The first post-resurrection Easter conference

Let's turn to Luke's gospel. We'll take a reference in Luke's gospel and in chapter 24. Luke's gospel, please, and we'll read together in chapter 24.

And for sake of time and connection, look with me at verse number one. Now, upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came on to the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared and certain others with them. Look down with me, please, to verse number 13.

Luke 24 verse 13. And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs. And they walked together, and they talked together of all these things which had happened.

And it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these, that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad? One of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre, and they found not his body, which 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 sepulchre, and found it even 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 a village, whether they went.

And he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

And it came to pass that, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, 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 scriptures? 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, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told them what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. God bless to us that quite familiar reading of the sacred scriptures.

Did you, um, the question that I have on my mind this afternoon, that I want to pose to some in the audience at least, is this. Did you ever find yourself at a conference, and you never expected to be there? You ever think, and unplanned, just arrived in an audience, didn't expect to be in the audience? I would suggest to you that there's two on the way to Emmaus, and that's exactly where they found themselves. In fact, if I was choosing a title for Luke's Gospel chapter 24, I want to speak to our hearts about the first Easter conference.

That's what I see right here in the chapter. Maybe I should clarify my remarks a tiny little bit. Perhaps I should maybe, maybe modify the title, and maybe what I should call it is, the first post-resurrection Easter conference.

And so here we are. Great to be at a conference. It's sometimes great to be unexpected and unexpectedly at a conference.

It's a wonderful thing, I say, beloved saints, to be at an Easter conference. And here we are gathered in Cedar Falls this Easter weekend, and all the components, I would judge now that all the components of a conference are just going to be unpacked and seen in Luke's Gospel chapter 24. Of course, if you have a conference, you're going to meet, you're going to need saints at the conference.

I think there's saints right here at this conference. If you're going to have a conference, one of the great components at a conference, you'll need the Scriptures at a conference. And did you notice that the Lord Jesus, in a very particular way, we'll be, we'll be looking at some of these things.

The Lord Jesus, in a very particular way, He started to open the Scriptures at this conference. If you're going to have a conference, it's always nice to have very eloquent speakers. I'm not saying I'm one of those.

We'll pardon ourselves on that one. But it's always great to have speakers at a conference. In fact, could you imagine someone stepping forward and with eloquence and power and ability, just unfolding the Scriptures, you say, that would be a one, well that component, it's right here at the conference.

There was a man, no one ever spoke like him. Whenever it came to speaking from the Scriptures, he was the one that was able to unfold it. He was the one that spoke.

And whenever he spoke, everyone simply said this, never man speak like this man. And so here we are at the first post-resurrection Easter conference. We have someone opening the Scriptures.

He's doing it with eloquence. He's doing it with power. He's speaking to the saints.

Of course, at this conference, you will notice there's a couple of downhearted saints. Hardly be anyone like this at this Easter conference. Here they are at this conference, this first post-resurrection conference.

And as we're looking at this first conference, here's two, and they're just there, and they're barely clinging on. Didn't we just hear about man's way and God's way? What our brother Larry has just been speaking about. Here's a couple, and they're just barely clinging on.

And their eyes, their eyes are still wet with tears, and their hearts are breaking, and every step they're taking, it's just a step, beloved saints. They hardly know how to take the steps. And at this conference, maybe there's someone here at Cedar Falls.

And just this Easter conference, this is exactly where you are found. And this Scripture just parallels your experience in a most dramatic way. Now, I gotta leave the setting of this just for a moment.

Of course, you and I know that this is the resurrection day. That's why I read in verse number one, I'm a day early when it comes to this conference. Sorry, I was almost going to speak on it tomorrow, but there's no guarantees.

And so I thought, I'll speak a day early, and the saints will pardon me at the first, the Easter conference here, when I compare this post-resurrection Easter conference. I've got it a day early. But the Lord Jesus wasn't a day early.

Everything's running on time. You know, beloved saints, when it comes to the Savior, and particularly meeting the need of his saints, everything with Christ, ever and always, is just at the exact time. And it's the day of resurrection.

And he's going to appear this day. You know, he appears ten times in the forty days. I don't have time to unpack this.

That's the great thing about being in a building with no clock. It's almost a preacher's dream. But I'll not do it this afternoon.

I am cognizant of some of my brethren here. But you and I know that in the forty days, as we look at the forty days when Christ appeared, he appeared ten times in the forty days. Five of those appearances were on the resurrection day.

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. She was still standing at the tomb. You remember John's gospel.

That woman was still standing with a breaking heart. The others had gone. Peter had gone.

John has gone. The other ladies have gone. And she's standing still.

And with a breaking heart, she sees someone. And she supposes that he is the gardener. And she says to the one that she supposes is the gardener, some of those most remarkable words of Scripture.

He says, Woman, why weepest thou? She says to him, Sir, they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. She says, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where. And she says, I will take him away.

Beloved saints, every time I read that, I think of a devoted sister. Haven't we heard it already this morning, the devotedness of sisters? And the first one that the Lord ever appeared to was a lady called Mary. She never forgot the moment when he cast out seven demons, and all he said to her that day was her name, Mary.

And she said, Rabboni, my great one. He then appeared to the other ladies, and he said to them, Rejoice, all hail. You remember he appeared to Simon Peter.

That was the third appearance. He appeared to those in the upper room, the disciples. The doors were barred for fear of the Jews.

And what I want to speak about this afternoon, just for a few minutes, I want to speak on the final appearance. Here are these two broken-hearted, well, this broken-hearted couple. I would suggest to you it's a man and his wife.

I firmly believe that. Maybe I couldn't prove it from the text. I think I could prove it from the text.

But let's assume it's a man and his wife, and they have left Jerusalem. And on this resurrection day, they're going home. It's a journey of seven miles.

It's a downward journey. All of those things we'll come to in a moment. And they're taking heavy steps, and they're not sure of the next step.

And a stranger, it's one of those most beautiful things in Scripture, a stranger steps alongside them as they are making the journey. And their eyes were holding, and they didn't know him. And he starts the journey with them on the first post-resurrection conference.

I think the first thing that I should highlight, just for sake of the time, I think we'll have to notice the setting when it comes to Luke's Gospel chapter 24. The setting has been Jerusalem. In fact, you would hardly need to go through the chapter before you'd see it.

As you're looking at this chapter, we start to read verse number 13, and we read about Jerusalem. Look at verse number 18, Jerusalem. Verse number 33, Jerusalem.

Verse number 47, Jerusalem. And right through the chapter, six times in the chapter, we read about Jerusalem. So the great setting of the chapter is the great city of Jerusalem.

It has been in the purpose of God now, and will yet be in the purpose of God. I'll come back to that in a moment. But here is the very setting of everything that has been ongoing on this resurrection day.

Of course, Luke and his Gospel. Luke, as he starts his Gospel, he actually gives a mirror image geographically in his Gospel to the book of the Acts. Many of you will know that.

When it comes to Luke's Gospel, he starts in Rome. And you will know in Luke's Gospel, he moves from Rome, the great capital. And you remember, he comes to the land of Israel, and he highlights Samaria.

That's chapter 9. And then from chapter 9, he'll highlight Judea, as we're moving through the Gospel. And then when we get here, right into this section of the Gospel, he highlights Jerusalem. When you come to the book of the Acts, he just mirrors the whole geography.

You know where they start in the book of the Acts? They start in Jerusalem. And then, of course, he says, go to Judea. By the time you get to Acts chapter 8, you're in Samaria.

And by the time you come to the end of the book of the Acts, you've arrived in Rome. And so there's two books from the penman, the penmanship of Luke. And there's a mirror image geographically in both of the books.

And here we are in the great city, Jerusalem. And these people have left. They've left now.

And there's a challenge. We heard this morning from our brother, William, about the great challenge of leaving. Here they are.

And these, this couple, they're amongst those who have left. And you know they're going to miss blessing. Thank God.

Thank God, even though they have left, they got blessing. And here they are in the road. They will return, just in case now, just in case I don't get to this.

They will return. And I'm coming through the message maybe a little bit quicker than I hope to. But they have left.

And you say, where did they leave? They left the great city of Jerusalem. And God has still purposes for this city, even in the present, even in the here, and even in the now, beloved saints. You think of everything that happened in that city.

The first time we ever read of Jerusalem, it's a way back in the book of Genesis. Our brother, Larry, almost brought us right there. Genesis chapter 14.

And there's a priest comes out of that city. His name is Melchizedek. And he was the priest of the Most High God.

And he was the king priest of Salem, Jerusalem. And we've got Jerusalem in Melchizedek's day. Then you'll notice we've got Jerusalem in the days of the monarchy.

David and Solomon. And Jerusalem, it reached its apex. We've got Jerusalem in the days of Messiah.

I don't have time to unpack these things. I give you the headlines, and you can unpack it for yourselves. Jerusalem in Melchizedek's day.

Jerusalem in the days of the monarchy. Jerusalem in the days of Messiah. There's coming a day.

There will be Jerusalem in the days of the man who sinned. There is coming a great day. The days of Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom.

It's going to be quite a day. This city, this city is known bloodshed. This city is known tears.

This city is known trial. This city is known turmoil. But you see, even here and now, in the purpose of God, God says, I've still a plan for that city.

One of the things I want to highlight, beloved saints, is this. The very place of their greatest trial. God is going to underline this day.

It's going to be the place of their greatest joy. The greatest trial they ever faced was when they crucified Christ in the city of Jerusalem. The greatest turmoil they ever knew was the crucified Christ.

And here in this city, where they had crucified Christ, the scenario and the scene of their greatest trial. Beloved saints, I say to you, these, these dear people, this dear couple, they turned around from their home, and they made their way back. We will be getting to that.

And as they made their way back, the very place that was the scene of tears, it became the scene of their greatest joy. I think our brother Larry, just as he finished, he mentioned something. He quoted Psalm number 23.

Every time I hear it quoted, I'm reminded of my own heart, my own spirituality, my own life. He restoreth my soul. You know, beloved saints, I don't know who I'm speaking to today.

But here are a couple, and the setting of this post-resurrection conference, it began in Jerusalem. And from Jerusalem, they started to move. That's the setting.

Their greatest trial, their greatest turmoil, the greatest tears that would be shed. It became the situation and scene of the greatest joy that they had ever known. The second thing I want to speak about is not only the setting.

I want you to think with me of the situation. It was dark. Say, where would you ever read that in the Scriptures? Well, when we got to verse number 29, it says, abide with us, because it's towards evening, and the day is far spent.

Now, they're going seven miles. I'll be coming back to that. But as they're taking this journey of seven miles, one of the things that I notice, every step that they took, the darkness is just increasing.

And as they are taking every step on the journey, it's getting darker, and darker, and darker. Is there a dear beloved saint here today? That's just where you are in the journey. Now, it's not through sin.

But as you've been taking steps in the journey, you'll be noticing it's just getting darker. And I wonder what's going on. In fact, they say to the Lord Jesus, abide with us, for the day is far spent.

The night is at hand. You know, beloved saints, for us, I do believe it's getting darker. Take a look around the world, folks.

Even in the favored United States, favored North America, we are seeing the darkness coming. But mind you, that statement of Luke 24 is mirrored in the scriptures. You remember what Paul says? I'm moving, I'm moving now to the book of Romans.

Romans chapter 13 and verse number 12. Paul says, the night is far spent, and the day is at hand. But there might be a dear beloved saint here.

You have come to the conference, and every step coming to this conference you're thinking to yourself, is there no light, Lord? Here I am. I wonder where I am. Here I am.

I'm taking the steps. Lord, we've been obedient. Lord, what about our family? And the great situation here is this.

Here they are, and in the situation where they're found, it is all dark. The wonderful thing was that, is this, the Lord was right there. In fact, one of the greatest things about this scenario was this, that no matter the spiritual emergency on this day, when he appeared to Mary, it was a single sister.

When he appeared to the other ladies, it was a group of sisters. When he appeared to Peter, it was a brother that was far away in heart. When he appeared to the two on the way to Emmaus, it was a husband and wife.

When he appeared to the man in the upper room, it was a group of saints that had gathered. Do you know what I learned, beloved saints, from that? I learned this. If there's a single sister here, the Lord is able to meet her need.

If there's a group of sisters here, the Lord is able to meet their spiritual need. If there's a brother that's cold in heart today, the Lord is able to meet your need. If it's a group of saints that have gathered together in assembly capacity, beloved saints, he's able to meet the needs of all.

Is there a husband and wife here? Whoever it is, beloved saints, today, he's able to meet each and every need of his beloved people, and he was right there. In fact, you know, the mirror image of Luke's gospel is this. There was a husband and wife at the beginning of Luke's gospel, and they thought he was with them, and he wasn't.

There's a husband and wife at the end of Luke's gospel. They think that he's not with them, and he is. Beloved saints, can I encourage our hearts today? He's with us, right to the end of the road.

In the words of the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 13, he is still Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday and today, and he will be the same forever. The setting of the chapter, this post-resurrection conference, the situation in the chapter, this post-resurrection conference. You'll notice the sorrow in the chapter.

Here, they're walking together, and a stranger joins them. Must have thrilled his heart, mind you. Must have just thrilled his heart.

They're talking together, one to another, and as they're talking together, one to another, he says to them, what things are these that you're speaking about, as you murmur together, and as you are sad? And they look at him, and they say, are you a stranger in Jerusalem? Don't you know these things? And he says, what things? That's just amazing. What things? And they say, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in word and in deed. And they begin, beloved saints, they begin just to pour out their heart to him, and the very thing that they're pouring out their heart in sorrow to him is himself.

The value, and the values of the couple as they are walking. Mind you, beloved saints, I want to ask you, what are our values? As we came to the conference now, what about our values? The thing that was foremost in their mind was Christ. They're talking, it's Christ.

They're walking, it's Christ. Their hearts, it's Christ. The only thing that matters to them is Christ.

Christ ever, Christ only, Christ always, it's Christ. Beloved saints, their value and their values as they are walking, their hearts and their minds, it was just filled with Christ. And here they are in sorrow, their values.

What about their valley? As I have mentioned to you, the interesting thing about the journey they're taking is a seven-mile journey that they're taking downward. And it's through the valley. You ever think of those valleys of Scripture? You remember Nehemiah? We were reminded at Mount Sterling that when Nehemiah went out to view the walls, it was the valley gate.

You remember David going into the valley of Elah, 1 Samuel chapter 17. You think of Samson. He loved that lady, Delilah.

She was in the valley of Sorek. And you go right through the scriptures relative to the valley. Let me just give you another one.

As I was musing upon this, just on Thursday past, I began to think again of Psalm number 23. Here they are now, and they're walking through the valley. The thing that's marking their mind and their conscience is death.

It's the death of the Lord Jesus. And every step they're taking, they eventually turn to him. I can almost hear one of them say it.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The thing they'd lost sight of was this. Thou art with me.

Here, beloved saints, is Psalm 23 unpacked in a nutshell. They didn't understand as they're taking steps through the valley, as they're moving down with a broken heart, as they're walking through the valley of the shadow of death. They had no idea that he was with them.

Their sorrow. What about their vision? Their eyes were holding. Mind you, they looked at this stranger.

Still their eyes were holding. Let me ask you about our vision today, beloved saints. One of the challenges of a conference.

I look at young people here. I look at middle age... 65. I kind of like that.

The more Larry spoke today, I thought, stay, stay up. If you're going to tell us that middle age is 65, please stay, brother. That sounds great to me.

65, middle-aged people. If you're 65, you're just middle-aged. That's a wonderful thing.

And here we are at a conference. Whether you're young or whether you're older or whether you're 65 and middle-aged, beloved saints, what about our vision today? We need to challenge our hearts now. Their vision was affected.

What about our vision now? As I'm speaking at the conference, where there is no vision, the people perish, and I see them at this post-resurrection conference in the setting of the conference. The situation at the conference, the sorrow at the conference. What about the stranger at the conference? The stranger that draws near? Oh, it's a wonderful thing, isn't it? Mind you, I would have loved, I would have loved, if there's one scenario in Scripture that I could have been at, it would be this one.

Just as he draws near, the pictures of Luke's gospel, chapter 24, Christ on the highway, he's there. Christ in the home, he's there. Christ in the heart, he's there.

Eventually, Christ in heaven, he's there. And it's all being unpacked for us, and yet the stranger is walking alongside with them. Just a stranger, as they thought.

That brings me to the next thing, as I try to use the minutes as best possible. It's not just the stranger at the conference. What about the Scriptures at the conference? This is one of the reasons why I would have loved to have been there.

He starts, and he gives the great scope of the Scriptures. He opens the Scriptures to them. Of course, many of you will know that Luke's gospel, chapter 24, it's the chapter of open things.

It's often been pointed out. There are so many open things in Luke's gospel, chapter 24. The tomb is open in Luke 24.

Their eyes are opened in Luke 24. The Scriptures are opened in Luke 24. Their understanding is opened in this chapter.

Heaven itself is opened in Luke's gospel, chapter 24. Beloved saints, the great scope of the Scriptures. I want to speak for a moment about the Scriptures and his skill with the Scriptures, beginning at Moses and all the prophets.

Do you ever ask yourself where he started? It would have been wonderful just, I guess you couldn't be a fly on the wall until they get into the home, but it would have been wonderful on the way. Where did he ever start, brethren? Beloved saints, where did he ever start as he opens the Scriptures to them? Right away back in the book of Genesis, Genesis 3, Genesis 9, and he's ranging and roaming through the sacred Scriptures. They must have wondered to themselves.

They must have wondered, beloved saints, who is this stranger who has joined us? Let me speak for a moment about the sufficiency of the Scriptures. Will you say, we don't have this now, don't we? The scope of the Scriptures open. His skill with the Scriptures, he begins.

What about the sufficiency of the Scriptures? I would say, beloved saints, that something has already happened to you at this conference that's happened to me. I sat listening to our brethren before me, and you know what God did? He made me understand there's something about this book. And as man opened this book, it's just the sufficiency of the Scriptures, line upon line, page upon page.

Wasn't that what William was telling us this morning? Wasn't that what Joshua was left for the inheritance? Our brother William knows very well that at the beginning of the book of Joshua, it's the Scriptures. You see, when you get to the end of the book of Joshua, it's the Scriptures, Joshua 23. Read it for yourself.

At the book end of the front of the book of Joshua, the Scriptures. At the end of the book of Joshua, the Scriptures. If Joshua is going to succeed, it will be through the Scriptures.

Beloved saints, we have everything and all. We are not bereft. The work of God can still go forward.

Conferences can still abound. God's people can still be fed. There's a richness, beloved saints.

There's something about the Scriptures to touch every heart. And here they are, the sufficiency of the Scriptures. I'm going to speak about the last thing, this post-resurrection conference, the solace.

They say to him, come in and come in with us. No, he says, I'll go a little further. No, they say, come in.

The day is far spent. Come in and abide with us. And he goes in and he takes bread and he gives thanks for it.

And he starts to break it to them. And as soon as he did it, they knew. Oh, they knew.

Soon as he did that action, they knew. And he vanished out of their midst. One of them said to the other, did not our heart burn within us? As he spoke with us, by the way, there's something about Christ when he speaks to our hearts.

Just as I conclude today, and I need to be down from here. It was Mr. Orisok. Mr. Peter Orisok, the drug addict.

He went to tell his testimony one time in a place in Ireland. It was called Newton-Breda. They got some strange names.

We got some strange names, too. It was called Newton-Breda. Mr. Orisok, he used to get nervous.

You would hardly believe preachers get nervous, would you? But before a meeting, he used to get nervous. So he took himself for a walk and he got lost. And he couldn't find his way back to the gospel hall.

And he got into quite a panic. And as he's walking through the streets, completely lost, he met a lady and a gentleman. And they're walking along the street.

And as they were walking along the street, she has her head covering on and she's carrying a Bible. So was the gentleman. And he just joined them.

And they had no idea who he was. No idea at all. And he kept walking with them.

And he kept talking to them. And eventually, they got to the Newton-Breda gospel hall. And they got up to the front steps.

And at this stage, they were singing hymns. One of the brethren looked at him and he said, where have you been? He said, the place is packed. We're looking for you.

And Mr. Orosok, he looked at the brother and he said, no matter about me, he said, you see this couple, make sure they get a seat. And when the meeting was over, that gentleman came out and he shook his hand. And he said to Mr. Orosok, you rascal.

But the lady took his hand. And Peter used to say, one of the greatest things that a sister ever told him in her life, his life, was when that sister took his hand that day, standing outside the hall. That woman said to him, did not our heart burn within us as he spoke with us? By the way, you say, did it change? You know, one of the great things about a conference, a conference should change our lives.

If there is value in a conference, one of the great things about Bible conferences, it should mean this, that we're never the same again. Here is this couple in the home and I can see the husband looking at his wife and the wife looks to her husband, one to the other, and they say, how can we keep this to ourselves? They've been restored. They know something of Christ.

And one says to the other, let's go back. And they start back on the journey. Mind you, it's a different journey now.

You say, was it still dark? There was a measure of darkness still there. You say, what about the downward path? Oh, no, no, no. They're not going down anymore.

Everything's changed. You say, what did it? It was Christ that made the difference. What made the difference at this conference? It was the Lord Jesus.

He has made the difference, beloved saints. And I can see them. They reach the upper room.

I can see them bounding into the upper room. And they say, and the disciples say to them, the Lord, the Lord is risen indeed. One of the things I have hardly touched, beloved saints, is that we are linked to a risen Christ.

Maybe tomorrow we'll be able or someone will touch our hearts with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And as they come into the room, all the other saints say to them, the Lord is risen indeed. He's appeared to save us.

Peter has been restored. And this couple, this husband and this wife, they say, we have seen him as well. He's touched our hearts as well.

He's made a difference in our lives as well. Beloved saints, let me command it to you. The first conference, the first post-resurrection conference, all the components are here.

Everything is in order. May God bless His word at this Easter conference.