The Emmaus Road

(Luke 24:13-35)
A Journey From Deep Despair To Exuberant Joy

The second group of people Jesus appeared to on His resurrection day, after having appeared to the women who had visited his empty tomb, were the two men going from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

They were discussing Christ’s crucifixion (Luke 24:14) and were very downcast and sad, Luke 24:17. While they were trying to figure out what it all meant and what was next, Christ joined them, though they recognized Him not, Luke 24:15-16.

He questioned them concerning what they were talking about that was accompanied by their low spirits, Luke 24:17. To them, however, it was unbelievable that he didn’t know the reason, considering the tumult there had been at Jerusalem over Christ’s crucifixion, Luke 24:18. But Christ continued to question them to tell him everything that was on their heart and mind, as if he knew nothing about their concerns, Luke 24:19a.

They opened up with him, declaring their concerns to be over Jesus of Nazareth, whom they declared to be “a prophet mighty in deed and word,” but to their despair, had been presented to the Romans for crucifixion by the Jewish chief priests and rulers. And to their consternation, they had been expecting him to deliver Israel out of her present troubles, Luke 24:19b-21a.

As for the teachings that, to them, alluded to Christ arising after 3 days, all they had were the unconfirmed reports of some women, which claimed to have seen “a vision of angels, which said that he was alive,” Luke 24:21-24.

Christ reproved them, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” Luke 24:25-26. He then patiently took the time, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27

As they arrived at Emmaus, they constrained him to abide with them and as they were eating with him, “their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” Luke 24:31. After this fact, what was so outstanding to them was how their hearts had burned within them as he had opened up the scriptures to them on the way.

What can be said about all this is: they were sad and in despair because they knew only part of the story. AND they knew only part of the story, not because it wasn’t contained in the scriptures, nor because Christ hadn’t taught them, but because the part they knew was the only part they wanted to know. They wanted to know about Christ, the prophet mighty in deed and word, but they didn’t want to know about the sufferings of Christ.

But they found that the answers they needed to go from being overcome by despair, unto becoming more than a conqueror, existed with the acceptance of those things in God’s Word, that their own will and way didn’t really want to know. AMEN!

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The Mystery Of Iniquity

“For mystery of iniquity doth already work” 2 Thessalonians 2:7

In my generation, (born 1944, deceased?) I have witnessed the mystery of iniquity at work at breakneck speed. In Biblical days, it worked to agitate society to crucify Christ, even though He was declared to be innocent in two Roman courts: “And Pilate…Said unto them,…behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.” Luke 23:13-15

The reason the mystery of iniquity works is due to the author and power of it: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

This generation has gone from, “In God we trust” unto it being illegal to read the Bible, pray, or speak of Jesus in our public schools, but it is all right to portray Christ at being “gay” in a drama at a university in Texas.

Christian beware! We must not allow the mystery of iniquity to overthrow the spirit of sanctification in our churches! Willful sin, rebellion, and immorality that God required the death penalty for under the law of Moses, should not now entitle people to special favor and affection in the New Testament Church. “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:28-29 “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15.

The mystery of iniquity is all about turning everything upside down in the hearts and minds of people. BEWARE!

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Serving The Saviour?

When Saul of Tarsus began his Christian life, it was based on, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”, rather than, “I don’t really want to be asked to do anything.”

SERVE = to work for; to give obedience and honor to; to fight for; to wait on; to carry out the duties connected with the position; to prepare and offer; to be used; to meet the needs; to be suitable or favorable for.

Every person whom Christ saves is saved for the expressed purpose of serving the Lord: “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

The starting point of getting on board for service, is to first surrender ourselves unto being fitted for the Master’s use: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

Service is initiated through one accepting God’s will and way as their personal duty: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46 A faithful servant will devote themselves to making sure God’s work gets done rather than just assuming: “Everybody thought somebody would do it, so nobody did it.”

A servant has a consciousness within to listen for and respond to the Master’s call: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I send me.” Isaiah 6:8

A servant must seek to connect with the mind of the Master: “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; PRAY YE therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38  Obviously, if the Master’s house is full, but His fields are empty, the harvest will not be reaped.

God doesn’t force us into His service. We must see it as a privilege to answer the call to serve: “And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” 1 Chronicles 29:5b

“Lovest thou me more than these?” John 19:15

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Who Was The Transgressor?

“—but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.” 1 Corinthians 2:13

In defense of certain doctrinal truths, one may force an explanation of a difficult subject in order to make all things agree doctrinally, but in the process only create more undoctrinal positions that are incorrect, than what they supposedly keep correct.

Such is the case, I believe, in many arguments concerning Judas Iscariot. Many, in their zeal to argue in behalf of eternal salvation, decree that Judas had to be a lost creature, even when Christ called and ordained him. Some claim infallibility on assuming this position, and charge all other teachings to be heresy.

But I wish to submit that the matter of whether Judas was saved or lost is not so much a position toward Judas, as it is a position regarding Christ, His wisdom, righteousness, redemption, and kingdom.

I shudder to think about reasoning along the lines that Christ would take a lost man (or a demon incarnate, as some propose) and willfully, knowingly set him into a sacred position as an apostle, and empower him to tender with the souls of men (thus placing a stumblingbloc before the lost) and to serve the needs of God’s sheep (thus placing a wolf in sheep’s clothing in the fold of God’s sheep.)

For all this to be done, there would certainly be fault to be found in Christ. Such an act would be an impeachable offense by any leader, to personally place criminals in positions of trust.

When God created Adam, He made him perfect. Before God made him, He knew Adam would sin, so God foreordained salvation through Christ. But God did not create Adam as a sinner. Adam became a sinner by his choice, and the fault is not God’s.

The point: For Christ to have made Judas an apostle when he was a lost creature, would have made the error to be on Christ’s part, the same as it would be if a New Testament Church was to ordain a known “Jezebel” to be their pastor. But when Christ placed Judas in the apostleship, he was qualified to fill it, or the fault would be Christ’s. Judas did what he did by his choice, as Adam did, and the fault was not on Christ’s part. Acts 2:25 tells us Judas fell from his apostleship by his own transgression. He was not placed in the apostleship “in” his transgression through a transgression on Christ’s part. To say that he was, is to imply Christ doesn’t do according to righteousness.

Some say Christ was justified in choosing and ordaining Judas as a lost creature so as to fulfill prophecy. But I ask, who wrote the prophecy? What righteous reason would God have to write a game plan that would include such a horrendous decision as putting a member of the Devil’s squad on His team? God doesn’t operate by the damnable principle, “Let us do evil, that good many come” Romans 3:8. Rather, Christ did just as His Word commands, 1 John 4:1–“try the spirits whether they are of God.” “Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil”is not telling us that Christ chooses evil men to do His work. But it is explaining that in spite of all God does for men, that some fall for Satan’s wiles and do no more with their opportunities than what Satan would have them to do.

The Bible calls what Judas did a betrayal. Had Judas been Satan’s agent when Christ set him in office, what Judas did then would not have been a betrayal. It would have been no more than Christ tempting Judas to do what Satan wanted him to do and collaborating with Satan’s evil work.

Judas began as a true servant of God would–chosen and ordained of Christ. No Christian can tolerate the deed or person of one who would betray the Lord, and neither could Judas. The sentence he passed upon himself reveals what he thought of the deed and of the person who committed the deed. None of Satan’s servants killed themselves for their part in Christ’s crucifixion.

Judas serves to warn us of how far Satan will go if a Christian allows him to enter their heart (Luke 22:3) 1 Peter 5:8–If Judas had been some devil incarnate being, Satan would not have entered into his heart, he would have already been there as the power of his being.

Some argue that Judas was just one appearance of a Satanic triune being, that appeared on earth before as Cain, then as Judas, and will come again as the anti-christ, and that all three of these are one in the same, “the son of perdition.” WOW!

(1) This would mean reincarnation is a fact. It would mean Satan can also give life and create human beings from his demons. It would mean Satan can incarnate himself into human flesh like Christ did.

(2) It would mean that Satan also has the victory over death, and that at his will, he can raise from the dead those whom he will, if he can have a Cain, Judas, and anti-christ who are all the same “son of perdition.” WOW!

God put a mark on Cain for who and what he was. God’s Word has identified the anti-christ for who he is. Then why would Christ embrace Judas as one of His apostles if he were this satanic, immortal being? Would Christ not then become a partaker of his evil deeds? See 2 John 10-11.

It is incorrect to say a saved person cannot do what the devil wants them to do since they are saved (some argue a saved person would not do what Judas did,) BUT only when a Christian has on the whole armour of God will they withstand in the evil day – Ephesians 6:13.

Some act as if Judas’ sin was so horrible that not even Jesus’ blood could atone for it. So again, this is about Christ and not Judas. For Christ’s blood to be insufficient to atone for some sins would make it insufficient to atone for any. The perfection of Christ’s blood makes it a sufficient covering for all sins. The fact Christ never failed where Judas did fail, makes Christ’s offering a perfect atonement for Judas’ sins and the sins of the whole world. WOW!

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The Distress Of Nations

As is set forth in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, we are just entering the era of the beginning of sorrows, with commotions and distress of nations. We are at the close of the Gentile age.

Since the days of the apostles, the gospel has reached all nations, but has largely been displaced due to unbelief. One has only to consider how fast this is occurring in our nation to understand how it happened elsewhere.

Our nation was established on “In God We Trust,” thus: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12.However, our nation has drifted into unbelief and we are now changing our gods–unto the forsaking of our only hope of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12….”The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17

The adopted “Political Correctness” of our nation is anti-christ, unto the exclusion of all references to God and the denial of the authority of God. Consequently, our nation has gone from prosperity into an unsustainable plunge of economic decline. Rather than rejoice as “One Nation Under God,” we now travail as “One nation under debt.” Deuteronomy 28 lays out the tragic reverses from fortune that occur as a nation turns from God.

Rather than our nation stand as a beacon of light and hope unto other nations, we are now sinking in the sea of despair of losing our power to even sustain ourselves. On the horizon, clouds of desolation are forming.

There is a STIMULUS PACKAGE that would work wonders for our nation, if it would only be voted in: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 It will take an act of God to heal and restore our nation. For that to occur, our nation must first return to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.

AMERICA, COME HOME!

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