Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of Luke. Luke. Chapter 24. Luke 24. This is the account. a well-known account of two men, two, the Scripture
says, that were walking on the road
to a city called Emmaus. And verse 14 said they talked
together. Of all these things which had
happened just three days before the Lord Jesus Christ had been
crucified. And it said it came to pass that
while they communed together and reasoned that Jesus himself
drew near and went with them. Think of the fulfillment of Scripture.
The Scripture says where two or three are gathered in My name. I am in the midst of you. We
see our blessed Lord faithful to His Word, faithful to His
people. What I see in these Scriptures,
and I am going to deal with that discourse, going through some
of those passages right there. But I want to behold tonight
a picture of how God saves a sinner. The Scripture speaks of Him. He's getting ready to teach these
two, that very thing. When a man, a woman, hears of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the Spirit of God, takes that word and hears a mysterious,
wonderfully mysterious thing, the message of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the record of Christ Himself, the gospel. In God's power, purpose, will,
he takes that message. Now, men have contrived all kinds
of ways on how to get people saved. They'll try all kinds of methods.
They'll try to scare them, tell them about how hot hell is. I try to manipulate them, get
them just all different kinds of ways, methods. How do you
get a man saved? Well, you know, scare him into
getting saved, fool him, slip up on his backside. I had a guy
tell me one time, he said, I believe what you're preaching. He said,
but if I preach that, just right out of the chute, You know, they'll
run me off. So he said, I figured, so help
me. He said, I figured it's going
to take me about ten years before I can finally get around. I thought that's just a little
bit too long. No, you don't believe that either. Paul said, I'm not
ashamed of the gospel. It's the power of God. This is
God's means. This is God's Word. This is God's
way. This is how God saves a sinner. These two, on the road to Emmaus,
they heard the message of Christ Himself. He taught them of Himself. And here was their conclusion,
after they heard the message, did not our heart burn within
us? opened unto us the Scriptures,
those Scriptures concerning Himself. There are some folks here that
know something about that. They hear the message of Christ.
They hear it. They hear it again. They hear
it again. But our brother stood up here
a moment ago and was speaking of these marvelous things, these
marvelous words, these wonderful words of life we sang about this
morning. You know what they're listening
for? You know what you want to hear? I want to hear about Him. That's why. Tell me about Him
one more time. Tell me one more time how He
put away my guilt. Tell me one more time how He
took my sin. Tell me one more time how He
was made to be sin. that I might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Tell me that one more time. That's
what I want to hear. You don't want to hear anything
new. That's what they did at Mars Hill. They did nothing but
sit around and want to hear some new thing, something about prophecy,
some weird thing, some wild thing. Tell me something strange that
will tickle my fancy. I'm not a believer. Tell me one
more time. Tell me about Him. Even now, the Lord Jesus Christ
opens the heart of His people the same way. I don't know how
much these men knew. I don't know. But I'm going to
look at just a moment tonight on the picture of how God saves
a sinner. How does He do it? beginning in where we just read
just a few moments ago. Behold, two of them went that
same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem,
about three-square, four longs. They talked together of all these
things which had happened. And it came to pass that while
they communed together in reason, Jesus Himself, now there's a
key, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. Here's the
first thing I know. If God has purposed to save a
sinner, He is going to cross that man, that woman's path with
the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is concerning Him. When we preach the gospel of
Christ, we preach Him. Two were walking on this road,
and the Lord Jesus Christ Christ Himself appeared. Now, when the
Lord crosses the path of one that He's purposed to save, it's
going to be with the things pertaining to Himself. While they were talking
about that which was happening just a few days before, how He
was betrayed by one of His own apostles, how He was led the
mockery. I was crucified between two thieves,
knowing these facts, but something happened when Christ Himself
came up and started talking to them. The Scripture says that their
eyes, verse 16, were holding that they should not know Their eyes were veiled is what
it means. Their eyes were covered. I don't know what it was about
the Lord Jesus Christ that day that caused them to not see Him
and know Him. But I know in picture and in
type, man by nature doesn't know Him, doesn't see Him, doesn't
behold Him. Man by nature can't see the glory
of God in Christ. He must be revealed. Turn with me to Matthew 11. Matthew 11, verse 27. The Lord Jesus Christ speaking,
He says, All things are delivered unto me of my Father. And no
man knoweth the Son, but the Father neither knoweth any man
the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him." These two are walking on the road to Emmaus. Now, you
think about this. Here is a picture of how God
saves a sinner. First of all, he is purposed
to cross their path. He could have left them alone.
He could have left you alone. He could have left me alone. purpose. One day you heard the
gospel. God crossed your path providentially. Predestination. You know what
that means? God has determined from the beginning
the destination that all of His elect, He determines all men,
all women, but especially for His own, He has predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. by Jesus Christ Himself. He is
determined. I would dare say that many of
us here tonight are not from here. I am not originally from
here. I was born in central Louisiana. My mama, when I was born, was
of another denomination. I was raised up in a different
false denomination. knew nothing of God. When I was
eight years old, she changed and went to another denomination.
I knew nothing of God. One was no different than the
other. Both of them false. Both of them works religion,
had nothing whatsoever. In due time, I was raised up
in this religion. One day I heard a message I'd
never heard before. I had a man preaching. His name
was Henry Mahan. Never heard of him. Never heard
of this man. Somebody gave me a tape. Popped
the tape in there. I listened to that and I thought, I've never seen that, never heard
of that in my life. Listened to it again. One day
I went to hear him. He was coming to a little church
there in central Louisiana, Ball, Louisiana. Where's Ball, Louisiana? Well, that's a place where God
was pleased to raise up a preacher. And by God's good providence,
in God's timing, when it pleased God, when it pleased Him to reveal
Christ in me, I heard it. When he pleased God, these two
men just walking down the road, here they are, just talking,
and the Lord Jesus Christ came up, walked along, asked them,
what are you all talking about? Why do some see at one time and
others see at another time? Why is that? Because God Almighty
works all things after the counsel of His own will. And when it
pleases Him, when He is pleased to open a man's heart, Almighty
God will do it under the preaching of Christ. The gospel of God's
free grace in the Lord Jesus Himself, Emmanuel, God with us, He reveals a man's blindness
Verse 25, here, 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?
I never knew anything about that before. I never knew anything
about the glory of Almighty God. Christ Himself, as we considered
this morning, glorifying Himself and glorifying His Father in
the redemption. and salvation of His people.
I didn't know anything about that. I thought God was wanting
me to do something for Him. I thought God Almighty was trying
as hard as He could, trying to save me. And all He was wanting
me to do was give Him my heart. I had it in my mind. I'm going
to sow my wild oats just before I die. So help me. This is the way I had it figured.
I'll just do what I want to do, and when I've had all the fun
I want to have, then just before, you know, I die, then I'll give
my heart to Jesus. I doubt it. No, you won't. Almighty God left me to myself. I'll tell you exactly what I'd
have done. I'd have gone to my grave rebelling against Him,
and I would not have cared. one bit for His honor, for His
Christ, for His glory. Here is divine kindness, divine
mercy, divine grace revealing the ignorance of His elect. O fools, blind, slow to believe
all that the prophets have spoken concerning Him, This must be,
for man is proud of his own knowledge. Man's proud of himself. What
was it that they were ignorant of? Well, it wasn't ignorance
of, you know, the day's events. I mean, man by nature knows a
lot about religious stuff. Everybody and their brother talks
about religion. talks about the Jesus of their
imagination, the God of their own image, their idol that they've
created in their mind, the God that they say they serve, but
truly in their mind, He serves them. Man knows that kind of
God. Oh, fools, slow of heart, ought
not Christ to have suffered these things and enter into his glory,
and beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he expounded
unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."
That's what he told those Pharisees. You search the Scriptures. You
do. And you think that you have eternal life. These are they. Speak of me. Speak of him. Ought not the Lord to have suffered
as a man. These things must be that he
enter into his glory. He must reveal himself as the
message of God's Word. He began to reveal in the Scriptures
those pictures and types and shadows, his suffering, his glory,
as he began to expound unto them. You know that ark? that Moses
went into? That was me. You know that brazen
serpent that Moses lifted up in the desert? That's a picture
of me. You know that rock that was smitten?
That was me. Beginning with Moses and all
the Scriptures, the prophets, He expounded unto them those
things concerning Himself. That manna that came down out
of heaven? of me. I am the bread. I am God. I am the food. I am the meat. That's me." While he expounded,
they came near, the Scripture says, to a village where they
lived, a place called Emmaus. And he made as though that he
would have gone farther. I'll tell you this, he wasn't
teasing them. He wasn't fooling them. But something
within caused them to constrain him to stay. I've heard men speak
of this prevenient grace, grace before grace. You remember when
Zacchaeus, a little man short of stature,
Scripture says, in a place called Jericho, and the Lord was going
to pass through that place. There was Zacchaeus. I may have
mentioned this before, but I think about this. That man short of
stature. Something within. What was it that caused that
man to want to view, to see the Lord Jesus Christ? I'll tell
you what it was. It was God's grace to him. It
gave him a hunger to look on Him, wait for Him. And that fellow
was short in stature by God's everlasting good grace and mercy. He made that man short. Made
him short. And in due time caused that man
to climb up in a sycamore tree. Why? Because he was short. He
couldn't see over the folks. Couldn't see. Oh, how gracious
God was to that man to make him short of stature. God's grace. Provenient grace. These two men
right here, the Lord Jesus Christ, it appeared as though that He
would have gone on further. And He, by His mercy and grace
to them, gave them a heart to constrain Him to come in. By that provenient grace, they
had not been forgetful to entertain strangers as of yet. Their eyes
were holding. They didn't know who He was. Here's the marvelous working
of God's Spirit making these two willing in the day of His
power. They just couldn't bear to part
with Him. What was it that caused you,
you that know Him, what was it that caused you to want to hear
the gospel? Almighty God drawing you to Himself. Put you under that gospel. Kept
you under that gospel. And when it pleased Him, gave
you a heart for the gospel. Revealed Himself. And you said
then, I see. I see. By God's grace, I see. Thank you. His love constrained them to
constrain Him. He put them just exactly where
He wanted them. Then the revelation that set
their heart aflame. Verse 30 said it came to pass
as he said it, meet with them. He took bread and blessed it
and break it and gave it to them. I think about, well my mind just a second ago
just went to My kids, I don't know why it went to my children,
but I was thinking how many years my children would sit under the
gospel I'd be preaching, and they were there. They'd come sit. They knew they
had to go, you know. Mom and Dad said, we've got to
go. It wasn't even up for debate. We go. God's grace. God's saving grace. And in due
time, Almighty God was pleased to reveal Himself to them. Grace, grace, God's grace. It says, He sat down with them. He took bread and He blessed
it. And He break it and He gave it to them. And their eyes were
opened. Look at this. And they knew Him. They knew Him. They knew Him. They knew who
He was. They saw Him. They knew Him factually. They knew Him savingly. 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
unto us the scriptures? Here is the heart of one made
to behold him savingly. Here he was. as it were a stranger
in their house. Now, the master of the house
was the one that broke the bread, the one who was in charge. And I'll tell you this, the one
that was in charge did. He was the one that took that
bread and broke it. Now, there was something significant,
especially in this time. Remember, I'm looking tonight
at a picture of how God saves a sinner. Here was two that were
just going their merry way. God was pleased to cross their
path. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
them and revealed their ignorance and by His grace hemmed them
up and put them in a place where He was going to teach them. And
He did teach them. And He broke bread. And the scripture
says, and here's something that's very significant. Look at verse
35. After he had vanished out of
their sight, they had gone, verse 33 says, they rose up the same
hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven 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 the breaking
of bread. Now, let me tell you, there's
something significant about what they just said. In type, for
sure. I don't know the depth of what
was said, but I can tell you this. In picture, in type, as
he took that bread, there was a picture. I can tell you this
for a fact. There's a picture of him, broken
bread, you know, when we observe the Lord's table. Take that bread
and break it. The Lord said this when he ate
that bread and drank that cup with his disciples on that last
night before his crucifixion. He said, this is my body which
is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.
Here in type for sure, in picture for sure, he took that bread
and broke it and blessed it. We break the bread of life right
now as we preach the gospel. We preach Him, declare Him the
bread of heaven, and we preach Him broken for His people, laying
down His life willingly for His own. And the Lord Jesus Christ
took that bread, and when He broke it, by His power, by His
grace, by His mercy, He revealed Himself. And when He broke that
bread, they saw Him. You're the one. You're the Christ. He opened their eyes and they
knew him. They saw him, their substitute. I don't doubt that they had witnessed
the five loaves and two fish, but they saw more than man by
nature can see. Their eyes were open. They knew
him. This is life eternal. That's
what that thief on the cross, that's what he saw. He looked
to the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on that cross, then railing all
of a sudden. Almighty God was pleased to give
him a heart for this one that was hanging, dying in his place. And he said, Lord, when you enter
into your kingdom, there's the King right there. There's the
master right there. When you enter into your kingdom,
would you remember me? Would you? If you remember me,
if you remember me, Lord, if you remember me, I have hope. I've got life. Lord, if you answer for me, Lord, if you speak for me, when
you enter into your kingdom, can you imagine the Lord Jesus
Christ, whose blood answers for all of His elect? This is my
body. This is my blood shed for you. I lay down my life for you. He
broke that bread, and they knew Him. They saw Him. And their
hearts were set aflame. God's people hear of Him afresh
and something happens. Their heart is set on fire by
God's Spirit. They hear of Him. They feast
on Him. They drink of Him. They love
Him. They love Him. And they cannot
be without Him. And He vanished. out of his sight,
out of their sight, removed himself from them. And they went forth and saw the
eleven, and they said this, the Lord said, Our Master, our Savior,
He is alive, He is alive.