WEBVTT 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:41.200 He is risen. We are going to continue the series 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.520 on living hope. The first study was the God who 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:50.700 is the one that resurrected Lazarus. And we saw 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:54.140 the God who weeps. Then we saw the God who serves, 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:57.600 who washed the feet of the apostles. And today 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:02.200 we are going to see the God who lives. Please 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:06.799 join me as we begin. Lord, I want to ask you. 00:01:08.109 --> 00:01:10.489 That you will use me today in this study. In 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:13.829 your strength. In your wisdom. In your grace. 00:01:13.950 --> 00:01:21.430 In your power. Let it be you. Encounter us through 00:01:21.430 --> 00:01:26.609 your word. We pray in the powerful name of Jesus. 00:01:26.890 --> 00:01:34.930 Our resurrected king. Amen. In this study today. 00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:40.140 We have. Now experience different things, some 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:42.500 of which we celebrated this weekend, including 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:47.439 Good Friday. After Jesus died, crucified on the 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:51.359 cross, he was buried on a tomb of a rich man 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:59.840 that had a stone door that was sealed. And as 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:03.019 the apostles were grieving, the time of Jesus' 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:05.859 death, they did not know, they didn't understand, 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.939 they were not expecting that on Sunday morning, 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:13.740 Jesus was going to resurrect. And as Jesus resurrects, 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:17.240 he starts appearing for a period of many days 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:20.979 to the apostles and other people as well. And 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:24.680 that is where we come to John chapter 20. In 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:28.139 John chapter 20, We are going to discover an 00:02:28.139 --> 00:02:30.620 event that takes place that involves the apostles. 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:34.180 One of the apostles whose name is Thomas and 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:39.099 Jesus. Thomas was one of the apostles that have 00:02:39.099 --> 00:02:41.919 been with Jesus for a long time. And we see during 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:45.020 this last week in the life of Jesus, which we 00:02:45.020 --> 00:02:48.030 call the Holy Week. We see Thomas interacting 00:02:48.030 --> 00:02:51.169 with Jesus in three different occasions. And 00:02:51.169 --> 00:02:53.789 all of this is taking place in the surrounding 00:02:53.789 --> 00:02:57.949 area of Jerusalem and in Jerusalem. As a reminder 00:02:57.949 --> 00:03:01.770 from the previous sessions, remember that Jesus 00:03:01.770 --> 00:03:05.509 came to Bethany where he resurrected Lazarus, 00:03:05.509 --> 00:03:08.469 right there on the south. And then he went to 00:03:08.469 --> 00:03:10.689 the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem and he 00:03:10.689 --> 00:03:14.009 saw Jerusalem and he weeped for Jerusalem because 00:03:14.009 --> 00:03:17.969 of their rejection of him, but also the destruction 00:03:17.969 --> 00:03:20.050 that was going to happen in Jerusalem later, 00:03:20.189 --> 00:03:23.969 which happened in the year 70. And then he went 00:03:23.969 --> 00:03:27.189 down in the triumphal entry into the city of 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:30.490 Jerusalem and then he met the apostles during 00:03:30.490 --> 00:03:34.650 the Last Supper. And after that, the crucifixion. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:40.520 And the burial took place. It is during this 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:45.000 time that Thomas is going to interact with Jesus. 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:48.139 And the first one of those interactions happened 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:52.139 before they arrived to Bethany. Because when 00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:54.659 the apostles were in the area and they realized 00:03:54.659 --> 00:03:57.060 that Jesus wanted to go to Bethany, you can just 00:03:57.060 --> 00:03:58.939 look at the map and realize, wow, that's very 00:03:58.939 --> 00:04:02.830 close to Jerusalem. And it was a problem because 00:04:02.830 --> 00:04:07.729 people already wanted to destroy Jesus. They 00:04:07.729 --> 00:04:10.030 wanted to kill him. So they were concerned that 00:04:10.030 --> 00:04:12.530 if they went to Bethany, it was too close to 00:04:12.530 --> 00:04:15.770 Jerusalem, it could be dangerous. And as they 00:04:15.770 --> 00:04:18.889 were wrestling with that, we are told that Thomas 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:23.610 simply says to the other apostles, hey, let us 00:04:23.610 --> 00:04:29.160 also go that we may die with him. He was... Committed 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:32.959 to following Jesus. Even if it meant. That they 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.040 had to die with him. In this trip to Bethany. 00:04:37.819 --> 00:04:41.680 But then later. As the experience happened. Right 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.579 there with Lazarus. And they go to Jerusalem. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.759 And they experience the last supper with Jesus. 00:04:47.610 --> 00:04:51.189 Jesus washes their feet and then he engages with 00:04:51.189 --> 00:04:54.129 them in a long conversation about many things, 00:04:54.389 --> 00:04:56.970 including telling them that's going to happen 00:04:56.970 --> 00:05:00.610 in the upcoming moments about his death and resurrection. 00:05:00.709 --> 00:05:03.069 But they don't understand any of these things. 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:09.009 So there's another moment in which God, Jesus 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:12.110 is telling the apostles, look, I'm going to go 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:14.620 to a place and then I'll come back. So you can 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:17.120 be where I am. And all of this conversation, 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:20.300 and Thomas says, but Lord, we don't even know 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:23.500 where you're going. So how can we know the way? 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:27.000 How can we follow you to wherever you're going 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.519 if we don't know where you're going? He's still 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:33.879 confused. He doesn't understand. And Jesus answers 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:37.459 to him these famous words of Jesus that perhaps 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:39.360 you have memorized if you're a Christian for 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:45.949 a long time. Jesus tells Thomas, I am the way, 00:05:46.069 --> 00:05:52.250 the truth, and the life. No one comes to the 00:05:52.250 --> 00:05:58.110 Father except through me. You must imagine how 00:05:58.110 --> 00:06:01.290 that was completely disorienting for Thomas because 00:06:01.290 --> 00:06:05.029 he was asking for directions and he gets an answer 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:09.269 saying, I am the directions. That reminded me 00:06:09.269 --> 00:06:38.990 of... Amen. Amen. Amen. And he says, it was simple. 00:06:39.069 --> 00:06:40.930 He says, one day when I started learning more 00:06:40.930 --> 00:06:43.870 about Jesus, I came across these words and I 00:06:43.870 --> 00:06:48.149 realized the leader that I follow in my religion 00:06:48.149 --> 00:06:51.970 says, I'll show you the way. I'm going to teach 00:06:51.970 --> 00:06:56.930 you a path. And Jesus says, I am the way, the 00:06:56.930 --> 00:07:02.110 truth, and the life. So at that moment, he said, 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:06.269 I couldn't deny that this was different. But 00:07:06.269 --> 00:07:11.189 also better, Jesus was the way. And that's what 00:07:11.189 --> 00:07:13.569 brought him into reading more about Jesus, and 00:07:13.569 --> 00:07:17.009 then he became a follower of Jesus. Thomas is 00:07:17.009 --> 00:07:19.670 in that place, and Jesus says, I am the way, 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:23.790 the truth, and the life, Thomas. He was asking 00:07:23.790 --> 00:07:27.170 about the way, but then soon he will learn about 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:31.290 the truth. Because it's truth what was going 00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:34.629 to create a crisis in his life following Jesus. 00:07:35.629 --> 00:07:38.829 And this is what leads us to John 20, the third 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:40.730 interaction that he's going to have with Jesus 00:07:40.730 --> 00:07:44.490 during this period of time. You see, Jesus had 00:07:44.490 --> 00:07:49.629 appeared to the apostles in one moment in which 00:07:49.629 --> 00:07:52.370 all of the apostles were together except for 00:07:52.370 --> 00:07:58.850 Thomas. And now in John 20, we're going to discover 00:07:58.850 --> 00:08:01.089 something that happens and an interaction that 00:08:01.089 --> 00:08:04.259 Thomas has with Jesus. After his resurrection. 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:09.720 And this is what it says. Now Thomas. Also known 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:15.120 as Didymus. One of the twelve. Was not with the 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:18.759 disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:24.439 told him. We have seen the Lord. Now a couple 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:29.019 of important things. Thomas is an Aramaic word. 00:08:29.180 --> 00:08:33.639 An Aramaic name that means twin. And Didymus 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:37.879 is a Greek word that means twin. So basically, 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:41.940 the author is telling us Thomas, the twin, who 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:45.360 is also known as the twin in Greek, is like saying 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.379 Pastor Pablo and Pastor Paul. It's the same thing. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:51.559 It's just different languages. And here he says 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:55.100 Thomas is known as the twin, Didymus, in case 00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:59.899 you did not know. But he was not there. And all 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:06.049 his friends said, we have seen Jesus. Now imagine, 00:09:06.389 --> 00:09:09.690 surrounded by all these guys that he trusted, 00:09:09.769 --> 00:09:12.210 they have followed Jesus all this time, and all 00:09:12.210 --> 00:09:19.889 of them are saying, we have seen the Lord. His 00:09:19.889 --> 00:09:24.289 response is not what you would expect. His response 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:28.289 is this. In the following verse, we are told, 00:09:28.509 --> 00:09:36.379 there, he says to them, Unless I see the nail 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:40.879 marks in his hands, put my fingers where the 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:46.019 nails were, and put my hand into his side, I 00:09:46.019 --> 00:09:52.679 will not believe. What they had just experienced 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:55.639 during the trial of Jesus on the crucifixion 00:09:55.639 --> 00:10:02.519 was rather traumatic. He has seen Jesus crucified, 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:07.580 tortured, die, being buried. All of these things 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:10.840 were the last things that he saw of the Jesus 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:14.700 that he was following. So to have his friends 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:17.440 say, he's alive, we have seen him, made no sense. 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:24.059 And we can deduce by his words that he lived 00:10:24.059 --> 00:10:29.019 under this conviction that seeing is believing. 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:34.220 That is the mind of the logical person, the intellectual 00:10:34.220 --> 00:10:38.580 person speaking. Unless I see it, I cannot believe 00:10:38.580 --> 00:10:41.879 it because seeing is believing. And he appeared 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:46.320 to you, but I cannot prove that. Unless I see 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:50.820 it and I prove it, I put my finger there. Until 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:53.320 I get the proof myself, then I cannot believe. 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.360 And that's what we'll discover later, that idea 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:01.190 that seeing is believing. Makes complete sense, 00:11:01.330 --> 00:11:05.690 but it's not true. And Jesus is going to encounter 00:11:05.690 --> 00:11:09.610 Thomas in that place of doubt and lack of truth 00:11:09.610 --> 00:11:16.610 in a way that is so gracious and timely because 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:23.269 he's interested in Thomas following him. So we 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:27.049 are told in the following verse that something 00:11:27.049 --> 00:11:30.899 happened. happens in the life of thomas that 00:11:30.899 --> 00:11:33.519 encounter that he's going to have with this jesus 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.860 but before you even see what jesus tells him 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:40.279 you have to see this picture because for many 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:44.139 years archaeologists that do not believe in the 00:11:44.139 --> 00:11:46.460 bible and in christianity as well as scientists 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:49.500 that are always saying that the bible and christianity 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:54.039 is not true for many years they would say that 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:57.259 These events about crucifixion and Roman crucifixion 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.299 was not real, was made up because there was no 00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:02.059 archaeological evidence about Roman crucifixion. 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:05.919 And ever since the 1960s, we have had a few amazing 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:09.639 discoveries of Roman crucifixion. One of them 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:16.580 is the remains of this man who was in his 20s. 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:19.259 If I recall, his name was like Jehoahan or something 00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:27.200 like that. of the Romans. And as they discovered 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:32.940 these bugs, they found part of his leg bones 00:12:32.940 --> 00:12:38.120 with the nail of crucifixion. And this nail was 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:41.179 not removed as other nails would usually be removed 00:12:41.179 --> 00:12:43.240 and reused in other crucifixions. This one they 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:45.720 couldn't remove because it was dented on the 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:48.950 end. So they think that as they were nailing 00:12:48.950 --> 00:12:51.450 this person on a cross. You see it has to be 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:53.250 through the side here according to these nails. 00:12:53.950 --> 00:12:57.669 Nailing him to the cross. Then the nail got bent 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:01.409 like that. So they couldn't remove it. And this 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:06.970 guy was buried like that. The marks of crucifixion 00:13:06.970 --> 00:13:14.309 were horrible. And now this Jesus that was crucified. 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:19.340 Is going to appear to Thomas. And this is what 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:24.159 the word of God says. A week later. His disciples 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:28.759 were in the house again. And Thomas. Was with 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:33.840 them. How long has it passed? Since the apostle 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:40.259 said we have seen the Lord. One week. One full 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:44.440 week of doubting. Imagine having conversations 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:47.000 with his friend saying, Thomas, are you really 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.919 that stubborn? Why would we be lying to you? 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:54.059 We saw Jesus. Why don't you get it? What else 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:58.519 do you need? You can imagine all these arguments 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:02.960 and conversations and him wrestling. Because 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:08.879 doubt is a space of what if? Have you been in 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.179 that space before? What if this is not true? 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:15.379 What if I'm getting it wrong? What if I should 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:17.539 have gone that way instead of this way? What 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:21.539 if? When you're in space of doubt rather than 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:25.740 conviction, that place of doubt steals away your 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:31.340 peace. Conviction, truth, understanding bring 00:14:31.340 --> 00:14:34.100 solidity and peace. You can follow with conviction. 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:37.340 But when you are in that place of doubt, one 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.940 thing you do not have is peace. And for an entire 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:44.940 week? So you can understand why the first thing 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:50.539 that Jesus says to them is this greeting. Peace 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:58.580 be with you. Jesus is going to enter into that 00:14:58.580 --> 00:15:03.559 room, meet the apostles, and the very first thing 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:06.659 that comes out of his mouth is not, So Thomas, 00:15:06.860 --> 00:15:14.399 I heard that you were not believing in me. Peace. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.980 Peace for you Thomas. Because that is what you 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:21.460 need. You need evidence. So that you can know 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:24.860 whether this is true or not. Here's the evidence. 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:32.899 I'm not just the way. But I am the truth. I am 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:38.639 all the evidence that you need. So Thomas. Put 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:43.690 your finger here. See my hands. Reach out your 00:15:43.690 --> 00:15:47.090 hand and put it in my sight. Whatever you need 00:15:47.090 --> 00:15:50.750 to do, do it now. So that you can stop doubting 00:15:50.750 --> 00:15:54.190 and believe. Because what I want as the Prince 00:15:54.190 --> 00:15:57.149 of Peace is that you can follow me from a place 00:15:57.149 --> 00:16:00.210 of peace. Not from a place of turmoil, living 00:16:00.210 --> 00:16:09.259 in a constant what if. So here. And Thomas doesn't 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:12.860 need that anymore. He got all the proof that 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:18.279 he needed. And he tells Jesus, my Lord and my 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:26.279 God. A very profound recognition of who Jesus 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:30.360 was in his life. Now he understands that Jesus 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:34.179 is indeed the Son of God who had come to redeem 00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:38.490 us from our sins. And now he could submit to 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:44.330 him. To follow him. And Jesus makes this comment 00:16:44.330 --> 00:16:48.850 at the end. Because you have seen me. You have 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:54.250 believed. Seeing is believing. Great. Good for 00:16:54.250 --> 00:16:57.269 you. But blessed are those who have not seen. 00:16:57.750 --> 00:17:03.210 And yet have believed. Blessed are those. That 00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:11.440 get to believe. So they can see. Blessed are 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.680 those. That can find the freedom of experiencing 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:20.799 truth. And experience my peace in them. Rather 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:26.680 than be living an entire life in doubt. Blessed 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:33.420 are them. And this is the story of Thomas. This 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:37.369 is why he got the. eventually throughout church 00:17:37.369 --> 00:17:41.329 history as Doubting Thomas. It's because the 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:44.730 last interactions that we have between him and 00:17:44.730 --> 00:17:48.990 Jesus is part of the spiritual journey of seeing 00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:52.309 someone that really believes in Jesus, wants 00:17:52.309 --> 00:17:55.410 to follow Jesus, but now is stuck in a place 00:17:55.410 --> 00:18:02.819 of doubt. And we come to understand That doubt 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:05.819 in the spiritual journey of seeking God and following 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:12.119 Jesus is not contrary to following Jesus. It's 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:16.880 part of the journey. And rather than thinking 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.319 of doubt as something that is like, oh, am I 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:23.519 having a doubt crisis? No, it's not a crisis. 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:28.900 It's part of the bumps of the road of following 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:33.880 Jesus. I've entered into these small roads, driving 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:38.019 in Bangkok, going Sukhumvit, the roads, the highways. 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:41.900 But then you get into these little roads, and 00:18:41.900 --> 00:18:45.500 you go, oh, watch out, there's a bump. And then 00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:47.539 you get another one, and then another one, and 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:50.559 it's like, oh, I was not expecting that. Yeah, 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:52.180 this road is a little bit different from the 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:55.960 other one, but it's part of the journey. And 00:18:55.960 --> 00:19:00.359 doubt is not just part of Thomas' journey. But 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:04.779 perhaps it's part of yours. And the problem is 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:07.339 not whether we experience doubt at some moments. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.819 The problem is how we face those moments of doubt. 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:16.200 Because for me to accelerate more so I can go 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:19.339 through the bumps faster is not going to be better. 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.099 All my family is going to go and hit themselves 00:19:22.099 --> 00:19:25.700 on the head on the roof of the car. It requires 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:29.859 a very specific way of facing doubt. So that 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:33.920 you will experience freedom out of it, not walk 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:37.019 away from God and experience more turmoil because 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:41.039 of it. Because when we do not experience doubt 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:44.400 the right way, it can lead us to being paralyzed. 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.380 It's like you cannot move, you cannot follow, 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:49.539 you do not know which way to turn. Or it can 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:56.720 mislead you. Now you are being led by doubt rather 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:07.450 than by truth. Instead of thinking in doubt and 00:20:07.450 --> 00:20:10.250 letting doubt lead you or mislead you or paralyze 00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:17.289 you, what Jesus wants is for you to experience 00:20:17.289 --> 00:20:24.170 truth. And he is claiming that he is the truth 00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:30.569 and the way that your soul needs. That's why 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:33.430 he gives us this invitation. Would you read it 00:20:33.430 --> 00:20:39.009 aloud with me? Come to me, all you who are weary 00:20:39.009 --> 00:20:43.829 and burdened, and I will give you rest. And those 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:46.410 two words are a very good description of that 00:20:46.410 --> 00:20:50.930 doubt episode. That stage of doubt in your life 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:55.750 makes you weary and burdened. And Jesus says, 00:20:56.089 --> 00:20:59.549 is that how you're feeling? Then I'm going to 00:20:59.549 --> 00:21:01.890 tell you what. Why don't you come to me with 00:21:01.890 --> 00:21:07.079 it? Come to me with it. And in me, I'll tell 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:13.400 you what you will find. Rest. If you are in a 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:17.000 spiritual journey, where you are in a stage in 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:22.000 which you are stuck with these doubts, I want 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.299 you to remember the words of Jesus because he's 00:21:24.299 --> 00:21:30.680 interested in you. Experiencing this season the 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:35.279 healthy way. Because if you do, you will experience 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:40.200 his peace, his rest. And in order to understand 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:43.619 how we face this, we have to understand that 00:21:43.619 --> 00:21:47.460 there are two ways in which doubt is experienced. 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:51.180 And we have to reframe doubt as thinking, as 00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:56.660 a doubt crisis, a crisis of faith, to start thinking 00:21:56.660 --> 00:22:00.779 about doubt as a journey in which I'm simply 00:22:00.779 --> 00:22:05.019 seeking understanding. And that's why I love 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:08.819 this phrase from a theologian from the 11th century, 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:13.740 Anselm of Canterbury. He says, think of it as 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:19.740 faith -seeking understanding. It's not that Thomas 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:23.000 doesn't believe in Jesus anymore. He's trying 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:25.599 to figure out how is it possible that the guy 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:28.059 that he just crucified and tortured and dead 00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:33.160 could be possibly alive. And he's stuck in that 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:38.400 space of faith, seeking understanding. And this 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:42.119 matters how we reframe it, because not only for 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:46.000 our own journey, but perhaps you have a loved 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:50.440 one who is undergoing this stage of doubt, questioning 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:53.539 things that you thought were solid convictions. 00:22:54.700 --> 00:22:57.460 Perhaps you are one of those Christian families 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:01.460 who have children who grew up Knowing about the 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:03.599 Lord. And going to church. And now there are 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:07.440 teenagers. Or in college. And you start seeing 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:11.859 them make decisions. And ask questions. And suddenly 00:23:11.859 --> 00:23:17.180 you realize. Oh you don't really believe. And 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:20.839 now you start freaking out. Now you start thinking. 00:23:21.079 --> 00:23:24.140 This is crisis. What am I going to do? And that 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:26.799 can lead you to become controlling. And manipulative. 00:23:28.059 --> 00:23:33.579 I'm here to tell you. Jesus cares for that child. 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:39.700 Just accompany the person in their spiritual 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:42.740 journey and let the Lord Jesus encounter them. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:48.740 At some point, He will. It's simply faith, seeking, 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:53.200 understanding. And there are two types of doubts 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.599 that we experience in this journey. One has to 00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:00.279 do with doubts of the mind, of the head. And 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:02.359 the others are doubts that have to do with doubts 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:06.140 of the heart. Let me take you through both of 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:09.940 them. The first one, which is the doubt of the 00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:14.900 mind, of the intellect, is concerned with one 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:21.680 question. Is it true? Is Christianity true? Is 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:26.140 the Bible true? Is Jesus really true? Is this 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:33.420 real? Does God really exist? Is this true? And 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:37.779 that kind of wrestling matters because you have 00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:39.700 to go through it. No one else can go through 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:43.240 it for you. You have to develop the convictions. 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:47.819 But God said in the book of Jeremiah, you will 00:24:47.819 --> 00:24:49.940 seek me and you will find me when you seek me 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:52.900 with all of your heart. This is a journey that 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:56.930 requires for you to engage. In seeking truth. 00:24:58.730 --> 00:25:02.549 And from the very beginning. Truth is at the 00:25:02.549 --> 00:25:06.890 core of what following Jesus is. Because in contrast 00:25:06.890 --> 00:25:10.990 to any other form of religion. What is unique 00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:15.589 to Christianity. Is that Christianity says. You 00:25:15.589 --> 00:25:18.109 believe in Jesus and you follow him because it's 00:25:18.109 --> 00:25:21.730 the truth. It is not true because you believe 00:25:21.730 --> 00:25:25.819 it and that makes it true. No. This truth exists 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:29.660 outside you. And if you do not believe it, whatever 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:34.519 else you believe, that is not true. To the point 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:37.240 that the very John who wrote the Gospel of John 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:39.920 that he's telling us in John 20 about Thomas, 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:43.039 he wrote a letter later to the first Christians. 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:46.180 One of his first letters that he wrote, he wrote 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:50.180 three of them. The very first one that he writes, 00:25:50.380 --> 00:25:53.470 he's going to emphasize this. And this is how 00:25:53.470 --> 00:25:56.690 he starts that letter. He says, guys, listen. 00:25:57.730 --> 00:26:02.369 That which was from the beginning. Which we have 00:26:02.369 --> 00:26:06.170 heard. Which we have seen with our own eyes. 00:26:06.670 --> 00:26:10.569 Which we have looked at and our own hands have 00:26:10.569 --> 00:26:14.569 touched. This is what we are proclaiming to you 00:26:14.569 --> 00:26:18.029 concerning the word of life. This Jesus that 00:26:18.029 --> 00:26:20.170 we are celebrating, that we are inviting you 00:26:20.170 --> 00:26:23.849 to follow. It's not something that we made up. 00:26:24.809 --> 00:26:30.089 We saw him. We heard him. We were with him. We 00:26:30.089 --> 00:26:33.809 touched him. We are telling you to follow him 00:26:33.809 --> 00:26:39.750 because it's the truth. And then when Jesus was 00:26:39.750 --> 00:26:42.130 with his disciples at the beginning and people 00:26:42.130 --> 00:26:45.349 started following him, he also told them how 00:26:45.349 --> 00:26:48.750 important truth was to the spiritual journey 00:26:48.750 --> 00:26:52.869 of following him. Truth matters to Jesus. Therefore 00:26:52.869 --> 00:26:56.450 it should matter to us too. And this is how Jesus 00:26:56.450 --> 00:26:59.809 said it. To the Jews who had believed in him. 00:26:59.890 --> 00:27:04.609 Jesus said. If you hold to my teaching. You are 00:27:04.609 --> 00:27:07.789 really my disciples. You cannot follow me. If 00:27:07.789 --> 00:27:13.690 you are not going to believe me. But then. You 00:27:13.690 --> 00:27:17.569 will know what? The truth. And what will happen 00:27:17.569 --> 00:27:22.619 to you? The truth will. Set you free. Truth. 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:31.900 And the most important truth of all. Jesus. It's 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:35.819 a truth that tells you. That this emptiness that 00:27:35.819 --> 00:27:40.359 you carry within you. This turmoil that you experience 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:45.859 within. Is simply a symptom of lack of truth 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:50.279 in your life. Because you do not know him. You 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:53.519 are not following him. And until you know him 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:56.019 and you follow him. You will not experience the 00:27:56.019 --> 00:28:00.779 freedom that Jesus wants for your soul. You will 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:05.000 know the truth. And truth will set you free. 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:12.980 So. Faith seeking understanding. When I'm experiencing 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:15.559 doubt that has to do with trying to understand, 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:18.960 is this true? How can I really believe it? How 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:24.519 can I be sure? That kind of doubting requires 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:31.400 that you engage with searching for truth. And 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:35.319 that is what happened to Michael Gulen. Dr. Michael 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:41.500 Gulen is a... was a professor of science at a 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:43.880 famous university in the U .S. called Harvard 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:48.980 University. He had a Ph .D. in astrophysics. 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:54.079 And he says, look, I was a little kid. My parents 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:57.200 took me to church. But I didn't care about any 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:00.220 of that. I didn't believe in any of it. I never 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:03.619 did. For me, the Bible was just a bunch of fairy 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:08.950 tales. I was interested in science. The idea 00:29:08.950 --> 00:29:11.470 of God and all of that never really stuck to 00:29:11.470 --> 00:29:14.230 me. My parents, yeah, they were believers, but 00:29:14.230 --> 00:29:19.470 not me. So I started pursuing science. That's 00:29:19.470 --> 00:29:22.170 what I loved. And when he describes himself, 00:29:22.430 --> 00:29:25.369 he describes himself as a nerd. That's a word 00:29:25.369 --> 00:29:28.430 we use in English to describe this person that 00:29:28.430 --> 00:29:32.990 is so intellectual that they have so much giftedness 00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:35.259 in the intellect. That they lack giftedness on 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:41.240 the social level? He was like that. And he was 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:43.839 just spending all his time understanding science, 00:29:44.099 --> 00:29:48.019 studying, reading books, learning. And then he 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:51.380 got his degrees. He got his PhD. He started teaching. 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:56.180 He was an awesome teacher. Got several awards 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:58.779 because of the quality of his teachings. The 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:01.619 students loved him. But he was an atheist all 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:08.430 of those years. And for him, in his mind, what 00:30:08.430 --> 00:30:12.990 mattered was truth. And he started finding certain 00:30:12.990 --> 00:30:17.150 things in his study of science and astronomy 00:30:17.150 --> 00:30:21.430 and physics that he could not explain anymore 00:30:21.430 --> 00:30:25.630 through the logic of science. He knew there was 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:27.849 something more, but he did not know where to 00:30:27.849 --> 00:30:32.049 find it. And as he started searching, he came 00:30:32.049 --> 00:30:35.369 across this guy in his circle that was a scientist 00:30:35.369 --> 00:30:38.150 too that was pursuing Hinduism. So he thought, 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:41.170 oh, maybe Hinduism is the way. So he became a 00:30:41.170 --> 00:30:44.069 Hindu and he started absorbing again, like a 00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:48.049 nerd does, every possible book to read, everything 00:30:48.049 --> 00:30:52.049 to understand, everything. So he was very dedicated 00:30:52.049 --> 00:30:56.930 like that, understanding, reading. But no, it 00:30:56.930 --> 00:30:59.160 didn't give him the answers he was seeking. So 00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:00.940 then he tried another religion and then another 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:03.019 one, another one, almost like every possible 00:31:03.019 --> 00:31:09.500 religion. But he was still seeking answers that 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:13.119 would match what he was discovering as a scientist 00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:20.099 in the universe. And one day a friend, a lady 00:31:20.099 --> 00:31:23.039 came to him and said, hey, have you considered 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:25.920 reading the Bible? Because I'm curious, I would 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:28.210 like to read it and you are so smart. that it 00:31:28.210 --> 00:31:29.750 would be very interesting to read it with you. 00:31:30.809 --> 00:31:35.470 And he says, no, no, why would I read the Bible? 00:31:35.490 --> 00:31:37.349 Everybody knows that's not true. It's just a 00:31:37.349 --> 00:31:41.630 bunch of myths. So it's like, no. But, you know, 00:31:41.670 --> 00:31:44.210 interesting. Women can have a lot of power in 00:31:44.210 --> 00:31:48.809 guys. So that's what happened to him. He said, 00:31:48.849 --> 00:31:50.630 okay, sure. They started reading the Bible together, 00:31:50.710 --> 00:31:52.829 and she eventually became, not surprisingly, 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:58.000 his wife. So guys, you want to find a way to 00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:59.680 find a wife? Start reading the Bible together. 00:31:59.900 --> 00:32:04.240 How about that? But through that study, he started 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:07.000 discovering a world he did not understand before. 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:09.680 And when he came to Jesus, he was impacted by 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:12.859 who this person was. And as a scientist, not 00:32:12.859 --> 00:32:15.380 as a believer yet, he had developed this chart 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:18.140 of all this comparison. And he was saying, look, 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:22.539 I know three things to be absolute truth. First. 00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:25.450 is that there is absolute truth. As a scientist, 00:32:25.529 --> 00:32:29.089 I have to say yes, there is absolute truth. Secondly, 00:32:29.250 --> 00:32:31.230 I also know that there is truth that cannot be 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:33.930 proven. In science, we have lots of theories 00:32:33.930 --> 00:32:36.250 and things. We believe they are true, but because 00:32:36.250 --> 00:32:39.150 they cannot be proven, but we still act on them 00:32:39.150 --> 00:32:41.190 and say they are true. So there is truth that 00:32:41.190 --> 00:32:46.150 cannot be proven. And third, he said, I discovered 00:32:46.150 --> 00:32:49.670 that the universe, in all these different sciences 00:32:49.670 --> 00:32:53.980 and fields, we know that the universe was designed 00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:58.259 for life, what they call the fine -tuning. So 00:32:58.259 --> 00:33:00.480 he says these three things are true as a scientist. 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:05.019 And then he started thinking as an atheist. Hmm. 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:08.140 Well, as an atheist, we don't believe in absolute 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:10.880 truth because truth is relative. We don't believe 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:13.259 that the universe was designed for life. Everything 00:33:13.259 --> 00:33:16.920 just happened randomly. And also, we believe 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:22.799 that truth, Has to be proven because seeing is 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:27.920 believing. So suddenly he realized. Either I'm 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.000 an atheist or a scientist, but I cannot be both. 00:33:31.779 --> 00:33:34.900 And then all the other religions did not match 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:38.079 this. He was really committed to truth in science 00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:41.759 for him. And then he started comparing the Christian 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:45.539 worldview. And he said, check, check, check. 00:33:45.799 --> 00:33:51.130 Oh. That's amazing. I guess. Might not be too 00:33:51.130 --> 00:33:53.190 bad after all being a Christian, but he was not 00:33:53.190 --> 00:33:56.990 believing yet. And then one day, he's thinking 00:33:56.990 --> 00:33:58.829 about the Christian doctrine that they say, okay, 00:33:58.869 --> 00:34:02.089 so we are sinners, we are imperfect people. And 00:34:02.089 --> 00:34:04.509 if we acquire this thing, then we'll become perfect, 00:34:04.589 --> 00:34:08.789 like forgiven. So he says, you know, as a physicist, 00:34:08.949 --> 00:34:13.210 I was thinking about this in the terms of equations. 00:34:16.070 --> 00:34:20.829 Okay. Never seen that before. He said, yeah, 00:34:20.889 --> 00:34:23.090 you know, when you have to find the value of 00:34:23.090 --> 00:34:27.070 the X equations, it's like, okay, I'm a theologian, 00:34:27.070 --> 00:34:30.010 not a mathematician, so you lost me. No, no, 00:34:30.070 --> 00:34:33.389 seriously, simple, math, school. They tell you 00:34:33.389 --> 00:34:36.489 to find the value of the X. It's like this, you 00:34:36.489 --> 00:34:38.670 know, I realize that Christianity is telling 00:34:38.670 --> 00:34:43.409 me that imperfection plus this something will 00:34:43.409 --> 00:34:48.690 equal perfection. That I'm a sinner, I'm imperfect, 00:34:48.909 --> 00:34:51.449 I have a need. And if I acquire something, that 00:34:51.449 --> 00:34:55.369 will equal perfection. So mathematically, I realize 00:34:55.369 --> 00:35:00.510 that the value of the X is not imperfection plus 00:35:00.510 --> 00:35:02.989 perfection, but the equation demands that you 00:35:02.989 --> 00:35:08.309 have to say X equals perfection minus imperfection. 00:35:08.409 --> 00:35:11.510 And that is the value that gives you X. And at 00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:13.690 that moment, it clicked in his mind and he said, 00:35:14.829 --> 00:35:18.690 So that's what Christianity tells me. Is that 00:35:18.690 --> 00:35:22.530 Jesus, the Lamb of God who was perfect, he absorbed 00:35:22.530 --> 00:35:28.090 in him my imperfection and therefore the ex is 00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:34.769 Jesus. So now he started realizing I can believe 00:35:34.769 --> 00:35:37.670 these things. It's not intellectual suicide. 00:35:40.429 --> 00:35:45.309 But then, as he started studying In astronomy, 00:35:45.510 --> 00:35:47.489 and they started discovering all these presence 00:35:47.489 --> 00:35:51.769 of what they call now black matter, I mean dark 00:35:51.769 --> 00:35:55.230 matter and dark energy. He says, you know, until 00:35:55.230 --> 00:35:58.170 that point, I was sure that as a scientist, I 00:35:58.170 --> 00:36:00.670 lived under the conviction that seeing is believing. 00:36:01.289 --> 00:36:04.989 That's it. But through all these studies, we 00:36:04.989 --> 00:36:09.869 realized that 95 % of the non -universe is invisible 00:36:09.869 --> 00:36:14.039 to us. We study it, but we cannot see it. So 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:17.719 I am believing 95 % of things that I say I believe 00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:21.619 that I cannot see. And at that moment, he says 00:36:21.619 --> 00:36:25.039 it's not intellectually honest for me to believe 00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:27.539 that I cannot believe in Jesus because I have 00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:29.780 to see to believe when I'm already believing 00:36:29.780 --> 00:36:33.199 all these things that I cannot see. So at that 00:36:33.199 --> 00:36:38.420 moment, he realized that believing in Jesus was 00:36:38.420 --> 00:36:42.489 not anti -intellectual. As he thought it was. 00:36:42.929 --> 00:36:46.010 When he told the girlfriend at that time, I would 00:36:46.010 --> 00:36:50.409 not read the Bible because that's not true. So 00:36:50.409 --> 00:36:53.110 he eventually wrote a book called Seeing is Believing 00:36:53.110 --> 00:36:56.010 and Believing is Seeing. And also he wrote a 00:36:56.010 --> 00:37:00.219 book. Let creation speak for children with meditations 00:37:00.219 --> 00:37:04.579 for children about the science and the creation. 00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:08.539 Amazing stuff. But there was something else that 00:37:08.539 --> 00:37:10.739 had to click. And him, as an intellectual, he 00:37:10.739 --> 00:37:14.099 says, look, I believed all this stuff. I started 00:37:14.099 --> 00:37:16.440 believing. I started clicking. But I did not 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:23.079 trust it. And he said, you know, it reminded 00:37:23.079 --> 00:37:25.139 me when I was in high school and had to take 00:37:25.139 --> 00:37:28.579 a swimming test. And that test I had to take 00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:31.500 in order to graduate, but I was afraid of water. 00:37:31.719 --> 00:37:37.039 So as a scientist, I believe in this law that 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:41.320 tells me that my body, the gravity of my body 00:37:41.320 --> 00:37:44.579 is lighter than the water and therefore the water 00:37:44.579 --> 00:37:47.219 will push me up, that I will float. I believe 00:37:47.219 --> 00:37:51.000 in that science. But when I got in the water, 00:37:51.039 --> 00:37:54.500 I was freaking out because I was not trusting 00:37:54.500 --> 00:38:00.250 it. And I was believing in all these things about 00:38:00.250 --> 00:38:03.809 God, Jesus, the equation, but I was not trusting 00:38:03.809 --> 00:38:07.030 it until I got to the point in which I said, 00:38:07.230 --> 00:38:13.590 Jesus, you are the truth. I'll follow you. At 00:38:13.590 --> 00:38:16.409 that moment, something clicked in his heart. 00:38:18.829 --> 00:38:22.269 If you are in that journey of asking questions 00:38:22.269 --> 00:38:28.059 about truth, I recommend reading his book. He 00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.139 writes it from a perspective as a scientist, 00:38:30.199 --> 00:38:33.159 scientific language, to help you engage in some 00:38:33.159 --> 00:38:35.440 of these things. But also there are other materials 00:38:35.440 --> 00:38:39.260 that you can find on YouTube very easily. Digging 00:38:39.260 --> 00:38:42.460 for Truth and Expedition Bible, these are two 00:38:42.460 --> 00:38:45.199 channels that have lots of archaeological evidence 00:38:45.199 --> 00:38:49.300 about the Bible. Also the Gospels from Drive 00:38:49.300 --> 00:38:53.679 Thru History, it's a whole episode of Bible studies 00:38:53.679 --> 00:38:57.780 that take you to location. Fragments of Truth 00:38:57.780 --> 00:39:00.000 is a whole documentary about the reliability 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.639 of the Bible as a text. These things will help 00:39:04.639 --> 00:39:07.440 you in that journey. But if you are dealing with 00:39:07.440 --> 00:39:11.639 this part, is it true? Remember, trust the evidence. 00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:15.880 But the second doubt is a doubt of the heart. 00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:19.400 And it's asking a different question. The question 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:23.900 is, can I trust God? It's not that I don't believe 00:39:23.900 --> 00:39:26.449 in God. It's not that I don't believe in the 00:39:26.449 --> 00:39:30.309 Bible. I'm a follower of Jesus, but I'm feeling 00:39:30.309 --> 00:39:35.030 afraid that if I trust God with my life, with 00:39:35.030 --> 00:39:39.050 my plans, with my future, with my dating relationship, 00:39:39.409 --> 00:39:42.610 with my marriage, with my children, that if I 00:39:42.610 --> 00:39:49.590 trust God with me, somehow, that is not going 00:39:49.590 --> 00:39:54.699 to be good. Because he is going to lead me To 00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:56.519 something that is not going to be good for my 00:39:56.519 --> 00:40:00.880 life. And perhaps my plans are better. Can I 00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:04.739 trust him? You see that's not an intellectual 00:40:04.739 --> 00:40:09.119 doubt is it? It's a doubt of the heart. And this 00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:10.940 is something that Jesus spoke about. And there 00:40:10.940 --> 00:40:13.159 are two things that are very clear. For anyone 00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:16.239 who follows Jesus. That matters in how we answer 00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:19.800 these doubts. First is how we think of Jesus. 00:40:20.059 --> 00:40:24.159 And secondly a willing. To follow Jesus. Because 00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:26.119 Jesus said look. If you are going to think of 00:40:26.119 --> 00:40:29.400 me. You have to think of me. As a good shepherd. 00:40:30.300 --> 00:40:34.360 I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep. And 00:40:34.360 --> 00:40:37.739 my sheep know me. Just as the father knows me. 00:40:37.800 --> 00:40:40.159 And I know the father. And I lay down my life 00:40:40.159 --> 00:40:44.400 for the sheep. How can you follow me. And trust 00:40:44.400 --> 00:40:47.980 me. If you think that I am the bad shepherd. 00:40:50.440 --> 00:40:55.280 And secondly, he says, whoever serves me must 00:40:55.280 --> 00:40:59.639 follow me. And where I am, my servant also will 00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:02.320 be. My father will honor the one who serves me. 00:41:02.920 --> 00:41:07.519 What makes you think that following me is going 00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:12.460 to take you to the wrong place? If you are really 00:41:12.460 --> 00:41:15.579 my disciple, if you really say you believe in 00:41:15.579 --> 00:41:19.570 me, you have to be willing to follow me. Because 00:41:19.570 --> 00:41:23.389 where I am is where you want to be. Why would 00:41:23.389 --> 00:41:29.070 you want to go your own way where I am not? Follow 00:41:29.070 --> 00:41:39.449 me. You can trust in my presence. So Jesus wants 00:41:39.449 --> 00:41:42.510 us to encounter him in that doubt of the heart 00:41:42.510 --> 00:41:44.869 by understanding that he is a good shepherd. 00:41:45.489 --> 00:41:48.820 And that he is going to go with us. Because we 00:41:48.820 --> 00:41:52.579 are following him. So if he's asking you to give 00:41:52.579 --> 00:41:55.420 up something. If he's asking you to move somewhere. 00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:58.260 If he's asking you to change careers. If he's 00:41:58.260 --> 00:42:00.599 asking you whatever he's asking you. You can 00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:04.880 follow him. And that is what we learn from Corrie 00:42:04.880 --> 00:42:08.500 ten Boom. She was a lady from the Netherlands. 00:42:08.599 --> 00:42:11.960 A Christian. With her family they had a home 00:42:11.960 --> 00:42:16.300 business. And during that time. Where she was 00:42:16.300 --> 00:42:18.980 living there in her home. It was the time of 00:42:18.980 --> 00:42:22.340 during the Nazi invasion. So as the persecution 00:42:22.340 --> 00:42:25.239 against the Jews started. They opened their home 00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:28.820 to start hiding many of these Jews into their 00:42:28.820 --> 00:42:33.139 home. And that caused them to be caught and then 00:42:33.139 --> 00:42:37.239 sent to concentration camps. Her father died. 00:42:37.480 --> 00:42:40.820 Her sister died in the concentration camp. And 00:42:40.820 --> 00:42:43.619 then she survived the concentration camp but 00:42:43.619 --> 00:42:47.969 suffered through it all. And one night, she goes 00:42:47.969 --> 00:42:51.489 out and sees the stars in the concentration camp. 00:42:51.969 --> 00:42:57.230 And she says, God, you hold all these stars in 00:42:57.230 --> 00:43:02.510 your hand. Have you forgotten about me? Have 00:43:02.510 --> 00:43:06.389 you forgotten about your daughter? You see, that 00:43:06.389 --> 00:43:09.550 is the doubt of the heart. Are you there? Do 00:43:09.550 --> 00:43:13.380 you see me? Do you even care about me? Why are 00:43:13.380 --> 00:43:18.519 you letting this happen in my life? And she wrote 00:43:18.519 --> 00:43:21.199 her autobiography that became very famous, The 00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:24.659 Hidden Place. It was later made into a movie 00:43:24.659 --> 00:43:27.639 and she wrote many other books as well. She's 00:43:27.639 --> 00:43:29.460 already with the Lord. She died when she was 00:43:29.460 --> 00:43:34.579 91 years old, actually on her birthday. And she 00:43:34.579 --> 00:43:38.320 says, Pablo, never be afraid to trust an unknown 00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:42.909 future. To a known God. He's going to go there 00:43:42.909 --> 00:43:47.989 before you. Jesus was in the camp. And that's 00:43:47.989 --> 00:43:50.929 why he led me to it. Because where he is. His 00:43:50.929 --> 00:43:54.989 servants will also be. He had purposes for me 00:43:54.989 --> 00:43:58.909 to fulfill there. But what if it becomes too 00:43:58.909 --> 00:44:02.409 hard. To follow Jesus into the future. He has 00:44:02.409 --> 00:44:07.539 for you. Pablo. There is no pit so deep. That 00:44:07.539 --> 00:44:12.159 God's love is not deeper still. God's love will 00:44:12.159 --> 00:44:15.940 encounter you there, strengthen you there. Don't 00:44:15.940 --> 00:44:21.980 be afraid. If you have never read her autobiography, 00:44:22.039 --> 00:44:24.599 Hiding Place, or watched the movie, I highly 00:44:24.599 --> 00:44:27.840 recommend it. I included the links in the study 00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:31.099 guide for life groups. But also there's the children's 00:44:31.099 --> 00:44:34.469 version that you can find. and YouTube as well 00:44:34.469 --> 00:44:38.010 from Torchlighters. Amazing biographies of some 00:44:38.010 --> 00:44:40.809 of these heroes of the faith. But what we'll 00:44:40.809 --> 00:44:45.809 learn is that this doubt of the heart, can I 00:44:45.809 --> 00:44:49.849 trust God? You will have to learn to trust in 00:44:49.849 --> 00:44:55.329 his love. He loves you. And rather than running 00:44:55.329 --> 00:44:58.469 away from him, invite him into that space of 00:44:58.469 --> 00:45:04.840 doubting. So I do not know what's the doubts 00:45:04.840 --> 00:45:09.500 that are holding you back. Whether they are doubts 00:45:09.500 --> 00:45:12.800 of the mind or doubts of the heart. But one thing 00:45:12.800 --> 00:45:16.260 that happened with Thomas is that as he overcame 00:45:16.260 --> 00:45:19.920 the doubt, he came to a point of submission and 00:45:19.920 --> 00:45:24.340 understanding. He now understood what was the 00:45:24.340 --> 00:45:28.719 truth and he was able to submit his life. To 00:45:28.719 --> 00:45:34.920 Jesus. And that's why he calls him. My God. My 00:45:34.920 --> 00:45:41.000 Lord. And that. Is the place where the journey 00:45:41.000 --> 00:45:45.099 will take you. A place of submission. To the 00:45:45.099 --> 00:45:48.659 Lordship of Jesus Christ. Because he is the way. 00:45:48.739 --> 00:45:55.500 The truth. And the life. Have you experienced 00:45:55.500 --> 00:45:59.599 that place of submission? Where you are finally 00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:04.860 saying, Lord Jesus, you are it. And I'll follow 00:46:04.860 --> 00:46:09.639 you. If you haven't gotten to that place yet, 00:46:09.679 --> 00:46:12.960 I want to encourage you today. As we worship 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:19.079 in this closing time. Bring your doubts to Jesus. 00:46:22.159 --> 00:46:25.599 I want to ask you these three. Last questions 00:46:25.599 --> 00:46:28.739 as part of the convictions that propel us forward. 00:46:29.300 --> 00:46:33.940 First one. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the 00:46:33.940 --> 00:46:40.380 life. Do you believe it? Do you believe it? Then, 00:46:40.380 --> 00:46:44.639 trust the evidence. It will always lead you to 00:46:44.639 --> 00:46:47.980 the truth. And truth doesn't need defending. 00:46:48.079 --> 00:46:54.000 It defends itself. Secondly, Jesus is the good 00:46:54.000 --> 00:46:58.500 shepherd. Do you believe it? Do you really believe 00:46:58.500 --> 00:47:03.559 it? If he's the good shepherd, then you can trust 00:47:03.559 --> 00:47:09.500 in his love and his embrace. And thirdly, Jesus 00:47:09.500 --> 00:47:13.280 is the living hope. He's alive. And where he 00:47:13.280 --> 00:47:15.940 is, his servants also will be. Do you believe 00:47:15.940 --> 00:47:21.030 it? Therefore, you can follow him. No matter 00:47:21.030 --> 00:47:24.230 where he leads you. Even if it is to your own 00:47:24.230 --> 00:47:33.590 grave. Don't worry. Trust in his presence. This 00:47:33.590 --> 00:47:40.789 is how we experience doubt in the journey. Let 00:47:40.789 --> 00:47:43.690 the truth of the living hope encounter you where 00:47:43.690 --> 00:47:51.099 you are. And may you be moved. To follow him 00:47:51.099 --> 00:47:56.059 wholeheartedly. Father as we stand in your presence. 00:47:57.860 --> 00:48:04.239 We say glory to you. Hallelujah. Because our 00:48:04.239 --> 00:48:09.940 savior is risen. And your word says that one 00:48:09.940 --> 00:48:16.480 day. At the sound of the last trumpet. Our Lord 00:48:16.480 --> 00:48:20.829 Jesus will return. And the prophet Zechariah 00:48:20.829 --> 00:48:25.349 said that on that day people will see him, the 00:48:25.349 --> 00:48:28.809 one they pierced, and they will cry because they 00:48:28.809 --> 00:48:37.469 will realize that he was the truth. Lord, if 00:48:37.469 --> 00:48:40.230 there's anyone here today that has been paralyzed 00:48:40.230 --> 00:48:46.449 or misled by doubt, would you encounter them 00:48:46.449 --> 00:48:50.510 in this space? Holy Spirit, open their eyes so 00:48:50.510 --> 00:48:55.869 they may see. Break the chains of fear and doubt. 00:48:56.530 --> 00:48:59.269 And let them experience the truth that leads 00:48:59.269 --> 00:49:06.690 to freedom. Encounter us here, now, as we proclaim 00:49:06.690 --> 00:49:10.150 the truth of who you are, Jesus, victorious. 00:49:11.909 --> 00:49:39.320 In Jesus' name, amen. If God is calling you to 00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:41.860 support our ministries, you will find giving 00:49:41.860 --> 00:49:45.679 options on our website. And remember to join 00:49:45.679 --> 00:49:47.760 us next week. God bless you.