John 11:25 - I Am The Resurrection and the Life


ANDREA MENDOZA
Wake Service



John 11:25,  “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  26, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

Jesus’s friend Lazarus had passed away.   Both Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha were deeply mourning.  So much was their despair that they said to Jesus upon seeing him, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v.21 with Martha and v 32 with Mary).  

What does Jesus feel in occasions like this? 
  •  He is sad – v. 33, (also, v. 38 – deeply moved).  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 
  • He mourns – v.35,  Jesus wept.

At the end, He did perform a miracle of raising Lazarus.  This is undeniably the most remarkable proof that Jesus is God.   The time the book of John was written, many of those who lived during this time were still alive.  If this did not happen, it could been easy to discount the validity of this record.   Jesus is God and this book is historically valid.   You can depend on this record and you can trust its promises.

What promise did He give to Mary and Martha who was mourning over the passing away of a love one?   John 11:25,  “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live even though they die;  26, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?” 

The source:  Jesus
Who is the source of the resurrection and the life?   The promise points back to Jesus.   “I am” he said.  

“I am” is a strong phrase.  In the Old Testament, when Moses asked God the Father, ”When I go down to Egypt and the people ask me who sent me, what shall I tell them (Ex. 3:13)?  God said, “You tell them that I AM sent you.”  Conservative Jews revered this name that not even one dare mention it.  When a Jew will read aloud, they will substitute it with the name Adonai or Hashem.  When a scribe would write the Heb name of I Am in Hebrew, he would ceremonially cleanse himself, come back to the scriptorium, choose a new quill and write the name[1].     

It is a precious name and Jesus claims that name and uses it to himself in fact in the gospels in seven ways: 

  1.  John 6:35 - “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger”
  2.  John 8:12 - Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”
  3.  John 10:9 - Jesus said, “I am the door”
  4.  John 15:1 - Jesus said, “I am the true vine”
  5.  John 10:11 - Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”
  6.  John 11:25 - “I am the resurrection and the life.” 
  7.  John 14:6 - “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”


The first five is an I AM for our everyday living.   The sixth is an I AM for our eternal living   The seventh is an I AM for both.  

Jesus is the I AM.   It’s not any other person.  It’s not through a person and then to Jesus.  It’s not a religion nor by performing rituals. 

What is He A source of?  Resurrection and the Life.
What is Jesus a source of?  Resurrection and the Life.  Jesus is the source of things in our time here on earth, and He is the source of things after-earth.  

Those who will go through Jesus will be resurrected to life.   The bible speaks many kinds of resurrection[2] but they can be fairly summed up this way:   Resurrection to Death and Resurrection to Life.   At the end people will only have two options:  your eternal consciousness apart from God (death) or with God (life).  

  • Resurrection to eternal death:   Rev. 20:14 - 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
  •  Resurrection to eternal life;   1 Thes. 4:16-17 - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
How can one take part of the resurrection to life? 

The Means to Resurrection and the Life:   Believe in Him and Live for Him

Believe in Jesus

How can one be a part of the resurrection to life?   The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  Your first step to have resurrection to life is to believe in Jesus. 
To believe does not simply mean to “know.”  It means to respond and accept.  Simply knowing and looking at a Tylenol pill doesn’t take away my headache.   You might say, “but I believe!!” “I believe!!”  Did it cure you?   No.   You have to accept the truth and respond to it.  
To believe in Jesus, the same way,  means to accept and to respond to Him.  If you know Jesus will usher you to the resurrected life, you have to accept and respond.  

To accept means …You have to accept that He is the way to life, He died on the cross so you will have life, he paid for your sins so you will be forgiven. 

To respond means…
You have to take action on this information that you have received.   Your first action is to repent of your sins.  It means you realize that someone else paid for your sins.  You realize that you have sinned against God.     Your next action is to receive him in your life.  You receive Him as Lord of Your life and make Him God to empower you to have a new life.

This leads us to the second point that Jesus make out.  If you want to have resurrection unto life, You have to believe but secondly, you have to live for Him. 

Live For Jesus

I’m sure some of us have the idea that we need to die for Jesus.  That’s noble.  But Jesus wants more than that –He want that you Live for Him.
·         Talk To Him through prayer. 
·         Let Him talk to you through His Word. 
·         Spend time with Him.  Out of seven days, he asks that we spend time with at least one day.   Where can I spend time with God in this one day?  At church. 
·         Follow Him.  Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart, all your soul and all your mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself. 

CONCLUSION

Listen to how Jesus closes this one statement:   John 11:25,  “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  26, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

Aunty Andrea is a simple woman.   I see her as near perfect, but I’m sure all of us will agree she is not perfect.   Let me ask you?  Do you think she believed in Jesus?  And again, she is not perfect, but let me ask you - Do think she lived for Jesus?  Then on the basis on what Jesus said in John 11:25, what do you think she has?   Resurrection to life. 

If this was your funeral and I ask the same questions to the people… would they answer the same way.  If your answer is no, then come to Jesus.  

This is a poem on what it means to live for Jesus…. Click here to hear the song. 

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
 Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall, so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Father, thank you for reminding us that there is more to life than what we have now.   But the reality is, some of us might not be resurrected to life.  Would you call us unto you today?  Would you make us believe in Jesus and would you help us live for him.  In Jesus Name.   



[2] http://www.bibleresearch.org/prophecybook2/b2w16.html  speaks of the Four General Resurrections: (1) at the return of Christ is for the righteous dead of all ages (Rev. 20:4-6; 12); (2) national Israel who have never even had an opportunity for salvation (Ezek 37); (3) for all those who lived and died, and never had opportunity for salvation (Rev. 20:5, 13); (4) the second death for the incorrigible sicked who intentionally disobey and reject God (Rev. 20:14-15; 21:8; Dan. 12:2).    

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