The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.
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Luke 23:26-49
Loving Jesus and Following Jesus: Here, we focus on two verses where there is special mention of women – Luke 23:27; Luke 23:49.
(1) Loving Jesus
Among those who followed Jesus, there were “women who mourned and wailed for Him” (Luke 23:27). They “mourned and wailed for Him” because they loved Him. Our love for Jesus is a response to His love for us – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34); “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Let His love reach you. Let His love change you. Let His love for you draw out your love for Him.
(2) Following Jesus
The women are described, in Luke 23:49, as “the women who had followed Him from Galilee.” We hear more about “the twelve”, especially Peter, James and John. We don’t hear much about “the women”, but we do hear something about them in Luke 23:27 and Luke 23:49. What we hear is an example, inspiration and challenge to us. Like them, we are to love Jesus and we are to follow Jesus. Their example will inspire us to love Jesus and to follow Him. Will you love Him more? Will you follow Him more closely?
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Luke 23:50-24:12
The story of Jesus doesn’t end, at the end of chapter 23, with Jesus’ burial. It continues on, into chapter 24, with His resurrection. The mighty resurrection of Christ is proclaimed in Luke 24:6 – “He is not here. He has risen.”
Before turning directly, let’s notice something significant about His burial. The man who attended to Jesus’ burial was Joseph of Arimathea – “he was waiting for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 23:51). He didn’t have long to wait for a mighty demonstration of the life-giving power of God’s Kingdom. In His resurrection from the dead, Christ shows to us the life of the ultimate future, the life of the coming Kingdom of God, the life that takes us beyond the grave.
The great event of Christ’s resurrection stands at the very heart of the New Testament.
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What does the New Testament teach us concerning Christ’s resurrection?
- (1) The resurrection was predicted in the ministry of Christ.
- (2) The resurrection was presented as a miracle of God.
- (3) The resurrection was proclaimed in the message of the Church.
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(1) The resurrection was predicted in the ministry of Christ.
The important passages are Luke 9:18-22; Luke 11:29-30 and Luke 18:31-33. We must note that it is the event of the resurrection which makes the meaning of these verses clear.
(2) The resurrection was presented as a miracle of God.
There is only one explanation of Christ’s resurrection – God did it!
(i) Who moved the stone? – God.
(ii) Who met with the disciples? – Christ.
(iii) Who empowered the disciples for witness? – The Holy Spirit.
God’s work in us is His miracle, from beginning to end.
- He takes away the stony heart of unbelief.
- He comes to us, in Christ, and gives us new life.
- He comes to us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to equip us for witness.
(3) The resurrection was proclaimed in the message of the Church.
(i) “witnesses of the resurrection” (Acts 1:22).
(ii) Preaching the resurrection (Acts 2:24; Acts 4:33).
(iii) Paul preaching the resurrection (Acts 17:18).
Today, the resurrection of Christ must still be the heart of the Church’s message: “He is not here. He has risen!”
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Luke 24:1-8
Jesus was dead and buried. The Pharisees were jubilant. They were celebrating. That was the end of the troublemaker. Jesus was dead and buried. The disciples were despondent. They were mourning. They had lost their great Friend.
Joy and sadness: the joy of the Pharisees and the sadness of the disciples – Soon, it was all going to change. The joy of the Pharisees would be short-lived. The sadness of the disciples would soon turn to gladness. Soon, everything was about to change. Soon, Jesus’ enemies would know that their evil plot had backfired on them. Soon, the disciples would know that this was not a hopeless end. Soon, they would know that this was the beginning of an endless hope.
Think of the endless hope which the resurrection of Christ opened up for His disciples: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). This is our glorious hope: “Death is swallowed up in victory … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54, 57).
* How does a hopeless end become an endless hope? The answer is found in these wonderful words, which announced Christ’s resurrection – “He is not here. He has risen!” (Luke 24:6).
* Jesus had spoken, prophetically, concerning His crucifixion and resurrection – “Remember how He spoke to you … “(Luke 24:6-7). The Lord’s promise had been fulfilled. Jesus had kept His Word. He had returned from the grave. He had triumphed over the grave. Remembering Jesus Christ, “risen from the dead”, we rejoice that He did not raise false hopes and then leave them dashed. We rejoice that He did what He said He would do. He rose from the dead. As we think about of the words of prophecy, spoken by Jesus and fulfilled by Him in His resurrection from the dead, let us think also of His words of prophecy concerning His Second Coming. Jesus said that He would come again to gather His believing people into His Father’s house: “Do not let your hearts be troubled …” (John 14:1-3). Jesus has fulfilled His prophecy concerning His resurrection. He will fulfil His prophecy concerning our resurrection to eternal life. We look back to His resurrection. We look forward to our resurrection in Him. This is the joy of the resurrection – Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection in Him. It is the joy of fulfilment. It is the joy of the resurrection which has already taken place – Christ’s resurrection. It is the joy of anticipation, the joy of the resurrection which has yet to take place – our resurrection in Christ.
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Luke 24:9-53
Here, we look at Jesus’ ministry of God’s Word. He speaks as the risen Christ. We see His pattern for us today. It is through His presence among us that there is a true and growing understanding of God’s Word. When we gather to hear God’s Word, we must come into the Lord’s House, believing that Jesus will fulfil to us His precious promise: “where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
We focus particular attention on Luke 24:25-27, Luke 24:30-32, Luke 24:44-49 and Luke 24:52-53.
* “all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27) – This is a reference to the Old Testament. Many people dismiss the Old Testament. They tell us that we don’t need to pay attention to it. Jesus tells us that this attitude is “foolish” (Luke 24:25). We have much to learn from the Old Testament. It directs us to the New Testament. The promises, given in the Old Testament, have been fulfilled in the New Testament. A notable example of this is found in Isaiah 53, which speaks, prophetically, of Christ’s death on the cross for the salvation of sinners. In the New Testament, Christ is at the centre of everything. The Gospels tell His Story. Acts tells of the advance of His Gospel. The Letters apply the message of His Gospel. Revelation shows us the glory of Christ.
* In Luke 24:30-32, we see that, through the ministry of God’s Word, our hearts are warmed and our eyes are opened.
* In Luke 24:44-49, we move on from receiving God’s Word from the Lord (Luke 24:44-46) to sharing God’s Word with others (Luke 24:47-49). As we receive and share God’s Word, we are to pray that His Word will be spoken to us and spoken by us with “power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
* In Luke 24:52-53, we are reminded that the preaching of God’s Word flourishes when God’s people bring to Him their joyful praise and worship.
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Luke 24:13-35
With great joy, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Christ’s resurrection is (i) a fact of history – something that happened; (ii) a fact of faith - something that we believe; (iii) a fact of experience – something that changes us.
We focus our attention on Luke 24:30-35. We will learn about the Person of Christ – who He is; the Purpose of Christ – what He has done for us; the Presence of Christ – how He continues to bless us today.
(1) The Person of Christ – who He is.
Note the contrast between the description of Jesus, given in Luke 24:19, and the declaration of Jesus resurrection in Luke 24:34 – “the Lord has risen.” He is more than “a prophet.” He is “the Lord.” What convinced these disciples that Jesus is more than “a prophet”? What convinced them that He is “the Lord”? – His resurrection (Romans 1:1-4).
(2) The Purpose of Christ – why He came.
Luke 24:30-31, 35 – This was not a Communion service. It was an ordinary sharing of bread. There is no mention of wine. The two people weren’t present at the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the upper room. Perhaps, They had heard about the Last Supper. Perhaps, they had been present at the feeding of the five thousand. Perhaps, as the risen Christ broke bread with them, they noticed the nail marks on His hands. All we are told is this – “Jesus was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. They recognized Him when He broke the bread” (Luke 24:35). The simple action of breaking the bread turns our thoughts to the symbolic action – the broken bread speaks to us of our Saviour’s body, broken for us.
Here, we see the purpose of Christ. Here, we see the purpose of His love. The cross of Christ stands at the heart of the Gospel. This is the Good News – “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures … He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). When we think of the power of Christ’s resurrection, we must also remember the love of His crucifixion.
(3) The Presence of Christ – how He continues to bless us today.
In the time between His resurrection and his ascension, Christ was preparing His disciples for the time when He would no longer be with them as a bodily presence. He was preparing them for a new stage in the knowledge of Him. The risen Lord is unseen, but He is never absent. He is with them always. He is with us always. Christ ministers to us. He does this through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who brings Christ to us. He does this by way of the Holy Scriptures. Christ’s pattern of revelation is still the same for us.
(i) Instruction in the Scriptures;
(ii) The warming of the heart;
(iii) The opening of the eyes;
(iv) Unseen but never absent, the Saviour sends us out to walk by faith – “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
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Luke 24:36-53
The Gospel is Good News. The preaching of the Gospel is the telling of the story of Christ’s birth, His baptism, His victory over temptation, His transfiguration, His crucifixion, His resurrection and His ascension.
This is the story of our Saviour.
* It is the story of all that He came to do for us – the purpose of His coming to earth.
* It is the story of all that He has done for us – He has provided us with the perfect sacrifice for our sin (His death for us) and the perfect example for our living (His perfect life).
* It is the story of all that He will do for us – In His resurrection and ascension, there is the forward look.
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Resurrection and ascension
* Luke 24:36 – Jesus is a wonderful Saviour. He speaks to us His wonderful words of peace.
* Luke 24:37-39 – The disciples were “terrified.” They were “troubled.” Jesus shows them that this is real. They are not imagining things. Jesus really has risen from the dead.
* Luke 24:44-46 – A backward look: The Scriptures have been fulfilled.
* Luke 24:47-48 – A forward look: There is work to be done and you are the people who must do it.
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How are we to do the work of the Lord? – “with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Notice that the disciples were to “stay in the city.” Here, we see the vital connection between worship and witness. When we worship, we come to God in our weakness. We come, confessing our sin. We come, seeking His forgiveness. We wait upon the Lord for the renewal of our strength. As our strength is renewed, we begin to worship and we are equipped for witness.
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Weakness, Waiting, Worship, Witness – God is speaking to us concerning these things.
* In our weakness, we come, needing God’s blessing. We need the blessing, spoken of in Luke 24:50 – “Lifting up His hands, He blessed them.”
* In our waiting, we believe that God is going to fulfil His promise: “I send the promise of My Father upon you, but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high£ (Luke 24:49).
* As we wait upon the Lord, our waiting becomes worship – We worship “with great joy … continually in the temple, blessing God” (Luke 24:52-53).
* Worship “in the temple” leads to witness in the world – “repentance and forgiveness of sins” is to “be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses ti these things” (Luke 24:47-48).
