Easter Sunday | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

So today I want to go straight into the word,

because I believe that God has a word for myself

and for you all as well. And I'm gonna be sharing, okay,

from the Book of Lilke, chapter twenty four. Okay, So

turn with me to Luke chapter twenty four. Okay, Luke

chapter twenty four, and I'm gonna pick up right after

the disciples and Mary and the other women who were

there at the empty two. Okay. So I just want

to read a bit of scripture here, So from Luke

chapter twenty four, okay. And maybe I'm gonna read from

verse one first, okay, because I don't want to take

you for granted that some of us may not be familiar.

Let's read from verse one on words, okay. If actually

it's fine at chapter twenty four, verse one okay. Now

it's says here and now, on the first day of

the week, very early in the morning, they and certain

other women with them came to the tomb, bringing the

spices which they had prepared. Okay. So I'll just let

you know that Jesus had already been buried in the

tomb okay on a Friday, okay, and in the tooth

that Joseph of Arimathea has prepared and before. And the

thing is, when Jesus was buried, he had to do

it in a very quick timeline before sunset, and because

they were going to celebrate Sabbath. Sabbath is going to

be starting on the sunset for the next day as well,

so everything had to be done. Jesus has to be

brought down from the cross buried before sunset. So everything

was rushed, okay, And so they just they bought a

lot of money's worth of spies, put it in, bury it,

and so on the second day nobody could visit the

tomb okay, and so the women were already know when

you when you see someone you love being tortured, skins

ripped apart, front and bed and then you know, buried,

it's very very very very very very painful one, you know,

and most a lot of times you want to be

able to see the body, to touch the body, to uh,

to embound the body as your last connection to that

person that you love, you know what I mean, that's

that's that's the last connection, the touch, that feeling, that

that that that meaning of that person in your life.

You want that honor. And he says there in verse two,

that they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

Then they went in and did not find the body

of the Lord Jesus. 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

bound their faces to the earth, they said to them,

why do you seek the living among the dead. He

is not here. But his reason. Remember how he spoke

to you when he was in Galilee, saying, the son

of men must be delivered into the hands of sinful

men and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the

tomb and told all these things to the eleven and

to all the rest Okay. And these people were Mary, Magdalene, Joanna, married,

the mother of James, and the other women with them,

who told these things to the apostles. And their words

seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not

believe them. I must remind you that at that time

the testimony of women did not have much standing at

that time, didn't have much weight. Okay, there was a

culture at that time. But Peter arose and ran to

the tomb. Stooping down, he saw the linen clothes lying there,

lying by themselves, and he departed, marveling to himself at

what had happened. Okay, you stop there just for a post,

for a moment. If you read some of the other accounts,

they are basically almost the same, maybe from different perspectives,

but it all actually is able to harmonize together. Most

of you are very familiar with this as well. But

a lot of times when we go out into the

world and we celebrate Easter Sunday, people often ridicule Christianity,

isn't it They say, I don't have a problem. You

teach good things. I don't have a problem. You know,

you go and visit people, hell people. But the very

moment that you say that Jesus is God. But the

very moment that you say that Jesus is Reason, that

crosses the line. Okay, that crosses the line. And people

say that if Jesus is real, why didn't he appeal

to everyone? Why can't you just appear in front of

me right now. That will solve all the problems? Isn't

it soft a problem? Because humans, as you and I,

we are men to live with hundred percent certainty. You know,

I need one hundred percent assurance before I believe in anything.

But the truth is I can't prove. I can prove.

Most of you cannot prove. I have not seen years

I believe in him, I have not. I'm not just

believing in him. I believe on my heart that He

is Reason. And today I'm going to expound on this

why everyone who approaches God must approach him by faith

and nothing else. That our faith is not a blind faith,

that faith must come with a reasonable faith. There must

be substance in your faith. Yesterday I was at the

huddle meat with some of the guys and girls in

our church, and then I was was telling them that

there's nothing that you know that we live on earth

by one hundred percent confirmation. Nothing. This morning when you

wake up, did you did your audience that today is

going to be a good How many of you knew

there yesterday was going to be like a raining storm.

It was raining right, very heavily, the wind was howling.

How many of you knew how many of you were

assured that the cup of coffee it's not going to

send you to the hospital with a fun guy. Nobody

lives with one hundred percent certainty. Then I was saying

to Matthias, you know and the you know, our awesome

superstar child, you know in front of us. You see,

we often complain when we don't understand things. Isn't it God?

Why do you take away my job? God? Why can't

I find a job? God? Why is this? You know?

Things happening to me? Sickness? And this said, Well, we

complain when we don't see God working in our lives

and we demand why why? I need to understand why

and how before I move on. But the thing is

the world has continued moving on with the understanding why.

You see, look the child, when the child opens their mouth, right,

did they demand to know why before the food reaches

their mouth? But yes, I just look at him and

just like, ah, open his mouth and then food community

true or not? Nah? Do they need one hundred percent assurance?

Do they need to know why? No? Life continues to

move You see what I'm saying. And he has a

relationship that he's built. Ah open mouth, Ah, I need

to be hard to sleep, then he was put to sleep.

It's true enough, Yet life moves on and no, but

that means that life has to continue moving on with

reasonable faith. He wouldn't cry in front of a bunch

of strangers, and then he would cry in certain ways,

but I don't think he would know how to cry

to ask for food. There's a certain way that we

have to approach God by faith. You know what I'm saying.

It has to be reasonable faith. But the thing is

when I come, when I come back to the point

that the world always laugh at Christians were believing in

a reason God. They's cough at it, thinking that Christianity

is for the weak minded, those who are emotionally weak,

those who need something to hold on to, those who

need a religion structure to control them so that they

will behave there for the weak. This world has too

advanced and it's moved on from it. I say to

you that, yes, we can't prove, but I tell you

that the Christian faith is the It's actually the most

reasonable thing and most intelligent thing that we can that

we can actually do in our lives. Now that's examining, Okay,

I put some slides. Here, I'm going to have two

parts here. I'm going to explain first of all the

physical evidences we have about crimes. Then I'm going to

talk about as I close, I'm going to talk about

a journey, a walk that Jesus had with two other followers,

the road to Emailus. And I'm going to put all

this physical evidences that we see from the tomb and

then put it into life about this walk and how

Jesus reveals how we should approach him, how we should

how the world ought to be able to see him

even today. Okay, so let's look at the slide. What's

that the first light say? What do doctors say? Doubts

say that the tomb was empty because Jesus disciples stole

his body, just as disciples stole his body. Okay, these

disciples went too far, too deep. Okay, too far too deep.

You know. They hatchia conspiracy theory Da Vinci cod style

you all, and then then just conjured every single thing

to steal to everything and stuff like that to take

away the body of Jesus. Second theory is called the

famous swoon theory. Okay, they would just say Jesus didn't

die somehow Jesus suffered on the cross being flawed, okay,

enduring the most cruel and brutal executioner. Executioner execution means

you're supposed to die, ijana, It's a capital punishment, suffer

the most brutal capital punishment, and yet survive. And then

somehow he survived. He was able to stand up to

push the two ton stone rolled away and then live

in a very nice, quiet French chateau. Okay, that's what

they say. Okay, Okay, so that Jesus didn't die. So

let's examine some things. First of all, the stone there

was rolled away. First of all, it weighs about one

to two tons, okay. And this is we know it

weighs about around there because if you go to Israel,

they have a pretty exact, accurate idea where the tomb was. Okay,

And this is not a tomb or chip tone because

the guy who owns the tomb is a very rich guy,

you know, rich high black big houses. Lah huh. Two.

More so they want a big tom. More so you

get one of them lasting by a big real estate line.

Not to put me in okay, big one. And the

stones are they blackly rolled on what they call it

a slight raised edge or a degree groove. Tax So technically,

if you really really have to employ our strongest men

on earth, either from Scotland or someone, then you probably

need four to six of them, okay to tansa. Okay.

And this is all considering that the disciples are brave enough, okay,

not just strong enough. They have to be brave enough,

because previously they were actually hiding and even in even

Peter in front of the all the witnesses were denying Jesus.

They had to be not just strong enough, to have

to be brave now, okay, assuming that they're doing that.

Next one, there was a seal on the stone. If

you read, I think in Matthew chapter twenty seven, we

know that there is a steal on the stone. The

seal in the stone is no coincident. The seal on

the stone was fairly, very clearly recorded because the tomb

was guarded by the Romans at the request by the

religious leaders. Why because they said that Jesus had predicted

that he will rise in three days, and so they

requested for a god a regiment, not a very big one,

but about before to six of them. I guess to

guard and to put a seal the seal to say

that anyone breaks the seal and enters is basically a

criminal and you'll be crucified as well, so to deter everyone. Okay,

So that's what we know, okay. And if they actually

is the disciples who actually went inside and did it,

they also need to be witnesses. Historically, we have never

found any single prosecution levi it by the Israelites or

even by the Romans accusing them of breaking this, not

at all. Okay. So that's the second thing we know

the seal. Third thing, we know that there were Roman

gods assigned to guard them. Now, Roman gods are not

just there for gods, you know. It's not like the

London Bridge, you know those you know what was the

bombardiers Okay, they called thembadiya standing there, okay, and then

they just changed god. No, no, no. The rules of

engagement is this. When you're into war, if a god

is to take care of a prisoner, right, it just

means it means that your lives are tied together. If

that prisoner escapes or dies under your watch, you die, Okay,

you die, no mistaken. That one that is why you

remember the account and poet side was in the jail

and then they suddenly all the shackles gone. They thought

they left readin in the dark. They say. So the

jailer wanted to kill himself because he knew the moment

that his top boss finds out and that the jealous escape.

But he's not just gonna die, He's going to be tortured,

you know. Ye mean right, Their lives are entrenched one

you know, okay, and so we know the gods it's

going to be having a very hard time to get bright,

especially by the disciples, because the moment they do doesn't

matter what you say, your life is going to be forfitted.

That was how the Romans circumvent bribery. Okay, of their

prisoners Yemen, right, he say, I can't do anything. I'm

not going to pay you money. The only way IM

going to make sure that you're not gonna get bright,

it's going to make sure that they leave you die

simple enough, like Yemen. Right. They knew bribery was a problem.

They knew, so the Romans simple, keep it simple, they live,

they're gone, you die, simple, Okay. There was the way

to circumbend that. And then Lastly, we have the transformed

lives of the disciples. Must understand that before Jesus reappeared

or appear to them, these people were afraid. Like I

said before that Peter, even Peter even denied Jesus three times.

It's not just about the people the people who followed Jesus,

you know, the people who were opposed to Jesus. Their

lives were transformed. His enemies were transformed. Mean right, Paul himself,

he personally sent hundreds of Christians to jail, you know,

personally send them. He was so zealous, you know, he said,

I want to be your champion, to go and put

all of these followers to the jail. Okay, I'm going

to drag them. I'm going to drag their families, their children,

their wives, in front of their family. I'm going to

drag it to them, in front of all the communities,

so that they know that these Jesus they follow is false.

He he's threw out to be a champion enough and

yet okay, he's not following. And yet his life was

dramatically transformed from a champion to become someone who was

the most hated, most hated. We know that he was

the most hated because when he when during his missionary

treat when he was going to come down to Jerusalem again,

he was so determined all the people were taking don't go,

don't go, don't go. The moment you go, they're going

to kill you. From a Celebritia to the most hated person. Okay,

his transformation was so crazy that even the Disciples have

a hard time accepting him. The Disciples have a hard

time accepting Paul and all. This is the guy who

was trying to kill us and trying to saracep reason.

Now he believes in Jesus. But yeah, if you don't

believe in Paul's transformation, you realize that the Bible tends

as a testimony of his transformation. How many of his

letters there we are reading right now of a man

who once hated Jesus and persecuted the followers. Okay, now

I'm going to move on to the second part here. Now,

even in the midst of all these evidences around as

we present, and if we tell people, you know that

most of the time and that people hear this, they

won't believe in And that's the truth, that's the truth.

We don't believe it I tell you, even the disciples

don't believe in So why am I preaching here? Are

we trying to convince you? The missing room is there?

It's not that the evidence is not enough. There is

a bigger problem. There's a bigger problem. And that is

why I find it fascinating that the Book of Lil

talks about a road to Emmaus. Okay, so we're gonna

under We're gonna look through this scripture here, and we're

gonna take all these evidences and then put it under

the proper light and then to see what Easter is

really all about. Where is the big stone? Is the

stone really right now in Jerusalem? All this big stone

is actually inside our hearts. Okay, let's read from Luke

chapter twenty four of verse thirteen. Now it's easier. And

now behold two of them, okay, were traveling that same

day to a village called Imaeus, which was seven miles

from Jerusalem, and they talked together all of these things

which had happened. So it was while they conversed and

reasoned that Jesus himself threw near and went with them,

But their eyes were restrained so that they did not

know him, and Jesus said to them, what kind of

conversation is this that you have with one another as

you walk? And are said? Then the one whose name

was Cleopus answered and said to him, are you the

only stranger in Jerusalem? And have you not known the

things which happened there in these days? And he said

to them, what things? Jesus is always chick And they

said to him the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who

was a prophet indeed, and 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 this is the part where their true feelings come out.

But what did they say? But we were hoping that

it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Do

you send the tone of disappointment? Indeed, besides all this

today is the third day since these things happen. 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 Angel who said that he was alive. And certain

of those who were with us went to the tomb

and found it just as the women had said, but

him they did not see. Now what's clear here this

man journey and work with Jesus before he died. You know,

they've experienced him, they know him. They were hoping him

for him to be israel savior, and they received all

the same evidences as I mentioned earlier. Okay, but they

were still confused. You know what I'm saying now, Actually great,

more than you know. They work with him, live with him,

seeing all the advances, but it's still confused. Okay, let's

move on. Okay. Then he said to them, I really

believe that Jesus students like, hey, you are foolish. I

think it's more like, oh really, still don't believe. How

foolish can you be? Come? Come, come, come, let me

explain to you. I mean I don't think it was

their heart. I mean this is just my personal believer, Okay,

because if not, I very hard to work with a

man who could like who really throw? You want to know?

Had like seven mile? Men are gonna walk with it?

It's like you know, hiking iron for seven miles? Like

how long you hire? And then this guy is starting you.

I don't know how who wants to do that. Okay, Well,

I think he was very gentle, okay. And he said

to them, all, foolish ones and slow of heart, to

believe in all that the prophets have spoken, or not

the Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter

into his glory. And beginning at Moses and all the

prophets noticed this, and Jesus didn't disclose himself in that.

What did he do? He expounded to them all in

all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. I'm going to

come back again later, okay. Now see the sequence of

EVANSA seven miles a talk listening and then share with

them from beginning to the end. Then in verse twenty eight,

they drew near to the village where they were going,

and he indicated underlying this is the most important part

of this passage. Here he indicated that he would have

gone further. That's a very important thing. I was laboring

about this until quite a while last night, and I

found this. This is actually a very important part. What

does that mean? It means that Jesus was saying that, okay,

this is your stop. I'm gonna go forward. I'm gonna

I'm gonna move forward. But what did they do. They

constrain him, saying, abide with us, for it is toward

evening and the day is fast spent. They asked him

to stay with him, and he went in to stay

with them. Now it came to pass, as he sat

at the table with them, he took bread bless and

broke it and gave it to them. Noticed the sequence.

Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and

he vanished from the site. Now, in verse thirty two,

it says, then they said to one another, did not

our hearts burn within us? While he talked with us

on the road, and while he opened the scriptures to us.

So they rose up that bury hour and returned to Jerusalem,

and found the eleven together world, and found the elevel.

And those who were with them gathered together, saying, the

Lord is Reason indeed, and has appeared to Simon. And

they're told about the things that had happened on the road,

and how he was known to them in the breaking

of the breath. Amen, Now I'm gonna share with you, guys.

I'm going to come back to the very beginning and

then share with you, expound to your wife what I

think is actually happening here. Now, first thing, First, we

know that these two they didn't recognize Jesus Karna, they

didn't recognize Jesus. The Bible says that for God has

restrained them. What kind of restraining I don't know. Did

God purposely close their eyes so that they couldn't see

him physically through their eyes, or maybe God just allowed

them because they were already blind passively. I don't know.

He doesn't say that, Okay, but we know that they

couldn't recognize him. But then we know a second is

that they were all presented with all they just they

didn't just walk with Jesus. They didn't just know Jesus.

They were presented with all the same evidences as well. Okay,

but they couldn't piece everything together. They couldn't piece to

getting together. They couldn't They couldn't connect and then reconcile

the Jesus they knew with what the things that have happened,

what things that have happened, It says in the Bible.

They couldn't reconcile. Why, first of all, why Jesus had

to suffer, not the missing body. First of all, why

Jesus had to suffer that's the most Now, when you

think about the missing body, but before you must understand

that before twenty four hours out of traumainal huge traumainor

I never any one of you you deal with family emergency.

You know there's trauma wan, I know I had to

deal with he saw like a family emergency during group

Friday with my family on my cousin's side. Got some

problem there. It's very, very crucial. And sometimes things just

happen within a day or two and the sometimes people

pass on, move on people in the lock up. It's

just so much and so much. It's a trauma right now.

So people are confused, first of all, with Jesus suffering

one week before he was welcome, you know, into the

into Jerusalem. People are crowning Hosannah and Hosannah still performing miracles,

and just in the over twenty four hours betrayed, okay,

and then tortured, crucified in the worst possible way. Twenty

four hours are people sometimes are twenty four hours we

just in the lock up on you know this one,

not lock up but straight away crucifixion. Talk about justice systems,

no nonsense. It's it's really quite insane when you think

about it. It's really quite crazy. Why not they had

not understand that why Jesus first of all had to

suffer still processing that, and then secondly they have to

process how Jesus body is missing. They got Jesus body

to miss empty. It's like it's like you wake up

in the morning and you like five o'clock, your driver

in the morning, and you see like a huge accident,

but you don't know where the car come from. You

cannot piece it togethers like how this can't flip and

landed on the house on the the house on the

roof of the house. It's like you have no idea

how it works, and you're like perplexed, you know. So

they were perplexed. Missing tomb. You got crazy women telling

us testimonies. That's why they say, you know, ah no.

And then they're not only that, they got people who

went there and saw like the tomb was missing. They're

like confused people. They were confused. Okay, so they were lost.

They were misguided, okay about the suffering about the person

and also the destiny of Jesus. Okay, they were confused

about the person, the identity, who who is Jesus? Why

do you have to suffer and then his destiny, what

is his real purpose and mission? Then you mean, so

they got both wrong, the identity and the mission of Christ.

They got it both wrong. That is why Jesus say,

you are foolish and slow and heart to believe. Okay,

So instead of no, the thing is we because we

have this sinful nature and this always is, I are

trying to squeeze God into our own reality, into our

own mindset. Okay, with a lot of us want him

to be a political hero, some of us want him

to be a center claus, give me some of one.

One hiss to be like an all powerful superman. Okay.

But when we try to squeeze God into our own

reality and our own perception and our own surrounding, we

commit adult we commit idolatry, you know, and we missed

out on who he really is. But yet, and despite

all this, Jesus was very loving and patient, you know,

very loving and patient. Okay, what did Jesus do? He

rebuilt them, yes he did, but he still what with them.

He still walk with them, he still listened to them,

and he took the time to explain to them, even

in their disbeliever So today you come to Easter Sunday,

all the evidences talk to you. You might not have believed.

I tell you, Jesus is still wanting to walk with you.

It's amazing. Jesus is still wanting to work with you.

You think like all this like singing a laha, oh

you know what they believe, that's it last chance ready,

But Jesus still walks with them. Where are you going?

Can I join alone? Are you interested to know? Let

me talk to you, Let me explain to you. It's

not too much of a burden. You know a lot

of times we think we are a burthen. We are

not too much of a burden for christas we are

not too much, he explains to them, and you know

what he was doing. He was patiently opening their hearts. Okay,

if we are willing to walk with him, if we

are willing to listen to him as he listens to us,

waiting for him to ask us, as we also willing

to seek him as well. Nowadays everyone is asking for

a quick miracle. If Jesus is real, show himself, if

Jesus answered my prayers, is Jesus right now, show up

and on wherever I need him right now? Then I

will believe. It's like asking Jesus for a performance, isn't it.

It's asking for Jesus for a performance. Who are willing

to ask these things, isn't it? Remember not answer. The

people who were crucifying Jesus said the same thing, if

you are the son of God, save yourself. The crowd,

the religious leaders, even the soldiers who mocked him, and

even the robbers. You know, if you are the son

of God, save yourself. So every time when we demand

the miracle for God to show up, we are like them,

you know, those crucifi him. Do you know that? You

know even know we mock him, know we mocked him on.

But yet in all this he enjured, he enjoyed. He

knows that. Now I was preaching on Friday, not in

about to when I had a chance, I will show you, guys,

you see her when that guy was looking that we know,

see Jesus was in the middle, and the robber was

here in the the tool. Then likely or brothers of friends,

you know, committing the same thing. They were both started

out reviving Jesus. Both they were mocking Jesus together with

all the crowd. You know, if you are the son

of God, save yourself, Save yourself. You say all these things. Boy,

you have followed us by save yourself even today to

even today right now, the whole is mocking you Christians,

just to believe. Save yourself. Ask your Lord to save himself.

Ask him to appear mocking and mocking and mocking that say,

the same day. You know, but when he looked across

the one robber, he looked across he realizes that man

was not just reviling. He is being crucified now in

your crucifixion. And when you're being tortured the most and

you're dying, what do you think about? I tell you

what a sinful manner? Will still compare himself to other

sinful people. You know, I look at Jesus. I think

Jesus is more sinful than me. That is when he

looked at him, say, you are dying, you are not

ready to meet your maker, and you still compare yourself

to others. You are not looking at yourself. And he

looked across and he realized that he's looking at himself enough.

That is why he said this. Not do you not

fear God? He is saying that are you ready to

meet God? I'm not ready you think you're ready. When

he looks at Jesus, right Jesus, he started to realize

who is he really? He is suffering like me and everything,

But he did no sin. But when I look at

the eyes of Jesus, I see not a man who

is not ready to die. I see a man who

is rare to die. That's when he came to his

senses who Jesus really is. Maybe maybe I got I.

Maybe this person is someone that I didn't really understand.

Maybe he is here for a reason. Maybe he is

here for someone who has no hope to have one

last chance. But me, as someone who is now on

the cross and suffering and torture, what can I do

to give to God to please him so that I

have one more chance? And in front of all who

mocked him and rejected, he said that remember me when

you go into your kingdom. He testified before everyone, in

the midst of all. You see here the summary resist.

Now we think that Jesus suffering on the cross is

a form of helplessness. And on I tell you, and Jesus,

you think about it. What was Jesus on Jesus mind

when he was being now on the cross, was thinking

about the pain, the nail on the cross on his hand,

the flogging that he went through. I can tell you

that on that moment, his eyes says, his mind were

thinking about that robber. He just kept quiet. Jesus on

the cross is still performing miracles. Crazy on the cross, nail,

still performing miracles. And he saw that faith was arising

in this man. And finally that faith came to full progression,

and that man confessed, and Jesus said to him assuredly,

I said to you, you will be with me in Paradise. Amazing,

Jesus is still performing miracles while being knil. That's the

message of Group Friday. You know, it's amazing. It's really

really amazing. Why I went to that. Yeah, I shouldn't

say that, Samya, it's really a thing about it. It's

amazing saying that's the story of Good Friday. It's alry

very powerful message. Jesus is still performing miracles in his

last breath. Okay, So where was I? Okay, so he'll

walked with them, he need know, and then he taught them. Okay,

and we said that people are now asking for miracles,

but Jesus is not there to say, what do you

want you mean to show up, I show up to

you right now. Now. Huh, what do you mean to

answer a prayer? I answer a prayer right now? Now?

Are you happy? Are you contented? Please believe me? Please

believe me? Is that what we reduced God to? Know?

Is it really? Is it really what we really reduce

God to? Is? They? Are we still going back to

mocking him on the cross? You know what I mean? Right?

Are we still going back to mocking him across? But

Jesus still persisted with them then and then he says,

there are real. As they were walking, their hearts begin

to burn. While they were walking, God was working. Okay,

And you know what happens. The perception of Jesus and

the purpose of Jesus began to change. The things they

were confused about, why Jesus had to suffer, why his

missing bodies, start to change. From confusion and from despair

from that war, he began to change to hope. You

know what I'm saying now? Hope? Who oh? What kind

of hope? The hope that there is a God. God

is still working. God is real. You can't mean the

reality that no, it is not human? Is God? God

is working? Sometimes in your life. You see this and

all your think you're in a mess that you realize that.

Oh but God is rare. You cannot see it, cannot

feel it. But God is there, you said, and suddenly

out no where, even though despite you are beaten down,

you can't shake up these feeling days. Hope God is

controul that passed forty eight. I was crazy, what has happened?

But yet there is I suddenly realized that because of

the word that man spoke to me, I realized there

was hope. Hope has begun to come into their hearts.

But this is not enough, you know, that is why

I said this. Okay, where did they arrive? They arrived

at their destination, and Jesus said this indicated to them

that he had gone further, and they made one of

the most important choice they could ever make. They asked

him to stay. They asked him to stay. You see,

after all these they still couldn't recognize him. You know,

after opening the scriptures that they still couldn't recognize him.

You see, there are people who know about God and

people who know God. A lot of us know about God.

We heard about him, we come to church. You heard

about him. Convincing the pastor preach a crazy message. People

pray about me for him. We know about him. It's

like you watch a lot of Instagram, you watch a

lot of movies. You know the story so well, even

come today. You know how pastor that ma is gonna preach.

You know how past is gonna preach. Read it. You

know it already. You go to YouTube. You know why.

You know about him so well, you can recite it

probably better than me. You know all the things ready,

but you still don't know him personally. You know I'm

saying now you can walk down the road and may

yours and Jesus still passes you by. You know what

I'm saying now, this is a very important thing, the

road to Emius. What's a decision making? Kiming on Gee?

After hearing all these things? Are your heart's burned? And

then this fella put a put hope and a purpose

in you? What would you do? What would you decide?

And what would you well? What are you gonna decide?

With such an information? Do you go? Are you gonna

take that step of faith to say that no, stay

with us, have a meal with us. All that you're

spoken today, I think it's not just nice to hear

we want to talk to you. We want to why

aren't you in our lives partake with us? And then

Jesus smiled, Well, that was the idea. That was the

whole point of the road of Emailus to get them

to come into the house to have a meal with them.

You understand what I'm saying right now, and you're seeing

a transformation now. Jesus didn't just appear to them. What

is What was Jesus's plan to save the world so

that he appears as everybody to be a Santa Claus,

appear anytime you want. No, Jesus wants to do a

miracle in our lives. This Easter Sunday is not to

tell you to bang to you the empty tomb, but

to tell you that Jesus is right here right now.

You have no idea how close you are working with Jesus.

But you're still blinded and all some of you are

still at the road. If May is walking and walking

hearing what I'm hearing right, hearing what I'm telling you right,

I think it's my words, but you have no idea

that it's actually the words of God speaking through me

and through you. I'm not claiming to be caught. But

God can use the mouth of a donkey than my

mouth to speak to you as well. God has used

people's other people's voice and mouth and a platform to

speak to me as well. God can speak through anyone.

But the point is do you recognize him? And more importantly,

do you want to invite him into your house? And

so it says there that they invited him to have

a meal and then began to have and all this

is the post important part. He sat down with them

to the bread, said he blessed, and he broke it.

And at that moment of breaking off the bread, right,

they recognized him. What does that tell you? It probably

you're like, oh yeah, they remembered that scene of their

last Great Supper when Jesus said, I have fervently desired

to eat this meal with you. Okay, they they when

they sat down, you know what, Oh is it the

significance they remember? This is why I believe I believe

that they realized that when Jesus did that, right, they finally,

for one moment, they realized that Jesus's hand had always

been on their life. They started to see Jesus everywhere

from the past to the present. Jesus, you were there

when I was young, in your kindergarten days, when you

were lone, when you felt nobody cared for you, when

you had graduated, when you were walking, when you were

Jesus was there. You started to realize you were always

there with me. But I couldn't see you so near,

yet so blind. And for that one moment their eyes opened,

and the moment when they opened, Jesus vanished. You see

what I'm saying, You know. That's why Jesus says in

John chapter twenty, verse twenty, to Thomas the Doctor, saying, Thomas,

because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are

those who have not seen and yet have believed you,

I'm saying. Or not you have not seen, but yet

have believed. You know why not? Through my eyes you

begin to see Jesus all around you. That is why

salvation is not a natural event. In all suasion is

a supernatural event of the heart. It's a supernatural event

of the heart the key. No amount of physical evidence

in the world can really roll this big stone that

is in our hearts. You know you, I mean, the

stone is not a tomb of Jesus. It's at our

tombinal we are the tomb that cannot be opened enough.

Jesus' tomb has been opening. Though he has overcome, we

have not overcome. It is this stone there is in

our hearts. Until now we still desperlieve. There is what

even Jesus is outside that tomb. You will not come

out until the day Jesus say is come out Lazarus,

and you hear God's voice, and by faith you come out.

By faith, you come out. Faith is required to see Jesus.

You know I'm saying no. Faith is required. It's the

most reasonable thing you can do in life, because when

you have walked and you have heard, and you're seeing

that Jesus is all around you and done you, you

still need to exercise faith to see him. And the

moment that you did say when you humble your heart,

I've heard this message, I handled this God. I'm coming

down to you. I'm humbled myself. I open up my heart.

Help me to see you right now. I invite you.

I invite you, even if I cannot see you. I

invite you right now into my heart. I invite you

to dine with me. I invite you right now to

examine every part of my life, open up my eyes,

and you do it sincerely seeking Him. And the moment

that you do and you realize God has been with

you when you were born. That was what I exactly

what I experienced when I was became a believer or not.

I was. I was alone in my room. My conversion

was I was in alone in my room, and I

says fifteen in a small room there, and I was

a confused little young man. I wasn't in a sermon,

I wasn't in a in a church and thing. I mean,

I've been to church, but I heard many things. But

I was in my room and I was confused, misguided,

loss and I thought, God, which religion is the right religion?

But God said, it's not about knowing. I need to

hear you, I need to see you. And now I

realized I just took a step of faith. Okay. I

got down on my knees and side and I said, oh,

I'm going to pray. I don't have a pray before

I'm going to pray, and whatever this is on my mind,

I'm going to react by fail. I believe that it's you.

God began to show me in my mind the love

of the Father. That God loves me, not because I'm great,

not because I'm nice, not because I'm holier, not because

I'm smarter. God loves me because he is my father,

and I belong to him. You have your child, and

you love your child, not because they did anything to

earn it. They did not sign anything, they did not

earn a degree. You don't know what their future is

going to be. You love your child because they belong

to you. No other child will do. A cuter child,

a child that is richer will never do because they

are your only one. They belong to me. And that

moment I realize I belong to God, I still couldn't

see it. I said, God, because of the eye, invite you.

I invite you in my heart, in right now, in

this room, this lost little man here, I invite you.

And I said, I, by prayer, by God invite. And

that moment when I did, I started from the very

their first day until now I realized that God has

always been with me. You will always there. I see

you now, not just now from the past. You will

always right in front of me. That is why the

greatest evidence of God's resurrection is in us. The greatest

evidence of rest is in us. You got. I mean

when we open that, when we roll that stone away

and invite Jesus, his person lives in us and moves us.

You can't mean right, he moves us. The empty tom

will not convince you by my life, my conversion, my confession.

I am. The evidence of Christ is a life. Again,

I'm saying you not. That is the greatest evidence. More

than anything else, you know, I cannot, no matter what

you say to me, can never tell me that Jesus

is not alive. You will find the world, will find

us unreasonable blind fools. But you realize I rather be

fools than to be blind again, you cat, I mean right,

I write before I read that you call me fools.

I rather be like Jesus. You mock me. But once

my heart has been open, I cannot go back to

and see what I've seen. Jesus is all around me,

no matter how far round where I hide, God is

before me. My life is changed. I cannot go back

inside and walk back inside that tomb again. That's the

road to Amaeus. People, That's why I'm saying no, that's

the amazing miracle of conversion. So today I really believe

you are here, not by coincidence. You are here, not

by coincidence. You are walking your own road to Imaeus.

Here right now, God is giving us an opportunity to respond.

Are you content to just hear about God, to sing

another worship song, to hear another pastor preaching to you again?

Or today you be like them to exercise no, stay

with us once in your life, vield you will exercise

faith and said, God, come into my heart, Bread with

me open.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit exchurch dot org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week ahead

for you. God bless