Now if you will turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 11, and I'm going to be reading
from verse 17 through 27.
If you haven't been with us, we have been looking at the I am statements in the Bible.
Such statement says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.
And in all those statements, Jesus tells us something about himself, but he is also interested
in comforting his disciples who were struggling, especially with his death approaching.
Today we're going to look at another one.
I am the resurrection and the life.
Certainly we need that hope as we grow older.
And let's see what Jesus says this morning in John chapter 11 from verse 17 through 27.
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them in the loss of their brothers.
And when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed
at home.
Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask.
Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.
And Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live even though they die.
And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
Do you believe this?
Yes, Lord, she replied, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to
come into this world.
Let's pray and ask God to bless this reading of his word.
Our Heavenly Father, help us now to have hope in you from who Jesus Christ is.
As we have read in John chapter 11, verses 17 and following, he gives us a great hope
for those of us who are human and finite, who need to number our days.
So encourage us this morning.
I make this prayer in his name.
Amen.
My first experience with death occurred when I was very young.
I was in elementary school.
And I had an uncle.
And this uncle was a World War II veteran.
He was in Patton's armor.
And he worked for many years as a manager of a country club.
But we lived with that uncle and his wife.
And he got cancer.
It was in his lungs, but then it spread to his brain.
And I remember having to go to Chinook Field, which was an Air Force base where they had
a hospital there.
And I remember going into that room.
And I remember seeing his emaciated body.
And he was literally out of his mind because that cancer had gone into his brain.
My response scared me.
Absolutely scared me.
And I guess I didn't fully comprehend what was going on.
I knew he was gravely ill, but it was fear.
Fear is the emotion.
And then some years later, another set of uncles and aunts that we lived with, he also
got sick.
I remember he used to take me to school, so I didn't have to ride the school bus.
And I went into his room that morning.
I knew he was sick, but I thought, well, it's just a cold.
He'll get over it.
And I asked him foolishly.
I may have.
Would you be able to take me to school today?
And he goes, I don't think so.
He could barely breathe.
And later the stress was too much on his heart.
And he died.
And I remember after that it wasn't fear that I experienced, but loss and loneliness.
Because he meant so much to me.
Not there anymore.
Fear and loss.
I imagine that's what a lot of us go through when someone we know and are very close to
dies.
Fear because it is the final humiliation of our bodies.
When body and soul are separated and this earthly body we have because of disease and
injury and time it starts to break down and it is not a pleasant experience.
And there is also loss because we may have spent a lifetime with a husband or a wife.
And they're no longer there.
It's sort of like the Dan Fogelberg song about his mom, I suspect, after her husband
died and the lyrics go, nothing left but windows and walls as she sits at home all day.
Loss.
And as Christians we have got to have a way of dealing with it.
Because if we don't we are no different than the rest of the world.
If there is no hope then what's the point?
But Jesus Christ gives us some hope and it is one of his I am statements.
I am the resurrection and the life.
And what we need to look at this morning is how does that statement help those of us
who live in this world where unless the Lord comes again quickly you and I are going to
be in the same situation.
How are we to go on living?
What hope do we have?
Well Jesus tells us here.
And if we're going to deal with death we've got to be honest, honest about it.
The fact is we will all have to face the shadow of death.
And here in this passage we see Jesus dealing honestly about a plight that you and I will
have to face, the shadow of death which consumes us all.
Now I realize that there are some people who think that Christianity is nothing more than
pie in the sky.
It was invented as a crutch to help us with these difficult situations that you and I
have to face.
And I know I've done enough funerals.
Some people respond to the words that you say but I know there are others there in that
situation where they're not listening to the words of the preacher.
They are thinking to themselves, well these are just words to help people out in their
time of grief.
They really don't mean anything.
It's just a psychological aid to help these people who are suffering and it means nothing
to them.
Like all of that talk about a resurrection, heaven, it's just a myth.
And they have no intentions of paying any heed to what is said.
They probably don't go to church.
And even some Christians may have that same opinion.
It's not real.
It's escapism.
What happens to us is no different than what happens to the bugs or the animals that are
in our homes which we have to get rid of.
That's the way a lot of people see death.
But the Bible does not give us escapism.
And I want you to notice what is going on here in this passage.
Lazarus died.
This is not the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.
Lazarus was a real person.
He was related to Mary and Martha.
And it tells us in the Bible that they were very good friends of Jesus.
And at first when Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick, others said the one you love is sick.
See that?
Jesus loved Lazarus.
They got along together.
But Jesus when he hears this news does not move.
He stays where he was for two more days.
And he says what is going to happen to Lazarus will ultimately glorify God.
So then he goes.
He takes off to Bethany.
And you've got to understand here.
He tells us in the Bible it was the fourth day.
Now according to the Jewish traditions of the time, once a person dies, they are quickly
buried.
And according to the belief system of some Jews at that time they thought the soul stayed
around the body for three days.
But on the fourth day that was it.
In other words on the fourth day they're really dead.
You also know here that there are plenty of mourners because that was also part of the
Jewish custom.
Everybody went to their home to mourn.
The people who lost loved one did not go out of the house.
People came to him.
And in all of this do not think that Jesus is unaffected by death because what does it
tell us?
Jesus has an emotional reaction.
He wept.
He cried.
He was distraught.
And in verse 36, what do the people who saw Jesus' emotional reaction to what was going
on say?
What did they say?
See how he loved him.
That's the type of emotional reaction that Jesus had to the death of last year.
Jesus is taking this very seriously.
It's a reality.
It's not escapism.
And you want to further see the reality of the shadow of death here?
Well look at the response that Martha gives in verses 21 and 22.
It is a combination that is partly an accusation where she said to him, if you had been here
my brother would not have died.
Jesus, why didn't you hurry up?
But then she goes on to say, I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.
I think Mary is a lot like you and I when we're out of funeral.
There's a part of us who have our doubts, but there's also that same part of us who
have some hope that Christ will work.
So if you're going to deal with death, we've got to be clear here.
You've got to be realistic about the shadow of death.
It's there.
You can't escape it.
And there are some people who will say, just have a stiff upper lip.
Don't weep over it.
You can't say that about Jesus.
He whacked.
We are not dealing with escapism when it comes to death.
Death is real.
It tears apart relationships.
You know, at times when we see the reality of death, you know, it's like when my uncle
Lou died.
He was the second uncle I had.
And I remember the preacher came over and he said something to me and I gave this false
bravado answer, something like, well, we'll get by.
When inside, I was really grieving.
I'm going to tell you, if you don't take death seriously, it's going to come back to
you emotionally.
You've got to be realistic and we don't downplay the seriousness of it because Jesus didn't.
And we see that not only with Jesus, but we see that with Martha, who is somewhat of a
mixed reaction, partly of faith, partly accusation.
Be real about it.
No, we are not saying you should dismiss it.
Nobody does not deny the gravity of it.
No, don't deny it.
But also keep in mind something else here.
Because yes, it's the shadow of death, but there is also the person of Christ here, the
person of Christ.
And what does it say in 25?
That he is the conqueror of death, he says, I am the resurrection of the life.
No one who believes in me will live even though, who believes in me will live even though he
dies.
It's one of those I am statements that we see over and over again.
And it should take us back to the Old Testament where in the burning bush, the name Yahweh
can be translated, I am.
I am the God of the living.
I am not the God of the dead.
I am Jesus, who is the divine Son of God, who has power over death because death is not
omnipotent.
But the Lord of the universe is.
And what Jesus is telling his followers at this point when he says, I am the resurrection
of the life, he is saying, I am the divine Messiah who can overcome this.
It is a reference to who he is as a person.
And he is God.
In John chapter 10, I and the Father are one.
And look at what happens later on in this passage where by his very word, he says, Lazarus
come out.
And he came out.
The very word of Jesus brought life in the midst of death.
Just as in Genesis chapter 1, the word of God brings life into existence.
You've got to keep in mind, Christian, that we have a Savior who is more powerful than
death itself.
Death seems to be omnipotent, but it is not.
It may seem to be all-consuming.
But when death ran into Jesus Christ, death met its end.
And that is the great hope we have.
And I also want you to notice something else he says.
He not only says I am the resurrection, he says I am life.
God brought life into this world.
And you can see it all around us every day with the great variety of life on this planet.
And there's some say, oh, it's a biological process.
No, there's too much variation in life for it just to have happened.
God is life.
He's pro-life.
He brings life of all sorts into this world.
And he says it right here.
And Jesus gives us life that is abundant.
I want you to think of those miracles that he performed.
When he turned the water into wine, it was the best.
When he fed the 4,000 and the 5,000, there was more than enough.
We were created to live in paradise where those needs would be met and to be met by
what was excellent.
And when we get to the new heavens and the new earth, that excellence will be restored
again.
That is what we are used to.
That is what Jesus promises.
And here is, and I'm going to repeat this over and over again.
But when we think of heaven and the new heavens and the new earth, what do we think of?
Clouds, people in robes, harps, boring worship services.
It is no wonder people don't want to turn to Christianity.
But when you look at what the revelation says, it shows us a recreated world where, yes,
there is worship, but it is also life in its fullness.
Life at its best.
That is what you and I are destined for.
And that is what Jesus tells us he's going to ultimately bring about by his own death.
He is there to reverse the curse, to bring us back to paradise, which was lost.
Don't think heavens and the new heavens and the new earth is going to be boring.
It's not.
It's going to be exciting.
It's going to be this world the way it should be in all of its beauty, in all of its glory.
And your very bodies will also be truly alive.
Because at this point, they're not truly alive, but one day they will be truly alive.
Sensing all that God is.
That is who our Savior is.
And if you want to deal with death in this world, if you're going to take it seriously,
also take Jesus Christ very seriously.
He says, I am the resurrection in the life.
And he tells us one other thing.
He not only tells us about the shadow of death, which is very real.
He not only tells us that he is the resurrection in the life, his person.
He also tells us about the necessity of belief.
And you see that in 24 through 27 when Martha has to respond.
Do you believe Mary?
Now I want you to know.
Do you believe Martha?
Now notice, Martha hadn't seen the resurrection yet.
Lazarus hasn't come out of the grave.
Do you believe Martha?
And what does she respond?
Yes, even before the miracle has occurred.
I believe.
You know what the hardest thing is for children to understand when they're young?
It's called separation anxiety.
It's when your parents leave.
And you don't think they're ever going to come back.
I remember one time looking out the window as my mom walked away screaming.
Why is it that little kids scream like that?
Why are they terrified?
Because they think mom or dad is never coming back.
They have no faith because they don't have enough of a track record yet or the comprehension
to understand.
But you and I.
We have that same separation anxiety that Jesus doesn't care.
He's not coming back.
Oh, but he has given us a track record.
And you know that child as he grows older learns to trust mom and dad all the more and
believe yes, they'll be back.
Jesus Christ died on the cross.
He rose again.
And that is all the track record we need.
And the Holy Spirit should be testifying into your hearts over and over again.
Nothing will separate us from that great love of God.
And this morning in your own life, do you trust Christ?
Do you trust Him as the victor over death?
Do you trust Him as the one who can overcome death?
Do you trust Him as the conqueror of death?
That's what He did.
And when do you need to know this the most?
Because you're all going to go to funerals one day.
We did it Friday, didn't we?
We were there.
And you remember looking at those pictures of Wilma De Vio when she was young and how
vibrant she was.
She was a former beauty queen.
You didn't know that.
But then you looked at her last days.
The effects of cancer.
And there is only one hope that any of you are, well, that any of us have.
That Christ is the Christus Victor as they say in Latin, the victor over death.
And in all of history there is one thing that has baffled historians.
What happened all those years ago when Christianity started out is that a few people conquered
the Roman Empire by their belief.
Tell you why.
Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
So as we face death, be aware of the reality of the shadow of death.
Be aware.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Be aware we have got to continue to believe and the best strategy for that would be memorizing
that verse.
So as we come to the close of this sermon, let's recite it together as a congregation.
Verse 25, Christian, what do you believe about Jesus?
I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live even though they die.
Praise God for Christ.
Let's pray.
Our Lord and our God, we ask now that you will, by your Holy Spirit, convince us of
the truth that Jesus Christ is not only resurrection in his person, but also our life, life in abundance,
life that is good, life that is pleasing.
May we not think that all we believe is merely a crutch, a psychological aid, but that we
have a living Savior who loves us and is coming back to do away with death once and for all.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Amen.