Believe!

John 20:19-31

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus and Thomas 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.” 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Purpose of This Book 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.

Doubting Thomas: Finding Faith in Our Questions

Introduction:

A young girl, unaccustomed to traveling, was taking a train ride one day through the country, and it happened that in the course of the day her train was scheduled to cross two branches of a river and several wide streams. The water seen in advance always awakened doubts and fears in the child. She did not understand how it could safely be crossed. As they drew near the river, however, a bridge appeared, and furnished a way over. Two or three times the experience was repeated, and finally the child leaned back with a long breath of relief and confidence.

“Somebody has put bridges for us all the way!” she said in trusting content.

That is life. We fear so many evils, so many troubles look dark ahead, so many difficulties seen insurmountable as they loom before us; but as we advance we find that there is a way through them. God has built bridges for us all the way.

Fear of the unknown was what reigned supreme in the hearts and minds of the disciples on this Sunday so long ago. Fear may be what is winning in your mind and heart today. But may I assure you, Christ brings peace. He may be like that bridge that the little girl couldn’t see coming, but rest assured He is here, bringing peace into our most terrifying of situations. And with that in mind, may God bless the preaching of this, His Most Holy Word.

1. Dispelling Doubt with Peace

John 20:19–20

The disciples, following Jesus’s resurrection, are not filled with joy, as we might expect, but are rather gripped by fear. Fearing that what was done to Jesus might soon be done to them as well.

Have you ever walked into a bar or a place where people sat around and smoked a lot? The room is filled with this haze that seems to loom over the entire room. When I think about the disciples in this room following the resurrection, I can envision their fear filling the room much like smoke. However, it is amid this fear-filled room that Jesus enters. Not through a door mind you. There is no evil too great for Jesus. There is no disease too great for Jesus. There is no tomb too great for Jesus. There is no fear too great for Jesus. Nothing, my brothers and sisters in your life is too great for Jesus. Amen! Nothing will keep Him away, not even fear.

So, here He comes. Our text reads, “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus Christ, enters into the fear of the disciples, this group of men with whom He had been with for over 3 years. He steps right into their fear and proclaims, “Peace.” Shalom. No walls or barriers can keep Christ from proclaiming peace to those He loves. Jesus’s resurrected body was not bound by doors and walls. Nothing would keep Him out. So here He stands.

Jesus, within a matter of seconds, dispelled the disciples' fear and brought peace. This should remind us that even in moments of deepest fear, Jesus brings peace we cannot find alone. We must remember that just as the disciples were changed upon seeing Jesus, that encountering Jesus' risen presence is transformative for us well, dispelling all fear and doubt within us.

So what is it that is causing you fear today? Is it the future? Is it a relationship? Is it a job? Whatever it is that may be causing you fear today, may you invite Jesus in and allow Him to proclaim Peace over your most stressful of situations. Amen!

2. Empowering with Purpose

John 20:21–23

Our second point for this morning is, “Empowering with Purpose.” Our first point was “Dispelling Doubt with Peace”. Now we move into “Empowering with Purpose.” Upon entering the room of the disicples and proclaiming “Peace!” to them, Jesus then shows them His I.D. card. He shows the disciples His hands and His side. Warren Weirsbe writes, “But the wounds meant more than identification; they also were evidence that the price for salvation had been paid and man indeed could have “peace with God.” Jesus paid it all. All to Him we owe.

Following the relief of the disciples, that it was Jesus who stood in their midst, Jesus says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Can you imagine? This group of fear-filled disciples hearing that they would soon be sent. Jesus had a lot of work to do with them. However, He would not send them out alone.

In verse 22 we read, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” This is the prelude to Pentecost that we will be celebrating in a few weeks.

I have always loved the fact that Jesus sees us not for who we are but who we are becoming in Him. Perhaps this suggests that in our moments of doubt, Jesus equips us with His Spirit to continue His mission. Empowered by the Spirit, we, too, are sent to proclaim forgiveness and reconciliation. I never dreamed at 7 years old, lying in a hospital bed after having brain surgery that today I would be the pastor of my home church. This group of fear stricken disciples, at this point in time, never dreamed that they would be the catalyst through which the Gospel would be spread abroad. God sees us not for who we are but for who we are becoming through Him. May we pray to have eyes to see the good work He is doing in all of us. May we seek to live out the purpose that through the Holy Spirit, Christ has empowered us to do.

3. Doubting Thomas' Dilemma

John 20:24–25

Our next point for this morning is Doubting Thomas' Dilemma. Verse 24-25 read, “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.”

Before we are so quick to judge Thomas for his lack of faith, may we remember that all of us, at one point or another in our walk with Jesus have doubted as well. We all have questions and no matter how mature we may be in our faith, we still doubt from time to time. However, in the end, may we remember that doubt is not inherently a bad thing. In Thomas’s case, it was not his doubt, but his unbelief that we will see Jesus rebuking. The story of Thomas, known as Doubting Thomas, illustrates for us how our questions and doubts do not exclude us from God's love. For at times, “In the journey of faith, our doubts can lead us to a deeper relationship with Christ, revealing His presence and transforming our hearts.” Thomas' openness to question eventually led him to a profound encounter with Christ; a reminder to bring our doubts before God. However, may we not miss the fact that Thomas had to wait an entire week to reconcile his doubts. Warren Weirsbe writes, “Thomas is a good warning to all of us not to miss meeting with God’s people on the Lord’s Day. Because Thomas was not there, he missed seeing Jesus Christ, hearing His words of peace, and receiving His commission and gift of spiritual life. He had to endure a week of fear and unbelief when he could have been experiencing joy and peace! Remember Thomas when you are tempted to stay home from church. You never know what special blessing you might miss!

In the end, may we remember that God is not afraid nor turned off by our doubts, therefore in our moments of questioning and doubting, may we not feel distanced from God, but rather feel Him near.

4. Personal Presence of Christ & Belief

John 20:26–29

Thus far, this morning, brothers and sisters, we have discussed Christ Jesus dispelling the doubts of the disciples. 2nd, we looked at Christ empowering the disciples with purpose, and third, we looked at Thomas’s doubting dilemma. Our 4th point for this morning is the Personal Presence of Christ & belief.

In verses 26-27, we read of Thomas’s encounter with Jesus. I have always loved how in this second post-resurrection meeting, upon Jesus appearing to the disciples, Jesus calls out Thomas directly. Once again, Jesus enters into the room with the disciples without a key or way to get in. Maybe remember that no barrier or fear can keep Jesus from us. So upon entering the room, Jesus invites Thomas, filled with doubt to leave his doubt behind and enter into belief. Once again, note that Jesus is not turned off or offended by Thomas’s doubt but rather encourages him to see and believe.

I have always thought that there was something profound about being able to touch something. I know when I was being homeschooled, I always learned so much more on our experiment days than any other day of the week. I could read and read about something until I was blue in the face, but it wasn’t until it came to life that it finally made sense. The same was true for Thomas. It wasn’t until he put his finger in the Lord’s hands and side that he truly believed. For us today, may we remember, that Jesus meets us individually in our struggles, understanding our need for assurance and tangible experiences of His presence. He is here. You can touch Him. You will never be the same.

Following Thomas’s personal experience of Jesus, he proclaims in verse 28, “My Lord and my God!” Here, Thomas uses two different names of Jesus. In Greek, Thomas proclaims, “egō Kyrios”, which means my Lord and “egō Theos” which means my God. Perhaps this shows that doubt can lead to a stronger faith when we encounter Jesus personally.

Jesus then responds to Thomas’s exclamation, by saying, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Brothers and sisters, that is us. We have never seen the Lord physically, yet we know without a shadow of a doubt that He lives and reigns within our hearts and minds. May we, like Thomas, proclaim, “My Lord and My God.” Is He the Lord and God of your life today?

5. Scripture's Sacred Purpose

John 20:30–31

Our final point for this morning is, “Scripture’s Sacred Purpose. At the conclusion of our text for this morning, we read, “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.” This has always fascinated me and blown my mind. What we read in our Bibles today is just an inkling of what Christ Jesus actually did during His time here on earth. But, as John writes, what we read today was 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.” So I ask you this morning, my dear brothers and sisters, have you seen the Lord? Do you know Jesus personally? Have you invited Him to live within your heart and soul and to be King and Lord of your life? If not, may today be the day of your salvation. May today be the day you stop doubting and just believe.

This morning we have explored the text of the disciples encounter with the resurrected Jesus Christ, Christ’s proclamation of peace, Thomas’s doubt, his belief, his proclamation, Jesus’s proclamation and John’s purpose in writing his book. The takeaway: The importance of salvation. May we not take this lightly, but be about the business of spreading the good news that Jesus Christ is risen! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Amen!