WEBVTT
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So over the last several weeks, we've been looking at different ideologies or worldviews and comparing them to historical Christianity.
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And so today's a little different.
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Where the first ones we looked at, some who called themselves Christian, maybe they were, maybe they weren't.
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But like, for example, we first talked about those that were the new atheists and how they were a little different in their thinking.
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It's different than the old atheism where Christianity is just not needed, right?
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For anything that we would need in our culture today.
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There are others, we talked about cultural Christianity as someone who identifies with the morality of Christianity, but not necessarily a Christian.
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We talked about progressive Christianity, where there's an idea where you take the scripture but use it in order to justify your lifestyle or to affirm something that's going on in your life.
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Today's is a little different.
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Today we're going to talk about deconstructing Christianity.
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So this would be people where at some point in their life they professed Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
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In other words, there is a moment or a season, not necessarily a day or an hour that they can point to, but they know that there was a time in their life that they received Christ.
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The thing we have to understand, there's a few things about deconstructing Christianity that I want us to think about today.
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There are really two different ways to look at it, but just generally speaking, here's what this uh deconstructing Christians do.
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So here's a little statement for you to start.
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Deconstructing Christians dismantle historical Christianity by examining and questioning its doctrines, biblical interpretations, and institutional practices.
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So as we begin right there, the question is is there anything wrong with this at all?
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Is there anything wrong with examining and questioning our doctrine?
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Is there anything wrong, inherently wrong, with looking at interpretations and understanding institutional means the practice of the church?
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Absolutely not.
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That's not the problem.
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But this is where you see a few things happening with deconstruction.
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For some, deconstruction is a dismantling of the beliefs, the historical beliefs of Christianity, and turning it to where now Christians are toxic and harmful to our society.
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It's interesting to me that you will see even pastors who have preached and led large churches, who now they've deconstructed, and not only do they not believe in Jesus, but now they're militant against Jesus.
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Why is that?
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What takes someone to being brought up in such a way of embracing Jesus, at least at some level, to are now absolutely opposed to the point to where Christianity should literally be eradicated from our society because it is harmful.
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You hear some of that if you just kind of keep your ears open in our culture, you hear some of that Christianity is harmful.
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Their beliefs are harmful.
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Well, that's someone who, in some cases, they profess Jesus, but yet somewhere along the way, something happened which caused them to deconstruct, to ask some questions, and land to a place that now they are militant against Christianity.
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You have some, though, who they simply have questions and they couldn't find answers.
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Maybe they were raised in a Christian home, they heard much about Jesus, they went to Sunday school or whatever you call it, and they learned things, but for some reason the foundation didn't stick.
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What did it mean to be a Christian?
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Why do I believe these things?
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And so what happens is then you start seeing some questions.
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The problem is not the questions, the problem is happens with where you go to find the answers.
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Now, again, nothing wrong with going and searching and seeing what all the world may have to say about it.
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However, the key to it is we have to go back to Scripture.
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So when you look at these things, there's a verse as far as questions are concerned.
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We're gonna look in Luke 24, but before we get there, Acts chapter 17, verse 11, Paul is on a missionary journey, and as he's going to all of these different places, he runs into a lot of different people.
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But I want you to notice something about what is said about these Jews that began to believe as they were in Berea.
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So in Acts chapter 17, verse 11, so Paul and Silas had come to Berea.
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They entered the Jewish synagogue.
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So these are Jews, they don't necessarily believe in Jesus as Messiah, but they are believing, they understand scripture, they understand the Old Testament.
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But watch what it says.
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Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
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Okay?
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Why were they noble?
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Because they received the word with all eagerness.
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Listen to this, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were true or were so.
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What things?
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The things that Paul was saying about Jesus.
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What did they do?
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They went into scripture.
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This word says that they investigated, they scrutinized, they questioned.
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And these people were called noble.
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So let me say, according to Scripture, if you have questions about Jesus, if you have questions about theology and doctrine and why we believe what we believe, I've applaud you as noble.
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It's amazing.
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We should ask questions.
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That's how we struggle and we grow deeper in our faith.
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However, what I would ask you to do is to consider where you're going to find the truth.
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Search, look, go online, see what everyone has to say.
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But it comes down to who are you going to trust with your authority?
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What is the authority?
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Now, when you look at Scripture, we need to understand that Jesus welcomes honest questions, but he rebuilds our faith, as we'll see today, on Scripture and on Himself.
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There are really two questions.
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If you're going to share your faith with someone, there are really two questions, if there are any objections, that you need to have and be able to answer in your mind in case it goes a little further than we're all sinners, you've sinned, Jesus died on the cross.
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Those are all very basic and very true.
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We learned them.
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We learned the Roman road.
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We learned all those.
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These two things, study these things, learn these two things.
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You ready?
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These two.
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Because this is the question.
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Is Jesus really who he says he was?
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And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
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Those two things I want you to wrestle with today.
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Those are really the two things.
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When you look at someone who's deconstructing you, you can say, I got hurt, I did this, I did that.
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Why is there evil and suffering in our world?
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Why is it that God would create a world where people go to hell?
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Why, why, why?
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You got to go back to is Jesus who he said he was?
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And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
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So, in all your studying and all the studying, and we grow deeper in our faith, I truly believe if you look in the Word of God and we can wrestle around and defend those true, then whatever comes your direction, we can answer those questions and stand firm in our faith.
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That is the foundation.
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Why is it important about Scripture?
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Because Scripture is about Jesus.
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So really it all comes down to Jesus.
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So on Easter Sunday, there were some men who believed in God.
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Believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
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That he is the one who would save the world.
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They believed it.
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But they saw him die.
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They saw him buried in a tomb.
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They heard that the tomb was empty.
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And that some people had seen Jesus.
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But with all the facts and the evidence, they left anyway.
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They walked away from the hope that they had had.
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That is the picture of deconstruction.
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We have hope, we truly believe, then all of a sudden, something happens that rattles our faith, and we begin to ask God, why?
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How could you do this?
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Why could this happen the way that it did?
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And I want you to see how Jesus answers this question for these men and for anyone else that we may talk to who is struggling with their faith.
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Are you ready?
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Luke chapter 24.
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In this story, Jesus walks with some disciples who left him.
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They walked away.
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Keep that in mind.
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Luke chapter 24.
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The first thing that we see, we'll start in verse 13, is that Jesus meets them on their journey away.
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They were in Jerusalem, they heard lots of things that we'll see, but they walked away from the miracle.
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They walked away from the hope and headed back home.
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Listen to this in Luke chapter 24, verse 13.
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On that very day, what day?
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Easter, Resurrection Sunday, the very day of the miracle, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
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They were talking with each other about all the things that had happened.
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And while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself, the risen Jesus, drew near and went with them.
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Pause just for a second and understand the picture of what's going on.
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These people have just walked away from the resurrection.
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They had walked away from the hope of the empty tomb.
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They had headed home, and you're going to see they stopped believing.
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And Jesus did not cast them aside.
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What did he do right here?
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He hunted them down.
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They were on their way away from him and he went to them.
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They did not turn to him, they were away from him.
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You see how important that is?
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They were away.
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And if you're away today, guess what?
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Jesus is walking right towards you.
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What a beautiful picture, though, when we're talking with someone is that we don't reject them in their questions.
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Even the hard ones, even the ones we can't answer.
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It's okay to say, I don't know.
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Let me search the scriptures.
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And then understand the two things.
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Is Jesus who he said he was?
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And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
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He went to them, he walked with them.
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What a great example for us.
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The second thing that we see is in verse 17.
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He listens to their questions and their disappointments.
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So first we begin with the facts.
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So here's what's happening.
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Verse 17, and he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?
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And they stood still, looking sad.
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Then one of them, named Cleopus, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?
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And he, Jesus, said to them, What things?
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And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty indeed and word, before God and all the peoples, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.
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So these are the facts.
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This is the reality that they were living in in that moment.
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And everyone knew about this.
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A lot of people believed Jesus was the Messiah.
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They came to follow him.
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The problem is, they were expecting a Messiah who would be the Savior and the deliverer, and you would see the kingdom of God built, and the Jews would be back in power, but that wasn't the plan.
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And so what happened?
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They misunderstood, but they saw the facts.
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So at this moment, they knew that Jesus lived.
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They knew that Jesus had a fake trial.
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They knew that he was beaten and crucified.
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They knew that he was killed and put in a tomb.
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That's all we know.
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And so at this point, these men have the facts that every one of us have.
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That Jesus Christ, he lived and he died.
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And then verse 21, I'll come back to in a second, but I just wanted you to see it in the middle of it.
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It says that this happened.
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But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
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Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
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So you have the facts.
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Now you have eyewitness testimony.
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Verse 22.
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Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.
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They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
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And some of those who were with us went into the tomb and they found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.
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Some of the women had said they had seen Christ.
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So you have facts, and now you have eyewitness testimony of an empty tomb.
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They have all that information for them, right?
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They have all the stuff that you would think would have brought hope back, but it didn't.
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They still walked away.
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And that just is a good reminder for us when we talk to others about Jesus, we can give them fact after fact after fact after fact, and we can say, look at the empirical evidence we have, the empty tomb, we have all of these things that show us evidence that Christ is who he said he was and that he has risen from the dead.
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And we can take scripture, both external evidence and internal evidence, and prove that the word of God is true and trustworthy, but it may not be enough for some.
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It was not enough for them.
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And they had walked with Jesus.
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Verse 21 again.
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Here's the verse.
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But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
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The tense of this verb is that we believed and now we don't.
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In other words, we're done.
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We were there, we watched, we know what happened, we heard the evidence, but we no longer, you can use the word hoped or believed, we no longer believe.
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We no longer believe.
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Happens a lot of times whenever people know about God or know scripture a little, and something happens that's devastating in their life, and they say, God, why?
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And we just don't know how to explain it.
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We just don't understand.
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And in this case, they walked away.
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But let's keep looking at what happens because I know that there are times that there are hurts, there are things that happen.
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We hear about church hurt, we hear about evil in the world.
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All we have to do is look at our culture and watch the news just a little and think the depravity that is going on right now in our culture is just unbelievable.
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And not even common sensible anymore.
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Well, in this case, they had all the evidence, but they still didn't believe, they had lost hope, they were disappointed, and these questions were festering.
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Well, let's see what happened.
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So he meets them on the journey away.
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Remember, they were walking away.
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Jesus listens to their questions and disappointments, and then Jesus brings them back to Scripture.
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This is very important.
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Let's see what happens if you look in verse 25 and following.
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And he said to them, Oh foolish, literally, it's not uh misunderstanding, you're misunderstanding.
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Misunderstanding ones, you're slow to heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken.
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Was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?
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And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the scriptures, and all the scriptures, the things concerning him.
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This word for interpreted literally means that he translated, he explained it to them.
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I remember in seminary, this word, they would take this word, and uh our preaching professors would remind us this is a very important word for preachers because it literally means is you stay true to the text.
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Let the Bible speak for itself.
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That's where you find it.
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So if you ever heard someone say, we just need to stay true to the text, Jesus is the one who said it.
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He's the one who did it.
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We go back to the Word of God.
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Commentaries are awesome.
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You can find lots of information, but nothing replaces the text of Scripture.
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And so Jesus went back, but their problem was is they had a lot of information they just didn't understand.
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So he had to take the text and help them to see what that meant.
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What was the point?
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The resurrection.
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You had this huge event that happened.
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Now, here's the thing, though, you have to remember for the Jews, this was ridiculous to think that the Messiah would be crucified and then raised from the dead.
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There was no way they would believe that.
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But even the Gentiles, so your intelligent pagans of that day, they had heard stories of a resurrection theory.
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And so when they heard this, they thought that's just a myth.
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And so you have the intelligentsia of the day, you have the religious leaders of the day all saying there's absolutely no way this Jesus could have been the Messiah.
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So on that backdrop, here are two men who are very intelligent, who have walked with Jesus.
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They had hoped they're walking away, Jesus meets them, and so now they're thinking, and maybe they're hearing all of these things.
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Well, all the smart people say there's no way that somebody can raise from the dead.
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Even the Jewish leaders are saying, there's no way this Messiah.
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So before we get on to them for not believing, it was tough to be able to get your mind around a resurrection of a Messiah.
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And you know what?
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It's tough today.
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We believe it, we know it's true with all we've seen and the evidence.
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:33.200
It's just hard to fathom, isn't it?
00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.519
And it's okay to say, God, I don't get it.
00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:37.200
I believe it, but I don't get it.
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:38.720
That's the beauty of it.
00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:44.720
God's bigger than us, and we're never gonna understand all the ways and all of the things that he does.
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:53.119
But we go back to the truth of the text and we go back to Jesus every time and what he said about himself.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:55.680
So he takes them back to Scripture.
00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:57.759
They had a little difficulty with that.
00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:16.960
I'll just remind you in 1 Corinthians, this is where we understand kind of the culture of the early church in that day, even 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 23 says, we preach Christ crucified as a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:22.240
Now put that all together and understand that it is the exact same thing today.
00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:28.960
To preach Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead is gonna be foolishness to many.
00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:31.839
It's gonna be a stumbling block to some.
00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:36.000
And so, if we're gonna stand firm on that, we're gonna have to defend it.
00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:40.160
We're gonna have to use the word of God and know why we believe what we believe.
00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:47.279
And so, in this case, Jesus opens the scriptures and he had to make sure they understood.
00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:51.200
So I'm gonna walk this through with you just some Old Testament things.
00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.880
And what they did is they they couldn't piece it all together.
00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:59.759
And so I'm not sure Jesus preached these passages, but I'll give them to you because.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.200
Are just straight out of scripture.
00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:03.839
And I'm just going to read them and let the text speak for themselves.
00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:12.000
And understand that all these things in the Old Testament is pointing to the Messiah, which we know now is Jesus.
00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:22.480
So from the very beginning in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:27.839
He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.839
Genesis 22, verse 8, where you have the sacrifice of Isaac.
00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.680
Abraham is tested in this way, the father of many nations, right?
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:39.680
Genesis 22, 8.
00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:48.720
Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:56.160
You see the picture, you have this where the enemy is going to be crushed, the serpent from the very beginning is going to be crushed.
00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.759
How's he going to do this?
00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:04.960
Well, you have Abraham in that covenant, and he's going to provide a lamb to take care of this.
00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:09.759
Well, then you have the Passover in Exodus chapter 12.
00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:11.359
This is what God's word says.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:16.720
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall be for you, the beginning of months.
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:18.799
It shall be the first month of the year for you.
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:27.200
Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of the month every man shall take a lamb according to their father's houses, a lamb for a household.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:34.000
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons.
00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:40.960
According to what each of you can uh eat, you shall make your count for your lamb.
00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:54.559
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male, a year old, you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and when the whole assembly and the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
00:23:54.799 --> 00:24:02.400
Then they shall take some of the blood, put it on the two doorposts, and the lintel of the houses in which they eat.
00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.000
Jump to verse 13.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:22.319
The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike you in the land of Egypt.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.720
The enemy will be defeated, his head will be crushed.
00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:29.920
A sacrifice God will provide.
00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:34.000
The blood will be applied of the sacrifice.
00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:46.720
Verse 14 I am poured out like water, and all of my bones are out of joint, and my heart is like wax.
00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:52.160
It is melted within my breast, my strength is dried up like a potshard.
00:24:52.480 --> 00:25:05.200
My tongue sticks to my jaws, you lay me in the dust of death, for dogs encompass me, a company of evildoers encircles me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:15.200
I can count all my bones, they stare and gloat over me, they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.880
But you, O Lord, do not be far off.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.000
O you my help, come quickly to my aid.
00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:28.000
Isaiah 53.
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:34.880
But who has believed what he has heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:40.559
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.
00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:46.880
He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire of him.
00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:59.440
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:07.440
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:12.079
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:23.519
He was crushed for our iniquities, and upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:32.799
All we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned, every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of his all.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:46.480
He was oppressed, he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is before its shears is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
00:26:46.799 --> 00:27:10.720
By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for the generation who considered that he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of peoples, they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him, he has put him to grief.
00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:26.160
And when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:39.119
The prophets, Daniel says, I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man.
00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:50.160
And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him, and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, languages should serve him.
00:27:50.319 --> 00:28:00.640
His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:13.519
Written hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before the Messiah would come, pieced together from generation to generation, pointing to Jesus.
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:21.200
And I can only imagine Jesus being able to go all the way back from the beginning.
00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:37.119
And as this scripture tells us in Luke chapter 24, that he took all of these things, and in verse 27 said that he did this, and he took from Moses and the prophets, and he talked about the scriptures and what is verse 27?
00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:41.519
All the scriptures, the things concerning himself.
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.880
So what did he do?
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:57.839
He took all of these things that were spoken, and he began to rebuild their faith by going back to scripture and explaining what it meant.
00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:01.599
They had misunderstood or maybe just uninformed.
00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:04.480
They weren't sure what it meant.
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:09.119
They knew a Messiah would die, a Messiah would come, but they just weren't sure.
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:10.559
And so what did Jesus do?
00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:12.000
A great example for us.
00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:14.000
Go back to Scripture.
00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:18.720
So he takes the word of God and he brings them back to this moment.
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:27.519
And he tells them, now remember the two primary questions we talked about at the beginning.
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:30.160
And that is, is Jesus who he says he was?
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.759
That's going to take a lot of studying to see who he really says he was.
00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:36.640
And then is the Bible true and trustworthy?
00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:39.599
We get our arms around those things.
00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:41.359
It's exactly what Jesus did.
00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:47.519
He took those things, he took the word of God, he talked about how the Bible was pointing everything toward him.
00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:51.680
And then here's this moment in verse 28.
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:58.160
Jesus opens their eyes and stirs their heart.
00:29:58.720 --> 00:29:59.920
Check it out.
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:08.960
So they drew near to the village which they were going, and he acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us.
00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:12.480
For it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:14.079
So he went in to stay with them.
00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:18.480
And when he was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them.
00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:19.920
So like the Lord's Supper.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:28.480
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:40.799
And they said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and he opened to us the scriptures.
00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:47.599
They had believed, they had lost hope, and they had left.
00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:51.680
So what's the journey?
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:55.440
Jesus meets them on the journey away.
00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.519
They have questions and disappointments that he answers.
00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:03.039
He brings them back to Scripture, and all of that points to him.
00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:07.759
And then he opens their eyes and their hearts.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:14.880
Now here's something we have to remember when we're trying to lead someone to the throne of grace.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:18.240
Those first three we can do.
00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:22.400
We can walk along a path with somebody.
00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:29.200
We can meet them right where they are, and even if they're walking away from God, we run toward them so that we can share, just like Jesus did.
00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:30.559
What a beautiful example.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:33.200
Walking away, deconstructing, whatever it may be.
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:35.759
We don't leave them, we don't turn our backs on them.
00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:37.119
We walk toward them.
00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:38.720
We can do that, right?
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:40.240
Take some effort.
00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:41.680
We can do that.
00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:49.759
We can also listen to their questions and disappointments and not make excuses and say, you're right, there's a lot of misunderstanding, and there's a lot of things I don't understand.
00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:54.880
But I know the word of God is true and trustworthy, and I know that Jesus is who he said he was.
00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.000
We're gonna have that down in the next month or so, aren't we?
00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:58.799
Right?
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.440
I know those things, and we can do that, can't we?
00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.160
Even the last thing, we can take them back to Scripture.
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:06.880
We can know the word and bring that to him.
00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:10.640
But we can't do the fourth thing.
00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:17.200
We cannot open their eyes and stir their heart.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:20.480
Only God can do that.
00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:36.799
And what that means is this we do our part, and that means we go toward, we share the truth, we walk with them, we don't reject them, and we open the word, and when we don't know, we say, let's search the word together and all of the questions we bring together.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:53.279
But make no mistake, no one can turn back to Christ unless He first wakes them up and opens their eyes and stirs their heart.
00:32:54.319 --> 00:33:00.079
We think about by grace, we are saved through faith, right?
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:04.240
So we have grace, we have faith, we have salvation.
00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:06.960
Faith cannot come first.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.680
Grace must come first.
00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:12.160
Let me explain it this way.
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:23.920
If we put faith, you know what, I just need to have enough faith in grace, which means God loves me and we learn about God, and we learn all these things about his forgiveness, and we have that.
00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:31.920
But if we put faith first, then when we start spiraling, we're gonna think, well, maybe I really didn't have enough faith in the first place.
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:34.640
Maybe it really wasn't authentic faith.
00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:36.799
Maybe I'm just leaning on my parents' faith.
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:37.839
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:43.920
If faith is before grace, then it's as if we did something to wake ourselves up.
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:57.119
But remember, scripture says that while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, he made us alive together, for by grace you're saved through faith.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:07.519
That means God pursues you and wakes you up, and we respond by clinging to him.
00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.599
That's it.
00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:16.480
It's not how much faith I have, it's that I'm just saying, I got nothing.
00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:19.280
I give myself to you.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:20.639
That's it.
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:25.920
Grace wakes us up by faith, we cling to him.
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:31.679
And that is the power of God to salvation to all who believe.
00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:32.480
Believe what?
00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:34.400
His grace is true.
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:40.719
Jesus met them, he talked to him, he explained scripture, and man, he revealed himself in a way.
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.320
And this is always, this is my prayer.
00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:47.199
If for some reason you're in that journey of deconstruction, I'd love to talk to you.
00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:58.000
I'll walk through scripture with you the best I know how, but here's what I would say: there's no way you're gonna turn back unless God reveals himself to you in such a way that you can understand it.
00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:00.480
He must do that part.
00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:05.679
So my question would be, why would he not?
00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:08.719
You following me?
00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:16.400
Why would God not reveal himself in such a way to that one who is walking away?
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:22.239
I will tell you, according to scripture, according to this passage, he walked and found them.
00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:24.880
And then he revealed himself to them.
00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:26.639
See, that's it.
00:35:28.719 --> 00:35:31.119
Walk with somebody who's not sure.
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:34.239
Let them ask questions, answer these questions.
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:43.360
Go to scripture, know the word of God, it is true and trustworthy, and Jesus is who he says he was, and then let God do his job.
00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:51.199
And he can captivate their heart with grace in a way that we will never be able to talk them out of.
00:35:52.079 --> 00:36:06.000
Salvation is an act of God, not an act of intellect, our family origin, going to church or doing a thing, it is that God doesn't.
00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:07.920
But here's the great news.
00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:09.840
What happened next?
00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:14.960
So he reconstructed their faith with his word and with his presence.
00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:17.679
And then what happened?
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:22.159
They turned back.
00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:25.360
Verse 33.
00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:32.800
And they rose that same hour, it's late at night, Easter night, and returned to Jerusalem.
00:36:33.119 --> 00:36:42.800
Found the eleven and those who were gathered with them together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and he appeared to Simon.
00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:46.639
Let's make sure we get the whole picture.
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:49.039
Lost hope.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:51.679
Call it deconstruction, call it what you want.
00:36:51.840 --> 00:36:52.639
They were walking away.
00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:53.519
They have no more hope.
00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:54.320
They're walking away.
00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:55.519
Jesus meets them there.
00:36:55.840 --> 00:37:00.960
He answers their questions, he loves them, he shows compassion, he teaches them the truth.
00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:08.000
He goes back to the word of God, he points to the Bible, he points to himself, and then he reveals himself to them.
00:37:08.239 --> 00:37:12.480
And then they had a decision to make at that moment.
00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:28.079
And they believed and they turned around at night, on foot, seven miles away, back to where the miracle happened.
00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:30.320
What happened?
00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:43.119
Jesus found them where they were, pointed to Scripture and to Himself, showed them how they misunderstood, and then revealed Himself in such a way they could understand it, and then they turned.
00:37:49.920 --> 00:37:50.559
We can.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:51.760
We can know these facts.
00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:57.440
We can believe Christ, at least intellectually, died on a cross, risen from the dead.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:59.599
I think, I think all those things.
00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:03.920
But sometimes things can rattle and shatter our faith along the way.
00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:07.119
What I can assure you is, is if you're his, you're always his.
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:12.239
Praise God for that, because it is by grace we are saved, not how much faith we have, right?
00:38:12.639 --> 00:38:14.320
It is by grace we are saved.
00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:17.360
However, on that journey, he meets us right where we are.
00:38:17.519 --> 00:38:25.679
And you say, okay, Pastor, maybe someone who's not a Christian, maybe you're here and you say, I don't, I don't know, you know, if God is calling me.
00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:28.320
Well, is he calling you today?
00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:31.599
Is he nudging your heart today?
00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:38.400
It can't be something I try to talk you into because if I can talk you into it, somebody else will talk you out of it.
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:47.199
And I'm not gonna manipulate you or try to say something in such a way that maybe the Holy Spirit will move and no.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:52.800
If you'll open your heart to Him, it is His job to save you, not mine.
00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:58.960
I'm just gonna present the Word of God as true and trustworthy and point you to Jesus over and over and over again.
00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:01.199
And he will reveal himself.
00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:05.760
So you ask the question Has God revealed himself to me?
00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:09.360
Has God reached out to me with grace for salvation?
00:39:10.400 --> 00:39:11.840
I don't know, has he?
00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:15.280
Have you received him?
00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:22.079
And for those of you who are unsure, how about like these disciples?
00:39:23.039 --> 00:39:27.760
They met with Jesus and they immediately responded.
00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:31.360
That was their step.
00:39:32.320 --> 00:39:40.639
So deconstructing unsure questions, we point you to the word and we point you to Jesus.
00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:50.239
Our faith must be based on our relationship with Christ individually, not on anyone else.
00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:54.239
It can't be on your parents or grandparents or your church or anyone else.
00:39:54.559 --> 00:39:56.239
Do you know Jesus?
00:39:56.480 --> 00:40:02.880
Have you realized your need of a savior and just began to cling to him?
00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:07.920
If not, you can respond immediately.
00:40:09.440 --> 00:40:11.599
I'm gonna ask you to bow your head and we're gonna pray.
00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:13.920
Our prayer team is gonna come up front.
00:40:14.159 --> 00:40:19.119
Our worship team is gonna lead us in a song that's gonna point you straight to Jesus.
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:24.639
Just in this quiet moment, go back in your faith.
00:40:26.960 --> 00:40:28.079
Lord, I have questions.
00:40:28.239 --> 00:40:28.480
Good.
00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:32.320
He loves questions, he loved asking questions himself.
00:40:33.840 --> 00:40:34.880
Do you know him?
00:40:35.519 --> 00:40:42.480
Is he revealing himself to you today as he nudges your heart and calls you to himself?
00:40:43.360 --> 00:40:44.639
I'm gonna pray for you.
00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:46.000
Pray for all of us.
00:40:48.159 --> 00:40:51.519
For those of us who know Christ, man, we'll rejoice again in his grace.
00:40:51.679 --> 00:41:07.599
For those, if you're unsure, and we sing in just a moment, we'd love to take a moment to just talk with you, to share with you what it means to know that that grace has reached out to you and you just simply cling to Jesus.
00:41:07.920 --> 00:41:12.239
Lord, thank you for your word that is clear and true.
00:41:12.559 --> 00:41:23.199
And in those places where it's hard to understand, we turn to you and say we don't know, and we seek you, and we continue to search your scriptures so that we can know.
00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:44.239
But what we know, all we know that pertains to a relationship with God, has been clearly revealed from Old Testament to revelation that the word of God is true and trustworthy, and that Jesus is at the center of history.
00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:51.760
You, Jesus, are the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:53.840
You were the sheep to the shearers.
00:41:53.920 --> 00:41:55.840
You are the one who was slaughtered for us.
00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:01.360
It is by your blood that we are transformed, that we are healed.
00:42:01.679 --> 00:42:05.119
We have nothing to offer except surrender.
00:42:05.280 --> 00:42:10.000
And so we once again cling to Jesus.
00:42:11.280 --> 00:42:13.679
I pray for those that need to receive you today.
00:42:13.760 --> 00:42:16.320
Maybe they're unsure, but they have that unsettledness.
00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:23.039
Could that be God revealing themselves to them with that unsettledness saying, let's nail this down?
00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:30.960
May you give them the boldness to come, whether it's in the balcony or here on the floor, just to come and say, I don't know, and let us walk with them.
00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:35.679
But also pray for those who have so many questions.
00:42:35.760 --> 00:42:40.320
They know they're yours, but there's questions that have caused their faith to be shattered.
00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:43.840
They're uncertain, they don't get it.
00:42:45.119 --> 00:42:45.920
Been there.
00:42:47.119 --> 00:42:49.199
We just want to speak Jesus over them.
00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:59.679
So, Lord, I pray that you would be in this moment and help us, just like these disciples, whenever you revealed yourself to them and they realize it, they turned around and went home.
00:42:59.840 --> 00:43:02.320
I pray for those that need to respond in that way.
00:43:02.559 --> 00:43:04.000
Lord, we thank you for this.
00:43:04.079 --> 00:43:05.920
And we pray in Jesus' name.
00:43:06.159 --> 00:43:06.559
Amen.
00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:07.199
Would you stand?
00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:09.759
So over the last several weeks, we've been looking at different ideologies or worldviews and comparing them to historical Christianity.
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.560
And so today's a little different.
00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:19.039
Where the first ones we looked at, some who called themselves Christian, maybe they were, maybe they weren't.
00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:26.320
But like, for example, we first talked about those that were the new atheists and how they were a little different in their thinking.
00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:31.199
It's different than the old atheism where Christianity is just not needed, right?
00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.719
For anything that we would need in our culture today.
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:42.399
There are others, we talked about cultural Christianity as someone who identifies with the morality of Christianity, but not necessarily a Christian.
00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:54.640
We talked about progressive Christianity, where there's an idea where you take the scripture but use it in order to justify your lifestyle or to affirm something that's going on in your life.
00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:57.039
Today's is a little different.
00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:02.240
Today we're going to talk about deconstructing Christianity.
00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:12.000
So this would be people where at some point in their life they professed Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:21.599
In other words, there is a moment or a season, not necessarily a day or an hour that they can point to, but they know that there was a time in their life that they received Christ.
00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:27.840
The thing we have to understand, there's a few things about deconstructing Christianity that I want us to think about today.
00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:34.879
There are really two different ways to look at it, but just generally speaking, here's what this uh deconstructing Christians do.
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:36.799
So here's a little statement for you to start.
00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:48.879
Deconstructing Christians dismantle historical Christianity by examining and questioning its doctrines, biblical interpretations, and institutional practices.
00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:55.200
So as we begin right there, the question is is there anything wrong with this at all?
00:01:56.239 --> 00:02:00.079
Is there anything wrong with examining and questioning our doctrine?
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:09.199
Is there anything wrong, inherently wrong, with looking at interpretations and understanding institutional means the practice of the church?
00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:11.039
Absolutely not.
00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:12.719
That's not the problem.
00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:17.520
But this is where you see a few things happening with deconstruction.
00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:33.599
For some, deconstruction is a dismantling of the beliefs, the historical beliefs of Christianity, and turning it to where now Christians are toxic and harmful to our society.
00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:50.800
It's interesting to me that you will see even pastors who have preached and led large churches, who now they've deconstructed, and not only do they not believe in Jesus, but now they're militant against Jesus.
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:52.319
Why is that?
00:02:52.479 --> 00:03:11.680
What takes someone to being brought up in such a way of embracing Jesus, at least at some level, to are now absolutely opposed to the point to where Christianity should literally be eradicated from our society because it is harmful.
00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:18.479
You hear some of that if you just kind of keep your ears open in our culture, you hear some of that Christianity is harmful.
00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:20.319
Their beliefs are harmful.
00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:37.919
Well, that's someone who, in some cases, they profess Jesus, but yet somewhere along the way, something happened which caused them to deconstruct, to ask some questions, and land to a place that now they are militant against Christianity.
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:46.800
You have some, though, who they simply have questions and they couldn't find answers.
00:03:47.919 --> 00:04:01.840
Maybe they were raised in a Christian home, they heard much about Jesus, they went to Sunday school or whatever you call it, and they learned things, but for some reason the foundation didn't stick.
00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:06.400
What did it mean to be a Christian?
00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:08.319
Why do I believe these things?
00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:11.759
And so what happens is then you start seeing some questions.
00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:19.519
The problem is not the questions, the problem is happens with where you go to find the answers.
00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:24.879
Now, again, nothing wrong with going and searching and seeing what all the world may have to say about it.
00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:29.680
However, the key to it is we have to go back to Scripture.
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:34.480
So when you look at these things, there's a verse as far as questions are concerned.
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:46.560
We're gonna look in Luke 24, but before we get there, Acts chapter 17, verse 11, Paul is on a missionary journey, and as he's going to all of these different places, he runs into a lot of different people.
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:56.000
But I want you to notice something about what is said about these Jews that began to believe as they were in Berea.
00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:02.240
So in Acts chapter 17, verse 11, so Paul and Silas had come to Berea.
00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:04.639
They entered the Jewish synagogue.
00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:12.560
So these are Jews, they don't necessarily believe in Jesus as Messiah, but they are believing, they understand scripture, they understand the Old Testament.
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:13.759
But watch what it says.
00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.720
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:19.120
Okay?
00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:20.560
Why were they noble?
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.920
Because they received the word with all eagerness.
00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:31.680
Listen to this, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were true or were so.
00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:32.879
What things?
00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.160
The things that Paul was saying about Jesus.
00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:38.560
What did they do?
00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:40.720
They went into scripture.
00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:46.639
This word says that they investigated, they scrutinized, they questioned.
00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.519
And these people were called noble.
00:05:50.000 --> 00:06:02.079
So let me say, according to Scripture, if you have questions about Jesus, if you have questions about theology and doctrine and why we believe what we believe, I've applaud you as noble.
00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:04.399
It's amazing.
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:05.920
We should ask questions.
00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:09.199
That's how we struggle and we grow deeper in our faith.
00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:16.959
However, what I would ask you to do is to consider where you're going to find the truth.
00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:22.959
Search, look, go online, see what everyone has to say.
00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.480
But it comes down to who are you going to trust with your authority?
00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:29.120
What is the authority?
00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:40.959
Now, when you look at Scripture, we need to understand that Jesus welcomes honest questions, but he rebuilds our faith, as we'll see today, on Scripture and on Himself.
00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:43.360
There are really two questions.
00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:57.439
If you're going to share your faith with someone, there are really two questions, if there are any objections, that you need to have and be able to answer in your mind in case it goes a little further than we're all sinners, you've sinned, Jesus died on the cross.
00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.199
Those are all very basic and very true.
00:06:59.279 --> 00:06:59.839
We learned them.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:00.959
We learned the Roman road.
00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:01.759
We learned all those.
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:05.600
These two things, study these things, learn these two things.
00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:06.319
You ready?
00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:07.279
These two.
00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:09.439
Because this is the question.
00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:13.600
Is Jesus really who he says he was?
00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.399
And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:23.279
Those two things I want you to wrestle with today.
00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:24.879
Those are really the two things.
00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:28.959
When you look at someone who's deconstructing you, you can say, I got hurt, I did this, I did that.
00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:30.879
Why is there evil and suffering in our world?
00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:33.439
Why is it that God would create a world where people go to hell?
00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:34.560
Why, why, why?
00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.639
You got to go back to is Jesus who he said he was?
00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:42.879
And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
00:07:43.120 --> 00:08:01.839
So, in all your studying and all the studying, and we grow deeper in our faith, I truly believe if you look in the Word of God and we can wrestle around and defend those true, then whatever comes your direction, we can answer those questions and stand firm in our faith.
00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:03.360
That is the foundation.
00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:05.120
Why is it important about Scripture?
00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:07.360
Because Scripture is about Jesus.
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.639
So really it all comes down to Jesus.
00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:17.839
So on Easter Sunday, there were some men who believed in God.
00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:23.040
Believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:27.920
That he is the one who would save the world.
00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:29.839
They believed it.
00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.240
But they saw him die.
00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.639
They saw him buried in a tomb.
00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.480
They heard that the tomb was empty.
00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.600
And that some people had seen Jesus.
00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:49.440
But with all the facts and the evidence, they left anyway.
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:55.200
They walked away from the hope that they had had.
00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.960
That is the picture of deconstruction.
00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:11.840
We have hope, we truly believe, then all of a sudden, something happens that rattles our faith, and we begin to ask God, why?
00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.240
How could you do this?
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:17.200
Why could this happen the way that it did?
00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:30.399
And I want you to see how Jesus answers this question for these men and for anyone else that we may talk to who is struggling with their faith.
00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:31.759
Are you ready?
00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:33.919
Luke chapter 24.
00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:41.679
In this story, Jesus walks with some disciples who left him.
00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:43.919
They walked away.
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:45.440
Keep that in mind.
00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:50.480
Luke chapter 24.
00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:59.519
The first thing that we see, we'll start in verse 13, is that Jesus meets them on their journey away.
00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:07.759
They were in Jerusalem, they heard lots of things that we'll see, but they walked away from the miracle.
00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:12.559
They walked away from the hope and headed back home.
00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:16.159
Listen to this in Luke chapter 24, verse 13.
00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:18.159
On that very day, what day?
00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:29.279
Easter, Resurrection Sunday, the very day of the miracle, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:32.720
They were talking with each other about all the things that had happened.
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:41.120
And while they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself, the risen Jesus, drew near and went with them.
00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.960
Pause just for a second and understand the picture of what's going on.
00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:52.000
These people have just walked away from the resurrection.
00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:55.919
They had walked away from the hope of the empty tomb.
00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:00.639
They had headed home, and you're going to see they stopped believing.
00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:03.600
And Jesus did not cast them aside.
00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:05.600
What did he do right here?
00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.559
He hunted them down.
00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:13.440
They were on their way away from him and he went to them.
00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:17.039
They did not turn to him, they were away from him.
00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:19.039
You see how important that is?
00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:20.320
They were away.
00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.480
And if you're away today, guess what?
00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.679
Jesus is walking right towards you.
00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:33.360
What a beautiful picture, though, when we're talking with someone is that we don't reject them in their questions.
00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.320
Even the hard ones, even the ones we can't answer.
00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:37.600
It's okay to say, I don't know.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:39.360
Let me search the scriptures.
00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.519
And then understand the two things.
00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.120
Is Jesus who he said he was?
00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:45.120
And is the Bible true and trustworthy?
00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.039
He went to them, he walked with them.
00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:50.879
What a great example for us.
00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.360
The second thing that we see is in verse 17.
00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:59.039
He listens to their questions and their disappointments.
00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.120
So first we begin with the facts.
00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:02.320
So here's what's happening.
00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:09.200
Verse 17, and he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?
00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:12.240
And they stood still, looking sad.
00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:24.879
Then one of them, named Cleopus, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?
00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:28.399
And he, Jesus, said to them, What things?
00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:45.759
And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty indeed and word, before God and all the peoples, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.
00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:47.919
So these are the facts.
00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.120
This is the reality that they were living in in that moment.
00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:52.799
And everyone knew about this.
00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.080
A lot of people believed Jesus was the Messiah.
00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:57.919
They came to follow him.
00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:09.279
The problem is, they were expecting a Messiah who would be the Savior and the deliverer, and you would see the kingdom of God built, and the Jews would be back in power, but that wasn't the plan.
00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:11.360
And so what happened?
00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.559
They misunderstood, but they saw the facts.
00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:18.080
So at this moment, they knew that Jesus lived.
00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:22.559
They knew that Jesus had a fake trial.
00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:27.200
They knew that he was beaten and crucified.
00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:31.759
They knew that he was killed and put in a tomb.
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.919
That's all we know.
00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:41.120
And so at this point, these men have the facts that every one of us have.
00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:45.039
That Jesus Christ, he lived and he died.
00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:52.480
And then verse 21, I'll come back to in a second, but I just wanted you to see it in the middle of it.
00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.200
It says that this happened.
00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:59.919
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.720
Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:06.480
So you have the facts.
00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.919
Now you have eyewitness testimony.
00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:10.799
Verse 22.
00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:14.159
Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.
00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:23.600
They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:33.759
And some of those who were with us went into the tomb and they found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.
00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.919
Some of the women had said they had seen Christ.
00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:48.080
So you have facts, and now you have eyewitness testimony of an empty tomb.
00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:51.279
They have all that information for them, right?
00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:58.639
They have all the stuff that you would think would have brought hope back, but it didn't.
00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:00.879
They still walked away.
00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:18.080
And that just is a good reminder for us when we talk to others about Jesus, we can give them fact after fact after fact after fact, and we can say, look at the empirical evidence we have, the empty tomb, we have all of these things that show us evidence that Christ is who he said he was and that he has risen from the dead.
00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:27.679
And we can take scripture, both external evidence and internal evidence, and prove that the word of God is true and trustworthy, but it may not be enough for some.
00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:30.639
It was not enough for them.
00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.279
And they had walked with Jesus.
00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.159
Verse 21 again.
00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:37.840
Here's the verse.
00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:45.279
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:52.960
The tense of this verb is that we believed and now we don't.
00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:57.519
In other words, we're done.
00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:09.279
We were there, we watched, we know what happened, we heard the evidence, but we no longer, you can use the word hoped or believed, we no longer believe.
00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:12.399
We no longer believe.
00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:32.480
Happens a lot of times whenever people know about God or know scripture a little, and something happens that's devastating in their life, and they say, God, why?
00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:34.240
And we just don't know how to explain it.
00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.159
We just don't understand.
00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.240
And in this case, they walked away.
00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:49.360
But let's keep looking at what happens because I know that there are times that there are hurts, there are things that happen.
00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:53.039
We hear about church hurt, we hear about evil in the world.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:17:05.200
All we have to do is look at our culture and watch the news just a little and think the depravity that is going on right now in our culture is just unbelievable.
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.559
And not even common sensible anymore.
00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:18.480
Well, in this case, they had all the evidence, but they still didn't believe, they had lost hope, they were disappointed, and these questions were festering.
00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.319
Well, let's see what happened.
00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:22.240
So he meets them on the journey away.
00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:24.319
Remember, they were walking away.
00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:32.160
Jesus listens to their questions and disappointments, and then Jesus brings them back to Scripture.
00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:34.640
This is very important.
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:38.559
Let's see what happens if you look in verse 25 and following.
00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:45.920
And he said to them, Oh foolish, literally, it's not uh misunderstanding, you're misunderstanding.
00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:51.440
Misunderstanding ones, you're slow to heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken.
00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:58.400
Was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?
00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:11.599
And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the scriptures, and all the scriptures, the things concerning him.
00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:21.200
This word for interpreted literally means that he translated, he explained it to them.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:34.000
I remember in seminary, this word, they would take this word, and uh our preaching professors would remind us this is a very important word for preachers because it literally means is you stay true to the text.
00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.160
Let the Bible speak for itself.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:37.119
That's where you find it.
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:41.920
So if you ever heard someone say, we just need to stay true to the text, Jesus is the one who said it.
00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:42.960
He's the one who did it.
00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:44.640
We go back to the Word of God.
00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:45.920
Commentaries are awesome.
00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:51.039
You can find lots of information, but nothing replaces the text of Scripture.
00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:57.680
And so Jesus went back, but their problem was is they had a lot of information they just didn't understand.
00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:02.720
So he had to take the text and help them to see what that meant.
00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:03.920
What was the point?
00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:04.880
The resurrection.
00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.119
You had this huge event that happened.
00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:19.920
Now, here's the thing, though, you have to remember for the Jews, this was ridiculous to think that the Messiah would be crucified and then raised from the dead.
00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:22.319
There was no way they would believe that.
00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:32.720
But even the Gentiles, so your intelligent pagans of that day, they had heard stories of a resurrection theory.
00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.359
And so when they heard this, they thought that's just a myth.
00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:48.319
And so you have the intelligentsia of the day, you have the religious leaders of the day all saying there's absolutely no way this Jesus could have been the Messiah.
00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:53.519
So on that backdrop, here are two men who are very intelligent, who have walked with Jesus.
00:19:53.599 --> 00:20:00.559
They had hoped they're walking away, Jesus meets them, and so now they're thinking, and maybe they're hearing all of these things.
00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:05.200
Well, all the smart people say there's no way that somebody can raise from the dead.
00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.680
Even the Jewish leaders are saying, there's no way this Messiah.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:21.599
So before we get on to them for not believing, it was tough to be able to get your mind around a resurrection of a Messiah.
00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:22.799
And you know what?
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:24.319
It's tough today.
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:28.559
We believe it, we know it's true with all we've seen and the evidence.
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:33.200
It's just hard to fathom, isn't it?
00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.519
And it's okay to say, God, I don't get it.
00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:37.200
I believe it, but I don't get it.
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:38.720
That's the beauty of it.
00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:44.720
God's bigger than us, and we're never gonna understand all the ways and all of the things that he does.
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:53.119
But we go back to the truth of the text and we go back to Jesus every time and what he said about himself.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:55.680
So he takes them back to Scripture.
00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:57.759
They had a little difficulty with that.
00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:16.960
I'll just remind you in 1 Corinthians, this is where we understand kind of the culture of the early church in that day, even 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 23 says, we preach Christ crucified as a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:22.240
Now put that all together and understand that it is the exact same thing today.
00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:28.960
To preach Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead is gonna be foolishness to many.
00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:31.839
It's gonna be a stumbling block to some.
00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:36.000
And so, if we're gonna stand firm on that, we're gonna have to defend it.
00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:40.160
We're gonna have to use the word of God and know why we believe what we believe.
00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:47.279
And so, in this case, Jesus opens the scriptures and he had to make sure they understood.
00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:51.200
So I'm gonna walk this through with you just some Old Testament things.
00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.880
And what they did is they they couldn't piece it all together.
00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:59.759
And so I'm not sure Jesus preached these passages, but I'll give them to you because.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.200
Are just straight out of scripture.
00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:03.839
And I'm just going to read them and let the text speak for themselves.
00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:12.000
And understand that all these things in the Old Testament is pointing to the Messiah, which we know now is Jesus.
00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:22.480
So from the very beginning in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:27.839
He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.839
Genesis 22, verse 8, where you have the sacrifice of Isaac.
00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.680
Abraham is tested in this way, the father of many nations, right?
00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:39.680
Genesis 22, 8.
00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:48.720
Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:56.160
You see the picture, you have this where the enemy is going to be crushed, the serpent from the very beginning is going to be crushed.
00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.759
How's he going to do this?
00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:04.960
Well, you have Abraham in that covenant, and he's going to provide a lamb to take care of this.
00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:09.759
Well, then you have the Passover in Exodus chapter 12.
00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:11.359
This is what God's word says.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:16.720
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall be for you, the beginning of months.
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:18.799
It shall be the first month of the year for you.
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:27.200
Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of the month every man shall take a lamb according to their father's houses, a lamb for a household.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:34.000
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons.
00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:40.960
According to what each of you can uh eat, you shall make your count for your lamb.
00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:54.559
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male, a year old, you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and when the whole assembly and the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
00:23:54.799 --> 00:24:02.400
Then they shall take some of the blood, put it on the two doorposts, and the lintel of the houses in which they eat.
00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.000
Jump to verse 13.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:22.319
The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike you in the land of Egypt.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.720
The enemy will be defeated, his head will be crushed.
00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:29.920
A sacrifice God will provide.
00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:34.000
The blood will be applied of the sacrifice.
00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:46.720
Verse 14 I am poured out like water, and all of my bones are out of joint, and my heart is like wax.
00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:52.160
It is melted within my breast, my strength is dried up like a potshard.
00:24:52.480 --> 00:25:05.200
My tongue sticks to my jaws, you lay me in the dust of death, for dogs encompass me, a company of evildoers encircles me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:15.200
I can count all my bones, they stare and gloat over me, they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.880
But you, O Lord, do not be far off.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.000
O you my help, come quickly to my aid.
00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:28.000
Isaiah 53.
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:34.880
But who has believed what he has heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:40.559
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.
00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:46.880
He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire of him.
00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:59.440
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:07.440
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:12.079
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:23.519
He was crushed for our iniquities, and upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:32.799
All we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned, every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of his all.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:46.480
He was oppressed, he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is before its shears is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
00:26:46.799 --> 00:27:10.720
By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for the generation who considered that he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of peoples, they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him, he has put him to grief.
00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:26.160
And when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:39.119
The prophets, Daniel says, I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man.
00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:50.160
And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him, and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, languages should serve him.
00:27:50.319 --> 00:28:00.640
His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:13.519
Written hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before the Messiah would come, pieced together from generation to generation, pointing to Jesus.
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:21.200
And I can only imagine Jesus being able to go all the way back from the beginning.
00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:37.119
And as this scripture tells us in Luke chapter 24, that he took all of these things, and in verse 27 said that he did this, and he took from Moses and the prophets, and he talked about the scriptures and what is verse 27?
00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:41.519
All the scriptures, the things concerning himself.
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.880
So what did he do?
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:57.839
He took all of these things that were spoken, and he began to rebuild their faith by going back to scripture and explaining what it meant.
00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:01.599
They had misunderstood or maybe just uninformed.
00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:04.480
They weren't sure what it meant.
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:09.119
They knew a Messiah would die, a Messiah would come, but they just weren't sure.
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:10.559
And so what did Jesus do?
00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:12.000
A great example for us.
00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:14.000
Go back to Scripture.
00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:18.720
So he takes the word of God and he brings them back to this moment.
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:27.519
And he tells them, now remember the two primary questions we talked about at the beginning.
00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:30.160
And that is, is Jesus who he says he was?
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.759
That's going to take a lot of studying to see who he really says he was.
00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:36.640
And then is the Bible true and trustworthy?
00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:39.599
We get our arms around those things.
00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:41.359
It's exactly what Jesus did.
00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:47.519
He took those things, he took the word of God, he talked about how the Bible was pointing everything toward him.
00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:51.680
And then here's this moment in verse 28.
00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:58.160
Jesus opens their eyes and stirs their heart.
00:29:58.720 --> 00:29:59.920
Check it out.
00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:08.960
So they drew near to the village which they were going, and he acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us.
00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:12.480
For it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:14.079
So he went in to stay with them.
00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:18.480
And when he was at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them.
00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:19.920
So like the Lord's Supper.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:28.480
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:40.799
And they said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and he opened to us the scriptures.
00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:47.599
They had believed, they had lost hope, and they had left.
00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:51.680
So what's the journey?
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:55.440
Jesus meets them on the journey away.
00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.519
They have questions and disappointments that he answers.
00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:03.039
He brings them back to Scripture, and all of that points to him.
00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:07.759
And then he opens their eyes and their hearts.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:14.880
Now here's something we have to remember when we're trying to lead someone to the throne of grace.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:18.240
Those first three we can do.
00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:22.400
We can walk along a path with somebody.
00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:29.200
We can meet them right where they are, and even if they're walking away from God, we run toward them so that we can share, just like Jesus did.
00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:30.559
What a beautiful example.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:33.200
Walking away, deconstructing, whatever it may be.
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:35.759
We don't leave them, we don't turn our backs on them.
00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:37.119
We walk toward them.
00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:38.720
We can do that, right?
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:40.240
Take some effort.
00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:41.680
We can do that.
00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:49.759
We can also listen to their questions and disappointments and not make excuses and say, you're right, there's a lot of misunderstanding, and there's a lot of things I don't understand.
00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:54.880
But I know the word of God is true and trustworthy, and I know that Jesus is who he said he was.
00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.000
We're gonna have that down in the next month or so, aren't we?
00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:58.799
Right?
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.440
I know those things, and we can do that, can't we?
00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.160
Even the last thing, we can take them back to Scripture.
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:06.880
We can know the word and bring that to him.
00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:10.640
But we can't do the fourth thing.
00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:17.200
We cannot open their eyes and stir their heart.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:20.480
Only God can do that.
00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:36.799
And what that means is this we do our part, and that means we go toward, we share the truth, we walk with them, we don't reject them, and we open the word, and when we don't know, we say, let's search the word together and all of the questions we bring together.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:53.279
But make no mistake, no one can turn back to Christ unless He first wakes them up and opens their eyes and stirs their heart.
00:32:54.319 --> 00:33:00.079
We think about by grace, we are saved through faith, right?
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:04.240
So we have grace, we have faith, we have salvation.
00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:06.960
Faith cannot come first.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.680
Grace must come first.
00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:12.160
Let me explain it this way.
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:23.920
If we put faith, you know what, I just need to have enough faith in grace, which means God loves me and we learn about God, and we learn all these things about his forgiveness, and we have that.
00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:31.920
But if we put faith first, then when we start spiraling, we're gonna think, well, maybe I really didn't have enough faith in the first place.
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:34.640
Maybe it really wasn't authentic faith.
00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:36.799
Maybe I'm just leaning on my parents' faith.
00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:37.839
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:43.920
If faith is before grace, then it's as if we did something to wake ourselves up.
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:57.119
But remember, scripture says that while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, he made us alive together, for by grace you're saved through faith.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:07.519
That means God pursues you and wakes you up, and we respond by clinging to him.
00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.599
That's it.
00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:16.480
It's not how much faith I have, it's that I'm just saying, I got nothing.
00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:19.280
I give myself to you.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:20.639
That's it.
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:25.920
Grace wakes us up by faith, we cling to him.
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:31.679
And that is the power of God to salvation to all who believe.
00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:32.480
Believe what?
00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:34.400
His grace is true.
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:40.719
Jesus met them, he talked to him, he explained scripture, and man, he revealed himself in a way.
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.320
And this is always, this is my prayer.
00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:47.199
If for some reason you're in that journey of deconstruction, I'd love to talk to you.
00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:58.000
I'll walk through scripture with you the best I know how, but here's what I would say: there's no way you're gonna turn back unless God reveals himself to you in such a way that you can understand it.
00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:00.480
He must do that part.
00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:05.679
So my question would be, why would he not?
00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:08.719
You following me?
00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:16.400
Why would God not reveal himself in such a way to that one who is walking away?
00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:22.239
I will tell you, according to scripture, according to this passage, he walked and found them.
00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:24.880
And then he revealed himself to them.
00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:26.639
See, that's it.
00:35:28.719 --> 00:35:31.119
Walk with somebody who's not sure.
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:34.239
Let them ask questions, answer these questions.
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:43.360
Go to scripture, know the word of God, it is true and trustworthy, and Jesus is who he says he was, and then let God do his job.
00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:51.199
And he can captivate their heart with grace in a way that we will never be able to talk them out of.
00:35:52.079 --> 00:36:06.000
Salvation is an act of God, not an act of intellect, our family origin, going to church or doing a thing, it is that God doesn't.
00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:07.920
But here's the great news.
00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:09.840
What happened next?
00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:14.960
So he reconstructed their faith with his word and with his presence.
00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:17.679
And then what happened?
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:22.159
They turned back.
00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:25.360
Verse 33.
00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:32.800
And they rose that same hour, it's late at night, Easter night, and returned to Jerusalem.
00:36:33.119 --> 00:36:42.800
Found the eleven and those who were gathered with them together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and he appeared to Simon.
00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:46.639
Let's make sure we get the whole picture.
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:49.039
Lost hope.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:51.679
Call it deconstruction, call it what you want.
00:36:51.840 --> 00:36:52.639
They were walking away.
00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:53.519
They have no more hope.
00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:54.320
They're walking away.
00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:55.519
Jesus meets them there.
00:36:55.840 --> 00:37:00.960
He answers their questions, he loves them, he shows compassion, he teaches them the truth.
00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:08.000
He goes back to the word of God, he points to the Bible, he points to himself, and then he reveals himself to them.
00:37:08.239 --> 00:37:12.480
And then they had a decision to make at that moment.
00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:28.079
And they believed and they turned around at night, on foot, seven miles away, back to where the miracle happened.
00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:30.320
What happened?
00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:43.119
Jesus found them where they were, pointed to Scripture and to Himself, showed them how they misunderstood, and then revealed Himself in such a way they could understand it, and then they turned.
00:37:49.920 --> 00:37:50.559
We can.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:51.760
We can know these facts.
00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:57.440
We can believe Christ, at least intellectually, died on a cross, risen from the dead.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:59.599
I think, I think all those things.
00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:03.920
But sometimes things can rattle and shatter our faith along the way.
00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:07.119
What I can assure you is, is if you're his, you're always his.
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:12.239
Praise God for that, because it is by grace we are saved, not how much faith we have, right?
00:38:12.639 --> 00:38:14.320
It is by grace we are saved.
00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:17.360
However, on that journey, he meets us right where we are.
00:38:17.519 --> 00:38:25.679
And you say, okay, Pastor, maybe someone who's not a Christian, maybe you're here and you say, I don't, I don't know, you know, if God is calling me.
00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:28.320
Well, is he calling you today?
00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:31.599
Is he nudging your heart today?
00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:38.400
It can't be something I try to talk you into because if I can talk you into it, somebody else will talk you out of it.
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:47.199
And I'm not gonna manipulate you or try to say something in such a way that maybe the Holy Spirit will move and no.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:52.800
If you'll open your heart to Him, it is His job to save you, not mine.
00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:58.960
I'm just gonna present the Word of God as true and trustworthy and point you to Jesus over and over and over again.
00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:01.199
And he will reveal himself.
00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:05.760
So you ask the question Has God revealed himself to me?
00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:09.360
Has God reached out to me with grace for salvation?
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I don't know, has he?
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Have you received him?
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And for those of you who are unsure, how about like these disciples?
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They met with Jesus and they immediately responded.
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That was their step.
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So deconstructing unsure questions, we point you to the word and we point you to Jesus.
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Our faith must be based on our relationship with Christ individually, not on anyone else.
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It can't be on your parents or grandparents or your church or anyone else.
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Do you know Jesus?
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Have you realized your need of a savior and just began to cling to him?
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If not, you can respond immediately.
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I'm gonna ask you to bow your head and we're gonna pray.
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Our prayer team is gonna come up front.
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Our worship team is gonna lead us in a song that's gonna point you straight to Jesus.
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Just in this quiet moment, go back in your faith.
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Lord, I have questions.
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Good.
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He loves questions, he loved asking questions himself.
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Do you know him?
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Is he revealing himself to you today as he nudges your heart and calls you to himself?
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I'm gonna pray for you.
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Pray for all of us.
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For those of us who know Christ, man, we'll rejoice again in his grace.
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For those, if you're unsure, and we sing in just a moment, we'd love to take a moment to just talk with you, to share with you what it means to know that that grace has reached out to you and you just simply cling to Jesus.
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Lord, thank you for your word that is clear and true.
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And in those places where it's hard to understand, we turn to you and say we don't know, and we seek you, and we continue to search your scriptures so that we can know.
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But what we know, all we know that pertains to a relationship with God, has been clearly revealed from Old Testament to revelation that the word of God is true and trustworthy, and that Jesus is at the center of history.
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You, Jesus, are the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
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You were the sheep to the shearers.
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You are the one who was slaughtered for us.
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It is by your blood that we are transformed, that we are healed.
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We have nothing to offer except surrender.
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And so we once again cling to Jesus.
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I pray for those that need to receive you today.
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Maybe they're unsure, but they have that unsettledness.
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Could that be God revealing themselves to them with that unsettledness saying, let's nail this down?
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May you give them the boldness to come, whether it's in the balcony or here on the floor, just to come and say, I don't know, and let us walk with them.
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But also pray for those who have so many questions.
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They know they're yours, but there's questions that have caused their faith to be shattered.
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They're uncertain, they don't get it.
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Been there.
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We just want to speak Jesus over them.
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So, Lord, I pray that you would be in this moment and help us, just like these disciples, whenever you revealed yourself to them and they realize it, they turned around and went home.
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I pray for those that need to respond in that way.
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Lord, we thank you for this.
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And we pray in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Would you stand?
