Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Apostle Tom" <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:53:57 -0500
To: pressingon@hotmail.com
Subject: Morning Manna (Apr. 18); BP: Lk. 24:13-32; RBTTY: Lk. 14:25-35; II Sam. 3-5
April 18 “The Power of God’s Word”
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all
the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. . .And they said one to
another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us along
the way and while He opened to us the Scriptures’?”
Luke 24:27, 32
The Word comes alive when the Author is our Teacher.
When it comes to the study and expounding of God’s Word, there are
truly “different strokes for different folks.” Simply put, everyone of us
is “different” and prefers different types of preachers, teachers, styles,
methods, etc.
Some folks prefer fiery expositors, whose staccato style and dramatic
flair, captures and keeps their attention. Others like more subdued
preachers/teachers, whose depth-of-knowledge is quite evident as he/she
feeds them “the meat of the Word.”
Then, there’s the issue of a message’s length and volume. Again, some
prefer the preacher/teacher whose volume is loud and whose content is
voluminous (i.e., long). And, there are those who detest a sermon past
12:00 noon, even if the preacher didn’t get up to preach until 11:47.
Isn’t it amazing that it still “pleases God by the FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING
to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:21b)? Glory!!
Could it be the problem’s not with the preacher, but with the listener?
Could it be that we’re too quick to gauge a speaker by our own set of
expectations, serving as judge-and-jury on him/her? Maybe that’s why a
scorner “doesn’t get anything out of the message.” You see, it must be
“mixed with faith” (Heb. 4:2) before anything can happen.
The two disciples headed toward Emmaus were pretty downtrodden that day
when Jesus joined them. They were more into “doubtful disputations” (Rom.
14:1) than they were into rehearsing God’s promises. Such is always the
case when faith flees, doubt blinds and self-pity throws itself a party.
Thankfully, Jesus didn’t let them continue too long in their faithless
reasonings. Instead, He interrupted them and said “O fools (Grk.
‘anoetos’—‘unintelligent, unwise, to lack comprehension, failure to
perceive, etc.’) and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken. Ought not Christ have suffered these things and to enter into His
glory?” (vv.25-26).
Oh, dear Pilgrim, our Master gives us a beautiful lesson here in how to
deal with doubt (ours and others). It’s simply by the Word! By reminding
them of all of the various Old Testament Messianic prophecies—particularly
those in Isaiah—He rekindled their fires of faith and quickened their
spirits. No wonder their “hearts began burning within them.” Just like
them and Jeremiah, who was ready to quit, but couldn’t because God’s Word
“was in his heart like a burning fire shut up in his bones” (Jer. 20:9), so
will His Word renew us if we’ll let it. Amen and amen.
_________________________________________________________________
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