1-24-09PM
the MAN WHO MISSED SUNDAY NIGHT CHURCH
Text: John 20:19-31 “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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Now you know, the man who missed Sunday night church was the Apostle Thomas. He missed seeing the risen Savior for the first time after his resurrection.
I believe that Jesus gathers with the true Baptist church assemblies even today. Jesus said, Matt 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” He is here in spirit along with the angels who desire to behold what’s going on, (I Pet 1:12).
Perhaps the only times He is not in church is when he gets uninvited because a church goes way to the left in liberal doctrine, extreme formalism and modernity. Or when false doctrine keeps Him away. Or when a church has such mechanical programs and machinery in place that it doesn’t need his help.
Jesus said to the church of the Laodiceans in Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” The Laodicean church had boasted that they were in need of nothing. Jesus called them a “lukewarm” church and he would spew them out of his mouth. So in v.20, he is behind a door closed to him, knocking for an invitation to enter for fellowship!
I want us to see what Thomas missed that Sunday night church service.
I. HE MISSED SWEET FELLOWSHIP. ‘The disciples were assembled.” This constitutes a church. In spite of their fear of the Jews this little church had assembled on the first day of the week.
A church gathering offers fellowship, comfort and inspiration.
Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Here fellowship, from the Greek word, means partnership & participation.
Thomas wasn’t there to partner with the others. Members of a local church are partners in the body. The church covenant outlays what our duties are. (Read it)
Thomas was an absentee ambassador of Christ. Being an ambassador means to be a representative. Why wasn’t he there as an appointed representative of Jesus? The Head of the church was present, but there was one absentee rep.
We are not told where Thomas was, but could he have been absent for one the same reasons that some of us are not present when church gathers? Was he despondent? Depressed? Fearful? Or had he lost hope after all he had experienced?
Acts 4.32 describes the church at that time as being of “one heart and one soul.” I wonder, where was Thomas’s heart and soul that night? Isn’t it true that whatever has our heart and soul is something we attend to faithfully? As the marital relationship. Or the parental. It takes maximum time to make them work successfully. Where was Thomas at that time?
If Christ demands too much, tell Him! Want to know what he will say? Matt 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matt 10:38 “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Are we worthy? Do we want to be worthy?
II. THOMAS MISSED SEEING JESUS.
Wow! Jesus came and stood in the midst, v. 19. Jesus came to his church, the one he personally established and taught and commissioned to go into all the world with the gospel. The same church he gave his life for and promised to be always with. The same church to whom he said, “so send I you.” The same church to whom he gave assurances, John 2:19 “... Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Speaking of his body. You would think that Thomas would have done all possible to be with the rest of them when this appearing happened.
Okay, here’s a thought. If Jesus promised to be present with his church, if the church is standing for the truth, and if it is dedicated to the will of God, and if the members show love one for another, then, if we can’t find Jesus when we are at church, blame no one but ourselves. Something is wrong with self.
III. THOMAS MISSED THE BENEDICTION OF PEACE.
“Peace be unto you.” These were there out of fear of the Jews, but when Jesus came to church, he gave them peace. All is changed when Jesus comes to church.
There will always be some kind of loss to our spiritual person when we are absent from the assembly of the saints. It may be great or small, we will never know what it was that we missed if absent. Sadly, absence can speak a very powerful negative message unless the absenteeism was for providential hindrance.
If we are always there, we aren’t going to miss out on anything.
IV. THOMAS MISSED THIS FIRST REVELATION OF JESUS’ RESURRECTED BODY TO THE APOSTLES. “He showed unto them his hands and his side.” V. 20. As is usually the situation, Thomas missed seeing and hearing exactly what he needed to strengthen his faith and to assuage his fear of the Jews. This is often repeated today.
V. THOMAS MISSED THE COMMISSION FOR SERVICE.
“As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” v. 21
But he got a second chance for it in Matt 28.
This momentous event could not be recalled, but it was repeated for the benefit of Thomas eight day following. Thomas came to church 8 days too late to get that FIRST appearing of Christ to the others. What a sight they saw, but Thomas didn’t.
After Acts 1:13, we see nothing more of Thomas in the epistles. Could his absenteeism have had something to do with Thomas not being heard of as were some of the others? Did our Lord put Thomas on the shelf?
VI. THOMAS MISSED THE FAITH BUILD UP HE NEEDED.
Hear how excited the other Apostles were to tell Thomas what they had experienced the night Thomas missed church. “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas was doubtful. He would not believe until he saw it for himself and touched the body of Jesus as proof. Oh, how weak was the faith of Thomas. It really needed an injection of hope and trust. “Except I see... and touch...” Is sight, faith? No, faith, is sight!
John 20:29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
VII. THOMAS MISSED THE BREATHING ON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. V. 22. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” This is a difficult verse, but John Gill has a good explanation of what this probably means. “And saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost; meaning not the grace of the Holy Ghost in regeneration, which they had received already; but the gifts of the Spirit, to qualify them for the work he now sent them to do, and which were not now actually bestowed; but this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost: hence it appears, that it is the Spirit of God, who, by his gifts and grace, makes and qualifies men to be ministers of the Gospel; and our Lord by this action, and these words, gives a very considerable proof of his deity.”
Did Thomas ever catch up on this? I think so, at Pentecost.
But what he got was a second chance on the next Sunday evening church gathering. John 20:27-28 “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
Conc. Thomas missed that first supernatural manifestation of Jesus. Those who miss such a similar great manifestation of the Lord’s presence at church can never quite catch up. So remember, “There am I in the midst of them.”