Scripture Passage

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Be restored; listen to my appeal; agree with one another; live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

¹³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Sermon Script

The passage we read today is quite brief. It comes from the end of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church that he planted. At the end of the letter, he tells the Corinthian Christians—

Be restored; listen to my appeal; agree with one another; live in PEACE; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

The word ‘peace’ in Greek is EIRENE. It means ‘to join or bind together what has been separated’. Peace has to do with a sense of wholeness, being complete. The absence of peace implies that something remains broken and divided.

We often experience a lack of peace in our lives. Fear and anxiety constantly strike our hearts. We feel conflicted and torn. No wonder we are always under a tremendous amount of stress and tension. We rarely feel all that together.

Jesus saw that clearly in people. He saw how divided and conflicted people’s hearts were. That’s why he said to his disciples—

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

But this wasn’t the only time. After the resurrection, Jesus found his disciples in a room. They had locked themselves out of fear of being found out as his followers. Not only once, but twice he said to them—

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20:19

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20:21

What does that tell you? We need peace in our lives. Peace is the essential ingredient to a healthy and vibrant life. Without peace, we can’t be happy. Without peace, we can’t stand strong in times of trouble. Without peace, we can’t live our life with joy.

Peace doesn’t mean we have no fears and worries. We may think that way about peace. “I can only feel peaceful when there is no problem in my life.”  So we try to create a problem-free life. That may give us a momentary bliss, but we find that anxiety soon creeps into our hearts again.

We can experience peace even when we are in the midst of a storm. Peace has to do with power that is greater than the power of our fears and worries. Peace is what we find in God, not what we try to create. That’s the chorus of the song, “Still”.

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God.

There once lived a woman named Julian of Norwich. She lived in the 14^th and 15^th centuries. She dedicated her life to God after meeting him while she was very ill and almost near death. She survived her illness but came out of it totally changed. She experienced a glimpse of God’s love. In her experience of God’s love, she realized that no matter what is happens in our life, good or bad, God will make everything okay in the end. Everything will turn out for good. All will be well. She believed peace comes from trusting in God’s goodness. This was what she wrote—

Peace and love are always present within us, living and laboring, but we unfortunately do not always abide in peace and love.

Julian of Norwich

Peace is not something that just comes and goes. God’s peace is already present. We simply need to abide in it. Peace is what we choose to live.

Finding our inner peace is important. But peace doesn’t only mean inner peace. Peace also has to do with an outer peace.

Outer peace is when there is harmony in our relationships. When people fight and are in conflict with each other, the outer peace is shattered. When there is no outer peace, it also disturbs our inner peace. It’s hard to focus when I get upset with someone or when I know that someone is upset with me.  It also makes it hard to sleep. We can strive for outer peace when we find our inner peace.

So, to live in peace means two things: First, finding our inner peace in God. Second, bringing outer peace to our relationships with others. They are intertwined.

Bringing peace is living a life of reconciliation. Reconciling means overcoming any division, conflict and hatred through love. That was the core of Jesus’ life and ministry. He came to restore and bind what was separated. Our relationship to God. Our relationship to each other. Our relationship to the created world. St. Paul saw that clearly. That’s why when he talks about living in peace in today’s passage, it is connected to living in harmony with each other. The NIV translation brings out the meaning more clearly—

Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

It is not easy to live in harmony with people. Last week, I talked about how church is full of diverse people and how their diverse gifts bless the community. What also happens when a diverse group of people live and journey together? You also have diverse kinds of conflicts and problems. We see this especially in church. We each have our own baggage. That means when we come together with others, we will end up dealing with each other’s baggage. We will get annoyed and frustrated. We will even get hurt and angry. We will want nothing to do with those people.

It wasn’t easy for St. Paul to write this letter. Some of the people in the Corinthian church spread rumours about him. It hurt him deeply. Yet he didn’t use the letter to attack them in return. He was sincere and honest about how he felt, but in the end he put his feelings aside to speak to them about the importance of living in peace with each other. Paul led by example.

Instead of letting our conflicts divide us, we can take the better road towards peace. Human relationships are so fragile. They can be so easily broken. Let the peace of God calm your anger and frustration. God will grant you love, patience, and understanding so that you can strive to live in peace with others. Your inner peace will be strengthened.

Scripture Passage

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Sermon Script

One thing I love about church is how diverse the people are. I’m a pastor, so I might be a little biased. But you don’t find this kind of diversity anywhere else. You come across people from all walks of life. You see people of all ages, from young to old. More importantly, you get to journey with them. You don’t really get that kind of experience at school or work. Sometimes I hear some of you say that the kind of relationships you have at church is very different. You feel that they are more meaningful. Being part of a faith community is itself a unique experience.

When you are in a diverse community, you won’t only find a diverse group of people. You will also find a diversity of talents and gifts. You will find those gifts being used for the greater good of the community.

Last month, we had our Mission Dinner. It was our first one in almost 4 years. Mission Dinner requires a lot of detailed planning and execution. In that one event alone, you saw so many people coming together and sharing their gifts for good. We had our musicians. We had talented chefs preparing meals in the kitchen. We had friendly and hardworking servers on the floor. We had an entertaining MC for the evening. There were moments during the evening when I thought, “How wonderful this is!” God always provides. I was physically tired, but it gave me lots of energy to carry on.

We also hear about gifts in today’s passage. St. Paul tells us this—

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

The Greek word for ‘gifts’ here is ‘CHARISMATON’. It comes from the word ‘charisma’ and is related to ‘charis’. ‘Charis’ means GRACE. Spiritual gifts, then, are what God has blessed each and every one of us with by his Spirit, so that they can be a blessing to those around us who need them. The fact that you see such a diversity of gifts around you is no random accident. It is God’s gracious doing out of his love for his community.

Some of you might say, “I don’t know what my gifts are.” Some of you might have a sense, but not entirely sure. You may feel inadequate. You may think that other people are more skilled and talented than you. And that often becomes our reason to NOT share ourselves when an opportunity arises.

Not knowing what your gifts are is okay. It takes time. Our gifts are meant to be discovered. They are like seeds hidden within you, waiting to burst open and bear fruit.

Your gifts may not be one of the gifts that St. Paul mentions in the passage. His list is not supposed to be final. St. Paul believed the Spirit can work in countless ways. What you see in today’s passage is only a handful of examples. But it still tells us something very important.

St. Paul mentions 9 spiritual gifts in today’s passage. I’ve listed them in order: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues (speaking in spiritual language), Interpretation of tongues.

There is one gift in this list that differs from the rest. Look carefully. Which one do you think it is?

It is the gift of FAITH. Healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and the interpretation all involve some kind of action (or doing). Faith, on the other hand, is what believers all share. It opens our eyes to see those gifts, in ourselves and others. Wisdom and knowledge may seem similar to faith. They don’t involve any kind of action per se. But without faith, we cannot come to a deeper understanding of God and his wisdom.

Faith is a gift. God gave us this beautiful gift through his Spirit. To me, faith is not only about trust, but COURAGE as well. With this gift of faith, we can discover those other gifts that God has blessed us with and allow God to use them to bless others.

Jeremiah, for example, had the gift of prophecy. He was a prophet. We usually think prophecy as predicting the future. To be exact, being prophetic has to do with being able to see clearly what’s happening in the present and envisioning a more hopeful future.

When God called Jeremiah, he didn’t respond with enthusiasm. He was full of doubts. He didn’t think he was the right fit. He thought he was too young and inexperienced. He didn’t think he was a good speaker.

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

Jeremiah 1:6

Isn’t this how we usually respond when we are faced with an opportunity? When I first asked Caitlin to be an Exec, she thought she was too young and unfit to be one. When I asked Junie to be part of the worship dance on Good Friday last year, she almost quit because she was too nervous. We always come up with reasons why we shouldn’t do it. We think the time will come when we feel ready and prepared. That itself can be an excuse too.

In order for Jeremiah to discover his gift as a prophet, he had to face the opportunity with faith. This was how God responded to him—

Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you.

Jeremiah 1:7, 8

In order for us to discover our gifts and who we are, we must learn to meet the opportunities that God presents us with faith. God will grant us the faith to take our step into the unknown. Just as he provided Jeremiah with the words to speak, God will provide us with what we need to be a blessing to others.

What God needs from us is not our perfection. We are already precious in God’s sight. What God needs from us is our willingness and openness. When we are open and willing, God can do wonders through us.

We are heading into our last 3 months of the year before the new Hi-C year begins. There will be a significant transition in our group. Our grade 12s will be moving on to university. Many of them have been serving the Hi-C over the years. That means we will need some of you to step in and take ownership of our group in the new year.

In the next few months, you may face some unexpected questions and opportunities. Rather than running away from them, consider prayerfully. If God is stirring something in your heart, listen to it. You will feel a mix of excitement and fear. With the gift of faith God gives you, take on the opportunity. Face the unknown with courage and let God use you for the greater good of our community.

At the end of the day, it is not about ‘me’. It is about seeing how God brings unity through the diversity of his people. As St. Paul says, we are one body with many parts.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

1 Corinthians 3:12, 13

Only the Spirit of Christ can bring that kind of unity. The joy we experience will be more inspiring and empowering than any self-praise can bring. That is the meaning of the Pentecost.

Scripture Passage

John 20:24-31

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ₂₅ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ The Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Sermon Script

Today’s story might be familiar to some of us. It is the story of ‘Doubting Thomas’.

Thomas was one of Jesus’ disciples. But none of the disciples have the same nickname as Thomas. You don’t hear that about Peter. Thomas’ nickname came from this story. We see him doubting Jesus’ resurrection.

The word ‘doubt’ often carries a negative connotation. We don’t think it’s good to doubt, especially when it comes to God. Doubting seems like something we shouldn’t do. So we hide our doubts. We pretend like everything is okay.

Is doubting really that bad? What does it mean to doubt, anyway? Is it just a matter of not believing in God? Wondering whether or not God exists? At the end of today’s passage, Jesus seems to tell Thomas that it is better to have faith than to doubt.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

I want us to look at the story of Doubting Thomas more closely. It will give us a newer and deeper understanding of what doubting is.

How does today’s story begin? Let’s hear it again.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

John 20:24, 26

Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus appeared to the other disciples! Imagine how that might have made him feel. No one likes to feel like they are the only one who missed out on something important. That’s why we have an expression like ‘FOMO’. So it is understandable when he refuses to believe what the other disciples tell him.

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Colossians 3:1, 2

Thomas probably felt disappointed. Betrayed. Hurt. And even angry. He wasn’t doubting for no reason. He wasn’t speaking with the confidence of an atheist. His doubting was in response to what he had experienced.

Remember, Thomas was a person of faith. While he was with Jesus, he was full of passion. When Jesus was going to go raise Lazarus, even at the risk of being stoned by the authorities, he was willing to go with him. He even called on the other disciples to do the same.

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

John 11:16

Jesus meant everything to Thomas. So imagine what Jesus’ death must’ve done to him. And while he’s grieving, the disciples tell him they saw him—and that he missed out. It must’ve been a lot for him to digest all at once.

Through Thomas, we see a different picture of doubt. Doubting is not a complete absence of faith. Doubts can come even when we have faith. Doubting is our crying out for greater faith. In our doubting, there is a helpless and desperate cry for belief. That’s why our doubts are often expressed as anger. We see how much our faith is lacking.

We see this cry for faith throughout the Gospels. A father comes to Jesus with his son because no one can heal him, not even the disciples.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!“

Mark 9:21-24

The father wanted to believe, but he also couldn’t help himself. So he desperately cried out to Jesus. Jesus healed his son.

Jesus once tells Peter to come to him on the water, and Peter starts to walk on water. Then this happens—

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:30, 31

When the challenges and circumstances of our life affects us, they also affect our faith. Not only do we become shaky, our faith also becomes shaky. We lose confidence. Even those of us who were once very committed and passionate about God. We want to believe, but we feel totally weak. We feel unsure and totally helpless.

Thomas wanted to believe that Jesus was alive. But he felt like he didn’t have enough faith. All he could say was to demand that Jesus show up in front of him.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Through the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20:26

Jesus came. But he didn’t scold Thomas for doubting.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

John 20:27

Jesus did exactly what Thomas wanted. But Thomas didn’t have to touch Jesus’ wounds. Seeing Jesus was enough for him. Jesus gave him the strength to believe again.

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

John 20:28

Thomas didn’t lose his faith, even in his doubting. In fact, through his doubting his faith became stronger. He encountered God in a new way. He later went as far as South India to preach the gospel.

When we feel like we are lacking faith, we don’t have to be afraid. Doubting is a part of our faith journey. Faith and doubt co-exist. If there is no faith, there is no possibility of doubt either. All we have to do is to be honest about our doubts with God. Don’t bottle them up. Express them, just as they are, to God.

Cry out to God like Thomas. God can handle your anger, sadness and disappointment. Don’t let yourself fall into indifference. Indifference is what kills our faith. God sees your desire behind your words. God will give you the strength to overcome your doubts. God will help you believe again. You will come out with an even greater faith.

It has been a week since Easter. So it is a blessing to read Thomas’ story which also happened a week after Jesus’ resurrection.

The story of Doubting Thomas shows us that the risen Christ still is alive and present with us. Christ, who is the Word, speaks powerfully to us through the words of Scripture.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:30, 31

Scripture Passage

Colossians 3:1-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Sermon Script

Happy Easter! CHRIST IS RISEN! No greater words have been spoken. This is the good news of our faith. We boldly proclaim this message of the resurrection on Easter.

For a lot of us, resurrection might be a hard thing to grasp. We know that it is significant. But we don’t know why it is so important. We don’t know if we even really believe in it. Even Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, had a hard time with it. He refused to believe in the resurrection unless he saw and touched Jesus in the flesh.

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

John 20:25

Resurrection is not a theory. Resurrection is not what we try to prove. Resurrection is not what we can know with our head. Resurrection is a reality that we EXPERIENCE. Resurrection is our experience of God’s POWER that raised Jesus to life.

It is true that Jesus’ disciples saw the risen Christ with their eyes. Thomas even got to touch the wounds on Jesus’ body. But seeing Jesus wasn’t what changed them. It was their experience of God’s power that raised Jesus which changed them in a profound way.

That was what also happened to St. Paul. This was long after Jesus’ resurrection. Paul had heard about the resurrected Jesus and those who believed in it. But it meant nothing to him. He thought it was ridiculous. In fact, he wanted to silence those who spoke about it. He persecuted the early Christians and put them in prison. Then one day, he encountered the risen Christ on his way to Damascus. He experienced the power of the resurrection. It completely changed his life.

There is nothing like the power of the resurrection. It is greater than any human power.

Our own willpower has its limits. We know this from experience. We want to break free from our old habits. We do our best, but we easily drift back into our old ways. We feel forever bound to our past, our habits, and ourselves. Our willpower doesn’t give us the power to live a new life. It only makes us more controlling and rigid.

The power of the resurrection is different. It doesn’t come from us. It comes from God. It makes us entirely new. It changes our desires and our attitude. It gives us the power to live a new life with freedom. Whatever came before, it has no hold over us. That’s why St. Paul proclaimed this after meeting Christ—

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the NEW is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

You are a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come. You are living a new reality! You are no longer what you were before. God has given you the power to live a new life.

Today is a special Sunday. Joan will be getting baptized. Baptism symbolizes dying and rising with Christ. We received our identity as God’s new creation.  So we celebrate the new life God has given Joan. We also commit to walking with her and supporting her in her journey of faith, as God promises to be with her. We are the people of the resurrection.

St. Paul tells us today—

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:1, 2

You are no longer living by your own power. You are living by God’s power that will never die. You are living a life of new focus, passion and direction. Instead of going through your journey looking down, look up. Seek what is good, beautiful and meaningful. With the power that God has given you, you will be able to do great and wonderful things. You will use your freedom to serve and bless others.

John Coltrane, a famous saxophone player, lived with that desire. He played beautiful music that touched the hearts of many. This was what he said—

I want to be a force for real good. In other words, I know that there are bad forces. I know that there are forces out here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.

John Coltrane

Trust in the power of the resurrection. Experience it. You will live and be a force for real good.

On Good Friday, the darkness of this world tried to swallow up the light of the world. On Easter Sunday, the light burst forth through the darkness. As John said in his gospel, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. May the power of resurrection shine in your life and give light to those who are in the darkness.

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 50:4-9a

⁴ The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

⁵ The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.

⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.

⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.

⁸ He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!

⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?

Sermon Script

Today is Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday. It begins the Holy Week, the final week of Jesus’ life. Jesus enters Jerusalem and makes his way to the cross.

When I think about Jesus and his life, one word comes to mind. That’s confidence. Jesus didn’t live a long life. He died in his early 30’s. That’s young. But he lived a full and meaningful life. He lived his life with confidence. He didn’t live with a timid spirit. He was like the Servant whom the prophet Isaiah envisioned in the passage we just read.

Jesus gave a ‘face’ to what confidence is. He redefined what it means to be confident. Confidence has three distinct qualities. Quiet. Faithful. Trusting. These qualities make up the face of confidence. I’d like to reflect on them with you today.

First, confidence is QUIET. I don’t mean all confident people are quiet and don’t talk much. There are confident people who are very outgoing. By ‘quiet’, I mean that true confidence does not boast. It doesn’t try to show itself off. Confident people do not feel the need to prove to others how great, capable or wonderful they are. In that sense, their confidence is quiet.

What separated Jesus from others was his quiet confidence. He never sought to be in the spotlight. In fact, he avoided it as much as he could. He healed out of love, not out of his own insecurity. He didn’t live to be served, but to serve others. Do you remember it from our study of the Gospel of Mark?

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

In quiet confidence, there is power. It is not the power that comes from people’s acceptance and approval. It is the power that comes from you knowing who you are. Jesus knew who he was. When people were in Jesus’ presence, they felt this power radiating from him.

Second, confidence is FAITHFUL. Confident people do not waver easily. They don’t say one thing and do another, based on how they feel at that moment. They don’t run away when things get hard and difficult. Confident people are focused and committed. They are faithful in all matters, whether small or big. They do not compromise their character and integrity.

As I said before, Jesus lived a short but wonderful life. But it wasn’t an easy life. Jesus dealt with all sorts of challenges along the way. The last week of his life was particularly difficult and painful. He knew he’d be betrayed by his closest disciples. He knew he’d be unjustly accused of the things he didn’t do. He knew he’d be put to death by people who didn’t recognize him for who he was. He was so afraid and troubled that he wanted to run away at one point.

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:39

Yet Jesus did not waver. He remained faithful to what he felt called to do until the end. He served his disciples until the moment he was betrayed. He didn’t retaliate when people mocked him and treated him violently. He loved and forgave them, even as he was dying on the cross. Don’t the words of the Servant describe exactly what Jesus went through?

I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.

Isaiah 50:6

Confidence has nothing to do with being successful. If that’s what confidence is, then Jesus had no confidence. Confidence has to do with being faithful. At Rev. Simon’s ordination in 2019, Rev. Kim said this—

What God wants is not a successful minister, but a faithful minister.

Rev. In Kee Kim

This doesn’t just apply to ministers. It applies to all of us. God wants us to be faithful. Faithfulness comes from our confidence.

Third, confidence is TRUSTING. This, to me, is the most important. It is the very soil and foundation of confidence. Confidence is all about trust. It comes from putting our complete trust in someone or something else. Trust has very much to do with love. We trust only those we love. Without love, we cannot trust fully. Without trust, we cannot find our confidence.

Jesus’ confidence came from his trust in God. Nothing else. He was able to live his life with confidence because he believed that God will help him, no matter what. He believed that nothing could separate him from God’s love. The words of the Servant capture Jesus’ confidence perfectly.

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.

Isaiah 50:7

Jesus marched confidently to the cross with this mindset. The Roman judicial system branded him as a criminal. Some people, like Pilate, saw him as an innocent victim. Jesus was silent, but he did not see himself as a victim or a criminal. His silence was a sign of his confidence that God will help him. He knew that he would not be disgraced in God’s sight.

We may not live the life that Jesus lived. But we experience similar fears that Jesus faced in our own life. Fear of being judged and misunderstood. Fear of rejection. Fear of loneliness and abandonment.

Jesus showed us that we don’t need to live out of our fears. Jesus showed us that we don’t need to live a timid life. Jesus showed us that we can live with confidence, fully trusting that God will help us. Jesus showed us that with confidence, we can embrace any challenges that come our way. Isaiah tells us later in the Servant song—

Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.

Isaiah 50:10

Do not let your fears sway you from living your life. Let God’s love restore the face of confidence in your life. Let us head into the Holy Week with God’s Spirit that is always with us and helps us when we are in need.