God Visits Lakeshore

This morning I preached from Luke 7:11-17.

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

1. The People Feared God.
2. The People Glorified God.
3. The People Recognized Christ’s Greatness.
4. God Visited His People.
5. The Word Spread Far and Wide.

The unnamed woman of Nain would have felt right at home sitting under our blue tarped makeshift shelter as Lakeshore Baptist Church gathered for worship this morning. Her husband had died and now she walked to the cemetery to bury her only son. In that day these losses would have also greatly impacted her only means of economic support. Like the rest of us sitting on salvaged chairs and broken pews left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she had lost everything. With the stench of death in the air and salty tears flowing down already stained cheeks, Jesus Christ speaks resurrection life, leaving onlookers no other choice but to sit in awe of God’s death conquering power, glorify Him as the King of life, and begin to recognize Christ as supreme over all things.

So many people have stopped by our church property over the last 3 weeks to witness the devastation first hand, to bring much needed food, water, clothing, and supplies, offer assistance, and prayer. I’ve mentioned a few of these wonderful people and need to find the time to tell you of several of the others. We see God’s people, the body of Christ, serving as His hands and His feet, providing life affirming hope. We know that God will rebuild our church buildings, our houses, and our lives and we believe He will do it through the overwhelming support we receive through His people. When Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son from the dead, the news of Christ’s resurrection power spread throughout the world (Luke 7:17). God is working the same newsworthy miracle in Lakeshore as onlookers stand in awe of what God can do through His people. We pray that God will continue to use our suffering and pain for His glory, honor, and praise. We pray that through our loss, people will recognize Christ as their all satisfying treasure.