Luke 24:36-53 - Victory Confirmed
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
I must admit that I have mixed emotions today. This is the last of our 88-week sermon series through Luke. We have covered much ground. We have actually covered 24,645 words in the ESV New Testament which makes up around 14% of the entire New Testament. That is quite a lot of ground we have covered in this single book!
We have seen everything from the prophecies concerning Jesus’s birth, to His life and teachings and miracles, to His death, burial, and resurrection. This has been quite a journey through Luke.
Today, we will see the ultimate confirmation of Jesus’s victory. There is no doubt regarding His victory over sin and death and the grave. He is alive and He is sovereign.
Let’s go ahead and get into these last 18 verses to close out the book of Luke.
Read Full Scripture:
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Prayer
Today we will see four ways in which Christ shows that His victory has been confirmed. The first is…
I. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Appearance (36-37)
I. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Appearance (36-37)
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.
We find out from John 20:19 that this is the same day that Jesus had risen - we are still on the Lord’s Day - namely Sunday. This has been quite an eventful day, hasn’t it? The women have found the empty tomb and seen angels (Luke 24:1-7). Peter and John saw the empty tomb and Peter saw the risen Christ later that day (Luke 24:12, Luke 24:34)! Mary Magdalene has seen the risen Christ (John 20:11-18) as well as the other women who had been at the tomb (Matthew 28:8-10). And Jesus has just appeared to the two followers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).
But Jesus’s full day of ministry post-resurrection isn’t done yet.
Luke sets the scene with letting us know that the disciples and other followers gathered together are talking about the resurrection of Jesus. And as they are talking, He appears to the group!
Interestingly, John also lets us know in his parallel that the doors were locked for fear of the Jews. So we see that Jesus appeared to them by going through a locked door and walls!
We are told that His first words to them are, “Peace to you!”
Somewhat understandably, despite His kind greeting of Shalom - or peace to you, the disciples are startled and frightened. They literally thought they were seeing a disembodied spirit – or what we might call today a ghost!
It’s not every day that someone just appears within your midst – especially when you have all the doors locked!
Luke tells us that the disciples are startled and frightened. These are two Greek words that both mean to be terrified. The second word we see used here is where we get the word phobia. Luke lets us know that they are quite afraid.
Yet, despite the suddenness of His appearance, with all of the teaching they had received thus far and all of the witnesses that had already discussed seeing the risen Christ, this seems like the opposite reaction that we would expect from them.
We cannot be too hard on the disciples as they had obviously been through a whirlwind. However, we do see that their response is not what it should have been. We will see in a few moments that this response seems to last quite a while. It is not just a quick startle and then a settle into reality. We see that their hearts were still not prepared for the truth of the Gospel and appearance of the risen Christ.
They all had seemed in agreement and excited about the appearances of Jesus. They seemed like they were in a good place. Each of them were likely nodding in agreement as they each talked about their encounters with Jesus. Yet, their response to Christ’s appearance in their midst just now seems to show that they weren’t ready for Christ to show up.
This brings up a good lesson for us today.
Are you prepared for Christ to show up in your life?
I don’t mean to literally show up in His glorified body. But to show up in answering your prayer to be closer to Him. Or answering your prayer about His will for your life. Or calling and directing you to make a big decision for Him such as serve in some type of ministry etc.
Like we discussed last week - many people love to feel that burning in their hearts when it comes to hearing a sermon preached - but most people don’t really want God to change their lives drastically.
We oftentimes get comfortable with how things are in our lives. We might say that we want to know God’s will for us. We might say that we desire a closer relationship with Him. Yet, when we find out that a closer relationship with Him might mean big changes in our lives - we can often be like the disciples - startled and frightened.
May we be different. May we desire a close and life-changing relationship with our Savior. May we be excited and not frightened by His appearance in our lives. And may we long for His glorious appearance when He returns for His church.
Next, we see that…
Scripture References: John 20:19, Luke 24:1-7, Luke 24:12, Luke 24:34, John 20:11-18, Matthew 28:8-10, Luke 24:13-35
II. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Substance (38-43)
II. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Substance (38-43)
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Jesus then again calls out their doubts. He has already appeared to the two on their way to Emmaus, Simon Peter, and Mary Magdalene and the other women. They had heard the prophecies about Him. Yet despite all of these witnesses to His resurrection, it seems that they still don’t truly believe.
Their fears and doubts are irrational. The facts are before them, and now even Christ is present with them in substance - glorified body being truly God and truly glorified man right in front of them.
See the kindness of Jesus as He continues to prove His resurrection…
See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Jesus is patient with the disciples. He shows them His hands and His feet. He even asks them to touch Him and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones.
By touching His glorified body, He sought to let them know that this was no mere hallucination or dream. Jesus was present in the flesh.
Obviously, His glorified body still resembles a human body. Yet, He also is able to teleport and walk through walls! This is something for us to look forward to in eternity, right!?
The Scriptures teach that we will be blessed with a glorified body one day as well (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:35-44)!
Listen to Philippians 3:20-21 specifically:
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
That phrase lowly body resonates with some of us more than others doesn’t it? I’m sure many of us have ailments that you would love to have removed. Amen? Joint pains, back pain, muscle aches, fatigue, heart problems, and maybe even cancers have afflicted many of us who are here.
But praise be to God that this tent of a body isn’t what we must live in forever! We will be given a transformed and glorified body. One that never fatigues, never hurts, and never dies. What an amazing promise!
Despite Jesus showing them Himself, the disciples still are in disbelief. It is too much for them to grasp. But we see in the following verses that something is welling up in their hearts…
And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.
They are awestruck and marveling. Despite being overwhelmed, we see that joy is filling their hearts as well.
However, Jesus knowing that they are still having some doubts and fears asks them for something to eat.
They give him a piece of broiled fish and He eats it before them. Don’t you love the detail of the physician, Luke? R.C. Sproul points out the fact that Luke lets us know even how the fish is cooked. It isn’t fried or seared - it is broiled. I love Luke’s attention to detail as well!
I cannot imagine how much their minds were blown by this encounter. They knew that Jesus was dead. Some of them had even witnessed His crucifixion. There is no doubt in their minds that the Romans were experts in crucifixion. But here is Jesus now right in front of them. And not only that, but He also just ate something right in front of them. They can see Him and they can touch Him.
Jesus has shown the confirmation of His victory over sin and death through his substantial appearance and next we see by His…
Scripture References: Believers will have a glorified body (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:35-44)
III. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Guidance (44-49)
III. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Guidance (44-49)
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Jesus reminds them about the teachings that He gave them while He was during his earthly ministry. He reminds them of the fulfillment of the Scriptures in the entire Old Testament. This threefold division of the Old Testament was common during Jesus’s era. He explains how each of these sections all point to Him.
Not only did He teach them about the Scriptures, He doesn’t just stop after teaching them the truth - we are told that He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
This is the beautiful thing about God. We now have the Holy Spirit Who was sent to help us discern the things of God. As we read the Bible, God will give us discernment and understanding by the power of the Holy Spirit. We refer to this as illumination. It is as if the Holy Spirit shines a light on the pages of the Word of God so that we can understand it and be changed by it.
Many times I pray during our Sunday morning sermon that God would help us understand His Word. This is because the Bible teaches us that without the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand the Scriptures.
Listen to 1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
This is incredibly important for us to remember. Without God illuminating His Word for us, we cannot understand it. In fact, the things of God’s Word appear as foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). First and foremost, we must have our minds and hearts opened up by God in order to receive His Word. This shows the importance of preparing our hearts on Sunday mornings. We must realize that we cannot understand God’s Word through our own abilities and intellect. We must ask God to illuminate His Word for us.
Another important concept for us to realize is why many people go to churches that preach God’s Word expositionally like we do here, and make comments like:
‘It was boring’, or ‘I didn’t get anything out of it.’
Yet when they go to seeker sensitive churches that preach worldly self-help messages, they rave about how ‘entertaining’ and ‘thought-provoking’ the message was.
If I might be so bold in saying this… it may be because many people don’t truly have the Holy Spirit who illuminates the Word for them. If you catch yourself enjoying the entertaining so-called sermons of modern seeker-sensitive churches and do not enjoy a sermon going verse-by-verse through the Word of God, be sure that you are in the faith, my friend.
The Word of God should be our sustenance. We should be like Jesus in this way Who when tempted in the wilderness and extremely hungry said:
But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Do you live by the Word of God. Do you live for the Word of God. Do you find your energy and sustaining grace from the Word of God?
I praise God that there are many pastors out there that are still preaching the Word of God. However, beware of those who teach watered down worldly philosophies that tickle the ears of those who hear.
Before moving forward, there is one other important application here as well.
Pastors such as Andy Stanley like to preach something called the ‘Jesus Only Movement.’ This movement is marked by a denial of the inerrancy of Scripture at worse and the inadequacy of Scripture at best. It is clearly characterized in his message entitled, “Who Needs God? The Bible Told Me So” where Stanley made the following statements:
‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ That is where our trouble began...”
“If the Bible is the foundation of your faith, here’s the problem: it is all or nothing. Christianity becomes a fragile, house of cards religion...”
He then boldly stated: “it is next to impossible to defend the entire Bible.”
My friends, when Jesus appeared to His disciples, did He deny the importance of the Old Testament? Did He tell them just to believe what they saw and not study the Scriptures any longer? Absolutely not.
Without the Bible, we will fall for any pagan idol that someone names as Jesus out there. We only know who Jesus truly is through His Word. Jesus does not call us to an experiential-only relationship with Him. He calls us to know Him through His Word.
To remove the primacy of Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone - and replace it with resurrection alone would lead one to make Jesus into whatever idol one would want Him to be.
Instead, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the crowning confirmation of the truth within the Scriptures.
Moving forward, Jesus continues…
and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus then tells them the fullness of the Gospel. He speaks of His death and resurrection and that those who repent will be forgiven. He charges the disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations beginning in Jerusalem. They are to be Christ’s witnesses to the world - starting in Jerusalem. This parallels the Great Commission seen in Matthew 28 well.
These first disciples were eyewitnesses to these things. They had seen everything up close and first-hand. Many of them would go on to write or aid in writing many of the books of the New Testament. They would vet the early leaders of the Church. And they would preach the Gospel throughout much of the known world.
May we praise God that the early church did their job. We now know who Jesus is and have His Word because of their faithfulness.
But this comes with a charge to us as well. We are continued witnesses of these things. Although we have not seen Christ face to face, we have been changed by Him. We know Him through His Word and through His working in our lives. We know Him because we have been born again and changed. We know Him because we were dead in our sins and now we are alive in Him. And we are to be His witnesses locally, regionally, nationally, and to the ends of the earth.
We must maintain that same charge, Church. God has chosen us to be His chosen instruments to spread the good news of the Gospel.
May we be faithful in this necessary Gospel work.
Jesus has provided the disciples guidance through opening up their minds to understand the Scriptures. But He is not going to stop guiding them there. In verse 49, Jesus speaks of the promise of the Holy Spirit falling at Pentecost. We see this in Acts 2. They were to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit fell. At that point they were to disperse and preach the Gospel to the nations.
We have one final application to understand from this section.
The first and foremost thing that any of us need before doing work for Christ is coming to Christ through repentance and faith and receiving His free gift of salvation - being born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.
One cannot do good works and do great things for God apart from the Holy Spirit working in and through him.
Many zealous persons have set out to accomplish big works apart from the Holy Spirit only to fall on their faces. Remember that He is the One who empowers, strengthens, and guides you in your work for Him. Be sure you aren’t trying to go at it alone in ministry or in life. Be sure that you have repented of your sins and placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
And then be sure to remember to follow the guidance of our amazing God.
Lastly, we see that…
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 28:16-20 Acts 2
IV. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Transcendence (50-53)
IV. Jesus’s Victory Over Sin and Death is Confirmed by His Transcendence (50-53)
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
There are 40 days in between verses 49-50.
Luke, for completeness sake of his first book, provides the Ascension account at the end. The importance of the Ascension cannot be overstated. Sadly, we rarely consider the importance of the Ascension. We obviously celebrate Christmas and Resurrection Sunday. We discuss Good Friday and occasionally discuss Pentecost. However, the Ascension is probably the least discussed event in the life of Christ.
Why is the Ascension so important?
Some of the reasons the Ascension of Jesus Christ is important are:
1 - It shows the sovereign and overarching power and exaltation of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11).
2 - It assures us of the truth that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 1:3-4).
3 - It provides us the truth of Jesus as our intercessor (Romans 8:34).
4 - It affirms the truth and reality of heaven (Hebrews 11:16).
5 - It provides assurance that we will share in Christ’s glory (Ephesians 2:6).
Luke, stressing the importance of the Ascension, provides a short excerpt at the end of His Gospel. However, we see in Acts 1:1-11, Luke provides a more thorough and complete account of the Ascension of Christ.
In these verses, we find that Jesus appeared to the disciples and other followers of Christ over 40 days time. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that Jesus appeared to more than 500 followers during these 40 days before ascending into heaven!
In Acts 1:5 we hear of the promised Holy Spirit that would fall at Pentecost recorded in Acts 2. After speaking to the disciples for a while and teaching them about His return, we come to the following verses describing this amazing event:
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Can you imagine the overwhelming majesty of this event? The disciples just stand there staring up into the sky overwhelmingly paralyzed by what had just occured. Two angels standing by them teach the disciples that Jesus will return the same way they had just seen Him depart.
That is such an amazing promise, friends. Jesus is coming back. He is coming one day to take His rightful rule and reign! May we rest in the hope and assurance of the return of Christ.
Finally, we see Luke end his Gospel with the following two verses…
And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
The disciples likely fall on their faces in worship with overwhelmed reverence for what had just happened and worship Jesus.
Theologian Robert Stein reminds us that Luke then returns his readers back to the beginning of his book. The book returns to where it began - namely the temple.
Although it has been almost 2 and half years ago since we started this wonderful book that we are closing out today, if you can recall, Luke started off his Gospel with Zechariah in the temple being told that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a child. This child would be John the Baptist - the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:5-25).
And now we see the disciples worshiping and praising God in that same temple where some 34 or so years ago, a promise was made.
And like all the promises of God, they are all kept.
John the Baptist was born and ministered and prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus Christ was born and fulfilled all of the prophecies about Himself in the Old Testament regarding His first coming.
This is all possible because of the transcendent nature of God. His knowledge, presence, and power transcends all space and time. His promises are sure. His victory was sure from the beginning of time. Nothing is beyond our transcendent Savior.
Scripture References: Acts 1:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:6, Acts 2, Luke 1:5-25
Conclusion:
As we come to close out this sermon as well as this great book of Luke, let us never forget our victorious Savior.
He has confirmed His victory over sin and death by His appearance, by His substantial resurrection, by His continued guidance, and by His sovereign transcendence.
We have a Savior Who is faithful and victorious. May we trust in His finished work on the cross. May we trust in His intercession for each of us as we pray to God in His name. And may our hope always be firmly based in Him alone.
