1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,880 Well, somebody say praise the Lord, isn't it good to be in 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,680 God's house this morning? Amen. 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:11,360 Why don't you turn in and greet someone this morning next to you 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,640 or close to you and tell them how good it is to be in the 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,360 House of the Lord with them today? 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:34,720 Amen. Before we move into the word of 7 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,240 the Lord this morning, I do have some announcements to make. 8 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:45,600 One, the sign up list that was posted last Sunday for special 9 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,000 singers will come down today. I will leave it up till this 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,480 evening service and take it down before I leave. 11 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:58,080 So if you haven't signed up, if you already seeing specials and 12 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,200 you're interested in continuing, please sign. 13 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,360 If you don't and you're interested in learning more 14 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,520 about that, please sign. That's the only way to learn. 15 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,160 Signing doesn't obligate you. It just means that you're 16 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,400 interested and then we see where that goes from there. 17 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,160 So that list will come down today. 18 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,120 So please make note of that. Couple of things here that are 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:26,320 upcoming on April the 6th we are going to have a Focus Sunday 20 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:30,920 service that is going to be focused toward our Ignite Youth 21 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,880 group. More information will be coming 22 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,200 on that very soon, but I wanted to go ahead and get that on your 23 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,960 minds and on your calendars. The April the 6th that we will 24 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:45,000 be coming to you with more information about our youth 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,120 group for this year, vision, finances, what we need God to 26 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,040 bless and what the direction is for our youth because they are 27 00:01:53,040 --> 00:02:00,120 not the Church of tomorrow. Just a gentle reminder here. 28 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,880 They're now and we need them. Amen. 29 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:10,880 We need them developing into solid citizens and solid Saints. 30 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,640 And it's on us as the congregation to help support 31 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:17,560 that. So so please be in much prayer 32 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:21,280 about that. The Ignite youth class will be 33 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,200 staying in the sanctuary this morning this month in the month 34 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,800 of March tonight come back if you don't get anything out of 35 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,240 this morning, don't don't disregard church. 36 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,320 All right, I promise you you're going to hear from God. 37 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,600 Come back tonight are my son will be ministering and I am so 38 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,520 looking forward to that. The fifth Wednesday of this 39 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,600 month there will be a a special event happening on that 40 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,880 Wednesday night during the Bible study portion of service. 41 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,280 There will be called the Art of People engagement. 42 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,200 It will be an interview style format with Sister McGee that 43 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,440 will take place. Sister Don McGee don't want 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:03,440 Bishop's wife getting nervous here. 45 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,280 That will take place during the Bible study portion of that 46 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,240 service. So be looking forward to that 47 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,080 being much prayer. This Thursday is power hour from 48 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:17,040 7:00 to 8:00. Come pray, leave, pray 10 49 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,240 minutes, pray 5 minutes. Just pray. 50 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,160 I promise you that if you can make it, it's a power hour, 51 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:31,360 you're going to leave happy. I promise you. 52 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,080 You're going to leave feeling personal fulfillment and your 53 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,000 walk with God. Well, I'm tired. 54 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,440 I've worked all day. You, you got it. 55 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:46,040 That's why I need to pray. There are plenty of times I've 56 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,760 walked in on power hour night and I looked at my wife and 57 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:50,480 said, I feel like the Apostle Peter. 58 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,840 Some of you will catch that after lunch, but I left Brother 59 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,960 Fred feeling better than if I hadn't came. 60 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:04,480 So, so give that some consideration please, because it 61 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,320 will help you in your walk with God. 62 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,440 I promise you that we're going to move into the word of the 63 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,520 Lord this morning. One final announcement that I 64 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,720 want to make just personally, and if you haven't been on 65 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,120 Facebook or if you have, I'm going to say it regardless, but 66 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,519 my wife and I have the honor and distinction to be to take on new 67 00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:22,920 roles in life. I'm going to be a Pops. 68 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,840 My wife will be a Gigi, and we're ecstatic. 69 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:34,440 Now I'm happy for my son and my daughter-in-law, but I'm really 70 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,560 happy for us. Let's just get that out there, 71 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,840 all right? And I'm not ashamed of it. 72 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:43,840 So bring it. Let's do it. 73 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,040 All right, We're going to move into the word of the Lord this 74 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:47,520 morning. I'm not going to have you stand. 75 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,360 We will get to God's word. I'm going to be teaching this 76 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:55,800 morning that is at the the edge of my physical capabilities 77 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,360 today. So I hope you'll bear with me 78 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,160 this morning, but I want to talk to you on this subject today 79 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,680 that I feel like God directed me toward, and that is finding God 80 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:12,360 in the doubt. Finding God in the doubt. 81 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:20,360 What do you do when you have questions about God, about 82 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:27,560 living for God, about church, and about Christian life, but 83 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:32,440 you don't have any easy answers? And I say easy this morning 84 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,720 because if it's not an easy answer, we often get very 85 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:40,800 frustrated. For example, you might find 86 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,520 yourself going through something that is very difficult. 87 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:46,440 You could be hurting. You could be wondering how in 88 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,920 the world could a good God love you and let you hurt this way? 89 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:57,600 Or what do you do when you want to believe in God and his Word 90 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,720 and his promises, but you face spiritual doubts? 91 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:09,800 Or what do you do when your faith feels fragile or God seems 92 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:18,560 distant, maybe even silent? Or what do you do when you 93 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:24,440 struggle with doubts about your abilities, your calling, your 94 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:34,520 giftings, or even your place? Now, I don't need to take a poll 95 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,640 and ask you this morning if any of you have ever felt this way 96 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:44,480 because I know. I know my questions. 97 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,040 I know the times that I have wanted to believe what he said. 98 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:58,120 But Bishop, I had doubt. I know the times that I've 99 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,400 questioned my abilities. I know the times I've questioned 100 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:06,800 my calling, my giftings, and even my place. 101 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:16,000 Maybe you have a friend that was church hurt because that's a 102 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,640 tool of the enemy today. Maybe you have a friend that was 103 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,200 church hurt and that's caused you to have questions. 104 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,680 This isn't in my notes this morning, but let me just say 105 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,720 this. If you are looking for the 106 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:37,000 church body, and when I say body, I'm talking about the 107 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,640 people of God. If you are looking for the 108 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:45,040 people of God to be perfect, I know we strive. 109 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,600 I know the Apostle Paul said we strive toward the mark of 110 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,480 perfection and I personally believe this is Mason Commentary 111 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:53,400 101. I believe he said we strive 112 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,480 toward it because we may not ever catch it, but at least if 113 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,920 we're striving for it, we're trying, and trying is better 114 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,320 effort than not trying. But if you're looking to the 115 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:09,680 church body to express perfection and you never get 116 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,600 your feelings hurt, you never misunderstand anything and you 117 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,520 never disagree with anything, I am sorry today. 118 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:22,680 You are sadly mistaken. And the reason I say that is we 119 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,840 serve a perfect God. We serve a divine God. 120 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,080 We serve a loving God, but we are humanity. 121 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,760 We're not perfect. That's right. 122 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:41,919 So it will happen. Maybe you were hurt by someone 123 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:44,560 in church. Maybe it wasn't in church. 124 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:48,600 Maybe you were just hurt by someone and it caused you to 125 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,480 struggle. It caused you to have questions. 126 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:57,040 Maybe you were the one that did something that caused hurt. 127 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:03,120 I've been in that club and I'm not proud of it. 128 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,120 In church and out of church, Bishop, there's still a couple 129 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,640 of things that I have personally done in the church environment 130 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,640 in my adult life that still haunt me. 131 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,040 It causes doubt. Sometimes it causes doubts that 132 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,120 God can forgive, heal and destroy and restore. 133 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,360 So what do you do when you have spiritual questions that you 134 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,520 can't find the answers to easily or quickly? 135 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,800 Because sometimes we want those answers right now. 136 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:44,160 Sometimes some of us in the surrounding environment try to 137 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:51,600 help, and sometimes when we try to help, sometimes we just make 138 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,040 things worse. I've been there. 139 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,280 I've been the one attempting to help and I've been the one 140 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:04,560 receiving said help. We'll be again. 141 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,240 But sometimes we break out our Christian platitudes because we 142 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,840 don't know what else to say. And I'm not trying to be 143 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,600 judgmental this morning. I just just help me make a point 144 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,760 here for just a second, but sometimes we pull out of our 145 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,200 arsenal of of Christian platitudes. 146 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:29,320 Hey, everything happens for a reason true statement and it may 147 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:34,200 be helpful in certain contexts. There's sometimes that just 148 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:40,200 doesn't help me or here's one of my favorites. 149 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,440 The Bible says it. I believe it. 150 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,960 That settles. That's been on bumper stickers 151 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:49,960 for decades. True statement. 152 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,720 Bible says it. We know that his word is forever 153 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,600 settled in heaven. So yes, technically that settles 154 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:06,320 it, but it may not settle it for me because I might have more 155 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:14,000 questions or what are you worried about? 156 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:20,800 God's got this. Yeah, he does. 157 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,400 But sometimes from my vantage point, and I'm using myself as 158 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,560 an example rather than you, you can insert you for I that's 159 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:30,320 fine, and we'll go to lunch and be happy. 160 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,280 But sometimes from my vantage point, it don't look like he's 161 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:43,160 got it. Can I be honest sometimes? 162 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:46,080 I didn't say he didn't have it. Sometimes it doesn't look like 163 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,920 it. Sometimes I'm just a little bit 164 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:55,760 of a mess. So. 165 00:11:55,760 --> 00:12:00,320 What do you do when you find yourself with deep and sincere 166 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,680 questions? Because sometimes we just don't 167 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:06,760 understand our questions. Sometimes we don't understand 168 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,920 our situation or our circumstances. 169 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,080 We don't understand our why or our what or our when or our 170 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,400 where. Now, if you've never had these 171 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,960 questions today, if you've never had anyone with good intentions, 172 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,280 just make things innocently worse, you should be on your 173 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:27,560 feet having a praise break right now because I want to shake your 174 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,280 hand and I want to talk to you about whatever it is you're 175 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:33,560 doing right and I'm doing wrong because I need to learn. 176 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,680 But for those who have experienced this barrage of 177 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,440 questioning and searching, and then we've only scratched the 178 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,320 surface on examples this morning, and I won't exhaust you 179 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:48,720 with more of them, but you recognize that it is possible to 180 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,240 have a moment of faith and just a few minutes later have a 181 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:55,680 moment of doubt. It comes in like a wave. 182 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,320 It's like, oh, I believe. And it's like, oh, well, I don't 183 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:03,360 know. And then what happens next is 184 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,680 guilt sets in. Why am I doubting? 185 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,760 Why am I questioning? It's because you have questions. 186 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:15,440 It's because you have concerns. So the next question could be in 187 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,920 our own humanity is, is there something wrong with me? 188 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:24,360 Am I even a Christian at all? If I've got these feelings of 189 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,160 doubt and concern, What? Where is my Christianity? 190 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:34,480 Where is my faith? And then we might feel a little 191 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,320 bit ashamed and we might worry like, am I the only one? 192 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,840 Because we're sitting on praise row where everybody else is 193 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,000 lifting their hands and singing and clapping and saying Amen to 194 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,680 the preacher and they look like everything's great. 195 00:13:54,550 --> 00:13:59,350 And now I'm, I'm scared to be transparent because everybody 196 00:13:59,350 --> 00:14:01,030 else looks like they've got it together. 197 00:14:01,030 --> 00:14:06,990 And I'm, I'm the only one. So we can't be transparent. 198 00:14:06,990 --> 00:14:09,870 Let me, let me, let me be transparent for a little while 199 00:14:09,870 --> 00:14:12,960 today. The moment you start to have 200 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,240 doubts, it starts getting really scary. 201 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,240 And I will admit to you having grown up in an Apostolic Church 202 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,800 that I think, and I'm going to be careful here, but I'm going 203 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:31,760 to be transparent with you being in a spirit filled church. 204 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:39,400 If you have doubts of any kind, it can be real scary because we 205 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,080 don't act like you should have doubt. 206 00:14:46,470 --> 00:14:50,390 As a matter of fact, our typical church behavior is that it's all 207 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:52,230 faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. 208 00:14:52,230 --> 00:14:53,950 Doubt doesn't have any room in the room. 209 00:14:56,590 --> 00:14:59,990 So if I've got that question, there must be something wrong 210 00:14:59,990 --> 00:15:02,510 with me because everybody else is shouting, speaking in 211 00:15:02,510 --> 00:15:08,560 tongues. They must be good and the reason 212 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,960 for this I believe again, this is me and if I am wrong, just 213 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:20,600 say thank you Jesus. Because we have been taught that 214 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,720 the disciple Thomas was a borderline Judas. 215 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:30,680 Because of doubt. We may not say those words, but 216 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,320 we ridiculed Thomas a lot. He's got a nickname. 217 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:44,080 Most of you, if not all of you, probably know it and doubting 218 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:50,840 Thomas. So let's start with this. 219 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:55,200 I want to show you today, hopefully, that doubt is not the 220 00:15:55,200 --> 00:16:01,560 enemy of faith. Doubt can be a pathway to deeper 221 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,520 and more meaningful faith. Doubt is not even the opposite 222 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:11,360 of faith. There is what is known as the 223 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,480 relatability principle. It shows that you tend to 224 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,880 dislike, and you don't have to admit this publicly this 225 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:22,240 morning, I'll do it for you. But it It shows that you tend to 226 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,320 dislike or distrust people whose lives seem perfect. 227 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:33,400 You tend to dislike those who or you tend to trust and connect 228 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,680 with those rather who seem to have similar problems to you. 229 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,520 That's the relatability. For example, you don't like the 230 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,360 person at work whose desk is always organized and they're 231 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,400 always getting praised and their life looks perfect and 232 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,080 everything is great. But then you go to the store 233 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,920 that evening and you see them in the store with their kid and 234 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,280 their kid is having an absolute meltdown. 235 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,240 They are in the meat department and their kid is laying on the 236 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:07,440 floor licking the floor tile. God have mercy. 237 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:13,200 And there's something in you that says I think I like them. 238 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:22,800 Now I can relate to that because their life looks just as messed 239 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:28,200 up as yours. The imagery of perfection is now 240 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,960 not a turn off because I've seen behind the curtain they messed 241 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,840 up. So it makes us feel better. 242 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,960 What's interesting is when I hear somebody else dealing with 243 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:46,400 a doubt. It is strangely comforting to me 244 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,880 when I talk to people that I respect, or I hear certain 245 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:57,000 ministers be transparent publicly and that I respect and 246 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,000 I hold in high regard, and I walk away understanding that 247 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,360 they're having some of the same struggles that I have. 248 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,200 That, strangely enough, gives me comfort and it helps me push 249 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:13,240 through my own personal doubts because I realized, guess what, 250 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:19,520 I'm not alone. So let's look in the scripture, 251 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:25,400 some of the most faith filled people that we have in Holy Writ 252 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:30,600 who had some doubts, who had questions, who had some of the 253 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:35,080 same responses that you and I have in our typical daily life. 254 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,680 Similarly, we'll start in the Old Testament in Genesis 17 and 255 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,000 17. The Bible says Then Abraham fell 256 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:46,280 upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, shall a child 257 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,600 be born unto him that is an 100 years old? 258 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:56,920 And shall Sarah that is 90 year old 90 years old bear Genesis 18 259 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:01,080 and 2018 and 12. Excuse me, says Therefore, Sarah 260 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:06,280 laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I 261 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:15,040 have pleasure, my Lord, being old also, Abraham and Sarah are 262 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:21,800 pillars, pillars of Old Testament scripture. 263 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:30,600 Father Abraham is still the the fatherly pillar of Jewish faith 264 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:39,400 because they recognize that they serve the God of Abraham, Isaac 265 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:45,520 and Jacob. This grandiose man laughed at 266 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:52,000 God, told God, and I'm paraphrasing, but told God 267 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,880 that's impossible. Are you? 268 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:59,160 You've got to be kidding me. Never happened. 269 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,520 They had doubt that God was going to do what he said He was 270 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:08,840 going to do. Let me remind you today, age is 271 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,520 not a limitation to God. This might be the most important 272 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:16,840 key of the entire lesson this morning, but your humanity is 273 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:25,040 not a limitation to God. Asking questions does not limit 274 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,080 God. Watch this now. 275 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,760 God didn't alter his plan or change His mind about Isaac just 276 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,520 because of the response from Abraham and Sarah. 277 00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:39,800 But the enemy. Of our soul likes to convince us 278 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,160 that if we have a question, we might as well be quiet and live 279 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,200 in the torment of not for not having full understanding. 280 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:51,120 Because if we're open with ourselves, between US and God, 281 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:54,760 with where we're at, somehow we'll make God mad and he'll 282 00:20:54,760 --> 00:21:01,920 change his mind on us. God didn't change his plan. 283 00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:05,280 Nor will your. Response be off putting to God. 284 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,120 Let's move to Exodus chapter 16 and verse 2. 285 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,080 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured 286 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,000 against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 287 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,480 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God, we had 288 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,600 died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt. 289 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,880 What an. Absolute smack in the face. 290 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,680 When we sat by. The flesh pots and when we did 291 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:32,200 eat bread to the full. All of this. 292 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:37,480 Because they're hungry. Now. 293 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,920 I'll be honest with you. I might. 294 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,960 I might. I'm not admitting to it fully. 295 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,640 I'm just telling you there's a probability I might be guilty of 296 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:51,160 saying a few things that I might not mean when I'm hungry may 297 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:52,160 have happened. I'm not. 298 00:21:59,270 --> 00:22:00,710 Saying she's laughing a. Little too much. 299 00:22:03,830 --> 00:22:05,430 They had. Doubt. 300 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,520 Do we fully recognize the number of miracles that they had 301 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:16,800 already witnessed at this point? They're out of bondage, they're 302 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:20,720 free. They have already lived in 303 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,080 bondage. For. 304 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:30,360 Decades and the bondage wasn't just you. 305 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:34,000 You clock in at 7 and you clock out at 3:15 and you get a 30 306 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,440 minute lunch. Don't deviate from it. 307 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:38,680 The bondage was a whip to their back. 308 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,040 The bondage was. Slavery. 309 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,760 They'd lived. Through all of that and they had 310 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:55,000 seen God protect them through the 10 plagues. 311 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,800 They had seen. God hold true to every word he 312 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,400 had said. So much so. 313 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,600 That if the 10 plagues wasn't enough, you get to the border of 314 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:12,520 the Red Sea. Where we going? 315 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:20,080 Moses Waters part. Waters part is a miracle in and 316 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,160 of itself. Waters. 317 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,040 Staying parted wall of water on both sides. 318 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:31,280 That's a miracle. Dry ground. 319 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:34,920 Lord have mercy. That's another miracle. 320 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,960 Historians. Have tried to say that the Red 321 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,800 Sea at that time was less than two feet deep. 322 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,160 I wasn't there. I don't know if it was or it 323 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:47,400 wasn't. But what I do know is if it was 324 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,480 less than two feet deep, he drowned Pharaoh's army. 325 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,280 In two feet of. Water, another miracle. 326 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:06,200 And the passageway to cross was approximately 4 to 5 million 327 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:13,120 people. We're not talking about the the 328 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:16,880 Snake Pit or or the Ford Center in evidence. 329 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:23,240 We're talking about a massive number of people crossed. 330 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,880 Oh, and by the way, about the 40 years that they end up going 331 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,680 through the wilderness, the shoelaces on their shoes didn't 332 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:37,000 give out. Now we. 333 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,800 Know the end of the story so it's easy to get judge mental 334 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,160 and righteous and say well I just don't know how they 335 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:45,800 couldn't believe. Say that the. 336 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:47,440 Next time you go through something. 337 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,520 Because the. Next obstacle they faced in 338 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:54,560 their humanity because they didn't know. 339 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:56,960 The end of the story was we're in the wilderness. 340 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,520 God brought us out, but now, Moses, you've brought us out 341 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,080 here to die because I'm famished. 342 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:13,920 You can. Find God in the Dao, Judges 636 343 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,560 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine 344 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,040 hand, as thou has said, behold, I will put a fleece of wool in 345 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,160 the floor. And if the dew be on the fleece 346 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,560 only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know 347 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,080 that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou has said. 348 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,000 And it was so, for he rose up early on the Morrow and thrust 349 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,560 the fleece together, and wring the dew out of the fleece, a 350 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,360 bowl full of water. And Gideon. 351 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:46,080 Said to God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will 352 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,480 speak but this once. That's a bit laughable. 353 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,760 Let me prove, I pray thee. But this once with the fleece, 354 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:57,320 let it now be dry only up on the fleece, and up on the ground let 355 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,040 there be dew, and God did so that night, for it was dry up on 356 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,120 the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. 357 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:06,840 Gideon saying. Hey, God. 358 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,680 If you're really. With me and you really said what 359 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,960 you said and if I really heard you correctly, prove it. 360 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,280 But don't. Just prove it, prove it again, 361 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:24,440 and prove it again. 47. Times later. 362 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,200 God, can you do it one more time? 363 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,480 I just want to make sure you know what that is. 364 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:38,880 Doubt, it's a question. It's a concern that how many of 365 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,360 us have said I have been guilty, you don't have to raise your 366 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,120 hand or say Amen. But I have been guilty of saying 367 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:47,280 I know he can do it. I just don't know if he'll do it 368 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:53,680 for me. Gideon was the. 369 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:58,480 Poorest of the poor, he wasn't the strongest. 370 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,400 Maybe. He wasn't the smartest. 371 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,760 I'm not sure. I don't know how good. 372 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:08,560 Looking he was or wasn't. He didn't have. 373 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:10,680 A good, strong public social status. 374 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:12,880 He was self. Critical. 375 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,360 Yet God. Answered him through his 376 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,600 questions. Now, I hope you're picking up on 377 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:21,920 a bit of a pattern here this morning that I think we're 378 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,920 unnecessarily hard on Thomas because Thomas wasn't by 379 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,720 himself. Matthew 11. 380 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,480 And two says Now when John had heard in prison the works of 381 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:34,720 Christ, he sent two of his disciples. 382 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,760 And said unto him. Art thou he that should come? 383 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,640 It's almost like poetry. We quote it. 384 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,480 Art thou he that should come? Or do we look for another? 385 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:50,160 Think about it. John the Baptist had devoted his 386 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:52,480 entire life preparing the way for Jesus. 387 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:55,480 Preparing the way. For the Messiah. 388 00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:59,360 Even before. He knew Jesus was he. 389 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:03,160 And now he. Says I knew you were the one, 390 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,600 but just in case I'm not really sure, can you can you, can you 391 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:08,760 confirm? Did I get it right? 392 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,400 Is it really you or or should I be looking for someone else? 393 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,880 This is after he's preached. He's locked up. 394 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:20,040 In prison now because of solitude and silence. 395 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,560 See, that's why the enemy wants to get you by yourself. 396 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,400 Because if he can get. You away from God's people and 397 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:31,920 he can isolate you. That was the number. 398 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,000 One in that was the number one spiritual tool of the pandemic 399 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,600 was isolation. If he can. 400 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,440 Isolate you and get you by yourself. 401 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,720 He gets you asking questions that you cannot get the answers 402 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,280 to. Where if you're in the. 403 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,320 Presence of God and you're in the House of God. 404 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:54,480 You can get answers. So now, John. 405 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,200 The Baptizer, he's prophesied it. 406 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,720 He's by himself. He's an enemy in his own mind 407 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:00,800 already, because now he's starting to question. 408 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:05,400 I'm locked up here in prison by myself, and now I just don't 409 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,040 know. Here's the fact, ladies and 410 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,760 gentlemen. Sometimes we wrestle with very 411 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:14,080 real questions. It is not. 412 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,720 A demonstration of lack of faith. 413 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:18,360 It's because in. Our humanity. 414 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:22,400 It can often be difficult to grasp or understand the weight 415 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,600 of the greatness that is found in God in His Word. 416 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,520 And how could He love me enough to demonstrate that to me 417 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:31,280 personally? I can't. 418 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:34,000 Comprehend it all. So sometimes. 419 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,680 The things I have believed in all of my life will surface in 420 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:38,920 an emotion or a moment that'll make me think. 421 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,680 Is this right? Do I understand? 422 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:44,160 This right now, here's the beauty of it. 423 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:46,800 Now you can, you can choose to look at this half. 424 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,720 You can choose the the the glass is half empty and you can choose 425 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:51,480 to look at it negatively if you want to. 426 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,920 But the way I see this is once I have affirmation that what I 427 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,800 thought was right is right, it gives me a greater grip. 428 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:02,640 Because now. I've I've lived through the 429 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:04,600 question. I've lived through the doubt. 430 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:06,160 I've lived through the hesitation. 431 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:10,320 Now I have answers. Before I. 432 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,360 May have just believed by faith. Now I have answers. 433 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:20,240 Now I understand the question. Whatever the question, the 434 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:25,080 question is not the problem. The moment of. 435 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:29,640 Doubt is not the problem. The method in. 436 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:34,400 Which we go about finding the solution is often the problem. 437 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:40,920 Don't go. To the world looking for 438 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,200 spiritual answers, Go to the Word. 439 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:48,000 Go to your Bishop, go to your pastor. 440 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,520 Get the Word. That's where the spiritual 441 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:54,520 answers come from. We have to find. 442 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:58,600 Our answers at the Source and the Source. 443 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,200 Thank God today the source is not intimidated by our humanity. 444 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,120 He likes to. Embrace us and give us the 445 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,400 answers we need to process. To help. 446 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:10,200 Us grow. Because here's the thing, God's 447 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,640 not fighting against you. God didn't. 448 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,400 Call you to something and set you up for failure without 449 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:23,960 equipping you process is what is often painful. 450 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,840 John 20 and verse 24 reads. But Thomas, here we are, our 451 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,400 favorite. One of the 12. 452 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,400 Called Didymus was not with them when Jesus came. 453 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:38,400 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the 454 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,640 Lord. But he said unto them, Except I 455 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,400 shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger 456 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,560 into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I 457 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:54,200 will not believe. And after 8 days again his 458 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,440 disciples were within, and Thomas with them. 459 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,280 Then then came Jesus, the door being shut. 460 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,720 He just came on. Through the wall anyway, and 461 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:06,080 stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 462 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,160 Then saith he. To Thomas, reach, hit her thy 463 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:13,000 finger, and behold my hands, and reach, hit her thy hand, and 464 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,840 thrust into my side. And be not faithless, but 465 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,960 believing. And Thomas answered and said 466 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,360 unto him, My Lord and my God Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, 467 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:25,400 because thou has seen me, thou has believed. 468 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:29,240 Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 469 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:39,360 Now we find Thomas the doubter who says to Jesus after the 470 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:44,920 resurrection, Jesus is raised from the dead and Thomas says, I 471 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:48,720 won't believe until I see it with my own eyes. 472 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:52,160 Strangely. Comforting. 473 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,360 We'll come back to Thomas in a little bit, but it's strangely 474 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:58,840 comforting today to see people in the Bible that were so full 475 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:00,920 of faith. Yet also. 476 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:03,760 Occasionally battling faith questions. 477 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:09,040 Can you imagine? Thomas was one of the 12. 478 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:17,760 Yet we could mistakenly just assume that those 12 guys were 479 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,480 perfect. And I think if you study the 480 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,760 disciples deep enough, you'll find out that they were so far 481 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:26,960 from perfect. Some of them might. 482 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:28,920 Be it might have been worse off than some of you. 483 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,520 Let me rephrase some of us. Peter was a hot. 484 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,160 Head. Peter had anger. 485 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:40,160 Management problems. Peter didn't know when to keep 486 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,520 his mouth shut. He also didn't know when to keep 487 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,120 his sword holstered. He was a hot head. 488 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,080 Plain and simple. But he was a disciple. 489 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:51,160 God didn't call. The perfect. 490 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,440 He still. Doesn't call the perfect. 491 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:09,719 So I'm sorry today if this offends you, but all of this, it 492 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:14,520 really makes me feel good. It's us. 493 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:19,520 It gives me an incredible amount of comfort in my walk with God 494 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:23,239 regarding some of my own insecurities and doubts and 495 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:29,920 hesitations that I think I can't do XYZ for God because of ABC 496 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,280 and God says no, that's not the right formula. 497 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:37,639 Doubting. Doesn't make you bad. 498 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:40,880 It doesn't make you sinful. It makes you human. 499 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:49,400 We. Are flawed humanity broken and 500 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,960 tainted by sin? But thank God we are covered by 501 00:34:53,960 --> 00:35:02,660 the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about this. 502 00:35:02,660 --> 00:35:05,820 Example. After. 503 00:35:05,900 --> 00:35:12,100 Jesus was crucified, died on a cross, rose from the dead right 504 00:35:12,100 --> 00:35:16,140 before he ascended into heaven. He's on a mountain. 505 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,920 He's appeared at least 10 times or more to his disciples. 506 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,480 They ate breakfast with him, spent time with him, walked with 507 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:28,960 him, with the risen Christ. They're standing right in front 508 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,640 of him on this mountain. In the Bible makes a reference 509 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:35,880 to the 11 disciples. Now we're -1 now because Judas 510 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:41,400 got cancelled. So we're down to. 11 disciples, 511 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,840 of which let me remind you, Thomas is still part of the 11. 512 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,760 Only one's out is Judas. Thomas is still there. 513 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,200 So the 11. Disciples went to Galilee. 514 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:57,040 And in Matthew. 28 and 16 the Bible says Then the 11 disciples 515 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,760 went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had 516 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:04,600 appointed them, and when they saw him, the 11. 517 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:09,280 All of the. 11 I'm trying to make a point here. 518 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:22,000 They worshipped him. But some doubted it doesn't. 519 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:30,880 Say, but Thomas doubted. It's talking. 520 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:37,920 About the 11th they worshipped, but some when they saw him, they 521 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:40,240 did two things. They worshipped, but. 522 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,040 Some. Doubted. 523 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:49,200 Some doubt it, Say it to yourself. 524 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:55,720 But some doubt that makes me feel so good. 525 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,360 I'm sorry. That brightens my day. 526 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:05,240 Because they weren't. Perfect creatures. 527 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,240 They weren't angels on any on Earth. 528 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:12,400 They were flawed humanity, just as flawed as we are. 529 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,640 And they're standing right in front of him, in the flesh. 530 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:19,120 Now I can. Understand a little bit in the 531 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:23,520 21st century how it might be a bit easier for us to disregard 532 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:26,160 some things because we're totally walking by faith. 533 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,840 We don't see him. Now we do feel. 534 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:31,920 Him. And that's an undeniable 535 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,360 experience if you allow yourself to become part of it. 536 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:36,480 But we don't see him in the flesh. 537 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,280 They did. Now, pardon me for being 538 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,640 critical or judgmental for a moment, but how messed up is 539 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:45,640 that? They see. 540 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:51,520 Jesus and still can't believe. So let's be careful. 541 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,720 Of our measuring stick today on how self critical we are in our 542 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,760 walk with God, or when we think we've messed up, or when we 543 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,960 think we can't do something that God's called us to do because of 544 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,640 a past mistake. God doesn't care about your 545 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:11,800 past. My. 546 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:16,240 Inability and my doubt about my calling with God is not about 547 00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:22,800 God, because once he has said forgiven, covered. 548 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:29,280 Once he has. Said that the struggle is on me 549 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:32,760 to forgive myself. And the only. 550 00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:36,320 Reason why I can't forgive myself is because I doubt that 551 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,040 I'm worthy enough. But God's already said covered. 552 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:43,680 And once he. Has said covered and forgiven 553 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,400 the doubt is what I need to work on. 554 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,000 I'm not suggesting that's easy. I'm not making light of that 555 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:53,360 today. I'm just trying to in reference 556 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:56,400 in point today that we need to be careful of our our self 557 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:00,000 measuring, measuring stick because if the guys who were 558 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:10,640 called by him by by word in the flesh, Peter, Thomas, John, pick 559 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:12,640 whichever 1 you want. All right, I'm not giving you a 560 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:21,000 label, but whichever disciple come follow me, he don't get any 561 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,520 more called than that. To verbally. 562 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:26,080 Hear him in the flesh. Call you by name and say hey, 563 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:29,800 hey, Peter, If you'll follow me, I'll make you fishers of men. 564 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:33,720 I know you struggled last night with your catch, and we fixed 565 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:34,840 that. Now your boat's full. 566 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:38,560 But if you'll follow me, I'll teach you how to fish men in. 567 00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:45,400 The flesh and then they get to. See him perform miracles. 568 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,800 They get to be a witness at the house when the house is so full 569 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:51,920 that they they had to let the the the lame man down through 570 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,320 the roof. And they see Jesus forgive his 571 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:59,320 sins and cleanse his problem. They get to see. 572 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:02,560 It they get to witness it first hand, so much so that they get 573 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:05,040 to go back to their Hut and they get to write about it. 574 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:11,440 Those guys had doubt. Those guys, as part of a group 575 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:15,000 of 11 in the early Church of church leadership, they 576 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:21,600 worshipped and some doubt. Dear God, that makes me feel 577 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:24,680 great. Because I know. 578 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:31,320 I'm not alone and I know that God didn't count them out or 579 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:33,440 discredit them because of their doubt. 580 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,440 If he had. There would be no book of Acts. 581 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,840 Think about it. Because one of the 12 wrote the 582 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:45,160 book, one of the 12 preached the message. 583 00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,560 If God. Had discredited them during the 584 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:53,720 Gospels era. Because they had. 585 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:58,240 Doubt and they didn't believe. Without any any variance, 586 00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:03,840 without any interference of humanity whatsoever, there'd be 587 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:06,000 no acts. He would have to figure. 588 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:07,600 A different way to give us the Holy Ghost. 589 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:11,600 Maybe there would be acts, but it wouldn't be from those 11. 590 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:24,360 It was. The word sum is defined as just 591 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:29,800 a way of saying several. So not to beat a dead horse 592 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:38,800 here, but not just Thomas Thomas Thomas has gotten a bad rap, bad 593 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:42,320 nickname. Because we we we paint this 594 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,400 image that there were 12 disciples. 1. 595 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,480 Betrayer. All right, he's cancelled. 596 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:52,600 There's 11 disciples, and now in the 11 there's one doubter. 597 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:59,000 That's not what the Bible says. Thomas happened to be the 598 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:02,680 doubter who was vocal. He happened to be the. 599 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:05,960 One to say. What perhaps? 600 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:09,040 Some within the other eleven were already thinking, or 601 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:11,200 otherwise they wouldn't have doubted too. 602 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:13,920 But he was bold. Enough to say. 603 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:18,920 You guys got? To see it, what I hear is Thomas 604 00:42:18,920 --> 00:42:21,720 saying, you guys got to see it. It's not fair. 605 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:29,200 I want to see it too. In the world of. 606 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:31,760 Personality psychology. I would say that Thomas was a 607 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:35,520 sensor. I like him. 608 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:41,480 He's a good guy because he needed to get his hands on, he 609 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:43,280 needed to see, he needed to feel. 610 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:46,400 It was more than. Just what he could see in his 611 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,080 mind. He needed the the reality of the 612 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:52,080 moment. These were the guys. 613 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:57,000 That saw Jesus walk on water, they saw him multiply loaves of 614 00:42:57,720 --> 00:43:01,680 bread and fish, they saw him cast out demons, raise the dead, 615 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,200 and now they're looking at a risen Savior. 616 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:08,120 Some. Doubt. 617 00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:12,520 I want you to ask yourself this morning where your doubt lies. 618 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:15,480 It's obvious where. Your faith lies or you wouldn't 619 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:18,160 be in the House of God today. But where's your doubt? 620 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:23,560 Likely about you? Likely about your giftings, your 621 00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:26,920 callings? Likely that you can't do certain 622 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:30,800 things for God because. Dot dot. 623 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:35,600 Dot and I've come to declare today that God's got an answer 624 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:38,200 for that doubt. And the answer is not that 625 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:45,160 you're right. What do you think Jesus response 626 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,520 was to the 11th? You think? 627 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:48,240 He rebuked. Them. 628 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:51,160 You think he called them? Out put them on the carpet. 629 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:56,040 Said you're wrong. No, he kept loving them. 630 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:04,760 He kept loving. Them right after the next text 631 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:08,320 where the text says, but some doubted right after that the 632 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:12,840 next verses in your Bible, Jesus gave what was perhaps then the 633 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:15,320 most important assignment in the history of the world. 634 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:19,280 And he gave that. Assignment to some who doubted 635 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,960 it was a precursor to events that would take place on the day 636 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:30,800 of Pentecost, Matthew 2818. And Jesus came and spake unto 637 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:33,760 them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 638 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:41,880 Verse 19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 639 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:43,720 them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy 640 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:47,360 Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 641 00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:51,920 commanded you, and lo, I am with you alway even into the end of 642 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:55,680 the world. Some worshipped, some doubted, 643 00:44:56,040 --> 00:45:00,200 but all of them were called. I I. 644 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:01,440 Want you to hear that this morning. 645 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:06,080 Some worship, some doubted, but all 11 of them received the same 646 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:09,240 call of God. To go. 647 00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:14,720 To teach, to preach, to minister, to be called of him, 648 00:45:14,720 --> 00:45:17,520 to do what he has called you to do. 649 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:21,640 Well, I can't. Do this because no, that's not 650 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,240 what the Bible says. They had already made some of 651 00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:27,400 the same mistakes, full of doubt and full of hesitation, and 652 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:33,080 Jesus said go. Do why? 653 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:34,560 Because. My past is redeemed. 654 00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:36,520 My mistakes are covered by his blood. 655 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,240 Now if they're not. Then that's a problem that needs 656 00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:43,880 solved. But we know the. 657 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:48,360 Answer to that. Jesus looked. 658 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:52,640 At those who worshipped. And he looked at those who doubt 659 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:54,360 it. And he said go into. 660 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:58,000 All the world and preach the church and the home should be 661 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:00,240 the safest place for us to ask our questions. 662 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:04,680 This should be the. Safest place? 663 00:46:05,920 --> 00:46:08,760 If we can't. Ask the hard questions here in a 664 00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:11,280 safe space. Where can we ask them? 665 00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,080 If I can't. Wrestle with my own insecurities 666 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:19,320 and doubt in a worship service with God and give Him everything 667 00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:22,120 in my mind and say I just don't think I can. 668 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:25,280 I'm worried about this. I'm nervous about this if I 669 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:28,960 can't have the hard conversations in His presence. 670 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:34,040 Then where? Can I have them? 671 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:41,280 And if we can't have those card questions in this place? 672 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:45,080 Then we have to. Ask ourselves, do we really love 673 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:47,400 as God loves? Because he. 674 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:52,040 Allowed the questions. We've been given. 675 00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:54,600 This notice we're coming back to Thomas here as I land the plane 676 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:56,920 this morning. We've been given this. 677 00:46:56,920 --> 00:46:59,680 Notion that doubting Thomas was a bad guy. 678 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:03,400 Because he wanted. Clarity about the one thing 679 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:08,000 standing in front of him. This has shamed. 680 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:11,560 Us into thinking that we're wrong for asking questions, or 681 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:15,280 we're wrong for seeking to understand, or that we're wrong 682 00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:16,800 for not understanding to begin with. 683 00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:18,880 As though understanding should just be automatic. 684 00:47:21,760 --> 00:47:23,280 Doubt and faith are. Not opposites. 685 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:27,360 Doubt is not the absence of faith. 686 00:47:35,010 --> 00:47:36,730 Now I'm taking my time intentionally because I want 687 00:47:36,730 --> 00:47:39,650 that to sink in. Doubt is not the absence of 688 00:47:39,650 --> 00:47:42,800 faith. If you've ever. 689 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:46,120 Struggled with your I have seen people, let me put it this way. 690 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:48,720 I have known people in my walk with God growing up in the 691 00:47:48,720 --> 00:47:52,640 church that that were that struggled to admit they just got 692 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:56,800 the Holy Ghost. It's a big step. 693 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:01,280 Something something unique just happened to them that they can't 694 00:48:01,280 --> 00:48:04,360 explain. So they struggle to confess and 695 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:06,600 admit, yes, I got the Holy Ghost. 696 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:12,280 Because of doubt. But doubt is. 697 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:17,400 Not an absence of faith. They need clarity. 698 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:20,720 They need understanding. Just telling them to have more 699 00:48:20,720 --> 00:48:25,680 faith doesn't fix the problem. Doubt is a. 700 00:48:25,680 --> 00:48:27,960 Lack of certainty or a hesitation. 701 00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:31,520 And if I am hesitant with where God has brought me and what He's 702 00:48:31,520 --> 00:48:35,400 done for me, the only way I can solve that hesitancy is to stay 703 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:38,160 in His presence. And to keep. 704 00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:41,520 Letting him know God, I think, but I'm not sure. 705 00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:45,120 I need you to give me clarity. Oh, I feel my help now. 706 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:49,880 It is not. God's will for you to continue 707 00:48:49,880 --> 00:48:53,160 to live your life in the torment of hesitation. 708 00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,000 But we need to. Understand today that we got to 709 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,680 stop fighting against doubt, and understand that doubt doesn't 710 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:05,440 mean you don't have faith. Doubt means you've. 711 00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:08,760 Got some questions you need some answers to and I've come to 712 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,080 introduce you to the man that has the answers today. 713 00:49:12,080 --> 00:49:20,920 Let me show you Thomas. The scripture says this one of 714 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:22,800 the 12. Thomas was not with the others 715 00:49:22,800 --> 00:49:26,120 when Jesus came. So Jesus. 716 00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:27,920 Shows up. Thomas isn't there. 717 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:33,920 He doesn't see it, the disciples tell Thomas later. 718 00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:35,920 Hey. We've. 719 00:49:35,920 --> 00:49:43,840 Seen the Lord, We saw Him. Matter of fact, the way that 720 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:46,960 it's phrased, if you research it, it implies that they said it 721 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,880 over and over and over again. Maybe they were rubbing it in, I 722 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:54,720 don't know. We saw him, Thomas has said. 723 00:49:54,720 --> 00:49:56,600 Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Wait just a second. 724 00:49:56,640 --> 00:50:07,080 I haven't seen him. I won't believe till I see that 725 00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:10,200 doesn't mean he didn't have faith that it was real. 726 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:17,640 But for his. Own personal clarity and his 727 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:22,680 desire to truly buy in to what was happening in front of him. 728 00:50:22,960 --> 00:50:26,120 He needed to see Jesus for himself. 729 00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:31,160 And it's. Probably the reason why we call 730 00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:34,000 him Doubting Thomas. It's a moniker. 731 00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:38,920 It's a nickname that has stuck with him ever since I've come to 732 00:50:38,920 --> 00:50:42,720 believe that it was. It was unfair to Thomas. 733 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,160 Very unfair. I can relate to Thomas today. 734 00:50:48,640 --> 00:50:52,560 Thomas was a. Realist that doesn't make him 735 00:50:52,560 --> 00:50:56,720 wrong, doesn't make him better than those who aren't so makes 736 00:50:56,720 --> 00:50:58,760 him different. It makes him human. 737 00:51:00,200 --> 00:51:03,240 My dad used to tell me whenever I was growing up that I, I was 738 00:51:03,240 --> 00:51:06,840 from the Show Me state because I wouldn't believe something 739 00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:10,920 unless I saw it. I needed that essence of reality 740 00:51:10,920 --> 00:51:13,080 to see. It's not a matter of faith, it's 741 00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,360 a matter of understanding. You say, well, I don't need 742 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:16,680 understanding in order to believe. 743 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:18,840 I have faith. That's good for you and I. 744 00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:22,080 Don't mean that. Sarcastically today that's good 745 00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:24,040 for you. That could if that works for 746 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:25,800 you, great. But let me tell you what the 747 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:31,040 Bible says, because the the word is found, the word understanding 748 00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:34,560 is found 156 times in the Bible. So getting understanding is 749 00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:38,520 apparently fairly important. Here's two of them, Psalm 11. 750 00:51:38,680 --> 00:51:41,600 Psalm 111 and 10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of 751 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:43,320 wisdom. We quote that a lot. 752 00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:46,040 But it the the. Verse doesn't stop there. 753 00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:49,360 It says a good understanding have all they that do his 754 00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:55,680 commandments. Psalm 119 and 34 says give me 755 00:51:55,680 --> 00:51:59,200 understanding and I shall keep thy law. 756 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:06,920 So if understanding is what is needed in order for me to truly 757 00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:13,520 grasp what God is saying, and I've come to say today that that 758 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:16,480 doesn't make you bad, that makes you human. 759 00:52:18,240 --> 00:52:22,440 And we can stop letting our enemy of our soul abuse us. 760 00:52:23,720 --> 00:52:26,040 Yes, I. Know that Jesus told Thomas. 761 00:52:26,040 --> 00:52:28,160 Blessed are they that have not seen and have believed. 762 00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:32,160 Maybe they get a better blessing, but that does not say 763 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:35,360 that. Those who doubt never says that 764 00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:40,000 Thomas was excommunicated because he didn't, because we 765 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:44,520 see in his word that he wasn't. He remained part of the 11 766 00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:46,680 Watch. This Thomas was called by Jesus 767 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:49,960 bold enough to tell Jesus what he didn't understand because he 768 00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:52,760 wanted to understand it. And when he received 769 00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:57,080 understanding, he believed. He was part. 770 00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:00,960 Of the group that went into the upper room in Acts chapter 1, he 771 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:04,800 was there when Peter preached the Apostolic message of the 772 00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:07,880 infilling of the Holy Ghost. He was there when the Holy Ghost 773 00:53:07,880 --> 00:53:10,880 was poured out. History records that Thomas 774 00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:16,280 travelled to India in 52 AD and started preaching the Gospel and 775 00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:20,800 that he started churches from 52AD to 72AD. 776 00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:24,720 According to tradition, the enemies of Christ came up to 777 00:53:24,720 --> 00:53:30,200 Thomas and said stop preaching Jesus, stop preaching the 778 00:53:30,200 --> 00:53:34,160 resurrected Christ. And according to the history, 779 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:37,920 Thomas refused to do so. So they took a spear and they 780 00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:40,840 drove it through his body. Think about this as the 781 00:53:40,840 --> 00:53:42,680 musicians come and we close this morning. 782 00:53:42,840 --> 00:53:47,280 Think about this Thomas the disciple that didn't believe 783 00:53:47,320 --> 00:53:51,160 until he saw the spear wound in Jesus side. 784 00:53:54,400 --> 00:53:58,320 Was taken out of this. Life by a spear not much 785 00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:03,480 different than his Lord. Possibly because his questions 786 00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:08,600 were answered. His doubt was resolved because 787 00:54:08,600 --> 00:54:12,880 Jesus resolved it for him. Stayed with me this morning if 788 00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:17,880 you would please. God is not distant in your 789 00:54:17,880 --> 00:54:26,990 doubt, Brother Mason. I I I I. 790 00:54:27,430 --> 00:54:35,870 I've made too many mistakes. I don't see any biblical 791 00:54:35,870 --> 00:54:39,710 evidence that that's the truth. You might feel that way. 792 00:54:43,950 --> 00:54:47,480 Study the disciples. Study how. 793 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:48,840 Bad. They really were. 794 00:54:52,280 --> 00:54:57,400 They weren't the. Cream of the crop, Not for that 795 00:54:57,400 --> 00:55:02,560 day's society. I'm not trying to taint their 796 00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:06,040 image to you or anything, but if we're honest, they weren't the 797 00:55:06,040 --> 00:55:12,480 best of the best. They were guys who had real 798 00:55:12,720 --> 00:55:16,520 problems and they had real questions. 799 00:55:19,520 --> 00:55:27,800 And Jesus said follow me. That worked for a little over 800 00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:31,560 three years. Follow me and for three years 801 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:34,200 plus, he's teaching and he's pouring into them. 802 00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:41,040 And then at the end, standing on a mountain, when Jesus is about 803 00:55:41,040 --> 00:55:44,520 to ascend into heaven, his teaching is now over. 804 00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:50,120 Follow me is now transitioning to a new chapter. 805 00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:57,960 Follow me has now become go and teach, go and preach, go and 806 00:55:57,960 --> 00:56:03,120 sing, go and teach Sunday school class, go and greet at the front 807 00:56:03,120 --> 00:56:07,560 door, go and teach Bible studies, go and clean the 808 00:56:07,560 --> 00:56:14,320 church, go and whatever. What I've come to. 809 00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:17,040 Say in the presence of the Lord today is that we can find God in 810 00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:20,920 our doubt. Let's let God settle our doubt. 811 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:24,280 So that we. Might be used by him. 812 00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:28,160 Because there. Is nothing any of us have in our 813 00:56:28,160 --> 00:56:30,960 past that precludes us from the calling of God? 814 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:35,840 Once He says you're forgiven and you're covered. 815 00:56:38,280 --> 00:56:41,000 Find God in the doubt today. Let's lift our hands and praise 816 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:42,760 Him today. Would you lift your hand? 817 00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,360 This altar is open. If you want to pray, you can 818 00:56:45,360 --> 00:56:46,840 pray at your seat. You can pray here. 819 00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:49,200 You can pray online, joining with us this morning. 820 00:56:49,200 --> 00:56:52,400 But let's find God in our doubt today in a season of worship.