Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm19990519.htm

LUKE: GOSPEL OF CERTIFYING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Part LXXXI: Certifying Christ's Resurrection Using Evidence Available To NON-Eyewitnesses
(Luke 24:13-35, 36)
  1. Introduction
    1. When we proclaim the Gospel as being faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as taught in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, we ask people to believe in a miracle of resurrection to gain eternal life!
    2. It might be believable to an eyewitness to speak of the resurrection, but to those of us who were not eyewitnesses, we might struggle in accepting the event as real because of its difficult "miracle status."
    3. Luke's Gospel was written by a non-eyewitness to persuade another non-eyewitness of the certainty of the faith. As such, Luke supplies us with evidence of Christ's resurrection applicable to non-eyewitnesses:
  2. Certifying Christ's Resurrection Using Evidence Available To NON-Eyewitnesses.
    1. Luke's Gospel was written to give a non-eyewitness in Theophilus insight into accepting Christian beliefs:
      1. While addressing his Gospel account to Theophilus, Luke noted that he himself was not an eyewitness in that he had received his information from eyewitnesses, Luke 1:1-2.
      2. As he wrote to another, Theophilus to persuade him of the certainty of the Christian faith, Luke was under the burden of sharing information to persuade a fellow non-eyewitness to trust in Christ, 1:3-4.
    2. Thus, Luke supplied evidences of Christ's resurrection of note to fellow non-eyewitnesses as follows:
      1. Luke records that while two disciples walked from Jerusalem toward Emmaus, a place of 60 furlongs, or less than seven miles away, they talked about the events that had happened that day, Luke 24:13-14.
      2. We know from verses 19-24 that these events included the crucifixion and alleged resurrection of Jesus noted in Luke 23:1-24:12. We also know that these two disciples doubted the resurrection as they relayed that they were disillusioned as to Jesus' identity (24:21), and Jesus noted they were sad, v. 17.
      3. While in this discussion of sharing their doubts and bewilderment, Jesus appeared and walked and spoke with these men, but in a way that they were unable to recognize it was Him by the senses, Luke 24:16. Obviously Jesus was trying to communicate to these men a REALITY that was APART FROM the five senses of EYEWITNESSES just for the record for NON-eyewitnesses!
      4. In getting these disciples to confess their bewilderment at Jesus death and alleged resurrection, Jesus upbraided them, revealing that well-known prophecies had predicted these of Messiah, Luke 24:17-26:
        1. Jesus asked the two disciples about what was their concern and sadness, Luke 24:17.
        2. One of the men, Cleopas marveled at the question, asking in response if this stranger did not know about the events surrounding Jesus' death, burial and alleged resurrection, Luke 24:18-24.
        3. Christ then critiqued these two men as being slow of heart to believe the Scripture's prophecies concerning Messiah's death, burial, resurrection and entrance into glory by way of the ascension, 25f.
      5. Then, beginning at the start of the Old Testament (Moses) and tracing through all of the prophets, Jesus expounded unto these two men all the Scripture prophecies concerning these things, Luke 24:27.
      6. Moved by this exposition, the two invited Jesus to spend the night with them at Emmaus, Luke 24:28f.
      7. In the process, Jesus exposed His identity through the braking of the bread for the meal, and as soon as these men recognized Him with their senses, He vanished, putting an emphasis on the NON-eyewitness evidences of their previous extended discussion with Jesus, Luke 24:30-31.
      8. The two disciples then recalled how their spirits were moved by the exposition of Scripture, and, armed with that evidence that every believing NON-eyewitness has at his disposal to believe Christ's validity, traveled back the seven miles at night to report the resurrection to the other twelve disciples, 24:32-35.
      9. Then upon their reporting this event, Jesus reappeared to the gathered group, Luke 24:36. This act reinforced the significance of the testimony of the two Emmaus disciples' non-eyewitness record!
Lesson: Realizing we NON-eyewitnesses could use some evidences to verify His resurrection, Jesus incorporated the exposition of Scripture and its effect through the Spirit's work that any NON-eyewitness believer can experience to reveal to the disciples of Emmaus that He had indeed risen!

Application: Every time our heart "burns" within at the SAME type of Bible exposition, it is God's evidence to us that Jesus is risen! Thus, we should FEED our faith in such encouraging times!