Walking with Hope: The Road to Emmaus

Luke, chapter number 24.

Luke chapter number 24.

We are, at our church, continuing the celebration that Jesus rose again, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every Sunday is a celebration of that.

And Luke chapter 24, verse number 13, it reads this, and behold, two of them went the same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem, about three score furlongs or seven miles.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

And they talked together of all the things which had happened, and it came to pass while they commune together.

And reason Jesus himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were holding that they should not know him.

And he said in them, what manner of communications are these that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? And the one of them whose name was Cleopas answered, said unto him, are thou only a stranger in Jerusalem and has not known the things which are come to pass these, there in these days? And he said, UN them what things? And they said unto him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed and word before God.

And all the people I.

How the chief priest and rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him.

But we trusted that it had been he, which should have redeemed Israel.

And besides all this, to today is the third day since these things were done.

Yay.

And certain women also of our company, made us astonished, which were early at the licker.

And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

And certain of them, which were with us, went to the slicker and found it even so as the women had said, but him, they saw not, then he said it to them, oh, fools and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken.

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory.

Lord, take your scripture, your word.

Speak to our hearts Lord.

Lord, we thank you that we can celebrate that you're alive, Lord, that we can have salvation.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

I don't know about you, but I love this story.

Found here, if just a picture of the story is that these guys are traveling along the road.

Now, some would say that Jesus, God waited to the time when Rome, built all kinds of roads.

And I would tell you that's not true.

God just commissioned that Rome was gonna build all kinds of roads so the gospel could be spread all over after Jesus came.

And so Rome had built, many roads, all over the place.

That is one of the big things that the Roman Empire did.

And along this road, these men were walking away from Jerusalem.

They were walking away from Jerusalem without hope.

They were walking away from Jerusalem discouraged by what had happened.

they believed, what others were probably saying during that day that Jesus' body had been stolen, it can be so discouraging and, there are so many lies, for our young people, who think that you can research and really figure something out.

when you search something online, they feed you that, oh, you like this? I'm gonna feed you more of this.

I'm gonna feed you things that agree with you that think like you, because then you'll consume more of it.

They're hearing.

The, they're fake news of the day.

They're hearing the lies of the day.

Jesus is gone.

And I just wanna tell you, people didn't wanna believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

They wanted to reject that Jesus Christ was alive.

And so it would've been spreading.

Hey, someone stole the body.

he really was never dead.

He was sleeping.

he got up and walked away.

And so these disciples are leaving, Jerusalem with no hope.

But put your marker there.

And Luke, and let's flip over to one Corinthians chapter number 15, one Corinthians 15, verse number 13.

verse number 13, it reads this, but if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen.

And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching vain and your faith is also vain.

Everything hinges on the resurrection.

If Jesus didn't rise again, he said, Hey, preaching this morning, this preaching is vain.

It's empty.

He said, your faith, if Jesus didn't rise from the, dead, our faith is in vain.

It's empty.

it's worthless.

verse number 18.

He said, then they also, which are falling asleep in Christ are perished.

He just goes on verse after verse here and talks about if Christ isn't risen, our hope is in vain.

And then he says this in verse number 20, but now is Christ risen from the dead.

This is, if you get this is like beautiful.

They believed all the stuff before verse number 20.

Maybe he wasn't risen from the dead, all these things.

But now Christ shows up.

They're walking along this road and they're discouraged.

But Jesus shows up.

He begins to walk with them.

And she's I just, honestly, she's you just look so stupid.

but, this is different.

Like you, sometimes you don't recognize someone.

The Bible says that their eyes were holding, they, he stopped them from being able to see.

That it was him, that it was the Christ.

I wanna just give you just this testimony before we get into the rest of this, and Luke, these five testimonies, about the risen Christ.

the first testimony is that we can just trust the word of God.

I believe that because, the Bible tells me so I can trust it.

We just know that the Bible is the word of God and it is true, and it has been preserved.

And so therefore, when the Bible tells me Jesus is alive, I know he is alive because the word has been.

Spoken.

That's why we will find Jesus walks through the word of God, with them.

He says this in John 5 39, search the scriptures for in them.

You think you have eternal life.

And they are.

They, which testify of me they speak of Jesus in the Bible tells us that he rose from the dead.

Here's the next testimony that we get.

we get that the apostles were radically changed.

Do you remember when Jesus was taken, all the apostles scattered and they were fearful, but then after the resurrection, they were willing to die on horrible crosses.

They were willing to be burned or boiled or beheaded.

they were willing to go through whatever.

Why? Because they had seen the risen Christ with their eyes.

Now some people would say, yeah, but there are these other religions and they will give their lives and they will die.

It's because they have been told a lie.

It's not their own lie.

Like people don't die for their own lies.

They might tell you a lie and say, Hey, you know this, but they actually saw Jesus, alive and walking.

but then I think like some of us are, we struggle with this same thing.

Like we'll have an opportunity to witness to someone and we just get fearful and become cowards.

I know I need to tell them about Jesus.

I know I need to tell them the truth, but we just stumbled 'cause we're in the flesh.

They were in their flesh.

Therefore they didn't have boldness.

And so they couldn't stand when the soldiers came.

Peter denied Jesus three times.

A little maid came to him, and this is Peter who's like the bold one who ends up preaching to thousands, and he's no, I wasn't with them.

They scattered.

And then after the resurrection, they became bold.

It is a testimony, of the truth of the resurrection.

another testimony is the empty tomb.

he says, why seek you the living among the dead? There are only a few religions that surround a personality or a person, and every other religion that surrounds a person or personality.

You can find their bones.

They are dead.

Jesus Christ is alive.

And then I think about the testimony of prophetic fulfillment.

How many prophecies that you have to say, Hey, this is gonna happen and it happens, that you just trust it.

there were all these prophecies about where the Messiah would be born, his entry into Jerusalem, all of these things.

And they were correct.

And then I just wanna give you just this thought, the testimony of history, history doesn't confirm Jesus for me.

But you have to understand that history is by his birth.

It says this in John, and if I be lifted up from the earth, I, he says he's going to draw all men unto him.

in Luke chapter two, he says, in the angel, said unto them, fear not for behold.

I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Our very calendar is decided by the birth of Christ.

History tells us that Jesus Christ came, he died, he was buried, and that he rose again.

And so they had this testimony, but they're still doubting.

They're walking along the road.

They doubt.

And here's just some things I want us to see from this story.

God cares when you doubt these guys were like walking away.

I don't know if you've ever felt like this.

Like when someone abandons you or walks away from you, you're like, if you're like me, you're like, we didn't need 'em anyway.

You know that if they're gonna quit, they're not gonna be here with us.

We don't need 'em anyway.

Jesus doesn't think like that.

He goes and he walks on the road with them.

Jesus.

Jesus cares about them.

I was thinking through scripture that you can see that Adam and Eve sin in the garden and who shows up.

God.

he said, where are you? He wasn't asking because he was, couldn't find them.

He was asking where their heart was.

It says this in Luke 1910, for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which is.

Lost.

there's another Bible verse that says this.

He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

we survey God, who desires for people to be saved and to come to Christ.

and so these disciples are leaving town and he shows up, he cares.

Here's what you see back, Luke chapter 24, verse number 16.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

There's something important here.

It says, but their eyes were Holden, that they should not know him.

God held back their eyes so they couldn't see.

Do you know what a lot of people want, to believe the gospel? they would tell me, Hey, if I'm gonna believe the gospel, I need to see a miracle.

I had a friend I would witness to him like often, and he would always say if God's real, why doesn't he show me a miracle? Do you know? It would never end because the next time God didn't do what he wanted.

Then his faith was built on.

He did this miracle, but now my loved one's struggling and he doesn't answer that prayer, or this doesn't happen, and now I'm struggling because he didn't do this.

we probably all have prayed these prayers like, God, if you would just do this one thing for me, I would serve you and live for you the just the rest of my life.

I just need you to answer just this one prayer.

I need this one miracle.

I promise you it would never be enough.

I know some of you in your heart right now are like no.

If he would give me just that one, I would serve him then your faith.

Is built on sight, then your faith is built on something, God did for you.

Then you're, if you tell me that this morning, then you are telling me that the cross is not enough, that him dying on the cross, he has to do something else more than give his life on a horrible cross for you to be saved.

And so he holds their eyes, but I think he also was setting up something.

The Bible says this in Romans 10 17.

So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

He wanted them to get saved because God's word.

Do you know How people get faith today is by hearing the word of God? Parents, this is why it is so important.

to have our kids in church, it's why it's so important.

It's why we do Sunday school.

It's why we do Sunday nights.

It's why we do Wednesday nights.

It's why we do Bible studies, because there's this principle.

Faith cometh by hearing and it's continual.

It doesn't just stop.

We want 'em to hear more of the word of God.

I don't want my kids to hear less.

We live in a culture where it's like, Hey, that's enough.

They need to be hearing it at home.

They need to hear mom and dad talking about the word of God.

Why? Because faith cometh by hearing not faith cometh by.

You heard these guys had heard, they had heard the word of God multiple times already.

they had seen the miracles, they had seen all this stuff.

faith, is not a product of seeing miracles, but believing the message.

you had to believe what the scripture says.

That's why in one Corinthians 15, he says, for Jesus Christ died according to the scriptures.

The word of God proclaimed those things that not only did he die according to the scriptures, and he was buried according to the scriptures, he rose again.

According to the scriptures, the word of God, is so important.

Listen, verse number 32 just jumped down there with me.

Listen what they said when they heard the word of God and they said one to another, did not our heart burn within us.

While he talked with us, by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures, the word of God is, powerful.

He opened the scriptures to 'em.

He didn't just do some miracle.

he wanted them to their faith to be grounded, in the word of God.

he says in John, 2029, he said, Jesus sat unto them, Thomas, because thou has seen me, thou has believed, blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.

blessed are the people in this room who have believed the Bible.

God saved, you've believed the Bible, and you have turned to God.

But I want you to see like how fragile, Their faith was in Luca 24 17.

They're walking and they're talking and he says, and as you walk and are sad, they're sad.

Everyone should have been at this point.

This is when the party should have started, right? Jesus rose from the dead.

They came to the tomb.

He wasn't there.

And they should be like guys.

He did exactly what he said he was gonna do.

There should have been rejoicing.

there should have been some shouting.

we had a baptism Sunday, a guy showed up late who was gonna get baptized.

and we still did the baptism.

there was probably only 30 or 40 of us in here.

Honestly, it was a little bit, exciting because everyone else was excited when they got baptized.

there was some shouting.

I don't know if there was any, aisle running, but it was close.

if you knew the whole situation before the guy, Brion got saved, you would've been excited too.

They were excited because their child, their friend, he got saved before he got in the water.

he proclaimed Christ and received Christ his savior before he ever got there.

But that baptism was just this picture that they're saved, that they're walking in that newness of life, and there was excitement.

They should have been excited because Jesus told him he was gonna rise from the dead and he rose from the dead, but they're sad.

Here's some things which that they're like negative or they're talking about the past.

they say this, which was a prophet, mighty Jesus just was a prophet, mighty.

And then you get down to this verse, and this verse always catches me, he says in verse number 21.

But we trusted that it had been he, which should have redeemed Israel.

And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done.

some people we disagree on maybe when Jesus was crucified.

And I always bring them to this verse and I'm like, it was the third day since these things happen.

Listen, you can be a good Wednesday.

It doesn't matter.

You're still saved.

when we get to heaven, I always tell people, I won't tell you were wrong.

I'm just gonna know I'm winking on the inside.

All right? when we get to heaven, no.

I'm like, no.

I'm gonna be like, maybe God won't allow me in my flesh, but I inside, I want you to think that I'm saying I told you but this is the third day since these things happened, and it didn't go like we thought it should go.

I think this is, this is life.

A lot of us life doesn't go like we think it should go.

This is not what I expected.

This is not what I thought God should have done.

I trusted and basically when we say that I trusted something else, I trusted things would go a different way.

I trusted life would go a different way.

there, there trust wasn't in Jesus, it was in, what they perceived should happen.

they trusted, Hey, he should have came back.

He should be ruling his king.

Life should be good.

everything should be changed.

Here's just a thought.

The Bible does say he's gonna supply all our needs, Philippians four 19, the things that we need.

But he says this in James four 14, whereas, not what shall be on tomorrow.

Who knows what's gonna be on tomorrow.

he also says that, we're not promised tomorrow, even in our life.

life's just, it's not predictable.

It doesn't go like we want A lot of times, we would've been in a different situation, a different thing, and we have a many times a wrong expectation of God.

God is supposed to make all these things good.

My life is supposed to.

I'm never supposed to get sick.

I'm not supposed to be going through this.

Our family's not supposed to be going through this.

when our faith is based on personal expectations instead of the promises of God, you will always be discouraged when it's just, you're just, this is not what I wanted.

It's a personal expectation.

Not on God's promises, life will not, it will always leave you hurt.

And then I think about this, sometimes our expectation is hurt by people.

I always think about this when my, maybe my neighbor does something I don't like.

Maybe somebody does something I don't like.

And I always come back to this.

They're sinners.

People in our church, they're gonna do things you don't like.

They're sinners.

Your parents, your family members, people around us are living in this sinful flesh.

And I'm reminded of Romans 3 23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

If your name isn't found in that verse.

I always tell people I'd like to meet you afterwards.

You've never sinned.

You're perfect.

You're without fault.

the Bible teaches that we can't put our trust and faith in men, at our church.

I hope that, when I'm gone, my life has been taken.

If I fail, that you will still faithfully follow Jesus Christ, that you will look past me.

I am just proclaiming the gospel that you will look to the cross.

A perfect savior.

I will mess up.

I will fail You.

Jesus.

Never will your family members.

They can fail you people around you, when you have a wrong expectation of people.

Ephesians one 13 says this, in whom you also trust it.

After that, you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

When I was 16, I put my faith in Jesus Christ and he has never let me down.

I don't have to wonder, I don't have to doubt if I'm going to heaven.

I don't have to doubt those things.

I think about this, with those, apostles, or those disciples that were leaving town, they were selective in what prophecy they believed.

It does talk about Jesus coming back and reigning and ruling, and I believe they were selective in what they believe.

I believe some of us in here, you like to pick and choose outta the Bible, what you'll believe and what you like.

It is a book to be believed and received everything it says, I don't like it when it says, love your enemy.

Anyone like that.

and I'm like, then you don't have the same enemies.

But if when he tells us some of these things, everything in the Bible is, it's not easy to swallow it.

it's not like the world where we're gonna twist everything and bring it back.

when you come to the word of God, it challenges you, it changes you.

And then I think about this.

They said this, that as we walked along the way, our hearts burned.

Actually, let's read verse 25.

Of Luke 24.

Then he said unto them, oh, fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ.

To have suffered these things and to enter into his glory.

You read that verse and that's a rebuke from Jesus.

You're gonna be slow to believe.

If you are here this morning and you are slow to believe, then you're slow to receive God's salvation.

Oh, you should be running the Jesus.

You shouldn't be slow to believe we should run to him.

And he rebukes this faith that is slow to believe.

Quit being slow to believe.

Just believe his book, believe what he said, trust it is blind faith.

I was talking to a little guy this morning and I love, little kids' faith, that they just believe, I remember my kids when they were younger, they would like slowly work their way up the steps and jump off the steps to me and then.

They would, they'd get all the way to the top and they'd be like, do you want me to jump? I'm like, no.

Are you stupid? That's not faith anymore.

That's dumb.

They're like, we're ready.

And there's been different times where I wasn't even ready and they were on top of some, and they just leap.

The Bible says, we're to have childlike faith.

I don't need a miracle.

The miracle that I needed was Jesus dying and resurrecting from the dead.

I don't need some other sign.

I don't need him to make my life perfect for me to believe.

I'm just saying, yes, Lord, I believe I trust you.

I trust you.

When I don't understand it, I trust you.

When I can't see the purpose in it, I'm just gonna trust you.

Now it says this, when you come to the end of this story, he like walks with them all the way to the end and he witnesses or he talks to them about, out of the Old Testament, we're gonna read some of those Old Testament scriptures.

and it says this, that verse number 30.

they're like, Hey, you need to stay here so we can have dinner together.

And verse number 30, the two disciples tell 'em, and it came to pass as he sat at meat with them, he took bread and blessed it and break and gave to them and what's it say? And their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight.

And they said one to another.

Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us, by the way.

And while he opened to us the scriptures.

Is this a beautiful thing that Jesus opened the scriptures and their heart burned for us in here, this morning.

Does your heart burn when the Bible's like read? When the scriptures are read? I think about sometimes I, I'll read a large portion of scripture in the beginning and I can just feel sometimes man, how long is this gonna be it? When we read the scripture, it should be, I hope this goes longer.

This is good.

This is God's word.

Do you know there was a day in the Bible that they stood and they just read the Bible all day long.

They hadn't heard the word of God in a long time, and they just wanted to hear God's word being read.

They said, when he talked with them, along the way that their hearts burned within them.

Why? Because he was sharing to them outta scripture.

And so this morning I just wrote down, what could Jesus have been sharing with them? I believe in Genesis chapter three, he says, the seed of the woman.

And he probably quoted that scripture and said, Hey, it talks about this seed that's gonna bruise, thy head and thou shall bruise his heel.

speaking about the serpent, that he was gonna bruise the head of the serpent, but that seed of the woman was Jesus Christ.

And then he probably talked about the story of Abraham and Isaac when, Abraham was taking Isaac, his son up the mountain to sacrifice him.

And the Isaac's like, where's the lamb? We got the wood, we got the stuff for the sacrifice, but where's the lamb? And Abraham says these prophetic words, God himself shall supply a lamb.

He probably read that to 'em.

and I can just see the disciples as they were thinking in their minds like, yeah, that sounds like Jesus.

He was the sacrifice.

In Exodus, we think about the Passover lamb.

He says, your lamb in Exodus 12, five shall be without blemish your lamb.

Jesus Christ is that, lamb, what about in Exodus chapter 17? He says, behold, I stand before thee there upon a rock and orb, and now shall smite the rock and there shall come out water of it.

Exodus 17 · chapter mention

And he was probably, as he was walking along the way on the Emmaus road, was telling him in Israel there was that rock.

And that rock was struck and it supplied life.

You know who that sounds like? It sounds like Jesus.

And then in Leviticus he talked about the scapegoat.

It was this, they would have one goat that, would be sacrificed, and then there was a scapegoat and they would lay their hands upon it.

Leviticus 16, and it said, Aaron shall lay both his hands upon his head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel.

And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities.

And so he probably talked about the scapegoat, and they were like, that sounds a lot like Jesus.

Their hearts are burning as he reads the scripture to 'em.

Then he probably talked about the story in Numbers 21, where the people are being bitten by snakes and he says, you make a brass serpent and you put it, upon this pole and you put it up in the midst of the camp.

And anyone who looks to that serpent shall live.

And they're probably, as their hearts burned within them, they're like, that was like Jesus.

He was lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness.

he died there on the cross for us.

And if we will look to him, we'll live, we can receive eternal life.

And Deuteronomy a prophet like Moses in Psalms.

He talks in Psalms chapter 16 that he will not see corruption in Psalms 22.

Psalms 16 · chapter mention

It speaks of the crucifixion, about his bones being out of, joint and no one being able to stare.

And I believe he probably read those scripture to him and they're like, that's Jesus.

Isaiah.

He probably talked about how there was going in Isaiah chapter seven, the virgin birth, behold a virgin shall conceive and bear son, and thou shall call his name Emmanuel.

And then he probably took him to Isaiah 53.

He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from him.

You can't read Isaiah 53 and not think, and that sounds like Jesus.

Their hearts were burning.

And you come to Zacharia and it, talks about the crucifixion foretold, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.

Zacharia 1210.

Then you come to Malachi three, one, it says, behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me.

And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to his temple.

Speaking of Jesus, the scriptures are amazing when you like read them and you look for Jesus and their hearts were burning within them.

Maybe you're here this morning.

We've already had this morning, some call on Christ as savior, but maybe you're here this morning and your heart's burning within you.

Turn to Jesus.

Maybe you're discouraged this morning, you trusted life or things or stuff would've went some different way.

This is not what I expected.

Trust Christ, you don't have to understand everything.

You just need to trust him.

He'll give you peace like only he can give.

We can know Jesus.

And when the scripture's proclaimed our hearts burn.

And then if you need to be saved, today can be the day others have already.

Maybe today during this altar call, you're like, pastor Mike, I need to know Jesus' Savior.

Don't wait one more minute.

You're not promised tomorrow.

The Bible says Today is the day of salvation.

Let today be the day.

Let's stand and bow our heads.

Dear Lord, I pray that you'd be with us this morning.

I thank you for your word, Lord, for the cross.

Lord, forgive me for when I've doubted and, had an unbelieving heart.

Lord, I thank you that you still pursue me.

I pray, Lord, this morning, that you'll get ahold of hearts.

Lord, if there's one here that doesn't know you, a savior, that today would be the day, Lord, if there's one here that's struggling.

Lord that they would put their trust in you today.