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May I turn in your Bibles to 
John chapter 20? John chapter 20 will focus on 
a hopefully familiar passage of 
Scripture, Jesus' interaction with Thomas. But I want to read 
beginning in verse 19 and we'll read to the end of chapter 20. 
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, 
when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled 
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said 
to them, peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed 
them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad 
when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, 
peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I 
also send you. And when he had said this, he 
breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, 
they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, 
they are retained. 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. 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 hand 
into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days his disciples 
were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came and said, 
I'm sorry, Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the 
midst and said, peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, reach 
your finger here and look at my hands, and reach your hand 
here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said 
to him, my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because 
you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not 
seen and yet have believed. And truly Jesus did many other 
signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written 
in this book. But these 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. Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Father, thank you for this passage. 
We pray for the Spirit. We pray that you would guide 
us and instruct our hearts in these truths. We pray for those 
who are dead and their trespasses and sins, that you would make 
them alive that You would cause them to see the glory of Christ 
and by Your grace to believe on Him for the salvation of their 
souls. We ask that You would forgive 
us for all iniquity and transgression, cleanse us in the blood, and 
cause us to approach Your Word with great joy, with great delight, 
and with the understanding and realization that truly it is 
the bread of life for our hungry hearts. And we pray in Jesus' 
name, Amen. Well, as I said, this is a familiar 
portion of Scripture, so I want to take up the two broad sections 
that we've just read. First, the Lord appears to the 
disciples with Thomas, verses 24 to 29, and then verses 30 
to 31, is the purpose of the fourth gospel. John the Apostle has an agenda, 
and it's stated here very clearly. He wants to set forth Jesus Christ 
as Lord and Savior. And he wants you to believe on 
Him to the salvation of your soul. That's what he says. But 
these 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. It is a particular and a specific 
agenda that John has. And I think what we find here 
in terms of Jesus dealing with Thomas furthers that agenda. It teaches us something about 
the Lord of Glory. Actually, it teaches us several 
lessons that we'll notice on the way as we expound this passage 
of Scripture. But just a few tidbits about 
this man, Thomas. If we were to play a word association 
game, and I said, Thomas, you might say, Doubting. If you were 
brought up in the church, you've probably heard of him referred 
to as Doubting Thomas. Well, what happens in this particular 
narrative goes a bit further than a simple doubting. Thomas 
is more than likely of a melancholy spirit. He's a glass is half 
empty sort of a guy. Probably some of us in this room 
can relate to him. He appears previously in John's 
Gospel as less a skeptic, but a pessimistic follower of the 
Lord of Glory. In chapter 11, Thomas expresses 
his desire to go with Jesus to Jerusalem and to die if need 
be. Notice here, John 20, Thomas 
is in debt. Thomas did not die with the Lord 
Jesus. In John 14, 5, in the upper room 
discourse, Thomas is a bit perplexed about the way that Jesus is speaking 
of. And it's in that context that 
Jesus then answers, I am the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except 
through me." So through Thomas' query there, or Thomas' question 
there in John 14, what we find is this beautiful declaration 
by our Lord in John 14 says, well in this particular occasion, 
When Thomas expresses his obstinance, not his doubt, but when he expresses 
this, Jesus uses the occasion to teach us something glorious 
about who he is. And again, it fits in well with 
John the Apostle's agenda throughout this book. It ought not to perplex 
us that the book begins with a declaration of the Godhood 
of our Lord Jesus. It certainly ought not to surprise 
us that it ends with a declaration concerning the Godhead or the 
Godhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. functions as a sort of an epilogue 
where Jesus encourages his disciples and how they are to go and minister. But the book, the body of it, 
ends with this declaration of Thomas in verse 28, of course, 
Jesus' response. So let's take up those two broad 
categories. The first, the Lord appears to 
the disciples with Thomas. And under this broad category, 
I want to consider four things. First of all, the character of 
Thomas. sketched it just a little bit 
in terms of his being, in terms of his person, but he was a hurt 
man. Now I'm going to say some things 
that are a little bit hard. I hope they're not harsh. A little 
hard about Thomas. And don't think I'm saying this 
as some sort of a pope that is looking down at Thomas. I see 
a bit of Thomas in my own heart. I see a lot of Thomas in my own 
heart. I see a lot of Thomas in all of us. But he was obviously 
hurt. The Savior whom he loved, the 
Messiah whom he had spent time with, was now gone. We need to understand that. These 
men spent three years. Thomas was one of the twelve. He walked with Christ. He listened 
to Christ. He spent time with Christ. I don't want to minimize the 
pain that Thomas was in. And then notice that the disciples 
come, having seen Jesus the previous Lord's Day, now they have come 
and say to Thomas, we have seen the Lord. And this is where we 
see something of his obstinate character. The first thing we 
need to understand is that Thomas dictates the terms by which he'll 
believe. Don't miss this, because I think 
there's a lot of this in a lot of us when we come to trial, 
when we come to pain, when we come to sorrow, when we come 
to difficulty. It comes upon a lot of those 
outside the church. They want to dictate the terms 
by which they'll believe. Thomas is doing that, unless 
I see. Unless I touch, unless my heart 
is satisfied with the weight of biblical evidence, I will 
not believe. This is the wrong disposition. 
This is the wrong attitude. This is the wrong way for a disciple 
to conduct himself. God doesn't owe us every answer 
to every why question or to every desire for us to be satisfied. God has never promised as creator 
that he is obliged to the creature to answer every jot and dintle 
about his character and about his ways in this world. Thomas 
is patently wrong. Thomas is setting up a grid by 
which the creator must conform. Thomas sets up a hoop and says, 
God has to jump through it and satisfy these eyes and these 
hands before I will believe. He dictates the terms by which 
he would believe. Secondly, with reference to the 
character of Thomas, he makes an emphatic denial. He doesn't 
just say, I'm having a few doubts. My faith is being a bit try. I'm experiencing some perplexity. No, the way the New King James 
translates it here is correct. But, it only goes so far. When he says, 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, he says, I will 
not believe. Now, it's a double negative in 
the Greek. So, if your translation supplies, 
I will certainly not believe, that gets closer at the meaning. 
Thomas isn't just saying, I won't believe, but I really won't believe. 
Unless this hoop has been successfully jumped through by the Lord, then 
there is no way under heaven that I am going to ascent. There 
is no way that I am going to nod my head in belief. He's not 
just a doubter. He is obstinate. Here's what 
Calvin comments concerning this particular man. He says the stupidity 
of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous. Again, we get this 
idea, he's the doubting Thomas. It goes beyond that. And I'm 
setting this up so that you'll appreciate our Lord. You see, 
until we see the wickedness, the wretchedness, the vileness, 
and the filthiness of sin, we don't fully appreciate the Savior. I mean, what if somebody took 
this posture with you? What if somebody says, unless 
you do this, that, and the other, I will not believe what you have 
to say. My temptation would be to say, well then, forget you. 
I want nothing to do with you. If you can't take my word for 
it, if one little thing happens and you disbelieve everything 
that we have said together for three years, my tendency and 
temptation is to say, forget it. Calvin says, the stupidity 
of Thomas was astonishing and monstrous, for he was not satisfied 
with merely beholding Christ, but wished to have his hands 
also as witnesses of Christ's resurrection. Thus he was not 
only obstinate, but also proud and contemptuous in his treatment 
of Christ. So with reference to the character 
of Thomas, we see that he dictates the terms by which he would believe, 
he makes this emphatic denial, ultimately, thirdly, with reference 
to his character, he denies the word of God. Doesn't he? He denies the Old Testament Scriptures, 
that Messiah would come, that Messiah would be cut off, that 
He would be crucified, that He would die, that He would be buried, 
and then according to Psalm 16 would be raised again. All that 
body of Old Testament biblical data, Thomas does not believe. He does not believe the testimony 
of the Lord Himself. How many times had Jesus said 
in His earthly ministry that I must go to Jerusalem, I must 
be tried by wicked men, I must be delivered up, I must be crucified, 
and I will rise again from the dead. So every time Jesus said 
that, every time Jesus spoke that, Thomas negates it. He denies apostolic witness. Eleven brethren come to Him and 
say, we have seen the Lord. We witnessed Him with our own 
two eyes. We spent time with Him on that 
Lord's day. He is risen. He's alive. All that He ever 
said and spoke is true. This is apostolic testimony staring 
him in the face. And he has the gall, the obstinance, 
the contempt to say, unless I see. He's not just a doubting man. 
He's an obstinate man. Notice, secondly, the grace of 
Jesus Christ. Verses 26 and 27. And after eight 
days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, 
and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you. This is the great 
benediction of our Lord Jesus. This isn't a cheap wish. This 
isn't the hippies in the 60's saying, peace brother, peace 
man. This isn't the way some of us 
sign off an email with shalom or peace because it's cool to 
say such things. Jesus Christ's wish of peace 
isn't cheap. It is based on His blood-shedding. It is based on justifying grace. It is based on redemptive reality 
and truth. When Christ says, Peace to you, 
peace is yours. This is why so many of the greetings 
and the letters in the New Testament are grace and peace. This is the blessed possession 
of the children of God Most High. So notice His grace specifically 
expressed to Thomas. Verse 27, then He said to Thomas, 
Reach your finger here and look at My hands, and reach your hand 
here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Isn't this glorious? I've said 
He's obstinate. Calvin says He's obstinate. Calvin 
says He's monstrous. Calvin says he holds in contempt 
the word of God most high. How does Jesus deal with him? How does Jesus deal with him? 
Does he call him a monster? Does he call him obstinate? Does 
he correct the church's common parlance and say, you're not 
really doubting Thomas, you're obstinate Thomas? No, he deals 
with him in grace. He deals with him in mercy. He 
deals with him in kindness. He deals with him in the manner 
that we would expect from our Lord Jesus. He deals with him 
this way. Reach your finger here, and look 
at my hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Thomas, I'm your Lord. Thomas, I'm the crucified and 
risen one. Thomas, I am answering to the 
very criteria that you yourself have set down. And notice that 
Jesus uses the language of Thomas himself. Do you think he was 
told this? Do you think someone said to 
Jesus, before you go into that room, I want you to know what 
Thomas had to say? No, Thomas uttered this to the 
disciples before Jesus was present with them. Jesus knows specifically 
what his desire is, and Jesus answers specifically to that 
desire. Here's the point. We have a God 
who condescends. We have a God who is gracious. 
We have a God who is kind. We have a God who is merciful. 
We have the God of Isaiah, the prophet, who says, look to me, 
all you ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and 
there is no other. You see, we see the condescension 
of God in the incarnation. The fact that Christ comes, the 
fact that Christ lives, the fact that Christ dies, the fact that 
Christ rises again, shows us something of the humility of 
Christ. But don't we see the condescension of Christ and the 
way that he deals with people? He's tender. He's gracious. He's kind. He's everything we're 
so often not. Jesus removes all grounds of 
unbelief. You have to marvel at the way 
that Christ deals with this man. You have to appreciate it. You 
have to enter in. You have to understand, you have 
to see what's going on in this particular section. I'm ready 
to call the man obstinate, contemptuous, and monstrous along with John 
Calvin, the great reformer. Jesus comes to him and says, 
here, reach your hand. Well, there's a chiding. There's 
a reproof. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Believe the Old Testament scripture. 
Believe the language of the Lord Jesus. Believe apostolic witness. Believe that written word of 
God, Thomas. It's almost as if Jesus is giving 
him a gentle shake and saying, look, you need to understand 
that the things written, the things spoken concerning me are 
absolutely true. Do not be unbelieving, Thomas, 
but rather be believing. This is grace and mercy in action. Now notice, thirdly, with reference 
to this appearance by the Lord to Thomas, this lofty confession 
of faith. Thomas' word to Christ. Notice in verse 28 it is specific. There is the absolute reality 
that Thomas is answering Jesus. And Thomas answered and said 
to Him. And I make that point because 
the Jehovah's Witnesses say that what Thomas is doing is sort 
of making an exclamation here. You know, if you hit your thumb 
with a hammer, You might say, my word. I hope you don't say, 
my God, because that would be blasphemy. But you make this 
exclamation, or you say, oh my. You do blaspheme, you misuse 
the name of God or the Lord Christ. Something a first century Jew, 
by the way, would never do. I mean, you may say a lot of 
things when you hit your thumb with a hammer, but my God, in 
terms of my Yahweh, in terms of my Jehovah, as an exclamation 
of disapproval for your particular activity, generally speaking, 
that didn't happen. It is the case oftentimes with 
believers. God saves them. Maybe they used 
to cuss and curse and swear. A lot of times the first cuss, 
curse, and swear that goes is the blasphemy against the name 
of God. They may still struggle with 
some of those correlated words. They may still have a tendency 
at times to whack their thumb with a hammer and let fly some 
things they ought not to let fly. But as a general rule, the 
people of God are pretty strict with reference to this idea of 
blaspheming the name of God. He's not doing that. There's 
a dative. He says, to Him. He is speaking 
to Christ. He is directing this approbation, 
this term of approval to the Lord of glory standing right 
before his eyes. Thomas' words to Christ are, 
my Lord and my God. This would not be an acknowledgment 
that Jesus was a God among many. This would not be an acknowledgment 
that Jesus was one amongst the pantheon. For a monotheistic 
Jew to utter this to the Lord Jesus Christ, the lofty confession 
of faith is put there by the Spirit. This man says, my Lord 
and my God. George Beasley Murray in his 
commentary says this, so it comes about that the most outrageous 
doubter of the resurrection of Jesus utters the greatest confession 
of the Lord who rose from the dead. Do you see that in this 
narrative? He goes from, unless I see, I 
will certainly, I will know wise, I will not believe, to my Lord 
and my God. The greatest skeptic has become 
the greatest confessor. The biggest doubter, if we can 
use that term, has become the strongest apology. He says to 
Christ, my Lord and my God. His utterance, again Beasley 
Murray, does not simply acknowledge the reality of the resurrection 
of Jesus, but expresses its ultimate meaning as the revelation of 
who Jesus Christ really is. Beautiful statement and testimony. 
And again, note the flow of John's Gospel. See the theology in view. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This post-resurrection 
appearance to the disciples, this time involving Thomas. How 
does John end? How does John conclude? How does 
John bring to fruition this statement concerning Christ? Consistent 
with John 1.1. My Lord and my God. And I want 
you to notice something else about this lofty confession of 
faith. It's not abstract theology. Notice that Thomas doesn't say, 
now that I've seen the evidence with my own two eyes, Now that 
I've seen the imprints of the wounds, now that I've seen the 
side, in this I testify truly you are Lord and God. It's not the academic theologian 
who's just doing theology. Not that there's anything wrong 
with that, especially in an age of anti-theology. But notice 
the personal pronouns. And this is what sets Christianity 
apart from other religions. Do you say, my Buddha? Do you 
say, my teacher? Do you say, my Allah? Do you say, my Brahman or whatever 
the case may be? Note with Thomas, it's not abstract 
theology. It is personal pronoun theology. I think John, again, if I can 
read between the lines and look at and compare what his final 
statement is in verses 30 and 31, wants to press the reader 
and wants the reader to consider, can I say my Lord and my God? Can I say I, by God's grace, 
have believed on Him? I, by God's grace, believe the 
Old Testament witness, believe the testimony of the Lord, believe 
the apostolic testimony, believe the words of men like Paul, believe 
the words of men like Peter. By God's grace, I have seen my 
sin. By God's grace, I have seen the 
Savior. And by God's grace, I have held 
on to Him. And I can say on that day, my 
Lord and my God. You see, that's what Christianity 
is all about. It's a redemptive religion. It's 
about God saving. It's about God reaching down. 
It's about God in mercy delivering. I had cause to reflect upon this 
instance a couple of days ago. I was speaking with a young man. 
Remember when Tiger Woods fell? I mean, he fell a long time ago, 
but it got on the news and everybody learned about his sexual exploits 
and his adultery and all that sort of a thing. Brit Hume on 
Fox News, a senior political analyst, said, you know, I believe 
that Tiger's a Buddhist, but he really needs a redemptive 
religion like Christianity at a time like this. Wow. Preach it, Brit. And of course, 
everybody was thrilled with what Brigham said. But Brigham was absolutely right. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, all 
those isms are not the religion of redemption. It's not the supernatural 
grace of God reaching into the cesspit of sin and picking men 
up and giving them that blessed reality to say to Jesus, my Lord 
and my God. Paul knows something of this 
personal pronoun religion. He speaks of Christ who loved 
me and gave himself for me in Galatians 2.20. I want you to 
ask yourself right now, can you say of Christ, He's mine? I am 
His and He is mine. Not because I'm good. Not because 
I've performed, not because I've kept the law, because none of 
us have, but because God in His grace reached down. God in His 
grace opened the heart. God in His grace gave the gifts 
of faith and repentance, and God in His grace enabled you 
to see Christ as that all-sufficient One, as the One who is altogether 
lovely and chief among ten thousand. Has God given you eyes to see 
the way the bride saw the bridegroom in Song of Solomon? Can you say, 
He is my Lord and He is my God? If you cannot, then may I urge 
you not to end the year, not to end the day, not to end this 
hour without believing on Him. You see, this is most important. You know, a preacher's perplexity, 
at least for me, to figure out what to preach when I'm not in 
Matthew. I like books. I like to be in the discipline 
of going through books. Usually at this time of the year, 
we take a few Sundays off. What's a New Year's sermon? What's 
something everybody ought to hear? They ought to hear about 
Thomas' Lord and Thomas' God. They ought to hear about how 
we can call Him my Lord and my God. You see, we cannot credit 
this statement to Thomas' goodness. We cannot credit this statement 
to Thomas' obedience. We cannot credit this statement 
to Thomas' good works. We can only credit this statement 
to Thomas' good God, who reaches down and who gives the gift of 
faith, so that Thomas can lay hold of Christ and call Him my 
Lord and my God. You see the same thing in the 
life of the Apostle Paul. Here's a man that would destroy, 
or would try to destroy the Church of God. Galatians 1. Galatians 
chapter 1, verse 13. For you have heard of my former 
conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure 
and tried to destroy it. When we get to saved Paul, what 
happened? When we go from Saul of Tarsus 
to the Apostle Paul, what happened? Was it obedience? Was it law? Was it merit? Was it goodness? 
Was it improvement? Was it reformation? It was redemptive 
grace from on high! It was Jesus coming to him on 
the road to Damascus, saying, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It was Jesus reaching down and 
saving this man, so that he goes from Galatians chapter 1, verse 
13 and 14. He says in verse 14, I advanced 
in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, 
being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 
That's why when we get to Galatians 2.20, we have to understand the 
cross. We have to understand grace. 
We have to understand redemption. When that man who was persecuting 
Christians, trying to destroy believers, trying to eradicate 
the world of this sect of the Nazarene says, I have been crucified 
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but 
Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live 
in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me 
and gave himself for me. You may not be the most popular 
girl or guy in your school. You may not be the best worker 
in your place of employment. You may never get a trophy that 
says Husband of the Year. You may never get an award for 
being Wife of the Year. But by the grace of God, if you 
are looking to Jesus Christ in faith, He owns you and you own 
Him. That's everything. That's it. That's most important. That's what you need to enter 
2013 with. That's what you need to enter 
into the rest of this day with. Can you say, my Lord, my God? This is, in the language of John 
Owen, a gracious discovery of Christ. In another place, Owen 
says, it's a lofty confession of faith. How does the Lord respond? What 
does Jesus say? Does Jesus sound like Paul and 
Barnabas? Oh no, don't worship us, we're 
mortal men just like you. Does Jesus respond the way the 
angel does when John the seer in Revelation bows down to him? Oh no, don't do that. What does Jesus do when this 
man, Thomas, says, my Lord and my God? He receives it. He doesn't try and correct him. 
He doesn't say, oh no, you misunderstand. You don't get it. You're not 
trafficking. You're not thinking properly. 
No, Jesus responds in the affirmative. He receives what Thomas says. Jesus said to him, verse 29, 
Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. You have believed that I'm Lord. 
You have believed that I'm God. You have believed that I've risen. 
You have believed that I've died. You have believed that I've lived. 
You have believed everything that the Scriptures testify concerning 
the Lord Jesus. He doesn't rebuff this. He doesn't 
say he's wrong. He doesn't say Jehovah's Witnesses 
are right. He says that I am indeed, Thomas, 
your Lord and your God. It's beautiful. And then, as 
we conclude the Lord's appearance to the disciples with Thomas, 
we note Jesus' last beatitude in His earthly ministry. There's several beatitudes in 
the book of Revelation, but this is the last well-wish, the last 
good word, the last pronouncement of blessing that we have from 
our Lord Jesus prior to his ascension on high. The end of verse 29 
he says, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. He affirms Thomas. He affirms 
Thomas' declaration. He affirms what has transpired 
between them and then he pronounces this benediction upon those who 
have not seen and yet have believed. Now I don't think Jesus is saying 
the people who have not seen their faith is better There's 
a transition. Certainly the faith of the disciples, 
these early apostles, was not inferior. They had seen Jesus. By God's grace, they had believed 
in Jesus. Jesus isn't saying our faith 
is better than Thomas's. But what he is saying, what he 
is stipulating, is that upon his ascension and his place of 
exaltation at the right hand of the Father, as the Word is 
preached, as the Word is proclaimed, as the Word goes forth, blessed 
are those who believe it. He alludes to this in his high 
priestly prayer in John chapter 17. John 17 verse 20, I do not 
pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in 
me through their word. Note the trajectory. Don't miss 
this. Don't be like the block of wood 
you're sitting on this morning. Blessed are those who have not 
seen and yet have believed. And then we come to John's concluding 
statement, I want you to believe! I want you to listen! I want you to trust. I want you 
to give your heart to this Jesus. I want you to listen to everything 
I've written from John 1-1 all the way through. I want you to 
know that this Jesus is Lord and God. That this Jesus died. That this Jesus was buried. That 
this Jesus rose again. And that this Jesus now lives 
forever at the right hand of His Father. John is making a 
final appeal, a final plea. He wants you to get this. He 
doesn't want you to die in your sins. He doesn't want you to 
go to hell. He doesn't want the wrath of 
God to be upon you. John is being an earnest evangelist. There's a lot of question with 
the gospel. What is its purpose? Is it to fortify the church or 
to evangelize the lost? It's both. It's both because 
it sets forth the supremacy of Jesus Christ. What can fortify 
the church more than that? What evangelizes the lost more 
than that? But the supremacy and the glory 
and the majesty and the excellency and the beauty of Jesus Christ 
the Lord. If you are here this morning, 
listen. If you are here this morning, 
pay attention. If you are here this morning 
and you have not come to Christ, come. The Spirit and the Bride 
say, come, believe on Him who alone can save you from your 
sins. If you don't have Jesus as my 
Lord and my God, you have nothing. This is most disconcerting in 
our own generation. People make lots of money. I 
mean, guys that we called geeks in high school now own, you know, 
computer empires. They got more money than they 
could ever use in a world's lifetimes. They're empty. They've got nothing. 
They don't know this peace that Jesus conveys, this blood-bought 
peace that Jesus alone provides. They don't know what it is to 
have a Lord and a God who saves them from their sins. You may 
have everything in terms of this world's goods. You may have everything 
in terms of this world's prestige. You may have everything in terms 
of this world's attention. But without Christ, you've got 
nothing. But what's John's point? With Christ, you've got everything. 
It's all yours. What could be better? What's 
more excellent? What's more joyous? What's more 
profound? What's more sublime? What's more 
powerful than being able to say to the creator of worlds, seen 
and unseen, the one who governs and upholds all things by the 
word of his power, the one who came and died, what is better 
than to be able to say, my Lord, my God? It's nothing. It's nothing. That's what makes 
a New Year happy. We look at the final broad category, 
the purpose of the fourth gospel. We've already alluded to it. 
John is summarizing. John is summing up. Truly Jesus 
did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not 
written in this book. Elsewhere, verse 25 in chapter 
21, and there are also many other things that Jesus did, which 
if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world 
itself could not contain the books that would be written. He is the altogether lovely. He is the chief among ten thousand. Grace and truth fall from his 
lips. John said if there was a stenographer 
following him, if there was somebody with a keyboard right on his 
heels, the world itself could not contain the amount of books 
that would be written concerning his glory. concerning his majesty, 
concerning his excellence, concerning the power and the import of his 
glorious gospel. Same as what he says here in 
verse 30. Truly, Jesus did many other signs 
in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this 
book, but these are written. John is one of those good authors 
that I really appreciate. If you're not the sharpest tool 
in the shed, sometimes it's hard to find an author's purpose. 
I hate to even admit that. You know, you read a paper, you 
read a book, you read something. I like to find that thesis statement. 
I like to find the purpose. It helps me then to track. It 
helps me then to follow. It helps me then to go, oh, okay, 
this is what he wants me to get. Some of us are that thick-headed. 
We need somebody to say, this is what you're supposed to get. 
John does that for us simple-minded folk. John says, verse 31, but 
these 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. Everything from John 1 up until 
this lofty confession of faith and our Lord's beatitude are 
written with this purpose, so that you won't reject, so that 
you won't despise, so that you won't rebel, so that you won't 
just say, who cares, what does it matter, I'm going to go do 
whatever it is I want to do. No, John says, I want you to 
believe. I want you to come to Christ. I want you to come to 
the one alone who can save you from your sins. I want you to 
know the Lord. I want you to know God. I want 
you to understand what Christ is all about. Don't reject this. Don't despise this. Don't neglect 
this. But rather, embrace it. Believe 
it. Trust. John has displayed Jesus 
as Christ and Son of God throughout the pages of his Gospel. D.A. Carson comments on verse 31. 
He says, John's purpose is not academic. He writes in order 
that men and women may believe certain propositional truth. The truth that the Christ, the 
Son of God is Jesus. The Jesus whose portrait is drawn 
in this gospel. It is directed toward the goal 
of personal salvation. That by believing you may have 
life in his name. That is still the purpose of 
this book today and at the heart of the Christian mission. That's 
it. It's everything. You may have 
come here this morning thinking you're a believer and in the 
course of the time realized I'm not because I can't call Jesus 
my Lord and my God. What's the answer? Belief. You 
may come here this morning because it's what you do every Sunday. 
Dad says, jump in the van, let's drive. I'm not picking on only 
van owners. Jump in the vehicle and let's 
go to church, because that's what people do. Believe. You may be in some certain sticky, 
sinful situation right now that you cannot possibly perceive 
there's any way out of. Believe. That's the answer to 
every people group, believe. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God, and that believing in His name, you will have eternal 
life. We learn a few lessons, then 
we'll close. First, the deity of Jesus Christ, 
the Godhood of Jesus Christ. Calvin says, and indeed, he who, 
after having received these striking proofs, which are to be found 
in the gospel, does not perceive Christ to be God, does not deserve 
to look even at the sun and the earth, for he is blind amidst 
the brightness of noonday. Say what you will about the gospel 
accounts. Say what you will specifically 
about John's gospel. This much is clear He wants you 
to know that Jesus is God. Secondly, we learn in this passage, 
and again we touched on this, but I want to bring it home a 
little. We learn the compassion of Jesus 
Christ. And here my purpose is a bit 
different than John's purpose in verse 31. I am speaking now 
to those who, by the grace of God, have believed that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Those who are currently 
possessors of everlasting life. In other words, I am speaking 
to the church. Jesus dealt very compassionately 
with Thomas. In fact, let me just read an 
extended quote from J.C. Ryle. He says, it is impossible 
to imagine anything more patient and compassionate than our Lord's 
treatment of this weak disciple. Now I'm going to encourage us 
all to be like Jesus. But I'm going to encourage us 
all to be like Jesus with the absolute conviction that we probably 
still won't. So I'm going to encourage us 
all to continue to look to this one who does. who does exemplify 
these traits. It is impossible. I shouldn't 
say you, I should say me. I got big struggles with this 
kind of compassion. You may be the most compassionate 
creature on this side of Jesus, so I can't speak for you. National 
repentance is a bad thing, as St. Louis said. So is churchly 
or ecclesiastical. Let me just read the Ryle quote 
for me. Your pastor needs to hear it. I suspect my fellow 
pastor needs to hear it, though I can't speak entirely for him. 
It is impossible to imagine anything more patient and compassionate 
than our Lord's treatment of this weak disciple. He does not 
reject him or dismiss him or excommunicate him. He comes again 
at the end of a week and apparently for the special benefit of Thomas. 
He's already come to the disciples. He's already made that sort of 
enigmatic statement there when he breathes the Spirit on them. That's a bit of a head-scratcher 
there. What's going on in that previous 
section, 19 to 23? He's already appeared to the 
disciples. I think Ryle's right. This next section is there because 
Thomas is present. And in John's grand purpose, 
he wants us to see something not only of Jesus' lordship and 
godhood, but of his compassion. He comes again at the end of 
a week and apparently for the special benefit of Thomas. He 
deals with him according to his weakness, like a gentle nurse 
dealing with a froward child. Reach here your finger and behold 
my hands. Reach here your hand and thrust 
it into my side. If nothing but the grossest, 
coarsest, most material evidence could satisfy him, even that 
evidence was supplied. Surely this was a love that passes 
knowledge and a patience that passes understanding. He said 
a passage of scripture like this, we need not doubt, was written 
for the special comfort of all true believers. The Holy Spirit 
knew well that the dull and the slow and the stupid and the doubting 
are by far the commonest type of disciples in this evil world. 
The Holy Spirit has taken care to supply abundant evidence that 
Jesus is rich in patience as well as compassion and that he 
bears with the infirmities of all his people. Let us take care 
that we drink into our Lord's spirit and copy his example. 
Let us never set down men in a low place as graceless and 
godless because their faith is feeble and their love is cold. 
Let us remember the case of Thomas and be very compassionate and 
of tender mercy. Our Lord has many weak children 
in His family, many dull pupils in His school, many raw soldiers 
in His army, many lame sheep in His flock. Yet He bears with 
them all and casts none away. Happy is that Christian who has 
learned to deal likewise with his brethren. There are many 
in the church who, like Thomas, are dull and slow. But for all 
that, like Thomas, are real and true believers. Now, you may 
be let down by a lack of compassion in your pastors. I apologize. You may be let down by a lack 
of compassion in parents, or in children, or in friends. You 
will never be let down by a lack of compassion in Christ. Notice 
that Ryle does not excuse Thomas, but rather, Ryle uses Thomas 
as a foil to highlight Jesus. That's what John wants us to 
get. The third lesson that I think 
we learn from this passage, we're coming to a close. Don't roll 
your eyes or roll your hearts and say, huh, how many more lessons 
are there going to be? The foolishness of attempting 
to negotiate with God the foolishness of attempting to negotiate with 
God. In this instance, it's crystal 
clear, isn't it? Unless I see, I will not believe. It's not as clear today. It's 
masked, it's disguised, it's covered, it's hidden. Sometimes 
it's openly promoted by false preachers. Sometimes people say, 
unless I get all of the temporal benefits that those people over 
there have, I'm not going to believe the gospel. Unless I 
get a new car, or a new job, or a happy family, unless I get 
health, wealth, or prosperity, I'm not going to believe. Who do we think we are to negotiate 
the terms with God? Others demand comprehensive understanding. Unless God explains every jot 
and tittle of everything in His Word to me, satisfactorily, I 
will certainly not believe. Have you ever met people like 
that? How did God make the world in six days? Where did Cain get 
his wife? How did Gideon do what he did? 
How did, you know, judges do what they did? All these questions, 
all these answers, all this desire to have everything satisfied. 
I mentioned it before, the great debate between Dr. Greg Bonson 
and Dr. Gordon Stein. At the end of the 
debate, somebody asked the question, Dr. Stein, what would it take 
for you to believe that God exists? Dr. Stein says, one of two things, 
or both preferably, something like that. He said, if the deity 
put in a personal appearance, that would be evidence that I 
would accept. Or, if this lectern, I doubt it was a pulpit, but 
if this lectern was to rise and levitate, and it was obvious 
that there were no strings, there were no machines, there was no 
mechanism that made that lectern rise, he said, that would be 
evidence that I would accept. Dr. Bonson's rebuttal, no you 
wouldn't. You see, Jesus, when he walked 
and lived and moved and had his being in person, did many miracles, 
did many wonders, did many signs, but that did not make men believers. He said, Dr. Stein, you need 
your heart changed, you need to be born again, you need to 
believe the gospel. He says, if that happened, that 
that lectern rose, you would just go back into the drawing 
room and spend an eternity trying to figure out how things like 
that happen in this world. Do not suppose for a moment that 
all the evidence that you demand will necessarily make you a believer. You must be born again. There 
are people like that. If you can't explain everything 
to me absolutely successfully, then I'm not going to believe. 
Oh, really? You're on the negotiating phase 
with God? You think you have the right? 
And then there's the kinds of people that say, well, until 
God fixes this entire world, I'm not going to believe. I need 
comprehensive fixing. How in the world could I believe 
in a God when bad things like these happen all throughout the 
earth? How in the world could I ever believe in a God who would 
allow suffering in children? who would allow men to get brain 
tumors. How could I ever believe? You 
don't know what God is doing. You don't know the mind of the 
infinite. You don't know His plan and His purpose. You do 
know this. He sent His Son to die and to 
rise again. And He has called sinners to 
believe and be saved. Please beware of negotiating 
with God. Unless something happens, I will 
not believe. No, you've heard the Gospel. 
Believe it. That's what you most desperately need. You need what 
John ends with. These 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. It's a promise from the scripture. 
It's a promise from the Spirit. It's a promise from God most 
high. Believe in him and you will have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for the Lord Jesus. 
We thank you that he is Lord, that he is God, that he is Savior, 
he is Redeemer, and that he is so full of compassion and pity 
and mercy and grace. God, how we bless you and how 
we praise you that you have saved us. It's not because of our good, 
it's not because of our strength, it's not because of our wisdom. 
but it's solely and alone because God Most High is good and wise 
and strong and powerful. I pray for any and all who hear 
these words that they would take John's exhortation and believe 
in the Son. And we pray in His most blessed 
name. Amen.