John 20:24-29 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was
not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have
seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His
side, I will not believe.” And after
eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came,
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace
to you!” 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.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my
God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because
you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Last week, Pastor Kyle
preached on Sunday that scars; all of us have one or two. In a way, they are
tattoos that God gives us as reminders. He stated that scars tell stories,
proving that something happened. Jesus’ nail scars from His crucifixion are a
reminder to us of our atonement and forgiveness in resurrection life, to serve
and follow.
Romans 10:8- 9 But what
does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that
is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your
mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved.
Christ’s scars prove who He
is … the Savior of the world. The Cross of Calvary is the ultimate image of
what God went through and where all the power in life comes from … nails and
scars. There is divine peace and soul gladness in His scars.
Acts 3:19 “Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
Jesus’ scars constantly
reaffirm His love and commitment to us. The foundational truth of our redeeming
redemption must be revisited when we are downcast, because the realization of
the love of God and His commitment to His children in the grand scheme of life,
help get us through issues of the day.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I
delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He
rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Jesus’ scars remind us of
our need for forgiveness. In our most honest moments, even if those moments
only occur when no one else is around, even the most vocal opponent of
Christianity knows they are guilty. In presenting the gospel and defending
the faith, ask people what they do with their guilt. Romans 3:23-24 tells us, “For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” There is nothing more important than finding forgiveness
and the Christian faith alone offers a way to experience true forgiveness
from God.
Jesus’ scars empower and
push us into our God-given callings. God wants the whole world to accept Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord to be forgiven. We need to go out and practice the
ministry of reconciliation as redeemed children of God, participating in godly
ministry in proclaiming the gospel of salvation. Lastly, Jesus’ scars confirm
that no matter how ugly things get, there’s always a greater hope. Isaiah
53:5 foretells of Christ, “He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are
healed.” His scars trigger hope; not pain. The cross stands as a symbol of
hope.
In Christ, Brian
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