Having Not Seen You Love

John 20:19-31

Let’s continue in the Resurrection events today. This is truly a powerful scene with the Lord’s disciples and Himself and informative for us, as well.

John 20:19-23.......Let’s talk about this first part for a moment, some very good doctrinal truth here......

Jesus appeared to the disciples.......

They were shut up in a room......

No one opened up the door for Jesus, He just appeared to them.

The things that we count on in our fleshly life are no obstacle for God!

Some discuss about how He was able to do that, some have tried to repeat this....

I saw a video the other week of a “preacher” declaring that he could walk on air.....

They videoed him coming down the stairs and when he got close to the floor they zoomed in on just his feet and they were up in the air.

Didn’t happen.....

How Jesus did this?????? I will never be able to explain, just that He did!

Jesus compassionately showed the disciples His scars on His Hands and His pierced side.

They were shut up in their room still contemplating the events of the day, I am sure doubts arose in their minds, but Jesus dispelled all of those doubts by His entrance and His scars.

They were glad, when they saw that it was their Lord!

Peace be unto you.......some scholars and commentators believe that this is not just a greeting, it is a continuation from what Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished”...

The work on the cross accomplished peace between God and His people.

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Ephesians 2:14-17 “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”

This is what Jesus was sent to do, so now Jesus sends these in to the world to declare the true Christ!

This is the Great Commission....Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Then Jesus breathed on them and said “receive the Holy Ghost.”

Some debate this event.......saying that the received part of the Holy Spirit after this and then in Acts 2 received the full Spirit......some say that this was pledge confirming what He promised in John 14-16.......

Their preaching did not begin until after the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and from the time on they were bold with their preaching.

It seems to me that Jesus was confirming that it is only through His Person and Work does the Holy Spirit come.....that could be debated, but we know how the events took place, but don’t let us lose sight of the reason why Jesus came! To save sinners of who I am chief!

Verse 23…does not give authority to Christians to forgive or not to forgive sins......

This has been misused by some churches, mostly the catholic church.......

Daniel 9:9 “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;”

Mark 2:7 “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” Confessed rightly the Pharisees!

In the 10th chapter, for example, of the book of Acts, we have the testimony of Peter. Listen to what he said, verse 42: “God ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.” He’s talking about Christ. “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Did you get that? Peter says, “We have been commissioned, we have been sent, we have been ordered to preach. And what are we to preach; that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ receives forgiveness of sin. So if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then I can say to you, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ If you reject the Lord Jesus Christ, I can say to you, ‘You’re still in your sins, your sins are retained.’”

That is easy to understand, the Holy Spirit is given through Christ and forgiveness is only through Jesus Christ!

Now, let’s move on to the next encounter, 8 days later......

Thomas wasn’t there the disciple’s first encounter with Jesus the evening of the resurrection.

I heard a preacher say: “This is why you shouldn’t miss church!”

They told Thomas what happened, but he did not believe them, he had to see for himself!

8 days later, Jesus appeared to the disciples with Thomas this time! Jesus metamorphosed through the human obstacles again!

Again, the declaration of Peace and went right straight to Thomas and healed his doubts by revealing the truth to him, by showing His work to Thomas.

No more doubting from Thomas......he declared, “My Lord and My God”....

This is the essence of faith, this is what the Person and work of Jesus Christ brings the ones willing to believe to.... “My Lord and my God”

It did for Thomas........Traditional history tells us that Thomas would go to Parthia and India and preach this Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.

His preaching enraged the priests and Thomas was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.

Many other signs Jesus did in the presence of His disciples, which are not written......but what was written, is just right and plenty enough to believe that Jesus is the True Christ......

He is not a Christ (Messiah), He is THE Messiah/Christ.....

The Son of God.....God the Son.

By believing in the Complete and Finished Work of Jesus Christ, you will have life (Everlasting Life) in His Name!

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

I left out one part of what Jesus said to Thomas on purpose......it is actually what I wanted to ponder on today, but there is so much in this short account.........Now, let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:3-9 for just a moment, I want to bear down on what we just read from John about what Jesus said to Thomas.......

Jesus told Thomas Blessed are those that haven’t seen and yet believe.......now, Peter mentions those that haven’t seen yet love and believe......This is powerful to me, because if everything is told rightly.......those that Peter is talking about were living in the most primitive of times.

Only a few accounts had been written and most likely, copies of those accounts were few and hard to get.

The apostles and those that were with them gave the Gospel of Jesus Christ by preaching and teaching!

To believe the truth of Christ in that day was not easy to come by but by the Power of God, it was declared to all!

They did not have dramatic productions, they did not have different versions of the truth of Christ, some learned in secret, some believed under immense persecution!

I think of all the things we have now and what gets us the most excited about church going, frankly I am ashamed!

Let’s read what Peter says about this........

1 Peter 3:3-9........A Living and active hope....Eternal life!

Peter speaks of the Glorious Work of Jesus Christ and what He has delivered us from and brought us to!

From eternal death to eternal life

An inheritance incorruptible----because of Christ

undefiled----because of Christ

eternal----because of Christ

reserved in Heaven for you----because of Christ

We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation----because of Christ

These folk rejoiced because of what was given to them through Jesus Christ, they were exceeding glad.......

The Greek words for greatly rejoicing is not based on changing or temporary circumstances dictating it....rather it is an eternal presence of overwhelming gladness for their eternal and unchanging relationship with God!

Even though many temptations come their way.........we fuss when things don’t go our way, don’t we! Maybe even sull up a little or a lot????

Do we have an unchanging exceeding gladness because of the salvation of souls by Jesus Christ?

Peter is telling these folks exactly what he has experienced through his life of faith!

He was exceeding glad because of the salvation of his soul but he had went through and was still going through many temptations!

Why????? The trial of your faith!!! Proof of faith!

Proof of genuine faith............for us more than God...........when we come through trials/fires still trusting the Lord, we are assured that our faith is genuine!

Peter reminds believers again that the test may be intense and stringent. Life as aliens is anything but easy, and yet by God’s grace the lives of believers are filled with joy, not gloomy moaning.

These trails are more precious than gold, when gold is put to the test will never last eternally, but your faith put to the test and coming through in a continual trust is more precious because of it’s eternal value.....which will completely confirmed and revealed through the appearing of Jesus Christ in eternity or at His 2nd coming!

On that day, It will be unto praise and honor, because of your faith in Jesus Christ!

Now, we have not seen, yet we love and believe! We get caught in a trap sometimes of this wanting to see, wanting to hold something in our hands.........

We have the report of Jesus Christ by the apostles......John said in 1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”

They saw and touched Jesus the Word of Life! Jesus told Thomas, that those who do not see and believe is blessed!

This is a true trial of our faith and those that Peter is writing to......persecuted, they were on every side!

In our day, there are so many things striving for our attention......we got to have things excited up to believe and so many can come into deceive when that happens!

These are all temptations, but when we continue to hold to truth despite all the noise around us!

It seems we long for the dramatic,, I am a very visual person and I like the dramatic or did.......The older I get the, report of the apostles and the Gospel accounts of Jesus Christ from Scripture is the most dramatic and moving events in history!

Nothing can top it, why??

Because through every moment of His earthly Life, Jesus was completing the salvation of my soul!

Jesus didn’t assault any human institution. He didn’t come for educational purposes; He didn’t come for philanthropic purposes; He never engaged in any effort to remedy social issues. He came into the world to seek and save lost sinners, and bring them salvation, and that is why all believers exist in the world today. Everything we do, whether it’s our ministry, our worship, our study of Scripture; whether it’s our spiritual testimony as we shine as lights in the world, has as its objective to put on display a transformed life, transformed by God through the gospel so that the gospel has credibility when we proclaim its truth.