Carpenter Diem (Because Jesus Was a Carpenter and Is Now Preparing a Home for His People)
The resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ, is crucial to the Christian faith. In Luke 24:13-35, we read of the resurrected Savior walking the road to Emmaus. This specific geographical reference reminds us of the absolute accuracy of God’s Word in all areas. In verse 27, Jesus begins to teach from the Old Testament; He not only walked the talk but also talked the walk! This passage does not reveal the exact Scriptures Jesus employed to teach these journeying believers, but we do know that He fulfilled the entire Old Testament (Matthew 5:17,18). Fulfilled prophecy is one of the major reasons that we can be certain that our faith in Jesus is not misplaced. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Malachi 4 predicted that God would send a prophet like Elijah as a forerunner of the Messiah, a prophecy fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matthew 17:11-12). Verse 2 speaks of “the Sun of righteousness” in reference to the Messiah. Luke 1:78 calls Jesus “the dayspring (sunrise) from on high.” Verse 79 quotes from Isaiah 60:1-3, extending the ministry of the Messiah beyond the borders of Israel to all people. Think of the immensity and intensity of the love of God, reaching out to all people, to you and me, to shine light into our darkness, to give life in place of death. God the Son is “the Sun of righteousness.”