Dr. Gina M. Stewart - "It's A Setup For A Come Back" May 10, 2012

we declare tonight that there's nobody like you we want to say thank you that not only are you great but you on the other side of awesome you and all some wonder our soul magnifies the Lord and our spirit rejoices in God our Savior we want to thank you tonight that you stopped the enemy in its tracks on our behalf you want to thank you tonight that not only did you keep us but you kept our neighbor thank you that even as I squeeze my neighbor's hand tonight they are a living witness a living testimony that what they've been through didn't kill them we want to stop right now and say thank you thank you for the victory thank you for the joy of the Lord that's still our strength for the strength of the Lord that it is our joy we give you praise now for this preaching moment we thank you that it's a miracle moment we thank you that it's a moment packed with potential pregnant with possibility for it's by your word that will change this by your word that our minds are renewed it's by your word that captives are set free that yokes are destroy it that money is returned that our households I said in order thank you for your word now speak to us because we need a word from you pray now that your word will be strong in this place pray that Christ will be center and central in our lives not an accessory to our agendas or an appendage to our agendas but that we will be a people who know their God who are strong and do exploits pray now that you would touch these lips clay I thank you for the sufficiency that only comes from you speak Lord we need to hear from you save somebody tonight set somebody free tonight reclaim the backslider tonight deliver somebody tonight somebody came on the edge of a breakdown but I pray when they leave here tonight they'll have a breakthrough we give you praise for what you're about to do in this place and we declare this place is free now for your ministry we release the hand of our neighbor and we put our hands together and we give you uninhibited praise we say thank you in Jesus name come on it's thank the Lord come on thank the Lord amen amen [Music] while you're standing help me honor the Lord for your pastor for the angel of this house the one who watches over your soul give God praise for the gift of good leadership aren't you glad he said yes to the Lord aren't you glad that your life is better because he said yes to the Lord if you know your life is better because of this man of God you ought to put your hands together and give God praise we bless God for pastor art Jackson for who he is not only in this city but across the nation and in the kingdom of God we praise God that he is esteemed and appreciated that his ministry is respected across this nation and I'm grateful tonight to have this privilege to stand behind this sacred desk to be a blessing to try to be a blessing to the women of God in this woman's season we thank God for pastor Russell we praise God for who she is amen come on you can do better than that help a sister out a manner all the other Reverend clergy to this my sister who blessed us in music and in worship we thank God for you to this wonderful music ministry come on and thank God for the gift of music for these great musicians too my brothers and sisters in Christ and creation it's good to be here amen and we thank the Lord that you pressed your way in the rain praise God y'all not like to focus we allergic to rain in Memphis praise God but you not allergic to rain here in Florida I guess you get it so much you're used to it Amen we praise God there's a blessing impressing amen as you take your seat just tell somebody I'm gonna be blessed because I pressed a amen we praise the Lord tonight thank God for the brothers who come to share tonight and we just give God praise for this time of word and worship I want to make the media ministry aware that I have changed my subject and my scripture I gave them one title in one text I'm sure you're used to this most preachers do this amen pastors are somewhat schizophrenic amen we come up here with one thing and the Lord changes is a man by Poul or whatever you want to call it we have been known to change I'm sure they're used to improvising and want to invite your attention to John chapter 11 beginning with verse 1 and following John chapter 11 beginning with verse 1 and following when you find it's a man shouldn't must be your custom here to stand for the reading and the hearing of the word of God John chapter 11 that's a good thing we have honoring the Lord God is about to speak to us through his word John chapter 11 beginning with verse first 1 if you dare say now a man named Lazarus was sick he was from Bethany the village of Mary and her sister Martha this Mary whose brother Lazarus now a sick was the same one somebody said the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair so the sisters sent word to Jesus Lord the one you love is sick when he heard this jesus said this sickness will not end in death look at somebody says not what it looked like it's not what it looks like nor is it nor oh it is 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 where he was two more days this is the word of the Lord let the people of God say thanks be to God as you take your seat look at your neighbor and say it's a setup for a comeback it's a setup for a comeback I believe it was November of 2011 I'm an avid reader of USA Today news and they're on the front page of USA Today was a picture of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly some of you may remember congresswoman Giffords she recently resigned her position as congresswoman from the state of Arizona but more specifically we remember her because she was shot in the head in January 2011 when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store during a meeting with constituents from her district the gunman kills six people and wounded 13 others in that article after several months of secluded recovery and a near brush with death Giffords declared or spoke from her book entitled a story of courage and hope she quoted I will get stronger I will return in January 2011 there were many who wondered if Gabby Giffords would survive but today we can say that Gabby Giffords is well on her way to making a comeback August 29 2010 the nation observed the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina many of us know that Katrina was one of the most deadliest natural disasters that destroyed beachfront homes in Louisiana and Mississippi Katrina misplaced millions and claimed thousands of lives in fact some of you may even be from Louisiana I shall never forget the words that Bishop Paul Morton spoke in the aftermath of Katrina as he comforted many of his parishioners who had migrated to Atlanta Georgia he was attempting to comfort them these men and these women these families who now were left with the fragments of their lives who would have to start life from scratch who were attempting to reclaim some semblance of normalcy I shall never forget the words that Bishop Morton spoke to those parishioners in a church in Atlanta Georgia in the aftermath of Katrina he said to them things are going to get better in the face of devastation in the face of disaster in the face of disorientation and tread the bishop Paul Morton said to those people who were holding on to a fragment of hope that things are going to get better and while life is different from many of the survivors many of them can say that things have gotten better but I don't have to stop with Gabby Giffords I don't have to stop with Katrina stories there are people in the sanctuary tonight who can testify that you've made a comeback there are people in the sanctuary tonight who get declared that you made a comeback from sickness a comeback from the loss of a job a comeback from the loss of a loved one the loss of a marriage the loss of your income the loss of your health the loss of a relationship there are people in here tonight who can testify that there was a time that the enemy had counted you out but you ought to give God some praise tonight that you made a comeback I just need the people that have made a comeback to put your hands together and give God your best praise I don't know about you tonight but I like comeback stories I like comeback stories because comeback stories are our reminders that disappointment despair and debilitating devastation even death don't have to have the last word in our lives comeback stories are our reminder that a setback can be a setup for a comeback that even when it looks like it's over when it looks like you're at the end of the road when it looks like you're at the final chapter what it looks like they in lord help me preach this tonight can actually be a new beginning the text tonight is an example of how a setback can be a setup for a comeback this is a very familiar story it is a story that takes place in a town called Bethany the home of Martha and Mary the sister of Lazarus whose brother had fallen ill the writer makes it a point to tell us that it was the same Mary who had anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair it was her brother Lazarus who was sick the text makes it clear to us that this is not a casual relationship for the Bible says that Jesus not only loved Lazarus but he loved Mary and Martha the text doesn't reveal the specifics of Lazarus his illness but we do know that he was sick enough for his sisters to send Jesus a 900 has anybody ever been in a 9-1-1 situation I'm talking about a situation that you don't have the luxury of being polite I'm talking about a situation that's so drastic and so devastating that you don't have time to wait for tomorrow a wait for next week you need Jesus to come right away Martha and Mary were in the middle of a 911 situation no doubt because of their relationship with Jesus they expected that Jesus would come right away because when you have close relationships with people there are certain expectations that you have of close relationships that you don't have of casual relationships a daughter doesn't expect the same response from a parent that they expect from somebody who's just an acquaintance when you have a close relationship with someone when you make requests you expect a different outcome I would suggest tonight that because of the relationships of micellar relationship the Bible said that jesus phileo he loved Mary and Martha and he loved Lazarus this was not a casual relationship we've read in other places in the scripture where Jesus entertained or when Martha and Mary and entertain Jesus in their home Jesus had been in their den Jesus had watched a game at their house Jesus had said at their table Martha had tried her wig out trying to fix food for Jesus surely Jesus would come and see about Lazarus because this was not a casual relationship this was a relationship of mutuality they loved Jesus but Jesus loved them no doubt because of the nature of the relationship they expected when they sent a 911s would get in a hurry and come right away can we be real tonight how many of us who have a relationship with God have been indoctrinated on a theology that says that when we call Jesus he'll answer us especially when we've been faithful especially when we paid our tithe especially when we've been in studying especially when we come to the Women's Conference when everybody else stayed at home especially when we have a relationship with God when we're in a 9-1-1 situation we expect Jesus to come and see about us right away no doubt they saw Jesus as the solution to their problem I can imagine in my sanctified imagination they were saying something like now Jesus this is your friend and you love him and since you love him and we're in the middle of a 9-1-1 situation and we love lazarus and we would do something about this but it's beyond the scope of our expertise but since you his friend since you loved him and you are able to do something about it get in a hurry and come and see about lazarus furthermore you will help people that you didn't even know I mean no matter saying nothing you've given sight to the blind the folk and ain't say at you you've turned a picnic into a banquet for some people that were just coming alone lord have mercy for the fishes and the low you have stop funeral processions you have put the Undertaker's out of business surely if you do that for somebody that you don't know surely if you'll help somebody that you don't know surely if you do that for a stranger how much more would you do for a friend so if you just didn't know her with Jesus and come and see about this situation this is not supposed to be happening to us because we are friends of Jesus but since it is stop what you're doing drop what you're doing get in a hurry and come and fix this thing but Jesus does just what he always does I wish he would cooperate but the text says that he takes his time stays two more days and by the time he gets there Lazarus is dead this is a story that challenges us for the mature to have mature faith because the recap of this story reminds us that the covenant of grace does not give us a charter of exemption from trouble wouldn't it be nice but if you because you have a relationship with God that you can be guaranteed an exemption from trouble wouldn't it be nice to live a life free of stress free of drama a world with no surprises a world with no appointments with disappointment a world with no heartbreak and betrayal all of us have our share of life episodes when the road seems to be snatched out from under us and even though we want to believe that somehow our faith will shield us from disappointment the truth that many of us discover at some point in this journey if we walk with God for a measure of consistency is that bad things really do happen to good people and not only do they happen to good people but they happen to god-fearing people come on I came for somebody tonight bad things do happen to good folk and to god-fearing folk this is confirmed in Scripture and it is confirmed in life Jobe was described as a righteous man one who feared God and shun evil but the Lord allowed the devil to attack Jobe to attack his body to cause his children to lose their lives Jobe lost his hell and almost lost his faith the Bible declares that the righteous do suffer many are the afflictions of the righteous that's what the Bible says but the Lord delivers us out of them all the Apostles and the early church were persecuted for their faith James was killed with the sword John the Baptist was beheaded Peter was crucified upside down Paul was beheaded on neros chopping block John the Revelator was banished to the Isle of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ bad things really do happen to good people bad things happen to godly people Martin Luther King's family experienced travesty after travesty his mother was killed by a deranged man while playing the organ in worship because bad things do happen to good people as I stand here tonight I'm a preacher and I believe that God is a healer but every day I watched my mother struggle with vascular dementia every day I live with the reality that some days she knows my name and some days she doesn't four years ago my father died with multiple myeloma I watched him suffer from the debilitating effects of his illness until his demise Marvin self who sings I never would have made it and I'm still standing Barret his wife Melinda two years ago after her battle with cancer and left behind three children because bad things really do happen to good people and godly people do I have any real good people in a real godly people that will help me acknowledge that I'm preaching truth right now that will help me declare that you've been through some bad things even though you are a good person and a godly person some of you in here tonight are some good people but you still lost your job your daughter had a baby out of wedlock you were embarrassed by an affair your family member is HIV positive you may be HIV positive yourself there was a cancer diagnosis you lost your home your business went under because bad things do happen to good people bad things happen to good people and godly people because the covenant of grace does not guarantee us a charter of exemption from trouble you ought to just yank your friend and tell them there's gonna be some times that the rug is gonna be pulled out there will be some times that all hell is gonna break loose there will be some time that you're gonna feel like lord I feel like preaching that everything is going against you and that God has forgotten about you there are gonna be some times that you think that God has gone AWOL because the truth of the matter is that bad things do happen to good people and to godly people do I have anybody in here tonight that can witness that you've been a good person but you've been through hell and high water do I have anybody in here tonight that is willing to tell the truth and shame the devil that there are some things that happen to you that you never thought would have happened there are some folks in here tonight lord I feel like preaching then if you tell the truth and shame the devil you would say if I had known I was gonna go through the hell that I went through I would have stayed in the club I would have stayed on the pole I would have kept coating that man that was married to somebody else is there anybody in here tonight that can tell the truth and shame the devil that you have lived long enough you serve God long enough to discover that bad things do happen to good people and to godly people but not only do bad things happen to good people and godly people but I found out something else not only do bad things happen but bad things can go from bad to worse has anybody in here been in a situation matter of fact I might be on your street right now you were already in a bad situation but it went from bad to worse I'm talking about when you thought it couldn't get any worse when you know things couldn't get any darker it was bad enough that you lost your job but then after losing your job you had a bad diagnosis it was bad enough that your business failed but now that your business has failed your children are having financial difficulties got a move in the house and got to come back to the house it was bad enough that the marriage was already on the rocks but now you found out that there's a baby that was conceived out of wedlock and you just find out about it and the baby is 2 years old I came for you tonight is there anybody in here that can declare that sometimes bad things can go from bad to worse that's what happened to Lazarus things went from bad to worse what started out as an illness ended in death the first verse in chapter 11 says that a certain man Lazarus was sick but just thirteen verses later somebody said thirteen verses later Lazarus was dead he starts out in verse one as being sick but by verse thirteen he's dead how many you know that things really can go from bad to worse stuff can shift so quick stuff can come up so fast there are things that can happen in your life that I'm not on your iPad not on your iPod not on your blackberry not on your HCT not on your ipod touch because things can go from bad to worse and I can imagine that based on their relationship this is not the outcome that Martha and Mary expected you ought to look at some message this here ain't what I expected I didn't expect this kind of stuff to be going on right now if anybody had told me that I'd be dealing with what I'm Dillon went right now I would have told them that they were crazy I'm gonna totally they were smoking dope I would have told him that they were drunk I would have told him that they had lost their mind because all of us have a scenario in our minds about how things are going to play out is there anybody in here tonight that's willing to tell the truth our shame the devil that you got a scenario in your mind about how God's gonna work some stuff out I'm sure that Mary and Martha thought that Lazarus would get sick Jesus would come Lazarus would live and they would all live happily ever after Mary and Martha were thinking like most Christians because I'd know Jesus nothing bad can ever happen to me because I know Jesus he's gonna come when I call him he's a celestial bellhop he's a celestial atm he the celestial Santa Claus he does exactly what I want him to when I get ready for him to do it but how many you know that Jesus is not a celestial bellhop how do you know that he's not an ATM machine you can't hear it god no you just gotta wait you gotta trust him and give him time no matter how long it takes he's a God that you can't hurry he'll be there don't you worry for he may not come when you won't him but he's always on time do I have anybody in here tonight that can't declare that the Lord don't get in no hurry I wish some time he would get in a hurry I wish some time that he would act as fast and I want him mad but the truth of the matter is is that sometimes our perfect plans don't work out like we planned them do I have anybody ever had a perfect plan and it didn't work out the way you planned it can I tell you I had a perfect plan for my life that didn't work out the way I planned I had planned that I would graduate from college then I get married at 24 and then by the time I was 26 I'd held my first son and he would have the initials of his daddy and there by the time I was 28 I have a second son and he'd have his daddy's initials and there by the time I was 30 I'd be on my last baby notice that they were all three boys cuz I can't call girls half the only presses head I can call them is my own but can I tell you that God had different plans as I stand here tonight I turned 26 that still didn't have a husband I turned 28 and still didn't have a husband I turned 30 and still didn't have a husband I turned 36 and still didn't have a husband I turned 40 that still didn't have a husband I turned 45 and still didn't have a husband and I'm standing here tonight at 52 to tell you that I still ain't got no husband and ain't got no children because plans don't work out the way we expect them I wish I had somebody I wish I had somebody in here that can just give God some praise that stuff don't always work out like you're planning but you oughta give him praise that you still got a praise on the inside that you still got a hallelujah that you still got a shout and that this joy that's ahead Lord I feel like preaching the world didn't give it to you and the world can't take it away you will walk off and leave here infidelity will happen friends will betray you children would disappoint you church members will let you down people will lie to us our dreams will shrivel up and die our hopes will be deferred the rejection level still comes dead last won't be won't make the Tesco will fail the board exam the wedding will be called on not only the disappointment happen with people but disappointment happens with God your prayers go unanswered the healing doesn't come the children don't get saved because things don't work out the way we planned things can go from Jesus because he understood when he showed up he showed up the final result would not be but it would be result won't be [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] with the resuscitation here tonight [Music] [Music] throw your head back a resurrection [Music] [Music] [Music] as result to save power Jesus is the same power doesn't work in you [Music] that you ask or think according to the power that's that work in you put your hands together and give them some praise it's a setup it's a setup resurrection power now I got power now put my dreams is there anybody here that's willing to believe God that the same power they can Lazarus up it's the same power that's working in you is there anybody here with audacity enough to give God praise that it's already done you wanna tap somebody say it's a done deal already it's already fixed it's already it's already delivered look at somebody and say I would jack if it was already done how would you shout if it was already done how would you praise if it was already done [Music] you wanna go fast three people help me shout the demos of a film we have a chance he sort of got me it's all right take away [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] some power now I need some people who are looking at their things to meet me a bit this alter you're looking at a dead ministry a dead womb a dead marriage a dead job a dance finance I need you up here don't don't come up here wise and otherwise come up here like you believe God is up to suck look if somebody said God is up to something I can't see what [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I want somebody no even as you come up here for this altar somebody that's looking at some dead things somebody said some dead things look at something I say I don't need a resuscitation I need the Lord to breathe on some stuff [Applause] Laurie I tell you just start blowing blowing or somebody must remember look at somebody what you need to remember now what you need to remember is that resurrection power is not pet is not future tense look at somebody said ain't future tense it's not future tense because Jesus has gotten up out of the grave I don't hear nobody saying nothing it's not future tense it is a past tense transaction with the present tense benefit here nobody saying nothing thinking so fast I got a pilot now ain't gotta wait till I get my income tax I got power now ain't gotta wait for some bad ten minutes all right I know it's already over that same power that got Lazarus up from the grave was a force shattering of the same power that get would get Jesus up on the first day and the same power that got Jesus up watch this it's on the inside of you not have mercy I wish I had somebody that could just give him some praise that you got some power inside of you and that power that is on the inside of you means that even though you may go through some things in the at the end of the day look at so I said the end of the day gosh don't get some glory out of it is there anybody that could give him some praise that he's gonna get glory out of this then whatever you going through that what the enemy meant for bad hey what's the enemy mid for bad God go turn around why yo good look at some si he working it for somebody [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] now lift those hands thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus Claire Ellis thank you Jesus come on lift those hands now in this sanctuary God we come here tonight now to pray that you strengthen our sisters thank you that we go from faith to faith and from strength to strength we ask now that you strengthen us way down on the inside o God we thank you tonight because somebody came in tonight standing at the grave weeping and there were other standing by waiting to count them out but we thank you that even when you brought Lazarus about the tomb you didn't do it behind closed doors hey but you did it out in the open lord have mercy so that everybody could see what kind of God he served we want to tell you thank you tonight then when you bless our sister then when you turn it around then when you do the new thing that you're already doing you're gonna do it in the open so there's somebody that does not believe we'll see what kind of God they serve we want to say thank you thank you for the setup Thank You bet you have engraved us in the palm of your hands thank you that no weapon formed against us will prosper thinking that every tunnel that rises against us in judgment you shall condemn it for this is our heritage thank you then we go from faith to faith and from strength to strength thank you that we go from glory to glory even now we give you the praise even now we give me the honor even now we tell you thank you because we know it does not yet appear what we shall be but God one thing we know is that when you get through with us we're gonna come for just like pure gold strengthen somebody's man I pray for the mind of my sisters I bind the enemy now I come against him because I know that the mind is a battlefield and so even now we pull down those imaginations we pull down those vain thoughts those high things that exalt himself against the knowledge of God and we bring every thought captive and we make it obedient to Jesus Christ we agreed tonight that we can decree a thing and it shall be established we decree the night that is for your glory that whatever it is that we're facing on the other side of it we're gonna see your hand right now even if we can't see your hand we trust your heart thinking that life is Liam looking forward but understood looking backward and thinking it even now God you've given somebody a ministry at this altar you're giving somebody a testimony at this altar you're giving somebody else testimony of victory and breakthrough that they will say I didn't understand it when I was going through it but I can stand here tonight and say that it was for his glory and I'm better for it we give you praise now and we tell you thank you that the worst thing that happens to us is never the last thing we put our hands together now we give you a crazy phrase come on bless the Lord come on come on go get some glory [Music] Minister [Music] go get some glory it ain't gonna kill you gonna get oh thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus I'm over the building won't you stand I love the building won't you stand you continue to minister to one another you continue to minister to one another with the pastor's permission if it isn't all right we didn't just come to shout we praise God for the therapeutic value of shouting but at the end of the day after you get to shout you got to be sure that God's gonna see you through do I have a witness what that means is is that there is a certainty that only comes when you have a relationship with God a relationship like Mary and Martha had a relationship that even though Jesus didn't operate the way they expected him to at the end of the day he showed up and when he showed up he showed out how many you know that whenever Jesus shows up he shows up do I have any witnesses tonight I want to ask you to be an evangelist on your roll I'm asking everybody to stand the invitation is being extended unless you can't walk unless you an invalid unless you're senior citizen mask and everybody is standing want you to be an evangelist on your roll check with the person on your row ask them their name ask them their name ask them have they been saved do they have a personal relationship with God ask them do they have a church most of all do they have a pastor come on take some time we come to church and sit beside folk and don't even know who we sitting next to if they say that they don't have a church and don't have a pastor tell them God had me on assignment tonight to walk the aisle with you tonight come on tonight is your night come on take that step the doors of my father's house are open somebody here needs Jesus there's got to be somebody here that needs a church that needs a pastor that needs our Savior if you're here tonight come on take that step this is a mighty good way to start a conference this is a mighty good way to celebrate sisterhood a sister walking another sister to the

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Length: 52min 47sec (3167 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 12 2020