Go with me if you would back
to Luke 24. Luke 24 and let's read verses 30 through 32 again. 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. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within
us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to
us the scriptures? I was talking to a brother last
Sunday at the fellowship dinner out at the park. And we were talking about the
blessing. The the. The gray blessing, the
blessing on the soul, the spiritual feeding. That takes place when
God opens the heart to the gospel. What a what a blessing it is
when God opens the heart. To the gospel. when a sinner
can truly say, I've heard it with my ears, but now I'm hearing
it with my heart. Job said, I've heard by the hearing
of the ear, but now my eye sees you. I think most of you can
enter into that. I see you now. I say you now,
the blessing it is when God opens the heart. There is nothing greater. And those of you who've had your
heart open know what that means. There is nothing on this earth
that is greater. There is nothing more joyful.
There is nothing more fulfilling, nothing more filling. Nothing more desirable for a
believer, for a believer, for a child of God, for a soul who
God has caused to see these things as a savor of life unto life. For that soul, there is nothing
like those moments when God opens the heart, when He opens His
heart to the gospel, the Word, God opens the heart eternally. But God opens the heart in brief
moments. Through the hearing of his word,
through the reading of his word by his spirit, the heart is open
when God opens the heart, it's open forever. But then there
are there are moments on this earth when God opens the heart. And I was thinking on the glory
of it, just thinking of how wonderful it is, and this scripture came
to my mind. Did not our heart burn within
us? I titled this message Heartburn. Lord, give us heartburn. Give
us heartburn, an eternal heartburn for Christ. Lord, make this real
to us. Let us not just be here. Let
us not just play games. Let us not just go through the
motions. Let us have a heartburn for Christ. And Lord, would you let us feel
the heartburn. from your word, one more time,
while we're down here on this earth, Lord. I've told you so
many times this is one of, I guess every scripture we turn to is
included, but this is one of my favorite stories in all of
the scripture. I love this because this is my
favorite thing to experience on this earth, heartburn. Heart burn. Now, salvation is
not an experience. Salvation is a person. That is so important. Salvation
is not a feeling. Salvation is not a feeling. We unbelievers need to know that
and we believers need to know that for opposite reasons. Salvation is not a feeling. And I am so thankful to the Lord
for that. I am so grateful for that. Feelings
come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving. Salvation is a
person. The Lord Jesus Christ. And if
we are in him, we are saved whether we feel
saved or not. If we are in Him, if this old,
cold, dead heart never burns, if God put me in Christ, I'm
saved whether I feel saved or not. If He is my salvation, if He's
your salvation, then our salvation is not dependent on anything
but Him. If He is our salvation, It's
not dependent on anything but Him. But even though salvation
is not an experience or a feeling, it is something that the heart
of a sinner will experience and feel. And that will never make
sense to a person until true heart salvation comes. You can
tell a sinner it's not an experience, it's not a feeling, but you'll
experience it and you'll feel it. And that'll never make sense
to a person. until true heart salvation comes. That 18 inches from the head
to the heart, that 18 inches, a lot of men and women get it
in the head. A lot of men and women get it
in the head. Lord, drop it to my heart. Drop it down into my
heart. A sinner who that happens to
will say, my salvation is not a feeling. It is not a feeling. It is a person. It has nothing
to do with feelings. My salvation has nothing to do
with feelings. Oh, but does not our heart burn
within us? While he talks with us, by the
way, in that moment when he threw this word by his spirit, speaks
directly to me, when he's talking directly to me, does not my heart
burn within me. Here's the best description and
example of that. Look with me if you would at
Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter 16, verse 13 says,
and on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside where
prayer was wont to be made, and we sat down and spake unto the
women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia,
a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped
God, heard us. whose heart the Lord opened."
She was already a worshipper of God, meaning she gathered
together with people. And she had a reverence for the
God of her imagination. She knew there was a God and
had some kind of reverence for this God that she thought of.
But one day the Lord opened her heart. The Lord opened her heart. And it says in verse 14, she
attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when
she was baptized in her household, she besought us saying, if you
have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house
and abide there. And she constrained us. What
was her salvation and experience? The Lord saved her. The Lord saved her. What did
he do? He opened her heart. She fell in love. That's what
happens. Sinners fall in love. They fall
in love with the Lord. They fall in love with the gospel. They fall in love with the men
who brought them the gospel. They fall in love with the ministry
of the gospel. She said, you're coming into
my house, I'm feeding you, I'm gonna take care of you. That's what God does on the heart.
That's what God moves on the heart. When a sinner's heart
is finally opened to the altogether lovely one, that sinner can't
help but fall in love. He's altogether lovely, altogether. Now you know what this says,
but turn with me anyway to Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon chapter one. Verse 1 says, the song of songs
which is Solomon's. Now the bride says in verse 2,
let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is
better than wine. Verse 7, she said, tell me, O
thou whom my soul loveth. Where thou feedest, where thou
makest thy flock to rest at noon, for why should I be as one that
turneth aside by the flocks of thy companion? I just want to
be where you are. I just want to be where you are.
I want to be where your people gather. I want to be where you
and your people are. Verse 9, I have compared thee,
O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks
are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
Everything about you is lovely. Chapter two, he says, verse one,
I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. As the lily
among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. She's beautiful
to me. I'm the lily and so is she. As
I am, so is she. She says in verse three, as the
apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among
the sons. I sat down under his shadow with
great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought
me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love. Stay with me with flagons, comfort
me with apples, for I am sick of love. I'm completely taken
with love. His left hand is under my head,
and His right hand doth embrace me. Verse 10 says, My beloved spake
and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
He's calling me. For lo, the winter is past, the
rain is over and gone. Verse 16, she said, My beloved
is mine and I am his. He feedeth among the lilies.
Until the day break and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved,
and be thou like a roe or a young heart upon the mountains of Bethlehem."
Now, for a moment, she thinks He has left her. All right? Now, this is something we experience. This is something all of God's
people experience. For a moment, she thinks He's
left her. She can't find Him. Chapter 3,
verse 1, By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth. I sought
him, but I found him not. I will rise now and go about
the city in the streets and in the broad ways. I will seek him
whom my soul loveth. I sought him, but I found him
not. The watchman that go about the
city found me to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed
from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him and
would not let him go." That's a heart that has been opened.
Jacob said, I can't let you go. I can't let you go. I just can't
let go. That's a heart that burns deep
within. That's the difference in doctrine
and union. Tell him I love him. Would you
tell him I love him? Now let's go back to Luke 24
and look at the two hearts our Lord opened. This is the very day that our
Lord arose from the grave. Verse 13, it says, And behold,
two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which
was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs, right at seven
miles. Verse 14, and they talked together
of all these things which had happened. These two that were
walking to this town of Emmaus, they started talking about all
these things that had just happened. Their Lord breaking bread with
them, telling them, one of you is going to betray me. Him entering into the garden
of Gethsemane, fallen on the ground, pouring, as it were,
sweat drops of blood. Him being taken captive, put
on trial, led to a mountain outside the
city called Calvary, stripped, beaten, mocked, spit on, crying, it is finished, giving
up the ghost. Them taking him down from the
cross, laying him in a tomb. Stationing guards around that
tomb to keep a watch over him. Now on the third day, this is
Sunday, he's not there anymore. 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, but their eyes were holding that
they should not know him. Now this is how the Lord deals
with His people every time. This is called grace before grace.
He comes to His people where they are. He comes to His people and they
have no idea that He's coming to them. Not only do they not
have a hand in Him drawing Himself to them, they have no idea He's
doing it. They have no idea. They're notified of His presence.
They're notified of His Word after the fact. That's what is
so wonderful about the Gospel. The Gospel is not a call to do
anything. It is a notification of what
is already done. Verse 15 says, it came to pass
that while they communed together in reason, Jesus himself drew
near and went with them, but their eyes were holden that they
should not know him. And he said unto them, what manner
of communications are these that you have one to another as you
walk and are sad? He knew what they were talking
about. He knows all things. He knows everything. But this
is how our Lord starts dealing with us. He starts bringing questions
to the heart. Questions to the heart. He said,
why are you sad? Why are you sad? Verse 18, And
one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things
which are come to pass therein these days? And he said unto
them, What things? He knew what things. He just
finished performing what things. But he's going to bring the heart
of his child to confession. He will bring every child out
of the heart, the mouth will speak. Verse 19, 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 have crucified
him. But we trusted that it had been
He which should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this,
today is the third day since these things were done. He was
our hope of redemption. But three days ago, He died on
the cross. They could not understand what
He was accomplishing in that. They could not understand why
these things happened. There are things in the scripture
that we ought to understand right now, but we don't. They're so clear. He told them
from the beginning that that was going to take place. The
angel reminded the women of it, the women who came to the sepulcher.
If you look at verse six, The angel said, He is not here, but
is risen. Remember how He spake unto you
when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third
day rise again. Don't you remember that? It says
in verse 8, and they remembered His words. Yeah, He did say that. The disciples did not remember
His word and they couldn't understand what He was doing, what had just
happened. But we can't be too hard on them
because there are things that we ought to know now. We have
more light than they did. But our eyes are holding on it.
Verse 21 says, But we trusted that it had been He which should
have redeemed Israel. And beside all this, today is
the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women
also of our company made us astonished which were early at the sepulcher.
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 sepulcher
and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not."
That is always the reason for our sadness. But Him they saw
not. That is always the reason for
our sadness. We don't see Him in it. We don't
see His hand in it. We don't see His purpose in it.
And when we don't see Him, sorrow overtakes us. And for an unbeliever,
that's the great error of missing Christ. People see the trial. People see the cross. People
see the tomb. But they don't see Him in it.
They don't see who He was. They don't see what He accomplished. What He accomplished. They don't
see the salvation He completed. They don't see the sin totally
removed in Him. The sin is totally removed in
Him. They don't see the fact that
He already finished it. It's finished. Verse 24 says,
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher,
and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not. Then he said unto 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? He had to. He had to. The task was laid on Him by God
His Father. He had to. There was no other
way His people could be redeemed. He had to. Not one of them could
be lost. It's the only way they could
be kept. He had to suffer these things. Verse 26, Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory,
and beginning at Moses? Look at the, if you have that
center reference, center margin in your Bible, look at how many
references there are to Moses. I have a little S next to Moses
and it says Genesis 3.15. That's where he said the serpent
is going to bruise the heel of the woman's seed, but in the
process, he's going to crush the serpent's head. The next one says, Genesis 22,
that's where Abraham took Isaac up on the mount. And he said,
Father, I see the fire and I see the wood, but where's the lamb?
And he said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb. And that's what happened on the
cross. God provided himself a lamb. God provided himself a lamb. The next one says Numbers 21
verse 9. This is what that says. Moses
made a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. And it came to
pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent
of brass, he lived. This venomous snake, as soon
as you were bitten, you died. That's it. But if a man just
looked, he lived. Christ was made to be the sin
that was killing us. made to be the very thing lifted
up on a pole. That's what happened on the cross,
and if any man, if anybody. Looks to him, he'll live. Verse
27, in beginning at Moses and all the prophets, you see the
margin for all the prophets, you see how many references there
are there. Isaiah 7, 14. Therefore the Lord
himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 9,
6. For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given. Government will be on his shoulder.
Isaiah 40. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Behold, the Lord God will come. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. And on down we could go. Verse
27, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village
whither they went, and he made as though he would have gone
further. I love our Lord. I love His ways. I do. I love His ways. He knew
that he was going to have dinner with them. But he also knew they
were going to beg him to. Think about that. That is how our Lord deals with
us. That's how our Lord deals with
his people day in and day out. He allows us to think that he
is removing himself from us. So we'll cry out. Lord, I need
to be closer to you. I need to be nearer to you. I'm
not near enough. I feel myself falling away. Nearer, my God, to thee. That's
what babies cry. That's what God's children cry.
Nearer, my God, to thee. Nearer to thee. They said, please don't leave
us. I can't imagine after hearing him preach, soon enough I'm going
to hear him preach with these ears. I know with these ears
I shall hear him preach. I'm never going to have to leave
him, but I'm never going to want to leave him. After we hear him
preach, can you imagine hearing him preach? They said, please
don't leave. Please stay. Please stay. He said, it was nice talking
with you all. We'll see you later. Please stay. Please. We've got to hear this. Verse
28, 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. And this is what we want. This
is our prayer. This is our desire, okay? Right
here. It came to pass as he sat at
meat with them. We are sitting at meat right
now. We're here to be fed. And we've
begged him. Before we started, we begged
him, Lord, would you please come into this place? Please abide
with us. Well, it came to pass as he sat
at meet with him, he took the bread. And he blessed it. And if he
doesn't. It's not going to do anybody
any good. But if he does, he took the bread and he blessed
it. And he break. And he gave to them. And one by one, he fed every
soul sitting there. Every person there, he directly
fed them. And it says their eyes were opened. And they knew him. Oh, they knew him. They realized at that very moment
He was with us all along. He was with us. We thought He
was gone forever. As it turns out, He was right
by our side, with us all along, walking with us, talking with
us, leading us, guiding us, speaking comfort to our hearts through
His Word. Verse 30, 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. Usually, that's
how it is with us. Usually, that's what happens.
We see his face for just a moment. We hear his voice for just a
fleeting moment. We have it for just a moment.
It's as though we're sitting in his very presence. And then
it's gone. And we wish it could be forever. We wish that glorious realization
could last forever. In just a minute, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, in just a minute, we'll have it forever. It will
never be gone. It'll never be over. Right now
on this earth, it's only fleeting moments. But oh, in those fleeting
moments. Verse 31 says, their eyes were
opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight
and they said one to another, did not our heart burn within
us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to
us the scripture. Those short, glorious moments
are a foretaste of what we are going to feel for all eternity. It's a foretaste of what it's
going to feel like to be in His presence for all eternity. We will not just be there for
all eternity. We will be overcome for all eternity. What we feel right now cannot
come close to comparing to what we are going to feel because
we're in a body of sin. We're hindered by a body of sin. But one day, our eternal existence will be a continual heartburn
for Christ. The object of Christ will so
consume our hearts, the subject of what He has done, the subject
The subject of subjects will just, it'll overtake us forever. We have not yet experienced happiness
like we are going to experience it. Haven't come close. We are going to be so high on
the mountain. We're going to be so far above
cloud nine. It's going to be complete, overwhelming
satisfaction, overwhelming joy, overwhelming contentment. Our hearts are going to be consumed
with the fire of God's Spirit and consumed with glorying in
the redemption He accomplished for us. We're going to be so
taken with that subject, and I want to be. Don't you want
to be completely taken with that subject? Verse 32, it says, they
said one to another, did not our heart burn within us while
he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the
scripture? And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem
and found the 11 gathered together and them that were with them
saying, the Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon. And
they told what things were done in the way and how he was known
of them in breaking of bread. They ran and told everybody,
he is risen, the scriptures are fulfilled, and our sin is gone. I mean gone. Lord, make our hearts burn over
that. Make our hearts burn over that.
If you don't cause our hearts to burn, they'll never burn.
They'll never burn. So revive us again, the song
says. Fill each heart with thy love. May each soul be rekindled with
fire from above. John Newton said, let me love
thee more and more. If I love at all, I pray. If I have not loved before, Help
me to begin today. Help me to begin right now. Lord,
put a love in me, put a love in this heart for Christ that
burns within me. Do it for Christ's sake. All
right, let's all stand together.