Interested in every detail of our lives. He knows
us better than we know ourselves. Touched with
the feeling of our infirmities. Just now, wonderful
Jesus. Make your person real to that discouraged
one. Give complete confidence to that one. Give
faith. Give peace of mind and peace of soul.
Hear this simple prayer. Amen. As you well know,
I do not even write out my sermons. Many ask
me whether we have our sermons in print. I have
never written out a sermon. When we have our
little heart -to -heart talks, I just sit here
before the microphone and I talk just as though
I was sitting right there in your own home and
you and I were literally having a little heart
-to -heart talk. And it's just like that. Well,
sir, a man asked this question. He had written
the question on a slip of paper. He had signed
his name to it. And this was the question. Dear
Miss Guman, would you please explain John 20,
23? Now, before I go on with our little heart
-to -heart talk today, I want you to get out
your Bible. You'll need it today. I want you
to turn to John in the New Testament, the 20th
chapter, the 23rd verse. And while you're finding
it, let me remind you something. Something that
I have said over and over and over again, you
cannot just take one verse of Scripture and have
a complete understanding of that one verse unless
you understand what precedes it and what follows.
In other words, you cannot take a portion of
the Word of God out of its continuity. out of
its context. You must accept it as a whole. Therefore,
I would not think of answering this man's question.
I would not think of giving an explanation of
just this one verse of Scripture without studying
the entire chapter. And you'll see that at the
beginning of this chapter, we have the description
of the wonderful resurrection of Jesus. And it
begins with the first day of the week, cometh
Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto
the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away
from the sepulcher. You know the story well.
You know of the weeping Mary as she stood without
at the sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, she
stooped down. The entire account is given in
this chapter. Now then, the 19th verse. Go a
little deeper into the happenings after the incident
at the tomb. Then the same day at evening, being
the first day of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled for fear
of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when
he had so said, he showed unto them to them his
hands and his side. Oh, to me this is most significant.
I think this is thrilling. What did he do? Well,
beloved, so that there might not be any doubt
in any other minds, he brought forth his credentials.
Oh, don't just read this very quickly and pass
it by. Pause a minute and let's feast at the
glory of this incident. Jesus, who had died on
the cross, they had been there. They had witnessed
his death. They had heard him. They had seen
him. When he had dismissed his... own spirit.
But prior to that moment, they stood and beheld
the soldiers as they had driven the nails in
his hand. They knew exactly where the nails had
been driven into the hand of their master. They
had stood aghast and saw the soldier as brazenly,
cruelly, he had pierced that sword into the side,
into the flesh of their master. They knew exactly
where the sword had pierced his body. They knew
exactly the place where the nails had been driven
into his hands. They were witnesses to this.
That is exactly why when after the crucifixion,
after the resurrection, when Jesus again appeared
unto his disciples, the very first thing that
he did was to show them his credentials. Otherwise,
nine times out of ten, after it was all over,
Knowing human nature as I do, I am dead sure
that some of them would have said, well, maybe
it wasn't the master. Some would have doubted.
Maybe it was an imposter. Maybe it wasn't Jesus
at all. How do we know? After having left the
room, having... told the neighbors or their friends
regarding that which they had seen, some neighbor
would have been sure to have argued them out
of it and would have said it could not have been.
It was impossible. It was someone else that you
saw. Jesus, knowing human nature as he did, left
no room for doubt in their minds. The very first
thing that he did was to bring forth his credentials
and said, Look, these are my hands. These are
the hands that you saw the nails driven into.
Here they are. There's no cause for doubt whatsoever.
Behold my side. This is where the spear was thrust
into my side. And they knew immediately it was
their master. It was Jesus. Then were the disciples
glad when they saw the Lord. They knew. Continue
reading now. Then said Jesus unto them again,
Peace be unto you. Follow very closely. As my
father hath sent me, even so send I you. In other
words, he's saying to them now, I'll be with
you a very short time. My work has been accomplished.
From here on out, the responsibility is yours.
A great responsibility. And you talk about faith.
You talk about the father having faith in his
son when he sent him. Beloved, have you ever
seen a greater faith exercised than Jesus? placed
in those disciples. He knew the limit of the
light that they had received. He knew they were
flesh. He knew they were ordinary men. He knew
their limitations. And yet the greatest responsibility
has ever been placed in men. Jesus himself placed
in those precious men. Many times unstable in
their thinking, in their actions, even in their
faith. As my... Father hath sent me. Even so
send I you. He knew he would be gone. The world
would see him no more. They would be left to
carry on his work. They would represent him.
As Paul said, for me to live is Christ. They
could no longer look upon his face. They could
no longer follow him in bodily form. They would
see his disciples. They would see those who were
called Christians, and they would represent him.
him so send i you great is your responsibility
is that all watch what follows and when he had
said this he breathed on them and saith unto
them receive ye the holy ghost Let me read it
again. He breathed on them and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost. That, of course, was
a prophetic breathing, symbolic, suggestive.
Remember something. They were not filled with
the Holy Ghost at that time. Don't you ever let
anyone deceive you and tell you that at that
time they were filled with the Holy Spirit. That
they had received the Holy Ghost at that time.
It was impossible. They could not have received
the Holy Spirit at the time. The scripture does
not say that they were filled with the Holy Spirit
at that time. because the Holy Spirit had not
yet come. Prior to this, Jesus had told them
that after he was gone, the Holy Spirit would
come, but the Holy Spirit could not, would not
come until after he had gone away and had taken
the position of great high priest. the great
intercessor at the right hand of god the father
he was only reminding them of that which he had
already taught them that the third person would
come the mighty comforter would come unto them
and that they were to wait They were to receive
the Holy Spirit at that time. Let me read it
again. He breathed on them and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Spirit. It was a prophetic
breathing. It was symbolic. It was suggestive.
They did not receive the Holy Spirit then. Did
he not tell them in the course of these days
that they were to wait until they received the
Spirit? But while their mission was indicated
by the outstretched hands with the wound prints
in them and his declaration that he had authority
and that they were to be his messengers, He symbolically
revealed to them the secret of power. The word
receive, I think, is better rendered by the simpler
form of take ye. My father has sent me. I am
authority. under which you will go. But you cannot
go except in one power, that of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, that's thrilling. Watch it step by step.
That's the reason when the gentleman asked me
to please explain John 20. And... the 23rd verse
of this chapter. I cannot just take it out of
its setting and give an explanation. You must
see what precedes it. He knows his time is limited.
He is giving them their lost instruction. He
is reminding them of that which he has already
told them. That's right. His work was done. He
was leaving. They were to take his place. They
were to represent him. Even as you and I as Christians
represent him in this world of darkness. He reminds
them that the... Power in their life would be
the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost. All fruitfulness,
all power would stem from this mighty third person,
the Trinity. Ye shall receive power after...
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. The authority
that he delegated to them is the same authority
that he has delegated to you and to me. We are
to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We are to
become channels through which the Holy Spirit
can move, can work, can speak. Then he continues
after saying, Receive ye the Holy Spirit, by
saying, Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted
unto them. And whosoever sins ye retain, they
are retained. The groundwork has been laid. In
our next heart -to -heart talk, I will give you
the full interpretation of the 23rd verse.