I Am the Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Lazarus
Lazarus
When i was a kid
Exxon was Esso
Noah’s ark —
Thursday pay day - fill your tank get a pair of animals
it was the most important part of the week
i couldn’t wait until Thursday at 4 pm when Dad came home with my new pair of animals
it was all that i could think about.
I couldn’t wait until my father came home with the gift.
Friends are challenge today is are you living waiting for the ULTIMATE GIFT
the gift of eternal life
Christ died for you to have this gift.
Its all about the Resurrection
Today we have another I AM statement
and we have the last public miracle of Christ’s ministry
and Jesus saved the best miracle
and the most important for last.
There are seven I AM statements
We have studied so far:
I am the Bread --- He sustains us
I am the Light --- He overcomes Evil (darkness)
I am the Gate or the door --- he is the way and the entry to a new life
I am the Good Shepherd --- He is our leader and we obey and follow
Today Jesus says I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
Lets Read our passages today.— we are going to spend the next three weeks on this section of John
John 11:17–27 (ESV)
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.
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.”
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?”
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
I believe the main point of our message today
is the main point in Christianity
Its all about the Resurrection
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Background
Lazarus lived in Bethany
the family of Mary and Martha
and Jesus loved Lazarus
[map slide]
Bethany is right outside of Jerusalem
Our verses tell us that it is about 2 miles to the east
and being this is passover time ---
we can know that many many Jews were on the way passed here
Lazarus was a well know man -----
Lazarus was loved by many as our verses say that many Jews came to console Martha and Mary due to them knowing Lazarus was sick.
We again see the TIMING OF CHRIST
Lets remember that Jesus is not safe here in Bethany
In fact last week, we saw that Thomas believed that they would be killed
but they would go with Jesus anyway
Martha had seen Jesus heal, and that is what was on Maratha’s mind.
“Jesus please heal my brother”
Jesus consoles her, but she will not understand for a few days.
I want you to look back at verse 11:4, so that is in your notes and on your mind
John 11:4 (ESV)
4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Martha comes to Jesus while Lazarus is still breathing
This is important
they CAME TO JESUS for HELP
they CAME to the Good Shepherd to let Him know that one of His Sheep was ill
and has Cory taught last week
Jesus says it is ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, and the GLORY OF THE SON
Mary and Martha like us are
focused on what they know, and are growing in what they BELIEVE
Mary and Martha react differently
Martha seeks Jesus
Mary withdraws into her woes
We should seek Jesus in times of trouble
We must rest in Martha words
John 11:22 (ESV)
22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
Martha Believed
when we study these passages it is easy to say
Jesus’s friend was ill
Martha runs to get Jesus for help
Jesus delays coming to Lazarus
the disciples hear Jesus say that Lazarus has fallen asleep
they don’t get it so Jesus explains it to them and says “Lazarus has died”
Friends let me remind you here
--- because it must be said again
our message today is a reminder that ------
When we accept Jesus and become intertwined with Him
we are granted eternal life
there is NO DEATH to a Believer
simply a passing from this world to the next
This is the point of these verses today.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
Jesus has a beautiful moment with Martha
and we get the FIFTH I AM statement
leading to
the final public miracle of Christ
I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
Jesus knows that Lazarus will be dead on this earth, but alive in Him
Condition and Situation
Condition and Situation
Many many of the Jewish would have heard about this miracle
because of the timing
and because of the popularity of Lazarus
The timing and the situation gave all the Jews
a preview of Christ’s resurrection
and foundation for believing
in the Resurrection of Christ for many witness and heard of the Raising of Lazarus
This miracle pushed the Jews to PUSH hard to remove Jesus
This miracle signed the death warrant from the Jewish leaders.
Believing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life is to KEY
it is to demonstrate the ultimate power
and i have mentioned a few times
John gave us the point of the BOOK OF JOHN in
John 20:31 (ESV)
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The whole mission is SO THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE in Christ
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Condition of Lazarus
I have often pictured that Lazarus is lying in a tomb and Jesus shows up
He is wrapped in beautiful white garb, Jesus calls and he comes walking out
if that were totally true
then we miss much of the miracle
we miss the extent of what Jesus did
and we undervalue the miracle
you see
The Gospel according to John (2. Jesus the Resurrection and the Life (11:17–27))
the rabbinic belief that the soul hovers over the body of the deceased person for the first three days
but the facts of the after death process did not change
the jewish people would not embalm a body
so decomposition occured
13 steps after 3 days of death
Brain activity stops
body temperature drops
Cells start to breakdown
Every muscle relaxes and body functions will drain out
Blood is pulled downward and splotches appear on the skin in those areas
Rigor Mortis sets in due to lactic acid in the muscles - with in 36 hours the body will go limp again
The skin starts to shrink and tighten and it will appear that the nails have grown
The smell is awful as all the bacteria in the body starts to make chemical that will breakdown the components of the body, the skin will get a greenish color
Hair will start to fall out because of the natural chemical reactions in the body
insects will be attracted to the smell and come and help
I want you to understand this body of Lazarus after a few days was not in good shape
The Jewish people knew the process
in fact even today many Jews will hire someone to sit with the body for three days
What is the Jewish tradition of sitting with the body?
Shemira (Hebrew: שמירה, lit. "watching" or "guarding")
refers to the Jewish religious ritual of watching over the body
of a deceased person from the time of death until burial.
Jews believe in a life after death - the immortality of the soul and the physical resurrection of the body at a time in the future.
I believe that the Jews have always known
and the Jews in our story today KNEW
that God would bring a Righteous Jew to be with Him
This is why the anger is escalating in the Jews
Jesus is proclaiming He has the Power of Life after Death
Mary and Martha
Mary and Martha
Jesus knows the impact of this last public miracle
and He is aware of the consequences
but it is all for the Glory of God and the Glorifying of Christ Jesus
Look at the belief in Martha ---- the strong faith of Martha
when her desires are overwhelmed by her faith
John 11:24 (ESV)
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
Friends listen one more time to this verse
John 11:25–26 (ESV)
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?”
Our message today is
Are you living waiting for the ULTIMATE GIFT?
the gift of eternal life
Christ died for you to have this gift.
Do you completely believe in the power of Christ, the victory over death?
Friends we have all lost loved ones that Know Christ
Do you understand the beauty, THE LOVE that Christ
showed in His work in the preview of Lazarus
and the work of Jesus on the Cross.
Its all about the Resurrection
Without the resurrection we have God coming to earth
With the RESURRECTION we have ETERNAL LIFE
Without the resurrection we have a man that did amazing things to show the Glory of God
Christ fed 5000 with a few loaves of bread and a few fish
Christ gave a lame man the power to walk,
and the blind man the ability to see
With the Resurrection we have power beyond our understanding
the passing from this world to the Glory of God
We have no fear of death
We have the price paid for all our sins
the curse of man is wiped away by the Blood of Jesus
lets pray