God’s Restoring Love (Luke 24:13-35)
by Pastor Cesar Crisostomo | July 1, 2018
Luke 24:13-35Have you as a disciple of Jesus experienced a time in life when you seemed to be faltering, unsure of what to do next and maybe even confused or discouraged at times? And yes, you still love the Lord, you still believe in Him, and you’re still loyal to Him but lost some hope or passion. I am sure some has if not all of us have experienced such a time or maybe even going through such a time today. Going through a time such as this, I can say that it is always so amazing to me how the Lord has such a capacity to come to us just at the right time and say to us the right things and touch us in just the right way.
As we see in our passage reading today two of Jesus’ followers who are sad because of the death of their Lord, disappointed and lost hope of Israel being redeemed. As they were walking back maybe to their place of residency and going back to what they use to do and know, going on their own way disappointed and sad, the Lord Jesus intersects them and confronts them. The Lord with His great love and compassion intersects their lives just at the very time when they did not know what to do and were troubled in their hearts. He intersects their path and begins to walk and talk with them. And when you and I walk with the Lord, it changes everything. When you recognize the Lord walks side by side with you there comes a sense of real strength. I don’t know about your experience, but it’s been true in mine.
1. We should be thankful and recognize that we serve a persistent Lord. (v. 15-17)
- Jesus is concerned about what concerns us. One thing that is important to Him is to have our relationship with Him restored and healed. He also desires that our relationship with others that is broken be restored and healed. The problem with restoring relationship is there seem to be the tendency that we do not want to go to people and take the first step. But with God we see that He is the one that always comes to us, the one that intersects our lives even though we’re the one that has failed, we’re the one that has missed the mark. He is the one that always comes and wants restoration.
- If you say, “Jesus be the Lord of my life,” He will be. Understand that when you commit to Him, it is a serious commitment. He takes it seriously and will not let anything get in the way of that relationship. He will pursue you. Even when you walk away from following Him, He will pursue you because He loves you.
2. We should be thankful and recognize that the timing of the Lord is perfect and right.
- Jesus comes at the right time. We see in scripture Jesus going to certain people, certain times.
- Jesus doesn’t just go anywhere to anybody on His own, but He goes where the Father wants Him to go. He is never doing it on His own but always in sync with His Heavenly Father.
3. We should be thankful and recognize the restoring love, restoring work of the Lord.
- Why do people wander away from the Lord?
- Christians once saved will most likely within a couple of years become nominal. They just can’t keep the fire going. Yes, this is not the case for everybody, but it is true of a lot of people. We often lose perspective why the Lord has called us. We find ourselves wanting to walk away from the Lord when things don’t work out our way. We still love the Lord, but it is just hard.
Questions I use to test if I am in a good place or a bad place in my life:
- Would I rather be somewhere else than where I am right now? Would geography change me? Would I be happier if I am someplace else, doing something else?
- Does my happiness come from outside sources? Is it going to take something else to make me happy? What is it that really brought joy to my life? Is Jesus enough or is it going to take something else to satisfy me?
- Does the Lord have the right to do anything He wants with me? Or, is my relationship with Him have conditions?
