It's remarkable, isn't it? That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that believing you may have life in His name. That's why all of these things were written, and that's why this little incident, this time about Jesus coming to Thomas is there as well. Now there's many, of course, who don't believe, and in many ways people often call Thomas the doubting Thomas. We're going to see whether that's really fair, but Thomas Didymus, the twin, The Lord God came to him, didn't he? And that the Lord God and Jesus held out his right hand. We sang a paraphrase then of Psalm 73, that the Lord God reaches and he grabs me by my right hand with his right hand and he leads me into glory. But it's the God who always does the reaching, isn't it? It's not that we stand up and say, Lord God, here I am. It's always the Lord God and comes and says, no, here I am. and I will be with you." And I suppose there's lots of reasons many people have for not believing these stories, maybe even like Thomas who heard the good news, who heard the testimony of the ten, who heard the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the women as well, and yet of himself he simply could not believe. that He needed more, and what He needed was supplied by Almighty God. We're going to talk a little bit today about that doctrine called irresistible grace. Now, in our world of Christianity, there are those who believe that we are saved because of a choice we make for God. And then, as God receives that choice, He saves us. God looks into the world, into the future of the world, and He knows that one will choose for me and that one will not, and so that's how He knows whom He will save and whom He will not save. That position often known as pelagianism, or often known in our world as semi-pelagianism or Arminianism, brings with it a lack of comfort, because they also realize, too, that I'm not always in love with God, I'm not always strong in my faith, and what happens when I die, perhaps, and I don't have a strong enough faith, or I might not even, maybe being like Thomas, not believing at all, what then shall we say? Well, we will say that with Ephesians 2, verse 10, that faith is a gift of God. And we will say with John chapter 10 that Jesus would not lose any of the sheep that God had given to him. And he was speaking specifically about the disciples then, but he was also talking about the Jews that God had given to him, but also the Gentiles, those from another fold that God had given to them. We're going to learn about Jesus, who is really that shepherd. Remember Jesus told that parable about all these sheep, there's a hundred sheep, and then one of them just took off and went and fell into the ditch. And by the way, if a sheep falls, or especially if a sheep falls into a ditch, it cannot, of its own power, get out. It's why a shepherd's crook always has that, that they can put the staff in and around the sheep and pull it out and back onto its feet. And that's what Jesus does. Jesus is that shepherd who leaves the 99 and then comes to get the one. You'll see that this morning as well. But when Jesus comes, and when Jesus comes for one of his own, they will be saved. Because Jesus isn't a potential savior. Jesus is the Savior. And I hope that when you leave here today, you will say, Jesus is my Savior, as well as saying, my Lord and my God. The risen shepherd gathers his sheep. First of all, we will see the need for revelation. Second of all, we will see the power of revelation. And then finally, we will talk a little bit about the record or the revelation record. So, Thomas called the twin Didymus. One of the twelve was not with them when Jesus came. So, it's referring to that first day of the week. Now, why was Thomas not with them? There's ink spilt about that. F.F. Bruce, who is an excellent commentator, wonders, like many of you who, when you grieve, need to be alone. And that's really hard sometimes for the church or the family when you're one of those people who needs to be alone for a while to grieve because everybody, don't be alone and we'll be there for you. But sometimes you just need that time alone. Maybe Thomas was that sort of fellow, I don't know. Maybe he just was a happier person being without the disciples. A lot had gone on. And certainly Thomas was a man who loved the Lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting, Thomas is mentioned in the other three gospels, we call them the synoptic gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But John actually mentions him a little bit more. So we first meet Thomas in John chapter 11 when Jesus is taking a rest and then the news comes that Lazarus is sick and then Lazarus is dead. And then Jesus says we're going to go to Jerusalem. And then the disciples said, no, Lord, please don't do that. There's a bounty on your head. If we go there, you are going to be killed. Besides, Lazarus is dead. What more can you do? But Jesus says, I am going. And then Thomas said, let us go with him that we may die with him. So Thomas is always the loyal one. He's always been the faithful one. He's also been the honest one. So in John chapter 14, when Jesus is talking that he is going to leave them, and that he is going to prepare a place for them, and that he is going to be with the Father, and the place that I am going you know, Jesus said, and it was Thomas, we read, who asked, but Lord, we don't know where you are going. And then what did Jesus say? I am the way, the truth, and the life. He said it to Thomas, but he said it to all of them. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Isn't this the application of that saying? Isn't this the application of that truth, beloved? Thomas, I am the way, but I gotta come to you. I am the truth. Touch me, see me, and I am the life. Believe in me and you will live forever. And by the way, if Jesus is saying that to Thomas this morning, he's saying it to you. I am the way, the truth, and the life. God right now is reaching his right hand out to you by the word. by the word made flesh, by the word that is truth, by the what we call well-meant offer of the gospel. Irresistible grace comes to you where God says, here is my son. I crucified him. I put him to death. I so loved the world that I sacrificed my son. Jesus comes to you this morning and says, I so loved my father and you that I sacrificed myself. I laid down my life and I am alive again. The two have to go together. It's not enough that he just died, but he dies and he lives again that you may have forgiveness. and justification. And you may be innocent. You may have peace with Almighty God. So then when He comes to us last week, He says, My peace, I leave with you. Peace be with you. And now again, My peace, I leave with you. Peace. Shalom. It is well with my soul, because everything's right with God and me. Peace to you this morning. Grab that hand, please. Hold on to that hand that's reaching out for you and do not let it go. And when you do, realize it's because God had been pulling you. God is pulling you. And God will hold on to you. This is your God. And this is your Jesus. So Thomas heard the good news. He heard the good news that Jesus Christ was alive. From the ten. And from Mary. But Thomas, Thomas was a man of his age. And in that age, there was a lot of deception going on. There were magicians. There were deceivers. There was a lot of spiritualism. There was still the whole matter, remember, of demons and demoniacs. Who knows, Thomas must have thought. This could be anything and anyone. And plus, I know my brothers. And I know how sad they were. And I know desperately how they and the women would love it if Jesus was alive. And I would love it if Jesus is alive. But until I see it, I won't believe it. Until I touch him, I won't believe it. And many are like that today, beloved. Many will not give their life to Jesus Christ unless he appeared in the room, unless he showed up right here. And you know what? Even then, they'd probably find a way to not. Wherefore do the nations rage? Let us break their chains, the chains of Almighty God, truth, is, well, not handleable when you can't see it, when you don't want it. So notice two parts with Thomas, all right? One is that he cannot believe on his own, and then the other is he will not believe on his own. So in the story, central to this story is Jesus, who comes now to Thomas, but you need to find your contact point in Thomas. Could you believe if Jesus didn't come? Could you believe if the word wasn't revealed to you? Could you believe if God didn't come to you first? And so he said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hands into his side, I will not believe. You know, one of the greatest missionaries of the 19th century, or actually the 20th century, was a man named Albert Schweitzer. Albert Schweitzer was known as, in his day, probably the greatest organist and the greatest interpreter of Bach's music. He was well known as a theologian and a philosopher, but he gave all of that up to go into the regions of the world, into Africa especially, to bring the good news. But the good news that he brought was the social gospel. We are here to help the poor. We are here to help the down and out. We are here as Christians to represent Jesus. Jesus, to him, was the greatest man who ever lived. But, wrote Schweitzer, Jesus, believing his own press clippings, somehow becoming deluded, thinking he was the Messiah, and thinking that he would rise again, allowed himself to be put on the crucifixion crushing gear, as he called it, that Jesus would die. And what a tragedy, because this great man, dying so young, died in the foolishness that he would resurrect. And of course, he didn't, because Men don't resurrect. But what he left for us was an altruistic, self-sacrificing Jesus who was willing to give himself up for others. And that, said Schweitzer, was the power of Jesus. With all of his learning, with everything that Schweitzer had been given, with his deep knowledge of the Bible, and the time that God had given to him with an incredible mind, he could not embrace Jesus Christ. He could not do it. I have a friend, a man that I know well, who went to Korea and fought in the Korean War and in the times between combat. He read the whole Bible from front to back twice, and he knows it. And he says, it is a beautiful book. He believes even most of it's true, but I don't need Jesus to come to God. He would even give you that probably the resurrection is true. But the idea that I need God or I need Jesus to come to God for him is foreign. And certainly don't talk to him about the Christian lifestyle or the Christian church. Although the man lives a morally pretty interesting life. It's interesting, isn't it? This bright man who's been given all this time refuses because God didn't open his eyes. God didn't leave Thomas, did he? Now, what do you think about Thomas for a minute? Let's stop for just a moment. Because, like I said, he's always the one, oh, doubting Thomas. The world even talks about the character of doubting Thomas. But what about the ten? Didn't they doubt? When Peter and John run to the grave, Peter doubts. We believe that John, at first, walked in with doubt, and then, skeptical, he looked in, and then he remembered what Jesus taught, and he, by the power of God, believed. The empty tomb was revelation for him. But Peter needed more. It wasn't enough to hear the words of Mary Magdalene and the other women, was it? They needed more. But when Mary Magdalene and the women looked into the empty grave, did they believe? No, they doubted. Where have you taken our Savior? Where have you taken our Master? And then Jesus appears to Mary and says, Mary, my Lord, and my God, Jesus has to come. And then those ten. Judas Iscariot is gone. They still use the word 12 because that's how those men saw each other yet. They're still mourning, working through the doubting Thomas, who is really Judas Iscariot, the ultimate doubter. Peter, who doubts the power and the wonder and the resurrection of Jesus, who denies him three times. And then the other eight who scattered, who did not stay with Jesus, who didn't believe in his resurrection, who are mourning, who are grieving, who are filled with fear, who locked themselves up in a room at the beginning of the week. Then what did Jesus need to do? He needed to appear to them. And why did Jesus need to appear to them? Well, first of all, to save them. But by the way, didn't you realize Jesus did that to save you? He did that to save you so that you would have all of these eyewitnesses. Not only are these men eyewitnesses, but men like John and Mark and Peter and Paul were all used by God to write these great truths down, to create a record of it, so that God would come to you, as Paul writes to the Romans. How will they be saved unless they hear? And how will they hear unless a preacher is sent? And so God gathers you together in Sheffield so that the gospel will go forward. He gathers you and sends you out into your area to witness of the Lord, to bring them in here to hear that preaching. The body of Christ in action, as salt and light, so that the elect will in time hear the word of the Lord at the right time by the power of Almighty God. So let's be very careful with Thomas and understand that what he needed, Jesus did, and what you and I who believe needed, Jesus did. He revealed himself to us. And so on that first day of the week, by the way, did you notice that? What day it was after eight days? So the first day of the week, Sunday, Resurrection Day, Jesus appears, go through the full week, and then the first day of the week, Jesus appears, and then on the basis of Acts 2, Acts 4, and then Revelation chapter 1, the first day of the week, the Christians come together, and John goes to heaven. On the basis of that, the early church gathered together the first day of the week, and that, in turn, became their worshipful Sabbath. The day, the seven, was fulfilled in Christ, but the spirit of the Sabbath, of worshiping and being with Almighty God and reflecting upon his great works, they did together. So there they were on the first day of the week, and they were probably with eager expectation, but the doors are still locked, which is interesting, and Jesus comes, peace. Shalom Aleichem. My peace, I leave with you. And immediately he stoops down to Thomas and says, look, look, and touch, and look, and see. It's OK, Thomas, you can touch me. Thomas, I know. I know you're struggling with this, but you are mine. I know you're in the ditch, and I know even a certain way you want to stay in that ditch. You're not listening to the way out of the ditch, so I will get you out of the ditch. That's how we saved you. We're not willing. None of us were saying, Lord God, save us. This afternoon, the Lord willing, we'll see Eleanor brought to the baptismal font, and she will be brought here. by her parents. She didn't ask. She's not going to walk. She's going to be brought here by Calvin and Nicole, and Calvin's going to hold her. And that's what Jesus does, is he takes the sheep and brings them to Jesus. He opens their eyes. Remember John chapter 9, the man born blind? Who sinned that the man was born blind? And then Jesus opens the eyes of the man. And then what's interesting is the man starts witnessing and he starts telling people and even asked the Pharisees, do you want to be with him too? And they can't because they can't see. Blind people don't make themselves see. They need miracles. Dead people don't make themselves alive. They need resurrection. Unbelieving people don't believe on their own. They need the power of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, yet the Lamb of God is the shepherd who comes to his sheep and said, come, my sheep hear my voice. And as Lazarus walked out of that tomb, as Mary believed when Jesus said, Mary, now it's Thomas, here I am. And Thomas doesn't doubt now, does he? He doesn't say, oh, this is an apparition, or this is a ghost, or a demon, or some, no. He believes, doesn't he? This is the power of that revelation. That he sees it together. I think about that, I think many of you think about that. Hopefully you did when you read about that, the 10. And probably Mary Magdalene, and Mother Mary, and all of the rest of them. You know that burden that we have when we love Jesus more than anything else, and someone we deeply love doesn't. When someone we deeply love refuses to hear the word of the Lord, a husband or a wife, A son or a daughter. A father or a mother. A good friend. Someone you love at work. Why can't they hear it? Because as we said with Albert Schweitzer, it's not a matter of intellectual prowess or ability. What did Jesus say? Unless you become like a little child. Innocent. Easy to believe. that the power has to rob us of our pride, rob us of our scientific inquiry, to think that somehow we stand in judgment of the revelation of Almighty God. If you think about it, we don't have to do this, but how many of you believe in George Washington? Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Julius Caesar, Nimrod, Solomon. Why does the world believe in all this? Well, we have a historical record. Yeah, you read about it. You heard about it. A teacher told you about it. Nobody doubts these things. But the minute it's about Almighty God, no, no, no, they don't. And don't you find that interesting? That even in a world that says, well, we don't really believe Quran is true, but we will let the world have Quran. We even have to fight for the right for Islam and Quran. The minute that it's about Jesus Christ, remember when Paul went to the Agora, to the marketplace, and he talked in Acts 17 to those philosophers? Everything was good until he talked about Jesus being raised from the dead, and then they call him a seed picker. They actually insulted him. Come back tomorrow, we'd like to hear more about this Jesus. They couldn't believe it. It's too much for them because it repels them. Romans chapter one tells us, it's because I don't want Jesus. I don't want a Lord. I don't want a God. I want to be my own God. I want to make my own God. I want to live my own life. I don't want to be subservient to anybody. And the day you eat of the fruit, you will be like God and you will know good and oh, you will know evil. and how evil seems the better way, and the more righteous way, and then we stand there in our arrogance and pride, unless I see it, and unless the record does this. We need Jesus. We need Jesus to blow the Holy Spirit upon us. We need Jesus to reveal himself to us through the gift of faith. Jesus was not going to let Thomas go, and Thomas was going to be saved, and Thomas was going to be one of the 11, added then either to the apostle Paul or Barnabas, and sent out into the world. Jesus came to Thomas that you would hear this power and this testimony. And Thomas looks, by the way, we don't really read, do we, that He touched Jesus. Reach your fingers here, look at my hands, reach your hands here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Or you could say, stop being an unbeliever, but be a believer. It could be that way in the Greek. It means the same thing. Do not be unbelieving anymore, Thomas. Here I am. Here I am in my risen glory. Thomas, I loved you enough to talk to you. And could you imagine the joy among the 10? The power and the wonder that must have come to them when Thomas just looks at Jesus and hears Jesus and is cut to the heart and all the pride goes away and everything else goes away. And he says, my Lord and my God. My Lord, My Master, My Possessor. Some people say the My Lord thing is just, oh, good sir. Well, that would be one thing, but he says, My Lord, My Redeemer, My Savior, Son of God, and Son of Man. And you see, this is where then everything has been moving in the Gospel of John. So remember how it started. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness. The darkness did not comprehend it. And the word became flesh, verse 14, and dwelt among us, and we beheld the glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, my Lord and my God, full of grace and truth. He is the fullness we have all received, grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared Him. And so we end the narrative section of the Gospel of John with a confession of doubting Thomas, who now has become believing Thomas, and says, my Lord, am I God? He is the only begotten of Son. He is the representation of God. He is the Word of God. He is how God communicates Himself on this earth. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live. He has eternal life, my Lord. And my God, Thomas now is changed and incorporated into the worldwide revolution of the mission of the love of God that has fulfilled in the yes and the amen of Jesus Christ. True God, true man. True man died on the cross. True God, risen from the dead, joined together so that there's peace between God and man. My Lord and my God. What is our only comfort in life and death? That we are not our own, but we belong, body and soul, to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. That's what Lordship means. We belong to Jesus, who has faithfully released us from the devil with His precious blood, and gives to us His Spirit, so that we are now and forever willing to live wholeheartedly for Him forever. My Lord, And my God, my comfort, peace, be with you. God extending his right hand. Now Jesus goes on, and now we need to talk about the revelation record. Jesus said, Thomas, because you have seen me, you believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, have yet believed. Again, I want you to be careful with Thomas a little bit, and to be careful what you are desiring from God The reason that the 10, and now Thomas, have been given the witness of Jesus risen from the dead, later on the apostle Paul also, these will be apostles. And what makes them apostles is they have witnessed the risen Savior and have been directly sent by him into the world. That office passed away with these men. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that there was over 500 people that saw Jesus. and that we needed that so that the written record, the oral record, would be of those who have seen Jesus. So that later on Peter, who saw Jesus, the doubter, who came to believe, wrote this, though you have not seen him you love him and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the goal of your faith. What they needed to see so that you and I could hear, they needed faith and we needed faith. Jesus directed their faith by appearing to them. Jesus now reveals himself to you through the power of the word of the Lord. To the power of the preaching of the gospel. Do you believe? For you do not need more. Mary didn't need more than the empty tomb. Peter and John didn't need more than what Mary told them. The ten didn't need more than what the women told them. Thomas didn't need more than what those ten men, and you don't need more than the written record of the Word of the Lord. It is God's Word. Well, how do we know? Well, look at what John says. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus the Christ is the Son of God, John chapter 1. And that believing in His name, you may have life in His name. That's why this is here. That's why we went and are going through and we'll finish up the whole Gospel of John. That you may believe. That your children may believe. That your neighbors may believe. And yet, like that blind man on the list, Jesus opens my eyes, opens my ears, and opens my heart. I can't. The Bible tells me so. And yet it pleases Him to use unfaithful men who come to faith, unfaithful women who come to faith, to bring the witness and the testimony of the risen Lord. He's alive. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord. He takes us by our right hand, and He leads us into glory when in doubt and temptation, I rest, Lord, in Thee. my hand is in thy hand thou carest for Mary as he came for Thomas so he comes now for us he comes now for the elect he comes now for you and he says see from his head and from his hands, and from his feet. Sorrow and love flowed mingled down. Low in the grave he laid Jesus my Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord. Up from the grave he arose with a mighty victory over his force, including my doubt, including my lack of faith, including yours. And he comes to get you through the power of this written record. Jesus did all kinds of things. If they had written them all, it would have filled, there wouldn't be enough books in the world. But what you need, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Acts, and the rest of the New Testament, all of that Old Testament pointing to the coming of Jesus Christ as Jesus taught the men on the road to Emmaus, it's all there that we might know Jesus. That's the good news. He's alive. Look at his hands. Look at his side. Repent and believe that your sins have been forgiven. This, beloved, is why the church preaches. This is why we try to get the Bible into every possible language. This is why we train young men and older men to exegete and open up the word of the Lord so that you can go deeper, that we can go deeper. but always to see, as John the Baptist said, to behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace, over all victorious in its bright increase, perfect yet it floweth full on every side, perfect yet it groweth deeper all the way. Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding as he promised, perfect peace and rest. Peace be to you. Here I am, says Jesus. Trust and obey. Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand. May we all leave today saying, my Lord and my God. Amen.