Luke 7:11-17

Greater than Control

Sermon Outline:

Welcome/Intro

Opening analogy - (Surrender)

Pray

Read verse

Transition and go into point 1: Jesus breaks the norm to bring life (Jesus breaks the cultural norm. Jesus is not insensitive. He is intentional)

After point 1 transition and go into point 2: You don’t need big faith. You need to surrender. (The widow has 0 faith and Jesus moved)

After point 2 transition into point 3: All God. All glory. - The best story is when God gets all the glory.

Morning everyone what a blessing it is to be here. How good do the boys look? Let’s give a round of applause to the boys being involved today. From the start to finish it’s been a blessing. If it’s your first time here at Avondale Uni Church I want to say welcome home. If you’ve been here for a long time that you blend in with the furniture I want to say welcome back home. Today I have been blessed to speak this sabbath. My name is SJ. I am not the rock so please dont ask me for a photo hahahha jks. Lil bout me is I am 26. Samoan you might know these guys they’re my cousins “show penrith panthers” I come from a family of 4. And I love sports. Something interesting though is many times in sport you have to force your way to win.

Show surrender briefly like 10-20seconds of each scenario. Show basketball. Show Tour De France. Show golf. Show surfing. Show the M1 going to sydney.

Today’s story we will see how Jesus moves even when we cant

Big Idea: Surrender the how. Embrace the Who.

Pray: Father let your voice be seen and heard. Let your children hear that you are present. Speak through me. Break every chain and stronghold. We thank you father. Amen

Luke 7:11-17 gives us this story. Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” 17 And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

“Jesus walks into a funeral—but He’s not just there to mourn. He’s about to disrupt everything they thought they knew about death, grief, and God. And it starts with a sentence that makes no sense unless you know who’s speaking: ‘Don’t cry.’ It’s not insensitive—it’s intentional. Jesus doesn’t come to comfort within the old system. He comes to challenge it. To break it. To redeem it.” Then go into Point 1: Jesus Breaks the Norm to Bring New Life.

Jesus is moved with a deep agonizing compassion for the widow. He telling her not to cry would’ve been give him the biggest side eye. The biggest red flags. Because in those times when there were funerals it would be massive. There would be flute players. And paid mourners. Mourners meaning people that would express their sorrow. Sadness and grief. Imagine them all hearing Jesus say “Don’t cry” they would’ve went “who the heck is this guy? Does he want a hiding? LOL” Because in the Jewish custom this was normal. To be doing all this would’ve been seen as “Aww this person was really loved” Then Jesus comes in and says don't cry. Because Jesus was there to restore life not. In our lives today we see as followers of Jesus he calls us to go against the normal. To love those who hate us. To go the extra mile. To do things that society would not understand. Whether that’s at home, school, work or amongst friends. Jesus comes into our lives so we can be the ones who flip the script too—living in a way that doesn't always make sense to the world, but makes room for God to move. It doesn’t need to make sense to the world. Only to God.

1. Jesus breaks the norm to bring life - The world’s way is death. Jesus ways goes is life.

2. You don’t need big faith you need to surrender -

I always find myself in awe when I am humbled by how God works. The story before we find Jesus heals the centurions servant because of his great faith. This time we find this widow has no faith. She has pain, grief, agony and heartache. There is no record of her faith. Yet Jesus acts. Because love moves when we cannot. What I see is that this woman would’ve had to wrestle with the terms. And may not like that her son has passed. Yet she accepts the reality and surrenders the outcome. This is important and I dont want you to miss it. Our 2nd point is when you go through circumstances that show no way out. Where you physically feel like there is nothing you can do. In those circumstances where you have no faith. “You dont need big faith you need to surrender.” Say this with me “we listen we dont judge” ok lol how many times has it been when someone you know has gone through something and it affects them heavily. You can see they’re in pain. Lets say a fellow christian. They pour out there heart and then you respond by saying “you need bigger faith.” LOL ahahahah that’s crazy. Tell the person on your left “thats crazy”. Because it is. I am not saying we dont need faith. no listen to what I am saying don’t assume what I am saying. Because in this situation. The widow had no faith. I have learnt that when we dont have the words this verse comes to mind.

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

And faith is not the only criteria for God to work in our lives. God is good and because He is good he always provides for his children which is us. And what comes to mind is this. When David penned, PS 23:6 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It was not poetic. It was prophetic. It reveals the nature of God. And when we find that’s what happens here

3. All God all good. In your story let God get all the glory -