Luke 24:13-33 Karl Barlow

1. Spurgeon tells a story of an old minister who heard a sermon by a young man. When the young man asked the old minister what he thought of it, he was rather slow to answer. At last, he said, “If I must tell you, I did not like it at all; there was no Christ in your sermon.”  “No,” answered the young man, “because I did not see that Christ was in the text.”  “Oh!” said the old minister, “but do you not know that from every little town and village and tiny hamlet in England there is a road leading to London?”  In Luke 24:27, Jesus goes back to the writings of Moses and the Prophets to help unfold the mystery of His death. What does this tactic of Jesus, coupled with Spurgeon’s quote, reveal about the Bible?  How does this help us better understand and read Scripture?  How might an overemphasis on this approach lead us to read Scripture inaccurately?  2. It has been said that the Bible is a "Him" book... it’s all about Him!  How do Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21 bring this truth together, serving as the perfect bookends of Scripture?  (See John 1:1-2 and John 1:14.)  3. In Romans 1:16, Paul says, *“The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.”*  Why is it necessary, once we are in Christ, to continue preaching the gospel to ourselves daily?  (Consider 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Colossians 2:6-7; Galatians 1:6-9.)  4. The message of the gospel is often seen as culminating at the cross.  How is this view incomplete, and why does our hope beyond the cross serve as an essential element in understanding the full message of the gospel?  (Consider Philippians 3:20-21 and 1 Peter 1:3-4.)  5. How might the words of Jesus in Luke 24:25, *“Oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe,”* present both a challenge and a warning for each of us?