That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 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.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 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?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
Key Takeaways: – As the Lord taught the Scriptures to the two disciples, their hearts burned. If you are indifferent to the Bible, that’s a warning sign.
– When is the last time the Bible read you?
– He laid down His life. He took it up again. He lives forever in a glorified resurrection body. We celebrate Him today and every day, and when He returns, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2)
– He said, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19) Death is no longer death for those who know and love Him. When our body goes dormant to rest, we’ll be more alive than we’ve ever been.
The focus of our text today is what’s about to happen. Jesus’ disciples don’t really know what is coming next, even though he’s been hinting at it and outright telling them for a while now. We’ll read Him tell them one last time what must happen, that they will face a world without him physically there.
The presence of the Holy Spirit changes our lives in many ways; it transforms us a certain way. We’ll see where Paul gets his teaching of the fruits of the spirit, it’s from Jesus himself. We’ll look at 4 things the Spirit brings: truth, obedience, knowledge, peace.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:6
• This spirit brings truth, it is through Him that we have understanding. The disciples are so uneasy about what Jesus says to them. They want it one way, and it feels incompatible with what God has planned. The spirit of truth reconciles our will with His.
o Truth is agreement with God, the way the world works is the way He says it is.
• True love is marked by willing obedience.
• To obey God is a hard thing to do, but the encouraging thing here is that Jesus understands. He was a man like you and me; he knew the challenge. Look no further than what he was about to go through!
• Jesus knows this will be difficult, to keep his commandments.
• I can’t help but think that in this moment, the human part of Jesus needed to hear this reminder. He has a command from the Father that he needs to follow. And because of his Love for the father, he would obey his command to go to the cross.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
• He then leaves them with a statement that they could not possibly understand until later
• “Because I live, you also will live.” We get the luxury of hearing those words knowing what happens on Easter Sunday. But imagine those words ringing around in the disciple’s minds as he hangs on a cross. I would guess that their fear finds a real foothold in those words, they know their lives depend on him.
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
• Those who love God will have the spirit of obedience, and He will “make our home within him”. He is promising to dwell inside our very beings.
• The word “home” here also means “dwelling place”. God himself will be at home in us. This is pretty hard to grasp because there is nothing like it in our human world today.
• The Jews knew a little bit about this, I want us to turn to Exodus for just a minute. If you know the story, the Jews were called out of Slavery in Egypt by their God. He performed miracle after miracle, orchestrating the exit of his people for one reason. The climax of this whole story is in Chapter 40
• “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34-35
• The whole point of the exodus, the entire reason he brought them out of slavery, was so that he could dwell amongst his people. Jesus describes that is what is going to happen in us.
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.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
• Our last fruit of the spirit is the one that I need to hear the most often. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of Peace. His spirit brings peace in a way unlike anything found anywhere else. It does not JUST talk about the absence of conflict. This word meant “all is well”.
• The peace of the Spirit drives out worry and doubt, peace eradicates fear. It is distinct.
• There are knock offs everywhere. The world tells you that you’ll find peace once you make enough money. You’ll have peace once you get married, pay off your house or retire. Once we get through this crazy month.
• But this peace that Jesus leaves with us, a peace between God and man, is unlike anything the world has ever known before. End to the strife between us and God.
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
• Jesus begins to wrap up by reiterating; I don’t want you to be surprised when these things come about. They have been told, but they still did not have the ears to hear.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
• The ruler of this world is Satan; this is his domain. But be very certain about what is coming next week. Jesus was not outsmarted; the Christ was not overtaken. All of this was according to plan.
• Jesus is our model, and he obeys the father.
• From here he does go. Jesus would go out of the upper room, to the garden where he would be betrayed. He would keep going until he was on the cross, to lay down his life out of love for the father and of love for us.
Summary
Be in the word together.
Mark 11, John 13, Matthew 26, John 18, and Luke 23
How can people be encouraged to come in to greater agreement with the Spirit?
Application
Truth
• “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not ONLY because I see it, but because by it I see everything else”. -C.S.L “Is Theology Poetry”
• Are there things you’d rather not think about, rather not ask God about? Areas where you are more content to live as you are? Not align your will with God’s?
• It can be uncomfortable to think about how destructive sin is in our lives, and how much God hates it. About loved ones who aren’t believers. Do you trust Him rather than seeking comfort of your own understanding and desires? God can handle these difficult matters, come to Him.
Obedience – Fall in love with Jesus
• It’s easy to read that and get really discouraged. I don’t keep his commandments; what does that say about me?
• What do we do if we aren’t obeying Jesus? Does it mean we don’t love him? How do we love him? Hard to love someone you don’t know.
• What ways are you learning more about Jesus? Who are you talking to about Jesus?
• Get to know him, read his word. Spend time talking to his people. Pray for an ignition of love
• Obedience will follow
Knowledge
• Do you understand scripture? Do you read it as the living word of God?
o “A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding” Proverbs 14:6
• Desire the spirit of truth to reveal things to you.
• When you read scripture are you approaching it with your own mental capacity? What you can comprehend on your own. We’ve got a lot of smart people in this room. Or do you ask the spirit to increase your understanding, to give you knowledge.
Peace
• Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
• We know God because he dwells with us and in us. What a promise! Through it we have peace.
• Do you have peace with God? Is there animosity between you and your creator?
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. • Paul is directing his fellow believers to do one thing: present our lives as a sacrifice. • To the first audience, this of course evokes thoughts and images of the sacrifices that the Jews made for thousands of years. The killing of an animal, shedding its blood to atone for their sins, was required by God according to His law. • How do we set ourselves apart? Our model is always Jesus; we look to him as our example of how to live. o There was no living sacrifice quite like Jesus and how he lived and died. o He gave his life to do the will of the father here on earth. o Matt 22:37 “You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole mind.” He needs our whole self, every part of us. o The sacrifices of the Pharisees weren’t enough, for their hearts were far from him
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. • Scripture confirms, to be set apart is to not conform to the world, we are to be separate from the things of this world. Hard to do, since we have no choice but to live here, in the world. To conform would be to have similar values and interests. • “be transformed”. Two important notes. o Transformed means it was one way and now it needs to be another. All need this We ourselves never had a godly mind; we were born in sin and never knew anything different prior to the spirit entering us. o “be” transformed, it is not us doing the work! Who else could it be? In his great mercy he transforms us. We are not the ones powering the engine. We are the ones being transformed; it is a command but it is also passive. A tough line to walk. o But we are told another outcome of this transformation is that we Christians “may discern what is the will of God”. We are given a compass or a barometer, a way for us to tell what is good and perfect. o cool check; how to know if you’re being transformed? Do you know more about what is good and acceptable to God today than you were yesterday? There is always more; “be transformed” is ongoing. Becoming more Christlike
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. • Self-assessment is good. Sober judgement means being clear eyed. Luke 6:41 o “Why do you see the spec that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” o Jesus tells us to examine ourselves, desire to see our faults. It can be difficult to see our own sin which is why it is so critical to have fellow Christians around us. Paul will make that connection in the very next verse. • Be humble in your self-assessment. Judge with the right scale. Understand that it is not of our own goodness and ability that we can do anything. In (v3), Paul, who is undoubtably one of the most renown Christians in the history of the faith, says about himself that it is through grace that he can even teach this.
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. • You have many parts that compose one overarching object. In a courtroom, a confession, video recordings, sworn testimonies: they each serve a different function but they all contribute to the strength of the case, building the body of evidence. • Each component is distinct; it is recognizable on its own. However, that distinct component is out of place when it is alone. One piece of evidence is weaker and less effective by itself. It might not win the case. • The results are less drastic for a body that is missing a part, but still very impactful. A person without a part, like a hand, might not die, the body certainly feels the absence. It can do less. That person is disabled because of a missing part. • According to verse 5, it is in Christ that we are one body. We are not united because we like each other, because we get along. We are not united because we live in Atlanta. Nor because we have kids that are the same age or similar interests. We are one in CHRIST JESUS. That is the primary and ONLY relevant piece of information that binds us together. • When we unite over other things, it can and does cause partiality. Inevitably when we don’t have the same personal connection with other members, we think of them as less important to the body. When we see people for anything other than the image of God with Jesus living inside them, we love them with human, earthly love, and not the love of the spirit. o Earthly love will always fail, will never go the distance, and is not how we love
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. • As different parts of the body, we love one another the way we love Jesus and we sacrificially serve the body with our different gifts. • Two points to make: o We all have distinct gifts that God gave uniquely to YOU o Use our gifts, don’t sit on them • This is the point of having distinct members. We are not cult members, all interchangeable. We the body can feel when there is a lack of a particular spiritual gift. • This is a relevant command this morning; please today examine your gifting. How has the Lord gifted you? • There is a phenomenon in animals and humans alike: when a man loses his sense of sight, his hearing increases. The body compensates. o Fact is, our body has less people who are able to teach the word of God to others than we did 2 weeks ago. So, what gifts do you have, are you using them? • This is not a complete list of what gifts exist; it is meant to exhort us to use what God has given us for his unique purposes. • Are you using your gifts as a member of the body of Jesus Christ? • The cool thing about the body metaphor is that it ceases to be a metaphor. Jesus left his disciples with his spirit and said “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8. • We Christians have the spirit in us and we are given the incredible responsibility to be Jesus’ hands and feet, his physical body. • Is Jesus Christ acting in the world today through the unique gifts that he has given you?
2 Corinthians 1:5-6 “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort.”
We are not here at this church to merely absorb. We are to pour in to others, it is supposed to cost us something. But the promise of the scriptures is that we will be better for it, better Christ followers. We are to be a living sacrifice to those around us and to Christ who lives in us all.
We are called to use our lives to worship God with our actions and our lives.
Application Being the body is to be the hands and feet of Jesus. How are you serving?
What have you sacrificed, specifically for other Christians and for Jesus?
Are you self-assessing with God’s scale? Do you have others that can speak in to your life to help you see the plank?
In what way is your life distinct and set apart for God, or are you living just like everyone else?
Have you accepted the grace God has shown you?
Heidelberg Catechism (1563) #1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
Phil 2:1-3 2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus
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