Christ's Resurrection Dispels Thomas' Doubt

Title: “Christ’s Resurrection Dispels Thomas’ Unbelief” Script. John 20:24-30

Type: Easter/Evangelistic Where: GNBC Easter 2025

Intro: “He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!” That is the triumphant declaration of Christians worldwide on this Easter Sunday morning. However, in spite of our belief in the resurrection, not all individuals adhere to this historical fact. A poll by the University of Ohio in 2006 (Tuscon.com) demonstrated that only 36% of respondents seemed to believe in the veracity of the Res of Jesus. However, since the end of Covid lockdowns, something incredible has been happening in both the USA and UK. In reading from at least 4 polls taken in the past two years a massive increase in belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ has taken place. In these polls, anywhere from 57%-68% of respondents (In both countries!) now say they believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (Daily Signal 3-28-24; Lifeway Research 4-5-23; Christian Index 3-25-24; ICN). In fact, in one poll, 12% of British atheists believe Christ rose from the dead! Another phenomenon that is happening since the end of lockdowns is what has been termed “The Silent Revival”. Again, in both the USA and UK, and as we have seen at Good News, young men ages 18-28 yrs of age are attending church at a rate that is 4X that of the numbers of 2018! It seems as though all the inspirational placebos Western Culture had attempted to use to meet these men’s deepest needs stopped working when facing isolation, loneliness, purposelessness and hopelessness. But the Resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks hope just as much today as it did 2000 years ago that first Res. morning. In today’s message, we’ll look at someone who initially couldn’t quite believe the “Good News”, the disciple Thomas.

Prop: Exam. John 20 we see 3 pictures of Xst’s Res. Moving Thomas from Unbelief to Faith.

BG: 1. The story we look at today has three different time elements involved. Resurrection Sunday evening in a locked and fear-filled upper room in Jerusalem, sometime a bit later in that upper room when Thomas returns, and about a week later when Jesus confront Thomas’ unbelief with evidence of His resurrection.

2.

Prop: Exam. John 20 we’ll see 3 pictures of Xst’s Res. Moving Thomas from Unbelief to Faith.

I. First Picture: Jesus Appears in Thomas’ Absence. Vv.19-23

A. Our Sermon Begins in a Tightly Locked Room with Thomas, our Protagonist Absent.

1. Doubts are often fed by self-imposed isolation and separation.

a. Our story begins Easter Sunday evening in a locked and fear-filled Upper Room somewhere in the city of Jerusalem. On Friday, the hopes and dreams of the disciples and thousands of others had been cruelly dashed with Christ’s death sentence as a result of the kangaroo courts of the Sanhedrin and Pilate. The only completely innocent man in all of history was scourged and mocked, sentenced to die, and cruelly crucified on a cross. Now it is Sunday, and some of the women and some of the disciples have already been to the tomb. There was no corpse and angelic messengers stated that Jesus had risen from the dead. What was this group to believe?

b. V.19 – In this locked room the gathered group is shocked to see in their midst their Savior who they saw dead on Friday! Illust: IN the past few weeks I’ve attended 3 funerals. I never expect to see those individuals again in this lifetime. But what if I did?! SHOCK! Fear? What does Jesus declare to his flabbergasted flock? PEACE! Shalom! In this we see evidence of some of the differences as well as similarities between physical body before and after resurrection.

2. Thomas neither understood nor accepted the teaching of the Bible.

a. John 20:9 states, “For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” In fact, none of them understood why Jesus had to die, let alone rise from the dead. Jesus rebuked the men on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:25-27), “And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

b. Many of our doubts stem from the same cause: we do not understand the Scriptures. Frankly, there are many hard teachings in the Bible, some of which we won’t resolve until we are with the Lord. We have to trust God, even when we don’t understand. Mysteries abound in this life and we must trust Christ.

B. The Personal, Post-Resurrection appearance of Christ Resulted in Unreserved Rejoicing!