Sermon Tone Analysis

Each week we deal with news, including bad news and good news.

The good news this week is that our granddaughter Abigail made a dramatic turn around in her breathing, and improved to the point that she was able to travel home to Blairsville this past Friday.

To God be the glory, great things HE has done in response to prayers on Abby’s behalf all across the southern US!

And then I read yesterday that one of the 2 co-founders of the satanic church in South Africa has very recently had an encounter with Jesus and abandoned the satanists.

He released a video this past week detailing what happened.

That’s good news!

I’m sure that many of YOU have good news.

In fact, that is how we will lead into prayer tonight, with a few of you telling the Good News of something the Lord has done for you.

Be praying about what, if anything, the Lord would have you share after our time of worship — if not tonight, then on another Sunday night.

There was, unfortunately, also a lot of bad news.

From the terrible mass murder event at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park, IL

to Brother Barry Wagner telling me Wednesday that Russia and Ukraine are making it harder, if not impossible, for Jews to escape to Israel

to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe being assassinated

to the latest Gallup Poll released on Friday that, as they say, …

“… a declining proportion of the overall American population — now 20% (the lowest since they have been measuring it!)

— believes the Bible is literally true, word for word.

About half believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but not everything in it should be taken literally, while almost three in 10 say the Bible is an ancient book of fables and history.”

Now I have to admit, after looking at Gallup’s question to the people it called for this survey, I guess I would end up in the 47% who believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God but that not everything should be taken literally.

Gallup: Which of the following statements comes closest to describing your views about the Bible -- the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word, the Bible is the inspired word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally, or the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man?

The reality is that not everything in the Bible is intended to be taken literally.

For instance:

Take: the woman of Song of Solomon:

Song of Solomon 4:1–4 (NASB95) “How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are!

Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead. 2 “Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes Which have come up from their washing, All of which bear twins, And not one among them has lost her young.

3 “Your lips are like a scarlet thread, And your mouth is lovely.

Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil. 4 “Your neck is like the tower of David, Built with rows of stones On which are hung a thousand shields, All the round shields of the mighty men.

Do you think Jesus was saying to literally tear out your eye or cut off your hand in:

Matthew 5:29–30 (NASB95) “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

When Jesus said in Matthew 6:22 (NASB95)“The eye is the lamp of the body…

It does not make sense to think of the eye as a literal lamp.

So we realize that Jesus is using figurative language.

There are a lot of places the Bible should not be taken literally, for instance in dreams and vision, in poetry, in parables.

But that does NOT include the seemingly impossible things.

We must take as literal things like:

The creation of the universe in 6 24 hour days

The great flood and Noah’s ark

The tower of Babel

The sun being turned back

Jonah being swallowed by a great fish

Jesus being born of a virgin or Him rising from the dead

The commands that God gives us for living in right relationship with Him

With the context of a scripture passage and a correct understanding of the Bible, we know what is intended to be taken literal and what is intended to be taken figuratively.

The normal rule is to ALWAYS start with taking the Bible literally.

An AG course, Introduction to Hermeneutics, says: Rule one of interpreting the Bible is:

When the plain, literal message of the Bible makes sense, seek no other sense (Henrichsen 1981, 49–50).

In other words, always try first to interpret a verse in a plain, direct, literal way.

If this first method makes sense, accept the verse as plain and direct.

Do not search for symbols and hidden meanings.

If you have questions about how to correctly understand the Bible, maybe this Berean course would be a good place to start.

Get with me.

But when it comes to Jesus, HE held a very high view of scripture!

He said in: Matthew 5:17–18 (NASB95) “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

We also see it in our text this morning:

Text: Luke 24:25-27

BUT, we will be looking at Luke 24:13-35

Jesus used the scriptures to explain the purpose of His suffering — our salvation!

Jesus in All The Bible

For ourselves and FOR THE SAKE OF THE LOST, we need to see Jesus in ALL the scriptures (vs.

27).

This Bible is not just history it is HIS story

Jesus didn’t just appear on the scene 2000 years ago.

His coming was foretold and for that matter highly anticipated.

But the Jews had a flawed understanding of the prophecies of Messiah

They saw only what the wanted to see.

They definitely didn’t see what Jesus spoke of in verse 26 - a suffering Savior.

They wanted Someone to put them at the top of the heap of nations — they wanted a Messiah who would make them number one.

They couldn’t seem to see anything else.

Eric Robinson writing in his book: Jesus in the Shadows: Seeing Jesus in the Bible's most well-known Old Testament stories reminds us:

… [that] the Author of the bible, in its entirety, is the Holy Spirit.

Men such as Daniel were moved by the Holy Spirit to write in a way that put God’s points in the right places.

Yet these authors often did not have a full understanding of their own writing (II Peter 1:20-21).

But … our biblical understanding is based on the fact that what Luke wrote in Luke 24:27, 44-47 is completely and totally true and that “all the Scriptures” are about Jesus.

For the sake of the lost, we need to be like Phillip who met a man who was reading Isaiah.

Acts 8:35 (NASB95) Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from THIS Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

If Philip could do that, so should we!

We recognize this means that no Old Testament author could have understood the full meaning of what he wrote.

The authors of the [Bible] were able to make connections to the circumstances they were experiencing in their time, but the full meaning—the one that pointed so clearly to Jesus as the coming, suffering Messiah—was hidden from them.

But here in our text we see how Jesus “connects the dots” for these 2 travelers to Emmaus AND FOR US.

Since the Holy Spirit moved upon Luke to make sure we know about this whole event.

So, once again let’s let our text take us back to the hours following the resurrection event.

To 2 disciples on their way to Emmaus when they encountered a seemingly ignorant stranger (who WE know was Jesus).

This “stranger” asked them to tell him what happened in Jerusalem.

He did so to get these 2 to reveal their heart.

Jesus must have thought it tremendously ironic as He listens to these 2 speak of the events He Himself had just experienced.

Hearing events told through the lens of disciples who weren’t listening as close as they should have.

Events seen, again, through the desires of the oppressed and conquered Jews

You hear them tell their version in vs.19-24:

They see Jesus as “the Nazarene” not the Son of God

They see Him as A prophet — one of many, NOT THE Prophet and Priest and King.

Yes, He was mighty in deed and word

But the chief priests and rulers (including the scoundrel Herod - Luke 23:6-12) (Luke 23:13) gave Jesus to the “sentence of death”

They crucified Him

We were hoping He would “redeem” Israel — they couldn’t see beyond political realities into the more important spiritual realm

But now He is dead, crucified by the very empire we hoped He would overthrow.

They couldn’t see the spiritual redemption that Jesus gave them through His suffering.

And, yeah, this is the 3rd day since His Crucifixion

Women have told us could not find the body

That they saw a vision of angels who saw He was alive

But really, can you believe women?