WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.480 What a day to be gathering as we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Christ, 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:07.679 altering everything. 00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:11.120 And that's basically what we're going to look at here in John chapter 20. 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:13.280 I want to pray and then we're going to launch into this. 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.240 If you've got a Bible handy or an iPad or something like that, 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:18.120 it'd be great if you could get to John chapter 20. 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:19.359 Let's pray. 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:25.379 Father God, we thank you for the opportunity just to gather now 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:27.859 to have your word open in front of us. 00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:35.140 We have just heard that what has been written has been written so that we might see Jesus 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:38.820 and that we might believe in him and that we might have life. 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:42.960 And so we ask that you might do that for us tonight, that we might see him, 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:47.439 that we might believe in him and that we might have life in his name, 00:00:47.879 --> 00:00:52.539 that we might live as he lives now forever and in perfection. 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:53.840 And we ask it for your glory. 00:00:54.120 --> 00:00:54.420 Amen. 00:00:54.420 --> 00:01:02.500 There was an opinion piece in the Herald's Good Weekend yesterday. 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:03.520 It's normally a good morning. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:05.280 Good Weekend yesterday. 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:11.859 It was written by Benjamin Law and it was titled something like Holidays are Sacred. 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:16.719 Benjamin describes himself as non-religious, 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:24.659 not an atheist, but a happy agnostic, that is, a lifelong doubter. 00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:30.599 He suggested if he was to adopt a religious symbol at all, it would be a question mark. 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:38.379 Having said that, he goes on in the short little piece to say that he does, in fact, love Jesus. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.200 Not in the religious sense, obviously, 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:45.579 but I think that everyone can agree that he sounded like a decent fellow. 00:01:46.240 --> 00:01:49.020 Jesus distrusted the rich. 00:01:49.420 --> 00:01:53.600 He helped the poor and embraced the most shunned and vulnerable members of society. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:57.000 He was the first Marxist radical. 00:01:57.900 --> 00:01:59.320 He goes on to say, 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:16.340 And then he makes his point. 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:20.580 But why stop at Easter and Christmas? 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:28.180 In our cities, especially with their Muslim and Jewish and Buddhist and Hindu communities, 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:32.520 wouldn't it make sense to celebrate and learn about these cultures too? 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:35.000 And he concludes that if we were to do that, 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:37.819 in fact, have a whole heap more public holidays, 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.640 and frankly, who wouldn't agree with that? 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:42.099 Or public holidays. 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:44.299 He said not just have more holidays, 00:02:44.519 --> 00:02:48.659 but that we'd, in fact, be a more tolerant society. 00:02:49.799 --> 00:02:53.439 The piece wasn't militantly anti-religious. 00:02:53.739 --> 00:02:54.559 It was positive. 00:02:54.839 --> 00:02:58.319 It raised some questions in a fairly authentic manner. 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:01.659 He was fairly honest about where he stood and what his thoughts were. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.439 But for me, it raised the question, 00:03:05.819 --> 00:03:07.899 and I think in some ways he's getting at this, 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:12.319 it's the truth question and the meaning question. 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:19.740 Is Christianity one of the cultural options that you can choose from 00:03:19.740 --> 00:03:22.219 in a society like Australia at the moment, 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:25.300 including the option that he has chosen, 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:29.159 and that is to be happily a lifelong doubter? 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.960 Is Easter, what we're gathered here to celebrate right now, 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:38.860 one of the special religious holidays in a mixed bag 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:44.280 of equally valid religious holidays that we could be celebrating? 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:47.140 Or are we gathered here tonight as we've just sung 00:03:47.140 --> 00:03:49.500 and as we'll just hear from God's word 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:54.980 to celebrate something totally unique and wonderful and life-changing 00:03:54.980 --> 00:03:56.840 that means that Jesus, 00:03:57.340 --> 00:04:01.800 just something a little bit more than just a fairly decent bloke 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.060 and potentially the first communist? 00:04:06.760 --> 00:04:10.840 And so there are two questions for us here on this Easter Sunday, 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:14.840 and that is the truth question and the meaning question. 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.319 Whenever you talk about the resurrection of Jesus, 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:22.500 the truth question and the meaning question are actually intertwined. 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:26.460 The truth question is, well, did it actually happen? 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:30.579 And the meaning question is, who cares if it happened? 00:04:31.039 --> 00:04:33.359 Whether it happened or not, who cares? 00:04:34.219 --> 00:04:36.219 What difference does it make to my life? 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:39.120 There are people who reject Christianity 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.500 because intellectually they don't think that it's true. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:45.319 But there are other people who reject Christianity, 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:48.199 not because they're convinced it's not true, 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:51.919 but because they can't see why to make any real difference 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.080 in their life if it were true, 00:04:54.580 --> 00:04:57.699 or they don't want to see 00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:00.680 that it makes any real difference in their life. 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:03.100 Recent survey came out, 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:05.100 and I'm going to fudge the figures a little bit, I think, 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:06.280 because I can't remember them totally. 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:08.840 Something like 19% of Australians 00:05:08.840 --> 00:05:11.939 believe that Jesus rose from the dead. 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:13.740 And about a similar sort of figure 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:16.379 are completely open to the idea 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:17.840 that he rose again from the dead. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:20.299 And yet only a very small number of people 00:05:20.299 --> 00:05:22.119 actually go to church 00:05:22.119 --> 00:05:24.619 and declare themselves to be Christian in our country. 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:28.060 So it's not just a matter of truth, 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:29.839 it's the matter of meaning. 00:05:30.039 --> 00:05:31.339 What difference does it make? 00:05:33.219 --> 00:05:36.179 40 years ago, there was an assumption in the Western world 00:05:36.179 --> 00:05:38.819 that there were fixed natural laws 00:05:38.819 --> 00:05:42.339 that made this world understandable 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:44.379 and scientifically manageable. 00:05:44.379 --> 00:05:47.639 And unfortunately, these laws did not allow 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:50.319 for the truth claim that someone who was dead 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:52.480 actually would come back alive 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:55.839 and certainly, in Jesus' case, live forever. 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:57.519 The world at that time, 00:05:57.620 --> 00:05:59.779 with its scientific understanding of natural laws, 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:04.240 did not allow for things to come back from the dead. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:07.360 And so unbelief in the claims of Christianity 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.319 were often connected to those kinds of assumptions, 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:11.579 an intellectual assumption. 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:13.939 Today, there's a different assumption 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:15.339 behind unbelief in our world. 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:16.399 Today, the assumption is 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:18.899 there's a personal law inside of me. 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:21.699 You could call it individualism. 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:24.579 One form of individualism 00:06:24.579 --> 00:06:26.500 is a personal law that says 00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:29.779 I do not have to adapt my life 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:33.319 to anything that I don't find personally satisfying 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:34.719 or personally helpful to me. 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:37.299 That is, truth for me 00:06:37.299 --> 00:06:39.899 is what I find personally satisfying 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:44.639 or what I find useful or helpful for me. 00:06:45.659 --> 00:06:46.739 And so in the end, 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:49.759 don't give a rip whether Jesus rose from the dead or not. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:54.759 Because whether he did or not is not my issue. 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:57.620 My issue is, do I actually care? 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:01.620 Even if it is true, 00:07:02.179 --> 00:07:05.959 what difference does it make to my life day by day? 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:08.279 And so if you can't see 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:11.959 why it actually matters for life now, 00:07:12.719 --> 00:07:14.899 then this personal law 00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:17.120 will just view the resurrection of Jesus 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.379 in the same way that you might view a UFO. 00:07:21.919 --> 00:07:23.959 I really don't need to bother about it. 00:07:25.299 --> 00:07:26.879 Unless it's hovering over my house 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:28.679 late at night. 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:32.579 Now, some of us think, in fact, 00:07:32.620 --> 00:07:34.060 if you're of a younger generation, 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:35.879 you will definitely think this way 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:37.400 and probably not even know 00:07:37.400 --> 00:07:38.420 that's the way you think. 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:40.340 It's just part of the cultural soup 00:07:40.340 --> 00:07:41.720 that you've been marinating in 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:42.540 since you were born. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:46.220 Now, I think both questions, 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:47.180 the truth question 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:49.319 and the so what question, 00:07:49.579 --> 00:07:52.460 are important to address at the same time. 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.560 So let's deal with the truth question 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:55.240 to start with. 00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:57.160 The great C.S. Lewis, 00:07:57.319 --> 00:07:58.720 the writer of the Narnia series 00:07:58.720 --> 00:07:59.759 and a bunch of other stuff, 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.000 you know, he was a professor in Oxford 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:03.000 and other things like that, 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:05.139 wrote that in a world 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:07.540 that was making such rapid advancement 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:09.360 in scientific understanding, 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:10.960 he said there's a danger 00:08:10.960 --> 00:08:14.360 of what he called chronological snobbery. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.240 It's the assumption that any conclusion 00:08:17.780 --> 00:08:20.100 that was made by previous generations 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:22.240 was based on ignorance. 00:08:22.900 --> 00:08:25.040 For instance, chronological snobbery 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:26.700 might lead some to conclude 00:08:26.700 --> 00:08:28.660 that the people who were living 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:30.300 around Jesus' time 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:33.539 were just gullible peasants 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:36.860 who were just ignorant of reality, 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:40.080 just excitable, stupid people. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.960 But that's not the picture we get here 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:45.120 in the first couple of verses 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:46.120 of John chapter 20. 00:08:46.300 --> 00:08:47.300 If you've got your Bibles there, 00:08:47.379 --> 00:08:48.879 it'd be great if you could open them up 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:50.720 to the passage that Nick and Sam 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:51.399 read out to us. 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:52.720 John chapter 20, 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:54.840 look at the first couple of verses with me. 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:57.200 Early on the first day of the week, 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:58.639 while it was still dark, 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:00.899 Mary Magdalene went to the tomb 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:02.200 and saw that the stone 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:03.860 had been removed from the entrance. 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:06.680 And so she came running to Simon Peter 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:07.740 and the other disciple, 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:08.840 the one that Jesus loved, 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:10.639 and said, notice what she says here, 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:14.220 they have taken the Lord out of the tomb 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:16.460 and we don't know where they've put him. 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:20.960 Now, before he was crucified, 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:22.840 Jesus had mentioned a number of times, 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:23.960 after I'm dead, 00:09:24.040 --> 00:09:25.440 I'm actually going to come back to life. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:26.400 And he was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:28.519 He said a number of times 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:30.019 and then we kind of struck with the disciples, 00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:31.100 this is what's going to happen. 00:09:32.580 --> 00:09:34.740 Even though it was mentioned so many times, 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:36.259 Mary goes to the tomb, 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:37.759 sees the tomb's empty 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.139 and she doesn't conclude 00:09:39.139 --> 00:09:40.519 there's been a resurrection here. 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:44.699 The first assumption for her 00:09:44.699 --> 00:09:46.939 is that the body has been removed. 00:09:47.220 --> 00:09:49.039 It's down there in verse 13 as well. 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:50.600 She's working on the assumption. 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:52.139 Later on we find out 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:53.100 that the Jewish leaders 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:54.779 have come along in the middle of the night, 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:56.019 stolen the body of Jesus 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:57.159 and dumped it somewhere 00:09:57.159 --> 00:09:58.340 outside the city limits. 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:03.360 Like us, Mary didn't just assume 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:05.279 that Jesus came back to life 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:06.360 and even Peter and John, 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:09.139 two of Jesus' key disciples, 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:12.699 didn't automatically jump to the conclusion 00:10:12.699 --> 00:10:14.159 that Jesus had resurrected either. 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:16.360 Notice verses eight and nine here. 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:18.039 Finally, the other disciple 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:19.419 who had reached the tomb first 00:10:19.419 --> 00:10:20.879 also went inside. 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:23.199 He saw and he believed. 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:25.120 They did not, 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:26.639 they still did not understand 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:27.279 from scripture 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:29.679 that Jesus had to rise from the dead. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:31.039 So when he goes there, 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:32.960 John sees and believes. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:34.460 He saw and he believed 00:10:34.460 --> 00:10:35.620 what Mary just told him, 00:10:35.819 --> 00:10:36.840 that Jesus' body's not there. 00:10:37.139 --> 00:10:38.179 So looks in the tomb, 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:39.079 oh yeah, Mary's right, 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:40.639 the body's not there. 00:10:41.040 --> 00:10:41.900 Tomb's empty. 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:44.680 And yet they still hadn't clicked 00:10:44.680 --> 00:10:47.240 that Jesus had risen again 00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:48.280 as he said he would. 00:10:49.220 --> 00:10:50.100 And so this tells me 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:50.560 that the, 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:52.920 at least three of the early disciples 00:10:52.920 --> 00:10:53.460 of Jesus 00:10:53.460 --> 00:10:54.540 were not just a bunch 00:10:54.540 --> 00:10:55.639 of silly peasants, 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:57.280 easily excitable, 00:10:57.560 --> 00:10:58.340 gallible people 00:10:58.340 --> 00:10:59.860 who believe any sort of story 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:00.620 that came along. 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:02.720 Even though Jesus 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:04.040 had told them repeatedly 00:11:04.040 --> 00:11:05.879 that he would come back to life, 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:07.700 they weren't actually 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:08.820 looking for it. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:11.299 And yet, 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:13.700 what they were confronted with 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:15.679 as they went to the tomb 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.659 was a bodiless tomb. 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:20.860 There was no body in the tomb. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:23.419 You cannot play around 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:24.519 with the resurrection of Jesus 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:25.279 and see that maybe 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:25.860 it was just some sort 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:26.980 of spiritual resurrection. 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:29.559 There was no body. 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:31.080 And one of the great 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:32.460 historical evidences 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:33.399 for the resurrection 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:34.959 is that the tomb 00:11:34.959 --> 00:11:37.579 where Jesus was buried, 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:39.220 which was guarded 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:40.279 by the Romans, 00:11:41.539 --> 00:11:43.199 handpicked by the Jewish leaders, 00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:45.799 was actually empty 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:47.959 on the third day. 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:51.480 Even the enemies of Jesus 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:53.299 could never produce the body. 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:54.899 And if they could have, 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:56.600 we wouldn't be sitting here 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:57.059 right now. 00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:57.960 They would have nipped 00:11:57.960 --> 00:11:59.279 this early thing 00:11:59.279 --> 00:11:59.899 called Christianity 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:00.799 in the bud 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:02.220 right there and then, 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:03.360 dealt with it, 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:04.299 over and done with 00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:05.000 and it would have gone 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:05.819 by the wayside 00:12:05.819 --> 00:12:07.740 of every other nutcase movement 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:08.279 that began 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:10.379 back in those times. 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:14.620 Some have come up 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:15.220 with the explanation 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:16.319 as to why the tomb 00:12:16.319 --> 00:12:16.819 was empty. 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:18.360 For instance, 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:20.399 some have suggested 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:21.959 that he never really died. 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:23.360 He was just 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.539 really sick. 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:27.879 And they put him 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:29.120 in the cool tomb, 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:30.319 closed it over, 00:12:30.439 --> 00:12:32.279 three days in pure darkness, 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.500 and nice cool weather 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:35.959 and he revived 00:12:35.959 --> 00:12:37.699 and revived enough 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:39.159 from the spear 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:40.659 going through his side 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:41.620 and the nail holes 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:43.039 and the crown of thorns 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:44.039 and everything else 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:45.439 that revived enough 00:12:45.439 --> 00:12:46.519 to remove the stone 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:47.419 that took several people 00:12:47.419 --> 00:12:48.379 to put it in place 00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:49.899 and to disappear 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:51.299 and, I don't know, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:53.019 wander off down the Sea of Galilee 00:12:53.019 --> 00:12:53.839 or something like that. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:56.680 it really goes against 00:12:56.680 --> 00:12:57.980 the horrible realities 00:12:57.980 --> 00:12:58.960 of crucifixion, 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:01.399 against the rigorous steps 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:02.420 that Pilate and the leaders 00:13:02.420 --> 00:13:03.740 demanded to make sure 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:05.240 that he was 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:06.940 and that he was, 00:13:07.040 --> 00:13:07.500 in fact, dead. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:10.879 The steps that they took 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:11.420 to make sure 00:13:11.420 --> 00:13:12.600 that no one got in 00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:14.220 or out of that tomb. 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:17.740 Others have suggested 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:18.900 the disciples of Jesus 00:13:18.900 --> 00:13:19.920 stole the body. 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:24.019 on one level, 00:13:24.219 --> 00:13:25.659 you think that's pretty odd. 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:26.099 I mean, 00:13:26.339 --> 00:13:27.179 Peter and James, 00:13:27.319 --> 00:13:27.839 Peter and John 00:13:27.839 --> 00:13:28.799 go to the tomb. 00:13:28.939 --> 00:13:29.519 All they discovered 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:30.819 is folded bedclothes. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:32.120 So why on earth, 00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:33.079 I don't get this point, 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:33.579 why on earth 00:13:33.579 --> 00:13:34.459 would they go in, 00:13:35.079 --> 00:13:35.979 steal the body 00:13:35.979 --> 00:13:37.579 and unwrap it all, 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:38.219 first of all, 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:39.620 take all the grave clothes off, 00:13:39.719 --> 00:13:40.439 put them in a pile 00:13:40.439 --> 00:13:41.059 on one side, 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:41.919 fold them up neatly 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:43.019 and run off 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:43.699 with a dead, 00:13:43.939 --> 00:13:44.539 naked body? 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:46.879 I don't get that. 00:13:47.339 --> 00:13:48.719 Who does that? 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:51.959 But more significantly, 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.539 if they took the body, 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:54.939 it would mean 00:13:54.939 --> 00:13:56.159 that these disciples 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.339 began to risk their lives 00:13:58.339 --> 00:13:58.819 and in fact, 00:13:58.959 --> 00:14:00.500 did in fact go to death, 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:04.459 give themselves up to death 00:14:04.459 --> 00:14:06.079 for something that they knew 00:14:06.079 --> 00:14:07.240 was in fact 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:08.139 nothing more than 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:09.360 an April Fool's joke. 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:12.339 A complete hoax. 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:18.259 How else do you account 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:19.620 for the dramatic change 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:20.300 in the disciples 00:14:20.300 --> 00:14:21.620 after Good Friday 00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:23.120 if it wasn't 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:23.840 for the resurrection? 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:24.800 The fact that they were 00:14:24.800 --> 00:14:25.820 utterly dejected, 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:26.980 they were terrified 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:28.519 after the death of Jesus, 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:30.220 they did not have hope 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:30.960 for a resurrection, 00:14:31.160 --> 00:14:31.639 they were ready 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:32.540 to go back fishing, 00:14:32.920 --> 00:14:33.780 these were the guys 00:14:33.780 --> 00:14:34.580 who abandoned him, 00:14:34.660 --> 00:14:35.800 denied that they knew him, 00:14:35.800 --> 00:14:37.120 all took off. 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:39.560 They were scared 00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:40.340 of the authorities 00:14:40.340 --> 00:14:41.280 as we just read, 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:42.459 the doors were locked, 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.059 they were hiding 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:47.379 in a secluded room, 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:50.100 unwilling to believe 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:51.339 the first reports 00:14:51.339 --> 00:14:52.720 of Jesus' resurrection. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:55.699 And yet in a matter 00:14:55.699 --> 00:14:56.860 of just a few weeks, 00:14:57.939 --> 00:14:58.839 these same men 00:14:58.839 --> 00:14:59.740 were overflowing 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:00.339 with joy 00:15:00.339 --> 00:15:01.379 and with courage 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:02.799 and ready to die 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:03.419 for Jesus. 00:15:04.079 --> 00:15:04.539 Why? 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:05.879 What had happened? 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:08.620 their own explanation 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.600 is that the Jesus 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:12.759 they saw dead 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:14.620 came back to life. 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:19.200 Now the evidence 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:20.080 is there for sure, 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:21.519 but doubting the resurrection 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:22.980 is pretty common. 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:24.299 Strangely enough, 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:25.600 the first person 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:26.559 to doubt the resurrection 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:27.340 was not a person 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:28.480 opposed to Christianity, 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:29.240 but in fact 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:29.899 one of Jesus' 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:30.940 chief supporters, 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.200 a man called Thomas. 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:33.960 He wasn't there 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:34.940 when Jesus 00:15:34.940 --> 00:15:36.060 first appeared 00:15:36.060 --> 00:15:36.800 to his disciples 00:15:36.800 --> 00:15:37.780 and he came 00:15:37.780 --> 00:15:38.720 to him soon after. 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:40.300 Down in verse 24, 00:15:40.520 --> 00:15:40.920 it says, 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:41.960 now Thomas, 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.480 called Didymus, 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:44.860 one of the twelve, 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:46.140 was not with the disciples 00:15:46.140 --> 00:15:47.080 when Jesus came 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:48.420 and so the other disciples 00:15:48.420 --> 00:15:48.860 told him, 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:49.700 we've seen the Lord. 00:15:50.020 --> 00:15:51.100 But he said to them, 00:15:51.580 --> 00:15:52.700 unless I see 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:53.940 the nail marks 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:54.379 in his hand 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:55.080 and put my fingers 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:55.940 where the nails were 00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:56.780 and put my hand 00:15:56.780 --> 00:15:57.820 in his side, 00:15:57.820 --> 00:16:00.140 I will not believe it. 00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:03.160 Unless I see it 00:16:03.160 --> 00:16:04.060 for myself, 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:07.140 I won't believe it. 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:11.060 I'll believe it 00:16:11.060 --> 00:16:12.240 if God shows himself 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:12.820 to me. 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:15.900 Now the odd thing 00:16:15.900 --> 00:16:17.560 is that resurrection 00:16:17.560 --> 00:16:18.740 wouldn't have been 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:19.760 a new idea for Thomas. 00:16:19.900 --> 00:16:21.460 He's an Orthodox Jew 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:23.660 and they believed 00:16:23.660 --> 00:16:25.180 in everyone being resurrected 00:16:25.180 --> 00:16:26.200 to face judgment 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:27.759 when God calls an end 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:28.240 to this world 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:28.900 as we know it. 00:16:29.660 --> 00:16:30.700 But here he doubts 00:16:30.700 --> 00:16:31.920 the resurrection of Jesus. 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:34.160 His response 00:16:34.160 --> 00:16:34.879 to the news 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:35.920 is absolute. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:37.720 He makes demands 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:40.060 in absolute terms. 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:41.220 Unless I see, 00:16:42.180 --> 00:16:43.780 unless I place my hands, 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:45.740 I will not believe. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.259 He demands 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:49.620 exhaustive proof 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:50.759 rather than 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:52.020 sufficient evidence. 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:54.940 A number of years ago, 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:56.800 I was flying home 00:16:56.800 --> 00:16:57.360 from Canada 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.100 and I walked up 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:00.700 to customs, 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:01.860 handed over my passport 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:03.600 and after the awkward 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:04.400 pause there 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:04.920 of wondering 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:06.360 if I've done 00:17:06.360 --> 00:17:06.940 anything wrong, 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:08.960 the guy says, 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:09.420 hmm, 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:10.360 says here 00:17:10.360 --> 00:17:11.720 that you're 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:12.559 a minister. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.559 I said, 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:13.820 yeah, 00:17:13.860 --> 00:17:14.559 that's right. 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:15.700 And he goes, 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:16.620 right. 00:17:17.299 --> 00:17:17.660 Okay, 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:18.680 so what would you say 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:19.440 to a person 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:20.519 who says to you, 00:17:20.620 --> 00:17:21.259 show me God 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:22.180 and I'll believe in him? 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:23.400 And, 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:23.720 you know, 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:24.299 I'm sort of sitting 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:24.859 there going, 00:17:25.139 --> 00:17:25.460 oh man, 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:26.440 I just want to go home. 00:17:28.139 --> 00:17:29.279 And is this a test 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:29.799 to see whether 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:30.680 I'm actually a minister 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:31.200 or, 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:31.879 you know, 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:33.460 somewhere else dodgy 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:34.919 or is this guy 00:17:34.919 --> 00:17:35.460 a genuine, 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:37.599 asking a genuine question? 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:38.579 And I'm, 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:38.879 you know, 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:39.680 all these things 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:40.619 are running through my brain 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:40.980 thinking, 00:17:41.139 --> 00:17:41.819 is this a test 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:42.899 so I can get home 00:17:42.899 --> 00:17:44.359 or what's going on here? 00:17:44.379 --> 00:17:44.700 And I thought, 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:44.940 well, 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.139 best thing I can do 00:17:46.139 --> 00:17:47.139 is just go for broke 00:17:47.139 --> 00:17:48.740 and just give it to him 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:49.599 and see what happens 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:50.440 and hopefully 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:51.419 I'll get home sometime. 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:53.600 I said to him, 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:55.380 great question. 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:57.500 And Jesus said, 00:17:57.640 --> 00:17:58.220 interestingly enough, 00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:59.259 if you see me, 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:00.259 you see God. 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:01.820 He declared to be, 00:18:02.080 --> 00:18:02.680 declared himself 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:03.580 to be God himself 00:18:03.580 --> 00:18:04.660 and he did lots of miracles 00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:05.360 to prove it 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:07.060 and no question about that. 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:08.960 He raised people 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:09.480 from the dead, 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:10.180 he healed people, 00:18:10.300 --> 00:18:11.600 he stopped water 00:18:11.600 --> 00:18:12.539 and storms 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:13.580 and everything like that. 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:14.600 And it's interesting 00:18:14.600 --> 00:18:16.000 that in some of those miracles, 00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:16.980 a particular miracle 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:18.339 in case, 00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:20.400 was he actually raised 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:21.779 this guy called Lazarus 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:22.900 from the dead. 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:24.200 The Jewish leaders 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:25.160 put him in 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:26.140 to the tomb 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:27.460 four days later, 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.539 Jesus comes along 00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:29.559 and in full view 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:29.960 of everyone, 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:30.259 he says, 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:30.680 Lazarus, 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:31.140 come on out. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:32.720 Lazarus came out 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:34.019 and what they wanted 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:34.980 to do to Jesus 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:36.299 in that particular moment 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.380 was actually kill him. 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:41.500 That's because seeing 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:43.720 doesn't equal believing. 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:47.420 And John chapter 20 says, 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:48.220 blessed are those 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:49.579 who don't physically see 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:51.220 and yet believe. 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:53.039 John chapter 20 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.539 himself says 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:56.660 that there is sufficient evidence 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:58.559 that what John has written 00:18:58.559 --> 00:18:59.579 was enough 00:18:59.579 --> 00:19:00.980 that you might see Jesus 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:03.240 and actually believe in him. 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:04.819 But in the end, 00:19:05.600 --> 00:19:07.759 it's a matter of the will. 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:09.559 I said, 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:10.920 God could appear to you right now. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:11.220 In fact, 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:12.799 I could be God right now. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:15.480 And I could prove to you 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:16.919 that I'm God right now. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.839 And you could see me, 00:19:19.139 --> 00:19:21.579 but seeing doesn't equal believing 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:23.259 because believing 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:24.879 is a matter of the will. 00:19:25.399 --> 00:19:26.819 It's not just about the intellect. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:27.940 It's a matter of the heart 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:28.619 and the will. 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:33.639 And so I would encourage you 00:19:33.639 --> 00:19:36.220 to see that it might be 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:37.379 a matter of the will 00:19:37.379 --> 00:19:38.119 of your heart 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:39.159 of whether you actually 00:19:39.159 --> 00:19:40.700 believe the evidence or not. 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:41.259 I said, 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:42.200 that's basically 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.119 what I would say. 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.279 And he said, 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:47.700 fair enough, 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:48.519 gave my passport 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:50.019 and away I went. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:52.900 And this is what Thomas does here. 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:55.559 Thomas rejects the witness 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:56.660 of 10 or more 00:19:56.660 --> 00:19:58.160 of his trusted friends. 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:00.440 He dictates 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:02.259 absolute terms to God 00:20:02.259 --> 00:20:03.039 about believing, 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.039 believing, 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:05.039 but he hasn't grappled 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:05.759 with the fact 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.899 that seeing 00:20:06.899 --> 00:20:09.539 is not necessarily 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:10.440 believing. 00:20:11.779 --> 00:20:12.839 Many people saw 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:13.700 the miracles of Jesus, 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:14.460 I just said, 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:16.099 and yet they didn't believe. 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:17.019 The Jewish leaders 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:18.619 plotted to kill Jesus 00:20:18.619 --> 00:20:20.220 the moment Lazarus 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:21.220 walked out of the tomb. 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:24.620 There are further 00:20:24.620 --> 00:20:25.759 and deeper dimensions 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:26.319 to believing 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.360 than just simply seeing. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:29.519 Belief in Jesus, 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:30.559 belief in the resurrection 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:31.640 comes down to a matter 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:32.120 of the will. 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:33.500 And so what happens 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:33.920 with Thomas? 00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:35.460 Read verse 26 here with me. 00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:36.960 A week later, 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:38.220 his disciples were in the house 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:39.019 again and Thomas 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:39.740 was with them. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:41.400 Though the doors were locked, 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:42.400 Jesus came and stood 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:43.120 among them and said, 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:44.039 peace be with you. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:45.759 Then he said to Thomas, 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:47.140 put your finger here, 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:48.720 see my hands, 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:50.279 reach out your hand 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:51.480 and put it into my side. 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.460 Stop doubting and believe. 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:57.200 When Jesus finally 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.440 did appear to Thomas, 00:20:59.059 --> 00:20:59.819 he said to him, 00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:01.920 stop doubting and believe. 00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:03.400 The call from Jesus 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:04.279 to Thomas was 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:06.360 stop disbelief and believe. 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:07.839 Now Jesus was merciful 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:08.640 to Thomas here. 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:09.759 He came to him 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:10.539 and demonstrated 00:21:10.539 --> 00:21:11.720 his resurrection 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:13.000 and Thomas believed. 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:15.279 And Jesus' intention 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:17.000 was not that everyone 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:18.720 everyone would see him 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:19.420 and believe 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:20.220 in the same way 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:21.680 that Thomas would. 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:22.839 He didn't appear 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:23.579 to everyone 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:25.380 after his resurrection, 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:26.319 but he did appear 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:28.380 to well over 500 people 00:21:28.380 --> 00:21:29.380 at different times. 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.759 Enough saw him alive. 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:34.019 And John, 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:35.420 who wrote this biography, 00:21:35.619 --> 00:21:37.500 was one of those eyewitnesses. 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:39.460 And this is what he says 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:41.140 about how we come 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:42.700 to see and believe. 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:45.860 Jesus did many other 00:21:45.860 --> 00:21:46.880 miraculous signs 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:47.519 in the presence 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:48.380 of his disciples 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:49.980 which are not recorded 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:50.980 in this book. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:53.600 But these are written 00:21:53.600 --> 00:21:55.519 that you may believe 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.440 that Jesus is the Christ, 00:21:57.799 --> 00:21:59.000 the Son of God, 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:00.440 and thereby believing 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:01.539 you may have life 00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.640 in his name. 00:22:03.580 --> 00:22:04.819 What he is saying 00:22:04.819 --> 00:22:06.660 is that what is written 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:07.920 in this biography 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:09.240 of Jesus' life, 00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:10.180 his ministry, 00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:10.720 his death, 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:11.559 and his resurrection, 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:13.659 is everything that you need 00:22:13.659 --> 00:22:15.079 in order to believe. 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:16.899 You don't need to know 00:22:16.899 --> 00:22:17.879 anything more 00:22:17.879 --> 00:22:19.000 than what is written 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:20.059 in John's Gospel 00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:21.559 or the other biographies 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:22.019 of Jesus 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:23.519 to believe and to see. 00:22:23.639 --> 00:22:24.700 And so my first challenge 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:26.039 is pick one up. 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:26.899 Maybe you haven't done that 00:22:26.899 --> 00:22:27.480 in a long time. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:28.039 Just pick one up 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:28.519 and read it. 00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:33.599 What I think is fantastic 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:34.700 about John 20 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:37.000 is, 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:38.579 and it particularly strikes me, 00:22:38.639 --> 00:22:39.839 is the transparency 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:41.439 of what John 00:22:41.439 --> 00:22:42.259 has written here. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:44.399 The first followers 00:22:44.399 --> 00:22:45.039 of Jesus 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:47.220 should have easily 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:48.639 believed in the resurrection. 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:51.899 But they were the first 00:22:51.899 --> 00:22:53.339 to significantly doubt it. 00:22:54.939 --> 00:22:56.539 The New Testament 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:57.500 doesn't even try 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:58.679 to cover up 00:22:58.679 --> 00:22:59.399 their doubting. 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:01.980 And that's good for us. 00:23:02.339 --> 00:23:03.379 It's good for us 00:23:03.379 --> 00:23:04.579 to see that it's not 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:05.859 easy to believe 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:07.459 just as hard 00:23:07.459 --> 00:23:08.179 as it was 00:23:08.179 --> 00:23:09.000 then 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:09.839 as it is 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:10.500 now. 00:23:11.899 --> 00:23:12.859 There's a transparency 00:23:12.859 --> 00:23:13.519 to it. 00:23:13.979 --> 00:23:15.059 If you don't find it 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:15.699 easy to believe, 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:16.619 that's okay. 00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:20.419 Of course, 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:21.119 there are also 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:22.299 those who refuse 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:22.919 to look into 00:23:22.919 --> 00:23:23.919 the sufficient evidence 00:23:23.919 --> 00:23:24.979 for Jesus' resurrection 00:23:24.979 --> 00:23:26.259 because it's not 00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:26.799 a matter 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:27.919 about having 00:23:27.919 --> 00:23:28.779 sufficient evidence. 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:30.399 It's more 00:23:30.399 --> 00:23:30.899 a matter 00:23:30.899 --> 00:23:32.059 of the claims 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:32.699 that Jesus 00:23:32.699 --> 00:23:33.759 has made 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:35.079 about himself 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:36.200 and his mission. 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.599 And this is the 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:38.559 so what question. 00:23:38.779 --> 00:23:39.240 That is, 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:40.599 it's not about 00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:41.140 the intellect, 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:42.500 it's about the heart 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:43.619 and the will. 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:45.379 There is a 00:23:45.379 --> 00:23:46.660 comfortable place 00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:47.799 of happy ignorance. 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:49.619 There is a place 00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:50.559 of 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:51.779 being 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:54.019 happily 00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:55.819 a lifelong doubter 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:57.160 as 00:23:57.160 --> 00:23:58.039 Benjamin Law 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:58.579 has put it. 00:23:58.660 --> 00:23:59.299 I'm happy 00:23:59.299 --> 00:24:00.680 to be a lifelong doubter. 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.180 I'm happy 00:24:01.180 --> 00:24:01.680 to stay 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:02.420 in this position 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:03.800 is what he's saying. 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:06.080 Notice what Thomas 00:24:06.080 --> 00:24:07.460 says when he realized 00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:08.019 that Jesus 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:08.620 had come back 00:24:08.620 --> 00:24:09.100 to life. 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:10.600 Verse 28, 00:24:10.800 --> 00:24:11.180 if you like, 00:24:11.300 --> 00:24:12.400 answers the so what. 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:13.420 What's the significance 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:14.779 of the resurrection? 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:17.100 He says, 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:18.360 my Lord 00:24:18.360 --> 00:24:20.160 and my God. 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:22.460 They're the first 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:23.080 words 00:24:23.080 --> 00:24:24.120 that come out 00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:25.080 of Thomas' mouth 00:24:25.080 --> 00:24:25.660 when he touched 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:26.220 his hands 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:26.900 and put his, 00:24:27.120 --> 00:24:28.000 touched Jesus' hands 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:28.539 and put his hand 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:29.039 in his side. 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:30.200 They're the first words 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:30.640 that come out 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:31.200 of his mouth. 00:24:31.520 --> 00:24:32.580 The first words 00:24:32.580 --> 00:24:33.100 were not 00:24:33.100 --> 00:24:34.140 about the resurrection. 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:34.560 It's like, 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:35.780 how did you do that? 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:36.540 Like, 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:36.860 you know, 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:38.720 how do you hold, 00:24:38.800 --> 00:24:39.680 how do you drink water 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:40.860 with holes in your hands 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:41.780 and what was it like 00:24:41.780 --> 00:24:42.800 three days in darkness? 00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:43.300 What was it like 00:24:43.300 --> 00:24:43.960 on the other side? 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:44.900 Tell me about death. 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:46.040 It was a multitude 00:24:46.040 --> 00:24:46.600 of questions 00:24:46.600 --> 00:24:47.580 that he could have had 00:24:47.580 --> 00:24:48.680 but the first thing 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:49.180 that came out 00:24:49.180 --> 00:24:49.620 of his mouth 00:24:49.620 --> 00:24:50.640 was the implications 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:51.420 of the resurrection. 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:52.960 My Lord 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:54.480 and my God. 00:24:56.360 --> 00:24:57.060 What he's 00:24:57.060 --> 00:24:58.380 recognizing here 00:24:58.380 --> 00:24:59.940 is because of the resurrection 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:01.040 everything that Jesus 00:25:01.040 --> 00:25:01.900 said about himself 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:03.040 was true. 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:05.240 Every promise 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:06.100 that he's made 00:25:06.100 --> 00:25:07.260 is true. 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:09.980 He is God. 00:25:10.060 --> 00:25:10.840 He is the king 00:25:10.840 --> 00:25:11.360 of the universe. 00:25:11.520 --> 00:25:12.680 He is my Lord. 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:13.380 He is my God. 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:14.080 He is my boss. 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:15.000 He is the judge 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.300 of all humanity. 00:25:17.260 --> 00:25:18.640 He is God. 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:21.100 And the resurrection 00:25:21.100 --> 00:25:22.520 means that what Jesus 00:25:22.520 --> 00:25:23.560 promised 00:25:23.560 --> 00:25:25.260 he must have delivered. 00:25:25.260 --> 00:25:26.720 He went to the cross 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:27.860 on Friday 00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:29.220 taking upon himself 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.539 the sin of the world 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:33.140 so that we can have 00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:34.360 direct access to God 00:25:34.360 --> 00:25:35.600 and his resurrection 00:25:35.600 --> 00:25:37.279 proves that he was effective. 00:25:39.100 --> 00:25:40.019 And I can have 00:25:40.019 --> 00:25:41.039 direct access to God 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:42.200 because of his death 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:42.860 on the cross. 00:25:43.819 --> 00:25:44.779 That's the answer 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:45.839 to the so what question. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:46.799 The resurrection 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:47.819 means that all 00:25:47.819 --> 00:25:48.839 human guilt 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:49.539 and sin 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:50.160 and shame 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.339 has been dealt with 00:25:51.339 --> 00:25:52.880 finally and fully. 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:54.220 It means that death 00:25:54.220 --> 00:25:55.059 has not only 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.000 been confronted 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:56.700 but it's been 00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:57.299 conquered 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:58.460 by Jesus. 00:25:58.779 --> 00:25:59.819 It means that new 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:00.759 and true life 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:01.740 can be experienced 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:02.980 before death 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:04.960 and eternal life 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.039 after death. 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:07.539 It means that hope 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:08.500 for better things 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:09.420 has gone from the 00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:10.200 category of 00:26:10.200 --> 00:26:11.119 maybe 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:12.279 to an absolute 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:12.920 certainty. 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:15.059 It means that a new 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.859 heavens and a new 00:26:15.859 --> 00:26:16.759 earth where those 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:18.240 who trust in Jesus 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:19.259 will live forever 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:20.559 like he lives 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:21.460 forever 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:22.640 is coming. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:24.940 that is what 00:26:24.940 --> 00:26:26.220 Jesus offers 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:26.920 those 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:28.060 who put their 00:26:28.060 --> 00:26:28.660 trust in him 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:29.400 for those who 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.560 believe in him. 00:26:30.620 --> 00:26:31.820 We don't just see him 00:26:31.820 --> 00:26:33.680 but believe in him. 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:37.200 And what that means 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:39.540 is that Jesus 00:26:39.540 --> 00:26:40.680 is a lot more 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:41.520 than just a 00:26:41.520 --> 00:26:42.980 decent fellow. 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:45.200 The first 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:45.840 communist 00:26:45.840 --> 00:26:47.340 not that I 00:26:47.340 --> 00:26:48.160 agree that he was 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:48.740 the first communist 00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:51.680 he's a lot 00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:52.339 more. 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:54.559 He isn't just 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.400 one option 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:56.339 amongst many. 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:57.759 Something 00:26:57.759 --> 00:26:59.120 incredibly unique 00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:00.160 and life changing 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:01.339 and world view 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:01.900 shaping 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:03.059 happened 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:04.339 on that first 00:27:04.339 --> 00:27:05.160 Easter Sunday. 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:07.680 Do you see it? 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:10.359 Do you believe it? 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:13.059 And so 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:13.619 sitting here 00:27:13.619 --> 00:27:14.759 in 2015 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:17.599 we don't have 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:18.419 Thomas' 00:27:18.639 --> 00:27:19.679 direct evidence. 00:27:20.379 --> 00:27:20.719 We're 00:27:20.719 --> 00:27:21.679 sitting here 00:27:21.679 --> 00:27:22.219 a lot more 00:27:22.219 --> 00:27:22.959 like Mary 00:27:22.959 --> 00:27:24.240 and Peter 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:24.939 and John 00:27:24.939 --> 00:27:26.339 at the tomb. 00:27:27.199 --> 00:27:27.799 There is 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:28.859 sufficient evidence 00:27:28.859 --> 00:27:30.479 and either 00:27:30.479 --> 00:27:31.159 we see 00:27:31.159 --> 00:27:31.819 through it 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:33.479 or we don't. 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:36.599 And what 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:37.019 John has 00:27:37.019 --> 00:27:37.579 written here 00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:38.339 is these 00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:38.799 things are 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:39.099 written 00:27:39.099 --> 00:27:39.939 that you 00:27:39.939 --> 00:27:41.179 may believe 00:27:41.179 --> 00:27:41.919 that Jesus 00:27:41.919 --> 00:27:42.799 is the 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:43.319 Christ 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:44.480 the Son 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:45.059 of God 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:45.919 and that 00:27:45.919 --> 00:27:46.759 by believing 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:47.480 you may 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:48.139 have life 00:27:48.139 --> 00:27:48.679 in his 00:27:48.679 --> 00:27:49.099 name. 00:27:50.159 --> 00:27:50.399 And so 00:27:50.399 --> 00:27:50.639 friends 00:27:50.639 --> 00:27:51.139 God has 00:27:51.139 --> 00:27:51.599 brought you 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:52.199 here this 00:27:52.199 --> 00:27:52.619 Easter 00:27:52.619 --> 00:27:53.539 for this 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.000 message 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.559 for this 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:54.980 bit of the 00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:55.339 Bible 00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:56.139 and for 00:27:56.139 --> 00:27:56.719 this story 00:27:56.719 --> 00:27:57.359 the resurrection 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:58.000 of Jesus 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.079 so that 00:27:59.079 --> 00:27:59.500 you might 00:27:59.500 --> 00:28:00.179 see 00:28:00.179 --> 00:28:01.980 Jesus 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:03.219 so that 00:28:03.219 --> 00:28:03.579 you might 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:04.359 believe 00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:05.039 Jesus 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:06.119 and that 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:06.539 you might 00:28:06.539 --> 00:28:07.179 have life 00:28:07.179 --> 00:28:07.679 in his 00:28:07.679 --> 00:28:08.099 name 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:09.139 a life 00:28:09.139 --> 00:28:09.959 in Jesus 00:28:09.959 --> 00:28:11.119 that triumphs 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:11.919 over death 00:28:11.919 --> 00:28:12.539 and beyond 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:13.019 death. 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:14.799 And so 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:15.259 my prayer 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:15.740 for you 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:16.539 and for us 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:17.159 as a church 00:28:17.159 --> 00:28:17.459 here 00:28:17.459 --> 00:28:18.459 is that 00:28:18.459 --> 00:28:19.299 this Easter 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:20.659 that you 00:28:20.659 --> 00:28:21.339 will now 00:28:21.339 --> 00:28:21.919 or that you 00:28:21.919 --> 00:28:22.480 might very 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:23.179 soon by 00:28:23.179 --> 00:28:23.980 God's grace 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:24.759 see 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:26.639 and believe 00:28:26.639 --> 00:28:28.659 in Jesus 00:28:28.659 --> 00:28:29.799 and in 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:30.439 seeing the 00:28:30.439 --> 00:28:30.919 resurrected 00:28:30.919 --> 00:28:31.419 Jesus 00:28:31.419 --> 00:28:32.039 and believing 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:32.619 in him 00:28:32.619 --> 00:28:33.539 that you 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:33.899 will have 00:28:33.899 --> 00:28:34.359 life 00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:35.679 that lives 00:28:35.679 --> 00:28:36.559 forever 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:37.599 as he 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:37.859 lives 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:38.179 forever 00:28:38.179 --> 00:28:39.240 Amen. 00:28:39.240 --> 00:29:09.220 Thank you.