I invite you to turn with me this morning to John 11. John chapter 11, we'll read together verses 17 through 27 and then 38 through 44. Very familiar portion of scripture, the context being the death of Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha. And in the first part of chapter 11, of course, we read that Lazarus had become sick and Mary and Martha sinned for Jesus. and he seems to take his time in going over to where they were. Then, of course, we know that Lazarus had died. And picking up at verse 17 through 27, and then 38 to 44, the text this morning being verses 25 and 26. Hear now the Word of God, beginning at verse 17. On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she told him. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world. in verse 38. Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone, He said. But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor for He has been there four days. Then Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes. And let Him go. Beloved congregation of our risen and living Lord Jesus Christ, today we gather together for worship to celebrate in a specific way that which is the reason that we gather together for worship every Lord's Day. Every first day of the week. Every Sunday. And that's because Jesus Christ lived and because of what that means for us and for our salvation. Death could not keep its prey. Our Lord Jesus Christ, after being crucified, dying, being buried, rose again on the first day of the week. We worship the resurrected and living Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus had not risen again from the dead, we indeed would have no hope. We would be miserable. We would be the most pitiable, as Paul says, if that had never happened. But praise God, that's not the case. We are not the most miserable. We are not the most pitiable. We are the most to rejoice, huh? Because Jesus Christ lives. But you know, there were other resurrections recorded in the Bible. Through Elijah, God brought back to life the son of the widow of Zarephath. Elisha was used by God to bring the Shunammite's son back to life. In 2 Kings 13, verse 21, we read about the body of an Israelite man that was laid very quickly in Elisha's tomb, and just as soon as that body of that dead man touched the bones of Elisha, that man came back to life. Through Peter, the Lord raised Dorcas from death to life. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, during his ministry, he raised Jairus' daughter as well as the son of the widow from Nain. And then here too in John chapter 11, the context we know is the death and the raising to life of Lazarus. But you see, beloved, this episode in Scripture is not about Lazarus. It's about the power and the glory of God. None of the other resurrections recorded in Scripture were as significant as the resurrection of our Lord. None of the other resurrections recorded had meaning, has meaning for you and I, as the resurrection of our Lord does. The others were all raised back to this physical life to resume this life of decay. They all died again. Indeed, Lazarus' resurrection, we might say, was proof of the power of Jesus as well as a foretaste of His word to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? By raising Lazarus from death to life, Jesus pointed to what would be the result for His people of His glorious resurrection. And beloved, we must rejoice, give thanks, and sing as we consider the power of the resurrected Lord. That power is reflected in His puzzling promise of life in the midst of death. And it's also reflected in His unbelievable guarantee of life without death. Even before He was put to death, Jesus comforted those to whom He was the closest with the truth of His saving work. the truth that is the transformation of life and death for those redeemed by His blood. And with the few words of this text, Jesus points to the joy believers may have in this life and the next, for this life and the next. Now again, we know the context well, at least most of us. Obviously, Mary and Martha had confidence that Jesus could heal their brother Lazarus. That's why they had sent for Jesus. It was more than just an announcement. Well, we thought you'd like to know. We know he's a good friend of yours. We thought that maybe you want to say something to him before he dies. Much more than that. They had confidence. Even Martha says, Lord, if you had been here, he would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask. But Mary and Martha never imagined that Jesus would bring him back to life. They didn't even want to open the tomb because it would smell. When Jesus says to Martha, your brother will rise again, Martha shows that her theology about the resurrection of the dead was indeed correct. Martha answered, verse 24, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. But Jesus uses this entire situation, this circumstance and Martha's confession with it to teach that her resurrection hope stood right before her. Right before her very eyes. Her hope. And the believer's hope was to be in Him because our only hope is Him. Jesus brings Martha from an abstract belief in what takes place on the last day to a personal belief in the One alone who can and will bring it about and make it actually happen. He says, I am the resurrection and the life. What powerful words. And what an awesome claim. With this claim, our Lord points to the greatest hope we have, which is Him and His resurrection. With these words, Jesus points to the confidence that all believers are to have in Him. The confidence of eternal life. And the first thing Jesus is saying here that He is God. He is one with the Father. He enjoys the full, blessed life of God and all the attributes of God are found in Him. And because of who He is, He is also the cause, the source, and the fountainhead of the glorious resurrection and the everlasting life of the believer. And with the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus points to who He is. He points to the glory and the power of God, and He points to the great hope of what He would accomplish for His people. Beloved Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is the source of true life, both now and beyond the grave. Even before he himself rose from the dead and in doing so conquered that last enemy, death, because of who he is, even before all that he speaks of his resurrection power as he speaks his puzzling promise of life in the midst of death. He who believes in me will live even though he dies. Now this is indeed a wonderful promise. Yet it's a bit puzzling, isn't it, because life and death contradict each other. Life and death are extreme opposites. Even the boys and girls know that one who is dead clearly isn't living anymore. But as the resurrection, Jesus Christ has conquered death. Resurrection means that death has been undone. It's the annulment or the cancellation of death. To annul something means to make it void, To reduce it to nothing. To make it like it never happened. The wages of sin is death. Death is that last enemy. But Jesus Christ, the resurrection, by His own resurrection, has conquered that last enemy. He has reduced it to nothing. But we still die, don't we? Our bodies go through the aging process and get old and weak and eventually give in to death and are buried in the ground, right? Yes. We know that full well. We still face physical death. For the believer, physical death is that last enemy. Notice, it's the last enemy that we face. There are none other after that. And although it may not be pleasant, and although the thought of it may not be pleasant, yet we don't face it alone. David leads all believers in that beautiful confession, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. By God's grace, we face that last enemy, physical death, in the strength and comfort of the One who is the resurrection. And beloved, we face it in the confidence that for us too, death will not be able to keep its prey. Paul says in Philippians 3, but our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. Our physical deaths, unless Christ comes first, of course, our physical deaths will be canceled out one day as our bodies will be raised and joined once again with our ever-living souls. Never more to die. Never more to suffer the effects of sin. Instead, to live in the glorious presence of God forever and ever. Christ's resurrection power points forward to our glorious resurrection one day. And this is the glorious, this is the blessed assurance for all those who believe. This puzzling promise is only believable by true faith. Faith in the perfect work of Jesus. Faith that He is indeed risen just as He said. But for those who do not believe, but instead reject Jesus Christ, that last enemy death will torment them forever. Jesus said in John 5, verses 28 and 29, speaking about life through the Son, He says, Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out. For those who have done good will rise to live. And those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. You see, beloved, the unbelieving world is deathly afraid to die because there is fear of the unknown. What they do know, whether they will admit it or not, they do know deep down, is that they have no hope. They have no hope. What they don't understand is that they will be overcome by the second death. Revelation 20, verse 6 says, Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Of course, there are various interpretations of this, but we believe the first resurrection is being born again. Being regenerated, being given that new life by the Holy Spirit to believe. As one commentator says, Faith is the spiritual resurrection of the soul and animates the soul to live to and for God. But what then is the second death? Revelation 21 verse 8 says, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. again to those who believe in Jesus he says he who believes in me will live even though he dies but to those who by their rejection of him show that they hate him and show that they have no use for him Jesus in effect says at the very same time he who does not believe in me will die and never live but will eternally be in the midst of death i think one of the ways that we can describe hell is that hell is always being at the point of death with all of its anguish and all of its misery but never dying never being released from that misery instead being forever tormented by that enemy all people will experience one of two things It's either the second death, which is punishment in hell forever. Or the second resurrection, which is the resurrection of the believer's body to enjoy the glory of heaven in the very presence of God. Yet as believers, by God's grace, we know that once our bodies die, that's not the end of our conscious experience until our bodies are raised on the last day. There's not a time warp in there. Physical death for you and me is indeed the last enemy, but it's not an enemy. It's not an enemy that ultimately defeats us. Maybe our bodies for a time, but not our very life. Not our soul. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Resurrection wipes out death and results in life. And the power of the resurrected Lord also includes His unbelievable guarantee of life without death. He says in verse 26, And whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Whoever lives and believes, whoever enjoys that first resurrection. Now, why is this unbelievable? Because again, for us and for our experience in this life, it really doesn't make sense. Martha, I think, would have had trouble with this idea because she was experiencing death at that very moment. Her brother was dead. What do you mean, he who lives and believes in me will never die? Lazarus, my brother believed. He's dead. Beloved, death is all around us. All you need to do is read the obituary page every day. And you know what? That page is the same whether you read it in Escondido or Los Angeles or Sioux Center, Iowa or Amsterdam. It's the same. Each page includes information about those who have died. But for those who have been born again and understand what Jesus is saying here, this guarantee is unbelievable in the sense of, wow, this is beyond our expectation. This is truly, truly a miracle. What is Jesus saying here? Very simply, those who enjoy that gracious first resurrection, redemption, new birth. Those who have that saving life, eternal life, the life of the kingdom that is found only in Christ by faith in Him, they will never die. Well, boys and girls, as believers, as we have said, we will die physically, our bodies will be buried in the ground until Jesus comes again. But once we have been brought face to face with that last enemy called death, our souls, that which gives our bodies life, our souls will be taken to heaven. You see, beloved, even physical death fails to snuff out the believer's real life. Instead, as Paul says, to die is gain. Why? Because through death, God, for the sake of the resurrected Christ, whom Paul describes as the firstfruits. The firstfruits, which means quite a harvest is going to follow. But God, for the sake of the resurrected Christ, brings our souls to Himself in glory. Beloved, the power of Christ's resurrection is a guarantee that all those who are united to Him by true faith share in, even now, and will share in His risen life even though they experience bodily death. The believer will never die the second death. Never, ever. And for the believer who dies in the Lord, there is no intermission, there is no interruption of the life of the soul, nor is there any separation from God, not even for a moment. That's why God's people are able to face death to this life with comfort and without fear of the unknown. And when God one day calls His people from this life, we are able to face that last enemy with confidence because our wages have been paid in full. Jesus Christ paid it all on the cross. His resurrection means that He is victorious, Satan is defeated, and God is satisfied with you and me. God is satisfied with you and me. And instead of dying and entering into eternal punishment for our sin, we look forward to sinning no more. Because our Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life, because of Him we are given perfect life and glory where and when we will no longer offend our holy God. We will no longer shame the One who gave His life for us. Jesus called Martha to believe that which was unbelievable yet true. That He is the Savior who alone brings from death to life eternally. And He gave her back her brother Lazarus, which was proof of Jesus' resurrection power. Beloved, do you believe all this? Do you believe all this? For you, it doesn't matter, boys and girls, what your mom or dad believes. It doesn't matter what your spouse believes. Do you personally believe all this? You see, with Christ removed, nothing but death is left. But with Him present, resurrection and life is certain. Do you believe this? If you don't, then you must understand the eternal danger that awaits you, that second death. Yet, there is still hope. Because today is the day of resurrection. It is still the day of salvation for all those, yet only those, but all those who forsake themselves and look only to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and life. That's the truth of God's Word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And what joy and comfort and transforming power for we who have been blessed with that precious gift of faith. The power of the resurrected Lord transforms this very life. Our lives belong to Him. We should want to belong to no one else. And may it be that our lives would be offered back to Him as living sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. May our lives in every step, beloved, be in fellowship with Him. And may our hope of eternal life with the resurrected Lord fill the desires of our hearts, the thoughts of our minds, and be reflected in the work of our hands. Alleluia! Christ is risen from the dead. He who believes in Him will live, even though He dies. And whoever lives and believes in Him will never die. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, indeed, as we come before You once again in this morning hour, we praise the Savior. And may it be that our praise would be now and ever, forever and ever. We thank You, Lord, for Your precious gift of salvation, the hope that we have in this life and the next. The hope that we as Your people have, even as one day we will be called upon to face death to this life. Yet that last enemy will be just that, the last one. Never again will we be faced then with another enemy, only the joy and the presence and the glory of our God. Father, we thank you and praise you for our risen and living Lord Jesus Christ and all that that means for us today and every day. And may it be that we would ever live to praise your holy name. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.