I AM the Resurrection and the Life

Opening

Reflections on the passing of my grandparents

“Celebration of Life”

When did we change from funeral to “celebration of life” services- I think the language is fitting for the believer

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

That is the celebration of life, sure we celebrate the life that was- but more than that and more importantly than that we celebrate the life that is- that life which is eternal

For the unbeliever that dies- the only celebration is of the life that was- there is no celebrating the life that is because if you believe what the bible says about heaven and hell then there is nothing to celebrate about an eternity in hell

The Resurrection of Lazarus

Start journeying through John 11

Notes along the way-

Jesus stays two more days

John 11:4–6 ESV

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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

The act of love on the part of Jesus was to reveal to them the glory of God. He cares more about the revelation of God’s glory than he does simply about our physical health

It was more loving of him to reveal to them God’s glory in the events that were taking place than to simply show up and keep Lazarus from dying

Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014) Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life

Because he loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha, he stayed two days longer and let them walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and then went and showed them his glory.

John 11:14–15 ESV

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

He cares more about his followers understanding who he is, who God is than he does about preserving earthly life

Do You Believe This?

John 11:23–27 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 11:39–40 ESV

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Jesus is the source of life and has power over death “the resurrection”

So Jesus raises Lazarus not simply so that he can experience more days on earth but as a demonstration of those things that he has been saying about himself- as a revelation of the glory of God

That he is the source of life and that he has power over death

This account of the resurrection of Lazarus is not the only time that Jesus “raised” some one from the dead

Jesus raised a (Jarius’) ruler’s daughter (Matt 9:23–25).

Jesus raised a (at Nain) widow’s son (Luke 7:11–17).

Jesus raised his friend Lazarus (John 11:38–44).

People are Resurrected when Jesus dies

Matthew 27:50–54 ESV

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

All of these would later die again- their bodies other resuscitated still died again.

It’s about more than the dead being raised

Jesus is not merely concerned with restoring physical life to mortal bodies, those acts are merely demonstrations that point to, that provide evidence “for the benefit of the people standing here”

He wants his followers and those gathered around to believe, to understand, to realize that he is the embodiment of the glory of God, he is God in the flesh, he is the Messiah, the fulfillment of all the promises God made to the people

That is why as he comes into Bethany the place where Lazarus lived and he makes his way to the tomb of Lazarus he weeps- not simply because he is sad that his friend Lazarus has died- his weeping, his emotional response is much more complex than that, its much deeper than that, Jesus is troubled, he’s agitated, he is moved “deeply”

Not just with empathy but a complexity of emotion that stem form his love continually being questioned

Martha- if you had been here

Mary- if you had been here

Those in attendance- couldn’t he have kept this man from dying

THEY ARE MISSING THE POINT!!

The love of Jesus, the love of God is so much more than simply restoring, or prolonging your human existence on this earth

His love is that you see and know and experience his glory

He wants to show us his glory in this place this morning

Conclusion

Jesus is offering us Resurrection

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

That implies that we are dead

As we have been working through the these statements that Jesus makes about himself, as I have already stated I keep coming back to, keep hearing, keep summarizing what Jesus is saying in this way “I AM LIFE”

Why the emphasis on life?

Because Jesus truly understands the human condition and it’s not life- in fact its death

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We are truly dead men walking

But,

Ephesians 2:4–9 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

But God, rich in mercy, abounding in love sent his only son Jesus into the world

Read John 1:1-14

We have beheld his glory- the glory that was on display when he raised Lazarus from the dead

The glory that was on display when God raised Jesus for the dead

The glory that is on display when he gives resurrection life to each of our “dead” bodies

Invitation:

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

I recognize that many of you hear this morning have done the “work God requires” and that is to believe in Jesus. This morning is a celebration of the life that Jesus brings, the abundant life

But some of you here or in the sound of my voice haven’t made that decision, haven’t gotten over that hump of belief in Jesus, in the power of his life and death to give us life. Maybe you struggle to believe that you’re really in need of saving. This morning if you have heard Jesus speaking to you I would encourage you to respond to him- “his sheep hear his voice and they come.”

If you make that decision today or any day you too can join with us in the celebration of life. Here is the reality, we give special emphasis to the death and resurrection of Jesus and the life that we have in him on Easter, but every day should be a celebration of that life, both in the literal sense that he woke you up this morning and in the eternal sense that you have be raised from death to life in him.