WEBVTT 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:05.839 Hey, this is Andrew Demazio, lead pastor of Rose Church here in Portland, Oregon. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:06.879 Welcome to our podcast. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:13.679 Our mission here at Rose is building big people, becoming like Jesus in community while growing in our faith. 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:20.559 Whoever you are, wherever you are, I pray today's message challenges you and encourages you on your walk with Jesus. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:22.079 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:23.600 Enjoy today's podcast. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:26.640 Oh man, I love uh love talking to you guys. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:28.480 You guys are easy to preach to. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.199 Uh yeah. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:42.000 Um Kim and I were married in a little town called Ferrum, Virginia, uh, in a chapel there on a very hot day. 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:47.679 And this Thursday, it will have been 38 years since that event. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:01:00.320 And she's put up with a lot, you know, my idiosyncrasies and all that kind of stuff, but she remains the girl in my dreams. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.200 I knew I was gonna get that. 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:05.760 That's what I want to say to this service. 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:09.519 Uh no, uh love you, honey. 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:11.760 Um, this is this is so great. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:13.200 Twenty-one people. 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:14.879 Uh this is a record, right? 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:16.480 Yeah, okay. 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:18.480 Well, we'll we'll we'll we'll call it a record. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:25.439 Uh this is we'll uh this is better than the than the World Cup, right? 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:28.959 Yeah. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:31.519 Yeah. 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:34.159 My my wife is uh amazing in that. 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.439 She's like following this and telling me, oh, this team just won. 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:38.879 And so anyway. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:41.680 Uh anybody here from Germany? 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:45.280 Okay, they won yesterday. 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:51.519 All right. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:54.799 John chapter 20. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:56.079 John chapter 20. 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:57.359 I'm gonna jump right into this. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:01:59.040 This is this is so good. 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:07.840 And verse 24, now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:12.000 So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:25.439 But he said to them, Unless I see his hand, in his hands, the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:31.360 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:36.800 Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:40.400 He just appeared and said, Peace be with you. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:49.599 Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and put your hand, out your hand, and place it into my side. 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:54.319 Do not uh do not disbelieve, but believe. 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:57.680 Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.319 And Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you've seen me? 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:06.560 Blessed are those who've not seen and yet believed. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:24.719 Year 1498, the Portuguese uh explorer, Vasco da Gama, landed on the western shores of southern India in the state of Kerala, and he was shocked to find Christians. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:28.960 Thousands of Christians, Christian communities, Christian churches. 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:34.479 And so as he began to ask, hey, you know, how did you guys become Christians? 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:36.159 They said, Thomas. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:49.520 I remember in 1988, my first uh trip to India, all in those southern states, uh Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, filled with Thomas. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:56.479 I mean, they had Thomas everything, Thomas trucking lines, Thomas Market, Thomas this, Thomas Barbershop. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:59.439 A lot of the pastors were named with Thomas. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:10.240 And isn't it interesting that Thomas goes from doubting Thomas to world-shaking Thomas, to the influencer Thomas. 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.680 How did that happen? 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:16.240 Because you just don't get that with just information. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:17.680 Something happened. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:29.600 When Jesus did what he did here to Thomas, it transformed Thomas's life, made such an impact that he was able to impact a whole nation. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:35.680 And um so I'm going to talk to you a little bit this morning on, dear Thomas. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:37.439 I have something to show you. 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:47.920 Um, there's there's a couple of people that I believe, two kinds of people I believe that God wants to speak to this morning. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:55.600 Number one, like Thomas, you believe, and yet something has happened to your faith. 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.240 Something has taken place, something has shaken you to the core. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:03.279 You're not gonna throw the Bible away, you're gonna still come to church. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:09.199 But honestly, you are in this room, and it's like, man, I don't know what's happened. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:12.000 This is what I call accidental doubt. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:14.639 An accident has happened to you. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:16.240 And you're you're reeling. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:19.759 If you'll be honest with yourself, you'll be honest with us, you're reeling today. 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:21.040 That's the first set of people. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:33.120 The second set of people that I'm talking to today, or those those of you who especially who've been in church for a long time, you know your Bible, you read your words, you've got your little Jesus mug in the morning and all that kind of stuff. 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:36.639 But to be honest, your faith is really low. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:39.680 Like there's, you're just, you're just going on fumes. 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:45.839 And God wants to say to you today that He has come to give you a faith upgrade. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.800 Turn to somebody and say, I'm getting an upgrade today. 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:51.839 I'm getting an upgrade. 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:57.920 God absolutely wants to do something. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:58.959 And here's the deal. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.199 Here's what we want to look at today, okay? 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:04.160 We want to look at what happened with Thomas. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:08.639 We usually, when you preach about Thomas, usually go from Thomas's point of view. 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.560 I want to go from Jesus' point of view. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.680 Because Jesus had a disciple in crisis. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.800 Jesus had a disciple in crisis. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:21.920 Maybe there's some of you. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:24.639 Jesus has disciples in crisis this morning. 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:29.360 And what is wonderful is he loves you and he wants to do something about it. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:34.399 So he did something to Thomas that absolutely again affected him. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:39.680 Now, let's clear something out about Thomas, okay, because we he's known as doubting Thomas, right? 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.600 Everybody, all of those disciples doubted. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.959 Jesus, the Bible uses the King James anyway, uses the word upbraided them. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:53.600 That, if you look that up in the Greek, I mean he really took them to task. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:02.959 So all of the disciples disbelieved Thomas, the only reason we call him doubting Thomas is because in this story, he's like the only one left. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:04.399 He's zoomed in, right? 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:10.399 But the fact of it is, is Thomas was a sold-out believer to Jesus. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.360 I mean, my goodness, he was one of the twelve. 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:15.519 He's in the inner core. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.160 He's there in all the meetings and all the things. 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:20.319 He's there with Jesus. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:28.720 And if you look in John chapter 11, when Jesus goes to raise Lazarus from the dead, the Bible says that he goes into Bethany. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:38.319 Now, Bethany at that particular point, it's actually right over the hill from Jerusalem, and that was a danger zone for Jesus. 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:46.319 Jesus had been threatened, you know, it was it was common knowledge that the scribes and Pharisees were plotting against Jesus. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:47.519 So this was dangerous. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:56.160 And it was Thomas who, when Jesus said, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna see Lazarus, it was Thomas, nobody else, that said, Hey, let's go and die with him. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:58.959 So this guy is, he's on point. 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:02.959 He's not a wishy-washy loser type of a disciple. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:04.639 He is really there. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:07.920 He's locked in with the Lord. 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:10.079 So we've got to understand that about Thomas. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:13.120 But again, he's doubting. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:18.000 Here's my take on Thomas, and I've thought about this a lot over the years. 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:20.319 Why did Thomas doubt? 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:22.079 Why didn't he just believe? 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.240 And why did he say what he did? 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:29.279 I'm gonna put my, I won't believe it until I put my finger in his hand and my my hand in his side. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.800 Why did he say that? 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.440 I proposed this this morning to you. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:47.200 That because he was so sold out, and because he had given his life, everything to Jesus, you know, we don't know if he had a wife or or house, but but I definitely he was with Jesus all the time. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:49.600 Why did he doubt then? 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:59.600 Well, have you ever been through a situation, and maybe you're in that today, where everything just took a side sideswipe. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.159 Everything just just turned upside down. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:07.200 And now all of a sudden, what you thought was reality is now in question. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:11.279 What you thought was secure and guaranteed, it's it's all gone. 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:14.480 The people that you counted on, they're all gone. 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:18.240 Thomas had seen Jesus being taken away. 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:22.879 And even though he wasn't there at the sight of the cross, who knows? 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:26.000 Was he looking out a window and watching Jesus die? 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:28.639 He knew that Jesus died. 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:31.840 His world was rocked. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:38.639 And so to me, Thomas was really saying, look, I gave my heart once. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:41.279 I gave my heart once. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:42.960 I trusted once. 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:44.720 I thought for sure. 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:51.679 You see, the other thing about Thomas is Thomas only had pre-resurrection faith. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:54.960 That's all he had. 00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:01.440 He knew Jesus was the Messiah, but he really didn't see Jesus as my Lord and my God. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:05.279 And so this is what Thomas is doing. 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.240 So Thomas isn't a loser in this story. 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:11.519 Thomas is a hero. 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:21.440 But there were three things that I want to talk about today that Jesus helped Thomas in his shaken faith, and that God is going to do today in your life. 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:26.720 I I was as I was praying yesterday and today for these meetings and praying for you. 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:30.159 I really felt that there's a there's a number of you here today. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:31.679 You need a faith upgrade. 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:34.559 And that's why I said, but God is gonna do it. 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:36.639 Turn to somebody and say, God's gonna do it. 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:38.879 He's gonna do it. 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:39.759 Amen. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:41.279 So there's three things that he did. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.080 Number one, let's go back to verse 26. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:49.679 Jesus, it says, um, although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood. 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.240 He just appears and says, Peace be still. 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:56.559 Jesus gave Thomas an experience. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:10:59.440 Now watch this. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:04.000 Let's back up just a minute and talk about doubting for a moment. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:04.320 Okay. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:06.480 Doubting, or what is a doubt? 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:07.200 Okay? 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:15.120 A doubt is when you don't have information and you have not had full disclosure, you haven't had the experience. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:15.919 Okay. 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:20.399 But doubt is is an experience. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:24.559 It's real. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:27.840 You really feel something. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:29.600 It's it's real to you. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:40.879 You know, it reminds me, uh it reminds me of uh I've talked to people who've gone to the same restaurant I have and and the same places I've had, and I'm in there, you know, talking about the glories of this place. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:42.639 Man, that pizza was so amazing. 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:47.120 And that's what he will look at me and say, no, that that I had a lousy experience. 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:50.639 I went to this particular place, had a lousy experience. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:51.600 Let me tell you something. 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:56.000 The only thing that is going to change a lousy experience is a good experience. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:02.080 Doubting is an experience, and this is what I feel by the Spirit of the Lord today. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:07.360 God wants you to experience Jesus all over again. 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:18.000 And especially those of you who are, again, you're in that low ebb, but you're in that, it's just running on fumes. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:19.600 Can we just be honest here? 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:28.559 Look, I've I've I've been saved for, oh my word, what 1977 is when I gave my life to the Lord on a friend's couch. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:41.200 And I can tell you that at a at a several times, many times, I get up and it's like, I don't know, I don't know if I'm feeling this today. 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:48.799 I don't feel like here's the other thing is that we think that faith is a feeling. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:52.399 I ain't feeling it today, so I guess it's gone. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:54.480 No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:56.960 Faith goes way deeper than that. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.559 Faith goes way deeper than that. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:07.600 And I have noticed that if I am, if I am, am, you know, I I gotta get my mind. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:08.720 Lord, I need you. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:14.639 I remember one time I went through this crisis in my uh Kim and I had just been married, had our first little one. 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:22.399 We went out to uh Michigan, Lansing, Michigan, where her her uh mom and dad are all from and visiting family out there. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:35.759 And on the way, I said to Kim, I said, honey, I said, I know we're gonna be staying in this little campground, and I said, I know that, you know, family and friends are gonna do a bunch of stuff, but I gotta get in touch with the Lord. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:37.200 I I don't know what's the matter. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:40.480 I just feel like something is missing in my life. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:49.679 Now, you gotta understand, I was in the ministry, I'd been through Bible school, I'd been preaching at that particular point for over 10 years, and it's like, but what do I, you know? 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:51.840 So she said, okay, that's fine. 00:13:51.919 --> 00:14:05.360 So in the mornings, I'm a morning person, by the way, and uh, I would get up early in the morning, sneak out of that little uh trailer that their family had provided, and and walked around, and there was a small little pond, had a path. 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:11.840 And I remember going back into the woods in that path, and I just began. 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:18.879 Never before in my life had I just I started pouring out my my heart to the Lord. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:27.679 In fact, this is not actually um it's actually not sequential, but let's pull up that scripture from Psalms 142. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:30.639 This is when this particular scripture came real to me. 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:39.200 I cry out to the Lord with my voice, with my voice to the Lord, I make my supplication, I pour out my complaint before him, I declare before him my trouble. 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:44.720 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path. 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:51.679 And I remember just crying out, God, where are you? 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.240 Now, if you were there, you'd probably say, Pastor Mike, come on. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:04.639 That's that you know, I I'm telling God, I'm telling you, Lord, I'm not here denying you, I'm not here, you know, anything like that. 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:12.320 God, I'm still gonna do what I need to do, but I'm just telling you, I feel empty, I feel drained, I feel nothing. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:19.759 And all of these frustrations that I had always I had bottled up because I'd never prayed be like that before. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:28.879 I bottled it all up, and I just for hours at a time, I just would just come and go back in that path, and God, here I am. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:38.480 And I remember at the end of that week, it seemed like I was completely drained of all that, and and this wonderful peace came into my life. 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:53.360 And I remember going home and uh shortly thereafter, and I told our secretary, I said, uh, Sister Flo, I said, I'm gonna go downstairs in one of the Sunday school rooms, and don't disturb me unless it's an absolute emergency. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.320 She said, Okay. 00:15:54.480 --> 00:16:04.960 So I went downstairs in one of the Sunday school rooms, and um, I got a chair, put it in the middle of the room, and I turned out the lights, locked the door, because I just wanted to be private, I wanted to be alone. 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:10.879 And I said, Lord, I'm not moving until you come. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:14.960 Ten minutes went by. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.360 Twenty, thirty, forty minutes. 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:21.519 I'm like, you know, my mind is racing. 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:22.559 Oh, I should be doing something. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:23.519 Shouldn't I look up a scripture? 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:24.480 Shouldn't I be saying it? 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.039 Maybe I should sing, maybe I should do all this. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:29.679 And I had to keep saying, no, I'm waiting for the Lord. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:30.639 I'm waiting. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:43.120 45 minutes later, Jesus walked into that room and changed my life. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:51.840 And I went from somebody who had it all up here, folks, to somebody who could bring it out, have it all in here. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.399 Jesus will, Jesus will come to you. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:04.559 You know, there's there's some doubts that the Lord Lord won't He won't deal with. 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:13.359 He's not gonna deal with doubts that are they're they're coming from uh a place where I'm not I'm not gonna listen. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:14.079 Okay? 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:14.799 I don't care. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.160 You can give me the facts, you know, I'm not gonna listen. 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:20.000 He won't deal with those kind of doubts. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.559 He won't deal with a pessimistic doubt. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:26.000 That's somebody that just expects failure. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:28.799 We're kind of familiar. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:30.880 You know, doubts can be very comfortable. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:36.240 Some of us have a dysfunction of doubts. 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:38.400 We like them. 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:40.640 They're the you know, the weird thing. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.359 And and and that's the pessimistic. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:45.680 But then there's the narcissistic. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:47.759 What I call the narcissistic. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.440 This is where you think that your you know truth only goes through you. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:52.720 You are you're it. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.960 And you can't imagine yourself being wrong. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.160 I just can't. 00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:59.119 Everything is I doubt. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:00.240 I doubt. 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:05.440 It's like the old preacher said, uh, some people don't think it's smoke unless it's coming out of their stack. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:08.720 And that's just the way it is. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:15.759 They they it's got, but but when we're talking about honest doubt, that's when the Lord says, give it to me. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:22.720 And I think there's some people in this room today, you really haven't articulated to the Lord that you you're having doubts. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:25.119 That's that's a dangerous thing, folks. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.559 That's a dangerous thing, especially when you're and and you're low. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:37.680 You know, it's something because we've, I don't know where we've picked it up, but in in the church world, we we we don't want to show everybody else what we're going through. 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:41.200 You know, we don't. 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:45.759 We talked some of the staff was just talking last week about the Christianese thing. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.759 And I've grown up in church, I know it, you know. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:48.640 Praise the Lord. 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:49.759 How you doing? 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:52.960 How you doing, brother? 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:54.000 I'm doing good, man. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:55.519 More than a conqueror. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:18:58.559 Okay. 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.279 I I get what you're saying. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:03.119 I understand what you're saying. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:04.160 And that's fine. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:05.279 You want to encourage me. 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:07.119 I'm gonna assume that you just want to encourage me. 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:17.359 But the fact of the matter is, at some point, at some point, you've got to get with your brothers and sisters, and you've got to say, hey, I'm going through something. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:22.480 I'm not as strong as you think I am. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:24.559 I need prayer. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:34.640 I don't care who you are, I don't care if you've been ministering for a hundred years, I don't care if you know the Bible and in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Portuguese. 00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:35.680 I don't know. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:37.759 It doesn't matter. 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:41.279 You are going to run out of faith. 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.480 And I like it, I like what I say. 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:46.559 It's something that the Lord showed me a long time ago. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:51.759 You know, the Bible doesn't say uh it's the fruit of the saint, it's the fruit of the spirit. 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:56.319 When I hang around Jesus, listen, it's like being out in the sun. 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:04.240 Now I have to dress uh long sleeves because I, you know, I deal with skin cancer and everything else, so it's like, okay, whatever. 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:10.960 So I go to the beach and like I'm on an umbrella and I've got, you know, everything else like I'm waving at the grandkids, hey, how you doing? 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:13.839 It's not quite that bad. 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:16.240 But you know what? 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:29.599 When I was a kid, when I was a kid, man, we were out there, and you know it's something, all you gotta do is be out in the sun for like an hour or two hours, and you come back in, oh, you've been in the sun. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:34.240 You've been in the sun! And some of you need to be in the S11. 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:35.680 You need to be in the sun. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:40.319 He's gonna fuck your life, he's gonna change you. 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.759 You're gonna walk around one day, and all of a sudden, where did that faith come from? 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:48.400 Where did that faith come from? 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:52.000 It's becoming Jesus. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.160 Put your hands up and praise God. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:59.039 Hallelujah! Well, I feel faith in here. 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:01.920 Oh man. 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:06.480 Verse 27. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:16.160 Jesus says to Thomas, he said, put your hand here for your finger here, see my hands, put out your hand, put it into my side. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:21.039 What's interesting about this is Thomas never did that. 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:26.640 He didn't put his finger in Jesus' hand. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:28.880 He didn't put his hand in Jesus' side. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.319 He didn't need to. 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.079 Do you know why? 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:37.359 Because Jesus walked into that room, turned to him, and repeated his own words to him. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:38.559 Let me tell you something. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:41.599 We serve a God that knows everything about you. 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:49.039 The Bible says in the book of Psalms that he knows my thoughts afar off. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:51.680 He knows where I'm going. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:55.279 We got a little dog, he's a little white thing. 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.680 He's a cotton, a coton de. 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.559 That's French. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:04.559 And it means cotton. 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:06.880 His fur is very soft. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.880 Now, before we bought him, my wife has looked into this. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.200 Okay, he's hypoallergetic. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:18.799 He's, you know, gonna max out at 14, 15 pounds, he's gonna have this, he's gonna have that. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:25.279 Before that dog is born, I know what he's gonna be like. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:33.359 Before you were born, God knew what you were gonna be like. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:38.880 He made your skills, he built you with your personality. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:47.119 You listen, you mightn't think you had developed it all on yourself, but honey, God was there forming you in your mother's womb. 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:49.680 He knows you better than yourself. 00:22:51.279 --> 00:23:01.039 And that's why when you're walking with him and talking with him, you find a destiny, you find a purpose because this is the one. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:02.319 I'm in the sun. 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:06.160 I'm in something's happening to me, an experience. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.440 And that's the power of God. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.359 The power of God knows exactly who you are. 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:17.599 Let me just say something about faith, too. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:21.680 Okay, faith, faith is is is not just feeling. 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:24.240 Uh what is faith then? 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:25.680 I've thought about it. 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:31.759 I grew up in church and we had all these teachings on faith, and some of it was good and some was throwaway stuff. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:32.960 It was. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:37.279 Um what is faith? 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.519 Faith is something that you have. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:45.039 That sounds simplistic, right? 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.000 But it's true. 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:47.759 It's something you have. 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:54.079 See, some of you have faith, and you don't even realize that you have it. 00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:56.319 Look at this quote from Dr. 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:56.799 A.J. 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.759 Swoboda. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.640 I love this. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:02.160 Struggling with your faith is often a sign you have one. 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:09.200 You wouldn't be struggling with faith unless you had it. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:17.359 Why is it that people who don't believe in God are fighting against him? 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:25.680 If God doesn't exist, why are we having debates? 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:27.279 Why are we writing books? 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:30.000 Why are we brainwashing college students? 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.960 If God doesn't exist, why are we putting so much energy into saying he doesn't exist? 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:37.359 I'll tell you why, because he does exist. 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:42.799 He does exist. 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:54.160 And you know it's something because every time when I begin thinking and my faith gets low and doubts start coming, I have to do what Thomas did. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:59.599 See, sometimes the only thing that's going to charge your faith is worship. 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:03.920 I just start thinking about the goodness of God. 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:13.440 I just start thinking about the times that He was He was good to me, that He He kept me, He led me, He guided me, He directed me. 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:17.279 You know, I remember Kim and I were getting ready to. 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:20.559 We we had bought our first little tiny house. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:25.920 Um, I think it was 49 feet by 120, is the whole thing. 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:27.519 But we loved it, you know. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:32.319 And but the only problem with that house is we we had neighbors from hell. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:39.359 I mean, I I could have almost guaranteed their address was 666. 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:44.799 It was just and I I remember I we we had to get out of that house. 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:47.680 Oh, it was so it was so tormenting, but we couldn't. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:53.279 We were like locked into this crazy, you know, thing and on battle, court battle and everything else with them. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.240 It's like, oh. 00:25:54.400 --> 00:26:04.880 And so I would I was so bothered by this that um I remember going to the Lord in prayer one time, and I said, Lord, you I don't know what to do. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:09.359 We've looked at houses where we can't buy a house until we get this crazy thing settled. 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:11.839 And I remember one time the Lord gave me a vision. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:13.359 Now somebody says, What is a vision? 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:14.480 I can't explain it. 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:18.720 Your eyes are open, you're seeing a vision, you're seeing something else, and you know it's from God. 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:20.000 I can't explain that. 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:24.240 But I had a vision, and I was out in this big yard. 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:30.720 I knew in my vision it was a big yard, very big, and I saw barns all around in this vision. 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:34.079 And then I smelled lilacs. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:35.599 I could smell it. 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:43.519 And then I heard uh traffic off in the distance, and the Lord spoke to me and said, There's something wrong with this house, but it's okay. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.279 It'll be taken care of. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:47.359 Okay, thank you, Lord. 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:51.039 All right, you know, sometimes the Lord will give you a seed. 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:53.680 You gotta plant it. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:55.200 Plant the seed. 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:57.039 God, you gave me a seed. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:58.640 You gave me a seed. 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.799 Still haven't moved, but you gave me a seed. 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:12.079 And so I remember some time went by, I think it was about like about a year later, and I remember one one day flying back into our little hometown of William Sport, and uh Kim picks me up. 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:14.400 It was at like 10 o'clock in the morning, something like that. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:22.720 And and uh, you know, I if you've ever dealt with jet lag, you know, you know, you don't want to go to sleep right away. 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:27.839 Just stay up, you know, fight sleep, and then try to get back in the the swing of things. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:28.720 So that's what I told Kim. 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:30.079 I said, I don't want to go to sleep. 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:32.240 Um, but uh let's do something. 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:37.440 She said, Well, I just uh printed out the you know the MLS listings. 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:39.920 That's when yeah, MLS was a book. 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:46.559 Couldn't go online, and um so she said, I I I printed this out and uh let's look at I said, Yeah, let's look at houses. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:51.759 So we picked out this house, this uh first thing, and there's that nice little house. 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:52.799 Let's go over and see it. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.240 Went over, saw it, liked it. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:58.799 I called the um uh real estate agent, yeah, we can get you in there. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:01.200 And about an hour later, we're in the house. 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:03.440 I made a beeline for the backyard. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:07.279 And guess what I found? 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:14.400 It was this big yard, a third of an acre right in the middle of this city because of the the way that it was shaped. 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:17.680 All of the garages were in the barn style. 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:25.119 And all of a sudden, I smelled lilac and I looked over to my right, and there's this big, huge lilac tree in full bloom. 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:29.200 And I could hear, I could hear 180, the the traffic on 180. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:30.079 Oh, yeah, there it is. 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:40.400 And all of a sudden, as I'm soaking this in, I'm like, wow, Kim comes out and she says, by the way, she said, there's something wrong with a stove, but the owners are gonna take it away, so you don't worry about it. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:41.839 I said, This is our house. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:43.839 She said, Doesn't you want to look through the rest of it? 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.200 I said, I don't need to. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.200