“Then They Recognized Him”

Sometimes we can be right in the middle of situation and still miss the big picture that's exactly what happened is true of Jesus disciples met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. When the risen Savior was walking alongside them. Their eyes were kept from recognizing him today. Alistair Begg brings this fascinating account into focus were in Luke chapter 24, Jesus had been explaining to the big picture all the things in the Scriptures concerning himself and now as they approached the village, it's possible that their very arrival at their destination was going to be the cause of Jesus stopping the systematic Bible study that he's been providing for them. Certainly they wanted to stay. It may be as well that with the oncoming darkness and with the nature of the climate in which they live. They thought it simply best that Jesus might join them for the night rather than go on from there. Certainly the had been warning to him. His initial encounter with him had been strange to say the least. He did all of a sudden appeared. He began to ask questions when he volunteered information. He suggested to them that they were a little bit dull slow on the uptake.

But as he had gone through this record of the Bible.

Their hearts had been start and as he explained to them the big picture and they were concerned that he wouldn't leave them and so what they do is look tells us here is that the issue an invitation by this time Kenneth Ehlers) phrases. By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey and Jesus would've gone on by the bag them strongly not Jesus would've discontinued body arched in, not to. In other words without the invitation.

Jesus would've Going.

That's the point that Luke is making and if Jesus had kept going and they would've missed the wonderful privilege of realizing, recognizing that their teacher on the road to to this point have not recognized was none other than the risen Lord himself actually invitation, which is the word were using is not a strong enough word. The phraseology in verse 29 makes that point for us, doesn't it. But the Argentinian strongly he would've kept right on walking. If they are not prevailed upon him to stay with them galvanize comments on this. How often does Jesus addresses also on life's way and he still desires to enter where he is invited.

If they had not invited them to stay. He would not stay if you have not invited him to be your savior. He is not your save and for those of you and I hope it is not an increasingly growing number who find in this kind of thing, agitation in relationship to the pre-ordination nor for ordination of God.

But wait a minute. After all, it had to happen this way. Therefore, somehow, and so on.

You have these discussions late into the night. May I remind you of what we have discovered when we have considered the subject together.

Namely, that the foreordination of God does not eliminate contingency nor does it eliminate human freedom and God foreordained our actions, but he foreordained's them as free actions as things that we do by our own personal volition.

I hope you get that because it is very very important. Jesus stayed on because he was invited. Using this little New Testament made me think of this on and on a number of levels. This New Testament I bought in 1972 in Leeds and Yorkshire in this the Old Testament is in some measure a symbol to me of the keeping power of God, and it is in some measure a testimony to me of the fact that God hears the earnest symbol prayers of the meek end of the child and that somehow or another in his providence and in his mercy when I along with other children would saying in Sunday school into my heart into my heart come into my heart Lord Jesus come in today and come interests stay come into my heart Lord Jesus that along the journey of life.

He still response to those invitations.

The invitation gave way to recognition having urge him to stand his agreement to it. They did what is perfectly natural. After a 7 mile walk is as well as have something to eat and he honored this stranger by asking him to perform the function of a host, sometimes when you have a guest in your home that you know very well, especially if they have some kind of status within the family of faith. You may say to them. I wonder if you would be good enough to say grace for us.

We would like for you to give thanks, before we eat at an interesting thing to do that with a stranger. Of course, the stranger had endeared himself to them by dint of the Bible study that you provided, but nevertheless it is quite striking but essentially what they're doing is they're saying we would like you to say grace would you say grace for us.

I wonder, would you break bread for us. They need to understand this was the normal beginning of a Jewish meal with the blessing and thanking of God and with the breaking of bread this on to help us steer away from the idea that what we have in Luke chapter 24 is a communion service because clearly we don't any temptation to see the Lord's supper here should probably be tempered by a number of things one by the absence of any mention of wine also by the awareness of the fact that as soon as Jesus is done what is asked. He banishes that the thing would be completely truncated.

It would be a strange communion service as frames Lord's supper when he broke the bread and then he was gone. I don't think there is any real reason for us to find in this and nothing other than the routine of normal family life and furthermore these two individuals were not present at the Last Supper because of the Last Supper. We only had the 12 you know that from what the gospel writers have already told her since it stated clearly in Mark chapter 14 verse 17 so there is no way that this great recognition that takes race is tied to the fact that they said all he's doing what he just did in the Last Supper because they were not the Last Supper. So what then their eyes were opened and they recognized him doesn't say then they opened their eyes and said, then their eyes were opened, and you remember this morning it way wasn't that he didn't recognize him. It was that they were kept from recognizing it is not now that they see him, but it is now that they are made to see him that there that that the wonder of this strange mystery that takes place takes place that God chose at this moment to make clear that this was his son and that they were in prayer in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus Christ and as soon as Jesus had accomplish that objective. As soon they recognized him he disappeared from their sight. Verse 32. They asked each other interesting incident where not our hearts burning within us what what what made him burn when he talked to us on the road and all opened the Scriptures to us. Open the Scriptures to ask open Scriptures do you know how much I long. I personally long when I sit under the preaching of some you.

I long Eileen long. I'm telling you it's the truth.

I long to have my heart stirred within me. I long to burn with enthusiasm for the Bible. I long for that. I don't want to evaluate sermons. I don't want to hear jokes I don't want to know if the guy was good. By different I long for my heart to burn when the Scriptures are open to. I have known it.

I do not always know it but since I knew it I long for it and anything less is less, than I desire, and I have discovered something to that. When I come to the listening of the Bible. With that kind of expectation. It is amazing how my hardest, but when I come as an adjudicator when I come as a casual observer when I come as an indifferent bystander when I come.

As some come to sleep on the front row.

Then there is little chance of a burning hearts. Now my friends look at this and look at it carefully. All you say but it was Jesus, yes of course it was Jesus the best teacher ever. But the thing that because the burning was the opening of the Scriptures. Now, if you will pray sincerely, for every one who mounts the stairs and stands behind this box than I can guarantee you that the selfsame sermons will come home with far deeper conviction in your heart will be out and on in a way that you've never know this little phrase where not our hearts burning within us make me think now as I'm speaking to you of a young man that came here with Babcock and Wilcox. He showed up wearing a leather jacket one night back in the chapel on Fairmount Boulevard.

I first of all I notice is leather jacket. I thought that's a pretty nice jacket and then I heard his voice and he had a very Scottish accent is it about and in the course of conversation, I realized that he was here on a business trip from Glasgow and I sat down with them.

I said, I've been so long since I dented anyone from Glasgow and we got together and we talked and I said tell me your story, and he told me this wonderful story of how he had left his home in the Highlands and he had gone down to working Glasgow for Babcock and Wilcox in the course of leaving his home and running away from a very strong and influential family of of the faith he had got into BiPAP meadow.

He begun to go out and hang around and go places to meet people and in the course of that he met a very pretty girl and is there time went by the forms and affection for one another and it became apparent that they really loved each other but he had multiple problems. First of all, his own conscience wouldn't let them alone. He knew that he was. Not only far from his father's house. Physically his earthly dad but he was far from his father's house to and suddenly discover that this girl was a Roman Catholic and he came from a Bastian of reformed Presbyterianism in the Highlands of Scotland, and neither of their families could cope with. He thought that he understood.

She knew she didn't and trying to work some kind of middle course, they began to go to the Roman Catholic Church in the morning and send George's strong I listen to Eric Alexander who screeched here from this pope on one evening as they sat and listened to him preach he preached from the phrase almost you persuade me and he dealt with the whole notion of being not very far from the kingdom of God.

Interestingly, as a sidebar, Eric Alexander and I on another occasion were having coffee across the street from the church and asked him about some things that were happening in the church and he told me said you know about a few months ago I was all ready to preach and I was in the vestry and prepared to go and as I sat looking at my notes, I decided that I couldn't preach on this past I supported you preach on he said. I preached on the phrase almost you persuade me at the drop of a hat back to the couple. They sit and listen to the sermon Eric Alexander urges upon them the necessity of response they come out of the church.

We walk up the Cannon Street there heading for a bus stop at which they're going to part company from one another, not living together, going to their own respective apartments and as we get closer to the bus stop on the Avenue. They have been in total silence since the benediction, the young man turned to the girl they said there's something I need to tell when Mr. Alexander said that those who are not far from the king need to trust in Christ and receive. I trust in Christ and received the girl said, and there is something that I need to tell you I did the exact same in both of them were soundly converted, and they stood at the bus stop and essentially said did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us and as he opened the Scriptures to us.

See, this is nothing that a man can achieve. I look at the crimes come and go from this. I stand my study and I want to leave.

I said out loud in my study this morning. What chance is there God in the whole universe that any of these people would be conducted apart from the sovereign moving others an invitation recognition and finally celebration verse 33 they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem energized by the discovery that they had made the 7 miles journey back apparently isn't even a question. One of the reasons that they might've been urging Jesus to stay was Jesus you know it's dark and is dangerous out there.

You don't want to go out there now are not in this time of night.

Just come and stay with us Ruby practicality involved in that.

And if that was true of Christ. It would certainly be true of them, but apparently no concern for personal safety or anything, unable to diminish their zeal, they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem how quickly the lovely feet that bring good news can skip across the surface of the pavement, kicking up dust on the road.

This is a damn good news. We need to get back to Jerusalem and we need to get there at once. Let's go at once and report this and following through on the resolve were told that there they found the 11 notices capitalize here in the NIV and purposefully so. Because the 11 were in their will not want all that we know that Thomas wasn't there, so the 11 is a designation, they began to be known as the 11 they had been the 12 the down to 11 now and they randomly found the 11 points to the fact I think that there was a far greater interaction between the core group of the disciples of Jesus and the wider disciples that followed along with them but anyway they were able to go and they were to find them and they were able to enter their assembly number almost through. But at this point I must admit to feeling a little sorry for the spear. I wonder, do you understand this.

It's not really very important but I can't help but pointed out to you. I do feel dreadfully sorry for these two guys because think about it.

They had been making the journey to me as they were dreadfully Stata follower Tom interrupted and began to ask questions he give them a Bible study. They then invited him into the house.

He broke the bread, he gave thanks they realized who he was, he disappeared. They said now we have the phenomenal opportunity to get back to Jerusalem and let the people know that Jesus is alive and he wants to be known as beside themselves with excitement. I can imagine that when they were going down the release into one another, look who's going to say what I mean. We just want to portray an angle he's alive or do they will really do is you build up slowly so that we can say hey you know we we we had someone over for dinner. Just earlier this evening and so they can select who was that and then we can say Jesus of Nazareth are not going to that'll take too long.

Maybe will exhort. That's how I would of done it myself and a friend. We try to figure out and I want to change to get my you know Spokane early as no surprise in that and my friend is sitting on are you not going first. I'm going first. And so what we did there there there ready to go but here it's come on, was the door open. The cloak sandals and before they can say a word.

Somebody says it's Joe Bullard is risen and is appeared to Peter about stealing your finder I can present looking one another momentarily crestfallen. That was story. Why is saying that our news how man you tell me we can 7 miles back down the road and you already knew I would only have lasted for a moment, I will would need because the news that Jesus is alive was in there and use your the 11th news. The news of Jesus is alive in the Parkside's news. The news that Jesus is alive belongs to all who are the Lord's, and no matter what language we speak and what country we visit and what journey we take, we rejoice together in a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead one night.

That must've been a lot of time II just fantastic. The women resisting the temptation or maybe not resisting the temptation to say every so often. Well, we told you so. We were the first to see we were there in their harassing of their bands this way and that the two getting their story and well, excuse me, can we tell you what happened to us now yeah okay go go where you're going and how Jesus was recognized by them and when he broke the bread and the blissful heartwarming soul stirring light that shone into their darkness, and the life that had conquered death and we had hopes that he wasn't. Now we discover he is life is meaningful and that meaning is found in Jesus in this hope is not built on a fancy but on the fact and all the apostles set out to proclaim the resurrection, because there was nothing else they could do the proof was far too compelling. Here we are at. We extended the invitation and welcome Christ. Summarizer wandered away. What is the blessedness that once I knew when first I saw the Lord. Where is the soul refreshing view of Jesus and his word the risen Christ comes and stands in the door and knocks not in evangelistic texts, and the last time that you extended an invitation to Jesus who knows all about your troubles all about your pains all about your difficulties all about the things that other people can know and can be extended invitation to experience the recognition are you enjoying the celebration. That's really the test of whether were in Christ are not invitation recognition celebration. Our relationship with Jesus begins with an invitation from today's message on Truth for Life with Alistair Begg and as Alister mentioned, it's impossible for us to recognize Jesus unless he opens our eyes. That miracle happens through the word of God when the Bible is caught the spirit opens blind eyes hardened hearts are softened and unbelieving people are brought to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why I truthfully we teach the Bible every day with clarity and relevance.

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Online giving is quick and easy. Visit truth for like.org/donate and don't forget to request your copy of the book alive. I'm bobble team. So much for listening. Hope you can join us again tomorrow as we continue our series in the gospel of Luke. Learning how Jesus continues to bring peace to his followers this very day. The Bible teaching of Alister brick is furnished by Truth for Life with the learning is prolific