Resurrection- Believe It or Not
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· 2 viewsHere we find Thomas doubting the truth of the resurrection and then having his doubts put to rest by the risen Lord.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Today many will gather with family and many will attend a church of some sort to celebrate Easter. Unfortunately there are many who will not pause to contemplate the reason for this annual celebration.
Easter is not about bunny or eggs or easter baskets, easter candy, etc… Easter is the time each year that we have set aside to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus is the central theme of the Christian faith and without it our faith is vain and empty.
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, if it truly happened, is the single most important event in all of history.
Belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a necessity for salvation
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Today we will look at one man’s struggle to believe that Christ arose from the dead. Perhaps you too have struggled to believe, maybe you too have doubts and to this point in your life you have been unwilling to believe on Jesus Christ.
I want you to know that...
It is Natural to Doubt (Vs. 24 -25)
It is Natural to Doubt (Vs. 24 -25)
The Disciple Thomas has become known as “Doubting Thomas” or as Thomas the Doubter but this is a bit of an unfair characterization for he was not alone in his doubts concerning Christ’s resurrection.
Mark 16:9-14- The disciples did not at first believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony neither did they believe the testimony of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who had seen the risen Christ.
When we think of those who have died our expectation and our experience cause us to believe that they shall remain dead.
Everyone that you and I know who has died has remained dead and not one has risen to life again.
The disciples had actually witnessed a man come back from the dead (Lazarus) and yet this was such an anomaly that they still struggled to believe that Jesus Christ would rise from the dead.
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
Thomas’s doubts did however seem to go beyond the doubts of the other disciples in that he basically states that he “will not believe” unless he sees for himself the prints of the nails and touches them and thrusts his hand into Jesus’s wounded side.
There have been many others throughout history since Thomas who have spoken to God in this same manner saying “I will not believe unless...”
Maybe you have yourself made similar statements to God requiring that He would provide you with some necessary evidence in order that you may believe.
Today Jesus Christ has ascended back to the father and is seated at His right hand interceding on behalf of all those who have believed.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Seeing is Not Necessary to Believing (Vs. 26-29)
Seeing is Not Necessary to Believing (Vs. 26-29)
In the case of Thomas the disciple, Jesus Christ appeared once more and provided the proof of His resurrection which Thomas required and ultimately Thomas confessed Christ as Lord and affirmed His deity (Vs. 28).
There were many who saw Jesus Christ after He arose from the dead and they believed because they saw the risen savior for themselves.
Yet Jesus here makes an interesting statement that should be of special interest to you and me for He says “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Evidently even in the days following His resurrection prior to His ascension there were some who had not yet seen Him personally but yet they had believed.
How would these then have come to faith? It must certainly have been the result of the testimony of those who had seen the risen Lord.
There are many things that we have not seen and yet we believe.
Illustration- Do you believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States? This is not improbable so it is not at all difficult to believe as there are many sources which confirm that Washington existed and that He became the first president of the United States. Do you believe that Americans won the revolutionary war? Based on the size and strength of the British Army and the meager size and poor training of the American forces this seems improbable but yet we believe it. Why? Because we have a record and many eyewitness testimonies.
There are many things which we have never seen which we yet believe and why should the resurrection be any different? We have eyewitness accounts.
We have the testimony of Mary Magdalene, and of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, as well as the testimony of the other ten disciples.
We also have more than Thomas had...
I Corinthians 15:4-9- he was seen by Peter, then of the twelve, seen by over five hundred brethren at once many who were still alive as Paul wrote, seen of James and all the apostles, and last of all by Paul himself.
This is not the only evidence for these men could have been liars and yet would they dare to die for a lie? Yet many of them gave their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ.
There is also the evidence of the empty tomb, were the tomb not empty, the Jewish as well as the Roman authorities would have produced the body of Jesus and any claim of resurrection would have been put to rest and yet the claims persist even until today!
We may not see but this does not mean that we cannot believe. In fact throughout history since the time of Jesus’s resurrection millions have done exactly that. They have believed even though they have not seen.
Now we must ask the question...
What Does It Matter If You Believe? (Vs. 30-31)
What Does It Matter If You Believe? (Vs. 30-31)
The entire reason that John wrote the gospel which bears his name was so that others like you and I might believe not only that Jesus rose again, but that He is the Christ, the Son of God who alone offers salvation.
It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that you and I can be saved. The resurrection is but one of many miracles which serve to reveal that Jesus Christ was not a mere man, not just a powerful prophet, or a great moral teacher, but that He was indeed God robed in human flesh.
He came to the earth to take upon Himself the penalty for our sins and to secure our salvation by His death, burial, and resurrection. The only hope that we have is found in Him.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Listen now to Jesus own words in John 14:1-6- it is interesting that verse 6 is actually spoken in response to “Doubting Thomas”
This statement is still true today. Jesus is still the way to God, He is still the truth, and He is still the life!
The fact is that you and I are dead in sin.
Ephesians 2:1-6- without Christ we are hopelessly lost and we are in fact dead and shall remain so unless we believe on Him.
God raised Jesus from the dead so that you and I might be given life through His name.
What is at stake today is not merely the question of Jesus resurrection from the dead but whether you will believe on Him unto salvation and inherit eternal life or reject Him and remain dead in your sins to be ultimately condemned and separated from God for all eternity.
Today I say to you as Jesus said unto Thomas “be not faithless, but believing”
Will you turn to Jesus Christ today and receive the salvation and redemption that He offers.
Conclusion
Thomas at first refused to believe, but ultimately he confessed Jesus as Lord and affirmed that He is God.
If you have never turned to Christ will you believe on Him today. He died for you, He was buried, and He rose again from the dead to give you life if you will but call upon Him today!
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.