I am the resurrection and the life

I am the resurrection and the life

I am the resurrection and the life.  These are the words of Jesus in John 11:25.  

I am the resurrection and the life.  What is resurrection?  What is life and what does it mean that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?

RESURRECTION IS THE PROCESS OF GOING FROM DEATH TO LIFE.

Resurrection is crossing over from death to life.  Resurrection is being raised from the dead.  Resurrection is the process of going from death to life.  In the bible we see more than one concept of life and death.  We see physical life and spiritual life.  We see physical death and spiritual death.

THE BIBLE’S GREAT CONCERN (MAN’S CONCERN) IS SPIRITUAL DEATH.

Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.  Spiritual death simply defined as separation from God and it is the result of sin.  Rom 6:23   The wages of sin is death – spiritual death.  In Genesis 2 we read that God put Adam in the garden of Eden.  He told him in Gen 2:16-17 you may eat from any tree in the garden.  But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.  For in the day you eat of it, you will surely die.   Adam ate.  In the day he ate, he did not die physically.  He died spiritually.  He sinned against God and God condemned him, casting him out of God’s presence.  He was separated from God.  The day he disobeyed, the day he sinned, he died spiritually.  This spiritual death is man’s problem, not physical death.  The Bible’s concern is spiritual death.

The Bible is all about man’s fall into sin, that sin causing separation between God and man, man’s attempts at attaining favor with God in his own power (failing to accomplish that goal), then God coming in the form of man to remove man’s sin and restoring the fellowship between God and man.  Jesus brought men out of the spiritual death that came through Adam and into spiritual life.  Through Adam, sin separated man from God; Jesus restored man to fellowship with God.  Through Adam man died spiritually.  Through Jesus man who was dead spiritually, comes to life spiritually.  Through Jesus, man goes from death to life.  JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.  Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.  The Bible’s concern is spiritual death.

Man dying a physical death doesn’t necessitate separation from God.  When a man dies physically, when his physicality expires, when his organs cease to function, God doesn’t say “Oh no.  He’s gone and we can never be together because he’s gone forever.”  Physical death doesn’t necessitate separation from God – in fact, for believers, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  When I die a physical death that doesn’t mean I don’t get to be with God; it means I continue to be with God in heaven.  We sing a song “better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”  From Psalm 84:10 The idea of that song is from an old covenant perspective, God’s dwelling place was the Temple.  The idea of that line is it is better to dwell with God for just a small amount of time than it is to dwell anywhere else for a long amount of time.  In other words, man’s goal shouldn’t be to live in a physical body on this planet forever; man’s goal should be fellowship with God.  Being with God is the highest goal.  What good is living in a physical body forever on this planet if it’s not in fellowship with God?  Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.  The Bible’s concern is spiritual death.

Matt 8:18-22   ¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”   ²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”   ²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  ²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  Let the dead bury their own dead?  How can a dead person bury anybody?  Physically dead people can’t do stuff.  Exactly.  Follow me and let the (spiritually) dead bury their own (physically) dead.  Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.

1 Timothy 5:6  But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.  How can somebody be dead even while they live?  Can you be physically dead while you live?  No.  The widow who lives for pleasure (the widow whose life is sinful) is (spiritually) dead even while she lives (physically).  Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.

We have seen that physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.  The Bible’s concern is spiritual death which comes through sin.  Man’s ultimate goal is God.  Every other world religion out there is some weak attempt on behalf of man to achieve reconciliation to God, to overcome this spiritual death.  But overcoming this spiritual death is only achieved through Jesus Christ.

JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.  RESURRECTION IS GOING FROM DEATH TO LIFE AND THAT IS ACHIEVED IN CHRIST.

Eph 2:1-5  ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead (we went from death to life) in transgressions.  In other words, you were spiritually dead, when you were in your sins, but God made you spiritually alive with Christ.  JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.

The wages of sin is death.  Sin separates man from a holy God.  In Jesus Christ, that sin is dealt with.  He was punished for our sins and made atonement.  Our sin was removed from us and placed upon Him.  There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but we stand justified before God.  We receive a verdict of not guilty.  Because our sin is dealt with in Christ and no longer applied to our account, it no longer separates us from God.  Sin is no longer a separating factor for us.  We are no longer dead in sins.  Through this atoning work and this removal of our guilt and condemnation, we have restored relationship to God, we have fellowship with the Father.  In Christ, we go from spiritual death to spiritual life.  JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.

NOW LET’S LOOK AT OUR CONTEXT.  Turn with me to John 11.  Let’s see the circumstances in which Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.

John 11:1  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.”   This isn’t just a random guy.  Jesus healed random people.  Sir, my daughter is sick, just say the word.  But this isn’t a stranger.  This is the one Jesus loves.  This is Jesus’ bestie, his BFF.

 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 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.  Some translations say SO when he heard that Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was 2 more days.  Jesus’ BFF is sick.  So sick his sisters sent word to Jesus, the one who heals people, turns water to wine, walks on water, multiplies bread, performs miracles, that kind of stuff.  But when he got the word he didn’t say, well I better hurry up because my miracles only go so far, we have to catch him before he dies, let’s go guys, what are you waiting for.  When he got word, he stayed where he was 2 more days.

 ⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”  ⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?” 

 ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.” 

 ¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”   Fallen asleep is a euphemism for physical death that we find in the NT (3x in 1Cor 15, 2x in 1Ths 4 all in context of resurrection).  Why “fallen asleep?”  As we will see in our text today, physical death isn’t the end.  At the end of the age there was to be a resurrection out of that death so it wasn’t permanent, it was temporary, like sleep.  Physical death isn’t man’s problem.  Spiritual death is man’s problem.  The Bible’s concern is spiritual death.

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep VERSE 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

 ¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

 ¹⁶ Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  I don’t know what to make of this.  Some say that he is being sarcastic, which makes sense in light of their urging Jesus not to go.  Let’s go also so that we may die with him.  He’s dead.  They want to stone Jesus.  They’ll probably stone us for believing in Jesus.  Let’s go die too.

 ¹⁷ On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was less than two miles 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. 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?”

Martha knows about the doctrine of the resurrection at the last day.   How did Martha know that?  Paul hadn’t written 1 Cor 15 yet.  Martha knew the doctrine of the resurrection at the last day because the doctrine of the resurrection at the last day is found in the OT Scriptures.  It wasn’t a new teaching only found in the NT epistles, it was an old teaching found in the Prophets and having to do with Israel’s eschatological hopes.  The resurrection was the hope of Israel.  It was a teaching found in the OT and anything the NT says about it flows from the OT teaching about it and has the OT as a backdrop.

A few OT passages in which we find the resurrection include

• Isaiah 25:6-8
• Ezekiel 37
• Daniel 12
• Hosea 13:14

Not enough time to unpack those right now as much as I’d like to, but I mention them so that you can take note and explore them on your own in light of today’s message.  What I hope to convey to you is simply that the resurrection that Martha anticipated was foretold in the OT scriptures.  The resurrection was an OT doctrine.

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.  Martha, knows about the resurrection of the dead because she is familiar with the Scriptures.  That resurrection is in Jesus, because Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures.  The resurrection foretold in the OT was fulfilled in Jesus.  Isaiah 25 is fulfilled in Jesus.  Ezekiel 37 is fulfilled in Jesus.  Hosea 13:14 is fulfilled in Jesus.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures.  JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.

The OT foretold the time when they would go from death to life and it finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.  Martha, you are right about the fact that there is a resurrection in the end of the age, at the last day.  But here’s what you probably don’t fully understand yet: the scriptures about resurrection, the scriptures that foretold crossing over from death to life – they were pointing to me.  Those who believe in me will live even though they die.  He who believes in me will live spiritually, even though he dies physically.  For those who believe in me, they will not be separated from God forever.  They will only sleep until the resurrection – then they will be brought into the presence of God.  Though they die physically, they will live spiritually.  Though the outer body dies, the inner soul will live and be with God.

²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  If the last day comes and someone is still alive physically and he believes in me, he will never die spiritually.  He will never be separated from God.  He won’t even sleep.  He will go straight to be with the Lord.

We saw that the resurrection is an OT doctrine and the hope of Israel.  We saw that Jesus identified Himself as the fulfillment of that resurrection.  Now I’d like to look at some other passages in the NT that will help to add to our understanding of Jesus as the fulfillment of the resurrection.

We read in Matt 12:38-40  ³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”

 ³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  A sign signifies.  It is not the reality itself.  It points to another reality.  When you see a sign that says garage sale, that sign is not the garage sale.  It only tells you that there is a garage sale.  It points to another reality.  The resurrection of Jesus was a sign.  It signifies that his body was being brought from death to life.  The resurrection of the body of Christ pointed to the reality that those who were in Christ, the true Israel were being brought out of death and into life.

In short: THE BODY OF CHRIST WAS RESURRECTED.  THUS, THE BODY OF CHRIST WAS BEING RESURRECTED.  In other words, the physical body of Christ with holes in hands laid in the tomb, was raised and so the body of Christ made up of many parts aka the church was being raised and in a sense had been raised.

Eph 1:20 That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms

God raised Christ from the dead (resurrection of Jesus).  Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father.

Now check this out.

Eph 2 (we read a portion earlier but stopped just short of v6).  Eph 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

See that.  Jesus was raised and seated at the right hand.  Eph 1:20.  God raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ.  Eph 2:6.

The body of Christ was raised; thus, the body of Christ was raised.  Those in Christ, the church aka the body of Christ were raised with Him and are with Him.

Col 2:11-13 ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the flesh, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

 ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. 

You were raised with him.  That’s resurrection.  You were dead.  God made you alive with Christ.  That’s resurrection.  Because you are in Christ (in the body of Christ) and His body was raised, you who are in the Body of Christ have been raised.

Jesus was raised; thus those in the body of Christ have been raised with Him.

Now wait a minute.  This sounds like Paul is saying that at the resurrection of Jesus the general resurrection spoken of in 1 Cor 15 occured.  If that’s the case, then he’s saying that the resurrection happened in circa 30 – 33 AD.  Didn’t Paul condemn Hymenaeus and Philetus for saying that the resurrection already happened in his 2^nd letter to Timothy written just before his death in the mid – late 60’s?  How could Paul in one breath say that we have been raised with Christ and yet condemn Hymenaeus for saying that the resurrection already happened?

That is a great question.  In my answering that, I would appeal to the already, not yet hermeneutic that so many scholars point to.  In the Scriptures we see a multitude of eschatological realities that are said to already be realities and then are said to be future realities.

For example, Gal 3:26 you are sons of God.  Yet in Rom 8:23 Not only so but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons.  So in one breath Paul says they were sons of God.  In another breath Paul says that they were awaiting adoption as sons.  Already but not yet.  Already sons, but not yet sons.

Romans 9:30  What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith.  Yet in Gal Gal 5:5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.  So in one breath righteousness has been attained.  In another breath, they were eagerly awaiting the righteousness for which they hoped.  Already but not yet.  Already righteous, but not yet righteous.

Eph 2:15 by abolishing in his flesh the law…  And yet in Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant new, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.  So in one breath the OC was abolished already and in another breath it was obsolete and aging and would soon disappear.  Already gone but not yet gone.

I believe resurrection is no different.  They were already raised with Christ.  Yet, they were awaiting the full consummation of resurrection.  The resurrection was in process just as redemption and justification were in process.  They couldn’t be fully restored into the presence of God (fully alive) until the full removal of the law.  The law still condemned men to death until the full and final sweeping away of the OC order in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.

So in review, we defined resurrection as the process of going from death to life.  We showed that the bible speaks of not only physical death but also spiritual death and that man’s problem is not physical death.  Mans problem is spiritual death – separation from God.  But in Christ man crosses over from death to life.  The sin that separates man from God is removed in Christ and man is restored to fellowship with God.  In Christ man goes from spiritual death to spiritual life.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  As the resurrection, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures because the resurrection is a doctrine that is found in the OT Scriptures.  We saw that the resurrection of the Body of Christ was a sign of the resurrection of the Body of Christ – that those who belonged to Christ were already raised with Him, but not fully raised to life – not fully restored to the presence of God until the full removal of the law because the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.

The law has been fully removed.  We are fully in the new covenant.  We have been raised with Christ, fully.  We have been fully restored to a right relationship with God.  We have fellowship with the father.  Our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west.  Sin does not separate us from God.  We have gone from death to life.  We were dead in sin but God made us alive in Christ.  We have been raised with Jesus.  We have resurrection life now because we are in Christ.  He is the resurrection and the life.