1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Thank you, thank you, good morning. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,120 Always good to be back in Bridge and I love, love being here. 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,360 Can I just have the house lights up a little bit? 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:10,960 I like to see the lovely faces, if it's possible, 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,760 without spoiling the ambience of the room. 6 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:15,960 I do like to see you, I know you can see me, 7 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:17,440 so I love seeing you. 8 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:18,640 So it's great to be back. 9 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,680 I'm a great privilege, a great joy to share again. 10 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:23,880 We've had a wonderful summer, 11 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,640 being traveling and doing all sorts of things, 12 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,280 but always enjoy coming back to the Bridge. 13 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,760 And thank you so much again to the team here for the trust, 14 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:34,640 for the opportunity to share with you. 15 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,800 And they've done something amazing, 16 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,800 so you may have been aware of the bookstore that came in. 17 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,040 The team here have just made an opportunity for me 18 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,400 to promote my new book, so I brought out a new book in July. 19 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,080 I've got the opportunity to minister off it this morning. 20 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,120 So it's not, I'm not here to sell the book in that sense, 21 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,360 but I want to share a little bit of that. 22 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,280 If you're interested in that, you can come and see me 23 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,360 at the table afterwards, 24 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,480 and hopefully that will be a blessing to you. 25 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,840 So it's my joy to share the word of God, 26 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,560 and I'm gonna share from this absolutely beautiful story, 27 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:11,800 one of my favorite stories. 28 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,800 And I wanna speak this morning on this idea, 29 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,200 the hospitality of the heart. 30 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,800 We've had a fantastic time of worship, 31 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,760 where we've been led in Jesus-centric worship, 32 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,160 where we have been encouraged to open up our hearts, 33 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,240 open up our eyes, open up our hands, and welcome Jesus in. 34 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,160 Now there's a sense in which as followers of Jesus, 35 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,640 we understand Jesus is with us all the time. 36 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,360 He will not leave us and he will not forsake us. 37 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,080 So there's a sort of a tension that we manage 38 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,600 as followers of Jesus when it comes 39 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,800 to think about his presence in our world. 40 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,600 There's a sense in which if we love him, he is with us. 41 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,160 And we can say amen to that. 42 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,080 He will never leave us, he will never forsake us. 43 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,840 And then there's another sense in which we are encouraged 44 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,720 to actively engage with him. 45 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,400 There's a sense in which even though he's with us, 46 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,800 we're encouraged to be intentional in our thinking, 47 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:12,600 intentional in our words, intentional in our songs, 48 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,520 intentional even in our physicality. 49 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:20,520 And it's all about me literally intentionally making room 50 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,360 for him in a particular moment, 51 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,400 whether that's here in a worship service 52 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,640 or in a Monday morning before I go to work or whatever. 53 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:32,640 It's that sense of me being intentional 54 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:34,000 about the presence of the Lord. 55 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,040 And even as we were singing today, I will look up, 56 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,160 I will bow down, I will look back. 57 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,040 There are encouragements of intentionality. 58 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:44,400 That's encouraging me and you. 59 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,200 Yes, the Lord is here, whether I feel him or not, 60 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,200 he is here, but yet I'm being encouraged. 61 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:50,560 Come on, John, look up. 62 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,560 Look back, look around, look in, look at him 63 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,680 and intentionally welcome him in. 64 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,400 And in a sense in our story today, 65 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:02,960 we're gonna see that very thing. 66 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:07,960 We see this paradox of Jesus with two disciples 67 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,200 and yet there is a beautiful moment in the story 68 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,960 where they intentionally engage him and invite him in. 69 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,480 And as they invite him in, it changes the whole story. 70 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,160 And we could argue it changes the rest of their lives. 71 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,720 So I'm gonna take a reading from Luke chapter 24. 72 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,320 If you've got a Bible and you wanna follow with me, 73 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,760 then why don't you grab it and follow this amazing story. 74 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,280 Now, just for the sake of time, 75 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:40,280 I'll jump into verse 13 rather than read from verse one, 76 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,720 but just to set the scene for you, 77 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,840 this is a resurrection moment. 78 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,760 So all the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 79 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,360 they tell us about the resurrection of Jesus 80 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,280 because it is a central event 81 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,200 and something that is fundamental to our faith. 82 00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,040 But all of them also beautifully, 83 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,040 although they tell essentially the same story, 84 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,600 all of them tell unique aspects to the resurrection. 85 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,720 They add their own little stories in for emphasis 86 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:12,920 to show certain things about Jesus. 87 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,840 And the story we're about to read from verse 13 of Luke 24 88 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:20,360 is unique to the Gospel of Luke. 89 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:22,240 No other Gospel writer has this. 90 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:23,760 Now, whenever you're reading the Gospels, 91 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,000 especially Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 92 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,000 and you come across a unique story in that Gospel, 93 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,440 we should pay just a little bit extra attention 94 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,720 to what the writer is trying to say to us. 95 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,400 So we should be paying attention to all of it, right? 96 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,520 So don't hear what I'm not saying. 97 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,920 But when Luke adds in a story that nobody else has, 98 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:49,320 that's Luke saying to me and you, 99 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,920 now I want you to pay really close attention 100 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,960 to something that I am uniquely saying to you about Jesus. 101 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:58,360 And this is one of those stories. 102 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,280 So the first part, up to verse 12, 103 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:03,680 all the Gospel writers sort of have that story. 104 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,920 The female disciples of Jesus going to the tomb, 105 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,600 discovering the tomb empty and reporting that back. 106 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,520 That's a pretty standard resurrection story 107 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,080 across the four Gospels. 108 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,560 But then Luke jumps into something else. 109 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,640 So the women, the female disciples have come back. 110 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,040 They've said Jesus is alive. 111 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,360 They've met some angels and there's all sorts of confusion. 112 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,240 In fact, the disciples in the room believe 113 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,520 that women are talking nonsense, 114 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,040 but Peter runs to the tomb to check that out. 115 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,920 And then we have this story right in the middle 116 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:37,760 of all of that. 117 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,480 So verse 13 says this. 118 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:42,440 Now that same day, two of them, 119 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,800 that's two of the bigger, wider group of disciples, 120 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,520 were going to a village called Ames 121 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,560 about seven miles from Jerusalem. 122 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,600 So let me just lay this up for you. 123 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,760 They've been in the room when the women returned. 124 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,160 And then they make a decision, 125 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,240 even though the women have shared that Jesus is alive, 126 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:02,960 they make a decision to leave. 127 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,360 So it's an important moment in our story. 128 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,520 Verse 14, they were talking with each other 129 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,520 about everything that had happened as they talked 130 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,920 and discussed these things with each other. 131 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,360 Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, 132 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,400 but they were kept from recognizing him. 133 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:27,800 He asked them, what are you discussing together 134 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:29,320 as you walk along? 135 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,680 They stood still, their faces downcast. 136 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,720 One of them named Clopis asked him, 137 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:35,560 are you only a visitor to Jerusalem 138 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:37,560 and do not know the things that have happened there 139 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:39,880 in these days? What things? 140 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,680 He asked about Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. 141 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,160 He was a prophet powerful in word indeed 142 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,520 before God and all the people. 143 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,120 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over 144 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,040 to be sentenced to death and they crucified him. 145 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,720 But we had hoped that he was the one 146 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,600 who was going to redeem Israel. 147 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,640 And what is more, it is the third day 148 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:04,960 since all this took place. 149 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,640 In addition to this, some of our women amazed us, 150 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,760 the NIV translator, a really strong transition would be, 151 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,640 some of our women freaked us out, blew our minds. 152 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,080 They went to the tomb early this morning, 153 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,160 but didn't find his body. 154 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,560 They came and told us that they'd seen a vision of angels 155 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:23,680 who said he was alive. 156 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,240 Then some of our companions went to the tomb 157 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,000 and found it just as the women had said, 158 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,720 but him they did not see. 159 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:34,480 He, that's Jesus said to them, 160 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,680 how foolish you are and slow of heart to believe 161 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,040 all that the prophets have spoken. 162 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,120 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things 163 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,680 and then enter his glory? 164 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,360 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 165 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:54,040 he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures 166 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:55,760 concerning himself. 167 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,640 Wow, what a sermon that must have been. 168 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:02,640 Then verse 28 says this, 169 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,080 as they approached the village to which they were going, 170 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:11,880 Jesus acted as if he was going farther, 171 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,400 but they urged him strongly, stay with us 172 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,040 for it is nearly evening. 173 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,000 The day is almost over. 174 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,640 So he went in to stay with them. 175 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,840 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, 176 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,000 he gave thanks, he broke it and began to give it to them. 177 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:35,000 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him 178 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,200 and he disappeared from their sight. 179 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:38,040 They asked each other, 180 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,040 were not our hearts burning within us 181 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,120 while he talked with us on the road 182 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,000 and opened the scriptures to us? 183 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,000 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem 184 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:54,000 where they found the 11 and those with them assembled together 185 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,800 and saying, it is true, the Lord has written, 186 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,200 risen and has appeared to Simon. 187 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,520 Then the two told what had happened on the way 188 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,760 and how Jesus was recognized by them 189 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,480 when he broke the bread with them. 190 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,080 Amazing story, beautiful story. 191 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:17,080 Now, Emmaus, the village in Luke 24 192 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:22,240 is only mentioned once in the whole of the New Testament. 193 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,120 It's a village we think about seven miles west 194 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,640 of Jerusalem and even though most of us 195 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,000 really don't know what that is 196 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,120 and most of us, including me in this room, 197 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,400 have never been to Emmaus, we all know where it is. 198 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,640 Emmaus is not just a geographic place in this story, 199 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:46,160 a literal village where these two disciples lived 200 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,080 but it's also a place that we go 201 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,680 when actually we're disappointed, when we're wounded, 202 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,280 when we're downcast, when anxiety grips our hearts 203 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,040 and these two wonderful disciples have left Jerusalem 204 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,480 to go back home because home, Emmaus, 205 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,280 is the place where life will make sense again. 206 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,680 They had hoped that Jesus was the one, 207 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:11,240 they had hoped that Jesus was going to be the Messiah 208 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:12,320 who would save the world 209 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,960 but they've just seen him brutally crucified, 210 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,040 they've heard some stuff from the women 211 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,120 that actually is alive but they don't believe it 212 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:21,400 and they leave Jerusalem, 213 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,320 something they were told not to do 214 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,840 and they head back home to Emmaus 215 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,360 and actually even though me and you have never been to Emmaus, 216 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:30,840 we all know where it is. 217 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,000 It's the place we go when we're disappointed, 218 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 it's the place we go when our hearts are broken, 219 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:39,840 it's the place we go when we're anxious, 220 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,960 it's the place we go when we're sad 221 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,480 and sometimes that's a good place we go 222 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:48,000 because it's a good safe place and a good belief system, 223 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:49,920 sometimes it's a dangerous place 224 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:54,640 because it can take us to somewhere that he doesn't want us to go. 225 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,920 When I finish today, I will, 226 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,840 even though I know the way home from Bolton 227 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,200 to my home in Luddington in Northlingeture, 228 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,480 I will probably turn my GPS on 229 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:07,200 and I will hit the home button. 230 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,080 There's just something really satisfying 231 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,680 about hitting your home button because I love going home 232 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:14,760 because home for me is a safe place, 233 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:16,720 home for me is a place I love to be, 234 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,600 home is a place of peace and a place of rest 235 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,640 and this is what it's sort of like for these two. 236 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,680 They're heading home because they've just had their world 237 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:26,320 turned upside down, 238 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,880 they've just seen Jesus brutally crucified 239 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:31,280 and none of it makes sense anymore 240 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:32,880 and so what they've decided to do 241 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,600 is leave all of that behind and just go home 242 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:37,920 and forget it all, go back to a mess 243 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,680 and just live an ordinary routine life 244 00:11:40,680 --> 00:11:43,400 for the rest of their lives. 245 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,840 But the story of course is about Jesus joining them 246 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,880 on the road home, walking with them seven miles 247 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,880 in the wrong direction in order to save them, 248 00:11:55,840 --> 00:12:00,080 in order to show them that although a mess is home, 249 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:01,520 it's not their destiny. 250 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,760 That actually Jerusalem and beyond is their destiny 251 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,640 and Jesus knows if he lets these two disciples go home 252 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:15,680 and stay at home, then they will never become all 253 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:18,920 that he has called them to be, to go to Jerusalem, 254 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,360 to go to Judea, to go to Samaria 255 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:22,680 and to go to the ends of the earth, 256 00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:26,120 to be part of something that will revolutionize 257 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,880 and change the world and so what does Jesus do? 258 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,240 He joins them on the road and you have this mysterious moment 259 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:34,560 where they're kept from recognizing him, my goodness, 260 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:36,760 there's an awkward moment in the text, 261 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,840 literally it's the idea that they were kept physically 262 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,360 from seeing that it was Jesus 263 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,080 and yet Jesus walks with them on the road, 264 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,280 seven miles in the wrong direction 265 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,280 and by the end of this journey, 266 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:53,640 their eyes have been opened, their hearts are burning 267 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:55,760 and their lives have been revolutionized. 268 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:01,160 That's what Jesus wants to do for every single one of us. 269 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,360 In a sense, what Jesus did that day was, 270 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,080 he sort of changed the home button. 271 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,920 He stepped into their world and gave them 272 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:14,040 an alternative to their lives going forward. 273 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,080 Who were these two disciples on this road? 274 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,360 The artist who designed this picture for me, 275 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,480 originally designed it as two men walking with Jesus 276 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,520 because there is an unspoken bias 277 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,480 that the two disciples on the road to a mess were both men 278 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,080 but the text doesn't say that. 279 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,520 In fact, there's as much evidence that there were, 280 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,640 there's a man and a woman in the story 281 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:37,480 than there is two men. 282 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,360 We just assume that disciples were all male 283 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,240 but actually, if we read the gospel of Luke, 284 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:44,880 we have seen over and over again, 285 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,640 female disciples pop into the story. 286 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,240 We see female disciples following Jesus. 287 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,760 We see female disciples supporting Jesus. 288 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,000 We see female disciples at the cross. 289 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,400 We see female disciples at the resurrection. 290 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,440 We see female disciples doing a lot of ministry 291 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,800 in the gospel of Luke. 292 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:04,920 And listen, if it's two men in the story, 293 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,200 it doesn't fundamentally change the story 294 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,760 but if it's a man and a woman, 295 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:10,840 even a husband and wife in the story, 296 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,520 it has phenomenal echoes to each one of us. 297 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,120 There's an impact here that it can make on us 298 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,480 because number one, we get a beautiful picture 299 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,280 of Jesus walking alongside a man and a woman, 300 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,520 a redemptive issue for both male and female, 301 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,080 which is a beautiful conversation. 302 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,680 It's at the very heart of the gospel. 303 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,240 That fits with Luke's gospel brilliantly. 304 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:39,240 Luke references 67 women in his work directly. 305 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,480 Women are all over the gospel of Luke 306 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:46,160 and you see Jesus pulling women into his discipleship group. 307 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,040 You see Jesus ministering to women 308 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,200 and sending women and using women. 309 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,800 And every time you see a woman in the gospel of Luke, 310 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:53,920 she's a hero. 311 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,320 She's actually seen in a good light, 312 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,800 often, often in comparison to men. 313 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:01,040 It's very interesting. 314 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:02,720 And all through the gospel of Luke, 315 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,160 Luke does this male, female, male, female, male, 316 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,400 female connection all the way through the gospel. 317 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,800 So a man and a woman on this road 318 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,280 really fits with Luke's trajectory in the context of that. 319 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,160 But also I believe there is a beautiful garden 320 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,640 of Eden echo in this story. 321 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:24,640 If you know the story of the Garden of Eden, 322 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,400 it's a man and a woman who sin against God. 323 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:29,960 And the first thing they do is run away 324 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,160 from the presence of God. 325 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:33,440 And then what does God do? 326 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:37,120 God walks with them in the garden 327 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,200 and seeks to call them from their hiddenness 328 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,440 and redeem them and restore them. 329 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,200 He takes away the coverings they've made 330 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,880 and he kills an animal and clothes them 331 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:53,000 in a redemptive act of loving kindness. 332 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,720 And you see this beautiful picture in the Garden of Eden. 333 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,200 And the story of the Bible is God trying to recover 334 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:00,760 that Garden of Eden experience, 335 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,720 trying to bring humans back into intimacy with him. 336 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:06,720 And when you think about the Garden of Eden, 337 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,280 a man and a woman running from God 338 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,480 and God walking with a man and a woman 339 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,280 and seeking to bring the man and a woman 340 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:15,000 back into relationship with him, 341 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,280 we see this echo on the road to a mess. 342 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,560 A man and a woman possibly running from God, 343 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:22,920 running from Jerusalem, 344 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,800 running from the place that they should be. 345 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:25,640 What do we see? 346 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,200 A gracious, merciful savior drawing alongside them, 347 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,560 walking with them, talking with them, 348 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,440 giving them probably one of his greatest sermons ever 349 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,600 to one of the smallest audiences. 350 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:38,680 An amazing moment. 351 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:39,880 And then what does he do? 352 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,240 By the end of the story, he's turned them. 353 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,040 By the end of the story, he's revealed something to them. 354 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,680 By the end of the story, they've now got a message, 355 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:49,280 they've now got an understanding 356 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:50,800 and they've now got a revelation 357 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,000 that Jesus is the resurrected Messiah. 358 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 That He is the one we had hoped for 359 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,760 and they go back to Jerusalem 360 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,880 and their life changes forever. 361 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,600 And all of that, I think, is in this beautiful story. 362 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,200 And so when you read the road to a mess at one level, 363 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:11,040 it's a simple story of two disciples leaving somewhere, 364 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,320 trying to get somewhere and Jesus turning them around. 365 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,640 But at another level, it is an echo 366 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:19,440 of God's redemptive heart. 367 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:23,760 The Lord is constantly reaching out to humans, 368 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:25,680 constantly reaching out to people, 369 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,400 constantly wanting to walk with me and you. 370 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,400 What an incredible idea that is 371 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,800 that not only can we come into His presence, 372 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,760 but He wants us in His presence. 373 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:36,400 He wants to walk with us. 374 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:37,920 He wants to talk with us. 375 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,240 He wants to pour His life into us. 376 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,920 He wants to open our heart, open our eyes 377 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,080 and transform our lives 378 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:50,080 so that we are elevated above just the ordinary 379 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,560 every day of a mess. 380 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,600 And we understand that actually there is a God in heaven 381 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,520 who has a greater and most amazing plan for our lives. 382 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:00,680 So at one level, it's a simple story. 383 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,960 At another level, it's a massive macro story 384 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,040 that repeats over and over and over again in the gospels. 385 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,080 And it all, it turns on this particular text. 386 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,080 Look at what it says, these beautiful words. 387 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,680 It says this, as they approached the village 388 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,280 to which they were going, 389 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:22,280 Jesus continued on as if He were going farther, 390 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:24,120 but they urged Him strongly. 391 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:28,200 Stay with us for it is nearly evening. 392 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,360 The day is almost over. 393 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:32,520 So we went in to stay with Him. 394 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,520 This is the turning point of the story. 395 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,360 This is the moment where actually their reaction 396 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:42,440 determines what's about to happen next. 397 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,720 And when we look at this verse very carefully, 398 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,200 there are three gorgeous elements 399 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:48,920 that I just want to highlight to you 400 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,840 that I think are part of this turning point. 401 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,160 And maybe they speak to us 402 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,040 in terms of our everyday lives in the 21st century. 403 00:18:58,040 --> 00:18:59,040 The first thing I want you to say, 404 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:00,440 a bit of an awkward thing. 405 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,640 There's a bit of a ruse going on here. 406 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:04,480 Don't know if you noticed this, 407 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,120 it's pretty awkward, this language. 408 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:12,120 And it says this, that Jesus pretended or acted 409 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,440 continued on as if He were going further. 410 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:16,440 That's the NIV. 411 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,560 Jesus continued as if He was going further. 412 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:21,440 Now, just trust me on this. 413 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,080 When you dig into the language of Dr. Luke, 414 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,240 it really is pretty awkward. 415 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,800 And in fact, if we were to translate this 416 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,160 sort of as literally as we could, 417 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:33,040 Dr. Luke is sort of suggesting 418 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,760 that Jesus is pretending to go further. 419 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:40,880 The implication of the words is, 420 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:44,400 Jesus wants to stay with them, 421 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:46,200 but He will not presume on them. 422 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:47,040 Yeah, yeah. 423 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,720 That's the implication, it's awkward. 424 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,280 Awkward, there's a couple of awkward moments in this story. 425 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:56,760 They were kept from recognizing Him. 426 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,120 Wow, that'll make your head hurt. 427 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:00,520 That's an awkward moment. 428 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,000 This is another awkward moment. 429 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,080 Jesus has walked with Him for the guts of seven miles, 430 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,160 unpacked this amazing sermon, 431 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,280 which unfortunately, with no details on 432 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,880 in the Gospel of Luke, when I get to Heaven, Luke, 433 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:13,480 why didn't you put the sermon in, man? 434 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,880 That would have been really helpful. 435 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,600 And at the end of this journey, 436 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:22,600 Jesus is acting as if He is going further. 437 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,480 Now, He can't be deceitful 438 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,600 because that would be against the nature of the Lord. 439 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,480 But His body language is presenting 440 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,880 to the two disciples, two men, or husband and wife, 441 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,880 it's presenting the idea that He is going to carry on 442 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,960 this journey to wherever, wherever. 443 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,240 And so there's an awkward moment here. 444 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:50,400 What will they do? 445 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:53,520 Will they let Him go? 446 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,680 Or will they invite Him in? 447 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,600 Now, there's two ways to think about this 448 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,480 in the context of our story. 449 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,480 One is we could think about it 450 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,080 in terms of cultural protocol. 451 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:08,760 And in the world of Jesus, 452 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,800 you wouldn't invite yourself into somebody's house. 453 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,320 Now, Aaron referenced Zikaius. 454 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,000 In fact, Zikaius is the only example of Jesus 455 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,600 inviting himself into somebody's house in the gospels. 456 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:21,440 All right? 457 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:23,080 But of course, if you study the story of Zikaius, 458 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:24,360 you'll know why. 459 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:26,240 Because Zikaius was not only small, 460 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:30,120 he was a chief text collector in the city of Jericho. 461 00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:33,000 And he knew cultural protocol meant 462 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,440 he could not invite Jesus a rabbi into his house. 463 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:39,120 He would embarrass Jesus, 464 00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:41,160 he would make life difficult for Jesus, 465 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,600 and he probably suspected no rabbi 466 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,400 is gonna visit my house because I'm a text collector 467 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,600 and as far as my own people are concerned, 468 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,080 I'm the sort of scum of the earth. 469 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,120 I live on the margins of Jewish society. 470 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:57,000 So Zikaius can't invite Jesus in and Jesus knows that. 471 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,120 Jesus knows he can't invite me in. 472 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:00,080 So here's what I'll do. 473 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:02,920 I'll invite myself in to Zikaius' house. 474 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,520 And that's the only time we have Jesus inviting himself in. 475 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,120 In Jewish protocol, the idea would be 476 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:12,640 I couldn't invite myself to your house, you invite me in. 477 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,520 So it would be like, you know, me and Aaron, 478 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,000 walking past his house, 479 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,080 I wouldn't just presume to walk into the house with him, 480 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:22,800 even though I'm with him, his house. 481 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,320 I would sort of act as if I'm going on 482 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,840 in the hope that he's going to invite me in, all right? 483 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:32,520 And one of the ways to read this moment 484 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,080 is it's just good Jewish hospitality. 485 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,800 This is what Jewish people would do in a first century world, 486 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:43,200 especially to a stranger as evening is coming. 487 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:44,360 They would invite him in. 488 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:46,000 And that's perfectly fine. 489 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,520 But I think if you settle there, 490 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,640 you're missing something powerful in the story. 491 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,840 I think what you've got here is not cultural protocol. 492 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,760 I think what you've got here is scriptural provocation. 493 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:57,920 What do I mean by that? 494 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,480 Well, if we read the story together, 495 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,360 we were listening to the story. 496 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:03,920 Jesus is unpacking the scriptures. 497 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:05,680 And as he unpacks the scriptures, 498 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,560 we find out later that our hearts were burning within them. 499 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,720 So these two disciples have now got attention. 500 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,000 In their head, they believe that Jesus is dead, 501 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,640 but in their hearts, their hearts are burning 502 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:20,840 like that's Jesus. 503 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:23,080 We've heard this before. 504 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:24,360 We've sensed this before. 505 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:25,680 We've felt this before. 506 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,120 This feels like Jesus, 507 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,960 but our heads are telling us Jesus is dead. 508 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:31,880 So their eyes are closed 509 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,160 and their minds are telling them that Jesus is dead, 510 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,200 but their hearts are burning. 511 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:40,520 Something supernatural is going on inside them. 512 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:41,360 There's a burning. 513 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:45,040 Now we don't know that until their eyes get open. 514 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,000 If we're just reading the story, 515 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,280 at this point, we don't know that. 516 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,360 But we know from the information later 517 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:54,000 that as they're walking along, burning hearts, 518 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,240 something's going on inside them. 519 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,600 It's like the deep of the scripture 520 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,760 is calling to the deep of their heart. 521 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:03,840 And they can't understand it. 522 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:05,600 So here's what I'm suggesting. 523 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,160 Here's what I'm suggesting is the reason why Jesus 524 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:10,720 is going a little bit farther, 525 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:13,400 because Jesus knows their hearts are burning. 526 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:20,200 And he wants to know what they will do in response to that. 527 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,640 Will they let him go? 528 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,360 Will they leave him? 529 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:28,080 Or will they respond to him? 530 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:29,000 And I believe this, 531 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,920 that Jesus wanted to know what they would do. 532 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:35,720 You see, brothers and sisters, 533 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:39,000 there's a sense in which his presence is with us all the time. 534 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,120 But there's another sense in which sometimes 535 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:43,880 God wants to know what you want. 536 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,640 He wants to know what you want. 537 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:53,720 And every now and again, 538 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,800 he will make life a little bit awkward for us 539 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,720 to find out what we want. 540 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:04,120 There's a sense in which in this story, 541 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:05,800 Jesus is with them. 542 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:07,400 He's with them, he's right there. 543 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,480 But of course, at this stage, they don't know it's him. 544 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:16,080 There's just something burning in their hearts. 545 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:17,560 And he wants to know, 546 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,280 are you going to allow the logic of your brain to lead you? 547 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:27,120 Are you going to allow the burning of your heart to lead you? 548 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:30,520 Are you going to rely on what you think has just happened, 549 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,320 that Jesus is still dead? 550 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,840 Or are you going to respond to deep calling to deep? 551 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,120 You see, being a follower of Jesus 552 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:41,440 is not simply an intellectual exercise. 553 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:42,880 It's not a simple exercise 554 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,040 of just learning some biblical information 555 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:46,560 and repeating it in Solomon. 556 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,800 It is about our hearts connecting to his heart. 557 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,920 It's about who I am burning in the presence of the Lord. 558 00:25:54,920 --> 00:26:00,080 It's about something of him connecting to the depths of who I am. 559 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,600 And sometimes, sometimes our brain is saying one thing 560 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,560 and our hearts are saying another. 561 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:10,640 There's something inside me calling out to him, 562 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,880 calling out for more, calling out for deeper, 563 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,280 calling out for more intimate, calling out for greater. 564 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:19,400 And here I am on the front row. 565 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,040 And I know theologically he's in the room. 566 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,200 I know his presence is here. 567 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,600 I know he will never leave me or forsake me. 568 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:31,480 And yet there's something inside me calling for more, 569 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,920 wanting something deeper, something more intimate, 570 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,920 something that actually the depths of my being actually needs. 571 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,680 We sang it today, Lord, I need you. 572 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:46,440 I need you. 573 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:47,280 I need you. 574 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:49,840 And we don't just need him to help us 575 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:51,440 to get through life in the 21st century. 576 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,240 We need him because we are not complete without him. 577 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,280 We need him because he makes sense of our lives. 578 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,400 He makes sense of the brokenness. 579 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,320 He makes sense of the chaos. 580 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,320 He makes sense of who I am as John Andrews. 581 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:09,120 When he is at the center, everything makes sense. 582 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:11,880 Are you with me? 583 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:16,880 He's gone to a church and sometimes the Lord wants to know 584 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:17,760 what we know. 585 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,920 Sometimes the Lord wants to know what we're going to do. 586 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,360 There's a sense of what he already knows what I know, 587 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:24,800 and he already knows what I'm going to do cause he's God, 588 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:28,480 but there's sense of which sometimes he creates scenarios 589 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,800 where he wants to know, John, what do you want? 590 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,240 Are you gonna just put up with a casual walk? 591 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,440 Or are you going to invite me in? 592 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,240 What are you going to do? 593 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,820 like that this morning, at least in Germany. We've been led and worshipped by a wonderful 594 00:27:43,820 --> 00:27:54,020 band. Worship is not dependent on how good they are. Worship this morning was not dependent 595 00:27:54,020 --> 00:28:02,420 on anything they did. Worship this morning was dependent on what you want. We're going 596 00:28:02,420 --> 00:28:08,700 to turn up, sing a few songs, be entertained, have a sermon, hope it doesn't go on too long 597 00:28:08,700 --> 00:28:17,280 and then go home. Are we going to lean in? Are we going to just leave it to a sort of 598 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:24,200 an intellectual experience? Are we going to actually open up our hearts and push towards 599 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:30,560 the presence of God? Are you with me? Does that make sense to you? And Jesus pretends 600 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:36,720 to say, He's going further. Why? Because He wants to know, are they going to respond to 601 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:42,200 the burning heart that's within them? Are they going to let deep speak to deep? Or are 602 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:49,520 they going to pour water on it and forget the whole thing? Does that make sense? I don't 603 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:55,640 know, that's awkward. But every now and again, the Lord will pretend to go further in your 604 00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:06,840 life because He wants to know what you want. Do you want Him or not? Come on, are you with 605 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:11,160 me? That makes sense to you. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Here's the second thing, 606 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:17,000 the request. Gorgeous moment. Look at this. They see these amazing words that remind you 607 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:28,880 of them. They say this, but they urged Him strongly. Stay with us. They urged Him strongly. 608 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:35,200 Now this is really, really strong language. The NIV tries to convey this as powerfully 609 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:41,240 as it can. This is like verbally, this is like grabbing someone by the scruff of the 610 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:47,480 neck and bringing them in your house. It's really, really strong. It's interesting that 611 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:52,360 both of them say stay with us. It's not clopus who's speaking now, they're both speaking. 612 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:57,160 So something's going on inside them to the point where they both say to the stranger 613 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:07,040 who's lit their hearts on this walk, they both say stay with us. Come in and stay with 614 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:13,360 us. And the NIV and the ESC translated that way. The complete word study Bible translates 615 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:21,680 it. They constrained Him. I like that. Trying to convey the strength of the word here. And 616 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:27,680 I love how the complete Jewish Bible, this is David Stern's translation. He puts it, 617 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:35,000 they held Him back. So you've got this really dynamic and interesting language. They're 618 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:45,400 not touching Him, but their words are constraining Him. If their words became action, they would 619 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:51,640 literally be grabbing Him and pulling Him in. So what they're not saying is, look, you've 620 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:57,280 had a long walk. Maybe you want to come in for a week last, a wine or a cup of tea, 621 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:04,120 take a load off, have a moment, like it's up to you, feel free. This is not that. This 622 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:12,040 is stay with us. Don't go. We don't know what's going on, but you need to stay. You have to 623 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:21,240 stay. Please, we really, really, really, really, really, really want you to stay. Come on, 624 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:26,080 ladies and gentlemen, this is hunger now speaking. Now, their brain still hasn't caught up with 625 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:30,840 us. They still don't understand fully what's going on, but they are, they have the wisdom 626 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:36,120 to respond to the spirit that's going on them. They've got the wisdom to respond to the burning 627 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:42,840 heart and they're going, please, you have to stay. Don't go. Don't leave us. Something's 628 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:49,440 going on inside us. You need to stay at our house tonight. Please come in. Please, please 629 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:55,960 stay. And what's absolutely striking here, and again, it's not obvious in our language, 630 00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,720 but when they say stay, in the language of Dr. Luke, it's a verbal imperative. It's the 631 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:06,520 closest thing to a command you're going to get. Now, they can't command him to stay, 632 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:12,360 but they're doing everything but commanding him to stay. There's an urgency. There's a 633 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:17,920 hunger. There's a thirst. There's something inside him saying, this man, whoever he is, 634 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:25,840 can't go. We need him to stay and stay in our world. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what Jesus 635 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:39,520 is after. The Bible teaches us that when we hunger and we thirst for him, he responds. 636 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:45,760 In fact, God loves humility. He loves hunger. He loves honesty. He loves it when me and 637 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:50,560 you cry from the depths of our heart and say, Lord, I'm not sure what's going on. I'm not 638 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,480 sure I understand everything, but here's what I know. You need to stay. You need to stay 639 00:32:54,480 --> 00:33:01,240 with us. We need you to stay. We need you not to go. You must stay in our home. You must 640 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:09,120 stay in our house. Whatever this is, we want more of it. Please stay. Please stay. 641 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:13,520 Ladies and gentlemen, if there's something I believe that Jesus is doing in his church 642 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:20,240 in the United Kingdom today, is that he's stirring in us a hunger and a hunger for him. 643 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:25,200 If the recent events of our country are not stirring us in hunger towards the presence 644 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:31,360 of God, ladies and gentlemen, we are in serious trouble. We can't just carry on like life 645 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:36,240 is normal. We can't just carry on like nothing happened. There should be something stirring 646 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:43,080 in us that says, Lord Jesus, please stay. Please come to us. If you're not here in bridge, 647 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:47,200 we have nothing. If you're not here in our lives, we have nothing. If you're not here 648 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:53,960 in our homes, we have nothing. And he's looking for that hunger. And when he finds that hunger, 649 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:59,360 he responds. When he finds that hunger, he reacts. When he finds that hunger, he moves 650 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:08,520 towards us. Met a pastor in the summer. I want to tell you where, but a mega church, huge 651 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:13,920 church ministry, got everything. I mean, his, the screen at the front of this church was 652 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:19,240 bigger than the front of this church, mega church, hundreds, thousands of people attending 653 00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:24,880 the church, completely discontent. Here's what he said. He said, my, my people are settling 654 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:29,320 for performance. They're settling for just turning up, getting something and going home. 655 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,720 He said, there's got to be more than that. There's got to be more than that. Now you 656 00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:36,400 look at his church on the surface and at everything that we think is successful. And 657 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:41,880 here's a leader saying, I'm not sure we really want Jesus. I'm not sure we're really hungry 658 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:48,240 for Jesus. I'm not sure we're really thirsty for Jesus. We're settling for all the stuff. 659 00:34:48,240 --> 00:35:03,400 And there's nothing wrong with the stuff. As long as we don't believe the stuff is enough. 660 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:11,360 Ladies and gentlemen, we could live without all the stuff if Jesus is at the table. But 661 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:18,640 if we've got all the stuff and Jesus is not at the table, we've just got a sort of a superficial 662 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:25,560 religious experience, which will never satisfy you, never satisfy me. I'm not interested 663 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:33,920 in it. Are you with me? Sometimes we just have to grasp the moment. These two disciples 664 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:50,320 didn't know what it was, but they knew they had to grab it. Come on, stay with us. Stay 665 00:35:50,320 --> 00:36:02,840 with us. And then look at the response. One of the greatest lines in the story, and it 666 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:11,640 says this, so he went in to stay with them. You see, ladies and gentlemen, when he joined 667 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:19,080 them on the road, he always wanted to go in and stay with them. But he wanted to know 668 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:30,680 the day want him to stay. The heart of the Lord has always been to stay with us. He 669 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:40,840 loves you. You are his beloved with all our brokenness and feelings. We are his beloved. 670 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:47,280 He loves us passionately. He went to the cross and died for us. He gave everything for us. 671 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,760 He conquered death for us. Why would he do all of that and not want to come in and stay 672 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,960 with you? Why would he do all of that and not want to sit at your table? Why would he 673 00:36:55,960 --> 00:37:01,360 do all of that and not want to walk with you? Even though we feel inadequate sometimes, we 674 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:05,760 are still his beloved. We're still his children. We're still loved by him. And this is one 675 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,720 of the greatest. And when I was writing the book, I literally had to walk away from the 676 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:16,480 computer and compose myself because I couldn't stop crying because here's a God who wants 677 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:23,480 to come in and stay with me. I know me. I live with me every day. I know what I'm capable 678 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:28,600 of. The good, the bad and the ugly. And yet there is a God in heaven who says, I want to 679 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:33,600 come in and stay with you. I want to live with you. I want to sit at your table. I want 680 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:37,880 to be in your marriage. I want to be in your kids. I want to be in your business. I want 681 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:44,360 to be in your life. I want to be every part of your world. That's what I want. But I'm 682 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:58,120 waiting for you to say, stay. And Jesus said, yes, when invited. And this is a beautiful 683 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:02,680 pattern in the gospel of Luke. And for those of you that want to hunt this, this is worth. 684 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:06,680 This is again, Dr. Luke's doing something really clever. It's not a random story. This 685 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:12,960 story is part of a big story that he's telling. And Dr. Luke shows us in his gospel every 686 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:24,120 single time Jesus got an invite. He said, yes. Come on. That's good news. Every single 687 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:30,040 time in the gospel of Luke, somebody said to Jesus, come into my house. He went in to 688 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:37,560 Levi, the tax collector, to the Pharisee, to Martha, to another Pharisee. And yet another 689 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:45,640 Pharisee, he went into there every time he was invited. He went, yeah, I'll come. Why? 690 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:52,160 Because that's his heart. That's what he wants. He wants to come into our world. He wants 691 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:56,760 to touch us. He wants to be with us. And this is what the Emmaus story is all about. That 692 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:01,760 not only does he join them on the road, but he waits to hear what they want. And when they 693 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:09,720 tell him what he wants, he says, yes, yes, yes, I will come into you. And I know I'm 694 00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:13,360 speaking to people who've been a Christian a million years like me, and I know this all 695 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:19,040 sounds very familiar, but we must never become familiar with the idea that the Son of God 696 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:25,800 wants to sit at our table. It's an amazing idea. It's an amazing thought that Jesus not 697 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:31,800 only loved me and died for me and rose from the dead. He actually likes me. He actually 698 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:37,360 wants to walk with me. He wants to sit at my table. He wants to be in my world. And that's 699 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:41,920 an amazing idea. And when we forget that, when we become familiar with that, then worship 700 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:47,880 becomes entertainment. The Bible becomes a book. This community becomes a social club. 701 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:53,120 All of those things happen because we've lost the awesome understanding that there is a 702 00:39:53,120 --> 00:40:01,800 God in heaven who wants to come in and stay with us. I don't know if that makes sense, 703 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:11,280 or I'm just ranting on, but it's a transformational idea. This is my wife Dawn. I am genuinely 704 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:15,520 married. I know I've been here a million times. He keeps talking about Dawn and I've never 705 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:22,720 seen her. I think it's a figment of his imagination. No, she really does exist. We celebrated 36 706 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:30,360 years of marriage in July and love each other. Thank you. That's very kind. She deserves 707 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:35,720 the applause, not me at all. And I met her in Bible college. When I met Dawn in Bible 708 00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:40,920 college, I was a third year. She was a first year and she had a broken leg. A couple of 709 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:47,360 weeks before, she had been parachuting, snapped her ankle when she hit the ground. So she 710 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:51,320 hobbled into Bible college with a broken leg. And I remember noticing her. I was a senior 711 00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:56,560 student. I was greeting the students and helping them get to their rooms. And in this case, 712 00:40:56,560 --> 00:41:01,600 a definite blessing. And she walked in and I noticed her. I thought, she's gorgeous. 713 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:05,400 She's lovely. Now, not in a lustful sort of way. Just noticed she was really pretty. 714 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:09,680 I thought she's really lovely. And then over the next couple of weeks, we got to know each 715 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:16,120 other, started talking. And two weeks into the term, at my third year, I couldn't eat 716 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:23,880 and I couldn't sleep. Thinking about Dawn. Okay. This is the truth. Couldn't eat, couldn't 717 00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:29,480 sleep. And I got to the end of the second week and I made a decision, a drastic decision. 718 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:37,880 I was going to ask this woman out, genuinely believing she would say no. So I was a skinny, 719 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:44,360 gangly, insecure, spotty 19 year old at the time. And I was absolutely convinced this 720 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:48,600 girl turned me down flat. She's too classy for me. So she's going to turn me down, but 721 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:53,880 I just need to get it over with because I need to eat and I need to have some food. 722 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:58,320 Right. And so I thought, right, let's just go and ask her out. And so I found out she 723 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:03,480 was over in the teaching block Friday night. It's October. It's dark. It's freezing cold. 724 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:07,600 She has a broken leg. And I thought, right, I'll go and find her and talk to her. And 725 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:12,000 as I got to the teaching block, she was coming down the stairs hobbling. I was going up the 726 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:18,920 stairs. We met halfway on the stairs. I had rehearsed this moment for forever. And I said 727 00:42:18,920 --> 00:42:22,120 to her, and these were the words that came out of my mouth. I said, would you like to 728 00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:30,800 go for a walk? What a numpty. I asked capital numpty, numpty, right? Even as the words have 729 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:35,560 come out of my mouth, I'm going, you numpty head, what on earth? The woman's got a broken 730 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:46,400 leg. And I said, would you like to go for a walk? And she said, yes. And the rest is 731 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:57,080 history. 36 years, three children, two grandchildren, two sausage dogs later. We're still together. 732 00:42:57,080 --> 00:43:02,160 And I learned something that night, ladies and gentlemen. And I want to remind you of 733 00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:07,680 this as we go. Is the bond you want to come and join us? You want to? I learned something 734 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:18,080 that night. Passion is not enough. Their hearts were burning within them. But what turned the 735 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:30,320 burning heart into a transformational moment was action. Stay with us. Stay with us. I 736 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:35,800 had passion for dawn, 100%. Couldn't go to bed without thinking about our struggling 737 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:41,640 to eat. But if I just left it as passion and didn't translate that to action, then actually 738 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:49,640 nothing would change. And passion must become action. I learned that way back then. And 739 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:55,240 even in our relationship with the Lord, it's the same thing. Passion that actually says 740 00:43:55,240 --> 00:44:00,280 to him, stay with us. Come into our world. Come into my life. Lord Jesus, I know you're 741 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:04,160 with me because your promise is that your presence is always with me. But I want to 742 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:10,680 be intentional about welcoming you into my world. I want to be intentional in my worship 743 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:15,160 corporately. I want to be intentional on a Monday morning. I want to be intentional with 744 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:20,400 my life, my family. I want to be intentional with every part of the world that I have. I 745 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:26,600 want to make sure that I am constantly translating what I believe is a passion for you, Lord Jesus, 746 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:34,160 to an action that will honor you. The other thing I learned that night was she actually 747 00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:47,440 wanted to say yes, believe it or not. I still struggle to believe it. She was just, she 748 00:44:47,440 --> 00:45:01,040 was just waiting to be asked. You serve a Savior who wants to say yes. And often He is 749 00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:12,400 just waiting to be asked. Often He's just looking for me and you to be open, intentional, 750 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:17,200 deliberate. That He's looking for me and you to be men and women that literally are 751 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:24,320 metaphorically will swing a door open and say, please come in. Please come into my world. 752 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:28,960 Come and sit with us and ladies and gentlemen and I don't want to put any guilt on anybody 753 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:37,720 or pressure anybody. But the question comes down to do we actually want Him, not the bridge, 754 00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:44,760 not this, not the stuff. The stuff's great. The stuff's great. And I thank God for the 755 00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:48,320 stuff and I love the stuff and I love what we do here and I love this church and I love 756 00:45:48,320 --> 00:46:01,600 all that we do. But do we want Him? If all of this got shut down, would we want Him? 757 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:08,800 If we lost our job, would we still want Him? If the shadow of sickness comes on, as do 758 00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:16,800 we still want Him? Him and life will bring us to places where actually do you still want 759 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:26,680 me? Do you want me? And actually that's the cry of the Ames rule. What do you want? Will 760 00:46:26,680 --> 00:46:36,320 you make room for Him? I sat with the guy on a plane, go on to Singapore, said he wasn't 761 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:44,520 religious, by the end of the conversation we were talking deeply about Jesus. And I 762 00:46:44,520 --> 00:46:49,000 said to him, I said, well on your free time, your spare time, what do you do? And he said, 763 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:55,680 well some of my friends and I, we've bought some 14 acres of land in Australia and we've 764 00:46:55,680 --> 00:47:02,560 planted a forest. I said, what'd you do that for? He said, well we just wanted an eco-project 765 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:08,320 to bless the kids with and allow people to enjoy forests and just look after the environment 766 00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:12,640 and this guy's not a Christian, not religious at all. And I said to him, I felt like I had 767 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:17,440 a little moment and I said to him, I said, Andrew, when you're in your forest, how does 768 00:47:17,440 --> 00:47:23,680 it make you feel? He said this, he said what he said to me, he said, I feel connected to 769 00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:29,520 something bigger. That's what he said. That's all a bit like touchy-feely, a bit like some 770 00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:34,280 of us might be put off by that. And I said to him, Andrew, would you do me a favour? 771 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:39,520 He said, of course I will. He said, I said, next time you're in your forest and you feel 772 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:46,280 like that, will you do me one favour? He said, I will. I said, lift up your eyes and say, 773 00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:56,200 Lord Jesus, if you are there, come in, come in, come in. Dare God to be a part of your 774 00:47:56,200 --> 00:47:59,280 world. Here's what he said to me and a man who told me at the beginning of the journey, 775 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:03,960 put his hand up and said, I'm not religious. Here's what he said to me, I will. He got 776 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:11,800 all emotional and he got, why? Because there's something in him, deeps calling. He knows 777 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:17,480 that like whatever he's doing, it's just not enough. And something deep inside him is yearning 778 00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:25,960 for something deeper, greater, bigger. No, we've already got that. And Jesus, as he 779 00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:34,920 pretends to go by, says, what do you want? Come on, will you stand with me? The band 780 00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:45,840 are going to lead us in a final song. Time is gone. We're brothers and sisters. There's 781 00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:50,960 a sense in which the Lord is with us and never will leave us or forsake us. There's another 782 00:48:50,960 --> 00:49:00,240 sense in which the Lord responds to our invitation. He responds to our hunger. He responds to 783 00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:09,760 our cry. He responds to our hearts. He responds to the deep calling to deep. And the two people 784 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:16,040 that day husband or wife or two brothers or two friends, whoever they were, their lives 785 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:27,760 were transformed forever. Their eyes were opened because they cried out to him. May we never 786 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:40,120 become familiar with the idea of the God who wants to come in and be with us. And so Lord 787 00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:47,560 Jesus, we welcome you into our lives. We welcome you into this place. We welcome you into our 788 00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:53,680 hearts. Lord Jesus, I pray for every man and woman in this place. I pray for every person 789 00:49:53,680 --> 00:50:00,760 online that Lord, there would be a burning heart within each one of us that yearns for 790 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:07,560 you, yearns for your presence, yearns for your love, yearns for your word, yearns, oh 791 00:50:07,560 --> 00:50:14,880 God, for you and for you alone. Lord, forgive us for the moments when we have settled for 792 00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:19,480 the stuff. Forgive us for the moments when we have settled for the superficial. Forgive 793 00:50:19,480 --> 00:50:25,840 us for the moments of Lord when we have become familiar with the sacred. But Lord, I pray 794 00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:30,920 that in your church, I pray that in each one of us as individuals, I pray that in families 795 00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:37,040 and marriages and singles and people in this room and people online and people across this 796 00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:45,000 wonderful church that Lord, you would stare a hunger within us for you. A hunger for your 797 00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:50,760 presence, a hunger for your word, a hunger for your life, a hunger that says stay with 798 00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:57,760 us, stay with us. And that Lord as we open up our hearts, as we open up our lives, we 799 00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:03,400 pray, we know, we believe that you will enter in, that you will come in, you will sit with 800 00:51:03,400 --> 00:51:09,080 us, you will eat with us, you will commune with us and you will transform us by your 801 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:17,080 grace and by your mercy. So Lord Jesus, come in. Lord Jesus, stay with us. Lord Jesus, 802 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:23,280 reveal yourself to us. Lord Jesus, walk with us and may we as men and women with our hearts 803 00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:33,800 burning and our eyes open carry your presence to the world. In Jesus' name, Amen.