"Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a tremendous privilege to have you here with us today. We ask that you would continue to join us in praying for those who are being persecuted, that their faith would endure. Also, please pray that God's Word and this ministry would reach those that need it most, wherever they may be. I would like to remind you all how extremely blessed we are to be able to partner with Vanessa Taylor at Go Ye Kids, a wonderful ministry that provides printable biblical resources for children, many of them free. Please be sure to thank her and let her know that you heard about her here.
People often ask me how I decide what I'm going to speak on in the opening of a message, and the answer is always the same, whatever God gives me. I never know what that will be until I begin. As many of you know, I am particularly passionate about the purity of the Christ's church and sanctification of God's people, it's a concern that weighs heavily on my heart. Deception with flattery is always a severe threat to the contemporary church. Frankly, I am afraid that most church goer's today are being deceived as easily as the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden, wrapped in the guise of what appears to be benign, embracing community acceptance and increasing tolerance, necessary tools for personal growth, by false teachers who appear trustworthy on the surface but are actually seeking to twist the truth and lead people astray. It's essential for Christians today to remain vigilant and discerning, ensuring that the messages they are internalizing are rooted in sound biblical doctrine, that can easily be verified by opening God’s Word.
Missing from most pastors vocabulary are the words: biblical, holy, humble, godly, separated, self-denying, pure, faithful, and sacrificial. They've been replaced by relevant, innovative, intentional, inclusive, and multi-anything. It's no wonder why Scripture constantly warms us to "take heed" in guarding our minds against deception. A phrase that means we must watch out, pay close attention what we are getting ourselves involved in. Most people are deceived because they are not paying close enough attention to what is going on. I believe that our guard against deception has to be up all the time, making sure that what we hear doesn't just sound biblical, but actually aligns with God's Word, the ultimate standard by which we measure truth.
James 1:5 assures us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God, Who gives generously and it will be given to all without finding fault. If anyone is deceived, if we allow ourselves to get tripped up, we're not going to be able to blame God for it. Just as a farmer designates a specific area of his land for a particular crop, separated from the rest, God's people are called to be holy, separated from the world while living in the world and engaging the world. Make no mistake, we belong to the Kingdom of God, so the world under the influence of Satan constantly seeks to distract us, pulling us away from our God given divine purpose, pointing others to Christ. In a society where cultural norms shift rapidly, it is imperative that we recognize these dangers quickly and actively resist conforming to societal pressures that contradict our faith and threaten to undermine our witness, diluting the strength of our testimony.
In John 14:11, Jesus said, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves." The miracles Jesus performed were always signs pointing to His claims. I believe that we can all agree Jesus Christ is the most well-known person in all of human history, whether one identifies as a believer, agnostic, or even an atheist, practically everybody, everywhere, with few exceptions, knows something about the person Jesus Christ.
Born over two thousand years ago, Jesus' influence continues to stretch across continents, cultures and generations, shaping not only religious beliefs but also morals, ethical principles, inspiring countless works of art, masterpieces in literary works, and the very fabric of our societies, forever etched in the hearts and minds of billions and billions of people all around the world. Even those who do not subscribe to the Christian faith, often find themselves resonating with His teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, principles of love, compassion, forgiveness and benevolent acts of kindness. Loving ones neighbor as yourself goes far beyond just a religious sentiment; it embodies the basic principles of human compassion that
urges a call to action that transcends our religious belief systems and can impact
our families, our communities, and beyond.
While the knowledge of the name of Jesus Christ might be universal throughout the world, knowing Who He is, beyond the name and His teaching are not necessarily so widespread and complete. In fact, there are so many different diverse perspectives about Who Jesus is, it is so staggering that it is nearly impossible to even count them all. Just as having the knowledge of the name "sun" doesn't begin to capture the essence of it's power or its energy, having a common familiarity with the name of Jesus Christ, the one Who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," Whose complex identity cannot be confined to the limitations of our human understanding. Though for centuries, many theologians, historians, and scholars from various backgrounds have attempted to do so. However, understanding Who Jesus plays such a crucial role in determining your eternal future, it literally underscores where you’re going to spend it, whether in Heaven, or in Hell. It's imperative to know the Truth about Jesus' true identity, according to the Holy Scriptures, encompassing both the Old and New Testaments to acquire a more precise understanding, because it's not really helpful to learn incorrect information about Who Jesus is from somewhere else, which might be rooted in false religious interpretations or speculative theories, that can result in incorrect beliefs.
For example, Muslims think that Jesus was simply a good teacher, and holds a significant position as one of the human prophets, who performed miracles by the will of Allah. While He is deeply respected in Islam, Muslims do not view Jesus as being Divine or the Son of God. Mormons believe that He is a created being, the spirit child of God and one of His many wives, referred to as "Heavenly Mother."
Both Jesus and Lucifer were among the first spirit children born to God the Father, making them spirit brothers of Adam. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, and believe Jesus is a created being and began ruling in heaven in 1914. They also believe only a select 144,000 will live in heaven and all other believers will live on the new earth. In summary, all of these religions hold a view of Christ differ from biblical Christianity.
So, the question before us is Who is this Jesus anyway? There seems to be quite a large gap between what Scripture says and what many, if not most Christians believe, a Jesus of their own invention. Let me begin by saying Jesus Christ is the only One Who can bring true salvation, true peace, and true joy in this life, and eternal blessing in the life to come. Jesus is not just a good man, a prophet, He is the only One Who can take you to the Father in heaven and He made it very, very clear that no other options exist. These are not simply my opinions or my interpretation of the Scripture, these are the astonishing claims that Jesus Himself made. And, because your eternal soul is at stake, it’s absolutely essential to deal with His claims.
I believe the primary reason many individuals fail to discover the true nature of Jesus is that they often overlook the one source where He is truly revealed, the Bible, particularly the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In fact, John tells us that's why he wrote it, "These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing you may have life in His name." So, I find it peculiar that people would search for Him in secular religious books, but fail to search the pages of God's Word, despite the Bible being the most translated and widely distributed book in history. The only way you can look for Jesus and not find Him in the Bible is by choosing not to accept what the Scripture says, which most often stems from preconceived notions or personal biases.
In John 5, Jesus said "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." Jesus made a lot of claims, but none were more elevated than John 8:58, when He made is clear that He is the eternal God, God the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the God with no beginning and no end. People today might not understand that what Jesus was saying is that He is God, when He called Himself "I am," a reference to Exodus 3:14, but the Jewish people of Jesus' day certainly did, it was deeply ingrained in them there’s only one God, they knew without a doubt it could only be understood one way. That's why they picked up stones to throw at Him.
And, in Luke 4, when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, sat down and said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," they understood exactly what He was saying, "I AM your Savior, Deliverer, Redeemer, Who has come to rescue His people from the bondage of sin" that's why they were so filled with rage, they got up and drove Him out of the city in order to throw Him off a cliff. They knew only God can forgive sin, that's why in Mark 2, they reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" If you choose not to accept Him as your Lord and Savior, then you must recognize Him as a blasphemer. There’s no other choice, there’s nothing that exists in between!
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for the revelation of Your Word, the only Truth that has stood the test of time. Lord, I pray that You would work in the heart of every person who has been questioning Who Jesus is, so that those doubts would be eradicated, dispelling their uncertainties and some would find it in their heart to embrace Him today as their Lord and Savior. I pray they would come to love Him, as we love Him and long to honor and serve Him for Who He is, not for who they have imagined Him to be. Lord, create in us the desire to be the people You have created us to be, a people who would rather live for You and be judged by the world than to live for the world and be judged by You. We ask and pray these things in Christ's precious Name.
Amen
Today's Message: When Dead Men Rise
Of all the deaths, I believe that the death of a child is most unnatural and hardest loss to bear. While I have been blessed not to lose one of my children, I have witnessed firsthand the indelible mark on those left behind, through my second eldest son, the constant state of anger and mourning and the unbearable pain that has taken a toll on his life, and has shaken the very foundations of our family in ways that are hard to fathom. The day my grandsons were laid to rest, it felt as though a part of my son was buried with them.
Open your Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to the Gospel of Luke chapter 7, Luke 7:11-17, where we will read a story of Jesus raising a widow's only son from the dead, and as this fascinating and extraordinary story unfolds, I believe that we're going to see some implied evidences of Jesus' deity, before witnessing the clear display of His deity and the remarkable demonstration of His divine power, along with His unparalleled compassion, an undeniable testament to His divine nature. So, with all of that in mind, I invite you to follow along with me as I read the text to set it in our minds. Let's open up our hearts and listen for what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us today in this profound message in the Gospel of Luke. Luke 7:11-17.
"Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district."
Let's look at verse 11, "Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd." "Soon afterwards, seems deceptively simple, soon after what? Soon after He healed the slave of the centurion. Soon refers to a relatively short indefinite period of time, whereas afterwards does not imply a short period of time, in could even be decades later. However, soon afterwards refers to an event or sequence of events, where the second occurs in a short period of time after the first thing has already happened.
Since we know Nain is about twenty-five miles southwest of Capernaum, a small insignificant village of Galilee, which still exists today by the same name, it is mentioned only once in the Bible, here in Luke 7:11–17 because it is the town where Jesus raised the widow's only son from the dead. Nain, which means "beauty" or "pleasantness," probably earned its name because its location high over the hills of Nazareth, which offers a breathtaking panoramic view across the plain toward Carmel and would have been roughly a day's journey from Capernaum. By the way, the other side of that hill had a little town called Shunam on the lower slopes of Mount Moreh, where Elijah went to visit the Shunammite lady in 2 Kings 4.
Then Luke tells us "and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd." Capernaum, Nazareth and Nain form kind of in a triangle and since God never acts without a divine purpose, there are no unplanned or unexpected events of His calendar, this is not just an abstract geographical movement, but journey where we witness Jesus is intentionally leading His disciples along with this large entourage of followers to a grieving widowed mother so that His divine plan will come to pass. Isaiah 55:11 says, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." In other words, there are nothing God thinks, says or does that will ever fail to achieve His divinely intended purpose. Surely, since God knows everything from the beginning and the end, I believe that Jesus knew everything would be the way He wanted it when He got there, even if it hadn't happened yet when He first began to head toward Nain. He can and will bring everything He desires to pass. He has a divine purpose, an encounter with a funeral procession in a little known village to raise a dead man. He knows exactly why He's going there, even though those traveling with Him do not.
Verse 12, "Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her." The passage illustrates His divine providence. He's exercising His supernatural control over all the details and orchestrating the events perfectly to fulfill His predetermined purpose. It's like what Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." This offers both comfort and assurance, that we can make all the plans we want, but God sovereignly directs the outcome. In James 4:13-15, he says it this way, "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."
"Now as He approached the gate of the city," this is a clear picture of God's divine purpose with precision timing. There are no coincidences with God. Beloved, God invites us as believers to trust in His perfect wisdom, even when we cannot see the outcome, we can be assured that each moment of our lives is not just some random unexpected event, but part of a much grander scheme, that ultimately serves His glory and is intended for our greater good. In Romans 8:28, Paul reminds us that, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." They didn't have an embalming process like we do today, so when a death occurred, they had to move very rapidly, they needed to have the funeral and bury the body before the natural decaying process begins, which was almost immediately. All they did was anoint the body externally and then wrap the body in cloth. Notice that Jesus is arriving at exactly the right moment when a dead man was being carried out. Burial places are always outside of town, so the people could avoid them to prevent them from being defiled. That's one of the reasons they painted them white, so people wouldn't go near the graves.
I'm sure that you will remember when Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:27, saying "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness." The whitewash wasn't primarily intended to enhance their appearance, although I'm sure it didn't hurt, because if you touched the grave, you would become ritually defiled and you would have to go through a very complicated process to ritually cleanse yourself. Any man that does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel, because his uncleanness is still on him. You can read more about it in Numbers 19. What Luke tells us next is very important, this man was "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow." Why is this so important? Because if you didn't have a male child, it was the end of the family line and preserving the family lineage was very important. Sons were considered the primary bearers of family heritage, wealth, and honor. A male child was crucial for ensuring that family estates remained within the bloodline. Having a son was the one thing that every mother in Israel wanted.
As in the funeral processions today, the family leads the way to the grave site, in this case, it's the mother going alone, followed by a sizeable crowd from the city, friends and the rest of the townspeople. She's a widow, so she's already buried her husband, now she's going to go bury her only son. Not only has she lost her family, but now she may well have likely lost her means of financial support, unless her husband and her son provided well for her.
Verse 13, "When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." Notice that He immediately recognizes that this is not just a woman who has lost her only son, but this woman is a widow. Anyway you look at it, this is just sad. In Matthew 23:37, when Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, a term that means a passionate expression of grief, to mourn out loud; "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
Notice, when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion, this is a divine attribute we often see in Jesus. The word compassion is the verb "splagchnizomai," a term that reflects a deep, gut-level emotional response. This is the kind of tender-hearted compassion our Lord feels for the pain that His people are going through. Don't let anyone tell you that God doesn't care, I assure you that His heart breaks when His children are hurting! Have you ever felt emotion so strongly that your stomach starts to churn and your heart beats rapidly? My younger sons would often feel this way when they were super excited about going somewhere special, like an amusement park. And said to her, "Do not weep." As we mentioned earlier, the loss of a child, is the worst possible loss one can experience, especially an only son, because there goes the future of your family.
In verse 14, His compassion moves Him to act, "And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" I know what some of you are thinking, He touched the coffin of the dead. Jesus was not subject to defilement. Nothing He touched defiled Him. There is an plied sense of purity here. Not only that, but Jesus had a presence of authority, His was His touch that commanded the coffin bearers to a halt, He didn't have to utter a word. Can you imagine if you or I tried walking up to a grieving widow, who just lost her only child and telling her to stop crying. Then, reaching out and stopping the funeral procession? We'd surely be arrested, that kind of behavior just isn't acceptable. And, then He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" Only a complete fool would say something like that, unless of course He was God, right? The same God Who created the entire universe with just His word.
Verse 15, "The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother." At the sound of His voice, in a split second, the dead man sat up and began to speak. Folks, there is no other way to explain this incredible reality, for no mere man can posses this kind of divine power. Jesus is indeed God incarnate. One day soon, the same voice that called this young man back to life, will command every single person who has ever lived to be raised from the dead in the same way. It's not just those who are destined for heaven who will resurrected and granted eternal life in the presence of our Lord, some will be resurrected to face the consequences of their choices, restored to life fully capable of enduring eternal torment and suffering in Hell, a place where Jesus tells us "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." Faith isn't necessary to activate His divine power, there's no evidence of faith or a request here as with the Roman centurion. He doesn't need a request or anybody's faith to do what He wants
This promise of the reality of the resurrection is bittersweet, both awe-inspiring and a sobering reality. Beloved, I urge you to examine your relationship with Christ today, are you living your life in a manner that brings honor and glory to Him, responding to His teaching with faith and obedience? This profound Truth that Jesus has power over life and death, should compel us to reach out to others in compassion, sharing the message of hope and warning those who are still lost in the darkness, who have yet to experience the transformative power of Jesus Christ.
Verse 16, "Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" Mark it, they were initially gripped by fear, realizing they were in the presence of God, with such a momentous event unfolding before their eyes, they were terrified but notice how quickly their fear is transformed into filling them with hope and reassurance they were not alone, and they began glorifying God, Who has come down to care for His people, reinforcing their faith that the Lord was actively involved in their lives, guiding and protecting them. Then, they declared with heartfelt gratitude that "God has visited His people!" Only God has the power to give life. Christ is always with us, turning our fear into faith, our despair into hope, touching lives and hearts in ways we cannot always see, because He cares deeply for His people. Notice they declared "A great prophet has arisen among us!" That's what the Muslims say. That's what the Mormons say. That's what the Jehovah's Witnesses say. While Jesus is the greatest prophet that ever lived, that's not the reality of all that He is, He is the Risen Christ, He is Son of God, He is our Savior, our Redeemer, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is God incarnate.
An authentic divine encounter with God profoundly changes everything, we understand that, right? Many people claim to have had such experience, fostering an understanding greater than themselves, increased tolerance, and love, yet encountering Christ is not limited to one's personal feelings and emotions, leaving one's sinful life unaffected. Such an encounter with Christ will contribute to transforming their behavior and ultimately, forever changing their lives. I would love to see God come down destroying the ungodly, and establish His glorious eternal Kingdom promised to all who love Him and put their truth in Him, removing all sin and bringing righteousness forever, wouldn't you agree?
That brings us to verse 17, "This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district." Because of the report that a man had been raised from the dead through the power of Jesus, this remarkable account served as a undeniable testament to His deity, as a result His fame spread like a wildfire throughout Judea and in all the surrounding district, encompassing the whole of Israel, and extending far beyond the region. If only they would have recognized that God Himself had visited them in the person of Jesus Christ, Israel wouldn't have been judged by God. Of course, He wouldn't have moved on to the Gentiles take out a people for His name, as a consequence of their rejection. Like many today, they just couldn't seem understand that they were God's chosen people to take the Gospel to others. Are sharing your testimony, telling others about Christ and the hope you've found in Him and the transformation we've experienced, it can inspire those around us and has the potential to forever change someone else's life. By the way, that is not just a suggestion; it’s a divine calling! So, I challenge each one of us to be bold in sharing the report of what Jesus has done in our lives, and create waves of change in the world around us; not just with our words, but with our actions and our transformed lives.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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