March 22, 2009 Life Part 1/ A Widow's Son

[Cynthia]

Luke 7:11-15 – Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Does Jesus Still Bring Dead Things to Life?

Act 1: The Set Up

Setting: NAIN

Character #1: A Dead Son

Character #2: A Hopeless Widow

Character #3:Jesus


Act 2: The Struggle

1.Jesus: Do I Get involved?

Hebrews 4:15 – “[Jesus is not] out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all…” (MSG)

2.The Hopeless Widow: Do I Trust Jesus?

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

3.The Dead Son: Do I Get Up?

Galatians 6:9-10 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…” (NIV)

Act 3: The Solution

[Johnny Miller]

I think the interesting thing for me is seeing how we could be all three at any time. Sometimes I do find myself asking some of those same questions, but honestly, I don't think I just identify with just one but rather many of them depending on the circumstances in my life. Great sermon to keep me thinking on my toes.

[Ryan May]

Johnny,

This is a great point... you are the third person I've heard mention this... too bad I didn't figure this out BEFORE preaching the message - it would have been great to say I came up with it! :)

[Cynthia]

Actually you did mention it, you may have forgotten, but you did. I even have it written in my notes and how much it applied to my own life. It reminds me of how we reference our life into "seasons" and as old as it is, that Nicole Nordman song "Every Season" , I can't help but be reminded of it, and why it ministered to me so much.
God knows that we will go through times in our life when our spirits may feel dead and although we know the truth about God we can't help but become stagnate and just pretend like we don't know that God is there just waiting for us to get up. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, and sometimes we just take a really long time...Maybe 6 years. I can apply all of the situations in my own life and the funny thing about it is that, that was right before the "walk" and I knew someone was counting on me, which was so strange because I felt like I was the last person for anyone to be depending on (the dead son) and it made no sense, but the moment i did, and said yes and that i would participate, it was like a new restoration a new season had automatically changed my life. I didn't need to know why God wanted me to be apart of something so strange, I just knew someone was counting on me and God was calling me to it. An essential, and like Jesus I had to get involved no matter how weird it may have felt or looked.
When I was born my name was Cynthia (makes sense), but all of my life I went by Cyndi (not a huge difference, but an abbreviation for the real deal) and when I was 19 years old I felt like God was telling me to change it. It was such a weird thing. I was getting confirmation left and right (text messages, emails, and the actual call, as you put it) about how it was the name I was given and it was 'time for me to be who I was created to be'. Which were the exact words you used to describe the son in this service. I felt like I was in Nain, and happened to be at the perfect place at the perfect time.
Ok last thing, I think you summed up this service by saying this "Does Jesus still bring things to life? - He wants to, He can, and He has compassion, but if he does, you have to be willing to get up, trust Him, take action, and get involved. Only then will you be able to move from death to life."
I would say I'm mostly the son at this point who has been 'depending' on my parents and God to intercede me to a state of new life and a season of Spring. Early spring. Got a ways to go.
-Cynthia T