Something for atheists, on Sunday

"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 many people. Now when he came near 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. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto you, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about" (Luke 7:11-17).

This poor woman had lost her husband, and then her only son was died. Life dealt her a double blow. Now she was alone. Her neighbors and friends sympathized, but no one could take away the pain or bring back her dead son. But Jesus had compassion on her, and He wrecked the funeral. A word from Him, and the undertaker had no body to bury. Imagine if there was Someone who could do this for you. Someone who could stop this mysterious “death” thing that devours the entire human race. It swallows kings, presidents, doctors, scientists; no one escapes.

Imagine if there was something that could be done to stop the cold hand of death...that could put the undertaker out of business. You don’t have to imagine anything! There is One who can save you from death, and you can experientially prove it to be true. Jesus Christ is the undertaker’s nightmare. The Bible says that Jesus came to destroy the power of death, and He did it by leveling the scales of eternal justice. We will all die because we have violated God's Law (the Ten Commandments), but Jesus paid our fine on the cross, and then rose from the dead.

That means that God can commute your death sentence, because your fine was paid by Another. So weep no longer. Instead, stand still and think of your many sins. Think of what God did for you through the suffering death of the Savior, then repent and trust in Jesus. You need no longer be held captive to the power of death, once you come to know, fear, and glorify God.