When Jesus Walks Into Your Grief (Luke 7:11-17)

Life can change in an instant. A phone call, a diagnosis, a loss, or an unexpected conversation can leave us wondering how we'll ever move forward. In this message from Luke 7:11–17, Pastor Todd reminds us that when Jesus meets death, death loses.

As Jesus encounters a grieving widow carrying the unimaginable weight of losing both her husband and her only son, we discover the heart of our Savior. Jesus sees the pain others overlook, moves toward the broken instead of away from them, and speaks life where everyone else sees only loss. His compassion is matched by His authority, proving that no situation is beyond His power to restore.

Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a dream, your health, or your joy, this message is a powerful reminder that Jesus still steps into places of sorrow and brings hope. The same Savior who raised the widow's son is still able to revive what we've declared dead and turn our greatest heartbreaks into testimonies of His faithfulness.

Join us as we're challenged to trust Jesus with our deepest grief, believe Him for the impossible, and share the story of what only He can do. Your testimony may be the invitation someone else needs to discover the hope found in Christ.

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

So have you ever noticed that life can change in a moment? Have you ever noticed that life can change in a moment? One phone call this morning. I got a call from Amanda. Usually Amanda doesn't call me on Sunday mornings because she knows we're getting ready for church. So I knew you ever get a phone call and you're like, uh-oh, somebody's calling me. They don't usually call me at this time. I knew it was an important phone call. One doctor's appointment can change things. One funeral, one conversation. One day everything is normal. And the next you're wondering how you will ever recover. And so this morning we're talking about a story, and there's a widow that had already buried her husband. And now she's burying her son, leaving her with no family, no provision, and no hope. And as one crowd follows death out of the city, another follows Jesus into the city. And we're reminded that wherever Jesus meets death, death loses. When Jesus walks into your deepest places of loss, his compassion and power turn funerals into testimonies. And so if you're taking notes today, the title of my message is When Jesus Walks Into Your Grief. I went back and forth this week on what the title should be. Uh I thought about when Jesus turns your funeral into a party. That was one of my working titles. Or when Jesus comes in and messes up your funeral. There was a couple different working titles, but I decided on When Jesus Walks Into Your Grief. So if you have your Bibles, grab them, go to Luke chapter 7. We're going to start in verse 11 this morning. If you don't have your Bible, don't worry about it. Tap the NFC tag on the chair in front of you. Download your church center app. Scroll down to sermon notes, and you can fill in the blank, and they will save as you fill in the blank. Uh, if you don't know the answer, you can always hit the eyeball, and it's a great, it's great. It's like all the tests I wanted growing up. It puts in the correct answer when you miss it. Amen. Anyone else struggle with tests? That was me. All right. So let's get into it. Luke chapter 7, starting in verse 11 this morning. Soon after, he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 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. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep. The first point this morning is Jesus sees what everyone else walks past. Jesus saw what everybody else was walking past at the moment. Luke intentionally shifts the focus. The miracle isn't really about the dead son, the focus is on the grieving mother. Notice something beautiful. She never asked Jesus for help. She never cried out to him. She never demonstrated great faith, like the centurion soldier we talked about last week. Jesus simply saw her. Listen, that ought to encourage somebody this morning. Sometimes you're too exhausted to pray. Sometimes grief steals your words. Sometimes all you have is tears. But Jesus doesn't need an invitation to notice your pain. He sees what everyone else misses. Now her situation. If you don't know much about the first century, a widow who had lost her husband and now had lost her son had no security and no future. In fact, she had very little ways of making money. In fact, most women that lost all of the men in their life would turn to prostitution because they'd have no other way to make funds unless they come from a rich family. But before Jesus ever performed the miracle, he saw her, was moved to compassion, and spoke to her, and then acted. Guys, I want you to hear this morning that's the heart of Jesus, of the Jesus that we serve. That's the heart of Jesus that we serve. He notices what's going on in your life and he walks towards it, not away from it. Most people notice crowds. Jesus notices individuals. Imagine you're standing in a crowded room or a crowded airport or a crowded uh or you went to the the World Cup final today, and everyone around you is rushing. Everyone else around you is doing some, and then there's uh an older lady who's trying to carry her bags or trying to roll her bags, and and she's having trouble doing so. What Jesus does is Jesus notices the lady that's struggling, no matter the crowd around, and he walks over and he helps her. So sometimes you come into church smiling, but you're carrying a funeral inside your heart. Maybe not a physical funeral. Maybe it's the death of a marriage. Maybe it's the death of a dream. Maybe it's the death of a relationship. Maybe it's a death of ministry that you thought you were gonna have. Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your joy. Hear me today. Jesus sees what nobody else knows. Your pain that you're carrying into this room today has not escaped his attention. Because the God that we serve doesn't just notice your pain, he moves towards it. And so I want to encourage you this morning. No matter what pain you have brought into this place, Jesus wants to walk in and fix the brokenness inside of you. Let's keep reading. I want to reread 13, kind of give us context and get back into it. Verse 13, and when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep. Then he came up and touched the beer, and the bearers stood still, and he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And the dead man sat up, began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Number two, Jesus touches what everybody else avoids. Jesus touches what everyone else avoids. Now, touching a dead person is not unusual for us. But according to Jewish law, touching someone associated with death made you ceremonially unclean. Religious people would have stayed away from anyone associated with death. But what did Jesus do? Jesus stepped closer. Religion backs up. Jesus leans in. And the funeral procession stops. Could you imagine the silence? Everyone's wondering, what's Jesus doing? Then Jesus speaks, young man, arise. It's not a prayer, it's not a ritual. He doesn't rub the anointing oil on his hand, it's not a formula. He just walks up with authority and says, Young man, rise. Because Jesus doesn't ask death for permission, he commands it, and death has to obey. The young man sits up. It's like Jesus attended the funeral that you were coming to, walked to the front, opens the casket, and says, Sit up. And he doesn't just sit up, he starts talking. Death immediately comes to life. The young man sits up, starts talking, and Jesus gives him back to his mother. So notice he probably was small enough that Jesus could pick him up. So imagine if you were mourning the loss of your child and Jesus walked in. Luke intentionally here echoes Elijah in 1 Kings 17. Elijah prayed, but Jesus commanded. Elijah depended on God's power, but Jesus exercises God's power, which is within him. Think about a dark room. At the barm household, we have a rule in our bedroom. And that is, if one of us is sitting on the bed watching TV in the dark, and the other one wants to turn on the light, it's usually crystal, because once I'm I I'm a do everything before I go to bed, kind of guy, you have to warn the other person, I'm about to turn the light on. Why? Because the sun burns your eyes with a light. It's like, ah anybody? Anybody old enough to remember? Bright light, bright light. Okay. Showing my age. Uh I don't even know what I don't remember what movie that is. Gremlins, sorry. I should have looked it up before I used it. But Gremlins. And and so the the we we warn each other, hey, I'm about to turn on the light so we're not hit with instant pain in our corneas, right? And and why? Because it doesn't take light any time to permeate a room. The light doesn't struggle with darkness, darkness disappears when light arrives, right? That's what happens here. Jesus, the light of the world, stalked stepped into a funeral and death had no answer for Jesus. Some of you have accepted areas in your life that are permanently dead. Some of you have accepted that maybe your marriage is dying. Some of you have accepted, well, maybe God's done with my calling. Some of you, your joy died long ago, and your kids took it all with them, right? All the all the parents are giving the Holy Spirit elbows to the kids, right? Maybe that child that you thought you had a great relationship has left. Maybe you're wondering, will they ever come back? Maybe your faith is gone this morning. Guys, if Jesus has authority over literal death, he certainly has authority over the things that you've buried long ago. Don't confuse delay with death. Because sometimes God's just waiting to walk in and touch you so you will come to life. Because when Jesus places his hand, death loses its grip. When Jesus places his hand, death loses its grip in your life. And so I don't know what you've put to dead death long ago. Listen, if God told you to do it, God's not done with you until they put you in that grave. Do you believe me this morning? God's not done with you until they put you in that grave. So back to the story. Sometimes the Bible makes me chuckle. This is the moment. Jesus walks in, touches the dead guy, comes to life, he starts talking. What's the next words? Four words. Fear sees them all. They were instantly like, what just happened? Sometimes the writer of the Bible just put in a little nugget. Like, you don't think? If somebody walked in, raised a dead man in front of me, I'd be sitting there stunned. Fear seized them all, comma. And I have a feeling that comma lasted for a little bit. Because they're all like, what just happened? And then what did they do? And they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited his people. And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding countries. Here's the point of the whole message today. Number three, Jesus turns funerals into testimonies. Jesus turns funerals into testimonies. The crowd responds with a holy awe. Luke says, fear came upon them, not terror, they were fear, reverence, wonder. They glorified God. And they made two statements. One, a great prophet has risen among us. Two, God has visited his people. This phrase is a loaded phrase. Throughout the Old Testament, when God visited his people, he came to rescue them. So Luke had already used this language in chapter one. Now the people realize that God has shown up. The miracle wasn't just about one family, it was revealing who Jesus really is to the crowd. Then Luke ends by saying, the news spread everywhere. That's what happens when dead things come back to life. People talk about it. Could you imagine how long it would take you to call that one person you always call? At my house, when my wife gets excited about something, she doesn't call me, she calls her mom. And then I always joke with her. She found out of something exciting. I said, Well, have you already called your mom? She goes, Yeah. She calls her mom first. That's okay. I'll I'll be second to mom for a little bit, right? That's okay. Uh, and and when you get excited, you call that one person. I guarantee, as soon as everybody left that funeral, they couldn't wait to tell that person that they already tell. Because nobody gathers around ordinary stories, people gather to tell miracle stories. When somebody beats cancer, people tell the story. When a marriage is healed, people tell the story. When the addict is delivered from drugs and alcohol, people tell the story. When someone is far from God comes home, people tell the story. Listen, guys, the greatest testimony is what only God could have done. God didn't save you from your comfort, he saved you for his glory. Some of you have been silent for far too long. I want to tell you this morning: if Jesus has brought you from death to life, you need to tell somebody. Your testimony may become someone's greatest invitation to faith. Guys, when Jesus changes your story, your story should point people to him. Listen, I didn't want to be a pastor. That was not my plan. I'd grown up in church, I had high reverence for pastors. In fact, I ran into my pastor growing up at my grandmother's funeral, and I still call him Brother Mike. Why? Because he's my pastor. He's always been my pastor, he will always be my pastor until he goes home to be with Jesus. And I've got a lot of great pastors in my life. But here's the thing: I didn't want to be a pastor. And there's still days that I argue with God, God, God, I don't want to be a pastor. But he said, Listen, this is what I've called you to do. Because God came to me in my death. Listen, my death was my hard-headedness. Any hard-headed people out there? I see that hand. I see that hand, right? Sometimes we put ourselves to death. And that's what I was doing. I had a dream to be a famous musician. My goal was for one of the members of Creed to pass away so I could take his spot and tour the world. And when I heard Scott Staff was struggling with drugs and alcohol, I said, Here I am, Lord, send me. And he didn't. But I didn't stop chasing the dream. Why? Remember? Hello, my name is Todd, and I am hard-headed. So I found myself at 20 years old. Takes one to no one, Kathy. 20 years old. And Crystal. And Renee. And it takes one to know one, right? Reverend Crystal Barum, excuse me. Reverend. Or I'll just Reverend Barum. That's all you need, right? So I was 20 years old. You have to be 21 years old to get into a bar. I didn't need a fake ID. I was with the band. I was in the band. And I was sitting there playing in a bar at 2 a.m. when Jesus walked into my funeral. Anybody ever been? Don't raise your hand on this. Anybody ever been in a bar at 2 a.m.? It's kind of a sketchy place. All the back row. It's kind of a sketchy place. And listen, we were playing one of the songs, and you know, the reason they loved having me in the band is I was 20 and I was a rule follower, except for the fact that I was in the bar when I wasn't supposed to be. And I was a rule follower from the standpoint of when you're in the band, everybody buys you drinks. But I knew that I wasn't supposed to be in the bar and I sure as heck wasn't supposed to be drinking, and I'm too pretty for jail. Okay. And so I didn't drink. And so my bandmates loved it because everybody bought me drinks and they drank them. And so my lead singer, you know, when Mo starts giving us hand signals, I'm used to that. My lead singer would get drunk and he would just go crazy. And Mo's just drunk in the Holy Spirit. And so I'm used to following her, right? And so we were on one of those tangents, and there was a lady, and it was pretty clear she had been overserved. And she was dancing. She's going. I didn't do this first service, but you know, trying to bring death to life in this service, right? And she was dancing, and it was the kind of dancing where you're like, stop. But she didn't have good friends. They didn't go, come on, let's go sit down. They just sat there and laughed at her, right? You're probably that friend. But anyway, uh, and I just sat there playing my bass. I was playing bass in this band, and the Lord visited me in my funeral. He said, Todd, how long are you gonna be the background music of somebody's good time? Instead of doing something that will make a difference for me. He told me, listen, you can sit here, you have the talent to be here, you can keep doing this, you can do this as long as you want, or you can do what I've called you to do. Some of you this morning, Jesus is walking into your funeral right now and saying, Hey, listen, stop walking in death and start walking in life. And that was me. It was that moment I quit the band. That was my last gig. I told him, That's it. I'm sorry. And these guys were my friends, they didn't understand. And I told them, God's calling me to ministry. In fact, they made fun of me because they were like, haha, you want to be a preacher? That's funny. Uh, and so, and I said, Well, not really, I want to be worship, and then the preacher came later. But what is God bringing back to life in your life today? And I tell the story why. Because listen, I don't want you to know that I was playing at a bar that is now our place in Burleson. Every time I walk into our place in Burleson, I see the lady. I can take you to the spot at our place in Burleson that the Lord walked in and said, Look at this. This is what you get. Do you want what I got for you? I'm like, Yes, Lord, please. Please. Where's that spot for you? What testimony has the Lord done in your life? So, what are our transformational moments this morning? What is God saying to us today? If you're new here at Hope Church, I always try to ask you some questions to kind of challenge you for your week. Number one, what have you decided, what have you declared dead that Jesus is still able to bring back to life? Some of us have said, ah. That calling was long ago. You know, for me, I'm ready to lace up the boots and go help Messy this afternoon, right? I'm 41, I could do it, right? Throw a ball over that mountain, right? But no, God's called me for greater things. What about you? What have you declared dead that God's like, listen, I'm not done with you yet. I'm not done with this yet. You may say this is dead, but I'm not done with it. Number two, where do you need to let Jesus step in to your grief instead of trying to carry it by yourself? You know, sometimes Jesus walks in to me and says, Listen here, dummy. God talks to me like that, okay? He may not talk to you like that, but I'm hard-headed, so I need the dummy, okay? He may not talk to you like that, but he does me. He said, Listen here, dummy. I put you in a church family so that they can love you so you don't have to do this all on your own. And I want you to hear that this morning. God's gonna, God's gonna leave out the dummy because he loves you, right? But he's gonna say, Listen, I've put you in this church so you don't have to carry this grief alone. I've put you in this church because you're going through a hard time. And listen, somebody wants to pray for you this morning. Listen, somebody got out of out of bed this morning because someone scheduled them to be a prayer person on Planning Center. If you don't know what Planning Center is, don't worry about it. And God has put them here on assignment to pray for you today. And it would make their day if you helped them answer that assignment. Because listen, we love you, we love every one of you. And you're like, well, Pastor, you don't even know me. Well, here's the thing: I love you, I don't have to know you, I love you because Jesus first loved me. And I don't know what's going on with my microphone, but just bear with me for a minute. I love you because Jesus first loved me, and you're here struggling with something this morning, and these people that you're gonna walk up to in the front and in the back, they love you too. And God sent them on an assignment to pray for you this morning. So why would you leave this place still sitting in your funeral when you could walk up and allow someone to speak life over your death? And lastly, this morning, if Jesus walked into your situation today, what miracle are you believing for? What miracle are you believing for today? Listen, the altars are gonna be wide open. What's great about this story is even if you're hard-headed enough, Jesus can walk into your life and give you a miracle. It's what he did for me. But let me tell you, it's a whole lot easier if you do it his way. And also, we'll have these globes up here. Thank you, Justin. You great. I got it. We dropped it first service, so we made sure we don't mess it up this time. Listen, I want you to come to the altar. If you got nothing else, come to the altar and pray for the people of Guatemala that our team is going to touch. Pray for the people in Guatemala that the money that you give is going to touch. Because God is doing a mighty work in this country. And so if you everything's good in your life, you got nothing to pray for, come pray for the wonderful people of Guatemala. But I ask everybody to stand this morning. Before we go into our altar time, prayer team, you can go ahead and get in place. But before we go to our altar time, I want to provide a space for those that don't know Jesus. Because listen, you can't have life when you're living in death. And the Bible tells us before we have a relationship with God, we are living in spiritual death. And so I want to encourage you this morning. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, you can't have life because you're living in death. And so if you feel God tugging at your heart this morning, I want you to know that Jesus loves you. He's not in love with a future version of you, he's in love with you right now, and he wants to have a relationship with you. If that's you this morning, you want to bring life to your death, I'm gonna say a prayer. And if you truly believe this, I believe that you could repeat after me. And today is your day that Jesus turns your funeral into a heavenly coming. So repeat after me, dear Jesus. I'm a sinner. I need your love in my life. Forgive me where I failed you. I give my heart to you today. Take my life, use it for your purpose in Jesus' name.