A Burning Heart

 This is a sermon that was given on Easter Sunday. It focuses on the Scripture in Luke 24:32, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" The message describes the events of this passage and makes application for believers today. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was preached can be viewed by clicking here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Have you ever experienced something so exhilarating it felt like your heart was burning inside? I'm not sure I can answer in the affirmative to that question. I suppose most of the times whenever I felt like my heart was burning, it was probably right after I ate something that I shouldn’t have eaten!! In the scripture I just read, the two disciples who encountered Jesus described their experience as “did not our hearts burn within us?”

Many years ago I read a biography of John Wesley titled, “The Burning Heart,” by A. Skevington Wood. After reading the book, we have the distinct recognition that for Wesley, a “burning heart” refers to the zeal and passion he had for Christ and preaching the gospel throughout the country. Therefore, we might assume that these disciples describe their encounter as “our hearts burned within us” because of the passion stirred inside of them by the message Jesus gave to them.

In the short time we have this morning I want to point out a few key aspects of this account in hopes that our hearts will burn with excitement and passion as we consider the truth of the resurrection one more time.

I.          The Testimony of Two Witnesses

Walter L. Liefeld & David W. Pao co-authored the Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised on the books of Luke and Acts. They highlight the fact that Jewish law required every fact be established on the testimony of two witnesses. The importance of this requirement is noted early in the Gospel as Luke records the testimony of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was taken to the temple as an infant. These two witnesses verified the divine nature of Jesus at birth. Now we have another example of Luke reporting two witnesses to the resurrection by men who were not part of the original twelve disciples.

They were not the only witnesses. The Bible says there were above 500. But, they were important witnesses.

We are not told the identity of these two, except one is named Cleopas. Some have suggested (Liefeld & Pao), that he is probably named because he would have been known by Luke’s readers. Another author suggested that he might have been the same as “Alphaeus” who was the father of a disciple named James. We do know that they were not identified with the eleven disciples.

Verse 33 tells us that they returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together

I read one source that suggested they may have been part of the 70 followers of Jesus who had been sent out by Him to preach the message of the Kingdom as recorded in Luke 10:1 (KJV) After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Or, they could have been among those mentioned in verse 9, when it explains how the women “returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”

Most of us are very familiar with the frequent attacks against Scripture and against the Gospel of Jesus, but this important detail illustrates the care that God took in documenting the events of the resurrection so that it could be established on the word of two more witnesses who were not part of the Lord’s “inner circle of disciples.”

II.        The Revelation of the Divine Plan

While the previous point illustrates an important part of the story’s reliability, it doesn’t explain the cause of their burning hearts. What was the reason for their hearts “burning within them?” It was caused from Jesus “talking to them on the way and opening the Scriptures.” Luke 24:27 (NKJV) And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

I have often wished I could have heard this message by Jesus as goes through the OT Scriptures explaining how they all related to Him and His mission. He explained how His suffering and death was all part of God’s plan. He explains how the coming kingdom of glory must be preceded by the ministry of suffering and sacrifice.

I imagine that He spoke of the sacrifices required in the OT Law and explained how they pointed to His own voluntary sacrifice. I imagine that He spoke of many OT prophecies and revealed how they foretold His own birth, His ministry, His suffering/death, and His resurrection/glorification.

These two men later exclaim, v. 32 - “Did not our hearts burn when He talked with us and when He explained the Scriptures to us?”

There are a lot of things that I have gotten excited about and passionate about in my life. (i.e. those events that take away sleep because of the excitement and anticipation or passion.) For example, hunting, especially deer hunting; graduations; wedding; ordination. It is normal to be excited about these things. However, I don’t know if there is anything that stirs up the passion in my heart like hearing someone expounding the Word of God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I even remember times I’ve been passionately stirred just listening to someone quoting large portions of Scripture.

Ills – Rev. Percy Trueblood had large portions of the Bible memorized, but especially the book of Revelation. I had the privilege of hearing him preach while I was in Bible college and his “sermon” largely consisted of him quoting from memory many chapters from Revelation. I can still recall the anointing of the Holy Spirit that came upon him and also stirred my heart as I listened.

What causes your heart to well up with zeal and passion? I believe that one sure sign of salvation and faith is when God’s Word inspires us more than all the things in this world that clamor for our time and attention.

III.       Divinely Enabled Recognition

After these two men returned to Jerusalem they reported to the other disciples “the things on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread.”

(Lenski) In the conversation on the road, Jesus becomes the teacher and the two men His disciples. now in the house, Jesus becomes the “host” and breaks the bread and offers the blessing.

Some believe they had apparently seen Him break and bless bread before and that is why they recognized Him, but others say we must not omit the significance of the phrase, “their eyes were opened.”

It was something that was done to them. God opened their eyes. (see v. 31).

Lesson: We can do everything possible to show people who Jesus is and what He can do for them, but until their eyes are opened by the power of God Himself, the message will never grip them. That’s why it is so important for us to pray earnestly that their “eyes will be opened” through the dynamic power of Holy Spirit conviction.

Passion rose in them as they listened to Him expound the Scriptures, but it rose even higher once they recognized who He was so much so that they couldn’t wait to get back to Jerusalem. They had used the “lateness of the day” as a reason to ask Jesus to stay with them, but after they recognized Him and He vanished, the lateness of the day didn’t matter any longer – they needed to go tell someone what had just happened.

Your heart may have been inspired and stirred by the message that your salvation has been provided by the crucified and risen Christ. But when your “eyes are opened” and you realize that He truly is YOUR Lord and Savior, it gives a higher level of love and passion for Him and His message. Does your heart burn this morning with the truth of the resurrection? If not, then I urge you to ask God to reveal Himself anew to you.

Closing Song: Worship Christ, the Risen King