What do you expect from Jesus? (Luke 24:13)
Omar Soto
(Audio: Spanish)
SUMMARY: The speaker thanks God for the youth ministry of the church and asks for prayers for the youth discerning their ministerial call. He then shares a personal reflection on the expectations of life in Jesus, citing the story of two men on their way to Emmaus in Luke 24. He notes that Emmaus means lukewarm springs or lukewarm baths, and that the men were on their way to a comfortable, familiar place. He stresses the danger of spiritual lukewarmness and encourages listeners to be on fire for the Lord.
In this passage, two men were on their way to Emmaus and were approached by Jesus. They were not part of Jesus' closest circle of disciples, but they desired to have an encounter with Him. They were confused and frustrated because their expectations of Jesus were shattered after His death. They thought that Jesus was going to be a great political leader and restore order to Israel. However, Jesus' intention was to restore the hearts of the people of Israel and reconcile them with God. Jesus revealed Himself to them during their walk and broke bread with them, which allowed them to recognize Him. This passage speaks about the importance of having an intimate relationship with Jesus and not having incorrect expectations. The primary purpose of Jesus is to restore and reconcile our hearts with God, not to fix our worldly problems. We should seek to know Jesus more deeply and not just stay on the surface.
The speaker reflects on the importance of not just making surface-level decisions for Jesus, but instead pursuing a deeper relationship with him. He shares a personal testimony of struggling with depression when he first moved to Massachusetts for seminary, but ultimately persevering and allowing God to challenge him to go deeper in his faith. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of seeing the church as the body of Christ, and being open to the diversity of experiences and perspectives within it. He shares a recent example of reconciling with a fellow believer who he had a conflict with, and how that experience helped both of them grow in their relationship with God.
Pastor Omar shares a story of two men who had a disagreement but were able to reconcile and grow in their relationship with each other and with God through honest communication. He encourages the congregation to also seek deeper relationships with God and with each other, rather than settling for surface level connections. He invites anyone who wants to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior or reconcile their relationship with Him to come forward for prayer.
In this passage, two men were on their way to Emmaus and were approached by Jesus. They were not part of Jesus' closest circle of disciples, but they desired to have an encounter with Him. They were confused and frustrated because their expectations of Jesus were shattered after His death. They thought that Jesus was going to be a great political leader and restore order to Israel. However, Jesus' intention was to restore the hearts of the people of Israel and reconcile them with God. Jesus revealed Himself to them during their walk and broke bread with them, which allowed them to recognize Him. This passage speaks about the importance of having an intimate relationship with Jesus and not having incorrect expectations. The primary purpose of Jesus is to restore and reconcile our hearts with God, not to fix our worldly problems. We should seek to know Jesus more deeply and not just stay on the surface.
The speaker reflects on the importance of not just making surface-level decisions for Jesus, but instead pursuing a deeper relationship with him. He shares a personal testimony of struggling with depression when he first moved to Massachusetts for seminary, but ultimately persevering and allowing God to challenge him to go deeper in his faith. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of seeing the church as the body of Christ, and being open to the diversity of experiences and perspectives within it. He shares a recent example of reconciling with a fellow believer who he had a conflict with, and how that experience helped both of them grow in their relationship with God.
Pastor Omar shares a story of two men who had a disagreement but were able to reconcile and grow in their relationship with each other and with God through honest communication. He encourages the congregation to also seek deeper relationships with God and with each other, rather than settling for surface level connections. He invites anyone who wants to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior or reconcile their relationship with Him to come forward for prayer.
I want to thank God for the youth ministry of this church, brothers. These guys that you see up here who put all their passion to adore and praise the Lord, you have to know them to truly know all the things that these guys go through. And through 3 years, I have learned to appreciate the gift and the gift that these guys are. For example, I pay attention to Raúl, who is a young man who has just arrived here, who has just come to us, who is singing right here in front of us. Raúl left 'Teen Challenge'. God rescued him from the streets, has transformed his life and now he is a boy who is on fire for the Lord in a way that even I am amazed when I see him and it is a joy for me to see that, to know how God he has the power to take a person and completely transform him when that person truly puts his life in his hands.
And it's not just him but many other guys who were here, brothers, many of them are fighting with ministerial calls. I have a great burden on my heart to pray so that they can discern and understand that call that God has for their lives, and I want to share that burden with you, so that you too can pray for them. Not only for them but for all the youth that we have in our church. God has great purposes with the youth of this church, both adolescents and young adults, and I know that his purposes will be achieved. So I put that word there for the honor and glory of God and also to let you guys know that you hold a very special place, not only in the heart of God but in the heart of this church as well.
And it's not just him but many other guys who were here, brothers, many of them are fighting with ministerial calls. I have a great burden on my heart to pray so that they can discern and understand that call that God has for their lives, and I want to share that burden with you, so that you too can pray for them. Not only for them but for all the youth that we have in our church. God has great purposes with the youth of this church, both adolescents and young adults, and I know that his purposes will be achieved. So I put that word there for the honor and glory of God and also to let you guys know that you hold a very special place, not only in the heart of God but in the heart of this church as well.
