Introduction

Good morning, dear church family. It is a joy to gather with you today, to be united in our shared faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ. As we gather in His name, we come with hearts open and ready to receive His word. We come with our joys and our sorrows, our triumphs and our trials, knowing that in all things, God is with us. He is our strength, our comfort, our guide, and our hope.

Today, we turn our attention to a passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 19 through 31. Hear now the word of God:

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 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.'

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!' 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.'

Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'

Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Believing Beyond Boundaries

In the Gospel of John, we find the disciples in a state of fear and uncertainty. The doors are locked, their hearts are heavy, and their faith is being tested. Yet, in the midst of their fear, Jesus appears. He stands among them, showing them His wounds, speaking words of peace, and breathing on them the Holy Spirit. This is a powerful image of faith that transcends the physical and tangible. It's a faith that goes beyond what we can see, touch, or fully comprehend.

This is the type of faith that Jesus calls us to have. It's a faith that doesn't require physical proof or tangible evidence. It's a faith that believes in the unseen, the unprovable, the divine mysteries that are beyond our human understanding. It's a faith that trusts in the promises of God, even when those promises seem impossible or improbable. It's a faith that believes in the power of God, even when that power is not immediately apparent or visible.

This is the faith that Thomas struggled with. He wanted physical proof. He wanted to see the wounds, to touch the scars, to have tangible evidence of the resurrection. But Jesus calls him, and us, to a different kind of faith. A faith that doesn't need to see in order to believe. A faith that trusts in the word and promises of God, even when they go beyond our human understanding or experience.

This is not an easy faith. It's a faith that requires courage, trust, and perseverance. It's a faith that requires us to let go of our need for control, our desire for certainty, our reliance on the tangible and the provable. It's a faith that requires us to step out into the unknown, to trust in the unseen, to believe in the divine mysteries that are beyond our comprehension.

But this is also a faith that brings great rewards. It's a faith that brings peace, joy, and hope. It's a faith that brings us into a deeper relationship with God, a relationship that is not dependent on physical proof or tangible evidence, but on trust, love, and belief.

In the story of Thomas, we see the struggle and the reward of this kind of faith. We see the doubt, the desire for proof, the struggle to believe. But we also see the joy, the peace, the transformation that comes when we let go of our need for control and certainty, and trust in the promises of God.

This is the faith that Jesus calls us to. A faith that goes beyond boundaries, that transcends the physical and tangible, that believes in the unseen and the unprovable. It's a faith that trusts in the promises of God, even when those promises seem impossible or improbable. It's a faith that believes in the power of God, even when that power is not immediately apparent or visible.

Blessings for the Believers

The blessings that come to those who believe, even without seeing, are manifold ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO