Do You Know Who Is Visiting Us Today

Do You Know Who Is Visiting Us Today

¹¹ Afterward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. ¹² Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was also with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said, “Don’t weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Then fear came over everyone, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.” ¹⁷ This report about him went throughout Judea and all the vicinity.

^{Luke 7:11–17}

I want to start by emphasizing part of verse sixteen—”God has visited His people”

What would go through your mind if you were to have a patrol car pull in front of your house and two officers come up to knock on your door?

How about your boss walking into your office and closing the door behind him?

There is a line in an old song that talks about the taxman com’in a’knock’in.

In war time the last thing parents—or wives—want to see is that unmarked car pull-up and a couple of well-dressed military men get out and ring the doorbell.

All of these visits are ominous.

Many consider a visit from God to be like this. Even the gentle Jesus, as some portray Him… only to be.

Why? Why would Jesus coming for a visit be ominous?

Because He never leaves things as they were.

Jesus revealed sin in the heart, when many only look to outward action… like many of the religious sort…

So…how religious are you? What did Jesus do when He visited the so-called pious?

He called them out. He called them nicely painted graves, full of dead men’s bones.

He took time to make a whip and threw some of them, out of His Father’s house for doing what they called church business there.

How many in our day, consider prosperity, growth, and numbers to be marks of a good Church?

Are we moneychangers?

Does this place become somewhere to show social position—or religiousness… rather than a sanctuary for refugees of a real spiritual war?

This spiritual war we are in not only kills the soul, but the body as well. If it were not so, the young man in our text would not have died.

The church is supposed to be a place to find help—a place to call out in our need, in prayer.
It is not a place to show how much we—to show anything off…anything other than our sin—to admit our condition—

TO HIM…

And this … SO AS TO BE FORGIVEN.

Yet DO WE compare—our car to the one you pull in next to in the church lot….

Do you wonder about those people in the pew in front of you? Why are THEY here?

And MY kids…never, of course, made THAT kind of noise when they were in church!

Did you know that Jesus cursed a fig tree because it did not produce fruit.

So, can we show Him all the great fruit stored away to our merit?

Now, do you know what He expects of you?

He says that it is not just a matter of our doing wrong. It’s that we do not even do what is right.

Simple, common stuff is left undone—day in and day out—hour-to-hour.

Do you want Him making a list? How detailed can He get with that?

Minute-by-minute… or how about second-by-second?

How uncaring, lazy and selfish have we been? All those things left undone!

Do you know that this is really the same as hating, stealing, and killing. This is what we are about. Yes, by leaving these things undone, we do these other. Depraved indifference is a crime…

“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

So, Jesus coming to visit… means the truth about us and these… no covering up when He is around….

He points to the corruption and sin of the heart—FIRST.

NOW… This is not popular. BUT He does not stop there.

He does not just offend people. He divides people.

Many people were offended because of Him. Still are…

Yes, He will offend your friends. What He says will cause divisions even in your family.

The cross is not polished suburban niceties. It makes people… it makes you and me…uncomfortable—and it should!

Because it is those sins… every one of OUR sins… He paid for on that CROSS! It is we who helped kill Him.

So… would you want THIS Jesus to come and be in our midst?

And… while we are at it… we have to point out that He will be with His kind of people.

Which are… what kind? You mean… His kind… are sinners—right? Yes, only sinners, I’m afraid… and of the worst sort too.

But what would the neighbors think?

To be with Jesus would mean that you would have to identify with these kinds of people. Talk to them even. Sit next to them. Eat with them. In fact, you would have to admit that you were no better.

Because… in truth… we ARE really… these kind of people. Our sin stinks just as much. Our need for forgiveness is just as great. Maybe more…

So…do we really want Him to visit?

Let’s face it, WE have made a mess of His things—of His creation.

And…what of the church? How many church fights have there been… and I mean right HERE…too? I just saw THAT at convention… and it wasn’t pretty.

How much gossip goes on? How many want their way in meetings… instead of thinking of others…?

Yes… Jesus will uncover the heart, when He comes near… all the while we are trying to cover it—cover sin by looking and playing the part of…

…of what? That of a good church-going God-fearing people? Pillars of society?

Sure, we can walk-the-walk, and talk-the-talk. But… is it all just skin deep…? Because it is one thing to play-act in front of family and friends—maybe fooling them… maybe…. Maybe some of the time, but Jesus?

Jesus knows the intentions and thoughts of the heart and mind.

So, do you want Him around to point these sins out when you are doing your best to cover or ignore them?

Do we want Him here telling us what and where we failed—making us face the inevitable sentence of death that comes from a just judge?

Many say that we can get along just fine without Him coming around to look at what we have been up to.

Just how FINE are we, in truth?

Sure… just swell…when we are well fed and have enough distractions not to have to notice what is under the paint and polish…

But…what happens when it is suddenly gone? When disaster hits hard?

When death comes?

And… in fact He has! He has passed over us all… in reality….

All but one Man.

He did not Passover Jesus.

Jesus is the first born of God—the only begotten Son. And He… would die as the Lamb of God, whose blood would be used to save us. The Pascal Lamb. His blood would be used to cover us so that death would pass over.

Yet, Jesus is also the angel of the Lord. The voice and hand of God, the messenger—the message—the Word of God Himself.

Jesus is also the angel death—the one who declares the end—the Avenger and bringer of Judgment.

He is judge, yes… but He is also the bringer of life, the Savior.

So which Jesus comes to visit? Who will visit us today?

Both? Yes.

We need both. You and I have to have Him as judge and advocate. He has to kill us so He can raise us to life again. You and I have to have the Law condemn us as poor miserable sinners that we are.

Then Jesus reaches out to touch your deathbed and tells you to arise.

How can you arise, though… if you are dead? Try it.
How did this young man of Nain do it?
It was Jesus’ Word of eternal life—Himself. That is how.

It was Jesus’ Words that makes alive. It is alone the power unto salvation. Jesus is the eternal Word of God. The universe was created through Him—His words.

And it is He who visits us—to remake and to re-create. This is the Good News.

Your sins are forgiven you. This is why you can arise. Life.

This is who has come to visit us today. He is here now, for you and for me—because of you and because of me. To rescue us from our sins.

He has come—to take all sin away with Him to the Cross. The power of sin is the Law that you did not—and do not keep. He kept it. He was punished for what we did not do. He died in our stead, in order to put death to death.
He has been buried in what should have been our tomb. And He takes us with Him into that grave, in baptism, to raise us back to life as He rose.

He is here now—right here—visiting this place right now—to do this. This life is for you now—then forever on the last day. We remain the baptized. The dying and the living ones. Daily.

But… Why would God want to visit us, really? Why would He do this?

As the text says, “He had compassion on her.” And the man. And you—and all of us. Put your name in there. Do so. Do it.

This is not just Jesus feeling sorry for someone. For Him it is a wrenching of His guts. Visceral Pain! This was what was wrong with the universe. Jesus hated it with His Passion.

This that was because of sin—our sin. This corruption was eating away at what was once declared very good. His good… and He was there to end it.

Sin hurts, but we are so numb and used to it we do not feel it as we should. He felt it. It tore Him and bloodied Him. Death was at each and everyone’s doorstep since Adam—inevitable as sin.

Yes, death was at His doorstep the second of His conception but…only was it so because He selected where to live—right next to us.

Jesus felt this because He was human. He came for this very purpose—to bear the pain of it all—our condition—in His human body. He would suffer for us. He would embrace pain so that pain could be done away with once and for all.

He went to our punishment so that God would visit us once again. He was forsaken by His Father so that we would no longer be. So as to walk once again in the cool of the evening with His children. Jesus walks with His father now…in the midst of us—His brothers and sisters.

It is because God is love.

This is His essence—more than any other thing. This love is such that He would die rather than lose you. He would rather take the blame and give you His righteousness instead. He would rather take the guilty verdict and death sentence and write your name in His book of life, by dying. By doing this, the verdict of not guilty is given to you. We are free to go. To go and be with Him.

The blight of sin is removed. The Father only sees Jesus’ work. We wear His clothes. The wedding garment of the redeemed wayward bride. We wear His name. His blood marks our door posts so that the angel of death passes over us—to never return.

Don’t you want your children around you?

This is why He has visited His people. It is not just for a visit—because He is here to stay. He came so that He could have the pleasure of our company—once again—as in the garden on the sixth day of creation. But now… Jesus rose on the 8th day…the new day of creation—the day that has no end.

That same Word is here. That one… Jesus… whose Word raises the dead and speaks to you now. He is giving you Himself in the bread and Wine. He promises to never leave or forsake us.

He is here telling each one of us, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” He will come back to take His bride with Him to live in His house, the House of the Lord, forever. Amen.

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