1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,120
Thank you, Sherry.

2
00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:19,440
Let's open our Bibles together please to the Gospel of John and the 20th chapter.

3
00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:29,360
Regardless of where we were born, most of us come from Missouri, the Show-Me State.

4
00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,960
For most of us, seeing is believing.

5
00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:41,800
Human nature has an inbred skepticism, and that's not all bad, is it?

6
00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:50,680
There are twin fools, the one who doubts everything and the other who doubts nothing.

7
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:57,080
A bit of skepticism can be healthy, especially when we're dealing with the human race and

8
00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,200
with human institutions.

9
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:07,920
The earlier in life that we learn that lesson, I suppose the more quickly we become wise.

10
00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:15,680
Robert Browning said, who knows most doubts most.

11
00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:25,200
Charles Thomas Samuels said, skepticism is a hedge against vulnerability.

12
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:32,360
And so we all know what it means to be skeptical, and we do that in a sense to protect ourselves

13
00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,520
from being hurt.

14
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:41,920
But as helpful as doubt can be, it must not be allowed as the controlling attitude of

15
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,640
our lives.

16
00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:50,640
Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, never be afraid to doubt if only you have the disposition

17
00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,240
to believe.

18
00:01:54,240 --> 00:02:00,880
His point is that we must be careful that our disposition isn't to doubt.

19
00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:07,520
But if we have the disposition to believe, we don't need to be afraid of doubt.

20
00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:16,800
What we observe about faith is that faith is only as valid as its object.

21
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,440
Faith in another person may prove valid or it may prove invalid.

22
00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,240
It depends on the person.

23
00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:28,000
But the fact is that faith in God is never proven invalid.

24
00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:34,400
It is always valid faith because God is trustworthy.

25
00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:41,160
The object of our faith determines whether our faith is sound and healthy.

26
00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,880
In our text today we're going to read about a man who struggled with doubt.

27
00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,160
His name of course is what?

28
00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:48,160
Thomas.

29
00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,800
We all know Thomas for this characteristic.

30
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,800
Psalm 20 verse 24.

31
00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:06,080
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

32
00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:12,040
The other disciples therefore were saying to him, We have seen the Lord.

33
00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:19,540
But he said to them, Unless I shall see in his hands the imprint of the nails, and put

34
00:03:19,540 --> 00:03:30,440
my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

35
00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,520
That last statement, that conclusion, was a very strong statement.

36
00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:41,140
In fact, the way John writes this, he puts two negatives together in the Greek language.

37
00:03:41,140 --> 00:03:45,080
And so he is saying, I will not by any means believe.

38
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,680
No way.

39
00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:52,120
Unless I can touch him and I can see him.

40
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:59,920
A settled attitude, a disposition really, in Thomas of doubt and even unbelief.

41
00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:04,960
Well the word goes on to say, After eight days again his disciples were inside, and

42
00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,800
Thomas with them.

43
00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:13,880
Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with

44
00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,120
you.

45
00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:23,680
Then he said to Thomas, Reach here your finger and see my hands, and reach here your hand

46
00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:33,480
and put it into my side, and be not unbelieving, but believing.

47
00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:40,680
Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God.

48
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:46,960
Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did

49
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,600
not see and yet believed.

50
00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:55,320
Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are

51
00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,680
not written in this book.

52
00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:04,080
But these have been written, says John, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,

53
00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,160
the Son of God.

54
00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:12,480
And that believing, you may have life in his name.

55
00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:21,440
Thomas, whose name means twin in the Aramaic, is known commonly throughout the Christian

56
00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,600
world as the one who doubted.

57
00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:32,840
I believe that Thomas above everything else doubted himself, as well as the other disciples

58
00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:42,280
due to their common failure, due to the disappointment of the events surrounding the cross.

59
00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:45,880
Thomas was a man who was close to Jesus.

60
00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:47,400
He was loyal to Jesus.

61
00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:52,600
He was outspoken in his loyalty to Jesus.

62
00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,460
But Thomas failed the Lord.

63
00:05:56,460 --> 00:06:00,680
He fled in the garden like the other disciples.

64
00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:07,240
And I believe the heart of Thomas' doubt was in himself.

65
00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:12,560
He had not been present the week before, as we noted last Sunday.

66
00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,320
And so he did not see the resurrected Lord on the first Easter.

67
00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:25,240
Now eight days later he is still defeated, he is discouraged, he is pessimistic, and

68
00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:30,120
he saw no reason at all to believe.

69
00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:36,120
Now we condemn Thomas, but we need to remember that he is no different than the others were

70
00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,760
just a few days before this.

71
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,380
Thomas represents many of us.

72
00:06:44,380 --> 00:06:50,360
At least he represents us as we are from time to time.

73
00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:58,040
For whatever reasons, we too struggle with questions that may be defined as doubt.

74
00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,660
But unbelief is a close cousin to doubt.

75
00:07:02,660 --> 00:07:06,480
To doubt that is not addressed, that is.

76
00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:14,560
In fact, Thomas had apparently crossed that line from where he was doubting into unbelief.

77
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:20,940
Because he said, I will not by any means believe unless I see him.

78
00:07:20,940 --> 00:07:26,480
And Jesus said to him, stop being an unbeliever, Thomas.

79
00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:32,700
That wasn't that he had lost his salvation, but he had not believed in the resurrection.

80
00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:37,080
He was an unbeliever in that sense.

81
00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:45,060
Doubt although a common experience to all of us, must be addressed if we are going to

82
00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:54,420
walk with a holy, faithful God and serve him well.

83
00:07:54,420 --> 00:08:00,840
God had plans for Thomas, therefore Thomas' doubt had to be confronted.

84
00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:08,280
And our risen King Jesus Christ came on that occasion to deal with the doubt and the unbelief

85
00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,400
in one of his disciples.

86
00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:20,800
It is instructive to us to notice how Jesus dealt with doubt in one of his followers.

87
00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,960
Now it's instructive because we will find that Jesus deals with us often in the same

88
00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,800
way.

89
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:38,160
In the first place, Jesus allows Thomas to feel the pain of his doubt.

90
00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:46,460
Jesus could have appeared to Thomas wherever he was the week before.

91
00:08:46,460 --> 00:08:50,920
On Monday of that week, Jesus could have come to Thomas wherever he might have been and

92
00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,120
said, Thomas, here I am.

93
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,500
But he didn't.

94
00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:04,800
He let Thomas experience the pain of his doubt for a whole week.

95
00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:13,080
So that Thomas would understand the misery that comes when we doubt God.

96
00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:18,480
The painful results of doubt include these.

97
00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,680
First of all, it disrupts the balance of life.

98
00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:31,040
When you and I doubt, it agitates and upsets us inside.

99
00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,700
It churns our hearts.

100
00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:39,400
It throws off the sense of equilibrium that we have.

101
00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,440
It unsettles us.

102
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,800
It disrupts the balance of our lives.

103
00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:50,840
That's painful because most of us like to have some sense of balance.

104
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:55,480
But there's nothing like doubt to throw us off balance.

105
00:09:55,480 --> 00:10:02,780
Secondly, doubt consumes our reserves of strength.

106
00:10:02,780 --> 00:10:13,040
When we question God, when we doubt, when we enter into unbelief as Christians, that

107
00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:23,320
doubt and unbelief sucks us dry of the inner stamina and the energy and the vigor that

108
00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:29,420
we need for the demands of a world like ours.

109
00:10:29,420 --> 00:10:36,040
Doubt gnaws away at the vitality of the soul.

110
00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:44,000
Thirdly, doubt removes us from fellowship with God.

111
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,060
Thomas doubted.

112
00:10:45,060 --> 00:10:49,120
He was not in fellowship with the Lord this whole period of time from the crucifixion

113
00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,440
on.

114
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:54,720
It consumed his energy.

115
00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:59,800
It threw him off balance and it removed him from fellowship with God.

116
00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,800
You see, God responds to faith, not doubt.

117
00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:15,600
That's why the writer says, he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he's

118
00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:20,680
a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

119
00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,000
Doubt does not lead us into fellowship with God.

120
00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,440
That leads us the other direction.

121
00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:39,400
That's why Jesus commanded Thomas, be not unbelieving, but believing.

122
00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:45,520
I love the Psalms of David because David is a man who is so transparent.

123
00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:54,080
He is not afraid, he is not ashamed to tell us exactly what he's experiencing.

124
00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,360
Many of the Psalms are that way.

125
00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:01,160
One of them is Psalm 73.

126
00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:14,620
In Psalm 73, Asaph shares with us a struggle of doubt in his soul.

127
00:12:14,620 --> 00:12:21,120
He looks about him and he knows that God is good to Israel, but he confesses that he himself

128
00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:24,960
was close to stumbling.

129
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:34,480
The reason was that he envied the arrogant and the wicked rich.

130
00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:40,480
He could not understand why the wicked prospered.

131
00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,680
He, seeking to be a righteous man, had so little.

132
00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:50,520
Now, none of us ever have a doubt about that, do we?

133
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:57,100
We never wonder why the rich, why the wicked prosper and why those who are righteous seem

134
00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:58,840
to have so little.

135
00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:00,560
But here's a man who did.

136
00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:06,440
So bear with him, will you, as he expresses his doubt.

137
00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:12,480
He talks about the pain that was inside of him because of his doubts, the price that

138
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,120
it exacted.

139
00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:21,960
He says in verse 13, in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence,

140
00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:28,880
for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.

141
00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:34,420
He talks about the experience of his doubt.

142
00:13:34,420 --> 00:13:41,840
If I had said, I will speak thus, behold I should have betrayed the generation of thy

143
00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:42,840
children.

144
00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,320
He was careful how he expressed his doubt.

145
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:53,480
But he says in verse 16, when I pondered to understand this dilemma, this doubt of mine,

146
00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:58,840
the word pondered here is a word that you accountants would appreciate.

147
00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:07,360
It means to put all the figures in a row to draw the line and to add them up.

148
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,800
Asaph says I have calculated the whole thing.

149
00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:15,120
I've summed it up in my mind.

150
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:20,140
Or it's a word that you ladies who like to knit would appreciate because this was the

151
00:14:20,140 --> 00:14:29,840
idea of a weaver who would take threads and strands and weave them together to form cloth.

152
00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:36,760
He is saying I'm weaving together, I'm pondering in my mind the fabric of this doubt.

153
00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,680
He says it was troublesome in my sight.

154
00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:44,640
All that word troublesome means it was heavy.

155
00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:51,220
It resulted in labor to his mind that produced distress in his heart.

156
00:14:51,220 --> 00:14:52,960
He was weary with it.

157
00:14:52,960 --> 00:15:01,520
Then he says in verse 17, until I came into the sanctuary of God.

158
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:11,720
Then he says, then I perceived their end.

159
00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:17,680
What happened was Asaph got into the presence of God just like Thomas did.

160
00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,200
And suddenly he gained perspective.

161
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:28,040
And that doubt that he had as to why the wicked seemed to prosper and the godly had little

162
00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:33,760
was all put into balance in his life and it was settled.

163
00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:41,200
When he saw the destiny of the wicked, that their life is brief and that they go to hell,

164
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:48,120
he concludes by saying how much better to be a righteous man.

165
00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:53,820
Verse 21 he says, when my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless

166
00:15:53,820 --> 00:15:54,820
and ignorant.

167
00:15:54,820 --> 00:15:56,840
I was like a beast before you.

168
00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:04,000
These are poetic words describing the cost of doubt, the pain of it all.

169
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,140
And that's my point here.

170
00:16:06,140 --> 00:16:14,560
That God allows us to feel the pain of our doubts so that we are brought back to himself

171
00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:18,320
having learned some important lessons.

172
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,000
So how does God deal with our doubt?

173
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:27,000
He does the same thing with us as he did with Asaph and as he did with Thomas in John chapter

174
00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:28,940
20.

175
00:16:28,940 --> 00:16:33,280
First of all, he allows us to experience the pain.

176
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:39,680
The misery that we bring on ourselves by our doubts.

177
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:47,360
Secondly, he confronts directly the presence of doubt.

178
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:55,560
Do you notice here that Jesus entered into the room, he spoke that shalom alechem, I

179
00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:59,280
sang that for you last week, I will not do it this week.

180
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,000
I will spare you.

181
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:07,280
He said peace be with you and then immediately he focused on Thomas and he said to Thomas

182
00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,040
some very familiar words.

183
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:19,360
Reach here your fingers, see my hands, reach here your hand, put it into my side.

184
00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:26,960
Jesus knew exactly what Thomas had said in his unbelief.

185
00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,880
Jesus had heard those words.

186
00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:38,720
It was days before this apparently when he expressed his unbelief.

187
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:45,360
And yet Jesus comes to this room at his time and directly confronts the unbelief and the

188
00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,120
doubt in Thomas.

189
00:17:48,120 --> 00:18:00,440
Thomas' response is not to reach out and touch him apparently, but he simply blurt out a

190
00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:06,280
confession of faith that is the climax of the whole Gospel of John.

191
00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:12,600
And he says my Lord and my God.

192
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:19,240
John in this Gospel traces two strands of response to Jesus.

193
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:29,120
He traces the response of unbelief chapter by chapter and it culminates with the cross

194
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:35,960
when Jesus was rejected by his own to whom he came.

195
00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:47,040
And then he also traces the response of belief and it climaxes with this statement of Thomas.

196
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:53,440
This is the pinnacle of the Gospel of John, these simple words, but profound.

197
00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:58,520
When Thomas says my Lord and my God.

198
00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:05,200
Why was Jesus so concerned about Thomas' unbelief?

199
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:12,480
First of all Jesus knew the pain that the doubt was producing.

200
00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:19,320
Jesus wanted Thomas to know the same shalom, the same peace that the other disciples had

201
00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,920
experienced a week before this.

202
00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:28,640
Jesus didn't want Thomas to be miserable.

203
00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:33,880
He wanted Thomas to have peace and that's why he directly confronted the unbelief of

204
00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,200
this man.

205
00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:42,640
Secondly he knew the prison that the doubt would create in Thomas, that would keep Thomas

206
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,460
from enjoying his fellowship with the resurrected Lord.

207
00:19:46,460 --> 00:19:49,360
It had for eight days.

208
00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:56,880
Jesus knew that that prison would only enhance the misery of Thomas and so he directly confronts

209
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,280
the doubt.

210
00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:05,640
Not only did he know the pain in the prison of doubt but he knew the potential in Thomas.

211
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,760
He knew what was planned for Thomas.

212
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:14,960
Thomas was one of the disciples, the apostles, who was to go into all the world and preach

213
00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:18,800
the Gospel and tradition tells us he did.

214
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:27,440
That he took the Gospel to the east, into India, before he died.

215
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:33,760
Jesus knew that that potential in Thomas' life would never be reached if that doubt

216
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,240
wasn't settled.

217
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:41,120
He wanted him to have the experience and the joy of God's will and God's purpose in his

218
00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:46,200
life and so Jesus directly confronted the doubt.

219
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:50,960
I want to tell you something, Jesus will directly confront the doubt in my life and your life

220
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:55,200
too for the very same reasons.

221
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,960
He doesn't want us to be in pain.

222
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:03,880
He wants to free us from the prison of our questions and doubts.

223
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:08,560
He knows the potential that God has placed into our lives and he wants us to experience

224
00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:11,200
it.

225
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:21,220
So he will not allow any of us to wallow in spiritual doubt without confronting us.

226
00:21:21,220 --> 00:21:24,860
Now we can continue in our doubts.

227
00:21:24,860 --> 00:21:28,160
We can go on and experience the pain.

228
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,440
We can become more miserable.

229
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:36,880
We can make the prison cell even tighter if we want to.

230
00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:42,960
We can miss the potential of doing what God wants us to do in the world if we choose.

231
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:49,760
But we can't do it without Jesus confronting our doubts and unbelief that moves us in that

232
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:51,600
wrong direction.

233
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,360
He will confront them.

234
00:21:55,360 --> 00:22:00,720
He confronts them sometimes with other believers.

235
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,680
He did with Thomas.

236
00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:09,440
The disciples kept on saying to Thomas, we have seen the Lord Thomas.

237
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,480
He's alive.

238
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:12,480
We really have.

239
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,560
He appeared to us.

240
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:15,560
He ate with us.

241
00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,160
We saw him.

242
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:23,680
Thomas refused that confrontation that Jesus brought from the other disciples.

243
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:30,880
He continued on in his unbelief.

244
00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:37,940
So Jesus confronted him with circumstances as he confronts us with circumstances sometimes

245
00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:41,360
to answer our doubts, to confront our doubts.

246
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:44,500
In this case, he appeared to Thomas.

247
00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:46,960
That was the circumstance he brought.

248
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,680
He appeared to Thomas right there in the room.

249
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:59,120
And then thirdly, Jesus will confront our doubts as he did with Thomas by the Word.

250
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:02,320
By the Word of God.

251
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:08,640
In Thomas' case, Jesus spoke it personally to him and said to him, here, reach out and

252
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:10,500
touch my hands.

253
00:23:10,500 --> 00:23:12,560
Put your hand into my side.

254
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:19,440
And stop being an unbeliever, Thomas, but believe.

255
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:24,800
Jesus confronts directly the presence of doubt in our lives.

256
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:27,480
He may do that through other people that he sends to us.

257
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,700
He may do that through the circumstances that he brings into our lives.

258
00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:38,820
He may use the Word of God directly to speak to us, but he will always confront doubt because

259
00:23:38,820 --> 00:23:45,360
of the damage that it does to us.

260
00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:53,880
And finally, Jesus shows to us here the provision for doubt.

261
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,840
What's the provision that he makes for doubt?

262
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,600
It is this.

263
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:05,040
We have a trustworthy revelation in which to place our faith.

264
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:15,640
Now in Thomas' case, that revelation was his physical appearance in his glorified body.

265
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:25,200
In our case, it is this book, this trustworthy revelation of God that you and I have, which

266
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:30,080
is even better than an appearance of Jesus Christ.

267
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:35,920
The provision that he has made for doubt is a trustworthy revelation.

268
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:43,980
Our belief can be and must be based upon a credible source.

269
00:24:43,980 --> 00:24:48,880
For us, it is this inspired word, including the Gospel of John.

270
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:55,960
And notice that John says, I have written all of these things down so that you might

271
00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:07,160
believe that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

272
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:19,520
And that believing this credible source, what I've written, you may have life in his name.

273
00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:25,600
You and I can feed our faith from this book.

274
00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:32,960
And if you and I will feed our faith from God's revelation, it will starve our doubts

275
00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:38,680
to death.

276
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:44,200
So very often when we are overcome with doubt, it's because we've been away from the book,

277
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,640
because this book is God's provision for doubt.

278
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:54,560
And notice there's special blessing spoken here to those who, like us, believe without

279
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:59,520
a visible demonstration of Jesus' presence.

280
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:04,560
In fact, there's a beatitude often overlooked in verse 29.

281
00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:09,040
Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed.

282
00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:22,480
Now I don't think that that is so much a rebuke of Thomas as it is a promise to all of us.

283
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:32,920
A promise that there is special blessing when we believe without having to have some miracle,

284
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:37,960
some visible demonstration of God in our midst.

285
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,680
When we just believe.

286
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:45,560
Now of course Peter picks up on this theme, doesn't he, when he talks about the fact

287
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:52,960
that we have believed without seeing and therefore we have a joy that is inexpressible.

288
00:26:52,960 --> 00:27:00,560
Blessed, said Jesus, are those who believe without seeing.

289
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:09,240
But doubt is a common experience to all of us and it's not always bad, especially when

290
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:14,440
you're dealing with human beings and human institutions.

291
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:21,560
But the place that we allow doubt in our lives must be limited.

292
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:29,000
Because doubt does not save the soul, only faith saves.

293
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:35,940
Neither does doubt bring the believer joy.

294
00:27:35,940 --> 00:27:41,200
It is faith that brings joy.

295
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:42,520
Someone has written these lines.

296
00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:50,840
I worry, I putter, I push and shove, hunting little mole hills to make mountains of.

297
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,040
You ever feel that way?

298
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,720
You ever practice that?

299
00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:05,240
We need to be aware that the mole hills of doubt in our lives do not become mountains.

300
00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:09,520
And we do that by facing our doubts.

301
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:13,840
Doubting God destroys our equilibrium.

302
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:17,120
It eats away at our spiritual energy.

303
00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:21,520
It disengages us from fellowship with our Lord.

304
00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:28,040
It makes us miserable people.

305
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:36,800
One person said, doubt is hell in the human soul.

306
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,920
Doubt of God is to be confronted in our lives.

307
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:46,840
It's to be repented of before it develops into outright unbelief.

308
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:55,560
And even if all of our questions are not answered, we must, like Thomas, be not unbelieving,

309
00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,280
but believing.

310
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:05,960
And like Thomas, acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and God.

311
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:10,680
John Greenleaf Whittier captured faith this way.

312
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:21,600
Nothing before, nothing behind, the steps of faith fall on the seeming void and find

313
00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,920
the rock beneath.

314
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:30,880
Because of doubt in your life, it may seem like there is nothing but void.

315
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:37,880
But if your trust is in God, you can put your foot out there and it will be solid.

316
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:39,840
It will hold you.

317
00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:48,800
And so, as the risen King met Thomas on that Sunday evening 2,000 years ago, he meets you

318
00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:55,040
this day at the point of your need and your doubts.

319
00:29:55,040 --> 00:30:03,760
That you, like Thomas, can fall on your knees and adore your Lord and your God.

320
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:09,680
Or you can continue on in the misery and the pain of your doubts.

321
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:14,280
But why would you do that?

322
00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:22,920
How much better to settle the doubts, to step out of the pain, to step out of your self-imposed

323
00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:34,000
jail, to cease your spiritual wandering, and to experience the joy and renewed believing

324
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,280
fellowship with the King.

325
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:44,200
I want to challenge you to bring your doubts to Jesus Christ.

326
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:51,560
To behold Him as the victor, as the conqueror of sin and of death.

327
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:59,040
To behold Him as the risen King who is sovereign over all.

328
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:07,080
To bring your doubts and to lay them at His feet and leave them there and say, as a confession

329
00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:22,320
of your heart, Jesus Christ, you are my Lord and you are my God.

330
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:28,800
I leave my doubts at your feet and I trust you.

331
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:40,120
Let's pray.

332
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:44,200
Are you today struggling with doubt?

333
00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:45,960
Will you do what Thomas did?

334
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:57,120
Will you follow this blessed pattern as Jesus today confronts you with those doubts?

335
00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:04,520
He says to you, as it were, reach out and touch.

336
00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,040
See that I am alive.

337
00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:10,880
See that I am the risen King who is sovereign over all of those things that you're doubting

338
00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,080
about.

339
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:21,440
And stop doubting and believe.

340
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:26,320
Perhaps you need to believe on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior to receive Him into

341
00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,800
your life, to save you from your sin.

342
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,360
You've had doubts that have kept you away.

343
00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:37,560
I want to challenge you today to put the doubts away, to step out and say, Jesus Christ, I

344
00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:44,920
believe in you and I receive you into my life as my Lord and Savior.

345
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:55,800
And as a Christian, whatever the source of your doubts may be, will you join Thomas in

346
00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:10,320
this glad confession that He is your Lord, He is your God, and put your doubts away.

347
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:16,440
If you fall into one of those categories and you are today willing to confront the doubts,

348
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:22,960
to give them over to Jesus Christ, would you by your hand indicate that?

349
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,220
Just lift it up.

350
00:33:25,220 --> 00:33:26,680
Say I've been struggling with doubt.

351
00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,000
Yes, God bless several of you already.

352
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:37,320
I've been struggling with doubt, but I'm bringing my doubts to the risen King.

353
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,400
I'm going to put them at His feet.

354
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:40,400
Anyone else?

355
00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:43,320
Yes, God bless you, sir.

356
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,320
Yes, thank you.

357
00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,600
Yes, God bless you.

358
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:49,960
Yes.

359
00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,160
I'm bringing my doubts to the Lord this morning.

360
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,240
I don't want to be imprisoned by them anymore.

361
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:56,680
I don't want the pain.

362
00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:57,680
I want to be free.

363
00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:02,240
I want to have peace in my heart.

364
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:07,240
Lord Jesus, you see these hands, every one of them, and you know the hearts.

365
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:13,520
And oh, I pray for these friends who are here, many of them brothers and sisters in your

366
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:20,800
family, that they may today step out from their unbelief, from the doubts.

367
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:31,800
And that very simple transaction of the heart, cry out in faith with Thomas.

368
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:51,800
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.