Steven Furtick - Round Trip Resurrection (03/16/2018)
In Luke 23-24, Jesus' final words on the cross—"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"—mark His surrender and death, yet lead to resurrection. The preacher traces Cleopas and companion's disappointed journey to Emmaus and return to Jerusalem after recognizing Jesus in broken bread, calling it "round-trip resurrection"—a full-circle turnaround from despair to renewed hope, urging us to hand over burdens to the One who holds tomorrow.
Jesus' Final Words and the Road to Emmaus
I really value the Word of God and the effect that it can have in my life when I embrace it, receive it, and apply it. And these seven last sayings of Jesus from the cross have had particular significance to us in these last seven weeks. And I guess we're coming to, to quote Boyz II Men, the end of the road. I thought about singing it, but it won't date me.
When we look at Luke 23, verse 44, we see the very last thing that Jesus said, and we're going to read the context of it. Luke tells us, Luke 23, verse 44, It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And when he had said this, when the Word of God had spoken his final word, he breathed his last, and he gave up his life.
Now look at Luke 24, because this passage for us has been a picture of this idea of spiritual journey, where we've been following these two travelers, one of them called Cleo. At least we've been calling him Cleo. His full name is Cleopas. But we gave him a nickname as we got to know him. He was disappointed, and he was traveling in the wrong direction. And Jesus decided to catch up with him, even though he was headed in the wrong direction. And he revealed himself to him along the road, the seven-mile road.
And I want to catch him, because I feel like the best place to end this journey that we've been on will be back on the same road where we started out. Only now, we're on the return trip. And the Bible says that after they had walked seven miles with Jesus, at first they didn't recognize him, because usually we don't see how God is at work in our lives while he's working in our lives. It's usually in looking back that we recognize the hand of God, especially when things don't feel good or when things don't make sense to us logically.
It is when we process things sometimes that we get perspective once it's in the past to know that, hey, you know what? That was God. That breakup was God. Amen. It doesn't feel like it's God when your heart is broken, but Cleopas goes all the way to the destination where he thought he would Bury his hope because he's watched Jesus die on the cross. And all of a sudden, when he gets there, he recognizes Jesus. And so he and his companion... Look at verse 33. What a great Easter verse, by the way. It says, They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem, where the Holy Spirit was promised to be given not many days from then. There they found the eleven, and those with them assembled together and saying, It's true, the Lord has risen, and appeared to Simon. And then the two told what had happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
While They Were Talking – Jesus Appears
Verse 36, and then I'll preach a little bit, and then I'll let you go eat ham and hide eggs and whatever else. But how many of you could use some spiritual food first before you go home and look at bunnies? While they were still talking about this, notice how many things are happening just in the process of common conversation, common activity. Notice how God is revealing himself in unexpected ways. And while they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. And they were afraid, and he spoke peace. And he did it. He revealed himself in an unusual way.
So turn to your neighbor. And this is an interactive sermon. And so you need to turn to them. In fact, it's not a sermon at all. Look at your neighbor and say, This is not a sermon at all. You better look at your other neighbor, because that neighbor looked confused. Tell them this is not a sermon at all. Tell them this is a ticket. Tell them it's a round-trip ticket. That's what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about round-trip resurrection. A round-trip ticket to resurrection.
And it just so happens that I came back this week from Sydney, Australia, which is like 5,973 hours on an airplane. When I flew over there, I got there on Friday. I left on Wednesday. And one thing about Australia, it's so far away that when you get there, it's tomorrow. So the first time I went over there, I FaceTimed my kids. I've been over there seven times now. And when I get over there, usually I get there in the morning. And I called my kids the first time I went, and I was showing them out my window, Sydney, Australia. And the sun was up in Sydney, Australia. But back in Charlotte, it was Thursday night, and they were so confused. And they were like, how is it nighttime here and it's daytime there? And I started explaining to them that Australia is across the international dateline, like 14 hours ahead.
So I told my kids, I said, I'm actually calling you from tomorrow. And I kind of thought that was clever. And at the end of the call, right before we hung up, my oldest son, Elijah, goes, hey, daddy, before you go, can you tell us what happens tomorrow? Which I thought was so cool and so appropriate for an illustration about the perspective that resurrection gives us. And maybe that's why we come to church deep down, even though we don't know it, because we want to report for our tomorrow from someone who's already been there.
And that's what I love about God, is that he is an ever-present help in my trouble, but he does not speak to my today from my situation. But outside of time, God, who has already been in my tomorrow and is not anxious about the economy or my health, or is not anxious about the political system of the country where I reside, God from tomorrow, the one who is and was and is to come, speaks back to my today, increases my faith, and gives me the ability to face forward into my future with confidence. Why aren't you clapping about nothing today? Stuffy Easter people. Y'all come to church with your mom and you act all like crazy and weird looking at me with your arms crossed. I hate it. I hate it. If you really believed God had been in your tomorrow, you'd get some sleep. If you really believed in resurrection when stuff died, you would look at it and expect what was next to come from what was buried. You would not cry over anything that had left your life, because you would know that God is already in your tomorrow. How about that?
The Road to Emmaus – Disappointment and Revelation
So it's been helpful for me, really, along this road, this seven-mile road, where Jesus, on Sunday morning, gets up from the grave, chases down two unnamed people. Well, one's named Cleo, but we've never seen them before. They're headed in the wrong direction. He goes after them. He brings them to a place of understanding about who he is, and he goes after them even though their backs are turned on the promise, the place of the promise, even though they're discouraged. Let's look at this scripture together real quick, because this part's crazy.
They're walking away from Jerusalem. They're going away from the promise. Their hearts are broken. They're going home. It's over. They watched him die on Friday. There is no future. Therefore, they have no faith. As they're walking away, he walks up. He doesn't identify himself. He just asks them a question, which in itself is crazy, because I've always heard that Jesus is the answer. So it's strange for me to see that the one who is the answer asks a question. Let me tell you a secret. He didn't ask a question because he needed information. He asked them a question because sometimes before God can give you the answer, he has to correct your questions.
Sometimes before God can give us what we're asking for, he has to clarify what we're really searching for. Because see, we'll ask God to bless us, but we won't even know what blessing really is. We'll think blessing is a thing when really blessing is a state of your heart that enables you to be content whatever your circumstances. And so Jesus walks up on them, doesn't say who he is, doesn't identify himself as the risen, reigning, ruling son of God with all power in his hand. Just ask them a question. Look at verse 17. He asked them, what y'all talking about? What are you discussing together as you walk along?
And they stopped in their tracks and stood still, their faces downcast, their hearts disappointed, their dreams dashed on the rocks of the reality of the death of the one they thought might be the Messiah. And they are standing next to hope, but they have no hope. And they are standing next to power, but they feel weak and they are headed home, returning back to what's familiar because their faith has been hung on a cross and sentenced to die. And so they're headed home. So they're returning home. If you're taking notes, write down return, return. They're returning to a village called Emmaus.
And all of a sudden on the road, the seven mile road where they're returning back home, here comes Jesus, but he doesn't fully reveal himself. He just asked a question. What y'all talking about? And they stop with their backs toward Jerusalem, headed toward Emmaus. And they say, well, we're talking about this guy named Jesus. Y'all, that's funny. They start to tell Jesus about Jesus. They start to explain to the author about the book, but, but, but he keeps walking with them because once they start walking again, they start explaining how Jesus was a man who they thought was sent by God, but something happened on Friday that stripped the hope right out of their hearts. Something happened in front of their eyes in Jerusalem. When he hung on the cross and died, their hope hung there with him.
And they say something in verse 20. I want to show you this. They say in verse 20, the chief priests and our rulers handed him over. The Greek word is paradidomai. Everybody say paradidomai. Paradidomai. Say it again. Paradidomai. I want you to practice it so you can impress your friends with your newfound knowledge of Greek today. So when they say you go to that shallow church, that rock and roll church, that evolution church, you could just put some Greek up in their face. Paradidomai. You don't even have to know what it means. Just say it. They don't know what it means either. But what it means is handed over. And so Luke says in the Greek language, what the travelers say along the road, they handed him over. They handed him over. And of course, Judas was the one who handed him over to the Sanhedrin, paradidomai. The Sanhedrin handed him over to Caiaphas, their high priest, paradidomai. Their high priest Caiaphas handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor, paradidomai. And then Pilate handed And when they hung him on the cross, these disciples said, when he was handed over and sentenced to death and crucified, our hope was handed over with him.
Verse 21. We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. We had hoped, but now we're headed home. We had hoped that it was going to be different this time. We had hoped that he was going to break our chains. We had hoped that God was going to heal our disease. We had hoped that if we prayed, we would get the peace that corresponded with the prayer. But it's over now. We had hoped. We went there. We expected it. We look forward to it. But we're headed home now because he hung on the cross. And we hung our hope on the cross. And now we don't know anything else to do but to head home. And we're headed home because we don't have any hope left.
And as they're headed home with no hope, hope shows up. And as they're headed home with no hope, hope shows up. And with their heads hung down, with no hope in their hearts, here comes hope. But they can't see it. And they're headed home with no hope. I don't really blame them for going home, because what else are you going to do? What else are you going to do but go home if the one who was supposed to be the king hung on a cross and wore a crown of thorns? I mean, life can hit you that hard. It can. And for those of you who aren't nodding or anything right now, what are you, four? Really? You've never had life hit you that hard? That took the breath out of you? Just knocked the breath out of you, just where you felt like, I don't know what to do. So you go back to familiar ways. You give up on this whole thing, and you kind of turn your back on the promise, and you head back to Emmaus.
The Reveal – Recognizing Jesus in Broken Bread
Now, what they say next, this is the part I don't understand, because I understand that they're headed home, because what else are you going to do but head home? I understand they're disappointed. I understand that they're in a state of despair. I understand that they're downcast about what's happened. What I don't understand is the timing of their return trip, because when Jesus was on earth, he told everybody who would listen over and over again, especially his disciples, he said, I'm going to die, but on the third day, I'll be raised to life. They're going to destroy this temple, he was speaking about his body, but on the third day, everybody say third day, it will be raised back to life. I'll build it again. I'll build it again. I'm going to go down in the ground for a minute, but on the third day, I'm getting up.
So, Cleopas and his companion are headed home, and I get it, because they watched him hand it over on the cross. What I don't understand is when they chose to do it, because they said our chief priest handed him over to be crucified. We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel, and what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. Guys, here's my question. Wouldn't you at least want to stick around until the end of Sunday to see if something was going to happen? Wouldn't you at least want to wait until Monday? I mean, really? You can't wait until the end of the day to see if this might be real? And that's our problem. We quit so quick. So quick. We quit when we are so close. We quit.
Now, here's what happened on Resurrection Sunday. Jesus gets up out of the grave early one Sunday morning. He goes and appears to some women. The women come back to the men. They say, Jesus isn't there. He Rose just like he said. The men, who are usually a little bit more hard-headed and hard-hearted than the women tend to be. Somebody give me an estrogen praise right here. Don't believe the women. And then Cleopas and his companion, upon hearing the report that Jesus' body is not in the tomb, decide, we're going home. Now? Like, you don't want to get a room one more night. You don't want to extend your stay. Just give it a little bit of time. But they leave, and they almost miss it.
Like some of the people who leave church when I start giving the invitation, they're in such a hurry to get to the car that they miss the most meaningful part of the whole worship experience. It's when someone... If you're not clapping, I might be talking about you. Really, where do you have to be that's that important? That important? And they head out. Like that woman at the Panthers game. Jody, you'll remember. We were down. I say we, because that's what you do when you're a fan of a team. You associate yourself with them when they win. Especially if you're a Charlotte Panthers, Carolina Panthers fan. The city of Charlotte is known for that. But this woman, listen, she was real loud until they started losing. And she left during halftime. And then the Panthers came back and won. And I was glad that she missed it. Because it serves you right. Come on. It serves you right. I know that's not a very loving thing to say. And it's not very Christ-like. Because Jesus didn't treat Cleo like that. He leaves just at the time that the resurrection is being proven. And Jesus goes to get Cleo. He goes to get him. And he begins to speak with him. And talk with him. And he reveals himself to him.
That's my second point is the reveal. The reveal. The resurrection reveals the power of God to all who believe. But not like you think. See, usually when I hear Easter sermons, it's about the power of God. And that's appropriate. When you get up from the grave and walk into the octagon with death and choke death out and death taps three times, I mean, that's strong. When you roll your own stone away, that's strong. So, I've heard that about the strength of Jesus Christ to overcome the grave. I've heard about the strength of Jesus. I've heard about the sovereignty of Jesus. Well, there's a good church word for you. The sovereignty of Jesus. He is sovereign over death and hell and the grave. I've heard about that.
But you know what nobody ever told me about? And I want to tell you about it. It's how sneaky Jesus was. You're looking at me strange. You're looking at me like you've never heard that Jesus… Well, when he got up from the grave… I'll prove this to you that he was sneaky. When he got up from the grave, he left while it was still dark. He left before the sun came up. And he had to knock over a few Roman guards to get out. But after he knocked them over, he slipped out and found the women and appeared to the women. But he didn't appear to a whole crowd when he got up from the grave. Why? Because he's sneaky. Sneaky. That's why he was born like a baby in a town like Bethlehem. Because he's sneaky. He wasn't born in a political capital. He was born in a backwoods town. Because he's sneaky.
I never heard a sermon about sneaky Jesus. Maybe I should preach a whole series one time called Sneaky Jesus. Because watch him. He walks up to Cleo and he's like, what you talking about? Never mind the fact that you are God. Never mind the fact that you are resurrected. Just what you talking about? What's he doing? He's creeping on Cleo. You never heard this kind of preaching before. You think when God shows up, it's always going to be spectacular. That he's going to show up and something big is going to happen. No, no. He's very sneaky. He's very sneaky. He'll just sneak in to ordinary situations. He'll just sneak in in ordinary moments. He'll just sneak in. He won't give you any advance notice. He won't ask you to sign a waiver. He won't put a sign in the clouds. None of that. Because he's sneaky.
One time Peter was in a storm. And Jesus came walking out on the water. And everybody said, ah, it's a ghost. No, it's Jesus. But he's sneaky. He sneaks up on him. He snuck up in the locked doors when they were waiting for him. He snuck up on Cleo. What makes you think he's not sneaking up on you today? Because you can't feel him doesn't mean he's not with you. He's sneaky. He's sneaky. He sneaks out of the tomb. And he sneaks up on Cleo. Let me tell you what he was doing up on the cross. This is what they didn't understand. And this is why they fled. And this is why they lost their hope. Because all they saw was death. But Jesus didn't die so that death could reign. He died to bring victory into the earth. But he couldn't bring victory into the earth looking like victory. He had to dress it up like death and hang it on a cross. Because he's sneaky. He's sneaky. He's sneaky.
And here's what he does. He'll send glory into your life, but it won't look like glory. He'll send blessing into your life, but it won't look like blessing. He'll send Patience into your life dressed like your teenager. Think about it. Because he's sneaky. And he'll send some of the best times in your life dressed like some of the hardest times. You don't see it while you're in it. I'm going to stay right here on this point because y'all are so quiet. I know I'm preaching right to your guts. I'm preaching to your small intestine. Sneaky. He's sneaky. So he's up there on the cross, and he says it's finished because he was speaking in code because he's sneaky to tell a story. Because to them, that sounded like, it's over. We got him. It's done. He's dead because he's sneaky. So when he wanted to bring life into the earth, he snuck it in through death. When he wanted to bring peace to the earth, he snuck it in through chaos because he's sneaky. Sneaky, sneaky. Sneaky Jesus.
I'm thankful that he's strong, but I will never understand his strength if I don't learn to see it in sorrow. Because sometimes God will sneak the strength that you've been praying for in your life through the sorrow. Talk to me. Y'all don't have to be quiet. Don't let these people make you quiet. Talk to me. Don't let them intimidate you. But usually we understand that more on the return trip. So they walked all seven miles, but they didn't recognize Jesus. They were kept from recognizing him. They were kept from recognizing him until he sits down at the table.
Watch how sneaky he is. Takes the bread, blesses it, and breaks it. You see what he's doing? Because that's what had happened to his body. Because that's what had happened to their hope. Because that's what always has to happen in your life before you really see the glory of God. And he told them on the road, he said, don't you understand? Did not the Messiah, verse 26, have to suffer these things? Did he not have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? See, glory never looks like glory when it's coming. It never looks like glory when you see it coming. Amen. But when he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them… When he gave it to them, they saw not only the broken bread, but they saw the place where the nails had been. And then they recognized them when he did that. Because he's sneaky. And he did not describe it. He demonstrated it. So he goes, hey, let's eat. Boom, bip, bang. And they saw it. And they're like, oh yeah. And that's how it is.
It's after I've walked the whole walk, and after I've run, and after I've tried, and after I've cried, and after I've hurt, and then I see it. It was him all along. He had to suffer. But you don't get it while you're in it. I mean, let's be real. Sometimes our memory is much more enjoyable than our experience. I'm talking about family vacation now. It's hilarious. You look at the pictures and talk about what a great time it was. No, it wasn't. You've edited the family vacation in your memory. You've clipped it together. You took out the part where you threatened to give the kids up for adoption. When you're in it, you don't see it. But resurrection is a round trip. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter into his glory? And when they saw that, they got up. Look at verse 33. They got up, and they turned around, and they went back.
Round-Trip Resurrection – From Despair to Hope
Now watch this. I called this series Seven Mile Miracle. I shouldn't have. It's really a 14-mile miracle. Because the first seven, they walked without the light. The second seven, they walked back, and now they knew. God said today is somebody's second seven miles. Now you see it. Now you get it. This is your turning point. This is that moment where you see he was with me all along. It's turnaround time. It's turnaround time. It's turnaround time. It's turnaround time. I walked seven miles in shame, but now I'm walking this second seven in freedom. This is my turning point. I'm not staying in Emmaus. And so they walked back to Jerusalem, and they got together with Peter and the disciples, and Jesus snuck into the room, and he revealed himself, and he said, Peace. Peace. He released. That's my third letter, and I'm done, because there's only three, because you can't have more than three points on Easter Sunday. It's just not scriptural. My third point is release.
The Gap Between Reveal and Release
Now, let me point out something to you that every sneakerhead in here will understand. There is a difference between the reveal and the release. Why do they show you the shoe three months before they will sell it to you? Let me break it down another way. You remember when the iPad first came out? No? Well, let me remind you. For me, it was a big deal, because I thought, Well, I'm going to get one of those, and I'm going to preach from it, and I'll be cutting edge preaching from my iPad. I looked so cool preaching from my iPad.
Steve Jobs did a reveal where he went through the iPad and all the features of the iPad. I saw it, and I was so excited to get an iPad. I told one of our staff members, I said, I'm going to go get one tomorrow, and they said, No, you're not. I said, Yes, I am. I said, I'm going to get one. I'm going to be one of the first preachers in America. I might not be the smartest preacher in America, but I might not be one of the best either, but I will be one of the first to preach from an iPad. I'm going to get an iPad. They said, You can't go get an iPad. It's not going to be out for several months, because there is a space between the reveal and the release. That's where hope gets lost. In that space between the reveal and the release, it's called Saturday. It's when you're sitting around, and you thought God was going to, and you just knew God was going to, and you were sure that they would never, and then they did. It's called space. That's where faith grows, in between two points, between the reveal and the release.
The Cross as Reveal, Resurrection as Release
And that's what the cross was. It was the reveal. And it was the release. And so Jesus said several things. He said, Today you'll be with me in paradise. The word of salvation. Father, forgive them. The word of forgiveness. Behold your mother. The word of relationship. My God, why have you forsaken me? The word of abandonment. Distress. The word of distress. Was I thirst? He said, It is finished, which was the word of triumph. And then after he said that, Luke says that. He said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Father, as the sky grew black, for three hours into the darkness, he spoke commitment. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And he breathed his last. But his last breath was my first breath. Because death was not his final destination.
I went to Sydney this week, but I already had my ticket back to Charlotte before I ever left for Sydney. Jesus came to earth in the likeness of sinful man, but he was not a sinful man. He went to a cross, but he did not belong on that cross. He did not stay on that cross. He was in this world, but he was not of this world. He went to the grave. He did not stay in the grave. I'm talking about round-trip resurrection now. He suffered that he might be glorified. By his wounds, you are healed. Everybody say, Release. So here's what I wanted to show you. Because remember, God is very sneaky. And Luke says that Jesus on the cross said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. But Luke wasn't at the cross. Luke is recording what he said at the cross, but Luke wasn't at the cross.
The Sneaky Handover (Paradidōmi)
Now John, who also wrote one of the Gospels, he was at the cross. He was there. He wasn't loud. He was listening. He was watching. John was… I would say he's a sneaky disciple. Because if you look at him at the Last Supper, he's got his head on Jesus. He's kind of sneaky. Every one of my kids have different personalities. Elijah is very direct and forceful and articulate, logical. If he wants something, he's going to give you 17 reasons you should give it to him and 13 consequences if you don't. So, Abby is very beautiful and charming.
And then Graham. Graham is sneaky. He is…. He doesn't…. I didn't teach him to be this way. He just is this way. Graham is my sneaky kid. So, if he wants something from you, he will come up to you. He will hug you like he loves you, but he's working on something. Because he's sneaky. Everybody say sneaky. He's very sneaky. He came up to me yesterday and started hugging me. And he was hugging me. And he started singing this song. And I liked it. The song was… It was like… Let me see if I can do it. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my… I like the groove of it. I started dancing to it. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my daddy. That's my… About the time I'm dancing, I realize what he's doing. The whole song was a setup. The last line, he goes, and he's going to get me a dog. And he walks off because he's sneaky.
And I think what John did when he recorded what Jesus did when he died, because remember, it looked like the end. It was really the beginning. It was grace dressed like shame. It was triumph dressed like trouble. And so John says that when Jesus died and said, it is finished, which was a cry of victory. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. And gave up his spirit is how we say it in English, but the Bible wasn't written in English. In fact, this part of the Bible was written in Greek. And there is a Greek word that John used in the 30th verse of the 19th chapter of his gospel that we translated gave up. That really doesn't mean gave up. You know what the Greek word is? Perididimai. Perididimai.
Hand It Over – The Invitation
Now you thought I was just randomly telling you that, but I wasn't. I was sneaking it in. So when I got to this point in the sermon, you would know that when the Bible says that Judas handed Jesus over to the Sanhedrin, Perididimai and the Sanhedrin handed Jesus over to Pilate and Pilate handed Jesus over to Herod and Herod handed over Jesus to be crucified when Jesus got ready to die. Guess what he did with his spirit? Perididimai. He handed it over. I'm trying to say nobody took his life. He gave it. He gave it. And he took the bread. And he blessed it. And he broke it. And he gave it. And he gives it. And he handed it over. And he handed it over. Perididimai.
The same word that says Judas handed Jesus over. is used to describe the way that Jesus handed himself over. What am I trying to say? He had it in hand all along. It is always in his hands. It might have looked like Judas hand. It might have looked like Herod's hand. It might have looked like Pilate's hand. But the hand on the hand that writes a story of your life is the hand of God. Somebody shout, hand it over. He handed it over. And can I tell you something else about Perididimai? It means to hand over for keeping until the appropriate time. So the Sanhedrin held him when he was handed over until it was time to hand him over to the Roman government. And they held him until it was time to hand him over to the centurion so that he could die. And so when Jesus died, his last word, his last smile, before he would do what he came to do and fulfill his purpose on the earth, he said, Father, into your hands I hand over my spirit. Father, keep it for me till Sunday. Because when Sunday comes, y'all better clap to get me off this stage, because if I start preaching about that... Oh, God. Oh, God. Because when he got up on Sunday, with all power in his hand...
You see, he had a little meeting with the Devil. And he said, Hey, Devil, what's that in your hand? And the Devil said, That's the key. And Jesus said, The key to what? And the Devil said... This is Revelation 1:18. It doesn't record the whole conversation, but it lets me know the outcome. The Devil said, It's the key to death. And Jesus said, Paradidimai. In other words... What else you got there, Devil? Oh, this is the key to hell. This is the key to judgment. This is the key that will punish them according to their transgressions. And Jesus said, Yeah, but I dealt with that.
Now hand it over. Hand it over. Somebody shout, Hand it over. That's the invitation. That's the invitation. The release. Hand it over. Hand it over. Hey, what are you carrying, Cleo? Disappointment? Man, I dealt with that. Now hand it over. I dealt with that. Now hand it over. Because you got seven more miles to go. Now hand it over. You see these hands that bled for you? They were holding your hands the whole time, and nothing has happened to you that will be wasted. Why don't you do what he did with that bread and hand it over? How long are you going to carry the burden when he died to take it away? How long are you going to carry the shame that he already carried up a hill? Hand it over. I hear the Spirit of God saying that. And just over and over in my mind, I just hear inserting whatever it is that you're carrying that Jesus already died to roll away, and I hear him saying, hand it over.
Release Your Burdens to Him
What are you discussing as you walk along the road? Let's leave that in Emmaus. Let's leave that at the cross. Let's leave that in his grave. You got a regret? Hand it over. You got a defeat? Hand it over. You got an excuse? Hand it over. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things to enter into his glory? Now hand it over so that you can experience what Paul described. He said, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time. everything that you've been through, everything that you will go through, are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed if you hand it over. But if you stay at Emmaus and you keep your back turned to Jerusalem, you will never know what was waiting for you in his hands for you to receive it. And this is the promise of God. The Spirit of God is in this place.
Now I want you to bow your head. And no one moving. Because this is the moment of the handover. This is the moment where you trust him with your life. You've been doing it your own way for seven miles now. And it's gotten you nowhere but Emmaus. And it's gotten you nowhere but confusion. And it's gotten you nowhere but despair. It's gotten you nowhere. But today, here stands one who offers to you the bread of life. Healing is in his hands. Life is in his hands. Freedom is in his hands. So I want to pray with you right now to the end that you would hand it over, to the end that you would get up and come back like Cleopas did, like Peter did after he had gone fishing, like we all must do, to repent, to believe that resurrection is here.
With your heads bowed and your eyes closed at every location, we're going to pray a prayer right now. This prayer is for those who are handing it over, for those who are ready to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, to come back to him. I want us to pray together out loud as a church family, for the benefit of those who are coming back to God. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, into your hands I commit my life. I belong to you. Today I trust you. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, and today I make him my Savior, and I call him Lord. I call him Lord. This is my new beginning. Forgive me of my sin. Change my heart. Make me a brand new creation. From this day forward, I will follow you all the days of my life. Heads bowed, eyes closed. On the count of three, if you just prayed that prayer, shoot your hand up in the air boldly. This is your moment on three. One, two, three. Shoot him up all over these campuses. Hands going up. New life beginning. Coming back home. Let's welcome them home. Like the eleven. It is true. The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. If you know he's risen, lift your hand, lift your voice. Lift your hand. Lift your hands. Lift your hands. Lift your hands. To your mind. Hold me as is a defeat?