Louie Giglio - Come Out of the Tomb
We looked at this passage in Joel about the locust forms, and then we looked at the promise in chapter two where he comes in verse 23 and says, "Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil".
This is God who is a restorer. In your situation today, may not be pandemic related or maybe it was impacted in some way, but maybe it's a relationship thing that you're going through, or a season of life for you that's been incredibly challenging, or an illness, or some sickness that's not related to the pandemic, or maybe there's been a fracture of a friendship or maybe there has been a job change, or some other loss in your life, I'm telling you what God is wanting to say today is the situation is real and the loss is real, but God is a restorer and He is in the process of renewing, in verse 25, what's been lost. He says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten".
Anybody in the house today that knows what that's about? That you're looking back, and it wasn't a day, or a blip, or a night, or a weekend, there were a couple of years that got wiped out in your life? Well, God is saying, "I can repay you for the years the locust have eaten. If you turn to Me," the middle of chapter two, "And return to Me, I can restore". Not give back the years the locust were eaten as if they're never were gone and now everything's back. "No, I can't in some ways do that, but what I can do is repay you for what was lost".
There was something lost but that's not the end of the story. "I will repay you for the years the locust have eaten, the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you. And you'll have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you". This is your future. Look at the last verse. "Then you will know that I am in Israel," "You'll know that I'm in your midst". "And that I am the Lord your God. That there is no other, never again will my people be shamed". Not going back and saying, "Nothing was lost," and maybe in some cases, not being able to return what was lost, "But I will repay you for the years that were lost".
In other words, there will be a threshing floor that is full. That means crops will have come in. "There will be vats of new wine and vats of new oil". That means the olive tree will have blossomed and bloomed, and it means the vines will have grapes on them again. There will be a harvest. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten". All through this text, I was thinking about Lazarus. We talked a little about that story last week. And everybody knows the story of Lazarus and it seems kinda crazy to go back to it, but there's all kind of things in the story of Lazarus that we really don't think about. And I'd love to take us back there today because I really believe that Jesus would leave the 99.
So, I wanna make sure that we have the heart today that we'll do that as well. Lazarus' story is interesting. I'd love us just to read it if that's okay. He begins in verse one, it says, "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha". Now, we remember them. "(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)"
Interesting that John wants to underscore the relationship, the closeness, the bond that this family has with Jesus and that they individually have with Jesus. "So the sisters sent word to Jesus," They're thinking, "Okay, were close and we're tight, and Lazarus is sick, but Jesus is amazing, so we gotta get word to Jesus". And they said, "'Lord, the one you love is sick.' When He heard this, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death".
Can we just say that together? "This sickness," Say it with me. "Will not end in death". Now, did it end in death? Yes, he did die but it didn't end in death. See what I'm saying? There's things that are lost but God has a way of repaying for the things that are lost. "No, this sickness is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it".
Now, let me just stop here and paint a little bit of a picture. Lazarus has a story going on, a big, important story, but at the same time, God has a story going on, not necessarily a bigger story than Lazarus, and a more important story than Lazarus, but God has this story going on. And I just want us all to remember that today because we normally only talk to God about our story that's going on and we forget sometimes that every time we have a story going on, God has a story going on. And I don't know all of what God's story going on during 2020, 2021, and 22 was, but I know that while we had a story, God also had a story 'cause God's running the world. He's sovereign and in control of this world.
So, we had a story, Lazarus had a story, but Jesus had a story. And so, when He hears that Lazarus is sick, He goes, "Yeah, this sickness isn't gonna end in death. By the way, this whole thing, this whole Lazarus story has a bigger purpose and it's in My story that this story finds its ultimate purpose". Man, I just need to pause on that for a minute. Are we getting that? Not getting too many "Amens" from that, but this is life changing stuff. That our story, good or bad, finds its ultimate meaning, and value, and purpose in God's story that's going on around our story. Jesus said, "The sickness isn't gonna end in death. It's for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.' Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed there, where He was, for two more days".
This is not what they were hoping for. "And then He said to His disciples, 'Let us go back to Judea.'" And there was threats against Jesus in Judea so His disciples remind Him of that and He answers them, and then look in verse 11. "After He said this, He went on to tell them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going there to wake him up". And you're like, "Yes, I knew it. He wasn't really dead. He just kinda was sleeping in the tomb the whole time". "And His disciples replied, 'Lord, if he sleeps, he'll get better.' And Jesus had been speaking of his death but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep, so He told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead.'"
Could you imagine being Jesus, the Son of God in a human body and dealing with these guys? "And for your sake I'm glad I was not there," This is not what we want to hear. "So that you may believe, but let us go to him". So, we had a guy now who's dead and Jesus said, "And I'm good with that," because there's another story happening here. "Stay with Me," He said, "Let's go". So, they go. "On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed home".
"Uh huh. I'd already sent a message specifically and particularly and now it's a couple days later. I'll let you go out and meet Him". "And Martha came to Him and she said, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.'" In other words, "I still think something could happen". "And Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' She answered, 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' And He said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?'"
That's a lot of beliefs. "'Yes Lord,' she told Him, 'I believe that You are the Christ the Son of God who is to come into the world.' And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. 'The Teacher is here,' she said, 'and is asking for you.' When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said," Similar to her sister. "'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and He was troubled. 'Where have you laid him?' He asked. 'Come and see, Lord,' they replied".
And then, verse 35, "Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!' But some of them said, 'Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?' Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 'Take away the stone,' He said. 'But, Lord,' Martha replied, the sister of the dead man, 'by the time, this time there is a bad odor, for he's been there four days.' Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?' So they took away the stone. And then Jesus looked up and He said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.'"
Story, "Move the stone," big story, "I need people here to get what's going on planet Earth right now". Story, "I know he's been in there four days," story, "God loved the whole world so much that He sent His only Son into the world, that the world might live through Him". "So, Father, I'm praying out loud right now so that they can hear what we're talking about and they can get in on the story that's happening here and not miss it because of the story that's happening here". "When He had said this, He called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'" Whoo. This is where the symphony rises up and the score really picks up pace, and everyone is just going, "Oh my word". "And the dead man came out, the dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face".
But he's coming out. He not coming out great but he's coming out. He's not bounding out, "Yes, Lord," but he's coming out. Hey, he's not moving fantastic but he's moving. Hey, he's not ready to do any massive movements but he's breathing. And just as the heart of what God is wanting to plant in cimednap, pandemic doesn't get the last word. Not in your life it doesn't. If you are putting your hope and putting your trust in the God who restores and who pays back for the years that the locust have eaten. And you may not be moving great right now, but you're moving. Come on, move something, just move anything. Move a hand, nod, twist your head, do something, just let me see, you're moving.
"Yeah, but, but we lost a lot". I know but you're breathing. "We're not moving super good". I know but you're not in the tomb. And this is the picture that God is really wanting us to see inside the picture that He really wants us to see. Lazarus came out, not great, not super strong, not with big, you know, bravado, but he came out. "And Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'" Let him free, unwrap this guy, and let him free. And that's the story that God has for you. A couple of big takeaways.
This is not just a Bible story, it's a human story. At the end of it, you're thinking everybody just was like, "Man, this is incredible. Good job. John, are you writing all this down? This is phenomenal. People will talk about this forever. People will be preaching about this on July 4th, who knows when and where. This is just crazy. Another Bible story. Kids, here's Lazarus in the tomb.
Now, let's move the stone. Look, kids, Lazarus is coming out". It's not just a Bible story, this is a human story. So, yes there was big gain at the end of this story but there was also big pain in this story.
A brother died, a friend died, the community mourned, people were in tears, emotions were wrecked, and now there's a living guy getting stuff unwrapped off of him. And everybody's like, "Woah, woah, woah". Jesus didn't go around to every person and say, "I erased from your memory the fact that this dude died. I erased all the tears, and all the pain, and all the hardship, and the night that you just laid on the ground in a pile of ashes and mourning. Poof, all gone, done. Look, he's coming out. Everybody's good". No, these are human beings. Talk about PTSD. On every side of this thing people are like, "Oh, okay, I just need, I need a minute. I'm gonna need to lay down. 'Cause I've been, I've been in mourning for days now, and we've been praying, and praying, and praying for weeks now that he would get better, this whole thing, and now he's alive and we... Whoo".
Can you imagine what you would have been through? You're like, "I really never thought about it like that". I know because we look at these like Bible stories and forget that they are human stories. All these people in this story were just like you. In fact, Lazarus, some traditions say he was 30 years old, 30. Kinda changes it, doesn't it? Mary and Martha, I don't know, 28, 29, 31. These are not just like, you know, characters, these are Jesus' friends. This was a youth movement by and large. Jesus was 30. Him and Lazarus both 30 years old. They're not supposed to be dying, but Lazarus did die and Jesus 'bout to die. This is a human story. So, inside your story I know there's a lot of humanity, and God is like, "I get it. I get it. I understand it. I'm in it with you".
The second thing that I see in this story that I think I just wanna highlight again today is that it is okay to not be okay. We did a whole message on that here, but I'd just like to say it again today, It's okay not be okay. So, if pandemic took some shots at you and some swings at you, and you're not just at your best form right now, it's okay. You didn't come church and you don't have to go, "No, I'm good. No, I'm good. Everybody's good, good, good, good, good, good, good, all good". You can say, "I'm not okay. I mean, I'm not in the tomb but I'm not okay. I'm out but I'm not moving real good. I am alive but I am not like my best self yet".
That's okay. As long as your story doesn't end with, "I'm not okay," it's okay to not be okay. Now, if your story ends with, "I'm not okay," that's not okay. But if your story doesn't end with, "I'm not okay," that is okay. If your story is, "I'm not okay but I'll tell you the one that called my name is okay. I'm not okay but Jesus is okay. I'm not okay but my Savior and my God is okay. I'm not okay but He's good, and if He's good and I'm with Him then me not being okay means that I am gonna keep my eyes on Him until I am okay. And I do believe I'm gonna be okay, because He's okay. I'm not okay currently but He's okay currently so I know I'm going to be okay because He is okay".
And it's okay to use the word "if". "If You'd only been there". Jesus didn't go, "Oh, Martha, come on. We're friends here. You can't doubt Me. You can't be questioning My timing". Then, Mary shows up. "If you'd just been here". He wasn't bothered by any of that, and that human story, He actually felt it, and then He wept. You're like, "How can He get so emotional when He knew He was about bring him out of the tomb? Why'd He go, 'I feel sad but not too sad.'" Because they were broken down and He loved them, and He didn't mind them saying, "If You'd just been here, he'd still be alive". And so, I just want you to know today, God doesn't mind your "if" and He doesn't mind you not being okay as long as your "not being okay" isn't the end of your theology. And as long as you don't let pandemic steal away from you the end of that which is, "I'm not okay, but Jesus is okay".
The third thing, we've already talked about it, that's so powerful in here is that your pain moves God. I don't know. That's beautiful and mysterious. That your pain moves God. He was deeply moved and He's deeply moved for you. He's not just sitting ambivalent somewhere in Heaven. But the fourth thing is that Jesus is in your story. That's the most important thing of this story is that Jesus was in the story. It didn't have to end this way. We don't know how it could have ended that way, or that way, but it's gonna be okay because Jesus is in the story.
And I just wanna encourage somebody somewhere in the world today to make that your new confession. Hey, this whole thing is a wreck right now, but here's the thing, Jesus is in this story right now. It may not be a Bible story but it's a human story, and you're in it and He's in it with you, and if your trust is in Him, your confession needs to be, "Jesus is in my story". Therefore no matter what else is happening in the story, I believe that there is going to be something happening in the story that is gonna be good and glorious in this story and from this story. And I'm just gonna make a new confession.
We are happy to share all the hard that we forget to add, "But Jesus. Jesus is in my story, not a story, my story, right now, in my story". And you may have buried a loved one, you may have been a healthcare worker that absolutely went through an imaginable time of stress, and maybe you do have PTSD because of the things you saw, and the death that you saw, and the hours that you labored. Another friend of mine was telling me about working in just like triage. He said, "All we were doing is just trying to keep people from dying. There was no, 'What's happening? Why is it happening?' It was just, we're just trying to keep people from dying".
And he said, "You know the crazy part of it? They ran out of all the stuff that you wear, and people were grabbing gowns out of the surgical unit, and putting them on, an taking duct tape and taping all the openings". Imagine that you're that person. You're not just moving on. Or imagine that you are that middle school kid or friend who has a vaccine related injury that's caused a lot of dominos to go over. There is long Covid, or there is long relational friction, or family friction, or there was job loss, or some other loss. All that's real, but don't forget who's in the story with you.
And I'm telling you, if Jesus is in the story with you, the end of the story could blow your mind. And I think the last thing, just underscoring again today, that your restoration, your cimednap is most likely a process. It's not some moment where everything just changes and that didn't happen and now everything is great, and that's true of other difficulties that people are in today. It's a process and that process takes time. So, I just say again today, give God time, give God some more time, and while you're giving Him time, believe, and trust, and ask Him, "God, above all, use this story, in the story, to bring glory to you and point people to Jesus".