Burning Hearts - DJ Dickerson - 4/12/26

There are times in life when the heart

grows heavy

because what we expected

and what actually happened do not seem

to match.

We know what we hoped for

and then life unfolds differently

and we are left trying to make sense of

it all.

And that is where our text this morning

meets us. Our text is Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

And I would encourage you in your Bibles

to go to Luke chapter 24 as we consider

Luke 24 · chapter mention

the lesson entitled Burning Hearts.

Burning Hearts.

We walk through this passage together

briefly this morning

that in the context of what we're

looking at

friends the first day of the week had

already brought astonishing

developments. Uh the women had gone to

the tomb early and found the stone

rolled away. You see that in verse 1 and

two of Luke 24.

And then as you go on and you read in

verses 4-7, it says, "And it happened as

they were greatly perplexed about this

that behold two men stood by them in

shining garments. Then as they were

afraid and bowed their face to earth,

they said to them, look at this, why do

you seek the living among the dead? He

is not here but is risen."

So here we have where the angels

announced that Jesus was alive.

And then as you go down to verse 12 even

you find that Peter is mentioned who

arose and ran to the tomb and stooping

down he saw the linen clothes lying by

themselves

and he departed marveling to himself at

what had happened.

What's interesting as you go through

these verses and again just look at

verses 1-2 kind of a recap almost in a

sense uh but considering instead of

keeping our attention at the empty tomb,

Luke leads us out onto a road where the

risen Christ will meet discouraged

disciples wherein we find that in our

first point I want us to consider

together is the risen the Lord comes

near to confused hearts

because Luke begins by showing us in

verse 13 on down in this section. We'll

be considering that disciples

uh whose feet are certainly moving

but whose hearts are struggling.

Look at verse 13 with me. Now behold,

two of them were traveling that same day

to a village called Emmas, which was 7

miles from Jerusalem.

Now, I want us to understand that these

uh individuals were not strangers to

Jesus. Uh they actually belong to a

circle of his followers. And you know it

doesn't say right off obviously in verse

13 but as you go on down to verse 22 it

talks about how they were mentioning

that yes in certain women of our company

uh who had gone to the tomb there in

verse 22. So what we find is that that

these two these men were they had been

close enough to to know

what had happened. They were aware and

it is apparent as we go through this

text that they were deeply affected by

it. And verse 14 goes on to say, "And

they talked together of all these things

which had happened." Now again, why do

we just look at verses 1 down through

verse 12 briefly looking at those

things? Because that's what the context

is pointing us to. They were talking

about all these things which had

happened. And I thought about how their

conversation must have been quite heavy.

You you agree with that? Uh you know

what would you be talking about?

Because in only a few days they had

watched Jesus be betrayed. He was

arrested, condemned, crucified and

buried. That's what again when you go

back to Luke 22 and verse 47 and you see

all of that unfold there in Luke's

account chapter chapter 23 and verse 46

that now reports were spreading that the

tomb was empty and that heavenly

messengers had declared him alive. Verse

23 of Luke 24. They were trying to sort

through grief, confusion,

and I would say shattered expectations.

But I'll tell you that this is often

what disappointment looks like.

It's usually what disappointment does to

people.

It sends them

walking with heavy thoughts and

unanswered questions.

Even faithful people can find themselves

struggling to understand what is going

on.

And into that sorrow and uncertainty,

Jesus comes near, though they do not yet

recognize him. Read on with me. Verse

15. So it was while they conversed and

reasoned that Jesus himself drew near

and went with them.

Now that's a comforting statement that's

being made.

The risen Lord came near to disciples

that were discouraged.

Their hearts were heavy. They were

obviously conversing and reasoning about

what what had happened.

But verse 16 also points to something

else. Their eyes were restrained so that

they did not know him. That they did not

recognize him. See Jesus was with them

but they did not perceive it.

And and really that still happens in a

sense today that there are times when

believers, you know, we feel alone in

sorrow or confusion yet

there's something there.

It's pretty close. I mean, David had

said, "Even there your hand shall lead

me and your right hand shall hold me."

Psalm 139 and verse 10. something David

knew quite well uh through his troubles

and issues and when he was perplexed

and the point that we find is that the

Lord had not abandoned these people

and the same is true today. He does not

abandon his people

yet Jesus had a purpose in concealing

his identity at first. And I think this

is so masterful

when you when you really stop and dwell

on what took place in this text

with these two men

because he was not merely going to

surprise them with his presence.

He was going to take time to teach them

how to understand what had happened

because before correcting them, Jesus

first draws out what is already in their

hearts.

Notice verse 17. What Jesus asked them.

He said to them, "What kind of

conversation is this that you have with

one another as you walk and are sad?

Now

Luke says that you know they obviously

stood still and they were looking

sorrowful. I mean the the point that

we're grasping from this is that they

looked sorrowful.

I mean their grief was visible right?

That's what we're drawing from that.

Now one of them Cleopus

answered

and said to Jesus, "Are you the only

stranger in Jerusalem

and have you not known the things which

happened there in these days?" That's a

really interesting question.

And what's even interesting, more

interesting is that what you find in

verse 19, right? Because Jesus said,

"What things?

Now, there's a reason behind that kind

of question, isn't there? Did Jesus know

what happened? I'm pretty sure he's

quite aware of what happened.

Here's when we ask because we've all

done this before. We've asked these kind

of questions. We do it with our kids,

right? We already know,

but we're asking this type of question

for a reason

because Jesus wanted them to express

their confusion. He's not trying to lead

them, right? Leading questions, all

those stuff. He's not trying to lead

them and and and throw other things out

there. He wanted them to say out loud

what they believed,

what they expected, and where they were

struggling. Th that's an important

question Jesus does here. What things?

Now

verse 19, the latter part, look, look at

verse to that to verse 21. Now, so they

said to him, "The things concerning

Jesus of Nazareth, there was a prophet

mighty in deed and in word before God

and all the people and how the chief

priests and our rulers delivered him to

be condemned to death and crucified

him." But we were hoping that it was he

who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed,

besides all this, today is the third day

since these things happened.

Interesting how they describe Jesus,

right? Uh they spoke of how the chief

priest and the rulers delivered

Jesus to be condemned to death and

crucified.

There's a painful confession that they

made in verse 21. What's that painful

confession? See what Jesus was doing

with that question. What things? Look

what he's drawing out of them to express

verbally what was in their heart. We

were hoping that it was he,

Jesus, who was going to redeem Israel.

Do y'all see where the ache is? Did

y'all notice it? Let me put it in a box.

We were hoping.

They had expected

something,

redemption.

But they did not yet understand that

redemption would come through suffering

and what was all it what all what all

that entailed. And again we remember

Jesus disciples a lot of times they

struggled with you know because even

those who walked with him very closely

right

they struggled with the idea between a

physical kingdom and a spiritual

kingdom. They they you know Jesus would

express that to them and emphasize that

in his teachings to them and they still

struggled with it.

Well, friends, here's the painful truth

that I believe that many of them were

struggling with. And we get a glimpse of

that through these two men

because

they had wanted glory without the cross.

See, that's kind of the way our minds

work. You know, we we want patience, but

we don't want the trials that go with

them.

But that's the way patience is formed.

That's the wisdom behind it from James

James 1:2–4

chapter 1 verses 2 through4. See, and I

can make a long list of things that we

want, but we, you know, a lot of people

say, "Well, I want money, but I don't

want to work." That's interesting.

You see, God's plan had always included

both suffering and glory. Look at First

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Peter chapter 1 and verses 10 and 11.

1 Peter 1 101. of this salvation the

prophets have inquired and searched

carefully who prophesied of the grace

that would come to you. Searching what

or what manner of time the spirit of

Christ who was in them was indicating

when he testified beforehand the

sufferings of Christ and the glories

that would follow. See, there was an

order to this

that Jesus recognized that you couldn't

have this.

Just like you can't have redemption

without the cross, you can't have glory

without the cross.

There's rhyme and reason to it. Now, go

in Luke 24. Look at Look at it again.

Verses 21 down through verse 24.

Look at it.

They continued,

"But we were hoping that it was he who

is going to redeem Israel. Indeed,

beside all this, today is the third day

since these things happened." Look at

verse 22. "Yes, and certain women of our

company who arrived at the tomb early

astonished us when they did not find his

body, they came, saying that they had

also seen a vision of angels who said he

was alive." And certain of those who are

with us went to the tomb and found it

just as the women had said, but him they

did not see.

You see what they're doing is they're

they're going to explanation now.

They're explaining that it was the third

day since these things happened. That

the women found the tomb empty. The

angel said Jesus was alive.

And they added something else. We see

they added that others went to the tomb

and found it just as the women had said.

But him

they did not see.

Here's the thing. When you walk through

these verses, what did you just notice?

They had

the facts. They had the facts,

but they did not yet have understanding.

This is what's so masterful in what

Jesus does. If you ever pay attention to

how he approaches this,

you go to the next part. And what Jesus

does is the risen Lord opens the

scriptures to correct the heart.

Because what Jesus does, he addresses

the deeper issue, not lack of

information. I mean, they have, you

know, the facts that we just went

through, but here's some slowness that

he's wanting them to catch up to.

Verse 25, Jesus says to them, "Oh

foolish ones and slow of heart to

believe in all that the prophets had

spoken."

Now that's striking. I know when we look

at that.

Now, he did not first rebuke them for

doubting the women, but what is he

telling them here?

Really, there's a rebuke for failing to

believe the prophets. Their true problem

again is not a lack of evidence. Their

true problem was failure to trust what

scripture had already said that Jesus

asked in verse 26,

"Ought not the Christ to have suffered

these things and to enter into his

glory?" In other words, he's saying the

cross, that's not an accident. That's

not an unforeseen thing. It was not a

collapse of God's plan, his divine plan.

He's saying it was the fulfillment of

it.

Now, we spent so much time and 25 uh

lessons

on that of

the prophecies.

And some of those that we looked at was

from Isaiah 53, which has to do with a

suffering savior. And and look what's

stated specifically there in verse five.

But he, talking about Jesus, prophesied,

this is way back before this all

happened, right? But he was wounded for

our transgressions. He was bruised for

our iniquities. The chastisement for our

peace was upon him. And by his stripes

we are healed. Isaiah in the days of old

had foretold a suffering servant, a

suffering savior who would be wounded

for our transgressions and bruised for

our iniquities.

The psalmist in chapter 22, you see

exactly this that was pointing to the

suffering of the righteous one. Verse

one, which Jesus said those words from

the cross. Why did he say those? Y'all

remember that in the series lesson to

direct them to the entirety of that

passage.

That's what he did. Because when you go

on down verses 16- 18, for dogs have

surrounded me. The congregation of the

wicked has enclosed me. They pierce my

hands and my feet. Sound familiar?

I can count all my bones.

They look and stare at me. They divide

my garments among them. And for my

clothing they cast lots. Does that sound

familiar? Absolutely.

Because it's prophesying of Jesus.

Then you go to Psalm 16 and look what

happens there. For you will not leave my

soul and shield, nor will you allow your

holy one to see corruption. Who's that

talking about? Jesus.

Because Psalm 16 is anticipating

resurrection, declaring that God would

not leave his holy one in the grave.

Friends, the prophets had spoken, but

these disciples had not yet put the

pieces all together.

Now, it's easy to look at them and go,

"I don't see why they don't get it. This

seems pretty simple."

But how often do we actually do the same

thing?

Uh we may know certain truths. Uh but

many times maybe we have some moments of

disappointment that we might fail to

apply them. Uh we know God is faithful.

1 Corinthians 1 and verse 9 says it. God

is faithful.

Over and over again, we find those three

words through the scriptures. God is

faithful. God is just. God is true. We

know that. And then we can go from

Genesis all the way to Revelation and we

can see the character of God unfold and

see that that statement is true.

We know his ways are higher than our

ways. Well, again, go through the

scriptures.

Look at all these things as Isaiah 55 8

and 9 attests

that his thoughts are higher than our

thoughts. His ways are higher than our

ways. Even as the heavens are higher

than the earth, so are my thoughts

higher than your thoughts and my ways

higher than your ways. Isaiah 55:es 8

and N. See, we know that, don't we? And

then we also know of what we see in

Romans 8 and verse 28 that we we know

that all things work together for good

to those who love him and are called

according to his purpose. See, we know

that too.

And a lot of times we connect that to

the life of Joseph, don't we? Because

that's a prime example that unfolds in

the scriptures.

But yet we know all these things. See,

we know we got we got the pieces of

information. We have it. But yet in

sorrow, we can become slow of heart to

believe. That's the thing I want us to

kind of zoom in on because that's what

Jesus does here. Having exposed their

unbelief, Jesus now leads them into

scripture so their understanding can be

rebuilt.

Look at verse 27. Where did Jesus start

at?

Rewind.

And beginning at Moses and all the

prophets, he expounded to them in all

the scriptures the things concerning

himself.

I thought, what a Bible study that must

have been.

Jesus Christ himself

is walking them through.

Not just walking with him physically and

such, but he is beginning at Moses and

all the prophets. And look what he's

expounding to them.

I I I I was trying to imagine

the richness and the depth of his words

right there in person with him. All the

scriptures, the things concerning

himself,

Jesus walked them through the writings

and showed how they all pointed to him.

And we just looked at a few this morning

just real quickly because from the

earliest promises, scripture anticipated

Christ. We know as we talked about the

seed promise in Genesis 3 and verse1 15

pointed forward to the one who would

crush the serpent's head.

The Passover of lamb in Exodus 12

foreshadowed the sacrificial death of

Christ, our Passover who was sacrificed

for us. That's recorded in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 5:7

5:7. Even that's spoken of the bronze

serpent lifted up in the wilderness

anticipated the son of man being lifted

up. That's numbers 21. That that again

we see Jesus talking about in John 3:es

14 and 15.

We mentioned Isaiah 53, the suffering

savior.

Psalm 110 talks about the exalted reign

of the Messiah.

You think about Jesus going through all

of those

and more.

And he's saying everywhere the

scriptures, they're all leading toward

him.

Because this teaches us again, friends,

that the Bible is not a loose collection

of moral stories with with man at the

center. It is the unfolding revelation

of God's redemptive plan in Christ.

Look what Jesus later says in verse 44.

Going on down to verse 44. Look what he

says to them.

These are the words which I spoke to you

while I was still with you. That all

things must be, here's a key word,

fulfilled which were written in the law

of Moses and the prophets and the psalms

concerning me.

Isaiah prophet

psalms. about David a prophet

and a king.

You see what we just did there?

So what

we're taking from this verse, these

verses already in this very account that

we have recorded for us in Luke chapter

Luke 24 · chapter mention

24 is basically saying, you know, we

should read scriptures looking for

Christ.

There's too many times that we may have

the inclination to approach the word and

asking how it makes us feel.

Now,

it's not really that's not the approach.

Really, what we're seeing is we need to

ask what it reveals about God's plan,

God's holiness, God's mercy, and the

person and work of Jesus.

That's the way we approach the

scriptures because this answers an

important question people still ask

today. Some wonder, you know, why why

God does not simply reveal himself

openly to every person in a way to just

remove all doubt? Why doesn't God just

do that?

You ever have somebody ask you that

question and study with them? Why

doesn't God just do it?

in one big sighting.

Why not just appear? Why not overwhelm

the WORLD WITH SUCH VISIBLE PROOF?

Let me share something with you about

this.

The road to Emmas

gives us an answer to those inquiries.

Did y'all notice how we started the

lesson off? How this chapter unfolds?

What was the question Jesus asked them?

What did he do? So again, they wouldn't

know it was he

because he didn't reveal himself. Hey,

here I am. I'm the risen savior. He

didn't do that.

What things?

You see how he approached it?

Because Jesus could have made himself

known immediately, but he chose first to

do what?

Open the scriptures.

Open the scriptures. That's what he did.

He was teaching that faith is anchored

in divine revelation. friends. Romans 10

and verse 17. So then faith comes by

hearing and hearing by what? The word of

God. That's it. It's right there.

And and really the same pattern appears

elsewhere in scripture. You ever make

that connection

that the passage of the rich man and

Lazarus?

This is powerful.

Luke chapter 16. And I'm not going to

Luke 16 · chapter mention

read the entire entire account there

what what we're reading there what what

Jesus is teaching but but look look uh

in this the very story that's being

given about the rich man Lazarus

the rich man again when you go back to

Luke chapter 16

Luke 16 · chapter mention

you'll find this section beginning in

verse 19 and it goes down to verse 31.

Because we have this certain rich man

clothed in purple and fine linen fared

sumptuously every day, right? Versus the

other guy who was Lazarus, right? Who

was the beggar, you know? Now that that

Lazarus who is full of sores, he laid at

his gate. He was desiring to be fed with

the crumbs which fell from the rich

man's table. So again, you have a stark

contrast here, don't you? And the rich

man,

he died

and he was in torments in Hades.

And he lifted up his eyes

and saw Abraham a far off. Lazarus was

where? In Abraham's bosom.

Now look at verse 27 down to verse 31.

It's what I get get to the point. Then

he said,"I beg you therefore father that

you would send him to my father's

house." Who's he wanting to send?

Lazarus.

For I have five brothers that he may

testify to them, lest they also come to

this place of torment. Abraham said to

him, "They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them hear them." And he said, "No,

father Abraham, but if one goes to them

from the dead, they will repent. But he

said to him, "If they do not hear Moses

and the prophets, neither will they be

persuaded though one rise from the

dead." Wow.

Abraham told the rich man in Hades,

"They have Moses and the prophets, let

them hear him."

And when the rich man, as we just read,

argued that a messenger from the dead,

surely this guy Lazarus, if he will go

back, he will be able to persuade them.

Abraham said, "Look, if they don't hear

Moses, the prophets, they're not going

to be persuaded, though one rises from

the dead and comes to them."

What do you see in the role of Emmas

that's connected to this?

The point that's being emphasized is

that the word of God is sufficient.

Friends, miracles may astonish.

Miracles had their part.

They no longer exist.

As we know from first Corinthians

teaches that

because

those miracles were useful for their

time to prove the divine origin, the

gospel message that was being

proclaimed.

But although miracles astonished,

only truth received in faith transforms

the heart. There were miracles that were

done in front of people. But did all of

them believe?

Did they? No.

Even Lazarus who was raised from the

dead.

We'll hear again of this matter. You

know, there there's a lot of different

perspectives that people had.

So what Jesus does here is teaches in

grounding them in scripture. Jesus

allows recognition to come at the proper

time which brings us to the final point

of the lesson

and that is the risen Lord sets hearts

on fire and turns lives around.

Now again, as you got the imagery in

your mind, they're they're making their

way to Mayus. And and as they approached

Emmas, Jesus indicated that he would

continue farther. But they urged him

strongly, saying in verse 28 and 29,

they constrained him, saying, "Abide

with us, for it is evening. It is toward

evening and the day is far spent." And

he went in to stay with them.

And you go on down at verse 30. Now it

came to pass as he sat at the table with

them that he took bread, blessed and

broke it and gave it to them.

What do you think happened in verse 31?

We don't have to think. You just got to

look at the verse. Now then their eyes

were open and they knew him and he

vanished from their sight.

What happened? Recognition came after

instruction.

Their faith was being anchored in

scripture before it was confirmed by

sight. Y'all see that?

Let me tell you something. That order

matters.

Jesus was teaching them that

understanding the word must come first.

Once Jesus vanishes, the disciples, they

look back and realize their hearts had

already been stirred long before their

eyes were opened. Did y'all notice that?

Did not our heart burn within us while

he talked with us on the road and while

he opened the scriptures to us?

Their hearts were burning as the

scriptures were explained. Truth was

setting them on fire.

Hope was reviving.

Understanding was dawning.

And this is what God's word is meant to

do.

It goes back to how we approach it

though. How do we approach the word?

You know, Jeremiah once said in Jeremiah

20 and verse 9, he, you know, first he

said, "I will not make mention of him

nor speak anymore in his name." Talking

about the Lord. But what does he say?

But his word was in my heart like a

burning fire shut up in my bones. I was

weary of holding it back and I could not

When Christ is truly seen in the

scriptures, hearts don't remain cold.

A discouraged heart can become hopeful.

A confused heart can have clarity. A

weary heart can become warm again.

And when the heart is changed, the

direction of life changes also. That is

the design.

Y'all see in Luke 24, look at verses

33-35. So they arose up that very hour

and returned to Jerusalem and found the

11. And those who were with them

gathered together, saying, "The Lord is

risen indeed and has appeared to Simon."

And they told about the things that had

happened on the road and he was and how

he was known to them in the breaking of

bread.

When you rewind through this earlier,

they had been walking away from

Jerusalem burdened by confusion.

Now, do you see some different sometimes

I call it pep in their step is the way I

I way I refer to it. They were hurrying

back with conviction and joy. Burning

hearts do not stay on the road of

retreat.

They turn around.

They found the 11 and those with them

gathered together and look at what they

exclaimed again. The Lord is risen

indeed and has appeared to Simon. The

the two disciples here recounted their

own experience. They talked about what

happened on the road, how Jesus was

known to them in the breaking of the

bread. Free friends in here's the point

that I'm making with this. When hearts

are set a flame by the truth, people

speak.

People are not going to hold it back.

They return. They speak of the good

news. They do not keep good news to

themselves.

And that brings this ancient road

straight into our lives today.

The Lord still speaks through his word.

We may not walk beside him on the road

to Emmas in the same way that these

disciples did. But when scriptures is

open, Christ is still revealed. Same

exact way.

All scripture is given by inspiration of

God and his profitable doctrine for

approve for correction for instruction

and righteousness that the man of God

may be complete thoroughly equipped for

every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17.

2 Timothy 3:16–17

Do we need another one? How about

Hebrews 4 and verse 12? For the word of

God is living and powerful and sharper

than any two-edged sword, piercing even

to the division of soul and spirit, and

of joints and marrow, and as a discerner

of the thoughts and intents of the

heart.

How about another one? Acts 20:32. So

Acts 20:32

now, brethren, I commend you to God and

to the word of his grace, which is able

to build you up and give you an

inheritance among all those who are

sanctified. And I could give you more.

So the question is not whether Jesus

still speaks. Do we, you know, the

question is whether we actually listen.

Do we open the Bibles expecting to

actually see Jesus?

Do we let scripture correct what our own

expectations may be? Do we allow God's

truth to steady us when life certainly

can confuse us?

See, from our scripture reading this

morning that brother Aiden Mosley read

for us, what Peter later urged believers

in 1 Peter 2, he says, "As newborn

babes, desire the pure or the sincere

milk of the word that you may grow

thereby. If indeed

you have tasted that the Lord is

gracious." Have you tasted that the Lord

is gracious?

Then we're going to be doing something.

Because if we want strong faith, burning

hearts, and steady hope, we must let

Jesus teach us through his

holy and divine instructed word.

With that, I bring the lesson to a

close.

When we look at our lives, we may find

someone here this morning who is like

one of those disciples on the road.

May have been walking heavy hearts.

Maybe have been thinking

have no peace.

Carrying questions,

heavy questions,

disappointments,

grief,

and we say, "Well, I know about Jesus,

but at some point while we've traveled,

our heart has grown weary."

Luke 24

stands out to me many times because the

good news of Luke 24 is that Jesus comes

near

to confused people.

He comes near to burdened hearts.

He comes near to those who do not fully

grasp or understand

but are still willing to listen.

And when he opens the scriptures, he

does not leave hearts cold, empty, and

hopeless. He rekindles them just as we

saw in Luke 24.

And I'm asking this morning that it

might be that your heart needs to burn

again

because it's grown cold.

Does your heart burn within you when you

hear the word of God? When you read the

word of God?

Because if it doesn't, what were you

actually looking for to begin with?

May might be that your direction needs

to change again. It might need I got to

stop walking away in discouragement and

return to the Lord in faith

because the risen Christ is still

calling people back. He still opens a

truth. He still invites trust and

obedience and surrender. He's still

doing that today. It's just like you see

in Matthew 11, "Come unto me all ye that

are weary and heavy laden, and I will

give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and

learn of me for I meek and lowly in

heart." Matthew 11:28 through30 teaches

Matthew 11:28–30

us that. That was Jesus himself in his

great invitation.

So friends, the Emmas road shows us two

disciples who began the day walking away

from Jerusalem with sadness,

but they ended the day

rushing back with joy.

I feel like they closed that mileage

pretty quick on the way back. The

question is, if you paid attention this

lesson, what changed?

They It changed because they saw Christ

in the scriptures.

Their hearts burned because the risen

Lord took the word of God and made the

pl made the truth plain to them.

And that's exactly what he still does.

Y'all see it? We just walked through all

of these points. I went too far. There

they are.

He turned wandering disciples back in

the right direction.

And that's the message of this passage.

Who would have thought there's so much

to this passage?

But there is

because when Jesus opens the scriptures,

confused hearts become exactly what

we've talked about this morning. They

become burning hearts.

As you examine your heart,

I'm not here to examine your heart.

It's not me to do that this morning.

Examine your heart. You examine your

heart.

God knows your heart and you know your

heart. And it may be on that list of

things that we just noted a moment ago,

but you may say one one or maybe several

of them that's me.

That's me. I'm one of those guys

that's on the road to Emmas

and I need to do something about it.

And yet Jesus is still coming near,

still listening, still correcting.

Scriptures are still open,

still kindles burning hearts. He still

will turn a wandering disciple back to

the right direction still to this day.

And how thankful to God we should be for

that.

So if your heart has grown cold,

you can be like these two and burn

again.

Be on fire.

and tell of the wonderful things, the

gospel, the good news. If you need to

respond to the gospel this morning, if

you need to come to Christ in faith,

repenting of your sins, confessing him

to be the son of God and being baptized

for the remission of your sins, you can

do just that as God's plan of salvation

directs us. That's his instruction.

That's his command. You can do that this

morning. All things stand ready. would

love to help you get in a relationship

with God through Jesus Christ because

Jesus is the way the only way to get in

that relationship with him as John 14

and verse six makes clear or if you need

to return to him in repentance you need

prayers behalf of the church do not keep

walking with a troubled heart don't do

it don't take another step

when the Lord is offering light hope and

life

Don't do it. And I can tell you that

these two men when they came back with

those news with that news to those

disciples, let me tell you something.

I see smiles on faces.

I see hearts that are a fire.

I see true love for a risen savior.

Because you know what they found?

What was renewed within them? It's the

same understanding we need to have

renewed today. It's in the song of

invitation that we're giving. It's still

victory in Jesus.