Short summation of the gospel/crucifixion? Bring up to speed succinctly.
And the story grows on by His mercy
Certain people stand out to me. People that are unusual. Remarkable. Memorable. People that directly or indirectly shape my outlook on life—maybe some even my life itself.
• High school youth group sponsors
• Bill Cosby
• Elisabeth Eliot
• Michael Jordan—Wilt Chamberlain
• Bruce Lee
• U2
• Founders of our country/Constitution/Declaration of Independence
• Martin Luther King Jr
• Thomas Edison/Ben Franklin
• Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Rich DeVos
• 1971 Dophins
• Doug Kostowski (brilliant communicator and preacher who gave me much of the structure and ideas in this sermon)
But there is one particular man that really stands out: A man unlike any other. He wasn’t your usual “unlike any other.”
Not about
• Jumping higher
• How many shiny, powerful, leather seated cars he had in a garage
• Number of talk shows that sought after him
• Gossip columns of Star/People/Us
• Guiness Book of World Records.
In fact in many ways it was hard to tell that he was any different. He did seem like us:
• Wasn’t wealthy
• tired after a long day
• hungry when he was too busy or two focused or too broke to get some food
• clothing was ordinary
• not especially handsome
• slept when he could find time, and even then it wasn’t always enough
• had a mommy that loved him
he was just a regular living, breathing man like us, with skin and bones who would
• bleed if he got cut . . . oh yes, he bled like us. And yet unlike us.
turn to Luke 24:13-35 (This is a story of how he was unlike any other, and yet, two men, so very like us encountered what made him so different.)
Read the Story
How were they like us? Eyes and hearts, questions and disappointment. Confusion and misunderstanding. Wanting, calling, trying to find something to make sense of a world turned upside down. Longing for something real, something simple, something solid that they could hold on to, to lift them up.
Longing for the simplicity, strength, and life of faith that they had lost
Max Lucado (Angels were Silent)
Describes how in a similar way we cry out for something to cut through the clutter of life, turning to faith and religion to give us simplicity, instead finding things just as complicated:
Enter, religion. We Christians have a solution for the confusion don’t we? “Leave the cluttered world of humanity,” we invite, “and enter the sane, safe garden of religion.”
Let’s be honest.
Instead of a “sane, safe garden,” how about a “wild and woolly sideshow”? It shouldn’t be the case, but when you step back and look at how religion must appear to the unreligious, well, the picture of an amusement park comes to mind.
Flashing lights of ceremony and pomp. Roller-coaster thrills of emotion. Loud music. Strange people. Funny clothes.
Like barkers on a midway preachers persuade: “Step right up to the Church of Heavenly Hope of High Angels and Happy Hearts ….”
• “Over here, madam; that church is too tough on folks like you. Try us, we teach salvation by sanctification which leads to purification and stabilization. That is unless you prefer the track of predestination which offers …”
• “Your attention, please sir. Try our premillennial, non-charismatic, Calvinistic Creed service on for size … you won’t be disappointed.”
A safe garden of serenity? No wonder a lady said to me once, “I’d like to try Jesus, if I could just get past the religion.”
He goes on to tell a favorite story of his where this simplicity was found:
Once a bishop who was traveling by ship to visit a church across the ocean. While en route, the ship stopped at an island for a day. He went for a walk on a beach. He came upon three fishermen mending their nets.
Curious about their trade he asked them some questions. Curious about his ecclesiastical robes, they asked him some questions. When they found out he was a Christian leader, they got excited. “We Christians!” they said, proudly pointing to one another.
The bishop was impressed but cautious. Did they know the Lord’s Prayer? They had never heard of it.
“What do you say, then, when you pray?”
“We pray, ‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us.’ ”
The bishop was appalled at the primitive nature of the prayer. “That will not do.” So he spent the day teaching them the Lord’s Prayer. The fishermen were poor but willing learners. And before the bishop sailed away the next day, they could recite the prayer with no mistakes.
The bishop was proud.
On the return trip the bishop’s ship drew near the island again. When the island came into view the bishop came to the deck and recalled with pleasure the men he had taught and resolved to go see them again. As he was thinking a light appeared on the horizon near the island. It seemed to be getting nearer. As the bishop gazed in wonder he realized the three fishermen were walking toward him on the water. Soon all the passengers and crew were on the deck to see the sight.
When they were within speaking distance, the fisherman cried out, “Bishop, we come hurry to meet you.”
“What is it you want?” asked the stunned bishop.
“We are so sorry. We forget lovely prayer. We say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name …’ and then we forget. Please tell us prayer again.”
The bishop was humbled. “Go back to your homes, my friends, and when you pray say, ‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us.’ ”
Those three fisher men had encountered that you don’t have to be too complicated in your faith, you don’t have to get it all right.
Instead, they had hearts that were focused and strengthened by simple trust in God.
The two men in our story in Luke—like so many of us searching for strength and security and sense in a complicated and confounding world—ended up finding their answer in a remarkable man that cut through all of their confusion.
Just like they, we too, can have hope and joy in this world. Today we are going to look at how
Big Idea: An Encounter with the Risen Lord Strengthens Our Weak Hearts with Simple, Rejuvenating Faith!
• Renewed faith
• Cuts through the crud of complexity
• Simple, yet profound
Looking deeper into The Story of the two men who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus, we are going to look at six hearts, moving from hearts that start out with complexity and disappointment to simple strength and joy.
The first heart is:
1. Blind Hearts
This scripture has always intrigued me: intensely personal, and with two people, only one named, that are not the "usual suspects." and because it is a post resurrection appearance.
Mark has TWO verses that cover this.
v. 16 They were kept from recognizing Him
How where they prevented from recognizing him?
Scripture before and after ours highlight how we are often dense and dulled in our understanding of things of faith, especially regarding Jesus.
• the women "remember" when the angel reminds them of Jesus’ words, and yet at the same words, the disciples thought the words were nonsense.
• Jesus has to explain again and again those things he taught them already about his life, death, and resurrection
• Peter "wonders" what had happened.
HOW can they be so DENSE? Jesus told them specifically, apparently (Great Confession)
People are often blinded by
• Prejudice: women
• Partial information
• Majority opinion (news media: politics/science/environment
And yet here, it may be that somehow God was keeping them from understanding
• Was it to dramatically unveil Jesus at the right time?
• Was there something unique about his resurrected appearance?
• Was it a result of their misunderstanding about who Jesus was that God just chose to not let the cat out of the bag?
Blind Eyes/Hearts—like many of us. Seeing only what we want to see.
The second heart:
2. Sad Hearts
v.17 stood still and looked gloomy
Their Jesus was dead, and the religious leaders were responsible! HOW CRAZY! HOW DEPRESSING:
Jesus was their spiritual guide, sent from God, MIGHTY in word and deed, and YET, the very leaders of religion and who were representing God to the people, and the people to God were at odds with this man: jealousy, rage, plotting
Passion of the Christ (depicts this graphically)
They had no hope: HE WAS TO REDEEM ALL ISRAEL:
Save/free/stick it too the Romans, bring us back to glory of a nation where God is ruler, and his king rules under God’s wisdom
Aren’t we like that at times; we are disappointed by so many things that were supposed to make our lives “right with the world”, to give us joy:
• this job
• this marriage
• this boy friend/girl friend
• this baby
• this date
• this new philosopht
• group of friends
• this holiday
• this GOD
but somehow we are left wanting. Fall short. Disappointed. Sad.
Have you been there?
3. Slow Hearts
v. 25-27 how foolish and slow . . .
we are often like that.
Not recognizing what is all around us. We feel helpless by our circumstances, missing the help and truth all around us
One ship found itself stranded at sea and unless help came soon, it was certain the crew would all die of thirst. Finally in the distance they saw a ship and frantically signaled, “Water! Water we die of thirst!” The ship signaled back, “Let down your buckets.”
A second time the signal, "Water, water; send us water!" ran up from the distressed vessel, and was answered, "Let down your bucket where you are." And a third and fourth signal for water was answered, "Let down your bucket where you are."
The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the Amazon River.
Often we find ourselves in similar circumstances, in dire straits, looking for help. At those times we need to remember: Let down your bucket where you are" –
Let the Lord of life, sender of the Spirit and Lord his people, his family, his family that has all his resources, gifts, power and love at their disposal to use for his glory: let them be your aid and comfort in time of need. Above all, cry out to the Lord. (found on the internet in several places, didn’t copy the address this was from. I think I compiled to similar accounts)
It is hard to do that when we are slow, sad, and blind.
Apostle Paul: Phil 4: learned to be content in all situations: sustained by Christ
He had at his disposal what he began to see by faith and experience
4. Seeing Hearts
v. 31 broke bread
Basic Meal: Jewish tradtion that head of house breakes bread/blesses God
why? Hands? Scripture? Last Supper? (much richness of thought here)
common things of life; God delights in revealing himself to people who seek him in faith. Think of Hagar (after being despised)
God is grandeur, but he can be found in the common things, and is often remembered in the common things:
Cup of water to one who needs it.
Shoulder to cry on
Strength in the midst of confusion from prayer
They finally see Jesus, and just when they think they have him, he vanishes!
(aren’t our spiritual lives and even common relationships like that/)
5. Burning Hearts
v. 32
They had a sense that God was at work
Scriptures were important—shed light
Daily Quiet Time—two way street for us. Like relationship
God has been at work often in my life and I wasn’t sure at the time.
when I am reading book. He works on my heart, and other times, it seems uncannily like he will direct me to a book on my shelf that I don’t know really well (there are many of them . . . !) that will have a very appropriate illustration for that Sunday
when I meet a person, later it seems like a divine appointment
when I have a sense to stop be and see a particular family, and I obey Him in it, and fruit comes from it.
but i don’t like reading into events, but there are times when I have to accept HE is at work
6. Rejoicing Hearts
vv. 33 ff that same hour:
Old going to school stories: 7 miles in snow:
2 cor 4:7But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us. 8In every way we’re troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair, 9persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. 10We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies.
JOY was retored!
Bread. Communion. Take loaf in hand. Baptism. Symbol. Reality. Death Burial Raised to New Life! NEW LIFE! JOY! SPARKLY! TRUE! CHANGING! TRANFORMING!
Such rich symbolism, but it is based in reality.
Conclusion:
This church, wall paper, nicely appointed, new paint job, the things we worry about and are concerned with
His image, scarred beaten bruised ripped and torn beyond all recognition, despised, rejected and scorned: how?
But it was all for us. All for now. The perspective on who we are and who we can be.
Tell what happened recently to me: I was struggling with “Life is confusing: I don’t know this and this and this” (why are churches separated, what is happening in my life, etc, mounting feelings of little control or understanding of life). I went outside during our recent showing of the “Passion of the Christ”. Didn’t know why, just felt compelled to leave in the middle of the performance.
I saw Our “burning bushes” out back. I just got close to them and started looking at the structure of their leaves and branches. Getting real close (not something I usually do). Then I turned to look behind me, to notice the sun setting. I started thinking: the SUN rises and sets. (and rises and sets, etc, every day). It Causes things to grow. Then it hit me. No matter how confusing life is, God is in control He controls the universe, the sun. He is in charge. All I need to do is look to him.
Like the SON.
His resurrection is ALL the difference.
Which heart to YOU bring?
That is what makes him a man like no other: God and Man, died, buried, resurrected and ascended to heaven!
Invitation: Courtesy of Jesus, you must invite Him in, though. (Rev: I stand at the door and knock . . . that is a call to his disciples—but can be extended to those who don’t know him, either) Bring him into your heart.
