The Cloud of Witnesses

Acts 2:14a, 22-32, John 20:19-31

March 30, 2008

Last week, as we wrapped up our trial of Jesus, we heard testimony from Mary Magdalene, that she and others had witnessed the risen Christ.  For us, for the world, this brings about a brand new era, an era in which we, as Christians, live and hope and dream and confess that we are ruled by the resurrected Christ, the one who overcame death!

Now, this is important.  So important, in fact, that it separates time: BC and AD. Do you realize that?  Forget about Daylight Savings Time, because who knows when that is any more, but this is time itself! We need to realize that, and to experience the Risen Christ for ourselves, each and every day.

Because while our most familiar passages in scripture are the stories of Jesus’ ministry while he walked the earth, we live in the post-crucifixion era.  We are Easter people, and Jesus continues to appear to people today just as he did 2000 years ago.  Why?  Because the reason that Christ died on the cross was in order to have a relationship with YOU!

Do you have a living, vital relationship with Jesus?  If you do, you become part of what scripture calls the “great cloud of witnesses”- those who have experienced the living Christ and bear testimony to his love.  You see, because when you experience Christ’s love, you can’t help but to tell others about it. 

So the question is, Have you experienced the Risen Christ?

Bruce Larson said, “The events of Easter cannot be reduced to a creed or philosophy. We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead. In faith, we move from belief in a doctrine to a knowledge of a person. Ultimate truth is a person. We’ve met him. He is alive-“

The historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus is not something that is based on mere conjecture. It is based upon eyewitness accounts from people who saw, touched, and ate with Him after His resurrection.

If you are skeptical, or need proof, I recommend that you get yourself a copy of this book, “The Case for Easter.”

Because our faith is nothing until we have a personal encounter with the risen Jesus.

Some people have to come face to face with the truth before they believe.
a. They have to come face to face with the fact that they are lost and need God.
b. face to face with their own mortality.
c. face to face with their own sinfulness, and their need for a Savior.
d. Or perhaps even come face to face with tragedy before they believe.

But what really needs to happen is that they come face to face with the risen Jesus.
a. Face to face with His power.
b. Face to face with His forgiveness.
c. Face to face with His compassion.
d. Face to face with His love.
e. Face to face with His grace.

For you see, coming face to face with Jesus sets us free.
a. Free from bondage
b. Free from sin
c. Free from death

Face to face with Jesus does not, as some may believe, give us miraculous powers- we’re still human.

Two longstanding church members were in a boat fishing with a new Christian. Fishing is a great time for conversation and each was proclaiming his fervent faith and devotion to God. As they were discussing their faith, one’s hat blew into the water. So he stood up, calmly stepped onto the water, walked over to his hat, picked it up off the water, and walked backed to the boat. The new Christian was amazed how this Christian could seemingly walk on water.

As the new Christian was pondering this, the other church member’s hat blew into the water. He also very calmly stepped onto the water, walked over to his hat, picked it up off the water, and walked backed to the boat. The new Christian was overwhelmed at how spiritual these men must be to have walked on the water as they did.

Then the new Christian thought to himself, "Well, if these guys can do it, so can I", and he "helped" his hat blow into the water. He very calmly stepped out of the boat and was inhaling water instantly. As he fought his way to the surface, gasping for breath, the two long-standing church members turned to each other and said, "I think we should have told him about the sand bar on this side of the boat."

Another question for you is, Have you come face to face with Jesus?

You see, face to face with Jesus gives us a different kind of power- the power of confidence in our faith, of boldness to proclaim the Good News, of a joy beyond all measure.  We heard in our scripture reading that "the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders."  Fear has gripped their hearts and they no doubt conclude that the tragic fate of Jesus may soon be theirs.

Then, all of the sudden, "Jesus was standing there among them! Can you imagine that?! “Peace be with you,” he said.  Here they were locked up like Fort Knox and Jesus just walks right through the wall.  He spoke with them and showed them the wounds in His hands and side. The disciples were "filled with joy when they saw the Lord!"

What had once been fear had now been replaced with extreme joy.  Once all their hope was gone, but now they had a living hope.  Once all their dreams had been shattered, but now their dreams had become reality.  Jesus, who once was dead, but now is alive, is standing in their midst and all is right again.

He tells them “Peace be with you." But then He adds, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” He is alive, and in this, they rejoice, but now their work begins- to let others know that he is alive!

He came into the world to seek and save that which was lost, for this was the mission given Him by the Father.  Now He was sending them into the world with the same mission, just as all who believe in Him are sent—that means us!

Do remember the old Mission Impossible TV show? The guy would go into some secret place and listen to a tape recorder that said, "Mister Phelps, your mission, should you choose to accept it..."
Jesus had a mission for the disciples, and now they had to choose to accept it.  However, He was not going to send them out powerless. John tells us that "he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."

The Spirit — suggested throughout his public ministry, promised in the Upper Room, and symbolized at the cross — is now given to the disciples in a provocative and personal way.  Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit to empower them to fulfill their mission that He was sending them out to do.

We saw what the power of the Spirit can do in our reading from Acts.  The Spirit of Christ allows us to bear witness to others, to testify, just as for the past six weeks we heard witnesses testify, to the power of Jesus Christ in our lives.  Are you able to testify to the power of Jesus in your life?

Just as Jesus sent His disciples then, so He is sending us now.
a. It is our mission to share the gospel with everyone who will listen.
b. It is our purpose to reach out to those who need Jesus.
c. It is our job to be evangelists.
Sharing our faith is not an option; it is a calling on every Christian.

But, like those first disciples, we don’t go alone: Jesus has empowered us in our mission.
a. He has empowered us by His Holy Spirit.
b. He has empowered us with His word.
c. He has empowered us to be His witnesses.

Do you believe that?

As we heard, one of the disciples, Thomas, was missing when Jesus appeared to the others. When he returns, the other disciples tell him that they have seen the Lord.
He must have been from Missouri- the “show me” state.  His response is “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”  No one else in the NT makes these kind of demands before believing.  But Thomas would be satisfied by nothing less than material evidence.

And so, eight days later, there they were again. The doors were locked, and all of the sudden there stands Jesus.  Calling Thomas out, he tells Thomas “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”  You see, Jesus knew what Thomas had said for He knew the thoughts of Thomas’ heart, just as he knows the doubts and thoughts of our hearts.

Thomas is being challenged to change, to become like the others who, upon seeing Jesus, embrace him with faith.  Thomas’ response to Jesus challenge is classic, “My Lord and my God!”

However, Jesus puts another twist on Thomas’ response. He says, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Thomas’s faith is not necessarily blemished because of his need for sight; it is simply privileged, for few would ever have the gift of what these disciples have experienced.  And so it is a blessing and an encouragement for all who will follow:
Thomas believed because He saw, but we are blessed because we believed without seeing.  We are witnesses to Christ in our hearts

Jesus understands doubt.  However, Jesus calls us to move from doubt to faith.
a. He doesn’t mind the questions because He knows the questions lead to answers
b. He doesn’t mind the doubt because He knows we can be transformed from doubt to faith.
We all have had doubt at one time or another.  The question is, are you moving from doubt to faith?

You see, faith is the evidence of things not seen.  If we have faith, we don’t need to see, for we have the Living Christ and His Holy Spirit inside of us, and that is what we testify to.  We are all witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses through time.  Jesus calls us to share our testimony, to share our faith. How will you respond?