The Resurrection & The Life

The vast majority of Americans in our culture believe in some form of life after death, some kind of resurrection, but they don't really know what that's all about. So, open with us to the Gospel of John, chapter 11, as we discover what that is and where it comes from. God is so good! Would you stand with me and take out your Bibles? If you don't have a Bible today, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one.

We are in the Gospel of John, so open to about the middle of your Bible and turn to the right. You'll find Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. We're going to begin reading today in John chapter 20, a couple of verses we looked at several weeks ago at the beginning of our series.

In John chapter 20, we will read starting at verse 30. It is written: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."

Father, as we open the Scriptures, as I often pray, I pray that You would open our hearts, our ears, and our minds so that we would receive from You Your word, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Your word, which we believe is inspired by You and useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, so that we would be equipped for every good work.

So, God, by Your Spirit, would You cause Your word to go deep into our hearts, Lord, that it would bring wisdom, understanding, and application for our lives today? Speak to us, we ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

This summer, we have been studying in the Gospel of John the "I Am" statements of Jesus. The Gospel of John is constructed around seven statements that Jesus made, all beginning with the words "I am."

There are seven sayings of Jesus and also seven signs of Jesus—seven miracles that are written in this book. John states in John chapter 20 that there are many other miracles that Jesus did that are not written in this book, but these ones are written for a purpose. They are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you would have life in His name.

A fascinating aspect of studying the Gospel of John is the connection between the seven "I am" statements and the signs that Jesus performed. For example, the first saying of Jesus, "I am," is found in John chapter 6, where Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life." In that same chapter, He feeds the multitudes with miraculous provision, multiplying the bread for them.

In John chapter 8, Jesus states, "I am the light of the world," and then in John chapter 9, He heals a man who was born blind. This man lived his entire life in darkness until Jesus gave him light and sight. The sign corresponds with the saying. Last week, Pastor Mark taught from John chapter 10, where Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd," and the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. While this saying is not directly accounted for among the seven signs of Jesus in the Gospel of John, we see its fulfillment later on when Jesus gives His life for us during the crucifixion.

As we come to John chapter 11, we will see that the "I am" statement found in this passage corresponds with the miracle He is about to perform—the seventh sign given here. It is important to recognize that many of these signs correspond with the sayings of Jesus because I believe the signs of Jesus authenticate the sayings of Jesus. The message that Jesus delivers, such as "I am the bread of life" and "I am the light of the world," is validated by the miracles He performs. Specifically, the miracle we will see in this passage reinforces this connection.

This brings us to a tipping point because the miracle performed by Jesus in John chapter 11 is the seventh miracle before His death on the cross in the Gospel of John. This last miracle serves as a significant turning point for the religious leaders. If you've been with us through the whole series so far, you know that as we walk through this passage of Scripture, the religious leaders have a growing anger directed at Jesus.

This hostility begins all the way back in John chapter 2 when Jesus went into the temple and turned over the tables of those who were buying, selling, and exchanging money. He drove them out of there, and the anger of the religious leaders starts to build. In John chapter 5, He heals a man who was lame at the Pool of Bethesda in the northern part of Jerusalem, but He did this on the Sabbath day, which was a major issue for the religious leaders. They become so angry that they want Him gone; they want to kill Him.

However, we see a tipping point in John chapter 11 after this seventh miracle. If we skip down to verse 47, we read that the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this man works many signs." They cannot disagree with that; this Jesus is performing miracles. They realize that if they let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both their place and the nation. They fear that if they allow this man to continue His work, they will lose their power.

One of them, Caiaphas, being the high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all." I think he is saying they do not understand the extent of the problem here, nor do they consider that it is expedient for them that one man should die for the people, and that not the whole nation should perish. He is making the case that this Jesus has to go.

In verse 53, we see that from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. It is important to acknowledge that these are the religious leaders, the individuals who are supposed to lead the nation of Israel in righteousness and right behavior. Now, they are deliberating on how to eliminate Jesus.

With one another, how can we put Him to death? They are looking for an opportunity; they are plotting together how they would put Him to death. But what pushes them to this?

Well, back up to John chapter 11, verse 1. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. If you have gone through the Gospels before, these names stick out to you because you have read of them before. Mary and Martha, and you’ve heard the name Lazarus before. So, we are given the problem at the beginning of this plot that’s going to thicken as we go through it. Lazarus was sick, and he was from the town of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.

John is giving us some context because probably the readers of the Gospel of John, and John was the last Gospel to be written after Matthew, Mark, and Luke, had probably read Luke's Gospel. They remember that story, so he says this is the same Mary who anointed Jesus's feet. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. Therefore, the sisters sent to Him, sent to Jesus, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

Do you know what that is? When they sent to Jesus and said, "He whom You love is sick," that’s what we call prayer. That’s what we might refer to as supplication or petitions; sometimes it’s referred to as intercession. They are sending up word to Jesus and saying, "Listen, he whom You love, Lazarus, he is sick."

This brings us to a very simple point: it is good to pray for those in need. Now, there’s nothing profound about that point. I think if you’ve been a part of a church, this church or any church, for any length of time, you know that’s true. That’s revealed in the Scriptures a number of times. We see it not only revealed in the Scriptures but we see it played out in churches all over this country and throughout the world. It is good to pray for those who are in need.

This church prays for many people who are in need. Just a few minutes ago, I shared with you about the prayer card, and this is the stack of prayer cards we got last week. Every week, we get about this many prayer cards, and we divide these between our staff on Tuesday mornings. We pray for every prayer need in the church, and then there’s a group that gathers on Wednesdays and prays for these in the moms' room across the way. If you’re ever available at noon on a...

On Wednesday, you can come and pray for these as well. It is very clearly seen in our own church that we understand the truth of this: it is good to pray for those who are in need. When we pray for those who are in need, we pray with expectancy, we pray with hope, and we pray in faith that God hears us. Not only do we trust that God hears, but we also trust that God answers. That is our trust when we come before God in prayer.

The vast majority of Americans, in poll after poll, say that they pray. Whether it is Gallup polling them, Pew Research, or any number of different research firms, the majority of Americans pray in faith, hoping that God will hear and that God will answer. However, there is a problem in this passage.

Look at verse five and verse six. The two sisters sent a message to Jesus: "He whom you love is sick." Then we read in verse five that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. He loved them. So, in verse six, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. This does not seem to fit with verse five; it seems like a sharp deviation. Jesus loved Mary and Lazarus, so he decided not to come to them. That just does not fit.

We assume that when we read verse six, it is going to say that he left what he was doing and went up to Bethany. That is what we want it to say, but that is not what it says. We think that if Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus—and the word for love here is the highest form of love used in the New Testament—he should drop what he is doing and take care of the immediate need they are facing in that moment. Yet, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.

Have you ever felt like Jesus is dealing with your pressing problems and needs in that way? It sometimes seems like he is just too busy dealing with whatever he is dealing with to address your issue. This can be our experience of life.

We are praying, and as we were asking others to pray, it seems to us that Jesus is busy, or He is not listening, or He is delaying. In this, we have to ask the question: why? Why did Jesus respond in this way? We assume that if God truly does love us, then He will intervene on our behalf in the moment that we call out to Him. That's our expectation because we think that is how love is expressed. In that instant, when we have a need, it should be taken care of. If He doesn't do that, then clearly He doesn't love me, or maybe He's not there.

I can't tell you how many conversations I've had over the years. I can remember a very specific conversation with a man who is now an atheist but once went to church. In talking with him, I discovered the root of the problem. He said, "Listen, my dad had cancer. I prayed for him; he didn't get healed. He died, so God didn't show up. Either He's not there, or He's a jerk." That’s what he believed. There are people who assume that is the case.

Why did Jesus respond in this way? Well, you may have noticed I skipped over verse 4. Look at verse 4: "Lord, he whom You love is sick." In verse 3, when Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now, we may not like this, and there’s a good chance you won't like this reality, but point number two is that God has more concern for His glory than my immediate well-being. There is a part of me, part of us—maybe a big part of us—that has a really hard time with that truth. God has more concern for His glory than my immediate well-being.

Why do we have a hard time with that? Well, because my biggest concern is my immediate well-being. I don't think I'm alone in that. That's my biggest concern in pretty much every situation. Our problems consume our attention. Our concerns are our biggest concern. You might share with me the problems that you are going through, and I might express concern. I probably will even pray for you. Let me pray for you.

To say it within about 20 minutes of leaving that situation, I might have forgotten why, because I'm more concerned about the fact that I'm hungry, I'm tired, or I don't feel well. Whatever it may be, we have ourselves at the center of our concerns and assume that everybody else should be as well. If you love me, then you will have my concerns high above anything else.

However, God's prime concern is His glory, and we have a hard time with that. I know we do. I had a conversation for about 10 minutes after the first service with a woman who struggled with that reality. God's prime concern is His glory. Now, does that mean He does not concern Himself with us? No, that is not what the Scriptures reveal. We do have God revealed in the Scriptures as personally engaged in our lives, and the Scriptures even say He is concerned for those things that concern us.

But in the hierarchy of God's values, His glory is chief; it is at the top. Somewhere down the line is His concern for my eternal position, and then He does have concern for my well-being in the moment, but it ranks lower on the list. We might have a hard time with that, but that's just the reality of what we find in the Scriptures.

As we walk through the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, we begin to see that this situation is going to be used for something significant. First, it is going to be used to bring greater revelation of Jesus' true nature. I shared in our very first study in John several weeks ago that the Gospel of John was written in a way to accomplish that. It revolves around the seven sayings and seven signs of Jesus to show His true nature. These are written so that you might believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you might have life in His name.

So, this pressing situation for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, the most important thing in their lives, is going to be used to reveal the true nature of Jesus. Secondly, it is going to be used to glorify Jesus as great power. Given that, when we are going through a pressing situation, it is highly likely that a good number of you sitting here right now are experiencing some pressing issue in your life. Maybe it's work-related, family-related, or has to do with your marriage.

Your kids may be going through some pressing situations right now, and it could relate to your own personal health or the health of someone you love. You may have filled out a prayer card or been praying for this for an extended period of time, wondering where God is and why He has not shown up in this situation. In the midst of that, at the very least, you have to ask the question: Is God trying to reveal something of His nature to me or through me in this?

Jesus says in this passage, "This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God and the revelation of who He is." So we have to ask that question: God, are You in this situation seeking to reveal something of Your nature to me or through me? Furthermore, God, how can You glorify Yourself in the midst of this situation in my life or through my life? Those are hard questions to ask. I don't want to diminish the depth of turmoil that you might go through, as we wrestle with those questions and the answers to them. That struggle is very real.

However, God is seeking to do something in this situation. In thinking about how God can glorify Himself through this situation, I was reminded of a saying from another preacher I have listened to many times: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." I was wrestling with that thought this week, and generally, I find that I am most satisfied in my comfort, my happiness, and my momentary well-being.

For example, when I land at Newark Airport with my wife and they announce, "Sorry, your flight is delayed," or "You're not going to get on the next flight; you missed your flight," I am not happy. It did mean that I went to Times Square and had pizza, which was great, but I'm still not happy. My demeanor changes because I'm kind of upset that it hasn't worked out the way I thought it should or would.

So, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. I am trying to learn to be most satisfied in Him and not just satisfied in the benefits.

The blessings of knowing Him can be hard. There’s a difficult lesson here. Jesus said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now, I’m sure many of you may know the outcome of this story. Perhaps you’re already reading ahead—stop it—or you’ve read it before. Spoiler alert: Lazarus dies. This presents a little bit of an issue because Jesus said this sickness is not unto death.

So, either Jesus was wrong, which I have a hard time accepting, or perhaps—and this is speculation, not Bible interpretation—maybe it wasn’t the sickness that killed him. Maybe it was the treatment they tried to give him for the sickness. Maybe it was the fact that they didn’t treat him because they expected that Jesus would show up.

More likely, Jesus has a longer view in mind when He says the sickness is not unto death. He knows what He’s going to do in response to what takes place. That’s more likely. So, I’m stretching a bit by saying maybe they treated him to the point that it killed him, or maybe they didn’t treat him at all. Whatever the case, Jesus knows there’s something bigger going on, and He’s trying to express that to His disciples. The bigger issue is that this illness is for the glory of God and the revelation of the Son of God, Jesus.

Look at verse 7. In John 11:7, it says, "Then after this, He said to His disciples." This is some time after the previous events because verse 6 states that He spent two more days where He was after He received the news. Then, after this, He said to His disciples, "Let’s go to Judea again."

Now, a little bit of geography is helpful. The city of Jerusalem is located in Judea, and Bethany is two miles east of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is in the county of Judea, just like we have San Diego County in San Diego City. So, Jerusalem is at the center of Judea, and Jesus is outside of there somewhere. John chapter 10 tells us where He went at the end of that chapter; He’s somewhere near the Jordan River in Israel, where John the Baptist had been ministering.

After spending a couple of days doing whatever work He was doing—preaching, healing, or whatever it may be—He says to His disciples, "Let’s go to Judea." His disciples kind of dragged their feet.

The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, Teacher, lately the Jews sought to stone You, to kill You, and You're going to go there again?" It’s as if they felt the need to remind Jesus of the danger. Have you ever felt you need to remind Jesus of things? I'm sure you have. They wanted to remind Him that people wanted to kill Him.

As we go through this, there’s a good possibility they were saying this for themselves. Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of the world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him."

These things He said, and after that, He told them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go to wake him up." There is so much discussion about these two verses, with all kinds of Bible teachers offering interpretations. I have no idea what Jesus is talking about when He goes off into this poetic discourse about nighttime and daytime and walking in the light. There’s a lot of speculation on this, and I could come up with all kinds of interpretations. However, I think Jesus's disciples were probably thinking, "What is He talking about?"

Then His disciples said, "Look, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well." They took Jesus very literally, while Jesus was speaking symbolically. He said, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep; I'm going to go wake him up." They responded, "If he's asleep, he'll wake up. We don't need to put our lives on the line; let's stay here. Everything's just fine down by the Jordan River."

However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought He was speaking about taking rest and sleep. Then Jesus said plainly to them, "Lazarus is dead." How much more do I need to say to you? Lazarus is dead, and I'm glad. What am I glad about? I'm glad for your sake. He says, "I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe."

These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His name. Jesus delayed because He had a purpose in His delay. "I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him."

Point number three: Jesus allows difficult circumstances to unfold for a reason.

Stretching and strengthening our faith is something I've experienced in my life. I know quite a few of you, and I know your stories. I know you've experienced this in your life as well. Let me be really clear and candid: I do not always like Jesus's methods. I like the outcomes, but I'm not particularly fond of His plans and His ways. This means that there are pretty regular times when I find myself complaining about His methods. I complain in prayer; it's very spiritual complaining, but it's still complaining.

I can identify with Israel as recorded in the book of Exodus and Numbers, and their murmuring and complaining. I read through those passages and think, "Yeah, that's me. That's what I would be doing—murmuring and complaining." I think that Jesus's disciples were very similar to us in this regard. They were not super spiritual. If you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it becomes really clear, really quickly. Peter, James, John, Thomas, Bartholomew—all these guys were not super spiritual. In fact, many times they were kind of cynical.

Some of the cynicism and skepticism come out in this passage. Look at Thomas's response to Jesus's words in John 11:16. Just to understand, later on, Thomas is referred to in church history as "Doubting Thomas." He says, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

Now, there are two general interpretations of this. One is the super spiritual Thomas interpretation: "Look at this spiritual tongue; let us go with Jesus; we will die with Him." Then there's the interpretation that I ascribe to, which is the not-so-super-spiritual, cynical, skeptical one: "Let us go up to Jerusalem. I look just like Him."

Let's die with him. That sounds like a great plan. Why do I think that? Because I'm skeptical and cynical. That seems like something I might say in that situation.

In this, I think there's a real danger for me and for us. There is a real danger when things aren't exactly going the way we want, think, or expect them to. We can easily slide toward cynicism. We can easily slip into a skeptical, doubting, distrusting, pessimistic, negative mindset. Let me just say that doubt, pessimism, cynicism, and skepticism are not spiritual. They are not Christian hallmarks; they are indicative of my fallen, sinful nature. We have to be on guard because it's very easy to slide into that.

Let me confess that for those in ministry, it is often easy to fall into cynicism. I see it in myself, and I'm challenged by the Lord when that begins to happen.

In John 11:17, when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been dead in the tomb for four days. It seems pretty hopeless. Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. Verse 18 says that many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. He shows up, but he shows up awfully late. It seems like we are beyond the expiration date; it's not the best situation. He delays, but he delays on purpose. "I'm glad that I wasn't there for this purpose," he says.

I have experienced, as time has gone by, that God often delays. There is a saying that God is never late, but He is rarely early. Recently, when I was interacting with other pastors in different areas, like when I was in Scandinavia last week, I found that a lot of times, as pastors are talking, they ask how things are in Southern California and how things are at the church that I pastor.

I realized that one of the common responses I keep bringing up is that nothing ever seems to happen at the speed that I would like it to. I was challenged by my own words after I said this for the third time last week. It was as if the Lord caught that word for me and said, "Really?" I realized that my timetable is not always the way that God measures time. I am challenged to just leave it with the Lord and say, "Lord, Your timing is best." That is a hard lesson to learn.

In John 11:20, as soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha was ready to meet with Jesus. As soon as she heard that He was coming, she ran out to where He was, outside the city of Bethany, a small town near Jerusalem. It seems that she went to Him quickly because, in one sense, she had a bone to pick with Him.

Martha said to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Have you ever prayed that kind of prayer? "Lord, if only You had..." It’s kind of the waving finger prayer. If only You had been here, then this would not have happened. If only You had been here, Lazarus would not have died.

That comment expresses a level of faith: had You been here, You had the power to heal him. But there is also a level of doubt in that statement because it seems to imply that now that You are here, he is dead for four days. I don’t know that You have that power anymore. So, there is faith, but it is mixed with doubt.

Mixed with unbelief, that's all of us. We all kind of wrestle in that place. But then she gives a statement of faith. In verse 22, she says, "But even now I know." She does not say, "Even now I think," or "Even now I hope," or "Even though I kind of believe." She says, "Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you."

Then Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha replied, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." You see, Martha had belief, as the majority of the people in Israel in the first century did, in some form of afterlife. It was unclear to them exactly what that was, but she was with the majority.

There were kind of two different schools of thought in Jerusalem in that day. There was a group called the Sadducees that did not believe in the resurrection. Like has been said, that's why they were sad, you see. That's a bit of pastor humor right there—pastor jokes, like dad jokes. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. The larger group, the Pharisees, did believe in the coming resurrection. They did not know what that was; it was very unclear and dark to them. However, they believed in some sort of afterlife and some sort of resurrection.

Do you realize that over 80 percent of Americans believe in an afterlife? They may not know what that is; it's not entirely clear to them, but they believe in it and hope for it. So Martha says, "I know that he will rise again at the resurrection in the last day." She is in the place that most of your neighbors, friends, family members, co-workers, and peers are at. They believe in something after this. If you ask them, "Do you believe in heaven or some sort of afterlife?" they might say, "Yeah, I kind of believe in that," but they don't have all the details.

Martha didn't have all the details and didn't fully understand it. Remember, this is to reveal the true nature of Jesus. Here, Jesus said to her, in His first I Am statement in verse 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." He is clarifying what is unclear to her and to many. What is that afterlife thing all about? He says, "I am the resurrection and the life."

How do I lay hold of that? He continues, "He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet he shall live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." Here’s the important forward.

Do you believe this? Jesus tests our faith to reveal His greatness. He tests our faith to reveal His greatness. "I am the resurrection and the life." To reveal this, He had to bring her to the place of hoping for a resurrection that wasn't entirely clear. The only way to do that was to bring her to the place where he, whom she loved—her brother Lazarus—was gone, and it seemed hopeless. It seemed beyond the realm of possibility that there was going to be a resurrection of life, at least not now. Maybe there was some hope for the future, but He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Point number five: the greatness of Christ's power is accessible by faith, to which Jesus asks that important question, "Do you believe this?" Notice her response in John 11:27. She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world." What was the theme verse of John that we read at the very beginning? In John 20:30, it states, "These things are written that you may believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

"Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God." When she had said these things, in verse 28, she went her way and secretly called Mary, her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come; He is calling for you." As soon as Mary heard that, she rose quickly and came to Him.

Now Jesus, in verse 30, had not yet come into the town but was in a place where Martha met Him. The Jews who were with her in the house and comforting Mary, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."

When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." That was the view of Martha. Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her, He was moved.

With her weeping, He groaned in His spirit and was troubled. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept, the smallest verse in the Bible. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him." Some said, "Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying?" Maybe He could have, but now it's hopeless.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, objected. She said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say that if you would believe, you would

Sat by his door, waiting for just the scraps that came from the rich man's table, both of them were carried to the afterlife. There, in the afterlife, the rich man was in torment, it says, in a flame. The man who had been a beggar was in this place of comfort, being comforted by Abraham.

The man who was in torment looked upon the gulf that was in between them and said to Abraham, "Hey, Abraham, just allow him to dip his finger in the water and touch it to my tongue because I'm in torment in this flame." Abraham replied, "Listen, in your life you had things good, but this man not so much. Now you're tormented, and he is comforted."

The rich man then said, "Let him go back from the dead so that my brothers would not come here." The beggar's name was Lazarus, which is interesting. In Jesus's story in the Gospel of Luke, the rich man insisted that if one goes back from the dead, they would listen.

So how did the chief priests respond to the man raised from the dead? They determined that they should kill Jesus, and not only Jesus; they decided they should kill Lazarus again. They couldn't have any evidence of that whole raising someone from the dead.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." Do you believe this? That's the question we wrestle with.

Most Americans believe in an afterlife. Jesus says, "I am the way, the door, the path, the Shepherd that leads to that afterlife." Do you believe this? That's the question our culture wrestles with. It's a heavy question.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, we come and stand before you now, having received from your Word. We pray, God, that you'd cause your Word...

To have its work in us, we thank You that the Scriptures say the prophets foretold that Your word would not return void, but it would accomplish what You set it forth to do. We thank You for the power of Your word, God. May You use the word that we've looked at today to encourage and strengthen those who are in a place right now where they are wrestling with some difficulty—something that has been weighing upon them, whether it be a health problem, a family issue, or a financial issue. Whatever it may be, Lord, help them to cast their care, their burden, upon You, because the Scripture says You do care for us. You have a purpose and a plan in the midst of whatever it is we're going through.

Lord, I pray that this truth would be an encouragement to some today. I trust that as we're standing here, there are some gathered in this place who realize that they have not yet trusted in You as the resurrection and the life in their lives. I have to believe that as You are lifted up here today, Jesus, You are drawing people to come to Yourself. So, would You draw those people now?

If that's you today and you realize that you've not put your faith in Jesus, or maybe you've strayed from that faith because you felt like Jesus didn't show up, I want you to know that God has a bigger plan in view for His purpose in your life than you might realize. He is calling you to come. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me shall never perish." Do you believe this?

If you'd like to put your trust and faith in Jesus, as we are in an attitude of prayer this morning, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it? Is there anyone here today? God bless you, I see you. Am I right? Anyone else? Lift your hand up high. Right here in the middle, I see you. There in the back, I see you. God bless you. Is there anyone outside?

If that's you, I want to lead you in a prayer of faith today, putting your trust in Jesus as the resurrection and the life for you. So, if that's you, would you follow me in prayer right now? Just pray this where you're at, out loud: "Dear Jesus, I know I need You. I realize that I'm far from You. I pray that You'd come and restore my life. You come fill my heart."

That you would forgive me of my sin. Help me to follow You by faith, trusting in You, Jesus.