Introduction: The Apostle Paul told the early church that the role of the pastor was to teach the members of the church to build up the body of Christ. That takes place through every member evangelism. J. E. Conant says, “Will this kind of service [every member evangelism] build up the body of Christ? “It is the only kind that will (emphasis in the original). For it is certainly the only service that will build up the church in numbers, and it is also the only service that will produce real and lasting spiritual growth in the members.” (Conant, 21). Christ has given us a plan for evangelism.
I. The Background of the Gospel (vv. 36-43)
1. The disciples from the road to Emmaus had just returned to the other disciples in the upper room to tell them what had happened.
2. As they were telling the story, Jesus appeared in the room in the same manner in which he had left the disciples of the road to Emmaus.
3. Proof of the resurrection.
a) They thought they had seen a ghost.
b) Christ invited them to look at and touch his hands and feet.
c) His resurrection body had a connection to his pre-resurrection body, marks of the cross.
i) He ate a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb.
ii) He had flesh and bones, and could eat regular solid food.
iii) But it differed in that he could appear and disappear.
4. What this proves:
a) Jesus literally and bodily rose from the dead.
i) Anastasis—resurrection, anistemi, to stand again.
ii) Resurrection—to resurge, to rise again.
b) Some excuses for the resurrection:
i) Someone else died in his place, i. e. Judas or John. This would be deception or fraud.
ii) He merely swooned.
iii) He was only raised as a spirit. Docetism—“a heresy that the humanity of Christ, his sufferings, and his death were apparent rather than real” (dictionary.com) He only appeared, but did not physically exist.
5. Applications:
a) The Resurrection separates Jesus from all other religious leaders.
b) Because Christ lives, we too will live again.
II. The Content of the Gospel (vv. 44-46)
1. The first Christian writings were what we call the Old Testament writings.
a) Moses, the Writings, and the Prophets were the three divisions of the Jewish Scriptures.
b) All of these portions contained scriptures that pointed to the death and resurrection of the Christ.
c) Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are often used to show that.
d) The sacrificial system also pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
e) It should not have surprised the disciples.
2. Christ suffered and died an agonizing death because of the horrible nature of sin.
a) As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. (Romans 3:10-11)
b) “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).
c) All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
3. Christ opened their minds to understand the scripture.
a) They did not come to this understanding on their own study of the scriptures.
b) Christ had to reveal it to them as in Peter’s confession of Christ in Matthew 18.
c) God had to reveal that to him.
4. Applications:
a) We know that the death and resurrection of Christ are central to the entire Bible. It was not just tacked on.
b) We also need to pray for others that their minds will be opened.
c) “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
d) This was Paul’s method in Acts 17:2-3, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
e) One commentator wrote: “The missionary’s two instruments are witness and Scripture” (Benoit. Passion and Resurrection, 327. Quoted in Stein, Luke, 620)
III. The Format of the Gospel (v. 47)
1. We begin with Repentance. It is the first step toward forgiveness.
a) We must turn from sin, not wallow in it.
b) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” (Acts 3:19)
c) We must turn to someone, Christ alone.
d) Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
e) Phil. 2:10-11, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
2. We begin where we are, our Jerusalem
3. We go to the whole world—the ethne.
4. Applications:
a) What does this mean?
b) We cannot change the content or format of the gospel
IV. Our Role in the Gospel (v. 48)
1. These disciples were to be eyewitnesses. 1 John 1:1, “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, concerning the Word of life”
2. They did not follow lies and myths. “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
3. We are not to bear false witness.
4. We should expect to be cross-examined.
V. Our Power for the Gospel (v. 49)
1. Christ told them to sit still and wait for the power that he had promised to come.
2. They were to be clothed, literally endued. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).
3. They spent several days in Jerusalem just waiting and praying before the Spirit came, but once he came, they were to move out.
Conclusion: We have received orders to move out. Christ has given us everything we need to succeed in reaching the world. We know the message and we know the one we are to preach. If we follow his plan, we will move forward.
Handout:
Introduction:
I. The __________________________ of the Gospel (vv. 36-43)
The Proof of the resurrection
Anastasis
Anistemi
Resurrection
Docetism
II. The ___________________________ of the Gospel (vv. 44-46))
The first “Christian” writings. What were the Scriptures that Paul referred to?
How many good people are there in the world?
How is a person’s mind opened?
III. The ____________________________ of the Gospel (v. 47)
Where do we begin with the gospel?
Where do we go with the gospel?
IV. Our ____________________________ in the Gospel (v. 48)
What does a witness do?
When have you been “cross-examined” as a witness?
V. Our ____________________________ for the Gospel (v. 49)
What does “endued” mean?
How do we do it?
Conclusion:
