[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the first Sunday after Easter, the 12th of April, 2015.]
Last week we looked at the Resurrection Story from the first 18 verses of John’s Gospel chapter 20. Today we’ll continue that story, beginning with verse 19 and what followed in the days after Jesus’ resurrection.
Hear now the words from John’s Gospel account chapter 20, verses 19 through 29…
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
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.”
--John 20:19-29 (NKJV)
Let us pray... Father God, may Your Holy Spirit touch each heart this morning and move us forward in our spiritual maturity. Let each receive the message You have for us. And may we grow ever closer to You and our Master Jesus. In that most precious name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
A few minutes ago I told the kids that sometimes our brains can be tricked into believing that something we’re seeing is real, even when it can’t possibly be real. Well, sometimes we refuse to believe something is real, even when we see it with our own eyes.
"Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the book is about how everyone was convinced that a hurricane could never strike Galveston, even as one approached landfall. The author vividly describes how as the streets began to flood people went about their business as if nothing was wrong. Children played in the water, men gathered for breakfast at the local diner, and no one fled from the storm that was about to strike.
Some didn’t worry because Isaac Cline, the national weather service officer in Galveston, assured them it would not be a severe storm. Other’s simply believed that Galveston was invincible. Some thought that since they had never seen a hurricane strike Galveston one never would. So for a number of reasons, people assured themselves nothing bad would happen. And as a result over 6,000 people died one September day in 1900.
Today we can see storm clouds forming on the horizon. There is a moral and spiritual decline that continues to erode our national life. The warning signs are there for us to see - the signs that Jesus is coming soon. They beckon us to return to the Lord and seek refuge in Him. How will history look back on what we did as the storm approached?
This story brings to mind the days before the Great Flood and how the people must have reacted as Noah readied the ark. I can especially see the kids playing in the rain as the earth begins to flood.
What about us, today? Do we just go about our day to day lives thinking the end of the world won’t happen because it has never happened before? Are we playing in the streets, ignoring the coming threat to mankind?
We have our own “Isaac Cline’s”, who tell us that God loves us so much that even if something does happen it won’t be all that bad. We have those that say God loves us so much He’d never let anyone suffer, no matter what! They are basically saying that God won’t do what God has said He will do. Now I’m not one to second guess God, but I can find no instance in our Bible where He has not done exactly what He said He was going to do. So I would suggest we take no chances.
First we need to make sure our own lives are in order, because our Lord could return at any time now and take His church home. And I promise that is one ride we don’t want to miss.
But then, rather than just sit back and wait to see what happens next, we need to redouble our efforts to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and what He can offer the world before it is too late. We need to help save as much of mankind as possible while there is still time.
You may be scratching your head right now, wondering what any of that has to do with today’s scripture. Well, it’s all about needing proof. The people of Galveston had some measure of proof that a bad storm was coming, yet they simply ignored it. They refused to believe their own senses.
Thomas was surrounded by his closest friends, men and women he’d been traveling with for three years, yet he refused to believe them when they told him that Jesus was alive and among them again. No, he said, I won’t believe a word of it, not until I can see His scars, touch the holes the nails made in His hands. Until I can slip my hand into the hole the spear left in His side, I will not believe that it is Jesus who lives again. I want proof – cold, hard, irrefutable proof. I want proof that this is a hurricane, and not just a late summer shower.
I don’t think there is anyone here this morning that doesn’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of man, lived among men, died at their hands, was dead and buried, and then was bodily resurrected from the grave by God His Father and taken back home to heaven. But why do we believe this? I mean, it’s a very good thing that we believe, but we should also be sure of why we believe.
Is it just because that’s what we’ve been told all our lives and our parents or the preacher would never lead us wrong? If you’ve been brought up in the church, if your parents pretty much made sure you went every Sunday and you attended Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and any other church-related activity available, then you may have never had a moment’s doubt about what you had been taught, you never doubted Jesus and you wonder how anyone could. Or maybe Jesus has touched your life somewhere along the line and had such a profound influence over you that there is no way you could ever doubt Him again.
The young Pharisee named Saul never knew Jesus personally, never walked with Him on His travels, never talked with Him, never even listened to Him during one of His lectures that we know about. Yet Jesus came to Saul on the dusty road to Damascus one afternoon in such a blinding glory that the man Paul who came forth from that encounter was so dramatically changed that he could never doubt just who Jesus truly is. Jesus touched his spirit and he was never the same again.
How many of us have had a similar experience? How many have been so strongly, completely, thoroughly impacted by the actions of our Lord Jesus Christ on our lives that we have no doubt whatsoever that He lives and that He is God!!!
But there are so many countless others that have not had either of those experiences – they weren’t brought up so closely in the church and they haven’t felt Jesus touch their lives. How do we help them come to see the truth when we can offer no hard, irrefutable proof, no firm evidence of Jesus as God?
The easy answer is to let them see Jesus in us. That would require, of course, that He can be seen in us, that He is manifested in how we live our lives. If we love Jesus, if we follow Him, we will obey His commandments, especially the part about loving one another. That’s how people can see Jesus in us, in how we love one another - truly love, unconditionally love. Meaning we don’t talk nasty to or about other folks, even in joking. We practice what we preach rather than caution others to “do as I say not as I do”.
I can’t show you the nailed-scarred hands of my risen Savior. I can’t let you touch those beautiful hands that reach out to even a sinner like me. But I can show you the same love He shows me. I can show you His heart by showing you mine.
The storm clouds are forming, the rain is starting to fall. Are we ready? If you’re not sure, if you have doubts, if you haven’t yet given yourself over completely to Jesus to rule your life and be your Master, then please come see me just as soon as you can.
Don’t wait – don’t hesitate too long. The clouds are churning, there on the horizon.
What more proof do we need? John concludes chapter 20 of his Gospel by acknowledging that he could have provided even more. Listen to the end of the chapter, verses 30 and 31…
A few minutes ago I told the kids that sometimes our brains can be tricked into believing that something we’re seeing is real, even when it can’t possibly be real. Well, sometimes we refuse to believe something is real, even when we see it with our own eyes.
"Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the book is about how everyone was convinced that a hurricane could never strike Galveston, even as one approached landfall. The author vividly describes how as the streets began to flood people went about their business as if nothing was wrong. Children played in the water, men gathered for breakfast at the local diner, and no one fled from the storm that was about to strike.
Some didn’t worry because Isaac Cline, the national weather service officer in Galveston, assured them it would not be a severe storm. Other’s simply believed that Galveston was invincible. Some thought that since they had never seen a hurricane strike Galveston one never would. So for a number of reasons, people assured themselves nothing bad would happen. And as a result over 6,000 people died one September day in 1900.
Today we can see storm clouds forming on the horizon. There is a moral and spiritual decline that continues to erode our national life. The warning signs are there for us to see - the signs that Jesus is coming soon. They beckon us to return to the Lord and seek refuge in Him. How will history look back on what we did as the storm approached?
This story brings to mind the days before the Great Flood and how the people must have reacted as Noah readied the ark. I can especially see the kids playing in the rain as the earth begins to flood.
What about us, today? Do we just go about our day to day lives thinking the end of the world won’t happen because it has never happened before? Are we playing in the streets, ignoring the coming threat to mankind?
We have our own “Isaac Cline’s”, who tell us that God loves us so much that even if something does happen it won’t be all that bad. We have those that say God loves us so much He’d never let anyone suffer, no matter what! They are basically saying that God won’t do what God has said He will do. Now I’m not one to second guess God, but I can find no instance in our Bible where He has not done exactly what He said He was going to do. So I would suggest we take no chances.
First we need to make sure our own lives are in order, because our Lord could return at any time now and take His church home. And I promise that is one ride we don’t want to miss.
But then, rather than just sit back and wait to see what happens next, we need to redouble our efforts to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and what He can offer the world before it is too late. We need to help save as much of mankind as possible while there is still time.
You may be scratching your head right now, wondering what any of that has to do with today’s scripture. Well, it’s all about needing proof. The people of Galveston had some measure of proof that a bad storm was coming, yet they simply ignored it. They refused to believe their own senses.
Thomas was surrounded by his closest friends, men and women he’d been traveling with for three years, yet he refused to believe them when they told him that Jesus was alive and among them again. No, he said, I won’t believe a word of it, not until I can see His scars, touch the holes the nails made in His hands. Until I can slip my hand into the hole the spear left in His side, I will not believe that it is Jesus who lives again. I want proof – cold, hard, irrefutable proof. I want proof that this is a hurricane, and not just a late summer shower.
I don’t think there is anyone here this morning that doesn’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of man, lived among men, died at their hands, was dead and buried, and then was bodily resurrected from the grave by God His Father and taken back home to heaven. But why do we believe this? I mean, it’s a very good thing that we believe, but we should also be sure of why we believe.
Is it just because that’s what we’ve been told all our lives and our parents or the preacher would never lead us wrong? If you’ve been brought up in the church, if your parents pretty much made sure you went every Sunday and you attended Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and any other church-related activity available, then you may have never had a moment’s doubt about what you had been taught, you never doubted Jesus and you wonder how anyone could. Or maybe Jesus has touched your life somewhere along the line and had such a profound influence over you that there is no way you could ever doubt Him again.
The young Pharisee named Saul never knew Jesus personally, never walked with Him on His travels, never talked with Him, never even listened to Him during one of His lectures that we know about. Yet Jesus came to Saul on the dusty road to Damascus one afternoon in such a blinding glory that the man Paul who came forth from that encounter was so dramatically changed that he could never doubt just who Jesus truly is. Jesus touched his spirit and he was never the same again.
How many of us have had a similar experience? How many have been so strongly, completely, thoroughly impacted by the actions of our Lord Jesus Christ on our lives that we have no doubt whatsoever that He lives and that He is God!!!
But there are so many countless others that have not had either of those experiences – they weren’t brought up so closely in the church and they haven’t felt Jesus touch their lives. How do we help them come to see the truth when we can offer no hard, irrefutable proof, no firm evidence of Jesus as God?
The easy answer is to let them see Jesus in us. That would require, of course, that He can be seen in us, that He is manifested in how we live our lives. If we love Jesus, if we follow Him, we will obey His commandments, especially the part about loving one another. That’s how people can see Jesus in us, in how we love one another - truly love, unconditionally love. Meaning we don’t talk nasty to or about other folks, even in joking. We practice what we preach rather than caution others to “do as I say not as I do”.
I can’t show you the nailed-scarred hands of my risen Savior. I can’t let you touch those beautiful hands that reach out to even a sinner like me. But I can show you the same love He shows me. I can show you His heart by showing you mine.
The storm clouds are forming, the rain is starting to fall. Are we ready? If you’re not sure, if you have doubts, if you haven’t yet given yourself over completely to Jesus to rule your life and be your Master, then please come see me just as soon as you can.
Don’t wait – don’t hesitate too long. The clouds are churning, there on the horizon.
What more proof do we need? John concludes chapter 20 of his Gospel by acknowledging that he could have provided even more. Listen to the end of the chapter, verses 30 and 31…
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
--John 20:30-31 (NKJV)
John felt certain he had already given us enough proof to believe in the risen and living Jesus, and I agree with him. The Gospels were all written and spread throughout the known world during the lifetimes of many who would have witnessed the things John and his fellows wrote about, including our Lord’s resurrection. Yet none of these people refuted what was written. Not one.
All of this was written - and preserved for two thousand years now! – so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and in believing, that we may have everlasting life in the name of Jesus our Christ.
We have not seen, yet we believe. And so we are blessed – Jesus Himself says it is so. Praise be to God!
Praise be to Christ Jesus!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, this is such a beautiful time of year. All around us is renewal, and we can’t help but feel renewed ourselves. Blossoms all around, birdsong fills the air, and we are so happy to be alive! Lord, we can’t help but know that Spring is here because it affects all five senses. The sights, the aromas, the tastes, the sounds, the soft caress of warm sun-filled breezes all serve to whisk us out of our winter doldrums and into a new world, a new life. Just as Your Son Jesus whisked us out of our old, dark life of sin into a new and joyous life with You and Him.
We are so blessed, Father, that Christ Jesus would love us so much He gave His all for us, just so that we may believe. We are blessed by the writings of John and Paul and all those who filled our Bible with Your words. And we are yet more blessed because through all this we choose to acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Your resurrected Son, as our Lord and Master, as our one true Redeemer and Savior, even though we never saw Him with our eyes, even though we never saw Him working miracles in person, even though we never touched His nail scarred hands. Thank You, Father God! Thank You, Lord Jesus!
Father, we pause for a moment to speak to You silently from our hearts, to offer our thanks, to offer our repentance. Lord Jesus, if there is anyone with us this morning who still has doubts, who is still waiting for further proof that You live even to this day, then speak to them, please Lord. Let them see Your hands and Your side, that they might also believe. Let them look up from the foot of Your cross and see Your radiant face smiling down on them. Hear us now, O Lord. Speak to us now, O Lord…
Father God, You are gracious, You are merciful, and You are generous. You give us all we need and then bless us even more because we believe in Your Son even though we lack physical evidence. He is our Lord and our Master – of that we have no doubt. Thank You, Jesus, for the great sacrifice You made on our behalf, just so we may believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life in Your name.
In Your most blessed name, Jesus we pray. Amen.
All of this was written - and preserved for two thousand years now! – so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and in believing, that we may have everlasting life in the name of Jesus our Christ.
We have not seen, yet we believe. And so we are blessed – Jesus Himself says it is so. Praise be to God!
Praise be to Christ Jesus!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, this is such a beautiful time of year. All around us is renewal, and we can’t help but feel renewed ourselves. Blossoms all around, birdsong fills the air, and we are so happy to be alive! Lord, we can’t help but know that Spring is here because it affects all five senses. The sights, the aromas, the tastes, the sounds, the soft caress of warm sun-filled breezes all serve to whisk us out of our winter doldrums and into a new world, a new life. Just as Your Son Jesus whisked us out of our old, dark life of sin into a new and joyous life with You and Him.
We are so blessed, Father, that Christ Jesus would love us so much He gave His all for us, just so that we may believe. We are blessed by the writings of John and Paul and all those who filled our Bible with Your words. And we are yet more blessed because through all this we choose to acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Your resurrected Son, as our Lord and Master, as our one true Redeemer and Savior, even though we never saw Him with our eyes, even though we never saw Him working miracles in person, even though we never touched His nail scarred hands. Thank You, Father God! Thank You, Lord Jesus!
Father, we pause for a moment to speak to You silently from our hearts, to offer our thanks, to offer our repentance. Lord Jesus, if there is anyone with us this morning who still has doubts, who is still waiting for further proof that You live even to this day, then speak to them, please Lord. Let them see Your hands and Your side, that they might also believe. Let them look up from the foot of Your cross and see Your radiant face smiling down on them. Hear us now, O Lord. Speak to us now, O Lord…
Father God, You are gracious, You are merciful, and You are generous. You give us all we need and then bless us even more because we believe in Your Son even though we lack physical evidence. He is our Lord and our Master – of that we have no doubt. Thank You, Jesus, for the great sacrifice You made on our behalf, just so we may believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life in Your name.
In Your most blessed name, Jesus we pray. Amen.
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