Behind Closed Doors
Scripture References
Acts 4:32-35
They Had Everything in Common
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
1 John 1:1-2:2
The Word of Life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our[1] joy may be complete.
Walking in the Light
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Christ Our Advocate
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 20:19-31
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 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,[3] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus and Thomas
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,[4] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.” 26 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.” 27 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 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.
Sermon Script
He is Risen! Alleluia Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my strength and redeemer. Amen.
Alleluia, He is Risen (He is risen indeed Alleluia!)
Praise the Lord… He is risen indeed, the very reason we are here today, a week after Easter, where we just celebrated what the angel at the tomb had said, “He is not here; He has risen…” That is the Easter story… and thus was our anticipation throughout the entire Lenten season… However, as you are aware, that celebration is now behind us. Thus, we are left with these questions… What do we do now with this great news? What doors does Jesus’ resurrection open…?
Behind Closed Doors
Scripture defines many doors. There is the door of the Ark, the Passover door, the Temple door, the Shepherds door… But the door Jesus left wide open and the reason we shout “Alleluia” is because of His ascension into Heaven at Easter… The doors of death were opened…. So were the doors of heaven… Alleluia…
Literally or figuratively speaking, we daily encounter many doors. I’m sure you passed through a few when you were getting around this morning.
You would have to either stay in bed or be quite creative to make it an entire day without going through a door… Now how many of these doors are kept locked? Today in the Gospel of John we are confronted with doors that are closed and locked. Do you feel more secure if you lock any of your doors?
The narrative in the Gospel of John 20 said the disciples closed and locked their doors for the security against the hostile Jews. In their mind, they were on an emotional rollercoaster from the previous weeks of betrayal, denial, Jesus’ trial, the crucifixion, and then the burial of their teacher and close friend whom they loved and followed for three years… And now these eyewitnesses tell them that He has risen from the dead… Processing all these events and fearful that they would be exposed and persecuted themselves for just being on this rollercoaster, they closed and locked their doors.
Rollercoaster
Speaking of rollercoasters, have you ever been on one? I can remember the thrill of the sharp turns and twists. Then the cars suddenly slow down as you start that steep climb to the top. Chains clattering as the cars slowly get higher and higher. My heart pounding from the anticipation of what is to come. The peak is finally reached… and never have I been so close to heaven… Then suddenly emotions were released from the depths of my soul. Simultaneous screams of excitement, exhilaration, and fear. White knuckles from hanging on, daring to wave them in the air like other passengers. As this ride neared its end … I released the air that had been captive in my lungs… “Alleluia.”
With some level of imagination, this could describe many of our spiritual rides. It seems Lent is a time where we can find ourselves on a rollercoaster… Like the disciples, we followed Jesus’ ministry to the cross. We too, through scripture, are then told by eyewitnesses that Jesus defeated death and opened the door to Heaven. The very reason we proclaim, “He is risen!” But as the Easter joy wanes, the “Alleluia” at times, can get muted behind our closed doors. In daily Christian living, we must ask ourselves… Am I living in the freedom and joy of the resurrection or behind locked doors of my struggles, my heartaches, or my wondering mind?
For many Christians, the resurrection in the Easter story is at the peak of their spiritual rollercoaster, and everything is downhill from there until Christmas. Could it be that the air we let out of our lungs on Easter morning… be the last alleluia of the year? What is it that makes our life different one week after Easter?
Doors the Resurrection Open
Let’s reflect on the Gospel lesson today in John 20, where we are told about the Disciples emotional rollercoaster and Thomas’s personal experience with Jesus.
Their life looked much different one week after Easter. Even though most of the disciples saw Jesus appear to them behind locked doors on the prior Monday, Jesus shows up again eight days later. This is when Thomas was present and that is who Jesus give His undivided attention. Being omniscient as He was, Jesus knew Thomas was having doubts… “Touch me!” He tells him. Jesus confronted Thomas, addressed his doubts, showed him His pierced side, and said, “Stop doubting and believe.”
What strikes me the most about Thomas’s story is not that he doubted, but that he did so boldly amongst his faithful friends, without shame or guilt. And then what makes it better is Jesus’ response that met Thomas right where he was at. Freely and willingly offering to him what doors the resurrection opened… Jesus then says to Thomas and all who are behind those same doors of Christianity, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”
So, what would you say you believe? That can be a pretty wide door in today’s religious realm. Let’s just say that for now we will recite the Apostles Creed after this sermon, that is what we believe. But looking beyond that, as Christians, we should include loving one another, turning the other cheek, creating a new identity in Christ, and many other things we know and learn from scripture… John then goes on to say in verse 31, “these are written so that you may believe.” And we do, and for that we shall remain grateful.
But just like that rollercoaster experience… I could write down or tell you what it is like to get on that ride, and you will probably believe me. That by example is the “He is risen indeed” portion of our Easter story… But you need to experience the thrill of that rollercoaster for yourself to really know His risen presence, develop a personal relationship with Him, realize that He will come through all the locked doors in your life…
Until you unlock that door, you won’t really understand the intimacy of that spiritual ride… that “let the air out of your lungs alleluia”. That door needs to swing open from the inside of your heart. The one that is so often closed between our heart and our mind.
Relationships Are Not Automatic
I admit I am not very patient when it comes to opening various doors in my life. Thinking they should open or close like the automatic doors we are accustomed to nowadays. Just walk up to them and they open. Too often, life gets busy, no time for prayer, no time for looking to Jesus, just expecting the doors to automatically open to fix suffering and sadness, renewed relationship, or a loved one’s healing process. Expectations that this same automatic door will open for those who might be on the fence about believing at all… a take off the shelf alleluia.
But what I see in Thomas made me realize that it’s that personal relationship that only lies with seeing the scars of Jesus. That intimate relationship from the depth of your soul that develops behind that door.
John is opening that door for us to see in his Gospel. Not to see doubting Thomas, but rather that personal relationship we too can have with Jesus. Looking beyond the doubting to see a Thomas who gives us the greatest testimony in all of scripture when he opens the door of his heart… realizes what the resurrection really means to him… When he says, “My Lord and my God…” Did you catch that? My Lord and my God. “ALELLUIA” now that is a personal connection.
You see, we must turn our focus to Thomas’ renewed strength and not his former weakness. He was a man who desired that holy and beautiful relationship with Jesus.
A man that did not settle for someone else’s experience of the resurrection but focused on that reality of having his own. A man who dared to confess uncertainty amung those who were certain. A man who recognized his Lord in scars, not wonders.
Hiding Behind Closed Doors
Not long ago I had a conversation with a man about faith. He admitted he did not go to church, nor did he want to. He said he believed in God and therefore felt that was good enough for him to get to heaven. Now I don’t mention this to judge him, but I use this as an example of someone who believes in the resurrection but is not willing to seek a relationship with Jesus.
Do you know someone like this man who is daring to doubt? This personal relationship is what John wants us to see behind the door of the resurrection. If you or someone you know is not seeking to open that door, these questions might arise… How do I get there? How am I going to elevate that faith in Christ the same way Thomas did?
We must keep in mind that this journey will be different for everyone. But like an addiction, you must recognize you want to open that door. Are you worried about money? Bitter about something? Mad at God from some condition in your life? Or maybe just like that man I described, not much interested in spiritual interaction. Then you are hiding behind closed doors. Not ready to look at Jesus’ hands and side…
John wants us to see what these wounds represent through scripture. He says in verse 31, “These things 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.” Life in the same relational Jesus who talked to people, helped those in times of need, dealt with relationships, touched those near Him, fed thousands who were hungry, and healed all kinds of illnesses. When you can see Jesus in this context… you will see who He really is and understand that He wants a relationship with you as well.
John goes on to write what he and the Apostles witnessed in the Epistle lesson, 1 John 1:3, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
But there again, like building any relationship, it can take time. Remember how impatient I said I was? I would have liked to see that man walk right through an automatic door to a relationship with Jesus. Wouldn’t it be nice if it worked that fast? Realistically, God’s time can be but a moment or take a lifetime. That’s not for us to know… but what we do know is that Jesus will keep coming back like He did for Thomas. To stand in our presence and show the scars of His suffering, what He accomplished on the cross… for you and for me. From this we dare not forget that He took all our sins and iniquities away from us… and it’s by His wounds we are healed. Alleluia.
Jesus Is Always There
Jesus will meet you behind your closed doors. Willing to seek that relationship with you by repeatedly saying like He did to Thomas… “Peace be upon you.”
Then He will reveal His presence, by His wounds. We should find great comfort from this. Jesus is right there 24/7. In fact, He walks before you to light your way… He walks beside you to keep you from turning to the left or to the right… He walks behind you to pick you up when you fall… He is underneath you to carry you when you are weak… and best of all He is in heaven above, waiting for the day of reunion to show you, His scars.
Jesus is waiting for each one of us to reach down, turn that knob and swing open that door to new beginnings… Now that the celebration of Easter is past… this is where our focus must lie. A message that this ride only begins with Christs resurrection… the top of that rollercoaster. Then hang onto your hat because the greatest thrill is yet to come.
There is so much more when you dare to doubt. Desire to see. Want to touch the one whom you will one day see face to face. Then when Christ shows up again to bring us home with him for eternity, we will stand before Him with our newly resurrected body. Just as sure as Jesus was before Thomas… For that is what awaits behind the doors of the resurrection. Open that door, experience the ride. Get to know the one you can call “my Lord and my God.” Truly an eternal blessing for all who believe. Rejoice always in that “Alleluia.”
And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus…
Amen,
Please Rise as we profess our faith with the Apostles Creed