Sermon Tone Analysis

On the Lord’s day, following the resurrection of Jesus, two of the Lord’s Disciples were walking from Jerusalem to their hometown of Emmaus.

The name of one of them was Cleopas (Luke 24:18).

Cleopas and his companion were despondent and disillusioned because of the death of Jesus.

They had heard reports of an empty tomb and of Angels telling some of the women disciples that Jesus was “risen from the dead.”

They were perplexed, however, not knowing what to believe.

All they knew for sure was that Jesus had been crucified and died.

Their dream of a Messiah who would reign upon the throne of his father David—the vision that had inspired them for three long years of Christ’s ministry—was over.

While they were making their way homeward, Jesus apparently comes up from behind them as they walk, only they do not recognize him.

“What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

He asks them.

/“About Jesus of Nazareth,”/ they answered.

/“He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.

The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”/

Rather then commiserating with them, this stranger chides them for their slowness to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

/“Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

He asked them.

Then, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”/

(Luke 24:13-27).

Now that was a sermon I would’ve liked to have heard.

It was our Lord’s own testimony concerning his resurrection.

What Old Testament texts did he use?

We cannot fully know the answer to that question, though we have strong indications of what some of the texts were, due to the way they were later used by the early disciples in their preaching.

One text, I think we can be absolutely sure of, is Psalm 16:10: How do I know?

Because it was used by both Peter and Paul in their preaching.“Therefore

my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

(Psalm 16:9–10, NIV84).

During this year’s Advent season, we have been looking at Christ in the Psalms.

Jesus told the religious leaders of his day, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.

These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” (John 5:39, NIV84).

Since the Jewish Tanakh testifies about Jesus, it behooves us to look at the Old Testament Scriptures to see what they say about our Savior.

What we discover is that all of the major events in the life of Jesus were prophesied in the Psalms.

* The first great event in the life of our Savior, is of course, his supernatural conception which is hinted at in the Psalm of the Incarnation—Psalm 40.

* The second great event in the life of our Savior was his temptation in the Judean wilderness.

That event is recorded in the Psalm of the Temptation—Psalm 91.

* The third great event of the life of our Savior was his death at Calvary.

For this we turn to the 22nd Psalm—The Psalm of Crucifixion.

* The last great event—actually a series of events—in our Savior’s ministry was his Burial, Resurrection and Exaltation.

For this event we turn to the 16th Psalm—The Psalm of the Resurrection.

One this Christmas Day, I want us to look at a passage that defines for us as believers, The Reason for the Season.

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I. THE PSALM OUTLINES THE PATHWAY OF FAITH OUR SAVIOR LIVED

#. like all Messianic Psalms, these verses are most fully realized in the life of the Christ

#.

Jesus told His disciples: /" ... “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work."/

(John 4:34, NASB95)

#. that work is to establish the Kingdom of God by dying for a Kingdom People

* /"From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”/ (Matthew 4:17, NASB95)

* /"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."/

(1 Timothy 1:15, NASB95)

#. in His high priestly prayer, prayed shortly before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father, /“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do."/ (John 17:4, NASB95)

#. in Psalm 22:1-7, we see the life and ministry of our Savior, and His total devotion of life to God as the Son of Man

#.

I wish I had time this morning to comment on them

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II.

THE PSALM OUTLINES THE PATHWAY OF LIFE OUR SAVIOR OFFERS

#. while I believe that vv.

1-7 of this Psalm are Messianic, they are also representative of King David’s life as well as many other great Saints of the Old Testament

#. vv.

8-11 are definitely Messianic, and are clearly quoted as so by both the Apostles Peter and Paul in their preaching

#. verses 9-11 make up the heart of the Apostle’s early gospel proclamation

* ILLUS.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee, pastor and bible expositor best known for the “Through the Bible” radio program, says of this passage: /“There are several liberal expositors who say that Psalm 16 has no reference to the resurrection of Christ.

But Simon Peter said that Psalm 16 refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and I am taking his word for it.”/

#. what we have in this psalm is quite remarkable

#. we see four truths about Jesus’ final days on Earth:

#.

Jesus’ reliance upon his father (16:8)

#.

Jesus’ rescue by his father (16:9)

#.

Jesus’ resurrection to his father (16:10)

#.

Jesus’ reign with his father (16:11)

!! A. THE LIFE OF CHRIST–HIS RELIANCE ON THE FATHER

#. in verse 8 we have the life of Christ: /“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”/

#. that, my friend, was the pathway He followed down here, and it is the pathway I want to follow, and it’s the pathway I pray you will follow

#. through the pen of King David we hear the voice of the Messiah speaking

#.

Jesus asserts without any equivocation that He has kept the LORD always before Him

#. in the New Testament, we hear Jesus repeatedly say that his heart’s desire is to be in total obedience to the will of God the Father—to totally rely on His Father in Heaven

* /““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”/

(John 4:34, NIV84)

* /“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”/ (John 6:38, NIV84)

* /“but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

... .”/

(John 14:31, NIV84)

#. some translations use the word continuously rather than always in v. 8

#. what ever word is used, the implication is this: There will never be a time when the Anointed One looks away from the Lord because his faith and hope will remain unshakable

#. even in Gethsemane, when He prayed, /“Father, if it be your will, remove this cup from me ... “/ His faith and hope remained unshakable

#. even at Calvary, when He cried out, /“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”/ His faith and hope remained unshakable because He also knew Psalm 22:24

* /“For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”/

(Psalm 22:24, NIV84)

#.

Yahweh has been the One for whom He lived—the Anointed One has never done anything in self-will; everything has been done in obedience to His Father’s will: /“Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”/

#. there was never a fraction of a moment in His life where Jesus was not totally reliant upon God the Father

!! B. THE DEATH OF CHRIST—HIS RESCUE BY THE FATHER

#. in verse 9 we have the death of Christ: /“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”/

#.

He died upon the cross at a place called Calvary, knowing that God the Father would raise Him from the dead

#. accordingly, His flesh rested in hope

* ILLUS.

One of the great works of the Christian faith was written by John Owen in the late 17th century.

He was a preacher, teacher, university professor, politician, and one of the greatest intellects of his day.

He wrote many works, but his most famous is entitled “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.”

I love the title!

It reminds us that all those who die in Christ will not be hurt by the second death spoken of in the Scriptgures—which is eternity in hell.

* /"Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!

Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years."/

(Revelation 20:6, ESV)

#. you are ultimately powerless to prevent your death

#. we are living in an era where medical science is advancing by such leaps and bounds that the average physician is hard pressed to keep up with the technology