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Well, please turn with me in your Bibles to John's Gospel, John chapter 20. John chapter 20, I'll pick up reading in verse 19. John 20, beginning in verse 19, 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word of the living and true God and that history of the incarnate word. That word became flesh who dwelt among us. We thank you for his life, his death, his resurrection from the grave. We thank you for his current session now at your right hand. And we look forward to his return again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And we pray that as your people, we would be edified and strengthened and sanctified, that we would be encouraged at what we find in a passage like this. And for those dead in their trespasses and sins, we pray that you would affectionately call them out of darkness into marvelous light, that they would be prepared and ready for that day when Christ returns again in glory. May they be washed in his blood and clothed in his righteousness, and may you be glorified in this. And not only here, God, but for churches in our community, throughout this country, to the uttermost parts of the earth, we pray you'd send forth your glorious gospel conquering and to conquer. She would say from every tribe and tongue and people and nation that that forgiveness of sins wrought out by our Lord Jesus Christ would be proclaimed, and that those in need and in sorrow, the way the psalmist describes there in Psalm 130, would call out to the Lord of glory, would call out to the one who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. Forgive us now for all sin and unrighteousness and guide us by your Holy Spirit, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have worked our way through John's gospel, we have been recently looking at his passion the Passion narrative in John's Gospel. So we've seen the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, but then we've been seeing the resurrection. And specifically here in John chapter 20, in verses 1 to 10, we have the discovery of the empty tomb. And then in verses 11 to 18, we see that Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Now when we compare Mark and Luke's gospel, Jesus then appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. One of them was a man by the name of Cleopas. And here now Jesus comes to his disciples specifically as he had announced to them. And so there are two things going on in verses 19 to 23 that demand our attention. the presence of Christ in verses 19 and 20, and then secondly, the commission of Christ in verses 21 to 23. So Christ gives instruction to the disciples. I think we're all usually a lot more familiar with the Great Commission that we find in Matthew 28, 18 to 20. John comes at it, again, with a theological purpose to set forth the main emphases, but it's not contradictory to what we find there in Matthew 28, 18 to 20. So first notice with me the presence of Christ in verses 19 to 20. And here we see His appearance in verse 19. Secondly, a demonstration that He gives in verse 20a. And then the result in verse 20b. But note first His appearance in verse 19. Then the same day at evening. This was the Lord's Day. This was the first day of the week. John has already told us that in John 20 at verse 1. Now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So this is the day of the Lord's resurrection. So it's later on that evening on Sunday. And this, of course, is the day that the church gathers for Christian worship. You see that in Acts 20 at verse 7. You see it in 1 Corinthians 16 in verses 1 and 2. You see it in Revelation 1, verse 10. John is on the island of Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of the Lord. And he tells us that it was on the Lord's day, the day that is owned peculiarly by our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11, rather, verse 10, we see the Lord's Supper. God owns all suppers, but he owns the Lord's Supper in a particular way. The only other place that word is used is in Revelation 1.10. It is the Lord's Day. God owns your Monday through Saturday, but Sunday is peculiarly belonging to the Lord. And for the theology of the day change, you've got the book of Hebrews in chapter 4 at verse 9 where it says, there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. And when we ask the question, what day is that? The apostle answers in verse 10. It's the day when Jesus entered into His rest, which commentators and theologians link to that resurrection of our Lord who had finished the work of redemption. So when we look here, we see that there's something significant about the first day, and we see that it's significant because the disciples gather together. Now, John tells us they did so for fear of the Jews. They were locked in a room because they feared the Jews, which indicates that they gathered for religious purposes. They wouldn't have been fearful of the Jews if they gathered to watch football. They wouldn't be fearful of the Jews if they gathered to play ping pong. They wouldn't be fearful of the Jews for any other reason than that they were worshipers of the Lord Jesus Christ and now they've gathered together in remembrance of Him. So as well, we note not only the day, but we see the place. And if you look again at verse 19, it says, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled. Literally, they were locked. They were secure. And as I said, the disciples here are scared of the Jews, and not without warrant, Not without reason, they just saw what the Jews had done to the Lord of Glory, to the Messiah sent by the Father to them. He came to his own, his own received him not, but rather they said, away with him, away with him, crucify him. They blackmail Pontius Pilate such that Pilate gives the execution order, Christ is hung upon the cross. I get why they're afraid of these unbelieving Jews. But additionally, the Lord Jesus in the upper room had already cautioned them about the unbelieving Jews. In John 15, 18 all the way to 16, 4, He indicates this. He speaks concerning not Islam, not Hindus, not atheists, but He speaks specifically of those who will cast you out of their synagogues. He speaks specifically of those who will kill you and all the while thinking they do service to God, according to John 16, 3. So their fear here is not without warrant. It is legit. It is the expression of a heart that understands what's going on based on the Lord's teaching. But then notice as well, Jesus appears before them. Verse 19, again. Now, many have seen here a miraculous entrance by our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Lutherans like this passage because it suggests a divinization of the humanity. So Jesus now, with divinized humanity, can pass through doors. Now, with reference to the glorified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, we just don't understand certain things. But if you look at the text, the focus is not on His entrance through those locked doors. The focus is simply on Him being there in the midst of that. The focus is simply on the fact that he is now present among them to encourage and to strengthen them. As Edward Klink says, while a miraculous entrance might be implied, the text only refers explicitly to his appearance among them, not to the mode of entrance. And again, we might scratch our melons and we might compare Luke 24 when Jesus does come amongst the disciples. He says to them, look at my hands, look at my side, know that I'm not a spirit, I'm not a phantom. So perhaps they were a bit alarmed. How did he get past these locked doors? So again, the question isn't without any sort of, you know, curiosity involved. But the focus here is on the Lord's presence among them. Again, as they've gathered together as the disciples of Christ on that first day of the week. And if you look back at the text, specifically in verse 19 at the end, notice what he says to them. He says, peace be with you. Peace be with you. Now this could be a common greeting, such that was used in the first century, peace be with you. Remember John's a theologian, a theologian extraordinary, an extraordinary theologian. And so when Jesus says peace be with you, we need to be reminded of who Jesus is. In the prophet Isaiah, that Messiah that would be sent by the Father is observed as the Prince of Peace according to Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6. If you turn back to the upper room discourse, the Lord Jesus had promised them His peace. Notice in John 14, 18, He doesn't promise peace there, but He does promise that while they'll be left for a time, He will return to them, He will come to them. Notice as well in 1427, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And at the end of this upper room discourse in 1633, he doesn't use the same language, but certainly conceptually it's the same idea. Verse 33 and chapter 16, these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. So when John tells us that Jesus in John 20 at verse 19 says peace be with you, there's more going on than just a simple wish. And when we compare New Testament scripture, the Apostle Paul says, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. In fact, turn to the book of Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 2, where we see this emphasis on Christ, not just conveying peace, but being peace for His people. Notice in Ephesians chapter 2, a passage that is about obliterating any ethnic distinctions amongst the people of God. The Apostle Paul doesn't create two peoples of God. The Apostle Paul attacks the concept of two peoples of God. In Christ, we are one new man, and that's his emphasis in 2.14. Notice, Why would we want to reconstruct this wall of separation? Why would we want to put the people of God into two separate camps? The apostle is taking pains to obliterate the notion of such things. Verse 15, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. Christ is our peace. Christ himself makes our peace, and then notice in verse 16, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near, for through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. Well, when did Jesus go to Ephesus? He didn't go to Ephesus. He confined his earthly ministry to the nation of Israel. Jesus came to Ephesus in Acts chapter 19 through the preaching of the gospel by the Apostle Paul. So Christ is our peace, Christ makes peace, and Christ preaches peace. Back to our particular text, we need to get that in verse 19, and I think it's confirmed for us specifically in verse 20. So Jesus says at the end of verse 19, peace be with you. Now notice in verse 20, which obviously underscores the reality of his resurrection, right? I mean, here's this Jesus that was bruised, broken, beaten, and crucified, whom they had seen pierced in His hands, whom they had seen pierced in His side, going into the tomb, the way that dead people go into tombs, and now Jesus comes and says, peace be with you. When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. It confirmed for them the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. So we've got the empty tomb in verses 1 to 10. We've got the appearance to Mary Magdalene in verses 11 to 18. We've got the appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 and in Mark chapter 16. And here we have Jesus specifically with the disciples conveying peace to them. So he furnishes beyond any reasonable doubt that he has been raised from the dead. But I think there's another thing we ought to observe here. It's not just the proof of His resurrection, but it's the result of His atonement. In other words, look at the passage. He says in verse 19, peace be with you, when he had said this, peace be with you, then he shows them his hands and his side. Yes, it confirms the resurrection, but it confirms the purpose for which he came. It's through the wounds that he bore. It's through the death that he suffered. It's through the blood that he shed that peace comes. He could have been resurrected from the dead like one of the several people he raised from the dead that would have no redemptive benefit to any of us. We hear of Jairus' daughter. We see of Lazarus being called forth from the tomb. Those people were raised from the dead, but it doesn't save us. This one that was raised from the dead shows the hands and shows the side as the confirmation of what he says on the cross. It is finished. There is a causal connection between this statement concerning peace and the means or method by which that peace comes. It's not just the resurrection that provides for us peace. It's the resurrection of the incarnate Son who committed no sin, who only ever did that which was right in obedience to His Father's law, and who went to that cross as a satisfaction for divine justice in the place of all those who would believe in Him. Yes, we need His resurrection, but we need that full atonement. Can it be? We need everything about the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The prophet Isaiah says in chapter 53 at verse 5, but He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. I suggest that's how this is functioning here. Peace be with you, and then a demonstration of his hands and his side to underscore, yeah, I've been raised from the dead to be sure, but I've secured for you all of the benefits that God has promised to needy, hell-bound, hell-deserving sinners that are liable to his just wrath and condemnation, both in this life and that which is to come. Cyril of Alexandria states it this way, and by bearing his side and showing them the nail prints, he clearly confirms that he has raised the temple that hung upon the cross and that the very body that he bore came to life again, destroying the death that belongs to the flesh, since he is by nature life and God. John Gill follows suit. He says, these he showed, the hands and the side, partly to convince them that he was not a spirit. That's Luke 24, 39. Look at my hands. Look at my side. Look at my body. I'm not a spirit. I'm not a phantom. It's not that I just appear to be here. He goes on to say, or an apparition, which at first sight they took him to be, from his sudden appearance among them, the doors being locked and barred, and partly to assure them of the truth of his resurrection, and in the same body, as well as to lead them into a view of his great love, his suffering the death of the cross for them, and also to observe to them from whence that peace and happiness sprung he had just now saluted them with, So again, it's not just the conveyance of a general idea that I hope you have a peaceful day. No, peace be with you, predicated on the reality that the Son of God was crucified, the Son of God suffered, the Son of God died, the Son of God was buried, but the Son of God was raised from the dead, such that now everyone, Every sinner from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, any sinner rather, that looks to him in faith will have everlasting life. This is why peace comes. This is why Paul says, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. This is why Paul says in Ephesians 2, that Christ is our peace. Christ has made peace and Christ has preached peace. This is why the prophet Isaiah tells us that he is the prince of peace. Now this world is a mess. I understand there are a lot of hurting people here this morning. There are a lot of troubled spirits, a lot of sorrows, a lot of difficulties associated with life in this veil of tears. But brethren, be of good cheer. Whatever else may happen external to us, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have the one who is himself peace, the one who has made peace, in a most brutal way, by the way. He doesn't make peace by treaties. He doesn't make peace by negotiations. He makes peace, as Paul says in Colossians 1.20, through the blood of his cross. Typically, the blood of the cross does not suggest peace. Blood of the cross suggests horrible execution at the hands of the civil state for vicious and vile crimes. But Paul says he made peace through the blood of his cross. He brings reconciliation between heaven and earth. He gives us life. He gives us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And as far as tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, we're going to have a special sermon tonight, special. It's going to be Psalm 103. We've heard it before. It's a psalm of thanksgiving. I think it's a wonderful way for us to think through what God has blessed us with. The psalmist there says, bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Why do you think David says that to himself? Because the tendency, or the reality is, is that we do forget benefits. We do forget those things God has done for us. We do forget to side with Paul in Ephesians 1, 3 and say, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And then Paul furnishes a detailed description of what that is, election and predestination because of the Father, redemption through the blood of the Son, sealing and guarantee by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. Brethren, as we go into Thanksgiving Day, as we think about this, I just think that a Thanksgiving Day for a Christian is horrifying. Every day ought to be Thanksgiving. Every day we respond with gratitude to the grace that God has visited our guilt with. We owe Him, not for our salvation, but because we've been saved. So whatever difficulties or sorrows or travails or trials we have, listen to the Savior in John 20 at verse 19. It is peace be with you. Where has that peace come from? Because of His broken body, because of His shed blood, because He is in fact the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, because He has reconciled us to the Father, and that God who is angry with the wicked each and every day is now gracious and merciful to us in the person of His beloved Son. It is glorious. And then note the result of the disciples in verse 20. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Would you expect anything else? Would you expect any other statement there than that? I wouldn't. I mean, Thomas is gonna be a bit stiff-lipped and a bit out of sorts. When they say, Thomas, we've seen the Lord. Well, unless I get to see him, unless I get to touch him, unless I get my curiosity satisfied, then I will certainly not believe. In terms of these disciples, without Thomas, who have seen the risen Lord, This is exactly the appropriate response for just such an occasion. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to be happy. Well, when you're looking at the one who can give you peace and shows you the hands and the side with a vehicle to deliver that peace. That's a great time for you to express gladness when you see the Lord. So the response is consistent with what Jesus has spoken. John 16, 20-24, he talks about the woman who's pregnant, and then he talks about the woman who's pregnant having a child. What happens? There's joy. Matthew chapter 9, the Lord Jesus talks about the bridegroom getting cut off. What happens when he's back? There's rejoicing. There's gladness of heart. There's celebration. There's dancing. not the weird kind, the righteous kind, and not in churches. Dance in your living room to the glory of God most high. Apostles don't call us to dance before the Lord in the gathered assembly of the people of God. There are things you can do in your living room that you're not supposed to do in God's. There's things you do in God's living room you're not supposed to do in your own. So when it comes to this response, it is perfectly appropriate and legitimate. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Now I would suggest their gladness was based on two things, and we've kind of already looked at that. His presence among them. Isn't that the best thing about corporate worship? It's good to see each other. Maybe you're not thinking the same thing. Ah, there's Butler again. I asked Brother Steve to lead this morning. I don't like when the brethren here get too much Jimmy Face time. I do that to spare you. What's the blessing of New Covenant worship? The Lord is in the midst of the lampstands. Gladness of heart at his presence. But you know, brethren, I think it's gladness at His person as well. His presence cheers them. His presence encourages them. His presence speaks gladness to their hearts, but it's His person. It's who He really is. Remember the disciples here in John 20, they didn't have John 1, 1 to 18. They didn't have the prologue. They didn't have the benefit of John 1.1, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. They didn't have John 1.14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. They didn't have John 1.18. No one has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father has declared it. They had the benefits. They had the reality. They understood all too well His divinity, His humanity in the one person. They had all that, but they didn't have the written word the way that we did. But you know what they did have? They had the promise of a deliverer called a seed of the woman that would crush the serpent in Genesis 3.15. You know what else they had? They had the typology of Abraham taking Isaac, his only son, the son whom he loved, up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him before the Lord. They had that theology lesson given by Professor Abraham on that day, the Lord will provide a sacrifice. They had that ram caught in the thicket provided by God when the angel of the Lord stays the hand of Abraham from burying it into Isaac. They had the prophets. They had Isaiah 53. They understood a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. So they are glad of heart because he's with them now. They're glad of heart because of who he is. He is the John 129 John the Baptist confession, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the Word made flesh. He is the glorious Son of God, not by adoption or by creation, but by nature. He is the one that is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 in the language of the Song of Solomon. They're glad that he's with them. They're glad at who he is. And again, that should shape us when it comes to public worship. We're glad when Christ is found in the midst of the lampstand, but we're glad that it's Christ that is found in the midst of the lampstand. The God-man obeying perfectly the entirety of the law. The God-man going to the cross for us men and for our salvation. The God-man buried in the tomb, raised the third day, gloriously appearing to his people. Subsequent to that, his reign, his rule, his session at the right hand of the Father and his promise that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We rejoice that he's with us, but we rejoice who it is who is with us. And that's what the disciples evidence in this point. Now, we move from his appearance to them, or his presence among them, to the commission that he gives in verses 21 to 23. The commission that he gives in verses 21 to 23. First, the mission of the church, verse 21. Secondly, the preparation of the church, in verse 22. And then thirdly, the message of the church, in verse 23. But note first, the mission of the church, according to verse 21. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you. Again, we got to get past this reading of Scripture. Well, you know, this is just needless repetition. No, not in connection to what he's going to say to them in verses 21 to 23. What does the church need in terms of its mission? The provision of the Holy Spirit, verse 22, and the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding, according to verse 21. Notice, he repeats himself. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you. Just like he had said at the end of verse 19, predicated on his wounds, his death, his resurrection now from the dead, the fact that he is the yea and amen of all the Old Testament prophecies, shadows, and types. He says it again to them in verse 21, peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. So he speaks concerning the sending of the church. And again, we typically are more familiar with this, the version in Matthew's gospel. And Jesus says, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And then he promises to be with you even to the end of the age. This is not at odds with that. This is not contradictory. This is another vantage point. Though John doesn't spell out, go make disciples, go baptize those disciples, go teach those disciples to observe all that I have commanded you, John expects you to read Matthew 2. John expects you to read Luke and Mark. John expects you to know the four endings in the gospel narratives after the resurrection of Jesus when he gives commission to his church or commissions his church with a specific task or activity. Now before we move on, think about this. Peace to you. When the church does what the church is supposed to do, notice the church isn't supposed to juggle. The church isn't supposed to entertain. The church's pastors aren't supposed to repel. The church's pastors aren't supposed to ride in on Harleys. When the church does what the church is supposed to do, and you hear this question a lot, how can the church be culturally relevant? Do you know that passages like this tell us how the church can be culturally relevant? Usually when that question is asked outside of, you know, stuffy, dry, narrow, reformed communities, the question usually evokes the answer, well, we should have entertainment. We should get people stuff so they'll come. We should go out into the public square and preach, you know, the Republican Party, the Conservative Party. We got to be culturally relevant. Do you know the only thing the church has in terms of its calling with which to be culturally relevant is the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord? Well, you know, that just doesn't work. People are looking for so much more, so much more than the forgiveness of sins, so much more than the imputed righteousness of Jesus received by faith alone, so much more than peace with God through faith in our Lord Jesus, so much, what more could there be? What does Solomon say? It's better to have a peaceful house that eats herbs than, you know, strife in a house full of feasting. Why do we think that cultural relevance means putting down the one emphasis that the church is actually supposed to maintain and doing everything that the world expects? Now, having said all that, churches that embrace their cultural relevance vis-a-vis preaching the gospel are going to come to the conclusion very quickly that what the church's mission and focus is, is radically different than the world's orientation, right? We see that in John 4, 27. My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you, not as the world gives. So we come preaching Christ and him crucified and resurrected. The world opposes that. The world despises that. What happens when you're constantly opposed and despised? Oh, I feed off it. It makes me stronger and more powerful. There's actually some people out there that are like that, but most of us get a little riled after a while, get deflated, we get sad. What is it that we need? We need Jesus and His peace. For while we engage in this mission, there will be much opposition, which he's already promised in 1633. In this world, you will have tribulation, which he's already promised in 1518 to 1640. Though Marvel, if the world hates you, the world hated me, so it's going to hate you first. Remember that master-servant paradigm? If they hate the master, they're going to hate the servant. It just stands to reason. So what is it that the church stands in need of in order to enable and empower her with reference to the mission given her by the Lord? Well, of course, the provision of the Spirit, which we're going to see in verse 22, but that overarching peace that we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, so that whatever trials, whatever difficulties, whatever challenges, whatever hardships, we don't stray from the path. We don't change the message. We don't capitulate and become the servants of the world when we're supposed to be the servants of the Most High. That's why Jesus says, peace to you in the context of Misha. Notice, he says very simply here, not like he does in Matthew, not that he didn't in Matthew 28, but again, John's coming at it theologically from a different vantage point. Peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. Notice that the redemptive mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. The temporal mission of our Lord Jesus Christ is the predicate for the mission of the church with reference to making Christ known. In fact, Jesus prays this in the high priestly prayer in John 17 at verse 18. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. So Jesus is simply rehearsing in John 20 at verse 20 what he's already said in his prayer to the Father in the upper room. So there's that parallel and then there's that connection. Again, you have to appreciate it. Why does the church do what the church does? Because Jesus did what Jesus did. Which again, I think severely, or not severely, seriously, delimits the mission of the church. We're not supposed to entertain the masses. We're not even good at it. For the best Christian musicians, there's pagans out there that can bury them. So we're not even good at it. Are we gonna laugh them into the kingdom? There's funnier people out there that are pagans. Are we going to meet every need they have? No, but we preach the Lord of glory who does. You see, brethren, the mission of the church is narrowly specified. It's not supposed to encompass everything from Dan to Beersheba. When the church doesn't do what she's supposed to do and do it well, and she does everything else, she then apes the civil state. our studies of late in the Sixth Commandment. What is the job of civil government to maintain justice and peace? How do they do that? With the sword. They protect us from criminals on our streets, and they protect us from foreign invaders that want to take our streets. What about when they not only don't do that, but they involve themselves in our lives from the cradle to the grave. It's obvious. They're not doing their jobs. How is it not so obvious when the church thinks that the church should be about everything other than Christ and Him crucified? Why is it so obvious when our politicians mess up, but our churches are social clubs? Our churches are group therapy. Our churches are entertainment? How come we don't see that? How come we don't get the language of the Savior as the Father has sent me on a redemptive mission, which involved incarnation, which involved obedience to the law, which involved death on the cross, which involved resurrection from the grave, Why is it that you guys think entertainment is the way it ought to be? The mission that Christ gives to the church is delimited. It's narrow, focused, pinpoint. It's not, you know, well, what the mission means to me. Jesus doesn't care what the mission means to you. Jesus cares what the mission is. You ever been at one of those Bible studies? Well, this text means to me, I wanna know what it means to the Holy Spirit who gave it to us. If you happen to jive with that, then praise God. But if you take Philippians 4 as promising that you're gonna be in the NBA or the NHL, I just don't think that was Paul's point when he says, I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. That's not your e-ticket to the NHL. Now, if you make it to the NHL, yes, God and his grace and providence brought you there to be sure, but Paul in Philippians 4, in a prison cell, does not write, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me to make us all believe we can be cowboys and astronauts. So when Jesus gives the commission, as I said, very limited, notice that he prepares them in verse 22. He prepares them in verse 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Now verses 22 and 23 are admittedly a bit of a conundrum, a bit enigmatic and a bit difficult. I don't think they need to be, and hopefully after this brief explanation it won't be, but be that as it may. First of all, I would suggest the action by Jesus is symbolic. The Holy Spirit isn't actually the breath that flows from the lungs and out of the mouth of our Lord Jesus. It's a symbolic statement, or a symbolic action rather. I think John Gill is right, but the breathing on them and the words that attended it were a symbol, a pledge, and confirmation of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost. In fact, I would suggest this is anticipatory of the day of Pentecost. And I don't think it's outlandish to see a connection or a link between John 20 and verse 22 and Acts 2, 1 to the end of the chapter. So Jesus breathes on them that they'd receive the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 2, what happens? A mighty rushing wind comes upon the disciples and they start to speak in other languages. And when they're speaking in other languages, it is to make known the glorious works of God. And then in Acts 2.33, Peter in his preaching says that it's Jesus at the right hand of the Father that has sent the Spirit to you. So I think this is symbolic, but I also think it's preparatory. It's preparatory, the promise of Jesus in the upper room. I'm not going to leave you as orphans. I'm going to give you another comforter. 16.7, it's to your advantage that I go away. It's to your advantage that I die and ascend and go to my Father. Why? Because the Spirit comes. And I think this is predicated or suggested by certain Old Testament passages. Joel 2, that which is applied in Acts chapter 2 in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Numbers chapter 11, remember when God gives Moses a particular answer to his prayer? Moses is basically, you know, beside himself and he prays, God, I can't do this alone in chapter 10. All the children of Israel are grumbling, they're whining, they're complaining, we don't want this manna. They haven't even been that far into their journey yet, and they're already fed up with the manna that God had provided to them. And so they're grumbling and complaining, and they're saying, we want to go back to Egypt. Boy, in Egypt, we had anything we could eat. We got to eat everything. They don't ever mention, though, that we were slaves in Egypt. I think true freedom scares people. A bit of bondage, as long as there's food on the table. That's okay, that's preferable. But that's the context. So Moses goes to pray to God in Numbers chapter 10, and it's almost shocking. I'm not sure we pray the way Moses prayed. God, in your mercy, just kill me. And I'm not suggesting you do pray that way, but he does. And he says, I can't do this alone. So in Numbers 11, what does God do? He answers his prayer. And he says, select 70 men. Well, the Spirit of God comes upon some of those men, such that there's panic amongst the brethren. These guys are prophesying, Moses. In other words, stop them, Moses. What does Moses say? Wouldn't it God that all of His people would prophesy? That'd be great. It'd be awesome. So Jesus had promised the provision of the Holy Spirit to these men. As well, the Lord Jesus tells them in Luke's version, and again, when I say version, not different, supplementary, another angle, Luke 24, 49, what does he say? I want you to go to Jerusalem and I want you to do what? Turn the world upside down. Tarry until the coming of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1.8, same thing. In other words, Jesus is preparing His people for this particular commission. And I would suggest as well that the action is theological. It's theological. Again, verse 22. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. I've tried to emphasize in John's passion narrative a garden motif. Jesus goes into the garden, John 18, 1. Jesus is supposed by Mary Magdalene to be the gardener in John 20, 15. The gardener has come back to reclaim his garden. I think John is still connecting us in this resurrection narrative to the Old Testament creation account. In fact, Genesis chapter 2 at verse 7 we read, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. You know what I think John's doing? I think he's doing what the apostle does in Hebrews 4. And in Hebrews 4, the apostle argues for the day change. Why Saturday Sabbath and Old Covenant Israel? Because the Father created the heavens and the earth. Why a Sunday Sabbath in the new creation? Because the Lord Jesus entered into his rest, Hebrews 4.10. What's the significance here? The Father breathed the Spirit into man, making him a living being. The Son breathed the Holy Spirit into redeemed man, making him the new creation. I think John is doing theology, reminiscing of Genesis 2.7, showing us this action, this creative power, the church that's gonna come as a result of Christ's finished work is because of Christ's finished work. He's the head. He is the one in whom all the fullness of divinity dwells. He is the blessed one sent by the Father to save his people from their sins. So the connection to the garden and the unity of the divine nature. Augustine, I think, is right here. This bodily breath was not the substance of the Holy Spirit, but a fitting sign that the Holy Spirit proceeds not just from the Father, but also from the Son. John the theologian incessantly does theology and that brings us then thirdly and finally to the message of the church in verse 23. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now, there is the view that Jesus is giving to the apostles and then to a priesthood the ability or power to forgive sins. And the text kind of reads that way. If you take it in absolute isolation from the rest of the Bible, it kind of might possibly yield that understanding. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. However, I would suggest this isn't a functioning priesthood conveying forgiveness upon needy sinners. This is a faithful church ministry preaching forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, John Gill takes it this way, but this is to be understood only in a doctrinal or ministerial way by preaching the full and free remission of sins through the blood of Christ according to the riches of God's grace to such as repent of their sins and believe in Christ. How do we know this? Because John Gill says it? No, the parallel passages. Matthew 28, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. How do we do that? Through preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners, praying that the Holy Spirit affectionately draws them unto Christ such that they confess faith in Christ and are now disciples, and then we plunge them in the waters of baptism to signify death, burial, and resurrection with Christ from the dead, and we add them to the life of the church so that we can teach them to observe all things that the Lord has commanded. Or if you'd like, Luke's version of the Great Commission, Luke 24, 47, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. It's not a function of the apostles to actually forgive sins. It's not a function of pastors to actually forgive sins. It's a function of apostles and pastors to preach the forgiveness of sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. The day of Pentecost, Acts chapter 2, verse 38. Everybody's pricked to the heart. They're upset. They're sad. They've been found out. They're the crucifiers of the Lord of glory. What does Peter say? Come to me and I'll give you forgiveness. Go into my box and I'll give you forgiveness? Go into my box and I'll give you penance?" No, he says, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. How about Paul in Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13? What does he do? Come to me, I've got the ability to forgive sins. No, forgiveness is preached to you, predicated on the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1, 7, "...in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." It's not located in the apostolic ministry. It's not located in the pastoral ministry. It's not located in the priestly ministry. It's the proclamation by the church of the message of Christ in him crucified. That's what he's commissioning his disciples to. That's what he's sending them for, to preach the forgiveness of sins. And this is precisely what you see in the hands of an apostle Paul, for instance, 1 Corinthians 4.1, let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.20, now, then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Curious language if Paul had the ability to just sort of, you know, slap down forgiveness on people. The emphasis everywhere in the New Testament scriptures is on the proclamation of the truth of the gospel for the forgiveness of sins. I mentioned civil government earlier. What's the symbol of their power? What's the symbol of their authority? According to Paul in Romans 13, 4, it's the sword. What's the symbol of the church's authority or power? It's the blood of the cross. It's Christ in Him crucified. It's the forgiveness of sins. It's the answer to the psalmist in the psalm that we sang in Psalm 130. If thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who can stand? But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. The prophet Micah, he takes our iniquities and he casts them into the depths of the sea. The revelation of the glory of God to Moses in Exodus chapters 33 and 34. What is it? It's his loving kindness. It's his abundant mercy. It's his ability and his willingness to forgive sins. That's the emphasis by the Savior, the symbol, the token, the badge of the authority of the church. It's in cultural relevance, the way the world defines it, or weird Christians do. The badge or symbol of our authority, the very purpose for our existence, is the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified. That's where the emphasis lies in this particular passage. And I dare say, if you get that straight, you got something good going on in terms of ecclesiastics and politics. Politics is not meant to heal. The civil government is not meant to redeem. The civil government is not there to cure all of your ills. They're the ministry of justice and peace. The church is the ministry of reconciliation. As though God were pleading through us, be reconciled unto God. That's what the ambassadors of the church do. There is distinction. There's connection, we all dwell in the same piece of ground, but there is definite distinction. The state of state is not a healing agency. And the church as church is not a justice and peace agency for the entirety of the body politic. When do we start blaming politicians for a change? Everybody blames the church for every possible ill that has ever existed on the face of the earth. And there's probably a large part of blame that could be doled out on the church. But our job isn't to wield the sword. My job isn't to protect the streets of Chilliwack. Your job isn't to, you know, make laws in Ottawa or in Washington, D.C. to regulate the conduct of the civil polity. There's actually a division of labor, brethren, that we ought to respect as it was given to us by Christ the head, the sovereign, messianic king, the one who rules and reigns, not only over the church but over civil polity as well. And I would suggest before we conclude, that there are ecclesiastical implications here. Because look at the text. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Again, that doesn't mean Paul or Peter or Jim or Bill or Fred or whoever has the ability to actually convey the forgiveness of sins or to withhold that forgiveness of sins to others. But what is a function of the ministry in the church? It's hard not to associate Matthew 16, 19 and Matthew 18, 18 with this passage. What does Jesus give to the church? He gives the keys of the kingdom. For what? To make reasonable pronouncements on who are participants in the kingdom or not. Yeah, this guy confesses faith in Jesus Christ, there's some fruits of repentance that back that up. We therefore conclude he's forgiven of his sins. This guy confesses faith in Jesus Christ and he robs banks at night. He's vicious to his wife. She's horrible to her husband. She's the woman that you'd rather go live out in the wilderness than dwell with her. She can't be forgiven because you don't live like that if you're forgiven. That's what he's talking about. If you forgive, they're forgiven. If they're not, you retain that. It's a pronouncement made by the church who has the case of the kingdom according to Matthew 16, 19, and according to the binding and loosing power in Matthew 18, 18. Hard not to read this passage in concert with ecclesiology and the way that churches should function and operate. I said that was the last. I actually have one more. The antitypical significance. If you lived in Old Covenant Israel and you became convinced of your sin, you had a Psalm 130, verse one moment, out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord, hear the voice of my supplications. You knew that you were wretched to your wife. You knew that you were a shrew to your husband. You knew that as a child, you were not obedient to your parents. You knew that as parents, you weren't in the running for parent of the year award. You just knew that. Where do you go? You go to the tabernacle. and then temple, once it becomes a permanent fixture, once they receive the land. And why do you go to tabernacle or temple? Because there's forgiveness there. There's mercy there. Yeah, it's typical and it foreshadows and it prefigures the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But we know this is what God has instituted in this old covenant arrangement for the forgiveness of sins. What does Jesus say in John 2? Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. There's temple connections going on here. Forgiveness and temple sort of go hand in hand. So does forgiveness in church. What should you hear each and every Lord's Day when you come to church? More Jesus. What should you be reminded of every Lord's Day when you come to church? More Jesus. You need to be directed to the altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. How do the apostles describe the church in 1 Corinthians 3? How do they describe the church in Ephesians chapter 2 and in 1 Peter chapter 2? The church is the temple of God. Church people are living stones that make up that temple of God. What should sinners need to hear when they come to a church on the Lord's Day? Forgiveness through Jesus, in case you were stumbling perhaps with the answer there. The gospel. The good news. What's Jesus' emphasis in the commission given? Here in John's Gospel, I send them. The way the Father has sent me, I send them also. To that end, I promise my peace with them. In Matthew 28, 20, he says, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. for their necessary resources. It's not going to be juggling class. It's not going to be guitar lessons. It's going to be the provision and the power of the Holy Spirit with the sole emphasis and focus upon as that defining mission of the church, the way that the sword represents the state, the bloody cross represents the church. blood atonement, the satisfaction of divine justice, the reality that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself. That's what Jesus says the apostles and then the ministers of the church ought to be about. We're sent into this world not to be like the world, but to call sinners out of the world by God's grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to make dead things alive. and to bring them unto the Son, confessing sin, looking to Him, and knowing the blessedness of being found in Him, not having their own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from God by faith, the righteousness of God received by faith alone. That's the commission in John's Gospel, exactly the same as in Matthew, exactly the same as in Mark, exactly the same as in Luke, from different vantage points for theological emphases. In conclusion, you probably thought that was it. One more. Another time we'll visit the ecclesiastical implications. Again, I don't think you can read this verse without Matthew 16, 19 and Matthew 18, 18 at some point coming into play, but I don't want to keep us long. I just want to highlight, you know, practical benefit. The atoning work where the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is the very basis, the foundation, and the ground of our gladness, of our joy, and our gratitude. External circumstances and conditions ebb and flow. Sometimes life is good. I'm not gonna stand up here, it's always just misery. No, I mean, I really appreciate hanging out with my wife. I think that's a gift from God. Thankfully, she's not a shrew. Hope she doesn't want to go live in a wilderness sometime, because I am the male version, whatever that is. But you know, there are a lot of difficulties and a lot of trials and a lot of hardships. In this world, you will have tribulation. The master promised that. But be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. The basis for our gladness, the basis for our joy, the basis for our stability and security, if I could, is in Christ alone. Remember that scene when the disciples returned to the Lord Jesus in Luke chapter 10? They say, Lord, this is after they went out to preach and teach and cast out demons. They say, we went, we preached, we taught, we cast out demons. It was amazing. What's Jesus say? What does Jesus say there? Don't rejoice in that. I think it's idiomatic. I don't think he means at all. It'd be hard not to rejoice if you cast the demon out of somebody. But it's a matter of priority. Don't rejoice in that. What does he say? But rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Do you know what that suggests? There is a joy that comes and goes, and it's associated with our usefulness. There's a joy that comes and goes that's associated with our energy or our laziness. There is a joy that lasts and a joy that is constant and a joy that is secure because it's wrapped up in the Savior. Nevertheless, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. I would suggest, secondly, that the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ is the very rationale as to why we come here on Sundays. Why'd the disciples gather? And they will again, Thomas present, according to John 20, 26. That eight days later means Sunday again. Huh, interesting, they keep meeting on that first day. They do in Troas in Acts 20. They do in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 16. They do according to the Apostle John because it's the Lord's day, Revelation 1.10. As I've said, Hebrews 4 legitimizes the day change. Moral law abiding, perpetual, one day out of seven you worship God. But that fourth commandment has built in as well, positive law. Old covenant, Saturday. New covenant, Sunday. Why do they do that? Why do they gather together? Again, they're not watching football. They're not playing ping pong. They're not having their fantasy football leagues. Whatever people do when they're not in church, I gotta be honest, at times I wonder. Now, there's providential hindrances. People get hit by cars. People get sick. People have issues, nasty things happen. I'm not discounting that. But what are you doing if you're not in church on a Sunday? The few times in the history of our church when we've canceled an evening service because of snow, it feels weird being home at five. It just feels weird. Like, yeah, we should be doing something. During COVID, we jockeyed the times around. So we were home by five every Sunday. It just felt weird. The very reason we gather together on the Lord's day. Yes, we need to encourage one another. Yes, we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Yes, we exhort one another. Yes, all those things, but we're here because of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because this is what Christians do. This is what the people of God get together for. They sing, they pray, they praise, they go to scripture, they do everything that Jesus has commanded. And I would suggest thirdly and finally, the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ is the very message of the church. Reason for our gladness, reason for our assembling, and the very message that we are to proclaim to this lost and dying world. This world doesn't need more entertainment. I don't know if you've noticed, they've got phones in their faces constantly with Candy Crush. You don't entertain people like that better than Apple does. They don't need more entertainment. They don't need more shredding on an electric guitar. They need the gospel of free and sovereign grace. This is why Paul says, I determined to know nothing among you, except what? Except Christ and Him crucified. There's a recurring, emphasizing theme that you find in New Covenant preaching and teaching. It's all about Jesus. It's all about the one who's altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. And if you're not a believer in Christ Jesus today, this is the message. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. You will be forgiven of your sins. You will receive a righteousness by which you can enter into the presence of a thrice holy God. In other words, there's everything to be had in Jesus. Look and live. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the simplicity of our Lord's instructions and commission to the church here in John's gospel. Pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things, and that we would indeed glorify, honor, and praise you, and that we would always seek to make much of Jesus Christ our Lord. And we pray in his most blessed name, amen.