Rev. Avedis Boynerian graciously forwards me his Sunday service sermon ahead of time. Rev. Avedis Boynerian had titled this past Sunday’s, April 11, 2026, sermon "Jesus vs Fear." With his permission, I reproduced the sermon below and linked to the "When Peace, Like a River", hymn that was on the order of this past Sunday’s service. Vaհe H Apelian
The sermon
"Have you ever locked a door not just for safety, but because you were afraid?
Afraid of what might happen?
Afraid of what might come next?
Afraid of what you cannot control?
Sometimes those doors are made of anxiety… uncertainty… bad news… and fears we don’t talk about.
And that’s exactly where we find the disciples in our text (John 20:19-21) (see below)
It’s the evening of resurrection day.
The tomb is empty…
But the disciples are not celebrating.
They are hiding.
The doors are locked.
Fear has filled the room.
And fear still does that today
It locks doors…
It silences voices…
It convinces us that hiding is safer than living.
But here is the truth:
If Jesus does not wait for fear to end—He walks right into it.
1.- The disciples' fear locked the doors.
The doors were locked…”
The disciples are afraid:
Of arrest and of what comes next
Fear is like a house with too many locks.
You lock one door… then another… then another.
Soon, you’re not just keeping danger out. You’re trapped inside.
That’s what fear does spiritually to us
It closes us off: It closes us off…
From people
From hope
Even from God
2.- Jesus stood among the disciples
“Jesus came and stood among them…”
He did not knock.
He did not warn.
He did not delay.
Jesus simply appears.
It's just like light entering a dark room.
Darkness doesn’t argue.
It doesn’t resist.
The moment light enters, darkness is gone.
That’s what happens when Jesus steps into our fear.
He doesn’t fight it …
He overcomes it by His presence.
That’s what happens when Jesus steps into our fear.
He overcomes it by His presence.
Because Jesus never promised a life without trouble—but He did promise something greater.
In John 14:27, He says:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.”
Do you hear the difference?
The world gives peace based on circumstances.
If everything is going well—you feel peace.
If everything falls apart—peace disappears.
But Jesus says:
“My peace is not like that.”
The world says:
“Find peace when the storm stops.”
Jesus says: “You can have peace while the storm is still raging.”
The world’s peace is fragile—
it depends on what’s happening around you.
But the peace of Jesus is unshakable,
because it comes from who is with you.
That’s why when Jesus walked into that locked room
He didn’t change their situation right away—
Rome was still in power.
Danger was still outside.
Uncertainty was still real.
But Peace Himself was now in the room.
And when the Prince of Peace is present, fear doesn’t have to be fought…
it loses its grip.
Because His peace is not something He explains. It’s something He brings.
3.- Jesus greets the disciples by saying, “Peace be with you”
He did not lecture.
He did not rebuke.
That’s what happens when Jesus steps into fear.
The world says: “Find peace when the storm stops.”
Jesus says: “You can have peace while the storm is still raging.”
He said, “Peace be with you.”
Imagine a child in the middle of a violent storm.
Thunder shakes the house.
Wind hits the windows.
The child is terrified.
But then the father walks into the room…
sits beside the child…
and simply says, “I am here.”
And that changes everything.
The storm may still be outside,
But peace has entered the room.
That’s what Jesus does.
4.- Jesus showed His wounds to His disciples
“He showed them His hands and His side…” The scars still remained.
A soldier once returned home from war with visible scars.
At first, he tried to hide them.
But over time, those scars became something else—
Not shame…But proof.
Proof that he survived the war.
Proof that he endured the war.
Proof that he overcame the war.
The wounds of Jesus are not signs of defeat. They are evidence of His victory.
5.- Here is a wonderful story called “The hospital Room”
A woman once sat alone in a hospital waiting room.
Her husband was in surgery.
Hours passed.
Every time the door opened, her heart raced.
Fear overwhelmed her:
What if he doesn’t make it? What if everything changes tonight?
She tried to pray, but the words wouldn’t come.
She said later: I felt like I was sitting in a locked room inside my own heart.”
Then something happened…
A quiet sense came over her—not loud, not dramatic.
Just a deep awareness:
“You are not alone. I am with you.”
There was no voice she could hear.
There was no visible sign.
But she knew Jesus was with her.
She said: “The situation didn’t change immediately, but I did - I changed.”
That’s what the presence of Jesus does.
He may not remove the situation instantly, but He transforms you within it.
6.- The disciples’ fear turned into joy
“The disciples were glad when they saw (Jesus).”
Nothing outside changed.
But everything inside did change...
Because seeing Jesus changes everything.
7.- From fear to mission
Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
The same disciples who were hiding… are now being sent.
Fear says: “Stay where it’s safe.”
Jesus says: “Go where I send you.”
Where are your locked doors?
A fear you don’t talk about?
A burden you carry alone?
A situation you cannot continue?
You don’t have to fix it first.
You don’t have to unlock everything. Ask Jesus to step in…
Right into your fear.
Right into your uncertainty.
Right into your life.
He still says: “Peace be with you. My peace I give you.”
Resurrection means:
Jesus is not distant.
He is near.
He is present.
He is present in your fear.
He is present in your struggle.
He is present in your storm - whatever that may be.
Yes, the doors were locked, but Jesus still came in.
(And the same Jesus,
who walked into that fearful room—
Can walk into your life today.
Yes, He can walk into your life today.
(So don’t let fear define your future,
Because when Jesus enters the room,
Fear doesn’t stand a chance
Your doors - whatever they may be, they are not locked to Jesus."
Note:
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