Well, welcome to church tonight.
If you haven't got a Bible in front of you, great.
Our helpers would love to get you one.
So if you want to just stick your hand up,
if you haven't got one, John 20.
And also there's some service outlines
you can sort of follow along
where I'm up to in tonight's message.
If I've not met you before,
my name's Stephen, the senior pastor at church.
And it is a crack of a day to be at church with you
as we look at the central meaning of Christianity.
If you don't have a service outline,
you can use the St. Paul's app as well to follow along.
It's really only got three points.
So if you can't remember that, I can't help you.
Let's pray and we'll launch into it.
Gracious God, we thank you for the great news
of what we're looking at tonight,
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And I pray that you help us to understand it,
to be open to it.
And I pray especially that you might help us
to see the transforming nature
of what Christ has achieved for us.
Change our hearts wherever we are of this,
whether we come in as doubters and skeptics
or believers.
We pray, Lord, that we would go out of here
changed, transformed by you,
embracing the Lord Jesus as God
and Lord over all things.
And we pray for your glory.
Amen.
Benjamin Law, he's an Australian author and journalist,
wrote an opinion piece in the City Morning Herald
leading up to Easter a few years ago now.
Benjamin describes himself as non-religious.
He says,
I'm not an atheist,
but I'm a happy agnostic,
a lifelong doubter.
He wrote that if he was to adopt a religious symbol for his life,
it would be a question mark.
He goes on in the article
that he digs the Bible.
I'm not sure exactly what that means.
I think it's positive.
I dig the Bible.
But he said,
he also added,
he said,
I love Jesus.
Not in the religious sense,
obviously,
but I think everyone can agree
that he sounded like a decent fellow.
Jesus distrusted the rich.
He helped the poor
and embraced the most shunned
and vulnerable members of society.
He was the first Marxist radical.
Needless to say,
he says,
I have no problem with celebrating
and honoring religious holidays.
It respects the majority of Australians
who identify as Christians
and it educates the non-religious
about world beliefs.
Then he made this point.
But why stop at Easter and Christmas?
In our cities,
especially with their Muslim,
Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu communities,
wouldn't it make sense
to celebrate and learn
about these cultures too?
He goes on to suggest
that that would create
a much more tolerant Australia.
The opinion piece overall was,
it was positive,
raised some questions
in an authentic manner
and basically kept everyone happy.
He says,
Jesus is a nice bloke
and so therefore we should celebrate him
as a nice bloke
and we should also look
at other nice things as well.
His article raised two big questions
for me
and two big questions
about Christianity
and especially the central events
of Easter.
And the first question
is the truth question.
The second is the meaning question.
The truth question
and the meaning question
are both wrapped up together
in today on Resurrection Day.
It's Easter Sunday.
The truth question,
the meaning question.
Whenever you talk about
the resurrection of Jesus,
those two questions
are intertwined.
Truth question,
did it actually happen?
The meaning question,
well,
who cares if it did?
What difference does it make
in my life
if he did rise from the dead?
You see,
there are people
who reject Christianity
because they simply
just don't think it's true.
But there are other people
who reject Christianity
not because they're convinced
it's not true,
but because they can't see
why it would make
any difference
at all in their life
if it was true.
The meaning of it
is insignificant
and irrelevant
to what really concerns them.
So, for instance,
things have changed
in our world
in case you haven't realized that.
Forty years ago,
and the older you are,
you realize how much
things have changed.
Forty years ago,
there was an assumption
in the Western world
that there were fixed
natural laws
that make the world
understandable
and scientifically manageable.
Unfortunately,
these laws
did not allow
for the truth
of the claim
that someone
can come back
from the dead
and to live forever.
The world at that time
in its scientific understanding
of natural laws
did not allow
for resurrections
and so,
get rid of it.
Unbelief
in the claims
of Christianity
were often connected
to that kind
of scientific assumption.
Today, however,
there's another assumption
and this is for everyone
who's basically
less than 40,
which I'm not quite anymore,
but nearly,
is a differing assumption
and today,
the assumption
is that there's
a personal law
inside of me.
It's called individualism.
Us older people
call it rampant individualism.
One form of individualism
is a personal law
that says,
I don't have to conform
or adapt my life
to anything
that I don't find helpful.
Truth for me
is what I find acceptable
and helpful
and useful.
Now, this assumption says,
I don't care
whether Jesus
rose from the dead.
Don't care
if the facts are there
because whether
he did or not,
my issue is,
I still don't care.
The scientific facts
are irrelevant.
Even if it is true,
what difference
does it make
to my life
day by day?
And so both questions,
the truth question
and the so what question
are important
to address
at the same time,
which is what we're going to do
in the rest of our time together.
I want to tackle
three main things,
truth question,
so what question,
and how to move
from being a doubter,
a skeptic,
to a believer.
So first of all,
the truth question.
The great C.S. Lewis,
Oxford Don,
once wrote
that in a world
that was making
such a rapid advancement
in scientific understanding,
he said there was a danger
of chronological snobbery.
He said it's the assumption
that any conclusion
that was made
in previous centuries
or frankly people before me,
anyone who,
before my assumption of things,
was their assumptions
are always based
on ignorance.
And especially
the further back you go,
it's just ignorance.
For instance,
chronological snobbery
might lead some
to conclude
that the people
who lived
around Jesus' time,
because they didn't have
iPhones and internet,
they were just
gullible peasants.
They were just
ignorant of reality.
And so they'll just
believe anything
that they've been told.
And yet that's not
the picture
that we have here.
So if you've got your Bibles,
turn to John 20,
it's not the picture
we get here in John 20.
Look at the first
two verses with me.
Early on the first
day of the week,
while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene
went to the tomb
and saw that the stone
had been removed
from the entrance.
Now this is crucial
here in John 20.
This is the first person
to notice the tombs empty,
Mary Magdalene.
in John 19,
which we saw on Friday,
the chapter before,
Mary Magdalene
is declared
to be the witness
of the death
of Jesus.
He's dead.
She saw that he was
dead.
And now she's the first
person of the tomb
to see
that the tomb
is empty.
So verse 2,
so she came running
to Simon Peter
and the other disciple,
the one whom Jesus loved,
and said,
notice what she says here,
they have taken
the Lord
out of the tomb
and we don't know
where they've put him.
Now,
before he was executed,
Jesus mentioned
a number of times
that he was
going to be executed,
but that he would
come back to life.
But that is not
what Mary is expecting
on this Sunday morning
as she goes
to the tomb.
She's not thinking,
ah, that's right.
Resurrection.
She's not thinking
that at all.
Her first assumption
was that the body
has been moved.
And it's the same
in verse 13.
She was working
on the assumption
that the Jewish leaders
or potentially
the Roman dudes
had taken his body
and dumped it
somewhere outside
the city limits.
Someone has stolen
the body.
So like us,
Mary didn't just assume
that Jesus had come
back to life.
Even Peter and John,
two of his key followers,
didn't automatically
jump to the conclusion
that Jesus had been
resurrected.
Notice verses 8 and 9.
Finally,
the other disciple
who had reached
the tomb first
also went in,
he saw,
and he believed.
And then it says,
they still did not
understand from Scripture
that Jesus had to
rise from the dead.
What did he believe in?
He believed what Mary
had just said.
He believed that Mary
was right.
The tomb is empty.
But he didn't believe
in that moment
of the resurrection.
That tells me
these early followers
of Jesus
were not easily
excitable,
gallible peasants
who would just
believe anything.
Even though Jesus
had told them repeatedly
that he would come
back to life,
they weren't actually
looking for a resurrection.
And yet what they
were confronted with
on that first
Easter Sunday
was a bodiless tomb.
There was no body
in the tomb.
So you can't play around
with the resurrection
of Jesus,
some have want to do,
and just can see that
it was just a spiritual
resurrection.
It's kind of what
the disciples felt.
They kind of felt
that he was risen again,
even though his body
didn't come back.
He just felt he was
a spiritual resurrection.
There was no body.
And you can go
to Jewish historians,
you can go to
Roman historians
and Christian historians
in that time
that wrote in that time
and they all declare
that the tomb
where Jesus was laid
was empty.
It's one of the
great historical facts
the tomb
was empty.
There's no question
about that.
Even the enemies
of Jesus
could not
produce
a body.
If they could have,
they would have
ended this Christianity
thing 2,000 years ago.
All it would have
required
is for a Roman
or a Jew
to
put the body
of Jesus
at a wheelbarrow
and take him
to Jerusalem
and there you go,
there's your
saviour.
Right there.
There he is.
Dead.
Now,
some have come up
with other explanations
as to why the tomb
was empty.
For instance,
some have suggested
that Jesus,
in fact,
didn't really die
put him in the tomb
and he revived
in the cool
of the tomb
and then moved
the stone
that required
several soldiers
to put in place.
He revived himself
enough
and did a bit
of buff work
over for a couple
of days
and was able
to move the stone
and walk out
and some have
suggested he married
Mary Magdalene
and then went on
a very long honeymoon
down to Egypt
and no one ever
saw him again.
Because there's no
historical evidence
for that
and it's not
really plausible.
And it also goes
against the horrible
realities of the
crucifixion.
It goes against
the deliberate
steps that Pilate
took and the
leaders,
the Jewish leaders
took to make
sure that he
was dead.
Look at John 19.
They declared,
we want to make
sure this man's
dead because we've
got to get to church
so can we please
kill him?
And they went along
to break his legs
and they discovered
they, in their own
testimony,
said he's dead.
They also took
enormous steps
to make sure
that no one
got in or out
of that tomb.
They posted
their own guards
at the door
of the tomb.
Others have
suggested that
the disciples
stole the body.
If they did,
you've got to
ask yourself
the question,
why did they
remove the
grave clothes?
I mean,
you've got
Roman soldiers
at the entrance
of the tomb
so you get them
drunk and then
you manage to
get the tomb
and then you
unwrap him
and fold up
his clothes
and then take
the naked body
away.
Why would you
do that?
Why take
off the linen?
And more
significantly,
if they took
the body
away,
it would
mean that
the disciples
began to
risk their
lives and
in fact gave
up their
lives for
nothing more
than an
April fool's
joke that
they themselves
had
perpetuated.
God
and how
else do we
account for
the dramatic
change in
the disciples
after Good
Friday if it
wasn't for the
resurrection?
The fact is
these guys
were utterly
dejected and
terrified after
the death of
Jesus.
They were
scared that
they were
going to be
treated in
exactly the
same way
that Jesus
had been
treated.
They feared
for their
lives.
They did
not have
hope for
a resurrection
and they
were basically
ready to go
back fishing
when everything
died down a
little bit.
They were
hiding in a
secluded room
and were
unwilling to
believe the
first reports
of Jesus'
appearance three
days after he
was executed.
And yet in a
matter of
weeks,
these men
were filled
overflowing
with joy and
courage and
not only ready
to die for
Jesus but in
fact did die
for Jesus.
What happened?
Their own
explanation as
to what
happened is
that we saw
Jesus alive
after we saw
him dead.
Now there
is, quite
frankly, far
more historical
evidence than
just that.
But doubting the
resurrection of
Jesus is common
and strangely
enough the
first person to
doubt the
resurrection is
not someone
opposed to
Jesus.
It's one of
his close
followers.
It's a guy
named Thomas.
As we saw
in John 20,
Thomas is the
most famous
of doubters.
And we've got
this saying in
our own culture
about skeptics
and doubters.
We call them
doubting
Thomases.
And so this
poor bloke
has had a
pretty bad
rap for
2,000 years.
That's what he's
known for.
He's known for
being a doubter.
And so for
those of us
struggling to
understand or
accept the
resurrection,
you've got to
ask yourself the
question tonight,
if Thomas can
help you here.
Is he someone
who can help
you in
doubts?
Now we are
told that
Thomas wasn't
there when
Jesus first
appeared to
his disciples
soon after he
rose from the
dead.
So have a look
at verse 24.
It says,
Now Thomas
called Didymus,
one of the
twelve,
was not with
the disciples
when Jesus
came and so
the other
disciples told
him,
we have seen
the Lord.
But he said
to them,
unless I see
the nail marks
in his hands
and put my
finger where
the nails
were and put
my hand in
his side,
I will not
believe it.
Unless I
see it for
myself,
I'm not going
to believe it.
I will believe
it if God
shows himself.
If Jesus
comes and
shows himself
to me,
that's the
condition of
my belief.
Now,
there's a
little strange
here because
Thomas is an
orthodox Jew
and so the
idea of a
resurrection
is not
unusual for
him.
He believed
that all
people would
be resurrected
in the end
when God
calls this
world to an
end.
And yet he
doubts the
resurrection here.
And his
response
to his
mates is
in absolute
terms.
He makes
his demands
in absolute
terms.
Unless I
see and I
place my
hands, I
will not
believe.
He demands
exhaustive
proof rather
than sufficient
evidence.
So,
believing Jesus,
believing the
resurrection comes
down to a
battle of the
will.
Thomas rejects
witness of
ten or
more of his
trusted
friends.
He dictates
absolute terms
to God about
believing.
Now, we're
not told
specifically
why Thomas
was so
skeptical.
So,
anything I
say as to
why he was
skeptical is
speculation.
But I'm
going to
speculate anyway
because it
might be helpful
for us.
maybe it
was his
personality.
Maybe he
was what
some
personality
tests call
a sensing
person.
Myers-Briggs
personality
tests weren't
around in the
first century as
far as I'm
aware.
But sensing
people are
people who
pay more
attention to
physical reality,
to facts,
to hard
evidence.
And I'm
one of those
sensing people.
The opposite
is an
intuitive
person who
goes on
perceptions and
gut instincts
and that kind
of stuff.
Another
alternative is
that he was
skeptical of
everything
supernatural or
anything
supernatural.
Dead people
don't come
alive and
that's it.
It's probably
unlikely for
Thomas, but
it's common in
our modern
world.
Modern secular
people have
a worldview
which is not
a pervasive
worldview, I
might add,
across this
world.
that says
miracles don't
happen.
Now, it
might not be
his problem,
but when we
look at
Thomas in
John 20, we
project our
worldview onto
him, is what
we do.
We read
Thomas and we
go, ah, he's
got some
intellectual
problems with
the resurrection.
resurrection.
You know,
Thomas's
problem with
the resurrection
of Jesus is
an intellectual
one.
It's about
facts.
But
skepticism is
never just an
intellectual issue.
Imagine, for
instance, that
someone very
close to you is
dying.
Some of us
might not have to
imagine too hard
on that one.
you've finally
accepted that the
hope of a recovery
for your loved
one is gone,
it's lost, and
your loved one is
going to die.
And in fact, I've
got someone who
was in my year at
college going
through that right
now with his
family.
Then all of a
sudden, someone
says to you as
your loved one is
there, clearly
dying, terminal
illness, someone
says to you,
I've just heard
there's a
possible cure.
It's on the
other side of
the world.
Possible cure in
this clinic.
And you had
once upon a
time hoped for
recovery.
And then you
went through the
process of your
hopes being
dashed and you
realized that your
loved one is going
to die.
And all of a
sudden, someone
comes in with
this 50-50
chance that it
might not be
over.
Most people in
that moment,
don't go
awesome and
all of a sudden
their hopes go
skyrocketing
again.
Most people
don't do
that.
Most people
in that moment
cannot bear to
get their hopes
up again only to
have their hopes
dashed again.
They can't bear to
get their hopes
up and then to
lose the person
again.
Maybe that's
what's happening
here for
Thomas.
There's no
indication in
the Bible
anywhere that
Thomas was a
perpetual doubter
on all things.
There's no
indication that he
didn't love Jesus
like any of the
other disciples
loved him.
No reason to
believe that he
wasn't as
devastated as
everyone else
about the
execution of
Jesus.
And now
these guys
come along
and they say,
hey Thomas,
great news,
he's alive.
Maybe he's
simply saying
here,
don't you
dare get my
hopes up.
Don't you
dare get my
hopes up.
Thomas is a
disciple who
had all his
hopes pinned
on Jesus.
and then
Jesus dies.
And now
he's hearing
he's alive?
You're
kidding.
Don't do
that to me.
Maybe he's
afraid to
hope.
In the same
way that
many people
today are
afraid to
hope.
It may be
that your
worldview says
this can't
happen.
It may be
your personality
that says,
I need more
evidence.
It might,
on the other
hand,
be a heart
that is
afraid to
be drawn
into something
and getting
disappointed.
I suspect
that's what's
going on for
Thomas.
And I'll
tell you why
in a moment.
What we need
to see is
Thomas,
the first and
most famous
of doubters,
in the end
believed with
joy.
He's the
biggest doubter
and yet his
confession
of faith
is also
the greatest.
I want to
emphasize that
point.
There is no
greater confession
of faith in
the entire
Bible than
this one.
Verse 26.
A week later,
his disciples
were in the
house again
and Thomas
was with
them.
Though the
doors were
locked,
Jesus came
and stood
among them
and said,
peace be
with you.
And then
he said to
Thomas,
put your
finger here,
see my
hands,
reach out
your hand
and put it
in my
side,
stop
doubting
and believe.
And then
Thomas said
to him,
my Lord
and my
God.
That's a
remarkable
statement.
for a
Jewish man
to call
another
human
being,
not just
Lord,
but God
is culturally
incomprehensible.
His religion
did not
allow it.
There is
no higher
confession
of faith
in all
of the
Bible.
Thomas
goes from
zero to
hero,
super
quick.
Super
quick.
So that
brings me
to the
so what
question.
Of course
for some
their doubts
is not a
matter of
having
significant
evidence,
it's a
matter of
the claims
that Jesus
has made
about himself
and his
mission and
this is the
so what
question.
That is,
it's not
just about
intellectual
stuff,
it's about
the heart
and the
will.
That's a
comfortable
place of
happy
ignorance
for
many.
Thomas'
declaration
of faith
in verse
28
addresses the
so what
question.
This is
broadly the
meaning of
the resurrection.
My
Lord
and my
God.
So
Thomas
apparently
doubts the
resurrection
and the
first words
that come
out of his
mouth in
seeing Jesus
is not
about the
resurrection
but what
the
resurrection
meant.
My
Lord and
my God.
You see,
the whole
issue
Thomas had
was I
want to
see Jesus
for myself
and I
won't
believe
unless I
touch the
wounds.
Jesus
shows up
to Thomas
touching the
wounds.
At all.
That is,
the wounds
on Jesus
were so
much more
than evidence
that someone
can come
back to
life.
They were
evidence of
something
significantly
more powerful
and that
is the
hope that
Thomas had
placed in
Jesus in
the first
place.
What he's
saying here
in this
moment is
that everything
that Jesus
said about
himself is
true.
He is
God.
He is
the king
of the
universe.
He is
my Lord.
He is
my king.
He is
my boss.
He is
my ruler.
He is
my God.
He is
my creator.
The
resurrection
means that
what Jesus
promised must
have been
delivered.
Thomas has
just joyfully
discovered that
the wounds of
the cross of
Jesus that
he thought
two days
earlier had
ruined his
life had
in fact saved
his life.
That's the
answer to
the so what
question.
The resurrection
means everything
Jesus said
about himself
is right and
true.
He is the
way.
He is the
truth.
He is the
life.
He is the
way for
humanity to
be reunited
with their
creator.
Jesus did
everything
possible,
everything
possible for
us not to
conclude what
Benjamin Law
concluded.
He's a
decent
fellow.
God.
How dare we
say he's a
decent bloke?
How dare we
say Jesus is
to be
admired?
He
polarized
people when
he walked the
face of the
earth between
those who
worshipped him
and those who
hated him and
desired his
crucifixion.
how dare we
domesticate him
into a nice
bloke to be
admired a
couple of
times a
year.
He worked
hard to make
sure we never
come to the
conclusion that
he's a good
bloke.
To leave him
there as just
a bloke to be
admired means
that we have not
seen him for
who he is and
we need to
actually look
harder at who
he is.
The
resurrection
means he
is who he
says he is.
He is our
God and he
is our
Lord.
But it
also graciously
means that
human guilt and
shame has been
dealt with
finally and
fully through
Jesus satisfying
God's justice on
the cross on our
behalf.
It means that
death has been
confronted by
him and has
been conquered
by him.
It means that
new and true
life can be
experienced before
death and
eternal life
after death.
It means that
hope for better
things has gone
from the category
of a maybe to
an absolute
certainty, a
definitive
certainty.
It means that
the new heavens
and a new
earth where
those who
trust in Christ
will live
forever like
he lives forever
is coming.
This is what
Jesus offers
everyone who
trusts him.
A number of
chapters earlier
in John's
gospel.
The good
news, Jesus
talks about
the good
news and
he declares
the life
changing news
of Easter
when he
says, I
am the
resurrection
and the
life and
the one
who believes
in me will
live even
though they
die and
whoever lives
by believing
in me will
never die.
He says, do
you believe
this?
the
resurrection
means that
Jesus is not
just one
option.
Something
incredible,
unique and
life changing
and worldview
shaping has
happened with
the resurrection
of Jesus.
And that
is what
Thomas has
discovered.
So how
do we
move from
doubt to
belief?
A number
of years
ago, I
was in
Canada, an
airport moving
from Canada to
the US and
you go to
customs and
the guy at
customs said,
you know,
where are you
going?
I'm going
home.
He says,
what do you,
you know,
they ask you
the questions,
what do you
do?
What's your
nature, your
business,
that sort of
stuff?
And he
said, so
what do you
do?
And I
said, well,
I'm pastor
of a
church.
All right,
you're one
of those
God-botherer
guys.
Yes, you
know, let's
not elevate
the situation
too much.
And he
said to
me, okay
then, if
that's the
case, what
would you
say to a
person who
says to
you, show
me God
and I'll
believe in
him?
I'm like,
is this a
pass the
test category?
Like, what's
going on
here?
You know,
is he
actually
seriously
asking the
question for
himself or
for a
friend?
Or is
this like
the guy
was actually
secretly a
theologian?
He's trying
to call me
out here.
And I
thought, okay,
let's have a
crack at this.
And I
said to him,
well, it's
interesting you
could ask that
question.
Jesus said,
Jesus said, you
see me and
you see the
Father, you
see God.
And what
Jesus did is
he revealed the
character and
the nature of
God for three
years on the
earth.
He did
countless
miracles.
He raised
the dead.
He healed
people.
He showed
his power
over nature.
Plenty of
people saw
him do that.
And I
said, plenty
of people
saw him do
this most
amazing
miracle where
he called
Lazarus, a
guy being dead
in the tomb
for four days,
called him
out of a
tomb and
they saw
him walk
out of the
tomb at
the command
of Jesus.
He had
power over
life and
death.
And yet in
that moment
when people
saw Jesus
do that,
half of the
crowd went,
well, that's
amazing, let's
worship him.
And half the
crowd said,
let's call him.
He's messing
things up for
us.
So I said
to him, the
reality is, even
if God was to
present himself
to you right
now, seeing
doesn't equal
believing.
Got to know
that from a
start.
John chapter
20, Jesus
himself says,
blessed are
those who
don't physically
see me and
yet believe.
And so there
is sufficient
evidence that's
been written
down by those
who did see
Jesus and
come to
believe in
him.
But in the
end, you
can look at
that evidence
and discard it.
It's a matter
of the will.
And I said, I
could be God
right here, right
now in front of
you and just
happen to have
a passport.
And I
could say to
you, I
am God and
I could do
all of the
miracles of
Jesus.
But frankly, you
if you don't
want to believe
are going to
keep changing
the goalposts.
It's going to
be perform that
miracle.
Okay.
And eventually
I'm going to
be at your
beck and
calling and
the God that
you have in
your mind is
someone that
you've formed.
So believing
in Jesus is not
just a matter of
seeing him.
It's a matter of
the will and
surrendering your
heart to him.
That's roughly
what I'd say.
And the
guy just
stamped my
passport and
let me go.
Seeing is not
necessarily
believing.
As I said,
many people saw
the miracles of
Jesus and yet
they didn't
believe.
there are way
deeper dimensions
to believing
than just
seeing.
How then do
we move from
doubt to
belief?
Firstly, two
points I want to
make on this.
Firstly, it's
important to
listen to the
eyewitness
accounts.
That's the
first step.
We are told
that Thomas
was there when
Jesus first
appeared to the
disciples.
One week
later, Jesus
shows up again
with Thomas
present.
During the
week in
between, we
are told in
verse 25,
that the
other disciples
kept telling
Thomas that
they'd seen
Jesus risen.
In fact, the
original language
is really clear.
It kept
telling him,
telling him that
Jesus has
risen.
And so
during that
week, before
Jesus appeared
to Thomas,
Thomas is in
exactly the
same spot that
you and I are
in.
Like him, we
have access to
people who saw
Jesus raised
from the dead.
In fact, they
are the exact
same people that
Thomas had
access to.
Their eyewitness
accounts are
written down in
the New Testament
and especially
the Gospels, one
of which we're
looking at here
tonight in
John's Gospel.
A number of
years ago,
several decades
ago, it was a
common accusation
that the Gospel
accounts of
Jesus are
fables that
are written
down long
after the
events, way,
way after the
events, and
therefore they're
not trustworthy.
The reality
is that
there is
enormous amount
of scholarship,
both Christian
and secular,
that actually
argues that
the Gospels
in the New
Testament do
not have any
marks of
fiction in them
at all.
They have the
marks of oral
history and
eyewitness
testimony.
When these
events were
written down,
nearly all of
the eyewitnesses
were still alive
and could vouch
for them.
That is
essential piece
of information
as we read
in 1
Corinthians 15.
I could come
up with a
fable right now,
I could write it
down, send it
off the City
Morning Herald
and tell
everyone, I
just saw
last night
a UFO
land in
Chatswood,
believe me.
Angels came
down and I
could start
that going.
Anyone who
was in
Chatswood at
the time
could say,
well, that's
a load of
rubbish.
That didn't
happen, that's
a fable, that's
not true.
It was
absolutely
essential that
there was
lots of
people that
you could
go to in
the first
century when
these guys
wrote their
accounts and
no one was
coming back at
them saying,
well, that
didn't happen.
Jesus didn't
exist.
The sort of
fables that
modern secular
people come up
with.
He wasn't
crucified.
John, who
wrote this
biography, was
one of the
eyewitnesses and
this is what he
says about how
we come to see
and believe in
verse 30.
Jesus did
many other
miraculous signs
in the presence
of his disciples
which are not
recorded in
this book, but
these are
written, that
is the ones he
has written,
that you might
believe that
Jesus is the
Christ, the
Son of God, and
that by believing
you may have
life in his
name.
What he is
saying is that
what he has
written in
this biography
of Jesus'
life, his
ministry, his
death and his
resurrection, is
by an eyewitness
and that's
all you need
to believe.
And frankly, it
makes pure
sense because
it's how we
operate in
every area the
rest of our
life.
What I mean is
this, how many
of the things
that you believe
happened in
history did you
actually see?
How many of
the things that
you believe
happened in
history did
you actually
see?
We actually
believe eyewitness
testimony that's
been written down
by historically
reliable authors.
And so why do
we not do it
when it comes to
the person of
Jesus?
Because it's
not a historical
fact.
It's got to do
with his claims.
It's got to do
with who he
is and his
demands in our
life.
We don't need
to know anything
more than what
John's written in
this gospel or
any of the other
biographies to see
and to believe.
It's a matter of
the will.
So can I
encourage you to
give one a read?
Get yourself
immersed in it.
If you've not
done that, read
them as eyewitness
accounts and
think.
Think.
Grab one.
You know,
there's Bibles at
the entrances.
You know, we
won't even call it
stealing.
We'll just
take one home.
We'll call it a
gift.
Just take one.
In fact, we've
even got some
Chinese versions
here as well
floating around.
Just take them
and read them.
The second thing
to do, to move
from doubt to
belief, is to
drop your
conditions.
Every single
one of us
moves towards
Jesus with a
set of conditions.
No one ever
goes to Jesus
because he's
great and he's
God and he's
Lord for his own
sake.
We always
move towards
him because
we want
something which
means we have
conditions.
I've known
of people who
have refused
to become
Christian because
it would mean
that they would
need to repair
a relationship or
to change a
habit.
You know,
like people,
Steve, you mean
Jesus offers me
eternal life but
if I want to take
up eternal life,
you mean I've got
to forgive my
mother-in-law?
Deal off.
That ain't gonna
happen.
And that's all
of us.
It's like he
offers us
eternal life,
sounds fantastic
but I don't
really want him
to disrupt my
family.
I really don't
want him to
interfere with my
career.
don't want him
to start
dominating my
weekend,
eternal life
or the
beach.
We need to
drop our
conditions because
they say,
Jesus, you
might be Lord,
you might be
God but I'll
only come to
you if.
And yet
Jesus didn't do
that for us.
He loved us
unconditionally.
If you were
here on
Friday,
you would have
heard it
declared that
his death was
no accident
of history.
Jesus died
and rose to
redeem us and
to reclaim us
to God.
It was all
God's plan.
The Bible
says that
while we were
still his
enemies,
Jesus chose
to die for
us.
He sees
all of our
flaws.
He sees
all of our
failures.
He knows
the evil
which lies
in the
depths of
our
heart that
virtually no
one else
knows.
And yet
he still
loves us
unconditionally.
So can I
just say
God has
brought you
here this
Easter Sunday
afternoon
for this
message,
for this
bit of the
Bible,
for this
story of
the
resurrection,
for this
eyewitness
account,
so that you
might see
Jesus and
believe in
Jesus as
Thomas did,
and that you
might have
life in
Jesus that
triumphs over
death.
So drop
your conditions
emiys and
believe in
him.
...