DOUBTING TOWARD JESUS

INTRODUCTION

OPENING: IT IS A TRUISM TO LIFE THAT WHAT IS REAL TO YOU CHANGES YOU. WHATEVER YOU HAVE DEEPLY EXPERIENCED HAS DEEPLY SHAPED AND TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE. IF YOU GREW UP POOR. IF YOU GREW UP PRIVILEGED. IF YOU GREW UP A MINORITY. IF YOU GREW UP HAVING EXPERIENCED SOME TRAUMATIC EVENT LIKE A DIVORCE, A BETRAYAL, ABUSE. THESE THINGS HAVE MARKED AND SHAPED YOU. WHAT IS REAL TO YOU CHANGES YOU. JEFFREY SCHMALZ WAS THE MOST PROLIFIC WRITER ON AIDS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC. NO ONE WROTE WITH SUCH INSIGHT, DETAIL AND COMPASSION. HOW WAS HE ABLE TO DO SO? HE HAD AIDS. WHAT IS REAL TO YOU CHANGES YOU.

POINT: THIS IS BOTH A TRUISM TO LIFE AND TO OUR STORY.

EPICENTER OF OUR PASSAGE IS ON THE REALNESS OF JESUS, ON EXPERIENCING JESUS. VERSE 25- THE DISCIPLES SAY WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD. THE GREEK WORD SEEN IS HORAO, WHICH MEANS TO PERCEIVE. IT IS FAR MORE THAN A PHYSICAL SEEING, BUT A SEEING WHICH GOES BENEATH AND TRULY PERCEIVE AND UNDERSTAND. THIS HAPPENED THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. BRIEFLY TELL THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF JESUS AND HOW THAT DEVASTATED THEM. BUT THEN HE GOT UP, AND THEY SAW HIM! THEY PERCEIVED HIM. PERFECT TENSE WHICH SPEAKS OF A PAST ACTION WITH CONTINUOUS RESULTS.

EXAMPLE OF KORIE. SAW HER ON A SUNDAY, DIDN’T SEE HER FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK, BUT SHE LINGERED IN MY MIND, AND MESSED WITH ME, AND COULDN’T WAIT TO SEE HER NEXT SUNDAY. THAT’S THE IDEA HERE. THEY SAW JESUS AND HE MESSED WITH THEM, COULDN’T GET HIM OFF THEIR MIND.

APPLICATION: I WONDER IF THERE’S ANYONE HERE WHO HAD AN EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS, AND SINCE SEEING JESUS FOR YOURSELF, HE’S MESSING WITH YOU! JESUS IS NOT SOME HISTORICAL ARTIFACT RESERVED TO THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY, BUT IS ALIVE AND DOING WELL. HE LIVES! HE LIVES! CHRIST JESUS LIVES TODAY! HE WALKS WITH ME AND TALKS WITH ME ALONG LIFE’S NARROW WAY! HE LIVES! HE LIVES! SALVATION TO IMPART! YOU ASK ME HOW I KNOW HE LIVES? HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!

THE CHALLENGE OF DOUBT

EXPLANATION: THOMAS IS LIKE OKAY, THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU. GLAD YOU DRANK THE KOOL AID. BUT I’M NOT HAVING THIS JESUS THING. I LOVE THOMAS. YOU SHOULD LOVE HIM TOO. HE’S A REGULAR GUY. HE WON’T GO ONTO WRITE A BOOK OF THE BIBLE. HE’S NOT PROFILED IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. HE’S A REGULAR PERSON. IF HE CAME TO CHURCH ON EASTER SUNDAY HE’D BE WEARING JEANS AND A TSHIRT. HE’S A REGULAR GUY. LIKE MOST OF US IN THE ROOM. BUT HE’S ALSO COMPLICATED. . FULL OF COURAGE. HERE HE’S FULL OF DOUBT. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: IT’S COMPLICATED. AND THAT’S ALL OF US. WE ARE BEAUTIFUL MESSES, INCREDIBLE CONTRADICTIONS. FULL OF CONFIDENCE ONE MOMENT AND SCARED THE NEXT.

DOUBT. THOMAS GETS A BAD RAP. HE’S CALLED DOUBTING THOMAS AN UNFAIR TITLE…WHAT IS DOUBT? DOUBT IS THE SPACE BETWEEN REALITY AND HOPE. AND WE ALL HAVE DONE SEVERAL TOURS OF DUTY JUST THIS PAST MONTH IN THE COUNTRY OF DOUBT. APPLICATIONS: REALITY SAYS YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB. THE HOPE IS YOU’LL BLOW THEM AWAY IN THIS INTERVIEW. DOUBT SAYS I DON’T KNOW. REALITY SAYS YOU’RE NOT FEELING YOUR BEST, OR THEY FOUND SOMETHING AT THE ANNUAL PHYSICAL. HOPE SAYS IT’S NOTHING SERIOUS. DOUBT SAYS IT COULD BE. REALITY SAYS YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS IN TROUBLE. HOPE SAYS SHE’LL GET IT TOGETHER, DOUBT SAYS WHAT IF IT ENDS? AND REALITY SAYS I REALLY NEED GOD TO COME THROUGH FOR ME. HOPE SAYS HE WILL SO I PRAY. BUT DOUBT SAYS WHAT IF HE DOESN’T? CAN I BE REAL? DOUBT SAYS WHAT IF THIS WHOLE JESUS AND GOD THING IS A FARCE. DOUBT IS THE SPACE BETWEEN REALITY AND HOPE. AND WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE. WHICH IS WHY IT’S UNFAIR TO CALL HIM DOUBTING THOMAS.

LESSONS ON DOUBT

#1 DOUBT IS UNIVERSAL. VERSE 26. THONAS IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO DOUBTS. THE DIFFERENCE IS THOMAS IS JUST HONEST ABOUT HIS DOUBTS. HE KEEPS IT 100. SOME DAYS BEFORE ALL BUT ONE OF THE DISCIPLE HAS ABANDONED JESUS ON THE CROSS WHICH MEANS THEY DOUBTED. NOW THEY ARE IN A ROOM WITH THE DOORS LOCKED? WHY? DOUBT. AND THAT’S ALL OF US.

ILLUSTRATION: MLK. YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT THIS COURAGEOUS MAN WAS FULL OF DOUBTS. HE HAD A HABIT OF CALLING THE LEGENDARY GOSPEL SINGER MAHALIA JACKSON LATE AT NIGHT WHEN HE WAS PLAGUED BY DOUBT AND ASKING HER TO SING THE OLD THOMAS DORSEY CLASSIC PRECIOUS LORD TAKE MY HAND. SHE WOULD BELT IT OUT OVER THE PHONE, AND KING WOULD FIND COMFORT IN HIS DOUBTS.

APPLICATION: EIGHT DAYS LATER. IT’S EASY TO BE CONFIDENT ABOUT JESUS ON EASTER. BUT TRY DOING THAT THE NEXT SUNDAY EIGHT DAYS LATER WHEN LIFE HAS SMACKED YOU IN THE FACE.

#2 DOUBT IS NOT IMMORAL. NOT ONCE DOES JESUS SCOLD THOMAS FOR HIS DOUBT. HE SCOLDS HIM FOR HIS UNBELIEF. DOUBT AND UNBELIEF ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. WHICH LEADS ME TO THREE.

#3 DOUBT IS ESSENTIAL. THERE CAN BE NO SUCH THING AS FAITH WITHOUT DOUBT. , .

EXAMPLES: REALITY SAYS I HAVE CANCER. HOPE SAYS GOD WILL SEE ME THROUGH. DOUBT SAYS I DON’T KNOW. FAITH SAYS I’M GOING TO KEEP ON WALKING. REALITY SAYS MY CHILD IS OUT IN THE FAR COUNTRY MAKING A MESS OUT OF HIS LIFE. HOPE SAYS GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM. DOUBT SAYS I’M NOT SURE. FAITH SAYS I’M GOING TO KEEP PRAYING AND LOVING HIM. REALITY SAYS I CAN’T FEEL JESUS. HOPE SAYS HE’S THERE. DOUBT SAYS I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THAT. FAITH SAYS I’M GOING TO KEEP TRUSTING AND BELIEVING EVEN WHEN I CAN’T FEEL HIM.

DOUBTING YOUR WAY TOWARDS JESUS

EXPLANATION: THOMAS IS SO REAL. THE DISCIPLES SAY WE HAVE SEEN HIM. THOMAS SAYS THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I NEED MY OWN EXPERIENCE. VERSE 25. UNLESS I SEE HIS HAND, PLACE…I WILL NEVER BELIEVE. SEE THE SENSORY TERMS. I NEED TO SEE AND TOUCH. JESUS SHOWS UP UNANNOUNCED AND HE SAYS IN VERSE 27…ALL OF THESE ARE IMPERATIVES OR COMMANDS. WATCH IT. THOMAS ONLY SEES, HE NEVER DOES THE OTHER. WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS SAYS IN VERSE 29…WHAT HAPPENED? THOMAS DROPPED HIS CONDITIONS.

HOW DO YOU TURN YOUR DOUBTS INTO JESUS INTO FAITH TOWARDS JESUS? DROP YOUR CONDITIONS. MANY OF YOU ARE SAYING, I’LL BELIEVE IN THIS JESUS IF HE HEALS MY SON, GETS ME THE JOB, GETS ME OUT OF THIS MESS. I’LL FOLLOW JESUS IF HE DOES X. HERE’S THE PROBLEM, X HAS BECOME YOUR FUNCTIONAL SAVIOR. AND THIS FORMULA REDUCES JESUS TO YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT OR YOUR GENIE IN A BOTTLE.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION: ISRAEL. WOKE UP TO DAILY MIRACLES. CALLED MANNA. SIX DAYS A WEEK FOR 40 YEARS. WHAT’S MORE IS JESUS OPENED THE RED SEA, FED THEM WATER FROM A ROCK AND RAINED DOWN QUAIL FROM HEAVEN. WHAT DID THIS PRODUCE? NOT A WORSHIPFUL OBEDIENT PEOPLE. THEIR TRUST WAS NEVER IN GOD, THEIR TRUST WAS IN HIS GIFTS.

WHY DROP YOUR CONDITIONS. DISCIPLES SAY WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD. THIS WAS A DEEP SEEING. BUT IN VERSE 25 THOMAS SAYS UNLESS I SEE HIM. A DIFFERENT WORLD WHICH IS A LITERAL SURFACY SEEING. WHAT THE DISCIPLES WERE TALKING ABOUT WAS AN EXPERIENCE. WHAT THOMAS WAS GETTING AT WAS SHALLOW. THOMAS IS SAYING IN ESSENCE IF HE PAYS MY BILLS, OR HEALS MY BODY, OR FIXES MY RELATIONSHIP THEN I’LL BELIEVE. JESUS IS SAYING I’M AFTER SO MUCH MORE THAN YOUR FELT NEEDS, I’M AFTER YOUR HEART!

ILLUSTRATION OF THE TIME I CAME HOME FROM A TRIP WHEN MY KIDS WERE YOUNG AND BROUGHT THEM EACH WHAT THEY WANTED. RIPPED OPEN THE SUITCASE, GOT THEIR GIFTS AND TOOK OFF. I WAS HURT. I HAD BEEN EXCHANGED FOR MY GIFTS.

CONCLUSION: SO HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE DOUBTING YOUR WAY TOWARDS JESUS AND LIVING IN FAITH? VERSE 28.

MY…MY…MY! EARLIER THEY SAID WE HAVE SEEN JESUS. THOMAS SAYS GOOD FOR YOU. BUT I’M NOT LIVING OFF THE COATTAILS OF YOUR FAITH. APPLICATION. I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE WITH YOUR MOTHER OR GRANDMOTHER. OR FATHER OR GRANDFATHER. THEY LOVED JESUS, BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH. TODAY JESUS WANTS YOU TO SAY MY LORD.F

AMAZING BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED JESUS AS A DISCIPLE BUT...

LORD IS MASTER. HE CALLS THE SHOTS. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE DISCIPLES. THEY WOULD BE SO TRANSFORMED BY THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THE RESURRECTED JESUS THAT THEY WOULD GO OUT, PLANT CHURCHES, BOLDLY PREACH JESUS AND ALL BUT ONE WOULD ME KILLED FOR THEIR FAITH. THOMAS WOULD TAKE THE GOSPEL TO INDIA, AND DIE FOR JESUS. WHAT BECOMES REAL TO YOU CHANGES YOU. SO I HAVE A QUESTION? HOW HAS JESUS CHANGED YOUR LIFE? IF HE HASN’T I DON’T THINK YOU’VE MET HIM.