The Big Story

Cody Hale

The Big Story • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Introduction

“Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.” Adolf Hitler wrote this in his autobiography, Mein Kampf, and used what he believed was a divine anointing to justify his plan and desire to exterminate the Jews from existence. In fact, if you were to read Mein Kampf, as some of you likely have, you would find it littered with Scripture, undergirding its hateful agenda. I read this week of a woman named Sally this week. She had prayed for a husband and believed that when she met Peter that she’d met the man that God had for her. That is, until on the first morning of her honeymoon, she was eviscerated for sleeping in. It was only a sign of things to come, as every night after she came home from work, he would yell at her and insult her and then demand from her, while she cared for their baby. One day, their toddler bumped into his leg, and in a rage, he threw them across the room. And, as Sally wept, he would read the Bible to her: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

You see, the Bible can be used in a lot of ways, many of which are destructive. It was the Bible that was used to justify the Atlantic slave trade and the Bible that was used to make sense of the Crusades and the Bible that was so often quoted by the KKK as they did Satan’s work. And so, that means that there is a way that you can read the Bible, a way in which you can be a student of the Bible, a way in which you can know the Bible and memorize the Bible all while totally missing the message of the Bible. So, some have decided that the Bible must be domesticated and sanitized, focusing only on the teachings of Jesus or the words about forgiveness and mercy. Others have decided that the Bible is an ancient relic of a flawed worldview, and it is only helpful as a tool by which we can measure how far we’ve come by how far past it we are. But, neither of these are the answer. The answer is to go back to our Bible and ask, “What has God said, and what does God mean?” That is, what was God’s actual intention in giving us the Bible, and how can we arrive at an understanding of what He actually meant so that we can read the Bible according to God’s agenda and not our own. That’s what we’re going to be spending the foreseeable future looking at. You see, I think we’re accustomed to thinking of the Bible as a collection of stories about a collection of characters — the best of which are the stories about Jesus. But, I am utterly convinced that the whole Bible is one story about one character slowly building toward its climax. And, I am equally convinced that if you are to properly understand and interpret the Bible it must be by taking whatever you’re reading on that particular day and seeing how it fits into the big story. So, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to start in Genesis and go all the way to Revelation. We’re going to look at the biggest stories from each book, as time allows, and we’re going to see how all of them are slowly, progressively, generationally moving toward the ultimate climax of a single story, centered upon a single character.

God’s Word

Read (Begin with an overview of how I get this and then move to Genesis next week)

Knowing, but Not Knowing

You can know, but not know. You know the person that you’re marrying, but you don’t KNOW the person you’re marrying. You can know that homelessness and hunger are horrible without actually really KNOWING just how horrific it is to try to sleep exposed and hungry. You can know that a bee sting hurts without ever having been stung, but once you’re stung, you really KNOW it. And, here in we listen in on a conversation with two of Jesus’ disciples that are a lot like many of us. They knew a lot about the Bible. They knew a lot about Jesus. But, the didn’t really KNOW the Bible or KNOW Jesus. At least that’s where they start in verse 13, but by verse 35 it’s a totally different story. And, that’s what I want us to see: the difference between knowing and knowing about. (headline)

To know is to “believe”.

v. 16 “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” First, to know is to “believe”. So, this is immediately after Jesus has just been raised from the dead, and He’s in a form in which even his own disciples don’t recognize him. He comes upon two of his disciples who are making the seven mile journey to Emmaus, and they’re in the midst of an intense discussion. It’s the type of discussion in which you are both so intense, so engaged that it might look like an argument to someone who doesn’t know any better. And, they’re discussing all that had transpired with Jesus, with his promises to be raised, his condemnation by their leaders, and then his ultimate crucifixion. That’s when Jesus happens upon them, unbeknownst to them, and begins to ask questions. Now, why were they kept from recognizing Jesus? Why is Luke sure to point that out to us? It’s a hint to us that this is an issue of belief, of faith. The question is will they believe before they can see. Luke only records the words of Jesus three times in this passage, and they’re all questions. Even more specifically, they’re all questions that Jesus already knows the answers to. Jesus already knows what they’re talking about in verse 17 and what’s taken place in verse 19 and what was necessary in verse 26, but He asks the questions any way. Jesus has never asked a question that He didn’t already know the answer to. Whenever Jesus asks a question He already knows the answer to, He’s drawing out character, faith, and unbelief. He doesn’t need the information. He wants you to see and understand where you are.

They Knew, but They Didn’t Believe

v. 17 “And they stood still, looking sad.” And, by asking the question, Jesus drew out from them how much they knew and how much they disbelieved in spite of all they knew. Think of all that we learn about their knowledge just by their answers to these questions. They knew that a Messiah was coming to redeem Israel. They knew that Jesus fit the description they’d expected of the Messiah. They knew that Jesus was sent by God speaking and acting in a way that demonstrated supernatural power. They knew that Jesus had told them that He was to die and raise in three days. And yet, with all of that knowledge in tow, with all of that knowledge of the Scriptures and the Messiah and of Jesus personally, they were filled sadness and despair, speaking of hope in the past tense. “But we HAD hoped.” “We used to have hope that Jesus would rescue us, but that hope died on the cross with him.” They didn’t believe. You can know the truth, but not KNOW the truth. You can “know” the truth and fail to “believe” it.

A Call to Faith

Fundamentally, the Bible isn’t calling you to knowledge. And, the Bible isn’t a call to blind faith. But, The Bible is a call to an “informed” and “substantial” faith. These guys couldn’t see, but it wasn’t blind faith that they were being called to. Honestly, we’d probably all say, “If you’d spot me that kind of knowledge, then I’d certainly believe.” They couldn’t see Jesus that day, but they had seen Jesus and they had walked with Jesus and they knew the word. The hope that they had wasn’t a blind faith but a substantial belief that had been backed up with truth and experience and the fulfillment of ancient promises. This is the type of faith that the Bible always calls us to. God spoke, revealed himself, and had it recorded for us so that our faith wouldn’t be blind; rather, so that our belief would be substantial, anchored in the recorded history of his people and then experienced in future generations. It’s to know that Jesus didn’t just appear, but was long before present and promised that we might be delivered. I wonder if some of you are like the disciples here, and you’d say that your hope is past tense. You used to have hope that Jesus would make a difference. You used to have hope that He was your Redeemer and that He would deliver you from your oppressors, but here you are seemingly as oppressed as ever. For how many has following Jesus not turned out anything like what you expected? How many of you, in the honesty of your heart, would express disappointment in what you’ve experienced with Jesus? You see, the call to hope is a call to an informed, substantial faith. For the disciples and for you, the resurrection is the reversal of despair. God had a plan that was wonderful yet included the cross. How can both be true? How can it be wonderful yet include a cross? God has a wonderful plan that includes your suffering, your oppression, your disappointment, your apparent defeat, too. With Jesus, final triumph may be delayed so that you can’t see it, but it is certain. Will you hope in Jesus? Do you really KNOW him and what He has said?

To know is to “understand”.

v. 26 “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” If you are to really KNOW the gospel, you must understand it. To know is to “understand”. Jesus rebukes his two disciples. And, his rebuke is two-fold: they didn’t believe, and they didn’t understand. It’s as though He were saying, “If you really understood, if you really KNEW, you would believe.” When He says, “You’re slow of heart to believe”, He’s essentially saying that your faith is too dull, too simple, too stupid to see what is clear. And, that’s why He follows it up with the question He does: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer?” “Do you not understand that He can’t even be who you’re expecting if He doesn’t suffer?” Jesus is driving home how profoundly they misunderstand the truth, and because they misunderstand the truth their faith has been compromised. Their hope has been crushed.

The Gospel was Always Coming

v. 27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” And, Jesus’ response is really the key to all of this. It’s the key to why we’re going to take this journey through the Bible for the foreseeable future. It’s the key to how we can truly KNOW the Scriptures and have hope in God and joy in suffering. Jesus responds by showing them what we’re going to go after full bore through this series: The gospel is not a New Testament “innovation” but an Old Testament “expectation.” That is, Leviticus is a gospel-centered book just as Romans is a gospel-centered book. You see, the problem that these guys have is not with the content of the Bible but with the storyline, even more specifically, the timeline of the Bible. They were excited about the Bible as they understood it but were left disappointed when it went off script. You see, they believed that the story would finish sooner than it would. They believed that the Messiah would immediately deliver them from Rome and from their sin and that they would reign in triumph with him, if they followed him. And then, the cross happened and the Messiah was brutalized and murdered. The storyline of the Bible was different than they expected it to be, and it was the reason why their despair came. So, Jesus is explaining to them here: “If you would’ve understood the Bible as it, not as it you wanted it to be. If you would’ve read it as it is, and not as you wanted it to be. You wouldn’t have skipped the hard parts.” Notice how in two verses He uses the word “all” three times. “If you would have embraced “ALL” that the prophets had said, then you would understand the Messiah had to suffer first. You would have really KNOWN that it was me as you watched me die on the cross.”

You Can Stare at Your Cross with Hope

How is it that Jesus could stare at the cross over the horizon and not lose hope? How is it that Jesus could continue to live confidently in God in the face of being forsaken by God? Jesus knew the storyline. He knew the cross wasn’t final. The Gospel is a “kingdom” that’s coming rather than a “moment” you experience. The gospel is the storyline of the King redeeming his people and bringing everything under his rule. It’s coming gradually and progressively, but the Good News is that it’s coming and has been fully secured already by Jesus. But, I wonder how many of you have been disappointed by Jesus’ performance so far in your life. And, you are like these disciples and wondering why Jesus has worked out like you expected. You were told your marriage would get easy and your children wouldn’t go wayward and your job would become meaningful and your hardships would be joyful and your discouragements would become inspirational; yet, it doesn’t feel that way at all. It just hurts. How can you look at at that suffering and have hope? How can you look at that discouragement and believe? Christian “confidence” is built upon gospel “understanding”. When you know where you are in the story and how the story ends, you can press on in confidence.

Understand Like Jesus, Hope Like Jesus

So, if you’re going to have the confidence of Jesus, you must have the understanding of Jesus. That is, you must interpret the Bible in the same way that Jesus interprets the Bible. When we’re able to understand how the two testaments, the two covenants that we have revealed to us harmonize, and then we are liberated toward greater faith and greater confidence and greater joy. We’re tempted to think that books written more than 3000 years ago like Genesis and Leviticus and Psalms and Isaiah are irrelevant to us today. But, they are as relevant to us today as they were to Jesus as He prayed from the cross. It was the gospel storyline that sustained him and that will sustain us. As He hung there, Jesus realized that He was the Son offered by his Father but not spared as Isaac was in . He was the Son betrayed, condemned, and exiled by those He loved to be ultimately exalted before them all as Joseph was in . He knew that He was the Passover Lamb of that allowed death to passover the guilty. He recognized himself in Leviticus where all of the blood was shed of bulls and offered by priests for the atonement of sins. He was the High Priest who could go behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies and offer himself as the one time for all time, spotless and infinite Lamb, tearing the curtain in two. He that He was the forsaken of and the broken of . He knew that He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah that was ‘pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.’ ‘He was to be oppressed, and He was to be afflicted.’ But, He knew the storyline! He knew the storyline, and He knew that wasn’t it! He was the Seed of Eve that would crush the Serpent’s head. He was the Seed of Abraham that would bless every Nation. He was the Son of David that would sit upon the throne forever. He was the Son of who would be presented with the Nations. He was the Child born in that would rule upon the Mountain of the Lord in . It was through Him that Nations would flow up hill until there was one song in all of heaven at his wedding feast: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” It was the storyline that brought him comfort and hope and joy in the midst of apparent despair. And, it’s this storyline, this hope that will bring you joy and contentment and hope as you struggle through life, too.

To know is to “love”.

v. 32 “Did not our hearts burn within us…while he opened the Scriptures?” Is it any wonder then that these disciples had a different perspective when Jesus finished? Is it any wonder that their sadness was changed to joy, even if their circumstances were the same? Now, they hadn’t just heard. They hadn’t just read. Now, they knew, and their hearts ‘burned within.’ Now, they really knew, and to know is to “love.”

It’s interesting how Jesus reveals himself to these two disciples. It’s a scene that’s virtually verbatim of the one in which He constituted the Lord’s Supper in . He takes the bread, breaks it, and ‘their eyes were opened.’ They realized who this was, and they remembered what He’d said at the original Lord’s Supper. The biggest part of opening the Scripture to his disciples is really opening his disciples to the Scripture. Henry Alford suggests that it may be that as Jesus broke the bread he revealed the nail scars, immediately calling to their memories who He was. It was a call back to know, believe and love. The Table of the Lord has that effect on Jesus’ disciples. It calls us to intimacy with Christ again, to remember who He is, and to have our faith and confidence in him renewed. That is, it calls us to really KNOW him, to believe, understand, and love. And, this morning, it’s calling you.

Questions

What’s the difference between knowing and believing? How are we able to know the truth without believing it?

What does it mean that we have a substantial faith? How does that differ from blind faith?

Why was their hope in Jesus past tense? “We HAD hoped.” How does misunderstanding the Scriptures cause our hope to sometimes become past tense?

What is the storyline of the gospel? What is the timeline of the gospel? How does that help us have confidence despite what we may see? Where is the gospel in the Old Testament?

How can God’s plan be wonderful and still include a cross? How can God’s plan be wonderful and still include suffering for Christians?

How can misunderstanding the storyline of the Bible bring discouragement and even despair?

Can you remember the last time that the Scriptures ‘burned within’ you? How does believing and understanding lead to loving the Bible? Have you experienced that?

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