“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE”
John 11:11-14,17, 25-27,40-44
DORN RIDGE CHURCH OF CHRIST
APRIL 05, 2015
Here is an audio Link where the sermon can be listened to: http://chirb.it/cB45kG
INTRODUCTION:
Today we acknowledge on the calendar and also in our hearts Resurrection Sunday.
It was this day when by His own power as the Eternal God that Jesus broke through the doors of death and the grave.
It was on this day Jesus proved his earlier proclamation: “I am the Resurrection, and the life.”
This morning on Resurrection Sunday, I want us to look at the events and circumstances that caused Jesus to make this declaration. As we do so, we will look back perhaps two weeks before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus had made this powerful proclamation during a time of sorrow and mourning. It was when Jesus had come to the comfort the family of his dear friend Lazarus that Jesus declared: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
So let us get into the Word of God and the declaration of Jesus that: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.
Jesus made a self-proclamation of his own deity.
This was one of a great number of “I Am” statements that Jesus had made in the Gospel of John. Each of these statements were proclamations that He is the true and living God. Jesus made many such statements:
--“I am the living water”
--“I am the Bread of Life”
--“I am the way, the truth, and the life”
--“I am the good shepherd”
--“I am the Light of the World”, as well other as “I Am” statements.
Every time Jesus made one of these statements, he was placing on himself the title by which God had identified himself to Moses at the burning bush when God called Moses into service.
Here in the presence of death, and the hopelessness of the grave, Jesus declared himself
to be God claiming powers that only God could perform -- those of resurrection and the creation of life.
Jesus gives himself the name “Resurrection”.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me
will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do
you believe this?’
To understand this passage of Scripture, we need to see that Jesus had come into the very
presence of death. His dear friend Lazarus, had died, and by the time Jesus had gotten there, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.
If there was ever an occasion when a person would say that death had conquered, and there was no further hope of life it was here in the case of Lazarus.
If someone had been in the grave for four days there is certainly no possibility, or hope that that person would ever be revived to come back to life at least in the present age.
Even Lazarus’s own sister had testified to Jesus, the body would be starting to stink from decomposition.
John 11:38-39
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. But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.’
When Jesus gave Himself the title of being the resurrection he did not say those words in the midst of sickness when there was still the opportunity of recovery. Neither did Jesus say those words when Lazarus had just died, and the body was still warm.
Jesus declared himself to be the Resurrection after death had occurred. It was here where death had won the victory and all hope of life was gone that Jesus had made that declaration when the body was cold and had been in the grave decomposing for four days.
Jesus declared Himself to be the resurrection at a time when all hope was gone.
Today we have made many medical advances over what the people of the first century would have known. Just the same even today there is not a doctor on this planet that could give hope to a lifeless body that has been in a grave for four days.
When Jesus said “I am the resurrection, he challenged everyone who heard his words to recognize himself as the Almighty God. There is no other person or power than the power of God that could raise the lifeless body of a four day old corpse from the dead. By the standards of man, the life of Lazarus was gone and would not be restored.
Yet, even here Jesus testified to himself as a Victor over even the greatest enemy of the human race.
Jesus declared “I am the Resurrection”. If all Jesus had done was make that declaration it would be meaningless. Even if Jesus fully held that power, and his declaration was the truth, it would mean little if Jesus had not proven the declaration by His actions and the Power of God.
Jesus proved his claim of deity and to in fact be the resurrection by calling Lazarus forth from the grave.
John 11:40-44
40 Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will 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 his 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 round his face.Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’
I want to point out a little detail of this account. You will notice that Jesus specifically
called his friend Lazarus by name. If Jesus had not have done that it would be as on the day of his return to this earth when every grave would be opened and all who had gone to death would
be raised to life.
The great hope of all who bear the name of Jesus Christ is that one day we will hear
the call of Jesus Christ to come forth from the grave, and be united with Him for eternity.
Scripture prophecies that grand and wonderful day.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
On the day Jesus stood at that grave he specifically called Lazarus from the grave, otherwise, all who were in the graves would have come forth that day.
Jesus had raised others from the dead, but the circumstances of the resurrection of Lazarus were very different. The resurrection of Lazarus gave strong evidence of Jesus as being
an equal with God.
In fact the resurrection of Lazarus so proved He was and is the Son of God, that the religious leaders felt threatened because of how many people were coming to Christ. The religious leaders had concluded that not only did Jesus have to be put to death, but Lazarus also had to be put to death because his resurrection was causing people to put their faith in Jesus as the Christ.
John 12:10
10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,
What a sad commentary on the hearts of these religious leaders! How could these men
have hearts so calloused towards God and Jesus Christ, when confronted with such powerful evidence?
Jesus gives himself the name “life”.
The resurrection of Lazarus from the grave proved to many beyond the shadow of a
doubt that Jesus was of God, and so many put their faith in him. Yet the ultimate proof of Jesus
as the very source of life came about a week and a half or two weeks after this when Jesus
would raise his own lifeless body from the grave.
Jesus had declared that no man could take his life from him but that he would lay it down of his own accord, and that if he laid it down he had the power to take it up again.
John 10:17-18
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.’
Jesus proved both of these claims. No man determined Jesus death. When the time was right and the lamb was being sacrificed, it was Jesus himself who said: “It is finished”, and speaking to God said “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Jesus also declared that he had the power to raise his own body from the dead.
John 2:19-22
19 Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’20 They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
When Jesus accomplished what he had prophesied, it was proof that He is God.
Romans 1:3-4
3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
II) THE BENEFITS OF WHO AND WHAT JESUS IS AS THE RESURRECTION WILL BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM.
He who believes in me will live even though he dies. Jesus promised to those whose lives have been placed in the hands of Jesus Christ that the blessings of the resurrection and life would be theirs as well.
Those words and promises are real, and precious to us as well. Jesus included us in those promises. Jesus spoke these words to people who like ourselves have seen loved ones’ lifeless bodies buried in the grave.
Those people knew, just as we know today, that death steals our loved ones from our lives.
But as Jesus stood at the grave of Lazarus he gave hope to the child of God beyond the grave. Jesus proved that hope to the friends and family of Lazarus that day. Jesus proved that hope to the world in his own resurrection one and a half to two weeks later when he came as the first fruits from the grave.
1 Corinthians 15:20,23
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
What a grand and glorious day that will be when Christ returns, and makes a laughing stock of the grave.
Oh the excitement that will be ours when Christ has called us and our loved ones from the grave. How great will be the praise as we shout and sing from our resurrected bodies the words of 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
“Death has been swallowed in victory.”
“Where o death is your victory? Where o death is your sting?”
Then with the greatest of praise we will cry out to heaven: “Thanks be to God! He gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
As I close today, I want to challenge you with the words Jesus said in this account of the
resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:26): Jesus said: “whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. Do you believe this?”
The greatest news that Jesus gives in this passage is not just that we will again experience life after the grave. The greatest news for the child of God is that he will not experience the
second death.
I want to ask you as we leave here today if today was the day of judgement would you be experiencing eternal life with Jesus Christ, or would you be condemned to the second and eternal
death of separation from the presence of God?
It is the resurrection of Christ and through faith applying that resurrection to our own
lives through baptism that determines our eternal destiny.
The whole purpose of Jesus coming and paying your penalty on Calvary was that you
would not experience the second death.
What will you do with Christ today?
(Scripture References are from the NIV)
