The women who went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body found the stone rolled away and Jesus' body missing. They reported this to the disciples, but the disciples did not believe them. Peter went to check the tomb and found Jesus' burial cloths but no body. That evening, Jesus appeared to two disciples walking to Emmaus. He joined their conversation but they did not recognize him at first.

1. Luke 24:1-53
The Resurrection, Appearance and Ascension
March 27, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
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What’s the number one thing?
The glory of God!
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1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.

2. March Memory Verse
Isaiah 6:8 ESV
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom, shall I send, and who will go
before Us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Three ways to schedule your appointment:
1. Online - Click "Schedule a Portrait Session".
2. Meet with a scheduler in Fellowship Hall East on Sundays in April (8:30–9:00
am; 10:00–10:30 am; 11:30–noon.
3. Call the Church Office at 601-949-1969, Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm.
• You will be asked to leave a message, and someone will return your
call to schedule your appointment day and time.
Contact:
L. Lavon Gray at lgray@fbcj.org
Presented by the FBCJ Orchestra.
The pricing is $20 for tickets bought at the church; $20 + $1/per ticket
convenience fee if purchased online.
Seating is general admission.

3. Sunday
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Acts 4:1-13
Courageous
April 3, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What is the only man-made thing in Heaven (now and forever)?
Luke 24:39-40 NIV
39 “Look at My hands and My feet. It is I myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does
not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them His hands and feet.
Isaiah 49:16a NASB
16 “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;”
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4. Psalm 40:5 ESV
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
Luke 23
Jesus is tried, crucified and buried.
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Luke 23:52 ESV
52 This man (Joseph of Arimathea) went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
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Luke 23:55-56 ESV
55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb
and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and
ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

5. http://ldsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Table02.png
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Today
Luke 24:1-12
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6. Luke 24:1-12 ESV
The Resurrection
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking
the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the
tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in
dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the
ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in
Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and
be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and
returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and
the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these
words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter
rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by
themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Luke 24:1-12 ESV
Jon Courson
San Diego, California
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Luke 24:1 ESV
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking
the spices they had prepared.
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7. The last ones at the Cross are now the first ones at the tomb.
• When Joseph of Arimathea placed the body of Jesus in his tomb, there
would not have been time for a complete embalming because Passover
would begin at sunset.
Consequently, these women were now coming to complete the task.
• All of the Gospel writers tell us that they came early—always a good time
to come to the Lord.
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"They that seek Me early shall find Me," the Lord declares (Proverbs 8:17).
Truly, those who seek the Lord early—early in life, early in a situation, early every
day—will uniquely find Him.
After a grandfather lost his treasured watch during a family gathering, he called
his grandchildren together and told them he'd pay $25 to the one who found it.
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This sent the kids on a mad scramble—running and screaming and turning over
every rock.
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8. But the four-year-old grandson just sat and watched his brothers and cousins all
come back empty-handed.
The next morning at breakfast he handed his grandfather the watch.
"How did you find it?" asked the puzzled old man.
"I just got up real early and listened for the ticking," replied his clever grandson.
There is so much noise and commotion going on all around us that sometimes
it's hard to hear the Lord in the middle of the day.
The time to hear Him is early in the morning—just as these women did.
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9. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OkqKmIuRU-E/T4JPUqhhH0I/AAAAAAAACIw/Y44cYKBx0VE/s1600/Easter.jpg
Luke 24:2-4 ESV
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about
this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.
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Because the other Gospel writers tell us these men were angels, Luke's account
implies that angels actually appear to men as men.
These women saw two men, yes, they were shining—but they appeared as men
nonetheless.
Therefore, when we get to Heaven, we will be amazed by how much contact we
had with angelic beings without even realizing it.

10. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers," the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2).
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Luke 24:5 ESV
5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men
said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
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People still seek Jesus among the dead.
“He was a great Example,” they say, “a powerful Role Model, the Master
Teacher.”
“Study His life and see what He had to say about that matter” - they say.
They study Him philosophically but they treat Him as though He's dead and we
as believers can fall into that error as well.
As we gather together to worship Him today, Jesus is here, He truly is!
We're not talking about the thoughts of Jesus or the teachings of Jesus or the
memory of Jesus.

11. He said: "Whenever two or three are gathered in My Name, I will be in the midst
of them," (Matthew 18:20).
When we begin to grasp this, the way we worship, study, and pray is affected.
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Luke 24:6-8 ESV
6 “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in
Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and
be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered His words.
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The fact that the angels said, "Don't you remember how Jesus told you He would
be crucified and rise again the third day?" indicates that the angels were
listening when Jesus said these words to His disciples.
Peter tells us that the angels long to look into the things taught and spoken of
concerning Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:12).
Why?
Because they are not saved like we are - they're not sinners, rescued by the
blood of the Lamb.

12. Therefore, the way they understand that their King and Master is a God of
incredible mercy and incalculable love is by watching you and me.
"Wow, how could our God love her? How could our God be so patient with a guy
like that?" they say.
And it makes them worship Him all the more.
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Luke 24:9-10 ESV
9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all
the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of
James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
Augustine was right when he called Mary Magdalene "the apostles' apostle"
since she, indeed, was the first one to share the Gospel with the disciples.
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Luke 24:11 ESV
11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
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13. Although these women were speaking the absolute truth, because it seemed
impossible to believe, the disciples dismissed their report as idle tales—or,
literally, "babbling that comes from a fevered and insane mind."
As a result, they spent longer in the darkness of despair than was necessary.
Wise is the man who takes serious the "babblings" of the lady in his life—for
therein often lies great truth that will shine light in his darkness.
Luke 24:12 ESV
12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen
cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
After initially thinking the women had lost their minds, John 20:3 tells us Peter and
John ran to the tomb to check out their story.
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14. Peter had sinned incredibly against Christ—yet John keeps his arm around Peter
and stays close to him.
That's the kind of Biblical Christianity we need today—people who will say even
to the one who has erred greatly, "I'm still with you. I'm not going to walk away
from you or turn my back on you."
How the church needs more Johns!
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Notice the word "clothes" is plural. The implication from the Greek text is that
there was more than just one piece of cloth used to encase the body of Christ.
This makes us suspect the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin.
We doubt its authenticity not simply on the basis of this text, but also due to the
way the Lord works.
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15. Although the brass serpent Moses had been instructed to make was to be an
illustration of Jesus on the Cross, the people had begun to worship the serpent
itself.
When revival came to Israel during the reign of Hezekiah, it is no wonder he
broke the brass serpent into pieces, calling it "Nehushtan," or "thing of brass" (2
Kings 18:4).
Because man has a craving for something tangible and touchable, his tendency
is to worship and idolize relics; but because the Father's purpose is to move us
into the realm of the spiritual and eternal, He wants us to walk by faith not by
sight.
Luke 24:13-15 ESV
On the Road to Emmaus
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about
seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all
these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing
together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
As these two travelers are talking about Jesus, guess Who shows up right in their
midst?
The risen Lord!
Don't you love talking with brothers and sisters about the Lord?
Something more than just an intellectual exchange transpires.
These two didn't have answers, they were just talking about Jesus —and He
joined them.
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16. Luke 24:16-19a ESV
16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, “What is
this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they
stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him,
“Are you the only visitor to who does not know the things that have happened
there in these days?” 19a And He said to them, “What things?”
Luke 24:16-19a ESV
Did Jesus not know?
Of course He knew!
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Sometimes we think, “The Lord already knows what's going on. Why pray?”
But every parent knows the answer.
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When your child has something to share with you, even though you already
know the story or the facts, you love to hear it from him.
So, too, Jesus would say to you today, "Talk to Me—about that trouble at work,
about that feeling in your heart.
I already know all about it, but I want to hear it from you."

17. In talking over the events that had transpired in Jerusalem, the two on the road
to Emmaus will find themselves convicted by their own words.
As they start talking to the Lord, they will inadvertently give all sorts of reasons for
why they shouldn't have been sad, shouldn't have been weak in faith.
This is the beauty of prayer.
Read the Psalms, and you'll find the psalmist often pouring out complaints to the
Lord.
But by the time the Psalmist works through it, about ten verses later—he ends by
giving praise to the Lord.
When I talk things over with the Lord and recount the situation to Him, suddenly I
begin to see I'm wrong.
Here I thought I had this case or this reason to be upset; yet as I begin to recount
the tale to the Lord, my own words convict me.
Luke 24:19b-26 ESV
19b And said to Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man Who was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief
priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified
Him. 21 But we had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel. Yes, and
besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover,
some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the
morning, 23 and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that
they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. 24 Some of
those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had
said, but Him they did not see.” 25 And He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that
the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?”
Luke 24:19b-26 ESV
"Don't you see it, guys? The apostles went to the tomb and it was empty. The
women had a message from the angels. All of these things are happening. You
should be excited and full of expectation. Instead, you're sad, depressed, and
slow of heart. The word from the angel, the witness of the apostle, the emptiness
of the tomb should stimulate in you hope and interest. Instead, you're just
trudging to Emmaus, sharing your sadness."

18. No wonder Jesus lovingly but pointedly called them fools.
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Luke 24:27 ESV
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all
the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
As you teach the Bible to others, your job is to look for Jesus in every part of the
Word.
Focus on Him, look for Him, speak of Him every time you teach.
Do you think Jesus was carrying scrolls of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms
under His arm?
Of course not!
He was quoting Scripture from memory and from His heart.
Sometimes you might think, I don't need to study the Word because I've already
studied it, I already know it.
Do you?
Can you walk along the road and discuss Genesis 37-50, Ezekiel 44, Luke 21-24,
Romans 5-8?
Until you're at that place, you need to be where the Bible is taught (hearing)
consistently and be reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on God’s
Word.
Luke 24:28 ESV
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He
were going farther,

19. Always the perfect Gentleman, Jesus does not impose Himself, but would have
kept going.
Jesus will never burst in to your situation.
He'll walk with you, but won't force Himself on you.
He'll stay with you as long as you want Him to, He'll go with you as far as you
want Him to—but He won't break in and make you listen to Him, learn of Him, or
be with Him.
Luke 24:29-32 ESV
29 but they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and
the day is now far spent.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 When He was at table
with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
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31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from
their sight.
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32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts (heart) burn within us while He
talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”
Luke 24:29-32 ESV

20. The travelers were won by the Word.
No longer slow of heart, they are on fire in their hearts simply through hearing the
Scripture.
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of hearing and studying and
meditating on the Scriptures.
Not only were the travelers won by the Word of God, but they were one.
"Did not our heart burn within us?" they exclaimed.
So, too, we have one heart because we're in the Word together, listening to the
Lord together.
Being with the Lord together, we are one.
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Luke 24:33-34 ESV
33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the
eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord
has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
In 1 Corinthians 15:5, Paul mentions the fact that before the Lord appeared to the
others, He appeared first to Peter.
Where, when, and how we don't know.
It was a personal meeting, a private meeting in which Jesus had a special
session with Peter to affirm His love.
If you feel like you've blown it completely, the Lord will seek you out first and
foremost and meet you uniquely.
That's not a sentimental thought.

21. That's a fact based upon the ministry of the Resurrected Lord.
Luke 24:35-40 ESV
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to
them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and
said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and
thought they saw a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 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.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His
feet.
Luke 24:35-40 ESV
The only thing man-made in Heaven are the nail prints in the hands and feet of
Jesus Christ.
Why do they remain?
Two reasons....
First, to identify Himself.
It was the nail prints that showed an unbelieving Thomas not only the reality of
His Resurrection, but the depth of His love.
Second, to identify with us.
Life is painful.
Hurts, pains, and problems abound.
So often, we find ourselves tempted to think we can't stand it any longer or
handle it anymore.
But then we hear Jesus say, "When you think you can't handle it, look at My
hands and be reminded that I know the pain you're feeling, the pressure you're
facing. When you think you can't stand anymore, look at My feet and be
reminded that I understand."

22. http://wwyeshua.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/12-jesus-shows-his-hands.jpg?w=500&h=355
This is the point the writer of Hebrews makes when he writes, “For because He
Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being
tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18 ESV)
If Jesus loves me enough to die in my place and bear nail prints for eternity, why
am I going through what I'm going through right now? You might be wondering.
If I'm really in His hand, if I'm really on His heart, why is my business collapsing or
my body falling apart? Why aren't things working out the way I thought they
would at this point in my life? If He really loves me, why am I being scarred?
Again, two reasons....
First, that we might identify with Him.
Paul said, "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..." and
Christians say, "Amen! I want to know You, Lord, and the power of Your
resurrection." But then Paul went on to add, "...and the fellowship of His suffering."
(See Philippians 3:10)
A unique intimacy is the result of suffering with someone.
The people with whom you are closest are not those with whom you laugh, but
those with whom you cry.
Therefore, the Father says, "If you want to really know Me, it requires the
fellowship of suffering."

23. Second, we suffer not only that we might identify with Him, but in order to identify
with others.
The teaching of present-day American Christianity that says that God wants His
children to be healthy and wealthy, that those who walk in faith should never
have problems flies in the face of the early church and the teachings of the
apostles.
It flies in the face of the martyrs on every continent of every age who knew
nothing of such a so-called prosperity gospel.
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Shipwrecked on the island of Malta, Paul gathered sticks to build a fire to warm
the drenched soldiers and prisoners.
When a poisonous snake fastened itself to Paul's hand, the villagers thought Paul
must have been a murderer to deserve such a fate.
So they watched him and waited for him to swell up and die.
But Scripture records that, although he was smitten by the same serpent that had
killed others on the island, Paul shook it off. And then they thought he was a god
(Acts 28).
When will people listen to what you have to say about Christ Jesus?
When, although you've been smitten by the same serpents that smite them, you
shake it off and go on.
When your business goes bankrupt, when your health fails, when problems
mount, unbelievers expect you to swell up or fall down, to no longer love God or
walk with the Lord.

24. But when, like Paul, you shake off the snake and keep praising God, the
islanders take notice.
The cynics and skeptics who live on your street and work in your office are not
waiting to see how rich you can get.
What they are waiting to see is what you do when the serpent strikes, when pain
comes, when things get tough.
Will you swell up and fall down, or will you keep on?
Such are the results of suffering.
Luke 24:41 ESV
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, He said to them,
“Have you anything here to eat?”
("I want to share a meal with you," Jesus said - and He still says that.)
"I stand at the door of your heart and knock," He says. "If any man open the
door, I'll come in and enjoy a meal with him. I'll have fellowship with him" (Rev
3:20).
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Luke 24:42-45 ESV
42 They gave Him a piece of broiled fish (and honey), 43 and He took it and ate
before them.
44 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.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand
the Scriptures,
Luke 24:42-45 ESV

25. Verse 45 should be clearly marked in our Bibles.
“Oh, Lord, open my understanding, that I might indeed understand Your Word.”
Luke 24:46-48 ESV
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be
proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are
witnesses of these things.
Notice Jesus doesn't call His disciples defense attorneys or judges, lawyers or
juries.
He calls them witnesses.
We often think we have to argue with people, debate against people, present
persuasive cases to people.
The Lord doesn't call us to any of that.
He simply says, "Share with people what you've seen. Share with people what
you've found. Share with people what I have done in and for you."
Witnessing is a total joy when you simply share with people that which blesses
you.
If you have an answer to prayer or an insight into the Word, share it with those
around you as if they're already saved.
That way there will be a lot less arguing and a lot more sharing.
Share with those around you whatever you're learning, whatever you're
experiencing.
Be faithful in being a witness, and leave the rest to the Lord.
Luke 24:49 ESV
49 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.”
What is the promise of the Father?
It is the Person and power of the Holy Ghost.

26. John 14:26 ESV
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My
name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
The Lord is alive, gang.
Moment by moment, not only will He put on your heart the things He wants you
to do and say and be, but He'll give you the power to carry them out perfectly
(Philippians 2:13).
When He says, "Write the letter," write the letter.
When He says, "Take a break and worship Me for five minutes," do it.
When He says to "go into your son's room, lay your hands on him while he
sleeps, and bind the work of the enemy on his life," do just that.
When He says, "Bring your wife red roses," don't bring her marigolds.
Don't make the New Testament the Old Covenant.
Respond to the Spirit's leading moment by moment and your walk will be
transformed.
Luke 24:50-52a
The Ascension
50 Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed
them. 51 While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into
Heaven. 52a And they worshiped Him
The last act of Jesus after His resurrection was to bless.
The first act of the believers after His ascension was to worship.
People often think worship is the means of getting blessed.
Wrong!
True worship, however, is simply responding to what God has already done for
us.

27. Luke 24:52b-53 ESV
52b and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the
temple blessing God.
The Gospel of Luke began in the temple with Zacharias unable to say a word
because he didn't believe what he was told.
It ends in the temple with people believing, rejoicing, singing, and worshiping.
We are the temple!
Part of our numbers are like Zacharias—not saying a word because they don't
believe that the Lord really is with them right now and desires to bless them just
as they are.
So they leave in silence.
Others, however, do believe.
Because of His Word, they believe that the Lord loves them and lives inside of
them.
They believe the Lord has forgiven them and will walk beside them.
As a result, they go their way rejoicing, worshiping, and praising Him.
In every session, the choice is ours whether to slink out silently or to leave
rejoicing; whether to be slow of heart, or to listen to the One traveling alongside
us.
May God give us the grace today to believe that Jesus is alive, is with us, and is
truly for us!
Jon Courson's Application Commentary New Testament.
http://www.applegatefellowship.org/images/circle-200-jon.jpg
END

28. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23 For the wages of sin is death,
 Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
 Even Jesus, the one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to pay the
penalty for our sins.
 The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23 but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
 Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be overcomers.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.

29. Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you have questions or would like to know more, please, contact First Baptist
Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/