I Am: The Resurrection and the Life

Ask: What does ‘resurrection” mean? (When someone who is dead comes back to life.)

Ask: Why are we sad when someone we love dies? (Death is sad because it means we are separated from the person we love.)

Read: John 11:17-27

The first half of this story is difficult. Death is a sad thing and can be hard to think and talk about. In the middle of this Jesus makes a statement that is really mind-boggling (Read v. 25-26 again) The dead coming back to life? Someone can live even if they die? Never dying? How is this possible? What is Jesus talking about? In the middle of this difficult situation Jesus is telling us something amazing about himself…that he has the power over life and death. And he is about to show it.

Read: John 11:38-44

Wow! Jesus brought a man back to life who had been dead for four days and showed that he had the power to overcome physical death and give life. But Jesus has the power to give spiritual life, too. Ephesians 2:1 tells us that we were dead spiritually because of our sin. We were separated from God and couldn’t be with him. But Ephesians 2:4-5 tell us that God loved us, gave us new life through Jesus and made it possible for us to be friends again with him. When Jesus died on the cross he removed the sin that separated us from God. His resurrection proved that he was right, that he did actually have the power to overcome death and give life.

Today, if you are trusting Jesus, you can be thankful that he has given you life and made it possible to be his friend again.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that through Jesus we have spiritual life and are no longer separated from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.