Christ is the Ressurection and the Life (I AM)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
I have Story about the goose of 9 lives (only part about getting xmas tree and having the goose that I thought was dead jump out and run down highway 18 while I chased it
Transition: last week we looked at the story of Mary and Marthas brother dying, a trial that seemed preventable if only Jesus had stepped in earlier to help.
This morning I want us to go back and look at the words of Jesus in verses 17-27 where claimed to be God.
READ THE TEXT John 11:17-27 “Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.””
This morning I want us to look at the last three verses in this text together so that we can truly understand who Jesus is and and why we desperately need him in our lives today.
So our story unfolds with Jesus finally coming after 4 days to the grieving family. and When he sees Martha He gives her words of comfort and he says “ Don’t worry your brother will rise again. “
This statement that Jesus made was a common thing to say to someone who was grieving the loss of a loved one. In fact, we do this today.
We say “ at least who know they were a believer and you will see them again in heaven. “
Martha knows what the OT says she understands that this life is not the end in Gods plan.
so when M Jesus says that Lazarus will rise again, she just assumed jesus meant at the final resurrection of the dead into eternity, which the Jewish people believed in.
But Jesus clarifies his words to Martha and says Martha Im not speaking just about that final resurrection
In verse 25 Jesus expands on his words of comfort and, He says “I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.”
today I want us to understand fully what Jesus means by saying “I AM the resurrection and the Life”?
In order for us to do this we need to jump all the way back to Exodus, the 2nd book in the Bible, so that we can truly grasp what Jesus is claiming in this statement to Martha.
“I AM” Background
“I AM” Background
look with Me at Exodus 2:23 through 3:6
2:23 During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God. .. 2:25 God saw the Israelites, and God understood.…3:1 Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro...and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. 3:2 The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked—and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed! 3:3 So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 3:5 God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 3:6 He added, “I am the God of your father,” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God...3:9 and the Lord said “And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. 3:10 So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” [NET]
So here we have a man who has fled Egypt out of fear of being killed and has been hiding in the dessert- shepherding his father in laws sheep in the wilderness. And God Appears to him in the form of a flaming bus on fire. and a voice from with in the bush calls out and says to him “ MOSES, MOSES ! I want you to go to my people and lead them out of Egypt into the promised land that I will give them.”
and Moses feeling inadequate
listen to his response in Exodus 3:13-14 “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ””
The name God gives himself is “I AM”
Every name of God reveals part of his character to mankind.
and this name is no different.
When God Calls himself the I AM he is say I AM the self-sufficient, the self-sustaining all powerful God who was before all creation, who is in control above creation, and who will be for all eternity . There is none above me and there is none below me.
I AM GOD.
The Jewish word for I AM is “YAHWEH”
FROM THIS POINT IN EXODUS 3 when God declares this as his proper name, all the way through the old testament , YAHWEH or IAM was the name the Jews used in reference to the ALMIGHTY GOD.
AND Now we have this man Jesus Christ who claims to be I AM
and this is why the Jewish leaders were so angry at Jesus- it wasn’t that he just claimed to be deity but he claimed to be the one true GOD I AM.
- Throughout Jesus’s ministry on earth he made 7 “I am “statements about himself
In John 6- JESU SAID I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
in John 8_ Jesus said I AM the Light of the WORLD
In John 10 - Jesus said I AM the Door
and later on in John 10 - I AM the Good Shepherd
JOHN 11- I AM the resurrection and the LIFE.
today I want us to look at this 5th I AM statement Jesus made to day as a church.
I want us to fully grasp what Jesus is claiming to be as the resurrection and the life.
I am the Resurrection
I am the Resurrection
Jesus is speaking these words to Martha who has just lost her brother whom she loved.
She is weeping, she is crying and she is hurting.
Lazarus is dead, there is no life in him not even a little bit.
When Something dies and is dead there is no more life in it.
A few years back Amy and I were out in the yard of our house and our little dog Riley ran into the road and a truck came flying by and hit our dog and didn’t even stop.
We heard the accident and Amy ran down to find our dog laying in the middle of the road. She ran over scooped her up and there seemed to be no hope left for the dog.
She was stiff as a board- So stiff that we couldn’t even bend her legs. - Her eyes were wide open and never blinked even once. As we sat there with the dog we knew this was the end, there was no hope. We thought she was dead already but we could feel a faint heart beat still inside her chest. We called the vet and he said bring her in and he will put her down. So we wrapped the dog in a blanket and went to the vet to have him finish the job. We sat there with this lifeless dog with no hope of her coming back.
and the weirdest thing happened - Another little yelpy dog came into the office of the vet and barked- and Im telling you it was creepy- OUR dog sat straight up started waging her tail and looking around like nothing had ever happened.
We took her home and she has been fine ever since.
The point is this - We thought that dog was already dead. we believed there was no hope for Riley to come back to life. But the reality was she wasn’t really that dead.
That is not what was happening in this story- Lazarus wasn’t mostly dead, He wasn’t pronounced brain dead and still on life support-
He was dead! there was no coming back for Lazarus. He has been in the grave 4 days, His body already stinking from the decay of his rotting flesh. And there is absolutely nothing Lazarus or anyone else could possibly do for him to come back to life.
Understand this point- Jesus waited until Lazarus was so dead that there was no doubt in anyones minds at how dead he really was.
and so now when Jesus looks at this hurting women and says “MARTHA I AM the resurrection.”
He is saying to her I AM the ALMIGHTY God who has the power to bring the dead to life.
Why does this matter? Because there is no one else except God himself who has the power to bring the dead to life.
Jesus declared himself as God and said just watch what I can do to prove it! I can bring Lazarus back to life - something only God has the power to do.
Jesus in this statement is saying there can be no resurrection now for Lazarus or in the future for all the saints out side of ME because I am the resurrection and without there can not be a resurrection!
Jesus doesn’t just claim to be the resurrection, but he claims to be the resurrection and the life.
The second claim of Jesus is....
I am the Life
I am the Life
Although these two words seem to be the same Resurrection and Life, they are actually two complimentary descriptions of Jesus.
Jesus is saying I AM the resurrection- I don’t just have the power , but I AM the power that brings dead things to life.
and I am also “the life”- I don’t just have the power to sustain life, but I am the power that sustains life.
jesus is saying “ there is no other way for the dead to become alive than through me. not by me nor because me but through me.
Jesus doesn’t just have the power to raise the dead but I He is the source of the power that raises dead men to life.
Jesus is sayingI don’t just have the power to give life, But I am Life, I am the only source of life for all eternity. There can be no life without me.
Church family the point Jesus is making is this - there can be no resurrection without Jesus and there can be no eternal life without going through Him.
Jesus goes on in this verse to make it practical for each of our lives today
listen again to our text in verse 25-26
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?””
Whoever Believes Will Live
Whoever Believes Will Live
Remember Lazarus? the guy in our story whose body is rotting away in the tomb?
He was completely dead without any life whatsoever. and the only way he could become alive was if the Life came to him
Lazarus couldn't seek after life because he was dead
Lazarus couldn't earn life because he was dead
Lazarus couldn't be dead long enough to gain life- because he was completely dead
The only thing a dead person can do is stink and that is exactly what Lazarus was doing- He was a decaying dead body that stunk.
and it was only because of Jesus sharing himself with Lazarus was he brought back to life.
Jesus is life and there can be no life without him.
Folks we need this Jesus in our lives today we are in desperate need for the resuurection and the life to step into our lives today
understand this truth When it comes to who we are, the description that the God of the universe uses to describe each of us in Ephesians 2:1 Is “ that we are Dead in our sins.”
I don’t know about you but to have the God of the universe describe me the same way as Lazarus was in the tomb is a scary thought to me.
What was the description of Lazarus in the tomb- He was dead and stunk because of his rottenness
Folks The reality is very simple - When the Bible says that you are dead , the only thing you can do with out life [ without jesus] is to stink of the rottenness of the sin in your life.
and Just like Lazarus in the tomb- we are in desperate need for tJesus to come to us and give us himself.
Thank God that he does not want to leave us dead in our sins- Hopeless and helpless, HE WANTS TO give you life tis morning.
He wants to step into your brokenness and make you whole.
Ephesians 2:5 “even though we were dead [ hopless, helpless, and stinking of sin, God made us alive together [ how does he do this? the same way Lazarus was brought back to life from the grave- with the ressuection on the life] with Christ .
Why did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead? to prove to you today that he has the power to raise tyour from dead in your sins to alive in Christ today.
Eph: 2: 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
FOLKS- this is the greatest story of all mankind.
The God of the universe has such a great love for you that he wants to bring you life.
Romans 3:23 makes it very clear that no matter who you think you are, you still dead in sin if Jesus has not made you alive.
“ for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”
When it comes to our lives- God demands perfection and anything less misses the mark. Romans 6:23 “ the penalty for our sin is death”
TO be dead in sin means seperation-because we fall short on God’s perfection we are held accountable for our own sins. And that requires eternal punishment in a place we call hell.
this is what Ephesians 2:1 is talking about “ you were dead in your sins
because of our own sins we all deserve eternal punishment in Hell
Understand this truth- to be dead in your sins means that you are condemend to be eternally apart from life for all eternity in a place of punishment for your sins called hell
Its what we deserve because we are sinners.
BUT GOD the one who created you is not willing to let you perish in hell forever . His love for you is to great to let you go.
EPH. 2:5 “ even THOUGH we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved
God because of his love for you steps in and offers you grace
—Grace - underserved favor and Kindness.
your sin demands justice- there is no other way, All sin requires death and there are no exceptions to this rule. someone must die because of your sin
and this is what Grace is all about
and this grace that God is offering you is described in the greatest verse of all times
John 3:16- “For God so loved the World that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life.”
We deserve the death penalty because of our sins
And God said I love you too much to let you go, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to save you from an eternity apart from Me including sending my Own Son Jesus to take your place and pay your debt in full.
JESUS the resurrectiona dn the life : -came to earth and lived the perfect life that you could not live
-He died the death that you deserved to die Because of your sin
-HE was buried in the eternal grave that was meant for your sin
-& He rose from that grave with the victory brings you eternal life.
The only way that any of us could ever go from spiritual death to eternal life is through Jesus.
and this is what he is talking about in John 11: 25-26 “Whoever believes in me, [ the only source of eternal life] though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Jesus was not just a good teacher, he was not just another deity, He is the only Resurrection, and without him coming to earth to pay our debt of sin in full on our behalf, no one could ever go from dead in their sins to alive in Christ.
Transiton: Jesus wraps up this beautiful text with a question for Martha”
look with me at what Jesus says
John 11:26 its very simple He says Martha “ Do you believe this?””
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS
Remember the words of John 3:16 ?
““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus asked Martha the one question we all must answer “ DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS”
Do you believe that he alone has the power to raise you from dead in your sins to alive in Christ
Do you believe that he alone has the power to give you eternal life that can never be taken away?
Let me ask you this simple question
If you were to die today and stand before the perfect God and He were to ask you Why should I let you a man dead in his sins, into my perfect heaven what would your answer be?
Folks, there is only one answer that God will accept.
IF your answer is because I do more good than bad- You will fall short and will spend an eternity in Hell paying the debt of your sins.
If your answer is because I go to church or have been baptized or confirmed you will fall short because you have failed to accept the Resurrection and the lIfe as your own and you are still dead in your sins.
Jesus desperately wants to be your resurrection and your life. He wants to make you alive this morning
and Acts 16:31 -tells us that the only thing we need to do to receive this life is to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’.
If you are banking on anything other than Belief in Jesus than you are still dead in your sins and on your way to an eternity in hell.
if you are here this morning and have never confessed your sins and put your complete faith and trust in Jesus for your eternity You are still dead in your sins. But Jesus desperately wants to make you alive today.
Don’t wait too long, The Bible tells us that the offer of salvation has an expiration date on it - accept the gift Jesus is offering you today and become alive in Christ
And I can promise you this - IF you let God bring you spiritually to life today, it will radically change your life!
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
PRAY