The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25–26)

Transcript

JR 41
4/20/2025
The Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25-26
Jesse Randolph

Well, good morning and a happy resurrection Sunday. Happy Easter again to you all. The grave could not keep Him. Death could not win. The tomb is empty. Praise the Lord.
Well, one of the most famous Christian theologians of the past 50 years has been a man named D.A. Carson. He’s a prolific theologian. And when I say prolific, I mean prolific. Carson has served as a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for many decades now. He’s written over 60 books. When you count books that he’s co-authored or edited, that number jumps up to over 200 books that he’s been involved with. He’s written hundreds more journal articles, reviews, short-form papers, essays and the like. And by his own estimates, he reads over 500 books a year. Now, by my last count, we only have 365 days in a year, so you can go ahead and do the math on how prolific this man is. He has been extraordinarily productive and prolific in his ministry.

Well, it was just a few months ago, it was just this past Christmas, in fact, that Carson wrote a letter to those who follow his ministry to announce that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. And that effective immediately he was stepping out of public ministry. And in that letter, Carson wrote these words to encourage those who have benefited from his ministry all these years. He wrote: “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.”

What an incredibly godly and helpful perspective, wouldn’t you say? “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.” Here’s this man who has been so incredibly productive for the cause of Christ. Who now, because of his diagnosis, has been really forced to ‘hang ‘em up.’
And his reaction to the news is not to sulk or stew or shake his fist upward at the God who dealt him this diagnosis. Instead, his reaction is to glorify God. By encouraging those who have benefited from his ministry, with those words of hope: “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.”

Now, in what sense was Carson using those words? In what sense was he referring to the resurrection? Of course, in a day like today, Resurrection Sunday, where the world is celebrating with eggs and bunnies and pastels, we who are believers in Jesus Christ are celebrating the fact that the Savior of the world overcame death and was risen to life. That’s the resurrection that we’re naturally thinking about and singing about and reflecting upon this morning. Remembering that the tomb is still empty. That Jesus rose from the grave. That’s why we’re all saying out there: “He is Risen; He is risen indeed!”

But did you know that if you were to survey the scriptures, you would see resurrections? Incidents where individuals were raised up, brought back to life, in all sorts of different places.
In the Old Testament there’s the account of the resurrection of the widow’s son in Zarephath, in 1 Kings 17. Don’t worry, I’m not preaching that text this morning. There’s the account of the resurrection of the Shunammite’s son in 2 Kings 4. The resurrection of the man thrown into Elisha’s grave in 2 Kings 13. Then there are those parts of the Old Testament where there are those individuals who are looking forward hundreds of years down the path, who were looking forward to a day where God’s followers, His righteous ones, would be resurrected.

We think of the book of Job, an old, old, Old Testament book, where the book’s namesake says this, in Job 19:25, we sung these lyrics this morning: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will rise up over the dust of this world.” And then he goes on to say in Job 19:26: “Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall still behold God.” If you know the story of Job, you know that Job was a man who suffered much. He went through this sequence of tragic events. He lost property. He lost possessions. He lost family. But what he was expressing in that passage, Job 19:26, is that even if he were to go on suffering all the way to the grave, even if his physical body were to decay, he would one day after his death see God in his flesh. He in his flesh would see God, meaning in his resurrected state.

Then there’s David, later on, king of Israel, who lived 1,000 years before Jesus. Who in Psalm 16:10, alluded to his own future day of resurrection. He said: “For You will not forsake my soul to Sheol; You will not give Your Holy One over to see corruption.”
Then there’s the prophet Isaiah, writing some 700 years before Jesus, who was even more direct about the reality of a future resurrection. In Isaiah 26:19 he says: “Your dead will live; their corpses will rise.”

And you get over to the New Testament. And we see much of the same. There are several different individuals who we’re told, in the New Testament were risen, who were resurrected. Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5. The young man at Nais, in Luke 7. Tabitha in Acts 9. Eutychus in Acts 20. And as we see in the Old Testament, we also see in the New Testament this promise of a future resurrection of all believers. Jesus spoke of this in John 6:40 where he said: “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” And of course, today, Easter Sunday, we’re celebrating the resurrection of resurrections. The resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, which is recorded in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And this is the resurrection which anchors our hope that we too, will one day rise.

So, back to D.A. Carson, the man I mentioned at the beginning. The man who said: “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.” Which resurrection was he referring to? Was he referring to that future resurrection that all believers will undergo? Or was he referring to Jesus’ resurrection? I think the answer is “yes.” The answer is “both.” See, Carson, as a follower of Jesus Christ, has that settled hope that he will one day rise in a glorified body. A body that won’t experience any more sickness or disease, or fragility, or aches. In his case, which will no longer have those debilitating effects of his Parkinson’s condition. But Carson’s and any Christian’s future hope of a pain-free, sin-free glorified body, is ultimately anchored in the truth that Jesus Himself rose. Through His resurrection, Jesus paved the way for the resurrection of all who would call upon Him in belief.

In the text we’ll be in this morning it is not the resurrection of the Shunammite’s son. We’re going to see shades of just how intertwined those concepts are of our future resurrection hope and the reality that Jesus Himself rose. If you have a bible, I’d encourage you to turn with me to John 11. If you don’t have a bible, no problem. You can peek over at your neighbor’s copy, they’ll share. They’ll be nice, they won’t bite. Or you can look up the verses on your phone. Just don’t check sports scores.
Alright, our verse for this morning is John 11:25. See the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then you’ll find John. John 11: 25. The title of this morning’s message is “The Resurrection and the Life.” God’s word reads:
“Jesus said to her: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die – ever. Do you believe this?’”

See, when Jesus spoke these words, they were directed to a woman named Martha. And to give you some context, it would be good if I laid out some of the details of the backstory of what is happening on the scene leading up to those words I just read. Turn back with me or go in your phone with me to John 11:1. Let’s lay some of the groundwork for that statement where Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Verse 1 says: “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sister sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’”

So there’s this family in Bethany. It’s this village just two miles away from Jerusalem. And they have this sick family member, Lazarus. And the members of this family are no strangers to Jesus. Rather, He had this very strong connection with them. One of the family members, Mary, we see there had anointed Jesus with perfume at some point. And one of them, Lazarus, is described as “he whom You love.” So, Jesus knows this family well. They’re personally acquainted with Jesus. They’re closely intertwined with Jesus. And now, this family finds itself going through this major season of difficulty, a major trial, in that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. And what they wanted was for Jesus, the Great Physician, to come and intervene. They wanted Jesus to help.

Verse 4, we’re told that: “But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.’” So now Jesus is apparently some distance away, on the other side of the Jordan River. And He hears this news now, that Lazarus is sick. But as you read here, you see that there’s absolutely zero panic on Jesus’ part. He’s saying here that the ultimate end, the ultimate purpose of Lazarus’s illness was not going to be death. But because Jesus was about to intervene, the ultimate purpose of Lazarus’ sickness, even if Lazarus was to die, was that God would be glorified. It wasn’t that Lazarus would never die. Jesus here was not promising this family that Lazarus would forever be immune from death. As we’re going to see in a moment, actually Lazarus did die. But Jesus was going to resurrect him. And He was going to raise him up for the glory of God. So that the Son of God would be glorified through it.

Now, it gets really interesting in verses 5 and 6. Look at verse 5, it says:
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Now, since Jesus loved this family, what you’d expect to read next is that He rushed immediately to their aid. That the Great Healer came and immediately healed Lazarus. He loved them so much He gave them what they wanted. Right? If the Lord really loved the members of this family, surely He was going to drop everything and hurry and go heal Lazarus. Right? Jesus had, after all, healed people up to this point, who were relative strangers to Him. So, surely He would do it for someone He loved. Well, that’s not what we read. Verse 6: “So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days in the place where He was.”

So, when Jesus hears Lazarus is sick, this man Jesus loves, He stays put. Hunh! Now it’s clear that verses 5 and 6 are linked. What John is communicating here is that Jesus stayed put in the place that He was. And Jesus delayed in coming to visit this sick Lazarus because He loved Lazarus, because He loved Lazarus’ family.

See, love didn’t necessarily mean in this context healing Lazarus right away. Love didn’t necessarily mean giving this family immediately what they wanted. Love rather meant Jesus acting in accordance with the Father’s will. In accordance with God’s perfect, divine timetable. And helping this family grow in their faith through this ordeal. And that’s a really good reminder for us this morning, by the way, that as we see with our own children, love doesn’t always mean giving them what they want and when they want it. Love means rather directing them towards what’s best for them, as they grow and as they mature.

So it is with the living God. His delays are not necessarily His denials. He allows us to walk through the trials in our life, the afflictions in our life sometimes for a lot longer than we’d prefer. And He does so to strengthen our faith in Him. And to glorify Himself. That’s what we see happening here.

Well, Jesus has this band of disciples around Him, They’re always following Him, like ducklings follow a momma duck. They’re sitting at His feet. They’re learning from Him. And now, He needs to bring them in on His plan. Look at verses 7 and 8. It says: “Then after this He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to Him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?’”

So, Jesus has this grand plan of getting to Lazarus eventually. And glorifying God and increasing the faith of these disciples. But his disciples at this point aren’t in on His plans. All they know at this point in the story is that Jesus had already made certain enemies in this place called Judea, the very region that He was now planning to return. They knew that there were people in Judea who were conspiring to kill Him. And so here in verse 8 they’re expressing their shock that He would even dare go back to a place like that.

Well, He knows what He’s up against. He also understands that God the Father had perfectly ordained every aspect of His life. Which we see come out in verses 9 and 10: “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 this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’” To paraphrase, Jesus here was saying that He was committed to walking in perfect obedience to the will of God. And to calm His disciples’ fears He’s telling them here that He is in no danger of being killed before the appointed time. God would preserve Him until His word was done. Until His plan on the cross was accomplished. There was no way He was going to die. Everything was going to be okay.

Then in verse 11, Jesus starts to fill in His disciples on what has now gone on back in Bethany with Lazarus. Verse 11: “He said these things, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him.’ The disciples then said to Him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be saved from his sickness.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of actual sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.’”

Now, a couple of things here. First of all we’ve moved, if you’ve noticed, from Lazarus just being sick, to now Lazarus being dead. And Jesus says it plainly in a couple of different ways. Verse 11, He says, “Lazarus has fallen asleep.” That’s a figure of speech for death. Jesus there was telling His disciples that Lazarus had died. But they didn’t understand what He was saying. They didn’t get the figure of speech. So, He says it even more plainly, in verse 14: “Lazarus is dead.” Now, we’ve already established that Jesus wasn’t on the scene with Lazarus. He was still across the Jordan some distance away. Remember, He had intentionally delayed to go help Lazarus. So how in the world did He know that Lazarus had died in Bethany? Well, Jesus is God. Jesus is omniscient. Jesus is all-knowing. Jesus is the all-seeing, all-knowing God of all. He knew that Lazarus had ultimately perished in Bethany. Just like He knows that a bird right now is chirping in Virginia. And a snake is slithering in the desert somewhere in Arizona. He knows it all.

And then note this. After saying, “Lazarus is dead,” He then adds, Jesus does, “and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.”
I was glad that I was not in Bethany when he died. That seems like such an odd response, doesn’t it? Glad that He wasn’t there as Lazarus was succumbing? How? Why? Well, Jesus was glad He wasn’t there for a reason. And the reason is given right there in the middle of verse 15, “so that you may believe.”

Now, His disciples had already witnessed Jesus healing the sick. And in fact, these are recorded in John’s Gospel. He healed the son of a royal official in John 4. He healed a man who had been sick for 38 years in John 5. He healed a blind man in John 9. But they were about to see something that they’d never seen before, as Jesus was going to raise someone from the dead. Now, it’s not that they didn’t believe before. That they didn’t believe in Jesus before. But their faith was about to grow. Their faith was about to develop. Jesus was going to expand for them their sense of His greatness. He was going to put Himself on display with what He was about to do. That’s why He says the He was glad, He was glad for their sakes. Because their faith was now going to increase.

Then, we have sort of this out-of-left-field comment from Thomas in verse 16: “Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.’” Thomas there is concerned that going to Bethany is going to put Jesus in harm’s way. He’s going to die, Thomas thinks. So, really here in a spirit of pessimism and gloom Thomas is saying, “Let’s go with Him,” not to increase our faith, but to die a martyr’s death alongside Him.’

Well, they all make their way to Bethany we see in verse 17. The home of Mary and Martha. The home of the recently departed Lazarus. And what they waded into when they got there, we’re going to see, is this sea of sorrow. Verse 17: “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother.”

The details here are fascinating. Because they tell us so clearly that Lazarus had been dead for four days. Not four seconds. Not four minutes. Not four hours. Four days. He was really dead. So dead, in fact, that down the page in verse 39, Martha says this: “Lord, by this time he smells, for he has been dead four days.” That’s really dead when people are commenting on the smell going around the room. But to Jesus, and here’s the point, it was all the same. It didn’t matter if Lazarus had been dead for four days. Or four weeks. Or four months. Or four years. Or four centuries. Jesus’ power is limitless. And He was going to highlight His power by bringing this man back to life.

Now, another key detail here is that this passage of four days allowed this large crowd of mourners to come from Jerusalem to console Mary and Martha for the loss of their brother. Meaning that when Jesus would eventually perform this miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life, it wasn’t going to be done in secret. It wasn’t going to be done in some dark corner. It was going to be done for all to see.

So that’s the scene here. Waves of grief and sadness and sorrow, passing over the family of this brother – Lazarus, who’s been dead for four days. And now Jesus just walks on the scene in verse 20. It says: “Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha then 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.’”

So, one of the sisters, Mary, the more contemplative one, she stays inside the house. Martha is the one who goes out to meet Jesus. And she makes this rather bold proclamation: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Now, on first read, it seems as though Martha is letting Jesus have it here. “Lord, why didn’t You come sooner? I thought You loved us. Don’t You care?” But as we read on, we see that whatever frustration Martha may have been experiencing, that was ultimately overridden by her great faith. Look at her statement at the end of verse 22: “But even now,” she says, “I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” She didn’t know how Jesus would help in this situation . . . but she believed that He would. She had confidence that He would bring some good out of this tragedy.

Jesus replied to her in verse 23, it says: “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’” He doesn’t specify what He means by those words, but Martha we see had one thing in mind. Look at verse 24, where we see her faith-filled confession: “Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’” So, she had one thing in mind, didn’t she? She was thinking, reasonably, that that was it for Lazarus on this earth for now. But she believed that one day he would rise from the dead, as God raised all of His righteous ones, which as she noted here, would happen here “on the last day.”
And note that theologically speaking, Martha was right. She knew her bible. She was doctrinally informed. But clouded by her grief over losing her brother, what she didn’t know and what she couldn’t see was that Jesus was going to do something more immediate right there in front of her with Lazarus. And in doing so He was going to showcase some amazing truths about Himself.

That brings us back to our text that we started with, verses 25-26, where we see this incredible assertion: “Jesus said to her: ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’” In context here it is as though Jesus is saying: “You’re not understanding Me, Martha. I’m not saying that Lazarus will rise again on the last day. Of course that’s true. But it’s also true that I am God. And I have the power of resurrection and life in My hand. I can raise Lazarus right now. And I’m going to do it.”
In other words, Jesus is moving Martha from this abstract place of belief in a future resurrection to a more comprehensive view of who He was and who He is, which He was going to demonstrate to her by bringing her brother back to life.

See, here in the Gospel of John, Jesus famously made seven different, what are known as “I AM” statements. “I am the bread of life.” “I am the Light of the world.” “I am the door.” “I am the Good Shepherd.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I am the vine.” And then this one, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And in each of those “I Am” statements, Jesus is making the powerful proclamation, that “I am God.”

And it’s important for all of us this morning to understand that truth. That Jesus is not merely a wise teacher. Or a sage counselor. Or a dispenser of quotable quotes. Or merely a miracle worker. Jesus isn’t merely a source of inspiration. Or a sanctified life coach. Or the Christian’s version of the lucky rabbit’s foot. By saying, “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus was saying to Martha here, and He’s saying to us now as we read these words on the pages of scripture: “I am God.” As God, Jesus was the One who had given Lazarus life in the first place. As God, Jesus was the One who had foreordained when Lazarus would die. And Jesus was the One who would decree when would ultimately be raised with the righteous, for those who put their faith in Him on the last day.

By saying, “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus was saying to Martha not only would He be the One to bring about the resurrection of her brother when He raised him up on the last day. But He is saying here, Jesus is, that He is the resurrection, the embodiment of the resurrection. Meaning there is no future resurrection for anyone to look forward to apart from Jesus. Without Him there is no resurrection. Without Him there is no future hope.

Not only that. Jesus was saying to Martha that He, Jesus, is the “life.” He is the resurrection “and the life.” He is the provider and sustainer of all life on planet earth right now. Every living thing on God’s green earth has its existence through Jesus. In fact, that’s what we’re told at the very beginning of John’s Gospel. John 1:3 says: “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is the author of life. Jesus is the Lord of life. He’s the provider of life, the source of life. Jesus is life. Just as God is love, Jesus is life. He is “the resurrection and the life.”

As we come to this next clause, spanning verses 25-26, we see also that Jesus is the giver of spiritual life. After referring to Himself to Martha as “the resurrection and the life.” He then says: “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die – ever.” Friends, that is an incredibly precious promise. One which, in context, Jesus was making directly to Martha. But He’s making it to each of us here this morning as well. And He’s doing so in terms that are so plain spoken and clear. What is being said here is that if a person believes in Jesus Christ, even if they die… Meaning even if their physical bodies one day expire. Which will literally happen to everyone. Because on account of sin entering the world, there is now a 100% mortality rate on planet earth. So, even if they die, He says they will live. Meaning they will have eternal life. And then He says, “everyone who lives.” And He defines that term as those who “believe[] in Me.” Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will “never die – ever.” Meaning true life, eternal life, is found in believing in Jesus Christ.

Yes, the person who has trusted in Jesus Christ will eventually die physically. But their soul will go on to live with the Lord forever. And then we know that a future day is coming, that “last day” that Martha mentioned, where the believer’s soul will one day be reunited with a resurrected, glorified, sin-free body.

That’s what Jesus is communicating to Martha in this scene. That He was God. That He is God. And that it’s through belief in Him that eternal life and future resurrection hope is offered. Meaning, in context, Jesus here in this scene is reasoning downward from the greater truth that He’s articulating, about who He is as God, to the relatively lesser problem of what to do with Martha’s four-day-dead brother Lazarus who now was smelling up the place. Because He’s God He can take care of it.

See, Jesus here was testing Martha’s faith. So He asks her this question, at the end of verse 26, “Do you believe this?” Did she believe those eternal, transcendent truths about Him? Did she believe that He was and is “the resurrection and the life”? Did she believe that eternal life is found in Him? Did she believe that her own future resurrection was rooted in Him” If she believed those things about Jesus, then the state of her brother was of much lesser concern. It was less of a big deal now. Because just as Jesus could, if He wished, still a storm or turn water into wine or feed massive crowds with a few loaves and fish, He could raise Martha’s brother to life whenever He wanted. Whether it was right there in the moment. Or later on at the resurrection of the righteous.

Martha answered His question. He asked: “Do you believe this?” And she replied, verse 27: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who comes into the world.”
Now if we were to read the rest of this story, we’d learn that Jesus does go on to raise Lazarus. The account given in verses 38-43, you can read that between bites at Easter lunch later today.

But right now I want to take us back to the question that Jesus asks Martha at the end of verse 26, “Do you believe this?” I ask you the same question now here. Do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that He is God? Do you believe, do you affirm that Jesus rose from the grave? Do you not only affirm that intellectually, but are you willing to bet your eternity on that truth? Do you affirm the truth? Are you willing to bet where you will spend forever, on the reality that Jesus died on the cross but that the grave couldn’t keep Him, and yet He rose three days later, for the forgiveness of your sin? And are you willing to submit your life, all of it, to Him now, as your risen Lord?

Recall how it started this morning with that quote from D.A. Carson, where he says: “I’m not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can’t fix.”
I don’t know, to be candid, what sort of suffering everyone in this room is going through here this morning. I don’t know if it’s financial struggles. Or a strained relationship. Or anxiety. Or a downcast spirit. Or whatever the case may be. What I do know though, is that if you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ, you stand in a state of condemnation, right now, before the holy God of heaven and earth. And what I do know is that you are, like I am, a sinner. And what I do know is that you are, like I once was, living in outward rebellion against God. And that you are, like we all needed, to be made right with God. To be reconciled with God. And the way to be reconciled to God, is not to try to clean up your act. Or try to be better. Or just to try harder.

That’s not how it works. No. Instead, you need to realize what the bible teaches in Ephesians 2:1 that you are “dead in your transgressions and sins.” You’re not just on spiritual life support. No. You are dead. But unlike Lazarus, who was decaying on the outside, and starting to smell, you’re dead on the inside, and you’re headed to hell. That’s the reality of what the bible teaches. But there is hope for you. There is true hope for you. There is nothing about your perilous plight right now “that a good resurrection can’t fix.”

What you need to do is believe. You need to believe that Jesus came for you. You need to believe that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. You need to believe that He was resurrected to life three days later as He rose from the grave for you. So, I ask you again, “Do you believe this?” If you do believe, I should say, Jesus isn’t necessarily guaranteeing you that He’s going to repair every broken relationship that you have. And Jesus isn’t guaranteeing you that He’ll instantly relieve you of all stress and anxiety and worry for the rest of your life. He’s not guaranteeing you a house on a lake. Or even a full gas tank for this week.
But what He is guaranteeing you right now is that if you believe in Him -- specifically, if you believe that He died and you believe that He rose -- that He will grant you eternal life. And that eternal life, that new life, will start right now today. And will culminate in your one-day rising to be with Him.

Friend, if you find yourself at the end of your rope this morning. If you find yourself hopeless and despairing. If you find yourself doubting and wondering. If you find yourself stuck on that endless hamster wheel of works-based religiosity. Know this. That salvation is available to you today. It’s being offered to you by a gracious God. A forgiving God. A God who sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. And a God who raised His Son three days later to declare His power over sin and death.

Bringing it back here to the Martha account. Note that Jesus didn’t tell Martha that she needed to check five boxes or adopt eight spiritual principles to her life. Or pray this prayer, just pray this way after me. Right? No. What do you do? He asked her a question, “Do you believe?” He asks you that same question this Easter morning, “Do you believe?” Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that you can be saved only through Him? Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord? Have you believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If you have believed, praise the Lord. The promise God has given you in His word is that you will be saved. Your sin will be forgiven. You’ll have eternal life. You’ll be like Mary and Martha and Lazarus and D.A. Carson, looking forward to that glorious day where you will be raised to live with Him. That’s what we’re celebrating this Easter. That’s what Resurrection Sunday is all about.

We’ll close our time together this morning by hearing from five people. We’re going to hear from Bryce, Tammy and Chris and Jessica and Gwyneth. These are five people who have believed. These are individuals who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. They’ve believed in His death and resurrection. They have, today, eternal life. I’m going to pray and get out of the way. Happy Easter! [These five people were baptized after the prayer and their testimony was not included in this recording.]

Father, thank You so much for this time together. Thank You for the glorious truth of the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. God, I pray that You would take the truth that’s been declared today, through song and through the preaching of Your word, and drive it home to hearts. For we who have believed, I pray this morning would be a wonderful morning of encouragement as we remember the great purchase of our salvation. And for those who have not yet believed, I pray You would draw them to Yourself, by the convicting power of Your Spirit. And add more to Your family, right now. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.