THE AUTHOR OF THE RESURRECTION
JOHN 11:25-26
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26- And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Introduction:
Lazarus was dead and buried when Jesus arrive in Bethany. He had purposely delayed His coming that He might demonstrate the POWER and GLORY OF GOD that rested upon Him.
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that day with only His word. Jesus prayed to the Father and then he spoke, “Lazarus, come forth.” In verses 44-45 we read, “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.”
I. THE SON OF GOD HAS THE POWER OF LIFE
A. Jesus Christ IS LIFE, John 1:4, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
1. The Apostle John called Him “the Word of Life,” 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
2. John did see a man alive, rather he saw LIFE ITSELF, 1 John 1:2, “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)”
B. Jesus is THE WAY TO LIFE, John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
1. He is the HIGHWAY to life, Isaiah 35:8, “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”
2. He as the incarnate Son of God, is the ONLY WAY to the Father, John 1:1, 14, 18, ¶ “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
C. Jesus is THE POWER OF LIFE, John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
1. By faith in Christ is the sinner made alive spiritually, Ephesians 2:1, 5, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
2. The Son of God raises from the dead whom He will, John 5:21, “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
D. Jesus Christ calls mankind forth out of the darkness of unbelief, Psalms 107:14, “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.”
1. He calls those out who sit in the shadow of death which is darkness with danger, Psalms 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
2. He calls us into His marvelous light, 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
II. THE HOUR OF THE RESURRECTION
A. The hour is coming, John 5:25,28-29, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
B. Jesus Christ will recover the bodies of the dead believers and make them live, Isaiah 38:16, “O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.”
1. Job had that hope, Job 19:26, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:”
2. Isaiah prophesied it, Isaiah 26:19, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”
3. The Apostle Paul preached it:
a. He preached our resurrection because Jesus was resurrected by the Father, Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
b. Paul used baptism as a symbol of the resurrection of the believer, Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
4. Even Moses preached the resurrection, Luke 20:37, “Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
CONCLUSION:
God is not the God of the dead but of the living, Matthew 22:32, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Therefore those that come unto the Lord in faith He makes alive. However, some will not come, John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”