“Friend, why is it some people believe the Gospel of Christ, and yet others having the same information do not? Why is it that many today say they cannot believe in Christ, for they do not have enough information”?

Well, the answers to these and some similar questions will be addressed on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast just ahead. So stay tuned….

…My message today is entitled: EMPIRICISM!  What is empiricism? Well, the dictionary defines it as "the view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge." You see many today are abiding in this camp. For them to believe anything, it must be substantiated by some tangible and or touchable experience. Perhaps this is why many today find it difficult to believe in the Christian faith. Maybe I'm talking today to someone who shares this concept, and as such finds it difficult to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If so, I've got good news for you, for today we are going to look at the first century's greatest empiricist ¾  an apostle named Thomas. But before we get down to this message, let pause one more time to hear this delightful music, after which I'll return to open the Bible to study this New Testament fellow named Thomas. Stay tuned…

…Of all the twelve apostles who followed Jesus, I think Thomas is one of the most interesting of all. Although not much is said of him, we do have enough reference in the four gospels to give us a pretty good glimpse into the man's character and walk with Christ. Of course, most of us have heard the expression, "he's a doubting Thomas!" Yet, many don't know where that comes from. That expression comes from the great statement of Thomas, the Lord's apostle, who declared his great unbelief upon hearing of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now it all began when Thomas, among the other twelve, was hand picked by Jesus to be one of His special disciples. Although glimpses of Thomas are brief, the Bible tells us about his background. The apostle Thomas was also known as Didymus, his Greek name which means "twin." We don't know who his twin was, but it may be some of us listening might fall into this category when we learn about his stubbornness to believe in the Savior. Thomas was indeed a strong and courageous man. But he was also an inquisitive and incredulous man, which earned him the title "Thomas the Doubter." Because of his hesitancy in accepting the testimony of the apostles as to the resurrection of Christ, Thomas has come down through the centuries as a typical pessimist and skeptic. But the question I ask is ¾ was he an habitual doubter, a true skeptic? From my studies of Thomas I must say no. However, empiricism is still alive and well today and as such I want to examine Thomas' reluctance to believe in the resurrection of Christ. Let's read the text that leads up to his doubting confession.

John 20:19-23 ( NIV )  “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them [disciples]  and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.””

It was a glorious moment for the Lord's disciples. They had pondered the events of the past days and wondered what would happen to their Lord now that He was crucified and dead. Yet, news quickly sprang forth that Jesus was ALIVE, and that He was seeking His disciples to meet with them and tell them personally this Good News! So the glorious moment came as the disciples met for worship and prayer. All of sudden, as if out of nowhere, Jesus appears in their midst!  Verse 26 tells us this appearance was abrupt and instantaneous.  Henry Morris writes about this in his study Bible and commentary:

"Even though Christ's resurrected body was a physical body (He could be touched, still had the wounds, and could eat), it was no longer subject to the physical constraints on our present bodies (gravitational forces, electromagnetic forces). For example, he could pass through locked doors, and travel swiftly from earth to heaven and back. Our future resurrected bodies will be like His in such characteristics (Philippians 3:20 ,21; 1 John 3:2 )."

So, here indeed their leader instantly appeared, whom they loved, but now alive and well. In fact, to prove that this was really Jesus, He showed them his nail pierced hands and riven side. Oh, what joy filled their hearts. Their faith although weak and tried, was now confirmed and fulfilled. Jesus Christ had indeed risen from the grave and was now alive forevermore! However, not all were rejoicing. For there was one other living disciple who was not there at that important worship service. This was Thomas the apostle. Now no one knows why Thomas was absent. But one thing is sure; he "missed" the most important meeting for worship and fellowship. Herein is an example and application all believers mustn't pass by. Thomas being absent from the fellowship of worship, was the one who suffered the greatest loss. Because he wasn't there, he missed seeing and fellowshipping with Jesus Christ, hearing His words of comfort and peace, and most important of all, experiencing His commission and the bestowment of the gift of spiritual life. As such, the week ahead for Thomas was not one of joy and peace, but one of fear and unbelief. Yes my friend, if you are a believer remember Thomas and his staying away from the fellowship of the saints ¾ it caused him to suffer a great loss and sorrow. For the Bible commands ever believer,

Hebrews 10:22-25 ( NIV )  “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Now in this light, Thomas gives us some very practical lessons of philosophical and religious life. For here we can find THREE BARRIERS TO AN ABIDING AND DYNAMIC FAITH. Let's look at them now. The first barrier to an abiding faith I see in Thomas, that is common in many today is…

#1 THE BARRIER OF IGNORANCE  

One of the reasons Thomas was slow to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ was,  he didn't have all the evidence! Indeed, all the disciples to a point were skeptical about the resurrection. Contrary to skeptics today, the apostles were not milquetoast followers, who were gullible stupid men who believed anything that came their way. Rather, they all wanted proof before they would give their lives unto death, to follow the crucified Christ.  So the Lord personally appeared to them to establish clear witness and verifiable proof of His resurrection unto life. So when the disciples who met with the Lord Jesus saw Him alive and well ¾ they rejoiced as their hearts were gladdened by His presence and fulfillment of His promise to rise from the dead. But, as out text reminds us,

John 20:24 ( NIV )  Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

Poor Thomas, so doubting the resurrection, perhaps refused to meet with the disciples. In staying away from worship that Sunday, he spent a whole week in doubt, fear, and unbelief because he denied himself the "evidence" of the resurrection. Yes, he remained ignorant of its very fact. There are many such Thomas' with us today. They say they can't believe, but the real fact is they can't, not because there isn't evidence, but they have foolishly kept themselves in ignorance of it. The Bible says,

Romans 10:17 ( NIV )  “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

If anyone really wants to know if Jesus Christ is indeed the resurrected and living God, all they first need to do is confront themselves with the massive evidence through reading and hearing the Word of God preached unto them.  Now Thomas is perhaps the patron saint of a whole generation of doubters who have systematically "detached" themselves from the believing life changed community, and as such they have not the necessary available information that will bring them to the same place of a sure faith in Christ. However, the truth is the honest searcher will seek faith where other people have found it ¾ in the Bible and the local Bible-believing church where it is taught and preached.

Now the second barrier to faith Thomas suffered and others today do likewise is …

#2 THE BARRIER OF CYNICISM

Thomas was probably from the state of Missouri , the "show me" state. Now don't get me wrong, Missouri is a beautiful state, and so are its people. Three of my youngest children attended college at Baptist Bible College in Springfield , MO. I love Missouri and savored every time I visited there. But the expression has come down today that says Missourians are often cynical and require proof and facts before they are willing to believe or accept anything. Now of course, all of us need a healthy dose of cynicism. But we can carry this too far as perhaps Thomas did. Now, what do we know about his cynicism? Well let's read two portions of Scripture and find out about it...

John 11:16 ( NIV )  “Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go,[ Jerusalem ]  that we may die with him [Jesus].””

John 14:5 ( NIV )  “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?””

In the first passage, note that Thomas was the "only" disciple who was willing to follow the Lord to a most dangerous place, He intended, indeed he was willing to die with Christ if necessary to faithfully follow Him. Yet, this statement of Thomas in response to Jesus' request to go to Jerusalem revealed an element of skepticism too -- fearing the worst that they would all die following Jesus there, Thomas just blurts out his cynicism! In the second verse, it was only Thomas who was publicly willing to express his inner doubts and failure to understand what Jesus was talking about when He said He was going away. The other disciples kept quiet, and pretended to understand. But Thomas was a good skeptic and didn’t hide his fears, and cynicism. Like Thomas, it is harder for some folks to believe than others. They are often by nature cynical and skeptical, and just need encouragement and some facts to believe something and follow it. 

Sometimes life itself deals out severe blows that cause such negativism. We discover the Lord never rebuked Thomas for being cynical. Yet, we can carry it too far, if we refuse to allow the clouds of cynicism to be blown away by the truth of God found in the Word of God. For Thomas, when He saw the truth hr didn't hold back. He responded by falling to his knees before all the others and confessing Christ as His Savior and Lord God.

Now, this brings me to the third barrier to faith, perhaps the most common today. It is called …

#3 THE BARRIER OF EMPIRICISM

Now remember the meaning of this word. It refers to people who only will believe something if it can touch their senses, if they can "see" it themselves. This is Thomas. Notice the Bible records this…

John 20:25 ( NIV )  “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.””

Here Thomas stubbornly stands in unbelief. He says, "I will not believe." As such, he is a fitting model of our times. Since God cannot be "seen" or "heard" or "touched," some people are slow to acknowledge Christ's resurrection and eternal existence. Unless their senses can respond, they will not. Unfortunately, as a result a great portion of the believing church resorts to seeking sensual evidence of Christ. They look for some physical, psychological or emotional experience to verify the reality of faith. Miracles, signs and wonders are sought out today, before a multitude can accept the Gospel, or even continue to believe it. Yet Jesus has something to say to all who do. You see after Thomas met with the disciples on the Lord's Day for the fellowship of worship, Jesus again appeared to them. Listen to the written text,

John 20:26-29 ( NIV )  “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!”

Thomas although a doubter, was not a fake or false skeptic, as many unbelievers are these days. When the evidence was truly presented to him, he believed with all his heart and gave his life to Christ as his Lord and God. Many are afraid today to do that because they know that when the evidence is adequately presented they will have to change or it will expose that they are simply rebellious rejecters. Since such people are false doubters and skeptics, they hide behind this so they can continue to be rebel against God and His Word. Oh, I hope you're not one of them, friend, for a fearful looking for of judgment awaits all those who are, false skeptics. Now notice the last verse that records Jesus' words.

John20:29 - "Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””

You see by the time John wrote this gospel the apostolic age was about over. The visible appearances of the Lord had long since ceased, the miraculous display of power through the apostles had faded. In its place, faith had to replace sight. Indeed, the "Sign Miracles," so many foolishly look for today had ceased as their purpose was fulfilled ¾ the Word of God had been fully established, as were the testimonies of those who had seen the resurrected and living Christ. And friend, it has been like that since. Jesus said "blessed are all who believe who have not seen." Those today who crave miracles, who need to have their senses stirred, do not honor the Lord's prediction and desire for the Church Age. This is not the age of miracles but one of faith, not sight. Those who promote the miraculous do so in perilous and dangerous ways. Satan is all to accommodating to give your senses that feely, touchy experience that ultimately leads you away from sound truth and unwavering light.

Yet Thomas was to proclaim the mighty new revelation of God's Word. He like the other apostles, were the foundational representatives that needed first hand acknowledgement of truth. For from their witness together, and the faithfully completed Word of God all today have enough evidence to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He rose from the dead as our Lord and Savior, without tangible flesh and blood evidence that touches our senses.

Friend so much of life lies beyond our senses. For instance no one has ever felt a "truth," nor smelled an "idea," nor put a "finger" on a thought. Yet, all these things are real and touch our lives greatly.

So friend I must ask you now do you have faith in Christ. Have you so believed? Spiritual realities are indeed real, and they do not need the senses to verify them. They can easily be verified in the heart. I've never seen Jesus Christ with my eyes, I've never heard Him directly speak to me. I've never felt or touched His body ¾  but I know deep down inside Jesus is real, and He is with me always. My heart, my mind, and all my emotions and even my will have all been "touched" by the power of the Gospel, and it has changed my life and millions of others can testify likewise! So, Thomas' confession of faith says it all. When He saw Jesus alive, he never put his finger in the riven side nor nail-scarred hands. Rather, he just fell to his face before all, and cried out "My Lord and my God!" Friend, that is what faith will do for all.

I trust you've given yourself ample opportunity to hear God's truth, to experience the fellowship of true born-again changed life believers, and that you have personally taken Christ as your Savior and Lord --  for remember the words of Jesus who said, "blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29). Oh, may God grant each and everyone of you who are listening, such an abiding faith now and forever more…

…Empiricism, its popular today, but foolish when it comes to things outside the earthy and temporal. Billions of people down through the ages have trusted Christ as their Savor simply based on the teachings and truths of the Gospel recorded and declared in God's Word. The Bible promises all who will hear, faith to believe, power to receive, and joy and peace to behold and embrace throughout all of life ¾ and, this is available to everyone who comes to God asking Him to save them from their sins. Friend, don’t delay the Bible warns, "now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time."   For all those who "fail to believe," the next step is to be lost for all eternity in a place called Hell. God forbid you'll go there because of ignorance or stubborn cynicism and of course the great sin of empiricism!

---

·         Radio talk # 4106

·         Broadcast date: October 08, 2006

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 60033 Grand Junction, CO 81506

---

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 24 years, and serves as General Director.

* These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual audio radio messages on CD's, and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.

---

Want to Help?

If you've been blessed and encouraged by these messages, you can help keep them on the Internet. Below is a secure link to PayPal, a way to donate through the Internet to this Christian Radio Broadcast. We are a faith ministry depending totally upon the love gifts of friends like you. Please consider a donation today of any amount. Or you can use the snail mail address at bottom left to write to us. God bless you.

---

* DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ - By printing, downloading, or using you agree to our full terms. Review the full terms at the following URL: http://www.wwy.org/disclaimer.htm. Below is a summary of some of the terms. If you do not agree to the full terms, do not use our information. We only publish the talks of Dennis L. Finnan, who does not claim to be an author but a compiler of related information. Such information may have errors or in time be outdated. Some information is from historical, spiritual and biblical sources or represents opinions of the author. It is for edification and research purposes only. The information is "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. We are not liable for any consequential, incidental, indirect, or special damages. You indemnify the World, the Word & You! and Dennis L. Finnan for all claims caused by you and your use of these articles.

Visit us at our radio website:  www.wwy.org