A job to be done

Introduction

Good morning RCF.

It is great to be with you this morning. My name is Daniel and I am the Student Ministries Pastor here. It’s a bit of a light service today cause the women are at the women’s retreat. Dads how many of you were in survival mode this weekend? I had the perfect storm of a sick baby and sick dog which kept me up all night so I can relate.

Last Sunday was the most important Sunday in the life a believer. It was the Sunday where Jesus Conquered death and we were set free from the bondage our sin has on us. Leading up to that, we looked a few things that happened leading up to Easter. First Brent took us through the transfiguration. We talked about how Jesus showed 3 disciples a glimpse of what his eternal glory looked like. In that process we see Peter still miss the point of who Jesus is and doesn’t yet understand what it was that Jesus was trying to show him. The next week I walked us through the triumphal entry. I challenged us to enter into Holy Week by letting go of the thing keeping us back from surrendering all to Jesus and letting him take the weight what is going on. Then we looked at the crucification. What it meant on that dark day. That good Friday. We spent time reflecting on what Jesus did for us.

So we saw:

a glimpse of glory

a triumphal entry

a crucification

and a celebration by means of a resurrection.

And that’s it right? That’s where the story ends in terms of Jesus? No. This is in large part the beginning of the story of where we are today. Let’s Pray

Section 1: Smell the roses

The Sunday after Easter is almost a wind down.

Kobe Bryant, who played for the Lakers throughout his entire 20 year NBA career, used to say that there is nothing more disappointing than winning the moment immediately following a championship win. You work so hard and push so far to the point of ultimate success. You put in hours and hours of preparation. You spend every morning in the gym at 5am for 9 months then suddenly you wake up one morning and you don’t have to put in the work. At least temporarily. Kobe famously after the Lakers won the championship in 2009 arrived to an empty Lakers training facility the next morning at 5 am.

That is how Easter is for most people. We celebrate and we worship just to go back into the mundane because the high wears off. This is not exclusive to us.

Imagine having seen Jesus suffer the most brutal death you have ever seen. Even though Jesus has predicted over and over again what is going to happen, the Disciples still didn’t understand what was going to happen. So they are still unsure as to how to make since of what they witnessed.

We pick up the story in Luke 24.

Luke 24:13–27 ESV

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

BREAK DOWN VERSES

They did not recognize Jesus. This isn’t the first time we see this. Even Mary thought Jesus was a gardener and did not recognize him when she spoke to him at the tomb.

When we talked about Palm Sunday, we pointed out that the people did not understand fully who it was that they were claiming victory in. The crowd says that he is a prophet of Nazareth. The disciples do the same thing here by claiming him to be a prophet and nothing more.

The disciples mention a hope that Jesus is the one to deliver Israel.

So at this point, the women have seen the empty tomb, other disciples have seen the empty tomb, and still they do not see him stand right in front of them.

So Jesus tells them once again what happened and what needed to happen and he begins interpreting scripture.

Think of this like the ultimate theology class.

When I was Biola every student wanted to take Theology with Dr. Thoennis because of how brilliant he was. The disciples get that theology lesson from Jesus himself.

So Jesus has raised from the dead, people have been witnesses to this, Mary spoke to him and the disciples have been told this and still, they do not believe.

Does it sound familiar?

Think about your life for a second. How many times has this been the case for you? How many times have you used the excuse that you are waiting to see or hear God and God has been pushing you towards something or has revealed himself to you.

Romans 1:20 ESV

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Ever since the beginning of all of creation God has shown us his power and divine nature. And so many times we continually operate a perpetual state of waiting on God or saying we do not see him. The response of the Disciples is no different than the one we have. Sometimes our need to make sense of things doesn’t allow us to stop and smell the roses. Even after we know and have heard and have seen what Jesus has done in our lives we still question and act cautiously. But that is not how we are called to live. We are called to live as people who have the power that raised Jesus from the dead in our lives so that we can partake in the glory of his Kingdom amen?

Section 2: Don’t overcomplicate it.

The natural human response to this is us trying to overcomplicate what that looks like.

Luke 24:36–49 ESV

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.”

So after Jesus interprets the scriptures to the disciples that were on the road then he appears to the rest of them. They respond frightened. Probably like most of us would respond if we are being honest.

You just saw this guy die so seeing him in person and seeing his scars I am sure would at the very least startle you.

So Jesus does the same thing here that he just did, except this time he emphasizes that the disciples are witnesses of this and he promises that the “power from the most high” is coming.

That kind of sounds like you are about to defeat a boss in Dark Souls and you need some type of special power that you don’t get until you complete some side quests that take forever but are kind of easy.

Anyways, I got caught on a tangent there.

So Jesus once again interprets the scriptures and promises that help is coming. This is the Holy Spirit which we have today.

The word power here is interesting. We see it quite a bit at the end of Jesus’ life and it alludes to the power of God which Jesus has. And he is telling the disciples that the power is coming to aid you. In Luke’s account, he does not mention the command Jesus leaves his disciples, but we know because of Matthew’s account that the command is to make more disciples.

Be honest, how many of you like to do things on your own with no help? This is me. It backfires often because I am not good at doing a whole lot by myself. For instance, any time my wife asks me to hang something or do something handy, I do it because I want to believe I can follow instructions or I can drill a hole, but that’s just clearly not me. The amount of times Michelle goes, do you need to call my dad for help? and I say no, because of course, something goes wrong and I end up calling Brad anyways to not only come help me hang something, but also fill in the holes I put in the wall trying to hang it the first 4 times.

This is how we often operate in our daily lives. We get so caught up in the action. In the command we are given that overcomplicate how to do something. Here’s a thought, operate in love and let the spirit guide you. We are called to make disciples and the only way to do that effectively is to build a relationship with someone. Imagine if the first time you ever take to someone you start explaining the power of God and how Jesus had the power and how we have that power but its all the same power. I am not even sure I understand what I just said. But that power lives in us so that we can create disciples who create disciples, but that isn’t something we do on our own.

Section 3: The Accension

Luke picks up the story in verse 50.

Luke 24:50–53 ESV

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.

Luke jumps forward to Jesus’ final day on earth as he ascends to the Father.

But there is a gap in between that time. Jesus was on earth for 40 days before he ascended. That time was spent getting the disciples ready. He spent time teaching and discipling. He was preparing for the task he was asking the disciples to carry out. The whole next section of the Bible is the book of Acts which details early church history and mission trips taken by the Disciples. What they did mimics the very thing that Jesus did throughout his time on earth, not just in last days.

Conclusion: Call to Action

When we are told in Matthew to go and make disciples, better interpreted as “as you are going.” We are being told to mimic the life of Jesus.

I mentioned the story of Kobe after the 2009 NBA finals going to the gym. When he got to the gym he found himself upset that no one else was there. He was expecting the same level of drive and hunger that he had from the rest of his teammates. Shortly into his morning workout, his teammates started showing up, Before the day was over everyone had come back to work out the next morning. When they asked the players why they were there, they said they spent an entire year watching Kobe do this very thing so why would that change once the celebration is over.

Imagine if that is how we responded to the resurrection. What if instead of going back to “normal” life and rather than focussing on Easter itself, we focussed on what it is meant to represent. Easter is not meant to be something we celebrate and move on. it is meant to be the starting point in our lives that puts us in a posture of making more disciples. We are commanded to do this. This is our purpose in life. This is the greatest form of worship. A life of surrender that takes the power of the resurrection and uses it to further God’s kingdom. When Jesus ascended to Heaven, he left us everything we needed to live this life.

LET’s PRAY

This week, take the celebration of Easter and start making disciples.