The Resurrection and the Life

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. 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?" NKJV

Of all the I AM statements our Lord Jesus made referring to Himself, this one of being the Resurrection and the Life is the most Glorious to me. He made all things and right now He holds all things together in His hand. When Lazarus got sick in the town of Bethany, our Lord intentionally waited 2 days knowing that he would die. His purpose in this particular case was to go to Lazarus’s 2 sisters to comfort them and then to the tomb of Lazarus and manifest that He alone is the author of life and death and that He has dominion over every spirit. This also destroys the notion of ghost or dead people’s spirits floating around where they will or desire.

Lazarus is dead and disconnected from the natural world and his spirit was with God the Father and our Lord looked to the Father and called Lazarus back into his earthly body. There was no other person in Israel (none of the religious leaders) or anywhere else in the world that could bring Lazarus back to his earthly body, but the Lord Jesus Christ. This is another concrete affirmation of Jesus Christ being the only way to eternal life in Heaven. Ecclesiastes 8:8 “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death.” KJV None of the pagan religion’s leaders or priest (the magicians or soothsayers, etc.) could have manifested this reality of bringing forth life from death. The devil had the power of death but our Lord crushed him and it on Calvary.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. NKJV

The resurrection of Lazarus from the dead is a picture for us today of a man or woman lost or unsaved dead in trespasses and sins under the dominion of sin and walking in darkness being given new life in Christ Jesus by the washing of regeneration through the Holy Spirit. Just as the corpse of Lazarus needed to be restored to life by Christ, so does every man, woman, boy, and girl need resurrection from spiritual death. The reality of physical death is clear and visible for all to see as we witness people die physically every single day. However, spiritual death cannot be seen so clearly. Spiritual death is the author of all of our sin. If we do not see sin as God sees sin then we will miss the reality of our spiritual deadness we all received from our first parents Adam and Eve. King David said, “In sin did my Mother conceive me.”

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. NKJV

There is not one child on this planet that is born a Christian and not one is good from birth. From the moment the physical birth is complete, the child needs a spiritual birth. Baptism by water cannot make a baby alive spiritually to God. This perhaps is the hardest of all truths taught in the Scripture. You see we look at our little ones in the nursery and cannot dream of them being wicked. That just seems too bitter too harsh for the loving Father, Grand Father, Mother, or Grand Mother to believe. I believe this miss-guided thinking, despite the clear evidence from the Word of God keeps many people from Christ and the new birth and sends people on searches for spirituality that are void of Jesus Christ and will only lead to hell.

For example, take the highly popular 2010 movie starring Julia Roberts entitled “Eat, Pray, Love” that raked in almost a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office ($204,594,016 to be exact). It is based on the 2006 memoir (Eat, Pray, Love) of Elizabeth M. Gilbert that spent 199 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Listen to the plot of the movie which is the life of this miss-guided woman, “Ms. Gilbert (as portrayed by Julia Roberts) had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful career - yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali, Indonesia.” The enemy (satan) of the souls of men and women uses this method to lure people away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ into these false vague idolatrous belief systems that are appealing but damming. The Resurrection and the Life Jesus Christ is the only true source for all of the things this woman and billions like her seek and don’t find because they look in all the wrong places and turn from true life because of their love for darkness.  

John 3:19-20 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. NKJV

“He alone can believe in immortality who feels the resurrection in him already.” “What the world calls virtue is a name and a dream without Christ. The foundation of all human excellence must be laid deep in the blood of the Redeemer's cross and in the power of his resurrection.”” Fredrick W. Robertson

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You would continue to rain down Your Word upon the earth through all of us Your adopted sons and daughters so that the rest of Your elect can hear the gospel of Christ death, burial, and resurrection and receive His resurrection life. Dear Heavenly Father, the Apostle Paul said it wonderfully, “That I may know Him, and the power (the dunamis miraculous or miracle working power) of His (Christ) resurrection.” In Your Holy Name Lord Jesus Amen!!!

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…