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NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
JOHN 11:25-26
Introduction
(Tell the story of the death of Lazarus and the delay of Jesus from verses 1-24.)
I. JESUS SAID “I AM. . .”
“Am” here is a verb of timelessness. Jesus was saying “I am now, I have always been, and I always will be.”
There is a statement made by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 8:58 which pointed to Christ’s claim of Deity where He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was I am.”
When Jesus said “I am” there he was speaking of His eternal nature. He was saying
“I have always been and always will be.”
“I AM” is the name that God used when Moses asked who it was that he was supposed to tell the children of Israel had sent him.
Exodus 3:14-15–“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
“I AM” refers there to the timeless nature of God. Jesus claimed to be the great “I AM!” In other words, He claimed to be God in the flesh!
John referred to him in the Book of Revelation 1:4 as “him which is, and which was, and which is to come;”
Before we move on, I want you to see that there are seven expressions in the Gospel of John where it is recorded that Jesus used this expression “I am” regarding specific things about Himself:
A. Christ said, “I am the Bread of Life.” (John 6:35-51)
John 6:51–“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
His flesh was the bread that was given so that those who partake of Him never hunger spiritually again. Partaking of Him feeds the soul and gives eternal life. We partake of that “bread” by accepting by faith what Christ has done for us.
B. Christ said, “I am the Light of the World.” (John 8:12; John 9:5)
John 8:12–“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Walking in darkness causes uncertainty. Walking in darkness causes danger.
But, Jesus turns the light on! He is the light of the World!
C. Christ said, “I am the Door of the Sheep.” (John 10:7-9)
Jesus was saying that He is the entrance into the place of shelter.
D. Christ said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” (John 10:11-14)
Jesus was saying that He cares for His own!
When you come to Jesus you have somebody who cares for you!
A Good Shepherd is always with His sheep!
A Good Shepherd is willing to give His life for His sheep!
A Good Shepherd always has the sheep’s interest in mind! (Psalm 23)
A Good Shepherd knows His sheep and is known by His sheep!
E. Christ said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (John 11:25)
Here in our text. We’ll leave this one alone and come back to it in a moment.
F. Christ said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)
1. Christ Is The Way!
a. He is the only way to God!
Matthew 7:13-14–“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
b. He is the only way of escape from temptation!
1 Corinthians 10:13–“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
c. He is the way into the presence of God!
Ephesians 2:18–“For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Hebrews 10:19–says that we have“. . . boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,”
d. He is the new and living way!
Hebrews 10:20–“By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”
e. He is the way of truth!
2 Peter 2:2–“And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
f. He is the right way!
2 Peter 2:15–“Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray. . .”
g. He is the way of righteousness!
2 Peter 2:21–“For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
2. Christ Is The Truth!
a. He is the Truth of God that sets free!
John 8:32–“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:36–“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
b. He is the Teacher and Source of Truth!
This word “truth” is used by Jesus 24 times in the Gospel of John.
John 1:14–“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.”
John 1:17–“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
3. Christ Is The Life!
This word “life” is used 35 times in the Gospel of John, but I also want to leave this one alone for a minute and come back and deal with it when we look at our text.
G. Christ said, “I am the True Vine.” (John 15:1-6)
The vine being the source of life to the branches that are in it.
Just as the branches are powerless to produce fruit apart from the vine, so also we are powerless to produce fruit unless we are in Christ and abide in Christ!
I. JESUS SAID “I AM.”
II. JESUS SAID “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. . .”
When Jesus told Martha, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), We’ve already said that He used a verb of timelessness–“am”.
Understand that there has never been a moment in history (history past, present, or future) when Jesus’ power to give life was limited.
There was nothing that limited Jesus as He stood before Martha.
There is nothing that limits Jesus right now—in our present.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, the ultimate Power and Authority in all of the universe.
There are two things that I want you to see here:
A. Jesus Is The Source Of All Life–Physical And Spiritual. (Vs 25b; 43)
John 1:3–“All things were made by him [Christ]; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Colossians 1:16–“For by him [Christ}were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Ephesians 3:9–“God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”
Hebrews 1:3–“Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
Revelation 4:11–“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
B. Jesus Is The Source Of Eternal Life. (Vs 26a)
John 1:4–“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
John 3:16-20–“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
John 3:36–“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
John 5:24–“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto 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 John 5:11-12–“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
Jesus Is the Source Of Physical and Spiritual Life.
Jesus Is the Source Of Eternal Life.
III. “BELIEVEST THOU THIS?” (Vs 26)
Why should you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
The apostles throughout the New Testament appealed to two areas of Christ’s life to establish His Messiahship: (i.e. the anointed one of God sent to Redeem Man.)
A. Fulfilled Messianic Prophecy.
If we had the time this morning, I could take you through 60 Old Testament prophecies that relate to the Lord Jesus Christ and then go to the New Testament and show you their fulfillment in Him.
Some might object and say, “well fulfilled prophecy in Jesus was deliberate. Jesus just rigged it.”
That objection might sound good were it not for the fact that many of the prophecies concerning the Messiah were totally beyond the control of Jesus.
That is unless He was who He said He was!
(i.e. Place, time and manner of His birth; His betrayal; the manner of His death; people’s reactions; the fact that He would be pierced; the place of His burial.)
Some might say, “well it was just a coincident; an accident.”
Well, if we were talking about one or two prophecies that might be the case.
But not all 60 prophecies.
Josh McDowell records on page 175 of his book “Evidence That Demands A Verdict” that by using the modern science of probability in reference to just eight prophecies, a mathematician by the name of Professor Peter Stoner computed the chance that any man might have lived down to the year 1963 and fulfilled eight selected prophecies. There was one chance in ten to the seventeenth power. His work has been independently authenticated.
When he considered 48 prophecies, the number is one in ten to the 157th power.
Why should you believe what Jesus said?– Fulfilled Prophecy.
B. The Resurrection.
The reason we celebrate this special day called Easter.
Romans 1:4 says that Jesus, “. . .declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”
Acts 1:3 says that Jesus, “shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:”
Quickly I want to touch 10 areas you should consider:
1. His Public Execution Assured His Death.
2. A High Official Secured The Gravesite To Prevent Theft. (Pilate)
3. In Spite Of The Guards, The Stone Was Rolled Away And The Grave Was Found Empty.
4. There Were Many People Who Claimed To Have Seen Him Alive.
(1 Corinthians 15:5-8)
5. His Apostles Were Dramatically Changed.
They went from great fear to fearless!
6. The Witnesses Of His Resurrection Were Willing To Die For Their Claims.
7. Jewish Believers Changed Their Day Of Worship From The Sabbath To The First Day Of The Week.
Jesus rose again on the first day of the week.
8. Although His Death, Burial, And Resurrection Was Unexpected, It Was Clearly Predicted.
9. The Resurrection Was A Fitting Climax To Such A Miraculous Life.
10. It Fits The Experience Of Those Who Trust Him.
Conclusion
What do you believe? What you believe will determine your destiny!
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!