In this conversation, Brad talks about the importance of friendship and shares the story of Jesus and his friend Lazarus. He emphasizes the faith and belief in Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Brad encourages listeners to examine their own faith and invites them to accept Jesus into their lives. The conversation ends with a call to action and an invitation to share future devotion topics.
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(upbeat music) - Hello, my name's Kamal Grant and this is You Don't Know What You Don't Know, the latest podcast on the Hope Cast Network, where I, Kamal Grant, go talk to leaders in the consumer package goods world because I need to know more things. I'm trying to launch a new brand called Magic Middle. And I want to get it on all the grocery store shelves. So I'm talking to leaders in the industry so I can learn from them so I can learn and let the world know. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - This is the Hope Cast Network. Stories and shows you actually want to listen to. (upbeat music) - My name is Brad and this is your weekly calling. Okay, I hope that your Monday is starting out great today. Today I want to share a little bit about friendship. You know, I've let you know in the past that we have moved up to Minnesota and Kristen and I, Max, have found friends that we get to enjoy time with. I got to go eat dinner. We got to go eat dinner in St. Paul with two new friends we've made up here and Saturday my son and I got to go fishing with new friends. And it was a blast. It was something that we could not have seen a year ago and we get to see it today. But we all have friends, right? We left friends back in North Carolina and we're making new friends now, but did you go? That Jesus had a friend. Now, we know Jesus is a friend, right? But Jesus had a friend Lazarus. And I want to get you all guys to read this. I'm not going to read it today, the whole chapter, but I want you to read John 11 and it's about Lazarus, right? And in this chapter, Jesus' friend Lazarus dies. And Mary and Martha, they send for Jesus. They call, you know, your friend is dead. Jesus does not rush. He doesn't rush there, but they call. And they're, you know, this is Mary. She goes, this is Mary. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling them, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick." But when Jesus heard about it, he said, "Lazors sickness will not end in death." Now, it happened for the glory of God. So the Son of God will receive glory from this. So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. He did not rush, but his disciples objected, of course. They're like, "Hey man, dude, Lazarus, your boy is dead. "What are you going to do?" And Lord, he said, "If you're sleeping, "he will get there soon." Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better. The disciple said, "They thought Jesus meant Lazarus "was simply sleeping." But Jesus meant Lazarus had died. Because he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep." He tells them, "Hey man, Lazarus is asleep." But then he told them plainly, "Lazors is dead." He just basically got to break it down. They're not getting it. They're like, "What?" And he's like, "Hey man, Lazarus is dead." Yeah. So when Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told Lazarus had already been in the grave for four days. Think about that. Some of you listening have buried someone. Four days is four days. That's a long time. So Bethany was only a few miles down the road. When Martha got word, Jesus was coming, she was loaded for bear. She basically said to Jesus, "Lord, you know what? "If you'd have been here, you know, a lot of ifs and buts." What's the old saying, "Ifs and buts were candy "and nuts every day'd be Christmas, right?" Well, she goes, "If only you'd been here, my brother, "would not have died. "But even now, I know God will give you whatever you ask." And he said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Yes, Martha said, "He will rise when everyone else rises." At the last days, kind of she's thinking he's doing a rhetorical question and he's like, "I know, I know." She and Jesus says to her, "I am the resurrection "and the life. "Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. "Everyone who lives in me, believes in me will never ever die." Do you believe this, Martha? You, the listener right now, do you believe that? Do you believe what Jesus is asking, Martha? Martha looks at him, she probably had a little glare in her eye and she said, "Yes, Lord, "I have always believed you are the Messiah, "the Son of God, the one who come into the world "who has come into the world from God." Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, "The teacher is here and wants to see you." So Mary immediately went to him. Now she's coming, she's like, "Oh, we gotta have this conversation." Jesus has stayed outside the village, a place where Martha met him. When the people who were there at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was gonna go get Lazarus, go to his grave to week, right? So they followed her. They're about to see a scene. They're like, "We're about to see a care in around here, right?" She's about to blow up. Oh, Jesus, when Jesus saw her weeping, he saw the other people wailing with her a deep anger well within him. You know, we talked last week about David, right? And he had this anger when Uza was dead because that's how we feel about friendships, right? I have friends right now that if they died, I would be angry, I'll be upset. Jesus saw her weeping and he was deeply troubled. He walks up to her, he says, "Where have you put him?" They told him, "The Lord came and see." And then this is the shortest verse in the Bible. You all know it, then Jesus went. That's an easy one. We see Jesus cry though, he's crying. The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him." But some said this man healed a blind man. Couldn't he keep, couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying? I mean, this guy old a blind man. Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb. He said, "Roll that stone aside." But Martha, the dead man's sister protected, protected, protested. Lord, he has been dead for four days. It will smell like high heaven in here. We don't want it. Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you "that you would see God's glory if you believe?" So they rolled that stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. "If you always hear me." But I said it out loud for the sake of those people standing here so that they will believe you sent me. Then Jesus shouted, "Lazors, come out." And a dead man came out. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd love to have been there and witnessed this. But I love that Jesus is teaching because he knows he can raise Lazarus from the dead. He knows what you're doing in your life and where you're going. But he wants you to see it. And he had to wait. He wanted Lazarus to be dead and smelly. And then he was gonna come there like a boss. And he was gonna raise Lazarus up to show. But let's not overlook what he tells her, what he tells Martha. I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live. If you don't believe in Jesus right now, now's your chance. Just say this prayer with me. Dear God, I just pray that you let Jesus end my life. Or I know I'm a sinner. But today I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that he will be my Lord and Savior. I won't spend the rest of my life proclaiming Jesus. If you said that prayer, amen. Congrats, it's a new day for you. You can send me an email and let me know. Work advice for me at gmail.com or slide into my DMs. I'll respond, I will celebrate. My challenge to you this week is look at your life. I'm gonna look at mine. Where do you life, baby? Because Martha knew, but they still had to see. Sometimes we know, but we have to still see. Think about that. And if you have any devotions you wanna hear in the future, email me, work advice for me at gmail.com. I will be glad to cover that topic. My name is Brad, and that was your weekly calling. 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