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Life After Death: Truly Alive
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus: There is true life after death when you put your trust in Jesus.
Behind Closed Doors
Help Believing
True Life after Death
Behind Closed Doors
Jesus comes behind our closed doors to strengthen us in our hour and areas of need.
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him,
“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The disciples locked themselves behind closed doors for fear of the repercussions for the years they had spent associated with the now crucified Jesus.
We don’t need to hide our discouragements, pain or struggles from God.
Jesus enters into our weakness to strengthen us and deliver us from our fears.
How so?
Publicly, Thomas would have seemed to have it all together.
He was one of Jesus’ hand-selected twelve apostles, had seen and performed signs, wonders and miracles while leading others to faith in Christ.
Yet behind closed doors, Thomas had doubts with which he needed to deal, which left unchecked could derail the rest of his life and ministry in the Lord.
Thomas’ struggle was unbelief.
Yours may be something else.
This is important because...
*What we do behind closed doors is who we truly are.
“People will eventually begin to relate with you as they do behind closed doors.”
-Rollan Fisher
*In what area of your life have you been closed off to or hiding from God?
If you’ve been wandering, now is your time to come back!
Help Believing
God grants aid to those who need help believing the good news of Jesus.
Jesus came to remind Thomas that what we see on the surface is not the whole story of what God is doing.
We don’t see it all, but the word of God gives us a picture of what God is doing behind the scenes.
Give it some time.
*If it seems like something is dead, wait three days and see what God is doing.
We can always start by receiving encouragement from the testimony of others.
You don’t have to have yet experienced something for it to be true.
The Bible records Thomas receiving the affirmation of being able to touch the wounds within Jesus’ resurrected body.
Yet are there reasons for us to believe today?
First, you need to know there are reasons to believe the Biblically recorded, historic testimony, of Jesus Christ’s sinless life, miracles, crucifixion and resurrection from the dead.
“The Old Testament records the preparation for the coming of the Messiah. The Gospels record the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. The book of Acts records the propagation of the gospel (the good news) concerning Jesus Christ. The Epistles (letters) explain the gospel and its implications for our lives. The book of Revelation anticipates and describes the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His eternal kingdom. From beginning to end, the Bible glorifies Jesus Christ and centers on Him. Its Christ-centeredness is one of its wonderful features.”
-Josh McDowell
Thus we don’t need to be rash in our decision making regarding if there is a God and, if so, who he is and what he is up to without first looking into these historic facts.
Why?
Because in the testimony of the Bible, we see that....
“there is an important difference between the apostle martyrs and those who die for their beliefs today. Modern martyrs act solely out of their trust in beliefs that others have taught them. The apostles died for holding to their own testimony that they had personally seen the risen Jesus. Contemporary martyrs die for what they believe to be true. The disciples of Jesus died for what they knew to be either true or false.”
-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus
“Historians employ a number of common-sense principles in assessing the strength of a testimony. Here are five of those principles:
1. Testimony attested to by multiple independent witnesses is usually considered stronger than the testimony of one witness.
2. Affirmation by a neutral or hostile source is usually considered stronger than affirmation from a friendly source, since bias in favor of the person or position is absent.
3. People usually don't make up details regarding a story that would tend to weaken their position.
4. Eyewitness testimony is usually considered stronger than testimony heard from a second- or thirdhand source.
5. An early testimony from very close to the event in question is usually considered more reliable than one received years after the event.”
-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus
Thus these truths need to anchor us:
1. He’s working. God is still working behind the scenes even when death has been pronounced.
2. Wait for it. I need to remember what Jesus said and wait for his appearance.
3. Why? Resurrection life is always the result when we look to Jesus.
True Life after Death
There can be true life after death for those who actively put their trust in Christ.
Part of our faith is believing the truth of who Jesus is.
The other is believing that we can be different because of that truth.
This is the power of the resurrection.
Jesus ministered this way:
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Just as Jesus lived in resurrection life with the nail holes in his hands and side, so we can live in the resurrection life of Christ despite our scars.
No matter what you’ve experienced, because of the cross of Jesus Christ, that which was your sin and shame has been paid for.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that God continually brings dead things to life.
John 20:30,31
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The clear lesson of Easter is that Jesus proved with power that He is the unique Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.
“Many people entertain the idea that Christianity, like almost any other religion, is basically a system of beliefs - you know, a set of doctrines or a code of behavior, a philosophy, an ideology.
But that's a myth.
Christianity is not at all like Buddhism or Islam or Confucianism.
The founders of those religions said (in effect), 'Here is what I teach. Believe my teachings. Follow my philosophy.' Jesus said, 'Follow me' (Matthew 9:9).
Leaders of the world's religions said, 'What do you think about what I teach?' Jesus said, 'Who do you say I am?' (Luke 9:20).”
-Josh McDowell, Don't Check Your Brains At The Door
Believe the good news of Christ’s resurrection today and experience true life after death.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2021