The Downhill Path of Life Luke 24:13-17; 30-32, NIV Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “The Downhill Path of Life,” based on Luke Chapter 24. Could you please repeat after me? “The Downhill Path of Life! The Downhill Path of Life!” As we may have to go uphill and downhill in mountaineering, there are uphill paths and downhill paths in our lives. What brings trouble to us is the downhill path. Some people arrive at the top after toilsome and hard work. It is hard for them to endure the downhill path of life. As they go downhill, many problems may arise. Sometimes, they may become lethargic or deeply hurt emotionally. According to the Scripture today, two disciples were going down to a village called Emmaus from Jerusalem. They were going down to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, with hopelessness and despair. Jerusalem was located on a high place, with altitudes higher than 640 meters, and Emmaus was a small village on a downhill from Jerusalem. Here, “going downhill” does not only mean geographical descending, but also going downhill spiritually. When we go downhill in our faith, we will have problems. In Luke Chapter 10, there is the parable of the good Samaritan. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. When we go down from Jerusalem to Jericho, we are bound to fall into the hands of robbers. We are bound to despair: we are bound to face problems. Jerusalem is the place of God’s temple. It is a place where people worship God with joy and thanksgiving. However, when we leave Jerusalem, when we go down into the world, leaving the safe bosom of God, we are going to face hopelessness, lamentations, and pain. The same was true with the disciples of the Lord Jesus. They were leaving Jerusalem, heading for their past life. It was almost dusk and they were walking into darkness. The downhill path from Jerusalem to Emmaus was a path of hopelessness, sorrow, and disappointment. Thinking that everything was over, they were going downhill hopelessly with their shoulders slumped down. These two disciples who were heading down to Emmaus symbolically show our state of life. Where are we heading for? Is there anyone here who is going on a downhill path of life like these two disciples, spending every day in utmost hopelessness, frustration, sorrow, and pain? Even though we may go on the downhill path of pain and hopelessness, we should never be dismayed! There is a Person who is walking with us even on the downhill path of our lives. That Person is Jesus Christ the Lord, who is our hope, our life, and our joy. First, I want to speak about Jesus who walks along with us. Jesus came and walked with the disciples as they were, in a state of hopelessness, heading down to Emmaus. Luke 24:15 says, “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them.” However, the disciples did not recognize Him. The Lord Jesus comes to us when we are suffering in pain. Jesus stood in front of a sycamore-fig tree and saw Zacchaeus in its branches. His spiritual yearning compelled him to climb up into a sycamore tree! Jesus went to Sychar, and met a woman there, who, struggling with the problem of sin, came to the well in midday to draw water. Jesus went to Peter who was washing his net in despair since he had not caught any fish although he had been throwing nets throughout the night. Jesus comes to us when we are on the downhill path of our lives. He comes to us and walks along with us. The Jews lamented hopelessly, while they were encamped at Auschwitz without knowing when they would die and when their bodies will be used to make soap. More than six million Jews died in the concentration camps during the Second World War. They wrote on the walls of the camps. “Where are You, God? Where are You? Are You living?” One person of faith wrote, “God is here!” God is here! God is here! Hallelujah! That is true. The God, whom we trust in and serve, comes to the place of our suffering and stays with us. He is the Lord of hope and healing. The Lord comes to those who are in pain and sorrow and stays with them. He cries with those who cry, feels heartache with those who have heartache, and comforts those who will receive him in their place of suffering. The Lord Jesus, the Lord of Resurrection, walked along with the disciples and comforted them. However, they could not recognize it was Jesus since their eyes were spiritually blinded. Luke 24:16 says, “But they were kept from recognizing him.” When our hearts are shut, our spiritual eyes will be shut, too. Then we cannot see things correctly. The disciples heard that Jesus had been resurrected. However, since their hearts were shut, they could not believe the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, thinking, “He has already died.” The same is true today. People may go to church for many years. However, if they are self-centered in their faith, they will fail to see the Lord Jesus who is right beside them in times of sorrow and hopelessness. I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and open your spiritual eyes to look at the Lord who is always walking along with us. Jesus came to the disciples and asked them a question. Luke 24:17 says, “He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’??They stood still, their faces downcast.” They were on their downhill path with huge disappointments. When they were asked this question, they stood still with their faces downcast. They were exhausted and depressed since Jesus had died. When a stranger asked what they were discussing together, they stood still with their faces downcast. The disciple had expected a lot from the Lord Jesus. When Jesus entered Jerusalem with cheers from people, they thought that Jesus would become a king soon. They thought, “Since Jesus will soon become a king, I will get a high position. What a nice reward! My time will come soon.” But what happened? Contrary to their expectations, in less than a week, Jesus was crucified. The disciples despaired and they were frustrated. The higher their expectation, the deeper was their disappointment. They thought, “I followed Jesus, expecting to get a huge reward. Now that He is dead, I am finished.” They thought they were finished. Luke 24:19-21 says, “‘What things?’ he asked. ‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.’ ” Judging from what they said, we can see that they had misunderstood the Lord Jesus. They did not believe that Jesus was the King of kings and the Lord of the lords, thinking that Jesus was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. They thought Jesus was only a prophet. They were disappointed because they had wrong expectations, wrong belief, and wrong understanding about Jesus. When they did not understand the Word of God correctly, it caused them to misunderstand the Word, and consequently, it put them into hopelessness. Their unbelief prevented them from believing the fact that the Lord Jesus was resurrected, prompting them to leave Jerusalem. The same is true today. When we go to church without knowing and believing in the Lord Jesus correctly, we are bound to go on a downhill path as the two disciples did. We are bound to live with hopelessness and frustration, unable to see the Lord Jesus. As Christians, we must open our spiritual eyes so that we may see the Lord Jesus who walks right beside us. Fanny Jane Crosby was born in 1820 and died in 1915. She wrote about 9,000 hymns during her 95 years of life. When she was two months old, a physician recommended hot poultices as treatment for her cold but the botched procedure permanently blinded her. Although she was physically blind, her spiritual eyes were opened. After meeting with the Lord Jesus, she wrote hymns of praises and thanks for the Grace of the Lord. 23 of her hymns are included in the Korean hymnal. They are: No. 163, “When Jesus Comes to Reward,” No. 187, “Tho’ Your Sins Be As Scarlet,” No. 219, “I Am Thine, O Lord, I Have Heard Thy Voice,” No. 434, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” No. 446, “A Wonderful Saviour Is Jesus My Lord,” No. 496, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” and a very popular hymn No. 204, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine.” The third verse of hymn No. 204 sings: “Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest;” Hallelujah! “Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest.” When the Lord is with us, all is at rest. “Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.” Hallelujah! When our spiritual eyes are opened, we do not see our worldly anxieties, or ourselves who are in despair. We only see the Lord Jesus, our Savior. Someone asked her a question, “What do you want the most? Would it be gaining sight?” Fanny Jane Crosby answered, “No. I like the way I am now. My desire is that I see the face of the Lord Jesus first when I open my eyes in heaven.” Hallelujah! Yesterday was the Day for the Disabled. We had a worship service with our members who had disabilities. Many blind brothers and sisters joined us. I want them to have the same desire. I wish they want to see the face of the Lord Jesus first when they open their eyes in heaven. Hallelujah! I pray that you will be satisfied with nothing but Jesus throughout your lives. If our spiritual eyes are blinded, our life would be very hard, lonely, and tiresome. Since we cannot see the Lord, we will always be lonely and tired. Therefore, we need to open our spiritual eyes to look to the Lord, marching forward with faith as precious children of God. Second, I want to speak about the Lord Jesus who teaches the Word. The Lord Jesus began to explain the Scripture to them, since they could not recognize Him. Luke 24:25-26 says, “He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ ” The Lord rebuked them, saying “How slow of heart to believe!” He was so sorry that he meant this. “Even though I have taught you for so long, you still do not believe. How slow of heart to believe!” Let us trust the Lord completely and not be shaken in our faith in the Lord. I pray that you will not be reprimanded for being slow of heart to believe. Although the Lord Jesus had repeatedly taught the disciples that He was going to suffer and that He was going to rise up again from the dead by quoting the Old Testament prophets, they were too slow in their understanding to recognize the Resurrected Lord. It is a problem that arises when we do not know the Word. It is also a problem that arises when we are slow in believing the Word. Whenever we come to the Lord, we must pray, “Lord, speak to me. I want to take Your Word as the Spoken Word for me with faith. Your Word is Your blessing, grace, and miracle for me.” So the Lord Jesus taught the disciples one more time. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” The Lord taught them in order to correct their faith, which had been marred by unbelief and slowness in believing. When the Lord taught the Scripture to them, their hurts were burning within them and their faith was restored. We can meet the Lord when we read the Word. Therefore, we need to meditate on the Word day and night. If we do not know the Word, even if we believe in Jesus, we cannot dwell in the deep grace of the Lord. John 5:39 says, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” There is the way to salvation in the Word of God. There is eternal life in the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is living in the Word of God. How did Martin Luther start the Reformation? In himself he was not great enough to start a great revolution. While he was reading the Bible, however, he was inspired by the Scripture verse, “The righteous will live by faith.” In those days, they said both faith and good works were mandatory for salvation. They thought that good work was needed to be saved. Luther came to realize that it was wrong, since the Scripture said that the righteous would live by faith. He translated the Bible from Latin to German, overcoming all the persecutions, even risking his own life. The German Bible is the first translated Bible. Before then, only the priests could read the Bible. Lay people had no right to read the Bible. After Martin Luther translated the Bible, people could read the Bible, were saved by believing in Jesus, realizing the truth that the righteous would live by faith. At 2:00 AM on October 19, 1963, six members of a family of Lieutenant Colonel Duk-Joo Lee were killed. Jae-Bong Ko went to their house when everybody was sleeping and killed them with an ax. This horrible homicide made headlines in all the newspapers. People were stunned and shocked. The following is what happened. Ko had been enlisted and became a soldier. He helped around the house of First Lieutenant Park. He did all kinds of chores in Park’s house. One day, he was very hungry. He saw some groceries, and from some side dishes. The maid caught him and told on him. Ko was arrested, beaten up, and put into prison for stealing. He stole a small amount of food and was imprisoned for that. He was outrageously angered. He was filled with revengeful thoughts. He thought, “I am young, having a promising future. How can they put me in prison for eating some food without permission? I will make them really sorry when I get out of here.” He came out of prison and was discharged from military service. One night, he drank a lot and went to the house of the First Lieutenant and killed everybody there with an ax. However the family Ko killed was not the family of First Lieutenant Park because he had left the post. Ko killed the family of Lieutenant Colonel Lee, who recently had assumed the position. Ko was sentenced to death. While he was in prison no one would come near him because he was very violent. One day the prison warden was checking on him. Ko rushed to him and poked the eyes of the warden with his fingers. He was really violent. Upon hearing about Ko, a faithful Christian sent him a Bible. Ko threw it away because he would die soon and did not need the Bible. Since he was in a solitary cell, he was bored. One day, he picked up the Bible and began to read it. He met the living Lord Jesus while he was reading the Bible. People in the prison heard a sudden wailing. Startled, the guards ran to his cell and saw him crying, hitting the prison floor with his fists. After meeting the Lord Jesus, Ko was completely changed. He brought 1,800 inmates out of 2,000 to the Lord while he was in prison. The day of his execution came. When he was asked to say his last word, he said, “Pull the trigger when I am smiling. I want to sing a hymn one last time.” He began to sing Hymn No. 337. “Pass me not. O gentle Saviour, Hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.” The executioners could not pull the trigger because he was crying as he was singing. He continued, “Saviour, Saviour, hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.” When he finished singing, he put on a bright smile all over his face. The executioners pulled the trigger and Ko quietly went up to be with the Lord. All the people who were present there, cried as well. He was bold in front of death. His bright smile was beautiful. How could anyone see him as a murderer of six people with an ax? While he was still alive, he said to his visitors, “If I had known Jesus earlier, I would not have killed anyone. If I had read the Bible a little sooner, my life would be different.” The Lord Jesus is the only way to salvation. We will receive the grace and blessing from God through the Lord Jesus. We will receive spiritual blessing through Him. God’s blessing is conveyed by the Word. John 20:31 says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The Word of God is life, the power of healing, and the power that brings miracles of God in our lives. The power of salvation of the Lord is contained in the Word. Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” I pray that you will always experience the grace of the Word. Even when we face problems and trouble, even when we are on the downhill path, but if we are renewed through the Word of the Lord, hopelessness will turn into hope, and sorrows into joy. Then our faith will grow in its process and we will be prepared for the Lord with strengthened faith. No matter how hard our lives may look, let us trust the fact that there will be glory after suffering. I pray that you will hold on to the Word and march forward with faith. Third, I want to speak about the Lord Jesus who gives us the Holy Spirit. Luke 24:30-31 says, “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.” Jesus came to the disciples, explained the Scriptures to them, talked with them, and sat at the table. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. They realized their hearts were burning within them when the Lord talked with them. They confessed in Luke 24:32, “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ ” I pray that your hearts will be burning within you by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when you listen to the Word. I pray that you will meet the Risen Lord through the Word. The Holy Spirit will dwell in our lives by the Word, with the Word, and when the Word is explained. The Word is the channel of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. The Word is the container and conveyer of the Spirit. It is the chariot on which the Holy Spirit rides. I pray that your hearts will be burning by the Word. I pray that you will gain new strength, you will be changed, you will be healed, and you will give glory to God as a renewed person. I also pray that you will meet the Lord Jesus, look unto Him, and trust in Him, by being inspired by the Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3: 16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” That is true. I urge you to listen to the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures. We must listen to the Word so that our hearts may be burning, we may kneel down before the Lord in repentance, and we may obey the will of the Lord. The two disciples who were going downhill to Emmaus met the Lord and listened to Him and their hearts were burning. Their faith was restored. They turned around and went up to Jerusalem. I pray that your downhill path will be changed into the uphill path towards the Lord. We may be on the downhill path for some reasons. By listening to the Word today, our hearts will burn, and we will turn around and go uphill, fixing our eyes on the Lord Jesus. Let us go uphill to the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord, “Lord, give me ascending faith. Do not let me go downhill. Help me to hold on to the Lord Jesus and go uphill with faith no matter what kind of trouble or sorrow may sweep over me.” What kind of place was Jerusalem? Jerusalem was a place where the glory of the Lord Jesus dwelled. It was a place of worshipping God. It was a place of glory where the Lord Jesus died and was resurrected. Therefore, we should never leave the Lord. We should never leave Jerusalem. When we leave Jerusalem, we are bound to fall into the hands of robbers. Our faith must be centered on worship services, the Cross, the church, and the Lord Jesus. The two disciples met the Lord on their way down to Emmaus. Their hearts were burning, they turned around, and went up to Jerusalem. The Lord gave them a mission. To receive mission from the Lord, our hearts need to be burning. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Risen Lord appeared to His disciples and gave them a mission. John 20:22 says, “And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ” Let us pray to the Lord, “Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Help me to understand what my mission is and help me to dedicate the rest of my life for You, Lord.” The disciples feared the Jews and were hiding inside before they received the Holy Spirit. However, as soon as they received the Holy Spirit, they went out and boldly preached the Word, bringing three thousand people, then five thousand people to the Lord a day. That is true. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will receive power and will be used as the witnesses for the Gospel of the Lord. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” David Livingstone, the African explorer and the father of African mission, came back to England for a visit. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree in Law from the University of Glasgow. He went to the platform and made the following speech. Although he had collapsed more than ten times due to African fever, although his right arm was bitten by a lion, hanging helplessly, he said, “I will go back to Africa.” He declared that he was going back to the land of death and hopelessness. Everybody watched Livingstone carefully and quietly. He finished his speech, “Do not be worried about me. I am not alone. The Lord who has promised that He would be with me through the ends of the age will walk along with me in the jungle.” As he declared, he went back to Africa and dedicated the rest of his life for Africa. He died there at the age of 60 and his body was found in the form of prayer. The Lord who called David Livingstone, the Lord who met the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, is calling you now. I pray that you will listen to the voice of the Lord and fulfill the task given to you by the Lord as His faithful servants. “Lord, use us as the witnesses of Your gospel. Make our hearts to burn.” As the two disciples went up to Jerusalem, with their hearts burning, I pray that your hearts will be burning, too, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. When our hearts are burning with the Grace of the Spirit, we can powerfully preach the gospel. When our hearts are burning with the Grace of the Spirit, we can serve the Lord with joy. When our hearts are burning with the Grace of the Spirit, we can come out of hopelessness and march forward towards hope. When our hearts are burning with the Grace of the Spirit, our downhill path will change into an uphill path. When our hearts are burning with the Grace of the Spirit, we can overcome all the problems more than sufficiently. When you are tired and depressed, meet the Lord Jesus who is right next to you. The Lord will be with us even on the seemingly hopeless downhill path. The Lord stays with us and upholds us even when we are likely to give up the last shred of hope. You are not alone. You are not forsaken. Do not be dismayed. Do not despair. Trust in the Lord. Fix your eyes on Him and start your uphill path towards Him even if your path is painful, tiring, and lonely. The Risen Lord is calling you. He calls us as the witnesses of His Gospel. Let us reply to His invitation, “Lord, call me. I want to be used as a witness of Your gospel. I want to dedicate the rest of my life for the Glory of the Lord as Your faithful servant.” I pray that you will be blessed with the heart of dedication. It is my earnest prayer for you. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, make our hearts to burn as we are on the downhill path of our lives. Help us to turn from downhill to uphill. Help us to meet the living God. Help us to listen to You, Lord. Help us to understand what our mission is. Help us to dedicate our lives to You! I pray in the name of Jesus! Amen! 1