Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

Unforgettable   Appearances         
Jesus Is Alive!   John 20:1-31
The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions. The resurrection of Jesus changed everything.  It split our calendar to the A.D. and the B.C. Some significant post-resurrection events comprise the last two chapters of the Gospel of John.  Both chapters also have a small notation about the contents of the book. John 20 may be divided into five major parts as follows:
I. The Appearance of the Tomb   John 20:1–10
1. The Report About the Tomb   John 20:1-2
2. The Running to the Tomb      John 20:3-4                                       
3. The Revelation at the Tomb   John 20:5-8                                       
4. The Return from the Tomb    John 20:9-10
II. The Appearance to Mary Magdalene      John 20:11–18
1. Her Creed Before the Appearance John 20:11                              
2. Her Condition Before the Appearance  John 20:11-15                  
3. Her Confrontation in the Appearance  John 20:15-16                    
4. Her Censure in the Appearance   John 20:17                                 
5. Her Commission in the Appearance  John 20:17-18                        
III. The Appearance to the Disciples     John 20:19–23 
1. The Arrival in the Appearance John 20                                           
2. The Affirmation in the Appearance John 20                                   
3. The Attitude from the Appearance  John 20:20                             
4. The Assignment in the Appearance  John 20:21-22                      
IV. The Appearance for Thomas                John 20:24–29 
1. The Problem of Thomas  John 20:24-25                                          
2. The Persuading of Thomas       John 20:26                                     
3. The Profession of Thomas    John 20:28-29                                   
V. The Assessment of the Book    John 20:30, 31 
1.The Deletions from the Book    John 20:30                                     
2. The Design of the Book         John 20:31                                       
I. The confidence in the design.   “That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”   Two things especially that John wanted the reader to believe.                                                           
First, that Jesus is the Messiah.   “That he might believe that Jesus is the Christ.” The word “Christ” speaks of the Messiah office of Jesus.  Second, that Jesus is Deity.  “That Jesus is … the Son of God.”      The term “Son of God” used here in this text, refers to the deity of Christ. No other Gospel emphasizes Christ’s deity so much as the Gospel of  John                                                           I. The consequences of the design. “That believing ye might have life though His name.” John had as his ultimate design the salvation of his readers. “Life through His name” is the ultimate consequence in the design which John had in writing this fourth Gospel. If we have faith in Christ, we will have eternal life. Where one spends eternity depends on what one has done with Jesus Christ in this life.   The Gospel Resurrection Story is the truth that turns a church from a museum into a ministry.  What more could the forces of evil do if the one they killed will not stay dead. Jesus Died to Save Us and Arose from The Grave to Keep Us Saved.  Someone once said, “If Jesus Christ is still in that grave, nothing really matters.  But if Jesus Christ came out of that grave, nothing but that really matters.”