Resurrection and Response ✝️ | Luke 24:13–35 📖

Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.

! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.

This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

Let's dive in together into God's Word.

Well, good morning, everyone.

Happy Easter, everyone.

He is risen, and we say?

He is risen indeed. Amen. Hallelujah.

This is a special time. It is the special Sunday where we celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

That Jesus Christ conquered sin and death.

That Jesus is victorious.

And we know that in Scripture, or we should know, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

This is a special Sunday where we recognize that the Word of God is living and active,

and the God that we worship and the God that we praise is powerful.

He is divine. He is strong and mighty.

And we can come to the Lord, no matter what it is we are going through,

no matter what it is you have been through, what experience you are currently going through,

the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

God is always there for you.

God keeps His promises.

He fulfills His prophecy.

Realizing and recognizing that Jesus Christ, just being born in that manger,

performing the miracles, teaching in parables,

walking on water, healing the sick and raising Lazarus from the dead,

feeding the 5,000.

Evil thought they could win.

They thought that they could win over the Christ.

And we know that Christ had His last supper,

where He said,

Do this in remembrance of me.

And we know that in the Passion story,

that He was nailed on a cross,

and Jesus' final words saying,

It is finished.

Jesus dying,

and then being laid in a tomb.

Even Joseph of Arimathea was foretold,

which is a wild thing.

Him being,

Christ being laid in the tomb.

And we come to where we are at in Scripture.

I had Kathy read today about the road to Emmaus,

which is what is happening the same day

on the day of resurrection.

In Scripture, it says in Luke 24,

the first day of the week, right?

It was talking about the spices that were prepared.

They were perplexed that they couldn't find Jesus' body, right?

And that's where we find there were men that were saying,

Why do you seek the living among the dead?

That the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men

and be crucified,

and on the day,

the third day rise.

And they remembered His words,

and returning to the tomb,

they told all these things to the eleven and to the rest.

We know about,

or we should know about,

this resurrection story,

seeing that the tomb is empty,

and that He is not here.

Where is He?

Well, we find that in the next passages

that Jesus is walking alongside

with two disciples.

And that's very interesting in here.

The same day as the resurrection, right?

We know about the resurrection.

The road to Emmaus.

And this is before Christ returns to His disciples

and at the end of the Gospel of Luke,

where He ascends into heaven.

And these two disciples,

they're leaving Jerusalem.

They are confused and they are grieving.

Feel free to open your Bibles.

Let's look at this, right?

Where we were reading it.

Two of them,

there's some debate on who the two specific disciples were.

They were going to a village named Emmaus, right?

They were talking about all the things that had happened.

They had clearly heard the message

from the empty tomb.

And it's interesting

that Christ is walking alongside these two disciples.

What is this conversation that you're having?

I want to know what you're talking about.

They stood still looking sad.

They were confused.

They were grieving.

Well, they had heard that Christ had been risen.

They might have not understood.

They might have been sad not seeing the risen Christ.

But they are grieving nonetheless.

They heard the report of the empty tomb.

But they hadn't seen Jesus themselves.

In verse 18,

then one of them named Cleopas, right?

Are you not the only visitor

who does not know the things

that have happened these days?

And yet Jesus decides to be

a little bit humorous here.

What things?

What things?

What are you talking about?

Right?

And they said to him,

concerning Jesus of Nazareth, right?

The prophet, mighty in deed and in word

before God of all people.

So they recognize who Jesus is.

How our chief peace and rulers

delivered him to be condemned.

We had hoped that he was the one

to redeem Israel.

Besides all this,

this is the third day.

Some women for our company

amazed us.

They were at the tomb

early in the morning, right?

That's the earlier verses

that we find in the Gospel of Luke.

And they did,

they didn't find his body.

They came back saying

they hadn't seen the visions

or the angels that he was alive.

And it's interesting,

in verse 25,

where Christ is saying,

O foolish ones,

slow of heart to believe

all that the prophets had spoken.

Many times in Scripture,

Jesus was pointing out

to the Pharisees

and to his disciples

how prophecy,

how the Word,

the Old Testament,

as it were,

would point to him.

Now we get to look at it

and we know exactly

what's going on,

but I can't imagine

not seeing the Scriptures

pointing to Christ.

Verse 27,

or we'll go in verse 26,

was it not necessary

that Christ should suffer

these things

and enter into his glory?

Not only is Christ speaking about

that he had to die,

but that he had to rise again.

So they drew to the village

where they were going.

In verse 28,

he acted as if they were going further

and they urged him strongly,

Stay with us,

for it is toward evening

and the day is now spent.

So they wanted Christ

to stay with them.

They went in.

Verse 30,

When he was at a table with them,

he took bread and blessed it

and broke it

and gave it to them.

What does it say then?

Their eyes were opened.

So they had conversations

about prophecy,

but it was when they were

doing community, right?

When they were breaking bread together,

as it were,

that their eyes were open.

They recognized him.

And then what happens?

Is Jesus still there?

What does the Scripture say, church?

That he vanished.

So once they understood,

he vanished.

And then it says,

Did not our hurts burn within us

while he talked to us on the road,

while he opened the Scriptures?

And they rose

and they returned to Jerusalem.

They found the eleven,

saying,

The Lord has risen indeed.

He has appeared to Simon.

They told what had happened

on the road

and how he was known to them

in the breaking of the bread.

So Jesus is calling them.

He is walking alongside

these two disciples.

And it's kind of this bridge,

this invitation,

to walk alongside these two

as they are journeying

to understand more about God,

more about who Christ is,

and to do life together,

as it were.

And so they invite him to stay.

They bread together

and their eyes were opened.

And it's in the reflection

and seeing that there was a fire

that was lit,

how their hearts burned.

And they returned to Jerusalem

to share in the good news.

What does all of this mean then?

If we go to that next slide then,

here at Ontario Community,

we use what is known

as the OIA method,

observation, interpretation,

and application.

Observation meaning

that Scripture is our source.

We read it in its context

and understand its connections.

The interpretation is

what can we learn because of this?

And the application meaning

what can we do because of this?

So we can see, number one,

that Jesus walks with the disappointed.

It says in Scripture that

these two were,

they were disappointed, right?

They were grieving as it were.

And Jesus,

despite the confusion and grief,

He doesn't wait for them to be right.

He doesn't wait for them to get over it.

He meets them where they are at.

And this is something

not only can we see

specifically for these two disciples,

we can see how this happens for us.

that no matter what it is

you have been through,

what situation or circumstance

you may have gone through,

you may be grieving right now

in this room,

you may have been going through

some really intense experiences,

but yet Christ will be there for you,

waiting for you to journey with Him,

to come alongside you.

And He,

we know in the Scripture

that Christ

walks with them

before He reveals Himself

to them.

That is what's powerful

about our faith,

about our risen Christ,

is knowing that

He is there

for us.

Think about that.

Think about

moments where you have

grieved

or moments where you've been

confused

or moments in happiness

or even in triumph.

God is still there with you.

In Psalm 34, 18,

it says,

The Lord is near

to the brokenhearted.

Isaiah 42, 3,

a bruised reed

He will not break.

Or in Hebrews 13, 5,

where it says,

I will never leave you

nor forsake you.

It is for us to learn

and for us to understand

that the risen Christ

will walk with people

even when they don't recognize Him,

giving time

for them

to recognize

who He is.

It becomes a bridge

between sorrow

and between joy,

between not knowing

who Jesus is

and that moment

where you understand

this is Christ.

Christ.

The second one, then,

is the Word

and presence

opens eyes.

Now, I'm not talking

about physical eyes.

Although, if your eyes

are closed,

you should open them

physically, right?

If we're going to be

literal here.

But I'm talking

about spiritual eyes.

The Word.

The Word of God.

Because Jesus

was sharing the Scriptures

with these two disciples.

Going over the Scriptures

and how they pointed

to Christ.

that is why

it is so important

for us to be

in the body of Christ.

Going over

what the Word of God

means,

what it says,

how it applies

to our lives.

Because it can

open our eyes

to, number one,

understand

who Jesus Christ is.

That He offers

salvation.

That whosoever believes

shall not perish

but have eternal life.

And, of course,

the presence of God

can open eyes

as well.

For some of us,

we may have felt

the presence of God.

How overwhelming,

in a good way,

it can be,

feeling the presence

of our Lord.

And I don't know

about you,

but if my eyes are shut,

I want to make sure

they're open.

So, it should be

a lesson for us.

Look, their hearts

burned

as Jesus taught

the Scriptures.

Because,

we know that this Bible

is living

and it is active.

And it should

transform us

when we think

of the word

repentance.

How many of you

have heard

to repent

or repentance?

You don't have to

raise your hand.

Metanoia,

which means

to change your mind.

Not only does it mean

to change your mind

about who Jesus Christ is,

but it is to continue

to change your mind

to live

and love

to be molded

like Jesus.

Does that make sense,

church?

Their eyes

were opened

in relationship,

though.

It's much like

how Scripture says

that we are to

hear the word

and do what it says

or,

some of you may know,

trust and obey.

That not only

is it hearing word,

but it's also

living it out.

Their eyes

burned

when they were hearing.

Their eyes

opened,

excuse me,

when they broke bread.

They understood.

That shows you

the power

of Christian community.

that goes to show you

one of the reasons

why we together

can explore

the word of God,

but let it transform

our lives.

There is healing.

There is transformation.

There is understanding

from our Lord

and our God.

Many of you may know

the Gospel of John,

John 5:39

chapter 5,

verse 39,

which says

that the Scriptures

bear witness

to me.

It's where Christ

is talking to

the Pharisees,

saying you're so

ignorant,

you're looking at

the Scriptures,

not realizing it

points to who

Christ is.

In Revelation 3.20,

I've been mentioning

this one a great deal.

Some of you may see

those pictures

where Jesus is

knocking at the door,

right?

And it's usually

a pleasant image

that you have,

but what's so funny

about it is

if you read it

in context,

judgment's about

to happen,

and you're like,

oh, wait a minute.

But it's a funny

thing nonetheless,

but it's still

a reality.

Doesn't God

invite us

to the table

of plenty?

Doesn't God

invite us

to salvation

by believing

in the death,

burial,

and resurrection

of him?

So this image

of Jesus

knocking at the door

is still appropriate,

be that judgment

or be that invitation.

And of course,

in Acts 2,

Acts 2:46

verse 46,

they broke bread

together in their

homes and ate

together,

signifying the power.

We know the power

of the resurrection

story,

but it is up to us

to respond.

If you don't know

the Lord,

respond by believing

in the Lord.

If you've been

distant,

and you know

the Lord,

and you've been

hurt,

may I let you know.

Man will fail you,

but God

will never fail you.

Are we perfect,

church?

If you are,

let's talk later.

Right?

I have some questions.

None of us

are perfect,

but we believe

in the God

who is perfect,

who is holy,

everlasting

to everlasting.

He is constant,

and he does not change.

But we do,

don't we?

We change all the time.

And so,

let us keep in mind,

we are to respond.

Believe in the Lord

and be saved.

If you have had any

hurt or injury,

God's still there for you

and invites you

to come back to him.

And if you're a faithful

Christian,

response looks like

living out the faith.

in the words

that you say

and in the actions

that you do,

being a representative

for Christ.

Don't we live

in an everyday world

where there's just

a lot of people?

All sorts of people,

all sorts of different

backgrounds.

That we are to be

the salt

and the light

exhibiting

the life,

love,

and truth

of Christ.

that actually leads us

to the third one.

That the resurrection

requires a response.

Don't you realize

when you see

the empty tomb,

did they stay there?

Yeah, they stood there

in awe.

But eventually,

what did they do?

They left

to tell people

the resurrection story.

In the same way,

on the road,

on Emmaus Road,

same thing,

that Jesus is showing

the scriptures

and how it points to him

and breaks bread

with these two disciples

and he disappears.

But yet,

despite Christ disappearing,

despite him vanishing,

their hearts were on fire

for the living God,

wanting to confirm

what else was happening,

but to share

in the good news

of the gospel.

And in the same way,

well,

once they recognized Jesus,

they got up

and went back

to Jerusalem

the resurrection.

Yeah,

we've got to believe in it.

That's the most

important thing.

But we've also

got to respond to it.

Amen?

Romans 10, 14,

very famous word.

How can they believe

unless they hear

or James 1, 22

to be doers

of the word

and not just hearers?

Or

we find that in scripture.

It wasn't just

a feeling

that they had.

They had to act

because of that feeling,

because of the movement.

We could even say

it was the movement

of the Holy Spirit

to lead them

to go proclaim

the good news

of the gospel.

This leads us then

into

what do we do

about this?

The application.

number one,

don't walk away

from the resurrection

message.

Just like the disciples,

sometimes

we get discouraged.

Sometimes we have moments

in our lives

where we're not filled

with hope.

our Lord

and our God

is the God

of comfort,

truth,

justice,

mercy,

and he is holy.

In Genesis 28, 16,

surely the Lord

is in this place

and I did not know it.

And I pray

that each

and every one

of you

know that you

are loved by God,

know that he

has called you

into a relationship

to grow in him,

to be molded

by him,

to be transformed,

to go,

in simplistic terms,

it's going from

darkness into light.

It's going from

the,

scripture talks about

the domain

of darkness

into the kingdom

of light.

In other words,

it's just going

from unbelief

to belief

and recognizing

that

and

for those

that don't know

the Lord,

may you respond

to know him.

But don't walk away

from that message.

Identify where

you've been walking.

Where are you

on life's journey?

It is my prayer

on your spiritual walk,

on your spiritual journey,

you come to know Christ.

And upon knowing Christ,

you journey

in Christ.

Do you understand

the difference?

The second one

is make room

to encounter

and to grow

in Christ.

That Jesus

didn't force himself

to these disciples.

He waited

for an invitation.

Now think about that.

They were talking

about the scriptures

and it was getting late.

Like,

well,

wait a minute.

We just had a good talk.

I mean,

you've had that before,

right?

You had a good talk

with someone like,

hey,

can we have coffee

or like have lunch sometime?

Like you want to continue

the conversation

kind of thing.

They were so moved.

Christ waited

for that invitation

for them

to invite

Christ in.

and just as I mentioned

earlier that

Christ reveals himself

in the word,

through his presence,

and in relationship.

they urged him strongly,

stay with us.

Have you invited

Christ into your life?

Only you can answer that.

And I certainly hope

that you have

and if you haven't,

may you receive him

in your life.

This is the bridge

of hope

that is

extended to you,

much like how I use

the language

of the invitation

or the visitation

of Christ.

This then leads us

to

that third point.

Talking about bridges

is walking the bridge

of hope

back

to others.

Now,

did the disciples

wait until

the next morning?

Oh,

cool,

man.

No.

They

left

immediately

to go back

to Jerusalem

to proclaim

in the news

of the risen Christ.

Think about that.

The resurrection,

when we come here

on Easter

and we're celebrating

Christ's victory

over death

and over sin,

that is something

that we should share

with our friends

and our family.

That is something

that we should live out

and embody

when we interact

with everyday people.

Is everybody

we interact with

Christian?

The answer is no.

Right?

Every,

we interact

with all kinds

of people.

That is why

it's not only

important for you

to speak

the truth

in love,

but to live it out.

You've got to

embody that

every single day.

just why

the scriptures

say to be

an ambassador

for Christ.

We've got

to embody that.

It's too great.

The gospel,

the resurrection

story

is too great

for us

to keep

quiet.

It should

move us.

It is meant

to be carried.

It is meant

for us

to go

into

our community

and to

transform

culture

in the name

of Christ.

Not forcing it,

but speaking

to it,

living it out,

being that

example for

others.

In Acts

420,

just as today

is 420,

I'm going to

give you a

scripture verse.

verse,

in Acts

420,

it says,

we cannot

help speaking

about what

we have

seen

and what

we have

heard.

That's

powerful.

In the

same way,

the people

who came

onto the

scene

to see

that the

stone

was gone

and the

two

disciples

that broke

bread

with Christ,

the pattern

is,

the message

is so

great.

That they

had to

share it.

And church,

the message

of the

resurrection

of Christ

rising from

the dead

goes to

show us

the power

of who

our God

is.

That we

trust in

the living

God.

We don't

trust in

a dead

God.

We trust

in the

God who

is above

all space

and all

time.

And it

is up to

us to

carry out

that message

to those

that we

know,

even those

we don't

know,

even to

other people.

I want you

to think

about that

for this

Easter

morning,

that

resurrection

Sunday is

not just

about an

empty tomb.

Oh,

no,

it's much

more than

that.

It's the

fact of

why it's

empty,

recognizing

that it

is the

power of

God.

It's

about our

Savior

who walks

with us,

who speaks

to us

and desires

for us to

be together.

For we

are better

when we

are together.

And the

beautiful thing

is that

he opens

our eyes

and transforms

us from

the inside

out.

You don't

have to

understand

everything

to experience

Christ.

If that

were the

case,

it would be

very different,

wouldn't it?

you just

have to

walk with

him.

Because

Jesus is

ready to

walk with

you in

life.

And

isn't it

beautiful to

know that

Christ is

there with

us,

no matter

what happens

to us,

or what

people do

to us.

God's

going to be

there for

you.

Walk

with

him,

listen to

him,

and receive

that gift

of salvation.

And this

response,

that's why I

titled this

sermon,

Resurrection

and Response,

and in

closing, I

want you to

think about

this.

Hearing the

resurrection

story completes

the gospel

narrative.

The death,

burial,

and

resurrection.

Ask

yourself this

question.

How are

you going

to respond

to the

resurrection

story?

Only you

can answer

that.

May you

respond

to the

resurrection.

Let's pray

together.

And

Father,

we thank

you for

this time

and this

opportunity

for us

to gather

together

on this

Easter,

this

resurrection

Sunday.

May we

recognize

your power,

your glory,

your might,

your

consistency.

And

Father, I

pray for

everyone who

is here in

person,

everyone who

is watching

online, or

everyone who's

going to

listen to

this message,

that they

recognize that

they are loved

by you,

and that you

sent your

Son, that

whoever,

anyone,

everyone who

believes shall

not perish,

but have

everlasting,

eternal life.

Father, we've

gone over

this part in

scripture where

these two

disciples

did not

understand, but

they did

understand.

I pray that

if there is

any that do

not understand

the resurrection

story, may

they understand

it today.

I pray that

if there's

anyone who's

been hurting

by people,

that there

will be

healing.

And I

pray that

every single

person,

know that

they're loved

by you, and

respond to

the resurrection

story, and

live it out

every single

day.

It is in

the name of

Jesus Christ,

the cornerstone

of our faith,

that we pray

and we all say

together, amen.

Amen.

Thank you for

listening for this

week's message from

Ontario Community

Church.

I pray that you

are encouraged and

strengthened in your

walk with Christ.

For more sermons

and resources,

visit

OntarioCommunityChurch.org.

May God bless you

as you live out

His grace and

truth every single

day.