From Fear to FAITH // Death, Defeated (Part 5) // Pastor Drew

got a question for us. Uh, fun, almost

like an icebreaker type of question. I

want you to think through what would you

do? How would your life change if you

were guaranteed

invincibility

for one whole year,

right? What would you do? I don't know

about you guys, the first thought that I

had when I thought about that is I'd be

like I'd go up to Angel's Landing or

some big cliff and I'd just like launch

myself off freef fall and bounce off the

ground and just keep walk away, right?

Like I don't know. LIKE THAT'S MY first

reaction. That's my first thought. If I

could if I lived just like zero fear and

and here's what now what if you had that

same that same guarantee

Except you also are making the

assumption that I am fully committed to

Christ and therefore my motives with

this invincibility

change and it shapes are are shaped by

that. See what that would do is it

produce this this life that creates

fearlessness.

I would be I'd be so unafraid. I'd be

ready to go to the most dangerous places

and give the gospel of Jesus. Suddenly,

because my physical body is safe, I

think I'd feel a lot less fear about

social like and and like, well, what if

they don't like me as much? It's like,

it's fine, right? Like I I literally

feel invincible.

I want to tell you guys that that is the

type of life, not necessarily physical

invincibility, but that fearless living.

The life that is unafraid of what

anybody else is should is expecting of

you, of the pressures that the world is

putting on you, of the type of things

that you feel like you need to be doing,

and the type of things that you feel

like you aren't doing or you're not good

enough in

all of this. We are actually called in

Christ to live a fearless

life. Can you picture yourself living a

life

completely free of fear? And this is

what as as we go through this series,

this is actually our last week on the

series, this series, death defeated. And

we've gone through a bunch of different

things that the resurrection as we

follow Jesus after he resurre after

after he's resurrected and before he

ascends into heaven and these

conversations and these interactions

that Jesus has. And during this series,

we found that the resurrection of Jesus,

what does that mean for me today? It's

not just a doctrine. It is actually a

new reality that I live in. Death is

defeated.

And I get to move from death to life.

And it reveals that I get to move from

mundane to mission and from pain. We

talked about this about the pain and the

hurts to purpose. How he creates a story

and a testimony out of our scars and

from sinfulness

to restoration.

how he actually takes our mess and our

sin and with grace transforms it and

restores us to him.

So, I want to if you've missed any of

the weeks, guys, there's been so much

power of what God's been doing. He's

been freeing people like I I could not

imagine like I could not build myself

there. There was a story just a couple

weeks ago I heard uh of a gentleman here

who was stuck in depression,

lifealtering, can't get out of bed type

of depression for 14 years.

And he served in church for the first

time in decades. And he served

just during this series. His wife says,

"Thank you for giving my husband back to

me."

I think about the freedom. I just I know

that God has got He's already been

restoring freedom in this series. He's

already been doing this. And I believe

he wants to do that here. I believe that

there's some of you in this room that

God is is opening up an opportunity to

live in freedom. Whether it's depression

or whether it's anxiety, whether it is

fear, but he is offering you the

opportunity to step out of that here as

we talk today

from fear to faith is the topic that

we're talking about as as we look at how

Jesus interacts specifically with Thomas

after his resurrection.

Because I I know

many of us live in a place of fear. And

fear is a prison.

Fear is absolutely a prison that will

restrict you, paralyze you, freeze you,

stop you, and have you living in this in

this tiny little box that you never were

created to live in.

But the resurrection of Jesus reveals

that fear

is a lie. It's a false foundation.

The only true real foundation that's

solid is actually faith in him. Faith in

Jesus is the only foundation that is

truly firm. And we're going to be

talking about that today. But I want you

guys to open up your Bibles to John chap

20. John chapter 20. What's happening

John 20 · chapter mention

here is uh Jesus has just resurrected.

He showed up to his disciples and

there's 10 of them, right? Judas is

gone. He's out of the picture. We've now

got 10 of the disciples. All of them

were there except for Thomas. And Thomas

is not there. Jesus shows up. They all

the disciples tell Thomas later, "We saw

him." And this is verse 24 where we are.

Thomas, also known as Ditimus, was which

means the twin uh was one of the 12 was

not with the disciples when Jesus came.

So the other disciples TOLD HIM, "WE'VE

SEEN 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, I will not believe."

This is why Thomas is most popularly

known as doubting Thomas.

Doubting Thomas. because yet and and we

give him this I don't I think I think

it's undo. I don't think he should get

that same wrap because we're we're going

to talk a little bit about him. But

here's the idea. This this he he's

trying to put God to the test. And he's

SAYING UNLESS I SEE THIS, UNLESS I GET

THIS, UNLESS GOD DOES THIS FOR ME, I'M

NOT GOING TO actually believe.

And that's this place so many of us live

in where it's not a place of trust. It's

a position of waiting for him to prove

himself to us despite the fact that

everything around us screams towards

him. Even the evil around us screams in

our heart that is not okay. There is

something that tells me that is darkness

and therefore that tells me that I am

drawn towards goodness. Who is that

goodness?

See, the thing that we see as we as as

we recognize Thomas here was not always

like this. When we think about doub

doubting Thomas, think about like I I

want you to actually give him a chance.

Put him to trial and you're going to see

that this isn't the first statement that

he made. In fact, it was like a week and

a half before this

that Thomas was with Jesus

and they were heading down to Jerusalem

and they're going to pass through

Bethany, a town called Bethany where

Lazarus was. They said, "Hurry up.

Lazarus is sick."

And they waited and then they found out

that Lazarus had died.

And why did they wait? It makes a lot of

sense because they know Jesus going to

Jerusalem

where he is being proclaimed by the

powerless as the Messiah,

but he is being declared by the powerful

as someone who has who's committing

treason against the high king and

blasphemy against God, claiming to be

God himself. And the death sentence is

certain if he goes back to Jerusalem.

And this is when Jesus, this is crazy.

In uh John 11

John 11:14

verse 14, it says this. Can we pull up

John 11:14? This is I'm a little bit out

John 11:14

of order here, but that's all right.

Here we go. Jesus told them plainly,

"Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I'm

glad I was not there so that you may

believe. But let us go to him in this

suburb town of Jerusalem." They're going

to Bethany, and it's dangerous. And

Thomas,

also known as Ditimus, it's the same

Thomas, said to the rest of the

disciples, "Let us also go that we may

die with him."

Would you say that's a lot of doubt?

Would you call that man doubting Thomas?

Isn't that crazy? This is the posture

and this is the faith that Thomas COMES

WITH. SO, WHAT HAPPENED IN LIKE 10 days

to transition Thomas from like IF HE'S

GOING TO DIE, I'M GOING WITH him

to

listen, I don't I I I I understand you

guys, but I don't believe you until I

see the scars, the wounds in in his

hands and his feet and can touch his

side myself and see that there was a

mortal wound given to this man. You

cannot convince me

that you're not just trying to present a

lookalike that you're not just trying to

print. See, faith was not actually a

part of the disciples initial reaction.

The first reaction

that I believe was rooted actually

behind this this doubt was actually

fear.

See, we see this in everyone. All the

disciples were like this. In Matthew 28,

it talks about the women who went to the

tomb and it says the angel said to them,

"Don't be afraid. Stop freaking out,

right? Don't be afraid." And so they're

presenting, they're initiating the

discovery of Jesus resurrected with

fear. And then the women hurried away in

Matthew 28. I'm just I'm skipping around

here so you don't have to follow along.

It says, "The women hurried away from

the tomb afraid yet filled with joy."

They were afraid. And then Jesus shows

up to them and what does he have to say

to them again? Don't be afraid. In Mark

Mark 16:8

16:8, it says specifically as they

walked away trembling and bewildered,

confused. The women went out and fled

from the tomb, they said nothing to

anyone because they were afraid. The

first day that Jesus resurrects, it says

that on the evening of that first day of

the week, when the disciples were

together, the doors were locked behind

them for fear of the Jewish leaders.

John 20:26, a week later, the disciples

John 20:26

were in the house again and Thomas was

with them and the doors were locked in

because they were afraid of the Jews.

This so this same concept of being

afraid everywhere they go I believe is

the core behind this. Now I think

there's two different things that's

making Thomas doubt. I think it's pain

as we talked about last week and I think

it's fear.

I think it's these two things of like

I've been so hurt. I'm not going to I I

it's scary for me to even think about

the idea of him resurrecting because I

can't I I can't handle that. I don't

want I I can't handle that wound being

readressed to go, "Oh, he's alive. Oh,

it was not true."

It feels like I have to walk through

that grief again. And so, he has these

he he has this reaction and I get it.

Fear was their first response

and doubt was this root this this this

cause behind it.

See, but

that's so similar to us. Our doubt in

the areas where we doubt the Lord and

the areas where we doubt our our faith,

it's often rooted in fear.

Right? The idea of God, I don't think

you can

provide for me the way that I need. Or

maybe I think you can, but God, I don't

think you will.

And it's that fear inside of us. Maybe

it's I don't think you are.

I don't think you're as good as people

say you are. I don't think you're as

worthy and high and mighty is oftentimes

that I I the these other Christians and

that I'm told on a Sunday service. I

don't. My doubt is rooted in fear

because I'm afraid what will happen if

you don't.

What is it? What is that for you? I'm

afraid what'll happen if you don't heal

me. I'm afraid what'll happen if you if

if if I don't see this prayer answered.

If I'm I'm afraid what'll happen if you

don't show up in my finances when I

give. I'm afraid what'll happen if I

forgive that person. I'm afraid what'll

happen. It's this fear and this doubt

that coincide. See, our doubt is rooted

in our fear. Our fear is rooted in our

doubt. And I doubt because I am afraid.

And I'm afraid because I'm doubting him.

See, this it's this deep correlation

between the two. And so when we respond

the same way that the disciples are when

we respond

in fear

to life, it's one of the most natural

responses that we have. And I want to

talk through that what Jesus reveals as

he talks to Thomas about how we respond,

how we should respond when fear is our

response. Now, I want to say this real

quick. Fear is not a sin

to be afraid. Our emotions

are not sin

but we may need to repent. Now that

doesn't mean that I have sinned. Repent

means to turn away to turn in a

different direction. I may need to turn

away from that fear because fear the

first thing that we see this fear

actually reveals something inside of us.

Okay, my emotion isn't sin. It's

revealing a sickness within my own

heart. Why am I so afraid when my when

when my boss is calling me to his

office, RIGHT? LIKE WHY AM I SO AFRAID

TO ACTUALLY engage in relationship WITH

THAT PERSON? WHY AM I SO AFRAID TO BE

VULNERABLE? WHY AM I SO AFRAID TO BE

CONSISTENT? WHY AM I SO AFRAID TO

ACTUALLY TRUST AND TO LEAN into him? Why

am I so afraid? It reveals something

inside of me.

And yet, we're living in this same many

of us live in the same type of faith

that the disciples are living in

at this time. in this locked doors

faith. This imprisoned faith, this when

when I go somewhere, I go at night,

right? When I'm I'm trying to be sneaky.

I'm trying to be safe. I'm trying to be

secure with my faith. I don't want to

offend anybody. I don't want to look

like I don't know what I'm doing. I

don't want them to think that I got that

them to think that I think I got it

figured out when I know I really don't.

Right. And I don't want them to see my

mess and to go, "Oh, you're one of those

Christians." But I heard that word that

you just said. I heard the way that you

just talked about that person and I I

know I'm going to fail God. I know I'm

going to do it. And so I live in this

like safe little locked doors faith and

I stay behind these these prison walls

that I've built for myself.

This

is the way that this generation called

the anxious generation lives. And why is

it why why is this an anxious

generation? Well, here here's the

narrative. And we're told we're told be

concerned about yourself because no one

else is going to look out for you,

right? But also be concerned for all

your friends. Be concerned about the

people that you don't know that

injustice has happened to them. Be

concerned about the injustices happening

on the other side of the world. Be

concerned with the fact that the world

PROBABLY WON'T EVEN EXIST IN 5 YEARS

because you've trashed it. BE CONCERNED

ABOUT THE POLITICS and this politician

and all the problems because THE ONE

WHO'S IN CHARGE IS BAD OR THE PEOPLE WHO

ARE trying to come against them are bad

OR ALL THESE THINGS. BE CONCERNED. BE

WORRIED. WATCH OUT. ALSO, YOU'RE NOT

LOOKING QUITE RIGHT. You're not you're

not matching up with the other person's

highlight reel. ALSO, WATCH OUT. YOU GOT

TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU MATCH UP OVER

HERE. YOU GOT TO make sure you look this

way, ACT THIS WAY, TALK LIKE, "OF

COURSE.

OF COURSE. I'M SO ANXIOUS. I'M LIVING IN

FEAR AT ALL TIMES BECAUSE THE WORLD IS

SAYING these are the things that you

need to worry about and I don't even got

the capacity in my hands to hold it all.

>> I can't I can't do it. See, this is why

when Jesus steps in to this locked room,

the first thing that he says in verse

27, can we pull up John 21

27? Here we go. It says or sorry go back

John 20 uh 2026 sorry verse 26 week

later the disciples were in the house

pet Thomas was with them though the

doors were still locked Jesus came and

stood among them and what did he enter

into the locked prison room what's that

word

peace

and into our fear

he brings peace

shalom It's order. It's structure. It's

an absence of chaos. It's a place of a

deep breath. It's this contentedness

in exactly where I'm where I am and a

safety. It's this shalom, peace be with

you.

This is what he brings into our locked

doors faith. So when fear is our

response,

we see that it reveals something inside

of us. But fear is a fruit,

not a root.

Right? I got I I am afraid because of

things unless I'm like startled, scared,

or I'm legit afraid for my safety. Fear

is almost that emotional fear that I'm

afraid of engaging into this thing,

that's a fruit. It's a product of

something that's inside of me.

I'm afraid

of so much. You want to know one thing

that I think is actually many people's

fear

truth.

You ever been afraid of the truth?

like I'm I'm afraid that maybe my my

poor motives caused for me to hurt

someone else,

but I didn't like like I got to I got to

justify this with myself. I got to

figure out well I was doing this and I

was I was in a rush and I was really

stressed out and it was a bad day and

then it comes face to face with my truth

and it was and with actual reality and

all my excuses fall out and it was I'm

guilty.

Like I'm afraid of that. I don't like

that. Sometimes the scariest thing is

truth. Why? Because truth is immovable.

Truth is so solid. Truth is so certain.

I'm so scared of that. Because if JESUS

IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE,

THEN I HAVE TO RESPOND DIFFERENTLY

because of that. And I don't necessarily

know if I want to. And that's

frightening to me to think that I may

have to live my life differently

according to the truth that I'm trying

to keep on the other side of these

locked doors.

See, fear reveals something inside of

us.

But fear is fear. We got to we got to

understand we're told one of the one of

the common ways to describe someone who

is really devoted to the Lord throughout

the Old Testament and the New Testament

is specifically Old Testament, it talks

about how they feared the Lord. So I

want to clarify a difference here

because this is fear. If you were to

say, if you're talking psychology, if

you're talking chemistry in the brain,

and I was to say, what if you lived a

life completely free of fear, a

psychologist, a counselor, someone who

knows the brain will go, that's not

possible. It's totally impossible. It's

unavoidable. You can remove maybe I got

a fear of heights that I can get over.

Maybe I got a fear of spiders that I can

get over. Maybe I got some of these

fears that that are inside of me that I

I can get over. Ultimately, fear is one

of the core like baseline fear is one of

the core ways that we are motivated to

immediate action. Love is one of the

best motivators for long-term action.

Fear is one of the best motivators for

immediate action. Want to know what I

did this morning? I brushed my teeth.

Want to know why? Because I was afraid

that if I talked to one of you and you'd

be like, "Oh my goodness, Pastor Drew,

can you pray for me from afar?" Right?

Like, can you step back a little bit?

Right? I'm not shaking in my boots

scared like I BETTER BRUSH MY TEETH,

RIGHT? LIKE HOLY SMOKES. The whole idea

is kind of like to be concerned about

something. I can be like, "Oh my my my

one concern or like you're like I don't

like your outfit." Well, my I'm not

concerned about that. I'm concerned if

my wife likes my outfit. I want her to

think that I look good. Right? I'm not

literally standing in front of the

closet going, "Oh, dear Lord, what if I

don't look good? Well, she doesn't like

me in THIS OUT." LIKE, I'M NOT ACTUALLY

CONCERNED, but it's that same idea.

Like, I've got this fear of man. And I

got this fear, this phobia, this inside

of me. But then I also have this, it's

the same word, but it's this different

context of this fear in terms of my

motivation. If I'm concerned what

everybody else is thinking about me,

then guess what? I am going to be in

living in fear of trying to approve, get

everybody's approval. But if I'm only my

only fear is in the Lord, then guess

what? My whole motivation, everything

changes. is like I just want to live in

his love. I want to live according to

his glory because I fear him. I'm I'm

not concerned. Matthew uh 10:28 says do

not fear those who kill the body but

cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him

who cannot destroy who can destroy both

body and soul and hell. So this whole

idea like I got one person to meet the

approval of and he's got an insane

amount of grace way more than any of

y'all have for me. Way more than I have

for me.

>> Right? This is th that's who that's

where my root is. like I'm motivated by

him. And so my fear actually reveals

where I'm placing my hope.

Catch that. If fear is if I can't

totally remove it, it's my motivation.

It reveals where my hope is truly

placed.

So we see second in uh that that what

happens when Jesus walks in. He says,

"Peace be with you." But this reality

that we see is that not only does when

fear is our response, it reveals

something inside of me, but then Jesus

meets that fear with insane, incredible

love

with this presence

that his disciples, John who wrote this

passage is recalling this is he calls

himself the beloved disciple, the the

disciple that Jesus loved most because I

think every single disciple felt that

today. I think every single one of us

should feel that way. I know he loves

you,

but I don't know, guys. I kind of think

he loves me most.

I kind of think I I did this with my

kids for years. I'd go I'd hug I love

you. I love you. And I'd hug one and I'd

whisper in the ear, I love you most.

I love you most. Then the next kid, I'd

go over, I love you. I love you most.

And I'd hug him and I'd let him know.

And it wasn't long. It was probably a

year or so before they found out. They

got right. Pride got in the way. And

they're like, "WELL, WELL, GUESS WHAT?

DAD LOVES ME MORE THAN HE loves you."

RIGHT. NO, HE TOLD ME HE LOVES ME MORE

THAN HE LOVES YOU. WHAT? THEY COME OVER

TO ME AND THEY'RE LIKE, "WHAT'S GOING

ON?" AND I WAS LIKE, "I DO FEEL THAT

WAY. I FEEL THAT WAY. I'M WITH YOU." AND

I'M LIKE, "YES, THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE."

AND THEN I'M WITH YOU AND I'M LIKE,

"YES, YOU'RE MY FAVORITE." AND THEN AND

I WAS LIKE, "IF ALL THREE OF YOU hugged

me at the same time, I might my head

might explode." like, "So, watch out."

Like, this whole idea, I think that's

how we need to see this is the way God

views us. Like, this I love you most.

And so, when Jesus comes in the room,

it's not just his presence. It's not

just his peace. It's his incredible

love. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no

1 John 4:18

fear in love,

but perfect love drives out fear."

Because fear has to do with punishment.

I'm afraid of consequences. I'm afraid

of the the if I won't be accepted, what

are the consequences? What are the

things? But there the one who fears is

not made perfect in love. We love

because he came into our lives with his

love first

and then we see. And so we see Jesus

meets us with love. But then we see that

we have to and fear reveals something in

us. Jesus meets that with love and then

we must respond with trust.

See, here's the here's the crazy thing.

As you look at uh let let's go back to

the passage, verse 27. We can go ahead

and start right there. Verse 27. And it

says he said to Thomas, "Put your finger

here. See my hands. Reach out your hand

and put it into my side. stop doubting

and believe. And then Thomas said,

there's no there's no evidence here. I

don't see anything here that says Thomas

actually did.

I don't see anything that says Thomas

actually went over and touched his

wounds and touched his side. He didn't

do it because he realized that the

opposite

of doubt may be faith but the antidote

to doubt is not evidence.

I think my doubt is there because I need

more evidence. I need to see I need to

see the wounds. I need to see the hands.

I need to see the answer. I need to do

the study. I need to look at the

research. I need to figure out all the

other things. Guess what?

Everything in science points to a

creator that loves us and wants a

relationship with us as I genuinely

unbiasedly look at this. I like I

everything guys, you look at the

creation of this world and I there's

nothing that says it just happened to

be. It is structured. It is ordered. It

points to beauty. It points to goodness.

Goodness thrives. Evil kills, right?

Like this. Everything in our entire

world points towards this. And so the

PROBLEM ISN'T THAT I JUST NEED MORE

EVIDENCE. The antidote to doubt is

trust.

>> When I see his love, when Jesus comes

into my prisoned room

and I see his love and I see his

presence and I feel his peace, I have to

get my own response of trust in him.

This

is how we need to we need to do what

what Thomas did. He didn't go and touch

his scars. He didn't go examine them

real close.

All he did, the thing that changed

Thomas was looking to Jesus.

Look to him.

Just turn your eyes and gaze upon him in

this place. And suddenly, it's crazy how

the fear starts to just fall off and

disappear. How in worship, how in

prayer, suddenly the anxiety

doesn't carry the same power. It's

watered down. It's beginning. I see the

emptiness in it because I see the love

that he has for me. I must respond with

trust.

All you need

is just to look to Jesus.

And then what happens when I actually

respond with trust? We see in verse 28,

let's go to verse 28. How does Thomas

respond when he looks to Jesus? Thomas

said to him, "My Lord

and my God."

And it becomes

personal.

That's where trusting in him. Our last

point here, trusting in him builds our

faith. Actually allows for me to put my

faith in him. Now, no longer is it their

testimony, their witness. Now, it's my

Lord and my God. Can we stand up in this

place? What I want to do,

see, fear,

fear begins to shrink when the

resurrection becomes deeply personal.

And I want to say just like when when

you try to stand on fear, everything's

shaky. Everything feels like it's a like

it's falling apart and the world is

ending. And like I've I've seen that.

I've experienced that. I've walked with

people through this. Morgan's been open

about times that she's had anxiety and

I've had to walk her through and I'm

like, she knows the truth. I know the

truth. But it just feels like the ground

is shaking and everything's falling

about to fall apart. It's this it's this

incredibly unstable ground. I promise

you faith is not abstract.

Faith is not just this this woodlike

feeling that you get in your heart and

these emotions. Faith is the most solid

firm foundation you can ever have and it

will absolutely transform your life. I

promise you.

And I don't want you to trust me in

this. I want you to trust the people

that seem I think there's there's a man

that I look at that I go you model death

defeated like no one I've seen and he's

doing it so publicly. If you guys have

heard about Senator Ben Sass, former

Nebraska Senator, December 23rd, this

last year, just a couple months ago, he

gets he comes out with this diagnosis

that he received.

And he's like, I've got I've got weeks,

months to live, and he's got it's it

maximum. And and so what does he do? How

do most people act? Well, I'm I'm I'm

afraid it's coming. Let me hunker down.

Let me get in my prison. Let me find

him. Like, let's just stay with my

family. Let me, you know, drink myself

to sleep every single night, right?

Like, I'm so mad. I'm so frustrated.

What does he do? He goes on, he quits

his job and he starts going on this tour

of interviews and he talks about how he

gets to live without fear of death. And

he is facing it IN WAYS THAT NONE of us

in this room probably quite gets. and

he's going through this this this

radiation, this this medicine that is

actually that causes this bleeding on

his face and this scabbing. And he's

like, "I'm the ugliest fool there ever

was, right?" Like, I just it's making me

look ugly. Like, and he and he quotes

this. I just think this is this is the

most real deep quote that I've heard on

on this idea of fear of death. I don't

like the idea, as he as he gets asked in

these interviews, I don't like the idea

of my 14-year-old son not having a dad

at 16.

I didn't like the idea of my daughters,

who are 22 and 24, not having their dad

there to walk them down the aisle. And I

felt a real heaviness about that. But

I've also continued to feel a peace

about the fact that death is something

we should hate.

Yes, it's pretty good that you pass

through the veil of tears only one time

and then there will be no more tears.

There will be no more cancer. And he

lives with this insane hope

as he's got death knocking on his front

door.

his pancreatic cancer is destroying his

body

and he's it's very real and he's not

ignorant of pain. He's not ignorant of

what is happening. He's not trying to

go, "Oh, BUT THIS IS GOOD." NO, I hate

it.

I'm incredibly unsettled by this thing,

but I have a peace in the midst of it.

This is the same peace that's been

shouted for thousands of years. As

people capture this peace in this

fearlessness, these same disciples that

are hiding behind locked doors, then get

from this locked doors faith to this

bust down the doors faith. The kind of

faith that Jesus calls us to of even the

gates of hell will not prevail against

it. And they continue on Thomas himself

being murdered for his faith and because

HE WON'T STOP preaching people first

generation all the disciples getting

insane consequences

being sawn being like and and what are

they doing the my the story of

Bartholomew a a saint that was a second

generation saint and he and he chose

even as he is being literally skinned

alive he preaches is the gospel. HE'S

GOT THE WORD in his hand and he's

continuing to declare the truth of Jesus

or Polycarp that's preaching as he is

being burned at the stake and the flames

won't even touch him. The flames arc

around him and the burning they they

can't burn him at the stake so they stab

him and they kill him. Or we've got uh

there's stories like this all over the

place. It is uh Hugh Ratimer in 1555

as he was being burned at the stake

for his faith and his confidence

actually in opposition to the Catholic

Church but coming towards everybody

being able to read their Bible. And he

partnered uh with with Tinddale and

we'll we can get into the the the

craziness of that. But this is one of

the things that happened with Hugh

Ratimer in 1555. He was being burned at

the stake. And he says, "We shall this

day light a candle,

SUCH A CANDLE THAT GOD'S GRACE that that

God's grace in England, as I trust, will

never be able to be put out." He says,

"My life is now a light and it's going

to extend out." Guys,

that's a fearlessness that I got to be

honest, I'm unfamiliar with. But oh,

dear Lord, I wish I had. And so what I

want to ask us to do, I want us to ask

us to no longer live a locked doors

faith

and to cry the same cry that Thomas

cried when he saw Jesus and he was

waiting for evidence. He was trying to

get all his all his pieces put together.

He was trying to he he didn't Jesus

didn't wait for him to go and unlock the

door and come out and stand I'm waiting

out here. Jesus entered in and Thomas

cries my Lord and my God.

Here's the thing.

Jesus is Lord.

Jesus is God. But is he going to be

mine? That's the question you got to

ask. There's some in this room who today

God is saying, "Come on. Will you say

yes? Will he make him Will you make him

your Lord? Will you make him your God?

Will you let him be in charge of you?

Will you worship him to the level that

he deserves and he is worthy of? For

those of us in this room, I believe that

God wants to give us freedom from fear,

from anxiety, and from doubt. And then

there are those in this room that God is

saying, I want you to live with not

locked behind doors faith, but bust down

the doors type of faith.

And if that's one of you, I just want

you to raise your hand. Maybe you're

saying, "I need to seek Jesus for the

first time and say, "My Lord and my

God." Maybe you're saying, "I need

freedom from fear. I need freedom from

anxiety. I need freedom from doubt. I

need him to come in and bring peace into

my life." Come on, put your hand up if

that's you. If you need to bust down the

doors type of faith that will be

unstoppable, that death no longer is my

fear. That no longer do I have to be

motivated by anybody else but only my

God, my Lord, Father, I pray in the

mighty name of Jesus over every person

here. If you got someone with a hand up

around you, place a hand on their

shoulder. Can we get our prayer team to

come around them? Prayer team, come

around. Heavenly Father, I pray over

every single person. Lord, I pray

against the anxiety in this room. I pray

against fear in this room. I pray

against doubt in this room. God, I pray

that that would be broken right now as

we see your face as we encounter your

love as you meet us with peace. Father

God, would you bring about a

breakthrough

in the prisons that we have built? Enter

in and bring about a peace in the lives

of each person. Father God, I pray I

pray, Father God, that those in this

room would shout finally, maybe for the

first time ever, maybe for the first

time in a long time, say, "You are my

Lord. You are my God." And I'm standing

and I'm looking this truth in the eyes.

And I'm ready to commit. I'm ready to

surrender. I'm ready to give it to you.

And then Lord, would this church be

defined by a busted down the doors type

of faith where we are not concerned

about everybody else's opinion,

where we are not concerned about fear of

man. We fear you alone. You're our one

motive. You're our one concern. You're

our one thing that we place all our hope

in, all our trust in, and we go all in

with you, God. We lean into you, Father

God. May we live a fearlessly free life

in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Come on. Would you worship with us?

I am a child of God.

>> Come on. Come on. Here we go.

You split the sea so I could walk right

through it. My fears are drowning

perfect.

Come on.

>> You resued me so I could stand and sing.

I am a child of God.

You split the sea so I could walk right

through

and my fears were drowned in perfect

God because of your love.

>> You rescued me so I could stand and

sing.

I am a child of God.

Oh, I am a child of God.

Oh, I am I am a child of God.

>> Can we go into I'm no longer

>> And I'm no longer

a slave.

>> I'm no longer a slave to fear. I am a

child of God.

I am a child of God.

>> No longer will that imprison me. Come

on, declare it.

>> I'm no longer as you this out. Keep it

going.

>> As you declare this, he's going to be

freeing you.

>> Speak it over. Even if you don't believe

it yet, if you don't see it yet, come

on, declare it. Know who you are.

>> I'm no longer

a slave to fear.

>> Come on.

I am a child

of God.

>> Yes.

>> Oh, I'm no longer

slave to fear.

>> No longer. Does this world get to tell

me what my concern is, what fear is. I

look to him. One more time. One more

time. Come on.

>> I'm no longer a slave to fear.

I am a child

of God. Oh, I'm no longer I'm no longer

a slave to fear.

Oh, I am a child

of God.

>> Heavenly Father, I thank you that here

we get a new identity. We get a new

picture. We get a new revelation of who

we are.

And we've got the King of Kings, the

Lord of Lords, standing with us, the

victor over death. We no longer,

there is not a single fear that this

world has to offer that carries

authority over this. So Lord, we turn

our eyes to you. We redirect our motives

to you. Would you transform hearts, God?

I believe that this moment is a moment

that anxiety has broken off.

>> And I believe God that that freedom will

be captured, will be lived in, and will

be carried

for the rest of our lives. Lord,

we battle fear

with trust in you. Thank you, Father,

that you are trustworthy.

Thank you, Father, that you come in and

you enter into our prison that we've

built for ourselves

and that you call us to live a life free

from fear. In the mighty name of Jesus,

we pray.

>> Hey, thanks so much for watching today's

message. Our prayer is more than the

words that were spoken in the message

that you would remember the things that

God spoke to your heart.

>> Yeah. And no matter what it was that God

spoke to you, I know that part of your

journey is other people being in a

community because we are better

together. So if you made a decision to

follow Jesus today, would you click the

link below and fill out the form? This

is going to help us so that we can

celebrate with you and equip you with

some tools so that your next steps are

great steps.

>> Yeah. Thanks so much for watching. We're

praying for you. We're cheering you on.

We believe that the best days are ahead

of you.

Hey, thanks so much for watching today's

message. Our prayer is more than the

words that were spoken in the message

that you would remember the things that

God spoke to your heart.

>> Yeah. And no matter what it was that God

spoke to you, I know that part of your

journey is other people being in a

community because we are better

together. So if you made a decision to

follow Jesus today, would you click the

link below and fill out the form? This

is going to help us so that we can

celebrate with you and equip you with

some tools so that your next steps are

great steps.

>> Yeah. Thanks so much for watching. We're

praying for you. We're cheering you on.

We believe that the best days are ahead

of you.