A Reasonable Doubt

A Reasonable Doubt

Our scripture this morning focuses on the disciple Thomas. The Gospel of John is the only Gospel account that tells us anything about Thomas. Thomas was called Didymus (That title sounds like a hip hop artist’s name along With Jesus the Rabboni in verse 20.16); actually Didymus meant that he was a twin.

He was one of the twelve disciples (listed midway in the lists of the twelve disciples). Previously, in John’s Gospel, Thomas’s loyalty and courage were mentioned. In chapter eleven of John, Jesus was on his way to Bethany against his disciples’ warning (11.8). Thomas pessimistically, but also bravely, said to the others, “Let us also go that we may die with him.” At least from that, we can conclude that Thomas was a brave and loyal disciple.

And then we have Thomas in today’s passage say, “Unless, I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand in his side, I will not believe it.”

It is easy criticize Thomas’s doubt or is it, after all what he had last known as reality was that Jesus was nailed to and lifted up on a Roman cross and then later pierced with a spear.

The last thing Thomas knew for sure was that Jesus, whom he had followed and placed his hope in, was dead. Thomas, knowing what he knew and being where he was, had legit reasonable doubts about what he now was hearing from his friends and fellow disciples, that the dead Jesus was now alive.

Thomas reminds me of the guy or gal that you cringed for and were often embarrassed for in School; he was the one that always asked the stupid and obvious questions.

Sometimes, however, you were also glad that someone was brave enough to ask the seemingly “stupid” and the “obvious” questions, because there were times when you too had doubts and didn’t know what the facts and answers were.

I’ve been thinking about and I want to speak today about the difference between reasonable doubts and unreasonable doubts, between reasonable questions and absurd questions, between sincere open-minded skeptics/seekers and closed-minded ridiculers.

I like what Frederick Buechner said about doubt, “Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don’t have any doubts, you either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” (Beyond Words, 85)

Now Thomas certainly believed in God and he was a follower of Jesus, but his belief and following after Jesus was not without flaw or doubt.

Thomas had sincere questions and reasonable doubts.

One main thing that I want to say today is that sincere and hard questions of faith and concerning God or not necessarily bad.

God can handle sincere questions and God can even handle the hard questions.

Sincere, honest, hard questions lead to solid growth and faith. All of my questions and doubts aren’t always completely answered or solved, but my faith always grows because I have questions and I take them to God.

Honest heartfelt questions are like ramps that launch one to higher and new elevations in knowing God.

The Psalmists, Job, and the Prophets all asked God hard and honest questions. They all expressed their doubts and it pleased God to let us know and be aware of such doubts and questions recorded all through out Scripture

Thomas had asked a sincere question once before. In chapter 14, Jesus had been talking about what would take place and where he was going and how the disciples knew where he was going and Thomas stopped Jesus and said in essence, “Hold on, wait a moment!” He actually said, “Lord, we don’t know where you going, so how can we know the way?”

Because Thomas was naive enough; because he was bold and brave enough; because he was honest about his confusion and ignorance-he asked a sincere big question.

The beauty of sincere big questions is that they lead to beautiful big answers. Jesus answered him and said, “I am the way and the truth and the life . . .”

God is bringing us beyond a reasonable doubt to a strong thriving faith. Remember we talked about the light at the end of the tunnel last week. The more we trust in Christ and grow in our knowledge of him the clearer we will see him and the more light we will come into.

A child was out playing hide-and-seek with some other children. She went away and hid herself; the other children played a cruel trick on the little girl and ran off as the little girl hid all alone.

When the little girl realized the cruel joke that had been played on her and that she was abandoned and all alone, she ran home in tears and threw herself onto her daddy’s arms and cried, “Daddy, I was hiding and no one tried to find me!” The father gently held on to her and replied, “God understands. He understands more than you realize.” (Campolo, Let Me Tell You a Story, 1)

The Psalmist laments, “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 53.2)

Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you,” (Matthew 7.7)

If you are at the beginning stages of faith, doubting and searching out the truth of life and the truth of Jesus, then take courage in knowing that sincere and open-minded questioning is where all honest believing begins.

Or if you’ve been beyond the realm of reasonable doubt for sometime- that is you’ve been a steady believer for sometime, then ongoing sincere questioning and seeking out the character of God is where all honest believing continues.

There was a time in my life where I cried out in doubt of God’s existence and if he was a good and loving God,

Then there was a time amidst my tears and grief that I knew beyond my reasonable doubts by a diligent searching faith that He is and He is loving.

I would have never known that he is (exists) and that he is love if I had never diligently cried out for him.

I would have never found faith and peace in God, if I had never questioned where true life giving meaning and significance originate.

Honest heartfelt doubts and sincere questions can be the very seeds of devout loyal faith.

Thomas the doubter asked big questions and received big answers. I for one, also being slow of having great faith, am very glad that Thomas asked questions and am even gladder that God answered his doubts and questions.

Socrates wisely admonished that an unexamined life is not worth living. It also could be said that an unexamined faith is less than honest and not a growing faith.

Lastly, Thomas doubt in 20.25 led to yet another big revelation in 20.28. Thomas exclaims his profession of faith in Jesus saying, “My Lord and My God.”

Thomas’s questions and doubts led him to a clearer faith. Jesus did not exclude him for his doubts, but revealed himself to Thomas. Honest questions lead to answers and reasonable doubts make faith what it truly is- an ever seeking after a mysterious and life giving God.

God's Display of Power

From our reading today, the Scripture remarks on the reactions of the disciples to the empty tomb and risen Christ.

The Scripture records that John came upon the empty tomb and “saw and believed.” Mary Magdalene, after speaking with the risen Christ went to the other disciples and said, “I’ve seen the Lord.”

This past Friday night, at the close of our Good Friday service, we left reading of Jesus’ scarcely attended funeral. Joseph of Arimathea and Nickodemus carried the dead body of Jesus to an empty tomb.

Meanwhile, all of the other disciples hid in fear, confusion, and uncertainty of the future. For the past few years they had left everything they previously had to follow Christ and now he was dead and so was all of their hope for the future . . . but then John and Mary Magdalene come back to the disciples and shout they have seen and believed!

At their weakest moment,

God showed up.
And God displayed his mighty power!

In the book of Psalms there are a several types of Psalms called Precatory Psalms or Psalms of Lament.

Such Psalms record the frustrations of wearied people of God; they ask God where he is and how long will he stay away from their need; they cry out and long for God to show up in their lives and display his power; they want to see God alive and powerful.

Don’t we get that way in our lives? We believe in God, but when our lives start to collapse and those we love start so spin out of control we call out to God and ask him where he is; we want God to intervene and display his Power!

We Cry out, “Where are you God?”
We pray, “I want to see you and know that your alive and active in this chaotic world and my life.”
We petition God, “Show up and display your power in this world and my life.”

……………….

On one particular solo getaway I ventured upon an empty public beach. I had a rented little purple Dodge Neon (quite masculine!). I bought the full coverage insurance . . . I know that one doesn’t have to buy such insurance; your insurance and sometimes the credit card you use to rent a car with have provisions for car rental insurance coverage. Nevertheless, for a few extra bucks, I purchased some extra peace of mind. I like to think that I could bring back the car in a box and not have to worry about my insurance deductibles and premiums sky rocketing because of wrecking a rented Dodge Neon (maybe such a car is not so masculine?)!Here I was on the empty beach . . . I hadn’t thought about peeling out in the sand until I saw the NO PUBLIC DISPLAY OF POWER sign.

After all, I’m naturally a quite and introverted guy. I mostly go about my life silently contemplating and wondering. A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF POWER would have never entered my imagination or intentions until I saw that sign.


We post up signs all over our lives asking God to show up and DISPLAY his POWER. We want God to show up in our lives so that we know that he is alive and able. We want to know him and the power of his resurrection.

Paul said, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings . . .”

We want the power of God in Jesus that healed the sick in our lives!

We want the power of God that caused the blind to see again in our lives!
We want the power of God that raised the dead in our lives!

That is where the truth of Easter, the resurrection of Christ, point to God’s activity and ongoing power and involvement in this world and in our lives.

2000 years from the first Easter we see and believe in Christ by faith.

In some ways, the truth of Easter (Jesus’ resurrection) is just a glimpse of the start of God coming and displaying of his power and activity in our lives and in this world.

When we look and see the truth of Christ’s Resurrection what do we see?

How does Jesus’ resurrection, being raised from the dead never to die evermore, impact our lives?

Because of Jesus’ resurrection we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope. Hope is important because it inspires action; hopelessness immobilizes one spirit.

Our hope in Christ is a sure thing, but sometimes in this life the light at the end of the tunnel seems such a far way away. And while we know and see by faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we know too that we still have to go through the tunnel. We know the truth of Easter but we still have to go through the season of Lent.

Sometimes the tunnel of life gets so hard and we take our eyes of the light at its’ end and forget that there is light at all. Forgetting that there is light at the end of the tunnel is hopelessness.

Maybe that’s your story today. Life sometime ago got so hard and difficult, and you’ve forgotten that there is a light available to you. You’ve become immobilized by tough circumstances, illness, and deep depression. You’ve lost your way in life and you can’t see Christ’s light.

If that’s the case, I want to gently remind you that although your life is crushingly hard and it seems like despair is going to win out . . . Don’t let it because there is hope! Christ is raised from the dead and wants to reign in your heart!

And the more we focus of the truth of Easter, the resurrection of Christ, the more his ongoing display power, activity, love, and life become brighter in our lives and in this world.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection we are not alone.

Christ is with us. He never leaves nor forsakes us.

Even though we go through deep chasms of doubt, illness, and despair in this life- he is with us.

Even though we go through the valley of the shadow of death -he is with us and he will not let our lives end in the grave.

He will not let our souls forever rest in Sheol. When we believe in his life and know his resurrection and participate in the fellowship of his sufferings he will life us up and raise us to a newness of life in the end of this mortal life.

Because of the truth of Easter, Jesus’ resurrection, we have hope and we are not alone.

Do you need to see God show up and display his power in your life? It starts with seeing his power in the resurrection of Christ and in his ongoing love, grace, and mercy by his Spirit in the lives of those who profess his name.

Gethsamane Courage

Matthew 26.36-46
4.2.06 DBC

Gethsemane Courage
-The Will of God in your Life-

We were recently forwarded an email titled finding inner peace. It went something like this:

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on the Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace. Dr. Phil proclaimed, “The Way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you’ve started and never finished.”

So I looked around my house to see all the things I have started and hadn’t finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a package of Oreos, a bag of Doritos, Cheetos and tortilla chips, a bottle of White Zinfandel, the rest of the cheese cake, my old Prozac prescription and a box of chocolates . . . you have no idea of how fantastic I now feel. Please pass this on to those who might be in need of inner peace.

While I cannot endorse this as a serious step to inner peace, I know full well the desire for inner peace.

We, humans, long for inner peace. We need to feel whole and complete. We need meaning and significance. We are meaning makers and meaning seekers.

Surely, being in the center of God’s will brings inner peace?

What is God’s will for your life and for your family?

In the face of death, we see Christ discover courage and inner peace in surrendering to God’s will (Matthew 26.36-46). In this message, I want to examine applications for knowing and doing God’s will in our lives that we can learn from Christ's submitting to God’s will.

Let me first offer this observation:

God’s will never changes, however, sometimes there exist multiple possibilities and ways to accomplish God’s will in our lives.

One thing that I noticed in today’s passage is that Christ, after collapsing to the ground in great angst, prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me . . . ”

Jesus knew that all things are possible with God (Mark 14.36). The statement if it is possible was a first class conditional meaning that Jesus was asking the Father since all things were possible to remove this cup from him.

The phrase this cup was an OT metaphor for one’s ultimate life purpose. For example, “Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.” (Psalm 16.5)

One’s life, however, is not always singularly fixed. There are times and moments when God’s will can be accomplished in an indefinite number of possibilities.

There is wonderful responsibility, gracious freedom and wide-open possibilities for our lives when we recognize that God many times has a wide range of possibilities for accomplishing his will in our lives.

*God is not strapped for options.
*God is not limited in possibilities.
*God does not operate out of a static unchanging fixed predetermined blue print for your life!

In your life and in all of creation, God is the God who can do all things (Mark 14.36)!

This reality, when you belief that God is able to do all things, can make all of the difference when you consider his will for you life.

This past week, Earl had talked to us about the difference between prayer warriors and prayer worriers.

If we believe that God can move mountains and that he can (in many and most situations) accomplish his will through an infinite number of ways, then we will pray more earnestly.

Thomas G. Long tells the following story:

[A Pastor received] a very disturbing telephone call [at the church office]. A part-time staff member, who had been out in his neighborhood walking his dog, had been mugged, stabbed in the heart and rushed to the hospital, and was now in intensive care with virtually no prospect for survival. When the word spread among the church staff, they gathered spontaneously to pray. Standing around the communion table, each person prayed. [Most of the staff] offered sincere prayers, but mostly polite and mild petitions, prayers that spoke of comfort and hope and changed hearts, but prayers that had already faced the hard certain facts of almost certain death.

Then the custodian prayed . . . [It] was the most athletic prayer . . . The custodian wrestled with God, shouted to God, anguished with God. His finger jabbed in the air and his body shook.

“You’ve done it many times, Lord! You’ve done it for others, you’ve done it for me, now I am begging you to do it again! Do it for him! Save him, Lord!”

[It was said by one in the presence of this prayer] “It was if he grabbed God by the lapels and refused to turn God loose . . . “When we heard that prayer, we just knew that God would indeed come to heal. In the face of that desperate cry for help, God would have been ashamed not to save the man’s life.” And so it happened. (Thomas G. Long in Christian Century 3.21.06, Just as I am, p.18)

And likewise, the Scripture says that Christ in desperation fell to the ground and earnestly prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup, be taken from me. Yet not as I will [desire], but as you will."

We said earlier:

God’s will never changes, however, sometimes there exist multiple possibilities and ways to accomplish God’s will in our lives.

AND now we must also consider that:

With God’s ultimate and final will for our lives there exists only one way that we can fully participate in his ultimate calling on our lives; that is, we must voluntarily lay down our lives before God (just like Jesus did).

That is what Christ demonstrated that night in the garden of Gethsemane.

*He voluntarily gave up his life.
*He selflessly laid down his life for humanity’s salvation.
*He displayed Gethsemane courage.

While Jesus knew that God could, in his power and might, do all things he also knew that sacrificial love and commitment was the only way to ultimately save humanity from separation from (because of the self centeredness of sin) God.

That night in Gethsemane Jesus had many options. He could have fled. He could have said to God, “Do as you did in the day’s of Noah, destroy humanity and start all over again.” Jesus, however, knew that God’s promise and will for humanity could only perfectly be accomplished by a pure and fully God-lived life freely given for our salvation.

Michael Philips (his book, Make Me like Jesus) writes of the secondary and primary will of God in our lives. There are a number of various ways and types of God’s secondary will in your life. God’s primary will for your life, however, is that you would become a son or daughter to Him fashioned and formed into the likeness of Jesus (pure love, self-giving, and holy).

So where are you in all of this talk of God's will in your life? Do you limit what God can do? Do you freely volunteer and lay down your life to God's ultimate will in your life? Jesus is our great example and model for seeking and doing God's will.

Like Jesus, conforming to God's ultimate will comes not without struggle. We too struggle. We find, nevertheless, Gethsamane Courage when we look to Christ.