In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the story of two disciples traveling to a village called Emmaus. Jesus joins them on their journey and begins to explain to them the scriptures concerning himself. As they sit down to eat, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, and gives it to them. Their eyes are opened, and they recognize Jesus, but he disappears from their sight. The preacher emphasizes the importance of knowing Jesus and the power of his touch to transform lives.

I was thinking a few minutes ago, I was going to ask Clint to pray for me before I preached, and so I was standing there in my seat, and he walked up and laid his hand on me and started praying for me. So I thought, thank you, Lord. And then I got a double blessing when Brian prayed for the anointing too, which is something that I very much believe in, the anointing. Let me step right over here. As I was seeking the Lord this week on what He wanted me to say here this morning, the Lord just kept directing me to this scripture. And that's usually a sign to me that He's trying to tell me something that He wants to do. I don't believe in preaching. I just believe in doing what the Lord asks me to do. I don't try to look at my watch and see how long I preach, because I can't compare with Brian or Alan or Jared or any other preacher, because usually I'm kind of like the guy that bought a radar detector and laid it up on his dash, and he's driving along, and every time the radar detector went off, he would speed up from 35 miles an hour to 40 miles an hour. And somebody asked him, he said, what are you doing? He said, well, I want to make sure I don't get a ticket for running too slow. So that's the way I am when it comes to preaching. I might get a ticket for not preaching long enough, I don't know. But I want to just say to you what the Lord has spoken to me to say. I was looking at Jared's family here, his sister and all their wonderful children, and her husband, and all the other children here. I don't want to leave any of the children out. I was looking at all the children here this morning, and what a great blessing it is to see all these young children here. It really is. It's a blessing to look at these children. If you have your Bible and you would turn with me to Luke, the 24th chapter, Luke 24. And I'm going to start reading at verse 13. I'm going to read a few scriptures here. Luke 24, 13. Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know him. And he said to them, What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad? Then one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to him, Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? And have you not known the things which happened there in these days? And he said to them, What things? So they said to him, The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company who arrived at the tomb early astonished us when they did not find his body. They came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. Then he said to them, O foolish ones and slow of heart, I think I can say that's true about me sometimes, slow of heart, to believe in all that the prophets have spoken Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Then they drew near to the village where they were going and he indicated that he would have gone farther. But they constrained him saying, Abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. And he went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass as he sat at the table with them that he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew him and he vanished from their sight. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Lord, open up our eyes as you did these two. Let our eyes be opened here today. Lord, let us realize that you are in our midst here this morning here too. Lord, that you desire to reveal yourself to us as you did these. These two men were in the presence of Jesus and walked with him and talked with him. And everything that had happened, he was crucified and they put him in a tomb and then he was raised from the dead. Many didn't know this, but his disciples as they went to the tomb found out that Jesus was not there. And then they found out through this vision of angels that he had risen from the dead. And these men were talking with Jesus and knew him, had walked with him before all this. They knew him, but somehow or other their eyes were closed that they did not recognize it was Jesus who was walking with them. I submit to you today that I think you and I probably are guilty of this, that many times we're in the presence of the Lord and we don't realize that Jesus is right there with us. Our eyes are covered. Maybe it's the things of this world that cause us to not see that Jesus is with us. I don't know. Maybe it's just because we have our own agenda that we're wanting to do and we don't realize Jesus is there. He's here. And I was standing here thinking about this while ago as I mentioned the children. Don't you think the Lord would really take pleasure in revealing himself to all these children here today? Not just you and I, you know. But wouldn't it just please the Lord to really let these children know that he is real? He is not a figment of our imagination, that he really lives and he wants to reveal himself to these children as they go on in their life. You and I, we've got maybe some time left, some of us less than others, to walk on this earth. But some of these children, if the Lord tarries, may be on this earth for many, many years, 70, 80, who knows. And don't you think the Lord would like to reveal himself to them so that they could start their life out right and know that Jesus is alive and that he wants to live and he wants to live in them as he wants to live in us today? And as I was studying about what to preach here this morning, I thought, what greater of a text can you have than Jesus lives? Jesus lives. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. He lives here today. And he wants to reveal himself in this service right here. I don't know how long it's been since you felt the touch of the Lord. Maybe just this morning when you were praying. Maybe it's been a week. Maybe it's been a month. Maybe it's been years since you really felt the touch of the Lord. Maybe you've never really touched the Lord and felt his presence in your life. And I would say to each one of us here today, every day we need to touch the Lord. Every day we need to feel his presence. Every day he needs to reveal himself to us. Amen? You know why? Because we don't have any strength and he does. When it comes right down to it, we have nothing. He has everything. We don't get by in this world by, you know, faking it. You know, you can go for a long time, but there comes a time in your life whenever you look around and you say, what's all this about? And then you realize, it's only Jesus that makes the difference. It's only knowing Jesus that really counts. Everything we do, this whole place here, is going to go one of these days. I don't know, maybe it's going to go by fire. Kind of heard that said. It's going to be burned up. This is all temporary. But our life with Jesus is eternal. And one of these days when we leave here, guess what? We're going to be just like these two men. We're going to be in the presence of the Lord. I mean, He's going to be right there and we're going to be looking at Him face to face. But I'm saying to you this morning, He's just as real now as He was then. Just as real in this service as He was when these two men were walking with Him. Let me read on just a little bit further because whenever they took the bread and He broke it and gave it to them, their eyes were opened. And they knew Him. And He vanished from their sight. I thought, well, that's strange, isn't it? He lets them get their eyes open and then He goes and leaves them. Vanishes from their sight. Well, you know, is He trying to play a joke on them? No, He wasn't. And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us while He walked with us on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us? You see, the Lord, He's not concerned about stuff. He's concerned about our hearts. That's where the Lord gets His work done is in our hearts. And these men said, Our hearts burned within us. They couldn't explain it. But they knew there was something going on. And then when their eyes got opened, when Jesus opened their eyes, they realized they were in the presence of the Lord. Hallelujah. That's the best thing about it, is that they were in the presence of the Lord. And you and I this morning, our hearts can burn within us if we really come into the presence of the Lord. And the Lord can say things to us even in this situation right here. See, I believe that if the Lord did miracles back then, that He can do miracles today. And there may be somebody here today that really desperately needs a miracle. And I'm just fanatical enough to just agree with you. If you need a miracle, I can't provide that miracle, but Jesus can. I don't know what your situation is. I don't know your lives, and I don't really want to know everyone's life. I just know who Jesus is. Like that song, everybody ought to know, everybody ought to know who Jesus is. Right? We need to know Him. And anyway, so they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together saying, the Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. And they told about the things that had happened on the road and how that He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, Peace to you. He's here again. He's in their midst again. He's in their midst again. Do you want Jesus this morning? Do you want to be in the presence of the Lord this morning? Is that your desire? There was that one song that we were singing a while ago, Lord, take me deeper, that I might know You deeper. Do you really want to know the Lord deeper this morning? You know the only thing holding you back from that is you. Jesus is here. I felt His presence already. I'm sorry, I'm kind of fanatical, but I felt the presence of the Lord when we first started. And I'm sure He was probably here before we ever even started. Why? Because He loves you. He loves me. This is not a game. We don't just come here to pray and sing songs and then go home. We come here to be in the presence of the Lord so that He can change us because we all need changing. I do. We all need changing and the Lord wants to do that. But they were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe, for joy and marveled, He said to them, Have you any food here? So they gave Him a piece of royal fish. Sounds good, doesn't it? And some honeycomb. And He took it and ate it in their presence, proving that He was alive. Proving that He wasn't a ghost. Amen? Jesus is real. I don't know how to get that. That's kind of like what's burning in my heart this morning. Jesus is real. Let Him open our eyes. Hallelujah. Maybe you need to close your eyes so He can open your eyes. Quit looking at everybody and everything and start putting your attention and your focus on Jesus. He's alive. Praise the Lord. I know I'm preaching good because I'm getting all these amens and thank you Lords. And it doesn't matter, because I'm not seeking your praise. And then He said to them, These are the words which I have spoken to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures. You know, without the Lord, we really don't know too much. When it comes to the Bible, His Word, unless He opens it up to us, we're just reading kind of like empty words. But when the Lord opens up your understanding, when the Holy Spirit begins to work in you and He opens up your understanding and you begin to realize, you know, I don't read the Bible to be reading the Bible. I read the Bible so I can know Jesus. Amen. That's what you read the Bible for. It brings Jesus closer to me when I read the Bible. And that's what I want. That's what I desire. Is that your desire today? Is it your desire to know Jesus? You see, because everything that's wrong in your life can change in an instant if Jesus puts His hand on it. Amen. And the biggest thing that can change is your attitude, your heart. Amen. Because everything else kind of goes around that. Then He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name to all nations, in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. That's what they did. There's a couple more verses there and I'm not going to read. But that's what the disciples did. They went to Jerusalem and they began to wait. Tarry means to wait. And that's something that we have gotten away from in our, I don't know how to say this, in our church, churchiosity. We've gotten away from just simply waiting on the Lord. And I said, Lord, I'm not a very long-winded preacher. And He said, then you can wait on Me when you get done. So I'd like for you right now to just bow your heads with Me and close your eyes. Hallelujah. Lord, I don't know what You have intended here for this morning. Oh Lord, I want to follow You right now, whatever You want to do. We wait upon You right now, Lord. We ask You, Lord, to reveal Yourself to us right here this morning. Reveal Yourself to each and every one that's here. Lord, let us see You. Let us see You today, Lord. Open up our eyes. Hallelujah. Praise You, Lord. I wonder if I could ask You, keeping Your eyes closed and not looking around, I wonder if I could just ask everyone here if you would just kind of raise your voice just a little bit and begin to just worship the Lord out loud. Just begin to praise Him from your heart. Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord. Lord, I come before You today and I praise You. I praise You, Lord, for Your presence. I praise You, Lord, for Your strength. I praise You this morning, Lord, for washing us clean with Your blood. Hallelujah. Oh, Lord, I praise You this morning for these children that are here, Lord. Reveal Yourself even to these children, Lord. Let them feel Your touch right now, Lord. Let them know that You are real. Hallelujah. We praise You. We bless You. We worship You, Lord. Hallelujah. We give You honor and glory and praise, Lord. Hallelujah. You are worthy, Lord. You are worthy for us to praise You even from the tallest mountain to holler out and praise the Lord. Oh, Lord, from the deepest valley we praise You, Lord, today. I don't know what we're going through. Some may be going through a valley. But we praise You anyhow. Hallelujah, Lord, because You are worthy. You are worthy today, Lord. Hallelujah. Thank You for Your presence right now, Lord. As You speak to each one here today, Lord. Oh, praise You, Lord. We give You honor and glory and praise. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. Now if I could do something else. Brian told me I could have my liberty here this morning. If there's somebody here and you've got something that's going on in your life and you would like for someone to pray with you, I'm going to ask Alan and Brian and Jared and anyone else that would to come up and help us pray. If you're here this morning and you've got something going on in your life and you want to pray about it, or maybe you don't know the Lord and you just want to come up here and say, Lord, I want to know You and I want You to forgive me of my sins. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I want to take a moment right here for this, for the Lord to do whatever He wants to do. Are you here this morning and you've got something that seems like it's impossible? Seems like it's impossible? Come up. Make your way up here. Don't put it off. Don't put it off. Is everything perfect in your life? Is everything where you want it to be in your life? Jesus, Lord, speak to our hearts here today. Help us, Lord, that we let go of our pride. Oh, Lord, help us today. Jesus, Jesus, we worship You. Thank You, Lord. Thank You.