The Passion: These Are The Words

Study The Word

Luke 24:44–47
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake 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, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

After His resurrection, Jesus Christ sat with His disciples and made a statement that should shake every believer to their core. He said, “These are ‘THE’ Words.” Not “these are some ideas.” Not “these are suggestions.” He said, “These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is made up of specific words. It is a specific message. It is based on specific events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies. Glory to God! There is nothing vague about this. There is nothing ambiguous about this. These are the words!

λόγος  logos  words  –  the spoken word, a divine utterance, the expression of thought, the word as embodying a conception or idea

And then Jesus pointed them to three specific sources. He said all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me. Did you catch that? The law, the prophets, and the psalms — these three pillars of the Hebrew scriptures all spoke about Jesus Christ. They all contained prophecies about what He would suffer, how He would die, that He would be buried, that He would rise again, and that He would ascend. Every single one of these events was written down before it happened!

And then look at what Jesus did next. The Bible says, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” This is incredible! The scriptures were there all along. The prophecies were written in the law. They were in the prophets. They were in the psalms. But the disciples did not understand them until Jesus opened their understanding. Hey! That same Jesus is alive today, and that same Holy Spirit that He sent is able to open your understanding right now as you read this. He is able to take the written Word and make it come alive in your heart. He is able to show you things in the scriptures that you have read a hundred times but never truly seen. This is real, spiritual understanding granted by the Holy Spirit is a real thing.
It is mandatory for every child of God. It has been a pivotal part of my life and relationship with the Word of God. It is part of the grace that is at work in us mightily here at WhatTheWordSays enabling us to do what we do. So I know how real this is, it works in me. And being in ministry for decades I have seen many Christians in whom this is not operational, even though they love Jesus and have a zeal for the things of God; just like what we see in the example of the disciples.
Listen, it’s not by might.

διανοίγω  dianoigo  opened  –  to open thoroughly, to open the mind, to open the understanding, to cause the eyes of the heart to see

Okay, so what did Jesus say is the purpose of these words: “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.”  He said “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name”.  The words were not just for information. These are the words that produce salvation. These are the words that bring to all men and all nations to repentance and remission of sins.  This is the gospel. These are the words. These are the specific words that Jesus Christ said were spoken of Him in the law, in the prophets, and in the psalms. And throughout this Easter month devotional you have been exposed to details of these words, and you are now a custodian of these words. Jesus Christ came, lived and was crucified and died for the remission of our sin; descended to hell and defeated him that had the power of death that is the devil. The third day He came back to life and appeared to many; and after forty days and forty nights He ascended before their eyes into heaven. And He is now seated on the throne in heaven Hallelujah! And now all of us who have received repentance and remission of sins worship Him forevermore!

Pray The Word
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the specific words of the gospel — written in the law, in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning Your Son Jesus Christ. I ask You to open my understanding just as You opened the understanding of the disciples, that I might truly comprehend the scriptures and walk in the fullness of this revelation, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Speak The Word
My understanding is opened by the Spirit of God! I comprehend the scriptures — the law, the prophets, and the psalms all testify of Jesus Christ. These are the words of the gospel, and I keep them in my heart. I am a keeper and a preacher of the specific words of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ!