2.14.18 3.31.2024 Certain About His Victory Luke 24.1-35
Luke: Certain about Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Entice: To say
“Jesus is alive!”
“Jesus is alive!”
ends one story and begins another. We have been studying Luke’s Gospel this winter and the resurrection completes the part of the story where Jesus is present among His people. Easter begins fifty days of final preparation for the Apostles founding work.
Easter is the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end.
Easter is the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end.
It is the certainty of His resurrection that is the bedrock for our continued certainty in ministry and life.
Now, that first Sunday, resurrection day 0, was a little harried.
Engage: Despite all that He did to prepare and direct them, the Apostles and those around them were reacting to an unscripted set of circumstances. They not only learned that Jesus lived again, but they were also discovering that He had a significant task for them, the embryonic Church, our ancestors of faith.
Certainty about His victory over death had to be translated into certainty about His kingdom vision for them, and now us.
Expand: For several chapters Luke has sort of plodded through the story, in Luke 24 he flies.
The action intensifies,
the cast expands,
and
the animated conversations
have consequences which still resonate.
Excite: Today you and I are a part of that ongoing conversation. We can be as certain of His victory as those who saw and heard Him that day, They passed the test overcoming their crisis of faith so that they could provide the guidance for us to be focused and certain in the 21st century.
Explore:
Resurrection is the crisis of faith-the crucible of certainty.
Resurrection is the crisis of faith-the crucible of certainty.
Expand: Jesus not only rose, but He explains how to make sense of the unprecedented event.
Body of Sermon: It begins with the shear fact of
1 Resurrection.
1 Resurrection.
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
This is a fact for which
1.1 You can’t prepare.
1.1 You can’t prepare.
Whatever went before, whatever we expect is forever changed. These ladies went to the tomb for a funeral, and they wound up attending a party.
So, you can’t prepare and resurrection is a circumstance for which
1.2 You can’t practice.
1.2 You can’t practice.
What do you do when your Master raises from the dead?
There is no precedent,
there is no script,
no previous example.
To help reconcile this impossible development. The angels state the facts and show the women the empty tomb.
Faith founded on this impossible fact makes the Christian faith not only worthwhile but functional. It works not merely because we believe Jesus is alive, but because He is, in fact, alive.
Next, the angels provide for us, through those women a focused
2 Reminder.
2 Reminder.
Luke 24:6–10 (ESV)
…Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,
7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
8 And they remembered his words,
9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
The angelic witness on Easter Sunday was pretty simple…
Remember His
2.1 Promise.
2.1 Promise.
And remember His
2.2 Plan.
2.2 Plan.
Next, Jesus Himself frustrates confusing, conflicting, and confounding
3 Rumors.
3 Rumors.
11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,
23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
There were a lot of rumors that day.
Questions about what really happened.
How it happened.
Who was responsible.
So, when the women came to the apostles with tales of resurrection it generated
3.1 Denial.
3.1 Denial.
For some Jesus violent death creates immense
3.2 Disappointment.
3.2 Disappointment.
For those distracted by rumors of disappointment and skepticism Jesus, Himself offers
3.3 Dialogue.
3.3 Dialogue.
Before scolding and correcting them Jesus first talked to them. Relationship is the basis for faith.
Finally then, Beginning with that conversation Jesus provides for them, and us His universal Church a framework for
4 Reading.
4 Reading.
Scripture
Luke 24:25–35 (ESV)
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,
29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
This may be the most important and most overlooked aspect of resurrection day. Easter does not pass until Jesus explains to His Church how to read and understand scripture. He will continue that process until His ascension but it began that day on the road. There we all become roadies and we learn Jesus’ model for
4.1 Interpretation.
4.1 Interpretation.
4.2 Instruction.
4.2 Instruction.
4.3 Inclusion.
4.3 Inclusion.
Shut Down
We began this story with an empty tomb and end it with full minds. We were introduced to women with broken hearts. In the end their hearts and our hearts are healed.
Some forgetful smart aleck, after He rose probably said to Jesus “Why didn’t you just tell us?!?” I’m sure Jesus sort of nodded His head and said. “Umm, I did.” Easter morning is not God doing something new as much as it is us finally seeing it.
I hope you see it today. A way to read scripture that rises beyond rumors, reminding us that Jesus said He would rise again. This story ends in triumph and His triumph over death empowers our continuing story of clarity and certainty for our mission.
And so, we celebrate. The mourning is past, victory is won, discipleship lays before us.