Resurrected Dreams–Part 1 of 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Early on, the disciples of Jesus argued over who would sit with him in the kingdom. But when Jesus died, their dreams died.

The best thing to do seemed to be simply walk away. Today, how the resurrected Jesus revived their dreams and how he can revive yours. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, this entire series on the vanishing power of death is full of hope, which we need at this dark hour in world history. Dr. Erwin Lutzer – Dave, we really do need hope and Jesus Christ is able to give it to us. As a matter of fact, just recently I read that before Martin Lloyd-Jones died, he said to his friends and family, don't pray for my healing, don't rob me of my glorification.

Isn't it wonderful that Christians can die with that kind of confidence? And you know, as I think of this series of messages entitled The Vanishing Power of Death, I can't help but think that some of you perhaps have listened to some of the messages. You will miss some of them, of course, because of various schedules. Would you like to have them in permanent form so that you can listen to them again and again? We're making them available to you.

For a gift of any amount, here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. The name of the sermon series, The Vanishing Power of Death. Now let us listen carefully. Shattered dreams lie everywhere. Sometimes a dream is shattered because of an accident. Sometimes it is shattered because of a disease. Sometimes it is shattered because of people. We've all had our share of disappointments, our feelings of betrayal or maybe even abuse. And the problem is that lying beneath those shattered dreams is another problem. It may be a problem with deep disappointment and even resentment against God.

All that you have to do is to talk to a skeptic and the skeptic will tell you why he's a skeptic. What good is God's omnipotence, his tremendous power, if that power is not used to make a crooked world straight? Like one woman said to me, long ago I've given up on God and I've given up on prayer. I expected that my daughter, for whom I prayed fervently, would become a missionary. Now she not only hates God, but she also hates me. I don't want to pray again, lest I be disappointed.

Disappointment with God is not a new phenomenon. As a matter of fact, in the New Testament, the day of resurrection, early that morning, there were two disciples that set out for the town of Emmaus seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were going there because they wanted to forget their disappointment with Jesus. They remembered that some women had gone to the tomb and reported that the tomb was empty and the stone was rolled away. And there were some angels there at the tomb, but they did not believe the reports of those women who had witnessed that. Because among the women was Mary Magdalene. She was one out of whom Jesus cast seven demons. And these disciples probably thought that her story was actually an ape that had not yet been cast out.

And so they decided to leave and to forget it all. But the Bible tells us that a stranger fell in step with them and they did not know that this stranger was Jesus. And we pick up the story in the 24th chapter of the book of Luke.

If you have your Bibles, you may turn there. You'll notice that Jesus began to speak with them. And as they were talking, he asks this question. He says, what is it that you are discussing together as you walk along? Verse 17.

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas asked him, are you only a visitor to Jerusalem? And do you not know the things that have happened there in these days? What things Jesus asked? It's not because Jesus didn't know obviously, but he wanted them to tell him.

And now comes the hurt. You'll notice they said about Jesus of Nazareth, he was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people, the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified him. But we had a hope that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

And what is more, it's the third day since this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him, they did not see.

And that's where the pain was. We hope that it was he who would deliver Israel. We thought that he was going to be the one to establish the kingdom, to break the yoke of Roman occupation. We are tired of saluting those pagan soldiers.

We're tired of paying taxes and being humiliated. And we thought that the Messiah was going to be one who is going to bring this deliverance. And now we notice that it's the tragic end of a beautiful life and it's all over. These disciples were as if they had lived through an earthquake, so sad that they thought possibly they would never genuinely smile again. You see, it's not just that they were concerned about the Roman occupation. They felt betrayed. They loved Jesus. They were there when he fed the multitude with a boy's lunch. And they thought to themselves, oh, if only he would be king, think of all the miracles he could work in our behalf.

They believed in him. As far as they were concerned, though, he raised expectations that he did not meet and he gave them dreams which were now shattered at their feet. But Jesus spends two hours with them on the way to Emmaus. And as Jesus speaks and interacts with them, he gives them the answer to their shattered dream. And in the process, he gives us the answer to our shattered dreams as well. What does Jesus say to them?

The answer to their need comes in two parts. First of all, he says, disciples, you should have known and you should have believed the promises of scripture. You'll notice it says how foolish I'm in verse 25, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

Don't you wish that you had been there? Wouldn't it have been wonderful to run a tape recorder to see what Jesus had to say about himself? They didn't know that they were in the presence of the one who was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies. I can imagine that he began with a book of Genesis and explained how that the Messiah was the seed of the woman and there would be conflict and the woman's seed would crush the head of the serpent. Then I can imagine him going into the book of Exodus and talking about the Passover lamb and explaining once again how the Israelites had to kill a lamb and put blood on their door and those who had blood on their door, the angel of death would pass over them, which is where the word Passover comes from, and they would be exempt from God's judgment and how the Messiah was now the lamb of God that took away the sin of the world and he had to die on a cross. He had to be crucified so that that blood would be shed so that we would be spared from the consequences of our sins. And then as he went into the book of Leviticus, he would have explained that the Messiah was the fulfillment of all of the prophecies regarding the sacrifices and the burnt offerings.

In numbers, the Messiah is the rock from which water flows. And then I can imagine he gets to the Psalms, Psalm 22, and points out to the disciples, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? That that description of crucifixion was actually fulfilled just three days before when Messiah was dying on the cross. And then he got to Isaiah 53. He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. He died for our sins.

And notice Christ's point. He's saying to them, you should have known that first of all, first of all, he must suffer and then enter into glory. You're right about all the prophecies about political deliverance.

You're right about the fact that someday the law shall go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. You're right about that, that great days are coming, but the suffering comes first. The grime comes before the glory and the cross has to come before the crown.

The order is important. Today we have television preachers that tell us that we can be healed whenever we want to be, that we can have wealth whenever we want to be. And they're right that the Bible talks about these things, but they forget the fact that first of all, in this life, we must be willing to suffer. This is a life that is not easy, but the suffering eventually leads to glory. There are some people who wanted all right now.

They say, give it to me now. And they're confused regarding the order of how it is to occur. And so the scripture says, first of all, there is suffering and then there is glory. And what Jesus is saying to these disciples whose dreams have been shattered as he speaks to us as well is this, remember the promises of scripture. And we do not interpret this life simply on the basis of what we see. There's a life to come. There is glory that lies ahead.

We do live in a good Friday world to be sure where there is injustice and cruelty and bloodshed and violence. And we do all that we possibly can to overcome it. But at the end of the day, we know that there's going to be this until this world ends. And in the meantime, we look to the glory that shall be revealed. And it is that that gives us hope. God doesn't have to answer all of our prayers now to be faithful to his promises. And so Jesus says to them, first of all, you have to believe in the promises of God, but you say, well, Esther Lutzer, does that mean all that we can do now is to simply grin and bear it?