“Seeing...and Then Seeing!”

Well, good morning. He is risen and I'll answer for you. He is risen indeed.

Thank the Lord on this Resurrection Sunday that we serve a living and risen

Savior. I trust your Easter Sunday your Resurrection Sunday has already started well and looking forward to a blessing as we

Focus our attention on our Lord his resurrection from the tomb And all that accomplished in our lives here 2 ,000 years later

Before we begin the service itself just a few announcements to share with you this afternoon after the service today there will be a devotional booklet available that is you can actually access it on the church website and You go to the tab that says

Articles devotions and the latest devotions that shows up will be meditations for Resurrection Sunday it's

Got quite a few quite a number of really good devotional thoughts interspersed with some

YouTube videos of Easter music And I think it'll be a great blessing to you

So, yeah, don't go there now and look for that wait till after the service this morning and Anytime that'll be available on the website from here on out but anytime today would be a good time to just take get away shut everything else out and Reflect on the resurrection and then of course

Wednesday night. We'll be back for our seven o 'clock Prayer and Bible study time 7 to about 7 30 encourage you to join in on that And then each day at noon still be doing the daily devotionals during the weekday the weekdays

Fair warning tomorrow's video at noon is Going to be a pre -recorded video.

I have a scheduled conflict and can't do that live tomorrow But that'll be available and I believe it'll only be available on Facebook at noon.

It'll show up on the church website later Many have been very very faithful and gracious in giving in offerings and that's been greatly appreciated many have used the online giving

Option and that's been very helpful and thank you for your faithfulness in giving others have mailed your gifts contributions in and that likewise is

We're most grateful for that and others are waiting till we gather again together and put your offering in the offering plate and that's that's

Perfectly fine Thank the Lord. He has provided for our church ministry sufficiently to get us through this times that we're not in any dire straits and We're grateful for that another testimony that we serve a living

Savior who cares for his own through difficult times Well, let me read as we begin our worship service time together this morning 1st

Corinthians 15 verses 19 through 21 The Apostle Paul writes if in this life only we have hope in Christ We are of all men most miserable

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept for since by man came death

By man came also the resurrection from the dead We are grateful today that our hope is not limited to this life

That the course of the service this morning. I want to read John chapter 20 the other day

Thursday evening in our Maundy Thursday service we ended with Joseph of Arimathea the rich man taking the

Lord Jesus body and placing it in his own tomb and today We read that that body did not stay in the tomb

I want to read first of all verses 1 through 10 and we'll read other portions through the service

John 20 verse 1 says the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early when it was yet dark under the sepulchre and Seeth the stone taken away taken away from the sepulchre

Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and saith unto them

They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre and we know not where they have laid him Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulchre they ran both together and the other disciple did outrun

Peter and came first to the sepulchre and He stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying yet when he not in Then cometh

Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulchre and seeth the linen cloths clothes lie

And the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen cloths but wrapped together in a place by itself

Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre and he saw and believed

For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead Then the disciples went away again unto their own home

I'm going to begin with a hymn this morning. I read you the text to it as Kelly appreciate

Kelly's help again this week She plays the tune in the background that the hymn is entitled

Good Christians now rejoice and sing Good Christians now

Rejoice and sing come see the triumph of our King to all the world glad news we bring

Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia The Lord of life is risen today

Death's mighty stone is rolled away Let every tongue rejoice and say

Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Thy name we bless

Oh risen Lord and sing today with one accord The life laid down is now restored

Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia, let's pray together.

So our father this morning we do cry out. Alleluia praise to our risen living

Savior meet with us together as we gather in this most unique and unusual way

Around your word and around the thoughts of hymns that remind us of our risen

Lord this we pray in Jesus name Amen For our psalm reading today,

I would like to read psalm 16 portion of the psalm and it's a psalm that Is one of the prophetic passages?

regarding the Lord's resurrection psalm 16 psalmist writes Preserve me

O God for in thee do I put my trust? Oh my soul thou has said unto the

Lord Thou art my Lord my good my goodness extendeth not to thee as For the saints that are in the earth.

They are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another

God their drink offerings of blood Will I not offer nor take up their names into my lips?

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup Thou maintainest my lot

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yay. I have a goodly heritage

I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord always before me Because he is at my right hand.

I shall not be moved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoice it my flesh also shall rest in hope

For thou will not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption

Thou wilt show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy at thy right hand

There are pleasures forevermore Christ arose from the dead is

Resurrection hymn that was written just a few years ago We want to share that together this morning

Christ arose from the dead Death laid the

Savior low sinners to justify Christ slew the ancient foe and he lives no more to die bow to the conquering

King God's own begotten Son Death where is now thy sting?

God's redeeming work is done Gone is the hopeless gloom vacant the stony bed

No more a conquering tomb Christ is risen from the dead

Christ arose from the dead praise his matchless glory

Christ arose as he said Tell the wondrous story Christ arose shout and sing

Jesus faileth never Christ arose as the King and he lives forever

As we pray together this morning, we are grateful that we can pray to our

Heavenly Father through our living Eternal High Priest we come to the

Father through the Son in His name today and our missionary of the week this week are the burillas missionaries to Cameroon and As you're probably aware they are in the

States on furlough And actually a delayed furlough and extended furlough, especially for Mark.

He was intending to be back in Cameroon right now But because of the virus crisis and all the restrictions on travel

Still in the States awaiting an opportunity to return to the field. So we want to pray for them in this time of constraint and restraint and pray also for the stability of the ministry there in Cameroon because the country there is under the same kind of restrictions and limitations as we are and In some of those some of those countries like Cameroon.

They don't have the technology Available that we might have so that they can even gather virtually, so I want to pray for that ministry and then also a couple other prayer requests to pass along a friend of one of the church members church families

Is having a I believe it's a quadruple bypass surgery tomorrow so pray for we'll call him

Jay and Also pray for his wife because in these strange times

Even in with such a serious Concerning surgery. She's not allowed to be at the hospital with him

As he undergoes this surgery So you want to pray for that couple and then a word of rejoicing and praise as well as continued prayer

We've been praying for a little baby Hendricks for quite some time it's now nine months old and is doing very well and Just saw a post from his mom and just thank the

Lord for how God has graciously spared this little boy's life and thankful for Hendricks and For the the blessing that this is to his parents as well as his grandmother is a member or part of our church family, so I want to pray for Hendricks continued healing and strength

Let's look to the Lord in prayer today. Shall we? Our Heavenly Father and our God we are gracious and grateful and thankful for all that you have done for us

We're thankful for a risen Savior We're thankful for his intercession in our behalf right now because he lives

He ever lives to intercede for us We praise you and thank you for answers to prayer as well for Hendricks and the the health and strength that you've given to this little boy we thank you for your faithfulness to provide for us even in these times of Difficulty and uncertainty we thank you for the encouragement that your word gives to us and I thank you for the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus and that He is the focus and the foundation of all that we hope

Father thank you for your goodness and graciousness to us And yet father we also would come to you confessing today our own

Failings our own sinfulness our fearfulness our anxiety where we hear the news of the day we hear the prospects of the future and We in our flesh become so anxious and we could become so fearful

And I pray that you would forgive us for every incident in every moment and when when we have taken our eyes off of you and we have put our focus and attention on the

Uncertainty of the world and allowed that to control our responses

We also confess to you father that we have not you have given us great great opportunities in this time of Measured isolation yet.

We have not always used those hours and moments In the best way possible we haven't redeemed the time

I pray that you would forgive us even of this and help us father to Make good use of these days in the hours

Some of us that means getting extra rest it means we

Restarting some of those spiritual disciplines that we have neglected for so long

I pray that you would use this time in our lives to draw us closer to to you and may our walk with you become more faithful and Deepen in our trust in you as well

We do pray for the gorillas today. We pray that you would encourage them In this time of waiting to get back to the field.

We pray for the ministry in Cameroon That you would give it stability and that when they have the freedom to assemble together again they like so many of us will gather with joyfulness and thanksgiving for the opportunity to gather again we do pray also father for Jay and his wife the surgery tomorrow

We pray that you would guide the hand of the surgeons and I pray that The surgery would be successful that you would spare this man's life and that he would come through this surgery

Well and would heal quickly and I pray also for his wife

Give her a peace of mind as she trusts in you through this time we pray father for Hendricks continue to strengthen his little body.

Thank you for all that you have done in your grace in his behalf Father there are some in our area in our

County that are suffering from this Covid virus. I pray that you would grant them healing restore their bodies to health father,

I pray for those in our church family and in our community that are suffering some financial setbacks because of the restrictions the stay -at -home restrictions the

Struggles of some of our local businesses and companies that Cannot function right now.

I pray that you would That you would sustain these in your common grace to those to those businesses

May they continue and carry on and I pray that in your grace and your promise to your people

That you would continue to provide our needs and supply each one some of us have been unaffected in Negative ways materially through this time.

I pray that we would have a heart to share with those in need Continue father to protect our bodies from illness protect our hearts from a restless

Anxiety from an unnecessary needless fear and I pray that we would not waste and fritter away our time with Obsession over all that is coming across in the media

Be it the television the Internet or whatever help us to keep our perspective

We pray that you would guide our lawmakers our policy makers those in authority over us father, there are many who have overstepped their bounds of their legal authority and I pray that you would

Remind them in some very strong and forceful ways That they have done.

So I pray that those who are most really mostly concerned about the welfare of People would have wisdom to know what decisions to be made for that welfare

In all of this father, we continue to pray that your truth would triumph that your righteousness would reign that your justice would prevail

That your kingdom would come and that your will would be done and this we pray in Jesus name

Amen Let me continue reading in John chapter 11 verses 11 through 18

Says but Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting the one at the one the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain and She and they say unto her woman.

Why weepest thou? She saith unto them because they have taken away my lord, and I know not where they have laid him

And when she had thus said she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was

Jesus Jesus saith unto her woman. Why weepest thou whom seekest thou?

She supposing him to be the gardener saith unto him sir, if thou have born him hence Tell me where thou slayed him and I will take him away

Jesus saith unto her Mary She turned herself and saith unto him

Rabboni, which is to say master Jesus saith unto her touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my father

But go to my brethren and say unto them. I ascend unto my father and your father and to my

God and your God Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the

Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her Christ the

Lord is risen today is Him that we love to sing on Resurrection Sunday Christ the

Lord is risen today Hallelujah sons of men and angels say hallelujah

Raise your joys and triumphs high sing ye heavens and earth reply

Hallelujah Lives again our glorious King Hallelujah, where O death is now thy sting?

Once he died our souls to save where thy victory O grave hallelujah

Love's redeeming work is done. Hallelujah Fought the fight the battle won

Death in vain forbids his rise Christ hath opened paradise hallelujah

So are we now where Christ hath led hallelujah following our exalted head

Made like him like him we rise Ours the cross the grave the skies

Alleluia Want to finish off this chapter of John chapter 20 beginning in verse 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 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 unto 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 Whose so ever sins you remit they are remitted unto them and whose so ever sins you retain they are retained

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 the 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 he saith unto 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

Thomas answered and said unto him my lord and my God Jesus saith unto him

Thomas because thou has seen me thou has believed Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed

And Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the

Christ the Son of God and That believing you might have life through his name a brief prayer our

Father and our God bless, I pray this passage of to our hearts this morning as we consider the

Importance of seeing that we might believe we pray in Jesus name. Amen So the other day our dog

Berkeley was out in the back by the patio sniffing around and and I'm and I'm watching it and I'm seeing what he's doing and he's just kind of Following it's like he's got his nose to the ground and kind of following along something

So I went over to where he was and I'm looking around and I I didn't see anything

I didn't see anything at all. So I couldn't quite figure out what had attracted his attention well the next day

I was outside right in that same area and All of a sudden I saw a mouse scurrying from the flowerbed to the the patio wall the

Block wall that we have there by the patio and the the mouse scurried into a crack in the wall

I looked down there and I couldn't see him, but I did see at that point I saw what

Berkeley was after I Understood I could perceive So it was in his so seeing that I understood exactly what was so interesting to the dog

Notice the different levels of seeing you can Just simply look at something and see it and then you can look at that same thing and ponder it

Consider it contemplated and Then finally there is a looking a seeing contemplating that understands

That is has some clarity as to what exactly you're seeing Now one of the interesting things about John's account of resurrection

Sunday is his emphasis on seeing I don't know if you noticed that as we read through chapter 20

It might be an interesting thing to go back through the chapter and circle every occasion where you see the word seeing or the word behold a reference to seeing but in these passages

We discover that there are three different ways that people see and then believe three different ways people see and then believe and undoubtedly

Everyone who is listening to my voice today is in one of those three groups But when it comes to the resurrection of the

Lord Jesus Christ from that garden tomb You need to be in the third group

So what are these groups who? How is it that people see and then believe?

Well the first group in verses 1 to 10 are people who? See the evidence and when they see the tangible physical evidence

Then that convinces them and there is as this chapter opens up as this passage opens up There are some monumental evidences of the resurrection right at the very beginning

Mary Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and she sees that the stone is token is taken away and and there are a couple of different Greek words that are translated see in this passage and Three of them exact to be at four of them actually to be exact and the word that's translated see here simply means that she

Observed it. She saw it. She saw that the stone was rolled away

So one of the physical evidences is there's a moved stone and then the last part of verse 2

What Mary also sees is that that tomb where the stone had been rolled away is empty

She seeing that the stone was rolled away. She came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple which is

John and She says they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher

So she looked into that tomb that sepulcher and she saw that it was empty

There's an empty tomb now. What is the conclusion so far? The conclusion thus far is that the corpse has been moved

They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher but then a third evidence is that the body is actually missing and That goes right along with what

I just said, but she also says at the end of verse 2 We know not where they have laid him.

So it's not just the fact that The body is not in the tomb Mary says we don't know where that body is.

There's a missing body here So let's review our evidences so far. We have a moved stone we have an empty tomb and we have a missing body, but there's more as Peter and John hear this message that the tomb is empty

The body is gone and it is missing they run to the tomb to see for themselves And when they arrive at the tomb we read in in verse 5 that Peter John stooping down and looking in he saw again

Just a notice. I just an observation. I he just looked at he looked in there and he saw but what did he see?

He saw these linen cloths lying there He didn't go in to do any more than that He just looked in the tomb and he saw that there on the shelf in that stone carved out stone tomb sepulcher

Was this a pile of the linen cloths that were there where Jesus had laid so the grave clothes were left behind and Then there's even more in verses 6 and 7

Peter following right behind John He arrives at the tomb and he's not so reticent to go into the tomb

He goes right on into the tomb and he not only sees the the linen cloths lying there

Verse 7 says he also sees the napkin that was about Jesus head

And it wasn't lying with the linen cloths. It was placed somewhere else It was wrapped together in a place by itself now the interesting thing is that the word that that we see translated in verse 6 that Peter went into the sepulcher and Sees the linen cloths lie is a different word and it doesn't mean that he just noticed or observed

It means that he Contemplated he's thinking about he's pondering what he's seeing as if he's saying to himself

What is the meaning of this? What could this possibly mean? So here are these different Physical evidences of the resurrection a moved stone an empty tomb a missing body

Grave claws that are left behind and grave clothes that are strangely positioned there in that tomb

Well, all of this leads John to an inescapable conclusion that he reaches in verse 8 verse 8 says

John went in also And he came he had came come first to the sepulcher and it says when he saw he believed

When he saw he believed he came to the point of understanding just like the other day when

I was outside and and I Was same spot where Berkeley had been the day before and all of a sudden

I saw this mouse running across the patio and launching into a crack in the wall

I saw and understood John saw and Understood he reached this inescapable conclusion

But verse 9 tells us that he reached that inescapable conclusion in spite of ignorance verse 9 says for as yet They knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead

So he came to this conclusion, but he didn't even realize that the Old Testament prophecies had

Anticipated that Jesus the Messiah would die and would rise from the dead. I Read we read earlier together

Psalm 16 and in verse 10. It's one of those one of those cryptic

Prophecies it was a mystery at the time. But now the mystery is cleared up Psalm 16 10 says thou will not leave thy my soul in hell neither

Will you allow your Holy One to see corruption? So even though John didn't know those prophecies didn't understand those prophecies at the time

He came to this inescapable conclusion He also came to this conclusion in spite of his own

Shall we call it skepticism? What I mean by that is that earlier

Probably a good week and a half earlier from now from this point in time resurrection

Sunday Jesus promised that he would rise again remember this

We read of it in Matthew 20 verses 17 and following and it says as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem He took the twelve disciples aside and on the way he said to them

See, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes and they will condemn him to death and Deliver him over to the

Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. Let's pause there for a minute All of that has actually come to pass now think about this the disciples heard

Jesus tell that this was coming tell them that this was coming and There on Good Friday afternoon almost evening time they watched this whole scene before them as Exactly what

Jesus told them was going to come to pass that He would be crucified and he was

But Jesus when he told them that this was going to happen. He also told them

He will be raised on the third day He promised that he would rise again from the tomb that there would be a resurrection and yet They obviously

Didn't expect it. I mean if you expected the if you expected the resurrection to take place if you knew that that promise that prophecy if you will was just as firm and just as sure and certain as Was the prophecy that he would be crucified and you saw that prophecy fulfilled right before your very eyes

Where would you be on this resurrection morning? Would you be holed up in a upper room somewhere?

Or would you be there at that tomb? waiting for the ground to shake waiting for The earth to split open the rock to split open and for Jesus to rise from the dead.

Where would you be? And yet they weren't there. So they obviously didn't expect that resurrection but John apparently had reached that conclusion upon the investigation of the evidence it was overwhelming to him verse 8 again says he saw and Believed Follow the process here.

There was in verse 5 an initial look looked into the tomb and saw the grave closed

Then there was careful observation and consideration he sees the linen clothes lying there sees ponders contemplates and then finally there is the perception of Intelligent comprehension he saw and he believed this was his aha moment if you will

Reminds me of when I was a child On vacation one year we went down to the

Ozarks and went to Eureka Springs in Arkansas and while we were there we went to a house that was made all out of stones that were

There were really different kinds of stones. It wasn't like a just your typical stone house.

These were like Almost Semi -precious kind of stones quartz and so forth and they built this whole house out of that and in that house

There was a museum if you will showing the different kinds of rocks and stones And then of course, there was a gift shop always the obligatory gift shop and in this gift shop

I'm fascinated my little eight -year -old eyes are wide, you know looking at all these stones and I want all of them but my eyes fixated on This nice big chunk of gold

I mean it was it was probably the size of a quarter and I and the price on that little piece of gold was

Unbelievably inexpensive. I couldn't believe it a quarter. I could afford this I said to my dad dad look gold.

There's I can get this piece of gold for a quarter. I saw a piece of gold my dad said

Son that's that's not really gold. That's called Pyrite, it's called fool's gold because it kind of looks like gold, but if you will examine it carefully

Look next to a regular Peter real piece of gold. You will see that it's not gold and then

I had my aha Moment I came to understand

John had his aha moment. He saw the evidence and he believed

Some are like that. Are you in that category of people who says? If I can't see the evidence,

I'm not gonna believe it Well, there's another group there are some who believe only after they see the real thing the real deal and this really comprises verses 11 to 28 the majority of this text and I want you to notice there are three different kinds of people

That are represented here with these with these individuals Some are like Mary read of Mary in verses 11 through 18

Who is careful? She's careful in her reticence to believe look at the caution that she expresses in verses 11 to 15 she sees a couple of angels and it's that same word that Means she ponders and contemplates she sees these two angels.

They she ponders. Who are these men? Sitting in this tomb one at one end and one at the other of the of the shelf where Jesus body was lying

What are they doing here? She's wondering in verse 12 and They ask her.

What are you weeping for? Why are you crying? And she expresses expresses a cautious unchanged

Conclusion remember her conclusion when she went to the disciples They have taken away my

Lord our Lord's body and I don't know where they have put it and she says Essentially the same thing here

She says to them in verse 13 because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him

It's the same cautious Unchanged conclusion Angels disappear from sight and she turns herself around and she sees

Jesus not knowing it was Jesus sees him standing there in verse 14 She sees him again.

She's contemplating. What's the gardener doing out here so early in the morning? What is what does he attend?

What is he here to tend the garden for at this hour the morning? She sees

Jesus standing there doesn't realize who it was and Jesus asked her is the same question as the angels

Why are you crying? Whom are you seeking? And Again, she expresses her cautious unchanged conclusion

Sir if you've taken the body away if you've taken him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away

He's essentially saying the same thing Somebody has taken the body of my lord, and I don't know where he is

If you've done it, would you please tell me and I'll I'll take him and put him back in the tomb But then

Jesus in his grace and kindness in his compassion. He manifests himself to her and she perceives in verse 16

Look at how he does this look at how he does this Jesus simply says to her Mary Mary you remember what

Jesus said back in John chapter 10? What's happening here gives clear indication

It's clear evidence if you will that Mary is one of Jesus children one of his followers one of his sheep because in John chapter 10

Jesus says the sheep hear his voice the voice of the

Good Shepherd and he calls his own sheep by name and He leads them out and when he has brought out all his own he goes for he goes before them and the sheep follow them listen because they know his voice and All Jesus has to do is with his voice call her name

Mary and She turns herself Startled and says unto him master

Rabboni master Master and this is as is the case in each of these three individuals who finally perceive who

Jesus is with the perception Jesus follows with a command that then elicits a

Response and the command for her in verse 17 is go Go and tell what you have seen and heard

Don't hang on to me. He says don't hang on to me I I haven't yet gone to my father in your

God, but go and tell my brothers Did you catch that go and tell my brothers?

Notice the relationship that Jesus Now how now Jesus looks at his followers as his disciples go and tell my brothers

What you've seen and what you have heard? She issues he issues to her that command and this cautious believer

Responds with believing Obedience and she goes and testifies of the resurrection in verse 18

Mary Magdalene came and told that she had seen and now she uses a different word that Communicates a clear discernment.

She she has clearly discerned the Lord And she did what she was told to do the cautious believer responds well some who

Won't believe until they see the real thing are careful like Mary and some like the disciples are fearful and With good reason with good reason see in verse 19 that the disciples are

Here on this first day of the week resurrection Sunday They were shut up in this upper room for fear of the

Jews well, that is a reasonable and logical fear that they would have you think of the the crucifixion climate of Jerusalem at this particular time you think about the reasonable fear because they've heard the story of the missing body

They're afraid You know, there's this little diddy that goes something like hey look just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean

I don't have a reason to be well, they're paranoid and it's a reasonable fear that they have but here comes

Jesus again and Jesus manifests his presence in his grace and his kindness and his compassion to his disciples and he is

Perceived he appears to them suddenly in verse 19 All of a sudden

Jesus stood in the midst of them and he offers to them this Kind Reassuring word there's no

Initially, there's no what's the matter with you guys? There's no slapping them if you will with his with his words.

He simply says Peace be unto you peace be unto you and Then look what he did next he

Authenticated his resurrection thoroughly before them. He says look Look at my hands

Look at my hands. Look at my side It is

I He authenticated his resurrection and verse 20 Says then were the disciples glad now look look at it again here.

Here's our word when they saw the Lord when they clearly discerned the truth

Here they are presented with the real thing and they cannot escape

The only conclusion this Jesus is alive and Then again,

Jesus issues a command in verses 21 to 23 He says as as the father sent me

So I am sending you and what is he sending them to do and we know in other places in the scriptures that that what?

He's sending them upon sending them out to do is to Evangelize globally to make disciples of all nations and to preach the word to every creature

He says so I'm as I was sent I am sending you and he says receive the

Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit is gonna give you the power to do what I'm sending you to do and what

I'm sending you to do is to Tell forth the good news the gospel message of the forgiveness of sins through the risen

Jesus through the risen Christ Go and tell It's just he told

Mary go and tell my brothers that I am alive Jesus tells the disciples go and tell the good news of the forgiveness of sins through me the risen

Savior and these once fearful believers respond the resurrected

Christ elicits a response in the heart of these believers and their their

Fear that had so dominated them is now replaced with a joy

That it elevates them if you will at the end of verse 20 says they were glad When they saw when they perceived when they clearly discerned the

Lord they respond with a fear replacing joy And they respond with the beginnings

The seed if you will the kernel of this gospel mission that Jesus has given

They do it and begin and lay the seed plant the seed with one of their own with Thomas Thomas wasn't there in verse 24, but the other disciples said to him we have seen clearly discerned the

Lord We have seen the Lord So some like the disciples are fearful and then some like Thomas are just doubtful skeptical

And that doubt I think is often I Guess for lack of a better way of describing it.

It's kind of like a safe haven Thomas says unless I see

The unless I see there's our word again in his hands the print of the nails and I put my

Finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side. I will not believe

So here is he's expressing that doubt and that doubt so it's kind of a safe haven because it's like this

It puts it's it's a protecting thing I He's protecting himself.

I think Thomas is against any further disappointment dashed expectations he fully expected that Jesus was going to Take the rulership of this world.

He the Messiah was going to release and free his people from the bondage of the

Roman authorities in the Roman Empire and yet Those hopes were all dashed on Friday How do you protect yourself from another?

Disappointment another dashing of all your hopes and expectations You just doubt that anything good that might possibly resurrect those hopes and expectations

Would come to pass Seems to be kind of a safe haven for Thomas and the doubters but Jesus again in his grace and his camp compassion and his kindness he meets

Thomas where he is and Manifests his presence to him in verse 26

Again, notice how he speaks to him says the disciples again were in that upper room and Thomas was with him this time and Jesus came with the doors shut and his

Suddenly appears before them and he says peace be unto you Then singles out

Thomas Thomas reach your finger Look at my hands.

Look at my hands behold my hands the word communicates clear discernment

Look at what you see in my hands and take your finger and put it there

Thomas my side Put your hand in my side

Stop being unbelieving but believe So Jesus manifests his presence and He does so graciously and then issues this at the end of verse sub 27 this doubt destroying command

Do you notice something really interesting here that Jesus? Demonstrates his deity not only in the resurrected body

But did you ever wonder? How did Jesus know what Thomas's doubts were?

How did Jesus know that Thomas said unless I do this with my finger and you know

See with my own eyes and touch and hand, you know, how did Jesus know that a few days later sometime later?

Jesus shows up and he says exactly the words that Thomas had expressed because Jesus is the omniscient

Son of God and that once doubting believer in verse 28

Responds, he responds with submission as he says my Lord My master my lord

He responds with worship my God and He responds with a personal expression of personal faith and commitment

He says to Jesus you are my Lord.

You are my God This once doubting believer has come to a full a full orbed faith in the resurrected

Jesus But he's done so because he has seen the real thing so some

Some people believe when they see the evidence and it convinces them Some people see or believe only after they see the real thing

But then there's a third group of people that is brought out here in John chapter 20 and those who those

The one these are the ones who see the record and believe

They see the record and believe Now, here's the thing No one anymore

Can see the physical evidence if you were to take a trip to the

Holy Land and you go to the city of Jerusalem there are Displays where you know, they say this this is the tomb where Jesus was buried and there's disagreement as to which place

That is and the thing of it is I mean, it's 2 ,000 years later Anybody could take anybody could take a what was a tomb and take a body out of it and just say hey

This is where Jesus was you wouldn't know nobody nobody today Sees the evidence that Mary Magdalene and Peter and John saw resurrection

Sunday morning no one today is going to see the physical reality of Jesus Standing before them in Physical visible sight it isn't going to happen and And look at verse 30 verse 30 says and many other signs

Truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples Nobody sees those signs today.

Nobody so You're not going to be able to believe because you see

Physical evidences or because you actually see Jesus in person or you see him performing some signs that testify that he is alive

How then can you come to believe you can believe when you see?

the record As verse 31 says the things that are written

Because of what you see in the record you come to the place of faith

You come to the place of believing you perceive and affirm the authentic humanity of Jesus These things are written

John says that you You might believe that Jesus is the

Christ Jesus The man the one who was born as a baby and put in a manger 33 years before he died and lived a regular human life on this planet grew up like every other baby and every other

Adolescent and every other young man and every other man does on this planet and the man

Jesus who died you See the record in the record and you believe by faith perceive and affirm that Jesus Was truly man

Then you also see and believe in his saving authority Jesus is the

Christ the Messiah the saving Messiah and you see and believe and affirm

The absolute deity of Jesus that Jesus is the

Christ the Son of God absolute deity of Christ So you see in the record and through faith having seen in the record you perceive and affirm

That Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and through faith you then receive eternal life

That believing you might have life through his name now watch if you won't if you won't believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ unless you see the evidence for yourself

Unless Jesus Appears to you physically and personally my friend you you cannot have eternal life but if you will see the record that God in his grace has given to us and you will believe what

God has said about who Jesus is and What Jesus has done in your behalf?

He died to pay the penalty of your sins He was buried because he literally physically died and that he rose again that you might be justified in the presence of God If you will believe what

God has said About who Jesus is and what Jesus has done Then you may have eternal life.

Oh my friend turn your eyes of faith upon Jesus today and See him as your living

Savior And our Father and our God I pray that by your grace

There are blind eyes who are watching and listening ears that are listening today

Open those blind eyes Give the ears the faith to hear the heart

The heart the will to believe this we pray in Jesus name I want to close this morning with a couple stanzas of the hymn

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Oh soul

Are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see There's light for a look at the

Savior and life more abundant and free Through death into life everlasting.

He passed and we follow him there Over us sin no more hath dominion more than conquerors

We are Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim the light of his glory

Now may the peace of God who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant

Equip you with everything good that you may do his will Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ our risen living

Lord To whom be glory forever and ever Amen, may the

Lord bless you May the Lord keep you and may you be may you joy today and rejoice in the risen

Savior and then let me encourage you to go to the devotion section on the church website find that meditations for resurrection

Sunday peruse that ponder Contemplate see and perceive