Embracing the Reality of the Risen Christ

Devotional

Day 1: The Promise of a Renewed Creation

In our journey of faith, we often grapple with the concept of heaven and the afterlife. Many of us have been taught to anticipate a spiritual realm, detached from the physical world we know and love. However, the biblical vision of the kingdom to come is not an ethereal, disembodied existence but a tangible, renewed creation. This future is one we can truly look forward to, as it promises life in its fullest sense, where the moral and physical tensions of our current world are resolved through divine recreation. The resurrection of Jesus is God's tangible pledge within history, affirming His intention to resurrect the entire creation at the end of time. [02:05]

Isaiah 65:17-18 (ESV): "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness."

Reflection: How does the promise of a renewed creation change your perspective on the challenges you face today? Can you identify one area of your life where you can begin to live with this hope in mind?

Day 2: Peace as Reconciliation

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He greeted them with peace, a term synonymous with salvation throughout the Gospel of Luke. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a profound reconciliation between a holy God and sinful humanity, achieved through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. This peace is foundational to our understanding of salvation, as it represents the restoration of a broken relationship with God. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding, providing comfort and assurance in the midst of life's uncertainties. [04:58]

Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV): "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

Reflection: In what ways can you actively pursue peace and reconciliation in your relationships today, reflecting the peace that Jesus has given you?

Day 3: From Intellectual Belief to Experiential Faith

The disciples' initial fear and doubt upon seeing the resurrected Jesus highlight the struggle between intellectual belief and experiential faith. It's one thing to affirm the resurrection in theory, but quite another to live in its reality, especially in moments of personal crisis. True faith involves living in the reality of the resurrection, allowing it to transform our lives and perspectives. This transformation is not always easy, as it requires us to trust in what we cannot see and to live out our beliefs in tangible ways. [09:03]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: Identify a specific area in your life where you struggle to move from intellectual belief to experiential faith. What practical steps can you take today to live out your faith in this area?

Day 4: Evidence and Interpretation in Faith

Jesus' invitation to His disciples to look at His hands and feet, to touch and see, was an invitation to move from doubt to faith. He provided them with proof of His physical resurrection, demonstrating that He was not a ghost but a living, glorified being. This encounter underscores the importance of scriptural interpretation alongside factual evidence. The facts of Jesus' resurrection, coupled with the biblical interpretation of those facts, compel belief and understanding. Faith is not blind but is supported by evidence and the interpretation of Scripture. [14:01]

1 John 1:1-2 (ESV): "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us."

Reflection: How can you incorporate both evidence and scriptural interpretation into your faith journey? What is one way you can deepen your understanding of Scripture this week?

Day 5: Blessed Assurance in Unseen Faith

As we reflect on these truths, we are reminded of the blessing pronounced on those who believe without seeing. Our faith is not based on physical evidence alone but on the testimony of those who have gone before us and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. In this, we find assurance and hope, knowing that our faith is grounded in the reality of the risen Christ. This assurance strengthens our hope and encourages us to persevere in our faith journey, even when we cannot see the full picture. [19:34]

Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you believed in something you could not see. How did that experience shape your faith? How can you apply that lesson to your current walk with God?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we often grapple with the concept of heaven and the afterlife. Many of us have been taught to anticipate a spiritual realm, detached from the physical world we know and love. However, the biblical vision of the kingdom to come is not an ethereal, disembodied existence but a tangible, renewed creation. This future is one we can truly look forward to, as it promises life in its fullest sense, where the moral and physical tensions of our current world are resolved through divine recreation. The resurrection of Jesus is God's tangible pledge within history, affirming His intention to resurrect the entire creation at the end of time.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He greeted them with peace, a term synonymous with salvation throughout the Gospel of Luke. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a profound reconciliation between a holy God and sinful humanity, achieved through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. Yet, the disciples were initially startled and frightened, mistaking Jesus for a ghost. This reaction highlights the struggle between intellectual belief and experiential faith. It's one thing to affirm the resurrection in theory, but quite another to live in its reality, especially in moments of personal crisis.

Jesus' invitation to His disciples to look at His hands and feet, to touch and see, was an invitation to move from doubt to faith. He provided them with proof of His physical resurrection, demonstrating that He was not a ghost but a living, glorified being. This encounter underscores the importance of scriptural interpretation alongside factual evidence. The facts of Jesus' resurrection, coupled with the biblical interpretation of those facts, compel belief and understanding.

As we reflect on these truths, we are reminded of the blessing pronounced on those who believe without seeing. Our faith is not based on physical evidence alone but on the testimony of those who have gone before us and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. In this, we find assurance and hope, knowing that our faith is grounded in the reality of the risen Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. The biblical vision of the afterlife is not a disembodied existence but a renewed creation, where life is experienced in its fullest sense, resolving the tensions of our current world through divine recreation. This is a future we can eagerly anticipate. [02:05]
2. Jesus' greeting of peace to His disciples signifies more than a simple salutation; it represents the profound reconciliation between God and humanity, achieved through His sacrificial death. This peace is foundational to our understanding of salvation. [04:58]
3. The disciples' initial fear and doubt upon seeing the resurrected Jesus highlight the struggle between intellectual belief and experiential faith. It's a reminder that true faith involves living in the reality of the resurrection, even in times of personal crisis. [09:03]
4. Jesus' invitation to His disciples to look, touch, and see His resurrected body underscores the importance of moving from doubt to faith. This encounter teaches us that faith is not blind but is supported by evidence and the interpretation of Scripture. [14:01]
5. The blessing pronounced on those who believe without seeing reminds us that our faith is grounded not only in physical evidence but also in the testimony of Scripture and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. This assurance strengthens our hope in the risen Christ. [19:34]
** [19:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:05] - Discovering a Shared Belief
[01:27] - The Tangible Kingdom to Come
[02:33] - The Resurrection as God's Pledge
[03:26] - Jesus' Greeting of Peace
[05:10] - The Significance of Jesus' Crucifixion
[06:05] - Understanding True Peace
[07:14] - The Disciples' Panic
[08:39] - Intellectual Belief vs. Experiential Faith
[10:13] - The Honesty of the Gospel Record
[11:11] - Overwhelmed by Joy and Amazement
[12:03] - Jesus' Invitation to Believe
[14:01] - Look, Touch, See, Think
[15:06] - The Reality of Jesus' Resurrected Body
[16:34] - The Importance of Scriptural Interpretation
[19:34] - Blessed Are Those Who Believe Without Seeing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Luke 24:36-43
Colossians 1:19-20
John 20:29

Observation Questions:

In Luke 24:36-43, how did the disciples initially react when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection? What does this reveal about their understanding of His resurrection? [07:39]
According to Colossians 1:19-20, what was achieved through Jesus' crucifixion? How does this relate to the concept of peace mentioned in the sermon? [05:22]
What invitation did Jesus extend to His disciples to help them move from doubt to faith, as described in Luke 24:39? [13:46]
In John 20:29, what blessing does Jesus pronounce, and how does it relate to the faith of those who believe without seeing? [19:34]

Interpretation Questions:

How does the biblical vision of a renewed creation challenge or affirm your understanding of the afterlife? Consider the sermon’s emphasis on a tangible, renewed creation rather than a disembodied existence. [02:05]
Reflect on the significance of Jesus greeting His disciples with peace. How does this greeting go beyond a simple salutation to represent reconciliation between God and humanity? [04:58]
The disciples experienced fear and doubt despite having intellectual belief in the resurrection. What does this suggest about the difference between intellectual belief and experiential faith? [09:03]
How does Jesus' invitation to look, touch, and see His resurrected body serve as a model for moving from doubt to faith? What role does evidence and scriptural interpretation play in this process? [14:01]

Application Questions:

The sermon suggests that the future kingdom is a tangible, renewed creation. How does this perspective influence your current life and priorities? What changes might you consider making in light of this understanding? [02:05]
Jesus' greeting of peace signifies reconciliation. In what areas of your life do you need to experience this peace? How can you actively seek reconciliation with God and others? [04:58]
Reflect on a time when you struggled between intellectual belief and experiential faith. How did you navigate that tension, and what steps can you take to strengthen your experiential faith in the future? [09:03]
Jesus invited His disciples to move from doubt to faith by providing evidence of His resurrection. What doubts do you currently face, and how can you seek evidence or scriptural understanding to address them? [14:01]
The blessing on those who believe without seeing challenges us to trust in the testimony of Scripture and the Holy Spirit. How can you cultivate a deeper trust in these sources of faith in your daily life? [19:34]
Consider the role of the Holy Spirit as an inner witness to the truth of the resurrection. How can you become more attuned to the Holy Spirit's guidance and assurance in your faith journey? [19:34]
Identify a specific area in your life where you need to live more fully in the reality of the resurrection. What practical steps can you take this week to align your actions with this truth? [09:03]

Sermon Clips

In the years after I came to believe in Christ, it always troubled me that I was now meant to enjoy the thought of escaping the physical world and entering a spiritual one called heaven. I love the taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch of this world, and here I was being told to look forward to losing those five senses and having them replaced by a spiritual sixth sense. [00:01:20]

It turns out that the biblical kingdom come is not an ethereal place of clouds and ghosts, but a tangible place of real existence. It is a new creation. This is a future I can get excited about. It is life in the fullest sense of the word, a reality in which the moral and physical tensions of our current world will be resolved through an extraordinary act of divine recreation. [00:02:00]

The resurrection of Jesus is God's tangible pledge within history that he intends to do the same for the whole creation at the end of history. This current world convinces me of God's ability to recreate the universe. The resurrection of Jesus convinces me of his intention to do just that. [00:02:38]

While they were in animated conversation with one another, Jesus in his glorified and celestial body, real physicality and identifiable materiality, came and stood among them. And standing among them, he spoke to them. It was, as we can see from what follows, a necessary greeting. Their hearts were fearful and confused. [00:03:23]

Peace and salvation are almost synonyms for one another in many places. For example, the words of Simeon in the temple, Luke 2: "Lord, let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation." Peace, salvation. Jesus to the woman: "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Salvation and peace. [00:04:07]

Therefore, when Jesus speaks peace to them, he is using normal terminology, necessary terminology, but the context in which he is saying it makes clear exactly what's in view. He is speaking peace to them in light of the invitation that is about to follow for them to see his hands and his feet. [00:04:50]

Paul explains in Colossians 1, he is making peace through his blood shed on the cross. Now, this is often a stumbling block for somebody who's just beginning to consider Christianity. They'll come around perhaps at Christmas time, someone invites them to church, and they hear the phrases read on peace on earth and goodwill amongst men. [00:05:15]

If what Jesus meant in speaking about peace was some kind of tranquility into which his followers were brought, whereby they lived in a sort of Valium-enhanced experience just drifting through their days where nothing really was able to cloud their vision or bother them, then Christianity is a flop, is a radical failure. [00:06:13]

But of course, if in addressing peace among men upon whom his favor rests, he was, as makes perfect sense as you follow the gospels through, speaking of the peace which would come between a holy God and sinful man through his bloodshed on the cross, thereby making out of those who have discovered peace, peacemakers, then the gospel record holds together. [00:06:33]

It is one thing to affirm our belief in the resurrection on a fairly fine Sunday morning at 10:45, approximately surrounded by a crowd of the faithful. It is quite another thing to affirm the reality of the resurrection when you're sitting in one of those rooms at the Cleveland Clinic waiting for the return of the tests at the hand of a well-meaning doctor. [00:09:15]

We need to be honest enough to look into our own hearts and say, hey, we get this. You know, it is one thing to be intellectually convinced; it is another to live experientially in the light of the truth. And Jesus shows up. Actually, I'm greatly encouraged by this. I hope you are. What a group this is. [00:09:52]

When Thomas finally got his own chance to affirm his faith, Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." And we in Christ are among that company, at least some of us are. Have you believed in a sin-confessing, childlike trusting, open-handed hearted welcome to Christ? [00:19:23]

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Embracing the Reality of the Risen Christ

Devotional

Day 1: The Promise of a Renewed Creation

Day 2: Peace as Reconciliation

Day 3: From Intellectual Belief to Experiential Faith

Day 4: Evidence and Interpretation in Faith

Day 5: Blessed Assurance in Unseen Faith

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Embracing the Reality of the Risen Christ

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