Easter series 2008 "Seeing Is
Believing: Dealing With Doubt
3/16/08 AM R. Sams (Jn 11:16; 14:5;
20:24-28)
BIG IDEA: Doubters often become the most dedicated disciples
SCRIPTURES TO VIDEOPROJECT (coded with P ):
OTHER SCRIPTURES:
OTHER
ITEMS TO VIDEOPROJECT: see bulletin bottom
CALL TO WORSHIP: John 20:26-28
THEMES/SONGS/STORIES:
GOSPEL/MISSION:
VISION/PRIORITIES:
ASSIGNMENTS/TESTIMONIES:
PASTOR�S MINI-LESSON/PROMO/BIG QUESTION:
BULLETIN BOTTOM, p. 1
"Great crisis gives way to great
opportunity.
The CHINESE CHARACTER for "crisis is a combination
of the characters for "danger and "opportunity
"The path to
holiness is paved, not with good intentions (that�s hell), but with a firm hold
on the holy things God wants to put in place of unholy things.
Doubters often become the most dedicated disciples.
I. Time change
Sunday is always fun. In the fall we get an extra hour. In the spring we lose
one. I find that in either season there are lots of people who miss out on sleep
(and church).
A. The newest sleep survey in 3/5/08 Review reported from the
National Sleep Foundation (now THAT is good work if you can get it!) 1/3 said
they have fallen asleep or become very sleepy at work in the past month. That�s
during THEIR work. You�re not supposed to fall asleep while I�M working. Do I
have your full attention? Pray that your surgeon or pilot are not among that
1/3, eh? Pray that the terrorists won�t win by finding out that the security
guards at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in south central PA were caught
napping on video tape.
B. As we open up (John 20) we see a Mary Magdalene
who has lost a lot of sleep due to the traumatic events of the crucifixion. The
one who had delivered her from seven evil spirits was gone, crucified. Unable to
sleep she went to His tomb while it was still early morning dark. The word in
(20:1) for the "watch of the night that ran from 3-6am.
II. But the
character we want to study this morning is actually Thomas, one of Jesus
male disciples. What do you know about him? Doubting Thomas, most likely 99%
would say. But what else can we know about him that will help us EXPERIENCE
JESUS (Easter series), not just know about Jesus, but really KNOW Him.
A.
The first time we see him, other than when Jesus called him to follow Him and
become a fisher of men (Mt 10:3) is in (Jn 11:7-8) and later. Here we see
something about him. We�re not sure exactly what.
1. The disciples know
Judea (southern Israel, Bethany, just a few miles from Jerusalem) is the place
where they had tried to kill Jesus. Now Jesus wants to go back there to help his
dear friend Lazarus (vs. 1-4).
2. (V. 16). Is Thomas pessimistic (glass half
full, worst WILL happen), as some believe; or courageous, not afraid to follow
Jesus whatever the cost? Hang onto those questions and thoughts.
3. I
believe we see he EXPECTED Jesus to die and he was willing to die with Him. I
believe he knew Jesus PURPOSE was worth dying for, and Jesus was a PERSON
worth dying for. He�d seen the miracles and heard his words. He believed he was
the messiah, the holy deliverer sent from God, and he was worth following to the
death.
4. There�s lots of courage and loyalty shown here. Which is the more
courageous: the man who has to respond in an instant and doesn�t have time to
think about what he�s about to do, or the man who knows full well what he�s
getting into, has time to get out, but goes ahead and does the courageous thing?
Maybe they�re different sides of the same coin, both to be admired and imitated.
Thomas knows clearly what�s ahead and does it anyway (11:8, 16).
B. Don�t
miss that there was a crisis here in Lazarus death and a crisis to come in
the death of Jesus. The attitude toward both crises was the same for both Jesus
and Thomas: "Great crisis gives way to great opportunity.
1. I wish I
had that view more often, the (Rom 8:28) assurance that God makes no mistakes
and He�s got the whole world in His hands; that He�s never caught by surprise;
that He�s always for us and working for us.
2. The Chinese word/character
for "crisis is a combination of "danger and "opportunity.
[PROJECT ON SCREEN]
3. How much more powerful would our witness be if we
conveyed to all around us that every crisis that came into our lives gave God a
great chance to shine?
4. In the case of Lazarus death it was going to
give God�s power and love for people a chance to be put on bold display. Jesus
was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. That would give glory to God and to
Jesus in a way that simply curing sick Lazarus would not. That explains a lot of
Jesus strange behavior in this chapter (vs. 6, 4).
III. Another of
Thomas fin attributes was his authenticity. He would not say he understood
what he didn�t understand and he wouldn�t say he believed when he didn�t. He
wouldn�t try to project he was more spiritual than he was. He was real; no phony
baloney, no "fake it till you make it (Jn 14:1-6).
A. Have you ever
been around someone who just can�t be real? Everything is overly spiritualized.
They�ll never admit to any fear or doubt. Don�t they tire you out? My natural
reaction (not a spiritual one) is I start to be phony too; confessing faith I
don�t have and a level of holiness I wished I had.
B. It�s like the little
boy whose SS teacher was giving a lesson on creation. He asked the class what
runs through the woods and gathers nuts for the winter. The little boy: "I want
to say a squirrel, but I�m going to say Jesus. Every comment has to
spiritualized. It�s phony and people smell phony baloney a mile away, especially
the young. We smile and sing when there should be side-splitting grief, because
that�s what real humans and real Christians do. Thomas was real. That encourages
others to be real and be healed. It�s tough to receive the kind of comfort from
the body of Christ that you need if you�re not real, honest.
IV. Certainly,
in Thomas, we see some introversion. He�s suffering alone in (20:19-24)
A. I
see extroverts often marry introverts. This shows up so clearly in the different
ways I see husbands and wives grieve. One wants to be with others, and talk
about the departed. They want to look at pictures, and tell stories of the one
who�s gone. For the other that makes everything hurt more. They want to suffer
alone. Thomas fit in this latter category. I believe that�s why he�s not here
with the others (20:24).
B. He�s different than the others in another
respect. Remember? Other than Peter, no other disciple had boldly talked about
courageously following Jesus to the death (11:16). But ALL the disciples ran.
Might that failure affect Thomas differently because of his earlier bold stand?
I think Peter would have been off on his own too except for his different
personality, AND because John the beloved wouldn�t let him go (20:2-3). For some
reason John didn�t or couldn�t help Thomas the same way.
C. Aren�t you glad
for the John�s who don�t let people suffer alone? Can you be a John? For whom,
right now?
V. May I say two things about doubt since we�re talking about
Thomas.
A. Jesus says: "Stop doubting and believe (20::27). Doubt must
be something we can control to some degree or Jesus wouldn�t tell us to stop. He
doesn�t ask us to do what we can�t.
1. But we may only be able to stop
doubting by putting belief in its place, i.e. to put off something negative you
have to replace it, push it off/out, with something positive.
2. How often
do I see people trying to get rid of something negative in their life by
repeating what they are NOT going to do…Ills. eat, watch, drink, shoot, snort,
etc.
3. It doesn�t work. "The path to holiness is paved, not with good
intentions, but with a firm hold on the holy things God wants to put in place of
unholy things.
B. Second, I want to give encouragement/hope to those
who doubt (come if you�d like to pray). Maybe you just have deeper thoughts
about spiritual and eternal things than the rest of us. There is the man who
never has any doubts because he has never really thought about those important
spiritual and eternal things all that much. They are not that important to him.
1. Then there is the man like Thomas, who has given things of Jesus deep
thought, and consequently has deep questions. He may need more proof. Jesus gave
it to him. Jesus knows what we need. Jesus meets us at our point of need if we
are truly seeking Him, seeking truth, the way to real life. After all He said He
was the way, the truth and the life. No one got to the Father except through Him
(Jn 14:6 GOSPEL HERE).
2. What is your point of need right now? Jesus can
meet you there.
3. People like Thomas, doubts and deep questioners; once
they are convinced, are REALLY convinced: "My Lord and my God! (v. 28).
Doubters often become the most dedicated disciples. Come if you�d like to be
more like Thomas/John.
4. Closing song(s)