We’re going to see what it means to worship and proclaim Jesus. Normally when you come to the end of a book you expect all the loose ends tied up and a sense of completion. What we’re going to see here is that the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t the end of the story in any sense at all.
In fact, the story of God’s dealings with humanity is still going on. Jesus is still active in his churches – and here, among us too. You’re have inherited from those early disciples the same task God gave them: Worship and proclaim Jesus as Lord.
And as you focus more on true worship, you’ll find proclaiming him to be a natural joy, not a miserable burden.
These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube delivered in December 2023 at Bromborough Evangelical Church, Wirral. The rest of the series can be found in our sermon index.
Worship the risen Jesus (36-43)
The scene that Luke gives us is of the evening of the day that Jesus rose from the dead. That morning, women were told that Jesus was risen. That evening, two travellers had met with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and were now back in Jerusalem to tell everyone. So here we are, with the 11 apostles, 2 travellers from Emmaus, and various other disciples (v33). And they’re all sharing the news they’ve either heard or seen: Jesus really is alive! He was dead, but is risen!
Read Luke 24:36. John’s gospel is very similar, though there’s a difference about Thomas. In John’s gospel, Thomas wasn’t there the first time but was the week after: John uses that to make an important point about believing without seeing. Luke has all 11 gathered (no Judas, obviously). We’ll see that Luke is compressing timelines in his account to sharpen the points he wants to make. In a modern style of writing, we’d say that’s an inconsistency in the accounts. But in the style of the days Luke wrote, it was typical to be fluid about timings, presenting things to make your thematic point. Totally normal; 100% accurate.
Jesus said, “Peace to you!” – but they were far from peaceful! Read Luke 24:37. Probably not Peter, and probably not the Emmaus two. But most people thought he was a ghost – resurrection doesn’t happen, does it? So read Luke 24:38-40.
Physically alive, worthy of worship
In showing them his hands and feet, it’s not so much that they can see the nail marks. It’s so that they know he’s physically present. When someone says they’re cold, then they touch with their hands, you know they’re cold. Jesus invites touch so that they know he’s physically alive!
So read Luke 24:41-43. They were “amazed and in disbelief because of their joy” – it’s frankly too good to be true; too hard to take in. So the food is another example of physical reality; he’s really there.
And his physical resurrection is cause for you to worship him!
- Scripture has been fulfilled. Psalm 16 said that God would not let his holy one see decay (we’ll come back to that shortly).
- He has conquered death! Is it conceivable that the Messiah of Isaiah 25 who came to remove the shroud of death from humanity could himself stay dead?
- Your redemption is total! Jesus won’t just save the spiritual part of you; when you become a Christians you can be sure he will raise you with a physical body like his.
- You are a soul, and he will save all of you.
- Jesus is supreme! Is it possible that the Old Testament men Enoch and Elijah could be in heaven with a physical body, but Jesus not?
- God will dwell on the earth with his people. That was the pattern in Eden, and without sin there is eternal life with God on a new heavens and earth, a new and better Eden.
- He is your Great High Priest. It’s because Jesus has been raised physically that he stands today as your high priest, the man in heaven representing all his people.
So: Worship the risen Jesus!
Proclaim the risen Jesus (44-49)
Jesus is about to tell his disciples to go and proclaim him to all nations, but first he reminds them about where that fits in God’s great plan. Read Luke 24:44-45.
In Hebrew, the Old Testament Scriptures are often referred to as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Law is the first 5 books as you know them, written by Moses. The Prophets and the Writings are ordered differently to how you have them in your English Bible, and the Writings is the collection of poetry and wisdom literature. The psalms is the first and biggest book in the Writings. The point is that the whole of the Old Testament is, in one way or another, about Jesus.
When it says he “opened their minds” it might have been a kind of supernatural knowledge, but it’s more likely that Luke is compressing detail again: It seems likely that Jesus explained again to those gathered what he’d already explained to the two on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus summarised it: Read Luke 24:46-47.
- The Messiah will suffer? Yes, e.g. Isaiah 53.
- And rise on the third day? Yes, Psalm 16 said that God’s faithful servant would not see “decay”.
- Natural processes kick in when someone dies, and Jesus was dead for sure.
- For him not to decay, he must rise by the third day.
- Add to that the image of Jonah, and you have it all.
- Repentance and forgiveness to the whole world?
- Over and over, the law, the prophets and the writings call sinners to repentance. Turn from sin to God.
- Isaiah 49:6 promised salvation to the nations proclaimed through the servant Messiah.
- Psalm 108 is picked up by Paul in Romans 15:9 as speaking of hope for the nations (Gentiles).
The message is the same today
And just to be absolutely clear: This same message is for you, right now.
- This is the message Jesus is placing in the care of his church: “repentance for forgiveness of sins”.
- Today, right now, you can turn to God. Away from the sin that keeps you away from him.
- Ask him to forgive you and he will. He’s promised.
- Do you deserve it? No, but at the cross Jesus has taken all the punishment your sins deserve.
- The risen Jesus today calls you to repent and to ask God for forgiveness. Do it today. Top of your list.
For those who have, you want to know more of Jesus, don’t you? Then read the Old Testament.
- Yes, it takes more work. It takes a little more meditation.
- But Jesus says the Old Testament is about him.
- Sometimes read broadly, to get the sweep of history.
- Other times read more tightly, meditating on one book.
- You might change year to year, or day to day within a week. There’s only one rule: Seek Christ in his word.
Who will tell?
But then look what Jesus had drawn attention to: He is the Christ, the Messiah of the Old Testament Scriptures. Now that he’s risen, the prophecies of the Good News of repentance and forgiveness is to go out to the whole world! But who’ll take that news to the whole world? Read Luke 24:48-49.
It was to be their job to tell the world. But they were just one generation of the church. It’s a job for the whole church to tell the whole world.
Who is sufficient?
Were they up to it? Are you?
- They had the written Old Testament, speaking so much about Jesus as God’s Saviour to the world.
- They were witnesses that Jesus had died and was risen from the dead. And you now have those eye witness accounts in your hand (the New Testament).
- But they still didn’t have all they would need.
- Because you can’t do even the very best work for Christ without his supernatural helper, the Holy Spirit in you.
They were to wait until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit would be sent by Christ from heaven into his people.
The Holy Spirit
And Jesus continues to send his Holy Spirit into everyone who comes in repentance for forgiveness of sin. Every Christian here is indwelt by the same Holy Spirit who descended at Pentecost with such power. You are to witness, remembering that you’re not going in your own strength. Jesus, in heaven, works through you by the power of the Holy Spirit in you. That’s your place in the grand scheme of God’s plan.
It’s stunning. Don’t be overwhelmed with responsibility though. Be liberated by his ability to do his work through you. It’s Christmas. People are listening. Talk about Jesus.
Be joyful in the risen Jesus (50-53)
The closing words are really beautiful: Read Luke 24:50. He blessed them; that is, he prayed for God’s blessing over them – a kindness and love from God, even in a world that would be so hostile to them. And you can be sure that prayer of blessing was heard.
Read Luke 24:51. It all sounds like it’s the same day, but Acts spreads the timelines out (also written by Luke). Jesus ascended about 40 days after he rose from the dead. Again, that’s not a contradiction. Luke wasn’t so daft as to contradict himself. It’s a literary contraction of time.
Worship
So read Luke 24:52-53. Notice that word, “worshipping”? The disciples had finally understood about Jesus. He is Son of God Most High, Saviour, ascended to the Father. And he is to be worshipped. So they worshipped him.
You do well to worship him! He is God, the Son, eternally proceeding from the Father. The Word of God, through whom and for whom everything was made. Jesus is the only representation of God to the church, being the radiance of the Father’s glory and the exact representation of his being. So when you worship the Son, you worship the Father.
Pray to Jesus. For some that might feel odd. But to pray to him as your brother, as your high priest, and the one who knows what it is to be human, to die, to suffer – it’s natural to speak to him about those things. Many of our songs sing directly to him, and rightly so.
Joy
Luke says, “After worshipping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” That’s odd, when you think about it. Jesus was no longer with them, but they’re joyful? Yes, absolutely. Because now they finally understood, and so do you:
- Jesus is God the eternal Son.
- He came into the world to save sinners, to seek and to save the lost. To be clear: He came to save you.
- You can’t save yourself and your only future is hell, except that Jesus offers forgiveness of all your sin.
- Your attachment to the world or a love of sin will keep you away.
- But if you repent of your sin and turn to God he stands ready with arms open wide to forgive and to welcome you as his own child.
- Jesus’ death atones for the sins of everyone who’s forgiven, so God remains just in punishing all sin.
- He now lives and is ascended to heaven.
- From there, Jesus rules and governs the universe.
- And he sends the Holy Spirit to bring lost people to faith, and to dwell in all his people: Strength, encouragement, conviction of sin, fruit of holiness.
Nothing in God’s plan goes wrong; no-one slips his grasp. When you come in repentance and faith, you’re his. Forever.
The story goes on
And what seemed like the end of Luke’s gospel is only the start of the next chapter in God’s plan: The Good News of Christ going to the world, proclaimed by his people, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in the truth of the Bible.
Take joy that God has included even you in that. You’re not a spare part or a spectator. You have a role to play. Take heart; take joy!
Worship the risen Jesus. Proclaim the risen Jesus. Be joyful in the risen Jesus. He delights in you, and he will bring you to the Father’s heart.