"Question To Question" Dick Foth at Timberline Church

Join us this weekend as Dick Foth explores the story of Jesus’ apprentice, Thomas, as he grapples with questions and doubts in his journey to BELIEVING.

Transcription:

- Welcome to Timberline, we're glad you're here today. Would you stand with us? And we're gonna be taking communion today so if you guys didn't get a chance, if you want, you could slip out to any of the doors and grab your communion items. And I hope that you'll just join us in singing and worshiping with us today. ♪ When all I see is the battle ♪ ♪ You see my victory ♪ ♪ When all I see is a mountain ♪ ♪ You see a mountain moved ♪ ♪ And as I walk through the shadow ♪ ♪ Your love surrounds me ♪ ♪ There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You ♪ ♪ So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees ♪ ♪ With my hands lifted high ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ And every fear I lay at Your feet ♪ ♪ I'll sing through the night ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ And if You are for me, who can be against me ♪ ♪ For Jesus, there's nothing impossible for You ♪ ♪ When all I see are the ashes ♪ ♪ You see the beauty ♪ ♪ Thank You God ♪ ♪ When all I see is a cross, God ♪ ♪ You see the empty tomb ♪ ♪ So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees ♪ ♪ With my hands lifted high ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ And every fear I lay at Your feet ♪ ♪ I'll sing through the night ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ Almighty fortress, You go before us ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against the power of our God ♪ ♪ You shine in the shadow, You win every battle ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against the power of our God ♪ ♪ Almighty fortress, You go before us ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against the power of our God ♪ ♪ You shine in the shadow, You win every battle ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against the power of our God ♪ ♪ So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees ♪ ♪ With my hands lifted high ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ And every fear I lay at Your feet ♪ ♪ I'll sing through the night ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees ♪ ♪ With my hands lifted high ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪ ♪ And every fear I lay at Your feet ♪ ♪ I'll sing through the night ♪ ♪ Oh God, the battle belongs to You ♪

- Amen, thank you. ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ It was my cross You bore ♪ ♪ So I could live in the freedom You died for ♪ ♪ And now my life is Yours ♪ ♪ And I will sing of Your goodness forevermore ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ And now my shame is gone ♪ ♪ I stand amazed in Your love undeniable ♪ ♪ Your grace goes on and on ♪ ♪ And I will sing of Your goodness forevermore ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As Your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You alone deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name above all names ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, set my heart on fire ♪ ♪ Till You're all I want ♪ ♪ Till You're everything ♪ ♪ Jesus, set my heart on fire ♪ ♪ Till You're all I want ♪ ♪ Till You're everything ♪ ♪ My life is the altar ♪ ♪ My song will be the sacrifice ♪ ♪ So let it rise higher ♪ ♪ Till You alone are glorified ♪ ♪ Jesus, set my heart on fire ♪ ♪ Till You're all I want ♪ ♪ Till You're everything ♪ ♪ Jesus, set my heart on fire ♪ ♪ Till You're all I want ♪ ♪ Till You're everything ♪ ♪ My life is the altar ♪ ♪ My song will be the sacrifice ♪ ♪ So let it rise higher ♪ ♪ Till You alone are glorified ♪ ♪ My life is the altar ♪ ♪ My song will be the sacrifice ♪ ♪ So let it rise higher ♪ ♪ Till You alone are glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Be glorified ♪ ♪ Every breath ♪ ♪ Is for You ♪ ♪ You are worth it ♪ ♪ You are worth it all ♪ ♪ My whole life ♪ ♪ I give to You ♪ ♪ You are worth it ♪ ♪ You are worth it all ♪ ♪ Every breath ♪ ♪ Is for You ♪ ♪ You are worth it ♪ ♪ You are worth it all ♪ ♪ My whole life ♪ ♪ I give to You ♪ ♪ You are worth it ♪ ♪ You are worth it all ♪ ♪ You are worth it ♪ ♪ My life is the altar ♪ ♪ My song will be the sacrifice ♪ ♪ So let it rise higher ♪ ♪ Till You alone are glorified ♪

- Will you pray with me? Father God, we humbly come before you this morning so grateful that we can gather in community. God, you are worthy to be praised and to be glorified and we do that this morning. We thank you for being a God who extends your loving kindness, your patience, your forgiveness to each and every one of us. Jesus, thank you so much for your gift of giving your life on the cross. Holy spirit, may we continue to listen to what you wanna say to each one of us, we're listening with open hearts and open ears in Jesus mighty name we pray, amen. Amen, well, before you have a seat, would you mind saying hi to somebody you did not come to church with? Well, good morning, Timberline, Welcome. I'm Donny Abbott, It's so good to be with you on this beautiful spring morning. Last night, my oldest son and I, we decided to go fishing up the pouter and every fish up and down the pouter river can attest that they were not harmed during our little excursion. Yeah, they were giggling the whole time we were out there. But anyway, we are so glad you're with us. A special welcome to those of you who are visiting for the very first time, if that is you, then we really do hope you find a home here at Timberline and we see you online, we're glad that you're with us as well. We wanna make sure you stay up to date on all things, Timberline, a couple of ways you can do that, you can simply visit us or you can use the connection card that's right in the chair, back in front of you, you can activate the QR code with your phone. Both options will take you to a landing page where you can explore all that Timberline has to offer. Well, let's continue to open our hearts in mind as pastor Dick Foth comes up and shares this morning's message.

- Well, good morning.

- Good morning.

- Wow, look at all you people, you're back. You've been back for a while, I've been gone but it's wonderful to see you and I'm excited about today. We're in this series called mirror mirror where we're looking at incidents that happened prior to the cross and the resurrection and then post, cross, and resurrection and how they're connected. And today I get to talk to you about people who ask questions, question to question. I love questions, Ruth and I, when we're with people, I'll be asking questions and she'll turn to the people and say, you do not have to answer every question he asks, that's right up there with the time she whispered to somebody, what must it be like to have to speak every thought that comes into your mind, but that's a whole other message so we won't go there. But life without questions would be boring, I mean, it would be stifling. At least for me, we're born with huge capacity for question. I mean, you know that this, and I've said this before. Preschoolers, they have a question, why, why does the duck look like that? Why is the sky blue? Why do I have these? And parents patiently answered until finally a parent just says, because and that's the end of it. But then when you get older, like Ruth and I, and we both have started losing our hearing, it's hilarious 'cause we have moved from why to what and do not talk to me from the other room, It's wa wa, anyway, that's also a whole other message. But we have this unbelievable story, actually, a believable story, this incredible story of Jesus, God almighty who puts skin on, if you will, comes in flesh to us so that we can understand and know him and connect with him, the story, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth who many believe is the messiah, the son of God, like I believe that. But if that story doesn't provoke questions, and I think we need to read it again. Look at it one more time 'cause here is the deal, no real learning happens without questions, no thought process, no creativity, no solutions without somebody saying, I wonder why or how did that or who or when did that start? Unless you go there, you don't have that but here's the deal, first point, if you're taking messages, taking whatever it is, notes, taking notes. Questions are necessary to discovery, questions are necessary to discovery. When you read Jesus, he asks these great questions like what shall it profit a person if he gains the whole world and loses his own? I mean, that's a key question. I had a prof in school, long time, I've told you this before, I had a prof in school I don't know if it was tongue and cheek or if he was joking, he said, I will give an a for the semester to anyone in this class who during the course of the semester will ask one intelligent question. I think I got a B, but the point is this, there's something about questions that keeps us on track. Now we have to understand that this timeframe, what we're talking about is pre Easter and post Easter in our language. There is this week between what we call Palm Sunday when Jesus comes into Jerusalem and the hail him as king and five days later when they crucify him as a criminal. And so that week for the people who were with Jesus, those dozen, particularly his followers, his disciples, it was a rollercoaster week, I mean the emotions were all over the map, the action is all over the map. We should not be surprised that there are questions, especially from the person's closest in, the people who have been with him for three years, why? Because their destiny is tied to his, whatever happens to him, they're in that mix somewhere along the line. The gospel of John in particular of the four stories of Jesus, the narratives in the New Testament, about the last half is given to these last weeks out of three years, out of 33 years, the last half of the gospel of John, is pretty much about the last weeks of Jesus earthly life. And the context for what I'm gonna talk about this morning, is the night before the cross, the Passover, this traditional Jewish feast, commemorating, coming out of Egypt, the Exodus, the freeing of Israeli slaves, if you will. So it's, Jesus' final thoughts to these folks and Judas, the one who's gonna betray him of the 12, he's left, he's gone to go get his money and do what he's gonna do. But you come near to the end of chapter 13 of of John and you need to understand again, and I've said this before, is that up until 500 years ago, we didn't have chapters and verses in the text and some folks said we really need to be able to find our place, so they put those in. So the chapter breaks aren't really there and it reads like this, Judas is gone, Jesus says, and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna be going away but you'll see me later. And in verse 36, and it won't be on the screen, I'm just gonna read this part to you. Of chapter 13 of John, Simon Peter asked him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus replied, where I'm going, you can't follow now but you will follow later. Then Peter asked, Lord, why can't I follow you now? It's like the little kid who said, mom, I wanna go with you to the grocery store, you can't Harry, you knocked over a whole ketchup rack the last time we were there. And then Peter ups the ante, I'll lay down my life for you, he's up in the odds. And Jesus then asks a question, Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you before the rooster crows, you'll disown me three times. He says, you're talking about the D word dying, I'm telling you about the D word denying and before the sun comes up, that's gonna happen three times. Well, that's a downer for Peter, 'cause he's really sort of into it, but immediately going on 'cause there's no chapter break, this is what Jesus says and this will be on the screen. Do not let your hearts be troubled. He just says, Peter, you're gonna deny me three times but don't let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me, believing is the operative verb there. My father's house has many rooms, if that were not so, would I've told you that I'm going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am and you know the way to the place where I'm going. And Thomas, another disciple, chimes in Lord, we don't know where you're going so how can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me. If you really know me, you'll know my father as well, from now on you do know him and have seen him. You say, so who is this Thomas? Well, we don't know much about Thomas except that he's in all four gospel accounts, he was one of the original 12, obviously. We know, it's interesting, they say he's a twin, the Greek word is Didymus, he's a twin. So we know that he's got somebody out there, we don't know if it's a brother or sister, kind of looks like him wondering around Galilee or whatever it is but he's always there in the story. He's there at this point, he's been there with Jesus for three years and after the resurrection, when Peter is sort of messed up in his head and he's embarrassed, I'm sure, he says, I wanna go fishing, he goes back to commercial fishing. And Thomas is one of the group that goes with him, many of you know that story, and Jesus comes and fixes them breakfast on the beach, Thomas is one of the guys in that group. And then on the day of Pentecost later, when Jesus has left, when the holy spirit comes and the church is born, Thomas is in that group in the upper room. So, what we know about Thomas is that he's been there from the start, that he's a twin and that he's a stare, he's a person who's, who's in the mix. But at this moment in time, he has a question and his question is, Lord, we don't know where you are going so how can we know the way? He's been with him three years, three years of walking and talking and listening and watching and grappling and seeing things. And he's seen healings, he's seen withed arms extended, he's seen people get out of bed, he's seen food distribution, like there's no tomorrow, I mean, Jesus takes this little kid's lunch and feeds like 15,000 people, he's seen people raise from the dead. But at this moment, Thomas is befuddled, apparently confused and sort of lost because all this stuff is going on, I'm guessing this, all this stuff is going on. Have you ever felt lost? I have, lost is a terrible thing to feel, no reference point, nobody I know, no connections, if you will. I was eight years old, my mother and my sister and I had come from India in 1949, my father stayed another year 'cause he had responsibilities and we lived with family in Monrovia, California, near LA. And one day, one weekend mom took us to the Pomona County Fair, and I'm eight years old, like it doesn't get better than being an eight year old at a county fair. And I'm over there checking out the pigs, I guess I can't quite remember but I have an ice cream bar with the chocolate on the outside, vanilla and I'm looking at the pigs in it and all of a sudden I look around and my mom and my sis are nowhere to be found. And all I see is strange people and I start wandering around looking, I can't find them and it's not a good moment, being lost is not a good moment. And a friendly officer finds me and takes me to the front and gets on a speaker and says, will the parents of Dick Foth come, the mom. And she came and when she came by that time, I'm crying and ice cream's running off my elbow but I was found, isn't it a grand feeling to be found. But being lost is a natural propensity for us, it's a natural default if we're not careful. Have a friend who's a New Testament scholar named Dr. Gordon Fee and he says, life is a journey through a wilderness. None of us knows what's gonna happen next Friday, oh, we got a calendar, we think we know, well, we know it'll be April 2nd, but we don't know. So life is a journey through a wilderness and wildernesses are interesting places. Some of you, men and women here are wilderness people, I mean, you know about the outdoors. I mean like you could survive for two and a half months just off grubs and bear meat or something, you're people that are like that. I'm a kid from East Oakland, I die in the first 38 hours or whatever it is. But in a wilderness, if you've never been in the Abssarokas, that mountain range to the north, if you've never been there and somebody just drops you in by helicopter, you say, well, if I had a map, well, a map only helps you if you know where you are for starters. A compass, it'll tell you where east and west is, what you need in the wilderness is a guide, you need someone who has been that way before. And Jesus is saying to the disciples, I'm going to my father's house, I've been there, I know the way, hang with me, We'll go there, I'll go there, come back and get you and that sort of thing. So that's one question, 72 hours after that question, on a Thursday night, Jesus has been executed horribly, if you will in a terrible way to die, he has been buried, rises from the dead on Sunday morning and now it's Sunday night. And this is how John 20 says it, on the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, 'cause they're afraid , same thing's gonna happened to them, I think. Jesus came and stood among them, doors are locked, boom, he shows up and says, peace be with you. After he said this, he showed them his hands inside, shows them the evidence, that he's not an operation, that he's not a we ghosty as they would say in Scotland. And that his disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Go on a few verses and it says, it's now Thomas also known as Didymus, the twin, one of the 12 was not with the disciples when Jesus came on that Sunday night, we don't know why he wasn't there, have no idea, so they're 10 of 'em, not 11. So of the other disciples told him, we've seen the Lord, but he said to them, unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, 'cause he had seen him die, he'd seen him pined like a butterfly against the sky, if you will, speared to death. I will not believe, I'm going, whoa, that's a mouthful right there, that's a strong statement for somebody who has walked with him for three years and seen all the things, seeing what's going on in him, you can feel the intensity of it. Well, a week later it says in John 20, 26, his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with him. Though, the doors were locked, here we go again. Jesus came, stood among them, said peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, put your finger here, see my hands, reach out your hand, put it in my side, and then he says this fascinating couplet, stop doubting and believe. And Thomas, doesn't say he reached out and touched him, Thomas said, my Lord and my God. Then Jesus told him because you've seen me, you've believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. At the heart of Thomas's reactions is this question, How can I believe unless I see and touch him? I could take my buddy's word for it but you know, it's a huge thing, how can I believe unless I have evidence? If you're CSI followers, if you're into forensics, this is your moment right here, unless I have evidence. Now what's interesting here is that Jesus didn't have to do this, he could have just said, Thomas, I trusted you, told you all my stuff, shown you the things I do and you're not believing you're out of the club or he could vaporize him. So, Thomas has put at a requirement before believing, unless this happens, I won't believe. So, here's my question, second point, what gets in the way of believing for me or for you, for anyone? I like how pastor John Mellon Windsor who's speaking not this exact message but these ideas at Windsor Timberline right now. He had this wonderful phrase, which is how he frames it, well, he says, how do I fill in the blank? Unless blank, I believe, unless blank, I will not believe, unless this happens, I will not believe. I think that's a really profound way to put it and I stole it from John. Usually I don't reveal my sources 'cause I think originality is the art of not revealing your sources, but I stole it from pastor John. And what is that thing that gets in the way of believing for us? Is it a disappointment? Is it a loss? If God had only healed my mom, is it overwhelmed by circumstances? Or my history gets in the way? How did I end up with such a crummy history? Or I tried trusting one didn't really work or I sort or tried it once, or if there weren't so many hypocrites like in the church, then I, or Some folks there made judgments about me that were unfair. I know what this feels like, I'm a 17 year old kid at Cal Berkeley in 1959. And you've heard me tell this, Castro has just taken Cuba, Elvis is in the army in Germany and I'm a 17 year old church kid at Cal Berkeley. and I find out that Berkeley is not church. But I was going through some stuff 'cause when you're 17, you're going through stuff, that's part of the game, that's part of the deal, that's how it is. You're trying to figure stuff out, figure ourselves out, figure those people out, what's this, how does it work? And I was frustrated because parents' relationship was coming apart and my dad was a pastor and none of it fit. So the actions didn't fit the words and all this kind of stuff. And I can remember sitting in our kitchen in a little bungalow in East Oakland, California, and I have not shared this in a public gathering till this weekend but I felt it important to share it. So I'm gonna put it out there, I'm not proud of it, I'm just saying, I can remember turning to my dad and saying dad, why don't you take your Jesus and go jump in the lake? That was a horrific thing, that was a totally disrespectful thing to say, if I could get it back, I would get it back but some of us know those feelings. And I just came to tell you, I'm still here. God didn't wipe me off the face of the earth because I was stupid. Somebody asked me about what are some of your thoughts about living as long as you've lived? I said, one of my thoughts is that, I know God forgives sins, but stupid is on me, that's one of my thoughts. And that day that's where I was. And here is a God who comes along and still wants me. See, it isn't about if I believe, is it? We all believe some thing, about things or someone. Our lives are determined by who and what we believe. And Jesus hears Thomas say, I will not believe unless I touch him. And Jesus simply looks at Thomas and says these two words, stop doubting, stop it. Sometimes we need the words coming to us from someone full of truth and full of grace, which is who Jesus is. And they just say, stop it, you're choosing to do that, why don't you choose to do this? Lemme express that or explain that a little more, the drumbeat of believing is all through this book from Adam and Eve to the end, about people believing there is a God or if there is a God, what is that God like? And I love the clarity of how Eugene Peterson puts it in his paraphrase of scripture called The Message where he frames Paul, the apostle's words. Now Paul, the apostle was what we would call a religious terrorist. He would come to people like us because he thought that we were wrong, he'd either put us in jail or kill us, those were the options, apparently two options. But he had this profound experience with Jesus, the Christ and it totally transformed him in a 72 hour period, I mean just boom like that. And years later, these are the words he write to the church at Rome. And these are Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of his words, the word that saves is right here as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. Scripture reassures us, no one who trusts God like this, heart and soul will ever regret it. And I hear Jesus saying, Thomas, stop, doubting and believe. This book is full of moments where we're encouraged to believe. I love the story of the little kid with the lunch and the 5,000, they're actually more like 15,000 with women and children and he trusts Jesus with his lunch and sees this unbelievable thing happen. And then when Jesus is asked, what must we do to do the works of God? He responds in the singular, the work of God, you can read this in John 6. The work of God is this, to believe in the one he sent or the father whose son was in convulsions. And Jesus says to him, believe and he says, Lord, I believe help my unbelief. 'cause lot of times for us, it's a mixed bag, isn't it? We have this core thing, but boy, in this moment I'm just pulled and so forth. See, I would submit you that Thomas was not just a doubter, that that's how we tag him, doubting Thomas, but he'd been in the game. But his master had just said, I'm going away and Thomas is insecure about that, and he has questions, he's not ready for him to go away and he doesn't sort of geographically get it. All of us are insecure just in different places at different times. I'm a 23 year old married guy, just back from grad school, Ruth and I are working with her dad who's a pastor in Modesto, California Central Valley where they have grapes and peaches and what they call amons, the rest of the civilized world says almonds, but they call 'em amons out there. And there were these guys who were forming a flying club, they called it the Valley Skyhawks and they bought what was a J three Piper Cub, which is a little plane, It's a tail dragger and it has room for two people and it has a joy stick, doesn't have a yoke but it's got a stick that you fly it like that. And I had learned to fly, I took 11 hours of flight training, I took the written test and then I'm practicing with this guy and he's an old cowboy, he had been in the army. I mean he wore boots and had a cowboy hat on, he's sitting behind me and I'm flying. And we do a couple of touch and goes, as they call 'em at Oakdale Airport in central California and we taxi to a stop and he hops out of the backseat, looks at me and says, Foth, take it around. And all of a sudden, I was insecure because my guy had gone. I get Thomas, and there's power lines at the far end of it and I'm thinking, dear God, this could be my moment, we could be gone. But I remember coming and coming on the downwind leg and then coming and turning back toward the runway and I couldn't see it, I was too low and there were hills and I pulled back in that joystick and we came up and I saw the runway and I made this beautiful three point leg. I was so excited, I wasn't insecure anymore. And I used the rudders and turned 'cause the guy, my instructor was standing out there in cowboy boots, waving me toward the gas pumps and I got so excited I pushed the wrong pedal and I headed right toward him. You've never seen a guy, funny or running sideways in cowboy boots so that guy trying to get out of the way. But we all know insecurity at different places and times and that's where Thomas was. Here's my thought, third thing, doubts don't disqualify us, doubts do not disqualify us. Aren't you grateful that doubts don't disqualify you? And what does Jesus do when we doubt? Well, he's the patient, Jesus, he's the Jesus who waits or follow us, follows us or stands just over there. If doubts disqualified us, I wouldn't be talking to you this morning because finally Jesus knows, an authentic cry from the heart. He knows our moments, he didn't have to show Thomas anything. And sometimes when I question or feel frustrated or sorry for myself or angry with my circumstances, it's because I just want to be at peace or I just want to be hold or I just wanna know you're real, God. And Jesus keeps showing up, that's my experience over the last 80 years, is that Jesus keeps showing up in my best moments and in my worst. When I wanna run, I end up over there and wow, he's already there, what's with that? So I close with this story, I'm a young church planter, 28, 29, back in the late well, it was probably 1970. I go to a conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Ruth and I were church planters at the university of Illinois, many of you know. And this Brooklyn born Jewish guy, I'm guessing he's in his early 40s, stands up. He is the most articulate guy with the English language that I've ever heard up to that point, it was powerful. And later on, when I got to know him, he told me that all of his life he was looking for meaning, growing up in Brooklyn, he'd see these factories and stuff and he'd be saying, wow, is that all there is to life? Turned out to be a high school history teacher, masters in history, taught history at Castlemont High Hchool in Oakland, California, went through a broken marriage and after that, he said, I went to Europe, to Western Europe to go and find my roots. He said, I'm hitch hiking, I'm cynical, I'm mad. I'm hitchhiking across Switzerland in the Alps and it's pouring rain. And this huge Mercedes pulls up and this guy jumps out and comes back and grabs my dirty rucksack, my backpack, opens his back door and throws it on his pristine leather seats, he said, I winced for him. I get in, we start driving, he starts asking me about myself and when I tell him I'm Jewish, he lights up, insists that we stop for a meal at a guest house, we pulled over, we went and sat down and this fellow Edwin started asking me questions, this fellow's name was Art Katz. And he said, I started answering him and just sharing these things that I never shared. He said, you know, Dick with this, he has this heavy Brooklyn accent, he says, you know, Dick there was hearing and there was hearing and Edwin was hearing me. He said, you know, when somebody listens so hard, it sucks it out of you, that's what was happening. And finally I sat back almost exhausted and Edwin looks at me and says, Art, do you know what this world needs? He said, I know all the philosophers, I know the history, I could write it on a board around the classroom and in my smirking mind. I said, no, Edwin, what does this world need? And he said, what this world needs is the holy proud people of the world to get down on their knees and wash other people's feet for all of us to wash each other there's feet, the feet of the halt and the lame and the befuddled and the challenged and the hurting. And he said it was like a hang grenade going off in my chest. He couldn't have said anything that would've touched me deeper. I went on my journey, I end up, I think it was in Germany and I met this girl half my age, I'm the 34 years old, she's 17, she's everything I despise, she is a white Anglosaxon Protestant from Kansas and I'm a Brooklyn guy, a Jewish Brooklyn guy. I talk to her and she keeps saying, God, she keeps bringing him up. And I said, the next time she says that I'm gonna take her out. She says it again I turn on her and says, how do you know there's a God? And she looked at me and said something that wasn't sophisticated or intellectual or brilliant. She just said, well, Art, I know there's a God because he lives in me. It wasn't any of those things, all it was, he said was true. Said I made my way down ended up in Jerusalem, wandered into a bookstore, turned out to be a bookstore run by people who believed in Jesus. And they had like New Testaments there and books about him. And I stayed there for days and read and was struggling, I had so many doubts and I'd sleep on the little bench in their chapel and it just wasn't happening and they were trying to convince me and one night in the night, it came together and I got up that morning and I walked into the kitchen where my hostess was there, Miriam and I said, Miriam, I think, I believe, where upon she fell on her knees, tears streaming down her face, hands up in the air saying, oh God, thank you because you know I've everything to convince this stubborn man. And years later, I bring him to the University of Illinois to speak on campus in dorms and fraternities and the student union. And it's at the height of all the riots, 5,000 national guard troops on campus with bayonet fixed, arrested 2,000 students in one night, we had curfews in town and we're going from dormitory to dormitory hearing this Jewish guy talk about what it does when you believe in Jesus and how it transforms your life. And I start seeing scores and scores of university students, both figuratively and literally go to their knees and start following Jesus. Because somebody believed, Edwin, Kansas girl, folks in Jerusalem, Art Karts. Jesus says to Thomas, seeing is believing, I get that, for paraphrase. But when you start believing, you really start seeing. We're gonna share in communion this morning. This is the thing that Jesus said when I'm gone, do this to remember, remember the cross, remember the resurrection, remember forgiveness, sin. And we're gonna open this in just a moment and be sure you do the bread part first, don't, just saying, this is how it reads, that same apostle Paul says this to the church in Corinth, that's the party town in the south of Greece, for I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed, took bread, when he given thanks, he broke it, said, this is my body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of me. Same way after supper, he took the cup saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So as we take the bread, see it this way, if you would, he describes this as his body, in you in reality are his body on the planet today. When we take the bread, we participate in his family, we say, we are his family, not just family. I'd like to suggest this to you. You're here, you've heard a lot of messages before, you've been in church forever, whatever but you said I've always been on the edges, I've never really stepped in, I've never really said, I believe and I want to believe. Could this be your moment? Where you share in communion and you just take the bread or you could be someone who said, I've never been in a church like that, I've never been to church. I came because my buddy or my friend asked me to come, I don't know anything except what I've heard but something is stirring in my heart because it feels like it's true, it feels like it's true. Trust me with this, the old dude, it is true. I've seen people transformed over the last 80 years so in this moment of communion, this can be your opportunity to say, I believe. So, Thomas, Elaine, Jose, Sally, this is a good moment, let's take the bread together. Thank you, Lord. And then Jesus took the cup and he passed it around to his disciples and he said, this is a new covenant. In our culture, we don't don't understand covenant's quite the same way they did. This whole book has covenants all the way through it, we live in a contract culture, sign on a dotted line will negotiate the details. This covenant isn't that kind, this covenant is a covenant created by a king, it's called a royal covenant, there's a particular name for it. And this is how it happens with a royal covenant, the king says, here's the deal, I set the terms, you accept them or reject them but you cannot negotiate. 'em, can't change 'em. And my terms are these, your sin doesn't go away unless I take it away and I'll do it all. The old gospel song says Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. And I say, well, I'd like to help, I'd like to bring something to the table and he says, if you don't have anything to bring to the table, that works here so I'll do it all, you can accept it or reject it, but you cannot alter the terms. So he passes the cup around and says this is the new covenant in my blood, you family people let's drink together. Thank you Lord, for your provision, thank you for the power of your holy spirit to transform lives, thank you for those who in this moment have taken a huge step or a small step in saying, I believe. Thank you that you are the God who when we're wandering around trying to find ourselves or our roots or something that you show up again and again and again. I pray your blessing upon this Timberline family this day, that in this resurrection spring we will know your life in a fresh dimension. In Jesus name, we pray, and everyone said, amen. ♪ It was my cross You bore ♪ ♪ So I could live in the freedom You died for ♪ ♪ And now my life is Yours ♪ ♪ And I will sing of Your goodness forevermore ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ And now my shame is gone ♪ ♪ I stand amazed in Your love undeniable ♪ ♪ Your grace goes on and on ♪ ♪ And I will sing of Your goodness forevermore ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ You deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Worthy is Your name ♪

- Well, thank you Dr. Foth for a wonderful message, we hope that you leave here this morning encouraged in your belief in Jesus. And you might be someone here this morning going, I don't really believe, I don't know what to believe, that's okay, we respect that as well and we would love to come alongside you and pray with you as you process where you're at and your journey with Jesus. Our prayer team, they'll be right up here at the front of the stage once the service ends and they would love to come alongside you. As always, thank you so much for your generosity in giving, when you give you're impacting the lives of thousands of people around the world, including Ukrainian refugees, our ministry partner, Convoy of Hope, they have boots on the ground over in the Ukraine and they are ministering to people's needs partly because of your giving, so thank you. Well, God bless everyone. Dr. Foth would love to shake your hand, he'll be out at the Welcome Center as we leave here, go in peace, have a great week and remember to let love live.