! Theme: The power that raises the dead
Text: 1 Kings 17:17-24; Gal. 1:11-24; Lk. 7:11-17
Introduction: God revealed His name to Moses at the burning bush when He commissioned him to free His people. God’s revealed name is “I Am who I Am”. God’s name was only fully understood when Jesus referred to Himself with the words “I am the bread of life; I am the true vine; I am the door; I am the way, the truth, and the life; I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Living Water; I am the resurrection and the life. “Christ came that we may have life and have it more abundantly”. (John 10:10) Unfortunately many believers are not enjoying this abundant life. They often behave like the Israelites did after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. They witnessed the amazing power of God that freed them from bondage but were not satisfied with God’s provision of Manna from heaven and water from the rock. Their minds were still focused on the things Egypt had to offer. They still longed for the garlic, the cucumber and the fish they had eaten in Egypt and could not enjoy God’s provisions. Many believers today have that same mind-set. They are not enjoying God’s provisions because they have not renewed their minds and instead of enjoying God’s provisions focus on what the world has to offer. God brings life to our ruined finances, life to our sick and diseased bodies, and life to our lifeless marriages and family relationships but it is not enough for us. We complain and would rather have what the world has promised. God’s provisions are far greater than what the world has to offer and does not come with any sorrow for “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light”. (Matt. 11:30)
Step One: The person and character of Christ
a) Christ is the promised Messiah
God has the power that raises the dead and Jesus Christ is God. The main purpose of the gospels is to reveal Christ as the promised Messiah. Many believers know a lot about God but do not know Christ intimately. A person’s life immediately changes when an intimate relationship is established as in the case of Paul. We will stop doubting His words and stop asking “Has God really said?”
b) The compassion of Christ
We cannot know Christ intimately and not know of His love and compassion. His love and compassion made Him touch the leper and the dead. A leper in Bible times was an outcast and was not to be touched. He announced his presence by shouting “unclean, unclean” to keep everyone out of the way. The love and compassion of Christ overcame all barriers and He touched the untouchable.
c) The power of Christ
His touch released His power and authority. Instead of the unclean making Him unclean His touch brought life out of death and cleanness out of uncleanness. We cannot say we know God and doubt His claim to be “the resurrection and the life”.
Illustration:
God has all power and authority and is the only One with the power to kill and to make alive. God manifested this power to make the Israelites believe that He had sent Moses. When Moses put his hand into his cloak it became leprous like snow and someone with leprosy in those days was considered dead. When he put his hand in his cloak again his hand was restored to its normal state. This was a visible manifestation that God has power to raise the dead. When Elijah raised the widow’s son from the dead to life, the woman immediately know it was an act of God and said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth”. (1 Kings 17:24) Only God has the power to raise the dead.
Application:
Jesus Christ raised the dead because He is both man and God. The Holy Spirit raised Jesus Christ from the dead and since only God can raise the dead the Holy Spirit is also God, the third person of the Trinity. Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection paid the penalty for sin so that God can raise believers from the dead.
Step Two: Christ is the source of life
a) Christ died to give us eternal life
Christ is the source of life and died to give us eternal life “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Rom 6:23) “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him”. (John 3:17)
b) Christ justifies the sinner
Christ shed His blood for the justification of the sinner. He took our sin and became sin and gave us His righteousness to make us righteous.
c) Christ sanctifies the sinner
The sacrifice of Christ justifies and sanctifies the sinner. We are made holy and set apart to God and given access to His presence. Therefore we can confidently “draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. (Heb. 4:16)
Illustration:
Christ took our sinful position and paid the penalty for sin to give us His righteous position and a new status as God’s beloved children. Jesus was made sin, forsaken and rejected so that we might be made righteous, and accepted as God’s beloved children who can come to Him and call Him Father. Christ has given us a new status that gives us access to God’s grace. The grace of God is not only God’s undeserved favour but also God’s empowerment to lead a new abundant life.
Application:
Christ took all the evil we deserved and gave us all the good we did not deserve. He loved us and gave us everything He had. What else can He do before we trust Him with our lives?
Step Three: God’s abundant life
a) A life filled with God’s provisions
When we put our trust in Christ we are raised from spiritual death to spiritual life to enjoy God’s abundant life filled with God’s provisions. As God’s people, we are not of this world but because we live in it, we are bound to face problems such as sickness, sorrow and discouragement. The experience of the widow of Nain is common to all. She lost the two most important people in her life that left her all alone with no one to take care of her. Christ provided the needed help to deal with her sorrow, loneliness, hopelessness and disappointment. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8) and does the same for us today.
b) A life that is financially secure
The loss of her husband and only son also left her with no means of making a living. She was condemned to a life of poverty and the possibility of losing her home as in those days a widow depended on the charity of other people for her livelihood. The Lord changed her financial situation to make her financially secure.
c) A healthy life and graceful aging
God’s people are promised a healthy life and graceful aging. They have hope even in the presence of sickness and death. Jesus not only healed the sick but also raised the widow’s son to life demonstrating His power over sickness and death.
Illustration:
Jesus’ responded to the widow’s need with more than a word of comfort. He restores her son’s life. Christ is still restoring lives having overcome sin and death. “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” Romans 5:12. The only person to deal successfully with death is our Lord Jesus Christ. The raising of the widow’s son pointed forward to the resurrection of Christ himself and to the resurrection of the dead.
Application:
Through faith in Christ we receive eternal life when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. The presence of the Holy Spirit is God’s assurance of eternal life.
Conclusion:
God sent His only begotten Son to save His people by paying the penalty for sin by the shedding of His blood. He has spoken clearly and is still speaking to us but are we listening? When you come to the crossroads of life’s journey which direction will you take? You know that one will lead to death and the other to life but you are not sure. Luckily, you come across two people, one dead and the other alive. Who would you ask for direction? As ridiculous, as it may seem many people actually try to ask the dead person. Let us be wise and ask the one who rose from the dead and is alive and declares “I AM the way, the truth and the life”.
Personal Response:
You can be in the presence of Christ, know all about Him and still not know Him. Judas was a disciple and still did not know the Lord. Today let us be sure we have a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ so that we can live His life to the praise and glory of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
