Masterpiece(s) of Jesus - Part 2

luke

Luke 7:11–17 NRSV

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Intro:

This week I am continuing this preaching series by taking a look at how Jesus builds a Masterpiece....

Masterpiece - A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.

.....and the main idea of what Jesus is doing as he builds these Masterpiece(s) revolves around Restoration.....

(pause)

Last week we watched him Restore the leper physically.......

.......and this week I want to look at how he Restores from a socio-economic perspective even as he also performs this miracle in Luke’s gospel.

(pause)

I don’t know how you feel about it.......

.......but I believe that I have a Masterpiece inside of me!

meaning......

There is something outstanding that I am responsible and capable of doing!

(pause and expound)

Church family.....

At the end of the day.......

......what good is it to hear about greatness but never be a part of it!

The Lord laid it on my heart to make something real plain for you this morning.....

....because

.....I’m not talking about Masterpieces for us to stand back in awe of what we see Jesus doing in the text.......

(pause)

But.......

.......I’m trying to spark something in us so that we can know our ROLE in this process of RESTORATION.

Look at somebody and tell them.....

You got at least ONE in you!

(pause and expound)

(pause and expound)

See....

Job 8:6 NRSV

if you are pure and upright, surely then he will rouse himself for you and restore to you your rightful place.

Job

(pause)

.....we have been taught that we are only the Product of something........

And so at the very least the text says,

But......

As God is watching over you....

.......I want us to see that not only are we the product

....surely he will reestablish you by giving you the gift of everything you once had.

........we are also the PRODUCER of some things........

(pause)

We are not completely defined by what CRUSHED us...

.....

....but

We are completely defined by who CREATED us....

(pause)

And see.....

I got to say it like this........

.....because so many of us think that our position is only at the end of the brush of the artist

but......

......God needs somebody in here to understand you are the artist!

(I feel that in my spirit!)

(pause and expound)

In Luke’s Gospel, here we find it to be the only Gospel in the New Testament sharing the story of the widows son.........

Each Gospel has its own way of describing this theme of resurrection, but its only here that we find this widow and her dead son being awakened by Jesus....

Look at it now....

luke 7.

Luke 7.11-12

Luke 7:11–12 NRSV

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town.

Luke 7:11 NRSV

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.

According to the text......

Jesus is traveling into this city with the disciples and this large crowd and as they are coming into the main gate of the city they notice a funeral procession.....

(pause)

Interesting fact about the location where Jesus is travelling.....

....is that this city is close to the same location where Elisha raised another mother’s son in the Old Testament......

Not only that but

.....to this day if we were to walk where Jesus walked then in the text.....

.....10 minutes from the city of Nain on the road to Endor there is a cemetery of rock tombs in which the dead are laid to rest....

(pause)

(pause)

Luke then gives us in the text a very crucial detail related to this woman.....

he says....

the dead man who was being carried was....

.....the son of a widowed mother

widow - woman whose husband had died

mother - woman who had given birth to a child

And the reason that Luke’s gospel shares this with us is so that we can understand the level of brokenness this mother is currently experiencing in the text.....

(pause)

And when I think of how we describe brokenness....

......I think of a few words of the poet

(pause)

In Shelley’s Adonais, we find the words....

As long as skies are blue, and fields are green,

Evening must usher night, night urge the morrow,

Month follow month with woe, and year wake year to sorrow.

Virgil the roman poet, in an immortal phrase spoke about the tears of things...

.....in the nature of things we live in a world of broken hearts...

The lyrical prophet/poet Tupac, said.......

I felt the pain and the rain but i’m still here

.....and then he went on to say....

....and in this world only the strong survive

(pause)

And so Luke says in the text......

.......that however we choose to picture brokenness......

.....this is how we picture this widowed mother standing by this casket of her only son

And I believe that one of the main reasons she is suspended in grief is due to the fact that culturally.......

.......as a widowed mother

.......her socioeconomic status has just plunged below zero!

(pause)

And according to the text......

.....she is walking with this crowd who are mourning along with her as her son is being carried on this long wickerwork basket.

(pause)

And as she is headed to the grave.........

Jesus is headed into the city...........

(pause)

And she doesn’t know it yet but she’s getting ready to enter.....

An Intersection of Restoration

…the pathos and poignancy of her humanity is getting ready to encounter the power of Jesus!

(pause and expound)

Look at it now.......

Luke 7.13

Luke 7:13–14 NRSV

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!”

According to the text.....

Jesus says something spectacular to this woman..

…when he says to her,

“Stop Crying.....”

And the reason he is motivated to tell her this is because the text says.......

“He had compassion for her!”

Now here’s the awesome thing about that.....

In this timeframe of Luke’s gospel one of the most common faith communities were Stoics....

.....and Stoics believed that the primary characteristic of God was apathy, or incapability of feeling......

And the reason they believed this was due to the fact that they felt.....

.....if someone could control how you feel

......they had influence over you at least for that moment

........and so there could be no way that God could have feelings, because that would mean that God could be influenced...

(pause)

But Luke’s Gospel shows us a Jesus who is the Son of God.....

John 1:1 NRSV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John

Matthew 3:17 NRSV

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

This Jesus that Luke is showing us........

is motivated to be empathetic towards this woman in the text....

(pause)

And here’s the next thing Luke shows us in this verse....

The compassion of Jesus was not only empathetic, but it was also empowering

(pause)

Because..........

......after Jesus tells her to “Stop Crying”

.......he then comes over to the platform that is supporting the body of her son as he is being carried to the grave......

..........and touches it with his hand

and the text says.....

that when he touches it the men who were carrying it stood still....

(pause)

Now don’t miss this.......

Because this is a significant point in this scripture.....

(pause)

Here it is......

Without speaking...........

Jesus does something that indicates to those carrying her son to STOP and STAND STILL....

(pause)

Freedom family......

Before Jesus even speaks the miracle into the ear of the son of this woman........

He performs what I believe we as the Church are charged to do as the body of Christ.....

......and what I mean by that is

We need to put our hands onto some platforms with enough authority to cause things to STOP, so that RESTORATION can take place!

Socio-economical platforms -

If you or someone you know are not registered to vote.........Get registered to Vote, and then get to the polls in local, state, and federal government

Build leaders through entrepreneurial avenues and job creation and economic empowerment

We’ve got to create opportunities and connect the dots so that our education matches the right jobs so that our next generation is in position to SUCCEED in gaining wealth

Build Health and Wellness training opportunities and clinics

(pause)

Church family.......

.......we need to put our hands on some dead sons that are being carried out just like Jesus to stop the process.......

(pause)

And after we stop the process........

......we need to open our mouths with a strategy of restoration that causes him to get up like Jesus does in the text when he says....

“Young man, I say to you, rise up!”

(pause and expound)

Jesus gives her a reason to stop crying

Look at it now...

Luke 7.15-

Luke 7:15–17 NRSV

The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

According to the text.....

The picture of Restoration is fulfilled due to the fact that.......

The Masterpiece is ready as Jesus gives or presents her son back to her.........

(pause and expound - optional)

Watch this.....

because the text says

“they all were seized in fear”

meaning........

RESPECT filled the atmosphere!

and....

they PRAISED God!

(pause)

And I don’t know about you........

.....but we need to RESTORE this kind of a MASTERPIECE....

so that God can get the Glory!!

(pause)

Where my BUILDERS at?

Where my CREATORS at?

Where my THINKERS at?

Where my LEADERS at?

(pause)

IT’s TIME to RESTORE a MASTERPIECE!!!!!

.............CONCLUSION.............