WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 There was a kid in the youth group at the first 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:05.519 church I worked at as a youth minister back in 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:08.279 LaGrange, Georgia. And there was this story about 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:11.220 this kid. At the time I met him, he was like 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:15.880 15 or 16. But before this, like 10 plus years 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:19.100 ago, when he was like seven or eight, maybe a 00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:22.100 little bit younger, he went missing. They were 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:24.399 at church for a Sunday morning worship gathering. 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:27.539 They had Bible class and everybody was where 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:29.320 they were supposed to be or so they thought. 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:32.439 And his parents thought, oh, he's with the kids 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.840 in Bible class. And so after Bible class, they 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.679 go to get him and he's not there. And so they 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:40.759 start to panic. As you can imagine, parents would 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.280 panic if their kid was missing. So they look 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:46.200 all over the church building and they try to 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.560 find him in every closet, every classroom, everywhere 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.520 they could look, they looked. And then, you know, 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:53.979 they panic a little bit more. So the rest of 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:56.200 the church is helping them look for him. So they 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:57.859 start looking in the neighborhood. They live 00:00:57.859 --> 00:00:59.679 near the church building. So they thought maybe 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.000 he walked home. So they go to their house. They 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:06.019 look all over this downtown area and they cannot 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:09.319 find their son. They keep looking and they keep 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.620 looking. And finally, somebody is looking at 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:17.480 the church and he pops out from behind the podium. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:23.219 He was hiding in the pulpit the whole time. They 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:25.400 looked all over the town. They looked all over 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.519 the church building. They could not find him, 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:33.040 but he was right there the whole time. And imagine 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:36.680 you've lost someone. You're freaking out because 00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:39.519 you think there's nowhere. We can't find him. 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:44.200 Surely he's gone somewhere far away. Somebody 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:47.219 took him. Or maybe he was out walking and they 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.120 picked him up and they took him farther away 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.180 than he really was. But the whole time, he was 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:56.659 right where they were. I tell you that story 00:01:56.659 --> 00:01:59.099 to try to set up what we're going to see in Luke 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:03.560 chapter 24, verses 13 through 35. See, in this 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.260 story, you've got the disciples. They're still 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:07.439 terrified. They're still worried because they 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.539 haven't seen Jesus yet. They know, well, they've 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:12.560 heard that he's risen from the dead. He's not 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:14.759 in the tomb anymore. They've seen the empty tomb, 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:18.759 but they have not seen Jesus. And so in this 00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:22.580 story, you've got these worried, fearful, uneasy 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:28.710 disciples who feel like they've lost Jesus. And 00:02:28.710 --> 00:02:30.310 I want us to look at this story together with 00:02:30.310 --> 00:02:34.169 all of that in mind. Luke chapter 24, verses 00:02:34.169 --> 00:02:37.689 13 through 24 here first. That very day, two 00:02:37.689 --> 00:02:39.949 of them were going to a village named Emmaus, 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:42.710 about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were 00:02:42.710 --> 00:02:44.569 talking with each other about all these things 00:02:44.569 --> 00:02:47.409 that had happened. While they were talking and 00:02:47.409 --> 00:02:50.090 discussing together, Jesus himself drew near 00:02:50.090 --> 00:02:53.050 and went with them. But their eyes were kept 00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:56.099 from recognizing him. And he said to them, What 00:02:56.099 --> 00:02:57.939 is this conversation that you're holding with 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:00.300 each other as you walk? And they stood still, 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.599 looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:06.280 answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:08.939 who does not know the things that have happened 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:11.840 there in these days? And he said to them, What 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.259 things? And they said to him, concerning Jesus 00:03:15.259 --> 00:03:18.180 of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.900 in deed and word before God and all the people, 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:23.460 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:25.960 him up to be condemned to death and crucified 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.259 him. But we had hoped that he was the one to 00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:32.599 redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:35.120 is now the third day since these things happened. 00:03:35.610 --> 00:03:38.530 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. 00:03:38.669 --> 00:03:40.849 They were at the tomb early in the morning, and 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:43.330 when they did not find his body, they came back 00:03:43.330 --> 00:03:45.930 saying that they had even seen a vision of angels 00:03:45.930 --> 00:03:49.210 who said that he was alive. Some of those who 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:51.550 were with us went to the tomb and found it just 00:03:51.550 --> 00:03:55.129 as the woman had said, but him they did not see. 00:03:56.109 --> 00:03:58.289 So here you have these two disciples. They're 00:03:58.289 --> 00:04:00.229 walking along the road. They're talking to each 00:04:00.229 --> 00:04:02.569 other. And as it describes, they were still kind 00:04:02.569 --> 00:04:05.110 of worried. And what you see is that based on 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:06.750 the conversation that they're having, that they're 00:04:06.750 --> 00:04:09.370 not just worried, they're troubled. They're disturbed 00:04:09.370 --> 00:04:11.490 with the events of this past week. And you could 00:04:11.490 --> 00:04:13.770 imagine how that would feel. This rabbi that 00:04:13.770 --> 00:04:15.830 you've been following for all this time, you 00:04:15.830 --> 00:04:18.649 just watch him delivered up to be beaten, to 00:04:18.649 --> 00:04:21.410 be crucified, to be mocked, to be spit on, to 00:04:21.410 --> 00:04:24.029 be stabbed. Like the man that you put your trust 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:26.240 in, that you've given your life to, who has just 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:28.639 faced the most brutal death you could imagine. 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:32.019 And you thought that he was the one that was 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:35.839 going to save your people, but instead he died 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:39.180 just like any other man. And so they're very 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:44.079 deeply troubled. And even after going to the 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:47.600 tomb, which was proclaimed empty. The women that 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:49.540 they were friends with, that they trusted said, 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:51.660 we saw an angel that said, he's not here, he's 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:53.860 risen. And they go back, they see the tomb empty, 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:55.680 but they're like, well, we still haven't seen 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:58.920 him. And what I think of is like, they probably 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:01.959 were thinking, well, maybe he just was stolen. 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:04.740 His body was taken. Or maybe this is some practical 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:08.199 joke. Or maybe he did rise, but he left us. He 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:09.939 just abandoned ship and he went back to heaven. 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.420 I don't know what exactly they were thinking, 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:15.879 but I want you to just kind of feel the trouble 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:19.660 that they were feeling. They're understandably 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:22.720 sad. And as they're walking in this sadness, 00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:25.680 this random guy who we know because we read it 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:28.500 as Jesus, but as far as they know, this is just 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:30.759 some stranger that's being annoying and walking 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.389 with them while they're trying to grieve. And 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:35.829 so they're walking along the road. This guy walks 00:05:35.829 --> 00:05:38.290 up, and he starts following them, and he hits 00:05:38.290 --> 00:05:39.970 them with this question, kind of like, well, 00:05:40.069 --> 00:05:42.850 what you talking about? And I could imagine if 00:05:42.850 --> 00:05:44.649 I was them, I'd be looking at this guy like, 00:05:44.769 --> 00:05:47.050 why are you talking to me? I don't know you. 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:51.209 Also, I'm upset. Can you not see that? But he's 00:05:51.209 --> 00:05:53.829 just like, what y 'all talking about? Have you 00:05:53.829 --> 00:05:56.649 ever been in a bad mood, and then somebody comes 00:05:56.649 --> 00:05:59.029 along, and they do something like mildly inconvenient 00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:03.670 that really sets you off? In our house, we use 00:06:03.670 --> 00:06:06.870 the word overstimulated, like I'm already stimulated 00:06:06.870 --> 00:06:09.889 and you are overstimulating me. That's how I 00:06:09.889 --> 00:06:12.889 feel like I would be if I was in these disciples' 00:06:13.089 --> 00:06:16.990 shoes. This guy, he's overstimulating me. I'm 00:06:16.990 --> 00:06:19.970 already feeling things, and now you come in and 00:06:19.970 --> 00:06:22.629 you're bothering me. I want you to hold on to 00:06:22.629 --> 00:06:26.029 that feeling as we read verses 17 through 18. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:29.379 And he said to them, what is this conversation 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.860 that you are holding with each other as you walk? 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:35.839 And they stood still looking sad. Then one of 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.680 them named Cleopas answered him, are you the 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:40.500 only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:42.319 things that have happened there in these days? 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:47.660 Do you feel that tension? These guys look at 00:06:47.660 --> 00:06:49.959 Jesus. They don't know it's Jesus, but they look 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:52.000 at him and they're like, dude, seriously? Are 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.620 you the only person in town that doesn't know 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:57.189 what's going on? You're the only person that 00:06:57.189 --> 00:06:59.370 doesn't know that this man who had this, like, 00:06:59.410 --> 00:07:02.050 regional fame, everybody has been talking about 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:04.069 him for the past three years. He's just been 00:07:04.069 --> 00:07:06.949 brutally murdered, and the Jews think they've 00:07:06.949 --> 00:07:09.970 won. The Romans think they've won. We feel like 00:07:09.970 --> 00:07:12.490 we're defeated. You don't know that this is happening? 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:18.089 Seriously. And then he's like, no clue. What 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:22.389 happened? Again, overstimulating. Why are you 00:07:22.389 --> 00:07:25.560 bothering me? This is like when your parents, 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:27.839 they already know that you did something wrong, 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:31.439 but they ask you what you did because they want 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:33.720 you to confess to it, and they want to see if 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:35.740 you're willing to be honest. They want to see 00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:38.180 if you're going to own up, or maybe they have 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:40.040 an inkling of an idea, but they don't know the 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.740 full story. But they ask you anyways to see what 00:07:43.740 --> 00:07:46.699 you're going to say. That's what I think Jesus, 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:50.500 he's asking them. No, why don't you tell me what 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:54.439 happened? And so they tell him. And I want to 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:57.300 draw attention to how they tell this story because 00:07:57.300 --> 00:07:59.560 I think it's very interesting the way they say 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:02.699 these things. They say, Jesus of Nazareth, a 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:07.779 man who was a prophet. Or they say, we had hoped 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:12.160 that he was the one to redeem Israel. And then 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:14.180 they say, some of us went to the tomb and we 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:19.139 found it empty, but him we did not see. You see, 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:22.620 there seems to be a lot of doubt, a lot of uncertainty. 00:08:23.389 --> 00:08:27.370 A lot of disappointment. And you know what that 00:08:27.370 --> 00:08:30.110 feels like. When someone that you thought you 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:32.789 knew, someone that you had such high hopes for, 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:35.129 that you felt like, I understand the potential 00:08:35.129 --> 00:08:38.029 they have. I know what they're capable of, or 00:08:38.029 --> 00:08:43.289 I think I know who they are. And I know, I have 00:08:43.289 --> 00:08:44.950 so much confidence in them that they're going 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:48.509 to come through. And so the disciples, they felt... 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:51.909 that. And then when Jesus in their mind doesn't 00:08:51.909 --> 00:08:54.769 come through, it's this serious disappointment. 00:08:55.509 --> 00:08:59.049 Like we thought we knew who Jesus was. We thought 00:08:59.049 --> 00:09:02.269 he was God. We thought he was the Messiah, the 00:09:02.269 --> 00:09:04.809 one who was going to save us. We thought he was 00:09:04.809 --> 00:09:07.950 going to defeat death and conquer Rome, but instead 00:09:07.950 --> 00:09:14.549 he died like any other man. And he told us that 00:09:14.549 --> 00:09:17.120 he'd be back in three days, but Here we are on 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:21.259 day three, and we hadn't seen them. That's what 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:25.019 they're feeling. And I don't know why they were 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:27.340 so unsure after seeing the empty tomb, but I 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:30.940 think I get it. I think I understand. Because 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:33.720 sometimes witnessing the back end of a miracle 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.940 just isn't enough to convince us. Like, they 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:40.299 saw the empty tomb, but they didn't see the one 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:43.190 who made it empty. And so they're not convinced. 00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:46.490 And maybe for us, like seeing the change in somebody's 00:09:46.490 --> 00:09:48.950 life isn't enough for us to understand the one 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:52.110 who did the changing. Like sometimes seeing the 00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:55.789 healing on the other side of it isn't as real 00:09:55.789 --> 00:09:57.870 as like when you're in the weeds and you see 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:02.529 the healing happen. We don't find ourselves convinced 00:10:02.529 --> 00:10:05.769 when we just see the backside of the miracle. 00:10:06.430 --> 00:10:09.190 But for the disciples, this shouldn't be the 00:10:09.190 --> 00:10:11.950 case because they had lived with Jesus for all 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:13.850 this time and they had been told, they had been 00:10:13.850 --> 00:10:16.990 taught by Jesus and by the Jewish prophets like 00:10:16.990 --> 00:10:19.970 the Old Testament is littered with examples and 00:10:19.970 --> 00:10:23.509 stories and promises of the Messiah being exactly 00:10:23.509 --> 00:10:26.690 who the New Testament proves he was going to 00:10:26.690 --> 00:10:30.639 be and prove he was. And so this shouldn't have 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:32.159 been shocking for them. It shouldn't have been 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:34.899 a surprise. And for those of us in Christ, it 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:38.000 also should not be a surprise. When we see lives 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.720 change, when we see transformation happen, when 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.059 we see someone literally raised from the dead 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:45.740 and made into a new person, it should not shock 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:51.460 us that Jesus can change lives like that. But 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.159 I love how the story illustrates a very important 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.789 and grace -filled truth for us to remember. Jesus 00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:01.649 meets us where we are. In the midst of our doubting, 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:05.429 in the middle of all of our uncertainty, when 00:11:05.429 --> 00:11:07.450 we're not sure what life is going to look like, 00:11:07.490 --> 00:11:09.269 when we're not sure what our purpose is, why 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:12.570 we're here, when we don't know, when we are afraid, 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:17.330 Jesus meets us where we are. just like he met 00:11:17.330 --> 00:11:19.490 these disciples as they were walking. And that 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:21.190 doesn't mean he doesn't meet us there with some 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:23.649 uncomfortable truth. It doesn't mean he doesn't 00:11:23.649 --> 00:11:26.190 meet us there with some challenges, but it means 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:31.590 he meets us where we are. Just hear what he says 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:34.769 to the disciples in chapter 24, verses 25 through 00:11:34.769 --> 00:11:37.929 27. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and 00:11:37.929 --> 00:11:40.450 slow apart to believe all that the prophets have 00:11:40.450 --> 00:11:43.250 spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:45.789 should suffer these things and enter into his 00:11:45.789 --> 00:11:49.049 glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:51.470 he interpreted to them and all the scriptures 00:11:51.470 --> 00:11:57.610 the things concerning himself. You know, it's 00:11:57.610 --> 00:12:02.629 always fascinating to me, every single week, 00:12:02.730 --> 00:12:07.049 every single morning, my kids cannot comprehend 00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:10.379 that mom has to go to work. Like that thought 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:13.320 doesn't make sense to them. Mom has to go to 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.039 work. She has to leave the house, go somewhere 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:20.019 that is not with us, and be there for eight hours. 00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:23.360 And then after school, when we come home, she 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:26.259 will eventually come home too. Like that thought 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:29.620 process is really hard for them. But it has to 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:32.860 happen. And every day, we tell them the same 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:35.779 thing. We're going to work, but we're coming 00:12:35.779 --> 00:12:40.830 home. But that doesn't make sense to them. And 00:12:40.830 --> 00:12:43.129 when I look at this story, like I see the same 00:12:43.129 --> 00:12:46.009 thing of Jesus had told them, I've got to go. 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:49.470 I have to go to work. I've got to go do what 00:12:49.470 --> 00:12:51.570 the prophet said I was coming to do. I've got 00:12:51.570 --> 00:12:54.029 to go do what God sent me to do. I have to go 00:12:54.029 --> 00:12:58.889 to work. And even then, the disciples still don't 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:01.230 get it and they're still sorrowful. But he's 00:13:01.230 --> 00:13:06.820 like, don't you know? Don't you get it? Oh, foolish 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:10.740 ones. Like, I'm here. I'm here with you. I'm 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:12.559 standing. I'm walking with you in your doubt, 00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:14.179 but I still need you to understand that you're 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:18.980 being a little crazy. He looks at them. He says, 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.460 you knew this was supposed to happen. And then 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:24.080 he proceeds to share the gospel with them, the 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:27.539 good news of God's promise to redeem his people 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:30.620 and how it had been prophesied that God was going 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:33.220 to come. He was going to save his people. He 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:36.450 would leave. Then he'd come back. And then he'd 00:13:36.450 --> 00:13:39.990 leave again. And he's going to come back. And 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:42.350 this is the Jesus way being revealed to them 00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:44.769 through Scripture. It says Jesus walked them 00:13:44.769 --> 00:13:48.210 through the Scripture. He taught them. He probably, 00:13:48.409 --> 00:13:50.509 like I imagine, he would, you know, he'd say, 00:13:50.610 --> 00:13:52.570 well, do you remember in Isaiah when it said 00:13:52.570 --> 00:13:55.289 this? They're like, yeah, we do. Okay, well, 00:13:55.350 --> 00:13:58.049 do you know what that was about? Well, yeah, 00:13:58.169 --> 00:14:01.090 we, no, no, no, no. This is what that was about. 00:14:01.690 --> 00:14:03.730 And that's what I imagine is happening here. 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:06.470 He's revealing the way that he was going to come, 00:14:06.610 --> 00:14:10.230 live, die, rise, go, come back. He was revealing 00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:13.769 the gospel to them through Scripture. And in 00:14:13.769 --> 00:14:16.029 telling them all that he did, pointing them back 00:14:16.029 --> 00:14:18.389 to Scripture, he's helping them understand the 00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:21.750 nature and the way, the plan that was always 00:14:21.750 --> 00:14:26.230 the case for the Savior. And he shows them that 00:14:26.230 --> 00:14:29.649 his way aligns with Scripture. That Scripture 00:14:29.649 --> 00:14:32.929 has told it the whole time through. This long 00:14:32.929 --> 00:14:36.230 -awaited prophecies, the earliest promises of 00:14:36.230 --> 00:14:41.529 God pointed to this Jesus. And I think that should 00:14:41.529 --> 00:14:43.429 help us understand just how important studying 00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:46.830 Scripture is. We can't live this life without 00:14:46.830 --> 00:14:50.769 studying Scripture to see who God is, to see 00:14:50.769 --> 00:14:53.730 what His way is, to see what His plan was. And 00:14:53.730 --> 00:14:56.049 I think when we read both the Old Testament and 00:14:56.049 --> 00:15:00.059 the New, we see the fullness. of God's goodness 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:04.820 displayed. I do believe studying Scripture reveals 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:08.440 the nature and the heart of God. And for the 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:12.659 disciples and for us, it reveals the way of Jesus. 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:20.240 A life of sacrifice, of mercy, of goodness, of 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.759 grace, and ultimately of resurrection. And isn't 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:27.809 that the life we want? We want to live good lives. 00:15:27.970 --> 00:15:30.450 We want to live lives that one day when this 00:15:30.450 --> 00:15:33.769 physical life is over, when this worldly life 00:15:33.769 --> 00:15:37.509 is over, we rise again to live in that full, 00:15:37.509 --> 00:15:42.629 abundant, eternal life. Before we move on, I 00:15:42.629 --> 00:15:44.570 want you to notice that they still don't recognize 00:15:44.570 --> 00:15:47.710 Jesus. He's walked through Scripture with them. 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:49.690 He's walked with them. He's been talking to them, 00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:52.789 and they still don't recognize Him. And I want 00:15:52.789 --> 00:15:56.750 to say, well, maybe I'm asking a question. Is 00:15:56.750 --> 00:16:00.289 it fair to say that we can know Scripture, like 00:16:00.289 --> 00:16:02.909 we can quote the Bible all we want, we can know 00:16:02.909 --> 00:16:07.029 Scripture and still not recognize God, even when 00:16:07.029 --> 00:16:10.309 He's right in front of us? Or as it says on the 00:16:10.309 --> 00:16:11.950 screen, we can know Scripture and still miss 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:15.269 Jesus. And there's a lot of people, a lot of 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:18.049 good intentioned people that know their Bible. 00:16:18.610 --> 00:16:23.250 But I will say, sometimes the way they act, let 00:16:23.250 --> 00:16:25.830 me put myself in there. Sometimes the way we 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:30.009 act and sometimes the way we speak, the things 00:16:30.009 --> 00:16:33.230 we do and even the things we think, they illustrate 00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:40.070 to the world that we don't know Jesus. But even 00:16:40.070 --> 00:16:44.529 though knowing Scripture isn't enough, just knowing 00:16:44.529 --> 00:16:47.350 the Bible isn't enough, I have hope. I have hope 00:16:47.350 --> 00:16:51.269 because I do believe spending time with Jesus 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:56.110 coupled with... Studying His Word is how we see, 00:16:56.250 --> 00:16:59.190 how we are revealed, or how Jesus is revealed 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:01.029 to us. I want us to look at the rest of this 00:17:01.029 --> 00:17:04.609 encounter in Luke 24, verses 28 -32. So they 00:17:04.609 --> 00:17:07.150 drew near to the village to which they were going. 00:17:07.970 --> 00:17:10.509 He acted as if He were going farther, but they 00:17:10.509 --> 00:17:12.829 urged Him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for 00:17:12.829 --> 00:17:14.970 it is toward evening, and the day is now far 00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:18.250 spent. So He went in to stay with them. And when 00:17:18.250 --> 00:17:20.089 He was at table with them, He took the bread 00:17:20.089 --> 00:17:22.109 and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:24.990 and their eyes were opened, and they recognized 00:17:24.990 --> 00:17:28.069 him. And he vanished from their sight, and they 00:17:28.069 --> 00:17:30.630 said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within 00:17:30.630 --> 00:17:33.329 us while he talked to us on the road, while he 00:17:33.329 --> 00:17:36.450 opened to us the scriptures? You see, they spent 00:17:36.450 --> 00:17:39.289 hours walking and talking with Jesus, and they 00:17:39.289 --> 00:17:41.950 still didn't recognize him. But then when he 00:17:41.950 --> 00:17:44.869 gets into their home, and he sits down at the 00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:46.569 table with them, he spends time with them, and 00:17:46.569 --> 00:17:48.450 he breaks bread with them, and he has this meal. 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:54.680 He draws them back to about a week ago where 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.759 he sat at this table with his disciples for this 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:02.579 last meal before his arrest. And he tells them 00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:05.059 what's going to happen. And he tells them why 00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:08.339 it's going to happen. And he institutes the Lord's 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:11.019 Supper and he says, we're going to eat this meal 00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:13.599 together again one day. I'm going to come back 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.859 and we're going to break this bread together. 00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:20.210 And it's not until this happens where they break 00:18:20.210 --> 00:18:24.190 the bread together that they recognize. He had 00:18:24.190 --> 00:18:25.630 taught them the scriptures. He walked through 00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:27.490 the scriptures with them. And because they were 00:18:27.490 --> 00:18:30.450 lifelong Jews, they knew their word pretty well. 00:18:30.930 --> 00:18:33.170 And that wasn't enough, but it's when he sits 00:18:33.170 --> 00:18:35.730 down at the table with them and they spend time 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:40.009 just fellowshipping with God and he draws them 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:44.589 back to that sacrifice, that broken bread. That's 00:18:44.589 --> 00:18:48.440 when... it all becomes clear to them. He goes 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.900 from this mystery man to revealed, risen Savior. 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:59.259 And that's where he changes everything. I love 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:01.880 that it says their eyes were opened. Because 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:03.519 we know their eyes had been opened this whole 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:05.420 time. It's not like they were like walking around 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:06.819 with their eyes closed. That's not what they 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:09.619 were doing. They just didn't recognize him. But 00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:11.599 when this happens, when he breaks that bread, 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:14.809 and I imagine like he's passing it to them. And 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:16.369 he's probably saying some of the same things 00:19:16.369 --> 00:19:19.730 he said at that last supper. That is when it 00:19:19.730 --> 00:19:24.309 became clear. That's when Jesus, Son of God, 00:19:24.529 --> 00:19:28.130 risen from the dead, was revealed to the disciples. 00:19:29.329 --> 00:19:32.210 And that didn't happen because they fully understood 00:19:32.210 --> 00:19:34.410 Scripture. It happened because they spent time 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:39.509 in Scripture with Jesus in his presence. And 00:19:39.509 --> 00:19:41.609 that reminds me of a book I read recently by... 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:44.559 a preacher named John Mark Comer. And in that 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.519 book, Comer calls us to not just know about Jesus, 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:51.640 but to be with him, to not just study his word, 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:54.059 but to apprentice under him, to let his presence 00:19:54.059 --> 00:19:57.599 shape us, to let being with him make us into 00:19:57.599 --> 00:19:59.680 new people. And you know what that's like when 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:02.319 you spend time with people. And you spend a lot 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.559 of time hanging out with people. And that's the 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:06.319 people you talk with. It's the people you play 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:08.359 golf with, the people that you go to the movies 00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:10.319 with, the people that you hang out with at home. 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:12.579 These are the people that you spend time with. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:15.359 And over time, spending time with them starts 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:17.720 to rub off on you. It's why your parents told 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:20.349 you, be careful who you hang out with. Because 00:20:20.349 --> 00:20:22.569 what they do is going to turn into what you do. 00:20:22.670 --> 00:20:24.329 And what they say is going to turn into what 00:20:24.329 --> 00:20:27.089 you say. And who you spend time with is going 00:20:27.089 --> 00:20:29.509 to determine what your life looks like. And so 00:20:29.509 --> 00:20:32.890 the more we spend time with God, the more our 00:20:32.890 --> 00:20:35.569 lives look like God. But we've got a lot of people 00:20:35.569 --> 00:20:37.970 that are content with just spending an hour with 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:40.130 Jesus on Sunday mornings or just spending an 00:20:40.130 --> 00:20:42.170 hour with them on Wednesday nights. And maybe 00:20:42.170 --> 00:20:44.609 they do like a morning Bible study. And that's 00:20:44.609 --> 00:20:48.880 it. I got to tell you. Eight hours a day at work, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.799 five days a week is a lot more than one hour 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:54.440 on Sundays, one hour on Wednesdays, and maybe 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:58.299 20 minutes every morning. The math is simple. 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:01.859 The more time I spend with Jesus, the more time 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:04.880 I spend with Jesus' people, the more like him 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:09.839 I will be. John Mark Comer writes that following 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:12.599 Jesus isn't just knowing scripture, but it's 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:16.809 arranging our lives around being with. and like 00:21:16.809 --> 00:21:21.430 him. And I think it's in that being with Jesus, 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:24.349 that daily presence, that's where transformation 00:21:24.349 --> 00:21:27.910 happens. That's where life change happens. It's 00:21:27.910 --> 00:21:32.509 not just knowing more. It's being more. It wasn't 00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:34.910 the sudden intellectual breakthrough that changed 00:21:34.910 --> 00:21:37.109 everything for the disciples. It wasn't through 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:39.349 more study that their eyes were opened. It was 00:21:39.349 --> 00:21:41.589 the engagement with Jesus and their willingness 00:21:41.589 --> 00:21:45.029 to invite him in that he was revealed to them. 00:21:46.190 --> 00:21:48.569 And that's the same way God works in our lives. 00:21:48.789 --> 00:21:51.549 I do truly believe that true. He doesn't always 00:21:51.549 --> 00:21:55.109 reveal himself through some prophetic word, some 00:21:55.109 --> 00:21:57.349 revelation that comes to our minds. He doesn't 00:21:57.349 --> 00:21:59.710 always reveal himself through these dramatic 00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:02.670 events or miracles. I do believe those things 00:22:02.670 --> 00:22:05.230 can happen, but I don't believe that's how he 00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:09.289 always does it. I actually think often he reveals 00:22:09.289 --> 00:22:12.589 himself in the small, ordinary rhythms of our 00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:17.450 lives, in the little moments. There's a book, 00:22:17.490 --> 00:22:20.130 it's called Domestic Monastery, and it talks 00:22:20.130 --> 00:22:23.009 about how being a parent is where spiritual formation 00:22:23.009 --> 00:22:25.809 can happen the most. And it's in those little 00:22:25.809 --> 00:22:28.910 moments of mommy, can I have a glass of water? 00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:33.029 Or daddy, can I have the juice box? Or hey, I 00:22:33.029 --> 00:22:36.029 peed in my diaper, I need a diaper change. It's 00:22:36.029 --> 00:22:39.390 in those little moments that we experience change. 00:22:40.430 --> 00:22:42.430 And I think there's more to it than just being 00:22:42.430 --> 00:22:44.869 a parent. I think in our friendships, we see 00:22:44.869 --> 00:22:48.390 these little moments changing our lives, transforming 00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:51.950 us. And if we're aware and if we're paying attention, 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:55.589 we can notice God working in those moments. So 00:22:55.589 --> 00:22:58.190 I'll say this, discipleship isn't just about 00:22:58.190 --> 00:23:01.289 accumulating knowledge. It's about arranging 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:07.190 our lives to be with Jesus. That is the revealed 00:23:07.190 --> 00:23:11.019 way. It's seeing Jesus in scripture. It's spending 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:14.180 time with him in our lives and inviting him into 00:23:14.180 --> 00:23:16.519 everything we do. And here's the deal. When we're 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:19.319 confronted with these new revelations, this new 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:23.299 material, these new truths that have been revealed 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:25.519 to us, when we're confronted with new revelation, 00:23:25.579 --> 00:23:28.869 we have to respond accordingly. I'm a believer 00:23:28.869 --> 00:23:31.210 that when you get new information, when you discover 00:23:31.210 --> 00:23:34.009 something new, when something becomes clear to 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:36.309 you, you have to respond, and you will respond 00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:38.509 in one of two ways. Maybe there's a couple other 00:23:38.509 --> 00:23:40.490 ways, but you'll either choose to ignore it, 00:23:40.529 --> 00:23:43.609 you'll choose to obey it. You'll pretend it never 00:23:43.609 --> 00:23:45.950 happened, or you'll say, there's something here 00:23:45.950 --> 00:23:49.549 that I need to do. And every time something becomes 00:23:49.549 --> 00:23:51.670 clear to you, you have a choice to respond in 00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:53.809 one of those ways. And I want you to see how 00:23:53.809 --> 00:23:56.230 the disciples in this story responded in verses 00:23:56.230 --> 00:23:59.970 33 through 35. And they rose that same hour, 00:23:59.990 --> 00:24:02.349 and they returned to Jerusalem. And they found 00:24:02.349 --> 00:24:04.349 the eleven and those who were with them gathered 00:24:04.349 --> 00:24:07.890 together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed and 00:24:07.890 --> 00:24:10.670 has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had 00:24:10.670 --> 00:24:12.970 happened on the road and how he was known to 00:24:12.970 --> 00:24:16.190 them in the breaking of the bread. You see, earlier 00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:18.589 in the story, the disciples, they seemed troubled, 00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:21.009 and they seemed really unsure, and they were 00:24:21.009 --> 00:24:24.289 maybe even fearful. Well, this is a complete 00:24:24.289 --> 00:24:27.210 about -face for them. This is a complete shift 00:24:27.210 --> 00:24:30.049 because they were afraid and they were unsure, 00:24:30.230 --> 00:24:33.029 but now they're declaring, they're proclaiming, 00:24:33.029 --> 00:24:37.430 the Lord is risen. They didn't just believe. 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:40.710 They didn't just appreciate the experience. Like, 00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:44.009 they are convicted, and now because of this conviction, 00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:46.029 they immediately, they go and they share the 00:24:46.029 --> 00:24:48.369 good news. When something is revealed to you, 00:24:48.430 --> 00:24:51.690 you have to respond accordingly. And for the 00:24:51.690 --> 00:24:54.150 disciples, it was revealed that Jesus Christ 00:24:54.150 --> 00:24:56.150 had risen from the dead. He is no longer dead. 00:24:56.289 --> 00:24:58.529 And if he has risen from the dead, we have nothing 00:24:58.529 --> 00:25:02.430 to be afraid of. And that is good news. And that 00:25:02.430 --> 00:25:04.890 news needs to be shared. And so the first thing 00:25:04.890 --> 00:25:06.490 they do, they go share it with their friends, 00:25:06.589 --> 00:25:09.430 their closest companions. And then as scripture 00:25:09.430 --> 00:25:11.769 will tell us, and as we'll see, even when we 00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:14.150 get into our series on the book of Acts, they 00:25:14.150 --> 00:25:18.650 go and they tell the world, Jesus is risen indeed. 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:23.220 When the good news is revealed to us, the appropriate 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:27.220 response is to go reveal it to others. We can't 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:29.779 keep it to ourselves. We can't keep it in these 00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:32.220 seats. We can't keep it in our homes. We can't 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:34.700 keep it in our cars, on the radio. It has to 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:38.259 be shared with the world. I want you to think 00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:40.220 of the hard time that the other disciples were 00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:43.140 having. Like we see it told that these disciples 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:44.900 were kind of unsure, but think about the other 00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:47.549 ones. how worried they must have been, how afraid 00:25:47.549 --> 00:25:49.829 they must have been, how unsure they were about 00:25:49.829 --> 00:25:53.509 life. And when the good news is shared with them, 00:25:54.130 --> 00:25:59.250 I just imagine how alleviating that was, how 00:25:59.250 --> 00:26:02.269 transformative it was to know we have nothing 00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:05.869 to be afraid of now. Everything that Jesus said 00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:08.369 would happen has happened, so we can trust in 00:26:08.369 --> 00:26:11.410 God. We can trust that this was the Messiah. 00:26:11.589 --> 00:26:15.369 This was our Savior. And so here's how I want 00:26:15.369 --> 00:26:18.849 to challenge us this morning. I want us to understand 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:20.950 the importance of studying Scripture because 00:26:20.950 --> 00:26:24.250 in Scripture is where we begin to have the goodness, 00:26:24.329 --> 00:26:27.349 the nature of our good and merciful God revealed 00:26:27.349 --> 00:26:31.250 to us. I do believe we seek understanding, we 00:26:31.250 --> 00:26:35.049 seek direction, we seek guidance in Scripture. 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:38.579 But I also want us to practice presence. I want 00:26:38.579 --> 00:26:41.039 us to be a people that spend time with God outside 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:44.240 of this hour, outside of the times, like the 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:47.140 little moments in the day where we do our little 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:49.400 Bible studies. Like I want our lives to be arranged 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:51.700 to where it just feels like Jesus is walking 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:54.900 with us everywhere we go. There's a song. You 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:56.799 got to take the Lord with you everywhere you 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:59.319 go, in the street, in the home, on the highways, 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:01.700 the byways. You got to take the Lord with you. 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:04.619 Take him with you. Be present with Jesus everywhere. 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:08.440 where every moment, and then reveal revelation. 00:27:09.140 --> 00:27:13.000 What God has revealed to you, what God has made 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:16.559 clear to you in the good book, what he has revealed 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:20.500 in your life, go share that with others. Because 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:22.759 it's in sharing the good news with the lost and 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:25.680 troubled world that we will change their lives. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:29.279 And I want you to remember the story about the 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:32.380 kid hiding in the pulpit. Everybody's searching. 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:35.000 Everybody's panicking, they're worried, they're 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:40.240 wondering where he was. And the whole time, he 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:43.579 was right there. Right there where they were 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:46.559 all looking just an hour before. He was right 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:52.180 there. They just didn't see him. Maybe there's 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:55.500 times in your life where you wonder, God, where 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:59.220 are you? I've been told... And I've been told 00:27:59.220 --> 00:28:01.759 through scripture that you've risen. I've been 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:03.700 told that you are an active God, that you're 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:06.619 a present God, but I don't feel you in my life. 00:28:07.400 --> 00:28:09.299 Like maybe it's the sickness, the diagnosis. 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:12.119 And you're like, there's no way that a good living 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:14.640 God who has promised eternal and abundant life 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:17.480 would put me through this. Maybe it was the loss 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.140 of a loved one and you're thinking there's no 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:24.319 way. Maybe it's like the real inconveniences 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:28.009 in life, the lost job. the financial troubles, 00:28:28.289 --> 00:28:31.369 the unsureness of everything going on in the 00:28:31.369 --> 00:28:34.509 world. In those moments, it's very easy to say, 00:28:34.549 --> 00:28:39.190 where are you, God? But what I believe Jesus 00:28:39.190 --> 00:28:41.630 shows in this story and all throughout Scripture 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:46.470 is God is a whole lot closer than we think. Just 00:28:46.470 --> 00:28:50.789 because we can't see Him now does not mean He's 00:28:50.789 --> 00:28:54.910 not in the room with us. There's another song. 00:28:55.390 --> 00:28:59.549 Have you seen Jesus, my Lord? He's here in plain 00:28:59.549 --> 00:29:04.430 view. Take a look. Open your eyes. He'll show 00:29:04.430 --> 00:29:08.250 it to you. Just because we're in dark moments, 00:29:08.529 --> 00:29:11.450 just because we're not sure what's going on in 00:29:11.450 --> 00:29:14.569 our lives, in this world, just because it's troubling 00:29:14.569 --> 00:29:18.009 now does not mean He is not here. It does not 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:20.930 mean He's not working. And so what I'm challenging 00:29:20.930 --> 00:29:24.579 us to do is look to Scripture. It's there. Practice 00:29:24.579 --> 00:29:27.539 being with him. He's there. And when you find 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:30.220 that he is with you, when you see that he is 00:29:30.220 --> 00:29:32.779 changing you, that he's changing people around 00:29:32.779 --> 00:29:38.839 you, go and tell the world. Because we're all 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:41.940 searching for something. We're all stressing. 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.339 We all have our things in life that ask or make 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:50.299 us ask, where is God? But I do believe that he's 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:53.799 here and he's working. And he wants you to see 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:57.220 him. And so I know there are some in this room 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:59.180 who are really struggling, like more than just 00:29:59.180 --> 00:30:03.660 struggling, but they're troubled. I want you 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:08.079 to hear this. He's not far. He is not far at 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:10.660 all. And he wants you to see him. He wants to 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:15.980 reveal himself to you. And if you need help. 00:30:16.509 --> 00:30:18.970 If you need help seeing him or wanting to know, 00:30:19.009 --> 00:30:22.089 like, how can I find that revelation? How can 00:30:22.089 --> 00:30:24.049 he be revealed to me? I want to know him more. 00:30:24.109 --> 00:30:26.069 I want to know how I can spend time with him. 00:30:26.109 --> 00:30:28.450 I want to know how to follow him more. Wherever 00:30:28.450 --> 00:30:32.089 you are, I want you to not find yourself looking 00:30:32.089 --> 00:30:35.750 back like the disciples did in verse 32 and saying, 00:30:35.849 --> 00:30:39.309 well, didn't we see? Didn't our hearts burn? 00:30:39.589 --> 00:30:41.769 Didn't we know that that was our rabbi right 00:30:41.769 --> 00:30:44.690 next to us? Don't ignore the feeling that you 00:30:44.690 --> 00:30:47.269 have right now of like, Is there something stirring 00:30:47.269 --> 00:30:52.569 in me that's trying to get me to respond? Don't 00:30:52.569 --> 00:30:54.869 look back and say, how did I not feel that? Or 00:30:54.869 --> 00:30:57.609 how did I not recognize that? Respond to it. 00:30:58.710 --> 00:31:02.250 And if you are someone who does know Jesus already, 00:31:02.390 --> 00:31:04.170 but maybe you've been having some trouble seeing 00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:07.869 him this week or in your life recently, the invitation 00:31:07.869 --> 00:31:11.390 is the same for you. Don't ignore the burning, 00:31:11.509 --> 00:31:15.500 the stirring. And when you find the good news 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:18.799 revealed in your life and revealed to you, respond 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:21.799 to it accordingly. We offer a time of invitation 00:31:21.799 --> 00:31:25.079 at the end of the sermon. If there is anything 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:27.619 you need, if there is a feeling that you need 00:31:27.619 --> 00:31:30.119 to respond to or a truth that you need to respond 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:32.940 to, we're inviting you to respond to it now, 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:36.579 not to wait, but to understand that God wants 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:39.740 to reveal himself to you. He's just waiting for 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:43.170 you to come and open your eyes. Whatever you 00:31:43.170 --> 00:31:45.990 need, we invite you to respond to the invitation 00:31:45.990 --> 00:31:47.890 now as we stand and as we sing.