[Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for 2 Easter - John 20:19-29 - Part 3

[Joe Parrish]

 ...theologian Henry Drummond ...            makes a distinction between a doubter and an unbeliever. I have            found his distinction between a doubter and unbeliever helpful and I            hope this distinction may be helpful to your life as well. Let me            explain. A doubter is a person who searches for God and the godly            life; the person is on a journey, a quest, a search to find God and            the love of God. Not an unbeliever. An unbeliever isn’t searching            for God but for the pleasures of this world. An unbeliever is not            searching for God or the god question or the love of God but for            situations in life which will bring happiness. A doubter is a person            who has a thousand questions for God; questions about life, love,            God’s existence, purpose, the divinity of Christ and many other            questions. No the unbeliever. An unbeliever isn’t asking questions            about God, the divine dimension. The unbeliever is apathetic to God            and the God question does not really come up in his or her daily            life. A doubter struggles with God and struggles to live a godly            life and struggles to find the purpose of life, but not an            unbeliever. An unbeliever simply struggles to pay the bills, find a            spouse, find a job, find a house. That is all. And so there is an            enormous difference between an honest and questioning doubter and a            secularized unbeliever who does not struggle with the God question            and the divine dimensions of life.


http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_c_thomas_the_doubter.htm

Edward Markquart
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In the first incident,    Lazarus has died and Jesus says to his disciples, "Lazarus has fallen    asleep," and then states, "I am going to wake Lazarus up,"    The disciples don't get it. Lazarus will be okay if he's sleeping they say. "No...    Lazarus is dead," Jesus explains. 
    Then comes this incredibly    revealing comment from Thomas, "Let us also go," he says to his    colleagues, "that we may die with him." In other words, if Jesus is    going to go and join Lazarus in death, then Thomas is ready to go with him. While our    knowledge of Thomas is limited, we do know this one thing. Thomas had so invested his life    in Jesus that he was willing to follow him into death if that's what it took to be near    him! Jesus had become the hub around which Thomas' life revolved.

http://www.lectionarysermons.com/pieces1.html

John Jewell,     2000
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We as people of faith often do not realize the Lord wants us to experience his aliveness through the medium of believing his existence within us in our daily experiences. Not just believing his existence with us, but also believing his aliveness for our good as we live our lives. Sometimes we are guilty of thinking God, thinking Jesus, but we fail to open ourselves up to this aliveness of Jesus by believing. Let me share with you the power of this aliveness believing.
Madame C. J. Walker, who was born Sarah Breedlove, in Delta, Louisiana, became America's first black millionaire. She defied the odds of her state of existence. She was illiterate but eventually developed a business that influenced the world's hair products. Madame Walker's husband was killed when she was 20. As a single parent she raised her two-year old daughter. She could not read or write during this period of her life. At a point in her life she found herself going bald. She prayed to the Lord to save her hair. Ingredients to make a formula appeared to her in a dream. She understood her dream to be evidence that the Lord was alive in her experience and guiding her. Through her belief in the Lord's presence, she became successful.
Now, you may think that a silly thing to do: Pray for God to save your hair. But the Lord honored that simple belief. From that simple belief, Madame Walker experienced the reality of the Lord's aliveness in her life. Because of this experience, she went ahead to produce hair products and methods that contributed to the development of the whole hair product industry.

http://day1.org/633-experiencing_jesus_aliveness_through_believing

Isaiah Jones Jr., 2001
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