THE MINISTRY OF THE RISEN CHRIST TO HIS DISCIPLES
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OUTLINE
1.REASSURANCE
2.REST
3.REJOICING
4.REBUKE
5.REVELATION
6.RESTORATION
7.RESPONSIBILITY
THE MESSAGE
THE MINISTRY OF THE RISEN CHRIST TO HIS DISCIPLES
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1.REASSURANCE
The Risen Christ ministered faith and reassurance to His disciples. The disciples had been in fear and doubt after the crucifixion of Jesus .Even after Christ had risen from the dead , the disciples had needless fears . Instead of being filled with courage and boldness as a result of the resurrection of Christ , they were filled with fear over everything . The risen Christ ministered faith to his disciples and removed their fears. The Lord wants us to be free from all fears in our lives , because we have a risen Lord who is there to deliver us from all fears.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 28:10
"Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." "
John 20:19
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ’
2.REST
The Risen Christ ministered rest and peace to His disciples. The disciples were troubled and distressed after the crucifixion of Jesus . The risen Christ ministered peace to the hearts of his disciples . Even today the Lord wants to minister peace to our troubled hearts . He has promised to give us His own peace which is different from the peace which the world gives. The peace of God can fill our hearts even in the midst of trials and tribulations . It is like being inside an air-conditioned room when the weather is hot outside. The heat outside does not affect us as long as we are inside the cool air-conditioned room . In the same way the peace of God can dwell inside our hearts even when we face great tribulations outside .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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John 20 :19
" On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
John 20 :21
"Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." "
John 20:26
"A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" "
John 14:27
" Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
3.REJOICING
The Risen Christ ministered joy to His disciples and turned their mourning into rejoicing. The disciples were in great sorrow and mourning after the crucifixion of Jesus.Even after Christ had risen from the dead , the disciples had needless sorrow. Instead of celebrating with joy and gladness the victory of Jesus over death , they were in mourning and sorrow .But the risen Christ ministered joy to his disciples . Even in our lives the Lord wants us to free from needless sorrow .We should be filled with the joy of the Lord because we have a risen Lord who fills us with joy and peace. He wants to remove the sorrow and sadness in our hearts and replace it with the joy of the Lord. The Apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the epistle to the Phillippians and he told them to rejoice in the Lord always. He did not allow his sufferings in prison to take away the joy of the Lord in his heart. The Lord was his source of joy and his painful circumstance could not take his joy away.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 28:8
"So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples."
Luke 24 : 41
"And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" "
Luke 24:52-53
"Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. "
John 20:20
"After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. "
Phillippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Mark 16:10
" She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. "
John 20:11-15
"but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don’t know where they have put him."
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." "
4.REBUKE
The Risen Christ ministered rebuke to His disciples because of their doubt and unbelief. They were so reluctant to beleive that Jesus had risen from the dead. Instead of being strong in faith and being free from doubt , they were filled with apprehension and suspicion. Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief and doubt . They did not beleive the predictions of Jesus or the prophecies of the scriptures. The risen Christ brought faith and confidence back in to the hearts of the disciples . Even in our lives the Lord would rebuke us if we continue to live in doubt and fear. The Lord wants us to be filled with faith and trust in His promises. The scriptures are given to us to build our faith so that we can face every situation with faith and confidence.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Luke 24:25
"He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! "
Mark 16:9-14
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.
These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
John 20:24-29
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Matthew 28:17
"When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted."
Luke 24:11
"But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
Luke 24:41
"And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" "
5.REVELATION
The Risen Christ ministered revelation and understanding to His disciples. The disciples were confused and perplexed after the crucifixion of Jesus . They could not understand what was happening .Even after Christ had risen from the dead , the disciples had needless confusion. Instead of having clarity of mind they were confused and bewildered . They were confused because of their ignorance of the scriptures . But the risen Christ brought understanding to their hearts. He explained to them that everything was happening according to the scriptures .The Lord had already revealed through His prophets about the death and resurrection of Christ . The disciples would not have been confused if they had understood the scriptures . Jesus had to rebuke them and remind them of the words of the prophets and make them understand that everything was happening according to the plan of God. They were confused only because of their ignorance and unbelief. Jesus was well aware of the teachings of the scriptures concerning Himself. He was sure of himself and no one could confuse or deceive Him. Even today the Lord wants us know the scriptures well enough to know who we are in Christ and what the Lord has done for us. The Lord does not want us to perish for lack of knowledge . We should know all that God has prepared for us. We should allow the Spirit of God to lead us into all truth. Then the devil cannot deceive us or confuse us or make us suffer needlessly when we know the authority and the power that the Lord has given to us. Many times we get confused because we are ignorant of the word of God . The Lord wants us to be grounded in His word so that we would not get needlessly confused over the situations we face in our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Luke 24:17-21
"He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked."About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place."
Luke 24: 25-27
"He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. "
Luke 24: 44-45
"He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
John 16:13
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. "
I Corinthians 2:9-10
"However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. "
Hosea 4:6
" my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.... "
6.RESTORATION
The Risen Christ ministered restoration to His disciples.Even after Christ had risen from the dead , the disciples had needless discouragement. Even after Jesus had appeared to them and breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit and had done many miraculous signs in their presence , the disciples got discouraged and went back to fishing but caught nothing. In the morning Jesus appeared to them and restored them back to their calling and ministry .Even in our lives many times even after we have had many wonderful experiences with the Lord and experienced His goodness and power , we get discouraged and deviate from the purpose of God in our lives . The Lord wants to restore us back to His purpose in our lives.The Lord wants to restore us back to our calling if we have gone away from Him in our period of discouragement . He still loves us and cares for us and wants us to fulfill the purpose he has for our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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John 20 :22
"And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "
John 20:30-31
"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. "
John 21:1-19
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:
Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
"I’m going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We’ll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, "Friends, haven’t you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
7.RESPONSIBILITY
The Risen Christ gave a responsibility to His disciples. The disciples were given the commission to preach the gospel to the whole world and to make disciples of every nation.The Lord assured them that all power and authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Him. He also revealed to Peter what the future held for him . Even today the Lord wants to remind us about his authority to strengthen our faith . He wants us to follow him no matter what price it may cost us. we are given the responsibility to win souls and make disciples for the Lord. The Lord wants his children to be His witnesses and share the good news of salvation to everyone before He returns again to this world as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 28:18-20
" Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. "
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." "
John 21: 17-19
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
"Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him,"Follow me!"
Mark 16:15-20
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. "
Luke 24:49
"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
John 20:21-23
"Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
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