Opening Monologue
Welcome AVC Family and New subscribers. We preach the Good News of Jesus Christ and his word, real and raw. Be sure to use this APP down below for commentary, devotional questions, sermon notes and MUCH MORE.
Supernaturally Transformed is our series… let’s get into it!
Jesus is Alive… and because Jesus is alive anything is possible in your life! We look out the window to a world that is helpless and hopeless. We see people dressed up like clowns mocking Christianity… attempting to steal the world stage at the Olympics. Why?
This world is their playground, and everyone is trying to have as much fun as possible until death takes the life out of them. They are without hope, salvation and their future is the grave. Given this truth, that means that anything goes… no morals or values, with no such thing as sin. I know this sounds hard or brash… but it’s the sad reality. (Yes, there is always hope in Christ for anyone)
This world will attempt to take the life out of us; but Jesus came to give us our lives back… even everlasting life. I don’t know what you’re going through, but Jesus does… and with Jesus anything is possible (Mt. 19:36) He can transform your life and bring restoration.
Jeremiah declared: “Oh great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds… I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:18-19 & 26-27)
Join us as we dive into another Supernatural Story in the Gospels this Sunday.
Blessings in Christ!
Rev. Brad Standfest
To Listen to this week’s Sermon: “Week 7 - Supernaturally Transformed” Go to the Sermon tab here in our APP or use the links to our website or YouTube Channel where you can also listen to our Sermons:
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Key Sermon Text
Jeremiah 32:18-19 & 26-27
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+32%3A18-19+&version=NIV
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+32%3A26-27&version=NIV
Matthew 19:26 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A26&version=NIV
Luke 7: 11-17
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7%3A+11-17&version=NIV
Summary of Jesus Christ’s Supernatural Power
One of the key verses that highlight this truth is found in Matthew 19:26, where Jesus Himself says, “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” This statement was made in the context of a conversation about salvation and the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven. It serves as a reminder that, while there may be limitations from a human perspective, there are no limitations with God.
Similarly, Mark 9:23 offers insight into the power of belief in Jesus: “And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’” This was said to a father seeking healing for his son, emphasizing that faith unlocks the power of God to work miracles and change circumstances.
These passages, and others like them, serve as foundational truths for believers, encouraging us to:
1.Trust in God’s Power: Understanding that God’s power surpasses human understanding and limitations. When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, we are reminded that we serve a God for whom nothing is impossible.
2.Live by Faith: Being challenged to live a life of faith, believing in God’s promises and His character, even when the evidence of our senses or the logic of our minds suggests otherwise.
3.Pray Boldly: Encouraged to approach God with boldness in prayer, asking for His intervention and help in all areas of our lives, believing that He is able and willing to act on our behalf.
4.Witness to Others: Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others, knowing that the transformative power of the Gospel can change hearts and lives, making what seems impossible possible.
As you contemplate the truth that “all things are possible with Jesus Christ,” may you find encouragement, strength, and hope in His unfailing love and boundless power. Let this truth guide your steps, influence your prayers, and shape your faith as you walk in relationship with Him.
Commentary
JESUS RAISES A WIDOW’S SON FROM THE DEAD / 7:11–17
With a touch and his word, Jesus gave life. He had already healed a number of maladies: demon possession (4:35), sin (5:20), and all kinds of diseases (5:13, 15). Here Jesus clearly demonstrated his power over death.
The people correctly perceived the implications: Jesus was a great prophet (similar to Elijah and Elisha; see 1 Kings 17:17–24; 2 Kings 4:8–37), and God had come “to help” them (7:16 NIV). God has also come today. In the Bible, he shows the way of life, and, through the leading of the Spirit, he guides us to the truth. The townspeople of Nain began praising God and telling others the good news about Jesus.
7:11–12 Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. The town called Nain was a few miles southeast of Nazareth (see map) and about a day’s journey from Capernaum. Jesus continued his teaching ministry throughout the land, training his disciples and being followed by a large crowd of the curious that went from place to place. Upon approaching the gate of the town of Nain, they came upon a funeral procession. A woman led the procession, followed by the dead man being carried out and then a large crowd from the town.
In contrast to Jesus’ crowd, this crowd would have been a group of mourners. Honoring the dead was important in Jewish tradition. A funeral procession—the relatives of the dead person following the body that was wrapped and carried on a kind of stretcher—would make its way through town. The burial ground was usually outside the town, and the body was on its way to the burial site. As the procession passed, bystanders would be expected to join. In addition, hired mourners would cry aloud and draw attention to the procession. The family’s mourning would continue for thirty days. What made this funeral especially sad was that the dead young man was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.
7:13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” This woman had already lost her husband, and here her only son was dead—her last means of support. The crowd of mourners would go home, and she would be left penniless and alone. The widow was probably past the age of childbearing and would not marry again. Unless a relative would come to her aid, her future was bleak. In the first century, it was very difficult for a woman to earn her own living. Without anyone to provide for the widow, she would be an easy prey for swindlers, and she would likely be reduced to begging for food. No wonder when the Lord saw this sad sight and the tearful woman, his heart went out to her. In fact, as Luke repeatedly emphasized, Jesus cares about people’s deepest needs. As Jesus’ crowd met the crowd of mourners, Jesus went to the woman and gently said, “Don’t cry.” This would be a meaningless request under most circumstances; however, Jesus, Lord over death itself, was going to change the circumstances. Jesus has the power to bring hope out of any tragedy.
JESUS RAISES A WIDOW’S SON
Jesus traveled to Nain and met a funeral procession leaving the village. A widow’s only son had died, leaving her virtually helpless, but Jesus brought the young man back to life. This miracle, recorded only in Luke, reveals Jesus’ compassion for people’s needs
7:14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” Jesus again reached out to someone in need with compassion, risking becoming unclean. To touch even the bier would have made him unclean. Yet this time he came forward. No one came to him; no one asked him for anything, but Jesus wanted to relieve this woman’s suffering. Risking ceremonial defilement according to the law (Numbers 19:11–22), Jesus touched the bier, the frame on which the corpse, usually wrapped in shrouds, was laid to be carried out for burial. Jesus’ approaching the procession and touching the bier was highly unusual, so the bearers stood still. Jesus may have asked them to stop. Then he spoke directly to the body that lay on the bier, “Young man, I say to you, rise!”
COMPASSION
How do you react when you see a funeral procession? Sadness, grief, indifference, even anger or annoyance … different people have different responses to others’ grief. Luke 7:13–14 shows us Jesus’ response to such a situation. The text does not reveal if Jesus knew the bereaved mother or her son, but he felt compassion for her. Perhaps Jesus was thinking ahead to the time when his own mother would have to endure the loss of her son. Whatever the reason, we know that Jesus reached out to this woman in empathy and compassion in her time of grief. When you are confronted by human suffering, grief, pain, need, you have a choice: you can walk away, hiding behind social, pragmatic, or even religious excuses; or you can emulate Jesus and reach out in compassion to others in his name.
7:15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk to those around him! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Imagine the surprise of the crowd—Jesus’ followers, the mourners, the mother, and those carrying the bier! Suddenly the boy who had been dead sat up and began to talk. What he said is left to our imagination, but the important point is that Jesus gave him back to his mother. Jesus did the ultimate act of compassion—he did what no human being could have done. These words are almost identical to 1 Kings 17:23 when the great Old Testament prophet Elijah brought a widow’s only son back to life. After doing so, “he gave him to his mother” (NIV).
7:16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” The miracle of raising a widow’s son to life brought to the people’s minds the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. While John the Baptist was like Elijah as forerunner (Malachi 4:5), Luke pictures Jesus as Elijah the prophet because of his miraculous works. When Elijah brought back the widow’s son, she exclaimed, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth” (1 Kings 17:24 NIV). The people in this story likewise were filled with awe, praised God, and exclaimed that a great prophet [had] appeared among [them]. The people thought of Jesus as a prophet because, like the Old Testament prophets, he boldly proclaimed God’s message and performed great miracles. Both Elijah and Elisha had raised children from the dead (1 Kings 17:17–24; 2 Kings 4:8–37). The people were correct in thinking that Jesus was a prophet, but he was much more—he was God himself. That they recognized that God has come to help his people probably does not mean that they recognized Jesus as God. Instead, they were using an Old Testament expression that often denoted blessing (as in Ruth 1:6; 1 Samuel 2:21).
RAISED FROM THE DEAD
There are many comparisons to this story and the one recorded in 1 Kings 17:8–24. The location and the nature of the miracle caused the townspeople to recognize that a “great prophet” was among them.
Elijah/Elisha:
Elijah raised the son of a widow in Zarephath. He first met the widow at the town gate (1 Kings 17:10).
Jesus:
Jesus met the woman as he approached the town gate (Luke 7:12).
Elijah/Elisha: The boy who died was the son of a widow (1 Kings 17:9, 17).
Jesus: The boy who died was the son of a widow (Luke 7:12).
Elijah/Elisha: The expression is that Elijah “gave” the boy back to his mother (1 Kings 17:23).
Jesus: The expression is repeated that Jesus “gave him back to his mother” (Luke 7:15).
Elijah/Elisha:**The recognition that a man of God had done the miracle (1 Kings 17:24).
**Jesus: The recognition that “a great prophet has appeared among us” (Luke 7:16).
Elijah/Elisha: Elisha also raised a boy from the dead, the only child of a woman in Shunern (2 Kings 4:8, 32–37).
Jesus: Jesus raised a boy from the dead, the only son of a widow in Nain (Luke 7:11). Scholars place Nain on the other side of the hill of Moreh from Shunern, thus placing this miracle in the same general location as Elisha’s.The people would have remembered this from Scripture and the life of the great prophet Elisha.
However:
Elijah had to cry out to the Lord and stretch himself on the boy three times (1 Kings 17:20–21).
Jesus merely had to speak a word of command. Jesus spoke and the boy came back to life. Jesus clearly had superior power than all the greatest OT prophets.
However:
Elisha prayed and stretched himself out on the boy (2 Kings 4:32–35).
7:17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. The obvious result of Jesus’ miraculous act of raising a dead person to life meant that the news … spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. The town of Nain is actually in the region of Galilee, so the word “Judea” is used here not for the region but for the entire “land of the Jews” (as in 4:44). Word about Jesus went all over the country and beyond.
Resources: Rev. Brad Standfest, Bruce B. Barton, Luke, Life Application Bible Commentary
Sermon Notes:
I have some Good News for you today*
Jesus is ALIVE … And because Jesus is Alive anything is possible in your life
You want to know why this world is so messed up?
You want to know why people dress up like Clowns and Hijack the World Stage?
They attempt to mock God and cry for us to be tolerant… When they themselves are the bullies… Why?
They have No hope… They have No Salvation or God… They have no Future… No World beyond this…
Friends… This world is there playground, and everyone is trying to have as much fun as possible until Death takes the life out of them
The Fact is… This world will attempt to take the life out of all of us…
Here’s another fact… Jesus came to give us our Life Back… Even everlasting Life.
Today I have a message of Hope for you… A Message of Promise & Restoration:
Nothing in your life is too hard for God to handle.
I know that saying is absolute Biblical Truth… But there are some things we face and wonder- Will it get better?
Jeremiah the mighty Prophet of God was mocked, imprisoned, even thrown into a cistern, yet his commitment to God never waivered…
Jeremiah said this:
Jeremiah 32:
v. 18-19) O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds
v.26-27) Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
Jesus echoed Jeremiah’s words by saying this: “With man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Mt. 19:26)
Whatever is trying to take the life out of you… Or your family… put the Cross of Christ in front of it!
Today in our main text Jesus displays his Supernatural Power over a Lifeless body
Here’s a snapshot into this Supernatural Story:
“Jesus left the town of Nazareth and traveled a few miles SE to a little insignificant town called Nain. The crowds proclaimed that he was a great prophet comparing him to Elijah of old. However, Jesus was more than a Prophet… He was the Messiah that all the people were waiting for. Now, Jesus will display his Supernatural power, even over death; and the crowds were in awe as they proclaimed: “God has come down to help his people.” You see, when Jesus touches your life, it will never be the same again. Nothing is to impossible for him.” (LABC & PB)
Read Luke 7: 11-17
I want you to understand this… God has come to Help You!
I want to close with these Spiritual Applications for our lives:
• Nothing is too hard for Jesus no matter what you’re trying to overcome… (Jer. 32:17, Mt. 19:26)
• Truly… The Lord has come to help us… Will you let him?
• Jesus came to give us our life back… Lay your burdens & hardships at the foot of the Cross
Devotional Questions
Read Luke 7:11-17, we encounter the profound story of Jesus raising a widow’s son from the dead at Nain, showcasing Jesus’ compassion, power over death, and the declaration of His identity as a prophet sent by God. As you engage with this passage, here are some devotional questions to guide your reflection and application of these truths in your life:
1. Compassion of Jesus (v. 13): “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” Reflect on a time when you experienced or witnessed deep compassion. How does Jesus’ compassion towards the widow challenge or inspire you to show compassion in your own life?
2. Jesus’ Authority Over Death (v. 14-15): Jesus simply spoke, and the young man was raised from the dead. This miracle demonstrates Jesus’ power over the ultimate enemy, death itself. How does this account of Jesus’ power over death impact your understanding of His authority and divinity?
3. Response to the Miracle (v. 16-17): The witnesses responded with fear, glorified God, and proclaimed that a great prophet had arisen among them. How do you respond internally and externally to the miracles and works of Jesus that you read about in the Gospels or witness in your life today?
4. God’s Care for the Marginalized (v. 12-13): The widow of Nain, now having lost her only son, was in a vulnerable social and economic position. Jesus’ intervention reflects God’s heart for the marginalized. How does this story motivate you to care for those who are vulnerable or suffering in your community?
5. The Impact of Witnessing God’s Works (v. 16-17): “This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.” When you witness God working in your life or in the lives of others, how do you share these experiences?
6. Identify an area, stronghold, battle/ circumstance that you need Jesus to remove and restore and bring restoration? (Read MT. 19:16)