Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday
We have something great to celebrate today, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. His resurrection gives credibility to our faith. As Paul said, “If Christ was not raised from the dead your faith is worthless.” The resurrection of Christ sets Christianity apart from all other religions. No other religion has made this claim and supported it with the evidence that we have at our disposal. Christ was seen by many people after the resurrection. He did not ascend into heaven until he had been seen by more than 500 people. He did not hide himself from the people but lived among them in his glorified form. We have a sure foundation for our beliefs because of the resurrection. Christ predicted he would die but would rise again after 3 days. His words were fulfilled and because of this we are able to look back at everything he said and taught and have the same assurance that it is true. Though we obviously were not eye witnesses to the resurrection there is sufficient proof from the accounts of others that Christ did indeed rise from the dead. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe but have not seen.” You probably would not be here today if you were not already convinced that Christ has indeed risen from the dead. And because you believe in the resurrection you have the hope and assurance that one day you will also leave this earthly body and take on a new glorified body that will carry us into eternity. So we long and wait for that day when we will be changed and enter into the new life Christ has for us. But until that day comes for each one of us we have this time given to us on earth to proclaim the gospel to a lost world.
On the day of Christ’s resurrection he made a point of visiting the disciples who were behind closed doors, living in fear of the Jews. They feared for their lives. Their leader had been brutally crucified and you have to think that they thought they were next. The promise Jesus had made to them did not sink in or they would have been like Mary who went to visit the grave early in the morning. Instead they were scared, perhaps confused and disappointed. I can imagine that their conversations behind closed doors were filled with many doubts about Jesus and they probably questioned themselves as to why they left their jobs and followed him for 3 years. Let’s read the account in John 20:19-23
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Jesus knew that the disciples had doubts and fears and he came to them. He did not rebuke them, chide them or scorn them for hiding behind closed doors. Instead he came to them, met them where they were and spoke to the deep needs of their hearts. His first words to them were, “Peace be with you.” This was not just a common greeting but was Christ conferring on them all the benefits of his death and resurrection. Christ had made peace with God through the sacrifice of his body for the sins of mankind. The greatest issue anyone will ever face, the sin that separates us from God was dealt with by Jesus on the cross. Christ made peace through the power of the cross. The disciples could now enter into a new relationship of peace with God. But this peace was also to be among them. Prior to his death the disciples were discussing who would be given the positions of power in the coming reign of Jesus. I am sure it was not a jovial conversation but was one of great intensity and feelings. Perhaps they had feelings of remorse for their actions or lack of actions that led to the crucifixion of Christ. They were not at peace with themselves nor with each other. But Christ comes to them and he speaks peace to them. I wonder if they remembered when he spoke peace to the raging waters of the Sea of Galilee and everything turned calm. His words brought peace to their hearts just like his words calmed the waters. Have you ever had Christ speak a word to you when you were discouraged, confused, feeling guilty or fearful? He can do the same thing for you today. One word from Jesus can make all the difference in the world to your attitude and outlook. He can bring peace instantly to us. I remember when I was contemplating leaving my job to pursue missions full time and how difficult it was at times to feel confident that I was doing the right thing. One of my major concerns was my daughter and how she would be affected. She is an only child and at the time was 16 years old. I was concerned for her more than anything else but one day in prayer the Lord spoke to me and said he would take care of her. Hearing those words brought tremendous peace to my heart and I could move forward in faith to pursue what God has place in my heart. Often times God sends one of his servants to bring us a word of peace. The Holy Spirit can give a word of wisdom or knowledge or discernment to someone who will speak into your life and bring peace to your mind. They may not know anything about your situation but God gives them a word to share with you that does not mean anything to them but everything to you. One of the students in our DTS had struggled with feelings of inferiority. One day she was thinking about how special people felt when they received roses. That week of our school we were talking about Supernatural ministry and one of the teachers received a word from the Lord to share with her. He said to her, “God told me to tell you that you are a rose to him.” He did not know her struggles with her self image but the word he shared with her touched her heart and brought peace.
Maybe you are here this morning and you need to receive peace in your heart because of what you are facing. I believe God can speak a word of peace to you today, a word that can change everything for you. He wants you to enjoy the full benefits of what Christ has accomplished through his death on the cross and resurrection. “Peace be unto you.”
The second thing that Jesus does is confirm their purpose. “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Jesus was reconfirming the mission that had already been given to them. All the training they had gone through with him was for this purpose: to be sent out to proclaim the gospel that they were just now beginning to understand clearly. It would take more days of waiting before they would officially be released to do the work but Jesus made it clear to them that their ministry was not going to be one of hiding behind closed doors. He was sending them out with his authority to change the world. Christ needed the disciples and the disciples needed Christ to carry out the mission. The disciples’ purpose and our purpose have not changed. Christ is sending us out to the nations to proclaim the gospel message.
Guatemala needs to hear the gospel message, only 27% of the population are evangelical Christians according to a survey conducted in 2001. But of that 27% that claim to be believers there are possibly less than half who are really living lives that truly reflect that they are believers. Among the Quiche only 11 % are considered to be true believers and among the Mam only 4%. The gospel needs to be proclaimed and modeled among the people. I read where one ministry is sending teams of 10 believers to Africa as missionaries to live among the people and disciple them daily for a period of 3 years. They see the need for people to live out the gospel and teach new believers how to truly be a disciple of Christ. It is a costly decision but the fruit of their efforts I believe will be life changing and will impact the entire community.
Jesus is still sending people out because the need is still there. There are still many who have not heard the gospel message and do not have viable church in their community. The ends of the earth were the places Jesus had not yet gone and that is where he was sending the disciples. David Barrett has tracked 14,000 people groups to see which ones have access to the gospel. He has divided them into 3 groups: A,B,C.
“World C” Christianity is part of the culture and available to all.
”World B “have the Bible translated, have access to the gospel and a viable church is present but not to the degree of "World C"
World A” 1.3 billion have never even heard the gospel message. This is about 1 in every 6 people in the world. Many living in these areas will require tremendous effort to learn the language and customs of the people to be able to introduce them to Christ. Those who are willing to go I believe will go with the favor of God because of his great love for the lost.
Wherever God has placed you the priority is always the same: preach the good news and make disciples of the nations. Simplify your life so that you can spend more time fulfilling God’s heart’s desire to reach the lost.
 
The third thing that Jesus did is he gave the disciples power, the power of the Holy Spirit. He breathed the Spirit on them just like he breathed life into Adam. The mission he gave them would only be fulfilled in the power of the spirit. This Spirit that we have been given is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. It is the same Spirit that will heal the sick and raise the dead. It is the same Spirit that will convict sinners of sin, righteousness and the judgment to come. It is the same Spirit that empowers your words to penetrate the hardest heart. Without the anointing of the Holy Spirit we will never accomplish the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit must have control of our lives. We have to live in submission to him, listening to his voice, allowing him to teach us and transform our lives to be like Christ. We need to receive his infilling every day. We must walk in the Spirit and die to our flesh and selfish desires each day. We can hinder and grieve the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the choices we make whether we will yield to the Spirit or yield to our flesh. Many Christian today are battling the influence of the flesh and they are not winning. It is estimated that 50 % of male Christians and 20% of female Christians in the USA have an addiction to pornography. The flesh is ruling not the Spirit. We have to guard our hearts and be careful of what we allow entrance because it will determine how effective you will be in the work of the Kingdom of God. We cannot walk or work in the power of the Holy Spirit when we choose to walk according to the desires of the flesh.
Peace, purpose and power were the first three things Jesus gave to his disciples after the resurrection. He knew what they needed as they tried to make sense of everything that had just happened during the previous 3 days. We are no different than the disciples, we need these three things in our life as well each day.
All we are and all we will ever do are all because of God’s grace at work in our lives. Grace is another thing that makes Christianity different than other religions. Other religions emphasize works, rituals, ceremonies, and other man made rules that are supposed to gain favor with the gods. Christianity emphasizes the grace of God not the works of man. Grace is God’s ability working in us. If God does not give us his grace we cannot do his work. By his grace he has saved us, called us to the work of the Kingdom, filled us with his Holy Spirit and sustains us each day. The gift of Christ, his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven are all acts of God’s grace toward us. We are indebted to God for his wonderful grace that he has given to each one of us. May we serve Him each day with the grace He provides.