Sermonette: Seeing is Not Believing

Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Believe
#1627s

Given 27-Nov-21; 18 minutes

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We have all heard and repeated the old adage "seeing is believing," suggesting that seeing an event with our own two eyes is far better than being told second or third hand. While advances in graphics technology or sleight of hand techniques by magicians or brain game developers skillful in distracting our focus may cause us to doubt our senses, we have the tendency when we see something to register it as truth imprinted on our minds. Because of built-in predilections to believe something, seeing isn't always believing. To the agenda driven Pharisees, Jesus miracle of healing on the Sabbath was regarded as blaspheming on the Sabbath, while a painful circumcision on the Sabbath was regarded as entirely appropriate. Though there were 11 pairs of eyewitnesses attesting to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Thomas needed to feel the nail marks and the scars on Jesus side in order to be convicted. Jesus appeared specifically for Thomas, perhaps in order to provide veracity to those of his disciples then and now who did not see directly. In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus warned of deceptions that could confound our sense of sight, consisting of false Christs and false signs. Our forebears on the Sinai had the evidence of God (the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night) but still refused to believe. We don't have these outward signs, but we have seen the evidence of Christ working in our lives, providing us with a sound and discerning mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We are blessed because we haven't seen Him, but still believe (John 20:29).




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