MOVIE TRAILER
It was like I saw a great movie trailer when reading John 12. The raising of Lazarus is a preview of coming attractions. What Jesus did to Lazarus is what he will do to all of his own. One day the trumpet will blow, and an amazing extreme makeover will happen in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:35-58, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself, “It will get better!” Maybe not in the short run but in the long run …The Extreme Makeover is coming. The resurrection body means no more arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, back pain, SID’s or anything else. We do not go from the land of the living to the land of the dying. We go from the land of the dying to the land of the living.
Where is the guarantee of this hope? Jesus. Jesus did not seem to like funerals too much. Whenever he went to one, they ended up quite different than how they started. The dead did not have a chance when Jesus was around. Ask Lazarus or the widow of Nain’s son or Jairus’ daughter. He did not even stay dead at his own funeral.
I noted when reading that Jesus said, “Lazarus come forth.” It is a good thing he did not just say, “Come forth!” Why did Jesus make sure he said, “Lazarus”? We are talking about a graveyard here. He limited it to Lazarus because he did not want an army of people rolling out of their graves. It would have been like the Walking Dead.
What a movie preview. “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Dr. Michael Sprague is the Louisiana State Chaplain with the Capitol Commission and President of Grace Adventures. Michael does life with his wonderful wife Donna and resides in Mandeville, LA. His motto is “Bet the Farm on God.” You can find more information about Michael here.
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