Jesus is our true perfect peace
TEXT: JOHN 20: 19 —31
INTRODUCTION:
In 1919 the league of nations was formed in Geneva basically to seek peace among nations. However. peace has not been achieved. As a result of this, individuals, groups of people and organizations have proposed many ways to achieve peace, There are Some who believe that peace could be achieved through Riches, Education, Marriage, Lucrative jobs and Positions and Titles. In any case, all these things bring temporal satisfaction but not true peace. This means the world seek peace from the wrong places. It is only God who gives peace and this True perfect peace of God comes through Jesus Christ the Son of God. So, “JESUS IS OUR TRUE PERFECT PEACE”
The gospel text begins by giving us the account of Jesus’ Easter evening appearance to His disciples. But the Easter surprise was not quite so easily believed as we are often tempted to think. There were real problems, such as the fear of the Jews, because they had succeeded in killing Jesus and might come after His followers next, and because of the resurrection, which the Jews wanted to paint as a religious fraud and deliberate deceit. On top of that, in the scripture, we heard how Jesus’ disciples promised that they would never leave him, even to the point of death.
Yet when Jesus was confronted by a band of soldiers, His disciples run and when Jesus was beaten, flogged, and tortured, mocked and spat upon, none of his disciples was around to sympathize with him. In fact, by the time Jesus was nailed to a cross to died then all his friends had bolted away and hid. So, the disciples were deeply troubled with their disloyalty, and that heightened their fear and doubt and panic and nightmares in the locker room. The disciples were so overwhelmed that they did not believe when it was reported to them that Jesus had resin from the dead. The fact
that Jesus had risen did not mean that they understood everything.
We are told that when Jesus appeared in their room, it frightened them because they were still struggling with the unique reality of sin. But while they were in that troubled state, Jesus calmed them with the greeting of “Peace.
Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” Then He had to show them His hands and the wound in His side and let them touch Him just to make sure that this was no ghost but He is the risen Lord appearing with the glorified body is the same person as the crucified Christ. Jesus didn’t want their conviction to base on blind credulity but with faith based on evidence. Dear people of God, what peace is this that Jesus gives? Jesus probably used the Hebrew word שָׁלוֹם (Shalom).
This word conveys a message of completeness, tranquillity, a wish for good health and prosperity, friendship, true genuine peace that comes from God the Father almighty through sacrificial death and resurrection of his only son Jesus Christ.
Beloved, see how generous Jesus is to forgive his friends who abandoned and denied him. Jesus didn’t say to them let bygones be bygones rather he relays a message of Peace from God to his disciples.
Then again Jesus consolidates the relationship by breathing on them to give them His Holy Spirit, and with the Spirit, He gave them the authority to forgive the sins of anyone who repented, and to bind the sins of those who did not repent. It was also to teach them that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father but also from the Son. Furthermore, the holy spirit that they have received from Him is the empowerment for the ongoing work assigned to them. Jesus says to them ‘As the Father sent me, even so, I am sending you’ v21 What is the task given to them? They were to
- Bear testimony to the truth that Jesus is the Savior of the world
- Preach repentance in forgiveness.
- And by their life and teaching show blessedness to the people just as they had been blessed by Jesus.
In effect, they were to preach the good news so that people may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God and through their faith in Him they may have life… BELOVED IN THE LORD, WE NEED GOD’S PEACE TO CALM OUR TROUBLED HEARTS:
Jesus paid for our sins yet sin still burdens our conscience. The devil, the world, and the sinful flesh daily entrap Christians into temptation and sin. When you as a Christian recount the times you have loved things of this world more than God and how we have treated your neighbours less than yourself. It is undeniable that we break God’s command all the time through our actions and inactions. So, guilt begins to build up. Guilt can make one feels separated from God. Then again and worst of all, the emergence of the coronavirus (Covid19) that has affected us Socially, Economically, Spiritually and Religiously, Psychologically. The world has ground amok, nothing moves.
In fact, this Covid19 has taken the whole world hostage. As a result of this, we are living in Fear, Doubt, Nightmares. We are facing these challenges because of our own grievous fault. The problem we are facing is not about Swift or Might but the conquering hand of the lord.
However, amid all these troubles difficulties and hopelessness, We have a God who sent his only son Jesus Christ to suffer, died to defeat the world, Devil, Death and Sin and was raised to life. This Jesus has brought us peace, true and perfect peace that the world can’t give. Because of Jesus perfect sacrifice on the cross, God through baptism has poured out His Spirit into our hearts as a guarantee of his forgiveness. Therefore, His Holy Spirit invites you to confess your sins daily to God your Father and believe in the forgiveness that Christ Jesus has won for us. Jesus sets our conscience hearts at rest with the peace of God. With that peace, we have access to God.
My dear brothers and Sisters in Christ, in this coronavirus crisis, God has not deserted you and He will not abandon you. His peace abounds in You. Our Lord Jesus Christ understands your situation more than you do because he experienced worse than what you are going through. He is with you by his Spirit to strengthen you, protect you and enable you to believe in the victory he has secured on your behalf. His Holy Spirit is by your side restore you and to give you hope that this virus shall pass. And that this Convid19 crisis can’t rob you of the peace of God.
Last Sunday we celebrated with loud ‘Alleluias’ because, by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the conflict between Us and God is removed. What a peace, what a joy!! we have in Jesus?
Dear Christian friends, Christ message of peace, salvation and reconciliation is not just for the eleven disciples and us, this message is for the entire world.
The entire world conflicted with God. And so, there are people out there who still live in the darkness of sin, unbelief, fear and doubt and in superstitions. These people do not the peace of God.
Furthermore, False teachers are burdening the conscience of many other Christians with their false teachings about salvation through self- righteousness. All these people need to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesu Christ. In view of this, Jesus says: As the Father Sent Me, So I Send You (20:21)
In our new relationship God, Jesus commissions us to proclaim the message of “Repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations.
It is important to recognize, however, that we are sent in the same way Jesus was sent by His Father. In order not to water down the message to suit the ears of peoples, Jesus has sent his Spirit into our hearts to communicate His Word through us in ways that are clear to his hearers so that people may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God and have life in His name ’that is the purpose of this Evangelical message
Conclusion:
Beloved in the lord, you are the blessed one, for you did not see Jesus rise from the dead. Unlike Thomas, none of us saw Jesus’ nail-pierced hands and pierced side. Yet Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.” you are blessed because the Holy Spirit has given you have faith to believe in the resurrected Jesus and acknowledge him as your Lord and God who has brought peace to your troubled heart. In his name
Amen !!