Identified With Him (John 11:16; John 20:28)

Hello everyone and welcome to our Lord's Day service. Today is Easter, which means that he has risen and he has arisen

Indeed, I pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be strengthened and encouraged in your faith

God bless you know for good or center character and then they begin to make

Categorizations about us based on the way that we act for instance Maybe you are at a job and you have a co -worker who's constantly angry and you and your friends have nicknamed him hot -head

Harry Maybe you've got an aunt who loves to gossip and she's loose -lipped

Linda Maybe in an argument a husband is trying to be helpful and he tells his wife.

Why are you always so emotional? Don't ever say that Maybe It's a positive thing, maybe you've got a friend who you say wow, they're always so joyful They're always so happy.

See we tend to be categorized by our behavior it's not uncommon for people who know us to make generalizations about us based off of the way that we behave and Generally speaking.

It's our worst and ugliest moments that ending up that end up defining us

There's nowhere where this is more true than in the case of Thomas Who has forever been?

universally dubbed the doubter His ugliest scene in his life is what defines him even 2 ,000 years later how often is that the case for us that our ugliest moments end up defining us and Hopefully not for 2 ,000 years

But what I want us to see today about Thomas Is that there's so much more to this man than one moment of his life actually today

We're gonna look at five moments of his life five moments that could have defined him

But what I want us to see today that there was only actually one moment that ends up defining Thomas and spoiler alert

It's not as doubt So what I want us to do so I want us to look at this Man, we're gonna start in John 11 where we've been at in our current series and John We're gonna track with him through the gospel of John.

We're gonna end in John 20 where he makes Perhaps the greatest declaration ever uttered So let's pray and then let's begin

Lord it is true that we are often defined by our very ugly moments where people's opinion of us are shaped by moments of doubt moments of sin and failure selfishness and Yet Lord here we have an example

Of a man who is trying to understand who you are and he has multiple different negative examples four of them in fact that Cast him in such a negative light and yet Lord in The light of your glory and your grace standing face to face with you

He's redefined Lord I pray that today we would see how our

Definition as a human doesn't come from our behavior if we're in Christ But it comes from the new creation

That he's given us We ask that in Jesus name. Amen.

The first time that we meet Thomas in the gospel. He's angry He's agitated and he's annoyed and if that were the moment that defined him 2 ,000 years later

We would know him as the angry Thomas or the fussy Thomas or the agitated Thomas, but it wasn't he was known as the doubting

Thomas, but he this moment he's angry in John 11 If you remember back a few weeks ago

Jesus his ministry in John 10 was in pure Danger, the Pharisees had grabbed stones in order to kill

Jesus and so they have to hightail it out of Jerusalem just in order for Jesus to to not die

Then they go back to Jerusalem in John 11 after they've retreated they go back to Jerusalem in order to heal

Lazarus now the disciples would have been thinking what in the world is Jesus doing? I imagine that when

Jesus delayed and said we're not going to go back to Jerusalem. This sickness will not end in death

I'm imagining Thomas who's also a pragmatist who also evaluate certain things. He was probably like hey, that's a good idea

Jesus Why would you go back to the place that wants to kill you? That doesn't make any sense

Thomas loved Jesus He enjoyed being in Jesus's ministry. He enjoyed seeing all of the things that Jesus was doing

Why would Jesus go back and risk getting killed and all of them killed? for one guy

So Thomas probably thought that that made sense, but when Jesus said, you know what we are going back

Thomas was angry Thomas was frustrated and Thomas is the kind of guy that always likes to get the last word.

I don't know if you've ever met anybody like that. I Can be like that Thomas is like that every time that he speaks in the gospel.

He's trying to get the last word the final word He's trying to say something Thomas is so angry

That Jesus is ready to go back to Jerusalem. He just can't stand it He's the one not Peter who pipes up and says well, let us go and die

With Jesus no one says anything they all just kind of marching awkwardness towards Jerusalem Now I do want to be clear

Thomas is not being sarcastic here He's not saying Yes I've been waiting to die

This world things not working out for me. I don't like it. You don't like it. Let's all just go sacrifice ourself

That's not what he's saying. He's angry because his expectation of what

Jesus's ministry was going to be doesn't line up with what Jesus's Expectation was for his ministry.

This man was invested. He believed in the ministry He supported the mission of the ministry and she felt like Jesus was being reckless

Now Thomas actually was right about the outcome not about Jesus being reckless Jesus did go to Bethany the

Pharisees Commissioned a group of people to arrest him and murder him They had to flee from Jerusalem in order for Jesus's life to be spared again and John 12

They're coming back a second time Thomas is like, why are we doing this? he was angry and That emotion could have defined him

That's the first emotion that we see in Thomas He's angry. The second emotion that we see is that he was thoroughly confused by Jesus Now if you remember

John 10, they're fleeing Jerusalem John 11, they're back in Jerusalem John 11 They're back fleeing again. And then John 12, they're back.

Thomas probably felt like he was on a roller coaster ride of emotions Jesus what are you doing to me? they were all confused as They head towards the city on Palm Sunday They're up early in the morning

On the Mount of Olives with the Sun at Jesus's back Jesus is mounting the donkey that's gonna take him down the hill and into the city of Jerusalem and at that moment the disciples

Seem to be in a worshipful place All of the frustration and stress and all of the anxiety that have occurred recently

Seems to have passed Luke tells us that they were singing songs as they went down the hill which would have been a very

Traditional thing for a Jew to do there's a section of Psalms Psalm 120 through Psalm 134

That is called the songs of ascent as you are ascending up to Jerusalem during the

Passover season Especially you are singing the Psalms just like we sing the Psalms every week

Psalm 120 is about God's presence during times of distress Psalm 121 is joyful praise to the

Lord Psalm 122 is praying for Jerusalem Psalm 134 is praising God in his temple there is all of these

Psalms that they would be singing their songs of actual victory as They were walking up the hill to the place where God had chosen to manifest his glory

So they were in a worshipful moon they've been angry they've been confused they've been upset now They're worshiping the gamut of their emotions was all over the place.

You can imagine they're probably a little emotionally exhausted Then they come into the city The city's laying palm branches on the ground.

They're shouting Hosanna in the highest Lord Jesus save us now They see Jesus Reenacting the psalm on ik ride up to the city as we talked about a few weeks ago in Kings Jesus is showing them that he is their coming

King He's showcasing that he is the reality of Zechariah chapter 9.

He is the king so the disciples are

Probably now encouraged. They're probably thinking Jesus. Okay, he's gonna rain.

He's gonna sit on the throne of his father David it's all gonna work out and Then Jesus as he is oft to do

Throws them into confusion again Instead of letting well enough alone.

Jesus cleanses the temple. He overturns the money changers he chases out the robbers and all of those people who were polluting the temple with whips and he says my house is a house of prayer not a house of robbery

So now the Jews are infuriated with him. The city was just celebrating him and now they're infuriated

You can imagine Thomas saying The next day

Jesus comes back into the city and he verbally excoriates the Pharisees with parable after parable after parable saying that I'm going to take the kingdom of God away from you and I'm going to give it to the

Gentiles the Pharisees were like what in the world is this man talking about but it doesn't stop there

After he tells them these parables that they would have at a moment's notice killed him if they could then he pronounces seven

Covenantal woes upon them. You can read that in Matthew 23 where he says woe to you

Pharisees hypocrites Woe to you seven Covenantal curses upon these people who think that they're

God's gift to the world You can imagine Thomas every single woe that Jesus pronounces

They hightail it out of Jerusalem after that One of the disciples points to Jesus and says look at all these buildings and Jesus says don't worry about it

They're all gonna be torn down So the spirits are high They go from there to the upper room and in the upper room

We have that in John 13 through 17, so we'll be coming up on that soon in our time together

But Jesus is teaching them now how they're going to live life without him and they have no idea what he's talking about They're all confused thoroughly

They're thinking Okay, we've had a rough couple days We get through Passover. We'll re will rework it

We'll draw up a new chart on how we're gonna take over Israel. Everything will be fine Jesus is trying to tell them

I'm leaving and you are gonna abandon me And you're gonna forsake me

During the meal Jesus predicts his betrayal and he says one of you is going to sell me out and then imagine all of them saying

Jesus this is a happy time. This is Passover. Why are you talking like this? They're saying, you know,

Jesus don't be that guy But no really they're all asking themselves Is it me?

Am I the one who would betray my Lord? Jesus surely you're not talking about me and he gives them a sign of what he's talking about, but The emotions are all over the place

You can imagine from the joy of the triumphal entry now to thinking that the whole thing's coming to a crashing end

They're all over the place Jesus realizes this in John 14 and he takes a moment to encourage them.

This is what he says Do not let your hearts be troubled Believe in God believe also in me in my father's house are many dwelling places

If it were not so I would have told you For I go to prepare a place for you 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 also be and if you know

The way where I am going and you know the way that I'm going No one else had the courage to say it, but Thomas did

Thomas vocalizes their confusion Thomas is like I Don't know what you're talking about He says in verse 5 of chapter 14

Lord. We do not know where you were going How do we know the way and that's a fair statement

Lord, we don't know what you're doing. If it were up to me, we would have totally not went to hill Lazarus We would have not went in the way that we did in public fanfare into the city.

We would have snuck into the city We'd have quietly ate Passover We went back to Galilee and we to figure out how to make all of this better You did this in a way that I would have never done

God or he says Jesus. He didn't say God yet Jesus I don't know what you're doing. I don't know where you're going

I don't know what's fueling the decisions that you were making. I trust you, but you're making it really hard He says

Lord. We do not know where you were going. How do we know the way? It's here It's here

Right in the midst of his confusion that he makes one of the greatest statements ever uttered in his entire ministry

It's here And Jesus does this with Thomas a lot where he'll minister to Thomas in these beautiful ways

But it's here Where Thomas says we don't know where you're going. We don't know the way that Jesus says

I am the way And I am the truth and I am the life and no one comes to the father but by me

He's saying Thomas you may be confused about what i'm doing But you don't have to understand where i'm going.

What you have to understand is you have to follow me Step by step by step. You don't need to know if i'm making a left

You don't need to know if i'm making a right you don't need to know all of the details what you need to know is you need to stay beside of me and follow me and walk with me because I am the way

His response was to remind him That it's about me. It's not about you thomas

Thomas was confused And if that moment defined thomas, we would know him now today as thomas the befuddled

That's the second emotion that we see the third emotion Is that thomas was fearful?

This is in john 16 Now john 14 and john 16 happen in the same room the upper room

So you can imagine they've had the meal. Jesus said one of them was going to betray him He washes their feet and near the end of the night

He looks at them in john 16 and he says this behold An hour is has is coming

And has already come for you to be scattered each to his own home and to leave me alone

And yet i'm not alone because the father is with me. He just comforted them

He just said i'm the way i'm the truth, but none of you are going to follow me Again, can you imagine the emotions of this night?

Can you imagine what the disciples must have been thinking? Jesus is talking to blue collar guys Several of them are fishermen's who own a fishing company.

One of them is a tax collector who's hated By the israelites because he's in bed with rome one of them is a zealot who under normal circumstances would have killed matthew

Because he was a traitor one of them is actually a betrayer and then the other one is the pragmatist thomas who's like I thought we were going to have you sit on the throne.

Jesus Not all of us go to our own homes and scatter and defeat jesus Thomas is not signaled singled out in this passage

Thomas is not labeled in this passage, but he's one of the 12 So if you're keeping score so far thomas is a hot -headed dim -witted yellow yellow -bellied man

If that's the way he was known what a legacy now

We know that he's also Known as the doubter. How did he get to that point?

Well from there the disciples sang some songs To try to encourage them. This was traditional in the passover meal

Jesus says all of you are going to scatter but let's sing and then after they sang they left for the garden

Jesus goes off by himself to pray right after that judas and a company of Of evil men descend upon them and grab jesus and peter finally shows up Grabs his sword and cuts the ear off of the high priest servant.

His name is malchus Jesus has to correct peter But good for peter at least default

I mean what a legacy that is right? At least he did something I'd rather be the one to do something and jesus correct me than not do anything at all

But what I found fascinating is You don't hear thomas mentioned here The one who said in john 11

Let us go with him and die with him now. He's not even willing to stay with him And he scatters

And he goes home He fulfills jesus's prophecy an hour later an hour later

Jesus is taken to the home of caiaphas Where they will smack him in the face.

They will blindfold him. They will mistreat him They will bring false witnesses against him and they will arrest him

And then they will take him to herod the puppet king of israel And herod will look for jesus to do magic tricks and when jesus doesn't entertain him in the way that herod wants to be entertained

Then he mocks him And he sends him back to pilot and then when he gets in front of pilot and the jews are screaming crucify him crucify him

Crucify him and pilot realizes that the city is out of control and his political career is in jeopardy pilot acquiesces to their demands

He flogs jesus with 40 whips with the cat of nine tails it was a

Awful whip with glass and bone attached to the ends of the strap so that when it wrapped around the body

It would dig into the flesh and when they would pull it away it would rip pieces of meat off of the body 40 lashes was enough to kill most people 41 definitely would kill everyone

Jesus would have had bones exposed in his back If you ever watched the passion of the christ and i'm not recommending it because of a couple different reasons

But if you've ever watched it, it is light It is not accurate on the brutality that jesus would

Would have went through he was beaten he was flogged

He was spit upon they put a crown of thorns and shoved the thorns on top of his head

These aren't rosebush thorns in the united states. These are like little daggers in that region

Mocking him the entire way they put a scepter In his hand, they put a purple robe on top of him and said you are the king

What a mockery that they put him through where was thomas Thomas wasn't there thomas didn't see it thomas didn't experience any of that He was back at home afraid they pronounced jesus guilty

Shortly after they released a murderer named barabbas and then they sent jesus up the hill think about the passion

Of the jews the passion for their passover They're marching heaven's true lamb up the hill to slaughter him and they don't even know it he carries his cross

He's dehydrated to the point of exhaustion and dizziness The blood loss is causing him to be weak.

His muscles are failing. He's stumbling. They had to get Another man to carry the rest of the cross all the way up the hill.

His name is simon of serene jesus Was not a european hair model sissy that you see on the commercials

That's funny You can you can give yourself permission to laugh at that I know it's intense but Jesus was a carpenter

A lot of studies have actually shown that that word means stone mason as well He would have been used to picking up very heavy things.

Jesus was not a scrawny man, jesus was was a man

And the brutality of this he couldn't even carry his own cross Where was thomas?

Where was thomas when the nails went into his wrist, where was thomas when the nails went into his feet where was thomas

When the cross was lifted up and dropped down into the hole and all of the weight of jesus's body

Went down with it. Where was thomas? Where was he when his eyes grew weary?

Where was thomas when jesus's tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth? Where was thomas when jesus's body was out of joint?

Where was thomas when his body was hanging there and your diaphragm was crushing at this point so that you couldn't breathe

That is how you die In a crucifixion. You don't die from the wounds and the beatings You actually die from suffocation because when your body is hanging there like that you can't breathe so you have to push up with your feet against the nails and against the the

The splintered cross 12 inches up that cross just to take a breath 12 inches back down Until you suffocate and die.

Where was thomas? Where was thomas when the jews mocked him when they gave him vinegar instead of water to drink

Where was thomas when jesus pushed up and said my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?

Where was thomas when jesus pushed up the final time? It says that he breathed his last and he said to tell us die it is finished

Thomas was still in hiding Thomas didn't see a moment of the crucifixion

Thomas was the hot -headed dim -witted yellow -bellied man. That was his legacy He didn't see joseph of arimathea nicodemus come get the body

He didn't see the women anoint him and wrap him with linen cloths in a hurry, by the way, because the passover was happening and You can't leave a body hanging on the cross deuteronomy 21, so they had to get him off the cross quickly

They had to do a rush job just to anoint him for burial Thomas wasn't there when they sealed the tomb thomas wasn't there when the forces of hell were singing because they thought that they had victory

Thomas wasn't there when the romans had forgotten his name thomas wasn't there when the jews were gloating

Thomas wasn't there on sunday morning when the earth started trembling thomas wasn't there when the rock started moving out of its place

Thomas wasn't there when the soldiers started fainting because they saw an angel of god Thomas wasn't there when jesus his body was coming back to life and thomas was not there when jesus stood up Defied death rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb

Thomas wasn't there when the eyewitnesses came back when the when mary came back and said where's he at?

Thomas wasn't there when john and peter ran towards the tomb to find out and john or thomas wasn't there when they

Locked the door. They were all afraid they were sitting inside the upper room and jesus appeared to them and he said peace

Thomas is the only one Who missed everything? He missed everything

He didn't see anything the hot -headed Dim -witted yellow -bellied missing in action blind as a bat man and by far his doubt was what he was most famous for He doubted it says in the text

That the disciples were the ones who confronted him and told him we've seen him. He's alive and thomas

Like a scientific analytic minded person that he is said this Unless I see in his wrist the imprint of the nails

And put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side. I will not believe four moments in thomas's life

Four moments of failure four moments that he deserved to have define him He was a doubter

He was confused. He was bitter. He was angry He was us He was us

But I want you to see something here because jesus could have let thomas go

Jesus could have written thomas off. Jesus could have said That one is not worth saving

Jesus didn't say that about thomas and he doesn't say that about you either Jesus not only is going to save thomas

He's going to redefine his identity Let's see how it plays out in john 20

So it was evening on that day the first day of the week And when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the jews

That's an interesting fact Jesus has rose from the dead and they're still hiding and afraid they have not figured out yet.

How how important the resurrection is And jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them peace be with you

And when he said this he showed them both his hands and his side and his disciples rejoiced That they had saw the lord

So jesus said to them again. Peace be with you as the father has sent me. I also send you

They didn't get that part either not yet And then he said to them receive the holy spirit

If you forgive the sins of any their sins will be forgiven them if you retain the sins of any they have been retained

That's a ecclesiological verse that's talking about the church As the apostles are the foundation of the church christ is the cornerstone of the church the church

Will have dominion on earth and jesus is even pointing to this here also in matthew In matthew's gospel where he says whatever you bind on earth.

We bow down on earth Whatever you bind in heaven will be bound in heaven. This is an example of that. It's a tough verse It's a whole sermon in and of itself

But trust me for a moment But thomas 1 of the 12 called didymus was not with them when jesus came

So the other disciples were saying We have seen the lord But he said unless I see his hands in the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails

And put my hand into his side. I will not believe I will not believe

Thomas the skeptic the doubter the analytic the one who says there is no way on earth that I could ever believe in this

And jesus lets him sit in that for eight days. Do you want to know why that's important? Seven days is the original creation week eighth day is new creation

Eighth day is new creation He lets him sit in his old created self For seven days in his depression in his frustration in his unbelief.

He lets him sit in that old creation that old man He lets him sit there for seven days, but in the eighth day, he's going to make him a new creation

On the eighth day. Jesus is going to do something to thomas that thomas will be struggling to figure out for the rest of his life

He will no longer be defined as the hothead He will no longer be defined as the dimwit

He will no longer be defined as the yellow -bellied coward who abandoned his disciple and the one who doubted that Jesus could rise from the dead in john chapter 20.

Jesus redefines him Look at what it says in verse 26 after eight days new creation his disciples were again inside and thomas was with them

Misery loves company thomas was like there's no jesus, but these are the only friends i've got So i'm going to sit with them even though they annoy me and they always talk about jesus

And then jesus came The doors were shut And he stood in their midst and he said peace be with you.

You can imagine thomas saying are my eyes deceiving me Am I taking the same medication that you've all been taking when you say that you see the risen christ are we having a corporate shared delusion

My mind must be playing tricks on me what is going on here and thomas When he looks in the face of jesus, you know, the old testament blessing is that god will shine his face on you

That's the old testament blessing when thomas looks in the face of jesus You can imagine this man who's impulsive who always has to have the last word who can't hold his tongue in that moment

When jesus said reach here with your finger and see my hands and reach here with your fist and put it in my side

But do not go unbelieving any longer. None of that was necessary any longer thomas didn't need a finger

He didn't need a fist. He could not stop his tongue from saying my lord and my god

His doubt no longer vexed him his anger no longer boiled up inside of him his fear was gone

His confusion had been turned into conviction thomas saw the risen christ In the revelation of jesus's presence.

He could not help but saying the greatest statement ever uttered by man my lord and my god

Not not just lord not just god my lord and my god. He is god in the flesh.

He is. Yahweh He's the same god who who parted the red sea. He's the same god who chose israel for himself and yet he's in the flesh

He's my lord. He's my lord He doesn't say their lord and their god.

Jesus is in the room face -to -face with thomas and he says my god my lord

We've got to stop calling thomas the doubter Thomas went on that day from doubter to believer thomas went on that day from angry to worshiper thomas went on that day from confused to convicted

He went on that day from coward to conqueror thomas would take the gospel all the way to india

And he would die a martyr's death with not a hesitation in his heart because he's seen the risen christ

We've got to stop calling him thomas the doubter. This man is thomas the believer and the same reality

That changed him on that day Can change you too How many times?

Have you been defined by your sin? I'm the angry one.

I just can't keep my peace I just I have to whenever a situation comes up. I get anxious and I i'm an angry person.

We say that You're bullheaded. You always do what you want to do.

You never do this. You always do that I'm the one who abandoned my family

I'm the one who left I'm the one who is a coward. I'm the one who abdicated my responsibility.

I'm the one who's addicted I'm the one who's lustful and can't stop looking at pornography.

I'm the one who's a liar and an avoider I'm the one who's an abuser. I'm the one who's an enabler all these secret sins

How many sins has satan tried to convince you that are your identity you say

I am this I am that no, you're not If you are in jesus christ, you are not your sin if you're in jesus christ

You are not your failure if you're in jesus christ You are not the stumbles that you've had in your life.

You are You have one name And it's not sin and idolatry and not anger and not everything else

You have the name that is above every name written on your heart. If you're a christian you are known by the name stop calling yourself by these identities

Remember that your identity is in jesus christ If you're a christian stop letting the world the flesh and the devil define you

And start remembering that you have been redefined remade recreated by jesus christ

Say with paul in galatians 2 20 I have been crucified with christ and it is no longer

I who live But christ who lives in me And the life which I now live

Is not my old life I live by faith in the son of god who loved me And who gave himself up for me dear christian?

You've been made new You are not your failure and you are not your sin You've been crucified with christ

Remember that if you're not a believer You are those things If you've told a single lie, you're a liar

If you've looked at someone lustfully, you're an adulterer If you've been angry at someone you're a murderer a murderer of heart

If you're not a christian, you will be defined by your sin So turn to jesus christ

He will redefine you just like he did for thomas he'll make you new let's pray lord jesus

Every single person in this room Has been lied to by someone

It's either by satan the world Someone else or themselves

And we've adopted identities like loser and failure broken abandoned

Those things are not true for us jesus I pray that as we look at the empty tomb that we would see those identities left there on the bench

Right beside the grave clothes Because when christ rose You gave us a new identity lord.