Moments: From Moment to Mission

[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the message podcast of High Ridge Church, Longview, where our vision is to help, you know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and ultimately make a difference. We are so glad that you're here and we pray that this message impacts your life as you apply the spiritual truths from God's word in practical ways. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Let's listen in. Good morning, everybody. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to church. Are you excited to be here? I know for a fact that the ladies are excited to be here. They've had an incredible weekend. Where you at, ladies? All the ones that have tended favor what an amazing ladies event. You guys are awesome. I. We had to come in this morning and testosterone this place up just a little bit. No, it's been an amazing weekend here. God's doing great things. And for those of you that stayed over and decided to join us for church, welcome, welcome all of you who are joining, joining us online. We want to welcome you in as well. So come on high Rich family. Give them a big warm round of applause. Welcome. So grab your Bibles. If you would follow along. We're to spend our time today in Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24. If you don't have a Bible, don't worry about it. I'll put the words on the screen. But if you have a paper Bible, it's gonna be awesome. I might ask you to even underline some things that I think the Lord's gonna show you today as we dig into his word and also as we wrap up our series called Moments. Your life happens in moments. And this is the end of that series today. But God's gonna do some amazing things if you pay attention. Here's the thing. Your life happens in moments. And your life will not just have great moments, but also some horrible ones. And those moments will define you. And they'll shape the way that you change, that you look at the world. They'll shape the way that you see things. They'll. They'll shape your relationships. Your life is defined by powerful, defining moments. Your walk with God is the exact same way. You're gonna have moments with God where he shows you just how good he is. Where he shows you just how powerful he is, just how much he loves you. Here's also what we know. Life will also be defined by confusing moments. Some of the most profound moments in your life, I would bet, are moments of great confusion. And I was trying to think when. When was the very first time that I knew, like as a child, that I knew life was going to Be confusing. Do you remember the very first time you were ever, like, really confused? Do you remember the first time that you're like, okay, that doesn't make sense with what I've been taught. And maybe for you is right around December 25th, you're like, okay, maybe. Maybe it's the first time that you realize maybe mom was a tooth fairy. I don't know if that's a. If that comes as a shock to you. We have a group for you. We're going to help you. But my specific moment was the very first time that I went to a grocery store and saw a female police officer. Now, for those of you that don't know my story, my parents are here, and they can verify. This is my mom and dad right here. If you guys would make them feel welcome, pray for them. A lot of this is their fault, and let me tell you why. Because they raised us Pentecostal. And now when I say Pentecostal, I don't mean like, oh, Pentecostal. I mean, like, Pentecostal, like, the cost, the most cost. And so the very first time I ever saw a female police officer was the first time I'd ever seen a woman wearing pants. I had thought women wore prairie dresses. That's what they wear. They wear Prairie dresses and Aquadet and no makeup. I had not seen a woman wear pants. And so to see a female officer in uniform, that freaked my little mind out. I didn't know at my 22 years of age that this was gonna. I'm just kidding. My mom tells a story of me walking in the grocery store and I see a female police officer, and I walk straight over to it. And then she says, well, hello, young man. How are you? And I said, are you a man or a woman? She says, well, I'm a woman. Like, no, women don't wear pants. She said, excuse me, Women don't wear pants. And to have a short haircut, to be wearing pants, that freaked me out as a kid. I had never seen that before in my life. And I learned a powerful moment there in that defining moment that life can get confusing. I didn't understand that. I didn't understand that not everybody was Pentecostal in the world. Not everyone looked like us, dressed like us, acted like us. That was. That was not a thing. We were separate. We were different. And we were weird. I thought the rest of the world was weird. But I learned very quickly that life gets confusing. Come on, somebody. You've learned it, too. Life gets confusing. There are times you don't Understand. I'm not sure exactly when the very first moment that I was confused was, but I know for sure. I know when life got confusing for one of my kids because I remember in the middle of the night, we just brought them home maybe a couple of months, and I wanted my wife to be able to get some rest. I hear the baby crying. I said, don't worry, I got this one. So I get up to do dad duty, and I walk in there, change the diaper, and sat down on the couch and just try to rock the baby back to sleep and give mom some rest. And I started nodding off. You guys know that feeling where you're holding the baby and you're trying to nod back off, back to sleep. That baby latched onto my chest and both of us got real confused real fast. I'm like, what in the world? I did not need coffee that morning. I was awake. I'm like, I'm confused. My child is confused. Like, this whole thing got really weird really fast. Life gets confusing, and it gets confusing fast. And hear me, your spiritual life will get confusing, too. God will intentionally take you through things that you don't understand. That doesn't make sense. Just when you think you have the Lord figured out, he'll show you things that don't make any sense. Your life will be be defined by confusing moments. And your spiritual walk with Christ will have confusion in it, too. There'll be times where it doesn't make sense. There'll be times where the enemy tries to get you to say that that's confusing. That doesn't make any sense to me at all. I don't get that at all. And especially when it comes to the church. But here's what God tells in. In 1 Corinthians 14 through. Through the apostle Paul says, God is not the author of confusion, but your life is going to have confusing moments. God wants to bring some clarity to those moments. God wants to show you that he is good, that he knows more than you give him credit for. Life gets confusing, but God's not the author of confusion. But you're going to have moments where things just don't make sense. Maybe you're walking in one of those periods right now where life's gotten really confusing here lately. You thought you had it all figured out, thought you knew what you wanted to do. You thought you knew how your life was going. And then life happens. You get confused. Maybe you get disappointed, Maybe you lose hope. And this is exactly where we find ourselves in the story that happens in Luke chapter 24. So let me catch you up. If you're not familiar with the story, Jesus has come out of the grave and all heaven is breaking loose in Jerusalem. The city goes nuts. And then we find two disciples of Jesus walking on a road to Emmaus. And they begin to process through their hurts and their disappointments and their doubts and their confusion, and Jesus shows up in a divine moment. Now, if you've been walking with Christ for longer than a few years, you. You've no doubt heard this story, you've heard it preached, maybe certain ways. I want to focus on some minor details in the story that I think are important for us to see today as we kind of deal with what is. What does God do in the midst of seasons, where we're finding ourselves confused, where we're dealing with hopes that don't. That don't come to pass when God doesn't do what we think he ought to do. You ever been there? Keep living, by the way, if you've never experienced that, where God doesn't do what you think he should do, just keep living. And so Luke 24, going to pick it up in verse 13, it says this now, that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus. And 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. Notice this is a divine moment in disguise. Jesus shows up in the middle of their confusion, in the middle of their processing out their hurts. Jesus is right there, but they don't recognize. I wonder how many moments have we missed where Jesus was right there in our confusion, right there in our doubts, right there in our hurts and disappointments, right there in our offenses. And he's like, hmm, can I interrupt? So as they're walking, discussing, Jesus was right there, but they were kept from recognizing him. And Jesus says, what you guys talking about? What are you discussing? And notice what happens. They stand still. They stop walking. They stood still, their faces downcast. This is not a happy moment. There's confusion there. There's real hurt, real pain, real sorrow, real regret. And they begin to share this with Jesus. And one of them said, look at the response, by the way, they're a little bit rude. One of them says, are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened in these days? Jesus says, what things? Come on now, that's funny. What could you be talking about? Hmm? What things they said about Jesus of Nazareth? He was a prophet, powerful in word. Indeed, before God and all the people and the chief priests, they crucified Him. But I want you to notice these next three words. This is important. We had hoped. Here's the point of their discussion. Here's the main problem. What I had hoped for didn't happen. We had hoped. We put our hope in Him. We put our faith in Him. We put everything on Him. We had hoped. We had hoped that he was the One. We had hoped that he was going to be the one that would change our country, the One that would redeem Israel. We put our hope in him to change our nation, to lead us back to the days in our country that we were longing for. We put our hope in Him. Notice this. He was the One who was going to redeem Israel. And. And what is more, it's the third day since all of this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb this morning, but they didn't find his body. They came and told us they'd seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. And then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it, just as the women had said, but they didn't see Him. And look what Jesus says. He. He channels his inner Mr. T. I pity the fool Jesus, like you guys. Foolish. How foolish you are. He says, how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. And I love how Jesus begins to ask them questions that they know the answer to. He reminds them of what they had been studying their whole life. Jesus says this. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things that the prophets talked about and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning Himself. And as they approached the village, Jesus continued on as if he was going farther. But they urged him strongly, stay with us, for it's nearly evening. The day is almost over. So Jesus went inside and. And he stayed with them. And while he was at the table with them, he took bread. He gave thanks. He broke it and began to give it to them. Notice this. Then a divine moment happened. Then something special happened in their life. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. And then he disappeared from their sight. You cannot tell me Jesus does not have an amazing sense of humor. That is awesome. That's the perfect chance for him to say, ta da. Boom. Puff of smoke, gone. Can you imagine what happened in that room in like the next 16 seconds of absolute silence, Jaw dropping, that just happened. A divine moment that happens in the middle of their confusion, in the middle of their pain. In the middle of their disappointment, Jesus begins to give them a piece of bread. And their eyes were open. They saw it. They recognized him. And look what happened then. They asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road? And he opened those Scriptures to us. And then he got up. They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. They headed right back down that road, back towards the city. And what are they saying this time? They're saying, it is true. The Lord has risen. We saw him. He disappeared right in front of our faces. He gave us some bread. He called us fools. It happened. What a powerful moment where Jesus shows up in the middle of their. Middle of them processing through where they had put their hopes in. And let me just tell you, he does the same for you. He's still doing what his word says he did. He does it for people like me and you. He shows up in those moments. Those are divine moments, if we allow them to be. Now, there are three things that I want to share with you today that I think are important for us to see in this story. Things that I feel like you're going to need later on. So you might want to write this down or maybe make a note section in your phone that will help you through if perhaps maybe today is not the day where you're walking through that time period of your life. You're like, you know what? I've got everything figured out. I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm about. I'm all in a good place. Great. Keep on living. Cause there's a day coming where, like, these guys on this road, you're gonna need this. So here's what we know. Number one, if you're a note taker, write this down. Jesus is always willing to step in. He's always willing to step in. Now, somewhere in between maybe kindergarten and first grade, in between your ABCs and 1, 2, 3s, you learned a valuable lesson. One of the first things that you learned is in school was how to mind your own business. Keep your hands to yourself, mind your business. Now, I'm a mind your business kind of guy. I took that seriously when I learned that lesson. I'm not the person to just interject into people's conversations. Jesus is not that person. He's willing to step in. There's a big difference between me and Jesus. I'm like, you know what? This is not my circus, not my monkeys. They wanna talk about scripture. Like, you know what? I like to leave work at Work. That's a joke. I'm just kidding. But Jesus never learned that lesson about minding his business. He says, I must be about my Father's business. And Jesus just begins to ask questions. And in that moment, they could have just done what many of us would do, like, do you mind, sir? We're having a private conversation here. I'm walking through a season right now where I need to process this out with my friend. But, but they don't. He asked them, what are you guys talking about? They didn't say, you know what, just keep walking. They stop and they start getting honest. Now, as we're looking at this story, it tells us kind of a good location of where this might be. And archeologists, historians have never quite said we know for sure where this Emmaus road is, but we do know that of the possibilities of what it could be, we know it's probably a dead end road. Emmaus is a small village kind of on the backside of nowhere. This is seven miles away from Jerusalem. And it's not any place where you would say this is a major road, a major thoroughfare. That's not what this is. It's more of a trail really, leading away from Jerusalem. But it's interesting that it's not just literal, but it's also symbolic of what we see happening in our world a lot. They're walking away from Jerusalem. Why is that important for us to know? Because think about this. You know the story, you've probably heard it your whole life. What was happening in Jerusalem at this time. They literally explained to you what's going on inside that city. Remember the past week they've had Palm Sunday with people saying the Messiah has just entered into our city. There's a massive parade, people are going nuts. There's over a million people gathered in this city and, and they're all on edge because they think the Messiah has come. Jesus starts flipping tables, that's kind of a big deal. Then all of a sudden, by the way, just a few days ago, there was an earthquake. There was an eclipse when the whole sky gets dark, about 3 o'. Clock. Even if you weren't there, you felt it, you saw it, you experienced. The Temple Curtain was ripped in half. That's a big deal. There's rumors going all around the city, by the way, angels are visiting people. Jesus is getting up out of a grave. This is not just some normal, oh, well, did something happen today? Let's see what's going on in the city. You know, you knew. Jesus gets up out of A grave. And then, by the way, scripture says there's 500 other saints that get up and start walking around town with them. It's kind of a big deal. Like, is that Moses, Elijah, There's Samson. Like, he's. I thought he would be bigger. The Bible says all these saints of old got up out of their graves, too. Did you know that? And yet we see out of all of this hotbed of resurrection activity, where are these guys walking away? Like, everything that is special is happening right there. But Jesus doesn't wait for them to come back to Jerusalem. He meets them on the road going the wrong way. You ever been there? I have. Jesus shows us that he's willing to walk with those that are going the wrong way. So Jesus doesn't wait for them to come back to Jerusalem. He meets them where they are. And as they're processing through all these disappointments and these confusion with each other, Jesus asked them a brilliant question. What are you guys talking about? And I love that they allowed him into their conversations. And something special began to happen as they process, not just with each other, but with Jesus. Now it's a very common thing right now for us to look at history and say, you know what? People that came before us, you know, Grandpa and Grandma, they didn't really deal very well with their issues. They didn't process that. They kind of neglected their mental health. And so this next generation that has come along has been much more open to processing through how you think that's a big deal. We don't neglect most of our mental health. Now. Some of us still do. Cause you're stubborn. But other of us say, you know what? I've got some stuff I probably need to process through. Right, you need to process through those things. It's a beautiful thing for you to address what you're walking through. It's a great thing. We're seeing as they're processing through with someone else. Because we saw what happens when people take all the hurts and disappointments and just push them way down deep inside and never bring it back up again. That's going to eat you. Come on, you know this. So they're trying to do it the right way, the processing it out with each other, even if they're walking the wrong way. And then Jesus steps in and says, can I be a part of your process? What are you guys talking about? What are you discussing? Will you allow me into that? And the good news is they let him into their discussions, let him into their process. What does it show us that processing through pain is not complete. And until Jesus is part of the process, it's not enough just to talk your stuff out. Until Jesus is in the process, there's no real hope for healing. Maybe you finally get it out, but you're not gonna be healed from it until Jesus begins to tell you. Like, that's a little foolish. Some of us need to be told very clearly, like, hey, you know better. You're going the wrong way. And when you can get honest with Jesus, something special begins to happen. Jesus doesn't wait for them to come back to Jerusalem. He meets them right where they are on the road, in the middle of their pain, in the middle of their doubts and disappointments and confusion. He meets them there in a divine moment. Why is that so important for us to know? It shows us that Jesus meets people where they are, and he calls us to do the same, to meet people where they are. This is why it's so important. We don't wait for people to come to church to talk to them about Jesus. No, we go to where they are. In the workplace. Jesus surrounds you with people all the time that are walking the wrong way. Jesus meets people where they are, and he calls us to do the same. Jesus is always willing to step in, and he does it not by spewing facts, but by asking questions. Questions that cause them to open up their heart. There's a brilliant strategy in there for reaching those that are walking the wrong way. Please catch that today. That's your job as a believer, to look at how Jesus does it with people that are going the wrong way. Here's the second key that we see from this incredible story. Number two. Jesus reveals himself in stages. He reveals himself in stages. Now, it says clearly that when Jesus said, what are you guys talking about? It says they, they didn't recognize him. The Greek language there, the original language that it was written in, tells us that God hid it from. From them. And that's a theological kind of concept that many of us aren't familiar with. But, but, but you know this to be true. God will intentionally not tell you things. If God showed you all the parts of your life and all the plans that he has for you, you know what you would probably say? You got the wrong girl, you got the wrong guy. That ain't me. I ain't doing that. I could never do that. Let me say it this way, and this is important. God. God reveals things at the rate of which you. You're hungry for. God wants you to, to. To pursue him, to talk to him. God will intentionally hide things from you on purpose. And this is what Jesus is doing. He doesn't reveal himself until the very end. There's multiple stages that he gives them a little bit of different clues, a little bit more clues leading them on this breadcrumb trail to divine revelation that's going to change them from the way that they're walking to turn around and get back. To get back to mission. Isaiah 45 says this. Truly, you are a God who hides himself. That's a paradox. Theologically, we serve a God that hides himself. Why? Because he wants you to seek after him and find Him. He wants you to go deeper with him. He wants you to hunger and thirst for Him. And I've said this before at the beginning of this series. I've said it almost every single week. Please hear me. You're as close to God as you choose to be. Your relationship with God is just as white hot as you choose to allow it to happen. That is 100% dependent upon you. Jesus is here saying, can I be a part of your conversation? Can I be a part of your healing process? Can you talk out your hopes and your disappointments and your dreams and your good days and bad days? Talk those out with me. Let me be part of that process. And at each stage, you get to understand more of Jesus. God often hides himself well. It feels like he's punishing me when I don't understand, when I can't see it, when I. When I'm not sure. Is God hiding from me because he's punishing me? No. No. God doesn't hide himself to punish us, but for us to pursue Him. So I want you to. I want you to find me. Here's what we know. God often covers things up so that we will walk by faith and not by sight. So that we'll invite him to do a deeper work in our life than perhaps what we were comfortable with. And so what does Jesus do in this moment? Jesus begins to open up scripture. So first he starts with questions and he gets to their heart. They said, we had hoped all these things would happen. He's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, come on, foolish ones. And by the way, that word foolish ones does not mean, hey, stupid, that's not what that means. It means, wait a second. You've studied this your whole life. Don't tell me you don't know this. And it takes them just a step deeper from. From not just information and things that they've read and studied, but a divine revelation would. Now they know. Whoa. That. That talks about him. Jesus shows how the story of Israel points to him. The story of the Messiah, the prophets and Moses, and everything from the beginning of creation all points to him. Why is that so important for us to understand? Because many of us will look at the scriptures looking for ourselves. I'm looking for me. And many believers still to this day will only allow the Lord to reveal himself in certain stages that we're comfortable with. We will read the Bible, but looking for nothing more than just inspiration. Lord, give me a scripture that helps me not to choke my coworker today. That's all I need. Let me just tell you there's more and then we'll read Scripture. Lord, just tell me how to do better. There's more. Well, Lord, tell me how to have more facts so I can show people how stupid they are and how smart I am. There's more than that. There's more than that. Jesus says, all of these scriptures point to me. And there's something beautiful that happens when you begin to read the Bible. When you with Jesus in mind, not yourself, how does it point to Him? There's a. There's a new level. I think the Lord wants to walk many of you to read the Bible, saying, lord, show, show me, show me. You show me your heart. I think some people just read the Bible for inspiration and they. They miss. They miss the point. The Bible's not about you, it's about him. And this is something beautiful that happens in these two guys that are walking the wrong way. They said, we have put all of our hopes in something different than what he actually was. And Jesus says, no, no, no, you put your hopes in the wrong place. Your disappointments have distorted your theology. Have you ever noticed that it tends to still do the same when you're hurt? It makes you question things that you know you should believe about God. When you're angry or disappointed or when you're offended. The things that you will start to believe, the things that you will allow yourself to actually to bring into your heart later on. You're like, I should know better than that. That's not true. That's not right. The things that I start believing about God will get distorted if I don't allow Jesus to be a part of that disappointment. And Jesus says, hey, foolish ones, come on, you know better. You study this. All those scriptures point to me. He said, look at me. And Jesus begins to correct them with compassion. He opens up the scriptures and a light bulb begins to come on. Because Jesus is compassionate enough to let them see that they need correction. Where they put their hope was in something that was false. They knew better than to be walking away. And Jesus began to correct them with compassion. Did you know that God corrects you? You ever read the Bible and let it correct you? When was the last time you thought I could be wrong? What a strange concept that I could have something mixed up. Jesus corrects them. He corrects their theology and what they believe about God. Hebrews 12 says the Lord disciplines those that he loves. Your God is a good Father and he will absolutely correct you. Why? Because he's a good Father and you need correcting. And there are times where our hurts and our disappointments and our anger and our bitterness. When Jesus invites us into the process, he can say, let me contend with you on that. And let me just promise you, whenever he says something, he's 100% correct. And I love that these guys begin to respond to that. They said, man, my heart started burning on the inside of me because he started opening up the Scriptures. And I recognized that it's not about me, it's about Him. I love how they respond with their heart, their heart. You see, true correction starts with understanding the heart before correcting behavior. This is important for us to understand because we want people that are around us to just. Just do the right thing, just act right, just fix it. Like at some point, if you don't. If you don't correct the heart, you're just going to go right back to that behavior. But when the heart is right, when Jesus is at the center of the process, there's real healing that happens and the behavior is no longer a thing. Jesus corrects them lovingly and the right way, and he shows us how to do the same, how to contend with someone that's drifting. Here's the third and final thing that we'll share. Number three. Disappointments become divine encounters. And once you start reframing your disappointments and the hopes that you had that are not quite panning out, and the lost dreams and the anger, the offenses, once you start reframing them as divine appointments, divine moments, they start losing their power over you. You start saying, lord, I'm disappointed today. What are you saying? What would you say to me right now? When you invite Christ into the process, things begin to change. A disappointment becomes a divine encounter, a divine moment where God will change the way that you're walking. So they give these words to Jesus when he says, what are you guys talking about? They shared with them all the things that they'd seen. They said, we had hoped we had hoped. You ever hoped that God would do something that he didn't? Do you ever hoped for God to do something in a specific way and it just didn't happen? I have. I've prayed for things that just. God said, no, this is what they're fighting through right now. When God says, that's not what I'm. That's not what I'm thinking. We had hoped. Let me. Let me share with you the difference of what they're looking for and what Jesus actually was. They put their hopes in something that many people put their hopes in today. What we see in the spirit of our age. They said, we had hoped he would come and redeem Israel. See, the redeemer that they were hoping for, look at me, was political, but the redeemer that they got was sacrificial. And there's something so much better than a God that's just going to change your country. He said, oh, you're thinking too small. Too small. Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this world. It's more than that. And here's the thing. He said, you two guys that are walking the wrong way, you're a part of that and it's time to get back on mission. The redeemer that they're looking for is political. Jesus came and he was sacrificial, by the way. In theological circles, this is called spiritual drift. You were in the right place at the right time. You were on target, doing what God had called you to do. And then disappointments happen and confusion happens and we begin to spiritually drift. And they're walking away from what they know to be true. And Jesus finds them in compassion, begins to talk to them, begins to dive deeper with them, meets them where they are, and we find something true about spiritual drift. Let me just kind of help to define it this way. Spiritual drift often begins not with a denial of God's power, but with disappointment in his priorities. And at the heart of many people that are walking away from the church, walking away from Jesus right now, we find that issue. It's not because they don't believe that there's a God. It's not because they don't believe that God is powerful. They're disappointed with God's priorities. What's most important to him was not what's most important to me. Don't shout me down. But the world needs to hear this. This is where we are today. This is what you see around you. This is not. This is not something that's a new concept to you. You see It. Spiritual drift. Then every once in a while, something will happen and we'll get white hot for about six weeks, and then we spiritually drift. Because I had hoped, I had thought, I had wondered, I had faith for it, and then I got busy. I need to get back to wherever I'm going. Spiritual drift. How do we. How do we turn around? I think it's important that the most important and turning moment in the story, right before Jesus reveals himself, they. They do something that's critical for us as well. Today they invited him to stay. They invited him to go deeper. And this is where the conversation and all the facts and all the scripture move to something completely different, moves to experience. And that's key for us today. There's some point where what you know about God has a transition to who he is. And our conversations together, we're talking, and facts become intimacy. I spoke to him this morning. I'm talking to him today. He's ordering my steps. I'm not just learning about him. I know him. And where does that happen in this story? It happens at the table, face to face. A divine moment, a revelation. It shows us something that all of us need to see. I'm going to put it on the screen for you. That revelation happens in intimacy, not just information. And lots of people stop right there. I know a lot about church. I know a lot about God. I know a lot about the Scripture. Do you? Because real transformation, real revelation happens in intimacy. It's beyond facts. It's beyond just study. Now, let's be honest. Most people, they don't even study. They just have opinions. But there's more in your relationship with Christ than just a thought of him, more than just knowing some words on a page. There's intimacy and experience. A divine revelation that happens at the table when Jesus begins to break the bread. You know, it's interesting that this is the moment that Jesus kind of shows himself to be really who he is. It happens when he. He blesses the bread. He gives thanks. So he. He breaks it and gives it to each of them. And all of a sudden they're like, whoa. Like, I've seen this before. Like, I saw this at the feeding of the 5,000. I saw that. I saw. I saw this twice. I've seen him do that. That's what he does. Like, he blesses something. He gives thanks for it. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. And then he starts giving it to people. And then they look at his face and like, that is. That's Jesus, the one we've been talking to. That's him and Jesus. I can't help it but look at scripture and say he probably smiled or at least chuckled a little bit, like boom, poof. Cause that is absolutely what I would have done. Like bingo. You got shows us something so powerful of Jesus breaking that bread and giving it to them that we need to see. And this is critical. Please hear me. If you don't hear anything else I say today, please hear this. Christ still reveals himself through brokenness, his and ours. Jesus says, I'm the bread and my body's going to be broken. Not for no reason. It's broken for you. And when he broke that bread, that was symbolic. And he hands it to them and they're realizing, wait a minute, not only was he broken, but I'm broken. And he said that his breaking was done so that I could be healed. That's the Jesus that I know that revealed himself through brokenness. Their eyes were opened. What do they do? They jump up like, I don't care if it's safe or not. We got to get back on the road. We got to get back to Jerusalem. We have to go back. We have to tell people the story of what just happened in our house and what just happened on the road. We've got to get back on mission. It's interesting. That road that was leading them, that dead end path leading them away from what was happening in Jerusalem is now leading them right back to the center of what God is doing. It shows us that Jesus doesn't just redeem people, he redeems the path. That's incredible. You have a path too, my friend. I would venture a guess that either you're on it or you can go back in your life to remember a time that you were going the wrong way. Way. But God. But Jesus met me where I was. He turned my life around. Now I've got a story to tell. Now I've got people to encourage and tell them it's true. Jesus is alive. I've experienced him. Their disappointments became a divine encounter. That dead end road leading to nowhere became a redeemed path where they're heading. Back on mission. It would be easy for us to read the story and say, that's a pretty good story for them. No, no, no. It's more than that. See, the road to Emmaus isn't just a story about Jesus. What is it? It's an invitation to imitate him. Jesus gives us the blueprint to handle what we see in our world every day. The challenge to each of us who live in a world of spiritual drift. It might be in you, but I guarantee it's all around you. Lots of people in spiritual drift. And Jesus shows us just how to talk to those that are walking the wrong way. So I want to leave you with a challenge. I want to leave you with something that hopefully can stick in your mind. And you'll. You'll wake up thinking about this tomorrow and then on Tuesday. Let me put this on the screen for you. Don't mind your business. Mind his business. Be willing to say, what are you guys talking about? Ask questions. Ask some questions. And then watch what the Lord will do as he begins to reveal himself in people's lives. As you just are willing to interject yourself in the conversation. Jesus risked them telling him, mind your business. Okay? Jesus risked them saying, how dare you call us foolish ones? But they didn't. Jesus risked them not inviting him in and said Jesus was going to go a little bit farther. I wonder how many of us, Jesus has done the same thing, too. Where you turn off, like, I'm getting off here, and Jesus like, okay, I'll just keep walking. Nope, no money. No, really. They're like, hey, would you stay? You know what? Don't mind if I do hear this. He wants to be invited in. And there are people's lives around you that need Jesus. And you are perhaps the only Jesus some people will ever see. You have a mission. You are the divine moment that will help people get back on mission. We live in a world of spiritual drift. How are people ever going to come back to their relationship with Jesus? The answer is you. You're the moment. You're the one being willing to interrupt. I want to challenge you. I want to encourage you. I want to push you. Whatever it takes to be who God believes you can be. Use the influence that God has given you to talk to people that have lost hope, that are disappointed, that are broken, and watch what Jesus can do. When you accept responsibility to meet people where they are, would you go ahead and bow your head and close your eyes? Perhaps you're here today or maybe even watching online, and you would say, pastor, if I'm going to be honest with you, I'm on the wrong path. I need to turn around. My life is going in a direction, and I'm walking away from the Lord. I need to stop. My friend, you're in the right place. For others, you might say, I don't even know the path. I've never had a relationship with Jesus. My friend, you're in the Right place, too. Whether you're here in person or watching online, God has a plan for you. And if you could see it right now, God himself is reaching down his hand for you, saying, come home. Come home to me. The only question is, will you respond? You may say, I want to. How do I do that? It starts with a prayer. And if you'll allow me, I'm going to lead you in that prayer, and I want to ask you to pray this prayer with me. I'll tell you the words to say. As a matter of fact, all of us are going to pray this prayer out loud. So you don't feel single. You don't feel like you're singled out or embarrassed in any way. That's not my hope. I don't want to do that. But you need to pray this prayer, and all of us are going to pray it together. So come on, believers, let's say this out loud together. Just say, jesus, I believe you're the Son of God. I believe that you came and died, and I believe you rose from the grave so that I could have life and forgiveness for all of my sins. Please forgive me, and I'll give the rest of my life to you. Thank you for loving me. Now with heads bowed and eyes closed and nobody else looking around, if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, if you say, pastor, I meant that prayer, I want to ask you, would you just slip up your hand all across this place with nobody else looking around, Just you and just you and me? Yes. All over this place. Lift it up nice and high. That was me. That was me. That was me. Many, many, many people all across this. I see you in the balcony. Good for you. Many. You can place your hands down. I'm so proud of you in the decision that you just made. Even if you're watching online, if that was you, you say, I prayed that prayer. I meant that prayer. I've got something special for you. Just those of you that prayed that prayer. I'm not gonna embarrass you in any way, but I'm gonna put a number on the screen, and I want to ask you to text me if you prayed that prayer. Text me. Text that number. Text the words I prayed to that number. And what's gonna happen? I'm just gonna send you a link back to some things that will help you understand what just happened in your heart and what to do next. Because this isn't the end of your relationship with Jesus. This is the beginning. And it is the greatest honor of my life to help People know God to find freedom, discover their purpose so they can make a difference. Let us help you do that. High rich family, go and look up at me if you would, and let's stand to our feet together. Hey, if you're joining us in online or if you're willing to do us a huge favor, if you have social media and you believe that the world needs to hear this message, would you do us a huge favor? Click the share button. It's making a massive difference every week when we hear reports of people all around the world that are getting saved. You would not believe how influential your social media is. You would not believe how quickly these messages can get to people that don't have a church home, that maybe are not able to hear the gospel, that don't have believers that they can gather with, and this is the only church that they get. So would you do us a huge favor and consider sharing this with your friends and family or sharing it with your social media? It's a big deal when you do that. Also have our elders and their wives stepping forward and we're going to be available to pray for you about anything that you might need prayer for. Some of you are coming because you're in the middle of fasting and praying for our Dallas Cowboys, and I appreciate that so much. This is our year. We just talked about processing through disappointments. I'm letting you in. I'm just kidding. No. If you need prayer, these guys are more than willing to pray for you. We'd love that. Then let me bless you as we finish up today. Father, I thank you so much for this incredible time digging into your word. I thank you for this series. I pray that you would bless each and every one of my friends, let them hear your voice clearly, be led by your spirit, and make a difference everywhere that they go. We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus and all of us said together, Amen. God bless you as you go. Have an amazing week. [00:44:28] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening in today. Our prayer is that you are encouraged and strengthened by the message. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review wherever you're listening. If you want to be a part of our online community, connect with us through Facebook or Instagram with the handle hyridgelv or you can check out our [email protected] lastly, if this ministry has impacted your life and you'd like to support its work, visit highridgelv.com give we appreciate your support, and we're believing with you today for God's best in your life. Have an incredible week and we will see you next time.