{"id":6637,"date":"2015-04-14T17:10:18","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T21:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=6637"},"modified":"2015-04-28T13:27:06","modified_gmt":"2015-04-28T17:27:06","slug":"resurrection-peace-41215","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=6637","title":{"rendered":"Resurrection Peace (4\/12\/15)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"color: #000080;\">What are you afraid of?\u00a0 There&#8217;s good fear and bad fear, and Jesus came to remove the &#8220;bad fear.&#8221;\u00a0 On this first Sunday after Easter, Pastor Jim preached on this topic.\u00a0 His text was from\u00a0John 20:19-23, where Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000080;\">To find out more, click the following &#8220;Play&#8221; button to start the sermon (from the 9:30 service) and then scroll down to follow along&#8230;.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6637-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Sermon-2015-04-12a-Resurrection-Peace-_JHB.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Sermon-2015-04-12a-Resurrection-Peace-_JHB.mp3\">https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Sermon-2015-04-12a-Resurrection-Peace-_JHB.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><em>Click the\u00a0 following drop down box to see the scripture&#8230;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>John 20:19-23<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, &#8220;Peace be with you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>21 So Jesus said to them again, &#8220;Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, &#8220;Receive the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.&#8221; NKJV<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What are YOU afraid of? There are a lot of things in this life that arouse our natural defense mechanisms, and there are things that lock us into inaction.\u00a0 Here are a few phobias that paralyze many people&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='tabs-left et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_left_tabs clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et_left_tabs_bg'><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tMysophobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tAcrophobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tArachnophobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tXenophobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tHierophobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tHomilaphobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tHippopo&#8230;.phobia\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of dirt.\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of high places.\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of spiders.\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of strangers.\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of priests or pastors\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tThe fear of sermons.\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tHippopotomostrosesquippledaliophobia&#8230;\nThe fear of long words.\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .tabs-left -->\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We&#8217;ve all experienced fear at one time or another.\u00a0 Someone wrote that &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8221;\u00a0 Columnist Dave Barry wrote, <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears- of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark.. and of the words &#8220;Assembly Required!&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-bio'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Years ago, the Archbishop of Duiblin had badly damaged his back in a fall.\u00a0 From that moment he constantly lived in the fear of becoming paralyzed and so was constantly feeling his legs and pinching them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A lady sitting next to him at a dinner noticed that the aged bishop was agitated and muttering to himself, &#8220;It&#8217;s come at last; I can&#8217;t feel a thing.\u00a0 It&#8217;s finally happened; I&#8217;m paralyzed!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Kindly, the woman asked the muttering old man what was wrong.\u00a0 &#8220;I&#8217;ve been pinching my leg for the last five minutes and I can&#8217;t feel a thing,&#8221; he replied.\u00a0 &#8220;I must be paralyzed.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The woman answered with a bashful smile on her face, &#8220;It&#8217;s all right, your grace.\u00a0 It&#8217;s my leg that you&#8217;ve been pinching.&#8221;<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Fear!!!<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/fear-441402__180.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6635\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/fear-441402__180.jpg\" alt=\"fear-441402__180\" width=\"254\" height=\"180\" \/><\/a>We can laugh about some of our fears.\u00a0 Some fears are legitimate.\u00a0 Certainly if you fear stepping out in front of a bus, that&#8217;s a good fear.\u00a0 But many fears are not based on true risks.\u00a0 Phobias and fears like those mentioned above can paralyze us.\u00a0 They can rob us of all peace and of any attention on the things that God has called us to be and to do.<\/p>\n<p>Just like the Israeli army when one man&#8230; named Goliath&#8230; held the whole nation paralyzed.<\/p>\n<p>In our own time, what about the fear of money (or the lack thereof)?\u00a0 It can paralyze us.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The Disciples Had\u00a0Reason to Fear&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The disciples on the evening of that first Easter were afraid (John 20:19).\u00a0 And not without reason.\u00a0 They were confused.\u00a0 They had witnessed the cruel death of Jesus on the cross.\u00a0 John and Peter saw the open tomb, but they didn&#8217;t really understand what was going on (John 20:9).\u00a0 In fact, Peter later took off and went back to his former job of fishing.<\/p>\n<p>And it wasn&#8217;t so far fetched to think that they were in danger, so the disciples locked themselves behind closed doors. The religious authorities had been out to get Jesus for months, repeatedly seeking ways to get rid of this troublemaker; trying to trap Him into making statements that they could use against Him.\u00a0 And they got what they wanted: they hung Jesus on a cross.\u00a0\u00a0 Could the disciples be next?\u00a0 Locking the doors wasn&#8217;t such a bad idea afterall.<\/p>\n<p>But.. who else was in that room?\u00a0 Judas had betrayed Jesus.\u00a0 Could the disciples even trust each other?\u00a0 Which of those other 11 disciples (or others in that room) might be the next to give into the religious leaders?\u00a0 Could it be John?\u00a0 Maybe Thomas&#8217; doubts caused him to turn sides.\u00a0 What about Phillip- could he be next???<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The Disciples Had Reason to Hope&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The disciples were behind locked doors &#8220;for fear of the Jews.&#8221;\u00a0 The Archbishop of Dublin was pinching himself in fear, but the disciples\u00a0were really in a\u00a0paralyzed state behind their locked doors.<\/p>\n<p>But the keys to the locked doors and the ability to get up and walk through them were available to them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>J<strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">esus had warned them what was going to happen<\/span><\/strong> (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=jn+14&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">John 14:1<\/a><\/span>).\u00a0 But He also assured them that they didn&#8217;t have to get upset and worry.\u00a0 They could trust God.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Locked doors and fear can&#8217;t keep Jesus away!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong> In John 20:19 Jesus suddenly appears.\u00a0 And the first thing Jesus addressed was their fear: &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Jesus came and stood among them.\u00a0 Peace be with you<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8220;, He said. Then He repeated&#8230; &#8220;Peace be with you!&#8221; (John 20:21)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Jesus&#8217; presence is Promised!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 In <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+18%3A15-20&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew 18:20<\/a><\/span> Jesus said &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8221;\u00a0 Jesus came in through the locked doorS.\u00a0 Nothing could or will keep Him out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Jesus&#8217; Presence is Proved!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 In John 20:20 the disciples&#8217; vision is made clear when Jesus shows them the deep wounds in His hands and the gash in His side.\u00a0 And Jesus&#8217; message- in spite of all the stuff that is threatening them- is simply, &#8220;Be at peace.\u00a0 Relax.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t be afraid! I am with you.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">God&#8217;s Presence is Perfect!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Years ago, God said the same thing to the Israelites: &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.\u00a0 I will strengthen you.\u00a0 Yes, I will help you.\u00a0 I will uphold you with my righteous right\u00a0hand.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8221; (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Isaiah+41%3A1-10&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">Isaiah\u00a041:10<\/a><\/span>). God&#8217;s strong right hand upholds us (see Pastor Jim&#8217;s\u00a09\/7\/14 sermon, &#8220;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=3552\" target=\"_blank\">ET\u00a0Meets\u00a0Michelangelo<\/a><\/span>&#8220;).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The Resurrection Turns the Key and Drives out Fear!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The resurrection changes everything! Where there was despair and fear, there is now hope and comfort.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1+john+4%3A7-21&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">1\u00a0John\u00a04:18<\/a> tells us the God&#8217;s &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Perfect love drives out fear.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8221;\u00a0 We don&#8217;t have to be paralyzed with fear.\u00a0 We don&#8217;t have to keep pinching ourselves because we&#8217;re afraid we&#8217;ll get stuck!<\/p>\n<p>The familiar words of Psalm 23 tells us to fear no evil&#8230;.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\"> I will fear no evil;\u00a0 For You are with me;<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\"> Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nNKJV<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The risen Christ brings us peace when we fear the day of our death, or when we stand at the open grave of a loved one.\u00a0 It is natural and normal for us to have this kind of fear, but ever riding this fear is the sure knowledge that when we pass through the dark valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4) we will enter a glorious new life in eternity.\u00a0 Because of the resurrection, even death can&#8217;t keep us paralyzed behind locked doors!<\/p>\n<p>Times of crisis, doubt, and confusion will come.\u00a0 But because of the resurrection, they won&#8217;t paralyze us.\u00a0 A lot of things will threaten us:\u00a0 threats to personal safety, threats to career paths, threats to the happiness of our families, threats to our financial security, threats to our health.\u00a0 We may be frightened by sickness or by aging.<\/p>\n<p>But- because of the resurrection- in every moment, in every case, Our Savior appears to us as one who offers us His peace. He is the One who comes through locked doors and lovingly assures the terrified, &#8220;Peace be with you!!!&#8221; (John 20:19, John 20:21).<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John+14%3A15-27&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">John\u00a014:27<\/a> Jesus says, &#8220;<strong><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.\u00a0 Not as the world gives do I give you.\u00a0 Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Over and over,\u00a0 God has told us to not be afraid.\u00a0 Over and over He assures us that He brings peace&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-container et_sliderfx_fade et_sliderauto_false et_sliderauto_speed_5000 et_slidertype_top_tabs'>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class='et-tabs-control'>\n\t\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\t2 Timothy\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tJeremiah\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\t2 Thessalonians\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tJohn\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tProverbs\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tPsalms\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tEzekiel\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tNumbers\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tRomans\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tPhilippians\n\t\t<\/a><\/li> \n\t\t<li><a href='#'>\n\t\t\tActs\n\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul> <!-- .et-tabs-control --> \n\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content'>\n\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-main-wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='et-tabs-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t2 Tim 1:7 7<\/p>\n<p>For God has <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">not given us a spirit of fear<\/span>, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tJer 1:8<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Do not be afraid<\/span> of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,&#8221; says the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\t2 Thessalonians 3:16<\/p>\n<p>Now may the <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Lord of peace<\/span> Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tJohn 16:23-24<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">He will give you<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tProverbs 3:25-26<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Do not be afraid<\/span> of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; \u00a0 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tPsalm 27:1<\/p>\n<p>The Lord is my light and my salvation; <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Whom shall I fear<\/span>? The Lord is the strength of my life; <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Of whom shall I be afraid?<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tEzekiel 2:6-7<\/p>\n<p>And you, son of man, <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">do not be afraid<\/span> of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tNumbers 6:26<\/p>\n<p>The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">peace<\/span>.&#8221;&#8216;\u00a0 NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tRomans 8:6-7<\/p>\n<p>For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">peace<\/span>.\u00a0 NKJV<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">peace<\/span>. NLT\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tPhilippians 4:6-7 6<\/p>\n<p>Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;\u00a0 and the <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">peace of God<\/span>, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. NKJV\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<div class='et_slidecontent'>\n\t\t\tActs 18:9<\/p>\n<p>Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, &#8220;<span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">Do not be afraid<\/span>, but speak, and do not keep silent; NKJV\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .et-tabs-container -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We can escape the locked doors of our fear.\u00a0 We can leave the security and comfort of our church and go wherever Jesus is leading us.\u00a0 The resurrection changes everything!<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-shadow'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The sunflower is probably the most amazing flower God created.\u00a0 They literally follow the sun. Watching one follow the sun is cute.\u00a0 But watching hundreds in absolute unison as they follow the sun is incredible.<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/sunflower-402249__180.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6634\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/sunflower-402249__180.jpg\" alt=\"sunflower-402249__180\" width=\"270\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/sunflower-402249__180.jpg 270w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/sunflower-402249__180-140x94.jpg 140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Something I found our recently is that sunflowers continue tracking the sun&#8217;s direction even after the sun sets.\u00a0 Through 360 degrees, they ensure that they are always oriented in the direction of the sun.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Their unity is totally dependent on one thing:\nTheir relationship to the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The wordplay is obvious but true:\u00a0 <\/span>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Are we driven by our relationship to the Son???<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Are you paralyzed by fear? Are you trapped in your comfort zone?\u00a0 Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and the things (and fears) of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glorious face.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: 14pt;\">Christ is Risen!!!<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">\u00a0Quiz Time!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As you reflect on what you&#8217;ve just heard\/read, give this quiz a try.\u00a0 If you don&#8217;t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the &#8220;correct&#8221; answer, post a comment)&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id='quizArea'>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\njQuery(document).ready(function($) {\n$( function($){\nvar quiz = {\nmultiList:\n[{ ques: 'What is Hippopotomostrosesquippledaliophobia?',\nans: 'The fear of long words.',\nansSel: [ 'The fear of spelling bees.',  'The fear of aquatic mammals.' ] },\n{ ques: 'Why did the Archbishop of Dublin pinch himself?',\nans: 'He was afraid he was paralyzed.',\nansSel: [ 'He was wondering if it was all a dream.',  'He wanted to talk with the lady sitting next to him.' ] },\n{ ques: 'Did the disciples trust each other?',\nans: 'Maybe not; one of them had already betrayed Jesus.',\nansSel: [ 'Of course.\u00a0 They kept saying One for all and All for One!',  'No way!' ] },\n{ ques: 'What does 1 John 4:18 tell us?',\nans: 'Perfect love drives out fear.',\nansSel: [ 'Perfect fear drives out love.',  'God does not love scaredycats.' ] },\n{ ques: 'What can we learn from the sunflower?',\nans: 'To keep our eyes focused on The Son.',\nansSel: [ 'That we need sun glasses.',  'Things become strangely dim when we stare at the sun.' ] }]\n};\nvar options = {\ntitle: 'Resurrection Peace',\nhelp: 'Select the correct answer and click Check.',\nshowAns: false,\nshowAnsInfo: false,\nallRandom: false,\nshowFeedback: false,\nrandom: false\n};\nvar lang = {\nquiz : { tfEqual:'' }\n};\n$( '#quizArea' ).jQuizMe( quiz, options, lang );\n$( \".q-innerArea\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EECCAA\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".quiz-el\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#776655\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-ques\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-ansSel\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n$( \".q-result\" ).css( {\"backgroundColor\": \"#EEEEEE\", \"color\": \"#222222\"} );\n});\n}(jQuery))\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\"><strong>+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?cat=50\">Click Here<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to view other sermons.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are you afraid of?\u00a0 There&#8217;s good fear and bad fear, and Jesus came to remove the &#8220;bad fear.&#8221;\u00a0 On this first Sunday after Easter, Pastor Jim preached on this topic.\u00a0 His text was from\u00a0John 20:19-23, where Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors.\u00a0 To find out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[151,144],"class_list":["post-6637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-fear","tag-godspresence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6637"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6695,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6637\/revisions\/6695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}