Numbing Isn't Healing | Chad Veach

John chapter 11, we are concluding. We have been in a series. It's actually the theme of our conference. We want you here. And when we say we want you here, we're really welcoming heaven. We're welcoming God. We want God in this place. We want God here in LA.

Could anybody use a little bit more Jesus in their home? Who could use a little bit more Jesus at your workplace? Don't raise your hand, staff. Well, we want more of God, not less of God. Amen. So, we're ending this series. Johnap 11 says this. It says, "Now, a man named Lazarus was sick, and he was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister Martha."

Now, we've been talking about Bethany, trying to make our lives a Bethany, trying to make our church a Bethany. Remember, it was in Bethany that Jesus did his best work. It was in Bethany that Jesus felt welcomed and honored. It was in Bethany that Jesus was not prohibited or disrespected.

He was welcomed. Come on. Anybody want your life to be a Bethany in 2026? So, there was a man named Lazarus. He was from Bethany in the village of Mary and her sister Martha. The this Mary whose brother Lazarus lay sick was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God so that God's son may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus.

He loved them. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. Everybody say two more days. He stayed there for two more days. And then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea. But rabbi, they said, a short while ago the Jews, they tried to stone you, and yet you are going back.

Jesus answered, Are there not 12 hours by daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see this world's light. You know what Jesus is really saying to his crew? He's saying, "Guys, hold on. You think that I'm afraid of what man can do to me?

If I'm in alignment and on assignment from the Father, it doesn't matter what any man tries to do to me. I'm under a greater authority. Come on, clap. If you're walking in the light and ((applause)) come on, praise him. I'm I'm good because God's got my back. ((applause)) He's saying God, no man can can stop what God has set in motion.

Verse 10, it is when a person walks at night that they stumble. That's for Rams fans, for they have no light. That's a word. After he said this, he went up to to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going there to wake him up."

His disciples replied, "Lord, if he if he sleeps, he he he'll get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, "Yo, man, you're not getting it. Lazarus is dead." I like that. Sometimes God will um nudge you.

Sometimes God will prompt you. Other times God will speak to you plainly. No, it's time for you to start doing this. It's time for you to stop doing that. It's time for you to break break up with that dude. He's broker than a joker. That's a word for somebody today.

Hallelujah. I like that. Sometimes God will speak to you plainly because he wants you to understand exactly what he's meaning in your life. It says this in verse 15, "And for your sake, I am glad I was not there so that you may believe. but let us go to him.

Then Thomas, also known as Ditimus, said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go that we may die with him." I want to preach a message today on the last installment of this series. Write down the title. It's called Everything's Better When You're Here. >> Everything's better when you're here.

I'm telling you, Jesus, everything gets better when you walk into the room. Everything's better when Jesus is here. Amen to that. I don't know if you if you seen this commercial. Um there's a commercial going on right now and it's these ladies, these moms that are on a vacation.

By the way, every mom deserves a vacation and these moms are on a vacation and like they're at the pool, you know, having like pa virgin pina coladas and and they're like by the pool and and then one of the mom says, "Should we call the kids?" And the other one's like, "Should we call the kids?"

And then they go down to the beach and I got the beach swimming in beautiful water and one of them says, "Should we call the kids?" And they're like, "Call the kids." And then they're like doing more fun stuff at the spa and they're like, "Should we call the kids?"

And the joke is we don't need them kids here. We are good. It's not It wouldn't be better if they were here. We are good right where we're at. I just want to tell you that when you follow Jesus, whenever he shows up, everything gets better. We want God in our homes.

We want God in our lives. We want God at our conference. We want God in our church. Should we call on Jesus? Come on, clap if you want more of God. ((applause)) It's not better when you're not here. Things only get better when you are here. Everything's better when Jesus is here.

It says that Jesus loved Mary and he loved Martha and he loved Lazarus. And Lazarus falls asleep. Lazarus dies and Mary and Martha are so overwhelmed with grief and pain that they want Jesus to hear about his friend's passing and so they send note they send letter and they send to Jesus and the only thing they know to write is they say write down this short brief message to Jesus just tell him this the one that you love is dead I don't know if anybody told you this today but I want to tell you that God didn't just love Lazarus God loves You you today are the one that he loves.

Anybody thankful this I know the Bible tells me so that Jesus loves me. ((applause)) >> They write a note. ((applause)) The one that you love is dead. They're not writing this to control him. They're not writing this to manipulate him. They're writing this because they have relationship. Write down point number one today.

Always reach for relationship. Remember we are out of the religion order. We are in the relationship era. We love Jesus because he first loved us. Our love for God is a response to the the to the initial relationship that he started with us. Anybody thankful today that God so loved the world that he gave his one and his only son that if anybody would believe in him, they will not perish but have everlasting life.

((applause)) CLAP TODAY IF YOU'RE IN relationship with Jesus. ((applause)) They don't write so they can control him. They don't write so they can manipulate him. They reach out because they're in relationship with Jesus. Put verse three on the screen. So the sisters sent word to Jesus. Lord, the one you love is sick.

When he heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified through it. Ain't it amazing that they send note to Jesus and in our era it'd be like a text, you know, or maybe an email and they send note to Jesus and Jesus gets the email and the Bible says that he waits for two more days.

And it's crazy to me because we, you know, we just got done fasting and praying and we think the moment we pray, God should move. I prayed it so you should answer it. They send note. Jesus, the one you love, is dead. Jesus goes, what do the kids say?

Bet. Is that what they say? Bet. He goes, bet. And he posted up for two more days. You know what he's saying? He says, "God will get the glory out of this." You know what he's saying? Heaven is writing a bigger story than you can imagine. >> I know you want God to show up right now, but I tell you, the longer that you wait, there's a bigger story that's being written, and God's going to get the glory for the miracle ((applause)) he's about to do.

He's not in a rush. Remember the old saying's true today. He's never too early and he's never too late. He's an ontime God. He gets word Lazarus dead. He goes, what did he say? Bet. Bet. And he posts up for two days. He goes, God is going to get a greater glory out of the testimony of what's going on.

But I love that they wrote out of relationship. I want to encourage you. We are not here today at church. We are not streaming services out of religious practices. We are in relationship with the King of Kings. The God of the universe calls you a friend. You're a friend of the most high God.

Anybody thankful today that you're in right relationship with the father in heaven. ((applause)) So they would say, "Uh, Jesus, [laughter and gasps] the one you love is falling asleep." He waits for two days. After two days, Jesus goes, "All right, guys. Come on. Let's go. We got to go back through Judea to Bethany."

That'd be like, "We gotta go through LA to get to Highland Park." Hello. We got to go through Judea to get to Bethany. When Jesus is on his way, the sisters hear word. The note worked. The prayers work. Come on. Anybody believing that your fasting and prayers work this year?

The the note worked. Jesus is on his way. Oh, I like what it says here in verse uh number 20. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home. Lord Martha said to Jesus, "If only you had been here.

Everything's better when you're here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, God, God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.

The one who believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die." Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she replied. I believe that you are the Messiah. You are the son of God who is to come into the world.

Write down number two today. I don't know what you'll do, but I know who you are. ((applause)) >> Oh, I'm telling you, church, I don't know what God's going to do in 2026. I don't know what God's about to do in your life. I don't know what's about to happen in this year, but I know who God is this year.

God is good. God is for you. God is with you. Oh, come on, everybody clap and thank him if you I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'LL DO, BUT I'M CERTAIN OF WHO YOU ARE. ((applause)) I'm certain of who you are. I know who God is. I know God is. Have you ever been around somebody where you're just like, I don't I don't know what are they about to do.

You know, you ever be like walking around some sketchy part of LA and you kind of just like I don't know what these people about to how I feel when I go to Sofi Rams games. I'm like, I don't know what these people about to do. What are y'all about to do?

Martha ran out. Jesus is on his way and she and she falls at his feet and she goes, "I don't I don't know what I didn't write to you cuz you I wanted you to do something. I I wrote to you because you are something. >> I don't know what you'll do, but I know who you are." >> And she he says, "Your your brother will rise again."

And she goes, "Oh, I know, Jesus. You know, like when we go to heaven, he goes, "No, I am the resurrection." In fact, put it on the screen. I love this. He said, Jesus says of himself, "I am the resurrection and the life. I am the light of the world.

I am the good shepherd. I am the true vine. I am the bread of life. I am the door for the sheep. I am the way, the truth, and the life." Does anybody believe today that he is who he says he is, and then he can do what he said?

BUT CLAP IF YOU'RE FIRST BELIEVING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN, BUT I'M CERTAIN OF WHO YOU ARE. ((applause)) SEE, my prayer for our church this year is that we'll walk in authority and victory because we know who God is. I don't know what's about to happen, but I'm certain of who you are.

I'm certain that you are the vine. You are the door. You are the way. You are the truth. You are the light. You are the resurrection. I'm banking on who you are more than what you're about to do. Last night we were getting ready uh to go to dinner as a family and um uh Pastor Julia's only request of the outing was we only do one stop because you know the only problem with having kids grow old is they develop opinions.

It's the worst and their taste buds are different than each other. So one wants to go here and the other one and so you know we're fasting and prayer warriors. So we are on our way to where all the Daniel fasers meet up air one. So, we are going to uh eat celery sticks together and the boys hate Air1 cuz there's nothing good for them there.

And so, we're on our way and they're begging me, "Dad, no. No. Dad, no. Please don't make us go have smoothies. Lord, please." And they're in a Chipotle era right now. My guys love Chipotle, which I love cuz it is Chip Chipo. [laughter] And so, they're like, "Dad, take us to the promised land. with a chips and guac flow like milk and honey.

And so we're driving and I'm on my way to Air1, but in my head I'm really driving to Chipotle and but they don't know. And so I'm driving, they're like, "No, Dad. No, FOR ONCE BE A GOOD FATHER. Come on, Dad. Prove that you love us." I'm like, I give you food and shelter.

And so we're driving and right when I was ready to make my move, I took a left, but they don't, you know, they're not old enough to really realize that I'm headed to a different Chipotle. But their mom is. So the mom, you know, pastor Julia, she speaks up.

She's like, "Oh, boys, what did dad just do?" And I'm just kind of driving like [laughter] chicken quesadillas for you guys. I I don't know what you're going to do, God, but I'm certain of who you are. You've been good to me. You've been faithful. You've been generous. You've been kind.

You've been loving. Come on, clap if you know who God is. I'm not I don't know what's about I don't know what's about to happen, but I know I can bank on you being who you said you'd be in my life. You are the way. You are the truth.

You are the vine. You are the good shepherd. You are the door. You are the resurrection and the life. And I just want to encourage you. If you don't know what God's going to do, welcome to the club. Neither do any of us. But I tell you, we're worshiping with our hands raised because we trust in his character and we trust in his nature.

We know who he Come on, give him a praise today. I know who God is. ((applause)) Martha runs out and she's like, "Oh, if only you'd been here. I just went BY, YOU KNOW, LAZARUS'S GONE AND I know you loved him, Jesus, and how our brother and I JUST IF ONLY YOU'D been here.

EVERYTHING'S BETTER. THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. Everything's better when you're here. Write down number three. You got to worship God in the valley of despair. >> YOU GOT TO WORSHIP GOD WHEN YOUR heart's in the socks. YOU GOT TO WORSHIP GOD when life's not good. You got to learn how to cry out through some tears and some grief and some pain.

You got to develop some resolve within you to say, "It might not be what I want. It might not be what I'm looking for, but I still TRUST THAT YOU'RE FAITHFUL. YOU'RE KIND. YOU'RE WORTHY OF WORSHIP on my worst." Oh, come on, everybody. Give him a praise. I'LL PRAISE YOU IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR.

I'LL PRAISE YOU WITH TEARS GOING DOWN MY FACE. I'LL PRAISE YOU WHEN I DON'T FEEL LIKE PRAISING YOU. SOMEBODY GIVE HIM A PRAISE IN ADVANCE THAT NO MATTER WHAT GETS THROWN YOUR WAY, I'LL BE FOUND WITH MY HANDS HIGH AND MY VOICE RAISED BECAUSE I KNOW. COME ON, GIVE HIM A PRAISE TODAY.

I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. ((applause)) She didn't run out. She didn't run out trying to control and manipulate. She came out and fell at his feet because she loved him and she worshiped him. You got to be careful because life will touch everybody. There's no one that is exempt from life touching you.

There's no one that's going to just bypass that you're not going to go through some hard times and some troubles and some trials and some tribulations. You got to make the decision in advance. No matter what gets thrown my way, I will praise the Lord because if you don't, what will happen is you'll get into numbing practices rather than healing practices.

Come on. >> I'm facing this storm and I hate the way it feels. So, I've got to numb the pain. The only problem with numbing is it develops deeper issues. It develops a greater disconnection. The only problem with numbing is it might fix it for the moment, but it can't heal your brokenness.

Only Jesus can heal what's broken. ((applause)) >> Put it on the screen. Numbing practices, avoidance, control, performance, substances, distractions, isolations, spiritual bypassing. Naming says, "I cannot feel this and survive this." It brings short-term relief but develops longterm deeper issues, deeper dependencies and a greater disconnection. And I love Martha.

Martha goes, I know me when I go through hard times, I want to go drink. I want to go numb. I want to doom scroll. I want to text that old ex of mine. I want to do I want to go back to what's familiar cuz I don't want to feel this way.

And I want to encourage you that this is your year that you're not going to go back to that old numbing. You're going to run to the feet of Jesus for your healing. ((applause)) Aren't you tired of being tired? >> Aren't you tired of these things? You think it's bad now when Lazarus died?

Give yourself two years of avoiding facing your reality. Give yourself two years of developing this addiction, deeper issues, deeper disconnection, deeper depression. Martha said, "I know me and I know what I'd usually do and usually I slide in a DM, but not this time." Some of y'all laugh like, but some people are dealing with it in the room.

Come on, somebody. [laughter] And she says, "I know me. I'm not going to numb. I'm gonna run to my healer. >> And I'm running not for Lazarus. Come on, somebody. I'm running for me. I need the presence of the living God. ((applause)) Healing practices means that you can sit in his presence.

You can go through grief. You can set boundaries. You can walk in patience. You can name and tell the truth of what you're facing. You can lament over the problem that you're in. You can be in community and be seen while you're still unfinished. Healing practices are the things that hurt at first, but eventually they restore you.

But eventually they restore you. It might feel uncomfortable. I don't want to be in church right now. I don't want to be in a connect group, right? I don't want to go to a desire. The last thing I want is to be at Zoey conference. But you are so broken and you are so hurting that you need the presence of God more than anything else in the world.

((applause)) Yeah. I'm believing for you that 2026 is not your year that you're going to keep doing the same numbing thing. You're going to walk into the healing thing. I need community. I need church. I need friendships. I need to grieve. I need to be honest. I need to be be clear about what I'm going through.

And I need God to touch me right where I'm at. I believe that if you walk in the healing, it might hurt at first, but eventually over time, you're going to feel great victory. I'll never forget a few years ago, we were in the middle of fasting and praying.

Every year during the fast, something happens to Pastor Julia. You're laughing. And I'm not. One year she was doing step-ups. The thing was about this high. She stepped up onto it and then she stepped down from it. Somehow from this to this she broke her foot. Fluky. Then she started going to physical therapy.

When the physical therapist physical therapist first started to work with her foot, so much pain, so much tears, so much agony. Oh, I can't put weight on it. I can't deal with this. This is not some of you. God's healing some areas of your life. You're like, I don't want to face this part of me.

I don't want to go through this character healing. I don't want to go through this relationship mess. I don't want to face my childhood trauma. But I believe that God is restoring you and healing you and putting strength. Come on, clap. If you want to walk for God, run for God, fight for God, God's got to build you back up.

Give him a praise if you're down to submit to THE PROCESS. I'M TIRED OF NUMBING. I'M GOING TO START RUNNING TO MY HEALER. GIVE HIM A SHOUT OF VICTORY IN ADVANCE. ((cheering)) >> ((applause)) >> SHE RUNS and falls at his feet and she says, "Oh, Jesus, I need you now.

Oh, he's dead. He's dead and I'm just I love you and I'm so Oh, this is I know you loved him so much and yeah, when he when he gets to heaven, he's going to see you." Jesus says, "No, no, I got to keep going." Jesus walks over to the house.

Lazarus's been dead now for three days. Three days. Lazarus's been dead. Jesus walks in and before he performs a miracle, he stands there and weeps with the sisters. Write down the last point today. God shows up in presence before he shows up in power. >> See, you got to understand something about the character and the nature of God.

Before God performs a miracle, he wants some relationship. Before you can control him, he wants some connection with him. He doesn't show up and go, "Hey, everybody, stop your crying." Jesus is on the scene. And you guys know how I do. Sencio portfore. The Bible says, put on the screen.

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, ((music playing)) he was d deeply moved in his spirit and he was troubled. Where have you laid him? Come and see, Lord. They replied, "And Jesus wept." And he wept. He's there with Lazarus and Mary ((music playing)) and Martha and he's weeping.

I never understood the gravity of this scripture because when I was growing up, my dad was like, "You need to memorize scripture." So, I committed to memory John 11:35. Jesus wept. First verse I ever memorized. ((music playing)) Two words. Jesus wept. But I didn't understand the power of this moment.

Jesus is showing up to tell all of us who he is. I bring my presence ((music playing)) before I bring my power. I would rather weep with you first and then ((music playing)) heal with you. And I want to say that if Jesus wept then he still weeps today. Jesus weeps over your pain.

He weeps over your brokenness. ((music playing)) He weeps over your trauma. If it breaks your heart, it breaks his heart. Anybody thankful today that we serve the God of compassion and the God of grace. The God that would show up ((music playing)) and weep with you. ((applause)) Religious people just want Jesus ((music playing)) to show up with power.

But Jesus followers would rather have his presence over his power. I'd rather have him be with me than do things ((music playing)) for me. I'd rather have him care about me than just be a genie in a bottle. And Jesus shows up. He's going to get to the healing, isn't he?

((music playing)) But before he performs a miracle, he weeps. On Friday, Julia um Pastor Julia text um Balam Hannah here in the front row and the ((music playing)) text was a bit ambiguous. I knew something bad had happened, but I didn't know exactly what based upon the text. ((music playing)) We're praying for you.

We love you. We're thinking of you. And I I I wasn't really thinking I I didn't know what I said, what happened. And Hannah has had a dog named Tucker for 16 years that she had to put down this last week. And when I read the text, I just thought, "Oh gosh, man.

Jesus, that's o." And it it it made me think of this story this pastor told one time. Somebody came up for prayer after a service and ((music playing)) this man's dog had passed away and he said, "Pastor, will you pray for me?" My dog passed and the pastor prayed for him.

And the man was crying. He said, "Pastor, how long will it take for me to get over this?" And the pastor said, "As much as the dog meant to you, that's as long as it's going to take." And I always remember that story because I think there's things in your life that you think God's going, "Hey, hurry up, still crying, still weeping."

But my Bible says that Jesus showed ((music playing)) up and he wept. And I say that if he wept then, he could weep today. ((music playing)) Weep today. That if he cared back then, he could care right now. That there's nothing that you're going through that God's like, "You know what? You're only getting my power, but you're not getting my presence.

I'll tell you that our church, we are not a power-driven church. We are a presence-driven church. ((music playing)) We are addicted to the presence of God. ((applause)) We don't fast and pray for power. We don't fast and pray for results. We don't fast and pray so we can get something. We fast and pray because we want you here.

[snorts] >> We want you, God. >> We want you. And you don't have to do anything else, but just everything's better when you're here. >> EVERYTHING'S BETTER. MIGHT NOT FIX ALL MY PROBLEMS, but you are my ultimate solution because nothing can touch me and free me and satisfy me and heal me like the presence of the living God. just one touch from you, God, and all my worries fade away.

All my problems vanquish in the background. I'm just praying over you that today you say, "You know what? Everything's better with Jesus. >> I don't need something from you. I need you. I don't need you to do another thing for me. The cross is enough. I'm writing this letter not for a miracle that I need you to do.

I write this letter because I want you to draw near to my life. Because when you're here, everything's better. Everything's ((music playing)) better when you show up. When you weep over me, when you dance over me. Clap if you're down to spend your year not pursuing results. But come on, reaching for relationship.

Stand to your feet today. Stand to your feet.