Scripture: John 20:19-29 (cf. 19-23); 1 Peter 1:3-9 and Call to Worship (Psalm 16)
Theme: Jesus' Easter Gifts
In our passage Jesus passes out some wonderful Easter Gifts - 1. Peace 2. Assurance 3. Commission 4. Holy Spirit 5. Ability to Heal and Forgive
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
The other day I was looking on the Hallmark's website and was wondering if there was a great variety of Easter gifts available for people to buy. We all know that it is normal for people all over the world to give a gift during the Christmas season and so I was wondering if there was a real appetite for giving gifts during the Easter Season. I was amazed at the number of things that they promote and that you can buy for yourself or for a loved one. For example:
+For $ 14.95 you can buy a "My Friend Jesus" stuffed doll which stands 13 inches high
+for 39.95 you can buy a "Faith themed Easter basket gift set"
+For 19.95 you can buy "The Light of Easter" book that lights up as you turn each page
+And for 14.95 you can buy a "St. Francis Figurine" doll that is about 5 inches high
I know what you are thinking - we don't buy gifts for each other during the Easter season - that is only for Advent/Christmas. And for the most part outside of a basket of goodies for the little ones or an occasional lily for a senior adult the fact is - we just don't buy a lot of gifts for other people during the Easter Season. It is not a part of our culture.
But perhaps we should. Now, we don't need to get caught up in all the stress that surrounds the Christmas season but I think it would be good for us to share a gift or two around the greatest event in Creation's History - The Resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. After all, as we read our passage this morning we see that Jesus gave His followers a whole pile of gifts that Easter day for us to enjoy until the day of His Second Coming.
What Easter Gifts you say? I am so glad you asked. This morning, let's take a moments and look at some of those gifts:
I. First of all, we see that Jesus graciously gives Us the Gift of His Peace
Three times in our passage we see that Jesus graciously gives the gift of peace ( v. 19, 21 and 26). This giving of the "peace" was more than merely the giving of the normal everyday Middle eastern greeting. It meant far more than merely "May you be saved from trouble." Jesus' followers were overcome with terror. They witnessed the hatred that had been spilled out on Jesus by the Romans and Temple authorities. They also knew that that same hatred could very well be spilled out upon all of them now that Jesus was gone.
I am sure each time some sound was heard outside those doors they all wondered if the Roman or Temple soldiers were coming to arrest them. I am sure they were terrified that at any moment they might find themselves being rounded up and subsequently nailed to their own cross.
If you take a moment you can see them all huddled in a room doing their best to be as quiet as possible. In hushed tones they are trying to figure out how they can get out of Jerusalem as quietly and safely as possible. The farther they can get away from the Romans and the Temple authorities the safer they will all feel. It's time to go home and see what they should do with the rest of their lives. No doubt, James and John were already making plans on how they would get back into the fishing business. Perhaps Matthew was already thinking how he could get back his job as a tax collector.
Then all of a sudden, in the midst of them Jesus appears and the very first thing Jesus does is to graciously give them this wonderful gift of peace. Jesus understands the fear and terror that has gripped their hearts. He knows firsthand how anxiety and apprehension can overwhelm a person. And so, with one little word Jesus begins to change the whole atmosphere of the room. Jesus' gracious gift of SHALOM brings about a spirit of peace, calm and tranquility.
It is very much like what happened back in Matthew 8:23 - 27 when the disciples were afraid for their very lives during the storm. Remember that story? The wind is howling and the waves are crashing all around them while they are doing their best just to keep the boat afloat. Matthew tells us that while all of this was going on Jesus was asleep seemingly unaware the danger they all were facing. Matthew tells us that the disciples quickly woke Jesus for him to do something. I wonder what they expected Jesus to do? Perhaps they wanted him to bail out some of the water or to grab an oar. All we know is that they are believe that they are in mortal danger and they don't think that Jesus should be asleep. Matthew tells us that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind and everything becomes calm. At the word of Jesus the winds die down, the water become calm and peace enters the boat and into the lives of his disciples.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7
Today, our LORD will graciously give us this same wonderful gift of peace. He will quieten all our fears and/or anxieties. If we allow Him, Jesus will bring calm to the storms that arise all around us. Jesus will grant us a peace that passes all understanding when it looks like our whole world has been turned upside down. We can be like the ancient Israelites who would sing Psalm 46 when they found themselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety - GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.
Today, if you are going through a time of anxiety don't attempt to ride out the storm alone. Don't hide behind locked doors. Instead, begin right now and ask the LORD to fill you with His wonderful peace. Right now as you are sitting here in His House receive the same wonderful Easter Gift of peace that Jesus gave to His disciples 2,000 years ago. Don't live another second in a spirit of anxiety, fear or terror. Experience the peace of Jesus that will not only calm the stormy sea but that will open up the door of tranquility and harmony in your heart and soul.
II. A 2nd Easter Gift Jesus gives is the Gift of Assurance
When Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples not only did he grant them peace but he gave them this amazing gift of Assurance. No longer did they have to worry about their lives or their future. No longer did they have to deal with any lingering doubts as to if they had wasted the last few years following a man that they thought was both the Son of God and the Messiah. No longer did they have to doubt whether God had broken into history to rescue, redeem and restore mankind. Jesus' material resurrection was one of the great gifts of assurance the world has ever received.
When Jesus appeared he was not some ethereal being. The person standing in front of them was real, Jesus was no shade or ghostly figure. Jesus' body had form and content, it had substance. The disciples could see him, they could feel his hands, they could feel his side and they could welcome him with a big Middle Eastern hug. Jesus was real. Jesus was alive. Yes, it was true that Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear before them but He was alive. He was standing right there in front of them smiling and granting peace and assurance.
The last three and a half years of their lives they had listened to his every word and they had done their best to imitate him. They had poured all they had into following Jesus. For the past few days they had thought all of that time had been wasted. They had wondered if they had wasted their time, their energy and put their very lives in danger for nothing. But with Jesus standing in the midst of them they knew that the Cross nor death had not been the end but only the beginning. No longer did they doubt that Jesus was the Son of God and Israel's Holy Messiah.
This morning, have you ever been praying about something or gotten ready to do something and you just needed a little bit of divine assurance? You've needed that extra little bit from the LORD to let you know that things are on the right track and you are doing exactly what the LORD is wanting you to do? You need that extra little something to give you some additional motivation and courage? Well, then you know how much Jesus' appearance that day was a great gift of assurance for all those present in that locked room.
It was this gift of assurance that would help propel Matthew and John to write their Gospel stories. It was this gift of assurance that lead those in that room and later on many others to give the rest of their lives for Jesus. It was this wonderful gift of assurance that Jesus came to give to them and will come today to give to us.
This morning, let's go ahead and ask the Lord for gifts of assurance. John Wesley use to call these little assurance gifts - the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' gifts of assurance come in many different ways - through reading God's Word, through listening or singing a song, through hearing a devotional or through watching nature. We have a doubt or we don't know if we are going in the right direction and then the LORD shares with us a little gift of assurance. If we have eyes to see and hearts to receive we will receive many gifts of assurance in our lives. Don't be afraid to ask for them. Jesus died and rose again to share with us many many gifts of Assurance.
III. At the end of verse 29 we see a 3rd gift of Jesus that Easter day - the Gift of being Commission/Called by the LORD
In reference to this gift of commission listen to the words of Dr. Merrill Tenney (EBC page 193 Gospel of John)
"As the Father had sent him to speak his words, to do his works, and to lay down his life for the salvation of men, so he (Jesus) expected them to deliver his message (John 15:27), to do greater works than he had done (14:12), and to give their lives in his service."
In commissioning them the LORD gave them the responsibility to take His place in our world. In commissioning them the LORD gave them the privilege of being able to live as genuine human beings who the LORD would use to rescue, redeem and restore all of creation. These early followers of Jesus as well as we have all the privileges, all the protection, and all the responsibilities that Jesus had during his earthly ministry.
We need to allow those thoughts to sink into our souls this morning. It is one thing to commission someone or something when that someone or something has a great track record. It is one thing to let someone speak for you or in your behalf when they have always had your back. But that was not the case with the people huddle in that room that day scared to death.
All of them had scattered and abandoned Jesus over the past few days. When Jesus was being beaten at the Stone of Scourging they like sheep had scattered as far away as they could possible go. When Jesus had needed them most they deserted him. They had denied him and abandoned him. None of them stepped up and declared that they wanted to join him on the cross. None of them dared to cross either the Romans or the Temple authorities in Jesus' behalf. Jesus was all on his own.
Afterwards, the Bible tells us that none of those closest to him were brave enough to claim Jesus' dead body. Instead, they allowed Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and others to take care of his body. Even though his closest disciples had walked with Jesus for over 3 1/2 years when it really got down to crunch time they were either on the side line or they were hiding behind closed doors. None of this is a pretty picture but it is a true picture.
As we read each of the Gospels we also know that none of his disciples truly believed Jesus' promise of a bodily Resurrection. There is no account whatsoever of them setting up tents and waiting for Jesus to come out of the tomb. None of them were there that Resurrection morning to help him take off any grave clothes. Jesus died on the cross alone and sadly he arose from the dead alone. As far as his closest disciples were concerned Jesus was dead and his mission was dead as well.
Now, anyone in their right mind would not have picked these same individuals who were huddled away in this room to be the ones to share the message of the Good News. No one would have commissioned them to go and tell everyone about the Risen Lord. But then what our LORD sees in us at times we do not see in one another. The LORD knew these men and women's hearts. The LORD knew what great heights they could achieve in His Name. The LORD looked beyond their human shortcomings and sins and knew that through Him they could achieve the impossible. The LORD knew all they needed was the gift of His Holy Spirit and this morning that is Jesus' 4th Easter Gift to all of us:
IV. The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Jesus knew that His followers did not possess either the spiritual experience nor the physical ability to really share the Good News. He knew all too well that even though the spirit of man was willing the flesh of man was far too weak. In his own strength there was no way for His followers to fulfill His Commission. So, our Resurrected Lord simply breathed NEW LIFE into them through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
There is no doubt when John penned these words that the evangelist was thinking back to the time of the Adam's creation. John was thinking back to that time when the very first human being experienced the life giving, live empowering breath of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Listen again to the words of Genesis 2:7 - "And the LORD GOD formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
John tells us that he and his friends were all huddled up in that room scared to death. They were terrified. They didn't have a clue what to do. Their whole world had turned upside down. But now through the Gift of the Holy Spirit everything did a 180. Jesus, the Risen Lord was in their midst. And what Jesus had told them in John 14, 16 and 17 was becoming a reality. Jesus had told them that He would send them the Holy Spirit who would be their Comforter. Jesus had told them that He had to go away so the Holy Spirit could come and Guide them into all the truth. Jesus had told them that He had to go so that the Holy Spirit could be the means by which mankind could be one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit again. And now Jesus was here pouring out His Holy Spirit.
Later on we will witness in Acts 2 a worldwide pouring out of the Holy Spirit. But here in John 20, Jesus disciples desperately needed the cleansing, the filling and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives and the Resurrected Jesus was wasting no time. This was what Heaven had been waiting for since the time of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. The Lord had been waiting for the time when mankind could ultimately be rescued, redeemed and infilled with His Holy Spirit.
Let's back up and gain some needed perspective when it comes to the importance of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit there is no true peace, assurance or commissioning. More than buildings, finances or anything else today we in the Body of Christ (the Church) desperately need the breath of God's Holy Spirit. Even as breath is important to the human body so too is the breath of the Holy Spirit vital for God's Church. We have no power without the Holy Spirit. If we want to see souls saved, healings, anointings and lives transformed we need the breath of the Holy Spirit in us today. We cannot be the true Church of Jesus Christ without the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And that means that the most important aspects of any church is it's prayer life, it's ability to surrender to the will and leading of the Holy Spirit. That means that as brothers and sisters of Christ we are to:
+Be open to receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to possess the spirit that Jesus shared with us in His Sermon on the Mount - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
+Surrender our lives totally to the LORD. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sister, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1)
+To then live out daily Spirit-filled life - "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."
This morning, it is essential that we have the Holy Spirit convicting us, cleansing us, leading us, guiding us, empowering us and comforting us. It is God's Holy Spirit that brings us into a spirit of oneness. It is God's Holy Spirit that pours out the power we need, the gifts that we are called to use and the fruit that we are commissioned to bear. It is God's Holy Spirit that makes all of the difference.
Dr. N. T. Wright has stated that today we see a church that is willing to accept a cross but not so willing to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. I believe we also see a Church that is willing to receive Christ but not so sure about His Holy Spirit. We are not sure we want to surrender ourselves over to the power and presence of God's Holy Spirit. It all seems to otherworldly. And yet, time after time Jesus reminded His disciples and any who choose to read His words the necessity of receiving the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
Let's go back again to that illustration of the Holy Spirit as breath in our bodies. One of the greatest little spiritual disciplines and exercises that any of us can do is to take the time and breathe in God's Holy Spirit. We can do this by sitting down and simply begin to breathe. With each breath we breathe in we breathe in ask for one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23-24). For example, We:
+ breathe in love as we exhale hatred, malice and sin.
+breathe in joy as we exhale sorrow, pain and anxiety
+breathe in peace as we exhale hate, discord and frustration
+breathe in patience as we exhale indifference, intolerance and impatience
+breathe in kindness as we exhale hostility, meanness and harshness
+breathe in goodness as we exhale cruelty, evil and wickedness
+breathe in faithfulness as we exhale falseness, inconsistency and disloyalty
+breathe in gentleness as we exhale hardness, roughness and callousness
+breathe in self-control as we exhale instability, rashness and self-centeredness
With each breath we are surrendering ourselves over to the infilling presence of God's Holy Spirit. With each breath we are asking God's Holy Spirit to cast out the ways of the world and in their place to bring in the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. With each breath we are inviting God's Holy Spirit to transform us into God's Holy Image.
Peace, assurance, commissioning and the gift of the Holy Spirit - they all lead us to a final gift that Jesus gives us this Easter Season
V. Jesus gives us the ability to bring healing and forgiveness into our world
The greatest need in our world is to have the power and penalty of sin removed from our lives. The greatest healing any of us can receive and share is to be healed body, mind and soul. In Christ Jesus all of us today can know that our sins have been forgiven and that our souls have been healed through the grace, mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
The authority to speak words of release and forgiveness are not given to only the clergy or those who find themselves in professional ministry. All of us today in the name of Jesus can share the Good News. We all can share the truth that in Jesus both the power of sin and the penalty of sin can be removed in our lives. We can all help someone come to salvation, be baptized and be filled with God's Holy Spirit.
Yes, it is true that those who choose to reject Jesus will have their sins retained and they will fall under God's judgment. However, let's leave that in God's hands. This morning, in our hands is the call to go forth and share the message of forgiveness and healing. While we in our own power cannot forgive another person of their sins we can share Jesus with them who has that authority and power. This is one of the greatest privileges that any of us who know Jesus possesses. We can joyfully share the message of God's forgiveness, grace and love. We can share the Good News that in Jesus the penalty of sin can be removed and the power of sin can be overcome.
As we close this morning we do so with an invitation to God's Table of grace, mercy and love. We close this morning by inviting everyone to accept all of Jesus' Easter Gifts:
+The Gift of Peace
+The Gift of Assurance - of knowing that we serve a Risen Savior
+The Gift of Commissioning - of knowing that the LORD wants to work through His creation to rescue, redeem and restore all of creation into His Holy Image
+The Gift of the Holy Spirit
+The Gift of Sharing God's Forgiveness and Healing.
Let us close by sharing in communion the elements that our LORD JESUS used in the Last Supper before He went to the Cross. Elements that remind us that we are one in the Body of Christ. Elements that remind us that by his stripes we are healed. Elements that remind us that his body was broken for us and by His blood we are cleansed and made anew. Elements that remind us that in God's Holy Spirit we find oneness with God, with ourselves, with others and with all of creation. Let us come before the LORD to receive His grace today.
Communion/Lord's Super
