A Burning Heart
Spiritual Heart Surgery
Luke 24:13-35
I want to get a conversation started as we begin this morning by asking a question. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you take with you? Now, I don’t want any people on your list. I just want you to think of some things to take with you. Take a moment to think about it, but I am curious about what your answers would be. Does anybody have their items yet? I think that if I had to take three things, I would take a knife, my Bible, and a big box of matches.
Why would I take these things? First of all, I would take the knife for a number of reasons. You could use it as a weapon against attacking animals or to hunt them. You could also use it to carve spears and other objects that you need. I would take my Bible for reading pleasure and because of its message of hope and ability to get you to know more about God. And lastly, I would take a box of matches because matches mean fire.
If you have ever seen the show survivor, one of the first rewards they are given is the reward of fire. Why is this? It is because fire means so much. Fire gives you light to see in the darkness. Fire gives you warmth during those cold nights. Fire gives you the ability to purify water to make it drinkable and the ability to cook your food. And, if you were truly stranded, fire could be your salvation – you could use it to signal. Basically, if you were stranded, fire means life. If you don’t have fire, you are not going to make it very long.
Fire is important in our spiritual life as well. In fact, I would go as far as to say that without a burning heart, we are missing out on Jesus and the life He has for us. What am I talking about? Let’s take a look at our Scripture for today in Luke 24:13-35. Turn with me there and follow along.
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with him; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “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. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 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. 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 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 him they did not see.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ 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. As they approached the village to which they were going. Jesus acted 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. 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. 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?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. “There, they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Now, I have read this story many times, but this time, I caught something for the first time that seems so insignificant at first glance. What is it? It is the fact that these men had something happen to them during this meeting with Jesus that told them all along who they were in the presence of. They had a burning heart. This morning, I want to take a closer look at what the significance of this really is, but before we go any farther, join with me in prayer.
What is the significance of a burning heart?
Now, I want you to put yourself in the place of these two men. They had followed Jesus while he was here on earth. He performed miracles and great things while they were in His midst, and they were beginning to think that He might be the ones the prophets had spoken about that would come to save them from their plight. Then, all of a sudden, things turned sour. Jesus was arrested and hung from a cross. He died on the cross and was buried. Now, even though Jesus had spoken of the fact that he would have to die and come back to life and the women had come back earlier and reported that the tomb was empty, these men were not convinced that Christ had risen. Why can I say this? I thing it is pretty evident by the fact that they were out on a walk still talking about what all had happened. If they were convinced that Jesus was raised, would they not have stayed with the rest of the disciples and waited for Jesus to come to them? Or, maybe they would have been on a frantic search for Jesus. However, they were just out for a stroll and a talk.
As they are walking, along comes this guy who they do not recognize. I think this is even more evidence of the fact that they did not believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead. They tell this man about all that has happened, and the man tells them things about the Scriptures. Finally, after all this walking, they sit down to have a meal, and when this stranger breaks the bread, they immediately know that He is Jesus. What is the proof that this man was Jesus? They immediately point to the fact that their hearts were burning as they talked to Him on the road.
Just think about this for a moment. These men were with the disciples earlier in the day. That fact tells me that they were close to the disciples, and that in turn, meant that they were close to Jesus. They would have seen Him and been around Him many times. They would have known his mannerisms. They would have known his voice. But, that is not what gave this man away as Jesus. The proof that gave Him away was the fact that their hearts burned when they were around Him. Apparently, this must have been something they had experienced before in a powerful way. When they were around Jesus before the crucifixion and watched Him work and heard Him speak, they must have had this burning heart feeling before. And, it must have been powerful enough that they knew this man by the burning they felt in their hearts during this encounter.
This is nothing new. In Exodus, how did God get the attention of Moses? It was through the burning bush. Moses saw the fire and the fact that the bush did not burn up and it got him curious. So, when he went up to the bush, there was a voice that called out to Him. Did Moses wonder who the voice was? No. He knew that it must be God and he listened to the voice. Apparently, the strange sight of a burning bush was a sign that God was near. Then, as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land, how did he know where God wanted him to go? He followed the pillar of fire because he knew that God was in it. Then, when Elijah wanted to show the people who the real God was, what was the plan of the Lord? The Lord would show the people who he was by sending fire once again and consuming the offering set before Him. Apparently, the Israelites and the Disciples had one thing in common. Where there was fire and burning, God was there. They knew this because we are told in Deuteronomy and in Hebrews that our God is a consuming fire!
The significance of the fact that the hearts of these two fellows were burning is this: When God is present, you can expect fire whether it be on the outside or on the inside. You know what I am talking about. When God is near in your life, you can feel it. You have an awareness of His majesty and glory that you can feel deep down in your soul. Your eyes glow. You can feel His warmth and see His light. I like the explanation that these men gave – their hearts were burning and this meant that God was near. The word burn literally means to set on fire, to give off light or glow brightly, to consume, or give off heat and be hot. The coldness of their attitudes after seeing their leader killed had disappeared and been replaced by a warmth from deep within. The darkness of their future was replaced by a glimmering light of hope in their being. Basically, this meeting with Jesus set their hearts on fire! Is your heart on fire and burning right now? If not, you need a meeting with the Savior!
How do you get a burning heart?
I’ve already uncovered the first thing that must take place in order for you to have a burning heart. You must be in the presence of God, but I want to take a look at this more closely. What is the first thing that happened in our story? The men walked with Jesus. What does it mean to walk with the Lord? I want to take a look at what this means through the words of an old hymn.
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus – than to trust and obey
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet
Or we’ll walk by his side in the way
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go
Never fear only trust and obey
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus – than to trust and obey
This song mentions a couple of key points that must be in our walk with God. We need to be in the light of God’s Word. We need to do His good will. We need to do what He says and go where He sends us. And most of all, we must trust and obey Him. That is how you walk with the Lord. So, the walk down the road with Jesus that these two men have is symbolic of the fact that we have to do all these things and walk with the Lord as well if we wish to have a heart that burns.
It is no coincidence then that part of the walk with God that these men had involved the Word of God. After these men had told Jesus about all that had happened, what was Jesus’ first response? His first response was to give them Scripture. Verse 27 states, “He explained to them what was said in all the Scripture concerning himself.” Now, I am assuming that these men had read the Scriptures before since they were disciples. But, evidently reading the Scriptures was not enough to make them understand them. They needed something more. They needed Jesus to explain the Scriptures to them. Too many times, I think we skip this step. We read the Bible, get to where we want to stop, and then we close the book and go on with our day. Then, we wonder why it can be so boring at times and why we don’t understand it fully. The reason is that we don’t allow Jesus to explain it to us. The Scripture is the Word of God. We are man. That means, without the help of God, we cannot fully understand all that God had intended to say. We need to take some time before, during, and after reading to allow God to explain the Scriptures to us and let them sink in. Without God’s help, we will be like these two men and will miss possibly the most important parts of the Scriptures.
Another thing I want you to notice is what happened when they arrived at their destination. The Bible says that Jesus acted as if He was going farther. But, what did the men do? They showed hospitality and invited Christ in to be apart of more of their lives. They wanted to know Him better and so they invited Him in to eat with them and even stay with them. Now, they probably would have been satisfied to have had a good walk and talk with the Savior and would have had the burning heart experience, but without letting Jesus into the other parts of their lives, they would have never recognized Jesus. Think about it – they did not recognize Him until they broke bread. Too many times we try to keep Jesus out of certain parts of our lives. Maybe we don’t talk about Him at work. Maybe there is that one deep dark place in our heart that we don’t allow Him to go into. Maybe there is a sin that you hold on to and don’t allow Him to take away. Whatever it may be I want you to know that you will never see Jesus for who He truly is unless you let Him be apart of every part of your life. You can’t leave Him at church when you go home after service and truly know Him. You can’t leave Him at home when you go to work or school and really know Him. You can’t leave Him out of everything you do on a daily basis and truly know Him. If you truly want to know Jesus you have to invite Him in to be apart of all of your life. Otherwise, you are just settling for some warm fuzzies in your heart from time to time.
What does a burning heart cause you to do?
Even though the burning heart was one of the last things mentioned in our story this morning, it was actually the first proof they had that they were walking with the Savior. After they had the burning heart, other things were open for them to experience. So, what did their burning heart cause them to do?
First of all, they were then able to see Him for who he really was. The Scripture says that their eyes were opened. Sounds a lot like what we talked about last week. Their walk and talk with God led to a burning in their heart that led to an opening of their eyes. Then, they could see Jesus for who He truly was. The next thing that happened was the fact that they started to talk about Him. The Scripture says that they first talked to each other and then to the disciples about the good thing that had happened. When you spend time with God in a way that leads to a heart on fire, you will not be able to stop talking about Jesus. You will tell your Christian friends and you will witness to unbelievers. You will also be prepared to go out where He has called you. The Scripture says that they got up and returned at once. They didn’t mess around. They didn’t pack for the trip. They didn’t take a shower first. They didn’t make sure they weren’t conflicting with other plans they had made. They went at once. We will go and do the Lord’s work at once when our heart is ablaze for God. And finally, they got to experience Him again. After seeing Him, talking about Him, and doing His work, these two men were rewarded with the fact that they got to experience Him more. The same happens with us. When we walk with Him, see Him for who He really is, get His message out, and do His work, He will bless us with more of Him. What a great promise.
When John Wesley first got past the law and working to please God and found a relationship with Jesus, he said, “My heart was strangely warmed.” Later, he was asked about the secret of his ministry. He replied, “I simply ask God to set me on fire and let people watch me burn.” Do you have that desire? Do you have that fire? Does your heart burn for God? Remember, where God is, there is a fire. And where there is fire, there is light, warmth and direction. Where there is no fire, there is coldness, darkness and a loss of direction. How would you describe your Christian life? Do you have the fire in your heart that signifies that God is near? Have you gotten that fire through walking with Him, getting in the Scriptures and inviting Him into every part of your life? Do you talk about the greatness of God and do all you can to serve Him? Is there fire in your heart?
You know, as I wrote part of this sermon, my dog was relentless. He wanted to play and spend time with me very badly. I started on the couch. He pawed at me at first to get my attention. I ignored Him. Then, he jumped onto the couch and tried to get the computer away from me. I told Him no and pushed Him aside. Then, he snuck up beside me and snuggled up – and as the minutes went by he was more and more on my lap. Finally, I went to push him aside again and he leaped onto my lap. He put two paws on my shoulders and licked me on the face. Still, I pushed him away and went back to work in the office this time. He did not give up. He brought me a toy and rubbed it against my leg trying to get my attention. The next toy had a squeaker in it that he kept on squeaking. Finally, he laid down and took a nap. I began to wonder though, “Do I have that kind of fire when it comes to wanting to spend time with my Master?” I should take a lesson from my dog and develop the kind of burning in my heart when it comes to spending time with God. I think all of us could learn from it. If you want the fire and burning heart that only God can give, I ask you to come ask God for it at the altar as we pray and Carrie plays softly. Let’s pray.
