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Jesus, that name is.
My.
Heart.
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Our God and Father, we.
Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, beginning at verse 12.
Then arose Peter, and ran into the suffer curve, and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes, lay by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself.
At that which was coming to pass. And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was about which was from Jerusalem, about 3 score furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they commute together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were hoden that they should not know him.
And he said unto them, What manner of communication are these, that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleophus answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and has not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And 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 priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. But we trusted that we had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yeah. And certain women also of our company made us astonished.
Which were early as a suffer curve. And when they found not his body, they came, saying that they had also seen the vision of angels, which said that He was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sufferer, 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?
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, whether 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 meet 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?
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 adhere to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way.
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And how he was known of them in breaking up bread.
Before we begin our comments on the chapter, I'd just like to turn you to two scriptures that would help us to see the setting of the chapter. Let's turn to Mark's Gospel, chapter 14.
The 14th chapter of Mark's Gospel.
And verse 27.
And Jesus saith unto them, This is the night of his betrayal. All ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. And the second verse is in John's Gospel.
Chapter 11.
John's Gospel Chapter 11, verses 51 and 52.
And this spake he that was Caiaphas not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. I think those two verses go quite nicely.
Over against the subject that we have in our chapter, the Lord announced that the disciples would be scattered, hit her and yon because of the crucifixion. But we do have that verse that was given to us in John's Gospel that the work of the Lord Jesus after he would die would be to gather his own together. And that's exactly what we have in this chapter, the Lord going out now in resurrection and gathering various ones of his own.
Back together, we've had already the women, now we're going to have in the middle part of the chapter the two that went down the road to Emmaus, and a little further in the chapter we'll have the apostles themselves. And So what a blessed work that the Lord Jesus was engaged with here, gathering together those ones who were scattered in every different direction that he might have them in one place with one accord.
As we have in Acts chapter 2.
The apostles had several opportunities, you know, and they were the closest to it, and they heard his word every bit.
You know the Spirit, when He indwelt them, brought these things to their remembrance and he'll do it for each of us, the Holy Spirit. You don't have to try to remember, just try to enjoy the word of God and he'll bring it to your remembrance at the time you need it. But I noticed we didn't do.
The verse 10 and 11, I'm not trying to do it now.
But it's important in verse 10, the women at the end told these things.
Unto the apostles and their words seemed to them.
As idle tales.
It was just the words that the Lord spoke.
Idle Tales.
And they believed them not.
I don't have to say much more. What was the problem with the apostles of all people who should have known?
So we're going to get into it, but I think it's good to get it right now. Only one verse the Lord said Himself to them in.
Who's submitted here?
OK, in verse 38, this is Jesus speaking. Why are you troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
That was the problem.
You know, simply believing what the Lord told them.
Would have been very easy.
But they had thought, running around their hearts.
We need Christ in our hearts and don't let thoughts crowd in.
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Just mentioned that apostles had several opportunities.
It's nice to see how Peter is brought in here because the apostles didn't believe what the report that the women brought, and of all the apostles that you would ever suspect on this occasion would rise up and run to the sepulchre, it wouldn't have been Peter. Now in John 20 we find out there was another apostle, went with him, and that was John, and John outran Peter. But I think it's beautiful how here in Luke it's brought in because we know that Peter had denied the Lord three times with oaths and curses.
And he had gone out and wept bitterly. But I believe that as you see these little mentions of Peter through these chapters, for instance, it says, And it hath appeared unto Simon, and as you see these little mentions of Peter, you realize that a work of restoration had already begun in Peter's soul. It's not completed till, is it? The 21St of John, where they're on the banks of the river, The Lord Jesus publicly in the presence of the other disciples.
Restores him and brings out what is really in his heart. But Peter loved the Lord.
I think it's beautiful to see. Yes, Peter failed on many occasions, often spoke before he thought, often did things he ought not to have done, sometimes acted without the sanction of his Lord and what he did. Sometimes he only added to the problem, He didn't help it. Like when he cut off the servant of the high priest here, he only ended up giving the Lord more work to do. He didn't help the situation because he acted without the sanction of his Lord and what he did. But I think it's good to look beyond those circumstances in the life of Peter.
And see that underneath Peter was real. And there was, as I say, a process of restoration that I believe had already begun, perhaps begun when the Lord so tenderly looked at Peter after he had denied him three times. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. But it's interesting. Just go over to John 20 for a moment, because there's a little detail.
In connection with Peter's arrival at the sepulchre that you don't get here in Luke's gospel.
Now we won't read this all, but as I say, when Peter rises up to run to the sepulchre, we know from John 20 here that John went with him. So often we see Peter and John in relationship to each other. Just a little aside, but you can check it out sometime. There are five times when the in John's gospel when the expression the disciple whom Jesus loved is used in connection with John. And just notice in all five of on all 5 occasions occasions.
Peter is connected with John. I think that's so beautiful to see. However, I just want to notice this little detail in John chapter 20, verse six. Well, let me back up to verse four. So they ran both together, and the other disciples did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre that is John. And he's stooping down and looking, saw the linen clothes lie, yet went he not in. Now notice this.
Then cometh Simon Teeter following him. I love this and went into the sepulchre and see if the linen clothes light. Now John, he looked in and he saw the linen clothes lying. Peter goes in and he sees the linen clothes lying. But now we're going to notice that he observes something else as a result of having gone into the sepulchre verse seven and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together.
In a place by itself. You know, the Spirit of God has recorded this observation of Peters for a reason, recorded it very carefully, that not only were the linen clothes lying, but the napkin that was wrapped about his head was in a separate place, a place by itself. And brother, and I don't want to go too far with applications or illustrations, but as I have pondered this, I have wondered, is there a little hint here?
That for a time and in keeping with what you have in John's Gospel in connection with what he says to Mary later on in this chapter, is there a little hint that for a time now the head was going to be separated from the body, The Lord Jesus, when he appeared to marry later on in this chapter, he said to her, handle me not, he said, Mary, I'm not going to be associated with you and Kingdom glory.
In connection with this earth, I am going to ascend to my father and your father.
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To my God and your God, I'm going to be linked with my own now in a heaven, in heavenly glories, in heavenly relationship. And so after he had remained on earth long enough to give testimony to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead, we know that he was separated physically from them. And so the cloud received him out of their sight, and they saw him no more. Now we know from Acts 2 That we are intimately in a far greater way than even the disciples and Mary.
Knew him here we are intimately connected with him as his body here on earth by the Spirit of God. But the head is in heaven. The body, we, the members of the body are here on earth. And I just wonder if Peter, who went right into the supplicor, didn't have that little special extra that John didn't see on this occasion, the linen clothes lying separate from that which had been wrapped about his head. I say perhaps the little hint that the body for a time would be set, the hedge for a time would be physically separated from the body.
Isn't it important in this part of John 20 to read also verse 10?
Then Peter and John went away again under their own home. After seeing proof of what the women told them and proof of what the Lord had said, they went to their own oath. I think that tells us a lot. And it also says, and I think it's important to bring these things out.
Because we're talking about apostle and it also says.
For as yet, really, I don't know what Darby's have, but I believe it'd be believed. For as yet, they believed, not the scripture, that he must rise again from the death. That puts it in the right context, brothers, for you and I.
Idle Tales, verse 11. I'll say it. Where do we start?
Where did we start?
I don't remember.
OK.
I'd like to ask the question with these two going to Emmaus as they did and before the day was out.
They returned.
Did the injunction of the 49th verse apply to them?
Or was it?
As we have it, obviously it's after this time, but did that injunction apply to them?
What was the young?
Injunction was tarry ye here in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.
It applied to all the disciples, all believers.
And no, you're not catching my question. I didn't answer it yet, but go ahead.
I want you to answer the right question. I was going to.
What is it? The question is the two going to Emmaus?
Should they have stayed in Jerusalem because the Lord said to tarry, or was His injunction for them to tarry much later? Well, I would just suggest this, that when we read down the chapter and we see the circumstances and the way the Lord dealt with them in connection with their trip to Emmaus and their return, that I would say it did apply to them. Would you agree with that President, sort of morally that that was the position that he wanted them in?
Even though we could say that the 49th verse was later.
I accept that.
He had an awful lot to do in the 40 days before he went back to glory. Why did he waste the time on just two are going to Emmaus when he had all the rest of them there in Jerusalem? That's a good question. You know why he wasted the time. He didn't waste it, of course, but it was.
I don't know how many miles. I did figure it once, but anyway, Dusty Rd. walked all the way with them, listened to them, and he did it because he paid too great a price for him. He wasn't going to let them go too far. And that's why he feels about you and me. We're not worthy, brethren, but he paid too great a price to let you go too far.
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And the Spirit of God, if you.
Backslide, I'll use the word, isn't going to leave you alone. The Spirit of God is not going to bring Christ to your heart. What He's going to wrap on your conscience until you let him bring Christ through your heart, and that's when you'll go back where you should be. And that's the story of the two. Yes, they should have stayed in Jerusalem.
A new question. He said to stay.
I'd like to go back, if I may, to the verse previous about Idol Tale.
Often when the Word of God is presented to man is idle tales, and even to his own. At times it appears to be idle tales to us.
In this instance of the Lord's resurrection, he safeguard that he actually.
Appear to many and there were 12 instances that are recorded in regard to someone seeing the Lord after the resurrection. And I think it would be nice just to spend a brief moment to know that this is not idle tales as the world would look at it. The very first, let's turn to Mark's gospel.
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 16.
We find that here says verse nine now, when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week. And by the way, we should, we won't have time right now, but it's very interesting to go through the Gospels in different instances as it expressed the idea of being very early in the morning, not just in the morning early and other incidents just at the dawn of the morning, as if God couldn't wait for that three days to be over.
The beginning of that third day, that first day of the week here is that sad. He appeared first to marry Madeline. Oh, how precious to see. He appeared to marry first. We mentioned about the disciples. Well, they didn't. They were not the first to see the Lord. Here's one who has such a broken heart before. Now the Lord appeared to her first. And then let's turn over to Matthew Gospel chapter 28.
Matthew Gospel chapter 28 these are the women here in verse nine and as they went to tell his disciples behold, Jesus met them saying oh hail and Cain and held him by the feet and worshiped him or how precious to see that the first two appearances he had for his own were to the women first you know it's interesting too in scriptures we.
Often.
I should say to us because sisters do not take an outward spoken role and we often forget. Here we see how precious it is to the Lord. They're the one that often discerns better than we can. And here the first two appearances to marry and then to the women returning and then for the third time that was recorded is to Simon Peter himself, which here in the our chapter in in Luke's Gospel chapter 24.
Verse 34. Verse 34. There is This is after the two returned back from the road.
To Emmaus, they realize something has happened. They realize where they went back in verse 34, the Lord is risen indeed, and half and half appear to Simon. Simon was the third person to get this witness the Lord's resurrection. They want to prolong this. I'll move very quickly on the other ones here. The 4th time we know is are these two in verse 13 here, these two on the road to Emmaus, they get to see the Lord after his resurrection.
The fifth times, let's turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 20. That we were that we have been on before.
John, Chapter 20.
Verse 19.
Then the same day of the evening being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where where the disciples were assembled for the fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst of them.
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We find that he appeared unto his own. This portion was quoted earlier on, but what we find in this portion here was that Thomas wasn't there. So further on in verse 26, another week gone by, we find that here in verse 26 and after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the door being shut, and stood in the mist, and said, Peace be unto you. So we see that he appeared to Simon Peter then.
To the 10 and then here with Thomas in the mist, that's six times. And then the rest I'll just mention very briefly. We find a seventh time in John 21 at the Sea of Tiberias where the Lord saw they saw him after they were fishing. And then we find in the Gospel of Matthew there he appears unto his disciples again. And then we're finding First Corinthians there. It says in First Corinthians chapter.
15 He appears until 500 brethren at once, and then we find further on in that chapter, he appears unto John, I'm sorry, unto James. And then we find that in Acts one there he appears through his own one more time. Oh, this is 11 Times that he appeared unto them. Actually there is a 12 Times he appears to the apostle Paul afterwards the one that truly seen the Lord on the roads of mayors.
Are these, as people call it, idle tales or the sufficient witnesses in the Word of God?
To prove that the Lord indeed is risen.
Very nice. Thank you.
Back to our portion.
In verse.
13 And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem. About 3 score furlongs.
About 6 1/2 miles, I believe, at any rate, was perhaps 13 up and back. And they talked together of all those things which had happened and it came to pass that while they communed.
Together and reason.
There's your problem. That's it, they reasoned.
You know, how could he be gone? I mean, someone spirited him away. They just start reasoning, you know?
Just believe that's it.
But reasoning together was the problem, and Jesus himself drew near. They have that in the many houses, you know, They think it's nice, and I do too.
But they're really saying when I go astray, he'll draw near. Yeah, it's really what they're saying. Well, they don't mean it. They don't really say it out loud. But that's the type. That's what he drew near.
All right, it's really something. He loved them too much. He paid precious blood for them. He won't go to let them go. Even though all the rest were there in Jerusalem. He could have just gone back and said it's only two. All the rest are here.
Not, not my Lord, not your Lord. He isn't going to let you go too far. Thank God for that. And so he went with them and he didn't go.
Tell him you should have believed me.
Or you can go on from there. It's really wonderful.
There is a reasoning in Scripture that is proper in its place.
Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. And we find in the book of the Acts that the apostles went into the synagogue.
On the Sabbath day. And they reasoned with the Jews from the Scriptures. And so when we take up, if it's a matter of reasoning, it must be in connection with the Word of God. That is, they opened the Scriptures and they showed them from the Word of God, the truth of God, and the truth that the Lord Jesus had not only died, but that he had risen from the dead. But they had a solid basis on which to reason. They had the truth of God.
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And so we can. Often in dealing with souls, we reason about things, we talk things out.
But how do we do it? By just trying to make people see a point of view, to try to convince them of some point we have. Why, At the end of it, nobody's going to be convinced. You're not going to be any further ahead. But when you take up the Word of God and show from the Scriptures that these things are so, then there's going to be fruit and blessing. But we're never justified, brethren, in reasoning from the point of unbelief. And that was the problem here.
There was unbelief and discouragement in their hearts and it led to reasoning. And if you and I allow unbelief in our hearts, it's going to lead to discouragement and it's going to lead to reasoning. Why is it so often we reason about things and we say, well, why does God do this? And why does God do that? And why does he allow this and why does he allow that? And I just don't understand the purposes of God. And you know what I'm talking about. These things often come into all of our minds at a low point in our life, but I say it's the result of unbelief.
Which leads to discouragement, which leads to reasoning.
It's very good what you've been bringing out. We reason by the word of God.
And the Spirit will help us. But in Isaiah I just mentioned this.
In verse 18 of Isaiah 1, which you said, we reasoned together.
Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. Now was he saying that someone should reason that out with him?
You know, if Einstein, when he was living, let the mathematicians come in a Great Hall and he was going to reason with him about some great formula or principle, you think they'd start throwing their thoughts at Einstein? They would have been quiet. They'd reason together with that mind. And that's what it means in Isaiah 118. Just sit down like Mary and let him tell you.
And feel reason it out in a way you can understand and believe. I believe that's what that means.
We see this here sometimes it's a characteristics when one is wandering away from the path they ought to walk. The first sign is what we just talked about. We would reason within ourselves and the other interesting thing is we will find similar company to agree with us and we will reason among ourselves. So we see here that the reason together and and in verse 14 and they talk and they talk together.
Of all these things which had happened. Oh, there's something to talk about now as they sometimes say, mysteries love company. You always find someone to talk about what you believe in. There's also another characteristic characteristic in here is that their eyes in verse verse 16, their eyes were holding that they should not know him. We'll find the Lord often place a solution or an answer before us, but when we have departed from that path our eyes.
Were holding so there is yet another characteristics here for someone who has missed the path at in verse 17 here and he said unto them what manner of communication are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad. So we see all this when we miss the path as we reasoned, we are sad. The Lord is there and we don't see him and the beauty of this chapter is.
As we go further into it, we see the answer to this is the Lord Himself has to draw near. He has to expound to us Himself, and we need to be drawn close to our blessed Savior, not our friends, not our brethren. We have to look to the Lord and He's the one, as we often quote from Psalm 22, He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me to the path of righteousness for His namesake.
But Jesus himself bodily was walking with him. Think of it now. And they didn't know him.
They had been with him a long time.
Brethren, he says to us, I will never leave you nor forsake you, but I'll tell you, you forsake him, you leave him, and you're not going to know he's with you, but he's still there.
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Like to read a scripture in the 11Th or rather the 13th chapter of Zechariah?
Brother Bruce referenced it at the beginning, but there's a little expression in that verse that I think in ties in very beautifully with this chapter at hand and the way in which the Lord worked for the restoration of heart of these discouraged souls. Zechariah chapter 13 and verse 7.
Awaco, sword against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. That's what was read to us. That was the result of the cross, when the Good Shepherd gave his life for the sheep. But in Hebrews 13 we find that he's the great Shepherd of the sheep and resurrection and his work.
The cross was as the Good Shepherd as his sin, but now as the Great Shepherd he looks to restore.
Now this expression and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones at first glance it seems and as I've thought in the past that it has to do with chastening you follow read on the following verses. You look on to the the government of God coming against his people, but he would find that he preserves a third part through that he lays his hand upon them to protect them and keep them and I believe what we have here with this touching expression, the little ones is not his hand here coming against them in discipline.
But rather His hand working with them to restore them. And I believe that's the beauty of this 24th chapter of Luke, to find the different needs of different hearts. The Lord doesn't have a one-size-fits-all application in working with souls in Thessalonians we read we're to warn the unruly, but were to comfort the faint hearted. We're not to warn the faint hearted. That would be out of place. And so we have the wisdom of our Lord. He knows exactly the condition of the heart. This wasn't rebellion.
That would be dealt with very stiffly, but here's hearts overcome with sorrow. Some reason, some wandered, some went off in a different way, But the wisdom of the Lord and for ourselves too, He knows exactly where we are in our hearts. When it comes to the matter of Simon Peter's restoration, what was it that the Lord said to restore him? We don't know, because it's not said. It's only said that the Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon too sacred, too holy. Was that conversation perhaps so intimate and personal for our readings?
But it's a real comfort to us. Perhaps sometimes it's just a quiet word the Lord speaks to us.
In the quietness of our home, that restores our hearts. Other times, maybe it requires a stern public rebuke. But the Lord has a variety of ways, as the great shepherd of our sheep, to restore our hearts. And how beautiful in this chapter to see Him come in to dishearten, discourage souls, to draw them back to the place he would have them to be.
Amen. A verse that may not exactly apply, but it shows the heart of God.
To his people in the Old Testament, in the 63rd chapter of Isaiah on the 91St, in all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them. And that word Angel is a capital A in the new translation. And the Angel of his present saved them in his love and in his pity He redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old. That's the heart of of our God. That's the heart of our Savior today.
Isn't it in all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them and his love?
And in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old. You know, we find that the Apostle Paul was indeed the the apostle to the Gentiles and and the revelations that were given to him. But.
We seem to find a great deal of comfort in what God did and worked with Peter, and so here whatever can be said about their departure.
It was real. Whatever it was said about their sadness, it was real. But the point is the Lord and two things work. A miracle of grace.
Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures, but then the 35th verse. He was known of them in breaking of bread and so the restoration that God desires. You and I may not have left the assembly and and when we get back home, they need to be exercised about restoring us, but still in our hearts to think of what it means.
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To go week after week to remember the Lord. Is He known of them? In breaking of bread, I'm not making an accusation. I know my own heart more than anyone else does, and I probably don't know it as well as the Lord does. But to come there and to and to have himself known to our hearts, what a restoration. And we each need it and feel it, don't we?
From verse 17 or several verses.
The Lord is showing us how we ought to restore a soul, and brethren, when we see one getting away, let's just don't say too bad.
Let's see what we can do. The Lord here shows us it is not saying going to visit and say I know just the verse that you need. That will never do it. Never. What did the Lord do? Well, look at it and see it says he said unto them, what matter of communication?
Are these that you have one to another as you walk in our sand? He, he, he wanted to know why they could possibly be sad, you know. Do you ever feel that way when you visit some that have left the assembly? I mean, your heart should be for them. It's not to let them know what you know.
And that's the Lord and one of them.
Whose name was Cleopas.
Answering said unto Jesus, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem? And hast thou not known the things which are come to pass in the in in these days? Stranger in Jerusalem? Yes, he was, but he made that city, that was his city.
He was a stranger in Jerusalem. Think about it.
And furthermore, didn't you know what's happened?
It all happened to him.
And they had the audacity and he didn't get mad. Then what did he do? He said 19 What things?
I mean, could you be that patient?
To find out what their trouble is, what things and they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet, and how the chief will hear but notice. 21 But we trusted past tense. We trusted that it had been heat which should have redeemed Israel.
And beside all this.
It's the third day.
He heard it out and they knew. On the third day, he dries again.
And so he's getting him ready to help you get your brother and sister ready to help him. Do you hear their complaint? You can't just go tell them I know what's wrong with you.
They'll rebel every minute.
I'm just mentioning it, I won't go any further because it gets pretty deep now.
I'd like to just go back for a moment to the expression. Jesus himself drew near and went with them. Some of us have this text hanging in our homes, and it's been a great comfort to us. But I think it's very beautiful to see that it's in the context of two who were going in the wrong direction, 2 who were discouraged and who ought not to have been leaving Jerusalem, as we said earlier, and going to Emmaus. And this expression is so tender.
Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. You know, we often speak of a soul getting away from the Lord. We may have even said it about ourselves. Well, I was away from the Lord at such and such a point in my life. And certainly that is a proper expression from our perspective. But you know, the verse stands in Hebrews 13. I will never leave the nor forsake thee. And I sometimes put it this way, brethren.
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We can get away from the Lord, but He's never away from us. Just turn to the book of Jonah for a moment and you get this in contrast.
Just to bear out what I'm saying now, I realize with Jonah, Jonah was acting in rebellion. We find with the two that we're Speaking of here in our chapter, they were going away in discouragement and so on. There was sorrow in their hearts as to circumstances. Jonah was acting in rebellion. And as Bill said, the Lord doesn't deal with us all in the same way in connection with restoration. And the Lord didn't deal with Jonah the way he dealt with the two on the way to Emmaus. The Lord allowed some very severe.
Things in Jonah's life to wake him up and to turn him around. But nevertheless, I believe the principle, the underlying principle is the same. But what I want to notice particularly here is in verse, verse three of chapter one. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish. Now notice this next expression from the presence of the Lord. That's the soul, as we would say today, getting away from the Lord.
In other words, when Jonah acted in rebellion and geographically went in the opposite direction.
As to what the Lord was directing him, Jonah lost in his soul a sense of the Lord's presence with him.
Can't we look back in our lives and hang our heads and say there have been times in our lives for one reason or another that we have lost in our souls the sense of the Lord's presence with us because we have fled from the presence of the Lord in a path of our own choosing? But you know, as you go on and read the account of Jonah here, you find that though Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord, the Lord did not leave Jonah.
The Lord did not forsake Jonah and work in the heart of Jonah and with the circumstances that he brought in to bring Jonah to himself, to wake him up in the sides of that ship, to cause him to prey in the fish's belly, to bring him back up onto dry land, to cause him to respond the second time and to go and deliver the message to guilty Nineveh. You read the story. You say, oh, I see Jonah left the Lord.
But the Lord didn't leave Jonah. Now I believe you see the very same thing here. Because of the discouragement and sorrow that overwhelmed the heart of this couple, we find that they had, even as he walked physically with them, they had no enjoyment or sense in their souls of who it was. They had lost in their souls the sense of the Lord's presence. But isn't it beautiful, brethren? I say again, he drew near and went with them. And maybe there's someone here this afternoon and you say I've got away from the Lord.
I've chose my own way or you say I've just got so discouraged and overwhelmed with the problems at work, in my family, in the local assembly. I just, I know I haven't been walking with the Lord and enjoying his presence, but oh, he's there. He's right by your side. He wants to speak to you so that your heart will burn within you and so that there will be ultimately in his own time and way, that end result of full restoration.
To the enjoyment of not just the truth, brethren, but the enjoyment of His presence. That's really what He wants. I say not just restoration to our enjoyment of the truth, but of the enjoyment of His presence right there beside us so that we can say the Lord is at hand. He's right there. We're conscious that He's holding our hand. He's right there beside us and this work of restoration that took place here.
Is a work that has been repeated and is being repeated in the lives and the hearts of His own all down through the ages. And this restoration is available to any here today who feel they haven't been walking with the Lord in the conscious enjoyment of His presence. He's right there going with you, but He wants your eyes to be open that you would appreciate it and enjoy it. What has just been said brethren? Reminds me of the 9th chapter of.
Mark, if we could turn to it for a moment.
And perhaps.
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Start reading at the 30th verse of Mark 9.
And it seems here that again we have a little.
Eye opening for us a little insight I should say as to what is was the problem and what our need is and and I think these things that we have here and it was so beautifully brought before the beloved Jewish people have a very.
In season. A word for us today, but reading from the 30th verse here.
The Lord Jesus Speaking of his death. And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee.
And he would not that any man should know it, for he taught his disciples.
And said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and after that.
He is killed. He shall rise the third day. Notice the next words.
But they understood not the same, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum. Being in the house, he asked them, What is it that is disputed among the disciples by the yourself, by the way? And they held their peace, for by the way they had disputed among themselves.
Notice those words? Oh brother, what a word that is to us. Who should be the greatest?
How easy it is for these hearts that are so prone to wander, to seek a place, to seek something, when Jesus is everything. Now look in connection with that back to our chapter in Luke 24 and see what it says here.
Perhaps to get the thought starting with the 44th, to go ahead a little bit. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. And then he says.
Then opened he their understanding before their understanding was not open.
And so often with us, our understanding is not open, as was the case here, as we see in the verses we've been considering. But now the things concerning me. Then their eyes then open he their understanding.
That they might understand the scriptures.
I think our brother Hyland brought out a very important point with Jonah for all of us. You know, Jonah was trying to get away from the Lord. The world doesn't want him. They'll give one day a week. Perhaps they want the six for themselves and they may give.
One day a month that's enough for him, and they may give two or three holidays a year.
And so on. They don't want him. They're trying to get away from him by putting him in a Manger. Not. He's harmless there, you know. OK, but I just mentioned here, it said he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord on the way to Tarshish. What does Tarshish mean? Dick's destruction. Destruction, brethren. You know, it could be.
Destruction, the Lord said to the Corinthians in 11 Corinthians 2.
Consider yourself whether you are even.
Whether you are not apostate, you know when you start leaving.
There's a dangerous sign there, you know.
I mean, apostate means you once had it and you're giving it up.
And.
It says to just to Tarshish.
You know what it says next? He paid the fare.
Satan takes the fair all the way down, but it's always down, never any other direction when you leave the Lord, and he paid the fare and it says he went down, how many times?
4 You know, down, down, down. Read it right in the first chapter. And then he went down into the belly of the great fish. That's what the Lord undertook.
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Because he cried out to him, you know, it's never too late.
To cry out to him in whatever trouble or mess you're in. He was in a mess.
And he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord always undertakes.
He said to the great fish vomit and the fish vomited.
But I don't have to tell you. The rest of the story is so wonderful. But he paid the fare.
State they'll take Affair Brethren all the way. He'll take you, you'll pay all the way.
I'd like to pick up a thought that our brother Larry mentioned.
It's really by way of saying Amen.
But let's back, you don't have to turn to it, but let's back up in the thought to the 8th chapter.
Of Mark and then take the knight and then take the 10th and in about the same setting of verses.
The Lord brings before his disciples on those 3 occasions in the 8th chapter, the 9th chapter in the 10th chapter and it seemed to that our first read a verse and first Peter one that says when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow in chapter 8. As soon as the Lord is through with those just those two verses that it takes of what's going to happen to him.
Peter took him and began to rebuke him. Why? Because he didn't want the suffering. In the 9th chapter they disputed who should be the greatest. They were losing sight of that. First the suffering and then the glory, and then in the 10th chapter, very demonstrative.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come and say, Master.
Well, what, what is it you want? We want to sit on my right hand and on my left hand thy glory. But the principle is at first the suffering and then the glory. And that's why they were so confused and so misunderstood what he was going to go through, because their state of soul was such, which Peter exemplifies a.
In the 8th chapter and in the 9th chapter, they all showed who to be greatest, and in the 10th chapter that the spirit, the genes that their mother had certainly were transmitted to them. And so in all of those cases, there was an immediate response of the state of soul that showed no wonder they later didn't understand. And you and I need to be careful.
That there isn't. I know the sufferings of Christ have already happened and we were thankful for what He went through. But in connection with the coming glory, if we suffer with Him, so we we still need it, don't we? We still need that principle of things to be brought before us.
Just by way of saying Amen brother to what you brought out thinking of the word. See mentioned in this chapter several times.
One is the 1St 14.
Translation, verse 18.
And then he answers verse 19. What things?
And you know, when we get our eyes on circumstances and we need the Lord out of it, we're not going to we're not going to see our way. We're not going to understand what's happening. Job it says that his way is in the sea. If we get occupied with the things that are happening about us, we're never going to see God's mind for our pathway. But when they return, they say in verse 35 at the end, he was known of them in the breaking bread.
And then in verse 44 in the Psalms concerning me, he is faithful, isn't it? And pointing their eye away from things and circumstances that they couldn't reconcile to himself and and then open their understanding.
Back to verse 23 in our chapter.
The women found not the body of Jesus and they they confess that and it said.
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Angels told them that he was alive. This all went to these people too, on the way to Emmaus, who said we had trusted he was he.
We had trusted, but not now and then. Notice this?
Then he said unto them.
Old fools.
Is that nice to call a man a fool?
I'll tell you, you might get in a fight if you do. You don't call a man a fool, nor a woman, right? What the Lord did three times, this is the third.
The first time.
It was. Let me think a minute. I'm hold it.
Senior moments. I'm going to have a first time. It was the letter who was full of leprosy in Peter Five First. Peter Five, Yeah.
Luke 5 Yeah, what is what am I getting at there? I was the second time is.
The farmer who said so? You have so much.
Tear down your barns and build greater barns. And Jesus said, well, fools, that's one who doesn't include God in all his thinking. That's a fool. Hope there's no fools here. The Lord said he was a fool, but I'm trying to think of the first one everybody know.
Well, if it comes, I'll tell you. But this time it's believers it calls fools. Why?
But they didn't believe the word of God.
Now you can put yourself in a category if you want, but the Wars has announced any believer whose full heart and will not believe the word of God is a fool.
It means senseless 1.
Chuck, you were going to say something.
Just to comment on Jonah, we presented Jonah as the one that was.
Afraid to pronounce judgment against Nineveh.
But at the end.
Jonah says in chapter 4.
It displeased well at the end of chapter 3.
God saw their works.
And they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it not.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry, And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, Lord, was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness and repentance thee of the evil.
Therefore now our Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life for me.
Or it is better for me to die than to live?
Jonah was unhappy when God was going to preserve Nineveh.
Pronounced judgment. He wanted to see the city flattened. That happened 100 years later.
But.
We're not in a good state of soul when we want to pronounce judgment, even upon those of the most worthy of it. Because if God sees repentance in the erring one, He forgives no matter how wicked we've been.
And Jonah didn't want that. Didn't want it.
Now, that's just a thought that came to me, and I don't think it was fear on Jonah's part. He didn't want to give them the chance to repent so that God, he knew who God was. Like how he knew that, I don't know, but he knew that I knew. That was merciful, gracious, and forgiveness. That's the kind of God we know.
And so we should never fall into the snare of wishing judgment.
Upon the scene.
Christ died for all he needs.
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He just experienced the patience and grace of God in his own soul in restoring him and bringing him to this point. And then he turns around in the grace that he had received himself. He doesn't want to minister to others in the sparing of this city. Very solemn, isn't it? And as you say, it manifests a bad state of soul. I think too, he was concerned that his reputation as a prophet would be spoiled because he said, I told you, Lord, I'd prophecy doom the people repent.
And my prophecy wouldn't come true. Interesting. In Second Kings 14 he prophesied again and there it was good news that the king of Israel would restore some of the land he'd lost. No hesitancy about restoring, about delivering that prophecy because that was good news. But when the message was that Nineveh would be overthrown, I say the very grace that he had experienced himself in restoration he didn't want shown to to to others. Let's be very careful. I think it's a good word for his brethren. And if we can keep in view how much we have experienced and been shown the grace of God.
To him that is forgiven much the same. Loveth much? I would like to just make this comment too in a general way about restoration.
And that is, brethren, that the work of restoration in the soul is a work of the Lord. It's a work of God. Now I believe that we find in Scripture that there are times when God uses instruments and we find in the Old Testament in connection with very well, there's ones even in connection with David, God sent a prophet to him to exercise his soul and so on. But in the final analysis, when David was restored, what did he say?
He restoreth my soul. Now I want to try to make my remarks very balanced because I believe that we can often do more damage in a soul and interfere with the work of God by getting ahead of the Lord. In our zeal to see a soul restored to the Lord or even to the Lord's Table, we can sometimes get ahead of the Lord. And if we do that, we only end up adding to the problem. We don't help it. We don't help the individual or individuals.
And it's really not for the good and blessing of the people of God at large. And so we want to be very careful in this. The other side of it is we want to be vessels ready, discerning when there is a work of God in the soul, that we would be vessels ready to be used in the in as instruments in the restoration of that soul. Again, I'm not wording that well. Restoration in the soul is a work of the Lord. But I believe there are times when He uses his own. I'll just give you the example.
Of the brother in Corinth who needed to be excommunicated from the Lord's Table.
They were as slow to excommunicate him from the Lord's table in the first epistle as they were to restore him in the second epistle. And both were wrong. They needed to take up the matter for the Lord's glory in the first epistle and put away sin from their midst, for the glory of the Lord, for the clearing of sin from the midst of his people, and then for the eventual restoration of the individual. But when Paul writes to them in the second epistle, he says.
Haven't you seen that there's a work of repentance in this man's soul? Haven't you observed that there is restoration personally in this man's soul between himself and the Lord? Now he says you are responsible, else he be swept away. You are responsible now to confirm your love to him and to restore him to the Lord's Table as a brother. And I believe that this is true, not necessarily in connection with the Lord's Table excommunication.
From the Lord's Table. I only use that as an example. But are we discerning? What do we do? We have a care when we go back to the local assembly where we come from and we see souls getting away. We see things coming into someone's life that we know are going to be a detriment to them. Or perhaps there are souls who have wandered away from the Lord's Table for one reason or another. Are we there watchful, not to interfere with the work of God in the soul, but to be used as instruments?
When the right time comes.
Vigorously opposes these precious things that you're mentioning, brother. And it made me think of a verse that I was enjoying that Brother Hendrix brought before me earlier in First Corinthians 2 and verse eight in particular. I wonder, brother, if you could give us a little word on that.
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Which none of the Princess of this world knew, or had they known it, they would not have crucified.
The Lord of Glory enjoyed that thought.
Notice the way it reads.
Way it reads 1St Corinthians 2 verse 5.
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Albeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that come to nought, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world.
Unto our glory which? What's the antecedent of which?
The wisdom of God.
Wisdom of God, which wisdom I'll put in there, none of the Princess of this world knew.
For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
They were so evil that had they known the purpose of God in.
The rejection of Christ.
They wouldn't have done it. Notice what it goes on to say.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed him unto us by his Spirit. Or the Spirit searcheth all things ye the feet deep things of God.
I have not seen her hear heard the wonderful things God has prepared for His people. That was based upon His going to the cross. Had He not gone to the cross, that purpose of God, that wisdom of God would not have been fulfilled.
Their hatred toward him was of such a character that had they known how God would use that for the blessing of humanity, I wouldn't have done it.
They wouldn't have done it. It doesn't say as often quoted. If they knew who he was, they wouldn't have crucified him. That's not true. They did know who he was. You both know me and you know whence I am, he said.
But they hated him to the point which if they had only known that what they did to him was laying the very foundation for God to dispense blessing to this whole world.
That's the meaning of that passage.
Our time is gone, but I would like, again, I don't mean this is a cliche to say Amen to what our brother Jim said about discipline, But one, several important things are brought out in Second Corinthians after what the apostle Paul said in the second chapter. And the conclusion of what he's bringing the Corinthian Saints to is in 2nd Corinthians 7 verse 11. It's a long verse.
Of it says in all things.
Ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. It's something to to acknowledge that God has restored a soul. All we're doing is acknowledging the work that the Lord has done. But.
I say this I trust with tenderness. I'm afraid that we fail to see that the matter is not concluded until Second Corinthians 7, that they approve themselves to be clear, and we need to see that it's not merely an individual that we acknowledge what God has done. He's done the restoration. We're merely acknowledging it. But now what about the local assembly? We need to feel it strongly.
That in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter could we sing hymn #151?
Our Lord, our life, our rest, our shield, our rock, our food, our light, each thought of the constant yield unchanging, fresh delight #151.
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Largey.
Yeah.
I.
See.
Our.
Life.
Thank you.