The Resurrection & The Life
Names Of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
People have tried to "live longer" for many years.
We first see a concern for this in the beginning.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
We see it later in Babel.
4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
In modern times we see people…
Diet – Take vitamins, minerals, herbs, and elixirs to live longer.
Exercise – Run, bike, swim, and sweat profusely to live longer.
Cryogenics – Freeze ones head in hopes of being able to be resurrected i.e., live longer.
Ted Williams, the Red Sox slugger, who died in 2002 at 83 years old did this.
It is not "just living longer" that is desired.
“Man desires not just quantity of life, but quality of life.” 1
It is this desire that Jesus address here in our passage today.
With that in mind let us examine the lesson for today.
The Background
The Background
Jesus Is Told Lazarus Died.
Jesus Is Told Lazarus Died.
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
This was not just anybody but someone with whom Jesus was close.
He had been to his and his sister's home just prior to the death of Lazarus (John 10:38ff).
He, it seems, was residing in their home just before the cross (Matthew 11:11-14, 19-20).
He loved them very much (John 11:3, 36).
Jesus Waited Two Days.
Jesus Waited Two Days.
Why did Jesus wait?
Some have suggested it was to give enough time that Lazarus would die.
The messenger traveled to Jesus on the first day.
Jesus then waited two days after that.
Jesus and His disciples then traveled the next day to Mary & Martha.
1 + 2 + 1 = 4th day when Jesus got there.
Now, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days when Jesus got there.
Thus Lazarus died the day the messenger came so Jesus didn't delay just to wait for Lazarus to die.
There was a prevailing Jewish superstition.
“Rabbinical writings indicate a common superstition among the Jews, that the soul of a deceased hovered around the body for three days in hopes of a reunion with the body, but took its final departure when decomposition began the third or fourth day.” 2
Thus, Jesus was demonstrating his power over even the dead decomposing body bring glory to the Father and Himself.
Jesus Heads To Bethany.
Jesus Heads To Bethany.
Martha comes out to greet Jesus and they have a conversation.
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.” 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.”
Here we see the exchange that leads to Jesus' response about being the “resurrection and the life.”
Martha, though distraught, still has faith in Jesus.
Her "if" statement is not one of complaint as Lazarus died at the time messenger got to Jesus.
No this was simply a common survivors "if" statement.
If only we had gotten him to the doctor sooner.
If only we had opened the window.
If only they had stayed at home that day.
Martha was doing her best to hold on to Jesus' response to the messenger though she doesn't seem to think it concerned the present.
Remember the messenger would have given Jesus’ response, as read in John 11:4, “This illness does not lead to death…”
Summary
Summary
Thus, we find our context for this great response of Jesus.
I am the resurrection and the life.
This is a metonymy wherein Jesus this is saying of himself…
“I am the worker of the resurrection.”
“I am the giver of the resurrection.”
Understanding that let’s examine both of these truths.
The Worker Of Resurrection Life
The Worker Of Resurrection Life
Notice The Requirement For This.
Notice The Requirement For This.
Jesus had to give up heaven for a time.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Jesus had to be tortured.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Jesus had to be murdered.
24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Jesus had to be resurrected.
5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
Summary
Summary
Jesus was the only one able to be work that which was required for our resurrection.
It was only through his selfless act of love that we can be resurrected to life.
If then Jesus is the worker of the resurrection of life for us he most certainly is…
The Giver Of Resurrection Life
The Giver Of Resurrection Life
Jesus’ Powerful Statement To Martha.
Jesus’ Powerful Statement To Martha.
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 Gives Life To The Dead.
Jesus Gives Life To The Dead.
The free gift of Jesus was given to us all.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
Therefore, all that have sinned are dead in their sin until they are made alive in Christ.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
In that powerful statement to Martha in John 11:25-26 we also read…
Jesus Gives Everlasting Life.
Jesus Gives Everlasting Life.
We not only are given resurrection from the death of sin by Christ but we are given life eternal in heaven by Christ.
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Summary
Summary
Jesus, as the Resurrection & Life, worked toward us experiencing a resurrection of life through him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brethren Jesus truly is the "resurrection and the life."
Considering all Jesus has done for us I'm reminded of what someone once said about the two shortest verses in the Bible.
John 11:35: “Jesus wept”
1 Thessalonians 5:15: “rejoice evermore”
Someone rightly said “Jesus wept so we could rejoice evermore.”
Let us, who have been resurrected strive for excellence in Christ.
Let us live for Christ and work while the day is young for our Savior who worked so hard for us.
Invitation
Endnotes
Endnotes
https://bryanhodge.net/2013/02/01/the-seven-i-ams-the-resurrection-and-the-life/
Ibid
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.