S1: Because the condemnation of Good Friday was leading to the
S1: coronation of Resurrection Sunday. If there were no Good Friday,
S1: there could not be a Resurrection Sunday. Many of us
S1: want the power of the resurrection, but we don't want
S1: the pain of the cross.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago.
S2: I'm Steve Hiller. Glad that you're with us on this
S2: Good Friday. Really a fitting message today entitled Resurrection Power.
S2: You can't keep a Good Man down. And as we
S2: reflect on what we celebrate this weekend, as we think
S2: about Resurrection Sunday, I think it is good for us
S2: to first reflect on what happened on Good Friday, because
S2: it was Christ going to the cross, laying down his life,
S2: choosing to give it up there That allowed him to
S2: pick it back up again. And for us to be
S2: able to celebrate the resurrection like we will just a
S2: few days from now. But, you know, before Jesus picked
S2: up his own life, he raised another from the dead.
S2: And that's what we've been looking at in our broadcasts
S2: as he resurrected Lazarus from the grave. Now, there were
S2: five elements of this resurrection celebration, and that's part of
S2: what we're going to be looking at in today's broadcast
S2: the compassion of Christ, his commitment, his prayer and his praise,
S2: his commands and the coronation of Jesus. So if you
S2: can open your Bible and join us in John chapter
S2: 11 as we continue the message resurrection power. You can't
S2: keep a good man down. Here is Pastor Ford.
S1: There are three commands. Notice what he says. Roll the
S1: stone away. Wait a minute. Jesus. You didn't have to
S1: ask him that. You got power over death, so you
S1: can say stone be obliterated and it become pebbles. Why
S1: don't you do it that way? Because don't miss this.
S1: Because I won't do for them what they can do
S1: for themselves. I will only do for them what they
S1: can't do, for they can roll the stone. I don't
S1: need to do it. They can't raise him from the dead.
S1: That's where they need me. So he says, roll the stone.
S1: Its participation with Jesus. There's the first command. Participation with Jesus.
S1: He won't do for you what you can do for yourself.
S1: So here's what he's saying. I want you to do
S1: some things to help Lazarus get to me. Amen. Oh, man.
S1: You know what our response was? And their response was,
S1: she went to Jesus and said, man, he been dead
S1: for a days. That boy got an odor. He stinks.
S1: You know what? Let me just say this. One of
S1: the number one reasons why we as believers don't evangelize
S1: the way God wants us to is because we don't
S1: want to rub elbows with stinking sinners. Alright. They stink.
S1: And so we are repulsed. But boy, if 50 gangbangers
S1: walked in here with their pants on the ground with
S1: their hats turned to the side, displaying their colors for everybody.
S1: Be looking for those who got conceal and carry in
S1: here today. Yeah. Here's what I'm saying. Are you lighting
S1: the way or are you in the way? Alright. Yeah.
S1: You know what? Uh, let me tell you what happened.
S1: Food pantry gave out, uh, food last week. And so
S1: they always give me a bag. So they gave me
S1: a bag and it had chicken in it. And so
S1: I put the chicken in my car and forgot about it.
S1: Monday is my off day. So Tuesday, when I was
S1: getting ready to come here, I opened up the door
S1: and there was a foul odor from. I took it out,
S1: threw it in the garbage and from Tuesday to Friday
S1: I'm struggling to get that smell out. I couldn't get
S1: that smell out. I'm telling you, every time I open
S1: the door I say, man, I preach somewhere every night,
S1: every night. And so, you know, I go places now,
S1: now here. You know, I don't do armourbearer, I don't
S1: do that stuff. And I just my personal preference. I
S1: ain't saying nothing against anybody. Got em. But I could
S1: carry my own Bible. Thank you. Amen. And so they
S1: have the I pull up and they have the Armourbearer
S1: parked my car and I say, I say, now look,
S1: when you get in my car, they're going to be
S1: a smell man, you know? And I say, man, the smell. No,
S1: it ain't bother me. Only one guy told the truth.
S1: He said, man, it was funky up in there, Jack.
S1: So here I am. I'm trying to find something. I'm
S1: struggling to get the stink out. I can't get the
S1: stink out. So then I go and I'm walking past
S1: in my garage, in my window. I have all of
S1: my automobile products. And then I saw this just spray
S1: and walk away. I said, oh, wait a minute, it said,
S1: arm and hammer, carpet and room, odor eliminator. Just spray.
S1: And I got it. And I went and I sprayed everywhere.
S1: That thing was and the smell was gone. I said,
S1: look at this. Look how this thing worked out for
S1: a sermon illustration. Because you you, there's your problem. You
S1: think it's your job to get the stink off of folk.
S1: So you tell them, don't don't wear earrings, don't wear this,
S1: don't wear that. Don't do this, don't do that. Don't they.
S1: And they still stinking because you could tell them not
S1: to do it. But you can't give them the power
S1: not to do it. But Jesus is just like the
S1: stuff in this plan. While you struggling and trying, all
S1: you gotta do is say, Jesus, take my hand while
S1: I run this race. And Jesus says. And just walks away.
S1: The stink is gone. Because you got the right stuff
S1: on it. Yes. Howard Thurman's mom really helps us to
S1: understand this. You say what happened with her? She moved
S1: out in the country. He bought her a house. Howard Thurman,
S1: Google him. Great theologian, great man of God. With the
S1: Lord now. And she moved next to a lady of
S1: the lighter hue. And this lady had chickens. And every
S1: day she would she wouldn't speak to her. And every
S1: day she'd take chicken poop and throw it over her fence.
S1: She did that for over a year. Then this lady
S1: got sick with cancer. Howard Thurman's mom made her chicken
S1: noodle soup. Took it over to her. Told her I
S1: heard you were a sick neighbor. I want to pray
S1: with you. And for the next couple weeks, she kept
S1: bringing stuff and praying with her. And finally she couldn't
S1: take it anymore. The neighbor said, why are you being
S1: so kind to me? She said, Because Jesus was so
S1: kind to me, and as bad as I was to him,
S1: he was good to me, and I'm going to be
S1: good to you. Well, that lady accepted Jesus Christ. And
S1: on one day, Howard Thurman said his mother brought her
S1: over a bouquet of roses. She looked at him. She said, oh,
S1: how beautiful. Oh, I've never seen roses like this. How
S1: in the world did you get them so beautiful? She said,
S1: every time you throw that chicken poop over my fence,
S1: I use it as fertilizer. I came to tell you. Listen,
S1: somebody's putting poop on your job. Poop in your neighborhood,
S1: somebody's hating on you. They're putting stink in your game.
S1: But you know what? Use it as fertilizer. Every time
S1: that ball's coming. Dum dum dum dum dum dah. And
S1: you know. Praise the Lord. Fertilizer. Fertilizer. Amen. Fertilizer. Yeah.
S1: Every time you. You're berated and bashed and you didn't
S1: do anything. Fertilizer. Fertilizer. Every time somebody's hating on you. Fertilizer. Fertilizer.
S1: Somebody's come up, girl. You don't look good in that dress. Fertilizer. Fertilizer. Now,
S1: she just heard the greatest declaration. You know what her
S1: problem is? Problems don't die of old age. Alright? No.
S1: What do you do when your seed doesn't match his. Say. Oh,
S1: let me say that again. What do you do when
S1: what you see doesn't match what Jesus said? Here's what
S1: you do. You stand on it, expect it, speak about
S1: it and wait on it. You stand on it, expect it,
S1: speak about it and wait on it. You stand. They
S1: listen to me over here. Maybe you will listen to me.
S1: You stand on it, expect it, speak about it and
S1: wait on it. You stand on it, expect it, speak
S1: about it. And what I said. You stand on it,
S1: expect it, speak about it and wait on it. Man,
S1: I remember when I had hair, I had hair, I
S1: used to go to Major's hair care and major have
S1: me up in there like two hours. Man. I say, major,
S1: first of all, I don't have that much hair, man.
S1: You got me in here, man. It's too long, man.
S1: It's too long. We got to cut this short. He said,
S1: pastor Ford, he said, fill your hair because I didn't
S1: have an afro. I mean, it was air conditioned. I
S1: had holes in my head and everything. You know what
S1: you did when I finally cut it off and quit
S1: painting it? Gave me a standing ovation. I said, they
S1: ain't never gave me a standing ovation for any sermon
S1: I ever preached. And give me a standing ovation because
S1: I cut off that hair. And so here's what he
S1: said to me. He said, feel it. And it was
S1: softer because I had real coarse hair. It was softer.
S1: He said, yeah, it looked like curly. I ain't never
S1: had curly hair. I'm too dark for that. And I said, okay.
S1: He said, conditioner did that. You're sitting up there for
S1: that hour so that the conditioner can go down in
S1: the roots, and it could start in the roots and
S1: soften up your hair. And that's why it's as soft
S1: as it is. And he said, that's it. And that's
S1: the missing ingredient for many of us. God is in
S1: the conditioning business and we just don't want to wait.
S1: Here it is, the participation with Jesus. But then notice
S1: here we come. Now he coming out of the tomb.
S1: Lazarus come forth. And theologians tell us that it's a
S1: good thing he called his name. Because if he had
S1: not called his name, everything that was ever dead would
S1: have got up and came out of the tomb. Because
S1: when the rapture happens, what's going to happen? He's going
S1: to say, come forth. And everybody that ever died before
S1: he gave that call is going to get up out
S1: of the grave, ascend into heaven, and their body that's
S1: been made for them temporarily in heaven will be reunited
S1: with their soul, and they will have a spiritual body.
S1: And then we who are alive will be caught up
S1: together to meet the Lord in the air for the
S1: power of the resurrection. Yes. I'm not waiting for the undertaker.
S1: I'm waiting for the upper taker. I'm going up. Mortal
S1: shall put on immortality. The natural shall put on the supernatural.
S1: The terrestrial shall put on the celestial. The earthly shall
S1: put on the heavenly. And I'm going to be with
S1: Jesus around the throne of grace. You ought to be
S1: praising him. Mhm. Lazarus! Come forth.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A message
S2: called resurrection power. You can't keep a good man down.
S2: And what a fitting theme for us to be thinking
S2: about on this Good Friday. We'll get back to the
S2: message in just a moment. You know, maybe as you're
S2: listening to this program, somewhere along the line, a question
S2: has come to mind about something Pastor Ford has said,
S2: or about how to apply this to living out the
S2: Christian life. We can always ask Pastor Ford your questions
S2: when you come to our website. It's Treasure Truth radio.org.
S2: Click on the contact link and ask your question or
S2: give us some feedback. Who knows, if you ask a question,
S2: we might even answer that on a future broadcast. And
S2: while you're there, you can click on the Books by
S2: Pastor Ford link on the left side of the home page,
S2: and check out the different titles available as a paperback
S2: or an e-book format. Again, it's Treasure Truth radio.org. Once again,
S2: here is Pastor Ford.
S1: And then notice and I just skip this. But he
S1: says help him with the grave clothes. It's the same thing.
S1: The stone and the. Now remember, they wrapped them like
S1: a mummy. Which means then since they didn't do individual legs,
S1: they generally did them together. That means Lazarus floated out
S1: of the grave as he floated out of the grave.
S1: Now get this. Can I just say this? Hope somebody
S1: get this. I don't have to try to get you
S1: to understand it. He's resurrected, so he's alive, but he's
S1: still bound. Amen. Alright. Preach, man. Alright, you say, but
S1: you still fornicate. You say. But you're still cheating. You
S1: say but you're still lying. You say. But you're still
S1: buying bootleg videos. You say you're still buying lottery tickets.
S1: You say Amen. Amen. Saved but bound. Yes. So? So
S1: what's going on here? He. He says, listen, I want
S1: you to understand there are some things that you gotta
S1: help people with that help them get free. Some things
S1: you gotta do. Remember what Jesus did for men? Carried him. Remember?
S1: We had a message. Well, four messages and we entitled it.
S1: Tear the roof off the sucker. Remember that? These four
S1: guys said he's paralyzed. He can't get to Jesus. So
S1: we're going to take him to Jesus. And Jesus saw
S1: their faith. In other words, we talked about the fact
S1: that Jesus didn't heal him because the man on the
S1: palace faith, he told him, go and sin no more.
S1: Here's a man that needed deliverance but couldn't get to
S1: Jesus for deliverance, and for his friends carried him and
S1: he got delivered. Sometimes they don't need faith. If you
S1: have it, can you believe for somebody else's blessing? Can
S1: you believe for somebody else's deliverance? Okay, now notice give
S1: us four and five. Let's just let's just drop em.
S1: Let's not push em. Next thing we see is the
S1: coronation of Jesus. Why do you call it that? Now?
S1: Let me just read this. Listen. Lazarus came forth. This
S1: was said, verse 45. Many Jews believed on him, but
S1: some of them went their way to the Pharisees and
S1: told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the
S1: chief priests and the Pharisees the council, and said, what
S1: do we do for this man who does all these miracles?
S1: If we let him alone, all men will believe, and
S1: the Romans shall come and take away both our place
S1: and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the
S1: high priest that same year, said, you know nothing at all,
S1: nor consider that it is expedient for us that one
S1: man should die for the people, and that the whole
S1: nation should not perish. He was prophesying and didn't even
S1: know it. You know what he was saying? He was saying, listen,
S1: somebody's gotta die for the nation. And he didn't know
S1: that that he was fulfilling the prophecy of the Old Testament.
S1: Now here's the. Here it is. They meant it for evil.
S1: God means it for good. How could the condemnation be
S1: his coronation? Let me just let me just do it
S1: so I can give you the last one and get
S1: on out of here. Remember when we talked about the
S1: fact that Jesus said to Peter, get thee behind me, Satan? Yes.
S1: And he said to Judas, friend, betray me with a kiss.
S1: Why did you call that coronation and not condemnation? Because
S1: the condemnation of Good Friday was leading to the coronation
S1: of Resurrection Sunday. If there were no Good Friday, there
S1: could not be a Resurrection Sunday. Many of us want
S1: the power of the resurrection, but we don't want the
S1: pain of the cross. That's right. And so what happens
S1: here when you begin to look at what's going on?
S1: Here it is Jesus called a friend and enemy, and
S1: Jesus called an enemy a friend. You want to know why?
S1: Come on, help me get you out there. Say you are.
S1: Because if your friend does not want the will of
S1: God for you, then your friend has just become your enemy.
S1: And if your enemy pushes you to the will of God,
S1: then your enemy just became your friend. Peter didn't want
S1: him to go to the cross, so Jesus said, get
S1: behind me, Satan! Y'all, Satan is not the things that
S1: be of God. And Judas kissed him so he could
S1: go to the cross. And Jesus says, friend, Amen. Maybe
S1: your haters are your elevators. Here's the last one. Chapter
S1: 12 Lazarus is alive. And notice what happens. He goes
S1: from the tomb to the table because in chapter 12,
S1: he's sitting at the table with Jesus. He's a silent
S1: witness of the power. Now notice what Jesus did. All
S1: of this because he didn't come when they wanted him to,
S1: but he came when he knew he ought to. And
S1: the bottom line was he wanted to commune with him.
S1: I sure hope today is not the only day you
S1: celebrate resurrection, because every day is a celebration of resurrection.
S1: Let me read this true story to you real quick,
S1: and I'm going to take my seat. You've been so gracious.
S1: It's a true story. It's told by Professor Bruce Riggins
S1: of McCormick, right downtown. There was a very dedicated Christian
S1: woman working with underprivileged people in London. He. This professor
S1: asked her what inspired her faith in action. This the
S1: story she gave him. She said she was a Jew
S1: fleeing the Gestapo in France during World War Two. She
S1: knew she was close to being caught and wanted to
S1: give up. She was hiding in a home in France
S1: with a widow who hid Jews. She said it's time
S1: for me to flee. It's no use. They're going to
S1: find me anyway. They're close. The Christian widow replied, yes,
S1: they will find someone. But it's time for you to
S1: get with the people who are escaping. She said, give
S1: me your identification. So she gave her her Jewish identification
S1: and she gave the Jewish woman her French identification. When
S1: the Gestapo came, the woman, who was French but had
S1: the Jewish woman's ID, was taken into custody. Six months later,
S1: she died in Auschwitz. And this woman said, I came
S1: to know Christ as my personal savior because of that
S1: woman's sacrifice for me. And now I spend, and I
S1: will spend the rest of my life helping other people.
S1: You see, what happened over 2000 years ago is that
S1: the devil was coming because we are destined to go
S1: to hell. The wages of sin is death, but the
S1: gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
S1: And so we were there like that woman, waiting, knowing
S1: the inevitable was going to happen. Death would knock at
S1: our door and we would go to hell. But Jesus
S1: changed IDs with us and he gave us the ID
S1: of deity through his death, burial, and resurrection. And we
S1: accepted that. And he took our identity in Adam so
S1: that he was able to die for all of us
S1: so that we could live with him. And so Jesus
S1: died in agony so that we could live abundantly. He
S1: went through hell for us so we could go to
S1: heaven with him. And so we have resurrection power. I'll
S1: tell you what it does. It puts wisdom in your
S1: head and rejoicing in your heart, and hallelujah on your lips,
S1: and clapping in your hands and standing in your feet
S1: and praises Phrases out of your mouth. What should we do?
S1: How should we respond to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ?
S1: We ought to look back and thank God. We ought
S1: to look forward and believe God. We ought to look
S1: around and trust God. We ought to look within and
S1: praise God, and we ought to look up, and we
S1: ought to praise God. Is there anybody in here who
S1: came today? Because Jesus got up, and now we can
S1: wake up and we can get up, and we can
S1: stand up and we can lift him up. Throw your
S1: hands up. Say amen. Hallelujah. Praise his holy name.
S2: Well, that is a fitting conclusion to the message. Resurrection power.
S2: You can't keep a good man down. This is treasure
S2: truth with Pastor Ford. And you can always find us
S2: online at Treasure Truth radio.org. You know, these daily programs
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