to our Tuesday night time of Bible study. Again, we do thank you for tuning in, and we trust that everyone will be blessed as we look to God's word again tonight. We do want to just now have a short word of prayer together, please. Lord, we do thank you for the opportunity that we have to consider thy word. Thank you, Lord, again today for all of thy love and goodness, thy mercies, which are new every morning. We thank you, Lord, that we do not come to worship thee in vain, and we thank you, Lord, that our prayer is not a shot in the dark. Lord, we have the promise that if we draw nigh to thee, that thou will in turn draw nigh to us, and we ask you to do that tonight. We look to thy word, remember all of the concerns that each one of us have at this time, those in particular, Lord, who are carrying heavy burdens, that the Lord might draw near, that he might make the difference. We do ask too tonight those who are unwell that the Lord would be near to them and for those who have been bereaved that the Lord would draw graciously near and give his grace and may they really recognize even at this time that underneath and round about are the everlasting arms in Jesus name. Amen. Just a reminder to our own folks tonight that we are praying of course between 8 30 and 9 30 approximately and if you're not able to join with us for all of that time Maybe you'll be able to take some of the time to spend it in prayer. And as we've said before, even though we're not gathered together in a room to pray, we are still together. The Lord knows our hearts. He knows that we miss the company and he knows that we are seeking him even in our own homes. Tonight, we're going to pray, as we mentioned to you on Sunday, remembering our ministers and elders, as we do have to plan ahead in the work or for the work, and we're involved in that right now and thinking up various plans for the children's work and the youth work and different aspects of the witness in our own congregation. And that's important that we do know the Lord's guidance and we're asking that you, you can be a big part of it. You can pray for us that we will know the mind of the Lord regarding the future and the work and the things that we need to be doing. Also tonight, we want to pray very much those who are sick. There's a good number of people that we know and personally I know of quite a lot now connected with our Dungannon congregation and also a number in Portadown and in other places in some of our churches where people are ill with this virus and quite a number that I know of that are not free Presbyterians but nonetheless they're ill with the virus. Also remembering tonight in our prayer time those who've been bereaved through this virus and for other reasons too we want tonight to in our prayer time to remember the Arnold family and their great loss with this recent tragedy, Matthew's death. And then I was speaking and just want you to know as a congregation the day after the accident, I was speaking with Hartford and they really need our prayers at this time. And I've told them that the congregation in Ackley would be remembering them. We put it on our little chat group and you're aware and you were aware as soon as I heard. what had happened and certainly the family do appreciate your prayerful support very much at this time. Again tonight we're going to stick with the Easter theme and we're reading some verses in Luke's Gospel chapter 24. If you have your Bible in your hand, good for you to do that, to have your Bible there when we turn to the word and then you can turn to the various passages that we're looking at and we can do trust that the Lord will use his word to strengthen us in these days. And as we continue praying for an alleviation of the situation that we're in, we know that it must come at the right time, but it's very difficult for everyone, Justin and I, and children. We want to remember them. So much time now is spent in their own home, and we want to pray that the Lord would deal with this coronavirus in his time, and we're trusting that will be quickly. We're looking in Luke's Gospel chapter 24, and when we come to verse 21, Cleopas and his associate are on the Emmaus road, and we're reading as they speak with this stranger, of course he is no stranger, it's the Lord Jesus Christ, but they're speaking with him, and it says in verse 21, but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, They seem to have been swept along with popular public opinion at that time, a popular public wish, indeed, that the Lord Jesus would have come as a physical redeemer of the people of Israel from the bondage that they were in and delivered them in that way. It says, and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of her own company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher. And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village where they went, and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for it is toward evening. and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meek with them, they took bread, sorry, he took bread and blessed it, and break and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. 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 Scripture, and they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed. Amen. And we trust that the Lord will bless this reading of his precious word to all of our hearts this evening. The disciples had leaned hard upon the Lord Jesus Christ when he was here with them in the flesh. And some of his followers had looked upon him as one that would usher in an era of peace, and not only peace, but triumph for them. And as we intimated just a little bit earlier, some had felt that he would have been a physical deliverer for Israel at that time, but his death on the cross seemed to dash the hopes of so many. And in a state of bewilderment and disillusionment, two friends had turned their back on Jerusalem and headed for a little southern village called Emmaus. Out in the countryside they begin to talk openly one with the other, and they're joined by a stranger. And as they are joined by him, they unfold to him their sorrow and the perplexity that they find themselves in. They speak in very sad tones about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever it comes to his turn to speak, that is, the stranger as they saw him at that time. He reminds them what the prophet said concerning Christ's life, his death, and his resurrection. And as he does that, the gloom that has settled upon these two individuals, it begins to lift as, well, as they understand more, you see, it was the word that was the answer. And it began to explain to them the word to talk to them from the scriptures of the things regarding the Savior and why there didn't seem to be a great deal of clarity with them before he began to talk with them. But now he's able to show them from the word more clearly the things concerning himself. And you know, folks, the word of God still holds so many answers for God's people today. And I know that you don't forget that and neither do I. And that is why we need to constantly be under the preaching of the word and in our own homes, be reading God's word and looking to him to use that word to speak to our hearts in a way that's relevant for us in all of the circumstances of life. But as I listen, we have to conclude that they have new views after the resurrection. Remember, this is The risen Christ that they're speaking with and is speaking with them. They seem to be overthrown. Certainly their hopes were, but now they're speaking like overcomers. And we read in the passage there of how their heart had burned within them. Their hearts are filled with unbelief as they head out towards the village. And yet, as a savior meets with them, they recognize that there is a usefulness. with them, and later on we read there that they went back to meet with the other disciples as their hearts were stirred. Of course, there was great sorrow as they considered the death of the Savior, but now they've got another view of him. They see the real purpose in his death, and they realize as never before that the Savior is risen indeed. There had been resignation. to the state that they were in, and you can scarcely imagine two more discouraged people walking along than these two. But now there's renewal, renewal of Zane. So when you consider those things, rather than being overthrown, they're now overcomers. Rather than being filled with unbelief, they see that there is a usefulness for them. And rather than being weighed down totally with sorrow, they get a new sight of him. and the rise upon him again. And far from resignation, there is a renewal, a desire to be with God's people and to be serving him again. Now they could rejoice as he told them things that they never fully understood before. And as I was thinking of that, I thought, you know, sometimes the Lord teaches us things in adversity that otherwise we would have missed out on. We don't welcome adversity, naturally. And when it comes, we often wish that it wouldn't be with us. But it is in those very times that the Lord does teach us things. He taught these people as he drew near to them. Their hearts were stirred. And they got up that very night and made the seven mile trek back to Jerusalem. And it seems that they made it there even with ease. And the news was that the Lord is risen indeed. New views after the resurrection. And those views that I've mentioned to you are very easy for us all to see. But as we look at this passage, there are other new views that I think are very important for all of us to remember. And that is what I want to look at with you just now. for our study time tonight. You will notice there that they had special company. He was there with them as he drew near along the road and they didn't know it. Theopas and his companion listened as Christ reasoned with him out of the scriptures, but they still didn't realize that it was him. The Lord Jesus in a loving and in a wise way He dealt with their hearts, and that's the way he deals with his people today. He deals with us in a loving way and in a wise way. And yet sometimes, don't we walk on in despondency, clouds continually hanging over us, and maybe occasionally almost convinced that he's not really there. And as far as our feelings go, Maybe we feel that he's not there. You see, it's possible for us with our finite understanding and all our limitation, it's possible for us to lose sight of him and to fill up with care and be overloaded with sorrow, just like these two individuals were. But when we fail, sometimes perhaps at all, including him, have forsaken us. He's right there beside us. Many of you are familiar with the story of Job. Of course, it's a story of patience, but it's a story of, it's a story of much suffering. And it's a story of proving God as well. The book of Job chapter 23, this is what Job has to say concerning the Lord. and the Lord's presence as far as Job is concerned. He says, O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat. I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments. Job wants to feel the Lord's presence in order that he can pray right and bring all of his difficulties before the Lord. He says, oh, that I knew where I might find him. And on down in verse eight he says, behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where ye doth work, but I cannot behold him. He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. And you and I might greatly conclude, poor Joe, Job in all of his adversity, now he doesn't feel the Lord's presence. He's looking back and he knows that he knew his presence before. He was very aware of that. But now he's looking within, there is resolve there. He wants to seek the Lord. He says, oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come before his seat. I would order my cause before him. That's what Christians do. we fill our mouth with arguments we bring the promises of God to the God of the promises and we seek him in that way. So there is resolve with him but he's looking forward and as he looks forward and looks about him there doesn't seem to be any sense or any feeling of the Lord's presence. Joe was a great man but you know the Lord didn't love him any more than he loves you. And he knows all about you and me and our situations and how sometimes, albeit not all the time, but sometimes don't we feel a bit like him? We just don't feel the Lord's presence. We really want to. Things we want to talk to him about. And we need to know that he's listening, but we don't feel that he's there. We feel we've gone forward, but he's not there. We've gone back, he's not there. We've looked all around us, we just can't feel his presence. You know, of course, the Lord was with Job all the time. The Lord had never taken his eye off him. The Lord had never stopped loving him. The Lord had not in any way stopped working out good for Job. You think of another man, and that is Jonah. And Jonah, as he was commissioned by the Lord, He was different from Job. Now the Lord loved him just as much and just the same. But it says there in Jonah chapter 1 and verse 3, the Lord has told him to go and to preach at Nineveh. It says there that in verse 3, but Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish, that's the opposite direction from Nineveh, from the presence of the Lord. He's filled with fear. and a degree of resentment too for the Ninevites. And he decides he's going to get away from the presence of the Lord. Bitterness has set in and a unwillingness and a desire just to be away from the Lord. And he goes away out and he pays a fare and takes a boat, goes on a boat away out into the sea, far away from where the Lord wanted him to go. But whenever he was there, The Lord was already prepared, had already prepared the situation for him because, you see, he couldn't get away from the Lord's presence. And it says there that Jonah, whenever he was in the sea, or in the boat, sorry, that a storm came and the men on the boat recognized and were realized that Jonah was the problem. And he realized this too, and they took him up and they threw him into sea. It says in verse 17 of chapter 1, Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. The Lord had gone ahead and prepared the way. Jonah wanted to feel that he was away from the presence of the Lord and doesn't that all show us just how much the Lord loves his people? Sometimes trying to get away from his presence, trying to go her own way or do her own thing, just feel that We are a free agent, and we can do exactly as we please, and maybe what he has for us is not exactly what we wanted. We feel like going the other way. But Jonah, he couldn't get away from the presence of the Lord. And Job, he couldn't feel the presence of the Lord in both circumstances. The Lord was still there, even in Jonah's situation in the very next chapter, chapter two. It says, then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, the fish had been prepared by the Lord, swallowed him up, and now he's praying unto the Lord, don't try and get away from the Lord's presence. He wouldn't let that happen. And he brought about a very difficult situation, permitted it to happen to Jonah to get his attention in order that he might be like Job and continually want the Lord's presence to be with him. Over in the Book of Psalms, I'll just let you turn to it, it's Psalm 139. Psalm 139. The psalmist here says in verse 5, Psalm 139, Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. He's acknowledging the Lord's continual presence. And then we have these remarkable and very assuring words that are found in verse seven through to verse 10. He says, whether shall I go from my spirit or whether shall I flee from my presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." And what words of assurance those are for all of us as we look here at the Lord's special presence. I want to say that he's in your company this evening, and he's in your company tomorrow as well, and feelings be what they may, he's there. And so it was with these two disciples on the road to Amman. He was their special company. Now, they didn't recognize him. They thought he was dead and they were just heading out into a life of obscurity and not knowing blessing in their hearts anymore. How wrong they were. He was their special company. And right now, right now for you, Christian, for me, And for believers right across the province, the Lord is our special company. That a new view of him in this way, after the resurrection, when he appeared with them, spoke to them concerning himself, they saw him as their special company. But not only do we think of their special company, there was another new view they had, something else they learned. There was his suitable coming. is suitable coming. You see, the Lord knows all about us. He studies our individual need, so to speak. He knows that your need is never going to be exactly the same as the person beside you, or my need, and he adopts his blessing to fit in exactly with the need of the individual's heart. And what these two men needed, they needed clarity regarding what he'd come to do and what he had done. and regarding even his death and resurrection. And they got that clarity. He came along and his coming to them was absolutely fitted for their circumstances at that time. As you go through your Bible, remember timid Moses. He was shrinking from the task of the Lord. And I use that term just generally. Moses was a mighty man, of course, but he was timid and he He was shrinking from the task and he needed to know that God was indestructible. He needed to know that. Remember, on occasion he said, if thy presence go not with me, carry me not up. Hence, he was afraid to take a step without the Lord. And he needed to be assured that the Lord's presence, that the Lord was indestructible. Remember, Joshua followed after him. I'll stop short of saying that Joshua hated the task that lay before him. But he would gladly have given it to someone else when he had to lead the children of Israel. He knew that there would be many dangers ahead and difficulty, peoples that would have made things very, very difficult for him. He needed to know that God's cause was unstoppable. You see, the Lord met with Moses and in his coming to Moses, he assured him that God was indestructible. And in coming to Joshua, he told him that Meditate on the word and turn not from the left or to the right, if to do that day and night, and no man would be able to stand before him all the days of his life. God was unstoppable. His cause was unstoppable, and it still is today in 2020. Remember then these two on the Emmaus road, he came as a kind and a loving and a gentle friend to them, and as he draws near, They seem to warm to him and they shared their thoughts with him and he ministers in a most suitable way to their hearts. He brings assurance and comfort and contentment and that is what he still does. We're considering here that they were considering his suitable coming. How is coming to the assistance of his people is always fitted exactly in the best way to our circumstances. Maybe not in the way that I might think would be most suitable, or the way that you might feel might be the best way, but in the best way that will be ultimately the best for us. Now, a couple of thoughts come to mind here, just as I considered these two characters on the MS road, still thinking about his suitable coming. He disturbed their confidence so that in their hearts they longed for Him. Their confidence was in Him delivering Israel, great victory, triumph, time of celebration. Then He went out and died on the cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb. He took away their confidence that they might long for Him. That happens to all of us sometimes. Our confidences are, as it were, stripped away in some degree, that we might long for Him. He took away their contentment that they might know their need of Him. As they were on that Emmaus road, there's nothing they needed more than Him. And in life's journey, dear Christian friend, there's nothing we need more than to know that He's there with us, our need of him and sometimes adversity comes along and reminds us just how much we need him. But how suitable his coming was to these two men, how suitable his coming to Moses and to Joshua and to Gideon and to David and to you and me. Martin Luther said one time that he never knew the meaning of the Word of God until he came into adversity. Of course, he knew something of the Word quite a lot. He wrote a great commentary on the Book of Romans. But he learned that in adversity, he had to turn to the Word and turning to the Word, he was turning, of course, to the Lord for help. And I trust that even today, You will know something of this, of the Lord coming along as a gentle and a loving friend and meeting your need in a most suitable way, a way that is suitable for your circumstances. There's something else, another thing that they learned here. We've noted already that after the resurrection, they learned they had special company. They didn't realize that, but they learned that. They also learned that His coming was absolutely suitable to their need. They needed clarity concerning what the word taught about him. But they learned something else. They learned another new view because there was steadying communication. Now, with these two men on the road to mass, there was an obvious, deep undertone of hopelessness. Can't describe it in any other way. Here we have two dripping spirits. Two individual men, good men, but they're full of desolate feelings. And he comes along and he reveals himself to their hearts in a way that they never expected. Their hearts burned within them as he talked with them. And do you know what they learned? What I mean by steadying communication? They learned the benefit of his abiding presence. His abiding presence. Yes, of course, the time came when he vanished out of their sight. Then their joy didn't go. Not like before, when he'd been taken away and nailed to the cross to die for the sins of his people. It was different this time because they left and they went back to Jerusalem. with joy and assurance in their heart. They knew that he continually was with them. And over in John's gospel, the Lord Jesus himself said he was the true vine and that he said in verse two, every branch in me that bareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that bareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. And you could say there that both branches were chastened because where it refers there to taking away, it refers to a lifting up. And sometimes with a plant, you have to lift the branch up. You have to lift it up out of the dirt so that it might bring forth more fruit. The Lord sometimes has to come to his own people and has to lift us up. And sometimes he has to take away our confidence and our contentment and bring us to a point where we long for him and we need to know him and know his presence. It says there that the branch that beareth fruit, he purges it, that it bring forth more fruit. And if you look in this chapter 15 in John's gospel, you'd see that there is then with those who are his, reliance, because it says there in verse five, it says, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me he can do nothing. We all learn that. It's not only reliance, but there is audience in verse seven. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. That's a good encouragement on Tuesday night as we contemplate our season of prayer this evening. But there's not only reliance and audience, there is compliance. It says in verse 8, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and so shall ye be my disciples. Please don't make the Well, it's really a rookie mistake that you feel that to bear much fruit, you must have seen people saved all the time. The Bible never shows that. It's good to him to be a soul winner. But remember, Jeremiah, a few men were more faithful than him. And in his 50 years out of preaching, well, he had one convert. But you would find difficulty in finding a lot of others through his preaching. Other people who had very short ministries, so many one to the Lord, this fruitfulness that we're talking about. And it comes through being faithful. And these two disciples, they had this steadying communication. They were never the same sense. Never the same from they had that experience with the Lord there. But that leads me on to something else. I trust you've had steadying communication with the Lord. As you've looked into his word, you realize, yes, he is there. He's fitting his coming to my need. And he's communicated to me through his word and by his spirit, and I am greatly helped." There's another thought, the final one. Something else that we see here, that is their sincere constraining. Maybe you've noticed in that chapter that we read over there in Luke 24 and verse 28, he's walking with these two now, it says, and they drew nigh onto the village where they went. And then look at these words. And he made as though he would have gone further. He was just going to keep moving on. Yes, he talked with them. He had helped them greatly, but he was going to move on. He had cleared up some of their doubts. He had. He had relieved in some degree their heart troubles, and he listened well to them, and they had obviously listened to them, he had made them since their need of him. Now they were not aware just yet that this was him, and he was going to head on now. And it says there at the beginning of verse 29, but they constrained him saying abide with us. Those are very interesting words. He'd been there, he'd helped them greatly, But now he was going to move on. And they had a responsibility. They constrained him, saying, abide with us. The word constrained there, that word means to press beyond measure. I go out to visit my mom. And it's just a quick visit. And I say, well, I'm just called to speak to you, mom, and I need to go quickly again. And. It's unlikely that that will happen, because that would mean that I would be leaving without tea. And she constantly always constrains us. And yes, it means to press beyond measure, and that's what she does. She insists. and should even start setting the table, even if you're on your way out through the door. So therefore, folks, this word constrain was a very strong pleading with him to stay. And if you look there at what happened after that, it shows us we can miss so much if we don't constrain him by seeking him continually and looking to him continually. We can miss out. And so much in verse 31 it says, and their eyes were opened and they knew him. What would have happened if they hadn't constrained him? How did they come to know him, who he was? And I believe in a much fuller way during that time that he was there with them. They were further strengthened as their eyes were opened. and they recognized who he was. And they went back to the others with great haste and joy in their hearts. And the song in all of their hearts was, the Lord is risen indeed. And we don't want him to leave off. We don't want him to move on. Comes along and he gives us some blessing and some clarity and some uplifting and comfort. we come to prayer meetings and we pray at home too, that we might continue to constrain him, press him beyond measure. We need to mean it then, you see, and to seek his face, that he might continually bless us and reveal himself to us more and more, because that's what he did with them. He revealed himself to them. You see, he requires us to seek him very solemn and somber lesson for one of the churches in the book of Revelation. Some of you may remember, maybe you don't, but some years ago we did a series on Sunday mornings in church on the churches in Revelation, the seven churches in Asia Minor, and seeing what the Lord had to say to them. And when we were looking at the church in Revelation chapter 3, the church of Laodicea, they were pretty sure of themselves and They got to that almost unbelievable position when they felt because they had so much, that they needed nothing. That was a mistake and always is. Because more than anything, we need him, but they hadn't been constraining him. They hadn't been pressuring him beyond measure to continue with them. And they felt now that everything he's speaking here to people who are commercially minded, and he says to them in verse 18, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich, white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with thyself that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Of course he loved them. This was a Christian church. And he's come to them now, he's chasing them all right. And he's saying to them, you think you have everything, really you have nothing, because you haven't constrained me. You haven't in any way pressed me beyond measure to abide with you. And then in verse 20, he makes that very clear to them. He says, behold, I stand at the door unknown. If any man hear my voice, Terrible thought, isn't it? Christ outside the door of the church. They're all going on their merry way inside, thinking how good it is for us. Look at us and what we have. Not realising that nothing without him. Say, as behold, I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door. He wasn't going to do that. He could have done that. They had to open the door. I will come in to him. and will sup with him and he with me." Just as he did, as the two on the Emmaus road. They constrained him to come in. What lessons, what new views they had. Then after the resurrection, they recognized more than ever, as never before, his special company, his suitable coming, his steadying communication and their own responsibility for sincere constraining. These were good views, good new views after the resurrection. And I trust that as we've looked at this passage together, that they will be our new views as well. And tonight as we seek him, that we lay hold upon the throne of grace. And in the days to come, that there will be great answers our prayers. May the Lord bless you all and your families and meet your need in these trying times and we trust that as we keep in touch as a congregation that the Lord will continue to warm our hearts by his presence as he did for the disciples on Emmaus Road after the resurrection.