Rise

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” John 11:43....."The blessings of salvation began the day Jesus blew the door off a tomb." Chris Tiegreen I heard a song the other day where the lyrics, based upon the above Scripture, have the Lord Jesus calling Lazarus to "rise and come forth." Rise seems to be a word Jesus often used, with cripples held captive by their mats to the dead, or like Lazarus, held captive by his tomb. All it took to break the power of the disease, the chains, even death and its tomb, was a word from Christ. Nothing has changed in the last 2000 plus years. He's still speaking those words to those who can hear them. Can you hear them? Will you hear them? As a pastor for more than 40 years now, the hardest part of ministry has been seeing people remain on their "mats," held captive by addictions, the past, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and every sort of wound that has never been healed. I have seen people, even His people, who still have much of their lives still entombed by things that they have done or have been done to them. To all of them, to all of us, to you, He speaks and calls, "Rise, and come out!" In those words, in His invitation, is infinite power. All of it focused on us, on you. I love that quote from Tiegreen. He literally "blew the doors off" of His tomb, Lazarus' tomb, and our tomb if we will have it. All the power of death in all of its forms is rendered powerless by His risen life. A risen life that He offers to us. Not just in some future time, but right now. Right here. Death could not keep Him, and it cannot keep us. Tomb life is no life at all, so why do we stay there? The darkest and most terrifying tomb we could ever imagine cannot keep His voice and His presence out. He will penetrate it and His words, if we will listen and receive them, will snap every chain, put to flight the deepest darkness, and blow the doors off of the strongest tomb. All we need do is to, by His grace, rise, and come out, come forth. I know what it is to be crippled by what has happened in life. I know what tomb life is like, along with all the hopelessness and despair it brings. I'm well acquainted with deep dark places. I tell you, His voice, His call, can be heard there. The devil may have convinced you that all is beyond hope and help. It's a lie. All you need do is call upon Him, for He has been calling upon you. He stands at the immovable stone, the doors of your tomb, ready to blow the doors off, already calling you forth. All that needs be done has been done. Leave your mat, your tomb behind. Rise, go forth, and follow Him......Someone said that in the place of total desperation and helplessness, all you need to do is cry out from your heart, "Jesus, come and save me." It's true. I did, and He did. Lose the mat. Lose the tomb. He calls to you. Rise up. Come out....to His risen life. Blessings, Pastor O Blessings, Pastor O