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How to Struggle with Doubt: Have you wondered, does God really exist? Can we really trust what the Bible says? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Every believer, at certain times in life, will struggle with doubts. But Jesus didn't punish or shame his followers for their questions or doubts. The story of Jesus and Thomas reveals how we might deal with our doubts. Recorded on Apr 7, 2024, on John 20:24-31 by Pastor David Parks.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFinding Life in Jesus\u2019 Name\xa0is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt\xa0unsatisfied\xa0with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still\xa0missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the\xa0full. Jesus turned John\u2019s life upside down, and John claims this new life \u2014 marked by God\u2019s power, presence, and purpose \u2014 is available for all who believe.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSermon Transcript\n\n\n\nSince last July, we\u2019ve been working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus\u2019 Name, and after today, we only have two weeks left! As sort of an epilogue to John, we\u2019ll go through the book of Ephesians next because John was all about finding life in Jesus\u2019 name, as we\u2019ll see today. The book of Ephesians is all about what this life in Christ looks like. But today, one week after celebrating the greatest event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we\u2019ll consider how to struggle with doubt. When I was growing up in the church, I don\u2019t think anyone taught me this explicitly, but I had the impression that doubts were sort of inappropriate to admit. We walk by faith and not sight, right? So, isn\u2019t doubt the evidence of a lack of faith? But does faith mean we\u2019ll never have any doubts? Have you wondered, does God really exist? Or, can we really trust what the Bible says? Or, what about the miracles; are we really supposed to believe that God parted the Red Sea or that Jesus walked on the water or calmed the storm? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? If you\u2019ve ever had questions like these, you\u2019re in good company. Every believer, at certain times in their life, will struggle to believe. And you might think that seeing a miracle such as Jesus rising from the dead would cast out every question/doubt. But it doesn\u2019t. Even in the face of the overwhelming evidence of who Jesus was, the first followers had questions and doubts; they still struggled to believe at times. But, as we\u2019ll see today, Jesus didn\u2019t punish them for their questions; he didn\u2019t shame them for their doubt. In the story of Jesus and Thomas, we see that Jesus loved and served Thomas, even in his doubts, and it led to a much stronger faith. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 20:24. We\u2019ll read through this and unpack it as we go.\n\n\n\nJohn 20:24\u201325 (NIV), \u201c24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, \u201cWe have seen the Lord!\u201d But he said to them, \u201cUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.\u201d Ok, let\u2019s pause here. So, last week, we saw that the first witness to the resurrection was Mary Magdalene, who recognized Jesus when he called her by name. \u201cMary.\u201d Jesus sent Mary to tell his other disciples, including Peter and John and the others. After she told them she had seen the Lord, later that same day, Jesus appeared among them, and they saw for themselves he was alive. We know that Judas wasn\u2019t among them because he had killed himself after betraying Jesus. But from this passage, John tells us that another one of the Twelve was missing when Jesus appeared. Can you imagine that? I picture Thomas coming back from the grocery store, like, \u201cWait, who did I miss?!?\u201d Thomas essentially says,