1 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,440 I recognize that as I announced that hymn, I said an old 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:15,720 hymn. 3 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,640 And whenever you look at the bottom line of the copyright, you 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,200 see it was written in the 1990s. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,400 I'm not suggesting from my perspective now that the 1990s was 6 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:24,960 old. 7 00:00:25,930 --> 00:00:29,850 But isn't it interesting our perspective on what old can be? 8 00:00:31,450 --> 00:00:34,810 That's all part of who we perceive ourselves to be. 9 00:00:35,210 --> 00:00:38,010 It's been interesting over the past number of weeks. 10 00:00:38,490 --> 00:00:41,929 Age has been talked about whenever I've had different conversations. 11 00:00:42,490 --> 00:00:45,570 Now, that normally ties in with how you've all loved to comment 12 00:00:45,570 --> 00:00:48,650 on my beard over the past couple of months as well. 13 00:00:50,650 --> 00:00:55,270 But our identity is truly wrapped up, not just in who we are, 14 00:00:55,270 --> 00:00:56,630 but what we look like. 15 00:00:56,630 --> 00:00:59,430 You've all looked in the mirror coming out this evening to 16 00:00:59,430 --> 00:01:03,150 make sure your hair was in place, or to make sure your tie was 17 00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:06,790 straight, or something about your physical appearance that everyone 18 00:01:06,790 --> 00:01:07,430 else would see. 19 00:01:07,430 --> 00:01:11,430 You care about that because that's part of your identity. 20 00:01:12,470 --> 00:01:15,990 And how much more inside do we worry about who we are? 21 00:01:17,190 --> 00:01:20,910 I guess over the past number of months, as we've hosted different 22 00:01:20,910 --> 00:01:24,430 events from weddings to funerals, we One of the things that 23 00:01:24,430 --> 00:01:27,390 always intrigues me is why certain people are there, particularly 24 00:01:27,390 --> 00:01:30,550 if I know the person and I can't for the life of me figure out 25 00:01:30,630 --> 00:01:32,310 what the relationship is. 26 00:01:33,110 --> 00:01:36,270 And so the conversation normally begins and so what brings 27 00:01:36,270 --> 00:01:37,190 you here today? 28 00:01:37,830 --> 00:01:40,990 And that then will cause a conversation of a couple of minutes 29 00:01:40,990 --> 00:01:43,190 while either family relations are told. 30 00:01:43,190 --> 00:01:46,950 And finally, for me, the light goes on as to who's related to who 31 00:01:46,950 --> 00:01:50,910 and things I didn't know, or simply how friendships began and 32 00:01:50,910 --> 00:01:55,160 have continued, where people join family members and friends alike 33 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,760 in the saddest moments of life as well as in the happiest. 34 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:03,120 And we're proud of our family connections. 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,640 We may not be necessarily proud of family events and things 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,440 that have happened, but we are proud of who we are, our identity. 37 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,600 I know that the folks down the road in Kilkeel will mock those of 38 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,900 you who were born on the shore road and called you gadgies. 39 00:02:19,860 --> 00:02:24,340 But I think there's something about you that's proud to be a gadgy. 40 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:28,460 And for those of you not from this parts, talk to someone beside 41 00:02:28,460 --> 00:02:30,900 you and they'll interpret what that means. 42 00:02:32,180 --> 00:02:34,500 But we're proud to come from the Mornes. 43 00:02:35,380 --> 00:02:39,180 We're proud to come from Anna Long, because there's something in 44 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:43,620 it that defines us and identifies us as a people. 45 00:02:46,250 --> 00:02:51,090 Whenever we come to Luke chapter 24 and verses 13 to 35 this 46 00:02:51,090 --> 00:02:53,690 evening, it's part of the Easter story that I love. 47 00:02:54,890 --> 00:03:00,570 I love the normality of these disciples walking these seven miles 48 00:03:00,570 --> 00:03:03,290 from Jerusalem down to a mess. 49 00:03:04,330 --> 00:03:07,210 They're walking, they're talking. 50 00:03:07,530 --> 00:03:08,650 It's what we do. 51 00:03:08,650 --> 00:03:10,570 Only we now do it in motor cars. 52 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,800 We talk, we catch up, we talk about the good things and we talk 53 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:18,200 about the things that trouble us. 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,560 And when a stranger comes along, we want to tell them or we 55 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,760 want to find out about them or they about us. 56 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:30,440 And so our identity becomes what we share and what we communicate. 57 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,640 And there's no shadow of doubt of who these disciples want to identify 58 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:36,960 with. 59 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,070 Because what, what we'll be looking about this evening is Christ's 60 00:03:41,070 --> 00:03:41,990 identity in us. 61 00:03:43,110 --> 00:03:46,310 What does it mean to know Christ in us, so that like these 62 00:03:46,310 --> 00:03:49,830 disciples on the road to Ms, indeed we will speak of Jesus. 63 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:56,110 Even in their confoundedness, these disciples wanted to speak of 64 00:03:56,110 --> 00:03:59,030 the Savior, even though at this stage they did not fully know 65 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:02,790 what had happened that morning, nor did they know the one 66 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:04,880 who was traveling with them. 67 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,480 Now, in the time that we have, with communion ahead of us, we'll 68 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,680 not be going through this verse by verse as we ordinarily would 69 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,200 do, or section by section. 70 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,040 Rather, we're going to pick out key things from this day that 71 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:19,759 we discover here in Luke 24. 72 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,000 And it all begins with verse 13. 73 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,840 And it's important, it's important that we know that it is 74 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:28,400 that very day. 75 00:04:30,810 --> 00:04:35,210 This is yet but just ours, since the women were at the tomb 76 00:04:35,210 --> 00:04:38,890 as we looked at this morning, and Peter went to the tomb to see 77 00:04:38,890 --> 00:04:39,370 as well. 78 00:04:40,010 --> 00:04:42,570 And that's important for the end because when they go back, they 79 00:04:42,570 --> 00:04:46,570 affirm what Simon Peter saw and said that he was speaking the 80 00:04:46,570 --> 00:04:47,770 truth, as were the women. 81 00:04:49,210 --> 00:04:51,090 And so these memories are still fresh. 82 00:04:51,090 --> 00:04:53,450 They're still caught up in the emotion of the day. 83 00:04:54,500 --> 00:04:58,540 And so these two disciples are, yes, walking that relatively 84 00:04:58,540 --> 00:05:01,500 short distance in the time that it was the seven miles from 85 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:05,140 Jerusalem to what was then a small village of Emmaus. 86 00:05:06,660 --> 00:05:11,060 And they're talking, they're sharing their hearts and their experiences. 87 00:05:11,540 --> 00:05:15,980 They've witnessed their leader Jesus crucified on the Friday, the 88 00:05:15,980 --> 00:05:19,180 day that we call Good Friday, because of what he accomplished on 89 00:05:19,180 --> 00:05:19,620 the cross. 90 00:05:20,270 --> 00:05:22,910 And they've heard the report from the women of the empty tomb. 91 00:05:22,910 --> 00:05:26,150 And to the mind of a 1st century follower of Jesus, these 92 00:05:26,150 --> 00:05:27,310 things don't make sense. 93 00:05:27,550 --> 00:05:28,590 How could they? 94 00:05:29,470 --> 00:05:33,350 You see, they have got caught so caught up in the events of the 95 00:05:33,350 --> 00:05:34,270 previous days. 96 00:05:35,150 --> 00:05:37,870 They're also caught up in their grief and their sense of loss 97 00:05:38,430 --> 00:05:42,230 that they miss the fact that Jesus said all this was going to 98 00:05:42,230 --> 00:05:42,510 happen. 99 00:05:42,830 --> 00:05:44,910 And they demonstrate that they knew it. 100 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,720 But at this moment on the road walking, they don't understand or 101 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:50,360 believe it. 102 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,960 And so as they walk and as they talk, the two are joined by 103 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:55,400 another traveler along the road. 104 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,080 And Luke is quick to tell us that it is the risen Lord Jesus. 105 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,320 But to the two traveling, the identity of Christ is kept from them. 106 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,320 Then the next 11 verses really recount what we've already seen. 107 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:14,340 At the start of this chapter, they detail how Jesus responds to 108 00:06:14,340 --> 00:06:17,300 what these two disciples are going through as they recount what 109 00:06:17,300 --> 00:06:17,980 has happened. 110 00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:23,100 It's actually the Namibian biblical commentator Paul John Isaac 111 00:06:23,180 --> 00:06:25,020 who describes this scene like this. 112 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:29,340 He that is Jesus is presented as someone who travels with his followers, 113 00:06:29,820 --> 00:06:33,580 walking beside them and talking to them in their pain, confusion 114 00:06:33,580 --> 00:06:35,900 and fear, and bringing healing. 115 00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:39,500 He is the one who creates an opportunity for his followers to 116 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:44,980 reframe their perception of the recent events in Jerusalem. 117 00:06:46,020 --> 00:06:50,900 And so here we have Jesus doing what he has always done and 118 00:06:50,900 --> 00:06:53,780 what he continues to do in resurrected form. 119 00:06:54,580 --> 00:07:01,620 He walks with his followers and he ministers to them in the normal 120 00:07:01,780 --> 00:07:02,900 things of life. 121 00:07:04,020 --> 00:07:07,540 And as we look through the Gospels, we see how Jesus ministers 122 00:07:07,540 --> 00:07:10,100 in the normal and in the everyday. 123 00:07:10,940 --> 00:07:15,420 In Matthew 12 we're told he walks with his disciples, he eats 124 00:07:15,420 --> 00:07:15,820 with them. 125 00:07:15,820 --> 00:07:18,740 And those who want to know more about him is recorded in Luke 126 00:07:18,740 --> 00:07:19,660 10 and Luke 19. 127 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:23,740 And he talks with his disciples and answers their questions 128 00:07:24,220 --> 00:07:26,380 best seen in Matthew chapter 18. 129 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:30,340 And so Jesus example to us throughout the Gospel is that he 130 00:07:30,340 --> 00:07:34,980 cares about the everyday things that we are involved in, not 131 00:07:34,980 --> 00:07:37,740 just in the big crisis moments of life. 132 00:07:39,390 --> 00:07:43,350 And so as you live your everyday life with its equal measure 133 00:07:43,350 --> 00:07:48,190 of joys and sorrows, worries and fears while at college or at 134 00:07:48,190 --> 00:07:52,350 work, in the field, in the home or wherever you're employed, 135 00:07:52,750 --> 00:07:57,470 in the quiet times and in the family times, do you know Christ 136 00:07:57,790 --> 00:07:59,870 in all of these moments? 137 00:08:01,470 --> 00:08:07,970 Do you know Jesus and His saving grace at work in the normality 138 00:08:07,970 --> 00:08:09,410 of your life? 139 00:08:10,130 --> 00:08:14,130 Because if we believe that God is the God of creation and the God 140 00:08:14,130 --> 00:08:18,930 who loved us so much that he gave his only Son as a living sacrifice 141 00:08:18,930 --> 00:08:24,890 for us, as John 3, 16, 17 tells us, then we must believe that 142 00:08:24,890 --> 00:08:29,570 the power and the comfort of that sacrifice is in the normal, 143 00:08:30,050 --> 00:08:36,500 everyday activities of life as much as it is in the major life moments 144 00:08:37,860 --> 00:08:43,140 now, this means that we cannot escape the presence or the love or 145 00:08:43,140 --> 00:08:47,380 the intention of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our conversations, 146 00:08:48,340 --> 00:08:52,620 in our places of work, in our homes, and probably in the hardest 147 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:55,140 of all in our relationships. 148 00:08:57,550 --> 00:09:00,590 See, whenever we understand that Jesus works in our everyday. 149 00:09:00,910 --> 00:09:05,230 It means that the Gospel dictates how we view and treat our 150 00:09:05,230 --> 00:09:12,110 money, how we view and treat other people, our time, our work 151 00:09:13,150 --> 00:09:15,790 and our involvement in all of life. 152 00:09:15,870 --> 00:09:20,830 Discipleship See, the question is, does the Gospel impact your life 153 00:09:20,990 --> 00:09:22,590 in this way every day? 154 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,760 Or is your relationship with Jesus just reserved for Sundays at 155 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,360 worship or other church related activities? 156 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,280 Because if we only reserve Jesus to these times, then we are 157 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:40,720 putting ourselves in his place or the place that should be his for 158 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:41,640 the rest of the week. 159 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,640 That is, we are making ourselves our own saviors. 160 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:51,090 And in reality, as we stand in the place where Jesus should stand 161 00:09:51,090 --> 00:09:55,890 in our lives, we are making ourselves many gods. 162 00:09:57,570 --> 00:10:04,450 A life Following Jesus demands, demands walking in the way 163 00:10:04,450 --> 00:10:09,330 of the Gospel every moment of every day. 164 00:10:09,890 --> 00:10:13,250 And this is what Jesus does on the road to mess. 165 00:10:14,220 --> 00:10:16,620 He cares about the ordinary. 166 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:19,100 He cares about who you are. 167 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:22,780 So please, never feel abandoned by the Lord, even though 168 00:10:22,780 --> 00:10:29,460 the world may abandon you, he will not because he cares about this 169 00:10:29,460 --> 00:10:33,100 moment and the next, and the next and the next. 170 00:10:34,620 --> 00:10:39,020 And so we can truly trust in him, just as these disciples did 171 00:10:39,020 --> 00:10:40,540 when they realized who he was. 172 00:10:41,930 --> 00:10:47,930 Jesus truly cares for you as he has cared for all of his people 173 00:10:48,410 --> 00:10:50,170 throughout every generation. 174 00:10:52,010 --> 00:10:57,370 But back in the passage of Luke 24, we turn to verse 17 and 175 00:10:57,370 --> 00:11:00,490 Jesus asked the two what they're discussing along the road. 176 00:11:00,730 --> 00:11:01,770 And so they stop. 177 00:11:02,490 --> 00:11:05,210 They're shocked so much that they have to stop and stand still, 178 00:11:05,450 --> 00:11:09,630 looking at this stranger as if to say, what are you talking about? 179 00:11:09,630 --> 00:11:11,750 Do you not know what's going on? 180 00:11:12,550 --> 00:11:15,550 And they can't understand how someone could be ignorant of the 181 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:17,110 events that have just happened. 182 00:11:17,830 --> 00:11:18,750 Now we don't know. 183 00:11:18,750 --> 00:11:22,870 But Jesus asks them about the things that have happened. 184 00:11:24,950 --> 00:11:29,470 In verses 19 to 24 the story is told of the things that have occurred 185 00:11:29,470 --> 00:11:30,070 to Jesus. 186 00:11:30,710 --> 00:11:33,110 Then in verse 25, Jesus responds. 187 00:11:33,830 --> 00:11:37,150 And from this verse Jesus begins to reveal how the events that 188 00:11:37,150 --> 00:11:40,150 have happened have all been foretold in Scripture. 189 00:11:41,090 --> 00:11:44,290 Jesus, and remember he is still a stranger to these two disciples 190 00:11:44,770 --> 00:11:53,410 comes across quite strong as he says in Luke 24, 25, 26 O foolish 191 00:11:53,410 --> 00:11:56,850 ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have 192 00:11:56,850 --> 00:11:57,330 spoken. 193 00:11:57,650 --> 00:12:01,490 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things 194 00:12:01,890 --> 00:12:04,130 and enter into his glory? 195 00:12:05,980 --> 00:12:10,740 This is a statement in which Jesus is exasperated by his followers 196 00:12:10,740 --> 00:12:12,060 and he's letting them know it. 197 00:12:12,300 --> 00:12:15,180 He says, oh, foolish ones and slow of heart to believe. 198 00:12:15,420 --> 00:12:17,180 That's quite the judgment against them. 199 00:12:18,060 --> 00:12:20,940 These are disciples who have spent three years in his company. 200 00:12:21,340 --> 00:12:24,740 They've learned from him and they still don't get the truth that 201 00:12:24,740 --> 00:12:25,500 he taught them. 202 00:12:26,140 --> 00:12:29,420 They were faithful Jews who would have known their scriptures, 203 00:12:29,420 --> 00:12:30,940 everything that Jesus has said. 204 00:12:31,830 --> 00:12:34,670 And they still failed to understand God's plan of salvation, 205 00:12:34,670 --> 00:12:37,990 even though he had mapped it out for them through the prophets 206 00:12:38,230 --> 00:12:40,710 and the prophets songs and the psalms. 207 00:12:42,150 --> 00:12:46,070 But Jesus, desiring that his followers should know the truth, 208 00:12:46,630 --> 00:12:50,670 leads them through Scripture to tell them about himself. 209 00:12:50,670 --> 00:12:51,790 And this is how Luke puts. 210 00:12:51,790 --> 00:12:53,590 And I think it's beautiful how he does. 211 00:12:54,150 --> 00:12:56,810 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he. 212 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:01,840 He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning 213 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:02,400 himself. 214 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,400 And here we are this evening, where we were this morning. 215 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:12,799 What was was the word of Jesus that convinced the women and the 216 00:13:12,799 --> 00:13:14,560 disciples of what had happened. 217 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,920 And here again, it is the living Word of God that convinces 218 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,360 these disciples of who Jesus is. 219 00:13:24,890 --> 00:13:28,170 And so Jesus brings them back to the one place where they can be 220 00:13:28,170 --> 00:13:34,810 sure of absolute truth, the only place that is worth their time, 221 00:13:35,370 --> 00:13:36,490 the Word of God. 222 00:13:36,730 --> 00:13:39,890 It is in the Word that they find the answers that they're looking 223 00:13:39,890 --> 00:13:40,250 for. 224 00:13:41,050 --> 00:13:44,530 And so, as we started thinking, identity is important to 225 00:13:44,530 --> 00:13:46,410 us all, from the oldest to the youngest. 226 00:13:47,210 --> 00:13:51,120 It's important and we show it in different ways. 227 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:55,120 And we will want to say what we belong to and what we cling to 228 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,400 and what our values are because they define who we are. 229 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:03,080 But when it comes to Christ, whenever we know his fullness as 230 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,360 proclaimed here, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 231 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:10,720 in other words, throughout all of Scripture, do we find our identity 232 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:11,280 in him? 233 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,040 Because that's what Jesus is drawing these disciples to. 234 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:20,220 He's effectively asking the question, do you believe everything 235 00:14:20,220 --> 00:14:21,220 that I've told you? 236 00:14:21,380 --> 00:14:23,540 It's about Jesus and the truth of His Word. 237 00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:27,540 Because when we know His Word, we know him as Savior and Lord, and 238 00:14:27,540 --> 00:14:30,660 therefore we will want him as our Savior. 239 00:14:31,860 --> 00:14:35,780 And so tonight I ask the question to make sure that you hear. 240 00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:39,620 Is he your Savior as revealed in all of Scripture? 241 00:14:39,940 --> 00:14:43,260 Is he the One in whom you're trusting so that you can stand before 242 00:14:43,260 --> 00:14:47,250 our God as a redeemed person and as a forgiven person? 243 00:14:47,810 --> 00:14:51,490 Or are you, depending on the works of your hands, in other words, 244 00:14:51,490 --> 00:14:56,250 your best guess at how to do life well, or on your education or 245 00:14:56,250 --> 00:14:57,570 on your social status? 246 00:14:58,610 --> 00:15:02,970 I tell you this evening, the words of Peter are true when he says 247 00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:07,210 in Acts 4 and verses 11 to 12, this Jesus is the stone that was 248 00:15:07,210 --> 00:15:11,730 rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 249 00:15:12,070 --> 00:15:13,950 And there is salvation in no one else. 250 00:15:13,950 --> 00:15:16,950 For there is no other name under heaven given among men, by 251 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:20,310 which we must be saved. 252 00:15:21,590 --> 00:15:24,310 You see, there is no other name by which we can be saved. 253 00:15:25,350 --> 00:15:29,350 And so the invitation from this journey on the road to Emmaus 254 00:15:29,350 --> 00:15:33,670 is to come to Jesus as revealed in all of Scripture. 255 00:15:34,310 --> 00:15:40,760 Come to him not because I say so, but because Jesus is God's only 256 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,480 way so that we can be justified before Him. 257 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,680 And you may think that this is a strange statement to be making 258 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:47,800 at a communion service. 259 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:52,320 But the reality is that we could be here deceiving ourselves 260 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:53,720 or deceiving the world. 261 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,800 We proclaim Christ but do not truly know him. 262 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,320 Because we want to speak the language that gets us into a good 263 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,680 standing in the community or meets certain expectations. 264 00:16:05,530 --> 00:16:08,330 Or we could be proclaiming Christ, but have never come to him 265 00:16:08,330 --> 00:16:11,770 in humble submission to know that our sins are forgiven. 266 00:16:11,930 --> 00:16:15,490 And so we cannot take it for granted that everyone listening is 267 00:16:15,490 --> 00:16:16,890 a follower of Jesus. 268 00:16:17,930 --> 00:16:20,810 And so tonight is your identity in Christ. 269 00:16:21,770 --> 00:16:26,010 Are you taking him quite literally at his word, that everything 270 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:30,890 that has been revealed to us convinces you and convicts you that. 271 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,360 That he is the Savior, the one in whom you must place your trust. 272 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:40,680 And you see, as we finish this disciple or this passage, the two 273 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:42,160 disciples have reached their home. 274 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,360 And the traveler who has accompanied them goes to walk on. 275 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,440 But they invite him in to stay the night. 276 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:49,280 As the day is drawing to a close. 277 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,360 And as they sit around the table, something it seems that they've 278 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,440 done before with Jesus, their eyes are open to the true identity 279 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:56,660 of. 280 00:16:56,810 --> 00:16:58,170 Of their traveling companion. 281 00:16:58,250 --> 00:17:01,810 It all becomes clear as Jesus gives thanks for the bread and breaks 282 00:17:01,810 --> 00:17:02,090 it. 283 00:17:02,170 --> 00:17:06,330 And as their eyes are open to the truth, Jesus immediately disappears. 284 00:17:06,490 --> 00:17:09,370 And they look at each other and ask one of the most important 285 00:17:09,450 --> 00:17:13,610 questions we could ever ask ourselves, as recorded in verse 32. 286 00:17:13,930 --> 00:17:17,290 And this is truly God's word that you want to hide in your heart. 287 00:17:17,770 --> 00:17:23,380 For they said to one another, did not our hearts burn within us 288 00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:28,420 while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures? 289 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:34,020 This was when the disciples knew their true identity. 290 00:17:34,420 --> 00:17:39,380 Up until this point, they had been lost in their grief, their sadness 291 00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:42,020 for a leader who had been executed. 292 00:17:42,580 --> 00:17:45,500 And in reality, a broken dream, because they believed he was 293 00:17:45,500 --> 00:17:47,380 the one to come to redeem Israel. 294 00:17:49,150 --> 00:17:51,310 But now they knew their true standing. 295 00:17:51,710 --> 00:17:55,470 Not as great business people or persons of social or political 296 00:17:55,710 --> 00:17:59,150 standing, but as people found in Jesus Christ. 297 00:17:59,550 --> 00:18:04,750 They knew their true identity as disciples of the true risen Savior. 298 00:18:05,470 --> 00:18:10,190 And so tonight I asked the question, do you know Christ is Because 299 00:18:10,190 --> 00:18:14,360 I want to ask you, are you confident in your identity in Him? 300 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,080 And although it may seem a strange question to ask at a communion 301 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,840 service, it is an important one because it is around this table 302 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,920 as we take of the elements of bread and wine, as we listen to the 303 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,320 word, that we are confident of our identity. 304 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,080 Because we, too, like those disciples of old, must say, did not 305 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,720 our hearts burn within us as we hear of the wonders and the love 306 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:38,520 of Christ? 307 00:18:39,890 --> 00:18:45,490 Are you found completely in Jesus, or are you still to be persuaded? 308 00:18:46,930 --> 00:18:50,770 You see, our only hope in this life and for all eternity is Jesus 309 00:18:50,770 --> 00:18:51,090 Christ. 310 00:18:51,730 --> 00:18:56,570 He doesn't promise riches, nor does he promise fame or indeed comfort 311 00:18:56,570 --> 00:19:03,170 in this world, but rather an eternal inheritance that is imperishable, 312 00:19:03,570 --> 00:19:05,900 undefiled and unfading. 313 00:19:06,940 --> 00:19:09,260 You see, this is all that matters. 314 00:19:09,740 --> 00:19:12,060 Everything else will be consumed in fire. 315 00:19:12,460 --> 00:19:16,540 But it is our faith and trust in Jesus Christ that will only last. 316 00:19:17,180 --> 00:19:22,420 And if Jesus is your savior and you are his disciple, then you 317 00:19:22,420 --> 00:19:26,940 will do what the disciples did in verses 33 to 35, what Zacchaeus 318 00:19:26,940 --> 00:19:31,732 did in Luke 19:7, what the woman at the well did in John 4:28, 319 00:19:31,908 --> 00:19:36,090 30, and what Andrew did in John 1:40. 320 00:19:36,570 --> 00:19:41,530 You will go and you will tell others you see, a sign of our faith 321 00:19:41,930 --> 00:19:44,970 in Jesus is that burning of our hearts. 322 00:19:45,290 --> 00:19:48,330 But it's a burning of love and passion for Him. 323 00:19:49,050 --> 00:19:51,970 And if this is what is consuming our hearts, then we will 324 00:19:51,970 --> 00:19:53,690 want it to overflow to others. 325 00:19:54,490 --> 00:19:57,370 And how quick are we to talk about this and about that? 326 00:19:57,850 --> 00:20:01,230 We talk about the weather, we talk about the sporting results, 327 00:20:01,550 --> 00:20:04,710 and we talk about the price of petrol and diesel and maybe more 328 00:20:04,710 --> 00:20:06,030 pointedly, heating oil. 329 00:20:08,110 --> 00:20:13,350 But are we as quick to talk about Jesus and the gospel that so 330 00:20:13,350 --> 00:20:14,750 wonderfully saves? 331 00:20:16,670 --> 00:20:22,030 Verse 33 tells us that these disciples got up that same hour and 332 00:20:22,030 --> 00:20:23,030 returned to Jerusalem. 333 00:20:23,030 --> 00:20:25,910 Remember, they were inviting their traveling friend, who turned 334 00:20:25,910 --> 00:20:28,190 out to be Jesus, in because it was getting late. 335 00:20:28,550 --> 00:20:31,350 And now they're the ones immediately returning to Jerusalem. 336 00:20:31,670 --> 00:20:34,150 This is how important this was, they told the disciples. 337 00:20:34,470 --> 00:20:38,550 And because of their Testimony in verse 34, they say, the Lord has 338 00:20:38,550 --> 00:20:39,030 risen. 339 00:20:39,030 --> 00:20:44,070 Indeed, the disciples believe and are changed for all eternity. 340 00:20:45,510 --> 00:20:48,950 Of how much value is Jesus to you? 341 00:20:49,990 --> 00:20:54,030 If he truly is your Savior and the most precious thing to you, then 342 00:20:54,030 --> 00:20:58,250 you must take tell others the good news of the gospel and of salvation. 343 00:20:58,810 --> 00:21:01,130 This is not a choice on our part. 344 00:21:01,770 --> 00:21:05,970 It is what Christ commanded us to do in his final words in Matthew 345 00:21:05,970 --> 00:21:06,570 28. 346 00:21:07,610 --> 00:21:10,969 And so this evening we've been thinking about people and we've been 347 00:21:10,969 --> 00:21:14,010 thinking about our identity, our true identity in Jesus. 348 00:21:15,130 --> 00:21:19,690 Jesus issues an invitation to us all to trust him as our Savior 349 00:21:20,010 --> 00:21:23,890 and to continue seeking him and depending on him for salvation. 350 00:21:24,530 --> 00:21:26,530 And so tonight, come to Christ. 351 00:21:28,450 --> 00:21:33,890 Come to him and know the joy and blessing of sins forgiven, but 352 00:21:33,890 --> 00:21:39,890 also share Christ and see his joy overflow in yourself and in others 353 00:21:40,130 --> 00:21:45,530 as you tell these wonderful truths, so that not only may your 354 00:21:45,530 --> 00:21:49,810 heart burn within you, but the hearts of others will burn too. 355 00:21:52,530 --> 00:21:54,690 And finally, live Christ. 356 00:21:55,650 --> 00:21:57,010 Be with his people. 357 00:21:58,290 --> 00:22:00,610 Enjoy their fellowship and their company. 358 00:22:01,410 --> 00:22:05,730 Sing together, pray together, make much of Christ together. 359 00:22:06,370 --> 00:22:10,650 This is God's design for his people and has always been in the 360 00:22:10,650 --> 00:22:12,610 Old Testament and in the New. 361 00:22:13,490 --> 00:22:18,980 And so we live Christ to know our identity, our true identity and 362 00:22:18,980 --> 00:22:22,220 worth in him, and to demonstrate it. 363 00:22:23,660 --> 00:22:27,740 And so tonight, as we come to Christ, as we share Christ and as 364 00:22:27,740 --> 00:22:33,500 we live Christ in approaching the table of the Lord, may indeed 365 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:38,300 each of our hearts burn within us so that we will know Jesus as 366 00:22:38,300 --> 00:22:45,350 our risen Savior and confirm the that he is the only one to whom 367 00:22:45,350 --> 00:22:50,550 we look to to be the salvation of our very souls. 368 00:22:52,630 --> 00:22:53,510 Let us pray. 369 00:22:55,110 --> 00:22:56,790 Our Father God, we thank you. 370 00:22:57,590 --> 00:23:01,670 On this resurrection Sunday evening we join with those disciples 371 00:23:01,670 --> 00:23:03,350 of old on the road to Emmaus. 372 00:23:04,150 --> 00:23:09,480 That as the sun set on their journey, their eyes were opened and 373 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:12,480 their hearts burned as they knew the Savior. 374 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:18,680 So may it be for us, as we not only look to Christ in the days that 375 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:23,120 are ahead, but as we gather around his table and to know the 376 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,280 refreshment that comes from these elements, that we will know 377 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,000 the movement of the Holy Spirit amongst us. 378 00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:34,760 And that, Father, we will delight in declaring the truths of 379 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:35,520 the Savior. 380 00:23:36,660 --> 00:23:39,300 And we pray these things in his name and his name alone. 381 00:23:40,180 --> 00:23:40,820 Amen.