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Opened Eyes and Burning Hearts - Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Bible says, in Acts 1, 1:3 That he being Jesus presented himself
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  alive to them after his suffering by many proofs.
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  Appearing to them during forty days.
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  And speaking about the kingdom of God, So essentially here in
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  this one verse at testifies, to the fact that after Jesus Christ
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  died was buried and rose from the grave, he appeared to his
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  disciples. He appeared to many during a
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  period of 40 days. Speaking about the kingdom of
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  God and all that did was build more testimony and more validity
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  and more eyewitness accounts of the fact that we serve a Christ
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  that's alive. So turn with me to Luke chapter
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  24 because there are specific incidences where we see Jesus in
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  his resurrected State meeting these people and each account
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  that's recorded in scripture, is not just for us to see the proof
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  that, yes, he did appear to certain individuals, but there
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  are lifelong lessons for us as Believers to know how to
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  associate, and to relate in to walk with this resurrected
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  Christ. And one of those stories is
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  found in Luke 24:13 and you know this story.
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  If you've read this chapter before concerning two disciples
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  that were walking rather to the road on the road to Emmaus.
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  And so, in verse 13, he says that very day, two of them were
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  going to a village named Emmaus about, seven miles from
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  Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these
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  things that happened. While they were talking and
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  discussing together, Jesus himself Drew near and went with
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  them. But their eyes were kept from
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  recognizing him and he said to them.
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  What is this conversation that you are holding with each other
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  as you walk and they stood, still looking sad The contacts
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  to this specific portion of scripture is this is that the
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  woman that followed Jesus came to his tomb.
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  They saw these angels, these angels testified that Jesus was
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  not here, but he has risen and they ran back to the rest of the
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  disciples to tell them of this news.
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  But it says, in Luke 24. Verse 11, but these words seemed
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  to them as an idle tale. And they did not believe them.
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  so here, these ladies that heard from angels, He's not here for,
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  He Is Risen and Mark's gospel. It tells them and us that the
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  angels and fact said, go to Galilee where Jesus will
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  actually meet with you so he reveals to them.
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  Through the Angels, I'm alive meet me in Galilee and so these
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  faithful disciples run to the rest of the disciples and they
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  say, Jesus is alive. Jesus is risen.
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  We saw angels that testify to this and he said you guys lost
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  your mind. And instead of going to Galilee
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  two of them that were not one of the eleven, but two of them that
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  were in the group. They don't go to Galilee, they
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  walk towards Emmaus. Its eyes are walking to Emmaus.
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  The Bible tells us that they were discussing these matters
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  and verse 19 to 24. We don't have to read it but
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  it's it tells us the subject of their conversation, they were
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  testifying and they were talking and they were wondering what
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  happened to Jesus. We put our hope in Jesus.
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  We put our trust in Jesus and he dies and it's the Talk of the
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  Town and moreover. Now the Mary's come and they
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  tell us that he's not even in the Tomb.
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  And so they heard that Jesus was alive, but they were walking and
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  disbelief. They were walking and pain.
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  They were walking and sadness. They were walking with a heavy
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  heart. They were burdened.
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  That is not how we ought to walk.
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  If we understand that Jesus is Alive.
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  But that is the reality of many people and you might be that
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  person here this morning. You heard and you sang that
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  Jesus is alive, but you're walking with grief.
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  You're walking with a burden heart, there's something
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  weighing you down and you're not walking in the reality that
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  Christ is indeed alive. It's information.
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  It's news, but it's not a reality in your heart.
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  And a lot of people walk like that.
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  Today they have pain, they have questions there in the dark and
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  they wonder if this Jesus really is alive.
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  Why can't I sense his presence? Where's the direction and his
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  leadership in my life? What am I supposed to do now
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  that I'm in this specific season.
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  Where? Yes, I heard that he's alive,
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  but I don't sense that he's alive.
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  And sometimes people walk like that, and you might be walking
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  like that right now. You don't senses realities.
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  You don't sensors leading. In fact you've been wondering
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  probably Lord, I'm in so much pain.
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  Where are you? I'm in so much trouble, where
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  are you? I've heard of you but now I
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  really need you. And it seems like you're not
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  here and I don't understand because I heard that you're
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  alive. We have to understand verse 15
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  and 16 while they were talking and discussing together.
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  Jesus himself Drew near and went with them.
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  And their eyes were restricted from seeing him.
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  In the midst of, that pain, in the midst of that grief, in the
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  midst of that doubt, in the midst of the disbelief, Jesus
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  was with them. Jesus was walking with them
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  though, they could not see him. Jesus could see them and hear
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  them though they could not recognize him.
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  Jesus was in fact in their presence though, they could not
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  sense him. and that's a truth that you and I need to be
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  comforted with That whether if you're in that season right now
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  or you will maybe walk into that kind of a season, where you
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  don't sense him and you don't understand his leadership and
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  you don't know why you have this pain when in fact he's alive
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  trust that he's with you. He's walking with you.
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  He hears you, he's there, he understands.
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  But the question is, why wouldn't you just reveal himself
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  right away? I mean Jesus you could have
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  saved so much time if you just appeared to them and said, hey
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  it's me. I'm risen.
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  Hey, it's me. No need to worry anymore.
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  Why would Jesus cloak himself in a way where they could not
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  recognize him? Because these two disciples need
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  to learn a valuable lesson and it's a lesson for us as well.
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  Turn with me in the same chapter 2 verse 24 and 25 to 27, I'm
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  going to read from 25 and he said to them, o foolish ones and
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  slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
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  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these
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  things and enter into his glory and beginning with Moses and all
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  the prophets he interpreted to them.
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  And all the scriptures, the things concerning himself.
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  So here, these doubting disbelieving disciples and pain
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  and grief, probably the lowest point in their lives
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  experiencing so much disappointment.
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  And instead of Jesus, miraculously revealing himself
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  to these disciples, you know, what he wants them to do.
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  Put their faith in the scriptures.
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  Christ. Puts the scriptures as the
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  highest Authority Christ, reveals the power of the word of
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  God. That when we walk in those
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  seasons of our life, where we can't sense him, we cling to the
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  Bible, we cling to the word of God, we cling to what is
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  revealed in the scriptures. Instead of just revealing
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  himself, he wanted him to see that the anchor of their Hope
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  was found in the written word of God.
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  Do you see this? He wants to show them the
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  authority and the power that is found in the scriptures.
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  So that in any season, when we feel like we're walking in
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  darkness, when we don't sense him, we are to understand
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  through his word. He is alive.
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  We are to understand and Hebrews 13 Verse 6.
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  The Lord is my helper. Why shall I be afraid?
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  What can man do to me? We are supposed to understand
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  Matthew 28 verse 20 behold. I Am With You Always to the very
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  end of age. We are to cling to the word.
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  This is what Jesus is teaching. Them.
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  And this is why. One of the main reasons, so many
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  Believers fluctuate, in their faith.
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  Because their roots are not deep in the scriptures, they're
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  dependent upon their emotions. There are dependent upon other
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  people overly dependent. They are swayed by news, back
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  and forth. And Christ is saying, you need
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  to be anchored in the truth of the word of God.
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  The resurrected Christ, reveals to them.
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  Trust, what's already been written?
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  And walking with the resurrected Christ is greatly dependent upon
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  abiding in his word. Get in the scriptures.
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  That's the lesson. We need to learn as Believers as
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  we're walking with this resurrected Christ.
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  He does not remove the scriptures as second in place.
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  No, he upholds and it says, You must walk with this word in
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  order to walk with me as a resurrected Christ.
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  But there's a lesson even here for those who don't believe in
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  the resurrected Christ. Those in here that made doubt
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  that Jesus is, in fact alive. Do you know what Jesus
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  challenges you to do if you doubt the resurrection?
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  Go to the scriptures. Go to the Bible, go to the Old
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  Testament as he did and find out that Jesus Christ, fulfilled,
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  hundreds of prophecies thousands of years before his Incarnation
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  and realized that this book is not a fairy tale.
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  I realized that this book is a library of testimonies with one
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  central theme, as we spoke about on Friday, Jesus Christ, and him
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  crucified and raised from the dead.
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  So if you're asking here, if you're a doubt, or if you're a
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  skeptic, and you're asking God for a sign.
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  If you're asking God for a miracle, if you're asking God to
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  appear in your room, somehow, You know what Jesus says about
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  that kind of thinking, he says it in one way, because Jesus
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  can't do anything. But this is how much he upholds
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  the scriptures. There's a story in Luke chapter
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  16 of a man who goes to hell. And he's talking to Father,
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  Abraham and he says, Father Abraham, I have brothers that
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  are still alive. Let me raise from this place and
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  tell them about he'll. Tell them about eternity.
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  So they would repent, they may actually believe in turn from
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  their ways and you know what? Jesus says he says these things.
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  He says, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
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  will they be convinced if someone should rise from the
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  dead? In other words, if you dismiss
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  the scriptures, you'll dismiss any miracle.
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  And this book itself is a miracle.
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  It is a testimony to the person and work and resurrection of
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  Jesus Christ. But these two that were walking
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  on the road to Emmaus. They did not reject the
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  scriptures. In fact, 47 miles, Jesus was
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  walking with them and he revealed all that was about him
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  found in the scriptures. And the approached Emmaus, but
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  Jesus. Is going to walk on ahead.
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  And there's something happening in the hearts of these.
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  Two Disciples of these two, Skeptics of these two doubters.
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  Because in verse 32, it says that when Jesus spoke the word
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  of God to them on that road, their hearts were burning within
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  them. Something was happening on the
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  inside. There was conviction, there is a
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  sense of life-giving power, and as they were talking with this
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  Jesus, though, they did not recognize him though.
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  They could not fully understand him.
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  Something was stirring up inside of them and they came to the
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  place where they were going to split paths and Jesus was going
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  to walk on ahead. And in that moment.
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  Better make a choice. In that moment, Jesus was going
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  to keep on walking. It may be either today or it's
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  been a series of days if you are a doubter, if you are a skeptic
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  if you are not a Believer, if you were just a religious person
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  but you've never been born again.
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  Your hearts been stirring. When you hear the scriptures,
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  when you hear it, something's happening inside of your heart.
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  When you sat with the True Believer, they talk to you about
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  what it means to be a follower of Jesus, there's something
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  happening in your heart and that is the word of God and the Holy
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  Spirit knocking on your heart, asking you to answer.
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  And that's what was happening to these to the word of God.
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  Was inviting them for more but here's the reality.
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  Jesus was waiting for their invitation.
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  Jesus was waiting for them to respond to the word and if they
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  didn't, she would have moved on Jesus does this a lot in the
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  Gospels? He just tends to walk by.
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  You know why Jesus never force himself on you?
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  If you're in this place that you've never truly surrendered
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  to Jesus Christ, understand that this is a window of opportunity.
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  Because Jesus is walking by. and so, in that moment, these two
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  They said stay with us. It says they strongly urge them
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  to come. Stay with us, it's late.
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  Come be with us, their hearts were burning.
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  We want to know more so many people say these things.
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  Well, of Christ, really wants to reveal himself to me.
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  He'll just do it. If Christ really wants to reveal
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  himself, if Jesus is real, then he'll just show up.
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  If he really wants me to do saved foolishness, how hungry
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  are you to realize Christ? How hungry are you to realize
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  the resurrected Christ? They were stirred and so they
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  invited him. And the same way that Jesus
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  responded to their invitation to do the same for you.
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  He'll do the same for you. The moment you open your heart,
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  though. You don't understand everything.
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  Don't you don't understand the depths of what he's talking
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  about or even who he is. If you're willing to invite him,
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  he's willing to come And he does, he sits with them and in
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  verse 31 is the result of what happens when a heart is burning
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  and they want to know the truth. it says that in that moment,
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  their eyes were opened In that moment, they understood in that
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  moment. They saw that Jesus truly and
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  Shirley was alive. And all the doubt was gone, all
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  the skepticism was destroyed. Have your eyes been open to the
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  resurrected Christ. Have your eyes understood him as
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  the Holy Spirit opened, the eyes of your heart and you are
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  walking. The reality this afternoon.
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  Jesus is, in fact, alive. If he's alive, that means
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  something that changes the way. You live, that changes the way,
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  you sing that changes the way. You pray that changes the way
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  you go to work that changes the way you deal with people that
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  changes the way you look at time, that changes every aspect
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  of your life, because if he's Life, he's coming back.
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  He's coming back. He's not staying up there, he's
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  coming back one day. Some of us were walking downtown
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  yesterday. There's a flood of people. and
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  as we were walking one specific Street, All these fire trucks
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  came to one of the high-rise buildings and you just saw a
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  flood of people looking up and we look to we didn't know what
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  we were looking at. And then somebody gave the
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  observation. As we saw those sea of people
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  looking up into the high rise building, where the fire trucks
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  was what will it be like when Jesus splits the sky open?
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  And every, I will be hold them in that moment.
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  What a sight that will be. Their eyes were opened they
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  realize that Jesus was alive. And within a moment before they
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  can Embrace him before, they can ask him more questions before
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  they can grab a hold of him. He vanishes, he's gone.
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  He's not there anymore. Why would he do that?
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  Why would he reveal himself in such a way and then, just
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  disappear? Because he wanted them to get
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  out. And to testify that he was
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  alive. That's exactly what happened.
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  He vanishes. I mean, read verse 33 to 34 and
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  they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem and they
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  found the eleven and those who are with them gathered together
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  saying the Lord has risen indeed and as appeared to Simon then
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  they told what had happened on the road and how he is known to
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  them, the breaking of bread. When your heart burns because
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  you know, that this word is true and you invite Jesus and he
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  opens your eyes. You can't help but testify what
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  he's done for you. You can't contain it.
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  You can't sit in the same place you must go out because now you
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  have a testimony. You have a story, you have
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  something to share with somebody Believers in Christ.
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  And the world wants to hear what Christ has done for you and how
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  he's opened your eyes. You have a story now.
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  It's not about just celebrating in here.
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  And next week, just going with the Motions, it's about going
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  and walking with other people and saying, do you understand
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  that Jesus is alive? He's open my eyes.
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  He can open yours too. And as you present the
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  scriptures, who knows their hearts can be burning as well,
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  and they can invite Jesus, and he can do the same for them.
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  Ask the Lord this afternoon, let my heartburn, again, let my
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  heartburn again, to the truth that you are alive.
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  Fill me with the Holy Spirit to go out and preach Christ
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  crucified. And not just crucified Alive
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  forevermore. If you ever find yourself
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  walking as a disciple and you can't sense him, you don't
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  understand his leadership. You don't feel the resurrected
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  Christ. You know, what Christ says to
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  you cling to the scriptures, cling to the word of God, cling
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  to the truths that are found in here, just like this story, you,
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  and I could look at this story because it's found in scripture
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  and say, hey, these two walked in a season of grief and pain,
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  they could not understand Jesus and him resurrected, they could
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  not sense him. But we cling to the scriptures
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  and we cling to the Scriptures, it will burn in our hearts.
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  Father, we thank you. We thank you for Jesus.
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  And we pray. Lord that we would all walk out
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  of here. So, the truth of your word.
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  And even our own testimonies that you are alive.
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  You've revealed yourself to us now.
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  Help us like these two to go out into the world and testify that
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  you are alive that the Lord has risen indeed, Help us to be
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  faithful Witnesses, with this short window called life, before
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  you return. Help us to work.
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  While it is day for night is coming.
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  When no man can work. In Jesus name we pray.
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  Amen. In Jesus name we pray.
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  Amen.