Resurrection

Sermon Title   "I am the Resurrection"

Today’s Scripture John 11:20-36 (NIV)
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. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
²⁷ "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
²⁸ And 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.
³⁴ "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
³⁵ Jesus wept.
³⁶ Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

At Mr. Sam Seumalo’s Funeral, I was deeply moved as mourners sincerely expressed their loss of their friend. A majority of the attendees were elderly since Sam was born in 1933. Because a funeral is an appropriate time for deep reflection, I gave them the challenging message that C.S. Lewis gave in Mere Christianity:  Is Jesus the Lord (who he claimed to be), a liar (if he was merely man claiming to be God), or a lunatic (someone who has the delusion that he is God). Which one is it?  Is Jesus Christ a liar?  Is he a lunatic?  Or is he the Living God?   Only one can be correct.  It is a decision we all must make.  Who do you say Jesus is?  We all answer this question in the way we live our lives.  The truth of the matter is Jesus is the only one who died for our sins on the cross. No other gods or religious leaders made a sacrifice for our lives.   No one else claimed to be God.   Jesus made Himself as the sacrifice for our propitiation, meaning the wrath of God, who has been unjustly wronged, has been satisfied. My challenge today is that I want you to know Jesus more personally. Jesus is not just a concept; He is literally alive. He literally/historically rose from the dead. Yes, Jesus truly is the Living God.  Will you worship Him?

Today’s Scriptures exemplify God’s personal love for His loved ones. The God of the universe and the creator of heavens and the earth is always with us.   (We call Him Immanuel, meaning God with us.)  He came as a humble son of carpenter and lived as a regular Joe for thirty years. He spent his time with His buddies, and perhaps he played games. I suppose that means He never lost a single game. In seriousness, He spent a normal life with people who had needs and issues of their own. He most certainly expressed sincere concern for them.  We look into Jesus in different angle today. His human side has been made known to us through the Scriptures. Our ability to read the Word makes Jesus more accessible and relatable. The book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus had feelings just like us. Let us look at today’s Scripture in John 11 to elaborate my points.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem; however, his parents raised Him on the Westside of Lake Galilee in a town called Nazareth. When He began his ministry, he spent time near Jerusalem and made his ministry’s headquarters in Bethany, which is about two miles from Jerusalem. By His teaching, we learn he stayed the same house every time he visited Jerusalem. He stayed at he house of Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus in Bethany. Jesus was with his disciples, and the house was always crowded with visitors. He spent time with Mary, Martha and Lazarus as great friends. Also, he taught disciples about the kingdom of God. He was a master and they were apprentices. However, Mary, Martha and Lazarus were not his apprentices. They were his friends, who supported his ministry as his host. In terms of friendship, I surmise these three were closer to Jesus than 12 disciples emotionally. When He was their house, Jesus made their house as his second home. Jesus loved them as a part of his family. 

In verse 25, Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life.” Note: He did not say I cause the resurrection or I will make the resurrection happen.  No, he said “I am the resurrection…” (emphasis mine). Does He help people to be resurrected? No, He identifies himself with the resurrection.  He was not yet dead, but he still claimed that he was the resurrection. It is indeed strange and one of the boldest statements He ever claimed. He is the resurrection Himself. The resurrection is not mere phenomena. It is not just power or movement. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the life-changing experience for believers. We will be resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus for the glory of God the Father. Jesus has authority and honor to call Himself “the resurrection.” In order to be resurrected, we need Jesus in our heart. He is the resurrection. Without Him there is no resurrection. We must believe in Jesus as the resurrection. Only those who have Jesus have the resurrection of the dead. He is our resurrection. “I am the resurrection” indicates that Time or place does not reflect his being the resurrection. It is a present tense (in Greek a present continual tense). We need continue believing Jesus as a personal God on an ongoing basis. It is not a religion or organization that resurrects you from the dead. It is Jesus that makes your alive. Do you have Jesus in your heart today?

Secondly in the same manner, He said “I am the life.”  A basic premise is that He is the life. Therefore, without Him, there is no life. Your life begins with Christ as a creator and hopefully ends with Christ as the Savior. Jesus promised not only the eternal life in His resurrection, but he also promised that we all have abundant life on earth. We have a real life when we know Jesus as the source of life. He created life and sustains life. He is as he said “I am the life.”

Then in verse 33, He was troubled. What was it that made him troubled? The original Greek indicates He was angry about their unbelieving attitude. They were told that he is the resurrection and the life in the previous verse. Then he went to Mary’s house and people were mourning like non-believers. Their behavior was one who had no hope. He was troubled by seeing people with no hope. But there is a hope beyond the death if you are in Christ!   Jesus was also angry at the sin of all people. The consequence of sin brought death, which he knew was never the perfect plan of God. All the death was caused by the sin of Adam. Death is the exact result of sin itself. The manifestation of sin was indeed death. Jesus was upset to see the effect of sins in His people. Jesus had compassion on the people who are going through hardship such as death of loved one. He expressed human side of Jesus here. He has feeling, just like anybody else. He was deeply moved by Greif stricken people.

In Verse 35, “Jesus wept,” shedding tears in sadness. This is the shortest verse in the Bible.

Jesus had compassion and felt deep pain for Mary and Martha. Their only brother has passed and the grief was painful. Jesus expressed His humanity here. The God of Universe, creator of all things, the beginning and the end, has merciful compassion for his creation. The All-powerful and all-knowing God is weeping like child. To weep indicates a silent cry with tears in his eyes.  Jesus was a human once. He knows our pains and sufferings as a human being. It is good to know who Jesus really is. 100% human and 100% God.

Conclusion

As I was thinking my final sermon for June 30^th, I have decided to preach Jesus and His Holiness. Jesus is the reason why we are here on earth. Jesus is the reason we have life after death. Jesus is the reason we have peace in our heart. He is the reason we can love one another. Everything we are is because Jesus is God and He is the resurrection and the life. We must make our choice for life and for the eternal life. Who is Jesus to you today? Is he a liar, lunatic, or is He who He said he is--the Son of God.  I am so glad I met Him 36 years ago. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.