"I Am"Sampl

I am the resurrection and the life.

In 1749, off the west coast of Africa, the first mate on a slave-trading ship lay sick in bed with malaria. Delirious from illness, and despairing because of the wretchedness of his life, he wished for an escape. One day, in an act of mysterious strength, he got out of bed and went ashore to a remote part of the island, and fell on his face before God. The weight of his sin laid heavy on his heart, and he cast himself before the mercy of the Lord.

Nothing new had been presented to his mind, but for the first time in his life, he believed that a crucified Savior was his only hope. Light had shone into the darkness of his heart, and the spiritually dead man was raised to life. How precious did that grace appear, the hour John Newton first believed!

Once an enemy of God, now grace changed him from the inside out. The former slave trader eventually became a pastor and wrote the most famous Christian hymn of all time, Amazing Grace.

But as miraculous as his story is, there’s a story of one man who lay in even more darkness. Dead in his tomb, Lazarus heard the Savior call his name and rose from the dead.

Before that happened, Lazarus had been sick, and his sisters, Mary and Martha had called for Jesus to come and help. By the time word reached Jesus, he decided to stay where he was for two more days. When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.

Martha’s disappointment in the Lord’s timing was impossible to conceal. At the time, she couldn’t see that Jesus’ delay was not to crush her hope, but to bolster her faith. She had no reason to expect an immediate resurrection, but she knew that someday she’d see her brother again. But as Jesus stood outside the tomb with Martha, Mary, and a throng of mourners, he was grieved in his spirit with sin, death, and unbelief. He called out with a loud voice and identified one corpse, from all the rest. He yelled, “Lazarus, come forth!” When those three words landed in the dead man’s ears, death was reversed and life was restored. Instantaneously, his heart started beating, his eyes opened, and whatever decomposition had occurred, reversed. Seconds later, the once-dead, linen-wrapped man, shuffled out of the darkness into the light to the astonishment of all.

Resurrections aren’t just a thing of the past, but a promise of future glory for those who believe in the great I am. Jesus is still in the business of loosening the death rags that bind us and bringing from death to life all who believe in him. Those who believe in the resurrection and the life can sing with John Newton and all the saints. “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

Respond

• Jesus asked Martha if believing in him was enough even in the face of death. We must answer this question too. What will happen to you once you die?
• How does knowing Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, give you hope in this life, and the next?
• Do you have hope for life beyond the grave? How do you know your hope is more than wishful thinking?