Eyes Opened CCE

HOOK:

Hey, what if I told you it was possible to know a lot about Jesus... but still fail to recognize Jesus in your life?

That is what’s happening with two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

They knew the facts. They had heard the reports. They were discussing Jesus...

...all while Jesus Himself was walking right beside them. And they didn’t know.

Review & Overview

1. Luke Overview

If you have your bible open up to Luke Ch. 24. Before we enter the story, let me quickly bring everyone up to speed.

Up to this point, Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, crucified, and buried.

Then, early Sunday morning, several women went to the tomb and discovered that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone.

Angels announced that He had risen, just as He promised.

The women reported this to the disciples, but many of them struggled to believe it.

So Peter ran to the tomb, saw the burial cloths lying there, and left wondering what had happened.

2. Current Study’s Overview

And that brings us to verse 13 and two discouraged disciples leaving Jerusalem and walking toward Emmaus…

The title of today’s message is: Eyes Opened

Because… One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is that it’s possible to know a lot about Jesus and still fail to recognize Him in your life.

We can have biblical information, religious conversations, and even sincere expectations, and still misunderstand who Jesus is and what He is doing.

Luke 24 shows us how a sincere encounter with Jesus overcomes that blindness.

This portion of scripture answers a very important question: What does a genuine encounter with Jesus actually look like?

So if your taking notes, Luke gives us 5 characteristics of a sincere encounter with Christ.

The first characteristic is that…

1. Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him Vs. 13-16

2. Jesus Exposes What’s In Our Hearts Vs. 17-24

3. Jesus Corrects Us Through Scripture Vs. 25-27

4. Jesus Turns Information Into Revelation Vs. 28-32

5. Jesus Turns Our Encounters Into Testimony Vs. 33-35

1. Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him Vs. 13-16

Observation: Here we have two disciples leaving Jerusalem literally on the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

And while they’re talking and trying to make sense of everything, Jesus draws near.

But what’s interesting is that they didn’t recognize Him.

It’s ironic that these disciples were literally talking about Jesus while Jesus Himself is walking right next to them!

They think He’s gone missing, but in reality, He’s closer than they realize.

Correlation: In Genesis 28 after Jacob’s dream at Bethel, he said:

Genesis 28:16 “…Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Interpretation: In other words, our human perception is limited.

These disciples possessed facts about Jesus, the crucifixion, the empty tomb, the testimony of the women,

but they still didn’t understand what God had accomplished.

Listen, they needed Jesus to open the Scriptures and open their eyes.

In the beginning of Vs. 16 it literally says their eyes were restrained.

Sometimes, Jesus is present with us even when we can’t recognize Him.

Principle: Jesus may be present and actively working in our lives even when limited understanding prevents us from recognizing Him.

APPLICATION: And maybe your here today, talking about God, you know things about God, but there is this unusual disconnect between you and God?

You don’t recognize His presence in your life and your discouraged and sad.

APPLICATION: Understand, just because we don’t see what Jesus is doing doesn’t mean He’s absent.

We should continue walking with God and seeking Him in the Word even when we do not understand what He is doing.

The first characteristics of a sincere encounter with Christ is that Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him…

The second characteristic of an encounter with Christ is that…

2. Jesus Exposes What’s In Our Hearts Vs. 17-24

Observation: So Jesus joins the disciples as they travel toward Emmaus.

He asks them about their conversation.

And in doing so, their answer reveals that they had many things correct but they had come to the wrong conclusion.

Observation: And I think the key verse in this section is the beginning of Vs. 21, look…

Luke 24:21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel…”

In other words, they didn’t just communicate what they knew, but they also communicated what they expected.

They had certain expectation about how Jesus would redeem Israel and when these expectations weren’t met they became hopeless.

APPLICATION: And that is a very dangerous place to be.

Instead, we should become people who are humble enough to let Jesus examine and correct our hearts.

INSERT PSALM 139 VERSE

Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him Vs. 13-16

Jesus Exposes What’s In Our Hearts Vs. 17-24

The third characteristic of an sincere encounter with Christ is that…

Jesus Corrects Us Through Scripture Vs. 25-27

Observation: Ok, so after listening to the disciples explain their understanding of what happened regarding recent events, Jesus directly confronts their unbelief.

He calls them, “foolish ones” and “slow of heart to believe”.

But notice, their problem wasn’t that God failed to reveal His plan.

Their problem was that they failed to believe God’s plans.

Observation: And don’t miss how Jesus corrects them…

He corrects them through a biblical exposition of the OT.

And I love that! Because Jesus doesn’t correct them by appealing to human philosophy, political expectations, or personal opinion.

What does He do? He brings them back to the Word of God.

Observation: Now, another thing I’d like us to observe is that, Jesus could have revealed Himself immediately.

But He doesn’t do that, He first teaches them the Bible.

Interpretation: And what I think Luke is trying to show us here is that, the Bible must be understood in relation to Jesus Christ.

In other words, Jesus presents Himself as the fulfillment of the entire Bible, He is the center of the entire Biblical story.

Interpretation: So here’s the principle: Jesus corrects our false assumptions by bringing us back to the whole counsel of God.

Because true spiritual understanding comes when we allow God’s Word to correct our expectations rather than forcing His Word to support our expectations.

MAKE THIS POINT MORE CLEAR

Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him Vs. 13-16

Jesus Exposes What’s In Our Hearts Vs. 17-24

Jesus Corrects Us Through Scripture Vs. 25-27

The fourth characteristic of an encounter with Christ is that…

Jesus Turns Information Into Revelation Vs. 28-32

And while they were sitting at the table, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them.

And it was at that moment that their eyes opened and were able to recognize Jesus.

Observation: And this is the crazy part to me! The moment their eyes opened Jesus vanished! He disappears!

JOKE: In other words, Jesus left the chat.

INCLUDE THE REST OF THE JOKES

Interpretation: So what’s interesting about this is that, the disciples had heard the reports of the resurrection and had received a thorough explanation of the Scriptures, but they still needed their eyes to be opened.

And so what we learn from this is that, having correct information about Jesus must always lead to a personal recognition of Jesus.

Notice, in Vs. 32, the burning of their hearts started before they recognized Jesus.

It says their hearts burned, when? While He opened the Scriptures to us!

Principle: The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to move us from knowing facts about Jesus to personally recognizing Jesus.

Jesus Draws Near Before We Recognize Him Vs. 13-16

Jesus Exposes What’s In Our Hearts Vs. 17-24

Jesus Corrects Us Through Scripture Vs. 25-27

Jesus Turns Information Into Revelation Vs. 28-32

And finally, the fifth characteristic of a sincere encounter with Christ is that…

Jesus Turns Our Encounters Into Testimony Vs. 33-35

Observation: Ok so after recognizing Jesus and experiencing His presence at the table they immediately return to Jerusalem.

Their plans and journey has completely changed.

Their day began with sadness and confusion. But now they are hurrying back to jerusalem with joy and good news.

Observation: This is important because anytime there is an encounter with Christ it always produces a desire to tell others.

Interpretation: And here’s the point, an authentic encounter with Christ produces a transformed life that becomes a witness to others.

Essentially, this story teaches us that those who genuinely encounter Christ becomes messengers of Christ.

And every Christian has that same responsibility to testify about Christ.

And it doesn’t mean every Christian has the same personality or platform, but every believer is called to make Jesus known.

Do not keep silent about Jesus!

OUTRO… And as we draw to a close, these disciples began discouraged and confused, knowing about Jesus but not recognizing Him.

Then Jesus drew near, listened, corrected them through Scripture, and opened their eyes.

After encountering Jesus, everything changed. Why?

Because that is what a true sincere encounter with Jesus does, it changes how you see,

how you understand your life, and gives you a testimony you can’t keep to yourself.

OUTRO… Remember, an encounter with Jesus is more than an emotional moment.

The real evidence is what happens after you have an encounter. Do you see Him more clearly?

Have you repented? Has your heart and direction changed?

Are you willing to share what He has done?

Because these disciples didn’t stay the same, they turned back with hope, proclaiming that Jesus is alive.

OUTRO… And maybe you feel like them, disappointed, confused, or distant.

Maybe your praying for tonight should be simple, “Lord, open my eyes.”

Because Jesus is closer than you think. He is the One who draws near, reveals truth, and transforms lives.

My prayer is that He would open your eyes, ignite a fire in your hearts, and send you out with hope and boldness, declaring:

Jesus is alive, Jesus is near, and one encounter with Him changes everything.

ENDING…