I am the Resurrection and the Life

John 11

I am the Resurrection and the Life.

John 11:1-27 

Key Verse 11:25 

I really thank God for His overflowing blessings, presence, and guidance in 2024 and for giving us a New Year with great expectations! Most of all, I thank God for helping us experience His presence and blessings through our Dallas International Conference, Joshua and Surim’s wedding, Maria’s COMNEX exam, Sarah’s exam and Dominica Mission Trip 2024, and Pauline’s interview for Emgen 2025! I also thank God for giving us the church key verse as Philippians 3:7-8,10-11: 

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” 

Jesus declares, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Jesus didn’t say, “I have the power of resurrection and the life,” but He Himself declares, “I am the Resurrection and the Life!” The gospel we believe in includes not only Jesus’ crucifixion but also His resurrection. Apart from His resurrection, His crucifixion would be a powerless and pitiful event. However, He defeated the power of death and rose from the dead. 

Jesus’ resurrection is not fiction but a historical fact. His tomb was empty, and the strips of linen were left behind. The risen Jesus not only appeared to His twelve disciples for 40 days but also appeared to more than 500 brothers. He is the first fruits of resurrection. He has risen! The risen Christ lives within us if we are born-again Christians. 

Today, we will focus on learning, “I am the Resurrection and the Life!” I pray that God may open our ears to listen to today’s passage so that we may live by resurrection faith in Jesus in 2025! 

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

I think we need to review today’s story to better understand the power of Jesus’ resurrection and life. 

The 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 relied on their elder brother, Lazarus, because there is no mention of their parents in the Bible. Their parents had already passed away. When Lazarus suddenly fell sick, his condition became serious. Martha and Mary sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, the one You love is sick.” 

Their loving relationship with Jesus was strong. In John 12, it is described that Mary poured very expensive perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair. They absolutely trusted Jesus and believed He would immediately come to heal Lazarus as soon as He heard of the serious sickness. We can see how much Jesus loved 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 gone to Lazarus and healed him during this critical time if He truly loved him. 

However, how did Jesus respond when He received their urgent message? 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. This seems like a very strange action for someone who loves another. It doesn’t make sense at all—He should have immediately gone to heal Lazarus. 

What was Jesus’ purpose in delaying His visit? Look at verse 4 again: 

“It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 

What does this teach us? 

The saints’ afflictions are somehow designed for the glory of God. Sometimes, Jesus allows His beloved saints to experience severe hardships, troubles, and even incredibly painful events to reveal God’s glory and His absolute goodness. 

Our natural instinct is to desire an easy and successful life without trouble. Our corrupted and selfish nature often tries to treat God as a vending machine or a genie’s magic lamp. While God is capable of doing anything for us, His ultimate purpose is to give us Himself and to teach us who He is. For this reason, He sometimes allows affliction upon those who love Him—to develop their faith and mold them into His likeness. 

The greatest blessing is personally knowing who Jesus is. 

The Apostle Paul testifies to his earnest desire to know Christ, even through suffering, in Philippians 3:10-11: 

“10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” 

Jesus wanted to teach His disciples, Mary, Martha, and others that He is the Resurrection and the Life. 

True love is sometimes bitter, just as good medicine is bitter for our health. 

Many times, we cannot understand God’s love unless He opens our eyes. God is absolutely good all the time to His children. Romans 8:28 promises: 

“And 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 

Look at verses 6-10. After two days had passed, Jesus decided to go to Bethany. He told His disciples plainly, “Lazarus is dead,” in verse 14. 

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed behind. What were Martha’s first words to Jesus? Look at verse 21: 

21 “Lord,” Martha said, “if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

These words reflect deep disappointment and grief. We can imagine how earnestly Martha and Mary must have waited for Jesus, only to feel crushed when He didn’t appear in time. Their hearts must have been full of pain and disappointment toward Jesus. 

When relationships with others are broken, it’s much harder to restore them because skepticism begins to rule over us. It becomes difficult to trust those who have deeply disappointed us. Martha and Mary must have felt confused and conflicted when Jesus finally arrived after Lazarus’ death. 

Look at verses 22-24: 

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.” 

Here, we see that Martha had good theological knowledge. She understood the concept of a future resurrection, saying, “I know, I know.” However, knowing is different from believing. True belief involves commitment and trust. 

Martha even confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, in verse 27: 

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 

However, her faith was still limited. She believed Jesus could have healed her brother’s sickness, but she didn’t realize that Jesus could raise him from the dead. She didn’t know that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

This limitation in her faith is evident in verse 39, when Jesus commanded her to take away the stone: 

39 “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’  But 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.’” 

By then, Lazarus had been dead for four days, and his body was already decaying. To Martha, the situation was completely over. 

Here, we see that theological knowledge about Christ is different from true faith in Him. We might know the Bible’s amazing stories of healing and miracles, but we can sometimes think of them as unrelated to our own lives. Theological professors can know the knowledge very well but it is different to believe it.  If we believe that Jesus’ mighty works are for others and not to me, the Bible becomes just a collection of stories, not the living Word of God. 

Simply having knowledge of the Bible cannot bring salvation, and knowledge alone is powerless. It’s easy to believe that God can heal others and solve their problems, but when we face personal and practical issues, it becomes much harder to trust that Jesus can solve them for us. 

Faith involves three key elements: 

1. Knowledge: Knowing who God is. 

2. Agreement: Believing in the truth of God’s Word. 

3. Commitment: Acting on that belief and trusting in God completely. 

Faith is not mere lip service—it requires genuine conviction and action. That’s why we need to pray because it comes above.   

In Mark 9:23-24, we see the father of a boy possessed by an evil spirit cry out: 

23 “If You can!” said Jesus. “All things are possible for one who believes.” 

24 Immediately, the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 

This father’s cry resonates with us because we often struggle with unbelief when faced with our own challenges. Martha’s response is completely understandable. If we were in her shoes, we might respond in the same way. 

However, how did Jesus help Martha? 

Let’s read verses 25-26: 

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?” 

What does this mean? 

Firstly, it means that Jesus is divine and the Son of the living God. 

The meaning of resurrection is explained as “the act of rising from the dead” and “the state of those risen from the dead.” There is no resurrection in common science or the human world. When death comes upon any living being, it is scientifically final. It seems hopeless because death marks the ultimate limitation of human beings. No one can overcome it. 

However, in Christ Jesus, everything is different. We can have hope in even the most hopeless situations through faith in Jesus because He is the resurrection and the life. He is the almighty God. No one else can declare, “I am the resurrection,” except God, who is the very source of life. No human being could ever say such a thing. This statement affirms Jesus’ divinity. He is the Creator and the sovereign Ruler. 

The Bible records several incidents of resurrection that demonstrate Jesus’ divine authority: 

- In Luke 7:11-17, Jesus encountered the funeral of a widow’s only son. He touched the coffin and commanded, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk. 

- In Luke 8:40-56, Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. He said, “My child, get up!” When Jesus commanded the dead, her life returned, and she stood up. 

These events show that Jesus is truly the resurrection and the life. 

However, the power of Jesus’ resurrection goes beyond physical resurrection—it is also spiritual. In John 5:25, Jesus teaches us about this: 

25 “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.” 

Whoever hears His voice will come alive spiritually. When we listen to His living words and believe them, the spiritually dead are brought to life. And when our spirits are alive, our physical lifestyles will be transformed. 

Jesus is the almighty God who can defeat the power of death. He is able to help you in any situation. Through this experience, Jesus wanted to teach Martha and Mary about His deity. 

Secondly, Jesus is not a future resurrection but a current resurrection. 

The verb Jesus uses here is not in the future tense but in the present tense. Jesus doesn’t say, “I will be the resurrection.” Instead, He declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus Himself is the resurrection and the life right now. If you believe in Him and He resides within you, the power of resurrection and life is already at work in you because He is the resurrection and the life. 

We have never heard of a dead body being raised simply through someone’s faith in the resurrection. Jesus used this event with Lazarus to teach that He is the resurrection and the life. Of course, He has the power to physically resurrect anyone, but Lazarus’ resurrection alone is enough evidence to show us this truth. 

In the spiritual realm, this resurrection power is ongoing for anyone who believes in Jesus. The Bible explains that those who do not know Jesus are spiritually dead. They are under the power of sin and Satan, who reigns over them, much like Pharaoh ruled over the Israelites in Egypt. This is the spiritual reality in our daily lives. 

Ephesians 2:1 states: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” 

Many people live as slaves to addictions, depression, fear, anxiety, or other strongholds, but they don’t realize the power of darkness controlling them. Most people are unaware of the cunning schemes of Satan. Though he is real and his influence is powerful, he hides himself and often appears as an angel of light. Yet, the Bible makes it clear: he is a murderer and a liar, and there is no truth in him. As a corrupted archangel, his ultimate goal is to separate us from God and lead us to eternal destruction. 

The invisible forces of darkness that govern this world are powerful. Ephesians 6:12 warns us about this: 

“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 is real, but there is only one way to overcome it: by believing in the blood of Jesus and His righteousness. 

This is why God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to set us free from the power of sin and Satan. In the Old Testament, innocent animals were slaughtered as substitutes for the sins of Israel. These sacrifices were a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate plan. At the appointed time, Jesus—sinless and perfect—came to this world in the flesh. He shed His own blood as the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. 

Hebrews 10:10,14 explains: 

“By that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” 

Through His sacrifice, Jesus cleansed our past, present, and future sins. Those who believe in Him are no longer slaves to sin and Satan. Instead, we are a new creation. Our old master—sin—has been replaced. We now belong to Christ, and our destiny has moved from eternal damnation to eternal life. Death no longer has power over us because the risen Christ lives within us. He is our Lord now. 

If this doesn’t feel real to you, consider someone living under Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship in North Korea. Imagine the hopelessness and horror of life under such oppression. Now, imagine that person being set free and moving to a place like the United States. Their life would be completely transformed! 

Similarly, being delivered from the power of sin and Satan changes our lives dramatically. It moves us from the reign of darkness into the reign of God. It is not God’s will for anyone to live in addiction, anxiety, hopelessness, sexual impurity, joylessness, or under a sense of failure or inferiority. Satan targets our weak points in sly and subtle ways, but we must remember: 

“I am a new creation, and the risen Christ dwells in me.” 

We must fight against these forces by depending on Jesus’ blood. Though we live in a dark world and face spiritual warfare, we can live victoriously because Christ has already won the ultimate victory for us. 

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on my spiritual condition. I’ve often lived with a heart full of gratitude and vision. But last week, I began to notice something unsettling—a thankful heart was slowly leaking away, and I didn’t understand why. Despite my efforts to maintain a sense of gratitude, I found myself struggling, feeling frozen by an invisible weight. 

A sense of failure began to creep into my heart, paralyzing me with fear and doubt. It affected my willingness to serve others, even making it difficult to reach out to God’s flock. My inner being felt frozen under the burden of these feelings. I listened to many pastors’ sermons, read the Bible, and tried to overcome it, but none of it seemed to reach the root of my struggle. 

As I began preparing this sermon, I followed my usual practice of writing a prayer first. It was in that prayer that I finally saw the truth. I realized that the sense of failure and my negative view of myself had taken hold of me, pulling me into a place of defeat. I brought these struggles to Jesus, depending on His blood, and repented of my sins. In that moment, I felt freedom from the power of darkness and restoration in my soul. 

It became clear to me: not only I but anyone can be deceived and defeated by the cunning power of sin or the lies of our old self. Satan thrives on these moments of weakness, using fear, doubt, and failure to keep us bound. 

But Jesus reminds us: “I am the resurrection and the life.” He is the one who defeats the power of darkness. If the risen Christ reigns over us, why should we doubt His ability to solve even our most chronic struggles? 

I understand that everything is under God’s sovereign will. His timing and purposes are perfect. But I am reminded that He is able to do anything if it is His will. When we surrender our burdens to Him and believe in the power of His resurrection, we experience true freedom and restoration. 

What an inspiring story of faith, hope, and perseverance! Ann Sullivan’s life is a powerful testament to the transformative power of sacrificial love and faith in God. Here’s a refined version of your reflection, emphasizing its connection to the theme of resurrection faith:

One great example of resurrection faith is the story of Ann Sullivan. Many people know Helen Keller, the remarkable woman who overcame being blind, deaf, and mute to inspire countless individuals. But few remember Ann Sullivan, her teacher and lifelong companion, who played a crucial role in Helen’s extraordinary journey.

Helen Keller’s condition, from a human point of view, seemed utterly hopeless—like a life cut off from the world. Losing her sight and hearing after an illness at 19 months old, Helen’s world became one of darkness and silence. But Ann Sullivan believed otherwise. She held onto hope for Helen when no one else could see a way forward. 

Ann’s own life was filled with suffering. She lost her mother at a young age, and her father, an alcoholic, abandoned her. Her sister passed away early, and Ann herself lost her sight. Consumed by anger and despair, Ann tried to end her life and was eventually placed in a mental hospital, where she was considered beyond hope. 

But God had a different plan for Ann Sullivan. A nurse named Laura began to care for her, treating her with kindness and compassion. She read to Ann, prayed for her, and showed her the love of Christ. Over two years, Ann’s heart began to heal, and her faith in God grew. After undergoing surgery to restore her eyesight, Ann experienced not only physical healing but also a spiritual renewal. 

Later, Ann saw an advertisement for a teaching position: a blind, deaf, and mute child needed a tutor. While others discouraged her from taking on such a difficult challenge, Ann, now grounded in God’s love, volunteered, saying, “I have confidence in God’s love.” 

Helen Keller was rebellious and deeply frustrated at first. But Ann Sullivan, with unshakable faith and patience, persevered. She taught Helen language, including reading and writing, and helped her break through the barriers of isolation. 

Through Ann’s sacrificial love and resurrection faith, a miracle happened. Helen Keller became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating from Radcliffe College (now part of Harvard University). Her life went on to inspire millions worldwide, offering hope to those in seemingly hopeless circumstances. 

Ann Sullivan once told Helen Keller, “Don’t be afraid to start and fail at new things. Failing itself is the beginning of accomplishing something. Even if you don’t achieve your goal in failure, you will learn something. Do not be afraid of starting and failing.” 

Without Ann Sullivan’s enduring faith and belief in God’s power to resurrect what seems dead, Helen Keller’s story of triumph and transformation might never have happened. Ann’s life reminds us that even in the darkest situations, the resurrection power of Jesus can bring about renewal and hope. 

I deeply repent of my unbelief. When I began this year, I started with great expectation. After I was crushed by sense of failure, I was afraid to challenge new things. wash all my unbelief by the blood of Jesus!

  I want to challenge D. Min program again by resurrection faith.  I didn’t start English. I will study English again by resurrection faith. O, Lord, I believe,You are the Resurrection and the Life. risen Christ is within me.

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

Thirdly, This miracle of resurrection is the prelude of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. 

He was horribly despised, mocked, abandoned and crucified on the Cross by men. It is not over. But, the angle 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)  He rose from the dead. He crushed Satan’s head through His Cross and Resurrection and declares eternal triumph for us. His victory is ours who belong to Him.  

Fourthly, the resurrection of Jesus shows the guarantee of  our future resurrection. Those who are in risen Christ, there is no death. Even though we die, we will be raised again with much better feature so we don’t need fear of death.

 Your physical death is temporal sleep in Christ Jesus. Someday we will be raised again as a beautiful heavenly body in glorious heaven.  1Corithians 15:22-23 testifies us. “22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” Jesus is the first fruit of resurrection. We who belong to Him will be raised again with glorious body when He come back to judge this world.

In Conclusion,

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The resurrection, Jesus is within you and me.   Don’t be discouraged due to your current bad or negative situations but look up it with risen Jesus. He has the good purpose to put your affliction to teach who he is. trust in Him at any circumstance so you may truly experience the victory of resurrection 2024!