"I Believe It All" John 11:25-27

Introduction

This morning at the earlier service we brought a message entitled “Dying to Live” where we looked at what Christ demands-everything. This morning we backup a chapter in John’s gospel to the account of the death of Lazarus. We asked the question at the end of the message, “Why? Why would anyone seek to turn everything over to Jesus Christ?” That is the question as we come to our message on the resurrection, albeit a little different than we might expect. We turn to that message now.

I pray this message from God’s Word will be used of the Holy Spirit this Easter morning to profoundly connect and transform your hearts and minds today.

The Setting (11:1-6)

Jesus had a close relationship with a group of twelve men we know as the disciples. Yet Jesus also had other close relationships as well. One of his closest relationships was with a family that lived just outside of Bethany. Jesus would often stop here and stay with this family on His travels. This family consisted of a man named Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha(1). Jesus is informed that Lazarus was very sick.

We are informed that the Mary mentioned here is the same Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil (2). [Matthew 26:7]

Why did the Holy Spirit include this information here. It was not uncommon for there to be this fragrant ointment to be kept in a home. It was packaged in such a way that to get it open, you had to break the bottle. This little bottle would cost a year’s wages for the common person. Thus, this was a tremendous financial investment. Mary takes this bottle and breaks it. She then takes this ointment and lavishes it on the feet of Jesus. The treasurer of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, observes the situation and says, “That is such a waste!” Subsequently Jesus rebukes Judas and tells him that she was actually preparing Him for His approaching death. In that culture, there was no such thing as embalming. You would take this strong fragrant ointment and put on the body. The smell of the ointment would cover up the smell of the body. It was also a way to honor that loved one.

Jesus is simply pointing out that one day He is going to die and He is going to rise again. The account of Lazarus is God’s way of showing us what is ultimately going to happen to Christ. [read verses 3-5]

Scene #1 (11:6-16)

This narrative is going from just being odd to being greatly bizarre. Jesus hears that Lazarus is very sick and it seems Jesus takes it with a grain of salt. Jesus stays where He is and keeps doing what He has been doing for another two days. When His disciples try to keep Him from going back, Jesus responds by saying, “You know, I’m glad it happened this way.” Here is the reason Jesus seems to be glad (15) [read verse 16]

What are the disciples thinking? They are assuming that Jesus is determined to meet His own death. In response, Thomas tells the rest of the disciples that they need to go with Jesus and they will die with Him. Why did Thomas say that? Thomas is under the assumption that Jesus needed His own personal protection team. The disciples failed to understand what we desperately need to understand. Jesus did not need their help and Jesus does not need our help. All Jesus wants from us is to believe in Him so that we can truly follow Him. This brings us to the next scene where our Easter message is to be found.

Scene #2 (11:17-27)

Martha’s concentration of mind here is the future. She was thinking about what was going to happen down the road. Jesus was wanting Martha to come back to the here and now. This is where our message picks up. This conversation that Jesus has with Martha has everything to do with the message I am about to preach. There are three truths that I want you to allow the Holy Spirit to plant into the deepest recesses of your heart.

We Observe a Powerful Proclamation (11:25)

Jesus makes four clear and authoritative statements concerning His identity in relation to life.

Jesus states that He Himself is the resurrection.

Jesus says that He Himself is the life.

Jesus proclaims that anyone who believes in Him, even though they might experience death, they will live.

Jesus pronounces that anyone who lives and believes shall never die.

What is Jesus saying here? Jesus is saying that genuine believers have no reason to fear death. As the source of life itself, Jesus is the source of resurrection power. This truth will be validated when He brings Lazarus back to life. There have always been religious nuts over the years who have claimed one thing or the other. However, when you have the evidence to back up your claim, that changes the entire situation.

If Jesus returns to earth before you leave this earth, are you ready? Are you ready to meet Jesus in the air as 1 Thessalonians describes the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)?

When you know who Jesus is and you are assured that He abides in you and that you abide in Him, you have nothing to worry about. The key is not just believing this. The key is living it. When you live it, you are living the assurance of your faith in Christ. You see, the person who lives this truth is the person who truly believes this truth. The way we live our lives is the evidence of what we truly believe.

We Observe an Interesting Interrogative (11:26)

An interrogative is simply another word for “question.” Jesus is going to ask Martha a pointed question. Jesus asks, “Martha, do you believe everything I have just said?” The answer to this question will reveal what Jesus truly believe about Jesus. In the New Testament, there are places where a question is asked concerning a person’s relationship to and belief in Jesus. First, in John 14:6 Thomas, one of the disciples, asks Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus responds to Thomas’ question in verse 6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Then over in Acts chapter four Peter and John are arrested and now must stand before the Sanhedrin because of Peter’s preaching and their powerful ministering in the name of Jesus. Peter and John are asked point blank, “By what power or by what name have you done this (7). Then in verses 8-12, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, tells them that it is by the name of Jesus. Verse twelve is a great summary statement of Peter’s answer to the Sanhedrin: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (12).”

Now, let me ask you a pointed question. Does your behavior line up with what you say you believe? Our orthodoxy (right belief) must match up with our orthopraxy (right behavior). If not, our belief is betrayed by our behavior. Folks, this is serious business. There is nothing more serious than where you will spend eternity. You have only two options: heaven or hell. God’s plea to you today is, “Don’t go to hell when you can go to heaven.” Receive Christ today as your Savior and Lord. Believe in Him. Grow up in Him. This will give you the confidence to respond when asked, “Do you believe all that stuff?” To which you can reply without blinking an eye, “Yes, I do!” Jesus should not be merely a part of your life. He ought to be your very life!

We Observe a Definitive Declaration (11:27)

Martha refers to Jesus with three terms. She refers to Him as Lord. She states that He is the ultimate Master. He has the right to my life and has the right to tell me what to do. Martha states that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah who has been prophesied and promised for generations. Martha confesses that Jesus is the Son of God. She says that Jesus is God. So, Martha believes, or does she?

This is the point where we preachers get really excited, especially us “Bapticostal” ones. Here is where we need to be careful. Martha’s confession is not the end of the story. Look with me at verses 38-44. [read]

Did you notice the Jesus’ rebuke of Martha (39-40). Set Martha’s precious confession of Jesus side by side with her reaction at the tomb. Do you see the vast difference between the two? Martha is still talking future, when Jesus is talking now. Jesus and Martha are talking on two different levels. Martha was saying the right words, but she completely missed Jesus’ message to her.

There is a great danger for those of us who grew up in the church to be able to simply mouth the right theological words with all the accompanying apologetic arguments and still miss the message of the Messiah. Be careful that the confession of your mouth concerning Jesus is backed by your complete surrender and commitment to Him.

Conclusion

I know what some of you must be thinking, “What a strange message for Easter Sunday.” I understand your thoughts because we have not gone to the other side of the cross. However, I am hoping that by seeing the resurrection in view of the cross, you will appreciate all the emotions and experiences Jesus endured before the cross as He is wanting people to come to believe that He is the Sovereign Lord, Christ and Son of God. The exchange between Jesus and Martha teaches us three things. First, we see the powerful proclamation of Jesus stating who He is. We observe the interesting question of who Martha thought Jesus was. Finally, the is the definitive declaration of what Mary said she believed.

Everything that has taken place in this narrative is for the purpose of helping people believe that Jesus really is who He has said and demonstrated that He is- the promised Messiah.

The most pressing issue in your life right now boils down to one question: DO YOU BELIEVE? There is nothing more important in your life than this singular question.

“Pastor, early this morning you began by telling me that I need to give everything to Christ. Now you telling me that the most important thing I am to do is believe. How can you say that?” I can say that because of the fact that Jesus redefines what belief is (John 12:24-25).

Jesus is not talking about what many talk about when speaking of belief. Belief is not mere intellectual assent to a body of facts, dare I say it, TRUTH. According to Jesus, belief is looking at my life and counting it as nothing compared to embracing Jesus Christ. Do we believe? Do we truly believe as Jesus as redefined belief? You say, “I am confused about some things.” Christ is under no obligation to clear up your intellectual confusion. However, you are under obligation to Christ to believe.

If you are willing to die, what follows next is a resurrection (lily illustration ). To be a Lazarus you have to die. Do you believe in Jesus Christ to the extent that you have given all your life to Him? Anything less than that is not biblical Christianity. Anything less than that is at best to be a Christian pagan-holding to beliefs out of personal convenience not total surrender.

In the 1940s there was a young man and a young woman enrolled at Wheaton College. The young man’s name was Jim and the woman’s name was Elizabeth. Two years after entering Wheaton College, Jim became burdened to win the lost to Jesus. Upon graduation he immediately went down to Ecuador with a group of friends. He just began living his life there. Elizabeth and Jim fell in love and went to another South American country. They got married, had their honeymoon and started a family there.

Jim had a special burden for a group of people known as the Aucan Indian. They were an incredibly violent people. They were cannibals and they were headhunters. Jim and his friends camped in a nearby village hoping for the opportunity of sharing Christ with them. Jim had a friend who was a pilot named Nate. Nate had an airplane. Nate would fly this plane over the Aucan village and Jim and his friends would drop gifts down to the Aucans below. As this went on, they began dropping information with those gifts telling about Jesus Christ. This practice went on for an extended time. Finally, they landed the plane and pulled up on the riverbank very close to this village they had previously dropped gifts to.

They met one young man who was very friendly to them. The group would use him to relay messages back and forth from them to the village. The villagers were becoming more open to these strangers. The next step would be to share Christ with them. What Jim and his friends did not know was that this young man was operating as a double agent. He was lying to them and he was telling lies to the villagers. He was relaying how bad and evil these Western villagers were. One day Jim and three of his friends came into the village. Because of the deliberate lies of this one young man, Jim and his friends were run through in their backs with spears. Wrapped around those spears were the gospel tracts and messages written in their language. All Jim and his friends wanted to do was to tell these Aucans about Jesus.

We would look at a life like Jim and his friends and we might be tempted to say, “What a waste of a life.” May I share with you that there are dozens of people who are now educated and are now helping their surrounding villages and communities. Most importantly, these people now have an understanding of who Jesus Christ really is because of Jim Elliot’s death.

If a seed falls to the ground and dies, out of that death comes life and out of that death will come fruit. Later his wife, Elizabeth Elliot published her husband’s journals. Here is a portion of one of those journals written in October 1949. “No man is a fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

One day we will die. When we die we give up our rights. On this resurrection Sunday, Jesus, in a sense, is calling you to a premature death. He is calling you to die now to everything else. In exchange for that death, He gives you eternal life. The other option is to try to live for everything now. When you live for everything now, you die later. The question is: Are you willing to die a premature death now to embrace genuine biblical Christianity and live forever.