Luke chapter 24 beginning in verse 13 this is God's word eternally true Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem They were talking to each other about everything that it happened as They talked and discussed these things with each other Jesus himself came up and walked along with them But they were kept from recognizing him He asked them what are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still their faces downcast one of them named Cleopas asked him Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem and who do not know the things that have happened there in these days? What things he asked about Jesus of Nazareth? They replied he was a prophet powerful and word indeed before God and all the people The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel and What is more it is the third day since all this took place in addition some of our women amazed us They went to the tomb early this morning, but did not find his body They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found that just as the women had said, but him they did not see He said to them how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets he explained to them what was said and all the scriptures concerning himself As they approached the village to which they were going Jesus acted as if he were going further But they urged him strongly stay with us for it is nearly evening the day is almost over So he went in to stay with them When he was at the table with them he took bread gave thanks and broke it and began to give it to them Then their eyes were opened and They recognized him and he disappeared from their sight They asked each other were not our hearts burning within us when he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us They got up and returned it once to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 and those with them assembled together and Saying it is true the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon Then the two told what had happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them When he broke the bread Now look down a few verses to verse 44 Verse 44 He said to them this is what I told you while I was still with you Everything must be fulfilled that has written about me in the law of Moses the prophets and the Psalms Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures He told them this is what is written the Christ will suffer and Rise from the dead on the third day And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations Beginning to beginning at Jerusalem You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you What my father is promised but stay in the city until you've been clothed with power from on high Hereins are reading there's a response of thankfulness. It's printed for us and our bulletins the word of the Lord Thanks indeed, let's pray a big question a lot of questions are About Jesus in our society today as it has been all through the history of the world Who is Jesus why did he come? What should a believer expect? What should a non-believer expect many of these questions are being answered here and There's confusion about Jesus both in the church and outside the church, but Jesus gets answered So some of these things that can be confusing for us in this passage where he talks to these two disciples of him Not of the not of the twelve, but two disciples of him as they walk to a mass a town outside of Jerusalem And then as he speaks to his disciples back into Jerusalem that evening If you'd like to fill a blanks in an outline, you're welcome to do that Now in our introduction, we're talking about this big question that's answered in this passage Clearing up things that are source of confusion and even disillusionment By many Christians today That is Luke's gospel and in this passage Show us the message of the gospel is That is the message of Jesus the gospel is the greatest message a person can ever hear So we just note this right now. This is not an embarrassing message. This is not a message of bad news This is not a message that the world should say, oh, that stinks. I don't want that But this the gospel message is the message of Jesus is the greatest message anybody will ever hear all their lives And second sentence for you there all should receive it all should receive it if you're if you're starving and someone offers you your favorite food you should receive it and It is it is puzzling if someone doesn't receive it if they're starving and offered their favorite food Why is that and and that would be confusing to us and it's confusing to us as believers Sometimes too, and maybe you can think back to when you first became a believer and it made sense to you and you start talking to other people about Jesus and You just couldn't understand why is it that everyone's not embracing this? I just told you you know, you can have these things because of Jesus and and you're not receiving this. You're not excited about it So all should receive it, but we know that most next line for you there. We know that most don't If you've been a Christian more than a year or if you just think about it the moment after you Believe in Jesus You know that most don't Most people are not Celebrating Easter this morning in a way that's about Jesus
Most don't so the question is why is this that's your your last little blank there. Why is this? Why is it that most don't receive this message that They should embrace and and love Well, it's because there's much confusion about Jesus much confusion about Jesus. It's your next line there So this morning we'll see that all the disciples all the disciples both the men and the women that were disciples were confused And you see this confusion by these two have left the the main group of disciples and gone to Emma And we hope that he would restore Israel. They say and and our hopes were in him But but our own Jewish leadership turned them over to pilot and he was crucified and And now we have this report from these women that he's been raised again and they were talking about angels and And they're all confused and and the amazing thing about this if you read any of the gospels They all show Jesus telling his disciples over and over and over again Before they even had to Jerusalem We're going to go to Jerusalem He says we're going to go to Jerusalem and I will be betrayed into the hands of men by the scribes and the Pharisees And I will be crucified, but on the third day I will rise again. He tells them this Over and over I think in a gospel mark. It's like eight times It tells him this before they had to Jerusalem But they're still confused and when it happens, they're still they're still confused They weren't expecting or celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Oh great. This did happen just as he said They're like wait, what happened? Huh?
So verses 14 and 15 These disciples are discussing and trying to figure out together What just happened and in verse 17 when Jesus asked them about it because their expectations were wrong about why he had come and what the nature of his kingdoms His kingdom was their faces were downcast Now they had heard the message of Jesus had risen and their faces were downcast Verse 19 through 24 we get what the wrong views are about verse 21 We'd hope that he was the one who's going to redeem Israel and they just had no clue about what the empty tomb meant So what is is it that the believer who's been given Faith spiritual sight needs to see here What is it that we can understand from this passage that helps us as we live our lives today as believers in Jesus number one first thing We can understand this from what Jesus says here from what happens to Jesus That Jesus came to earth number one Jesus came to earth not to receive glory on earth Not to receive glory on earth but to suffer It didn't come to earth to receive glory. That's why they were confused They'd hope that he's going to redeem Israel. They they understood in some sense since people called him son of David that he was the king Pilot had even asked him that because even Jesus enemies understood that they said the pilot well What's the pilot what's the deal with this guy looks pretty innocent to me and he say well? It claims to be a king the Jesus enemies understood this about him is the disciples heard people calling him son of David Which meant king people ask could he be the Messiah that's the Old Testament way of saying is someone a king the anointed one or the Greek way of saying that it could He be the Christ the anointed one the king so they kind of knew that But they were confused but Jesus came not to as king receive glory But to suffer but to suffer came to suffer for his people who would become his church He didn't come to enter into his glory an earth laid Jerusalem by making Israel a new or again geopolitical nation with its own king Seated in its capital city earth laid Jerusalem with its own army and Sovereignty over with this king sovereignty over his own people They didn't come to kick the Romans out and then people were all confused about this And so they wondered why didn't he redeem Israel now he had just done that on the cross But they didn't understand they thought it was a different kind of redemption He didn't come to enter his glory in earthland Jerusalem, but he came to suffer in Jerusalem By taking Israel's curse upon himself. So he tells the two men in verse 26 look at look in verse 26
Starts teaching them about what the Old Testament spoke about the king and the king's role in redeeming buying back God's people to himself verse 26 did not the Christ have to suffer these things Rejection and death did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory They skipped the suffering part with Jesus. They thought it was just gonna be straight straight to glory And they were hoping for that and we you know, we understand that you know when it be nice if he were just hearing glory now and we weren't having to deal with our own sin and the sins of others and and persecution and suffering and that kind of thing So Jesus says he came to suffer and the Old Testament said that he came must entered suffering first and Then after suffering enter his glory. So a they're in your outline a in your outline Jesus suffering on earth Jesus suffering on earth was God's plan It was God's plan. So verse 27 the Old Testament all spoke to this kind of entering into his glory Luke 20 24 25 he said to them verse 25 how foolish you are how slow of heart to believe all the profit Spoken This is not a plan B This is not Jesus expected to come for glory and then he got surprised by the disbelief of Israel And it's like, well, okay, I'll scramble here and think of a plan B That's what many say Who are believers when they don't understand these things and they're they're like the disciples at this point He says but all the prophets have spoken About this suffering Verse 26 did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then in earth's glory and then verse 27 and Beginning with Moses So Genesis Okay, Moses writes Genesis Moses and all the prophets all the way Genesis the Melchite Moses and all the prophets He explained to them what was said and all the scriptures Concerning himself that it and now he didn't have to prove glory to them. They got that he had to prove to them suffering So verse 44 Look down there. Jesus said to them. This is what I told you while I was still with you Before the cross everything must be fulfilled that it's written about me in the law Moses the prophets and the Psalms So this was God's plan God's plan was for Jesus to come to earth To bear your sins Not to enter into glory B. Why was God's plan for Jesus to suffer? Why did Jesus obey the Father to suffer and die in a Roman cross? He had the suffer to take care of your sins being forgiven He had to take care of your sins being forgiven if you just enters into glory and doesn't take care of your sins Well, that's fine for him but not for you Because your sins are not taken care of and so our king just like David who goes out and fights Goliath On behalf of the people to rescue them from death at the hand of the Philistines Jesus goes out in front of us and he conquers our major enemy death For us and that's why he comes the king goes out and fights for his people first before he enters his glory David wasn't king yet All right, Saul was still king But he does this battle before he enters into the glory of sitting as king over all God's people and Jesus does Jesus does the same if you look in your bulletin at the declaration of the gospel on the front page The speaks of Jesus coming and it says we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense Jesus Christ the righteous one He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins For he himself or our sins and his body on the tree So Jesus comes to take care to suffer to take care of your sins being forgiven Okay, so Jesus doesn't come for glory becomes for suffering now We kind of know that as people who have received the whole New Testament And so that's kind of a duh for us, but what's not it does what that means for us? That has an implication for our lives that Jesus life on earth was about Suffering and a glory for Jesus was later You see our lives parallel is So number two number two in your life as a Christian just as Jesus was rejected by the world Just as Jesus was rejected by the world and suffered on earth So will you or you can write in their eye? So will you until he returns? He rejected by the world and Suffer in your life now It's like Jesus said and the gospel of John when he's prepping his disciples the night before his death He says hey, if the world hates me because I'm not up the world and the world will hate you too Because you're not up the world if you were up the world the world would love you But you're not up the world And so the world will hate you if the world hates the teacher It'll hate the students hate the master. It'll hate the surface So a you should not expect glory or Acceptance by the world in your life now because you're a Christian Okay, so becoming a Christian does not mean there's no there's no promise attached to that that you'll be in a state of glory now that all things will go your way Okay, so obviously the prosperity gospel is off here health and Well May be there, but it's not a promise in this life In fact the promise that we talk about a lot from 2nd to 3rd 3rd 12 all who desired to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Or as I mentioned last week from the book of Acts when when God speaks to Ananias and Damascus, he says hey, I'm sending Saul of Tarsus to you I want you to take a man. I want you to pray for him so that he'll receive his sight back and Ananias is nervous and says Saul of Tarsus That's Saul who's killing us for being Christians Saul who was headed here to put us in prison and to kill us and Jesus says yep that one and I will show him how much he may how much he will suffer for my sake and And so that's that's the path for us in this life we are like Jesus This life on earth like Jesus life on earth is one of suffering Glory later later not now the prosperity gospel says glory is now Okay, but you know like Betsy said to me like two nights ago. She said how does anyone believe that for more than a year? Right if you're in that environment where you're told, you know, just believe just have faith and you know You're you know, and you can probably name friends that you have who are Christians who were in that kind of thing and they prayed for You know, they're they're like when my dad died at a family member who's into that and it's just a straw that He died. He's in the hospital for two weeks or so like from December 23rd to January 7th and and you know And he ended up dying. You know, so that was a crisis in faith You know or some of you know Tim and then same thing isn't that environment and his dad had cancer was dying of cancer and people said if you just believe hard enough He'll he'll live Dad died of cancer. So Tim has crisis of faith Does God not love me? Does God not hear my prayers? Is God not powerful enough? Does God not exist? If you believe that's true the glory is now Then you've got a lot of crises of faith coming to you just like these disciples had a crisis crisis of faith We believed he was going to redeem Israel and here's how we're defining it Despite what he told us seven eight nine times before we went to Jerusalem Here's a word of finding it. He kicks the Romans out and he takes the throne And now we're in prosperous Deuteronomy 28 blessings with no one bothering us anymore Living like Solomon and the people did in the first 10 chapters of first Kings And so they were in crisis And even though the exact things Jesus had prepared them to expect were happening Their minds were in disarray and they were downcast and you will be downcast in your life if you expect glory in Your life When glory happens consider it a bonus Okay, we're not saying here that no one will like you Okay, you're not Stuart Smalley People will like you and you'll probably have enough money to eat and live in a home somewhere or an apartment You'll be taking care of you'll have clothes that kind of thing. We're not saying that But in some countries we could say that right We're just in a weird country You know where poverty is like being a wealthy man in lots of countries But yeah, don't expect glory here Jesus said in the end of the Beatitudes Matthew 5-11 blessed are you when people insult you persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me So he tells us if you're Christian if you bear my name Christian Christ on your back You just may be insulted persecuted and false things may be said about you Evil will be done against you because of me Jesus says but Jesus says rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way They persecuted the prophets who were before you so we're not even the first ones to be believers in the one true God And so rejoicing his kingdom and a suffer for that was going on in the old book Philippians 129 Funny will verse there Bob read for us will hit that one single verse you read after the initial Verses and here's what Paul Paul said where it has been granted. Okay, that's a gift You've been granted you get a grant you don't have to pay it back You get alone you have to pay back or if you get a grant it doesn't have to be paid back It's free money that you never have to pay back It says it's been granted to you. So what has God given us? What does Paul says God has granted to us that we never have to pay him back for what is it granted to us? But it's been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him So your faith is a gift That was granted to was given to
Not only to believe on him, but here's the part we don't like to talk about but also to suffer for him That's a gift to that
Thanks for this it's like getting liver at Christmas, right? You know and so that's what is granted to us to suffer this is through and through all the scriptures What happens to able because he has pure sincere faith to God and brings him a sacrifice from his heart from his Stuff he says what's the best stuff? I can I can bring to the Lord and so he brings you know That's that the best of his flock to the Lord first actifies and and and Cain looks around and and he's a he's a farmer And so he looks around and says here he brought some of his produce Abel brings the best But Cain brings some Enable pleases for what he's able to please God that type because that's your nemonis there He's able to please God. He pleases God and God is Please and and and and commence able for this this sacrifice and Cain is not Approved and so what's Cain do the chills? Okay, so this is nothing new that those chefs sincere faith and love God and perfectly yes But love God that that we're Persecure that we suffer so be in your outline there you can expect even though this life is full of suffering. Here's the good news Jesus said don't you know from the law the prophet Smoses the Psalms that I must go through suffering first and then Enter my glory. So here's the good news for you be But you can expect to rise in resurrection in the end because you're Christian Verse 46 verse 46 So that's the thing repentance and forgiveness is given to us, but we rise we rise just as Jesus has risen So number one there at your two to two Resurrection that the Bible talks about for the believer there's a first resurrection and a second resurrection What's the first resurrection? It's the finding revelation 20 It's number one at your death So at your death you will rise in the first resurrection What's this talking about? This is what Paul talked about in Philippians 1.23 when he talked about you know, I may die in prison here um, and that would be better because To die I would rather go and be with the Lord It's what Paul talks about the immediate being immediately in the presence of the Lord if he should be stoned or crucified or however they would kill him in as a result of his imprisonment there But that his soul would immediately be with Jesus or speaks of it and and second Corinthians Clyde as well as as long as we're at home in the body We're away from the Lord But we're if we're away from the body we're at home with the Lord and so that's the first resurrection and Revelation 20 speaks of this as well. It's the resurrection here your blanks of your soul The resurrection of your soul to heaven So this era is talked about in that section of Revelation 21 through 1 through 8ish There and it talks about those in this this era that we're in that their souls have risen have been raised to life To be with Christ and these are those who have experienced the first resurrection. That's what it's like to Number two second resurrection at Jesus return at Jesus return you will rise in the second resurrection the Jesus return You'll rise in the second resurrection of your body. This is the resurrection of your body to dwell in the new heavens and new earth Bob read that that for us from first that son is four 15 through 17 and he says, okay Here's how it's gonna happen you guys want the tales. Okay. I'll give you the details the best songs We're talking all about Jesus coming back and and whether it already come back or he was coming back and and what about people who have died How do they relate to the resurrection and so Paul says okay? Let me tell you I want you to be informed about this when Jesus comes back the dead in Christ will rise first So they're dead bodies. They will rise first their dead bodies will experience resurrection They will receive their glorified bodies first and then all of us who are alive when Christ returns Still living and walking around at the moment Jesus returns then we'll follow them will rise a second way And then we see this as well and a little bit later in Revelation 2014 as it talks about final judgment now all rise and come before the judgment through our of Jesus Believers to hear their name read from the Lamb's book of life and to receive that welcome Come and take that and experience the kingdom. I prepared for you before the foundation of the world And unbelievers resurrected bodily to have read their deeds and words that they've done through their lives and to be judged fairly for those deeds and words
So Jesus suffers first in this life and then comes glory and it's the same thing for us We suffer in this life, but then comes glory And that glory may be in our death first in the first resurrection and then in the bodily resurrection when Jesus returns or if we're around when Jesus comes back then all all the ones So that's what we can expect like Jesus has been resurrected. We will be resurrected too and then see see That all believers get their sins forgiven that all believers get their sins forgiven that Jesus can and suffered so our sins are forgiven the first message of the gospel and We'll be resurrected Second message of the gospel so forgiveness of sins and resurrected to eternal life is the greatest news any person could ever here And so Jesus says Famously as we are Bob Red Force this morning from John 3 16 whoever believes in me believers Shall I have eternal life? We shall not perish So that's the greatest news anyone could ever hear life eternal sins forgiven, but there's little reception to this message the back to that thing. Why isn't everybody believing? Why did you believe and your brother didn't believe or your sister didn't believe or your mom or your dad or your friends around you that you've shared it? Why haven't they believe and that brings us to number three one believes in Jesus one believes in Jesus only when or after when if He has his eyes opened Passive voice he has the size opened to see verse 31 This hits both questions of confusion for the Christian the first question is why all why don't all people believe in Jesus and Follow him but look at verse 31 there verse 31 says this Then their eyes were opened It doesn't say they opened their eyes It says says their eyes were opened and they recognized
Here's what Jesus teaches in this passage a Until God acts until God acts to open a person's spiritual eyesight Meaning what's that mean to open someone's spiritual eyesight? It means they are understanding of what is real and true
Until God acts so that someone has understanding of what is real and true and in other words, they got open their eyes like that person cannot see and understand Jesus nor life So Bob read for us this morning the account of Jesus and Nicodemus And Nicodemus becomes a believer we learn at the end of John It comes to bear it very Jesus And so that's good news and Nicodemus is this honest Pharisee it's like No, we should not condemn a man without first hearing from him He says and and but it comes to Jesus, but he's afraid because he knows everyone He's Jesus who are his friends And so it comes to Jesus at night And he says we know you're a teacher from God now most of us in the Pharisees were not admitting that but we know That you're a teacher from God for no one can speak this where do the things that you do unless God were with him and Jesus just cuts to the chase and says unless one is born here's why you don't understand Nicodemus Here's why you're confused Unless one is born again Unless one has experienced spiritual birth He cannot See the kingdom of God
You're like these disciples on the road to Emmaus They thought the kingdom of God was something else Jesus in Jerusalem on an earthly throne like Solomon With the Romans kicked out of the land These disciples on the way to Emmaus until their eyes were opened they couldn't see the kingdom of God They thought it was something it was not But then their eyes are opened and they can see and they turn to each other after Jesus is departed from them And they said one our hearts burning when he spoke to us about these things can you imagine You realize you know just all the time you understand all this stuff and you realize you were just Not only do you understand it that you've just had proof that he was talking to you and being gentle with you And then he opened your eyes that you could understand the old the Old Testament and all of a sudden it was like My friends and I in seminaries like well, you know all these things we've heard and not understood You know we'd come out of class for our ten minute break at every hour and say this makes sense now These things that I didn't quite get before and they were having this in a much more deep deep way But their eyes are their eyes are open and so Jesus points that out Nicodemus no one understands No one sees the kingdom of God unless They've been born again And then he says a few verses later John three five three eight He says here's how that happens nicodemus the spirit is kind of like the wind The wind's not always blowing everywhere But you can see where it's blowing You know by the trees you're looking the leaves and and you can hear the leaves blowing and And so it is with the spirit The spirit causes spiritual birth on some people and Not on others And maybe it's just a time thing maybe it's like he's blowing now on this Or not blowing now on this person but he will in the future But not now now it's not the time Or maybe it's never But Jesus explains this that one to be born from above has to have the spirit of God blow upon him So to speak regenerate him give him life and when someone has life they have eyes now to see and ears to hear and And nobody Lying dead in a casket can see if you wave your hand above her eyes or his eyes and No one can hear someone dead in a casket is not going to jump and be startled when you yell real loudly Because they're dead, but if you're alive, you're here and and you see and And so this is what Jesus is talking about here, and this is The way we're instructed here Jesus put it this way to his disciples and in Luke chapter 8 verse 10 He says the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to you The disciples are asking Jesus about the parables and saying You know, we don't get this and certainly the people out there in a crowd They don't know what you're talking about Jesus and he says that to them He says the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to you So you believe you Who believe you believe and you understand the secrets of the kingdom of God because that was given to you? It was not in innate ability that you had You know most of us heard that Jesus died on a cross or we heard the phrase Jesus died for your sins But we didn't understand Until the spirit of God blew upon us Some of us weren't churches, you know if you're in a Baptist church, you heard that five times every service You know Jesus died on a cross for you and that's great the great message is what we all need to hear But it didn't make sense, you know It's a you know a couple of you nodding I know your background to know you heard that over and over and over again and then boom You know all of a sudden now it makes sense It's because the spirit blew upon and if you have that that time where it was like a first-made sense thing You know, it was like if you could have seen You know like you know put some some some some kind of die like they put in your body to see To see stuff in your system before they do surgery two days from now You know if you could have put some die on there. You could have seen the spirit blow upon you Like that like the cloud and the temple, you know when it's first completed or in the tabernacle once first completed You know you would have been able to see that But this is until God acts upon a person's spiritual eyes like to open a person's spiritual eyes like just like these disciples You don't get it. You don't get what the cross is about and Then be but once God opens a person's spiritual eyes He believes and so this we can see in verse 31 32-33-35 look at these places verse 31 look at verse 31 Then their eyes were opened at pass of 10 they didn't do anything different But their eyes were open God did that for them got to open their eyes and they recognized him and he Disappeared from their sight. They asked each other. We're not our hearts burning within us now They get it burning within us when he talked us and wrote and opened the scriptures to us the scriptures They understood the the nouns and the verbs and the adjectives prior to their spiritual regeneration Prior to their eyes being open they understood the words that were being said, but they didn't understand This is what God is talking about when he speaks with Isaiah and Isaiah 6 that the people be ever seen but not perceiving Hearing but not understanding and that's what Jesus quotes when he tells talks to disciples about the parables People are hearing this They understand my words because they you know they can go to a dictionary and look up the definition of each word But they don't get it. They don't understand Their soul is not alive and they don't understand in that way Verse 33 look there They got up and returned to once Jerusalem there they found the 11 and those with them assembled together and saying Verse 34 now they get it. It is true the Lord has risen. Now all of a sudden they're like wait We got this report. We don't know what that means now they know what that means They say the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon Simon has given a report earlier that's in another gospel Verse 35 then the two told what had happened to them on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them. They recognized Jesus when he broke the bread Matthew 15 verse 14 23 16 and 24 all Jesus talked about how the Pharisees were blind Spiritually and that's why they didn't believe or if we think to the the Passage Bob read to us from John 9 this morning the blind man the man born blind almost said born blind at verse when he was born That when he was when he encountered Jesus Jesus gave him sight and Jesus in his interaction with the Pharisees They say what are you saying we're blind and he saying yep? You aren't you physically see But this man not only now physically sees but he sees spiritually which you don't you are blind There's this spiritual blindness. That's a part of people naturally people are naturally like the Pharisees naturally like Nicodamus I know something special about you Jesus, but I don't get it Until the spirit blows upon us Jesus statement about the spiritual blindness was no longer about physical sight and his healing of blind people was to show them The spiritual sight that they could gain through an encounter with him So see to write it clearly The reason the reason a person doesn't believe in Jesus once he has the historical facts about him and It's physically hurt his teaching It's because his eyes have not been supernaturally opened so the reason a person doesn't believe in Jesus After he has the historical facts about Jesus Physically heard Jesus teaching the reason he doesn't believe is because his eyes have not been supernaturally opened So number one know that disbelief in Jesus is not because of greater intelligence when someone doesn't believe It's not because they're more intelligent than you When they say all your stupid for believing in Jesus Get the picture that Jesus is drawing for you here Jesus saying that person who says you're stupid for believing in Jesus. That's the blind person telling you the sky is orange
like okay And we're looking at the sky and we're standing around all these other believers who are people who can see and They can all see that the sky is blue and they all hear the blind man saying the sky is orange And we say we don't say whatever dude because we care about that person But that that's what when someone claims intellectual superiority over you because they don't believe It's not intelligence that's in play and Jesus makes this very clear It's because there's spiritual blindness and it doesn't mind it doesn't matter how smart you are What your intelligent intelligence quotient is or how dumb you are What matters is whether you have spiritual sight? That's what causes belief spiritual spiritual sight So knows disbelief is not because of greater intelligence on the part of the disbeliever Nor because the historical fact that Jesus in his resurrection didn't take place Didn't as your blank there. It did take place. How else do you explain the church? Growing and these apostles old keeping the faith even though it meant their death How do you explain that all they have to do is say okay? I'll quit talking now and All the imprisonments all the abuse and they're like You can say that Jesus didn't rise and you can ask me not to say that Jesus didn't rise anymore but he did and I have the assurance because he's risen that if you kill me, I'll be with him now in heaven So you don't hold over anything over me like Jesus said don't be afraid of those who can kill the body, but can't kill the soul What can they what can man do to you kill the body and send you to me better for you? That's a Paul said So that person that that claims intellectual superiority his statement holds no weight now ever and around him We'll say yeah You know and think that that's a group of blind men Talking to you about something that site is required to have expertise over Don't worry about that Don't worry about people and and acting like they're smart and you're not smart Number two Number two that gets to all those blanks didn't take place in fact, but because eyes are still closed not supernaturally open Okay, I got to all those number two. I know that a person's disbelief when you share the gospel with him or her This is encouraging for you Is not because you didn't use the right words
Nor because you weren't persuasive enough When you talk to somebody about Jesus Whatever fashion it is And they don't believe or they're not interested It's not because you didn't use the right words Now we all want to grow in our persuasiveness and using the right words and God says or I'll talk through a donkey Thank you very much. I don't need you Right as a Paul says as he's talking in Acts chapter 20 says as if God needed anything Those are Paul's words God doesn't need us He uses us But he can use a donkey to speak He's not limited and so just talk about Jesus and don't worry about your words being perfect I worry about my words being perfect so you know we're in company here Just talk and you know I know from when I was in campus crusade campus crusade's focus of all campus groups campus crusades focuses on sharing the gospel It's on justifications on people believing Different navigators is more discipleship Interversity is studying books and so and so I shared the gospel with a lot of people one-to-one on these different college campuses And I know that some of my greatest gospel presentations that were just crystal clear you would have been with me and said that's my pastor man September is 24 Right now you had been proud of me and they said And then you would have heard me share the gospel This is true. I think a guy named Jeff at Lane and right where I was sitting in he was sitting in the dorm room on right Quad at any end of university. I was kind of facing the library and his back was kind of toward Or towards the library and it was this most befuddled presentation the gospel I think I did and all my time at Indian University and He said this makes sense this makes sense and he's visibly shaken and and and And then we just got disconnected I followed up with them for for a few weeks And then we can't got disconnected and that guy's saying they found out a couple years later He was just Integrally intergrally involved in this church That was a good Bible believing church and so it doesn't matter whether your presentation's great and Clear or or whether it's kind of befuddled I said Jesus a few times and that was enough Right and he believed in any really believed And you know even for a time leaving Bloomington in Vienna That he was of faith and so this is a good soil Taking root the gospel taking root in him to be encouraged about that Don't think you have to read five more books about evangelism Before you talk about Jesus. This guy doesn't need that Maybe encourage just get say something Jesus. I went to Easter service. Yeah That's a witness. I went to Easter service Maybe the personal bike And say oh really why why do you do that? Well, there are a lot of people there and then say why I do that because I actually believe he did rise from the dad If it never goes any further than that That's okay You've just witnessed the resurrection to that person and that fact will not leave their head whether they ever believe or not They will be bothered by that fact until they either submit to Jesus or see him in person at final judgment But it's powerful God's word like Isaiah says does not does not return to him boy God's word is powerful and it works So being encouraged a belief is by a supernatural act of God And so you can be befuddled you can be befuddled and you can give
blurry words But if God's spirit blows It's over in a good way. It's over. Okay This person who the father elected Who sends Jesus born the cross low and behold the spirit will work to bring him to faith All three persons of eternity are invested and true to the word Righteous faithful to their covenant with people who don't even know they will be in covenant. Yes So number four number four coming out of this share Share the news of Jesus and forgiveness and resurrection through faith in him But understand a belief This belief and belief are not because of you So Jesus that Jesus shares when he gets back with his disciples talks to them verse 47 look there
You know verse 45 he opens their minds So they understand the scriptures. He says this is what was written the Christ will suffer and rise from the death of the third day And then what's what do we do Verse 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name in Jesus name So all nations beginning in Jerusalem you are witnesses of these things I'm going to send you what my father's promise the Holy Spirit Going to send you my Holy Spirit which he does on pentacrossing does for every believer now when they believe Stay in the city until you've been close with Tyrone So God gets his spirit to us and we are witnesses calling for repentance and forgiveness So share the news that Jesus and forgiveness and resurrection through faith in him um But understand that unbelief and belief is not because of you. So last line there for you Belief in Jesus come to only when God's spirit God's spirit brings the unbeliever spiritual slight And not from your presentation the gospel apart from that Okay, so we present left that for us talk about Jesus Talk about his resurrection talk about his promise to forgive all sins Um, and the spirit his job is to convert Not yours So conclusion summer Understand the disbelief in the world Understand the disbelief in the world and the suffering Jesus and you will endure by knowing Uh, by knowing that spiritual sight must be given by God So spiritual sight is given by God um That's why some people don't believe And we like Jesus will suffer in this life And then good news We will enter glory Whether by death or his return Happy Easter right