Sermon Central
-
Would You Know Him?
Contributed by Jeffrey Sims on Apr 16, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Would we know Jesus if He came up and sat down beside us?
Would you know Him?
The journey to Emmaus tells the story of two disciples walking seven miles from Jerusalem to their village of Emmaus, after the crucifixion of Jesus and on the evening of His resurrection. But it also reminds us of the journey we all take from not recognizing Jesus, to recognizing Him for who He who truly is.
These two disciples knew exactly who Jesus was, they knew all about Him, they had seen the things that had happened in Jerusalem, and I am pretty sure they had heard, the things Jesus had said about Himself. But even though they had been around Him and knew all about Him they were unable to recognize Jesus as He walked right beside them. So why didn’t they recognize Jesus?... I’m glad you asked...
The scripture says they were prevented from recognizing Him, maybe Jesus didn’t want them to recognize Him or maybe it was through their own blindness that they didn’t recognize Him… Think about it, they knew He had been brutally beaten and died an excruciating death on the cross and that He was buried. They also knew that some women had been to the grave and found that it was empty, maybe they hadn’t put two and two together yet, maybe they were still in a fog of grief…
Maybe they weren’t able to recognize Jesus because things hadn’t transpired like they thought they should have ... Jesus didn’t ride in on a big white stallion wielding a sword and shouting out commands to an army of soldiers to free them from the oppression of the Romans and the religious leaders of the day… You ever think maybe they were prevented from seeing Jesus because He didn’t quite fit the mold they had for Him in their mind.
They didn’t know the plan… so how could they know that God was up to something... And that something was so much more than they could ever imagine.
Maybe they didn’t have enough faith to realize that Jesus was working outside the box… Maybe they hadn’t realized that God was working in the realm of the supernatural so that we could have freedom that would last for all eternity. I think they failed to see Jesus because they didn’t know who He truly was.
People today know who Jesus is, we have heard about Him, we read about Him, we use His name, and many claim to know Him personally, but most people wouldn’t recognized Him if He was sitting right beside them. We have a notion in our minds of what Jesus should look like(describe), or how He might talk, what He might do and how He might act… We have a version of Jesus in our mind and wouldn’t be able to see Him any other way!!! Folks we need to wake up and open our eyes…We CANNOT PUT JESUS IN A BOX, IF WE DO WE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE HIM IF HE IS OUTSIDE OF OUR PRESET NORM.
We need to let Jesus open our eyes, and reveal to us who He is and what He can do… That’s what He did with the two disciples He met on the road.
In today’s world people will try to tell you who Jesus is. They will tell you He is one of many ways to get to Heaven, they will tell you He was a good man, they will say He was a great prophet, a good teacher, or maybe even a rebel who defied the Roman authorities.
I tell you today that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Jesus… Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb… Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, Jesus is our advocate, He the Good Shephard, He is our great High Priest… And He is the only way to get into the Kingdom of God for all eternity…. How do I know??? Because Jesus said so… How do I know??? Because scripture says so… How do I Know I’ll make the cut??? Because I Know Jesus… I don’t just know about Him I HAVE AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ONE AND ONLY SON OF GOD THE MAN WE CALL JESUS OF NAZERETH… THAT’S HOW I KNOW!!!
Recognition comes to His two traveling friends around the supper table when Jesus breaks bread with them… How can we gain recognition of Jesus??? Through a relationship with Him…
Do you know Jesus? Or do you just know about Him? Have your eyes ever been opened to who He is and what He has done for you? Do you walk with Him daily? Is He with you down every road you travel? I Guess what I’m asking is would you recognize Him if He was standing right in front of you?
