40 Days with the Lord
Part 4 – The Truth of His Resurrection
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
First Baptist Church of Tawas City Michigan
www.tawasbaptist.org
WELCOME
INTRODUCTION
Let us review where we began a few weeks ago.
It was Sunday morning, and the women who came with Jesus from Galilee had prepared spices for Jesus’ corpse. When they arrived at the tomb, they saw Jesus’ body was gone.
Angels told them that He had risen. In disbelief they went and told the disciples.
After the disciples saw for themselves the tomb was empty, they all left the scene except for Mary Magdalene.
As she wept outside the tomb, still not believing Jesus was alive, He appeared to her.
He then told her not to touch Him because He had not yet ascended, and to tell the others that He was returning to our Father and God in heaven.
She returned to the disciples, yet was met once again with disbelief.
Jesus then met with two of the Disciples walking from Jerusalem.
He discussed with them the scriptures and how they pointed to Jesus as the Christ.
They asked Him, not knowing yet He was Jesus, to stay with them and He agreed.
As Jesus blessed the bread their eyes were opened, and they realized that it was Jesus, and they began saying “It is true, Jesus is alive!”
They returned to Jerusalem that night finding the 11 and telling them everything that had happened.
This is where we pick up and the story continues.
SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 24:36 – 49 Jesus appears to His Disciples
“36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 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."
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
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."
PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT & UNDERSTANDING
The Truth of His Resurrection
“And as they spoke about these things together, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them,”
Again we see in the scriptures where two or more are gathered in His name, He is there among them.
It is the same today as it was then, when we gather for worshipping the Lord, or even discussing His word, He is here among us.’
This account is also recorded in John 20 where we can see that John writes this meeting took place on Sunday, the first day of the week.
This is generally why we worship on Sunday, because it is the day Christ rose and the day of the first gathering for Jesus.
Jesus came to them, and taught them the meaning of the scriptures concerning Himself.
This was the first Church service!
We can also read in John’s account that he mentions the doors were shut because they were afraid someone would see they were assembled together.
They saw what happened to Jesus, and they remembered what Jesus Himself had warned them about.
John 15:18 – 19
“18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
The world hated the Disciples then, and it hates us now.
You don’t think so?
Pray in school or at a Sporting event before the game, and listen to them cry “Stop submitting me to your religious beliefs!”
Put the Ten Commandments that this country was founded on in a government building on display, and hear the moans “Separation of Church and State!”
Say there is only one God, and be labeled a bigot.
Say there is only one way to Heaven, and you’re a fanatic.
The world hates you because of what Christ represents.
The world refuses to admit it is so evil that God Himself would have to become a man and die as a perfect atoning sacrifice in order to make men right with God and escape hell.
Therefore, Christ and anything associated with Him becomes the focus of their misguided animosity, becoming an enemy to the World View.
The world loves its own.
The world looks to any other way except the cross and Truth.
But we are not of the world.
We refuse to accept the worlds proposed solutions, and accept the absolute Truth of Christ.
When we claim Christ is the only answer, we attack man’s pride.
And it’s because of this; we are hated among the world.
Jesus’ first words to the Disciples as a group were “Peace be with you”.
But the scriptures say that they were still terrified and frightened and thought they had seen a ghost.
And why wouldn’t they?
Some of them were there when Jesus died.
Most of them had witnessed His burial.
And because they believed He was the savior, perhaps they even assumed that He couldn’t die, or at least, not until He had freed His people from the tyranny of Roman Rule.
And until now, only a few of them had accepted that He rose again.
The few He broke bread with, Mary Magdalene and John when He looked into the empty tomb with Peter.
Also, the fact that the doors were closed and then He was there in their midst as they spoke of Him would cause some fear if not startle them.
For most of them, they still did not understand the resurrection.
They did not necessarily doubt the appearances, or the fact that Jesus was standing before them right now, but they thought He was a ghostly apparition.
And He asked them “Why are you troubled, and why are doubts arising in your minds?”
This is why Jesus opened with “Peace be with you”
He is saying to them, “Relax, it’s OK!”
Trouble, fear and worry always rob us of our peace.
When we are troubled and worry, our minds are taken by that which we worry about, which in turn, removes our focus from Jesus.
We sometimes put more faith into our fear and worries of what COULD happen, than we do into our Savior and His promises of what WILL happen.
Their fear, doubt, discouragement, and even despair, were all brought on by their lack of Faith in God’s Word and His promises.
Jesus knows that some of them are having trouble grasping what is going on, and He is quick to help them understand.
Some of them have trouble in the area of Faith.
Some of them more than others.
He tells them, “Look, My hands, My Feet, touch Me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones…”
Remember when Jesus first saw Mary in the Garden?
He told her “Do not touch me yet, for I have not ascended to the Father.”
He had not yet received His resurrected body, this is what we will all experience when we die.
The scriptures tell us that we will be transformed in the blink of an eye.
1 Corinthians 15:51 – 53
“51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
Receiving a resurrected body as Christ did.
Remember, He came as an example to us.
He lived and died and was resurrected as an example to us.
So He tells them who do not believe, touch me and see for yourselves, I am not a ghost, but flesh and bone.
He showed them His wounds; in fact in John’s account he says that Jesus even invites them to see the wound in His side.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute!”
If Jesus has His resurrected body, then why does He still have the marks from His death, and wouldn’t He be bleeding every where?
Well, in our flesh we are told in the scriptures that life is in the blood.
But in our resurrected bodies, when our bodies are glorified as Christ’s was, the life comes from the Holy Spirit; there is no need for blood.
As for the wounds still being present, let’s look at a couple scriptures to find out why they are still present in Christ’s resurrected body;
Zechariah 13:6
“6 If someone asks him, ’What are these wounds on your body?’ he will answer, ’The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’”
Revelation 5:6
“6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne…”
These wounds, which Jesus shall for ever carry, will be an instant and constant reminder of Who He is and what was done to Him, the Sin-bearer of the world.
He shall answer “The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.”
This proclaims His crucifixion and those who did it to Him.
The words “My Friends” are said in irony.
I revelation 5:6 we see that Jesus is recognized by these wounds in Heaven.
John had been called to heaven in the Spirit by Jesus and shown the Revelation.
He sees Jesus as a slain lamb, the one who has redeemed all things.
The perfect and atoning sacrifice, notated by His marks.
These marks will be ever lasting for a memorial of the greatness in which the Lord had accomplished.
They are badges to be honored by us.
Although He showed the disciples His wounds, their Faith for the most part was still weak.
Then Jesus breaks the uncomfortable situation with “Hey, you guys got anything to eat?”
Apparently all this work has made Him hungry.
I believe that Jesus was trying to build their faith with things they understood here.
I believe that this was really intended to show them He was flesh and not a Spirit.
So they gave Him broiled fish.
In the Literal translation it says He was given fish and honeycomb.
He took it and ate in front of them.
Then the first Church service for the new body of Christ was about to begin.
44 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."
Why? Why must everything that is written be fulfilled?
Because God is not a liar.
His word will not return unto Him void.
It WILL accomplish what He says it will.
This is why we can have faith in His word and promises!
God is faithful.
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
This is why we pray for the Holy Spirit to give us understanding today when we read God’s word.
The only way to understand spiritual things is in the spirit.
And the only Spirit we can have for understanding is God’s Holy Spirit.
You should always pray for understanding before you study God’s word.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Repentance and Forgiveness of sins WILL BE PREACHED in HIS NAME to ALL NATIONS…
48 You are witnesses of these things.
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."
What did the Father promise?
What clothes us with power from God?
Our Spiritual Armor?
The Holy Spirit, the promise from the Father, gives us power and protection in the Spiritual realm.
CLOSING
Do you pray for understanding when you study God’s word?
Do you continually ask God’s Holy Spirit to be present in you and your life?
Are you so focused on your worries and cares of this world that you’ve taken your eyes off Jesus?
Jesus wants you to have peace.
He wants you to have understanding.
He wants you to have the Holy Spirit.
And as we read in the scriptures, He wants you to preach Repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations.
