WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.439 about how Jesus healed the centurion's servant without even entering his house from a distance. 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:10.820 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:42.439 And last Sunday we talked about how the centurion may have come to this conclusion. 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:49.019 That Jesus has authority over sickness and over the body and over life. 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:55.340 We talked about how the centurion likely saw it in the way that Jesus healed and cast out demons. 00:00:55.340 --> 00:01:03.880 And we looked at several instances of how Jesus did these sorts of things by simply commanding the sickness to leave. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:06.719 Or the body of the person to be healed. 00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:08.219 Or the demon to come out. 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:09.540 And it happened. 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:17.240 Well next in his gospel Luke wants to tell us of yet another example of Jesus' authority to heal. 00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:22.600 And this is by far one of the greatest miracles that Jesus ever performed. 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:29.659 And Luke is the only one of the gospel writers who includes this in his account of what happened with Jesus. 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:34.839 Let's pick up the story here in Luke chapter 7 verse 11. 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.539 Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain. 00:01:41.259 --> 00:01:45.099 And his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:50.799 As he approached the town gate a dead person was being carried out. 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:53.479 The only son of his mother. 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:56.140 And she was a widow. 00:01:57.199 --> 00:02:01.139 And a large crowd from the town was with her. 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:04.379 So Luke sets the scene for us. 00:02:04.919 --> 00:02:08.280 This took place soon after the healing of the centurion servant. 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:10.879 Still early on in Jesus' ministry. 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:14.159 And it all happened in a town called Nain. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.799 This is actually the only time we even hear about this town in the Bible. 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:20.680 A small village on a hillside in Galilee. 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:28.519 And Luke tells us that Jesus' disciples and a large crowd went along with Jesus. 00:02:29.859 --> 00:02:37.479 And they approach the town gate at the very same moment as a funeral procession is taking place. 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:41.419 Luke says a dead person was being carried out. 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:45.579 And who is this dead person? 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:49.560 Luke says he was the only son of his mother. 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:51.879 And she was a widow. 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:56.899 And a large crowd from the town was with her. 00:02:58.219 --> 00:02:59.039 So picture this. 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:00.979 There's Jesus and this large crowd. 00:03:01.119 --> 00:03:02.119 They're coming to this town. 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:06.140 And then there's this funeral procession. 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:08.120 And a large crowd with this woman. 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:09.840 Going out of the town. 00:03:13.180 --> 00:03:19.620 And let's just reflect for a moment on Luke's description of this deceased person and his mother. 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:21.780 Before we find out what happens. 00:03:22.180 --> 00:03:24.580 Luke says he was the only son of his mother. 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:27.700 And she was a widow. 00:03:29.540 --> 00:03:32.460 What does that tell us about this whole situation? 00:03:34.200 --> 00:03:40.720 Well it tells us that the woman grieving at the center of this funeral has already lost her husband. 00:03:42.100 --> 00:03:45.100 And now she has just lost her son. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:49.160 Who we will discover momentarily is a young man. 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:54.859 Death comes to us all eventually. 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.840 But it's especially heartbreaking and tragic when a young person dies. 00:04:01.519 --> 00:04:06.519 Back in this time and culture most of us know that the men in the family were the primary breadwinners. 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:13.419 Women relied on their husbands and children on their fathers for the basics of life. 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:19.659 And so to lose a husband left wives and children in a difficult spot. 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.719 In this case the widow had already lost her husband. 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.500 And likely was relying on her son to provide for her. 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:31.699 And now with her only son tragically dead. 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:35.560 There would be the question of how she would carry on. 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:39.220 But the more I thought about this. 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:50.120 I'm almost certain that finances and her own welfare were probably nothing compared to the grief and the anguish of having lost her only boy. 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:53.959 That precious relationship. 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:59.879 I don't know what it's like to go through that myself. 00:05:00.599 --> 00:05:07.719 But many of us have seen the tears and the anguish and the devastation of another who has lost a child. 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:14.039 And it's something that even years later is still felt and grieved. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.839 It's exceedingly sad and painful. 00:05:20.159 --> 00:05:21.879 This is the widow's reality. 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:27.579 And her townspeople have rallied around her on this day to grieve with her. 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:34.519 Maybe to those of you who are young here who have never been to a funeral. 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:41.279 When someone dies what often happens is people gather together to grieve and to cry. 00:05:42.459 --> 00:05:44.839 And to remember the life of the person who has died. 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:51.639 And then after that they often all go together to take the body of the person who has died out to the place 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:52.800 where they will be buried. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:55.599 It's called a funeral procession. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:00.120 Here in Davidson today a person's body is put into a coffin usually. 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:04.620 And then the coffin is loaded into the back of a long car called a hearse. 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:13.660 And then everybody gets in their cars and drives out in a big procession to the Davidson Cemetery just outside of town 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:18.899 where the body is then lowered into the ground and covered over with dirt. 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:23.000 Back in these days the Jews did a similar thing. 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:26.459 Only there were no coffins and no cars. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:29.679 The body was put onto what's called a beer. 00:06:30.179 --> 00:06:31.359 And I'm sorry I don't have a picture. 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:34.719 But it was just like a frame that they would carry. 00:06:35.179 --> 00:06:36.379 Kind of like EMS would. 00:06:36.779 --> 00:06:39.560 It had handles all around it so that the men could carry it. 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:45.980 And all the people at the funeral would walk together out of town 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:51.240 with men carrying the body on the beer to a cave or a tomb in the hillside. 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:55.840 And then they would lay the body in the cave or the tomb and close it up. 00:06:58.259 --> 00:07:04.620 So what happens is Jesus and the crowd with him meets the widow and the crowd with her 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.660 at the entrance to this village. 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:10.240 Verse 13. 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:15.500 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her. 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:18.740 And he said, don't cry. 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:24.480 Jesus was very deeply moved in this moment. 00:07:24.660 --> 00:07:26.480 He was filled with compassion. 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:29.300 His heart went out to her. 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:33.560 And it wasn't just that there was a death. 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:36.060 Notice where the compassion is focused. 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:41.519 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:45.360 The widow. 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:48.100 And what's she doing in this moment? 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:50.420 She's crying. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:52.240 Literally. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:53.399 Weeping. 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:58.860 Seeing her weeping over the loss of her son, 00:07:59.420 --> 00:08:01.480 Jesus is filled with compassion. 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:03.560 And his heart goes out to her. 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:07.700 He is grieved with her and for her. 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:09.460 And he says, don't cry. 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:12.980 Or more literally, weep not. 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:22.100 Then he went up and touched the beer they were carrying him on. 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:25.020 And the bearers stood still. 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:32.840 He said, young man, I say to you, get up. 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:39.740 The dead man sat up and began to talk. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:45.280 And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:51.240 This is utterly astonishing and wonderful. 00:08:52.339 --> 00:08:55.079 Jesus halts the funeral by putting his hand on the beer. 00:08:55.199 --> 00:09:00.019 And then he speaks to the dead body and tells the young man to get up. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:02.120 And he does. 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.939 Can you imagine the shock on everyone's faces? 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:11.780 Both of the crowd with Jesus and of the people in the funeral. 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:14.360 I mean, think about this. 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.400 Doing anything like this, like Jesus did at first, 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:22.560 would be the height of disrespect on an occasion like this. 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:28.200 Halting the procession and then speaking to the body of the dead man 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:30.500 as if he was alive and telling him to get up. 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:37.360 Like, does this man really have the audacity to do something so disrespectful? 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:44.360 But then all of a sudden, the boy's life returns to him. 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:47.960 And he sits up on the beer in front of everyone. 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:51.320 It worked. 00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:59.440 I imagine that gasps and murmurs just spread like fire through the whole crowd in that moment. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:03.180 The man sits up and begins to talk. 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:09.500 And Jesus gives him back to his mother. 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:12.160 Those words struck me. 00:10:13.100 --> 00:10:19.140 Of course, it was an amazing gift to the man to have a second chance to be alive again. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.300 There's no doubt about that. 00:10:21.420 --> 00:10:25.200 But this miracle began with Jesus seeing the grief of the widow 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:27.320 and his heart going out to her. 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:32.420 And it ends with Jesus giving the man back to his mother. 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:36.860 This miracle was for her. 00:10:37.800 --> 00:10:40.760 This was a gift of grace to her. 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:45.879 Well, we don't have to guess or imagine the crowd's response. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.160 Luke actually tells us what it was in the next verses. 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:50.019 He says, 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:54.079 They were all filled with awe and praised God. 00:10:55.199 --> 00:10:58.480 A great prophet has appeared among us, they said. 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:01.919 God has come to help his people. 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:07.459 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:11.840 This translation on screen says they were filled with awe. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:16.960 Probably most others, I think, say that fear gripped them all or fear seized them all. 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:21.860 And probably we do well to keep the sense of both fear and awe. 00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:31.860 There were probably some who felt a deep alarm, real fright, seeing this young man sit up in the middle of his own funeral procession. 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.919 I mean, this is the last thing anyone expected in this moment. 00:11:36.560 --> 00:11:37.779 This never happens. 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:44.300 Once people die, by the time the funeral comes around, it's 100% certain that they're dead. 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:49.879 People have handled the body, doing the customs for burial. 00:11:51.219 --> 00:12:01.939 If you've ever been to a funeral and seen the lifeless body of a person, wouldn't you feel frightened if all of a sudden their eyes opened and they sat up right in front of you? 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.779 But then beneath that, I think there's another kind of fear. 00:12:07.179 --> 00:12:07.939 A deeper fear. 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:12.620 Not so much over just the shock of seeing this, but over the next realization. 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:17.799 A person was just resurrected from the dead. 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:22.399 And who has the power to do that? 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:25.419 Only God. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.379 And so there was probably a deeper kind of fear. 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:39.180 A sense that the great, all-powerful creator and author of life himself has visited us in this moment. 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:41.200 Has been near us. 00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:45.419 And where do I stand with him? 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:50.500 The word awe, I think, is helpful too. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:56.600 Because it seems that the reaction of those who were seized with fear was not all dread and worry. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:57.820 Look at the things that they say. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.460 They say, a great prophet has appeared among us. 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:04.919 God has come to help his people. 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:08.419 To help his people. 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:10.500 Some translations say visit. 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:11.399 That's right. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.199 But it's almost always in the sense of a visit to help. 00:13:14.699 --> 00:13:15.719 Or to care for. 00:13:16.839 --> 00:13:18.159 And so they were in awe. 00:13:18.719 --> 00:13:21.339 Not just because something really unexpected happened. 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:25.979 It says they praised and glorified God. 00:13:25.980 --> 00:13:30.500 Because they recognized that this was his doing. 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:34.680 Well, what should we make of all this? 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:37.019 Why is this here? 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.740 What should we conclude from this? 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:43.180 Because of course, several things come to my mind. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:50.659 First, Jesus was not some emotionally detached moral teacher. 00:13:51.379 --> 00:13:57.680 Who, like the Pharisees, cared more about people living right from wrong than anything else. 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:11.139 This miracle was born out of compassion for a woman who was weeping and had just lost what felt like everything in a terrible tragedy. 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:17.899 Jesus saw her in her grief and was grieved with her. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.000 And did this for her. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:29.720 I know some of you are going through some really hard things right now in your lives. 00:14:30.299 --> 00:14:33.299 Even things that you have shed tears over. 00:14:35.340 --> 00:14:41.600 Do you know that Jesus sees you in the midst of your grief? 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:46.080 In the midst of your sorrow and struggle? 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:51.100 Do you know that his heart goes out to you? 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:59.220 He is not distant and detached from the sorrow and from the struggle in our lives. 00:14:59.660 --> 00:15:01.800 We have a compassionate Lord. 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:10.640 And it doesn't mean that he will always simply undo the tragedy or take away the struggle in a moment. 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:12.140 Like he did here. 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:16.779 At times we will continue to wonder why. 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:23.539 But do you know that even in the midst of it all he sees you. 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:26.100 And he cares for you. 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:27.919 And what you are going through. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.360 He feels the grief with you. 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:36.080 Next. 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:38.200 There is something special. 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:41.779 In why this miracle at this time and in this place. 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:44.500 What do the people conclude from this? 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:46.820 We see it in their words. 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:49.860 A great prophet has appeared among us. 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:52.820 God has come to help his people. 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.420 Why do they come to that conclusion? 00:15:56.419 --> 00:16:05.439 Well, there has only ever been three people in history prior to this that they know of and that we know of. 00:16:05.979 --> 00:16:09.259 Who were dead and came back to life like this. 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:16.459 All three of them had a connection to two of the greatest prophets in Israel's history. 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:19.879 The first was the resurrection of a widow's son. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.639 In the town of Zarephath. 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.100 And the prophet that God did that through was Elijah. 00:16:27.659 --> 00:16:30.059 You can read about that in 1 Kings 17. 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.840 The second was the resurrection of the Shunammite widow. 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:37.779 Sorry, the Shunammite woman's son in the town of Shunam. 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:42.279 And the prophet God did that through was Elisha. 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:44.000 Elijah's successor. 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:46.679 You can read about that in 2 Kings chapter 4. 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:53.379 And then there was that third random Israelite whose dead body was hastily thrown into the tomb of the prophet Elijah. 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:56.239 And upon touching his bones, he was resurrected. 00:16:56.899 --> 00:16:59.339 God has a sense of humor, I think, with that third one. 00:16:59.459 --> 00:17:02.019 You can read about that in 2 Kings 13. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:03.799 But the point is this. 00:17:04.099 --> 00:17:10.879 Resurrecting someone from the dead is arguably the greatest demonstration of God's power in human history. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:16.620 I mean, we could debate about whether creation out of nothing or something else is slightly greater. 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:23.000 But among things witnessed by us which are unquestionably impossible for us to do, 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:26.520 raising someone from the dead is pretty well the top of the list. 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:33.440 Only the author of life itself can do it. 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:40.180 And up until this moment in history here in Luke 7, he has only done it three times that we know of. 00:17:41.120 --> 00:17:44.559 And all three in connection to a great prophet. 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:53.299 Those resurrection miracles back in the days of Elijah and Elisha served to authenticate the prophets. 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:59.059 To confirm that, yes, they really were sent by God. 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:03.419 And they really did speak on God's behalf. 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:08.839 And so what does it mean then that now, here in the first century, 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:15.839 a man named Jesus comes along and raises a widow's son from the dead? 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:24.500 What more do we know about that Shunammite son who was raised from the dead 900 years before this? 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.859 We're not going to go back and read it all in 2 Kings chapter 4. 00:18:27.959 --> 00:18:29.419 If you want to do that later, you can. 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:32.819 But interestingly, there's many similarities. 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:36.079 The Shunammite son was her only son. 00:18:37.619 --> 00:18:43.619 And a very dear and precious son to her because her husband was very old and she had not been able to conceive. 00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:47.439 And her child was a miracle baby. 00:18:48.979 --> 00:18:54.859 The Shunammite son, 900 years before this, also died tragically while he was still young, 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.879 while he was working out in the field. 00:18:58.219 --> 00:19:04.439 And the prophet Elisha came and he prayed to the Lord, to Yahweh. 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:10.659 He came and offered this prayer and the boy was raised to life. 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:16.480 And it even mentions that the prophet gave the son back to his mother. 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:20.560 There's some wild parallels here. 00:19:21.560 --> 00:19:26.460 And oh, by the way, where was the town of Shunamm where this happened 900 years earlier? 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:31.940 Turns out that both Shunamm and Nain are on the same hill in Israel, 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:34.279 only a mile and a half apart from each other. 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:38.779 What's the significance of all these similarities? 00:19:40.099 --> 00:19:44.720 God is very deliberately doing the same kind of resurrection miracle 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.819 in the same place 900 years later for a reason. 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:54.819 And it's to show that this man, Jesus, is his chosen prophet. 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:59.819 And that Jesus does speak on his behalf. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:04.519 And therefore, we should listen to Jesus. 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:09.339 God's trying to get their attention here in Nain. 00:20:09.980 --> 00:20:11.480 And our attention too. 00:20:12.740 --> 00:20:14.559 As we talked about last Sunday, 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:19.200 these things Jesus is doing, these miracles, are signs. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:25.100 And we see the people here beginning to understand what they're pointing to. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.180 They're coming closer to the right conclusion. 00:20:29.620 --> 00:20:31.740 Jesus is a great prophet of God. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:34.059 That's true. 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:36.700 But even more than that, 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:39.100 Jesus is even more than that, 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:42.440 is what all of the signs taken together reveal. 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:46.700 Third, we should notice, 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:49.340 as with the miracles before, 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:51.299 just how Jesus did this. 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:54.600 Unlike Elisha and Elijah, 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.720 who prayed to God and God answered, 00:20:57.299 --> 00:20:58.920 Jesus simply speaks 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.259 to the young man's body 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:03.600 and commands him to get back up. 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:05.539 And he does. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:09.019 There's a contrast here, I think. 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:11.120 Jesus possesses an authority 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:13.319 as he does this 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:15.659 that Elijah and Elisha never had. 00:21:18.139 --> 00:21:20.000 God's making a contrast here 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:21.439 with Jesus. 00:21:21.739 --> 00:21:22.319 It's different. 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:24.919 Jesus himself does 00:21:24.919 --> 00:21:26.459 as God does. 00:21:27.439 --> 00:21:28.059 He commands 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:29.939 and by his word, 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:32.339 the man is brought back to life. 00:21:33.619 --> 00:21:34.639 Just for a second, 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:36.179 let's think about how that worked. 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:39.739 Which part of the young man's dead body 00:21:39.739 --> 00:21:40.919 on the beer 00:21:40.920 --> 00:21:42.940 heard the voice of Jesus? 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:46.940 What good are the ears 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:48.500 if a person is dead? 00:21:50.320 --> 00:21:52.680 How can the brain interpret the sound 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:55.340 with no blood flow to it 00:21:55.340 --> 00:21:57.620 because the heart has stopped? 00:21:59.620 --> 00:22:01.700 How can a dead man's body 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:04.019 obey Jesus' command? 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:08.000 even in a spiritual sense 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.379 or a metaphysical sense, 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:10.240 we can't even begin 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.220 to wrap our minds 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:13.420 around how Jesus did this. 00:22:14.639 --> 00:22:16.079 It's like in that moment, 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:18.359 Jesus saying that, 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:19.980 breathe the breath of life 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:21.379 back into his body. 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:23.200 And in an instant, 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:26.119 his very soul 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.599 was returned to his body 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:28.859 from wherever it had been. 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:31.559 His wounds were healed, 00:22:31.699 --> 00:22:32.319 the damage, 00:22:32.699 --> 00:22:34.000 any damage healed, 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:35.779 any decay undone, 00:22:36.199 --> 00:22:37.759 any rot that was happening, 00:22:37.979 --> 00:22:40.139 all remedied in an instant. 00:22:40.379 --> 00:22:41.979 And every cell in his body 00:22:41.979 --> 00:22:43.559 set back into perfect motion. 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:47.099 We can't even fathom 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:48.719 how God can do such a thing 00:22:48.719 --> 00:22:50.699 by simply speaking. 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:54.380 This miracle is on a whole 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:55.080 different level 00:22:55.080 --> 00:22:56.440 to what Elijah and Elisha 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:57.220 did long ago. 00:22:57.819 --> 00:22:58.779 This man, Jesus, 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:00.600 speaks with the same authority 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:01.600 as God himself. 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:04.480 By his words, 00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:06.420 life is given 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:08.420 where there was none. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:11.019 Jesus was more 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:12.580 than just a man. 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:14.779 He was God. 00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:18.460 The divine son of God. 00:23:18.460 --> 00:23:21.740 The people are on the right track, 00:23:22.100 --> 00:23:23.240 concluding he was a prophet, 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:24.360 but this sign points 00:23:24.360 --> 00:23:25.960 to Jesus being much more 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:27.440 than that. 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:30.500 Listen to these words of Jesus 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:31.519 on another occasion. 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:32.700 Some of my favorite 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:33.900 from John chapter 5. 00:23:34.019 --> 00:23:34.900 Jesus says this, 00:23:35.360 --> 00:23:36.559 For just as the Father 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:37.799 raises the dead 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:39.620 and gives them life, 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:42.319 even so the Son 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:43.259 gives life 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:45.019 to whom he is pleased 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:45.799 to give it. 00:23:47.340 --> 00:23:47.860 Moreover, 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:48.579 the Father 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:49.679 judges no one, 00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:50.899 but has entrusted 00:23:50.899 --> 00:23:51.799 all judgment 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:52.639 to the Son, 00:23:53.659 --> 00:23:54.719 that all may honor 00:23:54.719 --> 00:23:55.299 the Son 00:23:55.299 --> 00:23:57.199 just as they honor 00:23:57.199 --> 00:23:57.740 the Father. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:00.519 Whoever does not 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:01.279 honor the Son 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.399 does not honor 00:24:03.399 --> 00:24:04.259 the Father 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.839 who sent him. 00:24:07.719 --> 00:24:08.799 Jesus continues, 00:24:08.959 --> 00:24:09.299 he says, 00:24:09.379 --> 00:24:09.959 Very truly, 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:10.619 I tell you, 00:24:10.699 --> 00:24:12.059 whoever hears my word 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:13.299 and believes 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:14.799 him who sent me 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.779 has eternal life, 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:19.019 and will not be judged, 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:20.579 but has crossed over 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:21.440 from death 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.639 to life. 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:24.779 Very truly, 00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:25.379 I tell you, 00:24:25.399 --> 00:24:26.240 a time is coming 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:27.240 and has now come 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:28.299 when the dead 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:29.420 will hear the voice 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:30.420 of the Son of God 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:32.599 and those who hear 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:34.740 will live. 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:36.920 Do not be amazed 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:37.339 at this, 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:38.500 for a time is coming 00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:39.500 when all who are 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:40.440 in their graves 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:42.000 will hear his voice 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:42.779 and come out. 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:44.879 Those who have done 00:24:44.879 --> 00:24:45.460 what is good 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:46.539 will rise to live, 00:24:47.379 --> 00:24:48.480 and those who have done 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:49.539 what is evil 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:51.759 will rise to be condemned. 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:54.379 Those are the words 00:24:54.379 --> 00:24:54.839 of Jesus. 00:24:55.619 --> 00:24:56.299 Have you ever heard 00:24:56.299 --> 00:24:56.940 anybody else 00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.940 say anything like that? 00:24:59.039 --> 00:24:59.799 To many, 00:25:00.099 --> 00:25:00.680 those words 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:01.420 might seem like 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:02.180 just words, 00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:03.740 just grandiose boasts 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:05.720 until they see 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.599 what Jesus did 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:08.319 for the widow's son 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.559 in Nain. 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:12.740 Jesus really does 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:14.200 have the authority 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:14.899 and power 00:25:14.899 --> 00:25:15.940 to reunite 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:16.779 our souls 00:25:16.779 --> 00:25:18.119 with our bodies 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:19.059 and raise us 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:19.839 back to life 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:20.919 from the dead. 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:21.899 He did it. 00:25:22.899 --> 00:25:23.879 And this is just 00:25:23.879 --> 00:25:24.659 the first time. 00:25:25.659 --> 00:25:26.559 He will do it again 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:27.779 for Jairus' daughter. 00:25:27.899 --> 00:25:28.700 He will do it again 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:29.599 for Lazarus. 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:31.299 And he can do it again 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.339 as he promised 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:33.500 for you 00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:36.159 and for me. 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:38.960 Listen to what 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.640 Jesus said. 00:25:40.840 --> 00:25:41.380 He said, 00:25:41.580 --> 00:25:42.740 John 6, verse 40, 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:43.960 For my Father's will 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:44.740 is that everyone 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:46.120 who looks to the Son 00:25:46.120 --> 00:25:47.080 and believes in Him 00:25:47.080 --> 00:25:47.980 shall have 00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:49.300 eternal life, 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:50.900 and I will 00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:51.980 raise them up 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:54.180 at the last day. 00:25:56.840 --> 00:25:58.040 Listen to these words 00:25:58.040 --> 00:25:59.040 of Jesus also. 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:01.660 Jesus said, 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:03.279 I am the resurrection 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:04.880 and the life, 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:06.880 the one who believes 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:07.780 in me will live 00:26:07.780 --> 00:26:10.200 even though they die. 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:12.800 Do you believe 00:26:12.800 --> 00:26:13.820 these words of Jesus? 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:16.720 Right now, 00:26:16.860 --> 00:26:17.920 Jesus is seated 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:19.420 on His heavenly throne 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:20.580 at the right hand 00:26:20.580 --> 00:26:21.040 of God 00:26:21.040 --> 00:26:22.340 and He has 00:26:22.340 --> 00:26:23.280 all authority 00:26:23.280 --> 00:26:24.320 in heaven 00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:25.480 and on earth. 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:27.440 We don't often 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.140 think of this 00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:29.340 or even feel it, 00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:30.300 but everything 00:26:30.300 --> 00:26:31.280 in the universe 00:26:31.280 --> 00:26:33.420 which He created 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:35.060 is being sustained 00:26:35.060 --> 00:26:35.920 right now 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:38.360 by His powerful word. 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:41.460 Hebrews 1, verse 3. 00:26:42.120 --> 00:26:44.440 Jesus is God. 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.660 If you have come 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:49.660 to acknowledge that 00:26:49.660 --> 00:26:51.480 and embrace that, 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:54.680 what can be more important 00:26:54.680 --> 00:26:55.420 than to listen 00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:56.500 to what He has said 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:58.759 and obey Him? 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:02.220 And, 00:27:02.420 --> 00:27:04.700 what greater comfort 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:05.519 can there be 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:07.019 in this dark world 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:08.880 than that the one 00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.500 who had compassion 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:11.480 on the grieving widow 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:13.640 is our Lord 00:27:13.640 --> 00:27:14.480 and King 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:15.180 over all? 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:19.200 It's been a dark week 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:20.039 in our world. 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:23.480 News of Charlie Kirk's 00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:24.240 public murder 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:24.940 has traveled 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:25.880 the world over 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:28.740 and it's left behind 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:29.640 a very large 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:30.960 funeral procession. 00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:33.940 Left behind 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:35.660 our two children 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:37.500 who have to go 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:38.080 through the rest 00:27:38.080 --> 00:27:38.779 of their lives 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:39.720 without their dad 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:42.299 and their mother, 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:44.160 now a widow. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:48.580 Jesus sees them 00:27:48.580 --> 00:27:50.779 and His heart 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:51.840 goes out to them too. 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:54.899 And there will be 00:27:54.899 --> 00:27:55.539 a day coming 00:27:55.539 --> 00:27:56.240 when Charlie, 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:57.959 because of his faith 00:27:57.959 --> 00:27:58.539 in Jesus, 00:27:59.179 --> 00:28:00.000 will hear the voice 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:00.519 of Jesus 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:01.399 calling him 00:28:01.399 --> 00:28:03.039 to arise, 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:04.980 to get up. 00:28:05.959 --> 00:28:06.919 And He will 00:28:06.919 --> 00:28:09.419 and we will 00:28:09.419 --> 00:28:11.819 never to die again. 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:14.299 What happened there 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:14.679 in Nain 00:28:14.679 --> 00:28:16.220 is just a foreshadowing. 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:18.119 It's just a taste. 00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:19.319 It's just a sample 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:20.740 of what Jesus 00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:21.379 can do 00:28:21.379 --> 00:28:23.200 by His powerful 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:23.639 Word. 00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:26.019 Of what Jesus 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:26.819 will do 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:27.659 for all who 00:28:27.659 --> 00:28:28.139 believe 00:28:28.139 --> 00:28:29.079 in His name. 00:28:30.679 --> 00:28:31.879 Do you believe this? 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:35.200 Let's pray. 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:41.419 Father in Heaven, 00:28:41.919 --> 00:28:43.399 we thank You 00:28:43.399 --> 00:28:43.919 for this 00:28:43.919 --> 00:28:44.859 account 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:45.679 which 00:28:45.679 --> 00:28:48.639 shouts to us 00:28:48.639 --> 00:28:49.500 that there is 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:49.859 hope 00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:51.500 in this world, 00:28:52.139 --> 00:28:54.359 in this dark world 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:55.079 where we die. 00:28:56.899 --> 00:28:57.719 And that hope 00:28:57.719 --> 00:28:58.419 is You, Jesus. 00:28:58.879 --> 00:28:59.679 We declare it, 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:00.579 we proclaim it, 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:01.959 we thank You 00:29:01.959 --> 00:29:02.679 that You have come, 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:03.500 that You have lived, 00:29:03.639 --> 00:29:04.359 that You have died, 00:29:04.479 --> 00:29:05.399 that You rose again, 00:29:05.879 --> 00:29:07.339 that You're coming back, 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:08.740 and that we will 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:09.539 rise with You 00:29:09.539 --> 00:29:11.500 according to Your promise 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:12.199 and according to 00:29:12.199 --> 00:29:13.039 Your powerful Word. 00:29:14.859 --> 00:29:16.099 Thanks be to God. 00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:17.979 To Your name 00:29:17.979 --> 00:29:18.539 be the glory. 00:29:19.699 --> 00:29:19.979 Amen.