Luke's Gospel, chapter 24, I want for us to consider from verse 36. We're not going to look to the end of the chapter, but we're looking from verse 36 to verse 49. Verse 36, And as he thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And so on. There are some people who say that in order to truly benefit from the scriptures and to understand the Lord Jesus Christ, it's necessary to separate and to dismiss the supernatural myths which are entwined with the history of the man, Christ Jesus. That is falling. The history we have of the man, Christ Jesus, the word of God, stands or falls on this. Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead or not? If what is recorded about him in terms of the supernatural, his virgin birth, his sinless life, the miracles that he performed, the authority with which he spoke, and his rising from the dead, if that is found to be false, if that is found to be a myth, to be a legend that has been exaggerated, then all must be dismissed. So what we see here before us today matters, and it matters hugely. And you might say, but why does it matter to me? Well, it matters to you because if this is true, then it affirms the reality of who God is and what God has done. And that matters to you because God made you. And God made you in his image. And you will one day stand before God, and yet you cannot stand before God. Because although you were made in his image, The reality is you do not show forth or reflect the holiness or the beauty or the righteousness of God. You see, the scripture is clear. It says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You must stand before God because all will stand before him, but you cannot stand before God Not so much because of what you've done, but because of what you are. You know, there are many people and they realize that there is a problem with what they do. And therefore they say, well, I must do better. And perhaps you've thought like that many times. I have to try again, a fresh start. I need to do it right this time. Now what you do, all that you do matters. But there's something that underpins what you do. There's something that explains what it is that you do. And that is what you are. And again, the scripture testifies to us and explains this. That we are sinners. We're fallen before God. And unable then to attain to the righteousness of God. And so we must stand before him, but yet we cannot stand before him. And so you might then be tempted to say, well, if we cannot stand before this God, should we not just dismiss the thought of this God from our minds and go and live our lives, to eat, to drink, and to be merry, and to forget that one day we shall die? Well, that's a philosophy that many have embraced. Perhaps it's a philosophy that seems attractive to you. But you need to hear what the scripture says. It tells us that this man, Christ Jesus, that he lived and he died, not like others who die because of their own sin. that he lived and he died as a sacrifice, as a substitute. Not because we asked him to, but he came at his own initiative. The initiative of God, who so loved this fallen world. However, yet in our sin, Christ died for the ungodly. And so the Savior has been sent to open the way of salvation, to make it possible for those who cannot stand before God to stand before God, not because they have achieved their own righteousness, but because He has atoned For sin he has paid the debt that is incurred. And not only is he cleared the debt that is incurred, but his righteousness is given to those who stand in his name. Would you dismiss that? Deny that? Would you rather depend upon yourself than to depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ and all his glorious majesty? and the perfection of His grace. It all stands or falls on this. Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead? If He did, then all His claims are true. And it's important that you recognise Him and you bow before Him. Or if not, then eat, drink and be merry. And as much as you can be, We've been studying through the Gospel of Luke, and in this final chapter, this glorious chapter, which speaks of these wonderful things, we have seen, first of all, that death did not hold him. The grave was empty. And there's 2,000 years of failed theories that have been used to try to explain the empty grave, and they have failed. There's only one explanation for why the grave was empty. Death did not hold him because death could not hold him. And we went on to consider how death not holding him means that death will not hold you. He will not hold all those who are united to Jesus Christ by faith. But that doesn't mean that the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we who are his followers, And this is how we have a great strength in ourselves. And we saw something of that in the account of the road to Emmaus, or the two who were on the road to Emmaus. We saw that those disciples, they did have a faith, but they also had a failure. They had a failure to grasp all that the Scripture had said, and therefore their faith, though it was true, was not robust, and they themselves were shaken They were in a mess. But yet, as the Lord dealt with them, there was a feeling, wasn't there? There was a burning heart. There was a satisfaction. There was a desire. There was a clamoring after the Lord Jesus, though they couldn't explain it all. And so we spent some time looking at the disciples and the road to a mess, but our greatest focus was upon the Savior himself. that he doesn't despise the weakness, the fragility of his disciples. Rather, he will come to defend and to deliver and to deepen that faith. He doesn't immediately dispel all their doubts. He doesn't immediately reveal himself, but rather he instructs them to deepen their understanding. You see, their comfort wasn't so important as their grasp of the truth. Comfort would follow from that. What was more important was they understand what the Word of God clearly testifies. And then we saw how those two disciples, they rush back to Jerusalem, and they go to tell what they have discovered. But when they arrive, instead of telling their story, first of all, they're told. The 11 disciples are there, and they say, the Lord has risen, and he's appeared to Simon Peter. And then they tell what they're experiencing on the road. And then, even as they're speaking, In verse 36 we're told, as they thus speak, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, peace be unto you. So we have here a second appearing of the Lord Jesus and as Luke describes the events. And in the second appearing of the Lord Jesus, we have a chance to focus more upon the risen Lord. And I want for us to focus on this passage under three headings. The first of this, the presence of the Lord. From verse 36 to verse 43, the presence of the Lord. And I want you to recognize it is His presence more than simply His appearance that is here. He appears to His disciples, but He is physically present. It is not simply that they see Him, but that He stands there. It is distinctly Him There is a difference. There is new qualities in this resurrection body. He appears in our midst. We're told in one of the other Gospels that the door was closed because of fear of the Jews. And yet there He is. But He's real. He says, touch me and see. A spirit doesn't have flesh and bones. I have flesh and bones. And then he said to them, do you have something to eat? And they gave him a piece of fish and some honeycomb and he ate before them. And that's why it's important to recognize that yes, there is an appearance of the Savior, but it is his presence that is being emphasized here. This is no illusion. This is no disembodied spirit. He doesn't appear to rise, he has risen. Behold, he says in verse 39, my hands and my feet. Why the reference to his hands and his feet? Because his hands and his feet bear the scars from the crucifixion. Later to Thomas, the following Lord's day, he would say, touch, put your finger in the wound, put your hand on my side. Our risen Lord and his new glorious resurrection body, and yet he still bears. These marks, how can it be that in his glorious body he still bears these marks of his death? Do they not disfigure him? Has not all disfigurement been taken away? I think the best answer to that is to say that these marks are not disfiguring, are they? These marks are glorious. There's a beauty in these marks because they speak of his love and they speak of his grace. These marks are a part of his perfection. Inflicted by violent men, but you receive by a loving God. the presence of our Lord amongst his disciples. And you see his tender compassion. He doesn't rebuke, he doesn't complain. He speaks to their fears. They were terrified and affrighted, and they supposed they'd seen a spirit. And he says, why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your heart? They'd had the testimony of Peter. There's a testimony of the two from the road to Emmaus. There's a testimony of the woman who found the empty grave and the testimony of Mary to whom he had appeared. And there was an excitement when the men or the disciples from Emmaus returned. They said, the Lord has risen. But when the risen Lord appears and stands in their presence, they're full of doubts. There's an excitement, there's an uncertainty. Perhaps there's such a shame at their own failure. Remember, they fled at Gethsemane. If they viewed Calvary at all, it was from a distance. They'd abandoned him. but He has found them. They weren't looking. The door was shut for fear of the Jews. How much more will He appear to you if you seek Him, friends? Isn't that a wonderful thought? How much more will He appear to you if you seek Him according to His command and His gracious invitation and His promise? the presence of our Lord. And you see what he says to them. Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, peace be unto you. That was the theme at the time of his birth. Remember the angels, they appeared, a heavenly host. Proclaiming glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. And that peace is worked out through the gospel. And now he comes and he says, peace be unto you. Peace is secure because atonement is made, because the debt has been dealt with. We're told in verse 41 that they believe not for joy. We might say that they couldn't take it in or it hadn't sunk in. And so he says, have you anything to eat? He ate to allow them to see. He ate to allow them to process, to think, to recognize, to understand that it was truly Himself. He didn't eat to satisfy hunger. He ate to satisfy the disciples. Here He is, present in their midst. And friends, we need to recognize that. That He rose bodily from the dead. And having risen bodily from the dead, he will return bodily from heaven. His return, as we're told, shall be upon the clouds. And he shall come, and his coming shall be like the lightning that flashes in the heavens so that all see and know and understand in an instant. And yet, It will be a physical return. You know, the reality of the resurrection is the answer to so many of the heresies that have plagued the church. Paul warns in 2 Timothy about Hymenaeus and Philetus, who say the resurrection has passed already and they overthrow the faith of Sam. But friends, when the resurrection comes, that great final resurrection, you shall know, we shall all know, for he who rose physically from the dead and ascended up into glory shall come again to gather us. the presence of our Lord. And you might say today, well, why can't he stand here? Why can't he stand amongst us? Why can't he show himself in the same way? Why can't I touch him? Why can't I see him? That would help my weak faith. That would take away my doubts. Well, maybe. Maybe it would. That is not his wisdom. But he stood amongst his disciples. And the question for you today is, do you think that Luke is a liar? What about John? Matthew? Mark? All of the prophets? The apostles? God himself? Do you not hear The authority of this word, it's not an authority that comes from any person, is it? It's the authority of God. He walked on the road to Emmaus with his disciples and they didn't understand They didn't see, they didn't recognize, they couldn't take it in. Do you know what was more important than having him standing there? It was to have their understanding open. And so it was with the 11 in that upper room. Verse 45, then opened he their understanding. What will strengthen your weak faith? What will give clarity? The gracious influence of the Spirit of God, opening your understanding, enabling you to see. We need to move on. We see, first of all, His presence. But secondly, we see here His purpose. His purpose. from verse 44. And he said unto them, these are the words which I speak unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the Scripture. He takes them to the Word, the same place where you and I must go today. And he says to them, what transpired. Transpired not because it all went wrong, but it transpired because it was according to the purpose of God. According to the wisdom of God. They hadn't grasped that. They'd been told, but they hadn't understood it. The purpose of the Lord to accomplish this, but not only are we told here of his purpose to accomplish salvation in this way, but his purpose to have that salvation declared throughout all the earth by them. Angels announced the wonder of His birth, peace on earth, goodwill toward men. But now our Lord stands in the midst of His disciples, in the midst of the church, and He declares that peace has been accomplished. And they who are witnesses of this are to go and to make that knowing. Thus it was written, and thus it behove Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name throughout all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, beginning in this city which has rejected him, shouted against him, cast him out, gave him over, refused him, Remember he wept over Jerusalem, how often I would have gathered you, but you would not. And yet here we see the purpose of our risen Lord, which is that the reality of his rising from the dead and his glory and his majesty is to be preached, not by angels in heaven, but by his church upon the earth. preached by his church upon earth to the most unpromising audience. This is his purpose, friends, and it remains his purpose. And it is our calling today to make known the reality of all that he's accomplished and the responsibility that then falls upon us to respond to this glorious gospel. Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. Repentance and remission of sins. Not simply that sin is forgiven, but there is a responsibility upon those who hear to repent that they might receive remission from sin. It's too easy to have a familiarity with the gospel, a superficial familiarity with the gospel, and say, we all will be well. Jesus died, and therefore we all go to heaven. And that's a superficial understanding which is dangerously wrong. The scripture tells us that Jesus died and there is a way of salvation made open, but there is a responsibility upon we who are sinners to repent and to believe. It's not that we turn from sin, become righteous, and then enter in. But it is that we recognize we're sinners, and we confess that we're sinners, and as sinners we seek for grace. We acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves. It's not me doing better, but it's me who cannot do it. Lamenting sin and seeking mercy. Oh yes, it all depends upon His enabling. He opened our understanding, as you must open your understanding and my understanding today. But yet at the same time, there is a responsibility which is so entwined that we dare not separate it. You must believe. Seek and you will find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Paul tells us, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they're foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they're spiritually discerned. Maybe you say, but I can't see, and therefore what can I do? Well, you must, this is what you must do. You must look at what he is drawing your attention to. You must look at what he is showing you. You say, but I can't see. Well, nevertheless, you look. But as you look, you say, Lord, have mercy upon me. Don't leave me in my inability. Don't leave me in my blindness. Don't leave me in my sin. Repentance. Don't look away. Don't refuse to look. Friends, I would say to you today that if you're looking, and if you're refusing to turn away, and if you're saying, I will stay here, though he slay me, I will trust in him, said John. If that is your testimony, if that is your conviction, maybe you have more understanding than you realize. Why is it that you so desire this Jesus? Is it not because you know who He is? You might say, well, I'm seeking evidence, or I'm seeking assurance. You have the evidence. Maybe even you have the assurance. Maybe you're just asking that you make the gospel different. So it might be made easy for you. Remember our Lord said we must take up our cross and follow him. We see his presence amongst his disciples. We see his purpose in revealing himself that they might go out and make him known. And therefore we should not fear to make him known. You know, there's people who would say, well, if you want to bring people in, you must adapt. And there's a sense in which that is true. You must adapt in terms of culture. must adapt in terms of our own comfort, but we cannot adapt or change the gospel, friends. And our focus in the worship of God must be always the word of God to make him known, to declare his greatness, to sing his praise, to call upon him in prayer, and to preach the gospel. You're witnesses of these things. Here we have the Great Commission. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Again, we need to move on. We have the presence of the Lord. We have the purpose of the Lord, but also here we have the promise of the Lord. And you see that specifically in verse 49. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. The promise of the Lord. He commissions, He sends them out. But He sends them out with this promise. that strength from on high, the power of God shall be given. This anticipates Pentecost, doesn't it? When the Spirit came upon them in a measure before unknown. When it says that they are to tarry at Jerusalem, You may say, but aren't we told in the other gospels that they went first to Galilee? After the resurrection, they went to Galilee before the ascension. You say, well, that's correct. And it would seem that this part of the conversation took place after the trip to Galilee and the return back to Jerusalem. Tare ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. That word endued means to be clothed upon, to be invested with. And it is the promise of the Father, because you find reference to it in the pages of the Old Testament, perhaps particularly in Joel. When it says in chapter two, it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. You see, the Lord who commissions is the Lord who also equips. Luke doesn't give us all the detail here. Really, he's leading on to what will be his second volume. What's the second volume that Luke wrote? He wrote the Gospel of Luke, but he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, or the Acts of the Risen Lord through the working of the Apostles, the Acts of the Risen Lord through the faithfulness of his church. Really, that book will unpack what is here, the commissioning and the equipping of his church, his server, and their own generation and the generations to follow. the promise of our Lord, that the gospel will be made known, not by angels in heaven, but by his church upon earth, with a boldness, with a wisdom, and with a zeal which is, in some senses you say, not their own, but given the gracious Spirit of God. His presence, His purpose, and His promise. But just as we conclude this section today, it's good for us to remember, where is it that the Lord Jesus appeared after His death? After He rose from the dead, where did He appear? He appeared amongst His people. He appeared amongst his people. He never appeared apart from or away from his church. And the gospels record these appearances. And that's important to note because friends, this is where Jesus still appears. He appears amongst his people. In fact, we could go as far as to say this, he will never appear apart from his people. He will never appear where his people are not, because he is so united and bound to his church. Isn't that wonderful? It says in Psalm 132, It says, the Lord has chosen Zion, for he has desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever. Here will I dwell, for I've desired it. Or as it says in the metrical version, for I do like it well. Zion, the city of God. It's not the geographical location. Rather, it is a place where the people of God gather to worship him. And it anticipates what is fulfilled here today and every other gathering of his people. What does he say? For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. He might not be physically present here today because he has now ascended up into glory to one day return in power. but he is present here by his Spirit. And this then is where you are to seek him. To seek him where his people gather to worship him. If you have a concern for your soul, if you have a desire for the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not forsake the worship of his name. Make every effort to be where Jesus is. You're seeking him. And if you're asking him to open your eyes, then you be sure to be looking in the right direction. You be sure to focus your mind upon the right thing. And you be sure to be in the right place. And as he thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. That peace that you seek is to be found in the presence of the Lord. Amen. Let us pray.