Do you believe?

Joel Gilbert

Individual Sermons • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago • Presented 5 years ago • 35:36

0 ratings

· 16 views

Files

Notes

Transcript

Handout

What does it take for you to believe something?

Surrounding the COVID crisis there are all sorts of remedies, myths, and misinformation. There are predictions and projections and so much more that lead us do varying conclusions. What can we believe?

But beyond just the current crisis we are in, what about other parts of life? The Internet is replete with rumors about special diet drinks that cause you to lose weight safely and quickly or certain diets that work better than others. There are the posts about cancer curing concoctions and herbal remedies for this ailment and that. There are other rumors about the exploits of famous people, people who have been abducted by aliens, and still more stories global warming and the impending doom that we are causing with so-called carbon emissions. Some of which may or may not be true.

How do you know? How do you know what to believe? Is it true if it’s in the news? Is it true if it’s in a medical journal? Is it true if your mom says it is?

What we believe about something leads us to take certain actions proving our belief.

When the gospel writers looked back over their time with Jesus, their belief in Jesus, what he taught, and what he did compelled them to write an account of their experiences so that others might believe - so that you and I might believe.

Last week, we considered the day we call Palm Sunday or the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry.

What a difference a week makes

What a difference a week makes:

Jesus was celebrated by the crowds

Jesus was celebrated by the crowdsSpent time teaching in the templeShared a long and heartfelt meal with his disciplesWas betrayed by one - and turned over to Roman and Jewish leadersHe was denied by anotherHe was abandoned by mostHe was tried and convicted in a court of public opinion, but found innocent by the Ruling authorityHe was beatenHe was crucifiedHe was buried in a new tomb

Spent time teaching in the temple

Shared a long and heartfelt meal with his disciples

Was betrayed by one - and turned over to be arrested by Roman and Jewish leaders

He was denied by another

He was abandoned by most

He was tried and convicted in a court of public opinion, but found innocent by the Ruling authority

He was beaten anyway

He was crucified

He was buried in a new tomb

That brings us to the end of the day that we call Good Friday.

That brings us to the end of the day that we call Good Friday - not such a good day for Jesus.

Saturday is the sabbath - a day of rest.

Saturday is the sabbath - a day of rest. It was a day of silence, a day of mourning.

On Sunday morning, each of the gospel writers tell us that the people who came to the tomb found it empty.

Today, as we consider the empty tomb, we’re going to look at John’s account. If you have your Bible, open it to . This will be our text for today as we consider what the first visitors to the tomb believed when they found it empty.

So as we begin, we find:

The Empty Tomb (John 20:1-10)

Let’s consider the first few verses of this chapter:

Peter and John believed - but what? ()

John 20:1–10 ESV

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.

So Mary comes to the tomb. John doesn’t tell us why. Some of the other writers suggest that Mary and some more women went to fully embalm his body.

Whatever her reason, she finds the stone rolled away and then runs to tell the disciples, so then Peter and John come. They find the stone in front of the tomb rolled away and the linens that were around his body lying in the tomb.

Let’s look again at verses 8 and 9

John 20:8–9 ESV

Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

So it appears that...

Peter and John believed - but what? ()

John tells us that they didn’t understand that scripture about Jesus rising from the dead. Now keep in mind that John is likely writing this some 50 - 60 years after the fact. He’s giving us some clues back.

Upon hearing the word from Mary - John stands outside but won’t enter. Peter enters and then John follows.What had Jesus told them? John doesn’t seem to record any instances when Jesus talked about his death and resurrectionMatthew 12:40 - the pharisees asked for a sign - the sign of Jonah - 3 days.After Transfiguration and freeing the child from the unclean spiritMatthew 17:22-23 - (again) after Transfiguration - he said he would be delivered into the hands of men and killed and would rise on the third day.-32Luke 9:44 - on the road to emmaus - explainingalso (son of man lifted up)Carson notes after John goes in:With sudden intuition he perceived that the only explanation was that the Jesus who had been crucified, the Jesus who had so recently assigned him his mother, the Jesus who had been buried in this new tomb, had risen from the dead. The beloved disciple saw and believed—and thus the Evangelist introduces the themes of seeing and believing that reach their climax in v. 29. Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Which makes me wonder, what did they believe?

Did they simply believe Mary that the tomb was empty?

Back then, a woman’s testimony was not valued equally with a man’s testimony. Now they had seen with their eyes that what Mary said was true. Is that all they believed?

Did they believe that His body was stolen?

That’s unclear. A few years after the death of Jesus, there was a pattern of grave robbing that was instigated by one of the emperors - but this was highly uncommon at the time of Jesus’ death.

Did they believe at that point that Jesus was alive?

John’s words leave some question - they “did not yet understand the scripture.” The fact that they returned to their homes (v.10) and then later that day gathered in a locked room with the other disciples out of “fear of the Jews” (v. 19) seems to leave us with some questions.

Would the Jews accuse the disciples of stealing the body? Is that why they were afraid?

Were they afraid that now that Jesus was dead that the Jews would be coming after them - just like they wanted to come after Lazarus?

We don’t really get to fully understand what they believed - but that they believed - something. So let’s go back for a second...

What had Jesus told them?

If we were to go back to the beginning of John’s gospel, we would find that he doesn’t record any instances of when Jesus talked clearly about his death and resurrection - though we saw it hinted at last week in and John does record a bit about what Jesus said about leaving them in . Because of this, we have to consider the other gospel writers. It appears that there were three different occasions when Jesus gave some insight into what would happen to him.

- the pharisees asked for a sign - the sign of Jonah - 3 days.

Matthew 12:40 ESV

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The reference is a little vague as to exactly how it would happen, but it is clear that Jesus would in the earth or in a grave for a few days and then would come out. He would be dead, and he would rise again.

- the pharisees asked for a sign - the sign of Jonah - 3 days.After Transfiguration and freeing the child from the unclean spiritMatthew 17:22-23 - (again) after Transfiguration - he said he would be delivered into the hands of men and killed and would rise on the third day.-32Luke 9:44 - on the road to emmaus - explainingalso (son of man lifted up)Carson notes after John goes in:With sudden intuition he perceived that the only explanation was that the Jesus who had been crucified, the Jesus who had so recently assigned him his mother, the Jesus who had been buried in this new tomb, had risen from the dead. The beloved disciple saw and believed—and thus the Evangelist introduces the themes of seeing and believing that reach their climax in v. 29. Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

In another instance...

After Transfiguration and freeing the child from the unclean spirit (also in and ) - (again) after Transfiguration - he said he would be delivered into the hands of men and killed and would rise on the third day.

Matthew 17:22–23 ESV

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

In another instance...

Jesus teaches his disciples that the would have to die - ; ; ) - we don’t have his exact words but we do get a summary in each of these passages that Jesus tried to communicate what was going to happen.

Mark 8:31 ESV

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

So, we can understand that on at least three occasions Jesus told his disciples that he would die and rise again. Is that what they believed at this point? Again, that’s unclear. What we know for sure is that they knew that the tomb was empty, and they were afraid of the Jews.

But, let’s look at this from a different perspective. You see, Mary went to the tomb initially. She left to tell the disciples what she saw. In John’s account, it doesn’t appear that Mary, Peter, and John interacted at the tomb. At some point, Mary returned to the tomb. At least initially...

Mary remained to mourn ()

- on the road to emmaus - explainingalso (son of man lifted up)Carson notes after John goes in:With sudden intuition he perceived that the only explanation was that the Jesus who had been crucified, the Jesus who had so recently assigned him his mother, the Jesus who had been buried in this new tomb, had risen from the dead. The beloved disciple saw and believed—and thus the Evangelist introduces the themes of seeing and believing that reach their climax in v. 29. Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Mary mourned and remained (:

Let’s consider some of the text here.

John 20:11–13 ESV

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

These Angels were not there when the disciples looked in, but appeared for Mary’s benefit.

Her question to them seems to indicate that she still believed Jesus was dead. She assumed that “they” - whether the Romans or the Jews had moved His body.

Mary had been a follower of Jesus for some time, especially after he had freed her from demonic possession (). Jesus was important to her. He had made a HUGE difference in her life.

I find it interesting that on so many other occasions, when Angels appear to humans, their first words are “do not be afraid.” Whether it was clouded by her grief or the angels were veiling their full glorious appearance, Mary wasn’t shuddered by their presence - she simply inquired.

They don’t respond to her, but instead, she turns and brings her question to someone else:

John 20:14–15 ESV

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

John 20:14–16 ESV

John 20:

John, the author gives us some insight into the fact that this was Jesus and helps us understand some more details about what Mary understood. She did not recognize him but simply assumed him to be someone who would know where his body was. She still assumed Jesus was dead.

And then in one word - everything changed.

John 20:16 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

On hearing this personal greeting, she knew it was him, she knew he was alive. She saw and believed.

Jesus continued:

John 20:17 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

Don Carson, in his commentary on the book of John addresses the awkwardness of this situation. Mary did not initially recognize Jesus when he said “woman” but did when he said “Mary.” He then tells her not to cling to him. Who is this Jesus? What did he look like? Carson writes:

Taken as a whole, however, the resurrection accounts provide a certain tension. On the one hand, Jesus’ resurrection body can be touched and handled (v. 27; ), bears the marks of the wounds inflicted on Jesus’ pre-death body (, , ), and not only cooks fish (21:9) but eats it (). On the other hand, Jesus’ resurrection body apparently rose through the grave-clothes (), appears in a locked room (vv. 19, 26), and is sometimes not (at least initially) recognized.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

I Corinthians 15:55

It seems that his resurrected body is not only able to physically exhibit human attributes, but now is able to more fully reveal his divine qualities - as we will see in just a moment.

So Mary - obey’s the command of her Lord...

John 20:18 ESV

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

John 20:

Once again, the testimony of a woman becomes the key witness in this unravelling mystery. Mary initially told them that the tomb was empty, now she tells the disciples that Jesus is alive! But do they believe her?

What we learn next is that...

The Disciples believe after seeing Jesus ()

Whether they believed Mary or not is unclear. What we do know, is that they were afraid of the Jews and they were locked in a room.

John 20:19–20 ESV

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.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

John 20:19 ESV

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.”

Oh to have been a fly on the wall in that room. What were they talking about before Jesus came in? Where the discussing contingency plans now that the grave is empty? What were they afraid of really? How will they respond to the Jewish leaders and the Romans?

Suddenly, Jesus passes through the locked doors and confronts them with the words “peace be with you.”

He is alive!

They can’t help but believe because he showed up in person.

Mary was telling the truth - again!

So Jesus continues spends a bit of time with them, giving them some encouragement and some instruction:

John 20:20–23 ESV

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 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.”

John 20:21-

John 20:21–23 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 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.”

Have you ever had one of those “ah ha” moments? That time when all of the information that you have heard begins to coalesce into a whole.

(Dave and calculus?)

Now the disciples were beginning to understand that truly more about who Jesus is and what he came to do. Over the previous three years, they had been listening, watching, and practicing as his disciples. Now they

So they believed Jesus because they saw him. However, not all of the disciples were there. In the next segment we learn that...

Thomas doubted and then believed by sight

Thomas doubted at first and then believed ()

When we first learned about the empty tomb, all of the information was given on the testimony of one woman. Now that Jesus appeared to most of his disciples, there are multiple eye-witnesses - and yet we learn in the next couple of verses that it wasn’t enough for Thomas.

John 20:24–25 ESV

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.”

(sports analogy - team goes to championship but you don’t believe it)

So Thomas is confronted by the men that he has been hanging around with for three years. They all tell him that Jesus is alive. Does he have any reason to doubt them? Not really. I’m sure they had some joking around and playing, but something like the resurrection of Jesus is not something to joke about. He knew them. He knew that Peter would speak before thinking sometimes, but he would come around. He knew that Andrew was a man of faith. He knew that James and John were a bit ambitious and cantankerous at times, but that their hearts were in the right place.

He had no reason not to believe - except he simply refused to believe.

There were now so many witnesses to the reality of the resurrection that Jesus would easily be convicted in a court of law - but it wasn’t enough for Thomas.

The crucifixion was

And so, just as he did with the other disciples, Jesus shows up on the scene.

John 20:26–27 ESV

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.” 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.”

John 20:

Jesus addresses Thomas right at his point of unbelief. It’s almost as though he had heard exactly why Thomas doubted.

Mary believed by seeing.

The disciples refused to believe on her testimony, but believed after seeing Jesus.

Thomas refused to believe on the testimony of the disciples, but now Jesus is here, and he has to believe.

John 20:28 ESV

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

John 20:

In response, Jesus answered Him:

John 20:29 ESV

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

In the remaining part of John, we get to learn that Jesus spent time with His disciples and then ultimately ascended to heaven. He knew that the testimony of His followers would be crucial - because he would not longer be physically visible to others.

I love that Jesus said - “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” because that refers to us. You see...

Our only means of belief is based on the...

Word of God, the

Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the

Witness of other believers.

We don’t get to see Jesus in the flesh. Occasionally, God gives people special dreams, but generally it’s the Word, the Work, and the witness.

In fact, this is the whole reason John wrote his book. Look at what is says in the closing verses of this chapter.

John 20:30–31 ESV

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.

John 20:3–31 ESV

So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. 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.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 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.

So this really begs the final thing for us to consider:

Will you believe?

John wrote his entire book in order that you and I and all those who might read it would believe! What does this belief entail?

:29John 20:30-311 Cor. 15:3-4 (first importance)

First of all, this belief is an ongoing, continual belief. Don’t just believe for a moment and then forget. Begin believing and then don’t stop.

Beloved brother and sister in Christ - keep on believing. Journey famously sang “don’t stop believin’” - but I assure you, your belief in Jesus is more than a feeling, it’s more than a passing fad and a temporary emotional or intellectual ascent. It’s an ongoing assurance of truth about Who God is, Who we are, What Christ did, and what that means for us for now and eternally.

We need to continually believe that...

Jesus is the Christ - or Messiah - this is essentially that he is sent from God for a purpose - and that purpose was to die on the cross for our sins.

The apostle Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

That was the ultimate mission of Jesus, to reconcile us to God, to bring us into a right relationship with him.

Believe that

In addition to that, we need to continually believe that...

Jesus is the Son of God - that he is not just a good person and not simply a good teacher, but that he is the perfect, sinless Son of God.

and finally, we need to continually believe that...

You can have life - you might say - but wait, I’m already alive, I have life.

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference where one of the speakers described the difference between the life that we have and the life that belief in Jesus offers.

In Greek, there are two terms for “life.”

βίος or Bios refers to “the present state of existence”

the present state of existence”

Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible 2009 : 19. Print.

This is the life that we are born with. This is the life that we have because we are breathing and we exist.

But the life that John is talking about is something more.

ζωή or Zoe refers to a meaningful life. This is the Greek term that Jesus uses when he refers to eternal life.

You are born with bios, but by belief in Jesus the Christ, the son of God you gain zoe - eternal life, abundant life, meaningful life.

Closing thoughts

If you were to read all the way through John’s gospel, you would find this theme of belief. John wants us to know that Jesus came from God, that Jesus came that we might have life, that Jesus came to beautifully glorify God. Do you believe? You see, what we believe matters. Our belief in Jesus helps us see that life is more than just the years of breathing that we have on earth. Life is more than the sum of all our days.

Friend, what you believe about Jesus matters. What you believe about God and his holiness matters. What you believe about you and your sinfulness matters. You see, God is perfect and holy. We are not. We are all born with a sinful nature. That sinful nature that produces further sinful actions. All of that makes us enemies of God. And yet the bible says that...

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

You see our sin deserves death. But Jesus took our death, if we would only believe.

Friend, will you believe? Will you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Will you admit that you’re a sinner and admit that you need a savior to be in a right relationship with God? Will you believe?

If you would like to discuss this more, please put a comment in the notes or send me an email - pastor@poolesvillebaptist.com.

Let’s pray.

Discussion Questions

Take some time this week to discuss these with your family or with a friend or colleague.

What did it take for Mary to believe? What did she believe at first?

What did it take for the disciples to believe? Why didn’t the disciples believe Mary?

What did it take for Thomas to believe? Why didn’t the Thomas believe the disciples?