Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I.
Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 11:25-27
John
11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who
believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by
believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,
who is to come into the world.”
-- in May of 1940, the people of Britain
were facing their darkest hour -- their former prime minister, Neville
Chamberlain, had sought to appease Hitler and the German army by offering them
the right to attack a province of Czechoslovakia, thinking that would be the
end of Germany's advance
-- but Hitler continued to march through
Europe, taking over all of Czechoslovakia and then sending his army to Poland
-- because of this, Great Britain declared war on Germany and promptly voted
Chamberlain out of office
-- he was replaced by Winston Churchill,
but it seemed to be too little, too late, to stop the advance of Hitler in
-- on May 26, 1940, less than one month
after Churchill took office, the British army suffered an astounding defeat --
British troops in Dunkirk on the Belgian coast were forced to retreat and flee
Europe in the face of a large-scale German offensive
-- by this time, Hitler had taken over all
of mainland Europe -- including Belgium and France -- and now he was turning
the full force and fury of the German military against England itself
-- the people huddled in their homes,
shuddering at the thought of the Germans coming against their homeland -- their
army stood in defeat, massing on the shores of Britain in a last-ditch effort
to stop Hitler's approach
-- but in the midst of the approaching
darkness -- in the moment hope had been abandoned and it looked like all was
lost -- just when the people needed a savior to promise hope and life and a
future, Winston Churchill stood up in the House of Commons and delivered a
message to the people of Great Britain
-- he said, "What General Weygand
called the Battle of France is over -- I expect that the Battle of Britain is
about to begin -- Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian
civilization -- Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity
of our institutions and our Empire
-- “the whole fury and might of the enemy
must very soon be turned on us -- Hitler knows that he will have to break us in
this Island or lose the war -- if we can stand up to him, all Europe may be
free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands
-- “but if we fail, then the whole world,
including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for,
will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more
protracted, by the lights of perverted science
-- “let us therefore brace ourselves to
our duties -- and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its
Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was
their finest hour.""
-- with that speech, Churchill spoke light
into the gathering darkness -- with that speech, he resurrected hope and the
will of the British people to stand against the evil of Hitler and the German
military -- and with that speech, he turned the war around and brought forth
the determination and the courage that was needed to defeat Germany and her
allies
-- for the last several weeks, we have
been grappling with the answer to the question that Jesus asked His disciples
and us: “But who do you say I am?” – this
is the question that fills eternity, and our answer to this question will
determine our eternal destiny – it is the most important question that has ever
been asked – and the answer has eternal implications for us personally
-- to help us answer this question or
confirm what we believe about Jesus, we have been studying what Jesus told us
about Himself, His nature, His character, and the reason He came to earth by looking
at the "I Am" statements of Christ recorded in the Book of John – in
this study, we have learned how Jesus' use of the reserved phrase, ego eimi – I Am -- in this way was a
declaration to the world that He was both the Messiah – that He was the Savior
– and that He was God
-- as we seek to know Christ and to
understand who He is and why He came, we have to remember that when Jesus was
born in the world 2000 years ago, He was born into a world of darkness and
despair threatened with total domination by Satan himself -- what had been made
good at the time of creation had been corrupted by sin and death -- and little
hope remained that the world would ever be made right again
-- but then Jesus came -- the Messiah was
born in a manger and brought life and hope to a people desperate for good news
-- every action Jesus did -- every word
Jesus spoke -- every heart and life Jesus touched -- was a blow against Satan's
power and against the power of sin and death -- it was part of the epic
spiritual battle that has been raging since before time began
-- when people were touched by crippling
disease or sickness, Jesus said, "Be healed"
-- when nature expressed disorder and
chaos through storms, Jesus said, "Peace, be still"
-- when the people were lost in a morass
of religious legalism and tradition, Jesus said, "Ego eimi -- I Am the Good Shepherd -- Follow Me"
-- when the people didn't know where to go
to find righteousness, Jesus said, "Ego
eimi -- I Am the Gate -- Enter through Me"
-- when the people hungered for spiritual
nourishment they couldn't find, Jesus said, "Ego eimi -- I Am the Bread of Life -- Feed on Me"
-- when the people were threatened with
darkness of soul and life, Jesus said, "Ego eimi -- I Am the Light of the World -- Come to Me"
-- and when the people realized they were
lost and disconnected from each other and from God, Jesus said, “Ego eimi
– I Am the Vine and you are the branches – Come and be connected to Me and to
each other and find life and power in Me and My Church”
-- each of those "I Am" proclamations
was like a battering ram against the gates of Hell and the dark forces of evil
in this present world
-- on this Easter morning, we come to what
I think is the most powerful of Jesus' seven "I Am" statements – here
in John 11, Jesus proclaims, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" --
a statement that foreshadows the promised outcome of the final battle against
sin and death and the power of Satan in the world -- Christ's sacrifice at the
cross of Calvary as He died to purify us from our sins and rose again on the
third day in victory over sin and death, once and for all
-- it is this promise of God that was
realized in the cross of Calvary and the empty tomb that brings us together
this morning to celebrate the truth that Christ is risen – that death could not
hold Him – that our sins were overcome on the cross – and so we come together
today in the promise of eternal life and bodily resurrection and celebrate
together because He is the Resurrection and the Life, forever and ever, Amen
II. Scripture Lesson (John 11 – Raising of
Lazarus from the Dead)
-- this resounding promise of Christ was
given to us in the familiar context of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead –
so, let’s begin this morning by looking at this passage to see how the promise
was given – and then we will close by looking at the fulfillment of that
promise
-- if you would, look with me now at John
11:1-5
John
11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary
and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was
the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)
3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4
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.” 5 Now Jesus
loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
-- for Mary and Martha -- the two sisters
from Bethany -- no day had ever seemed darker than the one they now faced -- no
battle had ever seemed so great -- no enemy so overwhelming
-- their beloved brother, Lazarus -- their
provider and benefactor and the head of their household -- was sick and nigh
unto death -- what would happen if Lazarus was to die? -- how would they live?
-- where would they get food? -- who would protect them and watch over them?
--
-- their battle loomed large -- their
future looked dark -- and so they turned to the one person they knew who could
come to their aid
-- at this time, Jesus was in the middle
of His earthly ministry -- He had been going throughout Israel -- preaching and
teaching and healing -- He had fed the five thousand with just five loaves and
two fish -- He had walked on water across the Sea of Galilee -- He had healed
the blind, the lame, and the crippled – He had proclaimed the good news of
salvation and the Kingdom of God to a people living in darkness
-- and everything He did – the
preaching – the teaching -- the miracles – they were more than just signs and
proofs that Jesus was God – that He was the promised Messiah – they were blows
against the power and strongholds of Satan in the world – with every miracle –
with every message – the Kingdom of God advanced just as a military army
advances in battle – and Satan realized he was losing ground – the war was
slipping away from him
-- so, Satan struck back by
attacking Lazarus, someone that Jesus loved and cared about deeply -- this was
not a battle to see if Jesus could heal -- He had already proven that -- this
was a battle of life and death
-- by tempting Adam and Eve to sin,
Satan had brought death into the world -- and now he has caused Lazarus to get
sick and die -- not simply to prove that he could do it -- but to issue a
direct challenge to Jesus -- "you claim to be the Son of God -- you claim
to be the Messiah -- now what are you going to do about Lazarus?"
-- skip down to verse 17-27
John
11:17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for
four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and
many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their
brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him,
but Mary stayed at home.
21
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have
died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last
day.”
25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me
will never die. Do you believe this?”
27
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,
who is to come into the world.”
-- when Jesus hears the news, He
delays traveling back to Bethany until Lazarus has died – He knew what He was
going to do, even if His delay seemed incomprehensible to His disciples and the
sisters -- and when Jesus arrives in
Bethany, they find Lazarus has already died and been buried -- it seems as if
this battle is over – death has claimed another
-- but we read here that Martha goes
out to meet Jesus when He came, and this is significant -- Martha, if you
remember, had earlier chosen to work and be busy in the kitchen rather than
spend time at the feet of Jesus as her sister Mary had -- Martha was an example
of a religious person who sought to gain righteousness and holiness through
good works rather than a relationship with the Savior
-- but the fact that Martha has come
to Jesus at this time demonstrates a change in her life and a victory over
Satan's sway -- in the past, there is no doubt Martha would have stayed in her
home to publicly grieve as all expected -- this was what was done at a funeral
-- but instead, she chooses to walk away from "good works" and to come
to Jesus alone in her time of need -- her faith was no longer in her works or
in her religious traditions, but in her Messiah
-- Jesus had touched her life and
Martha is a changed woman -- Martha knew Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He
had come in time, but even now – after Lazarus has died and been buried – she
still comes, trusting that Jesus will make all things right again – that in the
end of time, when Jesus establishes His kingdom and when the resurrection of
the dead occurs, that Jesus would raise her brother from the dead and she would
see him again
-- in verse 22, in complete faith
and trust in Jesus and who He is, Martha declares, “But I know that even now
God will give you whatever you ask”
-- in response to her declaration of
faith, Jesus responded with His most powerful "I Am" statement – in
verse 25, Jesus proclaims, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life"
-- in this statement, Jesus does
several things -- first, He points out that the resurrection is not just
something that happens at the last day -- it is something that He is bringing
about Himself -- Jesus is the resurrection -- He is the gate to eternal life --
it is only through Him that the resurrection occurs
-- secondly, Jesus points out that
the battle has shifted -- no longer does Satan control the power of death and
life on earth -- no longer does Satan have the power to take lives forever --
Jesus is life -- and not only does He have the power to bring life through His
preaching and teaching and healing -- but He has the power to raise the dead to
life – not just on the last day – not just at the end of times – but now, at
this very moment
-- when Satan killed Lazarus, he was
daring Jesus to do something -- and Jesus was pronouncing that He was about to
do just that -- He was going to demonstrate His power and His authority over
all life -- even life beyond the grave -- the battle is about to be engaged
-- verse 28-33
John
11:28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside.
“The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard
this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the
village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews
who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she
got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to
mourn there.
32
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet
and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also
weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled
-- verse 33 is interesting -- the
NIV tells us that when Jesus saw Mary and the other Jews weeping with grief at
the death of Lazarus that He was deeply moved in His spirit and troubled --
other translations say that the sight of Mary and the Jews weeping stirred
Jesus to anger
-- what caused such extreme emotion
in Jesus? -- was it just the loss of a friend -- of someone He loved? -- no, I
don't think so -- I think it was related to the whole battle that had been
going on since the fall of Adam and Eve
-- Jesus was moved in His spirit --
He became troubled and angry -- not just at the loss of His friend Lazarus --
but at the power of death itself
-- it was not God's original intent
for death and sin to plague mankind -- it was not God's original intent for us
to live in fear of death -- this was brought about by an attack from the enemy,
and it made Jesus angry
-- so, Jesus asked to be taken to
the place where Lazarus lay
-- verse 39-44
John
11:39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But,
Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad
odor, for he has been there four days.”
40
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the
glory of God?”
41
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank
you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this
for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you
sent me.”
43
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44
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.”
-- standing at the tomb of Lazarus,
which represents the suffering of mankind since the fall in the Garden of Eden,
Jesus is once more deeply moved – this is the very reason why He came – this is
the reason for Christmas – this is the reason Jesus became a Man and moved
among us – to show us the way to the Father – to teach us how to be reconciled
with Him – and how to receive forgiveness of our sins and power over death through
our faith and trust in Him
-- the tomb of Lazarus represents
the fate of all mankind apart from Jesus – and seeing that – knowing that –
moves Jesus deeply
-- with the echo of His
proclamation, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” resounding through that
place of death, Jesus calls out in a loud voice to the dead, “Lazarus, come
forth!”
-- the same voice that spoke life
into being at the start of time now commanded death to release its chains on
Lazarus and to let Lazarus go -- and Lazarus came forth out of the grave
-- "Take off the grave
clothes," Jesus said, "and let Lazarus go"
-- with these words, Jesus proved
Himself as the Resurrection and the Life -- freeing Lazarus, not only from the
cold grip of death in the tomb -- but from the power of Satan that had held
this world in bondage for thousands of years
-- this miracle pointed to the
ultimate victory that would be won at the cross of Calvary as Jesus offered
Himself up for us as the final perfect sacrifice, purifying us of our sins and
defeating sin and death forever
III.
The Resurrection of Christ
-- turn over to John 20:1-18
John
20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the
entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one
Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t
know where they have put him!”
3
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but
the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and
looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon
Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips
of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around
Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8
Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.
He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus
had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were
staying.
Jesus
Appears to Mary Magdalene
11
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into
the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one
at the head and the other at the foot.
13
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They
have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not
realize that it was Jesus.
15
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking
he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me
where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She
turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your
Father, to my God and your God.’”
18
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And
she told them that he had said these things to her.
– what does Jesus’ proclamation that
He is the Resurrection and the Life mean to us? – it means everything – when
Mary Magdalene and the other women went to the garden tomb on that first Easter
morning and found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, the promise that
Jesus gave to Martha when her brother died finds its final fulfillment
-- out of all the seven “I Am”
declarations that Jesus made, this is the only one that was made sight for us –
this is the only declaration that was fulfilled in the presence of the
disciples and recorded for us to see and know and experience today
-- Jesus proclaimed that He was the
resurrection and the life – and He proved that by rising from the dead on the
third day and showing Himself alive to His followers
-- Easter is the proof that Jesus is
who He said He was – Easter is the proof that Jesus is the resurrection and the
life – Easter is the proof that this promise was fulfilled through the cross
and the empty tomb -- and that we can look forward to our own resurrection and
eternal life through Christ by trusting in Him in faith for the forgiveness of
sins and reconciliation with the Father
-- this is the promise that brings
us together today and every Sunday – this is the promise that gives us hope and
joy in the midst of our lives on earth – this is the promise that we look
forward to as we proclaim with the saints, “He is Risen!”
-- the doctrine of the resurrection
is foundational to our Christian faith -- our religion hinges on this truth --
without the resurrection, we have no religion -- without the resurrection, our
faith is in vain -- without the resurrection, we have no hope
-- Gerald O' Collins put it this
way: "Christianity without the
resurrection is not simply Christianity without its final chapter. It is not Christianity at all."
-- because of the witness of the
disciples and the early followers of Jesus -- because of our own personal
experience with the risen Christ in our own lives -- we believe that Jesus died
on the cross at Calvary for our sins -- we believe that God raised Him from the
dead three days later -- and, because of this, we believe that we will all be
raised as well
-- this is a foundational truth --
you cannot be a Christian if you don't believe in the resurrection of Christ
and the resurrection of the body
-- that is why the emphasis of the early church was not on the cross
like ours is today -- we tend to focus on the cross -- we tend to focus on the
negative side of Christianity -- we tend to focus on sin and on Christ's
atoning death
-- but the early Christians focused
on the future -- they focused on the resurrection -- and for good reason -- it
was real -- they could point to it and say, "The resurrection happened --
we saw it with our own eyes -- after Jesus died, He appeared to Peter and then
to all eleven of the apostles -- and then He appeared to over five hundred
other believers at one time -- He appeared to James, His brother -- and
finally, He appeared to Paul"
-- "if you want to know if the
resurrection was real, ask us -- ask any of those who saw Him -- we know that
everything Jesus taught was true because He died and rose again -- and because
Jesus died and rose again, we know that we will, too!"
-- the greatest miracle of all was
the resurrection of Jesus – and this was not only because of what it meant –
but because it could be seen
-- the resurrection happened in our physical world – Jesus rose from
the dead and appeared to many of His followers – and it was irrefutable –
that’s why the early Christians could point to it and say, “Look for yourselves
– Look at Jesus standing there – this proves that He is God – this proves that
He is the Messiah – this proves that He is the resurrection and the life – the
Savior who takes away the sins of the world and overcomes the power of death
through the cross”
-- for Mary Magdalene, standing in
the garden and weeping at the sight of the empty tomb, the resurrection ceased
to be theory – it ceased to be something only for the future – it became fact –
her faith was given sight
-- the same was true for Peter and the other disciples who huddled in
the Upper Room for fear the Jews might come for them – when Jesus appeared to
them after the resurrection, their faith became sight, and they believed with
all their hearts in the resurrection of the body because they had seen a dead
man raised – they had talked with Him – they had touched Him – they had
worshiped Him
-- they knew, without a doubt, that Jesus had died -- they had
witnessed His crucifixion -- they had seen His body taken down from the cross
-- they knew He was as dead as dead could be – and they never imagined that He
would come back again in their lifetimes – as John says here in verse 9, “They
still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead”
-- but now they know -- Jesus had
risen from the dead -- not as a disembodied spirit -- but as a living,
breathing person who spoke with them, ate with them, and let them touch Him
-- as Peter said in Acts 2:31,
"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
"
-- the early Christians believed in
the resurrection, not because they had been taught about it from a book, but
because they had witnessed it with their very own eyes – they had seen the
promise of Jesus that He was the Resurrection and the Life fulfilled in their
very presence -- and that is why the story of the resurrection became the most
important part of Christianity and the emphasis of their message to others
IV.
Closing
-- When the Greek philosopher Socrates lay dying, his friends asked,
"Shall we live again?" -- He could only respond by saying, "I
hope so."
-- If we have put our trust and our faith in Jesus as our Lord and
Savior, we don't have to say "I hope so" about our own
resurrection -- our answer is "I
know so,” because Jesus' resurrection gives us a sure hope
-- Lee Strobel wrote, "The
resurrection is the supreme vindication of Jesus' divine identity and his
inspired teaching. It's the proof of his
triumph over sin and death. It's the
foreshadowing of Christian hope. It's
the miracle of all miracles."
-- The resurrection of Christ confirms His deity. It proves that He bore the price of our sins
on Calvary. It proves that He has
conquered Satan and death. It proves
that there is an eternal life after physical death. It proves that believers will one day be
physically resurrected as well.
-- what does it mean when we hear
Jesus say, “I am the Resurrection and the Life?” – what does it mean when we
see the cross and the empty tomb on Easter morning? -- It means that the battle
is over – Jesus has won – He has defeated Satan and sin and death once and for
all -- It means that our faith is not in vain.
-- It means that no matter
what we are going through – those times in life when it seems like the darkness
is closing in on us – those times when it seems as if all hope is lost – the
promise of God that He is the Resurrection and the Life stands fulfilled
-- because of this promise
from Christ – because of Easter -- we can step out in faith, empowered by God
and empowered by the knowledge that Christ has risen from the dead -- It means
that we can trust God in all our situations because our eternity is certain and
our hope is sure
-- as Christians, we know that the
struggles of this life are not the end of the story -- as Christians we know
that death is not the final answer -- as Christians, we put our hope in the One
who tells us, "I am the Resurrection -- I am 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 have that faith today? --
can you trust in those words today? -- if not, then I invite you to receive
Jesus and the power of Resurrection and Life by asking Him to forgive you of
your sins and to be your Lord and Savior today
-- maybe you know that
– maybe you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior – but you have let
the worries of this world and the anxieties of life weigh you down – perhaps
you have taken your eyes off Jesus and let fear take over
-- if that is the case, then
today is the day to return – to look at the cross and the empty tomb – to see
the risen Savior – to hear His promise of life – to know Him as the
Resurrection and the Life – to find hope again in Jesus
-- whatever you need
to do – however the Spirit stirs your soul – please respond to God’s word and
His Spirit as He leads
-- and, as we close in
prayer, let me say again, with all the faith and hope that I can muster, “He is
Risen – He is the Resurrection and the Life” – and that makes all the
difference
-- Let us pray
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