Week 8: God Keeps His Word

Scripture: John 20:24-29 NRSV

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

God Keeps His Word

Ever been concerned about something that you’ve faced? Concerned about whether God will answer your prayers and concerns? Concerned about the turnout of an event, evaluation or performance? That doesn’t make you a bad Christian unless you rest in that feeling. That feeling of anxiety and doubt. If we look back over our lives, we’ll see that when life’s issues took our breath away, God breathed life back into us. The Bible is a promise book from God to God’s people. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is nothing that can happen on earth that is not already addressed in the bible. The truth of the matter is that many of us don’t see ourselves and our situations in the bible because we aren’t reading it enough. God spends time telling us who we are, what our destiny is and how God promises to get us there. Due to the lack of tangibility in the promise, we often don’t believe, but I am here to prove to you, by way of scripture, that God keeps his word. The bible, which is also known as the Word, spends time identifying who God is, who we are and what the position of God is in our lives. Jesus is also introduced to us in the John’s Gospel as the word. He is the Second in the Godhead and is known as the savior of the World. He was born of a virgin, raised in Jewish Culture, Went to the Synagogue, Performed Miracles like healing the sick and lame and raising the dead, and was crucified all before where we find ourselves in this text.

The controversy of this text is anchored in the empty tomb. At an empty tomb on Sunday Morning, Mary Magdalene was told by the Angel of the Lord that Jesus was alive prior to Jesus himself appearing to her. They went and forwarded the message to his disciples. Jesus had a following of people who followed him up to the very moment of his death, at this point in scripture. Thomas was one of the disciples who had the privilege of having a close and tangible relationship with Jesus, but my findings in the text would suggest that he had no such relationship with Christ after all. He had the ability to get to know Jesus on a personal level, and would have been able to give an account on the personhood of Jesus. With this being the case, Thomas should’ve had an understanding of the character of Christ. When someone is in a relationship with you, they can give an account of what you would and wouldn't do. When confronted with information about that person, based upon your own personal interactions, you should be able to define whether or not this sounds like the person who you know them to be. He had been in enough common space with Christ to know the mission of Christ. He should have known the character of Christ to know that He is who he says he is. He should’ve known that Christ would be beaten, killed, and be raised on the third day as according to Matthew 16:21.

The situation found in this text proves that Thomas was near Christ, but was not close to Him. I argue this because Had He been close, he would’ve known Jesus would come back. Had he been close to Christ; He would know that He couldn’t have stayed dead. Had he been close to Christ, He would’ve believed that Christ would come back, because God Keeps His Word. This lifts the idea that many of us are much like Thomas. We are in church, but aren’t in Christ. We come on Sundays, but our faith isn’t strengthened. We go to bible study, but we don’t believe or practice the word. We come to prayer meetings, but don’t have a prayer life. And the list goes on and on. We should be able to look back over the time spent with Jesus and realize his track-record is sure, but we can’t because some of us know that our relationship with God is visible but not actual. We should remember that if he’s brought us this far, he’ll take us all the way. Thomas couldn’t see how Jesus could be alive when he just watched Jesus die. I could understand his plight, because People don’t just come out of the grave all the time. Thomas had issues with the savior, he saw going in the borrowed tomb, not being there anymore. Thomas was thinking that there’s no way he could be alive when I saw him die with my own eyes.

I began to think that maybe Thomas had only seen people go into the grave prior to this experience, and then I realized that couldn't be true. He was there when Jesus Raised the young man at his funereal in Luke 7. And he was there when Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter in Matthew 9. And he was there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave in John 11. So why couldn’t he believe that Jesus is alive again? So he could defeat death for others but not himself. Thomas is known for doubting Jesus, but I would argue that he didn’t doubt Jesus; he had a limited ideology of Jesus. The Jesus he knew didn’t make promises, nor did he keep them. Where had Thomas been all throughout the ministry of Jesus? Better question: where have you been? God has been working things out for us. We have seen God make ways for us, seen God heal us, seen God answer prayers for us, seen God provide for us and once we get faced with a new situation we suddenly forget all of what we’ve seen God do. Can anyone testify with the saints of old that I've seen him do and I know it’s working out for me! Jesus had performed major ministry right before the eyes of Thomas and still Thomas had not been a witness of the fact of the identity of Jesus. Jesus teaches us three things in this text that we should pay close attention to in order to prevent us from having the Doubting Thomas syndrome. The first thing is:

Our Faith Crisis is His Priority

The text says that they were in a locked room away from people. This suggests that they were not expecting nor looking forward to any visitors, but nevertheless Jesus comes in the room. He doesn’t knock, he doesn’t beg entry, he simply appears in the room. Because when we need Jesus to appear, he reveals himself to us so that we know he’s there. He shows up when we have questions. He shows up when we are struggling. He shows up when we need him most. He shows up to settle the issue that Thomas is facing with his faith. Christ’s desire is to strengthen our faith and belief in Him; and He uses opportunities of doubt as a platform to prove that He is Lord, Lest we forget.            When we are faced with fears of faith and adversity, it is important for us to remember that Jesus will show up for us. Even when we doubt Him and are separated from Him. If we look at the text, we will see that Thomas didn’t come to Jesus, Jesus came to see about Him. Thomas was Jesus’ priority! He came in the room, and greeted everyone, but came immediately to Thomas. Because your Faith Crisis is His priority. As he is speaking to Thomas, he tells Thomas to touch him and feel the places where he was bruised. Feel the scars that once bore much pain to him, that he felt for us. This experience was important because it authenticated the faith of Thomas and the foundation of his faith in Jesus. Just like Thomas, whatever you are struggling with or doubting God about, your faith crisis is his priority.

His Position in Your Life Shouldn’t Change

            No matter what you’re going through and how bad it looks, God’s position in our lives should never change. We have a tendency to treat God like a vending machine, who we come to when we are in need. We come ask for something, stay long enough to receive it and then we leave with no expectation of returning until we are in need of something else. If we want to see the fullness of God and the manifestation of his promises, we must have a consistency with our relationship with him. We can’t be conditional with a God who is completely unconditional with us. Our position doesn’t change in him, so we shouldn’t change his position either. The position of Christ in this text is one who comes as a friend. He comes to Thomas who is doubting, and Christ still has faith in him that He would renew his faith. But Thomas sees him as something more than how Christ sees Thomas. Thomas sees Him as His Lord! Someone to be revered and respected. Someone who leads and guides other, and since Thomas had made it personal, someone who he was led by. Teaching us that if we keep God first, there will always be a good path to follow.

You Don’t Need To See To Believe

Scripture proves to us that God is a keeper of his word. Whatever came out of the mouth of God, Christ or the Unction of the Holy Spirit has and/or will come to past. The text teaches us that Thomas got to touch and feel the pains, and stripes of Christ. Because of this experience, he believed that Christ was resurrected. He should have taken the word of Christ that He would be raised on the third day Because of His track record. All of what he has done for us in the past, we should know what he is capable of doing. Because we’ve seen him do it before, we have confidence in the fact that he can and he will do it. We don’t need to see his hands at work to know he is working it out. We don’t need to see him to know that he is there. Because he makes good on all of his promises and he always keeps his word.  

1.      He Promised That He Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You; and He Keeps His Word!

2.      He Promised That He Will Never Put More on you than you can Bear; and He Keeps His Word!

3.      He Promised That The Water Would Not Overtake Us; and He Keeps His Word!

4.      He Promised That He Would Deliver Us out of Our Afflictions; and He Keeps His Word!

5.      He Promised That You Are The Lender and Not the Borrower; and He Keeps His Word!

6.      He Promised That You Are Above and Not Beneath; and He Keeps His Word!

7.      He Promised that You Are More Than A Conqueror; and He Keeps His Word!

8.      He Promised That By His Stripes We Are Healed; and He Keeps His Word!

9.      He Promised That No Weapons Formed Against You Will Prosper; and He Keeps His Word!

10.  He Promised That Every Tongue That Rises Against Us In Judgement Would be Condemned; and He Keeps His Word!

11.  He Promised That Nothing Would Separate us From His Love; and He Keeps His Word!

12.  He Promised That Greater Works Shall We Do; and He Keeps His Word!

13.  He Promised That All things would work together for the Good of those who love Him; and He Keeps His Word!

14.  He Promised That He Would Always Be With Us; and He Keeps His Word!

15.  He Promised That He Would Be A Present Help In The Time Of Trouble; and He Keeps His Word!

16.  He Promised That He’s Coming Back Again; and He Keeps His Word!

He’s coming back again for me, one day when I was lost, he died on the cross and he’s coming back again for me. And because of the promises he has kept, We know He Will keep any other promises he makes. He’s never failed us before, so I believe he will continue to do what he said he would do. A benediction is a blessing to the people, which justifies a promise from God. When we pronounce and receive a benediction, a representative of God speaks a covenant of God to God’s people. When we hear the words, we receive the benefit of his promises. So, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Now Unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before his presence with exceeding joy. To the only wise God, our savior be Glory Majesty Dominion and power. Both now and forever more. Amen.