4/16/17 – I AM Changes Who I Am

John 11:1-27 ESV
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

I.A STRANGE LOVE (1-5)
A.Jesus loves Lazarus and his sisters deeply and they love Jesus the same way back. (John 12:1-8)
B.Jesus chooses to let Lazarus die because He loves him and his sisters.

II.A HARD DECISION (6-16)
A.No one could take the life of Jesus until He was ready to give His life. (John 10:28, Joshua 10:12-14)
B.Because of Jesus, we no longer have need to fear the loss of our life.

III.AN EYE-OPENING CONVERSATION (17-24)
A.It is never too late for Jesus to show up.
B.Jesus will not just raise Lazarus someday but will raise him that day.

IV.AN EARTH SHATTERING REVELATION (25-27)
A.Jesus does not want us to believe in the resurrection. Jesus wants us to believe in Him.
B.Jesus does not want us to just believe that He is good, but that He is God.

NEXT STEPS
1.Jesus is both the resurrection and the life because we need both.
2.Who Jesus is changes who we are. I AM changes who I am.