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.” (John 20:19; see THE GOSPEL: Jesus Appears to the Eleven Disciples, and All of Us)
There is a very important lesson we all have to understand and it's worth reviewing to make sure. We are not saved if we are not filled with ...the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30) Jesus explained to the disciples exactly why we have to be filled with His Holy Spirit and exactly what the Holy Spirit will do for us. “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:25-27; see THE GOSPEL: Promise Fulfilled, Manifestation of the Holy Spirit)
Jesus explained to the disciples even more of what the Holy Spirit will do for us who are saved, while He is not physically on the earth. “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:5-11; see THE GOSPEL: World's Hatred to be Expected, but Don't Stumble) “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12; see THE GOSPEL: Be Authentic, Be Real, Be Bold, through the Holy Spirit)
Jesus promised the disciples and all of us who accept Him as our Savior and Lord that by the power of His Holy Spirit, He will teach us all things, bring to our remembrance all things that He said; through us He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; teach us in that very hour [whatever situation we may be dealing with] what you ought to say. But most importantly, we are not to let our heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid; nor should sorrow fill our heart, because Christ Jesus promised, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Peace be with you.” Jesus made all these promised to the disciples and to us before His crucifixion. So why after His resurrection does He find the disciples with the doors shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews?
Doors shut and in fear of man? Because they had not received the gift of the Holy Spirit yet. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”(Acts 1:4-5, 8; see THE GOSPEL: Jesus Gives Final Instruction, then He Ascends)
The Holy Spirit empowers us to "come out of the closet", to stop hiding and keeping out mouth closed about what we believe; and He empowers us to communicate the message of the gospel to the whole world. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [in other known languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4; see ACTS:Tongues and Its Purpose, Spreading the Gospel and the Church)
Once the 120 disciples in that upper room were filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, they left that room without any fear of the Jews; and ... Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said... (Acts 2:14) Just like that! They were brave enough to come out of that upper room and bold enough to start proclaiming the gospel to all, regardless of their nationality and language of origin. The Holy Spirit empowered them to speak with other tongues, in languages that were not known to them but known by those ...dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. (Acts 2:5)
The gift of the Holy Spirit wasn't just for the disciples or for people back then, but He is a promised gift from God to all of us who are saved. Just as the people who heard Peter ...were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) His answer to them is the same answer for all of us. Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38; see ACTS: Beginning of the "Church"; Clear Message Leads to Repentance)
As we've studied previously, everything that Christ Jesus told the disciples would happen to them did happen to them. Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. (Acts 4:1-3, 8-10)
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:13, 18-20; see ACTS: Bold Witnesses, No Matter Who Opposes)
“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12) And did that not happen just as Jesus told them it would? After this incident, Peter would pray, "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29-31)
Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. (Acts 5:17-21; see ACTS: Holy Spirit Empowers the Church, and Man Can't Stop God's Plan) Before the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, they locked themselves up in the upper room, where the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews.
Now, the Jews couldn't even keep them locked up in prison, but at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out. Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:27-29; see ACTS: When Faced with a Choice, "We ought to obey God rather than men")
The purpose of this summary was to remind all of us who are saved that we aren't just saved from eternal damnation, but we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God and empowered to do awesome and wonderful works! Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) Jesus does not lie, so He meant this when He said it. We are not a weak and pitiful people who believe in a dead God. He is alive and through His Holy Spirit in us, we are "alive" also. For God Himself has told us, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
No matter what may come, no matter what may happen in this world, no matter what man may try to do to us, we who are saved are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. We may have lived in fear of others before, but now we are empowered with boldness to speak God's word! ...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ! (Ephesians 4:14-15) ...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) “Peace be with you.” AMEN
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