Resurrection Sunday: I AM the Resurrection of the Life | Elder Peng Hoe

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

We all remember this chap by the name of Lazarus, right,

but I think other roles shed this similar account at

the Good Friday Worship. How many of us were at

Good Friday Worship on Friday? Praise God, Thank you so

much for joining us. And you know, Lazarus, Lazarus is

a dear, dear friend of Jesus, and uh many wonderful

stories that we have read about Lazarus in the Bible.

But I'm not sure if you ever noticed, there is

nothing recorded about what Lazarus said. He quite a quiet person, okay,

didn't really speak much, if not speak at all. But

we've got a lot of stories about Lazarus. No, he

was the one that Jesus webb for together with his sisters.

So what happened? What happened?

And I'm gonna reenact a little bit very short of

the story that even Rose also highlighted. You know, we

don't really talk to each other when we are preparing messages.

So he prepares, the Lord tells you.

And the Lord has also impressed upon me to share

from this portion. So what happened was Lazarus was ill.

Mary and Martha of course send Jesus a message that

their brother was sick, and so it was probably an

urgent message. But we also know that back in those

days it's not very easy to convey messages. And of

course we read the count that Jesus finally received the

message and he did not immediately go to Lazarus to

heal him. Neither did Jesus send healing from Afar, because

we know he could have done that as well. He

did it for Gyrus's daughter. So we didn't see this

And some may ask why is this soul? Was it

because he didn't care? Again, this is his friend, and

I believe there are times when Jesus does.

Not heal immediately.

Some things in life are even more important than physical health.

That's the reality of it. And of course we will

ask what can be more important? Well, actually, anything that

can bring glory to God is more important than just

physical health. You see, the main purpose of our own

existence here on earth is really to bring glory to God.

It's not just our health.

But sometimes we pray more for our health than we

do anything else. I'm not saying, don't pray for your health.

But remember this, God operates in a very different way,

in a very different manner. You see, Jesus always had

a higher aim, and he had long excited us. He

didn't just look momentarily at a need that is right

in front of us. He actually looked further ahead, and

he's thinking in his mind what this is all going

to lead to ultimately, And that was important to Jesus.

Not just what would immediately make a person comfortable, or

what will immediately make a person happier, or what will

immediately make a person healthier, but what is it all

going to lead to that brings him glory. So that's

how Jesus works, That's how Jesus operates, That's how Jesus

is thinking. And Jesus knew when he deliberately delayed his

response towards Mary and Martha's plea to come quickly, come immediately,

the final outcome will not be deaf, but it will

ultimately lead to life. He knew it, and therefore it

must be the purpose of our lives to glorify God

and to glorify the Son of God. Jesus, Amen, glory

to God, All glory to God. You know, messages and

messages can be preached about God's glory, but God's glory

is not something in which we can fully comprehend fully

fedom fully understand. In fact, is the finality of it all.

We are all being actually washed, we're all being cleansed,

we're all being worked on until the day we stepped

into a state where we are in God's glory. Because

God's glory cannot accept one who is not washed and

cleansed and sanctified in our lives, and so glorification is

our ultimate goal. And so when Jesus finally made his

way to Lazarus, he told the disciples that Lazarus had

fallen asleep. It's quite interest to know that Jesus used

this term falling asleep, because that is how he viewed death.

This is how Jesus look at it.

We look at it as death is the all in all,

hancho gone case, nothing life after that. But to Jesus,

death is like someone falling asleep and you can go

on and wake the person up.

That's how Jesus looked at it.

And of course his disciples thought Lazarus was literally asleep,

and so Jesus had to, like, hey, day day, day day.

You're getting me a bit wrong. He had to tell

them that actually he's dead. He's dead, and then they're like, huh,

I think they were a bit lost love. But let's

read now. The account of what took place thereafter. Okay,

if you want the scriptures is from John chapter eleven.

I'm reading now from verses seventeen to twenty seven, and

he says this, so when Jesus came, okay, So, Jesus

finally made his way to where Lazarus was. Late, he

found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days, okay,

four days in the tomb. Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem,

about two miles away, and many of the Jews had

joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them

concerning their brother. Then Mata, as soon as she heard

that Jesus was coming, when and met him, but Mary

was sitting in the house. Now, 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 of God,

God will give you. Jesus said to her, your brother

will rise again. Mata said to him, I know that

he will rise again in the Resurrection. At the last Day,

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

He who believes in me, though he may die, he

shall live. And whoever 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 to

come into this world.

Amen. And here is where.

We see g Jesus asserting this statement so confidently. I

am the resurrection and the Life. Basically, this is what

Jesus meant. Not only can I raise a person from

the dead, but I am also the life that they

live afterwards.

Okay, I'll say that again.

Not only can I raise a person from the day,

but I am also the life that they live afterwards.

You see, the resurrection may be an event in a moment.

Life is a continuing experience. Jesus says he is both.

And therefore Jesus is saying, not only I can raise

a man from the date, I can also give him life. Sometimes,

you know, we feel God save me, and then when

he saves you, and you're like, what in the world

do you save me for?

No, my story, you just left me. They're dying. But

God doesn't just save us for the sake of saving us.

He saves us.

So that we have a life and purpose thereafter. That

is something that we need to remember, because God, Jesus

is not just someone who can resurrect others.

He's someone who can give them life.

And so he then asks Martha if she believed in

his statement, and Martha showed the tremendous faith she had

by declaring that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of

the Living God.

Allelujah. You see, we've that.

Jesus went on to the tomb where Lazarus's body has

been there for the past four days, and that's where

he grieved with the sisters, and that's where we see

the shortest verse in the Bible that says Jesus went

he then did what no human could possibly do.

And what did he do?

He called Lazarus fourth to life on the fourth day

of being there. Okay, I don't think there's any record

of any medical sciences that would say something like this

has ever occurred. Not died for four minutes, not died

for forty minutes, this is date for four days, and

Jesus did want no human could do he called forth

Lazarus to be alive again on the fourth day after dying,

and there stood Lazarus alive. You know, we used to

do this activity with our children. Last time there was

this focus in the family book, and whenever there's this

Lazarus story, we always had fun with it because it's

the time that we can actually use a lot of

toilet roll toilet paper. Toilet paper is the best to

buy in Lazarus because he was actually all wrapped up

already in the tomb. And I remember we waste the

quite a lot of toilet paper trying to teach our children,

which they probably forgot the story now because they might

be too young. But really, you know, when Lezrus was

called back, he stood like a mummy, I can imagine.

But there was the very miracle that took place, and

with that very miracle, those presents could identify that Jesus

is indeed the resurrection, because he says that I am

the Resurrection.

But what happened here in John eleven is only.

The preview of what will take place, of what will

change history forever, that will happen in a few weeks time,

because they will realize what it also means for Jesus

to be life. He didn't just say I am the resurrection.

He said I am the resurrection and the life. Remember that,

And have you ever wondered what was going on in

Jesus's mind, especially as he stood Lazarus's empty tomb with

the stone roll away. I wonder if Jesus would have

thought that in just a few weeks time he would

be put in a tomb jazz like that with the

stone roll over him because of his very actions of

raising Lazarus from the day. Do you know, if you

read on the scriptures, the truth is when Jesus brought

Lazarus back to life, he sealed his own death because

this event finally caused the Jews to make definite plans

to assassinate Jesus, and therefore Jesus only gave Lazarus life

at the cost of his own life. If you read

on the scriptures, especially in John chapter twelve nineteen, you'll

see the Pharisees, after seeing all that had taken place,

they say, the whole world is not going to go

after him, therefore we have to kill him. It was

a diffencefinitive action that they needed to do.

Right now.

They started making plans to kill Jesus. But here is

the most glorious truth. When you and I get to

glory and enjoy eternal life forever, it will be because

of Jesus's death. He died that I may live. What

a cost, Because Jesus knew that in God's purpose, eternal

life would have to be paid for by his own death.

When Jesus said it is finished on the day of

his crucifixion at three pm in the afternoon, what he

was essentially saying, and what he meant, is that at

the age of thirty three years, I have done every

single thing that God wanted me to do. No one

else alive could have been able to say that about

their own lives. At whatever age that you may live

up to, I assure you of that, no one else

can say I have done everything that God wanted me

to do. That is why the word finish means it

is completed.

It is. It doesn't just mean it ended.

It means it is completed, it is accomplished, it is

paid in full.

The dead has already been discharged. Amen.

Amen, But why did Jesus choose three pm on that

faithful day? Do you ever wonder why? Well, because right

at that moment, all around Jerusalem, hundreds of lambs were

being slaughtered, because it was also the day after passed

over and passover lambs who were killed, so that the

Angel of that, remember this story, the Angel of Death,

my pass over those who offered the sacrifice. You know,

they say, slaughter the animals and then mark your home

with the blood of the lambs, and then the Angel

of them, when it comes by, it will see, Okay,

these are the homes that I will pass over. I

will not strike these homes. So there was a practice

that we see in the Old Testament that has continued

all the way, all the way. The Jews are very

religious people. They continue to do that. And it was

at that very moment, three pm on the first ever

Good Friday, that.

Jesus says it is finished.

The final thing that happened on that day was that

Jesus' body was to be buried. And usually the body

of a person who was crucified was left dangling on

the cross for birds and vouchures to pick it off. No,

the crucifixion is a very common Roman method of execution,

and not only is it common, it's actually also the

most cruel way to execute anyone. And so you know

when Roads actually told you all that if you're wearing across,

actually you're wearing a symbol of execution around your neck,

which is not wrong.

Okay, I used to.

I used to wear across until someone snatched it from me.

But yeah, yeah, I literally it was snatched. It was

snatched off my neck. I pray that person will come

to know the lot one day. But but wearing across,

it's like is I don't know, maybe in modern day you.

Wear electric chair.

Everything I ever thought of it like that, or you

wear electric or you wear the gallo no one that news.

I don't know, but that that is the reality. So

if you are crucified across, usually what do you do.

They leave your body to hang, They let the vouchers

come and pick it off, and eventually what they will

do is they will reap the body of the cross

and they all cut the body all the way through

the city of Jerusalem to a valley called g Hannah,

where they will just hip the body into a large

bonfire that continues to burn one Actually the valley still

exists today. If you ever have an opportunity to visit

Israel by today, they say it's turned into a nice,

beautiful park. But this is the same valley that Jesus

describes hell to be like. Remember that it's an eternal

place where God's presence will never be found.

So it's called go.

Hannah h that's the term, and at that time, hallelujah.

There were two secret believers in the Jewish Council. You'll

remember who the two secret believers were. One was the

name Nicodemus, whom we actually read. If you read the

Book of John the earlier chapters, you will see Nicodemus.

And the second person is Joseph of Arimitia. These secret

believers both had the courage to express openly their connection

with Jesus. Everyone by the time has turned against Jesus. Really,

even his own followers started fleeing. But Joseph of Arimitia

fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah by ensuring that the Messiah

would have a grave with the rich in his death.

He was the one that offered and seven hundred years ago.

In Isaiah's prophecy in chapter fifty three, he says he

had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone, but

he was buried like a criminal. He was put in

a rich man's grave. That was the prophecy in Isaiah

chapter fifty three. And this would have never happened for

a crucified criminal, because we all know if you are

a criminal, they just tip your body into the valley

called Guhanna. Year Jesus's body was washed and wrapped up

in spices and eventually plays in the tomb. There's fulfilling

the prophecy in Isaiah chapter fifty three, and we see

the record in John chapter nineteen. But that's not what

we are celebrating, right. We are not celebrating Jesus not

ending up in the valley, but instead ending up in

the tomb for the rich. Because if we are celebrating that,

then you realize the gospel would have just stopped there.

And today a lot of people will be visiting the

tomb of Jesus, but they're probably putting flowers there and

garlands there, and I don't know what else.

But Christianity did not end in a cemetery.

God has planned that on the third day, his Holy

One will rise again and never see corruption. That is

what the scripture tells us. Now I'm going to read

verses one to eighteen of John two. Now the first

day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb

early while it was still dark, and saw that the

stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Hallelujah.

Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to

the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them,

they have taken away the Lord. Taken away the Lord

out of the tomb, and we do not know where

they have laid him. Peter therefore went out and the

other disciple and were going to the tomb. So they

both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and

came to the tomb first. You can see them still

y competitive, and he, stooping down and looking in, saw

the linen cloths lying there, Yet he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb,

and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the

handkerchief that had been around his head not lying with

the linen crops, but folded together in a place by itself.

Then the other disciples, who came to the tomb first,

went in also, and he saw and believed, for as

they yet did not know the scripture that he must

rise again from the day. Then the disciples went away

again to their own homes Verse eleven. But Mary stood

outside by the tomb, whipping, and she wept. As she wept,

she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she

saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head

of the other, and the other at the feet where

the body of Jesus had lain.

Then they said to her woman, why are you weeping?

And she said to them, because they have taken away

my lord, and I do not know where they have

laid him. Now, when she had said this, she turned

around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know

it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, woman, why are

you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing him to

be the gardener. Say to him, sir, if you have

carried him away, tell me where you have laid him,

and I will take him away, Jesus said to her.

Mary.

She turned and said to him, rabboni, which is to say, teacher.

Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for

I have not yet ascended to my father. But go

to my brethren and say to them I am ascending

to my father and your father, and to my God

and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples

that she had seen the Lord and that he had

spoken these things to her. The Lord bless the reading

of his word. You know, the Apostle's creed that we

all memorize, that we all recite by faith, has one

statement that says this, I believe in the resurrection of

the body and life everlasting.

This is a Christian's hope for the future. How is

it that.

Christians can have such hope in the resurrection of Christ

that they look forward to eat for themselves is because

it really did happen to Jesus those many years ago.

There was actually enough evidence to convince the believers back then,

and therefore I believe enough evidence to convince us even today.

So what are the evidence? So this is what we

have to ask ourselves. What were the evidence? You see,

there were many eyewitness testimonies. The Bible is a historical book.

It is true, and four full gospels were written about it,

and of course we also have polls writings as well.

It's amazing altogether about five testimonies and all of them

adding up and giving us a picture of what really

took place that is really convince you know you think

about it. Sometimes we always say why I got different

stories on different accounts because it's different people writing from

different points of view. Imagine if you have all five

Gospels or four Gospels and paulse writing all writing the

same thing, exact same thing, what would I tell you?

It will never hold in.

The court of law because that would tell you that

they were actually copying each other.

They were just telling each other.

Okay, we all we keep it straight, we all say

the same thing, and that is more convincing. But actually

that is less convincing. What we have today in our

scriptures is convincing because you have all the accounts telling

it from a different angle and a different point of view.

Five identical accounts would have caused this whole argument to

fall apart.

And not just that.

There was circumstantial evidence as well, which are surrounding evidence

that we can actually conclude or come to a conclusion.

So in court you have to present evidence.

Okay, sometimes you will present sometimes a lawyer will present

what is known as circumstantial evidence.

That it is it's not direct evidence, it's.

Something that is supporting what they are trying to say,

and we can actually see circumstantial evidence of what took

place back then, because think about it, think about it.

The first thing that actually happened is the Jewish believers

change their worship day from Saturday to Sunday. These are

people who are very traditional people who will continue to

do what they've been taught to do from birth.

They will do it all the way. And it's not.

Something that you can just change overnight, right, but they

must have witnessed something that will compel them to respond

in this manner. Remember the Sabbath and circumcision. These are

the two pillars of the Jewish faith. You don't go

mess with Sabbath and circumcision. It was a pillar to

their identity, their faith. It was the first working day

of the Jewish vieg Sunday is actually a working day

because they rested on Saturday. But they literally changed their

worship day from Sabbath and they change it to a Sunday,

which was the day the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected

into a new body.

Who does that? But I love it because.

It tells me that the day the Lord was raisen

is the day we all start to work. Amen, it

has begun, and I love the observation that in the beginning,

if you read Genesis, what took place in the beginning.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth first,

then only he created man. That was the first week

of creation. But you know the second week of recreation.

What is taking place the second week of recreation that

eventually leads us to redemption.

What God did first was he resurrected.

The body of Jesus first, and then only he will

eventually come to recreate the new heaven and the new Earth.

That is what we read in revelations.

Because the recreation of the new heaven and the new

Earth will take place at the end of it. But

God is giving Jesus a new body first. Is a

bit of a reverse, but yet it is wonderful because

it needed Jesus to go through the cross and be resurrected.

And that is the beginning of the story of redemption.

Hallelujah.

They changed their worship day from a Saturday to a Sunday.

We can also witness how the followers of Jesus went

through an extraordinary change.

You think about it.

Initially, they were also disappointed after Jesus was crucified.

They were this was their political hero.

They were looking to him as a political savior, Hosanna,

Hosanna in the Highest.

They were actually calling out for.

Someone who would come and save them from those who

have been oppressing them, which is of course the Romans.

So they were expecting Jesus to ride in triumphally hoping

he would ride in to Jerusalem in a horse. But no,

he came with a donkey. The horse is actually an

animal that denotes war. Warfare will ride in in the

horse one day, Revelations tells us that, but this time

round he came first and foremost as the savior of

the world. They were expecting him to ride into Jerusalem.

They put all the palms welcoming him, Hosanna, Hosannah and

the Highest. They were hoping that he will take a

turn that will lead him to the Roman garrison, where

he will confront the Roman Empire and tell them to

get lost. That was what they were hoping for him

to do. In stead, he to a turn the opposite direction.

And where did he go. He went to the synagogue

where he started to flip tables there because he says,

you have turned the house of God into a den

of thieves, and he reminded the people back then that

the House of God is actually the house of prayer

for the nations. They were so disappointed that their political hero,

who was supposed to set them died a humiliating death,

you know, Hosanna in the highest sounded like another lifetime

for them at that point. But from being scared and

locked behind doors and going back, a lot of them

went back to their previous profession. They're like, oh, okay,

there was abrupt end to everything. Let's just go back

and do what we were once familiar with. Suddenly the

followers of Jesus had a new found courage. Do you

think that just happens as a matter of factly, do

you think people can just suddenly turn around? And not

only did they turn around, this are the very ones

that actually abandoned Jesus went back to their daily lives.

But when they realized that he's reason, they went on

to raisk their lives to testify about Jesus.

And that's why the.

Historical record tells us that all of the apostles, actually

except John, died a premature death, died believing, died as martyrs.

The way they were killed and the way they were

murdered for their faith. Some even worse, one of them

was crucified upside down. I can't even imagine that. But

here they all hang on to their faith. What do

you think cause that it has to be something?

You see?

If the resurrection was a fraud, if the resurrection really

did not take place, do you think there will be

so many of us here sitting today and many more

around the world will continue to hang on to this

faith that has been passed down.

Through the generations. Amen.

But still this question begs to be asked, why do

many still not believe?

Right?

We ask that question, and we ask it honestly, and

we ask it truthfully. And I tell you the answer

is this because they don't want to. It's because they

don't want to believe it. I think, no matter how

you try to disprove what took place back then and

say that or it could not possibly have happened, there's

enough records, there's enough evidence to tell you that Jesus's

crucifixion and resurrection is a fact.

It took place. It happened. And why are the many

who are still not believing?

Is because they don't want to, because I tell you what,

Believing that Jesus rose from the day means, agreeing that

Jesus is right. Agreeing that Jesus is right demands that

we changed the way we live as well as life

will no longer be what it used to be. So

what is the significance of the resurrection? Ever, ask yourself

that what is the significance of the resurrection? Firstly, it

is reversing the judgment of the human gods.

Do you know the human gods. Jesus was tried twice.

Firstly, he was tried in the Jewish god because the

Romans did not want to have anything to do with him.

They say, hey, you all go and settle yourself. This

is a religious problem. And so the Jewish court found

Jesus guilty of blasphemy. But they realized that no matter

what they found him guilty of, they did not have

the power to condemn him to death, even though blasphemy

was condemned to death in the religion. But they did

not have that power, and so they transmitted him to

the Roman court, and the Roman court went on to

convict him of treason.

Treason means you're going against.

The king, and we know that Jesus was innocent on

both charges, and so God the Father is essentially telling

mankind that we are wrong to have condemned his son,

as he was innocent of all charges. Now what I'm

going to do, is God the Father, I'm going to

raise him from the day. And it was from that

moment of the resurrection that the apostles, the disciples, and

all other believers were convinced that Jesus was the son

of God, and they were proved to be right. Some

may ask, why didn't God just allow Jesus to be

proved right earlier? Why have to wait, Why have to

put him on this trip all the way to the

cross and stop him from dying. Why didn't God just

stop him from dying. It was God the Father's intention

and purpose for Jesus to die on the cross.

Christ crucified.

You see that the resurrection just simply means that what

Jesus did on the cross is now accepted by God. Therefore,

not only is the person of Christ vindicated, but the

work of Christ is also now accepted by God as

a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He

had been punished for our sins. He had died for

us according to scriptures.

You see.

This is why Paul in First Corinthians chapter fifteen says,

if Christ was not raised from the day, we are

all still in our sin. Okay, I'm drawing to an end.

I want us to understand this because it's significant and

it's powerful.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless