Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Jesus' empowered people must proclaim his forgiving fulfillment to all nations.

I. Jesus' resurrection was persuasively physical (vv. 36-43)

II. His forgiving fulfillment must be proclaimed to all nations (vv. 44-49)

III. This proclamation proceeds from joyful worship (vv. 50-53)

Digging Deeper

1. Does the resurrection of Jesus ever feel “too good to be true” to you? How is this passage reassuring when we feel this way?

2. If the resurrection is true, the implications for how we live our lives are huge. What - specifically - does Jesus’s resurrection mean for you today?

3. Pick one of the Old Testament passages pointing to Christ mentioned in the sermon (Genesis 3, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22). Spend some time reflecting on how it connects us to the Gospel.

4. When thinking about the task Jesus gives to us - proclaiming the forgiveness of sins that he offers to the nations - we may feel weak. But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to aid us in power to spread the Gospel everywhere. What needs and weaknesses do you need to trust the Spirit to supply in your life?

5. Spend some time thinking about people for whom God has laid a burden on your heart. Are you called to go and spread the good news of Jesus somewhere else? If so, where? If not, where - and to whom - in your spheres of influence are you called to proclaim it? Be specific.

6. How can we grow in making our “joyful worship” of God visible to the world, which needs to see our love for him?

7. When we go through hard seasons trying to follow Jesus, what truths from his word - especially in the Gospel of Luke - can help us endure and continue to trust his plan?

8. After Jesus ascended and blessed the disciples, they returned to the temple, blessing him. What blessings of God can you respond to in praise today? (think not only in physical/material terms, but also spiritual).

9. Where and how can we, as a Gospel Community - a family of disciples sent by God on mission to the world - proclaim Jesus’s forgiving fulfillment by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

The resurrection of Jesus proves God has kept all his ancient promises and so will come through on all his promises that lie ahead.

Digging Deeper

1. What assumptions have you seen people have that keep them from “getting” Jesus? What barriers did you have to overcome to receive Jesus?

2. Jesus helps his disciples understand God’s plan by going to all the Scriptures (i.e., the Old Testament) and showing how it was about himself (24:27). How does Jesus’ approach affect the way we approach reading and understanding the Bible?

3. What was that moment like when you understood who Jesus was for the first time? If you haven’t yet experienced that, what do you think holds you back?

4. In the sermon, it was said that we can sometimes think Jesus is far away, even when he’s right alongside us. How might this be (or has it been) true in your life?

5. Why doesn’t God always conform to your expectations? Why might this actually be a good thing?

6. How can you grow in letting God’s Word define your expectations for life?

7. What situation or circumstance in your life right now tends to overshadow the power of the resurrection?

8. Consider a circumstance you’re in right now. How can the fact that Jesus is truly alive help you endure it well?

Prayer

Discussion Questions

Sermon Overview

Because Jesus was raised as he predicted, you can trust all his promises.

Digging Deeper

1. When you think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, what questions arise in your mind?

2. Why is it important to see (and believe) that Jesus’ resurrection is both true and meaningful? What is lost if we abandon either of these?

3. Please read: Luke 24:6–7 “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” It was noted in the sermon that, in verse 6, the angels don’t tell the women to remember that Jesus said the Son of Man would be delivered, killed, and raised—but that he must be delivered, killed, and raised. It had to happen. Why? Why did it have to happen?

4. How does Luke 19:10 (“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”) help us arrive at a solid answer to #3 above?

5. What are some of the historical details Luke provides for us, his readers, so that “we may have certainty” regarding the historical truthfulness of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?

6. Jesus predicted (promised) that he would rise from the dead, and then he did what he said he would do: he rose from the dead. Does this fact strengthen your confidence that he will do the other things he has promised to do as well? How so?

7. Jesus claimed that he could forgive sins (sins ultimately done against God). How does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead help us trust that through him we truly can find forgiveness for our sin, guilt, and rebellion against God?

8. Jesus promises eternal life to those who trust him. How does his resurrection help us believe this promise?

9. Jesus has promised to come again to take his own to himself. How does his resurrection help us believe he will do what he has said in this regard?

10. Was there anything in particular from this sermon that helped you once again to marvel at the majesty of Jesus in his triumphant resurrection victory over sin, Satan, and the grave? Please share.

Prayer