DON’T BE DOUBTING THOMAS

JOHN 21:1-3

Pastor Rick Jackson

There are so many “individuals” in the world and it is clear the Lord knows each one. Aren’t you glad we are not all the same? Aren’t you glad the Lord loves you? Aren’t you blessed that Jesus died for you, rose for you, offered you salvation and saved you when you called upon Him? Thomas is definitely an individual. I think he gets a bad rap sometimes. Now, I don’t defend his weakness but do we generally say: “Cussing Cephas” “Noah the drunk” “Momma’s boy Mark” and…, well, you get the idea. Let’s look at this man with fresh eyes in the Scripture.

I. THOMAS WAS A MAN OF CONTRASTS

1. He Could be Dour, but He was Determined [Jn. 11:1-16]

2. He was Ignorant, but He was Interested in Knowing [Jn. 14:1-6]

3. He had Doubts, but He had Hope [John 20:24-26] (he was there)

II. THOMAS WAS NOT PETER, JAMES OR JOHN

1. Christ Chose Thomas [Luke 6:12-16]

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

2. Christ Challenged Thomas [John 20:26-30]

3. Christ Changed Thomas [Acts 1:1-14, 2:1-4]

 

III. LESSONS FOR THE THOMASES AMONG US

1. Humbly Use What God has Given You [Rm. 12:3, 2 Cor. 10:13]

-For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly , according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

-But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

2. Work Together as We Grow Together [Ephesians 4:7, 13, 16]

-But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

-Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

-From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part , maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

3. Use the Gifts God has Given You [1 Cor. 12:4-12]