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LUKE 24:32

"BURNING HEARTS"

Intro: This is the supreme need of the Church today. We have programs but we lack  passion.
       People are so apathetic concerning Jesus Christ, take Him or leave  Him attitude.

I. TWO DISCIPLES ON ROAD TO EMMAUS WITH SAD HEARTS.
        A. They had experienced great disappointment.
                1. They had been following a prophet of God.
                2. They had watched with awed joy as He healed the sick, opened blind eyes,
                   raised the dead.
                3. They had come to believe that He was the promised Messiah. 
                        a. They were waiting for Him to establish the kingdom of God.
                4. But instead He was crucified.
                        a. Their hero was beaten, mocked, slain.
                        b. They saw His limp body, entombed.
                        c. There were no last minute miracles.
                5. Now the first day after the Sabbath they were heading home. Sad, hopeless,
                   empty.
                6. Some wild rumors were circulating about the tomb being empty, but no one
                   had seen the body.
        B. The result of their sad heart, blindness.
                1. Here was Jesus walking with them, they knew Him not.
                2. If they only knew the whole story they could never be sad.
                3. How many times unbelief has us weeping when we should be rejoicing.

II. JESUS SOUGHT THESE TWO MEN.
        A. Why?
                1. He was looking for love.
                2. He wanted to rekindle the flame in their hearts.
        B. How did He cause their hearts to burn?
                1. By opening the scriptures to them.
                        a. I wish we had a gospel of Cleopas.
                        b. How I wish that conversation was recorded.
        C. Beginning with Moses.
                1. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.
                2. Explained the Passover lamb.
                3. The sin offerings.
        D. All the prophets.
                1. Ps. "The Good Shepherd."
                2. Song of Solomon "The altogether lovely one."
                3. Isa. "'The virgin born child."
                                The suffering Savior.
                4. Jere. "The righteous branch of David."
                5. Ez. "The plant of renown."
                6. Dan. "the Stone not cut with hands."
                7. Zech. "The Smitten Shepherd."
                8. Mal. "The Son of righteousness."

II. THEIR HEARTS BEGAN TO BURN.
        A. They had an encounter with the risen Christ.
        B. The scriptures were opened to them.
        C. They began to see God's complete picture  . . .
                1. Too many times we get so involved in one small segment of the picture we
                   fail to see the whole.

IV. TODAY HE WANTS YOUR HEART TO BURN.
        A. Meet the risen Christ
        B. Let the Spirit open the scriptures to you.
        C. Jesus sad complaint to Ephesus repeated to you today. "Thou hast left thy first 
           love."