The Resurrection and the Life
Who is Jesus? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 42:51
0 ratings
· 77 viewsI Am the Resurrection and the Life
Files
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Good morning, Gateway Chapel!
Scripture Psalm 16.
Father, you are life. There is nothing but death apart from you. There is no life separate from you presence. When you’re with us, we can never truly die. Forgive us for the ways we knowingly and unknowingly wander from your presence and bring about death. Make known to us the path of life, give us full joy in your presence today, remind us of the pleasant, desirable, enriching life that is available to us when we live fully aware that we’re by your side. Holy Spirit, we ask to see Jesus today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Intro
Good morning, Gateway Chapel!
If we haven’t met, my name is Chris, I’m the pastor of Gateway Chapel, the church that gathers here in this building.
Before I get started I wanted to say how great it was to celebrate baptisms last Sunday out at Lake Tapps. Congrats to Shari Coleman, Jim Watson, and Micheal and Landyn Whitson who all told the world “I am with Jesus.” Baptism is not the destination it is the beginning. So let’s encourage them as we encourage everyone in the church to keep hearing, loving, and obeying Jesus.
We’re over halfway through 2022. I don’t know if that’s good news or bad news for you. And we’re over halfway through our year-long sermon series, “The Year of Biblical Exploration.” We are looking at the story of the Bible from a macro level, touching down at key points in the story to enjoy this amazing family quilt that is the Bible.
What is the Bible? Is it a divine rule book handed down to show us how to be good people and go to the good place when we die?
No, we’ve put together a working definition of the Bible. Let’s read it out loud together.
The Bible is a library of texts - both divine and human - with a unified story that leads to knowing Jesus and growing in Jesus.
The Bible is a library of texts - both divine and human - with a unified story that leads to knowing Jesus and growing in Jesus.
Church is a gathering of Jesus followers who want to be more like Jesus, and Jesus loved his Bible. He saw his whole life through the lens of Scripture, and he saw all of Scripture as pointing to himself. And we’ve looked at that all year long, from Genesis all the way through the prophets, and now we’ve arrived at the stories of Jesus himself in the New Testament, and the last month or so we’ve been asking, “Who is Jesus?”
Who is Jesus? How would you answer that? How might your neighbors answer that?
It is the the most important question in the entire world. The questions we all ask, “Why am I here? What is the point of my life? Is there anything more than this? Is there a God?” All these questions find their home in “Who is Jesus?” because Jesus reveals God himself, the longing of every human heart.
And fortunately for us, Jesus tells us. Seven times in the book of John, Jesus says, “I am ________________.” It’s Jesus’ nametag. He tells us what he is like, and in doing so, what God himself is like.
He says I am
The bread of life
The light of the world
The gate
The good shepherd
The resurrection and the life
The way, the truth, and the life
The true vine
How many of you grew up playing video games? I generally played sports video games, Tiger Woods, EA Sports, NCAA Football. Madden…the good stuff.
But every so often I’d play Halo with buddies and if you’re not familiar the point of Halo is to kill aliens. And because I wasn’t very good, the aliens or my friends would kill me, and then what happens? You come back. Your character just “respawns.” Maybe you’re more familiar with Mario, when you touch the mushroom guy, Mario goes “Oh no!” And then what happens? You just start over again.
Playing that game as a kid, you take resurrection for granted. “Of course, you just come back!”
I wonder if we do the same thing as Christians. Jesus says to a woman in the depths of grief, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And because we’ve heard the story so many times we go yeah yeah…but we have to stop.
Dead people stay dead. Always have, always will. Right? Elvis is very dead, don’t listen to the internet. But Jesus says, because I’m here, everything has changed. What did that mean then, and what does it mean for us today?
Prayer
We’re asking, “Who is Jesus?” and to answer that, we’re in the gospel of John, looking at the seven times Jesus says, “I am ________________.” So let’s get some context on the book of John. What’s it about? Turn to John 20:30-31
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John chose each word and not others, so that we would experience life through believing in Jesus. John is all about life, and belief, in Jesus.
But what does John mean by life and belief? Well to help explain, he gives us the story of Jesus and Lazarus in John 11, which is where we are today.
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
John 11 is arguably the second most climactic moment in the book. Everything in the story has lead to this, and everything that flows from this point will lead to the ultimate climax.
It says “When Jesus came”… a fascinating part of John 11 is that Jesus learned Lazarus was dying from Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, but it says this earlier in John 11.
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.
If he loves him, why wait? Imagine calling 911 and hearing, “We’ll be there in two days.”
We view sickness and painful circumstances like a big spider on your shoulder, “GET IT OFF NOW!!” God is far more patient. God invented time, and is never late. And sickness, pain, and even death itself can be opportunities for God to display his glory, which is his number on priority. Why? Because he’s selfish? Because it’s better than life itself. And he wants us to feel it.
Jesus delays, and Lazarus dies. He’s been dead four days. He’s not just dead he’s very dead. There was rabbinic tradition which thought that for the first three days after death, your soul hovered above your body and then after that it was gone. Not sure if that belief was in place in Jesus’ day, but it’s possible.
Talking with Fletcher Price this week, Fletcher made the point that Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones may be in view here.
1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
Lazarus is very dead. Jesus, you’re late.
But Jesus is gearing up for his biggest moment so far. In John he’s already turned water into wine, he’s healed a paralytic man, he’s healed a blind man, he’s said I am the bread of life, I am the good shepherd, and now he’s going to do even more.
18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
Bethan is to Jerusalem what Bonney Lake is to Sumner, just a couple miles south east
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.”
Our neighbor across the street from us is on hospice. She could be going home to Jesus any moment now. But there were dozens of cars coming through the neighborhood this week to mourn and pay their respects.
That’s kind of the scene here. It’s been four days. If you’ve experienced a major loss, you know those first four days are a blur and they can feel like an eternity.
And Martha being the eager beaver, runs to Jesus. Mary, being more spiritually sensitive and dependent on Jesus stays back. Martha comes to Jesus and says, “You could’ve stopped this. But I know you have something special with God, so I appreciate your prayers.” She doesn’t trust Jesus fully because later on in this chapter she shows that she doesn’t think Jesus can raise Lazarus. Why would she? Dead people stay dead. That’s not a discovery of modern science. The ancient world was old but they’re not dumb.
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
It seems like Jesus is saying something akin to, “You’ll see your brother in heaven some day.” And Martha responds with the Sunday school answer to Jesus, the Rabbi, the Jewish Sunday school teacher. “Yes I know he will rise again when God comes to bring his kingdom on earth.”
Here’s a key point: Jews believed that one day God would put his King over the earth, right all wrongs, crush his enemies, and his people, the Jews would reign with him forever. Martha says, “I know the beliefs of our people. I know the right answers even in my grief. That day will come some day in the future.”
So what does Jesus say to this young woman who has spent the last four days in shock over the death of her brother?
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?”
This is fifth different name tag Jesus has worn: I am the resurrection and the life.
Is this one thing or two things?
You can say, “I’m hot and bothered.” One thing.
You can also say, “I’m tired and hungry.” Those are two things.
Jesus’ statement is two things, because Jesus explains each word in his preceding sentence.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die...
So we’re going to look at each statement by Jesus, “I am the resurrection” and “I am the life” and see what this shows about Who Jesus is.
I am the Resurrection
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
I like the way the Message translation reads in these verses, it helps clarify Jesus’ meaning.
24 Martha replied, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time.”
25 “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.
Resurrection has a name.
Martha thinks Jesus wants her to spout theology. Resurrection in the Old Testament is sneaky. But there are hopeful passages in the Old Testament which good Jewish people knew. Like
17 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
There is a coming day when God will fully beat death. And what Jesus does in his statement is divert Martha away from religious facts to a relationship with him. Jesus is saying, “I am in the flesh, the very life force of God that promised your people for thousands of years to beat the real enemy, not Rome, not Greece, not Babylon, not Persia…death itself.” I am Resurrection.
And for us, this reinforces the reality that the goal of Christianity is not knowing information, but trusting a person.
I fall into this trap all the time. I was so scared to become a pastor because I don’t know enough! And it’s good I’m going to seminary because through education you learn more about God. But I know sometimes I can make discipleship to Jesus more about information than relationship.
Resurrection starts now.
Martha thinks she has to wait, but Jesus says you don’t have to wait. I am Resurrection now.
But Lazarus is still dead. Of course she has to wait!
Jesus isn’t talking about Lazarus. He’s saying anyone who believes in him will experience resurrection life NOW.
Much of the Christian story in America revolves around the idea of going to heaven when you die. If you say the right words, one day you will die and you will then experience eternal life in heaven in a white robe playing Spirit 105.3 songs for 100 billion years.
So when we hear “resurrection” we often think, “Going to heaven when you die.”
Is that Jesus is talking about here?
No. He’s saying resurrection is now because I am here now.
The very resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is given to those who believe in Jesus.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
When you believe in Jesus you and I are given the Holy Spirit, who causes a resurrection to happen within us NOW.
We have been resurrected. We are living with The One Who is Resurrection.
It’s like the superhero who realizes they have powers, and no one else does yet, but inside they know everything has changed.
The good news of Christianity is not that we will leave earth and go to heaven, but that heaven has come to earth and now we’re on a mission to make earth look more like heaven every day.
How would you think about doing your job, in the medical field, in the marketplace, on a job site, how would you think about your coworkers if you remembered that you have resurrection power in you, and who you are in Christ is a preview of heaven?
How would you parent your kids knowing that you have the same power inside of you that rose Jesus from the grave, and you have the opportunity to help guide them to become a part of resurrection life who can bring heaven to earth?
How might you interact with your neighbors if you remembered that you’re like a new Garden of Eden on your street?
What’s an area of your life that needs a reminder that Resurrection has started now?
However…even though Resurrection has started now, we still face death every day.
The neighbor I mentioned earlier has been our neighbor ever since we moved in five years ago. She’s been bed ridden for that long, and then some. Talked with her husband way more than her. Apparently, before she got sick they were lively and threw block parties. We saw none of that.
How can Jesus tell that family that resurrection has started now?
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?”
Jesus is speaking to a grieving woman who’s brother is very dead. His brain has had no oxygen for four days. He smells. And Jesus has the audacity to say, “I am the life. Whoever believes in me shall never die.
So Christianity must be a lie because if I’m not mistaken a lot of Christians die? Even if you specifically ask them not to, all your Christian friends will one day die. Is Jesus wrong?
The Bible talks about death in many different ways. But a simple way can be Death 1.0 and Death 2.0.
Death 1.0 is simple. You stop breathing. Your systems fail. Your heart stops. Your brain shuts down. You don’t have enough oxygen. We all will experience this some day, no matter how sanctified.
Death 2.0 can happen while your breathing, and that’s being separated from life. That’s what happened in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve sin, God says if you disobey you will die, and even though they eat the apple and do not physically die, they are removed from the garden that has the tree of life and removed from the presence of life Himself.
So what is Jesus saying? Jesus is saying anyone who believes in me may experience Death 1.0 but they will never ever ever ever ever ever ever sniff Death 2.0. You will never truly die because you will always be connected to life, even when you stop breathing.
So what does that mean for us?
Jesus guarantees life to come.
If you trust Jesus, there is nothing more sure for you than life beyond the grave.
We need this hope.
Because even though we are people of the resurrection, walking change agents bringing the Garden of Eden everywhere we go, many of us in this community are watching our parents get old. Or have said goodbye to loved ones. And it’s awful. Cruel, even.
I can’t imagine what it was like for Lazarus to be ill and die two thousand years ago before modern medicine, science, and hospitals.
I saw a friend of my parents at Fred Meyer this week who battled cancer for a while, and where he’s at right now in his recovery is he’s getting some form of exhema, and he showed me his hand and it looked zombie-like.
Maybe you know what it’s like to watch your parents getting older and dying. Maybe you’ve lost a friend or loved one recently and you can taste what Martha is feeling as she talks to Jesus. Or you just know from your life that stuff always falls apart. If it’s not COVID, it’s something else that makes things go awry. If it’s not finances going off the rails, it’s family dysfunction. Life is hard because death is still here.
Even though we are surrounded by death, reminded of death, aware of nothing but the way things always fall apart in our life physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, Jesus gives us hope by guaranteeing that because he is here NOW we will have life THEN.
Even though we experience resurrection NOW we will be a part of something even better THEN, when we experience one day full bodily resurrection with new resurrection bodies that will never fall prey to Death 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.
How do you need to cling to the hope of the life to come today?
But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. Jesus is a master of powerful questions.
John 11:26–27 (ESV)
26...Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Life is for all who believe.
Martha responds in faith with a Holy-Spirit empowered answer. And in that moment, I imagine, she experiences resurrection and life.
Think about who Martha is. She’s a nobody. She offers Jesus no social credibility, no political power, she’s not well-connected, she’s needy.
She’s not even the most spiritual person in the family. If you know the story of Mary and Martha from Luke, Mary is attentive to Jesus, she reads her Bible every day and prays, while Martha is busy getting appetizers ready and Swiffering the dining room.
Jesus unloads the full force of his glory on an unimpressive nobody.
God gives his life to all people, no matter who they are or how they compare to others, at moments when they least expect it.
Do you feel unworthy of God’s love?
Are you in the throws of the effects of death now? Whether that’s with family experiencing physical death, maybe you’re bummed out and anxious about COVID, maybe you’re frustrated with relational death, maybe your own mind feels like a graveyard? Jesus gives life to all by asking you the question, “Do you believe?”
However,
You may say, “Chris, that’s all fine and dandy. Jesus was a great speaker, I’ll give you that. But it doesn’t mean what he says is true!”
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.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 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.” 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 backs up his words by bringing Martha’s brother back.
This moment, while life-giving for Lazarus, is a death sentence for Jesus. Jesus’ enemies, convinced he is nothing but trouble for the people, seek to arrest him. And ultimately, they succeed. Jesus is brought before the ruling authorities of the day, pronounced guilty in one of the most unjust legal proceedings of all time, and is killed via torture and public shame.
But three days later, Jesus pulled a greater miracle. Even though he had a stone in front of his grave, that stone was rolled away. Jesus walked out of the grave. He appeared to many people, and those people were so convinced that their teacher who they saw DIE was now ALIVE that they gave their life to help other people belief, and like their teacher, many of them DIED for this cause.
And those who died, the saints and martyrs, the Billy Graham’s, the Dietrich Bonhoeffers, the Mother Theresa’s, and your uncle who went to church occasionally, and your friends who weren’t very good at praying, and my neighbor. Will rise.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
And in the meantime, we live with Resurrection himself, and we live in Resurrection Life NOW, and even as we face death every day we remind each other of the hope we have in the life to come all because Jesus is alive.
After Martha answers Jesus, we read in verse 28 of John.
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.”
Jesus is here and is calling for you. What is he saying?
Communion
Announcements
Connection
Dorraine Eash
Harmanings cards
Campout