David A.

Hornor for April 19, 2009 PCC Easter 2B

Scripture: John 20:19-31

Title: The Resurrection Community

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!

The disciples of Jesus are a people with a task.

We are people on a mission. We have work to do. We are a sent people.

Listen to verse 21. After Jesus shows his disciples the scars which
prove that he is the same Jesus who died three days earlier, he
says a second time, “Peace be with you!”

And then he speaks these commissioning, sending, roll-em-on-out kind of

words: “As the Father has sent me,” He says, “I am sending you.”

If you send someone, they’re supposed to go. [Grocery store – TV. Not
go=disobedience]

Something like 40 times in John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of himself as the

One sent by the Father. The Father sent and the Son went. The
Father said, “Go,” and the Son said, “I’m going.” And he did.

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.

He’s provided everything we need to go where he sends us.

I. Because Jesus sends his followers into the world with

the peace of God, let’s go!
“Peace be with you!” Jesus said to the disciples—three times in this
passage. Three times. And he is speaking as the resurrected Son of
God. “Peace be with you!”

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.

Listen to Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians, Colossians 1:19-20.

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.

Three times John mentions the wounds of Jesus.

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."

I won’t believe that Jesus is alive...

Verse 27 – A week later, Jesus visits them again. Once again he

announces, “Peace be with you.” And he says to Thomas, "Put your
finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my
side. Stop doubting and believe."

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.”

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,

Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;

They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

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!

Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

[Application: People - “No Problem; Or...self-absorbed, guilt; The Cross]

Jesus sends us into the world with the peace of God; so let’s go!

But that’s not all...

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.

Inadequate is today’s understatement. Who can do it?

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.

Listen to verse 22:

With that,[that is, with the commission] he breathed on them and said,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us your 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?

Not me. Not you.

Unless...we live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In John’s Gospel, we have a kind of compression of time. Chronological

order is not John’s interest or focus.

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.

Here in John, Pentecost—the gift of the Holy Spirit—happens on Easter

Sunday. Immediately. No time to waste.
There’s work to do!
There are people to be reconciled to God.
There is love to share;
There is life to live;
ministry to be done, in the power of Jesus’ name.

[Controversy: How to Receive the Holy Spirit....]

But, I will say this:

Where people are learning to live like Jesus
Where Jesus is sending people as the Father sent him...going
Where disciples are crying out for wisdom, strength, and help...
Where you see the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...
You can be sure that God has given and is giving his Holy Spirit.

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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?

III. Because Jesus sends his followers into the world

with the forgiveness of God, let’s go!

“If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive
them, they are not forgiven."

Or, more literally...

“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.

[AQ] How do we forgive sins and retain them?

A. Rarely individually.

Every person who follows Jesus has been called to drawing others to Christ.

Every once in awhile, as individuals, we are called upon to say to someone,

“You’ve repented, put your trust in Jesus. In his name, I tell you,
‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

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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.

But that’s a big “If.”

And so traditionally... we do this...

B. Almost always corporately

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.”

[Necessity in some cases of pronouncing, humbly, with tears, the judgment

of God –Fallible, yes, but sometimes necessary]

And so traditionally, it is the ordained and official leadership of the church

which has this very serious responsibility.

Listen again to verse 23, this time in the literal Texan.

“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,

IV. Because Jesus sends his followers into the world

with the people of God, let’s go!
We have already seen that this is a passage about the Church, the Body of
Christ, the Resurrection Community.

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.

[Read John 20:26-29]

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Why didn’t Thomas believe? He hadn’t seen for himself. He doubted the
testimony of the other disciples.

When he does see Jesus, he makes that glorious confession: “My Lord and
my God!”

So how do we come to believe?

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.

We repent of our unbelief and decide to believe the testimony of the

Church, the Body of Christ.

Thomas came to believe in the fellowship of the Church. That’s where he

saw Jesus.

That’s where we meet Jesus too.

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....

That’s a big responsibility. But we have the resources to fulfill that

responsibility. That’s been the plan all along...

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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