The End of a Perfectly Good Funeral

The End of a Perfectly Good Funeral Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/August 19, 2012

The End of a Perfectly Good Funeral Sermon Notes August 19, 2012 Write any notes from the week here I. Jesus is LIFE! (Luke 7: 11-17) A. Misconceptions about Jesus 1. He s death 2. He s boring 3. He s powerless 4. He s irrelevant B. Jesus reveals His nature to us 1. He is LIFE! 2. He s one adventure after another 3. He has authority to give life 4. He s the most relevant person on the planet II. Doubt Creeps In (Luke 7: 18-20) A. John has forgotten what God showed Him (John 1: 29-34) 1. The dove 2. The voice 3. John s declaration B. John s difficulties 1. In prison, doubt has crept into John s consciousness 2. John begins to believe what the rest of the society believed about the Expected One He will be a political leader He will be a military leader He will focus on worldly kingdoms 3. John has forgotten what the Lord told Him 2 19

Table Talk Teens Read Luke 7:11-30 Question One: In Luke 7:11, describe the mood of the crowd entering the city of Nain, following Jesus. Question Two: In Luke 7:12, describe the mood of the crowd leaving the city, following the son of the widow s funeral. Question Three: Note the contrast of the two crowds. One was filled with excitement and hope and the other was filled with sorrow and sadness. Life vs. death. What prompted Jesus to stop the funeral and minister to the widow? Question Four: Jesus isn t concerned with tradition, rules, protocol, or laws. Touching the coffin would be considered unclean. His only concern is for the woman. Does this encounter with the widow reinforce that Jesus is not about rules, tradition, and laws but about love, grace, and compassion? Question Five: The most incredible thing about this story or encounter is the widow had not asked for a miracle. She had not begged for the life of her son. She hadn t demonstrated great faith. In fact, she hadn t demonstrated any faith at all. She didn t even know who Jesus was. That is what is so incredible. It s a miracle without human prompting. It was done without thought of a lesson to be taught to the disciples; without trying to prove to the government or Pharisees. It is a miracle drawn absolutely from the loving heart and compassion of Christ. Describe your thoughts on this passage. III.Jesus Clarifies & Encourages A. Jesus message to send back to John 1. Scriptural definition of the Messiah from Isaiah 35 and 61 2. The Messiah is about abundant life, not about earthly kingdoms 3. Change the heart and change the individual. Change the individual and change the family. Change the family and change the nation. B. Jesus praises John 1. THE PROPHET sent before the Messiah (Malachi 4: 5-6) 2. THE GREATEST MAN EVER BORN C. Jesus prophesies the coming NEW COVENANT 1. The least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest man 2. The awesomeness of the NEW Covenant Baptized with God s Spirit who empowers us Adopted as God s child Given the righteousness of Jesus Made holy before God My past is obliterated My sin is forgiven I m given power over sin Everything Jesus gets, I get God s love is poured out in my heart 18 3

Life Group Questions for August 19, 2012 Good News Series Message = The End of a Funeral Ice Breaker: Tell about a funny thing that happened at a wedding or funeral that you a4ended. Read Luke 7: 11-30. 1. Tell what you observe about this passage. 2. Have someone in the group read John 1: 29-34. Did John seem preay convinced at this time that Jesus was the Messiah? What do you think has happened to John s perspective of Jesus? 3. We find in the Gospels and even in Acts 1 that the disciples and the Jewish people thought Jesus would be a political and military leader. Jesus response was, Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard- - the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. (Luke 7:22, NLT.) Tell in your own words what kind of Messiah Jesus came to be. 4. Have you ever been through a difficult trial and found yourself doubting God s word and character? Please tell the group about it. Elementary Luke 7:11-30 Table Talk Day 1 - Read this week's passage, Luke 7:11-30. In verse 11 is says that "a large crowd went along with Him." Why do you think so many people were following Jesus at this time? (Perhaps it was because they were hoping to see Him perform a miracle.) Day 2 - What is the difference between "going with" someone and "following" someone? Jesus doesn't just want us to "go with" Him, to just go to church, etc.; He wants us to follow Him completely. He wants us to put our trust in Him. This is really what eternal life is all about. Day 3 - Jesus brings joy and happiness into our lives, and our natural response is to praise Him. The widow was comforted that her son was raised from the dead. Are we happy and joyful that Jesus has given us the promise of everlasting life? How do we reflect this sense of happiness and joy to the rest of the world? If you walk around with a sour attitude, does that reflect a faith that is strong? Thank God and praise Him for all He has done for you and for the promise of eternal salvation! 5. Jesus did not condemn John for doubting. He spoke highly of John to the people surrounding Him. What does this say about how God views you even after you have failed? 6. If even the least in the Kingdom are greater than John the Baptist, what does God say about you? Is this difficult or easy to accept? 7. Pray for one another. 4 17

Jesus Brings Life! Table Talk Preschool & Nursery: Luke 7:11-30 Day 1: Read Luke 7:11-17 Talk about the miracle Jesus performed. Talk about how amazing God is and how he was able to make the boy alive again. Ask how they think everyone was feeling about the son who had died. Then ask how they think everyone felt when Jesus made the boy alive again. What would you do if you saw such an amazing miracle? Have everyone at the table show you their Wow, that was amazing! face. Emphasize how amazing God is! Day 2: Talk about how Jesus not only has power over death, but God's only Son also defeated death by rising from the dead. He gives us life so that we can live forever with Jesus. Ask what they think it means to live with Jesus. Jesus wants us to be happy and full of life because we know and love Him. Memory Verse:...I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. - John 10:10 Day 3: Read Luke 7:18-30 Talk about how Jesus did lots of miracles similar to the story about the widow s son. Jesus and his friends, the disciples, were always out teaching people about God and healing the sick and helping those in need. It was because of these things that Jesus friend, John the Baptist, knew that Jesus was God. Ask how we know that Jesus is God. Activity: Cut out pictures or draw pictures of things that you do to show others how Jesus loves them and brings them life. Place them on a sheet of construction paper or poster-board and hang on the refrigerator as a reminder of how we can show and tell others about Jesus. Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5

Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Luke 7: 11-30. 3. Ask the Lord to reveal to you some deep wisdom from today s Bible passage. Memorize Luke 7: 28 Memorize Luke 7: 28 & Romans 8: 31-32 Memorize Luke 7: 28 & Romans 8: 31-34 Day Five I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is! ~Luke 7:28, NLT In this Luke 7 passage, Jesus contradicts two major lies that tend to deceive disciples of Jesus. The first lie tells us that Jesus is more about politics and military than He is about changing the heart. For many of us, we think that if our country would just vote in the right leader, if we would just get the right majority in congress, our country would be saved! Before you get too upset, just know that I think voting in our country is a sacred privilege, and every believer should vote their conscience. However, we must not be deceived into thinking that politics will ever transform this country. Only people transformed by the Holy Spirit will ever bring change to this country!!! The other lie we tend to lean on is the lie that is based on Old Testament thinking. The Old Testament tells us that our worth is based on our performance. The New Testament, as you can see in Jesus words above, bases a person s worth on Jesus performance. When I receive the free gift of righteousness given to all of us at the cross, I become a person of significant worth. God loves us all the same, both believers and unbelievers; but Jesus finished work on the cross gives the believer favored status (grace). Do I believe that God loves me beyond my greatest estimation? Do I believe that He values me as much as He values His Son, Jesus? Do I believe that when He sees me, He leaps with excitement? If not, I must take time and swallow the truth. God ahead, swallow it! Thank You, Father, for adopting me as Your child and favoring me so highly! 6 15

Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Psalm 139. 3. Ask the Lord to begin showing you how to walk in His authority on a daily basis. Ask Him to show you how this authority is activated. Day One Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizable crowd from the city was with her. ~Luke 7:11, 12, NAS95 This widow is at the end of her rope. Though her grief for her dead son overwhelms her, she must also wonder where her next meal will come from, as family members are responsible to care for widows in this culture. Because women don t work in first century Galilee, she must have gone for some time being cared for by her only son after the death of her husband. Now he is gone too. What will I do? Her misery and hopelessness index must have been at an all time high. I wonder if she had prayed some pretty raw prayers the night before. I wonder if she shook a fist at God. She is comforted by all the people from the town who have come to support her at the funeral. She s encouraged by their willingness to bear her son s body up in their arms and carry him outside of town to the cemetery. They ve wrapped him up with burial clothes and anointed his body for burial... but what s this? Another crowd? As Jesus approaches her crowd with His crowd behind Him, compassion motivates Him to stop the funeral. There is no prayer, no incantation, not even the super-spiritual look with eyes half open. Jesus simply says, Young man, I say to you, arise! 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. The young man sat up and spoke, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Father, thank you that when I think I m at the end of my rope, You are always waiting to do something marvelous! 14 7

Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Luke 7: 11-30 again slowly. 3. Have you ever lost your hope like John the Baptist did? What did God do to bring hope back to you? 4. When you have lost hope and perspective, Jesus does not condemn you, but rather speaks highly of you. Ask the Holy Spirit what He thinks of you, then listen to Him. Write down what you hear in this space. Day Four After they left, Jesus talked to the crowd about John. Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces, not in the wilderness. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. ~Luke 7:24-26, NLT After John s disciples depart, Jesus takes time to give a eulogy about John even before he is murdered by Herod. Jesus clarifies what the scriptures already say about John. He IS the messenger foretold by Malachi who would come announcing the coming Messiah. John IS the greatest man who ever lived because His ministry is THAT important! He is the troubadour for the great King! It s at this point that if you ve ever said, Jesus never came out and said He was the Messiah, you may want to rethink your position. Jesus asserted this truth over and over, and people still didn t get it. As Jesus tells of the greatness of John, He is careful to contrast the New Covenant with the Old. He says, I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is! (Luke 7:28, NLT.) Here, Jesus says a mouthful. When a person in the New Covenant is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they become the greatest people who ever lived! Even the least in the Kingdom is greater than John, the greatest man ever born of a woman. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. When I am born of the Holy Spirit, I immediately become significant in God s eyes! 8 13

Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Luke 7: 11-30 again today. Day Two The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. ~Luke 7:18, NAS95 John s disciples must have been in the crowd of people following Jesus when he raised the young man up from the dead while entering the town of Nain. They return to see the Baptizer who is incarcerated for confronting Herod about his sin. With wide eyes, they describe the incident of the young man getting up in the middle of his own funeral. John s eyes remain placid and unimpressed. He sends his disciples back to Jesus with a question that reveals his present mental state. Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else? (Luke 7:19, NAS95.) 3. Ask the Lord to show you where you ve chosen to believe a lie instead of the truth. Listen to Him for a few minutes, and then write down what you hear in this space. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. This same John saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus when He was baptized. The Holy Spirit had told John that He would descend upon God s Messiah and that s how he would recognize Him. Two days later, John sent some of his own disciples to follow Jesus when He saw Him walk by and confidently proclaimed, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the World!... But things have changed. John now looks death in the face. He wonders if his life s ministry has been worth it. He wonders if he did it right and if he directed the people to the right guy. In the midst of his trials and difficulties, lies have crept into John s thinking. Hopelessness and doubt swirl around in his preoccupied mind as he lies restlessly in his prison cell. Yet, Jesus does not condemn John. He speaks highly of him. He is proud of John. Neither does He condemn me. He is proud of me. He loves me. 12 9

Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Romans 8 slowly today. Day Three Then he told John s disciples, Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard--the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, God blesses those who are not offended by me. ~Luke 7:22, 23, NLT John sits miserably in his prison cell and has his doubts that Jesus is truly the Messiah. His disciples have come to hear from Jesus whether He is the one they ve expected, or should they expect someone else? 3. Meditate for 5 minutes on Luke 7: 28. What does the Lord say to you in this verse? John has been poisoned by popular culture. At the time, pop culture pictured a Messiah who would reign as a military and political leader. When you read the Gospels and Acts carefully, you find that even the apostles believed this was what Jesus would be. In Acts 1, they suspected that the resurrected Jesus would set up His military rule and cast out the oppressive Romans. In order to contradict the popular lies going around about the Messiah, Jesus did what He always does with me... and probably with you, too. Jesus brought John back to the Word. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Isaiah 61 stands as the mission statement of the Messiah and its the same passage Jesus read in Luke 4 when He began His ministry. The verses above are a paraphrase of Isaiah s prophecy. Jesus is taking John back to a passage John knows well, as does every good Jewish man. Jesus refocuses the baptizer back to a Messiah who rules over a spiritual kingdom, not a political one. This kind of Messiah was offensive to most of the Jews, so Jesus added, God blesses those who are not offended by me. Father, bring me back to the Word. Show me where I have believed lies and relied on falsehood. Holy Spirit, remind me of the purity of the Word. 10 11