The disappearance of Lazarus

It doesn't matter if you are Christian or not, you know the name Lazarus.
You know the story.

He was Jesus' friend.
He died.
Jesus wept.
Jesus made the journey to Lazarus' tomb.
Jesus shouted for Lazarus to come out.
Lazarus came back to life and exited the tomb.

We remember the story because it was an amazing miracle.

Lazarus was a part of one of the greatest miracles ever witnessed.
And then...........

Lazarus disappeared.

You might be reading this now and saying to yourself, "Tom, you're missing the point. The story is about Jesus and the miracle he performed. Lazarus is insignificant".

I would respond by saying, "You're right".

However, I also believe that is only half of the reason this story exists in the Bible.

My opinion is that this story is not just to inform us that Jesus raised somebody from the dead.......He has done that before.

You don't hear anything else about Lazarus after that day (except once, where someone mentioned his name along with Jesus, as people that they wanted dead).

This story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is more than just about the miracle that Jesus performed.

Lazarus disappeared!!

Here was a man that had been given a second chance at life.
A new beginning.
HE WAS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!!!

What did Lazarus do with his second opportunity?

We don't know......Lazarus just vanishes into thin air.

Now, let's say that Lazarus did something awesome with his second chance.
Wouldn't you think it would be recorded in the scriptures?

Of course it would.

Here is what I think. Lazarus went on living a normal life.
And he totally blew a second chance at life.

I can't prove it, but it makes sense to me.

If you are reading this and you are a skeptic, I pray that Jesus'. Miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead leaves you in awe and that maybe you decide that if Jesus truly did that, that He may actually be God incarnate.

If you are reading this and are a Christian, I want you to think about this.
There was a day when Jesus called you out of the tomb as well.
HE CALLED YOU OUT!!!!!

What are you doing with your life now?
Are you alive but still have the stench of death on you?
Or have you charged out of the tomb with a bucket of ice water looking to push back the gates of Hell?

Christian, Don't you dare just come out of your tomb and live an ordinary life.
Don't you dare!

Jesus has called you out!

Leave the disappearing act to Lazarus........and you go change the world!

I just have 2 questions

There was a rabbi back in the first century named Rabbi Akiba.
One day he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, reciting scripture out loud.

He was so deep in thought that he made a wrong turn and darkness had fallen.
He ended up in front of a large gate.

As he was standing there, a loud voice echoed out to him.
"Who are you and what are you doing here".

Startled, the rabbi stood in silence trying to figure out where the voice came from.

Again the loud voice boomed, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The voice was that of a Roman soldier standing guard over the gate to a fort.

Rabbi Akiba thought for a moment and then spoke.
"How much do they pay you to ask these questions"?

The Roman soldier replied, "3 Drachma".

Rabbi Akiba responded, "I will pay you double if you agree to stand outside my house and ask me those same two questions every morning".

It's easy to forget who we are isn't it?
It's easy to forget as Christians what our purpose is on this planet isn't it?

Think about those 2 questions for a moment and ask them of yourself.

Who am I?
What am I doing here?

We hate questions don't we?
We love answers but we hate questions.

That's because questions force us to examine ourselves.
We can lie to someone in our answer to their question, but the damage has already been done once the question is posed.

Internally, questions like "who am I", and "what am I doing here", can rip our soul apart looking for the truth.

It's uncomfortable ground we are on now isn't it?

Rabbi Akiba knew who he was.
He knew what he was put on Earth for.......

What he wanted was a reminder. Something to move him from comfortable to uneasy.

That's where growth happens.

So I will end with just 2 questions for you.

Who are you?
What are you doing here?

May you be confident in your answers but more importantly, may you be made uncomfortable through the questions themselves.......

And may you grow as your soul dives for the truth.

As is

I have never been the kind of person to purchase something "as is".
I like to have the ability to return the item if something is wrong with it.

The only reason someone wants to sell something "as is", is because they know something ain't right with what they are trying to sell.

Trust me on this:
If you are buying a shirt and the label says "as is", a button is missing.
If you are buying pants and the label says "as is", one leg is longer than the other.
If you are buying food and the label says "as is", you need to be slapped upside the head.

What I'm saying is that the "as is" label is telling you something.

"As is" is jacked up.
"As is" has some issues.

"As is" is imperfect.

In short, I want nothing to do with "as is".............but I am imperfect too.

I am "as is".

I am jacked up.
I have issues.
I am imperfect.

So who in there right mind would be interested in us who are "as is"?

Well I just so happen to know somebody who specializes in purchasing "as is" people.
He seeks them out.
He hangs around the clearance rack.
He is not concerned about imperfections........not worried about a return policy.

Jesus is an "as is" God.

You don't need to clean up your act before he takes interest in you.
He is interested in you now. With all of your imperfections.

He is waiting for you......"as is".