When God Shows Up
John 20:19-23
a little baptist church in Tennessee was planning to have their annual revival
"Our spring revival starts in just a week and a half," the senior pastor was saying up front. He named the evangelist who would be coming to preach and told a little about him "We sure want people to come to Christ during this series of meetings. In fact, before we start the prayer time, let's make a list of people here on the chalkboard. Who of your relatives and friends and neighbors do you want to mention?"
A middle-aged woman with dark hair near the front raised her hand. "I'm going to invite my neighbor in the next apartment. She's having lots of trouble in her life, I know. She really needs the Lord."
The pastor turned to write Lorene's neighbor on the board.
A man in a denim shirt spoke up next. "We could pray for my brother-in-law to come. He's got a drinking problem. I don't know if he'd ever show up or not. I sure wish he would."
Roy's brother-in-law was added to the list.
"Who else?" the pastor asked.
Steve Gains, a young Christian raised his hand
"Yes, Steve?" the pastor said. "Who would you like us to pray for?"
Steve knew that if God showed up, sinners would be touched and Christians would be stirred.
With all seriousness He replied, "Let's pray that God will show up at our revival." I
There was an Awkward silence. That Left Steve wondering if God was the uninvited guest in the church
Have you ever wondered when life is hard, where is God. Have you ever had those dark nights of loneliness or been struggling with unbelief and felt like your prayers weren't being hard? Have you ever cried out and asked God where are you? Then this message is for you today
because we are going to deal with these issues and show what happens from scripture when God shows up
When God showed up at the Red sea He divided the waters
When God showed up at Jericho the walls came tumbling down
When the glory of God filled the temple the priest stood in silence before the Lord
when God showed up in the earlier church they boldly proclaimed the gospel and thousands were saved
When God showed up during the great awakening revival swept across the land and countless lives were changed
I believe in a God who still wants to show up and change not only the lives of individual believers but to bring the church into a state of revival, to be a place of hope a place of power and a place were people are changed from the inside out
For the last couple of weeks we have been looking at the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ
we began chapter 20 with Mary finding the tomb empty and going to get Peter and John. We saw Peter and John examine the tomb and go back home
Last week we looked at how Mary lingered at the tomb still thinking that she was a victim of horrible circumstance because she thought that someone had come and taken the body of Jesus and then God sent the angels and told Mary she was just looking in the wrong place
“Why seek ye the living among the dead”
Then she met Jesus in the garden and went from being a victim to walking in victory
Today in this passage the scene changes we go from Mary's victory back to the disciples who are scared to death.
They are huddled together in a locked room with the exception of Thomas who has given up at this point
Then all of a sudden things change when Jesus shows up and walks into the room. At this point they were still not convinced that Jesus was resurrected. His own disciples were the greatest skeptics. I can relate to them its always been in my nature to be a skeptical person. So maybe you can relate to how the disciples felt.
They felt abandoned by Jesus. They had left everything to follow him thinking that he was going to overthrow Rome and be king and now he is gone
they were afraid that they were next because of their alliance with Jesus
This room was a hopeless, sad, scared place to be
Until God showed up and everything changed
This was the defining moment in the disciples life this is when they went from unbelief to belief from being scared to being bold from being locked up in the room to having liberty
It was so defining that John was still writing about it 50 years after it happened when he said in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes which we looked upon and have touched with our hand concerning the word of life. The life was made manifest and we have seen it.
Luke says that this is infallible proof of the resurrection. In Acts 1:3, “To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
Today I want us to see from this passage what happens when God shows up
First fear is removed
look in verse 19, “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews”
The disciples are living in fear of the Jews since Jesus was crucified
but never again, not after Jesus showed up in that room. He removed the fear and replaced it with boldness
these same disciples are the ones who go and change the world with their message because they no longer fear what man can do to their bodies. They are beaten thrown into prison and eventually killed for their faith but never again do they allow themselves to live in fear because when God shows up fear is gone
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Hbr 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Did you know that some people allow fear to control their lives? We could go one all day and list all the phobias that some people struggle with and never get through the entire list
The other day Oprah was interviewing JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, and the first self made billionaire author and JK Rowling said that still fears running out of money
Too often Gods people allow fear to cause them to not do what they want to do and as a result they live miserable lives
One pastor explained fear using each letter of the word and he said that fear is just “false evidence appearing real”
That's what it was for the disciples the Jews weren't really out looking for them, that was just a thought they conceived in their own minds but that thought crippled them
Some people don't teach Sunday School because of fear, some people don't get up and sing because of fear, some people don't witness because of fear
and others refuse to do anything because they fear making someone mad or what someone might say about them
But God does not want his people to live locked up in a room because they are afraid
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
God gives the power to be a witness
Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
God gives the power to be saved
and the Apostle Paul said
Phl 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
In Christ there is no need to live in fear of failure because we have already won, there is no need to live in fear of what someone else might think or say because we are more concerned about pleasing God than pleasing people and in Christ there is no reason to fear what you are going to say because he in-powers us to be witnesses
There will not ever be revival until Gods people quit living in fear. The message of Christ must get to the world that needs it.
Second, peace is given
We living in a world where the majority of people are seeking peace but very few people can explain what it means to have peace
Webster dictionary defines peace as being a state of tranquility and quiet freedom from oppressive thoughts or emotions
look at these disciples there was no peace in that upper room until Jesus came in . There they were anxious and their emotions were all over the place but look at the first words out of his mouth
in verse 19, “Peace be with you” then he repeats it again in verse 21, “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.”
The first thing he brought them was freedom from their emotions and thoughts that were oppersing them and gave them peace.
In John chapter 14 Jesus told his disciples
Jhn 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
When God shows up worry leaves. There is really nothing worth worrying about anyway
Mat 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [fn]
Psa 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
It is possible to have peace even when things in your life aren't going as planned. The peace that Christ brings is an inner peace, a calmness inside a confidence that God has a plan and that everything is going to work out
Many times in our prayer life we jump to solutions and start telling God what we want him to do or what we expect. We want the storms of life to be calmed, for the problems and trials to leave or for the gossiper to be quiet but what we should be praying for is for God to give us that peace that passeth understanding.
God can calm the storm but sometimes he chooses to calm his child
Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote from a prison cell
Phl 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When God shows up you can have peace when the Dr. Says its cancer
You can have peace when you are betrayed by a friend
You can have peace when the world is in midst of war
because when God shows up the first thing he does is to calm his child
This is the message found over and over again throughout the new testament and the prayers of the apostles as they prayed for the peace of God to be multiplied
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
peace isn't about having enough money its not about having enough security its not about nations getting along all those things are external
Peace is about God showing up in a very real way in your life and giving you inward peace in the midst of the storm
Third sadness is replaced
When God shows up the sadness is replaced with gladness. Look in verse 20, “When he had said this he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”
Before Christ comes into the room the disciples are sad after he comes in their sadness is replaced with gladness
From what I find in the Bible the Christian life is a joy filled life.
Jhn 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Act 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the spirit is joy
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The Christian life is a happy life because our burden have been rolled away our sin debt has been paid in full and the best is yet to come.
Because of that the church should be a happy place because this is a taste of what heaven is going to be like.
When my wife and I were on vacation in French Lick we went to this certain church on Sunday morning and the atmosphere and the service was depressing. There was no joy in the worship or the proclamation of the gospel. There was more joy in Denny's where we ate breakfast that morning had I been looking for the answer to life I would joined the Dennys had they given an altar call.
Someone says well pastor you just don't understand my life and all I've been through, and the answer to that is your right I don't but I do understand that you can make a choice to either grow bitter about life or become better because of it.,
as one pastor I knew in KY use to pray Lord as I age let me ripen but never rotten.
One of the first things that God is going to do when we meet him in Heaven is wipe all our tears away. And John said that in heaven there will be no more crying.
When God shows up sadness is replaced with JOY!
Fourth we are made useful
Last, when God shows up we are made useful.
Without him I can do nothing.
Phl 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Look in verse 22, “And when he had said this he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone they are forgiven if you withhold forgiveness from anyone it is withheld
He sends the disciples out to preach the gospel
Its not enough just to be made glad, not enough to have peace, not enough to have all fear removed the reason that God does all that is so that we can be made useful in this world
When Jesus met Mary he told her to go tell the disciples
when he met the disciples he sends them out in the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus also sends us out to be useful
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen
we are to constantly be teaching people about Jesus, encouraging those in the valley, praying for those who need prayer and doing it all in the peace and power of the spirit of God
and it's only possible because when God shows up he makes us useful
Phl 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
He didn't say he could do all things
he said I can do all things through Christ
In Closing,
Let me ask you have you let God show up in your life? You know that he wants to remove the fear, give you peace, give you joy and make you useful for His Kingdom
