John 20:19-31

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."

28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

LET US PRAY:

INTRODUCTION:

One of my favorite true stories is the story of the Yugoslavia judge when was electrocuted when he reached up to turn on the light while standing in the bathtub. No, I'm not cruel or weird, let me tell you the rest of the story. This guys poor wife found his body sprawled on the bathroom floor. He was pronounced dead and was placed in a preparation room under a crypt in the town cemetery for twenty-four hours before burial.

Well, and this is the part I love, in the middle of the night, the judge came to. The judge looked around at his surroundings and suddenly realized where he was. He got pretty excited and rushed over to alert the guard. But instead of being any help, the guard was terrified and promptly ran off.

Fortunately, though, the guard returned with a friend, and when they released the newly-revived judge. The judge's first thought was to phone his wife and reassure her that he really wasn't dead. Unfortunately, he got no farther than, "Honey... it's me," when his wife screamed and fainted.

So, he decided that the best course of action was to enlist some friends. He went to the houses of several friends; but because they all had heard the news from his distraught wife, they all doubted that he was really alive. They were all convinced he was a ghost.

Finally, in a last desperate effort, he contacted a friend in another city who hadn't heard about his death. And that person was able to convince his family and friends that the judge really was alive. (1)

That story almost sounds like one of the Gospel writers could have written it, doesn't it? It sure sounds like the passage from John this morning.

Scripture says that Thomas was from Galilee but, to be honest with you, I think the Scripture is wrong. Thomas had to be from Missouri, the "Show Me" state. That's what Thomas says here. He sounds a whole lot like a first century Jerry Maguire. Only it's not "Show me the money." Instead it's "Show me the wounds." If he wasn't actually from Missouri then Thomas was at least in a Missouri state of mind, a "Show Me" state of existence and faith.

I've often wondered why Thomas wasn't there. Haven't you? Scripture doesn't say. Where was he? Buying another deadbolt for the door? Ordering the pizza? Picking up sandwiches at the deli? Out for a walk clearing his head? Was he the lookout? Did he go to check on his family? Was it all too much for him and he just had to get away by himself for awhile?

We don't know why Thomas wasn't there. But whatever reason, Thomas wasn't there when Jesus appeared. He missed Muster. He missed Roll Call. The phrase "I guess you just had to be there!" may have started because of Thomas. And so he doubted. Just like the family and friends of the Yugoslavian judge, Thomas has seen Jesus die. He may have even seen them place his body in the tomb. But he knew Jesus was dead. He knew what he had seen and no fairy tale from the women or the other disciples was going to change his mind. He had that Missouri state of mind and said, "I won't believe until I can touch the marks of the nails and put my hand in his wound." And from that moment on, we began referring to Thomas as "Doubting Thomas."

Today I want us to look at doubt and like Thomas move "Beyond A Doubt" to a life of Faith and Joy, Laughter and Love. You see, the Resurrection changes everything.

I. ROUT OUT THE DOUBT:

A. Well, the first thing we have to do is look at Doubt. We might ask: What About Doubt? Is it so bad? And how do we Rout Out The Doubt?

First let's make a delineation. there is a definite difference between genuine doubt and skepticism. Skepticism simply says: "Yeah, right!" To whatever we say or whatever claim we make about whatever subject comes up. Skepticism is more than doubt. Skepticism isn't even about a Missouri mind set. Skepticism is more of a cynical mind set. It doesn't look for answers. It simply ridicules.

Doubt, on the other hand, can be healthy in our relationship with God. You see, doubt in the faith, can lead you on a quest for the truth. Skepticism usually closes minds. Often times, skeptics are still skeptical even when all the facts and all the evidence is right in front of them.

Doubt can actually open doors that lead to a deeper faith. Two of the most famous doubters that I can think of, besides Thomas, are C.S. Lewis and Josh McDowell. Josh McDowell started out to disprove the claims of Christianity. His whole purpose for studying Christian faith and doctrine was to discredit it. But in so doing, he was converted and has become one of it's staunchest defenders. His new book: "The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict" is just one more example of Doubt being routed out.

C.S. Lewis didn't believe and didn't want to believe. he was an Oxford Don and an athiest who had no time for God. He writes about his conversion:

"You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen (one of the colleges of Oxford University), night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelented approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. . . . I never had the experience of looking for God. It was the other way round: He was the hunter (or so it seemed to me) and I was the deer. . . And I am very thankful that this is how the first (conscious) meeting occurred. It forearms one against subsequent fears that the whole thing was only wish-fulfillment. Something one didn't wish for can hardly be that." (2)

It doesn't matter what we think of either man's theology or the volumes they have written. Their works and words have influenced countless millions. But they both started out just like Thomas, as serious doubters.

B. How and why did they change? They changed because Jesus Has The Clout To Dispel Any Doubt. Just look what he did for Thomas. Thomas wouldn't or couldn't believe simply on the word of others. He needed more concrete proof. He said he needed physical contact.

Well, the next thing you know, Jesus is standing in the middle of the room and addressing Thomas. I think Jesus must have had a big old grin on his face when he said: "Thomas, come on over here and touch my wounds so you can believe."

But if you look at the Scripture, when it was all said and done, Thomas didn't need to touch. Jesus offered but it doesn't say he touched. It says Thomas fell to his knees and said, "My Lord and my God."

Then Jesus says, "Blessed are those who believe without seeing." Why? Because Jesus Has The Clout To Dispel Any Doubt. And most times all it takes is faith.

II. BE DEVOUT, FLOUT THE CLOUT:

A. And Because Jesus Has The Clout To Dispel Any Doubt, I think we should Be Devout and Flout The Clout. And there are two ways to do that.

First: Rejoice In Our Choice: A Sunday School teacher asked her third graders to write a short paragraph on the topic: What Easter Means To Me. One little girl wrote: "Egg salad sandwiches for the next two weeks."

I like to laugh and make people laugh. And I truly believe that we are called to live a life that reflects the Joy of Resurrection, the newness of life and the forgiveness we've experienced. That sense of forgiveness, that sense of belonging to God, the knowledge that I don't deserve this Grace I have experienced fills me with so much joy and happiness. I think we ought to Flout It and Rejoice In Our Choice. Sin and Death no longer have any hold on us. That calls for rejoicing.

Did you know that it takes 65 facial muscles to frown. But it only takes 15 muscles to smile. It's a whole lot less work to be happy than it is to be grumpy. I believe God did that on purpose. God wants us to rejoice in our faith. God wants us to rejoice in our relationship with Him through Jesus. God wants us to laugh and Rejoice In Our Choice.

God, through Christ, chose us to be a part of the family of God.

There was an elderly person sitting in church one day. This person had the sourest expression on their face. One of the little boys who was always happy and full of life walked up to this person and asked, "'Scuse me, but are you happy?"

The elderly person answered, "Why certainly, I'm happy."

The little boy looked and then thought about it for a minute and finally asked, "If you're happy, why doesn't your face know it?"

We ought to let our faces know that we're happy about God's choice. Rejoice In Our Choice.

B. Second: We're Called to Stay There Through Prayer: Prayer, regular prayer, keeps us centered in God. Prayer helps keep our focus on God and not ourselves. Some folks, more than any of us would like to admit, don't spend much time in prayer. A lot of times it's because we don't know how to pray.

Pat reminded me of a story, it's probably a true story, but it's a whole lesson on how to pray. It seems there was a man who was dying. He was terminal but not in much pain and he decided to die at home. He'd been a faithful Christian all of his life but there was one aspect of his Christian life that he had never discussed with anyone. One day his pastor came to visit and he confessed to him that for all those years he was unable to pray. He just didn't know how. He didn't know the right way or what to say.

His pastor pulled an empty chair up alongside the bed and told the man to just pretend that Jesus was sitting in that chair. Then he told him to talk to Jesus, to talk to like an old friend, tell him everything that was on his heart and mind and put everything in Jesus' hands.

About 2 weeks later, the pastor received a call from the man's daughter, he had died in the night. When the pastor got to the house to be with the family, the daughter said, "We found him this morning. He was in bed lying on his side and he had one of the most peaceful looks I've ever seen on his face. But it was the strangest thing, his hand was extended out like he was reaching for something, and it was resting in a chair that had been pulled up alongside the bed."

The pastor just smiled, he knew Who the chair was for.

Prayer is necessary for a healthy Christian life. "Prayer is communion with God and openness to God's will. It's a loving dialogue between God and God's people." Prayer is something we innately need. It keeps us focused on God and helps us Stay There in our relationship with God.

Be Devout and Flout The Clout. Rejoice In Our Choice. And Stay There Through Prayer.

III. DON'T DOUBT IT, BUT SHOUT IT AND TELL ALL ABOUT IT:

A. And Then, Don't Doubt It, Flout It And Tell All About It. Now I don't mean literally go out on the streets and start shouting about Jesus. Nor do I want to discourage you if you feel that's what you should do. But we're all called to be willing to share our story. If you read this passage, that's Jesus whole purpose for us, to share the good news, to tell His story and our story. He has called us to move from mess to messenger. He has called us to move from the messes of our lives to be messengers of His life. Bishop Ndoracimpa, Bishop of the Burundi Conference, returned to Burundi after his Annual Mission journey only to find his own country in as much turmoil as the neighboring country of Rwanda. There were death threats made upon his life. On the second day back home, one of the young men who assisted him around the house was brutally murdered and a note attached to the body warned the Bishop to leave or the same would happen to him. The two American Bishops who accompanied Bishop Ndoracimpa back to Burundi urged him to leave. But he told them he had to stay for his people. They reminded him of the death threats. But he reminded them of the resurrection and said, "I would rather die than be unfaithful. Besides, what have I to fear if I believe in the resurrection?" Bishop Ndoracimpa told his story And the story of Christ in a very powerful way. We're called to do the same. It may not be in the same manner as the Bishop, but we can tell our story through how we live. B. People today ripe for our story. I don't think there has ever been as much interest in spirituality in our country as there is right now. People are searching for truth. They are searching for something to believe in, something that connects them with others and with God. If they don't find God, then they will find all kinds of gods, instead. And I think one of the most powerful examples of people's need to believe can be seen in the Blair Witch phenomenon. Last year the independent film, "The Blair Witch Project" took the theaters by storm. People flocked to see it. But it is totally fiction. It has no basis in reality whatsoever. It's not even based on old ghost stories from the area in which it was filmed. It came out of the minds of its writers who happened to use a very real small town and the area surrounding it to tell the story. But the story has taken on a life of its own. The police have fielded call after call about this unsolved murder that never happened. There are folks who have claimed the police's lack of involvement constitutes a city wide cover up. And there have been at least a dozen different groups who have begun their own investigations into the disappearance of the people in the movie. The movie has even effected the town. Some savvy entrepreneurs have taken to leading guided tours and selling maps to the exact areas in which all the stuff in the movie took place. Remember there was and is no witch. There was and is no legend. But people are hungry for some encounter with the spiritual. That's why we need to Shout It Out and Tell All About It. through telling our story. By living our lives of faith and sharing the Good News of how Jesus has changed your life. Of how God has touched you. You see, people really want to know one thing. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? What difference does it make to you? What difference does it make to me? And what difference will it make to them. If it doesn't make any difference in YOUR life, then you can be sure they're thinking, "I'll bet it won't make any difference in my life either." That's why we're called to Rejoice In Our Choice. And Stay There Through Prayer. So, that we can stay focused and see God's action in our lives. So, that we can see and experience the ongoing story of God's presence in our lives. So, we can experience the almost indescribable joy of the grace of God. And share our faith with others. That grace changed everything in the lives of the disciples. It changed Peter. It changed Thomas. It changed Saul. It changed all of them. It changed me. It made a difference. And We're called to Shout It Out and Tell All About It. Because it does make a difference.

CONCLUSION:

That's one of the reasons for our Capital Campaign and the Building Committee working so hard. We don't just want a new building. What kind of reason is that for a Church to expend as much time and energy as we have to date? If all we want is something new, then we've plunged deeply into the depths of consumerism and we've missed the message of Christ completely.

But that's not why we've been working so hard. We've been working so hard because we want to make a difference in the lives of this community. We're already doing that here. We're already involved in significant ministries. The Church is growing. Every time we turn around there is something going on here; some new group being formed; or some new ministries being planned. But the long term goal is not for us. The long term goal is to grow disciples. Not just get new members but to grow disciples who can make a difference. And help others make a difference as well.

Our challenge, then both in the Move of Faith Campaign and in our daily Christian life is the same. Let your faith be stout.

Let it move throughout to rout out the doubt.

Be Devout and Flout The Clout.

Rejoice In Your Choice.

And Stay There Through Prayer.

Don't Doubt It, Flout It.

Shout It and Tell All About It.

Bibliography

1. The Pastor's Story File (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), April 1996

2. C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1956), p. 228

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