My Lord and My God -- 12/16/07

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007

MY LORD AND MY GOD
John 20:28

Do you remember when Jesus took His apostles aside and asked them, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" They gave him some answers they had heard. Then Jesus asked them more directly: "And what about you? Whom do you say that I am?" And who was it that spoke for the group, as usual? Yes, it was Peter. And what did he say? "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." We often speak of it as Peter’s great confession. It was a great confession, because Peter didn’t think it up on his own, but the Father in heaven revealed it to him.

And where in the scripture to do we find that story? In the gospels, of course, but which gospel? We can find it in Matt. 16, in Mark 8, and in Luke 9. However, we don’t find that story in the Gospel according to John. I want to remind you this morning that there is a great confession to be found in John. It didn’t come from the lips of Peter, but from one of the other apostles. Do you know who it was?

Please allow me to tell you the story again. After Jesus rose from the grave and made some brief appearances, among them His appearance to Mary Magdalene, He then suddenly stood in the midst of the twelve. He said, "Peace be unto you." Then Jesus showed them His hands and His side. We then read, "Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (Jn. 20:20). Well, there weren’t quite twelve present on that occasion. Of course, the betrayer Judas Iscariot wasn’t with them, but there was another absentee as well. And who was that? Yes, it was Thomas. When the others saw Thomas, they said, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas didn’t believe them. "Until I see the nailprints in His hands, and put my fingers into those nailprints, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." That’s why he is sometimes referred to as "Doubting Thomas."

Now let’s pick up the story in John 20:26-28…
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. 27. 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. 28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

This morning I want to keep the words of Thomas before us: "My Lord and my God." Again and again, let us recall those words: "My Lord and my God." This was the great confession of Thomas, but is it not also the confession of every true child of God? Though a person may not use those exact words, is this not the heart attitude of the person who has surrendered to the Lord Jesus and has become a child of the heavenly Father?

Some of you are aware that the Gospel according to John is often called "The Gospel of Belief." Why? Because the word "believe" is used in John just over a hundred times. No wonder it is called "The Gospel of Belief." This morning I would like to explore this theme of "believe" in John’s gospel.

I don’t have to tell you that "believe" (along with the noun form "faith) is a word that has a very wide variety of meanings in our world today. This becomes very important because "believe" is also a word that we Christians use often. And so we should; it is a very biblical word which conveys a biblical concept. Nevertheless, it is easy to find ourselves using the word without understanding what it means. What is New Testament belief? What kind of belief does it take to truly save a person? We certainly don’t want to be wrong, when we come to answer that question. What a tragedy for those who will say in the last day, "I believe," but Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23).
My purpose is not to muddy the waters, but I have to be honest with you. Even in the scriptures, the term "believe" does not always mean the same thing. More specifically, the meaning of this word differs even within the Gospel of John. In order to get a handle on this concept, let’s spend some time looking at it in John.

Let’s begin with John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Your translation may say that He gave them the right to become the sons of God. That is the idea, as the King James "power" here is the idea of "authority." And to whom does this right of sonship belong? To those who receive Jesus.

Many of us grew up with the phrase "accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior." I would encourage you to examine that idea. I don’t use that terminology because I think it conveys false concepts. While it is true that we must be saved as an individual, the idea of "personal Savior" has taken on the connotation of a "private Savior," the "just me and the Lord" syndrome.

But more confusing is the idea of accepting Jesus Christ. If there is any basis for that terminology, it is this verse right here – John 1:12. Certainly the word "receive" carries the idea of "accept." However, this concept of accepting Christ has been reduced and reduced and reduced until "accepting Christ" has little meaning. A. W. Tozer puts it like this…
The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be "received" without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is "saved," but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. ("Following Hard after God" in The Pursuit of God)
The great problem today is that many who "accept Christ" are receiving something other than Jesus Himself. They are receiving a ticket to heaven, better self-esteem, a more fulfilled life (or so they think). I want you to notice that here in John 1:12 "those who receive Him" are defined as "those who believe on His name." So that brings us back to the issue of what it means to believe, for those who receive Him are those who believe in Him.

Don’t quit reading at the end of verse 12, but continue through verse 13, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." The context makes it clear that John is not talking about the physical birth of a baby, but that new birth about which Jesus teaches in chapter 3. Notice in verse 13 that "them that believe on His name" are further identified as those who were born of God. Do you see? Those who truly receive Him are those who believe on His name, and those who believe on His name have been born of God.

That raises some questions. Is it possible to believe on His name and not be born of God? So is it possible for a person today to "accept Christ" and not become a child of God? Rather than trading opinions about the answers to these questions, let’s continue to explore the concept of "believe" in John. And don’t forget the words of Thomas, "My Lord and my God."
2:11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." The miracle John speaks of is the turning of the water into wine at the wedding feast. After seeing this revealing of Jesus’ glory, "his disciples believed on him." What exactly does that mean? After this occurs, we find some glaring weaknesses in Jesus’ disciples, including Peter’s rebuking of Jesus. We wonder how mature this believing is.

Now come to John 2:23, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did." Notice first of all the strong language that is used here: "…many believe in his name." However, we might receive a slight caution from the words which follow, "when they saw the miracles which he did." Were they just looking for some spectacular demonstration of power? It does appear that the reason for this belief was the beholding of the miracles. Is that a basis for the kind of belief that truly saves a person?

Let’s allow John to answer that question, as he gives us Jesus’ response: "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25. And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man" (2:24-25). If we want to give these miracle seekers the benefit of the doubt, we might say that this was the start of real belief. Perhaps some of them would come to the point where they truly put their faith in Jesus Christ as a result of being born of God, but they were definitely not there at this time. They "believed" in Jesus, but He didn’t believe in them. Contrast their "belief" with the confession of Thomas, "My Lord and my God."

But let’s not stop there. Remember that the chapter divisions in the Bible were added simply as a matter of convenience. Praise God, because they are very helpful. But let’s not quit reading just because we come to the end of chapter 2. Though the word "believe" will not be used in the first 8 verses of chapter 3, John introduces the story of Nicodemus in the context of what it means to believe. We have seen some who have some form of belief, but now John is going to allow Jesus Himself to help us understand more of what kind of belief is required in order to enter the kingdom of God. Let’s read John 3:1-8…
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus certainly had some measure of belief. He confessed openly to Jesus that he believed Him to be a teacher from God. He recognized that the miracles Jesus did were by the power of Almighty God. But Jesus did not want Nicodemus to think for a moment that what he had constituted the kind of belief that saves, the kind of faith that secures a place in the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He went on to say, "Truly, truly I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Jesus pressed home the point that a person must have a radical new birth from above in order to enter God’s kingdom. As physical birth is a radical beginning in this physical world, so a birth just that radical is required for a man to enter God’s kingdom.

The water birth He speaks of is not water baptism. Some believe that it is the spiritual washing spoken of in Ezek. 35:25-26… "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Others see being born of water as the physical birth which has already occurred. Which ever way we take it, what is clear is that a supernatural spiritual birth from God is required.

Though Nicodemus has recognized Jesus as a teacher come from God, he cannot believe in a saving sense until he is born from above. He can confess all kinds of things with his lips, but it will not have any real meaning until his spirit is made alive by the Spirit of God. I realize that is strong language, but is this not exactly what Paul teaches in Ephesians 2, when he says, "But you hath he quickened, who were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1)? "Quickened" means to make alive. (I realize that some of your translations won’t have the phrase "and you hath he quickened" in verse 1, but the words are repeated again in Eph. 2:5.) And why does God need to make us alive? Because we were dead in our trespasses and sins. A dead man can do nothing. Someone from outside himself who has power over death must come and give him life. That’s what Jesus was communicating to Nicodemus.

So how do we know that the belief we profess is real, is genuine, is sufficient for salvation? Let’s come back to John 3 and find Jesus’ answer to that question in 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." We can’t see the wind; we don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So how do we know that the wind is real, that we are not just imagining it? We see the trees bending under its force and we hear the rustling in the leaves. In short, we see the evidence, which makes it absolutely clear that the wind is real. Jesus says: "So is everyone that is born of the Spirit." We can’t see the life that enables a person to believe in Christ, but we can see the evidence. Notice that this is true of everyone that is born of the Spirit. If there is no evidence, then there has been no new birth, and regardless of what the lips profess, any claim to true faith is vain. And what about the confession of Thomas, "My Lord and my God"?

Come to chapter 6, where we read of great promises to those who believe. John 6:35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:39-40, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." Take time to compare these two statements of Jesus. On the one hand, He speaks of those whom the Father has given Him (as in John 17:2). On the other hand, He speaks of those who believe on Him. Both are true. This belief comes out of the life the Father puts within.
But now come to John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." What a promise. No "if’s, and’s, or but’s;" the one who believes on Jesus has everlasting life. But again, what kind of belief is this? Surely it has to be more than what we found back in chapter 2, when they believed on Jesus because of the miracles they saw Him do. Again, we have to look at the context. Jesus didn’t stop speaking after what we read in verse 47. He continued in the verses that follow. In verse 48, Jesus begins to explain the kind of belief that is consistent with everlasting life. You can see this most clearly, when you compare verses 26-47 with verses 48-58. The theme of the entire section is eternal life (sometimes designated by just the term "life"). This eternal life is referred to five times in the first section and four in the last. But now consider the term "believe." It is found six times, but only in verses 26-47. In verses 48-58, the word "believe" is not found a single time, yet Jesus has not switched subjects. He is still talking about eternal life. So why nothing more about belief in this latter section? Because He has now substituted another term. What is it? In verses 48-58, the word "eat" is found ten times and the word "drink" four times.
Do you see it? Jesus is defining belief in terms of eating and drinking. But why? Because "believe" can be misunderstood so easily. It was true in that day, and surely it is even more so today, when there is such a drive to get people to say that they believe, to accept Christ, to cash in on Jesus as their ticket to heaven. Let’s listen to the stern language of Jn. 6:48-58…
I am that bread of life. 49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

To believe on Jesus is to eat His flesh and drink His blood. That statement was so radical that Jesus’ listeners couldn’t believe it. It is obvious that Jesus didn’t intend for us to take this in a literal and physical sense. He was not saying His followers are to be cannibals. He used this language in order to get the attention of those who were listening. I suspect that when He said, "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life," many people nodded, as if to say, "And yes, we certainly believe." But then Jesus began to drive home the truth that to believe on Jesus is to take in His life in a way that is just as real as taking food and drink into your body.

It’s been over 15 years ago that we were going through this passage and we did a little illustration. I asked one of our ladies to volunteer. We brought up to the front and I pulled out a dead grasshopper. She was willing to look at the grasshopper. I asked her if she would be willing to touch it. With some reluctance, she stuck out her finger and touched it. Then I asked her if I could put the grasshopper against her face. It wasn’t easy, but she finally did it. Then I asked her if she would be willing to eat it. If I remember right, her response was something like: "If the Lord wanted me to." That illustration was very effective, because it showed how drastic it is to take something into the body. What a world of difference between laying the grasshopper on your face and actually eating it. And what a drastic difference between the mere belief professed by the lips and that which embraces all of Jesus Christ. As Jesus skillfully defined the belief that is in keeping with eternal life, I think I can hear the echo of the words: "My Lord and my God."

There are so many more passages which shed light on this concept of belief, but now let’s come back to John 20 and Jesus’ meeting with Thomas. Remember that Thomas had rather defiantly said that he would not belief until he could put his fingers in the nail prints and his hands into Jesus’ side. Now let’s read again Jesus’ invitation to Thomas in John 20:27, "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." The word "faithless" and the word "believing" are closely related. They are identical, except for the Greek letter alpha in front of the first – unbelieving versus believing. They are the exact opposite. To the Thomas who vowed that he wouldn’t believe until he actually touched the wounds of Jesus, the Lord speaks and urges him to believe.

So how did Thomas respond? Though Jesus invited him to investigate his wounds, Thomas didn’t respond to that invitation. Nor did Thomas say, "I believe." Jesus specifically told him not to be unbelieving, but to believe, but Thomas said nothing about believing. He didn’t say, "I put my faith in you," though he certainly could have said that honestly. With the words "My Lord and my God" Thomas said much more.

What did Thomas mean? First of all, we must acknowledge that it was absolutely unthinkable for a Jew to say to man, "My God." Every Jew grew up on Deut. 6:4, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." He was well-versed in the words of Isaiah 43:11, "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior." To confess that a man was God was blasphemy. Nevertheless, Thomas said with all the conviction of his heart, "My Lord and my God." He called Jesus his God.

But Thomas also called Jesus "Lord." Some well-respected Christians interpret this to mean that Thomas was referring to Jesus as God. They maintain that since the Greek term (kurioV) here translated "Lord" was used in the Greek Old Testament to translate the Hebrew "Jehovah" (or "Yahweh"), therefore the word emphasizes the deity of Christ, the fact that He is indeed God. I don’t think anyone could deny that fact. However, the question remains, "Is that all we are to understand from the term ‘Lord’?" If so, then why the use of both of the terms "Lord" and "God"? Was Thomas saying more than, "My God and my God?"

Here is the crucial question: "Does ‘Lord’ retain any of its normal meaning ‘Master’?" In other words, was Thomas only acknowledging that Jesus was God in the flesh? Or, was he also submitting himself to this One who was indeed God? Was he bowing to Jesus as Master? Hear me well. To strip the term "Lord" of its usual meaning "Master" is to try to turn language upside down. Not only does it twist the normal use of language, but it throws all earth and heaven into confusion. How can a man acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh and not bow before Him? Can I acknowledge Jesus as the creator of the universe and then refuse to bow before Him, and still expect to have Him say some day, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? Surely, not… "My Lord, and my God."

Notice how Jesus responded: 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." Notice how Jesus linked the belief of Thomas with the belief of those who would believe in the future without seeing Jesus in the flesh. He doesn’t say, "Blessed are those who will accept me as their personal Savior." No, Jesus speaks of those who though they don’t see Jesus in the flesh as Thomas did, they will believe even as Thomas did. That is, they will acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh and bow before Him as King of the universe.
Now John 20:30-31, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. 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." Many of you have heard me ask many times, "Why did John write the things in this book?" From the text itself, we answer, "That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." While that is true, it doesn’t go far enough. "That you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name."

Please hear this. The ultimate goal of the gospel is not belief, but life through His name. The evidence of true faith is life in Jesus’ name. And how do we know if there is life? Back to the evidence of the wind in 3:8; "and so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

"My Lord and my God." As we have gone through some of John this morning and you have heard again and again this confession of Thomas, what is happening in your heart? Do you want to fall on your knees and say to Jesus again, "My Lord and my God"? Is your heart overwhelmed with the majesty of the Jesus who is Lord of all, and yet who drank the cup of the wrath of God and then rose victorious from the grave? This is the believing that Jesus is looking for, the faith that the Spirit of God stirs upon within those that are His.

Let those words "My Lord and my God" search your heart this morning. The issue is not whether we have "accepted Christ as our personal Savior," said a particular prayer, been baptized, or become a part of a church. Have you seen the reality of the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God? Have you been captivated by Him who left the glory of heaven and endured the wrath of God for a person as wicked as you are? And seeing that His death and resurrection are sufficient to deal with all your sin, have you thrown yourself at His feet?

Even now, are you willing to let go of your attachment to this world and cry out to God, "O God, I know I desperately need you. Don’t let go of me until I have been broken and humbled at your feet. Give me the grace to repent and believe, to say with Thomas, ‘My Lord and my God.’"