(We opened with a 50 seconds cut from Don Adams in “Get Smart” - the episode called “Mr. Big” found on youtube.com - where Maxwell Smart goes into his “Would You Believe” routine.)
“Would you believe?”
It was one of the funnier skits that Don Adams developed for his sitcom “Get Smart”. And what made his routine funny was the fact that his hero (Maxwell Smart) was attempting to strike fear into the heart of his adversaries by bluffing.
He spoke with confidence about something he knew wasn’t true. But when the enemy agent refused to believe his bluff, Smart would back off and say “Well, would you believe…” something else.
When Maxwell Smart asked “would you believe?”
He didn’t (believe)
ILLUS: In 2007, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a survey that discovered:
Amongst Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians, 25% (1 in 4) of those church members had doubts about the existence of God.
Among Jews the ratio was 6 out of 10 doubted God’s existence.
These are people who “belong” to a religious group.
They go to church, or the synagogue.
They support a ministry financially and in other ways.
But they have… doubts.
It’s almost as if their church was saying “would you believe”?
And they would reply:
“I have a hard time accepting that.”
Would you believe?
Well, not everyone does.
And sometimes, not even those who go to church believe.
But, of course, that almost seems illogical.
For someone who is “religious” – who goes to church – to have trouble believing God exists?
The Apostle John would be amazed at that.
Throughout his Gospel, John had an almost excessive emphasis on faith.
For example: John uses the Greek word “pisteuo” – which means “to believe” – nearly twice as much as the other 3 gospels combined.
And the Gospel of John is the only book of the Bible where we’re told
* For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son, that whoever BELIEVES in him shall not perish but have eternal life. … Whoever BELIEVES in him is not condemned, but whoever DOES NOT BELIEVE stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16 &18
It’s the only Gospel that tells us that Jesus said:
* Whoever BELIEVES in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38
* “I am the resurrection and the life. He who BELIEVES in me will live, even though he dies” 11:25
And… “… if you do not BELIEVE that I AM you will indeed die in your sins." 8:24
When John asked “Would you believe?” he wasn’t bluffing.
He wasn’t writing about something he didn’t believe.
He’d been with Jesus.
Listened to Him teach.
Watched Him perform miracles and heal the sick.
And, he’d watched Him die, and seen Him raised from the grave.
John was declaring to us: faith in the risen Savior is what makes us who we are. You cannot be a Christian if you DO NOT believe that God not only exists but that He sent His only begotten Son to die for your sins.
If you don’t believe that – you will die in your sins.
That’s what Jesus said.
Faith is essential if you’re going to be a Christian.
And John believed that so intensely, that he hammered home throughout his book.
(Pause…)
But then, John’s gospel is also the only one to tell us the story of Thomas.
Thomas was a lot like John.
He’d been one of the Apostles.
He had walked with Jesus too.
He’d listened to Jesus’ teachings
He’d loved Christ, and walked with Him wherever He went.
When Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem and it’s obvious that people there want to kill Him
“… Thomas...’said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” John 11:16
And when Jesus tells His disciples that “In my Father’s house there are many rooms”… and I’m going to prepare a place for you. And Jesus concluded by saying “You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:4
At that point – it’s Thomas that pipes up and says: "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" John 14:5
And Jesus responds: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
In Thomas we have the picture of a committed follower of Christ.
He loves Jesus.
He walks with Jesus.
He’s willing to suffer and even die for Jesus.
But he has some questions. He has some doubts.
Now, questions and doubts aren’t NECESSARILY bad things.
One scholar once noted that an “unexamined life” isn’t worth living.
If our faith is blind faith… where we NEVER examine what we believe and why we believe it… it has a tendency to be weak.
ILLUS: One of the preachers I study with noted that, in Bible College, it would irritate him when the other students would get in a discussion about a given topic. In the midst of the discussions where he would ask what they thought about a given idea, a lot of his fellow students would answer saying: “my preacher says” or “my folks said”.
And my friend would then challenge them: “I don’t know your folks, or your preacher. I want to know what YOU think.”
But his fellow students often didn’t know what they thought. They only knew what someone else believed.
Theirs was an inherited faith.
Theirs was a faith based on someone else’s theology… not on real personal belief.
That’s ok in so far as it goes – AND it’s not uncommon.
The younger we are in our faith, the more it is a faith based on the faith of others.
But if we don’t grow into having a personal faith - a faith that is OURS, not someone elses - it can end up being unreliable.
ILLUS: Another preacher talked about 3 of the youth in his church. They’d all read the book “The DaVinci Code” and their faith was shaken.
Now, the DaVinci Code is a terrible book… an evil book. And it’s evil because it has caused people to doubt their faith on accusations that have long ago been proven to be lies and falsehood.
But because these teens didn’t really know WHY they believed what they believed they were easy prey for a heretical book like that. And one of the kids left the church and walked away from Christ.
He walked away because his faith wasn’t really a personal faith.
False teachers and cult leaders COUNT on deceiving Christians who don’t know their faith and who don’t know WHY they believe what they believe.
All of us need to come to a point in our faith when it’s OUR faith.
We all need to come to the point where it isn’t all based on someone else’s belief
To a point where we’re excited about what WE believe.
ILLUS: In journalism, they have stories they call “Hey Martha” stories.
Do you know what a “Hey Martha” story is?
It’s an article in a magazine or a newspaper that’s so powerful that you can imagine a guy looking up from what he’s read and saying:
“Hey Martha – look at this!”
“Hey Martha – you’ve got to read this!”
“Hey Martha – would you believe….?”
Our goal as Christians is to get the point where we have a “Hey Martha” kind of faith.
We want to get to the point where we are so excited and consumed by our faith that we literally shout out:
”Hey Martha – look at what God said here”
“Hey Martha – Do you know what God has done for me today.”
“Hey Martha – Would you believe…”
Now, I do need to clarify something here.
My faith IS BUILT upon the witness of others.
My faith is built upon the words of Scripture…
… and upon the teachings of great preachers and teachers…
… and upon the faith of my parents
…and the faith of people I respect.
Paul tells us that our relationship with God is “…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20
Our faith is built upon the experiences and testimony of other people.
That’s where we get our information to build our personal faith on.
But Thomas wanted to skip over all that.
He didn’t want to even consider the testimony of his friends.
IF you got the impression that Jesus was chiding Thomas in the story in John 20 you’d be right.
Thomas was being unreasonable.
He had been confronted by the unwavering testimony of the 10 men who had been his closest companions for the past 3 years. Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Matthew, Andrew… they all told the same story. They were all excited and convinced of what they’ve seen.
And they ALL declare to Thomas: Would you believe? “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25)
But Thomas completely rejects their words.
(pause…)
Most us of remember the first words of Thomas’ response to their testimony:
"Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side…
But what really caught my attention were the last 5 words of his statement:
Unless I see and touch, “I will NOT believe it.” John 20:25
Whoa!
I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT???
Not, “I have my doubts,”
Not, “I’m having trouble accepting it”
Not, “You’ve got to be kidding me”
No --- I WILL NOT believe it!
That’s a dangerous way to deal with God.
I mean, doubt is one thing, but telling God what you’ll accept as proof is another thing entirely. Telling God to come down and settle things on your terms is not generally a good idea.
And so Jesus chides Thomas for his attitude. John 20:27 tells us Jesus said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
But, if Thomas was being so unreasonable with God… why would Jesus even bother to show him His wounds, and invite him to put his finger into the spear hole in his side? Why would Jesus give in to this demand of Thomas’.
Well, I got to wondering about this story.
I asked myself why Thomas would even say what he’d said.
I mean, his rigid refusal was so adamant, and he was so unbending in his words.
And then I realized it had only been a week now.
It was only a week ago that Jesus had died on the cross.
And it occurred to me that Thomas was probably a pretty angry man.
He’d followed Christ for 3 years of his life.
He adored Jesus so much that he was willing to go to Jerusalem and die with Him.
But then…Jesus was betrayed by Judas.
He was ridiculed and rejected by the crowds.
He was beaten and whipped by the Roman soldiers.
And finally, Jesus was put to death in one of the cruelest ways known to man.
And neither he nor his friends could do a thing to stop it.
They hadn’t even tried!
I suspect that may have been the reason he wasn’t there when Jesus showed up the 1st time. I don’t think he’d been out running an errand, or visiting a sick relative.
I think he was avoiding his friends.
He was angry and bitter and wanted to be away from them to sulk.
Thomas isn’t being belligerent toward God
And he’s not trying to be unreasonable.
He’s just so bewildered and dejected he’s not willing to accept anything less.
And so Jesus shows him mercy.
He gives Thomas what he needs right then.
He helps Thomas to go beyond an intellectual faith … to a personal faith.
And it’s such an overwhelming experience for Thomas that he falls to his knees and cries out
"My Lord and my God!" John 20:28
Jesus – you’re my Master… and you’re my God.
At that point, he truly believed and had been truly transformed.
CLOSE: Jesus told Thomas "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.". John 20:29
If you’re not a Christian this morning what does God need to do to convince you?
Have you come to God with an unreasonable demand?
Are you asking for proof that you’re pretty sure He wouldn’t give anyway?
Or are you hoping that He’ll come to you in a quiet moment and make Himself real to you?
What would it take for you to believe?
Would you believe?
As Jesus said in Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
