More Blessed Than The Eyewitnesses

More Blessed Than The Eye Witnesses John 20. 24 Now Thomas (also known as 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.” 26 A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. 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.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My LORD and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I have a friend that said would not it had been cool to be here when Jesus was here, to watch Him, to talk with Him. As wonderful as that would have been we are told by Jesus that we are blessed because we have believed without seeing... more than the eyewitnesses? It seems like Jesus is implying that here. There is a special blessedness in believing without seeing, a blessing even the Apostles of Jesus could not enjoy. It seems that there were some regrets floating around from following Jesus... after He died, before they believed He had risen by His Appearances. The two on the Road to Emmaus, we had hoped Peter saying earlier, we have left everything to follow You, then going fishing in John 21 Thomas’ skepticism As I have attempted to follow Jesus all my life I have no regrets. I have had a glorious journey with Jesus. I am enjoying serving Him now. Dr. Mary Grace Garis, a clinical psychologist wrote of the 5 regrets people have at the end of their lives. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” “I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.” “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.” “I wish I had let myself be happier.” Thomas did not have regrets over not being there when Jesus appeared the first time. People who are overwhelmed with doubt about God often have no regrets. Filled with doubt he made his statement about Jesus’s Resurrection. He had to see it, touch Him or he would not believe. It did not bother him that he was not there. He had to see it to believe. He was not going to take his companions word for it. Eye witnesses have their place, an important place. Take an accident... or news... or court, they can sway a jury. One of the priorities of the Apostles were to serve as Eye Witnesses of the Resurrection. Reliable witnesses are needed. The word, witness, is the Greek word, μάρτυς, martys. Does this mean all witnesses die? Yes, in one sense... we are taking up our crosses, we are living sacrifices. We will suffer at least... II Timothy 3.12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. How are we more blessed than the eye witnesses? I Peter 1. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We are talking about faith. Hebrews 11.1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Thomas saw and believed. We have not seen and believe. Jesus pronounces a blessing on us. ...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” What ways is it blessed to believe without seeing? * We Love Him without seeing Him. We know Him. We serve a Risen Savior He walks with us and talks with us and assures us we are His own. This is faith. We walk by faith. We are going to see Him face to Face! Jesus prayed for us! John 17. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in you. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. The blessedness of not seeing but believing * We Believe In Him and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him We walk with Him, we trust in Him. In Him we have put our hope. We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33.20 Genesis 12. 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him... Abraham believed and obeyed. I Samuel 17.47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” David believed and defeated Goliath with the tools of a shepherd. Jesus calls us to faith... Faith in Him John 7. 38 Whoever believes in Me as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” He prayed for us to be with Him. We wonder what that Day will be like. Like no other. We are waiting for that Day! * We are Filled With An Inexpressible and Glorious Joy It will be worth it all when we see Jesus! Right now we have this overflowing experience Jesus spoke of. Joy in the Holy Spirit! John 7. 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Acts 13:52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 1 Thessalonians 1:6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 4:13-14 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. * We Are Receiving The End Result Of Our Faith, The Salvation Of Our Souls. Heaven is not on earth. We are not home yet. We have heaven in our hearts as we hobble there. We will be home one day. As we walk this pilgrim pathway... But when traveling days are over!