08/24/25 – Harrisonburg campus: Five Keys of John, Key Four, Erasing Doubt – Pastor Janette Berge

The Apostle Thomas… (pause) I wonder if he was a good bowler. Now, most of you know me well enough to know I’m not exactly… gifted when it comes to sports. I’m about to tell you something, but I’ll warn you: most of you probably won’t believe me.” I actually won a game of bowling against my family last week? (Beats look around) And how many of you would need some proof? Well, in that first game, I scored a 163—and yes, I got six strikes. Still doubting me? That’s fair. Honestly, I would doubt me too. Which is why—I came prepared.” Slide: Show a pic of the scoreboard… proof. “How many of you would believe me if I told you I actually won the second game too? both scores I did- it wasn’t as high as the first, but I still came out on top with a 119. Now, I really don’t blame those of you who were skeptical. Honestly, I would’ve been skeptical too. I was just as surprised as you are! Sometimes, it’s hard to take someone’s word for it. Sometimes, we just need proof. And that’s exactly where Thomas found himself. When he heard the others saying, ‘We’ve seen the Lord!’ he just couldn’t accept it without evidence. He needed to see Jesus with his own eyes before he could believe.” This week, we will be in John 20:24-31. Review We have been going through a series titled Keys of John. Pastor Billy and Pastor Kevin have shared that the central purpose of John’s Gospel is to lead the reader to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. John uses the word “believe” 98 times in this book, with each story serving as a testimony that Jesus is the Messiah, and that He lived, died, and was resurrected. John wants us to be CERTAIN about Jesus. In Week 2, Pastor Kevin reminded us through the story of Lazarus that Jesus is love. He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and He loves you and me. Last week, we examined how Jesus responded to the adulterous woman with love and forgiveness. He stooped down and restored her honor, showing Himself as a God who forgives.

Jesus is forgiveness So far, all these stories are ones we can relate to. We have all experienced grief, longed for love and comfort, and fallen short of the glory of God. We all know the need for forgiveness. However, when it comes to doubt and questioning, many may feel shame or guilt. I came to know the Lord at the age of 24 and when I asked a question about something that I didn't understand or doubted, I felt I "should know the answer" so I often hesitated to ask the question. Somewhere along the way, we’ve been made to feel guilty for asking questions about our faith. In faith, sometimes we are expected to believe just because the Bible says so or because the pastor says so. But the truth is this: it is through questions, often sparked by doubt, that our faith can grow deeper and our relationship with God can become stronger. Doubt isn’t the end of faith—it’s often the beginning of a deeper journey. After Jesus’ death, after He had been placed in the tomb, and after Mary, John, Peter, and the other disciples discovered the tomb was empty, Jesus appeared to His disciples. He made Himself visible and spent 40 days teaching them. Today's scripture drops us in right at the start of Jesus "come back" Let’s read John 20:19-22:

"On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again, Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that, He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. v24 "Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came."

Anyone struggle with FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out? Talk about a bad day to be absent! Thomas must have had serious FOMO. Forty days of hanging out with Jesus, and Thomas wasn’t there for the first visit. Slide: "So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.'" Thomas missed it! He only hears from the other disciples, “Thomas, guess who came to visit us? "Who?" "Jesus!” “ yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.” And as a result, Thomas is given a nickname! NICKNAMES: Who has a nickname? Anyone know what they called Brian Charette back in the day, when he was a DJ? Slide: BC in the Morning. Catchy, don't you think? Can you imagine my surprise when I found out from his momma, that Kirby Dean's real name is not really Kirby. Kirby is his nickname. It's Gerald. Pastor Kevin, is often referred to as Griff or Rev Kev. We used to call my oldest daughter, "Google" cause when she was in HS she thought she knew everything. Now many of you might remember that I once had the nickname "Lala" on the softball field. I received a few nicknames as a kid. “Chubby” was my least favorite, “Chubs” for short. But the one that probably suited me best was was "Llorona" which means, crybaby in Spanish. And that name was rightfully given, because I was and still am a crier. Slide: Show Picture of me Crying Nicknames sometimes define your character or your personality. The disciple, Thomas, is often known as “Doubting Thomas.” Because he "doubted" that Jesus rose. Thomas knew Jesus had been crucified.. And though he knew the grave was empty, he couldn’t yet grasp what that meant—that Jesus was alive. It went against everything he had seen and known. His doubt wasn’t stubbornness; it was based on what he had experienced. Let’s face it, Thomas’s heart was broken (pause). And doubt has a way of creeping in when you are in the valley. When I think of the times that I have doubted God's faithfulness and goodness, it has been in times of darkness, fear and despair. There is nothing satan likes to do more than to kick you when you are already feeling down. Before we know it, our enemy will use our doubt against us and start feeding us with lies. The disciples had the evidence. It’s one thing to hear about Jesus, but it’s another thing entirely to encounter Him for yourself. They had seen Jesus alive. They had experienced His presence firsthand. And yet, even as they told Thomas what had happened, he had not yet encountered Jesus' presence himself. The disciples tried to convey it to him: “We have seen the Lord!” But hearing about it is not the same as experiencing it for yourself. You can hear how it happens for others. The word of the testimony is important, but it doesn’t fully connect until you encounter it personally. That’s what Thomas needed— to experience the presence of Jesus for himself. Someone said, "Doubt is one foot lifted, poised to step forward or backward. There is no motion until the foot comes down." Doubting is something we have all experienced. Our human minds are simply trying to wrap around the things we hear and learn about God and the immense love He has for us. To doubt out loud is better than disbelief in silence. Doubting leads to questions, questions lead to answers, and when answers are accepted and understood, doubt can move you forward in your faith. Let’s continue with verses 26-28: "A week later…" I can only imagine the wrestling that took place in Thomas's mind for 8 days. The questions he might have asked out loud or in his head. "Did Jesus really come and I missed it?" "Then again, I did see him raise Lazarus from the dead after three days, but that was someone else.” "If Jesus is alive, what does it mean?” Thomas, doubting, makes sense. It was true to his character. Ever have a friend who was bound to say out loud what everyone was thinking. Thomas was like that… We see several times in scripture when Thomas asked the questions that others may have been thinking but were too afraid to ask. For example when Jesus said that He was going away and that He was going to prepare a place for the disciples and would come again for them (John 14:2-4) everyone else was silent. When it seemed no one else would speak up, Thomas asked “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way” A few weeks ago, when reading the story of Lazarus, Thomas was the brave one who stood up and said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” v26 "The disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them." Despite Thomas's doubt, he still chose to be in fellowship with others. He didn't retract in his doubt, but stayed connected to those who believed. v26-27 "The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. 'Peace be with you,' He said. Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. (And, then, with one of the 98 times it is mentioned in the book of John, Jesus says) Believe!' v28 'My Lord and my God!' Thomas exclaimed." Jesus met Thomas right where He was. (He does that for you too.) Never think the God of the universe is intimidated by your doubt. He knows that what we really need is a personal encounter with Him. Jesus came to Thomas and left no doubt that He was alive. "Here are my hands, go ahead touch them, my side, go ahead, check it out!" (Janette Paraphrase) JESUS IS… the One who turns doubt into faith See, this story isn't at all about doubt, it is about faith. Thomas shouldn't be known as "doubting Thomas" but as "faithful Thomas". Thomas is believed to have died as a martyr in India around 72 AD. Thomas ultimately became a devoted follower of Jesus, and his story is used as an example of faith and belief. How do we deal with doubt? We ACT on our doubt. A.C.T. A – Ask - Speak your questions instead of keeping them to yourself. Doubt invites honest conversation. Staying silent about our doubts isolates and makes us feel like we’re alone. Early in my faith journey—I doubted the existence of God. I had just gone through a miscarriage. I was pregnant again, and doctors thought I might miscarry a second time. I remember vividly sitting on the steps of my home, crying, and wondering if God was even real. I thought, “If there really is a God who loves me, why would He allow me to go through this twice? Wasn’t once painful enough?” I voiced my doubts out loud to the very God I was questioning. And I also shared them with a friend. She gently walked me through the Scriptures and reassured me that God was very real and that He understood the pain I was carrying. Looking back, Jesus used that moment to strengthen my faith. What felt like the lowest point became a turning point—a pivotal moment in my walk with Him. You may not have had the same experience, but you might have questions like, “If God is with me, why do I feel alone?” " If God provides, why am I in debt?" "If God answers prayers, why is my family broken?" "If God is good, why would all those little girls at a Christian camp die in a flood." If God has a plan for my life, why isn't He filling me in on the plan?" We have all had the questions.

• Research shows that a child’s understanding of the world grows most rapidly between the ages of 3 and 5—their ‘Why?’ stage. Why do the birds chirp? Why does the plane fly? Why is the sky blue? ‘Why? Why? Why?’ Every answer sparks another question. This relentless curiosity is a natural part of learning and discovery.
• It’s no wonder Jesus tells us to come to Him like little children. Humble, curious, and unafraid to ask questions, children remind us that faith isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about a heart willing to seek, learn, and trust. C – Connect Seek God personally. Hearing about Him from others isn’t enough. Faith grows when it becomes personal. Experiencing God transforms belief into trust. You can hear friends describe how amazing a concert was, or how breathtaking a sunrise looked, but it doesn’t truly impact you until you witness it for yourself. The truth doesn’t fully sink in until it became personal. That’s exactly what Thomas needed: a firsthand encounter with Jesus, not just secondhand reports from the disciples. And this is why Jesus invites us to seek Him with intentionality. As Matthew 6:33 says, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ When we actively pursue God, when we move beyond hearing to seeking and experiencing Him for ourselves, our faith grows stronger, our trust deepens, and we discover the reality of His presence in our lives. T – Trust -Let your doubts be answered. When met with truth, faith grows stronger. After Jesus showed Thomas His hands and side, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Doubt didn’t destroy his faith. It strengthened it. When we face our questions honestly and allow God to answer, our trust deepens and becomes unshakable. You may know the name Lee Strobel. He was an award-winning journalist for the Chicago Tribune – who was also an atheist and the ultimate doubter. He spent two years trying to disprove the reality of Jesus and the resurrection. He failed. Show the video: (1:13) He has since written many books proving that Christ is the Messiah and living Christ. There is a movie based on his life, A Case for Christ. What started as doubted…triumphed in faith. The passage ends with Jesus’ words in verse 29: Slide: "Then Jesus told him, 'You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.'" You know who that is? (Look around the room) Earlier, I told you about my shocking bowling victory, the one many of you didn't believed until I showed you proof. Honestly, I don’t blame you. If someone told me I bowled a 163 with six strikes, I wouldn’t believe it either. I’d want to see the scoreboard. But faith isn’t like bowling. You don’t always get to see the scoreboard. Jesus told Thomas, “You believe because you’ve seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Sometimes, you don’t get the picture proof. You don’t get the scoreboard snapshot. Actually, when I was taking the picture of the score of the second game, the screen cleared, and I thought to myself, "No one is going to believe that I won if I don’t have the proof." (Thankfully I was able to recall the score to get the picture I showed you today.) Sometimes, you don’t get the physical evidence. But you do get the presence of God, the testimony of others, and the promise of His Word. And Jesus says that kind of faith, faith that trusts even without seeing, is blessed. So where does that leave us? I don’t know what questions you have, but I can promise you this: as a staff and as a community of believers, we want to be there to walk with you through your questions. If you need to talk out your doubt, we are here for that. Honestly, it excites me. I love ministering to the curious, the seekers, because they have the best questions. Often times, I learn while helping them learn. Ask a mentor. Ask a friend. This is why life groups are such an important part of our culture here at COTN. They provide a safe environment where you can build relationships and ask questions. Call to Action: Here’s what I want to invite you to do this week:

1. Ask – Bring one honest question you have about your faith to God in prayer. Write it down today before you leave and start talking with Him about it this week. I want to challenge you to pray one honest prayer. Not fancy words. Just the truth. Maybe it’s, ‘God, I don’t even know if You’re real.’ That’s okay—He can handle it. Just be real with Him. See what happens.” You can start today at the altar or make your seat at an altar.
2. Connect – Share that question with someone you trust—a mentor, a life group leader, a friend, call someone on staff— or email me at… [email protected] and let us walk with you as you search for answers. At this church, you are NEVER alone.
3. Trust – As you seek, ask God to meet you in the middle of your doubt, just like He met Thomas. And listen friends: Be ready for Him to show up in ways you may not expect.” Song: Make Room (Worship Team) Benediction: The whole chapter ends with this proclamation of the purpose of the book of John: one that we have been hammering repeatedly throughout the series. v30-31 "The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.  But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name." Church, I pray that today you don't feel guilty or shameful about your doubt or even your unbelief, but that instead you would use it as a step forward toward your faith, praying for Jesus to help you with your unbelief.