The sovereignty of Jesus in salvation
I read Luke 24 last night and this portion of Scripture struck me anew:
Luke 24:44-45 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
What this Scripture declares in no uncertain terms is that the God-Man, Jesus Christ, opened the minds of those while He was with them after His resurrection in order to understand the Scriptures. Jesus Christ sovereignly illuminates the hearts and minds of those who are His to hear, understand, and respond to the written Word. There can be no active initiated on the part of the sinner except the prevenient, irresistible, and intervening grace of God.
It would be amazing to have heard Jesus share the gospel with his followers from the Scripture--e.g. the OT. The Law, the Prophets, the Psalms (and the writings) all speak about the Messiah and have their fulfillment and perspective towards the coming deliverer. And Jesus was that deliverer!
May we never lose the wonder that, for those of us who are regenerated and born again, our salvation is solely because God opened our eyes in order to understand and respond accordingly to what His Word says. As a preacher this comforts me greatly to reckon that I don't save anyone--I can't! It is God who opens the eyes of the dead, radically depraved sinner still dead in sin, to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 11:33 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!