1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,640 Hello and welcome to the Church Newtown Square podcast. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,680 If we can serve you in any way or if you'd like to learn more 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,280 about our church family or the Acts 29 network, please visit us 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:24,360 at church nsq.org. That's CHVRCHNS q.org, and now 5 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,160 let's listen in to today's teaching. 6 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,280 I do have a couple of questions for you as we begin this 7 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:34,520 morning. I wonder how many of you are 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,400 clear on your assignment from God. 9 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,080 Take a moment and just think, is it crystal clear? 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,680 Is it murky or do you have no clue what you're supposed to do? 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,840 And I guess the second question is how many of you are living 12 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:03,160 with some doubt? It's an incredibly confusing 13 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,480 time. I look out across this sanctuary 14 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,960 and there's some young people and there's some younger people 15 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,640 and there's some youngest people. 16 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:21,840 And depending where you are on that young stage, I imagine this 17 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:27,640 has been an incredibly confusing time for some. 18 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,760 And maybe you're sitting here today in church and you've got 19 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,160 lots of doubts and you have lots of questions. 20 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,000 Maybe as you grow in that youngest to young stage, you 21 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,360 also have doubts as the thought of heaven draws near. 22 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,000 And so my prayer is that you would find Jesus today welcoming 23 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,360 you with his love in the midst of your doubts. 24 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,040 As Pastor Tom shared, My name is Ben Thomas, I am married to 25 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,520 Susie and we have 4 kids. I am the son of the King of 26 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,400 Kings and Lord of Lords. Now I'm going to share something 27 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,000 with you that I hope doesn't disqualify everything else I'm 28 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,560 going to say. I was born in Brooklyn, grew up 29 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,080 on Long Island. I was cheering for the Sixers 30 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,360 last night because I'm so excited for the Sixers and 31 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,680 Knicks to be able to play over these next few weeks. 32 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,840 I've been knowingly walking with the Lord since I was 17. 33 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:35,080 That was a little over 30 years ago, and I'm grateful though 34 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,280 that He's been walking with me for my entire life. 35 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,640 Susie and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this 36 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,880 year. And in those 25 years, we've 37 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:51,720 lived in India, we've lived in Rwanda, we've seen God bless us 38 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:56,040 with children. We've seen God walk us through a 39 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,200 brain tumor while Susie was pregnant. 40 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,680 We've seen God heal Susie of that brain tumor. 41 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,520 And we walk by faith in God's manna and quail every day. 42 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,840 So those 25 years have been a gift. 43 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:20,560 From 2014 to 2024, we lived in Kigali, Rwanda, where we were 44 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:25,440 part of the Kigali International Community School, a school not 45 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,360 that dissimilar from Delaware County Christian School. 46 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,080 And we've now made Philadelphia our home over the last two 47 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,480 years. I like to say we live in a 48 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,320 forest near Skippack, PA. I had the joy of having 49 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,920 breakfast with Pastor Tom and we discovered many mutual 50 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,160 connections and he was gracious enough to invite me to worship 51 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,320 with you all today. And my prayer is that the Lord 52 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,960 would use us to mutually encourage and bless each other 53 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,920 as we seek to live for Christ and His Kingdom here on earth. 54 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,160 I'm an educator, I'm a minister, a missionary. 55 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,320 I love God's Word, and it's a joy to open up Matthew 28 as you 56 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,640 continue in your study on Matthew. 57 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,480 May God's power, spirit, and understanding be ours as we open 58 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,600 His Word together. If you would stand with me as we 59 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:32,600 read Matthew chapter 28. Now after the Sabbath, so 60 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,840 meaning Sunday morning, as it began to dawn toward the first 61 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,880 day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look 62 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:45,000 at the grave, and behold, the severe earthquake had occurred. 63 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,000 For an Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came 64 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,240 and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 65 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,200 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as 66 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,920 white as snow. The guard shook for fear of him, 67 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:03,360 and became like dead men. The Angel said to the women, do 68 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,280 not be afraid, for I know that you're looking for Jesus, who 69 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:11,760 has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen 70 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,760 just as he said. Come see the place where he was 71 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,240 living lying. Go quickly and tell his 72 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,000 disciples that he is risen from the dead. 73 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,920 And behold, he is going ahead of you into Galilee. 74 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,280 There you'll see him. Behold, I have told you. 75 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,800 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran 76 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,240 to report it to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and 77 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,800 greeted them, and they came up and took hold of his feet and 78 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,080 worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not 79 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,160 be afraid. Go and take word to my brethren 80 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,320 to leave for Galilee, and there they will see me. 81 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,240 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into 82 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,360 the city and reported to the chief priest all that had 83 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,720 happened. And when they had assembled with 84 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,320 the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum 85 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,360 of money to the soldiers, and said, You were to say, his 86 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:13,400 disciples came by night and stole him away while we were 87 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,000 asleep. And if this should come to the 88 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,720 governor's ear, we will win him over and keep you out of 89 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,160 trouble. And they took the money and did 90 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,840 as they had been instructed. And this story was widely spread 91 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:29,120 among the Jews, and is to this day. 92 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,200 But the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain 93 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,440 which Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they 94 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,480 worshipped him, but some were doubtful. 95 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,920 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has 96 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,960 been given to me in heaven and on earth. 97 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:53,280 Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 98 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:56,160 them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 99 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,880 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. 100 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:04,480 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 101 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,240 Let's pray, Jesus, we come before you, we come before your 102 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,640 word. Holy Spirit, would you lead and 103 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,680 guide us? Would each of us indeed decrease 104 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,240 and would you increase in these moments? 105 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:18,680 Speak to us. We pray through the power of 106 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,160 your spirit in Christ's name, Amen. 107 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:27,920 Just I'm going to share a little bit of my contact information 108 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,760 for you. I just kind of find that 109 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,240 preaching is one of the most unique forms of communication 110 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,640 that we've come up with where I don't know about you, but 111 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:44,040 there's no other setting where somebody talks for 35 minutes 112 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,120 and you don't ask questions, right? 113 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,600 That I don't know if that works for your kids, but that 114 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,880 certainly doesn't work for mine, for the teachers in the room, 115 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,960 that certainly doesn't work in a classroom. 116 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,800 And so I don't know if you're the type of church that you 117 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,760 could just raise your hand and ask me a question while I'm 118 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:04,840 preaching. So if you have any questions, 119 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,640 feel free. I would love to be able to 120 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:12,160 dialogue with you if you have any questions along the way. 121 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:17,600 And yeah, just know that there's no question that's off limit, 122 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,640 but my desire not only during this time, but that God's word 123 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:26,560 would continue to transform my heart and your heart as we go 124 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:31,000 through together. You have to understand that 125 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:37,120 Matthew 28 is probably the most profound passage that God has 126 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,720 used to shape my life. God began His call on my life 127 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:46,360 when I was 18 years old at a student missions conference 128 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:50,960 called Urbana. He used Acts 1 verses 7 to 8, 129 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:53,560 which is another version of this Commission. 130 00:08:54,920 --> 00:09:00,840 And since then, God has ordered my steps in such a way that I 131 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,560 have been pointed towards what does it mean to go and make 132 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:09,680 disciples of all the nations? So when Pastor Tom said, hey, 133 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,120 we're concluding Matthew, and you could preach anything out of 134 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,520 Matthew, I thought, wow, that's great. 135 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,080 And one thing I've been wrestling with since Easter 136 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:27,000 Sunday has been what happened in those days between the initial 137 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,800 appearance of Jesus before he ascended. 138 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,520 And so I've had the joy of reading through each of the 139 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:40,560 gospel accounts to see what took place in that time. 140 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,960 And so it's a joy for me today to be able to say that there 141 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:50,040 wasn't necessarily a clear line up and to the right, which is 142 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:55,160 how I like lines to work for me. In terms of how the disciples 143 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:01,320 took on this resurrection of Jesus, they had some serious 144 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,960 doubt every time that Jesus appeared. 145 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:11,320 Even if they finished one time with rejoicing and worship, the 146 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,120 next time Jesus appears they're doubtful. 147 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:19,360 So I want to as we look at this message called Commissioned by 148 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:25,280 Christ, I want to spend some time with this thin line between 149 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,240 belief and doubt. What does it mean to live 150 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:34,000 between belief and doubt? And living believe between 151 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,200 belief and doubt does not disqualify us from Christ's 152 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,240 love. So if you're here this morning 153 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:48,360 and you have some doubts, I want you to know that there's even a 154 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:54,080 disciple named Doubting Thomas. You're in an OK space. 155 00:10:54,840 --> 00:11:00,560 Jesus can handle your doubts. I want you to know that if you 156 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:04,880 have questions, Jesus can handle your questions. 157 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,440 Your doubts do not disqualify you from Christ's love. 158 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,480 Matthew first invites us to see the exchange between Mary and 159 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,840 Mary in verses one through 6 on Easter morning. 160 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,760 Each account of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 161 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:27,160 have a viewpoint of this exchange between Mary and Mary 162 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,400 and an Angel. We can go to the next slide if 163 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,520 that's helpful. Let me just read again verses 164 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,520 one through 6. Now after the Sabbath, as it 165 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:40,480 began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene 166 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,120 and the other Mary came to look at the grave and behold, the 167 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,520 severe earthquake had occurred. For an Angel of the Lord 168 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:51,080 descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and 169 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,880 sat upon it. And his appearance was like 170 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,760 lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 171 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,040 The guards, and keep this in mind for a little bit later, 172 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,760 shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 173 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:10,320 The Angel says to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that 174 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,160 you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. 175 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:18,200 He is not here, for he has risen just as he said. 176 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,200 Come see the place where he was lying. 177 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,440 So we see Mary and Mary approaching the grave. 178 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:29,120 We see an earthquake that takes place and an Angel descend from 179 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:34,440 heaven and roll away the tomb. In Mark's account, he lets us 180 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,760 know as Mary and Mary were approaching, they wonder a very 181 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,720 practical question. How are we going to move the 182 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,120 stone? I don't know how big this stone 183 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,400 was, but I think that's a very practical question as they're 184 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,440 walking to this grave. Returning to Matthew's account, 185 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,200 we see the guards are trembling and look like dead men as they 186 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,440 see the Angel. The Angel now speaks to Mary and 187 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:06,200 Mary and says in verse 5, do not be afraid for I know that you're 188 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,640 looking for Jesus who's been crucified. 189 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:14,800 The Angel sees this wrestle in their heart of fear and assures 190 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,080 them do not be afraid. Then comes the line that we 191 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,520 celebrate and sometimes greet each other with on Easter 192 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:25,640 morning. He is not here, He has risen. 193 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:29,600 We see the Angel instruct them to go and tell the disciples. 194 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,480 In Mark's account, we see the Angel say go, tell the disciples 195 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,280 and Peter. We'll come back to that a little 196 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,920 bit later. Peter, of course, had denied 197 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,640 Jesus three times. The Angel wants to make sure 198 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,680 that Peter is included. They do this and they do it. 199 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,360 In verse 9 of Matthew's account, we see Jesus meet these ladies. 200 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:56,480 They take hold of His feet and they worship. 201 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:04,880 Their belief leads to worship Mary and Mary are a great 202 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,400 example of turning our doubt to worship. 203 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:14,200 They asked them hard questions, they took every step along the 204 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,000 way, and when they are encountered with Jesus, their 205 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,760 response is worship. They fall at his feet and they 206 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:28,880 worship him, Mary and Mary. The good example you could say 207 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,880 of doubt to worship. Well, what happens when our 208 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:38,560 belief turns to doubt? You can go to the next slide if 209 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,360 you like. Let's focus quickly on the 210 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:46,400 disciple Thomas, who for me and millions of other Indian 211 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:51,880 believers, we derive our name as he came to India in the year 52, 212 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,800 we believe is a direct result of this Commission. 213 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:01,400 He traveled further than any other disciple, even though he 214 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,800 was called Doubting Thomas. In John 20, we see a similar 215 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,280 account of the resurrection, and we see in greater detail 216 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,440 interactions between Jesus and his disciples. 217 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:16,960 Starting in verse 19, we see Jesus showing them his hands and 218 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:20,240 his feet. We see the disciples rejoice, 219 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,960 and we see Him give them instructions. 220 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:29,120 But John also notes that Thomas was not with them when Jesus 221 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:33,320 appeared in this instance. And Thomas responds to his 222 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:40,160 disciple friends full of doubt and saying in verse 25, Unless I 223 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:45,320 see in his hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into 224 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:50,200 the place of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will 225 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:55,720 not believe. Have you ever had a friend or 226 00:15:55,720 --> 00:16:00,040 maybe parents in the room who are so excited to tell their kid 227 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:05,720 about an idea, and the kid responds with, yeah, So what? 228 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,000 Yeah, that's fine for you, but not for me. 229 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,680 I'm not going to believe it. That was Thomas's response here. 230 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:21,480 Let's pause for a moment. Does doubt seem to be a normal 231 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:27,080 reaction we have in life? Does Thomas's request seem 232 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:32,760 outrageous or justified? I think sometimes in the Easter 233 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:38,120 retelling of the story, we miss this line between belief and 234 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,840 doubt. My prayer and my encouragement 235 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:46,440 for us is that living between belief and doubt does not 236 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,640 disqualify us from Christ's love. 237 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,960 Jesus can handle your biggest doubts and your biggest 238 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,320 questions. You don't have to have it all 239 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,840 figured out before you come to Him. 240 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:02,600 He doesn't need you all cleaned up and neat. 241 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,680 He loves your mess. He loves you and he loves me. 242 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,839 Let's see how Jesus responds to Thomas's doubts. 243 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:20,599 Verse 26 of John 8:20 days his disciples were again inside, and 244 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,880 Thomas with them. Jesus comes, the doors having 245 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,160 been shut, and stands in their midst, and says, Peace be with 246 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,920 you. Then he says to Thomas, Reach 247 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,920 here with your finger, and see my hands, and reach here your 248 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,480 hand, and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but 249 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,400 believing. Thomas answers and says to him, 250 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:48,400 My Lord and my God, Jesus says to him, Because you have seen 251 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,800 me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see 252 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,560 and yet believe. Pause for a moment. 253 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:03,720 Did you catch that small detail? Jesus didn't show up right away 254 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,640 to answer Thomas's doubts 8 days later. 255 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:14,200 What those eight days signify is that Thomas was in Jerusalem for 256 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:17,480 the full amount of time of the Passover and the Feast of 257 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,720 Unleavened Bread. This was the second Sunday. 258 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,480 Jesus doesn't step into Thomas's doubt right away. 259 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,520 Thomas had to sit with his questions. 260 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:31,480 Why did Jesus appear to the others and not to me? 261 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:36,720 Could he not have waited? Are they really telling the 262 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,480 truth? Why didn't he appear to me? 263 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:44,920 Is he going to come back? We haven't seen him since. 264 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:51,160 Just maybe a few questions that this doubting Thomas thinks 265 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,840 might have been going through Thomas's mind. 266 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,280 But when Jesus appears to him as the doors are shut, and every 267 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,400 time the gospels talk about Jesus appearing, it's referenced 268 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:11,200 as a manifestation. So did Jesus just like arrive? 269 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:15,760 Did he find his way through the door? 270 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,480 We don't know. But we know the door was shut 271 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,120 and it doesn't say the door was open. 272 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:24,680 And then Jesus appeared and he says peace be with you. 273 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,320 He does not greet Thomas with condemnation. 274 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,760 He greets him with the message of peace. 275 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,720 And he says, reach here with your finger, see my hands. 276 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:43,440 Jesus answers everyone of Thomas's doubts specifically. 277 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:49,480 He does not ridicule him. He literally answers and has him 278 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,840 touch him. He makes it so concrete that 279 00:19:53,840 --> 00:20:03,080 Thomas's doubts are not met with anger, but with peace, with 280 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:07,360 grace, with the physical answer, and also with the command. 281 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:14,960 He says to him, don't be unbelieving, but believe you've 282 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,080 believed Thomas because you've seen. 283 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,400 Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe. 284 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,600 Friends, here at church today, we have an opportunity to 285 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,840 believe in a way that the disciples didn't. 286 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:34,520 We don't get to feel with our own hands, and yet God invites 287 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,320 us to believe. I don't know what you're 288 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:41,520 wrestling with and the thin line that you're living between 289 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,280 belief and doubt. Maybe it's a doubt about Jesus 290 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:49,360 and his love for you. Maybe it's a health concern that 291 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:52,480 you have. Maybe it's a financial issue. 292 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,760 Maybe you're wondering what's happening in our world and in 293 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,480 our country. Maybe you're thinking, can I get 294 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,680 a ticket to the PGA Championship, right? 295 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:07,760 I don't know what the doubt is. Could be small, could be big, 296 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,360 could be practical, could be existential. 297 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,240 But I want you to know that Jesus wants to meet you in your 298 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,240 doubt. My prayer is that your doubt, 299 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:23,440 that you would know that your doubt does not disqualify you. 300 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,280 If anything, your doubt puts you in good company, or at least in 301 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,120 the company of one of his disciples named Thomas. 302 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:37,280 Now, friends, there's lots of stories that I could share about 303 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:42,080 our life, but let me just share quickly and briefly. 304 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,520 When a doctor comes and tells you your wife has two to three 305 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:53,080 years to live and she's pregnant with your youngest, it's a great 306 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,400 opportunity to work through doubt and faith. 307 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:04,160 And we held on to this idea of manna and quail that God was 308 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:08,400 going to provide what we needed in that moment for that day. 309 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:14,280 And it was a great discipline that we didn't do great at, but 310 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:18,080 God's grace covered our deficiencies to say, what do we 311 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:22,440 need today? And so I talked to you as one 312 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:29,120 who is a doubting Thomas. I can break down every aspect of 313 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:33,120 my life and tell you where and how I doubt Jesus. 314 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,240 But I could also testify that God has met every single one of 315 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,840 my doubts. I love working with young 316 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,040 people, and so if you're a young person, I'm going to put that in 317 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,600 the category of 35 and below because the way you grew up is 318 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,960 different than people who grew up who are older than 40. 319 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:59,280 There are some serious doubts that you have, and I want you to 320 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,840 know Jesus wants to meet you in your doubts. 321 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:07,280 Those doubts don't disqualify you and you don't have to figure 322 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:10,760 it out. The next thing is, and I'll do 323 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:15,000 this really quickly, the cover up following Christ is not a 324 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:19,440 pursuit of increasing our power. This next part of Matthew 28 is 325 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,320 super interesting. We see the belief of Mary, but 326 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:27,440 then in verses 11 to 15, we see a parallel story of the guards. 327 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:31,560 The guards come to the city, the same guards who are frightened 328 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:35,200 and appear like dead men. I imagine that they were just 329 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:44,680 like. And let's not forget the 330 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:49,320 centurions who guarded Jesus. They were the first ones 331 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:55,480 accounted in the Bible to say after the crucifixion, this was 332 00:23:55,480 --> 00:24:01,720 truly the Son of God. So these guards who were put 333 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,240 there by the chief priests and the Pharisees, and you can read 334 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:11,800 about that in Matthew 27, you see the same guard saying, hey, 335 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:16,720 the bodies no longer here, no longer here. 336 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,640 They go to the chief priests and the Pharisees and in true 337 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,480 fashion they say, hey, let's cover this up. 338 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:30,760 Here's here's a bag of cash. Here's what the Pharisees and 339 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:32,960 the chief priests wanted to do with their doubt. 340 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:38,000 They wanted to cover it up. They wanted to make sure that 341 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:44,200 their doubt was so buried behind a couple of bags of cash that 342 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:48,560 that's how they wanted to answer their doubt because their doubt 343 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:51,800 would have led to a very different life for them. 344 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:57,160 And so I think my encouragement to you is, it's OK to have 345 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,440 doubts. I believe that Jesus looks 346 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,520 kindly and gently on our doubts, but I do believe that he does 347 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:12,080 not invite us to follow him for any personal, institutional, or 348 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:16,400 national power. Much as the Pharisees and chief 349 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:20,640 priests are examples of what not to do, I think it's wise for us 350 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:26,840 to consider how white, how might we be conflating or mixing Jesus 351 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:31,080 and power? It's a tricky world we're living 352 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:34,480 in, and our young people are looking to us for examples of 353 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:39,360 Christ and his love. Jesus says the greatest of you 354 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:46,960 shall be a servant the least. The first shall be the last. 355 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:52,040 If you want to follow me, wash each other's feet. 356 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:57,520 It's not an example of accumulating more for us. 357 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:02,720 And this example, I think the gospel writers put in there of 358 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:04,960 people who wanted to accumulate more. 359 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:10,000 And so, friends, let's make every effort not to substitute 360 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,920 pursuing Jesus as a means to increase our standing in the 361 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:20,240 world in any way, personally, financially, institutionally, or 362 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,440 even nationally and geographically. 363 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,480 There's obviously more we could say about that and unpack that 364 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,160 as well. But let's move to the 365 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,840 commissioning, which comes up on our next slide. 366 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,520 Our doubts do not determine our assignment. 367 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:42,640 The final part of this passage is called the Great Commission. 368 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,520 This passage is in all the versions, including Acts in some 369 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:51,920 way, and as I've shared, have had a profound impact on my 370 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,600 life. Let's read verses 16 to 20 from 371 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,600 Matthew 28. But the 11 disciples proceeded 372 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,400 to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 373 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,920 When they saw him. They worshipped, but some were 374 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:11,360 doubtful. And Jesus comes and speaks to 375 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:15,840 them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and 376 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,800 on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples 377 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:22,480 of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father 378 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,600 and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 379 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,120 that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, 380 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:35,960 even to the end of the age. Now one thing that's really 381 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:40,200 important to see, even though we're reading 1 chapter, this 382 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,600 chapter takes place over a period of time. 383 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,360 The journey from Jerusalem is not a one day journey. 384 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:52,480 It's about 70 to 90 miles. The fast way is about 3 to 5 385 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:54,680 days. The slow way is about 7 to 9 386 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,200 days. And to get up to the mountain, 387 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,440 you've got to have some good hiking skills. 388 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,720 So even though I could read like this happened all in one time, 389 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:11,120 this was overtime that this is happening and I love this. 390 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,760 We see in verse 17 as the disciples get to Galilee, they 391 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:21,440 see Jesus and they worship and go ahead. 392 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:26,280 If you're OK with writing in your Bible circle the phrase, 393 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:33,720 but some were doubtful. And what do we see Jesus do? 394 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,160 Do we say, OK, the doubters, you guys are on the right. 395 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:42,760 I just want to talk to those who were fully convinced He 396 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,920 commissions all of them, even the ones with their doubt. 397 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,720 Was it not enough that he had already appeared to them? 398 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,880 Apparently no, they still doubt it. 399 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,640 But Jesus commissions all of them. 400 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,560 Friends, our doubts do not determine our assignment. 401 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:07,880 The assignment God gives is not dependent on our strength, our 402 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:12,600 smarts, our belief. It's solely based on who Christ 403 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,840 is. The Great Commission is a 404 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:19,360 perfect example of this, and I'll go quickly through the 405 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,000 Great Commission. Whose authority? 406 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:28,560 It's Jesus's authority. His authority supersedes any 407 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,040 other authority, the authority of the chief priest and the 408 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:36,400 Pharisees, the authority of the Romans, the authorities of any 409 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:42,600 nation on earth. Go or in the translation, it 410 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,960 should be as you are going, make disciples of all the nations. 411 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,400 So it's not necessarily a destination, but it's on the 412 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,560 journey. Be making disciples. 413 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:57,560 Parents. This is a word to us as we're 414 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,960 parenting in these years. Make disciples of our kids. 415 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,520 That's our first and primary responsibility. 416 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,560 As you're living in your community, make disciples. 417 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,160 This is not necessarily just a passage for missionaries to be 418 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,680 sent overseas, although I believe in that so much. 419 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:22,160 This is a as you're living, as you're rooting for the Sixers 420 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:27,200 this week, make disciples. As you're at school, make 421 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,320 disciples. As you're at work, make 422 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:33,880 disciples. And the term disciples Jesus 423 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:38,520 used over and over again, those are ones who followed him, who 424 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:43,440 doubted, who denied him, who were shut in in Jerusalem. 425 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:51,520 And the Gospel, the book of Acts shares the stories of how the 426 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,800 disciples went about living out this Commission. 427 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:58,920 And then he says, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son 428 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:02,720 and Holy Spirit, the Trinity. And then he says, teach them to 429 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:04,760 observe everything I've commanded you. 430 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:10,240 And when the disciples asked him or the question was asked of 431 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:12,000 Jesus, what's the greatest commandment? 432 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:15,400 What did he say? Love God with all your heart, 433 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:19,000 soul, mind and strength. And the second is like it, love 434 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:23,400 your neighbor as yourself. I'm not discounting a seminary 435 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,560 degree. I have one and I enjoyed it. 436 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:28,880 But you do not need to be seminary trained to go and make 437 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,880 disciples. It is not for a professional 438 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:37,400 Christian only to do. We all have this assignment from 439 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:44,360 God to go and make disciples. And then he says I am with you 440 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,280 always. Teach them to observe everything 441 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:51,880 I've commanded you and I am with you always, even to the end of 442 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,280 the age. No one is excluded. 443 00:31:55,560 --> 00:32:00,280 This is not a Jewish only call. It's not a male only call. 444 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:04,800 This is all people, every man, every woman, every child. 445 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,160 National boundaries are not reasons for exclusion. 446 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,520 Religious beliefs are not reasons for exclusion. 447 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:18,640 And as they do this, Jesus is with them in every moment. 448 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:28,520 Now I'll, if you want to look at the story of Peter in John 21, 449 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,200 we're not going to jump through that now because I want to be 450 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,800 sensitive to our time. But you see Jesus not only 451 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:41,640 restoring Peter, but in John chapter 21, you see him say 452 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:47,040 follow me in verse 19. And what does Peter do? 453 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:52,560 The great denier? He doesn't say yes, what does he 454 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:56,000 do? He looks around and says, what 455 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,040 about that guy? What are you doing for him? 456 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:04,400 Hey, what about her assignment? What about his assignment? 457 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:10,480 What why is this my assignment? And Jesus says, what is it to 458 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:15,160 you what I do with him? You, Peter, you follow me. 459 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,400 So I do not know the specific assignment that God has for you, 460 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,360 but I do know He has an assignment for you. 461 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:30,680 May you not falter. May you not give up on the 462 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:33,400 specific assignment that God has for you. 463 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,440 If you have questions about your assignment, if you have 464 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:44,040 questions about God's call over your life, I see some high 465 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:47,800 school students here. I see some young people here. 466 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:51,680 If you're wondering what does this mean for me, please let's 467 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:55,600 have a conversation. I believe God can use those that 468 00:33:55,600 --> 00:34:00,760 are young, younger, and youngest for His purposes and His 469 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:04,240 Kingdom. No matter where you are on that 470 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:09,400 stage, if you're in your 70s, eighties or above or a little 471 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,800 younger than that, God wants to use you. 472 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,800 He wants you to have every day on purpose for Him. 473 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,080 Now, friends, I'd love just to share a little bit about our 474 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:28,000 ministry of Beat of the World. You've seen a brief video and we 475 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:29,800 can go to the next slide if we want. 476 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:36,360 But did you know that there are more people living, more 477 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,639 children living in countries impacted by war? 478 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:42,400 Then there are people living in America. 479 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:47,440 America has something just north of 300 million people. 480 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:53,199 Today there are 520 million children who are impacted by 481 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:56,880 war. We currently serve in five 482 00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:59,320 countries. You guys could skip ahead to the 483 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,640 map and we develop schools in these countries. 484 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,640 You might ask why school? I believe school is a great 485 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:10,520 place. I believe a school led by a 486 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:13,960 believer is an incredible tool to be used in God's Kingdom. 487 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:20,080 My assignment from God is to help share the gospel with the 488 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:24,280 520 million children who are impacted by war by building 489 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:27,000 great schools. So we have schools in South 490 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:28,960 Sudan. You saw a little glimpse of 491 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:35,840 Cameroon, Rwanda, where we served Pakistan, where we serve 492 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:37,880 children of persecuted Christians. 493 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:42,880 And we're getting the we're getting started in Iraq as well. 494 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,400 Just a few weeks ago, we got our registration to operate in 495 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,080 northern Iraq and are in the process with Iraq itself. 496 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,600 I believe every parent wants a great education for their child, 497 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:59,280 and so when we go in with a school, it's open to people from 498 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:03,800 all backgrounds and all faiths. Also, most studies show that the 499 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:09,680 years of ages 4 to 14 are when people are the most receptive to 500 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:12,920 the message of Christ. Friends, we'd love to have you 501 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,240 join us as a church or individually. 502 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,400 There's a sign up sheet in the back if you'd like to leave your 503 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,480 information. If serving children in countries 504 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:25,880 recovering from war, if reaching kids who are living in unreached 505 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:30,480 countries, if serving some marginalized Christian is a 506 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,560 place where you'd like some of your Great Commission focus to 507 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,360 be, we would love to talk to you. 508 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:39,880 Please text me or give me your number. 509 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:41,720 Would love to set up a conversation. 510 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:45,520 And of course, we'd love to have you join our global partners 511 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:49,560 today by signing up for a monthly or one time gift at our 512 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:55,120 website, beatoftheworld.org. As we conclude, I just want to 513 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,840 say thank you so much for your time. 514 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,640 If you have questions or want to talk to someone about your 515 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,080 doubts, please know that I'd be honored to talk with you. 516 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,200 God has a call over each one of our lives. 517 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:14,760 The Commission is so clear. Because of the authority of 518 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:20,120 Jesus, we can go and make disciples of all the nations and 519 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,440 that doesn't involve us having to get on an airplane to do it. 520 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:28,320 We can do it in our daily life. May we walk in great faith 521 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:32,160 knowing that Jesus is with us, and may we be OK with the mix of 522 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:34,720 doubts and belief as we live for Him. 523 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,400 I'm grateful that we've each been commissioned by Christ and 524 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:43,480 our doubts do not exclude us. The sermon you've just listened 525 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,720 to is a presentation of Church Newtown Square. 526 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,360 To find out more about our church, check out Church 527 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:57,400 nsq.org. That's CHVRCHNS q.org. 528 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:00,920 You are welcome to copy and distribute this sermon to others 529 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,720 as long as you do not do it for commercial purposes or alter, 530 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,840 transform, or build upon this talk in any way.