Preview of a New Age

INTRODUCTION Good morning. My name is David Sorn. I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church. If you’re here on week 3 of the 3 week challenge, congratulations, that is amazing! So happy you’re here, and we pray that God is continuing to move in your heart and you feel drawn to keep coming back to seek Him. Well, speaking of weeks, we are in week 90 of 90 (we have made it!) to the end of our study of the book of Luke in the Bible! We usually only studied it in 5 7 week sections at a time as we took breaks to cover other things, so we actually started this series back in March of 2018! I told you we’d be done in 3 years, it took over 4, but I’ll blame it on COVID. Which you can blame just about anything on COVID nowadays. Go ahead and give it a try. So, what are we going to do next after this massive endeavor of a 90 week study of the Book of Luke? We are going to study one of THE shortest books in the entire Bible, Philemon (Philemon Series Slide) Philemon is not 24 chapters like Luke, but just one chapter, so we’re going to spend 3 weeks talking about how the Gospel (the good news of Jesus) changes your relationships (the interactions we have w/ the other people in our life” I’m looking forward to this, and I think it’ll be really helpful! THE RESURRECTED BODY (vv. 36 43) Okay, so here we go: Week 90 of 90 in the book of Luke. Everybody grab a Bible. (Page 723 – Luke 24:36 43) If you were here last week, we covered what happened on the afternoon of that first Easter. Jesus walked alongside 2 of his followers on the road to Emmaus, and they didn’t recognize him at first. But as soon as they did, he disappeared. And these 2 followers ran 7 miles back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples what they saw. Today’s passage is actually going to take place during the conversation these 2 followers are having with Jesus’ key disciples. So this is now late in the evening on that first Easter. Let’s take a look (Luke 24:36 43) – NIV 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 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.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. Let’s pause for a minute: Jesus’ resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit (which we’ll read about in a minute) is going to usher in a new age in the history of the world. (Preview of a New Age Title Slide) And this passage points out a number of things that are going to be changing. In fact, I’ll show you 3 changes that we learn about in this passage. Really, if we were to dive into the theology here, there are probably like 10 changes that are happening, but we get 3 in this passage, so let’s learn about that! Here’s the first one: Preview of a New Age 1. Resurrected Bodies One of the most obvious differences here is that Jesus’ body is different. About an hour or two ago, he was just in Emmaus with 2 of his followers and now, POOF, he’s in the room with the disciples. And in John’s account of this same story in his book, John mentions that not only were the doors to the room closed, but locked! And Jesus just…appears in the room. It doesn’t say he walks through walls…he’s just suddenly there. His body is not the same as ours anymore. This is a different type of body…a resurrected body. (Preview of a New Age Title Slide) But what’s really fascinating here is that Jesus REALLY goes out of his way to assure them that his body is physical…that he is not just a spirit or ghost (cuz v. 37, that’s their fear). In fact, this is the main emphasis of this little section. Jesus doesn’t spend his time teaching them about morality or His Father in heaven or anything like that, His time is actually spent explaining his body. This v. 39: LOOK at my hands and feet. What does he want them to see there of all places? His wounds from the nails that were pounded through him to the cross. He says “Touch me.” “I’m not a ghost. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones” Instead, He has a spiritual body. A resurrected body. And where this becomes really important for us to understand is that if you are a believer in Jesus, you too will have the same type of resurrected body someday. Let me show you two other places in the Bible that talk about this (Philippians 3:20 21) – NIV 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Or, here’s another one: (1 Corinthians 15:42 44a) – NIV 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. This scene in Luke 24 is a really cool preview of what you have coming in your literal future! That’s awesome! And that phrase “Spiritual body” is important if you want to understand the Bible’s teaching on the future state of Christians. See, almost all thinking outside of Christianity creates this dichotomy of Body OR Spirit. Secularism (that just means non religious), secularism says you are nothing but a body. And one day your body will die and you will cease to exist. Where most other religions, especially eastern religions say that you are a spirit. And that the physical, and the world, is an illusion. And that your goal is something like nirvana…to become completely free of all worldly attachments and things. It’s devoid of anything bodily. It’s Spirit. (Preview of a New Age Title Slide) But the Bible (this is fascinating in comparison!) says that the Christian’s eternal state will be not be just a spirit, or just a body, but a “spiritual body.” Jesus is very intentionally previewing that things are changing… He’s not a spirit floating around that they can’t really see. He walks in and asks for a bite to eat. Which is super funny to me. The disciples are screaming in shock. And Jesus is like, “Oof. Teleportation really works up an appetite! What do you guys got to eat around here? How ‘bout that Broiled Fish on the table?” By the way, this is why you can be sure there will be Culver’s in heaven. We will eat! And feast in fact. Many times throughout Luke, Jesus has referred to heaven as the Great Wedding FEAST! So, things are changing, and the first preview we get is a Resurrected Savior…a preview of our resurrected bodies to come. OPENED MIND Okay, let’s keep reading and there’s another preview of how things are going to change. This one is going to happen on earth much quicker. (Page 723 – Luke 24:44 47) 44 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.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Jesus is previewing for them something the Holy Spirit is going to start doing ALL THE TIME. Here’s the second preview. There will be…. Preview of a New Age 1. Resurrected Bodies 2. Minds that are opened by the Spirit This is the preview He gives in verse 45: “Then He OPENED their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” Jesus already did the same thing with the 2 followers on the road to Emmaus And now He’ll do it for the rest of the disciples too. And listen, this is important to understand. Don’t think that he’s teaching the Old Testament to the disciples for the first time. They’re not going, “Whoa! I never knew about Adam & Eve! King David sounds so cool!” They just spent 3 years with Jesus! They KNOW the Old Testament (The part of the Bible before Jesus) But they needed Jesus to open up their MINDS to understand it. And when Jesus ascends up to heaven and the Holy Spirit comes, that will be one of the Spirit’s main functions. To help people see and understand God. Paul explains it this way 1 Corinthians 2 (1 Corinthians 2:12 14) – NIV 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. So, for example, I didn’t become a Christian until I was 18 years old. But growing up in rural MN, we went to church a decent amount as most people did back then. And I heard plenty of sermons. Never heard the Gospel…but I HEARD the Bible. But it might as well of been Charlie Brown’s teacher: Wah, Wah, Wah. It made no sense to me because The Holy Spirit hadn’t opened my mind to understand it. (Preview of a New Age Title Slide) If people are going to see God and understand His forgiveness, they need, not just good teaching, but they need God to open their minds. Nowadays in this room, we have someone accept Christ in almost every service, But if we have a service where someone doesn’t make a decision for Christ, people will come up to me and say, “What if we just had people who were already Christians stand up first…or walk down the aisle first…you know, just to inspire the others to go.” And I always say, “no way” One, because you can’t manipulate people into the Kingdom of Heaven. Two, because it’s not like God’s saying, “Ugh! I really want that person to become a Christian…if only someone would lie by pretending to become a Christian in front of them first! Then I could do it!” And three, Jesus himself says: (John 6:44a) – NIV “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, And so in Luke 24, Jesus is giving us a Preview of how this is going to work in his new Kingdom. And what that means is we, as Christians, need to adjust our strategies accordingly. This is why, at Renovation Church, we put such an emphasis, not on gimmicks or even emotion, but on prayer This is why we have prayer meetings before every single service. This is why we plead for you to come and “pray the impossible” with us in our prayer meetings 15 minutes before each service because this is how Jesus told us He will move open minds in this new age. Does that make sense? HOLY SPIRIT (47 53) And the last part of this passage gives us another preview of what’s coming in this new age, and wraps up the Book of Luke as well! (Page 723 – Luke 24:47 53) I want to start at verse 47 again and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Now, the Book of Luke was Luke’s first book of the Bible. (Preview of a New Age Title Slide) But, never fear, there is a sequel! And you don’t have to wait a year for it to come out! Luke’s sequel (and 2nd book) is called the Book of Acts And “The Book of Acts” in the Bible is the story of the early church. And we will be starting a 90 week series on that sequel Next week! No, just joking, we’re doing a 3 week series on Philemon, remember? We actually did 43 weeks on Acts in the early days of the church though!! But if you read Acts chapter 1, it’s a bit of a recap of these last 7 verses of Luke. It’s like, “Previously on the Book of Luke,” J And Acts starts with Jesus telling them to take the Gospel to the nations (just like Luke ended), But in Acts we find out that when Jesus said at the end of Luke “I’m going to send you what my Father has promised,” that that’s the Holy Spirit, who is God, part of the Trinity. And the Holy Spirit will come and dwell inside each of the believers in Jesus…back then…and still today! This is the THIRD preview we’re getting of the New Age that was coming (and is now here!) Preview of a New Age 1. Resurrected Bodies 2. Minds opened by the Spirit 3. Followers empowered by the Spirit Before this new age that’s dawning, if the disciples couldn’t figure something out… (couldn’t cast out a demon, didn’t know what to say) Somebody would say, “Well, go get Jesus. He can do it!” But now, Jesus is going away! Gah! “Get back down here!! He’s ascending up to heaven!” But Why did he ascend? ? Well, what would have happened if he didn’t? Even today, everybody would have a “Jesus tracker app” on their phone, and if you think the lines are bad at the State Fair, imagine the 700 day wait list to see Jesus. But Jesus says in John 16, unless I go, the Spirit will not come. The Spirit coming is even better for the world. And so in this new age, God is sending the Holy Spirit…who has come to give us many things, like: Assurance of salvation He will Grow fruit and character in our lives And THE HOLY SPIRIT will empower us power to fulfill God’s mission. No matter what the obstacles are! (Purposefully go back to Lost & Found Series Slide) Not that long ago, I read a powerful story about Dawson Trotman, who founded one of the most effective ministries of the 20th century, The Navigators. In 1948, 3 years after the end of WWII, Dawson Trotman was in Europe for 3 days training German Christians. He taught the German Christians that they needed to Obey the Great Commission (what we just read about…to share the good news of Jesus starting at home and then to all nations) But he said, every once in a while a hand would go up. One of them said, "But Mr. Trotman, you don't understand. Some of us in this room don't even own an Old Testament. We only have a New Testament." But Trotman pointed out, "When Jesus Christ gave the disciples this command in Luke 24, they didn't have even a New Testament." Later another spoke up. "But Mr. Trotman, we have very few books on evangelism in this country like you have in America." He asked, "How many books did the disciples have?" Scattered through their 3 days together were other protests: "In America you have money. You have cars; we have bicycles." Every excuse was brought up. But each time Trotman replied, "But the disciples didn't have that either, and yet Jesus sent them out." Finally, near the end, one fellow who was a little older than the rest, and who had a bitter expression on his face, rose and said, "Mr. Trotman, you in America have never had an occupation force in your land. You don't know what it is to have soldiers of another country roaming your streets!” And Trotman responded by reminding him of the Roman soldiers who occupied the land of Jesus’ disciples in their day.” And isn’t it interesting that when Jesus commissioned the disciples to go out and bring this Good News to the lost, that they were in a situation so bad that you can scarcely think of a worse one. They had no printing presses, no vehicles, no TV, no internet, not much of an education, they were young, inexperienced, and enemies abounded. And yet he says in verse 49, you will be clothed with POWER FROM ON HIGH. And in this new age, that’s all you need . What more do you need? You got something better than the POWER OF GOD?? And the exact same thing is true for us. This is our mission: To Follow Jesus and help others do the same! This is what this whole book of Luke has about: Lost & Found. People are lost without Christ. Lost without purpose, and lost on the way to an eternity without Him. And Jesus came to seek them and to find them. And now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He has passed that message on to us. And now, in this chapter of the story, we go. We must not fall into the pattern that so many American Christians have fallen into The devil is lulling the American church to sleep, distracting us with the false gods of entertainment, worldly pursuits, or even just information for our own self improvement. Think about this: The great commission started with the disciples, and THE ONLY Reason you know this Good News today is because for the last 2,000 years, this Gospel, this incredibly good news has been passed on from person to person to person. And somebody passed it on to you. You got it…but Now it’s your turn. People are lost all around us. The situation in this city alone is dire! So dire that you can’t afford be a cul de sac on God’s Great Commission highway. The Gospel can’t stop at you. Pass it on! It’s our turn. We will not rest until every person in our city has heard the Gospel. Let’s go. Let’s go in His power. Let’s go. Amen. Copyright: David Sorn Renovation Church in Blaine, MN You may use this material all you like! We only ask that you do not charge a fee and that you quote the source and not say it is your own.