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Place:
Lurgan Baptist 27:4:2003
Reading:
John 20:1-23
4. THE UNLIMITED CHRIST
Several years ago the Christian Beacon magazine
released a list describing the perfect pastor. A few of his unlimited abilities
were,
* He preaches exactly 20 minutes, and then sits down.
He condemns sin, but never hurts anyones feelings.
* He works from 8am to 10pm in every sort of work,
from preaching responsibilities to custodial service.
* He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30
years.
* He is tall and short, thin, heavyset and handsome,
with one brown eye, and one blue eye.
* His hair is parted down the middle, the left side
dark and straight, the right side brown and wavy.
* He loves to work with teenagers, and spends all his
time with the elderly.
* He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends
all his time evangelising the unsaved, and is never out of the study.
Now
why are we smiling ? Because we all know that such a performance is
not only improbable, but totally impossible. At his best, man still has many
limitations, doesnt he ? Only the Lord
Jesus Christ is unlimited.
For example here, in His resurrection body, He was
able to enter the room without opening the doors ! It was a solid body, for He
asked the disciples to touch Him, and He even ate some fish. ( Lk 24:41-43 )
But it was a different kind of body, one that was not limited by what we call
the laws of nature. You see, here
is brought before us, The Unlimited
Christ. Look at ( 20:19 ) and notice the three words that I want to leave
with you this
. ! THEN
. CAME
JESUS ! Do you get the force of these words ? A company of His
disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room. They were fearful and
downcast for had they not seen their beloved Lord and Master die a cruel death
on the cross ? Many of them in their heart of hearts thought He was still dead.
It is true that there had been some mention of His
having been seen by one and another of His disciples, but even so they were
filled with doubt and fear and were like men that dream. It was all so strange
and mysterious. That the Saviour had died, they had no doubts at all. He had
been cruelly crucified between two thieves, and then His precious body had been
taken down from the cross and laid in a new garden tomb. Yes, there was no doubt
about His death, and yet some of the disciples had said they had seem Him
alive. Mary Magdalene out of whom the Lord had cast seven devils had been the
very first to go to the tomb very early that morning. And as she stood without
the sepulchre weeping, suddenly the Lord Himself appeared, spoke to her by name
and then, just as suddenly disappeared. How
mysterious it all was ! Some of the other women also returning from the
tomb had a similar experience.
( Matt 28:9-0 ) Then some time later that day, Peter
had seen the Lord. ( Lk 24:34 1 Cor 15:15 ) and later still the two disciples
on the road to Emmaus had met with the Risen Lord and actually had a meal with
Him. How confusing it all was ! Had they really seem Him, and if so where was
He now ? It was in this strange, troubled bewildered, frame of mind that they
met in the Upper Room, at least ten of them were there and probably others, (
Lk 24:33 ) and the doors were firmly shut and locked.
Suddenly, without any announcement, and without the
doors being opened, Then
. came Jesus. He really was alive, for here
standing in the midst was their own beloved Lord. He had risen from the dead.
He was alive
. the Risen Lord had come ! Now these three words,
Then
. came Jesus, draw forth 3 questions,
When
? How ? Why ? Then
. came Jesus,
(1)
THE MOMENT OF HIS COMING
Then
. came Jesus, But when did He come ?
He came:
(a) WHEN SIN HAD BEEN
EXPIATED:
Now when we speak of expiation what do we mean ?
Simply the removal of guilt by means of an atonement
or satisfaction rendered to God. Now
expiation and propitiation are relative terms, the sinner or is guilt is
expiated, God or justice is propitiated. ( Hodge ) Did our Lord not come
into the world for this purpose ? That He might atone for the sins of the lost,
that He might pay the penalty for sin. Do you recall the message of the angel ?
Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He
shall save His people from their sins. ( Matt 1:21 ) My
. the work of
atonement could only be accomplished by the way of the cross for without the shedding of blood there is no
remission. ( Heb 9:22 ) Thats why the Lord Jesus said to His disciples
here, it behoved Christ to suffer. (
Lk 24:46 ) And so the time came at the end of our Lords three years of public
ministry, when He Who knew no sin was
made sin for us, and He bare our
sins in His own body on the tree.
( 2 Cor 5:21 1 Pet 2:24 )
Then
. came Jesus, for the Christian faith is a resurrection
faith. Indeed the resurrection was the guarantee that the work of redemption
was now completed, the seal of the Fathers approval on His Sons atoning work
on the cross. ( Rom 4:25 ) (a)
(b) WHEN DEATH HAD BEEN
CONQUERED:
You see,
Through death He destroyed him that had the power of death. ( Heb 2:14 )
Christ, says, Paul
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ( 2
Tim 1:9 ) Christ pulled the sting out of
death. My
. Jesus took the gloom out of the grave. Christ has taken the
dread of dying. The Saviour met the substance, now you and I only have to pass
through the shadow. Now a shadow, may
frighten you but it will never hurt you. That great preacher Dr. Donald
Barnhouse lost his wife when she was only in her thirties. She left with three
children ages twelve and under. Dr. Barnhouse chose to bury his wife and
conduct the service himself. While he was driving to the memorial service with
his three grieving, broken-hearted children staring blankly out the window, a
truck passed them on the highway, and cast a shadow over their car. Dr.
Barnhouse never losing his brilliant ability to illustrate, paused and thought,
what does a father tell his motherless
children at a time like this ?
Then he looked at his twelve year old daughter and
said,
Sweetheart, tell me would you rather be run over by that truck or by its shadow
? Startled by the question, she said, Oh, I dont know, Daddy, the shadow I
guess. Why ? he asked. Because
the shadow cant hurt you. He then said, It was only the shadow that hit Mummy. The truck hit Jesus 2000 years
ago at Calvary. A tremendous lesson was it not ? My
. Christ has take the
sting out of death, the gloom out of the grave, the dread out of dying. He has
become our Victor. Then
. came Jesus.
When ? (a) (b)
(c) SATAN HAD BEEN DEFEATED:
Do you recall speaking of His death the Lord Jesus
said,
Now is the judgement of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast
out. ( 12:21 ) Although the cross might have appeared to
signal Satans victory over God, in reality it marked Satans defeat. ( Rom
16:20 Heb 2:14 ) Paul speaking of the cross, says having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it. ( Col 2:15 ) The picture is that of a
victorious Roman general parading his defeated enemies through the streets of
Rome to the delight of the crowds. My
. Christ won the victory over the demons
forces at the cross, where their efforts to halt Gods redemptive plan were
ultimately defeated. Do you need to fear the Devil ?
No ! For the Devil is a vanquished foe, he was
defeated by Christ at the cross and we believers have been delivered from the
power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of Gods dear Son. ( Col 1:13
) Satan, then should be treated as a defeated enemy for we are not fighting for victory, bless God we are fighting from victory, for in Christ we are more
than conquerors. (1)
(2) THE MANNER OF HIS COMING
Then
. came Jesus. How
did our Lord come into that locked room ? Well,
(a) HE CAME BODILY:
In bodily form. There is not the slightest doubt about
this. He did not come as a ghost or as a disembodied spirit. There He was the
Lord, the Man Christ Jesus, in
bodily form. Imagine it. Just a few days before they had walked with Him and
eaten with him and slept beside Him and talked with Him. Then came the
horrendous betrayal in the darkness of Gethsemane
. that turning point after
which nothing was ever the same again. Death
. the most horrible form of death
. came between them and their beloved Master. All they had hoped for and
planned were lost. Their dreams were dashed, leaving them frightened and filled
with doubt, until
. In a flash, as though time and space have been suspended,
He has come back, bringing all sorts of new dimensions to their attention, as
the power of God is unleashed in His new body. It was unbelievable !
My
. this was a bodily resurrection. I mean they saw
Him, handled Him, ate with Him, spoke with Him.
Where they all mistaken ? ( Matt 28:9 Lk 24:30,39 )
Of course not, there He was in bodily form, their own
beloved Lord. Now of course, there are those who deny the resurrection. But we believe that the precious body of the
Lord Jesus which was reverently laid in the cool grave on the evening of Friday
April the 3rd literally vacated that grave before six oclock on the
following Sunday morning the 5th April. For us it is all as literal
and factual as that. This nothing less and nothing else is what we mean by the
resurrection of Christ. He arose, He arose, Hallelujah Christ arose. And
do you recall what Paul says ? We look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change out vile body, that it
may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. ( Phil 3:21 ) Amazing ! His
glorious body. My
. there will be no more aching brows, no more swollen limbs,
no more dim eyes. No more sickness, sorrow, or pain. We know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him.
(b) HE CAME MYSTERIOUSLY:
Yes, there was mystery about His appearance. How could
they understand it and how can we ? Think for a moment, the doors were closed,
and suddenly, then came Jesus. What is
a Christian ? A Christian is Christ in a person. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
( Col 1:27 ) We become Christians when we receive the
Lord Jesus into our hearts ! But you say, how can one do this, it is so
mysterious, so difficult to understand.
Do you ever think of what your great grandfather would
think if he was come to back, and sit in front of a television and you
explained to him that by pressing a remote in your hand he could see and hear
things that were happening thousands of miles away ? He would say, I cannot believe it, I cannot understand
it, its so mysterious. Oh, he may not be able to understand it, but he
could feel it, hear it, see it, and know that it was true. So it is when we
receive Christ as our Saviour. He comes to abide within us for ever, though the
mystery of the indwelling Christ is a mystery indeed. (a) (b)
(c) HE CAME AUTHORITATIVELY:
Then
. came Jesus and stood in the midst. My
. was that not
His rightful place ? Is this not where He belongs in the centre of things ? Do
you recall that as a boy He was in the midst of the curious rabbis of Jerusalem ? ( Lk 2:46 ) Then on the
cross He was in the midst of the
crucified robbers at Calvary ? ( Jn 19:18 ) John, caught up into
heaven, saw the Lamb in the midst of the
crowned royalties of heaven. ( Rev 5:6 ) Today, however He is the midst
of the converted remnant of earth. (
Matt 18:20 ) Jesus in the Midst.
At the centre of things ! Tell me, is He in the midst of your home, and
business ? Have you given Him central place in your heart ? Then
. came Jesus. (1) (2)
(3) THE MESSAGE OF HIS COMING
Not only, why did He come ? How did He come ? But why
did He come ? Well, look at the context. He came:
(a) TO GIVE THEM HIS PEACE:
Look at ( 20:19-20 ) You see, it is Christ alone who
can give us peace with God, and it is Christ alone who can impart the peace of
God to our souls. Notice:
1.
The BASIS for this Peace:
Do you see it ?
His hands and His side, that is, He showed them the marks of His
crucifixion, the marks of Calvary. It tells us that our peace is based on His
pains, our salvation is based on His sacrifice, our eternal well being rests on
His excruciating wounds. Do you ever people saying, Well, he made his peace with God. No, he didnt. The only who
ever made peace was Christ. Having made
peace through the blood of His cross. ( Col 1:20 ) Do you know anything
about this peace with God ? Have you received this peace that Christ made
through His cross ? ( Rom 5:1 ) 1:
2.
The BLESSING of this Peace:
Did you notice the Risen Redeemer said it again.
Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. (
20:21 ) Why did He say it the second
time ? Was it because He knew that they were going
into the world and they would meet with suffering, persecution, and
disillusionment ? But in the midst of the storm, they could know the peace of God which passeth all
understanding. ( Phil 4:7 ) Do you remember when the decree went forth in
Babylon that noone was to pray for a month ? Do you recall what Daniel did ? He
prayed ! Do you recall the result of his prayer ? He slept like a baby with the
lions in the den ?
Peace in the midst of the storm. Do you possess it ?
Or is your life filled with worry, fret, care ? My
. Christ is alive to give
you His peace ! (a)
(b) TO GIVE THEM HIS
PROGRAMME:
As
my Father
. so send I you. ( 20:21 ) The Christian
faith is a missionary faith. As Christ Himself was sent by the Father to
procure salvation, so now we are sent by the Son to proclaim salvation. My
.
we are not to remain in hiding, sheltered from conflict behind these closed
doors, withdrawn into ecclesiastical tranquillity. No, with Christs peace in
our hearts and on our lips we are sent into the very world of which we were
previously afraid. And our mission is to be modelled on Christs. Notice, he
did not merely issue a Command,
the Father sent me, I send you. No, he also supplied a Pattern, As my Father hath sent Me, even so send I
you. How did the Father send the Son ? He sent Him into the world. Why did
the Father send the Son ? To deal with sin. ( Heb 9:26 ) My
. we are to go
into the world and proclaim with clarity and authority the terms on which God
forgives sins and without which He retains them. This is our responsibility !
The question is this, how are we doing ? How are you doing ? Are you saying, Well Im so weak, and useless ? Did
you notice, Christ also came:
(c) TO GIVE THEM HIS POWER:
For in anticipation of the Day of Pentecost He said,
receive ye the Holy Ghost. ( 20:22 ) A young man was an
apprentice to a master artist who produced the most beautiful stained glass
windows. The apprentice could not come even close to his masters work so one
day he borrowed his masters tools, thinking this was the answer. After several
weeks the young man said, I am not
doing any better with your tools than I did with mine. The teacher
replied, Son, its not the tools of the
master you need, its the spirit of the master you need. Is your witness
empowered by the Holy Spirit ?
Then
. came Jesus. (1) (2) (3) A little girl one day was examining
her mothers features. She said,
Mummy I do love you face, its so beautiful, and your eyes are so kind, but
Mummy I dont like your hands. Her hands were dreadfully
scarred. That mother her little girl a story. It was the story of a fire, and
of a little baby girl asleep upstairs, it told of how the mother rushed up that
burning staircase, saved her child, but in the process her hands were terribly
burnt. When the story was finished that mother said to her little girl,
that baby girl was you, and that mother was I. The
wee girl was silent for a moment and then she said,
Mummy I do love you face and your eyes, but I love your hands best of all.
Then
. came Jesus
. And
. He showed unto them His hands and His side.
My
. those nailed scarred hands speak to us and they
say,
I gave my life for Thee
My precious blood I shed
That thou mightest ransomed be
And quickened from the dead
I gave, I gave my life for thee
What hast thou given for Me.