Series Big Idea: "The early stories of Scripture illustrate God’s plan of salvation”

Sermon Big Idea: “Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures about Himself showing He is the central character in God’s redemptive plan”

Key Scripture (Luke 24:13-27)

Have you ever been reading your Bible and wondered, “What does this have to do with Jesus? “You're not alone. The two disciples in our passage walked seven miles with Jesus himself and did not see Him, not just physically, but they failed to see Him in the very Scriptures they knew by heart.

(Luke 24:13-27)

Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16 But they were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged. 18 The one named Cleopas answered Him, “Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” He asked them. So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that He was the One who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.” 25 He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Next week we begin an exciting journey together as a church family. Many of you have already secured your copy of the CSB Chronological Day by Day Bible, arranged by Dr. George Guthrie. For the next year, we will be walking through Scripture together as a community seeking Christ. But here's the beautiful part: unlike those disciples who had Jesus explain it all in one afternoon, we get to savor this discovery day by day, seeing how each passage, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals another facet of who Jesus is. And just as their hearts burned within them as Jesus opened the Scriptures, I believe our hearts will burn with fresh wonder as we see Christ on every page. Just like those disciples on the Emmaus Road, we will discover how all of Scripture tells one unified story. As we unpack these verses in more detail, I want to quote a wonderful pastor, who is now in glory, along the way. So, in our passage we see:

Jesus is the Key to Understanding Scripture

In verse 27 beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained what the Scriptures said about Him. Luke says that the disciples' hearts "burned within them" as Scripture was unveiled. Quoting pastor Lockridge: "In Genesis, He is the Seed of the Woman. When God promised that the seed of a woman would crush the serpents head (Genesis 3:15), He was giving us the first glimpse of Jesus. This is powerful! God placed the gospel in the first book! In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus, He is the High Priest. In Numbers, He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and Fire by night. In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet like Moses. In Joshua, He is the Captain of our Salvation. In Judges, He is our Judge and Lawgiver. In Ruth, He is our Kinsman Redeemer. In 1 & 2 Samuel, He is our Trusted Prophet. In Kings and Chronicles, He is our Reigning King. In Ezra, He is the Faithful Scribe. In Nehemiah, He is the Rebuilder of broken walls"

These were not just ancient stories; they were divine previews of God’s master plan in Jesus. But He is’t just the key to understanding Scripture, He fulfills every prophecy, every promise, and every pattern we find in its pages.

Jesus Fulfills All Scripture

The disciples' disappointment seen in these verses,"We had hoped He was the one to redeem Israel" came from misunderstanding Scripture. Jesus literally fulfilled Scripture. "In Esther, He is our Advocate. In Job, He is our Ever-Living Redeemer. In Psalms, He is our Song. Think about Psalm 22 which was written centuries before crucifixion was invented. Yet it describes Jesus’ death in vivid detail. David wrote the words, but Jesus lived them.

In Proverbs, He is our Wisdom. In Ecclesiastes, He is our Meaning of Life. In Song of Solomon, He is our Loving Bridegroom. In Isaiah, He is the Suffering Servant. In Jeremiah, He is the Righteous Branch. In Lamentations, He is our Weeping Prophet. In Ezekiel, He is the Son of Man. In Daniel, He is the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace."

From promises to prophecies to divine appearances, Jesus was revealing Himself long before Bethlehem. When Jesus opens our eyes to see Him in Scripture, what once was hidden becomes gloriously clear.

Jesus Opens Our Eyes to Scripture

Verse 31 says, "Their eyes were opened" to how they needed Jesus to illuminate Scripture. "In Hosea, He is the Faithful Husband. In Joel, He is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. In Amos, He is our Burden Bearer. In Obadiah, He is the Mighty Savior. In Jonah, He is our Great Missionary. In Micah, He is the Messenger with Beautiful Feet. In Nahum, He is our Strength and Shield. In Habakkuk, He is God's Evangelist. In Zephaniah, He is the Lord Mighty to Save. In Haggai, He is the Restorer of God's Lost Heritage. In Zechariah, He is the Fountain Opened in the House of David. The Old Testament ends in Malachi with a promise of The Son of Righteous rising with healing in His wings. Four hundred years of silence followed, until that star rose over Bethlehem, announcing that the wait was over!

"In the Gospels, He is God in flesh, the Perfect Man, and the Only Savior. In Acts, He is the Risen Lord. In the Epistles, He is our Justifier. In Revelation, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." This is why we're reading through the Bible together as a church this year. I want to challenge us to look for Jesus in our daily readings. As we journey through Scripture together this year, we're not just reading stories or learning rules, we are discovering Jesus on every page.

Conclusion:

Every page of Scripture shouts His name. Every story shows His heart. Every prophecy points to His purpose. Like a great cathedral's stained-glass window, each book of the Bible might seem like a separate piece. But when the light shines through, when Jesus illuminates Scripture, we see that every piece was carefully placed to reveal one magnificent picture: the face of Christ.

To quote pastor Lockridge concerning Jesus: His promise is sure. His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

He's indescribable. He's incomprehensible. He's invincible. He's irresistible. You can't outlive Him and you can't live without Him. The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him and the grave couldn't hold Him. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. That’s my King!

Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:

Holman Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version Bible

King James Version Bible

Christian Standard Bible

Barton, Bruce et al. Life Application New Testament Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001. Print.

Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. Print.

MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006. Print.

Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933. Print.

Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887. Print.

Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion. electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991. Print.

Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. 

NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture

Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context

Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Blum, Edwin A., and Trevin Wax, eds. CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Wilson, Neil S. The Handbook of Bible Application. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2000.

Dockery, David S., ed. Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.

Water, Mark. Key Word Commentary: Thoughts on Every Chapter of the Bible. AMG Publishers, 2003.

Brannan, Rick, and Israel Loken. The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014.

Life Application Bible Notes. Tyndale, 2007.

Radmacher, Earl D., Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999.

Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Smith, Jerome H. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992.

Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999.

Souter, Alexander. A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917.

Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the New Testament. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.

Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.

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