공동체와 양육

Fire Starters (Luke 24:13~35)

2017.05.29Stephen Cha

Disappointment can kill the fire in our hearts when our expectations are wrong. But when we seek the risen Christ through his written word, God turns our disappointment into hope and makes us fire starters for Jesus.

Wrong expectations lead to disappointment (vv. 17-21)

The two disciples were disappointed because they had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel, and their hopes collapsed when he was crucified. What they had seen and heard about Jesus raised their expectations, and our culture does the same through the information and images it gives us. The Bible does not promise us great things or smooth sailing in this life. It tells us to expect suffering and hardships, so our hopes must be shaped by God's word rather than by what the world advertises.

Misreading Scripture leads us the wrong way

The disciples misunderstood the Scriptures, expecting the kingdom to come fully at Christ's first coming. Jesus came first as a suffering Messiah and will come again as the King who conquers evil. When we misunderstand God's word, we misunderstand the reality of life, and then we begin walking away from Christ. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him on the narrow road. Happiness does not come from getting more things but from wanting those things less.

Jesus opens the written word to set hearts burning (vv. 27, 44-45)

Jesus explained to the disciples the things concerning himself from Moses, the prophets, and all the Scriptures. The whole Old Testament points to Jesus, and the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation tell of him as well. Even the encounter with the risen Lord was not enough without understanding the written word, because Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. We must read the whole Bible, let it saturate our thinking, and eat it rather than chew it like gum, because every verse holds a treasure of Jesus.

God recalculates us when we take wrong turns

When we take wrong turns and make mistakes, God does not throw us away or break us. He recalculates and leads us back to the right way, though the wrong turns bring consequences in time, effort, and cost. Trusting and obeying is the best way to live a happy and joyful life in Christ. For those who have failed many times, he forgives and uses us again, so we should go to him again and again whenever we fall.

Burning hearts rise and proclaim the risen Lord (vv. 32-34)

The disciples asked each other whether their hearts did not burn within them while Jesus opened the Scriptures. Fire here does not always mean emotion but a prevailing desire that overcomes our sinful nature, which grows as we meditate on God's word and obey it. Their hearts were resurrected, so they turned around, returned to Jerusalem, and gathered with the other disciples. Like Jeremiah, they could not hold in the fire of their hearts, and they proclaimed that the Lord has risen.

Apply to Life

  • Let us expect suffering in this life and hold our hopes to God's word rather than to the world's promises.
  • Let us read the whole Bible and seek Jesus through it every day, not only a single verse.
  • Let us deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, following Christ on the narrow road instead of seeking satisfaction elsewhere.
  • Let us return to Jesus again and again when we fail, trusting that he forgives us and uses us again.
  • Let us gather with other believers and share what we have experienced of Christ so that we proclaim his name together.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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