The Resurrection and Life

I Invite your attention to: John 5:16-30

Now we are breaking into an exchange between the Jews that happened after Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day. Now I don’t want to get into this exchange too much, because I want to focus on what Jesus says about himself in this passage. I want you to listen to His words.

Read: John 5:16-30

“And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:16–30, KJV 1900)

Three things I want us to take from this:

1. Jesus IS GOD! John 5:17

This probably doesn’t need much explaining and I won’t spend much time here and I will assume you are in agreement with me. Jesus is All God and All Man.

I do want to point out verse John 5:23

2. Jesus is the Resurrected Savior

I was up early this morning before the sun rise, I stepped outside and heard the birds singing, the breeze softly blowing, and new we were in a new day. I wondered was this what it was like 2,000 years ago?

A beautiful Sunday morning, the garden still and quiet except for the occasional report for the guards, or conversation between them, and the birds chirping and singing in the new day.

Suddenly there in the darkness was a bright light, a shaking a roaring like they had never heard or felt and before they knew it everything just slipped away into darkness and quiet.

But if they could have seen what happened - an angel was dispatched from glory

He had been waiting eager to do this task for a long time.

He slipped into that Garden and quicker than you can blink rolled that big old heavy stone away from the mouth of that tomb.

Now I need to tell you that the angel wasn’t sent to to let Jesus out - He had already risen - when he finished his job he sat down and waited for the ladies to arrive.

He rolled the stone away to let us in.

We are let in because just like we experience his death on the cross when we die to Christ, we also experience His life - the Resurrection power of the empty tomb.

Not only do we see Jesus as God and Jesus as Resurrected but I also want us to notice that this Resurrected Jesus brings life to us.

Jesus the Resurrection and Life

I want us to see this morning how many times Jesus pints this out in this passage.

John 5:21

Here again Jesus equalizes himself with the Father - “As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them...”

We see this

by the hand of Elijah with the Widow’s son at Zeraphath 1 Kings 17:22

By the hand of Elisha and the Shunamite’s son 2 Kings 4:32-35

But Jesus didn’t stop there he goes one and says:

“even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”

We certainly have examples of this:

Luke 7:11-17 Jesus interrupts a funeral procession and raises the son of the widow of Nain. That must have been an amazing thing to see -

Luke 8:40-56 (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26) Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus.

And probably the most famous is the raising of Lazarus - John 11:1-44. You are I’m sure familiar with the story - Jesus was late in Mary and Martha’s eyes getting to their situation. In fact it was so late that decay had already begun to set in. “By now he stinketh”

Jesus asked Martha “ I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She said she believed. But I’m not sure she understood.

Right in her presence, right there in front of here stood the Holy Grave Robber - All Jesus does is prays a simple prayer, and says three words loudly - LAZARUS, COME FORTH but in those three words were such life giving power that a dead man, a man dead for four days, who already was beginning to smell got up off that cold stone slab and with the napkins wrapped all around him in his mouth and nose and bound all up stood in front of them no doubt mumbling under all those cloths to be free.

Jesus is saying to the Jews in our passage about a year before this incident with Lazarus that “ I have the power to quickeneth whom I will.” Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

John 5:25 -26 - Going down a little further in our passage we find another time Jesus makes this point -

This is powerful and I want to unpack it just a little for you this morning.

No one breathed into the Father the breath of life - No the Father has always existed and has that existence within Himself - He has life and life giving power within himself.

Jesus says the Father has given this same power to the Son to have life in himself -

Jesus says from here on out that when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God - they that hear shall live.

Now I want us to notice something - Notice how Jesus begins verse 25 - “verily, verily” or “Truly truly” what I’m am saying you need to really take note of this is really important.

So how does this happen? I have never seen anyone resurrected

Jesus explains himself with another truly truly in John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life.”

Jesus not only has power over physical life - but spiritual life. Those who are dead in trespasses and sins, just hearing and believing the Son of God brings its own personal stone rolling grave robbing experience.

JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND LIFE!!!

John 5:28-29 Another aspect of that is found later in the passage - when Jesus says that not only does he have resurrection power over those who were dead when he was here like Lazarus, but that he would have power over those who were dead for years;

If we are faithful if we hear His words and accept them and walk in them - there will come a day that even though this earthly tabernacle be dissolved away - there is a better one that the Lord Himself shall give me at the last day.

So I want to ask you this Easter morning - You have the words from the Son of God Himself.

Do you believe He is God?

Do you see him as having life giving power?

Do you know what it is to have your spiritual grave robbed of its victim?

Let the Resurrection and Life speak into your tomb - “COME FORTH”