Wonderful Holy Spirit, we welcome your awesome presence in revealing your word to our hearts for this hour. Move upon the hearts of the hearers of this message, Holy Spirit. Bring conviction to the hearts, to the spoken word. And Father, I thank you for it now in Jesus' name. To the book of St. John, chapter 11, verses 43. And when he had thus spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes. And his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him and let him go. Very unusual topic. Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? Jesus, my friend, knows your name. And not only does he know your name, he's calling your name. In this story, it deals with a man named Lazarus, who was a friend of Jesus. But in John chapter 11, verse 1, now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus. And this man, Lazarus, eventually died, physically expired. But Jesus told him something. He said, you know, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. They didn't quite understand what he was talking about, because the fact that he was sick, they had sent for Jesus, Mary and Martha, known to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. You love him. Won't you come see about him? Well, Jesus didn't respond when they thought he should have responded. He kind of stayed around two days in the same place. And eventually, over time, Lazarus, who was sick, now dies. But Jesus told him in verse 15, I'm glad for your sake that I wasn't there, to the intent you might believe. In other words, Jesus said, you know, Y'all made me aware that Lazarus was sick. I didn't come when you thought I should have came. But I'm kind of glad he's gone, because what you're about to see will cause you to know who I am. Oftentimes in life, we have to go through some things to really get to know who Jesus is. And let's go on. And the story goes on to say that Martha came to Jesus and said, you know, Lord, listen, whatever you ask of God, he will give it to you. And Martha said, Lord, listen, I know my brother gonna rise in the last day. Jesus told her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Time progressed again when they put Lazarus in a cave. That was the Jews method of burying. They put him in a cave and they roll a stone in front of the entrance of the cave. Now when they came to the cave, the Bible says before they got there, how Jesus groaned in spirit and he was troubled. He asked him, where have you laid Lazarus? Where is he? Listen, my friend, Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? This story here shows us how things can happen to us in life that can hurt us, that can even kill us. Lazarus was dead from a physical standpoint. You may be listening to me right now. You may be dead spiritually and don't even know you're dead. because unless Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Savior, you are alive physically, but you're dead spiritually. Gets the note here. Lazarus died physically, but you may be listening to me right now. You are dead spiritually if Jesus Christ is not your personal Lord and Savior. So let's move on because you have to see something here. Jesus asked the question, where have you laid Lazarus? Where have you put this man's body? Jesus knows where you're at, my friend. He sees the things you're facing. He knows the places you have been in, the places you're about to go to. And yet a lot of these places you're going is not benefiting you. Note something. Lazarus was put in a cave. a grave, per se. You're in places, my friend, where you're dead. Note something. You're dead spiritually, and you're going to physical places that are still dead. I hope you caught that. You're separated from Jesus because of unconfessed sins. You're spiritually dead. And yet, you're going to places that's not producing life. It's producing more death. And what's sad You're spiritually dead, and then if you die physically, you will be eternally separated from Jesus forever. But guess what? That don't have to happen, my friend. The fact that you're alive from the physical standpoint and you're dead spiritually, you can come alive today, my friend. Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? And Jesus said, where have you laid him? They showed him the place. Jesus said, take away the stone. Move the stone out of the way. In other words, do your part, and I'm going to do what you can't do. Jesus said, y'all take away the stone. I'm going to do what you cannot do. Right now, you can't raise the dead, but I can. So since y'all put him in this cave, y'all move the stone away. and I'm gonna do what you cannot do. They say, Lord, by this time he's stinking. My friend, you're listening to me. The Bible says, there is a way which see me right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Note something. What you're doing, my friend, is producing more death. You're already spiritually dead. You're alive physically. but you're dead spiritually, and if you die physically, God help you, but you don't have to. I must keep stressing this. So Jesus say, take away the stone, remove the stone. Jesus simply prayed a simple prayer. Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that you hear me always. Now watch this, my friend. After Jesus finished talking to his father, He called Lazarus' name. That's where our texts come from. Jesus is calling your name, my friend. Will you respond? If Jesus would have just said dead, get up, everything from Adam up until that time would have got out of the graves. But Jesus was direct when he said Lazarus. Whatever your name may be, my friend, Jesus is calling your name. He's calling you from your grave. He's calling you from your cave. He's calling you from a dead lifestyle. He's calling your name. Jesus said, Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus heard his name called by Jesus and Lazarus responded by coming forth. Jesus is calling your name, my friend. Will you respond? Whatever your name may be, Jesus is calling you right now. He's saying, come forth. But the question is, will you respond by coming forth? Will you come out of the dead situations you're in? The dead relationship, the dead lifestyle that you've been in that eventually will take you out physically. You are dead spiritually because Jesus is not in your life. And if you die like this, my friend, you will be eternally separated from him. But that's not his will. It's not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? Lazarus heard his name called. Lazarus was tired, watch this, of being in the cave. He was tired of being dead, so he responded to the life giver. Jesus is calling your name, my friend. Will you respond? And Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Whatever your name may be, my friend, Jesus is saying to you, come forth. Will you come forth, my friend? Will you respond to the Savior? Will you respond to Jesus inviting you to come that he may give you a new life? Aren't you tired of death? Aren't you tired of going to ballrooms, nightclubs, disco places as you thinking that's life but it's slow death. Aren't you tired of the life you've been living? You're miserable, you're unhappy, you're swapping girlfriend and boyfriend like you're swapping shoes. You get into relationships only to be hurt. You get into drugs trying to drink your problems away. But they're still there. Once the high leaves, the problem's still there. Aren't you tired of a life like this, my friend? Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? He said, Lazarus, come forth. Whatever your name might be, he's asking you to come forth. He's calling you out of your grave into light. Jesus is calling you, my friend, out of darkness into light. He's calling you out of sin into salvation. He's calling you out of bondage into liberty. He's calling you out of confusion into peace. He's calling you out of sickness into health. He's calling you out of poverty into prosperity. He's calling you out of eternal damnation to eternal life in heaven. Will you respond, my friend? Jesus is calling your name. He knows everything about you. He's touched with the feeling of your infirmities. He feel your hurt. He see your tears. He feel your pain. But note something. Lazarus heard his name called. And Lazarus, watch this, he could have stayed there. But Lazarus wanted to live. Do you want to live, my friend? Do you want to have life abundant on the planet? And then life eternal after you leave the earth? The only way that can happen, my friend, it will only happen through Jesus. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man come unto the Father but by me. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none of the name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. So my friend, Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? And if you respond to Jesus calling you, my friend, he said, come unto me. All ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart. Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond? Stay tuned for part two of Jesus is calling your name. Will you respond?