Higher Aim with Dr. Curt Dodd

Today, we will take another step in the seven-mile walk of this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in Luke 24. Jesus showed up and came alongside two of His followers who did not recognize Him initially. We will draw some principles from these 40 verses on what we need to know about navigating our lives.

In Luke Chapter 24, we see “The Walk to Emmaus,” a lengthy narrative that dovetails with many of the post-resurrection appearances. Jesus not only appeared to the women at the garden tomb, but He later appeared to His disciples. Multiple accounts show Him in bodily form over forty days. Without the resurrection, the cross has no validation. Because Jesus rose again, it validates what He did on the cross. As these two followers walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they learned critical truths we also need to understand about Jesus.

If there was ever a story that could teach us how to navigate uncertainty, it is the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The disciples experienced a week of unbelievable confusion and instability. Though Jesus warned them of His arrest, death, and resurrection, they did not understand. Easter caught them by surprise when it should have been expected. Many of us, like them, face uncertain times. But today’s passage reminds us: we serve a risen Savior who guides us through life’s unknowns.

Easter is the one day throughout all Christendom when millions will come to worship the Lord. Next to it is Palm Sunday, an often underrated Christian holiday. This is the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Many events happened during the week leading up to Easter. We could talk about the upper room, the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter’s denial, or Pilate turning Jesus over to be flogged. But as I prayed through different passages for this message, I was drawn to Matthew 21. There is no better case study about making a commitment to Jesus than Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. When we come to the Word of God, we are invited to make a commitment. Either we will be committed to Christ, or we will not be committed to Christ. There is no in-between.

Today we are talking about real life—the disconnect between what we want God to do in our lives and what is actually happening. Many of us wrestle with big issues: sexuality, addictions, wayward children, frustration in our relationships, and the reality that what we sing about on Sunday doesn’t always match how we live at home. Too many believers become disappointed, step back, and give up. But the problem is not with God—it is with us. If you are a believer, you have turned from sin and placed your faith in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Yet many have not tapped into His power. You are trying to live the Christian life on your

own strength, and it isn’t working. The Holy Spirit is not an “it.” He is a person, the third member of the Trinity, and He dwells within you to give you power. Today, we will look at what the Holy Spirit does both for unbelievers and for believers.

In this week’s message, we are continuing our conversation around forgiveness, discussing the steps we can take to forgive those who have hurt us and seeing what we can learn from the life and teaching of Jesus about Christlike forgiveness.

The story in today’s key passage of Scripture is a tough one. Forgiveness is always a tough subject in this broken world of ours. But as Jesus addresses this issue, He was being tougher on the person who withheld forgiveness than the person who committed the offense. Why would Jesus do that? That’s what we’re going to look at in today’s message. As we do, we need to ask and answer three specific questions. We’ll answer the first one today and then we’ll dive into the other two next week.

As we continue our discussion on the names of God, we’re going to look at two more names that reveal more of God’s goodness and character to us. Let’s dive in together.

In today’s message, we are going to continue our study of the names of God. Specifically, we’re going to talk about how God is our shepherd and how He takes care of us no matter what we’re walking through. Let’s dive in.

In this series called, “What's In a Name?” we are looking at the different names of God. We have already looked at 6 of the 12 names. Today, we will take another step and look at some more

names that will help us gain a better understanding of God. If there was ever a time when we need to understand who God is, it is now. Our world is so unstable with all kinds of thoughts, ideas, and philosophies around who God is. So as His followers, we need to be rooted in the character of God and what God reveals about Himself through His names.