So good to see you. If you would, please take your Bibles. Turn to Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24. I'll be reading verses 13 through 35. And just to give you the context for this particular passage, this account, I hate to refer to it as a story because as soon as you hear story, you think that it's a fable. It's not. It actually, it really did happen. And just to give you the context, on Friday, Jesus died. And his body was placed in a tomb. And the account that I'm about to read is Resurrection Sunday. So Jesus is alive. But not everyone believed that he was alive. And so we're going to meet in this passage, we're going to meet two of these individuals who although they were told through the prophets about Jesus, they just didn't believe. And they're traveling back home and we're gonna read the details and they have an encounter with the risen Jesus that changes their lives forever. So let's hear the word of the Lord, Luke 24. beginning with verse 13. That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, what is this conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk? and they stood still looking sad. Then one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, what things? And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said, but him they did not see. And he said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly saying, stay with us for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us? While he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures. And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the 11, and those who were with them gathered together, saying, the Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Father God, we come before you, and we just, Father, we ask for your grace at this very moment. Father, we need you. Our minds need your grace to comprehend this passage. Our hearts need your grace in order for us to feel the weight of this passage. Lord, our actions need your grace in order for us to apply this passage. So Father, please, we beg of you that you would be with us at this wonderful moment in time. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. One of my favorite Sundays here at BCF is Baptism Sunday because I love to hear when men and women and children share their stories of how God changed their lives. In fact, we just had that a few weeks ago and it was marvelous. And it's not unusual for those who are up here when they share their story to use this term, faith journey. faith journey in relation to how they came to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. And this week, the more I started thinking about those two words, faith journey, the more I realized how much I like that term. I like faith journey. I started to think about other words that we could substitute for journey, like voyage, faith voyage. I don't like that. It sounds too much like a cruise. It's not a cruise. We're not on a cruise. Faith expedition doesn't work. A faith excursion. None of those works. It's a faith journey. Meaning what? Meaning that there's ups and downs and twists and turns and challenges along the way. And as we near the end of our study, we've been studying Luke now for almost, for over a year, and as we end our study of the book of Luke, we have before us a story of two people who are on a faith journey of their own. But before we dive into the details of their experience, I just want us to, just to back up, and I want us to remind ourselves to whom Luke wrote this gospel. Who did Luke write this gospel to? And if you remember, Luke wrote this gospel to a man by the name of Theophilus. Theophilus, and his name means friend or lover of God. And Theophilus was on a faith journey of his own. So we have a story in this morning's passage of Two on a Faith Journey, and the whole book of Luke is written to a man who's on a faith journey. And I believe that Theophilus was a new convert, but I also believe, like many of us, Theophilus had a crisis of faith. It's not unusual on a faith journey to have a crisis of faith. You see, by the time Luke wrote his gospel, there was much opposition and persecution of Christians. Not only that, the Christian church was moving upstream in a culture that was very antagonistic to the Christian faith. And so, as one commentator puts it, Theophilus began facing his own questions of doubt. Theophilus may have asked a question like, why is Christianity the one right religion out of all these alternatives? If today you're sitting here and in your faith journey, you're just wrestling through the claims of Christ and the exclusivity of Christ, that's not unusual. That's part of your faith journey. Theophilus may have also asked, can I as a Gentile be part of God's family? Just wrestling through that. If this morning you're sitting here and you're having questions about what it means to belong, questioning whether you do belong, having questions about identity, that's not unusual. That's part of the faith journey. And probably the most important question that theophilus faced was, why should I continue to believe that God had revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ? And so again, if today in your faith journey, you're struggling with doubt, there's nothing unusual about that. It's part of our faith journey. And in the midst of these doubts and concerns, Luke writes this gospel so that Theophilus, and by extension us today, may have certainty concerning the things that he was taught. And so with really unrelenting care and precision and detail, Luke writes about the earthly journey of Jesus Christ in order to encourage Theophilus in his journey of faith. And so with pen and parchment in hand, Luke begins to write. Write on those scrolls. Uppercase, Greek letters, words. No space in between the words. And he writes. And although they didn't have chapters and verses, Back in the ancient world when Luke wrote it, we know that the first four chapters is all about the coming of Jesus. And then chapters five through 10 is about the ministry of Jesus and how he ministered among the Gentiles. And then 11 through 19, we have the mission of Jesus and how in his journey, his eyes were just focused on Jerusalem and on the cross and nothing was gonna deter him of that. And then in chapters 20 through 23, we have the suffering of Jesus. And Luke just wrote all the details about that in great precision, because he was concerned about Theophilus and his faith journey. He's concerned about you and your faith journey. And then with a little bit of space left in his parchment, he writes this story before us of these two travelers, going from Jerusalem to their home of Emmaus. On that road, being dejected and discouraged, wondering about how they put all their hopes in this man, Jesus Christ, and now he's alive. Excuse me, now he's no longer living. And so Luke writes these words for Theophilus in order to let him know it's true, Theophilus. It's true. You can believe this. You can know with certainty. But he also knew that for Theophilus and just like us, there would be challenges along the way in his faith journey, that there would be struggles, that there would be difficulties. And so this account of these two travelers are placed there intentionally, I think, in order to help us, to encourage us to continue along in our faith journey. And this account can be divided up very nicely into two major questions. The first question is, what's the greatest problem that you and I will face on our faith journey? What's the greatest problem? And the second question is, what's the solution to that problem? So let's begin with the problem. If I were to sit down and ask you, what is the greatest problem that you will face, the most significant challenge that you will face, have faced, are facing, will face in your faith journey, how would you respond to that? Some of you might say, well, it's past pains. I've been hurt so deeply, I don't think I can believe in God. Some of you might say the greatest challenge that I face is the interplay between science and religion. And I just can't quite put these two together. Some of you might say the greatest challenge in my faith journey is the problem of evil. And I look around this world and I see all this pain and suffering, and I ask myself, how could a good God allow so much pain and suffering to exist? And I will admit, all of those are legitimate questions, big questions, questions that challenge your faith. But you know what? I don't think it's the greatest problem that you and I face. I think it's symptomatic of a greater problem. What's that problem? What's the greatest problem that you and I face in our faith journey? I would say it's this, unbelief. It's unbelief. And I'm getting that from verse 25. Verse 25, when Jesus looks at these two travelers on their way home from Jerusalem, and he says these words, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. How do we get there? How did Jesus get to the point where he said these words to these two travelers? What's the context of these words? Let me just invite us to just to back up and work our way quickly through the story and get us to this place. Our story begins on a road with two individuals traveling from Jerusalem back home to Emmaus. And we know from verse 18 that one of those travelers is named Cleopas. And we don't know the name of the other. It could be Cleopas' wife. It could be Mrs. Cleopas. I always just assumed that it was two men. We don't know that. It could be a couple, a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cleopas. And the distance between Jerusalem and Emmaus was about seven miles. And so for most of us to walk seven miles, it would be about 90 minutes to two hours. So just assume that they left Jerusalem, headed back home. It's about a two hour walk. And out of nowhere, Jesus, shows up, but before he does, these two are having a discussion. And for most of us, that word discussion means nothing. But I looked up that word in the original language and it means emotional dialogue or debate. These two on their way back home, they were getting into it. They were debating. They were passionately dialoguing. And it just reminded me, growing up in a Greek-speaking family, my best friend from high school, Phil Hines, would always come over and he would hear my grandmother speaking to me in Greek. And he would say, why does she always yell at you? And I would say, she's not yelling. That's just the way we talk. It was a passionate, way that she spoke. These two were speaking passionately. And I imagine if we were privy to the conversation, we would have heard statements like this. What just happened? What just took place? It looks so promising. How could things turn so quickly? What about that entrance into Jerusalem on that Good Friday? How could we get it so wrong? We put our hopes in Him. And as that conversation intensified, seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus Himself drew near, just appears. And if you're new to your Bible or you're new to this story, you've never heard it before, you're asking yourself, how does somebody just appear? Well, we know something that these two travelers don't know, and that's first of all that Jesus is alive. But we also know that Jesus in his resurrected or glorified body had the ability to just appear and disappear. So that's how Jesus was able to just get there. So there is Jesus alongside Cleopas and perhaps Mrs. Cleopas as they're passionately discussing the recent events. And what are we told? We're told that their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus. And the question is this, who kept their eyes from recognizing Jesus? So they're walking, Jesus appears, they don't recognize Him. They've seen Him before, they don't know who this person is. Who kept them from seeing Jesus? And I believe it was God. It was God that kept them from recognizing Jesus in order that they might come to understand the unbelief that was in their hearts. If these two would have recognized Jesus at this point, they would have never discovered the depth of their unbelief. Yet even though they're not able to recognize Jesus, Jesus is able to recognize them. Isn't that a beautiful truth? Isn't that wonderful? that they're walking, they're sad, they're discouraged. They don't recognize Jesus, but Jesus recognizes them. And I think that's such an encouragement for some of you, who on your faith journey right now, you're discouraged, you're disappointed, you're depressed. You think that Jesus is nowhere near. Jesus is right by your side. Even though you don't feel it, you don't sense it, you might not even believe it. He's right beside you. And notice the wisdom of Jesus's question as he appears to the two travelers. So again, Jesus just shows up, they're walking, and then Jesus poses this question. What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? What are you guys talking about? That's what he's asking. And the question is, why did Jesus ask that question? It certainly wasn't for himself. Jesus is God. He knew exactly what they were talking about. Now, Jesus didn't ask this question for his sake. He asked it so that the two might be able to put into words, to verbalize what was going on in their hearts. hearts that were slow to believe. It's not what goes into a man that defiles him or her, but what comes out. And so what comes out of Cleopas' mouth are these words. Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? Think about the irony of that statement. Think about what Cleopas asked him. Are you the only one in Jerusalem that doesn't know what's going on? This is Jesus that they're talking about. I was just thinking about the irony of that statement. I was trying to come up with an analogy of what that might be like and the best that I could come up with. It's like an adolescent questioning their mom or dad as to whether or not they know what it's like to be a teenager. as if they just came into existence as a grown adult. Dad, do you know what it's like to be a young person? No, I just popped into existence, old and hairy. Just showed up. If there was anyone on the entire face of the earth that knew the horror and the details regarding the events that happened in Jerusalem, it was Jesus. Jesus knew. Jesus knew what it was like coming through, entering into Jerusalem as the crowds were waving the palm branches, praising and glorifying God. Jesus knew what it was like to be betrayed. Jesus knew what it was like to be denied. Jesus knew what it was like to have those nails pierced through his hands. Jesus knew what it was like having the cosmic weight of the sin of the world placed upon him. And Jesus knew the power of being raised from the dead. Of course, Jesus knew. But rather than setting Cleopas straight, Jesus turns to him and says these two words, what things? Do you know what's going on, Jesus? Jesus says, what things are happening? And Jesus is so good at asking the right question at the right time. And some of you have that gift. It's an amazing gift. You meet somebody for the first time, and you ask a question, and 30 minutes later, you know their whole life story. Jesus is so good at asking questions. He says, what things? And so with those two words, these two sojourners share how their hopes and expectations died when Christ died at the cross. All their hopes just went when He died. And it's all summed up in verse 21 when they say, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. They had a complete misunderstanding of what Jesus came to do. He did come to redeem them, but not redeem them from the oppression of Rome. He came to redeem them from their sins and to restore them back, back to God. Yet these two were convinced that Jesus was dead, and there was nothing that was gonna change them from that. And even though the women reported that the tomb was empty, and even though the women were told by the angels that Jesus was alive, and even though there were others who testified to the empty tomb, Cleopas and his companion did not believe. They didn't believe. which gets us to where we started. Verse 25, oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. It was not lack of data that prevented Cleopas and the other traveler from believing. They had access to all that the prophets had spoken. Their issue was not intellectual. Your greatest problem on your faith journey is not an issue of intellect. It's ultimately about having your heart open so that you would understand and comprehend and come to believe in what these words say. They heard these prophecies read and spoken over the years, time after time after time, yet they would not and could not believe. So if unbelief is the greatest problem that we face on our spiritual journey, what's the solution to that problem? If you and I cannot conjure up the strength to get our hearts to believe, then what's the solution to that problem of unbelief? And the solution to that problem is God's grace in Jesus Christ. We need God's grace to take our unbelieving hard hearts and turn them into hearts of flesh that believe in the promises of God. Notice that the question Jesus asked in verse 26, Jesus asks, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory? And the obvious question is yes. Yes, it was necessary. And it's apparent that the two travelers should have known that it was necessary for Christ to suffer before He entered His glory. And that they should have known that Christ would be raised from the dead. Why? Because they had access to those truths. But it wasn't until God changed their hearts that the information, that the content began to register in their minds, in their hearts. And how did God change their hearts? He began with a Bible lesson taught by Jesus Christ. And what was the purpose of that Bible lesson? It was to move Cleopas and his counterpart from unbelief to belief. It was to help them see for the first time that Jesus was indeed the Redeemer that came to save them from their sins. And so according to verse 27, Jesus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Wouldn't you have loved to have been a part of that Bible study? Wouldn't that have been an amazing opportunity? Where do you think he started? I think he started in Genesis. I think he started in Genesis 3.15. that passage where God promises, and that promise happened right after the fall and God promised, listen, there's gonna be one who comes. And although his heel is gonna be bruised, he's gonna crush the head of the enemy. And that was the first verse that points to the one, the promised one who is to come. And from there, I can see Jesus going to Genesis 22 in the account when God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Remember that story? When Abraham took his son and placed him on the altar, and just as he brought that knife back, and just as he was about ready to kill him, God stops him and he says, No, Abraham, stop! I've got a ram for you. take your boy off the altar and put the ram on there in its place, pointing that the promised one would be a substitute for the penalty that you and I deserve. And perhaps from there, he went to the story of Joseph and how Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. And although they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. And how the promised one and how eventually what he would endure, men meant it for evil. but God meant it for good. And I think from there, most likely, Jesus went to the book of Exodus and the story of Moses and how Moses was sent by God to liberate God's people. Remember these two, Cleopas and maybe Mrs. Cleopas, they were looking for the one who would liberate them. And maybe Jesus said, the one who's to come is gonna liberate you. Cleopas, Mrs. Cleopas, he is gonna come. And he's gonna be a greater liberator than Moses was. He's gonna liberate you from the bondage of sin. And from there, perhaps Jesus had told the two travelers about the 10th plague prior to the Exodus and how the angel of death would pass over those homes where blood was placed over the doorpost of their house. And Jesus probably connected that with the one to come And if you placed your faith in the one to come, he would place his blood over the doorpost of your heart, and God's judgment would pass over you. And from there, Jesus could have connected his life with the sacrificial system taught in Leviticus, and with how the promised one, the one to come, would be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. And I could see from there, Jesus talking about the bronze serpent in numbers and how those people, if they looked at that bronze serpent, they would be saved from death and how that was pointing forward to the cross. Maybe from there, Jesus talked about the significance of the law in Deuteronomy, linking it to the promised one. And from there, maybe he talked about David and how David was a picture of how the promised one would be the ultimate king. And then from there, maybe he talked about the temple built by Solomon and how one day there would be a greater temple where God's people would unite and God himself would tabernacle or live among them. And I gotta believe at some point Jesus brought up the words of Isaiah in Isaiah 53 and how it was predicted that the promised one would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. What a Bible study that must have been. 90 minutes, two hours, of just linking all these stories and just giving Cleopas and Mrs. Cleopas just the full comprehensive big picture story of the Bible. And when they arrived to their village, they urged Jesus to stay, which he did. And it was there while Jesus broke the bread that their eyes were opened and they believed. They believed for the first time. God in his grace broke through their unbelief. What's the difference? Why this time? They had heard before. Our text tells us that, that they were under the teaching of the prophets. They had heard before, didn't register, didn't capture their minds and their hearts. This time, Jesus shares the same truth and they believe. What's the difference? God's grace. God's grace moved them from unbelief to belief. And now as we bring our time to a close, let me just ask you this one simple question. Have you experienced God's grace in your life? Have your eyes been open? Some of you, I know you do. I've talked to you. You know your Bible better than I do. It's not a matter of data. It's not a matter of knowledge. But do you believe in your heart? Do you see the beauty of Jesus in the Bible? Do you see the depth of your own sin and how you need a savior? Do you see how Jesus came to liberate you, to take you from the kingdom of darkness and bring you into the kingdom of light? Do you see it? Do you grasp it? Do you taste it for yourself? If not, why don't you just ask God to give you the grace to be able to see and know. Just ask Him. For those of you who are believers, is there a promise of God that you're not believing? Are you struggling with something in your past? Shame of something that occurred in your past? And you don't believe that God's grace is sufficient to deal with that indiscretion? Is there something that's going on right now that you're not believing the promise of God over? Maybe it's a financial situation. Maybe it's a relational issue. Is there something down the road that you're just looking at and it's just giving you great fear and anxiety? You just don't believe the promises of God? Whether it's something from the past, whether it's something that's going on now, or whether it's something in the future? You need God's grace. Ask Him for it. Ask Him. All of us, every single one of us, just like Theophilus, just like Cleopas, just like the one with Cleopas, you and I, all of us, are on a faith journey. And the greatest problem that you and I will face on our faith journey is unbelief. And the solution to that problem is God's grace in Jesus Christ. And all you gotta do is ask for it. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word, and I pray that your spirit right now would take some from unbelief to belief. For those who have never known you, Father, I pray that right at this very moment, it might be their day of salvation. For those who do know you, Father, but who are struggling to believe a promise, Lord, I pray that you would grant them the ability, by your grace, to take you at your word. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.