04-23-2023 – “Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Part Two”

Bible Text: various verses | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Above are the
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April 23, 2023
“Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Part Two”

Last week we studied some of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus: in the Garden near the tomb, on the road to Emmaus, in the upper room (10 Disciples present), and a week later in the upper room (11 Disciples present).  All of these events took place on a Sunday.

     Please turn to John 21:1-14…  The disciples had previously been told by Jesus (Matthew 28:10) to, “Go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 16, “The eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.”  Did you notice, it says the eleven disciples went to meet Jesus at a specified mountain in Galilee.

Back to John 21:2…  There are seven apostles in this story, “Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of [Jesus’] disciples were together.  It is very likely that the two unnamed disciples are Philip and Andrew, for they were often listed with Peter, James, and John (cf. Matthew 10:2-3, Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). .

Peter said to the other six (John 21:3), “I’m going fishing,” and they said, “We will also come with you.”  They got into a boat (perhaps belonging to Peter, or maybe John), and they fished all night and caught nothing.

It would appear that Peter and some of the others who had been fishermen when Jesus called them, were now going back to their former occupation.

John 21:4-5 tells us they hadn’t caught anything and Jesus standing on the shore, unrecognized by them, tells them to try the right side of the boat; they obey, and their net becomes filled with of fish.

John says to Peter, “It is the Lord.”  Peter jumps into the lake, but he others remain in the boat, but when they finally reached the beach and got out of the boat, they could see there was a small fire with some fish and bread cooking.  At this point Jesus tells them to bring some of fish they have caught, but the net of fish is still in the water, offshore.  On hearing the Lord’s command, Peter grabs ahold of the net and pulls it up on the land, full of fish, 153 large fish.  John (a fisherman by profession) is amazed (John 21:11) that such a huge catch of large fish has not torn the net.

Jesus invites the men to come and have breakfast with Him (John 21:12-13), and although they are still not absolutely sure it is Him, they don’t ask any questions, for in their hearts they must know it is Jesus.

It appears that they drew close to where Jesus was cooking, although they didn’t take anything to eat; at least, not until the Lord took some of the bread and the fish and gave it to them.  The resurrected Lord is still providing for these guys.

John  tells us (verse 14), this is the third time Jesus has revealed Himself to His disciples since He rose from the grave (see John 20:19-20, 26-29).

     The next appearance of Jesus seems to take place on the mountain in Galilee, possibly the same place where He had given the Sermon on the Mount.

Please turn to 1Corinthians 15:6, “He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”

Jesus had told His followers to go to Galilee and there they would see Him, as most of them were Galileans.  This may be the mountain on which Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28). No more is known of this appearance.

See 1Corinthians 15:7a…  It is likely that the James mentioned here is the Lord’s half-brother, who did not come to saving faith until he saw the risen Lord; although we don’t know where Jesus appeared to him, James later become a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church, and the author of book of James.  There are four James mentioned in the New Testament (cf. Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:12-16), James the brother of John (sons of Zebedee), James the son of Alphaeus, James the father of Judas (not Iscariot), and James the half-brother of Jesus.  There is no more information about the appearance in 1Corinthians 15:7a given in the Scriptures.

See 1Corinthians 15:7b…  I believe the statement, “then to all the apostles,” mostly applies to what occurred in John 20:26-29.  If you’ll remember, it was on the second Lord’s Day after Jesus rose from the grave, when Jesus appeared to all eleven of the disciples who were hiding in a house with the doors/windows secured.

But there is also a possibility that “all the apostles” could be related to what is recorded in Acts 1:1-13, where all eleven of them are mentioned by name.

See 1Corinthians 15:8-9…  All the others to whom the Lord had appeared, had seen Him while He was alive and after He had risen from the grave, during the 40 days before He ascended back into heaven; but the Lord didn’t appear to Paul until several years later, after He had already returned to heaven.

Paul says, “and last of all He (Jesus) appeared to me also, as to one untimely [abnormally] born.  For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

No wonder Paul felt like one abnormally born, the other apostles had walked

with and lived with Jesus for three years, being taught by Him; whereas Paul had not only rejected Him as the Messiah, he had persecuted His followers.

And yet Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, several years after He had ascended into heaven (cf. Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:1-18).

Did Saul actually see and hear the Lord?  See 1Corinthians 9:1, Acts 9:1-7.

Note: The Greek word phone [fo-nay] translated voice, means audible sound or speech.  The most common use in the Bible is for the voice of God, humans, angels, or any audible sound in general (cf. John 3:8; Revelation 1:10-15).

 

Jesus provided demonstrable proof and convincing evidence through His appearing to a great number of people, recorded in the Scriptures, as Luke writes, (Acts 1:3), “After His suffering [His death by crucifixion], He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Then there is the testimony of the church, millions of changed lives throughout history (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:1-8).  Most importantly, there is the personal indwelling of the God’s Spirit, confirming your spiritual birth into God’s family [the church, the body of Christ], and the assurance of eternal life with God, while at the same time (on this side of heaven), there is the continuing process of growing in your knowledge of and relationship with God, ,while being conformed to the character and nature of Christ, in obedience to the Word of God, to glory of God the Father.

The continuing testimony of those who belong to the Lord is the witness of Christ in this present and future generations.

Romans 10:13, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

1John 1:1-3, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

John was a first-hand witness to what Jesus said and did, including His death and resurrection.  John was not only an Apostle, but he was one of Christ’s most intimate followers, along with Peter and James.

John focuses on the historic reality of Jesus Christ (the God-man); while the false teachers of that time claimed belief in Christ, yet denied that He was both God and man.  John desires that all Christians form and hold to a proper view of Christ’s humanity and divinity.

Notice how John states that he (and the other Apostles) have heard, have seen, and have touched Christ.  John emphasizes how he personally looked upon and touched Jesus during His earthly ministry before and after His resurrection.

John writes via his own personal testimony, that God did come in the flesh and He did provide forgiveness and eternal life.  John declares that those who have genuine fellowship with the Father through Christ, will know, believe and teach what is recorded here.

 

This letter was written about 50-60 years after Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension; and yet, John has a vivid recollection of all that Jesus did, said, and was.  How is that possible (cf. John 14:15-17), “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (25-26), “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”.

In 1John 1:1-3, John reemphasizes his own personal experiences and eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life on earth.  This first-person testimony is very important, especially in light of all the false teachers in those days (as well as today) who arrogantly and falsely proclaim about the Christ they have never seen, heard, touched, ,or known.

You and I, as God’s people, are to testify to others about the personal and growing relationship we have with Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully communicate with God, reading, studying and applying His Word to our life, learning to trust Him for what we need and thanking Him for all that He provides.

Everyone who genuinely seeks forgiveness for their sins has eternal life and fellowship with God the Father through Christ the Son, who is the Word of God.

John 1:1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” 14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

John 5:26-27, “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” 39-40, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

John 11:25-26, Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

John 14:6, “I am the [only] way [to God], the [only] truth [from God], the [only] life [with God]; [and] no one comes to the Father [is made righteous, goes to heaven, is granted forgiveness and eternal life] but through Me.”

1John 5:11-12, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

    God’s people are to be witnesses, just as was John and the other apostles were witnesses; we must be ready and willing to share the message of Christ with anyone and everyone who will listen.

God’s people are messengers; Christ is the Message.  Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life and the Living Water, and everyone who believes in Him will be saved (2Corinthians 5:18-21), “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 
Jesus Christ: Crucified, Resurrected, Coming Again!
 
 
Pastor Mike
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