Jesus said, I am the

Resurrection and the Life

Adapted from a Jeffery Anselmi sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/

print_friendly.asp?SermonID=155969

John 11:25 ESV 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?"

I want you to imagine that you are a friend of the best Doctor in the country

and you have seen Him do some amazing things. One day you find out

your brother is ill he has a disease that your good friend specializes in fixing, so what do you do, you send for your

Doctor friend, you know if He will come all will be ok.

Word is sent to your friend but he does not seem to be too concerned and he makes no real effort to rush to your

brothers’ side. Your doctor loves you and your family, but he does not rush

to help. As a matter of fact your doctor decides to go visit some friends in

other towns as your brother lies dying at home.

Now your brother has died, it seems like it is over. How disappointed would

you be with your doctor friend? This is basically the setting for the next “I AM” statement that Jesus is going to

make. Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus lay dying, Jesus does not drop

everything to heal him, and Lazarus dies. As a matter of fact, Jesus

FINALLY shows up 4 days AFTER Lazarus dies.

John 11:17 ESV 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.“

Martha flat out tells Jesus, that if He had come, her brother would still be alive! Jesus in verse 23 tells Martha

that Lazarus will rise again and Martha said yes, but on the last day when the

resurrection will happen.

The basis of Martha’s answer to Jesus in verse 24 opens the door for the “I

AM” statement from Jesus that we will dive into this morning. When Jesus

told Martha Lazarus will rise again, He had something more in mind than what Martha and Mary could ever imagine!

John 11:25 ESV 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 is the resurrection

The sadness, hurt, and disappointment that Martha was facing at that moment was hard for Martha to deal with, but

even after she told Jesus had he been there her brother would still be alive; she did utter the following words, 22

But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

It almost sounds like she is holding out hope that Jesus could and would do

something by asking the Father. Jesus wanted to get Martha to move beyond

some abstract belief in the resurrection to a complete faith in Him. She knows

someday it will happen, but Jesus wants her to embrace the reality that it

WILL DEFINITELY happen!

As Jesus asks the question to Martha concerning the fact that Lazarus was going to rise again, Jesus knew what

He was going to do.There were a couple of predominate schools of thought concerning the

afterlife in the Jewish culture.

A very quick view of each starts with the one that was held by the

Pharisee’s. (and was the predominate view) The Messiah was going to return

and those who were dead would be raised. So they, like Martha knew there would be a resurrection on the last day.

A future resurrection was taught throughout the Old Testament. Psalm 16:9-11; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Isaiah 26:19,

etc…

The other view was held by the Sadducees which basically said there

is no resurrection from the dead.

Martha spoke of a resurrection that would be so far in the future that it

brought her no comfort right now, the comfort that she so desperately

needed. As Martha focuses on the distant future, Jesus tells her that HE is the resurrection! He is the author of the

resurrection. The “I” in the “I AM” statement is emphatic! I and I alone.

The future resurrection that Martha spoke of would only happen through Jesus. This is yet another reason that Jesus is the only way to heaven, He is

the RESURRECTION!No ONE ELSE!

PERIOD!Jesus is the power that raises the dead

and imparts eternal life!

John 10:28 ESV I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one

will snatch them out of my hand.Jesus knowing Martha’s

disappointment and hurt assures her there is going to be a resurrection and He was going to be the one who made

it happen!Jesus also says that He is not only the

resurrection but…

Jesus is the life

Look how the Apostle John describes Jesus very early in his Gospel letter.

John 1:1 ESV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and

the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him

was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the

light of men.

Jesus is the resurrection and THE life! It is like peanut butter which is good, but with jelly, it is unbeatable! Jesus not only offers a resurrection, but He

gives the life also! The life which is the condition and ground of resurrection is

the natural consequence of a faith which accepts Christ, and identifies

itself with Him.

One Sabbath Jesus healed a man by the pool called Bethesda who had been

an invalid for thirty-eight years.John 5:16 ESV And this was why the

Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the

Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I

am working."

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him,

because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can

do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.

For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that

he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father

raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

Many of the commentaries I referred to point out John 5:21 is talking about

both physical & spiritual life/resurrection.

The life is speaking of both now and in the future eternal life! If we want the life

eternal we need to live the life NOW! That life is found in Jesus; Jesus gave

us an example to follow!

What is life? What does Jesus mean when He tells us that He is THE life? What does it mean when He says He

came to give us life and life abundantly?

John 10:10b ESV I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Again, life includes both now, and eternality. It denotes a QUALITY and a

QUANTITY. The LIFE Jesus wants us to have is one that is more than just

existing, it is living the life we have to the fullest, that can only be

accomplished by living for Jesus!

Galatians 2:20 ESV I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved

me and gave himself for me.

Living THE life, living the abundant life means living a life with purpose; a

purpose greater than one’s self! That is the QUALITY that the life Jesus offers means, a life that means something, a life lived with purpose! Do you really

want to live? That can be done through Jesus!

The quantity of life deals with the length of time we can enjoy life.

ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal life includes QUALITY and QUANTITY!

Now remember the context, Martha thinks her brother died because Jesus did not come in time. He waited until 4

days after Lazarus died.

Jesus defeated physical death

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever

believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Here is Martha, whose brother Lazarus, had been dead for 4 days, listening to

Jesus say if you believe in me, that even if you die, you will live! Jesus is saying that even though one may die,

they will live if they believe in ME!

John 5:24 ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He

does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Physical death is not the end, and thus is not ultimately important. It is life and

living, which physical death cannot thwart, that is the important thing for

the believer. Death will not keep a believer from experiencing eternal life.

Lazarus had been a believer in Jesus; therefore, even though he died, he

would live. Every believer who has died will yet live. Everyone who is still living and believing will die, but not eternally. Christ did not promise the prevention of physical death; he guaranteed in

himself to give abundant life, including resurrection and eternity with him.

Death will not keep us from experiencing eternal life! Jesus

defeated death at the cross!

John 11:26 ESV and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never

die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus allows us to defeat spiritual death

As Lazarus lies rotting in the tomb, he has been dead 4 days; Jesus asks

Martha if she believes that everyone who lives and believes will never die. Does this seem like an odd question

given the circumstances?

Could you take it that since Lazarus was dead he had not believed enough? What Jesus is saying is that when we

believe we will not see the second death, we will not die spiritually!

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can have eternal life through Jesus; this is why Jesus died on the cross! Death no longer conquers us! Jesus

looks at Martha and asks her at the end of verse 26, DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?

What a rough spot to put Martha in considering her brother has been

rotting in the tomb for 4 days. Look at what Martha says in verse 27 “Yes,

Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the

world.”

Martha leaves to go get her sister Mary, Mary comes out to see Jesus and she tells Him the same thing that Martha did, “Lord, if you had been here, my

brother would not have died!”

Now the scene is getting worse, everyone is upset and crying. Jesus

Himself weeps. Jesus told Martha about being the resurrection and the

life and the promises concerning never dying against the back drop of Lazarus’

dead rotting corpse.

Jesus asks where they laid Lazarus and then, 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the

dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has

been dead four days.”

Now Jesus has said He was the resurrection and the life, now He was

going to prove it! Jesus said LAZARUS come out! And out of the grave came

Lazarus.Do you want to experience the

resurrection and the life? Jesus IS the resurrection and the life! We will all be resurrected when the Lord returns, but not all will experience the life! Do you

want the life, it is found in Jesus!