“Peace Enters As Christ Enters! (P.E.A.C.E)”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

April 14, 2009

SCRIPTURE:
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:19-23, NIV)

BACKGROUND:
Earlier in John 20, the disciples learn that Jesus came back to life and was not in the tomb anymore. They realize He had RISEN!

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do we learn about the disciples?
1. On the evening of Sunday night, the disciples were together.
2. On the evening of Sunday night, they had all the doors locked for fear of the Jews.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself why the disciples feared the Jews?
The disciples knew that Jesus had risen as head knowledge but they had not experienced it personally in their lives so the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, did not transform them yet. They had not experienced the power of the RISEN CHRIST and were as cowardly as they were when the soldiers came to take Jesus away for His crucifixion on Friday. But something happened on Sunday night that began the transformation in their lives.

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what did the disciples experience on Sunday night later?
1. Amidst the locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them.
2. Jesus said, 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'
3. Jesus showed them His hands and side.
4. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
5. Jesus again said, 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'
6. Jesus said, 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'
7. Jesus breathed on them and said, 'RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT'

I decided to look at POINT 2 today:

POINT 2: 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what is significant about 'PEACE BE WITH YOU?'
The disciples were really, really, really afraid of the Jews and what they were going to do to them so they hid behind locked doors. Jesus knew what they were going through and addressed them where they were at not only physically (the space, location), but psychologically (fearful, afraid).  Jesus came to them amidst the locked doors and told them 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'. Jesus appeared to them to give them PEACE no matter what they were going through. Wow! Jesus loves them so much and did not want them to live in fear so specifically Jesus addresses them with the words: PEACE BE WITH YOU.

In John 14:27, Jesus had used the word PEACE twice:

"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, NIV)

Even now Jesus does not want the disciples hearts to be troubled.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. Jesus does not want me to be fearful or afraid of things that could happen but instead to rest on Him and Him alone. This means I totally rest in Him and His strength in my life. If Jesus wants to give me PEACE and I know He does because He is the Prince of Peace, I know He will make a way for me to have that PEACE, just as He came to give PEACE to the disciples amidst their worries and fears. Praise the Lord!

I ask you now dear friend, "Why are you not at P.E.A.C.E in your life?"
Dear friend, when we are not at PEACE in our lives that means we are so bogged down with all kinds of worries and fears.  I do not know about you but I have struggled with fear. Fear of the unknown is the most deadly fear. This type of fear paralyzes the human. It freezes us from doing our daily responsibilities. It invades our mind like a poisonous venom. All our thoughts are held captive to the fear we have. Fear of losing family, relationships, friends, future, jobs, status, or stability in life can induce us to take measures that could be catastrophic. That's what the Enemy wants. Satan knows your fears and will work on those fears to frighten you and confuse you. Satan wants to make Hell here on earth too.

The disciples faced the unknown fear of their lives after spending with Jesus for 3 years and not having Jesus amidst them anymore after the crucifixion and resurrection. More than that they feared for their own lives.

I want you to know it does not have to be this way. Though the Devil uses your fears to freeze you, you can overcome his attacks. In the Name of Jesus, you can command the Devil to pick up his weapons and flee and he will. Jesus loves you so much and knows your every fear. He says to you,

"Fear not, do not be dismayed, I am your God, I will uphold you and strengthen you with my victorious right Hand" (Isa 41:10).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, of power, and of a sound mind"(2 Tim 1:7)

Jesus came to meet the disciples in their fears. Jesus wants to meet you in your fears too right now.

Please don't be fearful about your relationships, your family, your future, or your Salvation. Remember, He who bears our burdens also gives us Salvation. Jesus is bigger than your problems and He can take care of you and your problems. It does not matter how difficult the solution may seem. With the Lord all things are possible. Nothing can shake you when your foundation is upon the Rock, Jesus Christ. Even through hard times and suffering, He will pour out His abundant love and grace upon your life. Perfect love casts away fear. This is the kind of love the Lord gives to all who are His. Your old life and fears won't matter anymore when you yield to the Savior who has plans for you that are beyond comprehension. He offers you Himself that you may rest in Him and let Him abide in you. With the Savior on your side you can ride life's high tide.

The fears could be the sins that show prevalent in our lives, the career/jobs we may not get that we really wanted to have, etc but amidst all our fears and worries that Jesus already knows about, Jesus wants to give you PEACE just as He came to give the disciples PEACE.

Friend, you know what you are going through and what it is causing in your life right now. Jesus does not want you to live in misery and fear. No He does not friend and that is why just as Jesus spoke to the disciples, Jesus wants to speak to you right now. Jesus says to you the same words from John 20 that you can claim: PEACE BE WITH YOU.

Jesus is instilling PEACE in you so no matter what is happening around you and in you, you can be rest assured that there is a PEACE that will engulf you and it is the Lord's PEACE.

But friend, it is important to remember none of us can have that kind of PEACE unless we make Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of our lives. Jesus wants to be our Lord and Savior of our lives. Jesus wants to reach us where we are at right now but He won't force Himself into our lives. He waits for us to receive what He has to offer.

"To all who received Him, He gave them right to become children of God, children not born of human decision but by the will of God" (John 1:12)

It is a spiritual birth you and I can have because of receiving what Jesus already did for us on the Cross of Calvary. Yes, friend when we were separated from God because of our sin, God sent Jesus Christ to become our bridge to restore our relationship with Him.

We cannot earn our Salvation by the works we do because all our works are like filthy rags to the Lord but THANKS BE TO GOD, He provided a way by providing  a FREE GIFT OF GRACE in Christ Jesus.

This means whatever you are facing, whoever you are, wherever you are going, you can have PEACE in Christ when you turn to Him.

Remember Jesus alone can give us true PEACE but first He has to be in our lives to give us that PEACE otherwise we will only experience the world's kind of peace that is superficial and not a peace that will allow us to rest in Him. In Him and Him alone only can we find true peace and contentment in our lives.

"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, NIV)

Turn to Him in all your fears and sins and allow Him to transform you and change you. Let His CLEANSING BLOOD cover over all your sins and surrender your life over to Him so you can experience His peace that surpasses all understanding. This is the type of peace He wants to give you. He promises to give you that type of peace. Let the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, instill in you His peace for He waits to come and reside in your hearts today.

Jesus will also meet you and I where we are when He offers us His peace. This will be more evident in POINT 3 which I hope to look at later.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

Friend, may you rest in the peace the Lord offers which is so exciting to receive and take in.

Peace for Worry
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Please leave to the Lord your Worry (1 Peter 5:7)
He is never busy nor in a Hurry. (Psalm 34:4)
Your worry Jesus will Bury. (Psalm 55:22)
Don't have to for yourself feel Sorry. (Matt 14:27)
Trust in Him (Prov 3:5-6)
Even when your chances are Slim (Matt 19:26)
And the future looks Dim (Psalm 43:5)
Cause Christ has the Cure. (Isaiah 40:29)
That you can be very Sure. (Psalm 34:4)
He loves you very much I can Tell (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Cause he died to save you from Hell (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Hear Him ringing your Hearts Bell (Rev 3:20)
To give Salvation freely not to Sell (Ephesians 2:8)
Amen!

May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE.

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you PEACE.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

"Peace Enters As Christ Enters! (P.E.A.C.E)"/"Why are you not at P.E.A.C.E in your life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your Word. Thank you when the disciples were locked away because of fear of the Jews, you came to give them PEACE. You revealed yourself to them in their misery and fear. You do the same for us and give us promises of peace. I thank you so much for the promises of peace you give us. Help us to claim those promises and always to rest in you. Thanks so much Jesus that I can always turn to you and give all my worries and cares to you because you are always thinking about me and watching everything that concerns me just as you thought about the disciples and appeared to them. You don't want me to be anxious in anything but by prayer and petition to let my requests be known to you and your peace which surpasses all understanding will keep my heart quiet and at rest as I trust in you. Thank you Jesus so much. I pray right now for the one who is going through all kinds of things in his or her life and are burdened in their sin and in their worries. I pray that they can receive you as their Lord and Personal Savior and find their peace in you, the true peace only that you can give. Thanks so much Jesus. In Your Precious Name I Pray Jesus! Amen! Thank you for hearing us and answering us! Amen!

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

May you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you. Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.

May you be uplifted knowing Deliverer openly understands bringing total Salvation! Amen!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new identity in Christ Jesus.

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for foreshadowing once again about SAVING US when you spoke to the disciples about the KERNEL OF WHEAT. Thanks for dying for our sin so we can have Eternal Life and be saved when we turn to you. The previous day, you allowed Mary to wash your dirty/stinking feet. Anything you do has a reason and you foreshadowed what you would do for us one day on the cross. You washed away all our sins with your precious cleansing blood on the cross. Thank you so much Jesus.  No matter what we have done or where we have been, we can know that you love us and paid the ransom to deliver us from the stench of sin. Thank you Jesus. I accept the antidote you offer and want you to wash me clean with your precious cleansing blood so I can have new life. My sin I give it all to you so you can cover me with your righteousness. Help me Jesus. I don't want to live like I have been living. I don't want my life to smell because of the stinky/dirty sins of my life. I know you offer cleansing and washing so I come to you now and receive it. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sin when you paid the price on the cross for me which I accept now. Please give me new life Jesus. Come into my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and help me to serve you the rest of the days of my life so I can say, "Lord Jesus, ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, I am ready" as you strengthen me and walk with me and talk to me. I love you Jesus. I accept you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for helping me learn about what Mary did for you and the implications for our own lives. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me giving me new life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

"Who is your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D this HOLY WEEK?" (April 08, 09, 11:28 a.m.)

"How do you know judgment will P.A.S.S.O.V.E.R you this HOLY WEEK?" (April 09, 09, 11:43 a.m.)

"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you on and after GOOD FRIDAY this HOLY WEEK?" (April 10, 09, 8:41 a.m.)

"How do you match J.E.S.U.S attitude this HOLY WEEK?" (April 11, 09, 10:03 a.m.)

RESURRECTION SUNDAY:

"Why have you L.O.C.K.E.D youself away?" (April 13, 09, 1:41 a.m.)