The Risen King

Introduction

Man, I’m glad you’re here today. It’s good that we come together every Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of King Jesus, but it’s especially good that we come together on Resurrection Sunday, Easter. I don’t know about you, but after the week we’ve had, it feels to me like we need the joy of Easter a little more deeply than usual.

I don’t know what brings you here this morning. Maybe it’s tradition. Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe someone invited you and you decided to check it out. Maybe you’re here because you’re here every Sunday. It’s what you do. I don’t know what brought you here today, but I’m glad it did. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in church, the Easter message is an important one for you to hear. And if you’re here every week, if you’ve been to church every week since last Easter, the event that we celebrate today is very important to remember.

Now, why is that? What is the message of Easter? What is Easter all about? Probably most of us here know the facts of Easter—Jesus died on a cross and, three days later, rose from the dead. It’s something that happened a long time ago—in the past. It’s something that, if you grew up in church culture, it’s really easy to take for granted.

So, what is Easter about? What does it mean—not just objectively, as something to be studied? What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you?

For most people, figuring that out doesn’t happen overnight. For most people it’s kind of a journey, going from where the resurrection is just something that happened to where it’s something that happened to you. As we think about that, let me encourage you to get Luke 24 in front of you. Luke chapter 24 is where we are this morning. This is the last message in our study of Luke’s gospel that we’ve been in off and on for about two and a half years. We started Luke in the weeks leading up to Christmas of 2022, and today we’re finishing it up on Easter of 2025.

The passage that we read together earlier, Luke 24:13-35, is where we’re spending most of our time today, just for the sake of time. But the facts that we’re going to draw out of here today, we see all throughout this chapter.

From the women who first discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead to the disciples who didn’t believe them to the appearance of Jesus to the rest of the disciples at the end of the chapter, showing them his hands and feet, and eating with them, to His ascension into heaven, the message is consistent: the resurrection of Jesus matters. And the truth is, it matters much more than anything else.

How can I say that? Well, let’s shift our attention to that passage we read together earlier, Luke 24:13-35.

So, this is after the crucifixion and after the resurrection. At this point, not a lot of people knew about Jesus’ resurrection, including these guys. Again, the women knew. The women saw the empty tomb. The women spoke to the angel. But the disciples, typical guys, didn’t believe the women. Verse 12 tells us that Peter checked it out, but instead of believing, went home “marveling,” wondering.

Look with me again at verse 13:

Luke 24:13–17 NASB 2020

And behold, on that very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they came to a stop, looking sad.

Easter is a time of resurrection. It’s a time to celebrate new life. But sometimes, like many of our church family today, we don’t feel like celebrating. Sometimes we feel a lot more like these disciples BEFORE the resurrection. We feel like these disciples here when they first encountered the risen Christ, not knowing it was Him. Again, verse 17—they were “looking sad.” Some of you may not look sad on the outside, but on the inside, “sad” is an understatement. You’re grieving, desperate, hopeless. You’re at your wit’s end. Things around you seem to be falling apart.

I told you earlier, the last week and half has been one of the most difficult seasons during my time here as pastor. I’ve sat with three women of different ages, parents, each of them asking the question, “Why?” Why did my husband, by fiancé, my son have to go this way, this unexpectedly. As you know, because you’ve been there right them, grieving with them, there are a lot of broken hearts here today.

But the beauty of the resurrection is that BECAUSE of the resurrection….

Your aching heart can be comforted.

This. Isn’t. All. There. Is. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we can be confident that death doesn’t get the last word. The truth is, Easter is for people just like you—people who grieve, people with problems, people who hurt.

In fact, if that is you this morning, if you are grieving and hurting, you may be in a better position to celebrate the joy of Easter than someone who’s not. People who feel like they have it all together, usually aren’t ready to see the beauty of the resurrection.Part of what makes Easter so special is the joy that comes despite the sorrow.

A couple of days ago, we celebrated “Good Friday.” Have you thought about why we call it that? Have you ever wondered why, at the same time of year, every year, we recognize the Friday before Easter as “good?”

I mean, really, think about everything that “Good Friday” represents. What is good about it? What was good about a man’s friend betraying him with a kiss? What was good about the rest of His friends fleeing into the night – leaving Him to the mercy of a hostile mob? What was good about an innocent man being condemned to die?

That Friday was good because on that Friday salvation was born, a sacrifice was made, forgiveness was offered. But ultimately, what’s good about Friday is Sunday. What’s so good about the crucifixion—the greatest tragedy in human history, is the resurrection—the greatest victory for all mankind.

Because, you see, without Friday, we would have no opportunity for Sunday. Without the crucifixion, we would have no opportunity for the resurrection.

See, it’s on Friday that we learn something about God. He’s not a God who REMOVES all trials and problems, and suffering—all the “Fridays” from our lives. If He was, don’t you think He would have done that for His own Son? No, if you know this God, you know that He’s not that kind of God. Because again, you still have problems. You still have heartache. You still have pain.

No, our glorious, infinitely wise God takes the problems and the heartaches and the pain of our lives and turns them around for an even greater good.

Now, of course, in the middle of our trials, we can’t see it—any more than these disciples saw what had already come. But because, today, we see from a different perspective, because we have the resurrection, because we have that Sunday which followed Friday, we can hope that this same God, who raised Jesus from the dead, who took Friday and brought Sunday.

Can take the pain of our lives and use it for His glory and our good.

I would go so far as to suggest that, to really get Easter for what it is, we must start with an aching heart. Really getting Easter for what it is starts with brokenness—brokenness over life, brokenness over our circumstances, brokenness over sin.

It starts with admitting that we can’t handle this life on our own. It’s starts with losing our independence and admitting that we need something more than we can offer.

It starts with coming to the place where we know that we really need God. Now, again, some of you are figuring that out more and more every day. Life is helping you with that. But if you’re having trouble getting there, let me steer you to a verse in scripture. Check out Romans 6:23. This verse starts off like this: “For the wages of sin is death.” That means that when we sin, when we rebel against God, we earn death—death that is final, permanent. Not just physical death—separation from your body, but spiritual death—eternal separation from God.

But the rest of that verse is what matters. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you’re broken today over something you’ve done, guilty because of something you’ve done, you’re in a good place, because it’s only until you’re broken and repent, turn from your sin, that you can receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus.

It’s only through Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that your aching heart can be comforted. Let’s keep reading.

Back to the text. Jesus approached these guys on the road to Emmaus and asked them what they were talking about. Don’t miss that: He approached them.

That’s what Jesus does when we’re hurting. He seeks us out. He tracks us down. He comes knocking on our door. One of the disciples, a guy named Cleopas, speaks for the two of them. Look at what he says. Verse 18:

Luke 24:18 NASB 2020

One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You possibly the only one living near Jerusalem who does not know about the things that happened here in these days?”

That’s one reason that I know that this isn’t just a made up story. Luke is very specific here with the names.

We don’t see Cleopas anywhere else in the Bible. If this is made up, Luke had no reason to mention this guy’s name. But he mentions it, because, apparently, Cleopas was someone he knew, someone known in the church, and because Cleopas insisted that this really happened.

But anyway, Cleopas doesn’t recognize Jesus, so he says, basically, “What? Are you living in a box? Haven’t you heard about Jesus?” look at verse 19:

Luke 24:19 NASB 2020

And He said to them, “What sort of things?” And they said to Him, “Those about Jesus the Nazarene, who proved to be a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

“He provED to be,” past tense. Your translation might read, “He WAS a prophet mighty in deed.” To Cleopas, in that moment, Jesus was past tense. He was. He was great back then, but as far as today is concerned, I’ve got other worries—other problems.

Let me ask you; is Jesus a “was” or an “is” for you? Is your relationship with God centered on something that happened a long time ago, or is it something that you live in, walk in, every day, including today?

That’s the kind of relationship that Jesus wants to have with you—not a “was” relationship, but an “is” relationship. That’s what it means to really discover the power of the Resurrection for yourself. It’s about moving past something that has been to something that is now.

Do you have that kind of connection with God? If not, all you have to do search. And that brings to another reason the resurrection of Jesus matters. Your aching heart can be comforted, and second…

Your searching heart can find answers.

Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you. For he who asks receives, he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, the door is opened to him.”

All you have to do is search.

Look at verse 25.

Luke 24:25–26 NASB 2020

And then He said to them, “You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to come into His glory?”

Sometimes when we search, we may not  like what we find. Jesus told these guys that they were being foolish and unbelieving. They hadn’t listened to everything that He’d taught them in the past 3 ½ years. But look at what else He does. Verse 27:

Luke 24:27 NASB 2020

Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

He explained to them things concerning Himself and the Scriptures. By “Scriptures,” Luke is talking about the Old Testament, the only Scripture available to those first disciples. Did you know that? Did you know that ALL the Scripture, including the Old Testament, written centuries before Jesus was born, ALL of it points to Jesus—very clearly points to Jesus. All you have to do is look for it. All you have to do is search.

When we search, really search, for a right now, today, connection with God, Jesus shows Himself to us. Do you have that searching heart, open to the answers that are available to you, that have always been available? All you have to do is look.

Pick up in verse 28:

Luke 24:28–32 NASB 2020

And they approached the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther. And so they strongly urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. And it came about, when He had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them. And then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

When they arrive at their destination, they invite Jesus in, He sits down with them for a meal, breaks bread, they recognize Him, because Jesus broke a LOT of bread over the course of His ministry, one time enough to feed 5000 people. As soon as they saw Him do it, it clicked. All the provision, and the provision of not just bread, but Himself. Remember what He said the last time He broke it?

“This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke says that “their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.” And as soon as they did, He’s gone. They look at each other and say, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us?”

And that brings us to one more reason that Easter, the Resurrection matters. Your aching heart can be comforted, your searching heart can find answers, and third…

Your burning heart can find peace.

Now, I’m not saying that when you discover the relevance of Easter, suddenly all your problems will make sense or that your grief will vanish. But what will happen is that you won’t have to walk through your pain alone. You’ll have the God of the Universe and His Son, who conquered death, supporting you and encouraging you.

And, most of all, you’ll have the hope, the promise, that there is much more to look forward to than what is offered on this side of eternity.

So, where are you this morning? Is your heart still aching, maybe because you need to meet the risen King, King Jesus?

Maybe you’re still searching. Man, if so, keep searching, because I promise you, if you seek Him, you will find Him, and then you will discover what it is for your heart to burn with the knowledge of your Creator.

God really, really wants to know you. The lives of these two disciples on the Emmaus road were changed that day because they met the Risen King.

What about you? I said at the beginning of my message this morning that I didn’t know what brought you here on this Easter Sunday morning, but I know who brought you. No matter how it worked out, King Jesus is the One who got you here.

Let me ask you this: is your heart burning within you? Do you need to know Jesus today? Are you searching for Jesus? Would you like to talk to someone about that?

Are you ready to experience Easter?