KNOW, LIVE, BE-KNOW GOD: EASTER

Luke 24:13-35

This is a day that we remember back to something and celebrate. Something all of time has been oriented on and still is, on Good Friday schools were out and offices were closed - everyone was a buzz about something.

We side track all that energy and buzz on an egg laying mammal who seems to wear a pastel human baby bib, and whatever that’s fun, but lets not miss the point, church were about the resurrection of Jesus!

God’s power over death and bringing of His people to lasting life.

Today we’re going to an odd text for Resurrection Sunday - but in the end it will all make since.

We’re going to be in Luke 24 - it’s a scene that I find captivating, and haunting, and mesmerizing and I pray you will too.

It was brought too a people looking through the wrong end of a telescope, written for a people wanting to be a magnifying glass when they should be a telescope. (Say again)

In our text this morning from Luke’s gospel we’ll read Cleopas saying “our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel”

Did you see where they were on the wrong end of the telescope? …”But we had hoped the he was the one to redeem Israel” Their focus was redemption of political Israel and not on the suffering of Messiah bringing about the bridge to God for all who would believe -

When you look through the wrong end, everything looks small, but when you look through the right end - the subject is made huge so that fine details become more clear - and that is what Christ’s suffering, death and His resurrection did of God for our benefit, the resurrection changed everything.

The resurrection oriented the telescope on God making a way for us to see and know Him and be drawn to Him and be redeemed to Him, before Christ’s resurrection we had no lasting vision of God.

So in this passage we’ll come to know 4 truths this morning as we gaze through the telescope of Christ to find God we’ll come to know:

• Our Value
• Our God
• Our Security
• Our Mission

And while it could seem like all this about us - it’s not - that is why we can orient the telescope on God, but feel like we’re under a magnifying glass - like all of salvation and all of our lives as saved people are about us and our ability to now be good enough for God - but it’s not that.

It’s about our saved selves, our changed and redeemed selves who now live in the power of Jesus (the telescope) as changed and we then magnify God through our transformed and changed for all to see. Perfect? Far Far Far from it (I’m speaking of myself) but being daily conformed into Jesus’

Lets get to the text and work all this out.

We’re in Luke 24 (pg. 575) - the end of the book of Luke.

Today we’re celebrating Easter or more truly the Resurrection of Jesus it’s what all history pointed towards the telescope of time was oriented on Christ, so that when aligned on him, it would show God.

Luke 24:13–35 (ESV)

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

What happened? Jesus came and taught about God with blazing clarity - He taught on the law of God and showed it more clearly and more truly - as He lived it perfectly. He taught about the future and He established his Church the people drawn together with a bond of common love that were to keep the magnification oriented on His father God so that for all remaining time people would know and because of the resurrection be assured that they can know and be redeemed to Him in Christ.

This resurrection changed everything.

Luke 24:15 (ESV)

15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

Did you catch who drew near?

Remember where we are in the story - Jesus has been crucified. And so something else is revealed here that should not be missed:

Luke 24:16 (ESV)

16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

Jesus wasn’t after parlor tricks and hide and seek He was after their faith and their belief. And so, they were kept from seeing Him. But what He’d show them was greater He’d turn the orientation of the telescope.

Luke 24:13–35 (ESV)

17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.

18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

As far as they were concerned, everyone was a buzz with Jesus’ resurrection. This strange visitor may as well have asked us “who IS Brad’s wife” or “what happened on United Airlines, I didn't hear about it” - this was everything. It’s interesting because they’re looking squarely at the story we’re looking back to, but they’re looking through the telescope at the wrong end; They want to know how Christ’s life didn't improve their earthly one - and Jesus’ life was to pave the way for their eternal one.

Luke 24:19–21 (ESV)

19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Their hope lost, joy crushed, and faith deflated. Are you there? Have you been there? Do you know someone who has or is; The resurrection changes everything and they’re about to see that.

And so they’d been talking about Jesus; crucifixion - but spoiler alert, they’d hoped it would make their political life easier while the religious leaders wanted this maverick (Jesus) gone, because he was bad for business and order.

Luke 24:22–26 (ESV)

22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Jesus’ rebuke centered on their lack of understanding that Christ would enter glory THROUGH suffering. They were thinking that His suffering invalidated his ministry, because they’re looking through the telescope at the wrong end they’re looking for a political messiah and a political savior that makes life easy - that was never promised and is still not promised.

Jesus resurrection proves that he didn’t come for an easy life, but also releases us and gives us freedom because Jesus’ resurrection changed all of life - it demonstrated his power over even death.

That’s why they weren’t looking for Jesus - He was dead, but even death couldn’t hold Him and now Jesus would teach them to look from the right end of the telescope, rather than from their human perspective He showed them the story through scripture in a way that highlighted Himself and glorified God.

Luke 24:27 (ESV)

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus life gave them orientation - but they wanted more.

Luke 24:28–31 (ESV)

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,

29 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.

30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.

31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

They were alone again. But… don't miss this; the Resurrection and reorientation on God had changed everything for them.

Maybe you’re there - alone, and hope dashed because you’ve been clinging to a lie that God will bring you an easier life. But guys, if you cling onto and capture what’s happening here there is freedom to be found.

Where as our friend Cleopas had been crushed that the savior didn't bring about political reign and favor on earth - he was in the wrong end of the telescope looking not through Christ to God, but rather through Christ to earth and to look through Christ to earth is to turn your back on God- we too can Imagine.

I said that you’d find 4 things here:

• Our Value
• Our God
• Our Security
• Our Mission

1. Our Value

These people were believers, but maybe they didn't have it all together - but God found them on the road confused.

Are you there wandering, wanting to know God but left wondering - really God is this it. I want you to know your value. God is after you, he has an entire church whose job it is to find you - God himself values you, and the resurrection proves it.

2. Our GOD

They got to see God more clearly. They’d been looking through the scripture and reading their happiness and easy life into it, yet the scripture as Jesus revealed to them was about Him, and His coming through suffering to a people who would deny and murder him, so that we’d know the power of God and know him more truly more than that, the death of Christ FOR sin who had no sin made us acceptable to Him and it’s proof is that God resurrected Jesus!

3. Our Security

Guys Christ didn’t die for our sins and be resurrected by the power of God so that we could hold onto our salvation in our strength. NO - that’s orienting on us, that’s looking through Christ to us, which requires we turn our back on God - our salvation is bought and secured by Christ, it’s held by the spirit of God, and it’s God’s good gift to give in salvation we’re secure because God is faithful.

4. Our Mission

Because of Jesus’ resurrection - once we’ve come to know Him, our job is to now magnify this salvation of Christ the gift of God. We become people who’ve looked through the telescope, understood the truth, trusted it with our everything and now we magnify it like a telescope oriented on God, not our comfort or us.

And so - today the resurrection isn’t about us, but it plays through us, so that others will see and know the Great God who saved us, by the great savor who’s suffering made a way for us, because the great Spirit of God who holds us so that we can do the magnifying work of the church.

Cleopas said: “our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” If given a second chance it would say “he was condemned to death and crucified - but this suffering all the scripture and His ultimate resurrection proved He was savior for all the world, the resurrection changed everything!

Maybe you’ve been blind to the truths of scripture - maybe you’ve looked at the story of God selfishly and made it about your comfort when it was about His glory I want you to see what was said after Christ left them:

Luke 24:32–35 (ESV)

32 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?”

33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,

34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.