It's Not What It Looks Like
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Scripture Reference: Luke 24:13-35
Last week, we finished up our series, “The Gospel of C.H.R.I.S.T.” It focused on Easter and the transformed life that we can experience through Jesus.
But I don’t want this idea of Easter and transformation to just pass us by, so we are going to continue following the life of Jesus...after the resurrection.
The fiftieth day after Easter is what is known as Pentecost. Pentecost is found in Acts 2, and it is when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples of Christ. It represents the birth of the New Testament Church; It represents the day of salvation; It represents true transformation in Christ.
So between now and then, we are going to follow the life of Jesus right on up to Pentecost Sunday, which is May 24th.
And our goal in this series is to experience the exact same thing that they experienced on Pentecost, which is the Pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit. The title of this series is “Catching Fire”!!
Context
Context
Have you ever had a moment in your life to where you thought, or maybe even had to say to someone else, “It’s not what it looks like!”
We are going to see today, that when it comes to Jesus, it’s not always what it looks like.
There is a certain level of mysteriousness that comes with knowing God, as it should be. I mean, it is God....right? But what if I told you that it was more than that? What if I told you that the mystery has a mission?
We are going to look at two men who were followers of Jesus. But as we follow these men, we are going to see that things are not what they appear to be.
Let’s Pray!
Content
Content
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Imagine where we are. These two men, just like all of the other disciples, had fully embraced the idea that Jesus was the Prophesied Messiah. Unfortunately, they were all still a little confused as to what that meant. They were looking for a military leader, but He came in the form of a humble servant. They were looking for deliverance, but what they witnessed was death. It wasn’t at all what they were expecting.
And because it didn’t look like what they had envisioned, these two particular men have decided to leave Jerusalem and head back home. But notice the significance of what they are doing.
They had been told by Jesus before His arrest and crucifixion that they were to remain in Jerusalem, that He would be back, and that He would see them again.
But here are these two men who have decided that the time for waiting was over. So they decided to head back home. Its odd, really.
They are talking about Jesus, but they are literally walking away from the promise that Jesus left them in the process. Their backs are towards Jerusalem and their headed in the opposite direction, but they continue to talk about Jesus along the way.
I wonder how many people today are guilty of doing the same thing? They talk about Jesus, but as they do, their backs are turned to the very promise that they claim to receive. Their words say one thing while their actions say something else.
It’s ironic really, because the place they are travelling to is a city called Emmaus, which means, “to abide in; to be true to”. Instead of abiding in the promise of God, they have given up already and headed back home. But the name of the place they are headed to speaks directly against the direction they are headed.
But isn’t God good? Man, He is so good. Instead of letting these two men miss out on the big reveal, Jesus decides to go after them, meet them where they are, and show them the mistake they are making.
So as they walk along the road to Emmaus, here comes Jesus:
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
The crazy thing about this is that even though they are talking about Jesus, they don’t even recognize Him when He shows up because Jesus restrains them from seeing.
Did you know that this is how Jesus works in your life too? Things are not always what they seem. Sometimes it seems like Jesus isn’t seeing anything that you are going through, but the truth is, He’s been there the whole time. Just because you don’t recognize Him in the midst of your storm, doesn’t mean He isn’t there. He’s there, but you can’t always see it.
Then Jesus finally speaks up and says, “What yall talking about?”
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
“I see that you two are troubled about something, what’s going on? What’s got you guys so upset?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
“You have got to be the only guy in all of Jerusalem that doesn’t know what is going on!!!
You better watch out Cleopas, you think you are talking to a stranger but He is actually the Savior… He knows more than you think.
The issue is that Cleopas doesn’t think this stranger knows what has happened, but in reality, Jesus knows everything that Cleopas knows, and much, much more. Jesus knows the truth of what all has just happened, while Cleopas has only seen what has took place on the surface. Its actually Cleopas who has limited information, because if he knew what was really going on right now, he wouldn’t be going home to Emmaus, he would still be in Jerusalem.
So getting to the root of the issue, Jesus continues the confirmation by asking them to explain:
19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel…
So Cleopas begins to explain all that has taken place over the last couple of days. He begins to tell Jesus… about Jesus. Weird huh? You better be careful who you talk to, because you never know when you just might be entertaining angels unaware the Bible says.
He calls Jesus a Prophet, and says that He was mighty in deed and word, but he says, “we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”
We knew that He was a prophet of the Most High God, but we were hoping that He was more than that. Though he doesn’t say it, he insinuates that Jesus must not have been who they hoped He was, because now He is dead and buried. How could He redeem us if He allowed them to kill Him? How could He be this Savior that we hoped He would be when He couldn’t save Himself?
And watch this phrase:
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
Cleopas says that the religious leaders “delivered Him” up to be crucified. This word in the Greek is “Paradidomi”. Another pastor brought this out and I want you to see it.
“Paradidomi” - Everyone say that… “Paradidomi”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.
1 Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.
15 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
Judas “Handed Over” Jesus to the Jews… “Paradidomi”
The Jews “Handed Over” Jesus to Pilate… “Paradidomi”
Pilate “Handed Over” Jesus to be scourged and crucified… “Paradidomi”
So Cleopas is telling Jesus who is responsible for His death… “It was the religious leaders,” he says.
They are the ones who took Jesus from us, and now our hope is gone with Him.
Do you see the anguish here. We now get a glimpse into why they are headed away from Jerusalem. Their hope hung on the cross. Their bravery is now buried. Their faith has been replaced with fear.
They are so convinced that it is all over, that they even ignore a major sign that was given to them that morning that Jesus might actually be alive.
21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
24 And certain 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.”
I don’t know about you, but this seems like the most unlikely time that these two guys should have left. They stayed through the mourning...they stayed through the quietness...but when word comes in that Jesus could be alive… the leave. Really? Now? What?
Unfortunately, you and I are not so different. How many times in life do we give up right before the blessing comes. We wade through the difficulty of life, and then right before we experience a breakthrough, we give up and give in. We give up way too easy. We quit way too soon. And we do so because it’s not what it looks like...Things are not what they appear.
On the surface, it looks like everything is falling apart, but behind the scenes, God is working in the midst to bring about the best version of us we have ever been. But we can’t experience the transformation of God if we give up too soon.
This actually reminded me of a very popular meme that is going around today. Anyone who has been around kids lately has heard them say “6-7”… right?
This has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. When it comes to cultural issues, we have three possible responses that we can make: Receive, Reject, or Redeem.
If it is nothing evil or bad, and it does not hinder our witness for God, we can easily receive it.
If it is absolute evil with no possible redemption whatsoever, we must reject it.
If it is questionable, we have to do our research and determine whether or not if it can be redeemed. If it can be, redeem it with grace and use for the glory of God. If it cannot be redeemed, reject it and move on.
So what are we to do with this “6-7” phenomenon that has come up? First, let me tell you that this idea of “6-7” is not what it looks like.
On the surface, the phrase “6-7” seems absolutely innocent. Most people say that it actually has no meaning at all, which makes it that much more annoying to all of us adults, because we don’t understand why all the kids continue to make these annoying sounds and phrases if they mean absolutely nothing at all. Which in turn, is exactly why they keep doing it. And to be fair to most of everyone who is doing it now, they are participating in it with absolute ignorance. They truly believe it has no meaning, so they mean nothing ugly or vulgar when they do it. It’s just fun and the new thing.
When you search “6-7” on the internet, you will find many people saying just that… “6-7” means absolutely nothing. AI search engines say that it is a meaningless phrase.
But let’s look at the facts…
The phrase “6-7” became popular after a rapper named Skrilla came out with a song using “6-7” as a catchphrase within the song. Shortly thereafter, a young blonde headed kid, who became known as the “6-7” kid was caught on tape at a basketball game screaming “6-7” into the camera while doing his hands like this. The video went viral and then shortly thereafter, you start seeing all kinds of different famous people doing it as well.
Later on, that same “6-7” kid made another video saying that the phrase came from the rap song produced by Skrilla.
When you look up this song, you find that the lyrics speak of a man who has broken into another man’s car, shot him dead, stole his car, and then runs from the cops. Skrilla is later on video explaining what he meant by “6-7” in his video. He says that he grew up in Philly, on the 67th street, which is home to the gang YSN. Because of the location, they refer to themselves as the 6700 block, or 67 for short. So when Skrilla references 67 in his rap song, it is a shoutout to his local gang who is known for murder, as well as many other things.
So though these kids out here are completely oblivious to what it is they are actually saying, they are repping a gang from Philly, a song about murder, and a rapper who believes in and worships false gods and demons. It’s not what it looks like.
Now here is why I thought of this as I was preparing my message. Here are these two guys, who have been followers of Christ up to this point, but now, when all hope seems lost, they turn away and head for home.
Watch this… do you remember how many miles it said that Emmaus was from Jerusalem?
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
I don’t think that it is a coincidence that that specific detail is mentioned in the text. The number seven in Scripture represents Spiritual Completeness. It represents completion, purity, wholeness, fullness. In other words, it is lacking nothing.
All of these disciples are about to witness the greatest miracle of their lives, but these two dudes walk away instead. They are living more like a six, instead of a seven. Instead of witnessing the fullness of everything that has taken place, they are about to miss out on the greatest reveal in history.
6 on the other hand, is the number of man. It is one less than 7 because man can never achieve fullness, completeness, without Christ. At our very best, we will always come up short of meeting the righteous standard of God, and these two are about to do that very thing.
In life, we are guilty of the very same thing. The Lord clearly shows us what we are to do, or not to do, but instead of listening to the Holy Spirit, we do things our own way. And as a result, we come up short of the glory that could have been experienced.
We are living more like 6 than we are like 7, but 7 is there for the taking if we will but hang on a little longer. It is all a part of God’s plan, and we just have to keep moving forward in faith.
So the question is, and hopefully we can redeem the phrase this morning… Aren’t you tired of living like a 6 when God has offered you 7? God wants you to experience so much more, but you have to trust Him. You have to weather the storm.
Now watch this:
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Jesus tells them that they are missing the big picture. It’s not what it looks like.
Jesus had to go to the cross, and it says that Jesus starts with the words of Moses and teaches these two men all Scriptures that pertain to Him. I don’t know about you, but I wish I could have been a part of that conversation. I bet that was the best Gospel presentation of all time. In a way that we could only dream about.
But notice that phrase, “Christ had to suffer these things and to enter into His glory.”
When Jesus was on the cross, He said several things, but I want you to see specifically one thing that He said:
46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
But wait a minute… I thought it was Judas who killed Jesus… I thought it was the Jews who killed Jesus… I thought it was Pilate who killed Jesus… I thought it was the Romans who killed Jesus… Wrong on all accounts.
No one Killed Jesus.… Jesus gave His life.
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Do you know what the Greek word for that phrase is? That’s right… “Paradidomi”!!!
Jesus handed over His spirit to the Father, no one took it from Him.
See nothing was what it looked like:
Life came in the form of death.
Glory came in the form of shame.
Deliverance came in the form of suffering.
Nothing was as it seemed, and these two men were about to miss out on the greatest blessing of all because they failed to wait just a little bit longer.
Listen, some of you are going through some rough stuff right now. You are in the thick of it and you have been there for a bit now. But you have to keep hanging on just a little bit longer.
Blessings never come in the form of blessings. They come in the form of hurt, pain, sorrow, and suffering.
Breakthroughs never come in the form of breakthrough, they come in the form of sacrifice, loneliness, and hitting rock bottom.
Jesus said, “Paradidomi”… I handed over my spirit to the Father. This was the plan all along. I know it isn’t what you were expecting… I know it isn’t what you wanted it to be… But this was always the plan.
But He doesn’t just tell them this… He demonstrates it for them:
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
He takes the bread and breaks it at dinner, which represents His broken body, and He gave them the bread like this, to which once they took the bread they saw the nail scars in His hands and their eyes were opened to see that it was Jesus. And then all of a sudden, He vanished from their sight.
I have been here all along, moving and operating behind the scenes to where you couldn’t see me. But I did that so that I could prepare your heart for what was coming next. I did that to build your faith. I did that so that you could receive Me and know Me on a deeper level.
Some of us here today need to learn this lesson from Jesus. Jesus handed over His spirit to the Father, but then three days later, He was alive and well again. Now He looks to us and says the same thing… “Paradidomi”.
Hand it over. Hand over your brokenness. Hand over your shame. Hand over your loneliness. Hand over your worry, your fear, and your doubts. Hand it over.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Hand it over.
Commitment
Commitment
As we close, let me say this. At the end of service, we place this word up on the screen, because this is the time for you to make a commitment.
Maybe some of you have been wanting to join the church, but you have just been waiting for the right time. Come up here and let’s talk about it. We won’t vote on that today, but we will get the preparations for that started.
Maybe some of you need to rededicate your life to the Lord. This is the time for you to make that commitment. Come up here so we can pray with you.
Maybe some of you have never followed through with the act of baptism, but you know that you need to, make that commitment today. Come up here so we can talk about it.
Maybe some of you have realized today, that you have never truly given yourself to Christ. Like these two men, you talk about the Lord, but you are walking away from where you should be. But Jesus chased you down today and spoke truth into your heart. He’s telling you to turn around and head back towards the place of blessing. Right here and now is the time for you to come up here and make that commitment.
But listen to me....It is not what it looks like.
On the surface, it looks like a walk of shame. It looks like a moment of embarrassment. It looks like everything that you don’t want, but I promise you that it is not what it looks like.
It is actually the road to glory. It is the beginning of a new life. It is the start of you finding and knowing true peace in your life. It is the place where you find purpose and meaning. It is where you come to be united with so many other brothers and sisters who know exactly what you are going through. It is where you lock arms with like-minded people who get you.
Don’t let what’s on the surface keep you from seeing and receiving what lies underneath.
