I Am the Resurrection

Lazarus

When i was a kid

Exxon was Esso

Noah’s ark —

Thursday pay day - fill your tank get a pair of animals

it was the most important part of the week

i couldn’t wait until Thursday at 4 pm when Dad came home with my new pair of animals

it was all that i could think about.

I couldn’t wait until my father came home with the gift.

Friends are challenge today is are you living waiting for the ULTIMATE GIFT

the gift of eternal life

Christ died for you to have this gift.

Its all about the Resurrection

Today we have another I AM statement

and we have the last public miracle of Christ’s ministry

and Jesus saved the best miracle

and the most important for last.

There are seven I AM statements

We have studied so far:

I am the Bread --- He sustains us

I am the Light --- He overcomes Evil (darkness)

I am the Gate or the door --- he is the way and the entry to a new life

I am the Good Shepherd --- He is our leader and we obey and follow

Today Jesus says I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

Lets Read our passages today.— we are going to spend the next three weeks on this section of John

John 11:17–27 (ESV)

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,

19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

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. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

I believe the main point of our message today

is the main point in Christianity

Its all about the Resurrection

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Background

Lazarus lived in Bethany

the family of Mary and Martha

and Jesus loved Lazarus

[map slide]

Bethany is right outside of Jerusalem

Our verses tell us that it is about 2 miles to the east

and being this is passover time ---

we can know that many many Jews were on the way passed here

Lazarus was a well know man -----

Lazarus was loved by many as our verses say that many Jews came to console Martha and Mary due to them knowing Lazarus was sick.

We again see the TIMING OF CHRIST

Lets remember that Jesus is not safe here in Bethany

In fact last week, we saw that Thomas believed that they would be killed

but they would go with Jesus anyway

Martha had seen Jesus heal, and that is what was on Maratha’s mind.

“Jesus please heal my brother”

Jesus consoles her, but she will not understand for a few days.

I want you to look back at verse 11:4, so that is in your notes and on your mind

John 11:4 (ESV)

4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Martha comes to Jesus while Lazarus is still breathing

This is important

they CAME TO JESUS for HELP

they CAME to the Good Shepherd to let Him know that one of His Sheep was ill

and has Cory taught last week

Jesus says it is ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, and the GLORY OF THE SON

Mary and Martha like us are

focused on what they know, and are growing in what they BELIEVE

Mary and Martha react differently

Martha seeks Jesus

Mary withdraws into her woes

We should seek Jesus in times of trouble

We must rest in Martha words

John 11:22 (ESV)

22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Martha Believed

when we study these passages it is easy to say

Jesus’s friend was ill

Martha runs to get Jesus for help

Jesus delays coming to Lazarus

the disciples hear Jesus say that Lazarus has fallen asleep

they don’t get it so Jesus explains it to them and says “Lazarus has died”

Friends let me remind you here

--- because it must be said again

our message today is a reminder that ------

When we accept Jesus and become intertwined with Him

we are granted eternal life

there is NO DEATH to a Believer

simply a passing from this world to the next

This is the point of these verses today.

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life

Jesus has a beautiful moment with Martha

and we get the FIFTH I AM statement

leading to

the final public miracle of Christ

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

Jesus knows that Lazarus will be dead on this earth, but alive in Him

Condition and Situation

Many many of the Jewish would have heard about this miracle

because of the timing

and because of the popularity of Lazarus

The timing and the situation gave all the Jews

a preview of Christ’s resurrection

and foundation for believing

in the Resurrection of Christ for many witness and heard of the Raising of Lazarus

This miracle pushed the Jews to PUSH hard to remove Jesus

This miracle signed the death warrant from the Jewish leaders.

Believing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life is to KEY

it is to demonstrate the ultimate power

and i have mentioned a few times

John gave us the point of the BOOK OF JOHN in

John 20:31 (ESV)

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The whole mission is SO THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE in Christ

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Condition of Lazarus

I have often pictured that Lazarus is lying in a tomb and Jesus shows up

He is wrapped in beautiful white garb, Jesus calls and he comes walking out

if that were totally true

then we miss much of the miracle

we miss the extent of what Jesus did

and we undervalue the miracle

you see

The Gospel according to John (2. Jesus the Resurrection and the Life (11:17–27))

the rabbinic belief that the soul hovers over the body of the deceased person for the first three days

but the facts of the after death process did not change

the jewish people would not embalm a body

so decomposition occured

13 steps after 3 days of death

Brain activity stops

body temperature drops

Cells start to breakdown

Every muscle relaxes and body functions will drain out

Blood is pulled downward and splotches appear on the skin in those areas

Rigor Mortis sets in due to lactic acid in the muscles - with in 36 hours the body will go limp again

The skin starts to shrink and tighten and it will appear that the nails have grown

The smell is awful as all the bacteria in the body starts to make chemical that will breakdown the components of the body, the skin will get a greenish color

Hair will start to fall out because of the natural chemical reactions in the body

insects will be attracted to the smell and come and help

I want you to understand this body of Lazarus after a few days was not in good shape

The Jewish people knew the process

in fact even today many Jews will hire someone to sit with the body for three days

What is the Jewish tradition of sitting with the body?

Shemira (Hebrew: שמירה, lit. "watching" or "guarding")

refers to the Jewish religious ritual of watching over the body

of a deceased person from the time of death until burial.

Jews believe in a life after death - the immortality of the soul and the physical resurrection of the body at a time in the future.

I believe that the Jews have always known

and the Jews in our story today KNEW

that God would bring a Righteous Jew to be with Him

This is why the anger is escalating in the Jews

Jesus is proclaiming He has the Power of Life after Death

Mary and Martha

Jesus knows the impact of this last public miracle

and He is aware of the consequences

but it is all for the Glory of God and the Glorifying of Christ Jesus

Look at the belief in Martha ---- the strong faith of Martha

when her desires are overwhelmed by her faith

John 11:24 (ESV)

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Friends listen one more time to this verse

John 11:25–26 (ESV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Our message today is

Are you living waiting for the ULTIMATE GIFT?

the gift of eternal life

Christ died for you to have this gift.

Do you completely believe in the power of Christ, the victory over death?

Friends we have all lost loved ones that Know Christ

Do you understand the beauty, THE LOVE that Christ

showed in His work in the preview of Lazarus

and the work of Jesus on the Cross.

Its all about the Resurrection

Without the resurrection we have God coming to earth

With the RESURRECTION we have ETERNAL LIFE

Without the resurrection we have a man that did amazing things to show the Glory of God

Christ fed 5000 with a few loaves of bread and a few fish

Christ gave a lame man the power to walk,

and the blind man the ability to see

With the Resurrection we have power beyond our understanding

the passing from this world to the Glory of God

We have no fear of death

We have the price paid for all our sins

the curse of man is wiped away by the Blood of Jesus

lets pray