Witnesses of the Risen Christ

Transcription

1 Witnesses of the Risen Christ Luke 24:1-12 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they 1

2 did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered his words When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:1-12 2

3 Luke 24:33-43 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 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. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, Do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. Luke 24:

4 Luke 24:44-48 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. He told them, This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:44-48 Acts 1:3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 4

5 Acts 1:21-22 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts 1:21-22 Acts 2:23-24, 32 This man was handed over to you by God s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Acts 2:23-24,32 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. Acts 3:15 Acts 4:2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 5

6 Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God s grace was so powerfully at work in them all. Acts 5:29-32 Peter and the other apostles replied: We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. Acts 10:39-41 We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10:39-41) Acts 13:29-35 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those 6

7 who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: You are my son; today I have become your father. God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. Acts 13:29-34 Acts 17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, What is this babbler trying to say? Others remarked, He seems to be advocating foreign gods. They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:18 Acts 17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. Acts 28:23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, 7

8 explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Acts 28:23 III. The Witness of the Church (Acts 29) Only if the Lord lives now is it possible to have a personal meeting with him. The resurrection, therefore, should not be seen only as an idea or past event but as that which permits an experience of present personal encounter with the Living Lord. Thomas Oden III. The Witness of the Church (Acts 29) 8

9 That night, I prayed, and asked God if the gospel message was for someone like me, too. I viscerally felt the living presence of God as I prayed. Jesus seemed present and alive. I knew that I was I was not alone in my room. I prayed that if Jesus was truly a real and risen God, that he would change my heart...and take it all: my sexuality, my profession, my community, my tastes, my books, and my tomorrows. Rosaria Butterfield III. The Witness of the Church (Acts 29) The good news of God s saving action in Christ demands a response, so apostolic preaching consistently called people to repentance and faith. The apostles preached God s saving purposes in Christ s death and resurrection so that forgiveness of sins may be offered to all who respond in repentance and faith. Alan Thompson 9

10 III. The Witness of the Church (Acts 29) Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead...and He shouldn't have done it. He thrown everything off balance. If he did what he said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can." Flannery O Connor s The Misfit, from A Good Man is Hard to Find III. The Witness of the Church (Acts 29) Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1: