The Long Winding Road to Emmaus: A Twice Told Tale

“O Lord my God, when the storm is loud, and the night is dark, and the soul is sad, and the heart oppressed; then, as a weary traveler, may I look to you; and beholding the light of your love, may it bear me on, until I learn to sing your song in the night. Amen.” From Little Book of Prayers by George Dawson.

Job 13:15a "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." (NASU)

Luke 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened." (NASU)

Sometimes in the midst of the trials and burdens of life, we lose sight of our anchor. We feel tossed and thrown as on a wild and restless sea. Our emotions tell us that things will never be good, all will be despair and loss. Our hope seems shipwrecked, our desire to go on in life sinks into depression. We see nothing good, only evil all around us. Our enemies (both physical and spiritual) seem to have the upper hand, they seem to be winning the day. Things are just not working out the way we expected! The victory we felt sure would come has not yet manifested itself, and we feel ourselves sinking ever deeper into a pit in which we cannot get the proper traction to climb. The clock is ticking down, our hope is gone, our day is over, and Christ has not come.

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would rescue us. We had fervently prayed that maybe, just maybe, today would be the day when we would “live happily ever after” and find our dreams coming true. We shake our heads and go out for a walk. Maybe some fresh air and a quick walk will clear out the cob webs in our minds. Still, the topic of our recent failure hangs like a cloud over our heads, raining down doubt and fear.

We chat quietly together, commiserating a bit in our sorrow, in our recent loss. We try to remember all the "good reasons" we came to this time--like the first time we heard the story of Jesus, or the first time we met him, or even when we experienced firsthand some of his mighty works. Still, sorrow clings to our soul like a wet coat in a sudden thunderstorm. We can't get rid of the sense of sadness, it is drenched on us and sticks to our bodies. We wonder why we even brought the subject up and continue to make our journey in silence. Maybe time alone with our thoughts will help.

Suddenly, a stranger approaches. He seems rather ignorant of our experiences, and besides that he has a fairly sunny disposition. He is definitely someone we want to avoid at this moment. No pie in the sky false hope will satisfy us. We fear that he will say something like, “Cheer up! Keep a stiff upper lip! Things will work out in the end!” We try to avoid the stranger, yet he resolutely comes our direction. He seems determined to interrupt our brooding, our despair. He is on a mission, and we seem to be his primary targets. We try to ignore him, but then he speaks.

“So, what’s going on? Why the sad face?” he inquires. Out of pure human kindness we try to explain our pain in as brief a manner as possible. We do not want to burden strangers with our “little” concerns, after all. The stranger hears our story and stands tall. Looking at us he says boldly, “Foolish ones, slow of heart to believe what God has said!”

The force of his accusation causes us to stumble in our walk. How dare this stranger tell us our business? How dare he interject his thoughts into our moment of pain, our sorrow? Just who does he think he is to interrupt our musings with his “pollyanna” announcement? We look at him with disdain and think that he likely has nothing of real value to offer.

Then, he begins to speak to us again. Starting with the beginning of our story and bringing us pretty much up to date he tells us things we knew but somehow in our anguish had forgotten. As he speaks, our hearts get a bit lighter. We can literally feel a burning inside that slowly (painfully slowly) begins to purify our thoughts and hearts. His words seem to dry the wet sorrow drenching us. Like sunshine after a thunderstorm, we begin to feel a bit of relief. Spring may yet come! We even feel encouraged (a little at least) .

We invite the stranger to eat with us, and he offers to say grace. As he prays, we realize his true identity. He is Jesus, our Lord, the one who was beaten brutally, was painfully crucified, who died with the full weight of our sin upon his broken and bruised body. He has been there all along, listening to us, sympathizing (or is it empathizing?) with our pain and anguish. He has been waiting to comfort us with his presence. He loves us in this way, even when he seems silent.

We beg him to stay. Oh, the situations of our life haven’t changed dramatically. We still have problems, and those problems seem just as depressing and burdensome as before. The difference is that we have Jesus in the house, and the light of his love gives us courage to press on, he becomes an anchor for our souls. Why? Simply stated—“Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Through him and his love we may not have better situations or circumstances, but we can still be “more than conquerors through him who loved us” in the trials we share as his joint heirs. How? Talk to him. Let him talk. Trust his character. He is faithful even when we are faithless. We genuinely matter to him.

He longs to say to you "Keep pressing on, I have not forsaken you. I love you."

As we walk our soggy paths of life, we should pause and wait for the Lord. Let him catch up to us in our musings. Listen to his words (even the ones that gently rebuke). Get in his presence, let him pray for us  and with us. Let his words and actions encourage and empower. Remember, he walks with us whether we acknowledge him or not. Why not sit in his presence for a minute and acknowledge his concern for us?

Thanks for reading!

The Story of Paul’s Conversion: An Example for Us All Acts 9:1-9

Here are the notes from my lesson for G.A.P. (Graduates and Professionals) at Thomas Road Baptist Church. This lesson was presented on October 2 and
October 9, 2011. I hope it is a blessing to you! Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions.

The Story of Paul’s Conversion:
An Example for Us All
Acts 9:1-9

Introduction

•When you hear the words “Damascus Road Experience,” what typically comes to mind?

•Those of us raised in a church environment no doubt think of the conversion of Saul to become Paul the apostle

•But the phrase is used a lot today to mean a sudden and unexpected shift in someone’s position or values

•That certainly defines the experience in which the angry Saul of Tarsus becomes the missionary apostle Paul

•He changed from murderer to missionary

•He changed from a persecutor to an apostle

•But today I don’t want to focus only on the dramatic and divine change in Paul’s life, I also want to sketch for all of us what conversion looks like

•I want us to work through Paul’s story to see an example for us in our own conversion and for our lives today

•Let’s look at Acts 9:1-9, and note these three aspects of conversion

•The condition

•The confrontation

•The conclusion

•Remember, an encounter with Jesus changes everything

•We could all stand with regular encounters with Jesus

•We need the change that a relationship with him brings

•1. The Condition

•Acts 9:1-2—The first thing to note when talking about conversion is the condition of the person. None of us come to God complete or whole. We all come broken. Some may seem better than others, but none of us is able to avoid the taint of sin. That is the situation in which we find Saul (who will soon become Paul)

•What do you know about the life of Paul? (Philippians 3:2-6)

•Paul was an accomplished man/He had reason for a fleshly confidence

•He was circumcised on the eighth day

•He was a good Jew (a Hebrew of the Hebrews) from the prestigious tribe of Benjamin

•He was a Pharisee, zealous for the Law

•He was blameless according to the righteousness from the Law

•He was a very religious man

•No one could touch him in the area of religion

•Yet in spite of his religious beliefs, he was full of anger

•Paul breathed threats and murder against the early Christians

•He was a very angry young man, mad at the “heresy” of Christianity that had sprung up among his fellow Jews

•He even intended to wipe out this heretical faith and destroy them completely

•He had no use for false doctrine—he had a religious background but was full of hatred—he wanted to murder others—he was a sinner (1 John 3:10-18)

•Paul was the aggressor against the fledgling and newly born church

•He got permission to go and arrest them so that he can put an end to them

•Perhaps he was tired of hearing the story of Jesus, the story of redemption

•Perhaps his heart was heavy as the words of Christ were spoken

•Whatever was going on, Paul hated Christians

•Paul’s hatred turned him into the “terrorist” against Christianity

•Like some Muslims (and other religions too), he believed that those who disagreed with him should convert or die

•Having them die was easier, so he pursued that option

•He wanted to murder those who disagreed with him

•Paul was a sinner who resisted the truth and lived as an “enemy” of God (Romans 5:6-11)

•Like us, Paul stood against Christ. He was lost

•An encounter with Jesus exposes our condition

•Such an encounter can also result in a change of our condition

•The confrontation with Christ causes a change in us

•2. The Confrontation

•Acts 9:3-6—Once the person’s condition is acknowledged, the next aspect of conversion is the confrontation between the sinful person and the risen and exalted Jesus. The confrontation is between one who cannot save himself and the only One who can save. That is what happens to Paul

•Notice that Jesus confronts Paul as he is going about his everyday experience.

•Paul is doing what he would normally do

•Often Jesus confronts us in our mundane or normal surroundings

•We must remember that the revelation of God does not necessarily require special circumstances (like a special worship service, or complete quiet, or special music or technical expertise).

•God is more than able to meet us right where we are

•Jesus confronts Paul miraculously—this seems to be a special case

•Light from heaven—the glorified and risen Jesus reveals some of his glory

•Falls to the ground—in the presence of a heavenly revelation, Paul gets low

•Paul is humbled when Jesus is revealed

•This is a divine encounter!

•Most of us will not get a miraculous Damascus Road experience like Paul’s

•We will not meet Jesus in a visionary experience

•We will encounter him in a more mundane way

•That doesn’t make the encounter any less significant

•We go through some of the same steps nonetheless

•We encounter Jesus in his resurrected glory through the proclamation of his Truth

•We humble ourselves in his presence

•We listen for his direction

•These are the same steps Paul experienced

•Salvation requires revelation and response

•The Questions in this Encounter—notice that Jesus initiates the conversation by asking Paul a question (Questions are often a good way to start a conversation about conversion)

•Jesus confronts Paul with a question—why are you against me?

•Paul responds with a question—Who are you?

•Jesus gives Paul a chance to respond, and Paul wants to know who he is addressing

•There is a confrontation going on here, one that leads to conversion

•Like all of us before we came to Christ, we cannot know God until God makes himself known to us

•When Jesus confronts Paul, he is revealing himself to Paul

•Paul does not argue, he simply acknowledges the superiority of the one addressing him—Paul wants more information

•Jesus gives Paul the answer—I am Jesus—one thing this tells us is that when we do the work of God and receive mistreatment, Jesus suffers with us. That is, people are not attacking us only, they are taking on Jesus!

•Jesus gives Paul the answer—I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting

•Jesus makes himself known to Paul

•The nature of this revelation no doubt convinced Paul that he was in the presence of God

•Jesus then gives Paul a command—”Arise and go into the city, and you will be given more instructions”

•Jesus acknowledges Paul’s willingness to submit by giving Paul something to do

•How Paul responds makes the difference

•What will Paul do?

•Salvation for all of us is similar (without the bright lights probably)

•We are going about our everyday tasks, ignoring or even resisting God and being his enemies

•Then God confronts us with his person and truth, and we are humbled

•We want to know more and perhaps ask some questions, and God responds by calling us to obedience

•So, how do we respond?

•Faithful response to Christ leads to salvation

•An encounter with Jesus poses a challenge

•A confrontation with Jesus forces us to choose

•Will we obey him or not?

•3. The Conclusion

•Acts 9:7-9—The conclusion of our story reveals Paul’s response. In a similar way, our response to God will write the conclusion to our story of conversion. If we humble ourselves and obey God’s call to repent, salvation will come

•Let’s remember though, that not all who were present at the encounter/confrontation get the point or get salvation (verse 7)

•This is true in our lives as well

•When the story of salvation is told, it is not a guarantee that everyone present will be converted

•It is possible to witness God’s divine grace and still miss the truth

•These people heard the voice but did not apparently get the point

•Paul, on the other hand, understands that he has encountered the divine, that he has run into God, and he is dramatically changed

•He is physically blinded, but he nonetheless obeys—he obeys Jesus’ command even though his physical circumstances have made it difficult

•How often do we try to excuse ourselves from obedience due to physical circumstances?

•“I’m not gifted in evangelism” or “I can’t make disciples” or “I’m shy” or even “I don’t hang around non-Christians much”

•Physical circumstances do NOT hinder obedience—only our wills can do that!

•Though physically blinded, he is now spiritually focused—food and drink no longer matter, he wants to know this person Jesus (verse 10 reveals that Paul is praying while fasting)

•Paul obeyed Christ and focused on Christ

•We should follow his example

•Circumstances don’t matter, obedience alone matters

•So, what’s the rest of the story?

•Paul goes on to plant churches all over the Roman Empire

•He writes 13 letters (almost half of our New Testament)

•He becomes an example for all of us (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

•When a person is brought to Christ and becomes a follower of Christ, it is not for that individual’s good alone, it is for salvation for others

•Like Paul, our redemption is for the benefit of others as well

•Can others see the salvation of God in us?

•Do they want what they see?

•What kind of example are we?

•The conclusion to Paul’s story is written, but the story of salvation/redemption continues. What will the conclusion be?

•An encounter with Jesus changes our story

•Application

•We just admitted that the story doesn’t end with an individual’s conversion

•As important as a person’s salvation is, that is only the first part of the story

•So, how do we respond to this information? Seeing that Paul’s conversion story is in a sense an example or model for us all, how do we respond?

•First, check your condition. Are we followers of Christ or are we religious bigots looking to destroy all those who oppose us? What is our condition? Do we rely on our own strength and efforts, or are we confident in God’s plan of salvation? If we do not have a relationship with Jesus, that is the starting point. This week, focus on your relationship with Jesus. Like Paul, be willing to even give up some of the important things in life to pursue a knowledge of Jesus and his righteousness (Philippians 3:7ff)

•Second, humble yourself and obey God. What is it that God has asked of you that you have ignored? We must never allow anything to deflect us from obedience. When we refuse to obey Jesus, we are backing away from the recreating power of his redemption. As Oswald Chambers says, “It is a matter of indifference to God’s grace how abominable I am if I come to the light but woe be to me if I refuse the light.” (John 3:19-21). What was the last thing God told you to do? Leave here today, go and do it. Live in God’s light. Do not wait another minute to do the right thing

•Third, share with others the story of your encounter with God. Take time to let others know what God has done. Make a list of people you would like to see have an encounter with God, then begin to pray for them and seek an opportunity.

•An encounter with Jesus changes everything

•How has it changed you?

Thanks for reading!