"Burning Hearts"

Does your heart burn for Jesus?

Our hearts can become cold. I think all of us here today could say at some point in our lives that our passion for Jesus has been colder that we would have liked. Our maybe you are there right now. Circumstances in your life, habits, or even sin can cause you to wane in your desire and passion for Jesus.

Here are some symptoms that your heart may be cold this morning:

Church: You may be coming to church gathering regularly, but it’s nothing more than just going because “I’m supposed to go” at this point. You may be coming begrudgingly, and you get more annoyed, angry, or cynical with your fellow church members than leaving refreshed and reoriented toward Jesus. You may even be in serving in the church faithfully, but the prospect of another week of doing your particularly area of ministry is no longer.

Personal walk: Your personal walk with the Lord is lacking. Time with Him is nearly non-existent. Prayer is only relegated to saying grace at the dinner table. The Bible is only opened on Sundays. In your day to day actions, you may not think of God often.

So how did it get this way? And what is the remedy for the coldness of heart?

CTS: May the Word of God, the Bible, set your hearts aflame for Jesus and His glory.

I. The Fear of Unmet Expectations (13-24)

Enter two disciples, right after Jesus’ death and resurrection: Explain the setup.

The word for discussing is a strong one. It implies more of a spirited debate. These two disciples were talking about what they had just witnessed. These two are shocked at what they had witnessed. I can imagine they are replaying in their conversation, trying to remember what Jesus had said and why he died. He was the Messiah, right? But apparently, he wasn’t. The Messiah can’t die, can He?

Enter Jesus

Jesus draws near, but he keeps the eyes of these two disciples from recognizing him. This isn’t from their own doing or another outside source. Jesus purposely kept them from recognizing who he was. Why is this? Because if they recognized him too soon, they wouldn’t be able to learn what they needed to learn about true faith and their unmet expectations, and how those expectations were wrong.

And Jesus begins asking questions, as though he has overheard their spirit conversation about him.

The emotional turmoil of the disciples

As he addresses them, they stand still, looking sad. And that can be understood, right? They have just watched the man whom they thought to be their Messiah, the one who would bring redemption die. Now there are conflicting reports about his body being stolen, and even more incredible, that he is alive.

And that emotional turmoil leads to Cleopas, in kind of a mocking manner, say “Are you the ONLY visitor to Jerusalem that doens’t know?” Are you that dense? This wasn’t a quiet death of Jesus by any means. And with the anger and disappointment of Cleopas, he lashes out a little bit on Jesus, though he doesn’t recognize him as Jesus.

Yet Jesus is kind, gracious, and understands what these disciples are going through. He also wants to lead them to where they need to be, to warm their hearts with His presence and to point them to true faith and steadfast confidence in Him.

The recap and explanation of their unmet expectations:

Who they thought Jesus was: PROPHET

What they thought Jesus was going to do: MESSIAH

What happened instead: DEATH

What they heard about afterwards: RESURRECTION

So, the recap is not wrong. As a matter of fact, they got all of the facts right. But they thought those facts were indicative of a failed mission. You see, Jesus was in fact prophetic, but he is much more than that. He is God in the flesh, Lord of creation, Immanuel. He is the Lamb of God. He is the God-man Messiah, promised in the Scriptures, but promised that He would die for the sins of God’s people and the sins of the world. He came to be the Messiah that brings redemption spiritually to dying people and to give them eternal life. But there was also the promise made himself three times that he would die and rise again three days later.

They had faith. They just had misplaced faith in a wrong identity about Jesus. They were running off emotion rather than the steadfast promises of God. They were sad because they thought Jesus was the real Messiah that was going to save them. But they didn’t realize that the Messiah had to first and foremost die for the sins of the world. They knew about the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, but they didn’t think it was about the Messiah. That’s why their hearts were cold, scared, and fearful. Everything they thought was wrong. They followed a man that died a brutal death, a humiliating death, for nothing!

Application:

And that’s what often causes our hearts to grow cold. Unmet expectations of Jesus. We often build up a vision of Christianity in our heads that God has to break down. We gain it in a myriad of ways. Worldly ideologies begin to creep into our understanding of the Gospel. That’s why there a huge following of the false prosperity Gospel that is running rampant in our nation and even around the world. It has conflated worldly success and prosperity as the end goal of our faith in Christ. Have enough faith and you won’t be sick anymore, won’t have cancer anymore. Preachers stand in pulpits and claim to have a word from the Lord and prophesy that something is going to happen and it doesn’t, or they just say that it was a mistaken word or misinterpreted. But all of them point to a prosperity that is worldly. Financial success. Worldly power and position.

Or its the unmet expectations that even well-meaning Christians and preachers espouse. Shallow bumper sticker theology that indicates that God is only there to make sure I get blessings. Usually its things like “All I need is Jesus and coffee.” And believe me, I love me some coffee. But did you know that you would survive without coffee? Life would go on. But without Jesus, life is meaningless. “Jesus is my co-pilot.” No, he’s not. He’s the pilot, we’re the passengers. But it’s even Scripture taken out of context and divorced from the purpose for which it was intended. And even if it’s well-meaning, we begin to build up a vision of Jesus that turns him into our blessing machine. If I follow Jesus, He will make sure my family is prosperous. If I follow Jesus, I will get a great job and will be successful. If I follow Jesus, I can have victory over every thing in my life that goes against me. If I follow Jesus, he will never give me more than I can handle. And again, this is prosperity gospel light.

And it’s dangerous. And when hard times come, that vision of Jesus begins to fall apart. What happens when you get cancer and you are given weeks or months to live? What happens when you child dies unexpectedly? What happens when you lose your job? What happens when everything in your world is turned upside down? Did God fail? We will be in the same boat as the disciples? Sad and disappointed and wondering, was Jesus really who He said He is and is He worthy giving my life to?

Yet Jesus is incredibly gracious, and He takes those things that we put so much value into, that we even worshiped, and he breaks them down, he throws out the unmet expectations, and he shows us what He is really about, not what we’re about.

II. The Foundation of True Faith (25-31)

The Scriptures

Jesus then does what needs to be done to all of us. He rebukes these two disciples. But never out of hatred or vengeance toward them, but always toward bringing them to true faith and true life. The kind of life that He desires for His disciples to have is to have a proper vision of faith and life in Himself. Yes, we can be foolish. Yes, we can be hard-headed. Yes, we can be slow to believe. Yet Jesus always begins to open the eyes of our hearts to who He truly is, and in turn, bring us to a faith that is strong, sturdy, and immovable.

And what does this true faith look like? To believe the prophets, the Scriptures! His first and only rebuke is that they failed to see and believe what was said about the Christ, the Messiah in the Scriptures. That is was necessary that he would suffer as he did.

But Jesus doesn’t leave them there. He begins to have the greatest Bible study known to man right there on the road. He begins to take the Old Testament and interprets it. Moses and the Prophets (from Genesis to Malachi) and shows how it all points to Himself. Jesus made that clear in his own teachings before he went to the cross:

John 5:39–40 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Incredible. I imagine that Jesus pointed to Himself throughout all of it:

Jesus would crush the head of the Serpent (Gen 3)

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant

Jesus pointed to the sacrifice of Isaac as a foreshadowing of Himself sacrificed for our sins (Gen 22)

Jesus like Joseph was betrayed, yet what people meant for evil against Jesus, God used for good for the redemption of those that trust in His sacrifice and resurrection.

Jesus is the Passover Lamb from Exodus

Jesus is the fulfillment of OT sacrifices

Jesus is the tabernacle and temple, and only through Him and His presence are we able to truly worship as we were created to.

From Numbers, Jesus is the manna, the bread of life, the bronze serpent lifted up for our transgressions

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, the offspring of David that would sit on the throne forever as King.

Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah that would die for our transgressions and sin and then appear alive and triumphant, the one who was forsaken in Psalm 22

The more Jesus opened the Word, the faster their pulses raced. The stranger had established that suffering and death were not obstacles to Jesus’ being Messiah, and in fact made Jesus’ claim to be Messiah more credible and compelling. The real Messiah had to suffer! Their confusion and depression melted like frost before the sun. The Scriptures were alive to the two disciples like never before! - Kent Hughes

Man, wouldn’t that be amazing to have a Bible study with Jesus like that? Yet here is the truth: We do get to have Bible study with Jesus. Jesus promised to His disciples that He would send someone after he left to be with them.

John 14:25–26 ESV

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The Holy Spirit comes to illuminate the Scriptures to us just as He did with these two disciples. He then did it with those apostles and disciples that were in the early church. This is what they said about the Scriptures and how they pointed to Jesus.

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch: Acts 8:35

Acts 8:35 ESV

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

The author of Hebrews begins his letter with this

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Peter the apostles wrote this:

1 Peter 1:10–12 ESV

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

And the disciples wanted more. As they arrive to Emmaus, they see that the man is going to go further. And they are concerned about him. Maybe his safety. Maybe they wanted to be around him more. Probably a combination of both. So they urge him strongly to stay. Jesus does, and with His presence at the table, speaking to these disciples, their hearts continue to warm. Jesus even takes the prepared meal and blesses it. Breaks it. Just as he did so many times before. Feeding the multitudes. Eating with sinners and tax collectors in their homes. Eating with his disciples that final evening. Jesus feeds his disciples with His presence.

And then Jesus opens their eyes, and they recognize Him instantly. And as they do, Jesus vanishes. Why? To leave them to ponder on what they just heard and witnessed. Jesus could have revealed himself earlier, but he wanted to make sure the foundation of their faith was laid.

Application: Why is this important? Because the Bible is where the foundation of true faith is found. You see, when we begin to see Jesus as He revealed Himself in the Scriptures, our expectations of Him begin to match His true identity, purpose, and mission. It also begins to reveal expectations about life and our purpose. When our faith is founded in the unshakeable truth of God’s Word, then our faith will be unshaken. Because the Bible doesn’t promise prosperity like the world promises it. As a matter of fact, those that follow Jesus are often promised persecution, trials, and tribulations. But the disciples counted it joy to suffer for the One who suffered for them.

And when the hard times come, I know that God is working all things for the good of those that love God according to HIS purpose. So when the cancer comes, I know that God can use it for His glory in some way. I know if I lose my job, God is still on the throne and God will put me exactly where I need to be to glorify Him, to trust His provision.

You see, the Bible helps us to see and break down our idols and point us to true faith in Christ, trusting Him with our whole lives, not just on Sundays. That my life is His, to be used for His glory, that everything is about Him. His Gospel is what forgives us, cleanses us, changes us, and makes us vessels for His honor and glory.

So, what is one big application from that then. READ YOUR BIBLE. And when I say read it. I mean read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it. Grow in your knowledge of the Bible. Pray for illumination. Learn how to study it by coming to Sunday School. Listen closely as I, Chris, Lonnie, or anyone else that steps into this pulpit commit to interpret the Bible well and point you to Jesus from every text. Join discipleship classes. But the BIBLE MUST BE CENTRAL to our lives, daily engaging God and His plan and promises from it. There are found the true promises of God, and all of them are fulfilled in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

III. The Fire of the Church (32-34)

The realization of these disciples is that they had seen the risen Jesus. And they talk with one another, and comment “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And that is the fire of God’s people. Notice where they were warmed. They were warmed when Jesus explained the Bible to them, and pointed it to Himself.

That’s the fire of the church. The fire of the church is Jesus as He reveals Himself to be from the Scriptures that He has inspired to give us. The Gospel message, from beginning to end. It all points to Jesus. Who He is. What He has done. What He is doing today. What He will come to do. Jesus is its great subject. Not us. Not the other characters. It’s all about Jesus. And that’s our message church. The fire of the church is God’s Word being proclaimed about Jesus.

These disciples went in the middle of the night, traveled back to Jerusalem because what they had just learned and witnessed was so important. There was nothing else that was more important than the resurrected Jesus. They went and told these disciples the Good News. He has risen indeed. Everything is true. All of it.

And when everything else fails in this world, we still have everything. Jesus plus nothing equals everything, as one preacher said. Because that is what we are meant for. And the church is called to point everyone to whom matters most. And point them to the reality of Jesus as He revealed Himself to be, from the Scriptures. We don’t need a new word from the Lord. We have everything we need to go and faithfully proclaim Him to the world. The Bible we hold in our hands. From beginning to end, its about Jesus.

So, is your heart cold? Open your Bible and see Jesus. You don’t need a fresh word from the Lord from some random TV preacher. What you need is right in front of you. May he warm your heart from it. May He set ablaze your life for His glory. May he set ablaze MBC, that the Gospel would be faithfully proclaimed and put forth to the nations from here. May he set us ablaze to be His people that are all about His glory. Set ablaze for the praise of His glory!