04-07-2019 – Jesus Appears to the Eleven

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4.07.19 ~ John 20:19-31,

Jesus Appears to the Eleven

Read John 20:19-23... The disciples behind locked doors, Jesus appears (Luke 24:39), “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Did Jesus give them the Holy Spirit at that time?
See John 14:16-17, 25-26; 15:26-27; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
On the day after Jesus’ baptism, John said (John 1:32-34) he saw the Spirit of God descend and remain on Jesus; setting Jesus apart as the Messiah.
Ten days after Jesus’ ascension back to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to indwell the believers in Jerusalem.
Look at verse 23... Jesus isn’t saying the apostles have been given authority to forgive sins; Scripture is clear (cf. Mark 2:1-12) only God can forgive sins.
However, Christians can declare that all who genuinely repent of their sins, believing in Christ, will be forgiven by God; and all who reject Christ as Lord and Savior will die in their sins, as Jesus said (John 8:24), “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
The authority given to the Church comes from the Word of God, as we proclaim the message of forgiveness through Christ alone.
Read John 20:24-25... Thomas, called Didymus, was not there, but later he made a strong statement that he wouldn’t believe until he could touch the nail wounds on Jesus’ hands or the spear wound on His side.
Read John 20:26-29... The next Sunday, the Lord appears again, this time, Thomas was present. The Lord immediately invited Thomas to touch His wounds, so that he might believe. We are not told as to whether or not Thomas reached out and touch the wounds in Christ’s body, but more importantly, we have Thomas’s strong confession of belief in the risen Christ, God’s Son, as the Messiah (verse 28), “My Lord and my God!”
2Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Hebrews 9:22, “according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Hebrews 10:3-7, “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me. Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’” 10, “By this will we have been sanctified [made holy] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” 12, “He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.” 14, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” 17, “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Read John 20:30-31... This account of Jesus’ life is a first person record of what God did through Christ, to provide us with forgiveness and eternal life.
1John 1:1-3, “From the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life —and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
John’s narrative has been written so that you might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have eternal life in His name.
God loves you, He turns no one away! Jesus Christ’s death can set you free from the penalty of sin; His resurrection provides eternal life?
Why wait any longer? Repent of your sins, confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.