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Amen!! We are as excited! So many prophecies are fulfilling before our eyes!!
"Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?" .......
The night is dark, but the Sun of Righteousness is shining upon them. Their hearts leap for joy. They seem to be in a new world. Christ is a living Saviour. They no longer mourn over Him as dead. Christ is risen--over and over again they repeat it. This is the message they are carrying to the sorrowing ones. They must tell them the wonderful story of the walk to Emmaus. They must tell who joined them by the way. They carry the greatest message ever given to the world, a message of glad tidings upon which the hopes of the human family for time and for eternity depend.
Jesus told them a "wonderful story." What was that wonderful story, the greatest message ever given to the world?
The miracles of Christ are a proof of His divinity; but a stronger proof that He is the world's Redeemer is found in comparing the prophecies of the Old Testament with the history of the New.
Reasoning from prophecy, Christ gave His disciples a correct idea of what He was to be in humanity. Their expectation of a Messiah who was to take His throne and kingly power in accordance with the desires of men had been misleading. It would interfere with a correct apprehension of His descent from the highest to the lowest position that could be occupied. Christ desired that the ideas of His disciples might be pure and true in every specification. They must understand as far as possible in regard to the cup of suffering that had been apportioned to Him. He showed them that the awful conflict which they could not yet comprehend was the fulfillment of the covenant made before the foundation of the world was laid. Christ must die, as every transgressor of the law must die if he continues in sin. All this was to be, but it was not to end in defeat, but in glorious, eternal victory. Jesus told them that every effort must be made to save the world from sin. His followers must live as He lived, and work as He worked, with intense, persevering effort.
Satan is very clever, is he not? The wonderful story goes back to the writings of Moses when Satan deceived Eve by telling her if she disobeyed God she would no surely die. That deception continues on by deceiving Israel that if they offered their sacrifices they would be saved. Saved in sin. Even John the Baptist did not understand the covenant made before the foundation of the world was laid, the everlasting covenant which required that their Messiah and our Savior's heel be bruised (Gen 3:15). We understand this verse to mean God will give us a hatred toward Satan and sin. He would not leave us aligned with Satan thinking we are saved in sin. We must "live as He lived, and work as He worked, with intense, persevering effort!" "Jesus told them that every effort must be made to save the world from sin."
Israel did not understand this. After 3 1/2 years with the greatest Teacher there ever was, they still did not understand the Lamb had to die. They tried to stop Him from going to Jerusalem where they wanted to kill Him. The deception of the gospel continues on until our day. How many understand we must make every effort to save the world from sin"? All of those who understand the great deception that we are not saved in sin, know we must make every effort to teach the power of grace received into the heart keeps one from sinning. We understand that when one sins he does not have salvation. There must be repentance before one is justified in having eternal life. Here is the truth that we must present to counter that great lie Satan has foisted upon the world: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9. Read the verse in context and never forget this, nor continue in sin.
3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
3:12 Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death.
3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
3:16 Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.
3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God.
3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Do not be discouraged when you sin, for God promised in Gen. 3:15 He will give us a hatred for Satan and sin. The requirement for this is dependent upon two conditions. Christ has fulfilled His part, He was indeed bruised. Our part is to love the Lord our God with all of the heart. We are to have the faith of Jesus which trusts in God with all we have and all we are. We cannot trust someone we do not know. Therefore we must learn and never forget that we are changed into His character when we behold His glory with is His character. "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18.
The Apostle John who lived to see the great deception being brought into His Church tells us that we are not to sin. But, then tells us if we sin God will forgive us (if we repent). He gives us a period of time to learn of Him and to turn away from sin.
2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2:2 And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
2:3 And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
2:4 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
When we sin a known sin, we crucify our Savior afresh. Does this cause you to sorrow over your sin? How can we be changed so we do not crucify our Lord? 2 Cor. 3:18 tells us. Then, it would truly be good to spend a thoughtful hour each day contemplating the life or our Savior, especially the closing scenes where we behold Him hanging on the cross. There we see the stripes on His back that belong to us. "He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isa. 53:3-5.
The stripes He took does us no good unless we behold them. We are a forgetful people. If we do not spend time daily beholding His character, we will not die to self, then we will crucify our Savior. Then it would be very good to remember who He is and the price He paid that we might be converted daily. It is a moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day experience with Jesus we can obtain if we continually watch and pray.
Now this is the wonderful story entrusted to you and me. Will you make Jesus happy by telling this wonderful story to the world? Remember Jesus told them that every effort must be made to save the world from sin. His followers must live as He lived, and work as He worked, with intense, persevering effort.
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