In the military, enlisted soldiers are required to report for duty, follow orders, and undertake any mission they are given. In other words, they unquestionably cary out their commission. Christians have been given a commission as well. We have our marching orders, but we rarely view them as a sworn duty.

How do you view your daily activities as a Christian? Are they a commission to cary out the gospel, or are they something to be put on a list to get to at some point?

Assures

Luke 24:36-43

36As they were saying these things, he himself stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace to you!” 37But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. 38“Why are you troubled?” he asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” 40Having said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41But while they still were amazed and in disbelief because of their joy, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42So they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.

If you remember last weeks lesson, Cleopas and another disciple were leaving Jerusalem in despair. Jesus appeared to them and they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the 11 apostles. The 12th apostle, Judas, of course not being among them.

While they are telling the apostles what they saw, Jesus appeared among them. They were immediately startled and terrified. They believed they were seeing a ghost.

Jesus tried to calm them down. He reassures them with the greeting “Peace to you!”, but they are still shaken. He then asks them why they are troubled. He’s questioning the doubts that they were having. But, even knowing their doubts are misplaced, Jesus still offers them reassurances. He allows them to touch them and see that He is in a corporeal body.

The disciples were amazed, but they still had doubts. It says that because of their joy they were in disbelief. It’s like the disciples believed it was just too good to be true. They knew God’s plan was for Jesus to resurrect himself, and yet they doubted.

Jesus offers them assurance again by asking for something to eat. Something a spirit would not do.

Have you had a time in your life where God was trying to show you something, but you refused to believe?

If Jesus own disciples required this much reassurance to believe, how much more should we expect non-believers to require?

Opens

Luke 24:44-46

44He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day,

Jesus reminds the disciples that His crucifixion was required. He’d been telling them for a while, but they didn’t fully understand. He opened their mind to the scriptures.

1 Corinthians 2:14

14But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

We too need our minds opened to be able to see how scripture impacts our life. This is the reason so many atheists take scripture out of context and misuse it to “disprove” God.

We know that Jesus had to come and die according to God’s plan. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:17

17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Everything hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. He was the price that had to be paid.

He reminds the disciples of the scriptures multiple times. He was reassuring them that His death wasn’t a result of the Jews’ conspiracy or the Romans’ complicity. It was all part of God’s plan.

Jesus refers to scripture throughout His ministry, setting an example for us as to the importance of God’s word.

He used it in Luke 4:1-12 when rebuking the devil

1Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.”

5So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6The devil said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.”

8And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

9So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:

He will give his angels orders concerning you,

to protect you, 11and

they will support you with their hands,

so that you will not strike

your foot against a stone.”

12And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.”

Jesus taught about his fulfillment of scripture in Luke 4:16-21

16He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free the oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

20He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

When questioned about spiritual truth in Luke 10:25-28

25Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”

In the His sermons in Matthew chapters 5-7, he clarified application of the scriptures.

This really accentuates the importance of scripture in our lives.

The importance of what all of these scriptures tell us, is that this was always God’s plan to bring us back to Him. It wasn’t that we messed everything up, so He had to come up with something new. God knew we would rebel, and He put a plan in place that would ultimately redeem us.

If you have a very challenging task, like a speech or major presentation, how comforting is it when you have prepared and planned in advance?

How much more comforted would you be, if you already knew you were going to get an A on the presentation no matter what? Does knowing the outcome of God’s plan give you comfort?

Sends

Luke 24:47-49

47and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

The gospel started in Jerusalem. Most of the Jews had the misconception that God’s salvation was exclusively for them. Jesus taught that the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations. We are to be witnesses.

What does it mean for someone to be a witness in a trial?

According to the Department of Justice:

A witness is a person who saw or heard the crime take place or may have important information about the crime or the defendant. Both the defense and the prosecutor can call witnesses to testify or tell what they know about the situation. ... In court, the witness is called to sit near the judge on the witness stand.

Jesus is calling us to be a witness. We have to sit next to the judge and testify as to what we know of the situation. The situation being that God sent His son to die on the cross that we might find forgiveness through faith in Him.

The good news is, God empowers us to do these things. The Holy Spirit should give us confidence to share about Jesus.

To whom do you feel like you are being sent?