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…
When does the peace come?...
In the scripture…when these men recognize Jesus…when they see Him for who He is…when they realize that He is alive and doing exactly what He said He would do…they talk about how their hearts were stirred by Him and His presence…they literally say to each other, “were our hearts not burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”
Peace…TRUE Peace…is recognizing God’s presence in your life…when we give complete control to Him and we say…” OK! God…I know that You’ve got this” …only then can we have true peace in our lives…
These men who had literally been with Jesus, were so focused about what was going on around them that they completely forgot who was really in control of the entire thing…they were so focused on the problem, that they forgot that Jesus had already given them the solution…Peace comes from recognizing God’s presence in your life…and remembering that He is in control…
Peace in Our Lives
I am positive that we have all been in this type of situation in our own lives…when we cannot see past our problem…when it has been hard for us to recognize that God is walking with us along our journey…when you don’t feel Him…when you cant see past your problems…recognizing that He is still there…that He is with you…sometimes literally the only thing still holding you up…will allow you to be in His perfect peace…to remember that HE IS IN CONTROL…in ALL circumstances…that’s when we are able to experience His perfect peace…
In John 16, verse 33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!”
Jesus just finishes telling His disciples…for probably not the first time, about all of the things that have to happen to Him…and to them…He lets them know a head of time that these things will happen…but to remember that He wins in the end…He will have the victory…and if they do that, their hearts will be filled with peace…
What I want you to hear from me this morning, if you hear anything is this…no where in the scriptures does it say that everything will be perfectly fine and you won’t have any troubles at all…NO! In fact, He says the exact opposite…He says you WILL face troubles and issues…you WILL face hardships and rejection…BUT...But He says…WHEN those things happen…DO NOT BE AFRAID, BECAUSE I AM WITH YOU!
Conclusion
This should give you great encouragement…this should make you stand up and shout for JOY! This awesome peace…that transcends all understanding…do you know what that means? That means that even if you are at the end of your rope…even when you should have no hope at all…even when you are face to face with the lions in the deepest, darkest den…when there is no reason on Earth why you should…you have peace…you are peaceful…your soul has found rest…because…God…no other reason…He is the one who can fill you with this peace…because we have been able to recognize His presence in our lives…because we are able to see that He has the victory in the end…and that we don’t have to be afraid…or worry…because HE ALREADY HAS IT UNDER CONTROL…even when it doesn’t feel like it…that’s where our faith comes into play…
I want to tell you one more thing…all of those words or images that came into your head at the beginning, when I asked you what the word peace means…it should mean something completely different now…not only that…when you hear the word peace…it should get you fired up! Because, I tell you what! PEACE IS NOT PASSIVE…IT IS POWERFUL!!!
If you have the peace of God in your life…when you are able to recognize God’s presence in your life, especially when things aren’t going the way you think they should…You will not BELIEVE the amount of power you will have over these silly situations that you once thought were so important…when you put the POWER of God and His Peace behind you…you can move mountains…
Time of Commitment
Where are you this morning? Where are you on your journey with Jesus?
Resources:
The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7C9hPPF5x8 Youtube Clip, “Shrek 2, Are We There Yet?”
