Power Over Death Means Jesus Is King | John 11:41–57

OPENING REMARKS

Gospel of John series, John 11

Considered preaching on the resurrection of Christ, but in John 11 is about Christ’s power over death, which is the message of Easter, so we’re going to stay in our series.

In John 11:25, Jesus states that He is the “Resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in men, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

He then goes to the tomb of His friend Lazarus, who’s been dead for four days, and instructs them to remove the stone from the mouth of the tomb.

We’ll begin our reading at vs. 41

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TITLE: Power Over Death Means Jesus Is King

INTRODUCTION:

GOAT debates in sports

Everyone has a metric they value more:

Some people go by Championships won

Some value overall Record

Others value individual Stats

Some go by the Impact on the game

Right now there’s a hot debate about who’s the greatest basketball player - Lebron James or Michael Jordan.

People that value Championships and Impact on the game will say Jordan.

People that value Stats and Longevity will say James.

It all depends on the metric that you value the most.

We all value certain metrics more than others.

Vehicles:

Some value power

Some value gas mileage

Some value loyalty to a brand

Some value affordability

Restaurants:

Some value cost the most

Some value quality the most

Some value convenience or service

What we value determines what we view as “the best.”

Which means it’s hard to objectively say who the best player is because everyone values different things.

There are countless opinions on who makes the best cars. It depends on what matters to you.

Everyone has a different take on what is the best restaurant, depending on your metrics.

Our opinions are almost always based on our personal experiences and preferences. It’s called Cognitive Bias. Which means we create our own subjective realities based on our experiences and preferences rather than objective evidence.

A certain car brand may be the most reliable, but if you had one and it was a lemon then you’ve made up your mind. One bad experience at an otherwise good restaurant formed your opinion.

We can say we form opinions based on objective evidence, but our biases get in the way.

And that’s okay when it comes to the peripherals. But there are some areas of life that we can’t afford to choose based on how we feel.

Like spiritual matters, for instance. If there is something objectively true, then we better have something stronger to lean on than simply, “This is what my experiences and preferences tell me.”

So let’s consider that. And let’s say that you’re choosing a spiritual leader to follow.

One is a strong communicator, which should be a valued metric.

One knows the Bible inside and out, and that’s an extremely important trait to value.

One is a strong and dynamic leader, and many people place that high on their list of values.

And one has power over death.

So Communication…Knowledge…Leadership…Power Over Death

Based on those metrics, who would you choose to follow?

I know many wonderful communicators.

I’ve been around people with great amounts of wisdom.

I’ve seen my share of dynamic leaders.

But how many people have you met with power to defeat death?

In most debates, there’s no objective characteristic that clearly defines who’s the greatest. So it’s left up to our cognitive biases to determine our opinions.

But when it comes to who you’re going to follow spiritually, there is a metric that is impossible to ignore. Someone with power over death objectively rises to the top of the list.

If someone has power over death, debate over.

I. Jesus Christ Proved That He Has Power Over Death

Vs. 43-44 - Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

He’d been dead for four days, so it’s not like this was a trick.

And when Jesus said, “Loose him and let him go,” it allowed Lazarus to be unwrapped so the people that knew him could see his face and know for sure it really was him.

The people that probably saw him dead and were there when he was buried saw him alive later.

This is an undeniably objective metric. Power over death. It’s hard not to believe in someone who can do that.

Vs. 45 - Many people there said, “If He has power over death, He must be the King.”

So they believed on Him. Which means they chose to place their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

And remember what Jesus had said back in vs. 25-26. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

He was referring to eternal life. A person that trusts in Jesus Christ to forgive their sins has eternal life. Those that don’t, do not.

Friend, if Jesus has power over death, then He has to be the King of the Universe. Who else can do that?

And if He is the King of the Universe, then the only logical conclusion is for you to place your faith in Him as Savior.

1. You must confess that you are a sinner and stand guilty before Him as the Holy God.

2. You must ask for forgiveness and admit you can’t get to Heaven without Him.

3. And you must place your trust in His finished work on the cross and nothing else.

Good works can’t save you. Baptism doesn’t do the trick. Good intentions aren’t enough. It’s Jesus and Jesus only. He is the resurrection and the life.

Many in this story did just that. When they saw Jesus’ power over death, they said, “We have to believe.”

But the crowd was split in their response. Some believed and some did not.

Vs. 46-47 - It’s interesting that Jesus’ enemies weren’t denying the miracles.

The evidence was undeniable.

II. The Pharisees Recognized That Jesus Had Power Over Death

That wasn’t in question.

They said, “What should we do? He’s doing real miracles.”

I can tell you what they should have done. They should have believed. With all the evidence they had, that was the only logical step.

But that wasn’t their concern. They were worried about something else.

Vs. 48 - They knew that if they let Jesus keep doing what He was doing, many of the people would believe. And if the people believed, then the religious leaders would lose their positions of control.

Their job was to control the people for the Roman empire. If they lost control of the people, they would lose their positions of prominence and power with Rome.

Yes, Jesus has power. But they were more concerned with keeping their power.

They knew Jesus had power over death, and they recognized His power in this conversation.

III. But They Rejected Jesus Because Submitting To Him As King Meant Losing Control

And they loved their control. So rather than submitting to Christ as King, they come up with a plot to kill Him.

Vs. 49-50 - Caiaphas says, “Jesus has to die for the good of the nation.”

They were afraid if too many people believed on Jesus, that the people would rise up and Rome would respond by destroying Israel because and stripping the religious leaders of all their power.

So Caiaphas says, “If we kill Jesus and put an end to this possible insurrection, it not only ends the problem, but it will help Rome see just how committed we are to them.”

Caiaphas saw destroying Jesus as a potentially beneficial political move. A small price to pay to preserve the nation.

Talk about Cognitive Bias. Their experience with power and control blinded them to the logical decision to submit to Jesus.

And as gut-wrenching as it is to know how they viewed the King of Kings, John’s commentary is so incredible. He sees the irony in Caiaphas’ words.

Vs. 51-53

Caiaphas was saying, “Jesus needs to die for the good of all the people,” not knowing that He was making a prophecy about Jesus’ death that was absolutely true. Jesus is the Lamb of God. And very soon He would die for all the people.

But His death wasn’t a political move. It wasn’t to keep the Romans happy and Israel in good standing with them.

His death was a spiritual necessity. You see, Jesus would soon go to the cross and be the substitute Lamb for all sinners past, present and future.

He would die, not just to appease Rome, but to pay for the sins of the whole world. His death would do away with the old system and fulfill the law, giving mankind direct access to God and eternal life forever.

And it wasn’t just for the Jews. It was for us, the Gentiles too. The death of Jesus brings all of us to God through Jesus Christ. John wrote that Jesus would “Gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

Jesus’ death would make salvation possible for any man, woman, and child of any race and nationality. Eternal life for all.

That’s what Jesus offers. Yet these Pharisees said, “We don’t want it because we like control.”

They refused to believe because they didn’t want to submit to Jesus.

They refused Heaven because they liked control.

They refused to be forgiven of sin because they wanted to hold on to their power.

They exchanged abundant life because they liked the trajectory of their political careers.

They refused to accept eternal life because they preferred to be their own masters rather than submitting to their King.

Can you imagine that level of unbelief? That you would throw away all of these benefits so you can stay comfortably in control of your life?

Talk about blind Cognitive Bias.

We say, “That’s crazy,” except that it still happens all the time.

APPLICATION

Jesus still has power over death. In fact, we have even more evidence of His power over death than they did. John would write just 9 chapters later that:

The stone in front of Jesus’ tomb was rolled away, and His body was gone, then He appeared to Mary Magdalene and Peter and then all the apostles in an upper room.

And not only that, He later appeared to 500 people at the same time who all knew who He was. So they knew it was Him.

You can say that Lazarus’ resurrection was convincing enough to believe, and it was. But we have even greater, more objective, indisputable and even historical evidence of Jesus’ power over His own death.

Friends, “He is alive.” And if He’s alive, He must be the King. How else do you explain it?

Yet many people reject Him as King because submitting to Jesus means releasing control of their own lives.

Like the Pharisees, “We can’t deny His power. We know who He is. He must be King. But I like my life. I like the control I have over my life. I like being my own Master. I like living the way I want to. So yes, I see the evidence, but I don’t want to believe because believing means I have to submit to Jesus as King.”

Here’s the message: You must decide if the control you have over your life is greater than the benefits He offers as your King.

Are you sure that rejecting Him so you can retain control is your best option?

I can tell you this: Your control is limited to what you can do.

I’m sure you have a good handle on your life. You’re taking care of things.

But the reality is, there will come a day that you face something beyond your own abilities.

Whether it’s loss, or a health crisis, or a problem with a person in your life, some big decision, if you reject the King you don’t get His power. And all you’ll have to face your hardest moments is what you can do yourself.

Which means you’ll have to figure out how to wash away your own sins.

You’ll have come up with a solution to get into Heaven on your own.

Because those that reject Jesus as King don’t receive what He has to offer.

CIT: What Jesus offers as King is greater than what you can do for yourself.

That will be most clearly discovered at the time of your death.

Death is that one thing that, no matter how much control we have, we have no power over when it’s our time.

The person that rejects Jesus Christ is saying, “I’ll deal with death myself.”

But tell me, how many people have ever discovered the work around when it comes to death?

Only one. And His name is Jesus. He is the Resurrection and the Life.

You can either face death with His power. Or face it in yours.

If He has power over death. Then He is King. If He is King, then the only logical decision to make this morning is to believe.

Reject Christ and face life and death in your power. Or believe Him and face it all in His.

To those that have believed

If He has power over death and He’s your King, then whatever situation that you’re facing is well within His control.

We gave up our control to Him the moment we believed. So why do we try to take it back when life gets hard? If He has power over death, nothing we face stands a chance.

Relationship

Another car breaks

A problem at work

Doubt

Fear

Insecurity

You have the power of the One who has power over death helping you. That should give you confidence.

We all have a choice to make today. Trust me or trust Him. Me, no power. Him, all power. What choice is there?

CONCLUSION

The debate about who to follow in life was over the moment Jesus stepped out of the tomb.

He’s the greatest because He has power over death. There is no metric that matters more.

The evidence is clear. The metrics are indisputable. Even the Pharisees didn’t try to deny the objective truth that Jesus had power they’d never seen before.

Power over death = Greatest Of All Time. The One you should follow. No question. That’s settled.

What’s not settled is “Will you?”

As unbelievable as it seems, many people say, “I like what I’ve got.” And they say no to Jesus. Their Cognitive Bias prevents them from seeing objectively.

So all the power that He has. All the love He offers. All the provision and help He promises…“No thank you. I’m in control and I like it this way.”

It honestly makes no sense. Unbelief is the most deceptive and, frankly, illogical response when you consider what Jesus has proven and what He offers.

To deliberately face life and death without the One who has power over them makes no sense. But people do it all the time.

Illustration: Someone gave you a professional basketball team. You can keep it if you can win a championship in the first 5 years. And you get to choose any player alive to start building your roster.

Who do you pick?

Your friend who played Junior Varsity basketball in 9th grade, or someone like Lebron James who has proven he can win?

You’d be a fool not to involve the one who is proven.

So why would you choose to face something as terrifying as death without Jesus, who has historically and Scripturally proven that He has power over it?

See, unlike Lebron James, Jesus will never get old and retire. He has power over death, and He always will.

If Jesus has power over death, He’s King. And if He’s king, why face life and death without Him?

It’s time to let go of your biases and embrace objective truth.

It’s time to let go of the control you have over your life and place your life in His hands.

It’s time to stop resisting and believe.

Christian, it’s time to let go of that life situation and trust the One who has proven there’s nothing in life He can’t handle.

If He has power over death, there’s nothing you can’t trust Him with.

Believer, let go of the control and trust the One with power over death.

Unbeliever, let go of the control and trust the One with power over death.