Broken Hearts to Burning Hearts

;

My Hope is build on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His Righteoussness

The Emmanus Road Experience Story

Such a gripping story..

because it is

in many ways

our

own

story....

when we lose hope and desire to move on

because something happened that seemed to crush our heart and shatter our dreams

This story highlights Our Living Hope.

The Hope we have in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul told his friends at Corinth,

“If we have hope in Christ in this life only,

we are the most

miserable of all men

BUT now CHRIST IS RISEN from the dead” ()

Can you imagine what the disciples and other followers must have felt on that first Easter day?

Can you imagine how Cleopus and his friend felt

as they were returning home to Emmanus

Think of the questions they must have had...

Where they wrong?

Was Jesus really their Messiah?

Where they wrong?

Hosanna they rallied Jesus

The trail

The conviction

The crusifiction

They must have felt

demoralized and confused

Have you ever noticed

Some of the saddest words

begin with letter D?

Disappointment, Doubt, Disillusionment, Defeat, Despair, Death

We all have experienced these emotions at one time or another, haven we?

These summed up

the words of Cleopas and his friend

in their conversation

with the

UNRECOGNIZED strange on the Emmanus road.

They were dis-il-lu-sioned

Their Master

Their hope of freedom from the Roan government

Was

horribly

put to death

on

a Roman Cross.

Shameful

made a public spectacle,

chastised for our peace

beaten,

crushed

whipped

demoralized and confused

Their hopes were dashed

The dream was o-v-e-r

What else was there to do?

LIFE GOES ON

LIFE MUST GO ON

The disciples and followers went back to their old lives

Peter returned to fishing

Cleopus and his companion was returning home to Emmanus

But …they were still perplexed and confused

They had been told that Christ’s tomb was found empty

They did not stay around to find out what happened

All they knew was

their

etire

world

had

come apart

Downhearted they said

“We had hopped

that

He WAS THE ONE

Who was GOING to REDEEM Israel.

Human hope is so fraile

Hope is difficult to revive

Have you ever experieced such total hopelessness?

that feeling that

there is no way out

no matter what you try

no matter what you do

there is nothinng

nothing that can change the situation

I have seen that look of hopelessness in the eyes of people who have given up

…There’s nothing they can do for me…the cancer has spread too far

..my spouse has left me…for another partner

…my child is caught up...

…I tried to quit …but

…I’m not smart enough…cute enough...

…i can’t find a job…i’m stuck in a bad job

…I give up…the church....

Have you ever heard yourself or someone else say these words

Then …that hoplessness was what Cleopus and his Companion were grabbling with

hoplesslessness is hard to cure

you may ever become

afraid to hope

afraid to trust

afraid to care

because you just can not cope with another letdown, no more heartbreak or pain

we have to be careful

because if not

we will find ourself putting up walls of hoplessness around us

and we

become

trapped in our misery

“WE Hoped..but:

When we say this we are sayinng

We don’t expect it now anymore

We know it is not going to happen

but once we di

this hope we had…it is gone

now there is nothing

left

to

do.

Do you know the heartbreaking disappoinments in your life?

God knows about your disappoinments

God cares about your broken hearts..

That is why as Cleopus and his Companion were walking on Emmaus

The Risen Christ... came along side them

Praise God

I want you to know that the Risen Christ ....is here today

I’m not sure if you recognize Him or not

but the Risen Christ is with you today

The Scriptures tell us “they were kept from recognizing Him”

Maybe they were caught up in their feelings

Maybe they did not care

They were grieving …sad…hurting…feeling empty

and along come this …chatty stranger

clueless about what just happened in Jerusalem..

or so it seemed.

Jesus did not get irrated with them because they had lost their hope

Jesus had compassion on

LIFE GOES ON

their broken heart

their bewildered minds

So Jesus came next to them

and joined them on their journey

We walks with them

He

He listens to them.

Yes, He walks with us…on our journey…in our car…on our job..in our house…in our classroom

He talks with us

He tells us we are His own

Just like he filled their heart with promises from God’s Word,

Jesus fills our hearts with promises, with hope, with understanding.

Jesus know when you are down you need help

you need a companion

Jesus entered their pain and allowed them to share their side of the story

Jesus gently reminded them of them of God’s plan of salvation

Jesus filled their broken hearts with lesson of faith and hope

Jesus reminded them God’s involvment in the lives of His people

Abraham, Issac & Jacob

Moses and the prophets

the Exodus out of Egypt

The Suffering Servant in the book of Isaiah

but then He said

“DID NOT THE CHRIST HAVE TO SUFFER THESE THINGS...

Yea, Suffering...

that is the one thing they hadn’t factored in

Like many of us,

the disciples

were

couting on a messiah

who would rule with power

crush the enemies of Israel

establish the Kingdom of God on earth

BUT

their hearts had been strangely warmed by the conversation

So, they set their table for three

There …the bread on the table

the Stranger took the bread

and gave thanks

and in the at of breaking bread

they recognized…Him

Who he was

HE TOOK BREAD

GAVE THANKS,

BROKE IT

AND BEGAN TO GIVE IT TO THEM

They saw

his hands

LIFE MUST GO ON

....the were different from when he had broken bread at the Feeding of the Five Thousand

…his hands were different than when they had the Last supper

They were..

nail-pieced hands of Jesus

in an instant

they knew Him

and in an instant, He’s gone

Why?

Why did Jesus have to disappear?

Couldn’t He have stayed longer?

Can you imagine Cleopas and his friend

standing in amazement

asking each other

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he talked with us on the road

and opened the Scriptures to us?

Their broken hearts were not burning with passion

Their broken heart were changed with the hope that their Savior Lives

He is risen.

I pray that this message touches your heart

and through us

and with us

I pray that it renews your hope, your passion, your faith

that you will know that we have hope in Jesus.

Is your heart buring within you today?

did you feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit in your heart today?

J

Jesus wants to live in us

and through us

and with us

The two disciples did not waste any time to go share the Good News.

I want to challenge you today,

Do not waste time

Go

Share the Good News, that we have hope…

Tell someon

we have something to live for…

because Jesus is with us.