-welcome back. I hope you all had a great Spring Break.
-for the next two weeks we are going to look at what happened after Jesus rose from the dead. Most people, whether they believe in Jesus or not, have a pretty good handle on the Easter Story. They know what happened then.
-but the funny thing is most people, even those who have been in church they’re whole life, know very little about what happened after the resurrection.
-from Easter to Christ leaving there are 40 days of things He did. On our calendar this year, with Easter being last Sunday, that would mean the day Jesus left earth to go to heaven would be May 13th. That’s a whole month away!
-so think about it for a second, do you know what Jesus did for those five weeks?
-that’s what we’re going to look at this week and next. For today we are going to look at some of Jesus’ teachings until the day He ascended into heaven. Then, next Sunday, we will look at what Jesus said on His last day on earth. He had a few hours before He left earth, what did He tell His disciples?
-so as we do this, kind of get a feeling of it’s actually Jesus saying this, and he knows He only has a little time left so there’s probably a little bit of a push on it, maybe a little urgency.
-here’s the first one that happens:
1. KNOW SCRIPTURE
-for this story, there are two people leaving Jerusalem on Easter. They have heard from the disciples that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb and angles had told them Jesus was alive. They’re walking along talking about this and Jesus comes up to talk to them, but they don’t know it’s Jesus.
-Jesus plays dumb and starts asking what happened. They talk about the Easter story, but are still concerned. Then Jesus says this to them:
**Luke 24:25-27 -> 25Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (NLT)
-Jesus is making a good point here. These people have had thousands of years of people telling them about a Messiah who is coming, but when it actually happens, when Jesus is in front of them, they don’t know. They don’t know the Scripture well enough to recognize God’s Son.
-so that’s a question for us. Do we know the Bible well enough, do we know what it says about Jesus so well that if He were to show up to church today, we would be able to know it’s Jesus?
-just a few weeks ago in church we had three fourth graders from Sunday School come in and say a whole bunch of Scripture from memory. When was the last time you memorized a single verse from the Bible? There’s a little bucket full of good memory verses on the wall over there by the pens.
-the whole story of Jesus’ life and death would have gone a lot differently if the people who said they were God’s children, who said they wanted to know God and were special to Him, if they actually knew the Scriptures like they should have. What about us, do we know the Bible like we should?
-this is why we push downpour, our Bible Study on Wednesday nights. It’s a great way to talk about the Bible and work through not just what it says but what it means.
-so there’s one less, one story. But here’s another one, and this one’s in three of the four gospels, but we’re going to go with John:
2. WE ARE SENT
-we are the ones who are supposed to be doing God’s work, us.
-after Jesus talks with those guys on the road, He disappears. Vanishes. But then He reappears back in Jerusalem in a locked room with the disciples:
**John 20:19-23 -> 19That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” He said. 20As He spoke, He showed them the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21Again He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” 22Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (NLT)
-one of the central themes in the gospels, one of the messages Jesus tried so hard to get everyone to understand, He is not the only one who is meant to be spreading God’s love. He is not the only ambassador for God. We are all supposed to be doing that.
-where would the church be if we just depended on Jesus to do everything for us? One, we’d all be lazy disciples, two, we probably wouldn’t have church because the first disciples wouldn’t have told anyone about Jesus and all His teaching and love would have died with them.
-we are given the job of being Jesus to other people. We are the ones who are supposed to be showing people Jesus loves them and explaining what that love is and how they can get it and grow in God’s love.
-and Jesus gives us an example of how we can do that here: forgiveness. Jesus tells the disciples, and us, that we should be forgiving people.
-because really, what greater act of love is there. It’s pretty easy to love those who we like, those who are nice to us. It’s a little harder to show God’s love to a stranger, but we do it all the time. What about someone who has actually hurt you, someone who does not deserve it, someone who it pains your soul to see in the hallway or who you try to avoid in the parking lot? What about them?
-Jesus sent us. We are the ones who are supposed to be showing God’s love now that Jesus is in heaven, and one of the best, and hardest, ways to do that is through forgiving those who don’t deserve it and loving them as God loves them.
-but this story, this meeting Jesus had with the disciples, there was one disciples not there, and he is the point of our next lesson from Jesus:
3. BELIEVE
-we pick it up with the disciples trying to tell this to Thomas:
**John 20:24-29 -> 24One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side.” 26Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. 27Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (NLT)
-that must have been a little intimidating. All week people have been bugging Thomas and he won’t believe, he will only believe them when he sees Jesus himself. So the next week Jesus appears, like a ghost like last time, says “Hi” and then goes straight for Thomas.
-but the message to Thomas is the same as the one that’s for us. Believe.
-when was the last time you sat down and thought about the Easter story. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe that a man who was the Son of God was killed in a brutal way but then came back to life, completely okay and new? Do you really believe that or is it a myth, a fable, a story we’ve heard so many times that it’s on about the same level as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?
-because it’s not about believing that Jesus was real. There are a ton of people who believe that. Many people believe that Jesus was a real person. But do they believe He is the Son of God? Do they believe He rose from the dead?
-Thomas believed that Jesus was a real person. What he did not believe was Jesus rose. And it was that belief that Jesus zeroed in on right away. The first thing Jesus says after “Hi”, “Touch me, see me, put your hand in the hole in My hand, understand that I am real. I am alive.”
-and immediately Thomas believes. The second Jesus says this to him, what is Thomas’ reaction? “My Lord and my God!” He immediately believes when he sees.
-but Jesus adds something to that. Thomas believed because he saw Jesus. But we don’t get that privilege. We don’t get to see Jesus walk around in human form around us.
-and Jesus says we are more blessed because of it. We are more special to God, our faith is held in higher esteem because we believe that Jesus really was the Son of God and really rose from the grave without seeing any proof.
-because let’s be honest, they will never be able to prove that. The closest thing they can ever give as proof is an empty cave. Oooo. Don’t think that’s going to cut it.
-we have to believe this happened on faith. We have to look at the stories from the people at the time, like the gospels, and look at how they lived and the teachings of Jesus and believe because of faith.
-so that’s another story, but there is one more.
4. FEED MY SHEEP
-John’s awesome, so many gospels end or have one little story, John tells it all. Here’s how the gospel ends.
-the disciples are fishing. That in and of itself is a big thing. They gave up fishing to follow Jesus. Jesus has finished teaching and where are they, back at fishing. They’ve already given up on Jesus a little. So Jesus does a miracle to remind them of who He is and what they should be doing. They catch 153 large fish in one net (for them, that’s huge).
-so now they’re reminded of Jesus and who He is, Jesus has breakfast with them., but the fun starts after breakfast. Jesus once again singles one person out.
**John 21:15-19 -> 15After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed My lambs,” Jesus told him. 16Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of My sheep,” Jesus said. 17A third time He asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Then feed My sheep. 18I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow Me.” (NLT)
-now there’s one big thing in this section that gets lost in translation. When Jesus asks “do you love Me?” He is using the Greek word agapao (ah-gah-pA-O), where we get the word agape. It means to love dearly. When Peter replies “I love you”, he is saying the Greek word phileo (fill-A-O), which means brotherly love. It’s where we get Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
-Jesus wants to know if Peter really loves Him with an all encompassing love of God, and Peter’s saying “You’re my brother, we’re cool.”
-Jesus isn’t interested in a half-way kind of relationship. He wants the whole thing. And He’s asking it from Peter here just like He wants it from any one of us. And Jesus is also telling Peter one of the ways you can have that relationship, how Jesus wants us to get it. Feeding His sheep.
-we are supposed to be taking care of God’s children. We are supposed to be loving people for God. Are we?
-that’s a serious question. When was the last time you told someone God loves them or explained who God was for someone? When was the last time you gave to our Compassion students, so far in 2010 we are $248.93 below what they need? When was the last time you served, you showed someone God loves them through your actions? You helped someone without being asked and when they ask why you tell them about God? When was the last time you spent time alone with God and talked to Him asking how you could feed His sheep?
-that’s the true test of a disciple, it’s not what you know about God, it’s what you’re living out for God.
-that’s why Jesus said to Peter at the end, “Follow Me.” Does it sound familiar? It’s what Jesus said to Peter three years earlier. It’s what Jesus said when He started His ministry and wanted Peter to help, what Jesus said when He wanted Peter to start living for Christ.
-that’s the biggest question for all of us. Are you following Jesus? Not do you know about Jesus, not have you heard about Jesus, but are you following Him? Are you learning more about Him and His Word? Are you going out, being sent by Jesus and feeding His sheep? Do you believe that Christ really is the Son of God, really died for your sin, really rose again, and really wants everyone to have that same opportunity at eternal life that is offered to you?
-are you willing to Follow Christ?
