Let us turn again to God's Word
and directing you now to words that we find in Luke chapter
24. In the end of that chapter, Luke
chapter 24, and I'll read the passage from verse 44 through 49. Luke 24 reading at verse 44 and
he said unto them these are the words which I spake unto you
while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the Lord of Moses and in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me then opened in their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it, Behold Christ to suffer and
to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send the promise
of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until
ye be endued with power from on high. And I want us really to take
for our text those words in verse 49, that last verse that we just
read, And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you,
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power
from on high. Last week you may recall we were
considering those previous words at verse 45 how the Lord opened their understanding
that they might understand the Scriptures. And I remark there
now that Calvin in commenting here says that the equivalent
of this statement in John's account is the words that we have there
in John 20, 22. where the Lord breathed on them
and said, receive ye the Holy Ghost. The Protestant Reformer
says the opening of their understanding and the Lord's breathing upon
them, the Holy Ghost, is a reference to one and the same thing. have to prove continually that
we need that gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit if we're going
to find any profit in the Word of God. We might deliver it just
now as we sang those words of Isaac Watts in the hymn number
26, it is the Spirit who must be to us a teacher and an interpreter. It was the spirit who first gave
the word or scripture. It's given by inspiration of
God. It's the breathings of God. Now we need the spirit to come
and to breathe that truth into our very souls. And it's necessary,
of course, because of what we are by nature. We can have no
proper understanding of these things. The natural man receives
not the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness
to him. Neither can he know them because
they are spiritually discerned. If they are spiritually discerned,
it must be the Spirit who grants to us that discernment, that
understanding, and that faith. that is truly saving faith but
I want us as I said now to turn to the words that follow here
in verse 49 to take these words for our text but in particular
two parts of the verse the Lord speaks of the promise of my father
and power from on high the promise of my father and power from on
high. Spoken of then here in Luke 24
and verse 49. And so really taking up the theme
of the promise and the power of the gospel because this is
what the Lord Jesus is speaking of. He gives them that charge in
verse 47 that repentance and remission of sins is to be preached
in the name of the Lord Jesus among all nations. And to that
end we have the promise of the Father and the power that comes
from on high. First of all then to say something
with regards to the preachers and the power of the preachers. What we have here is the final
instruction that the Lord Jesus Christ is giving to his disciples. And what is that final instruction? It is simply that they are to
preach. They are to preach the Gospel. We have it, don't we, in what
we call the Great Commission at the end of Matthew's Gospel,
going into all the worlds and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you and though I am with you even unto the end of
the world. And then again we have a charge
at the end of Mark's gospel. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel unto every creature. And what is to be preached? Well, we're told here in the
47th verse to preach repentance and the remission of sins. And this message is to be preached
among all nations and preached in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. and so when we come to the later
part of the New Testament Scriptures and we find the Apostle Paul
giving instruction to Timothy how he tells him quite clearly
he's to preach the words he's to be instant in season and out
of season and Paul as he gives such instruction
to young Timothy is of course always mindful of his own ministry. And what was his ministry? Well,
he tells the Corinthians that Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel. We are Baptists, of course, and
we see the need of baptism. One is to believe in the heart,
one is to confess with the mouth. There is to be that public profession
of faith, that obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the prime thing is the Gospel, and Paul is so clear on that.
I sent him, he says, not to baptize, but to preach, and to preach
the Gospel. And we know, if we know anything
of church history, that the church is at its healthiest when preaching
is recognized as that that is so paramount. What was the Protestant
Reformation? It was a great movement of preaching. That was certainly the case with
regards to the Reformation here in England. As I said before,
when we think of the Reformation in Western Europe, we see certain
individuals very much associated with what went on in certain
parts of the world, certain countries. We associate the Reformation
in Germany with Luther. When we think of what was going
on in Geneva, in the French-speaking parts of Switzerland, we think
of the ministry of John Calvin. Coming nearer home, we associate
John Knox's name very much with the Reformation in that country,
Scotland. But when we think of England,
there's no particular individual. There are a number of men who
were clearly raised up of God. We think of Tyndale, we think
of Cranmer and the martyrs and so many of them. But really the
movement here was very much centered in the word of God and the preaching. The preaching of the word of
God. And because there was so much ignorance, amongst the so-called
clergy of that day what was issued at the time of the Reformation
besides the translation of God's word into the common tongue but
also the book of homilies and so in the parish churches there
would be the reading of the word in English but there would also
be the reading of the homilies because there were not those
who could preach until a better generation was raised up, and
then of course when we come to the following century, the 17th
century, we see the Puritans. And what were those men? They
were preachers. It was a continuation, really, of the work of Reformation.
There was much preaching. And so it goes on into the 18th
century. where we have the Fields preaching
of a man like George Whitfield leading the way and then the
Wesley's and others following in his van as it were. Where
the church is healthy there is that emphasis upon the preaching
and this is the charge that we have here. What of these men? Well they are men who were clearly
sent And the Lord says that, doesn't He? There in the end
of Matthew, the Great Commission. All power, all authority is given
unto me. Go ye therefore. He has all power,
all authority in heaven and in earth. And He says to them, go
therefore and teach all nations we see how in the course of his
ministry when the Lord makes choice of the twelve apostles
he sends them forth and he sends them forth to preach back in
Matthew chapter 10 and there at verse 5 We are told these twelve, we
have their names previously, these twelve Jesus sent forth
and commanded them saying go not into the way of the Gentiles
and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not but go rather to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel and as you go preach saying
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now it's interesting, this is
in the course of his ministry as he is fulfilling all righteousness
and accomplishing the work that the Father has given him. All
that he has undertaken in the eternal covenant is in the process
of accomplishing that great salvation. And he sends out the twelve,
but he clearly sends them here to Israel. Go not into the way
of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,
and as ye go, preach. But you see, when the Lord has
completed that great work, as we see it here at the end of
the Gospels, He sends them into all the worlds. This message
is not only to go to Israel, now that Christ has fulfilled
all righteousness and accomplished that great work of redemption,
it is to be proclaimed amongst all nations, all peoples. But we see how these men who
were first given the charge are referred to as apostles, the
twelve apostles. And the very word apostle is
derived from the Greek word that literally means to send. They
are sent. They are sent forth. And they lay, as it were, the
foundation of all that is to follow. We know how the church
is built upon that foundation, the apostles and the prophets. That's the New Testament prophets.
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. All that man who ascends. And
yet, what we see here in the text, in verse 49, is not so
much the Lord sending them directly here, but sending something to
them. The Lord sends something to them. It says, behold I send the promise
of my father upon you. What he sends upon them is so
vital to their going forth to preach this gospel. I send the
promise of my father upon you, he says. And what is it that He is sending
upon them? It is power. Power from on high. And so it's really the Lord Jesus
prophesying what would come to pass, of course, on the great
day of Pentecost. Some seven weeks after Passover,
there would come the day of Pentecost and for 40 days the Lord will
show himself to these men so that they will also bear witness
to his resurrection as we'll see but they're going to be endued
with power and he refers to it here quite clearly as the promise
of my father when the day of Pentecost was
fully come they were all with one accord in one place and then
that's great outpouring of the Spirit upon those men and Peter
makes it plain in the course of his preaching what is taking
place this is the work of Christ being by the right hand of God
exalted having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Ghost He has shed forth this which ye now see and hear. Oh, how it's evident here, you
see, that the Son sends the Spirit as the promise of the Father. That's the wonder of it. The Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. or the Father sends
the Spirit in the name of the Son. The Father sends the Spirit
in one sense in the name of the Son, in another sense the Son
sends the Spirit as the promise of the Father. How significant
that is! He proceeds from the Father and
the Son. This is all bound up with the
doctrine of God, the doctrine of the Trinity. the Son begotten of the Father,
the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son. And so those
who are to preach this message, this gospel, are preaching that
which is a great mystery. Paul himself desires the prayers
of the Ephesians. that he might make known that
mystery of the gospel as he addresses them there at the end of Ephesians
chapter 6 it's the mystery of the gospel, it's the mystery
of God it's the mystery of the person and the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ that is to be proclaimed and how the Spirit is so necessary
in order that there might be that clear setting forth of that
great mystery in which is bound up the salvation of the multitude
of sinners. All these men then they are sent,
but how are they sent? It's only as the Spirit is sent
to them and clothes their word with such a gracious authority
and such a wondrous power. But they're not only men who
are sent to preach, They are also spoken of as witnesses.
There in the previous 48th verse, ye are witnesses of these things. As they are sent out to preach
in verse 47, to preach in the name of Christ to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem, they are told, ye are witnesses of
these things. What things? What things are
they witnesses of? Well, it's what we have in the
context. They're witnesses of the blessed
truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had appeared to them, there,
in that upper room. And we know how they were troubled. They wondered. There were many
thoughts in their hearts. And the Lord says in verse 39,
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Now there's a certain emphasis
there, you see. He emphasizes the reality of
Himself. We have the repetition, I Myself,
He says. Handle Me and see. For a spirit
hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have. And when He had
thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. the significance
of those wounds this is that very one who had poured out his
soul unto death who had died that bloody death of the cross
all there had been that shedding of blood for the remission of
sins and so he shows them his wounds and they are made to wonder
at what they are witnessing and then he asks that question Have
you here any meat?" And they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish and honeycomb, and he took it, and he'd eat before them. Oh, there's something to be witnessed
here. This is a real person. This is real flesh and bones. Here is someone who is partaking
of food. This is no phantom spirit. This
is a real body. Yes, it's a glorified body. because
he is able to appear in their midst though the doors are barred
and vaulted in that upper room where they are so afraid and
these are the things that they are to bear witness to the blessed
truth of his resurrection from the dead and you know how when we come
to the opening chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and they're
waiting, aren't they, for the accomplishment of that promise.
They're to abide at Jerusalem, waiting for the coming of that
promise of which He had spoken, even the Spirit. But there we
see how they determine that one must be chosen from the rest
to be an apostle, to make up that breach occurred by the betrayal
of Judas, one of the twelve and they cast lots and the lot falls
on Matthias and what is it that these men are to do? they are
to bear witness to the resurrection that's what they say, one must
be chosen with us to bear witness to the resurrection the truth
of the resurrection, so fundamental and so evident in the Acts of
the Apostles how the Apostles are preaching the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus from the dead we see Paul at Athens there in
Acts 17 preaching on to those Athenians Jesus and the resurrection
of the dead. It was the great theme of the
Gospel. We remarked last week on those
words, of course, that we have in the opening verses of 1 Corinthians
15. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if
ye keep in memory what I preached unto you. unless you have believed
in vain and then he tells them what is
the gospel that I preached unto you I delivered unto you first
of all that which I also received after Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he
rose again the third day according to the scriptures And he was
seen of Cephas, then of the Twelve, after that he was seen of above
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain
unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he
was seen of James, and of all the apostles. And last of all,
he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." They're
all witnesses. witnesses to the blessed truth
of the resurrection. And all, all gospel preachers
are to declare that same truth of the resurrection. And they
preach, therefore, a living Savior. That's what we proclaim. The
one who was dead and yet is alive again, and has the power now. of death and of hell. We preach
a living Savior and those who preach this gospel they know
the reality of that resurrection. They're not just preaching that
truth of the resurrection because it's here on the page of Holy
Scripture but it's that that they have also known in their
own soul's experience. Wasn't that the case with Paul? As he speaks there in Philippians
3, that I may know him, he says, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his
death. All those who preach the Lord
Jesus Christ and his gospel, who preach the blessed truth
of the resurrection, they know that resurrection life in their
own souls. that faith that they have, it's
the consequence, isn't it? It's that power of God that is
in them. Those words that we've referred
to many a time, they're at the end of Ephesians chapter 1. Remember what Paul says, he speaks of the exceeding greatness
of his power to us who do believe according to the working of his
mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him
from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places. And what is he saying here? Well,
that that has come into the soul of the sinner is the same power
that was there in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. and
it's the exceeding greatness of that power to those who believe
saving faith comes as a consequence of that power from on high and
so there is that proclamation of the resurrected Christ because
the preacher has known and felt something of that life in his
own soul he's a new creature a new creation in the Lord Jesus
Christ, born again of the Spirit of God and proclaiming, therefore,
that blessed truth of regeneration. It was a great thing, was it
not, of the ministry of a man like George Whitford? How he
would continually declare the necessity of the new birth. He
must be born again. Why? Because he had known it.
as well as, of course, beholding it there on the page of Holy
Scripture, it was something that he had felt and experienced in
his own soul. All these are witnesses of that
that they had known and felt of the grace of God. The power then of the preaching
is because that power has come into the soul of a man and he's
enabled now by the Spirit of God to declare that same truth
with such conviction of soul. But let us turn in the second
place to the promise. We have these two statements
in the text not only endued with power from on high but he says
I send the promise of my Father upon you and you will observe that the the verse begins really with
that behold and behold here is something that we should take
careful account of here is something that we should fix our eye upon
and meditate upon behold I send the promise of my Father upon
you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued
with power from on high." The promise and it's a promise of my Father interesting that the words Gospel and promise in the New
Testament are virtually synonymous. The words in the original, of
course, are very similar in sounds. The words for the Gospel is that
word Evangelion, and we get from that our word Evangel. What is the gospel? It's the
evangel. Evangel is simply a transliteration of the Greek word that we know
as gospel. But the word promise is very
similar in sound, epangelia. And really, the best way we can
define the gospel is in terms of the promise of God. And that's
what we have here, the promise of my father. What is the great content of
the proclamation of the Gospel? Well, it concerns the fulfillment
of God's promise in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He comes to do the will of Him who has sent Him. He comes
to finish His work. All those things that were spoken
of and promised in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We noticed that last time when
we were referring to the words of verse 44. All things must be fulfilled
says Christ which were written in the law of Moses and in the
Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. And as I said then, what
we have there is a threefold division of the Old Testament
so familiar to the Jews. That's how they would divide
the Old Testament. It was the Lord of Moses, the
first five books, the Torah, and then there were the writings
of the Prophets, and then there was what they call the Agiographer,
or the writings. and the most significant part
of the writings was the book of Psalms and so it's the whole
of the Old Testament that is the promise of God and all fulfilled
in the Lord Jesus Christ but with regards to this message
that was to be preached well we have a certain definition
here in verse 47 Christ says that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem. So there's two particular aspects
of the preaching that we are to take account of if we're going
to do justice to the passage before us. These two things spoken
of specifically, remission of sins and repentance, is part
and parcel of the preaching. Firstly, the remission of sins.
Now, I did try last Lord's Day evening after preaching from
the passage here at verse 45 in the morning in the Evening
last Lord's Day, we turn to the words of John 20, 23. And I saw from that verse to
preach on the remission of sins. Whosoever sins he remit, they
are remitted. Whosoever sins he retain, they
are retained. The remission of sins. Now that's
nothing at all to do with Roman Catholic absolution. you know the teaching of the
apostate church of Rome how they say that the priest has power
to and authority to forgive sins and so the poor deluded papist
will go to his confession and make his confession of the priest
and the priest will then pronounce an absolution and he'll be allowed
then to go and observe the mass But that's nothing to do with
what we have there in John 20, 23. It's the preaching of the remission
of sins that is being spoken of. That's the whole context,
isn't it? The Lord speaks of the coming
of the Spirit and the preaching, and there's to be that preaching
of remission of sins, as well as repentance. And what is the
remission of sins? Well, it's the dismissing of
sins, releasing from sin, the pardon, the forgiveness of sins. And we have that great verse,
don't we, back in Jeremiah, you know, where it is in Jeremiah 50 and
verse 20, and he speaks of the gospel day
in those days and in that time said the Lord the iniquity of
Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins
of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them
whom I reserve that's the remission of sins it's gone it's been dismissed
and that's the message that's to be proclaimed And it's the
most awful of sins. It's even the greatest of sins. We have this expression, the
end of verse 47, beginning at Jerusalem. It goes from Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, the outermost part of the world, but it begins
at Jerusalem. And Jerusalem, of course, the
very place where the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. And the message that's being
proclaimed there on the day of Pentecost is to those Jews, the
very ones who would have been present at the Passover 50 days
previously, crying out for the crucifixion of Christ. And it's
to them that the Gospel first is proclaimed. you may be aware
there's a little work of John Bunyan's entitled the Jerusalem
Sinicide all Jerusalem sinners the worst of all the sinners
and now we see the Lord Jesus weeping don't we? and he weeps
over Jerusalem you know that passage at the end of Matthew
23 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not. It's interesting, I know I've
preached on this previously, but how the pronouns change from
the the third person to the second person in that verse. He is speaking
very much of Jerusalem. And so right throughout the verse
we have the words thee and thy. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. He's speaking
very much of Jerusalem and then it changes to the second person,
and ye would not. Who is the Lord speaking to? well he's speaking on to the
multitude and to his disciples but he's speaking very much in
terms of the scribes and pharisees as we see from verse 13 following
but woe unto you scribes and pharisees woe unto you scribes
and pharisees woe unto you scribes and pharisees all through the
chapter he is really addressing the scribes and the pharisees
ye would not ye would not, you see the common people were hearing
him gladly and he would gather Jerusalem, he would gather the
sinners to him but how the scribes and the pharisees they so much
opposed him and there they were at Jerusalem and Jerusalem that's
that place where ultimately at the bidding of the scribes and
pharisees they turned the mob against him and there he'd been
crucified. And yet, here is where this message
is to be first of all proclaimed, beginning, beginning at Jerusalem,
beginning with the worst of all the sinners. Oh, he came and
preached to you which were afar off and to them that were near,
says Paul there in Ephesians 2.17
speaking of the Lord Jesus. He preached peace to you which
were afar off and to them that were near. Now it's true that
he goes on then in chapter 3 of course to speak of the calling
of the Gentiles. It's the Gentiles who were afar
off in that sense historically. But the worst of sinners are
those surely who are afar off spiritually. but he comes first
and preaches to them afar off them who seem to have no hope
this gospel is for the greatest of sinners that's the wonder
of the gospel this is a man who receives sinners and eateth with
them and this is why the scribes and the pharisees are so offended because the gospel is for sinners And it's not only for the most
awful and the greatest of all the sinners. It's for all sorts
of sinners. Quite clearly it says here it's
among all nations. Remission of sin should be preached
in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Yes,
it begins there, but it's for all. all sorts of sinners. You see, some think that they're
too guilty. How can there be forgiveness
with me? I've had people speak with me
and say, look, I don't think I can be forgiven. You don't
know how great a sinner I've been. I just don't think it's
possible for a person as bad as I've been to really know the
forgiveness of sins. some think like that, then others
will come and say, how can I be saved? I don't think I've really
had enough conviction of sin. I don't really think that I've
come to realize how great my sins were. Surely this salvation
is for the greatest of sinners. People, you see, are so bewildered
by Satan and all his subtle ways and all his awful devices, he
will stop the sinner. He will find some way for the
sinner to reason himself out of coming. Sometimes we sing
that hymn of hearts, Come ye sinners. poor and wretched. And it has
that verse in it, doesn't it? Let not conscience make you linger,
nor a fitness fondly dream. All the fitness he requireth
is to fill your need of him. This he gives you, tis the Spirit's
rising beam. It's for all sorts of sinners. Quite clearly, the remission
of sins is for every type of sinner. But together with the
remission of sins we also read here of the preaching of repentance
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in
his name. And you know what the repentance
is. Fundamentally the word has the
idea of a change of mind. That's the word that we find
here in the original. literally a change of mind, but
it's such a fundamental change, that the man's life is turned
about, it's turned around, it's turned upside down, his life
is turned inside out. It's such a drastic change that
is being spoken. And the Lord Jesus makes it plain
that this is the message that to be proclaimed to the sinner.
I came not to call the righteous, the self-righteous, but sinners
to repentance he says but he doesn't just call the sinner
to repentance he is the one who gives repentance just as he is
the author and finisher of faith him hath God exalted with his
right hand we're told to be a prince and a savior to give repentance
to Israel and the forgiveness of sins And how is that repentance
given then? It's given where the promise
is accomplished. The promise of the Father. I
send the promise of my Father upon you. And the promise, as
we've said, it's the Holy Ghost, it's the Spirit, and that true
repentance, it's a spiritual repentance. It's not a mere spirit
of remorse. It's something deeper than that.
It's godly sorrow that works repentance to salvation, not
to be repented of. The sorrow of the world only
works death. Where does this sorrow come from?
It comes by that blessed ministry of the Spirit. Or remember that
promise that we have back in Zachariah? God says, I will pour
upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem
the Spirit of grace and the supplications. And they shall look upon him
whom they have pierced and shall mourn for him as one mourner
for an only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one
that is in bitterness for his firstborn. It's seeing something
of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ as the great sin
bearer. Law and terrors do but harden,
all the while they work alone, but a sense of blood brought
pardon soon dissolves the heart of stone. How our hard hearts
have to be softened then, how we have to come to see what sin
is, and we see it really in the horrors of the sufferings of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet that one now, all vindicated,
risen, Ascended, the one who has entered heaven and has bestowed
upon sinners that great promise of the Father. And that power,
that power that comes from on high, that blessed work of the
Spirit of God that comes into the soul of the sinner. Oh God
grant that we might know the accomplishment then of these
things for ourselves. Behold I send the promise of
my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until
ye be endued with power from on high. Lord, the Lord be pleased
then to bless the truth to us, the promise, the promise of the
Father and the power that comes from on high. Amen.