LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 1 MAY 2022
JOHN 20 VERSES 19 – 31
Think today of the benefits
and blessings to these disciples who were there in that Upper Room on the
first day of the week, the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The community that is assembled. This is the community of God’s people – verse
19. It had been a difficult few days for
the disciples. What must it have been
like in the Garden of Gethsemane to see that mob coming with their lanterns? To see Judas at the front stepping in front
of Jesus and giving him a kiss, to see the guards arrest Jesus, Peter taking
out a sword and cutting of the servant’s ear then Jesus healing that servant
again. To see Jesus being taken into the
Judgement Hall to be beaten, mocked, spat on then to be led out to the cross of
Golgotha to bleed and die there. Then to
be placed in that borrowed tomb. Despite
all that had happened they came together in the Upper Room hours later. Remember Lydia, a businesswoman who came on
the Sabbath Day to a meeting by the riverside for prayer. She wanted to be among God’s people. There is a difference between being religious
and being saved. Having a profession and
having a possession. It is so important
to remember to come together with God’s people.
Hebrews 10 verse 25 tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves
together, to give priority to be in the house of God on a Sunday. This was a feature of Paul’s ministry – on the
first day of each week he would go to the synagogue. In 1 Corinthians 16 verse 1 Paul gave specific
instructions about the collection for the saints. “Now concerning the collection for the saints
… upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as
God hath prospered him …” Paul wanted them
to come together on the first day of the week and share their offerings. Sadly today Sunday is more a day of
entertainment or a time to spend with family.
Sunday should be a special day.
Remember the 2 on the road to Emmaus coming from Jerusalem. Their hearts were so heavy that day because
of what had happened. They had heard
that Jesus’ body was not in the grave, how the women who had gone to anoint the
body had ran and told the disciples who went and saw the empty tomb for themselves. Jesus drew alongside those 2 disciples on
that road “and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them
in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” On that journey their eyes were opened to all
this great truth. When Jesus left them,
they “returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together … and they
told what things were done in the way and how he was known of them in breaking
of bread.”
The conversation of the
community. These disciples gathered together to share
their accounts of Jesus. The conversation
was all about the Lord. Mary had gone to
the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body only to find there was no body. As she waited she had an encounter with the
Lord himself. We come together today to
share our faith. That Jesus is no longer
on the cross or in the tomb but is seated at his Father’s right hand in
heaven. That Jesus will one day come again
and receive us unto himself. Our main
focus must be on Jesus today. In Hebrews
10 verse 25 we are urged to “exhort” one another which really means to
encourage each otherin our faith. Our
thoughts must be on Christ at all times.
It is an uplifting experience. The hymns and praise we offer must be all
of Christ. Sadly today that is not the
case in many meetings. In some places it
is all about the music and singing. The pulpit
is no longer the central part of the church, a stage has now taken over and the
musicians play for 45 minutes with a short message at the end. Think of the angels on that first Christmas
visitation. They came down to the very
hillside, to where the shepherds were.
That must have been a tremendous scene.
All the heavens lit up the place where the shepherds were. They didn’t ask about where they came from
but rather it was all about the message they brought. Those shepherds didn’t think about the angels
but rather decided to go and find out if the message was true that they had
brought. Christ was the centre of that
message. When Jesus was first brought into
the temple by his parents, Simeon’s eyes were fastened on the baby in Mary’s
arms for he was the Saviour of the world.
He asked to be able to depart in peace for his eyes had seen Jesus. John the Baptist cried “Behold the Lamb of
God which taketh away the sin of the world.”
He pointed everyone to Christ.
Your thoughts and minds should not be on this church today or on the
music or on the preacher but rather on the Saviour. When Paul went into the synagogue one day the
leader told him that if he had a word to say then he should speak.
The clarity that was witnessed. Something very special happened that night in
the Upper Room. The Lord came amongst
them. “Then were the disciples glad when
they saw the Lord.” They had gathered
with doubts and fears but now Jesus came and brings clarity. He stands before them. He shows them his hands and feet. Sometimes we don’t feel like going to the
prayer meeting or church or perhaps we don’t want to read our bibles but it is
at that time we need to be in the meetings, in the word of God, need to be praying. Especially when you are in that dark valley. The disciples were confused and had doubts
but they were together and Jesus came right into their midst.
The challenge they went
out with. Will we leave the meeting today tired and
weary or will we leave challenged? Thomas
wasn’t with the disciples when this meeting occurred. He left it until the next meeting after the
disciples went to find him. Think of
little Samuel in the temple. He was
given a message by the Lord himself.
With a heavy heart he had to tell Eli the next day all that God had
revealed to him. Are we focusing our
thoughts today on the resurrected Saviour?
Will we tell someone else today about the Saviour as a result of meeting
with him?
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