Getting Your Faith Out Of The Tomb

GETTING YOUR FAITH OUT OF THE TOMB

JOHN 19:40 - 20:2, 19-30

I. THE EMPTY TOMB

A. The resurrection of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith

B. The thing I want to deal with is not the resurrection of Jesus but the dead faith of the disciples

C. It wasn’t the body of Jesus that was locked in the tomb but the faith of the disciples

II. HURTING, WOUNDED FAITH IN THE BELIEVER

A. These disciples had been with Jesus, heard His teaching, witnessed His power, received a greater revelation of Christ than others, were empowered to heal and cast out devils

B. Upon hearing the reports of Jesus being alive, all four gospels record they did not believe

-as the disciples left the tomb there were no shouts of victory, no song of joy, only silence, fear and unbelief

C. The death of Jesus had completely destroyed their hope, shattered their dreams and their faith was at an all time low (would we be any different?)

-think of all they had given up to follow Jesus, all they had witnessed, all they had dreamed about

-they were hiding behind closed doors, afraid to come out, afraid to believe, afraid to hope

-they couldn’t get passed all that had happened, they couldn’t leave it behind and move forward

-song - “Then Came the Morning” - They all walked away, there was nothing to say, they‘d just lost there dearest friend. All that He’d said and now He was dead, so this is the way it would end. The dreams they had dreamed were not what they seemed, now that He was dead and gone. The garden the jail, the hammer, the nails, how could a night be so long.”

-having others tell them He was alive nor hearing that Jesus had sent them a message helped

D. There are Christians whose faith has been heavily damaged by a bad experience, you’re confidence was shaken by something that went wrong

-not your saving faith but your faith for God to work or move in your situation, your ability to step out and trust Him like you once did

-something has happened that seems to have broken that bond of confidence you once had, you’re hiding behind closed doors, afraid to come out or let anyone in, can’t get passed it and get on with life

E. Hearing a testimony from someone with a similar experiences doesn’t help very much, having some one give you a scripture doesn’t help very much

F. What does it take to resurrect faith that has been hurt and wounded, hope that has been let down?

-it takes a personal encounter with the resurrected Christ

G. Jesus is able to walk through the walls to where your faith is entombed, just like He did for the disciples, and resurrect your faith, bring healing

III. DEAD FAITH OF THE UNBELIEVER

A. Today, the world is filled with millions of people who’s faith is locked away in a tomb of unbelief

-some of them you know personally - family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc

-Jesus has risen, He’s alive and well, He’s sitting at the Father’s right hand...but they don’t believe

B. They have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, therefore their faith is dead toward God

C. They may say “Oh, I believe in God” yet they remain hidden behind walls of unbelief, doors locked, shutters closed tight...refusing to go out or let anyone in

D. Just like Mary, you’ve shared your testimony, you’ve given them the word but still they don’t believe

E. The question that needs answering is - “How is dead faith, resurrected?”

-again, the answer is, a personal encounter with the resurrected Christ

F. Jesus is able to walk through the walls of hardness and unbelief, and reveal Himself as the resurrected savior

IV. THE KEY IS THE PRESENCE OF JESUS

A. The answer is the same for both - A personal encounter with the resurrected Christ

B. Resurrecting something dead is always a supernatural act of God

-well meaning friends can’t do it, people with good intentions can’t do it, caring family members can’t do it

C. It was always the presence of Christ that brought healing and life

-dead, leprous skin; dead, deaf ears; dead, blind eyes; dead, paralyzed limbs; dead bodies

D. They heard Mary’s testimony, they heard the message Jesus sent them but to no avail

E. The disciples had a personal encounter with Christ that resurrected their faith

-Mary, Two disciples on the road to Emmaus, 10 disciples, Thomas, Paul on the road to Damascus, etc

V. CONCLUSION

A. Jesus is still in the resurrection business

B. You may be here this morning and as a believer, your faith has been wounded and you’re hiding in a tomb of unbelief. Let Jesus touch your faith and make it whole