April 27 – Sermon
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, through Your death and resurrection, You not only defeated sin and the powers of death and evil – You came to us, to break through our locked minds, overcoming our reservations, calling us to follow You in newness of life. Lord, please keep raising us from selfish attitudes, empower us with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The empty tomb shocked and troubled the disciples. They had spent the day confused, trying to determine what the events of the empty tomb meant. They were certain of one thing: Their lives had changed and they were afraid.
The disciples hid behind locked doors. They heard Mary’s report that she had seen the Lord but were skeptical to say the least. They still feared the Jewish authorities—who might have chosen to eliminate all of Jesus’ followers. They may have even been afraid to see Jesus. After all, they had abandoned Him after His arrest and denied Him just like Peter did. Fear immobilized the disciples.
It’s humiliating to admit that fear controls our lives and determines the course of action we might take. We fear strangers. We live behind locked doors. We are kept in our little worlds because of our fear of the unknown.
We become so focused on our own security we can’t see the mission to which we are called. The promise of this text is that Jesus cannot be stopped by our locked “doors”. Jesus comes to us as He did to the first disciples, right in the midst of our fear, pain, doubt, and confusion. He comes speaking peace, breathing into our anxious lives the breath of the Holy Spirit.
Locked doors were not a barrier to Jesus as He appeared in the midst of His disciples.
Courage is thought to be the opposite of fear. We may even think that Jesus should have given the disciples courage to overcome fear. He does not. Instead, He gives them peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not limited to the absence of conflict. Jesus’ peace is a wholistic peace that comes from the Holy Spirit with the presence of Jesus as He had promised– to be with us always until the end of the world.
Countless people face daunting health issues yet experience a peace that passes all understanding because of Christ with them.
Many others experience overwhelming financial and vocational upheavals but have been able to walk through those times because of God’s presence and the peace that only He provides.
Christians have always faced what seems to be insurmountable situations. Our inability to influence the outcome doesn’t mean we should throw in the towel. It is crucial that we don’t allow the news—and, more specifically, the fear and angst it generates—to make us hide in fear.
Toward the end of Christ’s ministry, His disciples asked what signs would precede the end times (Matthew 24:5–9). Jesus’s response has resulted in far too many attempts to find evidence of His return at the expense of sharing the Gospel.
In our discussion of current events, the political and economic forecast doesn’t sound very optimistic, which places many lives at risk. Are we as Christians focused on Jesus or are we wringing our hands in fear wondering what we should do?
We say we believe that God is in control yet how often do we try to micromanage Him? One commentary I read said: “Present day conversations for many Christians sound like the complaints of the Israelites being led our of Egypt.”
Jesus shared the teaching about false prophets, wars and rumors of war, famine, and natural disasters. So why are we surprised? For Christians, there are only two ways such troubling events can end. Either they will cease, or they will result in Christ’s return, and both outcomes are good news for us.
God’s goal is that when the world seems like it’s falling apart, that His people won’t. Instead, we should continue to proclaim Jesus as Lord as we prepare for the day when Christ will return.
Our peace is not connected to our personal strength, it comes through our reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. Our peace is not dependent upon our intelligence, not even the depth of our faith, or the determination of our personality. Our peace is based on the love, grace, and presence of God.
It is amazing how Christians have made the gospel self-serving and self-centered. Many Christians read about Jesus and believe that the peace Jesus gives is for them alone; God has blessed them so they can enjoy an abundant affluent life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Once the disciples received peace through the presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sent them out just as God the Father had done. God the Father sent Jesus to earth to proclaim God’s message of love for humanity. Jesus sent out His disciples to continue that ministry. There is an unbroken link from God to Christ, then to the disciples and then to the world. The Holy Spirit represents the ongoing presence of God within the lives of Jesus’ disciples.
We too are sent out—some further than others. Some to other continents…others sent to our families, our neighborhood, or our place of employment. The important thing is that we understand that we are sent. We are on a mission wherever we are to share God’s love and grace and to bear witness to what God has done in our lives.
The stakes of our witness have never been higher. Our world desperately needs the Gospel-witness to Christ that we bear.
Please pray that the Holy Spirit would empower our clear witness to Jesus as light to those who live in the darkness of this present age.
It’s okay to be somewhat apprehensive but not to let fear be the center of our attention and the influence of our lives. Jesus breaks down the doors (excuses) that we hide behind, and gives us the Holy Spirit and peace, and then sends us out to carry on His ministry. Christ has risen!
