Journey to Purpose: Recognizing Christ in Our Walk

Often we are walking away. We are walking away while simultaneously unaware, unbeknownst to us, that Jesus is leading us to a burning place and you're going to see this story unfold because I know we can all testify that sometimes as we are in our feelings and in our challenges we're not sure he's with us we know what the word says we know what others testify but we're just not sure haven't heard from him lately do much as I love Jesus there's just those moments when I'm just not sure Lord where are you send me a sign let me know that you're with me I know what your word says I know what my colleagues say but I need you to talk to me that's where this husband and wife were headed to that's what they were experiencing that's what they were experiencing verse 14 and they talked together all these things which had happened which is what they had just experienced this crucifixion of their Lord so it was while they conversed and reasoned that Jesus say Jesus himself drew near and went with them [00:05:00] (93 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


But their eyes were restrained, so they did not know him. Now, it's important to know this is really significant because this restraint, this inability to see who was walking with them was not from the where God Almighty concealed the identity of Jesus. This is really important. He concealed the identity of himself so that his disciples, Cleopas and his wife Mary, wouldn't even know him. And you're going to see why as we go through this. Because there are times that we are calling upon him. We're saying, where are you, Lord? Now, he's right there. We know it because the scripture says that he will never what? Leave us nor forsake us. But we all will testify that we have those moments [00:07:49] (76 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And this is part of the divine. This is part of the divine concealment as he walks with us. He wants to know where you are. Where you are in your journey. He wants to know where I am in my journey. He already knows. But he's more interested in us knowing where we are in our journey. Can the church say amen? Amen. And so they go on to say in verse 21, But we were hoping. That it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, because all this today is the third day since these things happened. Yes. And certain women of our company, that is the company that was called the way before they were called Christians. [00:11:52] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And then Jesus turned to his disciples, Cleopas and his wife Mary, and he says, oh, foolish ones and slow of heart to believe. He said slow of heart to be. What does that mean? That means that their faith was lagging behind. How many times do we have faith that just lags a little bit behind? It's not a condemnation. He's just wanting us to become aware that there are times that our faith can get a little slow. Jesus is moving. He's always moving. He's always on the move. And at times we're just one or two steps behind. Hello. Now, what is his desires that we would keep pace? Huh? His desire is that we would keep pace with him. [00:13:37] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And beginning at Moses and all the prophets Jesus expounded to them in all the scripture the things concerning himself as they were walking together he just began to reveal to them from the beginning all the way to present isn't that amazing I don't know how long that took but it seems to take us a long time to just to read a couple of chapters in the Bible I'm not gonna ask for a show of hands but how many have ever read from the Bible from beginning to end Genesis to revelation you must do it I didn't say don't don't raise your hand I don't want to know that was just for you personally you must do it and then you do it again amen so I don't know how long it took but he started with Moses the Pentateuch the very beginning all the way to present as he was talking through the scriptures and this is what's so profound concerning himself because jesus is present from the very beginning all the way to now this is what we must never forget remember old testament concealed [00:16:18] (84 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


The longer we have to wait in some of our sadness, and some of our difficulties, and some of our challenges to see Jesus, the greater the longing in our hearts. He allowed them to walk all this way as he's revealing himself through scriptures. And watching the longing, the longing in their heart for him increase. They left Jerusalem. They left the prophecies behind. they left the dreams behind. They left their purpose behind. And they were going somewhere else when they should have been staying in Jerusalem where all the other followers of the way were still assembled, still gathering, still talking. And they were on a different journey. And it says that in verse 29, but the two of them, Cleopas and Mary, the Bible says that they constrained Jesus. [00:20:05] (88 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


This is what I call the revelation of the cross. This is where, supernaturally, God must reveal to every one of us what he actually did on the cross. He must reveal what he did on the cross to our hearts. We know what he did. We read what he did. But he's got to reveal it to our hearts that we might know what he did. Are you with me? And so here we go. Verse 30. Now it came to pass as he sat at the table. he says, I go to prepare a place for you. He sat at the table with them. And what did he do when he sat at that table? He took bread. He blessed it, and he broke it, and he gave it to them. What's actually happening here? Do you know? What's happening? Say it out. [00:22:45] (71 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


They said, oh, did not our hearts burn? Because as Jesus revealed himself to them, as Jesus unpacked the Scriptures, it was almost like that little knob started to turn, and the little teeny pilot light went into a full flame with inside. That Greek word says that they were burned and consumed from within. Now, let me tell you something. This is something that we should all long for, that our hearts should long for. hearts would burn from within Jeremiah preached it and we say amen to it we can quote it but now we've got to own it and say this is what I desire too I can't just leave it to Jeremiah that he would burn in such a way that he couldn't stand still I want to burn from within I want it to go from a pilot light to this roaring flame inside of me and let me tell you when that happens there is only one response and it's the same response that this beautiful husband and wife team [00:32:01] (86 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Man, forget all this sorrow. Forget all this hopelessness. Forget all this doubt and uncertainty. I'm done with it. I am done with it. I'm going in. The fire of God is inside of me, and I'm going back to where I'm supposed to be. I'm going back to who I'm supposed to be. I'm going back to what I should be doing and who I am called to become in this world. How long does it take to get to that point in our lives? Well, it takes as long as it takes because all of our journeys are different. All of our journeys are different. But just know, that this is the desire of Jesus for each of us. [00:34:07] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And that's the whole point. That's the whole point. When that fire begins to burn, you do like they did. And the Bible says that they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven of those who And again, that word know is not an intellectual know. It's a knowing know. And it actually goes a little bit deeper because it talks about completeness. There was something complete now. This is all we need. This is all we need. We have seen this in our Jesus journey so many times. When someone gets saved and they start their journey. And then they begin to grow in the wisdom. And the knowledge and the revelation of God. They begin to encounter God in greater ways. This fire and hunger grows inside of them. And at that point. You don't have to hold their hand anymore. Because they are running. [00:36:03] (96 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray just as Cleopas and Mary experienced the burning as you broke bread and revealed yourself to them, first having been concealed, but then revealing. As you reveal yourself more and more to all of us who have our hands up, Father, let us be met with the same result, that these two disciples experience, this burning inside. Father, I pray that the fire that comes from heaven, that surrounds your throne, that encompasses the very nature of who you are, that same fire would burn inside every single believer that desires that. [00:47:46] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)