Messages

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Love Doesn’t Keep ScoreBy Dr. Rick Mandl, October 1, 2020 at Eagle Rock Baptist ChurchRecorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. One of the best definitions of love that you can find is the one given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 and verses 4 through 8. There Paul writes, “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Within that description, the phrase I want to zero in on today is that one in verse 5, where it says, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” That phrase begs the question for us as Christians, as to how we deal with the hurts we suffer, without “keeping a record of wrongs?”
 
I was recently reminded of the analogy of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown and encouraging him to run up and kick it. That particular comic seems to be a classic, that shows up every football season. Charlie Brown practicing his place kicking, and Lucy holding the football. And if you’re familiar with the comic strip, you know how it goes . . . Every time Lucy held the ball for Charlie Brown the same thing would happen. Charlie Brown would approach the ball, and with all his might was ready to kick the ball to the end of the field. But at the exact moment, the point of no return, Lucy would pick up the ball. Charlie would kick with all his might, and his unchecked momentum would cause him to fall flat on his back. As I said, it was a classic, so you’d see the scenario repeated year after year.
 
One strip opened with Lucy holding the ball, but Charlie Brown refusing to kick it. Lucy begged. But Charlie Brown was adamant in his refusal. Charlie Brown said, “Every time I try to kick the ball you move it and I fall on my back.” The next few frames had them going back and forth for the longest time. Finally Lucy broke down in tears and confessed, “Charlie Brown I have been so terrible to you over the years, picking up the football like I have. I have played so many cruel tricks on you, but I’ve seen the error of my ways! I’ve seen the hurt look in your eyes, when I’ve deceived you. I’ve been wrong, so wrong. Won’t you give a poor penitent girl another chance?” And as you’d expect, Charlie Brown was touched by her apparent sincerity, and moved by her display of sorrow. “Of course,” said Charlie Brown, “I’ll give you another chance.” So Charlie Brown steps back. Lucy holds the ball. And Charlie Brown ran, ready to kick with all his might. Once again, at the last possible moment, Lucy picked up the ball and Charlie Brown fell flat on his back.
 
In the final frame the Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz, has Lucy saying, “Recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things, Charlie Brown!” In that scenario, that I described, “Everybody in the world knows that Lucy is going to move the football away at the last second. . . Everybody, that is, except for one person — Charlie Brown. He forgives Lucy every time. He continues to believe in her. And as a result he continues to place himself in a position to be hurt.” So what is Charlie Brown and the rest of us to do? How do we deal with the reality of others’ hurtful actions and yet practice 1 Corinthians 13:5, of love not keeping score?
 
Let me suggest three things. (1) Love doesn’t minimize the seriousness of sin. It’s not saying, “Oh, it was no big deal. It really didn’t hurt. Forget it.” On the contrary, sin hurts. When we are wounded by the wrong doings of others, it is disingenuous to say, “no problem.” Sin should be admitted. Corrected. And repented of. Love doesn’t overlook, whitewash, or diminish others trespasses against us. (2) Love isn’t resuming a relationship without changes. Forgiveness is not the same as restoring a relationship. Forgiveness ought to be instant. But trust – – – Trust is something that needs to be built over a long period of time. Forgiveness is a salve to begin healing, but it doesn’t remove the scars. Nor does it demand that we continue to allow ourselves to be hurt again and again.
 
For instance, a treasurer who embezzles money from the church treasury, could genuinely repent of sin, ask forgiveness and be restored to fellowship. However, that church would find another Treasurer. (3) Love isn’t forgetting what happened. We’ve all heard the cliche’ “forgive and forget.” That’s the “dumb thing Christians say” that we’ll be looking at this weekend. But to forgive and forget isn’t really possible. Did you ever try to forget something? When you are trying to forget it, what are you focusing on? You’re focusing on the very thing you’re trying to forget!
 
This weekend we’ll see that we are commanded to forgive. But we’re not commanded to forget. Forgiveness is a non-negotiable. Trust has to be earned. In some cases a restoration of the relationship is possible In other’s it’s not. Charlie Brown can apply 1 Corinthians 13:5 without becoming bitter.. Without holding a grudge… And without seeking to even the score. But he doesn’t have to allow Lucy to hold the football next year. That’s not keeping a record of wrongs, that’s recognizing someone you can’t trust. Praying that we would have the wisdom and grace to know the difference. Amen.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel Blanchard reflects on Jesus’ words from John 10:27-28 and reminds us that while it’s important to tell the people closest to us that we love them, there is something else we can tell them them that is even more important.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Continuing his journey through the book of Philippians, Pastor Andrew looks at Philippians 3:1-2 and reminds us how we, like Paul’s readers, can make the choice to rejoice, even in the face of adversity.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Karen Crum reflects on Hebrews 10:23-25 and reminds us that our hope in Christ provides an anchor for us amidst the challenges of life. Even when we’re faithless, God remains faithful, and will work in and through us to fulfill the promises he has made. Karen shares practical steps we can take to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us who are hurting.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Jesus Never Said It Would Be EasyDevotional by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, September 29, 2020Recordedin Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family, this week I came across an African proverb that says, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” Have you ever thought of life in that way? Given the choice, I believe that all of us would want our lives, our work, our relationships with one another, and our finances to be smooth sailing all the time, but life just doesn’t work that way. There will be good times, but there will also be times that are difficult and challenging. Like the times we’re going through right now.
 
Jesus never said that this life would be easy. In fact what he actually said was the exact opposite. In John 16 and verse 33. Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble.” But thankfully, He didn’t stop there. He went on and said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” I want to share with you a truth from God’s Word, that you may not want to hear, and it’s simply this… There are some things that God cannot accomplish in our lives apart from suffering. Just to make sure you get that, I’ll say it again… There are some things that God cannot accomplish in our lives apart from suffering.
 
Do you remember the story of the Paul’s conversion in the book of Acts? Paul had been a persecutor of Christians, an enemy of the church, and then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and Paul becomes a Christian. And then shortly after that Jesus appeared to another disciple named Ananias and said to him these words, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. Now don’t miss this next part… “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Paul was being informed in advance, that he was going to have to suffer. And this was not because God was out to get Paul. It was rather because Paul’s accomplishments and his suffering couldn’t be separated. His sufferings shaped his ministry in incredible ways. And what was true for Paul, will be true for you and me as well. You and I are going to suffer.
 
Why is it important for us to understand this? It’s important because many of us would like to do the kinds of things that Paul did without having to go through the kinds of things that Paul did. But the reality is… we can’t. If you and I want to be used greatly by God we need to realize God has a blessing in store for those who persevere in the face of suffering. James 1:12 gives us this promise… “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
 
In this world we will have trouble. That is a certainty. The choice that God gives us, is whether we want to try and tackle that trouble on our own. Or walk with Him through it. If we do that, he gives us the promise that just as He has overcome the world, we can be overcomers as well. Amen.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
 

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Helen Goodridge reflects on Proverbs 3:5-6 and shares a lesson learned on a road-trip as a reminder of the importance of trusting our navigator as we travel the roads of life.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Trust The EngineerDevotional by Dr. Rick Mandl, Monday, September 28, 2020.Recorded at Eagle Rock Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. Earlier this month we passed a date that marked two anniversaries. Not the kind of anniversaries you celebrate, but rather the kind of anniversaries you wish you could  forget. September 11th was the 19th anniversary of that horrible day in 2001 when four jet-liners were hijacked and turned into missiles pointed at American targets. Two months after that terrible morning, then President George W. Bush said, “Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.”
 
September 11th marked another anniversary. And that is that it was 6 months from the day that the World Health Organization officially declared COVID 19 to be a pandemic. On March 11, the date of that declaration, there were over 118,000 cases of coronavirus around the world. Six months later, that number stands at more than 28 million, with global deaths exceeding 960,000.
 
At times like this it is good to remember the promises of God. Psalm 34:18 tells us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” We need to remind ourselves that His word assures us that, “Yet what we suffer now…[Although it’s real, and although it’s painful…] is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later” (Romans 8:18 NLT). We need to remember that His Word tells us that, “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). And if you feel like, you know that that is true, but it still seems a long way off… In the meantime… God invites us “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
 
Thinking about what we’re going through right now, reminded me of the words of Corrie Ten Boom who said, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” If Corrie Ten Boom, a person who survived the horrors of the Holocaust, including watching her own sister die in a concentration camp, could trust the Engineer… Well my prayer is that you and I can as well. Amen.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Raquel looks at the parable of the sower and the soils from Luke 8:5-13 and encourages us to examine it in order to see which kind of soil our heart most closely resembles.

A message from the series “Dumb Things Christians Say.” Sermon Manuscript: Dumb Things Christians Say Message 2- God Won’t Give You More Than You Can HandleSermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, September 26 & 27, 2020.Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. Great to be joining with you, wherever you are and however you may be watching. Today we’re going to continue in our series, “Dumb things Christians Say,” by examining the oft repeated message, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” This week in our life groups we’re going to spend some time looking at 1 Corinthians 10, which is where I believe the germ of this idea came from. However, for today, we’re going to look at the clear evidence of scripture as to why this statement… “God will never give you more than you can handle” is 100% false.
 
Before we delve into that, I want to take a couple of minutes to explain why any of this even matters. I mean, what’s the big deal if we happen to say these things that aren’t quite true, especially if our intentions are good? Let me give you three quick reasons:

Truth matters. Truth is a characteristic of God. Last week we looked at John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” If Jesus is “The Truth,”… And we are His followers, we need to be careful to speak truth. Paul is very clear on this in his letter to the Ephesians. “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Truth matters.

God holds us accountable for the things we say. One of the most sobering verses in the Bible is Matthew 12:36, “You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken.” When we do not consider whether or not the words we speak are true, and Biblical, those are careless words and we will give an account for them.

We do each other a disservice when we make this type of statement. What do I mean? Well, imagine that you’ve just lost your job… And then found out that your mother has cancer… And then your spouse announces that they want a divorce. It would be perfectly natural in that situation to find it difficult to get out of bed each day and put one foot in front of the other. In fact, any one of those situations might cause us to feel overwhelmed. Now imagine, as you are barely able to hold it together, that I say to you, “Don’t worry, God will never give you more than you can handle.” Right after you throw something at me, you might take a look at yourself and say, “If God won’t give me more than I can handle, then what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I handle this? Why am I struggling? Maybe I don’t have enough faith. Maybe I’m not a good enough Christian.” After a little more reflection you might think… “If God thinks I can handle this, I must have given Him the wrong impression. Maybe if I stop going to church… Drop out of my life group… Leave my Bible in the trunk of my car, and give up on praying, God will see me for the spiritual slouch that I am, realize I can’t handle difficulties, and only send good things my way.” Either way, this statement is unlikely to impart hope. It is more likely to lead to despair or a crisis of faith.

           
It’s important for us to speak truth to one another. It’s vital that we filter our words through scripture. It’s not enough that something has a kernel of truth or that it is a generally accepted saying, it must square up with what the Bible teaches. And the Bible clearly teaches this truth: God often, and purposefully, gives us more than we can handle.
 
One very clear illustration of this is found in the book of Judges. Beginning in chapter 6 we are introduced to Gideon. Judges is a sad book in many ways. It describes a cycle in the life of the people of Israel. The Israelites would follow God for a while, and then they would take their eyes off of Him, and look at the people around them and think to themselves… “They’ve got it better than we do, let’s follow their gods.” And so they would. Idol worship would creep in and the people who were to have “no other gods,” suddenly had plenty. But the one true God, does not let go of His people. So He would send a foreign power to oppress Israel. After some time in this oppression, the people of God would cry out to Him – “Help us!” And God would send a deliverer or judge to overthrow the oppressors. The Israelites would then follow after God for a while, and then they would take their eyes off of Him and look around and think… Things look good over there, let’s follow their God… And the whole thing would happen again, and again, and again. So in Judges chapter 6, we find that the Israelites had been suffering at the hands of the Midianites for 7 years. The Midianites had an ingenious plan. They would wait until the crops of the Israelites were ready to be harvested and then they would swoop in and destroy the crops and the livestock. In effect, they were starving the people. Judges Chapter 6 verse 6 states, “So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the Lord.” And God heard them, and answered them by setting a plan in motion that would clearly indicate that they were in a situation that they could not handle or at least, they could not handle without Him.
             
For 7 years Israel had lived in fear of the Midianites. And then one day, God appeared to a man named Gideon, who was in hiding, trying to thresh out a bit of grain for himself before the Midianites destroyed the little bit of wheat he had. As Gideon was there beating the wheat on the ground, to separate out the chaff. He is greeted with these words, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior!” And I’m sure Gideon upon hearing that, must have thought – “Boy, did you get the wrong guy, do I look like a valiant warrior to you? But God assured Gideon that He would be with him, and that Gideon would in fact, deliver the people. The next part of the story demonstrates how patient God is with us.
 
Take a look at this short video to see what happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U68cIMZSgvQ God reassured Gideon through the wet and dry fleece, and now Gideon is ready to gather his army. The Bible tells us that the Midianites were “like locusts.” Scholars estimate that they had around 150,000 men. When Gideon gathered his army, he gathered 32,000 men – this means that  they were outnumbered about 5 to 1. And God said to Gideon – You’re outunumbered, 5 to 1, your army is too big. He told Gideon to tell his men, “If you are afraid, go home…” And 22,000 men took Gideon up on his invitation. They figured they were afraid, so they went home. Gideon was left with 10,000 men – they were now outnumbered about 15 to 1. And God said to Gideon – Your army is still too big! So God instructed Gideon to take his men down to a stream and tell them to take a drink. Depending on how they drank God told Gideon who to keep, and who to let go. Gideon was left with 300 men… Now they were outnumbered about 500 to 1. And God said to Gideon – Your army is just right.
 
Now you might be wondering, “Why did God reduce Gideon’s army so drastically?” Well, wonder no more – God told us His reason: In Judges 7:2 the Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” In other words God said, “Gideon, I want you and the people of Israel to know, that you are in a situation that you absolutely cannot handle. I want all of you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are in over your heads.”
 
Yet, even in the midst of this, we see God’s graciousness to Gideon. God says, “Gideon, If you are still afraid, take your servant down into the Midianite camp and listen to what they’re saying.” So Gideon and his servant crept down to the camp, and they listened outside of one of the tents. They got there just in time to hear one soldier tell another, “I just had the weirdest dream. A loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into camp, upended the tent and squashed it flat. And without missing a beat the other man replied… “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon – God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”
 
Well sure, obviously that’s what it meant – who wouldn’t have thought that. More than likely I wouldn’t have, and neither would you. But God gave those soldiers not just that weird dream, but the interpretation as well. And upon hearing that, Gideon’s faith was strengthened. He worshiped God and encouraged his men. Then God revealed His battle plan: God told Gideon, here’s the deal… I want you to Divide your men into 3 groups of 100. Give them Trumpets, clay pots, and torches as their weapons. Have them go up on three sides of the Midianite camp. Tell them that at your signal, they are to break their pots, blow their trumpets, wave their torches, and shout out loud, “For the Lord and for Gideon.” And that’s exactly what Gideon’s army did. And the Midianite soldiers reacted by drawing their swords, swinging them around wildly, and killing each other, and then running away. And Gideon and the Israelites knew that it was God, not them, who had won that battle. This is just one of many examples I could give you from the Bible that clearly demonstrate the truth that
             
God often, and purposefully, gives us more than we can handle. But there are also three corollary truths that I want to share with you. I hope they encourage you, and I hope you can use them to encourage others. The first is
 

God will never give you more than HE can handle.

            Listen to these words of Jeremiah: ‘Dear God, my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power—by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can’t do.” The God we worship… The God Gideon served, is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Nothing is too difficult for Him. He is the God who conquered 150,000 with 300 unarmed men. He is the God who shut the mouths of lions, so they didn’t eat His servant Daniel. He is the God who daily sustained His people through 40 years of wandering around in the wilderness. He is the God who made a way for our sins to be forgiven so we could live eternally in a relationship with Him. There is nothing He can’t do, and He will never give you more than HE can handle.

God will be with you in whatever He gives you.

            This was God’s promise to Gideon as He sent him into battle: He said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” This was God’s promise to Moses as He told him to ask Pharoah to release God’s people. “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). This was God’s promise to Joshua when He took over the mantle of leadership from Moses: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). This is God’s promise to us in sending His Son, Jesus, as a permanent reminder of His presence with us: “And they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us'” (Matthew 1:23). Over and over in scripture we see God’s promise that He will be with us in whatever He has for us.
 

God always has a purpose in what He gives you.

            God’s purpose in reducing Gideon’s army was to prevent them from boasting that they had conquered Midian by themselves. He intentionally wanted to make them aware that it was only by His intervention that they escaped the bondage of Midian. God had a similar purpose in the Apostle Paul’s life when He gave him what Paul described as a “thorn in the flesh.” Listen to Paul’s testimony about this from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “…to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul had some amazing spiritual experiences. Things he might have been tempted to boast about. God wanted to keep Paul from that type of pride that would have poisoned his ministry by taking the focus off of Christ and centering it on Paul. So God allowed Paul to go through something that Paul, by his own admission, could not handle. Through this experience, Paul learned that he needed to rely on God’s power, and that it was God’s grace that would see him through. This made him better able to serve the people God intended for him to minister to.
 
In 2 Corinthians 1 Paul gives us another insight into God’s purpose in allowing us to go through difficult things. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). In our difficulties, God gives us comfort. Not just so we can be comforted, but so that we can share that comfort with others.
 
I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago during a conversation I had with my mechanic. It was the two-year anniversary of the tragic accident in which he and his wife lost their 8-year-old son. They had been vacationing as a family in Bishop California. The kids had gone swimming in the same hot spring in which they had swam countless times before. Only this time, while swimming, their 8-year-old picked up an amoeba, which result in him contracting encephalitis. It attacked his brain. It was a situation so rare that there are only about 8 cases like it seen in our country each year. The child was airlifted to children’s hospital. He received the best care that that medicine could offer and yet within a few days he was gone. And the family is left to grieve, with more questions than answers. And yet in the midst of their grief, they’ve made the decision to minister to others. My mechanic has told his friends, “If you hear of other parents, who experience the loss of a child, please give them our phone number… Tell them to call… We’d be glad to talk… We’d be glad to do anything we can to come alongside and minister comfort.”
           
The Bible tells us that we won’t always understand God’s ways, for His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. But it does give us at least one more purpose for which God allows hardship in our lives, and that is to bring us to maturity in our faith. Listen to these words from James chapter 1. “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
 
Friends, when those around us experience suffering, and hardship, and tragedy, when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and civil unrest, and a divisive political campaign, let’s not lie to one another by saying… “Don’t worry, God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Rather, let’s sympathize with one another. Let’s weep with one another. And let’s point each other to these truths. God often gives us things we can’t handle, but He never gives us more than HE can handle. God is with us in whatever He gives us. And God always has a purpose in what He gives us. We will not always understand, but we can trust God, who loved us so much that He gave His only Son on our behalf.
 
Let’s close with this passage from 1 Peter. This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong. Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. “You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-23).
 
Let’s pray together.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

A message from the series “Daily Devotional Videos.” Devotional Manuscript: Believing Is SeeingBy Dr. Rick Mandl, Spetmeber 25, 2020Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Hey church family. Great to be coming to you today through this video devotional. I’m grateful for the technology that allows us to stay connected in this way. At the same time, I’m looking forward to an opportunity for us to see each other face-to-face this Sunday evening. This Sunday, September 27th at 6:00PM we have an opportunity to gather together for outdoor worship in our church parking lot. You don’t need a reservation, just bring yourself, maybe your camping chair and picnic blanket and join us for an evening of worship. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you there. And speak of seeing…
 
This week I was once again reading the story of one of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to his disciples. John chapter 20 tells us, “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But THOMAS replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20-24-25 NLT). There’s an old saying that “Seeing is Believing.” And the disciple Thomas may have been one of the first to subscribe to it.
 
Thomas was a devoted disciple of Jesus. The other disciples had already seen Jesus in His resurrected body, but for reasons we’re not told, Thomas hadn’t been present at the time. That put Thomas in bad company. The only other one among the twelve who hadn’t seen the risen Jesus was Judas Iscariot. When the others told Thomas about Jesus, he was skeptical and wanted to see for himself. Thomas had his doubts and his doubting earned him the name “doubting Thomas,” which has been handed down through the years.
 
Finally, a week after his resurrection, Jesus appeared when Thomas was present, and Jesus invited Thomas to see for himself. He invited him to examine the evidence. And the result was that Thomas believed. As a result of that Jesus said something that wasn’t just meant for Thomas, but for you and me as well. He said, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” Jesus’ rebuke is clear enough. There were others who had not yet seen Jesus, but still believed in his resurrection. And Jesus tells Thomas and he tells you and me that their believing was more blessed than Thomas’s seeing. Why?
 
Because those saints relied on their eyes of faith more than the eyes in their heads. This is why Peter, who was one of Thomas’s fellow eyewitness, would later on write, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9).
 
Faith, as the Bible describes it, is not blind. Unbelief is blind. Faith sees a reality beyond what eyes can see, a reality that God reveals to us which is more important, and is in fact more real, than what we can see with our physical eyes. Thomas had heard Jesus once say, “I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind” (John 9:39). Jesus had come to open the eyes of the heart. Eyesight was never a guarantee that people really “saw” Jesus. Judas Iscariot was the greatest witness to this tragic truth. Like he did for the other ten, Jesus forgave Thomas of his failure of faith and graciously restored him.
 
But because of Thomas’s unbelief, Jesus made him a gracious example for all of us of the truth that contrary to what we like to say, which is “seeing is believing” we need to realize that in God’s economy “believing is seeing.” If we’re having a hard time seeing Jesus, Thomas teaches us not to declare, “Unless I see I will never believe,” But instead… “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Amen.
 
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA