Jesus finally appears to the disciples at the end of the day of His resurrection. The women who entered the tomb had already found it vacant, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus had already encountered the Lord. They raced back to the other apostles and disciples and had reported what had happened. Now, Luke records that Jesus himself appears in all their midst. He then leads the greatest Bible study they had ever encountered as they were finally able to understand from the Old Testament His life, death, and resurrection. Peace is found in Jesus, and this confidence they will need as they lead the church forward.

Luke records the first physical sighting of the resurrrected Jesus as being on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. We know from other gospels that Jesus had appeard to Mary as she was leaving the tomb, (gospel of John), but Luke records the interaction between to disciples and Jesus as He explains the mystery of his death and resurrection from the Old Testament. This interpretation of the O.T. is vital for the church going forward as they follow Jesus and the church expands to all the corners of the earth.

All gospel writers include the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet, all the gospel writers include certain details and timelines in order to communicate their purpose. Luke, for the first time in His gospel, does not include Jesus in this text but rather His disciples coming to the point of needing faith in order to follow. That is the question Luke poses to us, will we have faith given what we have been presented. He is indeed risen, but will that lead your heart to faith and obedience?

Jesus had previously told a parable of a noble man who went away and came back to his home to find some faithful servants and at least one unfaithful servant. Luke uses Jesus return to Jerusalem as a tangible illustration of this parable. In a sense the trip from the Mt. of Olives to Jerusalem shows us the noble King returning to find His servants either worshipping Him, or disgruntled. What kind of servants would He find? What kind of servants will He find when He returns again?

This parable is taught right after Jesus encounters a blind man on the road to Jericho as well as interacting with a repentent sinner Zacchaeus. The parable describes faithful servants of Jesus even when he's not around. This parable gives us a picture of how the Kingdom of God grows through our efforts, even beyond our expectations.

The Kingdom of God has been inagurated with the arrival, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But it is not yet complete until he comes again to establish his eternal Kingdom. So how are we to live in the meantime. Jesus gives us some principles to. live by in the between. Luke gives us a glance into this conversation between the disciples and Jesus in which we are told how we should live.

Luke 15 records Jesus teaching three parables to two very different kinds of people. The first would be considered classic sinners, those who follow self fullfillment through hedonism and accumulation of wealth. The other were the religious types, who questioned why Jesus would meet with the previous types. Jesus then tells them how they are both far from the Father's house, but are both invited come to come home. What would it take for both of them? This is a sermon preached on what it really means to be loss, and seperated from the Fathers house.

What should disciples of Jesus be concerned with? What should dominate our hearts anxieties? Jesus has a clear yet profound answer, "Kingdom of God". What is the use of being concerned about the materialism of our day when it cannot actually satisfy you? The Kingdom of God will provide for what our hearts actually want and need. This teaching is taken from Luke chapter 12.

In becoming a diciple, one who follows Jesus, there needs to be reorientation in our hearts. This change comes in finding joy in what really matters in the midst of experiencing the joys and pain of every day life. In chapter 10 of Luke's gospel Jesus sends out this disciples, seventy two of them, and reframes their experience of joy and sucess in ministry around what really matters. Disciples need to rejoice that their names are recorded in heaven, not just on earthly circumstances.

The disciples were commissioned to go and spread the good news and do acts of mercy, but were they ready? This passage shows us that Jesus calls us to a continual obedience, a learning the way of discipleship, not as a means of salvation, but as a growing into maturity.