October 26, 2025

Luke 24:13-35

Rekindled Hearts

Sunday Sermons

Two disciples walk the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, trying to make sense of the unthinkable. Their hope had been nailed to a cross and buried in a tomb. Disappointment hung heavy in the air as the promise of the resurrected Jesus was nowhere to be seen—until a stranger joined them on the road. Step by step, He listened, questioned, and opened the Scriptures until their cold hearts began to glow with the hope of the resurrection.

Join us as we walk that road together. In Luke 24:13–35, we’ll see how Jesus meets us in our confusion, rekindles our faith through His Word, and turns the ache of “we had hoped” into the joy of hearts set ablaze.

Speaker

Tommy Bailey

Series

The Gospel According to Luke

Go to Series

Scripture

Luke 24:13-35

Topics
Doubt Growth & Discipleship Suffering

Sermon Notes

Luke 24:13-35

Rekindled Hearts

Pastor Tommy Bailey

“…it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”
Luke 1:3-4

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-7

The Resurrected Jesus:

1. Draws Near to the Disappointed Heart (v. 13-18)

“We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”
Luke 24:21, emphasis added

“I’ve been thinking about after
And all the folks I wanna see
My neighbor says that this is it
My daughter says we live again
Most the time I’m somewhere in-between
Don’t the question beg an answer?
Don’t the song beg a dancer
Don’t you dare
Tell me that there
Ain’t more to this
More to this”
—Marc Scibilia, More To This

“Our disappointment is itself a sign, an aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is, in the end, a kind of homesickness — for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for.”
Philip Yancey, Disappointment with God

“…Jesus himself drew near and went with them.”
Luke 24:15, emphasis added

2. Speaks to the Slow of Heart (v. 25-27)

“One definition of Christ’s followers might be “those people of the slow, burning heart.” Sorrow and hope, awe and self-pity, wonder and worry, belief and doubt all mix loosely in us, tugging us one way, jostling us another. Jesus walks the road with us. But we can look straight at Him and not recognize Him. Jesus opens the Scriptures to us, for us, and often something happens within—a warming at times, a scorching at others.”
Mark Buchanan, Your God Is Too Safe

3. Rekindles the Fading Heart (v. 32-35)

“Longings and lies need the light of the gospel.”
Rebecca McLaughlin

“We must be open to the possibility of God’s addressing us in whatever way he chooses, or else we may walk right past a burning bush instead of saying, as Moses did, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.”
Dallas Willard, Hearing God

Discussion Questions

  • The disciples’ words “we had hoped” convey their deep disappointment. Where in your own life have you experienced that “we had hoped” feeling?
  • What does this passage teach us about Jesus’ view of scripture, and what might that mean for us in our often distracted or skeptical world?
  • What needs to change about your daily habits – of study, prayer, or conversation – to improve your walk with Jesus “down the road”?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“Jesus, Firm Foundation” by George Keith, R. Keen
“To God Be The Glory” by Fanny Jane Crosby
“My Redeemer Lives” by Samual Medley & John C. Hatton
“Revive Us Again” by John Jenkins Husband and William Paton MacKay
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

Call To Worship: Eternal God

Eternal God, you set Jesus Christ to rule over all things and made us servants in your kingdom. By Your Spirit empower us to love the unloved and to minister to all in need. Then at the last bring us into your eternal kingdom, where we may worship and adore you and be welcomed into your everlasting joy. We offer this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Confession: The Apostles’ Creed

Article III. “I Believe in the Communion of Saints”, part 2

LEADER: What is the “communion of the saints”?
PEOPLE: The communion of the saints is the fellowship of all those, in heaven and on earth, who are united in Christ as one Body, through one Spirit, in Holy Baptism.

LEADER: How do you participate in the communion of the saints?
PEOPLE: I live as a member of the communion of saints through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit by gathering to worship God with my fellow Christians, by praying for and encouraging one another, and by coming to one another’s aid in times of trouble, sickness, or grief.

Source: ACNA, Q. 102, 103

Classic Prayer: Richard Baxter, 1615-1691

Eternal, Almighty, and most gracious God: heaven is your throne, and earth is your footstool; holy and reverend is your name; you are praised by the angels of heaven, and in the gathering of your church on earth. Despite our unworthiness, you have invited us through our mediator, Jesus Christ, to present ourselves and our prayers to you. Receive us graciously. Help us by your Spirit. Let us stand in awe of you. Put your law into our hearts, and write it on our minds. Let your word come to us in power, and help us receive it in love, with attentive, reverent, and teachable minds. Through your word, allow us to taste the flavor of eternal life. Make us fervent in prayer and joyful in praise. Help us serve you this day without distraction, that we may find that a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, and that it is good for us to come near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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