We have all heard the phrase, “Seeing is believing”. This Sunday, we are going to learn the opposite is true: “Believing is seeing”. In Luke 24:36-53, the resurrected Lord Jesus appears to the disciples, but their reactions are varied. They are terrified. They are troubled. They are conflicted. They don’t have categories for what they are seeing until Jesus opens up God’s Word to them. One of the biggest challenges that we all face in life is making sense of what God is doing. Until we can see the big story of the gospel, of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, we will be afraid of God or we will be afraid to hope. The resurrection changed the entire narrative of the disciples’ lives. Luke’s gospel ends with a cliffhanger. The disciples are waiting and excited for the next season of life and ministry. What is it like for you in your life right now? Does seeing what is going on around you make trusting God more difficult? Are you excited about the next season of life that God has for you? Until we see the Big Story of the Gospel, we will live in fear and uncertainty. It is seeing the unfolding purpose of God in all of Scripture that frees us from fear and hopelessness and makes us say “I can’t wait to see what God is up to next.” This message is called “Hope Again”. Let’s pray that the Lord will meet us with power and show us why we ought to look forward with hope.

Scripture References: Luke 24:36-53

From Series: Glorious Disruption: A Study in the Gospel of Luke | More Messages from Kevin Dibbley

From Series: "Glorious Disruption: A Study in the Gospel of Luke"

"Hope Again"

As fallen humans, we often struggle with whether or not we are loved and that we belong. Our past and present sin, guilt, and shame often make us wonder, "Does God really love me?" This is especially true for the Christian life. But when we truly surrender ourselves at the feet of Jesus, something amazing happens: we see that even though we are great sinners, Christ is a great Savior. We see that although our sins are many, he forgives us of all of our sins. Forgiveness creates worship. We are forgiven to worship God. This is what a sinful woman learned when she came to Jesus to offer him worship with her alabaster box of perfume. Through her radical act of worship, Jesus teaches that people like her "Love [God] much, because they know they've been forgiven of so much" (Luke 7:47). This is good news indeed! But this isn't good news to everyone. God's forgiving love is offensive to people who think that "bad" people should get what they deserve. This is the attitude of the Pharisees toward this sinful woman. As the experts of God's Law, they were the "good" guys. They looked righteous on the outside, but deep down they had no true love for God. Why? They didn't get God's forgiveness. They didn't think they were in need of forgiveness. That is why Jesus said of them, "You love [God] so little because you know so little of God's forgiveness" (Luke 7:47). We fluctuate between two poles: on the one hand, we tend to doubt God's love for us because we think we are too far gone. On the other hand, we tend to be nice Minnesotans who think "Me and God are okay," because are not as "bad" as the next person. But the gospel shatters our categories. Join us this Sunday as we dig into Luke 7:36–50, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you God's amazing love for you in a way you won't ever forget.

From Series: Guest Speaker | More Messages from Gabe Zepeda

From Series: "Guest Speaker"

Guest Speaker