454 The Great Divide Series# 5, Fear to Faith

The Great Divide Series# 5, Fear To Faith
By: D. Karl & Cheryl Thomas

John 20:19-22 (ESV) “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side…

…Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and

said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

Roy “Wrong Way” Riegels — 1929 Rosebowl Had to get tackled by His own team

The disciples were headed the wrong way after the first Easter.
At least they stayed together. Locked Down Afraid … Troubled … Shouldn’t have been!!

WebMd – “How Worrying Affects The Body”
Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety … Creates problems such as:

Difficulty swallowing Dizziness Dry mouth Fast heartbeat Fatigue Headaches
Inability to concentrate Irritability Muscle aches Muscle tension Nausea Nervous energy Rapid breathing Shortness of breath Sweating Trembling and twitching

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
World — Peace is an outside job. Kingdom — Peace is an inside job.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (AMP) “Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.”

Oceanographers tell us that even the worst ocean storms rarely extend more than twenty-five feet below the surface. Gales can rip the ocean, causing tidal waves one hundred feet high, but just twenty-five feet below the surface the water is as calm as a pond.

Korean Christians During Persecution: “We’re just like nails. The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us; and the deeper you drive us, the more peaceful it becomes!

Things I Doubt: 1. Elvis is alive in Hawaii. 2. Any M. Moore Documentary. 3. Anything a politician says after the words; “To be clear…” 4. Dog food label that says; “New and improved taste.” 5. Leafs win cup in my lifetime.

John 20:24-31 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, [d] because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Doubt:— (verb) to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe.
(noun) a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.

Helen Keller “It need not discourage us if we are full of doubts. Healthy questions
keep faith dynamic. In fact, unless we start with doubts we cannot have a deep- rooted faith. One who believes lightly and unthinkingly has not much of a belief.

One who has a faith which is not to be shaken has won it through blood and tears–has worked his or her way from doubt to truth as one who reaches a clearing through a thicket of brambles and thorns.”

Peter Abelard “The first key to wisdom is assiduous and frequent questioning … for in doubting we come to inquiry, and by inquiry we arrive at truth.”

George MacDonald “Doubts are the messengers of the Living One to the honest. They are the first knock at our door of things that are not yet, but have to be, understood … Doubts must precede every deeper assurance; for uncertainties are what we first see when we look into a region hitherto unknown, unexplored, unannexed.”

4 Observations From Thomas:
1. To Risk Everything
John 11:1-16 “‘Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?ʼ… Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.ʼ”

2. He Asked The Tough Questions
John 14:4-5 “‘And where I go you know, and the way you know.ʼ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?ʼ”

3. He Demanded Evidence
John 20:25 “‘We have seen the Lord.ʼ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.ʼ”

Romans 8:16 “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
1 John 1:3 “…that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

4. He Made A Bold Confession
John 20:28 “And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!ʼ”
Treason to the Roman — Blasphemy to the Jews — Life for a believer!

Thomas wanted to believe.
He just needed to see, touch, and experience like the others. Jesus refuses to leave us with out confidence in who He is. He shows up and encourages our faith.
Do you see the largeness of Jesus Heart!

John 20:30-31 “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which 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 believing you may have life in His name.”

Where is God Two brothers are terrible troublemakers. They are always breaking things, stealing things, lying, and making all kinds of general trouble. The parents have tried everything to get the boys to change, to no avail. Finally, out of options, they ask their pastor if he can help. He says he will talk to the boys, but only one at a time. The parents drop off the youngest and go home, promising to return to get him soon. The boy sits in a chair across from the pastor’s desk and they just look at each other.
Finally, the Pastor says, “Where is God?” The boy just sits there and doesn’t answer.
The pastor begins to look stern and loudly says, “Where is God?”
The little boy shifts in his seat, but still doesn’t answer.
The pastor is starting to get angry at the boy’s refusal to converse and practically shouts “Where is God?” To the pastor’s surprise, the little boy jumps up out of his chair and runs out of the office.
The boy leaves the church and runs all the way home, up the stairs and into his brother’s room. He shuts the door and pants, “We’re in BIG TROUBLE. God’s missing and they think we did it!”

The Great Divide Series 5, Fear To Faith, Sermon notes to print, PDF