Peace, Panic, Proof (Part 2 of 2)

Jesus appeared the disciples after his resurrection they thought they'd seen a ghost today on Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg teaches us about the Scriptures honest portrayal of the disciples as their feelings actuated between hope and despair were picking up our study of the Gospel of Luke chapter 24, beginning with verse 36 I discovered that it was someone else in the universe actually felt the same way about me as I did in relationship to heaven. Up until this point I want to keep it very quiet as anyone I would have a guy was a heretic, but as soon as I knew that I had a heretical friend that I kind of admired right now stand up and admitted to he puts it so perfectly and I want to read it to use. Page 57. In the years after I came to believe in Christ.

It always troubled me that I was now meant to enjoy the thought of escaping the physical world and entering a spiritual one called heaven. I love the taste, smell, site sound and touch of this world and here I was being told to look forward to losing those five senses and having them replaced by a spiritual six cents. I was not terribly excited about. Then someone challenged me to point to biblical texts that describe the afterlife as a disembodied nirvana like bliss. I couldn't. It turns out that the biblical kingdom come, is not an ethereal place of clouds and ghosts, but a tangible place of real existence in his new creation. This is a future I can get excited about.

It is life in the fullest sense of the world word a reality in which the moral and physical tensions of our current world will be resolved through an extraordinary act of divine creation and says Dixon there is another piece of evidence left in the world by the Almighty to indicate his intention of resurrecting the physical world itself.

It is the resurrection of Christ himself, the resurrection of Jesus is God's tangible plans with in history that he intends to do the same for the whole creation at the end of history and then in a wonderful sentence. He summarizes what he's been saying this current world convinces me of God's ability to re-create the universe, the resurrection of Jesus convinces me of his intention to do just that while they were in animated conversation with one another Jesus in his glorified and celestial body real physicality and identifiable materiality came and stood among them and standing among them. He spoke to them.

It was as we can see from what follows unnecessary greeting. Their hearts were fearful and confused, but it was also as we ought to know from reading the gospel more than a greeting.

If you read throughout the gospel of Luke from the very beginning of it, you discover that peace and salvation are all most synonyms for one another in many places, for example, the words of Simeon in the temple look to Lord, let your servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen your salvation, peace, salvation, Jesus, to the woman, your faith has saved you goal in peace. Salvation and peace. Therefore, when Jesus speaks peace to them. He is using normal terminology, necessary terminology, but the context in which he is saying it makes clear exactly what's in view. He is speaking peace to them in light of the invitation that is about to follow for them to see his hands and his feet, but on his hands and his feet, but evidences of his crucifixion.

What is his crucifixion. It is his substitutionary death on our behalf. What is Jesus doing and dying on the cross. Paul explains in Colossians 1 is making peace through his blood shed on the cross as is often a stumbling block for somebody just beginning to consider Christianity they'll come around.

Perhaps a Christmas time someone invites them to church and they come along and they hear the phrases read on peace on earth and goodwill amongst men and disabled clearly, this isn't happening. There seem to be more wars today than that of ever being in all kinds of religious businesses underlying them as we have to be honest about that and say that if what Jesus meant in talking of peace was the end of all bloodshed and the inhumanity of the inhumanity of man-to-man being brought to an end. Then Christianity is a flop and a failure if what Jesus commanded speaking about peace was some kind of tranquility into which his followers were brought whereby they lived in a set of Valium enhanced experience is drifting through their days were nothing really was able to cloud their vision or bother them, then Christianity is a flop is a radical failure but of course if in addressing peace among man upon whom his favor rests.

He was as makes perfect sense as you follow the Gospels through speaking of the piece, which would come between a holy God and sinful man through his blood shed on the cross, thereby making out of those who discovered peace peacemakers than the gospel record holds together your sensible believers need to work this out spent a long time on peace. Let's go to panic. Panic summarized would be taking the high road here and thinking there's every reason to expect that on account of his standing among them, and is speaking to them their sorrows would've been soothed and there fears would've been calm but what do we discover while we discover that they are in panic mode. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. If you're like me you find yourself saying how in the world do they get from verse 34 to verse 37 in verse 34. They say it is true the Lord is alive, the Lord is risen in verse 37 there all scrambling for cover and declaring to one another. I think a ghost has just appeared well.

We are not to be too hard in them because they had come to terms if you like intellectually with the fact of the resurrection. But apart from just a few of them. They had no concept really a tall of what the appearance of Jesus would mean fight, I pictured as I was studying one of them waxing lyrical on the resurrection and then all of a sudden being coaxed out from down behind the couch where he had been hiding when all of a sudden Jesus stood among them all.

Yes, he said. The resurrection I believe in the resurrection.

The resurrection and the resurrection and the resurrection merchant election resurrection all yes and then all of a sudden there is in a fetal position down behind the couch. Why because he is now come face-to-face with the fact of the resurrection.

The thing that intellectually. He's been affirming experientially's or no grasp on what a tall you my dear friends, let's just be dead honest is one thing to affirm our belief in the resurrection on a on a fairly fine Sunday morning at 1045 approximately surrounded by a crowd of the faithful. It is quite another thing to affirm the reality of the resurrection. When you're sitting in one of those rooms at the Cleveland clinic waiting for the return of the tests at the hand of a well-meaning doctor before we can then these disciples for their vacillation between belief and unbelief between downloads and delight. We need to be honest enough to look into our own hearts and say we get this you know it is one thing to be intellectually convinced it is another to live experientially in the light of the truth. Jesus shows as am greatly encouraged by this. I hope you are, what group this is you know this is this is the future of the church right here in this room to see that this is the group upon which Jesus began to build all his foundation was laid in him.

There could be no other foundation but then the apostles and the prophets are all put together, and you're looking at them here. We believe in the resurrection.

Why are you hiding I don't know, struggling between hope and despair. It is wonderfully honest is and if this if the gospel had been an invention they would never had this midyear inventing a gospel and you had a group of people who were there, the sort of pillars of the church you would have them all hiding and couches and coming out of closets saying what we thought we were startled and frightened and overwhelmed and unbelieving and we thought we saw a ghost know if you were writing it to affirm faith using and we were visually convinced in one big underwriter program.

Another one, gospel, and some as you know, you put all of that down but you see the wonderful honesty and and what a great encouragement.

It is for those of us who spend the last week, struggling between hope and despair, verse 37 there startled and there frightened they think is a ghost verse 41 there unbelieving were told in verse 41. The reason for their lack of belief is not a bad reason is a good reason is because of joy and amazement, they were just overwhelmed.

It all just seemed far too good to be true and this is in keeping with the appearance of supernatural activity throughout all of the gospel record in deed throughout all of the Bible and yelling visitations are met by fear the angel of the Lord appeared and when Zacharias saw this verse 11 of chapter 1 of this gospel. When Zacharias saw this he was gripped with fear. Chapter 2 and the angel of the Lord appeared in the night sky to the shepherd and they were terrified. While his word was peace. Their experience was panic. And finally, their need was proof, proof, so he asked in verse 30 a question.

Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds probably a rhetorical question. We have no answer to it moves on very quickly to give his invitation. We didn't pause long on the question, but it is a good question. Remember, Jesus said, I don't want your hearts to be troubled beginning of the upper room discourse all your heart, which we believe in God believe in me. In my father's house are many rooms. If it weren't so, I would've told you I'm going to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also.

And you know the place where I'm going. Philip said, Lord, we don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way Ashley said to them, you know the way to the place where I'm going this and really know where you're going, so how can we know the way that he said I am the way the truth and the life. And here he comes on the lease essay. Why are you troubled. Didn't didn't didn't I give you this information why you troubled, and why does fear why do doubts rise.

Actually, it is in your hearts. The word cardio is here in verse 38. I don't know why the NIV changes it to minds.

It's hard in verse 32 where not our hearts cardio burning within us its hearts in verse 25. How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe and it's hard here in verse 38.

Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts, and is an antidote. He immediately says this and I have an invitation for you and here it is. Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see a ghost is in the flesh and bones as you see I have now we can summarize the invitation in terms of just four verbs. Luke touch, see, think Luke, touch, see, think the final verb is implicit a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.

If you think about it I can be a ghost because a ghost isn't formed in this way. Therefore, I want you to think they identified him. They looked and they saw the evidences of his crucifixion in his hands and in his feet. His invitation was very clear in the Greek it reads see the hands of me and the feet of me that he go I me out. Toss.

I am myself ego. I me I will toss. Remember ego. I me from the story of Joseph ego.

I me your staff, it is me Joseph and and when their eyes were opened to see him.

Remember we said on that occasion. It is up for it. There is a foreshadowing in Joseph of all, it will become apparent in Christ and here he says you can look at me. I am myself. He's not a cadaver that is brought back to life. That would be bizarre. The hearing of the resurrection is a cadaver that can wakes up that's not it at all. This is his glorified celestial body. He's not an immortal soul free from bodily existence they can handle him. And finally, as ultimate proof of his materiality.

He says I wonder if I could have something to eat before I leave you in the gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it in their presence and then he was gone, gone for another week he was going to be back the following Sunday night. John tells us in the would show up and deal with Thomas the doubter on that occasion special command performance for Thomas how gracious I will not believe unless I can put my hands in the inner side and I can see, and so on. Just as well that Jesus is not like many advisors in it while it that's the way you're going to be. You can take a flying leap.

Thomas, how gracious of Christ that he takes the initiative to come and speak peace even to those whose responses panic and to whom he gives proof of his risen life never finished. But I want to make three simple points I want you to look at verse 44, because it takes us forward and really without it we shouldn't stop in verse 43 he said to them, this is what I told you while I was still with you. In other words, he's going to go on and give them the interpretation of the fact and the interpretation is crucial if we are to understand and accept the facts because the facts by themselves do not compel belief the facts by themselves are capable of ambiguity. That is why, for example, the Bible does not simply say Christ died fact. But it is 5+ interpretation, Christ died for our sins, and it is that interpretation of the facts and is not in the Bible is open for everybody's interpretation. The Bible interprets itself. The epistles are given to us as the facts plus interpretation that Colossians knew that he was making peace through his blood shed on the cross so Mrs. what was happening when he died on the cross he was making peace peace between home peace between holy God and sinful man, what was he doing he was reconciling the world to himself. You need the interpretation is there will usually stop in verse 43 were only pausing at verse 43 but I want you to understand that resolution will only come when scriptural illumination is added to the data that we have in front of us and this you see was what then allowed John, who was immediately involved in these proceedings as we hear as we read in John chapter 20.

This is what allowed John to take up his pen and to begin, not his gospel but his first letter she wrote to assure those who had come to faith and remember how he began that which was from the beginning, which we have hair, which we have seen without eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched this we proclaim concerning the word of life, and when Thomas finally got his own chance to affirm his faith. Jesus said to them, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

And we in Christ are among that company.

At least some of us are have you believe in us in confessing childlike trusting, openhanded hearted welcome to Christ, a Thomas you believe because you saw me people at Parkside church and they never saw him, they believe there's a real blessing that attends the blessing comes as we take Christ that is from today's message titled peace panic proof on Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.

Please keep listening. Alister will be right back to close in prayer. In the meantime, if you been learning from our current series in Luke's Gospel's account of the death and resurrection of Jesus. You can listen to Alister's teaching through the entire Gospel according to Luke, that's 142 sermons and they come in a single USB you'll find it online that Truth for Life.org/store and on our mobile app earlier this week. You may have heard me talk about the book titled alive of the resurrection of Christ changes everything. This book is an ideal supplement to our current study because it considers carefully the evidence for Jesus resurrection. The book alive answers questions like, did Jesus really rise and what proof do we have the book contains well researched facts also includes a section that addresses many of the popular objections that have been raised by scholars, the book alive will not only bolster your own faith will prepare you to help address questions that others raise with you about Jesus resurrection request your copy today when you make a generous one time donation you can give through the app or online the Truth for Life.org/donate or you can call 888-588-7884. If you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book right to Truth for Life PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now let's join Alister as he closes in prayer.

Father, thank you for the Bible. Thank you so much for the fact that the more we study it, the more we are aware of the fact that we need to study it again and again, not because it is lacking in clarity, but because it is so profound in the depth of material and insight. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ that just as you came to these emotionally unsettled followers of yours on that day and spoke peace into their lives so you come to us in the emotional roller coaster of our days. We confess to you that we daren't take the high road when it comes to a kind of panicky response to the supernatural, because that often describes I was startled fearful overwhelmed by it all seems too good to be true can it be possible will this be there. We thank you for the tremendous clarity of the text as it provides for us these appearances of you, Lord Jesus Christ, and although we haven't seen you still we love you and you have made yourself known to us and we thank you. We pray for your help as we rub shoulders with our friends and colleagues, and neighbors that may be something of the resurrection part of Christ about as a waft of the supernatural, just a little something that will open a door for us to be able to give a reason for the hope that we have made grace and mercy and peace from father-son Holy Spirit rest upon and remain with each one of us today and for evermore on Bob Lapine.

Thanks for listening to this again tomorrow as Alister reminds us, there is only one way to truly make sense of what's happening in the world around us Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living