The Journey of Life

Welcome to this edition of Power Point with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle. But first, here's the message, the journey of life. You know life is a journey. It has a beginning and it has an ending.

And of course all the steps in between. And where you are today in the journey of life can't be changed. I hope you know something about where you are right now in life's journey. And as you look back and as you look forward you realize that you can't change the past but you can by God's grace change the future. And no matter where life's path has taken you, there is hope.

And we can make that statement because Christ is alive. And if you will invite Him into your life, He will be with you forever, guiding you, blessing you, strengthening you, filling you with joy and peace, promise, purpose, life. Life as God intended. Knowing Jesus, the risen Lord, is the most incredible journey imaginable. It is the journey of hope.

It is at the very end to share in the risen life of Christ throughout all eternity. This is the journey of life. And your journey in life can be filled with passion and with promise. Now maybe you're one of the people who feels as though life is just a series of incidents and accidents, some good, some bad, but that life really has no ultimate significance. Or maybe you're the kind of person who is just trying to get by, just trying to get through the scenes, the struggles of life. And life frankly has become a struggle far more difficult than some of us had imagined.

Or maybe you're just marking time on this journey of life. This is not the way God intended for any of us to live our lives. God has a plan that is far better, that is filling and fulfilling, and yes, full of hope. And in a life like this, in the incredible journey when we walk with Jesus, even the most common and ordinary experiences are meaningful and sometimes even miraculous because He will lead us. And He will help us to make choices in life that are good so that when we come to corners in the journey and decisions that we make, we'll go in the right direction.

And along the way He's building our character, building our lives. Most of all, most of all, Jesus wants to join you on the journey of life. Now we have a story in Luke chapter 24 that begins with two disappointed and disillusioned disciples, two followers of Christ who were disappointed with God and upset that their lives had not turned out the way they had expected. On the first day of the week, three days after Jesus was crucified, some women had gone to the tomb very early and came back reporting that He was alive. Now their report was suspect to some, but then later some of the disciples of Jesus went to the tomb and found it empty.

They even said that an angel declared that Jesus was alive and yet they were confused because while the tomb was empty, Jesus was nowhere to be seen. And so these two men, one by the name of Cleopas and the other unnamed, are on their way to a little town, a little village called Emmaus. They set out on a walk from Jerusalem to this place called Emmaus which is about a seven mile journey.

They did this no doubt to just get away and think, perhaps to talk along the road, to remove themselves as far as possible from the sorrow and the sadness, the events of the last few days. But then something very wonderful happened beginning at verse 13 of Luke's Gospel chapter 24. That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him and He said to them, what is this conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk?

And they stood still looking sad. Now just keep your Bibles open right there. We'll cut back to it in just a moment. But observe what is happening here. As they are walking along, these two men talking about the events of the past few days, a stranger joins them. Now this stranger is the Savior, it is Jesus, but they didn't recognize Him. And Jesus walks up to them and says, what are you talking about? And when He said that, they stood still. They were stunned at the question Jesus asked them. And they were sad.

It appeared that they were sorrowful. Now just as a side note, as these men said, look, are you the only person in all of Jerusalem, a guest, a visitor in Jerusalem that does not know about the events of what is taking place here? You see none of the events concerning Christ, His cross and the resurrection were done in secret.

It was all for open view. And some who want to suggest that the resurrection of Jesus and the burial of Jesus was somehow tucked away in the minds and in the faith of only those who believe, the fact is that everyone in Jerusalem knew about all of these events. And that's important because when people talk about the lost tomb of Jesus and whether or not Jesus' resurrection was a metaphor or just a message rather than the reality of His resurrection, it's important for us to realize that the message of the cross and the resurrection didn't rise up from just a few, but everyone in the entire city, thousands and thousands of people knew about Jesus and what had happened when Jesus died. And now these two men encounter this stranger on the road to Emmaus. And Jesus said, what things are you talking about? And look at verse 17. And He said to them, what is this conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk?

And they stood still looking sad. And then one of them named Cleopas answered and said, are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know these things that have happened in these days? And He said, what things? And they said to Him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. Now note these words in verse 21, but we had hoped, past tense, we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.

Yes, and besides all this it's now the third day since all of these things have happened. We had hoped, we thought He was the promised one. We believed He was the Messiah. We gave our lives to follow Him.

We prayed that He would be the one to deliver us from tyranny and build His kingdom. We witnessed miraculous things, marvels, miracles that we could have never imagined. His words, His very presence changed our hearts. Our lives were transformed. Hope was born in our hearts.

But He was led away to die by our own religious leaders. And the one that we believed in so strongly is now gone. These men are now lost and confused on life's journey. They're afraid because their dreams have been destroyed. What they had expected turned out to be unknown and they're burned out. It's a classic case of burnout. You know, burnout is when your expectations are not met in life. You burn out. You expect something to be good and strong, maybe your career to be powerful and successful and it's not. You're just churning water.

You're just walking in place. That's a classic setup for burnout when life's expectations are not met. And certainly beyond any physical thing, these men had spiritual expectations. They had prayed. They had cried out to God.

They had believed in Jesus. They had expected more than this, more than a dead Savior. Maybe you're struggling in life today. Maybe you've decided that life isn't worth living just to chunk it all. Thousands of people say every year that life isn't worth living and take their own lives. Others on the other extreme decide that since life seemingly has no purpose and all hope is gone that they'll just live for pleasure or live for profit and success. Or maybe your life hasn't turned out as you expected in that you're facing illness or sickness or relationships that are broken or you're dealing with guilt or fear or financial loss.

I don't know. But you find yourself disappointed. You find yourself in life's journey struggling. But their disappointment and yours can turn into an appointment, a divine appointment.

And that is exactly what is happening here. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, The Journey of Life. You have a God-given calling to take the gospel to the world. That's why we've put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your love of the gospel and share it with others. This evangelism bundle includes three of Pastor Jack Graham's books, The Hope of Easter, Life Book, and God's Promises for Doubt-Filled Days. This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today.

And thanks to a generous matching grant, your gift today will be doubled. So call now to request your evangelism bundle when you give. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is JackGraham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, The Journey of Life. The divine stranger took them down a path that restored their passion and he resurrected their hopes.

And on this seven mile journey we also, just these steps with these men, we can also discover how our hopes can be renewed, how our faith can be rekindled. And though we are disappointed at times and doubting at times and empty at times, we can learn how to live life on life's journeys when we begin to focus on God's promises again. That's what happened in verses 25 through 27. Look at the verses there. And He said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets that have spoken.

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory? And watch this, verse 27. And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

What a walk this turned out to be. Because Jesus now takes these men down Route 66, the 66 books of the Bible starting in the Old Testament, and He points out in all the Scriptures there the things concerning Himself. And what an experience these men had as Jesus took the Scriptures.

Maybe He started in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 when God promised the Savior. And that the Son of God would bruise the head of the serpent. No doubt He took them over to Genesis chapter 22 when Abraham took his son, his only son Isaac, as commanded by God and was willing to sacrifice him there.

And the Lamb was caught in the thicket and became a substitute for the Son. And it was a reminder, it was a refresher course that God had promised a Messiah and the sacrifice was so very vital. Maybe He took these men over to Exodus chapter 12 and spoke of the Passover. And the Israelites who put the blood on the doorpost of the house and the judgment of God's hand was stayed upon those who believe. And when He saw the blood He passed over and Jesus spoke to them of His Passover. Maybe He took them over to Psalm chapter 22 verse 1 when the Son of God cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? And He pointed out to these men when He spoke on the cross it was in fulfillment of that very passage. No question He would have taken them to Isaiah chapter 53 when the Prince of the Prophets, Isaiah, said, He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of our peace was laid upon Him.

All we like sheep had gone astray. But the Lord laid upon Him all our iniquities. Jesus pointed all these things out and so much more.

It was a walk in the Word. If you don't find Christ in every passage of Scripture you read either in type or in prophecy or in prediction then you're missing the point of the Bible because all of the Bible is about Jesus. And so in these moments Jesus is teaching them and teaching us who He is. The problem these men had, the problem that many of us have is we have forgotten who Christ is, His identity. And we lose hope when we fail to remember who Jesus is. They forgot that Jesus promised the resurrection.

So they're walking away in the wrong direction. And I can tell you that every step away from Christ is a step in the wrong direction. So if you're disappointed in life even in Jesus Himself now is the time to renew your faith, to draw near to the One who is drawing near to you. You can live knowing the reality of the risen Christ, listening to Him, walking with Him, talking with Him. We read here that Jesus drew near to them but they didn't recognize Him.

And that happens to many today. They don't recognize Christ for who He is. They're living on the wrong side of the resurrection. These men knew Jesus as a prophet. They knew that He had done many wonderful and mighty works. They believed that somehow He was supernatural, that He had been crucified, but they were living on the wrong side of the resurrection.

They did not know Him in the power and the presence of His living love. So Jesus drew near as He draws near to us when we're paying attention. Can I remind you today that He is nearer, much nearer, this risen Christ than you think?

He is. Sometimes when we walk through life's journey, we feel alone, that God is far away. And we especially feel this in times of tears and times of trials and tests. We wonder, where is God when our expectations are not met, when we prayed and our prayers were not answered, when we had hoped against all hopes that things would change and they didn't change. We wonder, where are you, God? Where is this promise of your presence?

Let me remind you that Jesus, the risen Savior, is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. What do you suppose is the most common, repeated promise in all of the Bible? There are many promises for forgiveness, but it's not the most common promise. You say, it's the promise of heaven. Yes, there are many wonderful promises of heaven, but it's not the most common promise of the Bible. The most repeated promise of all is the promise, I am with you. I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.

I am always present. And the risen Christ is always available if we will seek Him, invite Him, and discover His living presence. This is why it is so very important that we take a walk in the Word with Christ each day.

The Bible is never a boring book to the believer because we meet Him in unexpected turns and places in our lives when we open the Word of God. Colossians 3, 16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, profusely. And so when we walk in the Word, we are walking in the steps of our Lord and His presence fills our lives. Well, it didn't take long for these men to realize something supernatural was happening because by now their hearts are burning and their faith is being restored.

Just a walk with Jesus. And as they're walking with Christ they reach their destination and Jesus tells them that He's going to go on. Look down at verse 28. So they drew near to the village in which they were going and He acted as if He was going farther. Now He's drawing them in. He's setting the hook. He's saying, See you, fellas. But then, verse 29, they urged Him strongly saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.

So He went in to stay with them and when He was at the table with them He took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. What's going on here? Their hearts are burning, pounding in the presence of this incredible personality. They don't yet know exactly who He is. Their mind is in a fog.

It's a mental fog, a mental fatigue. But when Jesus suggests that He's going away, they said, No, please, please stay with us. Did you know that Jesus always waits for our welcome? He only comes where He is invited and He's still waiting on your invitation to say, Lord, stay with me. Revelation 3.20 says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and sup with him and him with me. So He joins them for a meal and they're enjoying friendship together and then the guest turns in to the host and He takes bread and He blesses it with a prayer and then He breaks it and He begins to serve them and immediately when that happened they recognized Him. They realized they were in the presence of the risen Christ. What was it that opened their eyes and opened their hearts to Him? Was it in the way that He lifted up His heart and His eyes in praying the blessing? Was it in something that He said? Was it in the way that He broke the bread? Did our Lord have a certain way, a certain touch in breaking bread and serving others?

Or could it be that they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread when He broke open the bread and gave them to eat that they saw the nail prints in His hands? You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, The Journey of Life. 3.2 billion people in our world still have no access to the good news of Jesus and we must do whatever it takes to reach the lost with the hope of Christ. That's why we're excited to tell you about a matching grant that will double whatever you give today to help reach more people through PowerPoint. Your support will help broadcast the gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth. We'll say thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books to help you share the gospel right where you are.

This evangelism bundle includes The Hope of Easter, Life Book, and God's Promises for Doubt-Filled Days. So call now to have your gift doubled by the match and request your evangelism bundle. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. That's PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? Life is a journey and the great thing about this journey is that there is someone who wants to take the journey with you. And of course that someone is Jesus. Not only does Jesus want to join you in the journey of life, He will be there for you and with you every step of the way, even when life gets very hard. In fact, especially when life gets very hard. Jesus says in Matthew 11, 29 and 30, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Well, there's no doubt that life is hard, but God never intended for you to carry your burdens, your anxieties, your fears on your own shoulders. He will enable you. He will help you if you will rest in Him. And that means to trust in Him, turning to Him for your strength. Do you want to find rest for your soul today?

Do you want someone to lighten the heavy load of guilt or shame or fear? It could be that you need to come into a personal relationship with God through Jesus by inviting Him into your life, to invite Him to join you in the journey of life. He is waiting for you to trust Him, to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. So let me invite you to pray this prayer. If you want to receive Jesus Christ into your life, pray this prayer.

Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and rose again. So I turn from my sins and I trust in you. Come into my life, Lord Jesus. Be my Savior, my Lord, my Master, and my Friend. May I live for you in the power of your Holy Spirit until you come for me. Now, if you will sincerely pray and invite Christ into your life, if you will receive Him as your Lord and Savior, then I want to encourage you to begin following Christ with all your heart. You have just made life's most important decision. And following Jesus will be demanding and it will require discipline and devotion, but it does mean that you will have Him in your life every day, 24-7, until He comes for you. So you need to get excited about that. You need to get pumped up about that. Rejoice in the Lord always.

You just need to remember that now you are a member of the eternal family and He will be there for you along life's journey every step of the way. And that is today's PowerPoint. Today if you prayed that prayer with Dr. Graham and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we'd love to hear from you so we can help you begin your new life with Christ. Please call us at 1-800-795-4627.

That's 1-800-795-4627. And join Dr. Graham next time when he brings a message about how you never walk alone when you walk in the light of the resurrection. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries. ...