Life in this world is a mixed bag, at best. It is full of pain and suffering. And while most of us would love to slow down the effects of aging, would we really want to live forever in a world filled with pain, betrayal, and sin?

God did not design us to live in this broken world forever. Eternity in sin was never the plan. He had a better plan. And it was revealed in John chapter 11.

That plan? Resurrection and life.

Make every day count

When Jesus received word that his friend Lazarus was sick, he did something surprising. He waited two more days before going to Bethany.

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. So why not come right away? Because Jesus knew something they didn't. He knew this sickness would not end in death. At least, not permanently.

When Jesus finally told his disciples it was time to go, they protested. The last time they had been near Jerusalem, people had tried to kill him. Going back was dangerous.

But Jesus was not intimidated.

"Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light." (John 11:9)

Jesus knew he had one short life. And as long as the crucifixion had not happened, he had an opportunity to make a difference. He would face life with boldness, clarity, and sacrifice.

Some of us need to hear this because we have been lulled into complacency.

Maybe you are in your final chapter of life and have started thinking, "I did my part when I was younger. Let someone else make an impact now."

Can I tell you something? God is not done with you yet.

This world still needs you. God has you on the planet for a reason, and until the last tick of the fourth quarter, you have to play the game!

Or maybe you are in midlife, raising a young family, and buzzing through life so fast that you have lost focus. You have plenty of hours left on the clock, but you are consumed with temporary things. Maybe you are afraid to represent Jesus at work. Maybe you escape into phone games or television because you just don't want to initiate.

Jesus would say to you, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight?"

Don't get so busy, so distracted, so consumed with temporary things that you lose sight of the most important things.

Twelve hours. One lifetime to make a difference in this world for the Kingdom. Make every day count!

Jesus is the resurrection and the life

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Martha came out to meet him, grieving the loss of her brother.

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:21)

Jesus responded by telling her that her brother would rise again.

Martha interpreted this with theological accuracy, but she misunderstood what Jesus was saying. She knew Lazarus would rise at the resurrection on the last day.

But Jesus was about to reveal something much bigger.

"Jesus said to her, '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?'" (John 11:25–26)

Don't miss this. Jesus doesn't simply promise a future resurrection. He says, "I AM the resurrection."

This is his identity.

The resurrection is an event, but more than that, it is a person. Jesus himself.

And why does Jesus say he is the resurrection and the life?

Because resurrection does not end with a period.

The goal is not simply to escape death. Some Christians stop there, satisfied to know that they have escaped hell and are headed toward resurrection. Make no mistake, that is a huge upgrade.

But Jesus wants us to know this is not all.

There is LIFE after resurrection. Union with Christ. The presence of God. Meaningful work. Reigning with him.

And there is not just life after death. There is life before death.

Because of the fact of a resurrection, we can live with hope instead of despair. Life on this side of death is meaningful rather than empty.

Jesus is resurrection and life NOW as well as AFTER.

Then Jesus turns to Martha and asks the question each of us must answer:

"Do you believe this?"

Your eternal destiny is not based on what you do, but who you know. And who you believe.

The Savior who weeps with us

Then Mary comes to Jesus and essentially says the same thing her sister said.

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

But Jesus responds very differently.

To Martha, he answers with theology and hope.

To Mary, two words. One of the shortest and deepest verses in the Bible.

"Jesus wept." (John 11:35)

Jesus knew Lazarus would be raised. His weeping was not because he was in despair. So why did he weep?

Because he so identified with Mary's pain that he wept beside her.

He loved her and entered into her pain.

Part of why Jesus became human was to enter into our reality. This is why he can be so compassionate.

Some of you are in the same position as Mary. You have lost a loved one and are weeping. Or maybe you have lost respect publicly, lost your dignity, lost a job, lost income, or lost your independence.

And you wonder, "Jesus, what are you doing while I am down here grieving?"

Jesus wept.

He enters into your pain. He feels it with you. And he sits beside you and weeps with you.

The same Jesus who has power over death is the Jesus who cares deeply about your suffering.

And after the tears, Jesus called for the stone to be rolled away.

Everyone protested. Lazarus had been dead for four days. But Jesus was about to show them something they would never forget.

"When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face." (John 11:43–44)

With the same voice that called for the earth to emerge, the mountains to rise, and the stars to be born, Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave.

And Lazarus came out.

Jesus not only claimed to be resurrection and life. He provided a down payment on the proof that he is exactly who he says he is.

But the bigger and better resurrection was still to come.

Lazarus returned to the same body and would eventually die again. Jesus would rise with a resurrected body, never to die again.

The resurrection Jesus promises is the new body kind. It is the permanent kind.

And that changes everything.

Living with resurrection confidence

When you know what will happen after death, you can live with reckless abandon in the arms of God.

What can they do, kill you?

The promise of resurrection means we can live with courage today and face death with confidence tomorrow.

We don't have to spend our lives desperately trying to hold on to a world that was never meant to be our permanent home. We have something better ahead.

And until that day comes, we still have daylight. We still have opportunities to love, serve, sacrifice, and make a difference for the Kingdom.

Jesus has already shown us that death does not get the final word.

He is the resurrection and the life.

Do you believe this?

Message recap adapted from the November 8, 2026, message by Minister Mark Ashton.

Message Notes

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