“RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!”

 John 20:19-23                                                (ESV)

“19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS, JESUS came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

20 When HE had said this, HE showed them HIS hands and HIS side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the LORD.

21 JESUS said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the FATHER has sent ME, “EVEN SO I AM SENDING YOU”."

22 And when HE had said this, HE BREATHED ON THEM and said to them, "RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

Recently I shared how JESUS “revealed” HIMSELF to Mary Magdalene outside of the tomb HE was placed in, but HE didn’t reveal HIMSELF to Peter and John??  Speculation can cause us to travel a path where we “need” to understand everything instead of WALKING BY FAITH!  Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!” Sure, our minds want TO KNOW, but JESUS wants us to HAVE FAITH IN HIM!

On the evening of “the first day of the week”, JESUS came to visit the disciples, AND REVEAL HIS PLAN for them.  HE breathed on them and said “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”!  JESUS had Promised the COMFORTER before HIS crucifixion (John 14:16), and even though the disciples heard HIS WORDS, they couldn’t KNOW the fullness of HIS WORDS until they experienced it.  

Keep in mind that the disciples were LOCKED in a room FOR FEAR OF THE JEWS, when JESUS entered, even through the locked door.  GOD wants us to have FAITH in HIM, and HE Divinely orchestrates our lives to GROW that FAITH.  In Genesis 22:12 Abraham demonstrated that he had FAITH IN GOD.  Scripture records “HE (GOD)said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from ME."  GOD is GOD and HE already knew that Abraham would obey HIM!  The thing we mustn’t overlook is that Abraham’s FAITH was matured by this trial and he now KNEW that the Promise of GOD would be fulfilled. The disciples were about to “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”, which was a Promise from GOD IN THE FLESH!  

The Promise of “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT” is something that cannot be undersold and NEVER under appropriated.   The Third Person of the Trinity indwells every Believer, yet we tend to allow FEAR and DOUBT to rob us of our JOY and PEACE.  “The enemy”, aka “the great deceiver”, wants us to live in Exodus 14:13.  But he knows Exodus 14:27-28 is just around the corner and his armies are going to once again experience defeat!  JESUS lives in me (John 17:23) and HE PROMISED us to “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”!