a sermon preached by Derreck 24th April 2022
Intro It was evening of the first day.
The tomb was discovered empty, the disciples were ‘holed up’ in fear of the Jews.
When Jesus suddenly appeared He gave them three things that would enable them to fulfil the task that He would give them.
Task = Great Commission – Make disciples, Baptise, Teach.
Will concentrate on the task He gives us here.
Task:
“ If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them;” (v23)
Do you feel up to this task, to forgive others sin?
Even long ago as a non-Anglican I found this a difficult concept, that I was called to forgive others sin.
Surely it is Jesus that forgives sin?
In a little while we will pray a prayer with the line…
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Jesus calls us to forgive sin, just as He did – and we will be forgiven in the same way.
We can ONLY forgive sins committed against US, only God can forgive ‘third party’ sins – that’s why the religious authorities got so uptight.
However, we can bring people to Jesus for His forgiveness.
If that wasn’t enough Jesus goes on,
“…if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Do you feel up to that job? No?
That’s probably good, anyone who feels this is an easy role needs a large dose of humility.
Jesus thought that the disciples were capable, and therefore we are also capable.
You might notice that this wasn’t a request by Jesus – it was a (subtle) command……
If we don’t forgive, by our inaction we retain people’s sin.
We do not have the option of passivity.
If you wanted to fight this then you might suggest that only God can forgive sin, but again the Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus says differently.
Today God will, and does, forgive sin……through us.
Doesn’t just receive forgiveness – go and forgive others.
“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matt 10:8)
Remember I said He gave three things to enable us to fulfil this role?
Peace:
“Peace be with you!” (v19)
Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (Jn 14:27)
Jesus says this as He explains He will leave (has to leave) them, but will leave His peace.
What are the first words out of Jesus mouth?……. “Peace be with you.”
It is His peace that rules our hearts that gives us the assurance to say, in Jesus name you are forgiven!
Is not forgiveness one of the foundations of the gospel we hold so dear?
Is this difficult to understand?
What did Paul say…..?
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phill 4:7)
Also called to retain sin. With this peace in our hearts we can warn the world that sin is a dangerous, deadly disease, if left untreated it is terminal – leading to eternal death.
God says to Isaiah….
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Is 1:18)
To our C21st Western European ears, this sounds like sin getting better, once like scarlet changing to be white and pure as fresh driven snow.
But that is not how it was intended or how Isaiah’s listeners would have understood it.
They lived with a disease that started as a red irritation, it then develops into broken open running sores that appear to heal.
Then the skin turns white, and flaky, and then rots and bits can literally drop off!
God is comparing sin with leprosy.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” ‘Let’s get this straight’, says God.
Sin is as destructive, as hideous, as sickening, as deadly as leprosy.
[Num 12:12 describes lepers as ‘living dead’]
Not something to be trivialised or taken flippantly.
Not something to be used by us as a means of judging the world, making ourselves look superior – but as a clear clarion call to a muddled, confused and still rebellious world.
Until we communicate just how horrific sin is,
- people cannot appreciate just how wonderful God’s gift of forgiveness is.
- only then can they understand why the cost of forgiveness was/is so high (Jesus life/death).
We can only do that resting in His peace.
Spirit:
“He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” (v22)
He breathed life and power into the disciples.
Gk em-phu-sa-ao (gives us emphysema)
Only used once in NT } To breath upon,
Heb nä·fakh’ Hebrew version } give life.
Receiving the Spirit is not about being a part of some exclusive ‘bless me club’, nor is it designed to give the disciples or us new ‘spiritual experiences’ or ‘goose-bumps’ during prayer/worship, although those things might happen.
The Spirit comes invited into our hearts (given/sent by Jesus) to deepen our lives, to draw us closer to the Father, to enable the Spirit within us to communicate direct with the Spirit in the heart of God, to inspire, enthuse, equip, empower and authorise us to live and walk and speak in His name and for His glory.
To enable us to live a life of devotion and dedication to God modelled upon Jesus Himself.
Empowered by the Spirit we are enabled to walk and demonstrate the gospel and in the power of the Spirit we can bring forgiveness to those we meet, through introducing them to the Jesus that we follow.
Authority:
“…as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (v21)
Jesus was sent with the Father’s authority – He was authorised to do the things He was called to do. SO ARE WE.
Jesus sends us with His authority, just as the Father sent Jesus with His!
When He sent out the twelve and the seventy, they wielded His authority, so much so that Jesus saw Satan come crashing to earth from heaven (Luke 10:18 – seventy).
How does what Jesus did 2000yrs ago in Israel affect all other times and places?
How does the good news (which made so much sense in His own culture) spread to places, peoples and cultures that weren’t thinking about God’s kingdom or Messiah?
It’s through those He sent – us, with Peace in our minds, Spirit in our hearts, and Authority in our lives.
Achieving and Implementing:
We are tasked with implementing Jesus achievement.
If we don’t, all His work is dissipated and lost.
The composer ‘achieves’ by penning some music, but all the while it stays on the page – no matter how beautiful or perfect it is useless until………
The musician comes along and turns the printed page into a sound of wonder and beautiful harmonics.
Jesus was the composer achieving the perfect and complete solution for sin.
We are the musicians implementing that beautiful sound and harmony of the gospel.
Bring it to people, bringing forgiveness to people, bringing forgiveness to people in the name of Jesus.
That is what the resurrection, and humankind living in the good of it, is all about.
If we don’t fulfil our part (implementation the resurrection in our lives), the resurrection is just a long-past historic oddity.
We do not have to duplicate what Jesus did, just implement what He has accomplished – just live it.
We may feel unworthy, we may feel unqualified, we may feel we don’t have the words – ‘imposter syndrome’.
He has not given us any excuse, left no room for us to hide away, He has given all we need to implement His work – Peace, Spirit, Authority.
What else do we need?