John Chapter 20:17-21

Romans chapter five verse one says this, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, before we made peace with God, we were at war with God. We were struggling with him.

We were running from him. Life lesson here is we can have peace with God. You can be at peace with God. I know some of you walked in here in turmoil and maybe you're going through some stuff and you're just all bunched up and you don't know what you're kind of who.

You're just freaked out. You don't have to stay that way. This very morning you can have this peace I'm talking about. I can't give it to you, but I can point to the one that can.

Not only the one that can, but the one that wants to give it to you. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David Magee. David is a senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. While the Bible says that it's true that we were once at war with God because of our sin, the reality is that because of the gospel, we can be at peace with God. Today, Pastor David explains this peace as he continues in the gospel of John chapter 20.

Now here's David Magee with part five of his teaching, He is Risen. Verse 17, 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 and to my God and your God.

Verse 18, Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. Mary was obedient. What if Mary had said, Oh no, Jesus, I'm worshiping right now. Just let me worship. She would have been disobedient.

Why? There was a time to worship and there was a time to do. And there's a balance between these two things. Part of worship, I believe is serving. That's just what disciples do.

Yes, we talk about it a lot. You know why? Because of this misconception that happens in the American church, that 5% of the church is supposed to serve the other 95%. Mary went and did. And what you understand, Mary was one of the first evangelists. I don't know how that messes with your theology, but that's Jesus told her to go tell people and that's what she's doing. She's going to tell people.

And what's she talking about? The resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15, 12 says, Now if Christ has preached that he has been raised from the dead, how does some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there's no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen.

And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. I used to say something. I don't say it anymore.

And if you say it, please stop. Well, you know, even if, even if Christianity is not real and Jesus didn't die and raised from the dead, it just helps you live a better life here. I'd rather be wrong about that. That's not what Paul said. Paul said if all this is false, the preaching is empty and the faith is empty.

You know what? All you got to do is look at places that now reject the resurrection of Jesus Christ to see the truth of that. There are churches that say, well, there's no real resurrection of the dead and the preaching is empty and the faith is empty. 1 Corinthians 15, 19, he goes on to say, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

So if you say that, that's a direct contradiction of what Paul, the writer of Corinthians said. The resurrection changes everything. The resurrection changes everything. See, we're not following somebody who died in a moment of valor or scandal or heroic act. We're following somebody that died and didn't stay dead.

Do you understand that? The tomb's empty. He's not there. He is alive. He is risen. See, in all these other religions and stuff, following these people, they're following dead people. They're dead and they stayed dead. I won't follow a dead guy. Jesus is alive and that's who I'm following.

The resurrection changes everything. Why? Your biggest foe in your life will be death. It will be death, but guess what? You can have the victory.

Why? Jesus beat death. You're following the one and only God who beat death. I mean, think about it. He died and he didn't stay dead.

I mean, we're so familiar with that, we don't think about the content of what that's saying. We're following Jesus, the Son of God, who when he died, didn't stay dead. And there's no more fear of death.

We can walk in victory. Verse 19, then the 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you. Now notice it says the first day of the week. That day would be Sunday. This is an interesting thing because from this point forward, the Jewish people had been meeting on Saturday. It was their Shabbat, Sabbath. From this day forward, the Christian church, which was comprised mostly of Jewish people for the first 50 years or so, worship happened on Sunday. The resurrection of Jesus changed the day the church meets forever.

Let me explain too. It says for fear of the Jews. What were the disciples? What were the disciples? They were Jewish. Okay, so it would probably be more exacting to say the Jewish leaders who had executed Jesus. And why were they afraid?

Because they thought the same thing was going to happen to them, that they were next. These are these great superheroes of the faith that we never think have a struggle. They're hiding in a room after Jesus had been resurrected. And He said, and this is important, what's the first thing He says to them? Peace be with you or peace be unto you.

This is really important. It's really important because Jesus said it. It was the first thing He said to the disciples. We need to understand this word, peace. And yeah, for many of us, peace means different things. And probably for most of us, peace used to mean something different. Is it the peace symbol with two fingers up?

Is it meditating with your fingers connected, enchanting nonsense? Is that peace? Is peace in money? Is peace in smoking dope? Is it in drinking? Is it in taking drugs?

Absolutely not. What is peace? Well, see, our definition is different than the way Jesus meant that word. You see, we say peace. What's peace mean? Absence of war. That's the way the Webster's dictionary defines peace, the number one definition, the absence of war.

That makes no sense in this context. Jesus shows up and says, may you be absent of war? That's the way we're talking about peace in the Middle East.

Everybody's talking about it. That's not what Jesus is talking about. Jesus, as a Jewish man, would have used the word shalom, shalom. Now some of you are familiar with that word, and most of you probably loosely translate it as peace.

Yeah, that's partially true, but it means a lot more than that. Shalom means safe and well and happy and healthy and prosperity, rested, whole, well-being of the entire person, and yes, peace. That's what Jesus said, shalom.

Not just peace. And so we need to understand shalom so we can understand what he's saying. Why? Because it's significant. Because Jesus said it. Now understand, if you're here this morning and you've never asked the Lord to forgive you of your sins, friend, you've never known peace.

And if you're wondering why, I'm here to tell you. See, because you are at war with God. You're fighting and you're running and you're hiding, and God is looking for you, and he's calling your name. And he wants you to respond to him this morning, asking him to forgive you of your sins. But there's some in here who have asked him to forgive them of their sins, yet you don't have peace in your life.

Why? Because you've put other things ahead of the Lord. You've gotten distracted.

And see, God uses peace in our life. Well, if you drive, you have these little lights on your dashboard. I don't know what you call them. I call them idiot lights. If it's flashing, you need to add oil.

It's way too late, really. But anyway, I don't want to go off on that. So these lights flash.

Why? To warn you exactly. Your lack of peace can warn you that things aren't as they should be in your life, that lack of peace.

It's a danger signal. Romans chapter five, verse one says this. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, before we made peace with God, we were at war with God. We were struggling with him.

We were running from him. The life lesson here is we can have peace with God. You can be at peace with God. I know some of you walked in here in turmoil and maybe you're going through some stuff and you're just all bunched up and you don't know what you're kind of, you're just freaked out.

You don't have to stay that way. This very morning, you can have this peace I'm talking about. I can't give it to you, but I can point to the one that can.

Not only the one that can, but the one that wants to give it to you. Romans 14, 17 says, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 15, 13 says, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 14, 33, for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace as in all the churches of the saints. Peace is important to God. He spends a lot of time in the Word trying to communicate to us this issue about peace. Ephesians 2, 13 and 14 says, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation.

We were alienated. We were strangers to God, but because we came to God with Jesus representing us and said, Lord, please forgive us of our sins because of his death on the cross, we can be at peace with God. Jesus said, John 14, 27, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Let me ask you a question. How many people in here have cell phones?

Raise your hand. Yeah, I mean they're a wonderful thing because you know I can send and receive emails anytime, anywhere. It helps me stay in constant contact with the office and with different people and that's a blessing, but you know the bad part about this little thing is it keeps me in constant communication with everyone. No, I'm kidding, but you know I've always got it. It's always there.

It's always going off. We have filled our lives with such noise that we can't hear anymore. We have all these satellite radio channels. We have all these channels on the television. Do you spend time with God? Quiet time where you turn the television off. How much time do you spend with the Lord compared to the time you spend surfing the internet or sending emails or reading emails or forwarding emails?

I know these are tough questions. I understand that. I have a busy life too.

Do you see the tie-in? Our lives are so filled with noise we can't have peace in them and the Lord wants to give us peace and either Jesus is a liar and unable to give us peace or there's a reason we don't have it and I think I'm presenting the reason a lot of us don't have peace sometimes is the busyness and the noise of life. Make sure you take time. Make sure you take time to spend with the Lord. John 16 33 says these things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. Notice may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. Notice he says you will have tribulation.

So it doesn't need to be a surprise anymore. He doesn't say you might have it or if you're bad or if you're still sinning then you might have tribulation. No he says you're going to have tribulation but be of good cheer. Do you have the peace? Not just occasional peace. Do you have the peace of God in your life? The peace of God by which Jesus could stay asleep on the Sea of Galilee in a storm. The peace of God by which while he was hanging on the cross he could look at the people and say Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing. Not the peace that's just stumbled by every little trial and every little tribulation that comes along but a solid massive strong peace based upon nothing but that rock that is Jesus Christ that doesn't move. That's what he wants for each and every person in here. Do you have it or do you not? If you don't have it God wants you to have it this very morning and it could be that there's something in the way of you having that peace and he wants to remove that.

That that's in the way. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now here's a word from associate pastor D.A.

Brown. We want to take just a couple seconds here to pray for some cities in our listening audience specifically South Lake, Sun Valley, Tenopa, Wells, Winnemucca, Nevada and also Cape May, New Jersey and Farmington, New Mexico. Lord we thank you for the people tuning in in these cities. We pray that you would pour your Holy Spirit out. That you would fill people with the faith to say yes to what you're wanting to do in their life.

People who are downtrodden. They're full of despair. I pray that that would turn to hope and trust in you Jesus. God I pray for those in leadership positions in these communities. That you would give them wisdom and discernment. That they would look to your word for advice and counsel and answers on how to lead. Lord we pray that they would get plugged in church and receive from biblical authority and direction.

Lord I pray that many people will get plugged in churches and they will begin serving and looking for opportunities to use the gifts that you've given them to be a blessing to other people in the same way they've been blessed. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Thank you brother. And now let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Verse 20.

When he had said this he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again peace to you as the father has sent me I also send you. Now in case you thought I just spent too long on that peace thing.

Jesus says it again. Guys this is important and there's a reason to linger in scriptures like this. Peace to you. Shalom to you. He says as the father has sent me I also send you.

Now that is a curious thing to me. What did the father send him into? His father sent him into a world where the religion of the day had forgotten the relationship with the Lord. They'd gotten to the ritual and they'd forgotten the reality of God.

And Jesus says even as the father sent me so send I you. Do you understand the biggest enemy of Christianity? It's not demon worship or satanism. The biggest foe of Christianity is religion.

Empty ritual. People thinking that they can go in and and and sit for a little while and hear something and and they're okay with God no matter if they've ever asked him to forgive them of their sins or not. Empty religion is the foe of real Christianity. And even as Jesus so even violently fought against that it's something we should set our face against. Jesus was I understand this and I don't know how we got to this namby-pamby Jesus we represent to some people today. Jesus was a revolutionary. Jesus was different. Jesus was there to challenge the kind of stinking thinking of religion and the acts and the works of a man can bring you into a right standing with God.

He came to no way. He said I am the way and the truth and the life. And this is what Jesus sends us into. Yeah people talk about us. People say this.

They'll say that. People will do this and but this is what he's sent us in to do. To teach and to reach and to proclaim the good news. John 3 17 tells us for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world. Now some of us read that verse and we think that's right that's our job pastor me and you we're going to condemn the world. It's my mistress. No it's not.

No it's not. See a large majority of the world is beaten and broken and man they are painfully familiar with the fact that they're sinners. Now occasionally you may run into somebody that doesn't realize they're a sinner and they don't even think they sin.

You know where you're going to find those people probably not in the bars you're probably going to find them in churches. And you need to talk to those people about sin. But look how Jesus in his interaction presented this end question. Well I mentioned John 4.

Look how carefully and with sensitivity he talked to her about sin. Go get your husband. Well I don't have a husband. That's right you don't have a husband. You had five husbands and now you're living with a God.

That was it. It doesn't say he foamed at the mouth or pointed at her or yelled at her or did any of those things. Look at John 8 and the forgiven woman.

She's already beaten up but she knew she had done something wrong. What did he say? Well you know you were wrong don't you? No he said who condemns you?

No one. And he says neither do I. Go and don't do it anymore. Proclaiming the goodness. Now the reality is we are lost without God. Without hope.

Without forgiveness. And I think a lot of people are aware of that. And they need to hear the good news. They need to hear what you know now.

Sitting in here. They need to know it. This is something we're all supposed to be doing.

The life lesson here is we are here to play a part in changing the world. Far too often Christians get together and automatically they start bashing the world and the political system and all these things and yes there's problems with that. They bash this. They bash that.

They bash corporations and all that stuff but wait a minute guys. Did you ever stop to think that those things are like that because we're not having the influence we're supposed to be having as we see the world going crazy? As we see these people doing these things? As we watch our government do these things? Did you ever stop to think you know what I'm not living my life for maximum impact and making a maximum difference and that's what's wrong with the world? Either that or the Lord hasn't properly equipped us or trained us or given us the strength to do the world he called us to do. Does that sound like God?

No. See whenever he told somebody to do it he gave them the ability to do it. He told a lame man to get up and walk.

You know what he did? He got up and he walked. Told a blind man to see. Guess what?

He could see. Told a dead man to get out of a grave and he did. So in love what was your excuse? I mean you know being dead is a fairly good one but it didn't work with Jesus. If you're alive and breathing we need to be working together to reach the world and making a difference and maybe for some of you the peace you lack is because you're refusing to hear that and act on it. The Lord's calling you to serve him and like Jonah you run.

Loedwin I don't want you ending up in the belly of a whale. Are you here this morning and lack that peace? Well if you know him and you lack that peace then according to scripture stuff must have gotten in the way. You must have become distracted and this morning you can get that stuff out of the way by coming to him and refocusing on him. Or maybe God's called you to do something and you're not doing it. Again he'll give you the strength to do those things.

Or perhaps you're here this morning and a lot of what I've said is you've not really heard it before. You thought you did the best you could and your good outweighed your bad and God honored that and you went to church and tried your best to keep the 10 commandments and that whole thing and you thought that okay I get in now. No absolutely not. The Bible's clear. There's only one way to heaven.

That's through Jesus Christ and it's by grace. Meaning you come to him and you ask him to forgive you of your sins and he'll do that and he'll begin to change you. You can't change before that moment in time and if you've been lacking peace you're hearing now this morning why you lack peace and this morning it's not necessarily Mary Magdalene that Jesus is calling. Jesus is calling you.

That's still small voice right now. He wants to bless you. He wants you to be warm and filled and he wants you to have this shalom and if you lack it he's here to offer it to you. Let's remember that sometimes this lack of peace is like that dashboard light. It's turned on for a reason to speak to you this morning and if you find yourself in that place then you can know that peace by knowing the prince of peace. He's here this morning and I know he's doing a work.

I know he's doing a work. Let's pray. Lord thank you for offering us this peace and and Lord thank you that when our lives become disarrayed and out of order and chaotic and filled with noise that we lack it.

Lord because it is like that dashboard light it's telling us something's wrong that we've gotten distracted. Maybe we've wandered off. We've wandered too far, been gone too too long or maybe we've never had that peace of God to begin with. Lord we thank you that you offer that this morning in Jesus name. Friend do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Now God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name.

Amen. Friend if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness those who were sick not the righteous.

So congratulations friend you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ or you can write to Cross the Bridge at PO Box 12 515 Winston-Salem North Carolina 27117 and share how God is working in your life. You know the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord but it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use. So if you'd like to support this ministry please go to crossthebridge.com click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or a continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through Cross the Bridge. Thank you so much. Well DA before we go what are some ways that we can bless our listeners? Each day you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David through the Word of God with his email devotional, life lessons to consider, a daily reading plan, and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of David McGee. Those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today at crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time as David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John.