Love Never Fails

Introduction

For centuries, the church of Jesus has gathered to remember the final days of His life:

His final entry into Jerusalem

His final meal with His disciples, when Jesus broke bread and poured out wine as a representation of His broken body and shed blood

Later that night, He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, was tried, falsely accused and convicted by the Sanhedrin

And then by Pilot and the Roman Empire — with His own people crying out “Crucify Him”

His beating and nailing to a rugged cross to be hung on the hill of Golgotha for all to see

His slow and agonizing death on that cross and then His burial in a borrowed tomb

There He laid from Friday until Sunday morning

However…Our Savior did not stay in that tomb.

He is risen! (He is risen indeed)

Welcome to Powerhouse on this joyous morning as we celebrate Easter together!

Story: Linda always went out of her way to give our children the coolest Easter baskets ever! The kids loved decorating real eggs to hide. And then there were also plastic eggs with who knows what inside. Could be jelly beans, chocolate, little prizes, or even cash. Today, the eggs for our hunt are plastic and they all have something in them — some will contain a pleasant surprise.

Like the unknown element of some of those Easter eggs, many come to worship on Easter morning unaware of what they are supposed to find, when faced (once again) with the mystery of the empty tomb and a risen Savior

No matter how often you may have heard the account of Christ’s resurrection…it is the essential element of the greatest event in all of human history.

PRAYER

Are you open to whatever God wants to say to you today — the unexpected and wonderful truth that can change your life for the better?

Go with me to Jerusalem, after Jesus’s death. Jesus’ followers were devastated. As the news sunk in, they probably thought the love of God had failed them — things were not what they had expected.

Interrogatory: Do you agree that expectation rarely matches reality?

EXPECTATION RARELY MATCHES REALITY

Licorice jellybeans seem like a good idea until you bite into one

Lunch with the family after church was going be fun, but then everyone actually showed up, and somebody brings up politics

Our expectations rarely match our realities

Maybe your expectations for your life haven’t really panned out…it can be very painful.

Many of us find ourselves, at times, feeling like life has failed us — or that God has failed us

If it is any consolation, we are not the first — won’t be the last.

Luke 24:13–16 NIV

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

Disappointed, confused, and possibly afraid… walking to Emmaus:

“How could this have happened? We saw the miracles! We believe His teachings are from God.”

“Do you think the Romans will come after us…since we followed Jesus?”

Try to imagine some of their emotions — deep grief and despair must have overshadowed everything else.

Then…out of the blue, unexpectedly, a man joins them along the road

They didn’t recognize Jesus…

If you have experienced grief, you know how difficult it is to think clearly

What is true for these two men traveling to Emmaus is true for us — expectations do not always pan out the way we figure they should.

Transitional: It is difficult to see Christ when our failures and disappointments overwhelm us

LIFE’S FAILURES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS CLOUD OUR VIEW OF CHRIST

When we do not recognize, notice, or acknowledge Jesus, He is still there

Maybe you have felt confused and disappointed when things do not go as you expected

You felt all alone — cried out for answers, but it seems like God is nowhere to be found

Here is an important truth...

Even when you feel abandoned, the living Savior is walking with you

Circumstances might change but God’s presence does not

Cleopas and his fellow disciple (possibly his wife) thought it was finished

But hang on…it was not finished

Louis L’Amour once said, “there will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.”

Luke 24:17–24 ESV

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. 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?” 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, and how 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. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 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. 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.”

The two disciples on the Emmaus rode “stood still, looking sad”

Broken hearted -- Crushed

Jesus could have said, “Friends, I am Jesus…I am alive!”

But He listened to them, asking, “What are you discussing? What things have happened?”

Jesus invites them to explain their despair and confusion

We live in a culture where honesty is a sign of weakness

Look at our politics, Hollywood, even professional sports

Our society rewards dishonesty

Today is a high and holy celebration — people often come in their finest clothes and put on smiles, take pictures -- sometimes pretending that everything is wonderful

For many, everything is not wonderful

We have been conditioned to hide our brokenness from the world

Instead of acknowledging it, we usually push it down acting like everything is fine.

On that dusty road to Emmaus, Jesus clearly saw the broken hearts of those weary disciples…

Psalm 34:18 ESV

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Transitional: It is true…reality often does not measure up to our expectations — It is also true that our failures and disappointment can cloud our vision of Christ. Here’s what you need to know today:

LOVE LISTENS

Jesus listened to them — because of His unfailing love — the same love that held him to the cross. The same love that drew Him to all people — the powerful love of God that brought Jesus out of that tomb.

Jesus’s love permeated the scene as He walked along the road with Cleopas and his companion, listening to their fear and disappointment, brokenness, and pain

His love never failed them -- from beginning to end

Story: Sometimes Linda wants to talk about frustrations she may have. If you are a husband like me, you want to fix it right away. She reminds me; “I am not asking you to fix this! I am asking you to listen. Let me speak”.

There is incredible value in having someone who will simply listen

“What are you discussing? What things have happened?”

He invites you to speak of your pain, frustration, and disappointment

Jesus not only listens — He responds

Luke 24:25–27 NLT

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Jesus opens the scriptures to them — opening up their understanding

He explained the story of God, from Moses to the prophets, and everything the scriptures revealed about Himself.

N.T. Wright says, “Like everyone else in Israel, they had been reading the Bible through the wrong end of the telescope. They had been seeing it as the long story of how God would redeem Israel FROM suffering, but it was instead the story of how God would redeem Israel THROUGH suffering. His suffering and his death. No wonder they were confused by the death of their Messiah. That is not how it was supposed to go, and yet this was how it was supposed to go. This is what unfailing love looks like.”

Many people feel disappointed by God, and feel like he has failed us

Maybe this is because we mistakenly think being a Christian means everything in life would go perfectly

Jesus opened up their understanding to this truth:

The way things truly change, beyond the circumstantial to the eternal, is not through political or human power, but through sacrifice

The way of the Christian is not the way of authority and position; it is the way of humility and self-giving love. The scriptures paint a picture of a Jesus who gives everything to offer us life, inviting us to give up everything to find the life He offers.

Luke 24:28–32 ESV

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 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. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 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?”

He went on…awkward moment, “Well bye… see ya.” But they urged Jesus to stay with them.

Jesus comes inside and they begin to have a meal with one another.

Jesus blessed the bread and broke it.

It is at this moment that their eyes are opened and they see Him for the first time

Right in the midst of the brokenness of the world, their eyes were opened to this new world that God was making through his unfailing love and the sacrifice of His son

CHALLENGE

Our celebration of Christ’s resurrection is much more than simply celebrating His resurrection.

It must be about experiencing resurrection power in your life today. Jesus can make you new right now…because He lives…we too can live if we choose Him

I love what Cleopas and his companion say to one another: “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us along the road and opened the scriptures to us?”

When is the last time your heart burned within you? When is the last time you truly felt alive?

This story is not only about a Savior who died a long time ago...

It is about a Savior who is very much alive — a Savior who meets us along our roads of life — one who opens our hearts His love…a love that never fails

No matter what your life has been like up until now, no matter how much disappointment you have experienced, no matter how much you have failed, you are offered a fresh start through Jesus’ death and resurrection and his never-ending love.

Pray

(Consider giving an invitation to respond to Jesus’ never-failing love and follow him.)