Well, we've come to the end of
our conference. This has been a tremendous three
days that we have spent together worshiping the Lord and sitting
under the preaching of the Word of God, making new friends, fellowshipping,
being encouraged. And being reminded that no matter
where it is that we worship the Lord, that there are other brothers
and sisters in Christ around the states and overseas that
believe what we believe and really stand shoulder to shoulder with
us. And so that is, I think, one of the great values of coming
to the G3 conference is to really stand strong with other fellow
believers who believe what you believe. I want to thank Josh
Bice and Praise Mill Church for hosting this conference and the
extraordinary job that they do in putting this together. As you can imagine, this is an
extraordinary undertaking. And it was several years ago,
before G3 was even started, I received an email, and it was from a guy
named Josh Bice. And he had the idea to have a
conference, he was calling it G3, and it was like grace, God,
gospel. And as I read this letter, I
was very taken by his sincerity and his convictions, and so I
emailed him back and said, yes, count me in. I would love to
come preach at this conference. And it took even a couple of
years before we had the first one, and we started 25 miles
west of here in Douglasville at Praise Mill Baptist Church.
And the Praise Mill family was there, and I don't know how many
were there that first G3 conference, but let's just say another couple
hundred. And we easily fit in the worship
center, and it was a privilege and a joy to preach the Word
of God. But to track and trace this now from year to year to
year, and it's been my privilege to have preached at every G3
conference, to see this grow into becoming really, it's a
movement of what God is doing, has been an extraordinary joy
for me. So Josh, thank you very much
for being used by God to start this conference and to watch
it grow before our very eyes into what it has become. And
so, we come now to the end of G3 2021, and we've been so focused
upon Christ, rightly so, and there's hardly anything that
it seems that could be added to what has already been said. And I'm so encouraged that you're
here. You're an example of the perseverance of the saints, really,
to have endured this much preaching. But we come to the last session,
and my focus is upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So I want you
to take your Bible and turn with me to John chapter 20, John chapter
20. And my text for this final session
will be verses 19 to 23. And as always, I want to begin
by reading the passage, setting it before you. This will be the
focus of our exposition in this final session. And the reason
we are so committed to preaching through passages of Scripture
is because God put the power in the Word. He didn't put it
in our illustrations. He didn't put it in our… even
our outlines or the way that we pull this together, God put
the power in the Word. And it is expository preaching.
It is biblical preaching that really lets the lion out of the
cage, that lets the power, unleashes the power of the Word of God. I agree with Spurgeon that one
ounce of what God has to say is worth more than 50,000 tons
of what any man has to say. And Spurgeon said, if we want
more revivals, then we must revive our passion for the Word. And
if we want to see more people saved, then we must preach more
of the Word. And so our focus in this session
is on John chapter 20, And I want to begin reading in verse 19.
We'll just be looking at these five verses. So when it was evening
on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors
were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus
came and stood in their midst and said to them, peace be with
you. And when he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side. The disciples then rejoiced
when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again,
peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
their sins have been forgiven them. If you retain the sins
of any, they have been retained." In these verses, we see the first
appearance of Jesus to the collective disciples minus Thomas and Judas
at the end of a very long day, the day of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead. He has already made five appearances
to Mary and to others, to Peter, and this is now the first time
for there to be a composite appearance of Christ probably in the upper
room in Jerusalem to his disciples. it would be impossible for us
to overestimate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. And what we are considering in
this last message is not incidental to the Christian faith, it is
fundamental. It is not peripheral, it is primary. This is not of secondary importance. But in a sense, the whole of
Christianity rests upon the reality and the validity of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is impossible to be a Christian
and to deny the resurrection. It's impossible to be a Christian
and even to explain away the resurrection as a mere allegory
or myth. Jesus had to be raised from the
dead. And I think it's a fair question
for us to ask, why did Jesus have to be raised from the dead? Well, number one, He had to be
raised from the dead as proof of our justification. It was
the seal of our justification that the Father has accepted
the atonement of Jesus Christ upon the cross. The crucifixion
without the resurrection would have been a failed mission at
Calvary. Romans 4 and verse 25 reads, Christ was delivered over because
of our transgressions. Now, listen to this, and was
raised because of our justification. What that means is, is that when
Jesus died upon the cross, the Father was so pleased and so
satisfied with His substitutionary sin-bearing death that the Father
raised Him from the dead. as authentication that the atonement
was a perfect sacrifice for sins. If Jesus had remained in the
tomb, it would have indicated that the Father has not accepted
the cross of Christ on our behalf. And so the resurrection is of
supreme importance because it is the validation of the success
of the saving ministry of Jesus Christ for sinners. And the second
reason why it is so important is because the resurrection is
the power for our sanctification. We live the Christian life in
the very power that raised Jesus from the dead. The Christian
life is not hard. It is impossible to be lived
in our own strength. We can only live the Christian
life in the supernatural power that God gives to us as we battle
against the world and the flesh and the devil. And the resurrection
of Christ from the dead becomes the very same power that raises
us to walk in newness of life. Romans 6 and verse 4 states,
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. You and I, this very moment,
are experiencing the resurrection power of Christ with every step
that we take in our Christian life. Jesus said in John 15,
verse 5, apart from me, You can do nothing. You and I could not
take one step forward in the Christian life in our own strength. Yet Paul writes in Philippians
4 and verse 13, I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me. And the strength that pulsates
through our soul is the very power that raised Jesus from
the dead. There is no explanation for your
Christian life apart from the power of the resurrection to
raise you above the muck and the mire of this world. But further,
the resurrection is absolutely essential. The resurrection of
Christ is absolutely essential because it gives us the certainty
of our glorification. You and I, this very minute,
know that we are as certain for heaven as though we have already
been there 10,000 years because of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. Jesus said in John 11, verse
25, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in
me will live even if he dies. It is the resurrection of Christ
that guarantees that at the end of this age, my body will be
raised from the dead. and it will be a glorious resurrection
body in which I will live forever and ever. I will have a resurrection
body that will never grow tired and never grow weary throughout
all of the ages to come in heaven. I will have glorified eyes, resurrected
eyes with which to behold the beauty of Christ in heaven. I
will have a glorified tongue and resurrected tongue with which
to sing His praises forever and ever. I will have a resurrected
knees with which I will bow before the throne of grace. Resurrected
hands with which I will cast my crowns. before His throne. It is the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead that guarantees that I will live forever, that
I will have a resurrection body in which I will live, and I will
be endued with a supernatural power to worship and serve God
throughout all of the ages to come. Philippians 3, verse 20
and 21 says, the Lord Jesus Christ will transform the body of our
humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by
the exertion of power. This is why the resurrection
is so important to us. If Jesus had not been raised
from the dead, then my body would lay in the grave at the end of
the age and never be raised. But there's one more reason why
the resurrection is so important, and I'm just building a front
porch before we move into our text. The resurrection is so
important because it is the path of Christ's exaltation and enthronement
at the right hand of God the Father. If Jesus had not been
raised from the dead, He would not be seated at the right hand
of the majesty on high. He would not have all authority
in heaven and earth entrusted to Him. He would be a dead Savior,
and a dead Savior is no one's Savior. But He was raised from
the dead, and He has been now seated far above all earthly
powers and all angelic powers. Ephesians 1 and verse 20 says,
God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand
in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power
and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in the age to come. And He, God, put all things in
subjection under His feet. and gave Him His head over all
things to the church. That's why the resurrection is
so fundamental to Christianity, because it is the resurrection
that began this glorious ascent back to heaven, where He would
be enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords. So this passage
before us in John 20 records the very first time on the resurrection
day that Jesus appeared to the 10 disciples in an upper room. So let's walk through this passage
as we bring our conference to consummation. And I want you
to note first in verse 19, the panic. Because after the crucifixion
of Jesus, the disciples were terrified that the authorities
would be coming after them next. And so we read in verse 19, and
so when it was evening on that day, it was at the end of the
day, it was the evening, it was after sunset, that day was the
day of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. John records, it's the first
day of the week. That would be Sunday. Jesus was
crucified on Friday. He was raised from the dead on
Sunday. And it was so significant that
the early church began to gather on Sunday because it was Resurrection
Day for them. It was always to commemorate.
and to remember the resurrection of Christ from the dead. And down through these centuries,
it has remained the day that we gather together as the people
of God to worship God as we remember that this was the day. This was
the resurrection day. And John continues to record,
and when the doors were shut, where the disciples were for
fear of the Jews, that they were scared spitless and they had
every reason to believe this because now with Jesus out of
the way, they will be easy prey for the religious leaders of
Israel as well as for the governing authorities of Rome. And so they
are huddled up like little mice behind a closed door, trembling
and fearing in total complete panic. the doors were shut. They were gripped with fear.
Jesus has been crucified. Surely, they will be next. And we can hardly put ourselves
into their place and to identify with this fear that was striking
them. Now, just remember, It had just
been hours earlier, probably in this very same upper room,
that Jesus gave them the upper room discourse within 24 hours. And it's still ringing in their
ears. And Jesus had said to them in John 15, 19, I chose you out
of the world. Because of this, the world hates
you. Remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater
than his master. If they persecuted me, they will
also persecute you. They haven't forgotten that overnight.
That is still embedded in their mind. And then Jesus went on
to say in John 16 verse 2, They will make you outcasts from the
synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to
think that he is offering service to God. That's why they're hiding
behind closed doors after the crucifixion of Jesus from the…
crucifixion upon the cross. And then added to that, in the
same chapter, John 16, verse 20, Jesus said, you will weep
and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve. And the reason for that is their
master will be taken from them. This is the panic. that they
were feeling. It was real. But then an even
greater panic occurred. We read in the middle of verse
19 something that escalated their panic to the highest level. We
read, Jesus came and stood in their midst. The resurrection
Christ suddenly just appears. There's no knock at the door.
There's no opening the door. Suddenly, He is in their midst
as though He is dropped out of space. How did He even get into
the room? Well, Jesus is in a resurrected
body, and He has unlimited capacity of travel. And He can just walk
through a wall as if the wall is not even there. And earlier
in Luke, yes, Luke 28, Jesus just appeared on the road to
Emmaus to those two disciples. And that is some indication of
what our body will be like in heaven one day with unlimited
ability of travel throughout the new heavens and the new earth. But Jesus now just suddenly appears
in their midst, and they are now scared spitless even more
so. When we read Luke's account in
Luke 24 in verse 37, it says, they were startled, which the
Greek word means terrified, filled with dread. and were frightened. And it comes from a Greek word
for phobia, phobos. It's like, and with an intensive
prefix. Before it, they were super terrified
with a heart-gripping phobia when they saw Jesus And it says,
they thought they were seeing a spirit. In other words, they
thought they were seeing a ghost. They could not believe that this
is the real Christ. John stood there at the foot
of the cross. John saw Him crucified. John saw His body taken down.
He has told the others, but here is this Jesus. It's almost like
a hologram is in front of them. And Luke continues to record,
and Jesus said to them, why are you troubled? And the word troubled
means greatly disturbed. The appearance of Jesus has created
an even greater panic within them than their dread of the
Roman soldiers. And by the way, just a footnote.
When Jesus was raised from the dead and the stone was rolled
away, that was not to let Jesus out. He could have just walked
through the stone. That was to let the world in.
That was to let the disciples in to see that there are the
linen wrappings there, but there is no Savior because He has been
raised from the dead. So that's where this account
begins in verse 19 with the panic. I want you to note second, the
peace, because Jesus, at the end of verse 19, now gives them
exactly what they need. Jesus is the great shepherd,
the good shepherd, and he cares for his sheep, and he knows exactly
what they need and when they need it. And we read, and Jesus
said to them, peace be with you. We've already articulated why
they so desperately needed peace, because they believe the Roman
authorities and the Jewish leaders will be after them next. They're
still in the very same town, the very same city in which Jesus
was just crucified, just hours earlier, just days earlier. And so Jesus says to them, peace
be with you." How gracious of Jesus to meet them at their point
of need. Jesus does not give them a lecture
about their lack of faith. Jesus comes all the way to where
they are. He understands their frailty,
and He says to them, peace be with you. This peace is just
like the peace that Jesus gives to you and me. It is not the
subtraction of trials and problems that bring us peace. It is the
supernatural tranquility that only God can give to a troubled
heart in the midst of our adversities. This is the reality of the peace
that Jesus gives. In John 14, verse 27, in that
same upper room discourse but days before, he said, peace,
I leave with you. My peace, I give unto you. Not as the world gives, do I
give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled,
nor let it be fearful. The disciples are learning a
very important lesson here, and it's a lesson that you and I
must know, that Jesus has never promised us an easy life. He has never promised us a trouble-free
life. He has never promised us a walk
without challenges and difficulties. In fact, he will say to the disciples
in John 16, verse 33, in this world, you shall have tribulation. But what he has promised to these
disciples and what he has promised to you and me is that he has
promised to give a supernatural serenity and calmness of heart
in the midst of the storms of life. And all the thousands of
us gathered here today, there are no doubt untold difficulties
awaiting you back at home. They may be family challenges.
They may be work difficulties. They may be health issues or
financial issues. Whatever that is, Jesus says
to you today, just as He did 2,000 years ago, peace be with
you. And He gives a peace that surpasses
all comprehension. The Apostle Paul would pick up
on this later when he himself was imprisoned in Rome for two
solid years, changed to Roman soldiers. And the apostle Paul
writes to the church of Philippi and says to them what he himself
was experiencing and what you and I need. Let not your heart
be troubled, or excuse me, be anxious for nothing, but in everything
with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your request
be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. I need this peace. You need this
peace. And there is only one place to
find this peace. And this peace is found in the
Lord Jesus Christ and in our relationship with Him. It is
not found in our circumstances. It is found in heavenly places
in Christ, and it is the fruit of the Spirit, which is love,
joy, peace. This is what Jesus offers to
them, and He offers it to you and me. But as we continue to
look, I want you to note third, the proof, because Jesus now
gives proof to them that He is not a ghost. that he is not…
they're not hallucinating. In verse 20, we read, and when
he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side, the very
hands that had been pierced with the nails that came from the
Roman soldiers, the very side where the spear was thrust up
into his chest cavity, and the water came gushing out. Jesus showed them these visible
marks. of His crucifixion to prove to
them that He is… They were not looking at a ghost, but they
are looking at actually the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. He has actually died. He is actually
buried. He has been actually raised from
the dead. This is historical fact. Christianity
is a religion that is based in time and space and history. Jesus came to this earth. Jesus
lived on this earth. Jesus died on the cross. He was raised from the dead. A parallel account in Luke's
gospel, Luke 24, 39, Jesus said to them, see my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. He showed
them his hands and his feet. He sent to them Have you anything
to eat?" He takes it even a step further. They gave him a piece
of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before them. He took it right out of their
hand. He put it into his mouth. He chewed it. He swallowed it. He digested it in his real body. He gave them this proof. And we will behold this resurrection
body in heaven throughout all the ages to come, and we will
marvel that one so glorious would lay down his life for those who
are so wretched as you and me. And every time we see those nail-pierced
hands in heaven, we will shout, hallelujah, that he died in a
real body bearing our sins, and that he has been raised from
the dead to confirm our justification. So at the end of verse 20, the
disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. They exploded
with joy. They are euphoric. They are overwhelmed
with emotion. Their hearts must have leaped
out of their chest. They could not even contain it. And I think that we see here,
again, not only is true peace found in Jesus Christ, but all
joy is found in Jesus Christ as well. There is not one joy
in this world outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world
can have happiness, but happiness depends upon their happenstance.
Happiness depends upon your circumstances. If your football team wins, you're
happy. If they lose, you're unhappy. But our heart, emotion, Though
we have happiness that comes and goes like the waves of the
ocean, we have a joy that is found in the Lord that is transcendent,
that rises above the things of this world. It rises above our
circumstances and what is taking place. It is anchored in our
relationship in this risen Christ. And that is why Paul would write
to the Philippians in chapter 4, verse 4, rejoice in the Lord
always. Again, I say rejoice. Whatever is going on in your
life today, because Christ has been raised from the dead, you
and I may have joy even in the midst of the difficulties of
our circumstances. We may have joy and in fact,
Perhaps the greatest testimony that you and I can give is when
our world is imploding around us, and we are walking through
the valley of the shadow of death, and we are surrounded by difficulty
for us to experience a supernatural joy in the presence of others
because it documents the authenticity of Christ in our lives. That is the peace. I want you to note forth the
plan. It's in verse 21. I want you to see this plan because
it involves you and me as well. We are grafted into this plan. And so, they're not just to have
joy and peace and just sit there in the room. No. They are to get up and move out.
And so we read in verse 21, so Jesus said to them, again, peace
be with you. He repeats it because some of
them are still somewhat so emotionally disturbed over what all has happened
with the resurrection. And yes, they see Jesus and He's
alive, but their heart hasn't quite yet settled down. And so
Jesus has to say to them a second time, peace be with you, as if
they need a greater measure of peace in the midst of this greater
trial. And then Jesus issues what is
the Great Commission. This is the Great Commission
in the Gospel of John. Jesus said, as the Father has
sent me, I also send you. Well, Jesus was sent by the Father
into this world of woe on a mission of salvation in order to go to
the cross and to give His life for ransom for many. He came
to seek and to save that which is lost. And Jesus said, I have
authority to lay my life down and I have authority to raise
it up again. This commandment I received from
my Father, the tip of the spear for the coming of Jesus into
this world, beyond giving us an example, beyond showing us
how to live, beyond revealing the Father to us, it was to rescue
us from the peril and the punishment of our sin. And so Jesus said,
as the Father has sent me, well, they understood that, I also
send you. And He charges them now with
this mission. to go into all the world, and
to make disciples, and to baptize them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them all things
that Jesus had commanded them with the confidence that he would
be with them to the end of the age." This is what Jesus, the
resurrected Christ, said to them. It's what he says to us. The
Great Commission is still on the books. He gives us peace
and He gives us joy, but it is to be used in a dynamic life
that is moving out for God and penetrating into the world. In fact, I believe you will have
more peace and more joy as you are fulfilling the Great Commission
than if you are just sitting still and being a spectator in
the Christian life. And if you need joy and if you
need peace, I would urge you to get in the game and serve
the Lord. And He will be with you in a very unusual and special
way to use you to reach others for Christ. And so, that is what
Jesus charged them with, and it has never been taken off the
books. It is still… It is a perennial commandment to this generation
that we are to likewise be… We are sent into the world. even
as Jesus was sent into the world. And by the way, the mission is
not to wait for the world to come to us. The mission is for
us to go to the world. We are sent by the Lord Jesus
Himself to penetrate into the world. We are to be in the world,
just not of the world. We are to have our boat in the
water, just no water in the boat. Fifth, I want you to note the
power in verse 22. In order to carry out the plan,
you have to have the power. The Great Commission cannot be
fulfilled in your own strength, and neither will you have joy
or peace in your own strength. There must be the power of the
Holy Spirit to rest upon your life and to fill and flood your
soul. And that is what we see in verse
22. And when He had said this, He breathed on them. It was a
symbolic act for what will follow. And I might remind us that earlier
in the Gospel of John, in chapter 3, the ministry and movement
of the Holy Spirit was likened unto wind. You remember, Jesus
said, the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound
of it. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. The wind
perfectly represents the Holy Spirit. The wind is invisible. You can't see the wind, neither
can you see the Holy Spirit. But you feel the wind, just like
you feel the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and you are empowered
and propelled by wind. Wind has an extraordinary power, but far greater is the power
of the Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus breathed on them,
and notice what He said, and said to them, The Holy Spirit. Now, I wish I had time to more
fully develop this, but let me just cut to the bottom line.
They already had the Holy Spirit. They would not have been born
again if they did not have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit
did not begin to operate on the day of Pentecost. No one would
have ever been saved in the Old Testament apart from the Holy
Spirit, and no one could have ever lived a life of faith apart
from the Holy Spirit. And they already have the Holy
Spirit. In fact, they could have never
healed the sick, and raised the dead, and cleansed the leopards,
and cast out demons in their own strength, for heaven's sake.
They already had the Spirit. So, what is taking place here
is that the Lord Jesus is giving them a greater measure of the
Holy Spirit, because there is a greater assignment that has
just been given to them that has unlimited scope. They will be going into the whole
world that will be in resistance to the gospel, and they need
power from on high. And in Luke 24, verse 49, in
the Great Commission there, Jesus said, you will be clothed with
power in the Holy Spirit. They will wear the power of the
Holy Spirit like you are wearing clothes right now. It will be
with you wherever you go. And so often, we maybe pull back
from the Great Commission in timidity or inadequacy or uncertainty. Let us be reminded. that the
sovereign, omnipotent Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead
and was breathed onto the disciples in a greater measure here indwells
you. You are the temple of the Holy
Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God is more
than sufficient to provide you everything that you need to move
forward in the will of God. And as you go back to your home,
as you go back to your place of employment and house of worship,
and the many challenges that will be in front of you, just
know that the power of the Holy Spirit that is already in you
is more than sufficient to meet every demand that will be upon
your life. And in fact, your weakness makes
you a prime candidate to be filled with His strength. And so, this
leads us to the last verse, verse 23. I want you to see the pardon. We just saw the power and the
plan. I want you to see the pardon
in verse 23. As Jesus now gives them the message,
as they go out into the world, as they are being sent by Christ,
here is the heart of the message. It's not to improve people's
lifestyles. It's not to fix everything that's
wrong in the culture or society. That's not the tip of the spear
of the mission. Here is the message that we are
to take into the highways and into the byways. Here is the
message that we are to shout from the housetops. Here is the
message that was entrusted to the apostles. It has been recorded
in the New Testament. It was already recorded in the
Old Testament. It has been handed down to you
and me. This is the message for the hour. Verse 23, if you forgive the
sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them. If you retain
the sins of any, they have been retained. What does this mean? Well, let me begin with what
it does not mean. This is not saying that the apostles can
forgive sin. It's not saying you can forgive
sin. It's not saying that your pastor can forgive sin. All sin
is ultimately against God. And there's only one who can
forgive a sin against God, and that is God Himself. In Mark
2, verse 7, they said, who can forgive sins but God alone? And
in verse 10, Jesus said, the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins. There's only one who lived a
sinless and perfect life. There is only one who was raised
up upon a cross bearing the sins of his people. There is only
one who shed his blood and made a perfect atonement for sin.
There is only one who has reconciled sinners to holy God. There is
only one who has satisfied the righteous anger of God towards
sinners. There is only one who has bought
us out of the slave market of sin and Satan And that is the
one, the only one who can forgive us our sins, and that is the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Now, what does the word forgive
mean? Literally, the word means to send away. It carries also
the idea of canceling out a debt, to remit a debt. And only God can send our sins
away. And He sent them away by placing
them upon His Son, who became our scapegoat at the cross, and
He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He has separated our sins from
us as far as the east is from the west. You can measure the
North Pole from the South Pole, but you cannot measure the east
from the west. He has taken all of our sins
and placed them behind His back where He can see them no more.
He has taken our sins and buried them in the depths of the ocean
of His memory to remember our sins and iniquities no more. There is now, therefore, no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus. Having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our sins
have been canceled out through the death of Christ upon the
cross, and this is what we are to go into the world and to proclaim. We are to offer the greatest
need that they have, to have the forgiveness of their sins
before a holy God in heaven. The word sins is in plural in
verse 23, indicating all of our sins, not just some sins, all
of our sins, the alpha and the omega of our sins. And the word any that you see
in verse 23, indicating any person, any sinner from any past, anywhere,
with who has committed any sin. Where sin is abound, grace does
much more abound. So, what does this mean also,
if you forgive the sins of any? That means we declare the message
of forgiveness of sins. It says, their sins have been
forgiven from them. We can't actually see it in our
English Bible, but there is a very important nuance that's going
on in the original language, and it is simply this. The sins
that we pronounce are forgiven are those that have already been
forgiven in heaven. All we're doing is making the
announcement and the declaration that if you will repent of your
sins, and if you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Heaven
has forgiven your sins if you will do that. We have no power
to forgive sin whatsoever. All we can do is make the announcement,
and it's the announcement that has been given from the resurrected
Christ, and it has been passed down to you and to me for every
parent to give to their child, for every pastor to give to his
flock, for every parishioner to give to the world. the forgiveness
of sins. God says, come now and let us
reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be white as snow. God desires to sit down, as it
were, across the table, and to reason with the one who has been
soiled with the guilt of sin. And He will wash away all defilement
of sin if you will believe upon His Son, Jesus Christ, the resurrected
Christ. This is what everyone here must
do. There's no way we could have this many people gathered in
one room, thousands of people, and for everyone here to be in
the family of God, for everyone here to be born again. There
would be untold numbers among us who have not yet come to that
place and that point of surrender of their life to the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. And I want to conclude this message
by giving you one more reason for the resurrection of Christ.
I began this message by giving you substantial theological reasons
for the resurrection of Christ, but there is one that I have
not yet put on the table. And I will conclude with this,
that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of the
final judgment, that God has raised the judge from the dead.
And this judge, Jesus Christ, will hold session in court at
the end of the age. And every person will be raised
to stand in the Supreme Court of heaven and earth. And Paul said in Acts 17, verse
31, listen to this, God has fixed a day. It is etched in his calendar
with indelible ink, immutably, God has fixed a day in which
He will judge the world in righteousness. This whole world is spinning
through outer space, and it is on a collision course with judgment
with God. He will judge the world in righteousness
through a man whom He has appointed having furnished proof to all
men by raising Him from the dead." This day in court will take place,
and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Some will
bow that knee in this lifetime and confess Him as Lord and Savior. But others, on that last day,
will bow the knee to a Savior they never knew and stand before
Him in the judgment. And the books will be opened,
and the book of life will be opened, and they will be cast
from His presence. Depart from me, you who work
iniquity. I never knew you. That final
day of judgment is coming, my friend. There is a gathering
storm on the horizon today. And that day is fixed by Almighty
God. If you have never committed your
life to Jesus Christ, I urge you to flee to Christ this moment. Come to Christ. Repent of your
sins. Throw yourself upon His mercy.
And he says, him who comes unto me, I will in no wise cast out. He is the friend of sinners.
I know him. He will receive you. He will
forgive you. If you will come and humble yourself
before His mighty right hand and confess your sin and believe
in Him, it says, come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I'm meek and lowly in heart. You shall find rest
for your souls, for my burden is easy and my yoke is light. This is the greatest offer that
will ever be extended to you, what you are hearing right now,
this very moment. And it is incumbent upon you
now to answer this call, to answer this invitation of Christ to
your heart. And if you have never believed
on Jesus Christ, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold,
today is the day of salvation. He who hardens his heart, being
often reproved, shall suddenly be cut off in that without remedy. Bust not yourself of tomorrow,
for you know not what a day may bring forth. Enter through the
narrow gate this very moment. And you will find a Savior who
is full of forgiveness and mercy and grace, who will wash away
all of your sins, who will move into your life, who will begin
to redirect and repurpose your life into His good and acceptable
and perfect will. And one day when you die, He
will take you home to heaven, and He will take you to the throne
of grace, and He will introduce you to the Father. If you have
never committed your life to Christ, do not leave this room
today without that commitment to Christ. It will be the greatest
decision you will ever make. Let us pray. Father in heaven, how we praise
you that you have given to us the best You have given to us
Your Son, Your only Son, Your perfect Son, Your holy Son. You've given Him to us to die
in our place, to bear our sins, to suffer our judgment that was
due us, and then for Him to clothe us with His perfect righteousness
and to wash away all of our sins. Father, we are overwhelmed that you've had mercy upon us. And Lord, for those here among
us today who have never yet bowed the knee to Christ, may they
do so this moment before I even close this prayer, in their heart
of hearts, submitting to and surrendering to the Lord Jesus
Christ, who alone is the Savior of the world. In Jesus' name
we pray, amen.