Thank you for reading the Weekend Sermon this week. I want to once again thank the Lord for the opportunity that He has given me to post these sermons. I hope and pray that you all are having a very good week.
This week has gone well in my writing work, and I am thankful to the Lord for that. I will be starting my new job soon, and I am thankful to the Lord for that as well.
I would ask for your prayers this coming week on a matter. The weather forecasters are calling for very heavy rains in my area next week. Please pray that we do not get these rains. I am worried about more flooding. We don't need any rain at all right now. Thank you for your prayers.
As we go to prayer this week, please remember to pray for the people of Sri Lanka. There are many who are still recovering in the hospital. Please pray that the sick will get well and that the Lord will comfort those who mourn. Please continue to pray for those in New Zealand who are recovering from their injuries. Let us pray that all terrorism will stop.
Mozambique was hit with another storm this week, and they haven't recovered from the last storm yet. Please pray that these people will get the aid that they need, and pray that there won't be any storms.
Continue to pray that the Ebola outbreak in Congo will come to an end. Please pray that the measles outbreak in parts of the United States will end.
We need to continue to pray for peace in this world. Syria, Libya and Yemen need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Indonesia and Ivory Coast. Pray that many will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
For our message today, I want us to focus on one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus remained on the earth for 40 days after He rose up from the dead. In the book of I Corinthians, Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to many people after He rose again. Jesus appeared to all of the apostles. He appeared to Paul and to James. Paul says that Jesus appeared to at least 500 other people after He rose from the dead. Paul stated that this provided proof that Jesus truly did rise from the grave.
Luke chapter 24 records one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Two of Jesus' followers were walking along the road to Emmaus. They were discussing what had happened to Jesus over the course of the last few days.
Jesus came alongside and asked what they were talking about. The two travelers did not recognize that they were talking and walking with Jesus.
As they were walking along, Jesus said that the travelers should not be surprised about what happened. Jesus said that all of the things that happened to Him were recorded about the Messiah in the Scriptures. At that point, Jesus proceeded to show the travelers from the Old Testament the Scriptures about the Messiah.
I think that it would have been great to be on that road to Emmaus listening to Jesus explain the Scripture. What a lesson it would be.
One of the more interesting studies that you can do in the Bible is to look at the Old Testament references to the coming Messiah and see how these were fulfilled by Jesus. I would like us to look at just a few of these today. Maybe Jesus shared some of these same verses with the travelers on the road to Emmaus.
In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Moses said that the Lord would raise up a prophet like him from among the people. The Gospels go to great lengths to show that Jesus is the one who is greater than Moses. This is especially demonstrated in the events surrounding the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is shown as the new lawgiver. Jesus will often say in this sermon that Moses said something, but Jesus will then say something else. Jesus was showing that He was the ultimate lawgiver. He was the one who was greater than Moses.
Isaiah 53 is one of the great passages in all of the Bible. In this passage, the suffering servant is revealed. So much of the imagery in this passage is fulfilled by Jesus on the cross. Let me give you just one example. Isaiah 53:5 states, "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Zechariah 12:10 also tells us that the Messiah would be pierced.
Psalm 16:8-11 tells us that the holy one of God would be resurrected from the dead. Verse 10 states, "You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption."
In the book of Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, the Bible tells us that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. That is where Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
In Zechariah we have two other passages that tell us about the Messiah. Zechariah 11:12-13 tells us that the Messiah would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 9:9 tells us that the Messiah would come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
These are just a few of the many passages in the Old Testament that speak to us about the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled each and every one of these Scriptures telling about the Messiah. There can be no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the one sent to redeem the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus Christ is Lord.
Next week, I will post a message about the teachings of Jesus. I will post the sermon on Friday. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week, and on Wednesday I will post a review. May God bless you all. Amen.
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