The Sutton Methodist Circuit is very fortunate to have a number of extremely gifted local preachers those who have been accredited to preach and lead worship although not ordained. And as is Methodist tradition they are regularly scheduled to preach at churches around the Circuit. Nick White is another of Sutton's very experienced local preachers, and as he demonstrates in this sermon one of our most compelling. It was delivered at Cheam Methodist Church on Sunday 27 April 2014, the second Sunday after Easter, and is published here with Nick's kind permission. Seeing is believing, or is it? Readings: 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31; Acts 2:14a,22-32 Last Sunday we celebrated the historical event which is the foundation of our faith: the resurrection of Jesus Christ; His rising from death after His crucifixion. For most of us it has become a given, which we almost take for granted. But can you remember the first time you heard about it? Perhaps it was at Sunday School, or maybe it was in Junior Church. Perhaps it was from a believing parent, or a friend, or a youth leader. Perhaps you heard it said, or you read about it in the Bible first. But however it came to your consciousness, I want to ask you a question. When you first heard what had happened, did you believe it was true? This is not a trick question, nor is there any shame attached to the answer. For I suspect that for many of us, if not all of us, there was at least an element of doubt. Rose from the dead? What really? You mean bodily, as if He was alive again? No, sorry, not as if, so that He WAS alive again. Really? How? How do you know? I suspect like many, at some point you wished you had actually been there to see it. Then you would have had no doubts, for you would have known for sure. Or would you? Because there were some there at the time who still didn t believe it. Sometimes, things just seem to be too good to be true, so good that we can t believe it. We might call it healthy scepticism, natural caution or simply pessimistic doubt. Nevertheless the saying goes: Seeing is believing - seeing it with our own eyes. Perhaps you have missed seeing something unexpected happening at an event. Something so extraordinary it was hard to believe it happened. You are driven to exclaim, like Victor Meldrew: I don't believe it! And so to dispel your doubts you try to find someone who was there. But then you wonder if you can trust them - perhaps they are making it up? But eventually, as the facts begin to take shape and are corroborated, you accept it. Yes, I believe it is as you say - it did happen.
But of course, you don t have to see things to believe they exist Electricity, bank balance, bacteria, wind. Why do you believe an aeroplane flies when it goes fast enough? The challenge of Easter is to decide if what we are told happened is true. Christians are described as believers, because we believe it is true. Those who follow the moral values of our faith, but no more, are not believers. Not believers in the resurrection, just belief that a Christian lifestyle is a good idea. A topic which has been exercising politicians and commentators, as they debate whether the United Kingdom is a Christian country or not. For me at least, a Christian is someone who believes that Christ rose from the dead. So let us explore the challenge of belief, and what it means, from the viewpoint of the world s best known doubter, Thomas. Poor old Thomas missed an event, where something unexpected happened. And so he said, I don t believe it, simply because he hadn't seen it. Even when his friends and fellow disciples told him it was true, he still doubted. Now when we first heard of the events of Easter, we may have had doubts. Doubts about the truth of the resurrection, about Jesus rising bodily form the grave. Perhaps we still do harbour some doubts in our hearts and minds at times. This is nothing to feel guilty about - it is worth reassuring ourselves from time to time. For when we do, our belief grows, as we eliminate all other alternative explanations. In the days following Christ s crucifixion, Thomas went through three stages of faith. First through the witness of friends, and then through a personal experience of Christ. Today we will look at these three stages in the context of our own faith. and ask, Where am I on this journey? Where are my family, friends and neighbours? 1 The "Maybe" Christian The first stage is Thomas between Good Friday and Easter Sunday - the maybe stage. Many people in a nominally Christian country like Britain are "maybe" Christians. If you were to ask them whether they believe in God, they would probably say, "Yes". They may put C of E down as a religion on a form, or Catholic, if not Christian. They may even accept that Christ lived and died pretty much as recorded in the Bible, But if they are asked to say whether He rose again bodily, they will say, Maybe. "We can't know for sure, but I believe in God, and if I am in trouble I pray to Him. I try to lead a good life, to love and help other people, to live like Jesus."
I don't wish in any way to demean this attitude. Christian values are a fine thing. The world would be a much better place if there were more people like that. And that's how Thomas would have reacted in that first weekend after Christ's death. "He was a good man. He did wonderful things. Was He the Son of God? Maybe." When the followers of Jesus gathered in the upper room that Sunday, was Thomas? It seems he thought he didn t need to be there. Like many believers today who say they don t need to attend church to be a Christian. They don t need the encouragement and fellowship of regular worship and prayer. They don t need regular scripture reading, or meeting in groups, to develop their faith. "I'm just fine as I am, they say - I don t need my spiritual batteries charged, thank you. When you belong to a club, you may not go every week. You may miss something special which happens when you aren t there. People can and do maintain a living Christian faith without meeting together for worship. Some can t attend because of work, or imprisonment, or being housebound. Some are persecuted in a foreign land where collective Christian worship is banned. But for those who can, the absence of regular worship and fellowship, runs the risk of sliding away from God, and needlessly feeding doubt. We do need a regular spiritual health check, almost like going to the dentist. We need to confess our sins and get right with God like a spiritual cavity filling! How many do we know today who regularly attended Sunday school in their youth, but who no longer feel the need for regular worship and fellowship? Who are just too busy, except perhaps at Christmas and Easter, though they may be even busier then. Thomas was a maybe Christian. He wasn t there. He missed seeing the risen Lord. I'm not saying that regular church attendance earns you a ticket to Heaven. But regular fellowship with Jesus and those who believe in Him sustains our faith, makes our relationship with Him more alive and more second nature. When one meets someone only rarely, even talking to them can be quite difficult, There is no regular basis context within which to build the conversation. That's why daily prayer and scripture reading help bridge the gap between Sundays. We can tell God how we are doing in resisting the temptations we confessed before. although I m not suggesting we make Sunday mornings a kind of Sinwatchers Anonymous. The "maybe" Christian misses so much of what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. They remain stuck in the Doubting Thomas state.
2 The "Probably" Christian (the "Almost Christian") But Thomas moved on when he heard what the disciples said. He trusted them. In the week that followed he became a Probably Christian. But only probably. He had missed Christ's appearance to His other disciples in the upper room. But his friends kept reassuring him: "Jesus is alive, He is risen from the dead. Everything He said has come true. He is the Son of God. Despite the crucifixion, it is still possible to meet Him." There are many folk today like Thomas in that state. Probably Christians. They worship regularly (most weeks). They belong to Christian fellowships. They're close to people who ve met Christ personally. But they re still filled with doubt. Could it really be true, they wonder? I've never actually seen a miracle, after all. Those claims of healing always seem to have other plausible explanations. Perhaps they ve read books and concluded there is insufficient evidence to prove it. Like juries in Scotland, when the accused is probably guilty, but the evidence is insufficient, they return a verdict of "Not proven". They worship Jesus as a great man, a hero, a prophet, a role model. But not as a personal Saviour and friend, because they lack proof beyond doubt. Do you know people like that? Church attenders who say they believe in Jesus, but who retain doubts about the reality of His resurrection from the grave. People who pray earnestly when in need, just in case it works, but who lack the confidence to spread the good news to others, because they are not sufficiently sure of it themselves. I don t wish to demean this position either. I ve been in that state at times. But the "probably" Christians are missing so much too. Have you ever attended a club or society or regular activity, but not "joined"? I've done this. After a while you are granted some sort of "special visitor" status, which gives you a degree of acceptance, and some sense of belonging. The Methodist church has a word for it - adherents - people on the community roll. They are only temporarily attached, like a post-it note. Not really belonging. Then, you are like a standby passenger in the airport with no guarantee of a seat, One will probably be available for you, so you wait in hope. You may be all right. People sell themselves short of Christ s gift if they limit themselves to probably. In John Wesley s Sermon Number 2, entitled the "Almost Christian", he uses as a text Acts 26:28: "You almost persuade me to be a Christian". He
describes this Almost Christian, my "probably Christian, as a person who is honest, truthful, charitable, outwardly religious, temperate, devout, church going, sincere. But, here s the crunch, someone who doesn t really know Jesus as a friend and Saviour 3 The "Definitely" Christian - Believing is seeing And then, after the second appearance, Thomas becomes the definitely" Christian. He was there, because of what he had heard about the previous occasion. Just in case it happened again, he didn't want to miss it this time. Why? What did the disciples say that convinced Thomas to be there the next time? "We had a nice service last week Thomas, good sermon, sung some great hymns, had a great time of fellowship, and the coffee and biscuits were really great!". Would that have convinced Thomas to come? Maybe? Probably? Not definitely. But they said much more. Wouldn't you have said more, if you had been them? "Jesus was there. We met with the risen Christ. We spoke to Him. He spoke to us. He is alive. Come, and you can meet Him too!" When we invite others to church, I wonder what we say to them? Do we say: "Do come and join us, it's a lovely fellowship, nice people, warm and welcoming, we sing some lovely songs, there are lots of other activities that we can offer. It only lasts an hour, and we've got a nice local preacher coming next week". Or do we say, "You must come because last week I met Jesus there. I spoke to Him. He spoke to me. He is alive. Come, and you can meet Him too!" When they said that to Thomas, wild horses wouldn't have kept him away. Something was going to happen. He was going to be there to meet the risen Lord. Many folk today attend church each week confident that nothing is going to happen. At least not to them where they are. But don t be too sure - Jesus is a God of surprises. Thomas did meet the risen Lord that second Sunday. He saw and he believed. He moved from "probably" to "definitely". He declared: "My Lord and my God". He had all the evidence he needed. He knew Jesus had risen from the dead, He knew he was saved from his sins. He knew he had the promise of eternal life. You may say, that's OK for Thomas, he saw Jesus. How can we offer that to others today? We can t see Jesus - but we can see the effect He has. We can experience Him. We don t have to see Him to believe in Him. We believe in lots of things we can t see. Perhaps you know friends who are reliable, and
don't let you down. If they promise something, and they say: You have my word for it, you trust them. So it is with Jesus. He promises us eternal life, saved from the consequences of our sins. We can believe in those promises because we have God s word for it. We have the Bible. But how do we know it s all definitely true? How can we be as sure as Thomas was? I find it harder to believe that the world in which we live is a chance occurrence, than to believe it is the wonderful work of a unique all powerful Creator God. Paradoxically, not only is seeing believing, but believing is seeing. When you believe in Jesus, you see things more clearly - life makes more sense. When I die, I want to go to a place where there is no sin, but I know that if I go there as I am, there will be sin there because of me. I therefore need a Saviour to remove my sin so I can go there, and not spoil it for everyone. That feeling inside which makes us uncomfortable when we do something wrong, Is a reminder of the sins we commit, and of the Saviour who can get rid of them for us. One final point. Would we all be sitting here today, hearing the Word of God, worshipping Him, praying to Him, singing to Him, if He had not risen from death? Would this service be happening today, without the resurrection? Our presence here in this service is a witness that Jesus is risen, and is alive. No other religious leader claimed to be the Son of God. No other religious leader demonstrated victory over death. No other religious leader offers free forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Peter said to the crowd after the resurrection: "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact." Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe." That s us. We need not be Maybe Christians. We need not even be Probably Christians. We need not be doubting Thomases. We can be Definitely Christians. Seeing may be believing, but believing is seeing the Risen Lord. Why don't we meet Him today, like Thomas, and proclaim: "My Lord and My God! And why don t we tell more people we have met Him, and they can meet Him too? Amen.