August 9, 2020 - Faith My Eyes

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.

With HIS Peace...

Comes HIS Power… (the Holy Spirit)...

Which leads to His Purpose...

John 20:23 ESV

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Our purpose in life is to - GO and PROCLAIM the MESSAGE of Christ...

The GOOD NEWS of JESUS - to the WORLD!!

To your families...

Your neighbors...

Friends

Co-workers

THIS is OUR PURPOSE…today

And it was The Disciples purpose - back then...

But like I said before - It’s always interesting to realize -

That EVEN though we’re 2000 years removed from this timeframe...

We find that even CROSS CULTURALLY...

We find that mankind has pretty much - always been the same

What do I mean? - - Our text today...

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.”

Thomas...

Doubting Thomas...

I think we get a PICTURE here of what’s going on...

Thomas is told by the disciples that they had SEEN the Lord...

But Thomas wasn’t there - so he’s like - WELL -

I’ll BELIEVE it WHEN I - SEE IT!!

John 20:25 ESV

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.”

He’s saying - I’ll BELIEVE IT - when i SEE IT!!

THINK THROUGH THIS...

He’s saying -

SLIDE:

My “seeing” will be the foundation of my belief.

He’s saying - WITHOUT seeing - I will not believe.

And I KNOW we ALL live our lives - WITH A BENT - toward this mindset...

What i want to do today is to get to the heart of this mindset...

To see what we're REALLY saying when we operate this way...

This was Thomas' mindset in our text today!

When we SAY - I'll BELIEVE IT when I SEE it...

2 things are on the table (BELIEF - - SIGHT)

FIRST thing I want to do is:

I want us to FIRST look at - A CAUTION of SCRIPTURE - - and then from THERE - make our way down to where Christ wants us to be...

SLIDE: A Caution: Seeing is Not Believing

A Caution of Scripture

How many people:

Saw Jesus alive on this earth?

Walked with Jesus?

Spoke with Jesus?

Touched Jesus?

Conversed with Jesus?

Saw Him raise a dead man?

Saw Him heal a blind man?

Saw Him heal the lame?

AND YET - Did not BELIEVE in Jesus?

In the story of Lazarus...The rich man descends into hell and pleads with Father Abraham to let him go back and warn his brothers, so that they will not end up there in torment...

Luke 16:29–31 ESV

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

Jesus says - NO - even if someone rises from the dead - people will NOT be convinced to believe...

WHY?

Because SEEING is not BELIEVING!

Even during Jesus’ ministry - his own brothers were trying to convince him to just go out to BE SEEN...

THINKING - if people could just SEE what you do (MIRACLES) - they’ll BELIEVE!!

Did Jesus agree with them?

NO - Jesus responds to them this way...

John 7:7 ESV

7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

Jesus is saying - The world chooses to NOT believe in Me - NOT BECAUSE they can’t see Me...

…But because I testify that its works are EVIL...

THAT’s why the world CHOOSES to remain in UNBELIEF!

Because the world HATES Me!

And so - the concept of - I WILL NEVER BELIEVE - UNLESS i - SEE...

Is a concept that tries to EQUATE - SEEING with BELIEVING...

And that’s just NOT the case! - BIBLICALLY!

NOW - from here - it sounds like I just TRASHED the idea of - the PHYSICAL EYE having any BENEFIT for us in this world....

That’s NOT the case… WHY??

BECAUSE - God actually - ALLOWS our SIGHT to play into how we KNOW Him...

Romans 1:19–22 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

Listen to these phrases:

God has shown it to them

His invisible attributes - clearly perceived through what's been made

And due to these VISUALS all around us - it says - "Although they KNEW God..."

The POINT of Creation - WHAT we SEE - teaches us about GOD....

Psalm 19:1–2 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

God has created us in such a way that our EYES would not only take in knowledge...but knowledge of HIM

AND THIS PROCESS - being a physical representation of a Spiritual reality

But think through how our EYES help us every day...

They help us see the obstacles out in front of us...They help us see the dangers all around us - in all their forms...

John 12:35 ESV

35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

We've all been there - in a DARK room - NOT knowing where we're going...

Not knowing where you’re going isn’t a good thing...

But WORSE than that...

John 11:9 ESV

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

Not only do our EYES let us KNOW where we're going - but they can KEEP us from - - STUMBLING!

BUT - we ALSO know that our EYES alone aren't ENOUGH...

Eyes alone can't KEEP you from STUMBLING in this world...

Just TURN the LIGHTS out! -

My EYES - in a room ABSENT of light - are WORTHLESS!

And so the EYES - on the physical side - are the DOORWAY to understanding...

Walk into a completely dark room - and you have NO KNOWLEDGE of what's in that room...

But turn the lights on - and what happens?

KNOWLEDGE

The light BRINGS with it - knowledge

And so NOW is where we begin to UNDERSTAND the Spiritual side of THE EYE...

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This verse TIES the physical world with the Spiritual World...

Remember I said - the EYES are the physical representation of a Spiritual reality....?

Here it is...

GOD - who said - Let PHYSICAL light shine out of darkness...ALSO - SHONE in our hearts to give - - the LIGHT of the KNOWLEDGE…of the glory of God in Christ...

So GOD has designed life so that PHYSICAL Creation would SPEAK to WHO HE IS...

AND - that we would SEE those things!

AND SO YES - while there is a CAUTION in Scripture - that we would KNOW that SEEING IS NOT BELIEVING...

SLIDE: A Call: See and Believe

A Call of Scripture

The call is - SEE and BELIEVE

This concept is all throughout scripture!

We read earlier in Romans 1 that all creation CLEARY displays God!

to the extent that MANKIND is WITHOUT excuse

So - In CREATION - God is saying - SEE and BELIEVE!

In this same gospel of John we read this back in Chapter 14

John 14:8–11 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’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Jesus is saying - SEE and BELIEVE!

You’ve SEEN Me....

That SHOULD be enough...

But if it’s NOT ENOUGH - just LOOK to my WORKS...

SEE my WORKS and - BELIEVE!!

ONE of those works was healing a BLIND man...

Jesus heals him and it starts off a fire storm...

All the Jewish leaders come - and start asking ALL their questions (HOW…?)

So the former blind man begins answering those questions in a way that the leaders didn’t like...

SO - the Jewish leaders KICK the man out of the synagogue...

But listen to what Jesus says to him…when He finds the man...

John 9:35–38 ESV

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus is saying - SEE and BELIEVE!!

We’ve been talking about this the past several weeks - THE Stone at the tomb was rolled away - NOT SO Jesus could get out but so that we could GET IN - SEE - and BELIEVE!!

And that’s exactly what happened with John...

John runs to the tomb upon hearing that Jesus’ body was moved!

Gets to the tomb FIRST - But stops and does NOT enter...

Peter then goes into the tomb first...

And THEN John enters...

Upon entering - the Bible says...

John 20:8 ESV

8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

Believed what?

John 20:9 ESV

9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

THIS is the what HE BELIEVED based on his SEEING!

SLIDE:

God has created in such a way that our eyes can lead us to a place of belief in Him.

This is what we’ve just walked through and seen in the Bible...

AND SO - when we say -

“I’ll BELIEVE IT when i SEE IT....”

THAT CONCEPT has been woven INTO God’s plan...

We just walked through it...

BUT...

There’s a piece of that concept that SHOULD cause TENSION in our hearts...

To where we SHOULDN’T want to STAY there...

As a Christian I should NOT want to stay and hold onto THIS IDEA - - I’ll believe it when I see it!

BECAUSE of how - FAITH plays into this...

Let’s look to how Jesus responds to Thomas in our text...

John 20:25 ESV

So Thomas makes his claim - UNLESS I SEE - I will NEVER BELIEVE!!

Jesus shows up and responds...

John 20:26–29 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.” 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.”

Jesus says - Have you believed BECAUSE you have SEEN me? Blessed are those who HAVE NOT SEEN…and yet have believed!

Why would Jesus say this?

What’s Jesus wanting to push us toward!

Let’s see how FAITH/BELIEF plays into all of this...

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is the CONVICTION of things - NOT SEEN...

So what would that say about the CONVICTION of things - SEEN?

Does it REQUIRE faith to believe that you LOOK how you LOOK?

WHY? - Because you’ve SEEN how you look

As humans - we are BENT to rely on WHAT IS SEEN....

As humans - we don’t WANT to rely on that which is UNSEEN...

We don’t want to RELY on - FAITH...

Would you rather stand on 4 foot thick ice....or 1 inch thick ice?

Would you rather jump out of a plane with a PARACHUTE DEMO....or with a 30 year proven PARACHUTE?

Would you rather your kids take an EXPERIMENTAL drug for their illness....or a 30 year proven harmless drug?

Would you rather a first year surgeon perform your brain surgery…or a 30 year experienced one?

We would RATHER rely on what is KNOWN....and PROVEN...

than rely on - FAITH...

And so - what is the CONCEPT “I’ll believe it when I see it” - REALLY all about?

It’s our attempt to - BYPASS faith...

John 20:25 ESV

Thomas was saying - I have no confidence that what YOU’RE SAYING is true…THEREFORE - I will withhold BELIEVING....until I see it.

I’m not gonna have faith in what you say...

SO - and here we go…Here’s why Jesus wants us to GET PAST this mindset…to a BETTER one!

SLIDE: Where Thomas said, “Unless I see, I will never believe”… Jesus says, “Unless you believe, you will never see”.

Where Thomas said, “Unless I see, I will never believe”… Jesus says, “Unless you believe, you will never see”.

See - on the physical side of life - Thomas’ mindset works...

You withhold judgment until you see it!

We are PHYSICAL creatures in a physical world...

And so in a physical world - you tell me - the sky is blue…

I say - well let me LOOK to SEE that - OK, I SEE IT - I believe it...

In a merely physical world - my BELIEF can REST on my SIGHT...

BUT - in a Spiritual world...

You tell me that the BLUENESS of the sky is to the GLORY of God…

Can my BELIEF rest in my SIGHT?

No - Jesus would tell me -

Unless you HAVE FAITH (belief), you won’t SEE that the blueness of the sky is to the Glory of God!

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

The bible tells us that in order for us to SEE the world in LIGHT of God’s truth...

We need a FOUNDATION of - FAITH...

This is saying - Unless you BELIEVE, you will NEVER see!

Where Thomas said - Unless I see, I will never believe

Jesus says - Unless you believe, you will never see...

Saint Augustine put it this way...

SLIDE:

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

And this is why Jesus closes our text today the way He does...

John 20:27–29 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.” 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.”

Jesus knows that FAITH is the foundation...

He wants to INCREASE our - FAITH!

And He wants your faith - to rise!!

WHICH takes us back to what we’ve been talking about the past several weeks...

SUMMARY:

A Caution of Scripture

A Call of Scripture

How do we SEE?

FAITH!

We mentioned it last week -

The answers are often OUT where faith is required!

We often let our experiences dictate what we believe!

But as Jesus TELLS US - Faith is the foundation of TRUE SIGHT!

Without Faith we will NEVER see....

Pursue FAITH… GO where faith is needed!

There’s THIN ICE in your workplace.....go there

There’s potential REJECTION in your neighborhood.....go there!

There’s potential RISK in your CIRCLE of friends.... go there!

And IN GOING - where FAITH is required....SEE and BELIEVE!!

Let’s pray!

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