Hope for the Doubter

Today is the final week of our series, Hope Is Here. It has been so encouraging to gather as a church and uncover all the ways that we find hope in our relationship with Jesus Christ and our relationships with one another. The first week we learned that there is hope for the weary because we don’t have to carry our burdens on our own. The second week, we discovered that there is hope for the broken because forgiveness is offered to us in love. The third week, we recognized that there is hope for the underdog because with God we can do anything. This final week we deal with one of the hardest places to find hope. Is there hope for the doubter?

Illustration: Have you ever heard a piece of information that you had a hard time believing was true? Maybe it seemed so outlandish that it made you doubt. Maybe it was too good to be true and so it made you skeptical. I want to pose some questions to you, and I need you to decide if you trust it or doubt it. If you trust it, put your hand in the air. If you doubt it, keep your hand down. (Consider showing these on screen with graphics.) Did you know that every day, on average, 11 banks are robbed in the U.S.? Trust it or doubt it? It’s true! Did you know you are more likely to be stung by a bee in windy weather? Trust it or doubt it? It’s false. Did you know they have square watermelons in Japan because they stack better? Trust it or doubt it? It’s true. Did you know penguins can smell toothpaste from a mile away? Trust it or doubt it? It’s false. It’s hard to tell what to trust and what to doubt.

Doubt has become a common occurrence for many of us within our culture today. There are people that we know well who have failed us, and it causes us to doubt. There is so much false information shared on social media that it may cause us to doubt everything. This past season of Covid-19 has caused many to doubt because we wonder where God is in the middle of it. Seeing a world that is full of hurt and pain makes us doubt whether God is indeed good. People doubt for all kinds of reasons. I would argue that the problem is not the doubt itself, but rather, how we handle our doubt. Mishandled skepticism often results in a lack of hope.

But as we know, and we’ve been learning over the past few weeks; Jesus is here, and when Jesus is here, hope is here too.

Main Teaching

We certainly are not alone in this struggle. After Jesus’ crucifixion, his friends were heartbroken because their hopes and dreams of a new and better world under the rule of God’s kingdom had seemingly ended. It was not until Jesus miraculously began to show up in his resurrected form that word started to spread among the disciples that perhaps Jesus was alive! There was one disciple, named Thomas, who refused to believe.

READ John 20:24-25

John 20:24–25 ESV

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Thomas gets a bad rap in the Church as some kind of stuffy skeptic. He is too often viewed as a grumpy old cynic. However, if we are truthful, Thomas comes to this place of skepticism and doubt honestly. He just watched his mentor of three years be brutally killed on a cross. The thought of getting his hopes up about a resurrection that would defy all logic may have been just too hard to wrap his mind around. He was more than likely looking to protect himself from further pain. Thomas says that he will not believe unless he sees evidence in front of his eyes that he can see and touch.

POINT #1 – WE DOUBT TO PROTECT OURSELVES

Truthfully, we are a lot like Thomas. The doubt that we often express is a way of keeping ourselves from getting our hopes up that things in our life can improve, that God can answer our prayers, or that God loves us. Thomas did not want to believe that Jesus was alive because he did not want to be let down. We often do not want to believe and hope because we are afraid that God will not come through.

Illustration: Think about it: What is the first thing we say when we are given good news? We respond with, “No way,” or, “You have got to be kidding me.” We respond first with doubt because we want to protect ourselves. Occasionally, it takes time to let hope rise.

A week after Thomas tells the others that he refuses to believe their reports, he and the disciples find themselves together in a locked room, when suddenly the source of hope arrives.

READ John 20:26-27

John 20:26–27 ESV

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Without much explanation, Jesus, in the flesh, shows up in this locked room with the disciples. They must have been shocked to the core. In fact, the first words Jesus speaks to them are “peace be with you,” perhaps to let them know that they did not have to be afraid.

Whom does he speak to first? Thomas. The doubter. The one who refused to believe that he was alive. Notice how he addresses him. Jesus does not reprimand him for his doubt. He does not belittle him for his skepticism. He does not ridicule him for needing proof. No, he invites Thomas to see for himself. He says, “Put your fingers in the scars in my hands and side.”

POINT #2 – JESUS IS NOT AFRAID OF OUR DOUBT

There are many in the church today who are struggling with their faith. They have lost hope that Jesus is who they thought he was. The usual response to those in the church who doubt is to shame them or to shun them. I believe Jesus’ response would be much different. I believe he would welcome the questions. He would welcome the conversation. He would welcome the wrestle. I think this is because he knows that honest doubt will find honest answers.

So how should the Church respond to those who have doubts in a way that would be on par with Jesus’ response to Thomas?

First, the Church should listen to those who doubt for things they are not saying as much as what they are saying. Where does the doubt come from? Where is the hurt? Where is the pain? Where is the struggle? You show me a congregation who is willing to listen, and I will show you a church that is providing hope to the hopeless.

Second, the Church should empathize and express compassion. When people let themselves feel others’ hurt, pain, and struggle, then they are better equipped to meet that need and build a bridge back to faith and hope.

Story: Many years ago, we had a grandfather of a special needs little girl request a meeting with our senior pastor. In the meeting, the man demanded to know how God could exist when his granddaughter was born with so many challenges, and seemingly would have to grow up in a world that would not be accepting of her. No matter what answer our pastor gave, the man became angrier, and eventually left the church. A year later, this same man was scheduled for surgery and our pastor went to the hospital to meet him. The man refused any kind of prayer as he still harbored resentment. Our pastor prayed anyway. (Pastor - You may have a similar story that you can share here)

Jesus was not afraid of Thomas’ doubts. We should not be afraid of other people’s doubts either. We go from being full of doubt to being full of hope when we find out people care about us enough to walk with us and love us.

Thomas touches Jesus’ hands and side; where there once were wounds, there now are scars. A reminder of the pain, but proof of the resurrection.

READ John 20:28-29

John 20:28–29 ESV

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

This is all Thomas needs. He recognizes that if Jesus can overcome death and the grave, then he surely must be Lord and God. This disciple who was the greatest doubter now becomes the disciple who makes the greatest and truest claim of who Jesus is. Jesus is certainly thankful for Thomas’ faith in this passage, but guess whom Jesus is thinking about…you and me. He is thinking about those who would be blessed for believing in his resurrection power and divine hope without seeing.

POINT #3 – OUR DOUBTS FAIL WHEN WE TRUST THE SOURCE

Thomas had first-hand evidence that came directly from the source. This caused his doubts to melt away. Our doubts can turn to hope when we too go directly to the source and find that Jesus is trustworthy. The scriptures are full of first-hand accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. The Church throughout history has seen the power of Jesus in miraculous ways. There is testimony all around us of people who have found Jesus to be very real.

When Jesus is the source of our hope, we don’t have to be crippled by doubt. Even when we feel our faith waver or our confidence shake, knowing Jesus helps us press on.

Story: Robert Louis Stevenson, one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, writes of one of his excursions to the South Sea Islands where the ship encountered a terrible storm. In the belly of the ship, the passengers grew frightened and worried that the ship would be lost. They were filled with doubts about their safety.

One of the men finally ventured out into the wind and rain and scurried to the upper deck, where he saw the captain quietly pacing the bridge. With a tranquil and undisturbed face, he looked out across the sea and gave orders for handling the ship. He turned to the man and smiled.

The man made his way back to the cabin where the other passengers were huddled together in fear. In response to their questions, he comforted them by saying, “I have seen the captain’s face and all is well.”

When we recognize that Jesus is here with us in the middle of our doubts, we discover that hope is here. All we need to do is look into the face of Christ and see that all is well.

Conclusion

As our series draws to a close let’s remember that Jesus is;

- Hope for the weary

- Hope for the broken

- Hope for the underdog

- Hope for the doubter

Where Jesus is there is hope. And we believe that He is here with us today;

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:20

And when people gather in the name of Jesus we call that church, we call that fellowship. We trust that the gathered church is an empowered church. Let’s believe today for those in our communities who are struggling to find hope.

PRAY

(Pastor - as the series comes to a close our prayer is that your church has been strengthened and encouraged through the fellowship, messaging, and presentation. Thanks for all you do to share hope with others. May God bless you and your ministry in abundant ways.)