank you for this day. That was nice.
But I fear too often that's just lip service out of me. I just
say these things because that's what I'm supposed to say. Have
a small child ask you questions sometimes can make you feel like
a hypocrite. The Lord gave us the Passover. And he said, this
is a token. That way, when your children
say, Daddy, why are we doing this Passover? And he said, well,
son, we deserve death. And the Lord gave us a lamb.
And when we put the blood of that lamb, he saw the blood he
passed over us. Something's got to die for us
to live. Lord said, this is a token for you to teach your children
the gospel. Have a small child ask you sometimes, why do you
pray before you eat? Well, we thank God for the food.
God gave us this. We're so thankful. And then they'll
look at you as a child does and say, why don't you pray we need
ice cream? I'm gonna hide underneath this bullpen. You're right. You're right. God has to make
us pray to him. And in His good pleasure and
infinite wisdom, He sends the things that make us call out
to Him. He makes us. What was their reasoning? What
was the heart of prayer? What was the foundation of it?
It says in verse three, Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying,
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. The sisters did not
say the one that loves you is sick. Now, Lord, he just really
loves you. No, they said the one of you
guys is sick. They didn't say, you know what,
you've stayed in our house of Bethany 16 times. You know how
many dishes we've washed? You know how many cheese trays
we've put out? We've done a whole lot for you,
Lord. Now, you remember that? They didn't indebt the Lord,
did they? No, that wasn't what they said. They said, he whom
thou lovest is sick. Read our Jeremiah 29, for I know
the thoughts It doesn't matter what I think
about God, it matters what God thinks about me. Who does he see? Does he see me in my nakedness
and my wretchedness and everything else, or does he see his son?
That's what matters. He said, I know the thoughts
I'll think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and
not evil. That's sounding good, isn't it?
Thoughts of peace and not evil to give you an expected end. He looks on his people. He knows
our frame. He pitied us. He knows it all.
And he's pleased him to give us an expected end. That's hope. Hope ain't wishy-washy. Like,
I really hope that happens. We use that in our vernacular
these days. Hope is an expected end. Christ is our hope. He said,
I know my thought towards you. I'm gonna give you my son. Oftentimes,
we have contradictory prayer, don't we? In our continent, we
had the Civil War. back in the 1800s, or War of
Northern Aggression, some people call it. The unregenerated people
on both sides, the North and the South, were at war on a linear
battlefield. And the unregenerates prayed to a God. The Northerners
said, Lord, let our side win. And the Southerners said, Lord,
let our side win. That's in conflict, isn't it?
God's sheep on either side of that war, they prayed for mercy. And they prayed, Lord, your will
be done. and give us the grace to bear your providence and to
bow to it. That's what they prayed with
me. If we pray for the Lord to heal our loved ones, those that
know the Lord. My mother passed away last January.
If I were to pray, Lord, keep her with us. I wanna have her.
That may be contrary to what Christ has prayed. Do we think
that? He said, Father, I will that
they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. What are they going to do when
they get there? That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me. Now what's better, sitting with
this fella? I love you. I enjoy your company. He's better. He's better. That will either
make you mad or glad. It'll either make you mad or
glad. But either way, you're going
to experience sadness, and you're going to weep, and that's OK.
That's all right, isn't it? David did this. Turn over to
2 Samuel and I'll close. 2 Samuel. This prayer came to, I know your
pastor's going through John as well, so he can tell you what
happened. Lazarus come forth. It's all tough, wasn't it? Lucy. But there was no instruction
in what those sisters prayed. They said, Lord, the one you
love is sick. They didn't say, now do this.
No, they just brought their burden to the Lord and they left it
there. They left it there in full submission and understanding
what he would do would be best. They knew he knew that, as we'll
tell him anyway. We petition anyway, don't we?
Here in 2 Samuel 12, or chapter 12, 2 Samuel 12, verse 14. I'm
sorry. 2 Samuel 12, 14. Nathan's talking to David and
says in verse 14, how be it because by this deed thou hast given
great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, The
child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And Nathan
departed unto his house, and the Lord struck the child that
Uriah's wife bared to David, and he was very sick. David therefore besought God
for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night
upon the earth. This wasn't pretend. Well, I'm
just going to not eat for 12 hours. The fast that the Lord
gives is when you can't eat. Here, have some. I can't. You
can't even chew it. You can't even swallow it. You
just spit it out. That's the fast David was given. And it
wasn't like, well, I'm going to get on my knees and bow facing
a certain direction five times a day. He collapsed. He just
couldn't bring himself up. He lay there all night upon the
earth. And the elders of his house arose and went to him to
raise him up from the earth. But he would not. Neither did
he eat bread with them. They tried their best to get
him to eat and get him to sit up straight. And it came to pass
on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David
feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Behold,
while the child was yet alive, we spake to him, and he would
not hearken to our voice. Will he then vex himself? If
we tell him his child, you see what kind of bad shape he's in
while this child was sick and alive? Oh, if we tell him he's
dead, what's gonna happen? But when David saw, servants
whispered, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore
David said unto his servants, is the child dead? And they said,
he's dead. What does a believer do then? Then David arose from the earth
and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel. He went
and took a shower. He put on some clothes, put on some new
clothes. And he came into the house of
the Lord and worshiped. Worshiped. And he came into his own house.
And when he required, he wanted something to eat, they set bread
before him. He did eat. That fast that God gave was over.
Why? Peace was there. Peace was there. Then said his servants unto him,
what thing is this that thou hast done? Thou hast fasted and
wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child's dead,
ye did rise up and eat bread. It's just the opposite. What's
wrong with you? And he said, while the child
was yet alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, who can tell whether
God be gracious to me that the child may live? The Lord may
have this work out in a way that pleases me. It may have been
that my thoughts and desires aligned with his will. It could
be. But now he's dead. Wherefore
should I fast? The Lord's done this. The Lord's
done this. Can I bring him back again? I
can't bring him back from the dead. I shall go to him. He's with the Lord now. Oh, but
I want to bring him back to this sin-cursed earth. Say there,
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. That's why
we have sickness in this life. And boy, that's blessed, isn't
it? If God saves us, there's a man I knew there in Asheville,
Kentucky. John was in a wheelchair. He
was paralyzed. Strong man, brilliant man. And he had a lot going for
him as the world's concerned. And the Lord struck him. And he took his ability to walk
away from him. And when he did that, his wife left him. And he got kind of mad about
that, a little bitter. Wouldn't you? I would. And his children stopped
talking to him, and his business went under, and he lost everything.
He lost everything. He was just pitiful. And he was
watching the TV one day, and a man came on preaching, and
he said, I don't know you. I don't know anything about you,
but I know you and I have something in common. We're sinners. Bojang got mad. He turned that
TV off. He said, that man ain't gonna
tell me I'm a sinner. He sat there for about 10 seconds, 20
seconds. He says, well, I wonder what else he's going to say.
And he turned it back on. Find some other ammunition for
my gun. I'm going to be mad at this man. He enters there preaching
on TV. Boy, he just kept getting madder
and madder. Turned on and off a couple of times. Turns out,
next week he tuned in. After a few more weeks of hearing
this thing, he went, I'm going to go meet this fella. John was
there at church, kindest fellow I ever met. And he was so thankful. He said, you know what? He goes,
the Lord used that wheelchair and paralyzed me and took everything
from me to save me. He said, I'm grateful. I'm thankful. He's with the Lord now. So I
hope the Lord be with us in these trials and tribulations we have.
If you're in one, I don't know you. I don't have cameras in
your house. And I hope he'll give us peace in his son who
rules and reigns all things will for our good. Amen. It's been
a pleasure. Thank you.