Greetings again my Brethren. Okay let us finish up looking at some circumstances in which the LORD has visited man as seen in some diverse situations and believe it or not this month we will finish up the entire teaching on “Waiting on God.” We have covered so much ground spiritually. If you missed any month please feel free to contact me and I can tell you where to go to get what you have missed. This has been a deep teaching not for the faint of heart, but for serious minded and spiritual people who want to know the unbraided truth from the word of God. As with all of our writings our goal is to share the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Watchman Nee tells the story of a friend who saw a brother stumbling and falling out of the way in the LORD in sin, but was kind and did not want to confront the brother with what he saw moving in his life. This went on for months. Each time they would get together he would turn his head away from the known sin in his brother’s life to keep the peace and friendship, but the brother noticed the lack of the presence of the LORD in his life over these months. Finally the brother went to the LORD and asked why the distance from him in the Spirit and the LORD told him it was because of his lack of concern for his brother’s spiritual welfare. He needed to confront his brother and let him know the LORD is not happy with his behavior. He did and what fellowship the brothers had. My good pastor friend Victor always says, “there is no person worth going to hell for” and he is so right. We are to speak the truth in love and truth at times can hurt, but it is what the Bible means when it says, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39) Now, the last section to “Waiting on the LORD.” We have been looking at some circumstances in which the LORD has visited man as seen in some diverse situations. Last month we looked at the journey, the month prior we looked at my favorite the wilderness, and this month we will finish up looking at in our home. Yes, Jesus comes to our home for a visit. My Mom without a doubt was the most spiritual person I have ever known, often the Lord would stop by for a visit with her. I am sure I have wrote about some of His visits, but here in Luke 24:28-31 we see where Jesus was constrained to stop by for a visit with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. We read, “And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went into tarry with them.30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” (Luke 24:28-31) The two disciples were confused and filled with perplexities over the death of Jesus just three days earlier. All of their plans and hopes were nailed to the cross with Jesus and now they are wandering on the road to Emmaus over 20 miles from Jerusalem. Let us pick up the story from here. In verse 29 the disciples say, “abide with us.” Oddly enough these disciples did not know it was Jesus. Often times when Jesus shows up at our home we will miss Him. This was the case with the disciples who probably heard Jesus speak, who probably traveled with Jesus in the crowd, but here because of all of the perplexity in their lives could not see Jesus. But as they sat at dinner Jesus started telling the disciples about Himself from the Old Testament (there was no New Testament yet) and He (Jesus) started to develop a hunger in them. See verse 27, but it was not till Jesus took the bread and broke it did they recognize Jesus for who He was. Verse 30 and 31, “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” Now this is always the reason why Jesus comes for a visit especially in hard times and tough situations, to open our eyes so that we can know Him. The more we can know Him the more He can come to us and open our eyes. If not then we will be like the disciples who walked with Him (Jesus) and heard Jesus talk, oh I am sure how their hearts were moved, but due to problems in their lives they could not recognize Jesus when He was in their midst. It was one of three things: Jesus purposely hid Himself from them. No, He would not do that they were His disciples 2 of the 82. Two, the perplexities and confusion from their day to day life blocked Jesus from their understanding, well maybe. Or three, they never really knew Jesus as they walked and talked with Him. I think the answer is a combination of two and three, but this is why Jesus came to them. Fear not Jesus is coming to our home for a visit if we have eyes to see Him.
Next month we will start a brand new teaching the “Oracles of God.” In the coming months we will look at how speaking for God is only found in being an “Oracle of God,” being a “mouthpiece” for God, Prophets and what a Prophet is and is not, and many other spiritual topics. Do you hear Him draw near? He is speaking to us, but do we have the hearing ears to hear what the LORD is saying to us? Written by David Stahl
