1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Daily Bible Verse, 2 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: a podcast that examines one verse each day to learn 3 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: more about God and his will for our lives. I'm 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: your host, Kyle Norman. After a brief message from one 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: of our sponsors, we will continue with today's verse, John 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: Chapter twenty, Verse twenty one. Jesus said to them again, 7 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 1: peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, 8 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: so I am sending you. I remember thinking long and 9 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: hard about how I would set up the bookshelf of 10 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: my first church office. I was a brand new priest 11 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: and my bookshelf needed to reflect the priorities of my ministry. 12 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: So beginning at the top shelf, there would be my 13 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: array of Bibles, because the Bible always comes first. Then 14 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: there would be my theology section, followed by books on 15 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: liturgical matters, pastoral counseling, spiritual formation, and on and on 16 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: it went. So there I was on the first day 17 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: of my new office. I set out my bookshelf the 18 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: way that I had previously planned, and then I sat 19 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: at my desk and thought, Okay, now what have you 20 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: ever asked the now what question? When it comes to 21 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: your faith? He jumped through all of the liturgical hoops 22 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: of baptism or reception and confirmation. You come to the 23 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: point of faith where you believe Jesus and accept the 24 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: truth of the resurrection. And then think, great, now, what 25 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: answering that? Now? What question is vital for our faith? Now? 26 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: Graciously Jesus answers this question in John chapter twenty. In 27 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: doing so, Jesus discloses the purpose of our faith and 28 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: the purpose of our discipleship. This passage takes place on 29 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: the day of Resurrection. The disciples, they are all together 30 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: often thought to be in the upper room where they 31 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: had the Last Supper, And importantly we read that the 32 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: doors were locked for fear of the Jews. Now the 33 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: disciples had heard the news of the resurrection that morning, 34 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: they heard the witness of the women, Peter and John, 35 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: had seen the empty tomb. But they still don't know 36 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: what to think of it all. They are confused, They 37 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: have lots of questions, and there was a lot of 38 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: fear within them. They were afraid that they would be 39 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: arrested and executed, just as Jesus was. So there they 40 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: were hiding themselves and their faith away. But Jesus comes 41 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: to them in that very locked room in which they 42 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: hid themselves. Jesus shows up and he stands amongst them, 43 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: and he cares his peace. This is a beautiful scene. 44 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Here 45 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: is Jesus, Son of God, forgiver of all sins, savior 46 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: of the world, now standing with them. This is amazing, 47 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: and this is glorious. And then comes the words that 48 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: are equally amazing and glorious, but also bold and challenging. 49 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: Jesus turns to them and says, as a father has 50 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: sent me, so I am sending you. See the purpose 51 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: of their faith, the purpose of all discipleship is to 52 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: be sent. This is where the disciples three year journey 53 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: with the Lord was always leading them to be a 54 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: follower of Jesus was to be sent into the world 55 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: in mission and ministry, just as Jesus was sent into 56 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: the world. Now we need to know how challenging this 57 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: is to our sense of ease and comfort, because remember 58 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: the doors were still locked, and that room, which was 59 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: previously filled with confusion and anxiety and fear, is now 60 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: filled with a sense of ease and comfort and safety 61 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: because there they were amongst like minded people, in the 62 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: company of the risen Jesus, who wouldn't want to stay there. 63 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: Like Peter wanting to build shelters to stay on the 64 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: Mount of Transfiguration, it would have been very easy to 65 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: build a silo, little community of holy splendor in that room. 66 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: It's just us and Jesus. This is amazing. If we're honest, 67 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: we too can be tempted to view faith this way. 68 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: We may think that our individual faith is about the 69 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: comfort of our relationship with Jesus and our place in 70 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 1: the cozy confines of our local church community. Just don't 71 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: ask me to be a public about it. Have you 72 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: ever heard somebody say that you shouldn't talk about religion 73 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: and quote polite society. See, when we think like this, 74 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: we disconnect our faith from our life and we section 75 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: it off to the few private places of our lives. 76 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: But as disciples of Jesus, we are sent into the 77 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: world in the name of Jesus. We are sent to 78 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: proclaim his message and testify to his presence. For as 79 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: long as the disciples remained in that room, they would 80 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: never embrace the fullness of their faith or the robustness 81 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: of their identity in Christ. In order to be who 82 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 1: they were created to be, or we created to be. 83 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: In order for the disciples to accept the calling which 84 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: was now at the center of their lives, they had 85 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: to unlock the door of fear and step through that threshold. 86 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: They had to be willing to carry their faith outside 87 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: into the unknown responses of family and friends and the 88 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: crowds all around them. Only then would they truly witness 89 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: to the power of the Spirit at work in them 90 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: and through them. Jesus sends us in the manner that 91 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: he was sent, and that is to invite people into 92 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: the dynamic of God's kingdom. Throughout the Gospels we see 93 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: that Jesus's main message of his ministry was repent for 94 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God has come near. In other words, 95 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: God has come close to you and is active all 96 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: around you. Turn and embrace the living God, and in 97 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: his life and his death and resurrection testified to God's 98 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: gracious salvation and forgiveness which is offered to all. That 99 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: was how Jesus was sent into the world, and we 100 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: are sent with the same message. We are sent to 101 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,799 Speaker 1: help people know the truth that stands at the heart 102 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: of all creation, that forgiveness and salvation is available in Jesus. 103 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 1: What fear keeps you from embracing where Jesus sends you? 104 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: What keeps you from telling others about the joy that 105 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: you have found in the presence of the Lord. Take 106 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: a moment and imagine what might happen if you just 107 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: unlock that door and step into the purpose of your discipleship.