Church Sermon - April 3, 2005

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Epistle Lesson; 1 Peter 1:3-9
Historical Lesson; Acts 2:14-32
Sermon Text; John 20:19-31

Which of these two descriptions best describes your faith? Is your faith like a lighthouse that stands amongst the waves that billow and curl around, and yet your faith stands firm, strong, immovable, and is a beacon that shines for the whole world to see? Does that best describe your faith?

Or, is your faith best described as a wave of the sea that is blown here and there, a faith that trembles, is troubled, and has doubts?

Which of those two best describes your faith? Faith can either be strong, immovable, and can stand firm and confident in the Word of God, like that lighthouse that shines as a beacon for all to see. Or, faith can be filled with doubts.

The book of Jude describes those who have doubts in their faith (particularly, it is talking about prayer). It says when we pray we should not doubt that God would answer our prayers. Here is what it says about those who doubt, "When you pray, you should believe and not doubt. He who doubts is like the wave of the ocean, tossed by the sea. That man should not expect that he would receive anything from God, because he is double minded and unstable in all he does."

There, scripture describes doubt as being unstable, as being double minded. Maybe we can best get a picture of what it means to be double minded, when we look at Peter. You remember when Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and said to Jesus, "Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water."

And, Jesus did! He said, "Come."

There was that command of the Word. Peter started to walk on the water, because He believed Jesus’ command and promise. But then, Peter began to look at the wind and the waves. And, as soon as he began to look at the wind and the waves, he doubted and became filled with fear, concerns, and worries, and then sank into the waters.

He shouted out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!"

Jesus grabbed his hand and pulled him back up out of the water and said, "Peter, why did you doubt?"

The Greek word that Jesus uses there is, "Peter, why did you look in two different directions? Why did you look at my Word, my promise, and then look in the other direction, at the wind and the waves and begin to doubt that I could keep my promise because of what you saw with your eyes?"

Doubt is double minded. It looks in two different directions. It weighs the promises of God against the experiences we have. Doubt can bring great distress into our lives. Doubt brought great distress into Peter’s life, as he began to sink in the water. He was filled with worries, fears, and concerns.

Doubt can really unsettle us. I will give you an example in my own life. Last year, about this exact same time, I was having real problems sleeping at nighttime. The reason I was having problems sleeping was because in about one month I was going to be doing a major house-remodeling project. I would lie in bed and wonder to myself, "What if when I take down that wall, the roof collapses?" Then, I would wonder, "What if I didn’t order enough material and so I can’t get the project done in the amount of time I want to and then I don’t have time to finish it." I would worry about that, and then I would wonder, "What if it grows into a bigger project than I thought it was and we don’t have enough money to take care of it?" I would lie in bed and worry about those things.

And then, all of a sudden, I would catch myself and say, "Wait a second! Wait a second! I am doubting God. God has made a promise to me. The promise is that all things, all things work together for good to those who love God."

Then I would realize, "If I take out that wall and the roof collapses, God promises it is going to work out for my good. I don’t have anything to worry about. If I didn’t order enough material, and it takes longer than I thought, God made a promise and it is going to work out for my good. I don’t have anything to worry about. And, if it costs more money than I thought, God made a promise that it is going to work out for my good and I don’t have anything to worry about."

So, I would repent of my sins of doubt, trust in God’s promise, and then I could sleep, once I relied on the promise of God.

But, you see how doubt can cause so much anxiety in our hearts? That must have been what was going on in Thomas’ heart. Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, had heard from his friends that Jesus had risen from the dead. But, the Bible tells us that Thomas doubted. That must have caused great anxiety in Thomas’ heart. On the one hand, unstable as a wave tossed by the sea, he must have thought, "Well, maybe it is true. Maybe Jesus did rise from the dead. Maybe He is the Savior of the world."

But, on the other hand, he must have been saying, "It has all been a terrible mistake. Maybe Jesus is still dead. Maybe I followed Him mistakenly. Maybe He is not the Savior of the world."

He must have been torn apart on the inside, wondering which of those two to believe. He must have been torn apart as he thought to himself, "Should I spend time with the other disciples, who believe Jesus rose from the dead? They are risking their own lives, by meeting together, still believing in Jesus. Should I do that? Or, am I fool if I associate with the other disciples? Would it be better for me, since I am not sure whether Jesus rose from dead, to stay away from the other disciples, and keep myself safe?"

On the inside, he must have been torn apart by his doubts as to whether Jesus’ resurrection was true or not. Scripture tells us,

"Show mercy to those who doubt."

Show mercy to those who doubt, and are torn apart on the inside. They are torn apart. They are unstable. They are looking in two different directions. They are filled with worries and concerns. So, in God’s love for those who are going through that deep anxiety on the inside, scripture says, "Show mercy to those who doubt."

That is exactly what Jesus did to Thomas. Jesus did not look at Thomas and say, "Well Thomas, you doubt my resurrection from the dead, so I want nothing to do with you."

NO. Jesus showed great mercy to Thomas. Our Savior wanted to take away Thomas’ anxiety, his fears, and his worries. And so, eight days after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared again (this time Thomas was with the disciples). He said to them, "Peace be with you."

That peace, that confidence, like a lighthouse that stands firm and unshakeable, that is the peace Jesus is talking about.

When Jesus said to His disciples, "Peace be with you," Thomas was someone who didn’t have that peace. Thomas had all of those anxieties in his heart. In mercy, Jesus spoke to Thomas. (Even though Thomas had never told Jesus, "I won’t believe unless I put my fingers into your wounds and put my hand into the spear wound in your side") Jesus, all-knowingly, turned to Thomas and said, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Now, whether or not Thomas actually reached out and put his finger into Jesus’ wound in His hand, and put his hand into the wound in Jesus’ side, we don’t know. But what we do know is that Thomas’ doubts disappeared. There, through the Word of Jesus, Thomas was convinced. Thomas understood that Jesus knows all things. Jesus knew that Thomas had been filled with doubts. Jesus knew that Thomas wanted to put his finger into Jesus’ wounds. And so, Jesus all-knowingly says, "Thomas, go ahead and do it."

And with that word, Thomas became a believer in Jesus as his Savior. He said to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!"

That is one of the greatest confessions of faith, made by the disciples in the New Testament. There, Thomas was saying, "I believe. My doubts are gone. I believe, Jesus, that you are not just man, but you are God. You are my Savior. You forgive my sins."

Jesus had mercy on Thomas and took away his doubts. Scripture says to you and me the same thing, "Show mercy to those who doubt." Do you know someone who is filled with doubts? Do you know someone who is troubled by guilt and wonders whether Jesus really forgives his or her sins or not? Those people are like a wave, a wave tossed by the sea, filled with anxiety. Do you know someone who wonders, "Does God really hear and answer my prayers, or does He not hear me?" They are filled with anxiety. Do you know someone who really wonders, "Is God going to work out everything for my good, or is this all going to end in disaster for me?" They are filled with anxiety.

Maybe you are one who doubts.

Scripture says, "Show mercy to those who doubt."

What did the disciples do, to show mercy to Thomas? The disciples, instead of forsaking Thomas, must have kept on inviting Thomas. "Thomas, come and be with us. Be with us." He was with them, eight days after Jesus rose from the dead.

And so, when we know someone who doubts, let’s show mercy to him or her. Let’s invite them to be with us. "Come into our presence. Here, in God’s House, Jesus says,

‘Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them.’"

Jesus will be here. Jesus will present Himself to them. And, through His Word, He will take away doubts, worries, and fears.

Jesus says,

"Blessed are those who have not seen,

and yet have believed."

There is something far more powerful than seeing with our eyes, and that is the Word of God. Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit works to take away our doubts, to help us overcome our fears, worries and concerns. Here in the House of God, as the Word of Jesus is spoken, there is Jesus. And when Jesus says to those who doubt and worry,

"Come unto me.

Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest."

There is that invitation. If you have doubts, if you wonder, if you have anxiety in your hearts, and you are burdened by that anxiety, Jesus says,

Through His Word He assures us, "I died for you. My death on the cross was full and complete payment for all of your sins. You are forgiven. You don’t have doubt, wonder, or worry. I promise that your sins are forgiven."

When we come to the Lord’s Supper, there Jesus takes away our doubts. There, He assures us personally and individually, "This is my body and blood given for you for the forgiveness of your sins."

There, His promise pours forth. The Holy Spirit works through that, to remove our doubts as to whether our sins are forgiven. Jesus says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."

And so, through the Word and the Word alone, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to remove our doubts and to give us confidence in Jesus, our Savior.

After Jesus told His disciples, "Peace be with you," then He said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

He told them to go out and witness their faith. That was their job. That was their responsibility, their privilege.

It is awfully hard to be a witness for Jesus, if you are wave tossed by the sea. It is awfully hard to be a witness for Jesus, if you have all kinds of doubts.

But, when those doubts are removed and we stand confident like that lighthouse, firm and immovable in the promises of God, then like a lighthouse which shines as a beacon to the world, we are going to share our faith!

That is what happened to Thomas. Tradition tells us that Thomas went to India and became a great missionary to the people of India. There are still churches today in India that claim to have been descended from Thomas’ ministry to them. Tradition also tells us that Thomas was martyred, put to death for his faith in Christ, in India. Thomas became firm and immovable, a beacon to those around him.

As we are built up in our faith in Jesus as our Savior and become confident of the promises of God through His Word, then we, too, have that peace of God.

And then, we become beacons to the world, as we witness our faith to them. God grant that to all of us, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

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