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[0:00] Good morning. A warm welcome to the service this morning. It's good to see some visitors with us as well and you're especially welcome. If you're able to stay behind at the end, there's tea and there's coffee and it would be good to get the chance to catch up and have fellowship together.

[0:15] The intimations are on the screen and so I'll just take a moment and step through these. The evening service at 6. Be encouraged to come along. I know I've been drifting a wee bit past 7 o'clock the last wee while but I'm determined in the new year to be more punctual.

[0:32] So young ones, be encouraged to come along. I'm sure you're not in bed by 5 past 7. Now there's a Gaelic Sam singing event and that's been held in Scalpy Free Church Sunday 22nd of January which is tonight from 7.30 to 8.30 and all are invited to that.

[0:53] Tea and coffee served on arrival so be encouraged to go there. Deacons. Deacons Court meets at half past 6 tomorrow. Ladies Fellowship meets at 8 as usual. You've got details there about that.

[1:07] Little Fishers and Road to Recovery on Tuesday as usual. The wee ones at 10 o'clock till 12. And those who struggle with addictions in the evening.

[1:22] So let's be encouraged to come to these or if we're not of age to pray for these works. Friday clubs, Jam Connect and Rooted, usual times there.

[1:32] Prayer meeting Wednesday at half past 7 also. And the service next Sunday in the morning will be myself and that will be an English service. And the evening service is Gaelic at 6.

[1:46] Angus M will be taking that service and there will be an English fellowship at half past 7 as usual. Community lunches. We did this before lockdown and it was a great time when loads of people came.

[1:59] We had a plate of soup and a sandwich and some tea and tray breaks and spent an afternoon together with various people. So we're hoping to restart that. We need people and volunteers to be able to do that.

[2:12] So there's a sheet in the foyer and if you're able to put your name there to help with that work. I think it will be the last Monday of each month. Monday seems to be a good day to have it because not many places are open on a Monday.

[2:27] And one date for the diary. 12th of February. That's two weeks today I think it is. On the Sunday evening. We were going to have Thomas last Wednesday evening but we put him off for various reasons.

[2:39] And he's going to come on the 12th of February. He'll preach in the evening and then we'll have a kind of fellowship and talk about evangelism. And he's just written a new book which will be available for us over the future weeks as well to pick up.

[2:55] And I think these are all the intimations. So let's worship God and let's sing together the words of Romans chapter 8.

[3:06] It's hymn 293 paraphrase 48 and it's a paraphrase of Romans 8 from verses 34 to the end. Great words of hope. The saviour died but rose again triumphant from the grave and pleads our cause at God's right hand omnipotent to save.

[3:25] And we'll sing the whole of this hymn to God's praise. The saviour died but rose again triumphant from the grave and pleads our cause at God's right hand omnipotent to save.

[3:58] Who then God e'er the light has worn from Jesus and his love?

[4:22] For break the sacred chains of might, the earth to heaven above.

[4:36] Let troubles rise and terror strong and days of darkness fall.

[4:50] Through heaven above. Through heaven all dangers will divide and war and conquer all.

[5:04] Nor death nor life nor death nor life nor earth nor hell nor times destroy its sway.

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[5:45] He loved us from the first of time, he loves us to the last.

[6:04] Let's join our hearts together in prayer. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this, your day, and we thank you for your word, which we have sang together as we've opened this service.

[6:26] And we thank you for the glory, for the hope, for the joy that there is in your word. We thank you for this day, the Lord's Day, the day that we remember each week.

[6:42] It's the day that Jesus rose from the dead. We thank you that the Saviour did die. He died to make an end of our sin.

[6:53] But we thank you that the grave could not hold him, that he rose from the grave. And that he promised, because he lives, we too shall live, if we put our trust in him.

[7:08] We thank you for the life that we experience here, in this world, when we're trusting in Jesus. We thank you that we are able to taste and see that God is good as we trust him.

[7:23] And we thank you that that life that we taste in this world, as we walk with Jesus, is a life that goes on endlessly in the world to come when we are in Christ.

[7:40] We thank you, Lord, for the comfort and for the blessing and for the sure and certain hope that there is for those who are in Jesus. And we thank you that today, still there is that invitation, there is that plea that comes out through the words of Scripture to be saved, to be converted.

[8:04] We thank you that Jesus, even now, pleads our cause at God's right hand. We thank you that he is omnipotent, that he can save, that there is no one who is beyond the reach of his grace.

[8:21] We thank you that the salvation that is offered to Christ is able to save to the uttermost. Though our sins are like scarlet, we thank you that there is the promise that our hearts will be made as white as snow when we come to Jesus, because the blood of the Lamb is powerful.

[8:41] We thank you that we thank you that we thank you that we thank you that we thank you where we see our salvation being worked out. We thank you that all that was promised in Isaiah of a Savior who would come and suffer in our place, we thank you that that was not an empty promise, but it was fulfilled in Jesus.

[9:02] And we thank you that as we look to him, there is that assurance that there is salvation and eternal life.

[9:14] So comfort us, Lord, we pray, with these truths. Even as we are conscious of those who have gone on from this world ahead of us, we thank you that when they are trusting in Christ, there is that promise of security and life and joy.

[9:32] We thank you that we do not mourn for those who have gone on ahead of us. As those who have no hope, we thank you that when they are in Jesus, there is an assurance of hope.

[9:46] We thank you that we are given a window into heaven where we see a place where there is no tears, no sadness, no weeping, no sickness, no struggles, but perfect life and peace.

[10:01] So we pray that each one of us would know that we are going there, that we wouldn't be trusting in ourselves, but that we would be trusting in Jesus. And for those, Lord, who are grieving, for loved ones gone on ahead, as we think of Marlene and we thank you for her life and her witness, we pray for her family, for John and for Kirsty, and for Katrina and for Shawnee and Christy, and we pray, Lord, for the extended family, for Ewan having travelled back home and his family and all the relatives who were here and some who were at a distance.

[10:40] We pray that your comfort would abide with them and with all who are grieving for loved ones past and past days and months and years. We pray on for those, Lord, who struggle with illness in this world.

[10:55] We know that there will be trouble, there is trouble, and we ask that you would lay your hands of healing upon those on whom it is your will to do so. But we thank you that there is a healing for our souls, which is eternal.

[11:11] And help us, we pray, to know that and to pray that for those whom we love and come to our minds in these moments. We pray, Lord, for a world that is full of trouble.

[11:27] As we see conflicts and turmoil and wars, we pray for peace. We pray for the return of Jesus, that we will see soon, at every knee bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord.

[11:42] We pray for that new heaven and the new earth, where everything is restored to the way it was first designed to be, and there is no sin and there is no Satan. There is no death, there is no separation.

[11:55] Lord, we long for that, and we thank you that you have given us the promise of that. Pray for our nation, a nation once known for our love of your word, a nation that now leads others in the direction that leads away from your word.

[12:12] Forgive us, we pray. Have mercy upon us. Draw us back to yourself. And we pray for those that you've allowed to be in authority at this time, that you would humble them, that you would open their eyes, that they would see Jesus, that they would see their need of Jesus, and their need and our need as a nation to return to him.

[12:34] So hear our prayers. Help us, Lord, in this day. Be near to those who are anxious. Give them your peace. Cleanse us, Lord, from our sin as we think back over failures and falls, even in the past few days.

[12:51] Lord, we thank you that there is cleansing for those who come to Jesus. And we ask now that you would open our eyes and our ears and our minds and stir our hearts that we would know that we are in the presence of the Lord.

[13:05] And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Boys and girls, would you like to come forward, please? There's no stopping little Evelyn now.

[13:21] She was dancing during the first praise. And she is desperate to crawl over in this direction. And Nancy Cates, just a step behind.

[13:35] How are you all today? All good? Good, Henry? Good stuff. Good. Well, I've got something to show you today. To be honest, I could have driven it in the front door probably, but it's too hurtful, so I chose not to.

[13:53] I'll put it on the screen. A picture to show you. Tell me, what's... You might have to zoom in a little. You might have to go close to the screen to actually be able to see it. What is that?

[14:04] It's a car, yeah. Any more about it? Do you know whose car it is? That's the sad truth of it, yeah. That car is now my car.

[14:20] I was in Harris' house. I think it was on Friday. And as I was heading out, Karen Govig was at the door, and she kind of looked around, and she said, she saw the car, and she said, whose car is that?

[14:32] And I hung my head in shame, and I said, well, it's actually mine. And she said, for once in my life, I'm speechless. And she said, well, at least you've got the golf.

[14:45] And I said, no, I don't even have the golf. It's gone to use. And she said, oh, well, never mind. If you want, I'll put the car in the boot, and they'll give you a run home. But this is the sadness, and I just thought I would share it with you.

[15:02] My golf that I loved, that I had with me for these eight happy years, is gone. And it was lovely, the day I was driving it over to Eust, and the guy in Eust keeps texting me to tell me how great it is.

[15:14] I'm going to have to block him, I think. And the golf's young, annoying little brother, the vote's wagging up, has come into the family.

[15:27] Have you seen Mary driving it yet? No, I haven't either. So it's sad times, and when you're going along in the flat, to be honest, it's not too bad. When you're going downhill, it's not too bad.

[15:40] But I'm pretty sure I was overtaking by one of Alistair's sheep going up the equation the other day. So it's sad. And you know what I was thinking when I was driving this car the other day?

[15:52] I was thinking, you know what I would love? I would love, I would love it if the engine of the golf, which had the power of 100, you know when you hear about cars that have got brake horsepower, it's got like the power, the golf had the power of 170 horses.

[16:13] And it would zoom all over the place. The cliche was no problem for the golf. You know how many horsepower the Volkswagen Ups got? 59. And I was thinking when I was going along frustrated on a slight incline, if only I could get the engine from that lovely golf and put it in that car, then we could get somewhere.

[16:36] And it made me think about how God works in us, in our hearts.

[16:48] Now what does God do when we believe in him? Tell me some of the things that God does. When we trust in Jesus, what does he do? Give us a new heart.

[17:00] Michael's got it in one. He gives us a new heart. He takes our sin away. But he puts a new heart in us. Our old hearts are full of sin.

[17:14] And when we trust in Jesus, he takes that sin away. He takes it away from us. But he gives us a new heart.

[17:26] Because have you ever tried, have you ever tried to not do bad things? Have you ever tried to be good for a whole day? Is it easy?

[17:41] I don't find it easy. It's actually impossible, isn't it? Because our old hearts, it's like they've got the infection of sin in us.

[17:53] And Jesus, he takes our sin away. He cleanses us from our sin, but he puts his heart into us. Because without him, we can't do anything.

[18:05] Now, we're still fighting with sin for as long as we're in this world. When we go to heaven, there's no sin, there'll be no fight. That's one of the great things when we think about heaven. But God says, when we trust in him, he says he'll put a new heart, he'll put his heart into us.

[18:22] Listen to this promise. It's in Ezekiel chapter 36. God says, I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you.

[18:34] God, the Holy Spirit, comes to live in our hearts. He says, I will remove from you your heart of stone. It's like a dead heart, full of sin.

[18:46] And he says, I will give you a heart of flesh, a living heart. and I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees, my rules, my laws.

[19:02] You know, trying to live God's way just in our own strength, trying to dig up everything we can from our own hearts, it's a bit like me trying to do a hundred mile an hour up the Clesham in that horrible little thing.

[19:20] We need a new heart and God promises that he will give us that new heart, he will give us the heart of Jesus, he will give us his power when we trust in him and when we stay close to him.

[19:34] So let's pray that God will give us a new heart. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your promises, we thank you Lord that you love us, we thank you that Jesus came into this world to save us from our sin, to remove the stain of sin from our hearts.

[19:54] And yet we know that still there's sin in our lives, there's sin all around us in this world and we still struggle to do the right thing. we can't do the right thing even for a whole hour.

[20:07] But we thank you that you've said to us that when we trust you, when we stay close to you, you will give us your power and you will work in us in a way that makes us more like Jesus, less like our old sinful self and more like Jesus.

[20:25] And we know that that's a work that goes on all the way through our lives and it's never made perfect until we get to heaven. But we pray that you would be working in us in your power, that you would give to us that new heart that we would be trusting more and more in the Lord Jesus.

[20:42] And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. We're going to sing now and we're going to sing a hymn that is a bit newer for us and it's the hymn What Gift of Grace Is Jesus My Redeemer?

[20:57] And the chorus has a line in it that says Yet not I but Christ in me Jesus in me That's what he does He comes into our hearts when we trust in him.

[21:10] So we'll stand to sing just a second to God's praise. Let's sing What Gift of Grace Jesus Jesus My Redeemer There is no more for heaven now to give He is my joy my righteousness and freedom my steadfast love my deep and boundless peace To this I hold my hope is on me Jesus For my life is only but to him Oh how strange and divine I can sing

[22:11] All is mine Yet not I but to Christ in me Night is dark but I am not forsaken For by my side the Savior he will stay I labor on in weakness and rejoicing For in my need his power is displayed To this I hold my shepherd will defend me Through the deepest valley he will lead All the night has been won and I shall overcome Yet not I but the Christ in me Which I dread

[23:13] I know I am forgiven The future should the price because we pay For Jesus bread has suffered for my pardon And he was raised to overthrow the grave To this I hold my sin has been defeated Jesus now and heaven is my King All the chains are released I can sing I am free Yet not I but to Christ in me In every breath I long to follow Jesus For he has said that he will bring me home

[24:13] And day by day I know he will renew me Until I stand with joy before the throne To this I hold my hope is only Jesus All the glory ever more to hear When the race is complete Still my lips shall repeat Yet not I but Christ in me Okay boys and girls have you had the Sunday school and let's remember as they go pray for them and we're going to turn to

[25:26] Luke chapter 24 Luke chapter 24 We're just picking up really where we were just before the Christmas season we'd got to the beginning of Luke chapter 24 and the news is just broken to the woman that Jesus who they saw die has risen from the dead and we finished up before Christmas with this picture of Peter in verse 12 kind of rubbing his chin scratching his head wondering to himself what had happened and then the camera focuses in on two people who are walking on a seven mile journey from Jerusalem where they were to Emmaus and so we pick up at verse 13 and we'll read through to verse 35 now that same day the day that

[26:42] Jesus had risen two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem they were talking with each other about everything that had happened as they talked and discussed these things with each other Jesus himself came up and walked along with them but they were kept from recognizing him he asked him what are you discussing together as you walk along they stood still their faces downcast one of them named Cleopas asked him are you the only are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do and do not know the things that have happened there in these days what things he asked about Jesus of Nazareth they replied he was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel and what is more it is the third day since all this took place in addition some of our women amazed us they went to the tomb early this morning but they didn't find his body they came and told us what they had seen they came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said but him they did not see he said to them how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory and beginning with

[28:20] Moses and all the prophets he explained to them what was said in the scriptures concerning himself as they approached the village to which they were going Jesus acted as if he were going further but they urged him strongly stay with us for it is nearly evening the day is almost over so he went in to stay with them when he was at the table with them he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and began to give it to them then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight they asked each other were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem there they found the eleven and those with them assembled together and saying it is true the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon then the two told what had happened on the way and how

[29:22] Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread amen and may God bless that reading of his word to us we're going to sing again now to God's praise and we're going to sing from Psalm 51 and we're singing two stanzas it's the verses marked three nine to twelve in the psalm all mine iniquities blot out thy face hide from my sin create a clean heart Lord renew a right spirit me within cast me not from thy sight nor take thy holy spirit away restore me thy salvation's joy with thy free spirit me stay so we sing these two stanzas of Psalm 51 to God's praise we sing in Gaelic and we remain seated to sing in Gaelic Avatar and we Mikk and we sing the grace fo who are the

[30:38] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[31:43] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS Thank you.

[32:52] Thank you.

[33:22] Thank you.

[33:52] Thank you. And we'll pray just for a moment as we turn back to it. Thank you. Heavenly Father, we pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, that you would draw near to us, that just as the two on the Emmaus Road felt their hearts burning within them as the Scriptures were opened.

[34:23] As the gospel is preached, we ask, Lord, that you would be at work in these places as you would be at work in this place.

[35:01] We pray for Gordon as well as he opens your word in North U.S. today. And we ask that he too would know the help of the Holy Spirit and that you would speak to your people across these islands, across the nation, across all nations, that Christ would be lifted up, that we would be drawn to him.

[35:21] And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. I want to begin today with a question. And it's the question of how you and I deal with discouragement.

[35:39] And if we are honest, every one of us will have to admit that at some time or another, we have felt discouraged.

[35:53] In all likelihood, there will be some here today who, for various reasons, feel a sense of discouragement. Maybe we made a New Year's resolution and we were determined this year we were going to stick to it.

[36:10] And it's only, what, three weeks into the year and it's been broken half a dozen times and we feel discouraged. Or maybe there's a relationship where things are just not the way that we want them to be and we feel the discouragement of that.

[36:29] Maybe we're missing our old golf as we try and crawl up the glacier. And there's the discouragement of that. You're going to have to pray for me with this car. Maybe we've just watched the news.

[36:41] Some of us actually have stopped watching the news. Because every time you watch the news, there's this constant barrage of things that discourage us.

[36:55] And that was kind of the situation in Luke 24. The news was going around Jerusalem and the surrounding area of all that had happened.

[37:09] And Jesus was at the center of that. And there's two people. And one of them is named in verse 18, Cleopas. And we're introduced to them.

[37:20] And their heads are down. They're walking along the road. There's no spring in their step. They're discouraged. That's how we find them.

[37:32] But as we fast forward from the beginning of the section in verse 13 to verse 35, where we finished reading, we see that there's been transformation.

[37:45] They've gone from being deeply discouraged to encouraged. They're bursting with this joy and with this excitement.

[37:57] And we asked the question, how did that happen? And the answer is they met with Jesus. And so for us, how do we get from discouragement to encouragement?

[38:13] And the very simple answer is we have to meet with Jesus. And what I want to do today is very simply just follow the course of these two people.

[38:25] And the first point that we have, the first thing that we see them doing, is they're walking with Jesus. Although they don't know that at first. Verse 13.

[38:37] And we'll just step through the text. So have your Bible in front of you. You'll find it more helpful than my face. Now the same day, that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

[38:51] They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. And as they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.

[39:02] But they were kept from recognizing him. So they're on a walk. And you never quite know what's up ahead of you when you're on a walk, when there's that movement.

[39:12] I was out for a walk a little before Christmas. And I was out at the Eagle Observatory. Usually you don't see another living soul out there.

[39:23] And I was plodding along the track. And I turned around this corner. And up ahead of me, there was a TV camera. There was a presenter. There was somebody with a light. There was a squad of people with microphones and sounds.

[39:36] They were filming for a program in Harris. But you never quite know what you're going to find and what you're going to experience when you're out for a walk. And these two people, they're on the seven-mile walk to Emmaus.

[39:47] They'd been in Jerusalem. And what do we know about these people? Well, we know that they weren't part of the twelve disciples because, well, we know the name Cleopas is not part of the twelve.

[40:04] But it seems that these two people, they had been following Jesus. But where we find them in this moment is that they're walking away from the place where Jesus had been with them.

[40:20] And they're also walking away from fellowship with the other disciples. They're going in the opposite direction to where they'd met with Jesus. And they're going in the opposite direction from where the disciples were and still were at that time.

[40:38] And I think that's something we should note just in the passing. They were walking in a dangerous direction. Because they're walking away from fellowship with other disciples.

[40:54] And if we're Christians, if we're followers of Jesus, we need each other. That's the truth.

[41:04] Now, we live in a world that's very individualistic. I'm struggling to say the word. And that kind of culture can sometimes affect our spiritual discernment.

[41:22] But you and I need each other. There are no lone rangers in the Christian world. You know, we're told in Hebrews not to give up the habit that we have of meeting together.

[41:37] Because we need to encourage each other. And these two seem to be walking away from the place where there was fellowship and where there was encouragement.

[41:50] I don't know if perhaps there might be somebody here today. And you're here, but you're only just here. There's other things you used to go to.

[42:01] There's other places that you used to love to meet. And you're nowhere to be seen there anymore. Evening service is gone. Prayer meeting is off your schedule. Coffees with people that you used to have coffees with.

[42:15] Prayer times have all been swept aside. You're walking in a direction away from fellowship and discouragement. That's a dangerous place to be. And that perhaps was where they were when we see them.

[42:33] But anyway, whilst they walked, they're talking. And they're talking about everything that had happened. And, well, what had happened? Well, if we just glance back at the previous verses, we know that Jesus had died.

[42:52] He died a cruel, ugly, brutal death on the cross. He died the most public death possible. And these two, in all likelihood, had seen it with their own eyes.

[43:05] The one in whom they had hoped, Jesus. The one that they followed was dead.

[43:16] And they were in crisis. And discouragement had set in. And yet, at this point, they spoke about Jesus.

[43:33] And as they spoke about Jesus, as they opened up about their doubts and their fears, Jesus came near. And he walked with them.

[43:47] J.C. Ryle says, Let us learn a lesson from the two travelers to Emmaus. Let us speak of Jesus. When we are sitting in our homes, when we are walking by the way, whenever we can find a disciple to speak to, let us speak of Jesus.

[44:13] We talk too much about the weather. We talk too much about the football. Let us speak of Jesus. So as they're walking, and as they're talking, Jesus joined them.

[44:32] The Jesus that they saw die, had risen from the dead. And he was walking with them. The real, physical, not ghostly, but physical, resurrected Jesus was walking with them.

[44:56] And you know, the greatest encouragement for our souls is the truth of resurrection. We sang it at the beginning of the service.

[45:10] The Savior died, but rose again, triumphant from the grave. I think the paraphrase actually says, triumphant over the grave.

[45:21] And Jesus promises resurrection life to all who believe. And that should encourage us.

[45:35] If you're feeling discouraged today, then there is no greater encouragement than taking hold by faith of this truth. We, in our bodies, we feel decay with the passing of the years.

[45:55] We can feel, as the years go on, that the things that we used to be able to do easily, we can't do anymore. The strength that we once had, we perhaps no longer have.

[46:06] We know that we're only in this world for a while. Eventually, we will die. But if we believe in Jesus, there is the sure and certain hope of resurrection.

[46:25] Be encouraged by that if you're a Christian. And many of us, and we're so aware of this just now, we've lost loved ones. They have gone ahead of us from time.

[46:38] But when they believe in Jesus, as Marlene did, there is resurrection. The souls of believers go instantly to be with the Lord in death.

[46:52] There is a heavenly spiritual peace that they enjoy this instant. But there is coming a day when there will be resurrection.

[47:05] resurrection. When the bodies that lie sleeping will rise back up full of life. Resurrection.

[47:18] And so the resurrected Jesus was walking with these two on the road, but at first they're kept from recognizing him and we'll think that one through in just a minute. But it's a great picture for us to take hold of.

[47:31] We see two shaky believers walking with Jesus. And I want to ask the question and application, are you walking with Jesus?

[47:47] No, are you sitting in these chairs? But are you and I walking with Jesus? Have we trusted him?

[47:58] Have we come to him personally? And said, will you take my sin away? Will you give me a new heart? Will you help me to walk with you?

[48:12] See, walking with God is a picture that is given to us in the Bible. We see it from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walking in the cool of the day in the garden with the Lord.

[48:23] And it's a picture that we see all the way through the Bible from Eden to eternity. We were created to walk with God. And sometimes we walk close and there's no greater joy than that.

[48:38] Sometimes we stray. We can be like lost sheep. Sometimes we walk away from Jesus. And then Jesus comes to us.

[48:53] And he walks alongside us. Sometimes when we can't see him. And we can't feel him. And we're blinded by doubts.

[49:05] And we're overwhelmed with discouragement. And Jesus comes to us. And he ministers to us as he did to the two that we see here in this Emmaus Road.

[49:17] Walking with Jesus. That's the first point. The second point that we can note here is we hear them talking to Jesus. Jesus asked him verse 17 what are you discussing together as you walk along?

[49:35] Now there's some people when we're on a journey and they don't want anyone to talk to them. When I when I go to fly to Edinburgh for meetings then you can be in an airport and there's some people and they're putting up every signal to tell you do not talk to me.

[49:56] The newspaper is up. The ear buds are in. The phone is in the hand. They won't make any eye contact. And if you kind of try to make any contact at all they do everything possible.

[50:08] They're sending you every possible signal. Don't speak to me. But the amazing thing that we see here and we can take it as application for ourselves is Jesus wants us to talk to him.

[50:25] Now take that one in. God the Son the one who was there in the beginning the creator of the universe the one who holds it all together.

[50:42] The King of Kings the Ancient of Days He wants us to talk to him even when we're discouraged.

[50:54] In fact especially when we're discouraged. That's why Jesus approached them and he asked them the question and yet we what we see here is that they are reluctant to speak to Jesus.

[51:06] They don't want to speak to Jesus. Verse 18 says they stood still their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas asked him are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days.

[51:21] There's a kind of impatience about their response to Jesus. They seem to want to close down this conversation rather than open it up. Their tone towards Jesus is almost scolding.

[51:34] And yet we see the patience of Jesus. He keeps on encouraging them to speak. And so Jesus says in verse 19 what things what things are you talking about?

[51:52] And then the words began to come and they say about Jesus of Nazareth they replied he was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him.

[52:06] But we had hoped they said that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel and what's more it's the third day since all this took place and then they start talking about the woman and they've seen this and they've seen that and we don't know what to believe in.

[52:21] Everything that's in there everything that's discouraging them it just spills out. They pour out their hearts to Jesus and they tell him how discouraged and how confused and how disappointed they were.

[52:42] They don't put any mask on, they don't hold anything back, they do a Thomas. They take their doubts, their questions, their fears and they bring them to Jesus.

[52:54] They talk to Jesus. And that's a necessary lesson for us today. This is a lesson in prayer.

[53:06] How do you pray? I'll tell you how you should pray and how I should pray honestly. Because there's no point saying the right words when our hearts are disconnected from our words because Jesus can see our hearts.

[53:23] So when you and I are struggling and when we are disappointed and when we are fearful and when doubts are crashing in, there's no point hiding that. Talk with Jesus about it.

[53:38] There was that phrase that we often hear today in relation to mental health, it's okay not to be okay. Now that's a phrase that we should take into spiritual health.

[53:51] You know, it's okay when we don't feel okay. It's okay to discuss things together with other Christians when we have problems and when we have struggles, but it's so much more important that we talk to Jesus about them.

[54:14] So they are walking with Jesus and they are talking to Jesus. Jesus. And the third thing is they are listening to Jesus.

[54:29] Jesus says to them, verse 25, how foolish you are. It's quite stark, isn't it? You know, they are a bit fragile.

[54:40] They are wobbling a bit. if we were scripting this, we would probably have Jesus taking them and patting them on the shoulder and giving them a hug.

[54:52] And yet Jesus' opening line to them is how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?

[55:08] You know, sometimes we need a gentle whisper in our ears from Jesus. Sometimes we need that warm word of reassurance.

[55:21] But other times what we need is a sterner word to give us a jolt. Certainly that's what I need at times. And that's what they got.

[55:35] They got a rebuke actually. Jesus calls them out for being foolish. Now, the fool in the Bible, and we see him in Proverbs often, is not the person who doesn't know things.

[55:53] The fool is the one who knows things in his head, but who doesn't act by them, who doesn't take them in by faith to his heart.

[56:07] And so Jesus had said to his followers over and over again that he must suffer and he must die and then he would rise.

[56:21] But it seems that this message went over the heads of the disciples. We know that from the Gospels and it went over the heads of these two here.

[56:32] They were slow of heart to believe. It wasn't an intellectual problem, it was a heart, it was a faith problem. And so Jesus, having given them a strong, stern word, he patiently preaches a sermon where he takes them through the whole of the Old Testament and he shows them himself.

[56:57] Beginning with Moses verse 27, and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in the scriptures concerning himself. So, when Jesus sees two discouraged, disappointed, flaky, wobbly Christians, he says to them, read your Bible.

[57:20] He doesn't do any magic tricks with them. He doesn't say, let me just do a few miracles and I'll get you really excited and then you're going to see who I am.

[57:31] He doesn't have any great drama here. There's nothing very spooky about this. He just tells them, read your Bible. And if you and I want to listen to Jesus, if we want to see Jesus, if we want to hear Jesus, if we want to understand the gospel, if we want to be able to take hold of this promise of eternal life, if we want to get from a place of discouragement to encouragement, we need to be listening to Jesus.

[58:02] we need the Bible. Almost every pastoral situation that I've had when somebody has been deeply discouraged and on the brink of spiritual shipwreck, when we actually talk for weeks or months their Bibles have been closed.

[58:34] The longer our Bibles are closed, the more discouraged we will get, because the less we will see and hear and meet with Jesus. It's not hard to figure.

[58:46] And that's the lesson that Jesus has given them here. Fourth point, we see two Christians here.

[58:57] They're walking with Jesus, they're talking with Jesus, they're listening to Jesus, and they have a desire to be abiding with Jesus. As they approached the village, verse 28, to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going further.

[59:14] But they urged him strongly, stay with us, for it's nearly evening, the day is almost over, so he went to stay with them.

[59:27] Now I often wondered when I was reading this passage in the past, why does Jesus do this acting thing? Why does Jesus act as if he was going further?

[59:42] And I think I got the answer from J.C. Ryle. This is what he says. He says, let us mark how much Christ loves to be entreated by his people.

[59:54] He loves to draw out our desires and compel us to exercise our spiritual affections by waiting for our prayers. See, Jesus wants them to say, will you stay with me?

[60:16] Will you come close? He's waiting for them to say, please come. Come with us and stay with us.

[60:30] Now, remember, at this point, they still don't actually know for certain that this is Jesus. They're not yet seen clearly, but they sense Jesus.

[60:40] their hearts are burning as the Bible is opened. As they meditate upon the gospel message, as they spend time in fellowship and in communion with each other and with Jesus, there's something going on in their hearts.

[61:03] There's heat, there's a burning within their hearts, and they don't want it to end. they want Jesus to abide with them.

[61:15] And that's a mark of grace. If we're trying to understand this morning, are we Christians or are we not Christians? This is an evidence that we can look for in our own lives.

[61:28] We have a desire to be with Jesus. This is a crucial, it's a vital, life-giving thing.

[61:39] We can't keep on keeping on as Christians. We can't be fruitful, we can't be useful. If we drift apart from Jesus, we need to abide with him.

[61:53] You know, like a charger for a phone. The phone's useful just now, but if I leave it sitting on the table for a few days away from the power, it could be the fanciest phone out there, it's of absolutely no use because there's no power, it's not connected to the power, and without us being connected to abiding in Christ, we can't do anything.

[62:17] So it's both an evidence of grace, and it's a life-giving thing that we need to have. Jesus says in John 15 and verse 4, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

[62:38] And that's what they want. They don't want Jesus to leave them, they want Jesus to stay with them. And yet the lesson that they had to learn as Jesus disappeared from their sight, in verse 31, was that abiding with Jesus was now not a physical thing.

[63:00] we can't see Jesus sitting in a chair in the congregation this morning. Abiding with Jesus now is a spiritual discipline.

[63:15] We read the Bible, we pray, we gather together in places like this because we believe that Jesus will meet with us. These are spiritual disciplines.

[63:30] And the greatest encouragement any of us can have is to be spending time abiding with Jesus.

[63:47] And the final thing here, just give you the heading and leave you with it, they finish up by witnessing for Jesus. Verse 33 says, they got up, and returned at once to Jerusalem after their eyes were opened, after they realized that they had been with Jesus, after they said to each other, weren't our hearts burning?

[64:13] They changed their direction. They're heading for Emmaus, Emmaus they're no longer interested in, they're heading back to Jerusalem, they want to be with the Lord's people. people. And they found the eleven, and those with them assembled together, verse 33, and saying, it's true, the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.

[64:36] Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. And so the story begins with two discouraged disciples walking in the wrong direction, their faith shaken, overwhelmed by fears and doubts, and the story ends with the same two characters bursting with encouragement and witnessing for Jesus.

[65:15] Jesus. So what's the application to finish with? Well, we're to be witnesses for Jesus. That's one application.

[65:29] You know, there's nothing that's more thrilling and encouraging than telling others about the Lord, and people need to hear about him. Even in Harris, you think people know about Jesus, you think people understand about the cross, speak to them for a while.

[65:48] You'll understand how little is actually known. We need to be witnesses for Jesus. Yes, it's terrifying. Yes, we risk rejection and ridicule, but there's great encouragement in being witnesses for Jesus.

[66:09] Jesus. But in order to be witnesses for Jesus, we need to be first with Jesus. Jesus. So let's be walking with him.

[66:22] Let's be talking to him. Let's be listening to his voice. And let's be abiding with him.

[66:33] Let us thirst for and pursue a closer walk with God. God. Let's walk with God. And we'll sing about that close walk with God now as we conclude.

[66:49] Mission praise 494. Oh, for a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame, a light that shines upon the road that leads me to the land.

[67:03] Amen. Amen. a deadly flame, a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the land.

[67:51] Where is the rest of the rest I knew when I saw the Lord with the soul refreshing view of Jesus and His Word.

[68:21] What peaceful life I once enjoy a sweet and let me still a day of men a naked wine the world God never fellании holly to the he who doee sweet he well sweet take I saved thee born and told thee from my breast.

[69:22] Tear the signs of life of God, what dare the tide of me?

[69:35] Help me to take him from thy throne and worship all we need.

[69:51] So shall my Lord be lost with hope, the hastily by faith.

[70:06] So pure light shall mark the road that leads me to the land.

[70:23]  And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit, be with us all now and forevermore. Amen.