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Ingleside Presbyterian Church A Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America |
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Ingleside Presbyterian Church A Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America |
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What do you do when you’re
running on empty?
How many of you, when driving, never let
your gas tank get below half full?
God bless you compulsive people!
How many of you fill up when you get to ¼
of a tank?
How many of you see how far you can go
after the little light goes on?
How many of you think “E” means, “Enough to
keep going?”
How many of you have ever run out of gas?
(You’re not very bright are you?)
I know this comes as a shock to
most of you, but I generally fill up by the time the gas needle gets to
¼ full.
A couple of my “laid back” friends have
teased me about my O.C. disorder when it comes to gas and my car.
So, to prove that I can change, I’ve
actually allowed the “low fuel” to come on twice in recent weeks.
(Living on the edge…)
Now
if I had actually run out of gas, I’m sure I would contemplate the WHY
while Rachel was pushing the car into the service station and I was
behind the wheel.
This morning, I want to look at the John 20
account of the first Easter Sunday evening, when Jesus appeared to
refill the tanks of His disciples.
John 20:19-31
“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 & stood among
them & said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he
showed them his hands & his side. Then the disciples were glad when they
saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’
And when he had said this, he breathed on
them & said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are
forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.’
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the
Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, ‘We have
seen the Lord.’
But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his
hands the mark of the nails, & place my finger in the mark of the nails,
& place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’
Eight days later, his disciples were inside
again, & Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus
came, & stood among them & said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to
Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, & see my hands; & put out your hand, &
place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’
Thomas answered him, “My Lord & my God!’
Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have
believed.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that by
believing you may have life in his name.” I don’t know what kind of week
you’ve had.
I may not be totally aware of the kinds of
year you’ve had or even what kind of life you’ve had.
Have you ever thought or said, “I don’t
know whether I can go on?”
“I’m at the end of my rope.”
“I’m ready to throw in the towel.”
“I’m at my wit’s end.”
“I’m going to resign from the human race.”
You’ve been so fatigued, frustrated and
fearful.
And you’ve been sick and tired of being
sick and tired.
If you’ve ever experienced that, I have
great news for you.
Jesus did seven things for His disciples
that Sunday evening that turned them from cowards into confident people
and He can do that for us.
The disciples were scared to
death and were hiding in a room with the doors locked.
When you’re running on empty, Jesus doesn’t
wait for you to come visit Him.
He comes to you.
He takes the initiative.
Verse 19 tells us that Jesus came and stood
among them.
We don’t know what time during the evening,
but it could have been late.
Have you ever been so tired and upset that
you couldn’t go to sleep?
That was probably where the disciples were.
They had been on the Scream Machine roller
coaster during the past week, with highs and lows.
They had gone through the arrest, trial,
crucifixion and death and burial of their Leader.
They are emotionally spent.
They’re drained.
And they’re hiding.
Coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue
makes cowards of all of us.”
These guys are probably second-guessing
themselves.
Were we wrong? Was Jesus not who He claimed
to be?
Were we deluded?
What will do now? They were behind locked doors,
which are intended to keep people out.
But those doors also keep us locked inside.
Who have you locked out of your life?
Have you locked God out of your life?
When you put a lock on your life, you not
only lock other people out—you lock yourself in.
Fear creates a self-imposed prison and
Jesus Christ seeks to release us from our fears. In John 20, the resurrected
Jesus shows up among them, but they didn’t recognize Him at first,
probably because they weren’t expecting Him.
God shows up in your life all the time and
you may not see Him, because you aren’t really looking for Him.
The second thing God does when you are
running on empty…
In verse 19, Jesus says,
“Peace be with you.”
He is saying, “Calm down, guys.
Take a deep breath.
Relax.”
The disciples are defeated and demoralized
and Jesus says, “Peace be with you.
It’s o.k.
I have it handled.”
Notice what Jesus didn’t say.
He could have walked into the room and
said, “Why did you guys leave Me?
Why did you abandon Me?
You were with Me for three years and when I
go through tough times, you flake out.”
He didn’t rebuke them or reprimand them.
The first thing Jesus did when they were
running on empty was to encourage them.
“Peace be with you.” Jesus did that because He
understood their confusion.
If you get nothing else from today’s
message, grasp this: Nobody understands how you feel as much as Jesus
Christ does.
God understands how you feel more than you
understand how you feel.
Men often don’t understand what they are
feeling.
Men just feel it.
A woman can take a half hour to explain how
she feels.
Folks, God understands you, whether you are
a man or a woman.
He knew the disciples were confused. The Bible invites us to unload
our cares upon God.
Phil. 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guide your hearts & your minds in
Christ Jesus.”
Paul gives two options here: you can pray
or you can panic.
When you are stressed, it is so encouraging
to talk to God about it.
To really ask Him for His help.
The third thing God does…
In verse 20, Jesus showed His
disciples His nail pierced hands and side.
Why did He do that?
First of all, to validate His identity.
He’s saying, “Guys, it’s really Me!
This is not an illusion.”
But I believe He showed His hands and side
as evidence of His love for His disciples.
He is saying, “I love you THIS much!”
You know that Jesus died on the cross, but
did you know that He died on the cross
FOR YOU?
The greatest act of love ever
done in your behalf was not done by your parents, or your spouse or a
boy or girlfriend or anyone else.
The greatest thing that has ever been done
for you in love was when Jesus died for you on the cross.
Forgiveness is huge when you’re
running on empty.
Two things that will cause your emotional
tank to spring leaks faster than anything are guilt and resentment.
The answer to both is forgiveness.
Guilt and resentment are twin emotions that
rob you of your energy.
You cannot be guilty and happy at the same
time.
You can’t be resentful and happy at the
same time. If you are ever going to be
happy in life, you need to let those emotions go.
You bring your guilt to God for His
forgiveness.
And you let go of your resentment of other
people. And you do that through forgiveness. A woman confessed to her pastor
about her wedding some years before.
She said, “When I was walking down that
aisle in that white dress, I had no idea that I was carrying along with
me garbage sacks of guilt and grudges.”
That’s a vivid word picture, isn’t it?
She continued, “I was carrying guilt and
grudges from previous hurts and relationships.
I brought them into my marriage and it
nearly killed the marriage.”
Guilt and resentment ruins marriages and
relationships, folks. When you have garbage in your
house, you need to remove it periodically or the whole place starts
stinking.
You don’t just pile it up in a corner.
You have to get rid of it.
Is there something you need to let go of
this morning?
Is there someone you need to “let off the
hook?”
You can’t do it under your own power.
Forgiveness is not earned, it’s not easy
and it definitely isn’t fun, but it is what lets you get on with your
life. I quoted Psalm 32 two weeks ago
when we talked about roller coasters:
“Blessed is the one whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man
against whom the Lord counts no iniquity & in whose spirit there is no
deceit.”
We try to deal with our guilt and
resentment in non-productive ways.
God’s forgiveness is the only antidote.
Jesus not only wants to be
“with” us—He wants to be “in” us.
In verse 22, He told His disciples,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
When God’s Spirit resides in you…
·
You stop being lonely.
You stop being lonely because
you realize that God is with you all the time.
And His presence helps you deal with life’s
circumstances.
·
You start producing certain character qualities.
Nine of them are called fruit in Galatians
5—things like love, joy, peace…those
are good things.
I want to be more loving.
I want to be more joyful and peaceful, etc.
I want those things in my life and they
come to me by having God in my life.
When someone tells you that you’re “full of
it,” is that necessarily a compliment?
It depends on what the “it” is.
If you’re angry, that’s not good.
If they say, “You’re full of it,” and they
mean that you’re egocentric or self-serving, that’s not good.
But if they say, “You’re full of it,” and
you’re full of love, joy, peace, and patience, that is good stuff.
2 Tim. 1:7
“For God gave us a spirit NOT of
fear, but of power & love & self-control.”
Circle
“power,” “love” and
“self-control.”
When you’re running on empty, you need
power to keep going.
You need love to build relationships and
you need self-control to keep from self-destructing.
God fills you with His presence.
So many folks spend their lives
trying to attain power, prestige and possessions.
They don’t know their purpose in life.
You were not made to simply make money.
You were made for meaning and all the money
in the world will not replace a lack of meaning. Often times, successful people
report that they still don’t feel satisfied.
They always want more.
Folks, God made us for more than success.
God made you for significance.
You were not made to merely attain
possessions.
You were made for a purpose.
All the possessions in the world will not
compensate for a lack of purpose in your life.
All of us need something
greater than ourselves that pulls us out of ourselves so we don’t live
these little selfish clods of lives.
We are to strive to become what God meant
for us to be in the first place. Following Jesus Christ is not
for wimps.
It’s not for cowards or lazy people.
It is not for people who want to live
shallow lives and play it safe.
It takes courage to be God’s man or woman.
To say, “God, whatever You want to do in my
life, it’s Yours.
Use me for Your purpose.
I don’t want to live a selfish little life
and pitter-patter around.
I want to glorify You.”
That takes courage. Jesus gave His disciples a
reason to live. Hear what He said to them in verse 21:
“Peace be
with you.
As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you.”
He
said, “I know that you guys blew it.
You made mistakes and didn’t stay with Me
in the tough times.
But I have a plan.
We’re going to take on the world and I have
a world-changing plan.” And they did.
This little group of eleven guys went out
and soon Christianity had spread all over the Middle East and within
three hundred years, it had overtaken the What are you living FOR this
morning?
Notice, I didn’t ask what are you live ON.
Folks in Metro Atlanta often have a lot to
live ON but nothing to live FOR.
Folks need a purpose and Christ provides
that.
Phil. 2:14-15
“Do all things without grumbling
or questioning, that you may be blameless & innocent, children of God
without blemish in the midst of a crooked & twisted generation, among
whom you shine as lights in the world.”
I don’t believe that God expects us to be
perfect but He wants us to give people a glimpse of what it means to
live for God.
God wants us to carry this light-giving
message into the night.
Circle the word
“shine.”
God wants you to shine in a dark world. How come?
Because most people today live mediocre
lives.
People who know God and know His purpose
for their life and they are about doing that, those folks shine like
stars.
They stand out on a dark night in stark
contrast to the mediocre living most people live.
The final thing from our John passage that
Jesus wants to do with you…
Let’s focus on the disciple
Thomas as we close this morning.
Verses 24-28 “Now
Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus
came.
So the other disciples told him, ‘We have
seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the
marks of the nails, & place my finger into the mark of the nails, &
place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later,
his disciples were inside again & Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were locked, Jesus came
& stood among them & said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas,
‘Put your finger here & see my hands, & put out your hand, & place it in
my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’
Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord & my God!’” Thomas is very open and honest
about his doubts.
He is not putting you on.
He is an honest seeker who didn’t just
automatically accept what somebody tells him.
He had to check it out himself. Doubt is not necessarily a bad
thing.
Doubt is good if it motivates to
investigate.
If have doubts about something and don’t
check it out, you could be taken.
There are times I read the Bible and
wonder, “How come God did it that way?”
Or, “Why did God do that?
If I were God I wouldn’t do that.”
You all should be really glad that I’m not
God. If you can somehow figure out
why God does everything He does, you would be God.
But you can’t, because you’re not Him.
For us to try to understand God would be
like an ant trying to understand the Internet.
You don’t have the brain capacity—and I
certainly don’t either.
Thomas was honest about his
doubts.
But notice, even though he doubts he
continues hanging out with the disciples who believed.
If you have doubts about faith and if you
just hang out with other doubters, guess what?
You will never get your doubts resolved.
But if you hang out with believers, there
is a possibility you might find suitable answers for some of the things
you have doubted.
What I’m saying is, if you have doubts
about things regarding faith in Christ, there is no better place to be
than in church to find the answers. When Thomas is faced with the
reality of Jesus, he didn’t waffle.
He didn’t show any stubborn pride.
He says,
“My Lord &
My God.”
He makes his decision based on the
evidence. Right now, there are radio and
television waves going through this room. They are going through my
body.
I can’t prove to you that there are
television pictures going through the air, but if I had a tuner and
could tune in right now, you would see the picture.
But I learned a long time ago that I don’t
have to be able to explain a television in order to watch
NCIS.
I can enjoy it.
I don’t have to understand how
a cell phone works or how a nuclear reactor works, but I’m grateful for
the energy of it.
I don’t understand all the chemistry of
digestion, but it doesn’t stop me from eating a steak.
I don’t have to understand it to enjoy it.
I don’t have to understand all the
questions and doubts about God, but I can follow Him and enjoy Him.
If you are running on empty
this morning, Jesus wants to do for you the seven things He did for His
disciples in John 20.
The disciples are afraid, so He meets them
where they are.
They are confused so He gives them
encouragement.
They feel unloved and He says, “This is how
much I love you.
Look at my hands.
This is how much I love you.”
They were feeling ashamed for flaking out
on Jesus, but He offers them forgiveness.
And He does that for you.
They were feeling alone, locked in a house.
But Jesus gave His Spirit to them.
They were feeling useless but He gave them
a new reason to live.
When they had doubts, He helped them
believe.
In verse 29 Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen & yet have believed.” Do you know who He’s talking about? He’s talking about you…and me! When you’re running on empty, you need Jesus Christ. Please pray with me. Please visit us at our next worship service.
In Christ,
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