God of Help - God of Life
Rev. Richard A. Bolland

Luke 7:11-17
(June 20, 2004 Sermon Transcript)

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        Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

        Reading from our gospel lesson for the text, Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

        Dear friends in Christ, it has often and rightly been said that there is nothing more certain in life than death, and paying taxes. Indeed, the only way you get out of paying the tax man is to die prior to April 15 in any given year, and then you simply pass the problem on to whoever is left.

        Death is, in fact, a universal enemy that we all share, and from the instant we are conceived and born, we are on a sure and certain path straight into the grave. Now, how’s that a cheerful way to start the sermon?

        In our gospel reading today, however, we find something quite amazing. We find our Lord Jesus Christ exercising His own authority over death. With the raising of the widow’s son, we find out that death does not have the iron grip on us that we thought it did. And what’s more, we find, very carefully, that there is a man who has more power than death. More power than the grave. And He has brought us from our own graves, spiritually speaking, and will do again again, physically speaking.

        The one who speaks is the Lord of life itself. It is only tragic, I would suggest, that His coming to conquer death became so very necessary in the first place. But His death on a cross, His suffering in our place, is also an incalculable measure of His divine grace and compassion that He has toward us, His sinful and erring creatures.

        Christ’s incredible sacrifice, let it be known, was necessitated by our impending eternal damnation. There is not a single doubt that unless Christ had intervened on our behalf, that every last one of us would become, without question, citizens of hell!

        Often people think that the reason to become a Christian is to have a better life, and I think oftentimes a lot of people are asking the wrong question. When they examine issues of faith, they often ask, "Why isn’t my life working?" But I would suggest to you that is wrong question! It is a mistaken notion that Christianity is all about this life, and quite frankly, it’s not. Our life here and now is included, certainly, as a part of our Christian faith, but let me assure you that it is not the critical thing.

        God created us to live forever with Him. And when He made our first parents, that was precisely His intent. But sadly, and tragically, that intent was thwarted by man’s rebellion and his disobedience. Life with God was never supposed to end! And so, it tragically did.

        You know what happened. In Adam and Eve’s fall, they essentially chose to divorce God and to enthrone themselves. They reasoned, God can’t tell them what to do, even though He had! They reasoned that, so essentially they told God to please go take a hike. And by their rejection of His command not to eat the fruit of the tree, fell into sin. And all that proceeds from sin, including everlasting death, and punishment.

        At that very moment of the fall, Adam and Eve, and all who would proceed from them, including us, of course, became citizens of hell forever.

        If you think for a moment that God isn’t serious about that, then please recall His words that He writes to us in St. Matthew when He talks about the day of judgment. He says, "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. '"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

        Well, if asking the question, "Why isn’t my life working?" is the wrong question, I suppose we ought to discuss what the right question would be. And I would suggest that we look at the gospel of Mark and look at the question that the Lord’s apostles asked of Him. From Mark, the tenth chapter, we read, But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. "The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, (here’s the question!) "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

        Suppose that you were on an airline flight, and the aisle was occupied by the stewardess, who was coming down to take care of you. And she shows up at your seat and she has in her hand a parachute. And she says, "You should wear this, because it will make your journey more pleasant." And so you put the thing on, and you can’t quite lean back. And you feel the weight of it hanging on your shoulders. And after about an hour or so of the flight you think, "This isn’t making my journey much more pleasant at all! It’s making it downright uncomfortable!" And so, having the promise not then fulfilled, the parachute is discarded, thrown on the floor, and you say, "Somebody else can wear that thing!" Because they were addressing the wrong promise, that the journey would simply be more pleasant.

        However, suppose that you were on that same flight, and the stewardess came up to you with a parachute in hand and said, "You know, our pilot has indicated that we are having mechanical troubles, and we would like you to wear this particular parachute because we are currently flying at 25,000 feet, and it might be necessary to leave the plane, and this, by the way, may be necessary to save your life!" I suggest, if that be the case, you wouldn’t care how uncomfortable it got, you wouldn’t care how much it weighed on your shoulders, you wouldn’t care if it wasn’t making your journey pleasant! Indeed, you would only care about making a safe landing. If not, then you’d be very grateful for having that parachute on, because it would, literally, save your life.

        Having Christ as our Savior, dear friends, is not about having a nicer life. Indeed, I would suggest that there are many Christians who lead miserable lives precisely because they are Christians! You know of them! Christians in the Sudan, Christians in various countries, 120 countries it is estimated, who persecute Christians day in and day out, in one way or another. Even to the point of death. This past week we saw one man, I don’t know his faith, but he was described as an "infidel", which is a term often reserved for those who are not a member of the Muslim faith, who was beheaded at the hands of those who are the enemies of Christ.

        Let it be known without any equivocation that such Christians who live in such places still have hope! Not in a better life. But they have a view to the end. For it is told us in Holy Scriptures that Jesus shall indeed return. And when He does He shall issue His words of judgment, as we have already read them, and that there will be a final reckoning. And that parachute, if you will, is that very thing which makes the faith so incredibly precious. Christ, you see, does not relieve us of an unpleasant life. He redeems us from death, and He redeems us from hell.

        Lots of unbelievers live what we would probably describe as a very nice life. But that doesn’t mean, in the end, it will be nice. In fact, we know that in the end it most certainly will not.

        Christians believe that by the grace of God, and as a result of God’s grace, we are spared the torments of hell and enjoy eternal life with God. It’s about forever, and not just for now.

        Let it not be a matter of confusion as to why we are here. WE are here because, unless we are here, and unless we understand that Christ has lived for us, and He has suffered for us, and He has died for us, that we are people without hope, regardless of our circumstance of life.

        You see, Jesus has come precisely so that death will have no further mastery over us.

        In this gospel we see death having its way. It is a tragic picture. This woman’s main means of support, her husband, has already passed away, and she is a widow. And in this culture and society there is no social security system. There is no safety net. And now, her only remaining source of income, her only son, is dead. And lies in his coffin. And is also no longer there for her at all. No wonder our Lord had compassion on this woman.

        We can only imagine the grief and uncertainty that gripped her. The level of this loss, I think, is partially measured by the support of the community. We are told that the whole crowd of people were coming out with her, sharing, as people do, this time of sorrow and loss. The man was in his coffin. Much as we see from pictures from the Middle-East now, not caskets as we understand them to be, but open-faced caskets, if you will. There is no cover on them. And so he lay in his coffin headed straight for the grave.

        But our Lord saw, and our Lord understood, and our Lord loved. And He stopped the procession, and issued a word of life.

        Well, what could be done? After all, death is simply not reversible! Is it?

        Perhaps it would be helpful to remember that anytime our Lord Jesus Christ performs a miracle, He is providing us, and those who observe Him, a glimpse of what life is like in heaven. If He heals the sick, we are assured that disease will not be permitted in heaven in the Messianic endtimes. If He casts out a demon, we are assured that no such creatures will ever be permitted to afflict anybody in heaven, because they won’t be there. If He raises some from the dead, know dear friends beyond all shadow of a doubt that death will not be granted any power in heaven!

        And if you hear His miracles in that light, they will take on a whole new meaning for you. Jesus is the only one under heaven who has the authority to command death to stand aside. Listen to Him when He speaks. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; (last line, listen carefully!) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

        Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one who speaks life into being. Indeed, it is absolutely important to remember that it is His word that brings life to men. Indeed, we were dead in our trespasses and sin. And when God gathered us into Himself at the fount of Holy Baptism, it was His word that was spoken to us, to baptize you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And at that moment, you were called out of your spiritual coffins into eternal and everlasting life. Nothing has happened to this young man that hasn’t likewise happened to you, or to me. God has spoken life, and life has come.

        John the Baptist, when speaking of Christ put it this way. "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

        Dear Christian friends, the one dead in his coffin sits up and begins to speak. This caused, I’m certain, quite a stir among the crowds that were there and witnessing. One can only offer conjecture, I suppose, about what it was he spoke about. Maybe he was utterly surprised to find Himself sitting in a coffin. I don’t know, I would have been surprised if I didn’t know I was dead! On the other hand, maybe he was absolutely dumbstruck in expressing his incredible experience of having a glimpse of heaven for a short time. Hopefully he wasn’t expressing his disappointment in having to come back to this dreadful world. But I can tell you this much. And I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of accurate conjecture to say this. I am certain that young man praised God for life. For life given, and life restored. For life eternal, for he had already had his look at where he was going to be going in the end.

        People witnessing were literally dumbstruck. In the last verse we read, 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." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. No kidding!

        When people see that death has been put aside. When a man has spoken and death has been stood down, that’s something to talk about. That is something absolutely amazing! They were dumbstruck because death had met its match. That this Jesus of Nazareth was obviously more than a mere man, and that He was, in fact, the gate of life.

        That’s what Christian life is about. It’s about life. It’s about living. Life given up by Jesus the Christ on Golgotha’s sorry cross in payment for the punishment that we deserved. For He Himself bore the very punishment of hell that we had coming to us. So that we may never ever know of the torment.

        That’s why He came! Not just so that we would have a better life. But rather, that we would have life now and forever.

        This young man’s life is restored, and in it we see again the type of our own resurrection from the dead. If this one who speaks calls to life, then remember that He has spoken on your behalf as well. And He has called each and every one of us to life now, and forever.

        Life in this world, dear friends, is unpredictable. You may lead a life of plenty or a life of continual turmoil. You may live one that is free of disease, until at some point at the end (I’ve never heard of anyone who died healthy!). It gets us. Or we may lead a life that is reasonably obstacle-free by comparison with many others.

        Whatever life we have, it’s a gift from God. If we live a life filled with turmoil and persecution, then God will use that turmoil and that persecution. He will use disease , He will use political oppression, only to draw us closer to Himself. For the need for Him then becomes readily apparent.

        Dear friends, if for others life seems relatively smooth, well then, what a blessing from God. And God will call us His own. I don’t anyone personally who leads a relatively smooth life. Do you? Yes, there are some perhaps who have more of life’s blessings than perhaps others seem to have. But we are all before the throne of grace. God has sent His son to live and die for us, so that regardless of what our earthly circumstances are, we will be rich in His grace. Rich in His forgiveness. And rich in the life which is to come. This life is but for the moment. But the life He gives, the word of life He gives to us, through the cross and through the empty tomb, is forever and ever.

        Therefore, dear friends, this day let us thank God, that Jesus is the Lord of life, and He has come to help us. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.