Jesus Raises the Dead to the Glory of God (Luke 7:11-17)
Sermon Summary
Pastor David Yan
04 August 2024
One of the saddest experiences of life is when parents bury their child. This is the situation here. A widow has lost her son. He was an adolescent and was now able to work and support his widowed mother. But suddenly he is gone.
The young man has died; but Jesus is present. There is hope because Jesus is the giver of life.
Jesus knew the pain the widow was experiencing. He feels our pain and knows our need. He weeps when we weep.
Jesus shows compassion to the widow. He sees the funeral procession and reaches out to the bereaved. Wherever he went Jesus did good. He hasn’t changed.
Jesus touches the coffin. Those who carried the coffin stood still. The touch of Jesus halts death-proceedings. Death, our great enemy, must submit to the mighty hand of Jesus.
Jesus speaks the word. He spoke and Jairus’ daughter was raised. He spoke and Lazarus was raised. He will speak again and the dead shall rise--some to everlasting life; some to eternal damnation.
At the word of Jesus the young man sits up. It is a miracle. The dead lie still but the living rise up. So it will be on the day of resurrection. The dead shall rise at the word of Jesus.
Jesus presents the young man to his mother. What a moment! The widow, who was burying her dead son, now receives her son alive and well.
Jesus will one day present his church alive and without blemish.
There is fear among the observers. Quite naturally there was an awesome fear when the people saw the dead man rise. When Jesus himself rose from death there was an accompanying fear.
This account of Jesus raising the young man was heard throughout the land. The authority and power that Jesus possessed was unheard of. Now everyone is talking about him.
Jesus raises the dead to the glory of God. The onlookers recognized a great prophet was among them and that God had visited his people.
He raises the dead today---the spiritually dead. We have all gone astray and are dead in trespasses and sins. Jesus lifts us out of death. When we trust in Him we become new people. Praise to the Lord.