1 John 3:1-6; John 20
Resurrection knowledge is built on the true belief we have in our daily
lives and surpasses it: we know the world through our resurrected Lord.
1. Once you know the Lord, you can see the world.
2. If you can’t trace what the Scripture foretold, trust its author.
The first to discover Jesus was the last one left waiting.
3. Wait on the Lord.
4. God has pursued you with his word, he pursues you with his
messengers, and he pursues you himself, the risen Lord.
Verses 19 through 23 show
-Jesus’ authority from Heaven (even over natural laws),
-his true suffering on our behalf (the nail and spear marks),
-his gifts for his people (peace and a mission),
-his sending of the Holy Spirit, and the power to forgive sins.
Thomas shows us a kind of cynical side of doubt that says “I get to set
the terms for what counts as evidence.”
5. Jesus does and will win his exceptional cases.
“A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not put out.” (Is.
42:1-3; Mt. 12:18-20).
6. Jesus is Lord and God.
The announcement of Jesus as Lord is good news to those who know him as Lamb, and the announcement of Jesus as Lamb is good news to those who know him as Lord.
As Pastor Nathan begins his first sermon series at Bat Cave Baptist, he walks us through the book of 1 John with an emphasis on love and on fellowship.