Stop Crying, It Ain't Over!

Luke 8:52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing.” Jesus said, “She is not dead but asleep.”

When someone or something you love is appealingly dead it is overwhelmingly sad. The thing you gave life to is laying there lifeless. It’s enough to make you want to collapse in grief. There are so many people grieving this season. The fall and holiday season is a hard time for many because we remember our loved ones who have passed away. But when we have Jesus, we don’t have to weep as those who have no hope because we know that Jesus is the Resurrection and the life.

When someone or something does, Jesus has the power to give life back either now or later. Sometimes, what we think is dying or dead is really in sleep mode. When my computer is left on and idle, for a period of time it goes into sleep mode so that it can be saved. So the computer won’t burn up, the manufacturer created a sleep mode to protect it. What looks like a dead computer is really a computer that the manufacturer equipped to save itself. When the operator comes back to the computer he or she is able to restore its use.

When Jairus' daughter died, people were weeping and wailing. Jesus told them to stop crying because she was in sleep mode. They started laughing because they knew she was dead. There are some people who are laughing at your optimism and your faith because from a human perspective your situation is dead but from the manufacture’s perspective it’s in sleep mode. Jesus said, “Stop Crying!” Why?!

1. Because Jesus is here. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, his sisters told Jesus if you had been here our brother would not have died. Jesus said, “Your brother will live again.” Martha said, “I know he will live again at the end of time at the resurrection…” Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. If someone believes in me they will never die, and if they die believing in me they will live again. Do you believe this?”
2. She’s just sleep. Death is just sleep mode for believers. God will awaken all the dead in Christ first at the end of time and sometimes he awakens the dead in this lifetime. There are countless stories of people dying and being brought back to life. A young man ran up to me last night and said, “Pastor, my mama died…” before I could say that I was sorry he interrupted me and said, “but the doctors brought her back to life.” Thank you Jesus!
3. Jesus is about to restore her spirit. When Jesus said, “Little girl get up.” The bible says her spirit came back to her. Jesus is able to restore the spirit back to whatever was dying in your life.

In the book of Ezra, Chapter Four, when the exiles returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Everybody was crying. The young were crying because the new foundation for the temple was being laid, they were crying for Joy. The old folks who remembered what the original temple looked like before it was destroyed were crying as the foundation was laid out of sadness. Both were crying but no one could distinguish the cry of joy from the cry of sadness. Question: Why are you crying? Either way it’s going back up!

Dear God,

I thank you that what I thought was dying is going to be restored. You have the last say so and I need you to speak life in what everybody else said was dead. I’m foolish enough to believe that it ain’t over until you say it’s over. I believe that I will not die but live to proclaim the works of the Lord’s hands. God you are amazing and I thank you for giving me new life.

In Jesus Name,
Amen