1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,960 Our scripture reading from today comes from the Gospel of John 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:12,960 chapter 20, verses 19 through 13, 31 rather 19 through 31. 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:16,800 Thank you. On the evening of that day, the 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,000 first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,480 were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:29,360 said to them, Peace be with you. When He had said this, He showed 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,480 them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad 8 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:38,000 when they saw the Lord Jesus said to them again, Peace be 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,640 with you. As the Father has sent me, Even 10 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,000 so I am sending you. And when he had said this, he 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,480 breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. 12 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,000 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,000 If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. 14 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,800 Now Thomas, one of the 12 called the twin, was not with them when 15 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,720 Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 16 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:10,760 We have seen the Lord, but he said to them, unless I see in 17 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,840 his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the 18 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:20,160 mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, I will never 19 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:25,000 believe. 8 days later his disciples were inside again and 20 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,360 Thomas was with him. Although the doors were locked, 21 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,400 Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. 22 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,760 Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, 23 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,440 and put out your hands and place it in my side. 24 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:50,520 Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and 25 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,880 my God, Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have 26 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,360 seen me? Blessed are those who have not 27 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,960 seen and yet have believed. Now Jesus did many other signs 28 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,120 in the presence of the disciples, which are not written 29 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,000 in this book, but these are written so that you may believe 30 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,240 that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by 31 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,560 believing you may have life in his name. 32 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,280 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God you may be 33 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:32,280 seated. Last week, Robbie brought to us 34 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:38,360 a sermon about the resurrection itself, the the the place and 35 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,840 time, the event that took just before our verses from today. 36 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,760 And I think we're meant to actually understand this 37 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:51,720 particular passage by understanding where it sits in 38 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,760 the narrative of the Gospel of John. 39 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,960 I was reminded of my elementary education where we're learned or 40 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,960 taught to see how a narrative forms, right. 41 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,800 You have kind of the introduction with the prologue 42 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,480 in the Gospel of John. And you're, that's where you're 43 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,160 introduced into a story and what's happening and perhaps 44 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,880 even the, the tension, that great idea of that, what the, 45 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,360 what is the big problem that's meant to be solved as introduced 46 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,400 there. And then as the narrative climbs 47 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,640 along, you see this rising tension that's building up and 48 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:28,560 building up and building up until that moment of release 49 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,920 when the problem is solved, the climax of the story. 50 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,120 And then everything that happens after that is just sort of the 51 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:43,520 falling action of that story. We are at the climax of the 52 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,240 Gospel of John and yes, the resurrection is certainly that 53 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,280 point because we are very, it's very clear as the gospel of the 54 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,600 Gospel writer, John is writing this narrative that he is 55 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,400 pointing us to the resurrection, that time just slows down and 56 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,760 that holy we can like it does in any of the other gospels. 57 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,040 And yet many have actually argued that the tension is 58 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:13,160 actually still rising here until this moment of this encounter 59 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,800 with Jesus and Thomas in our passage today. 60 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:20,680 And then, you know, we had those verses that I come after that, 61 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,800 that sort of begin to resolve that tension. 62 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,400 And we'll go into the chapter 21 next week too, and we'll see 63 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:29,640 more of that resolution of that tension. 64 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,960 But why is it that this, the, the John would kind of write all 65 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,280 of this, this rising tension up to this point of this moment of 66 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:44,800 this interaction with Thomas? He even begins this portion of 67 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,920 talking about fear with the disciples. 68 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:54,920 And I think it's to point us to the fact that the, the height, 69 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:02,560 the climax of the story is God meeting us as his disciples in 70 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:09,120 our fear, in our doubts. It's that blessed belief of 71 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:13,120 eternal peace. So we're going to look at this 72 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:18,280 this this passage in three movements, fear, doubt, and 73 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:23,440 eternal peace picking up in verse 19. 74 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:29,160 This is the Sunday after the resurrection, verse 18, just 75 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:33,400 before Mary Magdalene had just seen Jesus after going to him, 76 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,880 running to the tomb. Remember, as Robbie showed us, 77 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:38,720 Peter and John were there as well. 78 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:44,680 They ran to the tomb, but they actually never saw the risen 79 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,000 Christ. They saw the evidences of his 80 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,400 resurrection. And the text just tells us from 81 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:55,120 that point on, they believed, even says that they, they, they 82 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,720 believed this new evidences and they, they actually the stone 83 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,920 being rolled away, the burial cloth folded, they believed they 84 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:06,160 went back to their homes. But see here we have from the 85 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,600 beginning of Jesus's coming to the disciples, Jesus did not 86 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:18,120 just leave them with belief. He pursued them with who he was. 87 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,800 He wanted to leave them not just with head knowledge of who he 88 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,880 was and the power of his resurrection. 89 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:29,240 He wanted to leave them with a transforming presence of 90 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,200 himself, the transforming presence himself, as he said to 91 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:39,520 Mary in that previous passage, not to cling to him, but be to 92 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,880 be commissioned by him. He said told Mary, right, He is 93 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:45,560 ascending. That was the word, the phrase he 94 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:46,840 used. He is ascending. 95 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,400 It's this period of time that we're waiting for his ascension, 96 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,320 but that he has work to do before his ascension is 97 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,880 complete. He actually commissioned Mary to 98 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:01,320 tell this to his disciples. Don't cling to me, for I am 99 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,360 ascending. Even though Peter and John 100 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,680 believe they had not yet seen Jesus in his person risen from 101 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:14,920 the dead, this is actually a very important facets of 102 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,200 apostleship. We're going to go inside a 103 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,840 little bit later when we talk about Thomas and his doubt. 104 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:25,760 But the apostles had to see the physical presence of our Lord 105 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,560 Jesus risen, and that's what they were commissioned to do as 106 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,400 apostle. That's the defining principle of 107 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:38,040 being an apostle that they saw the risen Christ face to face. 108 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,480 It's an it's the defining part of being an apostle as well as 109 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,840 writing much of our scripture as well. 110 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,040 But they said here from the very get go were were brought into 111 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,000 their fear for the fear of the Jews. 112 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,400 That's why the door was locked. And what are we to make of the 113 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,480 disciples fear? What are we to make of the 114 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:07,320 locked door? We have passed from the morning 115 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,400 of belief to this evening of waiting. 116 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:17,520 Mary told them they were to wait because Jesus was ascending and 117 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:25,320 they're locked behind the door. Jesus writes down the I'm sorry, 118 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,560 John writes down the reason for the locked door. 119 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,840 Inspired by the Holy Spirit for the fear of the Jews. 120 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:35,840 I believe to simply tell us that the disciples fears in our fears 121 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:42,039 are met with a person of Jesus. There's a miracle here that we 122 00:08:42,039 --> 00:08:45,280 don't have quite all the details about how Jesus got behind the 123 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,800 locked door. Did the locked door miraculously 124 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,320 become unlocked? Did he pass through? 125 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,520 We don't have those details from the text, but Jesus did 126 00:08:54,520 --> 00:09:00,240 miraculously appear in his resurrected body to show us the 127 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:06,040 amazing love of God that meets us exactly where our fears have 128 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,360 us. He knew Jesus knew who he wanted 129 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:13,400 to be his disciples, and he knew their fear and that miraculous 130 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,600 love is what made them meet together. 131 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:21,200 The disciples fears are political, but also related to a 132 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,200 legitimate fear of their own death. 133 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,600 They had just seen Jesus killed for his message. 134 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:33,360 They knew that the Jews had done this, and if they were to preach 135 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,640 the Kingdom of his resurrected power, they knew that they would 136 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:41,800 be targets of that ire as well and, and, and perhaps put to 137 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:47,240 death as well. We are probably not fearing the 138 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,480 loss of our lives. Some may be, but most likely 139 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,520 we're not fearing that loss of our lives, particularly as we 140 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,560 contemplate the implications of believing in the resurrection. 141 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,640 But we do still have fears of what it would mean for us to 142 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:08,360 truly respond the way that we see God leading to leading us to 143 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,000 in light of the resurrection. We probably would not lose our 144 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:19,040 lives or even fear losing our lives, but we probably do fear 145 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:25,520 losing some comfort. What if we lived radically 146 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,800 generous lives, Radically generous lives, because we 147 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,640 understood that Jesus's death and resurrection called us to 148 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,400 join him in the renewal of all things, including the reaching 149 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,600 of unreached people groups, people who have no access to the 150 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:49,160 gospel or no vibrant gospel outreach in their language or 151 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,600 culture. And yes, these people groups 152 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:59,640 still do exist today. What if we stopped ourselves 153 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,960 from fearing of the comfort that we may lose of engaging with 154 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:09,920 that idea in prayer and giving and perhaps even going to saying 155 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,520 that it could be God calling us to do that. 156 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,680 To move to a spot on the other side of the world. 157 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:22,000 To sell our properties, To say goodbye to lucrative careers, 158 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,080 say goodbye to relationships that are precious to us, that 159 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,480 means so much to us. And to do something that would 160 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:33,640 make zero sense to the rest of the world living around us. 161 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:40,400 All because we are compelled by Jesus death and resurrection to 162 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:44,960 do so. God may not be calling you to do 163 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:51,200 that, but even as I postulate how we could respond in faith to 164 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,000 His death and resurrection, I want you to be honest with your 165 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,480 heart about what makes you fearful. 166 00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:59,680 How would you feel if Jesus were calling you to do that? 167 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,120 And would you follow Him in that way? 168 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,760 We may not fear losing our lives, but we may fear losing 169 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:10,840 the approval of those we want it from. 170 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,240 As we contemplate the resurrection. 171 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:19,040 God is asking you to give testimony to His death and 172 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:20,560 resurrection to those around you. 173 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,480 Your neighbors that live on your block, your Co workers, those 174 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:32,680 who you do business transactions with, your classmates, your 175 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:35,120 friends, your regular connections that you see in your 176 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,840 day-to-day interactions around you here in Dallas. 177 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,840 How are you feeling as you think about giving testimony to the 178 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,600 seeing the risen Christ to meeting him? 179 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,040 You might be worried about your reputation. 180 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:55,480 You might be worried, as I think I listed all those 181 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:57,760 relationships, about the time it would take, what would it would 182 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:02,520 take from you to actually give a fruitful and effective witness 183 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,400 to who Jesus was. You might fear what it can mean 184 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:14,640 for your reputation. We're just meant to see the fear 185 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:16,880 of the disciples were meant to relate to it. 186 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:23,280 The disciples locked the door to Jesus resurrection power in our 187 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:28,760 lives. And yet the compelling love of 188 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,960 Christ. God meets us where we are at. 189 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,520 If God is commissioning you to do something, if He is calling 190 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,600 you to something in response to His death and resurrection, He 191 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:47,480 will meet you in your deepest fears in that place and in that 192 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:53,520 places where He commissions us to do the work we see here and 193 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,160 immediately to response to that fear. 194 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,280 Jesus's first words to the disciples in this particular 195 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,440 text. Peace be with you. 196 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:09,120 It's a phrase that's repeated 3 times in short space here in 197 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:10,840 this in this section of the gospel. 198 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,480 It's a very simple greeting. Actually, it would have been 199 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,240 something that just would have been a very common greeting of 200 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:19,760 the time. Peace be with you. 201 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,920 But these disciples would have known immediately what Jesus was 202 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,280 referring to. He's taking them back to the 203 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:32,120 upper room discourse. Remember John chapter 14? 204 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,320 I'm going to read to you verses 25 through through 29. 205 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,200 This is John 14. These things I have spoken to 206 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,200 you, why I'm still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, 207 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,800 whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all 208 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:48,360 things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said 209 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:52,160 to you. Verse 27, Peace I leave with 210 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,520 you. My peace I give to you. 211 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,040 Not as the world gives do I give to you. 212 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,800 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 213 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,520 You heard me say, I am going away and I will come to you. 214 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,440 If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I'm going to 215 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,760 the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 216 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:18,000 And now I have told you before it takes place that when it does 217 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:26,800 take place, you may believe. Amazing how slow, how patience, 218 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,320 how gracious our King Jesus is with us. 219 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,240 He taught the disciples these things before this moment and 220 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,080 that phrase. Peace be with you was meant to 221 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:42,400 elicit all that He had taught them in the upper room. 222 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,000 You see, if God is calling us to something deeper, if God is 223 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,520 calling our hearts and compelling us to live lives, 224 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:57,640 maybe even radical lives, He does so through His peace, 225 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,880 through this quiet internal calling in our hearts that He 226 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,760 then confirms an external calling through His church. 227 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,120 And I remember He does not give us peace as the world gives. 228 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:17,000 He gives us peace based on other worldly terms, knowing that our 229 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,160 eternal life is meant and hidden in Him. 230 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:26,520 And after peace be with you. In verse 20, He then identifies 231 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:33,160 who he is by his wounds. Now this is not just the 232 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:39,640 identity of who Jesus is, Jesus Christ who died for their sins, 233 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:45,880 wounded on the cross, but his wounds are also a symbol of his 234 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:52,320 victory, the source of the peace that those disciples have come 235 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,480 from, both his identification and his victory. 236 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:03,960 This is the wounded God man. And immediately into verses 21 237 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,880 through 23, we have again the repetition, peace be with you. 238 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:16,560 And we have this otherworldly commissioning that Jesus gives 239 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,880 to his disciples as the Father has sent me. 240 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:27,599 Even so, I am sending you in this moment of fear, what we'll 241 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:33,200 see in this moment of talents. Jesus as as our brother, as our 242 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,440 older brother, is allowing us to be identified with him. 243 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,960 His identity and his victory is not just him, but he is bringing 244 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,920 us into the Godhead. As the Father is sending me, so 245 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:53,960 I am sending you. He is reaching down and showing 246 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,400 them their mission and lifting them up in that mission by 247 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:02,040 identifying them with Christ. And so I see here from the 248 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:07,400 beginning that our identity in Christ and our mission in Christ 249 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:13,960 can't be separated. If you are in Christ, you have 250 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,160 been engrafted into this sending. 251 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:23,120 You might reject it, you might not want it, but that is part of 252 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:28,280 the deal. We see Jesus identity and his 253 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:30,440 victory and he's bringing us into it. 254 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:37,360 And verse 23, or rather verse 22 first, well, I can't pass over 255 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:39,000 this. When he had said this, he 256 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,800 breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. 257 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,720 Now this is not to say that the Holy Spirit hadn't always been 258 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:51,480 present amongst them. We know that to be true based on 259 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:53,640 Jesus's other teachings. But there's a special moment 260 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:56,280 here where Jesus is saying something special is happening 261 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,000 here. It's a foretaste of what's to 262 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,880 happen at Pentecost in the book of Acts, but I also believe it 263 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:09,000 marks these disciples as Christ's apostles, those who saw 264 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:10,720 him in person. Remember, that is an important 265 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:12,880 part, the apostleship that we need to see. 266 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:20,960 They they saw Jesus face to face and then in verse 23, their 267 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:27,560 authority to forgive sins or to retain them, that is to withhold 268 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,200 forgiveness. That's not to say that there's 269 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,000 some sort of special power with the apostles that only that they 270 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,760 are allowed to forgive sins or that it comes through them. 271 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,200 But he is saying that this ministry of forgiveness, the 272 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:45,480 forgiveness of sins that can only come to the cleansing blood 273 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:49,080 of Christ. That message is passed down 274 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,920 through Jesus's people, first to the apostles, but then as the 275 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,640 apostles spread that testimony to the church. 276 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:06,160 This would have brought us back to John 17 verses 17 through 21. 277 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:09,920 Jesus said St. This is his prayer, His high 278 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,080 priestly prayer. Sanctify them in the truth. 279 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:14,720 Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, 280 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:18,640 so I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I 281 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:23,200 consecrate myself that they also may be sanctified in truth. 282 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:28,520 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who believe in me 283 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:32,640 through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, 284 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,560 Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so 285 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,680 that the world may believe that you have sent me. 286 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:45,360 Jesus continues to just enlighten the disciples and 287 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:48,800 illuminate through His simplicity here in John 20 of 288 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,240 what He's already taught them in the upper room. 289 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,520 And now let's move to this, this series of doubts, how we used to 290 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,400 understand this interaction with Thomas and and Jesus. 291 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,800 And I think the big question here is this intellectual 292 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:11,040 disbelief or is Thomas's doubt more likely should be classified 293 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:16,680 as a conditional faith? You know, intellectual how 294 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,240 distinguishment is to intellectual disbelief might 295 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:23,200 just be it's hard to arise to that level of faith. 296 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,080 Thomas is not quite sure how to handle these kind of questions 297 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:32,200 that are coming at him or sort of a conditional faith. 298 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,040 Is Thomas sort of drawing the line in the sand and saying 299 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,000 you're calling me to believe, but I just can't do it unless 300 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,000 Jesus, you allow me to do this thing for you? 301 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:48,280 Just a quick background on Thomas. 302 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,840 He's known as the twin sometimes called Didymus. 303 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,720 He had these kind of moments of bold faith. 304 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,360 And you remember back in Chapter 11, he had a moment of bold 305 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:01,960 faith of going with Jesus when he went to back to Judea to 306 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:05,160 raise Lazarus from the dead. And he actually had a phrase in 307 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:09,280 verse 16 from Chapter 11 where he said, let's go and we'll die 308 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:14,000 with Jesus if we have to. And then we kind of have the 309 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,800 foreshadowing of Thomas's doubts. 310 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,320 We have that in Chapter 11 and verse 14. 311 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,840 You might not remember this, but when Jesus said I am the way and 312 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,280 the truth and the life, he's actually responding to a 313 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,880 question of doubt from Thomas from that interaction. 314 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,160 So we have this kind of this picture of someone who's kind of 315 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:41,120 had this both bold faith, but also this moment of doubt of 316 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:43,360 disbelief. I, I believe it's actually more 317 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,080 in the conditional faith category than there's some level 318 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,920 of intellectual doubts. And I think it's because of the 319 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:58,640 way that Jesus treats Thomas. You see in this interaction with 320 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:05,040 with Thomas that Jesus knows Thomas doubt, even though Thomas 321 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,480 didn't say his doubt in front of Jesus because remember he said 322 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,360 this in the interaction with the disciples. 323 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:12,080 The disciples told him all that was going on. 324 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,160 Again, we don't know all the pictures as to why Thomas is 325 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,520 feeling this way. He could have maybe felt really 326 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:19,160 disappointed that he was left out. 327 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,640 We also don't know why Thomas wasn't with the disciples in the 328 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,600 1st place. All the other disciples were 329 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,840 there except for Judas, and we know why that wasn't there. 330 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,640 But we don't actually know why Thomas wasn't there in that, in 331 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:36,880 Jesus's first appearance. But what we do know is that 332 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:43,120 Christ saw Thomas. We do know that Christ knew that 333 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:45,960 Thomas was meant to be a part of the apostles. 334 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:52,400 And so we see Christ's pursuit of his people even in the face 335 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,200 of their doubts. The door was locked again or 336 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,760 meant to see the repetition here of the fear. 337 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:07,600 Jesus miraculously appears again and said peace be with you 338 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:10,680 again. He didn't know Thomas didn't 339 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:12,520 tell him about his doubt, but Jesus knew. 340 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,640 Jesus knew exactly what Thomas needed to hear. 341 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:18,720 Put your finger here and see my hands and put out your hand and 342 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:23,240 place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe. 343 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,880 Jesus is coming to Thomas is what pierced his hearts. 344 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:34,200 The text doesn't actually tell us that Thomas needed to touch 345 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,000 or that Thomas actually touched. In the end, Jesus has his 346 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,160 declaration. Peace be with you. 347 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,480 He told him what to do. But it doesn't actually tell us 348 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:48,360 that Thomas touched. Kind of feels more like this 349 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:56,960 melting away and submission to God's pursuit of him, My Lord 350 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,720 and my God. This is reminiscent of the 351 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:06,880 Psalms and how they proclaim my Lord and my God. 352 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,520 Some have been postulated that maybe this is the My Lord what 353 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:17,280 representing the humanity of Jesus and my God representing 354 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:22,560 the divinity of Jesus, submitting to the wounded God, 355 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:31,600 man before him. And Jesus answered kind of ends 356 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,880 this whole response with have you believed because you have 357 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:40,240 seen me? Blessed are those who have not 358 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:49,240 seen and yet have believed. So Jesus appeared before Thomas 359 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,640 because he knew that he was meant to be his apostles, and 360 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:57,520 all the apostles had to see the risen Christ, even Paul when he 361 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,320 went from Saul to Paul. Remember that miraculous episode 362 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,480 from the book of Acts? That was so that Paul would 363 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,920 become an apostle because he saw the risen Christ. 364 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,320 So the apostles had to see the risen Christ, and that is what 365 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:14,880 Jesus didn't, his love and his pursuit of Thomas in the face of 366 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:22,000 his doubts. But verse 29, the peace of God 367 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,640 through our blessed belief, have you believed because you have 368 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,120 seen me? Blessed are those who have not 369 00:26:30,120 --> 00:26:37,280 seen and yet believed. This is meant to encourage us 370 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:42,280 because we are those who have had that blessed belief. 371 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:53,480 We are part of the lineage of the apostles and we have 372 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,880 believed in him and because of our belief, we have received the 373 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:03,000 forgiveness of sins. We have been in grafted in just 374 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:08,680 as the apostles were. And we are part of being in 375 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:14,560 Christ and in his mission. So I have, I have 5 very quick 376 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,200 applications for us today. We'll go and then we'll head to 377 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,680 the words table and and they're going to connect us and connect 378 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:25,280 our hearts to the words table. My first one is to read the 379 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:32,040 apostles. If our belief is meant to stem 380 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:37,280 from their testimony they're seeing of Jesus, we have to know 381 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:44,080 what it is that they say. Jesus went through great lengths 382 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,960 to show us who it was that were his and the apostles and who 383 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:51,840 were to write scripture. So we should read it, read God's 384 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:56,920 Word, and as we would receive the Holy Spirit in the sense of 385 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:00,880 allowing the Holy Spirit to eliminate to us Christ's words 386 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,600 for us. The word that is how God is, is 387 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,880 continuing this blessed belief that we have. 388 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,720 We're meant to see his patience for us. 389 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:21,520 If God has opened your eyes and faith to who Jesus is, it has 390 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:23,400 been through His patience with you. 391 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:29,360 I know He has been greatly patient with me, stepping in 392 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:32,840 through those closed doors that I want to put for him, and yet 393 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,240 gently calling my name and renewing my eyes that I would 394 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:44,160 respond to Him in faith. We are meant to look at Jesus's 395 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,920 wounds. He is not just another good 396 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:53,800 teacher, He is the wounded God man. 397 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,200 If God had just sent a man who was a good teacher, it wouldn't 398 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,800 work. If he had just sent a God who 399 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,360 could not identify with our sins and not pay the price of our 400 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,400 sins, God's justice would not work. 401 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,800 Only a wounded God man would work. 402 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,840 That's the only thing that would blast through our fears, renew 403 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:24,080 our doubts, and allow us to surrender to the wounded 404 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:29,800 kingship of Christ. Only through God, man dying for 405 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:36,080 us will we be able to say with Thomas, my Lord and my God. 406 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:42,520 And now as we prepare our hearts to come to the table, I think we 407 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,840 need to follow Thomas's example and drop our conditions. 408 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,640 In the end, Thomas didn't touch. He said strong words. 409 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,680 He said I would never believe unless I touched it. 410 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:02,200 But in the end, Jesus pursuit of him melted his heart and melted 411 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:07,280 that conditional part of his faith and he just confesses. 412 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,560 So as you come to the table, I would ask you to ponder with 413 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:17,760 your Savior if you would say something like, I will come to 414 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:23,440 you, Lord, if I will follow you dot dot dot. 415 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:31,760 If, however, you would fill in that blank, I would say even 416 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,440 though you are in Christ, you might be filling that. 417 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,960 That blank might be serving a functional savior for you. 418 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,240 But let me remind you that that Savior, it wouldn't die for you. 419 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,280 And actually, in a lot of ways, if you would fill in that blank 420 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,080 with something else, it might demand that you would die for 421 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:56,800 it. Comforts, approval, power, 422 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,960 control. Jesus is the only Savior that 423 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,640 would die for you and would call you to himself. 424 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:13,000 Crown him the Lord of love. Behold His hands inside, rich 425 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,080 wounds yet visible above, and beauty glorified. 426 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:22,480 No angels in the sky can fully bear that sight, But downward 427 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:27,160 bends their burning eye. That mystery is so bright. 428 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:33,920 Let us pray. God, we thank you for this time 429 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,120 and Your Word, how it has LED us and guided us. 430 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:42,080 We now ask as we come to the table, that your voice would be 431 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:47,960 heard by your people, calling you into this ancient active 432 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,160 institution that you've given your disciples. 433 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:54,960 May we spend our time well, be honest with you in our hearts, 434 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,280 and God would you apply your word to it as we join you this 435 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,960 day. We pray all this in the My name 436 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:05,640 of Jesus, Amen.