Two Year Gospel Study Week 43

Luke 7:11-17: “Death-Defier”

Jesus is the TRUE Death-Defier, not by doing things that are wild and crazy but by doing things that destroy death, that defy the power of sin and death and decay and the devil.

Today’s story is a death defying story that’s a precursor of what’s to come! It’s a story of Jesus raising a person from the dead. This story is only in the Gospel of Luke.

Here’s the story - as Jesus and His disciples are reaching the town of Nain, there is a funeral procession of mourners carrying a boy to burial, an only son of a widow. And that day in Nain everything changed! When Jesus saw the woman His heart went out to her. Jesus walked up to the coffin and said to the dead boy, ”Young man, I say to You, Get up!”

Then the dead boy sat up alive and talked and people praised God!

Interestingly, hundreds of years earlier, this same kind of miracle took place in nearly this same place where Elisha had raised a dead Shulamite woman. This group of mourners now rejoicing would have know that story and are seeing the Scriptures come to life again!

They cry out, “God has come to help His people!” They had no idea at the depth of the truth of their words, for God truly had come - Yes God in Jesus had truly come! And He came to “help His people!”

Let’s take a look at Jesus and funerals. He attended several in many cities:
1. Three recorded in the Gospels: Main, Capernaum and Bethany
2. Jesus spoke directly to the deceased and the dead responded because Jesus’ Word has power
3. All three dead people were resurrected! Romans 4:17 God who gives life to the dead, calls into being things that were not!

Jesus is the Living God come to earth!

This story is a picture of what is to come - it gives us a picture of what is going to happen on a majestic and incredible scale at the end of days. The dead will hear His voice and we will rise!

The story is a harbinger of things to come!

Death-Defying Truths:
1. Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee to our resurrection (1 Peter 1:3)
2. Our future is not as disembodied spirits. We are going to be bodily raised (1 Corinthians 15:442ff)
3. We will live forever in a New Creation (Isaiah 65:17)

Our destiny is to be raised! And to experience a new and perfect creation. Our future is to know the Living God as never before; face to face.

4. This our constant encouragement (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Jesus will return! Therefore encourage each other with these words!

This is the heart of the Christian message - Jesus is returning and we will be raised to eternal life with Him.

This story was not merely about compassion to a mom, it was about the assurance to all who saw it that day and to those who have read/heard the story in the centuries that have followed. This is the story that shows us the assurance of our resurrection.

If you don’t know Jesus, we invite you to read the Scriptures and discover who He is!

The same Jesus who raised the widow’s son is the same Jesus who went to the cross for each one of us, paid the full price for our sin, and by His resurrection He assures us that by faith in Him we too will be raised in the end of days!

You don’t want to miss this!

The day is coming when the dead will all hear His voice and we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet! That’s God’s promise!!! And that’s our future!!

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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. The Gospel of Luke takes a look at the life of Jesus, beginning with the well-known Christmas stories. Luke, a non Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.