Easter Sunday | Grand Rapids First

No longer I who live say, but Christ in me For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah, you brought me back to life I won't forgive the moment I heard you call my name Out of the grip of darkness, into the light of grace Just like Lazarus, you brought me back to life If heaven was dead, it'd lead you, now there is living faith All of my hope and freedom, I found in Jesus' name Just like Lazarus, you brought me back to life No longer I who live say, but Christ in me For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah, you brought me back to life When something says I am guilty, I'll pour it through the price you pay When something says I'm not worthy, I'll pour it through that heavy grave Just like Lazarus, you brought me back to life No longer I who live say, but Christ in me For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah, you brought me back to life How can I begin to thank you, for all that you've done for me Jesus to fully praise you, it will take all eternity Just like Lazarus, you brought me back to life You brought me back to life See, you brought me back to life You're bringing me alive You brought me back to life You're bringing me alive No longer I who live say, but Christ in me

For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah, you brought me back to life No longer I who live say, but Christ in me For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah, you brought me back to life The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said, You are mine The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said, You are mine The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said, You are mine The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said, You are mine The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said, You are mine The angels are behind me, but Jesus is mine. No longer I will live, but Christ in me. For I've been born again, my heart is free. The hope of heaven before me, the bread behind me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Shout here. Come on. Hallelujah. Go ahead. Would you just begin to lift your voice and lift your testimony? And thank God for what he did for you. Jesus, we just thank you. Jesus, we thank you. Go ahead. Go ahead. Just you and God for a moment. Thank you for the cross.

Thank you for the cross. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. Light of the world, you step down into darkness. Open my eyes, let me see. Beauty that makes this heart adore you. Hope of a life that's filled with you. So here I am saying. So here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you are my God. You're altogether lovely. You're worthy. Just say king of all days. King of all days. Oh so highly exalted. Glorious. The only you came. The only you came to the earth you created. Oh for love's sake, be careful. So here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Give it up. So here I am to say that you are my God. You're altogether lovely. Altogether worthy. Altogether one. Take your worship a little deeper.

So here I am. Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. ♪ Oh we are here to say that You're our God ♪ ♪ Say you're all, you're all together, lovely ♪ ♪ All together, worthy ♪ ♪ Say all together, wonderful to me ♪ ♪ Say I'll never know, say how much it costs ♪ ♪ How much it costs, to see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ Say I'll never know, how much it costs ♪ ♪ To see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ Say I'll never know, I'll never know, how much it costs ♪ ♪ To see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ I'll never know, I'll never know, I'll never know ♪ ♪ How much it costs, to see my sin upon that cross ♪ ♪ So here I am to worship, here I am to bow down ♪ ♪ Here I am to stand, to give it all, to give it all ♪ ♪ You're all together, lovely, all together, worthy ♪ ♪ All together, wonderful to me, so here I am ♪ ♪ Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down ♪ ♪ Here I am to stand, to give it all, to give it all ♪ ♪ You're all together, lovely, all together, worthy ♪ ♪ All together, wonderful to me, so wonderful, wonderful, wonderful ♪ ♪ So wonderful to me, to me, to me, to me, to me, to me ♪ ♪ When the king speaks a word that cannot be overturned ♪ ♪ It's as good as done ♪ ♪ And when heaven touches earth, it can never be reversed ♪ ♪ It's a kingdom come ♪ ♪ So get the liars out the way, they don't matter, fine and straight ♪ ♪ It was only worth sovereign and supreme ♪

♪ Every word he speaks is holy, yeah ♪ ♪ The name of God is overcome, my testimony is his blood ♪ ♪ And if he said that he is done, he is done, so be it done ♪ ♪ To the one on the throne who cannot be overthrown ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ To the last and the first ruler of the universe ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ To the author, maker, master, the maker, the name above ♪ ♪ Every other name, give him all the praise, hallelujah ♪ ♪ The name of God is overcome, my testimony is his blood ♪ ♪ And if he said that he is done, he is done, so be it done ♪ ♪ The weapons of the enemy, they have no power over me ♪ ♪ The one with all authority, conquers me, so be it done, so be it done, so be it done ♪ ♪ From a throne to a cross, who will pay such a price? ♪ ♪ Who will sing of the world as your king? ♪ Crucified, see the nails in his head See the wounds in his side See the crown meant to mark That which came from his side That it was not the end Wipe your tears from your eyes Don't forget that he said On the third he will rise He's alive, he's alive, he's alive The Lamb of God has overcome My testimony is his blood And if he said that it is done, it is done So be it done The weapons of the enemy They have no power over me

The one above above it covers me So be it done So be it done It is final, it is written It is settled, it is finished See that old grave, he was in it Now he is in it, he is risen It is final, it is finished It is settled, it is finished See that old grave, he was in it Now he is in it, he is risen Hallelujah, hallelujah So be it done So be it done So be it done They know he's risen from the dead But now we have Sunday evening You know, it's interesting to me We sing songs about he has all power and all authority And we know he has resurrection power He's defeated Satan But how many know something can be there for you But if you don't access it How many know you can never receive that victory and that freedom But I love how the Bible is really honest here Because even after the resurrection of Jesus Christ These disciples were still struggling They were still struggling That's what I love about the Bible That's why I trust it

It doesn't hide a thing It's really gut level honest So in John chapter 20 We have John writing these things And he is very descriptive of every detail And this is Sunday evening, okay It's not the morning resurrection It is now Sunday evening Jesus has a fully resurrected glorified body And something supernatural happens And I want to take you to this scene And they're in a room John 20 verse 19 If you don't have a Bible Just look up on the screens And you can see it there It says that Sunday evening The disciples were meeting behind locked doors Because they were what everybody They're afraid of the Jewish leaders Suddenly Jesus was standing there among them Just boom, just like that Physical body Peace be with you He said As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands And his side They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord Again he said Peace be with you

As the Father has sent me So I am sending you How many of you know he's still sending His disciples that are sitting in this room And watching online, amen He's still sending us You know I've I notice that people are starting to build these in their homes And there's a lot of names for them But in case there's like I remember especially in the south with the tornado Happening there all the time They don't have basements there. So they build what they call these panic rooms or Another word is called a safe room. Have you ever heard of those the safe room they build them there. They're reinforced walls and Some people even have these panic rooms in case there's an intruder in their home And so when they sense the fear of anything that's on the outside they flee to this panic room and they get inside this panic room, but When you see the panic rooms, they're really restricted and confining they're not big because they're not meant to stay in or to live in and When you get inside those panic rooms those safe rooms, it's because you're fearing something that is on the other side of that door But you're restricted to this small little space How many no fear can really? paralyze you and Confine you it can they can bind you it can hinder you and these disciples were behind in this room lock doors Because they feared something on the other side, even though they knew He had already been resurrected. I Love that it shares their struggle. I love it. I love it But Jesus steps in the middle of this fear and what's the first words out of his mouth?

Peace Peace be unto you, but you know, I just kind of feel like you know, they're in this panic room I feel like the disciples there may be people in this room and those watching online That you're found yourself in a spiritual panic room if I could say it that way That you're so bound by fear. It seems like you just can't get off of that mobile device You just can't get off of there. You've got a stream. What's the latest thing? And you know Satan knows your spiritual algorithm. Do you know that I? Said Satan knows your spiritual algorithm That once you land on something he'll keep pounding and pounding and pounding and pounding the sin and sin and sin and sin and sin It's any cuz he knows what gets you just like social media knows your algorithm And so you just keep sending this incentive search people just so fearful feel for fearful And then they just don't they don't want to get on a plane. They don't want to do anything Just this bound by fear afraid they're gonna die for they're gonna take spiritual friend They're in this spiritual panic room. Some people are in panic rooms of bitterness They're they're inside of these panic rooms of bitterness because they can't believe that this person would do this to me It may have been a family member. It may have been in a church It might have been by a spiritual leader And so you find yourself confined in this small room you weren't intended to live in that room of bitterness You were not intended to live there. There's so much out there freedom that God has for you Some of you have disappointment in your heart You prayed and you prayed and you prayed you went through prayer lines you went everywhere and the prayer didn't turn out The way you wanted to turn out you didn't get the answer you wanted and now you're just disappointed with God and disappointed with life So you just stay in this Panic room of disappointment or maybe it's guilt. Maybe it's guilt. Maybe maybe you walked in this room and you said I'm taking a chance on church because this person at my work just Wouldn't stop bother me or maybe you found this plastic Easter egg and you popped it open I had a QR code on it and said quack the code and you ended up being here and you say these folks really are wacky And you say I don't belong here because I'm tell you I'm just not good enough like that preacher Jesus would never want me or You don't know my past pastor Sam

You don't know the sins that I carry the private things that I go to bed with at night that I have hidden in my heart And in my mind, I can't sleep and you're in this room Just just so caught up in all this guilt of the sins of your past Or you failed and you failed and you failed you failed and now you're in a new relationship only to watch it start crumbling Like the last one before and the one before that and the one before that and now you're just saying I just I just don't Even want to I don't want to even try again anymore. I don't want to trust people don't want to trust anything I'm gonna just stay in this little bitty room because I fear what is on the other side Well those disciples feared and they shut the door. They locked it They were in the panic room, but I will tell you this just like Jesus Christ stepped into the disciples panic room of fear I am telling you that he is stepping into your room right now And he took a bunch of fearful men and turned them into world changers that affect our life today Just simple ordinary people and he's gonna do the same thing today How many know he's getting ready to step into some panic rooms right now? And he's gonna remove the fear and he's gonna give you the peace. You're really looking for he really is So if I could just call it this today, I would say this message is from panic to peace So some really peace that you're looking for, but why does the panic occur? Why does why was the fear in these disciples and why are some of you may not be Jesus followers here? You're living in these rooms, or you're Jesus follower, but now you're disappointed with God. You're fearful of what what's happening in the future What what is it that does that to us that keeps us want to stay confined in panic rooms? It's the same things the M the mo of Satan has not changed There is a sifting that Satan wants to do to you and to me and nobody is exempt for this Not even if you're an atheist he will sift you He will sift you to get something out of you something. He wants to destroy He wants to sift your absolute trust in God so these disciples were in a sifting process That's why they're in panic because there's a sifting going on and guess what that sifting was for them It was the cross of Jesus Christ the one they thought was Messiah the one that they thought would sit and liberate all the Jewish People thought they all of a sudden now He's hung on a cross and now they're out kill it they destroyed him and now they feared that they're gonna be destroyed as well And the pressure is on him, but I will tell you this before any breakthrough you experience in your life You will experience the pressure of sifting before it happens before there's a resurrection

There was always a cross, but there's always a resurrection with Jesus Christ. Can somebody say amen to that? But that sifting is doing something to you to me like it did to these disciples See pressure reveals What is really inside of you? Crisis really reveals what's inside of you see people say well a character is built in crisis No, I don't think characters built in crisis. I think character is built in the routine of the day Characters not built in crisis your character is revealed when the pressure and the crisis is on and When this trouble starts to happen it starts separating people when the sifting happens what it does it separates the crowd That follow Jesus to the committed who went to follow him all the way to the cross Sifting really separates even an American around the world it separates the fans of Jesus We got a lot of fans of Jesus. They like Jesus a lot of fans of Jesus but we have very few fully devoted disciples that will go all the way to the cross for Jesus and This separates them and you know why it happens Why would God allow this sometimes God allows the shaking in your life to do one thing Because he wants to expose the thing in your life that really needs to be saved Because it has not been surrendered to him and here they are in a sifting process. They all went through it In fact, you see this happen before this event even Jesus predicts and prophesies the sifting and the failure of one of those disciples that room by the name of the disciple Peter You know the story you can go to Luke chapter 22, it's right there Luke describes it Here they come out of that last supper with Jesus Christ and they're singing as they're going out Jesus says I'm gonna go to the cross They don't want it to happen. They say no it's not gonna happen and then all of a sudden Jesus looks at The disciple Peter and he says this in Luke 22 31 look at these words Simon Simon How many know that when somebody says your name twice that means pay attention? Come on, when you were growing up when your parents said your first name and your middle name That's code language for sit down and shut up and listen to me Simon Simon, he says watch this Satan Satan's asking for you He's asking to sift you like wheat the sifting is the shaking like they would do with wheat

Breaking everything loose doing everything to destroy. It's the sifting. He says he is praying He said he's going to sift you each of you like wheat He just say to Simon he looks at the disciple said each of you He's gonna sift you and it hasn't changed Each one of you from clearing the top of the balcony of the back row side to side. He's wanting to sift your faith Because he desires to destroy you and what do we do? We do we come out of a praise and worship service and we come out man high-powered, you know You know, it will be done, you know, we're just ready Yeah That's what I do I'm get all excited cuz it stirs my faith That's what the disciple Peter they just come out of their their last supper and here they are They're all cheering and wish me God and Jesus said I'm gonna go to the cross. He says no way Lord. No way No way, he's not gonna sip. We I'm gonna go all the way with you the cross In fact, here are two swords. Let's go with them. Let's go slice off some ears And That kind of happens to you and me I don't care who you are We're just like the disciple Peter we can sit in moments. We're in small groups. We're in worship service. Yeah, I'm never gonna turn back I'm gonna follow Jesus all the way but how is it that you and I sometimes drift and all of a sudden we don't even recognize the drift from the faith and Disciple Peter he has to go through this. I mean he goes through a sifting He is persecuted for the cause of Jesus Christ. In fact, the disciple Peter changes his tune in first Peter 5 8 Because now he knows what Jesus meant when you get sifted by Satan And he knows what's going to happen. He says on first Peter 5 and he said, you better be sober. You better be vigilant for your adversary. Satan goes about like a roaring line, seeking who he can shred and tear apart to no longer trust or follow Jesus Christ. It happened to him and it'll happen to you where he tries to sift you. But look what Jesus said. Jesus says in that next verse, you say, well, what's the hope for us? If that's what Satan wants to do to me, here's the hope. Jesus said this in Luke 22, 30, 32. He says the next verse to him, but he says, but Simon, he says, I have pleaded for you, Simon. Notice he didn't just say each of them.

He looks at Simon, which means that he's praying for every single one of you in this room and knows you by name. He said, I am praying for you that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and the word is restored because you will fail and you will go through sifting and trials and temptation, but when you are restored and you have repented, you turn back to me. Why don't you go strengthen somebody else who doesn't think they can make it either. I'm here to tell you something. The Simon, Simon, Peter understood this. And he said, Satan's going by like a roaring line, but you need to understand Jesus is at the right hand of the father is what Paul said, making intercession for every single one of us. You have Jesus interceding, calling out your name before a holy God. That's why he said greater things. Will you do than I, because I'm at the right hand of the father. I'm praying that you succeed. I'm praying that you restored. I'm praying that you won't fail. Now, listen, you might have a devil that goes about like a roaring line, seeking to devour your faith. And you might have line teeth mark all over you and slide saliva dripping from you. But there's a heavenly father. That's listening to the prayer of Jesus Christ right now. So that tells me there's another lion that is entering into that panic room. And it's the line of the tribe of Judah. That's going to lift you up out of the sifting to do his great work for him. But some of you are going through a sifting. You're about ready to give up. Just forget this Jesus thing. I'm coming back to you just because I'm giving another chance, but the sifting is going to happen. Don't stay in that panic room. He's coming to your panic room to bring you out, to experience the greater things instead of being confined in a little eight by 10 panic room of fear and bitterness and guilt and shame. But here's what happens to us. We shut him out. That's what happens. We try to shut him out because we don't think he can. That's when the shutting begins to happen. Look, look what it says in verse 19. Just take a peek of this with me for a moment. It says the disciples were meeting behind what kind of doors, everybody locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Now afraid there is code language for they're going to kill us. They did it to him, the son of God. They're going to do it to us. Even after the resurrection, they're still struggling with the human side of that fear that wants to confine you. They're afraid. And the Bible said they didn't just shut the doors. The doors weren't just shut. John describes, they were locked. They were locked. It's one thing to shut the door.

It's another thing you're locking it because you don't want what there's on the side coming in after you. You're in absolute fear. It's never going to do it again. Shut. I mean, you can get really get a lot of fear. I'm not against safe rooms and panic rooms. I think are great to have, you know, that's a wonderful thing. But some people live in such fear that I mean, it gets worse than that. If you don't confront fear and you don't confront what you're locked into, it will get worse. If you do not confront it with the power of Jesus Christ in his resurrection, I'm going to say it again, whatever is your room you're confined in, it is going to get worse. If you do not confront it with the power of Jesus Christ, when he enters that room, because I see people right now, I mean, I don't mind people having panic rooms and safe rooms, but man, some people get so much fear. They're watching the news. They're seeing things happen internationally. And I mean, I'm not trying to trivialize and act like I don't care. I'm just simply say people are so gripped with fear. They're saying, Hey, we just don't need a panic room. We got, we got to have more. We got, we got to have more. We need an arsenal. We got to have an arsenal. Let's get off the grid. Let's just not get off the grid. I tell you, I got a better idea. Let's not have a panic room. Let's build a bunker. Let's go down 12 feet more. And then another 12 feet, let's make sure they don't get to us. And then we'll have 12 inch walls. And there, all of a sudden you find yourself in a concrete little eight by 10 little cubicle sitting there with 500 cans of tuna and 500 bottles of water. And you got your dog sitting down there and now you've been down in there for three months. And now your dog's looking at you and you're reading his mind. You're thinking, he's thinking, you look delicious. And now you're confined inside there. The point is this is you can go from panic works to actually hunkering and bunkering and never let you go deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. The room gets. Smaller and smaller and smaller the walls get thicker and thicker and thicker if you do not allow the one who steps into that room To liberate you and set you free You might be in this room right now. I'm serious. You might be sitting there right now confined in a bunker of so much bitterness because they said they would never leave you so much bitterness because they use the name of Jesus and we're quote a Spiritual person you may be sitting there with such addiction that it's getting worse and you don't think you can ever get free You may be in such sexual immorality that you're thinking God would never ever want me or accept me or maybe revenge Is gripped your soul because can you believe what they did to my kid?

Can you believe what they said about me and you want to get even that the walls are getting thicker and you're going deeper deeper and deeper Materialism has grabbed you so much that you think you're gonna die. It's your survival You you can't even be generous with the resources God's given you and you say I gotta have more gotta have more Well, you made your first million. Why aren't you satisfied you made your second million? Why still not satisfied you got the car you want to got the clothes you wanted you got the degree wonder Why aren't you satisfied? Because if you don't confront it with Jesus Christ, you got to have more and more of it and the walls get thicker It gets deeper and guess what begins to happen sin begins to hold you security begins insecurity begins to hold you But I have a word for you Listen closely to what I'm saying what fear shuts you into Jesus Christ will step through and deliver you out of it right now this morning and I promise you he will free you from that room Don't shut him out. And here's what the enemy does Well, if you just be more like so-and-so in that church and so-and-so on that young adults ministry, you know Look at their faith if you could just be more like them and use then you get faith shamed By the enemy and sometimes some believers you just need more faith And we get people that start teaching it takes a mountain of faith to move a mustard seed All it takes is a little bit of faith to make the mountain move and Here's what you think and if I just had more faith, that's my problem. I just don't have faith No, no, let me say something to me for a moment the opposite of fear is not faith The opposite of fear is peace It is not faith It is peace. You know, that's what I need. That's what I need. That's what I need So I went to the Bahamas maxed out my credit cards, and I was doing real good for the first two days That's because your peace is you want to feel peace in your marriage You want to feel peace in your money you want to feel peace in the nations you want to feel peace The peace is not a feeling peace is a person and he's called Jesus Christ

The Everlasting Father the mighty God the counselor the Prince of Peace It is a person that steps in and begins to shut out everything that has tried to keep you from God So he is the peace and here's what I know about Jesus I Get so clocked in my panic rooms and I get so down in my bunkers that I think there's no way that I can get Out of here, but Jesus does not wait for you to open up the door of your bunker or your panic room He just walks and steps right in and shows up and says I'm here to set you free He doesn't wait for you to open the door and he's coming to you today to open up the door and say let me come On in let me do this for you And when he steps in Listen to him and don't be missing Because here's my last point I want to just bring to your attention that's really interesting about what you see happening It doesn't change much folks the way Satan operates doesn't change much when the sifting happens We think it gets so bad that we keep shutting and things get worse and keep shutting Jesus steps in anyway When he steps in here's what happens too many people start separating from him Because what you have here is a separation that you don't want to do when you're being sifted If I could just for a moment go to verse 24 same story. Let's go there So Jesus walks in the door suddenly they say peace to them verse 24 There's something that John writes down that the Holy Spirit wants him to write and look what it says one of the twelve disciples Thomas Nicknamed twin Was not with the others when Jesus came Then they told him they told him We have seen the Lord, but look at his reply. I Won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands put my fingers into them and Place my hand into the wound in his side

Now I want you to know that first of all you're saying what a doubter or who want to be around this guy? There's a reason why the scripture puts it there because you and I go through this very thing. And here's what I want you to notice. I want you to notice something that it says that Thomas is missing. He's missing. What's happening here? What do you need to pay attention? What do you and I need to pay attention to? And here it is. Are you ready? Just listen very closely because you don't think, you think I'm okay, I still love Jesus, but you're not seeing, you're getting ready to be devoured because here's what happens. Before Satan destroys your faith, he disconnects your fellowship. So you're looking for teeth mark when you ought to be looking, have I stopped fellowshipping with Jesus and the community of his people? If you have started to disconnect from him, where now the word of God is boring and mundane to you, prayer is only happening when you need bailed out or you need a spiritual Santa Claus to bring you the right gift. You are losing fellowship with Jesus Christ.

He really wants just you. And then when you begin to see that you're disconnecting from his people, you say, ah, but I don't like some of his people. Neither do I. I'm just being honest with you. There's some people love Jesus, but they're Jesus jerks. I'm just, you know. But you know what? Those are the very people that have helped me develop the place that needs saved in my life. Those are the ones that develop the area of my life that needs saved in my attitude. Really helps me. But don't be a jerk just trying to help me out now, okay? Please don't. The thing that needs to happen is when you are in this place and you identify it and you're noticing you are separated from Jesus Christ and you notice you have distanced yourself from the community of believers, you are being set up because he goes for fellowship before he ever goes for your faith. You say, what do you want me to do when I'm going through those times? That's when you need to hang out with Jesus and hang out with his people. When your marriage is fried, that's when you need to hang out with God's people, not go running because you're too embarrassed.

When you're going through an addiction in your life, that's not the time to act like you're super spiritual because everybody else lives in super spirit and they told me how they got delivered and here I'm still struggling. That's not the time for you to stay away. That's the time for you to get closer. Get closer. Because if there's no showing, there's no growing. But if you'll keep on showing, you'll keep on growing even in the midst of that attack, I promise you. I promise you. Let me just, let me extend this to some of you. You're going, but pastor, I've got so many hangups. I got so many. No, I'm gonna challenge you to do something. And people, this church has heard me say it before. Give us at least one year of your life of you just coming on Sundays. Just ask you to show up on Sundays, Sunday mornings for one year. And I'm gonna promise you something, a year from that time of just being in here, you're gonna look back a year from now and you're gonna go, what in the world has happened to me? Church, am I right? Because when you get in the atmosphere of the Holy Spirit and you get around his word, you may not think you're growing, but if you'll keep showing,

you'll watch God start doing things in your marriage and in your life you never dreamed he would ever, ever do. But this is what Satan knows. He knows that if you start showing up with Jesus every day, if you're having the gut level conversations with him, when you start looking at his word to start saying, what are you trying to say to me? When you start hanging out with his people, I'm gonna tell you, you're gonna start growing and Satan knows it. So what does he do? He cuts off your food supply of fellowship before he ever goes to eat and devour your faith in Jesus Christ. This happened to Simon Peter. Look at this, same thing. It hasn't changed here, but don't think that you're special. You're not special. He's going, this is what's happening. This is what he tries to do to me and tries to do to you. Simon Peter, before he denied Jesus Christ, remember he denied Jesus Christ three times? Before he ever did it, look what happened. Watch this. Satan separates him, not only from Jesus, but separates him from other believers when he's going through the battle of his life. Look at this. They're following Jesus.

Look at the account. John 18, just a couple of chapters ahead of 20 there. Here's the account. It said Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. So this is believed to be John, okay? Because this disciple was known to the high priest. He went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard. Jesus is getting sentenced, but Peter had to wait outside the door. So now they're separated. The other disciple who was known to the high priest came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. So here's the deal. The disciple Peter's out here John is in there, but when they're following Jesus, they're together So they're encouraging each other while they're getting ready to watch their Savior and Lord be sentenced to death but something happens Satan sifts sift Simon and separates him from John and Guess what happens he's warming his hands at a different Group of people and a girl goes aren't you? Yes, you are you're You are the disciple Peter the father. I don't know him. I don't know him. I don't know who he is I don't know. He's yes, you are three times It would have been better people say well he cursed it's because my said he cursed It's not listen It would have been better if he'd have found every expletive in the book he knew and just set off the expletives It'll been better, but it's not about cussing there What he actually did was take a vow that I do not believe him It's is this man never ever existed and vows were serious in the culture of that day

And that's why he was so distraught and so depressed because he took a vow he never even Existed is what he's saying Look at that You said what should he be done pastor? He should have said John you're not gonna get away from me You're not get away from me the problem is is when we go through things you ought to say somebody pray for me pray for Me yeah, but I don't want I don't want him. No. I'm going through temptation. No. No you tell him He should have said John John pray for me John. I don't think he's the guy John I know I said that he's the son of the Living God and that hey God reveal it But I I'm doubting this I do gotta pray for me He should have prayed for him in that moment, but instead Satan says let me take them away from fellowship to make them vulnerable to devour their trust in an Almighty God Hasn't changed one bit But I want to show you something just for a moment this separation Have you noticed something in this story? That the Holy Spirit has John Call out who the dude is that is missing and doubting now wouldn't have been nice Wouldn't have been the decent thing to do to just say there was this disciple missing We're not gonna say anything But he was missing would have been the nice thing to do aren't we polite people Look what he does He posted and says The one who walked away is Thomas. He's the one don't you love that don't you just love that you know I Just rat you out that you're the one that blew it Nobody wants to have that posted nobody wants to know about your failures No, no you want all the shots with the whole family smiling on vacation. You don't want the knockdown drag-out fights You don't want that recorded. You know what nobody know about your flaws, but he shows the flaws You want to ask why is he doing this Why would why would the Holy Spirit have John point out it was Thomas why? Because he is making a point and here's what he's doing

He is showing that the person that feels like they failed Jesus the most is So ashamed and even doubts that he's the Son of God until I touch and put my finger in his hands and my hand in His side the one that is there that seems like he has lost faith It shows that Jesus is always gonna go after the one who is separated from him that is embarrassed Ashamed and depressed and feels like they can never be restored when at one time they believed and now they don't he says you're the one I'm coming after so if you're in this room, and you're in a place of totally doubting Jesus Christ my prayer didn't come through I just don't even believe God anymore. Can I tell you the reason why it's named? It's because he's coming down this aisle. He's moving into your pew, and he said I'm coming for you You're the one that I'm gonna reach out to and show you who I really am You're the one that's what he does He goes into the panic room. He's always doing this he leaves the 99 to go to the one. That's what he does But the enemy says no you're too bad So guess what God does for this cat He does an encore for him He takes the guy it's doubting, but let me I just want to I want to just stop for a moment here I just really feel I need to say this This isn't just simply doubt that Thomas is going through everybody This is not just what this is It comes out as doubt, but let me tell you what it is it is wounded grief is Is what's happening this guy manifesting in doubt It's where all of a sudden. He's thinking I gave my whole life I've been rejected by so many people in my circle because I believe he's the son of God They want to kill him now They want to kill me and I've given everything up and now he has to watch the one he loves Strip naked beaten bloodied, and he's thinking It's, I can't believe this is actually happening. And now he's seeing his friend be crucified, and I thought he was the son of God, and now his skepticism is nothing but pain speaking. When I hear skeptics, I hear pain speaking.

It didn't turn out the way it should have turned out. And now look what Jesus does. Have you noticed how Jesus responds in verse 26? Jesus doesn't rebuke him. Jesus doesn't come and go, Jesus doesn't walk into that room, and he's there this time. Jesus doesn't walk in and he walks in doing this. You. Doesn't do that to him, does he? Thanks loads, pal. No, he doesn't. I want you to see this. Eight days later, the disciples were together again. And this time, Thomas decided to go back to his small group. Thomas decided to hang out with the other believers. Even doubting, still doubting, still going through the problems, but I'm gonna hang out with them. It says, the doors were locked, and suddenly as before, Jesus was standing among them. "'Peace be with you,' he said. And then he said to Thomas, "'Put your finger here, look at my hands, "'put your hand in the wounds on my side.' And then he says this. "'I don't rebuke you. "'I know exactly the pain you felt "'and the disappointment you felt. "'It didn't happen the way you thought,

"'but I do know best.' He says, "'Don't be faithless anymore. "'Believe me, just trust me.' And in that one moment, everything was restored to that guy that day.