Lazarus

What makes Lazarus' story so special? What makes Lazarus a household name and a famous name? The presence, power, and person of Jesus!

Lazarus

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus, and former Junior High Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX.

- Pastor Danny

"But when Jesus heard about it he said, 'Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.'"

(John 11:4, NLT)

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead has been a favorite of mine for the past couple years now. I have always been familiar with the story, but after studying it for a weekend event where I preached, this has become one of my favorites!

If you are not familiar with the story, go read John 11:1-45! In a very quick summary, Jesus' friend Lazarus is sick. Jesus gets told of the sickness and waits two days to leave to go see Lazarus. When Jesus arrives, Lazarus is dead. Jesus weeps. Jesus then says, "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus walks out of the grave, and many people believe in Jesus!

What was the kicker for me that made me love this story more? This story is all about Jesus! Some of you may be thinking, "Well, duh, it's all about Jesus; it's in the Gospels!" But I want you to look at the summary and look at the bolded recurring word. Better yet, go back and read the story of Lazarus and focus on Jesus' actions and words. You see, Lazarus did nothing special. Lazarus got sick and died. Lazarus did what 100% of humans will do: die. What makes Lazarus' story so special? What makes Lazarus a household name and a famous name?

The presence, power, and person of Jesus!

Jesus shows up, and EVERYTHING CHANGES! The dead come back to life, people get saved, and can you imagine the reaction of the people who thought they were at a funeral but are now at a resurrection party! Everything changes when Jesus shows up! If you have a relationship with Jesus, Lazarus' story is YOUR story! For all of us who know Him, it is OUR story!

You see, we did nothing special. We were born into sin, and we were going to die sinners. BUT, when Jesus appeared on the scene and you heard the Gospel, and God opened your eyes to the Gospel, you began a relationship with Jesus! You went from death to life! You had a Lazarus resurrection spiritually! You went from death to life! Your story is one of a dead person coming back to life!

Now, that's a lot of exclamation marks and a lot of short, choppy sentences. What for? I want you to recognize that your story of salvation is POWERFUL! Your story of salvation is all about a Holy God intervening in your life and saving you from death and an eternity in Hell. So, whether your story is that you were saved at five years old at a Vacation Bible School or you were saved much later in life out of heavy addiction or other tough circumstances, your story is powerful, because it's all about Jesus!

My challenge for all of us today is to recognize the beauty of our stories and share them with others. Tell someone about how you went from death to life. Who can you share your Lazarus story with today?