"hearts On Fire" Series

“HEARTS ON FIRE” Mark 16:12-13 (Luke 24:13-35)

FBCF – 4/24/22

Jon Daniels

INTRO – “It Is Well with My Soul” – Written by Horatio Spafford, successful lawyer & businessman in Chicago. Married to Anna – 5 children. In 1871, young son died. Lost most of business in great Chicago fire.

Nov. 21, 1873, Mrs. Spafford & 4 daughter on French ocean liner headed to Europe. Mr. Spafford had an unexpected business problem to tend to & couldn’t go w/ them. Told wife to go ahead & he would catch another ship & join few days later.

4 days into trip, the ship collided w/ another ship & suddenly everyone was in grave danger. Mrs. Spafford brought her daughters to deck & prayed w/ them as ship began to sink. Within 12 minutes, the ship slipped beneath the water taking the 4 Spafford daughters to their death. Mrs. Spafford was picked up, taken to Wales where she sent a telegram to her husband, “Saved alone. What shall I do?”

Mr. Spafford booked passage on next available ship. The captain called him when they crossed over the point in the ocean where his 4 daughters died, & it was then & there that he penned these words: “When peace like a river attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well w/ my soul.”

Today, we conclude this series from the Gospel of Mark as we look at 2 disciples who were deep in grief, confusion, & fear, wondering what their future would hold, just like Horatio & Anna Spafford.

EXPLANATION – Mark 16:12-13

Mark’s Gospel – smallest of the 4. Emphasized Jesus’ actions more than His words & teachings. Moved quickly from one event in the life of Jesus to the next. Action-oriented. Words “immediately” & “at once” used multiple times throughout the book.

That’s why we only have 2 verses about these disciples’ experience, whereas Luke used 22 verses to tell this story of the Road to Emmaus encounter. As one pastor wrote, “The journey to Emmaus is both a literal & a spiritual journey.” (https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/sermon-jesus-opens-our-eyes-luke-24)

- It’s the literal journey of 2 unnamed disciples making the 7-mile trip from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus after Jesus had been crucified & rose again. Their walking & talking, trying to make sense of all the crazy things that they had seen happen.

- But it’s also a spiritual journey as it helps us all consider the importance of encountering Jesus in our lives, recognizing His voice as He calls to us, & then responding by telling others that He’s alive!

Over 20 years ago – Desert Storm, Ruth Dillow received a very sad message from Pentagon. Msg was that her son, Clayton, killed – stepped on a landmine in Kuwait. Ruth later wrote: "I can't begin to describe my grief and shock. It was almost more than I could bear. For 3 days I just wept. I expressed anger and loss. For 3 days people tried to comfort me but nothing worked ... the loss was simply too great.”

But 3 days after she received that message the phone rang. Voice on other end: “Mom, it's me! It's Clayton. I'm alive!” Ruth: “I couldn't believe it at first. But then I recognized his voice and realized he really was alive. The message was all a mistake…I laughed, I cried, I felt like turning cartwheels because my son who I thought was dead was actually alive." (https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/79795/emmaus-road-by-sermon-central)

That’s the story of Emmaus!

APPLICATION – If we truly believe that Jesus is alive & is the Savior of the world, then we have work to do.

HE SHOWED UP & SHARED – v. 12 – Mark tells this portion of story in 1 verse – Luke uses 17 – The bulk of the story.

- Jesus joined them as they walked

- Engaged them w/ question: “What is this conversation you are holding w/ each other as you walk?” (Luke 24:17)

- They couldn’t believe that He didn’t know what had happened, so they told Him the whole story.

- Then Jesus takes over the conversation. Started w/ THEIR Scriptures & told them about HIMSELF from the OT.

o Isaiah 53:3 – “…despised & rejected by men, a man of suffering…”

o Isaiah 53:7 – “"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, and like a sheep silent before His shearers, He did not open His mouth."

o Zech. 12:10 – "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced.”

Romans 10:17 – “Faith cometh by hearing, & hearing by the Word of God.” (KJV) CSB – “So faith comes from what is heard, & what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” Jesus was plowing & cultivated the soil of their hearts w/ the seed of His Word, the truth about HIM, which is the whole message of the whole Bible!