Meeting the Risen Jesus

Today we celebrate the greatest day in history. For on this day, after dying for the sins of the world and being buried in a tomb for three days, Jesus Christ rose from that grave, victorious over sin and death. As the angel said to Mary, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” Jesus is alive. He is living today. But the question I want to ask you today is this: Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ real for you? Have you met the risen Jesus? Not physically, face to face, but spiritually through faith in Him?

Have you experienced His peace? Have you experienced the peace He gives that quiets your soul? Have you experienced His joy? Is there a delight in your soul, knowing that Jesus lives, and because He lives you’ve not only been reconciled to God, but you have the hope of heaven? Have you experienced His power? Have you experienced the forgiveness and freedom Jesus gives as His Spirit fills your life?

The reason I ask these questions, is that when Jesus rose from the grave, most of his disciples could not say “yes” to any of these questions. Only Mary and two disciples who were traveling to Emmaus could say they actually met the risen Jesus. The rest were in a dark place, locked away in an upper room. For after abandoning Jesus on the night of his arrest and hearing the reports that Jesus had been crucified and buried, they were consumed by grief, confusion and fear. Oh, yes, Mary and the two disciples had told them of their encounter with the risen Jesus. but that had little effect on them, for they were also keenly aware of a story that was circulating saying that the disciples had stolen His body. So, even though this story wasn’t true, they knew that they were the prime suspects and could be arrested at any moment. But something was about to take place that would change everything. For they were about to meet the risen Jesus.

The story of their life changing encounter with Jesus is told to us by John in John 20:19-29, where He records how meeting Jesus changed everything for them, and how meeting this same Jesus can change everything for you. And the first change that meeting the risen Jesus can make in your life is this:

Meeting the risen Jesus can give you peace On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you. “John 20:19 For three and a half years these disciples had been with Jesus.They’d seen him walk on water, raise the dead, heal lepers, embrace the outcasts and love the unlovely. They had come to believe He was the promised Messiah, the King who had come to deliver them. But with his death, they were heartbroken and hopeless. They were full of fear and close to despair. What Mary and the two disciples had shared with them about Jesus, had left them bewildered… but with a glimmer of hope. And now, on the evening of the third day, the risen Jesus steps into their darkness, and says to them…

“Shalom Alekem!” “Peace be with you.” Just a few evenings prior to this, Jesus broke bread with them and gave them this promise: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 “Shalom Alekem.” But hearing it this time, coming from the mouth of Jesus, this blessing is filled with great meaning.

For this term basically means “May you experience well-being to the full.” It is a greeting of hope, of God’s blessing on you for complete peace: peace filled with contentment, harmony and prosperity.

So, when Jesus enters this room with these words, he announces that everything has changed. With Jesus you are safe. With Jesus, the kingdom life has come. Every hope and dream of knowing God and experiencing His favor has become a present reality. And that reality, this shalom is with them, because Jesus is with them.

I love this encounter with Jesus, for with His gift of peace, Jesus confirms what Isaiah recorded about who God said He is: For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15 And that’s what Jesus does here. He comes to the disciples at their lowest point. He comes in the midst of their darkness and fear and gives them His peace.

You may have come here today at a low point. Perhaps you are struggling with worry. Perhaps you’re struggling with a health issue or had a bad check up recently. Perhaps you’re full of fear with the war in Iran or the division in our country. Perhaps life’s just been hard lately, and you’re dealing with one frustration after another. Or perhaps your marriage or a close relationship is struggling. So, you are anxious, fearful or even loosing hope. But remember, in the same way Jesus comes to His disciples at their lowest point, He comes to us. Meeting the risen Jesus can give you peace.

This was the first gift I received from Jesus upon trusting in Jesus when I was 25. For years I had masked my anxiety and fears behind the façade of a fun-loving guy. On the outside I looked like I had it all together, but on the inside, I was a mess. But the moment I trusted in Jesus, His peace flooded my soul. His peace changed me. Gone were my fears. In their place was this flood of comfort. His peace made me feel secure. His peace made me feel whole. Now I knew the love of God. Meeting the risen Jesus had given me a peace that surpasses understand. Meeting the risen Jesus had changed me. And meeting the risen Jesus can change you. That’s the first way meeting the risen Jesus can change your life. Now, let’s look at the second way:

Meeting the risen Jesus can fill you with joy When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20:20 At first, some of the disciples were shocked at seeing Jesus alive. Some may have thought they were seeing a vision or maybe even a ghost. So, Jesus takes a moment to show them it’s really Him. The proof of His resurrection were His scars.

In fact, the risen Jesus is always recognized by His scars. There are many who will try to tell you that Jesus was just a good teacher or a moral example, or one of the great religious leaders in history. But at this moment, Jesus proves He is the risen Savior. He is no fake. He is no apparition. Standing before them was the One who’d been betrayed, beaten and crucified. His scars were the evidence of his death.

Especially the scar in his side. For in order to hasten their death before the Sabbath came, the Roman soldiers were ordered to break the legs of those who were hanging on the cross. Once their legs were broken, each would suffocate and die within minutes. But the scar on Jesus’ side proved He had already passed. As John recorded for us: So, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. John 19:32-34

And now as Jesus reveals the nail marks in his hands and the side that had been pierced, the disciples could reach only one conclusion: The one who had died was dead no longer. There was no mistaking him. This was the Jesus who had been crucified. And when they realized he was really alive, this changed them. The grief that had a grip on them quickly vanished and joy came flooding in. The reality that Jesus was alive was shockingly good news, and they were overcome with joy.

You just can’t fake joy! Joy is a by-product of belief. That’s what meeting the risen Jesus gives you. Meeting the risen Jesus produces joy. And for most of us here today, this is an unspeakable, indescribable joy: death has been defeated, sin has been banished and Jesus is alive. That is the good news of Easter.

But you may ask, How does that work? How do we meet Jesus and be filled with this joy? We can’t meet the risen Jesus like these disciples met Jesus. They had visible, tangible proof of his resurrection. What proof do we have? That answer is found in the story of Thomas in verses 24-29. We know from this passage that one of the Disciples, Thomas, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “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.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29 That’s us. That’s you. There is a great blessing in store for those who have not seen and yet believe.

So how can we believe in what we have not seen? God’s Word says: Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17 This is the foundation of our faith. We believe in what God’s Word declares about Jesus: We believe He lived a sinless life. We believe His sacrifice took away our sin. We believe He was crucified, buried and rose from the dead on the third day. Our faith came through hearing the message of Jesus, and the proof of our faith is our joy.

Because He lives, we have joy! Because He’s given us His peace, we have joy! Because He defeated death and took away our sin, we have joy! This is what changes in you when you meet the risen Jesus. He gives you a joy this world cannot give. He gives you unspeakable joy. Do you have this joy today? You can have this joy if you believe in the risen Jesus!

Now, you would think that’s the end of the story. Jesus is back with His disciples, and they are full of joy in His presence. And that’s often where our Easter celebrations end. But that’s not how this story ends. Now having realized that Jesus is truly risen, Jesus is about to change how they live. Here now we see the third way meeting the risen Jesus can change your life. And that is this:

3. Meeting the risen Jesus can give you purpose Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21 Jesus repeats his greeting: “Peace be with you!” Shalom Alekem! Life the way God intended has arrived. The shalom of God is now available to anyone who believes in the risen Jesus. New life is available to anyone who believes in the risen Jesus. Forgiveness is available to anyone who believes in the risen Jesus. This is why Jesus was sent! He is the good news of the kingdom. And now He sends His followers to continue this mission He started.

If you’ve met the risen Jesus, you now have the same purpose as Jesus. This is why everything changes when you meet Him. For here we see that Jesus wasted no time to get to what their lives and ours are to be about every day – that we are to bring the good news of the risen Jesus wherever we go.

We get to tell everyone that God’s peace is now available in Jesus. We get to share that it is possible to experience freedom from guilt, worry, fear and confusion by trusting in Jesus. And we get to tell people they can know Jesus personally – because He lives! So, with this knowledge Jesus says to his followers, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” This is what has changed: We are not just forgiven sinners, but we are sent by Jesus to bring His peace and joy to our world.

And in giving us this new purpose, Jesus wants us to succeed, so He gives us what we need to bring the good news to our world. This is the final gift that comes to those who believe. Meeting the risen Jesus can give you power. And so, we read, And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:22 This is no earthly power. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells every person who trusts in Jesus.

This is why everything changes when you meet the risen Jesus. Because when you believe in Him, He changes you forever. He breathes His life into you. His Holy Spirit comes to indwell you, guide you, help you, and empower you to live as His sent one. And this changes everything for you. For when the Spirit of Christ lives in you, He helps you begin to live like Jesus. And when you begin to live like Jesus you will want to embrace this very same mission as Jesus. And so, Jesus gives us the power to succeed. He gives you the Holy Spirit.

But Jesus doesn’t simply give you His power, He gives you a message, the message of good news for you to share. For He concludes his resurrection visit with these words: If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:23 In other words, as we are sent with the good news that Jesus is alive, our message is that forgiveness of sins is available for anyone who believes. For when Jesus said, “It is finished,” Jesus provided forgiveness of sins once for all. Now anyone who puts their faith in Jesus will be forgiven because Jesus has paid the debt of your sins.

But this is also why Jesus leaves us with a sobering truth: There is no other way to find forgiveness. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way offered by God. You can’t earn this forgiveness. You can’t do enough good works to remove your sin. Only Jesus can do that. And that’s what He did for you on the cross. So, if anyone rejects the forgiveness God has provided in Jesus, they reject God and will still be in their sins.

This is why meeting the risen Jesus changes everything. He is the One who can fill your soul with His peace. He is the One who can give you joy. He is the One who can breathe new life into you. And He is the One who’s makes forgiveness possible. This is the Jesus of Easter – The risen Jesus who wants to meet you here today. Have you met Him? Have you put your trust in Him?

Perhaps today is that day for you. For the first time it all makes sense. Now you see Jesus as more than a great teacher or good moral example. Now you see Him as those disciples saw Him. You recognize Him by the scars in His hands and side as the One who died for you. As the One who took your place on the cross to take away your sins.
And you want to believe in Him, and experience His peace, His joy, His purpose and His power in your life.

If that is you, if you are ready to believe in the risen Jesus, then the Bible tells you how. The Bible says it this way: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10 If that’s you, all you have to do is turn from your sin and turn to Jesus and trust in Him. Believe God raised Jesus from the dead and confess that Jesus is Lord.

If that is what you are ready to do, then pray with me now: Dear Heavenly Father, I know I have sinned against you and deserve judgment for my sin, but today I want to confess my faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. So, I thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin. I believe You raised Him from the grave. Thank You for forgiving me and breathing new life into me. Help me now – to live this new live with the power of the Holy Spirit, you have given me. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer, God’s Word says that you’ve passed from death to life. You’re no longer under judgment. Instead, you are forgiven, you have peace with God, and the risen Savior has entered your life by His Spirit. Now your life will never be the same. For when you meet the risen Jesus. He changes everything. And that’s why we celebrate this day, as the greatest day in history.