Who has a voice that calls – and the dead arise? Truth be told, once upon a time, a man got sick, died and was buried in a grave for four days. Without embalming, his body stank in the decay of death. A dear friend had heard about his sickness, however, by the time this friend got to the small village of Bethany, his buddy was already dead and buried. What could he possibly do but comfort the family? Jerusalem was only two miles away and many travelled to the gravesite to support the grieving family. When Jesus first heard about his friend Lazarus, He 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.”  Martha lamented “If You would have been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha replied“Yes, Lord. I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”  Lazarus lay inside a tomb covered by a rock. A crowd was gathered around the tomb and Jesus asked that the stone be moved.  “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  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.” When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” John 11:5-43 Just as Jesus called this dead man to come out of this stinking world, He calls us to come out of our tombs and live “in Him”. He asks us to believe in His life, death, resurrection and the blessed hope of His return. There is power in His word to cause faith, there is power in His blood to heal, and there is power in His name, Jesus that we overcome all our fears as we trust in His finished work on the cross. There is no sinner too evil for Jesus to forgive, transform and use for His glory.  Jesus said, Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work.”  John 14:10 

The words of Jesus are words of power! His words breathe life into those dead in sin! His living and active word is as powerful today as it was when the Spirit of God penned words through Daniel, Zachariah and Ezekiel! God once told one of His servants to preach to bones. In obedience without delay, tell the dead they can have everlasting life in Jesus! “The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.” Ezekiel 37:1-7  AMEN – Interesting placement of this prophecy just before the MAGOG war in Ezekiel 38. Are you ready?