Jesus in the Midst
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“Evil is atheism’s most potent weapon against the Christian Faith.” — C.S.Lewis
“Evil is atheism’s most potent weapon against the Christian Faith.” — C.S.Lewis
Think about it....
Where is Jesus … when evil rears its ugly head?!
Where is God… in the struggles and heartaches of life?!
How do we answer that question when a baby dies?
When we suffer?
When everything around us seems to Scream that our faith is worthless… when it doesn’t seem like God is answering… or cares?
Where is Jesus in the midst of our struggles?
That is the question I want us to consider today…
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
This text takes place after Jesus’s death…
After the disciples have witnessed His ministry… after they have followed Him for three years… After they have heard His words… seen His miracles… and confessed their faith in Him…
After He has been beaten… After He has been nailed to a cross… after He has been laid in the tomb… after they have all fled from finger pointing and threats of the events leading up to the crucifixion…
After Mary Magdelene and the other women have been to the tomb, and Jesus has sent them back to the disciples to tell them the glorious news of His resurrection… which should have filled them with Joy and Celebration!!!
They should be rejoicing at the news! After all, even John and Peter saw the empty tomb…
Yet… look at verse 19
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
We find them instead… gathered in a house… behind locked doors!
Why?!?
They were afraid… they were afraid of the Jews… they were afraid of their own people!!!
They had witnessed what they had done to Jesus… and they were afraid!
They were afraid of the consequences of their confession of Christ… they were afraid of what people might say… of what the “religious” authorities might do… of what might become of them…
They were alone… their Messiah was gone… they were lost… confused… scared… and unsure of where to turn… and so they hid.
How often do we do that?
How often do our personal worries… or lack of understanding… or the threats of this world drag us down… scare us… freeze us in our tracks… and move us into hiding… behind our own “locked doors”?
We all have “locked doors” in our lives,…Amen?
They are those places of security that allow us to “hide” from the difficult places in life… they allow us to find comfort in our distress, worry, and fear…
Some of those doors are easy to name, right?
— Our jobs
— Our wealth
— Our skills and abilities
— Our friends… and sometimes family
But… what about those areas that we might not recognize?
— Church
— Service
— Giving
— Bible knowledge
— Our little “checklist” of Christianity…
Those all do the same thing… allow us to find just a little comfort in this distressing world…
Can I tell you this: “Locked Doors” provide “false security.”
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
The “peace” of this world… the “security” that those “locked doors” seem to offer… is temporary … and easily broken…
But God’s peace… the Peace that Christ offers us… is eternal…
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Christ’s peace… is the assurance of ultimate security in God’s hands.
This is why Jesus stepped through that locked door…
The disciples were surrounded by chaos… by doubt… by confusion… by fear… and Jesus stepped right into the middle of that… right into the chaos and fear they were feeling… He stood among them… and look at what He said… “Peace be with you.”
John 20:19 (NRSV)
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus came to them… He stood in their midst… and He brought them peace… And He does the same for us!
Church… The Essence of the Christian life is that right there… “Jesus in the midst.”
16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
God told us to BE holy, not PERFECT…
But we constantly try to complicate it… It seems like that is our nature… Mankind has constantly seemed to complicate what God tells us to do…
We make holiness more than it is… we create “rules” to follow… we make our “check lists” of holiness, and say that anything outside of them is sin…
But… NOW HEAR THIS… That is not what holiness is!!!
There is a story told of a group of Mensa members… Mensa is an organization whose members all have an IQ of 140 or higher… They had gathered for a convention in San Francisco.
Well… a group of them had gone to a local cafe for lunch… as they dined, one of them noticed that their salt shaker that had an “S” on the lid, contained pepper… and their pepper shaker, which had a “P” on the lid… was full of salt.
The debate ensued… they argued back and forth about how to go about exchanging the contents of each shaker… without spilling the contents… by only using the implements at hand…
Following a lively problem-solving conversation… discerning all the facts… the group landed on what — they believed was a brilliant solution using a saucer… a napkin… and a straw.
They called the waitress over… completely prepared to "blow her away” with their intellect… by sharing their solution…
“Ma’am,” they said… “We couldn’t help but notice that the pepper shaker contains salt and the salt-shaker...”
“Oh,” the waitress interrupted… “Sorry about that!”
And them she unscrewed the tops of both bottles … and switched the caps.
Sometimes, I think we are like those Mensa members… We overcomplicate the simple things, amen?
Holiness is not that complicated… Holiness is about committing to LIVE with Jesus in the MIDST of our lives!
We don’t have to “figure it out”… Christ already has!!!
The Christian Life is about ALLOWING Him to have LORDSHIP … over every aspect… or our life.
That’s all there is to it!
Sometimes we feel like we are all alone in this life… in our Christian walk… that we have to “figure it out”… and then we will find God…
But that’s not true!
Now… I want you to hear this…
We have NEVER been — and never will be — alone!
Jesus has been in the midst … since the dawn of creation!
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
Jesus… is in the midst of all creation.
AND… He is in the midst of His People.
Daniel saw the Lord … with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… in the midst of the Fiery furnace (Dan. 3:25)
Daniel saw the Lord… With Him in the Lion’s Den (Dan 6)
At Calvary… Jesus was in the midst of sinners… one on the left… and one on the right. (Jn 19:18)
As the Lamb in Revelation… Jesus is in the midst of the throne in heaven.
6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
As our resurrected Lord… Jesus stands in the midst of His Church.
Revelation 1:12–20 (NRSV)
12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, ... and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
John’s gospel informs us… that on the evening… of that first Easter Sunday… Jesus stood “in the midst”… of His disciples.
Why is this theme repeated so often in scripture?
Because it is the key… to the Christian Life!
It is the key to holiness… It is the key to finding PEACE in ALL circumstances…
Understanding that Jesus is in the midst of our storms… or our struggles… of our fear… is what allows us to stand with Paul and proclaim:
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
We step into holiness… we step into God’s PEACE… when we allow Jesus to be — not only our savior — but our LORD as well…
We must allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives!
To be … in the midst… of our lives.
To be in the midst… of ALL… that we are… and ALL that we do!
I want you to see something here...
The Greek word translated “midst” here means “middle”…
Jesus should be in the midst… in the middle… in the very center of our lives!
(bicycle wheel example)
— the tire could do nothing without the hubs…
— the spokes connect the tire to the hub… to the axle…
— If the hub were not connected… not only would the tire not be able to function, but the whole bicycle would be useless!
Jesus MUST be the hub… the very center… of all that we do… and all that we are.
NOTHING we do should exclude Him…
But… unfortunately, we often do just that… don’t we?
Each of us have different “compartments” that make up our lives… work, school, hobbies, family, church…
Many of us… mistakenly… make Jesus … just another compartment… another spoke… another “piece of the puzzle”… another “part” in the “wheel of life.”
(our culture even tries to tell us that that is how it is supposed to be… telling us that “religion” is only meant for Sunday, or special occasions…)
But that is NOT true! Jesus is not a part… Christianity is not a “Religion”… it is a “Way of Life”!
Jesus should be… Jesus MUST be… in the MIDST of our lives… not on the outskirts!
He MUST — not only be our Savior — but LORD of ALL of our life!
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Hear this: “No Christian… No Follower of Christ… can be Spiritual… Powerful… and Maturing in Faith… unless… Jesus is in their midst!
We cannot do it without Him!!!
John 15:5 (NRSV)
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
But… When Jesus is in the midst of your life… He promises you God’s Peace… And God’s peace is a peace that surpasses ALL understanding!
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s peace goes completely beyond anything this world can understand… It is a peace that completely blows the minds of those who experience it…
It is a peace that allows us to have no fear… no worry… no anxiety… regardless of what we face!
Let me ask you: Is your life filled with that kind of peace?
If we are honest… even those of us who call ourselves “followers of Christ”… often find ourselves in a life of worry…
Worrying about things… that we cannot even control!
Yet… truth be told… if we could control them… we probably would not even worry about them.
Now… Here’s the problem… Worry… if not checked… will continue to build… and eventually overwhelm us.
And we become like this fellow who was talking to his friend… The conversation went like this:
“John, you look worried.”
“Man… I’ve got so many troubles… that if anything else bad happens today, I won’t be able to get to it for two weeks! I just don’t know what I’m gonna do!”
Ever feel like that? Like its just one trouble after another… one worry after another… until it feels like if just one more thing happens… you’ll break?!
Take heart!
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
If your yoke is heavy… if your burdens are weighing you down… then you are carrying the wrong yoke!
Release those burdens… cast them on the Lord.
It is only when we entrust our worries… and our burdens to God that we can experience His Peace!
True Peace… the Peace that surpasses ALL understanding is only found in Him!
Hear His words again:
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Why do we not need to worry?
Because Jesus… because Jesus… You see… Jesus has this… Jesus is in your midst… and He’s got your back!
When Jesus is in your midst…
(1) You will receive PEACE.
(2) You will find JOY
Jesus promises us a life… permeated… with JOY!
Does that mean that we will never experience hardships… and heartbreak?
NO!
But… it means that we do not have to worry… We are not alone… Jesus is with us!
True Joy… lasting Joy… only comes… ONLY COMES… when Jesus … is in the Midst.
If you do not have lasting joy… you need to reach out to the Lord… and receive it!
It is a gift… accept it… open it… embrace it!
Then… let it PERMEATE your very being.
Allow that JOY to bubble up inside you…
Allow the DNA of the Holy Spirit to flow through you… and from you.
People today NEED to see that JOY in us!
One pastor said: “We must get the wrinkles out of our brows and let our life beam… How can we not?!”
We are a REDEEMED people… amen?
We are a people FILLED with the Holy Spirit… amen?
We are a people who have RECEIVED the JOY of the LORD!
Are we living like REDEEMED people who have RECEIVED the JOY of the Lord?
The Appostle Paul said:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
How can he say that? How can Paul to “rejoice always”, even when things seem to be falling apart?
Because he found the Peace and Joy that comes from realizing that Jesus is in the midst… this is the same JOY that caused the Psalmist to proclaim:
Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
You see… that is the JOY that produces on the face of the believer… a wondrous… and glorious smile in spite of our circumstances!
That is the JOY that speaks to the world!
So… How do we find this JOY?
By realizing the truth! True Joy… is a gift!
(you need to hear that)
… it is a gift… of the Holy Spirit.
It is the same JOY from the Holy Spirit that filled Christ to overflowing.
Luke 10:21 (NIV)
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Jesus was full of JOY… Through… the Holy Spirit.
And it is through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives… that we receive this eternal JOY… and this eternal PEACE.
But… We MUST receive it!
We MUST accept Jesus in our midst… when we do, we (1) receive PEACE… (2) receive JOY… and (3) receive STRENGTH.
Nehemiah told the people:
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
(somebody say) What kind of strength are you talking about?
(I’m glad you asked)
(glove) If I said to this glove… “Glove, pick up that Bible.”
Could the glove do it? I mean… after all… the glove is shaped like a hand… it has a thumb… and four fingers… But, could the glove pickup the Bible?
Of course not!
So, I say to the glove: “I apologize Mr. Glove… I have not told you … how to pick up that Bible.”
“Put your thumb on the top of the Bible… your fingers underneath… squeeze tight… and lift.”
“Now… Mr. Glove… pick it up.”
Will anything happen? NO!
Why?
Because the glove has no strength… it is powerless… The glove is empty… of life.
The glove cannot do anything… it can do no thing… until … I put my hand in it.
The moment my hand is in it… the glove becomes … as strong as my hand.
Everything that is possible for my hand… becomes possible… for the glove.
If the glove could speak… it might say: “I can do ALL things… through the HAND… which strengthens me.” (repeat)
You and I are like that glove… and Christ is the hand.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
This scripture is sooooo often taken out of context… It is not a “permission slip” for us to do all the things WE want to do… No… that’s not what it means…
What it means is that … ALL things of ETERNAL importance are possible… because Christ can work through us!
We are called to allow Jesus into the midst of our lives… to place Jesus at the core… at the hub of our very being… because…
When we do, He can take care of ALL the things that matter!
When Jesus is in the midst… we have PEACE.
When Jesus is in the midst… we have JOY
When Jesus is in the midst… we find STRENGTH.
John tells us that after Jesus revealed Himself in their midst… He did something else…
What was it?
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Sound familiar?
I cannot help but think that on some level… as John wrote this account down… that his mind drifted back … to the story of creation itself.
7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
It was the breath-like wind of the Holy Spirit … that Jesus blew on the disciples.
And it was the same mighty wind of the Holy Spirit… that blew on them again on the day of Pentecost.
And it is the same powerful breath of God… that will fill our sails and give us new strength and a new life.
When we receive it…
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Jesus stands in our midst… He breathes His life on us… Will we receive it?!
There is nothing of eternal importance that we cannot do if Jesus is in the midst.
There is nothing that we cannot face … there is no mountain to tall… there is no giant to big… if Jesus is in our midst.
The world NEEDS us to understand this!
What is it that you are holding on to?
What is it that you are struggling with?
What is stealing your Peace… and Joy?
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Jesus calls us to RECOGNIZE Him in the midst of our storms… to RECEIVE the Peace and Joy He brings… and to SHARE that JOY with the world…
Are you willing to let go of that thing… that struggle… that control issue… that worry… that fear… that is stealing your JOY… and receive what He has for you?
(prayer)
(benediction) May you RECEIVE His PEACE… May you RECEIVE His JOY… May you RECEIVE His Strength…
Allow Jesus to be LORD… to be in the midst… of your life.
If you do… your life will be filled with eternal peace… with eternal joy… and with His strength…
Amen!