We thank you for this local church. We pray that you would cause us to be growing in our faith.
That as we hear you speak in your words, as it is read and preached, that you would be drawing us ever closer to yourself.
We pray that you would enable us to love and serve one another, to encourage and build up one another,
that we would be committed to praying for the church and for the church's mission,
that we would be committed to the good of this local church. Lord, as we recognize the needs of
our city and of our immediate community, we recognize how important it is that we live as the
people of God and speak of the good news of salvation. And so we pray that you would help us
and we pray for other Bible-believing churches in our city who also proclaim Jesus as the only way of
salvation. May you be pleased to use the witness of your people to extend your church in this city.
And Lord, we pray for our nation and for the nations of the world, for your glory. We pray that you would
continue to draw people to faith and obedience, to live lives of worship, acknowledging Jesus as Lord.
And we pray that you would give maturity and understanding of our need to live holy lives,
that you would be our great purpose for living. Lord, we ask once again that you would continue to raise
up laborers for the harvest field, recognizing that there are so many people who need to hear about
Jesus. There are so many places where churches need to be established and strengthened. And so we pray
that you would continue to save people and build them up in their faith and then send them out, send us
out into our local community to be salt and light for the good of others and for the glory and praise of your name.
Lord, we thank you for this time that we have around your word and in worship. We pray that it would do
our hearts good. And we pray that you would receive glory, that you would enable us to worship you in
spirit and in truth. And we pray that you would use this time that we have together to equip us and
strengthen us so that we would go into this new week as ambassadors for Jesus. And we pray these things
in His name and for His glory. Amen. Now, we're going to read a passage from the Old Testament,
the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37. If you're using a church Bible, it's page 868.
Here is prophecy anticipating the powerful work of God in bringing new life, resurrection life,
the valley of dry bones. So, Ezekiel chapter 37, I'll read from verse 1.
The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the
middle of a valley. It was full of bones. He led me to and fro among them, and I saw a great many bones
on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live?
I said, Sovereign Lord, you alone know. Then He said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them,
dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones.
I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you,
and make flesh come upon you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you,
and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded,
and as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together,
bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them, and skin covered them, but there
was no breath in them. Then He said to me, Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, Son of man, and say to it,
this is what the Sovereign Lord says, come, breath from the four winds, and breathe into these slain,
that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them. They came to life and stood
up on their feet, a vast army. Then He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel.
They say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is gone. We are cut off. Therefore prophesy, and say to
them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says, My people, I am going to open your graves and bring
you up from them. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I
am the Lord. When I open your graves and bring you up from them, I will put my Spirit in you,
and you will live. And I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord,
have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. Amen. A wonderful vision of the power of God to breathe
new life into even dry bones. Now let's again stand together to sing, this time from Psalm 57,
and we're going to sing verses 7 to 11, standing again to sing.
My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing. Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song, the
song will bring. Among the nations, Lord, to you I will give praise. Among the peoples of the earth,
my songs of you I'll raise. Great is your steadfast love, which reaches to the sky. Your constant faithfulness,
O Lord, extends to heaven high. Above the highest heavens, O God, exalted be,
and over all the earth below, display your majesty.
Now can you turn with me to John chapter 20? Now we're going to pick up the chapter at verse 19.
This morning we looked at the first 18 verses, we thought about what happened that first Easter Sunday
morning, and now we come to the evening of the week, and then the action moves to a week following.
So John chapter 20 at verse 19.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
Peace be with you.
After he had said this, he showed them his hands and sighed.
The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again, Jesus said, Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
And with that, he breathed on them and said,
Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven.
If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.
Now Thomas, also known as Didymus, one of the twelve,
was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
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.
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.
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.
Thomas said to him,
My Lord and my God.
Then Jesus told him,
Because you have seen me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen,
and yet have believed.
Jesus performed many other signs
in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written,
that you may believe,
that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God,
and that by believing,
you may have life in his name.
Amen.
So we're going to think for a few moments
about this seismic event of Easter.
What do I mean by that?
Well, think about an earthquake.
An earthquake is a very dramatic event
that causes everything to shake,
an event that has a powerful impact.
Matthew's gospel records
that at the time Jesus died,
and when Jesus rose,
there was an earthquake.
And so I was thinking about that,
and then I came across this
from Tom Holland,
who's one of the podcasters
on The Rest is History,
a Roman historian.
They did a few episodes
on Jesus, Messiah.
And he said,
It is clear
that a seismic event
happened in the first century,
and its reverberations
are still felt today.
And he went further,
and he said nothing,
even closely resembling Christianity,
would have happened
unless the first generation
of Christians believed
a spectacular event had happened.
So what is this seismic,
spectacular event
that took place
in the first century?
It is the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus.
Or perhaps better,
it's the combined impact
of the life and teaching
of Jesus,
together with his death
on the cross,
where he goes
as a willing sacrifice,
demonstrating a willingness
to embrace death
on behalf of his people,
coupled with the events
of Easter Sunday
and the resurrection.
And it's those events
that have had
this dramatic impact
on believers
on the world
ever since.
Earthquakes are measured
with a seismograph.
So after an earthquake,
the instrument,
which is now
much more high-tech,
but it used to be
just needle points,
it would record
ground movement.
The needles would draw spikes,
and the level of the spikes
would show the impact
and the ferocity
and intensity
of the earthquake.
It would locate both
where an earthquake happened
and the impact
of the quake.
And John chapter 20,
in a sense,
is like a seismograph record.
It tells us,
it locates the event
of this great event.
It's in the empty tomb,
and the risen glorified Jesus,
and it traces for us
the impact of that event.
It traces the impact
as people meet
the risen Lord Jesus,
an impact that continues
to be felt today.
So when you look at
three features
of that first few hours
in the Sunday evening
and then the week following,
and we'll see the impact
in terms of Jesus' resurrection
bringing peace
for troubled people,
giving a sense of mission
for fearful people,
and provoking worship
for doubting people.
So peace,
followed by mission,
followed by worship.
So let's begin thinking
about peace.
Consider again
these disciples.
Consider what's going on
in their hearts
that Sunday evening.
There is grief
in what they have witnessed
happening to Jesus.
Jesus.
They were there
during His arrest.
They saw at least
something of the beatings
and the mockery,
and they saw Him
hanging on the cross.
They bore testimony
to His death
and to His burial.
Couple that with the grief
that they would undoubtedly
experience,
knowing that they had
failed Jesus
when He needed them most.
So remember,
there were three
who were invited
to watch and pray,
and instead they slept.
When Jesus was arrested,
they all ran
and left Him alone,
and Peter,
under pressure,
denied knowing Jesus
and being one
of His followers.
And as if that wasn't enough,
there is also that sense
of grief that we get
in the accounts
of the Gospels
at the sense of hope
that they have lost
because Jesus has died.
So Luke records
a couple of Jesus' followers
on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus comes to them.
They don't know who He is.
And they say in conversation,
well, we hoped
He was the one
to redeem Israel.
The implication,
hope is gone
because the Redeemer
has died.
How can the Messiah
suffer and die
was a question
they had always wrestled with,
and now they are still
living with a sense
of grief
because they think
the movement is gone
and hope is lost.
So that first Sunday evening,
there is a real storm
of emotions going on
in their hearts.
They are deeply
troubled people.
But into that scene
once again,
the risen Jesus appears
and three times
speaks peace.
Again, a demonstration
of the wonderful love,
the patience,
the compassion of Jesus.
He doesn't come
pointing His finger.
Why did you run?
Why did you abandon me?
He speaks peace.
Verse 19,
when the disciples
were together
with the doors locked
for fear of the Jewish leaders,
Jesus came and stood
among them and said,
peace be with you.
Verse 21,
Jesus said,
peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me,
I am sending you.
And again in verse 26,
when they're still
behind locked doors,
Jesus came and said,
peace be with you.
Peace.
I am really alive.
You can have peace
because your failure
is not the final word
on your life.
There is peace
because your life
has purpose.
And there is that promise
that Jesus would always
be with His followers
by the Spirit.
There is peace
that Jesus gives.
He'd made that promise
at least a couple of times.
So for example,
John 16,
verse 33,
shortly before His arrest,
I have told you
these things
so that in me
you may have peace.
In this world
you will have trouble,
but take heart,
I have overcome the world.
Now He has overcome.
Now He will be
the source of their peace.
Now He will make good
on that promise.
These words
become a partner
to His words on the cross,
it is finished.
Jesus has come
on a mission,
a mission to make peace
between God and humanity
by way of sacrifice,
that we would be reconciled
by the way of the cross.
And Jesus,
now that He has finished
that work,
can bring that peace
to troubled hearts
and troubled lives.
Notice that John again
records for us
that this is happening
on the first day
of the week.
John reminds us
over and over
by God's design,
Easter Sunday
represents a new beginning,
new creation.
Jesus' resurrection
is the start
of new creation life.
Paul will speak
about Him
as the first fruit.
And it's a new beginning
and there's new life
because Jesus has done
what He came to do.
He has made peace
by His blood shed
on the cross.
He is the answer
to the great human problem
that emerged
all the way back
at the beginning
in Genesis 3.
Human guilt
and human sin.
Adam and Eve
believing the lie,
thinking badly
of God's character,
turning their back
on God.
And God's answer
all the way
in Genesis 3
and indeed all the way
back in eternity past
was that He would provide
a sacrifice
to make peace.
There was the promise
even to Adam and Eve
of one who would come
who would suffer
in order to save us.
The only way
to true peace,
to have peace with God,
to have peace of conscience,
to have true peace
with others,
is through
the finished work
of Jesus.
And Jesus,
having done His work,
comes to His disciples
and brings peace.
peace.
This word peace,
the Hebrew word shalom,
is much more than
a greeting.
Sometimes it's used
as a greeting
and it's much more
than the ending of wars.
It's the idea
of wholeness
and flourishing.
It has the idea
of knowing
that we are at home
and we belong
and we're part
of the family.
There's that deep sense
of well-being.
The complete reconciliation
that Jesus brings
through His work
on the cross
brings a complete
flourishing
to His people.
So we can have
this deep
and lasting peace
because
Jesus has
gone through
that Easter journey.
He has died
and He has risen again.
He has put the relationship
between us
and God right.
And so Jesus
continues to speak
peace to troubled hearts.
I am doing
all things well.
I am the one
who can make you whole.
I am the one
who will bring you home.
I will bring you
into what you
and I were created for.
That deep peace,
that deep rest
of life with God.
When we think about
this message
that Jesus brings,
I think we recognize
what a gift this is
for the times
in which we live,
often known as
the age of anxiety.
There are so many reports
that say we've never
had it so good
in terms of our possessions,
but yet there is
much less happiness.
We have a greater
sense of freedom.
We can be much more
mobile and travel
and change our jobs
however many times
we want,
but there is at the same time
less satisfaction
and greater anxiety.
For many people,
they're living
with a sense of guilt,
but there is nowhere
to go with it.
And into that confusion,
Jesus would come
and speak peace.
In our own stories of faith,
I wonder how many of us
have discovered
this wonderful gift.
It's in the storms of life
that we become
profoundly aware
of how significant it is
to have God with us,
to have Jesus come
and to say,
do not fear,
I am with you,
bringing us His peace.
Jesus brings good news
in His death
and resurrection,
and because the sin barrier
that separates us
from God
has been broken down
by God's grace,
we are truly reconciled
and we can live by faith
each day
enjoying God's peace.
So, the impact
of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus
is peace
for troubled people.
But it's more than that.
As we go on
in the story,
we see it's also mission
for fearful people.
I think one of the vital questions
that I guess historians,
church historians,
love to wrestle with
is how do you explain
the growth of the church?
It's a really interesting question.
Well, I think it's
a really interesting question.
You know, how do you move
from a small number
of believers,
so small that they can fit
into a single upper room,
that they can,
within just a few centuries,
go global
and come to dominate
the Roman Empire?
And all of that
in the context
of conflict
and battle
of frequent persecutions
from the Roman Empire
in those early days.
How did it happen?
Operating as a minority,
operating as exiles,
being so different
from the society
around them,
but somehow
turning this society
upside down
by preaching
the risen Jesus
as Lord,
being willing
to live for Him
and to die for Him?
How do we explain it?
And when we come
to a text like this,
the question becomes
even more pressing
because we look
and we think,
well,
the raw materials
are not very promising.
Here is a group
of believers.
Here are the leaders
of the church.
Verse 19,
where do we find them?
We find them
with the doors locked
for fear
of the Jewish leaders.
And it's the same
again in verse 26.
They are in hiding.
They are fearful.
Now, Jesus said to them,
you are the light
of the world,
but the disciples
are trying to hide
their light
under a basket
behind closed doors.
So, what is the event
that is going to shake
the church
with sufficient impact
that it will move them
out to boldly
proclaim Jesus as Lord,
to live for Him
in such a way
that these communities
of believers
would be recognized
as the people of Christ
and be so different
that they would draw
all kinds of people
into that community
and into faith in Jesus?
What explains it?
The only plausible explanation
is the resurrection,
that Jesus truly rose
from the dead
and the impact of that
as they believed then
that all His promises,
all that He said
about Himself were true,
that He is the ultimate
good news for the world.
That and that alone
explains the existence,
never mind the growth,
of the church.
And so, here we come
to this point
where the risen Jesus
comes and speaks with them
and He shares three truths
about the mission
of the church,
which are hugely significant
then and for us today.
perhaps we can identify
with the disciples
having that sense
of being fearful
about mission,
perhaps enjoying
the comfort and security
of, you know,
being behind closed doors.
What is it that will move us
into this community,
into this city
with a sense of mission
for Jesus?
Well, let's look at
verses 21 to 23.
After Jesus showed them
His hands and His side,
the disciples were overjoyed.
When they saw the Lord again,
Jesus said,
Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me,
I am sending you.
So, here's the first
important thing.
It's Jesus' authority.
It's this idea of sending.
So, notice first
that Jesus was sent
by the Father.
Jesus was the ultimate
man on a mission.
He understood His purpose.
And so, we see Him
always obeying,
always seeking the glory
of His Father,
coming deliberately
to complete His task,
which is to live
a perfect life
and then to suffer
and die
in the place of sinners
that we might be
forgiven and saved.
And now,
this one who was sent
by the Father says,
I am sending you.
And so,
the disciples
and the church,
we go under the authority
of Jesus our King.
And that's important.
I think it's important
in our age
because sometimes
we can have the impression
that if we share
the gospel with someone,
it might seem
that we are being intolerant.
You know,
everyone's entitled
to their own belief.
And that's true.
But it's really important
that we are faithful
to King Jesus
who tells us
to go and bring good news.
But it also reminds us
as well
that Jesus is the one
with authority
in this mission.
He is the one
who will save people.
He is the one
who builds His church.
Our responsibility
is to be faithful,
to do what we are called
to do,
to use our spiritual gifts,
to be committed
to praying,
to be committed
to seeking the welfare
of the church,
to look to live
as His witnesses,
to tell others
about His glory
and His goodness.
But Jesus has authority
over the church
and over the mission
of the church.
And that's something
that's really important,
I think,
when we think about
the whole idea of mission.
So there's Jesus' authority.
The second thing
that we see in verse 22,
also essential,
is He talks about the Spirit,
Jesus' Spirit.
And there's that idea
of breathing.
Verse 22,
with that He breathed
on them and said,
receive the Holy Spirit.
This breathing
seems to be some kind
of like an acted
sort of parable
or a sign.
I think taking us back
to a couple of passages
in the Old Testament,
one of which we read.
In Genesis 2,
if you know
the account of creation,
God forms the man,
Adam,
from the ground
and then He breathes
life into the man.
Our God is a life-giving God.
And then we read
Ezekiel 37,
God breathing life
into the dry bones.
And so here,
we're being reminded
that Jesus is
the life-giving Lord.
And He gives life
by sending the Spirit.
And we see what happens
when the Spirit comes
in the book of Acts
and in the history
of the church
and in our own lives.
that when the Spirit comes,
He brings new birth.
When the Spirit comes,
He brings new power.
When the Spirit comes,
we enjoy the presence
of Jesus
and the Father
with us.
And we have this wonderful thing
anticipated by Jesus
that the same Spirit
that came and anointed Jesus
at His baptism,
the same Spirit
that filled and empowered
the Lord Jesus
to do His mission on earth
is the same Spirit
that is now gifted
to His people.
There's a wonderful promise
for our mission
when we feel fearful.
We don't do it
in our own strength.
We do it in the strength
that Jesus provides
by the Spirit.
And the last thing about
the Spirit,