Calvary Chapel Dumaguete
Despondent. Discouraged. Depressed. We all have been there at one time or another. In fact, you may be in it right now. If not, you will someday. For life is full of heartbreaks. Many are fearful, insecure, and emotionally unstable… hopeless.
This was the state of mind and emotional condition of two disciples as they walked down Emmaus road (Luke 24:13-35). Their hearts were broken, their hopes dashed to pieces. The messiah, who they thought had come to deliver them from the power and bondage of a foreign power, is dead…his lifeless body lying inside a cold cave.
Proverbs 13:12 tells us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is the tree of life.” When things don’t turn out the way we want them, it can make us sick, frustrated, sad — even angry. It’s one of the causes of depression. Hopelessness is that state of mind that looks at the future as dim, dark, and bleak — that loss of meaning and purpose.
At the end of World War II, a submarine was creeping back to dock at Newport News in Virginia. As it was approaching, something went wrong, and it began to sink in the harbor. When it hit rock-bottom, divers immediately began a rescue operation. As the divers approached the submarine, they could hear a tapping on the hull. A crew member inside the sub was tapping in Morse code: IS THERE ANY HOPE?
Hope — that’s what millions of people are looking for today. So where can genuine hope be found? Hope that is not just bason but hope that is certain, secure, and trustworthy.
Hope is found in the resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. The hopelessness of the two disciples on Emmaus road was replaced by renewed hope, faith, and joy, as Jesus met them on the road.
Hope is what gives people the reason to go on, even when their hearts are broken. That’s exactly what Jesus does. He gives out hope to everyone who encounters Him. In Luke 4:18, Jesus said, “He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted.”
Is your heart broken today? Are you feeling hopeless? Jesus is willing and able to heal your broken heart, but you’ve got to be willing to give him all the pieces. He is willing to meet you on your own Emmaus Road, and give you hope.
So how can our hopelessness turn to hope? As Jesus conversed with the two disciples, He explained to them about what just happened — His death and His resurrection. That all that transpired was the fulfillment of Scriptures. He started talking about Moses, the Prophets, and traced His presence through every section of the Old Testament. You see, Jesus is the main theme of the Bible. The key to understanding God’s Word is to realize that everything in the Bible points to Jesus.
As somebody once said, “The Old Testament says ‘Someone is coming’. The Gospels say ‘Someone has come’. The epistles and Revelation say, ‘Someone is coming again!’”
The hope of the two disciples was gone until they heard what Jesus had to say. Hope is found in Jesus Himself as He was revealed in the Word of God. And as they encountered Jesus, the Bible says their eyes were opened, and suddenly recognized that it was Jesus, and their hearts burned. Their hope was restored, their joy was renewed.
That is always is the result when one encounters the living Christ. It’s possible you live your whole life without knowing this hope, experiencing forgiveness and assurance of salvation. You can, today, by trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord — repent and believe in Him who He claims to be: the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Jesus made many claims. He claimed He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6); He claimed He is the Living Water of Life (John 7:38); He claimed to be the Bread of Life, the Sustainer of Life (John 6:51); He claimed He is the Resurrection and the Life, and said whoever believes in Him will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Him will never die…” (John 11:25-26).
The resurrection of Jesus validated all that He claimed to be. Anyone can claim anything, but Jesus proved His claims by His resurrection. Therefore, in Him there’s forgiveness of sins, acceptance, meaning, purpose, and life eternal.
Beloved, He came out of an empty tomb to fill our empty hearts. He rolled away the stone to roll away your hopelessness and fear of death. As the old hymn goes, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow (that is HOPE); Because He lives, all fear is gone (that is HOPE); Because I know who holds my future; and life is worth the living, just because He lives” (that is HOPE).
