Have you Believed because You have Seen Me?

Notes:

II Peter 1:16 “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Faith: Not a choosing, but a becoming

Introduction:

This happens 1 week after Easter! (starting day counts in the total number of days)

Not merely shows Jesus is able to get into locked doors. “How did he get in there?”

Question really should be, “Why are the disciples locking themselves up?

Resurrected Jesus: Victory is theirs!

But they’re concerned about their safety. Impending danger for the disciples.

We learn something about the disciples: Still Fear

Second Time Jesus reveals himself to the disciples, but this time Thomas is there:

We learn something about Thomas:

Where was he? Why wasn’t he locked up?

Focus on Thomas and the Nature of Faith

Who Thomas Was

Who Thomas is Becoming

Who Thomas Became

Who Thomas Was

We know very little about Thomas:

Calling of the Disciples:

John 11:16 “16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.””

Twin: Nickname? Actual Twin?

“Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Readiness to Follow: Pessimistic Loyalty. I’ll follow the cause knowing it’s not going to end well. But I’d rather follow Jesus then live my purposeless life.

Surrender to his Fate:

Negative Disposition? Debbie Downer or the Charlie Brown in the Group

Let’s go and follow him, that we may die...

Jesus, Thomas, and Faith:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Desire to follow:

Jesus= “You know the way”

Thomas= “Actually, we do not know where you are gong. How can we know the way?”

Jesus= “I am the way.”

The Road is a Person!

Faith is in a person.

Case: Thomas was really impacted by Jesus death

I was willing to follow Jesus, even unto death!

I was willing to die with him, but Jesus went ahead and died without me.

Strong Language:

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Thomas uses the double negative: Same double negative used with Peter refusing Jesus to wash his feet (13:8).

John 13:8 “8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.”

“You shall never, ever wash my feet.”

“I will never ever believe.”

Not so much doubting Thomas, but unbelieving Thomas.

Doubt=Well, I doubt Jesus rose from the dead.

Total Resolve: “I’ll never believe it.”

What’s done is done. Move on, fellas.

So what was Thomas?

He was faithless.

He knew about Jesus.

He followed Jesus for years.

He saw Jesus arrested.

He saw Jesus hang.

He knew what death meant. It meant the end. End of his journey. No direction.

Who Thomas is Becoming

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Jesus’ greeting:

“Shalom”=Peace

Be with YOU

You=Plural

Brings Peace to a contentious place.

Fear

Hiding

Disunity

Jesus breaks into a locked and contentious room, he also breaks into a locked hearts!

Turns to Thomas:

“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do no disbelieve, but believe.”

See my hands “Behold, look”

“Place it in my side”=Cast, like fishing

Imagine doing that!

“Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Thomas was faithless, and now the invitation is to faith...

“Do not continue to become unbelieving… But be someone who continues to be believing.”

Beasley-Murray: “Stop being unbelieving and show yourself a believer.”

It’s about a becoming, not a doing.

Becoming a Believer begins with a Confession:

v. 28: “My Lord and My God”

Kyrios and Theos. One of if not the strongest confession that points to Jesus divinity.

Could the be an expletive?

Nope! Two reasons: Totally unthinkable in a First Century Jewish context. And Thomas says to Jesus.

Thomas confession is the whole purposes of the book!

Faith in Jesus of the Bible

Examples of Confession in John:

John 1:34 “34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”” (Johnny B)

John 1:49 “49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!””

John 4:42 “42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”” (Samaritan)

John 9:33 “33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”” (Blind man)

John 9:35-38 “35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” (blind man)

John 11:27 “27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”” (Martha)

John 16:30 “30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”” (Disciples)

Becoming a Believer Keeps the Confession Personal

“MY Lord. MY God”

In this moment, who is Thomas becoming?

Transformed!

Complete change of reversal:

II Corinthians 5:16-18 “We regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God.”

John 20:30-31 “30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John: Believing=life

Thomas’ doubts and faithlessness are killed in that moment of seeing.

Metamorphasis:

Who are you becoming?

43: met with pastors from 2006. Grey hairs and c-pap machines. Talking about our aches and pains, conversations my 26 year old self would have laughed at!

Who are we becoming? 17 years of ministry: Who are we becoming as pastors?

Who are we becoming as believers?

More cynical

Less trusting

Assume people are wolves before they prove themselves worthy to be sheep

Am I trusting Jesus along this journey...

Not all will be well.

Do your struggles confirm your faith or question your faith?

Who Thomas Became

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

Questions of the King: Debate over whether this is actually a question or a statement. NO WAY TO TELL!

Question: “Have you believed because you have seen me?

Yes, I believe now because I see you

If it’s not a yes, then it has to be more of an accusation.

Gary Burge: “So now you believe because you see me?”

Statement: “Because you have seen me, you have believed.” NIV

Statement of Fact: You’ve seen, so you believe.

Thomas saw, and believed, not as a reprimand against Thomas, but as an encouragement to us who come later!

“Look, people are going to come along later who won’t have the luxury of seeing my hands or casting their hands on my side… Blessed are those who believe still!”

Jesus doesn’t dwell about Thomas Unbelief. He simply encourages those of us who don’t see and to believe.

You are blessed to believe and not see!

Do you think that’s true, that you are blessed to have faith without seeing Jesus??

For me, I think that not seeing Jesus like Thomas doesn’t feel all much like a blessing, but a burden!

If only I saw Jesus like Thomas, I would response more wholeheartedly like Thomas!

Do you consider not seeing Jesus like Thomas to be a blessing or a burden?

Age of Skepticism, we are skeptical of anything that can’t be proved through natural forms. In the Secular Age, faith is viewed as an evolutionary survival tool to cope with the world.

Faith today is understood as a crux. Faith denies facts.

We are swimming around in this Secular Age. We are swimming in this environment of pushing God further and further away. Rather than reach out and touch him like Thomas, Jesus is merely an evolutionary survival technique!

But there is a blessing in not seeing Jesus. Jesus blesses us and commends us to have a faith that doesn’t require empirical data.

Not Doubting Thomas

Transformed Thomas

From pessimistic, fatalist Thomas

To confessional and missional Thomas!

Who did Thomas Become?

Missionary!

Stabbed in the Back Thomas. Caught by surprise that ended his life.

Dare you to Move! Switchfoot

Converted life is a constantly Conforming Life

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Good Questions to Ask about Truth

What reasons do you have for believing that your doubts come from a neutral and honest heart?

What if you are not the dispassionate pursuer of “facts” you perceive yourself to be, but are instead shaped by assumptions and presuppositions you’ve never challenged?

Do you believe all religious claims to truth are relative? If so, why? What evidence do you have for seeing the world only in natural terms?

How does your current cultural environment make this way of life seem plausible to you? Is it possible you’ve merely traded one set of unproven assumptions for another?

Questioning Goodness:

Who determines goodness?

Where do you get that sense of goodness?

Take those doubts you have about Christianity and point them back to your own heart. What if the questions you have about the goodness of Christianity are rooted in a desire to justify yourself, to showcase your goodness, to change places with God so that you’re the one with the gavel?

Unflappable Faith

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Stabbed in the Back

Who was he?

Faithless

Who was he becoming?

A new creation!

Who did he become?

A missionary!

Two Applications:

Personal:

What do you keep locked up that conceals your confessions?

Honda Van: Locks up randomly. Need to call AAA to get er opened.

Where does the grace of God need to unlock

Too cool for school?

Missional:

Mission of our Church

Love the unbeliever and help them unlock their

Don’t lock yourself up, protect yourself, and get lost in the world of doubt.

Let’s go! Confidence in this passage!

Thomas does NOT deserve the title Doubting Thomas. It’s a misnomer. Of COURSE he doubted!! You would too if you saw someone die!

This isn’t about Thomas the Doubter, this is Thomas the Confessor, the Transformed, the Redeemed. The one becoming something new because he encouraged Jesus!

No more Doubting Thomas.

That original acceptance of his fate, to die, he actually meant it now but with a new, gripping sense of mission and purpose!

Picture

Out and about, on a hill in India, stabbed in the back. Died on the spot...

BLESSED ARE YOU!

HOW are we more blessed??

Because we have the Holy Spirit. We have the blessing of the comforter.

What are we up against?

Deconstruction:

Movement of interrogating your faith. Creates all sense of doubt. Feeding doubt. I wonder what Jesus would say to that if he faced you:

Imagine Jesus coming face to face with someone struggling with deconstructing your faith… Perhaps that you.

Yeah, feed that thought. Keep feeding that skepticism. I think you should ask more questions that doubt my existence.

Apathy

No sense of urgency. Christianity is my parents religion. I could give a rip about religion.

Conversation this week: We are in a war in Apex and in Holly Springs. War to sin souls for Christ!

Word of the 90s: “Whatever.” The foundation of the New Millenium was based on the word, “Whatever.”

Revelation 6:2:  And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

What if THAT Jesus approached you??

Hey, take your time being my ambassador. There’s always tomorrow. Keep protecting yourself. Don’t take any risks for the Kingdom.

Secularism:

Religion exists in the mind and doesn’t have any actual transcendent nature to it.

Ephesians 4:10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

So that exists in your head, that I ascended far above all the heavens that I might fill all things? I guess ALL THINGS includes your head, just not merely your head!

Postmodernism:

Truth is relative. The Individual is King. Can’t trust anything outside your own experience…

So when I said I was the Truth, was I pointing at any other route to heaven?

And since when did your experience become so important that it trumps 2,000 years of church history? Since when did your opinion become so much more important then Scripture?

Intellectual Arrogance:

Past civilizations tended to rely on religion to make sense of the world, but natural selection has squeezed out our need for such a crux. Science and technology has given us a Tower of Babel effect: The sense that we’ve arrived and God’s no longer needed for the ride ahead.

This is what our Culture has become, and so many Christians have succumbed to it’s bidding!

What are you becoming???

Are you feeding your skepticism over against your spirituality?

Do you feed your laziness over against Jesus’ LORDSHIP?

Is your mind controlled by secularism over against the Holy Spirit?

Have the values of Postmodernism highjacked your sense of God’s PROVIDENCE?

Has intellectual arrogance robbed you from opportunities to sharing the Gospel?

??What are you becoming??