Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Sending and Ascension
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you today. Welcome to our journey through scripture. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin. I hope that your week is going well. All right. So last ⁓ on Tuesday, our last episode, we talked about the ⁓ resurrection of Jesus and that he starts to appear to different ⁓ individuals, and then he ⁓ of course appears to the disciples and then many others. ⁓ and what we see here again is ⁓ you're starting to see this transition. The disciples are starting to figure things out. What Jesus really was talking about whenever he said, I will have to have to die and be raised again. ⁓ they of course were not taking that literally. ⁓ now they're figuring this out, and now they're going to be ⁓ sent out ⁓ to change the world and that that this is going to be the beginning of the church age ⁓ after this. And so we'll we'll be in Mark sixteen, Luke twenty-four, John twenty, and Matthew twenty-eight. So finishing out all of the gospels. So we see just a little bit in Mark sixteen, verses twelve and thirteen, it says he appeared in another form to two of the ⁓ disciples as they walked. ⁓ and then we assume that's ⁓ what the the same two disciples that Luke is talking about on the road to Emmaus. And ⁓ that's in Luke chapter twenty-four, verses thirteen through forty-nine. It's ⁓ just really ⁓ interesting interaction. So ⁓ the there's some some a couple of the disciples are walking from Jerusalem back to Emmaus, probably about twenty miles or so, fifteen, twenty miles, and Jesus is begins walking with them. ⁓ they're on the same road. And ⁓ there it says ⁓ verse sixteen, but their eyes were restrained, so they did not know it was him. So it doesn't mean that Jesus completely looked different, ⁓ but he he definitely looked different than whenever he was on the cross, right? Because he's alive and walking. ⁓ so they one, they wouldn't be really looking for Jesus, and they they weren't allowed to be you know, there's a spiritual aspect that okay, you're they're not being allowed to see Jesus for who he is until Jesus is ready. So again, it's showing this supernatural. ⁓ spiritual power as well as the continued physical nature of Jesus' resurrected body. ⁓ and so they start going on and the Jesus is like, well what what what happened? And and ⁓ one of the guys named Cleopas, he's like, have you been under a rock? Don't you know all that has happened? ⁓ verse 19, ⁓ it says the things concerning Jesus is of Nazareth who was a prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people And how the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him. ⁓ but we were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Isn't that interesting? They the our they they recognize this we've done this. Our leaders have done this. ⁓ but we thought he was the one who would redeem Israel. and then they say, and on top of that, we have some women that went and the tomb was empty, and they're saying that Jesus is has risen ⁓ again, but we just we just don't know. and then he said to them, O foolish one, slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, ought not the Christ have to suffer these things to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all of Scriptures the things concerning himself. So Jesus starts to explain ⁓ how he is evident through all of Scripture. Not just the New Testament, that Jesus is is present, that He is God in the Old Testament as well. And when they get to the house, ⁓ Jesus is going to continue on. They say, No, you need to come in and and spend the night with us. Jesus goes in and he breaks bread to start the meal, and at that moment, ⁓ they they recognize him. Can you imagine what that must have been like? And of course, they are so excited, they get up in the in the night to return back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples ⁓ that they have seen the Lord. ⁓ and then you continue reading there verse 36 ⁓ that ⁓ as they were telling the disciples, ⁓ Jesus then appears to the ⁓ eleven ⁓ minus one ⁓ minus Thomas and ⁓ it says they were terrified I love this encounter. It says ⁓ verse thirty-six. ⁓ now as they said these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, peace to you. But they were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit. ⁓ now they believed in ghosts, basically, that that was a possibility. Just like that would be what you thought you saw. ⁓ because you don't anticipate seeing someone who died physically. present with you. I I promise you, whatever you believe about the supernatural or poltergeist or anything like that, you would assume that if you were talking to someone who you had just seen ⁓ buried, that you're having some sort of supernatural encounter with a spirit. Right? Jesus was not a spirit. He was physically resurrected. but they thought they had seen a spirit and he says to them, why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. ⁓ handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. Again, the scripture goes out of its way to make sure we understand that Jesus was physically resurrected. ⁓ that that this was not just a a spiritual idea. ⁓ the resurrection did literally happen. ⁓ so they they saw his hands and feet, says verse forty one, but they but while they still did not believe for joy and marveled, he said to them, ⁓ have you any food here? So they gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and he took it and he ate in their presence. Again, they're just kind of in this state of shock right now. They don't know what to do, no don't know w how to to process it. ⁓ then it it continues on. Again, this is all in Luke ⁓ verse forty-four. Then he said to them These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all these things must be be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the s and the Psalms concerning me. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. I believe it's Psalm twenty-two. ⁓ definitely you can you can see the crucifixion ⁓ in that and what Jesus did, that he is letting them know that, hey, all of the scripture has been pointing to this. And so he's explaining to them just as he did to the two disciples on the road ⁓ to Emmaus. ⁓ then ⁓ Luke ⁓ John chapter twenty, ⁓ verses nineteen through thirty-one ⁓ has Jesus appearing to them. and Jesus says ⁓ verse twenty this verse twenty-one of John chapter twenty says, peace to you as my father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Right? This this idea of the breath of God. The breath of God is what ⁓ began creating something out of nothing that God ⁓ breathed ⁓ his his his his spirit, the breath of God hovered over the waters of chaos and and brought about creation all the way back in Genesis chapter one. It was the breath of God who he breathed into life, into man as he created man. Now it is Jesus who is breathing over the disciples as ⁓ he is now calling them to go and to share this message ⁓ of forgiveness and of redemption. ⁓ in John continuing verse twenty-four talks about Thomas. Poor Thomas was out getting takeout, he missed the disciples. ⁓ when Jesus came the first time, this was a week later, ⁓ and then Thomas, ⁓ who's labeled the doubter, ⁓ but remember he's someone who was willing to go to Jerusalem and die. ⁓ whenever Lazarus rose from the dead, Thomas said, Well, let's go and ⁓ even if we die, let's follow Jesus. ⁓ he is someone who clearly loves Jesus, ⁓ but he needed to know. And Jesus, of course, invites him To touch the nail marks and his hands and his side. ⁓ and Thomas responds by saying, My Lord and my God. ⁓ and you know, just just incredibly powerful. ⁓ then you have Matthew chapter 28, the the Great Commission. So now Jesus has ⁓ revealed himself to many people, and now his last words are sending people ⁓ to to tell the world about him. ⁓ verse nineteen, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all the things I have commanded, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. so again, ⁓ going and making disciples, not just believers. ⁓ not just don't just convince people that this happened, ⁓ but help people to follow, to live, to obey ⁓ the ⁓ according to the words of Jesus and what we find in in all of scripture. Mark chapter six ⁓ also has a a commission. ⁓ We like using Matthew's Great Commission. Mark's Great Commission is very similar, but just a tad different. Says ⁓ go in this is verse fifteen of Mark sixteen. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. So again, Jesus has said things like that before. We don't like to remember that. We don't like to talk about that. But he did, that there is a consequence for not believing. ⁓ and ⁓ in Mark he's specific. ⁓ then he has some interesting things in Mark. ⁓ most think that this was written later on in the Gospel of Mark. ⁓ we don't know for sure. ⁓ but it talks about being able to cast out demons. ⁓ that they will take up serpents and ⁓ and if they ⁓ drink poison they will not be hurt, all this kind of stuff. Basically it was a sign that God was going to be with them as they shared his message, that nothing would stop the message that g that ⁓ that they would be sharing. And and of course we know that ⁓ Peter ⁓ Paul does get bit by a serpent and that he is miraculously healed. This was not telling people to go handle serpents as a sign of whether God loved them or not. Any church or tradition that does that is has been deceived into to doing that. ⁓ that is ridiculous and is obvious, not the point ⁓ of that in Mark. It's just talking about how you you God is going to go with you. He will be there as as you encounter ⁓ the difficulties of ⁓ that will come in sharing the this message of hope. ⁓ John chapter twenty one. I encourage you to read all through it. It's a very powerful encounter with Peter. The disciples are out, they're fishing. Jesus comes, they realize that it's him. Peter just jumps in ⁓ into the water, goes up ⁓ to Jesus, but then during the time that they are ⁓ eating, Jesus says to Peter three times, will you feed my sheep? ⁓ and ask ask Peter, do you love me three times, will you feed my sheep? ⁓ kind of that reminder that Peter, you just denied ⁓ Jesus three times. He was restoring Peter. He was reminding him, okay, I know you deny me three times, but I am still going to build the church on you. he ⁓ he forgives Peter obviously three times and calls Peter to love him and also to feed his sheep. then as we continue, then we we have the ascension. ⁓ Jesus ⁓ being taken up into heaven. That's in the end of Mark chapter sixteen. ⁓ it says ⁓ verse nineteen of Mark sixteen. So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, and they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. ⁓ same thing in Luke chapter twenty four, the ascension, now it came to pass ⁓ while he blessed them, he was parted ⁓ from them and carried up into heaven, and they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. All right. Excuse me. ⁓ so we're gonna end there. We made it through the gospels. ⁓ now we're ⁓ entering into a new age, the church age. So we will be in the book of Acts, which is a continuation of the gospel of Luke, Luke Acts. ⁓ we're one compilation. ⁓ and ⁓ so we will start with Acts, read chapters one and two of Acts for all right, we'll see you there.