John 11:25 reads,
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.""
In April we had a look at the first part of this verse when Jesus said, "I Am the Resurrection." For May we focus on His statement, "I Am the Life."
It really was a profound statement from Jesus with profound effects! I pray these verses bless your heart today.
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.""
In April we had a look at the first part of this verse when Jesus said, "I Am the Resurrection." For May we focus on His statement, "I Am the Life."
It really was a profound statement from Jesus with profound effects! I pray these verses bless your heart today.
The "I Am" Statements Of Jesus Christ- "I Am The Resurrection And The Life." (Part Two- I Am The Life)
How grievous is the curse of death to rob us of tomorrow,
Yet thanks to Jesus Christ we’re not condemned to dwell in sorrow!
Although the flesh returns to dust, the body says goodbye,
Those who put their faith in the Messiah never die!
We’re set apart and born-again! This gift we can receive!
Salvation can be yours, the question is, do you believe?
Christ holds the key to life and brings the soul eternal wealth.
Praises to the great “I Am,” He’s Lord of life itself!
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”
Points For Reflection
Death is certainly a tragic and heart-breaking part of life and the loss of a loved one can cut us to the very core. It’s an excruciating experience for the human soul and this is because death is a direct result of the fall and not a part of God’s original creation. The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:31,
“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”
The Bible states clearly here that everything in God’s creation was good and this certainly didn’t include death. We read in Genesis about all the wonderful things God created and it’s very evident that sorrow and death had no part in this at all. Death only came onto the scene later, as a consequence of Adam’s sin and rebellion in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam a clear warning in Genesis 2:17 which reads, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
God was speaking of both the spiritual death and eventual physical death that Adam would experience as a result of wilful rebellion against God. Adam, like all of us, had the free-will and God-given ability to choose whether or not he would be obedient to his Creator. It’s the same choice God gives us all daily and sadly it’s the same hurdle that we all fall at on a regular basis.
We read in Romans 6:23,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Looking at the beginning of that verse, we read the phrase,
“The wages of sin is death.”
It’s an interesting use of the word “wages.” So what are wages? Wages are something we earn in exchange for something we’ve done. Normally a wage is in the context of money we earn in exchange for work we’ve done.
In this context however, death is what is earned as a result of sin that’s been committed. Death is the consequence that was earned for man’s rejection of God.
We see very clearly from the Scriptures therefore, that the curse of death only came in through man’s doing and not God’s.
This explains why, as human beings and part of God’s original creation, we’re not equipped to deal with death as it was never meant to be. We weren’t intended to suffer the sorrow of parting from our loved ones and this is why death hurts so much.
It’s not part of the original creation like we are, so it goes against our very souls.
A misunderstanding on the origins of death, mixed in with grief have often led many people to turn against God in anger when experiencing this sorrow in life.
Have you ever felt angry at God when a loved one has died?
Has the loss of a loved one left you feeling disappointed in God and that He has let you down?
If this is how you’re feeling today, I’d like to offer some words of comfort, if I may.
Please know that God understands the heartache of death better than we will ever know.
This is why God warned Adam against the action that would lead to this consequence. He didn’t want His creation to know this kind of heartache.
Looking at the Scriptures, it’s clear to see that death grieves Jesus even more than it grieves us.
During Jesus’ ministry, we see Him experiencing the sorrow of death as a human being and living through the heartache as we do. One example of this is when Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus and the anguish it evidently caused his family.
What’s more, Christ’s horrendous death on the Cross caused God the Father more pain than any human could ever comprehend.
Our Heavenly Father watched His own, innocent Son die the most excruciating death in order to save mankind. If anyone knows how painful dealing with death can be, it’s our God.
Knowing that death breaks God’s heart even more than ours, if you are struggling with this today, I’d like to encourage you to bring your sorrow and grief before Him. Please don’t allow the enemy to use this situation as a tool, to keep you at a distance from God. This will only lead to further heartache and other issues.
When we bring our grievances before the Lord’s Throne, we come before a God who completely understands and will offer comfort to our hurting souls in a way that no one else can. Don’t be afraid to bring your anger, disappointment or grief before the Lord. You won’t shock Him, He already knows what you’re thinking and feeling, He just wants you to come to Him. Bring Him everything that’s on your heart and mind and let Him help you process these emotions.
He is the only One who can truly grant us strength and peace in these difficult times in our lives.
In conclusion, let’s revisit Romans 6:23. It reads,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
As we’ve already seen, the first part of this verse is the bad news. The second section however, is the glorious counterpart that declares that death is not the end for those who believe in Jesus!
This takes us back to the wonderful truth of Christ’s “I Am” statement, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Knowing that He died on the Cross and rose again, it shows us the power, truth and authority behind His words.
Jesus saw the devastation caused by death and so came in flesh to defeat it’s hold on mankind! His sinless life and perfect sacrifice meant that the gates of death couldn’t hold Him and now all who put their trust in Jesus have the gift of eternal life!
Let’s offer our praise to God today that thanks to Christ’s resurrection, death is not the end for those found in Jesus. One day, all God’s people will be reunited and live together in eternity where there are no more tears and no goodbyes.
