The Really Great Commission-Forgiving~ In His Word 5-24-2021

 

The Really Great Commission-Forgiving~ In His Word 5-24-2021

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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So, Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:19-23

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:16-20

We know in Matthew there is the title of “the Great Commission” He told them to go and make disciples, baptizing all nations peoples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them what to do and what to obey. We hear this one a lot but the one that stood out to me this morning as I read was John 20.  This is so wonderful because it was the 11 disciples that He spot to specifically, 10 of them. Not so different, but the thing is this one was after He went to heaven and came back. The on In Matthew was before the 11 disciples again but up on the mountain that He had said for them to go to.  Now, there is something that happened in John that makes me think it was before the mountain one. Jesus breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. He had said the comforter would come, and now He breathed it into them.

This happened so that when He told them to baptize them in the name of the Holy Spirit they would understand what Jesus was saying.  Then they were instructed to tell the people what they had seen and heard and His commands; but when Jesus gave instructions to go, and then gave them the He then permission to forgive sins as well, that is what really got me.

We are all up in peoples faces about God forgiving us, but do we tell them that they are forgiven by us, as well as God? I mean, according to John 20:23 the disciples, or 11, were to forgive people, and that He, in Heaven would forgive them as well if they forgave them on earth. Guess what? I believe that is what we too are to also... are we not?

So, as we go and tell the world about Jesus and the Gospel of God, let us remember that we need to check that we have forgiven people as well that they may be forgiven in heaven. We need to be sure we are not holding back our forgiveness or just because we know the sin they were in, hold tat against them. Just like us they are forgiven and free because Christ died for all of us and passed on the Holy Spirit to be freely given as easily as it was to the eleven. Really, all we need to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, and at that point we can receive the Holy Spirit just as they did. It’s not just about what happened on the day of Pentecost, but that was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and power that is for sure!  The most powerful of which is forgiveness. In John 21, Jesus goes on to forgive Peter for denying Him and encourages him to feed His lambs, care for His sheep, and feed His sheep. This shows us an example of how we can forgive and encourage people to move forward in their lives with Him.

The Holy Spirit is given to us that we can overcome obstacles in the way of sharing the Gospel, sharing Jesus’ love, His story, and His salvation. It also helps us discern between good and evil, right and wrong, directs our path in a clear way so that we know what to do and where to go. It’s not just about that ‘tongues as fire’ thing that we hear so much about all the time, but about the little things.

We are so blessed to be given such a great gift! Not just the gift of the Love of God, but He Himself!

He is not just some mystical being, or mist, He is God’s Spirit with us. Its not all spooky, but He really is here to comfort us, and for us to share His forgiveness with others, as well as the fact that Jesus gave Him to guide us in correct living each day.  Its not all that mysterious, its just God! Without the Holy Spirit and power of God we would not know when to pray for healing, believing that it would be so. I guess we could hope for the best but like when my friend prayed for my shoulder to be healed and God did it right then; the Holy Spirit will guide us in Truth.

Today if you have not yet realized that you have the Holy Spirit within you, pray and ask God to breathe upon you in the same way.  Know that you have been forgiven for many things in your life as you accept that Christ died for you and know that as the Spirit wills you may forgive others of their sins. Allow the Breathe of Heaven to open your heart and mind to His guidance.

Many songs have been written to this end, one says; ”breathe upon me oh Lamb of God…Spirit of the Lord…” and it stands out to me that man songs say for God to breathe on us. Think on this for a bit, and if you feel like it pray; ask God to breathe a new refreshing of hope, peace, love, and joy into your life today via the Holy Spirit.

Just something to ponder today…be blessed ...in Jesus’ name.