"The Reality of the Risen Christ" - Luke 24:36-43 (6.26.16) - Pastor Jordan Rogers

God's commitment to fulfilling his promises is always greater than our faith in him to do so this morning we're in Luke chapter 24 beginning there in verse 36 down through 43 some of you when I say this name you will recognize it very quickly other of you will have a very little idea of who I'm actually talking about there was a musical artist a a singer there who came out with a single with a song in 1967 his name was Frankie Valli has anybody ever heard of Frankie Valli razor you can write don't do this raise it up you ever heard of Frankie Valli okay many of you have heard of Frankie Valli anybody never heard of Frankie Valli that's what I thought okay all right the first service everybody knew who Frankie Valli was okay a little bit before my time 1967 is when he came out with this song can't take my eyes off of you many of you are familiar with that song aren't you see if you can help me out you're just too good to be true you know it well don't you that that it sticks with you doesn't it you know why because there are many things in this life that are just too good to be true right I thought about asking you name some things that are too good to be true but I'm scared of what you might say so I'm not gonna do that I'll mention a few things and I think you will readily agree with me anybody ever tried to to really push the envelope with low-fat ice cream what's the truth it's too good to be true right it doesn't exactly work that way anybody ever anybody check their emails everybody okay you check your emails you'll have computers okay you got phones you check emails you can check email right now don't do that but if you have ever checked your email you have probably gotten a mysterious email from a Nigerian princess or a foreign diplomat who so kindly and graciously wants to deposit a simple sum of ten million dollars into your account all they need is your phone number and your area code and your social security number that's all they need you know pause it ten million dollars in your account you say oh no this can't be legitimate it's just he's too good to be true anybody ever been on the Internet and you see something pops up and it says you have been selected as the winner of a free iPad just click here to receive so no I'm not going to click there because that's too good to be true when you hear a politician's speech you knew I was going to go there when you hear a politician speech what do you immediately begin doing dismissing this and that and you say that's just too good to be true it's not right I can't really base my hopes in that there's nothing certain about that when I want you to understand this morning which i think is the truth of the text at hand is that because the reality notice I use the word reality because the reality of the risen Lord is not too good to be true we must place our faith and look to Christ in faith and in certainty because the reality of the risen Lord is not too good to be true we must look to Christ in faith and uncertainty you remember in Luke 24:13 down through 35 Jesus has an interaction with two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus about seven miles away from Jerusalem outside of Jerusalem and they are leaving Jerusalem because the Christ has been crucified he's been buried and it's already the third day since he died and we don't see the resurrected Lord and so they are heading back to Emmaus if Jesus hasn't been raised let's just go about our merry own way we're just gonna go live our own life go back to our own way of life because if Jesus hasn't been raised then the things that he's taught are not true so they're on the way to Emmaus on that road they're talking back and forth the text indicates that they're actually arguing they're arguing about what happened there in Jerusalem the last few days trying to figure it out this guy's got his opinion this guy's got his opinion and they go back and forth and lo and behold a man appears to them and that man was the Risen Jesus Christ he begins to show these men that this guy has his opinion about what happened this guy has his opinion about what happened both of them are wrong and he's going to fill them in on what God's opinion is about what happened and he begins to open the scriptures to them from Moses all the way through the prophets about how the Christ was to be handed over into the hands of lawless men crucified buried and then affected the third day you remember that Jesus goes all the way with them to Emmaus he goes into the house there with them they invite him in for dinner they sit down to dinner with him and he begins to pray and ask the Lord's blessing on the food and the Bible tells us that both of these men their eyes were opened and they suddenly recognized who Jesus was and he disappeared you remember they turned to one another and they said did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us that's the Holy Spirit testifying to them of the truth many of you today you will undergo that very same thing as the truth of God's Word is preached your heart will burn within you that is God speaking to you saying that the words that are being spoken the words that are being read they are true and you need to believe in so they say did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke to us there on the road and so these men the text says if you'll look with me at verse 33 of Luke 24 it says and they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem you see if Christ hasn't been raised they just go about their merry own way but now that they have seen the risen Lord there's work to be done there are people to tell and so they get up almost immediately and they go back seven miles they turn around and go back to Jerusalem because they've got to tell the eleven they have got to tell the Apostles the disciples who are holed up there in a house in Jerusalem for fear of the Jews they've got to tell somebody so it says they return to Jerusalem and they found the eleven and those who are with them gathered together saying this is their testimony the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon you see already at this point with them telling the eleven they're in the room you realize that the Apostles at that point have had the testimony of these two disciples from Emmaus they have had the testimony of Simon Peter and John the Apostle as they were at the tomb and did not find Jesus's body Bible tells us that Jesus had already appeared to Simon as well and the Bible also tells that Mary Magdalene and a number of other women that they had gone to the tomb early that morning and they found it empty but they did find two angels sitting there on the stone and they said why do you seek the living among the dead Jesus of Nazareth is not here He is risen indeed but guess what the disciples still did not believe that's just too good to be true I can't believe that there's thirty five says then they told what had happened on the road these disciples of Emmaus they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread mark chapter 16 verse 13 says that these two went back and told the rest but they did not believe them continues there in verse 14 of Mark 16 and it describes very succinctly what goes on here with Jesus in the room with the disciples afterward Jesus appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen they didn't believe the testimony that they were given understand this that you are responsible for the truth that has been told to you in this text we're gonna read Jesus rebuked his own disciples because of their hardness of heart that they didn't receive the word that was preached to them the testimony of the risen Lord so it begins here in verse 36 as they are talking about these things it says as they were talking about these things one of these things it's the message from the disciples on the road to Emmaus they're telling them we have seen there is an Lord our hearts burned within us we have seen him we know that he is alive Simon's testimony is true as they were talking about these things in the text indicates that their dialoguing they're trying to figure out what actually happened and they're not believing they're going back and forth and say can we really believe that the crucified Christ has risen indeed really believe that as they were talking about these things verse 36 says Jesus himself stood among them and said to them peace to you Jesus himself that word himself altos is an intensive pronoun if I were to say I myself I'm pointing emphatically about what I'm about to say or do if I say can you believe it she herself she actually did that when we used that intensive pronoun where we're intensifying aren't we what we're saying we're we're showing that there's a bit of shock and surprise that this actually happened I imagine this is about as strong as Luke can describe the situation as they were sitting there at the table talking about these things Jesus himself stood there they're going back and forth can we really believe the testimony of these two disciples can we really believe the testimony of Simon Peter can we really believe Mary Magdalene and these other women suddenly Jesus himself appeared debate over no more questions to be answered debate over Jesus himself standing in their myths when it comes to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God there is no debate it is a historical fact these men that we read of our eye witnesses to his resurrection there is no debate as to whether or not Jesus has been raised from the dead the only debate in this world is whether or not a person will give their life over to Jesus that's the only debate but whether or not he's been raised that has been settled there's no question about it there is no debate to be had will you follow him that's the question to be had Jesus himself among them and said to them peace to you peculiar thing to say I think that there are two reasons I do them in reverse order of their importance the least important first he says peace to you the first reason I think that Jesus says this to these men is that these men are terrified as it is already John chapter 20 verse 19 says that on the evening of that day the first day of the week the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews Jesus came and stood among them and said to them peace be with you you imagine that every night when I go to bed I have a routine that I go through many of you men you're probably the same I have a routine that that I go through I'm normally always the last one to go to sleep in my house I'll go and I'll check the back door make sure it's locked to make sure all those lights are are off I'll lock the next door behind it I'll come through make sure the ovens off make sure everything's off I go check the front door and I don't just look at it I walk up and I actually jiggle the handle there and make sure it's locked because I don't want to make I wanna make sure nobody comes inside and then I go get in bed safe and sound you realize that's what these apostles did they are in a locked house they're scared for their life their Lord has just been crucified he's just been put on trial by the Jews and the Romans and put to death they're scared for their life they're talking about a dead man discussing whether or not they can believe this what are they gonna do what's their next step in life and then BAM there's Jesus in their myths standing amongst them they are terrified what on earth is going on here so Jesus says peace to you don't be afraid don't be terrified I I mean you no harm so he's trying to calm their nerves calm their hearts but there's another reason I think that Jesus says peace to you and I have I think that it has to do with what Jesus purchased through his death and his resurrection you see the risen Lord has a certain message that he can proclaim to everyone in the world the risen Lord has the message he can proclaim which is peace to you you don't have to be afraid I have solved your greatest problems in all eternity the problem your heart has that it could never deal with on its own I have solved that and I have made peace between you and your father God the Creator the one whom you have sinned against Colossians chapter 1 19 through 20 says for in him that's Jesus in him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile all things whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross whereas you and I used to be children of Wrath destined for hell the objects of God's fury and anger when Jesus got on that cross bearing in his body the sins that we have committed and died on our behalf understand that God's wrath pointed towards you was consumed in that moment it was satisfied that is why he is called the Colossus the propitiation for our sins the satisfaction for our sins so now when God looks at you he doesn't have to look at you as a criminal or a lawbreaker he doesn't have to look at me as a sinner he looks at me and he says fine paid son and I can be adopted into his family now whereas there used to be enmity between God and I now there is peace so Jesus shows up in the house and he says peace to you this is the message that Jesus preaches even to us today if you feel that burning sensation running down your neck when you do something you know God is not pleased with what you are doing or who you are you can be at peace with God through Jesus if you will but call on him and say Lord you say in your word peace to you Lord I need you to forgive me Lord I need you to make me right with my maker the Bible says that you have made peace for me through the blood of your cross and lord I need to call on you to forgive me of the things that I've done and Jesus will say over you peace to you look at verse 37 says but they were startled and frightened I don't I don't think there's much difference between those two verbs they're they just simply coupled together they serve to emphasize one another at the the amount of terror and shock that these men were going to but they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit your text may say ghost your interpretation may say ghost and there are many people unstable in their ways who will twist these text to it twist a text like this verse 37 when they see that word ghost they will twist that and they will come up with a sort of belief a sort of theology in ghost as in ghosts and goblins and ghouls and Halloween and this sort of thing the reason I said unstable people is because it is not textually founded to believe in ghosts many of you familiar with that Disney movie Casper the Friendly Ghost no such thing it's not what this text is teaching the word therefore spirit or ghosts there in the Greek is simply the word pneuma it's where we get our word pneumonia you got a disease of the lungs you can't breathe right your breath is infected essentially that's what pneumonia is when we talk about pneumatology we're talking about the doctrines of the Holy Spirit we're not talking about ghosts we're talking about spirits a being without a body and so when they see Jesus their inference - best explanation the best that they can do is say this must be the spirit of Jesus there's no way he can have a body we saw him die we saw him dead on the cross we saw Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take him down from the cross wrap him up with those linen cloths anoint him with spices and put him there in the tomb we saw it ourselves this can't be the body of the Lord Jesus because we saw him die in fact we heard his last words on the cross as he looked up to heaven he shouted with a loud voice father into your hands I commit my spirit and then he breathed his last we saw that there's no way he is alive before us must be a spirit this is just too good to be true this can't be real look at verse 38 and he that's Jesus and Jesus said to them why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts when we see text like this we put ourselves in that you can't help it can you you put yourself in that room and you think well if I were in that situation and I saw Jesus he appeared in the room you know what I'd say I knew it all along just as I believed I trusted Lord I had faith we think about the disciples we think about the Apostles and we say you know what if I would have been in their midst I would have slept outside the tomb on Saturday night that's where I would have spent the remainder of the Sabbath and I'd have been there as Jesus rolled back that stone and came out of the tomb because you know what I knew it was going to happen many times we overestimate our faith don't we we overestimate the strength of our faith we would do the same thing that these men so Jesus says why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts here's a question for us to answer why are the disciples troubled when they see the risen Lord when it should have affirmed what they already believed why are the disciples troubled when they see the risen Lord when it should have affirmed what they already believed simply this that God's commitment to fulfilling his promises is always greater than our faith in him to do so you know I didn't get a single Amen in the first service on that either it's because that stings doesn't it God's commitment to fulfilling his promises is always greater than our faith in him to do so there was never a chance that God's gonna fail when you see waffling going on there in the Gospels it's not God it's not Jesus it's man Jesus spoke to them with certainty all along the Son of Man will be betrayed handed over to the hands of lawless men and put to death and he will be raised the third day he told him a minimum three times as recorded in the Gospel of Luke he knew it it's certain he never waffles even in the end father into your hands I commit my spirit Lord I trust you fully and completely even to the end even unto death I believe in you it's the disciples who are wavering in their faith and in their belief God's commitment to fulfill his promises is always greater than our faith in him to do so that maybe that's not an unfair point to make it's a true point to make but if we leave it right there you know what that feels like that feels like a bit of a beat-down doesn't it you're saying my faith is always going to be lacking you're saying my faith is always going to be lesser the truth is this that until our faith reaches its perfect certainty it will always be lesser than God's commitment to fulfill his promises so what's our reaction to this what's our response to this I responds to this ought to be the same thing that the disciples said to Jesus Lord we believe help our unbelief our response to this is Lord increase my faith and if you overestimate your faith at this point just wait just wait until the screws get nailed down a little bit harder in life what happens to your attitude then what happens when things start to fall apart and that pressure starts to mount and you feel like a baked potato in the microwave and it's starting to get real hot on you what happens to your faith our friends we ought to start praying right now Lord increase my faith Lord I'm no better than these disciples I would have reacted the same we ought to approach the text with humility and we ought to get on our face before the Lord say Lord protect me from unbelief protect me from disbelief protect me from faithlessness Lord increase my faith because God I know that you will never fail I know that you are committed to fulfilling your promises even when I don't believe it so Lord make me to believe it and to walk in faith God's commitment to fulfilling his promises is always greater than our faith in Him to do so look at verse 39 I love it 39 and 40 see my hands and my feet that it is I myself he did it again didn't he that it is I myself touched me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have and when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet he says look you see the nail scars in my hands and in my feet yes you saw me crucified you can come up and touch the holes in my hands and my feet this is an invitation from Jesus isn't it it's an invitation to them to believe that's the whole point of this text that our faith in Christ would be sure and certain that we would see the nail scarred hands and feet of the resurrected Lord and we would believe so he opens an invitation to them would you see that I died for you would you see that I gave my life for you would you come would you partake and believe would you believe what Isaiah said about me now that he was wounded for our transgressions and he was crushed for our sins and the chastisement that brought us peace was laid upon him would you believe that as you see the stripes on my back by which your wounds are healed this is an invitation for them to believe come and see and so what did they do Bible tells us in the other Gospels that Thomas came up and touched the nail scars put his hand in the Lord's side and he believed in this text what we see is two proofs of the resurrection the first is that they see and touch the body the living body of Jesus he's not a NUMA he's not a spirit he's the living one it's the first proof that they can come and they can touch him look at verse 41 and while they still disbelief for joy he imagined that and while they still disbelieved for joy and we're marveling you know when you when you are something happens and you are so excited you can't believe it what do you end up doing you grab something say okay is this real am I still standing on the earth somebody pinch me because this just this seems too good to be true somebody pinched me and let me know that I'm awake don't be too hard just let me know that I'm awake because this just seems too good to be true and so these disciples they're looking at Jesus they touch the nail scars and they say you're kidding me the disbelieving for joy now they're over whelmed because all the time it seems that they must have thought that God had over-promised and under-delivered oh that's not God that's us we over promise and under deliver people over promise and under deliver they say I'll do this this and this but they don't do half of it folks God does not over promise and under deliver he does exactly what he says and they disbelief for joy because they said this is too good to be true not the case it is not too good to be true the reality of the risen Lord is not too good to be true so we must look to Christ in faith and in certainty peculiar question that's asked here at the end of verse 41 and while they still disbelieve for joy and we're marveling he said to them have you anything to eat it seems a bit out of place doesn't it here we have this high moment the resurrected Lord of the universe in our midst who just appeared with locked doors and he says you have anything to eat seems to be a question that's out of place but I think that it is crammed packed with meaning you know why Jesus asks this question have you anything to eat because eating is what living people do that's the point what are you gonna do when you leave here come on you're not fasting what are you gonna do you're gonna eat why I like to live right eating is what living people do that's why Jesus says have you got anything to eat you know how long it's been it's been three days and nights since I've eaten anything I was in the grave I didn't eat anything in there you have anything to eat I love it this is the second proof here of the resurrection of Jesus Jesus does what living people do he eats verse 42 I love verse 42 because exegetically I can prove to you that God approves of fishing verse 42 says they gave him a piece of broiled but said they gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate before them see I even think that word broiled has a meaning in it they're gonna tell you how it was cooked it's cooked over coals here this is real fish cooked in a real way ate by a real man who is alive it's Jesus he's alive he's in their midst they've touched him they have ate with him he is there that is historical fact that is two proofs right there in that room to these disciples and they will be filled with monumental courage after this real food ate by the Living Christ it's important that we understand that jesus is alive even today because if Jesus was raised from the dead rather I should say since Jesus was raised from the dead we know that what he has said is true what Jesus has said about heaven and hell is true you know how we know because jesus is alive what Jesus has said about sin and righteousness and faith and forgiveness through him if you would just call on the name of the Lord say God have sinned against you forgive me woe is me a sinner that if you'll just say that you'll be forgiven because Jesus has been raised from the dead you know that that is true you know that you can bank your life on that your soul on that for eternity because jesus is alive Jesus claims for himself a peculiar title there in the beginning of the book of Revelation if you've been with us on Wednesday nights you will know this verse pretty handily revelation 1 17 through 18 John says when I saw him that's Jesus I fell at his feet as the dead but he laid his right hand on me you can imagine seeing that nail hole right through his hand as he reaches his right hand down to touch John on the back but he laid his right hand on me saying fear not he says that often doesn't he there's no fear when Jesus loves you fear not for I am the first and the last here it is and the living one I died and behold I am Alive for evermore and I have the keys of death and Hades I feel like you need to touch something make sure this is real it's real Jesus being alive is real his testimony about life and eternity is real and that Bible verse that every one of you learned in VBS when you were little for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life you can bank your eternity on that that is true because Jesus is alive he is the first and the last the living one behold he died and he is alive forevermore and he holds the keys of death and Hades if you are a believer in Jesus this morning the simple application for you is this begin now not when the trial starts not when the difficulties begin begin now to ask the Lord beg the Lord Lord increase my faith Lord you are always more committed to fulfilling your promises than I am able to trust you in it so lord I pray increase my faith make me to trust you even now before it gets difficult with this many people in this room undoubtedly there are some here who hear the message of Jesus they have not believed in Jesus they have not given their life over to the Lord to follow after him and I want to remind you there is no debate whether or not Jesus is Lord of all there is no question as to whether or not he died for you on the cross and was raised from the dead three days later there is no doubt there is no question that he sits now at the right hand of God the Father and there is coming a day whether you die first or he returns whichever comes first where you will answer for everything you have done in this life and unless you call on the name of the Lord Jesus and he says peace to you you will answer for everything that you have done against him but today even now Jesus can say over you peace to you peace be with you because I've made peace through the blood of my cross I've been raised from the dead and he calls to you if you would just trust in me and believe I'll forgive you and I will give you everlasting life that is a guarantee based on the resurrection of Christ you can trust in the Lord today because the reality of the resurrected Lord is not too good to be true we must look to Christ with faith and certainty you pray with me you

Channel: Dr. Jordan Neal Rogers

Views: 2,037

Rating: 4.6923075 out of 5

Keywords: preacher, teacher, preach, sermon, teach, pulpit, ministry, expository, exposition, expository preaching, biblical, scriptural, Bible, Scripture, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Christ, Yeshua, Lord, Hosanna, Messiah, Messianic, Jew, Jewish, Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Father, Holy Spirit, Holy, Spirit, ghost, ghosts, halloween, pneuma, resurrect, resurrection, appear, salvation, grace, mercy, hope, help, message, Hillcrest, Baptist, Church, Luke, Gospel, Book, Jordan, Rogers, Jordan Rogers

Id: hLhCa6xck3E

Length: 37min 41sec (2261 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 07 2016