Risen and Reigning [10-18-26]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UIAmYNS_y4?si=XuRc6hKyCANLOpLe

October 18, 2026

Luke 24:36-53

“Risen and Reigning”

Part of me is feeling selfish right now. This is the final Sunday in our series on Luke. I’m a bit sad about that. But I have to remember my own advice: Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be happy that it happened.

With that in mind, here’s Luke 24:36-53:

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 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.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

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.”   Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for         the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 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 he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

What is Jesus doing in these middle verses? He is the one doing the leading. He is speaking faith into their hearts and minds. It is the Risen Christ who opens God’s Word to them. And here we are, 2000 years later, and Jesus still speaks faith into our hearts and minds. Remember, it is God who seeks and saves the lost. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is always God’s doing.

In two places we read such encouraging promises.

First, in Ephesians 1:3-6:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Second, in 2 Thessalonians 2:13:

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”

We have been given such a grand and glorious faith so we can go and share it with others. As verses 47-48 put it, we are the sent ones. Jesus is blessing the disciples…and he is blessing us…with a commission. Jesus gives them a responsibility. “I am sending you.” Paul picks up on it in Ephesians 2:4-7:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Remember, Jesus says he is sending the promise of my Father upon you. 

And what is that promise? Back in John 14, on the night of his betrayal and the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Stop letting your heart be troubled…Why are you troubled? You’re not losing me.” Here’s the best part of that discourse:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

• John 14:1-7

Let not your hearts be troubled. Don’t worry. Do not fear. I love how Tim Tebow puts it:

“You can’t control the storm. You can control your response to it. 

The bad news, the setback, the thing that blindsides you – none of that was ever up to you. WHAT YOU DO NEXT IS.”

Before Jesus ascends into heaven, he reassures his disciples…which means us, too…that they will receive all the strength and courage and power and might they need to carry on. How else could we faithfully live in a broken and fallen world? Keep the Faith and Carry On. That’s why we tell people the good news that Jesus saves. How great is that? With that promise, why would you ever be afraid? How could you not persevere? Why would you not reject weakness, instead embracing strength? Amen?

Here’s the promise to the disciples. It’s a promise to us as well. You might want to write it down:

THEY WENT FROM THE DEPTHS OF FEAR AND DOUBT TO GREAT 

JOY.

And where did that great joy lead? Worship…praising God for what He has done.

As Jesus has promised, we have been clothed with power from on high. So 

why would we ever worry? Why would we ever let fear take root in our lives?

Think about it this way. This glass doesn’t weigh much. When I add water, it still doesn’t weigh much. If I stand here holding it, short term, not a problem. But the longer I hold it, the more oppressive it becomes. Especially as I want and/or need to do other things. Are you with me on that?

That is the effect of fear and stress on your life. Nothing good comes of it. Knowing we are clothed with power from on high brings great joy. And so we can put the glass down.

Here’s one last piece from verses 44-47 that I want to highlight. It says so 

much. Here are those verses again:

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

Here’s what I see as one of the most salient points. Jesus talks about what happened centuries before with Moses and the Israelites. Remember, that’s part of the trajectory of our salvation history. And what happened with Israel and the Exodus was a precursor to Jesus and the Cross.

Here’s what I mean.

Remember, God sent a series of plagues to convince the Egyptian Pharoah to release the Israelites from slavery. In the final warning, Moses told Pharaoh that God would move through Egypt at midnight and strike every firstborn, from the royal throne to the dungeon. This included all livestock.

Pharoah didn’t heed the warning. So, every firstborn son and firstborn livestock in Egypt died, causing great wailing across the land.

The Israelites were protected by painting the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorposts. This was the first Passover, as the Angel of Death passed over their houses. 

Again, remember the trajectory of our salvation history. Everything points to Jesus and the Cross. That’s why he set his face for Jerusalem.

Imagine, if you will, two men, Jews, in Egypt. They are talking about the final plague and what they have to do to spare their firstborn sons. They are told to kill the sacrificial lamb and put the blood on their doorpost. They are told, if they do that, the angel of death will not strike their house. Plain and simply.

Well, people being people, one man isn’t so sure. He has his doubts. The other man says, “What, are you crazy? Moses has instructed us to do this. It will save our firstborn sons.” But the other guy is skeptical. It sounds far-fetched.

The debate goes on. One man is fully convinced of the truth of the 

promise. He is fully bought in. The other, not so much. But he finally does what is promised. He kills the sacrificial lamb. He begrudgingly puts the blood on his doorpost. He half-believes. 

Of the two fathers, what man lost his firstborn son? Neither. Wherever you are at in your faith, it is Jesus who seeks and saves the lost. A little bit of faith or a lot of faith, all that matters is you know it is Jesus who saves.       As that great hymn, “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place” puts it:

My faith has found a resting place,Not in device or creed;I trust the ever living One,His wounds for me shall plead.I need no other argument,I need no other plea,It is enough that Jesus died,And that He died for me.Enough for me that Jesus saves,This ends my fear and doubt;A sinful soul I come to Him,He'll never cast me out.My heart is leaning on the Word,The living Word of God,Salvation by my Savior's Name,Salvation through His blood.My great Physician heals the sick,The lost He came to save;For me His precious blood He shed,For me His life He gave.

Luke tells us that, initially, these disciples were in a state of disbelief. But Jesus leads them to faith by opening up to them God’s Word. 

Let’s wrap up our journey through the Gospel of Luke with a look at the final promise, seen in our Savior’s ascension into heaven. It’s the last thing you might want to write down:

“WE WILL RECEIVE A BODY LIKE UNTO HIS GLORIOUS BODY.”

That’s from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. And it beautifully summarizes these final verses of Luke.

Let’s pray:

HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRUTH. THE WORD NEVER DISAPPOINTS US. IT ALWAYS BRINGS US INTO YOUR GLORIOUS PRESENCE. LIKE THOSE ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS, OUR HEARTS BURN TO HEAR YOUR TRUTH. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK OF CHRIST. WE WORSHIP HIM WITH GREAT JOY. WE OBEY WITH GREAT JOY. WE THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERS OF THIS JOURNEY THROUGH LUKE AND THE JOY OF OUR TIME MAKING THAT JOURNEY TOGETHER. IN THE NAME OF OUR RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, WE PRAY. AMEN.