Sermon Tone Analysis

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*Easter Sunday*

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·     On this day of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, open your Bibles to;

*Luke 24:36-49 \\ **36 *As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” *37 *But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

*38 *And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

*39 *See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me, and see.

For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

*40 *And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

*41 *And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” *42 *They gave him a piece of broiled fish, *43 *and he took it and ate before them.

*44 *Then he said to 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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

*45 *Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, *46 *and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, *47 *and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

*48 *You are witnesses of these things.

*49 *And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

ESV

·     My topic is the same as Jesus’ topic in this passage  ‘Peace to you!’

·     Among the writers of the Gospel, Luke is a Gentile and a Physician.

He writes in great detail about the birth of Jesus Christ and here he writes of Jesus’ resurrection

·     I am sure that as a Physician, Luke is amazed by the resurrection of Jesus.

He is the only Gospel writer who spends some time with this particular detail.

·     So as we celebrate this resurrection day, I want to remind some and inform others that Jesus’ resurrection was a flesh and bone resurrection and that should bring you peace.

·     This is necessary because you will hear objections, meant to cause confusion and insecurity to your belief.

This is brought by some who will say that the resurrection experience is just someone’s vision of Jesus and is nothing more.

·     Others will object and say that what was seen by so many was actually a spirit or spiritual form of Jesus, but as Jesus said here, ‘peace to you’

·     This passage, verse 36 says; as they were talking about these things, what things were they discussing?

The fact that Jesus is alive

·     Luke 24:36-49 is a continuation of verses 13-35.

Listen to this passage, in order to capture the context and to understand what is behind the statement of verse 36.

\\ *Luke 24:13-35 \\ **13 *That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, *14 *and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

*15 *While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

*16 *But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

*17 *And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?”

And they stood still, looking sad.

*18 *Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

*19 *And he said to them, “What things?”

And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, *20 *and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

*21 *But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.

Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

*22 *Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.

They were at the tomb early in the morning, *23 *and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

*24 *Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

*25 *And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

*26 *Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

*27 *And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

*28 *So they drew near to the village to which they were going.

He acted as if he were going farther, *29 *but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”

So he went in to stay with them.

*30 *When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

*31 *And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.

And he vanished from their sight.

*32 *They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” *33 *And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.

And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, *34 *saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” *35 *Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

ESV \\ \\

·     For your information, some writers and scholars have mention the possibility that the second disciple in this passage is Cleopas wife and they draw a connection to John19:25 where the women who were at the crucifixion are mentioned.

*John 19:25 \\ **25 *but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

ESV

·     Jesus is aware of our needs, our short comings, our worries, and our insecurities

·     As they were talking Jesus stood among them.

Luke does not say anything about how Jesus got in there but the other gospels mention that the door was locked.

·     Peace to you!  Yes this is a time for rejoicing but it is also a time for peace

·     Peace implies a state of harmony, the absence of confusion, freedom from worry, having security, and being safe

·     Jesus is aware that His resurrection is not something that is easy to believe and the story of it, at this point, is not causing peace but confusion, even with Him standing in the room with them and thus ‘peace to you’

·     Recall also that these are the men who scattered when they took Jesus.

They are afraid and confused, thus ‘peace to you’.

·     And it is not just anyone speaking these words but the one who they heard was beaten so bad that he was not recognizable and then he was crucified.

This treatment was not unknown to these men because the condemned was executed publicly, thus ‘peace to you’.

·     Today is Easter Sunday for many of you.

You made it to church on this Sunday, you may have prayed when the fellowship prayed, sang with the choir, put your offering in the offering plate, but when the Lord begins to make Himself known in your life letting you, yes you, know that He is here in a special way, your first reaction is the same as these disciples; you are startled and you are frightened because you didn’t expect all of that.

And your second reaction is to think this is of the occult.

Jesus is there with them and first they are startled, second they are frightened, and third they think Jesus is of the occult, a spirit (a ghost).

·     Notice the disciples in this passage stopped talking, and got very quiet, being startled, being frightened, being scared, real scared will do that to you

·     Since this should be a time of peace then why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

·     The answer is the same today as it was then and it must be the same answer because the symptoms are the same.

·     You are troubled and doubts rise up in your hearts when you lean to your own understanding

o       There is no way this should be happening

o       I have been in church several times my heart has never ached like this before (scripture says it this way; “did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He open to us the Scripture?”)

o       Yah, this stuff happened thousand of years ago, I know that it doesn’t apply to me today and I can say to you the disciples could say the same thing about the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms

·     And the remedy to troubles and doubts in your hearts is the same and it’s Jesus, He is the one who can say; ‘peace to you’ and mean it and bring it, even in your life today.

·     Look ahead with me.

Look at verse 45, “then He open their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Unless it’s heaven sent and heaven brought, you can not understand the Scriptures.

This is where the disbeliever go wrong; because the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

·     Look also at verse 49, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.

But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

·     And we know today that this power that they was clothed with is the Holy Spirit!

·     But before Jesus can even go there, He must deal specifically with their troubled and doubting hearts.

·     First the senses, seeing and touching

·     *39 *See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me, and see.

For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

*40 *And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

·     In your lives Jesus does the same, he doesn’t just say, ‘peace to you’, and expect you to just find harmony, find freedom from worry, security, or safety, no, he brings these to you.

He makes himself known to you in a way that there is no doubt but certainty no troubles but relief .

·     Have you ever been at a lost for words and all you can say is, that I know that I know that I know and He’s real in my soul today.

·     Those are not just words of our grandparents but they become your battle cry, when Jesus make himself known to you!

·     How many blessings have you seen today, in just this last week, this last month, or for this year so far and you know it’s not manufactured you know it’s of the Lord?

·     How many prayers have you prayed that deals with something material, something tangible, that you can touch, hold, or feel and when it was worked out better than you thought it would you know it’s of the Lord?

·     Don’t you hear, can’t you hear him say peace to you!

·     *41 *And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” *42 *They gave him a piece of broiled fish, *43 *and he took it and ate before them.

·     Jesus now appeal to there mind, their ability to reason, because they can reason that a spirit can’t eat.