“So I Send I You”

John 20:19-23

19) 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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20) And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.

21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

T

o hear this personally said of one is perhaps one of the greatest desires of those professing salvation. You see, people are looking for a commission. All are convinced that “God had a purpose for saving me” and, too often, it does not occur to the individual that he is saved to be saved—period.

We know from scripture that “…many are called, but few are chosen.” What God is calling for are lost souls to come to the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, not enough take time to prepare themselves to be able to answer or be chosen.

Obviously, not all who are called will make it to the kingdom or be used in service. Those who will, will make it because God finds them “controllable.” A “chosen” one, of necessity, will be submissive to the will of God, for he can allow nothing to interfere when given a directive by God.

In that this is Resurrection Sunday, we must recognize that if Jesus had come into the world, lived a miraculous, sinless life, died the death that He died, but failed to resurrect, there would have been no deliverance for anyone, at anytime, from sin. Our entire being and hope is based upon the fact that Jesus rose. Herein lies the message of salvation.

The message of salvation goes beyond simply being happy that we have “it.” Being happy about possessing salvation, but not living saved out of one’s miserable condition denies the power, meaning and message of Christ’s death.

What should be a “tip-off” as to how we are to esteem our salvation? We need only to look around us at ourselves. The Lord does not look for easy situations to solve. He digs into the depths of depravity and the human condition to find candidates for salvation.

All should be anxious to be one the Lord can send as an emissary of Himself. However, one can feel this confidence only as he allows His Saviour to solve his problems. Once you recognize the state you were in, you will realize that its severity did not matter to God. He saved you! Now, our responsibility is to be a witness. God intends none to be without hope, so He saves us and sends us out with the “Good News” of salvation.

Man does not look for help until he realizes his true state of being. As long as any of us can justify ourselves (that is, what we do and why we do it) we will always believe we are not “too bad.” In order to appreciated Jesus in purity of spirit, we must be willing to acknowledge that no mater how simple our situation may seem, we still need Jesus! He is the only solution to our problems!

“Sending” an individual means that the Lord can depend upon that individual to do His bidding. This necessitates each of us gaining victory over something in order to be able to give others hope.

What is that testimony to proclaim? That we will go through trials and tests, but will be delivered! Through this, the Lord grants us the privilege of building our confidence.

We get so mired down with the cares and concerns of life as we know it, we are rendered ineffective in the kingdom of God. We must come to understand that the life we have been given in Jesus extends far beyond what we are experiencing now.

Verse 21 of our text relates to the fact that even though we “suffer” (that is, deny ourselves) we must still be willing to carry the message of salvation. Jesus had suffered horribly, even unto death; but it was that very suffering which enabled Him to commission us. The very fact that we are sent by the words of His mouth assures us that He will be with us.

If we will be fund amongst those sent by the Lord and accepting His challenges, we must be willing to listen to those with the truth who have followed instructions themselves. This will ensure that the words “so send I you” will apply to you. It is a fool who works toward a goal all his life, only to forfeit his benefits a the end due to inadequate preparation.