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Introduction
[Second Sunday of the season of Easter. Too much to take in. Wonder.
Delight. Joy. Big crowd at church.]
But now the Church’s task begins. Jesus: “I tell you the truth, unless a
kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single
seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Death & Resurrection:
A whole bunch of little Christlike people sprouting up everywhere -
sent into the world to continue his work.
[Proposition] Since Jesus sends his followers into the world, let’s get to
work!
If you send someone, they’re supposed to go. [Grocery store – TV. Not
go=disobedience]
And now the son, Jesus, says, “As the Father has sent me, [in a similar
manner] I am sending you.”
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And, as the Father fully expected that Jesus would go, so our Lord Jesus
Christ fully expects us to go—it’s not a suggestion, it’s a command.
Since he has sent us into the world as his servants, his messengers,
his witnesses, his co-workers.
He’s not kidding around. He expects us to go since he has sent us into the
world to do his work, just as the Father sent him.
So this morning let’s encourage each other to go!—since Jesus sends his
followers into the world with the peace of God, with the Spirit of
God, with the forgiveness of God, and with the people God.
This is something we really need to hear. This is at the heart of what the
Father sent Jesus into the world to do. He came to reconcile
sinners to God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him
to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things
in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross.
Ephesians 1:17 - He came and preached peace to you who were far away
[from God.]
Three times here in John 20, the resurrected Lord Jesus Chirst says, “Peace
be with you!”
But notice that he doesn’t just say “Peace be with you,” he shows them
the signs of peace.
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After he said, “Peace be with you,” he showed them his hands and side.
Verse 20: That first Easter Sunday evening: He showed them his hands
and side.
Verse 25, Thomas, who was not with them on Easter Sunday evening says,
"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."
The wounds, the scars of Jesus are his credentials, proof to a fearful, at
times suffering human race that we really do have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ....
After the horror of World War I (Poison gas, trenches, agony....) Edward
Shillito wrote his poem, “Jesus of the Scars.”
Three times Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” Three times John reminds us
of the wounds of Jesus, by which he made peace between sinners
and God.
Peace is at the very heart of what the Father sent Jesus into the world to
do. He came to reconcile sinners to God.
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And peace is at the very heart of what Jesus sends us into the world to do.
He sends us into the world to announce peace.
Throw down the weapons of your rebellion against God, and be reconciled to
him!
Jesus sends us into the world with the peace of God; so let’s go!
II. Because Jesus sends his followers into the world with
the Spirit of God, let’s go!
Think about the commission the disciples (and we follow them) have
received: As the Father has sent me,[says Jesus] I am sending
you.
Feeling a little inadequate about that? Me too. We’re sent to continue the
reconciling, disciple making, loving, serving, giving ministry of
Jesus.
But We’re not on our own. Jesus has returned to heaven, but he hasn’t left
us as orphans, trying to do his work in our own strength or with our
own wisdom.
With that,[that is, with the commission] he breathed on them and said,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.”
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When God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit of God was
brooding over the face of the deep.
When the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground he breathed
into his nostrils the breath—the wind—the Spirit—Ruach of life.
Here it is again: With the resurrection of Jesus there’s whole new creation,
a whole new humanity commissioned by Jesus and sent into the
world to live and do and be like him.
Who is adequate for that? Who’s wise enough for that? Who’s courageous
enough for that? Who’s strong enough to keep on doing that when
the way is difficult and there is fierce opposition from people and
from the evil one?
In the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is poured out on
the church 50 days after Easter at Pentecost.
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Let’s go!
Jesus sends his followers into the world with the peace of God (the
experience and message of reconciliation).
Jesus sends his follower into the world with the Spirit of God (who gives us
power to become like Jesus and do his work).
What else?
“If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive
them, they are not forgiven."
“If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you
retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
Wow! The further we dig into this passage, the bigger our responsibilities
become!
Jesus wasn’t kidding. As the Father sent him into the world to announce the
availability of the Kingdom of God—right here, right now—he sends
us into the world to do the same.
A. Rarely individually.
Every person who follows Jesus has been called to drawing others to Christ.
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What a wonderful delight and awesome responsibility. If we have received
the wisdom and grace of the Holy Spirit we are able to do this
wisely, authoritatively and well.
Usually it’s simply too big a responsibility for one person to say to another,
“Your sins are forgiven.”
And especially to pronounce judgment and say “You are showing no signs
of repentance, no real desire to live as a forgiven person—your
signs are retained--not forgiven.”
“If y’all forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if y’all
retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
This is a corporate thing. The body of disciples, being the Body of Christ,
and being filled with the Holy Spirit which Christ has breathed on
them, carries forward his work of announcing God’s forgiveness of
sins.
[Member Classes – Church Discipline – Doesn’t sit too well with us]
1. Gently
3. Graciously – the good of the unrepentant person
4. Glory of God
5. Purity of the Body of Christ.
[Can this be misused? Terribly. Should we just not do it? No, we must do
the work Jesus has assigned to us.
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“If y’all forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if y’all
retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
So, how do we announce the forgiveness of sins? And how do we, with fear
and trembling announce that sin is not forgiven?
A. Rarely individually
B. Almost always corporately – Entrusting this work to the Elders and
Pastor.
And, Praise his Holy Name, with our emphasis heavily bent toward the
forgiveness of sins.
John 3:17 – God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through him might be saved.
The Son does not send us into the world to condemn it either—but that it
might be saved.
So, Jesus has sent us into the world with the Peace of God, the Spirit of
God, and the Forgiveness of God.
And finally,
We aren’t sent into the world on our own. We are sent as members of the
fellowship of the Crucified and Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
At this point John’s Gospel, as the Biblical writers, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, so often do, John invites us into the story.
And he does this with a little story: The story of the Second Sunday of
Easter.
When he does see Jesus, he makes that glorious confession: “My Lord and
my God!”
We start to believe the testimony of the witnesses: Those original few that
saw the hands and side of the Crucified Savior, raised to life.
And the testimony of those who believe the testimony of the original
witnesses: Your grandmother. The quiet, faithful lady at work.
The loud-mouth guy that has learned, from Jesus, to shut up and
listen.
And as we do, we hear this Divine blessing pronounced over us from Jesus:
Verse 29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Did you that? Did you know that Jesus puts a huge amount of confidence
on the Church, which is his Body? People come to believe in him
as the see his life in us....
Jesus sends us into the world with the peace of God, with the Spirit of God,
with the forgiveness of God, and with the people God.
So...go!
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