He is risen. We are going to continue the series
on living hope. The first study was the God who
is the one that resurrected Lazarus. And we saw
the God who weeps. Then we saw the God who serves,
who washed the feet of the apostles. And today
we are going to see the God who lives. Please
join me as we begin. Lord, I want to ask you.
That you will use me today in this study. In
your strength. In your wisdom. In your grace.
In your power. Let it be you. Encounter us through
your word. We pray in the powerful name of Jesus.
Our resurrected king. Amen. In this study today.
We have. Now experience different things, some
of which we celebrated this weekend, including
Good Friday. After Jesus died, crucified on the
cross, he was buried on a tomb of a rich man
that had a stone door that was sealed. And as
the apostles were grieving, the time of Jesus'
death, they did not know, they didn't understand,
they were not expecting that on Sunday morning,
Jesus was going to resurrect. And as Jesus resurrects,
he starts appearing for a period of many days
to the apostles and other people as well. And
that is where we come to John chapter 20. In
John chapter 20, We are going to discover an
event that takes place that involves the apostles.
One of the apostles whose name is Thomas and
Jesus. Thomas was one of the apostles that have
been with Jesus for a long time. And we see during
this last week in the life of Jesus, which we
call the Holy Week. We see Thomas interacting
with Jesus in three different occasions. And
all of this is taking place in the surrounding
area of Jerusalem and in Jerusalem. As a reminder
from the previous sessions, remember that Jesus
came to Bethany where he resurrected Lazarus,
right there on the south. And then he went to
the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem and he
saw Jerusalem and he weeped for Jerusalem because
of their rejection of him, but also the destruction
that was going to happen in Jerusalem later,
which happened in the year 70. And then he went
down in the triumphal entry into the city of
Jerusalem and then he met the apostles during
the Last Supper. And after that, the crucifixion.
And the burial took place. It is during this
time that Thomas is going to interact with Jesus.
And the first one of those interactions happened
before they arrived to Bethany. Because when
the apostles were in the area and they realized
that Jesus wanted to go to Bethany, you can just
look at the map and realize, wow, that's very
close to Jerusalem. And it was a problem because
people already wanted to destroy Jesus. They
wanted to kill him. So they were concerned that
if they went to Bethany, it was too close to
Jerusalem, it could be dangerous. And as they
were wrestling with that, we are told that Thomas
simply says to the other apostles, hey, let us
also go that we may die with him. He was... Committed
to following Jesus. Even if it meant. That they
had to die with him. In this trip to Bethany.
But then later. As the experience happened. Right
there with Lazarus. And they go to Jerusalem.
And they experience the last supper with Jesus.
Jesus washes their feet and then he engages with
them in a long conversation about many things,
including telling them that's going to happen
in the upcoming moments about his death and resurrection.
But they don't understand any of these things.
So there's another moment in which God, Jesus
is telling the apostles, look, I'm going to go
to a place and then I'll come back. So you can
be where I am. And all of this conversation,
and Thomas says, but Lord, we don't even know
where you're going. So how can we know the way?
How can we follow you to wherever you're going
if we don't know where you're going? He's still
confused. He doesn't understand. And Jesus answers
to him these famous words of Jesus that perhaps
you have memorized if you're a Christian for
a long time. Jesus tells Thomas, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. You must imagine how
that was completely disorienting for Thomas because
he was asking for directions and he gets an answer
saying, I am the directions. That reminded me
of... Amen. Amen. Amen. And he says, it was simple.
He says, one day when I started learning more
about Jesus, I came across these words and I
realized the leader that I follow in my religion
says, I'll show you the way. I'm going to teach
you a path. And Jesus says, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. So at that moment, he said,
I couldn't deny that this was different. But
also better, Jesus was the way. And that's what
brought him into reading more about Jesus, and
then he became a follower of Jesus. Thomas is
in that place, and Jesus says, I am the way,
the truth, and the life, Thomas. He was asking
about the way, but then soon he will learn about
the truth. Because it's truth what was going
to create a crisis in his life following Jesus.
And this is what leads us to John 20, the third
interaction that he's going to have with Jesus
during this period of time. You see, Jesus had
appeared to the apostles in one moment in which
all of the apostles were together except for
Thomas. And now in John 20, we're going to discover
something that happens and an interaction that
Thomas has with Jesus. After his resurrection.
And this is what it says. Now Thomas. Also known
as Didymus. One of the twelve. Was not with the
disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples
told him. We have seen the Lord. Now a couple
of important things. Thomas is an Aramaic word.
An Aramaic name that means twin. And Didymus
is a Greek word that means twin. So basically,
the author is telling us Thomas, the twin, who
is also known as the twin in Greek, is like saying
Pastor Pablo and Pastor Paul. It's the same thing.
It's just different languages. And here he says
Thomas is known as the twin, Didymus, in case
you did not know. But he was not there. And all
his friends said, we have seen Jesus. Now imagine,
surrounded by all these guys that he trusted,
they have followed Jesus all this time, and all
of them are saying, we have seen the Lord. His
response is not what you would expect. His response
is this. In the following verse, we are told,
there, he says to them, Unless I see the nail
marks in his hands, put my fingers where the
nails were, and put my hand into his side, I
will not believe. What they had just experienced
during the trial of Jesus on the crucifixion
was rather traumatic. He has seen Jesus crucified,
tortured, die, being buried. All of these things
were the last things that he saw of the Jesus
that he was following. So to have his friends
say, he's alive, we have seen him, made no sense.
And we can deduce by his words that he lived
under this conviction that seeing is believing.
That is the mind of the logical person, the intellectual
person speaking. Unless I see it, I cannot believe
it because seeing is believing. And he appeared
to you, but I cannot prove that. Unless I see
it and I prove it, I put my finger there. Until
I get the proof myself, then I cannot believe.
And that's what we'll discover later, that idea
that seeing is believing. Makes complete sense,
but it's not true. And Jesus is going to encounter
Thomas in that place of doubt and lack of truth
in a way that is so gracious and timely because
he's interested in Thomas following him. So we
are told in the following verse that something
happened. happens in the life of thomas that
encounter that he's going to have with this jesus
but before you even see what jesus tells him
you have to see this picture because for many
years archaeologists that do not believe in the
bible and in christianity as well as scientists
that are always saying that the bible and christianity
is not true for many years they would say that
These events about crucifixion and Roman crucifixion
was not real, was made up because there was no
archaeological evidence about Roman crucifixion.
And ever since the 1960s, we have had a few amazing
discoveries of Roman crucifixion. One of them
is the remains of this man who was in his 20s.
If I recall, his name was like Jehoahan or something
like that. of the Romans. And as they discovered
these bugs, they found part of his leg bones
with the nail of crucifixion. And this nail was
not removed as other nails would usually be removed
and reused in other crucifixions. This one they
couldn't remove because it was dented on the
end. So they think that as they were nailing
this person on a cross. You see it has to be
through the side here according to these nails.
Nailing him to the cross. Then the nail got bent
like that. So they couldn't remove it. And this
guy was buried like that. The marks of crucifixion
were horrible. And now this Jesus that was crucified.
Is going to appear to Thomas. And this is what
the word of God says. A week later. His disciples
were in the house again. And Thomas. Was with
them. How long has it passed? Since the apostle
said we have seen the Lord. One week. One full
week of doubting. Imagine having conversations
with his friend saying, Thomas, are you really
that stubborn? Why would we be lying to you?
We saw Jesus. Why don't you get it? What else
do you need? You can imagine all these arguments
and conversations and him wrestling. Because
doubt is a space of what if? Have you been in
that space before? What if this is not true?
What if I'm getting it wrong? What if I should
have gone that way instead of this way? What
if? When you're in space of doubt rather than
conviction, that place of doubt steals away your
peace. Conviction, truth, understanding bring
solidity and peace. You can follow with conviction.
But when you are in that place of doubt, one
thing you do not have is peace. And for an entire
week? So you can understand why the first thing
that Jesus says to them is this greeting. Peace
be with you. Jesus is going to enter into that
room, meet the apostles, and the very first thing
that comes out of his mouth is not, So Thomas,
I heard that you were not believing in me. Peace.
Peace for you Thomas. Because that is what you
need. You need evidence. So that you can know
whether this is true or not. Here's the evidence.
I'm not just the way. But I am the truth. I am
all the evidence that you need. So Thomas. Put
your finger here. See my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it in my sight. Whatever you need
to do, do it now. So that you can stop doubting
and believe. Because what I want as the Prince
of Peace is that you can follow me from a place
of peace. Not from a place of turmoil, living
in a constant what if. So here. And Thomas doesn't
need that anymore. He got all the proof that
he needed. And he tells Jesus, my Lord and my
God. A very profound recognition of who Jesus
was in his life. Now he understands that Jesus
is indeed the Son of God who had come to redeem
us from our sins. And now he could submit to
him. To follow him. And Jesus makes this comment
at the end. Because you have seen me. You have
believed. Seeing is believing. Great. Good for
you. But blessed are those who have not seen.
And yet have believed. Blessed are those. That
get to believe. So they can see. Blessed are
those. That can find the freedom of experiencing
truth. And experience my peace in them. Rather
than be living an entire life in doubt. Blessed
are them. And this is the story of Thomas. This
is why he got the. eventually throughout church
history as Doubting Thomas. It's because the
last interactions that we have between him and
Jesus is part of the spiritual journey of seeing
someone that really believes in Jesus, wants
to follow Jesus, but now is stuck in a place
of doubt. And we come to understand That doubt
in the spiritual journey of seeking God and following
Jesus is not contrary to following Jesus. It's
part of the journey. And rather than thinking
of doubt as something that is like, oh, am I
having a doubt crisis? No, it's not a crisis.
It's part of the bumps of the road of following
Jesus. I've entered into these small roads, driving
in Bangkok, going Sukhumvit, the roads, the highways.
But then you get into these little roads, and
you go, oh, watch out, there's a bump. And then
you get another one, and then another one, and
it's like, oh, I was not expecting that. Yeah,
this road is a little bit different from the
other one, but it's part of the journey. And
doubt is not just part of Thomas' journey. But
perhaps it's part of yours. And the problem is
not whether we experience doubt at some moments.
The problem is how we face those moments of doubt.
Because for me to accelerate more so I can go
through the bumps faster is not going to be better.
All my family is going to go and hit themselves
on the head on the roof of the car. It requires
a very specific way of facing doubt. So that
you will experience freedom out of it, not walk
away from God and experience more turmoil because
of it. Because when we do not experience doubt
the right way, it can lead us to being paralyzed.
It's like you cannot move, you cannot follow,
you do not know which way to turn. Or it can
mislead you. Now you are being led by doubt rather
than by truth. Instead of thinking in doubt and
letting doubt lead you or mislead you or paralyze
you, what Jesus wants is for you to experience
truth. And he is claiming that he is the truth
and the way that your soul needs. That's why
he gives us this invitation. Would you read it
aloud with me? Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest. And those
two words are a very good description of that
doubt episode. That stage of doubt in your life
makes you weary and burdened. And Jesus says,
is that how you're feeling? Then I'm going to
tell you what. Why don't you come to me with
it? Come to me with it. And in me, I'll tell
you what you will find. Rest. If you are in a
spiritual journey, where you are in a stage in
which you are stuck with these doubts, I want
you to remember the words of Jesus because he's
interested in you. Experiencing this season the
healthy way. Because if you do, you will experience
his peace, his rest. And in order to understand
how we face this, we have to understand that
there are two ways in which doubt is experienced.
And we have to reframe doubt as thinking, as
a doubt crisis, a crisis of faith, to start thinking
about doubt as a journey in which I'm simply
seeking understanding. And that's why I love
this phrase from a theologian from the 11th century,
Anselm of Canterbury. He says, think of it as
faith -seeking understanding. It's not that Thomas
doesn't believe in Jesus anymore. He's trying
to figure out how is it possible that the guy
that he just crucified and tortured and dead
could be possibly alive. And he's stuck in that
space of faith, seeking understanding. And this
matters how we reframe it, because not only for
our own journey, but perhaps you have a loved
one who is undergoing this stage of doubt, questioning
things that you thought were solid convictions.
Perhaps you are one of those Christian families
who have children who grew up Knowing about the
Lord. And going to church. And now there are
teenagers. Or in college. And you start seeing
them make decisions. And ask questions. And suddenly
you realize. Oh you don't really believe. And
now you start freaking out. Now you start thinking.
This is crisis. What am I going to do? And that
can lead you to become controlling. And manipulative.
I'm here to tell you. Jesus cares for that child.
Just accompany the person in their spiritual
journey and let the Lord Jesus encounter them.
At some point, He will. It's simply faith, seeking,
understanding. And there are two types of doubts
that we experience in this journey. One has to
do with doubts of the mind, of the head. And
the others are doubts that have to do with doubts
of the heart. Let me take you through both of
them. The first one, which is the doubt of the
mind, of the intellect, is concerned with one
question. Is it true? Is Christianity true? Is
the Bible true? Is Jesus really true? Is this
real? Does God really exist? Is this true? And
that kind of wrestling matters because you have
to go through it. No one else can go through
it for you. You have to develop the convictions.
But God said in the book of Jeremiah, you will
seek me and you will find me when you seek me
with all of your heart. This is a journey that
requires for you to engage. In seeking truth.
And from the very beginning. Truth is at the
core of what following Jesus is. Because in contrast
to any other form of religion. What is unique
to Christianity. Is that Christianity says. You
believe in Jesus and you follow him because it's
the truth. It is not true because you believe
it and that makes it true. No. This truth exists
outside you. And if you do not believe it, whatever
else you believe, that is not true. To the point
that the very John who wrote the Gospel of John
that he's telling us in John 20 about Thomas,
he wrote a letter later to the first Christians.
One of his first letters that he wrote, he wrote
three of them. The very first one that he writes,
he's going to emphasize this. And this is how
he starts that letter. He says, guys, listen.
That which was from the beginning. Which we have
heard. Which we have seen with our own eyes.
Which we have looked at and our own hands have
touched. This is what we are proclaiming to you
concerning the word of life. This Jesus that
we are celebrating, that we are inviting you
to follow. It's not something that we made up.
We saw him. We heard him. We were with him. We
touched him. We are telling you to follow him
because it's the truth. And then when Jesus was
with his disciples at the beginning and people
started following him, he also told them how
important truth was to the spiritual journey
of following him. Truth matters to Jesus. Therefore
it should matter to us too. And this is how Jesus
said it. To the Jews who had believed in him.
Jesus said. If you hold to my teaching. You are
really my disciples. You cannot follow me. If
you are not going to believe me. But then. You
will know what? The truth. And what will happen
to you? The truth will. Set you free. Truth.
And the most important truth of all. Jesus. It's
a truth that tells you. That this emptiness that
you carry within you. This turmoil that you experience
within. Is simply a symptom of lack of truth
in your life. Because you do not know him. You
are not following him. And until you know him
and you follow him. You will not experience the
freedom that Jesus wants for your soul. You will
know the truth. And truth will set you free.
So. Faith seeking understanding. When I'm experiencing
doubt that has to do with trying to understand,
is this true? How can I really believe it? How
can I be sure? That kind of doubting requires
that you engage with searching for truth. And
that is what happened to Michael Gulen. Dr. Michael
Gulen is a... was a professor of science at a
famous university in the U .S. called Harvard
University. He had a Ph .D. in astrophysics.
And he says, look, I was a little kid. My parents
took me to church. But I didn't care about any
of that. I didn't believe in any of it. I never
did. For me, the Bible was just a bunch of fairy
tales. I was interested in science. The idea
of God and all of that never really stuck to
me. My parents, yeah, they were believers, but
not me. So I started pursuing science. That's
what I loved. And when he describes himself,
he describes himself as a nerd. That's a word
we use in English to describe this person that
is so intellectual that they have so much giftedness
in the intellect. That they lack giftedness on
the social level? He was like that. And he was
just spending all his time understanding science,
studying, reading books, learning. And then he
got his degrees. He got his PhD. He started teaching.
He was an awesome teacher. Got several awards
because of the quality of his teachings. The
students loved him. But he was an atheist all
of those years. And for him, in his mind, what
mattered was truth. And he started finding certain
things in his study of science and astronomy
and physics that he could not explain anymore
through the logic of science. He knew there was
something more, but he did not know where to
find it. And as he started searching, he came
across this guy in his circle that was a scientist
too that was pursuing Hinduism. So he thought,
oh, maybe Hinduism is the way. So he became a
Hindu and he started absorbing again, like a
nerd does, every possible book to read, everything
to understand, everything. So he was very dedicated
like that, understanding, reading. But no, it
didn't give him the answers he was seeking. So
then he tried another religion and then another
one, another one, almost like every possible
religion. But he was still seeking answers that
would match what he was discovering as a scientist
in the universe. And one day a friend, a lady
came to him and said, hey, have you considered
reading the Bible? Because I'm curious, I would
like to read it and you are so smart. that it
would be very interesting to read it with you.
And he says, no, no, why would I read the Bible?
Everybody knows that's not true. It's just a
bunch of myths. So it's like, no. But, you know,
interesting. Women can have a lot of power in
guys. So that's what happened to him. He said,
okay, sure. They started reading the Bible together,
and she eventually became, not surprisingly,
his wife. So guys, you want to find a way to
find a wife? Start reading the Bible together.
How about that? But through that study, he started
discovering a world he did not understand before.
And when he came to Jesus, he was impacted by
who this person was. And as a scientist, not
as a believer yet, he had developed this chart
of all this comparison. And he was saying, look,
I know three things to be absolute truth. First.
is that there is absolute truth. As a scientist,
I have to say yes, there is absolute truth. Secondly,
I also know that there is truth that cannot be
proven. In science, we have lots of theories
and things. We believe they are true, but because
they cannot be proven, but we still act on them
and say they are true. So there is truth that
cannot be proven. And third, he said, I discovered
that the universe, in all these different sciences
and fields, we know that the universe was designed
for life, what they call the fine -tuning. So
he says these three things are true as a scientist.
And then he started thinking as an atheist. Hmm.
Well, as an atheist, we don't believe in absolute
truth because truth is relative. We don't believe
that the universe was designed for life. Everything
just happened randomly. And also, we believe
that truth, Has to be proven because seeing is
believing. So suddenly he realized. Either I'm
an atheist or a scientist, but I cannot be both.
And then all the other religions did not match
this. He was really committed to truth in science
for him. And then he started comparing the Christian
worldview. And he said, check, check, check.
Oh. That's amazing. I guess. Might not be too
bad after all being a Christian, but he was not
believing yet. And then one day, he's thinking
about the Christian doctrine that they say, okay,
so we are sinners, we are imperfect people. And
if we acquire this thing, then we'll become perfect,
like forgiven. So he says, you know, as a physicist,
I was thinking about this in the terms of equations.
Okay. Never seen that before. He said, yeah,
you know, when you have to find the value of
the X equations, it's like, okay, I'm a theologian,
not a mathematician, so you lost me. No, no,
seriously, simple, math, school. They tell you
to find the value of the X. It's like this, you
know, I realize that Christianity is telling
me that imperfection plus this something will
equal perfection. That I'm a sinner, I'm imperfect,
I have a need. And if I acquire something, that
will equal perfection. So mathematically, I realize
that the value of the X is not imperfection plus
perfection, but the equation demands that you
have to say X equals perfection minus imperfection.
And that is the value that gives you X. And at
that moment, it clicked in his mind and he said,
So that's what Christianity tells me. Is that
Jesus, the Lamb of God who was perfect, he absorbed
in him my imperfection and therefore the ex is
Jesus. So now he started realizing I can believe
these things. It's not intellectual suicide.
But then, as he started studying In astronomy,
and they started discovering all these presence
of what they call now black matter, I mean dark
matter and dark energy. He says, you know, until
that point, I was sure that as a scientist, I
lived under the conviction that seeing is believing.
That's it. But through all these studies, we
realized that 95 % of the non -universe is invisible
to us. We study it, but we cannot see it. So
I am believing 95 % of things that I say I believe
that I cannot see. And at that moment, he says
it's not intellectually honest for me to believe
that I cannot believe in Jesus because I have
to see to believe when I'm already believing
all these things that I cannot see. So at that
moment, he realized that believing in Jesus was
not anti -intellectual. As he thought it was.
When he told the girlfriend at that time, I would
not read the Bible because that's not true. So
he eventually wrote a book called Seeing is Believing
and Believing is Seeing. And also he wrote a
book. Let creation speak for children with meditations
for children about the science and the creation.
Amazing stuff. But there was something else that
had to click. And him, as an intellectual, he
says, look, I believed all this stuff. I started
believing. I started clicking. But I did not
trust it. And he said, you know, it reminded
me when I was in high school and had to take
a swimming test. And that test I had to take
in order to graduate, but I was afraid of water.
So as a scientist, I believe in this law that
tells me that my body, the gravity of my body
is lighter than the water and therefore the water
will push me up, that I will float. I believe
in that science. But when I got in the water,
I was freaking out because I was not trusting
it. And I was believing in all these things about
God, Jesus, the equation, but I was not trusting
it until I got to the point in which I said,
Jesus, you are the truth. I'll follow you. At
that moment, something clicked in his heart.
If you are in that journey of asking questions
about truth, I recommend reading his book. He
writes it from a perspective as a scientist,
scientific language, to help you engage in some
of these things. But also there are other materials
that you can find on YouTube very easily. Digging
for Truth and Expedition Bible, these are two
channels that have lots of archaeological evidence
about the Bible. Also the Gospels from Drive
Thru History, it's a whole episode of Bible studies
that take you to location. Fragments of Truth
is a whole documentary about the reliability
of the Bible as a text. These things will help
you in that journey. But if you are dealing with
this part, is it true? Remember, trust the evidence.
But the second doubt is a doubt of the heart.
And it's asking a different question. The question
is, can I trust God? It's not that I don't believe
in God. It's not that I don't believe in the
Bible. I'm a follower of Jesus, but I'm feeling
afraid that if I trust God with my life, with
my plans, with my future, with my dating relationship,
with my marriage, with my children, that if I
trust God with me, somehow, that is not going
to be good. Because he is going to lead me To
something that is not going to be good for my
life. And perhaps my plans are better. Can I
trust him? You see that's not an intellectual
doubt is it? It's a doubt of the heart. And this
is something that Jesus spoke about. And there
are two things that are very clear. For anyone
who follows Jesus. That matters in how we answer
these doubts. First is how we think of Jesus.
And secondly a willing. To follow Jesus. Because
Jesus said look. If you are going to think of
me. You have to think of me. As a good shepherd.
I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep. And
my sheep know me. Just as the father knows me.
And I know the father. And I lay down my life
for the sheep. How can you follow me. And trust
me. If you think that I am the bad shepherd.
And secondly, he says, whoever serves me must
follow me. And where I am, my servant also will
be. My father will honor the one who serves me.
What makes you think that following me is going
to take you to the wrong place? If you are really
my disciple, if you really say you believe in
me, you have to be willing to follow me. Because
where I am is where you want to be. Why would
you want to go your own way where I am not? Follow
me. You can trust in my presence. So Jesus wants
us to encounter him in that doubt of the heart
by understanding that he is a good shepherd.
And that he is going to go with us. Because we
are following him. So if he's asking you to give
up something. If he's asking you to move somewhere.
If he's asking you to change careers. If he's
asking you whatever he's asking you. You can
follow him. And that is what we learn from Corrie
ten Boom. She was a lady from the Netherlands.
A Christian. With her family they had a home
business. And during that time. Where she was
living there in her home. It was the time of
during the Nazi invasion. So as the persecution
against the Jews started. They opened their home
to start hiding many of these Jews into their
home. And that caused them to be caught and then
sent to concentration camps. Her father died.
Her sister died in the concentration camp. And
then she survived the concentration camp but
suffered through it all. And one night, she goes
out and sees the stars in the concentration camp.
And she says, God, you hold all these stars in
your hand. Have you forgotten about me? Have
you forgotten about your daughter? You see, that
is the doubt of the heart. Are you there? Do
you see me? Do you even care about me? Why are
you letting this happen in my life? And she wrote
her autobiography that became very famous, The
Hidden Place. It was later made into a movie
and she wrote many other books as well. She's
already with the Lord. She died when she was
91 years old, actually on her birthday. And she
says, Pablo, never be afraid to trust an unknown
future. To a known God. He's going to go there
before you. Jesus was in the camp. And that's
why he led me to it. Because where he is. His
servants will also be. He had purposes for me
to fulfill there. But what if it becomes too
hard. To follow Jesus into the future. He has
for you. Pablo. There is no pit so deep. That
God's love is not deeper still. God's love will
encounter you there, strengthen you there. Don't
be afraid. If you have never read her autobiography,
Hiding Place, or watched the movie, I highly
recommend it. I included the links in the study
guide for life groups. But also there's the children's
version that you can find. and YouTube as well
from Torchlighters. Amazing biographies of some
of these heroes of the faith. But what we'll
learn is that this doubt of the heart, can I
trust God? You will have to learn to trust in
his love. He loves you. And rather than running
away from him, invite him into that space of
doubting. So I do not know what's the doubts
that are holding you back. Whether they are doubts
of the mind or doubts of the heart. But one thing
that happened with Thomas is that as he overcame
the doubt, he came to a point of submission and
understanding. He now understood what was the
truth and he was able to submit his life. To
Jesus. And that's why he calls him. My God. My
Lord. And that. Is the place where the journey
will take you. A place of submission. To the
Lordship of Jesus Christ. Because he is the way.
The truth. And the life. Have you experienced
that place of submission? Where you are finally
saying, Lord Jesus, you are it. And I'll follow
you. If you haven't gotten to that place yet,
I want to encourage you today. As we worship
in this closing time. Bring your doubts to Jesus.
I want to ask you these three. Last questions
as part of the convictions that propel us forward.
First one. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the
life. Do you believe it? Do you believe it? Then,
trust the evidence. It will always lead you to
the truth. And truth doesn't need defending.
It defends itself. Secondly, Jesus is the good
shepherd. Do you believe it? Do you really believe
it? If he's the good shepherd, then you can trust
in his love and his embrace. And thirdly, Jesus
is the living hope. He's alive. And where he
is, his servants also will be. Do you believe
it? Therefore, you can follow him. No matter
where he leads you. Even if it is to your own
grave. Don't worry. Trust in his presence. This
is how we experience doubt in the journey. Let
the truth of the living hope encounter you where
you are. And may you be moved. To follow him
wholeheartedly. Father as we stand in your presence.
We say glory to you. Hallelujah. Because our
savior is risen. And your word says that one
day. At the sound of the last trumpet. Our Lord
Jesus will return. And the prophet Zechariah
said that on that day people will see him, the
one they pierced, and they will cry because they
will realize that he was the truth. Lord, if
there's anyone here today that has been paralyzed
or misled by doubt, would you encounter them
in this space? Holy Spirit, open their eyes so
they may see. Break the chains of fear and doubt.
And let them experience the truth that leads
to freedom. Encounter us here, now, as we proclaim
the truth of who you are, Jesus, victorious.
In Jesus' name, amen. If God is calling you to
support our ministries, you will find giving
options on our website. And remember to join
us next week. God bless you.