I Will Rise - Live with Lon!

Hello everybody.

Welcome to Live with Lon. We're so glad to have you today and we are continuing today in our study of John's Gospel. We're in chapter 11 right now and we're plugging along in this amazing chapter. So we're gonna get to it in just a moment, but first we're going to pray.

So let's do that. Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you would use the Word of God today to give us amazing hope regarding our future as children of God, to give us amazing hope about what's gonna happen to us on the other side of the grave. So Lord, just take the Word of God today and instruct us and encourage us and fortify our souls to press on for you and we pray this in Jesus name and everybody said, what'd you say? Come on Amen and what? Amen. You got it. All right now, new King James version of the Bible and we're going to do today the next few verses in the Gospel of John.

So are you ready? All right here we go and actually these verses are some of the greatest verses in the entire Bible, I think. So Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus who was sick and died there in Bethany, they come out to meet the Lord, well Martha does at least at first, and she says, Lord if you'd have been here my brother wouldn't have died, but I know whatever you ask God for he'll give you so implied ask him to raise my brother back to life.

And that's where we stopped. So let's pick up John chapter 11 verse 23. And Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again. And Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Now watch this. Jesus says to her, I am the resurrection, Martha, and the life. I am the resurrection and the life.

Gosh, how great is that? The resurrection, Jesus says, is not a happening, it's not so much an event as it is a person. I am the resurrection and the life. I'm the one who gives life. I'm the one who raises people from the dead. I'm the one who's gonna resurrect myself from the dead. I'm the one who's gonna give life to those dead bodies of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who's ever lived.

I am the resurrection. Wow. Wow.

Wow. Amazing comment by the Lord Jesus. I don't do the resurrection. Jesus says, Martha, I am the resurrection.

Amazing comment. Now look what he goes on to say. He says, he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

Do you believe this? And she said to him, yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ. You are the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. Now the Jews knew from the Old Testament that there was a Mashiach, the Mashiach it means anointed one in Hebrew, and that he was coming into the world. They knew some things about him that he would be a descendant of David, that he would be born in Bethlehem, Micah chapter 5, that he would be raised in Galilee, the book of Isaiah tells us, and on and on and on.

So yeah, they knew a little about it. They didn't know as much as we know now with the full New Testament, but she knew enough to say, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God. It's like Nicodemus said in John chapter 3, well I know that no one could do the works, the miracles that you do, unless God is with him.

In fact, the truth is unless he's God himself. Okay, now just those few verses are so full, oh my gosh, but I want to focus right now on what Jesus promises in verse 25 and verse 26. He, look at this, who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. There's two promises there made to two groups of people, but before we dig into that, let me just take a word to say, a moment to say, how did Martha know? Look what she says. She says in verse 24, I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. How does she know that?

Where did that information come to her? That's not very clear in the Old Testament. The only passage in the Old Testament that really speaks to this is Daniel chapter 12 verse 1. Now at that time, at the end of the age, Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, Michael the Archangel, will arise and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

What book is this? Well we know from Revelation chapter 20 that this is the book of life. Anyone who was not found written in the book of life was thrown in the lake of fire. And Paul refers also to believers whose names are written in the book of life. Now look at verse 2, and many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake.

What is that? That's a resurrection. That's resurrection at the last day, right?

These to eternal life but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Okay so it's possible Martha knew something about the resurrection at the in the last days that she says to Jesus from Daniel chapter 12 verse 1 and 2. But don't forget Jesus had talked about raising up followers of his at the last day a lot here in the Gospels. So it may be that she's reflecting what she's heard Jesus say.

Let me show you. Okay let's go back to Luke's Gospel. Alright Luke chapter 20 verse 37. They're arguing about the resurrection. He is with the Sadducees whether there is a resurrection. And look at verse 37 Jesus says now even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised when he called the Lord the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob for he is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him.

What's the whole point of this? Well that Abraham Isaac and Jacob were not dead when Moses was talking to God at the bush. So this proves Jesus said that they're gonna rise again from the dead. Look in chapter 11 Jesus says in verse 31 the Queen of the South meaning the Queen of Sheba who came to see Solomon will rise up in judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and indeed one greater than Solomon is here the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment against this generation and condemn it. So these people are all dead how are they gonna rise up if there's not a resurrection and Mark 12 look at Mark 12 verse 25 for when they rise from the dead Jesus said look at this they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven when they rise from the dead Jesus said they don't we don't marry anymore angels don't let me just comment on this for a second angels don't procreate they don't need to angels don't die so there's no need to have baby angels to replace them you follow so if they don't marry I mean there's lots of goals for marriage but one of them one of the key goals for marriage is to have children and replace the species because we all we're all gonna die so there's a need for more humans angels don't need that so God if you are enjoying your marriage right now that's great enjoy it to the fullest cause when we get to heaven now there's no more marrying it's off but Jesus said when we rise from the dead there won't be any more marriage the point is we're rising from the dead so Mary and Martha and others are hearing him say these kinds of things and that may be where where she got her idea that I know he'll rise at the last day finally John chapter 6 this is maybe the greatest set of verses where Jesus talks about rise that we are rising from the dead when he returns listen John chapter 6 verse 39 and this is the will of the father who sent me that of all he has given me talking about people I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day look at verse 40 and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the son the Lord Jesus and believes in him may have everlasting life and I will raise him or her up at the last day well God how great a promise is that you see the Lord you believe in him you have eternal life and Jesus gonna raise you up at the last day how about verse 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day how about verse 54 whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day okay all she had to do mayor Martha was here that sermon about him being the bread of life and she knew there was a resurrection at the last day so that's how she knew probably from listening to the Lord now what does Jesus say about this raising us up at the last day well we're gonna answer that and finish but first we're gonna ask our most important question and you know what it is so you ready come on now come on ready here we go one two three so what that's right my friend Jackie's here to say how sweet it is yeah hey with all this pollen in the air right now how sweet it is that I can even talk cuz I have hay fever but praise the Lord I'm able to talk how sweet it is okay now what's the takeaway today what's the not a sermon what's the point well look at look at these two verses with me chapter 11 verse 25 and 26 he who believes in me though he may die he shall live okay stop right there that's category number one a person believes in Jesus even though they physically die their body physically dies and ceases to function they shall live where shall they live remember a couple weeks ago we talked about this to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord to depart and be with Christ Philippians chapter 1 is exceedingly far better we talked about that that's category number one category number two is in verse 26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die what's that mean well that means if you're living when the Lord Jesus comes back and you believe in him he's gonna translate you immediately metamorphosis you immediately transmogrify you immediately and as you go up in the air to meet the Lord he's gonna change your body into a glorified body and you'll never taste physical death that's what he means you said say are you sure that's right of course I'm sure here in 1st Thessalonians 4 we're talking about the Lord's return at the rapture where we go up meet him in the air and look what the Bible says here verse 13 I don't want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who have fallen asleep that you may not sorrow as others who have no hope remember we talked about this a week or so ago that this is a euphemism falling asleep if you're a believer is a euphemism for your physical death now watch for if we believe that the Jesus died and rose again and we do so also God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus what do you mean he'll bring those who sleep in Jesus with him well their spirits go up to be with him in heaven so when he comes back he's bringing all of them their spirits with him watch for this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive when the Lord comes back and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep for the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God watch and the dead in Christ will rise first so Jesus brings the spirits of all those who have fallen asleep whose physical bodies have died and he then he what does it say here he raises their dead bodies and reunites their spirits with their new bodies risen from the dead their new glorified bodies okay then we who remain meaning we you know that Paul said we haven't died we're alive we never went through physical death those of us who remain shall be caught up together with them those who were asleep in the Lord into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall ever be with the Lord so as we go up Paul says first Corinthians 15 in the twinkling of an eye we are changed from mortal to immortal from flesh and blood to glorified body how do I know that well Philippians chapter 3 says verse 20 for our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly await for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ watch who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able to subdue all things to himself he's got endless power and authority and he's gonna make our glorious body like his glorious body meaning after the resurrection so let's summarize all right Jesus said I am the resurrection and I'm gonna raise John chapter 6 I'm gonna raise up everybody who believes in me there's two categories those who have already fallen asleep in the Lord when Jesus comes back and what he's gonna do for them is bring their spirit to bring each of our spirit who which has been in heaven with him bringing with him and then raise our body transform our body into a glorified body and reunite us with our body for eternity and then there's a second category the people who are still alive when the Lord comes you know they're teenagers they're 25 year olds they're 50 year olds their parents their grandpa whatever when the Lord comes and they never physically die that's what Jesus meant where when he said and though those who believe in me shall never die there's a category of people that meet that that qualification and he simply takes them up in the air and as they're going up Paul says in the twinkling of an eye they're changed to a new glorified body and what could Jesus is glorified body do well if you remember he walked through walls he appeared and disappeared he was able to fly through the air with his glorified body his glorified body is never gonna die again it's not and it's free of sin it's not a sinful body there's no sin nature in it and therefore we can obey God in each and everything that we he calls us to do for all of eternity Wow what a body how great would it be to get rid of this thing who no matter how much I want to do right it always wants to do wrong that's a Paul says in Romans 7 let me read it to you Paul says in the end of Romans chapter 7 verse 22 for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man as a believer but I see another law in my members in my body warring making war against the law of my mind which wants to obey God and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death some people think he's talking about his unsaved experience there but either way he calls this body a body of death because it wants to sin and no matter how much good you want to do it wants to do evil and how often even as believers we get overcome by that sinful passion that lives inside of each one of us we won't have that in our new glorified bodies praise the Lord huh praise the Lord Philippians 3 my citizenship is in heaven from which I'm eagerly expecting my Savior who's gonna come and transform my body into being like his glorious body what a future we have as followers of Christ you know I've told you before and I'm with this I'm done that I often ride around with my daughter Jill in the evening especially and we listen to Christian music and one of my favorite artists is Chris Tomlin and and and I love the song and maybe you know it I will rise is the name of the song and it says I will rise when he calls my name no more sorrow no more pain and then the song goes on to simply say I will rise Wow how great will that be if I've passed away and the Lord hasn't come back to be with him and wherever my body is to have him say Lon Neil Solomon and up comes my body reconditioned a refabricated transmogrified transformed into a glorious body like his and if you know Christ he's gonna call your name if you pass away and if you don't haha you're gonna float right up through the air and it's gonna happen right then and there so we have what what a great future we have let me read it again to you Jesus his promise John chapter 11 verse 25 he who believes in me though he or she may die they shall live and whoever lives and believes in me when I come back shall never die I like what one translation says translated translates it will never really die because they'll be transformed praise the Lord let's pray Lord Jesus we rejoice in your great promise regarding our future that whether our body is buried in the ground or whether it's buried at sea or whether it's cremated or whether whatever in the world happens to it Lord you're gonna you're gonna know where those atoms are you're gonna find them and whether it's from the ashes or from the depths of the sea or from the grave it doesn't matter you're gonna recondition our body refabricated and give it to us as a new glorified body just like yours we will rise our bodies will from the dead because you said that this is why the father sent you this was his will never to lose a one of us who believe in you but to make sure we rise from the dead thank you for the promise of John chapter 6 verse 40 and this is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the Sun and believes in him may have everlasting life and I will raise him or her up at the last day praise the Lord even so come quickly Lord Jesus and we ask this in your name amen all right hey I'm what I tell what a chapter what a God what a Savior hallelujah what a Savior see you next week Lord willing on live with long you