“Do You Know the Great I Am?” John 11:1-41he question I ask today is this; Do you know the Great I Am? Since the end of November, we have been looking at the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus Christ. Allow me to recap the ones we looked at thus far:”I am the bread of life” John 6:35ff”I am the light of the world” John 8:12ff”I am the door of the sheep” John 10:7ff”I am the good shepherd” John 10:11ff Today, we are going to look at Jesus’ statement, “I am the resurrection and the life” John 11:25ff. Perhaps, this statement is familiar to you, but this statement lays out the person and work of Jesus Christ. It gives us the real gift of Christmas. The incarnation of the Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, is God’s greatest gift to us. The Bible says that the gift of forgiveness of sin and a real personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is offered to anyone who would put their trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In this passage, the Apostle John, records for us a great Biblical and theological truth: forgiveness and new life are only available through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Context of Jesus’ Great StatementJesus close relationship with Mary, Martha, and LazarusLazarus had fallen ill and diedWhen Lazarus first became ill, the sisters send word to Jesus hoping that He would come and heal their brotherJesus delayed because God has something else planned to show that Jesus is really fully God and fully man e.g. raising Lazarus from the deadJesus arrived on the 4th day after Lazarus died and was buriedMartha went out to meet Jesus when He came into townShe gave him a brief rebukeShe then stated her faithShe believed in the resurrection at the last dayIn this context of loss and grief, Jesus makes this wonder statement, “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?”Jesus is the Great I AMHe is declaring Himself to be God in the flesh e.g. fully God and fully man.Notice Jesus didn’t say I can make the resurrection, He said “I am the resurrection…”Jesus, being fully God and fully man, is in His person and character the power of the resurrectionIn other words, Jesus is lifeHe is the Author and Sustainer of lifeOnly He can give new life to sinners who are dead in their sin through faith and repentanceFaith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ e.g. His birth, life, death and resurrection.Faith means a total belief encompassing the whole personIt is not just an intellectual belief, but one that is settled in one’s heart.Faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ make possible the forgiveness of our sin past, present, and future and a new life with new purpose…The Bible says that we are all rebels against God e.g. we are all dead to sinSin separates us from a Holy  GodSin condemns us to an eternity of separation from God in a place the Bible calls hell.Jesus came to live a perfectly holy life as fully God and fully manHe came in love to offer us forgiveness and life e.g. a resurrection and new life in ChristJesus Illustrates that He has the power of new life e.g. when we trust in Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, He raises us up from being dead in our sin to giving us new life e.g. His lifeFor the glory of God the Father and for all to see that Jesus is the life and resurrection, He calls forth Lazarus by name from the grace.Is Jesus calling you by name to trust Him today? In love, He died a death we deserve in our place to pay the full penalty of our sin once for all on the cross. Jesus offers us forgiveness and new life if we come to Him humbly in repentance and faith.So the question Jesus asked Martha He asks of us this day; “Do you believe this?”Closing: This is the question I would love to ask tonight.