The Resurrection and the Life

If you have a bible or copy of God’s word this morning turn with me to John chapter 11. I have titled this message this morning, “The Resurrection and the Life” If you would pray with me…

It’s hard to believe that a year ago today you all voted me in to be your pastor, and I feel like that time has just flown by, but I hope I will have much more time pastoring this church. (amen somebody)

This message this morning is one of the most important messages in the gospel of John so far, because of what it says, and what happens in the text, and what it looks forward to.

Now we just worked through chapter 10, and in chapter 10 we saw that Jesus is the good shepherd, and as the good shepherd he lays down his life for his sheep, but in this chapter we are closing in on the end of this earthly ministry, and we are getting into some really powerful truths that are important in this book, as we have worked through this book, I have mentioned on multiple occasions that this book has some important features that other gospels do not that John focuses on and those are the signs, and the I am sayings.

In the text I am preaching today it has both signs, and both I am sayings. If you remember this happened back in chapter 9 as well.

The sign we are seeing in today’s text is that Jesus is going to heal Lazarus, and we will see that I am statement of I am the resurrection and the life. And there really is three key verses in the text that help us understand the whole meaning, and they are John 11:4 which says..

John 11:4 ESV

4 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.”

and John 11:25-26 which says…

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

And the main idea that I want you to see today is this. Jesus being the resurrection and the life gives eternal life and the promise of the resurrection to those who believe in him.

Amen somebody…

With the main idea presented before you, let me read some of God’s word this morning starting in verse 1…

John 11:1–8 ESV

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 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.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”

We are introduced in the text to some people by name, though these names appear in other gospels this is the first time we see these people in the gospel of John, and as the text indicates to us Jesus loves these people, now what you may find interesting about this text is this is the first time we see Jesus love people individually in this book, even though it is implied all throughout his ministry, including why he came to this earth.

The three people introduced to us are Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, now you may know these people from other gospels as well, in fact John implies to his audience that they do know them by the stating a story that is in another gospel and this one as well in the next chapter. If you remember John is the oldest gospel written, and by the time John writes his gospel the other three gospels had been circulating around for awhile.

So in the text there is this implied friendship that Jesus has with these individuals, and because of this relationship they have they want to let Jesus know about Lazarus. So they send for him, saying Lord he whom you love is ill…

the first point I want you to make note of is this…

Jesus loving you does not mean he will do what you want.

If these individuals were friends of Jesus whom he loves they think maybe Jesus will come and heal Lazarus. These people surly knew that Jesus could do incredible works, they have been following along with us it may seem.

They know if Jesus comes Lazarus could be healed good as new, and he would be okay. Now where Jesus was at was a good days journey to reach him, so when Jesus would have gotten the news it would have taken him a day just to get back to Lazarus.

And when Jesus heard the news, he say’s something very important… his illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

But Jesus rather than going as quickly as he could to visit Lazarus, stayed two days longer, it wasn’t because Jesus didn’t love them, because the text is clear he did, it was so God could be glorified, and we will see it is so others faith will be strengthened.

Romans 8:24-25 tells us

Romans 8:24–25 ESV

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Jesus is using these two days to show the disciples and Mary and Martha, and other Jews, what he can do, and in life sometimes we just have to hope and wait… And in this text and in our own lives we must understand this. And Jesus loving you does not mean he will do what you want, and we see another example of this in verse 7. Jesus is telling the disciples Let us go to Judea again, this is the same place that Jesus just left from after he made the claim that he and the father are one, and they wanted to stone him for it, and he is telling them we are going to go back to that place. This is clearly something the disciples do not want, because in verse 8 they tell them wait a minute. we just left there and if you don’t remember they were trying to stone you, I don’t think its the best idea if we go there. We might die, but Jesus rebukes them and tells them something quite powerful.

Listen to verses 9 and 10.

John 11:9–10 ESV

9 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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

Jesus is in effect telling listen, while its day and I am here, you don’t have to worry about a thing. Remember I told you I am the light of the world, and my light is still shining and no darkness as hard as it try’s can overcome my light unless I let it. So don’t worry about, I love you, but I am not going to do everything you want, I am doing everything for God’s glory. And they should rest in that truth, and so should we.

For the disciples and for us nothing can happen to us outside of God’s hand, my old pastor told me something one time in my first semester of seminary, and he said, If God has called you to it he will see you through it.

Now he is going to tell them the purpose for going back…

follow along as I read 11-16.

John 11:11–16 ESV

11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

So we see that he tells them our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and Jesus has to awaken him. The disciples seem to think that is silly, if he is asleep he is going wake up. We all usually wake up it make take some time you are like the girls in the back or if you are like my daughter and wife sometimes, but Jesus wasn’t talking about someone who likes to hit there snooze alarm he is talking about Lazarus who is dead.

And he died so the glory of God might be displayed to those around Jesus. And by raising Lazarus from the dead all those who were present for that event, and us today our faith will grow, and will be magnified, maybe for some saving them.

Jesus himself says, for your sake I am glad that I was not there.. sounds harsh, but the reality is it was better for these disciples and Lazarus, and his family and those around him that Lazarus died. So that they may believe. This man died so many would believe in him. These signs are a theme of this book, and the focus of that theme is so they will believe in Christ.

And Thomas was the man who said lets go die with him, and interesting enough he would die for his faith in India tradition says by a spear, but Thomas believing in Christ meant that he would be raised one day like Lazarus was soon to be.

Continuing on with the story in verse 17 and following it says this…

John 11:17–22 ESV

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Jesus came not when Lazarus was just ill, but after he was dead. Not just recently dead either, but 4 days Lazarus was laying in that tomb, long enough to be no mistaken that he was dead. He was dead, dead you could say he wasn’t coming back, and because of their close proximity to Jerusalem many were weeping and mourning with Mary and Martha, and when Martha heard Jesus was there she left her house to seek Jesus and we see what she said to Jesus if you had been here he would not have died, but even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.

what a testimony of faith from Martha here. She is confident that Jesus could have healed her brother, could have made him well, she believed in Jesus so much so that she had enormous amount of faith in him, she knew that Jesus loved her, but that did not mean he was going to do what she wanted. yet she still believed that whatever Jesus asked the Father will be given to the son Jesus. And with that FAITH SHE HAS Jesus is going to say to her one of the most powerful statements in all of scripture, and its the second point this morning and it is this.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Now before we see him say this, he tells her in verse 23 this..

John 11:23 ESV

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Jesus is saying that Lazarus is going to rise again, but how? Many believed like today in the resurrection that believers would rise again, but Jesus isn’t referring to that directly here. He is telling her your brother is going to live again, notice what she says though…

John 11:24 ESV

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Martha believes that Lazarus though he is dead will be made alive in the last day. That he is going to be resurrected, but she does not think it will be now, but Jesus tells Martha something we have not seen so far in the gospel of John.

Let me read to you verses 25 and 26.

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

He says I am the resurrection and the life.

He makes two claims here. One that he is the resurrection, and two that he is the life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

One scholar of the gospel of John says, “Jesus’ concern is to divert Martha’s focus from an abstract belief in what takes place on the last day, to a personalized belief in him who alone can provide it. Just as he not only gives the bread from heaven (6:27) but is himself the bread of life (6:35), so also he not only raises the dead on the last day (5:21, 25ff.) but is himself the resurrection and the life. There is neither resurrection nor eternal life outside of him.”

This point cannot be emphasized enough. There is no resurrection or life outside of Christ. Jesus represents two things perfectly, the resurrection and the life because of who he is, and what he has done and will do. In him is the hope and power of the resurrection, and that hope and power lie in him and him alone, and there is a promise to those who believe in him, and this promise is though you may die, you shall live. It says everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

There is a promise that comes from believing in the one who is the resurrection and the life, and that is you will be resurrection and live through him. One of my favorite authors and pastors who is with the Lord now R.C. Sproul said, “Once a person believes in Christ, the life of Christ is poured into the soul of that person, and that life is eternal. Everyone who is in Christ has already begun to experience eternal life. We’re never going to die. We may go through the transition of physical death, but that death cannot destroy the life that Christ has given to us.”

Now we can’t forget despite the amazing statement, what Martha was asked by Jesus at the end of verse 26. Do you believe this? Despite all that has just taken place with Martha, Jesus gives her a chance to respond by faith? Jesus often comes to us in the darkest of times and says do you believe in me, and knowing who he is, helps us in the worst and best of moments.

There will be times in your life of great sorrow, where you know Jesus loves you, but things are not going according to your plan, take heart and know that because he has granted you this wonderful faith, that you can trust in the resurrection and the life with your life, knowing that circumstances may not be ideal, but you have the perfect savior who will resurrect you and give you life. Be like Martha who in verse 27 says.

John 11:27 ESV

27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

When God seems to not be doing the things you desire, be like Martha and say, Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ and Son of God and rest in that very thing.

which brings me to my third point which is almost the same as my first point and its this…

Jesus loving you does not mean he will do what you want, but that does not mean he does not care.

After Martha makes this radical profession of faith, and Jesus saying who he is, Martha goes and gets her sister.

Listen to the words of Scripture.

John 11:28–37 ESV

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 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. 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.” 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. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Martha goes and gets her sister, saying the teacher is calling for you, and Mary goes and meets Jesus, and others follow thinking they are about go weep and console her at the tomb, but when Mary sees Jesus she goes to him and says if you would have been here, my brother he would have not died. And your heart breaks here, because yourself or someone you know may have been in that very situation maybe multiple times in their life, saying God if you would have been here everything would be so different, for Mary her brother would have been alive, for us maybe we would have a child that was still her, or a family member, or friend, or a job, or a relationship, the list goes on and on…

sometimes God doesn’t do what we want, and we must remember back in verse 4 things happened so God may glorified, but even though things do not often go according to plan, doesn’t mean Jesus does not care about you.

We see Jesus has this real emotion in the text to what has happened to Lazarus, and his family. But its not the same kind of emotion. that they have, and in verse 33 you see that Jesus is moved in his spirit and greatly troubled, but how was he moved, now the greek seems to indicate that this troubled is more like angry.

Why would he be angry over death? Well because death is the greatest enemy we have. No one can outrun death, death is a result of sin.

One pastor said this referring verse 33, I think that which caused the anger of the Son of God to boil up and overflow in His spirit was that He was in the presence of the ravaging destruction of the greatest enemy of mankind, death. This was His enemy. This was the foe that, in only a few days, He was going to confront head on in the throes of the agony He would experience on the cross, dying to conquer death. Sometimes when I go to a hospital and I see people suffering with cancer, I walk out and I say, “I hate cancer!” The affliction is so great and the pain is so enormous. I think this is the kind of visceral reaction Jesus had when He encountered the sorrow that death had provoked. Jesus entered into the affliction of His people so deeply that He was moved within Himself at the travesty of death.

and he acted upon, by saying where have you laid him? and they said come and see. Follow us Jesus and we will show you where he is…

So Jesus wept at this moment. Bill told me this was his favorite verse because he could remember it. But Jesus shows us a real emotion here, and they took note of it, see how he loved him. Tears and weeping are often signs that we have been so moved by something, and Jesus was moved by all that had happened, and what is about to take place is truly incredible. even though there were some who wanted to see something from Jesus, as he just healed the man from blindness, they said couldn’t he have keep this man from dying. they were really was like them saying ok, we know Jesus did this but couldn’t he have done this as well? Fitting for all that has been going on, many people still did not believe that JESUS WAS THE CHRIST. The sin of unbelief was still keeping them from believing, they needed that resurrection power for themselves.

Forth thing I want you to take note of today is this…

Jesus has power over life and death.

John 11:38–39 ESV

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 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.”

He is commanding this stone to be removed, and taken away, and Martha who just professed that Jesus is the Christ is like there is going to be an odor when you open this up he has been dead four days, its not going to smell good, and Jesus tells her this…

John 11:40 ESV

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

remember Jesus said to her your brother will rise again, and then he taught her about how he is the resurrection and the life, a thought never crossed there minds that he meant right now for Lazarus. In this life, goes to show you not only does God do the miraculous in the life to come, but also in this life.

John 11:41–42 ESV

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 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.”

Again we see this powerful connection between the Father and the Son, this unified bond that they have had for all of eternity, that upset the jews. And Jesus comes to the father thanking him for all he has heard, and that he always listens, and he says to the father what is about to happen is going to cause many to believe in that fact you sent me, the very mission of the FATHER and the SON.

John 11:43–44 ESV

43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 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 has the power over life and death.. and this man being resurrected from the dead is a reminder of what Jesus does for us when he calls us from out of the grave. See the Scriptures testify to the fact that we are dead in our sin, and when Jesus calls us by name like he calls his sheep by name we run out of the grave.

I love the song which lyrics say, he called my name and I ran out of that grave…

Lazarus came out wrapped with linen strips and his face wrapped with a cloth, and when Jesus got done with him they were unwrapping what they bound him with when he died. Jesus removes the bondage of sin, and death that reigns in all of us, until he saves us.

Jesus reverses the curse of death to all those who believe in him, because he is the resurrection and life. He calls people to a resurrected life, and those who are in him will be resurrected in the life to come, and though we may die on this earth, because he was raised we can have eternal life.

Before our time ends today we must go to the place, where Jesus shows us that he is the resurrection and the life. Though we have seen this before, it never gets old, and I love reading it each and every time.. Jump to John 20:1-18

John 20:1–18 ESV

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Just like Lazarus the tomb was opened, but unlike Lazarus who would later die again, Jesus through his resurrection is reigning in heaven never to die again, but because he died we can live, and because he was raised we can raised as well. What wonderful news to us.

remember, Jesus being the resurrection and the life gives eternal life and the promise of the resurrection to those who believe in him.

ask yourself today, has he called you out of the grave? If not is he calling you today? Whether you are in person or online reach out to us, you must be born again, we would love for you to know Jesus by faith alone, and you can do that today by repenting of your sins, and trusting in Christ alone for salvation. See Jesus had to die, because our sin, and he and he alone can atone for that sin. Everyone has sinned against God, but anyone who believes in the Son of God, can be forgiven by God through the work of the Son of God, and because of who the Son of God is the resurrection and the life if you believe in him today you can be resurrected to?

How do you respond to the one who is the resurrection and the life today? Let us pray..