Increasing One’s Certainty About The Claims Of Christ
Part 96 - Luke 24:13-35 (ESV) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV):
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”
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Can anything be certain in life? Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “But, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Yet we go throughout our day with varying degrees of certainty about many things. You’re probably pretty certain that your alarm clock will go off in the morning, so that you can make it to work on time. You’re probably reasonably certain that your car will start and get you safely down the road. On your way to the office, you might stop at Scooters, order a coffee, and pay with your card. You’re fairly certain that the transaction will go through.
Your level of certainty is based on personal experience or perhaps on the observed experience of others. One can board an airplane with a high degree of certainty because there are over 45,000 flights a day without incident. Certainty is the quality of being reliably true.
In the previous episode of our salvation story, a group of women reported that they had gone to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid, but it was empty. What’s more, they claimed to have seen angelic messengers who told them that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Peter didn’t believe their story, so he went to see for himself. He verified that the tomb was indeed empty, and he left pondering if it really could be that Jesus was alive. How could he and all the other disciples be certain?
To answer this question, Luke tells one of the longest and most detailed post-resurrection accounts. Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, a village about 7 miles north of Jerusalem. Initially, we read that the disciples are kept from recognizing Jesus. But he then reveals himself to them, first explaining to them the Scriptures, and then through the breaking of bread together.
Luke uses this episode to demonstrate how we all may have certainty about the things that we’ve been taught concerning Jesus. We increase our own certainty by immersing ourselves in the Bible and through the fellowship of the local church.
