As we begin, let me just remind you, as I did on Friday night, that the four biblical
gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are not merely biographies of Jesus.
They do provide biographical sketches of the life of Jesus that are helpful to us, but
that's really not their main purpose or intention.
They are also historical documents.
They are reliable, credible historical documents, even by the estimation of those who do not
believe the message of the gospels, they are regarded as historically accurate and factual.
But these books are not primarily history.
These books are very evangelistic in their nature.
John's purpose in writing this was not just to give you a sketch of who Jesus was, nor
was it just to merely record the historical events of his life.
It was to present certain facts about the person and the work of Christ so that he might persuade
the reader that Jesus is indeed the Messiah and the Son of God.
And everything in these four books pushes forward to the most significant proofs of Jesus' identity
and purpose, which is his death on the cross and his subsequent resurrection from the dead
three days later.
And as we come to this particular study today and as we think about the resurrection throughout
the day, it becomes immediately apparent to us that the resurrection of Jesus is crucial
to the Christian gospel.
I mean, it's absolutely crucial.
And we could point to many different ways.
Let me give you just a few, just to remind you of how crucial this is to our faith as a whole.
First, the resurrection verifies Jesus' divine identity.
Jesus came saying, I am the Father and one.
People were claiming that perhaps this man is a deified figure.
Maybe this man is God.
Jesus is making those claims himself.
And the Bible repeatedly asserts this deity, this divinity of Christ, and his resurrection
is the ultimate validation of those claims.
Without the resurrection of Christ, we cannot say that Jesus is divine.
We see this in Acts chapter 2, Peter's first sermon after the resurrection.
In verse 24, he says, God raised him up, speaking of Jesus, God raised him up, loosing the pangs
of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
It wasn't possible for him to remain dead.
Why was it not possible for him to remain dead?
Well, partly because he's not just a man.
He is also truly God.
He could not be held by death.
Therefore, the resurrection of Christ verifies the claims of Jesus that he is divine.
Hebrews chapter 1 echoes this.
Many places do, but maybe I'll show you Hebrews 1.3.
He is the radiance of the glory of God.
He is the exact imprint of God's nature.
And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
And here's part and parcel of what goes along with this thought of Jesus's divinity.
That after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Jesus's work as Messiah gives credibility and validity to his claims
as being the son of God.
So the resurrection is crucial to that.
If Jesus doesn't raise from the dead, we have no reason to believe that Jesus is anything other than a good man,
which is what many people claim.
The resurrection changes that, though.
Secondly, the resurrection shows that God the Father accepted Jesus's sacrifice for our sins on the cross.
It was a sinless sacrifice that was necessary.
We see that pictured in the Old Testament sacrifices when they would bring the lambs and the goats and the bulls.
They had to be without blemish and without spot.
Why?
Because God is holy and he demands perfection for one.
But they were pointing forward to a greater sacrifice, the sacrifice of Christ,
which meant that in order for our salvation to be won and for sins to be forgiven,
his sacrifice must be won that is without spot and without blemish.
It would take a sinless man to die for the sins of men.
And if Jesus had not risen from the dead, it would mean that Jesus himself was a sinner,
that his death paid for his own sins.
But Jesus had no sins for which he had to pay.
Therefore, his death was an atonement for our sins.
And the resurrection is what proves this to us.
It's echoed for us in Romans chapter 4.
Therefore, righteousness will be counted to us who believe in him,
who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
who was delivered up for our trespasses.
And then this last phrase is so important.
He was raised for our justification.
Our justification and righteousness before God hinges on Jesus' resurrection from the dead.
Because if Jesus had not risen, then he was a sinner.
And there was no way that his atonement would be sufficient for us.
But the Father raises him from the dead,
saying and declaring,
I have received this sacrifice.
It has appeased my wrath for sinners.
Thirdly, the resurrection proves Christ's power over life and death.
Jesus claims over and over in the Gospels
to have the power to give us eternal life.
Those claims would be absolutely meaningless
if he himself was powerless against death.
We think of very simply, John 3.16,
God so loved the world that he gave his only son
that whoever believes in him should not perish,
should not die, but have eternal life.
That's a promise given to those of us who believe specifically
in the person and the work of Christ.
Jesus said himself,
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Well, those claims mean nothing
if Jesus himself does not have power over death.
If he does not have power of life and over death,
then he is a liar.
He's a lunatic, as C.S. Lewis said.
He's either a liar or he's a lunatic or he's the Lord.
And if Jesus doesn't raise from the dead,
he cannot be a good man.
He cannot be a moral teacher.
He cannot be a good example.
He can only be a liar and a wild man.
The resurrection is crucial.
Fourthly, without the resurrection,
the Christian faith would be in vain
and we would remain lost in our sins.
Paul tells us this explicitly in 1 Corinthians 15.
If Christ had not been raised,
your faith is futile.
You are still in your sins.
Those who have fallen asleep
or those who have died believing Christ
have also perished.
If in Christ we have hope in this life only,
we are of all people most to be pitied.
The resurrection is absolutely crucial
to the Christian gospel.
If you remove the resurrection of Jesus,
you effectively dismantle the entire Christian faith.
It's completely destroyed.
There's nothing left.
Everything Christians believe
ultimately hinges upon the reality
that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead.
Even our conviction that the Bible
is the inerrant word of God
hinges first on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
So it's no surprise then
that skeptics through the centuries
have taken the Christian message
and they have targeted the credibility
specifically of Jesus' resurrection.
Because if you can discredit it,
you can completely dismantle Christianity.
And if you can dismantle Christianity,
you can discredit the word of God.
And if you can discredit the word of God,
then you can say,
I am my own God.
I choose my own way.
There is no one for which I am accountable to.
So they target the resurrection.
They have to.
Because if the resurrection is not true,
then all of this is a waste.
All sorts of theories have been developed
through the centuries
in attempts to rationalize
the resurrection of Christ away.
We could go into all of those things.
We won't do it now for sake of time.
But all kinds of things have been presented.
Still, none of those theories
are ultimately compelling.
They're just not.
There is just too much evidence
that they have to overcome
showing that natural reason
does not ultimately have the final word.
It's not ultimately,
does it make sense to our human minds
that something like this would happen?
It just doesn't work.
There's too much evidence to the contrary
that these theories have to overcome.
And not a single theory
going against the resurrection of Christ
has come even close
to being compelling
to dismiss all of the evidence
that's available to us.
But our text
presents for us this morning
a different kind of skeptic.
What we're dealing with here in John 20
is not the skeptic
that we've just thought about.
The skeptic who is trying
to do away with Christianity
and trying to disprove it
that is utterly hardened
and rebellious
toward everything that Christ is
and everything that Christ has done.
That's not the kind of skeptic
that we find here.
Thomas wasn't trying to outright deny
or disprove the resurrection
in the way that,
for example,
the Jewish leaders were in Matthew 28
who upon hearing of Christ's resurrection
literally made up a lie
and told the Roman soldiers,
said just tell them
that the disciples came
and stole the body away
or whatever.
He's been stolen.
Even they, in that moment,
they're trying to do something
completely different.
That's not what Thomas is doing here.
Thomas, like all of the disciples,
would have been devastated
by the surrounding events
of Jesus' crucifixion.
He wanted the resurrection to be true.
He's not trying to deny it
or disprove it outrightly
in an antagonism against Christ.
And yet, he still struggled
with an unbelieving heart.
We might call Thomas
a Christian skeptic.
Friendly toward Jesus,
identifying in some sense
with the Christian community,
but still remaining lost
in unbelief.
I think there's many Thomases
that fill churches
every single Sunday.
They're friendly toward Jesus.
In some sense,
they identify with the Christian community,
but ultimately,
they are lost in unbelief.
And there may be a few here this morning
that fit that description quite well.
The resurrection demands something of us
that most people are unwilling to supply.
Total faith.
That's what it demands.
And the issue of belief
is at the very heart of this passage.
And my goal this morning
is to allow the text of Scripture
to call you to the same belief
that the risen Christ
called Thomas to possess here.
The three things I want to point out to you
as we work our way through the narrative.
First, I want you to see
an unbelieving heart.
An unbelieving heart.
Verse 24.
Now Thomas was one of the twelve
called the twin.
He was not with them when Jesus came.
So the disciples told him,
we have seen the Lord.
But he said to them,
unless I see in his hands
the mark of the nails,
place my finger into the mark of the nails
and place my hand into his side,
I will never believe.
That's a strong statement.
I will never believe
unless my conditions are met,
Thomas says.
Let's think for just a minute
about this man Thomas in the Bible.
There's not a lot that the Gospels tell us
outside of the general list
that are given of the disciples.
And one other occasion in John chapter 21,
we see that Thomas is just with Peter
and some of the others as they're fishing.
And Galilee.
Other than that,
there's only two places
in the Gospels
where we find any kind of detail
at all about Thomas.
Both of them are found
in John's Gospel.
And I just want to look at them quickly
to give maybe a little bit
of a character sketch of this man.
In fact, just turn with me first
to John chapter 11.
You're already in chapter 20.
Just turn a couple of pages back
to John chapter 11.
You remember the disciples
had been around the area of Jerusalem
and it had become very clear
that the Jews were trying to arrest
and murder Jesus.
They left the vicinity of Jerusalem
and they were serving.
Jesus was teaching
and was doing things in another place.
Well, while they were away,
Lazarus, Jesus' friend,
brother of Martha and Mary,
died.
Word was sent to Jesus
that he was near death
and that he had died.
And then Jesus decided
to remain in that area
for a couple of days.
And then he tells the disciples
in verse 7
that he wants to go back to Bethany,
which is just outside of Jerusalem.
And the response of the disciples
in verse 8
is, are you crazy?
Essentially.
They're trying to kill us there.
Why would we go back?
And Jesus goes through
and he explains exactly
what's happening
and why he's going to go back.
And then it's during this discussion
about going back toward Jerusalem
that John records
a brief statement from Thomas.
It's in verse 16.
So Thomas, called the twin,
said to his fellow disciples,
let us also go
that we may die with him.
Let us also go
that we may die with him.
Now let me tell you
what this isn't.
This is not an exhilarating
battle cry from Thomas.
You know, there are those,
you know, there are those crazy people
who just love war.
Like they're just,
they get themselves
all worked up over it
and they're ready to go.
That is not Thomas.
That's not any of these disciples
except perhaps Simon the Zealot.
Peter shows some aggression
in a couple of instances.
That's not what Thomas
is saying here.
He's not trying to
muster up some kind of courage.
This is a combination of Thomas
and his tendency to battle
with faith and doubt
all at the same time.
Spurgeon says this about this text.
It's a singular mixture
of faith and unbelief.
Thomas so believes his master
that he's willing to die with him.
He so doubts his master
that although the Savior
had plainly told him
that he was immortal
till his work was done,
Thomas is afraid
that his master
and all of them
will be put to death.
Thomas loves Jesus.
He wants to be with Jesus.
He maybe will even
commit to dying with Jesus
as a friend
but he does not fully
believe Jesus' words.
He says,
well, we might as well
go with him
and all die
in the process of it.
It tells us a little bit
about this man,
doesn't it?
This mixture of faith and doubt.
The next one is in
John chapter 14.
Just flip there quickly.
John chapter 14.
This is
the night of Jesus' arrest.
This is in the upper room
at the Last Supper.
John records part
of Jesus' final words
to the disciples
on the night of his arrest here
and he was preparing them
for his approaching death.
He was comforting them
with the promise of heaven
for all who believe in him.
And I want you to notice
in verse 4.
Jesus says,
I'm leaving
and he says,
and you know the way
to where I am going.
Where is it that Jesus is going?
He's going to the Father.
It's a picture of heaven
but he's going to the Father.
That's the point
of the statement
that he's making.
And he tells the disciples,
you know the way there.
You know the way to God.
And look what Thomas says.
Lord,
we don't know
where you're going.
How can we know the way?
And that produces
this amazing statement
from Jesus.
I am the way
and the truth
and the life.
No one comes to the Father
except by me.
Now I want you to notice
the emphasis
of Thomas' statement.
He does not ask
how they are to know the way.
That's not what he's asking.
As if he needs to gain
some type of information
to be more pliable
to the things
that Jesus is saying.
That's not what he's saying.
Giving what he thought
to be a mystery
in Jesus' words.
He asked how they
could possibly know.
Lord,
we don't know
where you're going.
How could we possibly
know the way?
This is another moment
of skepticism
and pessimism.
There's a sense
even in which
Thomas was pushing
against Jesus'
assertion
that they knew
the way to God.
He says,
how could we possibly know?
And this helps us
understand a little bit
Thomas' tendency
toward pessimism
and skepticism.
So when the other disciples
declared to him
back in John chapter 20
that they had seen
the risen Lord,
it's not entirely surprising
that Thomas,
having been absent
on that occasion,
faced another troubling
battle of unbelief.
It's his continual struggle,
it seems.
And the issue for Thomas
and for us
is not a lack
of evidence.
The issue for Thomas
is a stubborn,
unbelieving heart.
Now I want you to consider
for just a moment
the credibility
of the evidence
that Thomas had
in John chapter 20.
First,
the scriptures
had foretold
that Jesus would rise
from the dead.
All of the ultimate,
the Old Testament
pointed to the death
and resurrection
of the Messiah.
Think about Isaiah.
53 first
in verse 10.
When his soul
has made
an offering for guilt,
he shall see
his offspring.
He will see
his offspring
after he's been
put to death,
meaning that
he will not
remain dead.
There will be life
after this death.
He shall
prolong his days.
The will of the Lord
shall prosper
in his hand.
That's beyond
becoming
a guilt offering
for the sins of man.
How about
Psalm 16?
This is what
Peter quoted
in Acts chapter 2.
He looked at
David's words
and he said,
for you will not
abandon my soul
to Sheol
or to death
or let your
holy one
see corruption.
Peter is saying
David wasn't
talking about himself
and the reason
we know he wasn't
talking about himself
is because his tomb
is right over there
and if you go
open it up,
you'll see
David's bones
are still there.
He's still dead.
He wasn't
talking about David.
He was talking
about Jesus.
Now,
why would you think
that Peter
would go to Psalm 16
and use that
as a proof
for the resurrection
of Christ?
Because as we just read
in Luke 24,
Jesus himself
sat down with Peter
and with all
the other disciples
and opened their minds
to understand
all that the Scripture
said concerning him
and no doubt
in that setting,
Jesus had opened up
to Psalm 16
and said,
look,
David's still dead,
men.
This is about me.
Matthew 12,
Jesus himself says
that Jonah
was a sign
for the resurrection.
But he answered them,
an evil and adulterous
generation
seeks for a sign,
but no sign
will be given to it
except the sign
of the prophet Jonah.
For just as Jonah
was three days
and three nights
in the belly
of the great fish,
so will the Son of Man
be three days
and three nights
in the heart
of the earth.
The Old Testament
had prophesied this
and had pointed
towards this moment.
That was evidence
that Thomas had.
Secondly,
Jesus plainly
told his disciples
this was going
to happen.
Mark chapter 10,
Jesus says,
see,
we are going up
to Jerusalem
and the Son of Man
will be delivered
over to the chief priest
and the scribes.
They will condemn him
to death,
deliver him
to the Gentiles,
they'll mock him
and spit on him
and flog him
and kill him
and after three days
he will rise.
That's the third time
Mark records
Jesus telling Thomas,
I'm going to die
and then I'm going to rise.
The evidence
was there for him.
Third,
look at the credible witnesses
that declared
this news to him.
These were not people
just off the street.
These were not people
Thomas didn't trust.
These were Thomas'
closest friends.
People he trusted thoroughly
and they came to him
and they said,
we've seen the Lord
and he says,
I don't believe it.
I won't believe it,
he says.
The issue is not
the evidence.
The evidence was there
for him.
The issue is a stubborn,
unbelieving heart.
1 Corinthians 15 again,
Paul helps us here,
doesn't he?
Jesus appeared to Cephas,
that's Peter.
He appeared to the twelve.
He appeared to more than
500 brothers at one time,
most of whom are still alive.
In other words,
Paul says,
go to the people
that saw him
and ask,
they will verify
what they saw.
He appeared to James,
he appeared to the apostles,
last of all,
he appeared also to me.
The issue wasn't
lack of evidence,
the issue was
an unbelieving heart
refusing to trust
the evidence
that was provided.
Thomas tried to set
his own terms for faith,
declaring,
I will never believe
until my conditions
are met.
And maybe you're
in a similar situation
to that this morning.
The issue isn't evidence.
The issue is
you just don't want
to believe.
And unless God
meets your demands,
whatever they may be,
you refuse
because of the hardness
of your heart.
You may say,
unless Jesus appears
to me himself,
I'm not going to believe it.
Unless I finally get
a satisfying answer
for the problem
of evil in the world,
I'm just not going
to believe.
Unless people start
being nicer to me,
I'm not going to believe.
Unless all of this stuff
works out,
the things I've been praying
for,
all of these prayers
that I've been asking
that have gone unanswered,
unless they are answered,
I will not believe.
And you try to set
your own terms for faith.
It doesn't work.
More than enough
credible evidence
has been provided.
You've decided
to set your own,
maybe even intentionally
impossible,
terms for faith.
And perhaps you do think,
if Jesus were just
to appear to me,
if he would just
make it easy
and just come
and just kind of
do in this room
this morning
what he did
for those disciples
in whatever room
it was that they were
in on that day,
then finally I would believe.
But no, you wouldn't.
Because the problem
isn't evidence.
The problem is your heart.
You have a hard heart.
Stubborn, unbelieving heart.
And here's why I know it.
Because Jesus himself said it.
In Luke chapter 16,
telling the parable
of the rich man and Lazarus.
He gets to the end
and remember,
the rich man is crying out
to Abraham and he says,
if you will just send
somebody from heaven
to go to my brothers
who are still living,
somebody from the dead,
then they'll repent
and believe.
And Abraham says,
no they won't.
They have Moses
and the prophets.
They have the scriptures.
And if they will not receive
the testimony
of the scriptures,
even if somebody
raises from the dead,
they will not believe.
And you sit here
and you think,
if Jesus would just appear,
I would finally believe.
No, you wouldn't.
Because the issue
is not the evidence.
The issue for you
is your heart.
And if he were to appear,
you'd find some kind of way,
unless he touches your heart,
you'd find some kind of way
to dismiss it.
Well, I must need
to take my medicine today.
Well, I must be
hallucinating again today.
That can't possibly
be what it is.
Pastor Jared's pulling
one of those
faith healer tricks on me.
No, it's not the evidence.
It's your heart.
So we see an unbelieving heart.
Secondly,
we see encountering
the risen Lord.
Encountering the risen Lord.
Verse 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.
And he said to Thomas,
put your finger here.
See my hands.
Put out your hand.
Place it in my side.
Do not disbelieve,
but believe.
And here's what I love about this.
It's another glowing example
of God's patience
and grace towards us.
Despite his doubt,
Jesus graciously,
mind you,
very graciously,
confronts Thomas,
meeting him
at his weakest moment.
He comes to where he is.
And there's three simple things
that I want to point out
to you about this.
The first thing is this.
Jesus came to Thomas.
There's so many people
that think for Jesus
to be willing to save them,
that they have to make themselves
savable first.
They burden themselves
with all of this religious practice
and the pursuits
of self-righteousness,
hoping that it will be enough
for God to grant them salvation.
salvation.
And if that's you this morning,
you've totally missed the point.
You've totally missed everything
that's happening here
in the Scriptures.
The Scriptures teach us
that salvation comes
by God's grace alone.
And Thomas' encounter
is just one of many illustrations
of this in the Bible.
Jesus didn't wait for Thomas
to get his act together
before he was willing
to appear.
No.
He graciously pursued Thomas
in his sin
and doubt.
Jesus came to him
graciously,
mercifully,
lovingly,
appears to Thomas
in this moment.
It reminded me,
thinking of this this week,
some of you may remember
this song.
It was an old
Squire Parsons song.
I remember my dad singing
when I was growing up.
He came to me.
Do you know that song?
He came to me.
When I could not come
to where he was,
he came to me.
That's exactly
the point of the Bible.
We could never come
to where he is.
You will never be good enough
for what God's law demands.
So God graciously comes to us
in the person of Jesus Christ.
And we see it all over again
right here with Thomas.
Jesus coming to him.
Secondly,
Jesus announced his peace.
He announced his peace.
Shalom is the common greeting
of peace among Jews.
But the peace that Jesus announced
was more than a simple greeting.
In spite of his refusal
to believe the reports,
Jesus did not appear
to Thomas in anger.
He appeared to him
with a comforting peace.
And this peace that he announces
to Thomas and the others
was the peace with God
that he had just won for them
on the cross.
In other words,
when Jesus appears to Thomas
and he says,
peace be with you,
he is announcing
that he was God's messenger
of peace
for the very sin of unbelief
that Thomas was living in
at that moment.
I have brought peace to you,
Thomas.
To be sure,
judgment,
God's wrath
awaits all unbelievers
at the end of this life.
But right now,
it is not a message of judgment
that Jesus comes and brings.
Right now,
it's a message of peace,
his peace,
won through the cross.
And it's one
that he brings to you today.
We see this all over
the New Testament.
Romans 5,
therefore being justified
by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord,
Jesus Christ.
So Jesus comes to Thomas.
When he comes to Thomas,
he doesn't say condemned.
When he comes to Thomas,
he says peace.
And then notice thirdly,
Jesus calls him to faith.
He calls him to faith.
Do not disbelieve, Thomas.
But believe.
Now I love that
Jesus hasn't appeared
to the disciples
since that night
a week before.
At least it doesn't appear
that way in the scriptures.
Thomas has not yet seen Jesus.
Jesus wasn't there physically.
Wasn't there physically
when Thomas tells the disciples,
unless I put my fingers
in his wounds,
I will not believe.
But notice that the first thing
Jesus says after he announces
his peace is he says,
Thomas, put your finger here.
Put your finger here.
Faith is necessary.
But God does not bring us,
he does not demand of us
a blind faith.
He gives us verifiable
evidence for that faith.
And he reaches out his hand
and he says,
put your finger here.
Put your finger here.
Put your hand here.
See me.
Touch me, Thomas.
Don't disbelieve.
Believe.
And after showing Thomas
his wounds,
he calls him
to stop doubting,
to believe.
You see,
the only way
to receive the peace
won by Christ
on the cross
is by believing
in who he is
and what he has done.
And genuine faith
does not preclude
sincere investigation.
But true faith
is ultimately
at the heart
of the gospel message.
And saving faith
is more than just
assenting
to historical facts.
It is to turn from sin
and to turn from self
and to turn from doubt
to trust wholly
in the person of Christ
alone
for eternal life.
And it is to this kind of faith
that Jesus calls Thomas.
And it's to this kind of faith
that he calls
each and every one of us
stop disbelieving
and believe.
Remember John 11, 25?
This is again
in the whole scene
with raising Lazarus
from the dead.
But before he does it,
he's talking to Lazarus' sister.
And he tells her,
I am the resurrection
and the life.
Whoever believes in me,
though he die,
yet shall he live.
And everyone who lives
and believes in me
shall never die.
And then notice
what he says to her.
Do you believe this?
Will you believe?
And Jesus does that
with Thomas.
He says,
look at my hands
and look at my sight.
See me.
Listen to me.
Hear me.
Will you believe?
And it's unfortunate
that Thomas has gained
this popular nickname,
Doubting Thomas.
I say it's unfortunate
because not one
of Jesus' followers
immediately believed
the news of his resurrection.
Not a single one of them.
When the women
saw the empty tomb
and the angels
said to them,
he has risen,
he's not here.
They didn't believe
the angels
until Jesus appeared to them.
And then they go
and tell the disciples
and the disciples run,
at least Peter and John do.
They run to the tomb
and they see the tomb
is empty,
but they don't believe
the ladies.
They go home,
they're amazed
at the circumstance,
but they do not believe
the message
until the risen Lord
appears to them.
And then we get here
to Thomas
and we see this dramatic
refusal to believe
until his conditions
are met
and we give him
this name,
Doubting Thomas,
but he's no different
than any of the others.
He's no different
than any of us.
And I want you to notice
that the scripture
never says
that Thomas actually
went so far
as to touch Jesus' wounds.
He doesn't say
he did that.
He doesn't say
he actually touched him.
I don't think
he had to
because an encounter
with the risen Lord
is all that it took.
Coming to him,
announcing his peace,
and saying,
believe,
calling him to faith.
A personal encounter
with the risen Christ
is necessary
for saving faith.
It's necessary.
But that doesn't mean
we must physically see
and touch Jesus
to believe.
Jesus said
that our stubborn hearts
are moved to faith
through the work
of his spirit.
John chapter 16.
When the spirit
of truth comes,
he will guide you
into all truth.
He will not speak
on his own authority,
but whatever he hears,
he will speak.
And he will declare
to you the things
that are to come.
He will glorify me.
For he will take
what is mine
and declare it to you.
In other words,
what the spirit's
going to do
is he's going to say
everything that relates
to me.
He's going to glorify
my death and resurrection.
He's going to open
your hearts to believe.
And what you need
this morning
is not for Jesus
to appear before you.
What you need
is for his spirit
to move within you
because an encounter
with the risen Christ
through the work
of the spirit
is essential
for saving faith.
If you don't have it,
you will not be saved.
You cannot be saved
because you will not believe.
So,
we see an unbelieving heart.
We see encountering
the risen Christ.
Thirdly and finally,
we see responding
in faith.
Responding in faith.
Verse 28,
Thomas answered him,
my Lord and my God.
And Jesus said to him,
have you believed
because you have seen me?
And he's not saying
that's a bad thing.
He's just acknowledging
that's the reality
of what has happened.
Have you believed
because you've seen me?
Blessed are those
who have not seen
and yet have believed.
Blessed are those
who have not seen me
yet they believe me.
Blessed are those
who do not have
all of their questions answered
and yet they believe.
Blessed are those
who are still wondering
and still struggling
with hurt and doubt
and all the things
yet they believe.
Blessed they are.
And this is the only
appropriate response
to an encounter
with the risen Lord.
Notice Thomas' affirmation
is twofold.
He says,
my Lord,
showing he was now
wholly committing
his life to follow
and obey Jesus.
My Lord,
my God.
Proclaiming that Jesus
would forever be
the object of his
affection and worship.
Loved ones,
this is true saving faith.
It does not merely
agree to a set of facts.
It is taking those truths
and casting yourself
wholly on Christ
as Lord
and Savior
and God
turning away from all else
and saying,
my Lord,
my God,
I will follow you.
I will obey you.
I will love you.
I will worship you.
That is true saving faith.
Now notice Jesus' reply.
It was necessary
for all the apostles
to have a physical encounter
with Jesus
after his resurrection.
That was actually something
that must have happened.
He had specifically
chosen them
to be his witnesses,
particularly witnesses
of his life
and his death
and his resurrection.
But that would be
impossible for them to be
if they had not
actually witnessed it.
At some point,
Jesus was going to appear
physically
to Thomas
because that's why
he had chosen Thomas.
He had chosen him
for that purpose
and you can read about that
further in Acts chapter 1.
But Jesus also says here
in verse 29
that all who believe
without seeing him
as a result
of the apostles' witness
that we read even now
that they would be blessed.
And blessed in this case
is not simply a word
for happiness.
That's not what he means.
It means that all
who believe in Christ
will receive
the eternal blessing
of God
in forgiveness of sin
and peace with him.
That's the blessing.
And it does not come
through your best effort.
It comes through your faith.
Faith in what?
Faith in Christ
according to the witness
of the apostles
in the word of God.
That's the faith.
Peter wrote about it.
1 Peter 1
Though you have not seen him
you love him.
Though you do not now see him
you believe in him
and rejoice with joy
that is inexpressible
and filled with glory
obtaining the outcome
of your faith
which is the salvation
of your souls
without having ever seen
the physical Christ.
Has this ever been
your response to Christ?
My guess
in getting to know
all the people
that are in this room
at this point
my guess is that
this is not your
first Easter service.
You've probably been
to many
maybe dozens.
You've heard the stories
you've read the chapters
maybe you read them again
this morning
in your personal devotions
you're willing to assent
to the historical facts
because you can't find
a way to disprove them
at least
so you might as well
agree that
okay this must have
happened
but has this ever been
your response
to those things?
My Lord
my God
it's one thing
to be friendly
toward Christ
and Christianity
but salvation
belongs only
to those who trust him
as Lord
and God
it is not enough
to be a friend
of Christians
you must be
a Christian
and you cannot
be a Christian
without faith
in his gospel
you can't
let's finish
with verses
30 and 31
John says
now Jesus
did many other signs
in the presence
of the disciples
which are not
written in this book
but these are written
so that you may believe
that Jesus
is the Christ
the Son of God
and that by believing
you may have life
in his name
it's through the Holy Spirit
of God
that Jesus
comes to us
and announces his peace
and calls us to faith
but it is the written
word of God
that the Spirit
uses
to draw us
to faith
and to give us life
in all of the evidence
supporting Jesus
his resurrection
of all of it
nothing is as powerful
and as necessary
as the testimony
of God
in the Bible
more than any other
historical figure
or historical document
you can read all about
Josephus'
estimations of Christians
and what they believed
and what his thoughts were
on the apostles
and on their faith
none of that compares
to the power
of the written word
of God
it is our highest authority
it is our most
preeminent
evidence
because it comes
directly from him
Romans 10 17
so faith comes
by hearing
hearing comes
through the word
of Christ
the Bible
the scriptures
God used John
to write these things
so that we would believe
that Jesus is the Messiah
and the Son of God
and that by believing
we would receive
eternal life
through him
because the resurrection
is the very pinnacle
of the case
for Christ
without the resurrection
there is no Christianity
it doesn't exist
and without believing
in the resurrection
you cannot be a Christian
Romans 10 verse 9
if you confess
with your mouth
that Jesus
is Lord
and believe
in your heart
that God
raised him
from the dead
you will be saved
nothing more
nothing less
without the resurrection
there is no Christian faith
and without believing
in the resurrection
you cannot be
a Christian
and my curiosity
this morning
is to think of
how many of us
are the Thomas
from verse 25
you're saying
unless
these demands
are met
I will not believe
and what I want
to call you
to become
is the Thomas
of verse 28
my Lord
and my God
and in the words
of Jesus
say to you
do not disbelieve
but believe
asNINGNINGNING
as