I was young and in Ministry and I had just been a part of the
launch of the crossing Macomb up in Macomb, Illinois.
And I was in that season where all the people from the church
would invite the new Young Pastor over to the house and
then they would invite all their friends who didn't know Jesus
over for, like the sneak attack. And I think their Hope was that
they would you know, send me in is like SEAL Team Six and then I
would engage in a conversation and they'd go.
Oh, It's time for me to get baptized, you know that it was
just be this. And one particular night I was
on the back porch of a family's house who was new to the church
and actually kind of new to Faith and they had invited one
of their friends over and he was a Western Illinois, University
professor and he was in his late 40s and I was in my early
twenties and he found out that I was a pastor and he looked at me
like fresh meat. And there's that internal Battle
of like, do we fight? Like, is that what we're going
to do because we could ruin the meal for everybody.
And this is the tone. That the conversation started.
He goes to Europe, pastor. Yeah.
So, you believe in Jesus? Yeah.
So you believe in the Bible? Yeah.
So, you believe in Genesis? Yeah. so, you're telling me that
you believe in a talking snake, your crazy.
You mean to tell me that you actually think that a snake
Talked to a person. Like well I mean it wasn't just
snakes. I mean a donkey did it too.
I mean. So I want to welcome all of you
to all of our different locations.
Those of you watching online, and those of you who are a part
of the crossing inside, and I want to wish a very special,
shout out to all the mothers. All the foster moms, all the
grandma, if you're not clapping, you ain't saved.
We love you moms and we are so thankful for all that you do
that is both seen and unseen on our behalf, may you be honored
and celebrated this weekend by those who love you and are here
because of you. And I also know that there are
some of you who are on the other side of that coin.
You have lost your kids. You can't have kids and I want
you to know that as a church. We are in your corner.
We love you. We see you.
And more importantly than that God sees you and God loves you.
And I know that this weekend could be filled with all kinds
of mixed emotions. And so, can I just give you a
verse for you to cling to as you're going through the
weekend? Psalm 34 Verse 18.
The Lord is close to the broken hearted.
And he saves those who are crushed in spirit Crossing
family. Can we give a big round of
applause to that group of women just to let him know?
We love you? We see you.
And you are not alone. We are in a sermon series called
unexpected and we're looking at the unexpected things that
happened when people encounter Jesus. and I got to be honest
with you, sometimes having faith in Jesus makes you a little
crazy. So people who don't have a
relationship with Jesus, And we've been looking at these
unexpected things, that happens when Jesus steps into the
equation. And we've learned this
unexpected truth, that the currency Of Heaven.
Is faith. Jesus died on a Friday.
On Sunday, he rose from the grave and that day, he appeared
to a bunch of different people. But not to everybody who was
close to him. There was one guy who got left
out. And his name was Thomas.
We find his story at the very end of John chapter 20, this
what it says. Now Tomas also known as didymus
One of the 12 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.
Now Thomas. Gets a bad rap.
And shame on all of us. For calling him doubting Thomas.
Sure, he doubted. Thomas was not some person who
had this unique experience. Everybody was doubting that
Jesus was actually alive, and Thomas is not some weak
marginalized timid, follower of Jesus.
In fact, when he shows up in scripture, he does some pretty
cool things in critical spaces. Let me tell you a little bit
more about Thomas, as it's revealed in the Gospel of John.
Many of you you've heard the story of Lazarus when Jesus
shows up, he shows up late Lazarus is dead.
He's like our I don't worry he's going to come back alive.
His sister's like listen, don't bring him back now because he's
stinks. Bad classic sister?
And Jesus is like nope, he's coming out and Jesus didn't go
there right away and there was a reason why this happened because
the disciples were worried about Jesus, going to the place where
Lazarus was look what it says in John chapter 11 verse 7 through.
He said to his disciples, this is Jesus talking, let us go back
to Judea. This is near the region where
Lazarus was but Rabbi they're talking to Jesus.
Now they said this is the disciples a short while ago the
Jews there tried to Stone you and yet you are going to go
back. So Jesus like, Hey, we're gonna
go back, I'm gonna bring Lazarus, you know, back from the
dead and they're like, listen. If you go back there, they'll
kill you, which is kind of interesting.
Jesus is going to go. Bring a guy who's dead back to
life and they're worried about them Killing Jesus, which
obviously, he has the power to anyhow.
But you're with me. Now, in the midst of all of this
uncertainty, that the disciples have about him going back and
dying. Look what Thomas says.
Thomas or John chapter 11 verse 16 then Thomas known as did he
missed said to the rest of the disciples, let us go also.
That we may die with him. Did he get labeled courageous
Thomas? Know.
This is what he says, Jesus if you're going, and they're going
to throw rocks, those rocks are going to hit me, too.
Come on, fellas. We're dying with Jesus.
But you know what, you want to see Jesus alive and you want to
put your hands where the nails were and all of a sudden, you
get labeled doubting Thomas later on, Jesus is getting ready
to prepare for his departure and he's trying to comfort.
His disciples about his leaving their presence and Thomas shows
up again in this story, John Chapter 14 verse 1 through 7.
Here's Jesus talking. Do not let your hearts be
troubled. You believe in God believe.
Also in me my father's house has many rooms if it were not.
So I would have told you or what I have told you that I'm going
there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and
take you to be with me that you also may be where I am, you
know, the way to the place where I am going.
Thomas like no, we don't. We don't know where you're
going. Look, what Thomas says.
Oh Lord, we don't know where you're going.
So how can we know the way it's a good thing?
He asked this question. Because then we get an
incredible description of life with Jesus Christ because then
Jesus answered, I am the way the truth and the life and no one
comes to the father except through me we get the exclusive
claim of Jesus saying the only way to the Father in Heaven is
through me. Good thing Thomas asked the
question so we can get some clarity about by which we find
ourselves on the right side of our sin problem and in the
presence of God. But do we get Theologian, Thomas
know. We get doubting Thomas.
Thomas is just a really good guy with some questions.
He demanded just a little bit more.
Proof. A little bit more data before he
believed. But so did every buddy else,
Perhaps they didn't have as much proof as Thomas did, and they
believed earlier, but his error as the same, their areas, the
same as everybody else is there. They needed to see it to believe
it. Nobody believed that Jesus was
alive until they saw it. You want to know why?
Because, as much as Jesus talked about it, nobody understood it.
Nobody thought that Jesus was going to come back from the
dead. You want to know why?
Because people don't do that as one Pastor said on Easter week
on Easter Sunday, nobody Expected.
Nobody There was nobody in Jerusalem going, he's walking
around here somewhere. Nobody expected, no.
Body. Thomas goes, until I put my
hands in his hands. Tell him I put my hand and his
side and tell I see the wombs. I will not believe.
So guess what Jesus Does? He shows up John chapter 26.
A week later. So this is on Sunday the day.
Jesus rose from the dead, he appears to everybody else but
not to Thomas. Next Sunday night when they're
at the family meal, I guess his disciples were in the house
again and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked.
Jesus came. And stood among them.
So you're in the room locked because you're scared.
All in Jesus, somehow passes through the wall.
Which would freak everybody out and his opening line piece.
Be with you. This is the new normal.
Okay, let's keep going. Then he said to Thomas.
Oh, can you imagine being Thomas?
Come here, Thomas. Put your finger here.
See my hands. Reach out your hand and put it
in my side. Stop.
Doubting. And believe.
Thomas said to him, my Lord. And my God.
If you're like me. You might be thinking right now,
must be nice. Thomas wanted to see, and touch
Jesus. So his faith could be
strengthened. I sure could use a little bit of
that. How could how come Thomas gets
it? How come he gets to touch?
Jesus. See Jesus with his own eyes.
And here I am having to do what I got to do.
Just believe. It's a whole lot easier.
To stop doubting and believe when you get to touch the real
Jesus. But Jesus is not done talking to
Thomas. And he's not done talking to
you. Look at the very next.
Verse John chapter 20 verse 29. Then Jesus told him. because you
have seen me, you have believed Blessed.
Are those who have not seen and yet have believed how many of
you at all of our locations have not seen Jesus's resurrected
body with your own eyes? And yet, you still believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God, Jesus calls you
Blessed. Why?
Why am I blessed? Even though I don't see Hebrews
chapter 11. Verse 1 gives us some insight.
Interesting, use of the word about this.
Now Faith. Is confidence in what we hope
for and Assurance about what we do not see.
Paul is describing what faith looks like, what belief looks
like and it lines up with what Jesus says.
Blessed are those who believe, even though they don't See, and
when you have the kind of faith that is allowed to believe, even
though you don't see, we are blessed because guess what?
God loves, God loves faith. How many of you have ever wanted
to? Please God.
You want to make God smile? You're going to like this sermon
Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6. And with out faith, it is
impossible. To, please God. because anyone
who comes to him, must believe that he exists, and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him, Faith is believing even
though I don't see and when I believe even though I don't see
it pleases. God Thomas did not have the same
opportunity to please God, that you and I do, because we believe
even though we have not seen, we are blessed Thomas believed
because he had seen which requires way less faith. than
for those of us to believe even though we don't see and this is
led many people to believe that faith in Jesus is a blind faith.
But I want to talk to you about today is that we don't have a
blind face. We have a reasoned face. this
guy is looking at me and he's saying, you believe, In a
talking snake, you must be crazy my answer.
Yep. But not.
As crazy as you. And I'm going to give you four
reasons why I might be the least crazy person on planet Earth,
and you might be as well, because I believe That Jesus is
the son of God, the savior of the world, and the king of the
universe, and I'm going to give it to you in four ways.
Let's start from scratch. Everybody agrees that the
Universe had a beginning. And if you ask the atheist,
we're not even talking about Jesus yet.
We're just talking about the beginning of the world.
If you talk to the atheist, somebody who doesn't even
believe in God, we're not talking about all the other
gods, somebody who doesn't even believe in God, they will agree
that the Universe had a beginning.
The issue for everybody is what caused the beginning for the
believer in God, they say God caused everything to happen.
The Atheist believes that nothing created everything.
So when I'm sitting across from them and they're calling me
crazy, I just want to make sure we're super stinking clear, you
think nothing made everything and that's your same position.
Then you better call me crazy because I believe that someone
created everything. If we were walking down the
road, and you saw three rocks stacked on top of himself.
You wouldn't go. Wow.
How did they appear? Everybody would look at three
rocks. Stacked on top of each other go.
Somebody was here. But you want to look at the
chromosomes and think that nothing made everything.
Yeah. If that's crazy, I'll take it.
Then here's the next thing for us.
We believe that since the universe had a beginning, God
had to create it. Well how do we make sense of
that Frank Turk? I believe explains it best.
It means that in order for the beginning to have a beginning,
something outside of time, outside of space and outside of
matter, had to be the cause for many people.
The only logical. Reasonable conclusion.
Is that there is only one thing that is outside of time outside
of space and outside of matter. And his name is God.
In order for there to be a beginning, you had to have time
space and matter all come into existence at the exact same
time. Why stay with me here?
Because if you have time and matter but no space, where would
you put the beginning? If you have matter in space but
no time, when would you put the beginning?
And if you have time and space but no matter explain to me,
what? Is beginning, the Bible solves
this quandary in the first 10 words of the book which book
Genesis chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning God created the
heavens and the Earth. The beginning that's time
Heaven's that space Earth that's matter.
It is a trinity of Trinity's created by the Can I submit to
you? The Trinity because time is
passed present and future space is linked with.
And depth matter, is solid, liquid and gas created by the
Father, the Son, and the spirit, a trinity of Trinity's created
by the Trinity versus your nothing.
Number two. If I was talking to a person who
thought I was crazy, I would say you might like my brand of crazy
because I believe that there has to be a moral law Giver.
Sometimes people will come up and ask me the question you
believe in God. Yep.
If do you believe he's all powerful?
Yep. Do you believe that he's all
love him? Yep.
Then how do you explain all the evil in the world?
Sin But if he's so loving and so powerful, why does he allow all
of this evil in the world? Great question.
Fair question, reasonable question.
The way I would answer that is I would say well if you believe in
evil, do you also believe that there is good?
To which they have to concede. Yeah.
Because how would you know that there is Darkness, if there were
no light, So, there has to be. If you order for you to describe
evil, you have to describe it against something in the absence
of something, which is good if there's good.
There has to be a good. That supersedes us all which
would require a moral law Giver, which is God, whom you seem to
be denying. And if that's the case, if
you're denying the existence of God, then there is no moral law
Giver, which means there is no moral law, which means there is
no good, which means there is no evil.
So what your question, because if the moral law only existed
inside of some of us, then your moral good and my moral good
would be at odds with each other.
If it was done by popular opinion, you'd get communism and
you could ask people in Russia after the first world war or you
can ask the Nazis during the second world war, how their
description of good worked out for the people who didn't
actually agree with him. There has to be something Beyond
us. Something outside of us that
registers in us, that this is good, and this is bad.
We serve a God who gave us his word, which tells us what is
good and tells us what is bad, these two things alone, just
these two things alone, the existence of the universe.
And a moral God, made or a moral law, made me realize that there
is a God. So now we have a god, I've gone
from being an atheist to being. I don't know what theist.
Well, then I had to look at all the different gods.
And Jesus kind of comes to the top.
Because Jesus number three was a real person.
Who did Supernatural things? This is not a faith claim.
This is a historical claim. Jesus was a real historical
person who walked on planet Earth.
There are records about what it is that he did and he is unlike
anybody, the world has ever seen.
Let me just mention three things about him that are different
than everybody else. One Jesus, demonstrated, power
over nature. He turned water into wine and
John Tomb of the miraculous catch of fish.
In Luke 5, the calming of the storm in Matthew chapter 8, the
feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew chapter 14, he walked on water,
which I hear sick. In Mark, chapter 6, he fed 4,000
people in Matthew chapter 15, just to name a few, there's been
nobody else who's done, anything like that.
He doesn't just have power over the natural world.
He has power to heal disease because he healed the nobleman's
son in John chapter 4, Peter's, mother-in-law's was healed of
her fever and Luke chapter 4. He cleansed the leper of his
leprosy in Matthew healing of the paralyzed.
Made a mark 2 healing of the lame.
At the pool. Bethesda and John 5 healing of
the man. With the withered hand, in Luke
6, healing in the centurions paralyzed servant in Matthew
chapter 8. The woman with the issue of
blood, which, I preached last week, hope you were here.
Mark chapter 5, restoring the site of the two Blind Men in
Matthew chapter 9, healed the death, in the mute man.
In Matthew chapter 15 healed. The blind man outside of
Bethesda. In Mark chapter 8, the healing
of the ten lepers in. Luke chapter 17.
The man born blind in John chapter 9, the woman with the
messed up back, which sounds cool in Luke Chapter 13 and the
severed ear of malchus and Luke chapter 22 just to name a few.
He is unlike anybody else you've ever seen, but, you know, he
doesn't just have power over nature and power to heal
disease. He has power over the Demonic.
You know, the evil. He the man with the unclean
spirit in the synagogue of Capernaum.
In Mark, chapter 1, the daughter of the sorrow Phoenician woman
in Matthew chapter 15 and the child after the Transfiguration
in Luke chapter 9, just to name a few.
Let me be clear there has never been nor Will there ever be?
Anyone like him? The Skeptics might say, but
there are lots of founders of religions, but Jesus is
different because he had power. Over nature.
Power over sickness and power over the Demonic and all the
other Founders are d. E, a d did.
Watch if you want to be a Buddhist.
That's cool, but that founder, he died in 843.
What are Sedar Guatemala and he was ashes.
Were he was cremated in his ashes were sent to the different
Kings in India and Sri Lanka. If you want to be a Muslim,
that's cool, their founder dead. And you can go and visit his
grave and madinah Saudi Arabia. If you want to be a Jew, great
Abraham founder of that religion, dead.
You can go to his grave and Ibraham Hebron in the West Bank,
if you want to be a Mormon, cool.
But just so you know that Founders dead and you don't have
to drive that far to get to it because the cemetery The Smith
Family Cemetery is a Nauvoo Illinois, not too far from any
one of our locations. However, if you want to find the
founder of My Religion, you will find No Grave.
In fact, Christians are the only people on planet Earth.
Who fly all the way to Israel to visit two possible, places to
see something. That is not there because he's
not inside either one. Why?
Because unlike the other Founders, he is not d.
E a d. He Is a l.
I v e need to spell and I'm not so amped.
Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?
Now, you might be saying, you might be saying, okay, okay,
okay, okay, but did he really rise from the dead?
Well, let me give you some empirical evidence that might
help you realize that he's unlike anybody that you have
ever seen one. The tomb was, in fact, empty,
Jesus was alive and I'll walk you through it.
Pilate the governor stationed, guards at the request of the
people who had Jesus killed to make sure that nobody stole the
body. The women found the tomb.
Empty went back and reported it as did Peter and John, that is
three eyewitnesses. There were 10 Resurrection,
sightings of Jesus being alive after he was dead.
There was the women returning from the Tomb in, Matthew 28,
Mary Magdalene at the Tomb. In John chapter 20 Clio, puts in
another disciple on the road to Emmaus in, Luke chapter 24 10
April, in the upper room. That didn't include Thomas,
which we've already talked about in John Chapter 20, The 11
positive Thomas president in John chapter 20, a little bit
later, there were the disciples by the Dead Sea in John.
Chapter 21, 500 people are mentioned in First Corinthians
15. James was mentioned in First
Corinthians 15 and the apostles on the Mount of Olives.
Before his Ascension in Acts chapter 1, Hear me, that's a lot
of people saying, a man who was supposed to be dead walking
around. Not only that the testimony, the
eyewitness testimony of all of these people fundamentally.
Changed an entire religion. Calendar.
And the world. Let me unpack this.
Up to this moment, the people who were following, Jesus were
Jews, not just by nationality, but by religion, and at that
point time, there wasn't a separation.
These Jews who had been following God, worshiped every
single Saturday, the Sabbath. Why?
Because God said in his Ten Commandments, remember the
Sabbath day and keep it, holy God, after he, what did he do?
Created the world. He created for six days and he
rested on the seventh which was the Saturday the Sabbath.
But on the heels of something. That happened on a Sunday.
All of these people stopped showing up for church on
Saturday and started worshiping on Sunday.
Think to yourself, 200 years, into the future in America, what
kind of seismic event would have to happen in America for us to
be celebrating our independence on July 14th?
You spent your entire life? Celebrating our independence on
July 4th. What would have to happen in our
nation in your life for us to shift our entire calendar?
To a completely different day. When these new people who are
following Jesus, who later be called were called Christians.
When they became Christians, they would gather on a Sunday.
And there were two things that they would practice.
One. The Taking of communion.
We're ending. So, They were reminded of a new
covenant. That was purchased.
Through the blood of Jesus Christ on a cross.
And the Fulfillment that their debt had been paid through his
resurrection. The second thing that the church
did when they gathered is they baptized Because as Paul
explains, when you baptize somebody, you are laying them
into a watery grave and you are bringing them back to newness in
Christ, mimicking modeling symbolizing Jesus.
Being laid in the grave and three days later being brought
back which gives us new life. This is not some ancillary claim
to our faith First Corinthians chapter 15 says this.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.
You are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen
asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life, we have
hope in Christ. We are of all people.
Most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been
raised from the dead. Their Central claim is, if Jesus
is still dead, we are fools. Here to know the impact.
Of Jesus's life and Ministry. Jesus was put to death.
By Jewish oppressors through the hand of Roman soldiers.
That were apart of the Roman. Empire.
And now, if you were to go to Rome, it is the center.
Of the Catholic Church. Jesus Is Life Ministry.
And then the followers who believed in him, transformed the
very nation that killed him. If Jesus is Alive, there are
implications. And means that God is real.
It means the Bible is true. It means I have a creator.
Hell, is hot. Death is not the end you and I
have a sin problem. But Jesus is the solution.
My question to you is, will you be blessed and believe we're
moving to a time of decision? Uh, to those of you that are
here today that have yet to start your relationship with
Jesus Christ. You might be going Clayton,
that's great. I don't know everything that
there is to know and I would just tell you that never, that
never happens. But I'm willing to wager that,
you know enough. And if you would apply the same
logic to Jesus that you apply to other areas of your life, you'd
realize that there's almost something satanic taking place.
I was thinking this week. I have no clue how toilet paper
is made. But I use it.
And I refused to shake hands with people who don't.
I don't have to know how they quilted it.
I don't know the difference between how they make a three
ply four ply, whatever they may. I just know there's a
difference. And I know the life is better
with it than without it. I don't know, hardly anything
about a car. My wife has you know, she's
never looked at me and she said, honey, can you fix this?
I'm not that guy. I'm more like I can't be okay.
Then handy. You get it and I know zero
things zero about a car. I like to talk to the fellas
about, you know, the things inside of cars.
But that's it. I don't know.
Hardly anything about how my vehicle works.
I just know. It beats walking.
I don't have to know everything to recognize the value of
something. And I'm going to wager that you
know, plenty. You know that there is something
inside of you that was designed created for something more.
You hate the idea that you were an accident and your life has
zero, meaning and zero purpose. The Bible says that he turned it
was written in your heart. You know, more than you think
you do. You know, that you have not been
the person that you were created to be.
That you've let people down that you have not measured up.
You know, you've sinned. You know, deep down inside that
you need hope and peace and you can't find it.
You've been chasing things to satisfy the hole in your heart
and yet nothing you do get you there.
You thought you would finally be fulfilled when you found
somebody to marry you but that marriage ended up not being as
fulfilling as you had hoped. You thought that once you held
your kids in your arms, that life would be complete?
And then your kids went through puberty and you're like, I don't
know if I want them. You know, like, I don't know
what I do with that. You thought when you got the
promotion that your life would finally be on easy street, but
that never happened. You thought when you went on the
vacation that your life would be completely fulfilled.
You thought, when you had the house, had the boat had the car.
You just can't fill it. It's almost as if you need
something eternal. You know.
More than you think, you know? And what I can't understand.
Is why you wouldn't ask the question?
That have been holding you back to starting your faith in Jesus.
And the only reasonable answer I can come up with is your either
lazy or its satanic. That Satan doesn't want you to
ask the question. Because he doesn't want you to
have the answer. Because Satan came to steal and
kill and destroy. And so maybe today.
Your step of faith. Is finally asking the questions
that have been rattling around inside of your head for way too
long. Others of you, you've been on
the sidelines for a long time knowing that you needed to place
your life In the Arms of Jesus. But you've been unwilling to do
so and maybe today, while the people around you standing in
some of them come to the steps and pray you'd walk right over
there and say it's time it's time for me to ask my questions.
It's time for me to get baptized.
It's time to confess that Jesus is indeed my lord and savior
because I'm a sinner who needs saved.
To the rest of you. In the room.
Who already have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
I'm going to poke you for a little bit.
If you really believe. That Jesus is the Christ.
The son of the Living God. That God is real.
Jesus is Alive and the Bible is true.
Does your life? Reflect it.
Because Jesus didn't come just to be your savior.
He came to be your king. To rule in your life.
Faith. Is not merely an intellectual
Pursuit. It is not just vocal Allegiance.
It is a life. Marked with surrender and
obedience. Which means?
There are plans and purposes that God has for you.
That you are rebelling from. And that's not how you treat a
savior king, would you stand with me?
Heavenly Father. the only hope that we have, the only hope that
this church has the only hope that this region has is for your
Holy Spirit. To take ground that can only be
taken. By your power.
And your mind. And our lives to be completely
surrendered to your rule and your wisdom.
And God in faith. I'm asking that you would make
it clear. To every person who can hear my
voice. What it is that you want them to
do today? And that you give them the
courage to do it. You remember praying, amen.