"Is Death the End?"

Big idea: You don’t need to fear death when you are with Jesus. He is the Resurrection and the life.

Intro: Many people assume that they are fine after death. Unbelieving Grandpa is “looking down on you” or this young person is now an angel.

or

Intro: the pain and hopelessness of losing a love one

Who is this Jesus. Talk about what Jesus had been doing. Historical account. He was drawing a lot of attention from crowds and religious leaders.

Context:

Jesus sent a message back saying, “This illness does not lead to death.”

I. Death as the end

Death as the end

“You can only be certain of two things: Death and taxes”

“The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”— Will Rogers

Death has sting

Example of funeral of unbeliever

II. Death as sleep

“passed away” “Sleep” instead of “died”

Death has no sting

Jesus can raise the dead on earth (shows His power over death)

Jesus can raise the dead for eternity

Death hurts

Jesus mourns with those who mourn

groaning

weeping

Jesus our High Priest

Jesus’ encounter with the characters

The Messenger

The disciples

Martha

Mary

v.21 -mildly rebuked Jesus. She thought it was too late.

The Mourners

Death

Doubt

Mourning

w/o hope

w/ hope

This happened to reveal the glory of God

and to strenghthen the faith of martha, mary, and the disciples

Jesus delayed (because he loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus)

Jesus loves Lazarus SO He doesn’t go to him (paradox; dramatic)

the sisters say he loves Lazarus affectionately

Jesus says He loves him with his spirit, his reason, by choice.

The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel Lazarus Is Raised from the Dead, 11:1–44

Yet here is what troubled the hearts of these sisters, even as it still troubles many a Christian—to be a friend of Jesus, embraced in his true and tender affection, and yet to lie sick, to grow helplessly worse, to die at last—just as if Jesus, our Friend, had forgotten! Our answer to this is that above the φιλεῖν stands the unfathomable and blessed ἀγαπᾶν.

Lazarus was stinky dead

Unable to help himself come alive

No Dr. Could help him

Creative/performative Word of God/Christ (ex nihilo) “Lazarus, come forth!”

created life in a rotted corpse

created or strenghen the faith of Martha, Mary, and the disciples (and us)

move to the cross. a greater miracle than the greatest miracle, a greater resurrection

resurrection on the last day

Good news for believers:

Good news for those dead in their trespasses and sins:

“I am the resurrection and the life”

I. He who believes in me though he die shall live

II. He who believes in me shall never die

Resurrection and Life is in Jesus

Context:

6th Miracle listed by John (increasingly incredible) with increasing hostility toward Jesus

6th Miracle listed by John (increasing ly incredible) with increasing hostility toward Jesus

After this miracle they plotted to kill Jesus

Law:

Facing death (result of sin) “the end?”

Dead in sin

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Ephesians 2 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. 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Disbelieve the miracles & in Jesus as Savior

(tie to intro - many assuming they/their loved ones will just be fine after death even though they don’t know how or why/don’t believe in the one who has power over death, the grave, sin)

The Mourners:

Against Jesus

Jesus against them