The Lord is Risen Indeed
Luke 24:13-34
4-12-09
Intro
I want to begin this morning by reading a portion of the Easter story. Jesus has already appeared to Mary and the other women who came to the tomb early that morning. Peter and John have also seen the empty tomb. The crucifixion of Jesus has created an uproar throughout the city. Now two disciples have left the city walking toward a little village named Emmaus 7 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Follow with me as we begin reading in Luke 24:13-34 (Read).
I want to take as my theme this morning those glorious words in verse 34, “The Lord is risen indeed.” A common Easter greeting among Christians is one would say, “Christ is Risen” and the other would respond, “He is risen indeed.”
I. There is no greater news than that. Jesus is alive.
His resurrection is the greatest demonstration of power this world has ever experienced. Creation was an awesome event. When I get to heaven I want to watch the video of that. I want to see how the stars burst into the sky as God said, “Let there be...” I want to see the awesome release of power as God made the universe—the Milky Way, the planets, our solar system, and every living thing. That was a majestic display of God’s power. But that was the creation of a material world that will one day pass away.
Peter writes in his second epistle, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Can you imagine such an event? The heavens will pass away with a great noise; the elements (the atomic make up of everything) will melt with fervent heat. The material world as we know it today will one day be wiped out. But the new creation that emerged with Jesus resurrection is eternal. Peter says, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). With the resurrection of Jesus the new order began. George Ladd says, “Jesus’ resurrection is not the restoration to physical life of a dead body; it is the emergence of a new order of life. It is the embodiment in time and space of eternal life.” The Bible goes to great lengths to help us understand that Jesus had a body. In Luke 24:39 Jesus says, “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.” The heresy that Jesus was just a disembodied spirit has surfaced and resurfaced during the life of the church. Jesus was resurrected in a physical body. But that body was of a higher order than flesh and blood. In our mortal bodies the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). But Jesus lives by the power of an endless life (Heb. 7:16).
If we don’t get this, we will not fully appreciate the significance of Jesus’ resurrection. We could just have sentimental feelings about an innocent man suffering unjustly and coming back to life. But it’s so much more than that. Remember when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was brought back to life in a mortal body. That was far, far inferior to the resurrection of Jesus in a glorified body. Jesus’ resurrection was the beginning of a new, eternal order. Paul said he was the first fruits of the end of the age resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). Think about His glorified body. He could interact with the natural order but at the same time He could transcend that realm. One theologian said he was at once sufficiently corporeal to show His wounds and sufficiently immaterial to pass through closed doors. In fact, immediately following the text (we just read in Luke 24) He does that. In our text he has power to disguise his glory so that these two disciples didn’t know who He was; he has power to immediately vanish. Paul says that’s the kind of body we will have in the resurrection.
But to fully appreciate the significance of Easter, make sure you understand Jesus resurrection as the first fruits (the beginning) of a new eternal order of reality.
“The Lord has risen indeed.”
II. What does that mean for you and me this morning?
(1) It means Jesus is everything He claimed to be.
In the church’s first recorded sermon, Peter centered his message on Jesus’ resurrection. He said very little about Jesus’ character and good life. He only mentioned the miracles. His all-important message was the fact and significance of Jesus’ resurrection. In Acts 2:32-33 Peter says, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Then in verse 36 he closes. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” How did God do that? By resurrecting Jesus from the dead.
Jesus’ resurrection in a glorified body sets Him apart and above all religious leaders. Buddha’s body has gone back to dust. There is no supernatural affirmation of him or his teachings. Plato is dead. Confucius is dead. God is the God of the living. Jesus is alive forever more. “He is risen indeed.” That ends the debate about which religion is true. The answer to that debate is not a philosophical argument based on human reasoning. The answer as to which religion is true lies in one question. Which leader rose from the dead and lives forevermore? “Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.”
Paul says this about Jesus in Rom 1:4 “and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” How do we know Jesus was the Son of God? We know it because God raised Him from the dead. How do we know His teaching was right? God affirmed it by raising Him from the dead—not just in a mortal body to die again—but in a glorified body to live forever in a higher, eternal order.
It His resurrection and ascension that establishes His authority as Lord of all forever. There is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12). 1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” What did Jesus say when He gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28” “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Phil. 2 gives a beautiful description of Jesus humbling himself in the incarnation. He condescended to become a man; He stooped lower to become a servant; He obeyed the Father even unto death—even the humiliating death of the cross. Then at the point of the resurrection we see all that turn around. Phil 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus is not an option. He is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other way to heaven. There is no other entry point into this higher order of resurrected life. You’re not going to earn your way into that. False religion will not get you there. Good intentions will not get you there. Faith in the resurrected Christ will get you there. Rom 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s not enough to believe Jesus was a good man who taught how we should live. You must, in your heart, believe the good report: He is risen indeed. Based on that, you commit yourself to him in public confession of Jesus as Lord. If you haven’t done that, today is the day of salvation. Now is the acceptable time to believe on Jesus and publicly acknowledge Him as your Lord.
So the resurrection of Jesus is a demonstration by Father God that Jesus is all that He claimed to be.
He is risen indeed. What does that mean to you and me today?
(2) It means our sins are forgiven.
1 Corinthians 15 is the most extensive discussion of the resurrection in the Bible. In verses 16-18 Paul says, “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” Our acceptance before God is based on Jesus acceptance before God. That acceptance was demonstrated through Jesus’ resurrection. Paul is correcting some erroneous doctrine here. He is making sure these people understand the connection between their hope of eternal life and the resurrection of Jesus. It is the resurrection of Jesus that confirms God’s acceptance of His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins. Without that we’re doomed forever. Without the forgiveness of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are hopeless condemned before God. Only a resurrected Christ has power to forgive sin. Only a resurrected Christ can live forever as our Great High Priest making intercession for us. A dead Christ cannot justify us before God.
Everything depends upon the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus is not risen, our gathering here this morning is a waste of time. It is the resurrection that gives the cross its validity. Without the shedding of Christ’s blood in payment for our sin, we would have no hope of salvation. But it is the resurrection that declares that sacrifice acceptable before God. If Christ is not risen, you are trapped in your sin forever.
In Acts 13 Paul preached a sermon similar to the one Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost. His theme was the resurrection of Jesus. He closes in verse 38 & 39 with these words, “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Justify means to be made right before God. It’s a not guilty verdict because of what Jesus has done for you.
Why can only Jesus provide this right standing before God? He is God’s chosen means of salvation. To try climbing up into heaven some other way is to defy God’s right to do it any way He wants to do it. Why can Jesus alone forgive sins? He alone has paid the penalty of sin. He alone lives in a glorified state as God’s chosen High Priest. John 3:18
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
He is risen indeed. What does that mean for you and me today?
(3) It means Jesus is alive and able to meet our every need.
In Acts 3 Peter and John are on their way to the temple for prayer hour. They come to a crippled man begging for alms. Peter and John didn’t have money to give him. But they had something better. They had the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Peter looked the man in the eyes and said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (verse 6). The man was miraculously healed. Then Peter had to explain to the crowd what had just happened. It was a preaching opportunity born out of this wonderful healing. Acts 3:11-16 “Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” It’s in the name of the resurrected Christ that this need is met. It was not Peter’s holiness that healed this man. Peter makes that very clear. Notice in verse 16 what brought this healing: faith in the name of Jesus—the One with all authority in heaven in earth—the One able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” What do you need from the Lord? In the name of Jesus, that is available to you. Why would God use you and me to work miracles? He always does it as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Ultimately it is the Lord of Glory who does the healing—not us. But what a privilege it is to be used by Him as a witness of our Lord’s glorious victory.
He is risen indeed. What does that mean for you and me?
(4) It means we have eternal hope.
“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.
My mansion is laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”
It is popular today in our affluent society to scorn the “pie in the sky” promises of God. But we read earlier from 1 Cor 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” If your Christianity does not square with Paul’s statement, I suggest you reevaluate it. Christianity is not a way to make life easy and comfortable. God will meet our needs. He will work miracles in our lives. But this life is really just a grooming for an eternal destiny. Never, never lose that perspective. In 2 Cor. 4 Paul talked about the hardships and challenges he experienced in life. Then he said, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (verses 17-18).
The big payoff is at the Resurrection of the Just. Sometimes in this life, things can seem pretty unfair. But it’s not over until it’s over. It looked over and lost at the crucifixion of Christ. That was Friday; but Sunday was comin’. You may be in your Friday today’ but Sunday’s a comin’. Peter tells us that God has “begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). I don’t know what the recent economic crisis may have done to your 401-K or your mutual fund or your business. But I know a place not of those economics can touch. There are people here who may be poor as a church mouse; but you are rich. You have treasure reserved in heaven. Knowing that helps us endure a little inconvenience in the here and now.
Think about the glorious day of the Lord that’s coming. Think about the day when you see Jesus. Think about that moment when you’re changed to have a glorified body like His.
1 Thess 4:14-17 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Aren’t you amazed by what Jesus has done for you? Aren’t you amazed by His goodness and grace? I found this brief video as a reminder before we come to the communion table.
COMMUNION
For FOOTNOTES/SOURCES go to www.GatewayNixa.org
TEXT: Luke 24:13-34
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"
19 And He said to them, "What things?"
So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 The Disciples’ Eyes Opened. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying,"Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"
For FOOTNOTES/SOURCES go to www.GatewayNixa.org
Richard Tow
Gateway Foursquare Church
Nixa, Missouri
