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"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE" |
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(cartoon: Calvin and Hobbs) Just like Calvin, we all experience the fear of death. We have a need for victory. Only Jesus satisfies our need for victory over death. This morning we are in John 11:1-44. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy John 11:1-44, verse by verse, in the movie “The Gospel of John.” (VIDEO) In this passage, we see that Jesus satisfies our need for victory over death. Aside from Satan himself, death is arguably our worst enemy! As we see how Jesus satisfies our need for victory over this enemy of death, we also see how Jesus satisfies our need for victory over any crisis. As we look at our passage this morning, we will focus on six things that we can do to experience Jesus as the victor. The first thing that we see that we need to do I this: Vote for Jesus and His glory. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were good friends of Jesus; he loved them. Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick, and what does he do? Listen to verses 4-6: When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Mary and Martha and Lazarus knew that Jesus love them. They also knew that Jesus had the power to heal the sick. When they sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, they no doubt were confident that Jesus would drop whatever he was doing and come heal Lazarus and all would be well. Why? Because Jesus loved them. We are much like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We have times of crisis: financial crises; marriage crises; health crises… and the list goes on. And we are very much like Mary and Martha and Lazarus in that we know that Jesus loves us. And we are like Mary and Martha and Lazarus in that we know that Jesus has the power to fix it all. And we are like Mary Martha and Lazarus in that we plead with Jesus to come to our aid and do a miracle. “Yet when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” And we are like Mary Martha and Lazarus in that sometimes Jesus doesn’t come and fix it all. Imagine Mary and Martha and Lazarus expecting a knock at the door. Surely Jesus would come right away… wouldn’t he? He loved them, didn’t he? But he didn’t come. And the reason why is significant – very significant. Why did Jesus wait for two days and let Lazarus die? We read: When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Here is the reason: Jesus had a better plan. But note from this verse that the plan had nothing to do with Mary and Martha and Lazarus receiving a miracle to make their lives easy. According to this verse, the reason Jesus didn’t go heal Lazarus was for God’s glory… for Jesus’ glory! As we struggle through life wondering why Jesus doesn’t fix our problems the way we want him to, remember: Jesus is all about his own the Father’s glory. Question: what are you all about? Sometimes we are all about our own comfort. We are all about our own happiness and pleasure – not the ultimate pleasure of being a part of God’s glory, but about the meaningless and temporary and weak pleasures of this world. Tuesday, many of us will be voting. Unfortunately, many people seem to think that if the wrong president is elected, it will be the end of the world. I am an American, and I want the best for my country. But I am first a Christian. I am a part of the Kingdom of God. My hope is not in a certain president. My hope is in the glory of God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ. If the election doesn’t turn out to my liking, I’ll be okay with it. Why? Because God is sovereign, and he is working for his own glory. In my heart, I have already cast my most important vote: I vote for Jesus and his glory. There is nothing that I should be afraid of, because it is guaranteed – every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. Jesus is already the victor. And the second thing that we need to do is this: Insist on obedience. We read in verses 7-10: Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." When Jesus here talks about ‘walking in the light,’ he is talking about the spiritual truth that as long he does the will of the Father, he cannot make a mistake. The same is true for us. As long as we are committed to the purposes of God…. as long as we are committed to doing His will, we cannot fail at life. When you are going through a crisis, remember, obey God at all costs. Insist on obedience. When we are committed to doing the will of God, we will have no fear of anything in this world. After all, the worst thing that can possibly happen to someone following Jesus is death. And we know that physical death will only usher us into the presence of the Savior who loves us. Paul writes in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” God is sovereign. God is love. Insist on obedience no matter what the cost. In doing this, you will experience Jesus as the victor over death and crisis. And the third thing that we need to do is: Consider God’s Goodness. Listen to verses 14-15: So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." If we want to experience Jesus as the victor over death and crisis, remember that God is good to you. It is a fact that Jesus is committed to your welfare. What we often forget, though, is that Jesus, knowing everything that there is to know, is better equipped than we are to decide what is good for us. Jesus let Lazarus die. Why? One of the reasons was so that the disciples would grow in their relationship with Jesus: that they would believe. Consider: Jesus knows better than we do what is best for us; and he does it! And fourth: if we want to experience Jesus as the victor over death and crisis: Trust in Him. We read in verses 25-26: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Here is the great “I am” statement: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus is here talking to Martha, trying to convince her that her brother will rise again. Martha thinks Jesus is talking about the resurrection at the last day. He is. But he is also talking about something different. He is going to raise Lazarus from the dead that very day! There is still more, though. Jesus isn’t just talking about physical life. Physical life is not all there is. Many people, in fact, are alive physically but dead spiritually – why? Because they don’t know Jesus, who is “the resurrection and the life.” Jesus gives us everlasting life. Certainly this is part of what Jesus means here. But Jesus also means that Jesus gives abundant life. There is no doubt that in this world we will experience lots of pain and suffering, and eventually death. But Jesus is the victor over all of this! We can experience this victory by doing something very simple: trust him. Make knowing and following Jesus the passion of your life. Trust him that as you do this, you will have LIFE as you have never known it before. In fact, you will feel like a new person! You will be resurrected to new life – now! And finally, when you have to suffer the worst crisis of all – dying – you will realize that it is not a crisis at all, but the ultimate experience that brings you into the arms of Jesus. Eternal life and abundant life. That is what Jesus promises to those who believe in Him. And notice that at the end of verse 26, Martha has to answer a question: “Do you believe this?” We must answer the same question. Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? If you want victory over death and crisis, you must. There is no other way. Trust him. And the fifth thing that we need to do is: Observe his love. Let’s read verses 33-37: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Notice how obvious it is that Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Here, we see him “deeply moved” and “weeping.” Remember, Jesus knows very well that soon he’ll be raising Lazarus from the dead. Surely he is not weeping because Lazarus is dead. He is weeping because he sees the suffering of those he loves. Know this: Jesus sees our suffering. In verse 36, we see the Jews notice how much Jesus loved Lazarus: Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But also notice the skeptics: But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" There are two types of people: those who recognize Jesus’ love, and those who only look at the current situation and doubt. There likely have been and will be numerous more times when you and I are faced with the same puzzle. By all appearances, it will appear that Jesus doesn’t care. He won’t make sense. You will be in the middle of crisis and there will be no answers… just the question: “Does Jesus really love me?” When this happens, know this: Jesus does love you. And the sixth thing we need to do to experience Jesus the victor: Remember – the story is not yet over. Consider verses 43-44: When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." We often read this passage and are encouraged by the fact that Jesus ended the crisis for Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead. We read this and we gain confidence that Jesus is going to do the same thing for us. And rightly so! We have the promise in scripture that God works in all things for the good of those who love him. We have the promises that Jesus has overcome death. We have the hope that one day there will be no more crying and no more pain. And yet, we must remember – the story isn’t over. So many times we want to be living in verses 43 and 44. We want to be experiencing the final victory of the dead coming back to life. We want Jesus to come now and smash our crisis to pieces. But we need to wait. God’s timing is best. He WILL give us ultimate victory over every crisis and even death itself when we trust in Him. But he will do it in HIS timing. For now, we must remember – the story is not yet over. Jesus is the victor. He is the great “I AM.” Martha struggled in the midst of her suffering to understand why the “great I AM” would let her suffer so much. Jesus responded to her: “I am the resurrection and the life.” As Martha struggled, we struggle. And Jesus says to us the same thing. “I am the resurrection and the life.” Do you believe this? Let us pray. |