In this final expository sermon in the Gospel of Luke, we examine Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples. In it we see the necessity laid upon our Savior, the Sinner, and the Saint.
[powerpress]
The Risen Lord’s Final Instructions
Luke 24:33-53
We come this morning to our final expository sermon in the Gospel of Luke. This has been a rich, rich study in God’s Word. We started this study in November of 2013, and this is our 108th message in this glorious gospel. I have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Luke. I hope that you have too.
We usually consider someone’s final words to be the most important of all. If they are dying, we will bend down close to their ear and listen very carefully. We might even write down what they say to preserve it for posterity sake. Here are a few famous last words that I found interesting.
Winston Churchill before slipping into a coma: “I’m bored with it all.”
Elizabeth, Queen of England: “All my possessions for a moment of time”
Andrew Jackson: “Oh, do not cry. Be good children and we will all meet in heaven.”
General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson: “let us cross over the river and sit in the shade of the trees”
Edgar Allan Poe: “Lord help my poor soul”
George Washington: “I die hard, but am not afraid to go.”
Louis the 14th: “Why do you weep? Did you think I was immortal?”
Harriet Tubman: “Swing low, sweet chariot”
Alfred Hitchcock: “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”
Isaac Newton: “I don’t know what I may seem to the world. But as to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
When we look at the last words of Jesus Christ before He ascended to heaven, the words of mere mortals pales into insignificance.
In our last two studies in Luke, we have seen the reality of Christ’s resurrection. On Easter morning, the women appear at His tomb, and find it empty. Later angels appear to them, and announce that He has risen. Then, later that same day two disciples meet Jesus as they are traveling the seven miles to Emmaus. They don’t recognize Him immediately, but when Jesus blesses and breaks the bread, their eyes are opened and they understand who He is. Moments later He vanishes from their sight. Then, those two disciples race back the seven miles they have just traveled to tell the other disciples they had seen the Lord, only to have the disciples in Jerusalem tell them that the Lord had appeared to Peter. Then, as they are talking together, Jesus Himself appeared and stood in their midst. Initially they were frightened and thought they had seen a spirit. So, Jesus showed them the nail prints in His hands and feet, and told them to touch Him to prove for themselves that it was really Him. And then, to dispel all doubt, He ate some broiled fish before them. Yes, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reality. The disciples were convinced beyond all doubt.
In verses 44-49, Jesus gives His disciples some all-important instructions.
He tells them of the necessity laid upon the Savior, the sinner, and the saint.
1. The Necessity Laid Upon The Savior
Luke 24:44-46 “Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day”
Notice that word “must” in verse 44. It is a word that speaks of necessity. In other words, the things written of Jesus in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms have to be fulfilled. There is no possibility that they will not be fulfilled. This word speaks of God’s sovereign will, of His predestined purpose. It speaks of events that God set in motion before time began. And what are those things? Well, verse 46 tells us. They are Christ’s sufferings, death, and resurrection on the third day.
Here we find the necessity laid upon the Savior. Christ must die and rise again. Folks, this is the gospel. If you boil down the gospel to its irreducible minimum you are left with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s what the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Jesus had to die and rise again for two different reasons – because it was part of God’s predetermined plan, and because it was the only way sinners could be saved.
The death and resurrection of Christ were part of God’s predestined plan. Remember when Jesus was crying out in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me!” He also cried, “Father, if You are willing, let this cup pass Me by!” Well, it was not possible, because the Father was not willing. God had already decreed from all eternity that His Son would die to redeem fallen sinners. That’s what Peter said on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:23, “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
Later, in Acts 4:27-28 when the church gathered to pray they said, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur.”
Not only must Jesus die to fulfill God’s sovereign plan, but also to save sinners. You see, there was no other way for sinners to be saved except for the Son of God to die in their place, and then rise again on their behalf. All men are sinners, and therefore under God’s just condemnation. The soul that sins shall surely die. The wages of sin is death. Therefore, either all men must die and perish under the wrath of God, or a Substitute must die on their behalf, absorbing God’s righteous anger for their sins. No one has ever been able to perfectly obey God’s Law, and earn eternal life. “There is none righteous; no not one. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom.3:10,12). Thus, Christ must suffer and die and rise again in order to achieve eternal life for all who would trust Him.
And not only must Jesus die in the place of sinners, but He must rise again to demonstrate once and for all that God had accepted His payment for sins. If He stayed in the grave, we would never have known if His death was sufficient to pay for sins. But rising, we have proof forever that His death has put away our sins for all time. Also, His rising again meant that He could ascend to heaven, and become our High Priest, interceding for us at the right hand of God. So, we needed His death as well as His resurrection. Christ must suffer and die! That is the necessity laid upon the Savior.
2. The Necessity Laid Upon The Sinner
Verse 47 says, “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
If all men are under condemnation, and only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can atone for their sins, what must the sinner do to receive forgiveness of sins? The answer in verse 47, is that he must repent. Do you see that repentance and forgiveness of sins are inextricably linked together. You can’t have forgiveness without repentance and you can’t have real repentance without also receiving forgiveness of sins.
This is a lesson that we need to grasp and never let go of. There is the teaching today that repentance is not necessary to salvation. Some say that repentance is a work, and that only simple faith in Christ is necessary to be saved. However, that’s not what Jesus taught is it? He taught that repentance brings about forgiveness of sins. He did not teach that simple faith produces forgiveness of sins. The truth is that repentance cannot be divorced from faith. Wherever you find real faith in Christ, you will also find repentance, and wherever you find real repentance, you will also find real faith.
How do I know this? Well, examine the verse. It says that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name. Now, what does that mean? It means that the message of repentance for forgiveness must be proclaimed, but always in Christ’s name. We don’t just go out and tell people to stop sinning. Just stop doing evil and start doing good. No, we proclaim repentance in His name. We tell people that Jesus Christ has accomplished eternal salvation through his blood and righteousness. We tell them that if they want salvation and forgiveness of sins, they must repent and turn to God. We tell them that this salvation may only be obtained through Christ, and through what He has done for sinners. That’s what we mean by proclaiming repentance in His name.
Now, just what is repentance? The word literally means “to change the mind.” It carries within it the idea of “to turn.” To repent is to turn around or to turn loose, so that you can embrace Christ in all His fullness.
Imagine your little boy is outside digging for worms to go fishing, and a rich Uncle shows up at the door. He calls your little boy over because he has a present for him. Then he pulls out fistfuls of gold coins and stretches out his hands to give them to your child. Well of course your little boy will never be able to receive the gift of the gold coins as long as his hands are full of worms! He must turn loose of the worms to get the gold. The same is true in salvation. We can’t receive the precious gift of everlasting life unless we are willing to turn loose of the sin in our lives. If you are going on in a sinful life, to repent means you turn around and go in the opposite direction in order to have Christ. If Christ is over here, and you are going away from him in that direction, you can never have Him, unless you turn around and come to Him. The turning is repentance, and the coming to Him is faith.
Do you still want proof that repentance is absolutely necessary to be saved? On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached to the crowd in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Or take Jesus’ words in Luke 13:3, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Did you notice that? If you don’t come to repentance, you perish!
Now, this will have a direct impact on how you proclaim the gospel to people. If you believe sinners must repent, you’ll stop telling people all they have to do is “accept Christ into your life”, or “just ask Jesus to come into your heart.” Those phrases are never found in Scripture. Instead, you will tell them that God has provided salvation, but the only way you can receive it is to turn from their sin. If you know that the person you are speaking to is fornicating, or committing adultery, or living in a homosexual relationship, or is enslaved to drugs or alcohol, or is selfish and self-centered, then when you call them to Christ, you must also tell them they must be willing to turn loose of the old life.
A few years back Debbie was meeting with a young woman that visited our church, helping her to understand the gospel and what it meant to follow Christ. And she was almost there! Her problem was that she was living with her boyfriend. When Debbie explained that she couldn’t have Christ and salvation unless she was willing to turn away from that sinful lifestyle, she broke off the discipling relationship, and we haven’t heard from her again. Either sin will keep you from Christ, or Christ will keep you from sin.
3. The Necessity Laid Upon The Saint
Verse 47-49 say, “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
So, what is the necessity laid upon the saint? He must be a witness of these things. What things? The things of verse 46 and 47. He must witness to Christ’s death and resurrection. He must witness to the truth that forgiveness of sins comes through repentance in Christ’s name.
Notice that Jesus describes His followers as “witnesses.” He doesn’t say that they are prosecuting attorneys, or judges or juries. They are witnesses. They are those who have seen and heard something that they are to testify about. Friends, if you have met Christ and received forgiveness of sins, you have something that you have experienced that you need to testify about. You need to share with others what God has done for your soul. You need to tell people of the wonderful change He has wrought in your life. You are to be His witness.
Jesus explains what He means by being a witness in verse 47. It is to proclaim gospel truths. Notice Jesus doesn’t tell His disciples that they are to “share” these things. They are not to discuss them, debate them, or argue about them. They are to proclaim them. That is the same Greek word usually translated as “to preach.” We are to proclaim the good news
The Scope of their Witness. Who are they to proclaim this gospel to. Well Jesus says it is to “all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” All you had in Jerusalem were Jews. All the nations speaks of the Gentiles. So, the scope of their witness is Jews and Gentiles. It is all humankind. No one is exempt. If they are breathing, and their heart is beating, you are to proclaim the gospel to them.
The Secret of their Witness. Now, what is going to be the secret of their power as they witness? That is given to us in verse 49, “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Now, whatever the promise of the Father is, it clothes a person with power from on high. Interestingly, the end of the gospel of Luke dovetails perfectly with the beginning of the book of Acts. The reason is simple. Luke wrote both books. You might call Luke and Acts “Luke 1 and Luke 2”.
In Acts 1:4-5 we read, “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
There it is! The promise of the Father is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The secret of their power to witness lay in them being immersed with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
My friends, we desperately need to be clothed with power from on high! We need the Holy Spirit to come upon us! When Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit in chapter 4, he preaches boldly to all the Jewish religious authorities. In Acts 4:31 it says, “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” There is a prime example of what happens when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. He speaks the word of God with boldness.
So, you might be thinking, “Brian, how can I have this power of the Holy Spirit upon me in my witnessing?” Here are just a couple of hints.
First, repent of anything in your life that grieves the Spirit. Any sin that you allow to continue in your life grieves the Spirit. We must repent of any and all sin that we know to be taking place in our lives.
Then, actively pray for the Spirit. You say, “Brian, I’m saved. I already have the Holy Spirit.” That may be true, but you should also pray for the Spirit. Why? Because Jesus taught us to. He said in Luke 11:13, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Jesus taught us to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. He is the greatest gift we can receive. We should ask for the Spirit continually and earnestly.
The necessity that is laid upon the saint is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, proclaiming His death and resurrection and forgiveness through repentance to everyone in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Now, after Jesus had given His final instructions, we see three beautiful things.
Jesus blesses His disciples. He lifted up His hands and blessed them, before He ascended into heaven. All of us need the blessing of Jesus! We need Him to impart His favor upon us. We need Him to empower and inspire and renew us, day by day.
The disciples worship Jesus. In response to His blessing, the disciples worshiped Jesus. So many people try to say that Jesus was not God. Well, His disciples didn’t know that! They knew enough to know that you only worship God. They were monotheists. Yet, they worshiped Jesus. And, so should we.
The disciples experience great joy. As a result of Jesus’ blessing and their worshiping Him, they experienced great joy. Brothers and sisters, isn’t that what we all want?! We want great joy. Well, it starts with His blessing. If you are a Christian, you’ve already received His blessing. It continues with worshiping Him. Are you taking time in your own life, to be alone with Him and worship Him. Sing to Him. Praise Him. Bow down before Him. And out of that beautiful fellowship, the inevitable response is great joy!
Friends, seek Jesus! Seek fellowship with Him! Seek blessing in Him! Worship Him! And you will find joy streaming forth from that beautiful relationship with our Lord Jesus! Let’s pray.
______________________________
© The Bridge
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Bridge.
Follow Us!