I WILL KNOW HIM BY HIS SCARS

SERIES: PASSOVER 2024

TEXT: LUKE 24:33-52

When Jesus Christ rose from the grave, He left the grave-clothes behind, He left the tomb, but He kept the scars!! This comforts our hearts to this day.

The greatest evidence that Jesus rose from the death was not an empty tomb or the grave-clothes folded neatly where Jesus’ body once were but the multiplied eye-witnessed and accounts of a living Lord for some 40 days after He rose.

These were not limited sightings of Jesus Christ in a short period of 40 days over 500 witnesses encountered this same Jesus after he had risen.

These witnesses walked with Him, they talked to Him, ate with Him, touched Him, He touched them He was served by them and He served them. This witnesses were not gullible people looking for something to believe in.

For most part these were skeptics, doubting defeated people who had their hopes, dashed and who found it hard to believe that the man they saw die on that cross and buried is now alive.

The first encounter was with terrified group-disciples, Jesus declared to them “Look at my hands and my feet.”

• “Look at my scars.”
• You see my beloved friend, Jesus Christ is not ashamed of these scars, He wears them as ornaments of His love for you and me.
• These scars are not marks for shame to Him, but beautiful proof of His love of His sacrifice.
• These scars are marks of His victory on our behalf.
• When death comes to claim me, it will step aside because of the man with the scars.
• When hell and the devil condemn me, they will have to step aside because of the man with the scars.
• When I finally get to heaven, I will look for the man bearing Calvary’s scars. Let us learn:-

WHY HE KEPT THE SCARS.

• Jesus Christ is the healer, He did not have to keep the scars.
• In a word He could have forever healed them as if they did not exist in the first place.
• But He chose to keep them throughout eternity.
• The only man-made thing in heaven is those scars.
• Those scars will outlast the sun and the moon, the stars-they will never pass away but will serve as eternal reminders to us that there was a cross at calvary and there was a tomb.
• These scars of Jesus Christ declare to us several things:-

1. His scars declare “I am the same Jesus”-Heb. 13:8.

• The most obvious reason for keeping these scars is identity. Vs. 39, “Look at my hands and my feet-it is I myself.”
• It is an infallible prof that it was in fact the same Lord they walked with and talked with, the same Lord they nailed on the cross on Golgotha’s hill.
• He is the same Jesus who healed the sick, opened blind eyes, made the lame to walk and raised the dead.
• The same Jesus Christ who was arrested, tried, crucified, buried, raised from the dead, “The same.”
• He is alive, He is alive, He is alive!!!!
• This same Jesus Christ is your savior and He is with you in your suffering.
• Like a veteran that bears the scars of battle in the fight for freedom, Jesus Christ bears the scars of our freedom.

2. These are the scars of our freedom.

• Victory over death, over the devil, over evil.
• These scars declare the debt of our sin was fully paid.
• The ultimate price he paid for you and me were these scars.

3. His scars declare “I keep my promises.”

• Nothing, nothing, not even death could keep Jesus from keeping His promises.
• How do we know Jesus Christ is coming again? The scars prove that no matter how long it has been or how dark this world may become Jesus always keeps His promises.
• No promises that calvary made will fade with the ages.
• Today Jesus Christ is seating at the right hand of God the father interceding on our behalf.
• When we pray, all that Jesus Christ does is to turn to the father and show Him His hands and the answer is released.
• The wounds of Jesus still plead prevail on our behalf even now.

4. His scars declare “The empty tomb and the cross are inseparable.

• It is easy for us to separate the cross and the empty tomb.
• They are three days apart but the tomb without the cross is meaningless.
• The cross without the empty tomb is incomplete.
• With the scars He reminded them that the same Jesus that rose from the tomb was the same Jesus that had suffered and died at the cross.
• If the scars and wounds had been removed eternity may have caused us to forget that there was a great price, a great sacrifice made for our eternal life.
• As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today, let us not forget the cross.

WHAT SHOULD THIS TRUTH DO IN US?

• Here we are not talking about knowledge, but the truth.
• Knowledge is educational, but truth is transformational.
• John 8:22, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
• When these facts became truth to the disciples there was transformation that took place in the disciples.
• What happened when the disciples saw His feet and His hands? They were filled with boldness as witnesses.

1. Their feet turned into peace.

• Jesus asked them, “why are you troubled?”
• Before we can ever have pace of mind, we must have peace with God.
• Unless we embrace the truth that Jesus Christ is risen we will never really embrace peace for our lives.
• 35, “While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
• The Hebrew word for “Peace” is “Shalom” which means fullness and wholeness.
• Peace is knowing that everything is in those nail scared hands-“Why should I worry?”-John 16:33.
• Your life is in His nail pierced hand!!

2. Their sadness was turned into joy-Vs. 41.

• They ended up in worship-Vs. 52 “Great joy.”
• Joy gives us the ability to face our cares with strength.
• Joy comes from the resurrected Christ.
• It does not matter how much you know about the Bible or how many theological degrees hang on your wall, until you have embraced the cross and that empty tomb, you have missed the point.

3. Their hopelessness was turned to hope for tomorrow.

• Jesus Christ placed the disciples (500) back on track with their future.
• They were instructed to go to Jerusalem and await the Holy Spirit outpouring.
• God has plans for us and a mission for us.
• The disciples of Jesus were no longer afraid of death, even their own death.

1. THE SCARS OF JESUS CHRIST DEMANDS A CHOICE.

• What will you do with the empty tomb?
• What will you do with the scars on His hands?
• For those who reject the empty tomb, there is no comfort in His scars.
• There were some eye witnesses who chose what they had witnessed was not the popular thing to do.
• They lost their lives.
• As for me “Lord I believe.”

CONCLUSION

• It is so simple to know this nail-scarred Savior.
• He has done so much to make it easy to receive Him into your life.
• What will you do with these scars of Jesus?
• I would rather be led by His nail-pierced hands-Amen.