In the 11th chapter of John we read the story of Lazarus.
Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus. After Lazarus dies his
sister, Martha, told Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.” Martha knew and believed that Jesus
had the power to save her brother, if only he had come
four days earlier.
It is in the 25th verse Jesus says, “I am the resurrection
and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even
though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will
never die. Do you believe this?” As we break down this
verse we hear Jesus say that he is the resurrection, he is
the one who will rise from the grave and defeat death once
for all. Jesus goes on to tell us that when we believe him we
will be able to defeat death too. Our bodies will eventually
fail, but our spirit can live with him for eternity.
As we celebrate this Resurrection Day, the day Jesus rose
from the grave and left the tomb empty, I want to ask you
the same question Jesus asked Martha at the end of verse
26, “Do you believe this?” Our prayer at Hope Community
Church is that you decide to believe and follow Jesus.
Easter Changes Everything,
Pastor Doug