We continue and conclude our sermon series, What's
in a Name? It has been quite a journey as we've
journeyed through the Gospel of John, looking
at the many distinctives, and we've only scratched
the surface. There are over 100 of them, and
we've hit 16, I believe. In this Holy Week, we've
really looked at six that kind of lead us to
today as we look at the titles and the distinctives
of Jesus. And today is no exception. But today's
a weird one. Today is one that we don't necessarily
always think about when it comes to Jesus. We
give him the title of Savior, Lamb of God. We've
sung about the lion today. All of these things
that have Old Testament implications, New Testament
implications, 2025 implications. But today, we're
going to talk about a word that I think if we're
all honest, we all really, really need every
day of our life. And that is the word peace.
So peace, right? Like peace sign, like P -E -A
-C -E, just so we are clear. And a question I
have for us this morning is, what does peace
even mean anymore in our lives? I think about,
I don't know, maybe 100, 150 years ago, things
just moved a lot slower. With the rise of the
internet in the 90s, and now we see, if we're
being honest, our lives really can't function
without it. I know I have three or four curmudgeons
that probably would disagree with me, but we
rely on speed constantly. I look out and see
all of the families with kids, and I know your
life is not slow. I know it's not. How do I know?
I have three. 12, 10, and 8, right? Okay, that
life is just fast, but there are days, Karen
and I just, we long for that quiet and that peace,
and we get it from 8 .45 to 9 .30 every night
-ish. But what does peace even mean anymore?
Peace is one of the most misused words in our
world today, in my opinion. I just want peace
and quiet. How many of you have said that this
week? Some of those hands went up way too fast.
I need to get to a peaceful place in my life.
Right? Maybe you said that or a version of that.
Or maybe what we hear at the end of people's
lives as families are going through death, rest
in peace. But I think... Our world today knows
very little about peace. Because I think we've
allowed for turmoil and confusion and division
and drama, if you will, to be something that
undergirds and underlines the little gods we
have in life. I've heard it said, I just need
a little bit of stress to get things done. Or,
you know what, life wouldn't be life without
a little bit of drama. Both of those, I think,
are misunderstandings of what it means. To have
peace. The news, our neighborhoods, even our
own hearts seem to be dominated by things that
are the exact opposite of peace. And maybe this
resonates with you this morning. Anxiety, anger,
unrest. Maybe this morning you're sitting in
those three places. Anger, anxiety, unrest. Maybe
you've turned those words against individuals
in your life, the church, politics, whatever
it is. Maybe you look in the mirror, and those
three words come way before anything peace or
rest or whatever those positive ones would be.
But today, this Easter Sunday, I proclaim and
I submit to you this morning that peace itself
has a name, peace itself has a face, physically
walked out of the tomb. Jesus is not just the
bringer of peace or the one that blesses us with
peace. I'm going to submit this morning to all
of us, he is our peace. Ephesians 2 reminds us
of that. And this is the good news of Easter
Sunday in John 20. Now let's kind of set the
scene really quick. It was evening. The disciples
had locked their doors. Jesus had died. The most
still day of the church calendar, that holy Saturday.
We've gone through Maundy Thursday. If you were
here, we came to the table of our Lord. We walked
through Good Friday. And we see the growing darkness.
Maybe you attended a Tenebrae service where it's
a service of growing darkness. Then what do you
do with this Saturday? Now I have some pastor
friends that are part of big churches that they
do Easter celebration on Saturday. And I silently
rebuke that. I will never say that to them, but
I do hold that in my head. Like, what are you
doing? No, leave Sunday to Sunday, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah. That's just me. But Saturday,
it's evening. The disciples had locked their
doors. Jesus had died. And now, were they living
in peace? No. They locked their doors. Not because
they were in a bad neighborhood. They locked
their doors because they were afraid. But into
that fear, into the room, into that very moment,
Jesus comes and stands among them and says, peace
be with you. You think about that encounter,
that interaction with the dead, now resurrected
Christ. I don't know, that word peace to me would
have meant something a little different in that
moment. Because it has this... This power to
it now. Jesus came and did the things he said
he was going to do. All the times he mentioned
to the disciples that he was going to die. But
he was going to rise again. They never understood.
Then he dies. And now you're sitting here. And
now it's Sunday. And now he shows up. He's there.
That's the power of Easter. It's resurrection
peace. And it's peace that the world can never
give. The world can try. It can give you the
money, it can give you the status, it can give
you a job where you get to create your own schedule
and take tomorrow off. That doesn't mean peace.
That is not the same thing. Because the peace
that the world gives is temporary, circumstantial,
and fragile. You ever think about that? When
you think you're about, you kind of have on the
calendar, I'm going to take that day off, and
I'm just going to get some stuff done, or I'm
going to get nothing done, and then what inevitably
happens? Things go awry. Our control over our
schedule, we get called into that early meeting.
We go, no, but I can start my day off at 10.
The meeting's done at 9 .55. I'll start from
10. Then all of a sudden, something comes at
10, and then it just becomes another day. But
the real peace that we're talking about today,
the resurrection Easter peace, it's a peace that
can enter locked rooms and can unlock fearful.
That is the peace that Jesus is. So let's break
it down. Jesus appears, showing us that this
peace is personal. John 20, 19 -21. 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 and stood among them
and said to them, Peace be with you. When he
had said this, he showed them his hands and his
feet. The disciples were glad when they saw the
Lord. Jesus said to them, peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
Notice something. When were they glad? You can
answer. When they see him. They were locked in
their fear. They were absolutely locked in their
fear. I liken this to the kid who needs to go
to mom and dad's room at night because they have
this nightmare. But they know, especially in
the Holland owner house, they know that they
know they will get relief from that peace when
they wake up. Mom, right? You get that when you
wake up. Mom, because that peace turns to fear
if they wake up dad. And so understand, that's
a bad night. But understand, just as little kids
need to see things to bring them peace because
they don't know how to kind of self -actualize
peace within themselves, they see Jesus and they
have peace. You see, this is no mere greeting.
Jesus is doing something here. He is teaching
the ones that should have gotten it already.
I don't know about you, but that's convicting.
Peace be with you isn't just a phrase. It's a
promise. You see, the idea behind this is the
Hebrew understanding of shalom, a wholeness,
a restoration, a putting back together what sin
had broken. That is what shalom meant. And what
does he do? Jesus shows his wounds, not in some
morbid display, but as evidence. And 33 % of
you, a statistic I just made up right now, need
that in your life. Some of you need the evidence
of faith in order to believe. And I'm going to
encourage you, get past that. Jesus has done
what he said he was going to do. Jesus has fulfilled
every messianic prophecy to every jot and tittle.
Ken, what is the jot and the tittle? The dot
on the I, the cross on the T. Everything he said
he was going to do, he did. And now he's showing
them the evidence. His crucifixion wasn't a mistake.
It was a pathway to peace. And he's showing them.
Isaiah 53 reminds us, but he was pierced for
our transgressions. Or he was despised and rejected
by men. A man of sorrow and antiquated with grief.
And as one from whom men hid their faces, he
was despised and we esteemed him not. He also
reminds us that he was pierced for our transgressions.
So he's showing them. Now, if you're new to Munster
Church, maybe you're a guest. You don't have
to answer, but I do like to ask questions, and
I do wait for some responses. So you're a disciple.
You're in this room. Jesus shows up. Again, locked
door, so that's something right there. But then
he shows you the hands. He shows you his feet,
his side. What is the response you would have
as a disciple? You were in fear. You've now been
given peace by Jesus himself, peace itself. What's
going through your mind? I'm seeing a ghost.
Just went mind blown. Okay, anyone else? Is any
of you getting to comfort? Or are we still locked
in fear? That's what I had to wrestle with this
week. Like, okay, he says these things, and before
his death, I believed every word -ish. But notice
who's in the room. I always put myself in the
person of Peter, not because upon me God was
going to build the church because that church
would have fallen apart way long ago. But Peter
had foot and mouth disease, and so do I. And
so I resonate a lot with Peter. And notice what
I read in the beginning of service. It was Peter
and the disciples. You see, Peter had not yet
been forgiven by Jesus for denying him. He'd
not been brought back into the fold as a disciple,
but that's a different sermon. But understand
that in this room was Jesus' closest friends,
now gripped with fear, doubt, all of those things.
He shows them these things. I think I would have
just been in awe. But if I'm being honest, I
probably still would have doubted. And mainly
because I think we do that even in the midst
of evidence. And in 2025 today, what is evidence
really? Not much at times. Because we just try
to logicalize, my word, right, the truth out
of things. We almost try to look for non -truth
and get excited when we find it because we got
the gotcha. It's like gotcha journalism. We get
that little sound bite. We get that little clip
that goes on the Instagram for eight seconds,
and that's what we think truth is. No, Jesus
is double and tripling down in this room for
the ones that should have gotten it. Jesus shows
his wounds as a display of the path of peace,
that he goes through these things so you and
I, the church, could have peace. Because Jesus
is risen, we have peace with God, and we belong
to him, and he comes into our fears and our doubt.
Heidelberg Catechism, question answer one, is
just a beautiful reminder. Again, this isn't
the whole thing, just the beginning. For us to
declare this, and it's one of my favorite writings
ever, what is your only comfort in life and in
death? And it takes us right out of it in the
beginning. that I am not my own, but belong.
How many of us don't have peace in life because
we don't think we belong? Because we think we're
an outcast, we think we're weird, we think we're
the stranger or we're different, and we think
we don't belong. In Christ, you do, period. I
am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in
life and in death, to who? My faithful Savior,
Jesus Christ. So friend, peace is personal. But
peace also comes with a purpose. Peace has to
have a purpose because Jesus had a purpose. So
by the transitive property or something, if Jesus
is our peace and Jesus has purpose, that means
our peace will always have purpose. John 20,
21 says this. Jesus said to them, peace be with
you. As the Father has sent me, even I am sending
peace. you. There's always purpose with Jesus.
And I think if we're honest, that's how we find
peace in ourselves or in our situation. When
we have purpose, I look out and see probably
175 type A personalities that would be classified
as control freaks. Amen? That was not enough.
That's okay. It's totally fine. Amen. I'm one
of them. That for a lot of times, how we don't
have peace is when we have to give up control.
I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand because
everybody would. But this peace not only is purposeful,
it has a destination. Jesus doesn't just give
peace. He gives peace with a purpose. So our
peace, if it is Jesus himself, has something
quote unquote tied to it. He sends us into the
world with his peace as our foundation. Think
about that. The foundation you and I have as
believers, whether you're in a season of seeking
right now, or you and Jesus have been good, what
would Jesus do? Frog, fully relying on God for
90 years. That our foundation, our identity as
a believer should be purposeful peace. Belgic
Confession, Article 20, says this. We believe
that God sent the Son to assume the nature in
which the disobedience had been committed in
order to make satisfaction completeness by his
most perfect obedience and to our dear punishment
so that we might be restored to God's favor and
set free from the deadly guilt of sin. Some of
you don't like that because it has the word God's
favor in it. And you don't know whether or not
you have God's favor. Well, let me just declare
this morning into your soul, if you are a Christ
follower, you have God's favor. The Bible says
it. Our confessions uphold it. We believe it.
So what does that look like in your life? That
you get to live with God's favor. Yeah, but I
still have allergies. So? That's in this life.
God's favor is to bring the gospel till we get
to see it face to face. Till we're in glory.
We endure with peace and patience and kindness.
We'll get to that verse in about seven minutes.
Yet for a lot of us, we want to look at our circumstance
and go, I can't have peace because I deal with,
insert whatever here. And some of those afflictions
are great. And some of them are not, if we're
being honest. That not only is this peace personal,
not only is there purpose for peace, there's
a perspective here. What the Belgic Confession
is giving us is that we are restored to God's
favor to give us a mission in this life. Whether
you're a pastor, whether you're an accountant,
whether you're a stay -at -home mom, which is
a full -time job. Whether you are a bricklayer,
whether you're on TV, whether you're behind the
screen, whatever it is, you have purpose to live
a life of reconciliation. But that's tough. Because
what is reconciliation? Well, it starts with
forgiveness. Now we just kind of got tense. We
don't really like to give forgiveness too often.
Because we like to have that kind of position
over people. We like to have that little pound
of flesh that we just kind of stick in our pocket.
Friend, that's not the same as being a Christ
follower. It doesn't fit. That because Christ
rose from the dead, gives us his peace because
we have himself, we should live a life of reconciliation.
So kind of my Easter week wrecker, if you will.
Where do you need reconciliation done in your
life? And where do you need to offer reconciliation
to someone in your life? Because it's both and.
It's not either or. If we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. But if we confess our sin, God is faithful
and just, will forgive us our sin and cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. Great. So what?
What do we do with that? We go and forgive others.
Now, that doesn't mean they have to be your best
friends. That doesn't mean they have to be on
your Christmas card list. They don't need to
be your favorites on your phone. But to live
a life as a believer and not forgive and not
offer reconciliation, you're spitting on Easter.
You're spitting on exactly what Jesus rose for.
To give us an audience with God that we will
be there one day, but in this life we are called
to forgive and to bring peace. To be peacemakers.
Where have we heard that before? Jesus. The Sermon
on the Mount. Blessed are the peacemakers. Not
peacekeepers. Because when we peacekeep, it's
usually a fallacy. It's usually lie upon lie
or cover up after cover up. We're called to make.
And we are empowered to do so. Why? Because peace
is empowered. John 20, 22 says this. And when
he had said this, he breathed on them and said
to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Time out. April,
leave that up there. This is almost as weird
as Jesus spitting on the mud, putting it on the
blind guy's eyes, and then telling him to go
wash off. Is it not? Because... I know some of
you, you don't like when people come and talk
to you, right? Especially if they come and talk
to you close. And you all know those people,
right? You all know those kind of close talkers,
right? That they're like, personal space, what
is that? You know, and they, whatever. But understand,
what Jesus is doing, this is a commissioning
before the commission. And why is Jesus doing
it? Why in the world would Jesus be doing it
this way? Where else do we see breath in the
scripture? For lunch and a conversation with
Pastor Jim, where else do we see this intentionality
of, Bree, Ken, you can't answer. Where else do
we see it? Randy, you answered too many. Let's
give someone else a shot. And you're a BSF, so,
yeah, you're almost a seminarian. Janet, you're
on staff. She didn't say anything. Anyone else?
Okay, you. Scuts, you can't answer, okay? Let's
just put it that way. You're an elder, Brent.
We've been here before. Balcony people. Sorry,
floor, main floor, you're exempt. Balcony people,
where else do we see this? Adam, what does that
mean? You're right there. We're in the restaurant.
You even have the menu. How did Adam get created?
God breathed life into him. You can leave the
tip. But understand, this is creation language,
right? This is creation language. Genesis 2,
where God breathed life into Adam. Now Christ
breathes new life, resurrected life, into his
disciples. The peace we carry is not on our own
strength, but it's by the Spirit. Because guess
what? If you forgive people, you're forgiving
people because the Holy Spirit has regenerated
forgiveness in you. Because you can't give what
you don't have. With Christ, you have it. The
peace we carry is not in our own strength, but
by the Holy Spirit. The Canons of Dort, article,
or head, 3 and 4, article 11, says this. When
God accomplishes his good pleasure in his chosen
ones, the church, He powerfully enlightens their
minds by the Holy Spirit so that they may rightly
understand and discern the things of the Spirit
of God. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out
and share the peace of Christ even in a chaotic
world. So peace is personal, right? Peace has
a purpose. Let me go back and look at all my
points so far. Peace is personal. Peace has a
purpose. Peace empowers. And what did I read
right before we prayed? Matthew 25. To me, one
of the two great commissions that we have from
Jesus. One way we walk this out, church, is peace
for the wounded. John 20, 24 to 28 says this.
Now Thomas, one of the 12, called the twin, was
not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciple
told him, we have seen the Lord. But he said
to them, unless I see in his hands the marks
of the nail and place my finger into the mark
of the nails and place my hand into his side,
I will never believe. Eight days later, his disciples
were inside again and Thomas was with them. Although
the doors was locked, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, peace be with you. And he said
to Thomas. Put your finger here and see my hands,
and put out your hand and place it in my side.
Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered
him, My Lord and my God. We all come today wounded.
Though we put on our Sunday best, Easter best,
right? For some of us, we may have plans afterwards.
Don't worry, I am wrapping it up. Understand.
That the peace that Jesus gives us is first and
foremost for the wounded. He meets Thomas in
his doubt. Now before we get to that point, just
a side note. I always wonder why Thomas wasn't
there. I mean, I get doubt. I do. And I think
all of us can resonate with Thomas in this doubt
at times and things in our life. I wish we would
know why Thomas wasn't there. Had that doubt
just taken him over that he had just given up?
I don't know. But understanding that the disciples
go and tell Thomas, right, so I'm sure he's intrigued.
Again, locked door, they're still afraid. But
Thomas is there. Jesus is intentional and personal
and meets us in that place. Jesus doesn't shame
him, but shows up for him. So what does this
tell us today? That Jesus meets us in our doubt.
And in doing so, he brings peace to our wounds,
to our doubts, to our anxiety, to our anxious
rhythms of life. He breathes peace over us into
all of those things. Do you believe that? You
see, that's Easter peace. It's not just doctrine.
We can know all of the depths of this book. You
can love the catechisms and the three forms of
unity, the Westminster, all of the reformed confessions
that we have. They're all good things, all standing
on the word of God. Without the word of God,
those documents mean nothing. But this morning's
not about doctrine. It's about peace. It's about
new life. It's a living person. who meets us
in locked rooms, who breathes life into our fears
and sends us out to bring peace to the most chaotic
worlds we can imagine. And that's going to be
different for all of us. So how do we do it?
Well, it's easy. And I've already said it once,
I'll say it again. You have peace if you have
Jesus, so now go be peace. Whoa, time out. Some
of you do not like that because you don't want
that responsibility. I love you, but tough. If
you have Jesus, you have peace. Now we are called
to go be peace. How? How do we do this? Well,
let's follow that logic. You've been reconciled.
Now go be a reconciler. I don't care if that's
not a word. It might be. I don't care. You understand.
2 Corinthians reminds us. All of this, all this
is from God who through Christ reconciled us
to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world
to himself. Not counting their trespasses against
them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
That is amazing. I have yet to find a church
that has a reconciliation ministry. We know ministry
is called that, but what does this even look
like in life? Is this a group of people walking
down the road going, I am so sorry, I am so sorry,
I am so sorry, I am so sorry. No, that's super
awkward and weird. But the church should be the
message of reconciliation. Why? Because we've
been reconciled. And we've not been reconciled
so we can hold it over other people and just
throw the stones of judgment or skip them like
stones into a river. Jesus didn't just give you
peace for your own soul. He entrusted you with
the ministry of reconciliation. So just as you've
been reconciled with God, you are now called
to be an instrument of peace. Watch out in your
home, in your church, because there's never drama
in church. Okay, you got it? And your communities.
Whatever your community looks like. You are to
be the lightning rod of peace in your life. Yet
we want to judge other people. Wow, they're just
drama kings and queens. No. You are the lightning
rod of peace. Wherever you are. Because if you
have Jesus, that means you have peace. Now you
need to go and be the embodiment of peace for
a world around you. Yes, and we all should be
feeling bad right now. Happy Easter. I do too.
Because we don't do it well. We don't. Yet God
is showing us ways to do it. God has called you
to be an instrument of peace in your home, your
church, and your community. I kind of want to
say, whether you like it or not. How? How are
we supposed to do this, Pastor Jim? Okay, well,
second, you have the Holy Spirit. Now walk by
the Spirit of peace. Father, Son, Spirit, all
bringing peace, embodying peace in you. Now go
walk it out. Galatians 5. But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, and there's more. You
get it. Peace is not just a status we receive.
It's a fruit we produce when we walk with Christ.
The Holy Spirit breathed out by Jesus empowers
us to live peaceably even in a world that is
chaotic. Even in a world that will say, I don't
want your brand of peace. Because they want to
do it themselves. So friends, don't just leave
this Easter celebration with peace in your heart
and go, ah, this feels great. Ah, just me and
Jesus. He's taking the wheel because I love that
song. And I'm just going to live it out that
way. No, because he's going to drive you to places
where you need to bring peace. That's the cool
and crazy thing about believing in Jesus. Because
he calls you to be peace yourself. In your workplace,
where tensions run high. In your family, where
forgiveness is needed. In your church, where
unity is the witness to a divided world. So I
bump up the practical application before I close.
Again, as we've done the rhythm of this sermon
series, for the head, for the hands, and the
heart. This Easter, know that Easter peace is
not dependent on your circumstances, but on the
finished work of Christ. His wounds are your
assurance of that peace. For the heart, carry
this peace into your lives, or carry this peace
into the lives of others. Who is locked in fear
around you? Who needs to hear peace be with you
in the name of Jesus? And finally, for the hands,
let the resurrection peace of Christ calm your
fears, quiet your doubts, and stir your worship.
He is your peace. So friends, as we conclude
the What's in the Name series today, and we jump
into a book that I'm going to guess 97 % of us
have never dove into. We're going to go through
the entire book of Zephaniah starting next week.
Get ready. But as we conclude this series, here
Jesus has revealed names to us again. Our bread
of life. Our door of protection and salvation.
The good shepherd. The resurrection in the life.
The way, the truth, and the life. Our advocate,
our king, and now our peace. Don't forget our
joy from Maundy Thursday. Each name is not only
who Jesus is, but what he gives to those who
belong to him. So this morning, church, rejoice.
Jesus is risen. He is your joy and your peace.
And now go. Go in his name. Sent in his name.
Go with his spirit and sent by his spirit. Go
as your peace to give peace. This Easter, Jesus
does the same for us. The risen Lord stands in
our midst, not as a ghost, not as a memory, but
as your literal peace in this life. And oh, what
a gift it is to a world that desperately needs
it. Let's pray.