[0:00] All right, if you turn to Luke chapter 24, we'll be there in a little while. We'll look at Luke 22, and then we'll go to Luke 24.
[0:15] Veterans Day is tomorrow, and that's the day we remember, Memorial Day, I'm sorry. Veterans Day is what I got written down here. It's for those that, it's for everybody that was a veteran.
[0:26] Tomorrow is when we remember those that gave their lives so that we could enjoy coming to church. This morning, without anybody telling us we can't or putting any boundaries on what we do, I'm pretty much free inside the law to do as I please within reason.
[0:48] Our fathers come to this, forefathers come to this land because they wanted freedom. They wanted to worship God the way they wanted to worship God. They didn't want somebody telling them how they could worship.
[1:02] So they come here and started this great land I live in today. But it costs them because freedom's not free.
[1:13] Freedom's a great word, and we enjoy it. And I love the concept of it. It's good, but freedom's not free. John chapter 15, 13 says, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
[1:31] Years later, some men got together and signed their name on a Declaration of Independence. Patrick Henry's frame of famous for saying, Give me liberty or give me death.
[1:45] And that sounds good. That inspires you and inspires me until they poured a gun at you. But they gave, some of them gave their life, lost their lands, lost their wives, and all they did was pin their name down to found this country that I live in and you live in.
[2:05] At the beginning of World War II, my grandmother and grandfather, we called them Papa and Mamie. They had five kids, four girls, and one boy named John Guy Kelly.
[2:23] Well, back then, a soul surviving son did not have to go. John Guy could have stayed home and let everybody else go to World War II, but John Guy Kelly being the man that he was, he just went anyway and never come back.
[2:44] Grandma and Grandpa never saw John Kelly again. They never got to see his grave. I've got the flag that the government sent him.
[2:57] I've got it in my study at home. When I was a sophomore in high school, a fellow I ran around with named Rutledge Lyles graduated and went in the Army.
[3:10] And my junior year, I started, and his helicopter crashed, and Rutledge Lyles never come home. I've seen his dad, and his dad, after that, sort of walked, leaning over because he missed his son, because freedom is not free.
[3:32] My junior year, I played basketball with a guy named Randall Jones. I really loved him. Spent a lot of time in the gymnasium with him.
[3:45] He graduated. I went through summer, started school. My junior year, got word, Randall, got shot and died in a place called Vietnam.
[3:58] Never had children. Never got married. Never had the opportunity to have grandchildren like I've got. I was lost back then.
[4:11] I couldn't tell Randall about Jesus. I finally got saved. Randall, far as I know, never got the opportunity to get it right with God.
[4:23] Freedom is not free. It costs people their blood so I could be here today and worship God.
[4:34] My dad served in World War II, drove a tank with General George Patton. My dad was in Korea in the infantry where he got frostbite on his feet and his shins.
[4:49] Stayed in a foxhole with another guy for about seven days. Remembered in his pack, he had a can of Viena sausages.
[5:01] Six of them, they call them Viena sausages, but in Alpharetta, I'm sure it's Viena. So that's what dad, his foxhole buddy, and all the rest of them on this heel, that's what they eat for seven days.
[5:20] The old man made it back. My mom's 95 years old. She's in church right now, and she'll be in church tonight. She texted my wife this morning, and she said, I've been thinking about my brother today, and I don't usually do that.
[5:38] Her brother was Guy Kelly that never come back. 22 years old, I think he was. She said, but God's been gracious to take care of three gyms. One gym was my daddy, one gym's me, and one gym's my son, who's on a subway.
[5:56] Freedom's not free. Luke chapter 24, God gave us a book. It's called the Bible. And in this book, God wrote about his son, named Jesus.
[6:12] And throughout the book, God wanted us not to forget about Jesus. Luke chapter 22, he talks to the disciples.
[6:23] Luke chapter 24, Luke chapter 22. Let's go there for just a little bit. He starts, you know, like the Lord's Supper. And he tells these guys, when you do this, do it in remembrance of me.
[6:39] Remember me. And then he says, because this is for you. He went to the cross and died for us. But you know, these guys are like us.
[6:52] You go down from chapter 22, down four or five verses from the Lord's Supper. You know what they do? They start arguing about who's the greatest.
[7:03] Four days or three days, he's going to die for their sins. Go to chapter 24. God wants us to remember him.
[7:18] And I think it's great. Memorial Day, we remember these guys that lost their lives. I think it's absolutely wonderful. I really do. But I don't want to forget Jesus Christ.
[7:31] Because I forget what he's done for me. I'm going to get lazy. I'm going to start fussing. I'm going to start fighting. I'm not going to serve God like I should if I forget about him.
[7:44] And I could end up like the two men in Luke 24. Go to Luke 24. Jesus is out of the grave. He's been resurrected.
[7:56] The ladies go and they see him. Luke 24, verse 8. And they remembered his words. Can you believe that?
[8:25] This is the cream of the crop. These are the guys that were with him all those years. Heard him. Saw him. Watched him make miracles. Watched him raise to death.
[8:37] This or the. These guys come back. Ladies come and say, he's out of the grave. They said, nah. It says right there, I don't tell.
[8:49] I look those words up. It means nonsense. That's what they said. You say, that's terrible. I think I can associate with that.
[9:03] Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I look back. I forget what God has done for me. They just forgot about Jesus Christ. And look where it's got them.
[9:15] But go on down some more. I love these verses of scriptures, by the way. It makes me feel normal. I think most people are super Christians and super this and super that.
[9:27] Because when I look at me, I don't see nothing. But pretty much a saved sinner. These guys make me feel better. Look at verse 13. And it says, well, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem.
[9:45] About three score furlough. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. Now, let me ask you. Why aren't they at the tomb? Why didn't they, like, go with the ladies to the tomb?
[10:02] The men ran. And the ladies, why aren't they at the tomb waiting on him to come out? Why not? Why not? You know why not.
[10:15] And I know why not. I'm not sure they swallowed all of it. I'm not sure they understood all of it. Really. So these two guys, they're going back home.
[10:29] They're going back to the house. Verse 15. It gets better. And it came to pass that while they communed together and reasoned, that's a good word, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
[10:47] So you've got to get the picture. You've got to see this. These guys have left Jerusalem going home. They're on the road.
[10:58] They're walking. Their chin is dragging the ground. They're digging furrows in the dirt as they walk. They're so sad.
[11:08] So they're walking. Oh, they're like you and me. Griping and moaning and fussing. Because it's our, you know, it's our God-given right. Because we're Americans.
[11:19] We get to do that. So they're just griping and complaining and digging up dirt. And next to them, a man starts walking with them. And look at the next verse.
[11:30] Y'all know who it is. Y'all have read this before like me. So in verse 16, the drives were holding that they should not know him. And he had said unto them, what manner of communications are these that you have one to another as you walk?
[11:45] And so he looks at them and brother says, what's wrong with y'all? What's wrong with y'all? All this talking and reasoning. Why are you sad?
[11:56] And they're thinking, where has this guy been? Don't he know what happened in Jerusalem? Doesn't he know? You know why they're sad?
[12:08] I'll give you some reasons why they're sad. Verse 15, verse 25. Foolishness will make you sad. It really will. He rebukes them later on. Foolishness will make you sad.
[12:20] We reason stuff. And think about it. Everything I've reasoned turned out wrong. That's what they're doing. They're talking and said, oh, he died.
[12:34] We heard this and that. They're reasoning it all out. And none of it makes sense. Verse 21. Look at what it says. But we trusted.
[12:45] They're talking to Jesus. Of course, they don't know that. They said, but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. They want what they want like us.
[12:58] They're looking at the Son of God and saying, we trusted him that he would bring back Israel. We'd be on top and kick the Romans out. And it would be great.
[13:10] That's what they're reasoning. And they got in a mess for it. Just like me. You know what that made them sad? Verse 20. A fatality. They thought God was dead.
[13:22] They did. Look at verse 20. And how the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and have crucified him. They said, Jesus is dead.
[13:33] Sometimes we act like he's dead. And been dead a month and done molded and everything else in the grave. They thought Jesus was dead. But how can the guy that raises the dead die?
[13:44] Come on. Reason I didn't believe Oral Roberts. He died. If I could heal somebody, I'd heal me. Wasn't you? But he died. So he can't be real.
[13:56] He rebuked the devil. How can he die? He rules the deep. He walked on water. Try it. With a life preserver.
[14:07] It don't work. You can't walk on water. He did. They thought he was dead. We live like it. Some of us live like it's dead.
[14:17] Flustration. They're going back home. They are in retreat. They are regressing from the cross because Calvary messed all their plans up.
[14:31] Calvary messed every plan they had up. He's messed some of my plans up. I got a quote in the back of my Bible. You know what it says?
[14:42] If you want to see God in life, tell him your plans. Amen. That's the truth. That's this guy's. They planned it out. It didn't happen. They're frustrated.
[14:53] And they quit. And they're going back to the house. And y'all are real spiritual. Y'all never thought about that. In their faith. Verse 25.
[15:04] Look what he said to them. Then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken. He said, y'all just don't believe me. He said, I told you.
[15:15] I told you. I told you. And y'all were worried. Who's the greatest? Y'all just didn't believe me. Didn't believe the scripture.
[15:27] Didn't believe him at all. But you know what I like about this? You know what I really like about it? Is Jesus loved them so stinking much. And he loves you so stinking much.
[15:38] He ain't going to leave you like this. He could have said, fellas. Y'all don't believe me. Fiddle with you. Go back to the house. I don't care. But he didn't. He went with them.
[15:49] Walks with them. Listened to all their whining. And all their complaining. And all their griping. Like I've done. He just keeps on looking. Notice the cure for sadness.
[16:01] It's really simple. Really simple. You know what he done? Verse 26 and 27. He just preached to them. You got to remember this. This is Jesus.
[16:13] Right? This is the son of God. Raised to dead. Walks on water. You know what he could have done? He could have levitated 15 feet off the ground. And said, okay guys.
[16:24] Believe it now. It's really me. He could have done that. Right? He could have cut cartwheels in the sky. Done anything he wanted to. But you know what he did? He opened up the word of God.
[16:36] That black book that you got. And you read of it once in a while. He just opened that. He opened that. And said, fellas. Let's talk about Moses. Really. Everything he could have done.
[16:49] He read them the scriptures. Because everything God said is based on that. If that's wrong. I ain't saying.
[17:00] Based it on the Bible. That's it. He explained his suffering. Look at verse 26. Ought not Christ to suffer these things.
[17:10] And to enter into glory. And beginning at Moses. All the prophets. He expounded unto them. And all the scriptures. The things concerning himself.
[17:21] He just gave them an exposition on Moses. So a cure for sadness. It's in this. It's in this.
[17:33] Really. You want to quit whining. Complaining. Grow up. Read this. You'll say I've read it. Read it again. I've read it once or twice.
[17:46] Read it again. There's stuff in here. I've read stuff in there. And I would bet. God put it in there. Ten minutes. Before I read it. Because I've never seen it before. I guarantee you.
[17:57] God does that. Really. It's in there. Every problem. You've got the cure. It's in this. It's not in stuff.
[18:07] And signs. And shows. It's in the Bible. The reason he preached. And explained the Bible to them. Is ten years down the road.
[18:19] They'd be the same way. And they'd go to the Bible. And not have to see nothing. What else to do? Verse 30. Look at verse 30.
[18:31] He starts walking. Of course y'all know the story. You've heard a lot better preaching this. On this chapter. They keep walking. They get to where they live. So he's going to leave.
[18:42] They say. No, no. Come. Come on. You know. Come home with us. So verse 30. They constrained him. In verse 29. He came to Pisces. Set it meat.
[18:53] With him. He took bread. Blessed it. Break it. And gave to him. So he talked to them about the Bible. And then he sat at the table with them. If he eats with you.
[19:05] If he comes in your house. He's going to take over. Seriously. He says he took the bread. And he blessed it. He didn't ask him to say thanks. He didn't ask him to pray. If he's in your house.
[19:16] He'll run your house. He'll try. So they pray. And I don't. I can't prove this. It ain't in there. This is what I think. Which is like noses.
[19:27] Everybody got them. But I think. When they saw him break that bread. They saw those. I think they saw the scars. And he said. Really. I do.
[19:38] With all my heart. I think. I think you saw. They saw the scars. And looked at one another. And thought. Good gracious. That's him. That's him.
[19:49] And in their heart. They thought. He really is alive. He's really. Stinking. Alive. Really. They saw it.
[20:01] You know it. And I know it. They saw it. So. He leaves. It says in verse 31. And their eyes were open. And they knew him.
[20:11] And he. Bam. He's gone. That's the way God works. He shows up. You get help. Bam. He goes somewhere else. And helps me again. Because I always need it.
[20:23] Always. Need. God's help. So you know what happened? He changed their sadness. God will change sadness. I'm honest with you.
[20:34] God will change sadness. And I know folks sad. I know that. I've wept. Every Memorial Day. I weep. I can't help it. It's junk between my ears. I can't get out.
[20:45] I try to forget it. And I do pretty good. Except for two or three days. Out of a year. And I ain't worth shooting. So I really. I know about. Weeping. I know about. Regrets.
[20:56] Guilt. I know all about that. But I also know. The cure. Is in my Bible. It's in that black book. It's in there. They got fired up again.
[21:08] That's what happened. Needs to happen. To most. Of American. Christianity. They need. They need. To get. Fired. Up. And excited. God.
[21:19] Ain't. Dead. COVID. Didn't get to heaven. He ain't sick. He ain't had the flu. He ain't had the mumps.
[21:29] God is. Fine. But we forget. We forget. Two things. I believe the Bible tells us.
[21:40] We shouldn't forget. You realize. That's the day you was a sinner. And y'all look real nice. In here. Some of you. You know. You look real nice. But there's a day you was a sinner.
[21:55] Blind is a bath to the things of God. Didn't want nothing to do with it. Didn't listen to it. Didn't like it. I couldn't stand church.
[22:05] It drove me nuts. At the church where mama and daddy made me go. I couldn't stand it. But I couldn't understand it. I was blind. Devil. Had you tied up.
[22:15] Just like me. And we forget. We've been saved. God this month. First of May. I've been saved 50 years. 50 stinking years. I've been saved.
[22:27] Hallelujah. But here's the day I was bound in sin. So sorry I had to leave my county. To find a wife. And find somebody to marry me. And that ain't no lie.
[22:41] But one day God saved me. I had no hope. Only help I had was a mama. That loved God. And no doubt I knew how to get in touch with him.
[22:52] And that's why I'm saved. Her and the Holy Ghost. Here's the reason I'm standing here. Today. Saved. You can't forget. Just think you were a sinner. Paul never forgot it. You ever notice.
[23:03] Through the New Testament. Books he writes. He always tells. How God saved him. On that road. All the time. Never forgot it. Peter said.
[23:13] Don't forget. Then you need to remember. You got saved. I remember. I remember the first time. I really realized.
[23:24] God loved me. I ain't no lie. I knew mama did. Daddy did. And mama and papa did. Outside of that. I wasn't really sure. But God loved me. He loves you.
[23:36] Seriously. You say you don't know me. Well God does. I don't have to. God in here. Said. He loved you. God said. I sent my son.
[23:46] To die for you. God said that. I think God. He looked. For you. Don't you? I didn't get saved.
[23:56] First time. I didn't get saved. First. First 24 years. Of going to church. I didn't get saved. God. Look. For me. Look.
[24:07] He looked for me. All over Texas. All over the Philippines. All over Vietnam. All over Texas. All the way back. South Carolina. He looked for me. I never give up.
[24:17] Never ever give up. Y'all remember that. Never gave up. If you're saved. There was a day. God looked for you. And you stopped.
[24:28] And then God listened. When you prayed. Hallelujah. My wife makes it a big deal. And when we got married. I always read my Bible.
[24:40] I never read it. I didn't read four verses in this thing. In 24 years. I went to church. I didn't pay no attention. So I got to reading it. And I thought. Lord help.
[24:50] Everything them preachers said. They wasn't lying. I thought they was all full of it. I thought they was lying. There ain't no way in the world. It can be like that. There ain't no way. It's really like that.
[25:01] So I got to reading it. And I thought. Man. Those guys wasn't lying. His and me stupid. Couldn't understand it. He looked for me. He listened. He took me out of sin.
[25:13] Seriously. I got saved. Sin. I ain't perfect. I don't smoke dope no more. I don't drink Jack Daniels. Or Budweiser. No more.
[25:23] Oh God. Oh God. I didn't do it. God did. He saved me. He saved Paul. Paul was a mean dude. It made most of us look like carboys.
[25:36] God saved him. Lifted him. He loosed him. And Paul said. He's led me all these. All these years. He's the same thing for you.
[25:47] And as soon as you forget it. You know what's going to happen? You're going to go back to whining. Pouting. Crying. After like a four year old younger. One year the same way all the time. Because you forgot.
[25:59] God Almighty saved you. And God Almighty wants to use you. So they go back. They got fired up. Verse 33. In the middle of the night. They say.
[26:09] Well we got to go tell somebody. We've got to go tell somebody. So they go back. To where the other guys are. In verse 35. Verse 35. It says. And they told.
[26:20] What things were done in the way. That was known of them. In the breaking of bread. And as they spoke. Jesus himself. Stood. In the midst of them.
[26:30] And said. Peace unto them. So that they go back. Tell them. God we saw Jesus. And he's really living. And all of a sudden. There he is. And he said.
[26:41] All right guys. Everything's fine. Peace. That's what happened. They didn't forget. And they come back. Which way are you walking?
[26:54] Which way are you going? I brought something with me today. When. When.
[27:09] John Kelly died. All grandma and grandpa got. Was this. From. Franklin. Roosevelt. He wrote a lot of these things.
[27:22] But. I don't really. I just. It's really. It's really amazing. To me.
[27:32] It might not be to y'all. I hope it is. It says. In grateful memory of. Private John G. Kelly. They got his. Number. Who died in the service of his country.
[27:44] And it's. There's. The next word's app. It's crossed through. Because. They just put it in the European theater. October 16th. 1944. But here's what.
[27:55] Really. Gets to me. He said. He stands in the line. Of. Stands in the unbroken line. Of patriots. And the next words.
[28:07] Says. Who dared. To die. Let that sink in. Stood in the line of patriots. That dared. To die. That freedom.
[28:18] Might live. And grow. And increase. Its blessings. Freedom lives. And through it. He lives. In a way that. Humbles.
[28:30] The undertakings. Of most men. But in reading that. Do you realize. There was. There was a man named Jesus.
[28:43] That came to this earth. Sinless. Perfect. Spotless. In love. In love. With you and me. Enough. And you say.
[28:54] Oh it was God. It didn't hurt. Yeah it did. Those nails hurt. Those spikes in his feet. That all hurt. That spear in his side. That hurt. He went to that cross.
[29:06] And he died. On that cross. Willingly. John 15. 13 said. No greater love. Is a man. Died for his friends. He. They crucified him. They couldn't have been his friends.
[29:17] He died for them. Anyway. Which way you going? Which way you going? He's alive.
[29:28] I believe this morning. If every child of God. Would look toward heaven. And say. God. I know you're alive. I believe you're alive. And God.
[29:39] If you would just use me. Everything I got. Is yours. I believe God would do something. I seriously believe. God could turn a country. Upside down.
[29:50] If we as children of God. Would quit saying. We believe he's alive. We believe he's alive. And ask God. To use us. Like we're positive. He's alive.
[30:02] If you're here this morning. And you say. Preacher. I'm not saved. I don't know Jesus. Is my personal savior. I can tell you. On the authority. Of this book right here. He loves you.
[30:14] And he died for you. Whatever your name is. He died for you. And if you come this morning. You don't have to come up here. And let you want to. You can talk to some of these men.
[30:24] They will show you. How you can be saved. Just like me. And just like these others. Which way. Are you going? Let's bow for a word of prayer.
[30:35] Father. We love you. We thank you for your mercy. Thank you God for your grace. Your goodness. We thank you for it. God I pray for somebody.
[30:45] You're lost. God you speak to their heart. God you save them this morning. I pray for as a child of God. God. Here today. That's going. In the wrong direction.
[30:57] Walking away from God. Instead of. Walking toward God. I pray you speak to their heart. And we'll thank you. For all you do. First in your name we pray. Amen.