You must be born again

We thank you for this local church. We pray that you would cause us to be growing in our faith.

That as we hear you speak in your words, as it is read and preached, that you would be drawing us ever closer to yourself.

We pray that you would enable us to love and serve one another, to encourage and build up one another,

that we would be committed to praying for the church and for the church's mission,

that we would be committed to the good of this local church. Lord, as we recognize the needs of

our city and of our immediate community, we recognize how important it is that we live as the

people of God and speak of the good news of salvation. And so we pray that you would help us

and we pray for other Bible-believing churches in our city who also proclaim Jesus as the only way of

salvation. May you be pleased to use the witness of your people to extend your church in this city.

And Lord, we pray for our nation and for the nations of the world, for your glory. We pray that you would

continue to draw people to faith and obedience, to live lives of worship, acknowledging Jesus as Lord.

And we pray that you would give maturity and understanding of our need to live holy lives,

that you would be our great purpose for living. Lord, we ask once again that you would continue to raise

up laborers for the harvest field, recognizing that there are so many people who need to hear about

Jesus. There are so many places where churches need to be established and strengthened. And so we pray

that you would continue to save people and build them up in their faith and then send them out, send us

out into our local community to be salt and light for the good of others and for the glory and praise of your name.

Lord, we thank you for this time that we have around your word and in worship. We pray that it would do

our hearts good. And we pray that you would receive glory, that you would enable us to worship you in

spirit and in truth. And we pray that you would use this time that we have together to equip us and

strengthen us so that we would go into this new week as ambassadors for Jesus. And we pray these things

in His name and for His glory. Amen. Now, we're going to read a passage from the Old Testament,

the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37. If you're using a church Bible, it's page 868.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

Here is prophecy anticipating the powerful work of God in bringing new life, resurrection life,

the valley of dry bones. So, Ezekiel chapter 37, I'll read from verse 1.

Ezekiel 37 · chapter mention

The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the

middle of a valley. It was full of bones. He led me to and fro among them, and I saw a great many bones

on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live?

I said, Sovereign Lord, you alone know. Then He said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them,

dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones.

I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you,

and make flesh come upon you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you,

and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded,

and as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together,

bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them, and skin covered them, but there

was no breath in them. Then He said to me, Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, Son of man, and say to it,

this is what the Sovereign Lord says, come, breath from the four winds, and breathe into these slain,

that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them. They came to life and stood

up on their feet, a vast army. Then He said to me, Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel.

They say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is gone. We are cut off. Therefore prophesy, and say to

them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says, My people, I am going to open your graves and bring

you up from them. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I

am the Lord. When I open your graves and bring you up from them, I will put my Spirit in you,

and you will live. And I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord,

have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. Amen. A wonderful vision of the power of God to breathe

new life into even dry bones. Now let's again stand together to sing, this time from Psalm 57,

and we're going to sing verses 7 to 11, standing again to sing.

My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing. Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song, the

song will bring. Among the nations, Lord, to you I will give praise. Among the peoples of the earth,

my songs of you I'll raise. Great is your steadfast love, which reaches to the sky. Your constant faithfulness,

O Lord, extends to heaven high. Above the highest heavens, O God, exalted be,

and over all the earth below, display your majesty.

Now can you turn with me to John chapter 20? Now we're going to pick up the chapter at verse 19.

John 20 · chapter mention

This morning we looked at the first 18 verses, we thought about what happened that first Easter Sunday

morning, and now we come to the evening of the week, and then the action moves to a week following.

So John chapter 20 at verse 19.

John 20 · chapter mention

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,

Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you.

After he had said this, he showed them his hands and sighed.

The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again, Jesus said, Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

And with that, he breathed on them and said,

Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven.

If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

Now Thomas, also known as Didymus, one of the twelve,

was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him,

We have seen the Lord.

But he said to them,

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands,

and put my finger where the nails were,

and put my hand into his side,

I will not believe.

A week later, his disciples were in the house again,

and Thomas was with them.

Though the doors were locked,

Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you.

Then he said to Thomas,

Put your finger here, see my hands.

Reach out your hand and put it into my side.

Stop doubting and believe.

Thomas said to him,

My Lord and my God.

Then Jesus told him,

Because you have seen me, you have believed.

Blessed are those who have not seen,

and yet have believed.

Jesus performed many other signs

in the presence of his disciples,

which are not recorded in this book.

But these are written,

that you may believe,

that Jesus is the Messiah,

the Son of God,

and that by believing,

you may have life in his name.

Amen.

So we're going to think for a few moments

about this seismic event of Easter.

What do I mean by that?

Well, think about an earthquake.

An earthquake is a very dramatic event

that causes everything to shake,

an event that has a powerful impact.

Matthew's gospel records

that at the time Jesus died,

and when Jesus rose,

there was an earthquake.

And so I was thinking about that,

and then I came across this

from Tom Holland,

who's one of the podcasters

on The Rest is History,

a Roman historian.

They did a few episodes

on Jesus, Messiah.

And he said,

It is clear

that a seismic event

happened in the first century,

and its reverberations

are still felt today.

And he went further,

and he said nothing,

even closely resembling Christianity,

would have happened

unless the first generation

of Christians believed

a spectacular event had happened.

So what is this seismic,

spectacular event

that took place

in the first century?

It is the resurrection

of the Lord Jesus.

Or perhaps better,

it's the combined impact

of the life and teaching

of Jesus,

together with his death

on the cross,

where he goes

as a willing sacrifice,

demonstrating a willingness

to embrace death

on behalf of his people,

coupled with the events

of Easter Sunday

and the resurrection.

And it's those events

that have had

this dramatic impact

on believers

on the world

ever since.

Earthquakes are measured

with a seismograph.

So after an earthquake,

the instrument,

which is now

much more high-tech,

but it used to be

just needle points,

it would record

ground movement.

The needles would draw spikes,

and the level of the spikes

would show the impact

and the ferocity

and intensity

of the earthquake.

It would locate both

where an earthquake happened

and the impact

of the quake.

And John chapter 20,

John 20 · chapter mention

in a sense,

is like a seismograph record.

It tells us,

it locates the event

of this great event.

It's in the empty tomb,

and the risen glorified Jesus,

and it traces for us

the impact of that event.

It traces the impact

as people meet

the risen Lord Jesus,

an impact that continues

to be felt today.

So when you look at

three features

of that first few hours

in the Sunday evening

and then the week following,

and we'll see the impact

in terms of Jesus' resurrection

bringing peace

for troubled people,

giving a sense of mission

for fearful people,

and provoking worship

for doubting people.

So peace,

followed by mission,

followed by worship.

So let's begin thinking

about peace.

Consider again

these disciples.

Consider what's going on

in their hearts

that Sunday evening.

There is grief

in what they have witnessed

happening to Jesus.

Jesus.

They were there

during His arrest.

They saw at least

something of the beatings

and the mockery,

and they saw Him

hanging on the cross.

They bore testimony

to His death

and to His burial.

Couple that with the grief

that they would undoubtedly

experience,

knowing that they had

failed Jesus

when He needed them most.

So remember,

there were three

who were invited

to watch and pray,

and instead they slept.

When Jesus was arrested,

they all ran

and left Him alone,

and Peter,

under pressure,

denied knowing Jesus

and being one

of His followers.

And as if that wasn't enough,

there is also that sense

of grief that we get

in the accounts

of the Gospels

at the sense of hope

that they have lost

because Jesus has died.

So Luke records

a couple of Jesus' followers

on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus comes to them.

They don't know who He is.

And they say in conversation,

well, we hoped

He was the one

to redeem Israel.

The implication,

hope is gone

because the Redeemer

has died.

How can the Messiah

suffer and die

was a question

they had always wrestled with,

and now they are still

living with a sense

of grief

because they think

the movement is gone

and hope is lost.

So that first Sunday evening,

there is a real storm

of emotions going on

in their hearts.

They are deeply

troubled people.

But into that scene

once again,

the risen Jesus appears

and three times

speaks peace.

Again, a demonstration

of the wonderful love,

the patience,

the compassion of Jesus.

He doesn't come

pointing His finger.

Why did you run?

Why did you abandon me?

He speaks peace.

Verse 19,

when the disciples

were together

with the doors locked

for fear of the Jewish leaders,

Jesus came and stood

among them and said,

peace be with you.

Verse 21,

Jesus said,

peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me,

I am sending you.

And again in verse 26,

when they're still

behind locked doors,

Jesus came and said,

peace be with you.

Peace.

I am really alive.

You can have peace

because your failure

is not the final word

on your life.

There is peace

because your life

has purpose.

And there is that promise

that Jesus would always

be with His followers

by the Spirit.

There is peace

that Jesus gives.

He'd made that promise

at least a couple of times.

So for example,

John 16,

John 16:33

verse 33,

shortly before His arrest,

I have told you

these things

so that in me

you may have peace.

In this world

you will have trouble,

but take heart,

I have overcome the world.

Now He has overcome.

Now He will be

the source of their peace.

Now He will make good

on that promise.

These words

become a partner

to His words on the cross,

it is finished.

Jesus has come

on a mission,

a mission to make peace

between God and humanity

by way of sacrifice,

that we would be reconciled

by the way of the cross.

And Jesus,

now that He has finished

that work,

can bring that peace

to troubled hearts

and troubled lives.

Notice that John again

records for us

that this is happening

on the first day

of the week.

John reminds us

over and over

by God's design,

Easter Sunday

represents a new beginning,

new creation.

Jesus' resurrection

is the start

of new creation life.

Paul will speak

about Him

as the first fruit.

And it's a new beginning

and there's new life

because Jesus has done

what He came to do.

He has made peace

by His blood shed

on the cross.

He is the answer

to the great human problem

that emerged

all the way back

at the beginning

in Genesis 3.

Human guilt

and human sin.

Adam and Eve

believing the lie,

thinking badly

of God's character,

turning their back

on God.

And God's answer

all the way

in Genesis 3

and indeed all the way

back in eternity past

was that He would provide

a sacrifice

to make peace.

There was the promise

even to Adam and Eve

of one who would come

who would suffer

in order to save us.

The only way

to true peace,

to have peace with God,

to have peace of conscience,

to have true peace

with others,

is through

the finished work

of Jesus.

And Jesus,

having done His work,

comes to His disciples

and brings peace.

peace.

This word peace,

the Hebrew word shalom,

is much more than

a greeting.

Sometimes it's used

as a greeting

and it's much more

than the ending of wars.

It's the idea

of wholeness

and flourishing.

It has the idea

of knowing

that we are at home

and we belong

and we're part

of the family.

There's that deep sense

of well-being.

The complete reconciliation

that Jesus brings

through His work

on the cross

brings a complete

flourishing

to His people.

So we can have

this deep

and lasting peace

because

Jesus has

gone through

that Easter journey.

He has died

and He has risen again.

He has put the relationship

between us

and God right.

And so Jesus

continues to speak

peace to troubled hearts.

I am doing

all things well.

I am the one

who can make you whole.

I am the one

who will bring you home.

I will bring you

into what you

and I were created for.

That deep peace,

that deep rest

of life with God.

When we think about

this message

that Jesus brings,

I think we recognize

what a gift this is

for the times

in which we live,

often known as

the age of anxiety.

There are so many reports

that say we've never

had it so good

in terms of our possessions,

but yet there is

much less happiness.

We have a greater

sense of freedom.

We can be much more

mobile and travel

and change our jobs

however many times

we want,

but there is at the same time

less satisfaction

and greater anxiety.

For many people,

they're living

with a sense of guilt,

but there is nowhere

to go with it.

And into that confusion,

Jesus would come

and speak peace.

In our own stories of faith,

I wonder how many of us

have discovered

this wonderful gift.

It's in the storms of life

that we become

profoundly aware

of how significant it is

to have God with us,

to have Jesus come

and to say,

do not fear,

I am with you,

bringing us His peace.

Jesus brings good news

in His death

and resurrection,

and because the sin barrier

that separates us

from God

has been broken down

by God's grace,

we are truly reconciled

and we can live by faith

each day

enjoying God's peace.

So, the impact

of the resurrection

of the Lord Jesus

is peace

for troubled people.

But it's more than that.

As we go on

in the story,

we see it's also mission

for fearful people.

I think one of the vital questions

that I guess historians,

church historians,

love to wrestle with

is how do you explain

the growth of the church?

It's a really interesting question.

Well, I think it's

a really interesting question.

You know, how do you move

from a small number

of believers,

so small that they can fit

into a single upper room,

that they can,

within just a few centuries,

go global

and come to dominate

the Roman Empire?

And all of that

in the context

of conflict

and battle

of frequent persecutions

from the Roman Empire

in those early days.

How did it happen?

Operating as a minority,

operating as exiles,

being so different

from the society

around them,

but somehow

turning this society

upside down

by preaching

the risen Jesus

as Lord,

being willing

to live for Him

and to die for Him?

How do we explain it?

And when we come

to a text like this,

the question becomes

even more pressing

because we look

and we think,

well,

the raw materials

are not very promising.

Here is a group

of believers.

Here are the leaders

of the church.

Verse 19,

where do we find them?

We find them

with the doors locked

for fear

of the Jewish leaders.

And it's the same

again in verse 26.

They are in hiding.

They are fearful.

Now, Jesus said to them,

you are the light

of the world,

but the disciples

are trying to hide

their light

under a basket

behind closed doors.

So, what is the event

that is going to shake

the church

with sufficient impact

that it will move them

out to boldly

proclaim Jesus as Lord,

to live for Him

in such a way

that these communities

of believers

would be recognized

as the people of Christ

and be so different

that they would draw

all kinds of people

into that community

and into faith in Jesus?

What explains it?

The only plausible explanation

is the resurrection,

that Jesus truly rose

from the dead

and the impact of that

as they believed then

that all His promises,

all that He said

about Himself were true,

that He is the ultimate

good news for the world.

That and that alone

explains the existence,

never mind the growth,

of the church.

And so, here we come

to this point

where the risen Jesus

comes and speaks with them

and He shares three truths

about the mission

of the church,

which are hugely significant

then and for us today.

perhaps we can identify

with the disciples

having that sense

of being fearful

about mission,

perhaps enjoying

the comfort and security

of, you know,

being behind closed doors.

What is it that will move us

into this community,

into this city

with a sense of mission

for Jesus?

Well, let's look at

verses 21 to 23.

After Jesus showed them

His hands and His side,

the disciples were overjoyed.

When they saw the Lord again,

Jesus said,

Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me,

I am sending you.

So, here's the first

important thing.

It's Jesus' authority.

It's this idea of sending.

So, notice first

that Jesus was sent

by the Father.

Jesus was the ultimate

man on a mission.

He understood His purpose.

And so, we see Him

always obeying,

always seeking the glory

of His Father,

coming deliberately

to complete His task,

which is to live

a perfect life

and then to suffer

and die

in the place of sinners

that we might be

forgiven and saved.

And now,

this one who was sent

by the Father says,

I am sending you.

And so,

the disciples

and the church,

we go under the authority

of Jesus our King.

And that's important.

I think it's important

in our age

because sometimes

we can have the impression

that if we share

the gospel with someone,

it might seem

that we are being intolerant.

You know,

everyone's entitled

to their own belief.

And that's true.

But it's really important

that we are faithful

to King Jesus

who tells us

to go and bring good news.

But it also reminds us

as well

that Jesus is the one

with authority

in this mission.

He is the one

who will save people.

He is the one

who builds His church.

Our responsibility

is to be faithful,

to do what we are called

to do,

to use our spiritual gifts,

to be committed

to praying,

to be committed

to seeking the welfare

of the church,

to look to live

as His witnesses,

to tell others

about His glory

and His goodness.

But Jesus has authority

over the church

and over the mission

of the church.

And that's something

that's really important,

I think,

when we think about

the whole idea of mission.

So there's Jesus' authority.

The second thing

that we see in verse 22,

also essential,

is He talks about the Spirit,

Jesus' Spirit.

And there's that idea

of breathing.

Verse 22,

with that He breathed

on them and said,

receive the Holy Spirit.

This breathing

seems to be some kind

of like an acted

sort of parable

or a sign.

I think taking us back

to a couple of passages

in the Old Testament,

one of which we read.

In Genesis 2,

if you know

the account of creation,

God forms the man,

Adam,

from the ground

and then He breathes

life into the man.

Our God is a life-giving God.

And then we read

Ezekiel 37,

God breathing life

into the dry bones.

And so here,

we're being reminded

that Jesus is

the life-giving Lord.

And He gives life

by sending the Spirit.

And we see what happens

when the Spirit comes

in the book of Acts

and in the history

of the church

and in our own lives.

that when the Spirit comes,

He brings new birth.

When the Spirit comes,

He brings new power.

When the Spirit comes,

we enjoy the presence

of Jesus

and the Father

with us.

And we have this wonderful thing

anticipated by Jesus

that the same Spirit

that came and anointed Jesus

at His baptism,

the same Spirit

that filled and empowered

the Lord Jesus

to do His mission on earth

is the same Spirit

that is now gifted

to His people.

There's a wonderful promise

for our mission

when we feel fearful.

We don't do it

in our own strength.

We do it in the strength

that Jesus provides

by the Spirit.

And the last thing about

the Spirit,