Life with a Sure Faith and a Living Hope Acts 5:29–42; 1 Peter 1:3–9; John 20:19–31 

 

Grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, our faithful Father, and Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

 

We’re going to talk about Life with a Sure Faith and a Living Hope.

 

Today’s Gospel paints a picture of the disciples still not quite sure what to think about all that had happened that Easter morning, but, in their minds, they were sure they needed to hide from their enemies.

 

Jesus found them, to encourage them, and to commission them. 

 

He appeared to them out of nowhere, it seemed, and startled them, but He calmed them, Peace be with you.  

 

To assure them that it wasn’t some spirit but was really Him, that He had truly and physically risen, He showed them His distinguishing marks, His hands that had been pierced when He was nailed to the cross… and His side that had been pierced by a spear when He was taken down.

 

The disciples were filled with joy when they realized it truly was Jesus, alive again, and well. 

 

Jesus had completed His first purpose for appearing to them, assuring them that He was truly risen, both for their faith, and for their witness to others. 

 

And then His second reason for appearing to them, He commissioned them to spread the Gospel. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 

 

A part of that commission was the ministry of the forgiveness of sins.

 

The disciples had heard and seen Jesus forgive sins during His ministry, and now they would be authorized to do the same in His name.

In Matthew 9, when Jesus healed the paralyzed man, and we’ll see this in our Bible study this morning, in our episode of “The Chosen”… Jesus said to the paralyzed man: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”   

 

And then to those who heard Him say that, Jesus said, that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” 

 

He then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 

 

Jesus would give His apostles the authority to heal and do miracles when He would send the Holy Spirit to them at Pentecost.

 

Here He gave them the authority to forgive the sins of those who repent; and not just the disciples; He gives this ministry of forgiveness to His Church, for all generations until He returns.

 

Our Gospel says, 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

 

We call this the office of the keys, the power to forgive the sins, and regain the innocence, of those who repent and believe. This grace unlocks the gates of Heaven for the faithful to enter in.

 

But this also includes the God-given authority to retain the sins and keep the guilt, of those who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus as their Savior and Forgiver. 

 

But Jesus died to forgive us, and He so much wants us to repent and receive His life-changing forgiveness.

 

For whatever reason, Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus appeared to the disciples that first night after He rose. 

Thomas was bold, but cynical. He refused to believe what the other disciples told him had just happened. 

He was so skeptical and determined that He said: “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Jesus knew what Thomas was thinking and what He had said, so He appeared to the disciples again when He knew that Thomas was there, to rescue Thomas from the skepticism that was keeping him down and holding him back. 

 

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

 

 27 Then 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.” 

 

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 

 

Doubting Thomas, became confessing, believing Thomas… and with a bold faith, he became a proclaimer of the Gospel, and then a martyr of the Gospel, and now, He rejoices with the mighty throng of the glorious faithful in Heaven. 

 

In our Epistle, Peter says, 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope 

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

 

When we find ourselves having doubts toward God and His Word, the thing to do is to remember the living hope we’ve been given, because that focuses us on the positive outcome, the victory over sin, death and all that would work against us in this world.

 

Faith and hope in Christ help us to focus us on all that works for our good, in this world, and in the next…  into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you, we’re promised in our Epistle.

 

Later this morning, baby Loretta Faith Pawelk, will be baptized into this promised inheritance. She’ll be made a dear child of God, and given this gift of genuine, victorious faith, and a living, joyful hope.

 

In Christ she’ll always have the bright hope of the Gospel to lift her up and  to keep her walking heavenward… along with her faithful mother and father, as they raise her and her sister Maggie in the Word and the love of the Lord, and as you joyfully serve Him together. 

 

That we might receive and share and be certain of this glorious inheritance, our faith, Peter says, is shielded by God’s power until the coming of  salvation.

 

God’s power is greater than our doubts. Christ’s resurrection from death and His victory over the grave proves that. 

 

The disciples may have had their doubts and misunderstandings, but it didn’t keep Jesus from rising for them and for us. 

 

In all this, Peter says, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

 

As God brings us through our doubts and our difficulties, it just multiplies and strengthens our faith to the honor and glory of God. Our faith strengthens us, and it honors God.

 

From this Spirit-given faith, comes a living hope, and a glorious joy. 

 

Peter says, 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

Knowing that this is where it all leads to and where it all comes out, helps us to remain faithful, and hopeful, and joyful, even in life’s troubles and trials.

 

Jesus told Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

We’ve not yet seen our risen Lord, but we’re blessed because of it.

 

We can only live by God’s gift of faith, and believing is far more powerful than seeing.

 

And living with hope is far more positive and impacting than living with nothing to look forward to. 

 

Looking forward to glorious and eternal life with Christ is the greatest, most aspirational hope anyone can have. Remembering that helps to dispel the doubts and to live more convinced and assured in the promises of God.

 

May God bless us with victorious faith and living hope, so that we serve Him with joy, and our neighbor with gladness.

 

And may His peace, which passes understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our risen Lord. 

 

Alleluia! He is risen! He is risen, indeed. Alleluia! Amen. 

 

We now proclaim our sure faith and living hope with the words of the Apostles’ Creed. Please stand.