Nothing Outside or Beyond HIS Command!
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
(The Letter to the Hebrews 12: 28-29 NASB)
let us show gratitude,
by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
for our God is a consuming fire.”
The passing away of someone we love has the power to shake us to our core. One moment, we seem to be living life, working, enjoying the bounty and fruit of our labor, and then suddenly, we face the “un-faceable”—the death of a dear loved one.
DEATH stops us in our tracks.
In the Bible, we read many life-stories that help us see the TRUTH—We desperately need Jesus!
As we study God’s Word, we realize God is not only with us, but He is sovereign over every detail of our lives, for there is nothing outside HIS command!
Our LORD will use everything for His glory and for our good.
In the Gospel of Luke, we read the narrative of a woman whose husband had died. In our modern-day time, this loss causes anguish, grief, and pain. In biblical times, the death of one’s husband caused all the above and then the death of the husband caused desperation. Without a husband providing for his wife, she would be destitute.
In this biblical narrative, the widow had a son—all hope was not lost!
She would survive because of her son’s provision for her needs.
THEN THIS WIDOW’S SON DIED!
We must—never (ever) forget—There is Nothing Outside or Beyond Jesus’ Command!
“Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain;
(The Gospel According to Luke 7: 11-15 NASB)
[Jesus went to the city]
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 sizeable crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
He felt compassion for her, and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
And He came up and touched the coffin;
and the bearers came to a halt.
And He said,
“Young man, I say to you arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak.
And Jesus gave him back to his mother.”
The TRUTH—We desperately need Jesus!
- Jesus saw the widow’s pain.
- Jesus felt compassion for her & yearned to help this widow.
Jesus came from the glory of heaven to enter our lives!
The LORD saw humanity’s mess, and still, willingly He fashioned Himself as the Son of man.
- Jesus came to provide the way to know God.
- Jesus came to die on the cross!
- Jesus remained dead for the world to see! & then
- Jesus arose from the grave!
Jesus overcame death!
JESUS BROUGHT HOPE, AS ONLY HE COULD!
Imagine the crowd walking with the widow. Yes, just imagine that crowd when Jesus stopped the funeral procession there at the city gate.
- Jesus saw her and had compassion.
- Jesus reached out in her deepest need.
- Jesus touched the coffin; the action alone made a person unclean.
- Jesus did what only He could do.
In His authority as the Son of God—Jesus commanded LIFE back into the dead man’s body!
Imagine the crowd’s reaction when the dead man sat up in the coffin.
Yes, just imagine that crowd when the dead man began to speak.
GOD IS GOD—whether HE remains in heaven or whether HE comes to reside among us!
The children of Israel saw God’s power at Mt. Sinai, and they trembled and were afraid.
We see the power of God, demonstrated through His Only Son, and we tremble and we fear.
- May we not refuse Jesus, the Son of God!
- Oh, may we not refuse His Amazing Grace!
“And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.”
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,
- and to God, the Judge of all,
- and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
- and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
- and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. . . .”
(The Letter to the Hebrews 12: 21-25a NASB)
Nothing Outside or Beyond HIS Command!
- May we be fearless & full of courage—We who are God’s children—We who have accepted the TRUTH of JESUS into our hearts.
- May we obey GOD with 100% of our hearts.
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.
(The Letter to the Hebrews 12: 25-27 NASB)
For if those did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth,
much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying,
“YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.”
This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken,
as of created things,
so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
Nothing Outside or Beyond HIS Command!
- Only God has the power to bring new life!
- Only Jesus has the power to raise the dead!
- God is involved in the events of our lives.
The TRUTH—We desperately need Jesus—even as we face the “un-faceable.”
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
(The Letter to the Hebrews 12: 28-29 NASB)
let us show gratitude,
by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
for our God is a consuming fire.”