“Luke 24:13-35 – Walking with Jesus on the Emmaus Road: Fear, Faith and the glory of Christ”

Have you ever tried praising and worshipping God when things went well? It was quite easy, wasn’t it?
 
What about in times when we are in trouble and it seems like help is NOT on the way? Or that things did not happen the way we expected them to?
 
Do we allow doubts and lies about God’s power and presence to cloud our thoughts? Do we draw near to Him, or move away?
 
In today’s sermon, Pastora Noreen Santos shares with us how Jesus proved that everything will fall into place according to the Scriptures. He showed it to those who were saddened and depressed by the events that took place a few days ago, on the cross.
 
And even when we go through the Emmaus road, Jesus will catch up with us and bring us back to the fold.
 

On the Road to Emmaus – Luke 24: 13-23

mountain road
 
One of the most loved stories after Jesus’ death and resurrection is found in the book of Luke.
 
This is the story of how Jesus appeared to two of His disciples who were on their way to Emmaus (a village 7 miles away from Jerusalem).
 
In another translation, Jesus ‘caught up with them. This means that Jesus had a reason why he appeared to them. He was interested in them and wanted to minister to them – just as he would want to do with us.
 
In the middle of their journey, Jesus joined them and struck up a conversation with them. But the disciples were so saddened and so lost because of Jesus’ death that they failed to recognize who it was.
 
And the dream of gaining freedom, albeit that is what they gained, died with Him at the cross. They thought they have lost. But it is the opposite. Jesus overcame death; and though we will die, we too shall rise with him.
 
This message should have brought joy to these disciples, but they were blinded by their unbelief.
 
This here reminds us that just because we don’t see or feel the presence of God, does not mean that He is not there. God is always there. He knows our hearts and hears our prayers. He will minister to us.
 
Does this ring true to you?
 

The power of focus – Luke 24:17-24

woman right fist
 
In these verses, we can see how the disciples were towards Jesus. They cannot believe that this stranger, who looked, acted, and talked like someone from Jerusalem, did not know what happened. They shared the event to Him but made this ‘Jesus’ a thing of the past, after his death.
 
If you look at the verses, the disciples knew the scriptures very well and they believed in the word of God – but only partially.
 
Ptra. Noreen quoted T. Robbins, “be careful on what you focus on… Where focus goes, energy flows.”
 
The disciples here focused on the negative side, their dream of redemption through Jesus died when He died on the cross. They have disregarded the good news of his resurrection. The very thing that would have made them glad, made them sad.
 
Do we do this too? Sadly, yes.
 
Ptra. Noreen says,
“Sometimes, we are overpowered by selective faith. We choose what to believe. We choose what to accept.”
 
But this should not be. The enemy may use the very word of God to discourage us, but we must hold on tight to His word. And whatever happens, He will fulfill his promises, in His perfect time.
 

The revelation of Jesus – Luke 24:25-27

 
This is where Jesus reveals himself through the scriptures. He expounded it and explained how these pointed towards Him.
 
This is where we see that in due time, Jesus will explain everything. God is ever so patient with us. He will wait for us until we fully understand what and why things are allowed to happen.

In connection to what he said “what things?” in Verse 19, Ptra. Noreen said, “as far as our God is concerned, He has already done what is best for us. We only have to wait at the right time.”

Wouldn’t that give us joy instead of sorrow? Confidence instead of fear? That instead of living a life with doubts and worries, we can live a life full of confidence in His promises.
 

God is waiting for us to invite Him – Luke 24:28-29

unknown person standing indoors
Here we see the verse “seemed…” and in another translation, “as if He (Jesus) was going farther…” and how did the disciples respond to this? “…they begged Him to stay.”
 
The disciples had invited him over. If we carefully look at John 3:16, we see there “… That whosoever believes in Him…” God may be the creator of the whole universe, but He still waits for us to invite Him into our hearts.
 
The late J. Hampton Keathley III said that “The Lord Jesus seeks to come into our lives, He stands at the door and knocks, but He does not force Himself in. we must invite Him and respond to His plans and methods.”
 
If we only know about Jesus, we would still be troubled and remain unchanged. But if we know Jesus and have fellowship with Him, our lives and perspectives will change.
 
Are you willing to invite him into your life?
 

Jesus broke the bread – Luke 24:30

 
Jesus was the one invited, but when they were at the table, He was the one who broke bread.
 
Instead of being the guest, He became the host.
 
This is how it would be when we invite him into our hearts. He will not be a guest, but the unseen host that would bring us to a fellowship where he would lead, teach, minister, feed, and sustain.
 
In our daily walk with Jesus, are we allowing Him to lead us? Do we allow Him to minister to us? Do we see him as our companion in our journey through life?
 

From despair to Faith – Luke 24:31-35

person standing on hill
At the start of this story, Jesus ‘caught up with them and started a conversation. He gently rebuked them for not fully believing the scriptures that they know so well. In their journey, he began a fellowship with them. And when they invited him in and He broke bread and gave it to them, the disciples finally saw Jesus for who he really is: the risen Christ!

In the intimacy of fellowship with Jesus, He reveals Himself to us – His provision and leading becomes clear.

And when the disciples recognized him, He disappeared. This is to show that fellowship with Him would not depend on our ability to see him but to take him up on His word.

When the disciples realized who he was, they immediately returned to Jerusalem and shared their testimony that they had fellowship with the risen Christ. They had doubted, but their minds were renewed. They had fear, but they received new courage. And they despaired but their faith was renewed in his resurrection.

Alfred McBride says that the Emmaus narrative concerns “the evolution of the awareness of the two disciples from despair over Christ’s death to faith in his resurrection.”
 
On the road to Emmaus, they have regained their hope in Jesus. In our journey, we also despair due to certain circumstances. We lose heart when things don’t happen as expected. But we must keep in mind that every trial is an opportunity to discover what God wants to reveal to us.
 
Like the two on the road to Emmaus, you don’t travel alone. God is with you. Even when you don’t see and feel His presence, He is always there. Are you willing to see Him?
 
We’d love to pray with you. Message us at +1 (707) 600 – 6010 or leave us a message on our Jesus Reigns Ministries Facebook page or DM us on Instagram @jrmvallejo.

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