And in the end, its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25-26 (KJV) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NIV) What does the Bible mean when it talks about eternal death? To what does Jesus liken death in JN 11? How is CHRIST the life? What is the significance of Jesus weeping? What does Thomas/Philips attitudes tell us about the disciples? What meaning could there possibly be to the fact that Jesus waits to come heal Lazarus? What meaning might there be to the fact that Martha comes first and then Mary? Resurrection state Of the dead What of the afterlife? God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is alienated from the life of God. Christ says, All they that hate Me love death. Eph. 4:18; Prov. 8:36. God gives [us] existence for a time that... [we may] receive the results of [our] own choice. By a life of rebellion, satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them. pg 764, DA., pub. 1890 The youth need to understand the deep truth underlying the Bible statement that with God is the fountain of life. Psalm 36:8. Not only is He the originator of all, but He is the life of everything that lives... It is His life that we receive in the sunshine, In the pure, sweet air, in the food which builds up our bodies and sustains our strength. It is by His life that we exist, hour by hour, moment by moment. Except as perverted by sin, all His gifts tend to life, to health and joy. pg 198, Ed., pub. 1903 Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 Hebrews 9:27 Genesis 2:7 Ecclesiastes 12:7 Job 27:3 Psalms 146:2-4 John 11:11, 14 I Thessalonians 4:14-17 John 5:28-29 I Corinthians 15:20, 35-38, 54-57 The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Annie Dillard What of the afterlife (eastwood interview)? As regards this earth, Scripture declares the work of creation to have been finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:3. But the power of God is still exercised in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism once set in motion continues to act by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats, and breath follows breath. Every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the care of Him in whom we live and move and have our being. pg , Ed., pub. 1903 I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is. Albert Camus 25 min Journaling 1. People fear Norman because hes different from them. Have you ever felt like people treated youor someone you were with different? What happened? How did that feel? 2. Have you ever heard God impressing you to do something for someone? God is the Author of all that is good, and helping someone else is good. So have you ever helped someone else? What did you do? How did you feel? 3. Have you ever stood up for someone else when others were making fun of them? Describe the situation and what happened. The last great freedom of man is the freedom to choose his attitude under any given set of circumstances. Victor Frankl 19 min Journaling 1. Mike details his struggles with trying to obey Gods voice. Christ Himself didnt want to die and wrestled with His own nature in the Garden. Have you ever struggled to do what was right and given up? Have you ever struggled to do what was right and won (did the right thing)? Describe the situation. What were your feelings afterwards. 2. God may not call you to be a missionary in a foreign country, but He calls everyone for something. Think about those you know and make a list of people to help this week. Do it. Journaling 1. Read the story of the two sons found in Matthew 21: Note your thoughts and reactions to it. 2. Compare and contrast the idea of life/death/resurrection with our discussion of being born again and learning to do whats right. John 11