3 kinds of peace made available because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Acts 2:42 - They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:43 - Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Acts 4:33 - And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
Ephesians 2:13, 19-22 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
2 Peter 3:1-2 - This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
Jude 17-18 - But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
Revelation 21:14 - And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
John 20:30-31 - Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
3 kinds of peace made available because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
I. Peace that Overcomes Fear
Mark 14:50 - And they all left Him and fled.
John 20:18 - Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
John 20:19 - So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews…
A. Even when our fears are misplaced
John 20:19 - …Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
“Consider what all this means. When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us. He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did. And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people. Hebrews is not just telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us. It’s telling us the kind of love he has: rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, he gets down with us, he puts his arm around us, he deals with us in the way that is just what we need. He deals gently with us.” (Dane Ortlund, Gentle & Lowly, p. 54-55)
B. With overwhelming evidence
John 20:20 - And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…
Ephesians 2:13-17 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near…
II. Peace to Embrace Your Calling
John 20:21 - So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
A. Because of the certainty of your calling
John 20:21 - …as the Father has sent me…
John 20:21 - …as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
John 15:16 - You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:8 - …but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
B. Because of the empowerment of your mission
John 20:22 - And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
C. Because of the significance of your mission
John 20:23 - If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.
III. Peace to Overcome Your Doubts
A. Meeting us at our point of need
John 20:24-25 - But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
John 11:16 - Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
John 20:26-27 - After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
B. Resulting in a powerful affirmation
John 20:28 - Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
“That was enough for the doubter; his melancholy skepticism dissolved forever in light of the irrefutable evidence in the person confronting him. Overwhelmed, he made perhaps the greatest confession of any of the apostles, rivaled only by Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16)…Significantly, Jesus did not correct him, but accepted Thomas’ affirmation of His deity.” (John MacArthur, John 12-21, p. 385)
C. Pointing to a delightful possibility
John 20:29 - Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
- Would you agree with me this am that the apostles were extremely important figures in the history and development of Christ’s church?...
- that might be the easiest quiz question of the week, huh?...
- other than our Lord Himself…and keeping in mind that Paul also eventually became an apostle…no wonder we would read verses like Acts 2:42 describing the activities of the early church – Acts 2:42 - They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
- or the very next verse…Acts 2:43 - Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
- or, Acts 4:33 - And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
- so, even though we’re a very diverse group and we could probably get a disagreement going about something this morning…I think we could rally together around this premise… that the apostles were extremely important figures in the history and development of Christ’s church…
- you could even make the argument that what we’re doing even today…nearly 2000 years later…is simply building on the foundation handed down to us by these early leaders…is that true?....sure…
- so Paul told the Ephesians…Ephesians 2:13, 19-22 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
- Peter described the sanctification process in party as constantly reminding ourselves of such ideas… 2 Peter 3:1–2 - This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
- if you’ve ever studied the small book of Jude, which is about false teaching and apostacy…this topic comes up again… Jude 17–18 - But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
- in other words, your attention to the teaching of the apostles will protect you from error and false teaching…
- no wonder that when we get to the book of Revelation and the picture of the New Jerusalem, we read, Revelation 21:14 - And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
- so I think that’s more than enough to make the case… that the apostles were extremely important figures in the history and development of Christ’s church
- now, let me ask you to pan over to the person you saw in the mirror this morning…you remember who I’m talking about – with the wild hair and whatever other imperfections might go with that picture…
- is there any sense in which that person – you [assuming that you’re a follower of Jesus Christ], is there any sense in which you could be more blessed than even the apostles…that in Christ, you could achieve something that they never did?...
- the answer to that question is a resounding “yes”…
- with that in mind, please open your Bible to John chapter 20…that’s on page 89 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you…
- out theme this year has been Enjoying Life in Jesus’ Name…we’ve been working our way verse-by-verse through the Gospel of John…
- None of us would have predicted the kind of year we were going to have in our culture…I think we assumed the pandemic would be over by Easter and if not by then, certainly by the 4th of July…
- that’s not exactly been the case…along with everything else that has happened in our country and our world…
- however, I hope each of us could point to specific ways we have found joy because of our personal and corporate relationship with Jesus Christ…
- our passage this morning actually contains our theme verse that we have reviewed dozens of times… John 20:30–31 - Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
- so we can either live life in our own names – according to our wisdom, and our strength, and our ideals, and agendas…
- or we can understand that when a person chooses to become a follower of Jesus Christ – there’s both a death, and a resurrection…and a resultant union that informs and impacts our life’s choices and direction each and every day…
- that was Paul’s point in Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
- so what we set out to do this year is certainly possible…to Enjoy Life in Jesus’ Name…
- our verses today are filled with hope…because now the tomb is empty…and our Savior is alive…sin has been addressed, and death has been overcome…
- so the question now becomes – what about those disciples who doubted and deserted the Lord in His hour of need?...
- the answer top that question tells us much about our sweet Savior…and the kind of peace He chooses to make available to men and women who have failed, and who are gripped with fear and doubt…
- please let that word roll around in your heart…peace, shalom, the way things were supposed to be…Jesus is about to offer that to his followers three different times in one brief interaction…
- but if you look carefully…you’ll see that our resurrected Savior wasn’t just thinking of his frightened apostles and their associates…He was clearly looking ahead, to people like you and me…
- we’re talking this morning about how Jesus Offers You Comprehensive Peace…
- read John 20:19-31
- so we’re talking this morning about how Jesus Offers You Comprehensive Peace…
- and with the time we have remaining, let’s walk our way through these verses and find 3 kinds of peace made available because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I. Peace that Overcomes Fear
- one of the ways that this text is instructive is everything it doesn’t contain…
- if there was ever a time for a group of people to be shamed, or called out, or fired from their positions…this is it.
- remember this haunting detail - Mark 14:50 - And they all left Him and fled.
- and now it is the evening of the resurrection…and they’ve already received the clear testimony of Mary Magdalene… John 20:18 - Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
- and yet where are they?... John 20:19 - So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews…
- now I think most if not all of us are old enough, and mature enough, to cut the disciples some slack on this one…why?...
- because we have certainly given into fear in circumstances far less jolting than these…
A. Even when our fears are misplaced
- so they were trusting in the power of a locked door and fearing what the religious leaders might do to them even though they had already been told that Jesus was alive…
- when I was in Bible college and seminary, the Lord provided for me and Kris in an entire series of amazing ways…
- I joke a lot about building in-ground swimming pools, but that job was a marvelous provision that kept us one step ahead of the tuition man all through college and seminary…
- The Lord also gave Kris a great job right at the seminary which meant we could ride together and provided half-off tuition as a benefit…
- he gave me a job throughout the school year washing dishes at a local hospital…and all sorts of other sweet provisions that showed His watch-care over us…
- so you would think I would acknowledge His provision and His resurrection power and bask in the peace that came through trusting Him…
- but that wasn’t always the case, especially when I wanted an answer to a question about the future…
- and if the Lord’s timing was different than mine…I would give into sinful worry and fear…
- so when we went to seminary, we purchased a trailer so we wouldn’t have to pay rent…
- well, I was going to finish classes in December, and I had taken a position as a Christian school admin in NJ while I would continue working on a Doctor of Ministries degree in BC…
- but that position at the Christian school paid $24,000 per year, which would barely cover rent and living expenses in NJ – we had to sell the trailer…but throughout that entire fall…it didn’t sell, and it didn’t sell…
- and I was becoming consumed with worry and fear…
- Maybe you can tell a similar story from your experience…
- so the passage says… John 20:19 - …Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
- can you imagine what that must have been like?...so much for trusting in the doors you had carefully locked…
- and now what the resurrected Savior is offering them is not a lecture about their failures, and a heap of guilt and shame, or a pink slip while He finds a more reliable group…peace be with you…
- several times now we have recommended Dane Ortland’s book Gentle and Lowly
- in one section, he’s discussing Hebrews 5:2 and how Jesus so often chooses to deal gently with his children… Consider what all this means. When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us. He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did. And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people. Hebrews is not just telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us. It’s telling us the kind of love he has: rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, he gets down with us, he puts his arm around us, he deals with us in the way that is just what we need. He deals gently with us.
- aren’t you thankful for a Savior like that?
- and why we would ever go to some other source when we’re feeling guilty, or overwhelmed, or fearful – when we know this is the kind of response we will receive from Him?...
- it’s also important to note that this wasn’t peace without substance…instead, the next verses tells us that Jesus gave them…
B. With overwhelming evidence
- John 20:20 - And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
- we’ve had a year’s worth of messages that have provided an incredible amount of evidence to believe in Christ…and to find our peace in Him…
- can I ask you to pause and think about whether you’re finding your peace in Him?...
- so what do you think Jesus would say to people like you and me if we’ve been fretting about COVID?...”Peace be with you…”
- what would he say if we are worried about the economy…or worried about our jobs…or worried about our futures?...”Peace be with you.”
- [develop how this applies to pastors during these times of uncertainty, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in ministry…]
- here’s another way to think about this – why should it have been easier for the disciples to accept Christ’s peace at this moment than ever before?...because of what Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection had accomplished for them, and for us…
- Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
- in the introduction, we quoted from the latter portion of Ephesians 2 about the role of the apostles in the life of the church…
- well, what subject is discussed just prior to that?...
- the impact the cross has on our relationships with diverse people in the church…
- Ephesians 2:13–17 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
- if you’re here this morning and you’ve not yet trusted Christ…are you finding peace anywhere else?...(lasting, meaningful peace)…
- Christian friend – Jesus is offering us a gift, but we have to accept it…it’s peace that overcomes fear…
- amazingly, this topic surfaces again in the very next verse, so now it’s a …
II. Peace to Embrace Your Calling
- he says - John 20:21 - So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
- isn’t amazing?...
- not – you messed up and there’s no place for you…
- or you’ll have to go back to summer school and then re-take the exam…
A. Because of the certainty of your calling
- John 20:21 - …as the Father has sent me…
- would there have been any question in anyone’s mind that the Father had sent the Son?...
- and the Lord says…with that same degree of certainty… John 20:21 - …as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
- there’s a direct relationship between your understanding of, and commitment to, your God-given mission – and the level of peace you have in a given situation…
- for example, Jesus has already explained to them… John 15:16 - “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
- soon after these words were spoken, Jesus would tell them… Matthew 28:18–20 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Acts 1:8 - but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
- now, if you’re trying to connect these dots logically, you might say – the mission that God has given me is actually what is creating the fear…
- or you could say – I know enough church history to know that these men didn’t have easy lives or pain-free deaths…where’s the peace in that?...
- the answer is – what often takes our peace away is some idol that gets in the way of accomplishing God’s calling and mission for us in the moment…
- maybe God’s calling isn’t that I get my way right now – perhaps if I was less focused on that, I would have more peace…
- maybe God’s calling isn’t that I have perfect health right now – if I was less focused on that, maybe I would have more peace…
- maybe His calling isn’t that I like this job, or this professor, or these circumstances – if I was let some of those things go…maybe I would have more peace…
- a couple of weeks ago I had several nights where I didn’t have time to go home between my daytime responsibilities and my evening ones – so someone was going to run over to Arni’s and I asked them to order a fried chicken salad for me…[I hadn’t eaten that day, so I figured I earned the fried chicken kind…
- so my time was really tight, and when I got back to the office, I opened the bag and noticed there wasn’t any chicken…
- so now we’re looking at the possibility of starvation…
- I really didn’t have time but I walked across the parking lot and explained my dilemma to the guy behind the counter at Arni’s…
- and so he goes on to explain in front of the rest of the staff rather loudly that it was in fact a fried chicken salad but that the chicken was on the bottom…
- so I felt a bit silly to have wasted his time and mine…
- so I walked back across the parking lot and up to my office…open the container…and guess what?...there’s no chicken anywhere to be found…
- so by now I’m getting a little bit “hangry”…because did I mention, starvation was right around the corner…
- so now I’m walking back across the parking lot again…and I’m not suggesting that I do this perfectly…but we’re neighbors to Arni’s…and we have a lot invested in those relationships…so I’m just asking the Lord to help me interact with these folks in a way that advances our mission, not detracts from it…
- and it’s amazing how much peace can come over you when you focus on whatever circumstances you’re racing through the lens of your God-given mission…
- there’s something a lot more important here than fried chicken…
- and when I walked in the second time, the fellow was pretty sure he knew what happened…and he even said…there wasn’t any chicken, was there?...
- he apologized profusely…and it gave us an opportunity to enjoy the moment instead of getting in a fuss…
- and they even made me a larger one for no extra charge…
- unfortunately I’m sure I have plenty of other examples where my response wasn’t nearly as mission-focused or peace-generating…
- how about you?...
- there’s also peace…
B. Because of the empowerment of your mission
- in the next verse we read…
- John 20:22 - And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
- now, please keep in mind that we are in a transition time between the old covenant and the new…and we know the disciples will receive the Holy Spirit in a more formal way on the Day of Pentecost a few short weeks from now…
- so we assume this was a ceremonial or metaphorical “breathing”…
- but let’s not be so focused on that that we miss the point…
- our source of peace is supernatural…
- and part of the fruit He seeks to build in us… Galatians 5:22–23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
- I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that in the lives of our church members…they had a kind of peace in the midst of trying circumstances that could only be explained by the sovereign power of God working in and through them…
- there’s also the peace that comes from recognizing…
C. Because of the significance of your mission
- John 20:23 - “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
- this verse has been misused in all sorts of ways…but we believe the Lord was just pointing out that there were eternal issues at stake as they carried out their mission or living and proclaiming the gospel…
- that brings peace because it takes the edge off some of the sacrifice and uncertainty that comes from living for God…
- let’s say for example, that you’re planning to be involved in one of our Christmas ministries…
- there’s schedules and budgets and uncertainties…
- but when you think about how someone could trust Christ as a result of those efforts…their sin will be forgiven through trusting the shed blood of Jesus Christ…that brings about peace…
- and it puts all the things that might rob us of peace in perspective…
- so there’s pace that helps you overcome fear, and peace that helps you embrace your mission…and then…
III. Peace to Overcome Your Doubts
- I’ve tried to point out as we’ve walked through this study how one of the evidences of the inspiration of the Bible is how open Scripture is to the failures of its early leaders…
- if this was simply a man-made document…we would have expected all of that to have been air-brushed out before the final draft…
- but if you would say – what if I tend to be filled with doubts – what does Jesus have for me?...
- isn’t the answer incredible?...
A. Meeting us at our point of need
- John 20:24–25 - But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
- Thomas was the never-ending Eeyore of the group…
- do you remember what he said about the trip where Christ was going to raise Lazarus from the dead?...
- John 11:16 - Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
- so, here he makes this incredible expression of doubt…and you have to wonder, did he think everyone else was just making this up?...
- and what does Jesus have for him?...
- John 20:26–27 - After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
- label that, be careful what you wish for…
- but thankfully, that…
B. Resulting in a powerful affirmation
- John 20:28 - Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
- which shows what God’s forgiving grace can do…
- John MacArthur observed – That was enough for the doubter; his melancholy skepticism dissolved forever in light of the irrefutable evidence in the person confronting him. Overwhelmed, he made perhaps the greatest confession of any of the apostles, rivaled only by Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16)…Significantly, Jesus did not correct him, but accepted Thomas’ affirmation of His deity (John MacArthur, John 12-21, p. 385).
- but that occasion allows Jesus to make one more statement…
C. Pointing to a delightful possibility
- John 20:29 - Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
- [tie back to the conclusion, about how we all agree the apostles were crucial to the development of Christ’s church…when people like you and me choose to believe even though we have less tangible evidence…we are can have a kind of blessing only reserved for those who choose to embrace the peace that comes from believing that which we have not yet seen.]
- [develop contemporary examples…]
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