MinistryHealth
Sermon Starters

Support and Resources For Pastors and
Christian Ministry Professionals
Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor

The Second Sunday After Easter
Series C

(Rev. Kelly Bedard is on vacation).

From Rev. Wayne Dobratz

THE PEACE THAT ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE
JOHN 20:19-31

I. When you're behind locked doors
A. The closed doors speak of fear, text. V. 19, also John 7:13
            B. The closed doors speak of separation-Gen. 3:10-11

II. When you're doubting and disturbed
A. Jesus gives Thomas the evidence he requested, v. 27
B. He gives His Holy Spirit to create faith-John 14:16, 26; John 15:26.

III. When you're looking for truth

A. Jesus says there's enough truth to believe without seeing-v. 29

B. He pronounces those "blessed" who have not seen and yet have believed.
"Blessed" is "the religious joy people experience from being certain of salvation and thus of membership in the kingdom of God." (Holman Bible
Dictionary)

C. Jesus did so much to earn our trust that they couldn't even write it all down, v. 30 Cf. John 21:25

D. You need not have all the answers-just the most important one-that Jesus is the Son of God and that you have life by believing on His name.
Richard Lenski writes:"John's readers are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 'Jesus' is the historical person who moves through
John's sacred pages. 'The Christ' designates the office of Jesus into which the anointing of the Holy Spirit inducted Him. He is 'The Savior of the
world', as the Samaritans said in 4:42. In 'Jesus' we have the full humanity of the Messiah; in 'the Son of God' we have his deity, the two joined in the
personal union of the incarnation John wrote about in 1:14. John's purpose is that 'by believing you may have life in his name.' Faith and only faith
has life. This life is 'in his name.' 'Name' is the revelation which brings Jesus to us as the Christ, the Son of God, so that we may know him and
embrace him by faith. The 'name' is the one and only means. The entire Gospel is nothing other than 'His Name.'" (Commentary on the Gospel of John, p. 1397 passism)

Ministry Health Sermon Starters
Copyright 2001 All Rights Reserved
Ministry Health, LLC
http://ministryhealth.net

Go to Main Page