Put your hand up if you have ever been through a hard time!!!
Most of us have been through some trials and difficulties.
Even when we were born it wasn’t easy.
let’s focus for a moment on the reading for today.
Thomas had been through a hard time.
He had just a few days earlier to this reading seen his leader – the one he had risked his life for – arrested – face a false trial and judgement and then he had had to undergo the guilt that comes with abandoning your closest friends during a time of trial – add to this the Crucifiction of Jesus – Jesus’ impeccable responses right through the process right up to his death – add in the powerful visual aids of the three hours of darkness – the earth shaking earthquake – the final moments of Jesus’ life his at last merciful death and dignified burial and you have Thomas a man whose life has gone through a massive downturn.
Then just as he begins to pick his emotions his feelings and indeed his life up off the floor – a group of the disciples come to him and tell him that Jesus is alive he has been seen and has been talking with the disciples.
Little wonder that Thomas in the midst of his depressing circumstances utters to his friends.
25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
Unless I see.
I don’t know the full mind set of Thomas at this time but Can’t we understand his emotions.
Sometimes when someone brings me some good news I say I don’t believe it.
Thomas is just like all of us.
Then of course he does see.
That which was hidden from him is now before him in undeniable reality.
This is no ghost no digitally enhanced image or whatever this si the risen Christ and there is no denying that immovable fact.
What happens next?
JN 20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
JN 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
JN 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Thomas sees and believes and Jesus tells Thomas:-
JN 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Well that sounds great it means that we who are Christians in the 21st century can claim that we are blessed by God and that blessing is great because we have not seen and have believed.
This morning I want us to consider the life of the early disci;les inclucding Thomas and to ask the question.
What does it mean to believe?
As one writer said:-
When we think of the Lord’s disciples. We have certain words that almost always go with them. We think of Judas Iscariot or Judas the Betrayer, we think of Peter denying Christ three times but also Peter the Rock that the church was build on, we think of the John, the one Jesus loves, and we also think of Thomas or as he is better known as Doubting Thomas.
But I want to suggest to you that Thomas is not really doubting thomas he is Believing Thomas.
Peter had his bad moment out in the courtyard where the rooster crowed three times thus signalling his prophesied betrayal. Thomas’ bad moment was in doubting the resurrection of Jesus at a low moment in his life.
But I think he should be called believing thomas and I believe that there are some key areas to believing that god is wanting us to culture in our own lives.
The first thing you learn about belief from thomas is that he was a worshipper of god and of Jesus –
11:16 Thomas . . . Didymus. The Hebrew word from which we get "Thomas" and the Greek word Didymus both mean "twin." We usually remember Thomas for his doubting, but he was also capable of devotion and courage.
As soon as thomas receives the revelation about Jesus’ resurrection this is what happens!
JN 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
My Lord and my God are the words of worship.
The revelation of Jesus resurrection leads Thomas to worship – of course that would be a slender lead in itself but the book o f Actys continues the account of the disciples and we find many examples of the disciples worshipping god.
For example Acts chapter 1 and verse 13 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Constantly in prayer – is a word that describes a believer of Jesus Christ.
Belief involves worship and it involves prayer.
For example part of most worship services involves believing God for answers to prayer.
Let me give you and example from the life of Smith Wigglesworth.
During the second world war, smith wigglesworth, though in his eighties, continued his soul winning ministry, preacghing wherever the lord led him, despite the difficulties and dangers of traveling in wartime Britain.
Petrol like food and clothes, wass strictly rationed, and allowance coupons carefully preserved. Thjere was a thriving black market for the commodity, and spivs around military bases made a lucaritive living bribing servicemen for supplies, and selling it at inflated prices.
To restrict the practice, and verify the origin of fuels such as petrol, diesel and paraffin, authorities dyed them according to their type, source, and location. So if a [policeman stopped someone and discovered they were using green petrol in a red zone, they were ‘nicked’. Naturally genuine Christians would have nothing to do with the black market, and only used their legitimate quota.
A Christian minister by the name of Harrison, who pastured a fellowship in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, had saved his petrol ration for a very special event. He’d secured the commitment ot the apostle of faith, Smith Wigglesworth to come and preach at his church, on condition that Harrison would pick him up from a previous preaching engagement in a neighbouring town.
All went well until the reached the middle of the Sherwood forest, famous for the legent of robin Hood. The two men squashed inside the tiny Morris eight sighed as the engine judderrred, spluttered, and finally stopped; out of fuel, still seventeen miles from their destination.
It was night time, with little prospect of help warrivint e3ven if anyone had petrol to spare.
Harrison had invited the world’s greatest preacher to visit his flock, yet stranded him in the middle of a dark forest slap in the middle of bomb blasted England.
What could he do.
Walk for help – find a phone?
Whilst Harrison Muulled over his options,. Wigglesworth had already received the solution from Head office.
‘AV y’got any water?’
“yes, I keep a can for topping up the radiator.”
“Puut it in t’petrol tank.” Ordered wigglesworth.
When Wigglesworth told people to do something; his bearing, auithority and stedfast faith, usually resulted in their speedy compliance.
Harrison obeyed – even though an egg cup of water can stop an engine.
He tipped his half gallon of water into the crs petrol tank.
Wigglesworth was calm and remained in his seat thanking god for another miracle.
Je’d been in this kind of situation countless times, and knew just how to overcome all obstacles.
Proverbs 2 verse 5 trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Wigglesworth had walked with god for decades, at a leval of rapport most believers cannot begin to imagine. Smith had learned the truth of this gospel fact:-
If you believe, yuou will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Matthew chapter 21 verse 22
Jesus promised it to his first disciples and it holds true for his disciples today and forever.
Harrison lunged the starting handle through half a turn with all his might. Silence.
Again he spun the handle the little Morris rocked on it’s leaf springs: wigglesworth impassive; believing, Still silence.
On the third cranking the 8 hp engine burbled miraculously into life. Harrison trotted amazed into the drivers seat. And pressed the throttle. The motor buzzed happily, and off they sped, reaching Sutton-in-Ashfield without furthur incident.
Wiglesworth arrived on time, where the Lord had sent him, and delivered the message of life.
Harrison had some of the liquid removed by a mechanic – it was pure petrol, not a trace of water. What’s more it was the correct colour for Nottinghamshire – green.
Jesus had not only turned water into petrol in response to Wigglesworth’s faith, but had even ensured it ws the legal colour too.
What is impossible with men’; is possible with God.
Luke chapter 18 verse 27. This introduces the second thing about Thomas’s believing.
He acted on what he believed. Belief is not academic it is practical applied trusting in the power of God.
We see this in the life of the Apostles of which Thomas was one:-
AC 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
We see in this group one of whom was Thomas living their lives based on the power of the resurrection.
You see to believe in God is to base our lives on his promises.
I want to state a theological fact here categorically
I want to quote that great student of the bible Derek Prince.
In the old Testament under Joshua, God Brought His people into a promised land. In the new Testament under jesus, God brings His people into a land of promises. The parallel is made more exact by the fact that ‘joshua’ and “Jesus’ are two different forms of the same name.
In the old Testament god showed Joshua the principle of active, personal;, appropriating faith, for he said in Joshua 1:3
“:every place that the sole of your feet will tread upon I have given you.
In the new Testament this principle remains the same. God says in effect:”Every promise that you personally appriopriate, I ghave given you.’
However it is necessary to add one word of warning; the great majority of god’s promises, in old and New Testament alike, are conditional. That is to say, there are conditions attatched, which must be fulfilled, before the promise can be claimed. For example in Psalm 37 verse 5 the Psalmist says:
Commit your way to the lord,
Trust also in Him
And He shall bring it to pass.
The promise here is And he shall bring it to pass – that is, “He shall worjk out the way of the believer for him. The two conditions which are stated first are; Commit your way and Trust also in Him. The word commit denotes a single definite act; the word ‘trust’ denoted a continuing attitude.
Thus the conditions attached to this promise may be interpreted as follows, first, make a single, definite act of commitment; second, thereafter maintain a continuing attitude of trust. When these two conditions have been fulfilled, the believer can then claim the ensuing promise.
He shall bring it to pass, in whatever way is appropriate to his own particualar situation.
This kind of active, appropriating faith it tne key to victoruious Christian living.
It must be based on the promises of God’s word, and it must follow the three successive steps; first, find the appropriate promise; second, fulfill akll the conditions attatched; third, claim the fulfillment of the promise.
Subject to these conditions, the scope of the Christian faith is as wide as the promises of god.
(end of Derek Prince.)
I have chosen two Christian giants of the 20 th century both now with the lord to quote to you this second principle of belief.
If you like Wigglesworths illustration is a practical demonstration of practical belief and Princes explanation is an explanation of what is happening in such an incident.
Why have I gone to wo much trouble – because I want you to understand that believing is applied faith – it starts with the mental – heart and spiritual assent but finds it’s fullest expression in the application of what is believed.
Failure to do that is a step short of what I undertstand Jesus is calling believing when he talks to Thomas – but note this it begins with Thomas seeing and believing and we must not dismiss or underrate the importance of that.
But in a sense Thomas authenticates his believe by living out what he has become convinced of.
My third comment about Thomas is that he was prepared to put his life on the line.
The third aspect of believing is self sacrifice.
Jesus said pick up your cross and follow him.
Thomas did that – Many historians think that Thomas was martyred in India - The Thomas church continues in India to this day. Whilst it seems that we can not prove this one way or another what we do know is that Thomas took his place with the apostles and stood shoulder to shoulder with them through the book of Acts boldly proclaiming the gospel with all the risk that accompanies that.
Whilst Thomas had his moment of doubts he was also a bold and valiant follower of jesus.
What we can learn from Him is that belief in jesus is definitely a verb.
In Thomas’ case it involved worship – practical application of his faith and He was prepared to pick up his cross and follow His master wherever it led.
Billy Graham once said:- When we speak of the Christian faith, we refer to certain beliefs and doctrines. These are of great importance, for Christian living presupposes the Christian conviction. But it is possible to have beliefs which do not find expression in conduct. This belief of the head is often confused with real faith. The simple truth is; one really only believes that which he acts on.
