Thomas

Reacting to the Resurrection  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Introduction: I have 2 friends (well I have more than 2) but these are 2 specific friends. One seldom tells the truth making even the times that he is speaking truth sustpect and the other never knowningly tells a lie which makes even the most suspect story believable.
However so often we err on the side of being skeptical of everyone. Why? Because we don’t to be taken for a fool.
There are few things that are more stressful that trying to tell if someone is telling you the truth or not.
Many of us have been burned before by a joke or even a con artist trying to get over on us. We have tried hard to shield ourselves from the embarrassment of being taken for a fool.
But nothing can haunt a person more than 2 questions, what if something we believe is a lie?
And
What is something we doubt is actually the truth.
That is the dilemna we are going to tackle headlong into today.
And we’ll look at it through the story of the greatest doubter of all time. A man who needs no introduction.
Doubting Thomas.
However so often we err on the side of being skeptical of everyone. Why? Because we don’t to be taken for a fool.
Turn with me in your Bibles to John 20:24-29
Transition to the Text: Now, oddly we don’t know a whole lot about Thomas from Scripture. In most cases he is simply listed with the other disciples. However, in the gospel of John we get a glimpse into the kind of person he was. He is somewhat of a pessimist.
John 11:16 ESV
16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
john 11;
Definitely pessimistic, but it is as John MacArthur states, a “Heroic pessimism.” At least he’s loyal!
The argument of the book of John is that Jesus is divine. And the ultimate proof that Jesus is divine is the resurrection.
But where Thomas’ true colors come out are after the resurrection. He has his doubts about the resurrection. The question is, what will he do with those doubts?
Now we must remember that the argument of the book of John is that Jesus is divine. And the ultimate proof that Jesus is divine is the resurrection.
God will use Thomas in a powerful way to be a witness not just for the resurrection bu the divinity of Jesus!
Read:
John 20:24–29 ESV
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.”
Transition to the Big Idea: There is a meme that has been going around for the last few years from the movie Anchorman. I can’t necessarily recommend the movie, the meme speaks about when a situation presents itself one way and then circumstances immediately change situation quickly.
“Well that escalated quickly.”
Here is an example of things escalating quickly.

Big Idea: Thomas immediately moves from doubt to worship.

Transition to the Points: Before we get to worship....Thomas has to deal with His doubts. And the same is true for us. Many of us struggle with doubts about God. However, many of us have been made to believe that we must struggle with those doubts in silence. That if you express your doubts that it is a sign of lacking faith.
That is manifest nonsense.
The Bible is full of doubters. Full of skeptics. And God used their doubt and skepticism to change the world through their reactions to God acting, not because we have faith, but in spite of our doubt!!!!!

Main Point #1 - Thomas had his doubts and you probably do too. ()

Explanation: How many of us, if we were in Thomas’ shoes, would have acted any differently. They saw Jesus dragged away by the authorities. At least, Peter and John followed and saw him tried. We know that John was a witness to the crucifixion. All that to say, they knew Jesus died.
But to raise from the dead? Could the resurrection have really happened?
Thomas has his doubts and you probably do too.
vs. 24 - Thomas was not with the other 12 when Jesus came and showed Himself to them. For me immediately, I’m upset for Thomas because I too have missed out on so many things because I wasn’t there.
Illustration: Can you relate to missing out? It seems like every time you leave the room, your team scores. Every time you decide not to go somewhere, your friends are like, “You won’t believe what happened!!!” This can give us a fear of missing out.
No one has ever missed out on anything as great as Thomas. And I don’t know, but I’m confident that Thomas wanted to see Jesus. He probably desperately wanted it to be true. He didn’t want to miss out anymore.
Gospel Application: Let me say this very clearly: It’s ok to have doubts. In fact, if you’ve never had any doubts, have you really asked yourself “Why do I believe what I believe?”
Doubts are inevitable. But the question is, what will you do with your doubts? Will you let them lie or will you accept the invitation to test them and see if they hold water?
Thomas accepted an invitation to test his doubts and his life would never be the same.

Main Point #2 - Thomas was invited to test his doubts and so are we. ()

Explanation: One of the most powerful parts of this story is vs. 26.
John 20:26 ESV
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.”
THOMAS WAS WITH THEM THIS TIME!!! He may be a skeptic but He’s not a dumb skeptic. Jesus may show up again and on the chance that might happen, Thomas is going to be there. Can you imagine him scheduling his week? Dinner with the inlaws? Football? Nope....got to go to church…Jesus might show up!!!!!!
May we all have the same fear of missing out.
The point is Thomas was given an opportunity to put His doubts to the test. How many just rest on their doubts as fact and never test them.
And what happened? Jesus showed up! And he invited Thomas to look at the evidence.
Put your finger here in Jesus’ hand.
Put your hand here in Jesus’ side.
It shouldn’t be lost on us that these are the exact things that Thomas said, back in vs. 25, he would require for him to believe.
And then Jesus said, Do not disbelieve but believe!
Thomas, test your doubts and when your doubts fail, believe!!!!!
Christians are invited to test their faith all the time. And with each test, my faith get’s stronger. Thomas is a person that reminds us daily to put our doubts to the test. And we find that they don’t hold water.
Illustration: Have you ever had someone tell you a story you thought was fake only to find out later it was the absolute truth? (Sad how many time this happens when we miss out on the initial experience in the first place.)
There was this one time where a person was trying to tell me that they saw a famous actress at 7-11 and I was no like no way and they were like Yahweh. But I didn’t believe them until it began blowing up on social media. The story was in fact true.
There are 2 people represented in this illustration. There is the person that knows the truth from experience and the person that has their doubts. And the job of the person who knows the truth is to either try and convince the doubter to believe or just let it go.
An actress at 7-11 is not a hill worth dyeing on because who really cares. However, the story of Jesus’ resurrection is a matter of eternal weight if it’s true. Now notice that the other disciples didn’t expect Thomas to simply take their word for it.
They invited him to test his doubt. They invited him to come and see the evidence.
Gospel Application: As Christians this is our same responsibility to invite people to test their doubts. But first we must test our own doubts. While we don’t have the physical Jesus, that it’s to say we don’t have evidence.
Like last week we talked about how 12 men and a bunch of women turned the world upside down. We see how James the brother of Jesus becomes a worshipper. We can look at how history has maintained a solid Christian witness for nearly 2,000 years in spite of the less than stellar Christian witnesses. We can look at how people continue to this day to give their lives for Jesus. We can look at our own changed lives. We can point to the changed lives of others.
Believe it or not, the Bible is a good place to start. The prayer of a humble heart is a good place to start.
I love the book “The Case of Christ” by Lee Strobel because it tracks, autobiographically, his journey as an atheistic journalist as he systematically tests his doubts and finds that there is more evidence for Christianity that he couldn’t deny that he was forced to abandon atheism and embrace Jesus.
Thomas tested his doubts, found them wanting and accepted that Jesus did in fact rise form the dead. But it didn’t stop there....

Main Point #3 - Thomas’ doubts turn to worship after seeing the evidence. ()

Explanation: Thomas was a Jewish man living in a jewish country under the Jewish law. he may not have been educated but he knew
Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
This was his generation’s .
There is only one God.
He knew
Exodus 20:3 ESV
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
He knew
Deuteronomy 6:13–15 ESV
13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
deut 6:13-15
So what would lead a jewish man who knew jewish things to come to see Jesus not only as a risen man but worthy of worship? And to take it a step further....Thomas calls Jesus; God! What would lead to this radical transformation?
The resurrection.
What did the resurrection do for Thomas (and everyone else?).
This wasn’t a man who came back from the dead and started appearing to them randomly. This isn’t a ghost haunting the house of new unsuspecting tenants.
They walked with Jesus for a few years. They listened to his teaching. They heard him say some weird things like:
John 8:58 ESV
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
John 10:30 ESV
30 I and the Father are one.”
John 14:8–9 ESV
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
And there are many other references. For Thomas the resurrection was the puzzle piece that after falling into place, makes the picture crystal clear.
Jesus is God. He is the one worthy of worship.
Let’s not miss that Jesus didn’t rebuke him. Jesus didn’t correct him and say, “I’m not God.” Or “I’m only the son of God.” He didn’t even repeat the quote that He said to the devil:
Matthew 4:10 ESV
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
By not correcting Thomas, He is the acknowledging that what Thomas says is true.
So you’re telling me that in , Jesus is praying to Himself? At His baptism, God is talking to Himself? And then again on the Mount of Transfiguration? Well that’s where we get into the doctrine of the Trinity. Which is beyond our scope today. We’ll have a whole sermon this sermon that deals with that, but for now, if you read your Bible with a prayerful heart, you can’t help but see it almost on every page.
Thomas’ doubt led to evidence which led to worship. Like I said early, that escalated quickly!
Illustration: I still remember when the final puzzle piece fell for me. I was raised in church, but by the time I was 21 I was a doubter. I was skeptical. And a guy named Mark invited me to test my doubts. And he shared his story of how God had changed his life. Having known him before this change left me with little reason to doubt that such a change had I fact taken place.
I felt like he was Morpheus and I was Neo standing on the precipice of a decision. Take the blue pill, wake up in my bed and believe whatever I want to believe. I take the red pill and stay in Neverland and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
And for the last 16 years I have been falling and have come to believe beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is the only reason for living. My life has been transformed. And come what may, I still believe.
Gospel Application:
Gospel Application: One thing that always encourages me about Thomas’ story is that Jesus didn’t criticize or ridicule Thomas for his doubts. But what does he say?
John 20:27 ESV
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 loving welcomed Thomas to find his evidence and then watches as the doubt melts aways leaving nothing but worship.
But in His infinite wisdom, I think Jesus recognizes that it will be harder for those who come later. It will be harder for us today to find the evidence that melts our doubts.
But because of that we are more blessed because our belief comes from faith not from sight.
John 20:29 ESV
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This reminds me of the definition of faith found in:
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Sure it will harder for us, but the truth is out there if we have the courage to test our doubts!

Response: What doubts do you have? Are you ready to turn your doubt into worship?

Conclusion: What happened to Thomas?
While Thomas is mentioned 3 times in Matthew, Mark and Luke and only moderately more in John, history remembers Thomas as a courageous evangelist and missionary.
Even though we know doubting Thomas, after seeing Jesus, it doesn’t appear that he ever doubted Jesus again. Christian traditions tells us that Thomas would make his way all the way to India where he would spend 20 years telling people about Jesus. While tradition holds that Thomas may have made it as far as China, he is primarily remembered for his work in India. that Thomas started 7 churches over a period of 20 years.
Thomas was martyred in 72 A.D. and is believed to buried in Chennai.
And believe it or not, Thomas is revered by Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike.
Harrison Yoshioka, a church member here at North Hills, was telling me about a co-resident in his first year at Kaiser whose dad was from a village where Thomas started one of his churches. As a result, he became a Christian through that church and his family came to believe.
Today Christianity is India’s 3rd largest religion with 71,000,000 believers. And what’s amazing about India is that long before they were colonized by the British empire, Christianity was alive and well thanks to the life and sacrifice of Thomas, the apostle of Jesus.
Gospel presentation: I love that the Bible isn’t filled with perfect people. It isn’t filled with people who always have the right answer or always make the right decision. It’s filled with doubters and skeptics and people who needed God’s grace along the way.
I love that the Bible isn’t filled with perfect people. It isn’t filled with people who always have the right answer or always make the right decision. It’s filled with doubters and skeptics and people who needed God’s grace along the way.
None of the 12 disciples were people you and I would have picked. And after they abandoned Jesus, none of us would expect that Jesus would give them a second chance. Not only were they given a second chance but they changed the world through His power.
That is the power of the gospel. Even today, no Christian is perfect. No christian always gets it right. Rather we recognize that it is only by God’s love and grace that we stand at all!
I know that have earned nothing. I know that I am saved, not by being a pastor or making the right decisions today or tomorrow, but I am saved because Jesus came to earth as a perfect man, lived a perfect life and because He was without sin, He was deemed worthy to die for my sins and your sins. And God has accepted Him as a representative of humanity to declare all righteous who look to Him for salvation.
Call people to make a decision: God has made the way for us to be transformed. The question is will you answer the call and embrace Jesus?
May today be the day that you step across the line of faith and into the love of the same savior that turned Thomas from a doubter to a fearless worshipper of Jesus!
Let’s Pray.
Pray.
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