On the Road to Emmaus, Part TWO (May 18, 2025)
Sermon Outline for Sunday, May 18, 2025
PASSAGES: Luke 24:25-35
There is one major reason why man refuses to accept a risen Lord. A risen Lord means that man must subject himself to the Lord, obey and serve Him.
Luke 24:25–27 ~ “And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
The third question is asked by Jesus to the two walking on the road that day. “Did the prophets not predict the Messiah’s death and resurrection?”
- Jesus rebuked the two disciples for being dull and slow to believe. He called them “foolish”, which means that they were dull and slow to believe. More was expected of them; they should have known more than they were indicating. They were without excuse, for their minds and hearts were capable of more. Therefore, Jesus rebuked them for being …
- slow to believe
- slow to believe all the prophets had spoken
- Jesus shared that the death and resurrection of the Messiah was a necessity. The words “did not” are strong. They mean there was a constraint, an imperative, a necessity laid upon the Messiah to die and arise. He had no choice. His death and resurrection had been planned and willed by God through all eternity. Therefore, He had to fulfill the will of God, for God had ordained …
- that the Messiah suffer these things.
- that the Messiah enter into His glory. God’s plan was not defeated. He conquered through the death of His Son, the Messiah.
- Jesus explained the Scripture to the two disciples, taught them book by book, showing them the things concerning the Messiah in each book. Note the words “all the Scriptures.” Prophecies of Christ are found in all the Scripture; therefore, Jesus carried the two disciples through the Scripture in a systematic way, book by book, showing them how God’s purpose was fulfilled in the death of the Messiah. The two disciples could now be saved eternally, not just during an earthly reign of an earthly Messiah.
The two disciples were feeling hopeless and perplexed, full of sadness and despair for one very simple reason: unbelief. They had symbolized or spiritualized the Scripture and the clear predictions which Jesus had given his disciples before His death. Therefore, they could not see beyond Jesus’ death. They were willing to accept and admire a dead Savior, a great prophet who had been martyred, but they had great difficulty in accepting a risen Lord. They would not believe the reports and prophecies of the risen Lord, the glorious news of the living Lord.
Luke 24:28–32 ~ “So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””
The next scene in these scriptures was experiencing the burning truth – Jesus is risen and alive forevermore.
- The two disciples sought to hear more. They invited Jesus to stay with them. The words “acted as if” do not mean Jesus was play-acting. He never pretends. He would have gone on, for He never enters a life or a home without a personal invitation. The two were seeking the truth, so they wanted Jesus to enter their home and to share more with them. (How unlike so many today!) Jesus did enter, and He sat down to have dinner with them. He was also asked to give thanks for the meal.
- God opened the eyes of the two disciples. They immediately knew the Lord. But note why: they had invited Jesus into their home. If they had let Him pass on, the likelihood is that they would never have known it was the Lord.
- The two disciples had experienced a burning conviction within their hearts.
- The Word of God being proclaimed is what had stirred the conviction and the burning.
- Their response to the conviction – inviting Christ into their home – led to their coming to know Him personally.
Luke 24:33–35 ~ “And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”
The fourth scene we are going to talk about On The Road to Emmaus is proclaiming the immortal witness.
The scene was dramatic. It was night, but the two rushed back to the apostles. When they arrived, they found the apostles and some other disciples already gathered together.
They were all bursting with excitement. To the shock of the two from Emmaus, the group had the same immortal witness to share: “The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” As they listened to Simon’s experience, they were bursting at the seams, hardly able to contain themselves, waiting to share their own experience.
Finally, their time came to share their experience and the very same immortal witness: “The Lord has risen indeed.”
Are you bursting with excitement to tell someone about the Good News of Jesus Christ? Just remember, He WAS dead and now is ALIVE!!! We have good news to share, let’s get excited about the Good News of Jesus!!!
Pastor Andy Lambert
Call/Text: 205.642.8744 ext 101