ST TIMOTHY'S CHURCH - SERMON NOTES + GROUP NOTES
DATE
02/11/14
SUBJECT (also at StTims.org.uk)
Jesus our companion…
TEXTS
1 Cor 2.1-11; Luke 24.13-35
I just want to pick up one verse from the passage that we looked at last week, the story of the Road to Emmaus.
Sorry to repeat that passage again, but the reality is that stories like this could produce 1000 sermons, so I hope
you don’t mind me referring to it one more time!
The text I want to refer to is verse 32, “were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the
road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
As the disciples look back on their journey with Jesus, they recall the joy they experienced, as the listened to
Jesus opening the Scriptures to them, showing them that the old Testament prophets were referring to Jesus
himself, and thereby helping them to see the hand & purpose of God in the events of the past few days.
What an amazing phrase, “were not our hearts burning within us”! Not the kind of heartburn the requires
indigestion tablets! Such an experience is a description of a powerful and inexpressible joy, the idea of
burning meaning something of such great power that it verges on being over powerful. What a wonderful
experience to have!
It is this experience, this inexpressible joy that I would like to speak about today. For I believe that this is God’s
plan and purpose for our lives that we should know increasingly the experience of such inexpressible joy
as we continue our journey with Jesus.
I wonder if such powerful joy burning within you is something that you associate with Jesus in your Christian life?
Do you anticipate the experience of this joy as you pursue your journey with Jesus? Today?
For many people such a powerful emotional experience is not something that they associate with Christian faith.
Many people were not brought up to expect this as part of the normal Christian life. Indeed such depth of emotion
is frowned upon in some areas of more traditional church life. Seen to be dangerous, a distraction from the true
business of duty and service, of taking up our cross daily. Such sections of the church are suspicious of churches
and worship styles where deep emotion is expressed. This is seen as self-indulgent, shallow.
Other people do not see that way, in fact would like to have a greater sense of Christian joy in their own lives, but
have often found this to be elusive, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Sometimes experiencing such
burning joy within themselves, but finding it hard to discover it again, and therefore settle back down to more
mundane experiences and expectations of Christian life.
But I would want to encourage you not to give up, but indeed to continue to ask, seek, knock, on heavens
door, until this heavenly joy becomes much more a daily experience of your Christian life. And I believe
that our experiencing such joy brings glory to God, who longs to lead his people into abundant life.
Let’s remind ourselves of some of the promises and statements in Scripture regarding this:
John 15.11, Jesus saying, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Nehemiah 8.10 “the joy of the Lord is your strength”
1 Pet 1 8… Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe
in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the
salvation of your souls.
Gal 5.22: The fruit of the Spirit is… Joy
1 Cor 2… ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’
the things God has prepared for those who love him…
I ask one thing of you today, which is not to give up on the hope that such inexpressible joy is God’s plan and
purpose for you - no matter what the circumstances of your lives. Such joy is not just for “happy times” when all
seems to be well. Indeed looking back to those verses about joy, three of the passages are spoken into situations
where there is, or is about to be, much difficulty and suffering.
For instance, 1 Peter 1, which spoke about inexpressible joy, just a few verses beforehand Peter writes,
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
John 15 is spoken the night before Jesus died upon the cross, to disciples who were becoming quite anxious.
Nehemiah 8.10, the joy the Lord is your strength, is written into time of national mourning over sin.
So let’s get rid of the myth that Christian joy only occurs when life is going through a good patch!
How then did these disciples experience this inexpressible joy, the hearts burning within them?
They said it was as Jesus opened the Scriptures to them: “were not our hearts burning within us while he
talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
The importance of Scripture is very significant here. They had been through some painful experiences, and had
lost sight of God. But now Jesus was helping them to read Scripture and recognise Him in the light of their own
experience, to shed light on that experience.
So discovering this inexpressible joy is about doing two things. Our hearts burn within us as…
1. We learn to recognise God in Scripture - in the light of our experience.
2. We learn to recognise God in our experience - in the light of Scripture
1. Often we become discouraged by events and experiences that go beyond the tests & trials we expected to
face in our Christian faith. Sometimes this is because we read the Scriptures a little simplistically. What we need
to do now is to revisit Scripture on a regular basis and open our hearts to allow God to shed some light from his
word on to our experiences – so that our hearts burn within us once more! The trouble is many of us have
stopped reading our Bibles regularly, or possibly read our Bibles in a rather rushed and mechanical way. Let us
rediscover the art of meeting God in Scripture…
2. With a new perspective born out of meeting God again in Scripture, we can then seek to recognise the hand of
God in our daily experience of life, to see him interacting with us, in and through everyday experiences becomes
a source of great joy, as we learn to relate to him in whatever circumstance or experience we go through.
The experience of life is massively enhanced by the consciousness of God’s presence amongst us in all things.
Discovering his companionship in the journey of life, interacting with him on an hour by hour basis, following his
lead in the adventure of life, discovering his grace and strength to do things we never dreamt were possible.
For it is relationships which make every journey much more fun! Going for a walk with someone. The key
thing is that in the companionship, through all the ups and downs of that journey you are drawn close together,
and this is the greatest joy. Even when it buckets down with rain, and you have to work hard to help & support
each other; to get up when fallen down, share a warm jumper/coat, rub their hands to keep warm, get back to the
car, to get back home: the adventure of overcoming difficulties with each other, because of each other. That is
what the memories are all about when you sit back with your cup of coffee or tea, and recall the joys of the
journey together. So this is true of our journey with God through life. Growing companionship with Jesus.
But sometimes it’s hard to find God in Scripture, and sometimes it’s hard to find God in our experience. And we
tend to give up searching, and settle back down to much more mundane joys. I would want you to not give up, but
believe that this inexpressible joy, our hearts burning within us is something that God plans for you, part of his
abundant life. And as we experience this joy, indeed we discover the truth that the joy of the Lord is our strength
and we find the ability to do amazing things for God.
Hebrews 12 says of Jesus:
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and
perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will
not grow weary and lose heart!
Some questions to consider…
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What do you understand the disciples meant - that their hearts were burning within them?
Is that experience something that you can identify within your Christian faith at any point?
Why do you think God might want you to experience more joy in your relationship with him?
What is your actual expectation of Christian joy in your life with God? Is there a gap between your current
experience of Joy, & what those verses on joy might lead you to expect? Why do think that might be?
What did you think caused the disciples’ hearts to burn within them? How might this help us?
How might you learn to meet with God in Scripture on a more regular basis?
How might you learn to meet with God in your everyday experiences, on a more regular basis?
What effect might this have upon you?
What is God saying to you through this study, and what are you going to do about it?