Luke 24:44-49

1. Let us observe the gift which our Lord bestowed on His disciples immediately before He left the world.
2. Let us observe the remarkable manner in which the Lord Jesus speaks of His own death on the cross.
3. Let us observe what were the first truths which the Lord Jesus bade His disciples preach after He left the world.
4. Let us observe what was the first place at which the disciples were to begin preaching.
5. Let us observe the peculiar position which believers, and especially ministers, are meant to occupy in this world.

"A humble and prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern."

"Without the death of Christ, God's law could never have been satisfied, sin could never have been pardoned, man could never have been justified before God, and God could never have shown mercy to man."

"Repentance and forgiveness are not mere elementary truths and milk for spiritual babes. The highest standard of sanctity is nothing more than a continual growth in practical knowledge of these two points."

"It is the glory of our Great Physician that He can heal incurable cases. The things which seem impossible to men are possible with Christ."

"But the duty of a witness is to bear his testimony whether he is believed or not."

Questions:

1. We see that the final gift Jesus gave His disciples was to understand the Scriptures, which Ryle points out, is what we all need if we are to understand what the Bible says. When we open the Bible, are we quick to pray and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, or do we jump in quickly and show a spirit of independence?
2. The cross is essential for our salvation, and through the cross God can be just and the justifier of the ungodly. Can we, like Paul, say that we glory in the cross of Christ? Do we find it the source of all our hopes and peace?
3. Jesus' final words to his disciples is to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins to the world. Ryle mentions that these two points are not just elementary starting points, but what the most eminent saint will have before their eyes. Are we growing in practical knowledge of these two points? Are they before our eyes?
4. The gospel was to be first preached in Jerusalem, the city that stoned the prophets, and the Son of God. Ryle points out that this shows the compassion and love of God, that the gospel would go to them first! If God desires the gospel to go such a wicked people, can we not hold out hope to those who seem impossible as well?
5. Ryle closed by asking if we know anything of bearing witness of Christ. Do those around us know we are Christians? Does the world love and accept us as one of its own, or do we stand out for the truth we bear witness to?