Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Jesus -- the Source of True Life

Dr. John Wiers · July 20, 2019

John 11:1-44

sharonrpc.org/sermons/jesus-the-source-of-true

Summary

Jesus' delay in going to Lazarus does not contradict his love; it shows that divine love acts according to God's sovereign wisdom and timetable.
True life is found only in Jesus, who does more than affirm a future resurrection: he declares himself to be the resurrection and the life.
Abundant life in Christ is not a trouble-free existence, as Mary, Martha, and Jesus himself experience genuine sorrow in the face of Lazarus's death.
Jesus confronts death with decisive divine power, calling Lazarus out of a four-day-old tomb and providing a sign of the final resurrection.
Lazarus's restoration was temporary, but Christ's own resurrection guarantees that believers will be raised to life that death can never end.
The raising of Lazarus displays God's glory in redemption and presses the personal question Jesus asked Martha: "Do you believe this?"

How does Jesus' delay challenge my assumptions about what divine love should look like?
Where am I tempted to judge God's love only by my preferred timetable?
What is the difference between knowing a doctrine of resurrection and trusting Jesus as the resurrection and the life?
Have I confused abundant life with a promise of present ease or freedom from grief?
What does Jesus' anger, trouble, and weeping at Lazarus's tomb reveal about his response to death?
How does the raising of Lazarus point beyond a temporary restoration to the final resurrection of believers?
How should the certainty of bodily resurrection shape present sorrow, hope, and holiness?
How would I answer Jesus' question, "Do you believe this?"

Resurrection: God's act of raising the dead, displayed as a sign in Lazarus and promised in its final, imperishable form to those who belong to Christ.
True life: Life centered in and given by Jesus, encompassing present hope and communion with him as well as bodily resurrection in the age to come.
Sovereign love: Christ's real and intense love exercised according to divine wisdom, power, purpose, and timing rather than human expectations.
Sign: A mighty work that reveals Jesus' identity and points beyond itself; Lazarus's raising anticipates Christ's victory and the future resurrection.
Abundant life: The fullness Jesus gives his people, not freedom from every present trouble but life ordered around him and secured by his victory over death.
Glory of God: The public display of God's goodness, power, and saving excellence, revealed here through the Son's authority over death.
Faith: Personal trust in Jesus as the Christ, the Son sent by God, and the only source of resurrection and life.