Their eyes were opened and they recognized Him their hearts burned within them. - Luke 24:31-32 Today s Bible Verse: Luke 24:13-34

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1 Their eyes were opened and they recognized Him their hearts burned within them. - Luke 24:31-32 Today s Bible Verse: Luke 24:13-34 Today s Theme: We all want to be a part of something that is far greater than ourselves, to know that God loves us and has a plan for our lives. What better way to find out than to stand daily in His presence and ask? The story unveiled from Luke 24 will help you to pursue God for greater measures of His presence in your own life. It will inspire you to say to God this one thing: I want to see your face! Translation Used For This Lesson: New International Version Introduction: The air is pregnant with possibility. Can you feel it? Heaven itself is longing to invade the natural realm. Darkness may cover the earth but God s glory upon His people is becoming more and more realized, bringing hope to the most hopeless situations. A heart to seek God is birthed in us by God Himself. Like all desires it is not something that can be legislated or forced, but rather it grows within us as we become exposed to God s divine nature. He creates an appetite in us for Himself by lavishing us with the reality of His goodness---his irresistible glory! Make no mistake; these realities burn deeply in the hearts of ALL who simply take the time to behold His face. Paul describes this place of beholding as the absolute center of the new covenant we have been brought into, the place where we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18). The impulse that drives the life of the believer isn t the need to perform for God but to commune with Him. Only when we perceive the face of the One in whose image we were made, do we come to know who we are and the One for whom we were made. And because of who He is, to behold Him and remain unchanged is impossible. As He infects us with His presence, we are drawn into an ongoing mission by Him who longs for us. This mission is simply the mission to become more and more fit to see Him in His Page 1 of 6

2 fullness. And the truth is that the degree to which we perceive the face of God corresponds directly to the degree of our yieldedness to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ. The question for every believer is whether we will be satisfied with only a partial transformation or whether we will be so captivated by who He is, that we allow Him to eliminate everything in us that would inhibit us from looking like His Son. This quest for His face is the ultimate quest. But to embrace the quest for the face of God one must be ready to die to self. This quest is not for the faint of heart. It is far too costly to pursue out of mere curiosity. Still, the ultimate quest is quite doable and within reach. It is so all-inclusive that even the smallest child may come. Those who respond to the invitation find little else to live for. Those who say no spend their lives looking for an adequate replacement. But there is none to be found. Today we will draw breath from a chapter in the Bible that, if never written, would have changed the heartbeat of the believer, the very essence of who we are. Luke chapter twenty-four proves that Jesus, indeed, rose from the grave by overcoming death and tore the veil in half so we could have face-to-face intimacy with the only One who matters. I get excited with the story that we unfold today of two men who were discussing the events of Jesus death when the risen Christ (unrevealed) joins them and begins to fellowship while walking with them. The scriptures say that Jesus kept them from recognizing Him (Luke 24:16). Yet they were face to face with the Messiah, the One every person currently was talking about in Jerusalem. Could you imagine? What did they think when they figured it out? Stay tuned as we find out by reading this miraculous story and filling our hearts with the exciting truth! Today s Scripture Reading: Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, What are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? 19 What things? he asked. About Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus. 25 He said to them, How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. Page 2 of 6

3 Illustration: Have you seen the television show Undercover Boss? It is a reality series that takes the owners and CEO s of major corporations, puts them in a disguise and sends them out to work with the employees of their company. In one specific episode the CEO of Roto Rooter left his cozy office and joined a group of technicians to fix toilets and unclog the drains. The low level employees began to talk about the company and the things they would like to see changed. And of course they were brutally honest. I saw one episode where a lady was venting her frustrations about the CEO to the CEO! Always at the end of the show the bigwig reveals his/her true identity to the shock and sometimes embarrassment of the employees. In Luke chapter twenty-four, Jesus - the undercover boss- leaves His comfortable position with a clear disguise and joins the least likely to hear what they have to say and if they believed in their CEO and the promises He gave them along the way. Good thing these men on the way to Emmaus were not like the woman in this reality show who did nothing but complain about her commander-in-chief! Although I can tell you, Jesus would have responded with grace and forgiveness! Commentary: Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter D? For example: disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair and death. All of these nouns are summed up in the words of Cleopas and his companion to this stranger who was inquisitive about the current events. To be clear, we find in our selected text a situation where the newly risen Savior decided to disguise Himself and join two men who were walking on the road to Emmaus. They had left the dispirited and confused band of disciples with the events of Good Friday fresh in their memories. They spent the better part of the day with this unknown person and just before He disappeared, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him (Luke 24:30). I believe our key verse to support today s message is revealed in these guy s response to their opportunity of face-to-face interaction with the King. Look back and read verse thirtytwo, They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? Their eyes were opened and they recognized that for a period of time, heaven invaded earth. You see Jesus created an appetite in these two believers by lavishing them with the reality of His goodness. Because they beheld Him, their hearts burned deeply for Him! Remember, it s the degree to which we perceive the face of God that corresponds directly to the degree of our yieldedness to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ. You can rest assured that these gentlemen undoubtedly embraced the quest for the face of God until the day they walked into eternity with Him. These men said that their hearts burned within them as Jesus opened up the scriptures. The English word burn takes the place of two Greek words in this instance. Notice: 1. (e n ane) I was 2. (kaio - kah'-yo) to set on fire Life Application: I believe all it takes is for one encounter with the Lord and you will be set on fire! How many of you have prayed countless prayers for your unsaved spouse, child, family member, friend, or co-worker? Start asking God to encounter that person, whether it is in a dream, a supernatural experience, or a face-to-face moment like these two men. We must not cease in asking for these encounters, which will change everything. There are so many current reports of Jesus encountering African tribes through their dreams. They go to sleep never hearing of the name Jesus Christ and wake up a completely changed person, sold out to the Messiah! Hallelujah! Believe it! God is so much bigger than our finite minds can even comprehend! Commentary (continued): A deep desire and longing in my heart is to witness a great revival of hearts being set on fire in the church today. But it will not come as a result of: o New programs o Reviving old programs Page 3 of 6

4 o A series of revival meetings o Bible conferences o Singing o Or any gimmicks churches may use to attract people into the church If we are to become a church that is set on fire for Jesus it will come when people truly encounter the Savior for themselves! Many of you have experienced that fire in the past but for some reason it has burned out. Maybe your fire has been snuffed and you didn t even realize it. Well, we find some evidence of that burning fire in our selected text today inviting us to examine and redefine it in our own lives. When our fire is burning, you will notice two things: 1. There will be a desire to connect with the scriptures. 2. There will be a desire to commune with the Savior. Let s allow the scriptures to prove these two points. This encounter we have been investigating today happened to be on the actual day Jesus rose from the grave. These two followers of Christ were confused, concerned and grieving the loss of their Master. As they walked, Jesus approached them and joined their conversation and they began to tell Jesus all about JESUS! They started off by describing His life in verse nineteen and twenty, Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. They proceeded with their hope that Jesus was the Messiah in verse twenty-one, But we had hoped that He was the One who was going to redeem Israel. Apparently, they had heard the prophecy concerning His resurrection and today marked the third day! So where was the Risen King, right? They had heard from eyewitnesses that He had been resurrected but did they really believe? They possibly could have had the faith of our good ol friend doubting Thomas. Let s reread verses twenty-two through twenty-four so we may be reminded of what they heard. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn t find His body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus. Notice Jesus response in verse twenty-five through twenty-seven, How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. Jesus started with Moses and worked His way to the prophets. Moses represents the Law and the law points to Jesus! The prophets revealed prophecy and they spoke of Jesus! As Jesus revealed these things to the men, He ignited a fire within their hearts. This is one of the two things that will happen when a fire is set ablaze inside of us. Notice: 1. THERE WILL BE A DESIRE TO CONNECT WITH THE SCRIPTURES Were not our hearts burning within us while He opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32 The burning within these men came when Jesus opened up the scriptures. Jesus revealed the truth of the scriptures and the scriptures reveal the truth of Jesus. Let me ask you this, do you want to encounter the risen Savior? Then open His Word, His love letter to you. I cannot stress enough the importance of personal time in God s Word. It is simply not enough to read your bible, you must STUDY YOUR BIBLE to better understand who He is. The scriptures reveal that. God s Word also has the answer to all of your current questions. You can see the fingerprint of Jesus Christ from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21! We are told that Jesus expounded the Word to these men. Expound - {G} (dierme neuo - dee-er-main-yoo'-o) - to explain thoroughly. This is how Jesus taught; He explained thoroughly. Some people only want to hear exciting sermons and be entertained Page 4 of 6

5 but Jesus would rather see the people informed by the opening of the scriptures with a thorough explanation! I believe when the Word is expounded and people truly see Christ for who He is and what He has done, then and only then, will you see true excitement! Illustration: About five years ago, I went to pick up my son from Montessori School. Excited to scoop up my prince and kiss his face all over, the teacher instead pulled me off to the side and looked into my eyes with sincerity. Mrs. Holly, Mrs. Holly! Yes? I replied with curiosity. I was quietly praying over Noah today and the Lord clearly spoke an instruction to give to you. Being a believer of God speaking through His body, with excitement I replied, Oh yes! Please do tell! She then proceeded to say, He put on my heart that you are to go read Psalm 91. Confused I said, What does it say? I have no idea, I am only to tell you to go read it, she replied. So that day I read the chapter from the book that is alive and active, sharper than a double edge sword. When my eyes began to read verses fourteen through sixteen, the words literally leaped off the page and supernaturally morphed into my being. I could feel the fire! That is when I heard the words from my Master, Holly, this instruction is for Jason (my husband). At the time I did not know what the instruction was for so I wrote the date in my Bible and kept this encounter close to my heart. Exactly one year later from receiving this instruction, tragedy struck my household and Jason was in great need of direction. With tears rolling down my cheeks and fear wrapped tightly around my neck, I poured out my heart like water before the face of the Lord on behalf of my precious husband. We are told that as His sheep, we will hear and understand His voice. That day, on the floor, while weeping I heard His voice. All I heard was, Psalm 91! I immediately sat up and remembered there was an instruction for Jason in that chapter. Before I could reread the verses and be reminded of the wise counsel, I noticed the date I had written down and because it was dated one year ago to the EXACT day, I believed that was my confirmation this direct word was for this very moment... and it was those verses that carried us through that dark season and brought us out on the other side, untouched! Life Application: Do you seek the opportunity to hear from God and encounter Him? Open up His Word and you can have an encounter that will set your heart on fire for Him! When you have that burning fire within your heart there will be a desire to connect with the scriptures. Commentary (Continued): Earlier I mentioned that there would be two things that will automatically accompany a heart that s been set ablaze. We already learned that there would be a desire to connect with scriptures. The second thing will result in a desire to commune with the Savior. 2. THERE WILL BE A DESIRE TO COMMUNE WITH THE SAVIOR Did our hearts not burn within us while He talked with us. Luke 24:32 If we are honest, there are people in this life that we would rather not have to deal with. At the same time, there are some people that we have a desire to be around and spend a lot of our time with. When you heart is on fire for Jesus, there will be an intense desire to spend time with Him. Do you have that desire to commune with your Savior? Notice: A. THE SPIRITUAL HUNGER INVOLVED- Luke 24:28-29 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if He were going farther. But they urged him strongly, Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over. So He went in to stay with them. Page 5 of 6

6 These men came to their destination and it appeared that (Jesus) was going to continue on His journey. So they invited Him to remain with them. Remember, their eyes were restricted; they had no idea who they were with. They were simply excited about this man who had opened up the scriptures to them. Jesus expounded the scriptures and revealed the truth about the Messiah and they desired for Him to continue. They had a hunger for more! Have you ever sat down with the goal of reading only one chapter of the Bible and find yourself reading many chapters instead? Have you sat down to hear a sermon and when it was over you ran to your car, locked the doors and began to commune with Him? Have you ever worshipped in the secret place and came out, lost in time, with no clue two hours had just passed by? Contact Scott to get a gift card to the bookstore! When you truly encounter the risen Savior you will NOT want the experience to end! There will be a spiritual hunger and Jesus will remain with us just as He remained with these men on the road to Emmaus. Consider: B. THE SPECIAL HONOR INVOLVED- Luke 24:30-31 When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. Jesus agreed to tarry with these men. They went in and broke bread together. During this fellowship their eyes were opened and they knew that Jesus was with them. When we have a burning desire for Jesus in our heart and we have a spiritual hunger, Jesus is there. Not only is He there but also He will make His presence known. We take it for granted that we have this special honor to have Jesus reveal Himself in our lives. How long has it been since you last experienced this special honor, or have you ever? How long has it been since you have communed with the Savior? When you encounter the Risen Savior you will have a heart on fire for Jesus! Conclusion: When God invades a person s life, things change. Not only that, but the impact of that life on the world also changes. The measure of God s glory that rests upon a life following these divine encounters affects every person we touch (take Paul s testimony, for example). The supernatural becomes natural as God takes center stage in the places where we have influence. When His glory is present, the things that we used to work hard for come with little or no effort. Scripture describes those individuals whose lives are marked by the power and blessing of the living God as those upon whom God s face shines. God s countenance is towards His people, and the result is that their lives are marked by His favor. In the light of a king s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain. Proverbs 16:15 Page 6 of 6