Where Should I Go?
Growing a Heart for Evangelism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Introduction
Introduction
In our passage this morning, we see the instruction that Jesus has for His disciples on the evening of His Resurrection. Jesus is alive today and lives victorious over death. Let’s see what we can learn about where to go with the good news of the Gospel.
Where does evangelism come from? In the Bible, we see Jesus speaking of Himself to those who are like lost sheep. Today, those that Jesus has left behind are to give the Gospel to the world. Evangelism comes from the heart that has experienced the salvation that only Jesus brings. Paul told the Thessalonian church,
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Do you have a heart for evangelism? In our series this fall, ask God to grow your heart to bring the message of salvation to the lost around you. Our hearts are evil, yet God can work through us to see the lost come to Jesus.
Will you let God grow a heart for evangelism in you today?
The simple answer to our title today is everywhere. God wants us to go everywhere and to all people with the good news of the Gospel. Jesus came to die for everyone and His message is to be preached to all nations. We are given a simple command to either obey or disobey and that command is to preach the Gospel.
We can see throughout history men and women that God used to give out the Gospel to the world.
Take Patrick of England. He went to the nation of Ireland, where he had been a slave, and preached the good news to pagan people. He showed grace in returning to a place that had treated him badly.
Look at David Brainerd. He died at age 29 after having spent time trying to preach the Gospel to the lost people of tribes in the American wilderness. His life is recorded in the journal that he kept.
What about Amy Carmichael? She spent here adult life in India as a missionary. Her care for orphans was used of God to get the Gospel to those who had never heard it.
Consider the example of David Livingston Leaving a promising career in medicine, he traveled to Africa to preach to the many who had yet to hear the gospel. Preaching the Gospel and the call of God was greater than potential fame or money.
These people would not all agree with us on finer points of doctrine. Yet, the truth is that God used them to preach the clear Gospel message of Jesus and His atoning death. The church has a history of seeing people saved in all walks of life when we obey the command of Jesus to carry the good news that Jesus died for sin and gives new life.
Where should I go? The answer is go everywhere just as these did. Let’s here the answer in Scripture from the mouth of Jesus to us today!
Declaration
Declaration
The Gospel is the preaching of the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have been given prophecy and proof in the Bible that the Gospel is true. Church, go and preach repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ to all nations! Two destinations are given on the road of preaching the Gospel.
1. Go to the Risen Saviour
1. Go to the Risen Saviour
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.
Our mission in the world is dependent on the maintenance of our relationship with Jesus. We see here the first emphasis of Jesus for the gathered disciples was on who He is. This is the ultimate question addressed in verses 36-43.
The identity of Jesus has always been debated and questioned. In the Gospels, we find that the religious rejected Him. The poor and the hurting came to Him for healing and teaching. Jesus ate with publicans and sinners and was mocked for His kindness to them.
CS Lewis spoke of this question about Jesus’ identity in simple terms. Either you believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Son of God or God Himself; or you believe He is a Liar, consciously telling others an untruth; or He is a Lunatic and He didn’t know who He was. These three options, Lord, Liar, and Lunatic, are the only ones that can be given to the clear claims of Jesus to be God.
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
In verse 36 of our passage, we see that the disciples are gathered and are discussing something. Verses 32-35 reveal that they were discussing the claims that Jesus was alive from the two walking to Emmaus and Peter. As they are debating, Jesus appears in the middle. Clearly something has happened as He simply appears.
The result of this appearance is fear. The disciples are startled and afraid. We are reminded of their thoughts when Jesus was walking on the water. They were afraid that He was a ghost as they are here. The words of Jesus have both practical and theological meaning.
Jesus tells them, “Peace be unto you.” This is the central thought of these verses. The peace comes from the reality that Jesus is alive and can be touched and seen. The reliable proof of Jesus’ Resurrection is His living appearance to the disciples. We have these firsthand accounts in the New Testament.
Verse 38 asks questions that Jesus resolves in verse 39. Jesus asks the disciples to touch Him and realize the truth of the Resurrection. The first place that we must go to is to Jesus Himself. Do you believe that Jesus is alive? Does you believe change the way that you live today? John reminds us of the nature of the Jesus and eternal life.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
Have you made it your goal as a believer to go to Him? Each day are you making Him the center of all that you do? We want to make sure that Jesus is the exalted because He is deserving of our praise and obedience. Paul tells the Colossians,
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Jesus calls everyone to come and see Him. This is the message that Jesus had left with the disciples before He was crucified. His death on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, would be a sacrifice that will bring every person to a choice either to accept or reject Him. Have you accepted the free gift of salvation?
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
The central truth of the Gospel is the same as the central message of Jesus to the disciples: "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself" in verse 39. To further prove that He was truly alive and not a ghost, Jesus ate fish and a honeycomb. Jesus wanted them to know that He was truly the Victor over death. The hands and feet of Jesus are constant reminders that Jesus gave His life on the cross, died and rose again. The world is called to believe because of what Jesus did for mankind so that they might have salvation. Probably a week later, Jesus will say to Thomas,
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
The first destination that we have on the road to obedience is to Jesus Himself. Have you ever placed your faith in Jesus alone for salvation? Believer, have you spent time today, this week, getting to know and being in touch with the Risen Saviour. Our relationship with Jesus is the foundation of our obedience in preaching the Gospel. What is going on in our heart will determine how we evangelize the world!
Jesus Christ never asks anyone to define his position or to understand a creed, but “Who am I to you?” Jesus Christ makes the whole of human destiny depend on a man’s relationship to himself.
Oswald Chambers
2. Go to All Nations
2. Go to All Nations
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
The second destination along this road is the nations of the world. Jesus is giving here a command to preach the Gospel to all people. In verses 44-49, Jesus is going to help them understand the practical meaning of Jesus’s Resurrection for a lost world.
He begins by outlining the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies in Himself. We se in verse 44 that Jesus gives three distinct portions of written words that are fulfilled in Him. There are three sections of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. We see here a similar division by Jesus. Yet, no matter how they are divided up, Jesus is clear that they center on who He is and what He would do. He told the religious leaders,
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
All that we know about Jesus is found in the Bible. It has never been proved wrong. We must be careful to look to it for the truth and not to a world that is without the truth of God. Jesus then “opened he their understanding.” Jesus made the Scriptures clear as they teach of Him. When there was a coming judgment in the Flood, an Ark was needed. When there was a command to sacrifice a son, a Lamb to die in his place was needed on Mt. Moriah. When there was sin that could not be washed away, Isaiah tells us that on Him was laid it all. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise that God would send salvation to mankind.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The result of this action is that they see the death, burial and resurrection in the past is now moving to preaching in the future. We have here again an eschatological truth, the Gospel is preached to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Jesus is specific in the words that He uses here.
Repentance is a change of mind that must take place in the heart of anyone who will accept salvation. The word here is pointing to the preaching of the gospel to ensure that a choice is made on the part of the listener to turn from their sin to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. Consider your sin and consider the Saviour! There should be a “reconsideration” (LXGNTLEX) because of what Jesus has done for the world.
The word “remission” is a forgiveness of sin. There is no longer any stain on the record of the one who accepts the sacrifice of Jesus. The guilt that their sin had placed on their recored is now removed completely. Forgiveness and pardon are central to the good news of the Gospel message to the world.
Jesus is clear about the content of gospel preaching. It must contain a call to repentance and an offer of forgiveness as we see displayed in the book of Acts soon to come. This preaching is the speaking out to the world that all might hear the message. The town cryer cannot have a louder or greater message than the preacher in the town’s church! The job of the Christian is to make the message heard everywhere he or she might go. We have good news that repentance and forgiveness is made possible through the finished work of Jesus on the Cross and from the Empty Tomb! We see the testimony of Paul to King Agrippa of his mission to the lost,
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Charles Spurgeon was clear about the centrality of preaching in the local church. Preaching must be the center of all that we do. God has promised to bless preaching in His Word.
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. LVI “Repentance and Remission” (No. 3,224)
Preaching is the great battering-ram that is to shake the gates of hell. Preaching is God’s chief method of winning souls unto himself: “for after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” We cannot too often remind this age in which we live of this truth, for this is a time in which it is supposed that rites and ceremonies, human learning and literature, and I know not what beside, may very properly be allowed to supplant the preaching of the Word.
The message is the Gospel and the method is preaching. Of these things, Jesus says, “ye are witnesses.” The disciples are martyrs. This is the Greek word here that tells us about someone who is able to validate the truth of something. We today think of martyrs as those who have died for something. In this context, they are being told to tell the truth and because they tell the truth and suffer, we have the meaning of the word today. One preacher shows us the insight of this life,
Martyrs are men who know what they believe.
The Gospel of God, 21
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
In recent days, a man named Charlie Kirk was killed. He had been clear about the change that Jesus had made in his life. I have heard several videos as you likely have of this truth. Because of what he believed, he was killed. May we have such a testimony of living out our faith that people might remember us as those who have both seen and given the truth of the Gospel. A martyr is a person who believes and lives what they know is true. Sometimes, a martyr will give his life for what he believes. All the time, a martyr has chosen to give his life to Jesus!
In verse 49, Jesus calls attention to the final promise in the Gospel of Luke. The final promise that Jesus has is that there is One who will come with power. This word emphasizes the makeup more than the fact of a promise. The Holy Spirit is what is being promised. There is the “power” to go to the world and see change take place. In Matthew 28, Jesus stated His authority and used the word “power”. Here, He promises the Holy Spirit’s potential for carrying out the Great Commission. Only through the power of the Spirit can the Gospel be preached to all nations.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
If we seek to give the good news with the Spirit, we are without the only power we have been promised. Every day, we must be yielded to Him and be willing to follow Him. There is a fulfillment here of a prophecy from the book of Joel.
And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions:
Wiersbe said,
The Bible Exposition Commentary Luke 24:47–53
Witnessing is not something that we do for the Lord; it is something that He does through us, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
The second destination along the road of preaching the gospel is all nations. Jesus is clear that preaching is to contain repentance and forgiveness from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. The power comes through the Holy Spirit. Are you letting the Holy Spirit work through you?
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Gospel is the preaching of the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have been given prophecy and proof in the Bible that the Gospel is true. Church, go and preach repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ to all nations!
In the verses following our passage, Jesus ascends to heaven. There He sits today on the right hand of God the Father. The command of Jesus is to preach the Gospel and to tell what we know to be truth. Are you obeying today?
I can think in my life of times that I have been able to give the Gospel to people. I remember witnessing to another guy in our Scout Troop on a camping trip. I made it a priority to give the Gospel to those I shared a tent with. I remember going through the Gospel with my youth pastor with a person in our youth group. I felt like God wanted me to ask him if he wanted to get saved because he was under so much conviction.
As an adult, there have been times that I have been able to speak the truth of Jesus’ death for sin to those that I have been able to work with. Wherever we go, we have opportunities to give the Gospel if we take them.
Jesus gives us this morning two destinations on the road to preaching the Gospel. The first is our relationship with Him. The second is the nations that must hear of His salvation.
How is your relationship with Jesus? Are you living closely to Him? You might know the truth of who He is but you don’t worship Him like you should. Today, decide to get closer to Jesus everyday. He wants to be close to you.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
How is your preaching of the Gospel? When was the last time you spoke about what Jesus did on the cross for us? When was the last time you talked about the Resurrection to someone who has not believed? Jesus calls us to preach repentance or change and remission or forgiveness to all nations. Are you doing that today?
The good news is that today is the best time to start giving the Gospel. It is simple and easy to remember. (Give the 5 points)
Will you obey today? Peter speaks later in Acts exactly what Jesus commanded and God uses it to bring many people to salvation in the house of Cornelius,
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
