36 min
Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen, and Yet Have Believed Lake Merced Church of Christ
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- Kristendom
On Easter Sunday, Michael Rankins gave us a lesson on faith in the post-resurrection world, “Blessed are Those Who Have NOT Seen and Yet Have Believed.”
Part of the lesson was taken from John 20:24-31. In this scripture, Thomas tells the disciples that unless he sees the nail marks in Jesus’ hands, he will not believe. Thomas gets a bad rap for this, but was he being unreasonable? Would YOU believe it without proof? Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubts; he wanted Thomas to have what he needed to believe. In John 20:29, Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This reminds us of II Corin. 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.”
In Colossians 2:11-13, we’re told “When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ.” Today, we celebrate Jesus’ rising and we are raised along with him by the same power. Further in Colossians 3:1-4, we are encouraged to “... set your hearts [and] minds on things above, not on earthly things…When Christ appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
What do we do instead of those earthly things? Look to Colossians 3:12-17. We are compassionate, kind, gentle and patient. We bear with one another and forgive them. We don’t keep lists of wrongs against us. We have peaceful hearts and don’t react in anger. And we do all this with gratitude.
Finally, we remember that faith without deeds cannot save us. James 2;14-17 tells us that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” The truth is, even demons believe. They have faith, but they won’t act on it.
The resurrection of Jesus the Christ is the single most important event in world history.
Michael’s challenge to us: If you believe that Jesus is risen, and you have been raised with him, go out and live life in him!
On Easter Sunday, Michael Rankins gave us a lesson on faith in the post-resurrection world, “Blessed are Those Who Have NOT Seen and Yet Have Believed.”
Part of the lesson was taken from John 20:24-31. In this scripture, Thomas tells the disciples that unless he sees the nail marks in Jesus’ hands, he will not believe. Thomas gets a bad rap for this, but was he being unreasonable? Would YOU believe it without proof? Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubts; he wanted Thomas to have what he needed to believe. In John 20:29, Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This reminds us of II Corin. 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.”
In Colossians 2:11-13, we’re told “When you were dead in your sins… God made you alive with Christ.” Today, we celebrate Jesus’ rising and we are raised along with him by the same power. Further in Colossians 3:1-4, we are encouraged to “... set your hearts [and] minds on things above, not on earthly things…When Christ appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
What do we do instead of those earthly things? Look to Colossians 3:12-17. We are compassionate, kind, gentle and patient. We bear with one another and forgive them. We don’t keep lists of wrongs against us. We have peaceful hearts and don’t react in anger. And we do all this with gratitude.
Finally, we remember that faith without deeds cannot save us. James 2;14-17 tells us that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” The truth is, even demons believe. They have faith, but they won’t act on it.
The resurrection of Jesus the Christ is the single most important event in world history.
Michael’s challenge to us: If you believe that Jesus is risen, and you have been raised with him, go out and live life in him!
36 min