I AM the Resurrection and the Life

So one of the things that has become more interesting for me is to think about and to try to analyze our culture.

And so do you ever notice things in our culture and wonder, you know, why is that so appealing?

Or what does this event or this reality say about the culture we live in?

What do our presidential candidates say about us as a culture?

Or this video that's gone viral on the internet, what does that say about our culture?

And as I've been asking these questions, one of the places that keeps coming to mind is the box office.

So what do our movies tell us about the culture that we live in?

Well, recently I was invited by a friend to go see Batman vs. Superman.

And one of the things that stuck out to me as I was watching the previews and thinking about other movies

is there seems to be this growing amount of superhero video or movies that have been coming out.

So why do you think these movies, these superhero movies, why do you think they're so appealing?

You know, part of the reason is probably the incredible graphics, the cinematography of these kind of amazing movies that our technology can provide.

And part of the reason is the stories.

We love good stories, right?

And the age-old story of good vs. evil always sparks something in us.

There's something resonating about seeing humanity in crisis and then watching someone come in and save the day and be a hero.

Well, along with this, I think these movies are captivating.

And this isn't just with superhero movies, but movies in general is that they help us to wrestle with the fundamental questions

that we all face as human beings.

So there's a scene in the Batman vs. Superman movie where one of the characters, Lex Luthor,

he asks or implies one of the fundamental questions that we all have to answer.

He asks, if there is a God, he implies, then what is he like?

Now this is a question that everyone answers, and there's basically two answers that most people will give.

Other people will say, God doesn't exist at all.

You know, everything that we see is all by chance, some random explosion of atoms.

Or they will say, yes, God does exist, but he exists with flaws.

He has some kind of limit or imperfections.

In the movie, Lex Luthor answers the question like this.

After seeing a world that is broken and evil, he concludes,

either God must be all-loving or all-powerful, but he cannot be both.

And the logic is this.

If God is all-loving, then why does he allow the suffering that this world experiences?

If he has the power to stop evil and he doesn't, he must not be powerful enough to stop it.

However, if he is all-powerful, then the brokenness that we see proves that he can't be all-loving.

To have the power to stop evil and suffering and not means that he could not possibly be all-loving.

Have you ever felt this tension before?

The tension of trying to reconcile your experiences in a broken world, whether you're a Christian or not,

with what you're experiencing and what you believe to be true about God.

For many people, an atheistic view of God or a view that he is deficient in some way are the only possible explanations.

But this morning, I'd like to suggest that the Bible offers a third possibility.

Now, the Bible speaks to this fundamental question in different places, but one of the clearest examples is found in John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

And I'm going to ask you to turn there with me to the Gospel of John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

In this passage, we see a story of Jesus and his interactions with a family that is very dear to him.

And this family's experiences, in many ways, similar to our own.

As we'll see, they experience the intense pain and sorrow of living in a broken world.

And yet, as the story unfolds, their experience of suffering and pain is actually the very thing God uses to reveal himself,

to reveal who he is and what he's like.

So as we kind of go forward now this morning, we're going to make three moves.

First, we're going to look at this story and see what it says.

Second, we're going to look at a few points that emerge from this story.

And then third, we'll try to apply it to our lives.

So story, points, application.

And before we go any further, would you pray with me?

God, thank you that you are not silent, but that you have spoken to us.

Lord, you have revealed yourself in creation.

You have revealed yourself in your word, and you have revealed yourself in Jesus.

So God, would you speak now to us a word of encouragement?

God, would your word refresh us?

God, would your word strengthen us this morning and build us up?

Lord, would your word give us faith to trust you?

In Jesus' name, amen.

All right, well, we're going to read John 11, 1 through 46, which is a long passage.

I'm going to do my best to read well.

You guys do your best to follow along.

So starting in verse 1.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair,

whose brother Lazarus was ill.

So the sisters sent to him, saying,

Lord, he whom you love is ill.

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.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this, he said to the disciples,

Let us go to Judea again.

The disciples said to him,

Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you.

Are you going there again?

And Jesus answered,

Are there not twelve hours in a day?

If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble,

because he sees the light of this world.

But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.

After saying these things, he said to them,

Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.

The disciples said to him,

Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought he meant he was taking rest and sleep.

Then Jesus told them plainly,

So Thomas called the twins, said to his fellow disciples,

Let us go, that we may die with him.

Verse 17,

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.

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private,

The teacher is here and is calling for you.

And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village,

but was still in the place where Martha had met him.

When the Jews who were with her in the house,

consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out,

they followed her,

supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was inside,

she fell at his feet, saying to him,

Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

When Jesus saw her weeping,

and the Jews who had come with her also weeping,

he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

And he said, Where have you laid him?

They said to him, Lord, come and see.

And Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, See how he loved him.

But some of them said,

Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man

also have kept this man from dying?

And Jesus, deeply moved again,

came to the tomb.

It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

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 in there for four days.

Jesus said to her,

Did I not tell you that if you believed,

you would see the glory of God?

So they took away the stone.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said,

Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

I knew that you always hear me,

but I said this on account of the people standing around,

that they may believe that you sent me.

When he had said these things,

he cried out with a loud voice,

Lazarus, come out.

The man who died came out,

his hands and feet bound with linen strips,

his face unwrapped with a cloth.

Sorry, his face wrapped with a cloth.

And Jesus said to them,

Unbind him and let him go.

Many Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary

and had seen what he did, believed in him.

But some of them went to the Pharisees

and told them what Jesus had done.

So let's take a moment now

to consider what's going on in this story.

As we just read,

this story takes place in a little village called Bethany,

which was about two miles outside of Jerusalem.

And here in this village,

there was a man named Lazarus,

who we learned right from the start,

was sick and ill.

Now it doesn't give us the details

of what he was sick with

or how sudden or gradual this illness came,

but we know that it went from good to bad to worse.

And now his sisters were scrambling

to find a way to care for their brother.

Now you can just imagine what's going on

in Mary and Martha's mind.

They've likely used up all of their options

and all of their resources

and up until then,

nothing had happened for their brother.

And facing the unthinkable,

you can picture their face

when that thought of Jesus came into their minds.

Have you ever been faced with an incredible challenge?

And as you've racked your brain for a solution,

something pops into your mind

and you're like,

that has to be the solution.

Well, as I mentioned earlier,

this family was very dear to Jesus.

They had spent time with him.

He had been in their home.

It's very likely they even saw him heal other people.

And so when their brother was in need of a miracle,

they did what any of us would have done

and they called for the one

who had the power to heal Lazarus.

Verse three says,

You can hear in this request

both an appeal to his love

and an appeal to his power.

And yet, in verse four,

we read that 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.

Now there's a lot we could say about this response,

but for now,

notice that when Jesus heard this news,

it didn't take him by surprise.

He didn't hear the news

and then all of a sudden drop everything

and rush to Lazarus.

In fact, he actually did the exact opposite.

Rather than leave it at once,

we read in verse five,

now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that he was ill,

he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

This probably wasn't,

or probably isn't the response

that we would expect, right?

And it's definitely not the response

that Mary and Martha were hoping for.

But after two days,

Jesus gathered his disciples together

and though there was some resistance

because of a fear of what the Jews might do to them

and harming them or stoning them,

they nonetheless followed Jesus

as he went to be with his family.

And when they got there,

they must have arrived on a scene

that just seemed totally and utterly hopeless.

Verse 17 paints the picture of this bleak scene

by saying,

When Jesus came,

he found that Lazarus

had already been in the tomb

for four days.

And many Jews had come to Martha and Mary

to console them concerning their brother.

By all outward appearances,

Jesus had gotten there too late.

There was no chance,

no hope,

that he would heal him

before he died.

So what do you do

when the one solution

that was supposed to solve everything

doesn't work out?

What do you do

when your hopes and dreams

are dashed

by a world

that is broken

and flawed?

Well, it was here

in the midst of this dark

and gloomy scene

that the hope-filled glory of God

began to shine in.

Martha heard that Jesus had come

and she went out to meet him.

Her words are telling,

but they also reflect a heart

that is fighting for faith,

that ultimately wants to trust in Jesus.

She says in a phrase

that would be repeated,

Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

Jesus tells her,

Your brother will rise again.

To which she responds,

I know my brother will rise again

on the last day

in the resurrection.

Martha is in a state of distress

and yet fighting for faith,

fighting for understanding.

And Jesus,

fully aware of everything

that's going on in her mind

and in her heart,

he speaks a word

of powerful hope.

A word that reveals

for John's readers

a magnificent reality

about who Jesus is.

So Martha says,

I know he will rise again

in the resurrection

on the last day.

And Jesus responds,

I am the resurrection

and the life.

Seven power-filled words

that change everything.

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?

Do you believe that I have power

over life and death?

Do you believe that salvation

is found in me?

Do you believe that I am

the divine Son of God?

Well, Martha responds beautifully,

doesn't she?

In verse 27,

she said to him,

Yes, Lord,

I believe that you are the Christ,

the Son of God,

who is coming into the world.

And what we see in this passage

is that it answers

the first part

of Lex Luthor's question.

If there is a God,

then what is he like?

The Gospel of John says

without reservation,

there is no if

when it comes to God.

There absolutely is a God

and we need to look

no further than Jesus,

the second member of the Trinity,

to see this reality.

In fact,

that is not only the main point

of this passage,

it's the main point

of John's Gospel.

From the very first verse

all the way through to the end,

John presents Jesus

as the Messiah

and Son of God,

the one the Father sent

into the world

to rescue it.

He starts off his book

by saying this,

In the beginning was the Word,

speaking about Jesus,

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

And towards the end of this book,

we read this,

Now Jesus did many other signs

in the presence of his disciples

which are not written

in this book,

but these are written.

What we read in John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

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.

And so Jesus wrote,

or sorry,

John wrote this Gospel

so that we would know

who Jesus is,

that he is the Son of God,

the Messiah,

who has come into this world.

And the way this passage,

our passage this morning,

drives that purpose

is by what Jesus says

in verse 25

when he says,

I am the resurrection

and the life.

But we see after this conversation

with Martha,

then Jesus encounters Mary.

Look again at verse 31.

When the Jews

who were with her in the house

consoling her

saw Mary rise quickly

and go out,

they followed her.

And supposing that she was

going to the tomb

to weep there,

now when Mary came

to where Jesus was

and saw him,

she fell at his feet saying,

Lord, if you had been there,

my brother would not have died.

Now you can just imagine

Mary's grief and sorrow.

And you wonder

if implied in her statement

is actually a question.

Probably the question

we all want to ask, right?

Lord, if you had been there,

my brother would not have died,

so why weren't you here?

Jesus, where were you

when all this was happening?

Jesus, didn't you see

what we were going through?

What we are about to experience?

How could you let this happen?

Have you ever found yourself

asking these questions?

God, why are you letting

this happen to me?

Do you really love us?

Don't you see what's going on?

A few years ago,

our family went through a season

where there was just

a mounting set of challenges.

Emergency room visits,

a blown transmission

in our old car,

a deer that ran into

our new car,

sleepless nights

while working third shift,

sleepless nights

with having a newborn,

and on and on.

And as the months dragged on,

I found myself

asking this question.

God, is this really

your plan for us?

Like, do you see

what's going on right now?

Lord, do you really

care about me?

And you wonder if Mary,

knowing that Jesus

had the power to heal Lazarus,

even from afar,

was questioning

his love for them.

They knew the perfect solution

for the worst scenario,

and yet,

it didn't seem to work out.

Notice also,

the crowd who was with Mary

also had questions

about Jesus.

They didn't wonder

about his love.

They wondered about

what could have been.

After seeing Jesus weep

in verse 35,

the Jews said,

see how he loved him?

But some of them said,

could not he

who opened the eyes

of the blind man

also kept this man

from dying?

You know,

poor Jesus,

a man full of compassion

and love,

and yet unable

to get here in time,

unable to save the day.

You wonder if they saw

Jesus as all loving,

full of compassion,

and yet,

not all powerful.

But whatever was going

through their minds,

no one expected Jesus

to do what he did next.

Deeply moved

by the pain and sorrow

caused by living

in a fallen world,

Jesus came to the tomb

where Lazarus was buried,

and he asked them

to take the stone away.

Martha protested at first,

saying,

there's going to be an odor.

Lazarus has been in there

for four days.

But in response,

Jesus told Martha

to trust him,

and then he publicly

prayed this,

what we've already read.

Father, I thank you

that you have heard me.

I knew that you

always hear me,

but I said this

on account of the people

standing around,

that they may believe

that you sent me.

And when he said

these things,

he cried out

in a loud voice,

Lazarus, come out!

The man who had died

came out,

his hands and feet

bound with linen strips,

and his face

wrapped with a cloth.

And Jesus said to them,

unbind him

and let him go.

Many of the Jews,

therefore,

who had come with Mary

and had seen what he did,

believed in him,

but some of them

went to the Pharisees

and told them

what Jesus had done.

So this passage

shows us

that Jesus

is the resurrection

and the life.

He has power

over death.

He is the source

of life.

As Martha confessed

in verse 27,

he is the Messiah

and the Son of God

sent by the Father

to rescue

the world.

There is no if

when it comes to God.

There absolutely

is a God

and his name

is Jesus.

Well, this raises

the other part

of our opening question

and leads us

to the second move.

The second part

of the question

is this,

what is this God

Jesus like?

What is he like?

Is he flawed

or slowed down

by some imperfection?

Sure, he exists,

but is he hindered

or lacking

in some way?

Well, in answer

to that question,

there are three truths

or three characteristics

that this passage

shows us

about Jesus.

It teaches us

something about

his knowledge,

his love,

and his power.

His knowledge,

his love,

his power.

So let's look

at each one of these

briefly.

First, his knowledge.

All throughout

this passage,

we see verses

showing us

that Jesus knew

beforehand

all that was going

to take place.

In verse 4,

Jesus,

knowing what would

ultimately happen,

said,

this illness

does not lead

to death.

In verses 7 to 16,

before they arrive

in Bethany,

Jesus already knows

that Lazarus

has died,

and he knows

what he's going

to do.

He says,

our friend Lazarus

has fallen asleep,

but I go to awaken him.

And then in verse 41,

Jesus prays,

Father,

I thank you

that you have heard me.

I knew that you

always hear me,

but I said this

on account of the people

standing around,

that they may believe

that you sent me.

And so one of the

beautiful truths

that emerges

from this passage

is that the mind

of Jesus

knows all things.

The mind of Jesus

knows all things.

Jesus didn't default

to plan B

because somehow

plan A

didn't work out.

It's not like

he's just incredibly

smart,

and even though

he doesn't always know

what exactly

is going to happen,

he's just really prepared

for the next best option.

That's not our Jesus.

No,

he doesn't have

plan B's.

Jesus doesn't take risks.

He doesn't wonder.

He doesn't speculate.

He doesn't make guesses.

Jesus knows all things.

There's nothing

in this story

that happened,

nothing in our lives

that happens

that takes Jesus

by surprise.

Brothers and sisters,

one of the things

this passage teaches us

about God

is that he is not

unaware of our

life situations.

He intimately knows

the details of our lives,

and whatever place

you find yourself in,

it is not God's plan B.

The mind of Jesus

knows all things.

Well,

this leads to the second

truth about Jesus,

his love.

Look again at verse 5.

You've got to see

what's here.

Verse 5.

This is what it says.

Now,

Jesus loved Martha

and her sister

and Lazarus,

so when he heard

that Lazarus was ill,

he stayed two days longer

in the place

where he was.

I don't know about you,

but when I first read

those verses,

I was like,

wait, what?

That doesn't seem

to make sense.

It actually seems

to contradict itself.

It says that Jesus

loved them,

but what he did

didn't seem

to be very loving,

right?

And yet,

John is unavoidably

clear that Jesus

stayed because

he loved them.

That little word

so,

it means therefore

or because.

Because Jesus

loved them,

he stayed

two more days.

Because he loved them,

he allowed Lazarus

to die.

So the question becomes,

how was that loving?

How was letting

Lazarus die

and letting Mary

and Martha

experience grief

and sorrow,

how was that loving?

Well,

the answer is actually

in verse 4.

Look back

a verse there.

It says,

this illness,

Jesus says,

does not lead to death.

It is for the glory

of God

so that the Son

of God

may be glorified

through it.

Friends,

listen,

our greatest good

as human beings

is to behold

and experience

the glory

of God.

And the reason

is because

when Jesus,

when he reveals

his glory,

he gives us

himself.

Jesus shares

with us

his magnificent

beauty

and infinite worth

in the display

of his glory.

And so,

so the greater

display of his glory,

the greater

display of his love.

The reason

allowing this grief

and suffering

was loving

was because

it led to the most

wonderful display

of his glory

that they had yet

to see.

And in seeing

his glory

this way,

hundreds of times

greater than if

Jesus would just

have healed

Lazarus,

they were positioned

to believe

and treasure Christ

in the deepest

and most satisfying

way.

you see,

when Jesus

raised Lazarus

from the dead,

the best thing

this family

received was not

freedom from pain

and suffering.

It wasn't even

Lazarus' physical

life.

The greatest gift

they received

was Jesus

himself.

That's how

this was loving.

suffering.

I love what

John Piper says

about this.

Listen to this

quote.

He says,

Jesus does not

mainly love us

in this life

by sparing us

suffering and death.

He mainly

loves us

by showing us

and giving us

himself

and his glory.

Listen,

don't measure

the love of God

for you by how

much wealth

and health

and comfort

he brings to you

in this life.

Measure God's love

for you by how

much of himself

he shows you.

How much of himself

he gives you

to know

and enjoy.

Earlier I mentioned

that my family

went through this

season where we

encountered trial

after trial.

And after a few

months I began

to make a list

of these trials

in my mind.

And so somebody

would ask me

how I'm doing

and I was really

quick to go to

this list and

just share with them

all of these

different trials

that I was

encountering.

And as the months

dragged on

and this list

continued to grow

I found myself

becoming bitter

and starting to

question God.

God is this really

the plan

you have

for our life?

How can you

keep letting

these things

happen to us?

And then finally

a dream that had

been in the works

for years

and was about

to be realized

was about to be

grasped

didn't work

out.

It ended up

being lost

and for a while

I just gave up

I just didn't

care.

And what's worse

is that I began

to think

as I began to

think about this

list again in my

head

not only did I

want to put

that dashed dream

on this list

I wanted to put

God on that list

this list of things

that was happening

to me

but then God

in his mercy

stepped in

and began

to show me

what I was doing

I was measuring

God's love

for me

based on this

list of circumstances

and in his

kindness

he said

let me give you

a new list

to run through

your mind

a list with

Hebrews 13

5

I will never

leave you

nor forsake you

a list with

Psalm 16

the Lord is my

chosen portion

and cup

you hold my

lot

the lines have

fallen for me

in pleasant places

indeed I have a

beautiful

inheritance

a list with

John 11

5 and 6

Jesus loved

Martha

and her sister

and Lazarus

so when he

heard that

Lazarus was

ill

he stayed

two days

longer

in the place

where he was

and with new

eyes to see

my circumstances

I began to

start experiencing

his glorious

love

a love that

was personal

and tender

a love like

we see in

verse 35

where even

though he

knows he's

about to

raise Lazarus

from the

dead

Jesus weeps

with compassion

for their

experience of

this broken

world

a love that

helps us see

his glory

as our

greatest good

well this

leads to the

last truth

his power

in this

gospel

John records

a series of

miracles

what he calls

signs

and they're

meant to

display his

power

and to

establish

Jesus'

identity

as the

Messiah

and the

Son of

God

and so

in the

previous

chapters

leading up

to John

11

he's recorded

six other

signs

Jesus turning

water into

wine

the feeding

of the

5,000

the healing

of three

different

individuals

and the

walking

on water

and all

of these

miracles

put on

display

Jesus'

glorious

power

and they

lead up

to this

final and

ultimate

miracle

of raising

Lazarus

from the

dead

you notice

again in

verses 17

and 39

it says

that Lazarus

had been in

the tomb

for four

days

now this is

significant

not only

because

physically

speaking

his body

would have

began

to decompose

and also

in light of

some early

Jewish beliefs

that may

have been

present

so one

writer notes

some rabbis

believe that

the soul

hovered over

the body

for three

days

intending

to reenter

it

but as

soon as

decomposition

started

it would

leave

in other

words

at that

point

death

was

irreversible

and so

the length

of four

days

in the

tomb

left

no

speculation

to whether

or not

Lazarus

was dead

and it

shows

all the

more

how

amazing

this

miracle

truly

was

and so

this family

experienced

the real

and awful

effects

of living

in a world

marred

by brokenness

a world

of suffering

and pain

and sorrow

but

the glory

of God

broken

Jesus

full of

wisdom

and love

and power

brought this

man back

to life

in a loud

voice

which must

have just

given chills

to everyone

who heard it

he said

Lazarus

come out

and the man

who was dead

obeyed the voice

of God

and came out

of the tomb

now what's

interesting about

this resurrection

miracle

isn't only

what we see

in this passage

but what it

points to

Lazarus

is not

the last

person in

this book

who will

die

and then

be raised

from the

dead

there's another

death and

resurrection

that John

records

it's the

death and

resurrection

of Jesus

this miracle

in John 11

foreshadows

the ultimate

miracle

we see

in the

gospel

in the

gospel

we see

I'm talking

about the

good news

of Jesus

we see

the greatest

display

of God's

glory

his divine

knowledge

perfect love

sovereign power

all wonderfully

intersect in the

death and

resurrection

of Jesus

and his divine

foreknowledge

before the

foundation of the

world

God the

Father

planned to

send the

Son

in the

power of

the Holy

Spirit

to rescue

a world

that he

created

a world

that rebelled

against him

the cross

the death

and resurrection

was not

God's

plan

B

and in

his perfect

love

Jesus

gave us

himself

Jesus

experienced

death

so that we

could experience

life

Jesus

experienced

despair

so that we

could experience

hope

Jesus

experienced

the Father's

wrath

so that we

could experience

his love

brothers and

sisters

he took

our sin

on himself

and died

the death

that we

all deserved

to die

and in God's

sovereign

glorious power

Jesus was

raised from

the dead

not just

providing

eternal life

for Jesus

but eternal

life for

everyone

who would

believe in

him

Jesus

is the

resurrection

and the

life

do you

believe this

you see

what Jesus

did for

Lazarus

physically

is what

he does

for us

now

spiritually

Lazarus

was completely

helpless

completely

unable

to bring

himself

back to

life

which is

how the

Bible

describes

us

we were

dead

in our

sin

unable

to save

ourselves

in other

words

salvation

is not

based on

our works

or our

performance

of doing

more good

things than

bad things

we are

dead

in our

sins

can you

imagine

someone going

up to

Lazarus

and asking

him how

he did

it

how did

you come

back to

life

and Lazarus

would be

like I

didn't do

anything

I was

dead

I was

in a

tomb

next thing

I know

I'm

outside

the tomb

I'm

alive

Jesus

did

that

last

week I

was talking

to this

guy at

my church

and I

was like

hey tell

me a

little bit

about how

you became

a Christian

and when

I said

that he

was like

kind of

like dude

are you

serious

like

and then

he said

God

did it

man

and he

starts

he's like

this really

animated

guy

so he's

like you

know he's

moving around

he's like he

starts sharing

his story

someone gave

him a

bible

he started

reading it

and it

came to

some point

where he

said I

don't know

man

all I

know is

that one

month I'm

addicted to

cocaine

I'm an

alcoholic

and the

next month

I'm in

church and

I'm reading

a bible

I can't

explain it

other than

God did

it

he just

kept saying

I don't

know what

to tell

you man

God

did it

and that's

exactly

right

what

Lazarus

experienced

physically

we experience

spiritually

we are

hopelessly dead

in our sin

and the only

way we can

be rescued

is through

the powerful

word of

Jesus

spoken to

us

in the

gospel

Jesus

is the

resurrection

and the

life

well as

we close

this morning

let me say

a couple

things

first

the question

it's the

same

question

that

Jesus

asks

Martha

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

do

you

believe

that

Jesus

will

give

you

eternal

life

if

you

repent

and

follow

him

there

are

really

only

two

answers

to

that

question

actually

we

see

them

in

verses

45

and

46

this

blows

my

mind

look

at

verses

45

and

46

many

many

of

the

Jews

therefore

who

had

come

with

Mary

and

had

seen

what

he

did

believed

in

him

but

some

of

them

went

to

the

Pharisees

and

told

them

what

Jesus

had

done

again

this

blows

my

mind

a lot

of

times

today

you'll

hear

people

say

if

Jesus

would

just

show

me

that

he's

real

if

he

would

just

give

me

a

sign

then

I

would

believe

but

what

we

realize

is

that

there

were

people

here

in

this

story

who

witnessed

the

most

powerful

miracle

imaginable

and yet

they

didn't

believe

it's

not

enough

just

to

see

with

our

eyes

or

to

reason

with

our

minds

though

there

are

reasons

what

we

need

is

Jesus

to

make

us

alive

and

he

makes

us

alive

by

giving

us

faith

in

him

faith

that

all

of

our

sins

the

worst

things

that

we've

ever

done

the

worst

things

that

we'll

ever

do

are

laid

on

Jesus

at

the

cross

and

paid

for

by

his

death

faith

that

leads

to

eternal

life

that

starts

today

if

you

put

your

faith

in

him

secondly

one

of the

challenges

of the

Christian

life

can be

reconciling

our

experience

in a

broken

world

with

what

we

know

and

believe

about

God

reconciling

our

experience

on this

side

but then

also trying to bring it together with what we know to be true about God

the place where our theology and our experience intersect can often be a difficult time

a difficult place

Lord you tell me that you love me and that you want my greatest good but what I'm experiencing right now it doesn't feel very loving and what this passage teaches us what it teaches us to do is not only trust Jesus for our salvation and eternal life in heaven but it teaches us to trust him for every moment of every day all the circumstances that we find ourselves in

brothers and

when we're tempted to question

I bear witness

I bear witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days and when God has seen most cruel to me he has then been most kind

if there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than anything else it is for pain and affliction

I am sure that in these the richest tenderest love has been manifest to me

listen

our father's

our father's

let's pray

let's pray

let's pray

Jesus you are the resurrection

let's pray

let's pray

let's pray

let's pray

Jesus you are the resurrection

you are the resurrection

and the life

we praise you this morning for this passage and what it tells us about you

thank you

thank you that nothing takes you by surprise

thank you for your love to us

thank you for your love to us

in giving us yourself

thank you for your power displayed in the gospel

God I ask that you would strengthen this church that you would build it up that they would be a body that brings glory to your name

in Jesus name

Amen