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?"
Because Jesus is the resurrection we have hope.
“The focus of Martha's (and your) faith must not be in a principle but in a person. There is and will be a resurrection because there is and always will be a person named Jesus who himself has conquered death and is himself life and resurrection!” – Dr. Sam Storms
1. Because He is risen we have Hope in who He is
2. Because He is risen we have Hope in Him for this life
a. We have Hope for forgiveness of sins
b. We have Hope for salvation from God’s wrath
c. We have Hope for freedom from the law
“Since the law clamours for my death as a law-breaker, how can I possibly be justified? Only by meeting the law’s requirement and dying the death it demands. If I were to do this myself, however, that would be the finish of me. So, God has provided another way. Christ has borne the penalty of my law-breaking, and the blessing of what He has done has become mine because I am united with Him. Being one in Christ, I am able to say ‘I died to the law’, meeting its demands, because ‘I have been crucified with Christ’ and how He lives in me.” – John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p341
d. We have Hope in our fight against sin
· Because we’ve died to sin and have risen with Christ
Romans 6:4-11
· Because the flesh has been crucified and no longer has power over us
“This does not mean that we are to pretend we have died to sin and risen to God, when we know very well that we have not. On the contrary, we know that, by union with Christ, we have shared in His death and resurrection, and so have ourselves died to sin and risen to God; we must therefore constantly remember this fact and live a life consistent with it” – John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p277
· Because He has overcome the world
· Because His resurrection means we can receive His Spirit
John 16:7
· Because He intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father
Romans 8:34
e. We have Hope for the gospel
3. Because He is risen we have Hope in Him for the life to come
Hebrews 2:14-15
a. We have Hope that we will never die.
Romans 6:8-9
b. We have Hope that He will return
John 14:3
c. We have Hope that we will rise again
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
Romans 6:5
d. We have Hope for our reward
Colossians 3:24
· We must all answer the question that He asked of Martha and that He asks of us as well. He said that He is the resurrection and the life - Do you believe this?
He is risen! Matthew 28:1-8
Because Jesus is the resurrection we have hope.
Application Questions:
- How was your hope in who Jesus is stirred and your faith built?
- How does Jesus’ resurrection affect you daily? How should it affect how you approach each day?
- How is the fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life our hope for this life?
- How is the fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life our hope for the life to come?
