Christ on the Highway, in the Heart, in the Scriptures

Oh, my Savior, hear my psalm, Shepherd, come, soldier and friend, Every grass shall see thee, Oh, be with us, Every grass shall see thee, Oh, be with us, Now let us read a few verses in one of the most beautiful passages that I know, Luke's Gospel, chapter 24. The Gospel by Luke, chapter 24. I will begin our reading at verse 13.

And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs, 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 grew near and went with them. But their eyes were whole, and 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? And 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 those 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 the Benhi, 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 sepulcher. And when they found not his body, 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 sepulcher, and found it even as the woman had said.

But him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, or foolish men, 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 and all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went, and he made as though he would have gone further.

But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us. For it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, 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 what things were done in the way, and how is known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece, and the word is a little piece, of a broiled fish and a honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before them.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I speak unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. Now, I do trust that the Lord will bless to us the reading of his word.

It's most important in the assembly to read the scriptures. I often think of the Lord Jesus, and we read of him, that he stood up where he was brought up. I've often thought that if we can't stand up where we were brought up, we shouldn't stand up far away from home.

He stood up where he was brought up, and he opened the book. And when he opened the book, the eyes of all them that were in the place were fastened upon him. The reading of the book was important to the Lord Jesus.

I would love to have been there to hear him read from the book that he inspired himself by the Holy Spirit, precious scriptures of divine truth. I had cause to speak to a brother recently after a morning meeting. He said, For the very bad expression to think that what you're going to say is more important than the reading of the book.

And in the assembly we need to read with reverence. It's not what we say that really counts. It's important that our ministry would be Bible-centered, but it's most important to have reverence for God's precious Word.

We handle it in the fear of God. Now, this is a beautiful passage of the Word of God to me, and it begins with the place that the Lord Jesus had in the heart of his own, the heart of the people of God. It is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.

You know, being saved is not head work. The ministry we give in the gospel reaches the mind through the ear. But if it doesn't reach the heart, nothing will be accomplished.

It is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with his mouth confession is made unto salvation. If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest as far as baptism is concerned. And if thou believest with all thine heart, the Lord's supper is for you.

If thou believest with all thine heart, God can give you evidence in your testimony and the blessing of others. Everything must be heart work. We live in an age when, in the materialistic world, men with great minds succeed.

But in the assembly, it's not men with great ability or minds that are a blessing, but it's those whose hearts the Lord has touched. You know, there's brethren that rise to give thanks on a Lord's Day morning, and the words are good and put together well. But here's a man who rises, and he's not on his feet two minutes until one feels he has a heart for the Savior.

How is it with your heart? Heart disease among the people of God is very prevalent today. May we keep our hearts with all diligence and have a right look at the Lord and at his word. This is a beautiful passage that I have loved for many, many years.

It begins at the tomb that we'll be looking at tomorrow more, and at the tomb we see the hearts, the heart of Mary of Magdala, the heart of those who loved him. Their heart was touched. And this lovely chapter begins with Christ in the heart.

The two on the road to Emmaus, Christ was in their heart as they talked along the highway. And when they gathered in that upper room, Christ was the center, and he must be the center of all ministry. We live in an age of scholarship, and we live in an age of man able to speak, and all the programs are full of man with ability.

But when it comes to the assembly, the center of everything is not the ability of the speaker. We're only passing through. But the center of the assembly is the one who hung on the center cross.

Without him we have nothing. Unlike the religious world that invests in the ability of able speakers and men that can draw crowds and entertain, the assembly is a place where we have only one person that really counts, and that is the Lord Jesus himself. And sitting often listening on the Lord's Day morning to the worship of people, and I've heard men qualified to put English together and many things, and I've heard someone rise and as they began to speak, my heart was touched.

Here's a man that feels what he's doing. He's here remembering a crucified Christ. He's here with the precious blood coming before him as he looks at that cup.

And this is something that can't be produced by learning or by worldly enjoyment of words. It's the Spirit of God in the assembly. And we must always remember that we are different from the religious world, depending on men of ability and depending on men who have plenty of speech and words.

In the assembly we depend on one person who is in the midst, having not seen we love. And the person of the Holy Spirit co-equal with him who opens the minds of Christians to the person of Christ. The Spirit always points to Christ.

The book always points to Christ. Everything in the scriptures points to him. He's the theme of heaven.

When we arrive there, how many wonderful things we shall enjoy. To meet with others gone before and to know everyone, and they will know us without introduction. To meet the saints and the faithful.

We used to sing when I was first saved. We don't hear it much today. We'll turn from all the glory of that thrice-blessed place and draw near to Jesus.

We'll look upon his face. Throughout eternal ages we'll worship and adore the glorious, loving Savior who all our sorrows bore. I've been a long time on the way to heaven, and a long time now, over 61 years since I was commended to the Lord's service.

And as I draw near to the culmination of a be-not come, my heart's affections long to see him and to be with him, which is far better. Everything here is passing, but he is eternal and his home is prepared for you and for me. By the way, if there should be an unsaved one here, if there should be a young man without Christ, I must not pass you by.

God is calling you, perhaps, in this conference to change your life and to come to Christ and start at the cross. And those of us who have started the ministry of all our brethren so far—and I trust mine also—will be to draw you nearer. Draw me nearer and nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer and nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side. So I want to say a few things about these words that we have read. It begins with Christ in the heart.

And you know, it's wonderful to have thoughts about Christ in the mind. I'm amazed at times at the memory and minds of many of my brethren. But to be just a simple believer, and Christ is crowned in my heart as Lord of all.

Christ in the heart. And these, as they walked along the highway, it is seen that they thought of him. And they thought about what had taken place.

And they misunderstood what was going on. But you can't read these words of these two travelers along the highway of life. But their hearts rested in him.

And to read these words, Jesus himself drew near. Christ in the heart. But the next place we see him is Christ on the highway.

The highway of life. These men, as he looked upon them walking along, sad, and they thought of him. And they had hopes about him.

Their heart was right. Their understanding needed to be corrected. But he was looking.

And he saw them walk the Emmaus Way. Jesus himself drew near and went with them. He was attracted to them.

And he saw them. And he went with them. We used to sing an old hymn that I love still.

I must have the Savior with me, for I dare not walk alone. I must feel his presence near me and his arms around me throw. Then my heart shall fear no ill.

Let him lead me where he will. I will go without a murmur. And his footsteps follow still.

Christ on the highway. Are you enjoying Christ on the highway of life? Or is he a distant figure? Do you rise in the morning and go out to business and forget that he is with you? Do you journey on through day by day and walk along as these men did? They walked along and they didn't realize he was with them on that highway. They walked and were sad.

Christ himself drew near and went with them. I've written here, Christ on the heart, Christ on the highway. But the next thing I've written here is this, Christ in the holy scriptures.

He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. When we read the scriptures, wherever we read them, whatever is the topic, he must be the center. Not only is he the center of the assembly, but he is the center of the scriptures.

He is the center of all ministry. All the ministry that is given is to draw our hearts to him in devotion and in love. We can't practice without devotion.

We can do certain things out of our own mind, but what he's looking for is devoted hearts. And those men that preached in the early days, they had not the education, and many of them had not the backgrounds that we have had and the privileges, but they were marked by devotion. I preached with one man in my life, and he was devoted, so devoted.

I don't mean he was unpleasant to be with, because some can be so holy you can't drive with them. But he was a man that was devoted to Christ. He loved the Lord with all his heart.

His name was Mr. Tom Campbell. I held his hand as he was dying. He opened his eyes and said, Harald, I couldn't have wished for a better friend than you.

I said you had a better friend than me, the Savior, and he's with you now in the closing moments. Men dying love to feel the touch of a hand that loved them. But the greatest hand of all is his when he says, Come home, the journey's done.

Isn't it a wonderful thing we're going there? I hope we will keep before us. And so here we have Christ on the highway, Christ in the heart, and Christ in the scriptures. The heart burned within them as he opened the scriptures.

Did not our heart burn within us while he talked to us by the way and opened unto us the scriptures? Dear brethren, I hope the messages will reach the heart. It's good to reach the mind, intelligence. But to reach the heart, if you were to rise today and leave the conference and say, The Lord is more precious to me than he has ever been, and I'm going to cast my care upon him more than I have done.

We're all of cares. If I were to tell you of the cares of people and the burdens, letters I receive, phone calls, people in problems, difficult problems, family life, married life, assembly life, and knowing not where to turn, it's a wonderful thing to say, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. He understands.

People may not understand. People may not understand the difficulties you're in at times, or mine, but he knows, he understands. Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

There have been days in my life when I felt he was far away, and I wondered. There were times he drew near, and I knew he was there. He walked with me and talked with me.

The scriptures were precious in that day. And by the way, that's what preaching is all about. Preaching is not to show our abilities that God may have given any of us, or to make great sermons that sound high and mighty, but he has given us the word of God that we might open it and read it and speak about him, because when we're in the glory, he will be the eternal theme of our worship, our praise, and our wonder.

And in the assembly he is the central person. No, the reason that so much problems arise in assemblies is because men want position. Even men I have known that I appreciated, but they longed for place, and they longed for position, and they longed that they would be the first one in that assembly, or the first one among the preachers, and so on.

Listen, that wasn't like him. He always took the lowest place. See him bending down to wash the feet of the disciples.

I am among you as him that serveth. There was no one ever took more lowly ground than the Savior. He was gentle.

He was tender. He expressed himself in emotions of love towards his own. He said, I will never leave thee.

I quoted that to a man recently who felt the brethren had turned against him and felt that loved ones had failed him, and he was in a poor shape. And I said, you know, there's one who said, I will never, never, never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Friends on earth may fail and leave us, one day soothe, the next day grieve us, but this friend will never deceive us.

Oh, how he loves. I want to tell you, dear brethren and sisters, whoever else may be a failure, whoever else may let you down, whoever else may turn away, he's always the same. I've known him longer than most servants here, and I found him always faithful.

Earthly friends may fail and leave us, one day soothe, the next day grieve us, but this friend shall never deceive us. Oh, how he loves. He might have passed by these two men walking on the Emmaus road, but he drew near and went with them.

And when they came to their dwelling place, if there were men, some think it's a man and his wife, but when they came to the end of their journey, he made as if he would have gone further. I think he did that to see what their attitude would be. He made as if he would go on.

But his person and presence were so precious to them, they desired him to come in and abide with them, abide with us, that as toward evening and the day is far spent. And what we need in the assemblies today is more of his presence. We know he's there, but sometimes he's grieved with our attitudes.

I'm grieved with the pride that rises in our hearts. I'm grieved because we don't speak to another brother that he and I are not happy together, or another sister that revolts us, perhaps. Yes.

Always look on their brow. When I'm in difficulty with anyone, I look on his brow, and I remember the blood we shed, that he might be redeemed. He's my brother.

Whatever he may do difficult, he's my brother. And we love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, when ye have loved one towards one another.

How is it that assemblies, some that I knew, faded out? Because behind the scenes there was rivalry. It was who would be the biggest? Who would reach the top? Who would guide and who would guard? And behind the scenes, perhaps, a sister pushing and saying, you know, he doesn't like you, and creating that trouble in the assemblies, because our personalities are different. Every person here has a personality of his own that he brought with him into the world.

But the Lord has saved, and saved people. I believe that if you had had a choice when you saw me coming out of World War II, you would never have chosen me. Never.

But his eye was upon me. He called us long before we heard, before our sinful heart was stirred. And when we took him at his word through grace, he lifted me.

The grace of God in my life, I trust, has made me gracious to others. Be tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. In assembly life, we need to learn the meaning of it.

If we begin to be spiteful, and backbiting, and talking against others, we'll soon find ourselves without the presence of God enjoyed amongst us. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And when Christ is given his place in the assembly, he will add to the assembly.

He will bring others in and save them. How will the lost know of Jesus if they cannot see Jesus in me? And so here they have arrived at their home, and he made as if he would have gone further. It's one thing about the Lord.

He never presses himself upon us. He waits to be invited. That's what the assembly is.

God's assembly. I thank God every day that when I was a boy, saved at 19 years of age, on the first Lord's Day after my conversion, I was taken by the brother who was interested in my conversion to an assembly. He said, You'll have to sit in a row by yourself.

I said, If I'm allowed in the door, I'll be very thankful. And I sat in the back seat and watched it. And I remember what I said within my heart.

Whoever these people are, they will be my friends as long as I live. I took the little believer's hymn book, and the first thing I did amongst brothers, I stole their hymn book, put it in my pocket. Of course, I gave them it back later.

But I went out into the park there on a Sunday afternoon, far from home. I took that little believer's hymn book, and I began to sing and put tunes to the hymns as I went along. Then later on in my life, I wrote a book about the believer's hymn book.

I don't know whether you've ever seen it. It wasn't the world's bestseller, likely. But I wrote about all the hymns and who wrote them and searched it out.

But I loved always in my life two books. The big book speaks about hymn. A little hymn book is not inspired, but a song is about hymn.

Those are the two best hymn books to have. H-I-M for this one and H-Y-M-N for the little hymn book. Two hymn books, the hymns we sing.

And those hymns were written by some of the most godly brethren and sisters. And so they came to the house. But they bid him in, I must have the Savior with me.

And he went in to tarry with them. And there they met him at Emmaus. He made himself known.

They saw the wounded hands, and they saw that Christ was there. Now, there's a lot more about it, but half an hour is all I want to speak.