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CPS: One unbeliever is worth the spread of the gospel.
Introduction
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is exciting!
There is nothing more important in all of history than what happened on that weekend over 2,000 years ago through the cross and the resurrection.
It is worth sharing with someone.
One unbeliever is worth the spread of the gospel.
Years ago, I sat down with a pastor friend of mine for coffee.
I told him that something about churches that puzzled me.
Growing up I’ve always heard about the importance of the cross, but there didn’t seem, at least in my experience, to be the same emphasis on the resurrection.
But the resurrection is the center-point of human history and the beginning point of Christianity.
Christianity could never have started without the resurrection.
Before the resurrection, the disciples are scared people, running away and hiding.
It was the resurrection of Christ that caused the disciples to go from people in fear of their life to people without fear, proclaiming the good news of Jesus, that we have seen through the book of Acts.
My pastor friend seemed to think this was an interesting point of view.
But I think it’s the only view worth having.
The resurrection of Jesus is God’s stamp saying Jesus is who he says he is.
The resurrection drives me to share the gospel with people.
There is nothing more exciting to me about the resurrection.
Why is that?
What is about the resurrection that drives us to share the good news of Jesus with others?
We are going to see the power of the resurrection shared with one unbeliever.
Text: John 20:24-29
Thomas goes from an unbeliever in the resurrection of Christ to a believer.
There are a few things that we learn through this story about the value of sharing the gospel with one unbeliever.
First,
The excitement of Jesus’ resurrection is worth sharing with one unbeliever.
The resurrected Lord appeared to the disciples, and it says the disciples rejoiced when they saw Jesus (John 20:20).
Think of what these disciples had just gone through.
When Jesus dies on the cross, the disciples are not a bunch of heroes fighting the leaders and saying, “We are going to take it to the streets.”
No, what are the disciples doing after the cross?
They are running away and hiding.
They were inside of a locked room afraid of what the Jewish leaders were going to do to them (John 20:19).
The resurrection changes the disciples from people in hiding to excited believers.
What did the resurrection mean to them?
It meant that Jesus was who he says he is, the Messiah!
His promises are true!
He said he would return, and he is here!
The resurrection means that Jesus is who he says he is, and his promises are true!
So what do they do?
Well, there was one person who wasn’t with them when Jesus showed himself resurrected, a disciple named Thomas.
We see Thomas a few times in John’s gospel.
He is one of the original twelve disciples, and he is in hiding with the rest of these disciples.
The disciples were excited!
They tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord!” Have you ever been that excited about Jesus?
They are like, “Jesus, he’s done it!
He has fulfilled his promise!
He is alive!”
Take a look at their interaction with Thomas in John 20:25:
Thomas was stubborn.
He is like, “There is nothing you can tell me that will change my mind.
Unless Jesus is standing right here, I will never believe.”
But can you imagine the disciples over that week?
Jesus doesn’t show himself again for a whole week.
These disciples spend a whole week with Thomas.
Can you imagine a week of listening to someone talk about Jesus when you don’t believe?
They must have been annoying to Thomas.
But what is Thomas going to do?
He is stuck in this room in hiding.
There was no Netflix or something to drown out their excitement.
I think that’s why he is so stubborn.
There is definitely something different with these disciples.
Something happened.
But resurrection?
See, according to the natural law, dead things don’t get up and reanimate themselves.
They stay dead.
Thomas knows this.
He is like, “These guys are delusional.”
Joy in Christ is able to overcome skepticism.
There is joy in knowing the resurrected Lord.
But joy is able to overcome skepticism.
There is joy in knowing the resurrected Lord.
When you know that God has done an amazing work, there are some that are not going to want to believe, but it is worth sharing your excitement about Jesus with others.
It is worth sharing your excitement about Jesus with one unbeliever, because you don’t know what God is about to do.
They don’t know if Jesus is going to show up again.
But they know what they have seen.
They know what Jesus has done.
And they are going to share it with Thomas, no matter his unbelief.
Do you remember when you first gave your heart to Christ?
Or maybe, have you seen someone who is brand new in Christ?
Listen, they may not have all of the answers.
They may not know all of the right theology.
But they know what they seen in their life.
They know that Jesus has done an amazing thing.
You didn’t live their life.
But they have.
They know who they were.
And they know that something amazing has happened in their life.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
There is something amazing about the Christian faith.
There is nothing as life-changing as the power of God in a life through faith in Christ.
And that faith comes one at a time.
Someone may not like your enthusiasm or excitement about Jesus.
That’s okay.
See, you can’t help but tell someone about Jesus, because when he changes you, when he sets you free, there is excitement.
There is an amazing thing in this story, it’s this:
The Lord will focus on one unbeliever to bring them to faith.
Jesus has resurrected from the dead.
Think of all the things he could be doing?
He could be going to Pontius Pilate, saying, “I’m back.
Tell Cesar I’m here, my kingdom is starting.”
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