Jesus In His Own Words: I AM… The Resurrection and the Life

Jesus In His Own Words:

I AM… The Resurrection and the Life

Opening Illustration:

Brothers and sisters, have you ever had a bad day? What about a bad week? How about a bad month or even a bad year? Maybe you are sitting in here this morning and you are thinking to yourself that you have not had a good day, week, month or year in a long time. Maybe you are thinking that the only thing keeping your life from turning into a country song is the fact that your dog is still alive but then you remember that Spot is blind, deaf, and 14 years old.

You know you’re having a bad day when you put both contacts into the same eye. You know you’re having a bad day when your twin sister forgets your birthday. You know you’re having a bad day when you wake up and your braces are stuck together. You know you’re having a bad day when it costs more to fill up your car than it did to buy it. You know you’re having a bad day when you show up for work and you’re greeted by Mike Wallace. You know you’re having a bad day when your doctor tells you that you’re allergic to chocolate. You know you’re having a bad day when you wake and find your waterbed has sprung a leak and then realize that you don’t have a waterbed.

Sometimes that’s the way things go. And sometimes it’s not just a bad day but a series of bad days – maybe bad weeks – even bad years.

That’s the way it was with Mary and Martha. We will learn about them in just a moment. Did you know that the Bible is filled with characters who had to endure trials, suffering, and hardship? It’s true. Don’t believe the television preachers who tell you that God’s main desire for you is to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. The truth is that the Bible is filled with people who suffer, who hurt, who deal with tragic circumstances.

Adam and Eve, you know them, the first sinners, they were tossed out of the most perfect place to have ever been created, the Garden of Eden.

Abraham and his wife struggled with doubt. Abraham was known to tell a lie or two.

What about Haggar? She was threatened by Sarah and then excommunicated from her home.

Moses was a murderer, then a fugitive. While on the run, he had to endure a low level job that he was overqualified and overeducated to do. That all happened before God came to him in a burning bush.

David lost a child and nearly succumbed to overwhelming heartache.

Naomi’s husband died.

Job’s family died.

Lot’s wife died.

Hannah suffered from depression.

Friends I could go on and on. What about Jesus. Jesus dealt with crippling anxiety in the garden, so much so that he sweat droplets of blood. He was then tried under false pretenses, mocked, beaten, humiliated, and then crucified.

Now, let’s bring it back to you this morning. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you are finding yourself in a hurricane this morning. Your job is in danger. Your finances are a mess. You are under the heavy load of credit card debt and you are in danger of losing everything. Your marriage is trouble. Your engagement is in jeopardy. If you were being honest this morning, honest with yourself, if you were to take off the “everything is great mask” you would reveal that you are barely hanging on.

Do me a favor this morning. Fill in the “Today’s Thought” portion of the sermon order. Are you discouraged? Disappointed and doubtful? Dreading the day? If that’s you, I have good news! Jesus has defeated death!

Now, why is that important news for you today? What does Jesus defeated death do for you? How does that help you. Here is the truth. If Jesus can defeat death, then He can take care of you. He can take care of your job, your family, your marriage, your spouse, your finances, your everything. If Jesus has defeated death, you can trust Jesus!

Today’s Thought:

Are You Discouraged? Disappointed and Doubtful? Dreading The Day?

If That’s You, I Have Good News!

Jesus Has Defeated Death!

Dr. John Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, had this to say about the resurrection of Christ and how it impacts all of us today. Listen to what he says,

“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.”

Isn’t that great news today. Brothers and sisters, this may be the most encouraging news you will hear all week. I pray that after you hear this message that you will find yourself inspired, hopeful, and ready to see what Christ will do in your life.

Today’s Quote:

you a future of immeasurable good.”

-Dr. John Piper

Background and Context:

Before we read from John’s Gospel this morning, I would like to set the scene for you. I want to express what is happening so that you will be up to speed. Jesus is in Jerusalem with His disciples. While in Jerusalem, Jesus hears word that His friend Lazarus has taken ill. So ill in fact that it appears that Lazarus is going to die. Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha in Bethany. Jesus had actually spent quite a bit of time with Lazarus and his family in Bethany. You’ll remember that it was here where Mary broke a vile of perfume and cleaned Jesus’ feet with her hair in a symbolic act of worship while Martha worked in the kitchen. Bethany was really the headquarters of Jesus’ ministry. Bethany is a small town just two miles southeast of Jerusalem.

After hear the news, Jesus delays His arrival for 2 days. What would have taken Jesus roughly a 30 minute walk becomes a 2 day delay. By the way, have you ever felt that Jesus is late. You’ve prayed for Him to intervene only to wonder why He isn’t showing up. “Where are you Jesus”, you ask. You wonder why the delay! Most of us have been there before. If you have ever had those thoughts, you are not alone. Mary and Martha felt the same way.

Jesus’ disciples are fearful about heading back to Judea because He had many enemies in the area but Jesus boldly tells them that the “sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” We will also talk about that statement in a minute.

Jesus delays, Lazarus dies, and Mary and Martha are disappointed. When Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead for four days. Mary and Martha are not just disappointed but they are angry as well. They feel that if Jesus would have been there, that Lazarus would have lived. They are not wrong by the way as we will see. It is at this point that Jesus ask’s Martha to offer a statement of belief and following that statement Jesus says the following, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies”.

This morning we will pick up in John 11:17-44. I am reading from the New Living Translation.

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.

Today’s Scripture:

John 11:17-44 NLT

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

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

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Jesus Is The Resurrection And The Life…But How?

I. Lazarus’ Death vs. 14

John 11:14 NLT

So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

Point:

So, Jesus is the Resurrection and the life. This is true. But how is Jesus the Resurrection and the Life?

Fill in our first point this morning, Roman numeral one, Lazarus’ death.

Isn’t it sort of a paradox that Jesus claims to the resurrection and the life as He stands in the middle of death? I mean, after all, He is greeted by the disappointment of two women as He stands in the shadow of a tomb. I think that it is safe to assume that Jesus probably had some mixed emotions about this event. Scripture even said that he wept. Jesus was wrestling with a lot of emotions. Think about it. It would not be long that Jesus Himself would be in a tomb. His body would lay dormant in a borrowed grave, dead and lifeless. His body, at least in our human understand, would deteriorate in the same manner as Lazarus’s body. His body would be locked in the crypt by a large stone. Imagine the drama, the internal turmoil that must have been stirring in Jesus as He looked upon Lazarus’ grave. Jesus knew that this is how His death would be presented to the world.

Death is inevitable.

Death is all inclusive. No one will escape it’s cold clutch.

Death is final. There is no return trip. No ticket to come back home.

You might dodge death for a time. You may try to Walt Disney this thing or try to Ted Williams death away but you will fail. Death will one day knock on your door. You may try to keep it locked but Death has the key. You can brace your door but Death will kick it down. Death started with Adam and is spreading to all of us.

Romans 5:12 AMP

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned.

Did you know that death is really just a symptom of a larger problem? Death is really just a result of our sin and God pays for our sin in death.

Romans 6:23 ERV

When people sin, they earn what sin pays-death.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 reminds us that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die”.

Here is another uplifting passage for you this morning from 2 Samuel 14:14, “for we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again”.

Let me give that passage to you in the New Stuart Translation, “everyone, all of us, are going to die and when it’s over, it’s over. There is no coming back.”

Lazarus experienced something that all of us will endure. He died. His body laid spoiling in the grave for 4 days. While we sitting in this room in 2023 have the benefit of hindsight, those living in the moment didn’t see resurrection coming. Remember, no one had ever experienced resurrection before and there was no reason to believe that Jesus was going to raise this man from the dead. Ancient people understood what we know to be true today, death is certain.

To give you one more clue into the overall situation. When Jesus is told about Lazarus, they say to Him that “Lazarus is dead”. The word that is used for “dead” is the Greek word “ap-oth-nace'-ko” (Ah-poth-nay-sko). When said in the original language, it brings the understanding of a tree that has fallen in the forest that is all dried up, withered, rotten. When Jesus is told that “Lazarus is dead”, they are really telling Him that Lazarus is like a dead tree, dried up, withered and rotten.

Jesus Is The Resurrection And The Life…But How?

I. Lazarus’ Death vs. 14

II. Mary and Martha’s Disappointment vs. 21

John 11:21 NLT

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

Point:

Since we have established that Lazarus was indeed dead. Now let’s talk about His sisters. You can fill in this next blank, Roman numeral two, Mary and Martha’s disappointment. We see this reflected in verse 21. “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

This is a moment of raw human emotion. Mary and Martha are angry. They are angry at Jesus. They tried to hide their anger in temperance and religious piety, but they are angry. Remember that women did not have any rights during this time. The reality is that women were not to address Rabbis or teachers like Jesus. Women were to speak to their husbands and their husbands were to speak to the Teacher. It was the responsibility of the husband to teach his wife in the matters of faith or Scriptural scholarship.

This moment really reveals the manner of Jesus’ openness to all people. Isn’t it great that Jesus hears these women? Jesus does not rebuke them for breaking from the norms or expectations of the culture. Jesus sees these women not just as valuable, and worthy. No. He sees them as equal and able.

But wait, in the New Living Translation, it says that after Mary confronted Him with her grief, that Jesus welled up with anger. Some translations will read that Jesus was “deeply moved”. The word being used in the Greek actually reads that Jesus is indignant. So wait a second, Jesus is surrounded by hurting people and His response is to get angry at Mary?

The answer to that question is “no”. Jesus was not angry at Mary. So what was Jesus angry at? The reason that makes the most sense to me is that He was angered at sin and death. In that moment, He saw his friend, Mary, experiencing unspeakable grief and it was because she lived in a sin-sick world. She was experiencing such sorrow because she lived in a world that was so far below the joy of the Garden of Eden. There was no death and no sorrow before Adam sinned. But, when Adam sinned, death and unspeakable grief were the result.

Isn’t it amazing how Jesus responds to them and their statements? Is Jesus defensive? No. Is Jesus demanding of their respect? No. Is Jesus upset that they would question His authority and power? No. Jesus shows amazing grace in this moment. After all, this is the Creator of the Universe they are addressing. Jesus could have demanded their respect. Jesus could have shunned them for good reason. He could have turned back the veil revealing the heavenly host, to demonstrate His power but He didn’t. Jesus is the ultimate picture of security. His is the personification of assurance. Jesus is not threatened by their disappointment.

I truly love the realness of this moment.

Brothers and sisters, when is the last time you were real with God? After all, He knows you and He is aware of everything that is going on in your life. Why not just speak to Him openly, honestly? Oh friends I have seen Christian after Christian hiding their anger, their disappointment, behind fancy words and flowery prayers.

“Oh I can’t speak to God that way. I can’t talk to Him that way.”

“Oh I can’t share the way that I am really feeling with God.”

Why? Mary and Martha did and not once did their disappointment with the situation equate to a lack of faith in Jesus’ eyes. Speaking to God, being real, being truthful, being honest, doesn’t threaten God.

The greatest relationships I have here on earth are the ones where I bear my soul to another person. The greatest relationships I have here on earth are the ones where I am completely open, nakedly honest, revealing flaws and all.

Relationships that are built on complete trust and truth are the relationships that will last through the difficulties and hardships of life.

Mary and Martha put it out there. They were real. Honest. Open. And you know what, Jesus could handle it.

Maybe you are disappointed this morning. Hurting. Angry. Disillusioned. Maybe it’s time you talk to God. Maybe it is time to talk to Him, openly, sincerely, truthfully. Trust me friend, God can handed it. Know this, the more honest you are with Him, the more hopeful you will be and the more helpful He will become.

Point:

You know the Apostle Paul was real with God too. Paul suffered from some type of debilitating illness. We don’t know what it was, but Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 TLB

Three different times I begged God to make me well again. [9] Each time he said, "No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people." Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ's power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.

Point:

“Three different times I begged God”. Three times Paul begged God. He pleaded with Him. He cried out to Him. He was honest. Transparent. No, God did not take away the illness. Im sure that was disappointing for Paul but God did answer Paul’s prayers in a far superior way. He gave him grace and strength. He became more dependent on God which helped him overcome his physical disability.

Real. Honest. Truthful. Even when it hurts. God can handle it. Be honest with God because He honestly already knows and is waiting to help.

Jesus Is The Resurrection And The Life…But How?

I. Lazarus’ Death vs. 14

II. Mary and Martha’s Disappointment vs. 21

III. Jesus’ Declaration vs. 23 and 25

John 11:23 and 25 NLT

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

Point:

Jesus is the resurrection and the life…but how? He is the resurrection and the life, because He proved it. Fill in this third blank this morning. Jesus’ declaration.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus body declares that He is the resurrection and the life. If people believe in Him, even though they die, they will still live.

Here is a deep truth for you this morning, if Jesus did not resurrect from the dead, then we need to pack all of this up this morning. I need to go get a new job. Christianity is dead. Faith is meaningless. We have nothing but ourselves to live for. When we die, that’s it. All done. Game over.

But if He really did raise from the dead, then our worship is real. My calling is assured. We are the Body of Christ the church. Christianity is alive. Faith blossoms. We live for Christ and when we die, we are escorted to eternity. If Jesus is resurrected, if He is truly alive, then life is worth living.

The evidence for the resurrection of Christ is overwhelming. He appeared to more than 500 individuals at a single time. He also appeared to many other individuals all the while giving convincing proofs of His physical resurrection from the dead. Christ, after His resurrection was physically touched by other people, namely Thomas His disciple. His wounds were even confirmed. Pagan and Biblical accounts of Jesus resurrection also prove His victory over the grave. People, hundreds even thousands of people were so convinced of Christ’s resurrection that they were willing to die for their belief. They did not die by lethal injection or some other humane means of death. They were fed to animals, torn limb from limb, tarred and burnt alive, disemboweled, decapitated, impelled, and even witnessed their families murdered. It is hard to imagine that these martyrs would have died for a lie.

Did you know that the word “life” is used 36 times in the Gospel of John? The most that it occurs in any other Gospel is 17. Life is a major theme in John’s Gospel. Moody Bible Commentary explains, “His claim I am the resurrection and the life makes Him the very source of resurrection and all life.”

We all understand that Lazarus is dead but we need to know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. It is almost like we are being presented with two different roads. On one hand, you can choose your way, the sinful way, the way that leads to death or you can go the Jesus way. You can choose life. You can choose resurrection. It is up to you.

The author of Hebrews makes a pretty powerful claim about Jesus, His power, His deity.

Hebrews 1:3 TLB

God's Son shines out with God's glory, and all that God's Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor beside the great God of heaven.

Jesus Is The Resurrection And The Life…But How?

I. Lazarus’ Death vs. 14

II. Mary and Martha’s Disappointment vs. 21

III. Jesus’ Declaration vs. 23 and 25

IV. The Grave’s Defeat vs. 43-44

John 11:43-44 NLT

Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Point:

Last point, the grave’s defeat.

Do you remember the passage where it says that Jesus came to the tomb and wept? It is considered the shortest verse in the Bible. Most people think that Jesus came to the tomb and that He wept for Lazarus. His pal had died. Some think that maybe Jesus wept because it appeared that Mary and Martha were having a crisis of faith. Could it be that Jesus wept at their lack of belief? After all, Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew that a prayer was coming. He just told them that He was the resurrection and the life. Why the crying? Why the weeping?

To put it simply, Jesus wept because He saw his future. Scholars believe that it would be roughly two weeks later that Jesus Himself would be dead. Jesus, when He looked at that tomb, knew that like all of us, would be greeted by death. He knew that His body, like Lazarus’ body, would be wrapped in cloth and placed in a tomb. He knew that His trial, His torture, and His death was coming like an unstoppable freight train. He wept because He knew that His death was the only way that sin, the sin that He was angered over, could be defeated.

Jesus wept.

Know this brother and sister, Jesus’ weeping makes you and I winners in God’s eyes. His tears became our triumph. If Jesus can resurrect Lazarus, He can defeat your sin. If your sin can be defeated, you can have power to repent and see your soul revived and repaired.

If Jesus defeats the grave, He also defeats the guilt of sin and the gaul of death.

Here is the greatest news that you will ever hear! If Jesus is alive, then you do not need to fear death.

Jesus is alive. Amen!

If Jesus is alive, then heaven awaits the believer. All you have to do is believe in Christ, call out His name, and put your trust in Him the same way you would put your trust in a parachute to save your life if you leaped from a plane.

Leap into the arms of Christ today!

Remember, Jesus is the resurrection, we’ve been rescued, now live as the redeemed.

Revelation 21:4 AMPC

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

Jesus Is The Resurrection, We’ve Been Rescued, Now Live As The Redeemed!

Bibliography:

Websites:

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/17481/ruth-by-sermon-central

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/lazarus-raised-from-the-dead-bible-story.html

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2011%3A17-44&version=NLT

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g599/nlt/mgnt/0-1/

https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/10-concise-pieces-of-evidence-for-the-resurrection/

https://mattsmusings.net/2014/04/18/mary-was-crying-and-jesus-got-angry-why/

https://resources.christianquestions.com/en/BibleQA/CQ-Time%20Between%20Raising%20Lazarus%20And%20Jesus.pdf

Commentaries:

Walvoord, John and Roy Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament. United States of America: Victor Books, 1983.