Last week - we look at Peter’s walk upon the water and learn 2 things:
1. We experience the power of God when we take the first step... Put our feet to work, we will see God at work in our lives.
2. Our faith in God grows through experiences with Him in these STEPS - take it step by step. Faith in God won’t grow if we stay in the boat, or wait on the sidelines.
Get in touch with people and see how God can use our words and deeds to impact their lives. We are God’s change-agents on earth.
Today we want to talk about HOW TO FACE INCREDIBLE ODDS. If the God we believe in is a mighty God; if Jesus can experience God’s power in His ministry, today we can live in victory the same way.
HOLD ON TIGHTLY TO 2 TRUTHS:
1. His Awesome Power For You
2. His Amazing Love For You
Before we read the Scriptures today, let me read you a story by Max Lucado:
You’re leaving the church building. The funeral is over. The burial is next. Ahead of you walk 6 men who carry the coffin that carries the body of your son. Your only son.
You’re numb from the sorrow. You lost your husband, and now you’ve lost your son. Now you have no family. If you had any more tears, you’d weep. If you had any more faith, you’d pray. But both are in short supply, so you do neither. You just stare at the back of the wooden casket.
Suddenly it stops. The pallbearers have stopped. You stop.
A man has stepped in front of the casket. You don’t know him. You’ve never seen him. He wasn’t at the funeral. You have no idea what he is doing. But before you object he steps up to you and says, "Don’t cry."
Don’t cry? Don’t cry! This is a funeral. My son is dead. Don’t cry? Who are you to tell me not to cry?
Those are your thoughts, but they never become your words. Because before you can speak, he acts.
He turns back to the coffin, places his hand on it, and says in a loud voice, "Young men, I tell you, get up!"
"Now just a minute," one of the pallbearers is about to object, but that is interrupted by a sudden movement in the casket. The men look at one another and lower it quickly to the ground. It’s a good thing they do, because as soon as it touches the sidewalk the corpse sat up and began to talk!
Does this sound like something out of a science fiction novel? It’s not. It’s right out of the Gospel of Luke. Let’s read it - Luke 7:11-17
Let’s read verse 15 again: "The dead man sat up and began to talk..." Incredible statement, don’t you think? The Bible puts it simply as a statement of fact, but can you imagine how electrifying that moment is in real time!
Dead people don’t sit up! Dead people don’t talk! Dead people don’t leave their coffins!
UNLESS JESUS SHOWS UP! Because when Jesus shows up, you never know what can happen. Circumstances cannot dictate what God wants to do. No obstacles can prevent Jesus from doing what He wants.
This wasn’t a freak event - happened only by chance. This was repeated two other times.
In the following chapter LUKE 8:40ff. Jairus’ daughter (12 years old) was dead when He arrived at his house. Jesus took the girl’s hand and said, "My child, get up!" (v.54) And at once she stood up.
And then there was the more well known one in JOHN 11 - raising of Lazarus, dead for 4 days. Yet Lazarus was recalled back to life. Again it was a short command, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43)
• Nothing is beyond the power of Jesus. When Jesus shows up, anything can happen.
His power is no match for any human realities, not even death. The key of death is in His hands (Rev 1:18).
• And everything can change simply at a word from Jesus.
This is the first thing we need to learn - our MINDSET must change.
1. When Jesus shows up, nothing can stop Him!
In order words, when He shows up, you can expect anything to happen!
THEREFORE… TRUST IN HIS AWESOME POWER
Paul says He’s One "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." (Eph 3:20).
Literally, exceeding abundantly above - superlatives are piled one upon the other here to impress us with this truth. It means to an extent that we cannot express. (Barnes’ Notes)
In order words, if you can imagine it - that is most likely not it. God can do beyond what you can imagine. It is not illogical, but Para logical - BEYOND our comprehension.
This should be our mindset when we face life’s challenges. When Jesus shows up, anything can happen. Nothing is beyond the power of Jesus. Nothing can stop Him, not even death - Christ’s last enemy (1 Cor 15:26).
Prophet Isaiah introduces Him to us as the MIGHTY GOD!
Isa 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Not only does He have the power of God, He is the God of power! The One who dwells in your heart today, is the God of power!
THE POWER OF THE TIDES
During the troubled years of the Second World War, the Italian forces were driven out of Eritrea in North Africa. In an effort to make the harbour unusable to the Allies, the Italians took great barges, filled them with concrete, and caused them to be sunk across the entrance to the harbour. When the Allies entered, their problem was to remove those barges in order that the harbour might become usable.
They did so in a very ingenious way. They took great gas tanks - not the kinds of tanks we have on our cars or in our homes, but those huge tanks, which are used to hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel in great oil refineries. They sealed those tanks so they would float, and they caused them to be floated over the place where the barges were below. When the tide came in, the tanks floating with the tide lifted the barges. The barges were pulled from the sucking sand at the bottom of the bay. It was then a relatively easy matter to remove them and make the harbour usable again.
Think of the power in that! The barges were chained to the tanks. The tanks were dependent upon the tides. The tides were pulled by the gravitational attraction of the moon, and the moon was moving in accord with the whole cosmos. Tremendous, unimaginable, dynamic power belongs to the tides.
This is just the power of nature. God is not in the picture yet. Imagine when He steps in - the Creator of nature Himself!
That must be our MINDSET - when Jesus shows up, anything can happen. If nothing happens, it means He chose to do anything - according to His divine purpose. WHY? Because nothing can stop Him! He can stop everything, and nothing can stop Him!
When you come before God, you can expect a miracle. He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." (Eph 3:20).
A second thing we come to know about Jesus in this event:
The Widow in Nain - Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don’t cry."
In Jairus’ Case - Luke 8:52
Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."
In Lazarus’ Case - John 11:33-35
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35Jesus wept.
2. Jesus Is Able to Reach you in the midst of your deepest sorrow
THEREFORE… TRUST IN HIS AMAZING LOVE
If you’re in the pit, you’ll find that Jesus is right there with you! There is not one experience in your life that is beyond His reach. Wherever you are, whatever your pain, He is able to TOUCH you and restore you!
Luke 7:13 says His heart went out to her... Man can only mourn WITH YOU, but Jesus can stop your mourning! He alone can turn your mourning into joy!
He could say to this widow what no one else could say, "Don’t cry!" Most of us can only cry with those who lost their loved ones. Only Jesus can wipe away our tears. Rev 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes."
This woman was in a very sad state. Quite ironical -Nain (means pleasant, beauty) - probably a truly pleasant place, but the outward beauty can do nothing to her inner sorrows. No circumstances can drown our sorrows. No environment can remove our pain.
She has already lost her husband. Being a widow means a low standing in her society. Widows are the neglected lot. NOW she has to bury her son. And to make the grief worse, she lost her ONLY son (v.12), and a young one probably, because Jesus called him, "Young man..." (v.14).
In the Jewish mindset, this can be regarded as a divine punishment for sin.
Not only has she to stand alone to face life, she may have to face the contempt of her society and people. LIFE CAVES IN ON HER. She knows nothing about hope or joy.
She knows nothing of Jesus. She did not reach out for Him but Jesus reaches down to her. "His heart went out to her..." In the Gospels, there are many who come to Jesus and ask for help, but not in this case. She did nothing. She knows nothing.
Jesus does not demand that we fit into a set pattern to receive His help. God’s power does not flow according to certain correct ritual or prayers. Because in this case, man did nothing.
Jesus took the initiative to draw close to man. He is One who is moved by our needs and sorrows. When you feel far from Him, it is not because He has distant Himself from you. It is us who have drifted from Him.
Verse 14 "Then He went up and touched the coffin..." In her sorrow, Jesus comes near.
When you cry, we don’t cry alone. He sees our tears and feels our loss.
Heb 4:15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses..."
The widow did nothing to earn it; it’s entirely an act of love and grace on the part of Jesus.
We learn something about Jesus - a few times we read He was moved with compassion when He sees the needs and suffering of people. And when that happens, He will do whatever He can, within His means, oftentimes miraculously, to help the people and relieve their need.
You can be assured of that today! He will be there, and He will help you.
In the midst of sorrow, man wants answers. This is our tendency.
Notice Jesus did not try to explain things. He doesn’t, if you read the Gospels.
We must learn this. Don’t try to explain things. We don’t have answers to many life mysteries and pains. We’ve heard many well-meaning people saying to people in pain or grief, words like:
• “God must be trying to tell you something!”
• “God must have a plan for this, so accept it.”
• “It was God’s will and we must live by it.”
• “Somehow God planned this to test your faith!”
• “There is a sliver lining in every cloud, you will find God’s reason behind this eventually.”
The most effective ministry that we give to those who are grieving are probably just some small acts of service, rather than in grand attempts to explain why a tragedy has occurred. Perhaps the most useful thing we can do is to lend a listening ear and a compassionate shoulder.
We see here a compassionate Lord who acts in response to human grief and need! It’s not just FEELINGS of compassion, but ACTS of compassion. The miracles were done for the sake of man – He heals the broken-hearted, set the captives free, makes the lame to walk again, and cause the blind to see. Jesus is concerned with your well-being today!
Perhaps you are like the widow; struggling through a pain... you’ve lost hope and joy.
You don’t just need a change of attitude. You need to connect or reconnect to the source of hope. Our Lord is not hindered nor limited by the things that harm us. So come to Him!
WHEN YOU FACE INCREDIBLE ODDS IN LIFE...
1. When Jesus shows up, nothing can stop Him!
Therefore TRUST IN HIS AWESOME POWER
2. Jesus is able to reach you in all circumstances... even in your deepest sorrow. No one can.
Therefore TRUST IN HIS AMAZING LOVE
