Joel Osteen - Remove The Grave Clothes (04/19/2018)
- Watch
- Donate
- Contact Us
God calls us to help restore hurting and broken people by removing their «grave clothes"—the external bondages like addiction and poor choices—through love, mercy, and faith, just as Jesus raised Lazarus and friends unwrapped him, and as seen in stories of promiscuous grace reaching the unlikely.
Grace Instead of Judgment
I want to talk to you today about removing the grave clothes. There are people God has put in our lives on purpose so we can help restore them. They are off course. They are addicted. They are broken. It is easy to judge and think they should make better decisions. It is their own fault. But if it were not for the grace of God, that could be us. We did not get to where we are because we are so talented, so disciplined, so obedient.
That may be true on the surface, but where did you get the talent? Where did you get the discipline? It came from your Heavenly Father. It was not anything we chose. It is simply the goodness of God. But too often, we look at others and think, «Why are they still making poor choices? Why are they still addicted? Why do they get in bad relationships again and again? I would not do that.» It is because God has given you grace in that area. Without His grace, you would be where they are.
Instead of looking down on them, pointing the finger—“You should know better”—they do not need more condemnation. God did not put them there so you could judge them; He put them there so you could love them. Love heals. Love restores. Love lifts up. All around you are hurting people, broken people—people that may not have had the advantages that you had. They were not raised by parents that invested in them. They have never felt the love, the approval that you felt. It is easy to criticize, but you do not know where you would be if you had walked in their shoes.
The longer I live, the less judgmental I am. I realize everyone did not get what I got. It is easy for me to feel secure, valuable, confident, believe big. I had parents that guided me, family that supported me. I was born in a great country with opportunity and resources. Life is not a level playing field. When you are tempted to be judgmental, you need to remind yourself: most likely, they did not get everything you got. If it were not for the mercy of God, you would be making the same decisions that they are making. God has freely given you mercy. Here is my challenge: freely give it to others. God is counting on us to lift the fallen.
Lazarus and the Grave Clothes
John chapter 11: Lazarus was very sick. His two sisters sent word to Jesus to come pray for him, but Jesus did not arrive in time. Lazarus died. Jesus showed up four days later. He spoke to Lazarus and said, «Lazarus, come forth.» Instantly, he woke up. He was raised from the dead—a great miracle. The problem was Lazarus was wrapped with grave clothes. In those days, when someone died, very often they would wrap them up like a mummy. Verse 44 says, «Lazarus came out bound in grave clothes.» Jesus said to them, «Unwrap him and let him go.»
Even though Lazarus was alive, even though God had done something amazing on the inside, he was still bound on the outside. Somebody had to remove his grave clothes, or he would never have experienced the fullness of what God had done. You can imagine when they went to take off the grave clothes—after being dead for four days—the smell was almost unbearable. Every layer they unwrapped, the stench got worse. It was dirty, messy, smelly. They had to be incredibly dedicated. They must have loved Lazarus a whole lot to have been willing to endure all it took to remove his grave clothes.
This is what God has called us to do. There are people around us wearing grave clothes. God has done something on the inside—He has breathed life into them, given them purpose—but they are still bound on the outside. They have addictions. They struggle with their temper. They are loose in their morals. The problem is it is messy. It is tempting to think, «When they clean themselves up, then I will help them. When they get back on course. Joel, when it is not so messy. When they come back to church, then I will encourage them.» How can they get free if someone does not step up to remove their grave clothes?
Where are the people that are willing to get dirty to help someone else, to go out on a limb to befriend someone that others think is too far down, to reach out to that relative that is struggling with an addiction that others have written off?
Grave Clothes Are Messy
It would be easy to remove grave clothes if they were nice and tidy, if people were making good decisions, on the high road. That is not reality. Grave clothes are dirty. Grave clothes are messy. Grave clothes stink. We think when someone still has issues, still has addiction, is compromised, bitter, jealous—they have a long way to go. But just because they are wearing grave clothes, just because they are still dirty, does not mean they are not clean on the inside. Jesus spoke life to Lazarus. He was free on the inside but still bound on the outside.
What am I saying? Do not judge by appearance. The grave clothes may stink. They may be dirty, but on the inside there is a free person, a clean person, a forgiven person, a victorious person. They are just waiting for someone that will not be put off by the outside, someone that will step up to help remove the grave clothes.
How do you do this? By speaking faith into them—not telling them what they are, but telling them what they can become—by loving them, by taking time to care, by going out of your way to be their friend. They have enough people pushing them down, pointing out their faults, complaining about their grave clothes. You can be the one to push them up, to see the best in them, to help them get free. You can be a grave-clothes remover.
Promiscuous Grace: Bill Nash’s Story
For years, my mom prayed for a man by the name of Bill Nash. She would see his name on marquees around town. Bill was a popular entertainer, a country western singer. He grew up singing in church as a little boy. His parents were missionaries. He was raised in a strong family of faith. But as a teenager, Bill got off course and started running with the wrong crowd, not making good decisions. Instead of singing in churches, now he was singing in bars and clubs.
But the Scripture says God’s calling on your life is irrevocable. That means you may run away from God, but God will not run away from you. His grace will come looking for you. Paul wrote about the grace in Romans that God freely gives us. One translation of the word «freely» is promiscuous. When someone is promiscuous, they are loose. They are unrestrained. They will be with anyone.
That is the way God’s grace is. You can be in a bar and grace will come looking for you. You can be high on drugs and grace will come knocking at your door. You can be in the wrong places, doing the wrong thing with the wrong people, and when you least expect it, out of nowhere, you will hear that still small voice saying, «Come back home. I love you. I have something better.» God does not say, «If you clean yourself up, I will show you mercy. If you get back on course, I will think about being good to you.» God’s grace is promiscuous. It goes to unlikely places.
Every time my mom saw Bill’s name, under her breath: «Lord, thank You for bringing Bill back home. Thank You that he will fulfill his destiny.» She had never met him, had no connections, but year after year she kept praying for him. It did not look like anything was happening, but you do not know what God is doing behind the scenes. One day that grace convinced Bill to turn his life around. He wanted to go to church, but he thought, «Nobody would want somebody like me. I have made a lot of mistakes, lived a rough life. I am known as a partier.»
He turned on the television and saw my father talking about the goodness of God. That Sunday he walked into Lakewood—the first time since he was a teenager. He sat way in the back. Someone recognized him and brought him down to see my mom. She told how she had been praying for him and how that was a dream come true. That day was a turning point in Bill’s life. A few months later he gave his first Christian concert at Lakewood, and he has been using his talents for the Lord ever since.
Like Lazarus, Bill needed someone to help remove the grave clothes. That is what my mother did. She recognized underneath the mess, the partying, the compromising, there was a free man—a man destined to do great things.
There are a lot of Bills out there—people that are bound on the outside but have greatness on the inside. They just need someone that will not be afraid to get dirty, someone that will not be judgmental and say, «He used to be in church. He is in the bars. What is wrong with him?» No—instead of judging them, why do you not take that same time to pray for them, to reach out to them, to let them know that you believe in them?
Jesus Counts on Us
What if when Jesus raised Lazarus, no one was willing to remove the grave clothes? Nobody wanted to deal with the stink. Nobody wanted to get dirty. Lazarus would not have lived that long. He was bound, not able to move. Jesus did His part, but He was counting on Lazarus’s friends and family to do their part.
Are there people in your life waiting for you to help remove their grave clothes? They are off course, struggling in some area. It is easy to make excuses: they brought the trouble on themselves; it is their fault; I am too busy; I have got enough problems of my own. No—take time to make a difference. Do not look at them through eyes of judgment; look at them through eyes of love. Maybe deep down they want to change. Maybe grace has been knocking at their door, getting stronger and stronger, but they do not know the next step.
A phone call from you, a kind word, taking them out to dinner—not to try to straighten them out, but just to let them know that you care—that is what speaks volumes: that you are not there to condemn them, to point out their faults; you are there to simply love them.
Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery
John chapter 8: these religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus and threw her down at His feet. She was caught in the act of adultery. They said, «Jesus, the law says stone her. What do You say we should do?» It seems obvious. The law was clear. The lady was guilty. One thing I love about Jesus is He broke religious rules in order to be good to people.
In the Old Testament, God gave them ten commandments, but the people turned them into over two thousand laws. When Jesus came, He said in effect, «I am getting rid of all these religious rules, all these heavy demands you put on people that only make them guilty and condemned. Instead, I am going to condense them down into two: love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.»
In effect He was saying people are more important than religious rules. Everything is not going to fit perfectly into our theology: they have to do this, they have to do that, they cannot do that, they cannot go there. If you convince people to follow all your religious rules but you do not have love, the Scripture says we are like a loud, clanging cymbal.
I do not want to be known for what I am against; I want to be known for what I am for. I am for people. I am for second chances. I am for mercy. I am not in the condemning business; I am in the loving business, I am in the healing business, I am in the lifting business. I want to be known as a grave-clothes remover—as someone that saw the best in people, that helped push them into their destiny, as someone that was willing to get dirty, to go after messy people, broken people, people that society has written off.
But let me warn you: when you love people who are messy, you may be criticized; you may be talked about.
Grace Goes to Unlikely Places
One time Jesus was walking through a crowded town—thousands of people around. He looked up and saw Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. He was known as one of the most dishonest people. He lied, he cheated, he did not keep his word. Yet Jesus said, «I want to go to dinner with you today.» Of all the people there that day—there were priests, rabbis, elders in the synagogue—but grace goes to unlikely places. Jesus did not see just what Zacchaeus was; He saw what he could become. He was bound on the outside by grave clothes, but He knew on the inside was a man of integrity, a man of honor.
Jesus went to dinner with Zacchaeus—someone that people considered dirty, messy, broken. In fact, the Scripture says the religious leaders complained that He went to dinner with a notorious sinner. When you go after the broken, the hurting, the addicted, people may criticize; they may talk about you—but you are in good company. You are never more like God than when you go after messy people.
This lady was on the ground in front of Jesus, surrounded by all these men. She was afraid, embarrassed, expecting the worst. Jesus knelt down and wrote in the ground. He said to them, «Whoever is without sin, throw the first stone.» They all put their heads down. They were convicted.
When you are tempted to be judgmental, ask yourself, «Have I ever done wrong? Am I qualified to throw the first stone?» None of us are. The men walked out from the oldest to the youngest. He said to her, «Where are your accusers? Has not anyone condemned you?» She said, «No man, Lord.» He said, «Neither do I. Now go and sin no more.»
Our religious minds go tilt, tilt, tilt: grace for somebody that committed adultery? Grace for a man that is known for being dishonest? Grace for a guy that is singing in clubs? God’s grace is promiscuous. Why do you not go after someone that does not deserve it—someone that has made mistakes, someone that is hurting? You can be the one that helps put them back on their feet. Nobody is too far gone. Nobody has made too many mistakes. All some people need is one person to believe in them, one person to say, «Hey, I am praying for you, ” one person to breathe new life back into their spirit.
Speaking Faith into the Discouraged
Years ago there was a minister that was touching the world, doing great things, but someone accused him of having a lack of integrity. Rumors started to spread. They took on a life of their own. He had mistakes, but it was blown way out of proportion. He was so devastated he got out of the ministry. For months you did not hear anything from him.
I did not know him well—he is much older than I am—but I felt like I was supposed to reach out to him. My mind came up with all these excuses: „Joel, he is not going to listen to you. If people find out you are talking, you are going to be dragged into this mess. You better leave him alone. He does not have a good reputation. He is tainted. He is messy.“ But I found God loves messy people. God loves broken people. He loves people that are at a disadvantage—not just people that have had bad breaks, but He even loves people that have brought the trouble on themselves.
I did not know if he would take my call, but I felt strongly about it. He answered the phone. I could barely hear him speak. He said, „Joel, I do not have any more fight left in me. I am done.“ I did not talk long, but for the next three minutes I spoke faith into him. I spoke restoration. I told him that we needed him, that the nations were waiting on him, that God’s mercy is bigger than our mistakes, that his best days were not behind—they were still out in front. He said in a real soft voice, „Thank you, ” and hung up. It did not seem like it did any good.
But six months later he called back and sounded like a different person. He had his fire back, his passion back. He was about to go overseas. He said something I will never forget: „Joel, it all turned around that day you called. Something reignited in my spirit. Something came alive on the inside.“
When you go after the hurting, the broken, the discouraged, the anointing on your life will break yokes that are holding them back. You may not feel it; they may not respond right away—but when you speak faith, chains are breaking. When you show love, strongholds are coming down. When you are merciful, compassionate, forgiving, you are pouring oil on the wounds. You are being a healer, a restorer, a lifter.
Hosea: A Picture of God’s Redeeming Love
There was a young prophet in the Old Testament named Hosea. He lived at a time when the Israelites were worshiping idols and not honoring God. Hosea was well respected. People came from all over to get his advice. He was a single man and looked forward to the day he would get married. He knew God would bring him a wife, but it was not what he thought. God told him to marry a lady named Gomer. Gomer was a former prostitute. She did not have a good reputation.
I can imagine Hosea thought, „God, do You know who this lady is? I am a prophet. I am a man of God. What are people going to think?“ He could have talked himself out of it, but he knew to obey. Things started off good. They were in love. They had a son. But then things went downhill. Hosea would go out to minister, but Gomer did not understand the calling on his life. She had two more sons, but not by Hosea. She slipped back into her old ways.
Hosea was heartbroken. He knew she was being unfaithful, but he loved his wife. He pleaded with her again and again to change, and it would last for a little while; then she would go right back. To make matters worse, everyone knew about Gomer’s affairs. She was the talk of the town.
One morning Hosea woke up and Gomer was gone. She had abandoned him and the three children. Maybe she left a note saying, „I am sorry, but I am done. I have found another man to love. Go on with your life.“ I can hear Hosea’s friends saying, „It is about time. That lady has brought you nothing but heartache and pain. You deserve much better.“ That sounded good on the outside, but Hosea still loved Gomer. He grieved greatly over this loss.
Years later he overheard from the town gossip that Gomer was still alive. She had been deserted by all the men that said they loved her. Now she had hit rock bottom. She was about to be sold as a slave. The Scripture says the Lord said to Hosea, „Go get your wife again and bring her back home.“ After all the pain she had caused, after all the rejection, abandonment—you would think Hosea would say, „I am done with this lady. I am over with her.“ But Hosea had this undying love.
He went back to the city and found her in the red-light district, on the auction block, about to be sold. She was beaten down, dirty, hair disheveled, clothes torn, her head down in shame. He got up close and whispered, „Gomer.“ She looked up and could not believe it. He smiled and said, „Do not worry; I am going to get you out of here.“
What was that? Promiscuous grace. It goes to unusual places. He went to the man in charge and said, „That is my wife; I am taking her with me.“ He said, „You are not taking her anywhere. She belongs to me. She is for sale. You will have to buy her.“ He took out his wallet and paid fifteen shekels and five barley loaves. He bought back what should have already been his.
Hosea is a picture of God. Gomer represents you and me. We have all been unfaithful. We went our own way, did our own thing. But God, who is rich in mercy—when we turned our back on Him, He had every right to walk away, but He did not turn His back on us. He came down to the messy places, to where we failed, to where we should have been finished—and He bought us back, not with fifteen shekels, but with the blood of His own Son.
Since God has rescued us, since He has bought us back—will you be a Hosea and buy somebody else back? Will you rescue them?
Be a Grave-Clothes Remover
There are hurting people all around you—broken people that do not think anyone cares. They are in messy places. They do not deserve your kindness. You could walk away. Nobody would fault you. But God rescued you; He is counting on you to rescue them. They are not in your path by accident. God put them there because He can trust you. You can help love them back into wholeness.
Other people may not see it, but underneath the mess, the addictions, the bad habits—there is a son, there is a daughter of the Most High God. They may be bound on the outside, but like Lazarus, they are royalty on the inside. They have seeds of greatness.
Will you be a Hosea and go after the hurting, go after the broken, those that are addicted, those that have been written off by society? Not with your finger pointed in judgment, telling them what they are doing wrong—go after them with something more powerful: with love, with mercy, with the goodness of God. They do not deserve it; neither did we. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
You have been shown incredible mercy. I am asking you: show that mercy to others. Be a Hosea. If you will do this, I believe and declare—as you lift others up, God is going to lift you up. As you rescue somebody else, God will always have somebody to rescue you and your children. The seed you sow will come back to you, in Jesus’ name.