Introduction

Good morning, dear friends! As we gather together in the house of our Lord today, we find ourselves standing on the precipice of another week, another opportunity to learn, grow, and find our strength in Him. We are here, not just to share in fellowship, but to delve into the Word, to seek His wisdom and guidance, and to allow His teachings to illuminate our path.

Our scripture for today comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, verses 13 to 35: "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 them; 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 the only one visiting Jerusalem who does 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 that 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 they did not see Jesus.' He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah 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 continued on 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 has 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."

Dissecting Discouragement

In the scripture we read today, we see two disciples, walking on the road to Emmaus, their hearts heavy with discouragement. They had placed their hopes in Jesus of Nazareth, believing Him to be the one who would redeem Israel. But now, He was gone. Crucified. Dead. Their hopes seemed to have died with Him. They were discouraged, downcast, and defeated.

This is a feeling we can all relate to. We've all experienced discouragement at some point in our lives. It's a universal human experience. It's that sinking feeling when things don't go as planned, when our dreams seem to crumble before our eyes, when the path we're on seems to lead to a dead end.

But let's look at what Jesus does. He comes alongside these two discouraged disciples. He walks with them. He listens to them. And then, He begins to speak. He doesn't dismiss their feelings. He doesn't tell them to just cheer up. Instead, He points them to the Scriptures. He shows them that their discouragement is based on a misunderstanding of who the Messiah is and what He came to do.

This is the first thing we need to understand about discouragement. It often comes from a place of misunderstanding or misperception. We see our circumstances through a certain lens, and when things don't align with our expectations, we become discouraged. But what if our expectations are wrong? What if we're missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? This brings us to the second thing we need to understand about discouragement.

It's not just about our circumstances; it's also about our perspective. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were discouraged because they saw the crucifixion of Jesus as the end of their hopes. But in reality, it was just the beginning. The crucifixion wasn't the end of the story; it was the necessary prelude to the resurrection.

This is a crucial lesson for us. When we're in the midst of discouragement, it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. We get so focused on our current circumstances that we forget about God's larger plan. We forget that He is still at work, even in the midst of our discouragement.

Thirdly, it's an invitation to trust in God. When the disciples' hopes were shattered, when they were at their lowest point, that's when Jesus came to them. And He didn't just offer them empty platitudes. He offered them Himself. He showed them that He was still with them, that He was still for them, that He was still working out His plan for them.

Finally, we need to understand that discouragement is not the end of the story. For the disciples on the road to Emmaus, their moment of greatest discouragement turned into their moment of greatest joy when they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Their sorrow turned into joy, their despair into hope, their discouragement into praise.

And the same can be true for us. Our moments of discouragement can be transformed into moments of joy, hope, and praise when we recognize the presence of Jesus in our lives, when we trust in His promises, and when we cling to His Word.

Deriving Blessings from Burdens

As we walk through life, we often find ourselves carrying burdens ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO