WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:04.030 Aren't you glad you're a Christian? Aren't you 00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:08.330 glad you can look up and know that the mighty 00:00:08.330 --> 00:00:13.429 Creator is your Heavenly Father? Oh, remember 00:00:13.429 --> 00:00:19.350 again, the richest person in the whole world 00:00:19.350 --> 00:00:26.190 is poor if they do not have that wonderful relationship. 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:33.299 between themselves and Almighty God. And the 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:38.259 poorest person, that person without a copper 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:42.259 cent in his pocket, the person who may be living 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:50.280 in one little attic room, is rich with peace 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:54.619 of mind and peace in the soul and having made 00:00:54.619 --> 00:01:01.030 his peace with God. who's able to look up and 00:01:01.030 --> 00:01:09.069 say with surety, My Heavenly Father. Well, sir, 00:01:09.349 --> 00:01:15.829 oh, got your Bible. That's right. Remember our 00:01:15.829 --> 00:01:20.629 little heart -to -heart talk? And I didn't finish 00:01:20.629 --> 00:01:26.150 it. Yesterday and today, here we go. And it all 00:01:26.150 --> 00:01:30.950 started. When a gentleman asks this question, 00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:37.530 will you please explain John 20 and the 23rd 00:01:37.530 --> 00:01:43.909 verse? As I told you in a little heart -to -heart 00:01:43.909 --> 00:01:51.390 talk, that I could not begin to just take this 00:01:51.390 --> 00:01:55.780 one verse of Scripture and give you... a true 00:01:55.780 --> 00:02:02.000 and an exact explanation of it unless I would 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.299 take the entire chapter because you cannot take 00:02:05.299 --> 00:02:08.020 just one verse of scripture out of its continuity 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:14.639 and try to give the correct meaning of the scripture. 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:19.000 Many a false doctrine has been built on just 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:25.639 one verse of scripture. Know that. You must always 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:32.120 see what precedes or what follows a scripture. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.979 We did exactly that. That 20th chapter of John, 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:45.659 it begins with a glorious resurrection morning. 00:02:46.139 --> 00:02:50.039 When Mary came to the tomb, the body of Jesus 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:55.460 was not there. All... what a day that was. What 00:02:55.460 --> 00:03:02.740 a day of excitement it must have been. I am sure 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:07.439 that this was a day of excitement that none of 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.979 us had ever lived through. Because in that 19th 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:18.120 verse, it says, Then the same day at evening, 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:21.439 being the first day of the week, when the doors 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:27.550 were shut, and the disciples were assembled for 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:34.229 fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in their 00:03:34.229 --> 00:03:40.110 midst. First of all, I dare say they were afraid. 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:45.030 Of course, the most natural thing in the world 00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:49.310 would be to be frightened. The last time that 00:03:49.310 --> 00:03:52.919 some of them had seen him. was when they took 00:03:52.919 --> 00:04:00.300 his body off the cross. And then suddenly, there 00:04:00.300 --> 00:04:04.120 he stood in their midst. And the first thing 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:09.900 that he did was to show them his hands, his side. 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:14.879 He brought forth his credentials, that there 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:18.180 would be no doubt in their minds whatsoever that 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:24.500 he was. Their savior, their master, their Christ. 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:31.379 Then he began talking to them. During his time 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:36.019 was limited. He talked to them about the most 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:42.980 important things possible. For some of them, 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:49.259 it would be their last instructions. The first 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:54.120 thing that he... did was to tell them of their 00:04:54.120 --> 00:05:00.180 great responsibility. That even as God the Father 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:04.860 had sent him and his mission had been accomplished, 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:12.819 and accomplished perfectly, now he was going 00:05:12.819 --> 00:05:16.620 away. He would no longer be in their midst in 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:22.300 bodily form. They had leaned upon him. Oh, how 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:27.740 heavily they had leaned upon the master. As long 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:32.459 as he was in their presence, as long as they 00:05:32.459 --> 00:05:39.959 could see him, their faith was intact. But now 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.399 he was going away. They would no longer be able 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.180 to see him. They would have to stand on their 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:51.540 own two feet. They would have to exercise faith 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:57.139 as their faith had never been exercised before. 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:05.360 He said to them, This is the greatest responsibility 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:15.500 that I have ever given to men. Even as the Father 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:24.819 hath sent me, So send I you. Oh, what a responsibility. 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:30.139 I wonder when he spoke those words if they really 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:36.600 realized the full impact of the words that he 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:38.899 was speaking unto them. But remember something. 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:43.980 That same responsibility is yours. That same 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:50.519 responsibility is mine. We too are sinners saved 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:56.899 by the grace of God. We too are Christians even 00:06:56.899 --> 00:07:05.660 as they were Christians. Know that. Their responsibility 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:13.120 is also our responsibility this very hour. You 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:20.970 and I represent Him. even as the Father sent 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:28.089 Jesus. And Jesus carried out the instructions 00:07:28.089 --> 00:07:34.129 to the dotting of every I, to the crossing of 00:07:34.129 --> 00:07:38.149 every T, and carried the Father's instructions 00:07:38.149 --> 00:07:45.889 out perfectly. So we, as Christians, representing 00:07:45.889 --> 00:07:52.910 Him, or to follow his instructions and carry 00:07:52.910 --> 00:08:00.790 out his perfect plan. We represent him. Even 00:08:00.790 --> 00:08:10.709 so, send I you. But he didn't stop there. When 00:08:10.709 --> 00:08:14.209 he had finished saying these all -important words, 00:08:14.449 --> 00:08:22.250 he breathed on them and then reminded them of 00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:27.850 something that he had spoken to them about previously 00:08:27.850 --> 00:08:35.549 telling them in detail regarding the work of 00:08:35.549 --> 00:08:38.470 the holy spirit the one who had not yet come 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:44.220 And the Scripture says, He breathed on them and 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:52.460 saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. As 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:54.059 I told you in our little heart -to -heart talk 00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:59.940 yesterday, this was a prophetic breathing. It 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:05.000 was symbolic. For it was impossible for them 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.940 to receive the Holy Spirit that moment. because 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:14.759 the Holy Spirit had not yet come. Jesus had previously 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:19.279 told them that he had to go away first before 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:24.559 the Holy Spirit could come. Therefore, hear me. 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:32.779 When he breathed upon them, they did not receive 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:35.860 the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit. 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.899 The infilling of the Holy Spirit. The baptism 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:41.059 of the Holy Spirit. Call the experience whatever 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:47.539 you will. They did not receive that power. They 00:09:47.539 --> 00:09:54.940 did not receive the person. At that moment. For 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:59.779 the Holy Spirit was still in glory. Jesus was 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:02.419 with them in bodily form. And the Holy Spirit 00:10:02.419 --> 00:10:08.340 could not come until after. after Jesus had gone 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:13.159 back to glory and took the position of great 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:21.679 high priest. Watch. After he said those words, 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:30.539 there followed the wonderful words revealing 00:10:30.539 --> 00:10:34.320 the reason why they should receive the Spirit. 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:39.519 And here it comes. Now we come to that 23rd verse. 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:42.779 And all of this time we have been laying the 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:48.120 groundwork for this most important. I read it. 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:55.019 Whosoever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven 00:10:55.019 --> 00:11:01.779 unto them. Whosoever sins ye retain, they are 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.470 retained. Now that was spoken to the whole assembly, 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:15.370 to those who were sent, to his disciples. Pause 00:11:15.370 --> 00:11:17.909 for just a minute. Consider something that is 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:25.250 most important. Is that authority, is that power 00:11:25.250 --> 00:11:30.889 still with the church? It certainly ought to 00:11:30.889 --> 00:11:40.419 be. I repeat, It certainly ought to be. That 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:48.399 authority, that power should still be with the 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:53.399 church. And it certainly is when the conditions 00:11:53.399 --> 00:12:00.360 are borne in mind and observed. What did the 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:05.059 Father send Jesus into the world to do? to deal 00:12:05.059 --> 00:12:12.019 with sin and sins, thou shalt call his name Jesus, 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:17.340 for it is he that shall save his people from 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:23.580 their sins. He came into the world to face a 00:12:23.580 --> 00:12:30.480 world that is morally paralyzed and blasted. 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:36.570 What for? to bear the sins, to break the power 00:12:36.570 --> 00:12:40.470 of sin, to liberate humanity from the mastery 00:12:40.470 --> 00:12:45.830 of sins, to remit them, to set men free from 00:12:45.830 --> 00:12:52.730 their sins. There's only one who has the power 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:57.830 to forgive sins. Just one. It is the blood of 00:12:57.830 --> 00:13:05.320 Jesus Christ, God's Son. The blood. of the Son 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:10.740 of the Living God that blots out our every transgression. 00:13:10.980 --> 00:13:14.120 It is the blood that maketh an atonement for 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:26.000 the soul. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, God's 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:33.330 Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. That's straight, 00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:39.309 beloved. There is only one who has the power 00:13:39.309 --> 00:13:47.669 to forgive. That's right. The ultimate reason 00:13:47.669 --> 00:13:50.289 of the mission of the church in the world is 00:13:50.289 --> 00:13:54.750 to deal with sin. Of himself, he said in his 00:13:54.750 --> 00:13:58.009 lifetime, I came not to call the righteous, but 00:13:58.009 --> 00:14:02.460 sinners to repentance. That's the mission of 00:14:02.460 --> 00:14:06.279 the church. Have the church then the power to 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:11.399 remit or retain? To bring the question down to 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:15.779 the individual, have I, not as a priest belonging 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:19.799 to a caste, not as a minister recognized by the 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:22.919 church and set apart by the church to my work, 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:30.259 but have I as one sent by Christ? the right to 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:36.720 say to any individual, Thy sins are forgiven 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:43.620 thee. Have I the right to say to any man, any 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:53.960 woman, Your sins are forgiven. Now pause a minute. 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:57.299 I don't want to rush through this. It's most 00:14:57.299 --> 00:15:01.440 important. I don't believe that I've ever heard 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:05.139 a sermon preached on this in my life. I don't 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:10.620 ever remember. And yet it's most important. Let's 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:16.159 face it. Has any man, has any woman the right 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:21.860 to say to another, your sins are forgiven? Oh, 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:26.399 I wish I could be sitting right there and see 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:31.860 your face right now. Oh, I wish right now I could 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:39.100 hear everything that's being said. I wish I could 00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:43.759 know what your answer would be. It would probably 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:48.059 be divided quite evenly. Some would say no and 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:51.379 some would say yes, but it's what the Bible says. 00:15:53.879 --> 00:16:02.480 Watch something. I have looked into the faces 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:13.700 of hundreds and hundreds of men. I have seen 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:17.519 the tears of repentance coursing down their faces. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:23.100 I have heard their prayers as they've looked 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:28.000 up and said, dear God, deliver me from sin. I 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:31.279 know I'm a sinner and I'm sorry for my sins. 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.279 And I come to you right now, forgive my sins. 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:40.259 And I've looked into their tear -stained faces 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:46.299 and I have said, a God who cannot lie has promised. 00:16:46.659 --> 00:16:53.059 A Jesus who gave his life for you has promised 00:16:53.059 --> 00:16:57.169 that... If we confess our sins, he is able and 00:16:57.169 --> 00:16:59.649 just to forgive us our sins. That right now, 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:05.210 Jesus does forgive your sins and you have been 00:17:05.210 --> 00:17:10.890 forgiven. And this moment you stand redeemed, 00:17:10.890 --> 00:17:14.710 an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. 00:17:15.650 --> 00:17:19.549 I have a right to say that upon the authority 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:26.150 of God's word. Why? Because they have met the 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:31.589 conditions of confessing. And the only person 00:17:31.589 --> 00:17:36.390 that Jesus cannot help. Hear me. I don't care 00:17:36.390 --> 00:17:40.809 who you are. You may have committed every sin 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:43.990 in the book. You may have broken every commandment. 00:17:44.170 --> 00:17:50.589 You may have gone as low as any human being has 00:17:50.589 --> 00:18:00.569 ever gone. If you will confess your sins to him, 00:18:00.730 --> 00:18:08.849 not to me, to him, because it is his blood that 00:18:08.849 --> 00:18:12.210 maketh an atonement for the soul, and you can 00:18:12.210 --> 00:18:16.950 look up and say, Jesus, I've sinned against you. 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:21.829 I've sinned against the laws of God, the laws 00:18:21.829 --> 00:18:30.670 of men. I'm sorry. If you will repent to him 00:18:30.670 --> 00:18:40.309 of your sin, a God who cannot lie, a Christ who 00:18:40.309 --> 00:18:45.970 is bound by his promise, will keep his promise 00:18:45.970 --> 00:18:51.960 and that moment he'll forgive your sins. As surely 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:56.420 as you have met the condition, I can turn to 00:18:56.420 --> 00:19:03.200 you and say of a truth. Sir, you are forgiven. 00:19:05.859 --> 00:19:13.160 This moment, you stand justified before God by 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:22.349 faith. That authority is... Feel the power of 00:19:22.349 --> 00:19:28.309 the church. Know that. That's the word of God. 00:19:29.549 --> 00:19:32.289 Oh, that's glorious. Isn't that thrilling to 00:19:32.289 --> 00:19:38.109 you? That's why Jesus said, remember, be filled 00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:43.869 with the Spirit. It is the Spirit who gives the 00:19:43.869 --> 00:19:49.869 power. And as the Father hath sent me, so I send 00:19:49.869 --> 00:19:59.650 you. Do my work. And we're crying to do a good 00:19:59.650 --> 00:20:02.069 job. Amen.