Word of Salvation – Vol. 15 No.10 – Mar 1969

 

I Am The Resurrection And The Life

 

Sermon by Rev. J. Vander Reest, Th. Grad. John 11:25-27

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 16:1-8, John 11:22-44

PSALTER HYMNAL: 356; 358:1,2,3; 404:1,3,4,5; 376; 310 Doxology.

(Easter Sermon)

 

Congregation of The Risen Lord,

Jesus’ friend had died!  Lazarus had been buried and had been in the grave for four days.  Then Jesus came to see Martha and Mary the sister of Lazarus.

Martha hears that Jesus is coming and goes ahead to meet Him on the way; and as soon as she sees Jesus she pours out her heart full of grief: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  Martha says to Jesus: ‘If you had been here Lord, this would never have happened.’  At the same time she gives evidence of her continued faith and trust in Jesus for she says: “And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

When Jesus speaks again to her, his words are full of comfort: “Your brother will rise again!”  Oh, but there was no doubt about this in Martha’s mind; Martha knew this very well.  She trusted and believed with her whole heart that at the end of time, Lazarus would rise again from the dead.  Martha believed in the doctrine of: the resurrection of the dead at the end of time.  Therefore she says to Jesus: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

But Jesus did not mean this; calmly He says: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”

Martha answers with a confession of her faith, she said to Him: Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

Christ said: I am the resurrection and the life!  How could Jesus say this?  Jesus could say this, because He would arise on the third day: because He would conquer death and the grave!

Jesus is the resurrection and the life; for He lives!  We have a Living Lord!  He lives today and He is alive for evermore.  Can you believe this congregation?

Do you believe brothers and sisters in a Risen and Living Lord?

Congregation, it happened in Moscow.  At the Red Square in the centre of Moscow hundreds of people had queued up in a long row.  Slowly the line moved forward as only a few persons were allowed inside at a time.  They were all awaiting entrance to the impressive and colossal structure of the Mausoleum.  In this museum-like building they would gaze, have a last look, at the splendid coffin.  Under thick glass lay the anointed body of Lenin.  And they all, everyone of them, wanted to have a look, a final glance at their former hero!

A Russian priest, with a long black beard and an impressive long black vestment also had a look, but in his eyes were missing the admiration and sentiment that one could see in the eyes of the many admirers.  A guard saw the priest; the lonely priest representing an old and forgotten tradition and quite friendly he said: ‘Quite a few people here, is it not?  Quite a few more than what you would get in your Church is it not?”

The priest nodded and answered: “That is true; but then again we haven’t got what you have!  We haven’t got a corpse!”  What a truth, brothers and sisters; young people; What a truth!  We haven’t got a corpse!  We have a living Lord!  Christ said: “I am The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end: ….the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore…!” (Rev.1:18).

Do you believe this congregation?

Do you believe that we haven’t got a corpse?

Do you believe that we do not worship a Lord whom they nailed to the Cross and then put into a grave; but a Jesus who lives?

Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life.

Do you believe this?

You know, brothers and sisters, young people, an answer to this question is not enough.  At least not an answer with words only.  Oh, yes we have to answer; but with more than mere words.  Also with deeds!  Our whole life needs to be an answer.  Our whole life must show that we don’t have a corpse, a dead Jesus; but a Jesus who lives!

But is it not true to say, congregation, that often our lives show the opposite?  Don’t we often give the impression as if we have a dead Jesus?  A Lord and Master who died long ago?  Don’t we often give the impression as if our faith and the Church are a relic of the past?  Is it nothing more than a tradition?  Has the life gone out of us, out of our faith even out of our Church?  Is there all that is left, a corpse?  If so, we are dead!

Robert Adolfs, a Roman Catholic priest has written a book he entitled, ‘The Grave of God’.  And why not?  We have heard about those who claim that God is dead, so why shouldn’t we hear about the ‘Grave of God’?  And this priest says that the Church could become, if it is not so already, the Grave of God.

What do you think of that congregation?

The Church as the Grave of God?  Have we also entombed our God in a structure of brick and concrete?  Have we buried Him in our tradition and liturgy?  Have we encased Him in a form of worship and by making the Church an intimate group?  Have we covered our Living Jesus in the dust of dead formalism and of an empty faith?

Do you know brother and sisters, why people can say that our God is dead?  Do you know, young people, why people can speak about the Church as the Grave of God?  Is it maybe, because our faith has died; because our Christianity is dead?

Of course we still accept the principles and the doctrines; we may even sing the song: Jesus lives!  But often the living God is no longer a living reality for us.  Often we lack that power and vitality of faith which shows that we trust and believe in a living Lord.  Often we Christians, give the impression that God is dead, that our religion is nothing else but a tradition.

Often we do give the impression in our relationship to others as if our God is as hard and cold as concrete.  When we show that we have nothing but a corpse!  Then our lives no longer are a shout and a sign that Jesus Lives!

It is true congregation, the Church CAN become the ‘Grave of God’ when the believers are dead and the Church is no longer alive.  Yes, it is possible that people can say that God is dead, or that Jesus is dead; because we ourselves are dead, no longer alive in our faith.  If so, our worship and witness is nothing but the last respects one pays to a corpse!  Then our faith is empty and our life void of the signs of Christian thankfulness; when there are no fruits then the people can and will say: ‘See, Jesus is dead!  All there is left is a corpse!’

But Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live….!” It is as if Jesus says: ‘In Me your resurrection from the dead is guaranteed and so is life eternal.  He who believes in Me; he who has faith in Me; though he may pass from this life, yet shall he live.”

When we have faith in Jesus Christ there is no more death, no eternal death; for Christ has conquered death.  For those who believe in Jesus Christ there is only life, for Jesus is the fountain of life.  And our natural death is nothing more than the passing from the temporal to eternal.

That is what Jesus means by: I am the resurrection and the life.  If you believe in Me, belong to Me, are connected with Me in faith; then you will never die, but will always live.  Then you are not dead, not now, not later; not in faith and not in life; but are alive forevermore.

Do you believe this?  You really do?

Then congregation, the world will need to see this.  Yes, maybe they have heard enough about it.  Maybe they now, first, want to see it before they are convinced.  Therefore we need to bear witness to a living Jesus, by way of a living faith and a life that shows the grace, the power, the love of a living Jesus!

Do you believe this?  Then show it congregation!  Be alive!  If you believe you are a child of God, live as a child of God.  If you know that Jesus has forgiven you, then forgive also others.  If you know that God loves you and that you love God, then show it in your love to others.  If you accept the grace of God for yourself, be full of grace to others.

Jesus also puts that question to us.  Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life?  And we all, each one for him or herself will have to answer this question.  In faith we must accept Jesus being the Source of all life and accept Him as the Conqueror over death.  Like Martha we need to come to a confession.  Not an intellectual one, one that says: Yes, I believe that the dead will rise again; but we must confess Jesus.  We need to say like Martha: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

After such a confession we begin to live; really live!  Then we are no longer dead; no longer a corpse, but we are alive.  Then we shall never die, but live forevermore.

This will also become apparent in our daily life.  The hard, unhappy and unforgiving person, will, with the help of God’s Spirit, change into a gentle, humble, meek and forgiving person.  We will become members full of concern and love for others.  Our actions and behaviour, our words and our deeds will become very clear indications for others.  Those who meet us and know us will say: ‘They have a Living Lord!  You can see it; it is a living Church!  Look at those Christians; look at their lives; their smile, their helpfulness and love – truly Jesus lives!  He inspires their faith, He pervades their life, He must be what drives their work.  Truly, Jesus must be alive!’

We know it congregation, we confess it and proclaim it: Jesus lives!  We must show it to the world – Jesus lives!

And with the chorus of that song we sing:
            “He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today,
             He walks with me and talks with me
             Along life’s narrow way.
             He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
             You ask me how I know He lives?
             He lives within my heart.”

Jesus said to Martha and He says it to us: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”

And like Martha we may answer.  And we must answer; we must answer in word and deed, in life and actions: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, He who is coming into the world.”

We are called, congregation, to proclaim that Jesus is in the world; even our world; even the world of this 20th century.  No, we do not have a fallen hero, a dead corpse; but a Risen Saviour!

Him we serve, Him we confess; of Him we sing:
            I serve a Risen Saviour,
            He’s in the world today,
            I know that He is living
            Whatever men may say;
            I see His Hand of mercy,
            I hear His voice of cheer,
            And just the time I need Him
            He’s always near.

No, not a corpse; But a Living Jesus; A Risen Saviour.

AMEN.

PRAYER:

Great God and merciful Father, we thank and praise You for your Son Jesus Christ.  And we thank You, Lord Jesus Christ that You were willing to die for us, to free us from sin.

Above all, we praise You for your Resurrection and the life You have given us in faith.

— Living Lord give us life; raise us from our dead faith and the tomb of our formalism.  Revive us, breath into us a New Life; the life we may have with You in faith.

— Living Lord, help us to believe, to confess and to proclaim in our whole life that You are not dead but that You are alive.

— Living Lord, make us alive; keep us alive; Make us live with You forevermore.

Amen.