WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.359 I'm going to get started simply by reading the whole point of why we're here. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.040 Matthew chapter 28. 00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:12.000 It says that early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.080 And suddenly there was a great earthquake. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:18.079 For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone aside, and sat on it. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:21.600 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.239 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:29.600 Then the angel spoke to the women, Don't be afraid, he said. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.320 I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:33.759 He isn't here. 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:38.640 He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:48.079 Come, see where his body was lying, and now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:51.600 Jesus is alive. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:58.719 Every Easter, just kind of pull the curtain back for me personally, I have an interesting experience. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.240 Same thing happens at Christmas because I know what I'm going to talk about. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.079 Like the subject is set. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.079 I could go rogue and talk about something completely different, but that wouldn't benefit anybody. 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:09.599 It'd just be weird. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:13.280 And so I think this is my 11th Easter Sunday standing on this stage. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:15.920 And so every year it's like, well, okay, Lord, I know what I'm talking about. 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.519 I know the subject, but I don't want to copy and paste, and I don't just want to repeat. 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.840 I don't want it to become mundane and normal. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:32.000 Not just in terms of everyone's experience, but for me, I don't want this incredible reality that Jesus is alive to ever become normal. 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:33.120 I want to find wonder in it. 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.799 And so every year I ask God, will you just help me see it from a new perspective? 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:45.760 Will you just give me a little angle that I haven't seen before, I haven't thought about in a while, so that this experience becomes new and fresh to me, that it becomes alive within me. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:51.680 And every year, God is good, at least to me personally, and He just helps me see it in a slightly different way. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:55.439 And so I've been spending a lot of time in the last few weeks doing that very thing. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:02:03.760 And there's been this one thought that over the last few weeks, God's helped me refine a little bit, and it's blessed me a lot, and it's what we're gonna focus on today. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:04.719 And it's very, very simple. 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:08.479 I'm gonna go ahead and tell you at the front end, and we'll unpack it a little bit. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:12.800 It's simply this Jesus is and still is. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:16.479 So he's not done doing what he does. 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:20.319 Jesus is and still is, so he is not done doing what he does. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.199 Let me explain. 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:24.159 We are conditioned to see Easter as a holiday. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:28.639 It is a holiday, but we're conditioned to see it as a holiday like all other holidays. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:34.400 Holidays are days where typically we remember something that someone did in the past. 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:41.520 Someone or a group of people who used to be alive did something significant, and so we celebrate it. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:45.039 Think back to some of the holidays that you would have celebrated when you were in school. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:49.439 Like imagine the bulletin boards in your school classrooms growing up that would change for these holidays. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:53.759 Like for me as a kid in the 80s and like the early 90s, we had we had Columbus Day. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:56.080 It was a bigger deal back then than it is now, right? 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.639 Columbus Day, and you know, I got it as a kid. 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:04.159 There used to be two halves of a world, and neither half knew that the other half was there for a long time. 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:13.199 And then Columbus accidentally fixed that, and now we knew that they're over there, and they know that we're over here, and everything's just been great ever since then, right? 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.960 So uh, but that's still a big deal, so you celebrate it. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:18.560 That was a big deal, the world changed. 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:25.120 We had Presidents' Day, and as a kid, you always understood that we're not proud of all of our presidents, right? 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:33.840 Like it wasn't all the President's Day, it was sort of like Washington, Lincoln, and then pick whichever president you like, and that's president's day. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.879 So we have that, it's a little less clearly defined, but you know, some random assortment of presidents. 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.800 And there's more specific days that that no one really argues about, Martin Luther King Jr. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:43.199 Day. 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:46.800 That one's very clear, that's straightforward, we celebrate that, and rightfully so. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:54.960 We have all these holidays, and they're all about celebrating some amazing thing that someone or some group of people did in the past. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:59.439 There's there's even there's even lesser-known holidays. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:06.000 Like holidays that are a thing, you can look them up, but they they don't rise to the same level. 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:07.520 Some of them should, though. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:09.120 For example, November 3rd. 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:10.639 Anyone shout it out, November 3rd. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:11.280 What is it? 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:16.560 Uh November 3rd is International Sandwich Day. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:17.439 Okay? 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:18.959 Let me let me explain this. 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.480 I did some like, I went down some rabbit holes in my research this week. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:28.079 I was thinking about this idea of holidays and history and how people did things and we celebrate what they did because Easter's different. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:28.879 I'm gonna explain. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:34.000 But just stay with me for a second, because this was my my adult ADD kicking in, I guess, or whatever. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:36.879 So, you guys ever heard of a guy named Robert Montague? 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:39.199 Sorry, John Montague, I'll get my history right. 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:40.399 John Montague, anybody? 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:41.519 John or Robert Montague? 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:41.920 Hello? 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:42.319 No? 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:44.800 Um I'll show you a picture of him. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:45.759 This is him. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:46.959 Fun dude. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:48.879 Looks like a really fun guy. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.319 Uh that's the guy that invented sandwiches. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:56.319 I want you to, how many of you show of hands have had a sandwich in the last month? 00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:57.199 Some form. 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:00.879 Come on! Kids, uncrustables, they count. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:05.439 Like no uncr if that no uncrustables if that guy didn't live. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:10.959 In the 1700s, it took us that long to go, wait, bread, meat, put it together. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.720 And then it'd be like 200 more years before we figured out how to toast it and make it even better. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:16.639 But you know, progress, human progress. 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:17.759 I was telling my wife about this. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:23.759 I was doing all this research, and I just got on some random website, and I'm like, this guy should, this should be a bigger day. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:25.360 This should rise up to that level. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.680 Everyone likes sandwiches, and she didn't think it was a big deal. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:29.040 Very dismissive of Mr. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.279 Montague and his contributions to the world. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:36.319 But true story, after Megan kind of like, I was like, Justin, get off the sandwich kick. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:38.879 Five minutes later, she was eating a sandwich. 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:42.000 And I looked at her like, you hypocrite, you know? 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:45.680 Here you are, acting like this guy didn't change the world, and look what you're doing right now. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.360 And then not long after that, you can check with her. 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:47.920 This is true. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:49.680 She used the word sandwich as a verb. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:53.360 She said, We've got all this stuff we gotta do today, sandwiched between our kids' activities. 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:57.920 And I was like, see, I'm telling you, this dude, it should be a bigger deal. 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.199 Sandwich day, November 3rd, we're bringing it back, okay? 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:03.199 We're gonna we're gonna take it to a whole other level. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:04.000 We're gonna get this started. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:04.800 No, I'm teasing. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:07.759 Um, it doesn't really matter that much, but I think it should be a bigger deal. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:09.839 Here's my point: there is a point. 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:16.560 History is filled with people who did something. 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:25.519 People who used to be alive and they did a thing, and then we figure out as as a society, if that thing rises to the level of celebration. 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.240 And for some people, it doesn't quite get there. 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:30.399 For others, yeah, it's a big deal. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:34.560 We celebrate it, we have a holiday, it's observed, it's on your calendar. 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.160 That is not what Easter is. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:47.279 Easter is not a day where we commemorate something that a person who used to be alive did. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:07:04.319 Easter is a day where we get laser focused on Jesus and we remember that Jesus is someone who is very much still alive and still doing the things that he used to do. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:05.839 You see the difference? 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:08.800 This is not a day where we think about what Jesus did. 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:16.560 This is a day where we remember what he does because he is alive, he is, he still is, and he's still doing all the things that he's always done. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:22.399 And that's a very big deal for us because we are still very much in need of Jesus doing the things that he does. 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:25.759 We need him to be active. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:31.360 We need him to work in our lives the same way that he always has and always will. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:36.399 You might ask, well, like what kinds of things is he still doing? 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.759 Let's jump back into the Easter story. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:48.720 In John chapter 20, it's talking about Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus' followers, and it says that she turned to leave and saw someone standing there. 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:50.160 This is at the tomb. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.319 It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.720 When Jesus rose, many of his followers didn't recognize him at first. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:07:58.399 It's kind of a mysterious thing. 00:07:58.480 --> 00:07:59.519 It's interesting. 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:01.360 Dear woman, why are you crying? 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:03.199 She, Jesus asked her. 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:04.399 Who are you looking for? 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.000 And she thought he was the gardener. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:10.079 Sir, she said, if you've taken him away, tell me where you've put him, and I'll go get him. 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:16.959 You'd think that if an angel tells you that Jesus is alive, you'd believe him, but I think it's understandable that she's still in a little bit of shock. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:21.199 And then he just says one word, calls her by name, Mary. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.079 And she turned to him and cried out, Rabbini, which is Hebrew for teacher. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.759 Don't cling to me, Jesus said, for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:35.679 But go find my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:39.440 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, I've seen the Lord. 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:41.679 And then she gave them his message. 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:47.840 What Jesus does in Mary's life is amazing, but it's what he does for all of us. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:49.919 There's a few layers here. 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:57.279 On one hand, it's amazing to me that all Jesus had to do for her to know who she was talking to was call her by name. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:00.000 He just said, Mary. 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:05.519 And there was an intimacy there that tore through all her confusion. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:08.480 And she could see clearly who she was talking to. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:09.759 Jesus still does that. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:10.960 He knows you. 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:12.000 He knows you. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.000 Even if you don't know him, he knows you. 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.039 He knows you deeply and he loves you. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:19.279 And he still calls people by name. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.039 He still speaks to us through the Holy Spirit in a personal way. 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:34.480 And maybe you've experienced that, maybe you haven't, but I just want you to know that Jesus knows you, and you can know him personally, and he can even call you by name. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:37.519 But after that, Jesus gives her a message. 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:43.440 She becomes the very first person in human history ever to walk into a room and say, Hey, Jesus is risen. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:47.120 And when she said that, no one responded with Jesus is risen indeed. 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:49.200 Like that hadn't, that wasn't a thing yet. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.159 No, when she said that the first time, they all thought she was crazy. 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.720 Two of the disciples went to see for themselves, the rest are just like, What are you talking about? 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.759 Jesus trusted her with that message. 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:01.279 And here's the really cool part. 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:08.879 If you know the story of Mary Magdalene, the little details that we get, her life was a mess before Jesus. 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:10.399 And that's putting it lightly. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:16.080 Anyone who would have known Mary would have said, Mary is a mess. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:21.039 But after Jesus, she's a messenger. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.159 She becomes part of his story. 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:27.360 She plays a role, a vital role. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:31.679 Jesus did that for her, but he does that for all of us. 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:33.600 I've known a lot of people like Mary. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:35.360 I am someone like Mary. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:40.320 A lot of my life has been pretty messy, and most of it's my fault. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:52.879 I used to be someone who spent a lot of time and a lot of energy trying to hide my mess from just about anyone and try to present some curated version of myself to the world. 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:59.919 I used to work really, really hard at that from like age 11 until mid-20s at least. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:08.879 And then Jesus did some things in my life, and I realized, oh, I'm actually useful to God in the midst of my mess. 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:22.960 In fact, sometimes it's those parts of my life, the parts of my life that are the most broken, that if I can be humble and own it and talk about it, those are the very things that Jesus can use to help other people see him and know him. 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.799 Jesus can take all of our messes and he can turn us into his messengers. 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.720 He can give us a purpose that is so much more than we could ever have on our own. 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:33.840 He did that for Mary. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:35.200 He does that for all of us. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:36.240 He still does that. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:39.679 And so if you're like, my life's kind of messy right now, I've made a mess of things. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:41.120 Things aren't going so well. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.039 This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong. 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.039 How in the world could I be useful to God? 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:48.799 How in the world could I play a role that matters in the midst of all this? 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:51.759 Oh my goodness, Jesus, that's his thing. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:55.039 You're like exactly who he's been looking for. 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:57.279 That's his specialty. 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.960 He did that for Mary, he does that for all of us. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:05.679 We'll fast forward a little bit later in that same day. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:16.240 In John chapter 20, verse 19, it says, That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and suddenly Jesus was standing there among them. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:17.840 Peace be with you, he said. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.600 And as he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:24.240 They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. 00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.559 And again he said, Peace be with you. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.000 As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:33.679 The disciples, they're hiding behind locked doors, and you can't really blame them. 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:36.399 They just watch Jesus get captured. 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:39.039 He's been crucified and killed, and they think they're next. 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:40.080 That makes sense. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:41.600 But they're afraid. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:44.559 They are afraid for their very lives. 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.720 And then Jesus shows up and he makes his presence known. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:53.360 And he begins to displace their fear and their worries and their anxieties. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:01.679 And all of a sudden, as time goes on, it's going to take them a little bit, it's not instant, but pretty soon after this, these men are the most fearless people you can imagine. 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:07.440 They're going to go out just a few weeks after this and they're going to start preaching in public about Jesus. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:13.759 And they're going to be brought before the very people that crucified Jesus and told that they need to keep their mouth shut or else. 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:21.919 But they're going to keep doing it, they're going to get beaten, thrown into jail, and as soon as they get let out, they go right back to where they were talking about Jesus. 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.039 They cannot be stopped. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:25.679 Eleven of the twelve of them have to be killed to shut them up. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:30.080 The other gets exiled because they won't stop talking about Jesus. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:34.639 He took their fear and he made them bold, he gave them peace. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:36.960 They weren't afraid of anything. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.960 Jesus still does that because Jesus is alive. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:53.679 Whatever you're afraid of, whatever your worries are, your anxieties, whatever that stuff that just replays in your mind, and you're constantly thinking about it, wondering what could happen, and how do I get ahead of this? 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:54.480 How do I control this? 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:58.879 One of the easiest ways to know, by the way, what you're afraid of is what you work the hardest to control. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:02.399 Because control and fear always always go together. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:09.360 Spend time with Jesus, be in his presence, and that stuff all tends to fade. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.960 That stuff fades away. 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:14.799 And now you're not consumed by worry and by fear. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.440 Jesus once said, Who can add an hour to their life by worrying? 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:18.879 And the answer is no one. 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:21.919 You can lose hours, but you can't gain them. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:29.600 You can have a life that isn't dominated by anxiety and worry and what if scenarios and stress. 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:34.960 It's peace, it's joy because you trust your father in heaven. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:39.039 I mean, Jesus could look at all of it and say, hey, I know what it's like to have things to be afraid of. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.480 Trust me, I knew what the cross was going to be. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:41.679 I knew everything in front of me. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:46.159 But rather than be consumed by fear, I trusted my father, and now I'm alive. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:47.840 You can trust him too. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.000 Jesus, he's alive. 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:52.240 He is, and he's still doing what he did. 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:53.600 He can take your fear away. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:55.360 He does it all the time. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.200 Let's fast forward a few days. 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:06.480 In John chapter 20, verse 24, it says that one of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:07.519 Thomas wasn't there. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:12.480 Now, we have a Thomas on our staff, and he was here this morning, so our Thomas is better than their Thomas. 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:13.919 I'm just going to go ahead and say that. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:20.240 Thomas actually found me after the first service, and he said, Hey man, don't say that because that Thomas was martyred for his faith. 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:22.080 And I looked at Thomas and said, Still time, man. 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.039 There's still time. 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:23.759 Right? 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:24.799 You're young. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.399 You have no idea. 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:28.399 Thomas, I love you. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:40.480 They told Thomas, We've seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nails, the nail wounds in his hands, unless I put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.320 And eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with him. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.039 The doors were locked, they're not quite there yet. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:49.840 But suddenly as before, Jesus was standing among them. 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:51.120 Peace be with you, he said. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.879 And then he said to Thomas, put your finger here, look at my hands. 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:56.960 Put your hand into the wound in my side. 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:59.759 Don't be faithless any longer, believe. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.600 My Lord and my God, Thomas exclaimed. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:05.279 It's a good lesson, by the way. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:08.399 Be careful what you what you say you want God to do, right? 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.200 Thomas, like, if I don't touch the wounds, I won't believe. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.159 And then Jesus shows up and he's like, hey, I heard what you said. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:15.679 Go ahead, touch. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.440 I'm sure Thomas is like, ah, I believe. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.399 I'm good. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.080 I mean, I don't know. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:24.639 No, Thomas is struggling with doubt, with unbelief. 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:26.799 I mean, how many of us can relate with that? 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.519 Like, you believe in Jesus, yes. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:31.440 But then things go wrong. 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:33.279 Life doesn't go the way that you thought it would. 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:36.240 You've prayed for things and they haven't worked out the way that you've prayed for. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:42.320 And that that belief sometimes has a way of wavering, and it feels a little flimsier. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:44.639 You start to struggle with that. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:48.000 And unbelief is a dangerous thing. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:52.159 Because a life built on faith is a strong life. 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.600 It's a life that can just power through all kinds of problems. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:17:01.919 But when you're wavering, when the doubt is there, it just loses some of that power. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:08.079 There was a man once who came to Jesus asking for his son to be healed, and he said something interesting to Jesus. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.319 He said, if you can, and I don't know if he was trying to like dare Jesus or something like that. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.480 Jesus responded, what do you mean, if I can? 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:17.599 Don't you believe? 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.839 And the man said, I do believe. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:23.200 But then he got really honest with Jesus and said, But help my unbelief. 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:25.359 He basically said, I do, but I don't. 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:26.960 Thomas is there. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:29.680 He saw Jesus do miracles, but I mean, Jesus is dead. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:31.119 He can't quite get himself to believe that. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.920 But then Jesus shows up and he proves himself to Thomas. 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:35.759 Jesus still does that. 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.319 I spent a lot of time when I was in college trying to prove Jesus to people. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:47.680 I was on some type of quest to help all my friends believe in God by just proving to them that they were wrong and I was right. 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:53.279 You know, that goes really well, usually, when you when you're dedicated to proving to people how wrong they are, they they love that. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:59.920 But I would get in arguments with people and I'd have all these logical thoughts and I would say, no, no, think about this and this and this, and it wasn't very effective. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:04.000 And it took me a long time to realize, oh, Jesus doesn't need me to prove him to anyone. 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:05.519 Jesus does that himself. 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:12.480 Jesus is perfectly capable of proving himself to anyone who needs him to be proved to, because Jesus is alive. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:17.119 He's still working, he's still active, and just like he showed up for Thomas, he will show up for you. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:25.759 If you struggle with doubt, if you're wavering, if you need God to show you something so that you can really believe, he will do that. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:32.559 Ask him to pray and say, Lord, I need you to show yourself to me. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:33.839 I'm struggling. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.720 And I want to believe, but I have a hard time. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:37.920 Ask him to. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:39.680 See what he does. 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:42.960 Don't be surprised when he shows up. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:59.920 Don't be surprised when thoughts start flooding your mind and you don't know where they're coming from, and your heart opens in a way that it never has before, and you understand things, and you sit in church and something's stirring inside of you, or you open up the Bible and words are leaping off the page because God is speaking to you. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:07.200 Jesus is alive, and just like he proved himself to Thomas, he will prove himself to you because he still does all the things that he used to do. 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:08.960 So ask for that. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:15.920 One of my favorite stories of Jesus after he rose, I mean, he got right to work. 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:18.240 Think about what would you do if you rose from the dead? 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.000 What would your first action be? 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:31.119 Like, you learn a lot about Jesus by the fact that as soon as he defeats death and gets back up, he's immediately at work trying to encourage and inspire his closest friends. 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:35.839 A couple of those guys happen to be uh hightailing it out of Jerusalem at the time, which kind of makes sense. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.759 You know, Jesus, your leader, dies on a cross. 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:38.640 Let's leave. 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:39.440 Let's go. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:42.960 And so a few of his disciples, they start walking to a town called Emmaus. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:44.720 It's about seven miles outside of Jerusalem. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:48.799 And Jesus, after he raises from the dead, he shows up and starts walking with them. 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.279 But just like with Mary Magdalene, they don't recognize him. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:52.640 They don't see him. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:54.400 And Jesus keeps this charade going. 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:55.519 He messes with his friends. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:00.000 I love that one of the first things Jesus does after he defeats death is messes with his buddies. 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:00.480 I love it. 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.680 I think that gives all of us permission to mess with our friends. 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:06.160 Because we just want to be like Jesus. 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:11.920 But he does, he messes with them, he starts walking with them, and seven miles is a fairly long walk. 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:13.440 And he's like, hey, what are you guys doing? 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:13.920 Where are you going? 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:16.079 And they're like, oh, we're leaving Jerusalem. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:17.680 He's like, why? 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:19.440 What happened? 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:21.200 He actually says, like, what happened? 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:23.119 Like, haven't you haven't you not heard? 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.079 How have you not heard? 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.519 Like, it's the talk of the entire city. 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:29.839 Jesus, the prophet that we thought was the Messiah, he was crucified. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.119 It's over. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.559 That's what they're saying. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:33.039 It's over. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:35.440 Everything we thought was true isn't true, and now we don't know what to do. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:41.519 And they're walking away, and Jesus, still keeping himself hidden from them, he starts to teach them. 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:49.599 He starts unpacking the scriptures and talking about the prophets and all the things the prophets had said about the Messiah and connecting the dots, and they're like, whoa, this is amazing. 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:52.079 Like they're learning things that they didn't know before. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:54.480 And then he sits down and he eats with them. 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:57.759 And he breaks bread with them. 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:00.000 And they see it. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:02.079 It clicks. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:07.759 And in Luke chapter 24, it says, suddenly their eyes were opened and they recognized him. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:10.400 And at that moment he disappeared. 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:12.799 His timing is awesome. 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:13.680 Bye. 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:14.160 You know? 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:14.880 Alright. 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:21.359 They said to each other, Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:24.319 And within the hour, they were on their way back to Jerusalem. 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:28.720 I love this story because Jesus still does what he did with them. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:31.519 And I'm not talking about messing with us, although sometimes he does. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:33.920 Jesus turns them around. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:35.759 They're going in the wrong direction. 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.440 They're going in the absolute wrong direction. 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:40.400 They need to be in Jerusalem. 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:41.920 Jerusalem's where the other disciples are. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.079 That's where all the action's about to go down. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:48.400 If you know the story of Scripture, you know what's going to happen shortly after this in Jerusalem. 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.880 The Holy Spirit's going to show up and empower all of them to do what Jesus has called them to do. 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:54.400 They need to be there for that. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:57.440 They're going in the wrong direction, and Jesus turns them around. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.839 And all of us could ask ourselves Am I going in the right direction? 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.880 Direction. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.400 Is my life going in the direction that it ought to be? 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:09.200 Some of us could be really honest and go, you'd have no. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:09.839 You know what? 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:10.799 No, I can be honest. 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:16.559 I can say, yeah, I'm not headed in the right direction, at least in terms of where my mind is, where my heart is. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:18.319 That's okay. 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:20.559 Because Jesus can turn you around. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.440 Many of us would say, I think I'm going in the right direction. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.880 I don't know if you're like me. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.920 Very often I think I'm going in the right direction. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:31.519 But then somehow I start to drift and fade. 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.559 And I find myself in a place where I go, how do I get here? 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:36.319 How am I this cynical? 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:38.000 How am I this angry? 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.160 How am I this stressed out? 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.640 This is not where I thought I would be. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:46.400 And what I realize is I've just kind of like gone off course. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:52.000 And if you go off course just a little bit for a long time, you can find yourself in a really interesting place. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:55.039 But that's okay because Jesus can course correct. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:58.160 He did that with his friends, he turned them around, he said, go in the other direction. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:22:59.359 He still does that with all of us. 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:07.920 So if you find yourself in a place where life has not gone the way that you've wanted it to go, you're not where you want to be, you're not heading in the exact right direction. 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:10.559 I have good news. 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.960 Jesus is alive and he still does what he's always done. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:25.039 And if you trust him and if you listen to him, if you reflect on him, and if you do what he says, he will course-correct your life and you'll get back in the right direction. 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:27.599 He does that all the time. 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:31.599 I've got one more quick story. 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:38.720 Just another story of something that Jesus does, the same things that he's always done. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:45.759 Not that long after he rose from the dead, several days later, some of the disciples decide to go fishing. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:53.599