Marcus Mecum - Love Them Back To Life - Part 2
So, she takes her son, she lays him in the bed of the prophet. You heard the saying, "You've made your bed now, lie in it". Well, that's what she did. She was so filled with faith because she didn't wait for the tragedy to strike to get her priorities right. She created this spiritual atmosphere long before the tragedy struck. Long before the trouble hit her home, she had built a bed of faith. And we have to remember that sooner or later, crisis will come to every family, and if you wait for the crisis to show up to create the atmosphere or to build that bed of faith, many times it's too difficult. You have to begin to do it now.
Many times, even in my own family, Sarah and I have been in situations where we wonder, "How is this going to affect the kids? How are they going to deal with this? This is tragic, this is traumatic, this is overwhelming even to us". And I'm not talking about unnecessarily burdening them, but I'm saying at times there's no way to keep the tragedy away from the family. And it's in those time, you just have to simply say, "God, I've done what I can do. I'm not you. I'm flawed. I'm imperfect. I'm weak. I don't have it all together. I've made some mistakes. But yet, even in spite of all of that, we've continued to lift you up in our home and we've continued to point you out as the one that they can go to no matter what lets them down in life".
We've built that bed for them. And every now and then, you even have to, with your own family, say, "You know what, my hands can do nothing about this situation. My influence can do nothing about this situation. But I know I can lay you down in the bed of faith, and I can say to God, 'my hand's short, but your hand is not short. And I give this situation and this tragedy to you. It's gonna require a miracle, but I give it to you'". I wonder how many of us, have created the right environments. For God to show up, and do a miracle in our home. I have great faith that the answer to that is absolutely yes, because you're here in this room right now.
Many of you are here because of a mom, made you come, your wife made you come. But that atmosphere where God is a priority, and God is valued is just something about great women who know how to do that in the home. Her son's laying there lifeless, she ends up leaving the home, and she's out looking for the prophet Elisha. The very one that spoke that child into existence, the very one who prophesied that miracle into motion, now she's out looking for him. As she's on her way to where he's at, Gehazi, the servant, runs out to meet her. And what's interesting is he immediately starts to correct her and rebuke her for having the problem that she has. He ate at her house, he stayed in her home, now, he's correcting her. Which talks to us about those who follow God, and serve God, maybe even religious, maybe even have a proximity to religious things.
Many times have a tendency to not understand when you go through problems in life. You know, we even get corrected at some times like, "You're not supposed to have trauma, you're not supposed to have failure. You're not supposed to have a heart that's broken, you're not supposed to have trouble in your family". And every now and then, we pull back because this religious attitude is like, "You must have done something wrong when your kid's going crazy. You must've done something wrong for their mind to be going crazy. You must have done something wrong".
And Gehazi is correcting her, and I just wanna take just a minute and say, many times church people are not your friend. I'm not mad at church people, I'm one of 'em. But they're not your friend because they see your pain as a problem. But Elisha looks at Gehazi, and rebukes Gehazi. He rebukes the church guy, and he says, "Hey, listen, this woman is vexed". Which means she is becoming bitter. She's struggling with brokenness, she's struggling with the trauma, her heart is broken.
And aren't you glad we have a God in heaven when church people judge you, or religious people judge you, that God says, "Hey, leave them alone. I'm the one that draws near to the broken hearted. I'm the one that draws near to the ones who maybe feel like they don't have anything left, but they've got me. And if they've got me, they've got everything they need to see the miracle continue no matter what it looks like to the religious person".
I've been in those places, where I reached out to someone that I thought was in the proximity of where God was. They seem like they're close to God. And they're good when you're on the mountain, they're good when everything's successful. But then you start talking about, "Hey, now, I'm in the valley". Isn't it amazing how quick you learn how spiritual somebody is, when you start going through some battles in life. So, what everybody needs is everybody needs to know that there should be someone in your life that can be with you on the mountain, and they can be with you in the valley. It's a rare person that can celebrate you when you're winning, and it's a rare person even more that they can get down in the gutter with you, and weep with you, and mourn with you, when you're going through the traumas of life.
But everybody needs one person, at least, that can be there for both. She's becoming bitter is what he said. She's vexed. She's hurting, and we don't correct and rebuke people when they're hurting. We love them back to life. We get in it with them, we get our hands dirty with them. Now, notice, when Elisha does show up, she doesn't panic, she doesn't freak out, he wants to know if she's okay, and she clues him on the fact that the miracle seems like it's dying. He comes back to the house with her, goes into that room, and the Bible says, "He stretches out over her son. Puts his hands on the boy's hands, his eyes on the boy's eyes, his mouth on the boy's mouth".
Even saying it makes me uncomfortable. Anybody else feel a little uncomfortable? If you're ever in real trauma, real heartbreak, you're okay with God getting so close that it's even uncomfortable. A lot of us, we gotta have a little bit of trouble and we fake our way through it with God. Like we paint it all up good on Sunday for God like he's impressed. But when you're going through real heartbreak and you invite God into your home, he stretches out over that home, and sometimes it's uncomfortable how involved he wants to get, how involved he wants to be, how close to that hurt, how close to that brokenness, how close to the situation that looks like it's absolutely gone and over and dead, but God draws close to it.
And the Bible says he put his hands on the boy's hands. I love this part, that the resurrection of the hands spoke of the resurrection of the work that that boy would be called to. His eyes to the boy's eyes, the resurrection of the eyes spoke of the resurrection of vision, that the boy would have a future. His mouth on the boy's mouth spoke of the resurrection of the mouth would be the resurrection that God's word would come outta that boy's mouth. The resurrection of the work, the resurrection of the vision, and the resurrection of even that mouth being a mouthpiece for God.
Now, notice that before the resurrection happened, the Bible says the boy waxed warmer or became warmer. This was not like a sudden thing, this was not an immediate thing. He didn't walk in the room, snap his fingers and everything was good. He became warmer and warmer. Wasn't like a red hot miracle. He just began to get better. Just slowly get better. When God stretches out over that problem you're looking at, what you're looking for is not, "Is it perfect"? You're not looking for an immediate overnight miracle. You're looking, "Is it getting better? Is it improving"? And sometimes God seems to work a whole lot slower than what we want him to. Have you ever noticed that? Because we want out of the pain, we want out of the heartbreak, we want it to be over so we can move on.
But that's not how God does it. He stretches out over the home. He begins to say, "I'm gonna resurrect the work. I'm gonna resurrect the vision. I'm gonna resurrect these things. But it's gonna be a slow process". I wanna just talk to some moms for a minute that's been wondering, "Man, is it ever going to really change? Is it getting better? Is it moving in the right direction"? Even if it's not, are you? Are you moving in the right direction? Are you saying, "God, I'm not going anywhere until you come and get involved. Stretch out, do what you have to do. Make me uncomfortable, but I'm not gonna give up on the miracle that you've promised me"?
And then the Bible says the voice sneezed seven times. Seven times. I looked up the word sneeze and the word sneeze means an involuntary catching of the breath and then expelling it violently. Have you ever tried to not sneeze? It's miserable if you don't. You could be in the presence of kings and presidents and you gotta sneeze. It is an involuntary catching of the breath and expelling it violently. They said it happens because something foreign in the body irritates you and the body expels that foreign thing by sneezing. So, the boy sneeze seven times. Man, something was seriously foreign in that boy's body. You know what I'm talking about? Some people have the two, you know the two sneeze people? And you got the three sneeze people. Anybody know what I'm talking about?
Every time it's gonna be two or three times. Then there's the one time, and it's violent. I mean, it's like, my God, demons are coming out. I mean, it's like, wild. Anybody know what I'm saying? It's like, my point is sometimes our children are saying, "I don't want anything to do with that God stuff". Ain't nothing you gonna say, 'cause something's got a hold of their mind. Just got a hold of their mind. Something that's not of God, something that's not his will for their life has got a hold of them. But God knows how to irritate them. God knows how to annoy them.
Matter of fact, it's happening right now. And it may even be involuntary, but some things have to get out of their life. God has to draw some things out of their life. He has to empty some things out of their life. He's gotta empty them of that pride, empty them of that ego, empty them of that bitterness and that unforgiveness, empty them of that doubt and that unbelief, empty them from that temptation or that testing or whatever it is that they're going through. The amazing thing is, is once they empty that out, then they have to breathe in, and God can fill them once again with life. And the Bible says that boy's eyes pop open, and the miracle that they thought was dead, the mom loved the boy back to life.
And I just want to prophesy over every home that you're loving them back to life. They may not look like much right now, but God is in some way or another going to help get out of them the things that's destroying them, dragging them down to a place where they're not living for what God's called them to, and in Jesus' name, I just hear that spiritual sneeze coming to every family, to every child, to every husband, to anybody that's away from God, I believe that God is somehow or another beginning to work those things out of your life and he's gonna fill you with that great grace, that great mercy, that great love, that great vision that he has for you.
In just a moment, I want us to stand up and I want us to sing. But before we do that, I want to take a second and say, the only thing worse than hell and the only thing better than heaven, there's only one thing worse than hell, there's only one thing better than heaven. It's taking somebody with you. And if you're in this room, it's probably 'cause you have a mom who refuses to let you go down that path that leads to destruction. She's pushing you down that narrow path that leads to life, and she's loving you back to life.
And so, with every mother's prayer in this room, every prayer of a praying wife in this room, I want every eye closed, every head bowed. If you think your mom loves you, you have no clue how much God loves you. But you're gonna have to empty yourself of some things so he can fill you with that unconditional, unstoppable love that can bring you back to life. You don't have to leave here dead in that sin, dead in that struggle. You don't have to leave here in that brokenness. The Bible says that God does not force himself on us, but he stands at the door of our heart and he knocks, and we have to open up our heart. And he comes in just like we are. And he heals the brokenness, he heals the bitterness. He begins to work on our minds.
That's why we have to be in church. The renewing of our mind happens when we submit to the Word of God, when we listen to the Word of God, when we read the Word of God, it renews our minds. It gives us the mind of Christ, it helps us think godly thoughts, not perfect thoughts, but it begins to teach us. But it begins by saying, "God, I'm here. I'm open. I need you to love me back to life". If you're here and you'd say, "Marcus, I'm not right with Jesus Christ, I'm not right with God". You're here and you'd say, "I'm not saved. I'm not born again".
Jesus is not the Lord of your life. You've not put your trust in him. Or maybe at one point you did, but you've ran away from it. And today you know you need to reconnect and recommit your life completely and wholly to him, and you would like me to pray for you. You're here and you say, "Marcus, I'm not right with God. Jesus is not the Lord of my life. My mom has laid me in the bed of faith, but up until this point, I've done my own thing. I've lived my own way, grabbing my head, my head, my head, my head struggling with all kinds of things. But I've not allowed God to stretch out over my life because it's so uncomfortable".
But today, God is stretching out over every home and he's telling every son, he's telling every daughter, he's telling every husband and even moms that are here, he's saying, "It's time to let the love of God bring you back to life". You do not have to leave here dead. You can leave here alive and full of God's love and God's spirit. And if you're here and you'd say, "Pray for me. I want to get right with God. I need that new beginning. I need to experience that resurrection life". And you want me to pray for you on the count of three, lift your hand as high as you can. At every location, wherever you're watching from, on the count of three, lift that hand as high as you can.
One, two, three, throw that hand up as high as you can. Thank you, thank you, keep it raised, keep it raised. God bless you, sir. God bless you. I love watching men be men, especially in environments like this, making a decision, "I'm not gonna just let her lead the family spiritually". I'm not here to guilt trip anybody, but I am a man too. And I like to talk to men the way men need to be talked to. If you don't like it, I'll be up here at the altar after service and you can come tell me to my face and I'll look back at your face and say, "Listen sir, there's only one thing better than going to heaven, there's only one thing worse than going to hell, and it's taking people with you".
And I call on every mom and every dad in this church to say, "We're gonna take our family to heaven. And if they want to go to hell, they have to crawl over the mother and the father's love to get there". In Jesus' name. You believe that? With every hand raised, I want us to all do this real quick. Let's all put our hand on our hearts. Say this with me, if you lifted your hand especially, we'll all say this together. Say:
Jesus, thank you for dying on a cross because of my sin. You paid the price for me. You've loved me back to life. I give it all to you now. Forgive me, cleanse me. Give me that new beginning. Fill me with resurrection life right now. Fill me completely so I can leave this place knowing I'm alive to God and dead to the things of this world. In Jesus mighty name.
Now, I want us to all stand up to our feet, and I want us to sing this song over our families. Sing it over your marriage. Sing it over those babies, those grand babies. Can we sing this just maybe for two minutes? Maybe three minutes. Come on, let's build that bed of faith. Let's create that atmosphere of worship. Every single time.
Praise God. We're trusting that you're loving families back to life today. Without you we can do nothing. Without you the things that we're looking at are impossible. But with you all things are possible, in Jesus' name. Thank you for loving us back to life. Thank you for the moms of this room that loving their families back to life, in Jesus' name. We all said a big "Amen".