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.
Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.
This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.
Let's dive in together into God's Word.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Happy Easter, everyone.
He is risen, and we say?
He is risen indeed. Amen. Hallelujah.
This is a special time. It is the special Sunday where we celebrate Jesus' resurrection.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And we know that in the Passion story,
that He was nailed on a cross,
and Jesus' final words saying,
It is finished.
Jesus dying,
and then being laid in a tomb.
Even Joseph of Arimathea was foretold,
which is a wild thing.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Two of them,
there's some debate on who the two specific disciples were.
They were going to a village named Emmaus, right?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It becomes a bridge
between sorrow
and between joy,
between not knowing
who Jesus is
and that moment
where you understand
this is Christ.
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?
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.
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.
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.
And, of course,
the presence of God
can open eyes
as well.
For some of us,
we may have felt
the presence of God.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
That's the most
important thing.
But we've also
got to respond to it.
Amen?
Romans 10, 14,
very famous word.
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.
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.
This leads us then
into
what do we do
about this?
The application.
number one,
don't walk away
from the resurrection
message.
Just like the disciples,
sometimes
we get discouraged.
Sometimes we have moments
in our lives
where we're not filled
with hope.
our Lord
and our God
is the God
of comfort,
truth,
justice,
mercy,
and he is holy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
they urged him strongly,
stay with us.
Have you invited
Christ into your life?
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.
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?
Oh,
cool,
man.
No.
They
left
immediately
to go back
to Jerusalem
to proclaim
in the news
of the risen Christ.
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.
That is something
that we should live out
and embody
when we interact
with everyday people.
Is everybody
we interact with
Christian?
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.
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.
It's too great.
The gospel,
the resurrection
story
is too great
for us
to keep
quiet.
It should
move us.
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.
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.
verse,
in Acts
420,
it says,
we cannot
help speaking
about what
we have
seen
and what
we have
heard.
That's
powerful.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hearing the
resurrection
story completes
the gospel
narrative.
The death,
burial,
and
resurrection.
Ask
yourself this
question.
How are
you going
to respond
to the
resurrection
story?
Only you
can answer
that.
May you
respond
to the
resurrection.
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.
May we
recognize
your power,
your glory,
your might,
your
consistency.
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.
Father, we've
gone over
this part in
scripture where
these two
disciples
did not
understand, but
they did
understand.
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.
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.
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.
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.