God Has Visited His People
Luke 7:11-17
May 14, 2017
Dr. Ritch Boerckel
I.
II.
III.
I.
The terrible sorrow that sin places into our world.
The tender sympathy that Jesus pours into our hurts.
The tremendous sovereignty that Jesus possesses to reverse our desperate state.
The terrible sorrow that sin places into our world.
Truth: Every sickness, every death, every weakness, every tear, every sadness, and every hurt has
one cause and one cause only: sin.
Romans 5:12 (ESV)
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men because all sinned—”
J. C. Ryle
How much we ought to hate sin! Instead of loving it, cleaving to it, dallying with it, excusing
it, playing with it, we ought to hate it with a deadly hatred. Sin is the great murderer, and
thief, and pestilence, and nuisance of this world. Let us make no peace with it. Let us wage a
ceaseless warfare against it. It is “the abominable thing which God hates.” Happy is he who
is of one mind with God, and can say, I “abhor that which is evil.” (Rom. 12:9.)
II.
The tender sympathy that Jesus pours into our hurts.
Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are
new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Principle:
For every sorrow that sin brings to the doorstep of our lives, Jesus is present and ready to
show His love to us. Our distress is His opportunity to let us know that He cares for us.
Isaiah 49:14–16 (ESV)
“But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget
her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these
may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.”
III.
The tremendous sovereignty that Jesus possesses to reverse our desperate state.
Truth: Jesus is stronger than our greatest problem.
Lesson #1: Jesus loves to show us His glory by ministering personally to us.
Application: Let us draw near to Him in prayer knowing that He loves to draw near to us.
Hebrews 4:15–16 (ESV)
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but
one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help in time of need.”
Lesson #2: Jesus loves to show us His glory by speaking to us through His Word.
Principle: Jesus uses His Word to work miracles in our lives. Our purpose for listening to God
through His Word is to see the greatness of God’s person and be transformed by Him.
John 17:3 (ESV)
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent.”
Two Joyful Realities This Miracles Signifies:
1. The miracle of regeneration.
2 Corinthians 4:6–7 (ESV)
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
John 3:3 (ESV)
“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God.””
2.
The miracle of the future resurrection.
John 11:21–27 (ESV)
“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But
even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the
resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever
believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me
shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.””