I Am The Resurrection and The Life
Summary and Discussion Questions
Based on a sermon by Pastor Trent Thomas
Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026 | Christ Hills Church in Monroe, NC
John 11:17-27, 38-44
There is a question quietly sitting in the back seat of most minds: What is your greatest hope? Maybe it’s happiness, change, progress, growth, or a longing that life will finally settle into a place that makes sense.
Right on its heels, often louder than we’d like to admit, comes another question: What is your greatest fear? It might be rejection, failure, or losing your grip on things. Or if we’re being honest, it might be something as simple and humiliating as public speaking. Pull on this thread long enough, and a lot of our fears lead back to the same dark corner—the fear of death or one of its close relatives—cancer, driving, flying, snakes, the uncertainties of life that you can’t control.
If this is the shape of our fears, then it’s not hard to guess what our deepest hope might actually be…to outrun death. Yet death, along with taxes, are known to be inescapable. So where does this leave us?
In John 11, we encounter one of the most striking moments in Scripture—Lazarus raised from the grave. It’s the final sign John records before Jesus turns toward the cross, and it speaks directly into the place where our fear and hope collide.
By the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead four long days. Not barely dead. Not “maybe there’s still a chance.” He is unmistakable gone, past the point where human effort can pretend it has an answer. The kind of dead that removes all human hope.
Martha meets Jesus with a mix of faith and doubt. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” That line lands because we’ve said our own version of it, sometimes out loud, sometimes quietly. Why Lord, why? Where were You? What are You doing?
Imagine yourself in this situation. Would your response have been better than Martha’s? Would faith have come easily, or would you have felt the same tension. Would you have trusted fully, or would you have wrestled with doubt?
Later Jesus approaches the tomb. He reminds Martha that belief opens our eyes to see the glory of God. Then in verse 43, the moment turns. With a loud, authoritative command, Jesus shouts, “Lazarus, come out!”
And what no one can manufacture happens. The dead man listens and obeys. Lazarus, wrapped in burial cloths, walks out at the sound of his Savior’s voice. Death doesn’t have the final word.
How did this happen? And why this way? You see, the one speaking is not merely a teacher, prophet, or good person. This moment reveals something huge: Jesus is God!
Just one chapter earlier, in John 10, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. His sheep recognize His voice and follow Him. Lazarus becomes a living, breathing picture of that promise. The Shepherd speaks, and His sheep respond, even from the grave.
In the middle of this whole exchange, Jesus says something foundational to the Christian faith: “I am the resurrection and the life.” He doesn’t say resurrection is merely a useful tool He can hand out. He doesn’t talk like it’s something coming down the road. Jesus offers deliverance from bondage, suffering, and fear, and He speaks the way God spoke to Moses, with a name that says it all. He boldly states, “I AM.”
I AM the bread of life. (John 6:35)
I AM the light of the world. (John 8:12)
I AM the gate. (John 10:7)
I AM the good shepherd. (John 10:11)
I AM the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)
I AM the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
I AM the true vine. (John 15:1)
You see, our hope doesn’t rest on outcomes finally going our way, or circumstances calming down. Our hope rests on a person—Jesus Christ.
Yes, Lazarus is raised, but that isn’t the end of his story. He would have to face death again. And remember this. When he came out of the tomb, he needed others to unwrap him. But the resurrection of Jesus is different. When He rises, He leaves the linen behind, folded, and set neatly in the tomb. Death had no claim on Him. No one had to free Him. He walked out on His own in complete, total, and final victory over death.
Then He appears to His disciples when they were gathered together, and the first words He gives them are simple and steady: “Peace be with you.”
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4 that “…the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive…will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” The voice that called Lazarus from the tomb will call again. And everyone who belongs to Him will listen and obey. Let these words encourage you and give you real hope.
Jesus still calls today. Not by force, but by invitation. The Shepherd speaks, and His sheep respond. So the question remains: Do you believe? Do you trust Jesus with your hopes and fears? When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, will you let His shepherd’s rod and staff comfort you?
In the words of the gospel hymn that we sang together on this Easter Sunday: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”
Questions for Reflection & Discussion:
What is your greatest fear, and how is it shaping your daily decisions and thoughts?
Which of the seven “I AM” statements do you most need to hold onto right now, and why?
In the days to come, what would it look like for you to trust Jesus more deeply and let your hope rest in the Good Shepherd?