Our text this evening is found
in the Gospel according to St. John chapter 20 and verse 23. John 20, 23. Whosoever sins ye
remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain,
they are retained. There's some relationship to
what we were considering this morning. This morning, remember,
we were back in the 23rd chapter of Luke and considering words
there. Let's just turn back to that
passage for a while. In Luke 23, at verse sorry Luke 24 I should say Luke
24 in verse 44 we were considering particular verse 45 where we
read of the Lord opening the understanding that they might
understand the scripture look at the context reading the passage
from verse 44 he said unto them these are the words which I speak
unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the Lord of Moses and in the Prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me then opened in their understanding
that they might understand the Scriptures and said unto them
thus it is written and thus it behoves Christ to suffer and
to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission
of sin should be preached in his name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem and you are witnesses of these things addressing the
disciples there in the upper room on that evening of his rising
again from the dead the first day of the week and so we have
that charge in verse 47 that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at
Jerusalem and it's very similar really to what we have here in John chapter 20 and that 23rd verse again it's
an account of that that transpired in that upper room but it's John's
account of those events Verse 21, then, said Jesus to them
again, Peace be unto you, as my Father hath sent me, even
so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins ye remit, they
are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. And those who were present this
morning may recall how I did remark that Calvin in his commentary
and he comments on the fourfold gospel so he comments on each
of the accounts that we have here that in Luke and also what
we have here in John and he makes the point that what we read in
verse 22 of this 20th chapter of John where the Lord breathed on them
and saith unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost equates to those
words that we were considering earlier when he opened their
understanding that they might understand the Scriptures it's
one and the same thing that is being described it's by that
ministry of the Spirit who is breathing upon them that they're
able to understand the Scriptures of truth But as I said, I want
to take really these words in verse 23 for a text. Whosoever sins ye remit, they
are remitted unto them, and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. And the theme then really is
that of preaching the remission of sins. Preaching the remission
of sins. What are we to understand by
the remission of sins? Well, this has nothing to do
with the Roman Catholic idea of priestly absolution. You know the system. The devout
Romanist goes to his confession and speaks to the priest and
the priest absolves him. he remits his sins and one of
the texts that they would appeal to in support of that teaching
priestly remission, absolution is such a verse as we have before
us tonight well that is of course a false interpretation and understanding
it is not priestly power that's being spoken of it's the preaching
of the word it's the preaching of the gospel of peace. In the whole context here we
see that that the Lord Jesus Christ had accomplished by his
death upon the cross he had made peace through the blood of his
cross reconciling the sinner unto God and how he addresses
his disciples in verse 21 peace he says be unto you it said it
previously in verse 19 when he stood in the midst he saith unto
them peace be unto you and then when on the following Lord's
day eight days later he appears to them again and this time Thomas
is also present and there at the end of verse 26 the greeting
peace be unto you It is that peace that comes when
sins are remitted. Well, let us consider that theme
of the remission, the preaching of the remission of sins. And first of all, to observe
that Christ himself is the source of the remission of sins. Christ
is the source of the remission of sins. He says on a previous occasion,
peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. This is the legacy that the Lord
Jesus Christ has left after he has accomplished that great work
that the Father had given him to do. How he had come and he
had a work that he must accomplish, that covenanted work and he comes
not to do his own will but the will of the one who had sent
him to finish his work and so there upon the cross he utters
that great triumphant cry he says it is finished and he bows
his head and he yields up the ghost he presents the sacrifice
no man was able to take that life from him he had authority
to lay the life down and he had authority to take that life again
that was the power that he exercised in making the great sin atoning
sacrifice what a legacy peace I leave with you my peace I give
unto you that's what he says towards the end of his ministry
but remember even at the very beginning in the great song of the angels
at his birth glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,
goodwill towards men. All the remission, the removal,
the taking away of sins, and it's all in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only source. He is
that, of course, in His very person. Isn't that His name,
the Prince of Peace? Unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given. The government shall be upon
his shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Oh, this man, this man shall
be the Peace, says the Prophet Micah. in his very person, the
man Christ Jesus. How we have coming together there
both God and man, the great mystery of the two natures. And that remarkable union, what
the theologians call the hypostatic union in everything that he does. He is God and man. in his person
and we can never divide those two natures that's the great
mystery of the person of the Lord Jesus and he is the mediator
the mediator of the new covenant the council of peace we are taught
shall be between them both as an eternal council that counsel
between the father and the son and he comes as that one who
will mediate all the blessings of that covenant of peace to
sinners. There's the wonder of the person
then but there's also the work without the shedding of blood
there can be no remission. We read those words there in
Hebrews 9 and it is of course his very wounds that have procured
that that peace with God, the remission of sins and how we
see it here in this passage the same day at evening we're told
in verse 19 being the first of the week when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews
came Jesus and stood in the midst and said unto them please be
unto that is his opening word to them, that is his manner of
greeting he says unto them peace be unto you and when he had so
said he showed them his hands and his side how significant
is the action that follows the words that he had spoken he shows
them those very wounds that had procured that peace
with God, that had purchased the remission of all their sins,
having made peace through the blood of his cross, says the
apostle there in that great portion in Colossians. Remember the words
that we have in Colossians 1 and there at verse 20 following,
having made peace through the blood of his cross. by him to
reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight
It's all by that work, His obedience unto death, even the death of
the cross, how He bore in His own person that wrath that was
due to the sinner, the propitiation of our sins. Here in His love,
not that we love God, but that He loved us, says John. and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. We are those who were deserving
of the wrath. As many as are of the works of
the law, they are under the curse. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things written in the
book of the law to do them. If we we kept the whole of that law
and yet we were guilty in one point and transgressed in one
point we'd be guilty of all it requires a full, a perfect obedience
to the law of God no transgressions or what a curse it is that we're
under because we do not keep the whole of that law of God
but Christ redeemed from the curse of the law being made a
curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth
on a tree well this is the message that is to be proclaimed the
proclamation of peace the preaching of the remission of sins this
was Paul's gospel we see that quite clearly I determined not
to know anything among you saved Jesus Christ and him crucified. We preach Christ crucified he
says to the Corinthians and so as he is the source of the remission
of sins so in the second place we need to consider the proclamation
of this message, the preaching of it. What does he say here
in the text or in the context? of what we have in verse 23 in
the previous verses the end of verse 21 as my father hath sent
me even so send I you and when he had said this he breathed
on them and saith unto them receive ye the holy ghost he is equipping
them to go and proclaim the message that great salvation that he
had purchased by the shedding of his precious blood he himself of course is the great
preacher when the apostle writes to the Ephesians he reminds them
he came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to
them that were nigh he's writing there to the church at Ephesus
in that second chapter and there at verse 17 he tells them how
Christ himself came and preached peace to you which were afar
off they were principally a gentile church they were those who were
afar off and he came and preached peace to you which were afar
off and to them that were nigh the message is to the gentile
as well as to the jew that's what the apostle is saying there
and it reminds them later doesn't it in chapter 4 that they actually
heard the voice of the Lord Jesus the Lord Jesus is that one who
actually came and addressed them in the preaching of the Apostle
remember the words that we have in Ephesians 4 He says, But ye have not so learned
Christ, if so be ye have heard him, and been taught by him,
as the truth is in Jesus. There in chapter 4 and verses
20 and 21. Ye have not so learned Christ,
if so be that ye have heard him, and been taught by him. And yet the Lord was never there
in Ephesus. he came and he addressed them
through the ministry that he himself had established the sending
forth here of his apostles as my father hath sent me even so
send I you and they they're able to speak and to preach with the
same authority oh if Christ were told never man speak like like
this man the people were astonished at
his doctrine we are told at the end of Ephesians 7 the sermon
on the man they are astonished at his doctrine because he teaches
with authority and not as the scribes there was an authority
in his preaching because there was that anointing of the spirit
upon him he is the Christ the anointed one and he whom God
hath sent speaketh the words of God because God giveth not
the Spirit by measure unto him what an anointing what an anointing
and as Christ himself is the anointed one so he is the one
who also anoints here we have it in the 22nd verse of this
chapter he breathed he breathed on them and saith unto them receive
ye the Holy Ghost now the Spirit proceeds from the Son and the
Spirit also proceeds from the Father we see that quite clearly
in what the Lord says in chapter 15 and verse 26 when the comforter
is come him I will send unto you from the father even the
spirit of truth which proceedeth from the father he shall testify
of me he proceeds from the father but here we see how he also proceeds
from the son he breathed on them and in breathing on them they
are receiving the Holy Ghost You have to remember what the
relationship is that is there in the Godhead, in the doctrine
of God. That there is one God, but the
one God subsists in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. But there's a relationship between
the three divine persons, of course. The Son is the son of the father in truth
and love he is the only begotten the only begotten of the father
full of grace and truth that is the relationship between them
but the father is not previous to the son because both father
and son are eternal he is eternally begotten of the father and as the relationship there
is that of the father begetting and the son begotten so the relationship
of the spirit is that of proceeding he eternally proceeds from the
father and from the son and there's no superiority or inferiority
in this relationship because the three divine persons are
co-eternal, they're all eternal and they're co-equal, they're
equal one God in that great mystery
of the doctrine of the Trinity but it's interesting also to
think how God reveals himself to us in terms of the outworking
of the covenant of grace and what do we see when he comes
to that covenant, the covenant of peace that we've referred
to already spoken of in Micah between them both between the
father and the son but the spirit also is party to these things
and we know that the father sends the son when the fullness of
the time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law God so
loves the world that he gives his only begotten son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life the
familiar words of John 3 16 and we've already referred to those
words in 1 John 4 here in Islam not that we love God but that
he loved us and sent his son he sends his son the son of the
father in truth and love the only begotten of the father he
sends that very son to be the propitiation he will visit upon
him the punishment that was due to all those that were given
to him in the eternal covenant all in the covenant then the
father is the one who sends the son and The Son is then the one who really
sends the Holy Spirit. Here in John 6, in the 16th chapter,
we have those words in verse 7, Nevertheless I tell you the
truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not
away the Comforter will not come the Comforter will not come unto
you but if I depart I will send him unto you he says oh it's
expedient when the son has accomplished that work that the father had
given to him in the eternal covenant and the son will go away he will
return to the father after the resurrection and then the ascension
and then he will enter into his glory and what will he do? he
will send the spirit oh it is the truth I tell you the truth
it's expedient for you that I go away and then of course when
the spirit is sent when the spirit comes on the day of Pentecost
Peter there in the course of his preaching reminds them what
is happening And it's Christ, it's the exalted Christ who is
now shed abroad the Holy Spirit. As we're told here in chapter
7 of John, the Spirit was not yet given, Jesus was not yet
glorified. Oh, but when Christ was glorified,
what a great outpouring of the Spirit. What an event was the
day of Pentecost. And Peter declares it there,
Acts 2.33, Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted,
and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. And the Spirit comes, and He
comes very much as the Spirit of Christ. He comes to testify
of the Lord Jesus Christ. and so we have this ministry
of the Spirit and it's all that wondrous gift that comes from
the Son of God He breathed on them and saith unto them receive ye
the Holy Ghost whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto
them and whosoever sins ye retain they are retained. And how vital is that ministry
of the Spirit, that anointing of the Spirit to the preaching
of the Gospel. And the Lord makes that so clear
in those previous chapters that we have. In chapter 14, verse 26 the comforter which
is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name oh yes the
Father sends him also but he sends him very much in the name
of Christ he shall teach you all things and bring all things
to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you how are
these men able to recount all the events that occurred in the
life of Jesus of Nazareth How is it that we have this fourfold
gospel, the account of Matthew and Mark and Luke and John? It
was by the ministry of the Spirit, just as those holy men of God,
the prophets in the Old Testament, spake as they were moved by the
Spirit of God, so these men. He shall teach you all things
and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have
said unto you. but then again in chapter 16
and verse 13 be it when he the spirit of truth is come he will
guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself
but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will
show you things to come he shall glorify me for he shall receive
of mine and shall show it unto you Oh, it's at unction. John again, isn't it there in
that second chapter of his first epistle? You have an unction
from the Holy One. And ye know all things. The unction, of course, it's
the same word that is also rendered as anointing. We have it as unction
there in 1 John 2.20. But then in verse 27, the anointing,
the unction, which have received of him abideth in you, and ye
need not that any man teach you. But as the same anointing teacheth
you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, even as it hath
taught you, ye shall abide in him. that is abiding in the Spirit,
or that blessed work, that glorious work of the Spirit that must
be there if the ministry, if the preaching is to be of any
benefit to sinners. It's not just a man standing
there and speaking words. There must be that unction, the
Spirit taking those words. and making those words effectual
in the souls of sinners. And then the remission of sins.
Nothing at all to do with Roman Catholic confession and the absolution
pronounced by a Romish priest. Nothing at all but preaching.
Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted through the ministry
of the Word. They are remitted unto them.
If ever sins ye retain, they are retained. And so finally,
let me just say a little with regards to the results of this
preaching of the remission of sins. Now, first of all, to observe
here the wonderful sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ. What authority we have in these
words He says there in verse 23, they
are remitted. Those who have a sin she remits,
they are remitted. Literally they are sent away. There is forgiveness. As far
as the east is from the west. So far has He removed our transgressions
from us. That's what remission is. It's
a removal. We have that great text. Remember
the words of Jeremiah 50 and verse 20. In those days and in
that time saith the Lord Well, this is the day of grace, those
days, that time. The iniquity of Israel shall
be sought for and there shall be none. And the sins of Judah
and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve. Oh, there is a people whose sins
are to be remitted. And it is the Lord Jesus Christ
here, you see, who is in the preaching. He is the one who
sends the preacher. There at the end of verse 21,
as my father hath sent me, even so send I you. He sends them. And we see him exercising his
sovereignty in the course of his earthly ministry. at the
beginning of that ministry in the third chapter of Mark's Gospel verse 13 he goeth up into a mountain
and calleth unto him whom he would and they came unto him
and he ordained twelve that they should be with him and that he
might send them forth to preach you see his sovereignty here
who come to him? those whom he calls they are
the ones who come to him it's an effectual call and he ordains
the twelve and he sends them forth to preach he has authority and he exercises the authority
here in the upper room after accomplishing all his great work
of redemption when he breathed on them he says with authority
receive you the Holy Ghost oh there's authority here this is
a blessed legacy that the Lord leaves his people peace I leave with you my peace
I give unto you Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your hearts be troubled, he says, neither let it be afraid. I live with you, he says. I give unto you. He is that one, you see, who
has the keys. He has the keys of hell and of
death. Isn't that what he declares to
John there in the opening chapter of the book of Revelation where
John is favoured with such a vision of the glorified Saviour and
he falls at his feet as dead and he puts his right hand upon
him and utters those words I am he that liveth and was dead and
behold I am alive forevermore Amen and have the keys of hell
and of death he is the one then who has all authority in heaven
and in earth the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ and
he exercises it as his word is proclaimed we see the sovereignty of Christ
in that ministry we see how that preaching will be separating through preaching it's discriminating
whosoever sins you remit they are remitted unto them whosoever
sins ye retain they are retained that's a solemn truth there's a separation we sang didn't we 361 paraphrase
really of Psalm 122 and of course you're aware I'm sure that Isaac
Watts has two different paraphrases of that psalm and
we have them in Gadsby's selection I remember right it's 360 or
is it 360 it's 361 and 362 we sang the the paraphrase that
we have in 361 but there's another paraphrase of the same psalm
in the following hymn 362, but I don't know if it struck you
when we sang that opening praise tonight, verse 4, he hears our
praises and complaints and while his awful voice divides the sinners
from the saints, we tremble and rejoice. That's discrimination.
He divides the sinners from the saints. It's what we have here,
really, in the text. The use of the sins you remit,
they are remitted onto them. They're gone. The use of the
sins you retain, they are retained. The Lord's own ministry was very
much a separating ministry, we know that. Time and again, there
was a division. Because of Him, there was a division.
because of his works very solemn when we think about it how the
Lord's own ministry makes a separation between men and it's true of
all faithful ministry it was true with regards to the ministry
of the apostles and how Paul reminds us of that doesn't he?
at the end of 2nd Corinthians 2. He says there, Now thanks
be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every
place. For we are unto God a sweet savour
of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the
one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other
the savour of life unto life. and do we sufficient for these
things for we are not as many which corrupt the word of God
but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God we speak
in the sight of God speak we in Christ he says how the ministry
that he is exercising this is the apostle it's a a searching, a sifting, a separating
ministry He bids the saints be glad. He
makes the sinner sad. And humble souls rejoice with
fear. We have that in the other White
Paraphrase 362. He bids the saints be glad. He
makes the sinner sad. And it was the Puritan, the great
Puritan divine Dr. John Owen who would say that
None are ever the same. After hearing the preaching of
the Gospel, the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, a judgment
is made. In the consciences of men, they're
either those who are rejecters of Christ, or they're those who
are receivers of Christ. There is no middle ground. We're
either for Him or we're against Him. Whosoever sins you remit,
they are remitted unto them. Whosoever sins you retain, they
are retained. For that we might be those then
who are favoured to know that glad news, those good tidings,
that we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is
that One risen from the dead who has now promised to manifest
himself to poor sinners I will not leave you comfortless he
says I will come unto you how does he come unto the sinner?
he comes here in the ministry in the preaching of the word
we hear his voice who are we those who desire only that we
might obey his voice and know him and confess him and acknowledge
him as our God and our saviour and rejoice in that remission
of all our sins that they're gone removed from us as far as
the east is from the west that's infinity isn't it north and south
as you know they're fixed points on the compass there's no fixed
points with regards to the distance between east and west they're
gone and they're gone forever and they're buried in the depths
of the sea or the remission of sins. This is the proclamation
then of which the Lord himself is speaking here even upon his
resurrection from the dead when he appears there in that upper
room to his disciples and time and again will declare to them
that great blessing of peace Peace to those who were once
so alienated and enemies in their own minds by wicked works. But
now it's peace. Be unto you the remission of
sins. Whosoever sins you remit, they
are remitted unto them. Whosoever sins you retain, they
are retained. Oh the Lord, help us then to
examine ourselves, to prove ourselves in the light of his own word,
and the Lord bless that word to us. Amen.