Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical faith-filled vision for your life. Open your heart to receive today's blessing. May God make you like Ephraim. Joseph's second born, whose name means twice fruitful. You're destined to be more fruitful than you can now imagine.
Joseph had a dream, but he could never have seen this coming. After 30 years of abuse and trauma, slavery, false imprisonment, God put him on a throne in Egypt? It looked like he was going to die in an Egyptian dungeon. Instead, God used him to save the world from famine, to save his own family from starvation. I'm blessing you to be like Ephraim.
Blessing this to be a year of double fruit. May whatever good you can imagine be double. Fruit, sweet fruit. Not the stuff of raw ambition and worldly success, but real fruit, the byproduct of the branch abiding on the vine.
So may God's Spirit nourish you, fill you, and produce the fruit in and through you. I bless you to be like Ephraim. Twice. Fruitful. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright.
He finally just sighed and said, Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I'm glad I wasn't there. Glad? All of this is an unusual story. He wants to go back to Judea where they had just recently almost.
stoned him to death. And they knew it was very dangerous, and Jesus said, We're going to go.
So, Thomas, who You kind of see little flashes of his character, a practical one. And maybe a little bit sarcastic, I don't know, but he said, Okay, let us go also, that we might die with him. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I am Daniel Britt.
Excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series, Empowered, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org.
or call 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Pastor Alan Wright. People of God, are you ready for some good news?
Jesus loves to heal. He healed a lot of people.
So he must just love to heal. I mean, it's not much more complicated than that. I mean, it can get more complicated than that. I was remembering back to years ago, we had a Saturday night young adult worship gathering in a coffee house setting. We called it Verge.
And I loved going to Verge and Wearing my shorts and my rainbows, and holding my coffee, and I'd preach the same message, but very casual. And one night I was preaching on the subject of healing. And knowing that it can be Something that causes there to be a lot of questions, like, well, why isn't everybody healed? And all those kind of questions. And I thought, I'm going to do something that I saw the pastor do.
at the church I attended in college. he would often, at the end of the sermon, open it up for questions from the congregation. I thought it was Brave and wonderful. And So I decided in a casual coffee house, and I'll preach on healing, and I'll say, I'm going to open it up for questions.
So I did. The first person raised their hand. and said, What about Doni Erickson Tata? If you don't know who she is. She's an incredible woman who after a diving accident, was paralyzed and been in a wheelchair.
For decades, she can paint pictures with a brush in her mouth. and she is articulate for the gospel. And many, many people have been blessed by our ministry. Everybody who's anybody in the world of healing ministry has prayed for her to be healed. They said, what about her?
So I mumbled a few things about the sovereignty of God, then said next question. Yeah. Uh The next person When they raise their hand, I was like, oh no. I had just met him one other time, and I knew all that he'd been through and was going through. He said, what about me?
He said, I have multiple sclerosis, I have degenerative disc disease, I've had several unsuccessful surgeries, and I have two other autoimmune diseases. And he said, and God's not healed me. He said, and yet I don't feel cursed. I feel blessed. What do you have to say to this?
So I mumbled something about the sovereignty of God and. Said next question. And the next person raised their hand and said, Well, what is your opinion of double predestination? I said, That's it, no more questions. And never ever have I done that again.
And it's not going to happen today either. I'm going to say what I want to say and I'm going to walk out there and have a cup of coffee. Yeah. Well uh it It raises the point that, of course, when you talk about healing, it can raise some important questions. Why isn't everybody healed?
What's the role of faith in healing? It seems like sometimes Jesus said your faith has healed you, and sometimes there was no faith at all. And is there a role of obedience in it? And then the whole big question some people have is: God. Still even healing today, why aren't we seeing as many as we saw in those early apostles if he is?
And on and on, all these questions. And today's message is not going to address any of those questions. And you can't ask me about them afterwards either. It's not that they're unimportant questions. They are important questions.
And it's important to think through all of this. But I've been thinking about this for 40 years. And I'm not that much closer to coming to any understanding of the mysteries.
So let's stick to what we do know. Jesus healed a lot of people. He must really love to heal. Jesus healed a lot of people. He must really love to heal.
In fact, there are 26 distinct miracles in the Gospels.
Some scholars have said when you start taking into consideration the kind of larger statements about his healing ministry that it probably represents many thousands. Matthew says in chapter 4, he went throughout all Galilee, healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Luke chapter 4: All those who had any who were sick and various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. It wasn't like it was a side aspect of his ministry. It was the whole atmosphere of his ministry.
It was not something he occasionally did. It was more like the mark. of what Jesus did everywhere he went. It was establishing Jesus as a healer. It could be that somebody came to him on some occasion and said, Would that you would heal me?
And he said, No, I don't want to, or I don't feel like it, but we don't have that recorded. Instead, what we have recorded, and I take it to be the intent of God to let us know this. Is that He was always healing. And that on occasions when he didn't even feel like it, because he was human after all. He was God and he was human.
that in his exhaustion that he oftentimes would Feel like getting away and yet he would see the crowds and he'd have compassion. and he would continue to minister healing to them. Jesus Loves to heal. And there's no story in all of the Bible that puts this on display more than this remarkable story of his. Very den dear friend Lazarus, who grew sick and then died.
And I like to read sometimes. As if I'd never read a story before. I tried to do that again this week. And just let my soul feel What caught my attention? And it was really three exclamations as I tried best I could.
Imagine I'd never seen this story before. And I found myself exclaiming first: what a heart. You know, just what a heart Jesus has, a heart to heal. And then I also found myself saying, what a surprise. The story just full of surprises.
And then Finally, just Kind of smiling. shaking my head in disbelief almost and going, Wow. What a way to be blessed. What a what a heart. What a surprise.
What a way to be blessed It's a story about the healing of someone that Jesus really loved. It starts with that: Lord, the one you love is sick. I love that. You understand that from God's perspective, You are defined in his eyes. is the one he loves.
You're the beloved. This is the way Paul always addressed people and. Called him saints, that means holy ones, and he would usually say Beloved. It was to say that the mark of a Christian's life. is not So much about your uniqueness or your ability.
to do good things or maybe even your love for God. which could potentially ebb and flow depending on where your faith is. But the mark of a Christian is that you're one upon whom God has set his love. for all eternity. You're the beloved.
So, the appeal to Jesus at the beginning of this story is this: you love him. He's sick. We wanted you to know that. The one you love is sick. Lazarus was brother to Mary and Martha.
whatever illness he had, it took a bad term. And they had reached out to him while he was out on the road.
some distance away. And Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. It's for the glory of God. And So He's stating up front a promise. But as the story will unfold, it seems unlikely that that promise will be true.
He stays two more days where he is. That's interesting. Interesting that he says he loved him so much that he stayed two more days. How curious. Not really the pastoral response that you would want.
Hey. I'm in the hospital. I think I'm dying. We love you so much. We'll come in a couple days.
Yeah. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no Lord, if he's sick, shouldn't we go? First, Jesus said, almost like a riddle: our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going to wake him up. They think he's speaking literally.
So, well, if he's sleeping, then that's good. He'll probably get well. And he's like, No. He finally just sighed and said, Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I'm glad I wasn't there.
Glad? All of this is an unusual story. He wants to go back to Judea, where they had just recently almost. stoned him to death. And they knew it was very dangerous, and Jesus said, We're going to go.
So, Thomas, who You kind of see little flashes of his character, a practical one, and maybe a little bit sarcastic, I don't know, but he said Okay, let us go also, that we might die with him. And off they go. 30 miles. In the dusty road, everybody quietly wondering what's going to happen. By the time they arrive, Lazarus has been dead for four days.
and all the mourners have arrived. The casseroles are growing cold. And the people are full of sorrow. And a pall of fog has come over Bethany. Wonderful man's death.
Martha, when she hears that Jesus has arrived, does what Martha does. She runs to meet him while Mary stays home. Maybe her words are half Full of faith, half full of frustration, I don't know. But she said, Lord, if you'd been here, my brother would not have died. She doesn't seem angry.
She seems to believe it. And She says to him, I know whatever you ask of God, he'll give you. And Jesus said, your brother will rise again. She thought he was talking about in the end day. Said, I know he'll rise at resurrection on the last day.
And Jesus interrupts her with these incredible words. that you could hold on to. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies. I love the fact he didn't say, I will be the resurrection.
I am. I am the resurrection. Pay attention all throughout John every time he says, I am. I am the light of the world. I am the way, the truth, and the life.
I am the good shepherd. I am the gate. He is echoing the very name of God. who revealed himself to Moses as the great I Am. I am the resurrection.
And the lie. And then Martha goes back and tells Mary the teacher's calling you and she comes and mourners are with her. And when she sees Jesus, she falls at his feet. And she's sobbing out the same line that her sister had. Lord, if you'd been here.
Again, I don't think they're trying to shame the Savior of the world here, but it. carries with it that profound disappointment. And Then When Jesus saw all of them grieving so deeply, He was moved deeply in his spirit, and he was troubled. He was experiencing a visceral kind of pain, probably wailing. That word for deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.
It's a word in in Greek that It almost sounds like what it is. Splung Zigzo Mai. like in his guts. He's feeling it. And then After Wanting to know where he's buried.
And seeing others sobbing, it just told us at verse 35 that he wept. Jesus wept.
now like a sob. You just can't hurry past stories like this. when the one through whom all things have been made. and who knows that he's going to raise Lazarus from the dead. It's just standing there sobbing.
In deepest empathy. For those that mourn He was not scared of grief. And he draws near to the brokenhearted. We do not have a great high priest who's unable to sympathize with us in our weakness. He has wept.
by the tomb of his friend. When they arrive at the cave and the stone is there, he says, take the stone away. Martha, ever practical, says, Lord, by this time there'll be a stench. He's been dead for four days. Jesus said, did I not tell you if you believed?
You'd see the glory of God, so they rolled it away. And Jesus looks up and prays. Not because He needs to. But because he wants to, and he wants to do so publicly, Father, I thank you. that you've heard me.
And I know you always hear me, but I say this for the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. This Prayer of deepest Quiet confidence. Just authority and confidence. And then in a voice that Must have really been shaking things. Because the text says it was loud.
Jesus just shouts, Lazarus, come out. And one old preacher said, It's a good thing he called Lazarus by name. Otherwise every corpse in the whole cemetery would come out. Yeah. Maybe that's what he's going to do one day.
Uh yeah, man. Children of God, come out. And out comes Lazarus, his dear, dear friend. Wrapped up. head to toe and barrel claws.
And Jesus says, unbind him. Because if you're alive, you don't need to be bound up in the things they bind dead people up in. Pastor Alan Wright, our good news message, healing power from the series Empowered. Please stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here in the studio sharing a parting good news closing thought for the day in just a moment.
Alan Wright Ministries is more than just a daily radio broadcast. Here are Daniel and Pastor Alan explaining another layer. Pastor Alan, we love putting resources into the hands of believers and those who are looking for ways to improve their life through the good news of the gospel. And those resources show up in a variety of ways. One of the coolest ways I think though is every day a resource called the Daily Blessing pops in my email inbox.
And what a way to start our day. This is absolutely free. It's the best way to start your day or to. Pillow your head at night. Put this down into your heart, the sound of a blessing.
And by that, we mean a positive biblical vision spoken in faith over your life that helps shape your identity for who you really are. And with it, fuels you for a positive future that God has intended. It's a world that's real quick to curse. You don't have to go very long into your day before somebody is ready to speak negative things over you. We need the true word of God spoken over our life.
And so, Daniel, I write a daily blessing every day and would love to send it. All you have to do is just give us your email at pastorallen.org and we'll get you signed up and start including you. PastorAlen.org is your next step. Simply drop by on your phone, tablet, or computer today. That's pastorallen.org and be blessed with a fresh word from the Lord today.
Back now here in the studio with Pastor Alan, and as we've kicked off today's teaching, In this series of empowered, it's healing power. And I think this probably applies to everyone searching today for some form of healing, whether it's spiritual, emotional, or the physical ailment. You can't have a sermon series on the power of God. and not take a closer look to the ministry of healing that was so prevalent in Jesus' earthly ministry. and which I believe Daniel is continues today.
I know there are some mysteries around this and we can get Really bogged down in some of the questions about why is it that some are healed in response to prayer, and it seems others aren't, and all of that. But you can't get away from the fact that it's Jesus's heart. To heal, and we see that in this.
well known and beautiful story of the raising of Lazarus, you see his heart. you'll see the nature of Jesus and There's a lot, I think, to learn here in this story that will help us understand. The healing power of God. And through it all, my prayer for our listeners is all of those that are in a need. Of healing, whether it be soul healing or whether it be a physical healing.
that comes with my prayer. And with our message hopefully being faith building, that God still cares. And I'm praying for the healing of many. No no no no no no no no no no no Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastoralan.org. Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
