Luke 24:36–49 | Fellowship Is Key

Intro: A good friend of mine recently just shared this with me. He said, Levi I’ve been come to this Church for over 10 years and I just now feel like I’m actually learning what all this stuff means that you talk about every Sunday. I got a huge smile on my face. It’s been so sweet to watch Jesus bring my friend a long. He’s growing like a weed in Jesus and baring all kinds of amazing fruit in his life. Forgiving people from his heart and just walking in the joy and freedom of Jesus. It’s awesome!

Do you know what’s changed in his life? He joined a small group where we meet weekly to talk about what we read in the Bible the last week. He joined a small group where we’re sharing our hearts and lives with one another and talk about what Jesus is showing us and teaching us through His word and our times with Him outside of group.

Folks, I hear people say, well a small group it just isn’t for me. And here’s what I say to that if that’s your opinion. Malarki! Bullony!

Listen, I’m going to show you this morning that fellowship with Jesus and His community is the key to understanding scripture and growing in faith. We’re going to look at Luke 24, and you’re going to see the truth of this.

But we before we get there, let me just say, I can accept if the idea of a small group makes you uncomfortable or makes you feel awkward. I can accept that, but that’s only because you haven’t ever done it or done it long enough!

I promise you, if you will stick out a small group long enough. If you’ll be consistently present and share from your heart. The gospel of Jesus Christ worked out in the context of community will forever change you! It will change you. You’re faith will grow to heights you never thought possible.

And I’m not going to start naming names here, but I could list countless people who would testify, that regular and intentional connection with people at Crossroads at a heart level has completely and forever changed their lives.

I’m not gonna name names, but I am gonna ask you to raise your hand. If you’re one of these people that has experienced growth in your life from being in a connect group or service group of some kind here at CR, raise your hand.

Look around friends. You see the hands. Don’t take my word for it. You go ask these folks how a connect group has changed their life.

This is who we are Church. And this is who I’m praying God makes us more and more to be.

If you took a bulletin today, I want you to flip it over to the back. The Elders and I recently rewrote our core values in to Identity Statements of who we are because of Jesus as the people of God at Crossroads Church.

Last week, I made you all confess with me that we are a people who treat weakness with gentleness and love. That’s grace! We are a gracious people. We treat weakness and weak people with gentleness and love. And that love looks like a rugged commitment to be with and for each other unto Christ-likeness! That’s the best definition I can give you of what Christian love is. We are people who treat weakness gently and lovingly so that those who are weak feel safe but are also called to look more like Jesus!

That was last week. This week, I want to highlight our value of life together.

Read it with me Church, I want everybody to read it out loud. We are a people who regularly and intentionally connect with each other at a heart level!

This is who we are Church and it’s who we need to be if we’re going to understand our Bibles and grow in our faith!

Why? Because Fellowship with Jesus and His community is the key to understanding Scripture and growing in faith.

Look with me at Luke 24 and I’ll show you from God’s word how this is true:

We’re going to look at 2 separate stories that Luke sandwiches together.

And I see this very interesting structuring in both of these stories.

Both stories have Jesus unpacking Scripture. Both have him teaching the Bible.

And both have Him fellowshipping with his followers. They are doing life together at a heart level!

Here’s the structure.

Jesus unpacks and explains the Bible.

then Jesus fellowships.

In the next story then:

Jesus fellowships

then Jesus unpacks and explains the Bible!

And it’s in this structure that we see 2 things. God’s word and having it explained is a big deal and so is Christian fellowship! They go hand in hand!

Let’s look at it together.

Luke 24:13–49 (NIV)

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Ok so the first story is about 2 dudes on the road talking about what in the hariy has just happened conerning Jesus. They thought Jesus was the dude. Jesus was supposed to restore Israel, but He got Himself cruicified, and to make matter worse they’ve lost His body. Jesus’s body isn’t where they put it last. So they’re talking about all this, then Jesus shows up and hides his identity from theses dude. Ninja Jesus. Which is weird. Why would Jesus hide his identity?

The best I can come up with is that, as these guys are sharing their hearts with one another. They are confused and distraught and if Jesus allowed them to realize it was Him at first, they would’ve been too excited too overjoyed that they wouldn’t have listened to a word He said, and He had some really important words to say to them.

Parents get this. Sometimes, we withhold certain things from our kids until the time is right because we need them to focus. I think that’s why Jesus goes into ninja mode here.

But then Jesus explains the Bible to these guys. They have read the word, hundreds of times probably, but they had yet to recognize the truth and make the important connections in it.

Now hear me Church, I am not down playing or discrediting the power and presence of the Holy Spirit! His number one job is to help us see Jesus in the Scripture and He does and can do that without anyone’s help, that said, I’ve see it too much in scripture and too much in my own life and the lives of others to recognize that the Spirit of Jesus working in Conjunction with His community is more powerful than the Spirit working without Christ’s Community! The 2 were always meant to go together!

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Jesus saves us alone but He never means for us to stay alone. He saves us into a family and He commands us not to neglect meeting together with our family of God (Hebrews 10:25).

Also, I want you to think about this for a second. If you were the all powerful creator God who had just resurrected Himself from the dead and conquered Satan, Sin, Death, and Hell. How would you have tried to help people know who you were and the truth?

I don’t know how all of you would answer that question, but my guess is very few of you would say, oh easy, I’d give Bible lesson, and yet, that is exactly what Jesus does!

He takes these men on the road to Emmaus and the disciples in the locked room, He takes them back to the Bible to convince them of the truth!

And I find it very interesting that with the guys on the road to Emmaus, their hearts burn within them as Jesus is connecting the dots of the Bible to their everyday lives, their hearts are burning, but they don’t recognize Jesus, that is until He breaks bread with them.

Fellowship, heart level fellowship, Fridge Friendship around the Bible, makes Jesus visible to these guys in a life changing way!

How bout that?

And I’m not making this up folks. Culturally, if it’s your house, you break the bread, and yet here we see Jesus doing that? Why? Well because He went to their fridge and grabbed it! He was a fridge friend! He was the honored guest and so He broke the bread.

And it was in this level of heart-focused fellowship that Jesus is recognized then by these dudes.

Soon after this, Ninja Jesus shows up with these same guys but now they’re with the Eleven in a locked room. They’re trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going on.

The best they can come up with is, well, maybe it’s Jesus’ spirit still floatin around.

Right, I say that, because when Jesus shows up in the room, they all freak out and think, it’s a ghost. Right, they don’t think, Oh Holy Cow Ninja Jesus, not they’re like, what! It’s ghost Jesus.

And to calm everyone down notice what Jesus does. He raids their fridge. Not really but sort of. He starts with fellowship! He shows them his scars and he’s like it’s me guys. It’s not ninja Jesus. It’s not ghost Jesus, it’s just me Jesus. And they are excited but they still don’t know what’s going on and so, Jesus is like Hey, what’s in your fridge? Mind if I take a peak?

He finds some broiled fish and presumably they all eat breakfast. And while they’re eating having fellowship with one another. Again, Jesus takes them back to the Bible. He unpacks the truth for them.

Can’t you see it. Fellowship with Jesus and His community is the key to understanding scripture and growing in your faith.

Listen I enjoy and pray for the miraculous as much as the next guy, and it is miraculous that Jesus 1 rose from the dead and then 2 shows Himself countless times to His followers, but don’t miss this, when Jesus wants to encourage people and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, He used the Bible!

The Bible, teaching and explaining and talking about the Bible was God’s method of evangelism and discipleship!

Seems to me, if that is good enough for the all powerful God of the Universe than maybe it should be good enough for us.

Jesus taught and explained the Bible to His friends and He did it in the context of friendship.

This is so incredibly key.

Church this is the difference between attending a Church service for most of your life and not ever really getting much out of it or transforming much personally, this is the difference between that and becoming a new creation!

I can’t tell you how many people we’ve heard over the years says, I grew up in Church and I never really got anything out of it. Or I went to this Church or that Church and never really got much out of it, but since coming to Crossroads, I’m a new person. I’ve been found by Jesus and I’ve been set free by Jesus.

I realize this is not everyone’s experience and I’m not bashing other Churches or saying that we’ve got it all figured out.

Right, sometimes the fault lies as much with us as it does with our the church we grew up in or it’s leadership, but for people that would say those I’ve been found and I’m living free, I’m a new creation, for those people do you know what the difference is?

I’m willing to be it’s not with the different worship styles or the preacher, people who’ve truly been transformed by the gospel of Jesus here have experienced genuine fellowship with Jesus and, and they have experienced friendship with other people here at Crossroads.

I’m willing to bet, that they’ve made it a point to regularly and intentionally connect with other people here on a heart level.

And mind you, I’m not just talking about hanging out and shootin the bull frequently.

This fellowship that is shared is around God’s word! There’s nothing wrong with getting together with friends and hanging out and doing whatever, but if the friends you’re regularly hanging out with aren’t talking about heart level things and, and this is a big and, if they aren’t talking about heart level things and how the Bible and Jesus inform our thinking around those things, you are missing out on half of the gospel.

Why? Because fellowship with Jesus and His community are key to understanding the Bible and growing in your faith.

Folks you don’t have to do this through one of our connect groups. You can grab 2 other friends and the 3 of you make it a point to get together regularly to talk about the Bible and Jesus and share your hearts, you don’t have to do it in our format, but here’s what I know, if you don’t do this, if you don’t connect regularly and intentionally with Jesus and others at a heart level, you’re understanding of the Bible will be severely lacking and you will stagnate in your faith, you won’t grow very much.

So find ya self some fridge friends here!

Fellowship with Jesus and His Church is key to understanding scripture and growing in your faith.

Pray.