The Gospel in 5 (Double) Truths (Luke 24:44-49)

In Luke's version of the Great Commission, the risen Lord summarizes the gospel in 5 truths:

1. The double event: the death and resurrection of the Messiah (Lk 24:46).
2. The double proclamation: forgiveness [the gospel offer] and repentance [the gospel demand] (Lk 24:47a).
3. The double scope: "to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Lk 24:47b).
4. The double attestation/accreditation: the OT witness (Lk 24:44, 46) the NT witness (Lk 24:48).
5. The double mission. The Great Commission involved a double sending: the sending to them of the Holy Spirit (Lk 24:48) and the sending of them into the world (Lk 24:47, 49). The 2 missions go together, for the Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit.

Jesus has given us a beautifully balanced and comprehensive account of the gospel. We are commissioned to

• proclaim repentance and forgiveness (Lk 24:47) on the basis of him who died and was raised (Lk 24:46),
• to all humankind [Gentiles and Jews] (Lk 24:47b),
• according to the Scriptures [OT, NT] (Lk 24:44, 46, 48),
• in the power of the Spirit given to us (Lk 24:49).

The Truths of the Death and Resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15:3-4) are:

1. Central truths--of 1st importance.
2. Historical truths, not myths.
3. Physical truths: 4 events are physical: death, burial, resurrection and appearances.
4. Biblical truths--according to the Scriptures.
5. Theological truths--events of huge significance. We deserve to die for our sins, but Christ died our death instead of us. How great is his love!

Reference: John Stott, Through the Bible Through the Year. Daily Reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.

What the Holy Spirit Does (Acts 2)

What the Holy Spirit Does for You (Acts 2).

• In the past week how much time have you spent reflecting on Christ and Scripture? Based on Acts 1,
• what has Jesus begun in you (Ac 1:1)?
• what are ways that you can be a "witness" (Ac 1:8)?
• what are you doing with what you've been given (Lk 16:10-11)?

1. What is "the day of Pentecost" [50th] (Ac 2:1; Exo 23:16; 34:22; Num 28:26; Dt 16:16)? Who were "they" (Ac 1:15)? Why were they "all together" (Ac 1:4, 12-14)?  "...in one place" (Ac 1:13; 2:46)? What is the timeline of the Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost (Ac 1:3, 9)?
2. What was the sound (Ac 2:2; Jn 3:8; Exo 14:21) [audible], sight (Ac 2:3; Ex 3:2, 4-5; 13:21-22; 19:18) [visual] and speech (Ac 2:4, 6, 8, 11) [oral/linguistic] that they saw and heard? Why did this happen (Ac 1:4; 2:16-20, 33; Jn 14:16-17; Num 11:29; Isa 44:3; Eze 36:27; Joel 2:28-32)? How is this the continuing work of Christ in the world (Ac 1:1)?
3. Why were the Jews from every nation gathered in Jerusalem (Ac 2:5)? Why is this international gathering significant (Ac 2:9-11a)? What did they hear (Ac 2:6-8, 11b)? How is this a reversal of Babel (Gen 11:7-9)?
4. What did Peter do (Ac 2:14)? Why was it absurd to suggest that drunkenness was the cause (Ac 2:13, 15)? How did Peter explain what happened (Ac 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32)?
5. What does Peter's imperative, "listen to this" (Ac 2:22) suggest? What is his subject (Ac 3:13-26; 4:10-12; 5:30-32; 10:36-43; 13:23-41)? Describe the story of Jesus in 6 stages:

1. Ac 2:22--Jesus' _____ and __________.
2. Ac 2:23--Jesus' ________.
• How do you explain the paradox of divine predestination and human freewill (Ac 2:23; 4:28)?
3. Ac 2:24-32--Jesus' _______________.
• How does Peter use David's prophetic words to explain the resurrection (Ac 2:25-32)?
4. Ac 2:33-36--Jesus' ____________.
5. Ac 2:37-40--Jesus' ____________.
6. Ac 2:41; 42-47--Jesus' _____________.

• What are the 4 elements that characterize a Christian gathering (Ac 2:42, 43-47)?

Empowered to Witness (Acts 1)

1. Who is the author of Acts? What is "my former book" (Ac 1:1)? How and why did he write both books (Lk 1:1-4)? What is his main theme ["Song of Simeon"] (Lk 2:30-32, 10; Ac 4:12; 5:31; Isa 40:5)? What does "all that Jesus began to do and to teach" suggest (Ac 1:1; Lk 24:19)? What happens after you are "saved by grace" (Eph 2:8-10)? What are you doing with what you've been given (Lk 16:10-11)?
2. What is "the day he was taken up to heaven" (Ac 1:2, 9)? What were the 2 main topics of the Risen Christ "over a period of 40 days" (Ac 1:2-3)? What was his command (Ac 1:4-5)? How long did they have to wait (Ac 1:3; 2:1)?
3. What were Jesus' followers expecting (Ac 1:6)? How did Jesus correct them (Ac 1:7-8; Dt 29:29)? What is the clear evidence that you have the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:8; 2 Tim 1:7)? How does Acts 1:8 give an outline of Acts (1-7; 8-12; 13-28)?
4. How is the ascension a watershed moment (Lk 24:51; Ac 1:9)? What's wrong with Jesus' followers "looking intently up into the sky as he was going" (Ac 1:9)? What should they know about "this same Jesus" (Ac 1:11; Lk 9:26; 17:24; 21:27)? In the meantime, what should they be doing instead (Ac 1:8; Lk 24:47-49)?
5. How far away were the apostles from Jerusalem (Ac 1:12)? Where did they gather and who were they (Ac 1:13)? What did they do (Ac 1:14)? How important is this (Lk 18:1; 1 Th 5:17; Jas 1:5)?
6. What was the immediate problem that needed to be addressed (Ac 1:15-17)? What is the tragedy regarding Judas (Ac 1:18-19)? How did Peter resolve the problem (Ac 1:20; Ps 69:25; 109:8)? What does this teach us about Scripture (2 Tim 3:16; Jos 1:7; Ps 1:2)? What was the criteria for replacing Judas (Ac 1:21-22)? How was Matthias chosen (Ac 1:23-26)?

Who did Christ die for?

• He died for ALL (1 Tim 2:6).
• He died for ALL MEN (Rom 5:18; 1 Tim 4:10).
• He died for US ALL, for ALL OF US (Isa 53:6).
• He died for the UNGODLY (Rom 5:6).
• He died for CHRIST-DENIERS (2 Pet 2:1).
• He died for SINNERS (Rom 5:8).
• He died for EVERY MAN (Heb 2:9).
• He died for MANY (Mt 20:28).
• He died for the WORLD (Jn 6:33,51; 1:29; 3:16).
• He died for the WHOLE WORLD (1 Jn 2:2).
• He died for the WHOLE NATION of Israel (Jn 11:50-51).
• He died for the CHURCH (Eph 5:25).
• He died for His SHEEP (Jn 10:11).
• He died for ME (Gal 2:20).

Unhealthy Leadership: Alone on an Island of Recognition with Flatterers and no Frank Friends

Jesus pursued

• obscurity and 
• humility and 
• solitude.

Jesus knew what power was like because he knew what Caesar and Rome were all about. Those who know themselves know the temptations to power. Those who want fame and celebrity don’t. The way to avoid celebrity is to be more like Jesus and to spend more time with Jesus and more time looking at Jesus.

From Katelyn  Beaty's book: Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits are Hurting the Church.

Celebrity--defined as social power without proximity--

has led to abuses of power, the cultivation of persona, and a fixation on profits and numbers. Proximity itself gets to resolving the temptations of celebrity. Friendship, in other terms. Plutarch advised emperors and rulers to surround themselves with friends, not flatterers. Friends speak frankly to friends while flatterers are all about flattery. Proximity permits someone to know the real you and speak to you honestly. This is not the same as accountability programs. It is about transparency with others we can trust, and who trust us, and who can speak into our lives. Who’s your friend?

No real accountability. Unhealthy leadership turns a person into a persona without close relationships. Plutarch wrote an important essay on this that contrasted flatterers with frankness, the latter being what top leaders need the most – BUT those leaders have personalities that push away frankness. Personas like this "feel love" in the adoration of the crowds, but adoration is not love. What they need are frank friends. Most of these persona types push frank friends off the stage, they discredit them, they gossip about them to others, they manipulate others to discredit them and thus the very person they need— a frank friend — is gone.

James, Annabelle’s baptism, Sep 5, 2022: Intergenerational blessing/Blessing the next generation

Before becoming a Christian, I had no idea what to do with my empty, boring and meaningless life, even though I became a doctor and came to the U.S. A quote by Henry David Thoreau intrigued me: "The masses of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I thought I was the only miserable person in the world, but this quote assured me that everyone else in the world was just as  inwardly desperate and miserable as I! But by God's mercy and grace I became a Christian at 25 in 1980 when I studied Genesis with Dr. John Lee, a pediatric resident at CCH. I discovered who I was and still am–a sinner condemned unclean, yet so loved by God that He gave His Only Son to die for me! I found my purpose of life: To live for Christ and His kingdom by studying the Bible and raising disciples–the bedrock of UBF ministry; this became what God has enabled me to do for the last 4 decades of my life to this day. During a recent 2 week road trip to 7 east coast UBF churches, an older missionary asked me, "What are you doing now?" I answered, "I'm doing exactly what I've been doing for the last 40 years." Despite the many good and bad, and the many ups and downs, my trajectory of life in Christ has not changed one iota in 4 decades.

God has blessed my wife Christy and I with 4 kids in 6 years (1983-1989), and with 7 grandkids with James 13 and Annabelle 11 as the 2 oldest. A few months ago James told his dad that he wanted grandpa to baptize him before going to Whitney Young. I was so happily surprised. Then Annabelle also asked to be baptized, which made me doubly happy. In processing my joy, I thank God that Christy and I are blessed to pass on God's blessing to our oldest son Sam and to our oldest grandson James and to our oldest grand-daughter Annabelle.

 

This is nothing but the mercy and grace of God. I thought of God's desire to bless not only Abraham but also all of his descendants for countless generations. Gen 17:9 says, "Then God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.'" God called Abraham to bless not only him but also to bless "all peoples on earth" through his seed (Gen 12:2-3). The greatest blessing is not what we get, but what we give to others. What a great joy and privilege it is that despite our sins God has given us the blessing to be a blessing to others–including our grandchildren.

 

It was a joy to study the Bible with James the last few months. He loves sports, just like his dad and grandpa. He studies well and plays basketball. He is sincere, thoughtful and intelligent. And he wants to commit his life to Christ by being baptized as he goes to Whitney Young with the verse "The Lord is my shepherd" (Ps 23:1). I told James that if Christy and I live another 20 years, we pray to see him and Annabelle pass their faith in Christ to their son or daughter. May God bless James and Annabelle's baptism as their decision to follow Jesus as Lord all the days of their life and pass it on to subsequent generations. Amen.

Following Jesus is Serious Business (Luke 14:25-35)

Bishop Barron calls the large crowds following Jesus as "The Fair-Weather Fans of Jesus (Lk 14:25-26)."

• From last Sunday's sermon (9/4/22) on Time and Money how do those closest to you shape how you use your time and money?

1. Why might large crowds be travelling with Jesus (Lk 14:25)? Is Jesus telling them to hate those closest to them (Lk 14:26; Mt 10:37)?
2. How might the crowd have felt about Jesus' "slap in the face" challenge? Why did he use such strong language (Lk 13:24-27; 14:16-20; Mt 10:37-39; 22:36-40)? What is Jesus affirming about Himself (Col 1:15; 2:9; Heb 1:3; Phil 2:5; Jn 1:1-3)? Did Jesus perceive them to be "fair-weather fans"? Do they know what following Jesus means?
3. What does it mean to those following Jesus to "carry their cross" (Lk 14:27)?
4. What do the 2 parabolic stories (Lk 14:28-32) tell us about what we should do if we are serious about following Jesus (Lk 14:33)?
5. What does it mean for salt to lose its saltiness (Lk 14:34-35a)? What should we hear from Jesus (Lk 14:35b)?