THE LORD IS RISEN: HIS EQUIPPING PROVISIONS ON MISSION

John 20:19-23

Introduction

It was resurrection night. The disciples were meeting in Jerusalem with the doors being
locked for fear of the Jews. Their leader has been crucified, tortured to death. Maybe, what
comes into their mind is “Who is next”. This kind of feelings and emotions that grip their hearts
is understandable. This was the atmosphere in their hiding place when Jesus comes.

But the entrance of Jesus is something strange that our human mind could hardly or
may not completely understand at all. Jesus did not call someone nor knock at the door for
them to let him come in. He just appear right there on their midst.

What message can we draw from this super natural appearance of Jesus? Would it means, that
Jesus can go anywhere, he wants to go? Would it mean that, Jesus cannot be contained in a box
to limit his movement or His presence? Would it mean that no parts of our personhood which
Jesus cannot penetrate and do what he wanted to do. He could even illuminate one’s mind and
hearts and transformed it in order to come into the savings knowledge of Him as Lord and
Savior if He wills. Remember this, no space and time can limit His appearance. He is sovereign.

“And as Jesus came and stood among them, He showed to them His hands and His side.”

Why, Then Jesus showed to them His hands and His side?

- This is to convince them of the truth that He was risen bodily – (Luke 24:38,39)
- That, He was indeed the One, who endured suffering while bearing the heavy
wooden cross to Golgotha, known as the place of the skull.
- That, indeed He was the One. Who secures His promise to the dying, confessing,
repentant believing thief on the cross with Him, and he said to him, “Truly, I say to
you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
- A promise that remains true for all eternity to all, , who, like the dying thief, he
Repent and Believe that Jesus is the King and will Reign in His Kingdom.
- That indeed, He was the One, who cried out and whose voice has been heard not
only during that time but until now… “IT IS FINISHED” everything has been
accomplished according to the will of the Father, securing the forgiveness and
salvation of the elect, satisfying the just wrath of the Father and paying the penalty
of sin in full as what the law requires.
- And many more showing proof of evidence that scars had prove as a living witness,
the same body right in front of their very eyes but surprisingly different for it was a
resurrected, glorified body.
- This is the convincing proof that indeed, He is Risen!
- This historical fact is the center of our witness for Christ.
 - We can proclaim with confidence because we have proof of His resurrection. Having
said this, let me share to you the EQUIPPING PROVISIONS OF THE RISEN LORD AS HE
FULFILL HIS MISSION THROUGH US. Because the risen Savior has called and
equipped as, we can confidently proclaim the gospel to all people.

LET US LOOK ON THE THREE EQUIPPING PROVISIONS ON MISSION OF THE RISEN LORD

I - PEACE THAT COMES FROM THE RISEN LORD

“PEACE BE WITH YOU” v.19

These disciples of Jesus were behind locked doors afraid to set foot outside. At this
point in their lives, you couldn’t set them to talk about Jesus to someone. They were in a state
of fear that they reduced to nothing.

This is us when it comes to fear especially when life is in danger or maybe in a situation
where storms of life strikes us. We tend to talk about how big is the storm rather that telling
others that Jesus is much, much greater than the storm. Maybe the vocabulary of our lips is
that of COVID-19. How it threatens our life rather than telling others that Jesus is our strong
tower of refuge. Fear will drive us away from faith in God when we start believing that greater
is that which is in the world than He who is in us.

I had listened to the preaching of my friend John Paterson of Trinity Church, Tamworth,
Australia live on line streaming. He said; when COVID-19 first took hold in the Chinese City of
Wuhan, a Pastor wrote, “Christ has already given us PEACE, but His peace is not to remove us
from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death because
Christ has already overcome these things.”

This is the nature of peace that comes from Christ who has risen from the dead. It is not
the absence of danger, but the presence of God in your life. “PEACE BE WITH”, are words of
assurance and security that conquers fear in the hearts of the disciples and they were convince
to prove their loyalty/allegiance to the risen Lord. With great confidence, they stand on their
faith and boldly proclaim Jesus. Let us then carry the same conviction and confidence as we
stand on our faith in Jesus even under testing, to tell others His greatness and goodness overall
and in all things. Let us make Him known that He is the resurrected Christ, that provided a heart
full of peace.

This is the peace that He accomplished when He died on the cross. Paul is telling us in
Ephesians 2:14-18 “Christ reconciled us both to God through the cross, thereby killing the
hostility”. All the hostility between us and God was absorb on the cross. When Jesus showed his
side and his hands; He is inviting His disciples and us to look into it – look, I made peace with
these. Look justice was satisfied with these. Peace between you and God (and me) was
established and look, I have you reconciled to God. Romans 5:1 says “Since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Do you have this kind of peace? This is a gift of God through Jesus Christ – He is our
peace. Listen to what Apostle John had said, “To all who receive Him, who believe in His Name,
He gave the right to become children of God”. John 1:12. It is better to understand that the gift
of peace is foundational. Everything is the result or product of peace. It is always the cause. The
fruit and not the root. Peace is foundational equipping provisions in doing God’s mission.

THE SECOND EQUIPPING PROVISIONS OF THE RISEN LORD ON MISSION

II – POWER THAT COMES FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 20:22 “And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the
Holy Spirit”.

To attempt to serve the Lord in any capacity, but especially in proclaiming the gospel to
the lost, without relying on the power of the Holy Spirit would be useless.

The work of the Holy Spirit that the risen, living Jesus has given to us is that He makes us
able to do what we simply not able to do on our own. He has sent us the Holy Spirit. His Spirit.
He has breathed on us. He gives us power.

Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might nor by power but My Spirit, says the Lord of
hosts”.

We must rely on the Holy Spirit especially when we talk to people about the risen Lord.
For He is the one in charge in enlightening the blinded mind of the unbelievers in order for
them to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4-6).

The Holy Spirit is the fuel for the Christian that energizes them to keep going until the
Lord Jesus will accomplish His purposes by sending them to the lost world.

PEACE THAT COMES FROM THE RISEN LORD, POWER FROM THE PRESENCE O FTHE
HOLY SPIRIT AND THIRDLY. . .

III – PURPOSE THAT IS GROUNDED IN THE CALLING OF THE RISEN LORD

 God has plans and purposes. And in order to carry out those plans and purposes of Him,
He called out people of His own – the Church. In the end of the verse of Romans 8:28, the
Church is clearly defined, “(Who) We are the CALLED according to His purpose”. The Assembly
of the called are summoned together by God, for His purpose. And the purpose is to carry out
such Apostolic Mission. Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” The Church has to
continue the works of Jesus being sent by the Father. Jesus has come to do the Father’s will,
for Him to offer his life as a ransom for many.

God’s redemptive plan of salvation is to redeem his elect through Jesus Christ by
shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus is sending us on mission. We are His ambassador for reconciliation. Sinners can
only be made righteous by the faithful works of Jesus to the cross. Sinners who stand guilty and
condemned but now freely justified and forgiven through Jesus Christ. This is the very purpose
Jesus saves us and send us to tell the world the good news that Jesus has died and buried and
on the third day he rose again from the dead. The fear of death has been abolished and peace
was established in our hearts having a living hope of eternal life through Christ our risen Lord.

Every generation of Christians carries the responsibility and the privilege of proclaiming
or witnessing Jesus. We do understand that it is God who draws men to himself. It is God who
saves. For salvation is by God’s doing alone.

We could not by our own cleverness, our persuasion ability, or our good intentions save
anyone. But as you see, the beauty of the gospel is that God sovereignly chosen to use you and
me to communicate the gospel. We live in a lost and dying world that needs the gospel and on
that purpose God has called upon you.

What is the gospel message that we need and a must to proclaim? Verse 23, clearly
gives the answer. The specific message to proclaim is the forgiveness of sins.

The question is what is forgiveness? Forgiveness in the Bible means a “release” or a

“dismissal” of something.

The forgiveness we have in Christ involves the release of sinners from God’s just penalty
and the complete dismissal of all charges against us. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And in Colossians 1;14 it says that in God’s
beloved Son “we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.”

When Jesus forgives our sins, trespasses, iniquities, and transgressions are erased,
wiped off all the record.
 It is comparable to the financial debt being erased.

When Jesus said, “It is finished” from the cross (John 19:30), He was literally saying “It is
paid in full”. (Tetelestai in Greek). Jesus took the punishment we deserved, so, when God
forgives us of our sins, we are free; we no longer live under that debt. Our sins are wiped out.
God will never hold that sins against us. To be remembered no more (Psalm 103:12).

So in other words, forgiveness is a finished transaction.

Man does not have the power to forgive sins, only Christ. This is contrary to what others
have claimed. Jesus is the God-man, the only mediator and intercessor between God and man
having the sole authority to forgive sins.

How then a sinner be forgiven? When he/she believes the gospel message proclaimed
or witnessed to him and repented of his sins, then, he/she is already forgiven.

Messenger of the gospel are not tasked with saving those being witnessed for. All we
do is to deliver the message. If, they received it by faith and believe and repent as the Father
granted to them, then, they had already been forgiven by God.

You know, God could easily, instantaneously save all people he wants to save in a split
of a second based upon the merits of Christ. For God is sovereign. He could do that. But
instead, it pleases Him to use you, Christians, as an instrument in his divine plan.

Today, the world is facing pandemic crisis known as COVID-19. Man’s life is grip with
fear – Fear to be affected – Fear of death.

What filled our mind is protection, or invented medicine to cure but as far as I am
concern, I have not heard any. None. The least we can do, our government provides guidelines
or even laws to prevent its widespread, to contain it and finally eliminate it. Stay at home,
observe social distancing, practice regularly personal hygiene and many among others, but
these are without assurance. The threat is still there.

In the light of all these things, I would like to tell you what Jesus said, “Do not fear those
who can kill the body but could not kill the soul, instead, fear the one that can kill both the body
and the soul”.

There is something more deadliest that COVID-19. The Bible called it SIN. Sin is a
contagious disease brought by one man, Adam. When Adam fell into sin, all men have sinned
and come short from the glory of God. “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23; 6:23. Sin kills the body as well as the soul.

Can it be prevented? No. But can be cured. The only cure is the blood of Jesus. “For
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” All have sinned. No one is
righteous no not one – all are condemned to death. But praise God! The saying has come to
pass for it is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory”. “O death where is your victory? O
death, where is your sting?” “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Cor. 15:56-57.
Victory is secure over death because Jesus the Lord is risen!

This morning, I challenge you and all of you who are listening right now or are watching
on your Face Book page, receive as the risen Lord’s equipping provisions, the peace of the risen
Lord, submit yourselves in the power of the Holy Spirit to be used by Him to accomplish his
purposes in you as God’s chosen instrument to proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus
Christ, the risen Lord. In him our redemption the forgiveness of our sins! Glory be to his holy
Name! Amen.