The Path Of Peace Series

Walking With Jesus…Along The Road Of PEACE

Captain Emily Vincent

Scripture Passage: Luke 24:13-33

Introduction:

We’ve been on this journey together for a few weeks now…A Journey With Jesus…a journey to the cross…and with any journey we undertake, we hit certain milestones along the way. I don’t know about you, but when I travel somewhere, I like to know what types of places I will be going to or encountering before I reach my destination…it is with this information, that I learn exactly how I need to prepare myself for the journey…how long will it take? Do I need to pack some snacks…what about my electronic devices…should I have a back up way to charge them…should I bring a pillow or neck support…what type of shoes should I wear?...should I be comfortable? Or do I already need to be dressed in professional clothes…especially when you are traveling for work, these are the kinds of questions I have to ask!

Whenever I think about a journey or a long trip…it never fails…but this scene comes to my mind…

(Play Shreik 2 clip) “Are We There Yet?”

I know most of you would want to finish that movie…that scene always cracks me up…even more so now that I have children…but sometimes…this is what it’s like being on a long journey…are we there yet? Are we there...yet?

That is not a peaceful journey…but today, we are going to look at what it means to be “walking with Jesus, along the road to peace…

What is peace?

When you think about the word peace…what kind of images come to your mind? What does that word mean to you? Do you think about the opposite of war? Do you think about hippies? Do you think about when your coffee break time comes? Do you find peace then? Do you think about a cabin, early in the morning, when everything is quiet…no noise, just beauty…do you think about the end of a hectic day, when you can finally put everything to bed and find rest…what gives you peace?

When we look at the definition of the word peace, it says, “the absence of fear, stress, disheartenment, or struggle” (Websters)

There are others who say that peace is knowing “the good news of Christ and His resurrection”…the peace that comes for knowing that God’s got the victory, that I don’t have to worry, or fear…the gospel of peace…

It can look differently for everyone…

For me…peace means that my soul is quiet, and I can hear God’s voice…

The Emmaus Road Experience

I want to tell you a story right now…and this is from our scripture…but what I want you to do…is to close your eyes and see the story as I tell it to you. I want you to put yourselves in the places of these two guys…and try to see it from their perspective…

Two of the disciples start walking along the road from Jerusalem to a town called Emmaus…it is Easter morning…their friend, their Rabbi had been taken from them, killed, and was now missing…so much had happened to them over the past few days, and they didn’t know what to do; Or honestly even where to go. As they walked and talked, they come across another traveler who they do not recognize…He joins them and asks what they are talking about…These two guys are shocked that this man doesn’t know about everything that has been happening because, it’s huge news…and so they lay the whole story out for Him…how Jesus was their teacher, how He was taken and crucified…how they had hoped that he would have been the savior of Israel…and how some of the women told them that they had gone to the tomb early this morning and instead of finding Jesus, they found Angels there who said that He was alive…

The man they meet tells them how foolish they were to not have remembered or believed what the prophets had said about how these things have to happen for the Messiah to come. He quotes scripture to them, and explains to them why all of these things had to take place…

When they got to where they were going, they asked the man to stay and eat with them…and when they were at the table…He broke bread with them, gave thanks, and began to pass it to them…the disciples eyes were opened and they saw Him for who He was…the resurrected Lord…

They had been in the presence of the Lord the whole time…these disciples had been through a traumatic experience…they felt lost, alone, rejected, confused…not at all peaceful…they were on a road that so many of us have been on before…the disciples had been with Jesus…ministered with Him, prayed with Him, lived, ate and loved with Him…and they still didn’t recognize Him…didn’t recognize His presence in their lives at the moment when they needed Him the most…