Page 19 - 3-20-15 Friday's Edition

Sunday School
When God makes a promise He will fulfill it. God does not speak just to hear Himself; He does not make empty promises. God will do exactly what He said He would do.
John 20:19-23 is God’s fulfillment of the promise spoken to Jesus’ disciples. Jesus said that He would return to them and give them the Holy Spirit. These verses show the strangeness of times and the events of the day.
Verse 19 - On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were to-
gether, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Jesus came to them on the same day He rose from the dead. This is the first day of the week because the Jewish Sabbath was the day before. The disciples had locked themselves up in a room in fear. Living in fear will cause you to lock your- self up. Oftentimes you are living a life of bondage not because of what someone has done to you, but be-
Breathe On Me
cause of what you are doing to yourself.
They were locked up be- cause they focused more on what the Jews had done than what Christ had said. Fear comes when you forget what God has spoken in your life. The good news is that no matter how or why you have locked yourself up, Jesus can still get in.
The text said that He stood in the midst of them. No one opened a door, He just appeared. Since Jesus wasabletogetoutofa sealed tomb, getting into your locked room is no challenge.
Verse 20 - After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
To provide them with proof that it was Him and to calm their fears, He showed them His hands and His side. When Jesus comes to you He will offer you proof
that it is Him. God will reaffirm His presence in your life by telling you something that you have seen in His word or show- ing you something that is affirmed by His word.
Verse 21 - Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am send- ing you.”
Jesus bids them peace a second time. Jesus is also preparing them for their commission. The promise He is making here will pro- vide them with greater peace. Jesus had to return to the Father, but there was still work to be done. Therefore, Jesus was going to send the disciples and us. Jesus will do for us the same that the Father did for Him. He blessed Him with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 22 - And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit is here given
to them as Jesus breathed on them. It will not be until later that they see the man- ifestation or the reveal of the spirit. There are many who have the Spirit of God in them, but they have not activated or allowed the Spirit to be manifested fully in their lives. Man becomes a new creature and being with the filling of the Spirit of God.
23 If you forgive any- one’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
This verse speaks to the trust that Jesus has in the indwelling Spirit. He has given them permission to forgive sins as His repre- sentatives. The Spirit will lead them into truth. The choice or the decision to forgive will be under the di- rection of the Spirit. If you have the Spirit of God work- ing in you, the Spirit will lead you in the forgiveness of sins.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-B