THE UNITY OF THE CALL

John 20:21 “21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

the disciples f Jesus have gone through an excluciating experience of hopelesly witnessing their master tourtured and killed. they have witnessed His death and burial. this sunday morning the bible indicate that were locked up in a house due to fear.

John 20:19 “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.””

They were scared and fearful of the authorities who had vented so much wrath and vengeance upon their Lord. There was the imminent danger they could be arrested and imprisoned or executed as revolutionaries just as Jesus had been.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to John, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 383.

Sin is a disruptive force, it always divides, separates, and splinters. It divides a man within and against himself. It has produced the constant fight and struggle which we are all aware of in our own lives and in the life of the church. Consequently, the central object of salvation, in a sense, is to re-unite, to bring together again, to reconcile, to restore the unity that God created before sin and the fall produced this terrible havoc between God and man, between men, and within man himself.

The gospel is speaking peace to a caotic world. God sent His son, as the prince of peace to bring to peace to a divastated world. Every momement Jesus appears to he speaks peace.

In John 14:27 “Peace i leave with you, my peace i give to you.”

Peace (eirene) means to bind together, to join, to weave together. It means that a person is bound, woven and joined together with himself and with God and others

The word peace is a word for unity. it a word Jesus employes to bring out the intensity of His commitment in protecting and giving victory to those who believ in Him and follow Him.

It is the peace of conquest (John 16:33 “33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

It is the peace independent of conditions and environment; the peace which no sorrow, no danger, no suffering, no experience can take away.

Ro. 8:28-the peace of assurance , the peace of unquestionable confidence; the peace with a sure knowledge that one’s life is in the hands of God and that all things will work out for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Going back to our text

John 20:19-21 “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.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.””

the repeatation of this this phrase peaace to you in the context of fear of being identified with Jesus is signficant for the believer today. Many of us are afraid of being identified as christians. We are one thing in church, and another thing in the world. we are so much afraid to testifies through our character that Jesus is Lord beacuasewe may loose populality. we may loose favor from them, we may loose the privelidge of the day.

we dont want to reveal any noticable mark of our faith but rather camofrage in dress and talk to fit and to enjoy. desciples had locked themeselves for fear of Jews.

Jesus finds them in their fear and says peace be to you and againg i say peace to you.

Bind yourselves with the assurance that you are not alone. bind your selves with the conviction that I am with you . wehter in my presence or absence feel joined together with me, feel bound together with heaven. Lests be assured that everything works out for good to those who love God.

Be united with Heaven. you saw me how boldly i lived and walked among my enemies. but i had nothing to fear because i was not alone. John 8:29, “My Father has never left Me alone. He has been on my side. when the ship was being overcome by the storms in the sea and you all cried in fear, i rest in peace for i knew my father is the master of tempests because he sent me.

and so, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

As my father sent me with assurance to be with me so i send you with the assurance of being with you. As people could not see my father with me, though always with me so shall i be with you though they me not see me with you. but for you know that you and me are bound together. and that which is bound together with me, is bound together with the Father. Go and fear not for i am with you.

Matthew 28:18-20 . 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the 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 have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Not I Will be with you, but IAM with you!

Jesus is the great IaAM. His name is not in future tense but present. He is IAM. I your present trouble Iam. in your tribulations, IAM. when your marraige is going to the rocks iam. When your business is dwidling, iam. I you have lost your Job,iam. Call on me iam your present help in the time trauble.

Romans 8:31 “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:35-39 “35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ellen white

We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.—Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196 (1902).

Oh yes We have Nothing to fear for we are bound with heaven.

The unity of the Call is the Heaven agencies, joined with human instrumatelities for saving of souls. nothing witll stop us!