Happy Easter everybody. Happy Easter. We’re so glad that you are here this Easter Sunday. Over the past few weeks around here at Champion Center. We’ve been telling everybody to take some cards and go and tell people to come and see. And you know, I I got to thinking that that’s what happened in the Bible. When Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, the women were told, “Go and tell, to come and see.” They were the very first them women. Uh so good. I just had to say that. that literally when we say come and see, we hope that you feel the hope that is in God today for this world because he has risen. Come and see. There is hope for the world. There is hope for your situation. And uh it’s been great to get ready and prepare for Easter, which I call it Christian Super Bowl works. And we’ve had some great volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without the children’s workers. They’ve been here since some of them 6:30 in the morning. Our praise team, our musicians, all locations. I’m telling you, the ushers, the parking lot team. Aren’t you all glad that the parking lot team was out there? Thank you. We have we actually have 10 services this weekend across our location. So you can see how there’s no way we can do what we do without a host of volunt hundreds of volunteers. So thank you to all of our volunteers. We’re grateful and we love you. Yes, you guys amazing. And you know what’s really cool, too, is out in our children’s area, they are learning the Easter story at their own level. And we really try to make it to where they want to come back to church and hopefully that they’ll even wake up mom and dad and say, “I want to get to church.” That’s what it’s all about. Because between the ages of 9 and 11 is generally when they and we have the opportunity to grab their heart and grab their spirit and grab their soul to be a Christ follower. So, we get everything we can to do it. And I think we have animals today. Are they live animals? No. H. Okay. Well, anyway, we’re going to do anything we can. We just hear these rumors done to our children. But we’re so glad that you’re here today. Happy Easter. We love you all so much. Amen. Thank you, She. Love you. Thank you.

Okay, grab your Bibles if you would at all of our locations. Deont, happy Easter. Belleview, happy Easter. Yakimal, that building is coming. I promise. We wanted it there today, but delays are common, I guess, in construction. So, it won’t be long. Now, if you’re visiting in Yakama, um we just encourage you come along for the process and we’re going to be in a brand new building real soon and we’re excited about that. And then welcome to everybody online from wherever you’re watching us today and then right here in Tacoma. Good to see everybody. Welcome to Champion Center Easter Sunday.

You know, we’re celebrating the greatest day in history today. No doubt about it. And I was thinking a while ago, I This is our 40th year. We’re celebrating our 40th year of pastoring here in the Northwest. So, I was I I at first I thought this is my 40th year to preach on Easter Sunday. And then I thought, no, wait a minute. It wasn’t until June, I think it was. So, it’s my 39th 39 years. And I want to I want to say thank you to our choirs like at all our locations. I love the choir. Bring back the choir. Bring back since it’s my 40th year. The team is asking what kind of things you want us to do this year to celebrate. One of them is bring back the choir. at least four times this year. Four times. Part of what I loved about the choir, honestly, was that there were people in the choir who for have been here as long or almost as long as I have been. And that was just cool to see him still up here worshiping God, loving the church. So, okay, back to grab your Bible, John chapter 20. And while we’re getting ready to look at it, say with me, “My heart’s open. My mind’s ready. Make me better, God. Make me better by your word. By your word. I receive it. I receive it. I believe it. I won’t be the same again. In Jesus name. Everybody shout a great big amen. Amen.

John 20 24 is where we begin. And it reads like this. It says, “Now Thomas, also known as Ditimus, one of the 12, was not with the disciples when Jesus showed up. See, this was postresurrection.” And this was right after resurrection. And they were there were 10 of them together, but Thomas wasn’t in the room. And and so after Jesus showed up, the other disciples went and told Thomas, “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, put my hand into his side, I will not believe. I will not believe.

Following the resurrection, there were there started to be what I’ll call Jesus sightings. And there were 13 of these incidents where Jesus showed up to groups. Two women at the tomb, two men as they walked on the road to Emmas, about 500 people at one time. When the disciples were in a boat, Jesus showed up. When they’re on top of a mountain, Jesus showed up. On the beach, there he was showed up. This incident that we’re going to take our text from today is where he appeared to 10 disciples. And later when they found Thomas, who was not in the room, they told him, “We have seen the Lord.” Those who study the Greek say that this was not a oneanddone statement, but was said repeatedly. Kind of like kids who want to go to the playground and they’re asking, “Can we go now? Can can we go now? Can Can we go now?” And you’re like, “Just a minute. Just a minute. Hang hang up. Can we go now? Can we go now?” It was kind of like that. Or or maybe for some of you, the the friend who has is excited that you’re in church with them today and they have been saying to you, “Come to church. Come to church. Come to church. Please come to church.” They text you, “Come to church.” They call you, “Come to church.” They see you at work. Come to church. Well, that’s what the the Greek says about this moment when the disciples were telling Thomas, “We have seen the Lord.” It wasn’t just once. It was like, “Thomas, we have seen the Lord. We have seen the Lord. We have seen the Lord. We’ve seen the Lord, Thomas. We’ve seen the Lord.” And Thomas response to the claims was, “I don’t believe it.” Either you guys are scheming or you’re dreaming this up. I’m not gullible. I’m not naive about this. I’ll only believe it if I see him and I touch him.

Today I want to talk to you on the topic of dealing with doubt. Dealing with doubt. Let me first of all give you the definition of doubt in the dictionary is to be uncertain. Doubt is to be uncertain about something or to consider it as questionable or unlikely. A hesitation to believe. That’s what doubt is.

Now, doubt is not the same as unbelief. Doubt is questioning what you believe. And unbelief is a refusal to believe. And I felt like an important thing to say to you on this Easter is that you can have doubt and still have faith. You can have anybody encouraged by that today? You can have doubt and still have faith. Say with me, I’m here. I’m here. I’m all here. I’m all here. I’m ready. I’m ready. Bring it on. Bring it on. Thank you for that encouragement.

The Greek word for doubt in the New Testament is dusto and it literally means to waver or to stand in two places. So you can have doubt and still have faith. Sometimes you’ll stand in two places. You’ll have doubt, but when you have doubt, it’s important to know that doubt doesn’t eliminate faith because you can be in that space like a man in the Bible who asked Jesus to heal his son and he was asked by Jesus, “Do you believe that I can do this?” And the man replied,”Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.” He was standing in two places. So faith is not the absence of doubt. Faith is how we push through doubt.

We all know what that feels like. But Thomas doubts went viral. I don’t think it’s fair. He got a bum wrap because now he wears that label. When our children arrive in our church kids classes, churches all over the nation and the world, they’re teaching them the names of the disciple. They get to Thomas. What do they say? Doubting. Doubting Thomas. He was given that label based on just one short season where he wrestled with doubt. And the reason I think it’s a bum wrap because doubting is something that every believer has experienced and will experience. But you see, the truth is is that Thomas had an incredibly strong faith. Yeah, Thomas had served Jesus faithfully. We don’t call him faithful Thomas. It’s just not fair. I mean, I wouldn’t like it if because I’ve had doubts, they people would call me doubting Kevin. I wouldn’t like it. My wife wouldn’t like it if these years of serving God and people knew we had doubts like doubts of were we really called to the Northwest. It rains here a lot. Are you sure, God? We’re not supposed to be in Honolulu or a sunny climate. Come on. You don’t know how many times I’ve wondered that whole thing. Like, I didn’t grow up here. I don’t have web feet. I am not. Uh-uh. It ain’t. It ain’t. But God brought me here. And sometimes I have to just remind myself like, God put me here. He put me here 40 years ago. I belong here. This is not a mistake. Amen.

Thomas had served Jesus faithfully. He walked alongside Jesus when it was risky. He was a bold follower of Jesus when it was dangerous. There was a time when Lazarus, Jesus’ friend, became ill and they brought the message to Jesus. And and Lazarus lived in an area where Jesus basically would be in danger for his life. He had been sent away from that area and they didn’t want him there. and to go back there to the neighborhood where Lazarus lived would be very risky. He might would die and all of that. And so Jesus just announced to the disciples said, “I’m going to go. My friend is sick and we’re going to go.” Well, Thomas was the one who looked at all the others and said, “Let us go. Let’s all go that we may die with him.” Doubting. I don’t think so.

Yeah. My point is that we all have doubts. And I want to help you today to not condemn yourself for having doubts. And I want to tell you today, God’s not bothered by your doubts. There’s going to be times in your life where you’re going to doubt God’s goodness. You’re going to say, “If you’re a good God, then why?” There’ll be times in your life when you’ll wonder why God hasn’t answered your prayer. times in your life when no one is giving you an adequate answer to your questions. You’re asking your Christian friends a question and they stammer and they stutter and they don’t know. Maybe you even ask a pastor your question and they don’t answer it. They’re not really sure. So, you’re frustrated and you have doubts.

Everybody has doubts. I want to say it’s okay. I want to say it’s okay. You You watch people and they walk away from God. They served God and then they failed God. And you wonder like what’s up with that? That’s why I don’t go to church. Church is full of hypocrites. And if that’s you, just remember that if a hypocrite is between you and God, they’re closer to God than you are. Just thought I’d throw that in for you today. So, there’s been times when you wonder like, why all the evil in the world? You get through reading the paper or you watching the news and why God, why do you allow evil to go on? Or maybe you have sinned more times than you can remember and now you doubt God’s grace. Could he really? Would he really? Forgive me again. And those are the times when you’re standing in two places. Standing in two places. And this is when it’s important that you know that the presence of doubt is not the absence of God. I said the presence of doubt is not the absence of God. I said the presence of doubt is not the absence of God. And I know today on this Easter that I’m talking to people who right now you’re standing in two places. You have faith, but you also have doubts. And I want to encourage you today, the rest of my time that I have here, that when you have doubts, keep walking in the direction of faith.

I I always hope for uh something about a message that is sticky because one of the most discouraging things that pastors face is that the statistics show that when we talk on a Sunday 24 hours later the people who really pay attention only remember about 2% of what we say. So, I try to do little stuff. Ask you to try. Will you write it down? Will And today I’m going to give you 2 Corinthians 5 and 7. And here’s what it says. It says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We say that with me. We walk by faith, not by sight. One more time. We walk by faith, not by sight. See, some people have so much doubt that it’s having a negative effect on their life. Some people have so much doubt that they’ve become attached to their doubts. Like I’ve already I’ve already assured you God is not bothered by intimidated by your doubt. But I’m thinking about you right now. What is it costing you to walk in doubt? How’s it affecting your life? And these same people, if you’re not careful, you start defending your doubts. Which then weakens faith and puts doubt in the driver’s seat of your life. You talk about your doubts way more often than you talk about your faith. Yeah. And then doubt grows and it increases. And you talk about the people who let you down. You talk about why you have a hard time serving God and why if God is real and why if God is good, then why doesn’t this happen? And what I’m saying to you today is that you have a choice to make. And my hope is that you won’t walk in the direction of your doubt. That you won’t spend all your time talking about your doubt. but that you will walk in the direction of faith. Because we walk by, if you’re a believer, come on, we walk by faith, not by sight. Come on, let’s give the Lord a good hand right now, can we?

So, what I want to do is I want to give you four common kinds of doubt in the next few minutes. Four common kinds of doubt. The first one is what we call experiential doubts. And this is when experiences have caused disappointment. So it’s the the disappointed doubter. Yes. God failed to meet your expectations. So you’ve drifted and living in doubt. Most of you know the name John the Baptist. called the forerunner of Jesus. He came proclaiming the one who is coming. He is greater than I am. And he was pointing toward Jesus. Well, he got in trouble for his preaching and they put him in prison. But not just prison. It was a dungeon that was like a hole that he lived in, which would have been miserable for him. He was an outdoors man. He lived out in nature. Almost probably nothing that could be harder. But history says that he could have even been there 10 months or a year. And then this happened. He sent some of his followers to go to Jesus. I don’t know what brought this on. I don’t know if it was the dungeon of despair. I don’t know. Perhaps it was because Jesus never visited him while he was in prison. I he might have been offended at him, but he literally sent a question to Jesus saying, “Are you the one or do we look for another?” That that time of doubt like his expectations had not been met. the Messiah was coming to be to be a king of Israel to and he preached that he thought Jesus was that one. Now for you it could be the death of a relative, a prayer that has gone unanswered. It could be an experience at church caused you to doubt everything you’ve heard about God. And what I want to tell you today is that God never promised that we wouldn’t have hard times in life. If you’re wrestling with experiential doubt, I I’ve prayed for you this week because Jesus said this. He said, “In this world, you’re going to have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world. I have overcome the world.” Say it with me again if you would. We walk by faith by faith, not by sight.

So there’s experiential doubts and then secondly, there’s intellectual doubts. This is the person who says my believing would require information that I don’t have. Like where’s the evidence of God? Where’s the evidence for creation? Where’s the evidence of a resurrection? How how can a loving God allow so much stuff to happen, bad stuff in the world? How can a virgin have a baby? How can a man survive in the belly of a whale? There was a little girl who was talking to her teacher about whales. And at one point in the discussion, the teacher said that it was that it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human. And the little girl asked, “What about Jonah?” And the teacher repeated that it’s physically impossible because a whale’s throat is too small to swallow a person. But the whale swallowed Jonah. The little girl said teacher got irritated and said that’s not possible. And the little girl said, “Well, when I get to heaven, I’ll ask Jonah.” And the teacher asked, “Well, what if Jonah went to hell?” And the little girl replied, “Then you ask him.”

I like that girl. Don’t you? So today there’s a lot of things that we don’t intellectually like I can’t explain personally I can’t explain sound waves and pictures that travel through space from point A to point B but I see that it does and I just go ahead and use my computer. I don’t let it bother me that I don’t understand it all. That’s good. Yes. And and in the same way, you know, believers who can’t explain everything about God, they know and they see the evidence of God’s work all around us and the evidence of God’s work in our life. If you take time for those of you who might fall into this category of intellectual doubts, can I challenge you today to take time to look because you will find the research of many intellectual elites who have studied the Bible and have found it to be historically accurate, geographically reliable. You will find the names of those who from Cambridge and Princeton and all the other who set out to disprove and discredit scripture and in the process became believers. There there are extensive studies that validate the life and the burial, the life, the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. the evidence of an empty tomb along with the eyewitness testimonies which was in the hundreds. How do you sync all that up and nobody breaks the story or says no that didn’t happen? No, I didn’t see him. And then today all of the lives that have been transformed by his life and his love. So, I can’t explain how electricity works. I can’t tell you how like I go and turn a light switch on and boom, a light goes on. I I I don’t know. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t. So, when you’re asking questions and you’re in intellectual doubt, I just want to encourage you. Don’t base your conclusion on the fact that we don’t all know and your friend doesn’t know and there’s things that are unknown in the process. Go ahead and treat it like the guy who would say, “I’m not sure how it works. I just know that it does.” Amen.

Okay. Got to hurry here. The third one is what we call faulty belief doubts. This is the uninformed or misinformed doubter. And I I want to say like this is for the people who like you grew up thinking certain things because you grew up in a worldview, a secular worldview about the world. And then there’s some of you who grew up in a church and you had certain things that were taught to you in church. You heard in church it now causes you doubt. It caused you doubt then. Well, just remember churches are made up of imperfect people and not they’re not always right about everything. We’re not always right about everything. So maybe you’ve just assumed in your mind that you know you know what God is like and you haven’t really take taken the time to know him and his truth versus your own ideas and opinions. There’s been conversations you’ve had with friends who have led you to believe that some lies were true. Yeah. You you might have assumed that believers in churches were more perfect than they actually are. Maybe you had a simplistic approach to faith and then when real life hit you, you were like a tree with no root system and you got uprooted in a storm. There’s some of you that need to walk away here today knowing that the best thing you can do is to deconstruct your system of belief because faulty beliefs have to be done away with before truth can actually come. Yeah. Yeah. And let let me explain it like that. Like as a pastor, let’s go back to the electricity example. I don’t like go to an electrician and say, “Hey, um, you know, blah blah blah about the electricity in my house, you know, this and that.” And I don’t talk to them as if they’re unintelligent. I talk to them as if they’re the electrician. Yeah. cuz I don’t know nothing about electricity. And my point is that I encounter a lot of people who want to like tell me stuff about the Bible and they don’t have a clue. They want to tell me about God and they don’t know. All they have is an opinion passed down to them from somebody, a biased belief that they inherited somewhere. They don’t know. Pray for me that I have patience in those moments. I actually tell some of them. I give them the example I just gave you. Like, hey, what do you do for a profession? Oh, I’m a plumber. Well, you know what? I don’t come along and try to tell you things about plumbing. I’ve never studied plumbing. I don’t really know plumbing. I don’t really have an idea. How about you stop right there and give us a chance to actually explain things to you that you don’t know rather than having a faulty belief system. Amen. Okay, everybody with me? Everybody say, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

And the fourth one is simply society doubts. Societal doubts. And this is when a secular worldview causes a doubt. So famous people, rock stars, scientists, athletes, they don’t say anything about God or when they say nothing about God, you know, it’s not positive. And the mere fact that these influencers of society don’t believe causes some people actually to doubt and and to question their own faith. It’s crazy, but that’s true. Like, and we got we just got to remember that society doesn’t have a biblical worldview. And just because someone is popular or even famous doesn’t mean they’re worth a follow on social media. Some of y’all are like, “Okay, I know you like them, but just because you like how someone sings doesn’t mean they’re worth listening to when they talk. I’m just saying. I’m just saying.

Okay, two more things really quick here. Doubt is an opportunity to deepen your faith. Verse 26 of that same story with Thomas says this. A week later, Jesus’ disciples were in the house again. And this time, Thomas was with them. Thomas was with them. I want I want you to think about this. He was the doubter, but he kept showing up. Come on. after he expressed his doubts, which mean he didn’t abandon his faith. That’s great. He didn’t stop meeting, talking, and praying with his Christian friends. When he was dealing with doubt, and I can imagine how the others were praying with him and for him and encouraging him. You know what Thomas was doing? He didn’t have the answers, but he was walking by faith, not by sight. And that’s how he had his own encounter with Jesus that solidified his faith once and for all. And here’s what happened through though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” And then he looks at Thomas and he says to Thomas, “Put your finger here. See my hands where the nails pierced? Reach out your hand. Put it into my side.” And then he said those words, “Stop doubting and believe.” And Thomas said, “My Lord and my God. Yes, that decision that Thomas made to walk by faith when he had doubts was rewarded. Jesus showed up for him with the help of Jesus. Thomas experienced an incredible victory over his doubt. His faith was rewarded and he went on to be a faithful follower of Jesus who had tremendous influence in building the early church. He planted churches. He led faithfully. He joyfully gave his life for the sake of the gospel. Yeah, I’m talking about the same guy.

So to everyone here today you using the story of Thomas can I just tell you God is not distant when you have doubts. Welcome to church when you have doubts. Don’t quit coming when you have doubts. Don’t stop praying when you have doubts. Come on. Can I talk to you and encourage you a little bit today? Don’t give up when you have doubts. Don’t throw in the towel when you have doubts. Amen. And just know that when you have doubts, he’s ready to come close to you. That’s right. And if you’re here today and you need to be restored, come close to him. Bible says that when we draw nigh to God or near to God, God draws near to us. So to every person who would say even today like pastor I am standing in two places. I want to say to you the issue is not that you have doubts. The real issue is what you do with your doubts. What you do with your doubts. See, if you walk in the direction of doubt, you’re heading into spiritual darkness. But when you walk by faith, in the direction of faith, when you when you continue to pray and show up in church and get baptized, some of you are on the verge of getting baptized. Next weekend is your week. Take the next step. Well, I don’t understand everything. I don’t know. You don’t have to like just We got We got towels. We’ll help you download the Bible app. You’re just trying to get me on Easter Sunday. You’re just trying to get me to come back to church. I sure am. That’s what I’m doing.

I’m saying to every mom and dad, don’t just send your kids. Bring your kids. I’m telling you that the legacy that you have will be much greater if your kids are in church. every single Sunday. Like, come on. That’s what I’m saying. Millions of people have found a greater faith in a season of doubt. Because they kept walking in the direction of faith. You know, I’m thinking right now about the psalmist who said this. He said Psalm 23, I walk through the valley. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you’re with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemy. Okay. So, what do you do when you’re in a valley? You keep walking. That’s right. You walk through the valley. What do you do when you don’t feel God? When you don’t know that he’s near. You keep walking. You keep going. You don’t build a house there and start living there. You don’t. You keep walking and you walk through it rather than settle in it. And so I want to help those of you today who are in the valley not of death but the valley of doubt. Those of you who want to walk away from doubt and walk in the direction of faith. I’m just going to ask you right now if you would start to put your hands up in the room. Just start to raise a hand. Say you got me today. I I I’ve had doubts. I the Holy Spirit like something. Yep. I’ve been in this doubt. I’ve been in that doubt. I Good. Hands are going up. God bless you guys. Hands are going up all over this room. And I know in the other rooms today as well. And I want to pray with you. If you would just keep your hand up. Okay, I’m going to go one more. I just got to do this Easter Sunday. Those of you with your hand up, dare to be bold for a minute and just stand to your feet. I’m doing this for a reason, and you’ll see why in just a moment. Just if you would, hands in the air, stand. I want to pray over you. God bless you as you stand. Come on. We’re giving you just a moment to stand. Why you make me do this? Well, if Jesus said, “If you’re not ashamed of me before men, I won’t be ashamed of you before the Father.” There’s a simple little principle here. And so now, people around you will stretch their hands toward you right now as well. And father, I thank you for every person today who is confessing doubt is in their life in this moment in some way, shape, or form and it’s hindering their relationship with you. And so I pray for them today as they take their first step in the right direction toward faith. I thank you for that they’re here today. I thank you for your word. It never returns void. And I thank you that you are working, that you’re showing up just like you did for Thomas. You’re showing up for them in this season to restore their confidence, to build greater faith from this day forward. I thank you for it. And along with everybody who is standing to their feet, I’m going to ask others. You want a new beginning in your life and relationship with God. Would you also just join us by standing to your feet at every location? I want to lead you in a prayer today. I want to lead you in a prayer. Say with me right now, say, “Lord Jesus, welcome to my world. Forgive me of all my sin. Come into my life. Make me a new person. I receive you today. I receive you today. As the leader as the leader and the Lord of my life and I’ll never be the same again. I walk by faith. I walk by. Say it again. I walk by faith. I walk and not by sight. Not by sight. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. God bless you to every person today making a decision to move forward in your life. Come on, let’s give the Lord a great big hand today. You can be seated. Thank you for staying right where you are. Roger and I are going to close out service here in the next two moments. We want to