“ Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
Jesus could have easily said, “Here I am, it is I, the rise Lord!” But knowing that there would be many disciples in the future who would not have the privilege of His physical presence, He first directs there attention to the Scriptures. It is here that…
Jesus Reveals that all Scripture, Doctrines & Prophecies point to Himself
Her name is Nikki. She joined our small group in 2008. She came from a Pentecostal background and had a passion for Jesus. Her and her husband lived just a mile away from our church facility. When they became apart of our small group, we had one objective in each bible study, to lift up Jesus. No matter what we studied, we were looking for the love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Once she was able to see Jesus in each of our fundamental beliefs, we could not baptize her fast enough. I’ll never forget the day when I stood in the baptismal tank with my pastor and baptized her. Nikki’s entire family, who where not Adventist, were there to witness the joy of her new birth. Isn’t this what Jesus said would happen if we lifted Him up? He said in John 12:32, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto myself.”
Jesus lovingly rebukes the unbelief of these two disciples and then directs there attention to the very thing that pointed to Himself…the Scriptures. Jesus started His Bible study with Moses or in other words the first five books of the Old Testament. Then He expounds on the Prophets or in other words the rest of the writings of the Old Testament which were books written by the prophets. Simply put Jesus walks these two disciples through the entire Old Testament and shows them how every book, chapter or teaching was pointing to Him the whole time.
Obviously they didn’t have the New Testament then, because it hadn’t been written yet. They were living it! Yet the same principle applies to all Scripture. Jesus “expounded unto them the things concerning Himself.” Isn’t this what Jesus was trying to get across to the Pharisees in John 5:39 when He said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” This is why Paul when writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:15 & 16 could say that, “…the Holy Scriptures…are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” And in light of this he could say that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…” Therefore any doctrines or teachings that come from the Bible should find their root and substance in Jesus Christ. This is what makes our 28 fundamental beliefs beautiful. It is when we see our doctrines in the light of the love of God as revealed through Jesus Christ that we can see their beauty. Aunty Ellen shared the same view when she wrote, “There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures--Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its relation to this theme. It is only in the light of the cross that we can discern the exalted character of the law of God. The soul palsied by sin can be endowed with life only through the work wrought out upon the cross by the Author of our salvation.--Manuscript 31, 1890.
Could it be that not as many people are excited about our message because we have often shared them as separate Biblical facts without connecting them to Jesus and showing people their Gospel significance. The focus must be on Jesus! Again she says, “Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. . . . This is our message, our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer. If we can awaken an interest in men's minds that will cause them to fix their eyes on Christ, we may step aside, and ask them only to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God.-- Manuscript 49, 1898.
Jesus in the Sabbath! Jesus in the Second Coming! Jesus in the Sanctuary! The Good News about Jesus in the Judgment! I could go on and on. They are all telling us something about Jesus! And friend this impacts you on a very practical level, because you are experiencing a daily walk with the person, Jesus Christ. Truth is more than a mere Biblical concept, it is a Person. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Since all truth finds its meaning in the Person, Jesus Christ who is the Truth, that means that you can have a personal, daily relationship with Him. He desires to be in every area of your life. He longs to be known by you. But as these two disciples will soon see, He will not force His way into your life.
