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We are in the middle of our VICTORIOUS sermon series. So far, we’d talked about how Jesus gives us victory over DEATH and FEAR.
Maybe you listened to both of those messages. You felt encouraged. But then, a few days later, you started to DOUBT. Today we’re going see how Jesus gives us VICTORY OVER DOUBT. Before we do that, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth. Your Word is the truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; open our ears to hear what you want us to hear; and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen. I. Why Thomas Doubted As a case study for doubt, we’re going to look at the story of one disciple named Thomas. In fact, Thomas is such a good case study for doubt that he has developed the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” This is unfortunate. I bet he wishes he was remembered as “Believing Thomas,” “Courageous Thomas”, or even “Good Dental Hygiene Thomas.” I doubt Thomas wanted to be known for Doubt. But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. (John 20:24) This account occurs late into the evening on that first Easter. This after the women see the stone rolled open from the tomb. This is after the women talk to angels who tell them about the resurrection. This is after Mary Magdalene sees Jesus near the tomb. This is after the other women meet Jesus outside the cemetery. This is after two disciples traveling to Emmaus meet and speak with Jesus for three-plus hours. This is after Peter gets a one-on-one visit from Jesus. And this is after Jesus enters the locked room filled with 10 of the Twelve apostles - minus Judas, who took his own life and Thomas. And I don’t know what Thomas was doing. …Was he out shopping? …Was he out visiting friends? …Was he out grabbing some Starbucks orders? …Was he stocking up on hand sanitizer for the group? I don’t know. The point is that he missed Jesus’ appearance. So, the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” (v.5) You wouldn’t believe it Thomas – He was alive! Peter was scared. He thought it was a ghost. But it was real! He let us touch his hands. We put our fingers into the nail holes. We placed our hands into the speak mark in his side. He is alive! Isn’t it amazing!?! And Thomas listened. He stroked his beard. And said, “It is amazing…how absolutely gullible you think I am!” “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) Thomas didn’t trust his friends’ words. Not as much as his eyesight. Not as much as his sense of touch. But it was more than just not trusting his friends. TRUTH: Thomas trusted him OWN ABILITIES more than Jesus’ DIVINE ABILITIES Thomas trusted his own ability to determine the veracity of the resurrection. More than Jesus’ ability to accomplish one. This is foolish when you consider the differences in Thomas and Jesus. Thomas had the ability to defeat a cold, if he drank a lot of Orange Juice. Jesus could beat a cold by speaking to it. Thomas had the ability to float on water. Jesus had the ability to walk on it. Thomas had the ability to go to the local McDonalds and buy a Fish Filet. Jesus had the ability to make 5000 more out of thin air. It’s silly to trust a human being more than a Divine being. It’s silly to trust a human being – even if that human being is yourself – more than Divine God. II. Why We Doubt This is not political, but pastoral. In New York, the number of diagnoses each day has been going down. That’s good news. And maybe you saw that in response to that, the governor said this: “The number is down because we brought the number down.” “God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that... That’s how it works. It’s math. And if you don’t continue to do that, you’re going to see that number go back up. And that will be a tragedy if that number goes back up.” I get it. He was trying to tell people to keep social distancing, because it’s working. But to say that it’s working apart from God? Why can’t God have worked through a variety of messages, to turn people to do the kind thing and stay home… in addition to providing doctors and nurses the know how to work with patients and government leaders the wisdom to make wise policies. Doubting that God is alive and working. Sounds a lot like Thomas doubting that Jesus is alive and working. Why do humans doubt God so much? A few reasons… (1) Doubt Arises from trusting HUMAN SENSES more than Jesus. This was Thomas’ simple reason for not believing. Unless he saw Jesus, touched Jesus, smelled Jesus, and heard Jesus, he wouldn’t believe. It’s the same with us. I don’t see God helping me with my finances, I only see it going down. I don’t hear God’s voice calming my fears. I only hear the cries of panic from the rest of the world. I can’t touch Jesus and give him a hug. I can’t touch anyone and give them a hug! Therefore, God doesn’t care. God isn’t helping. God isn’t there. y cares. But… Do you realize how unreliable human senses really are? Have you ever been to the eye doctor and had to cover up one of your eyes to read the eye chart? And they ask you to read line 4 and you’re like, “I think that’s a F. I know that’s an F. It must be an F.” So, you say, “I think it’s an F” and they say, “Nope. That’s an E.” Our eyes are not totally reliable. Have you ever seen those Febreze commercials where they blindfold people and put them in a room filled with garbage! Old banana peels, dirty diapers, mounds of pet hair. But…they cover it up with Febreze and the people think, “We must be in some kind of a rose a garden.” Our noses are not totally reliable. Auditory hallucination occurs when a person’s brain rewires itself to believe that certain thoughts or segments of music are being heard when in fact they are not. This can be caused by a concussion, a brain lesion, psychiatric disease or even high levels of caffeine. In an article published by the Scientific American, an estimated 15% of American Adults aged 18-64 regularly struggle with audio hallucinations, while that number doubles to 33% after the age of 65. Our ears are not totally reliable. But Jesus? He told a paralytic to walk and he did. He told a blind man to see and he did. He told a deaf man to hear and he did. He’s reliable. Trust Jesus more than your Senses. (2) Doubt Arises from trusting HUMAN FEELINGS more than Jesus. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to conclude, “I’m feeling gloomy today, therefore, the sun must not be in existence anymore.” Nor it is sensible to say, “I’m feeling scared, therefore, giant spider aliens must have invaded earth.” Objective truth is not tied to subjective feeling. Yet, we do this with God all the time. I don’t feel very happy about the pandemic, God, so this must be the wrong choice. The virus is making me sad, God, so you must not care about me. I feel angry at the economic ramifications, so I’ve concluded that God is in the wrong. There are all kinds of problems with trusting human emotions. Human emotions are flimsy. They change rapidly and repeatedly. Human emotions are singular. They consider one’s self and ignore how someone across the country is affected. Human emotions are tied to health. If you get good sleep, it’s easier to feel happy. But perhaps most importantly, the problem is that human feelings are tainted by sin. You might feel sad that you aren’t able to go back to work, because making money was a great distraction from having to interact with your children. You might feel angry that you can’t go to the gym, because you miss flirting with the instructor – even though she’s married and so are you. I can feel sad that we’re doing online church. Some of the reasons for that sadness may be that I’m not able to feed my ego like I used to. Sinful. But Jesus’ emotions were not tainted by sin. When Jesus was about to go to the cross, it was the disciples who yelled at him and told him not to do it, because it made them sad. If Jesus would have listened, they may have been happy for a moment – and currently sad as they spend forever in hell. Instead, Jesus ignored human emotion and did what was necessary to save them – and us – with his death on the cross. (3) Doubt Arises from trusting HUMAN REASON more than Jesus. Here’s human reason on the coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic is causing suffering. Therefore, the coronavirus pandemic isn’t good. Therefore, God is either… …good, but not really in control. …in control, but not good. …not existent at all. But… Here’s some logic. Humans aren’t perfect. Therefore, their reasoning is imperfect. Humans don’t know everything Therefore, their reasoning is limited. Humans aren’t always right. Therefore, their reasoning is morally flawed. If human reason is limited, imperfect, and morally flawed, then… Maybe our reasoning about God during crisis is limited, imperfect, and flawed too. God’s reasoning? It is unlimited. It is perfect. It is always right. And… It is still unlimited. it is still perfect. it is still right. III. Why We Shouldn’t Doubt Like in the case of Thomas. It didn’t make sense to Thomas that Jesus was alive. It wasn’t rational. It wasn’t reasonable. Thomas didn’t understand it. So… He gave his ultimatum. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) Well… After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting but believe.” (John 20:26-27) Thomas touches the goosebumps on Jesus arms. He runs his fingers over the nail marks in his hands. He puts his hand through the spear mark in his side. And believes. “My Lord and my God!” (v.28) That’s a total transformation. Jesus has driven away Thomas’ doubt. Instead asking “Why should I believe?” he begins to ask, “Why did I ever doubt?” TRUTH: Jesus changes “why believe” into “why doubt.” When you think about this story objectively, there were all kinds of reasons to believe. There had been twenty-some eyewitness reports. These reports came from a variety of appearances. The tomb was empty. There had been a group of trusted friends telling him that they had seen Jesus. There had even been Jesus’ own promises that he would rise from the dead – long before it ever happened. Jesus changes “why believe” into “why doubt.” That’s true for you too. Because Jesus conquered death. Jesus conquered your sin. Jesus lives on high. He is still in control. He is still in love with you. And he is still working all things for your eternal good. Stop doubting and believe. IV. How to battle Doubt Yet…we do struggle. We are sinners. We are weak. We are imperfect. If we live, we will face doubts. How do we battle doubt? A few lessons from Scripture: (1) Recognize YOU Can’t Stop Doubt This is an important point. Because what I fear some of you might do when you are done with this worship service is to say to yourself, “I need to stop doubting. I can do it.” Then, you head into the corner, scrunch your face up, and say, “Stop doubting. Stop doubting. Stop doubting.” This will not work. It won’t be long before you say, “I doubt that I can keep this up.” After Thomas’ confession of faith, look at Jesus’ response: “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (v.29) Did you hear that? Jesus called people who believe without seeing as BLESSED. Blessed can mean “gifted.” People who believe without seeing didn’t develop that ability on their own. God gave it to them. TRUTH: Faith is a GIFT. It isn’t something you earn. It isn’t something you do. It is something that God gives. So… (2) Let God Battle Doubt for You Though Jesus’ implies that faith without seeing is something that’s impossible for a human to accomplish on their own, in that same sentence, Jesus also implies that people do believe. How? Look at John’s answer: Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (v.30-31) Did you see it? God wants you to know the reality of the risen Jesus. God wants you to know so that you live forever in heaven with him. God wants you to know and – in order that you would know – he inspired John to write it down for you. TRUTH: God’s Word Battles Doubt for Us Doubting that God will take care of your family? God’s Word says, “The Lord is my shepherd. He leads me beside quiet water. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23) Doubting that God will be able to conquer COVID-19? God’s Word says, “Praise the Lord, my soul, forget not God’s benefits – He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103) Doubting that God will give you the finances you need? God’s Word says, “Look at the birds of the air; they don’t work, yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable?” (Matthew 6) Doubting that God isn’t mad at you from all your sin? God’s Word says, “In Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Ephesians 1:7) God’s Word battles doubt for us. So… When you are starting to doubt. When you are feeling like God isn’t in control. When your senses, emotions, and reason are battling you, run to God’s Word and let God battle for you. And then, once the doubts subside… (3) Anchor Yourself to God’s word The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6) Because life is very much like a sea. Our senses smack us in the face like waves. Our emotions swirl around us. Reason flies into our face like the wind. But… When you are anchored in God’s Word. When you are clinging to God’s promises. When you are holding to Jesus… You will not sink into doubt. But stand on Jesus. Amen.
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Last week we began our sermon series called VICTORY and were reminded how Jesus won the VICTORY over death with his glorious resurrection. Today we’re going back to the very first Easter to learn something else that Jesus gives use victory over. Before we do that, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth. Your Word is the truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; open our ears to hear what you want us to hear; and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen.
I. When Fear Reigns On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together…(Jn. 20:19) I don’t think I’ve ever read this portion of Scripture before and felt so envious. They weren’t practicing social distancing. They got to be together. They didn’t have to ZOOM. They didn’t have to log on to YouTube. Andrew didn’t have to tell Peter to turn his sound off when he wasn’t talking so that you could hear James the Less. The disciples were together. That’s wonderful. But… They weren’t having a meal. They weren’t playing Settlers of Catan. They weren’t enjoying drinks and throwing darts. They were scared. …the disciples were together… behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. (Jn. 20:19) A latch at the top of the door. A key lock from the inside. A circular deadbolt. A square deadbolt. A combination lock. One of those big old pieces of wood that you slide in front of the door. A couple of chains. A metal boot. Even a bunch of chairs, tables, and boxes pushed in front. The doors were locked because of the fear of the Jews. They were talking about the religious leaders. These guys were murderers. They were vicious. They had plotted. They had planned. They had pushed their agenda until Jesus had been brutally crucified. If they did that to their leader, they might not stop until each of them was nailed to a cross. But their fears were more than that… The disciples were out of a job! With Jesus gone, their whole corporation had folded. They couldn’t get out and make an income. They’d be risking arrest. They were afraid for the future of their careers, afraid for the future of their families, and afraid for the future of their church I bet they were even afraid of how they were going to get food through the night. TRUTH: Without Jesus, FEARS reigns. Because if Jesus were here, they’d be protected from the Roman soldiers. Jesus even drove out demons. If Jesus were here, they didn’t need to worry about money. He once caught a fish with the exact amount of money needed to pay taxes. If Jesus were here, they’d be taken care of, he fed over 5000 people with a few loaves of bread and two fish. He could use that leftover ground beef in the fridge and turn it into a Taco Supreme with the snap of his fingers. But… Jesus wasn’t there. And without Jesus, FEAR reigns. This is a big problem in our world right now. The devil is trying to distract us with bad report after bad report, terrible news after terrible news, horrible thing after horrible thing. So that we miss out on Jesus. And… Without Jesus, Fear reigns. If I’m honest… It’s worked on me. I’ve been afraid. What are some things that pastors are afraid of during COVID-19? I’ll tell you. Afraid of never getting another high five. Afraid that having to stay between lines will condition me not to move back and forth while I preach. I’m afraid that we will lose momentum. Afraid that those Sanctuary Updates…may never happen? Afraid that our idea for a satellite church in Durham will stall. Afraid that offerings will go down and we’ll have to trim our ministries? Afraid that Precious Lambs will barely survive. Afraid that we’ll lose families. Afraid that we’ll lose workers. Afraid that the virus might get to one of you. Afraid that the virus might be spread by me. Afraid that because of quarantine laws, one of our members might be dying and I won’t be able to see you in person before your final breath. Afraid that we might not be able to get to little Daniela. Afraid that she’ll get sick. Afraid that since she’s immunocompromised that if she gets sick… …I’ll never get to meet her. That’s how it feels when the devil distances me from Jesus. Because without Jesus, FEAR reigns. II. Replacing Fear But here’s the good news for you and me: …The devil can never do that for very long. …Because Jesus always finds his people. …even behind locked doors. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” (Jn. 20:19) To be honest, their initial reaction was probably fear. In fact, the Gospel of Luke tells us that, “they were terrified and thought they were looking at a ghost.” (Luke 24:37) To help with their fears, “Jesus showed them his hands and side” (20:20a) Here. Feel the bumps on my skin. Put your hands on my face. Warm, right? Touch the ridges of the nail scars. Notice the spear shaped mark in my side. I’m not a ghost I’m not a figment of your imagination. I’m real. And here’s what happens next The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (v.20b) Did you see that? It had been a room filled with fear. But when Jesus enters the room? He turns it all around. Fear leaves. And its replacement? Joy. TRUTH: Jesus replaces FEAR with JOY. Afraid of lost income? Jesus offers your eternal riches that will never run out. Afraid of a lost job? Jesus gives you a place working aside him in his kingdom. Fearful of the virus? Jesus defeated death itself! Fearful for your family? Jesus says you will always be a part of his. Fearful for your church? Jesus is the church’s One foundation. It will not lose. Afraid of being alone? Jesus is with you now and will never leave you. III. Proclaiming Peace But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Look at what he does next: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” (Jn. 20:21) Notice how that starts: PEACE. Jesus says it again! And I don’t think any of the disciples were upset that Jesus repeated himself. (Honestly, there shouldn’t be a limit in the number of times that God’s people can hear him say: “PEACE.”) But I think there’s a reason he does this specifically here. As they realize that it’s all true. As they realize that Jesus really rose from the dead. As they realize that he truly was standing before them… It’s quite possible that another fear hit them. He’s come to get us back! Last we saw him, we abandoned him. We denied him. We went and hid while he faced death by himself. We are sinners. Our Holy God has returned to get us! Oh no! Please shoot your lightning bolts in Peter’s direction. It was all his idea! But Jesus didn’t shoot them with a lightning bolt. He didn’t yell at them. He didn’t even give them a stern look. He simply said: “Peace.” I’m not here to hurt you. Your sins are forgiven. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to recruit you. TRUTH: PEACE-filled people proclaim PEACE. Imagine with me what it will be like. You’re watching the news. Suddenly, there’s a breaking report. The quarantine is over. The virus is in remission. What are you going to do when your spouse comes into the room and ask, “Has anything interested happened?” Are you gonna say, “Nah.”? No, you’ll tell her the good news. You’ll text message a friend. You’ll Facebook live yourself doing a Coronavirus is conquered dance. Friends, We have better news than that. Our sins have been forgiven. Jesus conquered death. We have the promise of eternal life. This is worth sharing. IV. What Now? How do you do it? How do we proclaim peace in a COVID-19 world? I want to switch gears and head to the book of 1 John. That is the first letter written to believers everywhere by the Apostle John. John was one of the Apostles in that room on the first Easter Sunday. He was a guy that had been filled with fear until Jesus showed up and transformed it into joy. He knows a thing or two about driving fear from people’s hearts, Because Jesus drove fear from his own heart. Listen to what he writes in 1 John 4:16-18. God is love. He who remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this way his love has been brought to its goal among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are just like Jesus. There is no fear in love, but complete love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. (1 John 4:16-18) I love how that starts. God is love. Love is God. It doesn’t say that God is FEAR. It doesn’t say that God is ANXIETY. It doesn’t say that God is TERRIFYING. God is love. Because God is love, he drives our FEAR. And, because you are loved, God drives out FEAR through YOU. How might God drive out fear through you? A few points (1) Fill Your Heart with God This is an important point. Because it is hard to be loving towards others when you’re afraid. Do you remember my dog Frankie? The one that’s absolutely terrified of laundry baskets? Usually she’s friendly. Usually she licks your hands. Usually she has no problem cuddling next to you and showing you puppy love. But… If that laundry basket is there? She runs away. No love is shown. Because it’s hard to be loving towards others when you’re afraid. So, how do we keep fear out of our hearts? Look at verse 16 again: He who remains in love remains in God and God in him. (1 John 4:16) This is a cup. It’s filled with air. You know it. I know it. We all know it . If I wanted to get rid of the air, it would be difficult. I can pour it out? Still filled with air. I can dump it upside down? Still filled with air. I could crush it. It’s still filled with air. The same is true with fear. If you have it in your heart, it’s there. You can try to hide. You can try to distract. You can drink a lot. You can yell a lot. But… In the end, fear is still there. Do you know the only way to remove the air? Fill it with something else. It’s the same thing with FEAR. The only way to DRIVE OUT fear from your heart is to FILL your heart with JESUS. That’s what we’re doing right now. Keep doing it. Join a daily devotional. Add an afternoon devotional. Add an evening devotional. Add a bible reading before bed. Go to sleep to the Bible app (and the guy on the Bible app has such a gentle voice)… Go to sleep to the Bible app reading from the Psalms. If you want to drive out fear from OTHERS, fill your own heart with JESUS. (2) Live God’s Love In this way his love has been brought to its goal among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are just like Jesus. (1 Jn. 4:17) Because God’s Love is much different than the world’s love. The world’s love is very emotion based. “It’s about people making you feel butterflies and fireworks and sparks.” God is love. And I doubt God felt butterflies for you and me on the cross. Because we were still sinners that Yet God is love. He still died for us. He still rose for us. He still saved us God’s love is not an emotional reaction. God’s love is an action DESPITE an emotional reaction. And God isn’t calling you to feel butterflies with everyone you meet. He’s calling you to perform actions of love even when others make us feel like we don’t want to God’s calling you to… …get up from the couch, do the dishes, even if your spouse didn’t ask in a nice voice. …text message something nice to that person at work, even if they’ve just been badmouthing you on the group chat. …give a call to your grandma, even if she’s mostly grouchy. …spend time with your kids, even if they’re really cranky. …help out that neighbor, who’s never friendly and always frowning. Live God’s action-centered love. (3) Speak the Gospel There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. (v.18) Perfect love? That’s impossible for sinful humans to achieve. Perfect love? That’s exactly who Jesus is. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. That’s the message of love that drives out fear! Remember earlier – how I described my fears. Those were real fears. But I don’t have them anymore. Know why? I was talking to a pastoral friend. He let me vent. He let me share my fears. And then…do you know what he said? Even if all that happened, you’d be ok. Because even if all that happened, you’d still have Jesus. In fact, you have Jesus right now. Don’t be afraid. Without Jesus, fear reigns. With Jesus, fear runs. Share Jesus. Amen. Today’s letter is to a church that needs to wake up! Our goal is to examine what Jesus means by that, consider if our church is sleeping, and learn from God’s Word what to do to wake up. Before we begin, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen.
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May 2022
Pastor Phil Kiecker
and his wife, Julianna love serving the community of North Raleigh.
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