Peace Power Grace

Peace, Power & Grace John 20:19-31 Emmanuel Christian Church 4.7.24 INTRODUCTION: Frightened, defeated and ridden with guilt- have you ever been there? Well if you have, or if you are right now- you might be surprised to hear you are in good company! It was the evening of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. By Jewish reckoning, it was the beginning of the next day. The events of that night hold some powerful and encouraging lessons we need to hear, because even if you’ve never been been frightened, defeated and ridden with guilt- that day is coming, and in that moment you’ll want to be sure and remember this sermon! PROPOSITION: Today’s message is all about the peace the conquers fear, the power that overcomes defeat and the grace that grants second chances- all because of the Resurrection of Jesus! John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” John 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 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. TRANSITION: Peace, power and grace; DESTROYING fear, defeat and guilt! Let’s zoom in on the details so that we can wrap our hearts and minds around the lessons God wants us to remember. We begin with… The Gathering Of The Faithful Few That Evening…

  • Those who had assembled:
  • Ten of the Apostles: Peter and his brother Andrew; James and John
  • sons of Zebedee; Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew; James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot.
  • Judas was dead by his own hand
  • Thomas was absent, possibly out of his own disillusionment.
  • Luke tells us:
  • The two on the road to Emmaus (Cleopas and his associate)
  • Those “with” the Apostles i.e. Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, ect. and a whole group of unnamed disciples
  • The subjects for discussion:
  • Fear- of the Jews
  • "Will they find us? What will they do IF they find us?”
  • Their Leader had already been falsely accused and executed by the angry Jewish mob.
  • Followers of Jesus were seen as “cult members” whose very existence threatened the Jewish community.
  • Faith- in the Lord
  • "What did Jesus mean "In a little while you will see me.”?
  • Jesus said a lot of other things that had left them scratching their heads- including that He would die and come back from the dead!
  • Fantasy
  • Were their eyes and ears and hands deceiving them? What were they to make of the early reports of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead? Were they all cases of wishful-thinking and grief-driven self-delusion?
  • Jesus miraculous appearance settled all debate! APPLICATION: I suppose from our perspective of almost 2,000 years after the fact, we expect a little more from the Apostles- after all they personally spent three years with Jesus! Frankly, I’m glad to hear John’s honest account of their fear, defeat and guilt- it makes their humanity something that I can relate to! It demonstrates that they had no fear of being honest about the facts of their struggle to believe. And it makes even more beautiful the compassionate reaction of Jesus when He appeared in their midst! TRANSITION: It is that very compassion that we see next in… The Greeting, Gift and Grace Of The Lord.
  • The Greeting: ”Peace Be With You!”
  • Talk about a timely greeting! Consider what they had been through:
  • The trauma of the crucifixion.
  • Not just the death of their beloved leader, but the unspeakable brutality of His execution!
  • The trauma of the empty tomb.
  • It made no sense.
  • It implied desecration.
  • The trauma of the certainty of the Resurrection.
  • Initially, they thought they were seeing a ghost!
  • Personally witnessing someone’s return from the dead, has a way of making you question everything you ever thought regarding the natural world!
  • All these took place in the span of 3 days! 3 traumatic events in three days- that ALOT for anyone to process in such a short period of time! APPLICATION: Here’s what you need to know from all this: Jesus knows how to settle your heart in unsettling times! In an instant, the disciples’ fear was transformed into peace, as the One who is the Prince of Peace, stood in their midst and delivered to each of them, personally, the “peace that passes understanding”! Jesus’ whole purpose in coming to earth had been one aimed at the restoration of peace (God with man and man with man). TRANSITION: Jesus not only talked about peace, He made it possible for you and me through…
  • The Gift: God’s Holy Spirit
  • Jesus said to His disciples "Receive The Holy Spirit.”
  • Genesis 2:7 God animated the lifeless flesh of man. Here, Jesus animated the lifeless spirit of man.
  • How important was this act? God’s word says the reception of the Holy Spirit is the distinguishing feature of the Christian. Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
  • How significant was this act? It transformed the disciples from being a cowardly group hiding in fear behind locked doors, into a world-shaking army of faithful believers! As the Apostle put it in his letter to Timothy: 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. APPLICATION: Do you have the indwelling Spirit? The path to receiving the gift of God’s indwelling Spirit is not complicated: FAITH Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. REPENTANCEActs 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. BAPTISM Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. FAITHFULNESS James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Our last lesson for this morning is that of…
  • The Grace of God (The account of Thomas)
  • Thomas is the Apostle whose nickname has become “DOUBTING”!
  • Thomas was a grounded, practical man. We might say, he had the perspective of a modern man (not at all unlike many today)! If we could read his mind, he might say…
  • “When you're dead you're dead!”
  • “Wishful thinking never paid the bills!”
  • And we know for sure, he thought “I must see it to believe it!”
  • Jesus' response:
  • A personal visit. A week later, Jesus appears again to his disciples for what seems to be the personal benefit of the one not yet convinced- “DOUBTING Thomas”!
  • A gracious rebuke.
  • Examine the evidence. “My hands, my side”
  • Make the CHOICE to STOP doubting! APPLICATION: If you have yet to, WHAT would it take for YOU to believe? The evidence and facts are abundant and clear- truthfully, that is not what prevents people from believing in Jesus. For most, the obstacle is their own stubborn refusal to bring their own desires in submission to Jesus.