It Wasn't The End

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ It was the end of the story. For them, it looked like this guy that they were following and had been trusting in and hoping in was going to save them. But from their perspective in that moment, it looked like the end and their hope was shattered and life just seemed to fall apart. And if that's your life today, then we have some good news for you today.

We're going to share some hope and an answer to why the resurrection changes everything in our lives. It's the same hope and the same answers that a guy named Louis Zamperini also needed to hear in his life. Louis was born in 1917 to Italian immigrant parents, and they didn't speak a lick of English when they arrived in Torrance, California. And so that led to Louis as a little kid being bullied in school. And so his dad actually taught him to box to be able to defend himself. And Louis, in his autobiography, says, I just enjoyed beating the mess out of people and got really good at it and even fell into some things at an extremely young age. Even sitting at five years old, he was smoking, and at eight years old, he was drinking alcohol. And so his brother, his older brother, channel his energy into something positive rather than self-destructive and so he encouraged Lewis to go out for the track team at his local high school and Lewis did so and he was actually a phenomenal runner in fact he set a national record for the fastest mile early on as a high schooler in fact he was so good he got a scholarship to the University of Southern California to run track and decided to try out for the 1936 Olympic team that was going to be in Berlin Germany which he made and he had an amazing performance although he did it metal there his run was so impressive that Hitler asked to see him after his race and shake his hand he goes back to California finishes school and as you know as the war heated up in 1941 just days before Pearl Harbor he joined the United States Air Force and he became a bombardier and was assigned to a plane that was over the Pacific and actually was shot down several on his crew were killed but the plane was able to land and Lewis was one of those who

survived he was reassigned to another plane and in 1944 he was shot down a second time 800 miles south of Oahu Hawaii and this time eight of the 11 airmen on board were killed in that incident but the three people who survived Lewis Zamperini was one of them they make a makeshift raft and for 40 seven days these three guys floated in the Pacific Ocean surviving on rain water and the local fish that they could catch from their raft it was so hard surviving a storm that one of those three men died while they drifted at sea eventually at the end of those 47 days those two guys would wash ashore in the Marshall Islands which at the time were controlled by the Japanese they were immediately taken captive prisoners of war but somehow their names never made it on the prisoner of war registry and the United States government didn't even know that they were alive so his parents saw him listed as missing in action when the original plane crash happened and then one year and one day after he was listed MIA he was declared dead by the United States government in fact his parents received a note from Franklin Delano Roosevelt thanking his family for the sacrifice of their son then the war comes to an end in 1945 POW camps are liberated and there's Lewis Zamperini alive and can you imagine his family the roller coaster of emotions being told that your son was dead all of the grief that goes with that and then some months over a year later you find out actually he's still alive and the celebration and of course he was welcomed home to California with a hero's welcome and like much of the greatest generation he comes home meets a beautiful girl gets married starts life and but Lewis had some demons because of everything that he had just been through understandably he'd just been through immense trauma and Lewis struggled with PTSD a name they didn't even have for that back in 1945 struggling with what he'd been through the torture full of hatred for his captors and the people that beat him while he was imprisoned in Japan and struggling with all of that trauma and so he did what many people do is he picked up the bottle just to self medicate his pain even going so far with all of this anger that while his wife was pregnant with their first child

attempted to choke her and she did understandably say the marriage is over I want out and then one day there's a tent revival in Los Angeles by some young unknown preacher named Billy Graham that she gets invited to she goes by herself and has such an encounter with the Lord at Billy Graham's preaching that she gives her life to Jesus she goes home to Lewis and says I want to try to make this marriage work all the while while he's still in a cycle of self-destruction and sometimes goes by and the tent revival comes back to Los Angeles it's grown a little bit Billy Graham kind of you know got a reputation now and a few more people show up than had been earlier and at the urging of some Christian friends and his wife Lewis decided to go to the tent revival in Los Angeles and he said the preaching of Billy Graham reminded me of the desperation of my prayers when I was floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and while I lay being tortured in a Japanese POW camp something connected with my spirit in that moment that resonated in the preaching of Billy Graham and in that moment Lewis surrendered his life to Jesus and that was not the end of his story by the way that was just the beginning Lewis and his wife actually joined Billy Graham frequently on the road at Billy Graham's crusades to share his testimony as a former American Olympian and a former POW about new life in Jesus. Lewis would go on to begin a boy's ranch for troubled youth in California a ministry that still exists long after his death all because Lewis experienced what it's like to come back from the dead to come to life to go from a place of hopelessness and despair to new hope and new purpose in his life from a place of being a literal prisoner in Japan to being a prisoner of sin and shame to being set free by the resurrection of Jesus

and the same kind of hope that Lewis Zamparini needed in his life were the same kind of hope that the apostles needed following the death of Jesus. You can imagine their despair and discouragement having just lost their leader that they'd been following for three years a miracle worker a guy that had thousands of people that would show up to listen to him like they believed he was the messiah he was the everything he was going to be the liberator and assume a political position to set Israel free from the occupiers that Rome was and they were looking forward to that and then they thought as he went into Jerusalem that he's coming as king and man this is going down he's going to take charge and show us what he's about and yet when Friday came their dreams felt shattered and you can imagine their hopelessness in that moment and here in in the text today in Luke chapter 24 we're going to see a picture of that feeling of lostness and disorientation that the disciples of Jesus felt the story of these two disciples on the road to Emmaus so beautifully capture this emotion here I'm in Luke chapter 24 verse 13 now that same day the same day being the same day as the resurrection so this is later Sunday afternoon early Sunday evening when they are walking down the road two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem and they were talking with each other about everything that had happened from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and we thought it was going to go down this way then the cross happened everything is shattered there was darkness on Saturday and now it's Sunday and there's some crazy things happening and as they talk and discuss these things with each other Jesus himself came up and walked along with them but they

were kept from recognizing him and he asked them what are you discussing together as you walk along now don't you love a Jesus who plays dumb he knows what's going down it's like hey what you guys up to they stood still and their faces downcast in other words there was so much grief and heaviness in their life you could see it on their face and one of them named Cleopas asked him are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened in these days we would say in Alabama you've been living under a rock you know like where you've been buddy and Jesus again plays dumb what things I imagine he said that with a smile on his face don't you about Jesus of Nazareth they replied he was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people the chief priest and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him but we had hoped That he was going to be the one to redeem Israel and what is more It is the third day since all of 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 that they'd seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive and Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said but they did not see Jesus so you immediately get a feel for the emotion of these two guides which were probably very representative of Many hundreds of others disciples of Jesus that their emotions are disappointment and confusion Disappointment comes from the phrase Yeah, we really hoped he was gonna be the guy We thought maybe it was looking all signs were pointing green and then we hit a red light In other words the story didn't play out like we thought it would Jesus didn't turn out to be our political liberator to set us free from Rome And then when it didn't happen that way

they're crushed and Discouraged Now they don't know how to make sense of their life events of the way everything has Unfolded because it didn't match the script that was in their head about the way that should go down and his body is missing and the message of the women about what they're saying this crazy talk about an angel and rolling the stone away and Like now like we things don't make sense to us and there's lots of confusion like where's his body what happened to him? What's going on? And so these two are in so much pain It's visible on their face And it's likely that many of us in the room this morning can identify With the disappointment and the confusion in life that these two guys had And Anybody else have disappointments with the way life has turned out for you at times lots of us and We'll say things like, you know, it wasn't supposed to be this way Why did that happen Where's God in the midst of all of this pain and suffering where was God when I needed him the most Why didn't he answer my prayers Now Life's unfolded in a script that you didn't write and so you couldn't fully comprehend And so now you're confused and perhaps even questioning Everything you ever believed and the future maybe seems foggy at best If that's you These two disciples are your guys These two disciples are your guys As here's here's a beautiful part of this story is that Jesus is present long before he is perceived Right in the middle of the worst part of their Discouragement and their confusion is when Jesus was actually nearest to them They

Had no idea the one who was asking them questions was the one who had all the answers They think God has abandoned them When in actuality he was nearer to them they could ever imagine Could that also be true in your life this morning Some of you right now feel like God has left you at the garbage dump of life And he feels a million miles away based on your circumstances But be careful of your conclusions This story is a reminder that Jesus might actually be nearer to you than you realize He Might be walking beside you in a way that's about to give you a whole new perspective of everything that you've just been through in your life It doesn't run away this is amazing about Jesus he doesn't run away from disappointed and confused people Y'all act like you don't need that Jesus Does not run away from disappointed and confused people He actually comes near to them Not only does he walk with them, but he opens their minds to God's bigger purpose in their life. That's verse 25, and he said to them, how foolish you are and how slow to believe all the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. And that would seem arrogant, unless you were God, to wrap the whole story and say, actually this is, all of this is about me. And what Jesus does in this moment is challenges their understanding of reality. Because what happened to Jesus was not only spoken of by Jesus himself saying to his disciples, hey, the son of man is going to be killed by the chief priest, he's going to suffer, and on and on and on, right? The problem wasn't the events, the prophets had spoken of it hundreds and hundreds of

years earlier before. What the problem was, was their understanding was deficient. They couldn't picture the way that God was going to work all of this out, right? And what unfolded before them was not an isolated incident that caught God off guard where God is going, oh my gosh, the world spun out of control, I didn't foresee that coming. It was actually his plan to redeem the world. And so what Jesus does in that moment is sets the cross in the proper context for them. And to the disciples in that moment, what they had seen seemed like a tragic ending and a horrendous defeat. And Jesus brings it to their attention that actually they just witnessed the beautiful plan of God become victory. Now it doesn't mean in that moment that their pain wasn't real. They had real pain in that moment, real suffering. It was real, but just as their pain wasn't final. And by the way, Jesus knew a lot about pain himself. But he helped transform their pain by placing it inside of God's larger story. And that's often hard to see because often our perspective and our vision is very cloudy and very limited. So when we're going through circumstances and difficulties and struggles in our life, it feels like the end. It feels overwhelming, it feels heavy, it feels like darkness. And that's why we need God's perspective on our trials and our sufferings and our hardships. I think Louis Zamperini would say amen to that because if anybody knows what that's like, it's that guy who goes from childhood trauma, being shot down twice, surviving and floating in seas for 47 days, being tortured by the Japanese, being an alcoholic, about to lose your marriage, and on and on and on, and then experiences new life in Jesus and gets to hang out with one of the greatest evangelists that will ever walk the face of the earth. Talk about going from death to life, a story that seemed like it was over until it wasn't.

And I think some of us need to understand, need God's understanding about our pain, our trauma, and our hardship that we've been through. Because some of us may be bitter with God and questioning His existence, wondering why God hates you so much, why God has let you down, why God didn't stop that bad thing from happening. But what if the pain that you have been through actually is the pathway to the greatest breakthrough that you'll ever experience? Be really careful about interpreting Jesus through your pain. It actually should be the other way around. We should interpret our pain through Jesus. Because what feels like the end of the road could actually be the beginning of resurrection in your life. And here's what you're going to need to reframe that. You'll have to see that resurrection reinterprets the crucifixion. Because if you don't have the resurrection, the cross really does seem tragic and hopeless and meaningless. It would have been the end of the story. But God had an alternate ending that... human minds couldn't conceive. Because in that moment, the crucifixion became the payment, the penalty Jesus took on our death, and our sin, and our shame. And it looks like loss in the moment, but actually becomes our victory. God is not absent in that moment. He's very much present, working out the cross as the instrument for our salvation. And that's why, because of the resurrection, a few days after the cross, that you feel confident to wear a cross around your neck this morning,

or hang one on the wall at your house. Without resurrection, that doesn't make sense. Why would you place an instrument of torture around your neck, or hang one on your wall as a beautiful decoration at your house? Unless you have the resurrection to interpret the cross, that doesn't make sense. But in light of the resurrection, Christians can see beauty in the suffering of Jesus, because we know it was for our ultimate good. It's for our ultimate victory, it's for our liberation, that Jesus was, in that moment, defeating death for us. The cross is temporary, but the resurrection is eternal. So resurrection is the key that unlocks the story that changed everything. And then he continues in verse 28. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going further. Again, Jesus is playing mind games with these guys, all right, I just love it. But they urged him strongly, stay with us, for it is nearly evening, and the day is almost over. And so he went in to stay with them. And when he was at the table with them, he took bread and gave thanks, and broke it, and began to give it to them. And then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. And 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? I mean, there's so much grace in this story here, that Jesus spends time with hopeless and hurting people long before those hopeless and hurting people actually get it. And if it takes you a while to get it, you can be really graceful with yourself. It took them some time as well. And what I love about these two guys is they recognize that your heart can be burning long before your mind fully understands it. What Jason did a moment ago in sharing about his own story is that, saying, my heart was burning even when I couldn't get my head around some things. And that burning is often a holy disturbance inside of us that says, I can't stay numb any longer. So when we can't make sense of things, we can kind of just stay in a numbness, like, I don't wanna think about that, I don't wanna feel that. And a holy disturbance is an ache in us that says there's gotta be something more. It might be the weight of a concern that you just can't let go. Something that has grown cold in your heart begins to come alive again, begins to thaw out. And I pray this over people, and you can pray this too over people. Lord, let their heart burn so that their mind will be open to it.

Stir and hear so that change can happen here. And Jesus uses their confusion and turns it into hunger because he turned their sorrow into hope. And some of us this morning, you might also have a similar kind of burning heart today. You don't have all the answers, you don't know how to make some sense of some things in your head that have gone down in your life, nor sense of how God could possibly in a million years bring something good out of what you've been through today. But what if, just what if, Jesus enlightens you in a way today that causes your mind to open? That's a gift. That a burning heart is your soul realizing truth before your mind can explain it. It's beginning to see long before the fog of life lifts. And how does that reorientation in our thinking happen? It happens at the table. Revelation of who Jesus was came by sitting at the table with him. So Jesus starts the conversation on the road by saying, hey, what are you guys talking about? But it is the two guys who invite Jesus to the table with him. Now think about this, why do you go to the dinner table? You go to the dinner table because you're hungry. Need is what takes you to the dinner table.

There is an empty stomach and you want it filled and you sit down at the table. And they say to Jesus, hey, would you stay with us? Like, I don't even know how to comprehend everything that you were just explaining. But something is stirring right here, right now, and I think I need more of that. I need more of your presence. I need more of you in my life. I mean, what a beautiful prayer that you could pray this Easter. Lord, I don't understand what's happening in my life. I don't understand why I've gone through what I've gone through. I don't know how to make sense of my future. I'm confused, but my heart is burning, so come near to me. And often people do the opposite when they feel confusion and disappointment in their life. Rather than drawing near and saying, Jesus, come near to me, they move into isolation. They move towards greater loneliness and darkness. And I would say to you this morning, don't let fear be what voice you listen to. Lean into Jesus. It was in conversation with him and fellowship together with him that the heart began to be stirred. It was the table where he made himself known to them. So don't leave the place where Jesus is making himself known. Paul in 1 Corinthians speaks about the church

as the body of Christ, and then calls us together around the table, which we symbolically represented a moment ago in communion to come around as we remember Jesus. But we are Jesus to each other as the body of Christ. The table together. Staying at the table means staying connected to Jesus. Being in conversation and in relationship. Even when disappointment might make you wanna disappear. Many people leave too early. Don't be one of them. And so for these two guys, the table encounter is not the end point in their encounter with Jesus. It's actually the turning point. The point when something changes in their life. Their grief turns to joy. Their confusion turns to understanding. Their anxiety turns to peace. Their hopelessness turns to purpose when they recognize him. And an encounter with Jesus can be your turning point as well. So the transformation of disappointment and our confusion in our life happens because we encounter a living, resurrected Jesus. That is the beauty of the Easter story. Easter proclaims that God is still writing when we think the story is over. That was true for Jesus.

True for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. True for Louis Zamperini. And true for you and I as well. And so this morning, if you're in a place of life where you don't know which way to turn, you don't know how to make sense of what you've been through but your heart is burning, I would submit to you today that it's because Jesus is nearer to you than you realize. And he may be using somebody. He may be using a message. He could be using the text. He could be using anything in your life, in your creation to draw you to himself. And it would be awesome today for you to say what these two disciples said. Hey, would you come stay with me? Would you come nearer to me? Like you get to invite him in. And the good news is Jesus wants to hang out. Jesus wants to hang out. to spend time. Jesus wants to be in relationship with you today. He's not going to push you away. The scripture tells us, draw near to him and he will draw near to you. That's a promise. You can take that one to the bank. And maybe for others of us in this morning, it feels like our story may be ending or over because something has died around us. It could be any kind of grief or loss you've experienced, the loss of a relationship, a friendship, perhaps even a marriage, loss of a career. And I would say maybe a chapter has come to a close in your story, but God has more for your story than that chapter. That's not how your story ends.

Your pain is real, but in Jesus, loss doesn't get the final word. Or maybe for some of us, it feels like something has died within us. Maybe it's our strength to carry on, a loss of innocence, a dream, a loss of joy or purpose in our lives. What Easter declares is God can bring life from dead places. He can bring gardens where there was a grave. God can resurrect the innermost places of our hearts. And like our Emmaus friends, a few moments with Jesus can transform the greatest despair into the greatest hope. And that's my prayer for us this morning, that we would recognize that and celebrate that today. That death doesn't get the final word today. Pain isn't the end of our story. Defeat is not the end of our story today. That because Jesus rose from the grave, He stirs hearts today. He opens minds to His greater purposes, and therefore we can experience that kind of transformation. If you want to live out of that this morning, church, say amen. Let's all come to our feet. Father, today, we are grateful for Resurrection Sunday and the transformation that that brings. Lord, even though we can't always make sense of the pain and hurt and trauma that we've been through in our lives, Lord, we know that You have greater purposes and greater plans than we can imagine. And so today, Father, I just pray for those in the room who feel a sense of confusion and disorientation. Lord, would You speak truth? Would You bring revelation today? In the midst of the hopelessness and despair, God, that You would show Your new life. You would show Your power. Lord, for those who have burning hearts in the room today, to say yes to relationship with Jesus, to invite Him to the table. Lord, and we thank You that You want to draw near to us, that You desire relationship with us, Lord. And we pray that relationship today for all of us, especially for our friends who've never said yes to Jesus today. God, would You be glorified and honored through all that we say and do? And it's in the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.