To watch this service, please click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/GjoY7A8wvbQ?si=5aXN7B6Pv2hp3Y_N
Matthew 4:1-11
Overcoming temptation, through Christ.
May 25th 2025: Jonny Raine
Author: Penuel Baptist Roch
May 18th 2025: Mike Viccary
Luke 7:11-17 The widow of Nain’s son is raised!
Introduction.
The gospel of Luke contains more about people and human interactions than any of the other gospel writers. He is the only one to mention Zacharias, Simeon and Anna in connection with Christ’s birth, and the only one to record the Lord’s encounter with Zacchaeus too. One writer has suggested that Luke records interaction with over one hundred individuals not counting indefinite groups such as “some Pharisees” (Luke 13:31), “the chief priests” (Luke 19:47; 20:1,19; 22:2,4,52; 23:4,10,13; 24:20), and so on.
Luke also seems to be particularly concerned with the outcasts of society, such as prostitutes, tax collectors, Samaritans, and the poor such as widows. Matthew uses the word “widow” only once (Matthew 23:14), Mark uses this word three times (Mark 12:40,42,43), John doesn’t use it at all, but Luke uses it nine times (Luke 2:37; 4:25,26; 7:12; 18:3,5; 20:47; 21:2,3). Another rather distinctive word used in Luke is the word “crowd.” This word is used inly twice in Matthew (Matthew 9:23,25), three times in John (John 7:32,40,49), seven times in Mark (Mark 2:4; 5:27,30; 7:17; 9:17; 15:11,15), but sixteen times in Luke (Luke 4:42; 5:19; 6;17; 7:9,11,12; 8:19; 9:18; 11:27,29; 12:13; 13:14; 19:3,39; 23:4,48).
In Luke we have two distinct types of crowd. There are general references to “the crowd” meaning all that were present in a given location, (for example: Luke 4:42; 5:19; 8:19; etc.), and then we have crowds mention in connection with the Lord’s disciples, such as:“a crowd of His disciples” (Luke 6:17), and “the crowd that followed Him” (Luke 7:9). These two distinct crowds are particularly notable in our text of Luke 7:11-17. A literal translation of verses 11 and 12 of Luke 7 highlights these two groups:
Luke 7:11 – and were going with him the disciples of Him sizeable and a big crowd
Luke 7:12 – and a crowd from the city sizeable went with her
Both crowds were large! It also puts the whole encounter at “the gate of the city” (Luke 7:12) thus emphasising the Lord’s timing, (which is very interesting), and we finally, get a distinct set of statements showing what happened after this event. We shall use four key phrases as headings:
[1] “And a large crowd.” [When two tribes meet]. Same text used in verses 11 and 12 but meaning different things.
[2] “When He came near the gate of the city.” [The incredible timing of God]. Found in verse 12.
[3] “He touched the open coffin.” [Death defeated!]. Found in verse 14.
[4] “God has visited His people.” [The fruit of His coming]. Found in verse 16.
[1] “And a large crowd.” [When two tribes meet].
As we have already noted, there were two distinct crowds meeting on that day. We have a large crowd of disciples and those who followed the Lord Jesus, with Him at the head of this group. And then we also have another large crowd from the city who were behind the coffin and the widow on their way out of the city to the burial place. One group is described in the Greek as being “with” the Lord, and the other is described as being “with” the widow. Both were sizeable. Let us consider the atmosphere and environment of each crowd, and then considered their meeting!
[a] Those “with” the widow.
First let us take a view of the city and its environs. The name “Nain” means ‘beauty,’ or ‘pleasant.’ Apparently the views from this site were breathtaking. The International Bible Encyclopedia makes this assessment: “The site commands a beautiful and extensive view across the plain to Carmel, over the Nazareth hills, and away past Tabor to where the white peak of Hermon glistens in the sun” It was, perhaps, just like many cities of the ancient world. A place of trade and commerce, of life and marriage, and of all things this earthly life affords. However, we only know of Nain from this account in Luke which highlights the death of the only son of a widow. The International Bible Encyclopedia informs us that: “In the rocks to the East are many tombs of antiquity,” and so Nain is always to be associated with death. The first thing we encounter in verse 12 is “a dead man” being carried out, and the second thing we are confronted with is that his mother was “a widow.” Twice then our attention is drawn to a procession headed by death. Nain may have been beautiful and full of earthly life, but what emanates from its centre is death.
Notice also that this city seems to have stopped. It may have been a custom in those days to stop work when a dead person was buried. Or she may have been a notable person in the city. We do not really know. What we do observe is that death has this habit of stopping us in our earthly pursuits. In my early days growing up in the 1960s and 1970s people stopped what they were doing when a hearse drove by. That does not seem to happen so often today which is sad, if not a little worrying. Death is something we all have to take thought of surely?
We must also note that this encounter whilst recorded faithfully as a true and real historical event by Luke (who was painstaking in his research – see Luke 1:1-4), is similar to two other historical events recorded in the books of 1 & 2 Kings. In 1Kings 17:17-24 we have an account of Elijah raising a dead boy. Both this account and our account start with a similar introduction. The widow of Elijah’s time had only the one son as did the widow of Nain. In both accounts we have the raised boy being presented to the mother (Luke 7:15 & 1Kings 17:23). Finally the outcome of both accounts reveals a new understanding. In the record concerning Elijah, the widow recognises Elijah as “a man of God” whose word was “the word of the Lord” (1Kings 17:24). In our text we read that people glorified the Lord and were sure that “God has visited His people” (Luke 7:16,17). But there are also a number of stark contrasts between these two events too. In 1Kings 17:17-24 the location was in Zarepheth in the region of Tyre and Sidon, whilst Nain was in Galilee. With Elijah there is only the widow present, but with the Lord there are two great crowds. In our text it is the Lord who takes the initiative, but with Elijah the woman accosts the prophet with a question. Whilst our Lord acts out of deep compassion, Elijah seems to act in desperation. Whereas the Lord simply issues a command, Elijah cries out twice to the Lord for help. Here in Luke the Lord Jesus simply touched the coffin but Elijah stretched himself out on the dead boy three times.
The account concerning Elisha and a boy raised from the dead as recorded in 2Kings 4, took place in a site very close to Nain (Shunem was also close to mount Tabor), but again there are some marked differences. I should point out here that the following thoughts have come from an article written by Mark Barnes in the Evangelical Magazine. The Lord Jesus approached the dead man and his mother, but the Shunammite woman in 2Kings 4 raced to fetch Elisha back who appears to have been rather reluctant to come. Elisha appears to be very aloof to this poor woman whereas the Lord Jesus was moved with compassion and addressed the widow with great care. Elisha first looked to the power of his staff to perform the miracle but without success, whereas the Lord Jesus merely touched the coffin. Elisha’s miracle is dependent upon prayer whilst the Lord Jesus simply spoke a word. Reaction to Elisha’s miracle is rather weak whereas the crowds who saw the widow of Nain’s son raised glorified God.
Clearly these two historical accounts in the Old Testament are eclipsed by the miracle at Nain. The Lord Jesus was demonstrating to the crowds present at that time that He was greater in power than either Elijah or Elisha. He was the promised Messiah, which truth the crowds seem close to appreciating y the end of this event.
It is worth reflecting a moment upon this widow who had lost her only son. She had lost her husband, so her son would have inherited the place of responsibility. As a widow she had no status and no easy means of support. Her son would have taken over her husband’s status and was the heir, and so could provide for his mother. But now he too had died and she was left with nothing. It is hard to miss this pointed fact that this man was “the only son” of this widow. Luke has focused our attention here by using the opening word “behold” in verse 12 which instructs us to pay close attention. The “only son” of that which focuses on death (represented by the widow and her only son in his coffin) is meeting the “only begotten Son” of the Father (John 1:18; 3:16,18), of whom it has been said: “In Him was life” (John 1:4).
[b] Those “with” the Lord.
Reading through Luke’s account prior to this event we discover that the crowds have been growing throughout the Lord’s ministry. In Luke 4:32 we read that the people who heard Him preach “were astonished at His teaching” because “His word was with authority.” In this same chapter we hear the people cry out: “what a word is this!” and an assertion that Christ ministered “with authority and power” (Luke 4:36). In consequence large numbers brought those who were sick to the Lord for healing and “He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them” (Luke 4:40). When Jesus sought some solace in a deserted place the next day, we read that “the crowd sought Him and came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them” (Luke 4:42). In chapter 5 we discover that “the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God” (Luke 5:1). Then after He arranged a miraculous catch of fish the people “were all amazed,” “they glorified God,” and being “filled with fear” said “we have seen strange things today” (Luke 5:26). In chapter 6 we read of the Lord choosing the twelve, and then we hear that there was “a great multitude of people” not only from “all Judea and Jerusalem,” but also from “the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17). These “came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases” (Luke 6:17) and then we find that “the whole multitude sough to touch” on account of His power (Luke 6:19). These statements show clearly the immense feeling of hope and excitement that accompanied the Lord as He ministered in Israel.
So the crowds with Christ were full of excitement and expectation. Apart from the twelve chosen of the Lord, there would have been those who had been healed by the Lord, and those who were accepted by Him despite their lowly status. This crowd that followed the Lord Jesus were certainly expectant. They had witnessed many miracles thus far. What was the Lord Jesus going to do now?
[c] Christ our Head meets death!
It is hard to miss the incredible contrast between these two crowds. Nain was a city that earthly beauty and earthly life but was subject to death which puts a halt to all. Christ comes as the Head of His procession bringing life, resurrection power and eternal hope.
Just to repeat the main point. Christ our Head brings life. And He meets head-on the world with its procession lead by death. I want to emphasise here that Christ is our only Head. We have no need of anything else. He is the One who stands among us and by His Spirit and through His word exclusively He will lead us and build us up. He alone is the Head of the church. And what a Head! We have no need of a pope, an archbishop, a synod nor anything like that. The Saviour comes with life abundant (John 10:10) and our task is simply to follow Him and be a part of His crowd. In stark contrast the head of the city procession is a coffin followed by a widow. Christ comes face-to-face with a dead man being carried out followed buy a widow. There is no contest here!
[2] “When He came near the gate of the city.” [The incredible timing of God].
We have noted that Christ led a crowd and was approaching the gate at just that point where a dead man in his open coffin led a procession of the man’s mother (a widow) and the crowd from the city. In Luke 7:11 we are told that “He went into a city called Nain,” and then in verse 12 it was “when He came near the gate” that at that moment “behold a dead man was being carried out.” Picture the scene! There must have been many people and quite a crush!
[a] Hope gone?
Many cities had walls with gates at set intervals to control who came in and for defence. In most cities, because of this concern for safety, it was not permitted to bury the dead within the walls, excepting kings and distinguished persons (1Samuel 28:3; 2Kings 21:18). Dead bodies were ceremonially unclean according to the law, (Leviticus 11:31,32; Numbers 19:11). They were obviously a health hazard too. Apparently dead bodies were buried within a few hours of death and on the same day that they died. This was on account of the hot climate and the rapid decay of the body. Coffins were not used. Usually the bier on which the body was carried had a pole each side enabling them to carry the body on their shoulders. It appears, then, that the moment the body left the city through the gates, it would no longer have any hope of resuscitation or of the soul returning to the body. There are some first century Jewish traditions which hold that the soul lingers in the body until the third or fourth day – which is perhaps the reason Jesus delayed going to raise Lazarus. But here the point is that this dead man was about to leave the city – which represented all earthly and physical life. Life had come to an end – and the widow and the people in procession cease activity!
[b] The Lord’s timing is perfect!
It is perhaps a truism to state this but it nevertheless needs repeating: God’s timing is always perfect! We establish this first on account of the character of God. Since God is perfect – absolutely – it follows that all His actions and all that He does is perfect too. This applies equally to all three persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At just the right time Jesus came to this widow woman who was about to bury her dead son.
Time is very important to God – after all he created it (Genesis 1:1). We learn that God has “made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a). The NASB rendering has the word “appropriate” which is perhaps a little more organised and tidy! We also learn that there is “an appointed time for everything” and further that “there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NASB). There is a set time for an event (for all events) and a specified duration for that event. In the Acts of the apostles we find Paul preaching the same thing: “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:26). But the Lord is also concerned with eternity: “He has put eternity in their hearts.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11b). Regarding our time on earth we ought to recognise that God holds all in His power. Consider these important truths:
My times are in Your hand. (Psalm 31:15a).
The steps of a man are established by the Lord. (Psalm 37:23a, NASB).
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27).
1 “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. … 5 Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. (Job 14:1,5).
# Just as the Lord set the precise date for the Exodus (Exodus 12:41) so also the Father determined with precision the dates concerning His Son:
You will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come. (Psalm 102:13, NASB).
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. (Galatians 4:4).
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14,15).
Jesus’ death on the cross occurred at a precise time. Throughout John’s gospel we are constantly being informed of “His hour,” the time when He would be given up for men, (John 2:4; 4:21,23; 5:25,28; 7:6,8,30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 16:21,32; 17:1). When He prayed to His Father just before He died, for example, He uttered these important words: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (John 17:1). Paul taught this idea that Christ came and died at the “right time” even when we were still sinners (Romans 5:6, NASB), and at the “proper time” (1Timothy 2:6, NASB). From John’s gospel we find that Christ was sacrificed at the time when the Passover lambs were being slain on the day of preparation (John 19:14,20,41 cf. Matthew 27:62). Thus Christ’s death on the cross occurred the same day that the Israelites left Egypt. How wonderful is God! He keeps perfect timing, and is never late for any appointment.
The next most important date on God’s calendar is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The timing of this event will, needless to say, be perfect. It is a date that has already been fixed by God: “… until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time …” (1Timothy 6:14b,15a, NASB). Thus times and seasons, dates and durations are all highly important to God. He knows the best time, for He is God! How can a good and great God not be timely? Although times and seasons have all been fixed by God, this does not mean that we are privy to such information. Jesus told His disciples (and thence to us who follow also) that: “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7, NASB).
[c] The Lord’s timing is often at the last minute!
But from a human perspective it might seem that the Lord’s timing is rather late! Both Mary and Martha (sisters of Lazarus) said: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21,32). Of course the Lord delayed for good reasons. He told the disciples before they set off: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4). In our text it seems that the widow is on the point of no return. Once out of the city her son would be very soon buried in the tomb. But there are many examples in Scripture of God acting at what we consider to be the last minute:
[i] The Red Sea Miracle. The Israelites trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, God parted the sea (Exodus 14:21-22).
[ii] The Fiery Furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol – delivered (Daniel 3:25).
[iii] Peter’s Rescue. Peter was delivered from prison the night before his scheduled execution (Acts 12:6-11).
[iv] The Woman with the Issue of Blood. After 12 years of suffering, she received healing by touching Jesus’ garment (Mark 5:25-34).
Why then does God wait until the last minute or beyond? There are at least 4 reasons the Lord does this:
[i] To Display His Glory. His interventions reveal His power and sovereignty to all (John 9:1-3).
[ii] To Test and develop our Faith. God allows us to reach the end of ourselves to strengthen our reliance on Him (James 1:3).
[iii] To Humble Us. Last-minute miracles remind us that we cannot succeed without God (Deuteronomy 8:2-5,15-17).
[iv] To Build a Testimony. Delayed interventions create powerful testimonies that inspire others (Psalm 40:1-3). Daniel’s rescue from the lions’ den demonstrated God’s supremacy to King Darius and his kingdom (Daniel 6:22-27).
God is sovereign over all (Psalm 46:10), and His ways and thoughts are higher than ours(Isaiah 55:9,9).
[3] “He touched the open coffin.” [Death defeated!].
We might ponder what the situation of these two crowds might have been like. The crowds following Jesus who was marching towards His divine appointment with this widow and her son, meet the sorry sight with a crowd from the city following on. What will happen now? Well the Lord takes the initiative. This is no mere coincidence or happenstance. The Lord knew precisely what He was doing in marching towards Nain. Just as He had an appointment with the woman from Samaria as recorded in John 4, so too He had a divine appointment with this poor widow. We need to consider what happened here carefully. In verses 13 and 14 we find that when He saw the woman, He:
- “had compassion on her” (v13)
- “said to her, “do not weep”” (v13)
- “came and touched the open coffin” (v14)
- “and he said, “young man,I say to you, arise” (v14)
[a] “had compassion on her.”
Love. It was when the Lord actually saw the woman that love was His immediate response. Literally the text reads: “And the Lord having seen her, was moved with compassion towards her, and said to her, `Be not weeping” (YLT). The Greek word is: σπλαγχνίζομαι splagchnizomai, from the root from splanxna, ‘the inward parts,’ especially the nobler entrails – the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys’ and so has the meaning: ‘to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (figuratively) feel sympathy, to pity:—have (be moved with) compassion.’ We could spend an eternity thinking about love but here are a few points to note:
[i] God is love:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. (John 3:16a).
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. (Ephesians 2:4).
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. (Revelation 1:5).
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1John 4:10).
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1John 3:16).
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13).
[ii] The kingdom of God exudes an atmosphere of love.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:13).
And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26).
… rooted and grounded in love. (Ephesians 3:27).
… being knit together in love. (Colossians 2:2).
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2Timothy 1:7).
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 14:23,24).
[iii] Without love we are nothing.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal … and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1Corinthians 13:1,2).
If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! (1Coritnians 16:22).
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1John 4:8).
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1John 2:15).
[iv] Love is active and works.
… your work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus. (1Thessalonians 1:3).
… your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name. (Hebrews 6:10).
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6).
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1John 3:18).
[v] Love described.
Love does no harm to a neighbour. (Romans 13:10).
Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” (1Corinthians 8:1).
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up. (1Corinthians 13:4).
Love never fails. (1Corinthians 13:8).
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” (1John 4:18).
This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. (2John 1:16).
… those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth. (2Thessalonians 2:10).
[vi] How we get and express this love.
Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. (2Thessalonians 3:5).
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. (1Thessalonians 3:12).
… the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5).
For the love of Christ compels us. (2Corinthians 5:14).
Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me. (Romans 15:30).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22).
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. (1John 2:5).
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (1John 4:12).
[vii] Exhortations to love.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment”. (Philippians 1:9).
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. (1Timothy 1:5).
… speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9).
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8).
Pursue love. (1Corinthians 14:1).
Let all that you do be done with love. (1Corinthians 16:4).
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us. (Ephesians 5:2).
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:14).
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. (1Peter 2:22).
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” (1Peter 4:8).
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1John 4:7).
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1John 4:11).
… keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 1:21).
[viii] The purpose of love.
… to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19).
[b] “said to her, “do not weep.””
When the Lord said “weep not” to this woman, He was thereby making a pledge to her (and all who believe) for He was saying this on the basis of what He was about to do. Imagine someone owed you a large sum of money and they said “fear not you will get it all back.” We would hope that such a statement was ground for certainty that we would not be out of pocket! But it would all depend upon the character of the person, their reliability, and their action to do so. Where Christ is concerned we have ample confidence for His character is wonderful indeed. No man on earth can say to those grieving ‘weep not’ for we have no power to do anything to allay their grief but Christ can. This statement by the Lord Jesus is a kind of prophecy for it indicates that He will indeed take away the occasion for weeping by His death on Calvary. This command to “weep not” not only speaks of the compassion of the Lord in raising her son, for it also points us to glory too. We should “weep not” because Christ has dealt with sin and death once for all.
This phrase “do not weep” also comes at the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:52), where it points to the hope of resurrection. It was on the lips of the Saviour as He approached the cross spoken to various women whose sympathy the Lord said was misplaced (Luke 23:28). It is a phrase spoken to John in his vision so that he would know that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” had power to “open the scroll” (Revelation 5:5). In all of these incidents we see Christ Jesus as ‘the drier of tears!’ Such a ministry of the Lord was prophesied in Isaiah (Isaiah 25:8; 65:18,19). It is also revealed for us in Revelation, first on account of the presence of the Lamb (Revelation 7:17) and second in connection with glory (Revelation 21:4).
[c] “came and touched the open coffin.”
The young man was not in a coffin as we might imagine it, but an open bier which is defined as: “a platform or frame used for carrying a corpse to its burial place.” The bier had two poles for carrying it , somewhat like a stretcher. The corpse was wrapped in folds of linen and lain on this bier and so to touch it meant that you could not avoid touching the dead person too. The Old Testament states explicitly that anyone who touches a dead body or a grave will be unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11,16). It is therefore no wonder that when the Lord touched the bier those carrying it stopped at once (“and those who carried him stood still” (Luke 7:14). They were surprised that Jesus touched it, for the Rabbis would have avoided such on account of being polluted, and they naturally stopped wondering what would happen next. Perhaps they had some measure of faith and were expecting the Lord to do something?
We know from other events that the Lord Jesus often touched people who needed healing. For example: the healing of a leper (Matthew 8:3), the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15), and the healing of two blind men (Matthew 9:29; 20:34). He also touched the three disciples who fell to the ground in fear on hearing God speak of His Son at the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17;7). There were other occasions too and all show His intimacy and deep concern! He is no distant God! But deeply involved with us. The incarnation speaks to this idea too. Christ was willing to leave heaven’s glory and come to this earth with all its sin and degradation. He came to His own and was made like them (excepting sin) and was in amongst the people, not distant and separate or aloof like the other religious leaders. In that He touched the dead, it also leads us to the thought that He was not afraid to taste death for us (Hebrews 2:9). The touch of Christ! It makes alive! We have no power over sin or death but Christ does. He calls us to be amongst the people, to be in amongst them, to rub shoulders with them, so that through us and by the move of the Spirit of God He can touch the people with a word, with healing, with assurance (John 13:35).
[d] “and he said, “young man, I say to you, arise.”
The Lord uttered a single word: “arise” and the man was brought back to life. One writer notes that there are different levels of faith in each of the three accounts of people being raised from the dead. Lazarus (and his two sisters as well) had faith. Jairus’ daughter had parents who believed. The widow of Nain’s son has no thought whatever of Christ here. Here in this instance we see the sovereign electing choice of God in bringing about life. It was not out of her faith that her son was raised, but all because the Lord had compassion when He saw her. The Lord is still speaking this word “arise,” but He is speaking to awaken souls from their slumber and death in trespasses and sins. There may well be people raised from physical death at the Lord’s command in places across the globe – we do not doubt that – but what is far more important surely is the spiritual resurrection to life eternal seen in people being born again of the Spirit. After all, Lazraus, the widow of Nain’s son, and the 12 year old daughter of Jairus all died again in a physical sense, but they were raised spiritually never to die again (if they had personal faith in Christ). Augustine, bishop of Hippo, has a beautiful comment on the 3 miracles where Christ raised the dead. All the Lord’s works of mercy have a spiritual significance and are:
… illustrations of Christ’s Divine power and love in raising the soul, dead in trespasses and sins, from every kind of spiritual death, whether the soul be dead, but not yet carried out, like the daughter of Jairus; or dead and carried out, but not buried, like the widow’s son; or dead, carried, and buried, like Lazarus. He who raised himself from the dead can raise all from the death of sin. Therefore let no one despair” (St. Augustine, ‘Sermon’ 98, quoted by Bishop Wordsworth).
[4] “God has visited His people.” [The fruit of His coming].
What was the outcome and result of this event? Well it is obvious that the widow and her son were surely praising God! When the son died, the widow was at her lowest ebb (speaking in human terms). But now there is life and there is reconciliation. Mother and son reunited when no hope of such may have been expected. What joy they must have experienced! But there are three other things which resulted from this public miracle which are worth our thoughts:
[a] Fear of God. Then fear came upon all,
The first real result of this miracle was fear of of God. Greater respect and reverence for God is always a sign of the work of God. The 17th century Baptist pastor John Gill comments:
Not a fear of dread, and terror, and of punishment, as in devils and wicked men; but a fear and reverence of the divine majesty, whose power and presence they were sensible must be there at that time
A new knowledge of God’s character, will, and perspective.
[b] Glory to God. and they glorified God, saying, ….
What do we mean by this term “glory”? Surely God is glorious and so His glory is infinite? How can we give “glory” to God? Obviously we cannot make God more glorified than He already is. He dwells in inapproachable and radiant light because He is God (1Timothy 6:16). Psalm 29 gives us a clue: “Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:1,2). We give glory to God when we worship Him in spirit and truth and when we give our all, our own ‘glory’ and strength, and all that is due Him in the arena of this earth and this present time.
Now the glory given to God here is by no means perfect. They said two things. First they said: “A great prophet has risen up among us” (Luke 7:16). It may be that they had in mind the Prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15. This maybe their conception that Jesus was the Messiah. Or it maybe that they thought He was a prophet coming like all the other prophets of old (Matthew 16:13,14). Second, they said: “God has visited His people” (Luke 7:16). This word “visited” is also used twice near the beginning and end of Zacharias’ prophecy (Luke 1:68,78). The key point about Zacharias’ prophecy is that the Messiah “the Dayspring from on high” has come to bring redemption, salvation, deliverance, light, the bestowal of mercy. The word signifies more than a mere meeting, but an inspection or a an encounter which bestows some form of care, blessing, or remonstrance. See, for example: Genesis 21:1,2; 39:5; Psalm 8:4; Acts 6:3; 7:23; 15:14; Hebrews 2:6; James 1:27. Here the word surely has the meaning that God has come to bring His blessing. This acknowledgement of God’s coming may not have been seen and expressed in its fullest sense – did any realise that God was actually there in Jesus Christ the very incarnate God? But it is clear that new knowledge is dawning on the people. Do you not see in your own life a gradual increase in appreciation and understanding of whom God is? Such growth in the knowledge of God is seen in the experience of the disciples, and it is something we should seek – to know God better – to know God deeper – to know Him more.
[c] Publish the word. And this report about Him went throughout
The news of this miracle was not kept to Nain. We are informed by Luke that “this report went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region” (Luke 7:17). The word “report” is actually the Greek word: λόγος logos, more frequently translated as ‘word.’ We see such a spread of the ‘word of the Lord’ or the good news about Christ in Acts (Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20). And isn’t this the case when the Lord visits His people with blessing and salvation? The two on the road to Emmaus are a wonder example of this (Luke 24:30-35). It is hard not to see the urgency and excitement in these two disciples record of what happened. The publishing and spreading of the good news of the Lord Jesus is not something we need to work up and direct! These two had the word burning in their hearts and they made haste to return to Jerusalem and tell the disciples! This is God’s work. Christ is the Head. He determined to meet with this widow at Nain. And He is hear among us now with His plan and purpose. What is required is true encounters with God making our hearts burn with joy! If we are moved by the compassion, the forgiveness, the mercy, and the life-bringing God so that our hearts burn with holy fire – full of the Holy Spirit – we will not be stopped from publishing the word! I know that we must plan and organise too – that is important. But we are to be utterly dependent upon the Lord. Let us have no truck with Egypt – with this world’s way of doing things. Let us ensure that it is out of our devotion to Christ, to God, that we are animated and motivated to declare the great, goodness, glory, and graciousness of the Lord.
May 11th 2025: John Williams
Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10. Focus for sermon: Ephesians 2:1-4.
Introduction.
Ephesians 1:3-14 forms one long sentence in the original Greek. In it we find precious truths. It points to God the Father who calls us, to the Son of God through whom redemption is accomplished, and to the Holy Spirit who applies the work of salvation to the believer in sealing them. The work of salvation is at the heart of Paul’s letter, but Paul also prays for the Ephesian believers for he is desirous that having come to know God, they might know Him better (Ephesians 1:16f).
Now it is as though Paul has opened a box of jewels or a chest of treasure. Ephesians chapter 1 is full of glorious truths which are the very gems of salvation. But in the second chapter of Ephesians we are invited to see the backdrop from which these precious jewels ought to be appreciated. As an illustration, imagine you see a beautiful piece of jewellery in a jewellers shop window, and then go inside to have a closer look at it. The first thing the shop keeper does is to bring out a black cloth and lay it on the counter. Then they take the item of jewellery and place it on the black cloth. They may then shine a light onto it. Why do they do this? Well the black cloth sets the backdrop so that we can see the jewel in all its glory and splendour. In the same way Paul is laying a black cloth on the counter here in Ephesians 2 so that we can view the splendour and glory of all that Christ has done in sharp relief. Paul is not using any salesmanship or sales techniques here. If you view those shopping channels they often highlight some item in different ways and make you feel that you would be getting the bargain of the century by buying it, even though it is probably only worth a tenth of the price they want! Paul is not doing anything like this in his letter. What we have is the word of God wonderfully provided to show us the truth.
Salvation, and all the fruits of what Christ has done, cannot be purchased, neither can it be earned. It is entirely a gift of God’s grace. Ephesians 2:1-4 gives us the background to the salvation God freely offers. This passage shows us the condition of all mankind without God’s grace. It displays the truth about humanity. In recent days many in the country have been celebrating the 80th anniversary of VE day (victory in Europe). But if you read only about the celebrations that were had on that May day in 1945 you would not fully grasp why the people were celebrating. What you have to do is look back further and see what was going on between 1939 and 1945 that led up to those celebrations. You would have to grasp the great danger and horrors of the war to make sense of the celebrations enjoyed on VE day. Half way through the war when victory in North Africa was achieved at El Alamein, Winston Churchill (who had a way with words) said: “this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning.” So to appreciate the celebrations on VE day properly, you must have some knowledge of what people went through in those war years 1939-1945.
Ephesians 2:1-4 tells us about three enemies that all mankind has. These are enemies of the soul. We are not talking about a war in the physical realm only as was experienced 80 years ago, but a battle for the soul. We have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Where do we find evidence of these three enemies in Scripture? Well to a large extent Ephesians 2:1-4 provides at least one example. So we are going to put out the ‘black cloth’ so-to-speak by looking at these three enemies, so that we will have a better appreciation of the wonders of God’s salvation. Believers face a world which is against them, a devil who encircles them, and an enemy from within all set on bringing destruction. We are going to consider these three enemies in turn:
[1] A fallen world:
“the course of this world … among whom also we all once conducted ourselves” (v2,3)
[2] A fallen angel:
“the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (v2).
[3] A fallen nature:
“in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (v3).
A note on translation.
The older versions (NKJV and KJV) bring the subject and verb into verse 1 from further down in the passage, so that Ephesians 2:1 reads like this: “And you He made alive, who were dead …” The words in italics have been added in by translators. In the Greek all we have to start with in verse 1 of Ephesians 2 is the object “and you,” followed by a statement about condition “who were dead …” so that the actual text reads like this: “And you who were dead …” This has the effect of making the situation of mankind’s condition very plain and stark.
Man is dead!
Now if you were to talk to a non-believer about the gospel today you often find that they reject it all as being, ‘out of date,’ ‘old fashioned,’ ‘not fitting their requirements,’ and as ‘irrelevant.’ They give the impression that in their opinion, having considered all the evidence of the gospel, their conclusion is that it is not for them. But what Paul declares in Ephesians 2:1 is that all of mankind is “dead.” That is, man is spiritually dead, or dead to God. This means that it is actually impossible for an unbeliever to make any assessment of the gospel, because they are “dead!” They do not have the capability to make any judgement about the gospel at all. It is not that mankind is ill or has caught a disease and that by taking some gospel medicine or an injection of gospel truths they can be made well again. Mankind is physically alive (and often times thriving physically), but he is dead to God and so spiritually dead.
Trespasses and sins.
The NIV has “transgressions and sins.” These two words have different meanings showing differing ideas about mankind’s lost condition. The word “transgressions” means ‘stepping over the line,’ whilst the word “sins” means ‘missing the mark,’ or ‘falling short of what God requires.’ As human beings we commit sins of commission as well as sins of omission. We overstep the mark and do things we ought not to do (“transgressions”) and we fail to do what we ought to do (“sins”).
Man-made remedy?
Let me ask you a rhetorical question: What can a dead man do to make themselves better? If we think we are unwell or sick then we resort to taking some form of medicine or injection to fight the illness and allow time for recovery. The unbeliever has this idea that he may simply administer some gospel medicine or inject some gospel truths and all will be well. But this is not the biblical teaching. The only way a dead person can be made better is by miracle! Ephesians 2:1 cuts across this idea that an unbeliever can do anything to make their condition better. It is impossible for anyone to do anything about this because they are dead.
Let us look at mankind’s three enemies
[1] A fallen world.
We live in a fallen environment. All society (in every age and on every continent) is generally organised without reference to God. There are occasions or places where the influence of God and His word may be felt (especially in times of revival), but these are not the norm. In the UK at this time society has lost much of the influence of the gospel that came through the reformation and a series of revivals, and it is becoming more and more antagonistic to God. Societies are always antagonistic to God because of mankind’s deadness and lost state in their sin. People in our culture feel that they are ‘free’ to do as they wish, ‘free’ from the constraints of morality and religion. Just as in the days of the Judges we find that where there is no (spiritual) king, everyone does what they think to be right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25).
Social science speaks of the need to conform to the prevailing culture. Where the influence of God is low, other cultural traits take over and these are often sinful or anti-God. To be part of a group you need to adapt. Modern society is governed by technology such as ‘smart phones’ and the like. This drives much of modern youth culture. A system of acceptable ‘truths’ permeates the social media. To be accepted you must agree to the consensus. If you work in an office, or study in an educational institution, there are ‘rules’ and ‘principles’ to which everyone must adhere. It is a truism that every generation thinks that they are superior or that they have got things right. People of today look back at the 1930s or even the 1970s and say ‘we would never do what was done in those days.’ Each generation thinks that it is more knowledgable and superior to past eras. I think we will not see the effect of the ‘smart phone’ culture and its social media has had on our youth for another fifty years.
[2] A fallen angel.
In Luke 10:18 we hear the Lord Jesus saying these words: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” It is not easy to unpick exactly what the Lord meant here, but at least we can say that the devil as a created being has fallen and is now subject to judgement. In Luke 4 we read of Christ’s temptation. Our Saviour succeeded where Adam and Eve failed in the garden of Eden. Christ overcame the temptations of Satan! The devil as a created being is not omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. He does not know everything, he cannot be everywhere and he has limited power. But the devil is “the prince of the power of the air,” he is “the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,” and people in the world are “by nature children of wrath.” These statements do not indicate that all unbelievers are possessed of the devil, (although some obviously are), but their actions and inclinations are managed and directed by the enemy of souls. People have an inclination to transgress and to sin, and the devil encourages such rebellion. I have never had to read a book which informs me about disobedience. I have had to read many books on how to do other things, but never one teaching me how to disobey. We are by nature sinners. The enemy of souls told Eve “you will not surely die” in flat contradiction to the word of God (see Genesis 2:17; 3:4). When Adam and Eve sinned they did not die physically straight away, but they did die spiritually the very moment they transgressed and sinned.
[3] A fallen nature.
Note that Paul includes himself in his description of our fallen nature. He writes “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh” (verse 3). All of us have this fallen sinful nature. It does not matter whether you are Jew or Gentile, male or female, intelligent or stupid, all posses a sinful fallen human nature. The term “flesh” in the KJV does not mean the body of flesh, but the sinful nature. In many youth camps one way of teaching about this sinful nature is to use the word “sin” and to point out that if you take the first and last letter away you are left with “I,” showing that “I” is the centre of sin. Selfishness is the great problem. People mistakenly believe that doing their own thing or doing what their heart leads them to is the best way. But this is selfishness. And a selfish life is one entangled, enslaved, and in bondage to sin. It is not possible to satisfy self in this world. Both sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit are all sins. Some argue that they may not indulge in sins of the flesh, and assume they are alright. But then they will most certainly be guilty of sins of the spirit, such as hatred, lust, rage,discord and so on.
Many family troubles stem from these sins of the spirit. Inner rage, personal ambition, jealousy or envy. All of these, fuelled by the self, lead to discord, disharmony, and factions. But the disagreeable atmospheres such selfishness generates is not confined to family life. It is also evident in schools, businesses, institutions, and even parliament and in governments too. This is ultimately where wars originate (James 4:1f).Some think that humankind are born neutral. This is untrue. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No amount of education or indoctrination will change a person from dead in sin to something better. If you educate a sinner all you get is an educated sinner. The only thing which will make any difference is an intervention from God. Only a miracle will do.
The miracle of regeneration.
Looking at these three enemies the situation seems utterly hopeless. It seemed hopeless at the Battle of Britain. How was Britain to survive? But when a person becomes aware of their true state of rebellion, this indicates that the Holy Spirit has been operating in their lives. It is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit moves upon a person and makes them see their fallen state, the wickedness of the world, and the devilishness of Satan. Regeneration is the planting of a new seed of life within. The black cloth is laid out, but the jewels of salvation have not yet been brought out to view. A person comes to recognise that they are dead to God, and do not know Him. They are rebels. They are sinners and transgressors. All of this is the work of the Holy Spirit’s conviction. And then in Ephesians 2:4 we read these incredible words: “but God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive …” This incredible ‘but’ signals that the jewels of God’s grace are about to be viewed!
I wonder if, like me, you rue some of those old photographs taken of you in your youth? You look back in anguish. What was I thinking wearing that? Why did I ever think that such a hairstyle or clothing was so important? Looking back at what we valued, what we thought so important, is embarrassing. But now we are regenerated because God has intervened! We were heading for calamity and damnation, “but God” came in and changed everything! He has “made us alive”! I wonder: have you had a “but God” experience? The only answer to our condition and which will thwart the three enemies mankind faces is Christ!
May 4th 2025: Sam Pritchard
Colossians 1:15-20.
Jesus is king now, tomorrow, and forever more! I want to think about one element from this passage and ask the question: what makes a healthy church? We are not speaking of physical things – getting over illnesses or being fit etc. – for a church which is physically healthy may be spiritually very unhealthy. A church which has lots of activity and ministry, which has many young and lots of folk in its walls may hide many inner problems.
The church must be Jesus-centred. He must be the centre not just of the church but of each individual member of the church too. We are to never stop delighting in Christ Jesus, and we are to never stop rejoicing in Him! Coming to church fellowship should never be a drudge or a dread. And it would not be if Christ is the centre. Some scholars suggest that Colossians 1:15-20 is a poem or hymn used by the early church. But it contains much deep truth.
[1] Broadcast.
God is BIG! God is before everything, before creation, before time. God is. No one else can say that! He will always be the eternal Lord. He is radiant, wholly pure, and holly. None are like Him. Whom can compare to Him? Who is like unto Him? None! He is beyond understanding. He is unfathomable. He is higher than our comprehension.
In verse 15 we read, speaking of Christ, that “He is the image of the invisible God.” In this statement we learn about God being invisible, but this does not simply mean that we cannot see Him. It is much deeper. It is not like the wind which we cannot see but discern its effects. We can (to a degree) explain the wind. The word ‘invisible’ suggests that God is beyond, and that he is not understandable. He is far away from us so that we cannot know Him. We cannot see Him, fathom Him, or imagine what God is really like. He is unknowable. He is so far above us and we are so earth-bound. God is ‘other.’ He is unique, He is uncreated and we are bound by creation. He has unimaginable power. God is invisible, unknowable. But in verse 15 we are taught that the Lord Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” So God can be known in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can we know he unknowable God, the invisible God? We can know Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. What a marvel! And what grace!
I wonder if you have ever looked in the mirror and have been surprised to see your mother or your father in the reflection? We bear likeness to our parents of course. It is a strange experience that you suddenly see not yourself so much as your mum or dad! Is this what Paul is saying here? No! It is not just that the Lord Jesus is somewhat, or a little, like God. He is not just similar. Jesus is God. He is not just similar to the Father, for He is God. There are other Greek words which could be used to indicate the idea of similarity. But the word used here does not indicate mere similarity. The word actually suggests that the Lord Jesus is the ‘very stamp of God.’ The Lord Jesus reveals to us the very likeness of God and there are two thoughts concerning this likeness. First we have the idea of image. He is the very image of God and so is identical to God. Second it speaks of manifestation. Christ Jesus fully and completely reveals or manifests whom God is. Later in Colossians Paul writes: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is the same essence as the Father and therefore can reveal to us the Father. The Father sent the Son to make God known (John 1:18). Why make Jesus the centre of the church and of life? It is because only through Him can we ‘see’ the invisible God. Remarkably, as creatures of dust, we can have a relationship with God.
God is invisible, far from us, way above us, and nothing like us. But Christ Jesus reveals the Father and we can know God through Him! My title for this first point, ‘broadcast’ was chosen because this news or message that Jesus Christ reveals God must be broadcast far and wide. In John 14 we read about Philip asking the Lord to show the Father (John 14:8). The Lord replied by saying:
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9).
But herein lies a great problem. Jesus lived two thousand years ago and we have not seen Him. What hope then is there for us today two thousand years later, for we have not seen Jesus? Well let me encourage you dear friend! You have not seen Jesus physically, but if you are a believer you have seen Him really and truly by faith. You believe that this Jesus came, suffered, died, rose again, ascended, and has opened your eyes. You have seen more of Jesus than those of Jesus’ day. The Pharisees saw Him physically but they did not see Him truly.
At the end of verse 15 we learn that Christ Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.” Christ Jesus created and made everything. Jesus was never created. But this phrase actually implies status not origin. He is before all created things. Jesus is supremely, uniquely, different from all of creation, for He has come from the Father.
[2] Body.
The second reason to keep Jesus Christ as centre, is that we are His body. In verse 18 we read that “He is the head of the body, the church.” Jesus Christ is the Head of the body, the church, because the church belongs to Him. He is the ruler, the source, and the authority. I have one ‘bugbear’ to confess! I do not like seeing churches with notice boards declaring the name “St. Mark’s Church,” or “St. John’s Church.” This is not good. Mark and John, whomever they may be, are long since dead! We are the church of Jesus Christ. It is not the church of a man (be he Mark or John) but the church of the Man who is God, the One who died and is now risen. The church must not be built on tradition, nor on the heritage of any singular person, but on Christ. If our church is named or centred on anything else then in truth we are not a church. Christ alone has authority. He died for sins and no other has or could ever do so, He reveals the Father and none else has done so. Is Christ my Captain, your Head, your King?
Churches make many decisions. Leaders have much business to deal with. Church meetings are not the place to express personal opinions or to show off what we may know. In our meetings we ought to discern what the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to know and do. We want to know the mind of Christ. He rules the church! John Owen (seventeenth century congregational minister) made the point that it is the duty of the church and of individual believers to inquire diligently into the mind of Christ with a humility and eagerness ready to obey what he reveals. Someone once said:
Anything without a head is dead, and anything with two heads is a monster.
If Christ is not head of the church, then the church is dead. Christ alone must be the Head. We often hear people say in tricky situations: ‘don’t lose your head’ meaning ‘don’t panic.’ But I say: ‘don’t lose Christ your Head.’ Herman Bavinck, (Dutch reformed theologian) spoke about the church not existing and thriving by dint of our strength and ingenuity, rather she is the body of Christ and without Christ as the Head she is dead, with no life, no authority, and no truth.
[3] Beginning.
In verse 16 we learn that Christ Jesus is truly the Creator of all things. In John 1 we learn also that Christ made all things and that “without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). But this term “the beginning” which comes in verse 18 does not speak about creation. I believe the idea is that Christ Jesus is ‘the beginning of the church,’ and this on account of the fact that He might have the pre-eminence. In verse 18 we also read that Christ Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead.” But, lots of people prior to this time were raised from the dead. Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the widow of Nain’s son and many others. So we have an apparent problem here. How can the Lord Jesus be called “the firstborn from the dead”? Well we need to remember that Lazarus (and all the others who were raised) died physically, was then raised to life, but then died again. But the Lord Jesus was raised to new life and never died. His resurrection is very different to that of the others for three reasons:
[i] In all cases of resurrection of people prior to Christ’s the person raised died again. Christ rose and lives forever.
[ii] Christ was raised in a resurrection body – the first in the new creation. Everyone else was raised back into their fallen body.
[iii] Christ’s resurrection is the only one that brings in life for others. Lazarus’ resurrection was good for him and his sisters but for no one else. Christ’s resurrection brings life to all.
Christ’s resurrection not only demonstrated the complete success of His work on Calvary, but ushered in the new creation. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the hinge of the door upon which all salvation turns. And therefore we can rise with Christ! Since He is alive in resurrection life we have life forever more. Therefore, He is the beginning of the new creation. Now when Christ arose so too do we! Christ is the beginning of His church of the new creation.
[4] Blood.
There is one very key and vital aspect to this passage of Scripture. We must ask why is Jesus so important for the church? And the answer is because of Christ’s victory which has come from His shed blood on Calvary. In verse 20 we read that Christ “made peace through the blood of His cross.” I do not deserve God. Jesus took what I did deserve upon Himself, namely, the wrath of God and the punishment due for sins. I go free! I am forgiven! When God looks at me He sees the blood of Jesus not my sins. The blood of Jesus Christ purchased the church. The church is made up of all those people that Jesus Christ has won, has saved, has redeemed by His blood shed on Calvary. The blood of Christ brings peace between me and God. We will never know what the wrath of God feels like because God punished Christ in our place. C. H. Spurgeon answers the question of why a church must be centred in Jesus Christ by saying that no church exists except that which is washed in the blood of Christ. The church are a blood bought people and we owe all to Him.
April 27th 2025: Rhodri Brady
April 27th 2025: Rhodri Brady
Matthew 28:1-10.
The focus for our thoughts today comes in verse 8:
“So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.”
The women hurried from the tomb with fear, but also with great joy! The Bible does not present us with false or two-dimensional characters. The Lord shows forth people in all their complexities of character. We have in verse 8 two features which all humans express and which are sometimes set in opposition. The women were afraid, but they also displayed great joy too. The fear they had was only part of what they expressed, for the joy formed the greater part of their emotional experience.
It is a truism to say that everyone fears. Fear is part of the fallen nature, and part of this fallen world. But what do we do with our fear? Fear is a reality. The Bible does not skate over this aspect of human experience. But it does address this and demonstrates how we should act when afraid. The key point in this event is, of course, the resurrection. How did the resurrection affect and energise these women? Surely the news from the angel caused their joy! How then does the resurrection affect us? These women were left scarred by the arrest, the crucifixion, and the death of the Saviour, but now they were joyful and yet with fear. Our text therefore has these two themes: fear and joy, so let us consider each characteristic in turn.
Fear.
The resurrection left these women fearful and yet joyful, so let us start by considering their fear. Jesus truly died. He was wrapped in a linen cloth and placed into a newly hewn out tomb. A huge stone was rolled over the entrance to block the way. Nothing happened on the Saturday following Christ being placed in the tomb, but then on the first day of the week there was an earthquake which was not natural, but supernatural. An angel came and rolled back the stone and sat on top of it. The angel’s appearance was “like lightning” and his raiment was “as white as snow” and as a result of this “the guards shook for for fear of him, and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:3,4). The angel then spoke to the women telling them not to be afraid, declaring that Jesus was now risen from the dead, and instructing them to inform the other disciples of this glorious truth (Matthew 28:5-7). From these details recorded in Matthew 28:1-10 we can see a great contrast. Whilst the guards: “shook for fear of him, and became like dead men,” the women, by contrast, “went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word” (Matthew 28:4,8). The guards only had fear, but the women had fear and yet “great joy” too.
We must acknowledge the presence of fear. Both the guards and the women had fear. We are not talking about ‘holy fear’ here but the type of fear which all humans experience as a result of sin and the fall of this world. Matthew uses the same Greek word for fear in speaking of the guards and the women here. We see this type of fear expressed by the Israelites when the Lord came down on the mountain of Sinai in Exodus 20. God is awesome. No doubt His angels are fearful too. We learn this from a number of appearances of angels in the Old Testament. Now when the Lord descended on mount Sinai the people were afraid and distanced themselves from the Lord. But Moses went up into the mountain and into the cloud. What do we do when we are afraid? Do we run away from God and seek to dispel the fear by distractions? Or do we embrace the Lord even though we are fearful?
In the New Testament, the priest Zacharias was sceptical when he met with Gabriel who announced that Elizabeth would have a son, but Mary accepted the word brought to her by the same angel. Both were, no doubt, afraid, but Zacharias withdrew and Mary embraced that which was spoken to her. In another event we read that Jesus drove out many demons from the man who dwelt among tombs in the region of the Gadarenes, but those who witnessed this amazing event were afraid and asked the Lord to depart from their place (Mark 5:15,17). Fear causes many to withdraw and retreat or to push the Lord away. Some are anxious about coming into a place of Christian worship. Their fear keeps them away. Often, in their fear, people look to sources of comfort other than the Lord, but this is a grave mistake. Some look to drink to quash their fears. But turning to drink leads us ultimately away from the Lord. Others turn to food as a comfort or to exercise, or to work, or to cleaning the house, or even to entertainments. All of these things are distractions to blot out or push away the fear we have. All of these things are fine in and of themselves, but are terrible as means to deal with fear.
Note that the guards were so afraid that they “became like dead men.” This statement does not just mean that they became immobile and fell to the ground, it suggests their spiritual state too. In our estrangement from God, the apostle Paul describes unbelievers as “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1,5), and the posture of these guards intimate the state of their hearts. What do we do with our fear and in our fear? We ought to run as fast as we can to the Lord!
Great joy.
The resurrection left these women fearful and yet joyful, so let us now consider their great joy. The word in Greek is ‘mega’ and the idea is that their joy exceeded their fear. They had ‘mega’ joy! These women would have heard the Lord Jesus preach on many occasions and their hearts would have been greatly warmed. For instance, in the sermon on the mount the Lord said that the ‘poor in spirit’ would be blessed and such would be possessors of the kingdom (Matthew 5:3). These women were probably very ‘poor in spirit’ and so would have been encouraged by such words. Perhaps, also, they would have heard from Peter the events surrounding the great storm on the sea of Galilee. The Lord was asleep in the boat and the storm that arose was fearful and not a natural one. They may have heard Peter tell about his fears in such a perilous situation, and yet Jesus was asleep! And then Peter would have related that this ‘Man’ Jesus spoke to the ‘weather’ and the ‘weather’ obeyed His command. Such, surely, would have elicited much joy among these women? And yet this incredible Man, their Saviour, died!
The disciples all accepted that Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Moses concerning the coming prophet, but they had ignored or neglected the prophecies of the Messiah’s death (Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53). They wanted a victorious warrior king, and what kind of king wins by dying? And yet these women now had “great joy” because they had heard that Jesus was now alive.
Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit and so is something all Christians must experience. We ought to be possessors of this “great joy,” but we must also recognise that we cannot manufacture this out of thin air. We are utterly dependent upon God who is our joy and our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If we are lacking in joy the only answer is to seek the Lord in His word. The truths of God invading the heart lead to great joy! He is alive! He who did miracles, taught wonders, and who died, is alive forever more and reigns in heaven! He has reserved a place for us if we believe and He is coming again! Let your joy be full in the Lord.
April 20th 2025: Easter Sunday – Gaius Douglas
1 Corinthians 15: 1-4.
The gospel in a nutshell: “Christ died for our sins” must be the declaration of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who does not believe this and the facts recorded in our text cannot be called a ‘Christian.’
[1] He died.
At the cross there were four people standing there. These were: Jesus’ mother Mary, Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25). As they stood there and watched what was going on, Mary the mother of Jesus might have cast her mind back to what Simeon said in the temple when Jesus was presented at eight days old for circumcision: “a sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35). Imagine her feelings at this time. Later on the risen Christ would join two disciples on the road home to Emmaus as recorded in Luke 24. One of these was named “Cleopas” and this was probably the husband of the Mary who is referred to as “the wife of Clopas” in John 19:25.
So we have these two disciples trudging the seven miles home from Jerusalem. They were discussing all that had happened and were trying to ‘work it all out,’ with their reason. At this point the risen Christ (unbeknown to them) came alongside them. In the course of their conversation with the Lord He “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Then after He went to their house for a meal and He revealed Himself in the breaking of bread, we read that “their eyes were opened and they knew Him” (Luke 24:30,31). Jesus then vanished from sight but even though they had travelled the seven miles home, nevertheless we read that “they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem” (Luke 24:33).
It seems clear that being with the risen Christ empowered them to rise up and head straight back to Jerusalem! They had an energy from having their eyes opened and have recognised that Jesus was risen. Christ died for sins. They felt forlorn at His death but now they are excited with strength renewed like the eagles. Paul was led by the Spirit of God to write these words in 1Corinthians 15:1-4. Christ is central to Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. He is the author and finisher of our faith, the altogether lovely one, the alpha and omega, the resurrection and the life. Is He your Saviour? Is He your beloved One?
Christ died for our sins. He willingly sacrificed Himself. He laid down His life for us. No one took the Lord’s life from Him, for He laid it down of His own will (John 10:18). The Lord Jesus came to do the Father’s will. He came not to do His own will but the will of the Father. He willingly went to Calvary and He willingly paid for sins. John 3:16 teaches us that the Father sent the Son so that whosoever believes will never perish.
Christ was buried. He had literally died and He was placed in a tomb as a corpse. All our sins were taken by Him and paid for, and so our sins have been buried too. But death had no power of the Lord Jesus! So on the third day He rose again having fully satisfied all that the Father gave Him to do. In Romans 6:23 we learn that the wages of sin is death and that the free gift of God is eternal life. The Lord Jesus bore our guilt and the penalty of our sins. He paid the debt He did not owe, and He bore my sins on the tree. Now, since He paid in full, sin and death no longer has any grip over Him. So He lives! I am alive eternally because of Him (if I believe truly). The Lord Jesus shared our likeness for the purpose of destroying him who had the power of death (the devil) (Hebrews 2:14). The devil is the enemy of souls. He hates us. He was determined to bring us down to hell. But the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for sins and in the process destroyed the one who had power over death. Death is therefore no more to be feared. The Lord defeated sin, He conquered the devil, and He has overcome the world.
Paul writes a bit later in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ is not risen, then faith is of no account and we are still in our sins. But the facts of the matter are clear. Christ did die for sins. He was buried. He did rise. So our faith is true. We believe in Christ for salvation. We believe His death was sufficient to pay for sins. We believe that He was raised from the dead for our justification. These are sure and certain truths. Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and one day He will return to receive His people into glory.
[2] The vital importance of Scripture.
The Spirit of God stresses here the importance of Scripture. We are told that Christ died for our sins “according to the Scriptures” (1Crinthians 15:3). And we are also told that His burial and resurrection on the third day was “according to the Scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:4). The Scriptures are vital. What Scriptures is Paul speaking of here? It was the Old Testament for much of the New Testament was still to be written. Psalm 22 which records much prophecy of Christ’s work on Calvary was written about a thousand years before His death. In Psalm 16:10 we read a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Seven hundred years before the first advent of Christ Isaiah records another detailed prophecy of the Lord’s work on Calvary in Isaiah 53.
We cannot do anything except through Scripture. We must do all “according to the Scriptures.” The word of God is truth. The Scriptures tell us all about Christ. The Scriptures are the very word of God to us. Peter’s first sermon makes use of important Scriptures. Paul quotes the Scriptures in his letters. When Jesus met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus He pointed to the Scriptures. It is not ideology, nor opinion, nor what man has made up. The Scriptures are that which we have “received.” They are not man-made but detail the very words of God.
[3] The importance of the resurrection.
Why is the resurrection so central? Well we have noted already that if Christ is not risen then faith is of no value and we are still in our sins. Without the resurrection we have no good news, no gospel. Christ Jesus is alive! But all other gods, and all other ‘pretenders to truth’ are dead. But what of all those who have died? If Christ is not risen then these have died in vain. If we have a hope only in this life we are of all people to be pitied.
The night before He died, the Lord Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid. He said they were not to be troubled for the Father’s house has many mansions or rooms (John 14:3). He then said that he was going to prepare a place for His disciples and that he would return or come again so that His disciples could be with Him. Because He paid for sins in full, and because He is faithful, the resurrection guarantees the fulfilment of His promises. What about all those who have ‘fallen asleep’? I once knew a pastor who purchased an area in a cemetery for all his congregation so that when the Lord returned they could rise all together!
In 1 Corinthians 15:42 we read that the “body is sown in corruption” and that “it is raised in incorruption.” The Lord said the night before He died: “because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). In 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 we learn that the dead in Christ will rise first when the Lord returns and that living believers will be caught up in the air to be with the Lord forever. The resurrection proves who Christ is and that he has power to save. The resurrection is a guarantee that the bodies of believers will be raised anew. We will have new resurrected bodies when Christ returns. Christ described Himself as “the resurrection and the life” to Martha Lazarus’ sister (John 11:25). Was He late in coming to Lazarus? Never! He is the resurrection and He is the life.
April 18th 2025 – Good Friday: John Scanlon
Mark 15:20-37.
There are seven distinct sayings of the Lord Jesus upon the cross of Calvary.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
“Woman, behold your son!” … “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26,27).
“
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).
“I thirst!” (John 19:28).
“It is finished!” (John 19:30).
“Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” (Luke 23:46).
These sayings are the heart-wrenching words of our Saviour as He was dying upon the cross and bearing our sins. The four gospels record extensive details and proofs of what the Lord went through both in His ministry and in His death and resurrection. The resurrection was proof of the success of what Christ achieved on Calvary. These various sayings also give us more detail about the type of character we have in Jesus Christ. He demonstrated incredible compassion when He asked the Father to forgive His persecutors. He showed immense patience and love for the thief who repented at the last moment of his life. He was keen to show love for His mother and made provision for her by giving her to John’s care. His cry of dereliction leads to our understanding of what was truly going on in His death. When He cried “it is finished” we learn that He had done all that the Father sent Him to do. And then just before He breathed His last breath we learn that He was always in command, even over His very death.
From around 9 AM in the morning until 12 PM the first three sayings of our Lord were uttered. Then from 12 PM to 3 PM in the afternoon there was great darkness, and at the end of this time we hear the Lord cry out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” The darkness was no eclipse nor any natural event. It was supernatural. The time of Passover was at the time of a full moon so there was no way that the darkness was caused by an eclipse. One minute the crowds and the authorities were mocking the dying Saviour, and the next it was deep darkness. There was also surely a quietness as a result of this darkness, so that the only sound to be heard was the cry of those on the cross. We are reminded of the ninth plague in Egypt when all of Egypt was in such a darkness that people could not see their hands in front of their face, a darkness that was restricted to Egypt and was not experienced by the Israelites. This was a supernatural darkness too, and it signalled judgment. Here too as Jesus Christ was dying, the darkness surely signals judgement. At the time, nobody knew how long this darkness would last. The darkness experienced then was also greatly symbolic, given to impress upon us this truth that Christ Jesus was under the judgment of God.
God is light and in Him there is no darkness (1John 1:5). God is utterly pure! Sin is often referred to in Scripture as ‘darkness.’ People (fallen sinful people) prefer darkness to light because they prefer sin. We know that generally speaking thieves operate at night under the cover of darkness. The revelry of people is a night-time affair. Vice and wickedness are done during the dark hours when light is rare. So darkness signifies the time and occasions of sin. Now on the cross Jesus no longer enjoyed the light of God the Father. In Scripture hell is pictured as a place of eternal fire, but it is also described as a place of “outer darkness,” or extreme darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Now it is in this deep darkness that we hear the Saviour cry out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” This was a terrible darkness. In Gethsemane the Lord Jesus was troubled greatly and sweat drops of blood. But here on the cross He cries out in deepest agony as the divine judgement fell fully upon Him.
Some people ask this question: was Jesus Christ really forsaken by God? How could a Father forsake His Son? Now Psalm 22 clearly prophesies the very details of Christ’s crucifixion. There is no doubt at all that Jesus uses the words of Psalm 22:1 as He cried out in agony. Some thought that He was calling for the help of Elijah but these words of Psalm 22:1 show clearly that Jesus Christ was truly forsaken by God. Still some question this. How can such a thing be? We know that Jesus was forsaken by men. He was forsaken by the Jews who called for His death. He was forsaken by Judas Iscariot the traitor. He was even forsaken by His own disciples when they ran away at His arrest. He even predicted this during the teaching He gave before He died (John 16:32). All through these experiences of being forsaken the Lord Jesus knew the presence of His Father. Twice we hear the Lord Jesus say “I am not alone” and that He was “with” the Father (John 8:16; 16:32). But forsaken of God on Calvary? Surely not! Some say. Well, He was forsaken of God. That is what these words “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” really mean! But if you are unsure then consider this. In the first saying the Lord prays “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and in the last He prays “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” In the second, third, fifth and sixth sayings He addresses others or makes statements. But in the central saying (the fourth) He does not speak of His Father but cries out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Does this fact not demonstrate that He was forsaken by the Father? Christ Jesus was always with His Father and His Father was always with Him, but during these hours of darkness on the cross He was forsaken by the Father. In the holy Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit are bound in a perfect harmony, but amazingly on the cross we have the great mystery that God is forsaken of God!
Why was our Lord forsaken by His Father? The only answer can be found (for example) in Psalm 22:3. The Lord is holy and cannot look upon sin. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us this: “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” But Christ who was spotless and pure and “knew no sin” was made “sin for us” (2Corinthians 5:21). He “bore our sins in His own body” (1Peter 2:24), and He “became a curse for us” by being nailed to the tree (Galatians 3:13). All our sin was laid on the spotless Saviour and He bore it all away. That is why he cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Christ Jesus did not die as a martyr for a cause. Neither did He die as an example for others to follow. He died as our substitute. He died in our place. And all of this was prophesied 700 years before this time:
4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4,5).
At that moment when there was no light and all was dark because God could not look upon the sin, Christ was bearing our sin and enduring the wrath of God. But then there came a point at which our Saviour could cry out: “it is finished!” This signifies the point at which our Lord had paid the price for sin in full. He bore the wrath of God fully and no more need be done. Christ Jesus did what no one else could do or could have done.
There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin,
He only could unlock the gate
Of heav’n and let us in.
Never speak of what you have done. Only speak of what the Saviour has done for you!
April 14th 2025: Andrew Bowden
Luke 19: 29-44
“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” Luke 19:28.
There is an account of Palm Sunday in each of the gospels. The setting is the approach of the greatest festival in Jerusalem, Passover. It remembers the time when God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, when a lamb was slain, when firstborn were sheltered and the blood and were spared. It prefigures the great Paschal Lamb, Jesus. Before the foundation of the world God had a plan. We see here the working out in the fallen world, ravaged with sin, where God is about to establish His greatest masterpiece from eternity past – a mighty awesome event.
Our Lord is coming to His hour, His time. Our Lord here is coming to Jerusalem. It is a moving scene. The crowds, having witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, are euphoric. They extol Jesus as the king. It is out of keeping with the Lord’s ministry. Our Lord always suppressed any hint of euphoria. Alongside Psalm 24 there is an intimation of a coming glory, like on the mount of transfiguration. It is an awesome event.
- The fulfilment of scripture.
Earlier, in chapter 18 verse 31, going up to Jerusalem is all the outworking of what was recorded in holy scripture centuries before. There are predictions concerning His birth, His manner of life, the nature of His ministry, His suffering, death, Resurrection, and His ascension into glory. It is a book of marvels, come down from heaven. Think of the various typography, of Joseph and others, looking forward to Christ to come. It sets forth the wonder of the coming Jesus. God’s covenant love and mercy.
Jesus, when He refers to prophecies, say they testify to Him. For Jesus is the central figure of holy scripture, of the Trinity, the cross, the gospel message. They are all wrapped up in Jesus.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
(Zechariah 9:9).
See all the incredible details, detail fulfilled in this event. God verifies His word.
Scripture has always been under attack. In Genesis we have the word of God under attack by Satan. When we come to holy scripture, we ought to revere it. All the truths and glories of the visible Christ need to be fleshed out, in and through us, as it was with Jesus. We cannot appreciate Him, we cannot love Him unless we are steeped in God’s word. We need to be enraptured in Christ. We need to see afresh Jesus. We need to absorb God’s word. The Bereans searched the scriptures daily, to see for themselves the wonder of these things.
- The excitement of the crowd.
Our Lord arrived at Bethany and the crowds converged and extol our Lord, His kingship. There is great excitement yet they cannot realise fully that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ has come as King. That is what is celebrated in Revelation, above all else. He came to vanquish Satan, to abolish death and bring life. He has come to establish the basis of a royal pardon. It is a finished work, a glorious work. The cross is God’s masterpiece. Christ cried on the cross, “It is finished!” Our pardon, our forgiveness. We can never bring anything of ourselves. Jesus came to vanquish the devil, but more than that, to set up a realm of grace. The Kingdom is within you; it is eternal and spiritual. It banishes all guilt, all shame. It is all of God’s grace.
We see here His majesty. He knows where the colt is tethered and what the objections will be. He knows all. He Has rebuked the forces of darkness. Here, He is calm and composed. We see some of His humanity, riding on a donkey, in peace. How many, many, many lives of subjects have been laid down for a monarch? But here, the King lays down His life for His subjects.
There is euphoria, a celebration as Jesus enters Jerusalem. There was euphoria with the angels at His birth. The first carol service was celebrated by angels. In Psalm 24 we see our Lord ascended and sits at the Father’s right hand. As He is received into our hearts we are welcomed as children of God. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.
- The Pharisees and their resentment.
The Pharisees could not stand so much being made of Christ. They had a cold, formal religion. There will always be opposition to the gospel. We see moves to make the gospel more palatable. But the gospel begins with the reality of who we are – sinners. It is uncomfortable. That is the bad news. But the good news is that forgiveness and pardon can be found through Jesus Christ. He is precious, Lord of all. Everything should be laid at His feet, joyfully – our talent, our time and gifts.
March 30th 2025: Dave Norbury
Philippians 1:1-11
Philippi was a strategic place in the advance of the gospel. It was the first church formed in Europe. It is impossible to say what might have happened, but imagine if Paul did not manage to establish a church in Europe? Would Europe have been captured for Christ? Obviously, the Lord knew what He was doing. Paul wanted to go to Asia but the Spirit moved then towards Europe (Acts 16:6-10).
So it was some twenty years after Christ was crucified, risen, and then ascended into heaven when a small band of travellers crossed over to Europe and trekked for about ten miles towards Philippi. What would other travellers have made of this small band who were bringing the gospel to a lost continent? Many would not give them a second look. They would only be in Philippi for a few months.
Many years after this visit to Philippi, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians whilst he was in prion (probably in Rome). In this letter he shows how much he loved them. He had only been with them for a short time and yet he could write: “I have you in my heart” (Philippians 1:7), and “I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:8). I was in constant prayer for them all (Philippians 1:2,4,9). Paul was thinking not of his struggles in prison – the difficult conditions, the poor food, his jailers and so on, but was moved with compassion for those in Philippi. How is it that Paul could have no thought of his troubles and only expressed his concern and care for the Philippians? It was because he knew that these folk had been born again of the Spirit. He was confident of their faith in Christ. Paul was concerned to give the Philippian Christians a message of confidence in Christ. So our text for this morning is found in verse 6 which states: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We shall consider this using some questions. Philippi was a strategic location for further advance into Europe, and Roch is also strategic for the advance of the gospel in Pembrokeshire and further north. This is a work of God. So the Lord will build His church (Matthew 16:18), for that which He has started, He will definitely complete.
[1] Who began this work?
It is God, and God alone who began the work. We are all like lost and helpless sheep. Only the good Shepherd will gather His lost sheep and take care of them. A true believer is one who has been “delivered” from “the power of darkness,” and has been “conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). None could do this for themselves. God did it. If we truly believe, we have been transferred from one realm to another and there is no going back. The price of transfer (Christ’s death) has been paid in full. In Ephesians we read about our being “dead in trespasses and sins” and about the rich mercy of God who “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:1,5). We were lost sheep, we were under the power of darkness, and we were dead in sins, and yet God gathered us, transferred us into His kingdom, and made us newborn creatures! In Acts 16 we read of two significant conversions in Philippi. First there was a woman called “Lydia” whose mind the Lord opened when she heard Paul speaking (Acts 16:14,15). Then there was the Philippian Jailer who, after the dramatic events of the night when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, called out: “sirs, what must I do to be saved?” to which the reply was: “believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30,31). A person must believe on the Lord Jesus, this is essential, but if a person wants true life then also a person must have their minds opened by the Lord.
[2] How will God continue this work?
We may feel very vulnerable. How can I carry on? We may feel terribly weak. What will happen and how will I keep walking in faith? But take confidence! If God began the work in you He will most certainly carry it on. But how? Well here are four things to consider;
[a] Because we know He said it!
A bit later on in Philippians we read an exhortation to “work out” our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), but then Paul adds these wonderful words: “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). It is God who is doing this work and He will carry on doing it! God works in those who are humble and contrite. A presumptuous and proud person who claims to have done everything through their own power ought not to expect the Lord’s approval. He gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (James 4:6; 1Peter 5:5). The Lord works though and in our weaknesses. To Paul the Lord spoke these words: “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Corinthians 12:9), and so when we are weak, we are strong with the strength God supplies.
[b] Through His word.
The word of God is effective. Newborn babes are exhorted by Peter to “desire the pure milk of the word” in order that they “may grow thereby” (1Peter 2:2). The night before He died the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father and during His prayer He showed how important the word of God is. He said: “sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We are made new by the word (James 1:18; 1Peter 1:23), and our growth and being made holy (sanctification) is effected by means of the word too. How important it is to study and read the Lord’s word!
[c] Through the church.
The fellowship of godly believers is vital. Each believer has a different gift, and each of these are necessary for the growth of the whole body. C. S. Lewis once said that when you lose someone, something of you dies too, because that friend you have lost brought something out of you that no other could. We need one another for encouragement. But we also need one another to know off the sharp edges too!
[d] Through suffering.
The life of Joseph is a prime example of how suffering brings about growth and life. But this is simply a preview of the suffering that Christ underwent to bring us life.
We must lean wholly upon God. He is our strength. We must rely completely upon His word, for His counsel is true. We must be a part of the fellowship for the Lord is growing His kingdom. We must bear under the trials and tribulations of life, for these are sent to refine us, and God is sovereign over all.
[3] Will this work ever fail?
Since it is God’s work the only answer to this question is: NO! Humans may fail and give up. The Lord has promised that He will “not break” the “bruised reed,” and “He will not quench” the “smoking flax” (Isaiah 42:3). The Lord makes it abundantly clear that he will never leave nor forsake His people. We may give up on ourselves but God will never give up.
[4] How will God finish this work?
Ultimately we do not know in detail. But one thing is clear, He will make us fit for heaven and “we shall be like Him” on that last day (1John 3:2). Could we ever say to the Lord: “I did … and I did …” when He returns? By no means! What we will say (if we are truly His) is something like this: “I am your workmanship which You have created to walk in those things which You prepared beforehand for me to walk in” (Ephesians 2:10).
Let mend with words from 1Thessalonians 5:23,24:
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Amen!
March 23rd 2025: Graham John
Acts 9:10-29.
The ministry of encouragement is one of the most important ministries in the Christian Church. Everyone finds themselves at one time or another in need of encouragement. It is not just pastors, preachers, or Church officers who can exercise this work, for all Christians ought to be encouragers. Some may have a natural ability of enthusing others. For many this is not part of their natural makeup, but every Christian can develop this gift of encouragement. Perhaps you can look back over your Christian experience and point to others who have encouraged you along the way?
God is described as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” by Paul (2Corinthians 1:3). The Holy Spirit is the One who ministers encouragement for He is described as the “Comforter” (John 14:216,26; 15:26; 16:7 – KJV), and He exercises this ministry of comfort or encouragement to believers (Acts 9:31). The gospel or good news is, of course, a comfort to needy sinners, If we want to be like the Lord then we ought to be encouragers. If we want to be godly people and Christlike, then it is imperative that we engage in a life of encouraging others, especially when there are great difficulties to be faced.
We shall look at this ministry of encouragement under three headings.
[1] God’s high value on those whom He has redeemed.
The Lord highly values His own people and their welfare. This is evident throughout Scripture, but perhaps supremely in the coming of Christ Jesus to save sinners. If God so values those whom He has saved, we too ought to set the same high value on believers.
By nature the sinful man is proud, boastful, arrogant, idolatrous, selfish, greedy and so on, but with all of these characteristics we discover that God still sent His Son to die for us (Romans 5:8). In Romans 14 the apostle Paul speaks of how we ought to treat those who are “weak in the faith” (Romans 14:1). Towards the end of the chapter Paul wrote:
Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:15).
If Christ gave up His life for the Church, even when each individual was still a sinner, we ought to hold our brethren “for whom Christ died” in high esteem. The basis for our ministry of encouragement, then, is the high value God placed on believers in sending His Son to die in their place.
Let us seek to reproduce the love of God towards the brethren, not as a duty but on account of the love we have for God who first loved us. Are we willing to overlook past offences and forgive one another as Christ forgave us? Christ never asked: ‘are these for whom I am dying worthy of me’? Is Christ’s love for me transforming me to be a useful, loving, and kind believer? God has highly valued His people.
[2] The importance of Scripture in the ministry of encouragement.
Paul wrote these words to the Romans:
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4).
Of course Paul was referring to the Old Testament here but we are justified in applying them to the New Testament too. The Scriptures are given to us as a gift, but it does require us to put some effort into grasping them. Amongst many other themes and subjects, the Scriptures give as lessons about:
- Christ, His person and work.
- The unspeakable love of God.
- The Kingdom of God and how we enter this and live within it.
- The life of a disciple of Christ Jesus.
These eternal truths are the same for all ages and all cultures the world over. There are two points we need to make here concerning the importance of the Bible.
[a] The entire Bible is important.
The text we quoted from Romans 15 tells us that “whatever things were written,” and this leads us to the idea that all of Scripture is important for us. There are ‘less well know’ parts of Scripture that are often neglected. But all of the Bible is the inspired word, and every word that comes from God’s mouth is needed. In some of these ‘less well know’ parts are to be found great gems and pearls. A study of the temple and the tabernacle in its imagery is well worth making even if it takes time, for these speak supremely of Christ and His work. The history of Israel and her failures are worth the effort of study too, for in these we see our failure and rejoice in the One true Israelite who succeeded in keeping the Old Covenant on our behalf, (i.e. Christ Jesus). Some parts of the Bible are less clear than others. Undoubtedly some parts may be ‘weightier’ than others. The Lord Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees because in the zeal for detail, they had “neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23). Whilst some parts need more time to study and digest, we dare not neglect these!
I remember a communist man who was converted in his 90s. He was in a care home and often had visitors, but he was in the habit of asking them to leave him because they were taking up his valuable time in reading and studying Scripture! He was desperate to ensure he missed nothing and wanted to go through the whole Bible before he ran out of time! I also remember a Buddhist who was converted and began to read the Bible from Genesis, but we convinced Him to start at John’s gospel so he could discover the love of God in Christ first. These examples teach us that we need to be wise in our approach to Scripture, but we do need to consider it in its entirety. We need to change our attitude from ‘duty,’ to ‘delight’ for the Scriptures are God’s very word to us. Do we love Him? Then why would we not want to read all that He has said and written down?
[b] There is a practical purpose.
We ought to have some pattern and policy to our reading and study. Make a plan to read and study all of Scripture. We need to be able to receive encouragement from others and we need to grow in dispensing encouragement too. The Scriptures will show us how. For example there are many places where we are taught to look beyond the current difficulties we face towards the glory to be revealed. We are exhorted by Paul to “comfort one another” with the words concerning Christ’s return (1Thessalonians 4:18).
[3] Barnabas – the ‘son of encouragement.’
In Acts chapter 4 we come across a man named “Joseph” (he is called “Joses” in the NKJV but is the same name), who was a native of Cyprus and a Levite. This man sold some land he owned and gave the proceeds to the apostles so that those in need could be looked after (Acts 4:36,37). He was “named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement)” (Acts 4:36). It is perhaps speculation, but it would seem that Barnabas’ action was not something done out of duty or simply through necessity, but was rather done from a heart full of love towards God. Barnabas gave freely not because he had to, but because of his love for the Lord. And this action motivated the apostles to give the name “Son of Encouragement.” Everything Barnabas owned was the Lord’s. Perhaps his Levitical upbringing helped here?
Now the ministry of encouragement is much more than the passing on of words. It includes sharing our wealth, our time, our homes, and even our very lives. We next find reference to Barnabas in Acts 9 which we read earlier. He was the one who introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem. Everyone else was suspicious of him because of his former reputation as a persecutor. The disciples at Jerusalem were afraid to welcome him because they thought he was going to revert to his persecuting ways. Many were not convinced of his genuineness. But Barnabas took him to the apostles and explained to them all about his conversion and the fact that he was now preaching Christ as the Son of God (Acts 9:27). Barnabas was bold enough to risk his own life and reputation by taking Paul, about whom many thought of still as a persecutor, and he recommended him to the apostles.
Was anyone praying for Paul during those years of persecution I wonder? Were they guilty of thinking that Paul was such a person beyond redemption? He was a fierce enemy of the gospel and hounded Christians mercilessly. But were any moved to pray for him to be converted? Now Barnabas had such a high view of Christ’s saving power that Paul’s conversion was something that he accepted readily. Others may have had their suspicions but Barnabas knew that Christ could save even Paul. Barnabas also had such a high view of the Church and Christian Fellowship that he couldn’t allow the newly converted Paul to be ignored or feared and so he brought Paul to the apostles so that he could be accepted into the fellowship of believers. I wonder how much weaker would the Church have been if Barnabas did not do this? Barnabas could not know that Paul would be so important to the Church, nor that Paul would be responsible for a large part of the New Testament. We do not know where our ministry of encouragement to another believer will ultimately lead. Are we encouraging others as we seek to bring men, women, boys, and girls to Christ and His word?
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 