April 29, 2011 Personal Appearances 4

"Peace be with you!" "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. What a beautiful morning today, just beautiful. Yesterday at this time we were being hit by some really bad storms. Please, please pray today for all God's warriors who work the fields of harvest to bring in the lost. Please pray for all those who lost loved ones, and pray for those who were injured in the storms of yesterday. Please pray for those who lost their homes or even had damage.

Please pray also this weekend for Nathan Becker and Brittany Lehman, and also for this old pastor, as I marry them tomorrow. This is my granddaughter, the one that God gave us back a few years back after a very, very, very bad traffic accident in which one of God's angels restarted her in the car on the accident location. THANK YOU JESUS... and now He has sent her a wonderful young man, who is Born Again, as is Brittany.

Personal Appearances 4: John 20:26 - A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though 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; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" (NIV)

When Jesus made His Personal Appearance with His disciples as we discussed yesterday, Thomas was not with them. The other disciples told Thomas they had seen Jesus. Thomas told them unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put his finger into the nail holes and put his hand into the side of he, Thomas, would not believe. Thus you have that term, doubting Thomas!
So folks, what about us, we do not have the chance to put our fingers in the nail holes or in His side, we cannot see the scars on His head from the crown of thorns... So we must believe, and so many people do not. There once was a saying that you should not believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. But let me tell you this, if you really, really love Jesus, if you have had that one on one relationship with Jesus and you close your eyes in prayer and you just try and picture Jesus and those nail scarred hands, you will see them in your heart. I had a teacher in the first or second grade who would, when teaching us to memorize something, would say, "Look at it, then close and picture."

So Thomas got to see first hand and touch Jesus, and He believed. Then Jesus said this. And this is what applies to us this day...

John 20:29 - Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (NIV)

And Blessed we are, my dear brothers and sisters. Being a Christian, a real believer in our Lord Jesus requires us to "have faith." Our religion is REALLY NOT a religion, but a relationship with Jesus. SOMEONE SHOUT AMEN. It is a one on one relationship... And of all the personal appearances that God has made, not just after His death on the cross, but before, and He made many, and He talked with people (no teleprompter needed, thank you) and He healed people and He drove out demons, and He fed thousands with little, and I could go on and on, but the most important Personal Appearance that He can make is when He comes one on one, a personal appearance with you, or with me, the personal appearance He makes when WE STEP OUT IN FAITH AND BECOME A BELIEVER, when we embrace that personal appearance, and love Him... I look forward to the day I can touch those hands and His side, till then I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE, AND I AM SAVED BY OUR LORD JESUS.

Dear Father in Heaven... Thanks for all You do and all You have done... Protect Your workers in the fields, protect those who were hurt in the storms, protect and heal the wounds of those who lost loved ones, and Lord bless a marriage... In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Now go forth sharing those blessings and walking in faith... and close your eyes and picture those nail holes in His hands... love ya, Pastor Dan.