The Lutheran Hour
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"Heavenly Heartburn"
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Text: Luke 24:32-35
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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Have you ever experienced intense heartburn? They say that close to one out of every two Americans has suffered with it at some point in their lives. Well, I think that figure is actually too low, especially when you realize that there is more than one kind of heartburn in this world. There is the painful heartburn that can incapacitate a person, but there is also the heartburn that empowers a person, giving them proverbial wings to fly.
So, have you experienced heartburn?
If you’ve experienced what I call “destructive heartburn,” you won’t soon forget the feeling. It is a fire burning in your chest that can be so intense that it leaves you literally incapacitated. This heartburn might be caused by ingesting the wrong food, or by your body over-reacting to pressure, or by the fires of uncontrolled anxiety being unleashed in your spirit. It’s the kind of heartburn that is going to take more than a “plop, plop, fizz, fizz” for relief. People who experience this heartburn often confuse it with a heart attack. And who could blame them as they both leave a person debilitated and weak.
On the other hand, if you have experienced what I call “enlivening, refreshing heartburn,” you won’t forget that either. Enlivening heartburn happens when the fires of love explode in one’s heart. I remember almost 26 years ago, meeting my wife Yvette. The first day I met her, I realized that she was special and when that kind of love explodes in your heart, it seems like the sun is always shining, it seems like you have energy to burn, it seems like there is a perpetual smile on your face. Life seems to explode in all of its beauty right before your eyes.
Two kinds of heartburn; but in reality there is yet one more. In our text today we see a heartburn similar to the enlivening heartburn of love, but it is infinitely more than that. It is a heavenly heartburn that comes, not when you realize that you love another, this heartburn comes when you realize that God Himself loves you in Jesus Christ and that you can be His son or daughter forever by grace through faith. It is a heartburn that doesn’t just last for the fleeting moments of this life; it lasts a lifetime and more.
My friend, that’s what God wants for you today, heavenly heartburn. I will say it as plainly as I can, only God’s grace in Christ burns in the heart to empower you and not to destroy you. I want you to have this heavenly heartburn, this empowering trust in Jesus to fuel your life today and forever.
Hear our text from St. Luke, the 24th chapter: “That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus. While they were talking (about the things that had happened in Jerusalem), Jesus (the resurrected Jesus), He, Himself, drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. Later, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him and they said to one another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as He opened the Scriptures to us as He talked with us on the road?’ And they returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven (Disciples) and those who were with them, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed.'”
In our text today, we see the fires of God’s promises exploding in the lives of two people on the road to Emmaus as Jesus comes alongside of them and leads them to faith through His Word. God’s Word ignites their hearts to trust in Jesus. Their hearts were on fire, but they were not incapacitated or consumed. No, their eyes were finally opened to see Jesus as the true Messiah, their Savior, the One Who was the true fulfillment of the Bible’s promises for them.
So what heartburn are you suffering from today–destructive heartburn or a heartburn that actually gives you life? Which fire is burning in you today?
It doesn’t take long for a person to realize that in this life, certain fires destroy.
In California each year there is a fire season, where winds and dry conditions make the whole area vulnerable to this out of control burning. This particular year, I was traveling away from home, but then I heard on the news that fires were coming up the canyon towards the neighborhood where we lived. I knew that I had to get home to be with my wife and daughter to make sure that they were safe and to see if there was any way that I could save our belongings from those flames. I’ll never forget the sight of flying in to Orange County at night and seeing all the hills ablaze with fire. It was an eerie sight, both destructive and beautiful at the same time. How could this same fire, the kind that warms our fireplaces, the kind that empowers our furnaces, how could this also be this destructive force that literally was wiping away people’s lives?
When fire is uncontrolled or misdirected, its destructive power can overwhelm in a hurry.It doesn’t take long for a person to realize that in this life certain fires destroy.
In our spiritual lives we need to remember that it is dangerous to play with certain kinds of fire, too. For instance, have you ever heard people say “If you believe something strongly, if you love something intensely, then that is what is right and true for you?” Many gods, many faiths, many loves as long as you burn for it in your heart? It sounds open-minded at first, but it can be very destructive if peoples’ passions are misdirected or misinformed.
Our two walkers with Jesus on that road to Emmaus, they suffered from such destructive heartburn. It says that their faces were saddened, and for good reason. Their dashed hopes and dreams were misdirected and misinformed all along. They had burned in their hearts for a false redeemer who would have set them free only from the shackles of Roman tyrannical rule. They had hoped for a freedom fighter Messiah, one who would have righted their injustices and set them up in power as if that were the fullness of God’s redemption for their lives.
They didn’t expect a Messiah on a cross. They surely didn’t expect a crucified and resurrected Jesus on that Emmaus road. The fires of their ignorance prevented them from seeing who it was that was standing right before them. Their false hopes also blinded them to their greatest need, forgiveness of sin, reconciliation to a holy God. They had forgotten His clear word; He must suffer and on the third day be raised again for them.
False faiths, false loves, false messiahs, a burning destructive fire, a fire that for a moment might feel right, but in the end it drives us to our knees. In the end, those things can literally blind us from seeing the love of God in Jesus that is already right here for us in His Word.
Are there any fires like these in your heart, fires that blind you to God’s love for you in Jesus, the fires of sin, of ignorance, of rebellion, or self-indulgence? They may seem fulfilling for a time, but anything that disconnects us from Christ, those fires burn to destroy. If you have been singed by those fires, or if they are burning out of your control in your life, hear the Good News of this text, of this event.
Even amidst those flames, there was Good News for those two on the road to Emmaus that day. And there is Good News for you and for me, too. The fire of God’s promises in Jesus Christ burns for you to overcome the fires of sin and temptation. On the cross of Good Friday, these two travelers had missed the point. On the cross Jesus was meeting fire with fire for them.
One way the fire fighters protected our homes that year of those California brush fires was to light a back fire. When water was not enough, when the fire was too big merely to be doused, they had to remove the fuel that was feeding it. So they lit what’s called a controlled burn ahead of the flames, and when the raging fires came up that hill and hit those already burned areas, it just went out. The destructive fire couldn’t touch us.On the cross of Jesus, Jesus not only faced the fire of humanity’s sin in judgment, He released the fires of His holiness and His mercy as a controlled burn to offer His grace for humanity as a new place to stand before God.
So what fire is burning within you today? Is it literally consuming you? Is it leaving you in ashes, drained and falling fast? Or do you see that there is another fire for your life? It is the fire that comes from knowing God’s love and grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is knowing that God’s offer of life and salvation in Jesus burns but does not destroy, burns and empowers us, burns and sets our lives on fire to make a difference now and in our eternity with Him.I want you to have His heavenly heartburn today.
I want you to have His heavenly heartburn today. Because, when your life is resourced by the fires of God’s Word through faith, it overcomes our ignorance, it overcomes our guilt and it unleashes the gifts of God’s grace in our lives for others.
On that Emmaus road, Jesus rooted those disciples in the firm promises of the Scriptures that had come to fruition in Him. It had to be one of the greatest Bible studies of all times. But this was no moralistic training; this was no call for them to be better practitioners of personal piety. No, this was much more. This was an illuminating fire, a recounting of God’s promises fulfilled for them, for all. It was a recounting not only of their need for God, it was also an offer from the risen Lord Himself to receive His undeserved love.
The fire of Christ’s teaching that day immersed them in God’s love, God’s eternal plan for their life. They were empowered to recognize Him as they broke bread and received His teaching at the table.
I often wonder why they didn’t recognize Jesus when He first walked up beside them. Why did it take so long? It says that they had already heard the testimony of the women who had seen the risen Lord, but they still didn’t believe. It wasn’t skepticism, like Thomas and though the text doesn’t say directly, it may have been as it was for those Jerusalem disciples; it just was too good to be true. It was so unbelievable; it was so outside of the parameters of their potential possibilities. Jesus not only had to walk a ways down the road with them, He had to rebuke their ignorance and ignite their hearts with the fire of His Good News.
Sometimes it’s hard to see and believe what is right in front of our faces too, isn’t it? As sinners, we often can’t get out of our own way to see the grace that God has for us in Jesus right now.Robert Ingersoll, the renowned atheist of a generation ago, was riding on a train with a friend and an associate, Lew Wallace. As they approached their destination that day, St. Louis, they were discussing Ingersoll’s current lecture tour, during which he openly attacked man’s belief in God.
Ingersoll said, “Wallace, look at those church steeples in St. Louis. Such a waste of money! You and I both know that Christ did not really exist. Someone should tell the masses how foolish it is to worship a myth.”
“It’s a shame,” agreed Wallace.Ingersoll pushed further that day. “Lew, why don’t you write a book and prove to the world once and for all that Jesus Christ was nothing but a mythical figure, much less the Son of God?”
“All right,” Wallace replied, “I believe I will.”
Lew Wallace spent much time and money investigating every shred of evidence that he could find. He read numerous books. He examined many manuscripts. He visited the Holy Land. And most of all, he read the Bible.
Something strange happened to Lew Wallace. The more he studied and read, the more evidence he uncovered concerning Christ’s actual existence. He searched more intently, he searched more reverently. The evidence became irrefutable. He concluded that Jesus Christ was one of the best documented figures in history. Furthermore, Wallace believed that He must have been the Son of God.
Lew Wallace became a believer in Jesus. He was brought to faith in Jesus. He did write a book about Jesus, but its message was altogether different from his preconceived notions, from his and Ingersoll’s previous plans. Anyone who has read “Ben Hur” can appreciate Wallace’s thorough research and deep, reverent spirit in search not only for the historical Jesus, but the Jesus who called him to faith. Did not his heart burn?
Through the Bible, Jesus revealed to Wallace, to those Emmaus Disciples over and over again that He was God in the flesh, the One Who suffered, and died, and rose again for them. In Him, there is life. In Him, there is a love that will last forever. In Him, there is a forgiveness and peace that passes all human understanding.
I want you to have this heavenly heartburn today because it will also empower you to love others differently in Jesus’ Name.
Again, see those two Emmaus disciples on the road. It says of them, that they “immediately rose up and found the eleven and the other disciples” and they told them, “He is risen indeed.” They immediately wanted to share what they had received!When our lives are connected to Jesus by faith, ignited and sustained by God’s Spirit-filled Word, it turns our hearts away from fear and outward towards others, to love and to serve them the way that Christ loves us.
Just as Jesus came alongside those two people that day; so we can seek to come alongside others with His love and mercy. Just as Jesus was patient with those two, we can patiently listen to others and root them in the truth of Christ for their sake. Just as Jesus took time with them, shared a table with them, persevered with them, we can prayerfully commit ourselves to caring for those we love until they see the fire of God’s grace for their lives, in their lives, too.
By faith, I think that we become a fireplace of God’s grace to others. Can you see the picture? Can you see that picture of yourself? Does it paint a picture of what you can be for others because of Who this Jesus is for you?
You see, the Christian life isn’t some prescribed religious activity; it is really an adventure of faith, isn’t it? It’s an adventure of receiving God’s grace in your life and sharing God’s love through your life to others, receiving Him, His gifts as He walks along life’s road with us, but yearning to share those gifts with others, the ones we love. Each one of us has unique opportunities and gifts to be on fire for others in Jesus name. We’re to be like that gas-burning fireplace in my house.
Anytime I need a gentle fire or even a raging flame, all I have to do is to turn the key of the gas line and light the match. It burns strong. It burns long. Like the fire of God’s grace, it can’t be extinguished due to lack of fuel and the logs are never consumed by the flames. That fireplace has provided heat and light for all kinds of circumstances. It has provided heat and warmth to special parties we’ve hosted with our friends and neighbors. It has provided a cozy space to share meaningful conversation. It has provided healing heat to help our ailing pet sleep through the night when she was sick, alongside of her tired master. It has provided a meaningful glow around which our family has often gathered.
Much like that fireplace, when God ignites our hearts by faith, we radiate His warmth and the light of His love to others.
Heavenly heartburn, empowering heartburn, heartburn that is fueled by the promises of the Scripture, fulfilled by Jesus for you. The rest of the New Testament talks about the fires of this Good News in Jesus radiating out through the lives of people like these two travelers. It wasn’t a new religion, it was a fulfillment of all of God’s Old Testament promises from the Garden itself. It was an offer of God’s eternal love, earned by the fire versus fire work of Jesus on the cross and it was offered through this love letter of God’s Word to anyone who would listen.
There’s a heavenly heartburn for you today in Jesus. He’s calling you to faith in Him through the power of His Word. His fire of grace can overcome any sin, any struggle. His fire against fire grace, can offer you a sure place to stand with God the Father Himself and it can empower your life to love others the way that Jesus indeed loves you.
May this heavenly heartburn in Christ sustain you always. Amen.LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 17, 2011
Topic: Heavenly HeartburnANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Today we’re talking about ways in which we can personally meet the risen Lord Jesus.
SELTZ: Wow Mark, what an incredible topic. I cannot wait to hear this question.
ANNOUNCER: A listener writes, “Whenever I hear a lesson like the one for today about Jesus walking along with those disciples on the road to Emmaus, I get a bit jealous. Why doesn’t Jesus come alongside each of us in that same way? It would make believing in Him that much easier.”
SELTZ: What a great question. You know, I’ve thought about that many times too.
ANNOUNCER: Well, are there some things you could share with our listener that might, maybe give him a different perspective on this struggle?
SELTZ: Well, Mark, first of all, I would share with our listener to be careful in thinking that it would be easier to believe if Jesus were physically here.
ANNOUNCER: In the same way He was with those disciples.
SELTZ: Right.
ANNOUNCER: What do you mean?
SELTZ: Remember, the Bible is full of examples where people were literally in Jesus’ presence and not believing. Thomas was a doubter of Jesus’ real work. And the two on this Emmaus road, like the disciples back in Jerusalem, they couldn’t imagine the crucified Jesus really being back from the dead, it just seemed to good to be true.
ANNOUNCER: So faith itself is always a miracle of God’s grace, no matter what?
SELTZ: Absolutely. In fact, the Bible says that “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from God’s word” (Romans 10:10). The Bible also says in Ephesians 2, that faith is a gift from God. Now back to our listener’s question again. In some ways, I think that we have it better than those first disciples.
ANNOUNCER: Not just the same but actually better? How could that be?
SELTZ: Well, just think about it. When Jesus was physically with them, things were great, but when He journeyed to the other side of Galilee or off by Himself to pray, they felt His absence too. As Christians today, we have His word even more clearly, more sure. We have the Gospels, the New Testament, sure words from Jesus that go with us wherever we go.
SELTZ: Also, the Bible is very clear, that whenever “two or three are gathered in His Name,” He is there for them, to bless and forgive.
ANNOUNCER: So, while it might be natural to yearn to be with Jesus in the way that those early disciples were, it is even more important that we go where He promises to be so that we can receive and then share in His real presence grace?
SELTZ: Exactly! When we share God’s word, Christ speaks to us. When we receive the washing in His Name, Holy Baptism, Christ claims us as His own. When we go to His table, the Lord’s Supper, we receive His body and blood just as He says, for our forgiveness, to strengthen our faith. I’m not sure that you can receive Him any more personally than that.
ANNOUNCER: So beyond being in His presence, it’s really about having our faith nourished and strengthened by His word.
SELTZ: Yes, and that’s why I think that we have it better even than those first disciples. Remember Jesus saying to doubting Thomas, “because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are those who do not see me, but still believe.” And John’s Gospel also says, “These things are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and by believing have life in His name.
ANNOUNCER: Well, that puts it in a whole different perspective. It’s easy for us to forget the blessing that we already have, here and now.
SELTZ: I agree, but there is nothing wrong with yearning to walk with Jesus the way of those Emmaus disciples as long as we realize that we have all that we need to live our life of faith today. That Jesus is truly among us when He comes to us through His words of Scripture, the waters of Baptism, and the bread and wine of His Supper, just like He was with them!
ANNOUNCER: I suppose when you think about it that way, Jesus can be even closer to us than if He were actually sitting beside us right now. By the power of His Holy Spirit, He’s even dwelling within us.
SELTZ: I really love to hear that. It’s just like when I ask the kids, “Where is Jesus?” They almost always say, “He’s in my heart.” How come they always seem to get this stuff before us?
ANNOUNCER: I suppose it’s because they often take Jesus at His word.
SELTZ: Just like those Emmaus disciples, that word can assure us too. We can never go wrong there.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz and we thank our listener for that interesting question. Comforted and confident that Jesus will meet us where He says He will and that is Good News we can count on. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Come Down, O Love Divine” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Holy Spirit, Light Divine” arr. Timothy Moke & Georg Masanz. From Magnificent Christian Hymns, vol. 2 by Timothy Moke & Georg Masanz (© 2005 T. Moke Recordings)
“Variations on Down Ampney” by Jack Stamp. From Who Puts His Trust in God Most Just by the Concordia University Wind Symphony (© 2005 Concordia University-Chicago)