The Resurrection and the Life
John 11:17-44
Easter 2015
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On the third day, the tomb was empty.
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Matthew 16:21 tells us that “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)
On the third day the tomb was empty
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In Matthew 17, Jesus tells the disciples that “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." Matt 17:22-23
On the third day, the tomb was empty
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We read in Matthew 27:62-64 that “ the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. “
But on the third day the tomb was empty.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, and the tomb was empty there was a buzz among many of Jesus’ followers who were still unsure of what was or would happen.
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It tells us in Luke 24:13-24 that “two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
19 "What things?" he asked.
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"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
That is because On the third day, the tomb was empty.
On the third day, the greatest and best attested miracle of all time was accomplished, the tomb was empty because Jesus resurrected to eternal life!
Miracles
Jesus did a lot of miracles during his earthly ministry.
There are 34 distinct miracles recorded in the New Testament.
In the Gospel of John there are seven that are highlighted outside of His own resurrection.
John 20:30-31 - Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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They begin in John 2 with Jesus turning water into wine
In John 4, Jesus heals a man’s son long distance showing that His power is not limited by proximity, but that He is Lord over the Latitude and Longitude.
In John 5, Jesus reverses 38 years of disability by healing a man who was unable to walk.
In John 6, Jesus shows his mastery over math by making 5 loaves and 2 fish equal meals for more than 5000 with baskets full of leftovers!
Then that night, He shows that as the author of the Laws of Physics that this universe follows, those laws are subject to Him as He walks atop the waves during a storm on the Sea of Galilee and calmed the storm!
In John 9, we see that there is more to Jesus that meets the eye as he takes a man who was born blind, never seen anything in his entire life of more than 40 years, and reworks the wiring between this man’s brain and his eyes, so that He can see what he has never seen.
And then shortly before His journey to Jerusalem, He robs the grave of Lazarus by calling him back to physical life after having been dead 4 days!
This miracle of raising Lazarus is the one that really put the Jewish leaders over the edge and cause them to plot His death.
It says in the verses that follow Lazarus’ resuscitation beginning in John 11:47, that
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…the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
Soon after this, Jesus was crucified, buried the reality of Who He is was displayed when on the third day, his tomb was empty because He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Transition
So this morning, as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, we are going to look at the verses that precede what we just read, were Jesus talks about being the Resurrection and the life in John 11:17-44
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Transition to text
In the midst of this miracle, Jesus has some interactions with Lazarus’ sisters that we are going to focus on that clearly proclaim who He is and through this interaction, show us the blessings of life we can experience because He is the Resurrection and the Life.
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Read along with me in your Bibles or you can follow along on the screen as we read
John 11:17-44
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
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25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
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32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then 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 have kept this man from dying?"
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said.
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"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
Pray
Ok, in the interactions Jesus has with Martha here, He says to her in
John 11:25-26
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"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
Because Jesus is the resurrection and the Life, when we believe that, when we believe in Him, we begin to experience certain realities of the resurrection life, even while we wait for its ultimate fulfillment.
One of those realities is
The Resurrection Life offers His Presence
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John 11:17, 20
Mary and Martha are going through a very difficult time as they face the death of their brother.
There are times in our life that we go through pain and trials and suffering as well.
The Bible tells us that we should not be surprised by this. Suffering and pain and trials and even death are a result of the sinful choices that not only we make, but that others make that we have to deal with in this life.
Maybe you are going through some struggles in life right now and you are wondering where is this Presence of the Lord in my life?
I don’t think He is here, I don’t see Him.
While Jesus is not physically present like He was with Mary and Martha, His presence is available uniquely now through His Holy Spirit that indwells those who receive Jesus.
In fact, it is because of Jesus death and resurrection that we can have the indwelling presence of the Spirit available.
In John 16:7, Jesus says
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But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Because Jesus died and resurrected , we can have His presence with us permanently.
Paul tells us in
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Ephesians 1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.
God is now present with those who believe in Jesus as the Christ and that He is the Resurrection and the Life and He enables us to experience the Resurrection Life.
Do you believe this, Jesus asked Martha.
Do you believe this, I ask you today?
When we have put our hope and trust in Jesus and walk with Him, He will be with us as we live out the resurrection life.
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But He not only is present with us when we believe in him and his death and resurrection, but through his presence,
The Resurrection Life offers His Comfort
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Jesus brings comfort to us during difficult times in a couple of ways.
We receive Comfort through His Promises
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In the Scripture we read, Jesus comforts Martha with the promise that Lazarus will rise again and that whoever believes in Him will never die!
When we know Who Jesus is – that He is the Christ, God in the Flesh – then we can know that His promises are true and secure, even if we can’t see the complete picture of its fulfillment right now.
I know this gives me great comfort during stressful times.
And these promises are more than just words. The comfort they bring is because I have seen the fulfillment of His promises throughout Scripture and in my life. That helps me to trust the promises that have yet to be fulfilled or that are constantly being fulfilled.
For instance, I know that I am going to face difficult trials and circumstances, but I know and believe the promise that God has guaranteed my eternity because his prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament have all been fulfilled in Jesus Christ!
Since those are true, I know that His word is true and that I can have the comfort of knowing my eternity is set.
That comfort comes because I know His promises to be true and His presence is real and strengthens and comforts me.
Just like Paul tells us
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Philippians 4:12-13
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
He gives us strength in our circumstances and we can find peace and contentment when we know the truth of His promises to us.
Apply
Are you experiencing His Comfort and Contentment?
You can just like Martha and Mary experienced even in the midst of mourning as they believed in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life and experienced the Resurrection life available only in Him.
Too often we are looking for comfort in the wrong places
At the bottom of a bottle, at the end of a needle, in the bed of a stranger.
Those do not provide comfort, they only numb us. We may not feel pain in those moments, but we fail to experience life as well.
Experience the resurrection Life in Christ and find true comfort through his promises.
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And not only through His promises, but
We receive Comfort through His People
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Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
God gives us comfort through the presence of His Spirit so we can comfort others.
When going through a hard time, having others with you is comforting.
We need other people and God gives us other people to comfort us and support us through the difficult times.
He tells us in Ecclesiastes 4 that having friends is necessary to experiencing comfort in times we are down because
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”If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10)
God’s people have been given comfort so we can come alongside and help others.
This is why we need to have relationships with people so then when we do come upon hard times, we have people to help us.
You need the church
This is what God provides through the church. His people are here. This is why you need to be part of a church. If you are not, then you cut yourselves off from part of what living the resurrection life offers, comfort and help through God’s people.
Are you a part of a church? Are you connected to God’s people? You need to be if you want to experience God’s comfort and peace through difficulties.
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So through Jesus’ resurrection at work in our lives we experience his presence and His comfort, bet we also find that
The Resurrection Life offers His Power
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As they moved the stone away that enclosed the tomb of Lazarus, it tells us that
John 11:43-44
Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
Mary and Martha and Lazarus got to experience the power of Christ and see the glory of the Lord because they were in relationship with Him.
They were witnesses and participants to Lazarus resuscitation.
Some of you are here today not really living life, but more getting from day to day like the walking dead.
You need the power of the resurrection and the Life, the power of Jesus, so you can live a resurrection life.
You need to take your grave clothes off and live life in His power!
His power was on full display at His own resurrection where the reality of who He is was clearly revealed.
Paul tells us in
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Romans 1:4 that Jesus, “through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead”
Conclusion
We celebrate Jesus Resurrection today and the life that he made available to all who will believe that He really is the Resurrection and the Life.
Just like Martha confessed when Jesus asked her if she believed that, she said
John 11:27
"I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
She believed He was the Christ, the Son of God, God in the flesh.
She believed in Him as the resurrection and the life.
He would die for Martha’s sins, and yours and mine, but He would conquer death by His resurrection.
So today I ask you the same question Jesus asked Martha.
Do you believe this?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, truly God in the flesh.
Do you believe that He died for you, for your sins and
Do you believe that He displayed the power of His deity by conquering death through His resurrection?
If you believe these things, then this could be the third day for you when you take off the grave clothes and walk out of the tomb not as the walking dead, but in the power of His resurrection, truly living life!
Turn and confess your belief this morning like Martha did and begin to experience the resurrection life that offers His presence, His comfort and His power and begin to truly live.
If that is you today, then pray with me as I lead in a confession that we find in the Bible in Romans 10:9
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if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
I am going to pray and confess my own belief.
If you are tired of living a life of death, then find life through Christ as you receive Him as your Savior.
Let’s pray
