The Emmaus Road - Luke 24 Vs 13-35

Communion Sunday and Church Announcements

Good to see everyone here today on Communion Sunday, another day to praise our Lord and Savior here today. We'll start off with today with announcements. So first one being prayer meeting 6 p .m. Today, if you'd like to join us, we'll be in the fellowship hall in the back 6 p .m.

Meet here in the church. Then we have missionary of the month with Darcy Burlong, and she serves with Ethnos 360 in Indonesia as a Bible translator. So just pray for her efforts there that they're fruitful.

Another note for Bible studies, we will not have any more until the 15th of this month. And then lastly, we have the annual business meeting of which that we'll have on the 26th, which is the last Sunday of this month.

And then that does it for announcements. If you guys would just join me in prayer before we go into worship and sermon. Dear Lord, thank you for this day given us. Thank you for allowing us to meet here and to worship your name and also to participate in communion and remembrance of you, what you've done for us on the cross, Lord.

As we go into worship and sermon, Lord, prepare our hearts to have it focused on you so that we can more better learn about your character as it's preached in the word, Lord. In your name we pray, in Jesus name, amen.

Psalm 16 and the Hope of the Holy One

Stand together with me as we sing, crown him with many crowns. Good morning. Our scripture we need for this morning is Psalm 16, verses 7 through 11. Psalm 16, verses 7 through 11. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel.

My heart has also instructed me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord before me, because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope.

For you will not leave my soul in sheol. Nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life. Your presence is full of joy, and your right hand touches forevermore. May the Lord bless you to hear his word.

As pastor comes and we dismiss our youngsters to the children's church at this time. Thank you all.

The Resurrection of Jesus and the Emmaus Road

I do wish all of you a Happy New Year. It doesn't feel like a new year, so I almost forgot to do it, but I made a mental note to do so. And as I was looking back at what kind of music we've done for the last couple of years, and even in my poor organization, I've noticed that we sang over a hundred different types of songs.

And that's just the ones that I managed to save, right? Those aren't the ones that because I didn't end up saving all of them. So I think it is a huge tremendous blessing that God has given us a music ministry, those who play the instruments and those who sing up here,.

To.

Facilitate in worship through music with deep and rich songs. It doesn't seem like we've sang over a hundred different types, but we did. And I'm sure there's more than 100. I just didn't save all of them.

But though it's a huge blessing, and I am grateful to God that we can worship God.

Through.

Such a great music ministry, and I am thankful for everyone that's involved. With that, I would like us to turn to Luke chapter 24, verses 13 through 35. Luke chapter 24 verses 13 through 35. Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know him.

And.

He said to them, What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad? Then the one whose name was Cleopas 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? So they said to him, The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed 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 we were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, beside all this, today is the third day which these things happened. 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 were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But him they did not see.

Then he said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and he indicated that he would have gone farther. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.

And he went in to stay with them. 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. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished from their sight.

And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road and while he opened the scriptures to us? So they rose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven 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 how he was known to them in the breaking of bread. This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Father, we are grateful that you have given us the risen Lord.

And because he is risen, he intercedes for us. Because he is risen, he saves us from the uttermost. And because he is risen, he comforts us. Father, thank you that he reigns from above, and there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from his love.

Help us to know that and help us to see that. In Jesus name. There is no passage that is more appropriate to preach from than that of Jesus's resurrection. I know some churches might have a specific passage on on the first Sunday of the year, but ours happens to be the one in which that Jesus appears.

Jesus's resurrection is the most important event in human history. And the reason is,.

Many.

Religious teachers have come and gone. Many of them died. And many of them said helpful things. But only Jesus is risen. What does that mean? Jesus's resurrection gives us the utmost confidence in our pardon.

There is no confidence to be had if Jesus just died like any other man. Jesus's resurrection also shows us that he is with us. Dead men don't linger around, but the living risen Lord, his presence is always with us.

Lauren and I, we've been reading this ancient book. It's not, I guess it's not ancient, but it's from the reformers times, right? Like 1500s, 1600s. It's a book called Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices.

I don't know if, has anyone heard of it? It's a book called Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks.

And.

He has a whole book on various devices and each device has like multiple remedies. And it is astounding how it's applicable today. And one of the device is that Satan makes us feel guilty for the sin that we've committed.

And.

He accuses us and he brings it back. And also the temptation, it just keeps coming back. It keeps coming back. And how do we respond? Thomas Brooks quotes a lady named Catherine, and I can't really pronounce her last name, but she says, this is what she said when she was tempted to sin.

She says, I am a weak woman, but you can talk to the Christ. You can talk to my advocate. And that's the, it's only possible for us to point the accuser to Christ because he's risen. There's no reason for Christians to fear temptations or fall into temptation when they have the risen Lord who speaks on our behalf, who intercedes on our behalf, who will pray for us.

This morning we encounter Jesus physically. The two disciples, one of them named Cleopas and the other one unnamed,.

They.

Talk about Jesus. And ironically, Jesus himself shows up. But note that they are veiled from seeing that it is Jesus. And for a long time I've thought,.

Why?

Why, why, why, why did Jesus veil himself? Why, why did God veil Jesus to these two witnesses? They would have easily believed and they wouldn't have had to go that seven mile walk, right, from Jerusalem.

After all, they end up in Jerusalem that night anyway. And I really think the reason is this, Jesus' resurrection is best testified by God's word.

Alone.

Because in the end, we won't be getting a personal encounter that's a physical presence of Jesus Christ.

And.

People who claim that uh, whenever I talk to them have been slightly insane. But because Jesus did not just physically reveal himself to the disciples, but rather expounded to them from scripture that the son of God must rise from the dead, we also can go to scripture and expound, explain, to know that Jesus indeed is alive, not based upon some personal physical experience, but based upon the testimony from God, God's word itself.

The main point of today's text is because God testifies to Jesus' resurrection in scripture, we can confidently proclaim the gospel. Because God testifies Jesus' resurrection in scripture, we can confidently proclaim the gospel.

Scripture, Witnesses, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ

First, despite multiple human testimonies, Jesus relies on the word of God to testify of his crucifixion and resurrection. Despite multiple human testimonies, Jesus relies on the word of God to testify of his crucifixion and resurrection.

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Luke focuses on two unknown disciples walking away from Jerusalem. And they're processing what just happened, right? Now, behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

And they talked together of all these things which had happened. It is unclear where Emmaus is, other than the fact that it's about seven miles away. And it's an obscure village. What this shows us is Luke really cares about every detail.

He's not trying to create a religion. He's choosing to show even relatively unknown town. Even people might not even know it, right? It's not a big town, Emmaus. Verse 15 introduces a dramatic irony. So it was while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

As these two men are having a heated discussion about what just happened to Jesus in the last couple of days, Luke tells us Jesus himself approached them. Now, the drama begins as the main focus of their discussion enters into discussion with them, yet they do not even know it.

But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know him. And this is a rather mysterious aspect of the resurrected Christ. The disciples are temporarily kept from recognizing Jesus. And this is not to say that Jesus rose to a totally unrecognizable body.

That's not true because the 11 disciples later when Jesus shows up will have no problem recognizing him. But rather God in his sovereign purpose stopped them from recognizing Jesus. After all, they would have been robbed of a beautiful, deep, rich lecture from Jesus as to how scripture points to Jesus Christ crucifixion and resurrection.

In verse 17, Jesus asks what the deep discussion is about to which Cleopas answers, Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? And have you not known the things which happened there in these days? Basically, have you been living under a rock?

To which Jesus asks, what things? And from verses 19 to 24, Cleopas explains to Jesus what happened to Jesus, right?

There's.

There's that dramatic irony there. Verse 19 identifies Jesus, the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was the prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.

This.

Title, the prophet of mighty in deed and word before God and of all people, was actually used to describe Moses in Acts 7. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds.

And if you know anything about the Old Testament, which I highly recommend you read the Old Testament, especially now it's New Year's and it's only been five days, you can totally read the Bible from cover to cover starting today and you'll make it.

If you just read three or four chapters a day, you can totally read the Bible cover to cover. Now in the Old Testament, Moses was the prophet par excellence. He is the standard for any prophet,.

Right?

We always want the newest technology, newest gadgets, not for the prophets. Back then, all the prophets that came after Moses looked back to Moses. You want to be like Moses, right? Someone that God talked face to face.

God didn't just give him dreams and visions. No, God told him,.

Right?

Moses was the Stradivarius of the prophets and all the ones who came after only hoped to emulate him. However, in Deuteronomy 18 15, Moses reveals that God will raise up another prophet like him, which a lot of the Jews actually predicted that that would be the Messiah.

So Moses in Deuteronomy 18 predicts the coming of Christ, the prophet of God, the ultimate prophet of God thousands of years earlier. Thus, Cleopas believed that Jesus was that promised prophet. Verses 20 to 21 show why Cleopas and his body, a buddy, were downcast.

Their hope in this prophet publicly perished. Despite the marvelous miracles and powerful preaching, the religious elites and the political leaders ganged up together to crucify Jesus. And their hope in this prophet, the one who would redeem Israel, disappeared.

And this is the hope of redemption that we saw from chapter one of Luke with Zechariah's prophecy, right? That God would deliver his people, Israel. That God would deliver his people from the tyranny of Rome.

Just as he used Moses to deliver God's people from the tyranny of Egypt. Ironically, it was precisely through the public humiliation and crucifixion Jesus the greater Moses delivered his people from the greatest enemy of all, which is sin.

But they don't know that. In verses 22 through 24, Cleopas shares two testimonies that they've heard that shocked them, which is first the women who saw the body to be missing and then second the angels who testified that Jesus is alive.

Jesus' resurrection is witnessed by both heaven and earth. And in response to these women's testimony, some other disciples attempted to confirm this and they also could not find the body. And we see here that Cleopas and his friend are not convinced at all.

And the irony here is that the final piece of evidence that they were longing for was actually speaking to them. Yet Jesus remains hidden. Here we see two disciples, despite the evidence presented to them, cannot believe in Jesus' resurrection.

They want to believe on their own terms. They're not satisfied with what they're given. Now the mounting evidence that piled up all on the same day, the third day, the women saw the tomb empty and the angels declared that Jesus is alive.

And this is an extra powerful testimony for us this morning because if the early church wanted to fake a resurrection, they would not have recorded the women to be the first witnesses because women in ancient Judaism held no authority to testify before court.

And when Peter and John heard the news from the women, they actually went to check it out and confirmed that the tomb was empty. The giant rock was removed from the entrance and the body was missing. And this could not have been done by the women because they can't roll a heavy rock.

And there was no incentive for the Roman soldiers to do it because their task was to guard the tomb. And a failure to do that would be treasonous. Now despite all of this, these two disciples are disheartened.

They can't believe unless Jesus meets them on their own terms that they can't quite believe in the resurrection. And the question is, how does Jesus respond to their unbelief? Jesus could have easily cut the discussion short at this time and said, check out my wrist.

Check out my feet. Look at the nail pierced hands. Look at the nail pierced.

Feet.

And we wouldn't have the rest of the passage. Immediately, Jesus rebukes these two disciples, O foolish ones, slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Foolishness in the Bible does not mean ignorance or lack of intelligence.

Fools are not the ones who failed out of high school.

Fools.

Are those who are morally deficient. Right? It's not about education level. It's about.

Morality.

In this case, they are lacking faith. Hence, Jesus uses another title to describe them, slow of heart to believe. They are resisting to believe. It's foolish to look at the evidence of the resurrection and say, ah, that's not enough.

That's not sufficient.

What are they resisting to believe? The significant to note is the content of their unbelief. It wasn't, you unfaithful men, why don't you believe what these women saw and men confirmed? The body was missing.

It also wasn't, you unholy creatures, how can you dare doubt the testimonies of the angels? No, Jesus' rebuke is centered around not believing in what God has spoken to them through the prophets. The supreme evidence of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection lies in scripture.

Scripture.

Jesus' go-to proof for his resurrection is not the eyewitness testimonies, although God graciously gives them to us and now that is part of scripture. Jesus' go-to proof for resurrection is not even his own appearance, although he could have easily revealed that he is the risen Lord.

Then this would have been a perfect opportunity for them to see the nail pierced hands. However, Jesus' go-to proof for his resurrection is God's own testimony regarding his son. Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory, it was necessary that Jesus was to be crucified.

Jesus' expectation of belief in his resurrection is not based upon the current availability of evidence, but rather one's trust in God's words. After all, we can't check the empty tomb right now. After all, we can't talk to the women who witness the empty tomb right now, but we can go to God's word.

Are you willing to believe in the resurrection because God had said so? This is not to say that the eyewitness accounts do not matter. After all, Luke gives us the eyewitness account and that's part of scripture.

He meticulously investigated and compiled them so that we would have these testimonies. What Jesus is saying is that God's testimony of the resurrection revealed centuries before Christ's crucifixion and resurrection is more than sufficient for his followers to believe.

God has provided for his disciples enough evidence to believe in Christ's death and resurrection. Hence in verse 27, Jesus attentively opens the scripture to them and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Beginning with Moses means the law. It is the first five books of the bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. That's Moses. The prophets are an expansive group of people which include all the well-known prophets.

The major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. They're called major because their books are big. And then the 12 minor prophets. But also the Jews consider Joshua and Judges, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel to be prophets too.

Right?

Not only that, in Acts 2 even King David is called a prophet. So that includes David's Psalms. And what was read by Jim this morning is fulfilled by Christ. Right? Ultimately the ultimate anointed king of God, God does not let him decay.

Right? God does not let him just stay in the realm of the dead. Hence, he's resurrected. Ultimately the whole Old Testament points to Jesus and to miss this is to not believe. To miss this is moral corruption.

To miss this is foolishness. There are different types of prophecies regarding Jesus the Messiah. There are direct prophecies and there are typological prophecies. Typological prophecies are patterns in the Old Testament that Jesus intensifies and fulfills.

I'll give an example of each. A well-known example of direct prophecy comes from Isaiah 53, where it is directly fulfilled by Christ. It is talking about Christ directly, right? There is the suffering servant who is rejected by his own people.

Not only that, the manner of his suffering resembles the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53, 5. But he was pierced for our offenses. He was crushed for our wrongdoings. The punishment for our well-being was laid upon him and by his wounds we are healed.

That's direct fulfillment. No question about that. Just as the suffering servant was prophesied to be pierced and crushed for our sin, the sin of his people, Jesus also was pierced on the cross and bore our punishment so that we may be healed from sin and through his suffering we're we're pardoned.

An example of a typological prophecy is when we take a pattern in the Old Testament and then see how Jesus fulfills it. For example, Jesus Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. In the Old Testament, Israel had to sacrifice bulls, lambs, and goats to maintain a proper relationship with God.

There was a sacrifice for specific sin. Intentional sin, unintentional sin, sin that's committed knowingly, sin committed unknowingly, then you find out later. And there's a sacrifice to say thank you and there's a sacrifice to say I praise you.

There's a sacrifice to say I love you. They're all different types of sacrifices. So sorry, thank you, and I love you all require different sacrifices. In Christ, however, all of these sacrifices find their ultimate fulfillment.

The author of Hebrews argues how the blood of calves and goats offer external cleansing. Hebrews 9 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God cleanse you from conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

If the blood of bulls and goats and lambs provided some sort of external cleansing so that God would dwell among them in the tabernacle or the temple, how much more so the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Offer.

The cleansing that's more than just external but internal. Cleansing from all sin.

Right?

Christ's one sacrifice on the cross accomplishes all the sacrifices in the old testament combined and much more. And that's why when we pray to God we say in Christ's name, in Jesus' name. It's not just the phrase we just throw around.

It's because in Jesus' name we can say sorry, thank you, and I love you without having to slay a single animal because he was slain for us. And this is important for us this morning because none of us have seen Jesus physically.

However, even the resurrected Christ guides us where we need to look in order to truly believe in his resurrection. And it's not his nail pierced hands, but rather scripture. It is God's word. It is what he has spoken.

Even before Jesus reveals himself to his apostles and disciples, Jesus' main argument for faith in the resurrection is scripture. Jesus' best defense for his resurrection is that God has said so. I mean that tells us how Jesus regarded scripture.

Jesus regarded scripture as something that cannot be changed. Jesus regarded scripture as ultimately trustworthy, faithful in every way. Even if it had been written thousands of years before his own resurrection.

Jesus said that is evidence for me. That is what I need. That is what you need to believe. Ultimately in order to see and believe in Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

Is.

Not a video, but rather you read it, you hear it. Ultimately, it's because for the Bible tells me so. Jesus' best argument for faith in his resurrection is God's word alone. Now, what is the proper response to Jesus' resurrection?

Proclaiming the Risen King

Because God has testified to Jesus' resurrection, we must urgently proclaim the gospel. Because God has testified to Jesus' resurrection, we must urgently proclaim the gospel. As they have reached the destination, Jesus indicates he will go on further.

To this, the two disciples invite him, abide with us, dwell with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. And he went in to stay with them. Jesus does not force himself on them. Yet, these two disciples are astounded by how he unpacks scripture.

They ask him to stay, they invite him. After all, not many in history received direct Bible lectures from the author himself.

Uh,.

Whatever these two disciples received from Jesus is worth more than all the commentaries that exist combined. This is something you want to hear from Jesus when you meet him in person. How from Moses to all the prophets point to Christ.

And it was during their supper when Jesus was serving them, they realized it was Jesus all along. 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.

The taking of the bread and blessing is actually not about communion. Uh, because first of all, these disciples were not present at the last supper. So this would have been a miss to them. Second of all, the cup is missing, which is part of the communion.

What this tells us about this is that for some odd reason Jesus, although is their guest, is serving as the host. And it is, it's, it's mysterious. How, how is it that Jesus who was just invited to dine with them, but he is the one hosting it.

All I can say is Jesus is the ultimate host. And at that moment, their eyes are opened. Then their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished from their sight. Uh, the, the passive here were opened means that God, uh, opened their eyes, right?

When this, uh, when the agent is missing and it's a passive verb and the context allows for divine intervention, uh, it is God who opened their eyes. And when God reveals Christ to them, Jesus immediately leaves.

When Jesus is finally revealed to them, he, he vanishes. And for Christians, Jesus' physical and visible presence is not necessary to experience him. Then the question is, how do we experience Jesus' presence?

The disciples tell us, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road and while he opened the scriptures to us? We experience Jesus' presence in his.

Word.

It's what he has said and what he expounds in scripture.

Notice his, their hearts burn.

It's, it's, it's intimate. When you read scripture, don't think of it as also that I can fall asleep, but think of it as I get to meet with my savior. When I open scripture, I can experience his loving faithful presence.

When I open scripture, I get to hear from God himself. When I open scripture, I get to spend time with Jesus. And a convicting question is, when was the last time your heart burned when you read scripture?

Or when was the last time you read scripture until your heart burned? It's one thing to just open the Bible, read a verse, and close it. It's another thing to deeply saturate in it until the words become alive.

And you experience his loving presence. And you can't close it. And this leads them to go back to Jerusalem that night to proclaim Jesus' resurrection to the 11 apostles. The Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.

The irony in all of this is when it comes to proclaiming Jesus' resurrection,.

Ah,.

It is never too late. Remember, remember how they stopped traveling when they got to Emmaus, right? The day is far spent. Abide with us. Stay with us. It's too late to travel. Now that God has revealed the resurrected Lord, there is something more significant and urgent at hand.

Christ is risen. These two relatively unknown disciples then tell the apostles that are encountered with Christ. And for us this morning, the proper response to believing in Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection is our proclamation.

There was nothing more urgent in these two disciples' lives than to proclaim that Christ rose from the dead. They walked about seven miles on the dirt road all day. And I'm guessing they ran back those seven miles back to Jerusalem all night.

They understood what it meant for Jesus to be risen. He is the king who came to redeem his people. He is the king who has conquered sin and death. And he is the king who died for our sin and rose from the dead.

There is.

No.

Problem more pressing in our world than the existence of sin. Yes, you turn the media on, they'll find something else to blame. And in academia, they'll always theoretically find something that you experience when you're a child.

And you're all suffering because of that.

And.

There are fads. There are fads everywhere, right? One generation believes the worst problem is hunger and another generation the worst problem is social media, all that. It always changes. It's always changing.

Technology, unhealthy foods. Yes, they are all problematic.

But.

The worst problem that the world faces actually is sin. It is sin. Without sin, we wouldn't have any of these problems. Without sin, we wouldn't have wars. Without sin, we wouldn't have corruption. And the only person who can fully restore is not another religious teacher, is not another professional politician, because the worst problem is not a political system.

The only person who can fully restore is a redeemer, is a savior, is the risen Christ, the king whom even death could not stop. The fact that sin and death have an expiration date, and there will come a time in which sin and death will be.

Absent.

Because Jesus died for our sin and rose from the dead, is a news that is too good to be kept secret. When you encounter death, whether in the family or friends or even your pets,.

It's devastating.

But for Christians, we actually have hope, because that will not be the norm. That experience is not meant to be forever. And only in Jesus Christ, who experienced death for our sake,.

And.

Rose from the dead, we actually have hope of redemption. You can't get hope anywhere else. I'll tell you, academia will always find another theory to solve the world's problem from their desks. Media will find another problem that you need to worry about and stress out about and raise your blood pressure over.

But Jesus is the only solution to the world's ultimate problem, which is sin and death. And the fact that he's risen means sin and death do not reign no longer. And this morning, we all have the duty to proclaim this risen king.

It's more than a duty. It's an honor. It's an opportunity. And this morning, what is more urgent in your life than the proclamation of the risen king? Let us pray. Father, I confess that sometimes it is hard to proclaim Jesus Christ for the fear of negative opinions of men.

Help us to proclaim Christ, knowing that there's no news that's greater. There's no one that's greater. Help us to proclaim him. Help us to encounter him daily as we open up scripture. Help us to experience his presence.

In Jesus name.