Dwelling Place

Guest (Male): Today, on The Dwelling Place.

Al Pittman: He delivered her from her past. He delivered her from demonic possession. Not just one or two demons, seven demons. He transformed her life. Where am I going to go now? She wondered she had to have Jesus and somehow found the courage to stoop down and to look in one more time. That is illustrative of humility.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are mine. Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to The Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow. To support this ministry financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Your donations keep this radio ministry going. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here's Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: Well, today we're in John chapter 20. So, if you have your Bible, please open to John chapter 20. And I've entitled this message The Reason for Our Peace. The pursuit of peace is really mankind's preoccupation. I don't care if you're young, old, rich, or poor. Everybody wants a peace. Even a drug dealer wants peace, you know. People want peace, that place where they can just, you know, everything is all good. Everybody wants peace. It It It's at the the core of our human existence. We all yearn for peace. While Norman and I were on vacation, we were at a we have a little time share and we're at a this place and of course when they they we didn't know it but when it we're checking in they kind of you know we're asking well signed us up for looking at another time share property.

You know how those things work and and I I I said to myself and I told my wife I won't never because we bought a time share about 30 years or so ago and and I said I'm never going to do that again you know because you know anyway. We've all been suckered at least once. But I mean we have it and it's great and we use it and stuff but we went to this you know Norman wanted to see it and so you know you never say never to God or to your wife. Amen.

So, we we went to the time share presentation and and we weren't going to buy anything but they just you know but the presentation was interesting because as a Christian when you're looking at things you look at things differently and and and the whole premise of the thing was well you want to buy this $52,000 time share. But today on sale for 32,000. Baby write that check you know. If you buy it today you get a super deal and the premise was that you can vacation all you want in your retirement and you can just have fun and you can have peace.

And I thought wrong because everlasting peace is already been given to us freely and you can't buy it for $32,000. It's been given to us. Amen. You can applaud on that. Praise the Lord. It's granted to us and assured to us because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We now have peace. And so you know they were trying to sell us this thing and I you know and lady kind of got upset with me because you know they they grill you for a while and if they can't get you you know then they send the closers in.

What can we do you know? Nothing because I hate time shares. That's what I told the lady. She hit me really weird and said why are you here? And I said because my wife wanted to look at the property. And the free gifts. Thank thank you. Mama didn't raise no fool. Amen. Christ resurrection is the reason we have peace. You can't purchase it. No matter how much money you may have, how many relationships you're in. It's only found everlasting peace is only found in Christ. Why? Because he's the only one was risen from the dead.

We have peace in him. In John chapter 20 we're going to be looking at it in a couple of sections here but verses 1 to 17 we're going to look at one of the one of the major obstacles to our peace. And then in verses 18 to the closing of the chapter we'll be looking at the preeminence of supremacy of the peace of Jesus Christ. So, first the obstacle of his to his peace and that obstacle is hopelessness. And I find that in verses 1 to 11 because we're not going to read every verse here but many of you know the resurrection story and the Bible tells us in verse 1 here in John that Mary goes to the tomb and the and the body of Jesus early in the morning while it was still dark the Bible says and and by finds that the body of Jesus was missing.

And one of the other Gospels tells us that other women were with her but she went back and told the disciples and Peter and John ran to the tomb and then of course John points out as he's writing here in in the Gospel of John chapter 20 points out in verse 5 that or verse 4 that he actually outran Peter. It just kind of something he wanted to add I guess. John gets to the tomb first and he looks in. Peter gets to the tomb. He runs into the tomb. And it's interesting to me that there are three aspects of hopelessness that we find here in in the account in verses 1 to 11.

And that is the number one that hopelessness, three aspects of hopelessness I should say, hopelessness will only allow you to look in. John gets to the tomb and he looks in. Now, John would eventually go in but Peter he runs right into the tomb. John gets there and he just simply looks into the tomb. The first aspect of hopelessness is that hopelessness will only let you look in. The second aspect of hopelessness I find here is hopelessness does not allow for change. Even though Peter and John both looked into the tomb Peter ran in John just looked in John would eventually go in.

And they would look around and yet they were not changed by anything because verse 10 tells us then the disciples went away again to their own homes. And they went in looked around saw the evidence and yet they were unchanged. Now, you say well wait a minute they were changed. The Bible says here in verse 8 that they saw and they believed. They believed what Mary said, Mary Magdalene said that the body was missing. And the evidence of the fact that they didn't believe in the resurrection they went back home. And like a lot of people who come to church on Sunday they will come in and look around and see the evidence of the resurrection.

You say what evidence of the resurrection? Look at the people next to you. I mean talking to some of the guys at the men's retreat well we got some guys in this church that thank God Jesus redeemed them. Amen. Miracles literally raised from the dead. Lives have been transformed by the power of God. And if you did not know it and you're not a believer or you aren't aware of it if you just simply look around you'll see evidence of the resurrection all around your people who've been raised from the dead. Why? Because Jesus lives.

And so they went in they saw the evidence but they were not really changed. So, hopelessness will only allow you to look in. Kind of maybe people taking a look at Jesus. Hopelessness will allow you to come in but not be changed. Look around to see the evidence and to leave and leave the same way that you came in. John records even further evidence here in John chapter 20 that was there as he talks about in verse 6 that the the the linen cloths were lying there and the handkerchief uh that it was placed on the face of Jesus as they would do traditionally in those that were they were buried or putting in the tomb uh it was there folded up together in a place by itself.

I say that as evidence because a lot of times people believe that the body of Jesus was actually stolen from the tomb which is impossible because there was a detachment of Roman soldiers around the tomb to make sure that no one stole the tomb and they were under the penalty of death if one of them fell asleep so nobody was going to go to sleep. The second reason is because uh the tomb was sealed with a Roman seal and anyone who would break that seal or move the stone was under the penalty of death they would be killed.

No one especially the disciples would not defy the Roman government at this point. And then the other thing is that when they looked at the tomb they saw the linen cloths there. If someone stole the body of Jesus why did they leave the cloths behind? Another thing is the the the face uh uh handkerchief a New King James version says that was on the face of Jesus was laying there folded up. Now, I've preached it before that it's almost as if Jesus got up took the handkerchief and folded it and set it aside by itself but uh more accurate translation is it wasn't folded up it was rolled up.

Which literally means that as he rose from the dead I like it goosebumps that he came through the cloth. And the the cloth itself folded behind him his face as he came through it in that glorious he is risen risen indeed. And so it was actually rolled up. And uh yet all of this evidence they they actually missed and and and Peter and John left the tomb that day with their hopelessness. You know I think some people uh willingly ignore the evidence of the resurrection. In fact I think they prefer a dead savior over a living savior.

Uh they prefer religion over a real intimate relationship with God. Uh uh keep him in the tomb pastor. Oh I appreciate the information about the evidence and all but you know I don't want to go any further than that. But the Bible says that God calls us to a living hope not a dead hope because we have a living savior. And so they left the tomb that day and and uh went back to their homes with their hopelessness. Hopelessness will allow you to look in it will allow you to look at the evidence and not be changed.

And lastly the third aspect of hopelessness I find here is that hopelessness paralyzes. Now, we come to Mary verse 11. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. Mary is paralyzed. She doesn't know where to go. Well where where's she going to go from here? Jesus was her everything. He delivered her from her past. He delivered her from demonic possession. Not just one or two demons, seven demons. He transformed her life. Where am I going to go now? She wondered she had to have Jesus and somehow found the courage to stoop down and to look in one more time and that that is illustrative of humility.

She humbled herself and stooped down and so it tells me that the tomb was not something you just walk into that it was uh probably you know a lot not as high as we might imagine but shorter where people would have to look in. And she stooped down and looked again and when she looked again into the tomb she found everlasting peace. We pick it up here at verse 12. And she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had laid. And then they said to her woman why are you weeping?

And she said to them because you because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him and when she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus because a lot of times our our sorrow and our hopelessness can blind us to his presence. And Jesus said to her woman why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? And she supposing him to be the gardener said to him sir if you have carried him away tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away and Jesus said to her Mary.

And she turned and said to him which is to say teacher my teacher my wisdom my instructor my guide my light Jesus said to her do not cling to me I'm not yet ascended to my father but go to my my brethren those knuckleheads and say to them I am ascending to my father and to your father and to my God and your God. I love this story. And I preached it not too long ago you know uh around Easter it wasn't that long ago but always a blessing to look at it again and again.

But it's interesting interesting to me first and foremost that I I I see here that the angels asked her that question you know woman why are you weeping? And then Jesus asked her the question too why are you weeping? Now, it just seems like seems like why would they say something like that? They you know they kind of knew but but here's the deal God always wants to know the reason for our sorrow. He wants to know what's really going on in in our heart the reason for your anger the reason for your hopelessness. Yeah well somebody said well it wasn't that it's deeper than that.

Why? Why are you weeping? God is is is is is prying right now and he he's speaking to your heart. The Lord doesn't give us these little you know he doesn't just ask these little surface questions. He wants to get down to the root cause of your despair. Why are you weeping? Why are you weeping? Because you you don't have money or you're weeping because you know you don't have a lover. You're weeping because you don't have a house you want. Or you're weeping because life didn't turn out the way you wanted. Why are you weeping?

And then Jesus probes a little deeper and he says whom are you seeking? Because the answer to that question will tell you why you're weeping. We'll tell tells them why we're weeping. And sometimes we're weeping because we're weeping over the things of the world and not the things of God. And we're weeping for the wrong things but Mary was weeping for the right thing. So, they're taking away my Lord I don't know. If you know where he is tell me. And Jesus says Mary. Wow. What are you weeping for today? What are you mad about today?

Upset, angry, bitter. And God is saying why? Because it all has to do with whom are you seeking? Whom are you seeking? The answer to that question will either bring us out of our despair or take us further into it. Because if you're seeking the world and you're seeking your comfort and confidence and restoration in somebody else you're seeking the wrong thing. But Jesus appeared to Mary because she was seeking him with all of her heart. Just kind of a sidebar but I just thought you know interesting that the Lord appeared to a woman rather than to men.

Because a lot of times women get it. But also the fact that she was there seeking Jesus. I mean why didn't the Lord appear to Peter and John? Well these are pillars in the church. Well they would be Peter and John you know. Peter gave the great confession you know. Thou art the Christ the son of the living God. John whom the Lord loved leaned upon his breast while they were at the last supper and all of that. Why didn't he appear to him? He appears to a former prostitute demon possessed because all she wanted was Jesus.

Amen. Desperation brings revelation. The Lord said you will find me when you search for me with all your heart. And Mary is searching with all of her heart. And she and Jesus speaks her name and says Mary and the his sheep this little lamb immediately recognizes her shepherd's voice. And notices hopelessness had to vacate the premises. Amen. When we hear the voice of Jesus that's why I exhort you all the time and myself and we are exhorted through the word of God to stay in the word of God because this is God's voice and his voice will keep hopelessness at bay.

But if we're not in the word we're not reading his word then we don't know his voice. We will not hear his voice. And there's times that I'm I I tell you that I promise you that I read the Bible and I get nothing out of it. I mean just just like the Lord just words but I read it constantly and every day because I know I need to hear his voice to keep hopelessness at bay. Read the word of God. It is the word of God the the voice of God speaking to us the healing sound of his voice is the primary antidote one of the primary one of is the primary antidote I should say to our hopelessness.

And Mary hearing his voice recognizing his voice she clings to him she puts a death grip on him you know. He says Mary don't cling to me I've yet to go to the father. Well what's that all about? Many of you have studied this before but as we learn as we read through the book of Hebrews that Jesus Christ is not only our sacrifice, our lamb, the lamb of God but he's also our high priest. He operated in both offices. He offered himself as a sacrifice and yet he is our high priest. And in Hebrews chapter 9 verses 11 and 12 it tells us that he actually went into the tabernacle that is in heaven not the one on earth but the one in heaven and presented his blood before the father on our behalf for our atonement for the forgiveness of our sins forever.

And so therefore the Bible says he offered himself once and for all. Amen. Your sins are forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ because of his offering as our uh high priest is our sacrifice. He gave himself for you and for me. And therefore our peace is not according to our works. Our peace is not according to our circumstances or our performance. Our peace is in Jesus. It's in Jesus. Therefore Paul the apostle said in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 14 he is our peace. Is it your peace? I think sometimes Jesus is not our peace because quite frankly Jesus is not enough.

I know Jesus you know I got it yeah. Okay pastor he rose from the dead but and the reality is if Ron is is that he's not enough. I got to have Jesus and win the lottery. Then I'll have peace. I got Jesus and the right house then I'll have peace. Jesus and the right job then I'll have peace. Really? Jesus in the right relationship with someone else then I have peace. Then what you're saying is Jesus is not enough. And the Jesus you're talking about is not the Jesus of the Bible because he is enough.

He satisfies the soul. Paul says he is our peace because of who he is not who we are or what we've done. Our peace is in him. Now, we come to the preeminence of his peace the supremacy of his peace in verses 19 to the closing of the chapter of the chapter. And Jesus shows up and confronts both fear and doubt that we find here among the disciples. In verse 18 says Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen uh seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. And now one another Gospel uh says that they thought she was out of her mind.

She had seen the Lord. They didn't believe her. 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. Here they are in the grip of fear. Why? Because of the Jews. They had killed the Messiah. They had killed their Messiah. They killed Jesus and now they are hunting down and looking for the disciples. And Jesus came and stood in their midst. The Lord will come and stand right in the midst of our fears. He stood in their midst and he said to them peace be with you.

And God will show up in the midst of our fears and say stuff that just doesn't make sense to us. Declare his sovereignty and his power in the very midst of our fears. And the Bible says in verse 20 when he had said this he showed them his hands and his in his side and then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Amen to that. They were glad. Their fear was turned into joy. Jesus appears to them. Here he confronts uh their fears confronts their fears and he and and he confronts the fears by presenting to them exhibit A and exhibit B.

Exhibit A being his hands and exhibit B being his side. And why his hands and his side? Because he wanted them to clearly see yes I was on the cross. I'm the one who was on the cross you know. And I'm the one who died on the cross. Remember they pierced his side to make sure he was dead and blood and water came out from his side. Jesus not only was nailed to the cross he died on the cross. And now he's saying yeah the one who was on the cross the one who was pronounced dead on the cross now lives.

And they were glad. And we should have joy today because he lives. He lives. He's the reason for our joy. You know it's a reminder to us because I I it's it's interesting you know it's like you know it says here that he said peace be with you and then he showed them his wounds. Why didn't he do some trick? Why didn't you know have fire come out of the sky or something or move a wall or you know kind of do the thing the mime thing or something I don't know whatever. Do something to mesmerize them.

He just shows them his wounds. It's a lesson to us when we're facing fear remember his wounds. Have you forgotten his wounds?

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are mine. Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Guest (Male): Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at PO Box 50584 Colorado Springs Colorado 80949 or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@alpittmanministries.com. That's info@alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time on The Dwelling Place. God bless.