Last Sunday, we began this series of messages titled 2025: A Year to Find Your Purpose. Last week I spoke on focusing on one area of your life that is keeping you from your God-ordained purpose and then encouraged each of us to ask God to renew in us the right spirit and give us a vision for that purpose.
Today, I ask you to turn with me to the Gospel of John, the 20th chapter. Let me say that we all know there is only One Gospel, but 4 Gospel messengers. Matthew, Mark and Luke are what are known as Synoptic Gospels, because they are similar in style, and then John is completely different than the other three. John explains to us Jesus as the Son of God, and then proceeds to explain John 1:1 through the remainder of the Book. And he paints for us various portraits of Jesus in our minds and hearts as the Living Word of God.
John finishes the Book with these words, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25). What John was saying is, “I’ve tried the very best I could to explain John 1:1 to you, but if I had 50 more years, I couldn’t begin to exhaust all there is to say about Jesus.
But in John 20, John tells us why he writes what he writes. In John 20:31, now this isn’t our text verse for the day, but it will get us to where we are going, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” So, John is saying very plainly that the reason he is writing is simply so that you and I will believe.
Truth is, I don’t believe there is a worse sin than the sin of unbelief. And the easiest way to limit God’s potential in your life to simply to not believe. The title for the message today is this, “Don’t Miss Your God Ordained Purpose.” And listen, the only reason you will miss it is simply because you don’t believe.
John 20:24 says, “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.” DON’T MISS YOUR GOD-ORDAINED PURPOSE. Because if you miss it, it may not come this way again. But more importantly, don’t miss Him, because if you miss Him, you will miss everything you need.
Let me preface my message this morning by making a plug for why you should go to church. Look at verse 19 of John 20, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”
Let me read that again. Can somebody tell me what the first day of the week is? SUNDAY.
So, the first day of the week, Jesus shows up. Now listen, I know that God can show up anywhere that He wants to, any time that He wants to.
- He showed up with me in my truck.
- He showed up with me while riding my motorcycle.
- He has shown up with me in a hospital room.
- He shows up with me in the grocery store.
But it doesn’t happen every day. It doesn’t happen every time I get in my truck, it doesn’t happen every time I ride my motorcycle, it doesn’t happen every time I visit the hospital or walk through the grocery store. BUT IT DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERYTIME.
But there is one place I can guarantee you that He shows up EVERY SINGLE TIME – whether we see Him or not. And that place is “On the first day of the week,” where the Bible says, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
They were assembling on the first day of the week – then came Jesus! Sounds a lot like church to me.
So, why do we need Church on Sunday? 1. Because we don’t know it all, but more importantly, 2. That’s where He is going to be! And listen, I don’t won’t to miss that.
Do you know who missed it? Thomas missed it. Verse 24 says Thomas was not with them “when Jesus Came.” And folks, I don’t won’t to miss when Jesus comes.
We could give a lot of reasons why Thomas didn’t come. We could say he had family over; we could say the weather was too bad, We could say he was on vacation, But the truth is, we don’t know why he didn’t come, all we know is that Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus came.
Now let me give you the setting for this text. Jesus has risen from the dead. He has shown Himself to some people. We know that according to verse 19 that on the first day of the week at evening – or in modern English – “On Sunday Evening.” His closest followers are locked up in a room somewhere. They aren’t having a Watch Night Service; they aren’t having coffee and donuts; they aren’t watching the Super Bowl – they are running for their lives. Because in their minds, if they killed our leader, they would surely kill us.
So, here they are in a room, and out of nowhere, at their darkest hour – Jesus shows up! But there were only 10. We know that Judas has already betrayed Christ and taken his own life. And according to our text, Thomas wasn’t there.
Though the Scriptures never refer to Thomas as “doubting Thomas,” but we’ll put that in there as a reason he wasn’t there, because we know he surely doubted – just like we all do at times. Maybe he wasn’t there because he said, “You know what, he told us he was going to rise again, but I haven’t seen Him, so I’m just going to stay home – I don’t have anything better to do.”
Truth is, there is no reason to debate WHY he wasn’t there, the fact of the matter is HE WASN’T THERE – HE MISSED IT. And what did Thomas miss?
THE FIRST THING HE MISSED WAS PEACE (v.19)
When he wasn’t there where his friends were assembled, when Jesus came – HE MISSED PEACE. Will preacher, how do you get that? Look what Jesus said in verse 19, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”
Folks, there is no greater joy than laying your head down at night knowing that you have peace with God, peace with each other and peace with yourself. I’m telling you, I don’t won’t to miss that.
Listen to me, when you miss coming to church, not because you are sick or have something you simply can’t avoid, but you miss because you are too lazy or unconcerned about your life, then you miss the peace God intended for your life.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss the peace God has for my life. Thomas missed his opportunity to have peace.
Not only did Thomas miss Peace,
THOMAS ALSO MISS PROOF (v.20a)
“And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side . . .”
Jesus was saying, “Just in case you need proof that I am who I say I am, look at my hands and my side.”
Thomas doubted it, and because he did, he missed the opportunity to see the proof of the Risen Savior.
I said at the beginning that I have felt God’s presence in my car, on my motorcycle, in the grocery store. Some of you have mentioned feeling God’s presence in a deer stand – listen God can show-up anywhere at anytime of His choosing, though He doesn’t always, HE CAN. But the one place He is definitely going to be is at the Church house, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see God show up and prove Himself to our folks.
Well how Is God going to prove Himself here? You’re the proof.
- You’re the proof that God is a healer.
- You’re the proof that God is a God of peace.
- You’re the proof God is in the life saving and life changing business.
You are the proof. Man, I don’t want to miss when God proves Himself in somebodies’ life.
Thomas missed the peace; he missed the proof.
THOMAS ALSO MISSED PRAISE (v.20b)
“. . . then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD.”
The word glad in the Greek language means to “rejoice exceedingly.” I just have a feeling that when Jesus showed up in that locked room with His disciples, I just don’t think they said in a monotone voice “Well glory to God, Praise Jesus.”
No friend, the Bible said they rejoiced exceedingly because Jesus said, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” And folks, the least that we can do for the God that has shown up in our lives time and time again is to rejoice in Him exceedingly. I have often said, “If God doesn’t do another thing for me in this life, He has already done more than I deserve.” I like what the old Preacher Maze Jackson once said, “I don’t shout every time I go to church – BUT I’M LIABLE TOO!”
Thomas missed the Praise, and he missed the Peace and the Proof.
BUT THOMAS ALSO MISSED HIS PURPOSE (v.21)
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
Jesus gave the 10 a PURPOSE. Thomas wasn’t there to receive that purpose, but Jesus gave it to the 10 that showed up.
I think we all, as the children of God really want to know the will of God for our lives, to know God’s purpose for our lives. Wouldn’t you agree with that? Yet, it seems to me that we’d much rather being doing anything other than going to the House of God.
I can’t help but to think, “If God can’t trust you in the little things, what makes you think He’s going to trust you in the big things?” If He can’t get us to “Thrust out into the shallows waters,” He’s never going to “launch us into the deep waters.”
Seems to me there are way too many people trying to find the will of God for their lives based off of the feelings, or their pride, or on what somebody else has told them to do rather than relying on the Spirit of God to guide their steps.
“Preacher why is that so important?” Because sometimes, and I’m speaking for me, when I’m riding down the road, and I feel like a total failure, when I feel like the message I delivered the worst message I could possibly deliver and I feel like quitting and giving up, the Holy Spirit of God seems to show up and say “Preach the Word, Be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” Joe – “Do all things without murmurings and disputing’s that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the mist of a crooked and perverse nations, among whom you are to shine as lights. Holding forth the word of God, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ. That I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.”
Folks, what I’m saying is that nothing will carry you through the difficult times of your life quite like knowing God’s purpose for your life. And I don’t want to miss God’s purpose for my life!
Thomas missed his Purpose, he missed the Praise and he missed the Peace and he missed the Proof,
FINALLY, HE MISSED THE POWER (v.22)
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”
Why was that important? It was important because it was the breath of God, the infilling of the Holy Spirit of God, they were going to need to turn their world upside down for the cause of Christ.
And Thomas wasn’t there.
Folks, if we are going to turn our world upside down for the cause of Christ, we are going to need God to breathe on us, we are going to need the Holy Spirit of God living in us. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss it!
Fighting for My Pea Patch 