Peace be with you

Peace be With You
Pastor Gao Chuan Long
DUMC Chinese Service
15/11/2009, 1045

Joh 20:19-23 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."

Christians don’t retire. We retire when our names are called in heaven. Some doubt old people cannot do much because one leg is already in the coffin. Who asked us to put our legs in the coffin? Take it out. Age is just a number.



Grassroots contribute a lot to the society yet they are often neglected. If no one cares about them then the devil will take care of them; bringing them to drug abuse, wanton lifestyles and other vices.

In the passage, we see Jesus twice said Peace be with you. Only Jesus can give peace. His name is Jehovah Shalom, He is the Price of Peace, the source of peace. (This reminds me of a bumper sticker / t-shirt that says Know Jesus, Know Peace. No Jesus, No Peace.)

This is an era of fear. There is no peace. Christians have peace because they have Jesus.

In the scripture, we read that the followers of Christ gathered in the upper room and they were afraid. They followed Christ but they don’t have Jesus in their life. We cannot deceive ourselves. (Just saw this from my Twitter stream – “are you a follower of Jesus who isn’t a follower of Jesus?” This is worth pondering.)

The devil tries anyway to separate people from Jesus. A Christian is not someone who gets baptized or wears a cross. There are many who claim / think they are Christians and yet they have no peace because they don’t have Jesus in their lives. A ‘Christian’ who doesn’t have Jesus in his life is not a Christian. 没有耶稣的基督徒是假基督徒。没有耶稣的基督徒是糊里糊涂。

In v20, the disciples were glad, that means they were no longer in fear. Jesus showed them his hands and his side. He let them see his wounds.

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Everyone wants peace. God brings peace. The enemy brings fear.

Jas 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!

Many Christians believe in God like the demons – they believe God exists but they are still in fear.

Christians worship God because we have a relationship with God – a relationship of love. Those who worship idols do it out of fear.

When God is with us, He prepares the way before us. When someone goes somewhere, we pray that God is with them. Imagine we tell someone who worships YanLoWang (阎罗王，the emperor of Hell) that YanLoWang is with them?

Many who come to Jesus for healing will promise to believe in Jesus only after they are healed. Pastor Gao said they must believe in Jesus first. He said if they don’t received Jesus they may not have a chance to do so later in life. No Jesus, no peace. No Jesus, no healing.

Pastor Gao went to China in 1992. He made it a point not to visit any house so as not to be seen as showing partiality. He also didn’t want anyone to know where he was so he could rest. One sister invited him to his house but her offer was declined. This sister found out where he was and brought a former Communist leader carried by a few men for prayer. It was her dad. Pastor Gao asked him to receive Jesus. He ask him whether he persecuted the church. He admitted he did. Pastor Gao then led him in a prayer to receive Jesus. The man was healed. Four men carried him up thr 4th floor but he walked when he left.

We must have Jesus in the church. The knowledge of Jesus is not enough. Jesus must be alive in the church.

In v22, Jesus breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. We read in Genesis that God breathed into Adam before he became alive as a being with spirit.

We need the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t force it against us. We decide whether to receive or otherwise.