INTRODUCTION: The sermon is ended. The pastor says, “Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.” You’ve heard the words so often they almost sound commonplace. But when your dear friend, who died a couple days ago, suddenly is with you in a locked room and says, “Peace be unto you,” it really gathers your attention! This is precisely what Jesus did, Let us give our attention to that which men dream, talk and hope for – Peace!

I.                     Jesus declared peace.

A.      What is “peace”?

1.        It is more then “a peaceful easy feeling” as the Eagles once put it. It is not a mere feeling of tranquility. Being tranquil in the face of real danger can be deadly. Jesus says in John 14, “Peace I leave you; My peace I give you’ not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (V.27)

2.        Peace, real peace, the peace, which Christ gives, is the termination of hostility between God and man, hostility caused by man’s sin. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath.” (Vv.1, 3)

B.      Jesus declares this peace for He has won for us and has made this peace. How did He do this?

1.        By waging war against sin, death and Satan the peace destroyers.

2.        By paying the price of peace in His death on the bloody cross on Calvary. “And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side.” (V.20)

3.        By rising from the dead Easter morning, “The disciples therefore rejoiced when they way the Lord.” (v. 20)

TRANSITION: The Savior has declared peace – we proclaim this also.

II.                   We too are to declare peace.

A.      This is our divine mission. Jesus said, “Peace be with you’ as the Father has sent Me, I also send you!” (V. 21) What a privilege! We have a peace this world simply cannot give.

B.      We speak this peace with divine authority.

C.     We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to break and bind sin. “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (Vv.22-23)

D.     This is our common mission. As people and pastor; to be Easter people, to experience sacramental living – to witness in our lives daily the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

TRANSITION: Jesus declares His peace we share this peace; we witness it daily in our lives.

III.                  We believe in this declaration of peace.

A.      Doubt is a common enemy – when cults and sects seem to multiply, when the church seems to drift, when personal problems challenge our faith.

B.      Fear and doubt have always been enemies.

1.        We can identify with the disciples – they hesitated to believe the report of the women of Jesus’ resurrection.

a.       They had abandoned Jesus in the garden when He needed them the most.

b.       They had seen Him die.

c.        Dead men don’t rise from the dead!

2.        We can identify with Thomas – who wanted hard evidence before committing himself to Christ again. He demanded not a blind faith but a faith grounded in reality – based and backed up by facts, “He said to them, ‘Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails; and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (V.25)

3.        Thomas does us a favor. To believe in Christ simply means that the same Christ, which died must also be raised. Thomas cannot believe in a fantasy. He witnessed the nails and the spear. If Jesus is really raised he must witness and behold the marks or he will not believe.

4.        As Jesus appears to Thomas all fear and doubt melts away. He cries out “my Lord and my God.” (v. 28)

C.     To believe is to commit ourselves to Christ. We witness His loving, saving Lordship in concrete ways.

1.        He appears to Thomas eight days later and bestows on Thomas His abiding peace – Thomas receives the same peace the others had received.

2.        The many signs which Jesus did – “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Vv. 30-31)

3.        The inspired record of it all – given for our faith.

CONCLUSION: Cast doubts and fear aside! Be not faithless, but believing, for today Jesus, your risen Savior has a word for you. PEACE!

 + Soli Deo Gloria +