Daily Dose of the Word of God - Luke 24: 32

Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor

Transcript

Gregg DeMey  0:10 

Good morning and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church and it's Thursday, November 21.We are at the close of the Hearts Ablaze campaign season - a time in which byGod's grace, new sparks are being ignited in us for the things of God. Today's reading is a single verse: Luke, 24 verse 32.

Gregg DeMey 0:31 

God's Word says: "Were not our hearts ablaze within us while Jesus talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Gregg DeMey  0:41

At the end of Luke chapter 24 there are two disciples: Cleopas and an unnamed disciple, who walked the road from Jerusalem to a little town called Emmaus. They talked with a stranger and then heard that stranger break down some Old Testament Scriptures about the Promised Messiah and sat down to a meal with this stranger, all without comprehending who they were with. But after the stranger (Jesus) took bread, blessed it and broke it, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And then Jesus disappeared. These two disciples then turned to each other and said the scripture for the day ("Were not our hearts ablaze within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us").

Gregg DeMey  1:24 

From that moment on when these two disciples realized they were in the presence of the risen Lord the momentum of the resurrection has gained speed and power, taking the Gospel to every corner of the world. Or in Jesus words, "From Emmaus to Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the very ends of the earth."But did you notice what Jesus did at the close of that amazing scene? He disappeared! No high fives, no party, no impromptu worship service. Why would Jesus disappear? Well, it turns out that maybe often, these hearts ablaze experiences are not meant to last forever, but to give us the boldness as a slow burn and confidence to do what Jesus is asking us to do - to take the next step in following him, whatever that might be. That's where the real long term spiritual kingdom momentum is at. For those two disciples on the Emmaus road, the next step was literally to backtrack the five-plus miles to Jerusalem and share the news with the other disciples that Jesus was alive. For us this weekend (Lord willing) it's making commitments to God through his church, so the momentum might continue and grow.

Gregg DeMey  2:53  

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for these hearts ablaze kind of experiences whenever they come. They are truly a gift from you and in gratitude for those times and in response to those times, we want to faithfully follow you through every circumstance and season of life. In Jesus name and for his sake, amen.