I Can Do All Things / Jesus In The Midst

For those not familiar with an Anglican service; four Scriptures are read before the Message: The Scriptures for this day were: Acts 2:22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9 and John 20:19-31

In our Gospel Text .... The disciples are gathered in a house... behind locked doors ... for fear ...of the Jews.

Jesus came ...stood among them....and said ... "Peace be with you." (John 20:19)

Jesus came ....and was in their midst. (John 20:19)

Beloved ...This is the essence of our Christian life: ... "Jesus in the midst."

It has been told that Mensa, ....an organization whose members have an IQ of 140 or higher, .... gathered for a Mensa convention ... in San Francisco.

While several members ... lunched at a local cafe, ....it was discovered ... that their saltshaker which had a S on the lid contained pepper ....and their pepper-shaker .... Which had a P on the lid ...was full of salt.

A debate ensued .... as to how they could exchange the contents of each shaker .... without spilling the contents, .... while ... using only the implements at hand.

Following a lively problem-solving conversation, ...... discerning all the facts, .... the group landed on what they believed was a brilliant solution .... that would utilize a saucer, .... a napkin ....and a straw.

Now they called the waitress over ... to impress her .... with their solution.

"Ma'am," they said, .... "We couldn't help but notice that the pepper-shaker contains salt and the saltshaker..."

"Oh," the waitress interrupted. "Sorry about that!"

And she proceeded to unscrew the caps of both bottles ... and switched ... the caps. (Pause)

Beloved ... it is not that complicated ... the essence of the Christian Life ... is Jesus in the Midst.

It is allowing him to have Lordship ... in every aspect ... of our life.

And Jesus has been in the midst ... since the dawn of creation.

Hear God's Word ... BIBLE "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made..." END (John 1:3)

Jesus ... is in the midst of all creation.

And ... the Lord is in the Midst ... of His People.

Daniel saw the Lord ... with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... in the midst ...of the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:25)

At Calvary, ... Jesus was in the midst of sinners one on the left ... and one on the right. (John 19:18)

As the Lamb in Revelation, ... Jesus is in the midst ...of the throne of Heaven.

As our resurrected Lord, ...Jesus is in the midst ...of his Church.

And our Gospel lesson informs us ... that on the evening ... of that first Easter Sunday, ...Jesus "stood in the midst" ... of His disciples. (John 20:26)

Why is this theme repeated ....so often ....in the Scriptures?

Why? ... For it is the key ....to the Christian life!

As followers of the Christ ...We are called to let Jesus be ...not only our Savior ... but our Lord.

To be ...In the midst ...of every aspect ...of our life.

To be in the Midst ......of all ... we are ... and all we do. (Pause)

Now this Greek word translated "midst" ...comes from the root word...... meaning ... "middle".

Jesus should be in the midst ......in the middle ... of our life.

Jesus should be at the hub... at the center.... of all that we do ... and all that we are.

Each of us ... have different "compartments" ...that make up our lives.... work, school, hobbies, family, church.

Many ... mistakenly make Jesus ... just another compartment ... another spoke ... in the wheel of life.

Jesus should be .... Jesus must be... at the Midst of our lives, ...... Not only Savior ... but Lord of all.

No Christian ... No follower of the Christ ... can be spiritual, ... powerful, ... and maturing in the Faith ......unless ... Jesus is in their midst.

Beloved ... When Jesus is in the midst of your life.... He promises you that...... A great Peace.

Hear God's Promises: BIBLE "Therefore ... being justified by faith, we have peace with God ... through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5:1)

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts ...and minds ... through Christ Jesus." END (Philippians 4:7)

Peace ... A Peace that Passeth ...all understanding.

Now ... "Passeth" does not mean ... "giveth".

Rather, it is short for ... "sur-pass-eth".

In other words, ...God's peace goes far beyond ... what we can ...fully comprehend.

For God's peace .... Surpasseth ... all understanding.

Beloved... Is your life filled with that promised peace?

It should be......It can Be.

Yet so many ...do not accept this Peace.

If we are honest ... even those of us ... who call ourselves followers of the Christ ... find ourselves in a life of worry.