04/07/13 Unless I See ...
Text:
John 20:24-29 (NKJV)
24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not
with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him,
"We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in
His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 And after eight days His disciples
were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to
Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand
here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And
Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said
to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Then He said to Thomas, "Reach
your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it
into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. John 20:27
Intro: Have you
ever known a doubting Thomas? Someone who just doesn’t believe, someone who
doesn’t believe in a whole lot of anything. Someone who spends more energy
complaining and doubting than allowing a little faith to make their life a
whole lot better. Someone who looks at their proverbial cup in life as half
empty not half full. A real pessimist!
Thomas
had to see to believe, I wonder how many people would be Christians if they saw
what Thomas did. Wouldn’t it be great if people could see Jesus in you? Just a
thought – a Biblical thought.
Application:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
1. Thomas Was
a Strong Doubter & an Honest Skeptic: He had been negative to begin with - there
was no way he was going to accept the Resurrection. He demanded physical
evidence, which he never expected to see. Doubt grows by what it feeds upon. There
was never any question of where he stood. His words are negative but exactly
what he felt Honest doubt is better than fake faith.
This Thomas person was
frustrated! He had not been with the disciples when Jesus first appeared to
them. Like so many today, he staunchly refused to believe that Jesus had
actually risen from the dead. The disciples testified and bore witness to the
glorious truth. They kept on telling him, and telling him and he refused to
believe. Thomas became stiffnecked and
obstinate in his unbelief. He even argued against their testimony, and he
argued with deep intensity. He was deeply aggravated and frustrated, feeling
great disappointment and guilt. The depth of his aggravation and guilt is seen
in his repulsive shout, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I
will not believe." Persistent doubt
always delays the blessings.
Thomas had a false picture of Jesus. Thomas had
always thought in terms of an earthly Messiah or Savior who would make things
better upon this earth and in this life. He had become a follower of Jesus
thinking that an earthly kingdom was to be set up and that he was to be a
leader in that kingdom. He refused to see beyond the human and physical things
of this world. He saw Jesus only as the
man who was nailed to the cross and had a spear thrust into His side and was
now dead. This false picture of Jesus lead
to unbelief, you can’t help but wonder how so many picture Jesus. Jesus is more
than a great teacher, a great prophet, a great man and a great founder of a
religion. He is even more than the greatest man who ever lived. All such
beliefs - no matter how highly they esteem Jesus - are false beliefs, for they
see Jesus only as a man. They see Him as one of the greatest men who ever
lived, but they still see Him only as a man. He is the lamb of God who takes
away sin.
2. Thomas Was an Astonished Witness
& Confirmed Convert:
“And after eight days His disciples were again inside,
and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst,
and said, "Peace to you!” Christ appeared in the room, He invited Thomas
to do what he had claimed he would require. There is no record Thomas took Him
up on the invitation, Christ’s presence made a touch unnecessary.
His encounter with Christ answered his
questions and solved his problems. He makes an amazing statement that goes
beyond Peter’s expression, the change here is dynamic and dramatic - it comes
from seeing Christ. “And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My
Lord and my God!"
Jesus appeared and challenged and convicted Thomas. The
doors were again shut and locked. Suddenly, unexpectedly, without notice, Jesus
stood in the midst of the disciples. Again He eased their shock by giving the
normal greeting: "Peace be unto you." And then He turned immediately
to confront Thomas. Jesus revealed that
He knew all about Thomas' unbelief and demands. He used the very same words
that Thomas had demanded: "Reach
your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it
into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
Can I tell you a little secret? Jesus knows
every man's heart: his despair, doubts, fears, hope, love. He knows where and
when to strike at a man's heart. Wait it
gets better - Thomas was where Jesus could reach him. He was in the presence of
believers listening to their testimony. He had not shut them out despite his
questions. Jesus warned and called for
belief. Thomas had been walking down a dangerous road. The disciples had
witnessed to him time and again, but he had refused time and again to accept their
testimony. You are running the risk of becoming
faithless and unbelieving, beyond the point of believing. You have carried your
unbelief too far. It is now time to stop the foolishness. The others have been
witnessing and witnessing the truth to you. Stop the stiffnecked, obstinate
unbelief. You are in danger. John 3:15 “Whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have eternal life.” John
5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in
Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has
passed from death into life.”
3. Thomas Was a Typical Disciple & Is a Challenging
Figure:
We tend to look down on him because of his fleshly demand, actually all
the other disciples were the same. Others, unnamed, were more praiseworthy. To
this point, everyone had seen, and then believed. Thomas shows us the deepest
unbelief he had been with Christ, seen His miracles. He shows us the greatest conversion, He shows
us the way - belief in Christ. Belief provides the greatest evidence.
Thomas
was a typical Disciple, and many who are part of the church and honoring a need
for discipling will run into this type of challenge. Jesus accepts no half-way
commitments, Thomas figured that out (Before it was too late!) "Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me."
What is the great lesson here? To believe without
having to see evidences and proof. To believe because of love and care and
because of the need and nature of the human heart. To believe because of the
need for morality and godly character. To believe because godly
witnesses say so. To believe because of the inner witness of the
heart.
Thomas ceased being obstinate and rebellious when he saw Jesus and after
Jesus had rebuked him. Thomas had been at fault; he had been faithless, and his
unbelief was inexcusable. The men who had proclaimed the truth to him were not
liars. Neither could they all have been deceived. Thomas had just refused to
believe because he did not want to believe. He had acted intellectually
superior and had been about to lose his soul.
Conclusion: 1 John
4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he
in God.”
The person who believes without seeing demonstrates ...
• a
strength of character.
• a tenderness and warmth of heart.
• a
sensitivity to the witness of the Holy Spirit.
• an awareness to the
order and beauty of all the world.
Therefore, that person will be blessed with
a very special joy, a joy unspeakable and full of glory. When a person truly
sees what Jesus has done, or when a person is rebuked by the Spirit of Christ, they
must cease their unbelief. You must turn to Christ, for the Lord's Spirit will
not always strive with men.
Thomas said, “Come on, get real!” Jesus said, “I am
real; see for yourself.” You say, “Come on, I can’t see: That this is real; how
this is going to work; Why something like this should make a difference; what
difference this can possibly make.” In most of life, to see is to believe. In
the spiritual life, to believe is to see. I am real see for yourself!
In : Sermon
Tags: "doubting thomas"
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