Delivered I'll Be

Introduction (2m)

Did William Booth doubt?

I wonder if William Booth ever doubted? I wonder if he understood Thomas’s doubts? If you focus verse six of The Founder’s Song, you might be forgiven for thinking he wouldn’t:

The tide is now flowing, I’m touching the wave, I hear the loud call of the mighty to save; My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be; I plunge ’neath the waters, they roll over me.

That seems pretty positive to me. But have you ever noticed that this is the second mention of deliverance in his song, O Boundless Salvation? In v.3 WB seems more hopeful than sure of deliverance. Amidst temptation and bound by sin, WB sees deliverance, but it seems out of reach somehow. Just beyond the horizon.

WB seems much more like Thomas here. As the song progresses, you can almost see WB feeling his way from seeing a deliverance which is just out of reach, feeling that something better was just beyond the horizon, standing on the brink of it all, until he finally decides he won’t go back and instead, with his faith growing bolder, he finally believes he will be delivered.

Explanation (2m)

Thomas's Journey Remarkably Similar

The journey the disciples made from Easter Sunday onwards is remarkably similar. Throughout his ministry, Jesus had promised them deliverance. And yet, following the traumatic events of Good Friday, we find the disciples cowering in fear and trembling behind the locked door of the same house they had met in for the Last Supper. They had seemingly forgotten Jesus’ promise.

After betraying and denying Jesus, and running away after his arrest, the disciples might have expected rebuke or blame. But instead, Jesus speaks peace to them, Shalom.

And Jesus goes further as the disciples take the next tentative steps on their journey. He shows them his hands and his side. And finally, they believe. They are convinced that it is Jesus they see and they believe his words. They had stood on the brink, but now they plunge in. All except Thomas.

Thomas was not there on Easter Sunday. And he has yet to be convinced that Jesus is alive. And yet to believe in the deliverance he promised. Did Jesus return and rebuke him for his unbelief? No, of course not! He returns with the same greeting — shalom — and then invites Thomas to put his finger into the nail prints and his hand into his side. He gets the opportunity to literally feel his way to something better. And then Jesus urges him to stop being an unbeliever and to become a believer instead.

But Thomas didn’t need to do that. He suddenly found he was closer to that boundless ocean than he thought. As soon as he saw Jesus, his doubts vanished and so he declares, ‘My Lord and my God!’ (John 20:28).

Thomas had finally got it. Not only did he call Jesus, Lord, as many others had done, but here was the first time anyone had called Jesus, My God. It truly is a leap of faith. He was definitely plunging in!

Application (2m)

Have you made that journey yet? Or are you still standing on the brink with your doubts? One of the biggest contributions to our doubts comes from our past failures. Do you think that because of your past, God could never use you? God uses people with checkered histories. He uses imperfect people. He uses dysfunctional people. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been. As long as you are on that journey from standing on the brink to plunging ‘neath the waters.

When they encountered Jesus, the disciples quickly moved from being shaken and frightened following their failure to stick with Jesus to the dynamic disciples of Acts. God specialises in failures. We simply have to persevere. To see beyond our failures, to admit them to God, and then to keep doing what God has called us to do, no matter how many setbacks we face.

The power available to you is unlimited. The ocean is indeed boundless. Your future is in Jesus’ hands. Do you believe it? Let’s proclaim him our Lord and Christ in bold and joyous faith today and every day.