RAISED FROM THE DEAD! REALLY?
So, imagine you are driving down a major road in your hometown. You are not in any particular big hurry which is good since you find yourself stuck behind a funeral procession. The head-lighted cars are in a neat row for what seems like a very long line but then you catch a glimpse of the hearse at the head of the line with a limo full of grieving relatives behind it. Instinctively you know that this second limo contains some very, very sad people. You then remember reading in the paper and hearing on CNN and Fox about the untimely death of a woman's son. A woman, who had recently lost her husband. A widow. So sad.
Imagine what you might be thinking. You may begin to pray for this grieving family and in particular the mom of this son or you might remember the time you, yourself, were in a car behind the hearse containing your loved one on the way to the cemetary dreading this final part of the funeral.
Imagine as you are thinking on these things that suddenly a man walks up the car holding the dead man's mother, knocks on her window and compassionately speaks to her, telling her not to cry. He then goes to the hearse, knocks on the window and asks the driver to open up the back gate of the car and then demands that the coffin be opened!!!!!!!!!!! You can't believe your eyes as you watch horrified relatives jump out of their cars screaming at this man to stop! But, for some unknown reason you see that the driver obeys this man and opens up the coffin.
The stranger then says to the corpse, "Young man, I say to you arise." And right before your eyes, the eyes of the family, the eyes of the crowd that has now gathered, the eyes of a funeral procession and before the eyes of a grieving mom, the young man sits up and begins to speak! The stranger then hands this very much alive young man to his mother.
CAN YOU IMAGINE? I'm pretty sure there would be stunned silence followed by excited chatter followed by some people praying and exclaiming God's goodness! Before too long CNN and FOX and every major newspaper and network would be spreading the news of what happened!!! Can you imagine this REALLY happening?
Well, GOOD NEWS!!! It really did happen! Luke tells us this story in Chapter 7 verses 11-17 in his book. He tells us that Jesus went to a city called Nain and as He and disciples and a crowd that was following them got close to the city they ran into a funeral procession. He saw that a man had died and was being carried out to be buried. He was followed by his widow mother and a crowd of mourners. LUke tells us that when Jesus saw the mourning widow He had compassion on her, told her not to weep and then went over to the bier, the pall bearers stood still and Jesus commanded the dead young man to arise! And he did!!!!!!!!!!!! He began to speak and then Jesus handed this man to his mother! The scriptures tell us that fear seized everyone and they glorified God! Naturally, this news of Jesus raising this young man from the dead spread to the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country!!!!!
I have been asking God lately, as I sit down to ready my bible, to not let me bypass the magnificent, to not let me be so familiar with the bible that I ceaes to be amazed! Of course, God loves for us to be amazed at His Word and He didn't fail me! He showed me that JESUS raised this young man FROM THE DEAD!!!! Did you read that? FROM THE DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine being witness to that then, or in this day and age.. and then I thought of something.....
While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for our sins! We were DEAD, DEAD, DEAD in our trespasses. We needed to be BORN AGAIN! God, in His kindness had compassion on the sinner and sent Jesus to die for our sins! He sent Jesus to bear our sin and then bear the punishment and wrath of God that was ours to bear! He died. He rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
We, who were dead in our sin could never have chosen God had He not chosen us! We were hell bound and happy in our slavery to sin. BUT THEN! But then the Holy Spirit awakened faith in us and in God's kindness he led us to believe in Jesus and repent for our sins and we passed from death to life. We were BORN AGAIN!
Do you see it? EVERYTIME an individual turns in faith to Jeus in repentance of their sins he/she is RAISED FROM THE DEAD to LIFE IN CHRIST! It happened to me and if you are a Christian it happened to you~!! Do not let this miracle become commonplace to you! YOU WERE RAISED FROM THE DEAD and by His grace we will live with God eternally! If God had not called me and you we would still be dead, dead, dead. BUT grace called our names and we were brought to life in Christ!
May you be encouraged today by the miracle of the new birth of a christian. May you be encouraged to cling with gratefullness and love to the cross. May this good news spur you on to obedience. May you remember that we love God because He first loved us. May you remember with awe that God had compassion on you! May we remember to glorify Him today!
REJOICE! Oh! how merciful and kind is our great God! Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins!
Imagine what you might be thinking. You may begin to pray for this grieving family and in particular the mom of this son or you might remember the time you, yourself, were in a car behind the hearse containing your loved one on the way to the cemetary dreading this final part of the funeral.
Imagine as you are thinking on these things that suddenly a man walks up the car holding the dead man's mother, knocks on her window and compassionately speaks to her, telling her not to cry. He then goes to the hearse, knocks on the window and asks the driver to open up the back gate of the car and then demands that the coffin be opened!!!!!!!!!!! You can't believe your eyes as you watch horrified relatives jump out of their cars screaming at this man to stop! But, for some unknown reason you see that the driver obeys this man and opens up the coffin.
The stranger then says to the corpse, "Young man, I say to you arise." And right before your eyes, the eyes of the family, the eyes of the crowd that has now gathered, the eyes of a funeral procession and before the eyes of a grieving mom, the young man sits up and begins to speak! The stranger then hands this very much alive young man to his mother.
CAN YOU IMAGINE? I'm pretty sure there would be stunned silence followed by excited chatter followed by some people praying and exclaiming God's goodness! Before too long CNN and FOX and every major newspaper and network would be spreading the news of what happened!!! Can you imagine this REALLY happening?
Well, GOOD NEWS!!! It really did happen! Luke tells us this story in Chapter 7 verses 11-17 in his book. He tells us that Jesus went to a city called Nain and as He and disciples and a crowd that was following them got close to the city they ran into a funeral procession. He saw that a man had died and was being carried out to be buried. He was followed by his widow mother and a crowd of mourners. LUke tells us that when Jesus saw the mourning widow He had compassion on her, told her not to weep and then went over to the bier, the pall bearers stood still and Jesus commanded the dead young man to arise! And he did!!!!!!!!!!!! He began to speak and then Jesus handed this man to his mother! The scriptures tell us that fear seized everyone and they glorified God! Naturally, this news of Jesus raising this young man from the dead spread to the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country!!!!!
I have been asking God lately, as I sit down to ready my bible, to not let me bypass the magnificent, to not let me be so familiar with the bible that I ceaes to be amazed! Of course, God loves for us to be amazed at His Word and He didn't fail me! He showed me that JESUS raised this young man FROM THE DEAD!!!! Did you read that? FROM THE DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine being witness to that then, or in this day and age.. and then I thought of something.....
While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for our sins! We were DEAD, DEAD, DEAD in our trespasses. We needed to be BORN AGAIN! God, in His kindness had compassion on the sinner and sent Jesus to die for our sins! He sent Jesus to bear our sin and then bear the punishment and wrath of God that was ours to bear! He died. He rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
We, who were dead in our sin could never have chosen God had He not chosen us! We were hell bound and happy in our slavery to sin. BUT THEN! But then the Holy Spirit awakened faith in us and in God's kindness he led us to believe in Jesus and repent for our sins and we passed from death to life. We were BORN AGAIN!
Do you see it? EVERYTIME an individual turns in faith to Jeus in repentance of their sins he/she is RAISED FROM THE DEAD to LIFE IN CHRIST! It happened to me and if you are a Christian it happened to you~!! Do not let this miracle become commonplace to you! YOU WERE RAISED FROM THE DEAD and by His grace we will live with God eternally! If God had not called me and you we would still be dead, dead, dead. BUT grace called our names and we were brought to life in Christ!
May you be encouraged today by the miracle of the new birth of a christian. May you be encouraged to cling with gratefullness and love to the cross. May this good news spur you on to obedience. May you remember that we love God because He first loved us. May you remember with awe that God had compassion on you! May we remember to glorify Him today!
REJOICE! Oh! how merciful and kind is our great God! Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins!
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1 comment:
I love this! Very cool "contemporizing," and helps us see the account in a personal light!!!! Keep up the good work, Diane! I'll be thinking about this all day!
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