The Gospel is Launched!
Luke 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luke 24:25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
1. The Gospel’s mission to recreate, from flawed material, redeemed, holy, spotless followers of Jesus.
1.1. For 40 days, after Jesus rose from the grave, He spent launching the Gospel mission.
1.2.Jesus drew near and revealed Himself by the expounding of scripture. (what a Master’s class that must’ve been)
1.3.The Word preaching the Word to open the hearts of the Disciples.
1.4. Jesus placed Himself at the center of the message as He expounded in all the scriptures of Himself.
2. At the center of redemption is the proof of a bodily resurrection
2.1. Jesus and begins to point the way to His heavenly ministry.
2.2. When Jesus showed His wounded hands and feet to the disciples He was pointing to the very core of redemption. Christ suffered and died as our substitute so that we could have access to God.
2.3. His bodily resurrection pointed to the heavenly ministry of Jesus.
2.4. A physical ascension of Christ into heaven in this passage.
2.5. He is now at the Father’s right hand where He serves as our Advocate and our Heavenly Intercessor.
2.5.1. As our Advocate we confess our sins to Him and we are forgiven, 2.5.2. as our Intercessor He lives to continually pray for us to the Father.
2.6. When Jesus entered into heaven He became the first man to gain the privledge of access to God.
3. The Women’s Ministry brought the news of a bodily resurrection.
3.1. crashing in on Sunday morning,
3.2. while the guys are just sitting around picking their…… never mind,
3.3. The first Gospel evangelism crusade to Jesus’ own Disciples.
3.4. Would they have responded in unbelief if Peter or James or John brought them the news…
3.5. But that would have required that they be at the tomb, on the morning, of the third day as Jesus had told them, but they were not and the ladies were.
3.6. Mother’s Day this year will be a fun sermon. All women come and bring the men in your life. 🙂
4. Our job is too constrain Him.
4.1. “Abide with us”
4.2. Jesus comes and tarries.
4.3. The longer we tarry in the Presence of the Lord the longer He tarries with us.
4.4. Our hearts burning on fire from hearing the voice of the Lord
4.5. from hearing the expounding of the scriptures.
4.6. Ela… many of us just need to get under the teaching of the Word more frequently.
5. As the Gospel was being preached Jesus appears to His Disciples.
5.1. Again, like on the road to Emmaus, Jesus drew near and stood in the middle of them.
5.2. Finally this would be the moment when they would all believe.
5.3. Finally when they saw Him with their own eyes all doubt would vanish. 5.4.THEY WERE TERRIFIED!
5.5.The process of the Apostles and Disciples believing helps us to understand and have empathy on the slowness of our selves and others in our life.
5.6.The thoughts of our heart like a movie on a TV screen before the Lord. 5.7.He knew your thoughts before you thought it so why try to hide it.
6. The patience of Jesus.
Luke 24:39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
6.1.Jesus literally had the patience to eat dinner in order to prove to them He was not a ghost.
6.2.They still did not believe.
6.3.People who do not believe.
6.4.He showed they His piercings.
6.5.Then He took and ate in attempts to get them to believe.
7. Jesus opened their understanding and launched them on the Gospel mission.
Luke 24:44-48 (ASV) 44 And he said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures; 46 and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 Ye are witnesses of these things.
7.1. One’s understanding of the scriptures is entirely dependent on the mercy and grace of God.
7.2. No amount of time, effort, and even experience can open one’s understanding to the things of God – Jesus opens our understanding.
7.3. A person does not call themselves to salvation.
8. The Fundamentals of the Gospel mission – Believing & Repenting.
8.1. The Good news is that all have the opportunity for repentance and remission of sins.
Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations
8.1.1. Our focus can be so diverted from the essentials. 8.1.2. We can enter into heaven with many problems…
8.1.2.1. You might be poor in this life
8.1.2.2. You may have battled with sickness.
8.1.3. Above all other
8.2. Repenting and believing the good news.
Mark 1:14 Now after John was put in prison , Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God 15 And saying “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
8.2.1. Believing is a fruit of humility.
8.2.2. Because all man kind knows deep within who their maker is. 8.2.3. Rebellion attempts to cover it up but you cannot remove what has been put in.
8.2.4. And God has placed eternity within man.
8.2.5. Repentance is the fruit of a true believer.
8.2.6. Believing coupled with repentance is the dynamic duo that produces new life. 8.3. What shall we do?
Acts 2:36-38 (ESV) 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
8.3.1. Repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 8.4. Believing without repentance is the achilles’ heel of the Church.
James 2:19 (ISV) 19 You believe that there is one God. That’s fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear.
8.4.1. How many people do you know that would place their hand on their heart, if asked, and swear before God that they believe in God, yet their life is obviously unchanged, unsaved, and not delivered from the old life, old man, old sin, and ole vices.
8.4.2. And it creeps out in general conversation unbeknownst to the swearer.
8.4.3.Some of it is still being the journey of sanctification.
8.4.4. But some it if is just not having our hearts converted by believing and repenting.
8.4.5. Yes, they very well may believe but have they repented and have they been filled with the power needed to be set free from the spirit of the world.
8.5. Jesus spect 40 days after the resurrection performing many signs so that we would believe.
Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many infallible proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
8.5.1. Yet before He ascended on high he gave His disciples the charge to remain in Jerusalem.
8.6. Believing followed by repentance while obeying and waiting produces powerful victorious set free holy Christians.
8.6.1. Christians were first called Disciples.
8.6.2.The Gospel mission is to go forth and make disciples.
8.6.3. Followers and students part of The Way.
8.6.4. There are not multiple ways, but only The Way.
8.6.5. Ela… Discipleship happens by conversion and then through teaching Disciples learn to prioritize our walk with Christ and Christian community.
8.6.6. You cannot separate Christian community from discipleship.
Conclusion: Embrace the life of discipleship.
Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
• When the church is successful in making disciples there will be growing pains.
• Some people never really pay attention until something unexpected happens.
• Has enough happened to get our attention yet.