by Pastor Afolabi Oladele

 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. John 11:11

As though to give us another example of the language of Kingdom He came to proclaim, our Lord made that befuddling statement in our text today. Befuddling because the natural man in this earthly kingdom defines sleep differently from death.  Phillip answered as any of us would, no big deal if Lazarus is sleeping, yet the Lord was passing a message to all of us believers that for us, death is a sleep from which He alone can wake us up. This is particularly important in these times when the present pandemic is taking a toll on the nations of the world.

The disciples quickly imbibed this, Paul specifically using the same language in 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 1 Corinthians 11:30

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews was most explicit in Hebrews 2:14, 15 (NLT) in the confident assurance of what Christ has done for each of us believers who remain steadfast in the faith. Beloved we must not live in the fear of death anymore if we are abiding in Him as we ought to. Tell it to the world what Jesus has wrought by His death and resurrection, destroying the power of death over as many as will receive Him. This is our acceptable service to Him in reaching a world riddled with the fear of death. Will you tell this message to all that you come across? Selah.

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash