Welcome to the Weekend Sermon on this Easter weekend. I hope that all of you are doing well and are planning to have a great Easter holiday.
I am looking forward to going to church tomorrow and joining with fellow Christians in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. He is risen. He is risen indeed.
During this past week, I have much to thank the Lord for. The bad storms that were supposed to hit my area did not materialize. Also, I had a bolt go through one of my tires on my car. It could have been really a bad situation, but my tire stayed inflated enough that I was able to get into a tire shop and get it fixed without having to be stranded on the road. I am thankful to the Lord for this.
I would ask your prayers regarding the storms that are predicted for my area tonight. Please pray that these storms will not cause any damage. Also, please pray for me regarding my work situation. What happens today will play a big factor in whether or not I keep working where I am working.
In other matters, please pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. There are great tensions between the U.S and North Korea right now. Please pray for peace. Also, pray for an end to the violence and warfare that are plaguing the world. Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq especially need our prayers.
Please pray for those affected by bad weather. I heard that New Zealand had some bad storm damage, and storms have affected several areas in Texas.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Eritrea and Indonesia. Pray that people in these two nations will hear about the power and love of Jesus.
This is the weekend when we celebrate the event that changed the world. There has been no greater event in history than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus rose from the grave, His message of hope and forgiveness has revolutionized people's lives and changed people and nations for the better.
For today's message, I would like to focus on one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances. In Luke chapter 24, we read the account of Jesus' encounter with the two men on the road to Emmaus. Emmaus was a village that was only about seven miles away from Jerusalem.
On Sunday morning, two of Jesus followers were travelling along the road heading from Jerusalem to Emmaus. As they were walking along, they were talking about the events that occurred on Good Friday. They had to be in great despair thinking as they did that Jesus was dead, and now their hopes for the future were dashed.
As they continued down the road, they were joined by a fellow traveler. This was Jesus who had risen from the dead. However, the two travelers did not recognize Jesus.
Jesus asked the two what they were talking about. They told Him that they were talking about the crucifixion of Jesus. They said that they had hoped the Jesus would be the redeemer of Israel. The two told Jesus that some women were reporting that the tomb was empty and angels had announced to them that Jesus was alive.
Jesus told the travelers that they were foolish for not believing all that was written about the Messiah. Jesus then interpreted the Scriptures about the Messiah to them.
Later, they were in a home breaking bread together, and Jesus' identity was revealed to them. The travelers stated that their hearts burned within them when they recognized Jesus. They returned to Jerusalem proclaiming the message that Jesus was alive.
What can we learn from this encounter between Jesus and the men on the road to Emmaus? First of all, one thing that strikes me is that we can't always recognize that Jesus is with us, but He is walking with us and guiding us nonetheless. It may not be until later on that we recognize that Jesus was leading us and was with us all along.
I know that in my life, there have been some really hard moments. It felt to me at times that I was alone, and I did not know what to do. However, by God's grace, I was able to pull through. As I look back on the situation, I can see how the Lord Jesus was leading me and showing me the way that was the best way.
I will give you a couple of examples. When the church of my youth thought that I was too liberal and they didn't want me to be a part of their denomination, I felt as if my future in the ministry was at an end. I had a rough time spiritually. However, through that, Jesus lead me to find many books that had been written about Him that offered another perspective. By reading these works, reading the Gospels over and over and through meditating on the person of Jesus Christ, I was able to develop a much closer relationship with Jesus than I had before. Jesus was walking down the path with me. It just took me a little while to see it.
Since that time when I was rejected by the church, the Lord has allowed me to have a writing ministry and to do other ministry work. I am thankful to the Lord for all of the opportunities He has provided. One of those opportunities has been this blog and the privilege of posting sermons each week.
Another instance when I didn't see Jesus working in my life right away was when I first met my friend Toby. As I've written before, I've suffered with depression since my high school days. Some periods are worse than others.
When I was 16 almost 17 years old I was so depressed I didn't think that I was going to live much longer. However, Jesus brought my friend Toby into my life. My depression lifted, and for the next 12 years that we were together, I was good. Since then, when I think about my friend, it helps me get through hard times.
This was all possible because Jesus was walking with me guiding my path.
Often, we think that when bad things are happening that Jesus is not with us. But, He is with us. He is helping us and guiding us. If we will in silence meditate upon Him and the words that He said, we can feel His presence in our lives, and that presence can bring us comfort and healing even in the midst of great difficulties. Feeling the presence of Jesus is what got me through the hard times of taking care of my Mom and dealing with the death of my parents.
One other thing that I learn from this account of Jesus and the two men on the road to Emmaus is that Jesus became known to the travelers when they broke bread together. I think that there are at least two meanings to this. When we take Holy Communion, we experience the presence of Jesus in the elements of the bread and the cup. We are in communion with Jesus and we experience His love and life.
Also, through fellowship with other believers in Jesus, we experience the life and love of Jesus. Jesus said that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Fellowship with fellow Christians helps us to see Jesus in each other. We can help one another and practice the servant principles that Jesus taught us.
One other thing that this account teaches me is the importance of proclaiming the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died to take away our sins. When He rose again, He defeated the consequences of sin. He defeated death, hell and the grave. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we do not have to fear death. Jesus offers everlasting life and light to all who will believe in Him.
Maybe you are reading this today and you have never put your faith and trust in the risen Jesus. You can do that today. Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Tell Him that you believe in His death and resurrection. Invite Jesus into your life as Savior and Lord, and commit yourself to following Him all the days of your life. If you do this, Jesus will come into your life. He will give you new life now, and you will be with Him forever when this life is over.
Next week, we will return to our regular schedule here on the blog. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. The Weekend Sermon will appear on Friday when we will return to our study of the parables of Jesus. May God bless you all. Amen.
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