Luke 24 (7)

Pray Psalm 33.1-5.
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

Sing Psalm 33.1-5.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
Sing with rejoicing in the Lord, for praise becomes His righteous ones!
With harps and songs raise grateful words, and let new songs of praise be sung!

Joyfully shout! His Word is true; He does His work in faithfulness.
His love prevails the whole world through; the Lord loves truth and righteousness.

Read Luke 24.1-53; meditate on verses 46-48.

Preparation
1. What did Jesus say must be preached?

2. What would be the role of His disciples in this?

Meditation
The gospel of Luke ends with echoes of how it began—faithful Israelites being accosted by a heavenly visitation; the proclamation of Good News by lowly but faithful disciples; a heavenly Visitor arrives, and that same Visitor returns to His home. All that comes between Luke 1 and Luke 24 is the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, a realm where repentance, remission of sins, and joyous proclamation of salvation are the daily experience of Spirit-born, Spirit-filled citizens.

The suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ began when He was born of a virgin and laid in a manger. He humbled Himself to come among us so that, by being humiliated and hanged on a cross, He might set us free from sin and death. He fulfilled the Law of God and was crucified for His innocence; but by His blood and resurrection, all who believe know abundant and eternal life.

Jesus has sent His promised Spirit to all who believe in Him, to grant us understanding into His Word, transform us increasingly into His likeness, and fill us with power to live as His witnesses. The gospel ends with a small band of folk who have believed the Good News, rejoicing with great joy, continually praising and blessing God, and waiting for the Lord to fulfill all His precious and very great promises (vv. 52, 53).

Make sure you’re part of that glad and faithful band.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Lk. 24.49).
“And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just as my Father promised. Don’t begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until the Holy spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Lk. 24.49 TLB).
“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Is. 40.31).

To tarry is to delay or be tardy in acting or doing; to linger in expectation. Absolute and intentional waiting. In all of Scripture we have examples of those who attempted the impossible without the power to do it. Like Superman leaping off a tall building without his cape: It did not, does not, nor ever will end well.

We must be filled with the Promise, the Holy Spirit, to receive the “Well Done” (Matt. 25.21) for our efforts in the Kingdom of God, within our Personal Mission Field. And He will give the Holy Spirit to us—we only need to ask (Lk. 11.13). But ask, we must, lest we make a mess of things. So, seek Him in His Word. He will be found (Matt. 7.8)

Spirit of the Living God, Fall fresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God, Fall fresh on me,
Melt me, mold me, Fill me, use me.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall fresh on me.
(Dan Iverson, 1935)

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The baptism of the heav’n descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.
(George Croly, 1854)

Tarry daily in your city; linger expectantly in His Word. Spend time talking with Him. And then dress for the battle in the garb of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 6.10-20). Do not attempt your day without the power to perform it;
but caped and filled with the Holy Spirit you will do well, living the Good News of Jesus.

For reflection
1. Why is the Holy Spirit so important to our fulfilling our calling from the Lord?

2. Why do we need our fellow believers to help us in that calling?

3. What can we do each day to help us make progress in fulfilling our calling?

By an increase in the spreading of the Word, the church would extend the branches of its teaching into the whole wide world. The prophecy of Isaiah would be brought to fulfillment. He said, “The law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and he will judge the nations and convict many peoples.” The Venerable Bede (672-735), Homilies on the Gospels 11.15

Pray Psalm 33.8-12.
Ask the Lord to give you the power of His Spirit to be a witness for Jesus Christ and to bring the Good News of the Kingdom, by word and deed, to all the people in your Personal Mission Field.

Sing Psalm 33.8-12
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
Let all below now fear the Lord; let all in awe of Him abide!
The worlds exist by Jesus’ Word; let all on earth in Him confide.

He nullifies the nations’ plans; forever stands His sov’reign Word.
All they are blessed who with Him stand—the chosen people of the Lord.

T. M. and Susie Moore 

You can download all the studies in our Luke series by clicking here.

If you find Scriptorium helpful in your walk with the Lord, please seek the Lord, asking Him whether you should contribute to the support of this daily ministry with your financial gifts. As the Lord leads, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.