The blessedness of believing without seeing

John 20:24–29 (NKJV)

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas refused to beleive the report of the disciples and those who had seen Jesus after he rose from the grave.

He refused to beleive until he saw Jesus’s pierced hand and side.

Jesus revealed himself to him and pronounce those who believed without seing are blessed,.

We have belived the report of the Apostles, We believe that Jesus rose from the grave, even though we were not eye witness.

In this regard we are blessed, because though we have not seen we have believed.

Yet if we could just beleive in like manner the things which God has spoken about our future.

If we believe what God has spoken about us, if we could believe what we yet do not see then we are truly blessed.

Example of two people

Same angel sent to bear similar news to two people.

Example zacharias

Luke 1:13–20 (NKJV)

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

Zechariah wanted a sign to believe. ( even though he new the testimony of Abraham)

Yet the Angel being very unhappy with the unbelief to the Angels report, he striked him so that he became dumb

he was no longer to speak words of unbelief until the word came to pass.

Revelation 19:13–14 NKJV

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Luke 1:30–45 (NKJV)

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Mary was blessed because she believed without seing.

what she believed was not an easy thing.

She was told that she will give birth to the Christ, who will reign in the throne of David and of his Kingdom there will be no end.

All this was going to happen miracoulously without her having known a man.

Abraham as an example

Hebrews 11:8–10 (NKJV)

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;

10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham did not see the land which he would recieve as an inheritance when God called him, He went out by faith not knowing where he was going.

He lived in the land of promise as a foreigner yet he was told that the whole land is given to him as an inheritance.

Abraham was walking while beliveing what he did not see, therefore he was blessed.

Hebrews 11:11–12 (NKJV)

11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

Romans 4:17–21 (NKJV)

17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Abraham did not waver in in unbelief because of what he saw in the physical but was strong in faith believing what he could see in the spirit.

Though we don’t see it yet in the physical let us believe God for what we see in the Spirit through the word of God.

I am a father of many nations.

This land is my inheritance.

My seed are like the sand of the seashore and as the stars of heaven,

Hebrews 11:24–27 (NKJV)

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

What did Moses see to be able to exchange the life of a prince in the Palace of Egypt to a life of obscurity as a shepherd in the Wilderness.

Why did he endure 40 years in the wilderness as a shepherd and at anytime did not return to Egypt.

It is because he saw what was invisible, and believed what he saw in the spirit but could not see in the flesh.

He was blessed.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NKJV

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Let us ignore what we see in the Physical

Let us see him who is invisible, let us see through the spirit the promises of God and believe them inspite of what we see in the Physical.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

We shall then be blessed, and heirs to all that God has spoken concerning us.

Let us not loose heart brethren but in faith and perserverence through the hope of Faith let us wait upon that which we dont see yet but one day we shall see.

Romans 8:24–25 NKJV

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.