After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died.” John 11:11-14
The body of Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. When Jesus arrived, He asked for the stone to be removed. Lazarus’ sister, Martha, warned Jesus that the odor of death would be strong. She wanted to be certain He fully understood Lazarus’ condition. He wasn’t sleeping — he was dead.
Jesus was not deterred. He had come to awaken his friend. He called out to Lazarus and woke him up. Jesus told him to come out, and Lazarus, still wrapped in grave cloths, stumbled out of the grave. Lazarus was dead, and then Jesus awakened him!
The story of Lazarus is an excellent way to introduce the grace of awakening. The journey on the road to life always begins with awakening. Why? Because, like Lazarus, we are dead.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were, by nature, deserving of wrath. Ephesians 2:1-3
Why does God care about the dead? Why does He risk His grace on people who may ignore it or even trample it underfoot? He knows we deserve condemnation, yet He calls out to awaken us. Why? Paul gives us the answer:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5
God’s love for us is so great that He is compelled to call out to us. To the dead, imprisoned in the grave, there is no sound more glorious than the voice of God calling them to awake and come out of the tomb!
It was August 16, 1975. I was ten years old. I was sitting in a chapel at a children’s camp located in the Pocono mountains. The speaker had just finished, and an altar call was being given. It was that night that I heard the voice of Jesus calling my name, awakening me and inviting me to come out of the grave. By His grace, he empowered a boy to leave the road to death and begin walking the road to life. As I write this, nearly fifty years have passed, yet I will never forget the moment Jesus called me by name and awakened me.
King David was spinning out of control on the road to death. Were it not for the awakening grace of God amplified through the voice of Nathan the Prophet, David would have traveled that miserable road to its destination. But God loved David, and He called out to awaken him.
God loves you. His voice is calling out to you right now. He is awakening you with His grace. Why else would you be reading this article? It is not by chance; it is by His design. He wants you to know, regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, that He has great love for you and desires to spend all of eternity with you. He is calling your name right now. He is telling you to come out of the grave.
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
King David was likely convinced that God was finished with him. What else could he think? His crimes hung around his neck like heavy chains. Carrying guilt and regret was exhausting. God had given him so much, and he had squandered it all for a brief moment of freefall. Why would God waste anything more on him?
How shocked he must have been when Nathan the Prophet became the voice of God calling out to awaken him from death. God greatly loved David, regardless of what he had done. He greatly loves you, too.
Saul of Tarsus was a deeply religious man. He was determined to protect his Jewish faith from the false claims of Jesus Christ and His followers.
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Acts 9:1-2
Saul was also a violent man. He was there giving his approval when Stephen was stoned to death. Saul of Tarsus had great hatred for Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth, however, had great love for Saul of Tarsus. As Saul was traveling along the road to Damascus, Jesus called out to awaken him.
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:4-6
Like David, Saul, who would later be known as Paul the Apostle, was shocked by his awakening. Many years later, he would write these words as he reflected on the awakening grace of God:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. I Timothy 1:15
Do you carry the heavy chains of guilt and regret? Do you feel you are too far gone, too far away to hear His voice? You’re not alone. Every man has fallen short of God’s glory.
For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:9-12
Grace is pulling up on every man who is currently traveling the road to death. It is the awakening grace of God. At this very moment, He is calling your name and inviting you to come out of the grave. His grace is giving you the opportunity to respond. What will you choose to do with it?
