Circumstances Downsized By God’s Peace

Transcript

GR 417
10/18/1981
Circumstances Downsized By God’s Peace
JOHN 20:19-23
Gil Rugh

John chapter 20 in your Bibles. John's gospel and the 20th chapter. We're in the midst of the presentation of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ—those occasions when after His resurrection from the dead He presented Himself alive with many indisputable proofs and evidences to convince those who had believed in Him, whose faith had been shaken, that indeed He was alive. He had been raised the victor.

The first person privileged to have a personal confrontation with Jesus Christ after His resurrection was Mary Magdalene, a woman out of whom seven demons had been cast by Christ during His earthly ministry. She had remained a faithful follower of His, and now is at the empty tomb weeping because she didn't know where the Lord's body was. And we noted how incongruous this is, that in verse 13, "They have taken away my Lord." The very fact indeed that He is Lord would indicate that He is Master of every situation and every happening. And the fact that His body is gone should be seen in light of the fact that He is Lord.

Mary, in verse 16, Jesus calls to her with just simply her name, "Mary."
And she responds immediately, "Rabboni" which means Teacher. We noted that in John chapter 10 Jesus said "My sheep hear My voice." So when Christ called to Mary, one of his sheep, she immediately recognizes Him and responds in faith, convinced that it is indeed the risen Lord.

The command given in verse 17, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." We noted the emphasis here is on the ascension in Acts chapter 1, and Jesus was not back to stay. And Mary was holding on to Him, that we have You back so things will be as they were before. You're here now to establish the kingdom that You promised us, to be with us personally, physically. But that will not occur until after the ascension in Acts chapter 1. So He says, "Don't be clinging to Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father. I am not back to stay. I am not here to establish the kingdom as you might think." After Acts chapter 1, the next time Jesus Christ bodily appears on the earth, it will be to rule and reign, to establish His kingdom. But this was not the time, since she is told to go and bear a message to the disciples that Christ has been raised.

We noted that Luke records that the disciples did not believe that message. They did not really believe He could be raised, but they're in some confusion. What has happened? Where is the body? But a resurrection? That seems beyond the scope of possibility. Perhaps we something we would hope would happen, but doubt whether it could be true.

So Christ presents Himself to them in verse 19. "When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'" On the same day as the resurrection, still on Sunday, the evening of that day, the first day of the week— perhaps late in the evening—the disciples have secluded themselves behind locked doors because they do not know what to expect from the Jews. Would the Jews continue their plan of opposition to Jesus Christ, having executed Him? Perhaps the next step now would be to round up all of His followers to get rid of them and to do away with this movement at the very beginning. So they are in fear. Note that because it becomes significant in a moment. The doors were shut, the emphasis here would be that they were locked, because of fear of the Jews. And in that situation, Jesus came and stood in their midst. We're going to look next week a little bit at some of the characteristics of the resurrection body. But one of those characteristics is that it does not have physical limitations. Here the disciples are secluded behind locked doors, and Jesus simply presents Himself in their midst. Physical barriers do not stop Him, they are
not an obstacle to Him. Look over in Luke chapter 24.

We just want to pick up verse 31 for what we want to emphasize. "And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight." The reverse of what you have in John 19. John 19 He appears in the midst of them. Luke 24 records that He vanished from their sight. That glorified, resurrected body is not limited by physical dimension, but is free to come and go without restriction.

So Christ presents Himself in John chapter 20 in their midst, and in verse 19, the end of the verse, "He said to them, ’Peace to you.'" Interesting the greeting He gives—Peace to you. This is what is your gift. This is what I've bestowed on you. This is what I have provided for you. This is what is to characterize you. Now we've just been told that they were in fear of the Jews. One thing the disciples were not experiencing at this point in time was peace. They were in turmoil. Their entire life had been shattered. That One whom they had been following as Messiah and King, suddenly had been taken from their midst and executed on a cross as a criminal. And now they were in hiding for fear of their own lives. Jesus comes and stands in their midst and says, Peace to you.

Down in verse 21, He repeats it again. "Peace to you." Over in verse 26, He repeats it again, "Peace to you." This is what is to characterize you as those who belong to Me. Peace, My peace.

Look back in chapter 14, verse 27. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, nor let it be fearful." Note. A troubled heart, a fearful heart is not a heart enjoying and experiencing the peace of Jesus Christ. And Christ says, This is My bestowal upon you—My peace! They hadn't yet grasped the significance and importance of that. They were in fear. But He says, I give you peace, not as the world gives. When we studied John 14 we noted the contrast. The world gives a peace that is tied to circumstances. Unbelievers, the people of the world, can have a relative peace as long as circumstances and situations are relatively smooth and easy. But when the world begins to crumple and crumble, when those things they’ve invested their lives in begin to fall apart, then they find their peace shattered. That’s not the kind of peace Jesus Christ gives. He gives a peace that is not connected or related to circumstances. It is not tied to situations, so it is a peace that is just as effective and just as real when your world is crashing in around you, because it is an inner peace dependent only on your relationship to Jesus Christ and His Father. It is a peace, not as the world gives.

Look over in chapter 16, verse 33. Jesus says, ’’These things I have spoken to you that in Me, you may have peace.” Note that, "In Me." "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world." He is the victor over the world and in the midst of the world we do have tribulation and turmoil; But we are in Christ, so in the midst tribulation and turmoil, we walk in tranquility with an inner peace, unaffected and unchanged.

There are two aspects to the peace Jesus Christ is talking about—first and foundational, there is peace with God. Look over in Romans chapter 5, verse 1. "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." We have peace with God, having been justified by faith. The word justified means declared righteous. When we came to believe in Jesus Christ, God declared us righteous. That brought us into a relationship of peace with God. That is foundational to everything else. A person cannot have true, lasting peace unless he has peace with God. And as long as our sins are unforgiven, as long as we have not been declared righteous by God, then we are the enemies of God, in opposition to what He is doing, to His purposes, to His character. When we come to believe in Christ, we are brought into a relationship of peace with Him. Have you ever come into that relationship? Have you come to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a cross to pay the penalty for YOUR sins? That’s what brings you into that relationship and enables God to declare you righteous.

Turn over to Philippians chapter 4. For those who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, they have peace with God. But there is an added dimension that is to characterize us and that is the peace OF God in all that we do. In Philippians chapter 4, verse 6, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension (which goes beyond understanding), shall stand guard at your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” For those of us who have believed in Jesus Christ as the One who died for our sin, we are commanded to be anxious for nothing! Does that characterize you as a child of God. Do you have fear? Do you have inner turmoil and trouble? Why? God says to be anxious for nothing. He doesn't say don't worry about most things, He says not to be anxious about anything! "But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The result of that is the peace of God stands guard...the picture here is a guard on duty at my heart and mind. His peace is protecting my heart and mind, so that the turmoil, the fear, the trouble does not infiltrate and cause me to fear, to affect my peace. Do you have that as a believer? You should. You have to back up, are you worrying about something? You know what happened to the disciples? Their fear was caused by basic doubts regarding the person and work of Jesus Christ. Was He One we could really trust? They really had questions regarding His basic character, His basic work. It could only be resolved when He presented Himself as alive from the dead. You know what happens when we as believers have doubts and fears? We are anxious characterized by anxiety? We have basic doubts about the character of God. God says don't worry about anything. Tell Me about it. In everything, let it be made known to Me. Now, do I do that? Well, I’m too busy worrying about it right now to take time to pray. Well, then I'll have some fears and anxieties. You say, Alright, I have told God about it, but I'm still worried. Why? Can He handle it? Well, I imagine He could. Does He promise to handle it? I guess He does. What am I worried about? Will He. What am I saying? Will God be true to His Word. Can I count on Him? I'm worried that in spite of the fact that
He says He will, in spite of the fact
He always has, maybe He won't come through this time. You see what the basic doubt is? It's in the very character of God. Is God dependable? Is God reliable? Yes. What do I have to worry about? If I didn't worry, I wouldn't have anything to do. You know, there's no good logic to it. There's no good reason. God says that's not to characterize Me. You say, Now look, it's only human to worry. That's right. It's part of human nature, we would say. But it's not part of our new nature. And when I'm dependent upon Jesus Christ, I don't have anything to worry about. God's got it all under control. Go back to John chapter 20. When He says to them, "Peace be with you. Peace to you. This is what I have provided you. You are not to be secluded in a locked room, trembling out of fear. That's not what I intend for you. I've given you a peace that surmounts circumstances." "When He said this, He showed them both His hands and His side." He's demonstrating, This is Me. It is My body. I have been raised. You can have confidence in Me. An important note here—the same body that dies and is buried is the same body that is raised and brought back to life again. It's the same body that was put into the tomb that has been resurrected to life again. He has been raised.

Luke 24 expands on this account. He fills in a little bit that John leaves out. Luke 24, verse 36, "And while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst. But they were startled and frightened and thought they were seeing a spirit." They thought it was a ghost. Now note, they believe in the supernatural, but they are not convinced that it is the actual, resurrected Jesus Christ. He said to them ’Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”' So you can touch and handle the resurrection body.
It's not a apparition. It's not a vapor that you reach out and grab right through. It has substance, it has flesh. It has bones supporting that flesh. First Corinthians 15 says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but the resurrection body has flesh and bone. It's a body with substance.

When He said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. "And while they still could not believe it for joy and were marveling, He said to them..." Now note, things have changed. Now they are overwhelmed with joy! Ever meet someone that you perhaps have had a special relationship with, and you meet them unexpectedly or perhaps you see them after a long absence. And you say, I just can't believe it! You're overwhelmed with joy at being in their presence, at being able to see them. Well, it’s that kind of situation only to a much greater degree. They're overwhelmed! Can't really believe this is true! So, Jesus said "Have you anything here to eat?" "They gave Him a piece of broiled fish; and He took it and ate it in their sight." What is He doing? He's demonstrating that it is actually Him. Ghosts don't eat fish! Maybe you didn't know that! Now you do! Ghosts don't eat fish! Another thing encouraging to me—in the resurrection body, we will be able to eat! So, have no fears! Some of us are eating like there will be no eating in the resurrection body! But the resurrection body is able to eat. Now it does not need food to sustain it, but it has the capacity to eat. So it is Him, in His physical body resurrected. So come back to John chapter 20.

At the end of verse 20, "The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord." Note the complete turnaround, the contrasts that occur. We saw that with Mary. One moment she's weeping, disconsolate over the situation, and the next moment, "Rabboni!" And she's bearing a message of victory. One moment, the disciples are in fear, cowering behind locked doors. The next moment we find them rejoicing in the presence of the Lord. Jesus told them this would happen. Look back in John 16, verse 20. "Truly, truly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will be turned to joy. Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world Therefore you, too, now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you." So the disciples have gone through a time of sorrow, weeping, but it has been turned to joy. Reminds me of the verse in the Psalms, "Sorrow endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning." So for the disciples, it is a complete turnaround, a complete change.

So in verse 21, "Jesus therefore said to them again, 'Peace be with you;"' Now they can grasp on to that a little more fully. Now they can recognize it, that that's their portion. That indeed He has provided peace for them. They have even begun to experience it as they rejoice in His presence. But you know Jesus Christ did not come back to enable them to enjoy the comfort of one another's presence in a secluded room. He came back to give them a mission of purpose, and immediately He draws their attention to that. "Peace to you; just as the Father sent Me, I also send you.'" I did not come to give you peace so that you can enjoy the seclusion of this upper room behind locked doors, encouraging one another, rejoicing in one another's presence in the victory I had. I came back so that you might enjoy My peace to carry on the mission and purpose I have for you in the world.

"Just as the Father sent Me, I also send you." Back up to John chapter 17. In His high priestly prayer for those who would believe in Him, Jesus prayed in John 17. And note verse 14, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated the, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Note what He emphasizes here—basic hostility between the world and the child of God. The world hates them because they are not of the world. They are in the world, not of the world. Note what He says in verse 15, "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Note. It's not His intention to remove us from the world, but to preserve us in the world. We are not of the world any more than Jesus Christ is. "Sanctify them (verse 17) in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." Note—same pattern as we have in John chapter 20. We have been sent by Christ into the world. And note the connection, verse 17. "Sanctify them" and then they are sent into the world. Back up to John chapter 10, verse 36. "...do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world..." Same pattern. The Father set apart the Son and then sent Him on a divine mission. So we too are sanctified by the Word of God and sent on a divine mission.

Look over in John 13, verse 20, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." Crucial. We're set on this. When Christ came, He says 'I have been sent by the Father with the authority of the Father.' Now Christ says to us,
"You have been sent by Me, with My authority which is the authority of the Father. So those who receive you, receive Me and thus receive My Father." The purpose that Christ has for us is to carry on a mission to the world even as He carried on. This is the first of three commissions given by the resurrected Christ.

Look back in Matthew chapter 28. We usually think of Matthew 28 when we think of the Great Commission. This time Christ is addressing the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, "Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, ’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”’ You remember that at the resurrection, God has given Him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord. All authority has been given to Him, so note what He says. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." The command here is "Make disciples." Three participles modify it—going, baptizing, and teaching in this ministry. You are to be making disciples. That involves "going, baptizing them, and teaching them."

Look over in Luke chapter 24. We'll just pick up a verse here—it is the same incident that we'll look at in Acts chapter 1. Note verse 46, "He said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations—beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.'" They are to go and proclaim a message to the world concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Look in Acts chapter 1. Same incident that Luke records at the end of his gospel. Acts chapter 1, verse 8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." And note, "and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the world." Now when we come back to John chapter 20, Jesus says "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." It was not God's intention that the disciples stay secluded in a closed room, in the comfort and security of one another's presence. But rather their ministry is to be patterned after the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and just as He was sent from the Father's presence to proclaim a message of life to the world, so you and I are sent to a hostile world with a life-changing message. I have to remind myself of that. I prefer the cloistered seclusion of other believers. We prefer the seclusion of other believers. We go from one extreme to the other. Either we want to close ourselves in with believers and just enjoy the reinforcement of one another’s presence, or we get carried off where we are not only in the world but we become like the world. And our testimony makes no impact on those who are lost and on their way to hell.

God's intention is that you and I carry a message to the world. There is something of an emphasis where we try to avoid as much as possible any involvement or contact with the world, with the unbeliever. And we often foster the idea, even in our young people, that it’s bad to have contact with unbelievers.
You ought to avoid them. That is not the pattern of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Look over in Luke chapter 5, verse 29. ’’Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax-gatherers and other people who were reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax-gatherers and sinners?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ’It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call righteous men to repentance but sinners.'” So you and I now, just as the Father has sent Me, so I send you. God's intention that you and I as His children bear a message to the world concerning the finished work of Jesus Christ. It's much more comfortable to close myself up with believers, to enjoy them and not want to have to go out with those dirty ole sinners. And besides, they aggravate me. I can't hardly stand to be with them. How often have you felt, I hate to go to my job. Being in the presence of those sinners day after day just wears on me. But you have to stop and remind yourself, that's God purpose. That's His mission for you. If you do not carry the message of life to them, who will? We are the ones who have the words of life. God's intention is that we bear that message. We need to be careful that we don't foster that—I realize I gravitate towards that. There is danger for those who work in a position like I have—you work at Indian Hills or Back to the Bible Broadcast, other such organizations. So we’re cloistered with believers, and people say to me, 'Boy, you're sure fortunate. You don't have to go out into the world with unbelievers.' And I go lock myself into my office and say 'Boy, I'm sure fortunate, I don't have to go out and rub shoulders with dirty ole unbelievers.' And I forget God's purpose. It's not just so we can come together and study the Bible together and say 'This is great, we'll get together tomorrow night and do the same thing and the next night and do the same thing and the next night and do the same thing. We'll just study the Bible until Christ comes.' You know, the disciples could have spent the rest of their lives secluded—they had more than a life time to study out the Old Testament see what it said about Jesus Christ and His finished work to see how that was fulfilled in Him. But God's purpose was that they carry a life-changing message to a lost and dying world. That's His intention for us. That's His purpose. We are sent into the world. You know why God has you out there working, rubbing shoulders with those dirty ole sinners? You have a message that they need to hear. Now we need to be careful Evil companions corrupt good conduct. Some get so absorbed in their contact with the world that they become like the world. We are in the world but we are not of the world. You never lose sight of the fact that even though Jesus Christ associates with sinners, even though He has contact with sinners that He never becomes like them in the wrong sense. But He is there to share a message they need to hear. He is a physician among the ill. You see yourself like that on your job? That every unbeliever that you come in contact with is terminally ill? That person is so consumed about his business responsibilities so consumed about the activities of this life, has a terminal disease and you are one who has the cure? You can present to him a message that will take him from darkness to light? From being a child of the devil to a child of God? From being one who is destined to hell to destined to glory? From one who is under condemnation to one who is righteous? One of the reasons God needs us to work as believers is so we maintain that contact. Otherwise, we’d just seclude ourselves in Bible studies forever! It's much easier to get Christians to come together to have Bible study than it is to go out and share the gospel with a lost person. Now I'm not saying Bible studies aren't important. We need to come together to be nourished, to be enriched, to grow and mature in our knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. But be careful that we don't become absorbed in becoming comfortable and lose sight of God's purpose in ministering and His mission for us as believers.

How many people in Lincoln, Nebraska, heard the gospel from this body of believers this past week? How many unbelievers did we have contact with? This coming week? God has showered us with opportunities and given us a message, and a responsibility to proclaim it.

Note, coming back to John chapter 20, it's not a ministry that we can carry on in our own power. God does not send us out to change the world by our own dynamics, by our own abilities. But He provides both power and authority. Verse 22, "When He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" So you get the connection here, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" and He breathed on them and said 'Receive the Holy Spirit' because the power for this ministry comes not from ourselves but from the Spirit of God who dwells within us. You cannot carry on a spiritual ministry, a life-changing ministry in the power and energy of the flesh. It is the power of the Spirit of God at work in and through a believer that brings life to a message proclaimed. I take it, it is anticipatory here when He says "Receive the Holy Spirit," He is anticipating Acts chapter 2. Because when we get to Acts chapter 1, verse 8, He says "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." It is still future. But He is reminding them here that the power for this ministry to the world comes from the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God which they will receive in Acts chapter 2. And every believer since then receives the Spirit the moment they trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior. So God has sent me on a mission. His purpose for me is to carry the message of life to a lost and dying world. And He has given me the power to do it, the presence of the Spirit of God who indwells me. What a tragedy that
I mire down to mundane thinking. Oh me, another day to face. Oh, tomorrow's
Monday, I can't face it. I go out to work and those unbelievers will be grating on me again. Wait a minute. I have been sent even as Jesus Christ as been sent!
I have the Spirit of God indwelling me to empower me! I have such a ministry, such a mission, such a purpose in life that really counts! And I should be saying, Oh, Monday. I should be saying, Boy, I can't wait for Monday! It's good to be together with these believers, but I can't wait to get out where the action is!
To share with them the message that can change their lives!

Now, I realize it's not all glory out there. It's a hostile world, a world that is not basically receptive to the message we have to proclaim. But it's a world that has the need, and we have the privilege to share it in the power of the Spirit.
There's authority that goes with it in verse 23 as well, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." Remarkable! Not only has He given me His peace, given me a purpose, but He gives me power. The ministry of the Spirit in my life is the authority of God behind the message. IF you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them. This has been understood by the Roman Catholic church to imply apostolic authority in forgiving sins which is passed down to the priests today who can give absolution from sin, pronounce forgiveness of sins. I take it that does not fit what the Bible says and how this is carried out. First note the tenses, "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." They have been forgiven and have been retained are in the perfect tense. The perfect tense denotes something that has happened in the past and continues in the present, the result continues in the present. So, you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven in the past! With the present result that they are forgiven. They have been retained in the past. The present result is that they are retained. What is really happening is that we are given the authority to reveal the mind of God on forgiveness of sins. That is where the authority for that comes from. Sometimes people get upset and say, 'Who are you to say that I have been forgiven or not forgiven?' I am one who has been commissioned by God, empowered by the Spirit of God and given the authority of God to tell you that if you believe in Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. If not, you are not forgiven and you are on your way to hell. That's not presumption. That is simply the authority God has given to us as believers, to reveal the mind of God regarding the forgiveness of sins.

Look back in Matthew chapter 16 at a similar kind of situation. Matthew 16, verse 19, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Perfect tenses again. "Shall have been bound, shall have been loosed." In other words, it has already been done from God's perspective. We are simply functioning in light of what God has already done, already revealed. I do not forgive sins. There is none who can forgive sin but God; but I can tell you whether your sins have been forgiven or not by whether you place your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior or not. That is the issue. Over in Matthew chapter 18, verse 18, "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Talking in the context of the church there. Simply revealing the mind of God regarding salvation and the forgiveness of sin. That is an authority given to us as believers. That's the authority you have as a believer. We ought not to be intimidated and say 'Well, they are religious. I wouldn't want to say...' You don't have to be afraid to say— God has already said. And if you're embarrassed to say what God has already said, you better evaluate again. Well, I wouldn't want to say they're not saved. God's already said it! I should be ashamed of what God has said? I should be embarrassed for God? Well, you don't know how people will react! I know how people will react! They don't want to hear God's evaluation! God hasn't sent me saying, If they want to listen tell them. He has sent me to tell them even if they don't want to listen. He has sent me to a hostile world with a message they need to hear and don't know it. Because the disciples carry this out in the Book of Acts—Acts chapter 4. You never hear the disciples forgiving sin. You never find Peter forgiving sin. You find them proclaiming a message of life. Acts chapter 4, Peter is the spokesman, verse 12: "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Where is salvation found? In the person of Jesus Christ. No other name under heaven whereby you must be saved.

Chapter 5, verse 31, "He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Who grants forgiveness of sins? Jesus Christ. "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." The Spirit of God working in me bears testimony to the message proclaimed, that Jesus Christ forgives sins. That's the message of sins forgiven or sins retained.

Look over in chapter 10, verse 42. "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify ..." Note, that's why the Son has been sent, to proclaim, to testify. "...that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him has received forgiveness of "Does Peter say, 'All those I forgive are forgiven?' No, he says ‘I proclaim to you a message that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ receives forgiveness of sins.’ That’s the message we have to proclaim regarding sins forgiven or not forgiven.

Chapter 13, verse 38, "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him (Christ) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” How do you get free from sin? By believing in Jesus Christ.

Chapter 15, verse 8, "And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." Verse 11, "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Paul said this is the message that he proclaimed. First Corinthians 15, verse 1, "Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." You believed emptily. The message I preach, it brought forgiveness. That’s what it's all about. You and I are entrusted with a message. It's a message that has to do with forgiveness of sins. That message simply is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He was raised from the dead because that penalty was paid. If you believe that, God will forgive you your sins and declare you righteous. If you do not believe that, you are still in your sins and destined to hell. That is a message that any of us as believers can proclaim. You do not have to have a theological education to proclaim that message. Anyone who is a believer knows that, otherwise you are not a believer—a saved believer. You must know that Jesus the Son of God died and was raised from the dead. So it's not because we don't understand the message. The message has a simplicity that any believer can proclaim. So God has given us a ministry, a purpose in life that any of us and every one of us are to be involved in as God's children. Sharing the message of life. What a privilege that I should have to be pushed to do it? I am privileged to tell a lost and dying sinner, one who is on his way to eternity in hell, that in love the Son of God died for his sins, and I should hesitate to do it? God should send me even as He sent His Son? And I should buck and resist His purposes? Me, being an instrument, a vessel to proclaim in the power of the Spirit the message of life?

Look back in Luke chapter 24. Verse 46, that message that Christ said we are given to proclaim..."Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations—beginning from Jerusalem." That is what God has called us to do—proclaim a message of forgiveness of sins through faith in His name. Three questions: 1) Have you come to experience peace in your life? Do
you know peace with God, what it really means to have peace with God? Have you come to believe in Jesus Christ as the One who died for you?

Secondly, if you have come to experience peace with God, are you enjoying the peace of God in your life day by day? Do you find yourself besought by anxieties, by worries, by fears, by concerns? Are you really willing to turn them all over to Him and rely on the fact that He is able to handle it, and let His peace stand guard at your life? Are you really experiencing God's peace, provided for you in Jesus Christ?

Third, are you living in light of His purpose for you? That just as the Father sent Jesus Christ into the world, so He has sent us into the world, to proclaim a message of life. We come together and we are nourished in the Word, and we study the Word together as believers. It is so crucial, so important,
but we must be careful that we don't lose sight of the fact that we are given a ministry, a mission, to carry this message of life to a lost world. I wonder how many people this coming week will hear the message of life from us, even in this city, so that the Spirit might take that message and use it to draw them to salvation in Jesus Christ? Do you recognize where the power for this ministry comes from? We can't go off half-cocked, so to speak. All pumped up,
Now I can do it! Now I will do it! Do you recognize that God in grace has provided His sufficiency for you to carry out that ministry? In the person of the Spirit of God who indwells you and has given you His authority to proclaim that message? God has not given us a spirit of timidity, a spirit of cowardice.
But we are to be bold and confident. I am not intimidated by the fact the world does not want to hear this message. What makes the difference to me is that God has given authority. He has told me to proclaim it, to make it known. And what a privilege. There's not a believer here who has not been given a mission which is of eternal significance, which is significant in light of all eternity, and that is the privilege to make Jesus Christ known. I trust that God will spread us out into this world, even today, this coming week, that we might see every single unbeliever we have contact with as one who needs to hear the message.
And that God has brought them into contact with us so that we might have that privilege to make Jesus Christ known to them. Let's pray together.

Father, how we praise you today for a Savior who has secured a salvation that is sufficient in every way. Lord, a Savior who is worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of adoration. Lord, what a privilege that we are privileged to enter in to peace with You and the enjoyment of Your peace. I pray for those who may be here today, Father, who have heard the proclamation of the good news concerning Jesus Christ but have yet to trust in Him, that the Spirit would do that gracious work only He can do in opening the eyes of their understanding that they might believe that Jesus died for them.

Father, for those of us who have believed, I pray that we might be walking in the enjoyment of that peace every moment of every day. Lord, carrying out your purpose for us as your children. What a glorious mission that we should be sent by the Holy God to make known Your truth to a lost and dying world. Thank you for the power given to us to proclaim this message with Your authority that the Spirit might use it in the saving of souls. We praise you for the privilege we've had of coming together to study this truth today, for we pray in Jesus' name