30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 24 9-12 MEETING THE RISEN LORD 11 18Mar2022 Luke 24 11 We, from India, are blessed because of Thomas
📖 Luke 24:9-12
11 – 18Mar2022 – We, from India, are blessed because of Thomas - Luke 24:09-12 - MEETING THE RISEN LORD - Bible reading: Isaiah 40:9-12
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You reached out to Thomas and he was transformed. All of his disbelief crumbled before You. We thank You, Lord, for Thomas because we, who live in the sub-continent of India, have been blessed by him. Thank You for Your great love for us, from this part of the world. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.”
Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
The Lord confronted Thomas and Doubting Thomas became the Determined Thomas.
John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
This was the message of the Lord to Thomas and to all of us. “Do not be unbelieving but believing.” It is only in the experience of believing in Jesus that we are healed and transformed.
The Lord was not going to let Thomas wallow in his unbelief. When the Lord confronted Thomas, all of his reasons, which seemed so strong and rigid, suddenly were all reduced to pulp.
The Lord called Thomas to put his finger into the nail prints and his hand into the wound in His side. Thomas did not dare move a finger. Thomas’ response was John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
Though these were the words that Thomas spoke, we can picture Thomas. He broke down. This must have been one of the greatest meltdowns ever. Thomas, the hard-hearted man was now like a little child in the presence of the almighty God. Praise the Lord for this wonderful healing and transformation that happened to Doubting Thomas.
Friends, will we quickly respond to the Lord the way Thomas did? Or will we hold out against God? Will we repent and give our lives completely to the lordship of Christ? Let us come to the state of being child-like in our trust in Him.
The Lord searched for Thomas for he needed to experience His love, and move from unbelief to belief. The Lord was not just reaching Thomas but the Lord was reaching a large body of people from the sub-continent of India, who are in darkness.
Tradition says that the Apostle Thomas came to India and he gave his life for the gospel. Consider, friends, if the Lord had not reached out to Thomas? What would have happened to those of us, from this part of the world? We, from India, owe it to the Lord, who healed Doubting Thomas and made him become the Determined Thomas.
If the Lord is reaching out to you, in your cocoon of unbelief, it is because He loves you and it is also because there are many others, who must come into His kingdom, based on your response to the searching heart of God. Will you respond wholeheartedly to the Lord as Thomas did?
Thomas had the full reality of the resurrection. Jesus was His Lord and His God. This is what the resurrection of Jesus does to us. Thomas went through a huge emotional upheaval but the encounter with the risen Lord was not just an emotional high ground but a deep understanding of the truth of the resurrection, scripted into his character. Thomas now knew Jesus as his Lord and his God.
This is where our life is built. We must know Jesus as our Lord and our God. This is the bedrock on which our life is built. Eternal life is knowing Jesus as our Lord and our God. (John 17:3)
John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
We must know our God.
Isaiah 40:9-12 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" (10) Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. (11) He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. (12) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?
Thomas was now a man, who knew His God. Daniel 11:32b …but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
It is because of knowing the risen Christ, Doubting Thomas became the Determined Thomas. He was killed in the city of Chennai, in India, where my wife and I live (suburbs).
Thomas gave his life for us because he knew his God. Millions of us, from the Indian sub-continent, have turned to Christ because Jesus went searching for Doubting Thomas. How great is the love of God for a man who was so full of unbelief?
The Lord was moving Thomas from unbelief to belief.
Thought to ponder
A glimpse of a portion of the grand design of God is enough to blow our minds away.