Focus on the Risen Savior

                                                Luke 24:1-53

                                               April 20, 2003

Last week I was emphasizing the first commandment in

relation to Solomon’s decline and fall - that had he paid

attention to the first commandment, “Thou shalt have

no other gods before me” - all the ills which befell him would

not have occurred.

I mentioned also the 7th commandment - “Thou shalt

not commit adultery” - as being a preventative of

serious problems in a lot of people’s lives and the

ruination of the abortion industry - I don’t know what

an abortion would cost, probably a lot, but times that

figure by 40 million, it is quite a business not counting

the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual

hurt that comes with it.

I would like to mention another commandment today,

namely the fourth “Remember the sabbath day, to

keep it holy”

God in His wisdom and design a reason for charging

us with this and like the other commandments which

one might ignore, it has its own penalty.

It is a wonderful thing to be able to have a day of

rest, and a more wonderful thing that that is to

REST IN THE LORD!

v. 1 - says “Now upon the first day of the week”

It was on a Sunday that the first Easter happened.

That is when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb

of God that takes away the sin of the whole world,

arose from death and the grave.

The Greatest Event of all time!

Rom. 5:12 - “Wherefore, as by one man sin

entered into the world, and death by sin; and so

death passed upon all men, for that all have

sinned”.

Christ’s resurrection from the grave is the

collateral that God has given to assure that He

will make good on His promise that “when a man

dies, that he shall live again”

I Cor. 15:20-24

Although taken out of context, Isaiah 9:7 is

applicable here “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will

perform this”.

Although out of context, it is well within the context

of the framework of what God is doing through

His Only Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord & Savior!

Note Lord of Hosts - later I want to look more

closely at this term.

Also - Acts 17:31 - God has “appointed a day,

in the which He will judge the world in righteousness

by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He

hath given assurance to all men, in that He hath

raised Him from the dead”.

There  are two covenants in the Holy Bible -

the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The book of Hebrews explains the relationship

between the two.

The original sabbath was a Saturday.  Jesus Christ

arose on the first day of the week, a Sunday, and

His greatness, He who was present at the creation

of the worlds, takes precedence, and we now as

Christians keep the first day of the week as the

day of rest which God had commanded.

Col. 1:12-20

“This is my beloved Son in whom I am well

pleased”  - “hear ye Him”

Pre-eminence - to be first.

Philippians 2:5-11

JESUS IS WORTHY 

BC - Before Christ

AD - Anno Domini  - a time within the Christian era

BP - Before present is how secularists attempt to

rewrite history.

Rom. 10:9-17

John 3:14-21

Matt. 10:32-33

Acts 17:31-32            Acts 28:24-28

Rom. 11:25                 Rev. 3:20

Luke 21:24-28            Acts 1:11 - This same Jesus

v. 4 - “two men...in shining garments” -  John 20:12

            tells us “two angels in white sitting, the one

            at the head, and the other at the feet, where

            the body of Jesus had lain”

Hebrews 12:22 refers to “an innumerable company

of angels”

Back to the term “The Lord of Hosts”

I Sam. 1:3 is the first time this term is mentioned in

Scriptures - over 270 times mentioned - I counted

them and underlined the references in my Strong’s

Bible Concordance.

God is Lord of numbers - not only of heavenly

bodies which men have erroneously worshipped -

Journals of Lewis & Clark - on their way home

encounter a religious leader that had to verify

something by his god, the moon?

Angels considered in term “hosts”

The idea by the term is orderly arrangement

like armies.

Here in Luke 24 two of them are mentioned.

Do you think that the Scripture 270 + times

says in vain “The Lord or Hosts?”

Rev. 5:11-12

O Lord, I want to be in that number, when the

saints go marching in!

Matt. 8:11-12

Jesus said in Matt. 26:53-54 to Peter as Christ

was being arrested - “Thinkest thou that I

cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall

presently give me more than twelve legions

of angels?  But how then shall the scriptures

be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

Ps. 103:21 says “Bless ye the Lord, all ye

            His hosts; ye ministers of His, that

            do His pleasure”

Has God not promised in Ps. 91:11-12

“For He shall give His angels charge over

thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They

shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou

dash thy foot against a stone.”

A word from our lesson title - “focus”

On what are you focused to day?

Camera focused - out of focus -

The eye, what a wonderful mechanism God

hath made!  How sad if we have eye problems!

In closing -  “Lord of Sabaoth” - Rom. 9:29

                                                      James 5:4

I looked up on the Internet out of curiosity

and there were 8,670 sites.

Lord of hosts - armies.

The Greek form of Hebrew “tsebaoth”

Jehovah Tsebaoth - the leader & commander

of the armies - He who went forth with them &

led to certain victory over the worshippers of

Baal, Chemosh, Ashtaroth, Molech and other

false gods.

I mentioned I Sam. 1:3 as the first time for

term “Lord of hosts”  in the Bible  - used over

270 times.

LORD is in capitals - to draw attention - to

catch the eye - perhaps if you have never

read it or if you don’t pay attention to what

you read.

Something very interesting in the book of Joshua.

Chapter 5

Circumcision of the young - older ones had died

off who did not believe.

Manna ceased - ate of the fruit of the land.

vs. 13-15

Captain of the hosts of the Lord -

Matt. 24:31

Isaiah 9:7 - “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts

                        will perform this”

vs. 25-26

vs. 44-49