That you may believe
Notes
Transcript
The most sceptic gives us the most profound confession.
The most sceptic gives us the most profound confession.
Structure:
Jesus hears us.
Jesus comes to our level.
Jesus blesses us.
What do we take as true without having any evidence?
Christianity is not a blind leap in the dark, rather it is a thoughtful-believing leap from the dark to the light.
“Doubting Thomas”, I would call him thoughtful Thomas because as we look at the context of this section, the disciples are locked away in the room out of fear. Fear that what had just happened to Jesus was going to happen to them.
And after the others were able to see Jesus post resurrection, Thomas didn’t. And he isn’t going to stake his life and his faith on the words of these guys. Thomas knows the seriousness of truly believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So I would encourage us today, that if we are still thinking and considering, and weighing out what you are hearing here at Youth Group, please consider this Jesus.
Thomas gives some evidence that he could believe in, if he had it. That is, if Jesus is indeed risen from the grave, than wouldn’t He have the marks of His crucifixion? Therefore, I want to see the marks and put my hands in them, then I will believe.
The interesting thing is that Thomas says this, then 8 days go by. 8 days with the disciples wondering what’s next, since they got to see Jesus. 8 days of Thomas hearing about this and still not yet believing.
Then 8 days later, they were all together, but this time Thomas is with them, and the Lord Jesus comes thru the walls, (since the doors were locked and yet Jesus appears among them) after saying “peace be with you probably because they were scared of the appearing of Jesus out of nowhere” Jesus goes straight away to Thomas and says “put your finger in my hands, and your hand in my side”.
Thomas was right! If the Lord Jesus had been crucified and risen from the grave there would be physical evidence in our Lord’s body.
Do we know why Jesus was crucified? Did you know that He was sent from God for the purpose of dying in this way? Did you know that one of Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?”. This means that God, the Father, the Father of Jesus Christ, turned His face away as His only Son was crucified. Why would He do this? The Father turned His face away because Jesus had taken in all our sin. And the Father who is forever, Holy and perfect, does not look upon our sins, He does not enter into them, He turned His face away, because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, why? So that we might become His righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Therefore, IF Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world, thats you and me, and IF He was buried, proving to the world that He was indeed dead, and IF God raised Him from the grave, than Jesus is indeed everything He said He was. And He bears the marks of His saving work on His body, and will, forever and ever.
Thomas’s response to seeing is belief. Jesus says so, when he says do you now believe, having seen? blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.
Jesus is not saying that Thomas is not a believer because he wanted to see the proof, what our Lord is saying, is a beatitude, blessed, approved by God forever, are those who will believe having not yet seen, that my friends is faith.
If we were to look at Hebrews chapter 11, we would see a list of Old Testament saints who are with the Lord, not because they saw and believed, but because they heard the Word of the Lord and trusted in Him, they all died having NOT seen the promised come to realization.
This text is here in the bible to teach us that it is ok to be questioning, and inquisitive, and looking for truth. That’s good, even the people in Ancient Berea heard Paul’s words and searched the scriptures to make sure what Paul said was indeed truth.
That’s a good thing! be like that!
This section has critical bearing on how the next couple verses are interpreted.
Coming to faith looks like this; asking questions, learning, and believing. It involves our minds, our hearts and our souls.
That is, it is thoughtful, emotional, and volitional.
When we read this section we realize that everyone there is seeing the risen Lord for the first time and adding to their knowledge of Jesus, the fact that He literally, bodily rose from the grave.
Jesus is pointing out that Thomas is coming to faith but his sight has been part of it, whereas all those who come to faith after the ascension will be doing so without this benefit, and they are blessed or “accepted by God”. Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
This doesn’t diminish Thomas’s belief, but shows that Jesus will not always be with them, even post resurrection, but faith must be exercised in following Jesus.
Do you have trouble believing the words of the bible?
Does the historical story of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection seem like too much for you to believe?
Being a sceptic doesn’t necessarily mean that you are an unfaithful disbelieving sinner who is far from God.
Rather, being sceptic can also mean that you seek to inquire and know will all your being that what you’re hearing and reading is indeed true.
For some, coming to faith in Jesus Christ is a flash, a huge transition in thought and belief. My experience was this way.
But for most, it is a thoughtful, learning, and applying of God’s Word to your life, and a process of coming to see and belief that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, God Himself, and has come to bring life in His name.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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.
Isn’t this part of the Gospel according to John great! it shows us that even the most sceptic of people can become the most professing of believers in Jesus!
This ought to give us hope for our loved ones and friends that are far from God.
Do not pass someone off as too far gone to be saved.