John 20:24-31

1. We should mark how much Christians may lose by not regularly attending the assemblies of God’s people.
2. We should mark how kind and merciful Christ is to believers who are slow and weak.
3. We should mark how Christ was addressed by a disciple as “God,” without prohibition or rebuke on His part.

"We little know how dependent our spiritual health is on ordinary and regular habitual helps and how much we suffer if we miss our medicine."

"Our Lord has many weak children in His family, many slow pupils in His school, many raw soldiers in His army, many lame sheep in His flock. Yet He bears with them all and casts none away. Happy is the Christian who has learned to deal likewise with their brothers and sisters. There are many in the church who, like Thomas, are doubting and slow, but for all that, like Thomas, are real and true believers."

"Let us settle it firmly in our minds that the divinity of Christ is one of the great foundation truths of Christianity and let us be willing to go to the stake rather than let it go. Unless our Lord Jesus is truly God there is an end of His mediation, His atonement, His advocacy, His priesthood, His whole work of redemption. These glorious doctrines are useless blasphemies unless Christ is divine."

Questions:

1. We see that Thomas was missing when Jesus first appeared to his disciples, leaving him for a week in unbelief. Ryle exhorts, as far as is possible with us, to not forsake the assembly and miss what may be the word needful for us in the season we are in. He says that we know little of our spiritual health's dependence on the ordinary means of grace of gathering for worship, Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship. How easy is it for us to skip a worship service? Are the things that draw us away such things as we could see the face of our Savior and know his smile?
2. We see the Lord Jesus showing great grace and mercy toward Thomas in his doubting. Ryle encourages us to see the kindness of Jesus toward us, and then to have grace to show such kindness to others. He says that there are many slow pupils, raw soldiers, and lame sheep that belong to Jesus Christ, and that happy is the one who can show kindness to ones like this. Have we learned this lesson in our own lives? Are we inclined to be patient or impatient toward those who are weak?
3. We see Thomas declare that Jesus is His Lord and His God. Here, Ryle says, amongst other places, is irrefutable proof of Jesus' divinity. He states that if it is not true, then also go His mediation ministry, atonement, advocacy, priesthood, and whole work of redemption. Our salvation rests on the fact that Jesus was both God and man. Does this truth seem unimportant because it is not immediately practical, or is it the bedrock of your salvation?