The “Real” Last Words of Jesus (Grace)

John 21:1-23

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, the fact is that we are all broken people and we all fail in our Christian lives, at times. Some people can hide their failures pretty effectively, but even the most adept among us at spiritual subterfuge still know within themselves the reality of their own shortcomings.

It’s precisely because of this aforementioned fact that we can never allow ourselves to look down on others while perched in a high branch of our own self-righteousness. Certainly, we don’t excuse the sinfulness of ourselves or others. However, we do humbly recognize that everybody struggles in similar ways to us in their journey of following Christ. And, we all need grace in those moments when we “blow it,” to help restore us to the pathway of righteousness and usefulness.

One of the most colossal failures ever recorded in history took place during the time of Jesus’ arrest and subsequent trials when Peter denied the Lord three times. What if you were Peter and your worst failures were written on the pages of scripture for all people of all time to read repeatedly? None of us would ever voluntarily expose ourselves to such scrutiny of our weaknesses. However, God used this Apostle’s spiritual collapse at a crucial moment in time to teach us an important lesson about God’s grace.

Few men in history have been as privileged as Peter, the apostle of Christ. From the beginning, when Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, Peter was first to respond (Luke 5:1-10; Matthew 4:18-21; Mark 1:16-20). If you remember the story, he, along with at least three others (Andrew, James & John), had been fishing all night with very little success. Jesus came to the shore of Galilee that next morning and a crowd of people gathered to hear Him teach. Seeing two boats, He got into the one belonging to Peter and asked him to push off from the shore so that He could teach the people more easily. Once Christ was finished speaking, He told Peter to launch out into the deep water so they could catch fish. Of course, Peter was reluctant (Luke 5:5) because they had already been out all night without any success. Nevertheless, Peter did as he was instructed, let down his net and caught so many fish that he could not handle them alone. Even though another boat came alongside to help him, both boats nearly sank under the enormous weight of fish that were caught that morning. Immediately, Peter bowed down to Jesus, calling Him Lord! When they finally got back to shore, Jesus called these men to follow Him with the promise that He would make them to become fishers of men. According to Matthew and Mark, It was Peter that was the first to be called to this new vocation (Matthew 4:18-21; Mark 1:16-20). It takes an incredible faith to leave your lifelong livelihood to follow Jesus...and Peter was just such a man!

His privilege didn’t end there, though! On another occasion, Jesus had fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:21-34). Afterwards, He sent the disciples on ahead of Him across the Sea of Galilee while He went away to pray. Between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. that morning, the boat was in grave danger due to a sudden storm that had arisen on the sea. In those early morning hours, unable to make headway toward the shore, Jesus came walking to them on the water. The disciples were frightened at first, thinking that He was possibly a ghost. But, once they knew it was Him, Peter asked permission to do something that no one else had ever done or has ever been able to do since. He asked Jesus to invite him out onto the water with Him and Jesus agreed. Peter stepped over the side of the boat and for a time, walked on the water. When he became frightened by the raging storm around him, he began to sink and cried out for Jesus to save him...which He did. If it takes a great faith to leave your lifelong livelihood to follow Jesus, it takes an even greater act of faith to get out of a boat and walk on water.

On yet another occasion, Jesus was walking with His disciples near Caesarea Philippi when He asked the men a question about what people were saying about Him. He wanted to know, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13-19) There were several answers that came from among them, but only Peter spoke up with the profound answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” In other words, Peter recognized that Jesus is God’s Own Son, both God and man! From that point he stopped being known as Simon and became known by his nickname, Peter.

Just consider Peter’s privilege thus far: he was the first to follow Jesus, the first to step out in faith to walk on water, and the first to understand the real Person of Christ!

There are other occasions mentioned in the Gospels that further our understanding of Peter’s privileged status with Christ. One of these was when Jesus took him, along with James and John, to the Mount of Transfiguration where He was transfigured before their very eyes. Mark, the Gospel writer, says that Jesus’ clothes shown “exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” For a few brief moments Peter (with James and John) was allowed to see the divine glory of Christ shining through the exterior of His earthly humanity.

Later, it was Peter, James and John again that were invited into the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus when He prayed on the night He was arrested and taken away to be crucified. Though none of these three men could stay awake that evening, Peter was there with Jesus at that crucial moment in history, while redemption’s plan was beginning to unfold, to see and possibly hear Jesus pray.   

These stories and others like them draw a picture for us of a man that was on the inner circle of Jesus’ followers. Without question he was a leader among equals when it came to the twelve apostles. This is clearly seen in the fact that in the listing of these disciples his name always comes first. He was an impetuous man that rarely thought of consequences...only possibilities. His bold personality and faith were such that he was willing to attempt things that other men would never have even thought of trying. He was daring, sometimes brash, straight-talking and always brimming with self-confidence!

Maybe it was because of his high visibility and bold personality that God chose him as the final illustration in John's Gospel to show the outworking of God’s grace toward future failures among Christ-followers. It is true that by grace alone Peter had been chosen to be a follower of Jesus. But, most people would think that after his public denials of Christ that little else remained for him in the way of usefulness, except to return to his fishing trade to make a living and take care of his family. Surely, no future leadership capacity could ever be entrusted to a man that exhibited such disloyalty at the most critical time in the life of Jesus.

Let’s remember the scene on the night of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas. The disciples, with Jesus, had finished the Passover observance, during which time Christ had instituted the Lord’s Supper. As they were leaving the Upper Room, Jesus told them that all of them would stumble and be scattered because of what was about to happen to Him that night (Matthew 26:30-35). Peter strongly objected to Jesus’ revelation and declared that even if all the others abandoned Him that he would never be guilty of such disloyalty. Jesus responded to him by explaining that by the time the rooster crowed the next morning, he would have denied Him three times. Again, with strong emotion, Peter declared that if he had to die with Christ he would never deny Christ. When Jesus was arrested later that night it was Peter that tried to defend Him at first by wielding his sword and cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant (John 18:10). Jesus, however, had him put away his sword, healed the ear of the servant, and then allowed Himself to be led away to six unjust trials that ultimately led to His crucifixion/resurrection.

At first, all the disciples forsook Him. Peter and John, however, apparently reconsidered their decisions and tried to get as close as possible to the unfolding Jewish trials that night by gaining access to the High Priest’s courtyard. Peter’s first denial came as he was given entrance into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house where Jesus was being held (John 18:15-17). Once inside, he stood there warming himself by the charcoal fire with the others, which led to being asked two more times about his association with Jesus. Again, both times Peter further denied having any relationship to Jesus...the last time with cursing and swearing (Mark 14:71). While he was speaking his last denial the rooster crowed (Luke 22:60), just as Jesus had predicted. Luke says that at his third denial, Jesus “turned and looked at Peter” (Luke 22:61), who then “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62).

I can’t even imagine the depth of his guilt and shame after doing what he had so pompously said he would NEVER do...deny Him!  And did you notice, even though Peter had left his nets and boat, walked on water, declared that Jesus was the Son of God, been on the inner circle of the disciples...he had never forgotten how to “cuss” and swear like a sailor?

The agony of those ensuing hours as Jesus was tried, crucified and later buried in a tomb, must have been almost unbearable for him to endure. What purpose did his life have now? How could he ever show his face in public again? Who would ever trust a man like him? How could such a proud man be humbled so low?

All of this is what makes the story in John 21:1-23 so incredibly beautiful because it provides the background of dark hues against which the bright colors of God's grace are so vibrantly contrasted!

I think most of us would have probably forgotten Peter and left him in his miserable shame, if we had been treated as Jesus was treated. Few of us would desire to extend grace or forgiveness to such a man that had proven so publicly disloyal.  Besides, now that Christ had risen from the grave and proven to be all that He claimed to be, why would He ever desire Peter's services again? It must have seemed as if his shame could never be wiped away!

However, God is a God of grace and He desired to write a different ending to the story of Peter's life than the one we read at the moment of his colossal spiritual failure in the courtyard of the High Priest.

After Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the risen Christ instructed His disciples (including Peter) to meet Him in Galilee. Because the men didn’t know exactly when Jesus would arrive, they decided to go back to doing what they knew best: fishing.

It was after another night of catching nothing that they noticed someone on the shore of Galilee early that morning Who was cooking a breakfast meal. When the Man on the shore called out to them, He told them to cast their nets on the other side of their boat and they would be filled with fish. They did as they were instructed and could not draw in the net because of the multitude of fish they had caught. Immediately, John recognized that it was Jesus on the shore. The ever impetuous Peter quickly pulled his outer coat around him and jumped into the water to swim to Jesus. The others soon got the boat and nets, full of fish, to shore where Peter helped them to count their number (153).

After breakfast that morning, the story narrows to focus on a conversation that Jesus had with Peter in the presence of the other disciples. It involved a repeated question that Jesus asked him that must have been as painful to experience as having open-heart surgery without anesthesia.

Standing near another charcoal fire that morning, Peter heard Jesus ask him the same  penetrating question three times, “Do you love me?” Each time he responded by saying, “You know that I love You.” Some people make much of the different Greek words Jesus/Peter used for “love” in asking and answering the questions. There may be some importance to those nuanced meanings, but for our purposes, we simply need to see what Jesus was doing by asking these questions that day.

For each of the three times Peter publicly denied the Lord, Jesus asked him publicly if he loved Him. On this occasion, Peter was not his usual self-confident, straight-talking personality, because now he better realized his own fallibility. Instead of declaring his “love” outright, as he might have done before his colossal failure, he simply deferred to the omniscience of the Lord Who knew his heart better than he knew it himself. With each of the questions and answers, God in His grace was restoring Peter and re-commissioning him to useful service to Christ. In other words, the man that most everybody else would have written off...Jesus sought to restore!

This reminds us of a powerful scripture in the writings of Paul about the greatness of God’s grace:

"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more..." (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ NKJV)

Peter's failure and restoration serve as a perpetual reminder that God's grace is greater than any sin or failure that has ever happened in our lives! What we learn from this scene is that when we find ourselves cut down by our own shortcomings, the grace of God is always there to catch us, forgive us, and restore us to future usefulness. Grace should never be used as an excuse to go on living in sin or for overlooking our failures, but it is a safety net that lets us serve and live with a sense of eternal security!

Joseph B. Strauss was the lead engineer in the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. As part of some of his innovative safety efforts he had a large net constructed at considerable cost that was placed beneath the floor of the bridge to catch men that accidentally fell or were blown off the bridge while working on it. There were nineteen men whose lives were saved by the net and it allowed the workers to move more quickly due to the security they felt having the net present.

If you can think of the grace of God as a “safety net” of sorts, you can get a picture of how God’s grace truly operates. No matter how far you may fall, His “safety net” is always there to catch you. This doesn’t mean we can live our lives with wreckless abandon or careless concern, but it means that when we fall we are not abandoned to our own demise. Lovingly, patiently, graciously, God is there to catch us and work for our restoration that we might bring Him glory and find greater usefulness in His service.

There are a few things to remember as you consider what Jesus said to Peter on the shore of Galilee following His resurrection.

1. No one is perfect...everyone fails.

None of us are immuned to letting Jesus down...not even the people that were closest to Him during His earthly ministry. Peter saw all the miracles of Jesus. He was there to hear Him teach. He saw His power and His compassion on many occasions. He was even on the inner circle of the followers of Jesus...but he denied Him three times publicly...with cursing and swearing!

Despite what we think of ourselves or what we think of the believers around us, we are all just human. There are none of us that are perfect and we all fail Christ at times.

Maybe the thing for us to realize is that continuing to beat ourselves up for our failures doesn’t do anything to aid our restoration. What we must do is cast ourselves on the grace of God and seek His forgiveness...the One Who is the giver of life and forgiveness.

Neither does beating others up when they fail reflect the spirit of Christ or the grace of Christ that has been shown to us in our failures.

2. Jesus is still your Friend, even when you fail Him.

Peter had denied Christ in the most egregious way and yet, Jesus enjoyed watching him catch fish that early morning. He cooked breakfast for him and invited him to a morning meal with Him.

The same goes for each of us when we fail Him. The Savior that died for you still loves you. You have been caught in the “safety net” of His grace, no matter the height from which you have fallen. He still wants to have fellowship with you and restore you to usefulness for Him.

3. Sin has consequences you cannot simply excuse.

Often the consequences of our sin go beyond ourselves and affect people around us and/or dear to us. Even more importantly, sin creates a wound in our relationship with Christ that can only be healed through His gracious forgiveness. Peter had to be dealt with about what had happened so that he could move on. Not until you confront your failure and confess it, will you ever be able to move past it.

Your greatest need after a fall is to seek God’s cleansing for your spiritual collapse. And, if our fall has affected others, to seek their forgiveness, as well.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

4. Jesus still has a purpose and a mission for your life.

No failure has been more read or analyzed than Peter’s denial of the Lord. But, with Christ’s gracious reinstatement of him, he was also given a three-part affirmation: “Feed my sheep.”

Peter was still valuable to Christ’s cause and still would become a great leader in the days ahead in spite of his colossal failure.

If you don’t think this is so, just fast forward a number of days and see 120 followers of Jesus waiting and praying in a room in Jerusalem. When the day of Pentecost arrives, these disciples of Christ were powerfully indwelt and filled by the Holy Spirit.

When Peter stands up to preach that morning in Jerusalem, he declares Jesus to be the Messiah, Who had been crucified, buried, raised and now, ascended back to the Father. When he finished his sermon there were 3,000 people that responded to be saved and baptized.

The man that three times denied Jesus was the very first person to declare Him to the masses in Jerusalem.

Now, for all time, Peter stands as a testimony to the amazing grace of God that never gives up on His children...no matter how far they have fallen. And, because of God’s grace...failure is never really final, unless you want it to be!

It’s time for you to get up, get right and get moving again to fulfill the purpose Christ has for you to accomplish!

The “Real” Last Words of Jesus (Hope)

Luke 24:13-33

Have you ever noticed that the words describing some of the greatest difficulties we face in life begin with the letter “D”? For instance: disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, despair, death, etc.

All of these words describe emotions or experiences that strike at the very core of our beings and at the most basic thing it takes to live life with purpose and meaning. Each of them (alone or together) drains us little by little of the hope we need to deal with life and face tomorrow. And, when hope is fully depleted we begin to die...inside and out.

Stop and consider the number of people that take their own lives because every bit of hope has been drained from them by one (or several) of these emotions. These people are left to feel as if their person is nothing more than an empty shell. Or, think about the ones that are overtaken by a serious illness that they’ve battled for a very long period of time until they find themselves virtually drained of all hope of ever recovering. As doubt and disillusionment set in, it becomes increasingly more difficult to ever hope again. People in these types of situations begin avoiding anything that might offer even a measure of hope because they can’t bear the thought of another disappointing let down.

If you’ve ever wrestled with any of these dreaded “D” words, then you also know something about how the disciples of Jesus felt after His crucifixion.

Did you know that the twelve disciples, also called apostles, were not the only ones that followed Jesus during His earthly ministry? Actually, there were times when others followed Jesus, both men and women, in addition to the twelve He specifically called to Himself.

Luke tell us about two of these “other” disciples at the close of His Gospel record. He only names one of them (Cleopas) and leaves us to wonder who the other might have been. Several scholars have surmised as to the identity of this other person, but we’ll leave that  discussion for another time. What is important to know is that both of these disciples on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection did not know that He was alive and both of them were filled with deep emotions of disappointment, disillusionment, defeat and despair.

Remember, on the Sunday of Jesus’ resurrection, Mary Magdalene, along with Mary, the wife of Cleopas, set out very early in the morning (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1), accompanied by Cleopas. They probably first visited John’s house in Jerusalem where Cleopas remained while the women went on to Jesus’ tomb to finish the burial preparations. They were joined by at least three other women as they made their way to the garden where Jesus had been lain. As they walked toward the garden tomb the women discussed among themselves how they were going to remove the stone (Mark 16:3) in order to gain access to Jesus’ body.

As they entered the garden area where Jesus’ tomb was located, they "looked up" and immediately recognized that the enormous stone had already been rolled away (Mark 16:4). Mary Magdalene turned around and ran back to the city in panic to tell Peter and John that someone had taken the body of Jesus (John 20:2). The other women continued on to the tomb and upon entering, saw two angels, one of which spoke to them and commissioned them to return to the disciples with a special message (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:7).

When Mary Magdalene arrived back in Jerusalem, where Peter and John were staying, she told them that the body of Jesus had been taken and she did not know where they had laid Him (John 20:2). Peter and John began a foot race to the tomb to see for themselves what had happened (John 20:4), followed by Mary Magdalene.

After Peter and John had returned from seeing the empty grave, the other women that had gone to the tomb earlier with Mary Magdalene reported to them that an angel had told them that Jesus was not there and that He had risen...though they had not yet seen Him for themselves.

It is sometime after the report of these women and before Peter had his own encounter with the risen Christ that two lesser known disciples of Jesus (one of them being Cleopas) set off on the road to Emmaus. As they were making their way on this approximately seven mile journey, the two men were conversing (Luke 24:17) with each other about the events of the previous three days. Actually, Dr. Kenneth Wuest indicates that it was more like an “animated, heated conversation” that they were having together. It’s conceivable to imagine that others might have been watching or even overheard them as they continued this demonstrable discussion.

Somewhere shortly after they left for Emmaus they were joined by someone that was yet a “Stranger” (Luke 24:16) to them. As they journey together He questioned them about what they were discussing. The two disciples were shocked that anyone could have been in or around Jerusalem and not heard about the crucifixion of Jesus. As they explained to this “Stranger” what had happened in Jerusalem, they revealed the depth of their emotions that they and the other followers of Jesus were experiencing at the time (Luke 24:21).

The followers of Jesus had hoped that He was going to be the One to throw off their Roman oppression and establish the promised Jewish Kingdom in Jerusalem (Luke 24:19-20). Now that He was dead and it was the third day, all hope had been lost for them and their cause (24:21). They were both dejected, disappointed, deeply discouraged and all the other disciples were in hiding, feeling the same way. At one time they held out great hope for the future, but now it had all come crashing down around them. What once was a dream come true had turned into nothing more than a terrible nightmare for them all (because they did not yet believe that Christ had been raised).

Can you identify at all with the emotions these disciples were feeling as they walked along the road to Emmaus? As a result of Jesus’ crucifixion, all of the followers of Jesus were dealing with the dreaded “D” words: disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, despair, death, etc. And, yet, this was going to be the most significant walk these two disciples would ever take because the “Stranger” walking with them was none other than the resurrected Christ Himself...though they did not yet recognize Him.

These three men walking on the road to Emmaus provide us a beautiful picture that we all need to grasp so that our hearts and minds will be strengthened when we find ourselves surrounded by the dreaded “D” words. Can you see the significance of being told that these two disciples did not make their journey alone?

The fact is...even when your world gets turned upside down and the road you are travelling is one of discouragement, disappointment and disillusionment, you never walk that path alone because the living Christ always walks with us, even if we don’t fully recognize His presence.

There’s another NT story that also illustrates this principle and it comes from the life of the Apostle Paul. It’s found in 2 Timothy 4:16-17 when Paul is nearing the time of his martyrdom in Rome. He writes...

“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”

The custom under Roman law was to allow an accused prisoner to have witnesses speak on his behalf during a preliminary hearing that preceded the trial. However, Paul said no one stood with him or was willing to speak on his behalf, which apparently included none of his companions, nor any of the Christians in Rome. Can you imagine a more difficult experience or a more lonely time for the Apostle Paul? Facing imminent death and NO ONE was willing to help him or speak on his behalf.

The reason for this reticence was likely because Nero had significantly raised the intensity of persecution against Christians in Rome. When Rome burned in July of A.D. 64, Nero blamed the Christians and consequently, they became his scapegoats for punishment. As a result, believers were afraid to be identified with this outspoken messenger of God, lest they die with him.

However, even though other believers weren’t willing to stand with him, Paul could still declare that he wasn’t standing alone! There was One that nobody else could see, but by the eyes of faith Paul saw: the scripture says, “the Lord stood with him.” That’s the promise that all believers have in Christ and it’s because we serve a risen Savior!!

Even if we don’t recognize Him at first glance the fact remains that He is still there walking alongside us on this sometimes difficult journey of life. Listen to Hebrews 13:5-6…

“...For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”

Just before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that He was going to leave them, but He wasn’t going to leave them as “orphans.” In other words, after His resurrection, Jesus wanted them to understand that when He ascended back to the Father to intercede on their behalf as their Advocate, the Father was going to send in His stead the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and Guide in life.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)

God is with us no matter what emotions we may feel or what life may throw at us. He abides within all the children of God. God’s promise is that we will never be alone no matter how dark and lonely the road we are travelling.

Start looking around you...He is there even if you haven’t recognized Him yet! If we are willing...we can even hear His voice speaking to us! When disillusionment, depression and defeat dominate our lives, never forget, Jesus walks this road with us just as He walked with the two on the road to Emmaus.

After hearing the disciples explain the reason for their sad despondency, the “Stranger” that had joined them on their journey began to open the scriptures to them. This is a Bible lesson I know all of us would have loved to hear!! It was a Bible conference unlike anything that has ever been given.

Their yet unrecognized “Stranger” travelling with them began in Genesis and took them through the Law, Prophets and Psalms to show them that their promised Messiah had to also suffer and die, not just conquer and rule. Most Jews of that day were looking for a triumphant Redeemer, not a suffering Servant. As Dr. Warren Wiersbe says, “As they (the Jewish people) read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross.”

This was the best lesson ever given from the Old testament as the two Emmaus travellers were reminded how sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and how the prophets foreshadowed a Saviour who would be obedient even to the point of death. He may have reminded them of Abraham - how he almost sacrificed his son - and how the heavenly Father did sacrifice his Son for the sin of all people. No doubt, he would have referred to Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant of God who "was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5). It’s not that these men did not know these passages, but that their understanding had been clouded by the idea that the Messiah would come instead with glory and power and rain down fire on their enemies.

The two-hour walk to Emmaus must have seemed like five minutes to them. The two disciples could feel the despondency and sorrow in their hearts changing into understanding and hope as the "Stranger" explained that Jesus’ death was a part of God's great plan of salvation.

Whenever we are surrounded by the dreaded “D” words that cloud our hearts and minds with hopelessness, fear and despair, it should always motivate us to open God’s Word where we can hear again that we are His dearly loved children and that He will be with us no matter the darkness of the hour we face.

Don’t neglect the scripture when your heart is aching within you. It’s there that we find God’s promises and direction when we don’t know if we can take the next step in our journey. It’s there that we are pointed back to the ultimate reason for our hope: the risen Christ that has conquered all for us...that we might be conquerors through Him. That same power that raised up Jesus is the same power that dwells in every child of God and gives hope when everything else seems hopeless (Romans 8:11).

We mustn’t forget that, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

I have visited with so many people over the years that were suffering in various ways and yet still had hope. Recently, I was talking with a man that is nearing Heaven and he said to me that live or die, he was going home. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I found him comforted by his Saviour. Even though there were times when he was sad and depressed, he encouraged himself in the Lord by acknowledging that he wasn’t walking this pathway alone (cf. Psalm 23). Christ gave him hope for the future; a hope that only the risen Saviour could give him. Thank God, He’ll give that same hope to each of us!

When the three men finally arrived at Emmaus it was late in the day and the two disciples prevailed upon their “Stranger” to have a meal with them and stay the night in the city. During the meal that evening, the “Stranger” "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them." Suddenly it dawned on them who the Stranger was (Luke 24:31). It was their Master raised from the dead.

Jesus himself had ministered to them in their sadness when they were surrounded by the dreaded “D” words. Now they knew why a change of heart had come over them as they walked along the road listening to Him. They now knew why their despondency had turned into hope and renewed faith as they listened to Him expound upon the scriptures. Jesus had open their eyes and revealed himself to them in His Word (Luke 24:32) and through the breaking of bread (reminiscent of the feeding miracles and the Last Supper - Luke 9:16; 22:19; Mark 8:6).

Though their world had been falling apart it had suddenly come together again and the fog of confusion that surrounded them had cleared. Even though the "Stranger" vanished from their sight the moment He revealed Himself to them, He has not really gone; He is still visible to those who have the eyes of faith to see Him.

Following Jesus’ departure these disciples went quickly back to the other disciples in Jerusalem to tell them they had seen the risen Christ. It may have only taken them half the time or less to get back to share the good news. There hearts were obviously filled with joy and excitement! If their conversation coming from Jerusalem was “animated” and “heated,” I imagine their conversation on the return trip to Jerusalem was just as “animated” and “heated,” for a different reason. This time it was probably because they were debating who was going to tell the story first!

Someone has said, “Their lives prior to this moment were like a smouldering fire that gives no light, just smoke to cloud things up. But once they came into the presence of the Risen Lord their hearts were ablaze! A burning fire gives light for all to see, and they saw, understood and believed! All because of the Risen Lord! Jesus’ victory became their restoring hope. It became the anchor of their lives"

If the dreaded “D” words have encompassed you on your “road to Emmaus,” remember...you are not alone and He’s waiting to speak to you through His Word.

Because Jesus is alive...there is always reason for us to have hope!

The “Real” Last Words of Jesus (Peace)

John 20:19-20, 26

We sometimes think that Jesus’ last words were the ones He spoke from the cross. There were seven sayings of Christ spoken during the six hours of His crucifixion and they are significant to our understanding of the person and purpose of Jesus in dying. However, because we serve a risen Savior, it is also recorded for us that Jesus spoke several more times following His resurrection...until His ascension ten days before the Feast of Pentecost. It is some of these post-resurrection words of Christ that I want us to consider in this series of messages that deal with things like hope, peace, comfort and forgiveness.

On Friday of His crucifixion, Jesus’ body had been taken down from the cross by two of His “secret” followers and placed in a borrowed tomb. Over the ensuing hours from Friday evening until Sunday morning, His eleven remaining disciples (Judas had committed suicide) were hiding, for the most part, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. After all, all of their hopes and dreams had apparently been nailed to a wooden beam by the blows of the Roman soldier's hammer driving large, rough spikes into Jesus’ hands and feet.

These men had hoped that Christ would overthrow the Roman oppression of the Jewish people and set them free. They wanted Him to bring His kingdom to earth and let them sit in positions of honor, ruling with Him in His kingdom. But, all of that changed in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was arrested and taken away to die.

Now, most of what they felt during those ensuing hours was fear and anxiety because their hopes were dashed and their futures uncertain. They had watched in horror as Jesus was betrayed in the middle of the night, dragged off to trial, tortured by the soldiers and led to His execution. They had to wonder when someone would come for each of them to do the same as was done to Christ and so they hid themselves behind locked doors. I imagine that every person that approached or walked by the place where they were “hold up” that first Easter Sunday evening made them hold their breath with cringed anticipation.

Even though they had heard eyewitness reports from some that said Jesus was alive, they still weren’t convinced themselves (Mark 16:14). They probably discussed that evening the various possibilities of why some said they had seen Jesus alive, but the majority of them had no personal, observable knowledge of His resurrection...yet! Besides, would He still want them to be His disciples even after they had abandoned Him at His most crucial hour of need?

Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and feel the depth of their emotions. The atmosphere in the room was palpable as they talked among themselves about the events of the last three days.

It was in those moments as they were filled with fear and anxiety that Jesus suddenly appears in the room with them. They were initially startled by His presence (Luke 24:37), but Jesus spoke “peace” to them...twice. The first time it was to calm their fears and the second time it was in response to their joy. He proceeded to show them His nail-scarred hands/feet and the wound in His side...then He commissioned them to a mission that is still the mission of all believers today.

The scars that He bore in His body were the proof that what He had done in His death was make peace with God for all that believe in Him. Seven hundred years earlier the prophet Isaiah said, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him…” (Isaiah 53:5) Mankind could have never known peace with God apart from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He was the sinless One bearing our sin penalty. And, by His resurrection He proved that He had conquered death and Hell for anyone willing to receive His payment for sin. His announcement of “peace” was the perfect complement to His cry from the cross, “It is finished.”  

Jesus, however, wasn’t just declaring that they now had peace WITH God through the sacrifice of Himself. He was announcing the peace OF God He was offering them to calm and comfort their troubled hearts. His desire was to impart peace to them, not just wish peace upon them.

It’s important to note that peace with God and the peace of God both come through a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is called by the prophets, “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and at His birth the angels announced, “And on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV). He said to His disciples before His crucifixion, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you...do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:27; 16:33). The disciples’ hearts were definitely troubled after all they had seen and witnessed the past three days, but Jesus wanted them to experience the peace of God He had promised them before His crucifixion. That’s why three times in John 20 alone Jesus speaks “peace” to His disciples: Twice (20:19, 21) with the ten on the night of His resurrection (Thomas absent) and once (20:26) to the eleven the following Sunday night (Thomas being present).

“Peace” is one of the greatest desires of the human heart and yet so few people ever truly experience it. For some, they have peace with God because at a moment in time they met Christ and trusted Him as Savior. But, the inner peace from God that calms our inner fears and anxieties is a fleeting experience that too often escapes them.

During a specific period of time in my life last year I experienced what I might call “the perfect storm” of circumstances that stole from me the peace of God that He intends for me to enjoy and that He desires to impart to all His children. There was a convergence of various events that happened around me that left me feeling emotionally crippled.

I went on a short trip during that time that my wife and I had planned before the “storm” hit. While I was away from most of the things that had been troubling me I could hardly bring myself to leave the room where we were staying to enjoy the sights we had planned to see. All I wanted to do was what the disciples were doing that first Sunday night after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection: HIDE!

None of you saw it because, like most of you, I am pretty adept at hiding my innermost feelings when I’m at church. Besides, who wants a leader that preaches peace, but isn’t experiencing it for himself? And, I don’t feel that God called me to burden you with my struggles. He called me to help lift you up when you are burdened with struggles. So I kept these things mostly to myself.

My struggle with fear and anxiety went on for several weeks and I began to wonder if the “storm” I was experiencing would ever lift. What I have learned from that experience I pray will help you when you desperately need to hear Jesus say, as He said to His disciples, “Peace be with you” and “Peace to you.”

The first thing I had to do to experience the peace of God again in my soul was to refocus my attention away from the “storm” and put my focus back on Jesus.

I had become so consumed with things that I couldn’t fix and were beyond my ability to control that my mind became obsessed with the struggles more than the Savior.

On one occasion Jesus sent His disciples away by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He remained behind. While they were making their crossing, a storm arose and the boat was dangerously tossed by the waves. Sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. that morning, Jesus came walking to them on the water. At first the disciples were afraid, thinking they were actually seeing a ghost, but then Jesus spoke to them and calmed their fear. Now, knowing it was Jesus, Peter asked if he could come to Him on the water and Jesus invited Him to step out of the boat. I don’t know how many steps he took on the water, but he certainly took more than any of the other men in the boat that night. Soon after he got out of the boat the Bible says he, “saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30).

In other words, as long as He stayed focused on Jesus and His promise to come to Him on the water, Peter did fine. But, as soon as his focus shifted to the boisterous wind and waves, he immediately began to sink.

If we want to experience the peace of God in our lives, it’s really no different for us today. As long as we stay focused on Jesus and His Word we will find an inner calm that is not likely to be shaken by our outer circumstances. But, as soon as our minds shift to focus exclusively on the problems around us, we begin sinking into the slough of despair and despondency.

Listen to these scriptures:

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

I think it’s interesting that Jesus let Peter sink far enough into the water that he would learn the lesson of total dependency on Jesus alone. The person that says, “God will never put on you more than you can handle,” hasn’t rightly interpreted the scripture (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:13). In fact, God WILL allow you to experience more than you can handle precisely so that you will learn the lesson of Peter: total dependency on Christ.

The peace of God begins to be experienced when you refocus your mind on Jesus and away from the “storms” that are battering you.

The second thing I did to experience the peace of God again was to pour out my heart to God in prayer in the fashion of the psalmist of the Old Testament.

During the time when I was most struggling with the fears and anxieties that had surrounded me, as well as the storm that was raging within me, all I wanted to do was pray. On the occasion when we were out of town and I didn’t have to go out, I laid in the bed or sat in a chair crying out to God. I literally prayed the scripture back to Him repeatedly.

Of one thing you can be certain: Jesus is always listening to the prayers of His children. He might not answer you in the fashion you are anticipating, nor will His timing always fit your timetable, but He is definitely hearing your words expressed in prayer.

Paul and Peter knew the importance of prayer during times of struggles. Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

And Peter wrote, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Both of these authors and apostles of Christ knew intense struggles in their own lives and were often pressed by tribulations on many sides. They also knew the importance of spending time with God to maintain sanity. They learned in their journeys of following Jesus that He never intended us to walk this path alone. He promised to help us in all our struggles and speak peace to us in our storms. Even if He doesn't calm the storm, He can still calm US in the midst of the storm.

When is the last time you read the Psalms and really listened to what the psalmist was praying? Model your prayers after his and cry out to God with all of your being. He may be using this trial precisely for the purpose of bringing you to Himself in prayer.

One of the great old hymns of the faith says it well...

• What a friend we have in Jesus,
• All our sins and griefs to bear!
• What a privilege to carry
• Everything to God in prayer!
• Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
• Oh, what needless pain we bear,
• All because we do not carry
• Everything to God in prayer!
• 
  
• Have we trials and temptations?
• Is there trouble anywhere?
• We should never be discouraged—
• Take it to the Lord in prayer.
• Can we find a friend so faithful,
• Who will all our sorrows share?
• Jesus knows our every weakness;
• Take it to the Lord in prayer.
• 
  
• Are we weak and heavy-laden,
• Cumbered with a load of care?
• Precious Savior, still our refuge—
• Take it to the Lord in prayer.
• Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
• Take it to the Lord in prayer!
• In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
• Thou wilt find a solace there.

One of the greatest helps to me has been journaling some of my prayers to God. It wasn’t something I had ever done until I found myself overwhelmed by these particular circumstances. There’s something about seeing, as well as speaking, your thoughts to God.

• It helps you grasp how you are progressing through your trials and growing in your faith.
• It documents your journey through the storm and builds anticipation for your deliverance out of the storm.
• It leaves a record for your children that they can read that will remind them one day that feeling overwhelmed at times is a normal part of life.

These are just a few of the ways journaling your prayers can help you. Most everybody is going to have episodes when they desperately need the experience of God’s peace. Leave a record to show others that they are not alone in their struggles. If they know you got through it to find the peace of God, it will help them have confidence they can get through it and rediscover His peace.

A third thing I did was wrap myself in the truth of God (the scriptures) because truth is what sets us free (cf. John 8:32).

Part of our problem when we find ourselves tossed by the wind and waves of adversity is that we don’t know the Word of God. It’s a grave mistake to think that you don’t need to know the scripture until you NEED (!!) to know the scripture. Someone has said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t!!”

Actually, everybody needs the guidance of God’s truth each day of their lives. It’s especially true in those moments when the inner peace of God is missing from your life. It’s at those times when you desperately need the compass of His Word that always points “true north.” You never go wrong obeying God’s Word, no matter how countercultural it may seem. Nor will you ever be wrong when you obey what it says, even when it looks like doing so will take you deeper into the storm.

James knew about trials and wrote in his epistle that when trials surround us we should ask God for wisdom to guide us through the confusing maze of life challenges (James 1:5). We certainly want to make good decisions while we are waiting on God to deliver us and we want the comfort that the truth of God brings to us.

Everything else in life might be shifting around you, but when you are standing on the solid foundation of scripture, you can always have confidence that the ground beneath you won’t give way.

A fourth thing I did was rely on the providence of God so that I could confidently say that my current circumstances were under His control, even if they were beyond my control.

You have to believe that God can use anything (good or bad) in our lives to bring about His purposes (Romans 8:28). We often misunderstand what Paul said in Romans 8:28-29…

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Did you catch what He said? He didn’t say that all things are good, nor did he say that all things ultimately turn out the way we want them to. He said that “all things work together for good” and then he defined what he meant by “good”: Christlikeness.

God has full control over everything that enters our lives and He will use those things to shape us into the image of Christ in this world. If I can believe that truth I can begin to have an inner peace, regardless of my circumstances because they aren’t merely a matter of random chance or happenstance. They are part of His divine plan! There is something comforting about knowing that your Father is in control of what is going on around you.

Job turned to God’s providence in the most difficult time of his life. He lost his wealth and all ten of his children in a matter of moments. What would you do at a time like that? Well, listen to what Job did...

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.’” (Job 1:20-21)

I remember as a boy when I first learned how to swim. I was never afraid as long as my dad had his hands around me or under me in the water. However, whenever he would let go I would inevitably begin to panic and fear drowning. Of course, I eventually learned to swim without his help, but that experience is one that replays in my mind whenever I think about the experience of peace in my life.

As long as you know your Heavenly Father has His hands holding you and the circumstances around you, it makes it easier to relax and know the peace that comes from His presence.

The last thing I did to recover the experience of God’s peace was to wait even though everything in me was screaming for me to do something now!

• It meant I had to stop trying to fix things that I could not fix myself.
• It meant that I had to stop being like a child in the backseat of his parent’s car, anxiously awaiting my arrival at a distant destination and continually asking: “Are we there yet?”

When something is broken, I want to fix it immediately because it disturbs my peacefulness. What I continue to learn is that there is a deeper sense of peacefulness that comes when you take your hands off things you cannot fix and wait on God to make them right...in His time and in His way.  

I guess if my mother said it once to me as a boy, she must have said it a thousand times: “Patience is a virtue!” When we give up control of the outcome and the ultimate timing of that outcome, we begin to experience a peace from God that settles our restless spirits.

During some of the most intense times of my struggle I was reading again the book of Psalms. When I came to Psalm 4:3-4, it seemed as if the words jumped off the page at me.

Listen to these verses…

“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah”

It was especially the last two words of the text that caught my attention: “be still.” In other words, God said to me, stop struggling to fix everything. Stop trying to figure out which path to take. Stop trying to consider all the outcomes. Stop worrying about what anybody else is going to do. Just do what you are supposed to do and BE STILL! That’s spiritual code talk for: I’ll take care of it! And if that wasn’t enough, the text ends with the word “Selah,” which is a musical pause that basically means...think about what I just said for a moment!

I wish I could say that my faith is so strong that I always experience the peace of God in every circumstance. The fact is...I am just as human as you are and I experience struggles just like you do.

What I have learned is that God wants to speak peace to me, but I have to be willing to receive it just as I had to be willing to receive His gift of eternal life. I’ve had some experiences when I just had the peace of God and I couldn’t explain it. There are other times when I’ve had to seek the peace of God in order to experience it.

Both experiences are common for all followers of Jesus! Just don’t quit in the middle of your “storm.”

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)