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"Soon afterward he went
to a town called Nain,

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"and his disciples and
a great crowd went with him.

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"As he drew near to
the gate of the town, behold,

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"a man who had died
was being carried out,

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"the only son of his mother,
and she was a widow,

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"and a considerable crowd
from the town was with her.

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"And when the Lord saw her,
he had compassion on her

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"and said to her,
'Do not weep.'

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"Then he came up
and touched the bier,

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"and the bearers stood still.

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"And he said, 'Young man,
I say to you, arise.'

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"And the dead man
sat up and began to speak,

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"and Jesus gave
him to his mother.

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"Fear seized them all, and
they glorified God, saying,

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"'A great prophet has
arisen among us!'

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"and 'God has
visited his people!'

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"And this report about
him spread through

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the whole of Judea and all
the surrounding country."

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[music]

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Alrighty, Mars Hill, we'll be in
Luke 7, starting in verse 11.

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If you've got a Bible,
feel free to go there.

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Father God, as we come to
a devastating section

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of Scripture, I pray you
would devastate us.

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As we come to a liberating
section of Scripture,

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I pray you would liberate us.

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As we come to a rising
section of Scripture,

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I pray you would give us hope
and faith in the day

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of our own resurrection.

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And God, I ask and invite you,
Holy Spirit, to be with us,

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so that we might come to know
Jesus if we don't know him.

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Come to trust him if we
don't fully and necessarily.

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And Lord God, come to worship
him if we find it hard to do so

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because of suffering.

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And we ask for this grace
in Jesus' good name.

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Amen.

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Today, we're going to look
at a story of a dead man.

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So, I'll start with
this question:

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Do you remember the first
funeral you went to?

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The first person that you
really loved who died?

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I can still remember
the first funeral I went to.

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I was 10 years of age.

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My Grandpa George died.

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I loved, absolutely
loved my Grandpa George.

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All of my memories of my
Grandpa George are fantastic.

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Upstairs near my bedroom,
there's a photo of him.

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I remember him all the time.

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I tell my kids stories
about Grandpa George.

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He was loving, fun.

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I spent tons of
hours at his house.

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Go out to breakfast, hang out,
build stuff.

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I remember him teaching me how
to ride a bike

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that was way too big,
and I almost killed myself.

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I remember he was great,
teaching me how to use

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lots of woodworking tools
and to build things.

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He built me my first
basketball hoop.

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And I can still remember
going to his funeral.

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And being 10, I'd really
not ever thought about death,

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never really considered that
Grandpa George would die.

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And I remember going home
from the funeral,

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and every time I'd shoot hoops,

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it just seemed curious
to me that the backboard

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that I had made with my
grandfather

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outlived my grandfather.

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Death is painful.

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It's usually preceded
by suffering,

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sometimes it is completely
unexpected,

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and it comes for us all,

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because the wage for sin
is death, and all have sinned.

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And this world is not
the way that God made it to be.

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This is the way that we have
made it to be through sin,

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and rebellion, and folly.

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And when we suffer, sometimes
we do foolish things,

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and get angry, and bitter,
and mad at God

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for suffering that he didn't
create, that we did.

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And as we get into the story,
you're going to meet a woman

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who is at a funeral.

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And I want you to emotionally
connect with this widow who is

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burying her only son.

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Horrible, horrible,
horrible day.

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You're going to have days like
that in your life

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where you're absolutely wrecked.

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You will be wrecked.

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Some of you will be there for a
gaze and a glimpse into the days

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of other people's lives when
they are absolutely wrecked,

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when suffering comes,
when sickness comes,

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when death comes for them.

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All right, to be honest with
you, I wasn't really at all

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prepared for this--
going into ministry.

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We started Mars Hill as a
Bible study about 14 years ago.

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And at the time, I was 25,
gathering a core group.

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And I thought, "Okay, I'm going
to teach the Bible,

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"and I love people.

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We're going to see lost
people meet Jesus."

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And I was not prepared at all
for the devastation

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of wrecked lives.

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Hadn't been a pastor
at any church.

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Had never been
a member at any church.

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We didn't gather a lot of
mature, healthy, helpful people.

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We gathered a lot of
broken, devastated, wrecked,

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largely young,
non-Christian people.

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I still remember my
first hospital visit.

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All my hospital
visits to that point,

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and there had only been a few,
were to go congratulate someone

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because their baby was born.

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And I got a call from a young
man in the congregation,

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was a newer Christian,
came from a rough background.

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He had no living family
except for his mother.

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And he said, "I need you
to come to the hospital.

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It's an emergency."

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So, I got in my car and went
downtown, very late at night.

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And I met him in
the waiting room.

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And I said, "Okay,
what's the situation?"

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He said, "Well, you know, you
know my story, new Christian,

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"non-Christian family.

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"My mom's my only
living relative.

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"She went to a Seattle area
park, doused herself in gasoline

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"in her car,
and set herself on fire.

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"And she's brain dead.

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"Her entire body is burned
up, but they've got her heart

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"beating on a ventilator.

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"What do I do?

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"'Cause she's not a Christian,
and she doesn't love Jesus.

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"And if I pull the plug,
she dies and goes to hell.

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"And this is my only relative.

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What do I do?"

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And I remember just sitting
there thinking,

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"I am not ready for this.

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"This man deserves far more than
I'm able to give him

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at this point."

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And as a pastor, over the years,
just continually being wrecked

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in my own life, and seeing other
people's lives get wrecked,

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and being wrecked for them.

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It's why I always hate it when
pastors just make every story

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a good story, and every verse
a happy verse,

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and every tale has
a glorious ending.

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And they don't really do the
work of connecting with people

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who are suffering and hurting.

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Sometimes we get complaints
as a church, "Oh, those

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big mega-churches, they
just don't care about people."

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No, if you care about people,
sometimes you get a lot of them.

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That's how we built this church.

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We care for hurting people, and
so lots of hurting people come.

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If you just took all the women
in our church who were raped

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or molested, you would have
a mega-church of just victims.

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We're not immune,
as pastors and leaders,

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from the suffering,
and the pain, and the hurt

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in people's lives.

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And that includes
individual pastors.

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I'll tell you a story
about Pastor Chris Swan.

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He's the campus pastor over
at our Bellevue campus.

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Been a friend of mine
for over a decade.

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I'll get the numbers right.

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His wife, Susan, is fantastic.

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They've had 26 pregnancies, and
3 children, and 23 miscarriages,

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23 miscarriages.

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Pastor Chris, on his body,
he's got the number 18,

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the number 20, and the number
25 tattooed on his body.

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Those are the three pregnancies
that actually resulted

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in children.

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Above those numbers is tattooed
the name of his wife, Susan,

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as a memorial to her, 'cause
she's been through a lot.

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They finally, after having
a few daughters,

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and desperately wanting a son,
decided,

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"You know, we're just going to
need to stop trying.

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At this point,
let's just stop."

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And so, he had a vasectomy,
and ultimately just accepted

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that he would never have a son.

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And then, he felt that
God spoke to him and said,

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"I'll give you a son.

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Trust me again,
and have a reversal."

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So, he did, and had
a few more miscarriages.

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And then, God, in his
grace, gave him a baby boy.

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I've seen that boy.

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He's spoiled.

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Between his sisters,
and his mother, and his dad,

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he is well cared for.

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Pastor Dave Bruskas, your
Albuquerque campus pastor,

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I asked people to write up
their stories

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on Facebook and The City.

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I have maybe hundreds of them.

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I can't share them all with you.

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Pastor Dave Bruskas
wrote his story.

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He said: "From the time I
became a 13-year-old Christian,

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"I prayed God would give me a
son that would change the world.

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"Kara," his great wife,
"and I had one daughter, Lisa,

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"at the time our son,
David Michael, was born.

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"Ultrasounds detected
no problems,

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"nor were there any evidences
of illness during his birth.

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"Within hours of his birth,
we discovered he had

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"a congenital heart defect,
and would require surgery.

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"His cardiologist gave
us this prognosis:

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"'David would be the little kid
who could jump off

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"'the diving board,
and swim in the pool,

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"'but his heart condition
wouldn't allow him

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"'to compete
on the swim team.'

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"This seemed like a minor issue,
as we would love and enjoy

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"this son we had prayed for
with his small limitations.

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"David was transported to
the Children's Hospital ICU

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"for surgery.

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"Two months and four days later,
David's heart simply gave out.

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He had undergone many surgeries,
and many more procedures."

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Nothing like seeing a little
kid who's got a lot of scars.

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"We never saw him successfully
removed from his ventilator.

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"He never left the ICU.

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"I held him in my arms as
the doctors disconnected his

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"life support, and he went to
be with Jesus quickly.

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"I think David's death has
impacted me in several ways.

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"First, I have learned Jesus
is real,

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"and comforts those who hurt.

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"I have never before or since
experienced his presence

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"more powerfully than on
the day we buried our son.

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"And Jesus is better than all
the sons and daughters

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"he gives to mom and dad.

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"Second, the ache never
goes away completely.

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"It isn't as constant
as it used to be,

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"but there are still moments
that I slip away and weep,

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"or that Kara and I
spend date nights...

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"remembering David
through tears.

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"Third, I'm so grateful for
every moment that I have

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"with my children.

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"I no longer fear death as an
unknown entity, theirs or mine.

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"But I do realize, while
eternity is guaranteed

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"through Jesus, tomorrow
on earth isn't.

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"Lastly, I long to be with
Jesus, totally freed from sin,

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"away from this fallen world,
not so much in a morbid way,

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"but like Paul who says,

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"'For me, to live
is Christ and to die is gain.'

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"The last time I held my son was
to release him to be with Jesus.

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"The next time I hold him,

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we will both be
with Jesus forever."

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Dave's a good friend.

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Every time he comes to
the house, he was over recently,

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I see him watch my three boys.

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They're usually doing
something ridiculous.

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And he just watches 'em.

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And you can tell that he
wishes his son was alive.

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I got here this morning.

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I got a text message from
one of my dearest friends.

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He's vice-president of Acts 29,
pastors a church in St. Louis.

241
00:13:53,021 --> 00:13:57,021
He says, "Please pray for
my 7-month-old daughter.

242
00:13:57,029 --> 00:14:00,079
"She has a very severe and
rare form of staph infection.

243
00:14:00,083 --> 00:14:06,062
We're rushing her to
the hospital right now."

244
00:14:06,067 --> 00:14:09,033
Your life is going
to be wrecked.

245
00:14:09,042 --> 00:14:11,017
My life is going to be wrecked.

246
00:14:11,021 --> 00:14:15,046
And the more people you love,
the more occasions you will have

247
00:14:15,050 --> 00:14:21,012
to be wrecked.

248
00:14:21,017 --> 00:14:26,033
And as we come to Luke today, I
want you to emotionally connect

249
00:14:26,042 --> 00:14:31,021
with me, so that we can really
appreciate an amazing woman.

250
00:14:31,029 --> 00:14:37,012
And we learn this, that
Jesus finds wrecked people.

251
00:14:37,017 --> 00:14:38,062
That's what he does.

252
00:14:38,067 --> 00:14:41,029
That's our Jesus.

253
00:14:41,033 --> 00:14:43,067
God comes to earth as the man
Jesus Christ,

254
00:14:43,071 --> 00:14:47,067
and he goes looking for
absolutely wrecked people,

255
00:14:47,071 --> 00:14:51,083
people on the worst day
of their whole life.

256
00:14:51,088 --> 00:14:55,017
Luke says it this way:
"He went to a town called Nain,

257
00:14:55,021 --> 00:14:58,029
"and his disciples
and a great crowd went with him.

258
00:14:58,033 --> 00:15:00,038
"As he drew near to the
gate of the town, behold,

259
00:15:00,046 --> 00:15:04,004
a man who had died was
being carried out."

260
00:15:04,012 --> 00:15:06,046
Do you feel that?

261
00:15:06,050 --> 00:15:13,033
Read these lines, "The only
son of his mother, and," what?

262
00:15:13,042 --> 00:15:16,021
"She was a widow,
and a considerable crowd

263
00:15:16,029 --> 00:15:18,021
"from the town was with her.

264
00:15:18,029 --> 00:15:21,004
"And when the Lord saw
her, he had," what?

265
00:15:21,012 --> 00:15:26,038
"Compassion on her,
compassion on her."

266
00:15:26,046 --> 00:15:28,054
This is a devastating day.

267
00:15:28,062 --> 00:15:29,092
This is a wrecked woman.

268
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,021
She's in a town called Nain.

269
00:15:31,029 --> 00:15:34,012
Just so you know, this town
doesn't appear any other time

270
00:15:34,017 --> 00:15:35,021
in the Bible.

271
00:15:35,029 --> 00:15:37,038
This is a very
unimportant place.

272
00:15:37,046 --> 00:15:39,042
It's nowhere.

273
00:15:39,050 --> 00:15:40,038


274
00:15:40,046 --> 00:15:42,042
It's nowhere.

275
00:15:42,050 --> 00:15:45,012
It's 20 miles to Capernaum,
6 miles, let me get it right,

276
00:15:45,017 --> 00:15:47,004
to Nazareth.

277
00:15:47,012 --> 00:15:48,017
Nazareth is nowhere.

278
00:15:48,021 --> 00:15:49,021
Capernaum is nowhere.

279
00:15:49,029 --> 00:15:54,050
It's 20 miles to Capernaum,
6 miles to Nazareth.

280
00:15:54,054 --> 00:15:56,050
I've been in that region.

281
00:15:56,054 --> 00:15:59,008
It's still nothing.

282
00:15:59,017 --> 00:16:01,071
This is a small, little village.

283
00:16:01,079 --> 00:16:03,067
This likely means that this
woman is poor,

284
00:16:03,071 --> 00:16:06,021
because everyone who lives
there is poor.

285
00:16:06,029 --> 00:16:07,054
She's probably illiterate,

286
00:16:07,062 --> 00:16:09,096
can't even read the Scriptures
for herself.

287
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:11,046
Nearly all
the women in that day,

288
00:16:11,050 --> 00:16:14,054
in that place,
where illiterate.

289
00:16:14,062 --> 00:16:16,046
Here's what we know
about her:

290
00:16:16,050 --> 00:16:18,012
she's already been
to one funeral.

291
00:16:18,017 --> 00:16:20,033
Who's funeral has she been at?

292
00:16:20,042 --> 00:16:21,046
Her husband's.

293
00:16:21,050 --> 00:16:23,067
She's buried her husband.

294
00:16:23,071 --> 00:16:27,050
Ladies, think about that.

295
00:16:27,054 --> 00:16:31,088
The Bible gives particular
affection to widows and orphans.

296
00:16:31,096 --> 00:16:33,046
She's a widow.

297
00:16:33,050 --> 00:16:36,050
She buried her husband.

298
00:16:36,054 --> 00:16:39,050
Ladies, I don't know what's
going on with your husband,

299
00:16:39,054 --> 00:16:41,088
what you're fighting about,
what you're bitter about,

300
00:16:41,096 --> 00:16:43,096
what you're nagging him about.

301
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,004
Please take care of it, so
that when you do bury him,

302
00:16:48,012 --> 00:16:50,029
you don't have regrets.

303
00:16:50,033 --> 00:16:54,012
She buried her husband,
and now what is happening is

304
00:16:54,017 --> 00:16:59,038
she's burying her son, not just
her son, her only son.

305
00:16:59,046 --> 00:17:04,012
And in that day, the son would
grow up to look after his mom.

306
00:17:04,017 --> 00:17:06,033
He would love her,
care for her,

307
00:17:06,042 --> 00:17:09,033
nurse her when she was sick,
feed her.

308
00:17:09,038 --> 00:17:12,062
There was no such thing as
social security or retirement,

309
00:17:12,067 --> 00:17:17,033
especially for a poor woman
in a nowhere town like Nain.

310
00:17:17,038 --> 00:17:22,012
This woman is
absolutely wrecked.

311
00:17:22,017 --> 00:17:23,067
She had a great life.

312
00:17:23,075 --> 00:17:27,096
Like some of you ladies, she
had a husband, she had a son.

313
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,071
She buried her husband.

314
00:17:29,079 --> 00:17:31,004
She's going to bury her son.

315
00:17:31,012 --> 00:17:35,021
I don't know if there's anything
more devastating than a parent

316
00:17:35,029 --> 00:17:41,062
burying a child.

317
00:17:41,067 --> 00:17:47,071
I mean, I preach
funerals for children.

318
00:17:47,079 --> 00:17:51,021
There's nothing like that.

319
00:17:51,029 --> 00:17:52,033
Grace had a miscarriage.

320
00:17:52,038 --> 00:17:54,054
We lost one of our own children.

321
00:17:54,062 --> 00:17:57,033
That was devastating enough.

322
00:17:57,038 --> 00:18:01,017
I saw my own sister give
birth to twins prematurely.

323
00:18:01,021 --> 00:18:02,033
They both died.

324
00:18:02,038 --> 00:18:08,033
And she got to hold them...
dead.

325
00:18:08,038 --> 00:18:11,083
She miscarried again last week.

326
00:18:11,088 --> 00:18:16,096
This woman's life is wrecked.

327
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,033
And what we see is that
Jesus comes to her.

328
00:18:20,038 --> 00:18:21,096
I love that.

329
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,046
What we don't see is
her asking for Jesus.

330
00:18:25,050 --> 00:18:27,054
She doesn't ask for Jesus.

331
00:18:27,062 --> 00:18:30,021
Jesus just comes to her.

332
00:18:30,029 --> 00:18:35,062
And Jesus goes out of
his way to get to her.

333
00:18:35,067 --> 00:18:41,071
Jesus walks, likely, a few days,
or at least a day over hilly

334
00:18:41,079 --> 00:18:47,033
terrain, crowds following
him, multitudes pursuing him.

335
00:18:47,038 --> 00:18:49,000
They all want him to stop.

336
00:18:49,004 --> 00:18:50,025
They want him to ask questions.

337
00:18:50,033 --> 00:18:51,038
They want him to pray for them.

338
00:18:51,046 --> 00:18:54,021
They want him to plant
a church, teach a Bible study,

339
00:18:54,029 --> 00:18:58,025
meet their needs, cast out their
demons, heal their illnesses.

340
00:18:58,033 --> 00:19:01,050
And for reasons that Luke
does not know,

341
00:19:01,058 --> 00:19:06,062
because he doesn't have the mind
of God insofar as knowing

342
00:19:06,067 --> 00:19:10,050
everything that God knows,
he only knows what God reveals,

343
00:19:10,054 --> 00:19:12,088
Jesus goes to Nain.

344
00:19:12,096 --> 00:19:16,017
He gets to Nain, so that
he can get to this woman.

345
00:19:16,021 --> 00:19:18,079
And as he's coming into town,
the whole village is out.

346
00:19:18,083 --> 00:19:21,050
And everyone's mourning and
grieving for this poor woman,

347
00:19:21,054 --> 00:19:23,071
this widow.

348
00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:26,038
The professional wailer
would've been wailing.

349
00:19:26,046 --> 00:19:28,079
Flute players
would've been playing.

350
00:19:28,083 --> 00:19:31,029
This was a loud,
community-wide event.

351
00:19:31,033 --> 00:19:33,088
The village has
essentially shut down.

352
00:19:33,096 --> 00:19:35,062
Everyone is weeping and bawling.

353
00:19:35,067 --> 00:19:38,029
This young man's
friends are weeping.

354
00:19:38,033 --> 00:19:41,067
All the families who know
this family are weeping.

355
00:19:41,075 --> 00:19:43,096
The friends are embracing
this woman,

356
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:46,012
because she is devastated.

357
00:19:46,017 --> 00:19:52,033
And this is the second funeral
they've attended with her.

358
00:19:52,038 --> 00:19:55,012
And Jesus shows up.

359
00:19:55,017 --> 00:19:57,067
And this is how our Jesus works.

360
00:19:57,075 --> 00:20:00,004
He comes to people
who don't ask for him.

361
00:20:00,012 --> 00:20:02,083
He comforts people
who don't seek him.

362
00:20:02,092 --> 00:20:05,029
He goes out of his way
to pursue people

363
00:20:05,033 --> 00:20:08,017
who aren't even aware of him.

364
00:20:08,025 --> 00:20:09,067
That's our Jesus.

365
00:20:09,075 --> 00:20:12,067
This is where we get things
like our Doctrine of Election.

366
00:20:12,075 --> 00:20:14,071
Jesus has chosen to get to her.

367
00:20:14,079 --> 00:20:17,000
Jesus has chosen to love her.

368
00:20:17,008 --> 00:20:19,046
Jesus has chosen to pursue her.

369
00:20:19,050 --> 00:20:22,033
Jesus has chosen to serve her.

370
00:20:22,038 --> 00:20:24,067
Our Jesus finds wrecked people.

371
00:20:24,075 --> 00:20:26,079
And I know some of you
come here today,

372
00:20:26,083 --> 00:20:29,038
and you're absolutely wrecked.

373
00:20:29,046 --> 00:20:32,042
And Jesus comes
to meet with you.

374
00:20:32,050 --> 00:20:35,071
And some of you know people
who are absolutely wrecked,

375
00:20:35,079 --> 00:20:38,071
and you're devastated for them.

376
00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:44,058
You need to know that Jesus
can, and does, pursue them.

377
00:20:44,067 --> 00:20:49,042
Jesus does find wrecked people,
and it's so unusual,

378
00:20:49,050 --> 00:20:51,079
because this is not how we
generally work.

379
00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:53,092
How many of you, when you find
out that someone is really

380
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:58,042
suffering, really hurting, you
almost have to force yourself

381
00:20:58,050 --> 00:21:00,079
to pursue them?

382
00:21:00,083 --> 00:21:02,046
It's going to be exhausting.

383
00:21:02,050 --> 00:21:04,004
It's going to be devastating.

384
00:21:04,012 --> 00:21:08,062
It's going to be hard
work to love them.

385
00:21:08,067 --> 00:21:12,012
Emotionally, it is costly.

386
00:21:12,017 --> 00:21:14,000
And that's what our Jesus does.

387
00:21:14,004 --> 00:21:18,012
He seeks and he finds
wrecked people.

388
00:21:18,017 --> 00:21:23,017
I just want you to see that.

389
00:21:23,021 --> 00:21:27,021
Number two:
Jesus does something.

390
00:21:27,029 --> 00:21:29,079
He touches dead people,
and he brings life.

391
00:21:29,083 --> 00:21:34,004
Luke 7:14-15, "Then he came
up and touched the bier,

392
00:21:34,012 --> 00:21:38,096
and the bearers stood still,"
those carrying the body.

393
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,050
It's an open-casket funeral.

394
00:21:41,054 --> 00:21:44,046
Can you think of anything sadder
than an open-casket funeral for

395
00:21:44,050 --> 00:21:46,038
a young man or a boy?

396
00:21:46,046 --> 00:21:48,033
"And he said, 'Young man,
I say to you, arise.'

397
00:21:48,038 --> 00:21:50,096
"And the dead man sat
up and began to speak,"

398
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,004
and there is
the most glorious line,

399
00:21:53,012 --> 00:21:58,004
"and Jesus gave
him to his mother."

400
00:21:58,012 --> 00:22:02,029


401
00:22:02,033 --> 00:22:04,012
The religious people would tell
you that Jesus

402
00:22:04,017 --> 00:22:07,029
shouldn't do this.

403
00:22:07,033 --> 00:22:10,029
They would say that the dead
body is therefore defiled,

404
00:22:10,033 --> 00:22:15,096
and the men who are carrying
the open casket--

405
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,096
have you ever seen
an open casket?

406
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:21,096


407
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:23,021
My Grandpa George died.

408
00:22:23,029 --> 00:22:25,071
They had an open casket.

409
00:22:25,079 --> 00:22:27,071
As a 10-year-old boy,
I walked up,

410
00:22:27,079 --> 00:22:32,046
and I saw my dead grandfather.

411
00:22:32,050 --> 00:22:36,046
It was the most disorienting
experience of my whole life

412
00:22:36,050 --> 00:22:40,004
to that point.

413
00:22:40,012 --> 00:22:42,092
You're not supposed to reach
into the casket,

414
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,008
and you're not supposed to touch
a dead body.

415
00:22:45,017 --> 00:22:46,008
Why?

416
00:22:46,017 --> 00:22:48,021
Because it is
ceremonially unclean.

417
00:22:48,029 --> 00:22:50,054
It'll make you defiled.

418
00:22:50,062 --> 00:22:52,079
And Jesus walks
right up to the body,

419
00:22:52,083 --> 00:22:56,008
reaches into the casket,
and what does it say?

420
00:22:56,017 --> 00:22:57,071
"The bearers stood still."

421
00:22:57,079 --> 00:23:01,046
Everyone is shocked,
"What is he doing?

422
00:23:01,050 --> 00:23:05,046
He cannot touch
the unclean dead."

423
00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:09,088
And Jesus reaches literally into
death, and he touches

424
00:23:09,096 --> 00:23:14,029
the young man, and he gives him
a command.

425
00:23:14,033 --> 00:23:15,083
What does he say?

426
00:23:15,092 --> 00:23:18,079
"Arise," one word.

427
00:23:18,083 --> 00:23:22,012
"Young man, I say
to you, arise."

428
00:23:22,017 --> 00:23:24,083
The command is one word.

429
00:23:24,088 --> 00:23:26,033
And what happens?

430
00:23:26,038 --> 00:23:30,079
"The dead man," this is a
clinical diagnosis from Luke

431
00:23:30,083 --> 00:23:33,083
who's a physician,
this is a dead man,

432
00:23:33,088 --> 00:23:37,004
"sat up and began to speak."

433
00:23:37,012 --> 00:23:42,025
Can you imagine the emotional
transition in that moment?

434
00:23:42,033 --> 00:23:46,075
The man sits up,
and starts talking,

435
00:23:46,083 --> 00:23:51,012
gets out of the coffin,
and Jesus escorts him.

436
00:23:51,017 --> 00:23:53,042
I mean, I can see it.

437
00:23:53,050 --> 00:23:57,038
Jesus escorts him
over to his mother.

438
00:23:57,046 --> 00:24:00,012
Can you see her face?

439
00:24:00,017 --> 00:24:03,054
Can you feel her joy?

440
00:24:03,062 --> 00:24:08,083
How long do you think
she held her son for?

441
00:24:08,088 --> 00:24:12,029
Think she was screaming
with joy, jumping up and down?

442
00:24:12,033 --> 00:24:17,083
Think tears of shock and joy
are coming down her face?

443
00:24:17,092 --> 00:24:20,029
She got her son back.

444
00:24:20,033 --> 00:24:25,029
She got her son back alive, and
well, and restored to health.

445
00:24:25,033 --> 00:24:26,079
And that's what our Jesus does.

446
00:24:26,083 --> 00:24:31,071
He touches dead people,
and he brings life.

447
00:24:31,079 --> 00:24:34,038
If I might work from
this for a moment,

448
00:24:34,046 --> 00:24:38,042
he does this for us,
to make us Christians.

449
00:24:38,050 --> 00:24:45,050
This is actually a very
helpful analogy for salvation.

450
00:24:45,054 --> 00:24:48,054
I'll read it to you from
Ephesians 2:4-5,

451
00:24:48,062 --> 00:24:51,046
"God, being rich in mercy,
because of the great love

452
00:24:51,050 --> 00:24:56,004
"with which he loved us,
even when we were dead

453
00:24:56,012 --> 00:24:58,088
"in our trespasses,
made us alive

454
00:24:58,096 --> 00:25:00,067
together with Christ."

455
00:25:00,071 --> 00:25:04,000
What the Bible says is that
because we are sinners,

456
00:25:04,004 --> 00:25:07,067
though physically alive,
we are spiritually dead.

457
00:25:07,071 --> 00:25:11,033
We are spiritually in the
same condition as this man.

458
00:25:11,042 --> 00:25:12,062
We are dead.

459
00:25:12,067 --> 00:25:14,062
We do not seek God.

460
00:25:14,067 --> 00:25:17,000
The Bible says that
no one seeks God.

461
00:25:17,004 --> 00:25:18,029
We do not find God.

462
00:25:18,033 --> 00:25:20,033
This man was not
crying out for help.

463
00:25:20,038 --> 00:25:22,071
This man is not seeking Jesus.

464
00:25:22,079 --> 00:25:26,038
This man is not running to
Capernaum to find Jesus,

465
00:25:26,046 --> 00:25:27,079
and to get healing.

466
00:25:27,083 --> 00:25:29,088
This man is dead.

467
00:25:29,096 --> 00:25:31,058
This man does nothing.

468
00:25:31,067 --> 00:25:33,054
This man says nothing.

469
00:25:33,062 --> 00:25:35,058
This man seeks nothing.

470
00:25:35,067 --> 00:25:38,071
And Jesus finds him.

471
00:25:38,079 --> 00:25:40,038
And he doesn't
reach out to Jesus.

472
00:25:40,046 --> 00:25:44,042
Jesus reaches out to him.

473
00:25:44,050 --> 00:25:49,033
And he doesn't participate
in his revivification,

474
00:25:49,038 --> 00:25:51,021
or his healing.

475
00:25:51,029 --> 00:25:53,038
He receives it as
a gift of grace.

476
00:25:53,046 --> 00:25:56,088
That is, friends,
how salvation works.

477
00:25:56,096 --> 00:26:00,021
The you and I, as Paul
says, we're dead in our sin,

478
00:26:00,029 --> 00:26:03,017
absolutely dead.

479
00:26:03,025 --> 00:26:09,033
And Jesus finds us,
and Jesus reaches out to us,

480
00:26:09,042 --> 00:26:15,046
and Jesus touches us, and Jesus
gives us spiritual life.

481
00:26:15,050 --> 00:26:18,021
He gives us a new
heart, a new nature,

482
00:26:18,029 --> 00:26:20,046
a new power by the Holy Spirit.

483
00:26:20,050 --> 00:26:23,062
Anyone who is
a Christian, to some degree,

484
00:26:23,067 --> 00:26:26,004
you've experienced
this in your own life.

485
00:26:26,012 --> 00:26:28,038
I experienced it at age 19.

486
00:26:28,046 --> 00:26:32,008
I went from spiritual
death to spiritual life.

487
00:26:32,017 --> 00:26:34,017
And I didn't do anything.

488
00:26:34,021 --> 00:26:39,042
Jesus reached down into
my death and touched me.

489
00:26:39,050 --> 00:26:42,004
That's what he did.

490
00:26:42,012 --> 00:26:45,075
And see, this doesn't make Jesus
unclean, because he's perfect

491
00:26:45,083 --> 00:26:47,050
and holy in God,
and without sin.

492
00:26:47,054 --> 00:26:50,050
So when he touches the man,
he is not made unclean,

493
00:26:50,054 --> 00:26:52,033
the man is made clean.

494
00:26:52,038 --> 00:26:54,000
He does not receive the death.

495
00:26:54,004 --> 00:26:56,038
He gives life.

496
00:26:56,046 --> 00:26:58,079
This is how it works.

497
00:26:58,083 --> 00:27:01,079
If you're a Christian,
you've experienced this.

498
00:27:01,083 --> 00:27:03,067
If you're not here today
and you're wondering,

499
00:27:03,071 --> 00:27:05,062
"How in the world do I
get connected to God?"

500
00:27:05,067 --> 00:27:10,004
It is Jesus who gives life.

501
00:27:10,012 --> 00:27:13,021
Number two: on occasions
throughout this life,

502
00:27:13,029 --> 00:27:17,000
Jesus actually does
heal those who are sick.

503
00:27:17,008 --> 00:27:19,000
We have seen it
in Luke's gospel.

504
00:27:19,008 --> 00:27:20,067
Does he heal everyone?
No.

505
00:27:20,071 --> 00:27:23,088
Does he heal some?
Yes.

506
00:27:23,096 --> 00:27:28,012
To this day, our Jesus can,
and does, still heal,

507
00:27:28,017 --> 00:27:33,021
and so we, in prayer,
ask him to.

508
00:27:33,029 --> 00:27:38,038
And sometimes, yes, our Jesus
actually raises the dead

509
00:27:38,046 --> 00:27:40,058
in this life.

510
00:27:40,067 --> 00:27:45,088
Here, it is what I will call and
distinguish as revivification.

511
00:27:45,096 --> 00:27:49,033
Resurrection is when you rise
in a glorified body,

512
00:27:49,038 --> 00:27:51,046
never to die again.

513
00:27:51,050 --> 00:27:53,062
That will happen at
the end of the age.

514
00:27:53,067 --> 00:27:58,046
Revivification is where
a dead person receives life,

515
00:27:58,050 --> 00:28:03,033
comes back in a mortal body, and
lives for a duration of time,

516
00:28:03,042 --> 00:28:08,088
and then, ultimately dies again,
one day to rise again,

517
00:28:08,096 --> 00:28:13,033
to receive a glorified,
resurrected, perfected body

518
00:28:13,038 --> 00:28:15,083
that will never taste death
again.

519
00:28:15,088 --> 00:28:18,012
So, this is not his
resurrection body.

520
00:28:18,017 --> 00:28:22,000
This is his revivification body.

521
00:28:22,004 --> 00:28:24,046
And Jesus does this--does
it happen a lot?

522
00:28:24,050 --> 00:28:25,079
No.

523
00:28:25,083 --> 00:28:26,012


524
00:28:26,017 --> 00:28:27,050
No.

525
00:28:27,058 --> 00:28:29,025
No, it doesn't.

526
00:28:29,033 --> 00:28:34,071
Jesus only brings back three
people from death, according to

527
00:28:34,079 --> 00:28:40,021
the New Testament: Lazarus,
his friend, Jairus' daughter,

528
00:28:40,029 --> 00:28:43,050
a little girl, one of my
daughter, Alexi who's 6,

529
00:28:43,054 --> 00:28:47,071
one of her favorite stories in
the Bible, and the widow's son,

530
00:28:47,079 --> 00:28:49,033
only three people.

531
00:28:49,038 --> 00:28:51,004
It's not an often occurrence.

532
00:28:51,012 --> 00:28:52,038
It's a rare occurrence.

533
00:28:52,046 --> 00:28:57,025
But it's showing us
the power of Jesus over death.

534
00:28:57,033 --> 00:29:00,004
And it's showing us the kingdom
of God, and how things will

535
00:29:00,012 --> 00:29:06,033
ultimately be in the end.

536
00:29:06,038 --> 00:29:08,067
And that leads me to my
third point: that one day,

537
00:29:08,071 --> 00:29:10,083
we will all rise.

538
00:29:10,092 --> 00:29:14,000
We will all rise,
as this man rose.

539
00:29:14,008 --> 00:29:15,083
That death is an enemy.

540
00:29:15,088 --> 00:29:17,088
That death is unnatural.

541
00:29:17,096 --> 00:29:21,029
That death is the result
of rebellion and sin.

542
00:29:21,033 --> 00:29:26,033
And Jesus Christ is
the one who conquered death.

543
00:29:26,042 --> 00:29:33,029
He says this in John 5:28-29:
"An hour is coming,

544
00:29:33,033 --> 00:29:36,067
"when all who are in
the tombs will hear his voice,

545
00:29:36,075 --> 00:29:39,000
"and come out; those
who have done good,

546
00:29:39,008 --> 00:29:42,000
"to the resurrection of life;
and those who have done evil,

547
00:29:42,008 --> 00:29:46,096
to the resurrection
of judgment."

548
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,067
Jesus says everyone who dies
will rise,

549
00:29:51,071 --> 00:29:55,012
and they will stand before him.

550
00:29:55,017 --> 00:29:57,079
The context here is
that Jesus is the judge.

551
00:29:57,083 --> 00:29:59,033
You don't judge yourself.

552
00:29:59,038 --> 00:30:00,071
Jesus judges you.

553
00:30:00,079 --> 00:30:02,033
I don't judge you
for heaven or hell.

554
00:30:02,042 --> 00:30:05,079
Jesus does.

555
00:30:05,083 --> 00:30:08,083
And Jesus says that all who die,

556
00:30:08,088 --> 00:30:12,000
rise and stand before him
for judgment.

557
00:30:12,008 --> 00:30:14,062
Those who belong to him,
and live life with him,

558
00:30:14,067 --> 00:30:16,046
receive eternal life.

559
00:30:16,050 --> 00:30:19,079
Those who do not belong to him,
and do not live life with him,

560
00:30:19,083 --> 00:30:24,067
receive eternal death, and
damnation, and condemnation.

561
00:30:24,075 --> 00:30:28,033
So, I want you to see that
what Jesus is doing here,

562
00:30:28,038 --> 00:30:32,038
in addition to loving
the widow, and raising the son,

563
00:30:32,046 --> 00:30:35,075
he is also unveiling
the kingdom.

564
00:30:35,083 --> 00:30:39,054
See, our Jesus is a king,
and he's bringing a kingdom,

565
00:30:39,062 --> 00:30:41,054
and you and I will rise,

566
00:30:41,062 --> 00:30:46,017
and resurrection
is a revelation of the kingdom.

567
00:30:46,021 --> 00:30:47,071
It's a foreshadowing.

568
00:30:47,079 --> 00:30:51,088
It's a glimpse into what God
intends for us all

569
00:30:51,096 --> 00:30:55,004
at the end of the age.

570
00:30:55,012 --> 00:30:58,067
Now, some of you will ask
whether or not this, in fact,

571
00:30:58,071 --> 00:31:00,054
really did occur.

572
00:31:00,062 --> 00:31:03,012
It did.

573
00:31:03,017 --> 00:31:08,017
A dead man was
brought back to life.

574
00:31:08,025 --> 00:31:12,067
Quadrus wrote to
the Emperor Hadrian less than

575
00:31:12,075 --> 00:31:17,012
100 years after this raising of
the widow's son, quote,

576
00:31:17,017 --> 00:31:21,079
and this is ancient history,
"The persons who were healed,

577
00:31:21,083 --> 00:31:24,017
"and those who were raised
from the dead by Jesus,

578
00:31:24,021 --> 00:31:26,062
"were not only seen when
they were healed and raised,

579
00:31:26,067 --> 00:31:30,021
"but were also present also
afterwards, and not merely

580
00:31:30,029 --> 00:31:33,004
"during the time that the Savior
walked upon the earth.

581
00:31:33,012 --> 00:31:36,050
"But after his departure also,
they were still there for

582
00:31:36,054 --> 00:31:39,004
"a considerable time, so
that some of them lived

583
00:31:39,012 --> 00:31:42,025
even until our times."

584
00:31:42,033 --> 00:31:45,075
This ancient historical record
going to the Emperor Hadrian

585
00:31:45,083 --> 00:31:47,096
says, "Yeah, Jesus healed
people,

586
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,012
"and he rose a few from death.

587
00:31:50,017 --> 00:31:53,025
"Many of them lived a long time,
and some of them are still

588
00:31:53,033 --> 00:31:58,017
alive, and we've actually
talked to them."

589
00:31:58,021 --> 00:32:00,012


590
00:32:00,017 --> 00:32:08,004
Number three: Jesus is
a greater risen son.

591
00:32:08,012 --> 00:32:11,050
"Fear seized them all
and they glorified God, saying,

592
00:32:11,054 --> 00:32:13,029
"'A great prophet has
arisen among us!'

593
00:32:13,033 --> 00:32:15,071
"and 'God has
visited his people!'

594
00:32:15,079 --> 00:32:18,000
"And this report about him
spread throughout the whole

595
00:32:18,004 --> 00:32:23,021
of Judea and all
the surrounding country."

596
00:32:23,029 --> 00:32:29,071
They're going to respond,
first of all, with worship.

597
00:32:29,079 --> 00:32:32,012
When it says that great
"fear seized them all,"

598
00:32:32,017 --> 00:32:36,021
they were amazed,
they were in awe,

599
00:32:36,029 --> 00:32:41,000
they were shocked that this
Jesus had this authority

600
00:32:41,004 --> 00:32:42,042
and power over death.

601
00:32:42,050 --> 00:32:43,083
And so, they worshipped him.

602
00:32:43,088 --> 00:32:48,054
We need to respond today by
worshipping the living Jesus.

603
00:32:48,062 --> 00:32:50,054
It says that news of him spread.

604
00:32:50,062 --> 00:32:52,017
So, they started doing
evangelism,

605
00:32:52,021 --> 00:32:53,088
and getting the word out.

606
00:32:53,096 --> 00:32:57,038
People went to work, and school,
and back home, and about their

607
00:32:57,046 --> 00:33:02,062
daily routines as missionaries
for Jesus, talking about Jesus.

608
00:33:02,067 --> 00:33:05,046
"Jesus is amazing,
do you know him?

609
00:33:05,050 --> 00:33:10,000
Can I talk to you about him?"

610
00:33:10,004 --> 00:33:13,038
See, the right response to
the person and work of Jesus is

611
00:33:13,046 --> 00:33:16,079
worship and mission.

612
00:33:16,083 --> 00:33:19,096
And ultimately,
Jesus is a greater son.

613
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,050
You think about it.

614
00:33:23,058 --> 00:33:26,062
The parallels are curious.

615
00:33:26,067 --> 00:33:32,071
Jesus comes as the only
begotten Son of God the Father.

616
00:33:32,079 --> 00:33:37,029
He is dearly loved,
as this son was.

617
00:33:37,033 --> 00:33:39,083
He is a one-of-a-kind son.

618
00:33:39,088 --> 00:33:42,054
He's the Son of God.

619
00:33:42,062 --> 00:33:45,058
This son was the only
son of this woman.

620
00:33:45,067 --> 00:33:47,096
The Father loved the Son.

621
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,054
We heard that earlier in
Luke at Jesus' baptism.

622
00:33:51,062 --> 00:33:57,058
And here, it's obvious that
the mother loved her son.

623
00:33:57,067 --> 00:34:00,088


624
00:34:00,096 --> 00:34:08,000
And just as this son died, so
Jesus, the greater Son, he died.

625
00:34:08,004 --> 00:34:09,096
He died, not for any sin
that he committed,

626
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:16,021
but in our place, for our sins.

627
00:34:16,029 --> 00:34:20,079
And as this young man rose from
death, so Jesus, as a young man,

628
00:34:20,083 --> 00:34:23,017
did what?

629
00:34:23,021 --> 00:34:25,067
He rose from death.

630
00:34:25,075 --> 00:34:30,012
To conquer death for all
of the children of God.

631
00:34:30,017 --> 00:34:30,096


632
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,062
To conquer death for all
of the children of God.

633
00:34:33,067 --> 00:34:38,071
That Jesus is the greater Son.

634
00:34:38,079 --> 00:34:41,000
So, for those of you who are
suffering, or your life is

635
00:34:41,004 --> 00:34:46,012
wrecked, or for those of you
who will have the great gift

636
00:34:46,017 --> 00:34:51,096
of being with those who
are suffering and dying,

637
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:57,021
I need you to know that you have
a sympathetic high priest

638
00:34:57,029 --> 00:34:58,017
in Jesus.

639
00:34:58,021 --> 00:35:00,029
You have one who has been there.

640
00:35:00,033 --> 00:35:05,029
You have one who has tasted the
full sting of the consequence

641
00:35:05,033 --> 00:35:08,054
of sin that is death.

642
00:35:08,062 --> 00:35:10,067
Our God is not immune
from suffering.

643
00:35:10,075 --> 00:35:13,017
Our God is not indifferent
toward suffering.

644
00:35:13,021 --> 00:35:16,004
Our God is not
negligent toward death.

645
00:35:16,012 --> 00:35:18,000
Our God, Jesus, is
the greater Son.

646
00:35:18,004 --> 00:35:23,029
He absolutely unequivocally,
fully, thoroughly,

647
00:35:23,033 --> 00:35:28,096
completely knows what it
is like to suffer and die.

648
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,062
And he does so for
you, for your sin.

649
00:35:31,067 --> 00:35:34,042
And he does so in love.

650
00:35:34,050 --> 00:35:39,004
Furthermore, for those of you
who have buried someone that you

651
00:35:39,012 --> 00:35:42,021
love, I want you to know that
God the Father is one

652
00:35:42,029 --> 00:35:45,008
who fully identifies.

653
00:35:45,017 --> 00:35:54,088
The Father was present for
the death of God the Son.

654
00:35:54,096 --> 00:35:57,088
He was there.

655
00:35:57,096 --> 00:35:58,054


656
00:35:58,062 --> 00:35:59,092
He was there.

657
00:36:00,004 --> 00:36:03,079
The Father experienced--and even
that the Bible would use that

658
00:36:03,083 --> 00:36:06,096
language that God is the Father,
and that Jesus is the Son,

659
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,033
and that Jesus would suffer
and die,

660
00:36:10,042 --> 00:36:13,050
then you know what
the Father felt.

661
00:36:13,058 --> 00:36:15,062
I'll read one testimony.

662
00:36:15,067 --> 00:36:18,021
I feel compelled to
by the Holy Spirit.

663
00:36:18,029 --> 00:36:21,067
I didn't intend to.

664
00:36:21,071 --> 00:36:23,050


665
00:36:23,058 --> 00:36:26,062
"Our middle son, Jason, died on
a rainy Thursday night

666
00:36:26,067 --> 00:36:33,021
"on his way to basketball
practice, January 4, 2004.

667
00:36:33,029 --> 00:36:36,012
"Our whole lives are divided
into before that day,

668
00:36:36,017 --> 00:36:37,017
"and after that day.

669
00:36:37,021 --> 00:36:40,088
"Everything is before Jason
died, or after Jason died.

670
00:36:40,096 --> 00:36:42,079
"My husband made it to the scene
of the accident

671
00:36:42,083 --> 00:36:45,050
while Jason was still alive."

672
00:36:45,054 --> 00:36:47,088
Imagine that, Dad,
you get a call.

673
00:36:47,096 --> 00:36:49,021
"Your son's been
in a car wreck."

674
00:36:49,029 --> 00:36:50,021
"Where is he?"

675
00:36:50,029 --> 00:36:51,021
"Here."

676
00:36:51,029 --> 00:36:52,021
You jump in
the car, rainy night,

677
00:36:52,029 --> 00:36:56,017
drive there as fast as you can.

678
00:36:56,021 --> 00:37:02,038
"He couldn't get the door
open, but he was able to reach

679
00:37:02,046 --> 00:37:07,062
through, hold his hand, and
tell him that he loved him."

680
00:37:07,067 --> 00:37:17,067
The father was holding the son's
hand as he died in the car.

681
00:37:17,071 --> 00:37:20,017
They have a lot to say,
and it's quite good,

682
00:37:20,021 --> 00:37:22,004
but they say this a bit later.

683
00:37:22,012 --> 00:37:25,012
"Hope is all we have,
hope of a life with Jesus,

684
00:37:25,017 --> 00:37:28,083
"hope of a reunion with our son,
and hope that our son's death

685
00:37:28,088 --> 00:37:35,038
has and will be used
to glorify God."

686
00:37:35,046 --> 00:37:37,071


687
00:37:37,079 --> 00:37:42,021
This dad says: "My wife and I
lost triplet boys

688
00:37:42,029 --> 00:37:47,054
in the hospital,"
triplet boys.

689
00:37:47,062 --> 00:37:51,038
"Joshua was born
January 3, 2007.

690
00:37:51,046 --> 00:37:53,054
"The other two, Nathaniel
and Caleb, were born

691
00:37:53,062 --> 00:37:56,008
"January 12, 2007.

692
00:37:56,017 --> 00:37:59,092
"We buried all of them together.

693
00:38:00,004 --> 00:38:01,083
"What a dark time in my life.

694
00:38:01,088 --> 00:38:03,038
"Each time we visit
the grave site,

695
00:38:03,046 --> 00:38:08,088
I know we are much closer
to a glorious reunion."

696
00:38:08,096 --> 00:38:12,079
The Father was present
for the death of his Son.

697
00:38:12,083 --> 00:38:16,021
It was the worst atrocity,
humanly speaking.

698
00:38:16,029 --> 00:38:19,017
It was the greatest
injustice, humanly speaking,

699
00:38:19,025 --> 00:38:21,046
in the history of the world,

700
00:38:21,050 --> 00:38:25,067
that sinners murdered
the Son of God.

701
00:38:25,075 --> 00:38:27,083
And the Father was
there and he felt it.

702
00:38:27,092 --> 00:38:30,046
So, let me say this for those
of you who are suffering,

703
00:38:30,050 --> 00:38:34,004
your life is wrecked,
or it will be wrecked.

704
00:38:34,012 --> 00:38:36,004
If your life is
the one that is wrecked,

705
00:38:36,012 --> 00:38:40,008
I want you to remember
Jesus, the greater Son,

706
00:38:40,017 --> 00:38:42,038
and I want you to go to him
for comfort, and love,

707
00:38:42,046 --> 00:38:44,092
and support, and understanding,
and encouragement.

708
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,062
And I want you to be in
community with his people.

709
00:38:47,067 --> 00:38:50,000
What we see with the widow of
Nain is that the community

710
00:38:50,004 --> 00:38:52,046
came around her in her
moment of suffering.

711
00:38:52,050 --> 00:38:54,008
You need to be in
a community group.

712
00:38:54,017 --> 00:38:55,062
You need to be
a member of a church.

713
00:38:55,067 --> 00:38:58,000
You need to be connected
to God's people.

714
00:38:58,004 --> 00:39:01,083
You need others to rally around
you when you are suffering.

715
00:39:01,092 --> 00:39:05,046
And you need to rally around
them when they are suffering.

716
00:39:05,050 --> 00:39:09,017
Number two, for those of you
who will experience the death

717
00:39:09,025 --> 00:39:14,021
of someone who is loved,
don't accuse God of being evil.

718
00:39:14,029 --> 00:39:15,054
God is good.

719
00:39:15,062 --> 00:39:16,096
When God was done
with this world,

720
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,029
he said that everything
was very good.

721
00:39:19,033 --> 00:39:20,079
God's not a sinner.

722
00:39:20,083 --> 00:39:21,079
We are.

723
00:39:21,083 --> 00:39:22,088
God brought life.

724
00:39:22,096 --> 00:39:24,012
We brought death.

725
00:39:24,017 --> 00:39:25,096
God has been faithful to us.

726
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,029
We have been unfaithful to him.

727
00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:32,096
And when we suffer, or we
see one who is suffering,

728
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:38,000
to accuse God of evil
is a horrendous thing.

729
00:39:38,008 --> 00:39:39,071
And I know some of you, in
your pain, and your frustration,

730
00:39:39,079 --> 00:39:41,000
and your struggle,
and your strife,

731
00:39:41,008 --> 00:39:42,062
you'll have questions
and doubts.

732
00:39:42,067 --> 00:39:44,012
And that's okay.

733
00:39:44,017 --> 00:39:45,029
Work 'em through.

734
00:39:45,033 --> 00:39:47,000
Work out your salvation.

735
00:39:47,004 --> 00:39:48,083
It's okay.

736
00:39:48,092 --> 00:39:52,054
But we don't worship a God
who is immune from suffering.

737
00:39:52,062 --> 00:39:55,096
Our Jesus suffered and died.

738
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,079
And we don't worship God
the Father who is indifferent

739
00:39:58,083 --> 00:39:59,096
towards suffering.

740
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:04,012
If you're hurting, he knows
exactly what you feel like,

741
00:40:04,017 --> 00:40:06,050
and his promise is,
"Trust me.

742
00:40:06,058 --> 00:40:07,054
"Stick with me.

743
00:40:07,062 --> 00:40:10,054
"We need to get through death.

744
00:40:10,062 --> 00:40:14,096
"We need to get to the other
side of the resurrection.

745
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,062
"I have worked out
all things for good.

746
00:40:18,067 --> 00:40:20,046
"I have a plan.

747
00:40:20,050 --> 00:40:23,079
"And I know right now, it is
exceedingly painful

748
00:40:23,083 --> 00:40:27,088
"and I, myself, have felt that
pain when my own son died,

749
00:40:27,096 --> 00:40:31,092
and I was there."

750
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,054
And so, you and I find ourselves
reading the story of

751
00:40:35,062 --> 00:40:39,050
the resurrection of the son,
reminded of the resurrection

752
00:40:39,054 --> 00:40:41,038
of the Son of God.

753
00:40:41,046 --> 00:40:44,033
And God today would call us to
worship him in faith,

754
00:40:44,038 --> 00:40:49,062
and get the good news out about
Jesus, even though today truly

755
00:40:49,067 --> 00:40:55,029
feels like a funeral day.

756
00:40:55,033 --> 00:40:59,062
But there is a resurrection day.

757
00:40:59,067 --> 00:41:03,029
There is a resurrection day.

758
00:41:03,033 --> 00:41:06,062
And what'll happen for the
children of God is that Jesus

759
00:41:06,067 --> 00:41:08,050
will again reach
down into death,

760
00:41:08,058 --> 00:41:14,079
he will again declare, "Arise,"
dead people will come to life,

761
00:41:14,083 --> 00:41:18,004
and he will reunite them
with those who love them.

762
00:41:18,012 --> 00:41:22,012
And in his presence,
there will be resurrection

763
00:41:22,017 --> 00:41:25,017
and reconciliation.

764
00:41:25,021 --> 00:41:28,000
The Bible says that Jesus then
will wipe every tear

765
00:41:28,008 --> 00:41:32,025
from our eyes, and sin
and death will be no more.

766
00:41:32,033 --> 00:41:34,042
I just would implore
you, Mars Hill.

767
00:41:34,050 --> 00:41:39,079
Suffer and weep as this woman
did, mourn and cry as she did,

768
00:41:39,083 --> 00:41:45,008
surround and support one another
as the people of Nain did,

769
00:41:45,017 --> 00:41:48,054
but by faith, trust that
resurrection is coming,

770
00:41:48,062 --> 00:41:51,000
and this same Jesus,
the greater Son,

771
00:41:51,004 --> 00:41:55,067
reaches down into death,
and has life.

772
00:41:55,071 --> 00:42:00,088
And it will happen, and you will
see it by the grace of God.

773
00:42:00,096 --> 00:42:05,096
Father God, I pray
for us as a people.

774
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:08,046
God, I felt compelled by the
Holy Spirit in teaching this

775
00:42:08,050 --> 00:42:13,067
text, not to just run to
resurrection, and to whip people

776
00:42:13,071 --> 00:42:17,046
into an emotional frenzy that
"It's all going to be fine!"

777
00:42:17,050 --> 00:42:21,029
God, it will be fine, but
it could be a long time.

778
00:42:21,033 --> 00:42:24,012
There could be
a lot of wrecked days.

779
00:42:24,017 --> 00:42:28,012
There could be a lot
of painful funerals.

780
00:42:28,017 --> 00:42:31,062
This woman had two funerals.

781
00:42:31,067 --> 00:42:34,062
Some of us have had many more.

782
00:42:34,067 --> 00:42:37,088
Lord Jesus, we thank you that
you came into this world.

783
00:42:37,096 --> 00:42:40,062
We thank you that you suffered.

784
00:42:40,067 --> 00:42:45,058
We thank you that you were
willing to die as a young man.

785
00:42:45,067 --> 00:42:49,017
We thank you that death
could not hold you.

786
00:42:49,021 --> 00:42:52,071
We thank you that you
are the greater Son,

787
00:42:52,079 --> 00:42:55,038
that you are the risen Son.

788
00:42:55,046 --> 00:43:01,029
Father God, we thank you that
you understand the pain

789
00:43:01,033 --> 00:43:05,004
that we feel when we lose
someone we love.

790
00:43:05,012 --> 00:43:09,017
And God, we thank you that you
are the real God, and that

791
00:43:09,025 --> 00:43:12,079
you're the resurrection God,
and that you're the living God.

792
00:43:12,083 --> 00:43:17,050
And by grace, we ask that you
would right now reach down to

793
00:43:17,054 --> 00:43:21,050
those who are spiritually dead,
and make them alive in Christ,

794
00:43:21,058 --> 00:43:25,054
that Lord God, they would enjoy
that resurrection day as well.

795
00:43:25,062 --> 00:43:28,050
In Jesus' name, Amen.

796
00:43:28,054 --> 00:43:29,004