(Theme Song) ? Jesus is worthy ? 00:00:00.76\00:00:11.56 ? oh yes, he's worthy ? ? worthy of ? 00:00:11.56\00:00:18.03 ? all... ? (Music, singing) 00:00:18.03\00:00:22.23 I want to say hello to everyone. 00:00:22.23\00:00:24.03 Dr. Carlson P. Byrd, the Breath of Life 00:00:24.03\00:00:26.93 television ministry. 00:00:26.93\00:00:28.16 Want to welcome you to the services of the Berean 00:00:28.16\00:00:30.23 Seventh-Day Adventist Church here in Atlanta, Georgia. 00:00:30.23\00:00:32.43 And I would like to invite you now to take your Bibles and go 00:00:32.43\00:00:35.13 with me to the book of John. 00:00:35.13\00:00:36.43 What book, everybody? 00:00:36.43\00:00:37.36 John. 00:00:37.36\00:00:38.30 An And we're going to need you to 00:00:38.30\00:00:53.23 leave your Bibles open to John 20:19 and throughout the 00:00:53.23\00:00:58.36 remaining portions of the chapter because we're going to 00:00:58.36\00:01:01.73 reference this through our sermon today. 00:01:01.73\00:01:03.16 John 20:19. 00:01:03.16\00:01:07.83 If you have it, let me hear you say Amen. 00:01:07.83\00:01:11.43 Amen. 00:01:11.43\00:01:13.23 Praise be to God. 00:01:13.23\00:01:13.80 John 20:19. 00:01:13.80\00:01:14.40 The Word of God says, 'Then the same day at evening, being 00:01:14.40\00:01:20.00 the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where 00:01:20.00\00:01:23.86 the disciples were assembling for fear of the" what? 00:01:23.86\00:01:27.16 They were scared of the Jews. 00:01:27.16\00:01:28.23 'Came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, 00:01:28.23\00:01:33.56 'Peace be on thee.'" Verse 20. 00:01:33.56\00:01:37.03 'And when He had so said, He showed unto them his hands and 00:01:37.03\00:01:44.56 his side. 00:01:44.56\00:01:45.70 Then were the disciples glad." 00:01:45.70\00:01:47.16 They were glad when they saw His hands and His side and 00:01:47.16\00:01:49.00 they saw the Lord. 00:01:49.00\00:01:49.80 Verse 21, 'Then said Jesus to them again, 'Peace be unto 00:01:49.80\00:01:54.63 you. 00:01:54.63\00:01:56.90 As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' And when 00:01:56.90\00:02:01.60 He had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, 00:02:01.60\00:02:04.66 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, 00:02:04.66\00:02:10.00 they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye 00:02:10.00\00:02:13.00 retain, they are retained.'" Verse 24. 00:02:13.00\00:02:17.90 'But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was 00:02:17.90\00:02:21.86 not with them when Jesus came." Let's understand what's 00:02:21.86\00:02:25.60 going on. 00:02:25.60\00:02:26.86 Thomas was not with them when Jesus came in and said, peace 00:02:26.86\00:02:28.33 be unto you. 00:02:28.33\00:02:29.06 Verse 25. 00:02:29.06\00:02:30.00 'The other disciples therefore said unto him, 'We have seen 00:02:30.00\00:02:32.80 the Lord.' But he (meaning Thomas) said unto them, 00:02:32.80\00:02:36.90 'Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, 00:02:36.90\00:02:44.50 and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust 00:02:44.50\00:02:48.73 my hand into his side, I will not believe.' And after eight 00:02:48.73\00:02:55.63 days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: 00:02:55.63\00:02:58.73 then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the 00:02:58.73\00:03:03.40 midst, and said (Jesus said again), 'Peace be onto you.' 00:03:03.40\00:03:07.16 Then saith he to Thomas, 'Reach hither thy finger, and 00:03:07.16\00:03:15.26 behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it 00:03:15.26\00:03:18.50 into my side: and be not faithless, but believing,' And 00:03:18.50\00:03:23.83 Thomas answered and said unto him, 'My Lord and my God.' 00:03:23.83\00:03:27.20 Jesus saith unto him, 'Thomas, because thou hast seen me, 00:03:27.20\00:03:30.40 thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, 00:03:30.40\00:03:33.50 and yet have believed.' And many other signs truly did 00:03:33.50\00:03:36.83 Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not 00:03:36.83\00:03:39.40 written in this book. 00:03:39.40\00:03:40.63 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is 00:03:40.63\00:03:46.36 the" what, everybody? 00:03:46.36\00:03:47.43 'The Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might 00:03:47.43\00:03:51.90 have," what? 00:03:51.90\00:03:52.60 'Life through his name." They want to say to Thomas, 00:03:52.60\00:03:58.33 speaking on the subject, will the real you stand up? 00:03:58.33\00:04:00.50 Will the real you stand up? 00:04:00.50\00:04:02.23 Father, we thank you, God, for this day and, Lord, as we go 00:04:02.23\00:04:05.20 into your Word, Lord, we want you to let some Holy Ghost 00:04:05.20\00:04:08.46 drops now fall on each and every one of us. 00:04:08.46\00:04:11.50 Now, God, hide me behind your cross, forgive me of my sins, 00:04:11.50\00:04:13.96 and when the appeal is made today, I pray that souls will 00:04:13.96\00:04:18.23 come forward, giving their lives to thee. 00:04:18.23\00:04:21.16 Give me clarity of heart and give thy people receptivity of 00:04:21.16\00:04:24.50 heart, we pray, in Jesus' name. 00:04:24.50\00:04:27.53 Let everyone say Amen and Amen. 00:04:27.53\00:04:29.96 Will the real you stand up? 00:04:29.96\00:04:34.93 I want you to understand today that the ministry of Jesus 00:04:34.93\00:04:38.93 Christ was really a ministry that reshaped the world in 00:04:38.93\00:04:43.60 which we live, the ways in which men thought, the ways in 00:04:43.60\00:04:47.63 which men acted were all changed as a result of Jesus' 00:04:47.63\00:04:52.16 coming. 00:04:52.16\00:04:53.06 Now, Jesus didn't just come to the earth just to be coming. 00:04:53.06\00:04:57.03 If everything was all right, Jesus would not have come. 00:04:57.03\00:05:01.73 But Jesus came, the Bible says, that we might have life 00:05:01.73\00:05:04.90 and have life more abundantly. 00:05:04.90\00:05:07.40 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:05:07.40\00:05:08.70 Now, you must understand and also realize, to the natural 00:05:08.70\00:05:12.03 mind, that in the days of Jesus, Jesus was 00:05:12.03\00:05:16.23 controversial. 00:05:16.23\00:05:17.93 Jesus did things that really caused great suspicion in his 00:05:17.93\00:05:22.53 generation. 00:05:22.53\00:05:24.36 Now, Jesus is popular now, particularly among church 00:05:24.36\00:05:29.70 folk, but many times people don't appreciate who you are 00:05:29.70\00:05:33.53 until after you're gone. 00:05:33.53\00:05:35.60 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:05:35.60\00:05:37.26 Jesus was a trendsetter. 00:05:37.26\00:05:40.30 Jesus did things out of the box. 00:05:40.30\00:05:43.33 Everything about Jesus was beyond explanation. 00:05:43.33\00:05:48.13 When we look at the fact that Jesus was born, when we look 00:05:48.13\00:05:50.10 at His birth, His birth is really beyond cosmological 00:05:50.10\00:05:53.30 astrologer explanation, because the Bible says that 00:05:53.30\00:05:57.96 when He was born there was a star shone in Bethlehem and 00:05:57.96\00:06:05.73 we've never seen a star like that before and we'll never 00:06:05.73\00:06:08.46 see a star like that again. 00:06:08.46\00:06:09.76 It cannot be explained. 00:06:09.76\00:06:10.26 As a matter of fact, when we look at Jesus' birth, we look 00:06:10.26\00:06:11.90 at His relationship in age. 00:06:11.90\00:06:13.06 His age is beyond numerical explanation. 00:06:13.06\00:06:16.73 Understand that Jesus was younger and older than his 00:06:16.73\00:06:20.70 mother at the same time. 00:06:20.70\00:06:22.73 Even before Abraham was, Jesus said, I am. 00:06:22.73\00:06:26.83 Jesus, who was Abraham's seed was also Abraham's Savior. 00:06:26.83\00:06:31.76 Jesus who was David's son was also David's Lord. 00:06:31.76\00:06:36.06 Jesus who created flesh became flesh when God reversed the 00:06:36.06\00:06:41.20 beginning, when he took a motherless woman from a man in 00:06:41.20\00:06:45.00 creation, but then took a fatherless man from the body 00:06:45.00\00:06:48.60 of a woman in redemption. 00:06:48.60\00:06:52.50 Jesus was beyond numerical explanation. 00:06:52.50\00:06:55.93 But not only that, the mind of Jesus, His mind was so sharp 00:06:55.93\00:07:00.66 that it was beyond psychological and theological 00:07:00.66\00:07:02.83 explanation. 00:07:02.83\00:07:04.60 For the Bible teaches that at the age of 12 Jesus sat in the 00:07:04.60\00:07:09.10 temple with scribes and pharisees and he mysteriously 00:07:09.10\00:07:13.93 amazed them, those who had studied law, Jesus outwitted 00:07:13.93\00:07:17.73 them with His mind. 00:07:17.73\00:07:18.60 Then, when his public ministry began at the age of 30, Jesus 00:07:18.60\00:07:23.63 was still a trendsetter because Jesus could do 00:07:23.63\00:07:27.53 multiple jobs at one time. 00:07:27.53\00:07:29.66 One day He's the Red Cross shedding blood that is now 00:07:29.66\00:07:35.40 flowing in my veins. 00:07:35.40\00:07:37.30 The next day He's the lvation Army providing 00:07:37.30\00:07:40.73 shelter in time of storm. 00:07:40.73\00:07:43.16 One day He's a hematologist, the woman with the issue of 00:07:43.16\00:07:46.90 blood. 00:07:46.90\00:07:47.90 The next day He's a podiatrist, folks that were 00:07:47.90\00:07:50.63 lame are now walking again. 00:07:50.63\00:07:52.23 One day He's an oncologist, He's healing and curing cancer 00:07:52.23\00:07:57.16 and leprosy, but the next day He's an ophthalmologist, He's 00:07:57.16\00:08:01.20 giving sight to the blind. 00:08:01.20\00:08:02.90 One day He's a gynecologist, He's giving birth. 00:08:02.90\00:08:07.03 But then the next day He's a cardiologist, He's fixing and 00:08:07.03\00:08:10.53 healing broken hearts and torn lives. 00:08:10.53\00:08:13.20 Jesus was a trendsetter, which also then made Him a rule 00:08:13.20\00:08:18.43 breaker. 00:08:18.43\00:08:20.93 Jesus didn't play by the rules. 00:08:20.93\00:08:23.80 He did things that were out of bounds. 00:08:23.80\00:08:25.80 According to Roman Law in Jesus' day it was forbidden 00:08:25.80\00:08:27.93 for there to be a gathering of Jews in one place, but my 00:08:27.93\00:08:31.26 Bible teaches me that one day Jesus had five thousand men, 00:08:31.26\00:08:34.46 plus women and children, gathered on the mountainside 00:08:34.46\00:08:38.20 to hear him speak. 00:08:38.20\00:08:39.70 And a minister with power and clarity in spite of Roman Law, 00:08:39.70\00:08:43.93 Jesus not only aggravated, if you will, Roman authority, but 00:08:43.93\00:08:48.00 Jesus was a thorn in the flesh of religious Jews also. 00:08:48.00\00:08:53.23 His disciples, they ate without washing their hands, 00:08:53.23\00:08:58.10 He healed people on the Sabbath, He traveled distances 00:08:58.10\00:09:03.86 that they didn't approve of, He touched people that they 00:09:03.86\00:09:07.73 said He shouldn't touch. 00:09:07.73\00:09:09.26 But I've learned that sometimes being in the will of 00:09:09.26\00:09:13.76 God causes you to be out of the grace of people. 00:09:13.76\00:09:16.73 Jesus had thousands of people following Him while He's 00:09:16.73\00:09:22.50 healing the sick and raising the dead. 00:09:22.50\00:09:24.00 People were excited about being close to Him, being near 00:09:24.00\00:09:28.10 Him, but when trouble came they began to desert Him. 00:09:28.10\00:09:34.76 That's not strange because all of us must go through a time 00:09:34.76\00:09:38.03 in our lives where people are not with us, that those who we 00:09:38.03\00:09:43.33 thought would always be there for us, are not there for us. 00:09:43.33\00:09:47.66 Because it is then, and only then, that you start 00:09:47.66\00:09:52.33 recognizing the faithfulness of God and the frailty of men. 00:09:52.33\00:09:56.76 You see, when Jesus was arrested, apprehended, 00:09:56.76\00:10:01.06 wrongfully convicted and nailed to a cross, all of a 00:10:01.06\00:10:06.56 sudden it was no longer popular to be called 00:10:06.56\00:10:09.40 one of His disciples. 00:10:09.40\00:10:10.43 So when we step into this text there's a great deal of fear 00:10:10.43\00:10:15.90 in the room. 00:10:15.90\00:10:17.83 A great deal of controversy in the room. 00:10:17.83\00:10:21.26 And the disciples who have been used by Jesus to heal 00:10:21.26\00:10:24.33 sick people, who have been used by Jesus to teach people, 00:10:24.33\00:10:28.40 who have been sent out two by two to effectively change 00:10:28.40\00:10:31.76 cities and revolutionize the way people think, they are now 00:10:31.76\00:10:35.53 scared. 00:10:35.53\00:10:37.90 Jesus had been crucified. 00:10:37.90\00:10:40.20 He was dead and they knew He was dead. 00:10:40.20\00:10:44.30 They laid His body in the tomb, prepared Him for burial, 00:10:44.30\00:10:49.30 put Him in a tomb like a mummy. 00:10:49.30\00:10:51.63 This was supposed to be it. 00:10:51.63\00:10:54.46 They were afraid. 00:10:54.46\00:10:55.63 Many had laid down their lives, their jobs and their 00:10:55.63\00:10:57.43 careers to follow Jesus. 00:10:57.43\00:10:58.70 Many of them had withstood the controversy of their families 00:10:58.70\00:11:01.83 to follow Jesus. 00:11:01.83\00:11:02.90 They had forsaken their business affairs and all of 00:11:02.90\00:11:06.00 their routines of the day to follow Jesus. 00:11:06.00\00:11:09.23 They were so sure that He was going to set up His kingdom on 00:11:09.23\00:11:12.20 earth that there was a debate about who was going to sit on 00:11:12.20\00:11:15.13 His left side and who was going to sit on His right 00:11:15.13\00:11:18.16 side. 00:11:18.16\00:11:19.50 And all those debates became totally irrelevant now because 00:11:19.50\00:11:23.50 Jesus is dead. 00:11:23.50\00:11:25.73 There seemingly was to be no kingdom and the disciples were 00:11:25.73\00:11:28.00 locked up behind closed doors, afraid. 00:11:28.00\00:11:33.23 But then all of a sudden here comes Jesus, the Jesus they 00:11:33.23\00:11:41.16 knew or thought they knew was in the tomb. 00:11:41.16\00:11:45.73 They had rolled the stone in front of the tomb to keep Him 00:11:45.73\00:11:49.03 in the tomb and to keep anybody from taking His body 00:11:49.03\00:11:51.53 out of the tomb, this Jesus appeared in the room and 00:11:51.53\00:11:57.13 ministered a word of peace in a time of distress. 00:11:57.13\00:12:02.20 Jesus said, 'Peace be unto you." Now the disciples 00:12:02.20\00:12:07.60 epitomized fear, distrust and unease, but Jesus walked right 00:12:07.60\00:12:12.23 in and He speaks peace. 00:12:12.23\00:12:14.90 This, my friends, is representative of the 00:12:14.90\00:12:18.43 disconnect we often have with God. 00:12:18.43\00:12:21.50 Because sometimes God is saying something that is over 00:12:21.50\00:12:24.93 here while you're feeling something that is over there. 00:12:24.93\00:12:30.90 Isn't it amazing how God can talk to you about prosperity 00:12:30.90\00:12:34.96 when you're on the brink of poverty? 00:12:34.96\00:12:37.83 Isn't it interesting how God will talk to you about 00:12:37.83\00:12:41.83 ministering to somebody else's need at a time when you wish 00:12:41.83\00:12:47.06 you had somebody to minister to your needs? 00:12:47.06\00:12:50.80 Isn't it amazing how God will stand up in your life and give 00:12:50.80\00:12:54.93 you a word for somebody else while you wait patiently for a 00:12:54.93\00:12:59.16 word yourself? 00:12:59.16\00:13:01.06 And it is into this depressing, dreary, drab, 00:13:01.06\00:13:06.26 desolate and dismal environment that Jesus comes. 00:13:06.26\00:13:10.80 Let me tell you something. 00:13:10.80\00:13:12.50 It was not the disciples' faith that brought Jesus into 00:13:12.50\00:13:16.63 the room, for the Bible says they were fearful. 00:13:16.63\00:13:20.33 You don't earn God's presence just because you have faith. 00:13:20.33\00:13:25.46 Sometimes God will stop by when you are faith-less. 00:13:25.46\00:13:31.00 Fearful and intimidated, He shows up anyhow. 00:13:31.00\00:13:36.73 Have you ever gotten a blessing and you couldn't even 00:13:36.73\00:13:39.03 explain how you got the blessing? 00:13:39.03\00:13:42.00 Have you ever seen God bless you at a time in your life 00:13:42.00\00:13:45.20 that you felt less than worthy of the blessing than at any 00:13:45.20\00:13:48.60 other time in your life, but God stopped by and blessed you 00:13:48.60\00:13:52.23 anyhow? 00:13:52.23\00:13:53.70 He came to the disciples, my friends, not because they were 00:13:53.70\00:13:57.30 expecting Him but in spite of them expecting Him. 00:13:57.30\00:14:01.46 He showed up anyway and said, 'Peace be unto you." But this 00:14:01.46\00:14:07.23 sermon did not move the disciples. 00:14:07.23\00:14:12.00 The message Jesus preached did not change the disciples. 00:14:12.00\00:14:15.73 Peace be unto you did not bring them to their knees and 00:14:15.73\00:14:20.33 make them say, yes, Lord. 00:14:20.33\00:14:22.33 The Bible says He said, 'Peace be unto you." They were not 00:14:22.33\00:14:27.23 changed, the Bible teaches, until they saw His wounds. 00:14:27.23\00:14:31.76 When they saw His wounds, the Bible then teaches that they 00:14:31.76\00:14:37.16 were then glad. 00:14:37.16\00:14:39.50 Let me share this with you. 00:14:39.50\00:14:41.63 Ministry is more than messages, ministry is more 00:14:41.63\00:14:48.16 than sermons, it's more than three, four or five points. 00:14:48.16\00:14:54.83 It's more than just decibel levels, because if you're 00:14:54.83\00:14:57.93 going to shout, say something worth shouting about. 00:14:57.93\00:15:01.46 Ministry is more than just breaking down Greek or Hebrew 00:15:01.46\00:15:03.93 words. 00:15:03.93\00:15:05.56 Real ministry is when people see you get wounded, see you 00:15:05.56\00:15:10.56 get cut, see you suffer and you still rise up out of it 00:15:10.56\00:15:15.60 and you say, 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 00:15:15.60\00:15:21.83 Real ministry only happens when you get some blood on 00:15:21.83\00:15:25.73 you. 00:15:25.73\00:15:26.63 Study all you want, read all you want, but until you've 00:15:26.63\00:15:31.30 bled over what you believe, until you stood up against all 00:15:31.30\00:15:35.50 hell breaking loose in your life, then people are glad. 00:15:35.50\00:15:40.26 I don't want to hear you preach until I've seen your 00:15:40.26\00:15:43.60 scars, your wounds, your bruises, and then you bring 00:15:43.60\00:15:49.46 legitimacy to the faith and dignity to the Gospel. 00:15:49.46\00:15:53.26 When the Bible says they saw his wounds then they were 00:15:53.26\00:15:58.90 glad, let me illustrate. 00:15:58.90\00:16:01.53 When a man and a woman exchange marital vows at the 00:16:01.53\00:16:06.63 wedding altar and they say, 'I take you for better or for 00:16:06.63\00:16:11.16 worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in 00:16:11.16\00:16:14.90 health." That sounds nice and pretty. 00:16:14.90\00:16:19.76 But you know what? 00:16:19.76\00:16:21.03 It doesn't mean a thing until you've gone through some 00:16:21.03\00:16:25.60 sickness, some troubles, some turmoil and some way God 00:16:25.60\00:16:31.83 brings you back together again. 00:16:31.83\00:16:35.03 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:16:35.03\00:16:36.66 Legitimacy is proven through struggle. 00:16:36.66\00:16:41.16 You can't say you're faithful if you've never been tested. 00:16:41.16\00:16:43.90 Too many folks, I say it all the time, test a lie instead 00:16:43.90\00:16:48.83 of testify. 00:16:48.83\00:16:50.46 But you can't testify until you've been through a test. 00:16:50.46\00:16:55.00 When Jesus shows up, shows them the wounds in His side, 00:16:55.00\00:16:59.70 the nail prints in His hands, it is at that moment that the 00:16:59.70\00:17:04.13 disciples, the Bible teaches, are glad. 00:17:04.13\00:17:07.26 They are all rejoicing. 00:17:07.26\00:17:08.50 They were all excited, except one of them. 00:17:08.50\00:17:13.26 One of them wasn't there. 00:17:13.26\00:17:15.36 One of them was missing. 00:17:15.36\00:17:18.06 Now, understand, throughout His ministry Jesus had taught 00:17:18.06\00:17:23.43 the power of the set. 00:17:23.43\00:17:26.23 What do I mean? 00:17:26.23\00:17:27.23 Even though they were glad, the value of their joy could 00:17:27.23\00:17:30.56 not be complete in the absence of their brother. 00:17:30.56\00:17:34.30 Let me illustrate. 00:17:34.30\00:17:35.63 You can go to the store and buy some expensive shoes. 00:17:35.63\00:17:38.80 You pay a lot of money for them, but if you lose one of 00:17:38.80\00:17:42.00 them, the one you have left can be just as pretty as it 00:17:42.00\00:17:45.50 was before but it has no value because the other shoe is 00:17:45.50\00:17:48.83 missing. 00:17:48.83\00:17:50.80 Jesus taught the power of the set. 00:17:50.80\00:17:54.43 He said if you have 99 sheep and you know one of them is 00:17:54.43\00:17:58.23 missing, you leave the 99 and go after the one because the 00:17:58.23\00:18:03.20 power is in the set. 00:18:03.20\00:18:06.36 Now you have to remember, Bible students, they have 00:18:06.36\00:18:08.96 already lost Judas. 00:18:08.96\00:18:10.70 There's nothing that they can do with Judas. 00:18:10.70\00:18:14.10 Judas actually filled his purpose in his betrayal. 00:18:14.10\00:18:17.36 So you really can't count Judas as missing because what 00:18:17.36\00:18:20.30 he was called to do he had already done. 00:18:20.30\00:18:23.40 fulfilled the prophecy that one would betray Jesus. 00:18:23.40\00:18:27.56 Judas commits suicide. 00:18:27.56\00:18:29.46 Judas is dead and that leaves eleven disciples. 00:18:29.46\00:18:33.70 But the Bible says in the text that there are only ten 00:18:33.70\00:18:38.66 disciples in the room. 00:18:38.66\00:18:41.50 The Bible says, 'But Thomas was not there." Have you ever 00:18:41.50\00:18:48.30 been in church, have you ever been in service and looked for 00:18:48.30\00:18:52.40 somebody you were ministering to, praying with all week on 00:18:52.40\00:18:54.73 the phone, the preacher was saying exactly what they 00:18:54.73\00:18:57.93 needed to hear and you said, he or she should have been 00:18:57.93\00:19:00.90 here today. 00:19:00.90\00:19:01.90 It's a shame that folks won't be faithful because sometimes 00:19:01.90\00:19:06.23 your breakthrough is in your being faithful. 00:19:06.23\00:19:09.46 There's something you miss when you're not there. 00:19:09.46\00:19:13.66 The Bible says, 'Forsake not the assembling of yourselves 00:19:13.66\00:19:16.66 together" but so much the more as you see that they have 00:19:16.66\00:19:20.16 Jesus' coming fast approaching, because there's 00:19:20.16\00:19:22.36 something you miss when you're not there. 00:19:22.36\00:19:25.36 One word from God, I'm a witness, one word from God can 00:19:25.36\00:19:29.83 turn an entire situation around, but you can't get the 00:19:29.83\00:19:35.23 word if you're not here to receive the word. 00:19:35.23\00:19:37.86 There's a ministry of presence. 00:19:37.86\00:19:40.53 Think about it. 00:19:40.53\00:19:41.40 Suppose the woman with the issue of blood had missed the 00:19:41.40\00:19:44.10 service that day. 00:19:44.10\00:19:46.63 Suppose blind Bartimaeus had decided that he was going to 00:19:46.63\00:19:49.93 stay in the bed and he wasn't going to be sitting on the 00:19:49.93\00:19:52.56 side of the road, he would have missed the service that 00:19:52.56\00:19:54.40 day. 00:19:54.40\00:19:55.20 Suppose the lame man at the pool of Bethesda had not been 00:19:55.20\00:19:59.00 in the water that day. 00:19:59.00\00:20:02.10 Thomas was not there. 00:20:02.10\00:20:04.96 But when the disciples found him, the Bible teaches, they 00:20:04.96\00:20:07.93 came together and they were excited and they began to tell 00:20:07.93\00:20:11.36 Thomas all the things that the Lord had done. 00:20:11.36\00:20:15.93 Oh, Thomas, man, you missed it. 00:20:15.93\00:20:18.83 You should have been there. 00:20:18.83\00:20:19.80 It was incredible. 00:20:19.80\00:20:20.70 It was crazy praise. 00:20:20.70\00:20:22.36 It was awesome church. 00:20:22.36\00:20:23.83 We had praise all over the place. 00:20:23.83\00:20:25.80 Jesus showed up, Jesus Himself, Jesus was in the 00:20:25.80\00:20:29.53 room. 00:20:29.53\00:20:31.53 And you know how it is when you're excited about 00:20:31.53\00:20:33.56 something? 00:20:33.56\00:20:35.20 You want other people to be excited, too, and when you're 00:20:35.20\00:20:39.06 glad, you want other people to be glad too. 00:20:39.06\00:20:42.53 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:20:42.53\00:20:44.16 When I'm excited in Jesus, I don't know about you, but I 00:20:44.16\00:20:48.53 want to be around other folk who are excited in Jesus. 00:20:48.53\00:20:51.93 I don't like hanging around dry, dead folk. 00:20:51.93\00:20:55.56 I don't like coming to church and being around people who 00:20:55.56\00:20:59.86 are not happy in Jesus. 00:20:59.86\00:21:01.63 I refuse to be a prisoner in my own church. 00:21:01.63\00:21:05.80 Because there's something about the joy of the Lord, the 00:21:05.80\00:21:09.20 joy of the Lord is your strength. 00:21:09.20\00:21:13.10 And let me tell you something, you can't fake it. 00:21:13.10\00:21:14.60 Either you have it or you don't. 00:21:14.60\00:21:20.26 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:21:20.26\00:21:21.43 But instead Thomas, joining in the fellowship with the other 00:21:21.43\00:21:27.53 disciples, Thomas says, I'm not hearing this. 00:21:27.53\00:21:32.73 I ain't about all that. 00:21:32.73\00:21:34.43 Unless I see the nail prints of His hands and put my finger 00:21:34.43\00:21:39.66 into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his 00:21:39.66\00:21:44.33 side, I'm not hearing it. 00:21:44.33\00:21:47.50 I will not believe what I can't see. 00:21:47.50\00:21:51.30 I will not trust what I can't touch. 00:21:51.30\00:21:54.90 I will not risk what I can't count. 00:21:54.90\00:21:58.40 I'm an empiricist, I'm a scientist, I a post-modernist. 00:21:58.40\00:22:02.93 I've got to see it, feel it, taste it, touch it, try it, 00:22:02.93\00:22:06.20 handle it before I believe it. 00:22:06.20\00:22:07.76 Now remember the story. 00:22:07.76\00:22:12.13 Jesus has only 40 days to show Himself alive on earth before 00:22:12.13\00:22:16.83 His ascension back to heaven. 00:22:16.83\00:22:19.33 Jesus does not have time to waste, but yet the Bible says 00:22:19.33\00:22:23.16 that Jesus makes a second trip. 00:22:23.16\00:22:28.00 Thomas walks around with his skepticism all week long, but 00:22:28.00\00:22:34.10 eight days later, the Bible says, Jesus returned to the 00:22:34.10\00:22:39.70 same room where the disciples had gathered before, but this 00:22:39.70\00:22:44.06 time Thomas is there, and although the doors were shut, 00:22:44.06\00:22:50.93 although the doors were locked, Jesus got in the room. 00:22:50.93\00:22:56.80 You do know that Jesus doesn't care anything about closed 00:22:56.80\00:23:05.20 doors, locked doors, restrictive covenants, class 00:23:05.20\00:23:11.56 distinctions or bell curve speculations. 00:23:11.56\00:23:16.76 Jesus walked through the locked door, stood in the 00:23:16.76\00:23:20.53 middle of the room and says for the second time, 'Peace be 00:23:20.53\00:23:25.70 unto you." Now remember, the original ten disciples are 00:23:25.70\00:23:30.33 already convinced. 00:23:30.33\00:23:32.20 They're already persuaded. 00:23:32.20\00:23:34.06 They're already excited. 00:23:34.06\00:23:35.73 And Jesus Himself, follow me carefully, Jesus Himself, not 00:23:35.73\00:23:40.96 His representative, not His ambassador, not His angels, 00:23:40.96\00:23:45.03 not the royal diadem, but Jesus Himself comes back for 00:23:45.03\00:23:54.70 one person. 00:23:54.70\00:23:57.80 Now, somebody got that? 00:23:57.80\00:24:01.46 That makes me want to shout right there, because I want to 00:24:01.46\00:24:06.60 think Jesus came back just for me. 00:24:06.60\00:24:13.93 He didn't have to do it, but He came for me, in spite of my 00:24:13.93\00:24:19.13 unbelief, He came for me. 00:24:19.13\00:24:22.33 Let me call the roll today of your unbelief. 00:24:22.33\00:24:25.96 Jesus came for you. 00:24:25.96\00:24:28.66 He didn't come to Thomas because Thomas was holy. 00:24:28.66\00:24:31.63 He didn't come to Thomas because Thomas was praying. 00:24:31.63\00:24:34.06 Thomas was faith-less, the Bible says, but Jesus still 00:24:34.06\00:24:37.43 came to him. 00:24:37.43\00:24:39.56 Ah. 00:24:39.56\00:24:42.66 I wish I had a witness in this place. 00:24:42.66\00:24:45.96 I wish there was somebody in this church right now who is 00:24:45.96\00:24:48.83 grateful that Jesus came just for you. 00:24:48.83\00:24:52.40 He came and He showed up just for you. 00:24:52.40\00:24:57.36 He came, showed up. 00:24:57.36\00:25:00.10 He came through the door, appeared unto Thomas. 00:25:00.10\00:25:03.33 What does that tell me? 00:25:03.33\00:25:04.33 Well, you didn't come to Jesus, Jesus came to you. 00:25:04.33\00:25:08.23 When you couldn't come to Jesus, Jesus came to you. 00:25:08.23\00:25:12.40 When you are messed up in your mind, confused in your heart, 00:25:12.40\00:25:16.53 Jesus still came to you. 00:25:16.53\00:25:19.36 Now, let me be real right now, loosen you up a bit. 00:25:19.36\00:25:26.03 I know some of us get on your nerves because we shout too 00:25:26.03\00:25:30.40 much, holler too loud, church is too long, we wave our hands 00:25:30.40\00:25:35.90 too much, and we say Amen all the time. 00:25:35.90\00:25:39.33 But the reason why we are so demonstrative in our praise 00:25:39.33\00:25:43.00 and worship is because when I look back over where I was and 00:25:43.00\00:25:47.63 to think that Jesus would come and get me. 00:25:47.63\00:25:54.53 I don't mean to get on your nerves, but I've got to thank 00:25:54.53\00:25:56.83 Him. 00:25:56.83\00:25:57.83 I don't mean to ruffle your feathers, but I've got to 00:25:57.83\00:25:59.93 worship Him. 00:25:59.93\00:26:01.06 I know you may not be used to it, but I've got to magnify 00:26:01.06\00:26:04.20 Him because Jesus came just for me. 00:26:04.20\00:26:10.46 PB: Be sure to join us again next week as we continue to 00:26:10.46\00:26:14.30 explore the Word of God. 00:26:14.30\00:26:16.00 Remember, God's got a Word just for you from his Holy 00:26:16.00\00:26:20.26 Bible. 00:26:20.26\00:26:21.63 Also, I'd like to invite you to become a Breath of Life 00:26:21.63\00:26:24.10 television ministry partner. 00:26:24.10\00:26:25.50 How can you become a partner? 00:26:25.50\00:26:27.56 Just give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:26:27.56\00:26:41.03 If you would like to write us you may do that as well. 00:26:41.03\00:26:45.53 The address is shown on your screen and we'd love to hear 00:26:45.53\00:26:48.40 from you. 00:26:48.40\00:26:52.33 Finally, you may reach us by logging onto our website, at 00:26:52.33\00:26:55.30 www.breathoflife.tv. 00:26:55.30\00:27:00.26 Again, thank you for tuning in. 00:27:00.26\00:27:05.96 We look forward to seeing you again next week. 00:27:05.96\00:27:08.00 May God continue to bless you. 00:27:08.00\00:27:10.60 >: Two thousand years ago Jesus did something especially 00:27:10.60\00:27:14.13 for you. 00:27:14.13\00:27:15.40 He died on the cross of Calvary. 00:27:15.40\00:27:18.13 That day you were on His mind. 00:27:18.13\00:27:20.63 Our offer this week is Max Lucado's 'He Did This Just for 00:27:20.63\00:27:24.36 You." This easy to read, inspirational book reveals 00:27:24.36\00:27:26.93 what God did to win your heart. 00:27:26.93\00:27:30.56 Let Max Lucado beautifully lay out the way home to our 00:27:30.56\00:27:34.26 heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 00:27:34.26\00:27:37.60 Call today and ask for 'He Did This Just for You." It's yours 00:27:37.60\00:27:41.10 for a gift of $5 or more. 00:27:41.10\00:27:43.06 The toll free number is 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:27:43.06\00:27:46.23 That's 877-265-6333. 00:27:46.23\00:27:49.03 Or you may write to Breath of Life, Box 340, Newbury Park, 00:27:49.03\00:27:54.26 CA 91319. 00:27:54.26\00:27:58.06 Remember to include your gift of $5 or more. 00:27:58.06\00:28:01.43 Get up close and personal with a passion and promise of 00:28:01.43\00:28:04.53 God Almighty in 'He Did This Just for You." 00:28:04.53\00:28:10.70 (music) PB: Jesus never called Thomas 00:28:10.70\00:28:15.06 'Doubting Thomas." 00:28:15.06\00:28:19.06 God wants you. 00:28:19.06\00:28:22.50 You ought to rejoice over what God is Getting ready to do. 00:28:22.50\00:28:30.00