JOHN 11 THE LAST DAY, THE RESURRECTION & THE LIFE, THE CONFESSION, THE APPROACH MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

John 11 opens with a needed reminder: being loved by Jesus and being His friend does not put a believer beyond trouble. Lazarus was loved, yet Lazarus died. Mary and Martha were loved, yet they faced loss, confusion, and the hard question of why Jesus did not come sooner. The Christian life is not a promise that hardship will stay away, but it is a promise that Christ is present and working beyond what can be seen.

Martha’s confession that Lazarus would rise “at the last day” rests on the general resurrection revealed in the Old Testament. Daniel 12 points to a day when those sleeping in the dust will awake, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt. Revelation 20 shows the end of that last day: Christ reigns for a literal thousand years, Satan is loosed, Gog and Magog comes, and the great white throne judgment follows. The books are opened, and God is justified when sinful men try to judge Him and say life was not fair.

The contrast between the judgment seat of Christ and the great white throne matters deeply. The church, as the body of Christ, has a unique judgment concerning rewards, inheritance, time, talents, and treasures given after salvation. The great white throne concerns those outside that unique body, including the lost and saints from other dispensations. Christ’s righteousness placed on the believer’s account means that the believer’s sins have already been dealt with at Calvary.

Jesus does not give Martha a long chart about future events. Jesus gives Martha Himself: “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Martha knows a true thing, but Christ opens the door to something greater. Christ is not merely the One who gives resurrection; Christ is resurrection and life in His own person.

First Thessalonians 4 and First Corinthians 15 show the two groups wrapped up in Christ’s promise: those asleep in Jesus and those alive and remaining at His coming. The dead in Christ will rise, and living believers may be changed “in the twinkling of an eye,” never tasting death. The resurrection is not fluff or religious comfort. The resurrection is the sure future of every believer because Jesus Himself conquered death.

Martha’s final confession lands where faith must land: not merely on what Christ can do, but on who Christ is. Christ does not need to fix every problem on demand to remain good. Christ remains “I am” when the answer is delayed, when the path is confusing, and when the heart cannot see what He is doing.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Loved by Jesus, yet still tested [03:13] Lazarus proves that hardship is not evidence that Christ has stopped loving someone. Sickness, loss, broken plans, and family pain can enter the life of someone Christ dearly loves. Christ’s delay does not mean Christ’s absence. Christ can be working a purpose far bigger than the immediate rescue being requested. [03:13]
• 2. The last day reveals God’s justice [32:33] The great white throne will not be a place where God has to defend Himself because He has done wrong. Sinful men may try to say life was unfair, but God will overcome when He is judged. Christ’s sinless life stands as exhibit A against every excuse. God’s judgment will be perfectly righteous, personal, and impossible to overturn. [32:33]
• 3. Christ is resurrection, not merely help [24:45] Jesus does not tell Martha only that He can perform a resurrection. Jesus tells Martha that He is the resurrection and the life. Faith grows deeper when it stops treating Christ mainly as the answer to a crisis and receives Him as the all-sufficient Lord. His person is steadier than any outcome being requested. [24:45]
• 4. The believer’s future is already secured [37:07] Christ took the believer’s sin and placed His righteousness on that believer’s account. The judgment seat of Christ therefore concerns reward and inheritance, not whether salvation can be lost. That truth should not produce lazy living, but grateful, serious service. A sealed salvation gives weight to every use of time, talent, and treasure. [37:07]
• 5. Faith rests in who God is [48:33] Martha’s confession centers on Christ’s person, not merely His ability to fix Lazarus’s death. Prayer can easily become a list of conditions: “If You do this, then You will be my God.” Christ calls faith beyond that bargain-making posture. God remains good when His ways are not understood, because God is not required to fit inside human expectations.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:18] - A Reprieve From the World
• [03:13] - Loved by Jesus and Still Troubled
• [05:42] - Martha and the General Resurrection
• [09:48] - Daniel’s Picture of the Last Day
• [17:42] - Armageddon and Christ’s Kingdom
• [22:47] - The Great White Throne Judgment
• [34:27] - Judgment Seat of Christ vs. Final Judgment
• [38:00] - I Am the Resurrection and the Life
• [41:42] - The Rapture and Resurrection Hope
• [47:24] - Trusting Who Christ Is
• [48:33] - Martha’s Confession of Faith

Bible Reading

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
[38:00]

Daniel 12:2
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
[09:48] [34:43] [36:40]

Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
[10:36] [22:47]

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
[39:49] [41:42]

Observation questions

1. In John 11:25-26, what two groups does Jesus describe: those who have died believing in Him and those who are alive believing in Him? [39:34]
2. What does Daniel 12:2 say will happen to those who “sleep in the dust,” and what are the two different outcomes named in the verse? [36:40]
3. In Revelation 20:11-15, what books are opened, and what does the passage say happens to those whose names are not found in the book of life? [22:13]
4. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, what happens first when the Lord descends, and what happens next to believers who are alive and remain? [42:17]

Interpretation questions

1. Martha believed Lazarus would rise “at the last day,” but Jesus answered, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Why is it important that Jesus points Martha first to His person rather than only to a future event? [38:03]
2. Revelation 20 shows people judged according to what is written in the books. Why can no one stand before God trusting that good works will outweigh bad works, and why is Christ’s sinless life the true standard? [11:25]
3. The judgment seat of Christ and the great white throne are presented as different judgments. How does the truth that a believer’s sins were dealt with at Calvary change the way a believer views accountability for time, talents, and treasure? [35:09]
4. First Thessalonians says believers grieve, but not as those with no hope. How does the promised resurrection give real comfort without pretending that death and loss are easy? [41:51]

Application questions

1. Lazarus was loved by Jesus, yet he became sick and died. What hardship, loss, disappointment, or unanswered prayer has tempted you to wonder whether God still cares? How does this passage speak into that situation? [03:13]
2. Martha came honestly to Jesus with her grief and confusion. When you are hurting, do your prayers tend to become distant, guarded, or demanding? What would honest faith-filled prayer look like in your present circumstances? [05:11]
3. Jesus may not fix a problem on the timetable we want, but He remains “I am.” Where are you most tempted to tell God, “If You do this, then I will trust You”? What would it look like to rest in who He is even before the outcome changes? [47:41]
4. Christ’s righteousness has been placed on the believer’s account. Does that truth give you peace, or do you still find yourself trying to earn God’s acceptance through performance? What Scripture-based truth do you need to remember this week? [37:07]
5. The judgment seat of Christ concerns how believers use what God has entrusted to them. Is there one area of time, ability, money, or service where you sense a need for more grateful and serious faithfulness? [35:35]
6. The resurrection promises that death will not have the final word for those in Christ. Is there someone who is grieving, fearful about death, or discouraged by physical weakness who could be encouraged by this hope this week? [46:52]
7. Martha’s confession centered on Christ Himself: “Yea, Lord, I believe.” What would it look like for your worship and prayer this week to thank God for who He is, not only for what you want Him to do? [48:33]