Faith without seeing: (John 20)

I have often wonder, what if we could still see the amazing miracles that were performed in the New Testament by Christ and then His disciples.  To see a blind man see for the first time, to watch the cripple from birth walk, then wouldn’t that convince people to follow Christ?  But when we begin to think about it for just a second all the miracles that  took place during the new testament didn’t really win over the majority, the fact that Christ brought Lazarus back to life not only did it not win people over to Christ but made those that hated Him hate him even more.  What if God never wanted us to believe because of what we saw?  What if He wanted people to look at others who followed and had a relationship with Him and say why are they the way they are.  Then those of us who followed Christ pointed to the bible and said we read the living word of God and it changed us.  In chapter 20 of John, we see the women finding the empty tomb, running and telling John and Peter, who went running to the tomb to find it empty.   Then they believed in the resurrection, yet that really didn’t change much in their lives.

You then have Mary who stayed behind while sitting and crying a man who she doesn’t know comes and speaks with her.  Something happens as she is speaking to this man, she begins to realize that it is Christ she is speaking to.  His words awaken her heart which is filled with love for Him, and she also if filled with faith in Him.  It is through hearing His words that her life is truly changed forever, not because she first saw Him but because He spoke to her first.  The word of God is so powerful we tend to forget how much it alone can change lives.  Notice here that Mary goes out and starts telling others about Christ, what are His disciples doing? Hiding in a room with the door locked out of fear.  Christ then appears to them and begins to talk with them.    We read verses 19 -21,”that evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.  As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord!  He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Notice that Christ comes and give them peace, our faith in Christ is going to bring us peace in our lives.  Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

It is our faith in God that is brought about through His word, not because we saw some great and wonderful miracle happen.  Through our faith in God we are brought to peace with God which brings our souls to peace.  Notice that Thomas did not believe the others when they told him what they had seen, he said I must see for myself to believe it.  Then when he saw it he believed, then Christ told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”(verse 29)  All we need to do is open up the word of God begin to read it and allow it to work in us, to ask God show me what you want me to see.  Wiersbe  tells us this “The Lord tenderly deals with our doubts and unbelief. We today cannot see Him or feel His wounds, but we have the Word of God to assure us (vv. 9, 30–31). When your faith falters, do not ask for signs. Open His Word and let Him reassure you.”^[1]

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^[1]Wiersbe, W. W. 1997, c1991. With the word Bible commentary (Jn 20:1). Thomas Nelson: Nashville

Christ the King Who Died So All Could Be In His Kingdom: (John18-19)

When we started in John we talked in detail about the deity of Christ, that Christ was not a man but God in the Flesh.  Christ is the Son of God who came from Heaven to earth, and we see that again here at the end of John as well.  Here in Chapter 18 as they prepare to take Him prisoner when asked who they are looking for and they say Christ, Christ responds with these words “I am He.”  We discussed the meaning of the phase I am coming from Christ before.  The same words spoken to Moses in Exodus when Moses asked who are you, “I am who I am”(EX 3:14).  But something happens when Christ speaks these words this time, “when he said to them, “I AM,” they turned away and fell to the ground.”(Jn 18:6)  Notice once more before He is sent to the cross He shows those who do not want to believe He is the Son of God a chance to see that He is.  Through these words being spoken His glory and deity shines through and the only thing that the soldiers and those around Him can do is fall on the ground.  If that is not enough, we are told in Luke after Peter cut off the soldier’s ear that Christ healed it.  Yet with all this in front of them they still went through with arresting Him and sending Him to the Cross.

We sit and say how can they do that? How can they with this evidence in front of them go through with the crucifixion?  Yet we should stop and think about our own lives not the lives that we lived before coming to know Christ but the ones we live after coming to know Christ.  We love to come to church on Sundays and sing praises to God, yet how are we living our lives after Church how do we act on Monday are we acting as if God is the king of our lives?  Do we continue worshiping God on the days that are not going as plan, when things do not fall into place as we had hoped?  I wonder do we tell people I know that I am going through some tough times but I am going to praise God because He has allowed me to go through all this.  James tells us to, during the trials of our lives, “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”(James 1:2-3)

Are we going out of here and living our lives for God?  Do we stay away sin, or are we accepting sin as being ok?  Are we saying that you know what, God hates sin and so should I, Or are we saying well it’s hard and I enjoy some sin, God can forgive me for it? But is that what Christ is really calling us to be, just ok with sin?  As we read the remainder of chapter 18 and through chapter 19, we read a horrifying account of the trial, torture and then the cross.  When Christ went to the Cross He took on all the sin of the world. He was the finale and perfect sacrifice for our sin.  Does that sound like a God who is ok with sin?  I think not, He hung on cross was mocked abused and yet He was the Son of God at any second He could have decided it wasn’t worth it and stop the process.  But He didn’t because He loves you and me, and hates sin.  He wants us to be a part of His Kingdom.  He went to cross so that we could live a life in Him.  2^nd Peter 1:3-11 tells us, “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!  And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.

 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.  Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin.

 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

A Promise, A Prediction, A Prayer (John 15:26-17)

As we come to the last few hours before Christ is taken prisoner we see a picture of Him showing a great amount of love.  We do not see Christ focused on Himself but instead focused on preparing His disciples for what is to come.  In John 15:26-27 Christ tells them this, “But I will send you the Counselor—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.  And you must also tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning.”  Once again He is promising them a helper, the Holy Ghost that is going to come after Him; it is through the Holy Spirit that they will gain more knowledge and strength.  What are they to do once they receive the Spirit, go and tell others of who Christ is, spread the word and let people know where true salvation comes from.  We see that happening In Acts when they receive the Spirit that they go and tell those in the city about Christ.  But it is also through the Spirit that they will be guided into truth and obedience to God, Christ tells them in John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”  Where can we find truth in the word it is through the word of God  that the Holy Spirit works in us.  2^nd Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ^that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Christ in the midst of His coming death on the cross gives those around Him encouraging words, He telling them that He is going away but the helper is coming.  That it is a good thing that He is going away.  He goes on to tell that He is going to die, that they are going to feel sorrow.  But that their sorrow is going to be turned to joy, that they are going to see Him once again.  He is talking about the time just before His ascension into Heaven.  The world thinks they are getting rid of Christ but they are not, no instead they are doing just what God had planned, it is through the death of Christ that we are able to have the Holy Spirit as our Helper.  Christ tells that they are going to be able to communicate with Him through the Holy Spirit.  “At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. The truth is, you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”(16:23-24).   Christ is telling them that there is going to be true salvation, that we can go and ask Him for forgiveness and through the Holy Spirit talking to Christ for us we are forgiven.  How exciting for them to think that they could pray to God directly, know they had an intercessory to their prayers.  Hebrew 7:25, “consequently he is able for all time to save^ those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Christ doesn’t stop their He then goes on to pray for them, He is asking that God give them strength.  That They won’t fall away from Him. He goes on to pray for us as well.  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. ²¹ My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.”  He prays for our salvation to be strong as well.  Is it not great to know that we serve a God that loves us, wants us to succeed in obeying Him and also seeing others come to know Him and have salvation, through Him.  It has nothing to do with where we came from, what we have done, it has to do with the fact that we have a God that loves us and wants us to follow Him.  He came to die on a cross, so that we may have salvation in Him, He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct and strengthen us so we could go and tell others.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me”(John 14:1)

As we get closer to the cross, we see Christ encouraging His disciples and also telling them how to live for Him.   In the beginning of chapter 14 Christ tells them this, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ^ In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. ^ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ^ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”(vs 1-4)  Christ tells that He is going to prepare a place for them, this gives many of us an image of Christ up in Heaven with a tool belt on and building a house, but what if I were to tell you what He is saying is that He is going to the cross.  That it is through His sacrifice on the cross that He  prepared a place for us in Heaven.  It is through Christ that we are able to be welcomed into Heaven.  Christ tells them in verse six, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  That means that it is through accepting the fact that Christ is the Son of God, coming into a new relationship with God and living a life that is no-longer centered on your wants or needs but the wants and desires of God.

Christ explains that He is the vine, and we are the branches it is Him we are to live for.  We are to obey His word and abide in it.  Chapter fifteen verses nine through ten tells us, ^ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ^ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”  We show God that we love Him by being obedient to His word.  The relationship we have with God is to be one of love and obedience.  I know that there are people out there saying that we can do whatever we want, that God’s love is so great that all human kind is going to make it to heaven.  If that were the case why would Christ tell us all this, why go to cross?  We must come to the understanding that we serve a God that demands our love and obedience.  Christ then tells us that we are to love one another as He loved us.  He goes on to remind us that the world is going to hate us.  Why is the world going to hate us? Because it first hated Him, if we are following God and being obedient, and sharing with the world that sin does exist then of course it is going to be upset with us.  The world does not want to hear that it is only through Christ that they are going to have a place in Heaven. 

The great news is that Christ is not just leaving us on our own, no He promised us the helper.  The helper being the Holy Spirit, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are to come and know God even better.  Paul tells us in Ephesians two verses 4-7 , “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much,  that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!)  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus.  And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.”  God doesn’t just leave us to fend for ourselves but Gives us the Holy Spirit to Guide, direct and cleanse us of our sins.