Trusting the Word of God
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Rev. Jim Bogle, given May 3, 2008
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Over the past few Sundays we have been walking with
Christ from the
Last Sunday we shared with you the great Bible study
Christ had with two of His disciples as they walked along the Road to Emmaus.
The disciples, though they did not recognize Christ at the time, were so moved
by His teaching they invited him to “abide” with them. After the breaking of
bread, Christ revealed Himself to them, and then He vanished out of their sight.
The Bible says...
Luke 24:32-37
32: 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?
33: And they rose up the same hour, and
returned to Jerusalem, they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem,
and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34: Saying, The Lord
is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Everybody’s talking about Jesus. Warren Wiersbe says, “The best evidence that we have met the
living Christ is that we have something exciting to share with others...What a
difference it would make in our church services today if everybody who
gathered, came to tell about meeting the living Christ!”
These two disciples from Emmaus had wonderful news
to share, and yet everybody else was sharing the same powerful news that Christ
was alive. And finally when they got their chance, the Scripture says they
spoke up!
35: And they told what things were done in the
way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36: And as they thus spake,
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith
unto them, Peace be unto you.
37: But they were terrified and affrighted,
and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
This coming and going so swiftly and miraculously
was disturbing to the disciples. They knew it was Christ...and that they were
sure he was alive. But appearing out of thin air suggests the spiritual...and
thus they thought he was a ghost.
Did you know that the rapture of the church will
take place just as quickly as Jesus’ appearing and disappearing in the
Scriptures?
1 Corinthians 15:52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
And the Bible tells us that we will be caught up, in
that instant, to meet the LORD in the air. And when that day comes, we, too,
will be able to come and go as miraculously as Christ does, because we will be
like HIM.
Philippians 3:20-21
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ: Who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
The Old Pilgrim writer Thomas Watson wrote
“Christians were like little birds always leaping upwards but pulled back to
the ground by an invisible string attached to their leg. But one of these
mornings the string will be cut and Christians, just like the free bird, will
fly away to be with Christ!” I’m looking forward to that day!! Christ is not
subject to the natural laws of this earth. He doesn’t have a string bound to
His leg, and neither will we, some day!
The disciples thought Christ was a ghost!
Luke 24:28-43
38: And he said unto them, Why
are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your
hearts?
39: Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I
myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me
have.
40: And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41: And while they yet believed not for joy,
and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42: And they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish, and of an honeycomb.
43: And he took it, and did eat before them.
Here in these verses are answered some of the most
puzzling questions of the church...
Will I recognize
my loved ones in Heaven?
They recognized the Lord
Jesus.
And when
the disciples went upon the Mount of Transfiguration, even though they had
never seen Moses and Elijah, they still recognized them.
I believe we will know and recognize our loved ones
when we see them in heaven.
When Abraham died the Bible says, “he was gathered to his people.” When Isaac died the Bible
says, “he was gathered to his people.” And when Jacob
died, the Bible says, he too “was gathered to his people.” In other words,
wherever Abraham was after death, Isaac, and Jacob too, upon their death, went
to meet him. There was a great and wonderful and peaceful resting place for all
of God’s people to go to after their death in the Old Testament days. It was a
place where families were gathered together.
Many a mother and father, sister and brother, son or
daughter, in Christ Jesus , who have since died and gone on – have gone on to a
gathering place in heaven where they expect someday to see their loved ones
come and join them. The only way we can go to be with them is by trusting in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will I recognize my loved ones in heaven? Without a
doubt, I believe I will!
What kind of a
body will I have in heaven?
Well, what kind of a body did Jesus have? Even though His resurrected body was the same, it was radically different.
Christ’s resurrected body was unhampered by space,
time, and matter.
He could appear and
disappear at will.
Travel
from one place to another instantly.
This is an exciting thing to look forward to. I love
to travel, whether to the coast or to the mountains. But can you imagine one
day, traveling throughout all of God’s Creation?
How exciting...We will have new bodies just like
Christ’s. Bodies that are no longer subject to: pain, decay, or death. Bodies
free of weariness, heartache, suffering, sadness, and sorrow.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is.
What kind of body will we have? We will have the
same glorious body as Christ our Lord! Will we know our loved ones when we get
to heaven? The Scriptures seem to indicate very clearly that we will.
These are promises of God found in the Scriptures.
Luke 24:44
44: And he said unto them, These are the words
which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and
in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Clearly God is pointing every heart to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Luke 24:44-47
45: Then opened he their understanding, that
they might understand the scriptures,
46: And said unto them, Thus it is written,
and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day:
47: And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at
And so Christ appeared to his disciples, but not all
the disciples were present. Thomas was absent.
Turn with me to John 20:24…
John 20:24-29
24: But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came
25: The other disciples therefore said unto
him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except
I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the
print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26: And after eight days again his disciples
were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27: Then saith he to
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And thomas
answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
28: And Thomas answered and said unto him, My
Lord and my God.
29: Jesus saith unto
them, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believe.
Do we need to see God’s face to know He is near? We
have evidence of God’s presence all over the place: in the faith and
perseverance of our senior citizens, who, despite their aches and pains, will
not forsake the worship of their God in his house. They have not been healed,
their aches and pains still persist, but so does their resolve to worship God.
I see evidence of God in the remarkable fellowship
of this church family – not seeking their own reward, but looking after the
reward of others.
I see the evidence of God
in the prayers for others of loving, believing people.
I see
the evidence of God in an open Bible and an opened church door.
I see,
with my spiritual eye, the evidence of God on a cross upon a hill called
How much more evidence does one need for the
presence of God?
This morning if you are here and have never made a
personal commitment to Christ Jesus, you may never get another opportunity. God
promises no man tomorrow in this life. But, He promises eternal life to all of
those who, by faith and faith alone, come to Him and receive the gift He offers
of Salvation.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Don’t be fooled into believing there may be some
other way to gain eternal life! There is only One God and Creator of us all,
and He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
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