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CLOTHES YOU NO LONGER NEED · THIS IS THE LIFE PODCAST

• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Good morning, welcome into our devotion time this morning on
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  Speaker 1: our This is the Life podcast. Hope you had a
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  Speaker 1: great day yesterday and as we get ready for this
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  Speaker 1: morning's word, it comes to us out of John chapter 11.
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  Speaker 1: And this morning we're talking about clothes you no longer need. No,
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  Speaker 1: I'm not talking about what's in your closet this morning
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  Speaker 1: or what you may be feeling like you're outgrowing or
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  Speaker 1: not needing anymore. This comes out of John chapter 11
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  Speaker 1: when it really talks about the spiritual things that continue
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  Speaker 1: to bind us or hold on to us that we
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  Speaker 1: no longer need in our lives. And the Word of
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  Speaker 1: God says in John chapter 11 verse 43 and 44,
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  Speaker 1: And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a
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  Speaker 1: loud voice. We're speaking of Jesus. Lazarus, come forth. And
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  Speaker 1: he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot
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  Speaker 1: with grave clothes. And his face was bound about with
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  Speaker 1: a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him and let
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  Speaker 1: him go. I love that part of that scripture. Loose him.
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  Speaker 1: And let him go. Now I want you to imagine
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  Speaker 1: this morning standing outside of that tomb. Now the stone
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  Speaker 1: has been rolled away and Jesus calls a man who
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  Speaker 1: has been dead for four days by name. And then
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  Speaker 1: Lazarus appears alive. But he is still wrapped in the
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  Speaker 1: clothes they buried him in. His hands and his feet
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  Speaker 1: are bound as well as about his face. Now he
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  Speaker 1: has answered the voice of Jesus. When he called, he
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  Speaker 1: came forth alive. But he needs help getting free from
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  Speaker 1: the old grave clothes. Now when we look at that
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  Speaker 1: and kind of imagine that scene, I think many of
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  Speaker 1: us understand that picture. Perhaps this morning you have experienced
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  Speaker 1: life through Jesus Christ the Lord. But you still feel
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  Speaker 1: bound by things that belong to an old season in
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  Speaker 1: your life. It could be guilt over what God has
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  Speaker 1: already forgiven you of. Maybe it's fear. shaped by what
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  Speaker 1: happened to you years ago. Or maybe it's hurtful words
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  Speaker 1: that were spoken over you that all of a sudden
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  Speaker 1: now you believe are true. I'm here to tell you
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  Speaker 1: right now, if they're not from the Word of God,
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  Speaker 1: if they're not edifying, if they're not lifting you up,
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  Speaker 1: they're not true. See, those things can restrict and bind
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  Speaker 1: how we live. A painful memory may cause us to
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  Speaker 1: pull away from the very people who love us the most.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe a past failure may make us hesitate when God
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  Speaker 1: opens a new door that somehow we're not worthy to
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  Speaker 1: walk through that door and be that vessel for the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: We may be alive in Christ, but still found ourselves
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  Speaker 1: reaching for those old grave clothes. Jesus did not call
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  Speaker 1: Lazarus out of the tomb and leave him standing there
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  Speaker 1: wrapped in the past. I want you to notice this also.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus didn't unwrap him. although he could have. The Bible
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  Speaker 1: doesn't say Jesus unwrapped him, and Lazarus did not unwrap himself.
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  Speaker 1: He turned to the people nearest to Lazarus and said,
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  Speaker 1: loose him and let him go. See, they could not
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  Speaker 1: give Lazarus new life. They could not call him forth
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  Speaker 1: out of a grave that he had been in for
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  Speaker 1: four days. Only Jesus could do that. But they could
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  Speaker 1: help remove what was holding him back. And that's what
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  Speaker 1: I want you to see this morning. Sometimes that help
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  Speaker 1: comes through a trusted friend who listens to you without
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  Speaker 1: judging you. If you've got somebody like that in your life,
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  Speaker 1: hold on to them because they're very precious. Someone who
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  Speaker 1: reminds you what God says when you are or feeling
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  Speaker 1: like you're in a really dark place in your life. See,
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  Speaker 1: we were never meant to work through every burden in
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  Speaker 1: our lives by ourselves, and never, ever underestimate the importance
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  Speaker 1: of good, godly fellowship and trusted relationships. Today, I want
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  Speaker 1: you to listen again to the voice of Jesus calling
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  Speaker 1: you forward. I want you to name the old things
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  Speaker 1: that you have been carrying for far too long, and
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  Speaker 1: I want you to bring them into His presence. And
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  Speaker 1: then let some trustworthy person in your life walk beside
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  Speaker 1: you as you learn to leave it behind. I want
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  Speaker 1: you to also notice that Lazarus didn't say, no, no,
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  Speaker 1: don't worry about it. I can do it myself. He
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  Speaker 1: didn't say, Jesus, you don't have to get anybody to
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  Speaker 1: help me. You brought me out alive and I appreciate that,
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  Speaker 1: but I can take these clothes off myself. No, pride
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  Speaker 1: wasn't a part of it. It was allowing people to
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  Speaker 1: help him get free from the things that That had
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  Speaker 1: bound him for that time. And God wants us to
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  Speaker 1: be able to do the same thing ourselves. The grave
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  Speaker 1: was behind Lazarus. The clothes of death no longer belonged
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  Speaker 1: to him. And whatever God is helping you release today.
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  Speaker 1: You do not have to keep wearing it either. Today
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is calling you into new life. And he will
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  Speaker 1: help you walk every step and every journey of the way.
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  Speaker 1: And yes that may include. getting someone to walk beside
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  Speaker 1: you and help you along your journey. So today be safe,
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  Speaker 1: be strong, and be blessed. And be aware that there
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  Speaker 1: are some things that just don't fit you anymore because
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  Speaker 1: you're a saved child of God. Lord's will, we'll see
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  Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow. Until then, I sure hope
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  Speaker 1: you have a great day.