## Hearts on Fire for God

## Luke 24:13-35

Let me give you the context of our passage this morning. It was the afternoon of resurrection Sunday. These disciples were on their way to the small town of Emmaus which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. Read: Luke 24:13-35

(Luke 24:32) And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

I. What is a "Burning Heart"?

A. Descriptive term for a new or renewed devotion to the Lord... it is the opposite of a cold heart!

B. In Scripture, God's presence is often associated with fire.

1. When God confirmed His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:17 it was a 'smoking furnace and a burning lamp' that passed between the pieces of the sacrifice.

2. It was with a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire that God led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage.

3. God had first spoken to Moses from the bush that burned.

4. And then again on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:18 God 'descended upon it in fire'.

5. Later in the N.T. God descended upon the disciples in the upper room and the Holy Spirit was manifested as 'cloven tongues like as of fire'.

C. So an appropriate definition of a 'Burning Heart' would be a heart on fire for God because of His presence.

D. Now there are at least three ways to put out a fire:

1. You can pour water on it and it will go out.

2. You can smother it and it will go out.

3. Or you can just neglect to put fuel on it and it will eventually burn out.

4. The same is true of a burning heart.

II. How can we get a 'Burning Heart'?

A. It is "ignited" by the Scriptures.

1. Notice v25-27

2. He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

3. Notice v32 'did not our heart burn within us... while He opened to us the Scriptures?'

4. Do we allow Him to daily open the Scriptures to us?

5. Most of the time we spend hours watching T.V. and only minutes in the Word.

6. We usually find time for what we think is important in our lives...maybe it is time we re- evaluated our priorities.

7. 'Did nor our heart burn within us ... while He opened to us the Scriptures?'

B. It is "intensified" by communion with Him.

1. Notice v32 "while he talked with us by the way"

2. Consider Mary and Martha cf. Luke 10:38-42

a. Every time we find Mary at the feet of Jesus

1) Here she is there to receive a blessing

2) In John 11:32 she fell at His feet when she had a burden over her brother Lazarus.

3) Later in John 12:3 we find her at His feet giving Him her best as she anoints Him and wipes His feet with her hair.

b. We find Martha busy, too busy, and having trouble in the kitchen.

1) Here she comes worrying about all sorts of things

2) Not only that she was resentful toward her sister for not helping her

3) She became demanding of the Lord to get what she wanted done

c. She wanted the Lord to straighten out her sister and rebuke her for not helping, but the Lord gave her a rebuke.

d. Jesus told her that while she was very busy serving she had missed the most important part … Mary had chosen to sit at Jesus' feet and it was the one thing that was needful or necessary.

e. Not only was it the most important, but it was permanent. "that ... which shall not be taken away from her"

1) In the Christian life our choices are not usually between what is good and what is evil.

2) Usually the choices we must make are between what is good and what is best.

3) So often our lives are consumed with many good activities, but we are so busy about these things that we neglect what is most important: spending time with our Lord.

f. Notice: these disciples had communed with the risen Lord! But it had been Jesus who initiated the fellowship.

1) Jesus said that 'true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him'. Cf John 4:23

2) God is seeking our fellowship and communion, but we must respond.

3) Notice v28 "He made as though He would have gone further."

4) God seeks our fellowship but He will not force Himself upon us; He will not stay where He isn't welcome.

5) These disciples 'constrained Him to abide with them'

C. A "Burning Heart" is ignited by the Scriptures, it is intensified by our communion with Him, and it will "inspire" us to become active.

1. They had traveled a day's journey from Jerusalem and had stopped for the night, had supper, and were making ready for the evening's slumber.

2. When Jesus broke bread and gave it to them their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. Perhaps it was the scars in His hands or the way He prayed but there was now no question about His identity.

3. At that very moment He vanished from their sight and they began to discuss what had just happened to them.

4. They couldn't sleep now; they had to go tell the other disciples what they had just experienced.

5. This was night and they were seven miles from Jerusalem, but that made little difference to them.

6. When our hearts burn within us with the presence and reality of God we won't be able to keep it to ourselves or act casually about it we will not only want to, but we will have to share it with someone else.

III. Changed Hearts = Changed Lives

A. It changed their direction ... they hurried back to Jerusalem.

B. It changed their message ... no longer did they moan about His death ... they proclaimed that He was alive!

C. It changed their attitude completely!

"Did not our heart burn within us?"

First: Do you have a heart for God?

1) Have you placed your faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ?

2) Have you come to Him for salvation?

3) If not, then I want to invite you to come to Him now and receive eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Second: Do we have a burning heart for the Lord?

1) Sin will immediately quench a burning heart. ex. David was a man after God's own heart but his sin broke his fellowship with God and brought him sorrow and pain.

2) When we get so busy in our lives that we begin to crowd God out with our other priorities we smother the fire in our hearts.

3) If we neglect God's Word, if we neglect spending time with Him in prayer and fellowship our hearts will begin to cool and our activity will begin to slow to a stop.