The Resurrection and the Life
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Introduction - Once upon a time there was a man named John. He wrote a letter about a man named Jesus. The letter was intended to bring people to faith - believing that this Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah the Jewish people were waiting for almost since the beginning of time. This man named John became one of the Apostles used by God to spread the good news about Jesus. John’s letter became known as the Gospel of John in our Holy Bible.
In his gospel the Apostle John recorded seven times when Jesus spoke an I AM phrase. This I Am phrase was meant to point people to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. It was the same phrase God used to identify Himself in the book of Exodus 3:14 “14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ””
When Jesus used this word the Sanhedrin interpreted it as a statement of divinity. In other words Jesus was calling Himself God - the Great “I AM”.
So what are these 7 - I AM statements?
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Bonus -
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Each of these points to a different aspect of God by using easy to understand and visualize symbols. Bread, Light, A Door, A Vine
But out of all seven of these statements I want to take a look at one.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
There are a few key terms here to take a look at:
1. Resurrection:
2. Life:
3. Believe:
So let’s begin with Life:
Life is defined as:
The quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body - two of the primary functions of life are a beating heart (pumping the blood which contains the life) and breath. Without the beating heart and breath there is no life… (These are the two things that are worried about when an emergency occurs.)
Resurrection is defined as:
- the rising of Christ from the dead
- the rising again to life of all the human dead before the final judgment Rev 20:11-15
- the state of one risen from the dead - This is the important one! Going from death to life.
Believe is defined as:
- a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
- something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion : something believed
In this particular instance there is something that must be accepted as true and held onto as an opinion.
Now we know what Life is, what resurrection is and what believes means. So let’s look at what Jesus is telling us with this one simple I Am statement.
This statement was made during a discussion Jesus had with His friend Martha just before He raised Lazarus from the dead. So the her is Martha.
A commonly held belief of some Jews was that there would be a resurrection of all men on the last day. This belief shows up in Martha’s words just before Jesus makes His statement: John 11:24
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
So what was He saying to her? Did He tell her that He was going to resurrect him - bring him back to life?
I AM the resurrection: If she realized that He was sharing the truth of His divinity she would have understood what He was saying. He wasn’t sharing with her the fact that Lazarus would rise again on the last day or that he would rise right now. As the resurrection Jesus had power over life and death. He could raise the physically dead in the here and now, as He did on numerous occasions; such as the time when He raised Jaris’ daughter. He was also sharing that He would raise the dead on the last day to allow everyone to attend the final judgment of the Great White Throne.
I AM the Life: Life - The quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body. This is the life of the here and now. These vessels that are made of flesh, bone, blood and all the other bits and pieces that are subject to death and decay keep our lives in this world temporary. However, Jesus has power over life and death. The life that He refers to here is eternal life. The eternal life that allows us to dwell in the His presence in heaven after our bodies here pass away. He has the authority to judge the living and the dead and all those who call upon His name will be saved, however all those who deny Him will be thrown in the lake of fire.
This isn’t the only time He said that He has the authority to grant eternal life: John 6:40 says:
40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
And John 6:54 says:
54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
He has the power and authority to grant eternal life.
The second part of His statement provides the requirements to receive eternal life.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
He who believes in me! Do you remember the definition for believes? Believes: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing. If you believe you are going to have a habit of trusting in Him. You must put your trust in Jesus. You must put your life in His hands. That’s all there is to it. Trust in Him to do what He says; trust in His faithfulness.
So what happens if we trust and believe in Him? We live even though we die. Our bodies die in this present world because they aren’t meant to live forever, however, we will be raised up on the last day and receive eternal life. We get to live in the presence of God forever.
The rest of the statement that Jesus made is John 11:26
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
This part of the His statement covers everyone who will ever live right up to the last generation. In the end times before the Last Day all those who believe will not physically die. They will be changed, caught up together with the Lord: 1 Th 4:16-17 says:
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
There is hope for the future for all those who believe, for all those who put their trust and confidence in Christ Jesus.
Today we have gathered together to celebrate the day that proved Christ Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life! On Friday He hung and bled on the cross resulting in His death. But today He walked out of the tomb because death could not hold Him. His blood which was spilled for the sins of the world established a new covenant between God and man. A covenant which brings reconciliation between a righteous God and sinful man. The covenant carries with it some requirements, the basic requirement is to believe; put your faith and trust in Him that He can and will raise you up on the last day.
For all those who believe in Christ Jesus, death has no power or sting. Because Jesus is...
The Bread of Life - eat Him and make Him a part of you.
He is The Light of the World which allows us to walk in the light and not the darkness.
He is The Door, the only way to get to the Father.
He is The Good Shepherd, He knows how to care for us and gave His life for His Sheep.
He is The Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.
He is The Vine, only from Him can we draw the power we need to walk this path,
and most of all
He is the “Resurrection and the Life.” Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
If you don’t currently believe in Him or have a relationship with Him now is the time to put your trust and life in His hands. Believe in Him so that you may live even if you die. “Do You Believe this?”
Pray