1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,200 Do you have a Bible? Would you open to John chapter 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,320 20? We're going to start in verse 19 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,280 in a few moments. Let me pray for us while you're 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:16,480 turning. Lord Jesus, we ask you to do for 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,120 us what you did for your apostles, what you promised to 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,160 do for your church, that you would send the Holy Spirit and 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,880 that He would be to us comfort. He would be quipping. 8 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,400 He would be your presence among us. 9 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:35,080 You're you're uniting us together into one body by your 10 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,760 spirit. And so Lord, we just confess 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:46,440 this as Trey prayed, if you're not here and if you're not 12 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,920 blessing, we are wasting our time. 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,320 We're spinning our wheels. But when you come and when you 14 00:00:53,320 --> 00:01:00,680 move amongst your people, change, transformation, grace, 15 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,760 reformation can happen. And we ask you for nothing less 16 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,880 than that word. So we ask you to take up your 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:13,600 word and teach us. We ask it in Christ's name. 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,720 Amen. So last week we gathered at the 19 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,000 cemetery to remember that Christ is risen from the dead. 20 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,360 And it's really important that we understand Paul. 21 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,600 Paul said taught that that the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,640 the bodily resurrection of Christ, is the lynchpin of 23 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,640 Christianity, so that if that one doctrine is pulled out, the 24 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:38,760 whole thing falls like a House of Cards. 25 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,560 He says if Christ has not been raised from the dead, we are of 26 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:49,000 all men, most to be pitied. Not just to be pitied, but most 27 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,360 to be pity because all of you are hanging your eternal hopes 28 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:59,480 of salvation on something that didn't happen, on a man who 29 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,840 couldn't make good on his word. If indeed Christ has not been 30 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,440 raised from the dead. And so if Christ hasn't been 31 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,400 raised from the dead, this is the very last sermon you'll ever 32 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,640 hear me preach. This church is closed. 33 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:13,560 Let's all go home and find a different hobby. 34 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,920 We can do something as ludicrous as rooting for the Cowboys. 35 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:19,560 OK, That's about as good as we're going to do. 36 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,920 But because Christ has been raised from the dead, the first 37 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:30,960 fruits of the resurrection, we have a real, a real hope. 38 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,120 And so we need to, as Christians, we need to think 39 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,360 about the year in terms of as it relates to not just the birth of 40 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,000 Christ at Christmas where we celebrate that, not just the 41 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,560 crucifixion at Good Friday where we remember that, but on Easter 42 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,320 Sunday. Easter Sunday needs to be the 43 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:54,640 defining fact of our existence. And so we are in our second week 44 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,920 of remembering the resurrection of Christ, and we are going to 45 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:03,800 look at a text where John in a lot of ways answers a lot of the 46 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,400 naysaying of the naysayers who say that Christ didn't raise 47 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,920 from the dead. And we get to we get to dwell 48 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:13,360 richly upon this text. I'm going to have three kind of 49 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,320 big ideas and then a whole bunch of other things as we work our 50 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,440 way through. But the first thing I want to 51 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,840 show you from this text is that the body that Christ laid down 52 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,280 for us is different in many ways from the body that he raised up. 53 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,000 It's different in many ways, but it is essentially the same body. 54 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,160 The body that he laid down for us is is different in many 55 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,960 different ways. In many ways from the body that 56 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,120 he raised up, body he lays down versus the body that he raised 57 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:45,800 up. They're different, but they're 58 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,160 essentially the same. So look in verse, look in verse 59 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,080 19. Let me call your attention to a 60 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,880 few things. We'll read verses verses 19 and 61 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,800 and 20, maybe to 21. On the evening of that day, the 62 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,720 first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples 63 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:09,600 were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and 64 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,880 said peace be with you. And so I would just say in 65 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,000 passing, they, they're afraid and so they've locked themselves 66 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,120 in. And the text does not indicate 67 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,400 that Jesus somehow is a master lock picker. 68 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,880 The idea is he walked through the walls like he, he has a body 69 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,000 that doesn't, that's not held back by locks. 70 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,600 It's not held back by your sin, your desire to not have anything 71 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,840 to do with Jesus. He gets to just go through those 72 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:38,240 things. And Jesus came and he stood 73 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,800 among them, and he said to them, peace be with you. 74 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,400 So the risen Christ, when he comes to his people, he speaks 75 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,960 peace to them. And when he had said these 76 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:55,040 things, I want you to watch the, the, the relationship between 77 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:01,640 Christ saying peace and then how he founds that invitation or 78 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,440 that blessing on them. When he said this, when he said 79 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:11,440 peace to you, he showed them his hands and his side, right? 80 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,360 Your peace was secured by the wounds of Christ and by no other 81 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,040 means. And so if I were to say, hey, 82 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,920 like peace to you, you should say, who are you? 83 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:23,920 How can you tell me to have peace? 84 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:25,600 Like you don't know what I'm going through. 85 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:27,280 You don't know what I'm stressed about. 86 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,960 You don't know the real problems I have for Christ. 87 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,360 When he comes to us and says peace, He gets to show us the 88 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,240 scars. And I would ask you, what 89 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:41,920 problem do you think you have that the scars on the body of 90 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,360 Christ has not already overcome? There, there, there are none. 91 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:50,000 In the end, these scars have overcome all things. 92 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,240 He, they, John goes on to tell us. 93 00:05:55,680 --> 00:06:01,720 Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord, he comes 94 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,640 to them, speaks peace, show them, shows them his scars. 95 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,920 And instead of them panicking and thinking back to just a few 96 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,240 hours earlier where they had all deserted him, where some of them 97 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:16,200 had denied him panic like, Oh well, what are we going to do 98 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,000 now when they see the Lord they were, they were glad. 99 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:25,160 And Jesus said to them a SEC again, peace be with you, as the 100 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,600 Father has sent me, Even so I am sending you. 101 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,560 So the body that he laid it down for us on Good Friday is 102 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:34,960 different in many ways from the body he raised up, but it is 103 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:40,040 essentially the same body. His real body was not discarded, 104 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:45,480 it was transformed into something more. 105 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,800 Same, but more OK, he's the same old Jesus. 106 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:52,360 They recognize him straight away, right? 107 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:55,680 They don't, they don't see him and say, what is this weird 108 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,000 ethereal ball of gas here that's come to us? 109 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:00,960 Well, they see him, they see Christ. 110 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,560 They they recognize him even though the doors are locked. 111 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,960 Jesus came and stood among them. And some of the other gospels, 112 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:11,160 when that happens, they conclude what you and I would conclude, 113 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,560 if the doors are locked and somebody just sort of passes 114 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,960 through them or appears among us, what are we going to assume? 115 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:18,960 It's a ghost? It's a ghosty. 116 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,640 That's the, it's, it's Jesus's spirit. 117 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,640 It's not his body. But they find out that it's not, 118 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,320 it's not his ghost, it's a real resurrected body. 119 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,160 And he proves that by saying, give me something to eat, like 120 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,360 give me a snack. And he eats, he eats with them. 121 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:41,480 So the biblical conclusion of these things is that Jesus is a 122 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:46,680 real man and that it's it's not that he's a ghost, but it's that 123 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,920 we are all ghosts. Real men can walk through 124 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,640 ghostly walls. He's the only real substantial 125 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,720 person. CS Lewis said that this thing, 126 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:02,120 this material world that we know of is the shadow lands and that 127 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:06,720 heaven is the real place. It's more material than here. 128 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,320 It's more real, it's heavier, it's denser. 129 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,160 And so let me just try and sink this down into your soul as a 130 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:18,960 comfort that if we could go to heaven at this moment, in 131 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,920 whatever dimension or or place we would have to go, whether 132 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:24,800 it's like on a spaceship, we just have to go a really long 133 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:26,760 time or we got to go to a different dimension. 134 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,800 Don't get me to lion. I don't know. 135 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:34,200 I don't know where it is. But if we could go there and if 136 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,960 we were permitted to stroll up onto the throne of God and see 137 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,240 the one who is seated at his right hand, we could touch him, 138 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,520 we could bump into him, we could feel it. 139 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,480 He's not a ghost, he's not a cloud. 140 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:51,040 He's a real man that can be poked and prodded. 141 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:52,920 Though you would not dare, right? 142 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,360 Nor would I. And he can still to these this 143 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:01,080 day, brothers and sisters, he can still say, peace be with you 144 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,600 and hold his hands out and say, see the scars of your redemption 145 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,480 and worship. It's beautiful, beautiful. 146 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,280 When the eternal Word of God took on human nature, human 147 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:17,720 flesh, he took it on forever. He is still the word made flesh 148 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,720 still. He is still the God man who rose 149 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:23,600 from the dead and ascended into the heavens. 150 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,520 He is real and essential humanity. 151 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:30,040 He is humanity and, and, and the truth, the biblical truth is 152 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,600 that humanity, when he ascended, humanity ascended with him. 153 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,880 He has redeemed human nature itself. 154 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:44,320 So now, just like what happened to Adam happens to us, So what 155 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,760 has happened to Christ happens to us also. 156 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,720 So think about this with me. This is the argument of Romans 157 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:55,640 5. I'm telling you, you have reaped 158 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,280 the consequences of Adam's transgression, and you ought to 159 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,000 say that ain't fair. I don't. 160 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,600 I don't know what it's like to be a perfect man in absolute 161 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,920 innocence in a garden that has a million yeses and one no, and 162 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:11,640 then to choose to rebel. I don't. 163 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,040 I've never done that. I've been fallen from the womb 164 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,320 and I've been in a world, doing life in a world where there's a 165 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,720 bajillion ways to sin and only one thin line of righteousness 166 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,280 to walk. That's not fair. 167 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:28,760 That that guy acted on my behalf and that I read consequence from 168 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,560 him. But before you scream that's not 169 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:35,840 fair, you should also know that in the same way you reap the 170 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:41,040 consequences of Adam's sin, you reap the rewards of Christ's 171 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,280 obedience. So as we shout, that ain't fair. 172 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,960 Say it about Good Friday too. Say it about the resurrection 173 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,120 too. Say it about the ascension too, 174 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,080 and the reward that that Christ has received from his Father. 175 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,200 That will be the reward of the bride of Christ as well, dressed 176 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:04,120 in robes of his righteousness. It's not fair, but He did it on 177 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:08,640 behalf on your behalf, and therefore it really is yours. 178 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,200 What Adam deserved has become our experience. 179 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,520 And let all God's people say Amen. 180 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,320 We have all known sickness, death, brokenness, weeds, 181 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:23,440 vanity, all of it. That's Adam's stuff, that's our 182 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,800 experience. And in the same way what Christ 183 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:31,800 deserves, we will all enjoy what the seeds that Christ has sown. 184 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,840 Never forget this. The Bible tells the absolute 185 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:39,520 gospel truth when it says you will reap what you sow. 186 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,520 The only caveat to that is that those who are in Christ will 187 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,960 reap what He has sown. And blessed be His name forever. 188 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,080 You get his reward by faith. It's beautiful. 189 00:11:52,280 --> 00:12:00,280 OK, Second, His body was raised with all authority, not some 190 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,520 authority, not the potential to one day possess all authority. 191 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:09,960 His body was raised with all authority. 192 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,080 Listen to this. When he said this, he showed 193 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,520 them his hands and his side, and the disciples were glad when 194 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,440 they saw the Lord. And Jesus said to them, Peace be 195 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,880 with you. Watch as the Father sent me, 196 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:28,560 Even so I am sending you and we ought to stop and say, what in 197 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:31,680 the world does that mean? The Father sent the Son to 198 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,160 redeem the world as he sent us to redeem the world. 199 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:35,920 We need to think carefully about that. 200 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,400 Are we a bunch of little Christs that have been sent into the 201 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,000 world? What do you mean Jesus? 202 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:48,600 And then he goes on in verse 22, a text that frankly we just want 203 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,040 to read over and pretend like it's not there. 204 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,880 And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, 205 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:58,560 receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, 206 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,040 they are forgiven them. What in the world does that 207 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:07,560 mean? And he says if you withhold the 208 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:10,360 forgiveness of any, it is withheld. 209 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:16,080 What in the world as the Father sent me, Even so I am sending 210 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:17,920 you, if you forgive, it is forgiven. 211 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,320 If you withhold, forgiveness is withheld. 212 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:25,560 Now we are a Protestant church. We love our Catholic brothers 213 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,640 and the Lord. Even though theologically 214 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,160 there's, there's, there's great error there. 215 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:33,960 There's also great error where we sit too. 216 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,160 But we have to as Protestants, we have to wake up here because 217 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:44,200 we are so eager not to fall into the error of papalism that we 218 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,640 robbed the New Testament of a clear teaching here. 219 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,080 Papalism, right. This is what what triggered the 220 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,800 Protestant Reformation, what triggered one of the many things 221 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,080 that triggered Martin Luther to say, hey, something's not right. 222 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,480 We need to talk about this, that the Pope is saying, hey, if you 223 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,000 will, I have the authority to, to remit your sins. 224 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,880 So if you'll just pay me, I'll remit your sins, Luther said. 225 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,520 If you have the authority, why wouldn't you just do it without 226 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,280 cost, right. So the the famous line when when 227 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,440 a when a coin in the copper rings a soul from purgatory 228 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,640 springs under the preaching of John Tetzel and Martin Luther 229 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,320 said that's not right, that's not biblical. 230 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,360 And so we as Protestants have fallen into the other ditch as 231 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,960 though as though forgiveness that Christ hasn't given the 232 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,280 church any authority whatsoever concerning forgiveness. 233 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,600 But the but the problem is the New Testament teaches these 234 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:41,920 things. Has Christ given the church the 235 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,400 authority to forgive or withhold sin? 236 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:50,080 Has Christ given us the authority to forgive or withhold 237 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,360 sin? The answer is yes, he has. 238 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,800 So let me explain. Peter, who by the way, is right 239 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:03,200 here hearing these words, seeing the risen Christ, he heard him 240 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,720 say, whatever you forgive will have been forgiven. 241 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,760 Whatever you withhold, it'll be withheld. 242 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:14,680 He told very normal, everyday believers like you and like me, 243 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,320 these words he said to them. But you are a chosen race, a 244 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:25,760 royal priesthood. What does it mean to be royal? 245 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:30,000 It means to be kings and Queens, those who in other texts of 246 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:35,320 Scripture are said to be ruling and reigning with Christ, Right? 247 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,640 You think about Paul, who is talking to the Corinthian church 248 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,240 and, and people in the Corinthian church are suing each 249 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:45,800 other, right? Mr. Roy is suing me for 250 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,600 something. And and so I hire a lawyer and 251 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:49,840 we're just fighting it out in the courts. 252 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:51,880 And somebody comes and says, why are you doing that? 253 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,560 Why are you going to the pagans? And Paul says, don't you know 254 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,320 that? He says, can anybody in the 255 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,160 church arbitrate? Don't you know that you will 256 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,760 judge the angels? And most American Christians say 257 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,800 no, as a matter of fact, I don't know that. 258 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,600 Do you tell what are you talking about? 259 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,200 Peter says. You normal believer, you're a 260 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:17,160 royal priesthood, kings and priests, those who mediate 261 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,760 between God and men. Now, of course, there's only one 262 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,600 mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. 263 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,520 There's only one Redeemer, but that Redeemer has the authority 264 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,680 to delegate some of his authority, and he has to the 265 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,440 church. Peter says you're a holy nation, 266 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:34,640 the people for God's own possession, that you may 267 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:38,200 proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness 268 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:43,280 into his marvelous light. First Peter 29 John the Apostle 269 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:46,880 John who was right here, who saw the risen Christ, heard these 270 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,560 words taught to his disciples, and he said these things to 271 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:53,600 normal believers. Listen and I quote grace to you 272 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,080 and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come. 273 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,440 Not a great word. John still is preaching peace 274 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,400 because he heard the risen Christ that peace be with you. 275 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,560 So he says grace to you and peace from him who is and who 276 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,920 was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before 277 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,800 his throne and from Jesus Christ. 278 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:15,119 Listen to these words. Grace and peace from Jesus 279 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,680 Christ, the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, 280 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:24,400 the ruler of the kings on earth. Hang on, John, you don't mean 281 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:26,520 that. Surely you don't mean that 282 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,960 Christ is in real authority here on earth. 283 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,680 You don't mean that. Jesus was telling the truth when 284 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:37,360 he said all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to 285 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:41,920 me and John is living like that's a reality. 286 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:48,080 When he says he is the ruler of the kings on earth, He goes on 287 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,920 to him who loves us. Is it precious to you that 288 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,960 Christ loves you? Yes, He says another thing to 289 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,080 him who has freed us from our sins by his blood. 290 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,080 Don't you love that Christ loves you and has freed you from his 291 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:05,600 sin? Yes, we do. 292 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:08,440 But you know what? There's an and there's a third 293 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:12,720 Christ has done three things Him who loved us and has freed us 294 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:19,120 from our sin by his blood and made us a Kingdom priest to his 295 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:22,360 God and Father. To him be glory and dominion 296 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:23,920 forever. Amen. 297 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:30,480 Christ has made us and the King James renders that verse, kings 298 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,280 and priests to God. He did not send us into the 299 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,920 world to redeem it, right? We're not to die on the cross to 300 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,080 pay for the sins of the world. Paul does say some things about 301 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,520 filling up the sufferings of Christ. 302 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:45,440 We say, what does that mean? What does that mean? 303 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,080 He didn't send us into the world to redeem it. 304 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:53,520 We don't do the same work, but we have been sent by Christ. 305 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:58,080 Listen to me, brothers and sisters, to apply that same 306 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,480 work. What Christ finished on the 307 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,400 cross and in the resurrection, He sent us to apply it to the 308 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,280 world, to mediate it, to spread it into the corners. 309 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,520 But the manner of His sending is the exact same. 310 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,440 And this is where I you, you, you, you got to track with me. 311 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,080 Here we have been. So the manner of the sinning, 312 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,720 Christ says, as the Father sent me, so I send you. 313 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:23,920 And we would say, well, how did the Father send you? 314 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,400 Well, the New Testament says that we have been crucified with 315 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:30,720 Christ. The New Testament says that 316 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,080 through baptism we've been buried with him and raised up 317 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,760 with Him. Ephesians 2 says that we have 318 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,960 been seated with Him in the heavenly places and that our 319 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:44,280 union with Christ as a heavenly people, the Book of Revelation 320 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:49,840 calls us a heavenly city, That He has sent us from heaven into 321 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,200 the earth in order to reconcile the earth to her Creator, her 322 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,880 Redeemer, and her Lord. Paul says you know you're doing 323 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:01,280 life on on the earth, but he says your life is hidden with 324 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,520 Christ and God. Fix your mind on those things. 325 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,280 We are, in no uncertain terms, a heavenly people. 326 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,520 Doing life upon the earth. So we've been sent by God as his 327 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:15,520 bride, as the heavenly Jerusalem descending out of heaven to the 328 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,840 earth to bring the grace and the mercy of Christ to people. 329 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:25,320 We have been sent from heaven to earth and we've got to wake up 330 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,480 because we don't know what the church is anymore. 331 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:34,760 Like that's just fundamentally not understood in the Church of 332 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:36,840 our day. The majority of American 333 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,000 Christians think that heaven and earth are still estranged and 334 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,760 that what we are doing is awaiting his return to write all 335 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,440 the things in a single day. The New Testament teaches 336 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,600 something very different. I meant to say as as as Trey was 337 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:54,280 praying for us, I meant to to introduce this sermon by saying 338 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,120 it's not even you don't even need me to preach because he 339 00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:57,640 said everything that needs saying. 340 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,320 But this is the idea. He must reign. 341 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,840 Christ must reign until he has destroyed every enemy, and the 342 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:06,520 last enemy to be destroyed is dead. 343 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,120 He is reigning now, He is destroying enemies right now 344 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:14,200 through his church, and he will reign until every enemy is 345 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:18,680 destroyed in the very last one. Not the first, which is the 346 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:22,160 typical eschatology of the American church is like the 347 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,640 first eschatological event is the resurrection of the church 348 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:30,280 in the rapture. No, the the last enemy to be 349 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,000 destroyed is death. So the question, how does Christ 350 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,600 destroy his enemies? He's reigning until he destroys 351 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:36,800 his enemies. How does he do it? 352 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,840 Well, he reconciles them to himself or he casts them down in 353 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:45,800 destruction. But he does this in answer to 354 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:50,640 the prayers of his people. I, I, I don't have time to, to 355 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,960 defend this, but I'm just going to make a statement and I'll 356 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:57,680 invite you to go study. We, we RIP a verse out of 357 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,520 context. Jesus and passionately tells his 358 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,520 disciples, look, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can 359 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,600 say to this mountain be thrown into the heart of the sea and 360 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,080 it'll and it'll work. And we think Everest. 361 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:13,360 We think old Baldy, right? We think mountain Christ is in 362 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:16,640 no uncertain terms. He's saying this is the Kingdom 363 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,040 of Israel, the rebel, apostate Kingdom of Israel that's going 364 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:24,120 to betray me and crucify me and then spend the next 40 years 365 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:27,640 denying me and killing my people, martyring my people. 366 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:33,120 He says, you can say in my name, Lord, cast them down, grant them 367 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:36,480 repentance or cast them down. And within a generation the 368 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,920 mountain, the Kingdom of Israel, was torn to the ground. 369 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:45,600 So death will be destroyed as the last in a long line of 370 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,760 enemies to fall. The apostate nation of Israel 371 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,000 was the first to fall in 70 AD. The Roman Empire followed a 372 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,760 couple 100 years afterward at the conversion of Constantine, 373 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,600 and then it was the Pagan W the darkened E the African rebels 374 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,680 that all fell to the Lordship of Christ. 375 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,000 The indigenous new world either repented or were and were saved 376 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:10,040 or perished in their paganism. But listen to me, all of these 377 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:14,920 fell to the lordship of Christ, mediated to the world through 378 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:19,920 His Church, and many, many more enemies will rise, but they will 379 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,480 all fall. And when at the very last Christ 380 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,640 has defeated every other enemy through the Church that He has 381 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,960 built by His own hands, he will put a final end to death 382 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,640 himself. Everybody in both senses of the 383 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:37,560 word, meaning everybody who's ever lived, but also everybody, 384 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,000 every human being, soul embodied. 385 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:46,800 Everybody will rise from death to judgment, the just to eternal 386 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:51,000 life and in their resurrected bodies, in the unjust to eternal 387 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,800 destruction in their resurrected bodies. 388 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,960 And when I say just and unjust, don't hear those who have their 389 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,320 stuff together and those who do not have their stuff together. 390 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:06,720 Just according to the to the to the body of a biblical scripture 391 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:09,760 is those who have been justified by faith in Christ. 392 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:13,560 Those are the just who will rise to the resurrection and to 393 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,120 eternal reward. Those who have denied Christ, 394 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,360 who are outside of Christ will rise bodily to destruction. 395 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:23,400 Those who have never repented and trusted on Christ. 396 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,920 So Christianity one O 1 Jesus Christ has all authority, and 397 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,080 with that authority He has sent us into the world to convert it, 398 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:36,240 to disciple it, to baptize it, and to bring it to the obedience 399 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:38,200 of faith. That is what we are doing. 400 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:40,440 That's the purpose of the church. 401 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:42,000 That's the mission of the church. 402 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:46,360 His people in His name have authority to raise up and cast 403 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:48,640 down kingdoms. They have the authority in His 404 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,720 name to forgive sin. And by forgiving sin, it's 405 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:55,400 announcing His forgiveness. It's telling, as your elders do, 406 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,480 you've repented, and I'm telling you on His authority, you're 407 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,480 forgiven. They have the authority to hold 408 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:03,960 nations accountable for their sin. 409 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,240 And if these things sound bizarre to you, please reread 410 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,000 the Great Commission number one. And please reread these words. 411 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,640 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. 412 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,520 If you withhold the forgiveness from any, it is withheld. 413 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:19,920 I give you the keys of the Kingdom. 414 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,640 Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven. 415 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,040 Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in 416 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:26,280 heaven. What does that mean? 417 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,120 It means authority, delegated authority. 418 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:34,160 Thirdly and lastly, his body does not need to be examined for 419 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,040 more proof in order to be believed upon. 420 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,400 Look in verse 24. He says now Thomas, one of the 421 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,760 12 called the twin, was not with him when Jesus came. 422 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:50,840 It's just worth saying in passing, we call this guy Gavin 423 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,160 Thomas, right? We, we, we nicknamed him 424 00:25:54,160 --> 00:26:00,240 according to his very worst day. Why don't we call David David 425 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,360 the adulterer? Why do we call him King David? 426 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,200 Why do we not call Peter the denier of Christ right? 427 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:10,720 Why is why is Thomas the only one who gets named after his 428 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,360 very worst day? I don't know. 429 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:14,480 It's unkind, but he's very brave. 430 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:19,640 In other texts of Scripture, this guy is is staunchly loyal, 431 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,840 but his heart was broken when he saw his Messiah, his hero 432 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,520 crucified. And so you need to hear the 433 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,320 despair on these words. Thomas was not with them when 434 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:31,280 Jesus came. And so the other disciples told 435 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,720 him, we've seen the Lord, but he said to them, unless I see in 436 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,040 his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the 437 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:41,720 mark of the nails, place my hand into his side, I will never 438 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,560 believe. That's not pride and rebellion, 439 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,680 that's just despair. Have you ever been there, 440 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:52,480 Christian, where you look at your experience and you say, I 441 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:57,120 cannot muster faith, I cannot muster what God wants from me, 442 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,360 what he requires of me. I can't muster love. 443 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,120 I can't muster joy unless God shows up and does something for 444 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,520 me. That's the idea. 445 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:10,040 And in verse 26, eight days later, his disciples were inside 446 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,120 again. Thomas was with them, although 447 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,360 the doors were locked. And Jesus came and stood among 448 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:18,960 them and said the third time in the same text, peace be with 449 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:20,480 you. Do you think there's a theme 450 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:24,200 here? Peace, peace, peace be with you. 451 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,240 And then he said to Thomas, you disbelieving turd, I told you, 452 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,760 what's wrong with you? No, he says put your finger here 453 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:37,400 and see my hands, put out your hand and place it in my side. 454 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:45,040 Do not disbelieve, but believe, Thomas answered, my Lord and my 455 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:50,760 God, please don't postulate some Mormon blasphemy here. 456 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:54,360 That when Thomas said this, what he said Mormon, Jehovah's 457 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:59,160 Witness, Muslim like like to Christ, my Lord, my, my teacher, 458 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:03,320 my boss, and then he turns to God and says, my God, no, this 459 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,520 is Thomas looking at the resurrected son of God and 460 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:11,280 saying you are Lord and God deity. 461 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:17,320 I'm in the presence of almighty God, my Lord, my God. 462 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:20,240 And Jesus said, have you believed because you've seen? 463 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,480 Blessed are those who have seen who have not seen and yet have 464 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,080 believed. So notice very important what 465 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:31,400 the text does not say. The text does not say that Jesus 466 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:32,840 said, place your finger in my side. 467 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,080 And Thomas, with fear and trepidation, investigated the 468 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:37,560 body of Christ by feeling for himself. 469 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:40,000 He doesn't. He doesn't need that anymore. 470 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,800 There's no indication in the text that Thomas touched him 471 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,160 before believing. So what Thomas thought he 472 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:50,680 needed, he didn't really need. This is not a text affirming the 473 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,560 belief that Christ must be examined before we will believe. 474 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,840 Rather, Thomas is gently rebuked for not believing the testimony 475 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,200 of his fellow apostles without seeing it's a common mistake we 476 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,320 make in our culture, right? We people will say if he would 477 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,560 just reveal himself to me, if he would just show himself to me, I 478 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:10,040 would believe. Listen to me. 479 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,360 No you won't. No you won't. 480 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:19,040 Did the Jews who saw him on the tree believe where God was, 481 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,840 manifesting His glory to the world, lifting up his Son under 482 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:26,800 the sin of the world, bearing our sin, revealing His mercy, 483 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:30,200 His justice on the cross? Did the Jews see that in belief? 484 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,840 No, they did not. No, the the Roman, the Roman 485 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:39,440 guard that watched him after we just ripped his back open and 486 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,360 publicly shamed him in front of his mother and his enemies. 487 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:47,360 And he's been mocked, he's been spat on, he's been denied, he's 488 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,160 been made fun of. All of these things. 489 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,560 This Roman guard says, you know what kind of a guy responds to 490 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,880 that by saying, father, forgive them, They don't know what 491 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,080 they're doing. Nobody talks like that. 492 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:03,040 What do you say with gritted tea, Father? 493 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:07,440 Strike them down, Kill them now. I want revenge. 494 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:12,000 That's how Pastor Will prays. Christ does not like that. 495 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,520 Many people saw Christ on the cross and when he gave up the 496 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:20,880 ghost without any whiff of a resurrection, they said, this is 497 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,480 the Son of God. It benefited the Jews not at 498 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:26,720 all. They said blasphemer. 499 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,880 They said, actually, we want some more proof and we'll 500 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,160 believe in you. They said to him. 501 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:35,200 They mocked him Hey, you've saved other people save yourself 502 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:39,000 come down off the cross and then we will believe in you. 503 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,720 Those people that said that to Christ deserve the judgment that 504 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:46,640 fell upon them and so we need to see the text is not showing us 505 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:51,680 that Thomas believes because he was shown proof they the test is 506 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,880 showing the the text is showing that while Christ is gracious to 507 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:59,600 show Thomas these things everyone, you and me, everyone 508 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:05,560 has an obligation to believe God without seeing Blessed are those 509 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,080 who have not seen and yet have believed. 510 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,400 Thomas is not your example, but we are to learn from Thomas that 511 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,080 Christ overcame every skepticism because he really did raise 512 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:19,280 bodily from the dead and then we are to repent of our sin and 513 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:24,320 trust him right now and we are to demand no further proof from 514 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,160 the risen Christ. There's no more waiting to see. 515 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,000 Christ is the resurrected Lord, and if He wants to reveal 516 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:32,520 Himself to you, that's his prerogative. 517 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:34,720 He could show up to you right now if he wanted to. 518 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:39,880 It's his, it's his choice. But if you wait to believe until 519 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:43,320 Christ shows up, that will likely be your damnation. 520 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,840 Do not wait. You have been warned. 521 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:50,440 And so now let me comfort you. Be comforted in that. 522 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,240 If you struggle, so did the apostles. 523 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,920 Super comforting. Keep looking to Christ. 524 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,000 Be terrified of prideful skepticism, but bring humble 525 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,920 doubts to the Christ who's more gracious than you can ever 526 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,840 imagine. Thomas says unless he shows I'll 527 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:08,720 never believe and Jesus shows up and he doesn't look and he says, 528 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:13,400 come on Bubba, like look and see. 529 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,720 We also need to be careful that the testimony of the apostles 530 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:19,880 and the track record of the victory of the gospel in the 531 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:25,120 world has removed any excuse for you and for me and for anyone 532 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,720 anywhere in the world. They have no excuse for not 533 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,960 believing upon Christ. Our slowness to believe in Jesus 534 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:38,080 is not a safe slowness. Today, if you hear His voice, do 535 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:41,040 not harden your heart, repent of sin and trust in Christ. 536 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,680 Don't wait till tomorrow. Don't wait for more proof right 537 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,600 now. Cast your faith, cast your hope 538 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:53,320 upon Christ, and be saved. And so here we come again to the 539 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:57,520 Lord's table, where all his covenantal goodness is displayed 540 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:00,960 and distributed to us in a broken bread, and the wine 541 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:04,160 poured out. And just like his physical body 542 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:09,720 underwent A rending so that it might rise up the same body but 543 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:14,000 made more glorious, so this bread remains bread and the wine 544 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,080 remains wine. But it has all been raised up 545 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:21,120 into something so much more glorious than mere bread and 546 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,360 wine. This is no mere memorial. 547 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,920 It isn't a reminder snack. Please understand this. 548 00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:31,040 It's not a reminder snack. Let's think of Jesus while we 549 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,480 eat this bread and wine. Perish the thought. 550 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,960 At this table, by the promises of Christ, by the power of his 551 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,880 Holy Spirit, and by the gift of faith at this table, we 552 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,160 participate in the body of Christ. 553 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:47,560 That's what's going on. There is mystery here, profound, 554 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:53,480 real mystery, delightful mystery, dangerous mystery, but 555 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,680 only dangerous to those who would come in an unworthy 556 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,080 manner, failing to discern the body of Christ that's here. 557 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:01,920 So in the words of Aslan, to breathe a horse. 558 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,920 Now, Bree, you poor proud, frightened horse, draw near. 559 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:13,199 Nearer still, my son, do not dare not to dare touch me, smell 560 00:34:13,199 --> 00:34:17,520 me, hear my Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my 561 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:19,520 whiskers. I am a true beast. 562 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:24,840 Christ, brothers and sisters, is a true man, and this is his true 563 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:28,159 body, and this is his True Blood, and we are his true 564 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:31,040 people, and he has given us his peace. 565 00:34:31,639 --> 00:34:34,040 If you've been baptized into covenant with the Triune God, 566 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:39,639 this is your table. So come to Christ here receiving 567 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,120 the peace that the resurrected Christ would have you enjoy. 568 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,199 Listen to me. He said it three times. 569 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:51,719 I'm going to say it 4 Peace to be with you, peace to be with 570 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:55,639 you, peace to be with you, peace to be with you. 571 00:34:56,560 --> 00:35:01,040 He is risen now come and welcome to King Jesus. 572 00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:06,320 Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you for 573 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,440 being the author and perfector of our faith. 574 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:15,360 Thank you that your resurrection has proved that what you 575 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:21,200 promised, you performed. And now we have peace with God, 576 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:26,240 having our sins forever forgiven, having been reconciled 577 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,280 to you by faith, having ascended with you into the heavenly 578 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:35,160 realms, having been seated with you at the right hand of the 579 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:40,760 majesty on high, now having been sent down by you into the earth 580 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:47,280 to reconcile it. We need power, we need 581 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,640 provision, we need you to feed us today. 582 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,360 And so we ask you to meet us at the table by the power of your 583 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,800 Holy Spirit, that as we eat and as we drink, that we would truly 584 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,760 participate in the body of Christ. 585 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:07,280 Would you, would you draw us near to yourself and Lord, in 586 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,520 words that that we can understand? 587 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:13,680 Would you speak peace to us? Yes. 588 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:17,280 Again, yet again, we ask that in your name, Amen.