I am the resurrection and life.

John 11:1-44

Key Verse 11:25

I am truly grateful to God for His overflowing blessings, presence, and guidance in 2023, and for granting us a New Year filled with great hope and vision! Most importantly, I express my gratitude to God for allowing us to know who Jesus is, not only in the Scriptures but also in our practical lives in 2024. Our faith in Christ should grow and mature, just as a baby grows. If our faith in Christ doesn't grow, our heavenly Father will be worried about us, just as parents worry about children who don't grow. This is abnormal. Therefore, we have the chance to grow and understand who Jesus is in every moment, day, and event.

I sincerely thank God for giving us the church key verse, John 11:25-26, and my personal key verse, Mark 9:23,29. I understand that each of you has significant tasks in 2024 and should prepare for them. We are also preparing for the International Conference in Dallas from July 10th to 13th. It will be a big challenge for each of us, but it is also a great opportunity to grow in Christ Jesus.

I believe that's why Christ Jesus gave us the verse John 11:25-26 and personally gave me Mark 9:23-29 is to teach the faith of resurrection. Personally, my goal is to pursue a Doctor of Ministry (D. Min) from Puritan Seminary School starting this fall semester. I also aim to finish reading the Old Testament and New Testament, and engage in outreach twice a week to pioneer MSU campus each year.

How can we carry out all these tasks? That is why we need the faith of resurrection. Jesus declares, "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 it? Do you understand what it means? Let's focus on today’s passage! May God open each of our hearts to understand today's passage so that we may prepare for this year with resurrection faith!

Part One - God’s Son May Be Glorified Through It

Today’s story teaches us the prelude to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus' resurrection is the foundation of the gospel; without it, His death is just a pitiful and sad story. The gospel becomes powerless, and Jesus appears as a failure against the power of darkness. However, the angel declares, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Mt 28:5-6).

Jesus' resurrection is not fiction but a historical fact. His tomb was empty, and the linen strips were left behind. Risen Jesus not only appeared to his twelve disciples for 40 days but also to more than 500 brothers. He is the first fruit of resurrection. He has risen, indeed! Moreover, risen Jesus is within us by the Spirit of Jesus now.

Today's story begins with three siblings: Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Look at verses 1 and 2.

“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.)”

Mary and Martha had relied on their elder brother, Lazarus, as there is no mention of their parents in the Bible. He fell sick, and his condition worsened.  They have close relationship with Jesus, described in John 12 where Mary poured expensive perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So they sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They absolutely trusted Jesus, believing that He would immediately come to heal Lazarus upon hearing about his serious sickness. We can see Jesus' love for them in verses 5 and 36, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”. “Then the Jews said, See how he loved him!”  

In common sense, Jesus should have immediately come to Lazarus at this critical time if He truly loved him. However, what was Jesus' response after receiving their urgent S.O.S message? Let's look at verses 4-6.

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. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Jesus stayed two more days until Lazarus died because He loved them. Jesus’ direction seems counterintuitive. He should have immediately come to heal Lazarus. What was the purpose of Jesus delaying his arrival? Let's revisit verse 4: “It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

What does it teach us?

The afflictions of the saints are designed for the glory of God. Jesus sometimes allows His devoted saints to experience severe hardship, trouble, and even painful events to reveal the glory of God and His absolute goodness. Our natural instinct desires an easy and blessed life without any trouble, and our corrupted and stubborn nature tends to rely on ourselves rather than fully depending on God. Therefore, God at times permits those who love Him to go through afflictions, not only to teach them to depend on Him but also to reveal His character.

The greatest blessing is personally knowing who Jesus is. The Apostle Paul testifies to his earnest desire to know Christ even through death in Philippians 3:10-11: "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

Jesus wanted to teach His beloved friends, Mary and Martha, that He is the resurrection and the life. True love is sometimes bitter, just as good medicine is for our health. Understanding God's love can be challenging at times unless God opens our eyes. God is consistently good to His children, as Romans 8:28 teaches us, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Do you believe it?

Part Two – I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Looking at verses 6-10! After two days had passed, Jesus expressed His intention to go to Bethany. He informed His disciples that Lazarus had died (verses 11-16). Upon Jesus' arrival in Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Martha, upon hearing that Jesus was coming, went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed behind. Martha's first words, as seen in verse 21, were filled with deep disappointment and grief: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." It reflects their earnest waiting for Jesus, who did not appear at the expected time. In such situations, when a relationship is strained, restoring it becomes more challenging, as skepticism tends to dominate. Trusting those who have disappointed us greatly becomes difficult. Martha and Mary must have experienced confusion when Jesus did not come at the critical time.

Examining verses 22-24, Martha displayed good theological knowledge. She acknowledged the future resurrection and even confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, in verse 27: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." However, when Jesus said, "Your brother will rise again," Martha's understanding was limited to the future resurrection on the last day. While she believed that Jesus could heal her brother's sickness, she did not comprehend that Jesus could raise him from the dead. Her faith was constrained, despite confessing, "I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

It becomes evident that Martha's belief did not align with her confession in verse 39: "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 dead four days.'" Her response essentially conveyed, "What are you doing? The bad smell is already coming from his dead body. It's too late."

Mary's faith mirrored Martha's. When Mary first saw Jesus, her response in verse 32 was similar: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." She believed Jesus could heal his sickness but did not believe He could raise him from the dead.

In our limited situations, the difference between theological knowledge of Christ Jesus and true faith in Him becomes apparent. While we may know the Bible's stories of healing, solutions, and answers, applying them to our current life issues can seem distant. It's easy to believe in God's healing and solutions for others, but when faced with our practical issues, believing that Jesus can intervene becomes challenging.

How did Jesus help Martha?

In response to Martha's sorrow and questioning, Jesus taught her who He is in verses 25-26: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

What does it mean?

Firstly, Jesus, by declaring "I am the resurrection and the life," asserts His deity and the Son of the living God. The term "resurrection" refers to the act of rising from the dead or the state of those risen from the dead. In the realm of common science and the human world, death marks the end with no hope, representing the limitations of our human existence. However, in Christ Jesus, hope is restored to dead situations through faith in Him because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Only God, the source of life, can claim, "I am the resurrection," and Jesus, by uttering these words, proclaims His deity. It tells us, He is the creator and sovereign ruler.

Scripture provides examples of Jesus performing resurrections, such as the widow's son in Luke 7:11-17 and Jairus's daughter in Luke 8:40-56. These instances demonstrate that Jesus is not only the resurrection but also the master of life itself. John 1:4 underscores Jesus as the source of life: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

How can we experience it?

John 5:25 enlightens us on the process: "Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Spiritual and physical life emanate from Jesus. When we heed His living words and believe in them, the spiritually dead are granted new life. Colossians 1:16 emphasizes Jesus' limitless ability as the almighty God, stating that all things were created by Him and for Him. This underscores His capacity to aid us in any situation.

Jesus aimed to teach Martha and Mary about His deity, assuring them that He is the resurrection and the life, offering hope and life even in the face of death.

Secondly, Jesus is not just the future resurrection but the current resurrection. The verb used here is in the present tense, emphasizing that Jesus is not merely stating, "I will be the resurrection," but rather, "I am the resurrection and the life." Jesus Himself embodies the power of resurrection and life. When we believe in Him and invite Him into our lives, the transformative power of resurrection and life begins to work within us.

In the spiritual realm, Jesus offers new life to anyone who believes in Him here and now. The Scriptures reveal that those who do not know Jesus are spiritually dead, held captive by the power of sin and Satan.

You know many people live under slaves of drug addictive, game additives, sex addictive, money addictive, depression, anxiety, fear and so on. but they don’t know the power of darkness works over them. The critical matter is that they don’t know the reality because the cunning Satan always doesn’t want to show up his original feature. Even though his existence is real, his controlling power over the dark world is real, he hides himself not to know him from others as much as he can. People only see all with just outward results or visible things and conclude the result with visible scientific way. Ephesians 6: 12 testify us about it. “11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

The power of darkness controls over us by means of our sins because all are slaves of sin since Adam sinned.

The critical issue is that we lack the strength to overcome the cunning strategies of darkness or escape its power. Satan deceived humanity in the beginning, offering a false promise of independence from God, leading to the bondage of sin.

He still whisper us not to come to God, saying, “Why don’t you seek your own glory? why don’t you free from God?  You can have free apart from God. have fun by yourself!” See rapid technology! “you can develop Utopia by yourself without God” to make us his slave.

The power of darkness is reality.

So, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to free us from the power of the devil. In the Old Testament, innocent animals sacrified as substitutes for Israel's sins, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would make. Hebrews 2:14-15 testifies to Jesus' mission: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Only Jesus can accomplish this. He paid the price for our sins through His death on the Cross, offering deliverance from the power of sin and death. When we believe Him, our lives undergo a profound transformation, moving from the dominion of darkness to the reign of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 attests to this change: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Even though believers may face failures or moments of despair, in Christ Jesus, there is no need for despair. Why? Because the resurrection and the life of Jesus dwell within us. He is capable of reviving us with hope. Otherwise, He has better plan for us.

The one of great example is the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Ann Sullivan. Helen Keller, born blind, deaf, and mute, faced seemingly insurmountable challenges. However,

Without Ann Sullivan’s faith of resurrection, Helen Keller could be over her life with miserable hopelessness.  Ann sullivan’s mother died and her father was an alcoholic addict when she was so young.  Her sister died at young age and moreover she lost her sight. She tried to commit suicide. So she was finally brought into a separated one room of mental hospital. Everyone thought she was hopeless.

When everyone gave up hope to her, one old nurse, Laura began to take care of her. She took care of her like her friend and read books and prayed her everyday with hope. Ann Sullivan slowly had faith in Christ and became recovering her hope for 2 year.  She was finally recovered from her inner deep wound and received new sight through the surgery of eyesight recovery.

Through Ann's dedicated care, Helen learned language, reading, and writing. Ultimately, Helen Keller became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College which is currently Harvard university.

This powerful illustration emphasizes the transformative impact of resurrection faith and sacrificial love. Ann Sullivan's belief in God's love and her resurrection faith played a pivotal role in Helen Keller's remarkable achievements.

I deeply repent of my unbelief. I thought I am too late to serve God’s ministry of serving young people as well as to study D.Min program because I am too old. I am afraid to study English too. In my deep inner mind, fatal sense of my inability holds me. “I did outreach for more than ten years but fruit is not much.” I am too old. My body became weak, even my memory became weak.” All those negative thought tried to grape me. However Jesus is the resurrection and the life. If the resurrection Jesus is within me, why can’t I overcome all those situations? I deeply repent of my unbelief based on my situation and my failed experience. 

 Wash my unbelief and negative thought! I may challenge discipleship for young people in MSU again! I may go outreach two times a week. I may challenge D.Min program again for God’s glory in this year by faith of resurrection. I believe risen Jesus is within me. Help me to overcome my unbelieving thought! 

We have the international conference coming July 10th-13th in Dallas. The gospel of Jesus, the victory of Jesus’ resurrection will be delivered. If anyone goes there and receive Jesus as their savior and Lord, their life will be connected to Christ and new life will be started. Please pray for that conference! May 2/3 of young people among whole attendees participate in the meeting so that they may connect to God through faith in Christ!

Thirdly, this miracle of resurrection serves as the prelude to Jesus' ultimate resurrection from the dead. The reason for the deity descending in human form was to bear the weight of our sins and the consequence of death. Jesus not only took on human flesh but also endured despicable treatment—mockery, abandonment, and crucifixion on the Cross. This was not for His own sins but for the sins of humanity, including pride, unbelief, lust, and unfaithfulness. Isaiah 53:4-6 vividly describes this sacrificial act:

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

If Jesus had only died without resurrection, it could be misconstrued as Him succumbing to His own sins. The resurrection, however, is the proof of His triumph over death and the fulfillment of salvation. His death and resurrection together constitute the accomplishment of the gospel according to the Scriptures.

Fourthly, the resurrection of Jesus serves as a clear testimony to the victory over the power of darkness and the assurance of our future resurrection. In Christ, sin no longer reigns over believers. The eternal life of Jesus is birthed within, guiding them towards the heavenly kingdom. Those in the risen Christ need not fear death; even in physical death, they will be raised with a glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 affirms this truth:

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him."

Jesus, being the first fruit of resurrection, guarantees that those who belong to Him will be raised with a glorious body when He returns to judge the world.

In conclusion, Jesus is unequivocally declared as the resurrection and the life. The resurrection, Jesus, resides within each believer. Regardless of current adverse situations, believers are encouraged to look up with faith in the risen Jesus. Don’t be discouraged due to your current bad or negative situations but look up  your situation with risen Jesus!  I believe the resurrection, Jesus has the good purpose to put you there to teach His power of resurrection and you will overcome it.

I encourages you to trust in Him in every circumstance. The key message is to remember that Jesus Himself is the Resurrection and the Life, and He is within you. By trusting in Him, You can truly experience him and the victory of resurrection in 2024.