Series: “Jesus the I Am of Renewal”
Sermon: "Jesus ‘I Am the Resurrection and the Life’ "
Thesis: The "I Am" proclamation of Jesus in John's Gospel revealed that Jesus is the Messiah and the same God who spoke to Moses. Jesus said He was the “Resurrection and the Life” then He proved it by raising Lazarus from the dead and by His rising from the dead himself.
Scripture Texts: John 11 - Share and summarize the story of Lazarus dying and Jesus’ conversation with his sister’s!
John 11:1-25: 1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick. 4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 8“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When 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. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and 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.” 28And 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.” 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When 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. 32When 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.” 33When 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. 35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38Jesus, 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 odor, for he has been there four days.” 40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I 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.” 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.” 45Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47Then 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. 48If 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.” 49Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” 51He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53So from that day on they plotted to take his life. 54Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. 55When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all?” 57But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.
Key Opening Verses: John 11:25, 26: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Introduction:
The Question of the day: “Do you believe this statement from Jesus? That He is the Resurrection and the life and you will not die but live even though you die?”
Illustration Story: The promise of eternal life and being sent off with a song:
Kathy was working out last week at our hotel in Shipshewana with a devote Christian elderly lady in her 80’s who was also working out. They got to talking about their parents passing and the lady shared with her this amazing story. When her day was passing on from here to eternity, he shared a vision with her of all his children singing to him as he passed. So, when the time came for him to go home to be with Jesus, she gathered all the family in his hospital room – it was a challenge to get them all there. But she did! Her dad had been comatose for days, but all the brothers and sisters gathered in the hospital room anyway and started singing, “It is well with my soul!’ When they reached the second chorus her dad started singing it with them and then the miracle happened. They finished the song and their dad passed!
Wow! What a way to go to heaven and face eternal life with all your family sending you off with a song! What a way to understand what Jesus meant when he said “'I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Back to the question of the day “Do you really believe this???”
Can I be honest with you? I really don’t think all Christian believe this! Why would I say this you ask, “Because of the way people live their lives – how they seem to take Jesus for granted – how they view the Bible and church!” How so many fear death and don’t want to die!
John the apostle wants us to really believe Jesus is who he said He was “The Great I Am! “
T.S. - The Gospel of John’s key verse keeps reminding us of this John 20:31 “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.”
I. The message of the Gospel of John is crystal clear!
a. The Gospel of John and Jesus’ “I AM” statements reveal that Christ is the God of the Old Testament and He is the Promised Messiah the Jews were looking for. He was from the beginning and He will be there for us in the end because He is the great "I Am", He is the living Word manifested in the flesh.
i. Revelation 1:8 states, “I am the Alpha and Omega, “says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
ii. I am the beginning and the end – Jesus said this to wake us up – to who He is!
b. The Gospel of John emphasizes the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. No other Gospel portrays more clearly His humanity, nor does any other assert so directly the prerogatives of (HIS) deity (198, Tenney).
c. His “I Am” statements:
i. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48; 6:41, 51).
ii. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
iii. “I am the door” (John 10:7, 9)
iv. “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14)
v. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
vi. “I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6)
vii. “I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5)
1. In the book Life of Christ, the author on page 32 states the following about “The Great I Am:”
a. We can see that John’s aim is two-fold. On one-hand, he seeks to demonstrate that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of God.” On the other, he wants people to know the true identity of Jesus, so that “you will have true life.” When God commanded Moses to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses asked what God’s name was. God replied, “Tell them that the Lord , whose name is ‘I AM,’ has sent you (Exodus 3:13-15). Jesus shows that he has been in God’s plan from the beginning when he said: “Even before Abraham was, I was, and I am.” (John 8:58).
d. In John’s Gospel, Jesus uses the term “I am” to connect himself to aspects of God’s nature and to identify himself as the one who:
i. Jesus supplies all of our daily needs such as bread and water.
ii. Jesus brings the knowledge about God to all people by shining the light of God into the darkness so others can truly see.
iii. Jesus is the door – the gate for people to find God and become God’s people and live with him in Heaven.
iv. Jesus promises that all who believe in him will have eternal life and the abundant life as they are taken care of by the Good Shepherd.
v. Jesus invites everyone to share in the this abundant life as the people of God by connecting with His resurrection power and presence.
II. Today’s “I Am” reference is, “I am the resurrection and the life…” this statement assures all of us who are righteous believers that we too will never die.
a. Think about that for a moment? “We will never die!” Time will end - your time – but you will not end – your body will falter and end but your being will not.
i. Max Lucado shared about the importance of the resurrection in his book Fearless.
1. Traditional Judaism was divided on the topic of resurrection. “For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection-and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both” (Acts 23:8). The Sadducees saw the grave as a tragic, one way trip into Sheol. No escape. No hope. No possibility of parole. “The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing” (Eccl. 9:5 NIV).
2. The Pharisees envisioned a resurrection, yet the resurrection was spiritual, not physical. “There are no traditions about prophets being raised to a new bodily life…However exalted Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may have been in Jewish thought, nobody imagined they had been raised from the dead.”
3. Ancient Greek philosophy used different language but resulted in identical despair. Their map of death included the River Styx and the boatman Charon. Upon death, the soul of the individual would be ferried across the river and released into a sunless afterlife of bodiless spirits, shades, and shadows.
4. This was the landscape into which Jesus entered. Yet he walked into this swamp of uncertainty and built a sturdy bridge. He promised, not just an afterlife, but a better life (Page 118).
ii. These sudden impact moments of Jesus spoken during the last year of his life paved the way for all of us to see Him as the Promised Messiah and help us to believe that He was and is the Son of God.
1. Illustration: A Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Attached to it was the arm of a little girl. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!" "Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus first words." And Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!" Contributed to Sermon Central by: Ken Kersten
b. JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. (John 11:25)
i. The promise of the Resurrection by the “I Am” is clear:
1. Lazarus was dead – dead for days – but he became a living example of the power of Jesus’ to bring life over death through resurrection power.
a. Lazarus was really dead – he died and Jesus let him die so he could bring him back to life!
b. He was dead a long time – many days – he should have been very smelly by now.
c. His relatives where grieving – over his death – and because in their view there was no hope of new life or healing. They were also disappointed (angry) at Jesus for not coming sooner to heal him.
d. They questioned Jesus why he did not come sooner – The What if questions come out – Why because in their view it was too late to raise Lazarus - he was dead – they knew Jesus was God in the flesh but they still did not believe in His resurrection power!
i. It is interesting to note that Christ two times before exerts His resurrection power over death in Scripture.
1. He raised Jairus’ daughter.
2. He raised the son of the widow of Nain.
3. He raised Lazarus from the dead.
4. Moody notes, "It is a peculiar thing, you cannot get any instruction in the Bible as to how to conduct a funeral, for Jesus broke up every funeral He ever attended, by raising the dead."
e. But Jesus does the impossible and raises Lazarus from the dead to prove once again He is the great “I Am.”
f. It sends the religious leaders into a frenzy of murder!
III. Jesus promises that those who believe in the resurrection power will receive the following blessings which are all connected with the abundant life.
a. Those who partake of the resurrection shall be rewarded according to Jesus’ own words.
i. Jesus says that there is a reward coming to those who partake of the resurrection. In other word’s there is more blessings to come – a meal in our honor.
1. Luke 14:13-14:"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
ii. Jesus says those who partake of His resurrection will die no more!
1. Luke 20:35-36:"But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection".
iii. Jesus said, “That we will live – really live! - those who believe in and participate in the resurrection.
1. Luke 20:37-38: "But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord `the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' {[37] Exodus 3:6} 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
iv. Jesus, “They shall have part in Resurrection of life.”
1. John 5:29-29: "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned."
v. Jesus, “Shall be raised up at last day.”
1. John 6:39; 44: "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day"…44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
vi. Jesus, “Though dead, yet shall He live.”
1. John 11:25: "Jesus said to her (Martha), "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
IV. The Promise of life in Jesus “I Am” statement reveals the following.
a. We will live forever – Question: “How many have ever heard of the “Fountain of Youth?” Yes, there are many today who are still searching for it.
i. The Fountain of Youth is a legendarily spring and is supposed to restore the health and youth of anyone who drank from it. It was sought in America by Ponce de Leon and other explorers.
1. Share of visiting St Augustine in Florida! They claimed to have the “The Fountain of Youth”!
ii. There are still those looking for it.
1. They are looking for it in science and in the many other venues.
a. Medical science is looking for it through to see how to lengthen one’s life. They today use electronic substitutes for worn out hearts, lungs, and kidneys and other manmade parts.
b. Sociology and science are looking for it through increased life spans. Life expectancies reports: In 1977, the life expectancy of man is 71 years in developed countries, and 52 years in less developed countries. Modern medicine has lengthened these recent statistics from a life expectancy of 47 years in 1900. Now they say the average life expectancy is 75-80 years.
i. Talking and Long Life - A Soviet gerontologist published research statistics that could transform the old adage, "He kills me with is chatter" into "He's killing himself with his chatter." Professor Gurianin says his statistics show that the lesser one talks, the longer one lives. Anyone in the conference industry knows that constant talking exhausts one physically and mentally, and ages one prematurely. Deaf people, hermits, shepherds and monks -- all usually taciturn -- are known for living long lives.
c. Nutrition - Proper diet and habits. Overweight And Mortality Rate.
i. Life insurance studies show that those who are overweight for their height and age have higher mortality rates than those of average weight or less-than-average weight. Thus, men 10 percent overweight has an excess of 13 percent mortality; those 20 percent overweight, has an excess of 25 percent mortality; those 30 percent overweight, 42 percent mortality. Among women are much the same conditions. Those 10 percent overweight shows an excess mortality of 9 percent; those 20 percent overweight, 21 percent excess mortality; those 30 percent overweight, 30 percent mortality. The penalty for overweight appears to be lighter for women than for men. Insurance companies point out that if persons of any particular build keep their weight down to the average in the early twenties, it would be fairly close to the desirable weight at ages over 25 and they tell you this will increase your life.
ii. Illustration: The Art of Living Long - Thomas A. Edison's great-grandfather once happened to read the book, "The Art of Living Long", by Cornaro, an Italian nobleman. He adopted the rules regarding eating, drinking and fresh air laid down in that book and lived to the age of 102 years. Edison's grandfather also following the same rules, attained to the age of 103 years; and all of his seven sons, pursuing the same course of abstemious living, rounded out the goodly age of more than ninety years each. One of them, Edison's father, reached the age of ninety-four, and passed away without apparent illness. -- Rev. Henry M. Tyndall.
2. People are always seeking ways to increase their life but there is only one way to increase a life for eternity, He is the great "I am" and his promise of life is more than just futuristic. To better understand what Jesus meant by life lets look at the definition of this word from the Greek.
a. How many want to live forever – 33% of America say they do and would take a immortality pill - The average life expectancy in the US is 78.7 years, according to a 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a dramatic increase from 100 years ago when it was only 53.
b. The meaning of the Greek word for Zoe (life).
i. Definition - means of sustenance, of supernatural life belonging to God & Christ which believes will receive in the future, but which they also enjoy here and now.
1. Zoe is found 35 times in John and 133 times in the New Testament.
2. Zoe is used in reference to Christ being life. It is the central theme in John. Note John's purpose for writing his Gospel. John 20:31."But these are written that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
ii. History and culture and use of the term Zoe.
1. Term life is used in the Old Testament in the popular sense. Orr notes: "It meant life in the body, the existence and activity of the man in all his parts and energies." (180).
a. The Old Testament thought, was the body was necessary for life and they had no desire to be separated from it. They also believed that the source of life was when a man had a relationship with God. Orr states, "The real center of gravity in life was in the moral and religious part of man's nature. This must be in fellowship with God, the source of all life and activity." (1888)
2. The term Zoe corresponds very closely to the Hebrew word hayyim, and means the Vhal principle, the state of one who is animate, the fullness of activities and relationship both in physical and spiritual realms. (1889)
a. Zoe is the chief theme in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, this life was through fellowship with God. In the New Testament it is through Jesus Christ the Mediator.
i. In the New Testament as the Old Testament, the center of gravity in human life is in the moral and religious nature of man. (1889)
b. John's main theme is life. He wrote the book to show the readers how to have life. John shows that life represents Jesus the Logos as the origin and the means of all life to the world. God gave Jesus life in Himself who in turn gave life to the world. John's prevailing meaning of life is in reference to those activities which are the expressions of fellowship with God and Jesus Christ. These relationships are called "eternal life". (1889)
V. Life is found in Jesus Christ (application)
a. The miracles of raising the dead which Jesus wrought were intended not only for the assuagement of human sorrow, but for the satisfying of human aspirations. He drew the attention away from the great work to the greater Worker (Pulpit, 108).
i. In Him was life; and by His incarnation and sacrifice He brought the life of God to this world of sin and death. (Pulpit, 108)
b. The key thought to this chapter is that the Christ gives life to the dead and He is the master over death.
i. Note: Pulpits thought: Christ presents himself as the Divine Object of faith. It is no arbitrary connection which is exhibited in these words of our Redeemer as existing between faith and life. Life is personal, and spiritual life comes from the Lord and Giver of life to those who believe. Faith is spiritual union with the Christ who died and rose for us, and is the means, first of a death unto sin and a life unto righteousness, and then of all which this spiritual change involves. A life in God is a life eternal (108).
c. Christ's many promises of life and life more abundantly are to be sought after.
i. Communion with Christ
1. Rev. 3:20: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
ii. Life and life more abundantly
1. John 10: 9-10: "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. {[9] Or kept safe He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
iii. Knowledge of God's will.
1. John 7:17:"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
iv. Rest for the soul.
1. Matt. 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
v. Christ' peace
1. John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
vi. The joy of the Lord
1. John 15:11: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
vii. Gates of Hades shall not prevail against us
1. Matt. 16:18: "And I tell you that you are Peter, {[18] Peter means rock.} and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades {[18] Or hell will not overcome it. {[18] Or not prove stronger than it}"
CONCLUSION:
What do we need to know from this message?
Answer: Christ is the life giver NOW not just in the future, in regards to life after death. It's important to know that Christ gives life now in the present. He is in the business of saving lives today! He also promised through this I am statement or proclamation that we would not just have an afterlife but a better life.
Max Lucado expounds on this thought in his book Fearless: “There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.” We Westerners might miss the wedding images, but you can bet your sweet chuppah that Jesus’ listener’s didn’t. This was a groom-to-bride promise. Upon receiving the permission of both families, the groom returned to the home of his father and built a home for his bride. He “prepared a place.” By promising to do the same for us, Jesus elevates funerals to the same hope level as wedding. From his perspective the trip to the cemetery and the walk down the aisle warrant identical excitement. This point strikes home in our home as we are in the throes of planning a wedding. I use the word we loosely. Denalyn and our daughter Jenna are planning the wedding. I’m smiling and nodding and signing the checks. Our house bustles with talk of bridal gowns, wedding cakes, invitations, and receptions. The date is set, church is reserved, and excitement high. Weddings are great news! So, says Jesus, are burials. Both celebrate a new era, name, and home. In both the groom walks the bride away on his arm. Jesus is your coming groom. “I will come and get you…” He will meet you at the altar. Your final glimpse of life will trigger your first glimpse of him. But how can we be sure he will keep this pledge? Do we have any guarantee that his words are more than empty poetry or vain superstition? Dare we set our hope and hearts in the hands of a small-town Jewish carpenter? The answer rests in the graveyard. If Jesus’ tomb is empty, then his promise is not (Pages 118, 119).
Max notes: Jesus experienced a physical and factual resurrection. And-here it is-because he did, we will too! “Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back” (1 Cor. 15:23) …Aristotle was wrong. Death is not to be feared. Sartre was mistaken. Your last moment is not your worst. The Greek itinerary was inaccurate. Charon won’t ferry you into oblivion. Five hundred witnesses left a still-resounding testimony: it’s safe to die. So let’s die with faith! (Pages 120, 121).
Jesus is the "Resurrection" he is the master over death. He is the resurrection "I am" of the OT. He is the first begotten from the dead. He is the author of the resurrection of believers. Jesus goes beyond resurrection to the second point He is life. He is eternal life of both soul and spirit. He gives his people life not only in the future but now in the present and He is here to empathize with you. Do you have a problem today then you are in line for a miracle. The "I AM" wants you to come and remember He is the resurrection and the life!
Why do we need to know this?
Answer: So that we believe and receive the abundant life promised by Jesus here and in eternity and so we tap into the power of the resurrection now – through life!
What do we need to do?
Answer: Connect with Jesus totally – 100% believe he can do the impossible – believe he can raise the dead and give us eternal life! Live without the fear of death crippling you – we need to live now - not live in fear to death and close ourselves off from living life.
Why do we need to do this?
Answer: When we lose the fear of death and connect with Jesus’ resurrection power we really start living life to the fullest! We live life – not just exist through life but thrive through life!
