04-21-13 It’s Spring: time for new Growth!

Scripture      I Peter 2:1-5

ILLUS:  Measure a tall and short person in the congregation.  Ask, how long have you been this tall?  Why did you stop growing?  Baby Christians often grow quickly – read and pray – go to many church functions – share what they have found with others.  Why do they stop growing?  How long have you been this same height as a Christian?

3 WEEK THEME:   Encouraging the tithe: GROWING and giving in grace!

Today – the Growing part.  To check our growth, we all need to start at the same place.  Let me share some fundamentals about tithing that we can use as our starting measurement.

1)      To Tithe means to give 10% of one’s earned income.  This is not a lesson on stewardship, though tithing is a part of good stewardship.  Therefore, a tithe does not mean my time or talents used for God.  If that were the case, that is how I spend most of my time, therefore, I don’t need to give a portion of my income.  Biblical tithe: 10% of one’s earned income.  Not gifts – income.  The scripture talks about bringing a 10^th of your lambs or the grain – YES – what were those things 2500 years ago? INCOME in a system of barter.  Now we trade our time, product, skills, or knowledge for money – our income!  10 % given to the work of the church is a tithe.

2)      Determine your current giving %.  Take the average dollar amount you give a week and divide it by your weekly income – 200/1000 = .20%  20/500 = .04%

Lev 27:30-34

       “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. (If he buys it back, he must add 5 cents for every dollar of worth.) 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock — every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod — will be holy to the Lord. 33 He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.  (Can you imagine someone bringing a sheep -
Ooops, not that one – have this runt!”  God is not pleased with substitutions: parents or pastor can’t substitute for your faith – don’t try and fool God – be honest about your giving – remember Ananias and Sapphira…….) If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed."  This is serious stuff to God.  Where did Moses receive the 10 Commandments?  Mt Sinai!  Was tithing one of the 10…?  NO, but it was commanded on Mt. Sinai – and equal to the big 10!  34 These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

In the OT, tithing is a COMMANDMENT!

We need to grow beyond the commandment!  You have heard it said….., but I say to you…..

We are not living under OT law – we are set free in Jesus!  Yes, but to point that out sounds like what is written in the OT is no longer valid.  I have had people who would say they are “bible believing Christians” (which is redundant by the way) that tithing is only in the OT.  1^st – wrong!  2^nd – does that make it invalid?  3^rd – If giving a tithe in the OT is commanded, should we do any less in Christ, under grace?  Let’s stay in the OT for today and we’ll look at the NT next week.

Numbers 18:25-32

       The Lord said to Moses, 26 "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord's offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord's portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'

          30 "Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32 By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.'"

          Notice that the Leadership receives his wages from the tithe of the people, then the leaders (Moses & Aaron) are also expected to tithe.

We are to tithe the best part – How often have I heard that I don’t have enough money left over to tithe once I pay all my bills.  The tithe is to be the 1^st – the best - portion.  More about that next week.

Since I am expected by God to tithe, let me share my testimony.  Like many of you, my spiritual growth has gone through spurts and slow times.  But my desire to tithe and how I am in tithing has changed.

At first I tithed because I was taught by my pastor.  It was the only guideline I had.  It felt good to contribute even though it didn’t seem like much dollar-wise.  In seminary we were told (“If you can’t…you’ll never…)  My tithing felt a little detached because I was serving as a very temporary youth pastor and it never felt like “my” church – but we still tithed.

In my first pastorate we couldn’t afford shoes, taxes, or any luxuries – we still tithed (with an exception or two) There was pain and sacrifice in continuing the tithe and greater pain in that time or two of not tithing.

My next pastorate, tithing just felt right.  Starting a new church, tithing was essential.  My last pastorate, I voluntarily cut my salary in half not once, but twice because the church was about to close its doors.  But I made money in educational software and teaching drama in a HS while still pastoring.  Sometimes the tithe felt wrong, because I was only receiving a ¼ the salary I had previously received.  Still, we tithed.

Now I am in the church with heart that has more ministry and life than most churches this size.  We love giving our tithe to the Lord through a ministry that honors God, that seeks to do his will, that is imperfect, but where Jesus is glorified and the Holy Spirit is active in the lives of the people!

Our dollar amount given has changed determined by our salary, but the tithe – 10% of our earned income has remained constant in great churches and dying churches, in our youth and as we age, when we had plenty and when we had less than nothing.  Our growth has come in how we are when we give, and we have grown to a place of great joy in Jesus, in giving the tithe!

1 Peter 2:1-6

       Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.   As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 This Spring…will you be growing in Christ!?

POSTLUDE:

2 Chronicles 7:14-15
       If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

04-14-13 FAITHBOOK PRAISE

Psalm 100

       Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 34:3   Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

The old city of Jerusalem to this day has the archways called gates.  The city was created as a fortress to keep unwanted invaders out.  This was particularly true just out side the temple.  Each progression closer to the holy of holies (the seat of God) had a gate to go through to enter the next court (court of the gentiles, the women, Israel/men, Priests).  You can still see this separation today at the Wailing Wall 3/4 men 1/4 women.

Do you pray when you are in the presence of God or do you send him tweets, posts, texts, emails, or leave voice messages?  What do I mean?  You can get right into the holy of holies if you are a disciple of Jesus – but there is a prescribed way to get through the gates found in Psalm 100 vs 4 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

We don’t come to God like a whinny ungrateful self centered child – we come as mature Christ followers who first recognize the one to whom we are approaching – The living God.  We begin by reminding ourselves that he alone is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.  We begin by offering him the gift of our praise and thanksgiving.  We begin at the beginning – giving him the praise and thanksgiving he is due.

The only time to deviate from Psalm 100 praising is in our SOS prayers – during an emergency 911 situation where we need God to act NOW.  What about when I am in a non-emergency situation but I am down in the dumps and life looks bleak – then remember Rom 8:28-29   And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  This doesn’t mean all things are good but that in all things God is working for our good.  Even in the most tragic times, God is still present working on our behalf.  That is reason to give thanks – not for the tragic thing happening but for the God who is carrying you through that circumstance.

          Look at Phil 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess 5:18   give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  “In all circumstances” not FOR all circumstances.

          Ps 43:5   Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

RETELL the story of the Philippian Jail Praise   Acts 16:16-34

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.

23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God — he and his whole family.

 

What words of praise do we use?

Ex 15:2  The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Isa 25:1   O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

KINDLE BOOK: 99c To him who sits on the throne: Praising God with the scriptures

 

HALLELUJAH! YES, PRAISE THE LORD!

Based on Psalm 150 Liv Bib: song written by Jeff Cooper 1988

Praise Him in his temple

and in the heavens He made with His mighty power,

His mighty power.

 

Praise Him for his mighty works,

and His unequaled greatness.

Praise the Lord!

**********

Praise Him with the trumpet,

And with the lute and the harp,

Lute and the harp.

 

Praise Him with the tambourines,

And with the processional.

Praise the Lord!

**********

Praise Him with stringed instruments,

And with the horns,

With the horns.

 

Praise Him with the cymbals,

Yes, loud clanging cymbals.

Praise the Lord!

**********

Let everything alive

Give praise to the Lord,

To the Lord.

 

You---praise---Him.  Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord!

 

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.      Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.      Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:      Your love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,      Your love endures forever.

who by his understanding made the heavens,      Your love endures forever.

who spread out the earth upon the waters,      Your love endures forever.

who made the great lights —       Your love endures forever.

the sun to govern the day,      Your love endures forever.

the moon and stars to govern the night;      Your love endures forever.

to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt    Your love endures forever.

and brought Israel out from among them    Your love endures forever.

with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;      Your love endures forever.

to him who divided the Red Sea asunder    Your love endures forever.

and brought Israel through the midst of it,      Your love endures forever.

but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;      Your love endures forever.

to him who led his people through the desert,      Your love endures forever.

who struck down great kings,      Your love endures forever.

and killed mighty kings —       Your love endures forever.

Sihon king of the Amorites    Your love endures forever.

and Og king of Bashan —       Your love endures forever.

and gave their land as an inheritance,      Your love endures forever.

an inheritance to his servant Israel;      Your love endures forever.

to the One who remembered us in our low estate    Your love endures forever.

and freed us from our enemies,      Your love endures forever.

and who gives food to every creature.      Your love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.      Your love endures forever.

Rev 22:12-16   "Behold Jesus! You am coming soon! Your reward is with you, and you will give to everyone according to what he has done. You am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. "You, Jesus, have sent your angel to give us this testimony for the churches. You are the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

04-07-13 PRAYING THE FAITHBOOK

Scripture    Jeremiah 1:9-12

          How many of you remember 10 years ago learning about the prayer of Jabez?  Bruse Wilkinson sates that he prays the prayer of Jabez every day and he wrote a book about it.  The rayer of Jabea is a perfect example of a principle I want us to learn today: Praying the FAITHBOOK or praying the scriptures or praying the bible.

          1 Chronicles 4:3-10

These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi.  Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah.  These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.  Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.  Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.  The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

          9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

         

Are you a self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who thinks of God more as a Santa Clause than the sovereign Father. Does your praying have more in common with programming a heavenly computer than surrendering to a loving Master. Do you claim God’s promises for your own ease rather than being claimed by God’s purposes for His kingdom.

Praying through the Bible will yield a mind informed by the will of God, a heart enflamed with the love of God, and hands extended in the service of God. All three of these are central to life in Christ, and all three flow out of our communion with Christ.

So, what’s involved in praying the Scriptures? Praying the Scriptures requires us first to be in the Scriptures regularly. We can’t hide the Word in our hearts if we’re not lingering in the Bible’s pages. As Martin Luther said, we need the gospel every day because we forget the gospel every day.

Read the bible but also let the bible read you. If we aren’t careful, we can read the Scriptures for information and inspiration while playing dodgeball with our calling to transformation. Having the Scriptures “read us” deepens our prayer life.

Praying the Scriptures, therefore, calls us to look for Jesus in every part of the Bible.  “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets” (Luke 24:27), we want to discover everything prophesied and promised about Jesus as He is progressively revealed in the history of redemption from Genesis through Revelation.

Minds informed by the will of God and hearts enflamed with the love of God will be authenticated by hands extended in the service of God. The more we pray through the Scriptures wearing the lens of the gospel, the less we’ll find ourselves giving God bit parts in our story and the more we’ll think about finding our place in His story. The central and operative question in life is not “What can I do for Jesus?” while He’s away in heaven. Rather, it’s “What can I do with Jesus?” since He’s right here, right now.

Jer 1:9-12

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." 11 The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"  "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. 12 The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."

 

Praying God's Word

.         Would you like your prayers to be more powerful? Pray the Scriptures. Hebrews 4:12 says Heb 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  When we speak and pray the Scriptures, we are coming into agreement with God, and His power is released to answer our prayers.

Maybe you feel like God doesn't hear your prayers? Or maybe you don't know what to pray for in certain situations.  1 John 5:14-15

 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

1John 5:14, which tells us we can have confidence in God. Not only does He hear our prayers, but He also promises to answer them when we pray in line with His will. He hastens to perform His Word.

Benefits of Praying the Scriptures

Praying the Scriptures will increase your spiritual growth. You actually learn what God says about certain situations, and by praying His Word you will see His results.

Many people have testified that just by praying the healing scriptures they have been healed, physically as well as mentally.

You can live a stress free life if you will only just pray because when you pray, you are turning the situation over to God. You're taking the situation out of your hands, and putting it in His hands. You're releasing it to God. These Scripture Prayers are very easy to read, and if you'll read them every day, even within a week, you will have memorized Scripture and won't even realize it until a situation arises, or until someone asks you to pray for them.

 

Jeremiah 29:11-14  HOPE

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

 

Matt 19:26  POSSIBILITES

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

 

Philippians 4:13   STRENGTH

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

 

Matthew 6:9-13  FORGIVENESS

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   Give us today our daily bread.   Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.   And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

 

JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS PRAYED THE FAITHBOOK

Matthew 4 the 3 temptations – “it is written…”

 

COMMUNION

 

RESPONSE:  WE FALL DOWN

Rev 4:9-11

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Holy, Hoy, Holy!

PRAYER TIME

One way to pray the scriptures is to take the prayers in scripture and pray them. You have to make them personal.  The prayer of Jabez needs no alteration. Here is a prayer of affirmation that I need only to alter slightly:  Col 1:3-7  I always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when I pray for you firstb congregation, because I know of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Andy Boetcher, Ken Gould, Sally Molyneux, Bob Holloway, the pastors and teachers before them, all these dear fellow servants, who have been faithful ministers of Christ on our behalf, and who also told me of your love in the Spirit.

 

Prayer Promises

Jer 1:12........ "I am ready to perform My Word."

Jn 16:24....... "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

Mt 21:22........."...whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Jer 33:3......... "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things..."

Jn 14:14........ "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."

Jn 16:23........ "...whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."

Jas 5:16........ "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Job 22:27...... "You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you..."

1Jn 5:14........ "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

1Jn 5:15........ "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

Jn 14:13........ "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Isa 55:11....... "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Jn 15:7.......... "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

Mt 18:18........ "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Mt 18:19........ "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."

Jn 15:16........ "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

Jer 29:12........ "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you."

Isa 65:24........ "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are speaking I will hear."

Ps 91:15........ "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."

Ps 141:2......... "Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

03-31-13 Don’t be a Doubting Didymus

READER’S THEATER:  WORDS PAST THE TOMB

VIDEO:

http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/jesus/i-am-with-you

v Thomas stole the body – would become unclean

v Romans stole the body – why not present him later to prove he is not risen?

v Swoon theory – he wasn’t really dead, just nearly dead- if the cross didn’t kill him the spear did.

v Risen from the dead like Lazarus – to die again.

v Risen from the dead – to a totally NEW kind of life.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS LITTERALLY BODILY RAISED FROM THE DEAD?  1 Cor 15:14-16  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.

 John 20:19-29

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples (minus Didymus) were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them (Rom 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.) and said, "Peace be with you!" (John 14:25-27  "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.) (Peace I leave with you =  The Jewish form of salutation and benediction. May you prosper in body and soul, and enjoy every earthly and heavenly good! Such tranquillity of soul, such uninterrupted happiness of mind, such everlasting friendship with God as I enjoy, may you enjoy! And such blessedness I bequeath to you: it is my last, my best, my dying legacy. Not as the world gives - Not as the Jews, in empty wishes: not as the people of the world, in empty compliments. Their salutations and benedictions are generally matters of custom and polite ceremony, given without desire or design; but I mean what I say; what I wish you, that I will give you. To his followers Jesus gives peace, procures it, preserves it, and establishes it. He is the author, prince, promoter, and keeper of peace.  20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  (He gave them a proof, not to create faith, but to confirm their faith. Because Didymus was not there he missed out and therefore his faith was not confirmed.  This is why I emphasize regular attendance and participation in worship – you never know when Jesus is going to bestow a special blessing) 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 2:7 the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.)  23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"  But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."  26 A week later (Sunday – the new sabbath) his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."  28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"  29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jesus had us in mind – we are blessed by not seeing and yet believing.)

 

The convincing proof of Jesus resurrection is that he showed himself to people after he died and rose again: Acts 1:3-4   After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

          His proof that it was really the earthly Jesus that had been risen was for 40 days and beyond to retain his wounds from the cross - Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.

 

John 14:16-17     And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 

 

First an angel announces to the women that he is risen.  Peter and John see his empty tomb and grave clothes.  Mary Magdalene first sees him, thinking he is a gardener till he says her name.  She reports to the disciples.  Ten of the disciples plus others are gathered the day his tomb went empty.  Judas is not there – who else?  Doubting Didymus (Thomas = the twin) Why is he not there?  Should he have been there?  Jesus does not want us to neglect meeting together and so Didymus is going to have what will become a harsh encounter.  He missed the blessing of seeing the son of God resurrected.  Should you be at every church event so you don’t miss something important like that?  YES! As much as you are able. Ask Rosemary Lancaster when she returns from her winter home. Morning, noon or night, if the church is having an event, she wants to be with Jesus and his people.  Ask the people who checked yo name last year and attended worship at a minimum 3 out of 4 Sundays.  Ask Jesus who weekly went to the synagogue or worship and proclamation of the word.

 

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS:

Acts 1:21-22      Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. (THE most important aspect for a new disciple/apostle) For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."