Resurrection and Response ✝️ | Luke 24:13–35 📖

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.

[0:15] Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application. This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.

[0:26] Let's dive in together into God's Word. Well, good morning, everyone. Happy Easter, everyone. He is risen, and we say?

[0:37] He is risen indeed. Amen. Hallelujah. This is a special time. It is the special Sunday where we celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

[0:48] That Jesus Christ conquered sin and death. That Jesus is victorious. And we know that in Scripture, or we should know, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

[1:02] This is a special Sunday where we recognize that the Word of God is living and active, and the God that we worship and the God that we praise is powerful.

[1:14] He is divine. He is strong and mighty. And we can come to the Lord, no matter what it is we are going through, no matter what it is you have been through, what experience you are currently going through, the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

[1:32] God is always there for you. God keeps His promises. He fulfills His prophecy. Realizing and recognizing that Jesus Christ, just being born in that manger, performing the miracles, teaching in parables, walking on water, healing the sick and raising Lazarus from the dead, feeding the 5,000.

[1:57] Evil thought they could win. They thought that they could win over the Christ. And we know that Christ had His last supper, where He said, Do this in remembrance of me.

[2:12] And we know that in the Passion story, that He was nailed on a cross, and Jesus' final words saying, It is finished.

[2:24] Jesus dying, and then being laid in a tomb. Even Joseph of Arimathea was foretold, which is a wild thing.

[2:36] Him being, Christ being laid in the tomb. And we come to where we are at in Scripture. I had Kathy read today about the road to Emmaus, which is what is happening the same day on the day of resurrection.

[2:54] In Scripture, it says in Luke 24, the first day of the week, right? It was talking about the spices that were prepared. They were perplexed that they couldn't find Jesus' body, right?

[3:08] And that's where we find there were men that were saying, Why do you seek the living among the dead? That the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the day, the third day rise.

[3:21] And they remembered His words, and returning to the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to the rest. We know about, or we should know about, this resurrection story, seeing that the tomb is empty, and that He is not here.

[3:36] Where is He? Well, we find that in the next passages that Jesus is walking alongside with two disciples. And that's very interesting in here.

[3:48] The same day as the resurrection, right? We know about the resurrection. The road to Emmaus. And this is before Christ returns to His disciples and at the end of the Gospel of Luke, where He ascends into heaven.

[4:03] And these two disciples, they're leaving Jerusalem. They are confused and they are grieving. Feel free to open your Bibles. Let's look at this, right? Where we were reading it.

[4:15] Two of them, there's some debate on who the two specific disciples were. They were going to a village named Emmaus, right?

[4:26] They were talking about all the things that had happened. They had clearly heard the message from the empty tomb. And it's interesting that Christ is walking alongside these two disciples.

[4:41] What is this conversation that you're having? I want to know what you're talking about. They stood still looking sad. They were confused.

[4:53] They were grieving. Well, they had heard that Christ had been risen. They might have not understood. They might have been sad not seeing the risen Christ.

[5:07] But they are grieving nonetheless. They heard the report of the empty tomb. But they hadn't seen Jesus themselves. In verse 18, then one of them named Cleopas, right?

[5:18] Are you not the only visitor who does not know the things that have happened these days? And yet Jesus decides to be a little bit humorous here. What things?

[5:30] What things? What are you talking about? Right? And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, right? The prophet, mighty in deed and in word before God of all people.

[5:42] So they recognize who Jesus is. How our chief peace and rulers delivered him to be condemned. We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.

[5:53] Besides all this, this is the third day. Some women for our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, right? That's the earlier verses that we find in the Gospel of Luke.

[6:04] And they did, they didn't find his body. They came back saying they hadn't seen the visions or the angels that he was alive. And it's interesting, in verse 25, where Christ is saying, O foolish ones, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken.

[6:24] Many times in Scripture, Jesus was pointing out to the Pharisees and to his disciples how prophecy, how the Word, the Old Testament, as it were, would point to him.

[6:38] Now we get to look at it and we know exactly what's going on, but I can't imagine not seeing the Scriptures pointing to Christ. Verse 27, or we'll go in verse 26, was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?

[6:55] Not only is Christ speaking about that he had to die, but that he had to rise again. So they drew to the village where they were going.

[7:09] In verse 28, he acted as if they were going further and they urged him strongly, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now spent. So they wanted Christ to stay with them. They went in.

[7:21] Verse 30, When he was at a table with them, he took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. What does it say then? Their eyes were opened.

[7:32] So they had conversations about prophecy, but it was when they were doing community, right? When they were breaking bread together, as it were, that their eyes were open.

[7:45] They recognized him. And then what happens? Is Jesus still there? What does the Scripture say, church? That he vanished. So once they understood, he vanished.

[8:00] And then it says, Did not our hurts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened the Scriptures? And they rose and they returned to Jerusalem.

[8:13] They found the eleven, saying, The Lord has risen indeed. He has appeared to Simon. They told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

[8:26] So Jesus is calling them. He is walking alongside these two disciples. And it's kind of this bridge, this invitation, to walk alongside these two as they are journeying to understand more about God, more about who Christ is, and to do life together, as it were.

[8:50] And so they invite him to stay. They bread together and their eyes were opened. And it's in the reflection and seeing that there was a fire that was lit, how their hearts burned.

[9:05] And they returned to Jerusalem to share in the good news. What does all of this mean then? If we go to that next slide then, here at Ontario Community, we use what is known as the OIA method, observation, interpretation, and application.

[9:21] Observation meaning that Scripture is our source. We read it in its context and understand its connections. The interpretation is what can we learn because of this?

[9:32] And the application meaning what can we do because of this? So we can see, number one, that Jesus walks with the disappointed. It says in Scripture that these two were, they were disappointed, right?

[9:49] They were grieving as it were. And Jesus, despite the confusion and grief, He doesn't wait for them to be right. He doesn't wait for them to get over it.

[10:02] He meets them where they are at. And this is something not only can we see specifically for these two disciples, we can see how this happens for us.

[10:14] that no matter what it is you have been through, what situation or circumstance you may have gone through, you may be grieving right now in this room, you may have been going through some really intense experiences, but yet Christ will be there for you, waiting for you to journey with Him, to come alongside you.

[10:41] And He, we know in the Scripture that Christ walks with them before He reveals Himself to them. That is what's powerful about our faith, about our risen Christ, is knowing that He is there for us.

[11:04] Think about that. Think about moments where you have grieved or moments where you've been confused or moments in happiness or even in triumph.

[11:16] God is still there with you. In Psalm 34, 18, it says, The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. Isaiah 42, 3, a bruised reed He will not break.

[11:27] Or in Hebrews 13, 5, where it says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. It is for us to learn and for us to understand that the risen Christ will walk with people even when they don't recognize Him, giving time for them to recognize who He is.

[11:49] It becomes a bridge between sorrow and between joy, between not knowing who Jesus is and that moment where you understand this is Christ.

[12:02] Christ. The second one, then, is the Word and presence opens eyes. Now, I'm not talking about physical eyes. Although, if your eyes are closed, you should open them physically, right?

[12:16] If we're going to be literal here. But I'm talking about spiritual eyes. The Word. The Word of God. Because Jesus was sharing the Scriptures with these two disciples.

[12:27] Going over the Scriptures and how they pointed to Christ. that is why it is so important for us to be in the body of Christ. Going over what the Word of God means, what it says, how it applies to our lives.

[12:44] Because it can open our eyes to, number one, understand who Jesus Christ is. That He offers salvation. That whosoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life.

[12:58] And, of course, the presence of God can open eyes as well. For some of us, we may have felt the presence of God.

[13:10] How overwhelming, in a good way, it can be, feeling the presence of our Lord. And I don't know about you, but if my eyes are shut, I want to make sure they're open.

[13:22] So, it should be a lesson for us. Look, their hearts burned as Jesus taught the Scriptures. Because, we know that this Bible is living and it is active.

[13:37] And it should transform us when we think of the word repentance. How many of you have heard to repent or repentance? You don't have to raise your hand.

[13:48] Metanoia, which means to change your mind. Not only does it mean to change your mind about who Jesus Christ is, but it is to continue to change your mind to live and love to be molded like Jesus.

[14:05] Does that make sense, church? Their eyes were opened in relationship, though. It's much like how Scripture says that we are to hear the word and do what it says or, some of you may know, trust and obey.

[14:23] That not only is it hearing word, but it's also living it out. Their eyes burned when they were hearing. Their eyes opened, excuse me, when they broke bread.

[14:37] They understood. That shows you the power of Christian community. that goes to show you one of the reasons why we together can explore the word of God, but let it transform our lives.

[14:52] There is healing. There is transformation. There is understanding from our Lord and our God. Many of you may know the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verse 39, which says that the Scriptures bear witness to me.

[15:09] It's where Christ is talking to the Pharisees, saying you're so ignorant, you're looking at the Scriptures, not realizing it points to who Christ is.

[15:21] In Revelation 3.20, I've been mentioning this one a great deal. Some of you may see those pictures where Jesus is knocking at the door, right? And it's usually a pleasant image that you have, but what's so funny about it is if you read it in context, judgment's about to happen, and you're like, oh, wait a minute.

[15:38] But it's a funny thing nonetheless, but it's still a reality. Doesn't God invite us to the table of plenty? Doesn't God invite us to salvation by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of him?

[15:55] So this image of Jesus knocking at the door is still appropriate, be that judgment or be that invitation. And of course, in Acts 2, verse 46, they broke bread together in their homes and ate together, signifying the power.

[16:12] We know the power of the resurrection story, but it is up to us to respond. If you don't know the Lord, respond by believing in the Lord.

[16:24] If you've been distant, and you know the Lord, and you've been hurt, may I let you know. Man will fail you, but God will never fail you.

[16:39] Are we perfect, church? If you are, let's talk later. Right? I have some questions. None of us are perfect, but we believe in the God who is perfect, who is holy, everlasting to everlasting.

[16:57] He is constant, and he does not change. But we do, don't we? We change all the time. And so, let us keep in mind, we are to respond.

[17:11] Believe in the Lord and be saved. If you have had any hurt or injury, God's still there for you and invites you to come back to him.

[17:23] And if you're a faithful Christian, response looks like living out the faith. in the words that you say and in the actions that you do, being a representative for Christ.

[17:38] Don't we live in an everyday world where there's just a lot of people? All sorts of people, all sorts of different backgrounds. That we are to be the salt and the light exhibiting the life, love, and truth of Christ.

[17:54] that actually leads us to the third one. That the resurrection requires a response. Don't you realize when you see the empty tomb, did they stay there?

[18:07] Yeah, they stood there in awe. But eventually, what did they do? They left to tell people the resurrection story. In the same way, on the road, on Emmaus Road, same thing, that Jesus is showing the scriptures and how it points to him and breaks bread with these two disciples and he disappears.

[18:33] But yet, despite Christ disappearing, despite him vanishing, their hearts were on fire for the living God, wanting to confirm what else was happening, but to share in the good news of the gospel.

[18:50] And in the same way, well, once they recognized Jesus, they got up and went back to Jerusalem the resurrection. Yeah, we've got to believe in it.

[19:03] That's the most important thing. But we've also got to respond to it. Amen? Romans 10, 14, very famous word.

[19:14] How can they believe unless they hear or James 1, 22 to be doers of the word and not just hearers? Or we find that in scripture.

[19:26] It wasn't just a feeling that they had. They had to act because of that feeling, because of the movement. We could even say it was the movement of the Holy Spirit to lead them to go proclaim the good news of the gospel.

[19:44] This leads us then into what do we do about this? The application. number one, don't walk away from the resurrection message.

[19:57] Just like the disciples, sometimes we get discouraged. Sometimes we have moments in our lives where we're not filled with hope.

[20:10] our Lord and our God is the God of comfort, truth, justice, mercy, and he is holy.

[20:23] In Genesis 28, 16, surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it. And I pray that each and every one of you know that you are loved by God, know that he has called you into a relationship to grow in him, to be molded by him, to be transformed, to go, in simplistic terms, it's going from darkness into light.

[20:52] It's going from the, scripture talks about the domain of darkness into the kingdom of light. In other words, it's just going from unbelief to belief and recognizing that and for those that don't know the Lord, may you respond to know him.

[21:15] But don't walk away from that message. Identify where you've been walking. Where are you on life's journey? It is my prayer on your spiritual walk, on your spiritual journey, you come to know Christ.

[21:32] And upon knowing Christ, you journey in Christ. Do you understand the difference? The second one is make room to encounter and to grow in Christ.

[21:48] That Jesus didn't force himself to these disciples. He waited for an invitation. Now think about that. They were talking about the scriptures and it was getting late.

[22:00] Like, well, wait a minute. We just had a good talk. I mean, you've had that before, right? You had a good talk with someone like, hey, can we have coffee or like have lunch sometime? Like you want to continue the conversation kind of thing.

[22:12] They were so moved. Christ waited for that invitation for them to invite Christ in. and just as I mentioned earlier that Christ reveals himself in the word, through his presence, and in relationship.

[22:33] they urged him strongly, stay with us. Have you invited Christ into your life?

[22:47] Only you can answer that. And I certainly hope that you have and if you haven't, may you receive him in your life. This is the bridge of hope that is extended to you, much like how I use the language of the invitation or the visitation of Christ.

[23:09] This then leads us to that third point. Talking about bridges is walking the bridge of hope back to others. Now, did the disciples wait until the next morning?

[23:24] Oh, cool, man. No. They left immediately to go back to Jerusalem to proclaim in the news of the risen Christ.

[23:40] Think about that. The resurrection, when we come here on Easter and we're celebrating Christ's victory over death and over sin, that is something that we should share with our friends and our family.

[23:55] That is something that we should live out and embody when we interact with everyday people. Is everybody we interact with Christian?

[24:06] The answer is no. Right? Every, we interact with all kinds of people. That is why it's not only important for you to speak the truth in love, but to live it out.

[24:22] You've got to embody that every single day. just why the scriptures say to be an ambassador for Christ. We've got to embody that.

[24:35] It's too great. The gospel, the resurrection story is too great for us to keep quiet. It should move us.

[24:46] It is meant to be carried. It is meant for us to go into our community and to transform culture in the name of Christ.

[24:58] Not forcing it, but speaking to it, living it out, being that example for others. In Acts 420, just as today is 420, I'm going to give you a scripture verse.

[25:15] verse, in Acts 420, it says, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and what we have heard. That's powerful.

[25:29] In the same way, the people who came onto the scene to see that the stone was gone and the two disciples that broke bread with Christ, the pattern is, the message is so great.

[25:45] That they had to share it. And church, the message of the resurrection of Christ rising from the dead goes to show us the power of who our God is.

[25:59] That we trust in the living God. We don't trust in a dead God. We trust in the God who is above all space and all time.

[26:10] And it is up to us to carry out that message to those that we know, even those we don't know, even to other people.

[26:23] I want you to think about that for this Easter morning, that resurrection Sunday is not just about an empty tomb. Oh, no, it's much more than that.

[26:35] It's the fact of why it's empty, recognizing that it is the power of God. It's about our Savior who walks with us, who speaks to us and desires for us to be together.

[26:55] For we are better when we are together. And the beautiful thing is that he opens our eyes and transforms us from the inside out.

[27:09] You don't have to understand everything to experience Christ. If that were the case, it would be very different, wouldn't it? you just have to walk with him.

[27:23] Because Jesus is ready to walk with you in life. And isn't it beautiful to know that Christ is there with us, no matter what happens to us, or what people do to us.

[27:42] God's going to be there for you. Walk with him, listen to him, and receive that gift of salvation. And this response, that's why I titled this sermon, Resurrection and Response, and in closing, I want you to think about this.

[28:04] Hearing the resurrection story completes the gospel narrative. The death, burial, and resurrection. Ask yourself this question.

[28:17] How are you going to respond to the resurrection story? Only you can answer that. May you respond to the resurrection.

[28:32] Let's pray together. And Father, we thank you for this time and this opportunity for us to gather together on this Easter, this resurrection Sunday.

[28:48] May we recognize your power, your glory, your might, your consistency.

[29:00] And Father, I pray for everyone who is here in person, everyone who is watching online, or everyone who's going to listen to this message, that they recognize that they are loved by you, and that you sent your Son, that whoever, anyone, everyone who believes shall not perish, but have everlasting, eternal life.

[29:30] Father, we've gone over this part in scripture where these two disciples did not understand, but they did understand.

[29:43] I pray that if there is any that do not understand the resurrection story, may they understand it today. I pray that if there's anyone who's been hurting by people, that there will be healing.

[29:58] And I pray that every single person, know that they're loved by you, and respond to the resurrection story, and live it out every single day.

[30:12] It is in the name of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our faith, that we pray and we all say together, amen. Amen. Thank you for listening for this week's message from Ontario Community Church.

[30:27] I pray that you are encouraged and strengthened in your walk with Christ. For more sermons and resources, visit OntarioCommunityChurch.org. May God bless you as you live out His grace and truth every single day.

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