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The
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
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O
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LORD, we beseech
thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it
cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help
and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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A
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nd it came to pass the day after, that he went
into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much
people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city,
behold, there
Who
are the dead? Who are the living?
11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city
called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now
when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried
out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the
city was with her.
The dead: Those who reject Christ as Lord and
Savior. Those who have no forgiveness for their sins…those for whom there has
been no redemption for sins. That includes all the world which dwells in utter
darkness.
The dead hear not. Who stopped their ears? Not
God. Not even Satan. They themselves have chosen to be dumb to the reality of God.
This son of the widow is dead, but death cannot
exist in the presence of the Fountain of Life.
Jesus knows the importance of a son or daughter
to a widow. The boy is all his mother has.
The widow made no audible request of Christ,
but Christ knew her abject sorrow and took compassion on her as He always does
with those who face calamity.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and
said unto her, Weep not.
Jesus never desires our sorrow, but our joy in
life. He neither wants us to ‘fear’ or to ‘weep’. Fear not, I am with thee always, even unto the
end of the world. Or “Hagar,
why weepest thou?”
The desire of Christ is always for our extreme
joy in Him. And Christ knows there is no real joy, or life, apart from that
which He offers.
He sends no one to Hell. The lost, due to their
rejection of Him, send themselves to Hell.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that
bare him stood still. When God is at work, we had best stand still and see the marvelous
works that His hands perform. Stillness is a vanishing quality in a world bent
on technology and pragmaticism. As God said to Job in Job 37:14 Hearken
unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
Or Psalm 46:10 – Be still,
and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will
be exalted in the earth.
So those who bore the body remained motionless
while God worked.
And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
Though the ears of the Rabbi’s maiden were
closed in the lock of death, the young girl heard the voice of Christ. Though
Lazarus lay long dead in a stone cold tomb, the voice of Christ, his friend,
penetrated the bars of death and were heard in newness of life. So with this
young man.
And he that was dead sat up,
and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Was dead! No longer dead because he had heard and
responded to the voice of Christ. He sat up and began to speak. Once you have
heard the voice of Christ whisper in your ear a personal message, you cannot
fail to speak out. You do not keep it a secret.
Have you heard that voice? Has your dead ears
responded in life?
When were you dead, and have you been called to
life? Have you listened? Did you respond by unashamedly speaking out?
We were ALL dead prior to responding in faith
to the grace of Christ. All lost. All dead.
Howe many are righteous?
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not
one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none
that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the
way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no,
not one. (Rom 23:10-12)
For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; (Romans
3:23)
ALL? Does that include you and me?
Yes, ALL!
What is the condemnation to those who sin such
as you and I have done?
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those
things is death. 22 But now being made free from
sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life. 23 For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God iseternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord. (Rom6:20-23)
What remedy is there for all of us who are born
under the condemnation of sin?
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Rom10:8-11)
Christ is the great Creator and Giver of Life.
Death will not exist in His presence. So we must insure our salvation that we
may be present with him.
How?
1) Know the wages of sin is death
2) Admit we are dreadful sinners and cannot save
ourselves through any good works
3) Repent of our sins and turn away from the
desires of the flesh.
4) Receive Christ as you Lord and Savior – not
simply Savior, but Lord of your life as well.
How many of us present today have taken a ‘dry’
shower, or a ‘dry’ swim, or walked in a ‘dry’ rain?
Is it possible to get into the water, or to
come into contact with a fountain of water, and remain dry?
There is a River of Life which makes all alive
who bathe therein and drink from its fountain:
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst
again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14)
When we are IN Christ, all our sins are covered
by His blood. When we are IN the River of Life, we are wet with that water of
life all over. We are baptized in newness of life.
Your eternal destiny depends upon which choice
you make at the crossroads of life – will you be fearful and unbelieving? Or
will you partake of the Tree of Life and Fountain of Living Waters?
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:5-8)
Simple decision – That whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life. (John
3:15)
Have you, too, believed unto salvation? For
he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation
have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor 6:2)
