Nobody Calls Him Courageous Thomas

[00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:06] Welcome to Friday's edition of the Weekday Podcast. It's been great to be with you all week long. And hey, if you're in the northeast Atlanta area, if you're in Gwinnett county, make your way to Sugar Hill. This weekend we gather at 8:30, at 10 and 11:30 on Sundays, and we'd love to see you in person if at all possible. [00:00:23] Well, this week we've been thinking about peace, and there's one person in the story that sticks out, and his name's Thomas. Poor Thomas. God. This man gets one bad week and 2,000 years later, we're still calling him by the nickname Doubting Thomas. Now, can you imagine being remembered forever for your worst Tuesday? [00:00:42] And here's what's not fair. Thomas wasn't always the doubter. Back in John 11, when Jesus decided to go back to the place where people had tried to stone him, everybody else thought it was a terrible idea. And it was Thomas who said, let us also go so that we may die with him. Thomas was the brave one, but nobody calls him Courageous Thomas. [00:01:04] On that first Easter night, when Jesus walked into the locked room where the disciples were hiding, John tells us, Thomas wasn't there. We don't know why. Maybe he was grieving alone. Maybe he just couldn't be around the guys right Then when the others told him, we have seen the Lord, he drew a hard line. Unless I see the nail marks, unless I put my hand in his side, I won't believe. [00:01:26] Now that's specific. That's a man who's been hurt. And in John 20, 26 and 27, it says, after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, reach here with your finger and see my hands and reach your hand and put it into my side and do not be unbelieving. But believing. [00:01:54] Jesus offers Thomas almost word for word. What Thomas asked for, he didn't shame the doubt, he answered. And Thomas says, my Lord and my God. It is the biggest statement about who Jesus is in the entire Gospel of John. And it came from a doubter, not in spite of the doubt, but through it. [00:02:12] Thomas missed the first appearance because he wasn't there, but he did not miss the second one because he came back. And so here's the line I want you to sit with today. Don't leave the room before he shows up. [00:02:24] Stay connected Church a small group, one honest friend. Jesus gives his peace to people in the room together. So bring your doubt with you. You don't have to leave your question in the car. And if you've drifted, come back. Pastor Chuck says when you lose your peace, and you will, don't stay gone long. And if the room is where you got hurt, man, I'm sorry. Church hurt is real. But Jesus is still showing up in rooms full of imperfect people. There might be one out there that's safer than the last one. [00:02:57] I don't know if you noticed this, but three times in one chapter, Jesus says the exact same words. He says, peace be with you. Peace that finds us behind our locked doors. Peace that sends us while we're still scared. Peace that comes back for us even when we've missed it the first time. So here's your step, name your lock and say Jesus, come in. [00:03:18] Then start a plan. [00:03:21] Read through. When peace leads. [00:03:25] So here's your step, name your lock and say Jesus come in. Jump into the book. When peace leads, jump into the 21 day plan and ask Jesus to do something inside of you that only he can do. And then this Sunday, come be in the room with us. We'd love for you to be there. Don't leave the room before he shows up. And this weekend is going to be incredible because there's a question a lot of us carry. If I have peace with God, why don't I feel peaceful, man? I hope you'll join us as we wrestle with that question together. Have a great day.