“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.” —John 11:17-27
For many of us, we are familiar with this story, the resurrection of Lazarus. We are picking up this story in the middle of it. Lazarus has died. Now Lazarus is a friend of Jesus.Lazarus was the brother to two other famous people in the Bible - Mary and Martha. Why did Jesus let Lazarus die? And the answer is actually found in this chapter. He let him die, because he loves him.
“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.” —John 11:5-6
God will sometimes
God had a purpose in the death of Lazarus. He had a purpose in delaying. He had a purpose in not healing Lazarus. And we may not understand the purpose of what is going on in our lives, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Reference: John 6:40
The promise in our passage today, Verse 25, Jesus says, He is the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in my though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in my shall never die.
Resurrection Is Part Of God’s
This is only a part of who God is, but it’s a very important part, which is why I chose to start with this series out with this particular statement.
Martha says to him I know that there is a resurrection but he responds to her, essentially (and this is my paraphrase), “I don’t think you understand, the resurrection isn’t an event, it’s me. I am the resurrection.”
References: Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 21:1
Resurrection Identity Brings
Because Jesus says that he is the resurrection, I can say this with certainty, we have hope.Because God is a God of miracles, we can have hope for whatever issue we are facing.
Here’s what I have come to believe…that when the situation looks the darkest, when the need seems to be too much, when the dream is dead…that is the place where God moves in the mightiest ways.
Resurrection Is A Promise Of
In order for you to get a new life, this means your old life has to die. Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” He said he died with Christ. He was crucified. In order to find a new life, you have to crucify the old one.
In order to experience resurrection you have to first experience death.
Reference: John 12:25