I AM the Resurrection— John 11:1-44

Introduction

Good Morning Church, would you go to the Lord in prayer with me?

Alright, 2nd—5th graders you guys are free to dismiss. Parents you can pick those children up at the Wetlands Center after the service.

I also want to remind all of our young families, that we have a speaker out in the lobby area broadcasting the sermon, so if your infant or young child begins to get restless, and yet you still want to be able to listen to the sermon, that’s there for you.

Well welcome to Easter Sunday at CBC, my name is Andrew McClure and I’m one of the Pastor’s here, and this morning I want to invite you to open your Bible’s to John 11.

And if you don’t have a Bible, we have some for you just outside those doors, and would love for you to take one home

We want the word of God in your hands, in your head, and ultimately your heart.

I know many of you are guests with us this morning, and you’re joining us on week 32 of a study in the Gospel of John.

And we’re studying John, because we want to know who JESUS is.

That’s why John has written this account.

So that we may Know Jesus, and in knowing who He is we believe in Him, and if we believe, we’ll find life in His name.

And one unique way John helps us see Jesus is by giving us 7 “I AM Statements”.

In John’s Gospel, 7 different times Jesus will identify Himself by declaring “I AM… fill in the blank.”

Now we’ve already studied the first 4 as a church.

I Am the bread of Life in John 6,.

& I Am the Light of the World in John 8, and 9.

I AM the Door of the sheep &

I AM the Good Shepherd in John 10.

And today, on Easter Sunday we’re going to look at #5.

Jesus is going to say, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life.”

So let’s read our text, and then I’ll provide for you our outline.

John 11:1–44 ESV

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 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. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 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, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 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.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 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?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Jesus says, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” and in dramatic fashion, he proves it… by raising a dead man named Lazarus.

And this morning, I’d love to unpack this text by looking at 3 things.

The Petition- The request or summons of the family to Jesus.

The Pain- our text is laced with emotions, and I’d love to look at those with you.

& finally The Plan- The plan of Jesus in all of this.

So let’s begin by looking at the Petition.

The Petition

First, let’s look at the Family

Our text opens with John 11:1 “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.”

Now, this is a family mentioned often in the New Testament, and it’s a family Jesus knew personally, and apparently cared very deeply for.

It is this family that is mentioned in Luke 10, that Jesus is visiting with and staying with, when Martha (probably the eldest), was busy serving, and distracted with doing, yet Mary was content just sitting with Jesus, and Jesus said, it was Mary who had chosen the good part.

John also tells us in vs. 2 of another experience with this family, John 11:2 “It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.”

You may have heard the story, but in as Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, Mary, this Mary came where he was staying and eating and poured out a costly perfume upon him, in essence anointing Him for his burial.

Yes, this was a family Jesus had personal, and intimate relationship with, and we can tell that even by their petition, look at vs. 3.

John 11:3 “So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.””

It’s almost not a petition at all, but seemingly an assumption that once Jesus hears Lazarus is sick, he’ll move heaven and earth to come at once!

They knew his compassion. They knew his power to heal. They knew his love for their brother.

I mean Jesus, didn’t even call Lazarus by name, instead, “He whom you love.”

Yes, Jesus Knew them, and Jesus Loved them.

And I emphasize that this morning, because what he does next is utterly perplexing.

He Delay’s

Look at John 11:5–6 “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.”

Is this not perplexing!?

He loved them, and yet he stayed two days longer—- far away from them.

He deliberately delayed.

I mean, how do we interpret this?

Is Jesus calloused, and mean spirited?

Is he heartless, and cold?

Does he not see, does he not care? Does he truly love?

He says He does, but does he really!?

Alright church, let’s get personal…

How many of you have been in situations where you’ve had thoughts along these lines?

How many of you are there right now?

Broken, in pain, desperate for a miracle?

Desperate for Jesus to intervene, to prove His power, to prove His love!?

And no matter how much you cry out to Him, petitioning Him, instead of coming quickly, all you experience is delay.

And yet, every additional day of delay leads you one step closer to doubt and despair?

We’ve all been there.

We want children, but can’t seem to get pregnant.

We get pregnant, only to experience a miscarriage.

Strapped financially, yet for some reason unable to get a job.

Tired of being enslaved to addiction, yet just can’t seem to get free.

Watching a child we love suffer.

Trying to be a good friend, but on the receiving end of slander or rejection.

Walking through sickness, dealing with a terminal diagnosis, or even grieving a death.

JESUS WHERE ARE YOU!? DO YOU NOT LOVE ME!? WILL YOU NOT COME!? WHY DO YOU DELAY!?

Come on Church, let’s get honest this morning… Can’t we all admit there have been times or seasons that we’ve truly doubted the goodness of God and the love of Christ, all because of HIs perceived delays.

I can’t help but to think thats what was running through Mary and Martha’s head.

As mourners filled their home, dropping off a covered dish, or worse, sending a gift card… I can’t help but picture them saying through tears,

“Why did he not come.?”

“I thought he cared.”

Well let me put your doubts and questions to rest....

— John 11:4 “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God,…”

The Delays of God are ultimately for the Glory of God, and the Good of all involved.

Let me say that again, the delays of God are ultimately for the Glory of God, and the Good of all involved.

But we’re not omniscient are we, which simply means we can’t know everything.

But we pretend to be.

So when we experience a delay, we begin to interpret however we want, or according to our own limited understanding.

But church you’re limited.

I like to say it this way, we’re checkers people.

But God plays chess.

Or maybe this metaphor hits closer to home.

We’re Wheel of Fortune people, He’s a Jeopardy God.

He’s just smarter than we are.

He’s seeing the big picture. He’s thinking 10 moves in advance.

So let me give you a little tip this morning:

As you wrestle in a delay, stop asking Why.

It’s the wrong question

GOD WHY ARE YOU DELAYING. GOD WHY ARE YOU NOT LISTENING? God why do you not care!?

Instead, start asking What?

God, what are you up to that I can’t see?

And God, what can I do to glorify you in this delay?

Because, He is always working, especially on behalf of those He loves.

Just like Lazarus, this illness, & this delay is for the Glory of God and ultimately for your good.

But it doesn’t eliminate the pain does it?

It’s still painful… and that’s point #2.

Pain

Jesus delayed, and in His delay a lot people experienced pain.

First, notice the pain of the His disciples.

After the delay, Jesus says John 11:7 “Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”” , to which his disciples replied,

John 11:8 “ “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?””

This is true, it’s how John chapter 10 concludes.

Jesus had once again claimed equality with the Father, and the Jews picked up stones to stone him.

but he escaped from their hands, and went out to minister in the wilderness of Judea.

But now he wants to go back!? It’s unfathomable to the disciples. Utterly perplexing.

But more than perplexing it is potentially painful.

Thomas understood… John 11:16 “So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.””

There is always a cost of following Jesus.

He will lead you places you don’t understand, and into pain you never thought you’d pay.

That was true for His disciples.

They were perplexed, but also aware of pending pain.

But secondly, notice the pain of the Crowd.

John 11:18–19 “Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.”

These were most likely a mix of friends as well as professional mourners who had gathered to help the family mourn the death of Lazarus.

They’d sit with the family, and cry with the family, and grieve with the family.

And just a quick off topic point—-

We could really learn from this here in America.

In our highly individualistic, “always be strong” culture—- we don’t know how to mourn or grieve, and even worse, we don’t know how to enter into the grief of others.

We get uncomfortable with someone’s pain, so we either avoid it by sending a gift card from a distance, or way worse… we abuse their pain by offering platitudes or cliches.

“Well, God always works things for good…”

“Well, he’s in a better place…”

May I encourage you, to learn from the crowd here, next time someone you know and love is grieving, take a meal sure… but just sit with them.

You’ll be shocked by the power of the ministry of simply being present.

And that’s what the crowd was there to do.

Be present, and weep, and mourn. And they did it well.

They shared in the family’s pain.

But thirdly, notice the Pain of the Sisters.

Martha, consistent with her busy-body personality, was the first to approach Jesus.

Look at John 11:20–21 “So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Now for the longest time, I believed this statement of Martha to be a passive aggressive, slap to the face of Jesus.

But after long study, I’m convinced that this is not the case, instead it’s just a statement of her grief.

And why I believe this has to do with the timeline.

You see, Jesus’ delay did not CAUSE Lazarus’ death.

It didn’t seal the fate of his death.

Because we see later that Lazarus had been in the tomb 4 days.

So follow with me.

It took 1 day for the messenger to reach Jesus

2 Days of Jesus’ intentional delay

and 1 day for Jesus to return to Bethany.

That’s 4 days from the time Jesus heard of Lazarus illness to His appearance.

And he had been dead the entire time.

Which means that probably immediately after the messenger was dispatched, Lazarus illness had turned to death.

Jesus’ delay didn’t cause the death, so I don’t think Martha was blaming HIm.

She knew there was no way for him to have made it that fast.

So I believe Martha is just sharing with Jesus her pain… always a good idea.

But then’s there Mary

John 11:32 “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.””

The same exact phrase as Martha, but a totally different Posture.

Her grief is so great, she’s week. She collapses. She’s broken.

She falls at His feet.

And she’s weeping.

They had lost their brother. They were in pain.

Church, can I encourage you this morning that you need not conceal your pain from Jesus.

Stop trying to pretend like you’re fine.

Stop trying to ignore your deep disappointment and grief. Stop trying to be STRONG.

Instead, like the sisters—- run to Jesus, cast your cares on Him

A sign of maturity isn’t the ability to numb your pain

but to feel it and process it in the presence of Jesus.

But that’s the pain.

When life hits, and Jesus delays, —- there’s pain.

Pain for the disciples. Pain for the Crowds, and Pain for the Sisters.

But there’s one more in our story who felt deeply.

Jesus.

This is the most striking of all, largely for 2 reasons.

1st— Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do, He knew he was going to raise Lazarus

and yet he didn’t say… guys, “grow up!” or “SUCK it UP”

No, even though he knew His plan—- he shared their pain.

We have a high value for Scripture memorization here at CBC, and although many of you are guests, I’d love to challenge you to make scripture memory a habit in your life.

So to get the ball rolling, let’s begin by memorizing vs. 35 together

John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”

The shortest verse in all the Bible, it shouldn’t be too difficult, but it is packed with a powerful truth about our Savior and Lord.

He feels.

Hebrews says it this way, Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”

No He feels with you. He feels for you.

He sympathizes with your pain, and empathizes with your grief.

What an encouragement, that we have a Savior that is not only All Powerful, but is All Present even in our hurts.

But his Emotion is also striking in another way..

Secondly, it’s widely varied.

Meaning, Jesus, experienced a wide range of emotions in this story.

In verse 15 he tells his disciples that He is GLAD, Lazarus had died—- so that they could believe more deeply in Him.

In verse 33, when Jesus saw the commotion of Mary and the Mourners we read he was greatly troubled.

In verse 35, we read he wept.

But let me call your attention to a very important emotion He felt.

It appears twice.

IN vs. 33 and 38 we read that Jesus was “deeply moved.”

That word, means “indignant.”

In fact, the word is used of horses when they stomp the ground snort out of anger.

Jesus was Angry.

At Who!? At What? — well we know he wasn’t angry with the Crowds—- he saw them wailing and wept.

We know it wasn’t with the sisters—- he sympathized and entered into their pain.

So what was Jesus angry at?

The Answer is Death

Go back to John 11:33 “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”

So his indignation is in response to the pain and mourning he sees on the faces of all gathered that day,

So he felt indignant, so what did he do

Look at vs. 34, with a deep resolve he said, John 11:34 “ “Where have you laid him?”

So they took him to the tomb.

A big cave, with a stone rolled in front. And upon seeing the tomb

we read John 11:38 “Then Jesus, deeply moved again…”

Alright so don’t miss this

Jesus was indignant when he saw the pain that death had caused the crowds, and the sisters,

& Jesus was indignant when he looked at the Tomb

Church, what this shows was that Jesus was indignant toward DEATH.

It was Death that got Him all worked up.

And like a War Horse on the front line, all worked up ready to charge, he paws the ground, and snorts out of anger.

Listen to what one commentator writes,

“In Mary’s grief he sees and feels the misery of the whole race and burns with rage against the oppressor of men. It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom he had come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill his eyes, but that is incidental—his soul is held by rage, and he advances to the tomb, in Calvin’s words, “as a champion who prepares for conflict”.’

Death had caused all this pain.

And he was angry about it… but praise be to God, he had a purpose, he had a plan.

And that’s point #3 for us.

Plan

His Plan was To show them… and to show all of Us that He had come to defeat Death.

He is the Resurrection and the Life.

And what the Bible teaches is that you and I were created by Him to derive our life, from proximity to Him.

We were created to be in relationship with God, and as HE is LIFE, we experience life as we walk with Him.

But the really bad news is, just like Adam and Eve, we chose to walk in our own way, and reject God.

We’ve sinned. We chose self, over the source of Life.

But when you choose to walk away from the source of life, you know what you get!?

DEATH- the consequence sin is death.

First Physical death,

And Physical death creates a world of pain.

Often its painful to die, and we all know the pain of losing someone to death.

You may be the staunchest Atheist in the room, but you can at least admit—- that the feelings of grief that accompany the pain of death make you wonder… “Somethings wrong here. It shouldn’t be like this.”

And the Bible would say… BINGO! YOu’re exactly right.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Physical death is a consequence of sin.

But it wasn’t just physical death Adam and eve experience, it was also spiritual.

They lost the comfort and peace, and security that comes with fellowship to God.

They lost the love, and joy, and hope that radiates in His presence.

And as children of Adam, we have too.

Apart from Christ we are all Spiritually Dead.

And Spiritual Death creates a world of pain.

Our world is broken, our minds, our bodies, our relationships.

We’re rife with insecurity, hatred, and deceit

But it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Spiritual Death is a consequence of sin.

Now don’t miss this.

As Jesus was snorting and pawing the Ground, sure… he was proving to everyone there that day, that He had the Power of Life, but more than anything He was advancing toward Lazarus’ Tomb as a champion preparing to wrestle with his own.

Because in 2 weeks Time—- Jesus would go to the cross.

And there He would Pay the Consequences of our sin— which is Death.

He would pay for our death, with His life.

But just like Lazarus, just a few days later—- He would burst forth, in glorious day, up from the grave He’d rise again.

In that Resurrection, He defeated DEATH.

Death literally could not hold him. death could not conquer Him.

BECAUSE HE IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

And as vs 25 says, “whoever believes in Him though He die, yet shall He live!

Live Physically—- because for the believer in Christ, death has no sting. Once you die, your soul immediately departs to be with the Lord.

But you also get LiveSpiritually-

Your relationship and proximity to God is restored by faith in Christ, so you today, can know peace, and hope, and security, love and joy.

All because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

He proved it that day with Lazarus.

But even more so 2 weeks later, when He rose again.

Conclusion

So I leave you with the same question, Jesus posed Martha.

Do you believe this?

Because if you do… though you die, yet you shall live.

Well, why don’t you stand with us.

I’ll pray, and then Jared and our team will lead us to respond in song.