Quick to Believe

Now upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning,
they came unto the sepulchre,
bringing the spices which they had prepared,
and certain others with them.
Luke 24:1

Who were these who brought prepared spices to the sepulchre of Jesus?

And the women also,
which came with Him from Galilee,
followed after, and beheld the sepulchre,
and how His body was laid.
And they returned,
and prepared spices and ointments;
and rested the Sabbath day
according to the commandment.
Luke 23:55,56

They were prepared for this early morning, bringing all those spices to the graveside - but when they got there, things had surely changed!

And they found the stone
rolled away from the sepulchre. . .
Luke 24:2

The stone was rolled away! I suppose that must have caused their hearts to feel funny as soon as they saw it. hat had happened?

And they entered in,
and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:3

They went in to the sepulchre to see - and found no body there! That certainly would have defeated the purpose they came so early for.

And it came to pass,
as they were much perplexed thereabouts, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
and as they were afraid,
and bowed down their faces to the earth,
they said unto them,
Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luke 24:4,5

WHY SEEK YE THE LIVING
AMONG THE DEAD?

If you want to see Jesus, don't go to the cemetery. You won't find Him among the dead. He was placed in another man's tomb, a new grave where nobody had ever been laid - but, now, that tomb was once again empty.

What a stir there was that day! This is the first sounding out of the message that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Not everyone was of the same mind. Not everyone was thinking the same thoughts. The women had come intending to apply spices and ointments to prepare the body for burial - but, when they got there, not only did they find the tomb had been opened - but the body was gone!

Angels in shining garments told them He wasn't there, but had risen. This news should have brought great joy. But one look is better than 1,000 words. If you can see for yourself then you know for sure it's the way you were told. They didn't have any reason to doubt the angels' message - but if only they could see Him risen, then they would know for sure.

Do we have to see to believe? The world is full of people who can't believe unless they see. I'm glad we can believe for ourselves that Jesus is risen without seeing anything. We weren't there - but we can believe, embracing it in our heart, because we believe the report that is given in the Scriptures.

For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures;
and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures.
I Corinthians 15:3,4

We believe this - but we didn't see anything. We didn't go back 2,000 years to see something. By looking into the Scriptures at that which is written we can see it through the eyes of those who were there. We merely embrace God's Word, believing what He has said because we believe the Bible is His inspired Word.

He is not here, but is risen:
remember how He spake unto you
when He was yet in Galilee,
saying
The Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men,
and be crucified,
and the third day rise again.
Luke 24:6,7

HE IS NOT HERE, BUT IS RISEN

The two angels pointed the women to the words of Jesus, telling them to remember the words He had spoken about this very event. He foretold that He must be crucified - and, also, that He would rise again the third day.

And they remembered His words . . .
Luke 24:8

Some times we are slow to remember all that God has said. They had heard and known what was said - but it didn't fit in yet with the circumstances they now faced. It seemed when they discovered the tomb was empty that they had a hard time to embrace what they had been told. Maybe they weren't in a full expectation, then, that He would really be able to rise again from the dead. But the angels here at the empty tomb brought His words back to their remembrance

And they remembered His words,
and returned from the sepulchre,
and told all these things unto the eleven,
and to all the rest.
Luke 24:8

Carrying the message back, sharing it with others - you'd think this would strike up a great joy in the camp when word got out that Jesus is alive, that He has truly risen from the dead. But that wasn't an easy thing to embrace.

It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna,
and Mary the mother of James
and other women that were with them,
which told these things unto the apostles.
And their words seemed to them as idle tales,
and they believed them not.
Luke 24:10,11

Now, is that a picture of what you're like at times? You hear things - but do you really? You hear them in your ears - but do you hear them deep in your heart?

They had heard. They were told ahead of time what would happen. Jesus taught them how He would be crucified and be raised again the third day. But, when it got right down to it, it seemed like an idle tale. They could not believe what these women were telling them, that Jesus was risen. It's not easy to believe that someone whom you had seen dead is now alive again. It's not the norm. You don't see that every day - and neither did they.

Then arose Peter,
and ran unto the sepulchre;
and stooping down,
he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves,
and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Luke 24:12

I think the disciples no doubt, in their heart, wanted to believe - but they were shaken by all this. If the Master had died in our presence, as He did in theirs, maybe our faith would be shaken, too. So we're not here to throw stones at them. We're not here to put them down. They were there. They went through it. They went through an experience with the Master. They witnessed His sufferings. They saw Him crucified.

This is the centerpiece of the Gospel. If you're going to be saved, you will be saved with the knowledge placed deeply in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for your sins - and that He rose again from the dead.

Now the scene here in Luke changes to include some other people who were there that morning:

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

And, behold,
two of them went that same day
to a village called Emmaus,
which was from Jerusalem
about threescore furlongs.
And they talked together
of all these things which had happened.
And it came to pass, that,
while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.
But their eyes were holden
that they should not know Him.
Luke 24:13 - 16

Jesus was as a stranger to them. While they walked along, He began to walk with them, and He walked with them all the way to Emmaus: but they didn't know who He was.

And He said unto them,
What manner of communications are these
that ye have one to another,
as ye walk, and are sad?
Luke 24:17

What is all this that you're talking about? Why are you so sad? That was enough to cause them to pour out their hearts, and tell Jesus what they were feeling deep within.

And the one of them,
whose name was Cleopas,
answering said unto Him,
Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem,
and hast not known the things
which are come to pass there in these days?
Luke 24:18

You don't know what's taken place in Jerusalem these days? You haven't heard? Little did they know - this man who was walking with them was the center of all that happened. They weren't aware they were talking to Jesus.

And He said unto them, What things?
And they said unto Him,
Concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
which was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people . . .
Luke 24:19

He was going to get them to start talking about it and express their deep feelings. So they began to pour out their heart and tell all that happened to Jesus of Nazareth - how they had believed that He was the Redeemer. They had had a bright hope in Him that was temporarily dimmed by the fact that He was in the grave. They were unaware that He had risen from the dead, that the grave was empty, and that Jesus, Himself, was walking with them along that road to Emmaus.

. . . and how the chief priests and our rulers
delivered Him to be condemned to death,
and have crucified Him.
But we trusted that it had been He
which should have redeemed Israel:
and beside all this,
to day is the third day
since these things were done.
Luke 24:20,21

TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY

If they were believing the report that Jesus gave in His teaching they should have known this was the day He said He would rise again. The women had heard it - and when the angels brought it to their remembrance they remembered how He had said He would rise again the third day. These two on the road to Emmaus were no different than we are. They were having a struggle in believing and putting things together, even the things that Jesus had told them - but I think, sometimes, people are really in the place where Jesus would say they are slow to hear.

Do you hear things that you respond to by thinking, I can't take that. I can't believe that.

Know that just because you can't find room in your heart to receive something doesn't mean it's not true. It just means that you don't have the heart to receive it. Throwing something over your shoulder as something you just can't believe, something you can't take (I just can't believe that! I can't take that!) That's no way to feel in your hearts. I think if there's an issue of life which we may not understand - we should carefully search it out.

Search the Scriptures;
for in them ye think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of Me.
John 5:39

We should be careful in our own hearts about what we receive. We should want to receive the truths of God's Word with an open heart. We have to learn how to accept the truth, how to embrace the truth, how to believe the truth. The truth is solid, firm - not like a scrambled egg. It's the Word of God and has no dross in it whatsoever. It's pure truth. What if all our words were boiled down to just truth! Let me give you an example of solid, pure truth:

For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever believe in Him
should not perish
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

That's solid truth. There is no lie in it; not mixture with dross like silver could be. It's just pure truth - yet it's pure truth that man often wrestles with. We've got to have a heart that's prepared to receive truth. We want to be in the place of having an understanding heart. We want wisdom from God to discern the Word, to take the Word into our heart and believe to the saving of our soul.

They were having a hard time believing all He said about His rising from the dead. Are we going to have the same trouble when He comes back again? Will we have a hard time to believe all that He has said? Listen, we should believe all that He said about His coming back. That's pure truth to embrace and believe. We should hold to that truth. After all, it's the bright hope of this day and age: our hope that He is coming again.

For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I Thessalonians 4:16,17

That hope stands there for the resurrection of the dead and those which remain unto His coming; that hope of our receiving a glorified body and ascending into heaven.

I'm saying all that to say this: as they were musing in their hearts the truth that Jesus had told them, they were having a hard time with it. You muse in your heart about some truths and you don't know how to handle it, and maybe you're not doing much about it.

We don't want to be in that place when the Lord comes back again. When He comes back there won't be anyone going out into the cemetery looking for Him because they know He was crucified and is dead and buried. It will be the living, resurrected Christ coming back from heaven to meet us in the clouds. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye He will change our bodies. He will change the living saints in a moment to be glorified and caught up to meet Him in the clouds.

Now, we're taught to be ready. Are we? Are we ready? We're not musing in our hearts about being ready, are we? I suppose a lot of Christians are. Maybe you're not - but many are.

We find Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and here's two men who have these things in their hearts that they don't quite know what to do with.

But we trusted that it had been He
which should have redeemed Israel:
and beside all this,
today is the third day
since these things were done.
Luke 24:21

It looks like that trust is dampened right there, doesn't it! They had believed that it was Jesus who would redeem Israel. The fact that He's dead dampens that to their minds. They weren't looking for a resurrection, like they should have been looking.

Yea, and certain women also of our company
made us astonished,
which were early at the sepulchre;
and when they found not His body,
they came, saying,
that they had also seen a vision of angels,
which said that He was alive.
Luke 24:22

They were telling how the women had come and told about seeing the angels with the message that He was alive - yet their hearts weren't rejoicing in the news that Jesus was alive.

You see how hard that is to grasp? They were just ordinary men. They weren't spiritual giants - but they were believers who had followed Jesus for over three years. They had every reason to believe all He had said, because they saw those mighty works of God which He did - and, yet, we find them struggling here.

And certain of them which were with us
went to the sepulchre,
and found it even so as the women had said:
but Him they saw not.
Luke 24:24

This was the turning point. Jesus listened to them without making any comments up to this point. He got them to express their feelings.

SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE

Now, looking at the Master as He goes to work:

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?
Luke 24:25,26

Notice these words that He speaks really relate a condition that we may some day face: fools, and slow of heart to believe. Are you slow of heart, many times, to believe? One who isn't slow in heart to believe will believe the truths of God's Word immediately. Others take days or weeks or even years to accept those same truths. So fools and slow of heart describes their reaction to His death, to His burial - and to the news of His resurrection. They weren't believing those words as yet. They were slow of heart to grasp the truth that He had risen from the dead.

After Jesus told them they were slow of heart to believe, He went on to say something that I wish I could have a copy of, a copy of all He said from this point on in His conversation: He did something that we have to do for ourselves if we want inside information:

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
He expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:27

He went back as far as Moses, bringing out all that Moses had said prophetically concerning Himself. Then He went, one by one, through all the prophets - expounding all they had spoken of Him, and all they had spoken of His sufferings, and all they had spoken of His resurrection.

Jesus set a fire in their hearts with those words. He opened their hearts to those words which were spoken about His sufferings. I can imagine when He got to the prophet Isaiah! Look at chapter 53 for yourself. If we put all of those Scriptures together that He spoke of that day and the words He used to expound them with - I believe those words would be enough to set hearts on fire everywhere.

We've got to grasp the truth, believing it within our heart. We can't be slow of heart when it comes to believing. We can't be musing in our hearts to where we hear it - but it doesn't get in where it can affect us. If we do it won't be bringing the change inside in our hearts and lives that it should be bringing

The Word of God should change us. We should want to take the Word so seriously. We should want to believe every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, every word that has been given us.

A UNIQUE VISITOR

And they drew nigh unto the village,
whither 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.
Luke 24:28, 29

Wasn't this a unique visitation? The risen Christ has walked down the road from Jerusalem all the way to Emmaus with these two men. Now we find He has turned in to tarry in their village. And they still haven't recognized Him! Their eyes have been holden all this time. The Lord isn't letting them see Who He is: but just letting them pour out their hearts to Him.

I wonder if they're pouring out their hearts for His sake - or for ours. Are these words, now, that they spake given so Jesus could learn something by them? He knew all of those things. They spoke them so it could be written for our sakes that we would hear, and they would be a help to us in our believing. They were meant to encourage us to not be so slow of heart to believe all that God tells us.

I can remember what God said - but I'm having a hard time putting it into practice. I'm having a hard time to embrace it so that I will go after those things He has spoken.

And it came to pass,
as He sat at meat with them,
He took bread, and blessed it, and brake,
and gave to them.
Luke 24:30

If you look at the account of the last supper you find Jesus took the bread and blessed it. Then He brake it to divide among them, and took the cup to give them all a drink. And, here, we find Him doing the same thing. Jesus is serving these who invited Him to tarry. This isn't normally what a guest would do - but we find Jesus did.

If someone comes to have supper at your house, they don't normally serve the food to you, do they? Does your company do that? But Jesus did.

He was doing this for the purpose of opening their eyes. He was going to help them get over what they were so troubled about. First, He let them pour out their hearts to this point, and then He opened their eyes.

And their eyes were opened,
and they knew Him;
and He vanished out of their sight.
Luke 24:31

Now they KNOW He has risen! Now everything they were having a hard time with suddenly comes into focus. Their hearts were about to explode with the knowledge that all they knew about Him is true. He's not dead! Our hope is real! Our hope stands! They were slow of heart to believe - but that doesn't mean they disbelieved. They were slow of heart to grasp it. They had to see something, had to experience something.

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?
Luke 24:32

All that time while He's walking down the road and talking with them, opening up the Scriptures that spoke of Him, their hearts to burned within. They were seeing where the Scriptures foretold all those events that were so troublesome to them.

Do you need a fire set in your heart? We all need a fire in our heart and soul. Oh, how we need to be quick to believe and embrace the Scriptures.

Some folks ponder these things and ponder them and ponder them - and that's as far as they go.

We don't want to be slow of heart, but to be quickened in our heart that we can embrace the truth. Like they had to embrace the truth of Jesus' resurrection - we have to embrace the truth of His coming again. And we have to be prepared for that moment.

One of the things which the Lord has made so clear to us is we must be prepared because His coming will be sudden. It will be like a thief in the night, unannounced. In an instant, unexpectedly, unannounced we are to be prepared to be caught up.

There may be those hanging around church for years who have not fully surrendered their heart to the Lord. You can't afford to do that. You have got to give your heart to Christ. You've got to be His. You've got to be saved. You've got to know Christ personally. If you're born of the Spirit and have the Spirit of Christ in you - that's what's necessary to be ready to rise up and meet Him in the air.

Will you be ready?

That will be a sad day for many. He may come on a Sunday morning and leave many in their pews, while others are caught up with Him. Those left just weren't ready. Going to church was there - but their heart wasn't there. They didn't believe to the saving of their soul.

How long do we have? If the Lord tarries - then we have but one life, however long it might be. So we need to ever be ready. Some of us will go by the way of the grave, while others who are ready will go by the way of the rapture: but, either way, we must be ready - every moment.

And they rose up the same hour,
and returned to Jerusalem,
and found the eleven gathered together,
and them that were with them,
saying,
The Lord is risen indeed,
and hath appeared to Simon.
And they told what things were done in the way,
and how He was known of them
in breaking of bread.
Luke 24:33-35

If you had the information dispensed to you that these two had you'd have run back to tell everyone. You know how fast news travels!

The resurrection wasn't just witnessed that day, but for forty days. Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead He ascended into heaven. He appeared with many infallible proofs that left no reason to doubt or question that He was, indeed, the risen Christ.

CARES
Thorns That Hold Many Back

A lot are bogged down with cares, with the troubles that come their way. Are you burdened with a lot of cares? Are you troubled about a lot of things? Are you cumbered down, worrying about so much? You spend all your time thinking about all these things.

That's not good! It's described of the Lord in the parable of the sower as one of four things that can happen to people: where the seed fell among thorns. The seed sprang up, but the thorns eventually choked it out that it couldn't flourish.

And that which fell among thorns are they, which,
when they have heard, go forth,
and are choked with cares and riches
and pleasures of this life,
and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luke 8:14

Are you all taken up with cares - cares about this, and cares about that? That's a bad state to be in. If you have that problem you need to begin to do something about correcting it.

The Lord said they who have this problem will bring no fruit unto perfection. If they do make it to go up with the Lord in the end, they will have no fruit of their life. They brought no fruit to perfection. What are they going to bring before the Lord in that day?

Well, Lord, I was busy worrying! I worried about my kids. I worried about my house. I worried about my lawn. I worried about everything and anything I could get hold of to worry about. And I was taken up with all these cares, without committing any of them to you.

Casting all your care upon Him;
for He careth for you.
I Peter 5:7

That's what we're to do with all those cares - cast them upon the Lord. After you've worried about them for twenty years did all that worrying help? That ought to be enough evidence to say you've done the wrong thing.

If you had cast those cares upon the Lord, and trusted Him, getting down to the business of serving the Lord - then the cares would have been taken care of, and you would be enjoying the blessings of the Lord.