He Meets Us Right Where We Are
First B Jackson
2022-04-11

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Check one two. Are you all set there, mister Blake? Alright. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Monday night.

How was break? Okay. And hey, a big thank you. Can we give a hand to Don Lachshaw's small group? So we've got Don and Debbie and Diana and Laurie.

Just so much appreciated. What a great meal. Thank you so much. And yesterday, being Easter Sunday, I I'd like to stick with the resurrection theme. And so I wanna go to John 20 tonight, and it's conversation style.

But before we get there, can we stand and worship in song and just give God praise? Lord, as we sing that song, I'm thinking about the implications of your death and resurrection and what that means. It means your promises are true. It means you can be trusted. It means that you've defeated the power of death and hell in the grave.

It means that we have eternal life as we trust in you. It means that we have life abundant in you. And, Lord, would these things would would you, Holy Spirit, would would you and recall these things that would they they we can rest on them and recall them and remember them throughout our just everyday life. Thank you. The resurrection means everything.

God, would you remind us daily of it? In Jesus name, amen. And alright. We're how is everybody? How how was your Easter yesterday?

Yesterday was so wonderful for for me. Worship was great. The message was wonderful. We call them funeral potatoes at our house. Do do do you do that?

Funeral potatoes with a a ham? It's just like yeah. That's what we call them at our place. Funeral potatoes? Okay.

Church potatoes? Okay. Alright. Boy. Cheesy potatoes, I guess.

Alright. Sorry. Boy, I don't know of what family I grew up in. But, anyway, we're on to John we're at John 20. I wanna cover the whole chapter tonight.

It's that good. This is g this is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And, Blake, would you mind if I just give you a little finger pistols here and, to change the slides? The foundation of our faith, and you know this, but how about some review? Because this is important.

The foundation of our faith is that Jesus lived, died, rose, and reigns. That's what we believe. We believe that he lived a perfect life, a a life with no sin debt of his own, and that he died a sacrificial death, taking our sin debt on himself. Nailing it to the cross. Colossians says, canceling the record of the charges against us.

So it's a it's a huge deal that Jesus was crucified. In other words, he died in our place for our sins. And I know you know this, but let's hear it again. Let's hear this again. That he was raised to life by the power of God after three days in the tomb.

That's why we make such a big deal about that yesterday that he reigns in heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. Romans eight says this, and this is really powerful that he's interceding for us there. Isn't that amazing? Like a defense lawyer on our behalf. So with all that information right there, what do we do with it?

What is the most important thing that we do with it? Our job is to believe it. Our job is to believe it. And by believing in him, we have eternal life. That's what makes a Christian a Christian.

Number one, it is belief. The works follow, but we don't work to be saved. We work because we are saved. We know this, but let's just hear it again because it's that important. What makes a Christian a Christian is believing in the finished work of Jesus that when Jesus said this from the cross oh, thanks, Blake.

When Jesus said from the cross nope. Sorry. No go. It is finished. There was no doubt about it that Jesus did absolutely everything that was required to reconcile us to God.

Like, we broke the relationship with God, and Jesus repaired it by his work on the cross, his life, death, and resurrection. Our work is to believe it. That's the good news of the the gospel, that Jesus overcame death, hell, and the grave to reconcile us, to bring us back, to repair that relationship that we've lost with God. The good news of the gospel is he lives. He's alive.

We serve a risen savior. And because he lives this is one of my favorites here, 1419. Because he lives, we also live. That is one of my favorite verses. It is short but profound.

And then another one that I love is first John five twelve. Jesus says, whoever has the son has life. Whoever does not have God's son does not have life. In him is life. God wants us to know death is not the end for a believer in Christ.

All had once loved ones that have passed away but have known Jesus, put their faith and trust in Jesus. They passed from life to life. How do we know this? Well, Jesus says it right here in John eleven twenty five that he is the resurrection and the life anyone who believes in him will live even after dying. This is our sure and certain hope.

This is why the resurrection is that great. We can be sure and certain sure and certain that when we take our last breath, we will forever be with the Lord. Because he lives, we also live. That's that's the gospel. That's why I love the gospel.

That's why I'm celebrating. Whether I'm employed here at first be as a pastor or not, that's why I'm here on Sunday morning and praising and taking these messages. I believe it wholeheartedly. The heading in my Bible is Jesus raises from the dead. And what what I love about this message, the approach that I'm gonna take here is well, number one, this is not just for Easter.

And we know this, but I just wanna say it again. This is not just for Easter. This is an everyday message. We're everyday Easter people. And and this message is what gave the disciples hope and courage and confidence and peace to go into the world with Jesus' message of love and forgiveness.

This is what gives us today, right now, hope and courage and confidence and peace as we are going with Jesus' message of love and forgiveness. So let's go ahead and read it. It's John chapter 21 through 31. It's wonderful. I'll pause here and there, but let's just take it in.

Hear the Easter message. Early on Sunday morning so Jesus was placed in the tomb on Friday night. It's now Sunday morning. It's the third day, just as Jesus said. Just like he said.

Just like he he told his disciples. Just as the scriptures predicted. While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Now that's alarming. That's a heavy stone.

That's a very heavy stone rolled over. That's not supposed to move, and it was moved. So she ran and she found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and she said, they've taken the Lord's body out of the tomb. We don't know where we've where we've put him. Verse three, Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb.

And while they're both running, I like this. I I find it so funny that he includes this in here. But the other disciple outran Peter, and he reached the tomb first. Apparently, John was faster, maybe younger. I don't know, but I just find it funny that he included that.

And he stooped in, and he looked, and he saw the linen wrapping wrappings lying there. Just the wrappings. K? Nobody in them. Just the wrappings.

But he didn't go in. Alright? Then Simon Peter arrived, and he went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there. While the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.

So obviously, taken off, folded, set apart. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first, John, also went in, and he saw and he believed. For until then, they hadn't understood the scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. And what's wonderful right now is we're studying this in Mark, and we're seeing Jesus tell the disciples exactly what's gonna happen. Yep.

Gonna be crucified, dead, buried, risen. It happened. When they went home, Mary verse 10. Then they went home. Verse 11.

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying. And as she wept, she she stooped and looked in. And she saw two white robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot. Can you imagine this? Of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.

Verse 13. Dear woman, why are you crying? The angels asked her. Because they've taken away my Lord, she replied, and I don't know where they've put him. And she turned to leave and saw someone standing there.

It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. Dear woman, why are you crying? Jesus asked. Who are you looking for? She thought he was the gardener.

Sir, she said, if you've taken him away, tell me where you've put him, and I'll go and get him. 16. Mary, Jesus said. And she turned, and she cried out, Rabboni, which is Hebrew for teacher. Don't cling to me, Jesus said, for I have haven't yet ascended to the father, but go find my brothers and tell them, I'm ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God.

Mary Magdalene found the disciples, and she told them, I've seen the Lord. Then she gave them his message. Verse 19. That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. So just note that emotion for a moment.

They were afraid. Mary was mourning. K? These are very human emotions that we experience, And I want you to see tonight how Jesus meets us in our in in in all those experiences. But just take note of it, please, would you?

Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side, and they were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. There's another one. Again, he said, peace be with you.

As the father sent me, so I'm sending you. And then he breathed on them, and he said, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. One of the 12 disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, he was not with the others when Jesus came.

So he wasn't in the room at all. And they told him, we've seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands and put my fingers into them. So there's another human response there too, doubt. We'll take a mental note of that one. And place my hand into the wound in his side.

Eight days later, the disciples were all together again. This time, Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. Again, peace be with you. And then he said to Thomas, put your finger here and look at my hands and put your hand into the wound in my side.

Don't be faithless any longer. Believe. Listen to his response. My Lord and my God, Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, you believe because you have seen me.

Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in additions to the one recorded in this book, But these are written here so you go, okay. Why was John written? Here he says it right here. These are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and by believing in him, you will have life by the power of his name.

So there is all John chapter 20. May I pray first, share a few thoughts, and and then open up for conversation at the end? Lord, thank you for the good news of the gospel. It truly is good news. You have risen.

You are alive. You are alive and well, and you're alive and well in us. Thank you. God, may this reading encourage us. May it affirm what what many of us already know.

And and if if any of us here are seeking God, may it teach, admonish, encourage, strengthen our faith. In Jesus' name. Amen. By the way, I love John's account of the resurrection so much. It is so good.

And and what stood out to me most in this reading of it is just how personal how personal it is that these followers of Jesus really loved him. You can tell they were brokenhearted at his death, and then that sorrow turned to joy when they met him arisen. It makes me think of his his words in John sixteen thirty three. He says, guys, here on earth, you'll have many trials and sorrows. How many of us have trials and sorrows?

Right? Every one of us in this room. Right? We don't ignore them. We don't pretend that they're not there.

They exist. But so does this. Take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. That also exists. That's what helps us to overcome our trials.

I wanna highlight his interactions, when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and to Thomas. And, and I think that that if we look and listen closely here, we're we're gonna find ourselves in the story in one way or another. So beginning with Mary Magdalene, she's the first one there on a on a Sunday morning. And to me, that speaks of her love and her devotion. She missed him.

Jesus meant that much to her, and she mourned his death. And what's worse is she thought that someone stole his body. I mean, this just had to be terrible. Just an awful feeling for for her. But verse 12, this is great.

Two angels were there to comfort her. I love that that that God's ministers and messengers bring comfort to Mary at that time. Why are you crying? And in verse 14, Jesus asked her the same, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?

In 16, this is what this is what really gets me. He just calls her by name. By name. He knows her name. He knows your name.

And she recognized his voice. Isn't that awesome? And and chapter 10 is what comes to mind when I hear that. When Jesus says he's the good shepherd, he said it says, he calls his sheep by name, and they follow him. Why?

Because they know his voice. Jesus calls Mary by name, and she responded because she knew his voice. I just think that is so beautiful. Real life application. If we listen to Jesus' words in scripture, we don't need an audible voice.

Sure. An audible voice from God would be wonderful. But when we hear Jesus' words from in scripture, we will get to know his voice, and we will hear him when he's calling. The Holy Spirit will make it evident. And when he tells her in verse 17, go and tell the others, he gives her a message.

That's what she does. She does. And I like this little evangelism plan here, by the way. She saw, she believed, and then she told others about it. Like, isn't that just such a wonderful little evangelism plan for all of us?

I I let's walk away with that tonight. She she saw, she believed, she put her trust, and and then she shared. She went. After that, he appeared to his disciples in his glorified body. He walked through locked doors.

So I don't know how it is. I just know that it is because the scripture tells us. And his first words to them were, peace be with you. That one also gets me. God's gift of wholeness to you.

What a great greeting, by the way. Extending peace toward them. No hard feelings. And and there could have been hard feelings. I mean, really, they fell asleep.

Remember when he was agonizing in the guard? They fell asleep. They ran away. He was denied by them. And he comes back, and the first words out of his mouth are, peace be with you.

Man, does that not show that the Lord loves his people so much? He offers them peace, God's gift of wholeness. And I love that so many of the New Testament letters begin and end with grace and peace because that's what Jesus offered. They're just being modeled after what they learned from Jesus. Verse 20.

He shows them the wounds. I love this. You know, they're wondering, is this for real? He shows them the wounds. His hands, his side, he wanted them to know it's really him.

He's not a ghost. They're not imagining this. And it says they were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. There's a human emotion that Jesus met them in. And I can only imagine he was declared dead.

He was sealed in a tomb, like dead dead. And now he's standing among them. He walked through the walls. Like, he's talking to them. In verse 21, he says it again.

Peace be with you. It's like Jesus really does want his disciples and us today to have peace, his gift of wholeness. But then look at this. Right away, John records that Jesus says, as the father sent me, I'm sending you. So he shows up, gives them peace be with you, and then it's, guys, I'm sending you now.

They've got a mission. He's sending them out. Verse 22, and then he breathed on them, and he said, receive the Holy Spirit. These imperfect disciples who I mean, behind locked doors, obviously, they were afraid. And Jesus goes, I've got a message for you to give to the world.

As imperfect as you are, I've got a mission for you. It are we is this resonating with us, church? As imperfect as we are, Jesus says, church, I've got something for you to share with the world as imperfect as we are. Jesus had been preparing them for this in 1416. The advocate, the helper would teach them, remind them, lead them into truth.

That's what he's giving them, the Holy Spirit to convict and convince and now is empowering them to go on this spirit filled mission. Praise God for the Holy Spirit. Verse 23. If you forgive anyone's sins, they're forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they're not forgiven.

Okay. So I believe the best interpretation of this verse using the whole context of scripture, is Jesus is telling the disciples to proclaim God's message of love and forgiveness to the world. So they didn't have the authority to forgive sins. God alone forgives sins. And and we we see that from the healing of the paralytic in Mark two.

Jesus says, your sins are forgiven. The disciples' message, our message, is to proclaim it is so. Jesus forgives sins. Trust his finished work on the cross to do that. A great example of this, I think, is, Peter in acts chapter 10.

I have it right up here on the screen. He says, everyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name. Through his name. And and Peter had firsthand experience of this. Jesus forgave him after after Peter denied Jesus, and Peter's message was to proclaim it and also practice it, forgiving others as Christ forgave them.

And that's what we're to do. It's 24 20 '5. Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared, and so his reaction is, I'm not I won't believe it. I will not believe it unless I see it. And fair enough.

I get Thomas. I get it. I think I would have been him in that in that situation too. But isn't it awesome? Here it is again.

Jesus was willing to embrace his doubt. He met him in his doubt. So we see Jesus meeting Mary in her grief. We see Jesus meeting the disciples in their fear. We see him meet their disciples in their joy and elation.

We see Jesus meet Thomas here in his doubt. I think there's a message here about Jesus meeting us right where we are at and able to handle all the emotions that he gave us, including doubt being one of them. Real life application, Jesus can handle our doubts. And what's more is that doubt is what led to belief. Isn't that great, though, too?

Like, the doubt that he had, that actually proved to benefit him, and it led to belief. We'll see that in a minute. We'll see that in a minute. Verse 26, peace be with you. That's the third time that Jesus has said this to his disciples.

Now it's, again, it's like Jesus really wants us to have peace. And then 27, he says to Thomas, put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand in the wound on my side. Don't be faithless any longer.

Believe. And Thomas' proclamation here, his response, my lord and my God. Do we see in the New Testament anything as profound as that? Just so direct and so exuberant. Does that praise to him, My lord and my God.

So sincere. 29, then Jesus told him, you believe because you've seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. Future generations like us sitting in this room, we didn't have the privilege of being able to witness the things that the disciples did. We believe without seeing.

And I love this verse in in first Peter. Let this encourage us. You love him even though you've never seen him. Does that resonate with anybody in this room? Because I I I I feel this verse right here.

You love him even though you've never seen him. And though you do not see him now, you trust him, and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Amen to that. Blessed are those who believe without seeing. And then wrapping up with, thirty and thirty one.

The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded, but they're written so that we would continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and that by believing in him. Again, John is the gospel of belief. That is the most important thing that we can do is to believe his message. By believing in him, we'll have life by the power of his name. So I wanna end there tonight.

But, again, what struck me in this chapter is just how personal it really is, That Jesus met all of his followers just right where they're at in their grief, in their fear, in their doubt, and their joy. And Jesus meets us right where we're He does. And he doesn't just meet us where we're at. God has given us a purpose. He's given us a Holy Spirit filled mission to proclaim his message of love and forgiveness in word and deed.

In word and deed. And may I say, I think that the world around us really is looking Yes. We do need to hear the message, but we need to see the message. We need to see that message in the life of the church. Use words only when necessary.

Have you heard that before? So that's the good word tonight from John chapter 20. And you've heard from me, but I'd like to open it up, to you. If there's a verse that struck you from John chapter 20, an event, the event here, the resurrection, a little word of encouragement. I wanna give you the the chance to to share.

And if you don't, that's okay. That's okay too. The word has spoken for itself. But before you do, can I pray again? God, the good news, it really is good news.

You have risen. You are alive. And because you live, we also live. Lord, just as you appeared to Mary Magdalene and the disciples and meeting them right where they're at in their doubt, in their fear, in their sorrow, in their joy. Thank you, God, for meeting us where we're at.

And, Lord, can we just say right now, would you meet us where we're at? Can that be our prayer to you tonight, right now to say, God, would you meet me where I'm at? And wherever you're at in this room, I don't know, but the Lord knows your heart. He knows exactly what you're going through. He knows just where you are, and he knows just what you need.

And so, Lord, with that, would we yield to you, hear your voice? When you say peace be with you? God, would we receive that this this evening? As you're telling us, peace be with you. God's gift of wholeness to you.

Don't fear. Don't fret. Don't worry. I'm with you. Thank you.

In Jesus' name, amen. Alright. Would anybody have, have a thought, a comment, favorite verse from John chapter 20, that that you'd like to share? Can I open it up to you? Amen.

Amen. Yep. Well said. Thank you for sharing that, Blake. Yep.

Anybody else have a comment from John chapter 20 on the resurrection? Jesus' interaction with the disciples? Yeah. Yep. It is.

Yep. It is. It's not something that we can produce on our own. It's something that God gives. And as we exercise it, it grows.

It's like kinda like a muscle. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful thing. Amen. And I again, I just I want to say it again because it it's just amazing to me is for Jesus to be in the room with all these very, very imperfect people with emotions that are here and there and everywhere and doubt and fear and, you know, all those kind of things.

But he immediately gives us this this this spirit filled mission to make him known. God truly does want to use broken people to reach other broken people to make himself known. It's just how he works. It's not about it's not about us. It really isn't at all.

But anything special that we've done, it it really is about the work of Jesus. The work of Jesus is that good. It really is that good and that effective. It's the good news. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

Texas, I brought two pieces of pie with me. They were my backpack, so I took that, and I had, like, $7 in cash. And I went in, and I gave it to her. And she said, oh, thank you. You know, you're I think she said, you're such an angel or something.

And I said, oh, no. No. No. I said, this isn't me. This is God.

I'm just the I'm just the steward. I'm just the vessel. And she said, can you tell me about God? And I said, absolutely. And so we visited for, quite a little bit.

And by the time I left, she said, well, how do I I said, God will get you where you need to go. You just have to know that he's gonna see you through and he'll get you where you need to go. And she said, well, how will he do that? And I said, well, you just you put your faith in Jesus. You ask Jesus to come into your heart and he'll guide your life and he'll guide your your path, and he'll get you get you through whatever you need.

And, so I she said, asked me to pray with her. Wow. And so I did. And she just she accepted Jesus right there. And, you know, she was she was going north and or she was going south and I was going north.

So it was, just like thirty minutes. But, you know, God put you in the place that you need to be. And sometimes we think we need to go and we need to tell our friends or we need to tell political leaders or we need to tell a specific type of person. But sometimes he puts you in with really the least of these, someone who was just struggling and has saw no light at the end of the tunnel. And I was put in a place that I could at least give some hope and a piece of pie.

Amen. Thank you for sharing that, Barb. Love it. That there it is. This we we see.

We believe. We share. There it is in in in real life. Real life. Mhmm.

Best story I've heard tonight. Besides the resurrection here, of course. Right? Can we stand together and sing one more song? Resurrection power.

Amen. And I let's end with this one for first Peter one eight, that you love him even though you've never seen him. And though you do not see him, now you trust him. And you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Lord, may we carry that joy with us, experiencing the the freedom that you offer us, but, also, God, being very conscious of the spirit filled ambition that you're sending us on, to take your love and forgiveness into the world.

God, would you help us? Would you empower us? In Jesus' name. Amen.