[00:01] Speaker 1: (instrumental music plays)

[06:09] Speaker 2: (music)

[09:28] Speaker 3: Would you join me in the opening prayer? The responsive prayer that you find in your order of worship? Merciful God, during this Easter season, we remember the women who waited at Jesus' tomb, the fearful disciples gathered again in the upper room, and the despondent pilgrims on their journey to Emmaus. Who among them could have imagined all that would take place? We pray with urgency and expectation for all those who live every day in fear, doubt, and despondency, without tasting and seeing the joy of resurrection in Christ. As we wait, may your spirits be on the move. May many, both believers and unbelievers, be surprised by joy this Easter season and always through the power of the resurrected Christ we pray, amen.

[10:33] Speaker 2: (music)

[12:19] Speaker 4: Christ is risen! Death, thy grasp has sadly failed; See, creation bows humbly low, In confusion every trade; Once he died and once was buried, Now he lives forevermore, Jesus Christ, our great Redeemer, Whom we worship and adore. Christ is risen! Light of virtues, Of the Holy Harvest given, Which with all its full abundance At His Second Coming near, When the golden ears of harvest Will their heads be rolling lay, Bright and white as

[15:06] Speaker 4: bright as sunshine From the furrows of the grave. (organ playing) Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory be to God on high! Alleluia to the Savior, Who has won the victory! Alleluia to the Spirit, Born of God with sanctity, Alleluia, alleluia To the triune Majesty. Amen

[15:33] Speaker 3: Did you catch those words? The one who did that is here in this place tonight, gathered amongst us, and He greets you with these words, "Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the mighty and transforming work of the Holy Spirit."

[15:52] Speaker 4: Amen.

[15:57] Speaker 3: We welcome all of you to worship this evening at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reform Church. It is always good to be gathered in God's house on Sunday evening. Even on a holiday like today, it is good to be in God's house. And as we gather in worship tonight, we will think about the power of the Word. And we begin by listening to words from the Word that speak about itself, Psalm 111. You're welcome to just listen to this, or if you wanna follow along in the pew Bible, you'll find it on page 952, 952. I invite you to listen to these words from Psalm 111, especially the last part of it as it turns to speaking about itself. The Psalm, it says, "Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart In the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; They are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, And His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonders to be remembered.

[17:17] Speaker 3: The Lord is gracious and compassionate; He provides food for those who fear Him. He remembers His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works, Giving them the lands of other nations. The works of His hands are faithful and just, All His precepts are trustworthy; They are established forever and ever, Enacted in faithfulness and uprightness. He provides redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; All who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise." Thanks be to God.

[18:17] Speaker 4: (organ music) God's holy nation shouts it true, His

[21:12] Speaker 4: promises to ever prove: O praise Him! Alleluia! Let ev'ry heart His praises sing, And His mercies to ourselves bring; O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Great then to God is grace and love, Love He has provided us of above: O praise Him! Alleluia! He hath his word and Jesus name, To make us people for His game: O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Countless are David's deeds of woe, Countless for man are sorrows he brought: O praise Him! Alleluia! For God is with us, who so pleases, We shall live with Him forever, please: O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

[21:19] Speaker 3: Our time of prayer tonight will include the song that is listed in the bulletin in your order of worship, words based on Psalm 102. We'll sing that at various times throughout the prayer. Let us pray. Sovereign Lord, the one who is enthroned forever, we praise You that Your renown, Your fame endures through all generations and that You are the one who knows all things, who sees all things, who controls all things, and who can do all things. That is why we praise to You, Lord, for You will respond to our prayers. You will not despise our pleas.

[22:06] Speaker 4: (Organ intro) O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer, When I call, answer me. O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer, Come and listen to me.

[22:57] Speaker 3: Merciful God, as the one who sees all things, You know that Your church is in constant need of renewal, including the Church around the world. We pray that You would use ministries like broadcasts from Reframe and Words of Hope to proclaim the Gospel, that those messages would encourage people in grow, to grow their faith, but would also turn people to Jesus who do not know Him as their Lord and as their Savior. We pray too that You would use the work of Resonate Missionaries and other missionaries, including those supported by our own Henry Beats Mission Society, as they plant seeds of faith in peoples' lives. Use those seeds, O God, to bear much fruit, fruit that will last and fruit that will help grow Your kingdom. We also think of people who have been displaced from their homelands due to war, famine, or other conflicts. May they find comfort and peace, but may You also use these challenging situations to turn hearts to You.

[24:08] Speaker 3: We pray especially that Christians in host nations would rise up and help meet their needs. We bring these requests to You, Lord, because we know that You will not despise our pleas.

[24:21] Speaker 4: (Organ interlude) O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer.

[24:39] Speaker 3: ...

[27:25] Speaker 3: is established forever. All around us, even in Your creation and in us, Your people, we see change and decay. However, You remain the same. You never wear out. And Your years will last forever. What a promise for us, Lord, to be children in Your kingdom, Your kingdom that will never end. We ask this all in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

[28:07] Speaker 3: (instrumental music plays) We pray, oh Lord, that You would open our ears and open our minds as we turn to Your Word tonight, that You would illuminate our hearts and our minds so we would hear Your truth and we would be changed from that. Our scripture reading tonight comes from the Gospel of Luke, the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke, and we will begin our reading at verse 36. If you are using the Pew Bible, it's found on page 1,645. 1-6-4-5.... and we'll read from chapter 24, verses 36 down to verse 49. Luke 24, beginning at vers- verse 36.

[31:05] Speaker 3: "While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' They were startled and frightened, and thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And wowed- why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see. A ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, 'Do you have anything here to eat?' They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written.

[32:23] Speaker 3: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to se- and send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'" This is the word of the Lord.

[32:51] Speaker 5: Thanks be to God.

[32:57] Speaker 3: Thanks be to God. Joyous music fills the room and people lift their praise to God as they proclaim their alleluias in word and song. And flowers of varying v- types and vibrant colors fill the front of the church. The colors in the church, once purple for a number of weeks and then black, are now white and gold to indicate the celebratory nature of the occasion. We know what day this is. It's Easter. All the hopes and expectations of Christians are realized in the resurrection of Jesus over the dead, making Easter the most celebrative day of the church year. In fact, even churches that have very little to do with the church year still celebrate Easter Sunday. It's the culmination of all the Gospel is really about. It's also Easter in the passage that we just read, Easter evening to be exact. Although the mood at this gathering is not all celebratory.

[34:24] Speaker 3: Suddenly, as the disciples are gathered together, two other disciples, Cleopas and the other Emmaus traveler, the ones we wret- we read about in the verses just prior to our text, knock on the door (knocks three times on wood) , are let into the room, and announce, "It's true. The Lord is risen." The wary eyes of the other disciples are on them as they catch their breath (breathes deeply) before continuing to tell about what they have just experienced. "We were walking along a path," they said, "the path that leads to Emmaus. You all know the one, right? And a man comes up beside us and starts to, to won- wonder and ask what we're talking about. We don't recognize him, and he seems, at least at first, to know nothing about the events of the last few days. So we tell him about the crucifixion and how we had hoped that the Lord would be the one to redeem Israel.

[35:44] Speaker 3: We tell him about the empty tomb and how the women and, and you, Peter and John, went there this morning and found the tomb empty. But then, he takes charge of the conversation, saying how we don't understand fully how all these events would actually fulfill what the prophets have been speaking for centuries. And as he continues to teach the Scriptures to us, our hearts begin to burn, even though we don't fully understand that at the time. He was going to continue on once we reached the village, but we invited him to stay, and we are so glad he did. For as he, he takes the bread and he gives thanks and he breaks it in two pieces..."We finally realize who this is. It's Jesus, alive, in the flesh. But then, just as suddenly as we realize it, He's gone. He disappears from our sight. The disciples continue to talk, asking questions and wondering about all the details that they had just heard as their curiosity rises.

[37:22] Speaker 3: Suddenly though, the growing excitement comes to an abrupt halt, because there is another person in the room. No knock on the door, no creak of the hinges, no footsteps across the floor. Yet standing near them is Jesus Himself. Some of the disciples jump back from where He is standing. Some are, are pointing a finger at the figure before them. Some are standing there with their mouths wide open. And others are, are rubbing their eyes in disbelief. You would think they would be elated to see their friend of the last three years, their Lord, their Savior, right there before them, alive once again. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The disciples are startled, not just by Jesus' sudden appearance, they are also frightened and terrified by what they think is an apparition, a spirit, a ghost. But then, the ghost speaks to them in calm, reassuring words, a tone that they have heard many times before. Jesus offers them peace, but also names the issues at hand.

[39:08] Speaker 3: "Why are you frightened?" He asks them. "Why are you filled with doubt?" This same challenge can also be found in the true story of Ethan, a man who finds himself hospitalized once again. To be lying in a hospital bed is nothing new for him, since he has struggled with emotional, psychological, and physical problems for years, some of which were the result of his own poor choices, some due to the treatment he had endured at the hands of others. This hospital stay is different however, since hospice has been called in, and it appears that the end of his life will be coming sometime soon. "Are you afraid of dying?" his minister asks him during one of his visits. "No," he replies. "But I do wonder what God will do with our regrets." Having been raised in the church, Ethan has known Jesus Christ as his savior for many years. And that faith of his is solid despite all the challenges he has faced in his life. He knows God loves him. He knows that Jesus died on the cross in his place.

[40:50] Speaker 3: And yet, yet there still is that doubt on his mind. If we're honest, we all have doubts on our minds at times, do we not? Doubts not so different from what the disciples experienced that Easter evening. We know that God's mercies are new every morning, yet when we are feeling discouraged and depressed ... We know that God works all things for good for those who love Him, yet when we are treated in a cruel or unkind way ... We know that not a hair will fall from our head without the will of our Father in heaven, yet when we are feeling sick or fatigued ... It's a bit like when you order something online from a store you've ordered from many times before. The packages have always arrived safely, so you believe that this one will too, yet you find yourself clicking on that link, that tracking link, several times, because there are still doubts that linger in your mind. L- lingering doubts are a natural part of life. Just look at the Psalms. We find it in many places in that book.

[42:33] Speaker 3: But that doesn't mean that doubts should go untreated. For the disciples, Jesus comes and meets them in the midst of their doubts. For them, He does three things.He begins by offering them physical proof. We see that in verses 39 and 40. "Look at my hands," he says to them. "And, and, and look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me so that you can see that I am not a ghost, for ghosts do not have bodies like I do." This doesn't quite do it for Jesus' trusty band of followers, however. They are so filled with a mixture of joy and astonishment that more proof is needed. So, Jesus presents them, as we see in verses 41 to 43, with a second piece of evidence. He asks them, "Do you have anything to eat?" This question is not due to a rumbling stomach. Rather, he's trying to prove a point and perhaps remind them of all the times that they ate together when he was alive.

[44:02] Speaker 3: With their eyes intently on him, he devours a piece of broiled fish as proof that he is not a ghost standing before them. Jesus could stop his proofs at this point, but since he knows the hearts and minds of people, he knows that more is needed for these disciples and for the mission they would soon undertake. He sits down, gathers them around him, and begins to speak, as we see in verse 44. "When I was with you previously," he says, "I told you everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Book of Psalms, and that how that must be fulfilled." "For example," he says, "in the Book of Deuteronomy, it says that Lord, that the Lord will raise up a prophet like Moses from among the fellow Israelites and the Lord will put His words in the mouth of that prophet and he will tell them everything the Lord wants them to do." "That's me," Jesus tells them.

[45:28] Speaker 3: "That text is pointing to me in my role as God's prophet." "Then there's the Book of Psalms, our beloved songbook," he goes on. "Listen to these words. 'They pierced my hands and feet. All my bones are on display. People stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.' Surely, you recognize this event, my crucifixion. While it happened just a few days ago, it was predicted years earlier by David as he penned those words." And then, there's the Prophet Isaiah. "'But he was pierced for our transgressions,' Isaiah says, 'he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.' That he is referring to me, my dear friends, and the punishment I suffered on that cross is what brings you and the world real peace, the peace of forgiveness of sins and the redemption of your souls." "What about your resurrection, though?" Peter asks as he cocks his head to the side.

[47:06] Speaker 3: "Is that in the scriptures too?" "Listen again to the words of David, wh- what he wrote in the Psalms," Jesus says. "'Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead nor will you let your faithful one see decay.' The Father, dear friends, has not abandoned me to the realm of the dead. That is why I am standing before you now fully alive." Jesus continues this Easter evening Bible study as he points to even more places in the scriptures that point to his life, his death, and his resurrection. Then he looks around at his friends, his followers, his disciples, and says, "Do you believe now? Is your fear gone? Has time in the word whittled away your doubts?" Whittling away doubt is not always easy. Many of us know that. It wasn't for Ethan either. As we said earlier, his fear and lament over past mistakes continued to haunt him.

[48:45] Speaker 3: He knew God loved him, but what would God do with those regrets?His minister, upon hearing his voi- him voice that concern, is led by God's spirit to open a passage that seems very appropriate for the moment. As he sits beside the hospital bed, he says, "Listen, Ethan, to these words from Psalm 32." "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. But then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin." (smacks lips) A peace begins to fall upon Ethan's face as he takes in a deep breath (inhales and exhales deeply) .

[50:24] Speaker 3: Then he turns to his minister and he says, "Those are beautiful words, words that are very comforting." The minister, nodding in response to Ethan's response, closes- closes the visit in prayer, and says, (smacks lips) "Yes, you're right, Ethan." He uses words in that prayer that Ethan would take with him to dispel the doubt during the last few days of his life. When doubts or fears arise in our lives, some would probably like it if Jesus were to physically wa- to walk into this sanctuary tonight, if we were to see Him in the narthex come through the doors and come down the aisle and address those doubts by sitting down and teaching from the word like He did for those disciples. We could forget the rest of the sermon and the rest of the service because we would just want to hear what He would say. (smacks lips) We know, however, that when Jesus returns to Earth one more time, and when He does, it- that is not how it'll be.

[51:48] Speaker 3: Though Jesus is not physically present here tonight because of His ascension into heaven, which we will celebrate on Thursday and next Sunday, we can celebrate that He is present with us now and at all times by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit He promised in verse 49 of the text. When Jesus says, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised, you will be clothed with power from on high." And by His Spirit, He says to us, just as He said to those disciples that first Easter evening, "Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look to me as you spend time delving into my word, meditating on it, and listening to how it speaks to you. And as you do, remember all that my Father has done in the past and all that He will do in the future." That, dear friends, is worth celebrating. In the name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen. Would you pray with me?

[53:23] Speaker 3: Lord, our God, (smacks lips) forgive us for the times we underestimate the power of your word, for the times we fail to read it, for the times we leave it sit on the shelf. Forgive us for that and the times we doubt, the times we worry, the times that our faith is weak. Father, we pray instead that you would fill us with your spirit and that you would remind us that you are with us each and every day, just as you were that night with the disciples. Remind us of your presence and lead us by your spirit into your word and in doing your will in all of our lives. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our resurrected Savior. Amen.

[54:16] Speaker 3: (organ music) (organ music continues)

[55:04] Speaker 5: O Word of life incarnate, O Vision from on high, O Truth unchanging, changing, O Light of life whose light we praise You for the ways that from the Scriptures gave a lantern to our footsteps, a lamp from age to age. Our church, the moving mass, here seekers seeking light; blessed by light that's given o'er all the earth's shine. It is the church's end purpose, therefore its purpose through, every step God's elect take till lights of Christ do rule. Growing as a tree seedling, a bud of fruitful hope, to bring forth a nation pure to thy image of love. O teach your loving ways by this servant who prays, till thousand countless heaven receive His true grace.

[57:35] Speaker 3: Would you join me in the confession of faith you find printed in the Order of Worship? This comes from Our World Belongs to God, The Contemporary Testimony, and we'll read this responsively. God gives this world many ways to know Him.

[57:51] Speaker 5: The creation shows His power and majesty.

[57:55] Speaker 3: And He also speaks through prophets, poets, and apostles.

[58:00] Speaker 5: Most eloquently, He speaks through His Son.

[58:04] Speaker 3: The Spirit, active from the beginning, moved human beings to write the Word of God.

[58:11] Speaker 5: And opens our hearts to hear God's voice.

[58:15] Speaker 3: The Bible is the Word of God.

[58:19] Speaker 5: The record and tool of His redeeming work.

[58:23] Speaker 3: It is the word of truth.

[58:26] Speaker 5: Breath of God.

[58:28] Speaker 3: Fully reliable in leading us to know God.

[58:33] Speaker 5: And to walk with Jesus Christ in new life.

[58:38] Speaker 3: And as we go from this place, walking into a new week, may we walk with Jesus Christ, His Word, and by the leading of His Spirit, and may you go with God's blessing. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face towards you, show you His presence, that He is with you, and may exten- may He extend to you His peace, both now and forever.

[59:09] Speaker 5: Amen. (Soft organ music) (Yielding bell sound)

[01:01:03] Speaker 5: (Organ music(music)