Tag: fear

Transcription of Beyond Doubt: John 20: 19-31 

For those who prefer to read rather than listen, please see below an edited transcript of my sermon which I shared with you yesterday. 

Peace, Power, and Purpose: Meeting the Risen Lord

Good morning. It’s wonderful to share some thoughts with you today. I was due to speak a little while ago but was unwell, so I’m really pleased to be here now.

Thinking back, I believe I spoke around Easter last year too.
Last year, we looked at the resurrection story through the book of Luke, focusing on the road to Emmaus. This year, we’ve been considering it through John’s Gospel, and today’s passage (John 20:19-31) actually overlaps a little with the end of that Emmaus story, describing events later on that same Resurrection Sunday evening. The disciples from Emmaus may well have been in the very room we read about today. What we know for sure is that Thomas wasn’t with them. We’ll explore more about Thomas, also known as Didymus (the twin), in a few minutes.

There’s a lot in this passage, perhaps more than we can fully unpack in one go, but I hope we can learn a great deal from this powerful story.

In the Locked Room

The passage begins on the evening of that first Easter Sunday. The disciples were gathered together, having been through the tumultuous events of Holy Week. They had witnessed Jesus’ actions in the temple, seen him wash their feet, and then watched him be arrested, illegally tried, crucified, and die.

That very day, they’d also heard the astonishing reports from the women at the tomb – that Jesus’ body was gone. John tells us he and Peter had run to the tomb themselves and confirmed it was empty. Some had even reported seeing the Lord.

Now, huddled together in a locked room, they were terrified. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had been willing to kill their leader and wouldn’t hesitate to kill them too. So they were locked away, probably praying, certainly fearful.

Suddenly, Jesus appears among them. He comes and stands right there. There’s some discussion about whether this was a truly supernatural appearance, like a sudden ‘poof’, or if perhaps Jesus simply used a key to enter the locked room. The text itself simply says he “appeared among them”.
However, regardless of how he entered, the event itself is undeniably supernatural. Just a day or two before, this man was dead, crucified. They had seen him die. And now he stands before them, alive. If that isn’t supernatural, I’m not sure what is.

He shows them his hands and his side, displaying the wounds. There is no mistake; this is Jesus, resurrected from the dead.


Peace Be With You


Three times in this passage, Jesus says to the disciples, “Peace be with you.” Considering their backdrop of being locked away and terrified, Jesus appearing and offering this peace is incredibly comforting and reassuring.

They had been unsure about who he was, much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus initially didn’t fully recognise him. By showing them the wounds, Jesus demonstrated his identity. Just as perhaps the Emmaus disciples recognised him as he broke bread (maybe seeing his hands then), Jesus confirms he is the one who was crucified. This is no hoax, no trick.

The Three Things Jesus Said

In that room that night, Jesus says or does three significant things. Let’s look at each one:

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” These words echo the sentiment of the Great Commission, although that event occurred later on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28). Here, Jesus is already giving his disciples their mission. He is sending them out into the world. This wasn’t just for the original twelve (or eleven, as it was then); it is for us too. We are not called just to gather inside the church walls, as wonderful as that is, but also to go out and tell everyone about Jesus. As one church worker I heard put it, Jesus didn’t say “Get your programme together and invite them in.” He said, “Go.” We are to go and meet people where they are, in our communities, and tell them about Jesus.

He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This might seem strange to us today, but it’s deeply symbolic. It reminds us of Genesis, where God formed Adam from dust and breathed the breath of life into him. The Old Testament word ‘Ruach’ can mean wind, breath, or spirit. Here, Jesus is breathing life and the Spirit into them. This wasn’t the full outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (which we will celebrate in a few weeks), but rather a promise, a ‘down payment’ if you like, of the Spirit that would empower them fully after Jesus’ ascension. Jesus gives them the Spirit because this great mission he’s sending them on is not something they can do in their own strength or wisdom. It’s not about how clever or good we are at talking; it’s about the power and presence of the Spirit working through us and in the hearts of those who hear.

He says, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is perhaps the most challenging verse in the passage, and there isn’t necessarily one single, easy interpretation.

Some have suggested this refers to church discipline, where the church has the authority to ‘forgive’ or ‘withhold forgiveness’ in a disciplinary sense. However, the context here isn’t really about church discipline.

Others see it as a specific, apostolic gift given only to this particular group of disciples, not extending to others or future believers. But I struggle with this too.

Consider the story of the paralysed man brought to Jesus (Mark 2:1-12). When they lowered him through the roof, Jesus didn’t immediately heal him; he said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The religious leaders were outraged, rightly observing, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus then proved his authority to forgive sins by healing the man, demonstrating the invisible (forgiveness) through the visible (healing). They were correct: ultimate forgiveness of sins against God is God’s prerogative alone. While we forgive one another personally, we don’t have the authority to grant divine forgiveness on God’s behalf.

Also, think about Thomas not being present that night. If this was a special apostolic gift to forgive sins, it would be unfortunate for him to have missed out!
I believe the most consistent interpretation is that this verse refers to the declaration of forgiveness. As the disciples (and we) go out and preach the Good News, when people respond to Christ, believe in him, and follow him, we can confidently declare that their sins have been forgiven by God. Conversely, when people reject Christ, we can declare that they remain unforgiven, because forgiveness is found only in Jesus. It’s a power to announce the reality of a person’s standing before God based on their response to the gospel, rather than the ability to dispense or withhold forgiveness ourselves.

Doubting Thomas

The passage moves on to Thomas. John specifically notes that Thomas, also known as Didymus, was not with them when Jesus first appeared. We don’t know why – maybe he was running an errand! When the others excitedly told him, “We have seen the Lord!”, Thomas’s response was firm: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”


Because of this, he is often labelled “Doubting Thomas.” But perhaps that’s a little unfair. This is the same Thomas who, earlier in John’s Gospel (John 11), when Jesus decided to go to Jerusalem knowing it meant his death, bravely said to the other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Those are not the words of someone uncommitted!


Thomas didn’t want to rely on second-hand accounts. He needed to see, touch, feel, and know for himself that this extraordinary, unbelievable claim – that Jesus was alive after crucifixion – was true. He needed tangible proof. His demand highlights the reality of Jesus’ crucifixion and wounding. (Incidentally, this verse also definitively counters recent claims by some scholars that Jesus wasn’t nailed to the cross; Thomas’s demand for the “nail marks” and Old Testament prophecy about him being “pierced” are clear biblical evidence).


My Lord and My God


Eight days later (a week later, if you count inclusively), the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. Once more, Jesus appears among them, presumably in a similar manner. Again, he says, “Peace be with you.”


Then, he turns directly to Thomas. “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”


The text doesn’t explicitly say whether Thomas actually touched him. What it does say is his immediate response: “My Lord and my God!”


What an incredible confession! It’s a step beyond Peter’s earlier confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. Here, Thomas recognises, after everything they had witnessed, that Jesus is indeed God in human form.


Jesus’ resurrected body, perhaps, had supernatural capabilities – appearing in a locked room, for instance. But importantly, it also carried the wounds inflicted on his earthly body. Those scars remained. One day, we too will have new, perfect bodies in heaven, free from pain and decay. But there will be one person in heaven who carries scars – Jesus. Those wounds will serve as an eternal reminder of the immense sacrifice he made for us. They are badges of honour that we will worship for all eternity.


“My Lord and my God,” Thomas declared.


Why John Wrote


John concludes this passage by stating, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)


John is crystal clear about his purpose. He didn’t record every single thing Jesus did, but he carefully selected specific events and teachings for two reasons:

So that you might know that Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited one prophesied in the Old Testament.

So that by believing in him, by putting your trust in this Messiah, you might have eternal life.
This directly ties back to the commission Jesus gave his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John wrote his Gospel so that people might know who Jesus is and believe. Likewise, the disciples were sent out to tell the world who Jesus is so that others might believe and have eternal life.


In the same way, you and I today have that same mission. We are sent out to tell everyone about Jesus, so they too might believe he is the Messiah and have eternal life. So they too might join Thomas in saying, “My Lord and my God.”
Can We Say It?


“My Lord and my God.” These are not words to be said lightly. Where is Jesus in the tapestry of your life – your work, your home, your family, your leisure? Is he just somewhere in the picture, or is he at the very top? Is he your primary focus, your absolute priority in all things? Is he both your Lord and your God?


If he is truly both of those things, then nothing else can be more important. This doesn’t mean the other things in life are unimportant – our work, family, and how we spend our time all matter. But Jesus must be our ultimate priority.


The challenge for each of us today is: Can we honestly and truthfully say, alongside Thomas, “My Lord and my God”?


We don’t have the benefit of seeing Jesus physically with our own eyes today. Thomas saw Jesus and believed. But Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


That’s us. We haven’t seen Jesus physically, not like Thomas did. Yet, we believe. And Jesus calls us blessed because of that belief.


That seems a wonderful place to end. We are blessed because we know Jesus, and we believe in him even without seeing him. As we go out from here, let us carry the message of Jesus, encouraging others to say, “My Lord and my God,” and ensuring that we can honestly and truthfully say it ourselves, meaning it with our lives.


Amen.


Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word and its truth. Lord Jesus, we know Thomas came to you with doubts, and you graciously encouraged him. Lord, if we have doubts today, we pray that you would also encourage us. We thank you that you bless us even though we haven’t seen you physically; we know you are real. We pray, Lord, that we will keep you in your rightful place in our lives, first and foremost above everything else. We pray today that we can say, “My Lord and my God,” and truly mean those words, living out that commitment authentically. We pray that we would receive your Holy Spirit, empowering us to go out and take the good news of the gospel into our communities, our homes, our streets, our workplaces – into the lives of everyone we encounter. Help us to tell them not only that Jesus is the Messiah, but that by believing in and trusting him, they might inherit eternal life. Help us to go and make disciples. Help us to tell people how wonderful you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Beyond Doubt: John 20: 19–31

As ever, it was a tremendous privilege to speak at this morning’s church service. Continuing our Easter services, we were looking at the gospel of John and share below my sermon which I hope you enjoy.

A cartoon image of doubting Thomas standing in the middle of a room looking sceptical 

Where do you stand? – Andy Brown

Sincere apologies that I have not had much time to write lately. In lieu of that, I share an older post with you today. This post was released in the height of the coronavirus pandemic but I hope it’s words are still very much relevant today. 

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/03/23/where-do-you-stand/

Bowing & Doubting

Great Commission #1

I want to spend this week on the blog focusing on the Great Commission left to us by Jesus Himself. Matthew’s Gospel records a set of commands which Jesus gave to His disciples, and these extend to us as well. They have become very familiar words, and the phrase “Great Commission” is famous among churches. But do we really know what it means?

If I asked you to sum up the Great Commission, what would you say? I wager that most would answer by saying, “Telling others about Jesus!” This is true, in a broad sense, but the Great Commission is rather more specific than that.

Matthew’s Gospel records the following:

But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. 17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:16-20 (WEB)

Bowing and Doubting

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He makes an appointment with His disciples to meet Him in Galilee. This is a town in the north of Israel, and meant the disciples having to travel up from Jerusalem after Jesus’ death.

Before we examine Jesus’ commands,, let us first look at the important words leading up to them.

Verse 16 shows us that they went to Galilee, and then up the mountain as agreed. There, Jesus appears to them, and it records that they bow down. This, to me at least, implies that all eleven of them did indeed bow to the Risen Lord. They recognised Him, and not just the Person of Jesus, but His now revealed power and stature as the Risen Christ. Recognising His divinity will be important when we consider Jesus’ authority in a moment.

Then, verse 17 makes a note that many of us may skip over. Some of them doubted… This is astonishing to me. This is not some large group barely familiar with Jesus, but the Eleven, the inner circle. They have travelled with Jesus for three years, seeing Him heal and raise the dead. They watched as He was crucified, and yet now stands before them, alive and well. Still, some of them doubted.

They all bowed, but some of them doubted. Faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive it seems #Bible #Jesus #GreatCommission

What this says to me is that faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive. We can have faith at the same time we are wrestling with doubt. Putting it another way, faith is not the absence of doubt, and nor is doubt the absence of faith.

We know that these men went on to die for what they believed, and some in horrendous ways such as Peter who was crucified upside down. Despite having “doubts” they did not allow them to hamper their world-changing faith.

For us, I think the lesson is that it is ok to have questions. There is much we do not understand, and it is simply not possible to have all the answers before we commit to Jesus. We should take our questions to the Lord and prayerfully seek the truth.

All Authority

Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18 (WEB)

Before we examine Jesus’ commission to us in the coming days, we must first understand His authority. Here, He states quite clearly that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. That means, simply put, He is in charge.

Jesus does not offer guidance here, nor advice, nor encouragement. Instead, He sets out His total authority over all things and then tells us what to do. It is not optional, and we cannot ignore it.

Consider if you went to court and the judge ordered you to do something. It is not optional for you, but the authority of the court now compels you to follow its instructions. To not comply could lead to hefty fines or worse incarceration.

When Jesus gives us these commands, He expects them to be followed and He is backed by all authority under heaven. Do we treat His words accordingly?

The point I want to make, as we begin this series, is to understand that Jesus sets out His authority because He expects us to do what He says. We will look at what is involved in this in the coming days, but let us begin by submitting to His authority, and deciding in our hearts that we will do whatever it is He is about to ask us.

What will you do?

At the end of each post on the Great Commission, I will ask you this question: what will you do in response to what you have read?

Today, I ask:

  • How can you bow down to the Risen Christ?
  • Do you have doubts? If so, how can you bring them to the Lord?
  • Are you prepared to fully submit yourself to Jesus’ authority? Be honest, and take the answer to God in prayer.

Don’t Speak Out of Your Pain (Best of 2021)

You have probably heard it said that people don’t always mean what they say when they are angry. Perhaps, you’ve even said things you didn’t mean when emotions were running high? Among other things, I’m quite certain the Apostle Paul had such things in mind when he wrote these words from Ephesians: Be angry, and…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2021/05/07/dont-speak-out-of-your-pain/

A Protective Father – Andy Brown

Last year, I wrote a series of blog posts on the early part of the book of acts. The below post, which is about a protective father seems appropriate for this fathers day!

To all of the fathers out there, I wish you a very happy Father’s Day! It is both a very difficult and very rewarding job to raise children in this difficult world. Be encouraged and God bless you and your children today.

At long last, we move on to Acts 5. This chapter opens with a rather disturbing set of events, and I want to try to shed some light on what is happening here. This particular passage is a difficult one, and I admit to having struggled with it for many years. I will explain why,…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/06/16/a-protective-father/

Sudden Disaster

You need not be afraid of sudden disaster

    or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,

26 for the Lord is your security.

    He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Proverbs 3:25-26 (NLT)

Reading the third chapter of Proverbs this week, this particular couplet of verses jumped out at me. Have no fear of sudden disaster, the word directs us, and yet I find myself often drifting into fearing the worst, or worst-case scenarios. My anxious mind wanders into negative places, and I start playing the “what if” game. Minutes can go by, and in my head I’ve crafted unlikely situations and pushed them out to their extremities, no matter how implausible.

When I read this verse yesterday morning, I realise that I do fear sudden disaster more often than I care to admit.

I do not mind telling you that I am prone to anxiety, and indeed have suffered with it at times. Anxiety is more than just worry, although it may start that way. Anxiety can be crippling, and it can cause us to shut down almost completely. There have been times when I’ve felt a knot in my stomach; a nervousness that I couldn’t explain. Perhaps you have experienced something similar yourself, or know others who have.

Sadly, it is all too common these days. Stress, anxiety, and depression affect many people in a whole host of ways. I am no psychologist, and of course if you need help with any of these things, do go and see your doctor.

These verses help us though, and so I want to consider them today.

They firstly say we need not fear sudden disaster, nor the destruction which falls upon the wicked. Why not? Because of what is said in verse 26.

The Lord is your security. That’s the key right there. We desire security in many respects. We want our homes to be secure from break in. We want our jobs to be secure from loss or redundancy. We want our family to be secure from harm – in this life and the next. We want to feel and be secure in all aspects of life.

When we feel anxious, or fear sudden disaster, we do not feel secure. We feel there is a threat, known or unknown, which may befall us. What if I lose my job? What if I get injured? What if my spouse leaves me? What if… fill in the blank for you.

Yet God is our security. He is our fortress and high tower. In Him, we need not fear these things.

Don’t misunderstand, this is not a cast iron promise that nothing bad will ever happen. Life itself is proof of that fact. But the Bible is no liar, and we must understand what it means for the Lord to “be our security”.

Security in Christ means that no matter what happens in this life a) He will be right there with us, and b) We have eternal security that can never be stolen or damaged.

In this life, we will face trouble and danger. If you don’t believe me, just live. That’s not to be negative of course, but things just go wrong in this fallen world full of fallen people. If we stick with Christ however, we know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that no matter what happens on this earth, He is working for the good of His people who are called according to His purpose. What happens to you may not be “good”, but we can trust God to bring good out of it.

I believe He wants us to have a good life here on the earth. Like any good Father, He wants us to have blessings and live a good and enjoyable life. Our enjoyment is not His primary concern though, and that’s the thing we forget sometimes. God deserves and will obtain maximum glory for Himself, and if that means us going through a time of trial, then so be it.

God also takes a longer perspective than us. While we go through trouble, it may feel like the end of the world to us. And even if it is, there is a new world to look forward to in eternity. Even if it was not true that God wants to bless us here on earth, we have a home in heaven to look forward to. That will compensate for any discomfort, trial or trouble we face while alive on the earth. A life of 80 or 90 years is a mere blip next to eternity.

So, returning to the passage at hand (I hadn’t forgotten!). We need not fear sudden disaster because the Lord is our security. We can trust Him to bring good into our lives, and know that the bad also has a purpose. Our security in Him is eternal, and not temporal.

This truth, if we accept and rejoice in it, is hugely comforting. I need not fear sudden disaster because firstly, it might never happen, and secondly because there is a heavenly eternity to focus on. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing. That being the case, we need not fear sudden disaster coming upon us.

The Rule of Six

Here in the UK, the government have now introduced a new rule known as “The Rule of Six,” which means that outside of work or other specific situations, no more than six individuals should meet together. This is an attempt at preventing further spread of COVID-19 which is on the rise across the country right now.

Some have questioned the new rules, accusing the Government of having no science to back this up. While true, there are no scientific papers to support the idea of six people being anything other than an arbitrary number, it is more a practical decision. Previous rules were somewhat confusing about who could meet and when. The premise of the Rule of Six is to simplify things. Sadly I don’t think it has achieved that.

Our family is a family of six, which means we cannot all meet up with any other person or group. Some point to the absurdity of being able to work with a group of seven people but then not being to go out to lunch with them.

It is all rather easy to criticise the Government in this situation. They cannot get it right for trying. No one wanted a lockdown, and yet they were criticised for not locking down sooner. There is obvious contradiction in their seemingly random approach, encouraging us to eat out one minute and stay home the next. I do want to point out what a difficult job the Government have and it is right that we believers pray for them continually.

This is all well and good, but not exactly my usual approach to blogging. Typically I stick to the Bible and leave politics out. I make no comment here on the new or previous rules, and so turn to the Scripture in our uncertain times.

Whether deliberately or otherwise, a great sense of fear was created around this virus. We have never locked down before, and many – rightly – understood this to mean how serious the situation was. The subsequent consequences to the economy pose an equal or even greater threat, so steps are being made to try to undo the damage. Fear is not so easily dismissed as it is created.

We were not created for fear. In fact, we see that fear was the very first negative experienced by Adam and Eve after the Fall of humanity.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Genesis 3:8-10 (ESV)

Having eaten of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve realised they were naked. They were just as naked before, but now, for the first time, took their eyes off of God and turned them on themselves. Sin entered the world, and the first emotion they felt was fear. There is no evidence of fear prior to this.

The Bible has much to say about fear – far more than I can ever say in this one short post. Suffice it to say that fear is not what God wants for His people. Fear often stops us obeying the Lord or doing what we know is right. Sometimes we fear other people and so don’t fully serve God, frightened of people’s judgement or criticism.

Many places in the Bible tell us not to fear. It does not necessarily mean do not feel the emotion of fear, but rather, do not allow the fear you feel to stop you doing what you know is right.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

So how do we conquer fear? How do we master it in these fearful times? I could write a whole book on the subject, but hope these few points help.

We must start from the point of understanding that God does not want us to be afraid. Fear is a very real and powerful emotion at times, but we must harness it, not allowing it to drive us but instead God’s Spirit. As you act and speak this week, ask yourself if the words or deeds are driven by fear or the Holy Spirit.

We must pray through fear. Fear is not an easy foe at times, and so we must stand firm in prayer and draw on the strength of God. If you are facing a particularly frightening time, then please do seek God more and more. Often the thing we fear becomes tiny and insignificant as we compare it to the splendour and majesty of our God!

My final suggestion is to think through the consequences or outcomes of what you fear. For example, a couple of weeks ago I faced a situation which was quite scary. I knew it was coming and was getting anxious about it. As I thought about it however, I realised if it did not work out as I wanted, there were virtually no consequences. at all. Fear and worry about it was a major waste of energy. We play the “What if?” game which can be mentally draining. Many of the things we fear though have little consequence, and even fewer have eternal ramifications.

The world we live in can be a frightening place at times, but you do not face it alone. Fear can be beaten, and we do so in the strength of our Lord. What do you fear right now? Talk to God about it and fight that fear!

Fear Nothing (PoW)

Pearls of Wisdom

Fear nothing, except God Himself

We are often afraid of many things in life. That fear can prevent us doing what we know is right. Often the fear of other people stops us doing or saying the things that God has prompted us to. Or worse, peer pressure leads us to do things we know are sinful.

The Bible has much to say about fear, and while I do not think the emotion of fear is prohibited in the Scripture, bowing down to it and letting it stop us certainly is.

When this life is over, and we stand before God, all those things we feared will seem rather insignificant. There is nothing to fear, except God Himself.

When we say “fear” these days, we simply mean things that we are scared of. Often people are afraid of spiders, heights or public speaking. This kind of fear is not what we were made for. God does not want His people to be afraid. Evolutionists explain fear as a safety mechanism, and yet we saw no sign of fear in Adam and Eve until after the Fall and sin entered the world.

Our Heavenly Father does not want us to fear Him in the sense of being afraid of Him. Rather, when we speak of fearing God, we mean a reverential fear. This is to highly respect God in His position of Sovereign Lord with the power of eternity in His hands.

Next to God, there is nothing worth fearing. If your fear is stopping you from serving God then cast it out today! Fear nothing, except God Himself!

Prayer Video #2

I was planning on writing a follow up to yesterday’s post – Spiritual Distancing #1– but actually felt I needed to record another prayer video today. Hope you enjoy it, and please join me in prayer.

You can find the first prayer video here – Praying for you. 

For some strange reason, the video looks upside down in the post preview… but when you play it, it comes out fine. Not sure why, but just wanted to point that out!

Please do send in any more prayer request, as I’d be glad to pray for you too.

God bless you and yours.

Conquering Fear (Audio)

Here is the audio from a sermon I gave a few weeks ago at a local women’s retreat. It is about Conquering Fear and comes from the passage in Mark 4 where Jesus calms the storm.

I’m sorry about the quality of the audio, and hope it doesn’t distract too much. My microphone seemed to pick up the traffic noise more than me for some reason! I also have my youngest daughter around to “help” me at times!

 

Receive Forgiveness

All the prophets testify to this: everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

Acts 10:43 (ISV, emphasis added)

I don’t remember a time before I believed in God, but that doesn’t mean I was always a Christian. When I first started to hear about God, the truth is I was afraid. I was afraid that I wasn’t forgiven, and was really motivated by not wanting to pay for my sins in eternity – although I would have had little idea what that meant!

I remember going to bed at night asking God to forgive me for as much as I could remember. I’d go back through my day trying to recall every little thing I’d done wrong – likely forgetting most of it.

I was terrified that Jesus might return in the night, and that I hadn’t asked Him to forgive me for some thing or other. I’d ask over and over again, accutely aware of how bad I was. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a bad kid at all, I just felt that way when faced with the reality that there is a God who judges us.

The cycle would go on and on. I’d go about my day, make various mistakes along the way, then lay in bed at night asking God over and over to forgive me. I’d get up the next morning and do it all over again.

It was exhausting!

One day I listened to someone teaching who shared a very similar experience that they had gone through. At one time while they were repeatedly asking God to forgive them, God interrupted them to say – “I forgave you the first time you asked.”

This hit home to me.

My problem was not about asking for forgiveness, but rather about not receiving it from God

Truth be told, I had no real understanding of the cross or what Jesus had done for me. I didn’t know that God had washed me clean, and that I was a new creature in Christ. Through my ignorance of this, I just kept repeating the same request for forgiveness over and over, hoping God would be gracious enough to grant me my request.

In many ways, I was acting as though I was living under the Old Covenant as described in the Bible. I had no temple or animal sacrifice to make, but I kept coming back to the altar day after day, offering up my apologies and ever falling short of God’s glory. I was “hoping” for God’s mercy, and had no concept that it was already mine in Jesus.

Asking was not the issue; receiving was.

I don’t believe I am alone in this.

Perhaps it is not as obvious as what I am about to express, but our thought process goes something like this:

  1. We are conscious of a sin we have committed (how we have fallen short of God’s standards in some way)
  2. We ask for forgiveness
  3. If you ask us, then we’ll say that God has forgiven us
  4. We think it cannot be so easy, and so either plead our case or beat ourselves up.
  5. That “beating ourselves up” can last a few hours or days, depending on how serious the sin was (in our minds at least).
  6. Once we have “suffered” enough, or more accurately punished ourselves enough, we move on.

Does that seem in any way familiar to you?

If it does, then the Gospel really is good news for you!

The first two steps are healthy; when the Holy Spirit shows us we have sinned, it is right for us to ask God to forgive us.

Everything after that is wrong however.

If you sincerely ask God to forgive you, and put your trust in Jesus Christ, you can count on His mercy and receive your forgiveness. You don’t need to beg or plead, you can’t earn it, and all you need do is trust God.

We err when we stray into the third step and beyond.

It really is that easy! God is not making it hard for us to be forgiven. He does not put barriers in our path or frustrate us, rather He wants to forgive us far more than we want to be forgiven!

Beating ourselves up for something we have done wrong is an attempt by us to add to the cross of Christ. I’m certain we would not say that aloud, but it’s true. If we truly believed that Christ’s death at the cross was sufficient, then we would not need to add to it by punishing ourselves.

So what should we do?

He has no need to offer sacrifices every day like high priests do, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he sacrificed himself.

Hebrews 7:27 (ISV)

This verse speaks of Jesus. Firstly, He does not need to offer a sacrifice for Himself as He never once sinned against His Heavenly Father. Secondly, because He was the perfect Sacrifice, He does not need to offer Himself over and over again. Rather, Jesus did it once and for all.

When He cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” It really was.

I don’t believe that forgiveness is something you must keep refilling on. I think it is something God gives you once and it covers you for all eternity. Christ’s sacrifice was a one time event and will never be repeated. It never needs to be.

I rarely ask for forgiveness anymore, and certainly not because I get everything right! Instead, I thank God for the forgiveness He has already given me, and rejoice in that truth.

Don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying sin is not important and that we should not deal with it. Indeed we should. When the Holy Spirit reveals to us that we have fallen short in some way, we should thank Him. We confess the mistake we made, ask for His help to not do it again and thank Him for covering us in the blood of the Son.

There’s a good chance you will sin this week… same goes for me. Instead of beating yourself up and asking God over and over to forgive you, ask just once. Put your faith and trust in Christ and move on.

If you don’t, I can guarantee that you will spend more time thinking about it than God is.

For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins.

Hebrews 8:12 (ISV)

Truly live in freedom this week. Jesus has dealt with your sins once and for all. You are clean and free! Rejoice in that truth! Don’t spend your time asking God to forgive you, instead receive the free gift He offers.

 

To find out more about the Gospel – good news about Jesus – check out my Resurrection Sunday blog post.