Joseph harking at him which we've
just sung says of Christ having risen from the dead and having
ascended a man there is a real man with wounds still gaping
wide from which rich streams of blood once ran in hands and
feet and side. Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
no metaphor we speak. The same dear man in heaven now
reigns that suffered for our sake. This wondrous man of whom
we tell is true almighty God. He bought our souls from death
and hell to price his own heart's blood. There is a man, a real man, in
heaven today, with wounds still gaping wide. That man is the
Lord Jesus Christ. That man is Almighty God. That
man is the one who came, the Son of God, to die in the place
of sinners. A real man, and yet truly God. A real man that he might suffer
and die in the place of sinners. Suffer and die a substitute for
sinners. Suffer the death that sinners
deserve to die. That he might deliver them from
their sins. He really died. He was really
slain. His blood was truly shed. And yet on the third day, rose
again and having risen this man this same man who shed his blood
ascended to sit on the right hand of his father from whence
he reigns He reigns there until all his
enemies be made his footstool, until all those for whom he died
are gathered in and brought to know of their salvation, and
until all those who oppose him and reject him are made his footstool,
are made to bow at his feet on that last day in which he returns
to judge all mankind and to divide his people, the sheep, from the
goats. when this world will be brought
to a close, when all will be brought to a conclusion. That
man is in heaven today. This is the one of whom we tell,
this wondrous man. And yet what is the reaction
of most when they hear of this man? What was the reaction of
you when you first heard of this man? What perhaps is the reaction
of your heart today when you hear of this man? Is it not like Thomas to say,
I will not believe, I will not believe. In the 20th chapter of John we
read of Christ's resurrection And we read of his appearance
under his disciples. On an evening of the first day
of the week, that day in which he rose, when the doors were
shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,
came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, peace be
unto you. And when he had so said, he showed
unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again,
Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever
sins ye retain, they are retained. But in verse 24 of John chapter
20 we read of Thomas' reaction when he hears of this. But Thomas
was not present. And what he heard was the report
of men regarding this man. But Thomas, one of the twelve
called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other
disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except
I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into
his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his
disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be
unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they
that have not seen and yet have believed. As Thomas here on hearing the
report that this man had risen from the dead, said, except I
shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger
into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side,
I will not believe. I will not believe. This chapter, this account of
the resurrection in John chapter 20, chapter 21, is the seventh
sign in John. This book comprised of seven
signs which are written as it says at the end of chapter 20,
these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God. And that believing ye might have
life through his name. Well this is the conclusion of
these signs. The seventh sign regarding the resurrection. And the sign, the picture of
the resurrection, the account and the accounts around it, are
clearly about life. about life from the dead. Christ
was dead. When he was crucified, he was
truly slain. That man died. He died as truly as any other
die. He was a real man and he really
died. Yet on the first day of the week,
On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He who was dead
now lived. He who was dead slew death. He conquered death. He rose again
from the grave. He brought life and immortality
to light. in him is life. These signs are written that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and
that believing ye might have life through his name. If ye have life through believing
on Christ it comes because he rose from the dead. It comes because he brought life
out of death. It comes because he took away
sin and brought in righteousness. It comes because he conquered
death, he conquered sin, he conquered hell. It comes because he came bringing
life. Yes this sign concerns life And
that life is to be found in one place and one place only. It
is exclusively in the Son, exclusively in Jesus Christ. These are written that you might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing,
you might have life through his name. There's no life There's
no salvation. There's no heaven to come. There's
no life beyond the grave when your life here is brought to
a conclusion. There's no eternal life. Except
ye believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Life is exclusively in Christ. It is exclusively in believing
that He is the Christ and that He is the Son of God. The disciples, when Christ was
crucified, were full of sorrow. He told them what should happen. He told them that He must needs
die. He must suffer. He told them
that he would rise again, yet they knew it not. As we read
in verse nine of chapter 20, as yet they knew not the scripture
that he must rise again from the dead. He's spoken of these
things, but they comprehended it not. And they thought they'd lost
him. Then imagine the wonder, the amazement, when they were
gathered in this room on the evening of the first day. They
had heard the reports of the ones and twos who'd been to the
grave to the sepulchre and found that Christ's body was no longer
there. They'd heard the report of Mary
Magdalene coming and telling the disciples that she had seen
the Lord. Could this be true? And then
here gathered in a room with the doors shut, Jesus came and
stood in the midst and saith unto them, peace be unto you. And the disciples were glad when
they saw the Lord. What a sight! This one who died,
this one they had seen on the cross with their own eyes, suffering,
dying that awful death, this one whose blood they had seen
shed, this one whose agonies they had heard. This one they
had seen dead, now stood in the midst, alive, risen. With the door shut, he appears
unto them, saying, Peace be unto you. What a wonderful, a tremendous
sight. But how unbelievable to the natural
mind, They would not have believed
it. They could not have believed it. And when they came to report
it to Thomas, that was his reaction. He wasn't there at that time.
And when they came and said, we have seen the Lord, stunned,
amazed, he says, except I shall see in his hands the print of
the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust
my hand into his side. I will not believe. He puts this condition down because
he thinks that that's the only thing that he could possibly
believe. He'd actually have to see him and not just see him
as he once was, but see him knowing that he had died. See the real
man that he'd seen with nails in his hands. See that real man
that he had seen with a spear thrust in his side. Only then
would he believe. It's easy to be critical of Thomas. This one whose doubts are recorded.
But really he is just set forth as an example of us all. The
other disciples were much the same. They were amazed and yet
Christ came into their midst and showed them his hands and
his feet. And here Thomas says, except
I see that, I will not believe. Well, we've said that. You've
said that. Perhaps you say that today. Except I see Christ. Except this,
except that, except this comes about, except that comes about,
I will not, I cannot believe. Well, we cannot by nature. Our understanding is darkened.
Our eyes are blind. Our ears are deaf. One can come
and preach Christ unto us. One can come and tell us who
Christ is. One can come and tell us that
He truly died, that He was all He claimed to be, that the scriptures
are true, that that man 2,000 years ago who was crucified outside
Jerusalem's walls was truly the Son of God, that He truly died
for sinners, that His blood was truly shed and that He did indeed
rise again on the third day. They can come and they can tell
us that he appeared unto the disciples, that he appeared even
unto Thomas, that he showed Thomas his wounds, that Thomas saw. And yet, like Thomas, the response
of our hearts is, I will not believe. We cannot. We can't see it. We can't comprehend
it. And we will not. Our rebellious
hearts will not believe. They will not submit to the truth. They will not accept God's word. They will not accept the testimony
of God's people regarding God's word. We will not believe. We will choose to believe what
we want. We will go our way. We won't
go that way. We will not believe. Unbelief. Not only is unbelief
that which is natural to the heart of man, to the fallen heart
of man, not only is it that state in which we are by nature, but
it is that sin which can so easily beset the believer. The believer
even should he have been brought by the Holy Ghost to see Christ,
to have his eyes opened, brought like Thomas to see the Savior,
to bow down at that sight of Christ and to cry out in faith,
my Lord and my God. The believer even being brought
to faith still has a nature. that wars against the things
of God still has the flesh within that says no still has that flesh
that wars against the spirit and the things of God and said
no I will not and how easily unbelief besets us no matter
how much we've seen no matter how much we've heard and how
much we've been shown no matter how much we've experienced So
easily our hearts grow cold and we will not believe. So easily
the doubts come in, so easily the fears beset us, so easily
we turn our gaze away from Christ, so easily we doubt, so easily
our hearts cry out, I will not believe. It won't be, it cannot
be. Things go on the same. Things
will remain as they are. The Lord has said this, but will
it come to pass? The Lord had told the disciples
what would come to pass. Thomas said, I will not believe
when he heard that it had. The Lord may tell us What will
come to pass? He says I will build my church
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I will gather
in all my flock. I will preach my gospel to the
end of the age. And that gospel will save souls
and will build my church. I will be in the midst of my
people. I will feed my people. I will
nourish my people. I will give them drink. I will
give them bread. I will lead them forth through
all the trials and all the circumstances of life. and yet so easily our hearts
say, I will not believe. Where is the Lord? Where is God? Where is he? Things go on the
same. Where's the gospel today? Where
are the souls saved? Where is the church? Yet he has said, I will build
my church. I will. And yet despite our reaction,
despite our hearts, God has not abandoned us. Despite Thomas's
reaction, Christ did not abandon him. Thomas had seen so much. Thomas had lived and walked with
Christ. He had heard his words. He had
seen his miracles. At the death of Lazarus, Thomas
was one who said unto his fellow disciples, let us also go unto
Lazarus that we may die with him. Thomas was bold. He had a zeal. He would go with
the Lord Jesus wherever he went. He was prepared to die with others
who would die for the Lord. He was prepared to stand. He'd
seen so much, he was so invigorated by these things. And yet here,
at the end, where's that boldness? How bold he had seemed and yet
now the unbelief. I will not believe. Have you
been there? Do you know this? Do you know
what it is to have been lifted up, to have had that zeal, that
love for God? Perhaps you've heard the gospel,
perhaps God has had mercy upon your soul, perhaps you've known
that Christ has died in your place, perhaps you've known His
goodness and His grace towards you. You've been taken up with
Him. And yet there's times when your
heart plummets, when you're cold, when doubts and fears flood in,
when despite all that God has done and all that God has shown
you, despite all that has happened, despite all the answers to prayer,
despite all the evidences, your heart cries out, accept this,
I will not believe. We blow hot one moment and cold
the next. We've all been like Thomas. We've all been like him. And yet, like I say, despite
that reaction, despite the unbelief, despite the hardness of heart,
despite the will set in rebellion, I will not, I will not believe,
I will not, despite all this, Christ comes unto Thomas. He
comes unto the disciples in that place where the doors are shut. And he comes and stands in the
midst and says, peace be unto you. Peace be unto you. Yes, in verse 26 we read, then
came Jesus, the doors being shut. the doors being shut. Our unbelief, our coldness and
hardness of heart, may shut the doors to Christ and his gospel. It may shut the doors fast. We may seek to shut him out,
whether intentionally or unintentionally. We may be in that state where
we will have nothing of him or the doors may have shut because
we're just so turned aside, so consumed with other things, so
doubting, so miserable. We feel he's almost left us.
We're on our own. We've grown cold and the doors
have shut. But the shut doors of the room
in which the disciples were gathered, and the shut doors of the hearts
of men, and the shut doors of your heart, are not enough to
stop Christ coming and entering in. Thomas was in unbelief. The doors were shut, both of
the room and of his heart. yet Christ still entered. He overruled, for he would save. And should Christ have set his
love upon you, a sinner, a rebel by nature, should he purpose
to save, you can be in the hardest of unbelief, you can be in the
darkest place, You can be in the lowest estate. You can be
sunk in sin and rebellion. Your door may be shut, but it
won't shut him out. He comes with his gospel. He
comes with a hammer. He comes with a sound of thunder
in his gospel. And he will enter in. He will
enter in. Well what did Thomas see? Then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands. And reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believe
in. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord, and my God. Thomas saw. He said he would
not believe except he saw these things. Well in his case he literally
saw these things. Christ came under him and Christ
said, reach forth thy finger, behold my hand, reach hither
thy hand and thrust it into my side. You wanted to see this,
Thomas? Well look, behold! Behold my
hands! Are they not real? Have they
not been pierced? Did I not die? Did I not die
for you, Thomas? Were they not pierced for you,
Thomas? Was that blood not shed for you,
Thomas? Thrust your hand in my side. Did not blood and water come
forth from that side? For you, Thomas. He saw him. He saw Christ. He saw Christ
and him crucified. He not only saw him, he not only
heard of him, but he had an experience of him.
When Christ stood before Thomas here, it was real. We don't actually read that Thomas
did touch him or did thrust his hand in his side. We read that
on seeing Christ before him and on hearing Christ's words, Thomas
cried out, my Lord and my God. Christ came where the door was
shut and Christ spake unto him. And the reality of this turned
Thomas' heart of unbelief into a heart of faith. If we're to believe on Jesus
Christ, if we're to know what it is to have life in him, and
to know that he is the son of God, to know that he was crucified,
and to know that he was crucified for us, then we must not only
hear of him on the pages of scripture, but we must have an experience
of him as a reality. We must hear his voice in our
hearts. We must behold with the eyes
of faith those wounds upon his hands and feet, that wound in
his side, not as a literal experience, It's not a matter of seeing him
in person. Thomas saw him in person but
it wasn't really that sight which brought Thomas' unbelief to the
point at which he believed. It wasn't that that transferred
Thomas from death unto life. It was something beyond that.
It was the reality of seeing and believing by faith. of experiencing
Christ as a reality of knowing that he was his savior, of knowing
that he was the Lamb of God slain for him, of beholding that as
a reality by faith. He saw but it wasn't just mental
persuasion and it wasn't just something he saw with his literal
eyes but he saw by faith He saw Christ in his person as the Son
of God. He saw his suffering, he saw
those signs on his hands, feet and side of his suffering. He
saw in him his death. He saw his blood. He saw his
substitution for him. And he saw the consequence, the
peace which Christ had brought through his death for Thomas. peace be unto you. The result of such a sight of
what Thomas saw was to believe and in believing he had life
for as Christ says in John 3 36 he that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life These things are written that ye might believe
that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing
ye might have life through his name. Thomas saw, Thomas believed
and Thomas had life. And if we're to see and we're
to believe and our unbelief and our doubts and our fears are
to be cast aside We must see Christ as He is. We must behold
Him. He must be revealed unto us.
He must come as it were, the doors being shut and stand in
the midst. He must come into our hearts,
the doors of our hearts being shut and stand in the midst of
our hearts and cry out unto us from within, peace be unto you. And we must hear that voice within
crying unto us, peace be unto you. Be not faithless, but believing. And should we hear that voice
within our hearts, as Thomas heard, then we like him will
cry out, my Lord and my God. Christ says unto Thomas, Thomas,
because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed, Blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believed. Not seen like Thomas,
no. Not seen with the outer eyes.
But then that was just the figure. This is just the sign, as recorded
in John, to point to that inner reality. Blessed are they that
have never seen these things outwardly, but they, like Thomas,
the doors of their heart being shut. have had Christ enter in
and stand in the midst of them and say, peace be unto you. Have
you heard that voice within your heart? Have you heard it? You see, what Thomas kept turning
his back from, despite the fact that he'd walked with Christ
all these years, despite the fact he'd been with Christ, what
at this hour he turned his gaze away from is that salvation. Hope, peace, rest, all is entirely
in Christ. Faith looks exclusively to Christ. He is the only answer. Life is
only to be found in Christ. Should we turn our gaze away
from Him and Him alone? then all will fall into his utter
unbelief. Darkness, coldness and death.
There's no answers, no help to be found anywhere but in Christ.
He is the answer. He is our assurance. He is our comfort. He is our
wisdom. He is our hope. He is our salvation. He is everything. John 14 when Christ was speaking
of his death and he said unto the disciples let not your heart
be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me he spoke of
going away and Thomas saith unto him Lord we know not whither
thou goest and how can we know the way how can we know How can
we find the way to God? How can we find the answers?
How can we find what is the will of God in our life? How can we
find the answer to this trial or this difficulty? How should
we know how to escape from this? What will be the answer to our
doubts and our fears? Should we go to this person or
that person? Will they tell us the way? Will
they have the answer? How can we know the way, says
Thomas? Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. How can we know the way? Christ
is the way. He is the way. The way stood
in front of Thomas at that time and at that point Thomas didn't
know the way. Yet the way was in front of him. And so often we want to know
the way. We want to know the answer. And
we wonder how we will find it. We want some evidence. We say,
accept this and accept that. I will not believe. Accept this
come about. I will not. I want to know the
way. Yet the way is Christ. Behold
my hands, he says. Behold my hands, faith won't
find any assurance in anything but a sight of Christ. Whatever
state you're in, whatever trouble you're in, look no further. Look nowhere but Christ. There's no assurance in any other
sight, no other knowledge, no other wisdom. will bring any
help. We tend to look to man, to human
wisdom. We may ask others what the way
is, but the way is Christ. And Christ must be real to us,
we must behold him. We must see him by faith. Where
are you looking? What is your heart saying? Have
you been where Thomas was here? For here is the answer to death. Here is the answer to doubts
and unbelief. This is the sign regarding life
from the dead. And the sign tells us to look
unto Christ. Accept this, accept that. I will
not believe, we say. I will not. But Christ says, be not faithless,
but believe in. Behold my hands. Behold me. I am the way. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. As it says in John 5, 24, verily,
verily, Christ says, I say unto you, he that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto
life. We need to hear, but we need
to hear this one who stands before us and says, behold my hands. Be not faithless, but believe
him. We need to hear, you need to hear. The only assurance we
will find, the only answer to any trouble we find ourselves
in, is to hear Christ and to behold Christ. It's the hearing
of faith that hears his cry, that says, I am the way, the
truth and the life. that hears that cry that says
be not faithless but believing and hearing looks and beholds
and sees before one the way the truth and the life. Where are you looking? Hear his
words, hear his words this day be not faithless but believing
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. My Lord and my God. Amen.