7-21-19 Worship from Heaven’s Perspective

Colossians 3:1-17

Imagine you come to worship with a problem in your life.

Suddenly God reaches down and grabs you by the hair - in the nice loving way he does.

He takes you through the roof, through the clouds, through the atmosphere, through the galaxy, through space and has you look back toward the earth which is merely a dot you can barely see.

God asks, can you see your problem now? (Of course not) Instead of looking at your circumstances with a magnifying glass you now look at them with the perspective of heaven.

God is not saying your problem does not matter, He is simply saying from a heavenly perspective or an eternal perspective, your problem may not matter as much as you are making it matter because one day that problem will be no more.

So he brings you back down through the galaxy, the atmosphere, the clouds and the roof and places you back in the middle of worship. No your problem has not changed - it still needs addressed, worked on, walked through, lived with, whatever, but now you have a new perspective that let’s you know you likely can do nothing about it at this moment so for right now let it go. Realize God knows your problems and will go through it with you and that in the light of eternity it is not as big as your magnifying glass was making it out to be.

This should free you to worship without restraint which will also give you a better perspective and better ability to deal with your problem as you are drawing closer to Jesus.

PRAYER

The Map That Changed the World

Map making goes by the name of cartography. It may not sound terribly interesting, but in 1815 a cartographer by the name of William Smith produced a map that changed the world. William Smith was an English orphan who grew up in poverty. He became a surveyor and during his time surveying the countryside he came to realize something very important about the earth beneath his feet. First he discovered that rocks could be dated by the fossils found in them. Find the same type of fossils in two rocks separated by distance and it’s probably they come from the same era. Second, he learned that the rock layers tend to be arranged in a consistent pattern. Armed with that knowledge Smith produced a geological map of England, Scotland and Wales. And that map changed the world.  

How you might ask? Well for the first time Smith’s map allowed people to predict what lay beneath the ground. Prior to Smith’s map if you wanted to find gold or coal or gas or any other natural resource you had to scout the surface for some sign of them – a glint of gold or an outcropping of coal. But with Smith’s map you could look for particular rock types and know what likely lay beneath them and within them. His map allowed us to see below the surface and to uncover the depths. And so the electricity we gain from coal, the gas that fires our stoves, the gold we wear on chains around our necks, and much much more are possible because William Smith made a map in 1815.

Smith’s story reminds us of the need to be cartographers of life. Before Smith we barely scratched the surface of the earth, but after Smith we could plumb the depths. Similarly, we could all do with an eternal life map, a mental map that enables us to do more than scratch the surface of and see deeper into the things of heaven. For Christians Jesus is the Cartographer of Life, the one who provides us with a map in the midst of worship where we can now see the realities that before were impossible to see – the realities of God, truth and love.

Col 3:1-17

          Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, How are we raised with Christ? - Christ was raised from the dead. We are not yet dead. HOWEVER, We are dead in our sin and in Christ we are raised out of sin and the death it brings. Rom 6:23a For the wages of sin is death…

Rom 6:23b …but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED…

set your hearts on things above,

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED…

2 Set your minds on things above,

not on earthly things.

Why set your heart and mind on things above?

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

I have mentioned that in our theme posters there is something Hidden yet visible. Do you know what it is? (After suggestions…give the answer)

Even though your raised from the death of sin life is hidden in Christ, it is at the same time visible, here and now and one day will be openly visible…

4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Did you hear that (you don’t just show up to heaven and look for an entrance - you appear with Jesus in glory. He welcomes you, he is beside you, he is your usher. You are his special guest.

          If that is what we have to look forward to in the future, how should we be living now?

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

YES the wrath of God is coming because of our sin. Yes there is heaven and hell. Who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. If you agree that they exist most would say the good person should go to heaven and the bad person should go to hell. I agree. God agrees. Who is good?     Luke 18:18-19   A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. “No one is good — except God alone.”

WAIT if only God is good then only God can get into heaven. YES YES YES! Heaven cannot have unrighteous sinners so we all fall into the category of BAD and we can’t get into heaven. The only way is if we can have our sin removed and be declared righteous. That can and does happen for those who believe Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead for your new life.

         

Raised with Jesus, we have been changed:

7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Now when you worship - you no longer worship just from an earthly perspective, but from a heavenly perspective because you have been given heaven’s heart, heaven’s eyes and heaven’s way to live while on earth - including in your worship. Now look at the how you are described (instead of unrighteous sinner) when you worship. Raised in Christ, you worship …12 as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Now listen to what our worship should look like from that heavenly perspective:

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, How should we worship from heaven’s perspective? do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The World is a Puzzle

Dad was sitting watching television, when his little boy came running over.  “Daddy, can you play with me?”

Dad enjoys playing with his son, and plans to give him plenty of time, but not just yet. “Soon, son, soon” says Dad. “When this program finishes.”

Five minutes later the little boy returns. “Daddy, can we play now?”

“Soon, son, soon. When this program finishes.”

Two minutes later the little boy returns again. “Daddy, is it time to play yet?”

Dad realizes he’s not going to get any peace, so he decides to set his son a task that will take some time. He notices a picture of the world on the front page of the newspaper lying in front of him. He tears the picture out then rips it into small pieces. “Now son, I’ve got a game for you. Take the pieces of this picture of the world and put them back together again and then we’ll play together.”

The little boy eagerly takes the pieces away with him and sets to work. Dad’s relieved he’ll get to see the last half hour of his TV program. But to his amazement his little boy is back in less than five minutes. “I’ve finished daddy. Can we play now?”

The father is stunned when he turns around to see his son holding up the picture of the world, each piece sticky taped into the right position. Dad begins wondering whether he has a child prodigy on his hands. “How did you get it done so quickly?” he asks. “That would’ve taken me a good 20 minutes and I’m an adult.”

“Oh, it was easy daddy. On the back of the world was a picture of a person, so I put the person together and that’s when the world came together.”

How do you put the world together? How do you make sense of your world and find your way through it? Christians find that Jesus is the face on the other side of the puzzle. He enables us to make sense of life and our world and to find a path through it.

Colossians 3:1-17

          Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

7-14-19 The Parable of the Sowers (Senior High Camp)

Luke 8:4-15

Joanna Camick

Learning about the parable of the Sower and the Seed.  We found out that the seed was God’s Word.  Reading part Luke 8: 4-8. And when a great crowd was gathering, people from town to town came to him , he said in the parable, a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell on the path and was trampled and the birds devoured it, and some fell on the rock and it grew up and withered away because there was no moisture and some fell on the thorn and the thorn grew up and choked, and some fell on good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.  And he said he who has ears, let them hear.

The first type of the soil is what I an going to talk about. The seed fell on that hard path. This seem to represent some of the difficult lives that many of the campers experienced on a daily basis. Some of these were divorce, un supported families, bullied, and even the death of a sibling. It became apparent to me that these kids could benefit from God’s word.  But God’s word is found in the Bible but not only in the Bible. It can also be found in a Pastor’s Sermon, at camp, Family Fun Night, in the aid provided for victims like at Matthew 25 ministries. We also assisted them and I enjoyed it, but let the words to this song be the seed in your own heart. It is called Light of the World.

Joanna sang:

Light of the World

Giver of creation, bringer of salvation

Word of God, eternal life

Praise the Son of God

Promised One of Heaven

To bring us to your Kingdom

Rescued us from darkness

Praise the Son of God

Jesus, light of the world

Shine on us, shine on us

Word of life, spoken for love

Breathe on us, breathe on us

Light of the world, King Jesus

Darkness will obey your voice

Weakness will in you rejoice

You have bound the broken heart

Praise the Son of God

Jesus
You have shown your father's heart

And to us you will impart

The holiness of all you are

Praise the Son of God

Jesus, light of the world

Shine on us, shine on us

Word of life, spoken for love

Breathe on us, breathe on us

Light of the world, King Jesus

Shine, breathe, live through us

Shine, breathe, live through us

Shine, breathe,…

Pastor Jeff Cooper

VISUALIZING THE SCRIPTURE

1)    What was the soil like in vs6?

Rocky with very little dirt which means it could not hold moisture.

However - the farmer still scattered his/her seed on that rocky soil.

          Scattering by hand - means it is an individual and the farmer is personally touching the seed and determines where the seed will be scattered.

How would you describe a person who is considered rocky soil?

          They seem somewhat interested, but they are not yet on board. They have good intentions with bad follow through.

1)    Why would a farmer scatter their seed?

To cover as much ground as possible.

2)    What was the second soil like in vs6?

Rocky with very little dirt which means it could not hold moisture.

3)    What is the rocky soil in your life that blocks the word of God from growing in you?

          (Going to church but not investing myself, reading the bible but not studying it, living one way on Sunday and differently Mon-Sat., etc.)

What can you do to cultivate the rocky soil in your life?

          Be intentional about your personal relationship with Jesus - focus more on him.

a)    Proverbs 4:25-27

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

          Spend time regularly in God’s word that has been planted in you.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

          But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3) Spend time praying for those “rocky” areas in your life. Pray for the ability to get rid of distractions and focus on God’s word daily. (ex. Download a bible app www.bible.com and start a reading plan, pick a time every day to read God’s word, read it when waiting for something else, ex. at a doctor’s office or waiting on the school bus)

When Jesus said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Nathan Cooper

The third kind of soil. That is the soil with thorns and the text tells us. It’s very rare that we get students that aren’t already Christians. Our camp is typically geared for students who already know Christ to take it home and share it with their friends. Coming into the week we knew of four kids who did not yet know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. We had the chance to pray with them and till up their soil and pull out their rocks and weeds. By the end of the week, three of those students that we know of had accepted Christ. So when they came to camp, I don’t know which soil they were but at the time they weren’t yet in good soil.  But throughout the week, that’s what happened. The soil got and it was an amazing thing that happened on Thursday evening to see these students that we had prayed for come to faith / You can’t just plant seeds in a garden and expect to come back later and have a beautiful harvest croup. You must constantly be tending it and maintaining it to keep that soil good.

Dan Camick

What I saw was a father and son team that worked dynamically to produce growth  for the Lord.  I think you should know what a super job Nathan did as Camp Director and what a super job Pastor Jeff did as camp Pastor.  As if our clapping could encourage them more.  I don’t know that they need that but I thought you should know. Pastor Jeff has some theatrical background and he put on these skits or mime that portrayed God’s presence in the lives of individuals attending camp. Nathan had an opportunity to preach. And he read scriptures. There were campfire opportunities where the lights wouldn’t allow him to to read any notes but the Lord was moving around that campfire hearts were melted . The Holy Spirit was really present.

Nathan assigned me to do devotionals. Nathan encouraged them to take the little booklets that he had prepared and write down some things from a morning devotional to think about during the day and reflect on their heart.  They did it and they were really compliant campers that were really letting the Good Shepherd mold them from an unholy being to a pleasing into a Holy pleasing offering to God.  It was kind of amazing.  I really encourage our church to make that happen again.

Here is what Jesus said in a story right around the same time as he told this parable of the sower. It comes in Matthew 9:35. It says that Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom and he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless like a sheep without a shepherd and he (meaning Jesus) said to his disciples.  The harvest is ready to be planted with seed. I saw some lives that were ready to be reaped. Counselor staff, people cleaning bathrooms, people cooking the food, I saw that happening as laborers for one purpose, for the hearts of individuals to change for Jesus Christ. Now the laborers are few. I woke up this morning with my back hurting, my feet hurting, my ankles itching, my arms itching and this one spot on my back that I can’t reach and I thought, that takes a lot of laborer to do that but I am convinced that even through the partnership that we have through Matthew 25 ministries and churches like ours that we can provide much more laborers into the field. Maybe they turn into dollars, maybe they have to be written by a check or something like that but we have an opportunity to send laborers into the field. And I think Jesus was talking to us when he said the laborers are few.  This ministry of Camp Kirkwood has been going on for a long time. Dad something like this, that one week at camp is equal to a whole year of Sunday School. Somehow I saw this transition that would take years to happen in the course of a weekend. One other thing that Jesus has asked us, is to pray for the harvest. So we pray for the harvest, we pray for the laborers, and I just pray that those kids who received that seed continue to receive the fertilizer and the nutrients that a good field can bring. And that’s the other thing that we can do Ashland, is to be a fertile ground for growth in the Lord. So I encourage you that way as well.

7-7-19 Living in the land of touchmenot

Scripture   John 20:24-31

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

TOUCH IN CHURCH

What is all this touching in church?

It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the pew and not be bothered by all this friendliness and certainly not by touching.

I used to come to church and leave untouched.

Now I have to be nervous about what’s expected of me.

I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.

Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just ask the person next to me: How are you?

And the person could answer: Oh, just fine,

And we’d both go home … strangers who have known each other for twenty years.

But now the minister asks us to look at each other.

I’m worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman’s eyes.

Now I’m concerned, because when the minister asks us to pass the peace,

The man next to me held my hand so tightly I wondered if he had been touched in years.

Now I’m upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized.

And said it was because I was so kind and that she needed A friend right now.

Now I have to get involved. Now I have to suffer when this community suffers.

Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.

The man last week told me I’d never know how much I’d touched his life.

All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to be lonely.

Lord, I’m not big enough to touch and be touched!

The stretching scares me.

What if I disappoint somebody?  What if I’m too pushy?

What if I cling too much?  What if somebody ignores me?

“Pass the peace.”  “The peace of God be with you.”  “And also with you.”  And mean it.

Lord, I can’t resist meaning it!  I’m touched by it, I’m enveloped by it!

I find I do care about that person next to me!  I find I am involved!

And I’m scared.

O Lord, be here beside me.

You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched!

So that I can care and be cared for!

So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!

All this touching in church – Lord, it’s changing me!

TOUCH ME NOT WORLD

We now live in a land of “touch me not”. There are several reasons for that. For many years now we have been cautioned about perception - particularly between males and females in the workplace. It has become a best practice to not hug a fellow worker or to ride together even if you are going to the same place.

In the past couple years we have had the rise of the “Me Too” movement in response to the proliferation of, mostly men, who have gone beyond inappropriate or unwelcome touching.

Also, we have become an online society where we can sit in our room and never see anyone in person and yet have a relationship with other people. Social Media by its nature removes actual physical touch from society.

The human touch: a neglected feeling

When we are born, the first one of our senses available to us is the sense of touch. Even before we open our eyes, we can already feel a touch and physical contact. Experiencing physical contact plays a vital role in our physical and psychological health.

There are many means to support our human senses - a pair of glasses if our eyes are struggling, hearing aid devices for a bad sense of hearing. We couldn't survive without our senses, which is why these means of support are extremely useful to us.

The emotional importance of our sense of touch

Hearing, seeing, smelling - these are the senses we think of in the context of our own survival. Rarely would we add our sense of touch to that list. Strangely enough - if you think about how useful its function actually is: holding a knife, for example, typing an email on our smartphone, or noticing the heat of a stoveplate when we put our hand on it. Our sense of touch is just as important for our survival. But apart from these useful functions, it is responsible for our well being. Holding a hand, a kiss, a hug are beneficial to our physical and psychological well-being.

This has to do with the fact that when we hug someone, a hormone called Oxytocin is released in our body, which effectively reduces our stress levels. Additionally, our blood pressure sinks and we experience less anxiety during a hug.

Another study conducted at the Carnegie Mellon University in 2014, is particularly useful for the cold winter season: this study showed that hugs can help us brave the chilly months and not suffer from colds as much. The 404 participants of the study were first asked how often they hug someone. Then, they were brought into contact with a common cold virus. In the quarantine that followed, it was observed how many of them were showing cold symptoms. The findings revealed that participants who received hugs on a regular basis, experienced far less cold symptoms than participants who did not get as many hugs. This shows that regular hugs lower stress levels in our body and therefore the vulnerability to catch a cold. 

Touch in the Bible:

OLD TESTAMENT

If you touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will die.

Issac said to Jacob, Come closer so I may touch you and see if you are my son.

Strike the rock, and the water will come.

Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms so they could defeat the Amalakites.

NEW TESTAMENT

Simeon took Jesus in his arms saying I have seen the salvation of the Lord.

Likewize, Jesus took little children in his arms and blessed them.

Jesus touched the blind, the lame, the deaf, and they were healed.

A woman bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed.

Jesus bent down and washed the disciples feet.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Luke 24:36-39     Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

          Why was Thomas not with the other 10? See, they were already down one man because of Judas; so where was Thomas?

Who was Thomas?

The disciple Thomas is most well known as…? “Doubting Thomas.” That description comes from our text today, but that is not all there is to Thomas. (Like…I’m not just “That Poison Ivy guy”)

There’s a good chance that Thomas was a twin. John tells us that Thomas was known as “Didymus” the Greek & Aramaic word for twin.

Although all of the Gospels mention Thomas, it’s only the Gospel of John that records any of Thomas’ words. With so little said about Thomas, the one who had to TOUCH JESUS to believe, there are some other things we can know about him:

1. Humans are emotionally complex

When Jesus told the disciples that He was heading back to Judea to see Lazarus, the disciples fearfully reminded Him that the Jews there had just tried to stone Him (John 11:8). It’s Thomas who pipes up, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (11:16). Not doubting Thomas, rather “Thomas the Brave”

Not long after this Jesus is crucified and resurrected, though Thomas has not yet seen or touched him. Maybe he was depressed and didn’t want to be around the others. Maybe he was out getting food. Maybe…maybe…maybe. We can’t know why Thomas was not there. Or, maybe we can. Just maybe that was Jesus’ plan to show up when Thomas was missing. Certainly the risen son of God could have waited till the remaining 11 disciples were together, but he chose to show up while Thomas was missing. He was missing due to the providential plan of God, regardless of what the natural reasons were.

One thing we learn is that Thomas away from Jesus, decreased his faith (I don’t believe he is risen) and being near Jesus, increased his faith (My Lord and My God). We are emotionally and spiritually complex beings - not just one thing.

2. Jesus cares about our sincere questions

At one point Jesus tells the disciples:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1–4)

Naturally, the disciples don’t necessarily understand what He’s talking about. And it’s Thomas that asks Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way” (John 14:5, NIV)?

Because of Thomas’ question, Jesus says one of the most profound things written in John’s Gospel: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6–7, NIV). Jesus cares about our questions.

3. Community matters—a lot

When Jesus appears to the disciples, Thomas was not practicing “40 Days of Worship”; he skipped out and look what he missed. When we miss worship we run the chance of missing Jesus when he shows up. After seeing the Lord, the others run to tell Thomas, but he doesn’t believe them.

It isn’t Jesus’ intention that we follow Him in isolation from one another. It’s incredibly important for us to be connected to and regularly gathering with other Christians.

4. Jesus is God

A week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again—and this time Thomas is with them: (He learned his lesson)  John 20:26–27

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe”

It’s probably important to recognize the gentleness that Jesus expresses here. He doesn’t chastise Thomas for his lack of faith. Instead, He addresses Thomas in a way that allows him to believe. In an instant, Thomas goes from not believing that Jesus has risen to recognizing that he is God. 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

5. Jesus has a message for us

Thomas walked beside Jesus for 3 years. He heard Christ’s teachings and saw Him perform many miracles, but he still struggled to believe Jesus had risen from the grave. After he touched Christ’s wounds and responded with the words “My Lord and my God,” Jesus makes an important comment: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29, NIV).

Jesus is talking about you and me! We didn’t have the luxury of walking with Jesus or touching His scars. We live thousands of years removed from the events recorded in the Gospels, and Jesus recognizes the faith that it takes for us to believe. That’s why He pronounces a special blessing on us for trusting Him!

          We are more blessed than Thomas who could physically touch Jesus. How are we able to touch Jesus? The answer is simple and right in front of you and memorized in your brain…WORSHIP - offering your bodies (touch) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.

          How are you touched by Jesus? One of the best ways is also in the context of worship - more specifically the communion service. The one thing that will keep us from touching or being touched by Jesus is our sin. The best physical metaphor for sin is leprosy - open sores all over the body that make a person unclean - in our case leprosy of our heart. Here is how Jesus heals us of our leprous sin.  Luke 5:12-13

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Jesus said, "I am willing, be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.

COMMUNION   /  Blest Be the tie that Binds