Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the last message in our series called Lost Causes. In this series, we’ve been talking about a secret feeling that a lot of us carry around everyday. That feeling that there is really no point. There is really no reason to try. There is no way that God could truly love me or use me. I’m just a lost cause.

In other words, we feel a lot like this verse. Psalm 88:4 in the Message paraphrase of the Bible says, “I’m written off as a lost cause, one more statistic, a hopeless case.” (Psalm 88:4, The Message)

That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? That sums up how a lot of us feel. We know we’re not supposed to feel that way. We know in our head that God’s grace is huge and that He can redeem and use anybody. We know the theology. But that knowledge never makes the move from our head to our heart. Intellectually, we know it’s true. But emotionally…spiritually…it’s never connected. In our heart and in our soul, we still view ourselves as a lost cause.

But the thing is, we’re in very good company. Every great man or woman of God in the Bible has this exact same struggle.

We kicked off the series by exploring an encounter between God and Moses, and we saw how incredibly and completely inadequate Moses felt to pursue God’s call on his life. His inadequacy made him a lost cause. That’s how he felt. That’s how we often feel. But the truth is that God’s sufficiency always trumps our inadequacy.

Then last week we talked about the Apostle Paul. This dude had a past. A dark, broken sin-filled past. But that didn’t mean he was beyond the reach of God’s grace. God still chose him and God still used him in incredible ways.

Your past does not make you a lost cause because God forgives, and then God forgets your past. You have a past that has been forgotten by God. Why are you still choosing to live in it?

Today, as we wrap up the series, we’re going to look at a scene from the life of a guy named Thomas. And through that scene, God is going to show us something about our doubt.

For a lot of us, our doubt makes us feel like a lost cause. Today, we’re going to expose a dirty little secret. Christians have doubts about God. Nagging, dark, seemingly incurable doubts. And those doubts result in feelings of guilt.

“If I was a real Christian, I wouldn’t have these doubts. If my faith was strong, these doubts wouldn’t exist. But I can’t seem to shake these doubts. Does that mean that my faith isn’t even real? Do my doubts make me such a loser Christian that I might as well give up?”

You’ve had those feelings, haven’t you? Today, we’re going to hit this head on. God is going to challenge us. God is going to convict us. And then God is going to give us hope.

We’re going to start in John 20 today, right after we pray.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Doubting Thomas?” A lot of people use that phrase and they don’t even realize it comes from a story in the Bible. That’s the story that we’re going to explore today.

Let me set the scene for you. Jesus has been crucified. But now, there are people who claim that they have seen Him again. They claim that He has actually risen from the dead.

That’s where we’re going to pick up the story in John 20, starting in verse 24. “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24-28, NIV)

Jesus had been crucified. Thomas knew it. And that crucifixion was a devastating blow to Thomas and his faith. That’s where we unpack this truth about doubt.

Sometimes doubt is disappointment in disguise.

Disappointment can feel a lot like doubt. But this is what a lot of believers misunderstand a lot of the time. Your doubt is actually disappointment.

That’s where Thomas was. Thomas had followed Jesus for the last three years. He was one of the 12 disciples. He had heard the teaching. He had witnessed the miracles. He had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Savior. The Son of God.

But the cross turned all of that upside down. Crucifixion was a penalty reserved for the worst of the worst. In our culture, we can’t come close to understanding the stigma that was attached to crucifixion. To be crucified meant that you weren’t even viewed as fully human. So to see Jesus crucified was absolutely devastating to Thomas.

When we see Thomas doubting the resurrection, what we are really seeing is someone who was completely disappointed by Jesus.

Let’s go back and walk through this story again. Except this time, let’s rewind a little bit.

In John 20, starting in verse 19, the Bible says, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:19-20, NIV)

Jesus appeared to the disciples. He really had risen from the dead! This was amazing! This was awesome! But now, catch this in verse 24.

“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.” (John 20:24, NIV)

You ever feel like everyone is invited to the party except you?

I experienced that feeling not too long ago. It seemed like everyone I knew was talking about the website called Pinterest. So I checked it out. As turns it out, you’ve got to be invited by someone to use this thing. And no one had invited me. So I waited. And waited. And waited. No one invited me.

Finally, I caved in. I asked our Children’s Minister, Marie Young, if she would invite me. Can I tell you how pitiful it is when you’ve got to ask to be invited to something? But she did. I got my invitation. I joined Pinterest. And now I can officially say that I don’t understand why anybody would even want to be invited to use this thing!

We’ve all been on the outside looking in. We’ve all had times where we felt like we were the only one not invited to the party.

That is Thomas’ world at this point in our story. Jesus appeared to His disciples, but Thomas wasn’t there. Thomas didn’t get to see what they saw. He didn’t get to experience what they experienced.

Next verse. “So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25, NIV)

The other disciples are trying to convince him. “It’s true! Jesus really is alive! We’ve seen Him! It really happened!”

But Thomas is not buying it. He said, “Unless I see it…unless I see the nail marks and put my hand in His side…I’m not going to believe it.”

This is an absolute overstatement on Thomas’ part. This is the type of boast that a person would make only if he never expected to follow through on it.

But the overstatement also reveals the depth of Thomas’ wound. He was so hurt by the crucifixion…he was so disappointed by Jesus…that he made this exaggerated claim.

Next verse. “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:26, NIV)

This time Thomas is invited to the party. But did you notice that it took a week for it to happen.

Think about that. The disciples went to Thomas and said, “We’ve seen Jesus!”

He said, “No way. I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it.” He was drowning in doubt and disappointment.

Wouldn’t you think that Jesus would just immediately swoop in and save the day? Wouldn’t you think His appearance would have been immediate? He would just immediately show up and say, “Here I am, Thomas!”

That would have been awesome. That’s the way I would have scripted it. There would have been no better time for Jesus to appear than immediately.

But instead, Jesus waited an entire week to show up. Imagine what Thomas was going through during that week. Everyone believes, except him. Everyone has seen Jesus, except him. Everyone has experienced the resurrection, except him.

Hour after hour, day after day, Thomas has to listen to them. He sees their joy. He hears their hope. And he doesn’t get to be part of any of it for an entire week. Jesus left Thomas alone in his doubt for a long time.

Do you feel the same way? Maybe it’s been a long time. A lot longer than a week. Maybe months. Maybe years. You struggle and struggle and struggle with disappointment. That disappointment makes you doubt. You doubt God. You doubt His promises. You doubt His goodness. You doubt His love...because it feels like you never see any evidence of it. You beg God to show up. You beg Him to let you experience Him again. And it’s been a long time.

Jesus appeared to Thomas in His own time. And He will appear to you in His own time. That doesn’t feel comforting. That doesn’t feel reassuring. But the hard truth is that God’s timing is not our timing.

When you’re in a season of discouragement, disappointment, and doubt, you want God to swoop in immediately. But for some reason, He just isn’t doing it. And because of the constant discouragement and disappointment you feel, you’re about to just shut down.

Did you notice in this verse that the doors were locked when Jesus showed up? But locked doors proved to be no match for the resurrected Christ. He still showed up.

But the doors weren’t the only things that were locked. Thomas was locked up tight. He was disappointed. Disillusioned. Devastated. Whenever you experience this kind of hurt, the first thing you do is put up walls and lock the doors of your heart to be sure that you never get hurt like that again.

Some of you are locked up tight because of past wounds or present disappointments. You’ve been hurt. And you don’t want to be hurt again. So you lock the doors of your heart and your soul. But one thing I’ve learned about Jesus…locked doors are no match for Him.

I know, because I used to be a locked door. But you would never have known by looking at me. When I started Bible College, I had it going on…on the outside. On the outside, I was a suit-wearing, Bible-toting, churchgoing Christian. I won several teen preaching competitions, which earned me a scholarship to Bible College. When I got to Bible College, the school chose me as the subject for several articles in the Cincinnati Enquirer. The paper did two articles per year on me throughout my college career. The outside was about as picture perfect as you could imagine.

But it was all on the outside. In Matthew 23, Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27, NIV)

That was me. The outside looked good. Really good. Really really good. But it was all smoke and mirrors.

The truth is, I was a locked door. I was a legalist. I was a Pharisee. I made sure my outside image sparkled. But I didn’t know Jesus. I was a Christian. But I didn’t know Jesus.

And the church is full of people just like that. The church is full of people who are Christians. They look good. They put a fish on their car. They post Scripture on their Facebook wall. They never miss a Sunday at church. They are Christians. But they don’t know Jesus.

Here’s what I’ve come to realize…until you have been wrecked by Jesus, you don’t know Jesus.

“Jesus doesn’t want to wreck me.”

You couldn’t be more wrong. He absolutely wants to wreck you. He wants to turn your world upside down. He wants to destroy your confidence in anything this world has to offer. He wants you to learn what it means to rely on Him exclusively. He wants you to know what it means to love Him unconditionally.

Maybe that’s why He took a solid week before He appeared to Thomas. Because there was a work that had to be done in Thomas’ heart. Thomas had to be wrecked.

Thomas spent a week listening to the testimony of people who had seen Jesus. He spent a week hearing evidence that Jesus really was alive. He spent a week seeing the hope that his friends had…but he felt like an outsider. Someone who wasn’t invited to the party.

But the times where God goes silent are also the times when He does some of His most important work. But for most of us, we lock the door in those silent times. That’s because we know a lot about Jesus, but we don’t really know Jesus.

I’ve met a lot of Christians who could quote the Bible, book, chapter, and verse…but they really didn’t know Jesus. They knew a lot about Jesus. But they didn’t know Jesus.

That’s where we find Thomas. I told you that when I went to Bible College, I was a Christian but I didn’t really know Jesus. I knew a lot about Jesus, but I didn’t really know Jesus.

That’s where Thomas was. He has spent three years with Jesus. He knew as much about Jesus as anybody. But he still didn’t know Jesus.

If he knew Jesus, then he would have known this. Go all the way back to John 2, where the Bible says, “The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:19-22, NIV)

Thomas knew a lot about Jesus. But he didn’t know Jesus. If had known Jesus, he would have known that Jesus said this was coming. He had told them all along that he would die on a cross. But he also told them that he would rise again.

Thomas knew the die part. He knew Jesus was dead. But if had really known Jesus, he would know that Jesus brings life. New life.

That’s how you can be sure you know Jesus. He has brought you new life. But some of you are so locked up in your old ways…you’re locked in your doubt…you’re locked in your religion…you’re locked in your disappointment…you’re locked in your legalism…that you don’t know Jesus. You don’t have new life.

I’ve got a life-changing truth for you…Jesus is an incredible locksmith.

Locked doors are not a problem for Him. Go back and look at what happened in John 20 again.

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:26, NIV)

Jesus walked in, even though the doors were locked. And when Jesus came through the locked door, He offered peace.

That is something that was running in short supply for Thomas. He had experienced a lot of stuff in the last week, but peace wasn’t part of the package. He was mired in doubt and fear and hurt and anger. Peace was in really short supply.

And maybe I just described you and your life. Doubt? Yes. Disappointment? You bet. Fear? Absolutely. Discouragement? That doesn’t even begin to describe it. But peace? No. No peace.

Here’s what I believe is happening, though. Jesus is doing what only He can do. He’s walking through locked doors. All over this room, He is walking through locked doors. And He is going to bring exactly what He brought to the disciples. Life. And peace.

Let’s go to the next verse in our story. Here’s where we get to the good, good stuff. Starting in verse 27, “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28, NIV)

This is so cool. Jesus walked in and said, “Okay, Thomas. You got it. You said you wouldn’t believe unless you see my hands and touch my side. Here you go. Do it.”

And then Jesus simply says, “Stop doubting and believe.”

That’s the moment where Thomas stopped knowing about Jesus. It’s the moment when he finally came to know Jesus. We know that because Thomas made an incredible turn. He went from doubt and fear and anger and disappointment to this.

He looked at Jesus and said, “My Lord and My God!” It is the single strongest confession of who Jesus is in the entire New Testament. You can read the entire New Testament, and you won’t find a higher, more powerful, more complete confession of who Jesus is than this. And it came from the mouth of a disappointed doubter.

That’s because Jesus overcame a locked door. He brought life. He brought peace. And He told Thomas, “You know enough about Me. Now you need to actually know Me.”

And that’s what is happening here today. Jesus is walking through locked doors, and He is challenging us. He is walking in and saying, “Here I am. You said you have questions. You said you have doubts. You have been disappointed because I haven’t done what you think I should. You’ve been angry and bitter and disillusioned. But here I am. What are you going to do now?”

That’s the question. What are you going to do with Jesus? I know some of you have doubts. I know a lot of you are dealing with disappointment and hurt and loss and anger. I know a lot of you have locked the door.

But I also know that Jesus came right through that locked door today. And I know He’s challenging you. What are you going to do about it?

You’ve got questions. Are you going to go to one of our leaders so they can talk and pray with you? We won’t judge you or condemn you. You and your doubts are welcome here.

In the little book of Jude, the Bible says, “Be merciful to those who doubt.” (Jude 22, NIV)

That’s what we do here at ACC. We’re not going to judge you or condemn you because of your doubts. But we’re also not going to shy away from challenging your doubts. We’re going to challenge you to make a move today.

Are you dealing with disappointment? Okay…are you just going to stay there, or are you going to make a move today to allow the church to come alongside you to encourage and help you?

You’ve been in church for years. You’ve heard hundreds…thousands…of sermons. You know a lot about Jesus…but you don’t really know Jesus. Are you going to get up and do something about it?

Your door is locked…but today, Jesus came in anyway. He is here. He is challenging you. He is confronting you. What are you going to do about it?

In Colossians 4, the Apostle Paul wrote, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message [God is really good with locked doors], so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Colossians 4:3, NIV)

The mystery of Christ. Following Jesus is a mystery. There are times when it really feels like Jesus asks more questions than He answers.

The truth is that doubt is always going to be part of the equation. Disappointment and discouragement…it’s part of life for the Christ-follower. It just is.

I don’t pretend to know why certain things have happened in your life. I will never minimize your hurt, your pain, your disappointment. And I will never condemn you for your doubt.

But I will absolutely tell you that I’ll never let you stay there. I won’t let you stay there because Jesus won’t let you stay there.

I know you thought the door was locked, but He walked in anyway today. Now I’m challenging you to make a move toward Him.

Let us talk with you. Let us pray with you. You want to cry, cry. You want to vent, vent. That’s why we’re here.

But ultimately, we’re here to tell you that Jesus is also here. And He is calling you to get out of your seat. Take a step. Make a move. Today.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: disappointment, doubt, Jesus, John 20, Lost Causes, Thomas