Easter
Morning Bible Study
April
21, 2019
Introduction
Our text takes us to the Sunday evening after Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus had already appeared to Mary Magdalene early that morning (John 20:11-18),
and when she reported back to the apostles what happened, they didn’t believe her.
(Mark 16:11)
(Mark 16:11 NKJV) And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her,
they did not believe.
Later that morning Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus (Luke 24). They too rushed back
to tell the apostles and still they didn’t believe. (Mark 16:13)
(Mark 16:13 NKJV) And they went and told it to the rest, but they did
not believe them either.
John 20:19-29 The Skeptic
:19 Then, the same day at
evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where
the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the
midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
:19 the first day
Note: From the time of the
resurrection, the church has continued to meet on the first day of the week,
Sunday.
:19 at evening – opsios – evening,
from three to six o’clock p.m.
It’s still Easter Sunday, but now we’re at the “evening service”.
:19 the doors were
shut
were shut – kleio – to shut, shut
up
Perfect passive participle
They had been closed and they
remained shut.
It’s very likely that the
apostles were in that same “upper room” they had been meeting in back on
Thursday night when they had celebrated the Passover with Jesus.
:19 assembled – sunago – to gather
together, to gather
This is the word that’s the basis for the word “synagogue”.
Church is a place where we “gather together”.
(Heb 10:24–25
NKJV)
—24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
:19 for fear of the Jews
Don’t be too hard on the guys.
The leaders of the Jews wanted
to stop all this “Jesus” stuff. They
were in real danger.
Matthew records (28:11-15) that when the Roman guards told the chief
priests that the body of Jesus was gone, the chief priests told them to tell
Pilate that the disciples had stolen the body.
(Matthew 28:11–15
NKJV) —11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the
city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together,
they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying,
“Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we
slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and
make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as
they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until
this day.
That means that they were in trouble!
:19 Jesus came and stood in the midst
One moment they were all safe
behind locked doors, and the next moment Jesus is just “there”.
The historical record is pretty
clear that Jesus was not a ghost.
Mary had been able to “cling” to
Jesus (Jn. 20:17), and we have testimony that Jesus ate fish and honeycomb with
the disciples (Lk. 24:39-43)
(John 20:17 NKJV) Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended
to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My
Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
(Luke 24:39–43
NKJV) —39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and
see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40 When He had
said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while
they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you
any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a
broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in
their presence.
A.T. Robertson, the Greek scholar, translates it, “stepped into the midst”.
Right through the closed doors. How did
He do it?
in - εἰς – to, into, in
The most common Greek
preposition that is usually translated “in” is ἐν (“en”).
Our little word can certainly be
translated “in”, but both Paul and John use it to convey at times the fact that
the eternal holy Creator God and entered “into” human time and space for us.
(1 John 4:9 NKJV) In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent
His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
And now here is
the resurrected Jesus, appearing “into” the midst of the disciples.
This same word is often used to
describe our response to Jesus,
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in (εἰς) Him should
not perish but have everlasting life.
:19 Peace be
with you
Jesus may be saying this because
this was simply a very common greeting.
(Luke 10:5–6 NKJV)
—5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not,
it will return to you.
:20 When He had said
this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were
glad when they saw the Lord.
:20 He showed them His hands and His side
showed – deiknuo – to show, expose to the eyes
Aorist active indicative
side – pleura –the side of
the body
These were parts of His body that had been pierced by the nails and the
spear.
Here’s a clip from the movie we saw on Thursday, “Risen”.
Clavius is a Roman Tribune who has been charged
with making sure Jesus is dead.
The eyewitness account said that blood and water came out when He was
pierced, proving that He had already been dead.
When John has his “Revelation” of Jesus some sixty years later, John
describes what he sees in heaven:
(Re 5:6 NKJV)
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been
slain…
There is something about Jesus that shows He had died.
When He comes back …
(Zec 12:10 NKJV)
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the
Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him
as one grieves for a firstborn.
Lesson
Proven Love
When we are in heaven, we will know what it took to get us there. We too will see His wounds.
I believe that His wounds are forever.
It’s not meant to be something to hold over our heads as in, “Look what I
had to go through for you bad people!”
It’s meant to be a reminder of the love that God has for us.
(Ro 5:8 NKJV) But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Jesus died for us because we had a huge problem.
We are sinners. Our
sin is what separates us from God.
The only way to make things right is to pay the price for
sin.
God doesn’t want you to pay the price, it’s too great a
price.
So God sent His Son to die in your place, so you could
find forgiveness and a new life.
Through eternity we will be reminded of the love of God,
because we will see the precious wounds that paid our debt.
There will be no doubt that God loves us.
Some of us have been through things that make us question the love of God.
Perhaps it’s been an abusive home that we grew up in.
Perhaps it’s been a spouse that’s betrayed us.
Perhaps it’s been a tragedy in our lives that seems unfair.
It is not an unfeeling thing for me to tell you – God
really loves you.
Look at the wounds.
See what God has done for you.
You may not understand the difficulties that you’ve
experienced so far in your life, but there is ONE THING that you can be sure
of.
God loves you.
were glad – chairo – to rejoice, be glad
Aorist active indicative
:21 So Jesus said to them
again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
again – palin – anew, again;
again, i.e. further, moreover
:21 Peace to you!
Why does He repeat Himself?
He’s just shown them His wounds
– the very things that have paid for their sins.
Perhaps He repeats Himself
because He’s letting them know that the things required for peace with God have
finally been paid for.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 5:1 NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
When we choose to believe in God and in what Jesus has done on the cross,
we will find ourselves at peace with Him.
They no longer need to be
“afraid” (vs.19).
(John 14:27 NKJV) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
Maybe “peace” is important when
God “sends” you.
(John 16:33 NKJV) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome
the world.”
:21 I also send you
has sent – apostello (“apostles”) – to
order (one) to go to a place appointed
Perfect active indicative
send – pempo – to send
Present active indicative
John records Jesus saying this
to the disciples on that second Sunday, while still in Jerusalem.
They will eventually head up to
Galilee for a few weeks where they will see Jesus a few more times, and then
return to Jerusalem.
Matthew records Jesus restating
this later when they meet in Galilee:
(Matthew 28:19–20
NKJV) —19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
In the Greek text, there is
actually only one command here: “Make
disciples”, and everything else is connected to that.
It is while we are “going” that
we are to make disciples.
We make disciples by baptizing
people (which includes leading them to Christ), and by teaching them to obey
all that Jesus commanded, which includes making more disciples.
One of the reasons the church
has continued in various forms over 2,000 years is because people have followed
this command to make disciples.
Each generation raises up the
next generation to move the gospel forward.
As we are going through the
process of transition in our church and as the older leaders are handing off
their ministries to the next generation, we get to see how well we’ve done.
But here’s something important –
your relationship with Jesus shouldn’t end with you –
Jesus said to
His disciples – “As the Father has sent me, I send you…”
I’m in no way
equal to Jesus, but I still have the privilege to say to you – as I’ve
discipled you, you disciple others.
In Jewish tradition prophets often
appointed their successors. Judaism sometimes conceived of prophets as God’s
agents; the sender authorized agents with his authority to the extent that they
accurately represented him.[1]
:22 And when He had said
this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
:22 He breathed on them
breathed – ἐμφυσάω emphusao – to blow or
breathe upon
Aorist active indicative
This is the only place in the NT that this word is used.
It is found seven times in the OT LXX, and more than a few of the
occurrences give meaning to our passage.
It’s used to describe God’s creation of Adam and breathing “spirit” into
the man:
(Genesis 2:7 NKJV) And the Lord God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
It’s used to describe how Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath from
the dead:
(1 Kings
17:21 NKJV) And he stretched himself out on the child
three times, and cried out to the Lord
and said, “O Lord my God, I pray,
let this child’s soul come back to him.”
It’s used to describe God giving life to that valley of dry bones in
Ezekiel’s vision:
(Ezekiel
37:9 NKJV) Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,
prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O
breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”
Lesson
Born Again
The way I understand the work of the Holy Spirit, this is the moment when
the disciples become “born again”.
Jesus said,
(John 3:3 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.”
When a person becomes born again, they experience a “new birth”, a
spiritual birth.
This is when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell “in” a person. (John 14:16-17)
(John
14:16–17 NKJV) —16 And I will pray the Father, and He
will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and
will be in you.
Just as Elijah “breathed” into the dead boy and he came back to life, the
Holy Spirit takes us from death to life.
(Ephesians
2:1 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and sins,
If you have not given your life to Christ, you are spiritually
“dead”.
We are “born again” when we believe that Jesus is the Savior.
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
You may say to me, but didn’t the disciples already believe in Jesus?
Yes they did, but He had not yet died for their sins and had not yet risen
from the grave.
(Romans 10:9 NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
They had not yet believed in the full work of Christ.
How does this differ from what happened 50 days later on the day of
Pentecost?
A few weeks from Resurrection Sunday, Jesus will say to His disciples,
(Acts 1:8 NKJV) But you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to be in you, He wants
to be “upon” you to empower you to do God’s work.
This would happen a little over a month from this time, when the disciples
would be “filled” with the Holy Spirit (Acts. 2:4)
(Acts 2:4 NKJV) And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
This is known as the “baptism” or “filling” of the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of this is to give us the power we need to
live for God and be used by Him.
While all Christians have the Spirit “in” them, not all
Christians have yielded to the full power of the Spirit.
It’s about yielding to God.
It may be accompanied by a supernatural manifestation like
the gift of tongues, healings, or miracles.
It may be manifested in a quiet, calm, but powerful word
from God for a person.
The evidence of the Spirit working in our life is not the
miracles, but the fruit.
(Galatians
5:22–23 NKJV) —22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
:22 Receive the Holy Spirit
receive – lambano – to take; to receive
Aorist active imperative
This is a command. This is our part.
We simply need to “receive”.
:23 If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they
are retained.”
:23 they are forgiven
them
Some folks think this means that
Roman Catholic priests have been given a special ability to forgive people’s
sins.
It would take me another ten
minutes to explain the Greek here (I’ll put the details in my online notes)
:23 forgive – aphiemi – to send away; to let go, give up a
debt, forgive
1st time: Aorist
subjunctive; 2nd time: Present Passive
:23 retain – krateo – to have power; to get possession of;
to continue to hold
1st time: Present
subjunctive; 2nd time: Perfect indicative
There are two phrases in this verse – the first deals with “letting go” of
sins (forgiveness), the second dealing with “holding on” (unforgiveness). In each phrase there is an action on the
disciples’ part and a corresponding result on God’s part. If you examined the tenses of the Greek
verbs, you find that God’s response takes place at a different time than when
the disciples’ action takes place.
Greek scholar Dr. Kenneth Wuest translates the
passage like this:
“If the sins of any certain individuals you forgive, they have been
previously forgiven them, with the present result that they are in a state of
forgiveness. If the sins of any certain individuals you retain in not forgiving
them, they have been previously retained and thus have not been forgiven, with
the present result that they are retained and in a state of not being forgiven.”
Dr. Julius R. Mantey, preeminent Greek scholar,
translated the passage this way:
“Whosoever sins you forgive shall have already been forgiven them, and
whosoever sins you do not forgive shall have already not been forgiven them.”
One day while Jesus was sitting in
Peter’s house, four men dug a hole in the roof and used ropes to lower their
paralyzed friend down to Jesus for healing.
(Mk 2:5–7
NKJV)
—5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are
forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in
their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive
sins but God alone?”
We wouldn’t argue
with the Jews about their position. We
also believe that only God can forgive sins. But Jesus is God.
Forgiveness with
God only comes from God.
John Calvin writes: “When Christ
enjoins the apostles to forgive sins, He does not convey to them what is
peculiar to Himself. It belongs to Him to forgive sins. He only enjoins them in
His name to proclaim the forgiveness of sins.”
Let me simplify it for you.
We don’t grant forgiveness of
sins toward God, only God does that.
We do have authority to proclaim
what God has already done.
Here’s how it works –
When you are talking with a friend
and the subject of sin comes up, our goal should be to help them to confess
their sins to God.
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When they confess their sins to
God, we have the authority to say to them, “God has forgiven you”.
:24 Now Thomas, called
the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
:24 Thomas – Thomas – an
Aramaic name meaning “a twin”
:24 twin – Didumos – “two fold” (this is a Greek word)
Who is Thomas?
He was a twin (played for Minnesota???)
That’s what his name means. We don’t
know who his twin was.
He was brave
When Jesus had already been threatened by the Jewish leaders, and yet He
still spoke of going up towards Jerusalem to minister to Lazarus’ family (and
eventually raise Lazarus from the dead) …
(Jn 11:16 NKJV)
Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also
go, that we may die with Him.”
He was outspoken
At the Last Supper when Jesus talked about going away to prepare a place
for them, it was Thomas who spoke up and asked the question the rest of the
disciples were wondering …
(Jn 14:5 NKJV)
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we
know the way?”
It was in response to Thomas’ question that …
(Jn 14:6 NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me”.
Historically …
There is a book called “The Acts of Thomas”, recording an account of Thomas
traveling to India preaching the gospel and performing many miracles.
Tradition tells us that Thomas preached in India, and put to death with a
spear by a powerful official after the official’s wife became a believer.
There is another book called “The Gospel of Thomas”, and
it contains a bunch of sayings that were attributed to Jesus. The early church rejected this book as being
authentic.
:24 Thomas … was not with
them
Lesson
Don’t miss out
Thomas wasn’t with the others,
and when Jesus showed up, he missed out.
I know that many of us have very
busy and complicated lives, but sometimes I wonder if we all realize the
importance of being in church.
It’s my opinion that Jesus shows
up here pretty regularly, even with us being a small church.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 18:20 NKJV) For where two or three are gathered
together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.
Illustration
Go To Church
It was Sunday morning, the alarm clock went off and the wife got up to
start getting ready for church.
It was just about time to leave for church when she noticed her husband
hadn’t even budged in bed.
Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?” He said,
“Cause I don’t want to go.” She asked, “Do you have any reason?” He said, “Yes,
I have three good reasons. First, the people there are cold. Second, no one
likes me. And third, I just don’t want to go.” The wife replied, wisely, “Well,
honey, I have three reasons why you should go. First, the people are actually
quite warm. Second, there are a few people there who like you. And third,
you’re the pastor! Get dressed!”
David wrote,
(Psalm 22:3 AV) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel.
I like to think
that this means that when God’s people praise Him, He shows up.
I get the
feeling sometimes that some folks don’t understand the importance of giving God
worship and praise – I can tell because they have a habit of not coming into
the service until the fourth or fifth song.
I understand
the importance of fellowship out on the patio, but the worship leader in me
wishes that a few more of us would hear the music start and think, “Hey I got
to get inside, I don’t want to miss Jesus showing up!”
There is an enemy we all face who would love of nothing more than to keep us
from church and from being with Jesus.
(Hebrews 10:24–25
NKJV) —24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is
the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as
you see the Day approaching.
:25 The other disciples
therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I
see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of
the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
:25 said to him – lego – to say, to
speak
The verb is an “imperfect” tense, which means that they had been
continually saying these things to him.
It wasn’t just a one-time casual remark made by Peter, “Oh, by the way
Thomas, I saw Jesus”.
They kept saying this to Thomas over and over. Perhaps for the next week.
:25 we have seen – horao – to see
with the eyes; to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to
experience; gives prominence to the discerning mind
perfect tense – done in the past with results into the present.
:25 I see – horao – to see with the eyes; to see with the
mind, to perceive, know; to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to
experience
aorist subjunctive
:25 the print – tupos – the mark
of a stroke or blow, print
:25 the nails – helos – a nail
:25 put – ballo – to throw or let go of a thing without
caring where it falls; to put into, insert
:25 side – pleura – the
side of the body
:25 I will not believe
This is a very strong statement in the Greek.
(Wuest) I will positively not believe
You have just met “Doubting
Thomas”, the skeptic.
The skeptic is the person who wants proof before they commit.
I’m not sure this is always a bad place to be.
In fact, it might even be a good thing that Thomas was not just a guy who
went along with the crowd.
Thomas has been told that the other disciples saw the wounds in Jesus’
hands and side. He decides that this is
what he wants as well.
Jesus will give Thomas the proof that he is asking for.
The challenge to the skeptic is to be sure that you are being honest with
yourself.
Are your questions sincere because you want to know God, or are they just
your excuse because you have no intention of following God?
:26 And after eight days
His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors
being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
It’s the next Sunday, and once again Jesus “steps into their midst”.
:26 after eight days
The commentators agree that this is an expression referring to the next
Sunday night.
:27 Then He said to Thomas,
“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here,
and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
:27 reach – phero – to carry; to bring, bring to, bring
forward; apply
Present active imperative
:27 look – horao – to see with the eyes; to see with the
mind, to perceive, know; to see, i.e. become acquainted with by experience, to
experience
Aorist active imperative
:27 put – ballo – to throw or let go of a thing without
caring where it falls; to put into, insert
Aorist active imperative
:27 Do not be unbelieving, but believing
be – ginomai γίνομαι– to become
Present middle imperative
Jesus doesn’t use the word “to be” (eimi) but uses the word “become” (ginomai).
Literally, “Stop becoming faithless and become a believer.”
This is a command, a choice Thomas needs to make.
Belief is a choice.
Thomas has a choice to
make. Will he stop disbelieving and
start believing?
We caught a glimpse of this
specific moment in the movie “Risen”.
The major plot of the movie was
to follow Clavius as he is charged with finding the
body of the man he had crucified.
Clavius finally finds the group of disciples on
that second Sunday after the resurrection.
:28 And Thomas answered
and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
:28 My Lord and my
God!
This isn’t an exclamation like “Shoot, howdy!”
Thomas is declaring that Jesus is his Lord and his God.
Jesus doesn’t correct him.
Lesson
Jesus is God
John says at the beginning of
his gospel:
(John 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
When the Jews questioned Jesus
about who He was:
(John 8:58–59a
NKJV) —58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I AM.”
Jesus used the Greek equivalent of God’s name Yahweh when
He was saying “I Am”.
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him…
The Jews knew
what He was saying.
It was
considered blasphemy to claim to be God.
(1 John 5:20 NKJV) And we know
that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may
know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life.
(Romans 9:5 NKJV) of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the
flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God.
Amen.
(John 10:30 NKJV) I and My Father are one.”
(John 10:33 NKJV) The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone
You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
Why is it such a big deal to believe that Jesus is God?
1. Truth
If He claimed to be God and wasn’t, we’ve got problems.
He’s either a lunatic, or a horrible deceiver.
How would you treat a person who walks up to you on the
street and claims to be God?
I’d walk away slowly.
I certainly wouldn’t pay attention to anything else they said.
On the other hand, if that person claimed to be God as
well as then did things like healing the blind, feeding thousands, walking on
water, and raising the dead … I might be inclined to listen a little more
closely.
C. S. Lewis, the great Christian writer and professor at
Oxford and later Cambridge, wrote in his book Mere Christianity:
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would either be a lunatic, on a level with the man who says he is a
poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God,
or else a madman or something worse. You
can shut Him up for a fool; you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or,
you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing
nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
He has not left that open to us.
He did not intend to.”
2. Salvation
Jesus said,
(John 8:24 NKJV) Therefore I said to you that you
will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will
die in your sins.
If you don’t believe He is Yahweh, you will die in your
sins.
It works this way – Jesus came for the expressed purpose
of dying as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. (Jn. 1:29)
(Jn 1:29 NKJV) The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world!
If Jesus was just an ordinary man, the best He could do
would be to make a single sacrifice, only enough to cover one person.
The fact that He was God in flesh meant that He would lay
down an infinite life, making an infinite sacrifice.
:29 Jesus said to him,
“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those
who have not seen and yet have believed.”
:29 you have seen – horao – to see with
the eyes
Perfect active indicative
:29 you have believed – pisteuo – to think to be
true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
Perfect active indicative
:29 who have not seen – horao – to see with
the eyes
Aorist active indicative
:29 yet have believed – pisteuo – to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place
confidence in
Aorist active participle
:29 Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed
It was good that Thomas had his questions answered and that he responded by
believing in Jesus.
For us born long after this, our blessing doesn’t come from seeing, but
from listening to the truth we’ve heard … and believing.
We humans have a problem when it comes to listening to the truth.
Lesson
I must believe
I don’t have a Smart Dog trained to help you, but I do have the truth.
We don’t have a blind faith.
We have solid, historical facts behind our faith in Jesus.
The record is very clear that Jesus died on that cross.
The record is also very clear that He rose from the dead
three days later, and was seen by the apostles.
Paul records that He was seen by over 500 people. (1Cor.
15:6)
(1 Corinthians 15:6 NKJV) After that He was seen by over five
hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but
some have fallen asleep.
All the apostles except for John, these once “fearful”
men, died martyr’s deaths, going to their grave declaring the truth that Jesus
rose from the dead.
The witnesses to the resurrection have their testimony recorded in the
Bible.
(Romans
10:17 NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.
The question now is this – will you believe in Jesus –
that He died for your sins and rose again on the third day?