SPB Sermons | Easter Series 2026
The Best Heart Burn: Walking the Emmaus Road
Two disciples walk seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus with a stranger they do not recognise. They have all the facts. They have heard all the reports. And yet hope is spoken of only in the past tense. In Luke 24:13–35, the risen Jesus opens the Scriptures on the road — and sets hearts on fire.
Hold that. Because in Luke 24, two disciples also fail to recognise someone on a road. But their situation is completely different. They were not dealing with mistaken identity. They were failing to recognise Jesus because they did not yet understand who he truly was. And that changes everything.
The Slow Walk: All the Information, No Understanding
"We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."
Seven miles is a long walk. Long enough to think. Long enough to process. And what are these two disciples doing? Talking. Trying to make sense of everything that has just happened. Jesus is dead. The tomb is empty. The women are saying they have seen angels. And they have all the information — every piece of it. But they have no understanding. The text describes them as downcast. Heavy. Burdened. Confused.
When Jesus asks them what they are discussing, they give one of the best gospel summaries you will find anywhere: a prophet mighty in word and deed, crucified, the tomb now empty, reports he is alive. Everything is there. And yet they say "we had hoped" — past tense. Hope is gone. Why? Because they misunderstood the plan. They thought redemption meant Rome overthrown, Israel restored, power and victory now. The cross did not fit that picture. So their hope collapsed.
They had all the facts: empty tomb, angelic reports, eyewitness accounts.
They had the wrong framework: they expected a political messiah, not a suffering one.
The uncomfortable truth: you can know all about Jesus and still completely miss him.
You can grow up in church. You can sit in the pews week after week. You can know the Bible stories and nod at the right moments. And still not truly know him. There is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus — and in Belfast in 2026, that gap remains one of the greatest dangers. Not opposition. Not persecution. But familiarity without faith.
He Is Right There on the Road
Into their confusion, Jesus walks up and joins them — and their eyes are kept from recognising him. God is at work even in their bewilderment. That is a word worth sitting with. Some people reading this are in that exact place right now. You have got the pieces. You have heard the sermons. You know the story. But it is not clicking. Life feels heavy. Faith feels unclear. And you are wondering where God is in any of this. This passage says: he is right there on the road. Even when you do not see him. Even when nothing makes sense. He has not left.
The Word
Before They See Him, They Must Understand Him
Jesus does not reveal himself straight away. Instead, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he takes them through the whole of Scripture and shows them that the suffering was necessary, the cross was the plan, and the resurrection was the victory. We do not come to know Jesus through vibes. We come to know Jesus through the Word.
The Table
Eyes Opened in the Breaking of Bread
They reach Emmaus. Jesus acts as if he is going further. They urge him to stay. And at the table he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it — and in that moment their eyes are opened. Everything clicks at once: the teaching, the Scriptures, the cross, the resurrection, Jesus. And then he vanishes. And they run.
The Heart of the Sermon
"Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?"
Later that night, the two disciples say it to each other: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" That is where the sermon title comes from. That is the point. Real preaching is not dry. It is not academic. It is not lifeless. It is hearts set on fire by the truth of God — because Christ is lifted high and the Scriptures are truly opened. Not to entertain. Not to impress. But to ignite.
And when you truly encounter the risen Jesus, you do not sit back and reflect quietly. You go. Seven miles back to Jerusalem. At night. Because when you have met him, you cannot stay the same and you cannot stay silent.
Four Questions to Take Away
The sermon closes with four direct challenges — brought right into Belfast, into everyday life.
1. God is at work — even when you do not see it. Even when life feels confusing, even when faith feels thin. He is on the road with you.
2. Do you truly know Jesus? Not just know about him. Not just attend. Not just agree. But know him, trust him, depend on him. Because one day, knowing about him will not be enough.
3. What are you doing with the Word of God? Is it central? Is it shaping you? Or is it occasional, optional, something you dip into when you feel like it? It is through the Word that we know the Son.
4. Does your heart burn? When you hear the gospel, when Christ is preached, when the Scriptures are opened — is there life? Fire? Desire? Or has it grown cold?
Listen to the Sermon
The full sermon is available to listen to now. Whether you were with us on Sunday or are picking it up during the week, we hope it stirs something in you — and leaves your heart a little warmer for the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done.
Join Us
You Would Be Very Welcome
St Paul's & St Barnabas is an Anglican evangelical parish in the heart of North Belfast, seeking to make Christ known and to love our city in his name. We are a church family learning to follow Jesus, love one another, and serve our community in the hope of the gospel.
Join us in person on Sundays at St Paul's & St Barnabas, 208 York Street, Belfast — or find out more below.
Still Walking Roads
These two men started the day walking in despair and ended it running in joy. Not because their circumstances changed — but because they met the risen Jesus, and finally understood him. That same Jesus is still walking roads. Still opening Scriptures. Still setting hearts on fire. The question is not whether he is at work. The question is: will you recognise him?
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