Palm and Easter Sunday - 2024 Easter Sunday - Jesus Changes Everything!

GREET EVERYONE-

GOOD MORNING LOVED ONES!

HE IS RISEN...

HE IS RISEN...

HE IS RISEN...

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

AS a Church we We Desire see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on the mission of Jesus.

Which is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!

WELCOME-

Welcome to a Resurrection Sunday worship assembly of the called out ones.

If this is the first time you have ever been to a worship gathering of the church or maybe it’s the first time in a really long time and reality is that you’re hear this morning because some one bribed you with lunch and said they wouldn't feed you unless you came to church with them, or maybe you have big questions about the Bible, Faith, Jesus or even the existence of God at all, or maybe you just don’t consider your self very religious.

If this is you I just want to encourage you this morning. First - nothing happens by chance with God. He orchestrated the events of all of our lives up to this very morning for us all to be together. God has left nothing to chance!

2nd - You could have not picked a better Sunday to join in and our hope is that you will hang around long enough to learn that we are not all that religious either.

Lastly - man oh man we are really glad you are here.

LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND

Open it to LUKE Chapter 24 this morning as we will unpack and unwrap verses 13-35 this morning as we come to the time on the calendar that we celebrate the Historical fact that Jesus was Raised from the dead - The tomb is empty, Death has been defeated and Jesus is alive!.

GOAL OF THE MESSAGE

Is that we will come to a deeper and more abiding understanding and knowledge that when we meet the risen Jesus, although we may not know it, He Changes Everything!

ENGAGEMENT –

This last coupe of week as I was preparing for this message ans writing down thoughts and Ideas and things to share and highlight in our life that makes Easter so relative to our life.

And one of the things that I noticed as I was spending time on social media this last week is that one of the local pastors, a friend of mine, who led a relatively large church here in our area, moved.

His profile showed pictures of his families travels and their new house and their closing on that house and his arriving in the new community He will be ministering to.

and I am almost sure that this Sunday, Easter Sunday He will be preaching His first sermon to the church that He is now the new pastor of.

And could not help my self as I was looking at all those pictures and thinking about all that they were going to be doing and had been doing.

The one thing that Kept coming to my mind is “Man I hate to move”

How many of you just don’t like to move?

Ya know I think the reason that we don’t like it is in reality we hate change!

Now hate might be too strong of a word, we just probably don't like it more than we don't like the other things we don't like, That’s all.

TENSION

The reality is that I think most of US don’t really like change.

Some of us doing like change so much that we will stay with bad to avoid the discomfort of change.

There are way way way to many examples to list but you and I have very possibly dealt with this and if not us then we certainly know people who have done this.

They just stay in what seems to be a bad situation and wont do what it takes to change. becasue change is sometimes scary.

They just wont leave the chaos. They wont leave the crazy - They wont leave the abuse - The wont leave the addiction - They wont leave the storm. We wont leave the brokenness.

We all know people like that or we have been or maybe are at some level people like this.

Loved ones listen to me - The reason that this happens. The Reason why Change becomes so scary and uncomfortable to them and very possibly to you this morning is becasue the brokenness we have been experiencing that has manifested itself in the form of abuse, addiction, crazy or chaos is becasue all that brokenness has become or maybe always was normal.

All of us at some level live in with a manifestation of our brokenness.

and Because the world lives that way -When Jesus shows up - He says “I want to change everything” and we immediately get uncomfortable.

UNPACKING

Lets unpack our text this morning. Luke Chapter 24.

A little background as to where we are in the timeline.

Jesus has entered into Jerusalem for the very last time. Last Sunday!

On Monday - He cleared out the money changers for the second and last time.

On Tuesday He established His Authority.

Taught some parables about wicked tenants referring to the Jewish Leadership.

Talks about paying Taxes.

Later that day Share the importance fo Giving all to the work of the lOrd with the Widows offering,

HE tells of the coming destruction of the temple, talks about wars, and end times

ON Thursday a real and dangerous plot is schemed to kill Jesus and it involved an inside Job.

He sits down with His Disciples ad shares a last meal, a last passover meal to commemorate the historical events some 1500 years earlier, when, in Egypt, the Angel of death Passed over the children of Israel, God people, becasue there was blood on the door posts. A foreshadowing of Jesus Blood saving Gods people once again, this time its not limited to just Israelites.

He goes to the Garden to pray, His Disciples fight for first place with Him, Jesus predicts that one of His closest will deny Him

He is betrayed, arrested, denied, beaten, and turned over to the Romans for trial.

Three trials later, with no witnesses, a cowardly leader succumbs to the chants of a crowd, releases a known criminal and condemns Jesus to death even though He knows He is completely innocent.

Jesus is turned over to the executioners after the most severe beating, to carry His own cross through town to a place where he will be eventually nailed to it.

He is nailed to it, He dies and He is burred in a new borrowed tomb.

With a huge stone rolled over the entrance and sealed to prevent intruders and thieves

Yall every wondered by it was a borrowed tomb?

Yea He wasn't going to need it for very long!

On the Third Day - The tomb was empty.

Verified by a couple of the women who went to there to morn - Angles who were speaking by the now open tomb and then two of His disciples. who hear the stories from the ladies and then took a foot race there to check it out for themselves.

This is where this part of the Historical Narrative picks up .

This narrative is On Resurrection Day.

that is why it begins with the words“ That Very day” Resurrection Day.

UNPACK

VS 13 -

These two guys - It says “two of them” not two of the original 11 disciples of who would be Apostles. But it very well may have been men who were disciples, who followed Jesus and were in the room that Mary went back and told his disciples the tomb was empty, as recorded for us in Marks and Matthews historical record.

We also must remember that 50 days later when the Holy Spirit comes like Jesus said it would there were 120 people in that place.

So these two were and are referred to as at the minimum fans of Jesus if not direct followers -

and they were on a journey - A destination to a village named Emmaus - There was a particular road that went there and this village is about a days journey - & miles.

VS 14 and 15 indicate that these two were discussing the events of the day.

Imagine that conversation.

Vs 18 says that one of the guys is named Cleopas -

Imagine the conversation. Cleopas, can you believe our government? Killing a guy simply becasue of the crowd - Man Pontous Pilot is a sell out. I'm glad we don't live in Jerusalem.

Yea man I agree, I never dreamed these guys would go that low. I mean I hate the Romans and all but ya know. To kill and innocent guy.

Yea and not just your every day execution, Did you see what they did to him before the executed him?/ talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

There has to be a law against that one.

Yea ans did you hear the thing He said before He died? He prayed for forgiveness for the people who were actually killing him!

Yea did you hear one of the last things “it is finished” I wonder what that meant?

Yea ya know I though He was to be the one to redeem Israel! Yea me too.

and Then ya remember What Mary and the other ladies told us that his tomb was actually empty! I wonder what happened?

So while this conversation is happening - Jesus shows up - The Holy Spirit does not let these guys recognize Him and Jesus walks with them and ask a very rhetorical question.

VS17

What are you guys talking about and you walk together?

Here is a deeper rendition

What are these words that you are exchanging as you are walking together?

Now remember Its Jesus, the Risen Jesus.

This isn't a ghost - or a ghost like figure.

Jesus was bodily raised from the dead.

When he Met with His Apostles after His resurrection - One with out Thomas and once with Thomas.

He ate dinner with them both times.

And both times food stayed in the belly - Food didn't fall to the floor.

When He appeared to the 500 same thing -

When He appeared to the 11 on the hill right before ascending - Same thing Full body flesh -

When Jesus met with the disciples and Thomas - Thomas actually touched the nail holes in his hands and the spear piercing in His side.

So Jesus walks along side them and asked this rhetorical question - The reason its rhetorical is becasue Jesus knows the Answer to the question that He is asking.

VS18

Cleopas answers and says (and I am paraphrasing here)

Are you the only person who does not know the things that have happened?

In Texas terms:

Where have you been stranger - Have you been living under a rock?

Jesus then asks for clarification - Again Rhetorically - What things?

And for the next 5 verses vs 19 through vs 24. Cleopas recaps the conversation He was having with the other disciple.

The unfair death, The misplaced hopes, the women going to the tomb - Peter and John racing to the tomb and the tomb being empty.

THEN JESUS RESPONDS

VS25 & 26

O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe, (Remember the word for believe and faith in the new testament also means to trust)

Slow of heart to trust

all that the prophets have spoken!

Was it not necessary that the Christ (the anointed of God) that is what Christ means should suffer these things and enter His glory?

Jesus has just made reference to the Old testament prophecies that He would come and he would suffer and Die and the necessity of that to happen to redeem those who believe.

Texts like:

Psalm 16:9-11

Which talks about God will not let His holy one see corruption - God will not abandon Jesus to the earth - This all speaks of his Resurrection

Psalm 22

Which talks the cruelty of Crusifiction joints being separated .

The company of evildoers - the criminals on either side of Jesus.

His hands and feet Pierced with nails

His garments being divided and gambled for

and the deliverance and praise that will result

Psalm 69

Talks of the transfer of Guilt from others to Jesus.

Him receiving Sour wine to drink

and people who see it their hearts will be revived.

Isa 52:14-53:12

specifically and directly talks about the sorrow, the necessity, the framework and the result of Jesus Crusifiction

Zec 12:10

The Spirit of Grace that will be poured out and the pleas of mercy that will happen to people who look upon Jesus whom they have pierced. and the great sadness of that moment.

Zec 13:7

The disciples of Jesus being scattered and people calling upon GOd and he answering them and saving them.

Finally

Psalm 16:9-11

Which talks about God will not let His holy one see corruption - God will not abandon Jesus to the earth - This all speaks of his Resurrection

Jesus has just said that these guys are slow of heart to believe.

WHY did Jesus say this?

Because what these guys had done is these guys had read and heard the Old Testament prophets say all these things - Remember the Gospel was preached in advance to Abraham.

These guys had heard and read the Old Testament but didn't trust what the prophets had said. That is what is in the OT.

You have to remember that if you were an first century Jewish person you would have gone to Jewish School and their until you were 12 years old you would have studied and learned to read by the Old Testament.

In fact you would have memorized the first 5 books of the Bible.

Ya Got to remember that at that time the Old testament was the only Bible they had - The New Testament was in the process of being written by being lived out.

Jesus Just said - You have read and studied and memorized your Bible but still didn't trust what the writers wrote in there!

VS27

Jesus then does something that is totally and completely out of this world.

Jesus gives them the Keys to understanding the Bible.

Watch what Jesus does.

He begins with Moses -

Now what is important to this is that Jewish people have believed and understood that Moses - wrote the first 5 books of the Bible.

In fact moses makes those claims himself 5 times in these 5 books and the other writers of the Old Testament make that claim as well 8 different times.

Jesus actually verifies this as well.

So watch what Jesus does in verse 27

beginning with Moses and with ALL the Prophets. HE explained to them ALL the things concerning Himself in ALL the scriptures.

Jesus changed the way these guys read and understood the Bible.

Jesus gave them the proper way to interpret the Bible.

Jesus just said the Central Character in all of the bible is Him.

The Bible is about Him!

In the Pentateuch He becomes necessary and is foretold.

In the books of History He is foreshadowed.

In the books of poetry and wisdom He is defined.

In the Prophets he is predicted.

in the Gospels He is revealed.

In Acts he is preached

In the Letters He is explained

and in Revelation He is now expected.

SO loved ones this is how we ought to read our bibles. Its not about us - Its about Him. Its certainly for us - But its not about us.

And the mistake that so many make today is placing mankind as the central character and purpose of the scriptures.

What a prideful way to understand the scriptures.

Its not about us - It’s for us and Jesus just said its all about Him.

VS28

Jesus must have been with these guys for quite a long time because they were arriving at Emmaus -

Here is a funny thing - Jesus acted as if He was going on a longer journey!

Jesus was like - “ok well I will see you guys later - you guys are home and I'm headed on down the road”

Here is what is funny about that -

Jesus knew He would say with them longer. He was just checking our whether they wanted more of Jesus - not knowing that it was actually Jesus yet.

VS29

These guys were like “No NO NO stay with us, Have dinner with us, Its late and its about to be dark and you don't want to be out late, just stay with us.

These guys were captivated by Jesus.

VS30&31

Jesus stays, reclines at table and then breaks bread -

Jesus Shared a meal with these guys!

and when dinner was over and the discussions had drawn to a close - Maybe it was a continuation of the scripture talk we read about earlier.

The vail was lifted and their eyes were opened and they new they were with Jesus.

and Jesus “vanished from their sight”

VS32

These two guys look at each other and say “were our hearts not burning with in us while He was speaking to us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?

in other words - Didn't we just want more and more and more tie and discussion and relationship with Him? Didn't our desires change wile we were with Him and listening to Him and in relationship with Him?

VS33, 34&35

Suddenly everything changed!

They got up re-packed and went back to the epicenter of it all - 7 miles back the other way to Jerusalem.

They go back to the 11 apostles and all of the other people what were with them -

These were the people who were saying “the Lord has really risen and appeared to Simon”

and what they did is they shared with them their experience with Jesus, how He changed their minds and hearts,

How He changed the way they understood Scripture

and Even How He Changed their plans.

STICKY POINT

AS Rob and Melissa and the team come to lead us back in to musical worship.

There a a couple of question that this resurrection day passage of Scripture leaves us with this morning.

On your journey, have you met the Risen Jesus?

APPLICATION OR IMAGINE

PRAYER TEAM