[0:00] If you turn back to the chapter that we read in Luke's Gospel, we're going to look really at the two on the mayor's road. A well-known story, very well-known story, and we're going to try to pick out a few things within it.
[0:14] If we were going to look at a text, we'll look at verses 28 and 29. They drew near the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going further, but they urged him strongly, they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, stay with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent.
[0:42] I'd like to look at three things in particular with this tonight. We look at the circumstances that we have here. Then we look at the constraint, that is, the urging, the request that they had.
[0:59] And finally, we look at the conclusion of the whole matter. So, just in these three broad headings, the circumstances, the constraint, and the conclusion.
[1:13] Just to try them anonymous. And alliteration, as they call it, beginning with C's, but we can say it is the circumstances, either conditions or the complaint, that is, the constraint that they had, and the conclusion of the matter.
[1:28] What happened in it all. First of all, then, the circumstances. Well, as we know here, it was the day after the Sabbath. Three days had passed since the Savior had been crucified.
[1:43] And here, two disciples, and we're not going into who the disciples were. May I say that, first of all, that they weren't one of the eleven. That is, that's, one was called Cleopas.
[1:54] Some people think that the other may have been his wife or whatever, but we're not going into that. It's really incidental in that to see who they were. They were two followers of Jesus, disciples of Jesus. But they weren't of the eleven, because you remember that when they came back with the news, there was the eleven were there.
[2:10] There would probably be one missing, and probably Thomas would have been coming and going. But the eleven were there. And they had departed from the eleven anyway. So, at this time, at the death of Christ, and towards the resurrection of Christ, there was a lot of coming and going in Jerusalem.
[2:28] There was a lot of perplexing times, especially for the disciples. They were coming and they were going. And here's two of them. They had witnessed, looked as if they had witnessed, although they had been at the death.
[2:41] They had been at the trial. They had been around the time of Jerusalem. And they knew that Jesus was taken away, was crucified. Calvary was buried.
[2:52] Calvary was buried. Calvary was buried. And then we heard here, here they are on their way back to Emmaus. Was it their home? Was it the place that they were staying in? We're not really sure of either.
[3:03] It would appear that it was at home, because they made supper. So, at least, so we can get, we can try to put a few things to that. Because they had supper together.
[3:14] They were perplexed. One whom they loved. And they loved Jesus. That was a love to Jesus amongst his disciples.
[3:27] This was the Messiah. This was their Lord. This was the promised one that was promised for them from ages past. And here he had been with them. Nearly three years had passed with them.
[3:40] He had been going back and forth. And they had followed him. They had heard him. They knew who he was. And here he was. He had been taken away. He had been crucified. Here they were.
[3:52] They thought that this was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And you can almost picture their absolute anxiety. Their sadness.
[4:04] At this happening to them. These last couple of days. And here they are. And they're coming back to Emmaus. And how they were feeling.
[4:16] They were feeling perplexed. They were feeling as if the whole world had fallen apart. They were in. We can say they were in darkness. All that had.
[4:27] All other people had told them. That he was alive. And they couldn't make heads or tails of that. They had forgotten all that he had said to them. His own words. They had forgotten.
[4:39] Remember that he had told them. He had almost told them exactly what was going to happen to them. But that was clouded out of their understanding. They were sad. They were in deep mourning.
[4:51] The loss of this saviour. His absence was too much for them to take. And here they were. In this position. And friends. That's a position.
[5:02] That maybe you can't get into. You and I can get into that position. When we're in darkness. And we forget the Lord's word. We forget what he's written.
[5:15] We sometimes feel. That we're going through darkness. We can't tell anybody about it. We really. We don't know what to say. We're mourning an absent saviour.
[5:28] It may be here. You're finding. That you've been on the road. You're a Christian for many years. And you're finding today. That you're darker today. Than you've been for many a year. Oh that's a complaint of many of us.
[5:40] Often it is. Mourning an absent saviour. But look what they did. In verse 14. Look at verse 14. And you'll see something that they were doing here. They were.
[5:51] As they were doing their eyes. They were. There we have it here. They were on the way past Emmaus. And they were talking. One with another.
[6:03] What was their talk centred on? It was centred on Christ. That's what they were doing. They talked one with the other. They.
[6:13] No doubt. They would have been taken up. Most of the time. With speaking about him. About what he had said to them. What he had been.
[6:24] All that he had done. All that he had said. All that had happened to him. They would have been talking about. The central part of their conversation.
[6:35] Would have been on Jesus. Without a doubt. Because they were sad. They were depressed. Yet. They spoke. To each other. They spoke. About Jesus.
[6:46] And friends. That's a lesson for you. And for me. Maybe you're here today. And you're downcast. For some reason or another. Maybe there's something troubling you.
[6:57] There's something really. That you cannot. Tell anybody. Well. Take the example. Of these two. Don't bottle it up. Maybe you're finding friends.
[7:09] That you've got a problem. With sin. Maybe you've got a particular problem. With a particular sin. Tell it. To a Christian friend.
[7:21] Explain to them. That you've got this problem. Don't bottle it up. And say. There's nobody going through. What I'm going through. Maybe you're here today. And. Take.
[7:32] The religious aspect. Out of it. But maybe there's something. That you. That something is troubling you. Here tonight. That's something that is. You can't. You say to yourself.
[7:43] I can't tell. This person. Or that person. About it. Because they won't understand. Anyway. Friends. These two were talking. About something. That maybe. Maybe either.
[7:53] One of them. Wouldn't. Wouldn't understand. About it. But yet. They talked about it. There's a great saying. It's good. To talk. I think that comes from.
[8:04] An advert. For something. Isn't it? I think there's an advert. I think it's talk. Talk. It used to be. It's good to talk. But friend. In a real way. In a very real way. When we're downcast.
[8:15] When we're feeling low. When we're feeling. Like in the Christian life. When things are going hard. For us. When it's difficult. When we're in darkness. In deep darkness.
[8:26] The best thing. That we can do. Is tell somebody. About it. And here they were. They spoke. One to another. Mind you. That's what the church. In Malachi. Is saying. Isn't it? You know.
[8:37] They spoke. One to another. And the Lord saw it. The Lord heard it. And I think today. I think today. In the Christian church.
[8:48] I don't think. We're talking enough. I don't think. We're having the fellowship. That our forefathers. Used to have. I remember. Speaking. And speaking.
[8:58] To an old man. In our own village. He's past. He's in heaven. Many many years ago. And he used to say. Oh he was lamenting. Oh the fact that. The amount of fellowships. They used to have.
[9:09] This is an upper call. By the way. And he used to say. He used to say. Oh he says. And he was saying. Gaelic. He says. When the carpets came in. The fellowships went out. You know. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
[9:19] When the television came in. I think. The fellowships went out. And I think. That's the thing. Folks. We need. We need to be. Fellowship in one with another. We need. We need to be talking.
[9:30] Because. The Christian life. Is the same. As it was. Decades ago. And centuries ago. It's the same. When David. In Psalm 42 and 43. He was downcast. Oh.
[9:41] Why art thou. He says there. In the Psalms. Why art thou downcast. All my soul. Still. But then he goes on. Still trust to God. But he was downcast. He went through a lot of darknesses.
[9:53] Why art thou cast down my soul. This was a refrain. In both these. These. These. These. These. These Psalms. But friends. Maybe.
[10:03] You've got a complaint as well. As I said before. That there is sin. Is troubling you. And maybe it's indwelling sin. Maybe it's actual sin. Sins.
[10:15] You thought had long. Long ago. Gone. Often we find that. In the Christian life. We thought we had put these. These mountains. What had. Had. Had. Had gone. Many. Many years ago.
[10:25] And they're coming up again. And here we are. But oh friends. Don't bottle it up. That's the key to it is here. You're finding. Maybe that you're not making progress. You thought you were at first.
[10:36] Maybe you started on the road. Maybe here. You're here tonight. And you started seeking Christ. Maybe your desire is to know Jesus. And maybe you're saying to yourself. Well I'm not making the progress.
[10:48] That I should be. I'm seeking him. But I'm not finding him. Who can I speak to? Oh friends. Speak. Carry on. Carry on. Never give up. Never give up.
[10:59] Never stop speaking about Jesus. Never stop speaking if you have problems. Speaking about these problems. That's what the two. On the road to Emmaus were doing. And see what happened.
[11:11] See what happened to them. As they were talking one to another. We find. That. While they were talking. Verse 15. And discussing together. Between them.
[11:21] Jesus. Himself. Threw near. And went with them. Jesus went alongside them. He was. He went alongside them. He drew beside them. He went beside them.
[11:33] And I think he went beside them. For a wee period. Before. He even spoke. I get that feeling. In the whole thing. That he seemed to go. Go along beside them.
[11:44] And he seemed to be. Be walking. As if he was walking. And he was listening. To that conversation. As they were speaking. About what happened in Jerusalem. And then he comes out. With that question. What is this.
[11:55] You. What is the conversation. Verse 17. What's the conversation. You're holding. One to another. One's making you sad. And then right away. One of them.
[12:06] One of them. He turns around. And asked him. Are you only a visitor. In Jerusalem. That seemed. To stop them. That was. Where they were. That was their condition.
[12:17] As they walked along. And. As they were. And that conversation. Then. Went further. They told him. Look at.
[12:27] Verse. 18 onwards. One of them. Cleopas. Was the one who answered. And they asked him. Was he only a visitor. He. They. They. They explained. To him. What had been happening.
[12:39] And they then. We have there. The conversation. Goes on. And he. They tell him. All about this. And then. He. Comes up with this. He stops them.
[12:50] In their tracks. And he said to them. In verse 25. Oh. Foolish. Ones. And slow of heart. To believe. All that the prophets. Have said. That's what he said.
[13:01] They. They. They. Their conversation. Almost. Stopped. Their conversation. And he. Started speaking. And he. Started explaining. To them.
[13:12] Starting at Moses. And the prophet. He. Explained. The scriptures. To them. Exactly. What. Had happened. Distance. And time. Were gone. They were listening.
[13:22] To this man. As he was speaking. To them. They were. They were. In the person. Of Jesus Christ. And yet. They did not know him. So there we have.
[13:33] The conversation. That was their. The circumstances here. And then we're going to move on now. To. Their constraint. Distance and time.
[13:49] Were lost. In the conversation. They were reaching their home. And he gave the impression. That he was going to go further. Notice. He didn't.
[14:00] He didn't. He didn't. Nothing is said. That he said anything. But it would. As he was. As he was. As they were coming home. It would appear to be. That as they were nearing their home.
[14:11] He. Says he's wanting. To carry on. As if he's going on. And they were warmed. To this person. They were warmed. To this person.
[14:22] All the time. They were walking along. They wanted more. Of his company. They had tasted. A little. Of what he was saying.
[14:32] To them. And then. Verse. Nineteen. We find it. They urged him. They urged him. They. They constrained him. That word. Constraint.
[14:43] Is an urge. It is. It's a. Strong term. It's not a sort of. Merely mouthed invitation. No. Sometimes. You might get a sort of. An invitation. Or come along.
[14:54] And really. People don't really mean it. This was a real. Urging. Of him. They're almost. They're almost. Holding him. And saying to him.
[15:04] And saying to him. Come with us. Abide with us. It is. Toward. And they had an argument for it. Abide with us. It's toward evening. The day is far spent. Come with us.
[15:15] Don't. Don't. Carry on where you're going. It's the same invitation. That Lydia had. Remember when Lydia. There. When she was converted. By. By Paul's preaching.
[15:26] She wanted. Paul to come to her home. The same. She constrained them. It says there. It constrained them. To come. Into her house.
[15:36] She urged us. It's the words. It's used there. She urged us. She constrained us. To come. If you have judged me. To be faithful to the Lord. Come to my house. And stay. And that.
[15:47] Was what they did. And. They did. And we went. Luke. Luke writes in Acts. And we went. Well. The two of these. Did exactly the same.
[15:58] Here was an opportunity for them. They had been enwrapped. They had been. Taken up with this conversation. With what he was saying. He had been telling them. All about himself. From.
[16:09] From the prophets. From the Old Testament. He had been telling them. That. This Christ. Had to suffer. This Christ. Had to come. And this Christ. Would. Would come. And here he was.
[16:20] And they wanted more. And more of him. Abide with us. Stay with us. It is toward evening. And the day is far spent. Now the question. That we have to ask here is.
[16:31] Jesus was talking to them. On the way. And they were. Wrapped up. In his conversation. And yet. When they came to their home.
[16:42] Jesus knew. That they were coming to their home. He knew very well. Where they were going. And as they were going past. Almost going past the home.
[16:52] He made us. If he would carry on. Why? Why? Now there is a lesson there. For us here. Tonight friends. And this is the greatest lesson.
[17:03] Probably a great lesson. For us all here. Why did Jesus. Want. Want them to see. Want them. He really wanted them. To urge. To come along.
[17:15] He was going to go past. Past. And as he was walking. I don't know. Did he go a yard or two past. But whatever he did. They urged him. Abide. With us.
[17:26] Abide. Come with us. Please come with us. It's getting very dark. Come in. Maybe we don't know. The whole conversation. But you can almost see it. You can almost see them.
[17:37] Always grabbing him. And taking him in. They were so. And they did not know. That this was the Christ. But they were so. Taken up with this man. Friends. There is this in it. And this is a picture.
[17:49] That Christ. Often uses. Often uses. To draw people. To himself. Now. I'll take three instances. We'll take three instances.
[17:59] Tonight. And we'll go. Look at the Canaanite woman. Remember the Canaanite woman. There. In. In. Matthew 15. We've got. She's come to. To the saviour.
[18:10] She's got a problem. And the problem is. That her daughter is ill. And that her daughter. Cannot be cured. By anybody else. But she knows. That the one here.
[18:21] This is a Canaanite woman. This is not. This is not a woman. Of the tribe of Israel. This is a woman. That was. He was Tyre and Sidon. The borders were Tyre and Sidon. And here she was. And she.
[18:31] She came to. She came to Jesus. Look what she came. Look at. Look at the words. And maybe we should be back. To Matthew 15. But anyway. We'll have it there. She cried out. She cried out.
[18:44] As he was passing. Now that's what the word says there. She cried. She didn't mumble. She cried out. Have mercy on me. Oh Lord.
[18:54] Son of David. My daughter is. Severely oppressed. By devils. By demons. That's what she cried. First of all. But.
[19:06] You have shocking words. In the following. In the following verse. Verse 23. Jesus. And. And. They are shocking. In a sentence. He did not.
[19:17] Answer her. A word. He didn't answer her. It's the same. Situation. In the two. On the road team is. Get it. What does she do next?
[19:30] This is the great healer. Passing by. And he doesn't want. She's thinking. And he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to know me. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to. Even. Even to answer me. Not a word.
[19:42] And then we have. As we go down further. She has this. There's a conversation. Between the two of them. But then she comes to this sentence here. In verse 25.
[19:52] Lord. Help. Help. Help. Me. Look at the difference. Lord. Have mercy on me. And then she's coming to this extent.
[20:03] That she's down. She has nowhere else to go. She's on. Almost on the ground. And she's saying to her. Lord. Help. Me. And that's a stronger word than Lord. I know mercy. Have mercy upon me.
[20:14] It's a strong word. But help me shows her helplessness. She was helpless friends. And that's what came over. And that's where she went.
[20:26] The Lord could have answered her like that in a minute. Have mercy on me. He didn't need to go into the conversation about the dogs under the table. Did he? He could have said to her.
[20:36] Take your. Yes. Go home. Like he did to the Roman centurion. Remember what he said to the Roman centurion. Go home. Your servant is cured. But he wanted to draw her affections out of her.
[20:50] He wanted her to draw her to himself. Oh friends. This is the great draw of souls. You may be here tonight. And many a time you come. And you've prayed.
[21:01] And you've prayed. How many times have you done that? And you haven't found an answer. And you go home tonight. And you won't find an answer. And you've come yesterday. Last night. And you haven't found. Last Sunday night. And you didn't find an answer.
[21:13] Friends. Don't go on. The great draw of souls. Is still drawing you. And will draw you. To himself. And that's what he's doing. Same in the two. Two on the road team ears. He would.
[21:24] Oh. What a savior. He would pretend. That he would go by. So that he could draw. That affections to. He loves. The affections of his people.
[21:35] Oh friends. He loves to hear you. He loves to hear you crying. He loves to hear you pleading. He loves that. He wants to see.
[21:46] That you know. That you have a need. Friends. If a savior. If you don't know a need. A savior. It's all no use to you. This woman. I don't know. But I don't think she knew her need. That she. When she came to.
[21:56] And Christ was pulling. This need out. Look again. Another. Another case. He's heading to Jerusalem. He's heading in the last days. To Jerusalem. He's heading there.
[22:06] And he's going through Jericho. His face. It says before. In one of the gospels. Was as affluent. As he was going to Jerusalem. Because that's where he was going.
[22:18] That's where his determination was. And nothing would stop him from going. But something stopped him. What was outside Jericho. On the way past Jericho. Bartimaeus.
[22:30] Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus. A blind beggar. We heard about it this morning. Strangely enough. We heard it in black this morning. That's what the minister had this morning.
[22:41] Blind beggar. There he was. By the roadside begging. And he heard that Jesus. He asked who was passing. Jesus of Lazarus. Oh.
[22:52] This is my chance. This is my chance. Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus he says. Son of David. Verse 47 of chapter of Mark. Mark 10.
[23:03] Jesus the son of David. Have mercy upon me. What happened? Can you remember? No response. No response. The saviour didn't hear him.
[23:15] As if he heard him. Sorry. He didn't. As if he didn't hear him. As if he didn't hear him. There was no response. And look at it. The people around him tell him to be quiet.
[23:27] And you know the words in the original there are stronger. We heard them there this morning. It was as if they were telling him to shut up. That's what they were saying to Bartimaeus. Be quiet.
[23:39] Be quiet. What did he do? What did he do? Look in. Look at it. He cried yet the more. What did he cry?
[23:54] Son of David. Have mercy on me. He cried yet the more. He wasn't. He wasn't heard at the beginning.
[24:05] He wasn't heard. Oh friends. Maybe you're here. And you've been pleading with Christ. You're seeking Christ. I don't know. I don't know. I hope you are. If you haven't found him.
[24:16] But friends. We need to seek him as well. As Christians. Don't we? Sometimes we feel that they're pleading. Isn't what it should be. My prayers aren't what they should be. I come so often to a prayer.
[24:29] And I wonder when I start where I'm going. And when I go in the secret of my own chamber. Sometimes often. The heavens are as brass.
[24:42] Oh but friends. Don't let that stop you. Don't let that stop me either. Let's go. Son of David. He says have mercy on me. What a wonderful. What a wonderful reaction he said.
[24:55] Once he said that. Jesus stopped. It says. That's what the word of God says. Jesus stopped. And said to him.
[25:06] Call him. Call him. Call him. Bring him to me. And he came to him. And he asked him what he wanted. That he might receive my sight.
[25:17] And he got his sight. He got his sight. He threw off his garment. He forgot he had a coat. When he heard. Jesus is calling you.
[25:28] Look at it. Oh. What a picture. What a wonderful story. Bartimaeus is. He threw his coat. His coat. That was protecting him.
[25:39] From all the open will. He didn't need it anymore. And because he was so anxious. So determined. To get to Jesus. That's what he wants. Oh friends.
[25:50] That's what we need. A determination. A real reality. That this is the one. This is the great healer. And he is passing by. And there he was. Jesus satisfied.
[26:03] Bartimaeus. Again. That's another one. But we go to the Old Testament. This is a good one. You go to Genesis. Who have you got in Genesis 32? You could Jacob.
[26:15] On his way back at Peniel. Remember. He's going back to Esau. He's going to meet Esau. He's there at Peniel. He's put them all away.
[26:25] And just. Before he goes over the brook. Jabok. It says there. Genesis 32. A man wrestled with him.
[26:38] Until the breaking of the day. I was thinking that. Yesterday. Jacob wrestled. With God.
[26:48] We often have. But this is different. God. God. Wrestled. With Jacob. First. Isn't it? Let's. Let's. Let's. Let's look at.
[26:58] Look at it in Genesis. Genesis 32. A man wrestled with him. That's got the connotation. That. God. Stopped. Jacob. Am I right? And God wrestled with Jacob.
[27:10] But there's a. Look. There's a. There's a. There's a movement. Movement in it as well. A man wrestled with him. It was. It was. God was wrestling. With Jacob. I should say. But then there's. There's something.
[27:21] Startling. Here is one. When. The man saw. That he did not prevail. Against Jacob. He touched his hip socket. And Jacob's hip.
[27:32] Was put out of joint. Now. You know who this man was. This was the angel of the covenant. Pre-incarnate Jesus. Now.
[27:45] When he saw. He could not prevail. Against Jacob. I'm just looking at this. I'm reading this. How can.
[27:56] This be. This is the creator. Of the ends. Of the earth. This is Jesus. Who could. Remember. Remember. When. When. The.
[28:06] The. The. The. The scribes. And the Pharisees. Came to him. In the garden. Just when they were going to arrest him. They asked him. Who do you seek? You seek Jesus. I am he. He says. They would fall backwards.
[28:18] The power of his. I am he. So he had the power. To. Take Jacob. And throw him like a flea. And a fly away from him.
[28:29] But he chose. Not to. He chose. That. Jacob. Would wrestle with him. Till the breaking of the day. Not at midnight. But this went on for hours.
[28:44] Hours. Hours. When did your eyes spend an hour in prayer? Oh friends.
[28:55] You let me. I'm a pygmy. I'm a dwarf. In comparison to these. But to spend a night. Impressing with God.
[29:08] And we've got. My own home there. I've got a centre of heating. I can't put a blanket over. When did I spend. That 10. 15 minutes. 20 minutes.
[29:18] An hour. An hour in prayer. Far less. 8 hours in prayer. This was Jacob. But you see. What God was wanting to do. Was. This word.
[29:30] This is what he was wanting. I will not let you go. Until you bless me. It was towards the breaking of the day. That he said this.
[29:42] He had wrestled all night with him. Oh friends. Are we ever going to. Are we going to get a blessing. Am I going to get. I'm not speaking to you. I'm speaking to myself.
[29:52] Am I ever going to get a blessing. When I can't spend an hour. In prayer with God. Friends. We are just nothing. Really. This is what he did.
[30:03] He was. In order for Jacob. To get the blessing. And he got the blessing. He got the blessing. At Peniel. I will not let you go.
[30:15] Until you bless me. And Jacob got the blessing. And it is this. Because God. Was drawing out of him. In the Old Testament. In the. At the beginning of the Old Testament. Drawing.
[30:26] As he was drawing. The Canaanite woman. Drawing him. As he was drawing. Bartimaeus. Drawing him. As he was drawing. These two. Out. To say these things.
[30:38] Abide. With us. It is toward evening. And the day. Is far spent. Oh friends. This is it. This is. This is what. What.
[30:48] What he's. He's looking for. This is. What he's drawing out of you. And me as well. Oh friends. If he's not answering. If he's not. If you're praying. And he's not answering.
[30:59] It's his work. To cut. To keep you praying. To make sure. That you see your need. And you see your need. And keep on. Oh. Keep on.
[31:11] Keeping on. I remember. It was. Dr. Lloyd Jones. Used to meet his. Maybe I've told you this before.
[31:23] Used to meet his. His. Congregation of the church. And. I think it was. I think it was Eric Alexander. And I'm going to mention something. About Eric Alexander. Was wondering.
[31:33] What he was actually saying to them. And he went up. And he was listening to them. And he was always saying to his. To his congregation. As they were going. He was shaking their hands. Friend. Keep on.
[31:44] Keeping on. See what he had. Keep on. Keeping on. This is what he had. He was wondering what he was saying to. Maybe that's it. But that's what we must do. But that's what he does.
[31:56] He draws it. He wants us to see. Our needs. We need to be in earnest. And then. As I said. He often. Gives us the appearance. That he was. That he would leave us. That he's leaving us.
[32:06] And he's not going with us. But this is the reason for it. You know. I think of that. In. In. In. In. Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon.
[32:17] Is coming to an end. We're here in the last chapter. Of Song of Solomon. And. You find. The last words. Of the beloved. To the church. It's the second last verse.
[32:28] I think. In the song of Solomon. He says something like this. O you. Who dwell. In the. O thou that dwellest. In the gardens. The companions.
[32:39] Hearken. To thy voice. Cause me to hear it. Cause me to hear it. The companions. Your companions.
[32:49] Are listening. For your voice. Let. Me hear it. You know what he means there. He means that sometimes. We're talking together. We're in fellowship. One with another. We're talking about Christ. Sometimes.
[33:01] Sometimes. Sometimes. In our fellowships. We forget. We don't. Talk to the one. Who is. The center of our fellowship. And he said to us. Yes. In your fellowships. Oh very well.
[33:13] The companions. Have come to thy voice. Cause me. To hear it. I want to hear. Your voice. Oh. Sinner friend. He wants to hear.
[33:23] Your voice. He wants to hear. Your voice. There's nothing. Sweeter. To his ear. Nothing. Sweeter. To his ear. Than he would hear you. Saying to. Lord.
[33:34] Be merciful. To me. The sinner. That's what he wants. Time is running. Time is running. Time is running. There was a.
[33:48] I was listening to. To a. I was listening to. Alistair Begg. Preaching. You all have heard. Alistair Begg. Preaching. And he was preaching. To his own conversation. Just recently. And.
[34:00] Amongst his. He was telling a story. That one evening. He was preaching. He saw somebody. In his congregation. That it was a stranger. He didn't know.
[34:10] Who the stranger was. And he saw. He had a. A leather jacket on. And he decided. To go up. And speak to him. And see who he was. And he went up. And he started speaking to him.
[34:21] And he realized. That this man. This. Alistair Begg. Is a preacher. In Ohio. In the states. He's a. He's a Scots man. He's originally from Glasgow. And he's been there. For about 25 to 30 years.
[34:32] And he saw this man. This man. Told him he was from. And he could tell him. From his conversation. That he's from Glasgow. And. He started speaking to him. And he said. And then the man. Started telling him.
[34:42] About his life. And he told him. That. When he was young. He was brought up. In the west of Scotland. In a God fearing home. And he left home.
[34:53] And he went to Glasgow. And he started working. For an engineering firm. In Glasgow. And it's name. For. Escapes me. But he told the name. Of the engineering firm. It's a well known one.
[35:06] Anyway. I'm not going to try to get it. My memory is like a sieve. But anyway. He started working. And then he started. He forgot all about his upbringing. Started going to parties.
[35:17] And everything. And he got. He was a. He got. He met an attractive girl. And he started going with her. But they found out. That. They.
[35:29] They weren't compatible. They were compatible. In one sense. But the. The families of. This man. And the families of the woman. That he was courting. Wouldn't agree with either one. Because she was.
[35:41] A committed. Roman Catholic. And he came from. A Protestant tradition. Probably a Presbyterian. From the west of Scotland. Who were anti.
[35:52] Roman Catholic. And there were two of them. They started going together. And. They. Realised that this. But to appease both. Both. Parents. They started going to the Roman Catholic.
[36:03] Chapel in the morning. On Sundays. And. To. The Thron Church. In Glasgow. And you know. Some of you have been to the Thron Church. In Glasgow. Eric Alexander. Was then the minister. In the Thron Church.
[36:16] I can't remember who it is. It's the bottom of. What road is it on? Anyway. It's. It's a large church there. It's no longer. The church. Now moved away.
[36:26] From it. But they started going to the Thron Church. In the evening. And anyway. This evening. That they were. They went to. To. To. Listen to Eric Alexander. Preaching. He preached on. On the text. Where it says.
[36:38] That. Almost. Though persuadest me. To be a Christian. And. Preached. Well on it. And. And. They. When they finished. He said.
[36:48] We. We. Both left together. But he says. We went to the bus stop. Up. The road. And. He says. When we went up. Up the road. He says. From the time we left.
[36:59] The church. To the bus stop. None of us spoke. And just as he says. I came to the bus stop. I said to. My girlfriend.
[37:09] He says. I'm sorry. But things will have to change now. During. This sermon. That Eric Alexander spoke. He says. Preached.
[37:20] He says. I asked Jesus. Into my life. And Jesus. Came into. My life. And he says.
[37:32] And she turned round. To him. And she said. Well. She says. During that sermon. The exact same thing. Happened to me. He says. I asked Jesus.
[37:45] Into my life. And Jesus. Came into my life. Into my heart. And the two of them. We were going on different buses. They weren't living together. And he says.
[37:57] I don't know. I don't know. If we became man and wife. After that. I didn't get the full story. After that. But. That was the two of them. Converted. Don't know. Because.
[38:08] As. As. As. As. As he said. As he said. As he said to them. Their hearts. Burned. Within them. During the sermon.
[38:19] That's what he said. To us. The big. My hearts. Burned. With. Together. Within us. While Eric. Alexander. Preached that sermon. And you know this. Eric. Alexander. Didn't preach. Didn't. Prepare that sermon.
[38:30] because he was going to prepare another one. Until he went into the pulpit. And he preached from that sermon because the Lord had given it to him. Isn't the Lord wonderful? What a wonderful conversion.
[38:44] Both of them converted in a sermon that Eric Alexander had told us later on that he had even, that wasn't the prepared sermon that he had. Their hearts burned within them as he spoke.
[38:56] Well, friends, the conclusion. Their hearts had burned within them as he talked with them by the way. And that's the way they were. And now we come now when we find it that he goes in.
[39:10] And look what he goes in. You know, it's interesting. It's interesting when he goes in. They say to him there in verse 29, Stay with us, for it is toward the evening and the day is far spent.
[39:21] So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he, he took bread. He needed bread. They're in the house.
[39:33] He's in the house of strangers. It's their supper. What did they do? They were so taken up with this man. He still isn't recognized as Jesus.
[39:46] They're so taken up. They asked him to say grace. That's what he did. It was the custom in these days that the person to say grace would take the bread, first of all, pray, and take the bread and break it.
[40:05] They were so taken up with this individual that that's what they did. And it is when, when, in the breaking of bread, he says, it doesn't say when he, when he was at table with the bread and blessed and broke.
[40:19] And their eyes were opened. And they recognized him. Now these two were not at the last supper. So how did they recognize him?
[40:35] Well, I'm going to put something to you tonight. And I think that I think it is. I think they recognized him when he prayed. He offered thanks.
[40:47] That was the custom. He prayed. And in praying, do you think, friends, that when the Savior's son, the Son of God and addressed the Father that the two on the side wouldn't recognize that it was the Father he was speaking to?
[41:06] Oh, friends, it was in the prayer. Some people say maybe it was in the communion. There wasn't a communion. This was supper. He prayed to his Father.
[41:19] And when they realized then, that moment, it's him. It's him. It's him. That moment.
[41:31] Oh, friends, what a wonderful sight they've got. Their hearts burning within and preparing them. But their sight of him. And look what he did. He vanished.
[41:42] He vanished out of their sight immediately. He didn't wait. He had shown them all they needed. That's all they needed.
[41:55] He had taught them on the way with his word. And he showed them himself. Friends, it is his word that we need.
[42:07] Don't you look, don't look for great, wonderful things in your conversion. You're thinking, and maybe you're here tonight and you've been converted and you say, I haven't been converted, I haven't.
[42:18] It's the word. It's his word that convinces us and enlightens us who he is. Oh, friends, that's what they did. They went away. Time is going.
[42:31] What did they do? They got up quickly. When he had gone, I don't think, I don't think, I wonder if, I wonder today if they even finished the supper.
[42:44] Why? Because they wanted to tell the disciples. They wanted to tell. They wanted to run. They were exhausted coming from Emmaus. Miles had passed and now they were going to go back and run back as quickly as they could and it looks as if they were pretty quick because they went back and they found them.
[43:03] They were a bit disappointed. You know why? Look what happened when they came into the, they rose that same return and they found the eleven. That's again, they weren't of the eleven. And those who were with them gathered together.
[43:16] You know what they said when they went in the door? When they went in the door, the eleven and others that were gathered, the first thing they saw them, the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.
[43:30] They told, they said to him, before they could tell their story, the disciples told theirs, oh look what it is about Jesus. We want to tell people about Jesus.
[43:41] They told the two disciples before the two disciples could tell them. I think the two disciples had a good story, a great story to tell. But they were beaten with a good story because Simon had seen Jesus and they didn't know it.
[43:51] Peter had seen Jesus and they were telling the two disciples. That's what they did. Well friends, we're coming to the end and the time is gone. What do we make of it?
[44:03] What do we make of it? We make of this. This is it. We must come to this. Abide with me. I've forgotten this beautiful hymn, Abide with me.
[44:16] And sometimes it's used in wrong places and in wrong times. But it was written by a man who died just before, just after he had written it. He was a pastor in England in the 19th century.
[44:29] A wonderful man. And he had problems all in his life with illness. And he wrote this, Abide with me, just before he left to go to Italy. I don't think he reached Italy.
[44:39] He died before he did. And he had written this in his last sermon in a church in England. And it's Abide with me. Oh friends, let us ask Jesus to abide with us.
[44:51] And if we have had it, Abide with me tonight. Who do you want? What do you want above everything else? I want my heart burning within me.
[45:04] That's what you want, friends, is it? Do you want a closer walk with Jesus? Jesus, but ask him. Because he's wanting to hear your voice. And he'll listen to your voice.
[45:17] Cause me to hear it. Oh friends, if you've sought him and you've been seeking him for years, seek him again. Abide with him. Don't leave him.
[45:29] Don't leave him. Cling closely to him. Cling closely to him. And if you've never, if you haven't yet, I plead with you. I was at two funerals.
[45:40] A friend of mine passed away this week in Southloss. I don't know what the Lord did to his soul. We don't know what the Lord has done to any of his souls. But oh friends, time's swiftly going.
[45:53] And there's an eternity coming. And there's a death coming. And if we want to take a sting out of death, we need this man's company.
[46:04] Abide with me. Our Lord, abide. Maybe that be the cry of every one of us. May he bless his word to us. Let us pray. Thank you.