Easter 2024 | John 11:17-44

Several years ago, I went into my backyard in Waco to do some yard work, and there was a possum lying on the ground, lifeless. I know what you're thinking: it was probably playing possum. I wanted to make sure that was the case, so I just stood there and watched this guy for a significant amount of time to make sure he was, in fact, dead, because if he was dead I was going to relocate him to a better place…specifically, my trash can.

So, I stood there and watched this guy, and I actually moved in close and got up close to where I could look to see if there was even the faintest sign of breathing. Nothing. Completely lifeless. So, after a period of time, I called it. I was like, "9:25." Then I went around the corner to get my relocation tools, which were a broom and a dustpan. When I turned back around, that possum was running along my fence line.

When I saw him doing that…I kid you not…here's what I did. I assumed a fighting position, because if that guy just beat death, no telling what else he wanted to beat. When I think back about that possum, I think there are only two explanations for what was happening that day. The first option is that he beat death. He was dead, and then he was alive, and I got to witness it. That's the first option. The second option is that he was alive but just looked dead, and then something changed that caused his activity to better reflect his reality.

Do you see where I'm going this morning? Are you offended yet that I'm comparing you to a possum? See, this morning, we're celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The good news is every single one of us is going to die someday, and the reason that is good news is the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope that one day we will beat death. Even though we die, we are going to live, all because Jesus Christ has risen and conquered the grave. Because he conquered death, so shall we.

Then another reality we need to process through this morning, as we talk about the resurrection, is the fact that if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, there's a good possibility you are spiritually alive, yet there are different areas of your life where you still look dead. What we need to get our minds around this morning is the fact that the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the power for change so that our activity can better reflect our reality that we are, in fact, alive in Christ.

So, what I want to do today is take you to my favorite story in the entire Bible. It's John, chapter 11. As we turn to John, chapter 11, there are really two truths that are going to become clear to us. First, Jesus is our hope for life one day, but not just that; Jesus is our power for life today. So, if you want hope, the hope that one day, when you die, you will still live, that you will beat death, that hope is found in Jesus.

If you want to experience the power to change today, that you would not just be spiritually alive but that you would look alive, then that power is only found in Jesus Christ. If you have a Bible, turn with me to John, chapter 11. This story is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It has been my favorite story in the Bible for years now. Before we jump into the text, let me catch you up on what has been happening.

There are three people who are siblings, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The text is really clear that Jesus loves all three of them. Lazarus gets sick, so sick to the point that Mary and Martha send word to Jesus and say, "Hey, you'd better come. It's not good." Instead of Jesus going to Lazarus, he does nothing. He does absolutely nothing, and Lazarus ends up dying. Jesus knows Lazarus is dead, because he's God and knows all things.

Finally, after Lazarus has died, Jesus does what Mary and Martha thought he should have done from the beginning. He actually goes to where they are. On the way to Bethany where they are, Jesus is met by Martha, and they have this very defining conversation. In this conversation, Jesus is going to make a massive declaration about himself, and then he's going to invite Martha to really decide what she believes to be true about him. So, let's look at what happens. Verse 17:

"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.'"

Let me give a little side point really quickly. One of the things I love about this story is it shows us that the Bible makes room for our humanity. Martha finds herself in a moment of deep pain due to unexpected loss, and in the midst of unexpected loss, we see Martha having to hold multiple things in tension.

First, she's holding her deep sadness from loss, but also, she's holding the perplexity that comes from knowing Jesus could have done something and yet didn't. At the same time, while she's holding sadness and perplexity, we also see her holding confidence that God is ultimately still going to do what he has intended to do, which is raise Lazarus from the dead on the last day at the end of time.

The reason I love this is it shows Martha's humanity, and Jesus doesn't rebuke her for any of it. Even as she holds the perplexity that Jesus could have done something but didn't, Jesus makes space for it. Maybe that's why God brought some of you here this morning: so you could hear that he isn't surprised and there's space for that in Christ. Yet what I see happen, and what we're going to see happen is right in the midst of her crisis, Jesus is going to prompt her to answer a question. He is going to ask her to really decide what she believes to be true about him. That's often how it works.

I remember going to the funeral of one of my close friends. As we were mourning the loss of this friend, what I saw was all of these different guys from my fraternity in college being brought to this moment where they were really contemplating the deeper things of God. They were deciding what they believed to be true about him, because often, crisis prompts us to really declare and decide what we believe to be true.

So, Jesus makes this declaration about himself and then asks her a question. Look at what he says. Verse 25: "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?'" That's his question to Martha. He declares to Martha, "Hey, you need to know I'm the resurrection and the life. Here's what that means. Do you believe this?"

The question Jesus was asking to Martha is the question I believe he's asking to every single one of us today. The question to you today is…Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? There are a lot of questions you're going to have to answer in your life. This is the most important one. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life?

Some of you hear that and are like, "Of course! That's why I'm here today. That's the reason I got all of my steps in already just to get into this place: because I believe he's the resurrection and the life." Others of you are here because you're just trying to be a good team player, and I applaud you for that, but you might hear that the question to you today is "Do you believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life?" and you might think, "I have no clue what that even means."

Do you know what the great news is? Jesus explains it. He tells us exactly what he means when he says he's the resurrection and the life. Think about what he's saying. He's saying, "I am the resurrection and the life." He doesn't say, "I offer resurrection and life." He doesn't say, "I can provide resurrection and life" or "I perform it." He says, "I am it."

See, resurrection is something Jesus has done, is doing, and will do. It is so central to his activity it has become central to his identity. Resurrection is who Jesus is. That's why when you look in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, we get this picture from the author John. He's having a vision, and he sees a vision of Jesus. In that vision, Jesus is represented as a lamb. It says in Revelation 5:6, "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…"

So, Jesus, the Lamb, had been slain. Why is the Lamb portrayed like that? Because Jesus Christ came to earth and lived perfectly, but then he went to the cross, and his body was broken and his blood shed for your sin and for mine. Yet the Lamb that was slain was standing. Why? Because the King is alive. Because on the third day, Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb, conquering Satan, sin, and death.

See, resurrection is who Jesus is. He always will be the resurrected King, but Jesus isn't just the resurrected King; he is the resurrecting King. What I mean by that is Jesus Christ is in the business of bringing life where there is death. That's why he goes on and explains exactly what he means when he says he's the resurrection and the life. He says, "Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…"

What he's saying is if you know Jesus Christ, a day is coming where you are going to beat death. Death will never have the final word in your life. Cancer will never have the final word. A disease will never have the final word. A disability, a tragic accident, chronic pain, old age…none of these things will ever have the final word in your life, because Christ is going to come again. These physical bodies, if you're in Christ, will be resurrected and perfected, and we will get to enjoy unhindered, abundant life with God in heaven for all of eternity. Isn't that good news?

Just think about it. When Jesus says what he says, he's saying, "Guys, listen up. I am your hope for life one day." But he doesn't stop there. He goes on and says, "…and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." He's saying that resurrection life we just talked about that we're going to experience one day… Jesus is saying you don't actually have to wait until you die to experience it, because eternal life, resurrection life, isn't something that begins the day you die; it's actually something that begins the day you believe.

What I'm really saying is we get to taste heaven now. We don't get to taste all of it now, but we get to at least taste it. We get to enjoy an intimate connection with the God of the universe. We get to experience God leading us, caring for us, comforting us, providing for us, and changing us. We don't have to look dead when we've been made alive, because Jesus Christ, who has conquered the grave… His resurrection power is what we need to truly look alive.

Jesus isn't just saying he is our hope for one day; he is saying he is our power for life today. I think it's important to acknowledge that Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life." He doesn't say, "I am a source of resurrection and life." He doesn't say, "I'm one of many options." He says, "I'm it. If you're going to have hope for life one day, if you're going to have power for life today, it's going to have everything to do with me."

Now, if you're tuned out, welcome back, because here's what I want to show you. The reason I love the story of Lazarus so much is that Jesus unpacks this theological truth that he's the resurrection and the life, but then he's going to give us a physical display of the spiritual reality he just unpacked. You need to see how the story plays out. I love this. Here's what happens in verse 38.

"Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 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.' Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?' So they took away the stone.

And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.' When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out.' The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'"

When I'm reading the Bible and I come to a story like this, I always like to try to put myself in the story to experience it more, so let's do that together today. Just imagine we're in Bethany, all three to four thousand of us, and Jesus just starts walking, so we're going with him. We're all quiet. It's super awkward and uncomfortable. We're in the midst of death here. So we follow Jesus.

Now we've come to the tomb, which is just a hole that was cut in a rock, but the tomb has been sealed. There has been a stone that has been put in front of that opening. So, here we are, three to four thousand people, all standing there silently and awkwardly, looking at a big rock. Are you there with me? This is amazing, because Jesus suggests something highly inappropriate. He's like, "Hey, guys. Let's open up the tomb."

That'd be like going to a closed casket funeral and being like, "You know what will take this thing to the next level? Let's crack that bad boy open." Martha is like, "Hey, Jesus, I don't know if you know how death works, but there will be a funk in the air." Jesus is like, "Yeah. Sounds great. Open 'er up." So, they open up the tomb.

Now we are looking into a hole in a rock, and all we see is a lifeless Lazarus. There is a body that is bound up in dead man's cloth, and we are all silently, awkwardly staring at a dead man. Jesus gets more awkward, because he starts talking to the dead guy. But this is where it gets really interesting, because when Jesus says his name, "Lazarus!" his voice is like a defibrillator to Lazarus' soul. "Lazarus!" And the chest rises with air. Can you see it? Can you see the chest filling up?

Hey, that's amazing, but I'm just going to say it. In my experience with that possum, it is weird when something that is supposed to be dead starts moving again. So, I guarantee you there were grown men whose feet left the ground when that oxygen filled that chest. "Lazarus!" "Hey, that is messed up." They're stepping behind their wife, like, "That is messed up. You've got to be kidding me."

Then the story is clear that Lazarus' hands are bound. His feet are bound. His face is wrapped. So, Jesus says, "Come out," and now this dead man is shuffling out of the tomb. My favorite part of the story is the fact that Lazarus comes out, and Jesus looks at the people standing around and is like, "Unbind him." If I were there, I'd be like, "You heard him. Unbind him. I mean, you're closer with Lazarus than I am, man. Get after it." People come around Lazarus and unwrap him of the cloth that signified death.

Now, remember, this is a physical demonstration of the spiritual reality Jesus unpacked. Jesus says he's the resurrection and the life. Then what does he say? "Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…" He's declaring, "I am your hope for life one day." Just as Lazarus was dead and came to life and was unwrapped of the cloth that signified death, a day is coming where even though you die, Jesus Christ is going to resurrect you, and your life is going to be unwrapped of death itself, which is amazing news.

Just think about this. On this side of eternity, every single one of us is going to die. Every single one of us is going to have to say, "Bye for now" to the people we love. That's just a reality. Every single one of us is trapped in a body that is on the clock. Your clock might have more time than mine, but every single one of us is going to have to say, "Bye for now" to loved ones, and you're going to have loved ones have to say, "Bye for now" to you. Yet let's be clear. Because Jesus Christ has conquered death, so shall we.

So, on the other side of eternity, what we will get to say "Bye forever" to is everything that took us to Jesus in the first place. On this side of eternity it's "Bye for now." On the other side of eternity, it's "Bye forever" to cancer. It's "Bye forever" to disease. It's "Bye forever" to disability and chronic pain and tragic accidents and old age. It is "Bye forever," because Jesus Christ conquered death through his resurrection.

I love what scholar D.A. Carson says. He says, "I'm not suffering from anything a good resurrection can't fix." Some of y'all desperately need to hear that today, because you're in a place in life where you are having to hold in tension the deep sadness of the loss of a loved one alongside the perplexity of knowing Jesus could do something and yet didn't, and you're having to hold that in tension.

I can't imagine the heartache and heartbreak you're experiencing, yet if you're in Christ, you're someone who grieves with hope, because it was a "Bye for now," but it's not a "Bye forever," and that person who you lost in Christ has already gotten to say "Bye forever" to the thing that took them to Jesus in the first place, and that's great news.

Then remember Jesus says, "…and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." What's he saying here? He's saying, "I'm not just your hope for life one day; I am your power for life today." Meaning, eternal life doesn't begin the day you die; it begins the day you believe. Lazarus was raised from the dead and was unwrapped of the cloth that signified death. In the same way, we can begin the unwrapping process now.

In fact, the normal Christian life is a life where you're committed to being unwrapped a little bit more every single day. The normal Christian life is a life where you look more and more alive and less and less dead each day. I want to invite my son Noah onto the stage to help me illustrate this. Will you guys say "hello" to Noah? Noah is in eighth grade at North. He's 14. This is every 14-year-old's dream to be forced onto the stage by their dad in front of three to four thousand people. If you'll hold this, I'm just going to… I'll be right back with y'all in just a moment.

Here's what I want you to think about. Imagine Lazarus shuffled out of the tomb and never bothered getting unwrapped. He just kept on shuffling. Imagine going to the grocery store and looking down the frozen food aisle, and there's the dead guy. Imagine if this was Noah's reality. He shows up to North Junior High tomorrow like this. I think on the first day his friends would be like, "Bold move, man. I respect that." Then by Friday, they'd be like, "Bro, what are we doing here? Is this what's happening?"

Just imagine the life he would miss out on. Imagine Noah going on a date a long time from now, and this is his reality. Imagine being the girl sitting across the table from this. Like, "Dude, did you choose that? What's happening here?" Just imagine the life he would miss out on. Now, you might be like, "This is such a ridiculous illustration." Imagine how ridiculous it is that Christ has conquered the grave and made us alive, yet so many of us just keep shuffling through life, wrapped up in the dead man's cloth Christ came to free us from.

Think about it. Some of us are so wrapped up in anger, bitterness, and resentment toward someone who has hurt us. Others of us are wrapped up in jealousy and envy. We just wish we were a little bit more like the people in the office down the hall or in the house down the street in our neighborhood. Others of us are wrapped up in lust. Still others of us are wrapped up in people-pleasing and a desperate need for certain people's approval.

Others of us are wrapped up in idolatry. We believe the greatest satisfaction to our souls is more of something…more money, more square footage in our home, more cars, more luxury to our vacations. But Jesus' resurrection is for our resurrection. He beat death for you and me. He is in the business of bringing life where there is death.

Just imagine allowing Jesus to begin to unwrap us. Because of his resurrection, instead of anger, bitterness, and resentment, there's the freedom of forgiveness. Why? Because you've experienced the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Instead of being wrapped up in people-pleasing and a need for people's approval, there is the freedom of already being pleasing and accepted by the God of the universe. Why? Because Christ's righteousness has been given to you through his death, burial, and resurrection.

Instead of being wrapped up in jealousy and envy, there's the freedom of celebration. You can celebrate God's grace in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ while they can celebrate God's grace in your life as well. Instead of being wrapped up in lust, there's the freedom of selfless and sacrificial love. See, lust steals. It takes. Sacrificial love gives and blesses.

Instead of being wrapped up in idolatry, there's the freedom of enjoying the one your soul has been made for. Christ has come, and he has given you access to boldly approach his throne. So, we get to know him and be satisfied in him because we have been made for him. Would you guys thank Noah for helping me out today?

Jesus conquered sin and death so we could live, not just one day, but today. So, let me ask you to evaluate. In what areas of your life do you still look dead? If something comes to mind, here's what you need to hear: it's time to be unwrapped. Then what I want to make sure of is this. If you're here this morning, and you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ…you are just being a good team player this morning…I am so glad you're here today.

What I want you to hear is you will feel no need… You will not care about hope or power in Jesus until you realize there is only death apart from Jesus. Do you hear what I'm saying? Hope and power in Jesus will not be meaningful to you. What we are talking about today will not be meaningful to you until you realize there is only death apart from Jesus.

The reason I love this story about Lazarus is it shows us everything that is possible when we know Jesus Christ as the resurrection and the life. Just think about where things begin at the tomb. It begins with Lazarus in the tomb, and the tomb is sealed shut. Meaning, Lazarus' fate is final. In Judaism, there was this belief that the soul would hover around the body for three days, hoping to reenter, but if the soul didn't reenter the body, it was done.

How many days had Lazarus been in the tomb? Four, which means no one was standing around, thinking, "You know what? If I know Lazarus, he's going to bounce back from this thing. He is a fighter. Just watch. He's my boy, and he's coming back from this thing." No. His fate was final. What we all have to understand is if this book is correct, then that is a physical display of our spiritual reality. If we don't know Jesus Christ, we are physically alive but spiritually dead.

Just like a lifeless body is incapable of doing anything, we, in the eyes of God, are incapable of doing anything that would be enough to earn his reward of heaven. We cannot love him enough, and we cannot live for him enough for him to look at us and give us heaven as a reward. It just means we are not spiritually bad people who need to start being good. We are not spiritually weak people who need to start working out by going to church or trying harder. We are spiritually dead people.

Yet what happens when Jesus comes along? When Jesus intersects with Lazarus, what happens? He calls him by name, and he awakens him to life. Lazarus comes out. Oxygen fills his soul. What do you see Lazarus doing in the very next chapter? You see him sitting at the dinner table, enjoying life with Jesus. What you need to know is that's what Jesus does for us. We are dead spiritually until Jesus comes along and calls us by name.

When you put your faith in Jesus, when you surrender your life to Jesus, just as oxygen filled Lazarus' soul, the Spirit of God fills you, and you are alive with God. Jesus Christ has come, he has lived perfectly, he has died a sufficient death, and he has risen from the grave victorious to bring us into a real, enjoyable relationship with God. His resurrection is for our resurrection.

You know what I love? Commentators talk about the fact that Jesus' word was so powerful it was very important that he specified "Lazarus," because if he hadn't specified "Lazarus," all of the graves would have started giving up their dead. Can you imagine? "Come out! My bad, my bad. Just Lazarus today, folks. I'm going to come back for the rest of you, but today I just need Lazarus."

What's the point? The point is Jesus Christ is powerful enough to raise anyone to new life with him. No one is too far gone. There is no one here who cannot experience complete forgiveness of sins. There's nothing that you could come forward and say, "Yeah, but you don't know that I did this or I went there or I was with so-and-so."

No one is too far gone. No one is beyond the bounds of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness of sins is available to every person this morning, but I'll tell you where it starts. It starts with you answering the question Jesus asked Martha. What did Jesus say? He looked at her and said, "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?"

Not "Do you believe it would be a nice thing to start coming to church more?" Not "Do you believe it's important to start living better?" Do you believe this: if you're going to have hope for life one day, it's going to have everything to do with Jesus, and if you're going to have power for life today, it's going to have everything to do with Jesus. What was Martha's response? "You are the Christ." Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life?

If you're one of those people who walked into this place without a relationship with Jesus, yet right now you want to respond…you even sense that Jesus is calling your name, inviting you to come into a relationship with him…then I want to invite you right now to give your life to Jesus. I'd invite you to pray these words.

You can just say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life today? I give my life to you. I realize I am incapable of earning heaven as a reward. Thank you, Jesus, that you died on the cross for me. Thank you that you rose from the dead for me. Would you forgive me of all of my sins, and would you lead me in a new life as my King?" If you're here this morning and you know Jesus in a personal way, let me just ask you… In what areas of your life do you still look dead? Whatever it is, just invite Jesus into that space right now.

Lord Jesus, we celebrate you as the resurrection and the life, the one in whom is our hope for life one day and the one in whom is our power for life today. We need you. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.