Then Will the Very Rocks Cry Out (If We Keep Our Voices Silent) / Mark Hayes
From the corners of creation come the people of the Living God.Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 11:1-44 (selected verses):
Every tongue and every nation gather now to praise the Lord.
From a world of tribulation, come and let your voice be raised.
Join us now in congregation. Let the Living God be praised.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Unto Him we offer praise.
Alleluia! Alleluia! This song of joy to him we raise.
Alleluia! Alleluia! In the heavens angels sing.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Give glory to the most high King!
If we keep our voices silent, all creation will rise and shout.
If we fail to praise you, Father, then will the very rocks cry out!
If we keep our voices silent, all creation will rise and shout.
If we fail to praise you, Father, then will the very rocks cry out!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011&version=NIV1984
The Death of Lazarus
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 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.” 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
7 Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
…23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
…40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
My Understanding: As I prayerfully considered this passage of scripture and the story of Lazarus being resurrected from the dead, I saw first of all a picture of what Martha expressed and that is that those who die in Christ will rise again at the last day. So, even though we, as believers in Jesus Christ, will die a physical death, because of what Jesus did for us in dying for our sins on the cross and then rising again, conquering sin, hell, death and Satan, we will live, even though our bodies will see death. This is our hope.
Yet, the Lord showed me another aspect of this story, also centered around vv 25-26 with Jesus as the resurrection and the life and those who believe in him living and not dying, and that is the picture of the church asleep and in great need of revival (to be awakened). So, in this case, Lazarus would be a picture of the church asleep in need of Jesus to wake him up. So, from that aspect, I saw this chronology of events:
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’
There was a special relationship between Lazarus and Jesus, for his sisters referred to Lazarus to Jesus as “the one you love.” And, the “one God loves,” i.e. his church, is spiritually asleep now and is in great need of an awakening by the hand of Jesus Christ.
This sickness will not end in death but is for God’s glory (v. 4)
Yesterday, I wanted to get a picture of the snow in our backyard because it had a shine to it from the frozen ice that was on top of it. So, I opened the back door, saw where the light of the sun was reflecting off the ice covered snow, held the cell phone camera up to take a picture but could not see anything because of the brightness of the sun. So, I just aimed and took a picture. Yet, I did not notice what was in the picture until I posted it on a website. I was taking a picture of snow but instead I got a picture of the glory of God. The sun rays coming down into our backyard and surrounding the play area of our grandchildren were the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow is a reminder of God’s promises and in the colors of the rainbow inside these rays of sun I saw the awesomeness and glory of God. I believed God was letting me know that what he promised he would fulfill and it has to do with this generation coming up because it was all around our grandchildren’s play area. Then, when I read this v. 4 this morning, it was yet another assurance to me personally that the Lord was again promising that the spiritual condition of his church would not end in death, but the delay in timing and the ultimate awakening will be for God’s glory. http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/Christsfreeservant/2011024.jpg
He stayed where he was two more days (v. 6)
God’s timing is always perfect. He is never late and he is never early. He is always right on time. Sometimes we see something that needs the touch of Jesus, such as the church in such great need of revival, and we pray and pray and don’t see anything happen, and so we respond much like Lazarus’ sisters when they said, “Lord, if you had been here our brother would not have died.” They didn’t see the whole big picture just like I didn’t see the whole big picture either when I snapped that picture of the snow in our backyard. It was not until God revealed it to me when I shared it with others that the picture was not about snow but was about God’s promises being fulfilled and it was about the glory of God being shown.
Walk by light and not stumble; walk by night and stumble for lack of light (v. 9)
I actually took two pictures that day, one in the daylight and one at night. The picture I took in the daylight was aimed in the direction of our grandchildren’s play area, which represents the future, and it was surrounded by the rays of the sun and the colors of the rainbow and God’s promises and his glory. The other picture I took at night, and the only light shining then was a neighbor’s security light in his backyard. So, the direction of that picture led to man’s light and to two grills in our backyard used for cooking over hot coals, so possibly representing here that if we follow man’s light, it leads to judgment because of the lack of the Light (the Son), but if we follow the Light (the Son) of the day, we will not stumble, but instead we can have the assurance (promise) of eternal life with God.
Our friend has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up (v. 11)
I believe that the present spiritual condition of the church in America is that it was spiritually ill and has now fallen asleep, yet I believe with all my heart that God is promising that he is going to wake the church up and the Sun rays and rainbow colors in the rays of the Son’s light were the assurances to me that promise will be fulfilled.
Your brother will rise again (v. 23)
That is an awesome promise! I believe the church will rise from the dead (asleep) and will be awakened by the power of the Holy Spirit and it will be brought back to life and the dry bones will have life breathed in them once again.
I am the resurrection and the life (v. 25-26)
This is a promise for those who have died physically in Jesus Christ that they will rise again, yet it is also a promise that the spiritually dead can have life through belief in Jesus Christ and that the sleeping church can and will be awakened, if we only believe.
Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? (v. 40)
I think that is what God was saying to me through that photograph of the snow with the rays of the sun and the colors of the rainbow shining down on our grandchildren’s play yard, representing the future, God’s promises fulfilled, and his glory being revealed.
Lazarus, come out! (v. 43)
I believe Jesus is commanding his church to come alive again and to be revived!
Take off the grave clothes and let him go (v. 44)
I also believe Jesus is commanding his church to remove the grave clothes of death surrounding those who have been spiritually asleep and to release them through prayer and through faith to victory in Jesus Christ, to resurrection, to being revived, renewed, and strengthened in the faith to now walk in the freedom of the Spirit. And, I believe he is calling out to us to have faith in the power of his Holy Spirit to bring his church back to spiritual life. As well, I didn’t see the glory of God and the assurance of his promises pictured in the sun rays and the colors of the rainbow until I shared his light with others via sharing the photo. We need to be sharing the praise of his glory, and his promises for life everlasting to those who believe, with as many as possible before The Day is upon us.
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