Sermon Snippet – Jesus, the Life
INTRODUCTION – As we have followed Jesus to the Cross, we have seen from Scripture that He is the “Beloved,” the “Son of man,” our Brother, and, metaphorically, the grain of wheat (had we been able to meet last week). Today, from the Gospel of John, we will see that He is “the Life.”
1. JESUS IS THE LIFE IN THAT HE IS THE CREATOR OF LIFE
John 1:1-5 makes absolute claims about Jesus, God the Son. Either these statements are completely true or completely false; there is no middle ground. The existence of life itself cannot reasonably be explained unless there is a means of creation. The intelligent design of creation argues for a Creator. Similarly, the necessity of irreducible complexity within each living organism and within each living cell points us to the Creator. The more we learn about so-called simple cells, the more we are flummoxed by their intricacy, including DNA. Such detail demands a Creator, and that Creator is Jesus Himself. John 5:26 states that life is an intrinsic characteristic of God: “For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” Logically, Jesus must inherently possess life in order to exist and to be able to create life. What the Bible tells us about Jesus and life perfectly matches what we observe.
2. JESUS IS THE LIFE IN THAT HE RESURRECTS
A precursor to His own resurrection is found in John 11, where He raises His friend Lazarus from the dead. Again, in Verses 25-26, Jesus makes an absolute claim: “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believeth thus this?” Do we have compelling, convincing reasons to believe this? The existence of life itself pointing us to Jesus as Creator, the beauty of this creation revealing His greater beauty, the fulfillment of extraordinarily detailed prophecy, the testimonies of millions of transformed lives, the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Himself (the tomb was empty; otherwise, the opponents of Jesus would have quashed Christianity on that first Easter) – all of these (and more) provide overwhelming evidence to believe. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, believed: “Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, [Who] should come into the world” (verse 27). Yes, she believed – before her brother was raised from the dead! Yes, she believed – even before Jesus died on the Cross and resurrected the third day! We have more evidence, overwhelming evidence.
3. JESUS IS THE LIFE IN THAT HE PROVIDES ENTRANCE INTO EVERLASTING LIFE
In John 14:1-6, Jesus speaks clearly about the reality of heaven and again makes an absolute claim: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” Jesus has provided the way to enter into an eternal relationship with Him. He stated that He would give His life for us and for our sins (John 15:13) and that He would live again (John 14:19) to provide that way. He has kept His word.
CONCLUSION – Because Jesus lives, we must also live – if we trust in Him. Jesus so stated in John 17:13, and the Apostle John summarized the purpose of this Gospel in clear terms: “But these things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31). May each of us trust in Jesus and His finished work today. Faith in Jesus is the only way to really live.