Luke: Follow Jesus - The Perfect Ending

OUTLINE: 

• (Luke 24:44-45) The Message: Jesus reveals himself as the point of all Scripture
• (Luke 24:46-49) The Mission: Jesus communicates the Gospel by pointing to Scripture 
• (Luke 24:49-53) The Majesty: Jesus ascends, blessing his people, and they worship with joy

QUESTIONS:

1. On the open promise (Luke 24: 44). Jesus pointed to a perfect track record of keeping promises while one enormous promise was still open, and he staked his honesty on it. What promise of God feels "still open" in your life right now, and how does his record with the closed ones change the way you wait on it? Name one promise God has already kept to you. When did you last say it out loud?
2. On the Message (Luke 24:45). The disciples had large portions of Scripture memorized and spent three years beside Jesus, and they still couldn't see it until He opened their minds. What's the difference between knowing the Bible and having your eyes opened to it, and when have you felt that difference in your own reading? If understanding is a gift and not an achievement, what does that change about how you sit down with Scripture on an ordinary Tuesday?
3. On the Mission (Luke 24:48). Stier (a biblical commentator) says Jesus appointed "not orators, or enthusiasts, or even simple teachers, but before all, and in all, witnesses." Most of us avoid evangelism because we feel unqualified for the role of the lawyer or expert, but a witness only reports what happened. What has Christ actually done in your life that you could tell without notes, and who hasn't heard it? What would change if you believed your job was accuracy, not persuasion?
4. On the waiting (Luke 24:49). The disciples were handed a worldwide mission and then told to sit still until the power came. Where in your life are you working ahead of our waiting, running on our own "meager resources" instead of the Spirit's power? What's the difference between waiting on God and just procrastinating, and how do you tell them apart in practice?
5. On the Majesty (Luke 24:51-53). The disciples watched Jesus leave for good and responded with great joy, because they finally understood where he went and what he did there. Be honest: do you tend to relate to Jesus as absent or as enthroned? What do you actually believe he is doing right now, today, on your behalf? If his hands are still raised over you in blessing, what guilt or fear are you carrying that assumes his hands have dropped?

SCRIPTURE:

Luke 24:44-53

NEXT WEEK:

Proverbs 1:1-8