Prepare & Wait

May the name of the Lord be glorified this morning. In a congregation, there are members who rejoice and there are members who grieve. A church is called to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. Praise the Lord. Only the church can do it. At the same time, we all hold on to each other, find comfort and look unto our Lord and take comfort. Some things in life we don’t have any answers for, but we trust our Lord to walk with us in the pain. And some of the questions we have in life, it will be our companions in this world. Every time we walk with the unanswerable questions, it makes us a lot of humble and it kind of gives us a deep wisdom in the Lord that we know that how fickle this life is, how short this life is. And it is God’s grace that we are here every day. Those who depart from us who sleep in the Lord, they are fortunate. They are blessed because they are with the Lord away from the pain of this world. But when we are here one more day, that is because the Lord wants us to do something for him uh in this land to spread his light, to spread his fragrance. last week uh mommy’s uh sister, elder sister uh uh passed away. Uh I haven’t talked to her in months actually. But uh somehow mommy was talking to her and I went there and I took the phone and I started talking to her and she was 84. Uh suddenly in a few months she looked so old. Uh but she was joking. She was kind of making uh jokes and I I started my own jokes and we were laughing at uh with all all of us together and she said I am here because I think my grandchildren has to learn a little more about medicines and disease and all both her grandchildren are doctors. So uh she was making that fun and joy and the next day I heard that she uh went to be with the Lord. Praise the Lord. She is the first fruit in the family and she is the one person that led all of us into the lord. So uh actually I am here because she uh received the call of lord and started to walk in the path of the lord. When she started her journey it was so tough. Her husband our uncle was a very tough person. Um he even went to I I’ve heard stories a lot of stories once she went with a stick to the prayer hall where there was she had gone for prayer and I think she used some trick like I won’t get baptized again or something like that because she heard it somewhere and escaped so papa forgave her that time. Okay. So a long journey all my cousins are in the Lord and uh I praise God for her great uh testimony. Praise the Lord. Today’s message I want to uh my topic is prepare for a new dawn and restfully wait. Prepare for a new dawn and restfully wait. Let us read from the book of Luke or Gospel according to Luke chapter 23 55- 56. Praise the Lord. Here we read of a few women here. They followed Jesus from the land of Galilee. They walked after Jesus. And once Jesus was crucified, the minister Joseph took down his body, washed it, and Nicodemus including they prepared the body and they put it in the tomb. We read that these women went and looked into the tomb and saw how Jesus’ body was laid. Then they went back home and prepared spices and ointments and rested during the Sabbath so that they can come back and anoint Jesus. Praise the Lord. So the question here is when everyone else retires, everyone else closes the book, are you calling it quits or are you preparing yourselves for a new door? Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Last Friday, John gave a blessed message. The first one of the first statements he made, it was quite interesting. All four people their names are being recited in the Bible. They were so important. Means means pleasant and sweet. Hallelujah. When trouble hit these people who claimed, “Oh, I am so pleasant in the Lord. I am so sweet in the Lord.” The person who said, “God is my king. I shall never fail.” They just left the land. A few women here, they are names are not given. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Luke chapter 24 verse 10. Three of those ladies are named on the resurrection day. First is Mary Magdalene. Maria Johanna Johanna, that’s a blessed name. Where is Johanna? Praise the Lord. It’s a blessed name. Johanna and Salomi. Salomi is the mother of James and uh John and other women. Hallelujah. See? Hallelujah. What are these ladies doing? What are they doing? They are doing something. They are preparing spices and perfumes to anoint Jesus body. Now Jesus was not buried without any perfume. 34 kilos of mirror and allows were used to wrap Jesus by um the minister Joseph. Joseph was a rich man. It’s a tremendous amount of um spices or perfumes. Hallelujah. And these ladies go to the tomb and look into the tomb and look how Jesus was laid. But one thing they found, they wanted to anoint the outside of Jesus wrappings burial. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. So they go back to their houses and they prepare the ointments and the spices and they are waiting for the Sabbath. They are resting in the Sabbath but they’re waiting for the Sabbath to be over so that they can come back and anointed Jesus. When trouble happens in life, the Holy Spirit of God advises every one of us, every one of us. Hallelujah. To take rest in the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I am going to do something for the Lord. So I am going to rest now and I am going to step out early in the morning even before the sun rises. Hallelujah. And I am going to go and anoint Jesus. This is see why do the Jewish people use these perfumes on the wrapping. It’s not mummification. It’s not to preserve the body. The body is going to rot anyway. It is their honor. It is their respect for the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Here are a people wrapping Jesus or anointing Jesus. Hallelujah. In his final act, Joseph wrapped the wrappings with the perfumes. Joseph Hallelujah. They are ready to spend. Joanna is the wife of uh Chuza who is the manager of Herod’s household. Hallelujah. And so they want to bless Jesus body. They want to anoint Jesus body. Hallelujah. You know sisters don’t be angry with me. But I am I know that for some reason in history and u literature female love is always branded as fickle and not as stable as men’s commitment or committed Love emotion. But the Bible here, praise the Lord, says something very different. Hallelujah. There are these ladies whose love and dedication to the Lord is extolled so far high far beyond can anybody can even imagine. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Ladies, raise up your hands and say hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Our Lord notes what each and every one of us does. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Their names are not given but their acts are given. Hallelujah. Prepare for a dawn tomorrow. When your promises breathe their last, when plans die, missions get buried, know that the Sabbath will soon be over. Prepare yourselves for a dog. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. See faith is attested by our action. Hallelujah. Faith is attested by our attitude. Praise the Lord. We are not people who get saved by works but our faith will be expressed in our attitude and in our action the woman see praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Ia always calls her. That’s the way. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. This woman is noted for her action even though her name is not given there. Second Kings. Second Kings chapter 4 last verse 23. last part of verse 23 New King James and she said and she said it is well verse 26 last Verse 26. Last part. It is well. Elisha is asking you actually asking is there shalom with your husband is your is there shalom with your child is there shalom with yourself that is our ritual that is a ritual we don’t mean we don’t want others to know where we are going actually praise the lord Indians have that secrecy uh uh secret nature. Praise the Lord. Here Alishia is asking is there shalom? Is there deep peace? Is there deep well-being? Is there deep health? Is there deep prosperity with your husband, child, and yourself? And she says yes, it is well. Shalom. That’s her answer is shalom. Praise the Lord. Her child just died. You know the story. And that woman goes to her husband first. And husband is freaking out. Why do you want to go there? And she goes to her husband and says like this, let give me a a servant and a donkey so that I can just run to the prophet and come back. There is no new moon. There’s no festival. Why? It is well. Shalom. Shalom. No, it’s shalom. Full of peace. She is at rest. This is not acting. She’s at rest. But she has plans in her mind. Connected with the previous verse. There is a Sabbath experience in her heart. plan. There’s a plan in her heart. Praise the Lord. Verse 20, boy dies. What’s the plan? Verse 21. Verse 21. She laid lays this child in the upper room on Elisha’s bed. Praise the Lord. Malia see Elisha was built a room on the roof of her house. It is called an upper room. Upper room is very important in the Bible. When the widow at Sarapath her child dies, she takes this child to Elijah and says, You killed my son. Why? Because wherever Elijah goes, Elijah is pronouncing the judgment of God. What El does picks up the child, goes to the upper room. El is living in the upper room. Hallelujah. El prays a prayer. Then he lies over the child. Then he walks, comes back, lies over the child again, goes back, comes back, lies over the he got up and he one more time he prayed and the child came back to life. Praise the Lord. And this woman knows this story. Hallelujah. Do you know why all these stories are written in the Bible? We have something to follow and that is why the book says all this stuff. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God will give you a plan. Daniel, when The edict of the king comes. What does he do? He goes to the roof chamber. Pentecost. When did Pentecost start? In the upper room. Hallelujah. Where did Jesus and his disciples do the u Passover? In the upper room. Hallelujah. Where did Peter raise Kabida? In the upper room. So upper room always shows a special place. What is our upper room? Hallelujah. If there is an attic that should be your prayer room. So you know there is no way but there is an upper room in our body. What is the upper room in our body? It is not our flesh. [Music] But there is our spirit. Hallelujah. When we have a problem, do not react from the flesh. Do not respond from your soul because your soul will protect you and soul will defend yourself and soul will come out raging like a bull. Hallelujah. But respond to it from the spirit. Hallelujah. Your spirit is connected with the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord. So she runs to prophet Elijah. Second Kings uh Verse 27 says she went to the mountain and when she reached there she went towards the prophet and hugged his leg. Verse 30. Can you read verse 30? Okay. Praise the Lord. English please. So what is her plan? What was her plan? What was her plan when she started from Israel? Huh? What was her plan? Huh? What was her plan? To bring Elisha back to her house. I will go there and I will get a hold of his leg and I will not leave him until he agrees to walk back with me to my place and to that room and to that upper room where my child is and he will raise my child because that is what the Lord did with Elijah and the widow of the Sarafat. Hallelujah. plan. Praise the Lord. And hallelujah. See where did she get this idea? Where did she get this confidence? Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. In verse 27, there is a a very important part. When she’s holding on to Elijah’s Elisha’s feet, Gasesi comes Gasi comes to push her away. Our root language is very strong. He comes to push her away because you are not supposed to touch the prophet. You cannot touch the prophet. He doesn’t even speak to you directly. No. Elisha speaks through speaks to the woman through his servant not directly because that is the way prophets are in that times. They are these are asetic people. I was when I one day I remember when I went to Louis prison. I took a a rabbi to the Louiswis prison and I didn’t know he was orthodox. I thought he was a uh uh you know a new modern rabbi. So I didn’t expect that. When I went there there was a lieutenant and uh she and I worked in Winslow. She was the wife of our deputy in Winsel. She came around and I was waiting for we were waiting for the inmates to for them to process the inmates and bring them in and there was some delay and so she came to enquire what the delay was and she comes into the room and we see each other and oh you know we make a lot of noise and she comes and hugs me and we hug and I ask her about how is your husband how are you doing all that stories you know we’re making a lot of noise and then I said hey uh we are waiting for the inmates for the rabbi And she turns and uh oh yeah I I’m and then I I introduce her to the rabbi this is a he say he can’t give a shake hand he would not touch rabbis even won’t even touch Jesus did not respect some of those social rules anybody could go and touch Jesus Jesus touched a few people few women when he was healing them, when he was raising them, that was a child though. A a bent woman, Jesus touched her. But Jesus never bent forward and hugged any women. That was But Jesus did not stop anybody from coming and hugging him. He says, “Do not hold on to me, Mary.” Hallelujah. I have gone back to the father. Praise the Lord. Rabbis never touched or prophets never touched or permitted anyone to touch them. But when comes to push her away, Elisha stops. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. You see, if you have a mind to approach the Lord and if you have a mind to receive from the Lord and if you are moving in his will, no, nobody or nothing can stop you from approaching closer to the Lord. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. See, always it’s like that. I remember in the prison once a a a a lady came to my office and uh she comes and says I’m not going to call you chapl Thomas from now on I’m going to call you man from now on and I am thinking how shall I respond to this she’s just flirting you know how am I going to respond to this I have a sermon on how to you know uh to speak in the prison while I was thinking on it and I have an inmate clerk. She was about 60 years old. She stood between us. She kind of terrified that girl. You’ll get a ticket. This is our chaplain, not your friend. See, people always put um or enforce the law. But here when Gasi is trying to stop her, praise the Lord, Elisha is attesting her faith. Elisha is attesting her action, her attitude. Now Elisha comes with her. We know the story. Prays for the child. First thing he does is he prays for the child. Then he lies on the child, gets up, walks around, goes back and lies down on the child again. and the child comes back to life. Example of Elijah. But he only had to pray once and he only had to do this action twice and the ch child comes back. The question the second time say the baby didn’t respond or the boy didn’t come back to life. What was Elisha going to do? That is what Elijah did. Right? Then what did he do? He prayed again and that is when the baby. So there is something in the spirit of these people. To receive something from the Lord, you have to really demand it from the Lord. Really ask him in according to his will. Praise the Lord. Eli says when Samuel prophecies to him, Elish says it is God. He can do whatever he wants and that is not the way to receive from the Lord. There is a specific thing. Now compare this. This woman goes to Elisha and she brings him to the upper room in her house. Wonderful. Elisha comes and receives the life of the child back from the Lord. Confer compare is sent first by Elisha. So Elisha says Gi come here. Tuck in your belt. Okay, he’s done it. Okay, now take my staff. Yes, sir. I got the staff. Now run. What are you going? Yes, I’m going to run. Don’t greet anybody. I will not going to greet anybody. If anybody greets you, don’t respond. I will not go to put the staff on the boy’s face and he will come back to life. And Gi did all these things. There was no voice. There was no hearing. Who are you? Hallelujah. Nothing happened. What did Goshi do? picked back the stuff and walked back past to Elisha. When he is going, Elisha and the woman is coming back. Hallelujah. And he tells him nothing happened there. And Elisha doesn’t see. Elisha goes, Elijah receives. Shunamite woman goes they receive. Hallelujah. So they receive from the Lord. Where is our push? Where is our waiting? Where is our rest? Are we pushing with the Lord? Are we acting in faith? Or are we still in our own frame of reference? Nothing is happening. This is useless stuff. Hallelujah. See, there is a difference in people who receive from the Lord compared to people who doesn’t receive. But our God is gracious. See the theme word here is inheritance. Inheritance. Aagash. Aagash. It’s not about a boy. It’s about aash. It’s about inheritance. The word son is used with the Shunamite six times. Nine times he’s called boy or child. There is a reason why six times son is used. When says she doesn’t have a son and El says next year you will have son. And she bore a son. Hallelujah. See that is how come the take your son. Take your son. And do you know what she did? You know I want to know what mother who is going to act like this woman did. She comes into the room. Elisha says pick up your son and go. You know what she did? She doesn’t do that. What she does is she falls on the ground, bows deeply. Hallelujah. She picked up her son and went out. Praise the Lord. This is a Thanksgiving week. All of United States is celebrating Thanksgiving. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. John was speaking from the book of Ruth. Praise the Lord. Chapter 4 verse 14 and 15. Hallelujah. Women are singing a song. Women are singing a song. Praising Naomi. You got a great redeemer and your daughter-in-law will take care of you. You know that is the song. That’s the first song they sing for Naomi’s pleasure. You know what Naomi did? Naomi picks up. Hallelujah. The word is both. It can be translated as lap or the breast. Hallelujah. and got a son. Hallelujah. Where you lost your inheritance, God is giving you back an inheritance. Hallelujah. Where others said that it is all over, it is dead. It is buried. No way you can go to get this. God is giving Hallelujah a an inheritance. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. When we come back Luke chapter 23 verse 40. money, money, many money, money. All those people who came to see Jesus saw that there was uh Pastor Thomas was preaching on the three-hour darkness. So, they saw the darkness. They s they heard about the uh curtain being torn apart or the veil being torn apart into two from the top to bottom. There was earthquake. There was all this stuff. And Jesus soul departed from his body. When they saw this, you know what the crowd did? They they beat their breast and then they went back home. You don’t see them again. Verse 49. Verse 49. Now the women who followed Jesus from Galilee and all his acquaintances stood at a great distance and watched all what was happening. See that is the second crowd. That’s a second crowd. They’re waiting there. 50 to 53. Joseph and Nicodemus. Nicodemus is not written there. They wrapped Jesus. They washed Jesus’ body, wrapped it in in in the in the burial shrouds along with all the uh sweet fragrant things, the mirror and u allows and they went and buried the body, put the body in the tomb. Hallelujah. But these women, these women went back to their homes and prepared perfumes and ointments so that they can come and fulfill. Hallelujah. They go back home and they are prepared for a next dawn so that they can come and they can bless Jesus. Hallelujah. How these people did not do the right thing. Hallelujah. Everybody knows to say that. Hallelujah. However, these women saw it. Now those who were standing far away when there was a lot of people with them get off now they’re coming closer now they’re looking into the tomb and they’re seeing no we have to do this because this man perfected all of us hallelujah so we are going to perfect this for him and they are taking this upon him themselves and they are going home preparing and early morning they come back. Hallelujah. They are not even they don’t even call for help. Who is going to roll over the stone for us? And when they come, they see they behold the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let us all be on our feet. We are going to pray. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. There is a grace of God that hallelujah fulfills every shortcomings in our life and makes us perfect. Hallelujah. But there are a few people hallelujah who not only received from the Lord. Joanna received from the Lord. She had lots of ailments. Hallelujah. She had lot of problems. But when Jesus touched her life, she was healed. Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons. When Jesus touched her life, she became holy and the demons fled from her. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Zebed’s mother. Hallelujah. She saw the changes in her children. How her family was being blessed. How her children were called to sit with the Jesus Lord. Hallelujah. In the mighty heavens. Oh, hallelujah. And she even prayed to the Lord. Hallelujah. Let one of my son be on your right and let the other son be on your left. Hallelujah. They are all together. They want something different for Lord. They want a perfection in everything. They are coming against the law. They are coming against the soldiers. They are coming against the religious beliefs. They are coming against the culture. They’re coming against every impediment. Hallelujah. And they see and they behold the mighty power of the Lord. Do you want to see the deliverance of God? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Not just to receive but to take up the burden. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I am ready to fulfill it, Lord. Hallelujah. The body of Christ needs more perfume. Hallelujah. And I am going to do that. Hallelujah. I am going home. I am taking rest. Hallelujah. But I’m going to come back in the morning and I am going to do this for you, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Not to walk out like Hallelujah. And halfway nothing is happening. But like that womanite. Hallelujah. Like the Sunite woman. But like that Hallelujah. Prophet Elisha, like that prophet Elijah, hallelujah, who stood there and stood there and demanded and cried like Jacob who stood at that hallelujah riverside and hallelujah wrestled with the tears and supplication. Hallelujah. Like Jesus Christ who spend his time on the mountain during the night and hallelujah wrestled with God for father. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Do not fret and worry about anything but know that the Lord is with you. Hallelujah. Let us commit to each and every one of us in the hands of God. Hallelujah. And let us surrender before the Lord. Lord, here I am. Hallelujah.