It is possible to be one step away from breakthrough and to miss it. It is possible to be one step away, oh so close, and yet still miss it. Writer Napoleon Hill in 1937 tells the story of RU Darby with his uncle in the middle of the Colorado Gold Rush. Darby's uncle went out west in search for a better life with big dreams. And he found a mine with a vein of gold. And so he went back and, and purchased a bunch of equipment and, and, and got his nephew and, and together Darby and his uncle went out, really and started mining in Colorado, and at first it worked. Gold started coming out, their debts started going down, and their dreams started getting big. But then it stopped. The digging didn't stop, but They stopped getting gold. They would dig and dig and dig, and nothing would come out. Eventually they'd be so frustrated that they would sell the mine and all of their equipment for next to nothing and go back home with their heads held low. Now the gentleman who would purchase the mine and the equipment did something a little different. And inquired the services of a land surveyor and a, and a mining consultant. And based on his advice, drilled just slightly differently from a different angle than the previous people. And wouldn't you know it. That Darby and his uncle missed the vein of gold by only 3 ft. What they found was nothing, but in reality, they were 3 ft away from millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars' worth of gold. It's possible to be close, but to miss it. Today on Easter, we're gonna take a look at a story where 2 individuals were 3 ft away, not from gold, but from Jesus Himself. They were literally walking with and talking with Jesus on Easter Sunday, on resurrection Day on the road back to their hometown. And they didn't recognize him. See, I think one of life's greatest dangers is not that God is far away. But rather, God is closer than you think. And yet, oh, how often do we miss him. See, today, On Easter Sunday, we don't want to simply share with you what happened on Easter, and we will. But we also want to share with you, why did Easter happen? And how is it still relevant to our lives 2000 years later. Jesus, one of his first appearances after the resurrection was not. On temple steps was not in front of kings and queens. But one of his early appearances were to two disciples, one of whom we don't even know his name. On a road back to the town where they came from. And the reason that's important for you and I today, is that from this story found in Luke 24, we're gonna see this truth, that Jesus will meet you where you are, he will change how you see, and he will restore your relationships. Jesus will meet you where you are. He will change how you see, and he's gonna restore your relationship. So let's spend the next few minutes breaking this down in those 3 movements. First, Jesus will meet you where you are. Now we don't know much about the town Emmaus, other than the fact that it's about 7 miles from Jerusalem. And actually, historians note that 160 years before the time of Jesus, there was the Battle of Emmaus. It was actually when the Maccabeans and some Jewish people really stood up to their oppressors and restored some level of political freedom and really the freedom to worship in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. So maybe these disciples were thinking that when Jesus came on Palm Sunday to shouts of Hosanna. That maybe Jesus was gonna restore the kingdom of his people in that moment. But the reality is, he didn't. While there were shouts of Hosanna on Palm Sunday, by Friday, he was arrested and crucified as a common criminal. Now, these disciples had heard the news that the tomb was empty, that some of Jesus' most devoted followers had gone to the tomb and saw that there was no one there, and that then supposedly this savior, this Jesus, this leader had also appeared to Peter, but, but they heard that news, they didn't know what to do with that. So they found themselves walking home, found themselves confused, found themselves discouraged. Have you ever been in that place? Have you ever been in that place where God didn't do what you thought he would? That you thought God was gonna react one way and now you find yourself more depressed and more discouraged than ever before. And you're not quite sure how to handle it. Well, how did these two disciples handle it? Well, they left. They left community, they left Jerusalem. And they didn't quite leave their faith because they were talking about it, but they were definitely heading that direction. And this is where we pick up the story. Luke chapter 24 verse 13. That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about how all these things had happened. And 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 the conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still looking sad. And then one of them named Cleopus answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? Think about that for a moment. He is sarcastically talking to Jesus about Jesus. Are you kidding me? What have you been behind a rock these last couple of days? And Jesus goes, well, actually, Tomb, right, OK. See, it's important for our story today is that these disciples didn't believe. They were adjacent to, they were around, they'd heard of. But in reality, they were walking away. And it's so crazy to think that one of the first appearances of Jesus was to do two disciples on a road in the middle, walking away from their faith. See, the middle is tough. Really, the middle in most things is tough if we're being honest, right? Like, who here is wanting the middle seat on an airplane? Right? If you book and check in early so you can grab the middle seat, you're a psycho. Right? Like it's, what do they say is the toughest in birth order? The middle child, right? And all the middle children are like, yeah, finally, I get my credit. Right. What's the worst part of going running? The middle? Like you start out, you're like, yeah, I'm, I'm going right here we go. And like, OK, maybe the end, but here's the problem, if you've committed to running a certain distance, and you get halfway out, There's no going back. You're already halfway out. You're stuck at that point, OK. No parent loves getting up in the middle of the night to change that diaper. Right? Maybe you're like me where you, again, hypothetically, I wouldn't actually do this. Um, maybe you would pretend to be asleep, and then also simultaneously nudging your spouse, hoping that they would wake up to the crying like, oh, it's your turn. Right? What's the toughest part about any road trip? The middle. Anybody ever almost run out of gas between Phoenix and California? Right? We're, we're, we're cruising. We got some tunes, we got Apple Music, Spotify rolling, right? We got plenty of gas, and then you just hit that period for hours where there's just nothing. And, and then you find yourself praying, Lord, please extend this gasoline in the car to get to that stop where they can charge like $20 a gallon. That's another story, but Jesus meets you in the middle. How do I know that? Well, here on the road, two disciples, one of them unnamed, walking away from Jerusalem, and he comes right alongside them. Makes me think of Psalm 23:4. It says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because you are with me. Whatever desert you're in, whatever valley you're in, whatever storm you find yourself walking in, understand that Jesus will meet you in the middle. Jesus will meet you where you are. But not only does Jesus meet you where you are, Jesus actually changes how you see. He changes how you see. I, I, I love that what Jesus is gonna do is not just go ta da! Like instead, he's gonna point them to the truth of the scriptures. He walks alongside them, with his presence, but then he shows them the scriptures, which is truth. And that's so important for you and I because feelings fluctuate, circumstances change, but truth is an anchor for our soul, and truth will stand the test of time. It was good yesterday, it's good today, and will be good forevermore. Amen. And so what Jesus is gonna do is that he's gonna actually change, not just give them more information. But instead, he's gonna give them revelation. Like we live in a culture now where you can get more information. Than ever before, faster than ever before. So the disciples had the information that they needed, but they needed a revelation from God and they needed somebody to interpret the situation. Right? Sometimes it's not just simply what happens to you, it's how you interpret what happens to you, right? And so Jesus is gonna come along and show them. Let's pick up our story in verse 25. And Jesus said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses, and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the scriptures that things concerning himself. Now, wouldn't that be a great Bible study to be a part of, right? Where Jesus is going through, so, hey, that's about me, that's about me, that's about me, and that's about me, right? Where did he start? Maybe he talked about the serpent crusher in Genesis 3:15. Maybe he brought up the fact that when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, God provided a substitute sacrifices. Now, that was me. Maybe in the story of Exodus in the in the launching of the Passover, and the and the Passover lamb and the sacrifice and the and the blood over the doorposts, they say that that that was me. Maybe there's the tabernacle and all the ways to worship God and how to come before him said that that was all pointing to me. Maybe it was the prophet Isaiah and Isaiah 53, we're talking about how we are healed, right? By his wounds. I mean he's described as a suffering servant. Maybe they look at Psalm 22 in the description of the crucifixion and the fact that he would cry out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And they're looking at Psalm 22, he says, that was also me. So he goes through and he shares with him truth to reveal the power and did not only change their life, but to change how they view all of life. There's a gentleman named. Uh, Chris Wally. 65 year old happy curmudgeon. Have you met any of those? Right, been through life, he was a former pro wrestler, right? But he spent the 1st 65 years of his life, uh, seeing no colors. He was colorblind. That was his reality. He went through life, he had a lot of life experiences, but he'd never seen color. Because of technology today, there's these things called chroma glasses, and his family bought him these chroma glasses. And so they were gonna give him and, and, and really video his reaction to seeing color for the first time. And you, and you're gonna watch his reaction. He's like, guys, it's not that different. I, I'm, I'm 65. I, I've seen the world. I know what it looks like. But just check out his reaction to seeing color for the first time. Wait a minute. I'm 65 years old. I have gone 65 years without seeing color and it is more. Deal Guys than it is to me. I've seen these videos where people get emotional. And I'm not going to get a good. That's OK. I just want to see how well they work. I have been a professional wrestler. Wait, don't put them on yet. I have been beat up by the biggest man. I I am not going to get emotional. That's OK. OK. All right. 123. All right, so what is, what do you have to do? It takes time to adjust, it says. I don't know. It's totally different. That's the green. Jesus meets you where you are. Jesus also changes how you see. Maybe if somebody walked in today and you think, yeah, yeah, I, I get it, faith, religion, church. I, I've been to so many church services. I've been to church services for years. But what if you don't need more information? But revelation from God. Revealing in his word who he really is. So I'm telling you, if you encounter Jesus for who he is, he'll not only just change your life, he'll change how you see life and everything in it. And you go from a colorless world to viewing everything in color for the first time as he made it. Jesus meets you where you are. Jesus changes how you see. But third, we see from the story that Jesus restores your relationships. Jesus cares about relationships. He cares about them. Where most religions are man's attempts to God, Christianity is so unique in that it was God coming down to man. Let's continue reading our story in verse 28. So, so they drew near to the village to which they were going. And he acted as if he were going further. But they urged him to uh stay strongly, saying, stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. And so he went in to stay with them. And when he was at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. I, I love, I love that on the first day of Easter, the first day of the resurrection, he spent it having a meal with somebody, right? In a world that is filled with chaos, Jesus pulls up a chair. Right, I love it. Think about, think about all the times he was in a meal. His first miracle, water to wine at a wedding. Right? Someone described once before in the Bible said most miracles can be described either at a meal, on a way to a meal, or just after a meal, right? Jesus loved food, and he took naps, be like Jesus. Amen. But why is that important? Because over and over and over again, the meal was this personal connection point. How did Jesus spend the last time with his disciples before the arrest and crucifixion? The Last Supper In Passover, instituting communion. But don't miss the fact that there was a shared meal with the people that he loves. And here he goes where he's invited. Right. I think that little extra detail that he was gonna continue on. should tell us that God will come and God will be with us, but he wants you to invite him in. Revelation 3:20 says, therefore, I stand at the door and knock. And those who open the door, I will come in and dine with him. God wants to connect with you on a personal level. That in a world filled with chaos, he wants to pull up a chair, but you gotta be willing to invite him in. Because when you have one on one time with somebody, it changes everything, doesn't it? My lovely wife of 20 years is in this service. And uh and so I think back to our early time together. And what's so fascinating is that uh we were actually in the same friend group for 3 years before we ever dated. And we never really thought about each other in that way. We like, I always thought she was cute, you know, and then like, clearly, right? OK. Um, you're welcome. And uh I, I, I can if you don't know me, OK. And so we were in the same friend group, and I always thought she was cute and fun, but I didn't really know her and she didn't really know me. And then one day we went out to dinner though. And my eyes opened, I was like, oh. OK. Right. And we started connecting and sharing stories and laughing and, and, and realizing, wow, there's something special about this person. Right. I wonder how many people in the room are in that friend group of Jesus. Right, yeah, yeah, Jesus adjacent, like they're there, but OK. But have you ever invited God in personally into your life? Because Jesus wants to pull up a chair. See, from this Easter story, we see Jesus will meet you where you are. He will change how you see, and he's gonna restore your relationships. And so, how did these disciples respond? Let's continue reading here in verse 31. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. Now that feels weird, right? He said all these things and the moment they recognized him, he moved on. Why? I think this details included because the purpose was achieved. Right? He tells us what needed to happen happened. So what did they do? Verse 32, they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose that same hour, returned to Jerusalem, and they found the 11 and those who were with them gathered together, saying, the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. And then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. How did the disciples respond to this encounter with Jesus? Three things. Number 1, their eyes were open. Their eyes were open. They understood for the first time who God really was. Right They didn't just get information, they got a revelation. But then 2, their hearts burned. No, they didn't have heartburn. Their hearts burned. There's an emotional connection to the soul. Now, in our culture today, sometimes people seek the emotion more than they seek Jesus. So I'm not telling you to do that. But I am saying that when you have a genuine interaction with Jesus, it's hard not to get emotional. I'm not the most emotional person. And I'm just pretty steady, Eddie, just kinda like, uh, all right, cool, up and down, whatever. But on our wedding day. My wife came walking down that aisle. I bawled like a baby. Why? Because of what that meant in that moment. And when you encounter Jesus, there's the tapping on the shoulder, there's the burning in your heart, that emotion that comes out of going from death to life, from broken to blessed, from darkness to light, from from shame and guilt to grace and freedom and joy. Their eyes were open, their hearts burned, and then thirdly, their feet moved. They did something about it. They didn't just sit back and just go, oh, that was nice. Being a youth pastor for years, I would go into schools to try to connect with students and teachers, and I love going to middle schools cause I'd, I'd bring pizza in a middle school and you're like a hero. Like you bring pizza into the cafeteria, they're like, Pastor John, yeah, bababa. And so I was like, oh this is great, right? And then I'd bring pizza to the high school and I'd walk in and people that you love and that you pour into, and then you have hours of conversations on Sundays and midweek services and, and you love their family and you know them and you know their dogs' names, and like you feel so connected. You walk into that cafeteria and you got pizza and you know what the high schoolers do? So. And then they walked right on past. And so now I'm just sitting at a table, this happened. I'm sitting at a cafeteria table as a grown man with a pizza by myself. I was like, I don't think this could get more awkward and weird. And so eventually they would come back after they said hi to their friends, and kind of like, oh, hey, you know, because they want to play cool. Can we stop trying to play cool with, with God? Right? Like, he knows your business, OK? He knows what's going on, your struggles, your issues, your doubts. And we come into church, and we sing a couple of songs, and we're like, what's up? The disciples responded by sprinting back. You've got to hear this. Notice also, it's the same road, just different direction. The same road that they walked on with their heads down, doubting and discouraged, are now sprinting back to share good news with everybody else. When we dismiss here, you're, you're probably gonna go back to the same house. Most likely same job, probably same relationships. But you could go back in a completely different direction. When God works in your life. There's a TV show, Friday Night Lights, about football in Texas. I'm a sucker for a good sports show with, with a coach and motivational speeches, OK. And Coach Taylor at the end and hype up their team, right, would, would have this phrase, he would say, clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. Yeah When you encounter Jesus. It changes things. Clear eyes, full heart. And your feet move That's how the disciples responded. Let me ask you, how are you gonna respond to Jesus this Easter? I don't want you to be 3 ft away and still miss it. Because it's far more valuable than any gold from any mine is an eternal relationship with a God who loves you. I wanna give everybody a chance to respond this morning. So if you wanna take that card out that you filled out earlier in the service or if you came in late, that's OK. You can grab the card in front of you. At the bottom of that card, there is a spiritual survey that I would love for you to mark down where you are in your journey. Hey, hey, I'm already a Christian. To feel affirmed in your faith and understanding who God is. I'm beginning a relationship with Jesus today. If you're feeling moved by the Spirit of God that you want to believe in the gospel, I wanna give you a chance to do that. What, what is the gospel? The gospel is that God sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross as payment for your sins and for mine. And because he rose again, we believe in Jesus as God and as savior. And it's only through Jesus we can be saved and our sins forgiven. Say in John 3:16, for those who believe in will not perish but have eternal life. If you want to pray that today for the first time, I want you to mark that. See, I'd like to consider it more. I, I love the honesty, actually. If you're curious about this, curious about faith, you're intrigued with who this Jesus figure is, but you wanna process more, let me know. Or D, I don't intend to make a decision at this time. You don't have to be right. I just want you to be real. Like if you're, if, if you're bold enough to say, OK, yep, I'm not ready. I'm, I'm OK. Like you're self-identifying here, right? I just don't want you to miss it. So what I'd like to do now is if, after you guys have marked that box, if we could just close our eyes and bow our heads for just a moment. And if there's somebody in this room who's never prayed to receive Jesus Christ, maybe they just marked that letter B on the box that they wanna begin a relationship with God today. Not to be adjacent to Christianity, but to actually trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you're feeling moved by the spirit to do that today, I'm gonna count to 3. I'd love for those that are receiving Jesus into their life here for the first time, trust in Him as Lord and Savior. I want you to raise your hand. Cause like there's value in a physical action to go along with the spiritual reality. And I want to pray specifically for you. And so if you want to receive Jesus into your life, trust Him as Lord and Savior to become a Christian today. On the count of 3, I want you to raise your hand. 1. Jesus died for you, as payment for your sins, for mine too. He was buried. On the 3rd day he rose again. Because he rose, he can conquer death and cover our sins and give us 3. If you want to pray to receive him as Lord and Savior in your life today, no one looking around, I want you to raise your hand. Amen. Amen. Amen. A man in the back. You can put your hands down and I want to invite you to pray with me right now. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner. I know I can't make it to heaven on my own. But I believe in your Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I put my faith in you. I believe you are God and I believe you're a satar. Thank you for dying for me. Forgive me my sins. And thank you for giving me new life. Help me live in response to what you've already done for us. It's in your son's name we pray. Amen.