30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 24 36-49 COMMISSIONED TO BE HIS WITNESSES 07 21Apr2022 Luke 24 38-39 Being one with the heavenly Man
📖 Luke 24:36-49
07 – 21Apr2022 – Being one with the heavenly Man - Luke 24:36-49 - COMMISSIONED TO BE HIS WITNESSES - Bible reading: I Corinthians 15:42-48
“Lord Jesus, we thank You that You took great effort so that the disciples experienced and understood Your resurrection. You did this so that they would be Your witnesses. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.”
Luke 24:38-39 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? (39) Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
The Lord wanted the disciples to handle Him and be assured for themselves of His physical resurrection. As we watch the disciples and as we observe history, we see the powerful effect that the physical resurrection of Jesus has had, down through time.
I John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— (2) the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— (3) that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (4) And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
John captures for us for the purpose of the resurrection. John goes to this extent to tell us that they have handled Jesus. He then goes on to say that this new body, with which Jesus rose again, was the manifestation of the eternal life that was with the Father. John, then invites his readers to come fellowship with them, for their fellowship was with the triune God.
This, friends, is the task of the church. We are commissioned to go out into the world and invite people to come and fellowship with us, for our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, who are the source of life, through the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus came into the world, in flesh, just as one of us. He lived like us, was crucified, died, and was buried. Now, He had risen in this glorious new body, with which He presented Himself to His disciples. This resurrected body of Jesus was not the same body in which He was crucified.
As we understand the resurrection, it becomes clear to us that this Christian life is to experience resurrection even while we live in this body, which is of dust. We must know that what awaits us is the glorious body, with which Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples.
I Corinthians 15:42-57 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. (43) It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. (44) It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
We are in a body made of dust. When we come to Christ and we identify with His crucifixion, death and burial, our old man is buried with Him and we are raised to life as the new man, in Christ.
This new life in Jesus is not only what we experience here on earth, but what awaits us is the glorious new body, which is of the same substance as the body of Jesus, with which He presented Himself to His disciples. I Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
This body, in which we are living, will go back to dust. We experience crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection, by faith in Christ. One day, what we have been living and experiencing, by faith in Christ, will become sight and tangible.
(45) And so it is written, "THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING BEING." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Adam became a living being because he received the breath of God. When sin entered, Adam died. The body of Adam became corrupt. The last Adam came in the same flesh that Adam had before he fell into sin. The last Adam, lived in the flesh, without sin. He took our sin on His sinless body, was crucified, died and was buried. He rose again in the new body. This is the body that is awaiting us and this is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.
II Corinthians 5:4-5 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. (5) Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
(47) The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
We were once part of the first man, who is of dust but when we come to Christ, we become a part of the second Man, who is Jesus.
(48) As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
Man has the opportunity to transition out of this body of dust to the body that is heavenly. This is the reality for the church and this is the message that we share with the world, which is in a state of decay and corruption.
Thought to ponder
Is the resurrection of Jesus a reality in your life?