The Authority & Sufficiency of Scripture: Pt. 13 Sufficiency enhanced by the exposition of Scripture.
Good morning to all of our Readers.
Luke 24:13-27 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the 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 there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 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. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
We probably have some familiarity with this text which tells of a post resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ involving two disciples on their way home from Jerusalem. The two men were talking with each other about details surrounding the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
You will recall that Jesus joined them as they were walking but He clouded their vision so that they would not recognize their risen Lord. Jesus spoke to them and wanted to know what was making them so sad as they spoke to each other.
Cleopas is the disciple who answered Jesus' question. He retold how they(the two disciples) believed that Jesus was a prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people. They believed that Jesus would redeem the nation Israel. Then Cleopas went on to explain that on the third day certain women went to the tomb and saw an angel who told them Christ was risen from the dead. The disciples verified that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb
The response of Jesus to the two disciples is a vivid reminder of the sufficiency of scripture to show us Jesus Christ, the Savior who is mankind's only hope for salvation from sin.
Faith and diligent inquiry is required to see the sufficiency of scripture.
Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
First, I would have us all take note that Jesus rebuked these men for being ignorant of scripture truths and for failing to believe the scriptures. Jesus chided the disciples for failing to believe all that the prophets said in scripture. Their minds were dull toward the truth and their hearts were sluggish in responding to the truth of God's Word.
The beginning point of understanding the sufficiency of scripture is reading the scripture with the intent to understand its truth in order to live in submission to its truth. Seeing the sufficiency of scripture begins with faith in our hearts, believing that God has spoken to us through His Word. It includes reading, studying, praying and seeking the guidance of God's Spirit as we read and meditate on the scriptures.
The sufficient scriptures will always point us to the All Sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ.
Luke 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Jesus Christ pointed out the right pattern of thinking regarding how He was depicted by the Old Testament writers. I previously mentioned how the prophets saw what seemed to be two distinct lines of truth concerning the Messiah, the seed of the Woman.
One line of truth portrayed a suffering Messiah and the other a conquering Messiah. Peter mentioned that the prophets themselves did not fully understand what they had been moved by the holy spirit to say, nor did the angels understand what God was doing with regard to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Suffering comes before victory. Death precedes resurrection. Christ being humbled happened before Christ being glorified. The heel bruising of the Messiah comes before the head crushing of the serpent by the Messiah. The darkness of degradation gave way to the light of His truth.
Both the suffering and glory of the Messiah are true and this perspective must be in our minds as we read the Old Testament to discover what it says about Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Seeing scripture's sufficiency through expository preaching or teaching.
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus began by leading the two disciples through the Scriptures beginning at Genesis through Deuteronomy and then reviewing what the prophets said or wrote. Do not lose sight of this important fact. Jesus used the Old Testament scriptures to teach them truth about Himself.
The text tells us that Christ expounded all the truths in the scriptures concerning Himself. The word "expounded" means to carefully unfold the meaning of what is said. It means to expose the truth of scripture or to lay it open so that the reader has a clear view or understanding of what the text says.
Expository preaching is accurate preaching that seeks to open up the scriptures so all people who hear or read it can understand it so they can be led to the application of this truth. An expository sermon or lesson must allow the text of scripture to speak freely and convey the same theology found in the text.
The aim of all expository preaching is to lead the hearers to a response of faith and obedience to God's truth. This was the aim of Jesus as He taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He wanted to open up God's truth so they would respond by faith and believe all that God said in His Word about Christ.
Did Jesus succeed in leading these two men to faith and obedience?
Luke 24:31-35 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 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? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Notice what the text says happened when Jesus finished teaching them truth about Himself. Their eyes were opened which means that they had ears to hear and eyes to understand what Christ said. They beheld that is was none other than the risen Lord Jesus Christ who was speaking to them.
They both exclaimed how their hearts burned within them while Jesus was teaching them truth. This is the idea expressed by the Psalmist "The entrance of thy word giveth light..." (Psalm 119:130). Christ the Light of the World was speaking Divine Truth into their hearts and gospel light flooded in. That is a response of faith.
Did they also obey? The text states that they found the rest of the disciples and testified that Christ Jesus had risen from the dead just as He foretold and then they shared all that Christ spoke with them. They became faithful witnesses of His resurrection and this represents obedience to His command in Acts 1:8.
What have we learned?
First, we learned that we must have faith to believe God's Word and that we must make an effort to understand it.
Second, we learned that Jesus rebuked the two disciples for failing to depend upon the sufficiency of scripture concerning the Messiah.
Third, we learned that the scriptures will always point us to our only hope, the All Sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ.
Last, we learned that the whole point of learning scripture truth is designed by God to lead us to a response of faith (believing His Word) and of obedience (application of His Word).
I pray that our All Wise God will open our hearts and minds this day and that we will resolve to search the scriptures in this very manner so that we might believe and obey. This is the path to a life of joy and blessing until Christ calls us home.
Bob
Luke 24:13-27 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the 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 there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 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. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
We probably have some familiarity with this text which tells of a post resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ involving two disciples on their way home from Jerusalem. The two men were talking with each other about details surrounding the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
You will recall that Jesus joined them as they were walking but He clouded their vision so that they would not recognize their risen Lord. Jesus spoke to them and wanted to know what was making them so sad as they spoke to each other.
Cleopas is the disciple who answered Jesus' question. He retold how they(the two disciples) believed that Jesus was a prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people. They believed that Jesus would redeem the nation Israel. Then Cleopas went on to explain that on the third day certain women went to the tomb and saw an angel who told them Christ was risen from the dead. The disciples verified that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb
The response of Jesus to the two disciples is a vivid reminder of the sufficiency of scripture to show us Jesus Christ, the Savior who is mankind's only hope for salvation from sin.
Faith and diligent inquiry is required to see the sufficiency of scripture.
Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
First, I would have us all take note that Jesus rebuked these men for being ignorant of scripture truths and for failing to believe the scriptures. Jesus chided the disciples for failing to believe all that the prophets said in scripture. Their minds were dull toward the truth and their hearts were sluggish in responding to the truth of God's Word.
The beginning point of understanding the sufficiency of scripture is reading the scripture with the intent to understand its truth in order to live in submission to its truth. Seeing the sufficiency of scripture begins with faith in our hearts, believing that God has spoken to us through His Word. It includes reading, studying, praying and seeking the guidance of God's Spirit as we read and meditate on the scriptures.
The sufficient scriptures will always point us to the All Sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ.
Luke 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Jesus Christ pointed out the right pattern of thinking regarding how He was depicted by the Old Testament writers. I previously mentioned how the prophets saw what seemed to be two distinct lines of truth concerning the Messiah, the seed of the Woman.
One line of truth portrayed a suffering Messiah and the other a conquering Messiah. Peter mentioned that the prophets themselves did not fully understand what they had been moved by the holy spirit to say, nor did the angels understand what God was doing with regard to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Suffering comes before victory. Death precedes resurrection. Christ being humbled happened before Christ being glorified. The heel bruising of the Messiah comes before the head crushing of the serpent by the Messiah. The darkness of degradation gave way to the light of His truth.
Both the suffering and glory of the Messiah are true and this perspective must be in our minds as we read the Old Testament to discover what it says about Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Seeing scripture's sufficiency through expository preaching or teaching.
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus began by leading the two disciples through the Scriptures beginning at Genesis through Deuteronomy and then reviewing what the prophets said or wrote. Do not lose sight of this important fact. Jesus used the Old Testament scriptures to teach them truth about Himself.
The text tells us that Christ expounded all the truths in the scriptures concerning Himself. The word "expounded" means to carefully unfold the meaning of what is said. It means to expose the truth of scripture or to lay it open so that the reader has a clear view or understanding of what the text says.
Expository preaching is accurate preaching that seeks to open up the scriptures so all people who hear or read it can understand it so they can be led to the application of this truth. An expository sermon or lesson must allow the text of scripture to speak freely and convey the same theology found in the text.
The aim of all expository preaching is to lead the hearers to a response of faith and obedience to God's truth. This was the aim of Jesus as He taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He wanted to open up God's truth so they would respond by faith and believe all that God said in His Word about Christ.
Did Jesus succeed in leading these two men to faith and obedience?
Luke 24:31-35 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 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? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Notice what the text says happened when Jesus finished teaching them truth about Himself. Their eyes were opened which means that they had ears to hear and eyes to understand what Christ said. They beheld that is was none other than the risen Lord Jesus Christ who was speaking to them.
They both exclaimed how their hearts burned within them while Jesus was teaching them truth. This is the idea expressed by the Psalmist "The entrance of thy word giveth light..." (Psalm 119:130). Christ the Light of the World was speaking Divine Truth into their hearts and gospel light flooded in. That is a response of faith.
Did they also obey? The text states that they found the rest of the disciples and testified that Christ Jesus had risen from the dead just as He foretold and then they shared all that Christ spoke with them. They became faithful witnesses of His resurrection and this represents obedience to His command in Acts 1:8.
What have we learned?
First, we learned that we must have faith to believe God's Word and that we must make an effort to understand it.
Second, we learned that Jesus rebuked the two disciples for failing to depend upon the sufficiency of scripture concerning the Messiah.
Third, we learned that the scriptures will always point us to our only hope, the All Sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ.
Last, we learned that the whole point of learning scripture truth is designed by God to lead us to a response of faith (believing His Word) and of obedience (application of His Word).
I pray that our All Wise God will open our hearts and minds this day and that we will resolve to search the scriptures in this very manner so that we might believe and obey. This is the path to a life of joy and blessing until Christ calls us home.
Bob
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