Signs of Forgiveness

Message Transcription

It's good to be with you. We're in a series. We're actually finishing it today. It's called Signs. We've been looking through the Gospel of John and looking at all the different signs that that John is trying to show us, to point us to the way of Jesus as a metaphor for doing so. I've tried to go through and find some signs each week that might speak to some of the same ways that John is pointing us in that particular lesson. And I've tried to do so again this week, though I want to begin with a sign that was shared with me. Several of you have shared many signs. I wish I could use them. Not all of them are are Sunday morning worship appropriate. But but they're they're real signs that are pretty wild. But someone sent me this one. A friend of mine sent me this sign this week. Maybe you've seen one of these. A particular street sign go away. I think that's an introverts street right there. Go away, go away, go away, go away. But there are other signs that have tried to direct us to get us to watch out. Right. There are some dangers ahead. They want to warn us. So like this one, maybe you've seen this sign, watch for falling objects. Maybe you've come across some of these signs that are that are warnings as well. But there are different kind of warning.

It's a warning that reminds us to watch out for the life that's happening around us. You may never know what's going to pop out in front of you. And this one, we see this one a lot here in Texas, don't we? Watch out for deer. Maybe if you traveled in New Mexico or Colorado, you've seen this one. Watch out for elk. There are elk alive in these there hills. Keep an eye out in other parts of the country. You might come across some different signs of warning, like if you're in Pennsylvania, you may run across this sign. If you traveled abroad, maybe you've come across one of these signs, watch out for the kangaroos there. They're around maybe a little further south or a further north. You might have run into this sign. Watch out for penguins there. Penguins around. That'd be a pretty incredible place to visit if we could. Maybe some of you live in a community where you need this one. Watch for senior citizens there alive. Don't run over them. They're important, right? Maybe you've been somewhere like the North Pacific Northwest and run across this one here in Texas. Again, reminder, there's some tractors going around. Right. These signs are intended to remind us that there's life happening all around. And if we're not careful, we're going to miss it. And maybe not just miss it. Sometimes we could run right into it and not even know it or maybe do some damage.

So. So today I think John is pointing us once again is this kind of watch for life signs, watch for the life that's happening that's unfolding all around you. Can you see it? To do so, I invite you to turn over to John Chapter 20. We're going to spend our time thinking on and reflecting on John's words and challenge to us for a couple of minutes before we gather around the table together. Kyle read for us just a few moments ago the John's telling of the crucifixion story. And it ends this particular way with Jesus giving up his spirit. Now John gives a few more details as as 19 inns in chapter 20 opens up and we find that it's now the third day that Easter Sunday morning. The sun hasn't risen yet and Mary Magdalene is on her way to the tomb because she's going to prepare Jesus body. She had hoped to do that before the Sabbath had begun, but wasn't able to. And so now she's going early in the morning to do what she couldn't do before. Heartbroken and devastated at the life that she thought was happening and now has been snuffed out only to encounter an open tomb. The stone has been rolled away and she looks inside and Jesus body is gone. So she runs to get Peter and John and brings them back.

And they all look in inside and they see Jesus body is not there. And so the men, Peter and John, Bewildered, were told they they leave. They walk back home. They return to their homes. But not Mary. She stays. How can this be? And then these couple of encounters happen, these mysterious encounters. She goes and looks again in the tomb and they're sitting are two angels dressed in white. Now, if you look through your Bible and look at any other time an angel shows up in someone's life, what happens? How do they respond? They're completely freaked out, right? They're scared. Terrified. In fact, so often the angels say, don't be afraid. Not here. And Mary is so overwhelmed with her grief that even an angel showing up does not dismiss it. And ask her this question. Are you looking for? What are you doing here? And she says. They've taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him. She turns around to leave. She's going to walk away and and almost runs right into Jesus. Only we're told. John says she doesn't recognize him. She thinks it's a gardener. And he, too, asks her the question. To which she replies, Sir, if you have carried him away. Tell me where you've put him. If you've moved them, just just point away. I'll go get them. I'll take you. I won't tell anyone.

Just where have you put them? I'll go get them. It's only when Jesus says her name. That she realizes who it is and this beautiful scene unfolds. It's an amazing scene. The first person that Jesus reveals himself to is not Peter or his beloved disciple. It's not his own mother. It's Mary who's at the tomb, brokenhearted and devastated. And Jesus says her name. It's a powerful story. I wish we could camp out and spend some time here because I think many of us are familiar with the kind of grief we've experienced these last two years or maybe a time before we know even an angel showing up is not enough to snap us out of it, just like Mary was. The Jesus says her name my prayer. If that's where you find yourself today, that Jesus would say your name in such a way that you might hear him, that He might call to you in a way that that you would hear and know he's alive. He is here at this beautiful, mysterious revelation happens and Mary's life. And so Mary runs back to the disciples to tell them, I have seen the Lord. We'll pick up in verse 19 if you have your Bible, John 20, verse 19. 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 he said, Peace be with you.

Peace be with you. After he said this, he 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. And with that, he breathed on them. And he 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. This beautiful, mysterious appearance where Jesus somehow is in bodily form, that they recognize him. He shows his scars. And so there's something familiar about him, and yet something altogether new and different. This beautiful story. It's got me wondering, have you ever been given a job that you knew you were not capable of doing? You were not equipped to do? Maybe you were put in in charge of a of an incredibly large budget. And you're tasked with turning that out. Maybe it's another responsibility. You're given charge of a group of people that that you know right now, where I stand right now. I am not prepared to lead this group. Maybe as a parent. That first birth. And you're standing there looking into the eyes of your child and thinking, I am not ready. Like when I drove away from the hospital, I was I had my eyes glued on the rearview mirror because I thought at some point, surely someone's going to run outside and go, wait, wait, wait.

What are we doing? We can't send that kid home with you. You don't know what you're doing, right? I was just waiting for that to happen. That actually would have been a relief to me. Finally, somebody recognizes how I feel, right? Have you ever been given a job or asked to do something that you knew where you were at that time, at that place, in that moment, you were not equipped to do it. At this week, verse 23 jumped out at me. Have you noticed it? Jesus says to them, If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven. And if you don't forgive them, they are not forgiven. All right. Anyone who gets that job should stop for a moment and go. Are you talking to me? What? What? Right. It would be natural for them to stop and think. Wait a second for giving sense. Isn't that something God does? Like? Isn't that his job? And the answer is yes. That is his job. That's actually God's job. That's not their job. If you forgive anyone sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Jesus. What are you talking about? Only God can forgive sins. Well, yes, that's true. I think what Jesus is trying to say here is that now God is going to do that.

He is going to forgive sins. He's going to use you to help. He's going to do it through you. Don't miss what just happened before this moment, though. You see, the statement isn't just floating out there in isolation. Notice right before he says this. He breathes on them. Receive the Holy Spirit. The strange, mysterious action he breathes on them. Now, I don't know about you, but in our day and in our age, right? If someone was breathing on you, you're. Hey, I need my six feet, right? I get. I got a window around me. Jesus, this is a very intimate moment. He breathes on them. But for those of us who've been watching the signs, who've been reading and following Long and John's gospel, we know John and Jesus are pointing us to something much deeper than just this one moment. That image draws us back to the very creation story, the story that John begins his own gospel with back in Genesis. When God creates, we're told in Genesis, chapter two, verse seven, then the Lord formed Man from the dust of the ground. And breathed into his nostrils. The breath of life. And the man became a living being. I see here, Jesus, once again, as the Creator breathes new creation, breath into the life of His creation and the gift of the Spirit. Here comes not simply to help His disciples begin to have some new spiritual experiences together, and they're certainly going to have those.

If you're not familiar with them, just read the Book of Acts and see these incredible spiritual experiences that happen to and through the disciples. But that's not just the only reason the spirit is given. It's not given just to make them and set them apart from the riffraff that's around them, to make this them, them, this holier than thou community, although they are going to be called to live a life that is so rich and full and different from all of the world around them, that it's going to set them apart, that they're going to look very different from the people around them instead, or maybe rather the image that intention behind it. The purpose of the gift is so that they can do in and through the world the work that Jesus was doing. That he could continue that work in them. You see, I think verse 21 is the key. If you have that Bible where you can underline or highlight or circle, invite you to do so. Verse 21, as the father has sent me. I am sending you. That's the key to all that Jesus has been saying. His unique sacrifice done once for all on the cross, overcoming sin and defeating death. This message of forgiveness and salvation and hope and life is to be taken into the world, through the disciples, through his people.

Jesus accomplished it and now the disciples are implementing it. They're beginning to live it out and to share it with others. But you see, the only way this is going to be possible, Jesus says, is if you have my spirit in you. The only way that you can implement what I have accomplished is for my spirit to empower you. You cannot create this. You cannot generate this power on your own. It's only spirit powered. So just as God breathed the breath of life into humanity at that first creation, so Jesus now has breathed that new creation, life making new people of the disciples. And through them, offering new life to the world. And the result of this is peace notice twice in two verses. Jesus says, Peace be with you. It's a peace that he has been promising throughout the Gospel. But he brings again here in these verses. I love how empty right explains this. He says, With that peace, the disciples can then perform the extraordinary task of verse 23. He says they are to pronounce in God's name and by his spirit the message of forgiveness to all who believe in Jesus. But they are also to warn the world that sin is a serious, deadly disease and that to remain in it will bring death. They are to rebuke and warn not because they don't like people or because they are seeking power or prestige for themselves, but because this is God's message to a muddled, confused and still rebellious world.

So it is that John points us to the cross. Across that Rome. Saw the sign as well. Only for them it was a sign of punishment. It was a sign of power and control. That's why we're told, John tells us that Jesus was crucified on this hill just outside the city. Why? So that people would see this is what happens when you rebel. This is what happens when you push back. And he hangs a sign on top of it. And it's not just written in one language, John says. It's written in every language, the language of the country, the language of the empire, the language of the culture, so that everyone would know this is what happens to kings of kingdoms who aren't named Rome. You see, for them, it was a sign of power and death. It was a threat. See, they knew. If I could just make you afraid I can control your behavior. No church. How true that that same dynamic is today. If I can make you afraid. I can control your behavior. We saw the religious leaders of the day. They jumped on that train because they saw Jesus as a threat to their way of life, to all that they had thought they were about. And so they jumped on that same train. Crucify. Crucify him.

Why? Because they knew he's a threat. We've got to get rid of the threat. See, the sign was a cross. The cross was a sign of death of the end of the story. Because when you die, it's all over. Jesus transforms that sign from death to life. This is all normal. When you see the cross, I want you to see life. I want you to see that gift of forgiveness that you no longer are bound by the sin and the baggage of your past. And said you're free to walk into new life. I want you to see the cross as a symbol of freedom that no longer are you controlled, even by the fear of death. Which friends? Just look around you. It's still the greatest fear in our world. And Jesus says you'll live even though you die. That death does not stop. You cannot contain the life of the kingdom. Perhaps that's why John ends chapter 20 this way, verse 30. 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. And so church this morning we arrive at this table, at this communion table. This service, this ceremony, this sign, this remembrance of the life that we share in Jesus name, that we, too, are invited to put our trust in Jesus, just as His first disciples were, just as Austin confessed and was baptized into just a few moments ago, that Jesus is the Messiah.

And it's here that we have a chance to partake. And the bread and the cup, the body and the blood of Christ that we can intake it, we can partake of it, knowing that what comes with that is not just bread and juice, but it's the very life of Jesus that we receive, as Austin did, the gift of the Holy Spirit to power us, to begin implementing in our life and our relationships and our work settings and our in our school lunchrooms and and cafeterias and classrooms in our neighborhoods and our families that we can impart. We can begin to implement the life that is truly life. So this morning we wanted to partake in that life, to join that together as a family. If you've been a part of our Christmas Eve service, you've seen it do it this way. But what we're going to actually have some of our elders and our staff serving today. We're going to take a chance to to gather together, to come forward and receive the communion and then head back to our chairs. If you are helping us with that, I invite you to go ahead and take your position. We'll have some ushers that are going to help direct us.

We'll have some staff, some of our elders up front to serve these emblems in just a moment. They're going to bring those in here to us, give you a couple of words of instruction on that. We're going to have some of our ushers releasing us row by row so it doesn't become like herding cats, but rather where we can actually share with one another. So I invite you as that Usher comes by to release you if you'll come down this outside aisle, if you're on this side or that outside this outside aisle right here, if you're sitting over here, you'll come through to the front, get gather your elements, and then you'll head back the center aisle, back to your seats. Now, some of you are are giving me looks of incredible fear and uncertainty that I have just created a sign of confusion. We want you to know, if you don't want to get up and move around, that's okay. We have some other folks that going to be walking around and they'll be happy to serve you right where you are. So if getting up and moving is just too difficult for you this morning, no problem at all. You are. You're welcome just to stay right there, just as those folks come by. If you'll just raise your hand, let them know that you would like to be served that way.

We'd be happy to serve you this way. And what we found is there's something special and unique when we get to receive from those who love us the gift of the life that we share together in Jesus name. In fact, in just a moment, some of our mission families, one of our mission partners, the Dixons, who are doing incredible work over in Greece, they've prepared a communion meditation for us to think about on this Easter morning. So we'll hear from them. And then immediately afterwards, Gary and the praise team will come join on stage up here, begin singing. During that time we invite you to sing along and as the usher comes by and releases your row, go ahead and make your way to the front here. If you're in the front half of the auditorium, there are some tables in the back row. That middle row you can if you're in the back, you make your way to there, grab your elements and then you can return to your seats as soon as you have taken communion with your family. Those who are around you, we invite you to join in and singing with us as we celebrate a God who has taken us from death into life, a God who has transformed this symbol of the cross, not of death and fear and control, but rather of the life that is truly life. Let's celebrate this communion together. Oh.

Greetings, Broadway, church family. We are Brad and Clara Dixon, and we are living here in Thessaloniki, Greece, with our three children, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Sofia. And it's a blessing to be with you guys this morning for communion. I want to share a story with you about a friend that we've been working with here. He is an Iranian refugee that lives here in the same city that we live in. And recently he was assaulted by a friend of his. He was attacked and beaten. And as we were kind of counseling him through that experience, we asked him if he felt like he was ready to forgive this man, if God was asking him to forgive him. And something that he shared with us was in Iranian culture, when you have someone in your home and you share a meal with them, when you have them at your table, it bonds your friendship, it bonds your relationship, and it takes you to a different level. And because of that, he felt compelled to to to forgive this man for what he had done to him. And that is such a powerful testimony of for us of just what it means to be around the table, together with our brothers and sisters, and just thinking about the table that Jesus invites us into and just how the table brings about reconciliation and how the table with the Lord brings peace. And so we just wanted to share that story with you today and encourage you that as you come to the table this morning that God wants to do something in you and through you, that maybe those relationships that God is asking to redeem, that as you come and receive what Jesus has for you, just be open to what the Spirit wants to do at the table with Jesus.

Yes, I'll read it from Matthew 26, verse 26. It says, As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples saying, Take this and eat it for this is my body. And he took a cup of wine and give thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, Each of you drink from it for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is pure as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. And we just thank God for that. Thank you, Jesus, for for this time you have brought us together to share communion. I just thank you, God, for the way you have sacrificed yourself so we can be able to sit at the table together. We are grateful for your goodness and just the redeeming love that you offer to each one of us. And we thank you, Jesus, only as all these things in Jesus name. Amen. Blessings to you this morning.