Myles Hester <- Back Fight The Good Fight Myles Hester March 23, 2025 Fight The Good Fight Myles Hester 00:00 / 37:20 Download Outline File Download Presention File Request a File Looking for an outline or powerpoint file for a specific lesson? Let us know! Request Now truth, peace, peaceful, heaven, fight, the, good

Benjamin Lee <- Back What Shall We Do? (Nov2020) Benjamin Lee November 29, 2020 What Shall We Do? (Nov2020) Benjamin Lee 00:00 / 01:04 Download Outline File Download Presention File Request a File Looking for an outline or powerpoint file for a specific lesson? Let us know! Request Now 2 Kings, god, fear, feared, idol, idols, gods, false, israel, israelites, idolatry, Elisha,

Benjamin Lee <- Back Rejoice (2024) Benjamin Lee February 25, 2024 Rejoice (2024) Benjamin Lee 00:00 / 39:09 Download Outline File Download Presention File Request a File Looking for an outline or powerpoint file for a specific lesson? Let us know! Request Now joy, joyous, rejoice, rejoiced, rejoicing, salvation, saved

Does Jesus Expect Us to Believe Without Evidence? A Closer Look at Doubting Thomas In the Gospel of John, Jesus famously tells Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”  ( John 20:29 ). Some take this to mean that faith requires believing without any evidence—but is that really what Jesus was saying? The Context of Thomas’s Doubt Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, was not present when Jesus first appeared to the other disciples after His resurrection. When they told him what had happened, he refused to believe, insisting, “Unless I see 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”  ( John 20:25 ). Eight days later, Jesus appeared again, this time with Thomas present. Jesus invited Thomas to see and touch His wounds. Thomas immediately responded, “My Lord and my God!”  ( John 20:28 ). It is at this moment that Jesus gives His famous statement about those who believe without seeing. Does This Mean Faith Requires No Evidence? No, and the very next verses in John’s Gospel clarify this. John immediately follows this account by saying: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”  ( John 20:30-31 ). John is not promoting blind faith—he is documenting evidence. The entire purpose of his Gospel is to provide testimony so that people may believe. Why Was Thomas Rebuked? Jesus was not saying that Thomas should have believed without evidence. Rather, Thomas already had evidence—he just refused to accept it. The other apostles had seen Jesus and shared their eyewitness testimony with Thomas, but he rejected their word. Jesus’ rebuke was not against seeking evidence, but against rejecting trustworthy testimony. Jesus’ statement in John 20:29 highlights that future believers—those who will not see Jesus in person—will be blessed for believing based on the testimony of the apostles. This is exactly what the Gospel of John provides: a written record of eyewitness accounts, meant to serve as evidence for future generations. Faith Rooted in Testimony The story of Thomas is not about promoting blind faith but about trusting reliable testimony. The apostles saw Jesus and shared their testimony so that others might believe. We, too, are called to believe based on their witness—recorded in Scripture—just as Thomas was called to believe based on the testimony of his fellow disciples. Far from dismissing evidence, Jesus affirms the importance of testimony as a foundation for faith. The blessing in John 20:29 is not for those who believe without reason, but for those who trust in the faithful witness of those who saw Him.

“I guess that is just my cross to bear…” some people say.   Usually though, unfortunately, when people use this phrase they are being flippant, talking about some burden in their life that may not really be that bad in the grand scheme of things. However, Jesus very seriously tells us that, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” ( Matthew 16:24 )   When Jesus first said this to His disciples, they certainly knew what roman crucifixion was, but based on what we know from the rest of the gospels, they did not yet understand that Jesus would literally have to carry a cross and be crucified. How devastating it must have been for them when they realized what He had meant. How intimidating for us to know the whole story. But what does it look like to carry our cross? What is MY cross? Do we have the same cross? There are multiple different ways to look at Jesus’ teaching here.   One specific instance that shows Jesus using this language that helps us understand what Jesus means is with the rich young ruler in Mark 10:21 : “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’” Despite the fact that this young man had obeyed the law of Moses to the letter in many ways, Jesus still sees in him that he is too attached to his possessions, and we are told that the young man went away sorrowful and presumably did not comply with what Jesus asked of him. Will we let our material goods keep us from following Jesus? The problem with this young man is not that he is rich, powerful, and young. None of those factors nor the combination of them really affect his salvation. However, Jesus’ interaction with him seems to indicate that his connection to his “stuff” was deeper than it should have been. While the young man likely would have denied it if you were to ask him, Jesus simply was not worth as much to him as his “stuff” was.   When we come to follow Christ, there is an act of letting go that needs to happen: letting go of our past sins, letting go of sins we may currently be ensnared in, and letting go of anything else that may stand in the way of us following Christ. Letting go of these things is often called “repentance.” To repent literally means to turn around and go the opposite direction. Put another way, repent is to drop sin, leaving it behind never to be picked up again, as we follow Jesus forward, even knowing that His path will require us to pick up a cross.   On another occasion, Jesus says very clearly, “…he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” ( Matthew 10:38 ). The fact of the matter is Jesus taking up His cross has a two-fold meaning for us: on the one hand, and most importantly, He took on the punishment that we deserved for our sins. As the sacrificial Lamb of God, He died for us. Additionally though, He set an example of what it means to obediently do the Father’s will, and showed just how disliked and unpopular God’s people (or God Himself!) can be. By going to the cross, He demonstrated that God’s plan likely will mean temporary pain, even extreme suffering, but all for the hope of immeasurable glory. As Paul puts it, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). No greater pain or glory has been experienced than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that is the road He invites us to follow Him down. In short: “We love because He first loved us” ( 1 John 4:19 ).   Finally, perhaps one of the most to-the-point verses about what it means for us to take up our own crosses is Galatians 6:14 : “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”   Even though He was God, Jesus did not boast in being God or even in His miracles. He denied Himself, took up His cross, and lead the way to Golgotha. But as we well know, His story did not end there, and neither does ours. After the struggle of self-denial and self-sacrifice comes immeasurable glory and eternal life. In the mean time, let us boast only in Him and take up our cross day by day.

It’s all about Him. That’s the conclusion one will reach when they read the book of Colossians. It’s all about Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote to these saints, He spoke about the Preeminence of Christ. He spoke about His power and all that He had done for them. Paul reminded them that they had been rescued, redeemed, and reconciled through Jesus. We also see the importance of the Lord’s church in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Let’s notice some observations.   “IN HIM” “For He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”   Colossians 1:13-14 The church is made up of people who are “In Him.” Those who heard and obeyed the truth, are in Christ, Colossians 1:4-5, 2:12 . When one is “In Him” they are also in His body, the church. Paul says in Colossians 1:18 , “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” It is God who adds the saved to the church, Acts 2:47 . Those who are saved and added to the church must submit to the will of Jesus. Those who are in Christ also need to recognize the importance of being in His body. The body, the church, is not something that is optional. You can’t have Christ without His body. It can often happen that people want Christ, but they don’t want anything to do with His church. That’s not Biblical. One can’t have Christ without His church, Acts 8:3, 9:5 . Therefore, the church is not to be viewed as an afterthought. It’s designed as a body, which means we each play a vital role in it. “BY HIM” “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.”  Colossians 1:16  All things were created by Christ. That includes the church. Christ promised to build His church in Matthew 16:18 . He purchased the church with His blood, Acts 20:28 . He is head over the church, Colossians 1:18 . Man did not establish this spiritual body, John 18:36 . Jesus did. Therefore, it is something special that only Jesus could design and create. It’s all about Him. How should this impact our lives? It should cause us to recognize and appreciate that we’re a part of something great. People like to be a part of something great or special (colleges, schools, sports, etc.). Being a part of the Lord’s church is something truly great! Consider the cost, Colossians 1:20 . Jesus gave up everything for it. Through the church Jesus has accomplished something that no one else could. He has brought both Jews and Gentiles into one body, Colossians 1:26-27. This is the great mystery that Paul spoke about. Jesus destroyed the racial divide that stood for so long. He’s brought unity in one body, the church. That’s awesome. No political party will be able to do what is accomplished through the church. No fraternity, school, or any other club can do what Jesus has done. It’s all about Him and what He has done. “FOR HIM” “…All things have been created through Him and for Him…”   Colossians 1:16 . All things have been created for Him. That includes the church. This is a game changer. We live in a “ME Mentality” age. For some, it can be all about them. It’s about our rights, our desires, and our needs. But when it comes to the church, it’s not about ME. It’s not even about WE. It’s about HE. Is this the attitude we have as members of the Lord’s church? Everything we do is to be for Him. Our motivation to serve, to worship, to submit is all for Him! When we have this mindset, this will truly change our perspective of Christ and His church. It’s all about giving Him the glory, Ephesians 3:20-21 . We can give Him glory in our worship. We can strive not to forsake the assembly because it’s all about Him. We will forgive one another when we sin, because it’s all about Him. We will put our needs to the sides and help others, because it’s all about Him. We will not quibble with His pattern or worship, because it’s all about Him. We will not quit and give up on the church, because it’s all about Him. We will struggle for one another because it’s all about Him. He struggled for us. We will do the same. It’s all about Him! Let’s demonstrate our love for Him.