Why don't we turn back in our Bibles today to John chapter 20? John chapter 20, where we've been now for a few weeks, but we see that Jesus is slowly but surely making His resurrection known to His disciples. And of course, those same disciples will make His resurrection known to the world. And they do so through the text of Scripture, which of course we now have and we can believe because it is the very truth of the Gospel itself. If you remember, as we go through John chapter 20, Jesus first revealed that He was alive from the dead through the witness of an empty tomb. An empty tomb that really wasn't all that empty, though Jesus was not there. There were some angels left there in order to announce to those who sought Him, and we find this in Matthew 28.6, to announce, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. Jesus said that to a number of ladies that came to look at that empty tomb. And then as we come back to John, Jesus then revealed himself to Mary Magdalene. And of course we saw this in this chapter, personally and physically revealing himself to her in order to teach her that even though she was full of sorrow and even though she was still searching for him, that time was over because Jesus had risen from the dead. And of course, she, as she came to know what happened at the tomb, she would then go and tell with a new purpose, and that's what she did. And certainly that's what we left, or where we left when it came to Mary Magdalene. Jesus was not through, though. in showing himself alive from the dead. On that same day, that very first Lord's Day, in fact, that's one of the reasons why we meet and worship on the first day of the week, is because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on the first day of the week. From the Gospel of Luke, we learn that he visited a few other of his followers, but then we come to this meeting that we find in the Gospel of John, where he meets with most of the rest of his disciples. And so John himself is there as he tells us what happens next, starting in verse 19. And we're going to read through verse 23 of John chapter 20. So let's read these verses together. John 20, 19 through 23. Then the same day, that first day of the week, that same day at evening, being the first day 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 saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. 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 Spirit. Whosoever sins ye remit or forgive, they are remitted unto them. And whose sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, we go on, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Now more than likely, Luke also records another account of this particular meeting with Jesus' disciples, and it shows to us that it wasn't just the 11, or really the 10, because Judas is now off the scene, and we read that Thomas is not there. More than likely, there are other disciples in that room as well. You can read from Luke 24, 33-49 sometime even this afternoon. But we're going to particularly focus our attention on John's account of this meeting, this special meeting of the disciples with the resurrected Lord. though Luke does help fill in some of the other details. But here in John, Jesus says to his disciples, not just once, but twice, both in verse 19 and in verse 21, those words, peace be unto you. Do you notice that? Not just once, but twice, peace be unto you. Obviously that means it was very important for Jesus to say it through twice. It's also very important for John to record it for us twice. It was important because this is one of the primary reasons not only for Jesus' meeting that night with those disciples, but really for the gospel and the resurrection itself. Jesus came to give you and I peace. Jesus lived in order to give us peace. Jesus died and rose again and is coming again in order to give those who believe in him peace. In fact, back in John 14, verse 27, Jesus made a very special promise to His disciples about peace. If you were with us then, you remember these words. John 14, 27, Jesus says, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you. So let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid." Now, Jesus said that all the way back in John chapter 14. This is something that Jesus said in the upper room just a few nights before. But ever since that moment when Jesus says, I leave my peace with you, up until now, the disciples of Jesus experienced nothing of that peace. Instead, all the experience was trouble in their hearts and fear in their hearts. And that's one of the reasons why they were meeting in this room at that time, because of fear of the Jews we read. So what was Jesus talking about? What peace was Jesus describing here? And when would they experience His peace? Well, in these verses, after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, now is the time, this is the place, for the promise of Jesus' peace to start being fulfilled. And it's all because of His resurrection. It's all because Jesus is alive. It's all because the tomb is empty. But His promise of peace was not just for His disciples then. It's also for His disciples now. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, when Jesus said to them, then peace be unto you, the effects of that continue on in our lives today. Peace be unto us. Jesus says it for us as well as for them. And so for those of us who turn from our sin, turn from ourselves in repentance and turn to and trust in Christ alone as our Savior from sin, because Jesus is alive from the dead, you have been given his gift of peace. And as we said earlier, it's a peace that passes all understanding. And really, in these verses, we see how. We see the very means of Jesus' peace. How does Jesus give us His peace? Well, five ways. First of all, we see that the Lord gives His peace through His living presence. And we see that there in verse 19, peace through the living presence of Jesus Christ. Again, John tells us there in verse 19, the same day at evening, being that first day of the week, the very first Lord's Day, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst. So the first thing I think we notice in this verse is the fear of the disciples. The fear of the disciples. Through the focus of John, though the focus of John is more on the official band of Jesus' disciples, it's clear from Luke's account that there's more disciples here as well. There even are some that have already seen Jesus. Mary Magdalene, the two that were on the road to Emmaus, some of the women as well. But here they are, some had seen Jesus, many hadn't seen Jesus, and they're in this room, in this house, all of the doors leading to the place where they were are locked, and they are still afraid. Truly afraid. Truly afraid that what happened to Jesus just a few days earlier might even happen to them. Of course, you need to look at the other Gospels as to see why they were so afraid. The Jewish authorities had already convinced the soldiers to lie and to tell everybody else that the disciples were the ones that stole the body of Jesus from the tomb, and that was a capital offense. To actually remove a Roman seal from anything was a capital offense, and they were being accused of doing just that. They were afraid for their lives. And even if Jesus was charged with sedition, that is, He was against the Roman Empire, that was certainly one of the reasons why the Pharisees and the Sadducees and all of the religious leaders wanted to kill and crucify Jesus, was they were coming up with anything, any accusation that could stick. Whether He claimed to be the Son of God or even claimed to be someone against Caesar, sedition also was something, a criminal and capital offense. And if Jesus could be killed for that, couldn't they as well? So once again, the disciples of Jesus are afraid. And so many of them found each other, got together, and then they barred the doors. I think that's probably what I would have done. I would have seen some place where I could get with God's people, with other people that are going through the same situation, and not just go through one door, but through a second door, get far, far, far away from the street, and close and lock the doors. Now, some believe there might have been some double doors leading to this house, plural doors. More than likely, they were hiding in some interior room, and they put it as securely as possible. And yet, they still probably didn't feel very secure. But what happens next? Even with these disciples who are afraid, even some of the disciples who had actually seen Jesus already, what happens next? The friend of those disciples appears himself, Jesus. Because then if you look at verse 20, what happens? Then came Jesus and stood in the midst. There's a sense of the miraculous in these words, because there is no mention of a knock at the doors. for Jesus to come in. There's no mention of an opening of the door for Jesus or doors for Jesus to come in. There's not even a mention of a welcome at the doors for Jesus to come in. Instead, we're just simply told that Jesus came and stood in the midst of his disciples. In Luke, we find that it's even added that they were terrified and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit. So again, we are taken into the midst of some miraculous occurrence here in some way. But of course, we know that Jesus was no spirit. though he was still flesh and blood, there was still something different about his resurrection body. I like how John Gill once described it in his commentary on this passage. He says that Jesus, being almighty God, did, by his omnipotent power, in some way, cause the bars and the bolts and the doors in the most secret and unobserved way to give way to him. there's nothing that would stand in between Jesus and his disciples in order to quell their fears, in order to give them his peace. And so Jesus went there, how we do not know, and Jesus stood there, how we do not know, but Jesus now is there and offers them his peace. And through his living presence, right there in the midst of his disciples, Jesus was able to provide the promise of his peace. But do you realize what Jesus did then, he still does today? Even though Jesus made his presence known to his disciples in a physical way there in that room, Jesus still makes his presence known to us in a spiritual way. Jesus himself said in Matthew 28, 20, as he was commissioning his disciples to go out into all the world, he says, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. And do you realize that that peace that comes from the presence of Jesus still stands? the peace that comes from the presence of Jesus for his disciples still stands. And truly, there is no peace like Jesus' peace when it comes to his presence. You know, I remember when I was growing up, probably the presence of my father is what gave me the greatest sense of peace. You know, there might've been some times when I went to school and maybe had some trouble with other students, or maybe even in the neighborhood, we would have some trouble with other people in the neighborhood. And yet, when I got home, my home was a refuge for me. And I knew that when I got home, there was someone stronger than those bullies or those others that were out there in the neighborhood at school, and that was my dad, that was my father. And the very presence of my father gave me peace in my heart. But of course we all know, in our homes growing up, eventually we have to leave those homes in which we grew up. And even those very special people in our lives that God had placed there, people in our family, people that are friends, may also leave this world and their presence is gone from us, we know that the presence of Jesus is unlike any other. Jesus says, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age, even unto the end of the world. So the very means of His peace then is still the means of His peace today. If you know Jesus as your Savior, He gives you His peace because He's with you. He's with us, and that presence still stands. Do you believe this today? Do you believe this? If so, you can experience the same peace that His disciples experienced in that room, no matter where you are and no matter what you face. But then second, the Lord also gave His peace through His living proclamation. His living proclamation that we find also there in verse 19, peace through His word. What does Jesus say? What does Jesus say to those trembling disciples? Again, not just once, but twice. Peace be unto you. Now even though these words were and still very common words of greeting, and this is how Jews would greet each other no matter where they were throughout their country, they would say, shalom, or shalom aleichem, peace be unto you. Jesus is not just giving a simple Jewish greeting here. Instead, for Jesus to say these words, it's more than just a polite greeting. It was a real proclamation of what His whole life meant to them, and really what His whole life means to whoever believes in Him. He came to give us peace. Peace be unto you, Jesus says. And of course, we know that those disciples needed to be reassured of Jesus' peace, because what did they do before this meeting in the room? They all forsook Jesus, didn't they? And of course, just a few nights before, when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus himself says, let my people go, let them go free, and yet what happened? As the shepherd was struck, the sheep scattered, we're told. As Jesus was arrested, his disciples scattered and fled. And now, obviously, we know that John and Peter, you know, kind of circled, doubled back to see what would happen to Jesus. But then what happened to Peter? Peter put himself in a position where he would deny the Lord Jesus three times. And so not only do we have Peter forsaking the Lord through denying him, we have all of the disciples now forsaking him there in the garden. And imagine how much shame and guilt they must have felt for turning their backs on their master and on their Lord. How Peter also must have felt when he denied Jesus. And though they were full of fear, At the same time, they were probably still full of unbelief. How many times did Jesus have to address their unbelief? Oh, ye of little faith. Oh, ye of little faith. So shame and guilt and unbelief. They had forsaken the very one who would offer them peace. But what does Jesus do? He comes to them. He stands in the middle of them, and then he speaks to them. and He offers them His forgiveness. Peace be unto you. Peace be unto you. Has there been someone in your life where something happened between you and them and, you know, the friendship that used to be there is no longer there? There's some kind of wedge, some kind of division? And yet, can there still be peace in that relationship? Sometimes it takes one person to swallow their pride and come up to that person and say, I'm sorry. Peace be unto you. Let there be peace between us. Well, obviously Jesus hadn't offended them, but they certainly defended Jesus. And so Jesus himself comes to them and offers these words, filled as all of Jesus's words are, full of grace and truth. What grace there is in these words. They had forsaken him, and now he offers words of forgiveness. Peace be unto you. This is what they needed most, his peace and his pardon. And this is what Jesus came to give them. And that's what the words of Jesus continue to bring. The peace of Jesus's proclamation, the peace of Jesus's proclamation and word still stands. Because Jesus still offers his living words to souls that are full of fear and full of trouble. you know, there are some words that may give us strength and peace, you know. I think of the time in which we live, and obviously there's a lot of division within the politics of our country, and you know, we've already lived through two national conventions, one for the Republican side and one for the Democrat side, and you know, how many people were tuned into those to hear some kind of word of peace? You know, they wanna have peace on this side of the aisle, or peace on this side of the aisle, or peace that they might think would bring real peace to this country, and real peace to this world, and they're listening for words of peace. But, you know, those conventions come, and those conventions go. And in another four years, we'll have another two conventions. And after four years, we'll have another two conventions. And you know what? This is gonna continue on as long as this country exists, and we know that those words of peace in this world come and go. There is no other word of peace like Jesus's word of peace. And when he says, peace be unto you, and you hear it, and you receive it, and you believe it, you can have a peace that passes all understanding that will keep your heart and mind in the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you listening to his words of peace? Are you believing in his words of peace? And are you obeying his words of peace? There is no other peace. But then as we go on into verse 20, we find a third way that Jesus gives his peace to his disciples. Again, not just then, but also now. And that is through his living proof. His living proof there in verse 20. Because after Jesus says this, John tells us that Jesus himself showed unto them, showed unto his disciples his hands, and his side. Now why would Jesus show them his hands and his side? Obviously because his hands had been nailed to that cross and his side had been punctured by that Roman spear. And so he's showing to his disciples the very wounds that he was given just a few days earlier as he died for their sin and for ours. But what happened when Jesus gave them his living proof? Goes on in verse 20, John says, and remember, John's with them, and he says, then were the disciples glad. I'm thinking that's probably one of the most understated things that we find here. I'm sure they were elated and thrilled and joyful when they saw the Lord, even though they still struggled some, as we see in Luke, with unbelief. But since these disciples at first thought that Jesus was just an apparition, just a spirit, just a ghost, Jesus sought to prove that he was still fully human and fully alive. So John tells us that Jesus showed unto them His hands and His side. Luke adds that He showed them His feet, too. Obviously, His feet were also nailed to that cross, and He wanted them to see the wounds that He suffered in His body so that they would be convinced that He was truly alive. And it wasn't somebody else, it wasn't a ghost, it was Him. And this living proof revealed to them that Jesus was completely free from the cross. completely free. That is, the nails that went through both His hands and His feet no longer fastened Him to the cross. They were removed, or He was removed from them. He was no longer fastened to them, and in a real sense, as we're going to sing a little bit later, death itself had lost its grip on Jesus. And there's proof of that right there. There was no more death than Jesus. Jesus was standing there alive. The nails that fastened him to that cross in order to kill him were gone. Not just the feeling of peace would be brought to the disciples in this way, but even the very fact of peace. Jesus was truly alive. And because he was free from the cross, now they were free. Because he was free from death, now they could be. These marks on Jesus' hands and feet will forever be the proof of your liberty from sin and death. Do you realize that the very body of Jesus, when he rose from the dead, had those wounds? Even today, as He is in heaven itself, we read in the book of Revelation that He is like the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. He still bears those wounds, those five bleeding wounds He bears, from His head, from His hands, from His side, from His feet. And those show to us not only His freedom from death, but the very freedom that you and I can have from the fear of death and from death itself when we put our faith and trust in Him. He is free. Now we can be free. And this living proof provides true and lasting peace when you believe that His wounds were all for you. But then also, Jesus revealed to them that He's finished with a cross. Totally finished with it. When you think about that spear that went through His side, remember why that was done? It was to prove to those soldiers that he was really dead. Because as they weren't by, they were trying to get the bodies off before the nightfall. And so when they went to the one thief on the one side and the other on the other side, they broke their legs so that they would stop. moving up and down to catch their breath, and eventually they would asphyxiate and die. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. But for the proof of that death, that soldier took that spear, thrust it into his side, and the Bible says that out came forth blood and water. That proof of death to that soldier now became the very proof of his life. He said, Look at my side. It's me. Later on, it's going to provide even more proof to Thomas when Jesus says, Thomas, put your hand in my wound, in myself. But as the water and the blood flowed from Jesus's side, God was showing to the world that all you need for salvation from sin, all you need for sanctification and cleansing from your sin can be found in Christ alone, in Jesus alone. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty sins and all their guilty stains. If you have Jesus as your Savior, there's peace in the blood and the water that flowed from that cross. And since Jesus finished His work on the cross, we can now find our peace in Him. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2.14, He is our peace. He is our peace. Where do you find your peace today? Do you find it in another person, even if that person is close to you? Maybe you find peace in a family member, your father, your mother, your spouse, or even your children. Or maybe you find peace in a political party. Or maybe you find peace in other ways. There is no other peace. That is true peace. That is true shalom. That is a peace that passes all understanding from within and without. A peace that continues on forever. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our peace. And through this living proof, Jesus provides to his disciples his peace. Because what do we find next in verse 20? Again, that understatement. Then were the disciples glad. when they saw the Lord. Imagine if you were there, and you were afraid. You were afraid for your life, and you were struggling with peace in your heart, and now Jesus is coming to you, and Jesus is standing there in front of you, and Jesus is speaking to you these words of peace, and you saw him, and you believed him, and you accept that peace. You're glad. You're happy. You're rejoicing. Jesus is alive. The one who was dead came back to life. The one that we were following, we now can follow forever. This became a direct fulfillment of what Jesus said back in chapter 16, verse 22. Remember when Jesus again was in that upper room, maybe even this very room with his disciples, Jesus says to them, ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again. and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." Jesus knew that they would be sorrowful. Jesus knew that they would be grieving. Jesus knew that they would be struggling, even through His death, but He also knew that that joy would come in the morning. Jesus knew that they would experience true rejoicing, and even though they didn't understand Jesus' words of peace before, now they did, and so can we. The peace of Jesus' proof still stands, and you can see that proof in these words. Believe these words. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. This is God's word to us. And these are eyewitness accounts of what they saw. We can see it through their eyes and believe it. And as you believe in this proof and what it means to us, the more peace and joy you can have from the risen Lord. Paul even prays in Romans 15, 13, now the God of hope, May He fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we lose that peace as believers, don't we? Sometimes that's through our own fault. Other times it might be because of just the world in which we live. It gets us down. It gets us discouraged. What do we need to go to? We need to go to the very proof of our peace, which is the Word of God. The very proof of our peace, which is the wounds of our Savior. Because when we do, we will experience a peace that the world cannot take away from us. a peace that will last forever. Jesus provides the promise of his peace, first through his presence with his disciples, then through his own proclamation and word, then third, through his proof, the proof of life, which was the proof of death, and then, even more, He provides his peace through his living power, his living power. And we see that power next in verses 21 and 22 of the same chapter, because then Jesus says it again. Jesus says to his disciples, 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. Now, Jesus says the second time, peace be unto you. I think that maybe the first time when Jesus said it, it really pointed back to the peace and the pardon that they needed from Jesus, because remember, they were full of guilt and shame for having forsaken the Lord, and they needed that word of comfort. But this time, it seems to point forward. It seems to point forward to the peace and the provision that they will continue to need from Jesus as they are in this world to live and serve him. Because yes, we need peace and pardon from our sin, but we also need His peace and pardon to serve Him as well. And so Jesus still provides all the peace that we need. And first of all, in verse 21, it's through the power for His service. The power for His service. We need to serve God. He is our master, just like He was their master, and we need to serve Him. And in verse 21, Jesus commissions His disciples with these words. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. What a privilege is in those words. Jesus says, As the Father in heaven hath sent me, now I send you. These were, for the most part, Galileans and fishermen. These were people that were considered to be unlearned men. They hadn't gone to school, most of them. Now, of course, one of them was a tax collector, and people didn't look kindly at those tax collectors. And so these were men that, from the world's perspective, were the least. And yet, Jesus says, as the Father hath sent me, the very Son of God, I now send you into this world. What a privilege to serve the Lord. And that privilege of service ought to give us peace as believers. Because our lives are not pointless. Our lives are not purposeless. You can now live for Him who died for you. In fact, we ought to live for Him who died for us. Because as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends you. He sends to the same place. this world, for the same purpose, to witness, sometimes with the same problems that Jesus had, but all with the same power. He gives us the power that we need and the peace that we need to serve. And through his disciples, both then and now, Jesus continues his mission through the ministry that he's given to us. There is real peace in serving the Lord. I think one of the reasons why many Christians don't have the peace is because they forgot their purpose. And that purpose is to serve Him. To serve Him in wherever God has placed you, with whatever gifts God has given you. And as you serve Him, that peace will grow. Peace and service. But of course, He doesn't just leave us to serve on our own. He also provides His peace through the power of His Spirit. The power to serve through the power of the Spirit. He goes on in verse 22, Jesus said this, John writes. And remember, he's there seeing all these things, hearing all these things, witnessing all these things. And he says that Jesus actually breathed. Now, obviously, Jesus is breathing the whole time, but here he breathes in a distinct way, a different way, a way that was significant to him, significant to Jesus, significant to John, significant to the disciples. And he says to them, receive the Holy Spirit. So there's clearly meant to be a close connection between Jesus' commission to serve and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. And there's also a close connection between the breath of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit, which, of course, we know that Jesus promised many times throughout the Gospel of John. And even though we know that the full gift of the Holy Spirit will be granted a few weeks from now, on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, you still have to wonder what's going on here. Why is it significant that Jesus breathed and then said, receive ye the Holy Spirit? Did Jesus give them a measure of the Spirit at this point? Or as some believe, was this just a symbol of what was going to come in Acts chapter two, to show that he also was the very source of the Spirit that they would need? Again, we know that the full provision of the Holy Spirit would come in Acts two, but I wonder if what Jesus did in breathing here, actually gave to his disciples, not necessarily the gift of the Holy Spirit, but rather the preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the preparation to prepare them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, what was it that the disciples could do to receive the Holy Spirit? It's kind of like if I said. Receive my Bible, what would you have to do? you'd have to take it, right? The only thing that the disciples could do to receive the Holy Spirit was just to take and get what Jesus gave to them. They didn't really have to do anything else, as we will see in Acts chapter two. In fact, like so many other things, what we are to receive from the Lord must be given to us by the Lord. We just must receive it. And this was especially true of receiving the Holy Spirit. Only the one who promised the Holy Spirit to us can be the one to provide us with the Holy Spirit, and so He has to be the one that prepares us for it. He gives us and provides us what we need. He does this through the power of His own divine breath. In fact, it's interesting that the word that is used here, that Jesus breathed, is found nowhere else in the New Testament. The only other place that you find it in the Bible is in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, all the way back in the book of Genesis, where we're told that God breathed into the nostrils of Adam, his creation, the breath of life, and he became a living soul. In fact, that's probably what Jesus is indicating here by breathing. As God first breathed to the nostrils of the very first man that breath of life, so Jesus breathed life into this new body, His new body, the church, so that we might all be able to receive the power of His Spirit. The fact is, the provision of Jesus then continues on to today. The peace of Jesus' power still stands. Ever since, when someone turns to and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, they receive the Holy Spirit. It's not something that they have to do anything to receive. It's something that they automatically receive when they trust in Christ. Of course, it's not in the exact same fashion as we find in Acts 2, but when you have Christ, you have His Spirit. There's nothing you can do to receive the Holy Spirit or to receive more of the Holy Spirit except through faith alone. He must be given to you through the powerful breath of the Lord Jesus Christ. As soon as you are regenerated to faith, you have the Spirit of Christ's peace forever with you. And so that's what Jesus does. He continues to provide His peace through His living power through His Holy Spirit to His people. The Bible says that if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, you really aren't His. And so if you belong to Christ, you have His Spirit, you've received it, and the only thing you had to do for it was trust Him, trust in the Word of Jesus Christ, and now He gives you that peace. But then we also find Jesus providing His peace fifth through His living promise. A promise that we find next there in verse 23, where Jesus, again, in connection with His breath, in connection with the gift of His Holy Spirit, He says, Whosoever's sins ye remit, or forgive, they are remitted unto them. And whosoever's sins you retain, they are retained. Now these words certainly are worthy of deeper study. But really the main focus is that Jesus has given that new body that he breathed his own spiritual life into the authority to declare the whole gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his church. Jesus gave his disciples. Jesus gave you and I the responsibility and the authority to declare the gospel. And so Jesus promises to confirm the cleansing that his people proclaim through the blood of Jesus Christ. That's what he means there in verse 23. Whosoever sins you remit, they are or have already been remitted unto them. This simply means that when we proclaim the gospel, we proclaim it on God's terms. In order for someone to be born again, they have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from their sins. So when God's condition of faith is met, sinners can be assured of God's forgiveness. This doesn't mean that God has gifted a particular person or even people to be able to grant forgiveness and not grant forgiveness, but rather to be able to tell people how they can receive the forgiveness that is offered in the Lord Jesus Christ. leave on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." And when someone believes to receive forgiveness, it shows that those sins have been and will forever be forgiven. What sins you declare remitted have been truly remitted and forgiven. And yet at the same time, we can't forget the last part of verse 23. because Jesus also promises to confirm the condemnation that His people proclaim to those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we know that we have the gospel of peace that provides pardon and forgiveness, but there is the other side of the gospel when we talk about the whole counsel of God. Jesus again says, Whosoever's sins you retain, they are retained. Remember what Jesus said in John 3, 18? He that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Yes, the gospel is a very positive thing, but even in the light of that positive, there is this negative. If you aren't born again, if you do not believe, if you aren't a child of His, you are condemned already. And that is part of the ministry of God's people. That is part of the ministry of saints. It's not our judgment, it's God's judgment. It's not our condemnation, it's God's condemnation. It's not our definition of sin, it's God's definition of sin. And we basically just put out there the very word of God to say this is what He said, and this is why you must come to Him in faith. Because there is forgiveness, there is pardon, but if you don't, there's still condemnation, and you are going to receive it. And so the peace of Jesus' promise still stands. Because as Jesus' disciples, we are to proclaim the whole truth about the gospel, about the condemnation and the cleansing of sin. And that's when we can be at peace, truly at peace. when we present the gospel the way God wants it presented, the true gospel. I like how John Gale puts this as well. He says, God stands by and will stand by and confirm the gospel of his son that is faithfully preached by his ministry and servants. As we preach, as we proclaim both the cleansing and the condemnation that are part of the gospel message, God himself blesses that message and stands by his people. And so this is how our living Lord provides his peace to his people. and all the means of Jesus's peace still stand because they're living. Look at those again. Through the living presence of Jesus, through the living proclamation and word of Jesus, through the living proof of Jesus, the wounds of his hands and side and feet, through the living power of Jesus, through his spirit, through the living promise of Jesus to go out and share the gospel. Guess what? Through all of these means, Jesus still provides his peace. If you're lacking peace in your heart with God today, look at those. Have you believed them? Have you accepted them? Are you applying them to your life? If you're not experiencing this peace that passes all understanding, go back to Him for it. He's the one that says, Peace be unto you. It's not the world's peace that he gives. It's his peace. Don't look for peace in other people. Don't look for peace in other places. Don't look for peace in other politicians or other positions. Look for peace in the only one who says, peace be unto you, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has it and it is there for you. His peace is both for your past and for your present, for forgiveness from the Lord and for service for the Lord. As we close, remember what Jesus himself said all the way back in chapter 16, verse 21. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you that we have the very means of Jesus's peace provided to us in these verses. a peace that will never go away if we just accept it from Him through faith. Oh, Father, I pray today, if there's anyone here who does not know of the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ in their life, that these living means of His peace, they will accept and believe from their heart. That, Lord, they might experience the peace of pardon from their sin. as they repent from what they know they have done against you, to trusting in what Jesus Christ has done for them. Oh Lord, I pray that you will bring them to faith and trust in the Lord Jesus for that peace. But Lord, we know that there are many here who know Christ, who have followed Christ and believe in Christ, and yet they still struggle with peace. They still struggle with peace, perhaps, Lord, because they have forgotten about that ongoing presence of the Lord Jesus. Or perhaps, Lord, they have forgotten that that peace can be found in His Word, and so we've strayed from the Word. Or perhaps, Lord, they've forgotten that very proof of their pardon, and the proof of Jesus' life is in the very wounds. Oh, Lord, sometimes we lose that peace when we sin. Lord, we need to go back to the cross. We need to go back to seeing those wounds on his head, his hands, his feet, his side, and realize again what that was for. It's for our salvation and for our sanctification. It's for our redemption and for our cleansing. Oh Lord, we thank you that that proof will last into eternity. Oh, Father, I think sometimes we forget about the peace that is available to us because we've forgotten the very power of that peace, the Spirit of God that you have promised to send and now have sent to all of your people. Oh, Father, help us to walk in the Spirit. Help us to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the very lusts of our flesh. And then, Father, forgive us for having forgotten the very promise that we have that you will bless the message of your gospel as we go and tell, as Mary did, as we go and tell, as the disciples did, and we go and tell faithfully, sharing the truth of the gospel to this world, a world that needs the message, yes, of cleansing, but also the very message of condemnation for sin. Oh, Father, these are the means of Christ's peace to us. Help us, Lord, to believe in them. Help us, Lord, to apply them. Help us, Lord, to receive them and experience a new Christ's peace. And we ask these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen.