June 19, 2005
Scripture:
Can we take a few minutes to look at a well-known story in Luke 24. I just want to take a clip out of the story of the two going to Emmaus who were approached by an amazing stranger. They were almost to their home, and in v. 28: And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. To begin with, the two were going home from Jerusalem, having seen the Lord crucified and buried; now they are walking home, not being able to talk about anything else. They hoped He would have redeemed Israel, but now their hopes were dashed, their hearts had sunk. Then a stranger joined them and asked them what they were talking about. They said to Him, as it were, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has happened?” Before they knew it, the stranger, who was the Lord, opened scriptures to them and explained them. Their hearts began to burn and bubble. Then they arrived home, too soon for them; they seem to take the Lord by the coat sleeve and constrain Him; the Lord is touched. They prepare a meal, and He is made the host, and he breaks bread. This is not the remembrance of the Lord, though similar; it is the revelation of what He did when He gave His body for us. The One who they hoped would redeem, who had been crucified and buried, was sitting at their table showing them what He had done. As soon as they realized this He vanished from their sight. They spent some time musing over the cross and were blessed. Their behaviour changed: if they were weary, they didn’t show it; they had gone home, but now they went back; they had been sad, yet now they were overflowing; they had come away quietly, but now went and told the brethren what had happened. All this came from musing over the cross. May this remind us to let these things burn in our hearts. They go back to tell the other, but they already know. Oh, what blessings they discovered in the fruit of the cross; it’s precious!
EG Hymn 326 – To Israel’s land, when Israel sinned, Prayer Acts 12:1-17 —the interrupted prayer-meeting • To vex means to annoy. Herod wanted to annoy the Christians, and he did so by killing James. When he saw that it pleased the people, he captured Peter. He took many precautions to make sure Peter wouldn’t escape: he had four soldiers with Peter at every time, 2 chained to him and two at the door; outside the door there were two wards, each of which had gates and then a large iron gate going to the city. Peter was in the very depths of the prison. But Herod didn’t count on God helping Peter. • Why would God have allowed James to be killed and not Peter? Was James’s life any less successful than Peter’s? A number of years ago there was a missionary organization with the following logo:
The Ox can either pull a plough or be a sacrifice. The missionaries were saying that they were willing to die for the Lord and they were willing to work for the Lord. Dying is not any less successful than living; many people have been impacted by a Christian who died for his faith rather than giving it up. Peter wasn’t any more successful than James. We should make our lives count for the Lord.
Hebrews 4:12-16 • Vv. 12-16 are about God’s recourses. • God has made many provisions for us; one of those is His Word. It is like no other book; it is quick, living, active, and alive. • A missionary was travelling through Australia and left a Bible at one of his stops. A few years later he returned and found an assembly there. The people didn’t have a teacher or others books to read, they only had the Bible, and it was all they needed. If you want to make Jehovah’s Witnesses, you need a Jehovah’s Witness to teach them about Jehovah Witnesses; this is the same with all other religions. The Bible, all by itself, will make real Christians. It’s not the same as other religious books, like the Talmud or the Koran. Some people take these as equal with the Bible, but the Bible is the only book of its kind, and it only holds the way to salvation. • A two-edged sword cuts two ways. When you are expounding the Word to someone, remember that it applies to you as well as him. In the armour of God, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive piece; all others are defensive. It is the only thing we can use to fight life’s battles. • Soul and Spirit – Man is a tripartite being: he is a body, soul, and spirit. We all have a body; our soul is made up of our mind, our will, and our emotions; our spirit enables us to communicate with God. Animals have a body and soul, and plants have only a body. • Discerner – This is the only place where the Greek word for discerner is used in the New Testament; it is the Greek word we get our word critic from. The Word of God then not only discerns our thoughts and intents, but also criticises them; not in a sense that “You never do anything wrong,” but “Is what you are thinking right or not?” EG Hymn 350 – I will make you fishers of men, Prayer