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Join us for the awe-inspiring conclusion to the story of Lazarus, where Jesus showcases his divine power over death, turning mourning into joy and proving that he is the resurrection and the life.In the second part of the story of Lazarus, Jesus arrives in Bethany to find his friend has died. Despite the sorrow and disbelief surrounding him, Jesus demonstrates his power over death, bringing Lazarus back to life and offering a profound testament to the resurrection and the life he embodies.Today's Bible verse is John 11:25, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the final week of our series Fight Club, we explored the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Their story reminds us that unresolved conflict with God doesn't stay contained — it spills into every area of our lives, shaping our choices, our relationships, and even the way we see others. We were challenged to recognize how easily division grows when we don't address the tension in our hearts.
It's that time of year! We're talking about the Best Romance Novels of 2025. We've chosen ten books that we love and that cover a range of historical, contemporary and paranormal, featuring romance with werewolves and cowboys, vaudeville actresses and vikings, Dukes and the actual Devil. This year, you can buy the Fated Mates Best of 2025 Book Pack from our friends at Pocket Books Shop in Lancaster, PA, and get eight of the books on the list! Scoundrel Take Me Away and Lazarus, Home from War (independently published) are not available. As always, you can add additional romances, or one of Sarah's books to your box. We love the idea of you gifting yourself this box (you deserve it!), but maybe you'd like to slide into someone's text messages with the link as a very excellent gift for you! Or…you can do what Sarah does, and buy the box and spread the love around—sending each of the books to someone on your list or wrapping them up and popping them in your local Little Free Library. Let us know what you end up doing with these fabulous books, and don't forget to tag us on Instagram or Threads or Bluesky when you unbox! Check out our “Best Romance Novels” lists from previous years: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019. (We were 5 minutes old in 2018 and didn't do a list that year), and please tell us what your favorite books of 2025 were!If you want other people to discuss this list with, maybe you want to join our Patreon? You get an extra monthly episode from us and access to the incredible readers and brilliant people on the Fated Mates Discord! Support us and learn more at fatedmates.net/patreon. Our next read along will be KJ Charles's The Magpie Lord. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books or wherever you get your books.The BooksFan Service by Rosie Danan Scoundrel, Take Me Away by Louisa Darling Son Of The Morning by Akwaeke Emezi Tempest Of
Journey with us as we uncover the first part of Lazarus' story, where Jesus teaches a powerful lesson on divine timing and trust in God's greater plan amidst urgency and grief.In the first part of the story of Lazarus, we explore the themes of patience and divine timing as Jesus receives news of his friend's grave illness. Despite the urgency, Jesus waits, illustrating the profound trust in God's greater plan and the purpose behind the delay.Today's Bible verse is 2 Peter 3:9, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Among the hardest questions of the Faith, is why our Lord has not prevented evil, including death? Yet by Lazarus's death and resurrection, God manifests His glory. He demonstrates His power, as master of life and death.
In this sermon, Pastor Nathan teaches about one of the greatest thanksgiving feasts ever; when a dinner was held in Jesus' honor for raising Lazarus from death to life! In this story we see how three very different people expressed their pure thanksgiving to God for His great gift! When our Thanksgiving is "dulled" in "the land of PLENTY", God can sharpen us back up when we give THANKS to Him for His great gifts!
Do you feel the need… the need for speed?! Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down things you thought you knew about force vs. pressure, heat vs. temperature, and speed vs. acceleration.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/things-you-thought-you-knew-force-heat-speed/Thanks to our Patrons Maria Almeida, Mitchel M, Christopher Nelson, Bob Swanson, Addison DeJesus-Lessing, Bradley D, Matt Chase, Patches, Jarrett Elliot, Allie, Anthony Lucic, Maka Kiapolo, Mark Fowler, Andrew Nolen, Brian Isaman, Haplo Zyorhist, Saija Minkkinen, John Doane, jay cook, Brian Flanagan, Boomer Murrhee, Yair, Santiago Hoyos, Mimi, Yusuf Seifullah, JOhn, Chad C McNeil, Casey, Beth, Russ Belville, j c, JULIE PATTERSON, Ted Souza, Harry, Brian Treanor, Mark Dailey, Jamaal Huff, Philippe Losier, Brittany Payeur, Josh Nathan, Lazarus, Henok Ekubamichael, Saad Javed, vivek nayer, Shawndel Pleasant, Lee Karlin, Chayton L, Shobhit Sharma, Hakeem Sykes, SpesAstris, Blazed and Amused, Erin Wilson, Jordan, mia, Frank D. Fagnano, James, Alexander Sisto Monzón, Austin, Jeffrey Miller, jross64300, Trenton Thompson, LeoAntonio Fulcher, Andrew Fara, Jakethepeg, FastBoy_69², Midnight Burger Communist Party, Jason Ashton, phil, Dovono Wright, Alejandro Guevara, Jose Perez, Christopher Wynn, Colette, David Janes, Marc, Ken Cashon, Anthony Benites, Dan Ruden, Shaun, tyler downing, Dpfloater, Yordanka Petrova, Gipsy D, A, joe tompkins, Rupesh, Miroslav Kuhajda, alton, Helen F, amber Johnson, Aleksander Moczek, peyton bishop, Hrpaderp64, and Clinton Gilbert for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Basic Bible Study | Matthew, Mark, Luke & John (Part 9) In today's podcast, join Amy and Robyn as they continue their discussion in Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Here is a breakdown of what was discussed: - Amy & Robyn chit-chat for 8 minutes - recap of Part 8 - a tiny seed of faith is enough if it is alive & growing - the amount of faith is not as important as its genuineness - Lazarus became sick & died - Jesus wept - Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead - Amy shares a funeral home story - Jesus heals 10 lepers - we will all know when Jesus returns - constant prayer means keeping a prayer request continually before God - as we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope - don't let pride in your achievements cut you off from God - verses regarding divorce - what the Bible says regarding marriage - Jesus wanted to speak to those who needed Him most - the parable of the field workers “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT Opening a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Join Amy & Robyn in an easy-to-follow discussion. This Basic Bible Study is perfect for beginners & those who have never read the Bible. Look for new podcasts every Tuesday & Friday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIBLE RESOURCES https://biblehub.com/ https://www.bible.com/ http://betterdaysarecoming.com/bible/pronunciation.html https://biblespeak.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/mybasicbiblestudy WEBSITE http://www.mybasicbiblestudy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can contact us via e-mail or regular old snail-mail: Basic Bible Study 7797 N. 1st St. #34 Fresno, CA 93720 basicbiblestudy19@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On this powerful evening, Kris shared a heart-stirring message about the radical compassion of Jesus. Are we extending mercy to both victims AND victimizers? Through personal stories of working with juvenile delinquents and his recent visit to juvenile hall, Kris challenges us to look beyond behavior to see the broken hearts beneath. Jesus wept with Mary at Lazarus's tomb. Knowing He would raise him moments later, he demonstrated to us that compassion isn't weakness but a revolutionary Kingdom value. When we understand people's stories, our judgment turns to mercy. Listen in as Kris shares how God is awakening compassion in His church for the immigrant, the prisoner, and those society has written off. Connect with Kris Vallotton: Website: https://www.krisvallotton.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kvministries/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvministries/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvministries Additional Resources by Kris Vallotton: https://shop.bethel.com/collections/kris-vallotton-ministries/Book About Kris Vallotton: Kris Vallotton is the Senior Associate Leader of Bethel Church, Redding, and is the Co-Founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) and Spiritual Intelligence Institute. He is also the Founder and President of Moral Revolution and a sought-after international conference speaker. Kris and his wife, Kathy, have trained, developed, and pastored prophetic teams and supernatural schools all over the world.
JOHN 11:1-27 - I AM THE RESURRECTION - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”I Am the Resurrection and the Life17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.””To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like. Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW
In this episode of Words of Grace, Pastor Ben Winslett turns to one of the most moving passages in Scripture: the death and resurrection of Lazarus in John chapter 11. Here we witness the compassion, purpose, and power of Christ. Though He knew Lazarus would live again, Jesus still wept with those He loved. What … Continue reading "When Jesus Wept"
Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners the account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus's arrival 4 days after Lazarus had died. Scripture References: John 11:17; Isaiah 55:8-9; John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13; 1 John 1:9; John 1:1-5, 9-14; Revelation 1; John 11:1-21; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 40:28-31 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible. “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code. I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters in the Holy Bible. The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals. Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING? CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up. https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website: https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com Support the show
Hosts Pastor Rico Basso and Pastor Lloyd Pulley Question Timestamps: Tara, email (3:39) - Can you explain the story of Lazarus and the rich man? Does this prove a "pre-heaven and pre-hell?" Kirk, NJ (9:43) - Does the Transfiguration disprove Maryology and praying to saints? William, NJ (15:47) - Is Jeremiah 1:5 for everyone, or does it only pertain to Jeremiah? Pablo, NY (21:21) - What is the wise thing to do when you are sick? Patrick, MA (26:46, continued after break at 33:35) - How am I supposed to journal? Reginald, email (35:27) - What type of love would we label John 11:3? John, NJ (40:25) - Can a Christian be confident that Mark 16:9-20 is from the earlier manuscripts? Are older manuscripts necessarily more accurate or true? Lynn, NJ (48:38) - Were men born without the capacity to be saved? If so, why would we have freewill? Ask Your Question: 888-712-7434 Answers@bbtlive.org
Lazarus wasn't just sick—he was dead, and Jesus used his story to show us what He wants to do in our lives. We aren't just struggling, we're spiritually dead without Him. Jesus calls us by name to leave shame, sin, and the past behind and step into NEW life.
Lazarus wasn't just sick—he was dead, and Jesus used his story to show us what He wants to do in our lives. We aren't just struggling, we're spiritually dead without Him. Jesus calls us by name to leave shame, sin, and the past behind and step into NEW life.
What happens when we deny Christ? What happens when he reveals himself, reasons with us, and yet we still resist him?Today we watch the Sanhedrin plot against the Messiah—even after he raised Lazarus. In their response, we see their motives laid bare. And if we're honest, we see our own exposed as well.
Sermon by Brandon Clements on November 16, 2025.Key scripture: John 11:1-44As tension heats up between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, a close friend of Jesus' falls gravely ill and dies. Jesus responds to the suffering of his close friends by raising Lazarus from the dead, and this event seals the fate of Jesus. Lazarus' resurrection would lead to Jesus' cross, which leads to resurrection life for all who trust him.
John 11:25-44,Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved[a] in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”The year 1912 gave us two unforgettable things: the sinking of the Titanic and the invention of Oreo cookie — one was a tragedy, one a triumph, and we're still fascinated by both today.But something else important that happened in 1912 that we probably don't think about much was the publication of an essay by the theologian B. B. Warfield. The essay is entitled, “The Emotional Life of our Lord” — and it's about the various emotions we see Jesus express in the Gospels.What makes the essay so amazing is that there had never really been a study like this before, and Warfield wrote it during the heyday of theological liberalism. When a lot of modern scholars were denying the deity of Christ, Warfield affirmed the deity of Christ and wrote this essay to defend the humanity of Christ.And the reason this essay is relevant to our passage today is that Warfield gives a lot of attention to John 11 — because of the emotions we just read about in verses 33–38!Now throughout each of the four Gospels we see the emotional life of Jesus, but there's no other place where we see such strong emotions compounded in one scene. Warfield writes, “What John does [here in Chapter 11] is uncover to us the heart of Jesus as he wins for us our salvation.” And I think that's right. Remember John was there! He saw this happen. And led by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he has written this to uncover the heart of Jesus for us, which means it's worthy of our focus this morning. There are two questions we should ask: What do we learn here about Jesus's heart? What difference does it make in our lives?The goal of the sermon is to answer those two questions: I want to show you something amazing about the heart of Jesus, and then I wanna talk about why it matters.Those are the two parts, and Part One can be titled “Uncovering the Heart of Jesus.”1. Uncovering the Heart of JesusWe're gonna pick up here in verse 28, and my goal is for us to build, in our minds, the right image of Jesus in this scene.Last week we saw the dialogue between Jesus and Martha, and this week it's between Jesus and Mary.After Martha's faith confession of Jesus in verse 27, she goes back to their home in Bethany to get Mary. And I want you to try to imagine this…Remember this is just four days after the death of Lazarus, and so it's a crowded house of friends and family grieving with them. Martha walks into the full house and somehow in private she tells Mary that Jesus wants to see her. She most likely whispered this to Mary, because people are all around her. She said, “Mary, the Teacher is here and he's calling for you.”And Mary, right away, jumps up and goes to meet Jesus, and everybody is there, seeing her do this, and they assume she must be going to the tomb. So they leave the house and follow her.So picture Mary walking to meet Jesus, and there's this entourage of grieving people following behind her. She gets to Jesus in verse 32, and she falls down at Jesus's feet and she says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Where have we heard that before? This is the same thing Martha said in verse 21.And again, I don't think this is a rebuke. Mary is just stating a fact, and she does it here bowed down at Jesus's feet — which is not a posture of disrespect — this is homage. She's broken before her teacher. She's been following him, learning from him, trusting him, and she's honest with him.And it's important we get this scene right in our minds because before John tells us how Jesus responds, he tells us what Jesus sees. We need to see it too.Verse 33 starts by saying that Jesus saw Mary weeping, down at this feet, and he saw this crowd of friends and family around her also weeping. And that word for “weeping” means wailing. This is audible, expressive grief. There's no ‘balled fists mad' at Jesus here. It's heartache. Now look what John says Jesus did …And this is one we need to see. I want to make sure everybody's with me. Find verse 33 — Chapter 11, verse 33.After Jesus sees this heartache around him, Verse 33,“…he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”Jesus Is AngryNow that word “deeply moved” — that's how the English Standard Version and the New International Version translates it. But if you have the ESV, you might notice there's a little footnote marker, and the footnote says that this word could also be translated “indignant.” Or to be outraged. That's because in nearly every other place this word is used, that's what it means. Outside the New Testament this Greek word is used to refer to the snorting of horses, and when it's applied to humans it means expressing anger. This is where I think cartoons could actually help us.In old-school cartoons — like the Looney Tunes — it was really clear when the characters would get angry. Their faces would turn red and steam would blow out of their nostrils. That's anger.And the point is that the audience not miss the emotion!That's the point here in the use of this word.The New Living Translation actually nails it. They translate it “a deep anger welled up within him.” That's what the word means. Now why does it matter? Well, the word is repeated in verse 38. Look down at verse 38:“Then Jesus, deeply moved again [deeply angry again], [he] came to the tomb.”So that's twice in this scene that John tells us this. Which means he really doesn't want us to miss it. Jesus is angry here. He's indignant. He's furious. Jesus Is SadBut hold on a minute: before we import our own meaning of anger, we need to see more in this story. We know that whatever kind of anger Jesus has here, it's perfectly compatible with his holiness. Jesus never sinned, so this must be a holy anger. And there are three more words John uses here that fill in the picture. We have to see all of this together if we're going to have the right image.Notice back in verse 33, John tells us that Jesus was “deeply moved/angry in his spirit and greatly troubled.”Jesus being angry “in his spirit” means that he's under control — he's not flying off the handle. He's restrained.But at the same time his emotion is visible. Because notice that word in verse 33, “deeply troubled.” That word literally means to shake. B. B. Warfield describes it as “raging in himself … His inwardly restrained fury produced a profound agitation of his whole being …” Can you picture that?I know we all have ideas of what Jesus might have looked like (there's a few windows around here that could help our imaginations) — But whatever your imagination of Jesus is, it should be able to include everything the Bible says about him, and here we read that Jesus is so enraged that he's shaking. It's like he's about to explode, and says “Where have you laid him?” And then, verse 35, “Jesus wept.”Now who would have expected that?! He's raging in himself, and tears spill out.And when you see tears — when there's weeping — what does that mean? Even young children know what this means. This is part of early childhood development — teachers show children pictures of faces and have them match different emotions to each face. And when the teacher asks, “Which one is sad?”, the kids always point to the face with tears. Because tears means sorrow. Weeping means sadness. And in this story, Jesus is sad. That's what overflowed for everyone to see. Jesus is fuming with fury and he grieves with tears. Fury and grief — anger with sadness — that's the right image of Jesus here. That's what John is showing us.But why is Jesus responding this way? It has to do with what he encounters. First, and most obvious, he is surrounded by grief. He loved Mary and Martha, and Mary and Martha are both grieving; their friends and family with them are grieving, and so, at the most basic level, when Jesus weeps here, he's joining his friends in their grief.The people Jesus loves are sad, and he meets them in their sadness. He's with them. This is true sympathy. Jesus is a good friend. But the anger part — what is that about? This is where we have to look at what's behind the grief.In this story, what has caused the grief?Death.Warfield writes,The spectacle of the distress of Mary and her companions enraged Jesus because it brought poignantly home to his consciousness the evil of death, its unnaturalness, its “violent tyranny” … In Mary's grief, he contemplates the misery of the whole human race and burns with rage against the oppressor of men…It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death and whom he has come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but his soul is held by rage…Anger and sadness. Sadness and anger. Jesus Is ZealousIt's really important to see what happens next. What does Jesus do with these emotions?He doesn't sit there on his hands. But he's in motion. He's going somewhere with this. And, at some level, this is expected. Check out verses 36–37. This is how the friends and family respond. They see Jesus's emotion and think, “Wow, he really loved Lazarus!” And then some said, verse 37:“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”That's actually a smart question. It's the logical next question after you realize that Jesus really loved the man who died. It's clear that Jesus loved Lazarus, and we know Jesus can heal, so why didn't Jesus just heal him?I hope you see this is a form of the same question we talked about a month ago in our sermon “An Everyday Theology of Suffering.”The big question we talked about is: How can God be all-powerful and all-good, and suffering still exist?Remember that question? That's the big question. And that's the same thing going on here at a practical level: Jesus is powerful (he can heal), Jesus is good (he loved Lazarus). So … why is Lazarus dead in a tomb and Jesus upset about it?It's a fair question, and look, I think we're all just trying to figure it out. And maybe we think Jesus doesn't really have the kind of power we hoped he has — and if we think that, this next part is for us … Because Jesus, again, is in motion. He's going somewhere. Verse 38:“Then Jesus, deeply angry again, came to the tomb.”Get the image right in your mind. Jesus is walking up to this tomb furious. He's angry. He's sad. And he's zealous.Warfield on this part quotes Calvin. I'll read Calvin to you. He says:Christ does not come to the tomb as an idle spectator, but like a champion who prepares for a battle, and therefore we need not wonder that he again groans, for the violent tyranny of death, which he had to conquer, is placed before his eyes.Do you see it? Jesus approaches the tomb enraged because he is about to face our greatest enemy. And what does he do?He says, “Move the stone.” Martha says, “There's gonna be an odor.”Jesus says, “I'm here to show you the glory of God.”And then he looks up to his Father in heaven and says, verse 41,“Father, I thank you that you have heard me …”See, apparently Jesus has already been praying (and like Martha said in verse 22, whatever Jesus asks from God, God gives it to him). John wants us to know the Father and Son are in this together. Verse 43: “When Jesus had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice …”That word for “cried out” is the same word used later when the crowd will cry out “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The word means to shout. And John also adds “with a loud voice.”You gotta picture this. Jesus is not making a mild suggestion here. This is a loud shout from a heart enraged. He's shouting it loudly in defiance of death.“Lazarus, come out.”Verse 44,“And the man who died came out …”See, they don't even call him ‘Lazarus' anymore — they call him “the man who died” — because he did die, but now he's alive. And Jesus says,“Unbind him, and let him go.” Those words are significant. It means that Jesus, the resurrection and the life, has set the dead man free. Just like Jesus will set us free — not free from the end of our physical lives in this world, but absolutely free from death.Jesus, see, is zealous to save! He's zealous to display the glory of God and accomplish our everlasting good, which are one in the same.In this story, John uncovers the heart of Jesus for us.B. B. Warfield writes,Not in cold unconcern but in flaming wrath against the foe, Jesus smites in our behalf. He has not only saved us from the evils that oppress us; he has felt for and with us in our oppression, and under the impulse of these feelings has wrought out our redemption.Anger against our enemy. Sadness in our grief. Zeal for our salvation.This is the heart of Jesus. What a Savior!2. Why Does It Matter?Now, Part Two: What difference does this make in our lives?I'd like to close with an application. And there's a hundred things we could say! A hundred things we could takeaway. But for now, I'm just gonna focus on one: In discovering Jesus's heart, we discover the kind of hearts we are called to have as his people.We can't be content to only admire him, but we must follow him as our example — especially in our witness. Because Jesus shows us what a holy heart looks like toward a fallen world.We see it in the mingling of his anger and sadness — anger toward the ultimate enemy, and sadness for those who suffer. Indignation for the father of lies, sorrow for those captive to lies.I think the best name for this posture is what we might call brokenhearted boldness. (That's a Piper phrase.) Brokenhearted boldness.And we get the boldness part. That is so vital in our day. It's the courage to call evil evil. To hold our ground on moral clarity. To pray imprecatory psalms against the workers of Satan. And we do it with confidence, in Luther's words:The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him;His rage we can endure,For lo! His doom is sure;One little word shall fell him.We mock the devil! We mock death! This is boldness!But it's brokenhearted. Because at the same time that we resolve never to compromise truth, we weep for the world that's lost it. Together with the firmness of our conviction, we have the tenderness of compassion. We're brokenhearted, because Hell is real, and we know people who will go there. And we don't want them to. Brokenhearted boldness.And honestly, it's easier to recognize it than to describe it, so I'll tell you a true story…Just recently I was having lunch with one of our members, a college student. And he was telling me about a class he's in right now, and the professor is off the rails. The professor says there are at least 12 different genders, he openly mocks God in the classroom. And this student is disgusted by it. He told me he's spoken up in class, he's tried to dialogue with other students. He said, “But my classmates are so influenced by this professor. … They're just eating it up. They're all choosing a path of lies.”And as he said this, his eyes filled with tears, his voice began to crack; he had to stop talking and look away … And I thought: “That's it.”That's brokenhearted boldness.That's the heart of Jesus showing up in his people.It's not a witness of swagger. It's not brash or belligerent, not snide or snarky, not cruel or crude, but it's embracing truth with tears — a supreme love for God and a sincere love for people.It's a miracle, church, to have hearts like that! And would that God work this miracle in us! We want to be more like Jesus as we point to him and what he's done. That's what brings us to the Table.The TableBefore we can ever imagine being like Jesus, we have to first be saved by Jesus. And that's what we celebrate here.The heart of Christ is an example we can follow, but the cross of Christ is the unrepeatable accomplishment of our salvation — and we can only receive it.Christian, you know you can only receive it, so would you receive it afresh this morning? If you trust in Jesus, I invite to rest anew in this grace to you, and surrender yourself anew to his transforming work in your life.
Join us as we worship the Lord and continue our journey through the Gospel of John. In John 11 we encounter three siblings who are dearly beloved friends and followers of Jesus—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The brother, Lazarus, suddenly has a turn for the worse and dies. And four days pass while Jesus is absent! How does Jesus handle the situation? How does He speak to both Mary and Martha who are emotionally handling the situation differently? How does Life confront Death? Join us as we learn several powerful lessons from our Omnipotent Loving Lord!
The Death of Lazarus 11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard […]
God's heart is to make His home in us and to fill us with His joy and His peace and His grace and His power, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. In fact, I know it. And the other thing I know is that He wants to do that for you. Today. Right now. We're All Different It is fantastic to be with you again this week on Christianityworks. You know the process of boy meets girl has always fascinated me. Before I met my wonderful wife Jacqui, somebody encouraged me to go out on a blind date with a woman and the moment I knocked on her door and she opened the door, I took one look at her and in the instant, I knew there would be no relationship there - I just knew! And yet the very first time I laid eyes on Jacqui, I just knew that she would be my wife. How does that work? What is that chemistry all about? How does chemistry and attraction turn into love and commitment and lifelong companionship? I don't know, I really don't know. I guess for one person there are many potential spouses and only a handful of real candidates, and sometimes one or sometimes none that people meet. It's really a mystery, isn't it? how a boy and a girl meet and become husband and wife and share a life together for the whole of their lives. The same is true with friends – you can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives. And I guess that saying acknowledges this reality, that sometimes there are people with whom we have chemistry and we have relationship and yet other people – they may be similar to us, they may have the same interests – but there is just no potential there for relationship, because somehow you just don't click. You know what I'm talking about. Well it that's true of people – if there is kind of a custom fit between people for having relationships what about our relationship with God? There is one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God - an amazing mystery of God in three persons. But what about our compatibility with God? We are all different – some of us know things in our heads; some of us know things more in our hearts; some of us are right-brained people, some of us are left brained people; some people are loud and noisy, other people are quiet and deep. For some people experience is the most important way of knowing something but for others, they just know that they know that they know that they know that they know. Whatever it is – wherever each one of us is in terms of faith – let's just make a couple of assumptions: firstly, that God is God and secondly that it was His idea to make us all so incredibly different. So, if that's the case, how is it that God deals with that reality in establishing and developing a personal relationship with each one of us? That's what we are going to visit today on the programme. We are in the third programme of a four-week series called "The Holy Spirit and Me". The last few weeks we have been looking at the subject of walking in the Spirit. Two weeks ago we began looking at Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised – if you want to read it it's in John chapter 14 – He promised another Counsellor; another Advocate "just like Me". So Jesus did His public ministry for three and a half years and just before He went to the cross He promised His disciples: I won't leave you as orphans. I'll come again. I'll be with you through My Holy Spirit, My Father and I will come and make our homes with you. And then He died on the cross, He rose again, He ascended into Heaven and not long after…and that's what we are going to look at today, in the Book of Acts. If you have a Bible, grab it; open it at Acts because that's where we are going today. Not long after He poured His Holy Spirit out on His disciples – the Holy Spirit of grace; the Holy Spirit of power; the Holy Spirit of God in us with a relationship that we just can't put into words. And last week on the programme we looked at one of the significant implications of having the Holy Spirit present in us, in that the Spirit who is Holy deals with our sin and that means change; that means repenting; that means ditching that rubbish in our lives. It may not be popular but the Holy Spirit gives us the power to change. But how does the Holy Spirit deal with each one of us who are so different? And this week we are going to look at how God strikes up a relationship with us. We are all so different – God is God – God doesn't change, so how does He do it? How does He customise or tailor His approach or is it one size fits all? Is there some kind of standard approach that is the same for each one of us? How do I know I have the Holy Spirit? It's amazing in the church, that the Holy Spirit is a source of great division – people's understanding of the person of the Holy Spirit – one of the three persons in the Godhead, brings a whole bunch of misunderstanding. And we are just going to open the Bible today very simply and very plainly and just read what God says about God, the Holy Spirit. I was sitting having dinner the other night with a really good friend of mine and this man is very well-known in ministry in Australia and around the world – God has used him to do some amazing things. And you would have to say he is a high-profile sort of person – I won't use his name because we were having a private dinner together. But we were talking about how God deals with each one of us and I was saying. "Well, I love getting up in the morning early and spending forty-five minutes or an hour with God because God speaks to me." You know, I find out what God is doing. "God what are You up to today?" And God gives me guidance as I do that – as I read His Word, as I listen to Him, as I pray. God just impresses on me what He wants me to do. And this friend of mine – and people look at him from a distance; they see him on television, they hear him on radio, they read his biography and they look at this man and they say, "WOW, here's this super-spiritual man that God has used powerfully," and he said to me, "It doesn't work like that for me." He said, "You know, I go to God and ask Him, 'What do you want me to do, God?'" And God says to me, "I have already given you a job, go and do it." You think, "Well, it doesn't sound very spiritual", but on the other hand "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". I mean, look at the fruit in this man's life and God has clearly used him amazingly. God knows each one of us. He knows exactly what you are like. He knows exactly how to connect with you, just as He does to connect with me. So over the next twenty minutes or so we are going to spend some time looking at three different examples of how God connected with people, with the aim of getting the sense that God knows how different each one of us are. We will look at that when we come back. A Personal Relationship What I said earlier, that the person of the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest sources of division in the Christian church right now and it is true. On the one hand it's very clear from the Bible that everyone who believes in Jesus has the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 8, verse 9: Anyone one who does not have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to Him. And again in Ephesians chapter 1 and elsewhere, Paul writes along these lines – he says: In Him, in Jesus also, when you had heard the word of truth; the Good News; the Gospel of your salvation and you believed in Him, you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. This is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God's own people to the praise of His glory. So in other words, any person that has believed in their heart that Jesus is their personal Saviour has received the Holy Spirit; the promised Holy Spirit; the Spirit that Jesus promised in John chapter 14. Another comforter; another one just like Me, is what He said about the Holy Spirit. But, it's also true by observation that this Holy Spirit makes a difference in some people and not in others. Jesus said: You will know a tree by its fruit. Good trees have good fruit and bad trees have bad fruit. I don't know where you are on your journey – I have a bit of a sense where I am on my journey but we are all on a journey. If we are walking with Jesus, if we have accepted Him and said, "Lord, I want You to be my Saviour, I believe that You died for me on the cross" – if we are with Jesus then somewhere in our lives, Jesus is making changes – we are on a journey. And I know that today I make fewer mistakes that I did five years ago and my prayer is that as I grow in God's Word and in my relationship with Him and through the presence of the Spirit in me, I pray in another five years I will be able to look back and say exactly the same thing. But there are some people who say, "I believe in Jesus" and you look at their lives and you think 'I can't see any fruit.' There is that wonderful story in Luke's Gospel of Jesus going to His friend's grave – Lazarus. Lazarus had died; he had been dead for a few days and when Jesus got to his grave, He said" Roll the stone away. And they said: You don't understand he has been dead for a few days, he is going to smell And Jesus said: Roll the stone away. And when they did that He said: Lazarus, come out. And Lazarus got up from the dead and walked out but he was bound up in grave-clothes. Now under those grave-clothes there was red in his cheek – the Master had spoken life into Lazarus's dead body. But Lazarus was still bound up in the grave-clothes. You know, you can't do much for God; you can't serve other people when you are bound up in grave-clothes. And to tell you the truth, I know plenty of Christians that look just like Lazarus when he came out of the tomb. Yes, the Master has spoken life into them – yes, they have eternal life but they are still bound up in the grave-clothes of the past. Jesus said, "I came to set you free," and I believe that the Holy Spirit – in fact the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit has so much to do with setting us free. Some people believe that you become a Christian, you receive the Holy Spirit and that's it! That's one side of the argument. Other people believe, "Well, no, there is a second blessing. You know, sure you receive the seal of the Holy Spirit – you receive the Spirit when you become a Christian but you have got to be baptised in the Spirit." There is a significant experiential event of power, of gifts, of tongues and prophets and all those other things that happen after the event. And I know well-intentioned Christians of both sides of that argument – in both camps – who argue their cases strongly and passionately and believe that the other party is just plain wrong. Why is this important? Because it goes to the question 'How do I know if I'm filled with the Spirit? How do I know if I'm walking in the Spirit? Because I don't know about you, but I'm passionate – I want all that God has for me – all of Him, all of His presence, all of His blessing, all that I can do with God, I want everything that God has for me. How incredibly sad to believe in the cross; to believe in Jesus and then to walk the rest of our lives as though nothing happened? Come on, do you want everything that God has for you? Because I tell you, God has an abundant blessing and over flowing blessing of grace and mercy and joy and peace for each person who puts their faith in Jesus. And to understand how God approaches this, we are going to look at three very distinct; very different approaches in the Bible in the Book of Acts. The first one happens at Pentecost – let's read it very quickly. Acts chapter 1, verses 4 and 5. While staying with them, Jesus (this is after the resurrection and before He ascends), this is what it says: While staying with them Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, He said, is what you have heard from Me for John baptised with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. And then in Acts chapter 2, this is what happens: When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place and suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as of fire appeared among them and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability. One thing is clear – God poured His Spirit out on these men and women in the most amazing way. And you read on in Acts chapter 2, 3 and 4 – Peter gets up and addresses the crowd and gives the most powerful message – God filled them with His Spirit and His power. What does it show about God? He does special things - things that we don't always understand; things that don't always make sense to us. He did them then, He does them today – He does amazing things. And yet He does different things too. We are going to look at two different instances of how God poured His Spirit out on people next. We Can't Put God in a Box We are looking on the programme today how God touches people differently with His Holy Spirit. We have just looked at the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on to the disciples with rushing wind and flames of fire – really unusual and amazing and maybe you and I wouldn't have done it that way, but God did. Have a look at this one though; this is another really interesting one. We are going to Acts chapter 19 – if you have a Bible, go there because God does things differently. Have a listen, this is in Ephesus: While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul the Apostle, passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" and they replied "No, we don't even know that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said "Into what were you baptised?" and they answered "Into John's baptism." And Paul said "John baptised with a baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the One who was coming after him, that is in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of Jesus and then Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and they prophesied and all together there were about twelve of them. See, some people argue so strongly, "Well, you receive the Holy Spirit; it is a one-off thing when you become a believer", as we saw before in the Book of Romans chapter 8 – when you become a believer you receive the Holy Spirit and that's it! That may be how God works with some people but it's not how He worked in Ephesus. In Ephesus, I'm sure that when these people believed in Jesus, they put their hearts into Him, they received the Holy Spirit but they had to be taught about the Holy Spirit. They didn't know that the Holy Spirit existed and when Paul told them about it; when Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Spirit in power and they prophesied and they prayed in tongues. There was a second experience for them. Don't you love how God does things differently? And the third one that I would like to look at is Cornelius and his family. Let's go to Acts chapter 10 if you have a Bible because Cornelius received the Holy Spirit in a different way. In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household and he gave generously to the poor and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel coming and said to him "Cornelius!" He stared at the angel in terror "What is it Lord?" "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." And so the angel told Cornelius to send some men to Peter to get Peter the Apostle to come and tell them about Jesus, which happened. And while Peter was still talking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the Word. So the example we looked at before, in Ephesus, those people had believed – we don't know for how long – but they received the Holy Spirit after they believed. Here Cornelius and his family were still listening to the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit fell upon them there. See, how silly it is to have these arguments about "Well, you know, you only receive the Holy Spirit when you first believe," or "You have to receive the Holy Spirit as a second blessing." There are two examples where God did it differently and the one at Pentecost before, these people had walked with Jesus – they had spent three and a half years with Him, some of them, in the best Bible school you will ever come across – the Bible school of Jesus Christ. And God dealt with each of them differently. I remember, I received the Holy Spirit the way Cornelius did. I remember when I gave my life to Jesus Christ that day, I know that I know that I know that I know that I know that I was filled with the Holy Spirit and it's never changed for me. That joy and that peace has never left me; the courage to keep going has never left me, even through the dark times; even through the painful times; even when I felt like I was walking alone, I knew in my spirit and my heart that my God was carrying me. And that comes from the Holy Spirit. What about you? Have you been filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit - God's presence in you? You know that joy, that peace, that thing that happens when you all of a sudden get a revelation in your spirit and in your soul, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Do you walk around every day in that knowledge that you are filled with the Holy Spirit? That the Holy Spirit is just overflowing out of you? Someone is listening there going "I have never experienced that, I have never tasted that, I want that," well I am going to pray for you right now. Father, I pray for each person who is listening right now. We are together in Your Spirit in Your Kingdom. I pray for each soul who is hungering for Your presence. I pray each person who is aching to receive Your Holy Spirit and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that You would pour Your Spirit out on them, right here and right now. That You would fill them with the Holy Spirit, not just today but tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next, every day between now and when each one of us stands before You in glory. I pray that You would pour Your Spirit out on us in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Well, I know that if you prayed that prayer with me, I know that if your soul is dry and thirsty and hungry and poor and empty and just yearning to be filled with God, I know that God will honour that prayer and when we accept God for who He is, to let Him do just what He wants in our lives, just how He wants to do it in our lives, that is the most awesome and wonderful and amazing thing. Whether we are a Cornelius and we received the Spirit and were filled to overflowing when we first heard the message or whether we are someone who has been walking for twenty or thirty years and never been filled with the Holy Spirit – it doesn't matter – God shows up for each one of us because if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, His heart is to make His home in us and to fill us with His joy and His peace and His grace and His power and I believe that with every fibre of my being I have seen it in other people's lives – I have seen it in my life and I am believing for your life too. God is no man's debtor – God has no favourites – God wants to pour His glory out in your life, in my life, in everybody's life, who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. Let's come back to the question – does God have a standard way or does He customise His approach? Look at Pentecost – look at Ephesus – look at Cornelius, look at my life – look at your life. God will meet you in your place, in your life, in your need, just the way you are. I believe that and I am praying for that, for you, in Jesus Christ's name.
Join us for a message from Reuben Lazarus.16 November 2025 - PM ServiceABOUT ELIM INTERNATIONAL CHURCHWherever you are in life, you are loved and have a purpose. We want to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at Elim on a Sunday or online at https://elimwn.online.church/. You can find more info about us at https://eliminternational.org.nz/ or download the Elim app.PRAYERIf you're facing something difficult, you don't have to carry it alone. If it's on your mind, it's on God's heart. We want to pray with you and support you through whatever you're facing. Share your prayer request: ezpa.ge/prayer NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what's next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: ezpa.ge/connectFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliminternationalchurch/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@eliminternationalchurchwel6692
On this weeks podcast excerpt we are joined by Sr Phyllis Moynihan who gives us a reflection on grief taking the account from the gospel of Luke of the death of Lazarus. Grief is a difficult journey to comes to us all and it is a time in which God can seem very far away. On this weeks podcast Sr Phyllis Moynihan reflects on that sense of aloneness and deep darkness and how even when we don't feel it, God is there in the darkness with us taking us through Jesus' own experience of grief of a loved one with the death of his friend Lazarus. Text us at +353 874668950 or email at comeandseeinspirtaions@gmail.com
On this weeks podcast we are joined by Sr Phyllis Moynihan who gives us a reflection on grief taking the account from the gospel of Luke of the death of Lazarus. We have our regular run through the up coming liturgical odds and ends on the liturgical calendar including Saints of the Week and we also went through some up coming resources for Advent (listed in the notes at the end).As we come towards the end of the liturgical calendar, the gospel puts before us the teaching of Jesus to his disciples about enduring the travails of the world and trusting in God (Luke 21:5-19). Lord if you were here, my brother would not have diedGrief is a difficult journey to comes to us all and it is a time in which God can seem very far away. On this weeks podcast Sr Phyllis Moynihan reflects on that sense of aloneness and deep darkness and how even when we don't feel it, God is there in the darkness with us taking us through Jesus' own experience of grief of a loved one with the death of his friend Lazarus. Preparing for Advent29th November - Advert Desert Day - Limerick Diocesan Office29th November - Prepare the Way - Glenstal Abbey1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd of December - Advent Retreat (via Zoom) - Ruah Rest & Martina Leehane Sheehan6th & 7th December - Whisper of God Retreat - Knock Shrine20th December - Oasis Days 2025 – December 20th – Present for Christmas , present to Christ - FCJ House of Spirituality, Spanish PointOn the podcast this week we mentioned a number of other events coming up at Knock Shrine in the next few weeks. Find more information under Whats On at Knock Shrine.Text us at +353 874668950 or email at comeandseeinspirtaions@gmail.com
Baylie Carson is starring as Oceon in the UK premiere of Ride The Cyclone.With book, music and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, Ride The Cyclone has become a cult favourite with a huge online following. Lizzi Gee has directed and choreographed the show which begins performances tonight (14th November) at the Southwark Playhouse.Baylie is from Australia, and has performed in many Australian productions including The Boy From Oz, Bring It On and Lazarus. They also competed in The Voice Australia. After performing in the Australian production of Jagged Little Pill, Baylie moved to the UK and made their West End debut as Anne Boleyn in Six The Musical (Vaudeville Theatre). They went on to be in the original West End cast of Mean Girls (Savoy Theatre) covering Janis. Most recently Baylie performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Midnight At The Palace.Recorded during a break from rehearsals, in this episode Baylie talks about the excitement surrounding Ride The Cyclone and what it's like to be opening such a hyped up show. Baylie also reflects on their time in Six and Mean Girls and talks about being non-binary and working in theatre… as well as their epic journey from Australia to London.Ride The Cyclone runs at the Southwark Playhouse until 10th January 2026. Visit www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our reading begins with a miraculous and undeniable sign: Jesus heals a man who was born blind, and the Pharisees can't believe it. Later, Jesus raises his friend, Lazarus, from the dead in front of large crowd. This is Jesus's seventh messianic sign given before the crucifixion, and this one points forward to his own resurrection and his power over death. As many in people in Bethany had witnessed the corpse of Lazarus first-hand, the miracle caused quite a stir amongst the people, which caused the Jews to hate Jesus even more. It is after this miraculous sign that they resolve to kill both Jesus and Lazarus, in order to snuff out the growing witness of Jesus' power.John 9 - 1:11 . John 10 - 8:34 . John 11 - 14:26 . Psalm 146 - 23:56 . Psalm 147 - 25:25 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org
What do you do when God doesn't seem to show up? When the waiting feels too long, the pain feels too real, and faith starts to fade? In this message, we look at the story of Lazarus, not just as a miracle from the past, but as a picture of what Jesus wants to do in our lives right now. He's not only the resurrection for someday… He's the life for today.
The familiar story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is perhaps the crowning miracle of John's Gospel. Listen as Reverend Eric Alexander expounds the themes of sickness, suffering, and the prayer of faith amidst delays from God. Wonder at the power of Christ's victory over death and the grave on Hear the Word of God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29?v=20251111
Ever wondered what the creative process is behind the films, TV shows and theatre productions you watch? Well, Crew Chats is a podcast that goes behind the scenes and speaks to the crew that help make these productions. In this episode, I had a lovely chat with costume designer Ruka Johnson. We discussed being thrown into the deep end at work, her design process, why contemporary costume is viewed differently, and so much more. Credits include: Rocks, Bloods, The Red King and Lazarus. Recommendations: Severance The Flats – documentary Muna
Pdt. Ellya Makarawung (TB) Yohanes 11:6-7Namun setelah didengar-Nya, bahwa Lazarus sakit, Ia sengaja tinggal dua hari lagi di tempat, di mana Ia berada; tetapi sesudah itu Ia berkata kepada murid-murid-Nya: "Mari kita kembali lagi ke Yudea."
The Poem of the Man God is a retelling of the Gospel story of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the private revelations of Maria Valtorta. In this episode, we pick up where we left in Book Three: Jesus with Marjiam at Gesthemane and then at Bethany (with Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary Magdelene).Original music by Angela Marie (Mohammed). Messiah. Savior. Passion of Christ. Religion. Wisdom. Miracles. Catholic Christian Theology. Apostles. Disciples. Believers. Followers. Early Church. Communion. Healing. Suffering Sacrifice. New Testament.
Is generosity a matter of strategy or the soul? In this episode of Light + Truth, John Piper opens Luke's Gospel to show how Jesus calls us to wrestle with wealth, not reduce it to rules.
Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners Jesus's discussion with his disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep and HE was going to awaken him. Scripture References: Matthew 4:4; John 11:11; Matthew 10:1-4; John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 20:30-31; John 10:30-11:11; 1 John 4:18 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible. “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code. I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters in the Holy Bible. The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals. Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING? CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up. https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website: https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com Support the show
Welcome back to the show!Today, my friend and realtor, Valerie Velasquez Lazarus joins me to chat about the ins and outs of buying a home. Whether it's your first home, or you're an investor, this episode will help you find useful information and funny anecdotes that will help ease the buying process. Get in touch with Valerie:valerie4nm@live.comMOBILE: 505-250-1758OFFICE: 505-883-9400⭐️Join EMPOWERED SPENDER: My digital course that will teach you how to transform financial chaos and shame-inducing emotional spending sprees, into Rich Bitch energy, using an easy-breezy nervous system friendly approach that empowers you to spend guilt free, and save for future adventures. https://www.saveamillioncents.com/empoweredspender ⭐️Check out my 1:1 Money Magic Mentorship Program here.
Get early access to all of the 2025 RENEW Gathering Breakout Tracks: https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/ Visit RENEW.org for great resources on Disciple Making and Theology. Today's episode will help us gain a comprehensive understanding of the end times, including key theological concepts, personal anecdotes, and essential teachings, while emphasizing the urgency of discipleship and the eternal implications of our earthly choices. In this episode, Anthony Walker, a minister from the Highway 231 South Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, provides a comprehensive teaching on the end times, also known as eschatology. The session begins with Walker introducing himself and setting the expectation that this teaching will cover a broad spectrum of information, though only a portion may be addressed due to time constraints. He emphasizes the availability of a free ebook on renew.org and a podcast named "Scripture in Black and White" as additional resources for those interested in a more in-depth exploration of the topic. Walker delves into his personal history, recounting how the death of his father when he was a young child influenced his lifelong quest to understand life, death, and the end times. He shares poignant memories of grappling with the concept of death from an early age, and how his grandmother's profound yet simple theological guidance shaped his initial understanding of eschatology. Transitioning into the core teachings, Walker outlines the importance of distinguishing between essential, important, and disputable teachings within Christian doctrine. Using examples from both personal anecdotes and scripture, he explains that while some aspects of eschatology may be open to interpretation, there are fundamental elements that are universally accepted among Christians. These essentials include the belief in Christ's second coming, the resurrection of the dead, and God's final judgment. Walker breaks down what happens after death, referencing terms like "Sheol" from the Old Testament and "Hades" from the New Testament, to describe the intermediate state of the dead. He uses the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to illustrate the dichotomy between paradise (a place of comfort for the righteous) and Hades (a place of torment for the unrighteous). He addresses common questions about the afterlife, such as whether souls are inherently eternal and what happens immediately after death. The session also covers the second coming of Christ, highlighting that it will be visible, sudden, and unexpected, bringing glory to Christ and reuniting Christians. Walker discusses the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment, noting that it will be comprehensive and based on Jesus's teachings. He emphasizes that everyone will face judgment, and it will be both fair and final. Walker stresses the importance of living with an awareness of God's sovereignty and holiness. He points out that while God's love and grace are immense, His justice demands accountability. He vividly describes the horrors of hell as an irreversible punishment for those who reject Christ's atonement, contrasting it with the eternal joy and presence of God in heaven. In conclusion, Walker calls for an urgent commitment to discipleship, warning against complacency and underscoring the eternal implications of our earthly choices. The episode serves as both a theological exploration and a heartfelt appeal for believers to live in alignment with God's will, while also providing practical resources for further study on the end times.
When life feels delayed, disappointing, or downright impossible, could it be that God is setting the stage for His glory to be revealed? In this message, Pastor Lacey unpacks the story of Lazarus from John 11—where Jesus declares, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Through this miracle and the final "I AM" statement, we discover that God's delays are not His denials; they are divine opportunities for resurrection life to break through. Get ready to be stretched in your faith as Pastor Lacey calls us to believe for more, to see the glory of God, and to live in such a way that others are drawn to His light. This message will remind you that God is not glorified in our defeat, but in our victory—when life wins over death, healing triumphs over sickness, and hope rises out of despair. Wherever you're listening from today, lean in. God is still writing resurrection stories—for His glory, and for the sake of those around you.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a story of reversals—a tragic reversal for the rich man, and a gracious one for Lazarus. And it all points to the even greater reversal found in the gospel—where Jesus suffers the anguish and torment we deserve, so that we can be carried to heaven and find our eternal comfort in Him! This message was preached by Pastor Josh White on November 9, 2025.
This week on Reel Talk, Honey heads to the cinema to watch the highly-anticipated Yorgos Lanthimos film Bugonia, Jonathan reignites his love for Sam Claflin by watching Lazarus on Prime Video, and the pair dive into a new horror series on HBO rooted in the world of Stephen King's novel, IT: Welcome to Derry.It's also time to look back at Celebrity Traitors, catch up on Honey's American horror adventures and Jonathan reveals his topless E.T. creation.If you want to get involved in the show, email us at reeltalk@global.com and follow us on Instagram at @reeltalkross.Listen and subscribe to Reel Talk on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts.
What are you using as the source for your identity? Join us in part two of Because of You as Pastor Crystal shares with us the difference between Lazarus and the rich man. Idols will blind us to what is corroding our soul.Support the show
John 11:5-27,Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”You just heard some of the most amazing words that Jesus of Nazareth ever spoke. And I can pretty much guarantee that between the reality of what he says here and the everyday experience of our lives, it can feel like there's a Grand Canyon of difference. Between the life we truly have in Christ and the ‘Christian life' we lead, there's a gap.And look, I believe that Jesus, by the power of his Spirit, wants us to close that gap. That's what we're here for. And the way we close that gap — the way we begin to live the life Jesus means for us to live — is not necessarily by starting some new things, but it's by stopping a few things. We're gonna see these in our passage today, and I can't wait to show you, but first let's pray again:Father, by your Spirit and his power, speak to us in your word, we ask. In Jesus's name, amen.So, how do we close the gap? How do we live the life Jesus means for us to live? We stop three things …1. Stop underselling Jesus. (vv. 17–24)We're gonna focus most of our attention starting in verse 17, but we know from last week that Lazarus has been sick. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and Jesus loved all three of these siblings, verse 5 tells us. They were Jesus's friends.And they've lived in a town called Bethany, just two miles outside of Jerusalem. And after Lazarus dies, Jesus says to his disciples Let's go there.Verse 19 says Martha and Mary were both in their house in Bethany, surrounded by “many of the Jews” who were grieving with them. And this is not too different from our culture of funerals today. We're a lot of miles and years away from this scene, but even today after the death of someone we also make an opportunity for friends and neighbors to offer condolences. That's what's going on here. So imagine it's a crowded house, and there's an array of hot dishes in the kitchen, people everywhere.And somehow, during this time, Martha found out that Jesus was on the way. So she left the house and all the people, and she went to meet him, verse 21, and the first thing she says to Jesus when she sees him is:“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…”Stating the Obvious, TwiceNow, some readers take this as a rebuke, as if she's saying “You should have been here, Jesus! Now you're too late!” But I'm not so sure about that. Mary says the exact same thing as Martha in verse 32. So are both sisters rebuking Jesus? Or are both sisters grieving and stating the obvious?I don't think this is accusation, I think it's ache.Their pain is framing reality. Because they both know Jesus has healing power — they've seen it firsthand — and so they know he could have healed their brother when he was sick. But now he's not sick, he's dead.And Martha adds in verse 22,“But even now, [Jesus], I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”She's saying, basically,You could've healed Lazarus when he was sick if you were here (but you weren't). You're here now, though, and maybe there's still hope.The Pragmatic OptimistSee, Martha is a pragmatic optimist. I like her. She gets that Jesus has a special relationship with God, and that when Jesus asks things, God does it. So she's thinking there might be something here. Verse 22 is not a statement of bold faith, but it's more like Martha leaving the door open. It's a shot in the dark.At this point, up to verse 22, Martha is underselling Jesus. Yes, he can heal; yes, he has special access to God; and maybe he can raise the dead … but she doesn't realize that he is the very Author of life itself, standing in front of her. He is not a healer who prays to God, he is the God who heals. He is the one who has final authority over life and death.He doesn't merely pull some strings with Ultimate Reality but he is Ultimate Reality in human flesh, and he's bigger and better than anything she could imagine. He can do whatever he wants!And the fact is, if we don't understand this about Jesus, we think too little of him.The Two CategoriesAnd that's a lot of us, a lot of times. If we're honest, we undersell Jesus. And the surest sign that we've been underselling Jesus is when we discover those areas in our lives where we've been leaving him out. That was Martha. She had a “Jesus Is Able” category and an “I Doubt It” category.Healing my sick brother was in the “Able” category, but raising my dead brother today was in the “Doubt” category. We have those categories, too. There are some things in your life you think Jesus is able to handle, and there are some things you think he can't. And the question for us is: What are those things? …What did you once put in the “Jesus Is Able” category that now you put in the “I Doubt It” category? … and why?You know, one of the great things about kids is how literal they take things. Innocently, wonderfully literal. I remember one morning, years ago when my oldest was a toddler and getting grown enough to dress herself, she was in her room and all of a sudden she started yelling, “Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!” So I ran to her door and found her all tangled up in a sweater she was putting on — she had put her head through the arm and was stuck. She needed help. See, I had told her before that Jesus can always help us; she was in a moment when she needed help; she asked Jesus to help. Doesn't that make sense? … Jesus helps; I need help; I ask Jesus for help.We agree that makes sense, so why don't we do it? About everything? Why have we taken it upon ourselves to relegate Jesus to what he can and cannot do?That has to stop. In whatever area of your life you might be saying to Jesus, “Yeah, I doubt it” this is where you lay it down.Whatever it is: if it's relationships, finances, sickness of any kind, work, sports, family, getting stuck in your sweater, don't make asking Jesus for help the last resort.Make it the first thing you do. Make it as natural as breathing — “Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!”One day we're gonna truly learn that everything in existence belongs in the “Jesus Is Able” category, and to think anything less is underselling him. So by the power of the Holy Spirit, let's stop doing that.2. Stop settling for a normal life. (vv. 25–26)Now in verses 21–22, Martha says what she says to Jesus, and Jesus says back to her in verse 23, “Your brother will rise again.”And to that, Martha says, verse 24,“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”And this is standard Jewish teaching. Martha is a devout Jewish woman, and she has a solid Old Testament faith. In the Book of Job, Chapter 19, verse 26, Job says, “And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.” Job models Old Testament faith in a future bodily resurrection, and Martha believed that. She believed that for Lazarus. But then look what Jesus says in verse 25. And this is one we all gotta see. The most important sentence in the story. Everybody if you can, find verse 25. Chapter 11, verse 25.Verse 25:Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”This Is a Big DealAnd right away, before Jesus says anything else, we gotta think: This sounds like a big deal. This is the fifth time Jesus has used an “I AM” statement in this Gospel. And he's not only claiming to be God here, but he says something about himself that I don't think we'd expect God to say. It's that he doesn't merely cause resurrection or give life, but it's who he is. Jesus is the resurrection, Jesus is the life — and he explains what he means by each of those in what he says right after. We're gonna look closer at both …First, about being the resurrection, Jesus explains:“Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” And again, remember this is standard Jewish teaching. The resurrection means after you die, you will live again, in a new body — Jesus says, “Though he die, yet shall he live.” But what makes this so amazing, so different, is that Jesus says this future resurrection is determined by him … and I admit words fail me here. We have to stretch our minds. Imagine: the future resurrection — this ancient hope Martha believed — it has its source, its beginning and end, its meaning, in Jesus, this real man who's talking to her. The resurrection is so bound up in Jesus that he can say I am the resurrection.And he's the life. About being the life, Jesus explains:“Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”And when he says “lives” here he doesn't mean just being alive, but he's talking about truly living — this is living with the eternal life Jesus came to give us. This is living by faith in him. They're one in the same. Truly living is believing in Jesus, and when we live that life, we will never die. That life just keeps going. It's as secure as Jesus is, because he is the life.The Christian SuperpowerNow notice what Jesus does here: he takes these two concepts of resurrection and life and he intertwines them for maximum relevance today. See, the resurrection is something we would typically locate in the future, but in Jesus it has invaded present reality. And the life, which is present reality, in Jesus it stretches into the future. So future resurrection steps back into now, and life now steps forward into the future, and it's all centered on Jesus. What that means this morning is that by faith in Jesus, Christian — in Christ, in this moment, you possess eternal life that will never end, but it only gets better with time. Can you imagine that? Sitting where you are right now, in Christ that life is in you, of you, true of you.One of the things we do often in our Community Group, before we start discussion, we do an ice-breaker question. Usually it's a fun question to warm people up a little. And one question, you've probably heard this one before is, If you could have any superpower what would it be?And we might think of flight or lightening speed or the ability to download a whole book into your brain by just touching it. All pretty cool. But how about having a kind of life that is irrevocable and invincible? You have a kind of life you cannot lose and that will never end — it just deepens as long as eternity lasts. Look, to be a Christian is to have this superpower. It does not mean we're fully immortal — our present bodies can be injured, our skin's not bullet-proof, physical life can die here — but we do have life in us that will never die.And at the very least, at the practical level, this means we need to stop settling for a normal life.Would your life be normal if you could fly?Would your life be normal if you could run to Florida in two minutes?Should your life be normal if you knew you'd never die?Who Does That?Christians, where'd our courage go? Why are we so afraid of risk? Now I'm not saying we should all go bungee jumping and sky-diving … I'm talking about radical Christian sacrifice — which means doing things now that only make sense if heaven is your home. I'm talking about living in such a way that demands a gospel explanation.And look, I realize that I'm talking to a mixed room.Some of you have tons of energy and you're ready to take the world, some of you can barely take another day. You're exhausted. You're tryin' to raise eight kids under the age of 12 (and if that's you, I've been there). And often when we're under pressure, when we feel overwhelmed, we can slip into a scarcity mindset. We start to hunker down and assume that what we most need is more self-care. We get inward and protective. And look, that's normal. It's normal.But Christian, we've got something better than normal. And often the best thing we can do when we're having a hard time is to think about somebody else.I don't want to embarrass anybody, but I could tell you three stories right now of people in our church who are going through real suffering and they've chosen in their valley to see other people and to step out in love. Their cup feels empty and they're still choosing to pour.Who does that kind of thing? People who have a superpower. People who have Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life. Hey, if we wanna live the life Jesus means for us to live, we gotta stop settling for normal. 3. Stop Disbelieving, But Believe (v. 27)Notice the end of verse 26. After Jesus says these amazing words, he asks:“Do you believe this?”One thing I love about this question is that it shows us that Jesus, in this moment, he isn't thinking about Lazarus or his disciples who are with him, but he's thinking about Martha. He's looking at Martha and he cares about her heart. It's a singular “you.” He's saying, Martha, do you believe what I'm telling you?This is a question that we should hear Jesus asking us. Like today.This is a crowded room, there's a lot of people in here, but Jesus would speak to you the same way he speaks to Martha. He cares about your heart. He wants your faith. He would ask, Do you believe?Exactly the PurposeNow before we look at how Martha responds, remember that Jesus's simple question here is important to this entire Gospel. Hold your place here and turn to Chapter 20, verse 30. This is a little parenthetical comment from John where he tells us the purpose of this Gospel. John Chapter 20, verses 30–31. John writes: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that [purpose statement] you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.See how John combines again life and believing! We have eternal life by believing in Jesus. But notice especially the content of our belief. What exactly does John want us to believe? He says it here: the purpose is that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Now turn back to Chapter 11. Look at Martha's reply to Jesus in verse 27. Jesus asks her in verse 26,“Do you believe this? Verse 27:She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that [you are the Christ, the Son of God], who is coming into the world.”Martha's confession of faith is exactly John's purpose in writing this Gospel. Martha is a model for the kind of faith that John wants all of us to have. Because embedded in the fact that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Son of God, comes all the other excellencies of who he is. Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, is the shorthand way of saying that Jesus is everything the Bible says he is. Notice that Martha adds in verse 27 that Jesus is the one “who is coming into the world.” What is significant about her saying that? Calvin says Martha adds that line to “strengthen her faith by the predictions of the prophets.” And I think that's right. When Martha says this, she is making the connection that Jesus is the One the prophets foretold. He's the fulfillment of Old Testament hope. So look what's happened in this conversation! Martha has gone from Old Testament faith to born-again Christian. This is a conversion. She has done what Jesus says to Thomas in Chapter 20, verse 27: “Stop disbelieving, but believe.”Jesus at WorkMartha has done that, and we should do the same. And I mean this for all of us. If you're here today and you're not yet a Christian, I hope the invitation is clear. Jesus is asking you if you believe in who he says he is, and it's a Yes or No — and either answer takes energy. It takes energy to disbelieve. There's no neutrality. Either you're with Jesus or you're not. So if you're here today and you have a kind of gray, vague faith in Jesus (kinda like an Old Testament faith), this is the moment for you to step into the vivid color of this confession. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And for the Christians in the room, Cities Church, remember that disbelief can still lurk in our hearts. It's part of indwelling sin and life in this world, even in our walk with Jesus there can be areas in our lives that are plagued by disbelief. Back to that “I Doubt It” category. I don't think Jesus is done with us here. He wants us to close that gap between who he truly is for us and our everyday experience. Christian, would you ask him to do that? Ask him to help you lay down whatever you gotta lay down.Stop underselling Jesus. Stop settling for a normal life. Stop disbelieving, but believe. That's what brings us to the Table.The TableJesus Christ, the Son of God — what a Savior! That's what we remember at this Table. We remember that the life we have in Jesus came through his death for us. Bearing shame and scoffing rudeIn my place condemned He stoodSealed my pardon with His bloodHallelujah, what a SaviorIf you trust in Jesus this morning, if he died in your place, if you believe he is the resurrection and the life, we invite you to eat and drink with us and give him thanks.
In this sermon, Pastor Jonathan Parnell expounds upon John 11:5-27. Lazarus has died and Jesus visits the family. In response to Martha's pain, Jesus shares some of the most amazing words he ever spoke – but there's a gap between the reality of Jesus's words here and our experience of life. So how can we close that gap?
Everything in balance. As Jesus spends the evening at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, each of the siblings shows us a different aspect of living in a full relationship with Jesus. Martha serves, Lazarus listens to His Words, and Mary worships. We seek to live a Christian life that strikes balance in all three areas.John 12:2-8*Music tracks by Blue Dot Sessions titled “Glass Beads” and “Come As You Were” were featured in this episode
In this episode of the Pick of the Week podcast, hosts Steve and Jarrod discuss their latest comic book picks, including Skin Breaker, Life 6, Powers 25, and more. They delve into the themes of each comic, exploring character development, storytelling techniques, and the impact of artwork. The conversation also touches on the nostalgia of classic comics, the significance of reprints, and the ongoing read-along of Frank Miller's Daredevil. The hosts share their thoughts on the evolution of comic storytelling and the importance of engaging narratives in the comic book medium.Send us a message (I'm not able to reply)Support the showPage Chewing Blog Page Chewing Forum Film Chewing PodcastSpeculative Speculations Podcast Support the podcast via PayPal Support the show by using our Amazon Affiliate linkJoin Riverside.fm Co-Hosts: Jarrod Varsha Chris Jose Carl D. Albert (author) Thomas J. Devens (author) Intro and Outro Music by Michael R. Fletcher (2024-Current)
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Christian Church Lexington, Ma Podcast
In the Gospel Passage today we hear about the poor man Lazarus and the Rich man. Both died and went to very different areas. Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham in Heaven and the rich man was in torment. And between them there was a great chasm.Did you know that there was a chasm between Lazarus and the rich man before they died?Are you a chasm or a bridge?Listen...
Frog and Toad Are Friends, at least according to a venerable children's book. And so are Jason (Crazy Town's resident biology nerd) and conservationist brothers, Kyle and Trevor Ritland, authors of The Golden Toad: An Ecological Mystery and the Search for a Lost Species. The three eco-explorers connect over wondrous habitats and critters in Costa Rica's cloud forest and swap stories that cover Lazarus species, global pandemics, self-taught naturalists, birding, and even pregnancy tests. Spliced into the nostalgia and stories are reflections on how to cope in a world where biodiversity is declining and how to regain the connections that modernity has severed between humanity and wild nature. Originally recorded on 10/9/25.Sources/Links/Notes:Kyle and Trevor Ritland, The Golden Toad: An Ecological Mystery and the Search for a Lost Species, Diversion Books, 2025.Adventure Term, Kyle and Trevor's nonprofit experiential learning initiativeRelated episode(s) of Crazy Town:Episode 40, "Nature Detachment and Ecocide, or… the Story of the Marauding Mountain Lion"Episode 49, "A Day at the Zoo Is No Walk in the Park: Humanity's Overexploitation of Animals and Nature"
Dr. Greg is joined by Certified CatholicPsych Mentor Jack Beers for a deep and honest conversation about the Church's invitation to mourn well—especially during the month of November. What begins as a discussion on liturgical rhythms becomes a surprising and moving reflection on death, grief, legacy, and the radical hope of sainthood. Together, they explore how embracing the reality of death—rather than avoiding it—can actually lead to greater peace, healing, and flourishing. Key Topics: How meditating on your own death can bring clarity, peace, and purpose How popular culture distorts death—and what we lose when we avoid it Why the Church dedicates the month of November to the dead, and why it matters for your spiritual life The difference between ruminating on death and reflecting on it with intention Why Catholics are called to live in the tension of grief and resurrection How mourning connects us to legacy, eternity, and the call to become saints A practical invitation to pause, reflect, and realign at the end of the liturgical year What Jesus' response to Lazarus reveals about mourning with hope Learn More: Related episodes on Spiritual Warfare: Ep. 241: Big God LIttle Devil: Rethinking Spiritual Soundbites with Dr. Sean Tobin Ep. 137: Demonic Real Talk Related episodes on Halloween: Ep. 150: Can Catholics Celebrate Halloween? Ep. 45: Halloween, Haiti, and Spiritual Warfare Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment Follow Us on Socials: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter (X) | LinkedIn
Memento Mori: Holding Onto What Matters Most in Life and Death Today's Homily, on All Souls‘ Day, . . . . . . tells the story of a grieving family mourning their only daughter. When the priest arrives, people expect answers and consolation . . . but instead, he sits at the coffin and weeps with them. His tears silently communicate that death, pain, and loss are real, and sometimes there are no words . . . only presence and love. Memento Mori The message extends to all who mourn: the Church stands with us in grief and points us to Christ, who also wept for His friend Lazarus. Jesus shares in our suffering, prays with us, and leads us to eternal life. The reading reminds us that nothing . . . not even death . . . can separate us from God's love and that we are created for eternal glory. We are encouraged to remember death, to hold onto what truly matters . . . Christ . . . and to live well, knowing our time on earth is limited. Commemorating the dead comforts us, honors them, and reminds us that one day we too will be prayed for. May the souls of the departed rest in peace Listen to this Meditation Media: Listen to: Memento Mori: Holding Onto What Matters Most in Life and Death ------------------------------------------------------------- Memento Mori . . . . . . is a Latin phrase that means: “Remember that you will die.” It is a spiritual reminder used throughout Christian history . . . especially by monks and saints . . . to keep life in perspective. The point is not to inspire fear, but to encourage: • humility • living with purpose • focusing on what truly matters (our soul and love of God) • readiness to meet the Lord In other words, Memento Mori invites us to live well by remembering that earthly life is temporary and eternal life is our true destination. ------------------------------------------------------------- Art Work All Souls' Day: Czech Painter: Jakub Schikaneder: 1888
"The Harley Davidson rider had hit a dog and was thrown from his bike. My dad did CPR on the guy for more than ten minutes. There was still no pulse, no breathing. That's when I remembered the story of Lazarus." ---------- In this episode, I sit down with 18-year-old Christian Lindsay, who didn't turn toward God until just two years ago. Christian shares an unforgettable story from a cross-country trip with his family, when they witnessed a horrific accident — a man on a Harley Davidson struck a dog and was thrown from his bike. His father, who had never done CPR before, began desperately trying to save the man's life. Ten minutes passed… no pulse, no breathing. What happened next is nothing short of miraculous. Christian calls it his Lazarus story. Christian also opens up about why so many young people are drifting from the church — and what's missing that could bring them back. Enjoy the podcast! ---------- Share Your Story If you have a Touched by Heaven moment that you would like to share with Trapper, please leave us a note at https://touchedbyheaven.net/contact Our listeners look forward to hearing about life-changing encounters and miraculous stories every week. Stay Informed Trapper sends out a weekly email. If you're not receiving it, and would like to stay in touch to get the bonus stories and other interesting content that will further fortify your faith. Join our email family by subscribing on https://trapperjackspeaks.com Become a Patron We pray that our listeners and followers benefit from our podcasts and programs and develop a deeper personal relationship with God. We thank you for your prayers and for supporting our efforts by helping to cover the costs. Become a Patron and getting lots of fun extras. Please go to https://patreon.com/bfl to check out the details. More About Trapper Jack Visit Our Website: https://TrapperJackSpeaks.com Patreon Donation Link: https://www.patreon.com/bfl Purchase our Products · Talk Downloads: https://www.patreon.com/bfl/shop · CD Sales: https://trapperjackspeaks.com/cds/ Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TouchedByHeaven.TrapperJack Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trapperjack/ Join us on X/Twitter: https://x.com/TrapperJack1