Abide: Grave clothes

As much as I love to discover a story in Scripture I have never read before, I also love reading through a familiar story or passage to see what 'new' thing God reveals to me.

Enter John 11.

The passage about Lazarus is chock full of rich lessons from the Lord.  Every single time I read it, the Lord reveals new things to me.  I've always had so many questions about the story.

This time was no different.  God showed me something really interesting.

Quick background ....

Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was sick.  They sent word for Jesus to come quickly.  When Jesus heard the news, he stayed where he was another two days testifying that what was about to happen would be for the glory of God.  (vv. 1-7).

All of us who read this passage more than likely can relate to these verses.  When we want God to do something now, He often waits because there's a bigger picture .... a glory being revealed that we can't see. 

Tough.

Verse 7 shows Jesus and his disciples are traveling back to Judaea, where Lazarus was.  When Jesus gets there, Martha tells him they're too late.  Lazarus is dead ... he's been in the grave four days.

Verses 38-43 ....

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.


Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.


And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Many scholars will argue that Lazarus couldn't have been fully dead if he heard Jesus call his name.  I now know that this verse is comparable to when we are dead in our trespasses and Jesus calls us to accept Him, receive Him as our Savior and gives us new life.

He first called my name on January 5, 1992.  I was sitting in Sunday School and had been going to church for around 2 1/2 years.  Surely I had heard about Salvation by then? I don't know, but I can tell you I don't remember hearing it before then.

But, on that morning, my Sunday School teacher said "If you've never asked Jesus into your heart and accepted Him as your Savior, He cannot and will not hear your prayers!"

Those words cut right through me.  I had been praying some big prayers and needed desperately for God to hear me.  I couldn't wait to get into the service to talk to my Pastor.

And, it was on that day, shortly after the morning worship service, that I accepted Christ.  It was like the first time I heard Jesus say, "Deidre, come forth!!" and I responded.  He was calling me out of the grave ... my sinful state and giving me new life. 

But, what happened to Lazarus? Let's read further ...

Verse 44 ...

"And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

The NIV says "Take off the grave clothes and let him go".

Graveclothes?

What would graveclothes mean to us? Why after resurrecting Lazarus from the dead (the most powerful act in itself) would Jesus then address the graveclothes? Why didn't He just demolish the graveclothes upon calling Lazarus out of the grave?

I believe when Jesus saves us, we have new life (2 Cor 5:17).  We are made whole and on our way to heaven.  However, the 'in between' time is Sancitification - when God is molding us more into His image every day, teaching us and taking us to deeper levels with Him so we may know more about Him.  In order to grow more like Him, we must get rid of the old things, the baggage that bogs us down and keeps us defeated.  We must shed the graveclothes and walk towards Him.

Graveclothes are anything that keeps us bound.  Anything that keeps us from loving what God created or whom God created.  Anything that keeps us from appreciating where Christ has us in this particular moment.

Graveclothes are bitterness, defeat, sorrow, guilt, abuse, shame, secrets, insecurity, condemnation, habitual sin, division amongst the brethren, gossip, hopelessness, depression, ____________.

I love that the KJV says "Loose him, and let him go".  That word 'loose' in original Greek means 'Lyo' which is to loose, destroy or to deprive any authority.
 
To deprive any authority!
 
When we become comfortable in our graveclothes, the above mentioned things (and more!) have full authority over our lives.  Those things are controlling our behavior, our moods, our service to a Heavenly Father.  We're making huge, life-altering decisions weighed down with graveclothes as if going to our funeral.
 
We become like a cancer to God's church and our homes He so desperately wants to see flourish.
 

Galatians 5:1 says "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

God knows how hard this is for us.  He gets all that we go through and He knows! But, according to Galatians 5:1, we can stand in the liberty He has prepared for us and walk out of that darkness. 
 
We are to live in this world, but we are not expected to be of this world.  God, alone, equips us to live freely and without burden.  All we have to do is ask him to help us shed the burden.
 
Are you walking around like you're going to your funeral? Or do you show you have a Risen Savior living and working within you!
 
Take off your graveclothes and walk! Salvation is here!

**Linked with Women Living Well Wednesday, Wordful Wednesday, Walk with Him Wednesday and Word Filled Wednesday.