Thomas

turn your Bibles to John chap 11 John chap 11 we're going to continue our series on the dirty dozen uh the the disciples and how God could use men like this in in accomplishing things through their lives and God can use men like you and men women like you and I as well and so we've been using an egg illustrations we got that dozen eggs that uh we've got to represent each of the different disciples and and specifically we've got Thomas egg today uh he's the one we're going to be looking at and Thomas is somewhat more familiar because of course he's called doubting Thomas uh but there's some other things we can learn about his life as we look at the Bible and so look at John chap 11 and

beginning with verse number one John 11 beginning with verse number one it says now a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany the town of Mary and her sister Martha it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick therefore his sisters sent unto him saying Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick when Jesus heard that he said this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus when he had heard therefore that he was sick he to Abode two days still in the same place where he was then after that saith he to his disciples

let's go on to J Juda Judea again his disciples saith unto him Master the Jews of late sought to Stone thee and goest thou thither again Jesus answered are there not 12 hours in the day if any man walk in the day he stumbleth not because he uh seeth the light of this world but if a man walk in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him these things saith he and after that he saith unto them our friend Lazarus sleepeth but I go that I may awake him out of sleep then said his disciples if he sleep he shall do well how be it when Jesus spake of his death death but they thought that he spoken of taking of rest and sleep then said Jesus unto them plainly Lazarus is dead and I'm glad

for your sake that I was not there to the intent you may believe nevertheless let us go unto him then verse 16 says then said Thomas which is called dimus unto his fellow disciples let us also go that we may die with him now we don't have a lot about the disciples in the Bible we've got a few statements that they made we've got a few uh incidences happened in their life but there's very little that we have to go by so we have to just kind of read in between the lines a little bit to understand the disciples and learn from them and Thomas uh we hear from him three or four different times in the scriptures and and I I have described Thomas is is Thomas is the Eeyore of the Bible now you know

who Eeyore is on Winnie the Pooh there uh everything is is is uh got that cloud hanging over it and you can see that in verse number 16 it said then said Thomas which is called dimus unto his fellow disciples let us also go that we may die with him doesn't that sound like you are uh you know we'll go but we're going to die and and that's kind of the way that Thomas was he just didn't expect anything good to kind of happen and uh he said we're just going to go ahead and go with him but we'll die and you know what's interesting here as you read this passage is to remind ourselves that Jesus cares Jesus cares now it may not always seem like that as we go through life but he does care for us in

John 11 go back to verse number 14 it says then said Jesus unto them plainly Lazarus is dead and I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there to the intent you may believe nevertheless let us go on to him now he seems like well how if he really cared why wasn't he there when it happened why didn't he go earlier and heal Lazarus and why did he let him die and why did wait two days to go onto him and sometimes in in our lives it seems like well where is God in all of this and where is Jesus in all of this look at verse number 21 a little further down then said Martha unto Jesus Lord if thou Hast been here my brother had not died Lord if you just showed up if you just been here where Were You

Lord and sometimes in our lives it seems like God is far away at our most difficult times sometimes it seems like that when we need him the most uh he doesn't seem to be there look at verse number uh 32 then then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him she fell down at his feet saying unto him Lord if thou Hast been here my brother had not died both Martha and Mary said basically the same thing Lord if you were here this wouldn't have happened so where were you why weren't you here and I know in my life there's been many times I felt like well where is God in this situation where is God when I need him the most and sometimes it just seems like he's not there but what we remember is

even when it seems like he's not there he does love us and He does care look at verses 35 through 36 the Bible says Jesus wept then said to the Jews behold how he loved him and we need to know that God loves us and that no matter what we're going through in our lives he is a god that is touched by the infirmities of our flesh and when we are going through these challenges and when we are going through these difficult times that God does care and that God does love us and that he is going to be there for us even though it may not seem like that 1 Peter chapter 3: 7 says casting all your care upon him for he carth for you he's always going to be there for us in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5

it says let your conversation be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee when you have the Lord Jesus in your life you have a promise that he will never leave you he will never forsake you there may be times in your life it seems like he he's far away it may be times in your life it seems like he's not right there with you but he has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us in Psalms 46: 1-3 it says God is our refuge and strength of very present help and trouble therefore will we not We Fear though the Earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea though the waters thereof

Roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with this swelling thereof Sila see God is in ever present he is always there and he will never leave us he will never forsake us no matter what we're going when the mountains are shaking and the waves are coming no matter what's happening in our lives we can know this that Jesus cares and that he will always be there for us now going back to John chap 11 the other thing I want you to notice about Thomas here is that Thomas it says in verse 16 there there then they then said Thomas which is called dimus so was dimus his uh second name his given name was it his family name actually it was none of those the word dimus means to be a twin to be a

twin so it says Thomas the twin Thomas the twin now we don't know exactly what that means it could could have been he had a twin brother or a twin sister how many of you here you're a twin raise your hand anybody like that I know Sam is we got one or two others as well uh not many of you are twins and growing up as a twin is a special thing and and and possibly Thomas was a twin to Matthew and the reason we think that's a possibility is because in the list of disciples Matthew and Thomas are almost always listed together and it seems like that they go together and maybe Matthew and Thomas was Matthew's twins we're not sure of that or maybe he got that name twin because he looked like

somebody uh you know I over the years we've had people at Ohana we kind of called them the twins even though they they weren't born twins but they look like acted like and talk like each other so much we just kind of said well you guys are just Twins and uh maybe that's what it is or or maybe Thomas had a a doppelganger you know what that is that's when you've got somebody that looks like you even though they're not related to you often people say that about celebrities that this person looks like this celebrity and as I was thinking about that I thought you know we got some people in the church like that we got some people in the church that look like celebrities you know that uh here let

me give you a couple examples here's the first one uh here's one of our our men in our church that put that picture up on the screen uh the other picture please got to show who he's just like looks like all right show us who he looks like need the other pit there he is all right so don't you agree with that I think he looks just like they look alike there and so uh there's a good one I'll give you another example put the second one up if we could uh if you can give me the person first there you right here we go and who's the doppelganger think of that who's the doppelganger to that one that celebrity right there uh this person right here all right not just by looks but by character as well I

think it just kind of goes long together and then I thought of a third one I I thought of a third one here and uh this one here and uh here's the one I think is kind of the doppelganger for our little minion right here so go ahead and put that up there all right and I've got one more this is a couple since we have Valentine's Day last night our banquet last night I thought I'd show you a couple uh and who looks like this couple here and so we'll go ahead and put them up on the screen all right reason I put that up there is when when we're our kids were little whenever my wife and I would kiss they'd start singing beauty and the beast and I thought that was really ter terrible for them to

call my wife a beast I I don't understand that um but Thomas for some reason Thomas was called the twin maybe he had an actual twin maybe Matthew was his twin or or maybe he just looked like somebody else and maybe one of the other disciples or somebody and they just called him the twin I'm not sure exactly what it was but you know what God wants us to be twins he wants every one of us to be a twin of Jesus Christ the Bible says in Romans 8: 29 for whom he did four no he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many Brethren see God wants us to be conformed to the image of his son he wants us to look like act like and talk like Jesus

in Ephesians 5: 1- 2 it says be therefore followers or imitators of God God as dear children walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and ha given himself as an offering and sacrifice to God for sweet smelly Savor and God wants you and I to be twins with Jesus Christ he he wants people to look at our lives say that person is just like Jesus now we're born as brothers and sisters of Christ we're born again but we want to conform to that image we want to become more and more like him and you know as a Christian also one of the things I'd recommend it is good for you as a Christian to find someone that you can imitate as a Christian in in thirr John chap 1 and verse number 11 it says beloved

follow or imitate not that which is evil but that which is good he that doeth good is of God but he that doth evil hath not seen God and you ought to have in your life you ought to have men you ought to have another man ladies you ought to have another woman couples you ought to have a couple that you want to imitate them because they are godly people and you want to be like them uh and and follow their lifestyle follow of their pattern that they set and and every Christian ought to have people in your life that you want to imitate that you want to follow but you know in back in John 11:1 16 Thomas the twin said unto his fellow disciples let us also go that we may die with him he was kind of

the pessimists he thought figured they're going to go back to Judea and that's where everybody was opposed to them and they've already been threatened number of times and if we go back there we're going to be put to death we're going to die but you know what Thomas was willing to die for Christ but you know what God wants us to do he doesn't want us just to die for him he wants us to live for him in Romans 12: 1 and 2 it says I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice ice wholly acceptable on him which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove

what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God tradition tells us that Thomas did die for the Lord that he was martyred but it's more important that you and I live for the Lord we need to live daily for God you know it's it's not easy to live for the Lord on a day byday basis but that's what God would call us to so Thomas was the Eeyore of the Bible he was a pessimist we're just going to go die with him but that's okay because we love him but Thomas also go to John chapter 14 the next time we see him is here in John chapter 14 beginning with verse number one John chapter 14 beginning with verse number one let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in Me In My

Father's House there many mansions if it were not to so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also and whether I go you know and the way you know Thomas sayith un Lord we know not whether thou goest and how can we know the way Jesus saith in him I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me you see Thomas Jesus said I am going to go to prepare a place for you and Thomas said well how do we know how to get there how do we know the way to go and Jesus said I am the way the truth and the light you see you need to make sure that you're

on the right way in life that you're on your way to heaven you see when you go down to the airport to take a trip to the mainland uh you got to make sure you're on the right plane not all planes lead to San Francisco if that's where you're going you just can't get on any plane say I'm going to San Francisco you got to make sure you're on the right plane and the same thing is true people will say well all religions lead to Heaven that's not true all planes don't leave to the same city in the mainland and all religions don't lead to Heaven you need to make sure you're on the right way so how can you know for sure that you're going to heaven in 1 John CH 5 and verse number 13 the Bible tells us

these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe that you're believe in the name of the son of God you see folks when I'm traveling to the mainland one of the things I want to know for sure is I'm on the right plane you know one of the things one of the last things they do before they close the doors plane say this plane is going to San Francisco if you're not going to San Francisco you need to get off the plane see you need to make sure you're going to the right place you make sure you're on the right plane and and we need to make sure that we're on the right way to heaven you know if your

students got out there and made this announcements Welcome to our non-stop flight to San Francisco at least I think that's where we're going and the pilot said he'd hope to get us there would you be real confident in that would you be real like saying well I'm I'm ready to go now that wouldn't give me a lot of confidence I want them to know where they're going and I want them to know that they're going to get me there and that same thing is more important with heaven we're more concerned about where we're going on an airplane than we are when we go when we die so do you have a ticket if I'm going to get on that airplane I've got to have a ticket in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 12 it says he

that hath the son hath life he that hath not the Son of God hath not life listen if TSA won't let you through without a ticket what makes you think that God will let you into heaven without Jesus think about it if TSA will not let you onto that airplane without a ticket what makes you think that God's going to let you into heaven without Jesus Christ because he is the way the truth and the life no man no man cometh on the father but by him he doesn't talk about religion he doesn't talk about your your rituals like baptism or catechism or church membership he doesn't talk about your own righteousness but in order to get to heaven there's one way to heaven and that's through Jesus Christ as

your savior you see when you fly to the mainland somewhere what do you do you get on that plane you sit down and you trust the pilot to take you where you're going there's not a thing that you can do to get that plane from Hawaii to the mainland you can't hold your breath you can't try to be less weights you can't try to Flap your arms nothing's going to help you've just got to get on that plane and trust that pilot to get you where you're going point and praise God we've got a good record here in the US and unfortunately we've had a couple recent instances where people didn't get where they were going but you can trust God to get you to heaven through Jesus Christ as your savior Ephesians

28:9 for by grace are you saved through faith then not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of Works L any man should boast you see there's nothing you can do to get that plane to the mainland and there's nothing that you can do to get yourself to Heaven except to trust the pilot Jesus Christ to trust him to take you there when you die now I will tell you this if I'm going to ride that plane I'd rather ride first class than coach wouldn't you how many here have ever ridden first class raise your hand an't that great I remember one time I was in uh Detroit and I was coming back and I had a little extra time so I got there to the airp early and I went up to the counter and I knew the flight

was actually over booked a little bit and I told the steward as I said uh the lady at the counter I said listen if uh if if you need to you can bump me of course I want a reimbursement for that but you can bump me to another flight as long as I get to Hawaii by this time tomorrow I'm okay and she said well uh I'll let you know and then since nobody else was around I took out a Bible track and started witnessing to her tell her about the Lord and it turned out she was a Christian and so she said listen just go sit down as people started coming in she told me go sit down I'll call you when we're ready for you and so everybody was boring the plane and it was to the point when so many people

boarded the plane I figured I'm I'm not going on that flight and finally she called my name and I came up there and she handed me she said give me your ticket and I gave her back my old ticket and she handed me a new ticket and said go ahead and get on and the new ticket was first class seating folks it's worth it to witness ee when I because I told her about the Lord I I got first class seating that's why you should witness God blesses you for that but anyways I got to fly first class and I'm thinking man this is nice this is nice and listen if I'm going to go to heaven I want to go on first class I'll get there on a coach but I'd rather go first class in Ephesians 28:9 says for by Grace

you say through faith and not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of works the same man should boast in verse 10 says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works he says now that you're saved enjoy the flight get the blessings of the flight as you travel on your way to heaven so we need to make sure that we're on the right way Thomas said Lord show us the right way to heaven and Jesus Thomas have you not been listening I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh on the father but by me when you get on that flight one other thing you need to do is check your baggage go over to Matthew chapter 11 Matthew chap 11 and look at verses 28 through3 Matthew chap 11 and

beginning with verse number 28 Bible come unto me all ye the labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I I'm meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy my burden is light you see God says as you travel through the journeys of this life as you travel on your way to heaven you don't have to carry all that baggage with you let me take care of the baggage you know what I you know I I love checking my baggage in because then I don't have to worry about it I don't have to keep track of it I don't have to carry it all around with me I I just check it in let them take care of it now we've learned in today's

world because you get charged so much for baggage you got to get rid of a few things and you know before we fly I kind of look in the suitcase I don't I don't need this and I don't need that I want to I want to reduce my baggage down in 2 Timothy chapter 2: 3 and 4 it says Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ no man that worth and Tangle himself the Affairs of his life that he may please him who chose be a soldier sometimes in life we need to get rid of some of the baggage when we go flying used to be you you take two or three suitcases no problem at all but now that they're charging for it you kind of say do I really need this do I really need that and that's why

we need to be in life you maybe you're carrying a little bit too much baggage around with you and you need to get rid of that bagage maybe it's a anger or unforgiveness or maybe it's uh some kind of sin that you're dealing with and it's weighing you down and you need to get rid of it and let Jesus have it sometimes with baggage also you need help we go down the airport pick people up all the time sometimes especially missionaries by the Cults and they got they got tons of baggage and we got to go down there and just got help them carry that baggage in Galatians chapter 6 it says to Bear one of those burdens that's one of the things I'm most thankful for on this journey we have a church

because in church we can bear one of those burdens whatever you're going through whatever you're dealing with you've got people there that can say hey let me carry some of that so you don't have to carry it all by yourself the third thing about Thomas I want to see is go to John chapter 20 this is one of the last occasions we really see Thomas we see him briefly again in John chapter 21 when the disciples went back out fishing but John chapter 20 is the last incident and the one that's most familiar doubting Thomas as we call him in John 20 and beginning with verse number 19 says then then the same day of 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 him peace be unto you and when he said so so said he showed unto them his hands and his sight then with then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord then said Jesus to them again peace be unto you as my father has sent me even so sent I you and when he had said uh this he breathed on them and saith unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost whosoever sins you shall you remit they are remitted unto them whosoever sins you retain they are retained but Thomas one of the 12 called dimus was not with them when Jesus came the other disciples therefore said unto him we have seen the Lord but we said unto him except

I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put on my put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand to his side I will not believe you know we call Thomas doubting Thomas CU he wouldn't believe but you know the other disciples were the same way they'd already heard Jesus was written remember the women came to him and said hey we saw the Lord and they said well until we see him and touch them ourselves we don't believe and so often that's the struggle we have and and and and we we kind of get on Thomas's case but he was no worse than the other disciples he said I want to see it for myself I want to experience for myself now the question I have is this why wasn't Thomas

there the first time it it tells us in that they all gathered together but Thomas verse 24 1 to2 called dius was not with them when Jesus came did his pessimism kind of take over with him did his attitude say you know what nothing's good is going to come out of this so why bother anymore sometimes our old sin nature takes back over doesn't it and sometimes we get pessimistic and about things and we get discouraged about things and I think that's kind of where Thomas was but you know when you're not there you miss out of the blessings because Thomas wasn't there he didn't get to see Jesus now praise God he got to see him later but you don't want to miss things like that and that's why it's

good to be faithful and Acts chapter 2 it talked about how they assembled themselves together and and they begin to grow and God begin to bless the church and folks I want to challenge you when you're not in church you miss out on the blessings when you're not in church you're going to miss out in a meeting with Jesus because every time you're in church the word of God is preached and that's an opportunity for you to meet with Jesus to see him and it's so important to be in church and Thomas wasn't there and he missed one of the one of the highlights of Jesus rising from the dead you miss out on what God is doing in Hebrews chap 10: 23-2 this ISS let's hold fast to the profession of our

faith without wavering for he's faithful that promised and let's consider one another provoke un to love into good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching you know I don't know why Thomas wasn't there but I kind of think maybe he'd let his pessimism take over kind of think he got a little bit depressed and discouraged and why when you get depressed and discouraged that's the time you need to be in church the most the times I don't want to be in church are the times of the greatest blessings when I come and Thomas missed the blessing of seeing the Lord the first time and yes

he got to see him later but he'll always be remembered as the one who got to see him later now the others struggled with their belief also in Mark 16: 10- 11 it says and since she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept and they when they had heard it that he was alive and had been seen of her believed not we all struggle with our unbelief we struggle with believing God but I'm so thankful that Thomas in verse number 26 and after 8 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 and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but be believing and Thomas answered and said unto him my Lord and my God Jesus saith un him thou Thomas because thou Hast seen me thou Hast believed blessed are they that have not seen yet they believe and many other signs did Jesus truly did Jesus in the presence of disciples which are not written in the book but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you might have life through his name Thomas came to that point he bowed himself before God said my Lord and my god when you truly see Jesus for who he is you'll make that same statement for many in this room Jesus is your

savior but he's not truly your lord and your God you don't live for him and Obey him and follow him as he should be if you were truly your lord and your God it would change your life you would worship him you would be faithful to him think about the life of th Thomas what can we learn from him we can learn that God wants us to be just like Jesus he wants us to be a twin of Christ to be conformed to his image to follow him an imitator of him what can we learn from Thomas we can learn to believe do you know today if you died you'd go to heaven Jesus said you can know the way and you can know I'm going there and you can know I'm preparing a place for you so do you know that for sure do you know that for sure we all struggle with doubts where is Jesus does he care but he does and we can claim that promise Jesus cares and he will always be there he will never leave us nor forsake us why because he is my Lord and my God