THE EARLY CHRISTIANS WOULD GREET EACH OTHER LIKE THIS:
VITAL TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS THE UNDERSTANDING
THAT CHRIST HAD COME IN THE FLESH (THE INCARNATION)
AND RISEN IN THE FLESH,
FOR SOON THE SPIRIT OF FALSEHOOD
WOULD ARISE FROM THE FATHER OF LIES
THAT JESUS WAS NOT DIVINE, BUT JUST A MAN LIKE US;
THAT HE WAS NOT GOD IN THE FLESH,
AND THAT HE HAD NOT RISEN IN THE FLESH.
BUT THE WORD BECOME FLESH (JESUS)
MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR,
WITH HIS MANY APPEARANCES AFTER THE RESURRECTION,
TO MANY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS,
ALLOWING THEM TO SEE, HEAR, AND TOUCH HIM.
HE HAD RISEN IN THE FLESH INDEED.
“TOUCH ME AND SEE” HE SAID,
“FOR A SPIRIT HAS NOT FLESH AND BONES AS YOU SEE THAT I HAVE.”
TIM KELLER EXPLAINS THAT ALL THE WORLD RELIGIONS HAD A FOUNDER WHO HAD A PRIVATE REVELATION, BUT NOT CHRISTIANITY. JESUS APPEARED PUBLICLY, REVEALED HIMSELF PUBLICLY, TO MANY EYE WITNESSES WHO COULD TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH.
I HAVE LOVED HOW 1 JOHN BEGINS:
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 touched…
Likewise 1 Peter 2:16-17 (TLB) says:
For we have not been telling you fairy tales when we explained to you the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again.
My own eyes have seen his splendor and his glory…
I, like so many of you, have people I love who do not believe Jesus has come in the flesh. And now, at least in the western world, we are living in a “post-Christian” culture where true believers are increasingly hated. As hatred and persecution rises, will we remain with the truth?
If we do, despite losses we will experience, it is a powerful testimony.
It is also vital to showing our faith is genuine.
John says: “He who denies the Son does not have the Father.”
So many today say they believe in God, yet they balk at the One who said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, No one comes to the Father but by me.”
The Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Unitarians all balk that Jesus is fully God. And many mainline denominations are also losing their grasp on the truth.
Only the Spirit of truth can open the eyes of the blind,
as He did for those after the resurrection.
SO FOR THIS WE MUST PRAY:
LORD, OPEN OUR EYES THAT WE MAY SEE, THAT WE MAY REMAIN TRUE.
AND LORD OPEN THE EYES OF ________________THAT HE (OR SHE) MAY SEE.
THIS GLORIOUS WEEK WE WILL LOOK AT LUKE 24,
PARTICULARLY CONCENTRATING ON THE CLOSE,
AND THEN HEAR A WONDERFUL FREE SERMON BY KELLER ON THE SAME. THIS IS THE OLD OLD STORY THAT IS EVER NEW.
RESURRECTION SUNDAY, 2017!
1. What stood out to you from the above and why?
2. After you celebrate with your local body of believers, come and tell us one way, if it happened, that the Lord quickened you, as He did for those on the road to Emmaus.
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY:
3. Read Luke 24:1-12
A. “Early dawn,” meant “as soon as it was light enough to see.” What does this tell you about the hearts of the women?
B. What promise of Jesus were the women reminded of in Luke 24:6-7?
C. The “third day” was associated with redemption to the Israelites. Abraham saw the lamb on the third day. Jonah was delivered from the belly of the fish on the third day. See if you can find another example.
D. The word “idle tales” in verse 11 was a medical term Luke the physician used meaning “the delirious talk of the very ill.” What does this tell you?
E. What stands out to you from this passage and why?
2. Read Luke 24:13-35 (I love this passage so much I’ve had us do it on many Easter weeks, so this year I just want you to share what stands out to you and why. (Make it good!)
4. Read Luke 24:38-43
A. The two on the road to Emmaus were just telling the other disciples what had happened when this next event begins. What happened in this passage?
B. What do you think the phrase “disbelieved for joy” means?
C. Why did he eat fish? Why is this important doctrinally?
5. Read Luke 24:44-49
A. What three parts of the Jewish Scriptures does Jesus mention in verse 44?
Darrell Bock explains that both Luke 24:27 and Luke 24:44 show that He was showing them that He and His Gospel were in all the Scriptures “from front to back.” The three types mentioned in verse 44 would represent all the historical books (Genesis through Esther), all the poetical books (Job through the Song of Songs) and all the prophetical books (Isiah through Malachi.)
B. Can you share just one example from the Old Testament where you see a foreshadowing of Jesus or
His gospel? (Try not to repeat what others have found!)
C. According to Luke 46-47, what three things did Jesus say would happen? What two had already happened?
D. What were they to do before the third part could be fulfilled, according to verse 49?
6. Read Luke 24:50-53 and describe what happened.
7. Do you see any fulfillment of Isaiah 53 in Luke 24? If so, explain.
THURSDAY-FRIDAY FREE KELLER SERMON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyD4Y0-w6HY&feature=youtu.be
8. Share your comments and notes on the above.
SATURDAY
9. What is your take-a-way and why?
136 comments
E. What stands out to you from this passage and why? Verse 8 stood out to me
“And they remembered His words” The lights came, the scales fell…I thought about Jesus asking the disciples “who do you say that I am” I need this too, all the time, to remember his words, to have the realization of who he REALLY IS and whose I really am shine into me. I have a bit of a struggle this morning, I realize I am leaning on my own understanding. Instead I need to ask for wisdom and rest in his power.
2. Read Luke 24:13-35 (I love this passage so much I’ve had us do it on many Easter weeks, so this year I just want you to share what stands out to you and why. (Make it good!)
It stood out to me that Jesus asked them questions.
After he inquired it says “And they stood still, looking sad.” I thought how hard it is to verbalize something deeply painful.
He draws out for them to see what they really thought and believed about all they had witnessed.
It also stood out to me that they thought that they were enlightening him to current events, protecting him by offering him to stay with them, and providing for him by sharing their food, when in fact he was the maker and provider of all things.
They said “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” They misunderstood God’s redemption plan.
It makes me want to be more humble about what I think I know or understand. I am so very limited, I am really,really weak but he is infinitely strong.
“It makes me want to be more humble about what I think I know or understand.”
So good, Chris.
I just listened to Tim Keller…what a gift he has! I have never heard an Easter message like that before… wonderful! We can’t just be comfortable with Easter. !). If Jesus still has flesh & bones it means He Is Lord; He is the Living One; He is the Life to which all the clues point; He has the keys of death itself; the day of Repentance is here & the search is over! 2). Jesus redeemed the whole world because the world matters to Him. I will have a physical, redeemed body like His after I die; & we will live in His redeemed world. Therefore I can relax & live with no regrets, no fear; I can sacrifice for others cause the present is nothing compared to what we will have in the future. 3). We can “have Him”. He wants us to touch him & have Him by faith. The gospel story causes us to fall in love with His beauty & strength, our hero.The disciples didn’t make the tomb a shrine because they had Jesus Himself!!! He is real, He wants to be touched…stop spiritualizing Easter & let Him change you! WOW 🙂
Love your enthusiasm, Jenny!
2. Read Luke 24:13-35 (I love this passage so much I’ve had us do it on many Easter weeks, so this year I just want you to share what stands out to you and why. (Make it good!)
Well first: the humor of verse 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
If there was ever a bit of irony in someone’s unsuspecting words…..this is the greatest bit! Can you imagine how Cleopas felt realizing he had ‘scolded’ the Lord with his question? This sets up just like a sit-com where someone’s identity is not revealed until after embarrassing remarks have been made. Though I am sure Jesus was gracious and the two companions did not have to live with regret as they swallowed their words.
Second: Just the fact that Cleopas is named. It’s intriguing to wonder who all of the early followers were who actually walked and talked with Jesus. It’s interesting to know his name. In heaven, we can find out the rest.
Third: That the two companions had a ready answer to ‘teach’ Jesus about Jesus. I mean…..they didn’t know it was Jesus, but they knew exactly what they wanted to say about him and what they had seen in him, how they had hoped he would save them. I would guess with the political climate at the time, that when encountering a stranger, one couldn’t always be too careful about what you declared. But they didn’t seem concerned. They readily stated what they thought of Jesus.
And my favorite part: Jesus himself teaching them about himself beginning with Moses. What an Old Testament overview that had to be!
Oh and one more: It was after he broke bread that they recognized him. They presumably weren’t in the Upper Room for the Passover meal. Perhaps they were at the feeding of the 5,000? Perhaps they had seen him break it there and watched the miracle? Perhaps that is when they believed? Perhaps seeing Jesus break the bread brought it all back?
C. According to Luke 46-47, what three things did Jesus say would happen? What two had already happened?
Christ should suffer, rise, and then our sins would be forgiven. He had already suffered and rose.
D. What were they to do before the third part could be fulfilled, according to verse 49?
The people were to “…stay in the city until they were clothed with power from above.” They needed to be “equipped” to be able to be saved. I guess they would have to know how to love others as Jesus did; the experience of that loving was/is important.
Laura, they didn’t need to have the power in able to be saved because they were saved by Christ’s death and resurrection, their belief in Him. They needed the power in order to be able to tell others about Him, to do miracles in His name, to live out their faith. The Spirit comes in response to our belief in Jesus, not to save us.
I see what you mean Mary. I was thinking about people who saw what happened and couldn’t believe their eyes…disbelief and not really understanding what was happening. There must have been some who didn’t believe but needed to be around others to let it sink in; the community effect, the power of others who did understand. Once they truly believed then they could move out and tell others.
6. Read Luke 24:50-53 and describe what happened.
Jesus led His disciples and followers out to the region of Bethany and He blessed them. Then, He was taken up into heaven. They worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem and stayed at the temple, praising God.
7. Do you see any fulfillment of Isaiah 53 in Luke 24? If so, explain.
In Luke 24, Jesus told the two on the Emmaus road that they shouldn’t be so slow to believe all that the prophets said about the Messiah, that he had to suffer, and again He repeats this in verses 44-45, that everything that was written about Him by the prophets must be fulfilled, that “the Christ will suffer….” Isaiah was one of those prophets who described the suffering servant, or Messiah, in Isaiah 53. It also says in Isaiah 53 that after his suffering, this servant will see “the light of day” and this was fulfilled in Luke 24 when Jesus rose and came out of the tomb, and saw His followers again.
Just listening to the message by Tim Keller stirred up for me the reality that Jesus IS flesh and bone. He IS resurrected in the flesh. Even today as He is at the right hand of God He is materially flesh and bone. Granted it is a glorified flesh and bone but He is more than Spirit as important as that is. Keller stirred my heart and thinking with the importance of recognizing and embracing the truth of Jesus as a resurrected Savior. Jesus the man lives in the way we will live with a resurrected body of flesh and bone. Death cannot keep it’s prey! Physical death is unnatural and when Christ returns to raise the dead they will have real complete bodies. Not just some ethereal spirit floating around. I actually am having a little trouble wrapping my mind around this wonderful truth. Those whom I have loved deeply and have died physically but are with the Lord will be raised to have a physical body and we will embrace each other again someday And interact face to face. All because of Jesus!! All because of what He did to sacrifice his life as payment for our sin. I am finding mysef in awe this morning of my wonderful LORD and Savior.
Dee this is a great study. Actually all your studies are so good and I love following along with the group. I’m having trouble getting the Keller message To play so I wondered if you could refresh the link or help me look it up. The references you provide are so helpful and have led me into some side studies as well. Thank you so much for this ministry and your faithfulness. God bless you, Pat
Pat–I was having trouble playing the sermon on my phone. Here is the youtube link–hope this works for you: https://youtu.be/dyD4Y0-w6HY
Thanks so much Lizzy — I added that link. There are two links there now — hopefully everyone will find one works for them!
B. Can you share just one example from the Old Testament where you see a foreshadowing of Jesus or His gospel?
Numbers 21:6-9 (NIV)
I remember one Christmas season when my kids were little. For some reason a plastic toy snake that one of them was playing with ended up under the Christmas tree with the presents. My oldest said jokingly, ‘What does a SNAKE have to do with Christmas?!?! And I remembered this illustration and told them how it did point to the gospel.
I
The above comment isn’t formatted well. I copied / pasted the scripture from a scripture site which then placed all of my own words in the same ‘quote’ field. It looks like it’a ll one section from an article. But it’s just my comments in the same field. Only the scripture part should be in quotes. I couldn’t change that with an edit.
7. Do you see any fulfillment of Isaiah 53 in Luke 24? If so, explain.
“Who has believed our message and to whom has the hand of the Lord been revealed?” Is. 53:1
This stirring question is answered in part in Luke 24. Though the disciples did not understand prior to his resurrection….now after he walked again among them and visited them after his resurrection and opened the scriptures to them, ate with them….they did understand. They did believe.
Also: ‘After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.’ Is. 53:11
Jesus’ soul had suffered greatly on the cross. He had been abandoned by his Father and cried out in utter agony. Now, it was finished. He had risen. His mission was accomplished. He ascended into heaven to share once again in his Father’s glory…..the light of life. He had spoken that he was the light of the world. And that he was the life. John spoke of him, ‘In him was life and that life was the light of men’. John 1: 3
When he completed the act of redemption and sat down at the right hand of God, God’s wrath was fully satisfied.
8. Share your comments and notes on the above.
Oh! I want to memorize the part where he tells of how the early believers ‘lost the tomb’ and the illustration from Kathy about a loved one being gone and how we nearly venerate their rooms and belongings. I am writing it here, to impress it into my mind in my own words.
We don’t know where the tomb actually was. The early Christians did not mark it for all who came after them to know. Its’ location was not passed down to their descendants and on and on. It didn’t matter. They didn’t go to the tomb to ‘be with Jesus’ as we might go to someone’s grave for reflection. He was physically WITH them! He wasn’t gone! And he promised to be with them always.
Immanuel. God with us!
Wanda–I agree–that illustration from Kathy was so insightful on the tomb!
SERMON–I have really long notes, so these are just parts that grabbed me most.
Keller makes the point about those who can say they ‘love the Easter story’ but don’t believe it for more than an inspirational tale. I love 1 John 1, and when Keller referenced that with Luke and says the Gospel writers are telling us ‘we know this is outrageous but what can we do we saw him, we with our realize we heard him with our real ears, we felt him with our real hands!…You can call us liars or believe us and get into a whole new world but don’t you dare dumb down (and over spiritualize) what we’re saying’.
Jesus is saying in the resurrection: ‘this material world is so important to Me that I have come into the world to redeem it. A child suffering, a poor person suffering–do something about it because Easter means that God is not abandoning the world. He cares about this world and He’s coming into it to heal.’ This is good for me to be reminded of. For some reason I can easily find myself so wearied by this world, that I only want to focus on Heaven–but Jesus CARES for this world, and calls me to care about what He cares about. I have felt Him changing that more and more in me. It is uncomfortable sometimes, because my heart breaks more–but His does too.
The resurrection says that Jesus is flesh and bones-that means we can have Him. He says ‘I am ascended because no matter where you are in the world, you will be able to have Me, by faith.’
But, we have to be willing to let Jesus be our absolute Lord, let Him change our life, stop spiritualizing and admit the implications, but most of all be like Mary. Mary knew she was a sinner saved by grace. If I don’t see myself as needing salvation, if I don’t see myself as a sinful, self-absorbed, slave to idols in my life–then Jesus will just be an inspiration and I won’t have him.
By the humility of a “Mary”, by faith–I have Him. Today, here, now, in real life. I HAVE HIM.Thank You Jesus!
6. Read Luke 24:50-53 and describe what happened.
The people followed Jesus far out of the city and He blessed them. After that they witnessed Him rising to heaven. They went back to Jerusalem with “great joy” and worshiped Him.
7. Do you see any fulfillment of Isaiah 53 in Luke 24? If so, explain.
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”
Isaiah 53:11 ESV
http://bible.com/59/isa.53.11.esv
“and that repentance and 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.””
Luke 24:47-49 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.24.47-49.esv
testing……
Again, I could have sworn that I already posted this a couple of hours ago…having trouble for some reason?
6. Read Luke 24:50-53 and describe what happened.
The people followed Jesus far out of the city and He blessed them. After that they witnessed Him rising to heaven. They went back to Jerusalem with “great joy” and worshiped Him.
7. Do you see any fulfillment of Isaiah 53 in Luke 24? If so, explain.
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”
Isaiah 53:11 ESV
http://bible.com/59/isa.53.11.esv
“and that repentance and 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.””
Luke 24:47-49 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.24.47-49.esv
Ok, this is really weird…I looked for my post just now, that I posted a few hours ago. It was NOT there. I reposted and it showed up along with the repost! What’s up with that? I think it happened earlier in the week also. I don’t remember it ever doing that to me! Sorry for the duplicate posting 😬…
Wanda and Laura — often when there are many links it goes into the box for me to approve — hence the delay. It is for safety, but I know it is frustrating. Sorry!
Thanks Dee. I had been lazy and copy/pasted a verse instead of typing it out. It wasn’t from a Bible website I usually use. I think maybe that is why mine got sent to ‘the box’. I had the same issue as you, Laura…..posts appearing and disappearing. It is kind of entertaining to watch that happen. Ha! Anyway……no problem, Dee! Thank you for explaining.
I know it is mysterious what makes it through the filter and what doesn’t — so thanks for your patience. It appears, then the filter catches it, and it disappears!
I really liked what Kathy had to say about the empty tomb-the location of which to know is unnecessary. Because Jesus is in us. A spirit hath not flesh and bones, therefore, make Jesus your Lord, He can change your life and you can have Him. Hallelujah!
That which we have seen and heard… it is a claim not a myth. That our loved ones who do not know Christ yet and those who are prodigals, may they “see” and “touch” Jesus.