The Message We Proclaim | A Sermon on Luke 24:44-49

Introduction
Ann Barnes passed away this morning as I was writing this message.  Her friends and family are shocked and grieved--myself included.  And many of us are struggling to process it.  Our hearts go out to Rusty and their family.  

At times of lose like this, our hearts hurt and we have many questions. We wonder about hope as we suffer and see people we love suffer.

And providentially, our Scripture today gives hope as it asks a very important question:  What is the message Christians proclaim to the world?  I hope you will listen with especially attentive ears.  Let us begin with the Scripture.

Luke 24:44-49
⁴⁴ Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷ It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations,^[a] beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of all these things.

⁴⁹ “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

The Core Message
Jesus gives us the core message of Christian hope in verse 47.  We are to preach to the whole world: “There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.”
Moments like this—when we come face to face with the death of someone we love, who left this world too early and so unexpectedly—remind us that life is fragile.  The message of forgiveness is incredibly important.

Ann Barnes was a sweet, sweet soul.  I have not known her as long as most of you, but I have known her long enough to know she was a true follower of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was her Lord and Savior.  She loved Him and served Him. And He welcomed her Home today.  He saved by His grace through faith when she repented of her sins followed Him.

And so today I do not need to fear for Ann, because I know she is in Heaven with Jesus.
Her body is made whole.  The health issues she struggled with over the past few years are gone.
She no longer has to suffer the brokenness and evil of this world (no more pollical ads…).

Suffering
Jesus showed His Disciples from Scripture how the Old Testament clearly foretold how Jesus must suffer, be killed and rise from the dead on the third day.  This was part of God’s plan.  Jesus had to suffer.  He suffered for our sakes.

We suffer too.  We suffer because of sin.  Sometimes it is because of our own sin, but more often it is just because of sin in general.  The world is broken because of sin.  And this sin sickness infects everything we experience.  Yet our suffering would be worse if it had not been for our Savior—the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the Old Testament, in Isaiah 53:5-6, it says of Jesus, “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Jesus suffered for us to lessen our suffering.  Were it not for Him, the suffering we experience—as unbearable as it already is—would be completely unbearable.  We would utterly collapse and be crushed under the weight of it.  Yet Jesus took the greater part of our suffering on His own shoulders.  He has given us enough space to hear God’s call for repentance.

Repentance
From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached:  “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  Those who follow Jesus make their start when they choose to repent of their sins and follow Him.  To repent literally means to turn away. 

We repent by turning away from our sin and turning toward Jesus.  We turn aside from a following the path of sin to follow the path of Christ.  No longer do we choose to live for ourselves and our own plans.  Instead, we follow Christ.
We give Jesus control of our destiny, realizing His plans are better than our own.

So, we are faced with two real choices.  We can continue to live our lives as we please.  Or we can surrender control to God, repent of our sin, and follow Jesus.  There is no middle ground.  Jesus is either your Lord or He is not.  We all have to decide.

There are real consequences to the choice we make.  If you continue to live as you please, you will eventually be separated from God forever in the fires of hell, tormented for eternity.  You may enjoy some pleasures in this life (though I would argue they are an illusion), but you will ultimately pay for all your sin with eternal suffering.  

But you don’t have to.  God offers you forgiveness and peace through Jesus Christ.  If you repent of your sin and follow Jesus, you can be saved.  You will suffer some in this life, but you will ultimately spend eternity with God—the source of life—in the Kingdom of Heaven where there is no more sin or suffering or death.  And so, you must choose: will you continue in sin or repent and follow Christ.  

I pray today you will choose Jesus if you have not done so already!

Our Part
Those who choose Jesus as Lord have work to do.  Jesus has done His part.  Now, it is time for us to do ours.  And what is that?

Our part is to preach Jesus’ message of repentance for the forgiveness of sin to the whole world.  This is our most important task.  It is our mission.  It is why we are a church.  

You can take away everything else we do as a church and we will still be a church if we are faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ who preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  But if we do everything else—River of Life, preaching, teaching, music, Sunday school, Acorn Circle, etc.—but do not preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, then we cease to be a legitimate Christian church. 

And it is not just for the pastor to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  It is for every follower of Christ.  You may never stand in a pulpit and preach a sermon, but you will preach by every word you say or don’t say and by every thing you do or don’t do.  God has laid before every Christian a congregation to hear the message we preach.  For me, it is in the pulpit (and also on social media and on the internet and wherever else I can use my witness to spread the Gospel).

But for you, it may be as a mother talking to your children.  Or as a Father.  
Or it maybe as a teacher by the way you interact with your students in a school.  
Or as a nurse tending to patients and talking with co-workers.  
Or as a grandparent grandparenting.

You can fill in the blank with whatever roles God has given you.  He has put you there for a reason.
Every Christian is to influence their own circle of influence with the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

And we should not feel overwhelmed with the task.  For Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to do it.  It is the same Holy Spirit who enabled the Peter to preach and win 3,000 to Christ.  It is the same Holy Spirit that in Acts enabled believers to speak foreign languages and perform other miracles and caused the Church to grow exponentially, though it was sorely persecuted.  The some Holy Spirit empowers you to be a witness for Christ. 

Closing
So, in closing, I want to implore you with two things.

1. If you are not yet a Christian, won’t you choose to be one today?  Repent of your sins and turn to Jesus.  None of us know how long we have in this world.  And once you leave it, it will be too late to repent.  So repent and turn to Jesus today.
2. If you are a Christian, dedicate yourself to the main calling of every follower of Christ—to be His faithful witnesses who preach the message:  “There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.”

The Walk to Emmaus | A Sermon on Luke 24:12-34

Introduction
Last Sunday, we celebrated the wonderous resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.  The resurrection changed everything.  It was so unexpected, unprecedented, and momentous, it took time for the ramifications to sink in.  In fact, by Sunday evening of that first Easter, many of Jesus’ Disciples were still trying to figure out what had happened.  And for forty days, Jesus appeared numerous times to different groups on various occasions to confirm He really was alive and to teach what that means for the world.

Over the next 8-weeks, I’m going to share some of the stories of Jesus’ appearances and what they mean for us today.  The first is one of my favorites—the story of the Walk to Emmaus. …….

Luke 24:13-34
¹³ That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles^[c] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. ¹⁶ But God kept them from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. ¹⁸ Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

¹⁹ “What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. ²⁰ But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. ²¹ We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

²² “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. ²³ They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! ²⁴ Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”

²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. ²⁶ Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” ²⁷ Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸ By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, ²⁹ but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. ³⁰ As they sat down to eat,^[d] he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

³² They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, ³⁴ who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.^[e]”

The Walk to Emmaus Spiritual Retreat
There is a great modern day 3-day spiritual retreat named after this story called "The Walk to Emmaus."  I’ll be working as a chaplain on a the North Georgia Walk to Emmaus April 30-May 2.
If you are interested, I would be glad to talk with you about how you could attend WTE.  It had a tremendous impact on my life when I attend in 1996.

4 Things This Story Teaches Us
Now, back to our Scripture lesson about the original Walk to Emmaus.  It’s an incredible story. 
And it teaches us at least 4 things about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It really happened.  
The 2 Disciples left Jerusalem to walk to Emmaus (about 7 miles—2-3 hours of walking).  Why did they leave Jerusalem?  Scripture doesn’t say directly, but we can read some things between the lines.  In verse 21, they said, “We had hoped he was the Messiah…”  That’s past tense—like they aren’t sure they believe it anymore.  They were probably confused and overwhelmed.  They’d heard the women’s stories, but it doesn’t seem like they believed Jesus was really alive.  

Verse 17 says they were sad; but they may have been afraid too.  That would be a understandable.  The authorities who killed Jesus were probably keen on stamping out his following too  Anyone known publicly to follow Jesus could be in danger of reprisals.  So, the thought was probably, “Let’s get away from Jerusalem to somewhere safer.”

But then, Jesus shows up.  He’s not dead.  He’s alive.  They don’t recognize Him at first, but He’s alive!  The first thing this story teaches us is Jesus really did rise from the dead.  That’s important for so many reasons, but let me share 4.

1. It proves Jesus is who He said He is.  The resurrection confirms Jesus is the Son of God—not just a teacher or prophet.  Jesus is immortal and has power over death.
2. Second, it guarantees our forgiveness. The cross paid for sin, and the resurrection shows that payment was accepted.
3. Third, it gives us hope of eternal life. Because He lives, we will live also—death is not the end.
4. Fourth, it empowers our present life. The risen Christ is alive and active, giving us strength, purpose, and victory now.

The Resurrection was foretold in Scripture.
Another lesson from the Walk to Emmaus teaches is:  This was God’s plan all along; it was foretold in Scripture.  The death and resurrection of the Messiah was a surprise to the Disciples (to everyone really), but it was not a surprise to God or His Son.  The resurrection wasn’t a tragedy that got a positive spin.  It was part of God’s plan all along.  Scripture said it would happen.  So, it validates that God’s Word is trustworthy and true.

It proves Jesus is the promised Messiah.  The fulfillment of prophecy connects Jesus directly to God’s promises to Israel—He is the One they were waiting for.  The fact Jesus’ death and resurrection were foretold in Scripture shows God keeps His promises.  We can trust Him to keep every promise He’s made to us too—including the promise of our resurrection.

When we don’t recognize Jesus, He helps us see.
A third thing the Walk to Emmaus Story teaches us is:  Jesus helps us see Him.  Jesus wants to be known.  He wants us to know He alive and He is with us.  We often have trouble seeing it.  We’re often too busy, overwhelmed, afraid, sad, angry, or lonely to see Jesus.  But Jesus has ways to open our eyes.

Before you were ever thinking about God, He was already thinking of you.  He puts people in your life and lead you into situations that help reveal Him to you and help you see Him.

We see also from this story that God uses Scripture to help us see Jesus.  Scripture—rightly understood—is a powerful way we can understand Him.

Finally, we see that Holy Communion is a powerful way Jesus can open our eyes so we can see Him.  In the story, it was when Jesus broke the bread of Holy Communion that they knew it was the risen Christ with them.  The holy sacrament can open our eyes too.

Knowing Christ is with us empowers us.
A fourth lesson from our Scripture today is: Knowing the risen Christ is with us empowers us.  I want you to notice something.  These 2 disciples walk 2-3 hours to get to Emmaus (possibly running away in fear and disillusionment).  They had planned to spend the night in Emmaus.  We know this because of what they said to Jesus before they recognized Him.  They said, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” (verse 29).  But after recognizing the risen Christ, they were empowered and emboldened to go back to Jerusalem (even though it was already dark)!  No fear of bandits on the road or authority figures who might try to do them in.  They walked 2-3 hours back to Jerusalem in the dark!

One of the most powerful things Jesus did for me when I attended the spiritual retreat, The Walk to Emmaus, was open my eyes to Jesus presence every moment in my life.  Before The Walk, I already knew about Jesus, that He was alive, that He was my Lord.  But somehow, during my Walk, I realized and accepted deep down inside the true reality of His living presence with me.  I can't explain it, but now walking with Christ through life is a very real and powerful experience.  He really is alive and He is with me every day and it is empowering!

The same is true for you if you Jesus is your Lord.  And really knowing it will empower you to live like you have nothing to lose.

Closing Meditation
The two disciples in our Scripture didn’t recognize Jesus at first.  
Jesus walked with them a long time, but they didn’t know it was Him. 
But then something changed.  Scripture says, ‘their eyes were opened.’

I wonder how many of us are walking through life right now, and Jesus is with us, but we just don’t see Him clearly?

I want you to consider for just a minute.
Think about your life this past week.
Contemplate the moments you were too busy or felt overwhelmed.
Consider the times you were afraid or filled with worry.
Remember the moments you felt alone.
What if Jesus was right there with you then and you didn’t recognize Him?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, just like those disciples on the road to Emmaus, we don’t always see You.
But You are with us.  Open our eyes to Your presence, to Your truth, to Your work in our lives.
Help our hearts to burn within us again as we recognize You.
In Your name, we pray.  Amen.

Looking for the Living Among the Dead | An Easter Sermon on Luke 24:1-12

Introduction
Easter is the most important holiday of the whole year for Christians.  Jesus–the Son of God–was arrested, tortured, falsely convicted, and executed on a cross.  His body was hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, but on the third day, Jesus rose to life.  This is the foundation of everything for Christians. 

I want you to know, I believe in the resurrection.  I know Jesus is not dead.  I believe He literally got up out of the grave--a bodily resurrection.  It's not just a great story or an ideal to live up to.  I believe it really happened and it's the Truth I base my life on. 

I hope you believe too.  But if we really believe Jesus rose from the grave, it will change the way we think and live.  That’s what I want to talk to you about today.

Luke 24:1-12
¹ But very early on Sunday morning^[a] the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. ³ So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

⁵ The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man^[b] must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

⁸ Then they remembered that he had said this. ⁹ So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. ¹¹ But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. ¹² However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

Two Angels at the Tomb
The women found an empty tomb.  The stone was rolled away.  The body of Christ was gone.

Luke says, “Two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.”  These are clearly not men, but angels.  They resemble the angels Luke says appeared in heavenly glory at Jesus’ birth.  They also resemble Acts 1:10, where Luke also says “two men dressed in white” appeared when Jesus ascended to heaven

I also can’t help but think about the two cherubim God stationed at the entrance of the Garden of Eden.  Remember, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit and where kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God stationed two angelic figures (Cherubim) to guard the entrance so no one could re-enter.  Those two cherubim were later represented by the golden cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was considered by Jews to be the holiest place on earth and the very footstool of God.  But now 2 angels appear to the women at the empty tomb and say something incredible.

“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”  In a literal sense, the women were looking for a dead Jesus.  They came to anoint His body with burial spices.  This had not been done at His initial, hasty burial.  Remember, Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday afternoon.  They had to get His body off the cross and into a borrowed tomb quickly, before sunset when the Sabbath started and no work could be done.  So Christ's body had not been properly anointed for burial according to their traditions.

So the women had to wait until Sunday morning to come finish the burial ceremony.  As they approached the tomb, their thinking was completely focused on a dead Jesus, which was totally understandable.  The reality of what they found was so implausible, they couldn’t immediately comprehend the truth.  Their earthly minds struggled to make sense of it with the most reasonable explanations:  Someone has moved or stolen the body.  The authorities must have moved the body.

God knew resurrection would be so far from their thinking they would need help to see the truth.  So, God sent His angels to explain:  “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”  

Some people today still struggle to accept the resurrection.   A dead man coming back to life is incredible (in the literal sense of that word–not credible).  The entire history of human experience as well as modern science cries out as a witness that dead people do not come back to life–not in the way the Gospels describe Jesus’ resurrection.  And so many people cannot make the leap of faith to conclude Jesus rose from the grave as He said He would and as the earliest witnesses and the Bible say He did.

So, many people still look for Jesus among the dead.  What I mean is, they cannot accept that He really, literally rose from the grave and so they try to spiritualize the resurrection.  Maybe they see Christ rising from the grave as a symbol of hope, or a fresh start, or spiritual renewal—but not as a real resurrection that changes everything about how we live and think.  For them, the resurrection has “some” meaning, but they are still looking for the living among the dead—holding onto the idea of Jesus, while missing the reality that He is alive.

They want to find value in the Christian story—and in Jesus as an important religious figure—
without really believing the fundamental claim of Christ.  But if Jesus did not really rise, then the faith He gave us falls apart. It’s not just weakened—it’s false.

The Apostle Paul said it plainly in 1 Corinthians 15:14:   “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”  And he goes even further in 1 Corinthians 15:17:  “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

On the other hand, there are many Christians who do believe Jesus truly rose from the grave, yet that reality has not fully transformed the way they think and live. They still turn to the dead things of this world, hoping to find the life and fulfillment that only the risen Christ can give.  

They believe in the resurrection, but still look for life in success, in comfort, in possessions—thinking if they just had a little more, they would finally feel full.

They believe in the resurrection, but still look for life in approval, in relationships, in what others think of them—hoping someone else can give them the worth Christ already secured.

They believe in the resurrection, but still look for life in routine religion—going through the motions without truly setting their hearts on Christ.

They believe in the resurrection, but still look for life in distractions—keeping busy, staying entertained, avoiding stillness—because they’re not drawing from the life that is already theirs in Christ.

They believe Jesus is alive, but still live as if this world is where life is found.

They believe in the resurrection, but they haven’t yet learned to think like people who have been raised with Christ and live like people who have nothing to lose because Christ already won the ultimate victory.

Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
But that’s exactly what the resurrection offers us–a whole new way to think and a whole new way to live.  Paul said it like this in Colossians 3, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ… set your sights on the realities of heaven.”

Not someday you will be raised, but you have been raised.  That means the life you’re looking for is not found in the dead things of this world.  It’s found in a living Savior.  

So stop looking for life where there is none.  Stop searching among the dead, and start following the One who walked out of the grave.  Lift up your eyes!   Set your heart on Him!  Because Jesus is not in the tomb!  He is alive!

And if He lives then real life is found in Him.  Not later.  Not someday.  But right now!  So, let’s stop looking for the living among the dead.  And let’s stand together and celebrate the victory we have in Jesus, because He lives.

Closing Invitation
I want to give you this invitation.  Maybe you need to make a decision today.  Maybe you want to start following this Jesus who walked out of the grave.  You don’t have to understand.  The resurrection isn’t logical.  It doesn’t make sense.  It doesn’t follow the laws of nature.   But if God is real and Jesus is His Son, is anything impossible with God?  Maybe today, you just need to choose to have faith in God and His Son.  For then you will find, not just belief,  but life.  Life that is real.  Life that is full.  Life that is eternal.

So, stop looking for the living among the dead. Come to the One who is alive.  Close your eyes.  Tell God you believe, and ask Him to save you and give you new life in Christ.

The Walk to Emaus Story | A Sermon on Luke 24:13-34

Introduction
Roughly seven miles west, northwest of Jerusalem lies a quiet little town with a funny name—Emmaus. The town itself no longer exists, but its name has lived on for over 2,000 years because of one unforgettable walk.

Two disciples, still reeling from the trauma of Jesus' death and the confusion of reports about an empty tomb, were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus—a journey that would have taken about two to three hours on foot. As they walked, a stranger joined them. They didn’t recognize Him. They poured out their hearts—their sadness, their doubts, their shattered hopes—and the stranger listened. Then, He began to speak, and their hearts burned within them as He explained the Scriptures.

Their story about the resurrection comes to us from Luke 24:13-34.  And it’s important to us, because many of us walk through life just like those two disciples: burdened, confused, heartbroken... and unaware that Jesus is right there beside us. Today’s message is an invitation to open our eyes, to recognize the Risen Christ is walking with us.

Luke 24:13-34
¹³ That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. ¹⁶ But God kept them from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. ¹⁸ Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

¹⁹ “What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. ²⁰ But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. ²¹ We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

²² “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. ²³ They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! ²⁴ Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”

²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. ²⁶ Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” ²⁷ Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸ By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, ²⁹ but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. ³⁰ As they sat down to eat,^[b] he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

³² They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, ³⁴ who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.^[c]”

When Things Seem Out of Control
The first thing I notice about this conversation is how to the disciples it seemed things were out of control.  They said, “our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him…” as if God had no control over it, as if these evil people thwarted God’s plan.  “We had hoped he was the messiah, but…”

No one can ever thwart God’s plan.  God is always in control.  And in fact, the resurrected Jesus chides the disciples.  “You foolish people!” He said. “You find it so hard to believe…”  And He goes on to show how the crucifixion was all part of God’s plan, how He knew it would happen beforehand. 

When things seem out of control in your life, have a little faith.  Trust God.  God is in control.  If you are trying to walk with Him, He will use even the awful things in your life for His glory and your good.  So have faith and hang in there.  When things seem out of control, God may be up to something BIG!

The Writings of Moses and the Prophets
The disciples still didn’t know it was Jesus walking with them as He taught them from the Bible how the death and resurrection of Jesus clearly predicted the Messiah.  What the disciples saw as proof that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah, the Scriptures showed were proof that Jesus absolutely was the Messiah, the Son of God!

I should point out that the Bible Jesus taught from was the Old Testament.  The New Testament didn’t yet exist.  The Gospels and all the letters of the New Testament hadn’t been written yet.  But the Bible Jesus used, and the disciples read at the time, was the Old Testament:  "the writings of Moses and all the prophets…”

Why am I telling you this?  Well, because there are a lot of Christians today who shy away from the Old Testament.  We often prefer the New Testament because it’s a bit easier to understand and we like it’s tone of forgiveness and reconciliation (whereas the Old Testament sometimes seems more wrathful and hard to understand).  Some church leaders today even goes so far as to try to write off the Old Testament as outdated or unnecessary or obsolete.  But for Jesus, our Lord, this was clearly not the case.  For Jesus, the Old Testament was the Word of God and it clearly pointed to Jesus and explained what the Christians of His day needed to know about Christ.

So, I would encourage you to give equal value to the Old Testament.  We need to read it, know it, and understand it.  We believe all Scripture—Old and New Testament—is relevant and points us to Jesus and the way of salvation.

They Begged Him to Stay
The last thing I want to point out is how the disciples begged Jesus to stay.  I love that the Scriptures say they begged Him to stay.  It shows how much they longed to know more about God’s Kingdom.

Now, most of us are not begging for more teaching from the Bible.  In fact, right now many of you are begging me in your mind, “Alright, wrap it up preacher!  It’s time for lunch!”  But these disciples longed for the truth.  And this mysterious person with them (that they still didn’t know was Jesus) was clearly teaching the Scripture’s truth about Jesus.  And they longed for more.  “Don’t leave!  Don’t go on your way!  Stay with us and teach us more!”  And so Jesus stayed with them.

Oh that we would have the same longing for Jesus’ truth in our lives today!  Would you beg Jesus to stay with you today?

The Truth is, Jesus is here.  Jesus is not in the dead.  He’s alive.  And He’s been walking with you all along the way.  And He’s here in the sanctuary with us now.  And He’s waiting for you at the altar this morning as we break the bread and drink the wine.  He wants to kneel with you and pray with you.  May you long to meet with Him here as we celebrate the sacrament of communion.  And may your hearts burn within you as he talks to you and may your eyes be opened so you can see Him walking with you all along the way every day.