We'll take your Bibles if you would and go with me to the book of Luke chapter 24. I want to show you several things. I really think you'll be enjoying the wonderful words of the Lord Jesus today. It's been a crazy week for the guys here in Luke chapter 24. A week ago, all they thought was going to happen seemed to be happening. They were on their way into the city. People were throwing down clothes and palm branches and all that sort of thing and singing hosanna and everybody was excited. It looked like maybe everything was great. And then something happened during that week. They grabbed him and they drug him off to crucify him and the disciples were hiding and slinking in fear. Only one of them even shows up at the cross to stand there. And then Jesus dies and they bury him. And boy, are they hurt. They are discouraged. Maybe they were mistaken. Maybe it never happened like it never was supposed to happen like they thought it was. When you get to Luke 24, he's alive. No, he's here live, but he's fixing. I'm going to show you. We're just going to run through it quick. Then I'll preach it to you. But I don't, you don't learn some things. He comes out and basically says, why don't y'all believe. Won't y'all believe. And then he says, basically in fluke 24, he says this, this had to happen. I told you it was going to happen. You should remember what I said. I've been teaching you the Bible for three years. So nothing ought to shock you right now. I had to die. And he keeps pointing back to the one place you can always go. The word of God. Look at your Bible, if you would, at Luke chapter 24, and look down at verse six. I just want you to unwind some words real quickly before we get started. He said, remember, Underline that. He is not here. He is risen. That's angels talking. Remember what he said to you guys when he was still in Galilee? The angels are like, what's going on here, boys? Y'all seem to be all shocked. You seem to not know what's going on. Did y'all forget what he said? Verse eight, they said they remembered his words. They went, You're right, he did say this. He did say this was going to happen. Skip down to verse 25, verse 25. And Jesus has shown up and he said unto them in verse 25, oh fools and slow of heart to believe. But what did he challenge them about believing? what the word of God said. Look at it. All that the prophets have spoken. So first time he said, y'all don't remember what he said? Second time he said, y'all don't remember what the Bible says? Y'all don't remember what it says in verse 27? He said, let me remind you. And he opened the Bible, the book of Genesis and started books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. And he began to teach them Moses and the prophets and all the scriptures. Go over with me if you would to verse 32. It's always the scriptures, the word of God. It's the center of everything we are and everything we believe. Verse 32, he said, did not our heart burn within us while he talked to us by the way, and when he opened, the scriptures. Underlying that, he opened the scriptures. Go, if you would, to verse 44. In verse 44, he said unto them, these are the words. There it is. This is the Word of God again. These are the words which I spake unto you when I was still with you guys. that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms. He said, guys, I had to die to the scripture. I had to be buried in the scripture. I had to rise again in the scripture. I told y'all about that. Why don't you remember back to what I said to you? Verse 46, underline, thus it is written. you. Go back to the Bible. Go back to the Bible. It behooved Christ to suffer. Father in heaven, I pray now that you would help us to just be so grateful that you did exactly what the scripture said you would do. You did exactly what you said you would do. God, you loved us enough that Jesus would die for us. Jesus, you loved us enough that you would die for us. Now, God, I pray you'd work in our lives and draw us to you and give us strength and we'll give you Amen. Go with me to chapter 24 and verse 1. The angels confront their doubts. The angels confront their doubt. Chapter 24 verse 1, it's the first day of the week, Sunday morning. It's very early in the morning and some girls have shown up with some spices and they're going to anoint his body and when they get there, They are shocked because the stone that had been sealed was rolled away, and they couldn't see the body, and it really perplexed them. If you'll underline it in verse four, they were much perplexed. And then there were two men, two angels, and they're standing there, the Bible says, in shining garments. And the angels say this, do you realize what you're doing? You guys thinking about what you're doing? You had three years with him telling you who he was. You had three years with him telling you what was gonna happen, and you've come to a graveyard looking for him? Look if you would at verse five. They were afraid, and they bowed down their faces, and the angel said to them, what are you doing in a graveyard looking for Jesus? He's not dead. He's alive. Amen. I mean, it's kind of funny the way the angel does it. He goes, why are you looking for that? What are you doing? What are y'all doing here? You're supposed to know better than that. Why seek you? They were afraid. They were amazed, but they had to admit that what they were doing was against everything they believed and thought for the last three years. They've been practicing for months. The angel says, remember what he said? Look in verse six. Remember. He is not here, but risen. Remember. Remember. Remember what he said to you. Remember what the truth is. I know the facts may seem really bad. I know your feelings may be down in the bottom. I realize you saw him die. I realize you saw him buried. But remember, remember truth. Do you recognize that this is exactly what he said he was going to do? This is exactly what he said he was going to do. Look at verse seven. The saying, the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men. He must be crucified and on the third day rise again. Next, that word must, why don't you write the word necessary. That's all that means. It was necessary that he be delivered into the hands of sinful men and that he be crucified And the third day, rise again. And look at verse eight, and they remembered his words. Grasp the words, must, must be delivered. Necessary to be delivered. And then he gives you a summary of what we call the gospel. It's called that in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the good news. And that is, he must die. He must be buried and he must rise from the dead. So basically the angels back up and they go, this is the first, there are three encounters in this little chapter right here. There are three encounters and his first encounter, they show up at the graveyard and they're looking for the dead, they're looking for the living among the dead. And the angel comes out and says, I'm not sure what you're doing here. Not sure what's happening here. Did you not know? Do you not remember what he said? And they go, come to think of it, he did say that. And they returned to tell others in verse nine and everybody gets excited. And I'd like to ask you a question. How do you react to shocking truth? This is a shocking truth. Jesus is alive. His body was not there. The stone was rolled away. Jesus is alive. Do you acknowledge your need of a Savior? Do you acknowledge the fact that you deserve to die and go to hell, that Jesus died on a cross? Today we celebrate not just that he rose again, but that he overcame death in the grave and I can be saved through what he did. He is exactly who the scripture said he was. He was the one that would come. He is the one that would die. He was the one that would be buried. He was the one that could rise again. He was the one that would bring salvation. Do we appeal for others to be saved? Are you ever asking others and talking to others about being saved? Let's get down, if you would, to chapter 24 and verse 10. So first these angels confront them with their doubts, and now Jesus confirms that it all happened. Jesus confirms that it all happened. Jesus confirms that he had to die. In verse 10, Mary and Joanna and Mary and some other women, they run and they tell the disciples. What's shocking is the disciples are like, ah, I don't hardly believe that. You mean to tell me you went to the graveyard? And the stone was all the way. And his body wasn't there. Oh, come on. We don't believe that. And Peter's sitting there going, maybe I ought to go check. And down in verse 12, Peter gets up and runs to the sepulcher and he stoops down and he's going, look at verse 12, he's wondering in himself, he's like, wow, what they said's really true. He's not here. Then a couple of the other guys are on their way to a town named Emmaus in verse 13. That's about seven miles away. And they're talking and they can't believe what's happened. They're trying to reason it out. What just happened there? Everybody's saying he's alive. How could that be? And it's just so funny what Jesus does. He closes their eyes so they won't recognize Him. He keeps them from knowing who He is, and He just wants to walk up to them and walk around the road with them. That is the funniest thing in the world to me. Jesus just wanted to be with us doubting Christians, amen? Look, if you would, in verse 15, Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were holding, they couldn't see, they didn't know him. And so Jesus said, now, boys, what y'all talking about? going on? What's going on? What y'all talking about? That's down there in verse seventeen and you look like you're awful sad and as you walk and you're talking and they said, are you some kind of weirdo that's just traveling through the city of Jerusalem and you don't know what's going on? You hadn't heard. I mean, it's big news all over the city and he said to them, look at verse nineteen. I love you. See, Jesus, Jesus, the one who just love that. He goes, what they're talking about? What's going on? What's the discussion? Yeah, you know, it's amazing. With the Bible, you don't really have to be a good preacher. If you know how to read, it's good stuff. Jesus just goes, what things? Who put that in there? That's so cute. I just love that. That's the Holy Spirit. And they said, well, I'm talking to you about Jesus of Nazareth. He's walking with them. It's Jesus. They go, he goes, what things? I said, look, buddy, you don't know Jesus. And they said, it was Jesus. He was a prophet, mighty indeed in word. And everybody knew it. and the chief priests and the rulers of Israel, they delivered him to die, condemned him to death, and crucified him. And we fully expected, verse 21, that he was the one that would redeem Israel. We were just so sure that he was the one. And now he's dead. But they say he's alive. We knew he was the one, verse 21, but some of our women went down to the graveyard, and they said he ain't there, and we are all in shock. That's what we're talking about. How is it that we thought he was the one, and he died, and now the crazy ladies at the church say he's not dead? They said they saw some angels in verse 23, and they said that the angel said he's alive. and then some of her other guys ran to see if the women were crazy. In fact, verse 25, Jesus condemns their doubt. You know, Jesus was not a happy prosperity gospel preacher. He could have taken a couple of lessons from Norman Vincent Peale, or he could have taken some lessons on how to win friends to influence people. Because it says in verse 25, he said of them, oh fools, and slow of heart to believe what the prophets have spoken. I just want you to remember that. They're walking down the road. They don't know who he is. He has fixed it where they can't see him and recognize him. And he says to them, well, what y'all talking about? They said, we were talking about Jesus. Man, we really thought he was the one. We really believed him to be the one, but he went up and died on us. And now I guess it's over. But you ain't gonna believe this one. There's another thing's crazy going on. Some of the girls went down to the graveyard and he wasn't there. And some of the guys went to check and see what happened. But we just don't know what's going on. And Jesus goes, you fools, you unintelligent, dull-witted, foolish people. He challenged their reluctance to believe what they knew. He said, I cannot believe this. And then he said, you need to realize it's true. And I'd like to ask you before we go on, I think I'd have been shocked that day. Don't you? I mean, it's pretty easy to make fun of these guys and say, what dang best? They should have known better. If I believe I'd have been there, I'd have been just as messed up as they were. But he looks at him and says, let me just certify that I did die. Look in verse 26. Jesus is talking now. See, it's the second encounter in this chapter. And Jesus says to them, ought not Christ to have suffered these? and enter into his glory. Guys, so you're talking about the Christ, as we walk along here, you're talking about the Christ, and you're really surprised that he died, but think about it. Shouldn't he have died? You see, it was a serious cause for him to die. If he hadn't have died, there'd be no salvation. He had to die, the innocent, the perfect, dying for the sinful. and he suffered those things. Look in verse 26, just underline the word alt. Look at it. Man, this is serious. You're telling me it shouldn't have happened? Of course it should have happened. And he did suffer things, but he is now going to be seated in glory in verse 26. And then Jesus does what Jesus does. He connects it all back to scripture, to the doctrine of the scriptures. Some of us may not really read our Bibles much, and may not be in church as much as we ought to, and may not have a Bible open in front of us as much as we ought to, because we maybe think this book is a dead and dull book, and maybe we don't get into it like we ought to, but Jesus is all through chapter 24, he's like, back to the book. Back to the book. Back to the book. It's the book. Look, if you would, in verse 27. Jesus is walking down the road, and beginning at Moses, That's the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and the prophets. That's Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nehemiah, Bacchus, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. And then all the scriptures, I ain't gonna name the rest of them. He said all the scriptures, and he explained them all to him. This is one of the neatest things in the Bible to me. as they started getting close to the village. Look at verse 28. As they drew nigh unto the village, look at the Bible words, he made as though he would have gone further. So walking down the road and they're all saying, yo, we're fixing to turn in here. And Jesus said, well, I need to keep on going. But he really wanted them to want him like he wants you to want him. He wants you to want to spend time with him. And verse 29, they constrained him. And they said, come on, man, stay with us. And so he said, all right, I will. And he tarried with him. That's what he'd do with you if you get up in the Bible, get up in the morning, get your Bible open. He'd like tarry with you. And then he confounds them. I don't know if you have any idea what this, this has got to be one of the craziest verses in the New Testament. and they went in and he took the bread and verse 30 and he broke it and blessed it and the Lord opened their eyes and they recognized who he was. They're like, you're him. You're him. We see you. We know it's you. That's what happens in verse 30. He came to pass. He said it meet with him. He took bread and blessed it and break and gave it to him. And then their eyes were opened and they knew him. Now check this out. vanished. And he vanished. That's wild. He does up and how'd that happen? I do not know. That's all I know. He vanished. He vanished. Go with me if you would. To verse thirty-two. Jesus convinces them that he is indeed alive. Jesus convinced them that he needed to hear it. And now he's going to say, I am really alive. I really am alive. This afternoon, we're looking at a lot more verses. You need to come for that. It's beautiful. In verse 32, they said, boy, when he was talking to us, our hearts burned. When he opened the scripture, we felt God move in us. And so they got up and they go back to Jerusalem and they find the 11 people and they walk in and they say, guys, he really is alive. We know the girls found the tomb empty. We know Peter and John found the tomb empty. We saw him. He is alive. He is alive and he has appeared to Simon. And they said, we knew it when he started breaking bread. You know how it was. You know how he held the bread. You know how he did that. We know it was him. And while they're telling that story, verse 36, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said, peace be unto you. I don't know if you, what in the world happens here? He vanished over there and he appeared over here. That's weird. You gotta be somebody to be able to pull that one off. I don't get the feeling he knocked on the door and said, can I come in? They were just standing there talking. And these guys are going, you ain't gonna believe it. He was walking down the road and he's preaching to us. This guy, we didn't even know him. He didn't seem to know what was going on. And then we found out it was really him all along. And the others are going, no, no way. You're kidding. And poof, there's Jesus. Look at it. Is that what it says or not? And he said, peace be unto you. In fact, as the word says here, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them. And he said, peace be unto you. That'd be enough to pass out over right there, amen? I mean, if all of a sudden he just appeared right here and said, hey guys, peace, we'd all just go, scare us all to death. And he said, it's ridiculous that your guys are afraid. Look at verse 37. When he shows up and says, peace, they go, we're terrified and are frightened. That means scared to death. They thought he was a ghost. Look at, they thought they'd seen a spirit. And he says unto them, why are you troubled? Why y'all thinking the thought y'all are, what in the world's got y'all all torn up? What in the world's got y'all all, what are you scared of? Why are you even thinking that? You weren't expecting that Jesus would overcome death, really? You've had all kinds of experience with him showing that he is God, but you didn't, you weren't convinced he would really rise from the dead? but now he gives them all the evidence they need. He reasons with them in verse 39. In verse 39, he said, well, come here, touch me. Behold, my hands and my feet. It's me, it is I, it is I myself. Handle me, touch me, feel, it's me, touch me. Do ghosts have bodies? Do ghosts have bodies? I'm not a ghost. Touch me and handle me. And he showed them, verse 40, his hands and his feet. And he invited them to examine him. He encouraged them to seek the truth for themselves. He expects you to evaluate and take right steps. But he really wants them to know that he's alive. So he further reveals that he's alive in verse 41. They couldn't believe it. They were so excited. They were like, it can't be true. This just can't be. I'm happy, but it can't be true. And they're wondering, and then Jesus goes, ghosts don't do this, but Jesus goes, y'all got anything to eat? Look at the verse. I'm just reading the Bible. Have you hear any meat? Y'all got anything to eat? Now what ghost needs something to eat? Jesus is saying to them, touch me, watch me, I'm not a ghost, I'm really alive. And they gave him broiled fish and a honeycomb. And he took it and he ate it right there in front of them. So now they've touched him and then he's sitting there eating. I can see him chewing the food, see him swallowing it. Honey might be on his beard a little bit over there. If he's anything like Trent, I know there's some fish on his beard. He seals the deal with eating food. He sympathizes with them. He understands they're afraid. He understands they don't understand. What would it take to satisfy your doubt? And then he goes back to the Word of God. He just cannot get away from that book you got in your lap right now. Chapter 24 and verse 44, it reminds him of what he's already taught in the past. He said to them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was with you. Don't you not remember? I taught y'all the truth. And he said, everything had to be fulfilled. Underline that. Everything, all things must be fulfilled. The Old Testament had to come true. You see, he said, in the law of Moses, underline it, in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms, they spoke about me. I'm the picture of it all. You know, see, at the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned against the holy God and deserved to die and be kicked out of the garden and die, God showed up with some skins and covered them and gave them a promise that one day the woman would have a baby who would stomp the head of the devil and Jesus would go, that's me. And then Jesus said, y'all remember back when you was in, you was back in Egypt and all the firstborn died and you put blood on the doorposts and all that? That's me. And you remember every time you sinned, you had to take a lamp? That's me. And you remember all that? That's me. I just want you to know that was all me. It was all pointing towards me. And in verse 45, he opened their understanding that they might understand scriptures. All of it goes back to the Word of God. I'd like to say to you this one, we believe in the resurrection. Amen? Do you know why I believe in it? Because I got this book. That's why we get together and open it in your Sunday school class and the youth meetings that go on and the midweek studies that some of the people have in different places and the discipleship and the Bible Institute. We just keep saying that's where the truth is. We need to understand what the scriptures say. Wisdom is fearing God. You know what that really means? Believe in the word. Wisdom is fearing God, which really means believing the word of God. But it takes work to understand the word, but it's worth it. I mean, it's amazing. They took three years with Jesus. They're still a little bit on a remedial level, huh? They're still on the remedial level. And Jesus even looks at them and goes, what is going on with you people? Did I not say that the angels go, I can't believe y'all are here. I mean, didn't he tell you he was gonna die? Didn't he tell you he was gonna be buried? Didn't he tell you he was gonna rise again? Didn't he tell y'all, what y'all doing here? and Jesus walking down the road and goes, what are y'all so upset about? Let me open the Bible and here's remedial course one more time. They had a seven mile course. They walked back home and Jesus walked down the road going, right here it says, right here, right here, right here, right here, right here. And they walk over and then they get a little bite to eat and they say, wow, wasn't just a Bible teacher, it was Jesus. And then Jesus says, get back to the word. You see in verse 46, his death and burial and resurrection were required. And you get this, and he said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ. That word behooved is another word for it was necessary. It was necessary that Christ suffer. It was necessary that Christ rise from the dead on the third day. Back to the gospel. Back to the gospel. We can never forget on any Sunday we meet here, or any Bible studies that you have, it was all about God coming in human flesh. living amongst us and dying, a physical, literal, real death, dead, dead, destroyed, beaten, whipped, buried. And then he came to life. He rose from the dead and he proved it. This afternoon, I'll give you tons of evidence. Hope you'll come. You must be grounded in these truths. Your salvation depends on you believing that Jesus is, was, is God. He was then. He is now. He is God in human flesh. And he died on a cross. These are not academic. Things it's not a historical thing. We believe we believe with all our heart god wanted jesus to die for us to save us There's no salvation without grasping this truth You cannot be saved If you do not know that jesus died on purpose for you Jesus died on purpose for me. Jesus died for us. This truth is so important that in verse 47, Jesus said, I want repentance and remission of sin to be preached everywhere. I've done what it takes. I take it everywhere. All must understand. We must act on truth we have. and true faith produces action. Are you saved today? Do you know that if you died, you'd go to heaven? You know, sometimes maybe you're listening online or recording later on, or you're here in this auditorium. You're not going to go to heaven because you go to a Baptist church or a Christian church or you got baptized. You're not going to go to heaven because you have cultural Christianity. You're gonna go to heaven because you realize you've sinned against the Holy God. And all of this story that takes place in this chapter and the ones right before it were God paying our sin debt. Jesus died for us. Jesus didn't just die for us. He was buried, but he rose again, and he is alive. This afternoon, you will see that he ascends into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. If you're not saved, I want you to be saved today. Not only do I want you to be saved, everybody in the room wants you to be saved. Not only do they want you to be saved, God wants you to be saved. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Jesus is the Savior of all men, especially those that believe. So he's already paid your debt, but it's not yours if you haven't believed. Today, believe. Father in heaven, I ask you to touch hearts and save people and change lives. I pray you'd help Christians rejoice in who you are and what you've done. I pray you'd help us to do what we can to get the gospel around the world. Oh God, show yourself and do a mighty work. and I'll give you praise. With your heads bowed and your eyes closed, if you're not saved and not sure you go to heaven, if you died, I'd like to help you. Would there be anybody that said, well, I'm not sure I'm born again, not sure I'm saved, not sure I'd go to heaven if I died. Would you just hold your hand up and let me pray for you? Would there be anybody like that? Anybody? Christian, have you wandered away, gotten cold, let sin slip in? Won't you tell the world that you love Him and you're going to be where He wants you to be? Let's share the gospel. Let's tell people about Jesus. You can pray here at the front or you can pray there in your seat. Whenever you finish praying, you can stand and sing with Stephen as he leads us in this song.