Keep sharing good news without ads.
Bro. Bill Nichols
And I would like to begin this morning with a prayer as well. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and thank you for all our many blessings. Thank you for the snow. We don't get too much snow in Texas.
And when we get it, it is an exciting thing. And thank you for giving us the technology so that we don't have to drive in it. Because when we see the snow in Texas, not only are we excited, but we are crazy when it comes to our driving ability.
And so thank you for providing us all of the things that we need to have to be safe through this day. Thank you more though for your son that you sent into the world. And we're gonna talk about one of probably his greatest sacrifices and his greatest accomplishments while he was on the earth.
Thank you for everything that you've done for us. Thank you for the word that you provided for us. Thank you for the Holy Spirit to guide us. Go with us through the day, through all the classes. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
We are midway through the final chapter of Luke. Now Luke gives a very sketchy account of some things, but he had one story in it that no one else has at all. And we're gonna deal with that story today, but we're gonna bounce back and forth between Luke and Matthew and John primarily today.
As we begin a journey from Jerusalem to a little town of Emmaus, Luke chapter 24 verse 13, we'll pick it up. Now we went over part of this last Sunday and this will be a quick review and then we'll expand out.
And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs. That's 60 furlongs, that's about seven and a half miles, and that's maybe around three hours of walking time.
And as they walked and talked together, verse 14, and they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
Now, this is after the crucifixion. This is after the morning of the women came in and saw that he was missing from the tomb. So this is Sunday and they were walking back to Emmaus. Two of them. And Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were holding that they should not know him.
Okay, what that means is Jesus kept them from recognizing him. And he said unto them, what manner of communications are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered and said unto him, art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and has not known the things which are come to pass in these days?
And he said unto them, what things? And they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before God and all the people. And how the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and to have him crucified.
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. They had thought that Jesus was the Messiah and they expected him to set up an earthly kingdom, but now he's dead and they're perplexed.
And then they're surprised by the women and the report that they brought. So here's the report. First, yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre.
And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them, which were with us, went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not.
That of course would be Peter and John. We don't get that from Luke, but we do get it from other sources. Verse 25, then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
I'm gonna read that again. To believe all that the prophets have spoken. They believed some of it. They believed what they understood. They believed what they thought they understood, but they didn't believe it all.
Jesus goes on to tell them, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? All of these things Jesus is saying were necessary before the completion of his mission. And some of the things that were included before his mission would be complete were to be crucified and to be buried.
Not only to be crucified and to be buried, but to be crucified and to be buried exactly as it was prophesied for them to be. And then to rise from the dead on the third day. What he's telling them is, this is what you should have been expecting from the Messiah.
This is of course a message he'll repeat later to a larger group, a group that included most of the disciples and these two men again, and then some other people that were around. That we can find further down in Luke 24 at verse 44.
I'm gonna go down and read that and then go back. Luke 24, verse 44. Jesus is talking to a larger group now. He is talking to them in their own environment, in the room where they're all locked up. And he said to them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled.
All things must be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Now, we're gonna go back to the road to Aeneas, back near the beginning at verse 27.
And we're now back, Luke 24, verse 27. And beginning at Moses and all of the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. That was a seven and a half mile walk.
That was a three to four hour Bible study. That was a Bible study taught by Jesus. What a wonderful experience for these two people. And they drew not unto the village, whither they would have gone. And he made as though he would have gone further.
But they said unto him, I'm sorry, 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. It was not quite dark, but it was getting close.
And it came to pass as he sat at meal with them, he took bread and blessed it. And he break it and gave it to them. That's a little bit unusual. It was normally the host's responsibility to divvy out the food and to bless it and to pass it out.
But Jesus did that. He assumed the role of the host here. And their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sights. Now, up until this point, up until this point where he vanished from their sight, these two had not, had been kept from recognizing Jesus.
Remember back in verse 16, it said, their eyes were holding that they should not know him. Well, you probably do know that Jesus's body at this point has now been glorified. And therefore it's altered from its previous appearance.
What I wanted to do is to look at a passage that describes what Jesus's appearance would be like after the resurrection. And a good place for that, or the place that I chose to go, was Revelation chapter one, verse 12.
And I'll give you a second or so to get there. And while you're turning, Revelation one, verse 12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. And the midst of the seven candlesticks, one likened to the Son of Man.
That's the Lamb of God, that's Christ, that's the Messiah. One likened to the Son of Man, that's Jesus. Clothed with a ramnet, clothed with a garment, down to his foot, girded about by the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hair were white as wool, as white as snow. His eyes were as a flame of fire. And his feet likened to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. Glowing hot brass, not molten, but glowing hot.
And his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. And his countenance was like the sun shineth in his strength. Now that's quite a change in his appearance.
But that alteration had absolutely nothing to do with these two people on the trip to Emmaus being unable to recognize Jesus. It was Jesus himself that actively intervened to keep that from happening.
Until it was time for him to depart. And when it was time, he simply vanished from their sight. Now here's what we know about him, about Jesus and his resurrected body. It was real, it was tangible, but it also possessed certain properties that indicate that it was not the same body as he had before.
It was glorified. It was altered in some mysterious way, as ours will be as well when we are glorified. Christ could appear and disappear bodily, as we see in this text. His body could pass through solid objects, such as grave clothes, or walls, or doors of a closed room.
We're gonna read some of chapter 20 of John, chapter 20, verse 19. This is on the day of the resurrection morning. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, when the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in their midst and saith unto them, "'Peace be unto you.'".
So he just popped right into the room, even though the doors were closed. He went right through the walls. And there were other things he could now do that he could not have done when he was in the strictly human form.
He can now travel great distances in a moment of time. For by the time he got, by the time the disciples, these two disciples had returned to Jerusalem, Christ had already appeared to Peter, and that was mentioned in verse 34.
The fact that he ascended to heaven bodily demonstrates that his resurrection body was already fit for heaven. And yet his body was the same one that was missing from the tomb. It even retained some identification features, identifying features such as nail wounds.
If we go back to John chapter 20, pick it up at verse 20. And when he had so said, he showed them his hands and his sides. And then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord, then said Jesus unto them again, peace be unto you.
As my father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, and when he had said this, he breathed on them, and he breathed on them and said unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto him.
And whosoever sins you retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. Now I know that Luke said he went into the room with the 11. He does that, but that's at a different time.
This one was with only 10. Thomas was not there. Later, Thomas will be there. We'll see that in just a few verses in John. But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord, but he saith unto them, except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger in the print of his nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
So Thomas was a little bit late to the first meeting. And so he missed out on the meeting, but he got told about it. He was told that they had seen the risen Lord. And he said, I don't believe it. I won't believe it until I can see his hands with a print of the nail in his hands, put my finger in the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, then I'll believe, okay?
And after eight days, again, the disciples were within and Thomas was with them. So this time there are 11. Then came Jesus, just like before, the doors being shut and stood in their midst and said, just like before, peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, behold my hands, reach forth hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God.
And Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou has seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed. Okay, now we're going to go back to Luke, back to the two disciples in Emmaus.
Now, this is just after they recognized who Jesus was because he allowed them to and poof, he vanished from their sights. And now they're talking with one another. Verse 32 says this, and they said one to another, did our hearts not burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened the scriptures to us.
Now, notice that Jesus opened the scriptures to them. He just didn't tell them what the scriptures said. He allowed them to understand the meaning of the scripture. Some scriptures that were not designed for them to understand until this point in time.
But you notice that Jesus, the passage said that Jesus opened the scripture to the two in Emmaus. He has not yet opened the scripture to the disciples that were still in Jerusalem. So they, the two disciples in Emmaus rose the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together and them that were with them.
Now, it was a seven and a half mile walk uphill in the dark. It would probably take three or four hours. So I've got a quick question. What was so urgent that they couldn't wait until morning? It's probably, it was probably six o 'clock, around six o 'clock when Jesus started the meal with them.
He ate the meal, he disappeared. They decided to go back to Jerusalem. By the time they got back to Jerusalem, it would probably be near midnight. So what was so urgent that they couldn't wait until the morning?
Anybody know? I don't know if I have a way to click your answers or not. I'm gonna try punching this little button that says more. And I guess I, okay, I can't, I can't, I can't do it. But I'll just tell you.
The message they had to tell that couldn't wait is the message we have. We know the Lord is risen indeed. Verse 34, saying, we, the Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared unto Simon, that's Peter. Well, Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, confirms that this happened.
Go please to 1 Corinthians 15, verse three. We'll pick it up. And Paul is talking about the gospel. So here we go. 1 Corinthians 15, verse three. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture and that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the scripture.
That's what has just happened. And that he was seen of Cephas, that's Peter, and then of the 12. And that's talking about the disciples also. And after that, he was seen of above 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remain until this present, but some are fallen asleep.
And after that, he was seen of James and then of all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen of me also as one born out of due time. Now, if we look back through the scriptures, we can find at least 10 distinctive or distinct appearances of Christ between the resurrection and the ascension.
And we can find two more after the ascension. He appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. And we have that recorded in Mark chapter 16, but also in John 20. I'm gonna read John 20's account of that. John 20, beginning at verse 11.
This is Mary at the tomb. This is on resurrection Sunday. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre. Everybody else has left now. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting.
One at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? And she said unto them, because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him.
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. So she looked back and she sees this fella in the garden. And I frankly don't think he has been to heaven yet and has become glorified yet, but I'm not certain.
Jesus said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, sir, if thou hath borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him and I will take him away.
So she thinks he's the gardener. Jesus said unto her, Mary. And she turned herself and saith unto him, Reboni, which is to say, master. Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but I go to my brethren, but you go, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend to my God and your God and to my God and your God.
I think I read that wrong. I ascend to my father and your father and to my God and your God. And Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken those things to her.
Okay, so that's one appearance of Jesus to one of the disciples. He also appeared to the two women on the road. Matthew 28, verse five talks about this. And the angel answered and said unto the women, fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here, for he is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he goeth before you into Galilee and there you shall see him.
Lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, all hail.
And they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Now you notice he did allow them to touch him. Then saith Jesus unto them, be not afraid. Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me.
A third instance of Jesus appearing to the disciples, two of them at least, were the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We just talked about that. He also appeared to Peter separately in verse 34. He also appeared to 10 of the 11 disciples, Thomas being absent.
And we read that already this morning in John chapter 20 verses 19 through 25. And then the sixth time is to 11 disciples with Thomas present. That was eight days later. We read that in John 20, 26. Then he will appear to seven disciples by the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
That was in John 21. The whole chapter talks about that instance. I'm not gonna read it. And eight to more than 500 disciples probably on the mountain in Galilee. I'm gonna go back and look at Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15, six, and reread something that I read already.
After that, he was seen of above 500 brethren all at once, of whom the greater part remained to this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he appeared to James, and that's in verse 17 of the same chapter of Corinthians.
After that, he was seen of James, and then all the apostles. The 10th thing that he, time he appeared before the ascension was when he ascended to heaven in Acts, described in Acts 3 through 11. After his ascension, he appeared to Paul back in 1 Corinthians.
And last of all, he was seen of me also as one born out of due time. And there's one more time that he will definitely appear. That's when he appears in glory in Matthew. My phone's ringing. I'm gonna wait just a second.
It'll pick it up. Okay. And the next time he appears, it will be in glory. Matthew 24, verse 30. And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven. There won't be any missing it either. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn.
And they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Okay. Now, we're gonna go back to Luke's account of the travelers to and from Emmaus. They have now gone to Emmaus, talked with Jesus along the way.
They have now returned to Jerusalem in the middle of the night, reaching Jerusalem about maybe 12 o 'clock. And they told, this is verse 35, Luke 24, 35. And they told what things were done in the way.
They told about the Bible study and how he was known to them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said, peace unto you. But they were afraid and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
I suspect that all of them were except the two that knew who he was. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why do your thoughts arise in your head? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
And no man see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones. And he see me now. What he was doing, he was showing them the nail scars in his hand and his feet so they would know who it was. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.
And while they yet believed not for joy, he said unto them, have you any meat? Now, I thought that was very interesting. Here we are in verse 41. We talk about Doubting Thomas. They have seen Jesus. They have regarded his hands and his feet.
And all of that, he has spoken to them. He showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, have you any meat? That's strange. We talk about Doubting Thomas, but these disciples were also doubting disciples.
And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before them. And he says unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you. And all the things that must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me.
Then he opened their understanding that they might understand the scripture. And finally they see. And finally they understand. And he apparently gave them a Bible study as well. The Lord doesn't tell us what he told them, but the gist of the expression seems to convey a supernatural opening of their minds so that they could receive the truth, see unfolded.
Whereas before their understanding was dull. If you look back in Luke 19, not 19, Luke 9, verse 43, Luke 9, 43, you will see this written. They were all amazed at the mighty power of God, but while they wondered everyone, all of the things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, let these sayings sink down into your ear for the son of man must be delivered unto the hands of men.
But they understood not this saying and it was hid from them and they perceived it not. And they feared to ask him on that saying. But now they finally clearly understand. In Isaiah, it talks about this, Isaiah 29, verse 18.
In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek shall also increase their joy of the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
What Isaiah is saying, there'll come a day when you will understand. The day comes when you understand at this point in time when the Lord imputes his Holy Spirit into you and allows the Holy Spirit to guide you into those things that you need to understand.
Now, that doesn't mean that at this time in our lives, even those of us who are Christians, we can't and don't understand everything. But I'm convinced that the things that we need to understand the Holy Spirit will guide us into understanding it.
Verse 45, this is the night that Jesus opens the understanding of the disciples. Then he opened, then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scripture. And he said unto them, thus it is written.
And thus he behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. And ye are witnesses of these things.
And behold, I send you promise of my father upon you. But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as Bethany. And he lifted up his hands and blessed them.
And he came to pass while he blessed them. He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Now before, when the resurrected Christ left, he simply vanished. We see that happening in verse 31. This is the two at Emmaus, Luke 24, verse 31 said, and their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight.
But this time, it's going to be different. This time, they all see him ascent. The reason I didn't read Acts 1, 9 while ago, when I was talking about the people seeing him at Bethany, it's because I'm gonna read it now.
Acts 1, beginning with verse 9. Acts 1, beginning at verse 9. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up. And a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward the heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. So don't stand here watching for him. You saw him leave, you will see him come back.
And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Now that he had opened their understanding, they perceived the full truth of his deity. Unclouded by darkness, unclouded by confusion, and unclouded by doubt.
Now they both see and believe. And what a change. No longer were they fearful. No longer were they hiding from the Jews. No longer were they hiding out in buildings for fear of the Jews. Now they were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.
That's verse 33. No longer hiding out in plain sight, in the temple. There were rooms set aside for worship in the temple. That's where they were. And they were there, someone was there all the time, continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.
And that is quite a change. Men that were afraid are now bold. The bad things happen to them, sometimes. But those bad things that happen to them are only bad in the sight of the world. They are good in the sight of God.
What God knows, what Jesus knows, is that all of the things that we have to deal with are for a purpose. We don't always know the purpose, but we know the result. If we belong to Him, in the long run, we will be with Him in heaven.
And that is quite a blessing. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, and thank you for all our many blessings. Bless us and keep us. Go through the rest of the service today. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to reach out and minister to people throughout the world.
Thank you for allowing us to minister to one another at home. Bless us and keep us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.