Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

The Upper Room- INTRO Luke 22:7-15

INTRO> I have told you before that I am a fan of history and the stories that are told. If you were to ask me what event would you like to be present at in American History… I wouldn’t have to think long. I would want to be present, It would be August 2nd, 1776.. when they signed the declaration of independence. Historian David McCullough says, “Anyone who signed his name to the Declaration of Independence was putting his head in a noose. He was declaring on paper, with his own signature, that he was a traitor. If caught, he would be hanged. He would be fortunate if he were only hanged, because the law said he could be drawn and quartered. When they pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor, that wasn’t just rhetoric. That was the truth, the literal truth.” Now… think of what came in that moment… in that room.. where you are today. 

APP> What if I told you that the moment that Jesus has with his disciples is like that. A moment in an upper room… that forever changes the course of history. This Upper Room becomes so important.. its where the disciples return after Jesus’ death.. I love how JC Ryle puts it… “This “upper room,” we should remember, was the fore-runner of every church and cathedral which has been reared in Christendom within the last eighteen centuries. St. Paul’s, and York, and Lincoln, and all the stately ministers of our own land; St. Sophia at Constantinople, St. Isaac at St. Petersburg, St. Stephen’s at Vienna, Notre Dame at Paris, St. Peter’s at Rome — all are descendants from this “upper room.” Not one can trace its pedigree beyond that little chamber. …This room was the cradle of the infant Church of Christ, and the beginning of all our services. From this room the waters of the everlasting gospel first began to flow, which have now spread so widely throughout the world, however adulterated and corrupted they may have been in some ages and in some parts of the earth I invite my readers, then, to come with me and examine this upper room..” JC Ryle.. 

CONTEXT> We will be in the Gospel of John and that’s important to know. John devotes almost HALF of his gospel to the last week of Jesus’ life and devotes 5 chapters to what happens in the upper room! So then why are we in Luke’s Gospel? Well… to give us a little bit of background and insight. I want to look at two simple points today that will guide our time together. 1) Who is in the room and 2) Who isn’t in the room. 

1. Who is in the room. v14

• “And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.” This is a super important insight and a super important word… in the original language it is the word ἀπόστολος (apostolos) it means “the Appointed sent ones” 
• “And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” Matthew 10:1-4

APP> Now what is interesting when we look at Jesus’ ministry we see sort of 5 sphere’s of people that Jesus had around him..      

APP> What’s interesting with this is.. it looks like it gets smaller… and it actually does… but in reality… the IMPACT is greater. Jesus would rather have a few disciples and make an IMPACT than take the masses and have INFLUENCE. 

2) Who is not in the room. 

• Notice, the 72 aren’t in the room. The masses aren’t in the room. The 5,000 that Jesus fed, aren’t in the room. 
• Jesus is leaving his mission with the few… the twelve.. what separates the twelve from the 172?… 

*Draw out the UPPER ROOM and LOWER ROOM

LOWER ROOM: 

• PLACE
• PERSONALITY 
• PROGRAMS
• PEOPLE 

UPPER ROOM: 

• PURPOSE- The churches unique call to make disciples. (This series is going to outline what a disciple looks like) 

West Side’s Unique Purpose: 

We want to invite people who are familiar with Jesus to follow Jesus with our family. 

Application: 

• You can’t know where you are going until you know where you are at.

*WALK THROUGH THE DISCIPLESHIP PARADIGM 

Application Questions: 

• Where are you at? 
• When you think about “the church” do you only think about the lower room?