He loved you enough to be late

A sermon by ranti ola -Fawehinmi on the 13th day of November 2011

Time has been defined as an observered phenomenon by which human being senses and records changes in the environment and the universe. It is a non spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible order from the past through the present to the future.

We measure the outcome of events by time , we set goals and hinges it's achievements on time, time is relevant to our daily activities. The SI base of time is in seconds, that translates to minutes and hours. 60 seconds makes 1 minute and 60 minutes makes 1 hour, 24 hours make 1 full day, there are 365 days in a year, except for leap years, which uneducated climatologist like myself will consider the cause of a leap to be the result of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still at the valley of Aijalon during the fight with the amalekites, this he did to enable him complete his warfare as night and darkness approached, we therefore say that the course of nature and time sequence was altered that day.

However , it is important to consider the relevance of time to God's promises for our lives, we are carriers of prophetic declarations, we have eternal word spoken over lives, but we walk through life and grope in darkness not been able to realise and actualise prophecy, some live in their time and others live out of their time, some have it running and others do not have it coming.

We sometimes live in regrets and in utter disappointments at what life offers, we condemn ourselves over the mistakes we've made in life, and as a christian you expect mountains to move when they ought to move, you expect vallellys to be filled when ought to be filled, but what you get is the contrary to your prayers.

And the enemy wants you to believe that God is a liar, I come this 13th day of November 2011 with the anointing of the Holy Ghost , child of God to proclaim to you that your God is alive and that He's coming your way, the fig tree may not blossom right now, the cloud may be darkened right now, the sun may not give it's shine right now, but Joy is coming after this, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning, you are at 11.59 by the calendar of heaven, you are one minute away from a miracle, He is not only the Alpha, He's also the Omega, he do not just begin a matter, he will also complete it, there's a word over your life , He's watching to performing, He's waiting to bring it to past, rejoice child of the living God for your redeemer cometh.

So the devil tries all the time to make us live in the past, and the past is harrowing, Infact it is a dull and lonely business living in the past, the evidence of living in the horrible past are: self guilt, peers envy, birthday phobia you don't look forward to your next birthday, you are reminded of the lost grounds each time your birthday comes, de-motivation and lack of productivity are all symptoms of living In the past, hear what Thomas Jefferson had to say ' that I am interested in the dreams of the future than the history of the past' Abraham Linconln took it further to say that ' I do not want to know who my grandfather was, I am interested in knowing what his grandson will become' . Come on child of the Living God something may be gaining on you looking back, your breakthrough is ahead of you not behind you and as a messenger of hope I am declaring to you in the name of Jesus that your best is yet to come.

The irony of it all is that there is a king in you, and that's what the devil has been fighting, the plans of the enemy is to destabilize you and weaken your vision and vigour to seek the realization of your promises, isn't it an absurd reality that in your inner eyes , you see the promised land but every happening around your life does not in any way indicate that you are getting there, in your inner man you see it that you are a joyful mother of many and yet for the past 10 years you have been in and out of fertility treatment and the world is tagging you barren. Isn't interesting that 15 years out of school, you are not gainfully employed and yet you see yourself with your inner eyes becoming a sought after. You may be fine like an angel and yet you are 39 going to 40 and still no man is coming your way, it is natural at this point to feel that your God has forgotten you. Despite the promise of God to Sarai and Abram, the human nature through Sarai had to seek an alternative in her maid, Haggai. There's a king in you wait for it. David waited for it, he fought the bear, he fought the lion, he fought Goliath, he became the king pianist and servant before he realised the promise, the annoiting is not automatic, it has a manifestation period, wait child of God, you will become all that God has purpose you to become. Joseph waited, Daniel waited, Esther waited, wait for yours.

The waiting time is long enough to make you quit and short enough for you to wait, I must flow with you, in the waiting , there's the pain and the wailing. Many have lost their mind in this period, the period of waiting can actually be so long judging by our earthly calendar, ou but have you considered why you are still standing after all you have been through, you have seen hell and it didn't burn you, you have swam the high waters and it didn't drown you, you have gone through the thick and the thin and you are still on your feet, oh my goodness! , I am convinced now that God is up to something good in your life, you are a man on a mission, you are a potential candidate for an outburst of a miracle , you are listed for a breakthrough, you are next son of the Living God ,you are next, it's your turn shortly, after this experience. You will celebrate at the mountain top.

The text for my message is taken from fourth gospel chapter eleventh, verses 1 to the end. John 11 vrs 1-end.

It is the account of Lazarus, whom the gospel refers to as the one whom Jesus loved he was sick and the information came to Jesus , as if nothing happened Jesus went about his normal business for two more days, what do you think Mary and Mather would have felt in those 2 days of no word from their Lord who knows them so well, He might probably have been served dinner in Lazarus house before, so the relationship was beyond what any other bethanites might get from Jesus.

The astonishing thing again was that when Jesus decided to attend to the call of the sisters of Lazarus, He melt down the gravity of the message, He, as all knowing master might have seen with the eyes of the spirit that Lazarus was dead by this time, but Jesus casualised it by describing to his disciples that their frieind Lazarus sleeps and they need to go and wake him up.

The journey from Jerusalem where they were to Bethany where Lazarus was, was a journey of two miles, so again it is a bewilderment that the journey took Jesus another 2 more days, so by the time He and his disciples got into Bethany, Lazarus was already dead for 4 days, body should be decomposing and flesh tearing apart, gory tale I guess? And yet bible says that Jesus loves Lazarus, what if he didn't love him.

Anyway Jesus was led to the tomb after tears and emotions had gone into the air between lazarus sisters and Jesus, the only place in the bible where Jesus wept. John 11 .36 . Do you know how much He's concern about your case, we do not have an high priest that cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, you are the apple of His eyes, he that toucheth you toucheth God, thousand may fall at your right and ten thousands at your left but it shall not come near you, when the enemy comes like a flood the Lord will raise up a standard against him. That's the God you serve, he's watching over you , he wants to identify with your plight and pains, he felt what you feel, anyway Jesus was led to the tomb and raising His voice to thank God, he callers he that was dead for 4 days out of the land of death and Lazarus sneezed back to life, child of the Living God you are coming out, you are coming out of the tomb, coming out of the cage, coming out of the covering, coming out! Coming out!!!, your warfare is accomplished, your days of mourning are over. Arise and shine for your light is come and the glory of the lord is risen upon you. It's now your set time to be favoured.