John 20 - Part C

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That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Rabboni, that's an Aramaic term for my rabbi, my teacher, which is to say teacher. Jesus said to her do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my father but go to my brethren and say to them I am ascending to my father and your father to my God and to your God. Go back to that word her name Mary. One word changed her life. One word changed her from sorrow to joy.

One single word. She went from despair to the heights and it was her name spoken by Jesus. I'm sure Jesus had a special tone for her. Mary.

And she reeled her head around and she goes, Rabboni, my teacher. How does Jesus reveal himself to her? Not visually, but vocally. By speaking his word, which was her name, personalize it, but it was by what he spoke, not by what she saw. And again, this to me underlies the principle in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word about Christ or the word of God. Not by seeing, but by hearing.

It was the word he revealed himself to her by one word, speaking her name. Now, can I just ask you, can you relate to this in this sense? How often have you wondered where is God? Where is Jesus? Life is so hard.

This is so bad. I can't believe I'm enduring this. Where is he? And he's right there, right in front of you. Jesus said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you.

Lo, I am with you always till the end of the world. He's right there. But by our sorrow, by our trial, we just miss him when he's right there. But let me encourage you to look for him. Look for him in the darkest, bleakest, earliest part of the morning, latest part of the evening, hardest part of the trial.

Look for him. Paul spoke about the fellowship of his sufferings. As if there's a special place you can enter into as a believer where you have fellowship with God and one of the deepest possible levels is when you suffer like Jesus suffered. He said that I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable even to his death. There's an intimacy you can have with Jesus Christ only when you suffer. Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. When our Lord says, do not cling to me, it's literally stop fastening yourself to me. I can only guess that when she turned around, heard her name and recognized that it was Jesus, she lunged at him and gave him one of those death grips.

Like trying to tackle somebody in the end zone. It's like, I got you, I'm not letting you go. It was probably just so tight a hug that he said, stop fastening yourself to me. I've not yet ascended to the Father. In other words, if I can elaborate a little bit knowing what's coming in the future, I've got 40 days that I'll be around. Don't keep yourself to me. Don't selfishly hoard or cling or hold onto me. I have not yet ascended to my Father.

He's going to be around for 40 days. You've got a job to do and my disciples have a job to do. So go tell them, I have a commission for you, stop clinging, go on a commission. And that is tell my brethren. It's the first time Jesus calls his disciples, his brethren. He's called them his servants up to this point. He's called them his friends in an intimate way, days before in the upper room. No longer do I call you servants, but I call you my friends. He called them sheep, but now he calls them brethren. And I'm ascending to my Father and your Father.

Why would he say that? Because now he can. Now he has paid the penalty for their sin. Now a relationship with the Father can be had through what Jesus did for them on the cross. And Hebrews 2 tells us he is not ashamed to call us brethren. So what he did enabled him to say, go tell my brethren.

There's now this intimacy of relationship that I share with them. Verse 19, then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, so it's Sunday evening, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled because they were so bold, I mean for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, you miserable failures. Oh, excuse me, it must be a different translation I was reading from. Now notice his gracious, kind words, peace, shalom. In Hebrew when you see somebody it's always shalom. And the first question is, how is your peace literally?

How are you or how is your peace? He says peace be with you. Now when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side and his disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Question, if the doors were shut for fear of the Jews, the word in Greek is they were locked tight, how'd he get in? Don't say he went through the window. I don't picture Jesus trying to get up there through a window and crawl, hey dudes, what's up? He just showed, I mean, if he just passed through those grave clothes, what's a wall?

And here's what I want to just plan in your head. This is a preview of coming attractions for your body. Philippians says our resurrected body will be made like unto his glorious body. So Jesus just traveled from place to place going through walls. He'll just suddenly be up in Galilee, back in Jerusalem, appear before 500 people, back with his disciples.

It seems that in the resurrected body, time and space are done differently. And so that's a preview of coming attractions for your body. When you get raised from the dead, we're going to have some fun.

I like this. Then Jesus said to them again, peace to you. As the Father sent me, so I also send you. Now this is a commission and the commission will start in Acts chapter 1. In other words, they will be, they will take the place of Jesus to the world.

Did you know that? They take his place before the world. We are called the body of Christ, the body of Christ. Jesus will ascend to heaven. We are the body of Christ. We take his place in this world.

He will commission them to be witnesses. Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. So, we take his place and we bring his peace. We bring his peace wherever we go. We bring the peace of the Lord. We tell people you can have peace with God because he's forgiven you of your sins if you let him. If you receive him, you'll have peace with God. And once you receive Christ, you'll enjoy the peace of God. We take his place and we bring his peace. And that's why Acts chapter 1 verse 1 opens up by saying, the former treatise that I wrote to you, O Theophilus, listen to this, of all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up. That's what Jesus started. That's what he began to do. Now this is what he continues to do through those that he left behind. So, as the Father sent me, now I am sending you. You have a commission.

And I want you to make note of something. Jesus never tells the world. This is going to shock some of you and some of you may not like hearing this. And if pastors are listening, they won't like it especially. Jesus never tells the world to go to church. What he does tell the church to do is to go to the world.

You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, misunderstandings about Jesus abound. Some see him as a prophet, others as a moral teacher, and still others as just a myth or mere historical figure.

But the Bible tells a different story about who Jesus is. We want to help you know the real Jesus of the Bible by sending you Skip Heitzig's 9-message CD series, Who Is This Jesus? In this eye-opening series, Pastor Skip addresses common misconceptions about Jesus, clarifying both Jesus' humanity and his divinity to equip you to confidently answer questions about who Jesus really is. We'll send you the Who Is This Jesus? series, as well as Skip's booklet for new believers titled Life Change as thanks for your gift of $50 or more to reach more people with God's love through Connect with Skip Heitzig.

Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give. Now, let's get back to Skip for more of today's teaching. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He never tells worldly people to go to church.

I'm glad they do. I'm glad unbelievers come. We always want to give them an opportunity to meet and know Christ. Please keep inviting your friends because it's sort of a natural, cultural thing to be able to invite people to a church. Let them see it, let them hear it, and then they'll want to do that.

It's always good. But he never tells the world to go to church. He tells the church to go to the world. And so our commission goes beyond just telling people, hey, come to church with me. That's good. And I always want you to do that and encourage you to do that. We always want you to invite people. But let me say, just take it a step further and inject Christ into the conversation and even invite people to know Christ wherever you are.

It's fun. Your life takes on a whole new level when you start bringing Christ to the marketplace. Bring Him out in the world. Take Him out of, you know, don't leave Him at home. Close your Bible. That's where Jesus lives. And I'm just going to go do my thing.

Take Him with you. When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.

If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. This is a pledge, I believe, of the day of Pentecost, Acts chapter 2, and the Holy Spirit will come upon them and empower them to be His witness. But He breathed on them. Genesis chapter 2, God breathed into man the breath of life. When God breathed at creation, He gave them physical life. When Jesus breathed now, He is pledging a level of spiritual life. Did you know that the word spirit in both Hebrew and Greek is the same word for breath? In Hebrew, ruach hakodesh is the Holy Spirit, and ruach, spirit, is also breath. Numa in Greek is spirit, and it's also breath.

Same word. So Jesus breathed on them emblematically and said, Receive the Holy Spirit, and that will be fleshed out in Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2. But Thomas, but Thomas, here's Eeyore.

Eeyore just showed up. Jesus is in the room, and here's Thomas. He says, but Thomas, call Didymus.

Do you know what Didymus means? It means twin. Who's his twin? Might be you. I was a doubter.

I was his twin once. One of the 12 was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him, We have seen the Lord, but He said to them, Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. Now, we're not surprised.

We're not surprised because Thomas always was, of all the apostles, in my opinion, the most raw, honest, pessimistic, yeah, but honest. Jesus said, We're going to Judea, and the disciples said, Don't go there. They're trying to kill you. He pipes up and goes, Let's go with them and die with them. Well, that's not a very positive thing to say. Let's go and die with them. It's like jihad or what?

What's that all about? No, but it wasn't positive, but it was honest and courageous. It's courageous to say, Okay, if He dies, we die. We're all in this together.

But Thomas is also the guy. A few nights before in the upper room when Jesus said, Don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me and my Father's house from many mansions.

We're not so I would have told you. I'm going to go prepare a place for you, and if I go, I'll come back and receive you to myself, and where I'm going, you know, and the way you know. Thomas goes, Excuse me, don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? He said, I don't get what you just said.

I have no idea what you're talking about. Again, not a positive thing, but a very honest thing. And I'm so glad for Thomas being in that room saying that because that's what spurred Jesus to say, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.

But that was Thomas. So he goes, you know, unless I can do this, unless I can see it and touch, I won't believe. And by the way, it means I positively, absolutely refuse to believe. Verse 26, and after eight days. Really? You mean the disciples had to listen to him for eight days?

Have you ever thought about that? They're in the upper room and Thomas is going, I won't believe, I won't believe. And they're saying, he rose, I'm not going to believe.

Eight days, they had to listen to Mr. Empirical say, I got to see it and touch it or I won't believe. Now after a few days, his unbelief, he's feeling pretty good about it. After eight days, he's feeling absolutely confident in his unbelief until after eight days, his disciples were again inside. Thomas is with them, kind of looking around, gloating.

Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, can you just imagine Thomas as Jesus shows up and turns to Thomas? Hi, Tom.

If you're Thomas, all of the color just goes out of your face. Hi. Reach your finger here. Look at my hands. Reach your hand here.

Put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, look how far he was and look how far he goes in an instant. He goes, not just I believe, he says, my Lord and what?

My God. That is, I am looking at my Lord, and I'm looking at my God. That's a belief in Jesus as God in deity.

That is a statement of a pinnacle of faith, my Lord and my God. Now, eight days before, Thomas wasn't in the room, so he missed the joy. He missed the comfort. He missed the peace, the fellowship that flooded their souls, that kept them for eight days in spite of Mr. Empirical saying, I won't believe. And don't you think the other disciples were thinking, oh, I wish Thomas was here.

Do you ever sit in church and go, oh, man, this is perfect for somebody. I wish they were here. I wish they would have come. That's how the disciples felt with Thomas. I wish Thomas were here.

But here's the thing. Out of fellowship, believers miss out so much. That's why we're told to commit to fellowshipping with one another as we see the day approaching. Sometimes our schedules don't mesh, and sometimes we're busy, but we just make the decision that this is important.

We're going to get together like you did here tonight so we don't miss out. I fear there are many believers who, like Thomas, are believers yet not belongers. They believe in Jesus. I grant them that. They don't belong to the community of faith. They haven't connected well with others. They're not part of the family, the body.

They're not really acting the part by being part of the body. So they're believers, but they're not belongers. Now Thomas finally is both. Thomas said, my Lord, and my God, Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed, or oh, how happy, are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe. He's writing to his audience who would read this record, like you and I. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Listen. Thomas began the evening as Eeyore. He ends the evening as Tigger, full of joy on the up and up, positive, joyous, it's a good day, all because Jesus showed up. And again, Jesus didn't say, Thomas, you absolute failure. I can't believe you doubted me. He said, peace to you. Thomas, please, Mr. Empirical, touch, see, put your hand here, see that it's me, and stop your doubting, stop your unbelief, be believing.

As we near the time where we take the elements, this is what I want you to consider. Jesus is in what kind of a body? A resurrected body.

A resurrected body, isn't it interesting that in this renewed resurrected body, he retains wounds. I don't believe that you're going to retain maladies from your life in your resurrected body. In other words, if you die at 108 years of age, all wrinkled like a prune, and bent over, that you're going to live that way forever, and that's your resurrected body, or that if you die as a baby, you're going to have to have your diapers changed for eternity.

I think you're going to be at your genetic pinnacle, and you will be in that capacity forever in your developed state. I don't believe if you had your leg chopped off that you will have to live that way in eternity. I think you'll have a new resurrected body, and you'll be completely whole. But Jesus uniquely, I believe, retained the marks on his body. And I believe that that isn't just for the disciples.

I believe that's forever, because Jesus ascended into heaven in that body, in that form. And later on, John sees a vision of heaven, and he says, in John chapter 5, they said, Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to take the scroll and loose the seals. And he says, I turned and looked, and I saw a Lamb as though it had been slain.

When he sees Jesus in heaven, expecting to see the Lion of the tribe of Judah, that's who's announced, he sees the Lamb of God still bearing the marks of crucifixion. That's why we used to sing that song. We ought to pull it out again. The nail's in your hands. If we sang it, and I won't do that, but if we sang it, forever they will say how much you love me. So I believe when you see Jesus in heaven, you'll see him in his glorified, perfected, resurrected body, but you and I are gonna see the wounds like Thomas saw. And you go, oh, that's horrible. I'll cry when I see that it's horrible.

No, no, no, no. It's his trophy. He will bear them joyfully, proudly, in the best sense of that word, because that's how you got there. That's how I got there. The way of your salvation, the means you became brethren and sisteren is by those wounds. He will bear them gladly so you can look and will always be reminded of what he did for us.

We're glad you joined us today. Before you go, remember that when you give $50 or more to help reach more people with the gospel through Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Pastor Skip's series, Who Is This Jesus?, and his booklet, Life Change, to help you better understand both who Jesus is and why you can trust what the Bible says and who you are as a believer in Christ. To request your copy of these resources, call 800-922-1888.

That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. For more from Skip, be sure to check out the many resources available at connectwithskip.com slash store. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, make a connection at the foot of the crossing. Cast all burdens on His word. Make a connection, connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.