April 5, 2026 - I AM The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25 - John Shearhart)

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

The story of Lazarus points us to a profound truth that transcends a single event. Jesus does not merely perform resurrections; He is the very source of resurrection and life itself. This means that true, eternal life is not a concept or a distant event, but a person to be known and trusted. In Him alone is the power to overcome spiritual death and grant new life that begins now and continues forever. This is the foundational revelation upon which everything else is built. [23:01]

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.” (John 11:25-26 ESV)

Reflection: Who is Jesus to you right now? Is He a historical figure, a good teacher, or is He the source of all life, as He declared Himself to be?

Day 2: We are born spiritually dead and in need of life.

The human condition finds its origin in the garden, where the choice to sin introduced death into the world. This spiritual death has been passed down through every generation, meaning we are all born with a brokenness inside that we cannot fix on our own. We bear the image of the man of dust, destined to return to it, and this reality leaves us helpless and separated from God. The good news is that this is not the end of the story. [29:19]

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you tried to find life and purpose in things other than God? How did those pursuits ultimately fall short of giving you the lasting life you were searching for?

Day 3: Jesus offers a promise of life to all who believe.

The proclamation of Jesus is an offer of hope that is both universal and personal. His promise extends to “whoever” and “everyone” who places their trust in Him. This is not merely a future hope for the last day, but a present reality where spiritual resurrection begins now. The life He gives is full, abundant, and eternal, changing a person from the inside out and setting them on a new path. [36:03]

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV)

Reflection: What does the promise of “life to the full” mean to you personally? How would receiving this life from Jesus change your perspective on your current circumstances?

Day 4: True belief is an active trust that leads to obedience.

Genuine belief in Christ is far more than intellectual agreement; it is a active, personal trust that results in a surrendered life. It is the difference between knowing a chair will hold you and actually sitting in it. This kind of faith means following Jesus to the cross, dying to our old self and our sins, and allowing Him to take full control of our lives. It is a daily decision to live in the new identity He provides. [38:25]

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from fully trusting and surrendering to Jesus? What would it look like to actively trust Him with that area today?

Day 5: Jesus personally invites you to receive new life.

The question Jesus asked Martha is the same one He poses to each of us today: “Do you believe this?” This is a personal invitation to move from observation to response. Any barrier—be it lack of knowledge, doubt, pride, or shame—can be overcome by honestly seeking Him. The next step is to simply ask Him for this new life and then to begin living it out in community with other believers. [43:06]

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV)

Reflection: Having heard who Jesus is and what He promises, how will you respond to His invitation? Is there a simple prayer you need to pray to ask Him for the new life only He can give?

Sermon Summary

John 11 centers on Lazarus’s sickness, death, and resurrection to demonstrate the nature of new life in Christ. The narrative opens with a delay: a messenger warns of impending death, Jesus predicts that the sickness will not end in death, then waits until Lazarus lies in the tomb for four days. Martha meets Jesus and affirms hope in the coming resurrection; Jesus responds with a revelation: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Mary weeps, the crowd mourns, and Jesus becomes deeply moved by the reality of sin and death in the world. At the tomb Jesus commands the stone removed, prays aloud so that onlookers may believe, and calls Lazarus to come out; the dead man walks free, bound only by burial cloths, which others are told to unbind.

The passage unfolds a threefold pattern for new life: revelation, proclamation, and invitation. Revelation centers on Christ’s identity as life itself—rooted in Johannine theology that the Word was with God and that life exists in the Word. Proclamation presents a clear promise: whoever believes in Christ, even if physically dead, will live, and whoever lives and believes will never die; resurrection life begins now inwardly and culminates in bodily resurrection. The invitation asks a personal question—“Do you believe this?”—and challenges listeners to move from intellectual assent to trust that yields obedience. The sermon addresses common barriers to trust—lack of information, doubt, pride, and shame—offering practical counsel: seek evidence, ask God to reveal himself, dismantle false pillars, and accept grace. The practical response includes praying for new life, joining a believing community, reading Scripture, and living in daily surrender to Christ. The Lazarus miracle functions as both historical miracle and living image: death yields to life when trust meets the resurrecting power of Jesus, and that life reshapes identity, mission, and hope for both now and eternity.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is the resurrection and life Jesus embodies resurrection; resurrection is not merely an event to await but a person to trust. The Word that brought life at creation now offers life to those born dead by sin. This identity grounds every promise about rising, renewal, and bearing the image of the man of heaven. [27:21]
2. Belief requires trustful, obedient response Belief moves from mental assent to concrete trust that reorients choices and loyalties. True belief entrusts one’s life to Christ’s rule, follows him to the cross, and dies to former masters. That trust proves itself in surrender and persevering obedience, not mere intellectual agreement. [38:52]
3. Resurrection life begins now Spiritual resurrection initiates present renewal even as bodily resurrection remains future hope. Receiving that life changes inner experience, daily desires, and the trajectory of suffering toward hope. New life unfolds as ongoing inward transformation that anticipates final restoration. [36:03]
4. Barriers: doubt, pride, shame, ignorance Doubts invite honest searching; pride resists surrender; shame assumes unworthiness; ignorance needs clear instruction. Each barrier carries a spiritual diagnosis and a practical remedy: seek evidence, humble the heart, accept grace, and ask for clarity. Addressing these obstacles clears a path to receive the promised life. [48:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:37] - Scripture and Bible Resources
[20:08] - Personal Testimony and Resurrection Hope
[21:04] - Lazarus Introduced
[22:00] - Jesus Delays and Death
[23:01] - “I am the resurrection and the life”
[24:01] - Jesus Moved by Death’s Effects
[25:20] - Tomb, Prayer, and Lazarus Raised
[26:21] - Main Thesis: New Life in Christ
[27:21] - Revelation: Who Jesus Is
[35:17] - Proclamation: The Promise of Life
[43:06] - Invitation: Do You Believe?
[48:12] - Barriers to Belief and Counsel
[51:41] - How to Respond Now
[52:58] - Worship and Closing Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
John 11:17–27, 38–44 (ESV)
*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.”*
*38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”*

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Observation questions

What did Jesus say to Martha when she expressed her belief in a future resurrection?
How did Jesus respond when He saw Mary and the others weeping?
What practical objection did Martha raise when Jesus asked for the stone to be removed?
What did Jesus say His prayer aloud was intended to accomplish?

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Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead four days before He arrived?
What might it mean that Jesus was “deeply moved” or even angry when He saw everyone weeping? [24:01]
How does Jesus’ statement “I am the resurrection and the life” change what resurrection means for those who believe in Him?
Why did Jesus tell the people to unbind Lazarus after he came out of the tomb?

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Application questions

Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?”—not just in a future resurrection, but in Him as the resurrection and the life right now. How would you answer that question today?
Trust means sitting in the chair, not just looking at it. [38:25] What area of your life are you still struggling to fully entrust to Jesus?
Some people feel they don’t deserve new life because of shame or past mistakes. [48:12] How can accepting grace, rather than earning it, change the way you live?
Resurrection life begins now—inwardly—even while we wait for the future resurrection. [36:03] What does “inward renewal” look like in your daily life?
Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, but others had to unbind him. Who has God placed in your life to help unbind you from old habits, lies, or hurts?
If you’ve never taken that step of trust, what’s holding you back? Is it lack of information, doubt, pride, or shame? What would it look like to seek answers or ask God to reveal Himself to you? [46:03]
New life isn’t meant to be lived alone. How can being part of a community help you live out the resurrection life Jesus offers? [52:06]

Sermon Clips

And Jesus went to the cross and shed his blood there and he says, follow me to the cross and join me there. Die with me and your sins will be forgiven too. If you believe in me, if you trust in me that that's true, follow me. Follow me to the grave, where you die to yourself, and where all of your sins are cast as far as the East is from the West, never to be brought up against you again, because you are completely forgiven, and that old you, that version of you has died with it. [00:40:44] (31 seconds) #FollowToTheCross

I wanna tell you, if that's you, if you're saying that in your heart right now, I just don't deserve this, you're in a really good spot because you don't. I don't. If if I got what I deserve, I'm going to get the wrath of God, the shame and contempt. Because Jesus gives life to the dead and he calls things that are not as though they were, because he adopts people into his family, because he gives new life, and because he is so full of grace. I don't need to be ashamed. [00:48:23] (35 seconds) #SavedByGrace

I encourage you to walk in that faith. I encourage you I have to do the same thing, I'm talking to myself. I encourage you to keep these promises fresh in your mind and keep giving your life to him every day because there's a resurrection that has already happened in your heart and it is good. Don't you love serving Christ? And there's a resurrection that's coming for your body. This does not end in death. And if you've never believed before, you're here today, you're seeking. I wanna encourage you. Put your faith in him now. Trust him. I trust you. I believe your promise. I know who you are. I wanna serve you. [00:50:36] (39 seconds) #LiveResurrected

And verse 26, everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. This is a beautiful promise. Because not only are we going to be raised from the dead, But we're gonna be raised from the dead forever. And that resurrection life begins now. You have physical life and you have spiritual life. The spiritual resurrection for you is right now and you begin living for him because Jesus gives us what he calls life to the full. [00:35:46] (33 seconds) #EternalLifeNow

The truth is this, Jesus gives new life to those who trust him. That's the main thing that I want you to get from this message today. Jesus gives new life to those who trust him. And what he does, the way he reveals it is he first, he he gives a revelation of himself, he makes a declaration of promise, and then he issues an invitation that's personal to each of us. And what so I wanna do is look at those three things, that revelation, that proclamation, and that invitation, and I want to see with you. [00:26:28] (32 seconds) #NewLifeInChrist

Jesus knows all of my life, and I could just hand it over to him, and I can just say that's you're right. You're right. I don't deserve it. Here's one more reason I don't deserve it. Thank you, Jesus. So if you're here this morning and you're you're struggling with any these things, maybe these barriers are keeping you out, I want to encourage you to listen, who is he and hear his promise. And then trust him. Do you believe this? Because a personal relationship with Christ where you know him, and you learn from him, and he guides you through life, just like he did with Abraham, leading him through from place to place and always protecting him and always encouraging his faith, God will do that with you. [00:48:59] (42 seconds) #TrustJesusFully

Okay. So let's think. What has Jesus created? All of it. If you're here breathing today and you have life, it's because Jesus has given you life. Where does that life come from? How does he get it? Look at verse four. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Jesus himself is life. There is no life apart from him, but he can share that life with other people. He can share that with anyone who believes in him. [00:33:34] (45 seconds) #JesusIsLife

Jesus died in your place and he was raised from the dead so that you can have life. If you believe in him, if you trust in him and you say, wanna give you my life forever, I don't want to be in charge anymore. I'm not even saying take the wheel. I'm saying, I'm gonna get out, I'm gonna get in the trunk, I want you to lock it up tight and then you go wherever you want. Right? Maybe your barrier is belief itself. I mean, is kinda silly to talk about the you're not the kind of people who believe in talking snakes, are you? [00:44:23] (31 seconds) #SurrenderToJesus

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April 5, 2026 - I AM The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25 - John Shearhart)

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Day 2: We are born spiritually dead and in need of life.

Day 3: Jesus offers a promise of life to all who believe.

Day 4: True belief is an active trust that leads to obedience.

Day 5: Jesus personally invites you to receive new life.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

April 5, 2026 - I AM The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25 - John Shearhart)

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