RESURRECTION
HOPE
Luke 24:1-8, 36-49
April
4, 2010
THE
RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
All the
four evangelists give an account of the Resurrection. None of the four,
however,
attempt to give a history of it simply from a human
point of sight. Each Gospel
probably reproduces the special points dwelt on in
certain great centers of Christian
teaching, in what we should now term different schools
of thought. (Attempts have
been made by theological scholars to classify
these
as Jewish, Gentile, Greek, Roman;
but only with indifferent success). The teaching which Matthew’s Gospel
represents,
evidently in the Resurrection preaching dwelt with
peculiar insistence on the great
Galilaean appearance
of the Risen. Luke confines himself exclusively to the
appearance, in
had for their theatre both Galilee and
of teaching, dwells on a fishing scene on Gennesaret,
the actors being the well-known
inner circle of the apostles. While Luke chooses for
his detailed Resurrection narrative
a high-road in a
unknown, disciples.
Then there is no question of discrepancies in this
portion of the great
history. It is not easy to frame a perfectly
satisfactory harmony of all the events related by
the four, after the Lord had risen; for, in fact, we possess no
detailed account
or history of what took place in that eventful period in presence
of the disciples. We simply
have memoranda of eye-witnesses of certain incidents
connected
with the Resurrection
selected by the great first teachers as specially
adapted to their own preaching and
instruction. The
events of the first Easter Day have been tabulated by Professor Westcott,
in what he terms a provisional arrangement, as follows:
Approximate
Time:
Very Early
on Sunday ……The
Resurrection, followed by the earthquake, the descent of
the
angel, the opening of the tomb (Matthew 28:2-4). (Compare
the
opening of the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12-17)
5 a.m.……….. Mary Magdalene, Mary the [mother] of James and
Salome,
probably
with others, start for the sepulchre in the twilight.
Mary
Magdalene goes before
the others, and returns at once to Peter and
John (John 20:1)
5:30 a.m.…….Her
companions reach the sepulchre when the sun had risen
(Mark 16:2). A vision of an angel. Message to the disciples
(Matthew 28:5-7; Mark
16:5).
6 a.m.………..Another
party, among whom is Joanna, come a little later, but still
in
the early morning (Luke 24:10; comp. Mark 16:1). A vision of “two
young men.” Words of
comfort and instruction (Luke 24:5-7).
6:30 a.m.…….The
visit of Peter and John (John 20:3-10). A vision of two angels to
Mary
Magdalene (John 20:11- 13). About the same time the company of
women
carry their tidings to the apostles (Luke 24:10).
7 a.m.………..The
Lord reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene (John 20:14-18;
Mark 16:9). Not long
after He reveals Himself, as it appears, to
the
company of women who are returning to the sepulchre.
Charge
to
the brethren to go to
4-6 p.m.……..The
appearance to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus
(Luke 24:13; Mark
16:12).
After 4 p.m….An appearance
to Peter (Luke 24:34; comp. I Corinthians 15:5).
“And found the eleven
gathered together, and them that were
with
them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared
to
Simon” – (Luke 24:33-34) -
Late that evening Cleopas
and
his friend arrived from Emmaus at
accustomed
meeting-place of the disciples of Jesus, to tell their
wondrous
story of the meeting with the risen Master, they find the
eleven
together full of joy. Peter had seen and had no doubt conversed
with
his Master. What a meeting must that
have been! The once eager
and
devoted apostle had probably not gazed on that form in life since he
caught
the sorrowful look bent on him in the courtyard, when Jesus,
bound,
passed through and heard His servant denying Him with oaths
and
curses. (Luke 22:61) - This appearance to Peter is not recorded in
the
Gospels. It is, however, placed first of all by Paul in his records of
the
manifestation of the Risen Savior. (I
Corinthians 15:4-8).
8 p.m.……….The
appearance to the eleven and others (Luke 24:36; “Afterward
He
appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them
with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they
believed
not them which had seen Him after He was risen” - Mark 16:14;
John 20:19). [I wonder what it will be like on the
Judgment Day when
we
all “stand before the judgment seat of
Christ” {II Corinthians 5:
10} – Will there be some
more upbraiding with a “depart from me
for
I never knew you” -?? - Luke
13:27 - How sad to see people coming
from
all over the world into heaven and “you
yourselves thrust out”
ibid. v. 28 – Sinner, will
you not trust Jesus Christ today as your
Savior
so that you make see the Resurrection of the Just? - CY - 2010]
In the
above table one point must be specially noticed: two companies or separate
groups of women are mentioned as going to the sepulchre with the same pious object
of assisting in the final embalming of the sacred body. If this be assumed to be the
fact, there will be nothing improbable in the supposition
that both these groups of women,
all doubtless intimate friends belonging to the little company
of the Master,
but living probably some distance apart in
sabbath day, and
then arranged to meet early on the first day at the sepulchre.
Probably
the spices purchased in some haste just
before the sabbath commenced were judged
inadequate:
including
all, i.e. both groups, of holy women, who, after beholding the
sepulchre, “returned,
and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day.”
Magdalene,
and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought [not had
bought] sweet spices, that they might come and
anoint Him.” This company
(alluded to
in Mark 16:1) arrives the first at the sepulchre, and sees the vision
of one
angel (Mark 16:5). The other company (alluded to in Luke 24:1) arrives
not long
after at the sepulchre, and sees the vision of two
angels (Luke 24:4).
In
considering the accounts of the Resurrection, the following memoranda will be
ound suggestive:
circumstances
connected with the tomb. But their assertions were not
believed by
the disciples until their statements were confirmed by the
Lord’s personal appearance.
Lord, the basis
of our faith, he makes no reference to his appearance to Mary
Magdalene (John
20:14; Mark 16:9) or to the women (two Maries mentioned
Matthew 28:1,
9-10).
present. Matthew is the evangelist who, in his
narrative, goes furthest
back. He
mentions the shock of the earthquake, the awful presence of the
angel, the
benumbing terror which seized the guards who were watching.
Most probably these signs
accompanied the Resurrection.
the Risen, He showed Himself not only to solitary individuals,
but to
companies, i.e. to two, to the eleven
(repeatedly), and to above five hundred
brethren at once. And these manifestations took place:
ü at
different hours of the day;
ü in
different localities — in Judaea, in
houses,
in the open air.
vs. 1-8 – “Now upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, they
came unto the sepulchre,
bringing the spices which they had prepared, and
certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the
sepulchre. And
they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much
perplexed thereabout, behold, two men
stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down
their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the
dead? He is
not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when
He was yet in
of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third
day rise again. And they
remembered his words”.
THE RESURRECTION
MORNING
Who are the
witnesses to the Resurrection? What is the evidence on which it was believed
by the first disciples? — on which it
is received by all Christians still?
It is (v. 1) the
very early morning: “while it was yet
dark,” says John; “as the
day began to
dawn,” says Matthew; “at the
rising of the sun,” says Mark.
Then the women
hasten towards the sepulcher. How many formed the
company, or, as seems to be implied, the two companies, of women we know
not. The names of five are given, and the rest are grouped under the phrases,
the
“others that were with them,” and “the others from
pass through the silent streets.
had happened, nor fear of what might happen, has disturbed its repose. They
have only one care (v.1) — the complete embalming of the
body which had
been hastily laid in the
rock-hewn sepulcher of Joseph. There is no idea beyond
this; there is no
hope even against hope that, on this the third day, He would rise
again. With the eagerness characteristic of
woman’s nature, they proceed, the
question
never suggesting itself until they near the tomb, “Who shall roll
away the stone from the mouth of the cave?” It would
seem that they did
not know of
the guard which had been commanded to watch or of the
sealing of
the stone, for that had been done on the sabbath
morning; but
some of
them had observed the setting of the stone — a block three or four
feet in
height, and two or three in breadth, requiring several men to move
it. “How shall it be moved? how shall we find an entrance?” is the
question
before them
as they press towards the holy place. Now, what are the facts?
In the dawn, half-clear and half-dark,
as the east begins to lighten, Mary of
Magdala,
the foremost of the company, sees the cave standing wide open
— the stone
having been rolled aside. Horror-struck, she turns to her
companions,
and, yielding to the moment’s impulse, she speeds back to the
city to
communicate her fears to Peter and John (John 20:1, 2). In the
mean time,
her companions venture forward. Timidly they enter the tomb,
or the
vestibule of the tomb, to search for the body. Lo, there
(Matthew
28:2, 3), on the stone which had
been pushed into a corner, sits one “whose
countenance is like lightning, and his raiment white as
snow,” and
prostrate
on the ground are the Roman sentries. The women start., but
the
assuring
word, “Fear not ye,” is spoken, and
the invitation (Matthew 28:6)
is given to
“come and see the place where the Lord
lay.” Yes,
guardians,
and only guardians, are these — one where the head, another
where the
feet, of Jesus had been — token of the complete, protecting care
of His
Father. (These are ministering spirits – a sort of honor guard for the
Savior) - And these guardians ask (vs.
5-7), “Why do you seek the
living among the dead?” and repeat the testimony, “He is not here: He is
risen,” bidding them remember His own words, and bear
the news of the
Resurrection to
the sorrowing company. It is with fear and great joy that
they
depart, running to bring the disciples word. They encounter
scepticism. Their hot, eager sentences (v. 11) seem to the apostles “as
idle tales, and they believe them not.” Peter and
John, however, have
already
obeyed the importunate pleading of Mary. And there, to be sure, as
they reach
the sepulcher, is the open door. John, who is first, looks in
without
entering; Peter, coming up, enters at once. “John,” observes
Matthew Henry, “could outrun Peter, but
Peter could out-dare John.”
Undoubtedly the tomb is empty. Examining
it, they discover (v.12) the
linen
clothes laid by themselves; and the napkin which had surrounded the
head laid
by itself. There had been no haste. Not thus would any have acted
who had
borne away the sacred form. Peter, after minute examination of
the
surroundings, “departed, wondering in
himself at that which was come
to pass.” John, with the quick intuition of love, not
only wondered, but
believed —
felt sure that these grave-clothes were the sign of a victory.
Such is the account of that
ever-memorable morning. The arrangement of
its events
may not be absolutely accurate; in the ignorance of all that
occurred, it is
impossible to supply every link in the chain of narrative. The
evangelists
are so filled with the one reality, “He is
risen,” that they are not
careful as
to the minutiae of the circumstances. ON
THE RESURRECTION,
AS
PERSONAL, AS REAL, THE STRUCTURE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
AND
DOCTRINE IS REARED! By the
effect of the Resurrection the
apostles
were transformed. The foolish and
slow-hearted fishermen of the past
became the
princes of a new and heavenly
kingdom. “With great power they
gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
great grace was
upon them all.” (Acts
4:33)
THE RESURRECTION AS AN HISTORICAL
FACT, CONSIDER IT
AS A MIGHTY
SPIRITUAL FORCE. Consider what the apostle calls
“the power of the Resurrection.” (Philippians 3:10) - What
is the central truth
of the
forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension? Study the brief
account of
these forty days, and you see at once a change in the manner and
conditions
of the revelation of Christ. He shows Himself
only to chosen
witnesses. Mark
says that He appeared to the disciples “in
another form.”
(Mark 16:12) - The eyes of the disciples
are declared to be so held (v.16- this
chapter)
that they do not know Him. It is the same Jesus,
but much is altered.
“He came and He went as He pleased; material substances
such as the
fastened doors were no impediment to his coming;
when he was present his
disciples did not, as a matter of course, know Him.” These
forty days were
what the
sunrise is to the day; they were the beginning of the relation in which
He stands to His Church now. All His
self-revelations are pictures of the way
and truth
of His presence as we are called to realize it. Men had seen Him
without
knowing Him; now they know Him without
seeing Him. – (John
20:29) - We behold Him, as Newman
has finely said, “passing from His
hiding-place
of sight without knowledge to that of knowledge
without sight.”
As a transition-time, giving us intimations
of the glory in which He is abiding
and of the
grace in which He is dealing with us, regard the period that was
ushered in
by the early morning of the first day of the week. It was a great day.
Four appearances are noted:
ü The first
(John 20.), to Mary of Magdala, followed or preceded,
perhaps, by an appearance to the other women (Matthew 23.);
ü The second
(vs. 13-35), to the two brethren journeying to Emmaus;
ü The third,
to Simon Peter (ver. 35); and
ü The fourth
(John 20:19-23), to the disciples assembled at night
when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews. Each of these
appearances is significant.
The commandment
which sent Mary to the disciples is the inspiration of all
Christian hearts. “Go, tell my brethren.” (Matthew 28:10)
and is the basis
of the faith of the church and
the basis of the faith of humanity. “If a man
die shall he live again?” – (Job 14:14) – “If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” – (I
Corinthians 15:19) - “If
Christ
is not risen, our hope is vain; we are yet in our sins.” – (ibid. v.
17)
We are to tell the message of the risen Lord in the light with which the
countenance
is irradiated; tell it in the glad obedience
by which the life is
sanctified;
tell it through all that you do and are;
tell — let your
teaching cease
only with your breathing — that
Christ has risen, that the
imprisoning stone has
been rolled
away, and the kingdom of heaven is
open to all believers, its gates
being
closed neither by day nor by night,
for there is no night there. “And
Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost:
Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.
Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
CHRIST
APPEARS TO THE ELEVEN
vs. 36-43 – “And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them,
and saith unto them,
Peace be unto you. But they were
terrified and affrighted,
and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are ye
troubled? and why do
thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my
hands and my
feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see;
for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have. And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands
and His feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and
wondered, He said
unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish,
and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them.”
eleven, and them that were with them.”
ü Its Separation. It is isolated from the outer world. A new bond,
a new manner, of union is already realized. It is not of the
world, as
Christ Himself was
not. There is a door shut between the little flock
and the Jews. A supreme attraction to Him whom the world
sees not, an
affiance of soul of which the world knows not, unites the
company, and,
in thus uniting, separates it. It has a secret with which
the world does not
intermeddle.
ü
Its Unity.
Ø That stands
in Christ, “Ye have not chosen me, but I
have
chosen you” (John
15:16). The Church is not a mere voluntary
association; it is a spiritual organism rooted and grounded
in the
Man Christ Jesus
— in what He is and has done, in His
Divine-
human Person, and the offices which He executes as Redeemer.
Ø It is
realized through continuance in the apostles’ doctrine and
fellowship. “The eleven, and those
with them.” Christ had
looked through the ages down to the end of the time, and
thus
had spoken: “I pray
for those who shall believe on me through
the word of the men whom thou didst give me.” (John 17:20)
–
Here the
eleven form the center of the company. There is
a definite word
on which the Church is built. It has not a mere
collection of “memoranda;” it is not an institution of “hazy
outlines.” It has a
distinct testimony — that of the
apostles and
prophets. And there is a social life, a fellowship, by which it
“makes increase to
self-edifying in love” (Ephesians 4:16) –
the fellowship which continues that which
is witnessed to in the
assembly of the
eleven and those with them. Remember, it is
fellowship, all holding themselves to be fellows in Christ,
exchanging their experiences, imparting the gift which each has
received, that it may tend to quicken the faith and love of all “As
they thus spake,
Jesus himself stood in the midst” (v. 36).
come to you.” (John 14:18) - Behold the fulfillment and the
way of the
fulfillment
of this promise. Behold Him present in His Church.
ü The Sovereignty
of the Presence. On a sudden He stands in the midst.
They are not expecting Him.
He comes through barred doors. It is the
day
of His power. Christ prescribes means; He ordains channels of
grace;
and, where there is the obedience of faith in the use of the means,
there
is blessing. “Where two or three are
gathered together, there
am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew
18:20) - But in all that speaks
of
spiritual life, there is the witness for
a spiritual sovereignty, for
reserves
of power in the hands of the Lord Himself.
The new birth is a
secret
and a surprise (John 3:7-8).
ü It is the
personal Jesus who is present to bless — “Jesus Himself.” (v.
36.) Above and beyond
the mere teaching and fellowship, there is the
Lord. Christianity is Christ. The full blessing, that which wholly fills
the
soul, is Himself in felt relation with each self. “Of Him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made to
us Wisdom, Righteousness,
Sanctification, Redemption” - (I Corinthians 1:30).
ü The announcement
of the presence is peace. (v. 36.) One of the last
words
before He suffered was “peace.” It
was the legacy of the dying
Savior.
The salutation of the risen Savior is, “Peace
to you!” — the
customary
salutation transformed and glorified. His immanence in the
Church is evidenced by
the breathing of peace over human souls.
“Peace
with God through the Lord Jesus Christ;” – (Romas
5:1) –
“The peace of God which passeth
all understanding.” – (Philippians
4:7).
ü
The complete benediction of the presence.
Ø Fears and
doubts are scattered. The disciples are terrified and
affrighted (v. 37). They are afraid at His tokens. Skepticisms
reassert themselves. A Church, a Christian, wanting in
spiritual
enthusiasm, with a low spiritual temperature, is subject to
the
fogs of doubt. Its action
is crippled by a subtle skepticism. When
He is realized as truly in the midst, the fogs
are dispelled. There
is a
counteracting why (v. 38). In the psalms (Psalm 4) the soul,
dark-and doubtful, asks, “Why hast thou forgotten me?” –
(v. 9) - Its questioning is dispelled through
another why: “Why
art thou cast
down, O my soul?” – (v.
11) - The blessed Jesus-
question to poor
confused humanity is, “Why art thou
troubled?
and why do
thoughts arise in thy heart?” – (v. 38) - As the Sun
of Righteousness
shines into the soul, the melancholy, perplexing
thoughts scatter, the clouds whose banks lie so low on the
heart’s
horizon flee away.
Ø The evidence
of the sacrifice establishes the faith. (vs. 39-40.)
He shows the
pierced hands and feet — the wounds whence
comes the healing, the death whence has come the life. And,
even in the glory into which He has entered, the print of
the nails
is seen. The gaze of the redeemed who share that glory is
ever
towards the Lamb that was slain. “Worthy is
the Lamb!”
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made
us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth. And I beheld,
and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and
the
number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that
are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb
for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen.
And
the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped
Him that liveth for ever and ever. (Revelation
5:9-14)
Ø The
full revelation is the Divine humanity. (vs. 41-43.) While
they believe, and yet can scarcely believe, for the
joy seems too
great and too wonderful, He eats the fish and honeycomb
before
them. It is no ghost who is in that room; it is very
man of very
man. And this is the abiding consciousness and
strength of the
Church. It presents the true humanity. It is true
humanitarianism.
The Christ is He “who liveth and was
dead, and is alive for
evermore.” –
(Revelation 1:18) - And IN HIM
HUMANITY IS
FULFILLED, REPRESENTED, AND REDEEMED! This is
the truth of
the social life of the Church. The Church is not a mere
institute for instruction and worship; it is a social state
built
up in the ever-abiding humanity of Jesus Christ. Thus, in
the
upper room at
apocalypse of the great mystery, CHRIST AND THE CHURCH!
CHRIST
INSTRUCTS HIS APOSTLES
vs. 44-49 – “And He said unto them, These are
the words which I spake unto
you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written
in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and
in the psalms, concerning me. Then
opened He their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures, And
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise
from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins
should be
preached in His name among all nations, beginning
at
witnesses of these things. And,
behold, I send the promise of my Father upon
you: but tarry ye in the city of
on high.”
The words
contained in these verses are a summary of the instruction given by the risen
Lord during
the forty days in which He showed Himself alive after His Passion. They
are not to be regarded as the outline of only one discourse,
following the appearance
to the eleven recorded in the previous verses; they are rather
the heads of the teaching
which was imparted in the great period between the
Resurrection and the Ascension.
“We must suppose
the evangelist to be hurrying to a close in this portion of his
history, and to be giving us a brief sketch of the
words and actions of our Lord which
are summed up in the expression in the first chapter of the Book
of Acts, “Jesus had
given commandment unto the apostles.” (Acts
1:2) – Note the points in this instruction.
afterwards said, “The
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
(Ephesians
6:17) - The Lord gives the treasury from which the
Church is to
draw — the Law,
the prophets, the psalms, the Scriptures; but these writings,
with the key to
their inner meaning, to their saving force — “all things in
them concerning
me.” The great
word spelt through all the books is “Christ.”
And not only so; these Scriptures
are to be expounded and enforced in the
light and
through the skill of the opened understanding. This is the secret
of the
effect; it is this that makes them the sword. Only when they are thus
the weapon
of the Spirit, illuminating the mind of the teacher, as well as
acting on
the conscience of the hearer, are they quick and powerful. (Hebrews
4:12) – The opening of the
understanding is spoken of as a definite action at a
definite time.
“Then opened He
their understanding.’’ What a new light is
then shed on
the sacred page! What a blessed “
foolish and
slow in heart go forth with the sword of the Spirit, “conquering
and to conquer.” (Revelation
6:2)
message is: the Christ whom God has sent, and the world
needs — the
historical Christ, incarnate, suffering, crucified, risen;
and this Christ presented
as the fulfillment of all Scripture, the consummation of Divine
thought and
purpose, “the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world”
– (Revelation
13:8) - the Prophet,
Priest, and King, by whom man is redeemed, in whom
the nature
and want, the hope and desire, of all nations are interpreted. (Haggai
2:7) – The Church is
called to teach that “thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day.” Wide is
the environment of truth,
(God is abundant in truth – Exodus 34:6) and the Church must sweep this
environment
in its vision; but this is the center of all the circle.
GOD WHICH IT IS TO
DECLARE. (v. 47.) The beginning of the
gospel
preached by Christ was the word “repent” (Matthew
4:17).
Now He solemnly and emphatically
urges that repentance is to be the great
fact in New
Testament preaching. The end to be ever before the Church is
“to open the eyes, and turn men from darkness to light, and
from the
power of Satan to God.” (Acts 26:18) - And with this
repentance is to be
associated
the blessing of the kingdom, “remission
of sins;” i.e. the sending of
the guilt and
power of sin away from between the soul and God, and thus
making the
inner vision clear, inspiring with the consciousness of the spirit of
adoption
and the spirit of brotherhood, confirming in the liberty
wherewith
Christ makes
free. In the name of Christ, all nations are to be
summoned to
repent, and
receive this remission; the voice lifted up with strength, “Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name given under
heaven among men whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
ü Its range. “Among all nations.” The
universality and catholicity of the
Christian word, of the
Christian Church, are asserted, with regal
authority,
at the conference on the mountain in
The Great Commission – “And Jesus came and spake
unto them,
saying, All power
is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.
Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20).
ü Its course. “Beginning at
was
crucified, the
first call to repentance is to be sounded, the first offer
of the Christ for
the remission of sins is to be made. So it was (Acts 2.).
But, from
Judaea,
Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth.” We are first to
find
our own; but the love which begins, is
never to stop, at home.
ü Its power. (v. 49.)
Not in the witnessing man or woman; not in the
things
witnessed to; not in word, ordinance, ministry; no, the power is
from on high. Christ reasserts what He taught in the last
discourse
before
He suffered. The great consolation then was the promise of the
Father — that in which His
Fatherly love and will are expressed, His
great
promise to His Son — the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Ghost who
testifies of Him. He is not the accompaniment of the Church; the
Church
is
His accompaniment. “He shall testify of
me: and ye also
shall bear
witness” (John 15:26-27). Now,
in the forty days’ instruction, He
repeats this word. He
reminds us that the power of witnessing is a
descent
from on high, the anointing of the man by the Holy Spirit. Two
things
are said — the one, the declaration that the promise is imminent,
“I
am sending it;” and the other, the injunction to wait in
the city, to
attempt
nothing, until the promise is made good, and they are endued
with
the power. Let the Church, let every Christian, remember the
injunction;
let eternal thanksgiving arise because the promise of the
Father has been sent, and the Holy Spirit now dwells with the Church.
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