In the Gospel of Luke, chapter
24, is the story of two disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, two
Christians walking along on a road to a city called Emmaus. And
they're talking about what had happened previously in the days
before this. The Lord Jesus Christ had been
crucified. and was buried. And they were
speaking of what had happened to him. In verse 13 it says of
Luke 24, 13, Behold, two of them went that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs,
which is about seven miles. And they talked together of all
these things which had happened. It came to pass that while they
communed together, and reason. Jesus himself drew near and went
with them, but their eyes were holden that they should not know
him." End of quote. Now if I had a title for this
message it would be that Christ is only known through the preaching
of his word. Now these two men were supposed
to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet the Lord Jesus Christ
was standing right in front of them talking with them, and they
did not know it was Him. Now, I don't know if you know
the Lord Jesus Christ or not. I don't know who's listening
to this. But I know this, that He only reveals Himself to whom
He will. The Lord chose these two men
to come and speak with them and reveal Himself to them. They
didn't know Him until He revealed Himself to them, until He opened
their understanding to them. And He did it, and He still does
it, one way, by the preaching of His Word. He opened the Scriptures
that they might understand Him. He preached the Word of God.
That's His name, the Word. In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's the Lord Jesus
Christ. It all speaks of Him, and that's
what He spoke from. That's what He preached from.
And that's how He reveals Himself to every one of His disciples,
His true disciples. In John 17, verse 3, the Lord
Jesus Christ prayed this prayer, said to His Father in His prayer,
This is life eternal. that they might know Thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." Well, these
men are going to sound like they did not know Christ, and like
they did not know that God had sent Him to this earth with an
express purpose, and that He fulfilled that purpose. No, they
were talking like they didn't know Him at all. And so it is
with many who profess to be Christians in this day, profess to be disciples
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we only know Him if He has
chosen us to reveal Himself to us. This is life eternal. And
He does it through the preaching of His Word. These men thought
this was just a preacher. Well, He was a preacher. He's the Son of God, but He came
to preach. And He pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. That's what the Scripture
said. Well, it says in verse 17, He
said unto them, and He asked them a question, not that He
did not know the answer, not for His information, but He's
revealing something to them and to us. He says in verse 17, What
manner of communication are these, that you have one to another
as you walk and are sad? And one of them, Cleophas was
his name, answered and said unto him, Art thou only a stranger
in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to
pass there in these days? The Lord 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, how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him
to be condemned to death, and they've crucified him. But we
trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.
So they said unto him, Are you a stranger here? Don't you know
what happened? And he asked them, What thing?
And they started talking about a man named Jesus, a prophet,
mighty indeed in word, and how the chief priests and rulers
killed him. No, they're the ones who spoke like they were strangers
to the truth, strangers to the Lord Jesus Christ, like they
did not even know Him. How about you? Do you know who
this was that came and why He came and what He did, where He
is now? Do you know what the Scriptures
speak? Do you know who it was that killed Jesus Christ and
why? Oh my, religion today speaks of Jesus Christ as though they
don't know Him. And I contend that they do not.
One time the Lord Jesus Christ turned to His disciples and said,
whom do men say that I am? And they began to say, well,
some say you're John the Baptist, risen from the dead, or one of
the prophets. Some say you're Elijah, or so
on and so forth. dishonoring to the Lord Jesus
Christ, it would be a great honor to me if you said I was a great
prophet, or John the Baptist risen from the dead. Not the
Lord Jesus Christ, because He is no mere man, no mere mortal
man, no mere prophet like the other prophets. This is God manifesting
in flesh. the son of God, sent by God to
do a work by God for his people. And Isaiah wrote of him, Behold
my servant, my elect, he shall not fail or even be discouraged. He shall this, he shall that,
he shall do this and that. They're the ones talking like
strangers and so it is all who speak of Jesus Christ as a mere
mortal man. They said the chief priests and
rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and have crucified Him.
No, it wasn't them that delivered Him to death. It says the Father
delivered Him up. He delivered Him up. It says
men with wicked hands took and crucified Him, but they did what
God determined before to be done. Isaiah 53 says it pleased the
Lord to bruise Him. God did put His soul to grief.
The Lord Jesus Christ was sent by God to Calvary's tree where
God Himself killed Him, nailed Him to the cross, and in doing
so nailed the handwriting of ordinances against us to His
cross, paying for every crime, every sin by God's people. Yes,
it was God that sent Him with the express purpose of saving
His people from their sin. On the mount where the Lord was
transfigured before three disciples, we peeled back that robe, that
veil of flesh, and showed them who He was, God, which dwelleth
in light, which no man can approach unto. Well, he showed them who
he was, and talking to him were two men, Moses and Elijah, which
represent the Law and the Prophets. And they spoke to him of the
death that he should accomplish. That's what it says there. The
death he should accomplish. Try to say, but the death He
should accomplish. Jesus Christ didn't come to this
earth to try to do anything. He came to do a work that God
sent Him to do, and He did it. His last words were, it is finished. His first words as a 12-year-old
boy were, I must be about my father's business. His last words
on the cross were, it's finished. I did it. I accomplished it.
I brought in an everlasting righteousness. I put away the sins of my people.
I fulfilled the law for them. I brought out the handwriting
of ordinances against them. He did it. Christ, Jesus, did
the work of redemption for His people. And all who speak of
Him trying to save, wanting to save, and making an attempt to
save, and making salvation possible, don't know Him. So our Lord is
going to reveal to these men who He is and what He did and
why He came. A finished work for a chosen
people. Well, they said, we trusted it
had been He which should have redeemed Israel. People, listen
to me. They are not all Israel which
are of Israel. Neither are they Jews which are
born in Jerusalem. But all of God's people are Jews.
He is not a Jew which is one outwardly. Circumcision is of
the heart. The mark of God is not in the
flesh but on the heart. All of God's people are the sons
of Jacob. Do you understand what that means?
Do you understand? God chose Jacob. Jacob have I
loved, Esau have I hated. He said, I am the God of Jacob.
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All three of those were chosen.
Chosen of him. He said, Jacob have I loved.
He said, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore you sons of Jacob
are not consumed. Do you understand what that means?
All of God's people do. They understand that Jacob didn't
choose God. God chose him. Jacob didn't love
God till God first loved him. So it is with all of God's people.
And they understand that Jacob was a hell deserving, no good,
worthless sinner. But God chose him. God loved
him. And God made a covenant concerning him. And that's the
same with all of God's people. Oh, salvations of the Lord. And
He did redeem Israel by His precious blood. He did put away the sins
of all of His people. He did. He did. All Israel shall
be saved. Romans 11. Do you understand
what that means? They are saved because Jesus
Christ saved them. Because Jesus Christ shed His
blood. Who shall lay anything the charge of God's elect? It
is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? Christ
died. That's why they were redeemed. Israel was redeemed. His chosen
people. Well, 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? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself. The Lord Jesus Christ began in
Moses and the prophets and the Psalms, it says in verse 44,
the things concerning himself. The word of God is concerning
Jesus Christ. All the prophets bear witness
of Christ. Moses wrote of me, Christ said.
To him give all the prophets witness. It's all about Jesus
Christ. In Genesis, he's the creator,
the light, the woman's seed. Exodus, the Passover lamb. Leviticus,
the great atonement. Numbers, the brazen serpent.
Deuteronomy, the city of refuge. Joshua, the scarlet lion. Rahab,
scarlet lion. Judges, he's the angel of the
Lord that appeared to Gideon. Ruth, he's the kinsman redeemer.
The story of Ruth is not the story of Ruth, but the story
of Boaz, who represents Jesus Christ. Do you understand that?
Oh, if the Lord will open your understanding, if the Word is
preached to you like it's being preached now, you'll understand
that Jesus Christ is the Word, that Jesus Christ is salvation. When He opens the Word, He was
known of them, the Scripture says in verse 35 of our text,
in the breaking of bread. Christ said, I am the bread of
life come down from heaven. I am the manna come down from
heaven, in which if He breaks this bread to you, you'll know
who He is, why He came, what He did, and whether you're in
Him or not. That's what He said. I am the
bread of life. Well, their hearts burned with
Him. They constrained Him to abide
with them, and it says He took meat, and bread, and bless that
bread, and break it, and their eyes were opened, they knew Him,
and He vanished out of their sight. It's salvation to know
the Lord Jesus Christ, and He's known one way, when He opens
the Scriptures. which reveal Him. And their hearts
burned within them while He talked with them by the way. Why is
that? Because now they have Christ in them. Christ, our God's a
consuming fire. And yet if Christ is in you,
your heart will burn. Your heart will burn. You'll
understand who He is and why He came, what you are and how
He had to save you and that He did just that. And when they
went back, they began to bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ,
how He told what things, they told Him what things were done
in the way and how He was known of them and the breaking of bread.
Oh my, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you? I hope and pray. Maybe He will use this word by
this feeble preacher to open your understanding. I pray that
He will. Until next Sunday, good day.