Have you heard about the lawn chair astronaut? A number of years ago, a 31-year-old truck driver attached 40 large helium-filled balloons to a lawn chair. Then with a CB radio, an altimeter, and a parachute, and a life jacket, he began an ascent into the wild blue yonder. As the story goes, he also took a pellet gun so that he could shoot the balloons as he needed to to get back to Earth. As he came back down, he ended up in some power lines. But he was rescued, and after he got back down, he was interviewed, and he said, my family used to think I was crazy. Now they want me to write a book, and my sister wants me to get an agent. That's one way of gaining popularity, I suppose. But many people feel like their life doesn't count and they have to do something to get attention for themselves. Sometimes they don't accomplish very much. But you know, as Christians, God has called us to a great work as believers, and one that has eternal significance. Christ called us to the great work of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world, and it is a privilege for us to do that. I want to take you to the book of John again this morning, John chapter 20. I preached last Sunday from John chapter 20 regarding the resurrection of Christ and his first appearance to Mary Magdalene. I want to pick up the story this morning at verse 19. John chapter 20 and verse 19. Follow along as I read. 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. Today, we're going to look at Christ's appearance to his disciples. Last week, he appears to Mary, and we looked at that interchange, that conversation that took place between the Lord and Mary. Mary, as you recall, was a very special disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. She had been delivered from seven demons, and she was deeply devoted to him. We know also the disciples were deeply devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection has taken place and they are gathered in the upper room. And Jesus appears that same evening, that Sunday when he was raised from the dead, and he appears to these disciples. There were ten of them gathered. Judas had already went out and hung himself. on Friday, the day of the crucifixion, Thomas was not with them on this occasion. He appears to Thomas eight days later. In this passage of scripture, I see four gifts that the resurrecting Christ has given to his disciples. I want to focus on the first two today, and we'll look at the last two next Sunday. The first that I see here is a gift of peace. Notice the greeting. In verse 19, he stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be with you. Shalom. This was a common Jewish greeting at this time. The disciples were hiding behind locked doors. Why? The scripture says, for fear of the Jews. Probably the same upper room where Jesus had met with them a few days earlier. It was the same day Jesus resurrected in that evening. Suddenly he appears in their midst and his first words are, peace be unto you. A simple day-to-day greeting used by the Jews designed to put them at ease. Jesus appears suddenly, and they're frightened. He spoke as he had always spoken. This was not a vision. He was not a spirit. He had flesh and blood, flesh and bones. He had been raised from the dead. His very presence, his presence was very real. He showed them his hands, his side, his wounds, and the effect was one of joy and gladness. transformed from fear to faith. The disciples are commissioned and they go out preaching the gospel to the entire world. They experience this triumphant conviction, Jesus is alive. He had conquered death, just as he said that he would. The fears and doubts were removed in an instant. And they would witness and proclaim this truth with deep conviction throughout their lives, even losing their life because of what they knew to be true. You know, man will die only for something that he knows to be true. He will not die for something he knows to be a lie. The disciples did not steal the Lord's body and contact a story. They knew that he had risen from the dead and this conviction drove them throughout their ministry. Jesus' words, peace be unto you, hold great significance for us today as well. Jesus gives us the gift of peace. The Bible talks about different kinds of peace. There's world peace. Let me take you to the book of Isaiah, chapter two. Isaiah chapter two. We're gonna be looking at several different passages this morning. I hope you'll follow along in your Bibles. And if you don't have one with you, there's one there in the pew rack in front of you. Isaiah chapter two. Isaiah chapter two. And this, in context, is speaking about the millennial period, which is still future. Isaiah 2, in the first verse, the word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah in Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all the nations shall float to it. Many people shall come and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." You may be feeling anxiety today because of what's going on in our world, the world events, the wars in the Middle East with Islamic terrorists who are attacking Israel, the danger of terrorism in our own nation, Iran's development of ballistic nuclear weapons. These things in the news cause anxiety for people and even as Christians we understand that we live in a dangerous time. Iran is bent on destroying both Israel and America. The United States is currently at war with the Houthis in Yemen. The war between Ukraine and Russia raises concern about the possibility of a World War III. The allied nations are gathering against Israel as prophesied in Ezekiel 38. The signs prophesied by Christ we see all around us. I want to take you to Matthew chapter 24 where Jesus speaks about these signs. We could do a series of messages just on this chapter alone, but I want to just share the first paragraph with you. We understand we are living in the last days. Matthew chapter 24. The disciples came to Jesus to ask him about the signs of the end times. Notice what he says. Matthew chapter 24, starting at verse 3. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. And you will hear wars and rumors of wars. See that you're not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. And then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come. We see these signs multiplying in our world today. The context of Matthew 24 is the Great Tribulation, that seven-year period that follows the rapture. But we see the signs lining up. And as we realize we may be nearing the end of the age, these signs can create anxiety for us. It seems that we must be getting close to the end. How do we find peace in times like this? I think the most basic truth of all is found in John chapter 14, where Jesus speaks about his return. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions or rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. That brings comfort to our hearts in days like this. We are concerned about family members who don't know the Lord. Could be our children, our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, or in some cases, our parents, our siblings. We are concerned for them, and so we need to be faithfully witnessing to them and sharing the gospel, telling them how they can escape the time of tribulation that lies ahead. We can find peace as we look to the rapture, look to the coming of the Lord, and still we are burdened for those who may be left behind that we love and care about. The peace that What we seek in our world will come with the millennial period when Jesus will reign from Jerusalem. And there will be worldwide peace during that time. But today we live in a world that is dark, that's filled with wars and rumors of wars. difficult times, and yet we look to the Lord for peace. He's granted us the gift of peace. If we will exercise our faith and claim the promises that he's given us, the promise of the blessed hope that he's coming for us, he will deliver us from this evil world. There's not only the world peace, but the need for the peace of God in our lives. What about the trials and tribulations of our personal lives today? Could be issues of health or finances or strained family relationships. These things cause us anxiety and worry. The burden of family members who are not saved, are not rapture ready as I just mentioned. Children, grandchildren traveling that broad way that leads to destruction. How do we find peace in our personal lives? I want to take you to another passage, actually our scripture reading this morning, from Philippians chapter 4. I'm going to look at two verses there with you. Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Notice verses 6 and 7 in this passage. The peace of God, this is what we need in our hearts and lives today. Faith is fear's antidote. We exercise faith as we pray, believing, trusting God for the answer, that his will will be accomplished. Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Sometimes we want to take our burdens to the cross, to the Lord, and then we pick them up again and take them back, but we need to leave them there, don't we? Sometimes that can be a challenge. But we need to, by faith, trust God and His wisdom. The things that He allows into our lives come by His throne with His approval. And we can know that He loves us and He allows these things in our lives because of His love for us. A hurricane is a storm with a powerful, terrifying wind. It's characterized by torrential rain, thunder, lightning, but at the very eye is the center. It's called the eye of the hurricane, a place of perfect calm and peace. With the Lord as our center, we too can experience that kind of peace, calmness in our spirit and in our life. Jesus said, peace be unto you, peace I leave with you. Do you know the peace of God today? I encourage you to spend time with the Lord in prayer. If you are struggling, if there are trials and tribulations you're dealing with, if you have anxiety either about yourself or your loved ones, take those things to the Lord and allow him to bring peace into your heart and spirit. It is a gift that Christ offers to all his disciples. But I would just say this, that before you can have the peace of God, you have to have the peace of God, or the peace with God, sorry. Peace with God, how do we get peace with God? It's through salvation, to trust Christ as our Savior, to put our faith in Him as the one who died in our place. Let me take you to Romans chapter five, Romans chapter five, where the Apostle Paul speaks about this peace with God. I trust all of you here today know the Lord as your personal Savior and you have this peace that there is no more enmity between you and the Lord. In Romans chapter 5, the Apostle says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. peace with God that comes through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior. There's also the issue of peace between brothers. In Matthew 18, the Lord gave instructions as to how to resolve offenses and differences between brothers and sisters in Christ. In Matthew 18, in verse 15 and following, He says, moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. This passage is often quoted in the area of church discipline, and it is true, it applies, but we begin by trying to resolve offenses between brothers and sisters in Christ by going to that person, that brother, and talking to him about the sin that he might have committed against you. We know also, if we are the sinner, if we have offended somebody, we have the responsibility to go to the one that we've offended, and to resolve that difference. It's been said that brothers, sisters in Christ, when there's an offense, they should meet each other halfway, coming to resolve that offense. And so we can have peace within the church, peace within our own individual relationships and lives, if we will follow these instructions. Not to ignore differences and offenses, but rather to resolve them in a biblical, loving way as God has commanded us. peace between brothers, there's even a teaching in the scripture about the peace between Jew and Gentile. We live in a time when there's a lot of anti-Semitism. We as Christians understand that God's people, the Jews, are those that he's chosen and that we are to be at peace with him. How do we have peace with the Jews? Let me take you to one more passage here before I move on to my last point. In Ephesians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul speaks about the peace that we need between Jew and Gentile. Ephesians chapter 2, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 11. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 11, Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. He's speaking to all of us here today, the Gentiles. We understand that we have been grafted into that olive tree of Israel, that we are now part of the chosen people as Gentiles. Notice that this comes through Christ Jesus. Verse 14, for he himself is our peace. who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace." The new man here is not speaking about the new man in salvation, but rather the new man as a church. The church is made up of both Jew and Gentile. Verse 16, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near, to the Gentile and to the Jew. For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. You know, the early church began with the Jews, but quickly spread to the Gentile nations. And today, both Jew and Gentile are brought together in Jesus Christ. All of the peace that the Bible speaks about here, whether it's the world peace that we look forward to one day in the millennium, the peace of God that we need in our own personal lives, the peace with God that we receive through salvation and conversion, The peace between brothers, peace between Jew and Gentile, all of these are because of the work of Jesus Christ. He died in our place, he rose from the dead, and he established his church. He says, I will build my church. and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And so we are grateful today for the work of the Lord Jesus in bringing to us the gift of peace. We should claim that and we should enjoy it, we should rejoice in it. There's another gift that I see in our text, if you come back now to John chapter 20, not only a gift of peace, but also the gift of mission, of mission. Notice he says in verse 21, so Jesus said to them again, peace to you, as a father has sent me, I also send you. The great commission, he commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses. How is this a gift? You know, I think that there is great meaning and great purpose for us as Christians to realize that we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. God has chosen us and he has commissioned us to take the gospel to the lost world around us, including our friends and our family members. We are his ambassadors. The disciples were called to serve him as ambassadors to a lost world. They went out throughout the known world, establishing churches, preaching the gospel. Jesus had been sent by the Father on a mission. Jesus now sends his disciples on a mission to share the good news. The good news of salvation, that Jesus has provided eternal life for all who will believe, and he is a living Savior. A disciple is a prophet and a witness for the living Lord. Part of his witness involved the preaching of the resurrection, as we talked about last Sunday. As his disciples, this gift of mission belongs to us as well. God has called us and commissioned us to take the gospel to those around that don't know him. Today we are his ambassadors and we have the privilege of proclaiming the gospel even as the early disciples did. Now you might say to me, is this a gift or is it a heavy responsibility, a burden to be born? Oftentimes, if we're reticent to share the gospel, to speak openly about our faith, we find it difficult, and we find it not a benefit but rather a burden for us. Why is that true? Many of us find it difficult to be a bold and joyful witness. Why is that? I think generally it's because we're too concerned about what people think of us, even complete strangers. It doesn't make sense, really. Will they think of us as fanatics? You know, we are fanatics in a sense. We are fans of Jesus Christ. There are fanatics all around us. There are sport fans that talk about their favorite sports teams. Classic car owners talk about the cars that they love. Motorcycle riders about the way they enjoy riding their motorcycles. Fishermen talk about fishing, gardeners about gardening, hobbyists about their hobbies. They're fans and they're not shy about talking about these things that they love. So why are we so shy about talking about the person that we love, the Lord Jesus? And I'm as guilty as you are. Oftentimes we fail to speak when we know we should, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to. We need to be bold, we need to ask for boldness. Nothing wrong with that, you know. Paul was perhaps the boldest apostle and missionary that has ever lived, and yet he asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him that he might have boldness in sharing his faith. We need that boldness too, and as we pray, as we ask God for it, he'll help us to do it. We should talk to others about our faith, about our Savior. It's a great privilege and a great gift that God has given us to have meaning and purpose as ambassadors for the kingdom of God. To go out into the world. Now you might be a cook, or a cookie maker, or a plumber, or maybe an engineer, and all those things are fun things to do. Perhaps you have had the privilege of having a career that you loved. Someone has said that if you do something in your life that you really love, you never work a day in your life. And those things are good. We should enjoy life. We should enjoy our careers and our work. We should enjoy our hobbies if you're retired now. But let's remember that our primary purpose in living here in this lost world is to be a witness for Jesus Christ. We are his witnesses, ambassadors for Jesus Christ. I want to share an illustration with you as I wrap this up. I once read about a woman who felt very much alone at her workplace because she was the only Christian there. She was often ridiculed for her faith and accused of being narrow-minded. Finally, she became so discouraged that she considered quitting the job. Before doing that, however, she talked with her pastor. After listening to her complaints, the minister asked her a question. Where do people usually put lights? She thought for a moment and said, in dark places. He said, that's right. She quickly recognized that her place of work was indeed a dark place. Where light was vitally needed, she decided to stay where she was, became a stronger influence for Christ. And it wasn't long before she had the privilege of starting to lead her fellow workers to Christ. Eleven of them, in fact, came to know Jesus as their Savior through her witness. We are lights in the world, lights in a dark world. But God has left us here to be a witness and a light, to take the gospel to those who need to hear about salvation, to know how they can be saved, how they can be forgiven, and how they can have the gift of eternal life. To lead others out of darkness of sin, we need to let them see our light. Let's be faithful in accepting this gift of mission, of the Great Commission, and taking this to a lost world. Will people always be receptive? No, they won't. But God still calls us to be a witness, to share our faith. You will find along the way the privilege of leading some to Christ, helping them in that process of coming to Christ. You know, sometimes we think that we have to do it all in one conversation, but the truth is that often times it takes 5, 10, 15 conversations before some come to Christ. We might be one person in that process. It might be something that is ongoing in your own life, in your own family. trying to reach your loved ones with the gospel. Don't give up. Be faithful in praying for them. Be faithful in sharing your faith. And if they get to the place where they don't want to hear it, you can still pray for them that God would humble them, soften their heart. God might use somebody else in their life to bring them to Christ. Let's be faithful and be a light to those around us. Let's enjoy Christ's gift of mission by illuminating dark places. Accept God's call to be His witness. Let's fulfill the mission that He has given to us. Two wonderful gifts the Resurrected Christ has given to us as His disciples, the gift of peace and the gift of a mission. Let's be grateful. Let's be grateful because they bring joy, meaning, and purpose into our lives. Father, we thank you today for these gifts that you've given to us through your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for the peace that we can know, peace that passes understanding. And then, Father, we're grateful also for the gift of mission, to take the message of the gospel to those who need it. Help us to be faithful, help us to be courageous, help us to be bold, and help us, Lord, to truly enjoy the opportunities we have to talk to people about our Savior. We ask it in Jesus' name.