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One of my favorite Bob Russell sermons was the account on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus was “transfigured” and Moses & Elijah joined Him as the inner circle of Peter, James & John looked on. It was such an amazing moment for those disciples. Peter offered to begin to build homes for them all to stay but was immediately interrupted by the voice of God from heaven, saying again that “this is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” Now the previous time at Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, God also said with a loud voice, “this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” But this time, God is saying LISTEN TO HIM! Now the reality is you can’t stay on the mountain forever. There’s more to do “down in the valley” for the Kingdom of God. So as Jesus Moses & Elijah leave and Jesus & the 3 disciples began their descent, they asked Jesus about why the priests have always said Elijah must precede the coming of the Messiah (which was a prophecy in Malachi at the end of the Old Testament). Jesus helped them understand that the prophecy was about John the Baptist being the symbolic “Elijah” who came preaching prior to Jesus’ ministry as he “cleared the path” for His coming. Bob appropriately entitled his message, “How to Get Down a Mountain without Falling”. And how important it is for us to “get down the spiritual mountain every Easter” without falling as well! Because sometimes Easter becomes a “spiritual mountaintop moment”that churches and families climb, but don’t really know “where to go from there”. Like the inner circle, we want to stay enthused hanging out with Jesus and each other. But how do we get down that mountain? How do we “recover from Easter”? What kind of “on-ramp” is there for us to merge back into the traffic of life? In Luke 24, we see the good doctor, who also wrote the book of Acts,finish writing his gospel account, telling one of the most unique testimonies of the resurrection. And this week after Easter, I’d like for us to take a few verses a day (Mon thru Fri) to “ease on down, ease on down the road” (from “the Wiz”) if you will. Here is the “off ramp” for some of Jesus’ followers as they “came down off the mountain” & entered a time of “ER” (Easter Recovery). MONDAY 4/21/25 “Experience & Listen” (Luke 24:1-7) But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robe. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day.” Reading that story never gets old for me! Can you imagine the excitement the ladies felt as they EXPERIENCED an angel visit? And with incredible miraculous news that Jesus was alive again! And they (like us) needed to be REMINDED. They knew part of the plan Jesus explained to them was he would be betrayed, killed and then would be raised back to life. But who in the world could get their head around that? They needed to HEAR and LISTEN TO the words of the angels. And their clothes were “dazzling” the Bible says, so the ladies had to get used to the distraction of the bling and let their words sink in. A big part of “recovering from Easter” is not just mindlessly goingthru the “experience”. Hear the story. SING the songs. SHARE in the communion. GREET one another. FIGHT the traffic. (OK 4 out of 5 were positive!). Experience ALL that God has in the story of His Son. And Part 2 of today is…… “Remember & Put a RUSH on it” (Luke 24:8-12) Then they remembered that He had said this, “So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to th4 men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.” As you can tell, it’s gonna take a while for Peter to latch on to this. This was a lot to process. And without processing it, there is no integrating it into our conscious life. Here’s a basic principle to remember in our spiritual life….. Realities have to be EXAMINED before they can be EMBRACED. The ladies are getting ahold of the story now, but they’ve had just a little more time & experience to do that. Peter, on the other hand is new to the idea. Especially with the way he let Jesus down in his betrayal less than 72 hours ago. He not only has SADNESS, he has “a boatload of REGRET & SHAME”! But he didn’t put off the “trip to the tomb”. He hit rush hour traffic and was “quick, rather than reluctant” to go investigate the further truth about Jesus. As you begin, end, or interrupt your day with this devotional, ask yourself, “did I EXPERIENCE the message of Easter this year?” Did I LISTEN carefully to the whole message? Am I REMEMBERING the things I’ve have known about Jesus? And have I HURRIED to see for myself if Jesus really is who He says He is? I hope you had a great Easter weekend with your family. And I hope you had the LUXURY of experiencing the message of the One who came from heaven to save us from our sins! But if not, then take a long moment to do that by reflecting on this passage today….just those 12 verses….and you’ll experience His story once again, recall the truths you’ve known a long time, and be well on your way in your Easter Recovery…. And it’s just our first day in the E.R.! TUESDAY 4/22/25 Do the “WALKIE / TALKIE” (Luke 24:13-18) That same day, two of Jesus followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him. He asked them, ‘What are you discussing so intensely as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, ‘You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the lasts few days.” It's amazing how taking a walk can open up your ability to communicate. Now we don’t know how Jesus got there on the road with them, but we do know that He matched them stride for stride it seems. And it appears, since He was so engaging, these 2 men didn’t mind at all. Everyone was welcome in that conversation. I remember the old disparaging adage of how some folks “can’t walk and chew gum at the same time”. Well in this case, chewing gum wasn’t a prerequisite for any assessment of coordination, but what WAS important was that they could walk & TALK THEOLOGY at the same time! And the reality is, if you want to keep up with Jesus, you’d better be able to do both! Many a great spiritual discussion is had while walking, driving, or riding in the back seat “chiming in” with everyone else on what they are questioning or talking about! You might need to take a “prayer walk” with Jesus today. Or you might need to take a walk with a couple of friends who are “walking close to Jesus”, & you need some of their “holy conversation” to SPILL OVER into your life! And part 2 of today…… TELL JESUS WHAT YOU KNOW (Luke 24:19-24) “What things?” Jesus asked. ‘The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,’ they said. ‘He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped He was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. Then some women from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. They said His body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, His body was gone, just as the women had said.” I love it when people tell you all they know in in a short amount of time. In one paragraph. Without taking a breath. You know that type of individual. They cover a lot of ground in the narrative and answer most questions before you get a chance to ask them. This Cleopas character would be great to have in a small group! He’d condense the meeting into 2 or 3 concise phrases. I know what you’re thinking. He and I have nothing in common, and you’re right! Isn’t it interesting how Jesus (who knows the answer) wanted to hear their “take” on all the events of that weekend! But you see, Jesus wants to “start where you are & let Him take you where you need to be” in terms of your awareness. When we hear ourselves articulate what we know, even if it’s not as much as we wish we did, it has a tendency to turn that moment into a PIVOTAL POINT. You see when we SAY WHAT WE KNOW, we need to realize WHAT WE DON’T KNOW! That’s the blessing of Christian friends. We not only LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, but we GALVANIZE what we know by mutually hearing it from them & ourselves! God’s truth gets “spiritually formed” in our mind, heart & eventually life! WEDNESDAY 4/23/25 LET HIM TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Luke 24:25-27) Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Ok. It’s Jesus’ turn to talk. After we let Him know what we know and don’t know, He gives a commentary on the “spiritual infancy” of the majority of the Jewish people at that point in history. And now it’s time to TAKE NOTES ON JESUS. There are a few DVD’s I wish I had from Scripture. Ok, more than a few. But this is one of them. Jesus mildly shames them for not realizing suffering would be involved for the Messiah in order to save the world. He’s a little disappointed that they didn’t seem to grasp the prophecies in Scripture, but they might not have had good Sunday School teachers growing up (Ok Sabbath School teachers). But the DVD I would pay BIG BUCKS for would be verse 27.
“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” I wonder what all Jesus mentioned? I bet one was seeing Jesus in the Garden of Eden before the apple hit the ground when God said there would be “One who would come and CRUSH the serpent’s head” (Genesis 3:15) JESUS. The birth of the Savior in the city of David (Bethlehem) prophesied by Micah hundreds of years ago. JESUS. The way the week began with children singing HOSANNA to the King of Kings as He rode in on a young donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which is only mentioned in the gospel of Matthew, which is traditionally known as the gospel with the Jews in mind. JESUS. The blood stains on the doorframes on the night of Passover prior to the Exodus from the slavery of Egypt. It would remind them of the blood-stained cross they just saw in Jerusalem only hours ago! JESUS. Isaiah’s prophecy in 55:3 saying that “by His stripes we are healed”. He still had the stripes on His back as they spoke (though not revealed to them just yet)! JESUS. That sermon was 7 miles long from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Let’s estimate they were walking 3.0 mph. That’s a 2 hour & 20 minutesermon, give or take! Jesus covered a lot of fulfilled prophesy in that amount of time. And I’m guessing Cleopas had a few questions for clarification by Jesus during that time! We’re all familiar with the SERMON ON THE MOUNT, but this was the SERMON ON THE ROAD! Matthew 5-7 was topical teaching of how we are supposed to live, but this account in Luke 24 is about how He was the Messiah, because everything hinges on that! If Jesus was just a good man with a compassionate heart then this was only a benevolent gesture by a godly man. But if He was truly the promised Savior, then He was GOD AND MAN! And also today…… ASK HIM TO STAY (Luke 24:28-29) By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if He were going on, but they begged Him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So He went home with them. Once you “get in the grove with Jesus”, don’t look at the time and resign yourself to follow your preplanned schedule. Seek more time of closeness with Him! That’s what these 2 men did. Now that doesn’t mean turn a small group meeting into a marathon just because you hope something good happens. But it does mean, if you’re connecting deeply in prayer, or study by yourself, or in fellowship with the Lord & His people, “play an extra inning or two”. Don’t go for the Guinness Book of World Records. But listen a little longer. Read one more paragraph of His Words. Sing one more song. Pray one more prayer. Record one more thought in your journal. These guys were hanging on every word of Jesus. And it was the most natural thing to see if He’d stay at least for supper. And He did. And their lives were CHANGED because He did! But look at the time! Already over 2 pages for this one day’s devo! Love you guys….and looking forward to moving a little further along in Luke 24 tomorrow. Bless you my Finishing Well Friends, gr THURSDAY 4/23/25 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION (Luke 24:30-31) As they sat down to eat, He took the bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared! Whoa! Now it’s getting a little “OUT THERE”! They hadn’t even taken the first bite & they realize who Jesus is! I wonder how that RECOGNITION came about? Did they see the SCARS on His hands? Did they recognize His voice from when He fed the 5k and prayed before all the multiplication miracle happened? Or did God just looked down on them & say, “Those 2 guys are great, I’m so proud of My Son and I’m going to make sure they know WHO THEY’RE TALKING TO! But it was a moment! And in that moment Jesus DISAPPEARS. No smoke and mirrors. No lightning flash from heaven. Just gone! And in God’s great wisdom, they didn’t wonder HOW DID HE DO THAT? They marveled at what they were supposed to marvel at…… But we’ve got to read the next paragraph of Scripture to see what that was…. They began to…. TESTIFY TO EACH OTHER (Luke 24:32) They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” What a great response! That what every preacher secretly hopes for at the end of their sermon or the weekend worship services. Rather than a response like, “I don’t know. Puerto Vallarta or El Nopal….you choose!” When God’s Word is rightly divided”, as Paul tells Timothy to do, then hearts are touched, minds are aligned, and lives are changed by the power of God! The rhetorical question, “didn’t our hearts burn” implies that they felt the movement of the Spirit of God on a DEEP level. But it wasn’t simply an emotionally moving speech or dramatic presentation. It was His talking TO THEM and HIS Explanation of the Scriptures TO THEM! You see, Jesus didn’t quote anything but the BIBLE and He unpacked it like no one else. And all of it was CONCERNING HIMSELF. Because at the end of the day, the gospel is all about Him! Not 3 ways to have a better life. Not how to retire well and bless other people. Not how to have a great marriage and keep your kids off drugs, although all those things are important. But what is absolutely OF THE ESSENCE is our understanding of who Jesus and what Jesus did to offer us salvation BY grace THRU faith and FOR good works. (Ephesians 2:8-10) You see my real prayer is Lord, may we NEVER RECOVER FROM EASTER! May we never get over the fact that Jesus died for sinners and calls us all to “serve God’s purposes in our generation as David did” (Acts 13:36) by telling and showing those around us. May we reflect, rethink, and resolve ourselves to all that God calls us to do, but may we NEVER “get over the fact” that the Son of God died in our place on the cross and was raised back to life by the power of God on the 3rd day! Looking forward to tomorrow as we close out Luke 24, the end of Luke’s gospel. Praying it’s been a great week for you all so far! FRIDAY 4/25/25 GO FIND THE OTHER DISCIPLES (Luke 24:33-34) And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 disciples and the others who had gathered with them, who said, “The Lord really risen! He appeared to Peter.” So, what is the first order of business for them? Not to sit around and wonder or calculate. But to get with the others who knew Him best! Turns out that’s the thing we need to do as well! LET JESUS REAPPEAR & DISAPPEAR AS HE CHOOSES (Luke 24:35-52) Well, I’m afraid 18 verses might be a little too long for you to read in this paragraph. Truth be told, the longer my devotional, the more beady your eyes get reading it (or at least that’s how mine seem to be!) But here is the essence of the end of this chapter. We must let Jesus “show and go” as He sees fit. Let Him interrupt our schedules and let Him work in others AS and WHEN and WHERE He wishes! That’s what these 2 men were willing to do. And they didn’t try to CONTROL Jesus. They knew He would do HIS job as the Messiah and they needed to do THEIR job as convinced followers! Take a moment if you haven’t already and read those 18 verses…. I’ll wait til you’re done…. Now here’s a quick play by play….. Verse 35…..the guys TELL THEIR STORY to the disciples Verse 36…Jesus interrupts the moment by APPEARING amongst them Verse 37…they all are STARTLED and think He’s a ghost Verse 38…He QUESTIONS why they’re afraid and doubtful Verse 39…he INVITES them to TOUCH His hands & feet and see for themselves Verse 40…He openly SHOWS His scars to them Verse 41…they stand there STUNNED, then Jesus asks if they HAD ANYTHING TO EAT (I love that part!) Verse 42…they give Him some BROILED FISH (I recommend Sam’s in the Knobs or Fireside Grill) Verse 43…still dumbfounded, they WATCH as He eats (since He hasn’t hadn’t anything to eat since the LAST SUPPER and He had to leave early and not finish the meal with the Emmaus boys) Verse 44….He REMINDS them that while He was with them before, He taught them about the PROPHECY He would fulfill…. Verse 45…He OPENS THEIR MINDS to the Scriptures (Lord, do that for me too!) Verse 46…He emphasizes He needed to SUFFER, DIE and RISE from the dead Verse 47…he REMINDS them the message needed to be to all nations starting in Jerusalem offering FORGIVENESS of sins to those who REPENT (salvation is conditional / His love isn’t, but salvation isn’t…important to note in our culture) Verse 48…He acknowledges THEY ARE WITNESSES of these things Verse 49…. He promises to send the HOLY SPIRIT and their need to STAY PUT until He comes & fills them with power from heaven Verse 50…they head out for BETHANY and blesses them Verse 51…He ASCENDS to heaven after the blessing Verse 52…they WORSHIP Him & joyfully return to Jerusalem Verse 53… they go NON-STOP PRAISING God in the Temple The point as we end is, we have to let Jesus do what He’s going to do! He will do mighty things in us and through us if we cooperate, but He also wants to CONTINUE that work with the help of His HOLY SPIRIT until He returns! As I said earlier, let’s NEVER RECOVER from Easter! I’m finishing writing this about 10pm Sunday night before I send this to our daughter Rachel to get it ready and out to you Monday morning. It has been an incredible week for us. We got to catch a Good Friday service, then the 5:00 Saturday service at Northside, another Easter morning service online and all 3 Last Supper movies of “THE CHOSEN” in the past 4 days! What a BLESSING EACH of those things were to us! We’ve seen a whole lot of baptisms, encouraged a dear friend as they’ve moved into a new worship facility this weekend, been with a close brother as he struggles with health issues in the hospital, and like most of you, we got to celebrate Easter lunch with our family. I am a blessed man and grateful for all this season has allowed this week particularly. And now we get to live it out. Continue to share the message of the resurrection with those around us. Remind each other, encourage our grown kids, and teach our grandkids. Now next week we’ll return to focusing on our “THRU THE BIBLE HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS” and incorporate holiday messages from some of my friends to have other key voices for you to hear and learn from. So until next Sunday night or Monday morning depending upon my punctuality….I’ll be praying for you and looking forward to our next EVENT coming up May 4th at JACOB’S WELL. We have about 50 tickets left to sell as of now. Can’t wait to see as many of you that can make it! Love you guys, george
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