CALLED FORTH
John 11:39-45, "Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had 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 saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him."
When Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden and they fell victim to his lies, human history and our relationship with God was forever changed. At that very instant, when the first hint of rebellion against God’s law entered into the heart of Adam, the soul of man was forever sealed in a tomb of death.
Sin entered and death came, perhaps not physically to quickly, but it was an instant death spiritually that brought a separation between our loving God and us.
Just as surely as Lazarus was dead, buried and sealed away in a tomb, with a stone across the door, so was our soul, and our life, sealed in tombs of sin, with death as a stone that had sealed us in.
Thank God that he sent his only begotten Son into this world to make a way for our escape from that eternal prison. Thank God that Jesus didn’t refuse to die on the cross for our sin. Thank you Lord for being the first fruits of the resurrection. Because Jesus lives we can live also.
One day, I was sealed away in a tomb, dead to anything righteous and holy, dead to any relationship with God, until, like Lazarus, I heard a voice calling my name.
Lazarus had been dead for 4 days and he had begun to decompose. The heat of the desert country and the lack of preservatives for those who had died contributed to a quick decaying of anything or anyone who died. That’s one reason that it was a custom to bury the dead quickly before disease could spread.
I don’t know about you but I’ve seen and “smelled” a lot of decomposing spirits as I walk this life. Some were so bad that I could sense the death in them even when I wasn’t totally right with God. Once you have tasted of the sweetness of the Holy Ghost and you have known the Love of God in your heart, you never forget it and when you get around those whose lives are still dead in sin you can smell the bad attitudes and the effects of sin and death upon them. I’m not just talking in a spiritual sense either. Even in the physical realm, there are a lot of people who are so very unpleasant to be around. It’s like you can’t stand to be near them lest something rub off on you.
As Lazarus lay there in the tomb, there was no power within him to come back. He was dead to all things of this world, never to rise again, never to laugh, never to cry, never to work, and never to see the sunshine. Hope was gone; forever crushed under the sentence of death that lay upon him so heavily.
Then Jesus came by. He is the Resurrection and the Life! He had not gone to the cross yet but he still had power over sin and death, and in this instance, our Lord chose to show his power to bring back his friend from death.
The first thing he did was command that the stone that sealed Lazarus inside the tomb should be rolled away. It took a lot of faith on the part of Mary and Martha to allow the opening of the grave. You have to admire their courage to face the possibility that nothing would happen except one more scar in their lives if Lazarus had not come forth.
We know that there was no way Jesus could fail now, but I wonder if Mary or Martha knew that then? Even in the midst of doubts and fears they learned to trust Jesus.
Let that be a lesson to us as well. Jesus is the Lord of our circumstances, even when hope is long gone and it seems that the thing we prayed for the most is dead, Jesus can speak new life into the circumstances and bring forth a victory.
Like Lazarus, my soul was sealed away with no hope of release. I could do nothing. I could say nothing. My doom was sealed.
Then I heard that voice! Jesus spoke my name and said, “Jim, come forth!” He spoke those words to each of you too. “____________, Come forth!” (Put your name there)
The stone rolled away from my door, and I answered the call. When Jesus calls you by name, it’s time to move out and answer the call.
I can just imagine that the instant the lips of Jesus began to move, the life and spirit of Lazarus immediately entered into the body of Lazarus. The Giver of Life had given new life to that which was already dead.
Is it possible that Lazarus could have refused to come out? What if he had decided that he would rather stay in that tomb? The way that I have it figured Lazarus was more than happy to obey the command to come forth. He didn’t want to stay wrapped in grave clothes, lying on a cold stone slab, in a dark, damp grave. Anything was better than staying here.
Now whether or not Lazarus had that choice I don’t know, but I do know that every man who is dead in sin, sealed in a tomb of death forever, can have the opportunity to hear Jesus call them forth. The problem is that many refuse to come forth even when they hear him call. You can preach salvation forever, beg, plead and even frighten people but some just won’t budge from their door. They would rather stay all wrapped up, feeling comfortable in their cold, hard lifestyle, running from God. They love the deeds of darkness rather than to come to the light because they might have to give up being dead.
What an ignorant decision that is! What part of being dead and forever destined to the pits of hell can be so great as to choose that over life? The problem is that they are not only dead in sin, but Satan has them blinded to the light and to the truth.
Just surely as Lazarus was found, hand and foot, and his whole body, including his face wrapped with cloth so that he could not free himself, so is every man who is dead and sin.
When I was called forth, I carried a lot of wrappings with me. It wasn’t until after I came forth to answer the call, knelt down at an old fashioned altar, and then allowed Jesus to begin to unwrap the bonds of sin from my soul that I was set free.
John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." After Jesus removed my bonds of death, unwrapped the sin from my heart, and lifted me out of the pit of sin that I was in, that’s when I became free. I am free now to worship him. I am free now to praise him. I am free now to serve him. I am free now to live eternally with him. I’m free; I’m free; I’m free!
Why would anyone want to go back to that grave again? Why would anyone ever see the wages of sin, which is death, as a greater value than the eternal life that Jesus gives? How can people turn their backs on God and go back to that state of eternal death? Oh how Satan doth blind the heart of people who turn from the ways of righteousness to go back to their grave once again!
Lazarus came forth by the power and command of Almighty God. He was unwrapped and given a new life.
That’s what Jesus does for all those who will come forth! All of us were dead in sin! All of us were stinking in our decay of sin! Then Jesus came by and called us by name! Aren’t you so glad that you heard him call your name?
He is still calling people forth today. All those who are lost need to do is listen for their name because He is calling every man forth to eternal life.
Jesus came so that every man woman and child could come forth, John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
They took away the wrappings, saw the recreated body and new life that Lazarus had been given by the power of God and many more believed because of the miracle of his resurrection.
What a great miracle it is every time we see a soul come to Christ! On the outside it may not seem like much but at that instant that Jesus comes in to live in their heart, that person, whomever they may be, are called forth from their grave of sin.
The wrapping of their sin is removed and they are washed clean and given a new life in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Can you imagine the joy that Mary and Martha felt when they received Lazarus alive once again? I can imagine that they just overcome with joy unspeakable! The glory of the resurrection power of God filled that place!
That’s the way that salvation still is today! It is joy unspeakable and full of glory! Oh how I want to see more of those miracles in our church!
Are you still dead in sin, wrapped in bonds of iniquity, eternally lost, without hope? Jesus is calling your name right now. He is calling to you, “Come Forth!”
Come forth to new life. Come forth to new freedom. Come Forth!
Let Jesus set you free. Let your resurrected life be the miracle that brings many more to come forth also. How many of your friends and family will turn to God in belief after they have seen the change in you?
