 The title of our sermon this morning is do not be unbelieving. Do not be unbelieving. It's the command of our Lord from John chapter 20. We are in John chapter 20 verses 24 through 31, and we're looking this morning at the example from this text of Thomas. The Gospel of John could easily be described as a treatise on the content, the nature, and the character of genuine saving faith, as much to be said about faith in the Gospel of John. The subject of faith is at the very center of John's purpose for writing the Gospel in the first place. He wrote the Gospel that you may believe, that word synonymous with what we understand to be faith in the Bible, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John writes that you may believe in the end of that belief. Faith is not an end to itself, the purpose of that belief, the end of that faith is eternal life in His name. So what does it mean then to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? What does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to trust Him? What does faith look like? John's not aiming here at mere agreement with a set of facts. John's concerned with your eternal destiny. What we're talking about when we discuss biblical faith, we're talking about heaven and hell. We're talking about life and death. These aren't trivial matters. These are eternal matters of life and death significance to every person under heaven. We don't want to preach like they're trivial matters. We don't want to listen like they're trivial matters. We don't want to live like they're trivial matters. These are weighty matters. The Spirit of God through the pen of John and through the preaching of John is soberly revealing here the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the purpose that you would be born again, you would put your faith and trust in Christ and be eternally saved, not eternally damned. It's often in the Gospel of John that that saving faith, that faith it saves, saving genuine repentant faith in Christ, that faith or that belief is often revealed through its negative. It's often revealed through pictures or depictions of unsaving faith, counterfeit faith, misplaced trust. Examples of saving faith depicted in the text alongside faith that does not save. We need to understand the difference. In John chapter 2, verse 11, after Jesus had performed the first of many signs at the wedding in Cana, John records that Jesus manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him. His own disciples believed in him when he manifested his glory in Cana. John chapter 2, verse 11. In John chapter 2, verse 23, just a few verses later, Jesus is in Jerusalem for Passover, and John records that many in Jerusalem believed in him when they saw the signs that he did, but John goes on to record that Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts. There was no saving belief. They believed in him, but it was a counterfeit faith, a false faith, an empty faith, an unsaving faith. In other words, there is a belief. There is a faith that leads to life, and there is a counterfeit faith, a counterfeit belief that leads to hell. In John chapter 4, the woman at the well believes and is saved. In John chapter 4, many Samaritans believe through his word, and they are genuinely saved. But in John chapter 6, many who professed to be his disciples went back and followed him no more. John chapter 7, many believed in him when they saw his works and heard his word. In John chapter 8, he told many that professed to believe in him that they were of their father, the devil. In John chapter 9, the man born blind believes in him and worships the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 10, some believe that he is the promised Messiah, others believe that he has a demon. In John chapter 11, many believed in him when they saw Lazarus raised from the dead. And then in John chapter 12, many said that they believed in him, but they wouldn't confess him for fear of being put out of the synagogue. These are pictures of faith. Some genuine faith, genuine saving faith that eventuates in eternal life. Other pictures of that faith and the negative, unbelief, counterfeit faith, the kind of faith that demons have, the kind of faith that will send you to hell. Some examples of saving faith, others examples of damning false faith. Some who profess to believe in Christ are deceived disciples. Some of those who profess to believe in Christ are damned believers. Others are transformed by the power of the gospel, conveyed into the kingdom of the son of his love through faith. So why is it then? Why is it that some believe to eternal life and others do not? Why do some mourn their sin while others continue in it? Why does some set out to follow him and then turn around and follow him no more? Why is it for some, why is it for some that a 20 minute service or 20 minute sermon is all they can bear and for others a two hour service is just not enough? Is it the lack of evidence? Is it an insufficiency in the word of God, in the revelation that we've been given? Is it the means through which that revelation comes? Maybe God's at fault. He won't do his part. If God would just right across the heavens that I'm here and I'm real, then everyone would believe, right? In John chapter 20 verses 24 to 31, Jesus comes again now and deals again with the unbelieving heart of man, man's natural trajectory toward unbelief. We have a bent toward unbelief. So the hymn says, right, my heart is prone to wander, Lord, how I feel it, right? He enters the narrative once again under circumstances of unbelief and here the unbelief of one of his own disciples, one of the 11, Thomas. And although this passage begins with a really disappointing look at a man's willful unbelief, this passage is brought to a close with a victorious proclamation of Thomas, a glorious proclamation of Thomas, an acknowledgement of the preeminent sign, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the strongest professions or proclamations of faith in all of the New Testament, Thomas says, proclaims to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God. As we look at the example of Thomas in our text, I've outlined our text here to include four points. The first two of those points are going to relate to faith or the lack thereof that we see in Thomas. The second two points relate to the revelation that God has given us that is to provoke or to cultivate or to encourage faith. The main point here of our text, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ commands faith in response to the revealed word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ commands faith in response to the revealed word of God, faith in Christ. Remember that John is writing here that you may believe and have life in his name. Do not be unbelieving. Now point one on your notes is this. Your belief is willful. My belief is willful, my unbelief. Your unbelief is willful. My unbelief is willful, verses 24 and 25, and we see that in the example of Thomas. Let me explain what we're talking about here. Look at verse 24. Now Thomas called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord, and so he said to them, the other disciples, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. On verses 24 and 25, Thomas is introduced as the subject of our text. Some of your translations refer to him as Didymus. In the New King James, he's called the twin. Didymus is simply a proper name for Thomas that means twin. And so Thomas obviously had a twin that doesn't appear in scripture. We know nothing about his twin. We see Thomas here called the twin, one of the twelve. Thomas then, one of the twelve disciples, John mentions in verse 24 now, that Thomas was not with them when Jesus came. Now if you remember from verse 19, last week, it's the first day of the week, the same day that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The disciples are gathered together in a closed room, and they're huddled together in the closed room for fear of the Jews. Judas wasn't with them. Judas has long since committed suicide. Here, in verse 24, we find that Thomas wasn't with them either. At that time, Jesus appears to them, gives them the great commission that we discussed last Lord's Day in verse 21. And as you can well imagine, after that experience, where the Lord Jesus Christ comes to them in the room that evening, the disciples went immediately to Thomas, verse 25, and said to him, therefore said to him, we've seen the Lord. The tense of that verb there in verse 25 said means that they repeated it to him. They were constantly telling him, I'm sure they were obviously rejoicing, probably perplexed by Thomas's unbelief. Listen, we saw him. He came to us in the room. They continued saying to him, we've seen the Lord. Now, Thomas often is referred to as doubting Thomas. You've heard that before, right? However, as we'll see here, Thomas shamefully does far more here than merely express doubt. Think with me now in verse 25. In stark contrast to the glorious confession that he makes in verse 28, Thomas makes an inglorious confession in verse 25. He says, I will not believe. It's a strong negation in the Greek. Now, what we find in the text is that Thomas, his unbelieving actions coupled with unbelieving attitudes, lead to and reveal an unbelieving heart. Consider first with me as unbelieving actions. Notice in verse 24, when the disciples had gathered together, and Jesus had come to them that first Sunday, that first Lord's day, the day of his resurrection, Thomas wasn't with them. Now, piece this together with me. Mark records part of the conversation that Jesus Christ had with the other disciples. He said, I will not believe. Records part of the conversation that Jesus Christ had with the other disciples that night. In Mark chapter 16, verse 14, Mark says that later he appeared to the 11 as they sat at the table, and he rebuked their unbelief and their hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen, right? Thomas now is here doing the same thing, refusing to believe, not just the testimony of the women now, but refusing to believe the testimony of the disciples. For some reason, Thomas is even refusing so much as to even gather with the disciples that night. He's isolated himself from the group. Certainly Thomas, like the others, he was heartbroken, right? His hopes were dashed, crushed after the crucifixion. Didn't process these things correctly. Didn't understand the words of the Lord prior to his death. And so Thomas is then alone when the Lord first comes to them. In Matthew chapter 28, verse seven, when the women had encountered the angel at the empty tomb, the angel said to them in Matthew 28, seven, he said, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and indeed catch this. He is going before you into Galilee and there you're gonna see him. There you'll see him. Behold, the angel says, I have told you. If you go to Matthew 28 and drop down to verse 10, Jesus then comes to them on the road. They're on the road back to tell the disciples all that they had seen and Jesus himself comes to them on the road. This is what Jesus tells them in verse 10. Go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee and there they will see me. Certainly the women, when they got to the disciples, including Thomas, the women told the disciples exactly what Jesus had said. Jesus said, go to Galilee and I'm gonna see you in Galilee. The disciples and the women repeatedly told Thomas, listen Thomas, we've seen the Lord and he's telling us to go to Galilee. There we're gonna see him again and Thomas responds with, I will not believe. Now look at verse 26. Drop down to John chapter 20 verse 26. Where are we now? Like where are we now? After eight days, what did the Lord tell them to do? Go to Galilee. After eight days in verse 26, where are we? We're still in Jerusalem. We're back in the same room again, back inside. This time finally, Thomas is with them. I think it's entirely likely that the obstinate unbelief of Thomas is the cause of their delay in going to Galilee as the Lord had instructed them. He won't go with them. Thomas refuses to believe. Refuses to believe the testimony of the women. Refuses to believe the instructions that were given. Refuses to believe the disciples when they repeatedly say to him, listen, we've seen the Lord. And after Jesus clearly tells them that he's going to come to them in Galilee, he's here in our text, coming to them again in Jerusalem to deal with the unbelief of Thomas. Thomas' unbelieving actions reveal an unbelieving heart. Now this is gracious on the part of the Lord Jesus Christ, right? This is grace, this is mercy. On the part of Thomas, on the part of Thomas, we have to ask ourselves, right? Is this damning unbelief? Is this just damnable unbelief in the heart of Thomas? No, not in Thomas. If you remember, Thomas is a genuine believer. One of the 11, Jesus said in John 13 that they are clean already because of the word which was spoken to them. So Thomas is a saved man, but Thomas here is a picture of weak faith. Again, right, don't we see this? We saw this in the example of the disciples after the death of Christ and prior to his resurrection. We see pictures of their weak faith and how that faith needs to be strengthened and informed and fueled. This is a post crucifixion, pre-resurrection, weak faith. Thomas might be likely to cry out, right? With the man who had the demon-possessed child, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. But you have to understand too, don't we, from the text woven into the fabric of the text, Thomas here is doing everything wrong. Everything wrong. He is stubborn, willful in his unbelief. If it weren't for the gracious, loving, preserving intervention of the Lord, Thomas would have persisted in his unbelief, but the Lord Jesus Christ intervenes graciously, lovingly. Comes back to Jerusalem, back to the same room to deal with Thomas. Thomas is doing everything wrong here. Incidentally, don't be unbelieving like Thomas. Put yourself in a position to exercise and to grow and to mature your faith. Put yourself in the place where the spirit of God can be at work on you to grow and to mature your faith. Be around the people of God. Don't isolate yourself. Stop being stubborn about showing up. Serve the people of God. Serve the Lord in the church amongst the people of God. Worship with God's people. Witness with God's people. Fellowship with God's people. Be stubbornly unbelieving. Put yourself in his word daily. Pray daily. Labor for him daily. Put yourself in the position of blessing, in the place of blessing. Put yourself in a place where the Lord Jesus Christ can come to you, so to speak, amen. Now the text reveals certainly the unbelieving actions of Thomas, as we've seen, but the text also reveals unbelieving attitudes in Thomas. Unbelieving attitudes. Thomas was the quintessential pessimist of the group. Thomas wouldn't only tell you that the cup was half empty. Thomas was looking for cracks, right? Poking a hole in the bottom of the cup. If Thomas was out flying kites with his kids, he would tell his kids, you're never gonna get that in the air. And then as soon as they got it in the air, look at that, I got it in the air. He's like, you're gonna lose it in the trees. Right, that's Thomas. In John 11, when Jesus makes the decision to go back to Jerusalem to wake Lazarus, after the Jews had already hatched a plot to kill him, it was Thomas who said, let us also go that we may die with, it's like Eor, right? That we may die with him. That was Thomas, that he showed courage. That was courageous, right? Thomas understood that very likely they could die going back to Jerusalem. But that was sort of Thomas's pessimism, his outlook. It was courage, but it was half empty cup courage, okay? In John 14, the Lord said that he was gonna go and prepare a place for them. Just a glorious text. Beautiful promise, right? Wonderful, glorious, soul exhilarating text. And Thomas' response to that was, we don't know where you're going and we can't know the way. You remember? So Thomas, it's Thomas again speaking here in verse 25. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord. So Thomas said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And notice, there's not the expectation here that Thomas would blindly believe the disciples. Make that distinction in your mind, right? They're not saying to him, Thomas, we believe that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and so you should believe too because we believe. Stop what the disciples are saying. You understand the distinction, right? They're saying to Thomas, I've seen him, I saw him. The same one who was on the cross who died, they pierced his side, blood and water flowed out. He was put in the tomb, he was buried there. He was dead and I saw him raised. That's what the disciples are saying to Thomas. The women, Thomas, we saw him on the road. He spoke to us. We saw the nail prints in his hands. Thomas, it's not blind faith, it's not blind belief, right? This is not them expecting Thomas to be gullible in some way. This is eyewitness testimony of the risen Christ. We've seen the Lord, there's a tremendous amount of weight, a tremendous amount of evidence that should be considered. These are credible and believable eyewitnesses. It would be like a dear brother, your wife, coming to you and saying, this is what I saw. And you saying, forget you, I refuse to believe that. Right? It's through painting a picture of the absurdity of Thomas' unbelief that we see the foolishness of unbelief, right? And we are encouraged, compelled by John, not to believe that way, not to think that way. Don't be unbelieving, but be believing. This is eyewitness testimony. This is evidence of the risen Christ. If one of the disciples said that he saw him, if one of them said that he saw him, you might be able to chalk that up to delusion, right? He too much caffeine, you need to lay off the coffee. But all 10 and the women, not hardly. And that's why when you come to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and Paul says that over 500 at once saw him, some of whom are still present to this day, you can go and talk to them. What did you see? I saw the risen Christ walking around preaching. I saw him ascending into heaven. These are not delusional lunatics. Look with me at 1 John chapter one, 1 John chapter one. Our faith is not blind faith. It's a faith based in evidence, a faith based in historical fact. If you will take the time to examine the evidence. Thomas, consider what's being said. Thomas, consider the evidence. He won't do it, he simply refuses to believe it. It's an unbelieving attitude in Thomas. Look at 1 John chapter one, look at verse one. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, our hands have handled him concerning the word of life. The life was manifested. It showed up, it was demonstrated, right? And we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard, how many times does John have to say it, right? That we have seen, that which we have heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. John doesn't say you must believe because I believe. He doesn't say that. John says, God says, you must believe because these are the facts. Consider the evidence for yourself. You know, a brother and I were out witnessing together yesterday morning. And we knocked on the door, really nice conversation with the lady there, lived in the house. And as we were walking away, the guy next door was coming out of his garage with his lawn mower, was preparing to mow the grass. And so I walked over, tried to hand him a track which he flatly refused. He basically said in the conversation that ensued, he basically said that all religion, chief among them Christianity, was nothing more than a fabrication to make people feel better. He would say in the conversation, I wish it were true. It would make me feel better if it were true. But it's not true. That all religion, especially Christianity, had no basis in truth. It was all false and no one, no one could prove it to be true. He basically painted all Christians alike as gullible and stupid. Christianity is not the religion that expects you to believe the word of one man who walks into a cave, says he takes dictation from God himself, and then he says, if you don't believe me, I'm gonna kill you. That's not Christianity, that's Islam. And Muhammad is dead and buried. Christianity is not the religion that expects you to believe the word of one man who puts his face in a hat to translate some golden plates that only he can translate who taught that God used to be a man on another planet who married a goddess, wife. They had spirit children named Satan and Jesus. And Jesus was coming back in 1891, and you can be a God too. That's not Christianity, that's Mormonism. And Joseph Smith is dead and buried. The Bible says evil men, imposters, will grow worse and worse and worse deceiving, being deceived, but what does he say? You must continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. I witness apostolic testimony, credible witnesses, credible evidence, historical documents. Christianity, Christianity doesn't expect you to be gullible and stupid. Don't be gullible and stupid. Christian faith is based in history. Christian faith is based in historical fact, historical record. Christian faith is based in evidence and I witness testimony. It affirms God's word as God's word so that you can believe God's word, test all things, holding fast what is good. When that guy tells you that the gibberish he's speaking is a heavenly language, what does the Bible say? When someone tells you that a man is infallible when he sits in the seat and that a woman on earth was sinless like Jesus and that there's an in-between place that you can go, that in order to be saved, you have to be baptized and do good works. Don't be gullible. What does God's word say? Either it's God's word or it's not. But if it's God's word, then let God be true and every man a liar. So back in John chapter 20 verse 25, the other disciples here don't expect Thomas to be gullible. They don't expect him to be gullible. They expect him and Jesus Christ expects him to believe the evidence, believe their eye witness testimony. Now it's interesting, isn't it? That's what we're expected to believe. That's what we're expected to believe. The disciples say to him, we've seen the Lord. He's alive, right? He's risen from the dead. Thomas's reaction is sadly like many today and sadly like that gentleman that we witnessed to yesterday morning. Thomas stopped his ears. He refused to be reasoned with. He closed himself off. There was no prayerful consideration given to their testimony. There was no humble back and forth, right? Trying to seek to understand, trying to get to the bottom of what they, you know, if Thomas thought they were crazy, what has led to all the crazy, right? There's no conversation going on, no humble back and forth, no humility on the part of Thomas at all. Not even the willingness on the part of Thomas to entertain the thoughts. This is a stubborn, hard-hearted, willful unbelief. Can't really describe it as doubt, can we? This is just hard-hearted unbelief. Unbelieving actions coupled with Thomas's unbelieving attitudes expose an unbelieving heart. Look at verse 25. So he said to them, listen, unless I see his hands, the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, put my hand into his side, I will not believe a very strongly worded refusal. He didn't say, you know, listen, I'm gonna have difficulty believing unless I see. It's not what Thomas is saying. This is a double negative, so to speak, in the Greek. It is a strong negation, and this is the condition in which Jesus Christ graciously and lovingly and patiently meets with the hard-hearted Thomas. Here's verse 26. After eight days, which would it be again on the Lord's Day, right? This would be next Sunday, the next Lord's Day. His disciples were again inside, and now Thomas with them. Verse 26, Jesus came. The doors being shut, and he stood in the midst and said to them, peace to you. I want you to see, under point two on your notes, belief is also willful. Your belief, your faith is also willful. Unbelief is willful. Belief is also willful. Now, just like the unbelieving actions, unbelieving attitudes reveal an unbelieving heart in Thomas. Here, believing actions, believing attitudes, praise the Lord, reveal a believing heart. Verse 26, eight days later, again on Sunday, the disciples are gathered together. This time, Thomas is with them, and he takes a faithful step this time, right? He's back with the Lord's disciples. He's not isolated himself. He's not closed off. He's back with the disciples now on the Lord's Day. John again emphasizes that the doors were shut. That word again, meaning locked, meaning barred. John gives us that detail to point us to the miraculous nature of the Lord's entry into the room in his resurrection body, right? He had a physical body that could be seen and touched and handled, hugged, clung to, right? But it was also a physical form that could pass through walls. This was a miraculous entry, and again, the Lord in his resurrection body. And we don't know all the details of that, but we know that when we see him, we shall be like him, but we shall see him as he is. This corruptible is gonna one day put on in corruption. Praise the Lord for that. I feel the corruption hour by hour, looking forward to that. Instead of looking at Thomas, verse 26, instead of looking at Thomas and saying, shame on you. Right? He had already rebuked them in Mark for unbelief, hardness of heart. So instead of saying to Thomas, coming into the room, shame on you, Thomas. The Lord speaks words of comfort, peace to you, peace to you. It's just a grace and mercy and love and patience of God. Now what follows, what follows is though a gentle and loving rebuke. And I want you to see this from the text. When the Lord appears in the room, Thomas is there with them. When the Lord comes, it would have been certainly enough, right? For Thomas to see him. Thomas would have laid his eyes on the Lord. Thomas would have seen, as they did, the nail prints in his hands. Thomas would have recognized the Lord Jesus Christ. And it would have been enough, like it was for the other disciples. That would have been enough for Thomas. Thomas seeing that would have been convinced. But notice how the Lord deals with the way in which Thomas expressed his unbelief. The Lord repeats Thomas' unbelieving words back to him. Now think about that for a moment. Put yourself in Thomas' shoes, right? Jesus heard every word that Thomas uttered in unbelief. Jesus heard every word. I remember with Nathaniel, I saw you under the tree in Daniel. You were indeed the Christ. Because I saw you under the tree, wait Nathaniel, you're gonna see much greater things than these. Here, he heard every word that Thomas uttered in unbelief and the Lord repeats his own words back to him, verse 27. He said to Thomas, Thomas, reach your finger here. Look at my hands. Reach your hand here. Put it into my side. These words would have broken Thomas' heart. It would have brought great conviction upon Thomas, right? Those, it's like, you've been in a circumstance like this before where you've come to realize how greatly you have sinned and the stubbornness, the pride with which you sinned and you're found out in an instant, right? And just the conviction comes on you, like David. You're the man, David, how that must have just pierced through David's heart. I have sinned, right? That's, now praise the Lord. That's the response of a believer. I have sinned. Here, Thomas' pride just melts away, melts away in an instant, leaves behind humility. Thomas' hard-hearted rebellion gives way to a broken, a contrite heart. Obstinate, stubborn, willful unbelief gives way to faith, gives way to trust. Humble yourself with the Lord, right? And He will raise you up. Lord here, gently, lovingly, but soberly raises up Thomas. Lord follows this with a command for Thomas. It's an imperative at the end of verse 27. He tells Thomas, do not be unbelieving, but be believing, but believing. Faithful believing action, faithful believing attitudes reveal in Thomas a faith-filled believing heart. Thomas answered, verse 28, and said to him, my Lord and my God. That confession of Thomas, my Lord and my God, is the good confession that fueled the very first verse of John's gospel. That truth is what fueled the prologue of John's gospel. That truth, my Lord and my God, is the truth that caused the Jews to charge him with blasphemy. It's the same truth that is denied by the cults. It's the same truth that is corrupted by heretics. And here, that truth is on the lips of once unbelieving Thomas. As clear as anywhere else in the pages of scripture, Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ is my Lord and my God. Now it is the conviction of Thomas' mind. It's the commitment of Thomas' heart that produces the confession on Thomas' lips, my Lord and my God. Lord would not entirely suffice. This is a Christological pronouncement of deity. God, the word God, fully captured the truth that Thomas had come to understand in that moment. There was no other descriptive that quite fit his understanding at that time. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Jesus Christ is my God. Now similarly, to the way in which Jesus said to Peter, after his confession in Matthew 16, we know flesh and blood did not reveal that to Thomas, right? Flesh and blood did not reveal this to Thomas, but our Father who is in heaven revealed this to Thomas, my Lord and my God. Now notice with me that Jesus doesn't attempt to correct him. When pagans are attempting to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas in Lystra in Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas refuse, why are you doing that? They say, we are men like you with a nature like you. When John bows himself before the angel in Revelation chapter 19, the angel responds to John, see that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant and what does the angel exhort John to do? Worship God. Jesus gives no such correction to Thomas because no such correction is necessary. Jesus is worthy of Thomas' confession. Jesus is worthy of Thomas' worship. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. The second person of the Trinity, God the Son. And this confession coming now at the end of John's gospel, this is the belief that John is aiming for in writing his gospel. Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God. Biblical scholars through the centuries have acknowledged three essential components to or aspects of genuine saving faith. Three essential components, three essential aspects to genuine saving faith. One of those they called noticia means knowledge. The second was a census or ascent. And the third is fiducia. It means fidelity, which is trust or commitment. Noticia refers to the content of our faith. Those facts that God reveals to us through his word. The Bible reveals the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We know of him from the Bible. The Bible reveals him. We must know him, right? We have to have the content of our faith in order to put our faith in trust in Christ. We have to know these things. So noticia, we need to know what the Bible teaches. A census or ascent is our conviction that the content of our faith is true. I believe that what the Bible says is fact. Now there are many who know what the Bible says. They just believe it's a bunch of hogwash. So ascent is not only knowing what the Bible teaches and knowing what the Bible reveals about God, about Lord Jesus Christ, who he is, what he's done. But ascent is believing those facts to be true. We believe that the content of our faith is true. It is the truth from God revealed to man. Fiducia or fidelity is trust and commitment to that faith. Listen, knowing the content of the Christian faith is not enough. Even the demons believe that and they tremble according to James. The demons believe more clearly than even you and I can believe the facts. They have seen the Lord Jesus Christ. They were in heaven before they were cast out. Even the demons believe and tremble. True, genuine saving faith is characterized by knowing the truth. True, genuine saving faith is characterized by believing that truth. And then all true, genuine saving faith is characterized by trusting in, committing ourselves to and living and obeying the truth. Jesus Christ, the word of God, right? And that commitment, that trust, bears the fruit of obedience in the life. That's why John can say later, he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. That third aspect of commitment, trust, simply not there if you're not living for and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ from the heart in the power of the spirit. Knowledge, ascent, trust, knowledge, ascent, commitment. All three of those elements can be seen in the confession of Thomas in verse 28. My Lord and my God. When you understand the implications of those words, you can see knowledge, you can see ascent, can't you? And Thomas' commitment, he is my Lord. He is my God. And that trust, that commitment was certainly backed up in Thomas' life. Thomas would eventually die for his faith preaching the gospel in India. He was run through with a spear, martyred for preaching the gospel in India. Now in order to believe, we see an example of Thomas' unbelieving heart. We see an example of Thomas' believing heart, his believing actions, his faith. In order to believe, knowledge, ascent, faith, trust, commitment, we must take the Lord at his word. You and I are not in a time period where we see the Lord Jesus Christ despite someone who said, I saw him in the mirror when I was shaving and there he was in the mirror, right? You know, I went and I was romping around in the crystal sea with Jesus playing in the water. No, you weren't, you liar. You know, at worst you're just a bull-faced liar. You know, you may be completely deceived. It's not what the Bible teaches. We must take the Lord at his word, at his word. That's point three on your notes in verse 29. Jesus said to him, verse 29, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Now with this statement, the Lord is essentially announcing a transition. There's a transition going on right here, right now. A transition from eyewitnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who see and believe, to a transition to apostolic testimony, the word of those eyewitnesses of Christ and those who will believe in him, it's John 17, right? Those who will believe in him through their word. That's interesting to consider, isn't it? That the one who refused to believe, unless he could see, will very soon be in treating others to believe based on his own testimony, based on his own word. But that's the way that it works. That's what the Lord God has done. Now this understanding provides us with two very important facts regarding the Bible. One of those facts relates to the content of scripture. The other of those facts relates to the sufficiency of scripture. Now consider with me the content. What we know of Jesus Christ from the Bible is factual and it's based on eyewitness testimony and historical evidence. The content of our faith, again, is eyewitness testimony. It's historical narrative, historical evidence. Peter said, in 2 Peter chapter one, verse 16, Peter said we didn't follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power in coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Peter says we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. You and I, we're not following cunningly devised fables. Peter was an eyewitness of his majesty. John was an eyewitness of his majesty. We are following apostolic eyewitness testimony. Historical evidence. John said, that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you. So Paul, in Romans chapter 10, verse 17, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That's the content of our faith. It's the content of our faith. Secondly, regarding sufficiency, regarding sufficiency. That apostolic eyewitness testimony is sufficient for those who have not seen. It is sufficient for them to come to faith in Christ. It's sufficient. It's sufficient. God doesn't have to. God has chosen not to. He's not gonna cater to your selfish desires for signs and wonders, right? This wicked generation seeks after a sign. No sign's gonna be given it. The apostolic eyewitness testimony is sufficient for those who have not seen. It's sufficient for them to come to faith. Blessed are those, blessed are those, who have not seen and yet have believed. Look over with me at first Peter chapter one. First Peter chapter one. First Peter chapter one. Let's see what Peter writes with respect to this. Beginning in verse three. So this is first Peter chapter one, verse three. Peter writes, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now he's begotten us again to this living hope, verse four, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you, verse five, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, you greatly rejoice, amen, right, amen. Though now for a little while, if need be, you've been grieved by various trials. What's the purpose of those trials, Peter? So that, verse seven, the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse eight, whom having not seen you love. Whom having not, I saw him, no, you didn't. Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible. I can't describe it sometimes. It is inexpressible. It's a joy that pervades, like you run me off the road, you sideswipe me on the road, and guy the other day through a couple of choice gestures out the window, listen, okay, I'm joyful in the Lord. It's a joy that is inexpressible, full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, verse nine, the salvation of your souls. You see how Peter's proclamation here mirrors that of John, that you may believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing you may have life in his name, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. So what then prohibits men from coming to faith in Christ? The content of our faith is the content that God has revealed to us. It is sufficient for faith, and we know that God is the one who saves. So God will use the means. We were talking about it yesterday. Remember that story of Spurgeon. Spurgeon is about to preach at the Crystal Cathedral, and back then they didn't have sound systems, that kind of stuff. He walks into the Crystal Cathedral, he's gonna test the acoustics of the building, so he walks up on the platform, and he's just gonna say the place is empty. He doesn't know it, but there's a guy working in the rafters. So he stands up where he's gonna preach, and he just shouts out, testing the acoustics, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! And upon hearing that phrase, the man of the rafters says, the Lord saved him. He became convicted over his sin, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who saves sinners from their sin, who forgives sinners. He's the Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. The Lord is the one who uses his own revelation, that which he's chosen to reveal. The Lord uses that to save sinners. There's nothing wrong with the revelation. Nothing, there's nothing wrong, nothing insufficient about the means through which that revelation comes to us. Nothing! You can't blame the revelation. You can't blame the means through which that revelation comes. Sometimes you can fault professing Christians for not being the means through which that revelation comes, right? We need to be faithful to that. It's not the fault of the revelation, not God's fault, so to speak, right? What prohibits men from coming to faith in Christ? It's not the evidence that's lacking. It's not the revelation that is somehow insufficient. It's not the means through which that revelation comes. In Luke chapter 16, the rich man in hell cries out to Abraham and he asks Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers. The rich man says, if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent, surely they will repent. If someone goes to them from the dead, Abraham responded, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. In Revelation chapter 16, the wrath of God is being poured out in visible supernatural fury on the earth. God himself being manifest in his judgment on the earth. Angels flying around and judgments being poured out. God being manifest and it says there to the people, having this vision of God, right? To the people in Revelation 16, only blasphemed him and refused to repent. And that stubborn, hard-hearted, willful refusal. Unbelief is not the consequence of insufficient revelation. No. What prohibits men from coming to faith in Christ is the wickedness of their own rebellious and hateful hearts. They do not believe because they will not believe. Do you see? It is a willful unbelief. The Lord would exhort you. If you're in that position, listen, if you've been here and you simply have not turned from your sins to trust Christ, you will die and you will go to hell when you die and suffer eternally for your sins. And you can't blame anyone else but yourself. You don't believe because you will not believe. And the Lord Jesus Christ comes to you in mercy, in grace, in love, in patience, and says to you, listen, do not be unbelieving, but believing. Do not be unbelieving. That's pointful on your notes. Verse 30, look at verse 30. Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name. In verse 30 and 31, we see both the purpose of the gospel. We also see the promise of the gospel. Not only the purpose of the gospel, the promise of the gospel. Purpose of the gospel, these things are written that you may believe. The purpose of the recorded signs in John, some isolate those to seven, others. There are signs recorded in the gospel of John. And the purpose of those signs is belief in the messiahship, the sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ. The unique mission of God's promised deliverer, prophesied in the Old Testament, fulfilled in the New Testament. Those signs are to attest to his identity as the one sent from God. And Jesus did many other signs, verse 30, but these specific signs, verse 31, again, back to that issue of the content of our faith, these specific signs specifically recorded by the Holy Spirit through the pen of John so that you may believe, so that you may savingly believe. I believe what exactly? One, that Jesus is the Christ. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for messiah. And messiah or Christ means anointed one. Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one by God to redeem his people. In the Old Testament, you had primarily three groups that were anointed, prophets, priests, and kings. What does that sound like? That sounds like the three offices of Jesus Christ. Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil. That anointing with oil signified that they had been set apart to God and exclusively for his use. They were set apart to God for his use. Jesus, the anointed one, the Christ, the messiah has been anointed as prophet, priest, and king to come to earth and to redeem his people. And that Jesus, that Jesus, the Christ is the Son of God. He is my Lord and my God. Remember that when he made that confession that God was his father, the Pharisees charged him with blasphemy? Why? Because he made himself equal with God. Son of God, he is God. He is eternal. He is uncreated, creator of all things. Truly man and truly God. Many people come to Christ. When they come to Christ, they think to themselves, I want my life to be better. Things aren't going so well and Jesus Christ will make it all better. I want my kids to learn. I'm coming for them. My kids need to, you know. I feel guilty. I want to feel better about myself. I'm not going to find that kind of placebo around here. Will you feel better about yourself? Yes. Lord Jesus Christ is gracious. But some people, that's their whole purpose for coming. I just want to feel better about myself. I want a better life. I want to be happy. I don't want to be happy. I need help. I need comfort. I need joy. I need my life. And the spirit of God through the gospel of John says, this is what you need. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 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 and the darkness did not comprehend it. He is the one who became flesh and he tabernacled among us and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. That's what you need. You need the Lord Jesus Christ. You need the knowledge of him. What should be the chief concern of the Christian life? To know him, to know what he's done, who he is so that we may put our faith and trust in him. Paul said in Philippians chapter three, verse seven, what things were gained to me. These I have counted lost for Christ. Yet indeed I count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ. Be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. What does Paul say, verse 10, right? That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death. If by any means I may attain the resurrection from the dead. That's John's purpose of the gospel. That's what we need. We need to know Christ. We need to know who he is, what he's done. And we need to have our faith and trust anchored in him. We need to be found in him. Do you see? That's the purpose of John's gospel. John gives us the promise of that, the promise of the gospel in verse 31. And that believing you may have life in his name that we may have in union with him all encompassing, all persevering, all everlasting life. The faith is not an end in and of itself. Eternal life to the praise of his glory is the end. And Jesus said, unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. There's no other name under heaven, even among men by which we must be saved. As we consider these things, let me exhort you. You have not read correctly. You have not rightly heard. You have not adequately or correctly or biblically understood, unless you have come to the conviction that John intends in writing his gospel, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, my Lord and my God. If you can't from the heart in the power of the spirit, say that and believe it and live it and trust it. Know it, believe it to be true and commit yourself wholeheartedly entirely to it. Then you are hard-hearted, unbelieving, stubborn, self-willed. You've not rightly heard, you've not rightly responded, you've not rightly come to the conviction, you've not rightly read. You have sinned against God. And the wages of your sin is death. Jesus Christ sent from God was offered as the only acceptable, atoning sacrifice. Through him alone is the forgiveness of sins. In completion and validation of his work as the Lamb of God, he has been raised from the dead. Your response, the only response that is reasonable, the only response that is rational is my Lord and my God. Do you follow him as Lord? You believe and trust in him as the Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh. Brothers and sisters, this is a message for us as well that we must embrace by faith. We must not be unbelieving as Thomas was, but believing. And this is a message that must be preached. As long as that message applies to anyone on this planet, that message must be preached. The crowning glory of these disciples, the crowning joy of these disciples was that they died as martyrs for their faith in him. They gave their lives for him. So what have we done? What are we prepared to do? What are we willing to do? This world, this world is wrecked and ravaged by sin. And the message of eternal life comes through you. It comes through me. This world is ravaged by sin. And that message comes through us. Don't be unbelieving, be believing, amen. All praise, honor, and glory be to the one who gives us that glorious gospel. We have this treasure and it's our joy and blessing to preach it that unbelievers might come to believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.