Roll The Stone Away

Martha said to Him, "I know that he (Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection at the last day". Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this"? || John 11:24-26

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him"!... Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "take away the stone". || John 11:35-36, 38-39

In the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (all throughout John 11) we always see Jesus taking death and turning it into life. With Lazarus and Himself in the tomb, He always says to roll the stone away that keeps the dead person, dead. He does the same to us as believers. He tells us to roll away the stone, simply to come out and be with Him. He doesn't want us to stay in the tomb and rot away. He wants us to come out like Lazarus did, to Him, to Jesus, who tells us that HE is the resurrection and the life. We don't have to wait for the second coming of Christ to know Him... We wait for the second coming because we do know Him and we want to be fully with Him. The more you fall in love with Jesus the more you will expectantly await His return.

What is the stone in the way of your tomb? What is keeping you from coming out into life in Him? Is it insecurity, depression, anxiety, disbelief, impressing man/world, etc? What is it? It is never to late to take the stone away. Lazarus was dead for 4 days (physically) which most people considered to be a done deal... that there would be no way for Jesus to raise him from the dead now. But Jesus later says in John 11:40, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God"?

Nothing is to "set in stone" for the Lord. He is in the business of taking hearts of stone and turning them into hearts of flesh. Don't give up and think it is too late. Roll away the stone that is keeping you in the "tomb", that stone that is keeping you back, keeping you in death. Roll it away. Jesus is saying to you just as He did to Lazarus, "Come forth!".

How He longs for you to come forth. Just as it says in scripture that He weeps because of the love He has for Lazarus, He too weeps because of the love He has for you. He doesn't want you to stay in the tomb and in death. He sent Jesus so you could have resurrection life.

Wow. What a King.