Sermons on Biblical Characters

on Biblical Characters, by Clovis
G. Chappell

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Title: Sermons on Biblical Characters
Author: Clovis G. Chappell
Release Date: February 14, 2007 [EBook #20578]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SERMONS
ON BIBLICAL CHARACTERS ***

Produced by Al Haines

SERMONS ON BIBLICAL CHARACTERS
BY
REV. CLOVIS G. CHAPPELL, D.D.

RICHARD R. SMITH, INC.
NEW YORK
1930

COPYRIGHT, 1922,
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
SERMONS ON BIBLICAL CHARACTERS. II
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS
I THE MISSING MAN--THOMAS II THE GREAT
REFUSAL--JONAH III THE ROMANCE OF FAITH--PETER IV
LOVE'S LONGING--PAUL V GOING VISITING--JONATHAN VI
THE WOMAN OF THE SHATTERED ROMANCES--THE WOMAN
OF SYCHAR VII A GOOD MAN--BARNABAS VIII THE
INQUEST--PHARAOH IX A SON OF SHAME--JEPHTHAH X A
CASE OF BLUES--ELIJAH XI THE SUPREME QUESTION--THE
PHILIPPIAN JAILER XII THE MOTHER-IN-LAW--NAOMI XIII
CONFESSIONS OF A FAILURE--THE BUSY MAN XIV A
MOTHER'S REWARD--JOCHEBED XV A GOOD MAN'S
HELL--MANASSEH XVI A SHREWD FOOL--THE RICH FARMER

SERMONS ON BIBLICAL CHARACTERS
I
THE MISSING MAN--THOMAS

John 20:24
"Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came." Did you notice the name of this man who was missing?
Who was it when the little company met after the crucifixion that was
not there? There was a man expected who failed to come. Who was this
man? When the little company gathered in the upper room behind shut
doors there was one chair that was vacant. Who should have occupied
that chair?
Well, in the first place, it was not Judas. He was missing. He was not
there, it is true, but he was not expected. Judas had already betrayed his
Lord. Judas had already been whipped and scourged by his remorse of
conscience clean out of the world. Judas had gone to his own place in
the great Unseen Country. Judas was not there, but he was not expected
to be there.
Who was the missing man? It was not Pilate. We no more expected
Pilate than we expected Judas. Pilate had had his chance at Jesus. Pilate
had had an opportunity of knowing, of befriending Him, of serving
Him. But Pilate had allowed his own interests to get the better of his
conscience. Pilate had chosen the friendship of Caesar and had spurned
the friendship of the King Eternal. So we did not expect Pilate to be
present in this little company of the friends of Jesus who met on the
resurrection side of the cross. Who was the missing man? It was not
Caiaphas. He, too, had stood in the presence of Jesus, but his envy had
made him blind. And he shouted "Blasphemy!" so loud that he
drowned the voice of his conscience and the gentle whisperings of the
Spirit of God. No, it was not Caiaphas, nor any of the indifferent or
hostile crowd that we miss in this meeting.
Then, who was this missing man? And we read the text again and we
find his name was Thomas. That is a very familiar name. Oh, yes; we
remember Thomas quite well. It was Thomas who was missing. Now,
Thomas was expected, for he was a member of the little band of
disciples. He was one of the Twelve. He belonged to the Inner Circle.
His fellow Christians had a right therefore to expect him. Yet Thomas
was not with them.

It is a sad day ever for any congregation when its own membership
begin to absent themselves from its services. It is a sad day for any
congregation when those who compose it can be counted on to be there
at the social function, there at the place of business, but cannot be
counted on when the interests of the Kingdom are at stake and when the
Son of God goes forth to war. Believe me, no community ever loses
respect for a congregation till that congregation loses respect for itself.
And did you notice when it was that Thomas was absent? "Thomas was
not with them when Jesus came." What an unfortunate time to be away!
What a great calamity to have missed that service of all others! There
was the little despondent, despairing company of ten meeting behind
closed doors. They were sorrow-burdened and fear-filled. But Jesus
came, and Thomas, the saddest and bitterest man of them all, was not
there.
Of course he would have gone if he had had any idea what a wonderful
service it was going