Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Join me for a more personal look into the weekend sermons, as well as some thoughts on theology, marriage, parenting, and leadership. I will also explore some of your most asked questions throughout the year.
www.nic-williams.com
Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Faith Redefined: Trusting Without All the Answers
This episode doesn't stop at reflection; it challenges us to act. By examining Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, we explore the profound message of peace and the symbolic meaning of his retained scars. The episode also dives into the theological discourse on the power to forgive sins, encouraging a deeper understanding of our responsibility in sharing the gospel. And as we prepare for a 52-week journey into the origins of the Bible, consider where God might be calling you to trust him more deeply and share his message. Join us for a transformative experience that invites you to embrace your calling with courage and conviction.
Hey, podcasters. We are getting towards the end of this John series. In fact, this coming Sunday will be 37 weeks in John as we close out the series. So I'm pretty excited of what we've gone through this year diving into this book in the Bible. If you have not been with us on this full journey, you can go back and listen to some of these podcasts or you can go on southshorechurchcom and you can actually listen to the messages on the app there or on the website and see what we've been going through. But this week we find ourselves in John, chapter 20, the last half of that chapter, and it's pretty fascinating.
Speaker 1:The bottom line for this past weekend was faith isn't about having all the answers, it's about trusting the one who does, and that's an easy thing to say, but that's a hard thing to live out. It's easy to trust when everything's going and when you know direction and you know what's to come, but when you're wondering what's next, then your faith really hits the road right. You get to decide do I really trust God? I had a season of this happened throughout my life different moments, but probably the most prominent one was about eight and a half years ago, and if you know the story I'm not going to go into a lot of depth on it, but I was on staff at another church and the church shifted their theology overnight and they went from very traditional biblical values to very universalism, worldly values, and I knew at that moment that I couldn't be a part of it. So I sat in meetings for several days trying to process what was going on and just knew in my heart that I could not continue, as one of the leadership of that church, to support the direction they were going, and so by the end of that week I had resigned. Now when I said I resigned, it was against advice, like people that I called my dad, like you call your dad for advice, right, and his big advice was you don't quit a job till you have a job, which is great advice if you're in this situation.
Speaker 1:But I found myself in a moment that was bigger than a paycheck, bigger than a job. It was a moment that I needed to stand firm on the word of God. Now, on the side, I was playing, gigging around town, playing saxophone in a band called Reverend Barry and the Funk and having the time of my life, but it did not pay very well. It was more of a hobby than a paycheck. And so, the day I quit my job, I had bills to pay, I had a mortgage, I had car payments, I had a wife and two young kids, and we did not know how we were going to survive for the next season. We didn't know how long it would take to get back into ministry or where that next job would take us if we'd have to move.
Speaker 1:There were so many unknowns, but the thing that I knew is that God was calling me to take a stand. And so in the days that were uncertain, in the days that I wondered how we were going to survive, how we were going to pay our bills, how we were going to eat, in those days I rested on the fact that I knew I had a calling from God. I knew my prayer was answered. God, what do I do? And what was I to do? I was to leave that job. I knew that prayer was answered. It was not a maybe. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what God was calling me to do, and so I rested in that, on the days that I did not know what was to come, I didn't sit in a place of God, what was me and what's to come. Those feelings probably came and went, but my overarching heart was, I know I followed what God told me to do and I'm going to wait to see what's happening.
Speaker 1:And I tell you that story because it was one of those moments that I had to live out this statement that faith isn't about having all the answers, it's about trusting the one who does. Now, if you don't know the rest of that story, one of the guys in the band, reverend Barry and the Funk, owns a business in town and he offered me a job very quickly to just get by. I wasn't making a lot of money but it helped that I was playing with Reverend Barry and the Funk. And then, honestly, the churches around Sarasota rose up, especially Covenant Life Presbyterian in Sarasota. They rose up and took care of our family and then God opened doors at South Shore, which brought me to where I'm at now and it's been an incredible ride. But I always think about, with phrases like this, with this idea of faith is it about having all the answers? About trusting one another? Who does? I think about that moment because it's one of those moments I had to live out my faith. So, before we even dive into today's story, let me ask you this when is God asking you to trust him? It's probably a place that you don't have all the answers right. Where is God asking you to trust him? So we pick up this story.
Speaker 1:John, chapter 20. Mary Magdalene, peter and John had gone to the empty tomb. They'd realized Jesus' body wasn't there. John and Peter leave. Mary stays, she cries, she sees the angels and then she meets a guy who at first she thinks is the gardener, then to find out it's Jesus. And as soon as she has this encounter with Jesus, she takes off running to find the disciples to tell them I have seen the Lord.
Speaker 1:Now, later that evening verse 19 of the chapter on that evening, on the first day of the week, when the disciples were together I'm assuming they were talking about all that Mary had told them the doors were still locked, though, because they feared the Jewish leaders. And while this was happening their conversation, their coming together Jesus came and stood among them and said peace, be with you. And I don't know about you, but that would have scared the mess out of me Some random guy who we find out is just shows up in the middle of a locked room. It's going to scare you, and the first thing he says is not, don't be afraid. Although that's what every angel says when they show up right, jesus says hey, I need to offer you peace and I'm bringing you that peace.
Speaker 1:Now think about what has just happened. Jesus conquered the death, the grave is empty, sin has been defeated. And he's saying because of what I've done, you now can have peace, and not just for this moment, because he knew their hearts were fearful, but you can have peace for eternity. It changes everything. After he said this verse 20, he showed them his hand and his side, and the disciples were overjoyed with what they saw. They were overjoyed with seeing the Lord. Imagine that moment for just a second. Like you've known that, jesus has been crucified. He was hung on the cross. He was pierced in his side. Some were there, john saw it happen, others heard about it, and now Jesus is standing before you, showing you his hands and his feet and his side. It had to have been an overwhelming moment.
Speaker 1:I said this weekend that one of the cool things of this story is I don't think Jesus had to keep his scars. Think about it for a moment. He's in his glorified body now and he's God, right, he could do what he wants. In my glorified body. I hope it to be a thinner body, right, I want things different. I don't want to look exactly like I look, but he kept his scars. Why? Because his scars tell the story of redemption. It points to what happened. It reminds people of his love, but also his sacrifice. Now, as the story goes on again, jesus said peace, be with you. So he says it again, as the Father has sent me. He says I'm sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit. And then he says something.
Speaker 1:I didn't talk about this verse on this past weekend, but it says if you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. This is a little bit of a controversial passage. I wanted to preach on it this weekend. I just didn't have the time to preach that part of the message and so I cut it from my notes.
Speaker 1:But it's an interesting passage because it's been an argument amongst Protestants versus Catholic churches for all of time. Right, they've argued this fast. Catholics would come at it and say this is what it means for people to come and have their sins forgiven. This is why they have to come and talk to the priest, because Jesus said this to the disciples If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven. If you don't, they're not. And so this is where they pick apart a verse like this and say this is why we do confession and forgive people's sins as priests.
Speaker 1:Truth be told, though, you can't cherry pick one verse out of scripture, and so, when you look at the totality of scripture, that only one person can forgive sins, and that's God you and I do not have the power to forgive sins. We have the power to tell people about the one that can forgive sins. Right, and so this is what he's saying in this passage If you go and tell people about me and they choose to follow me, their sins are forgiven. If they choose not to, then you know what. That's what happens their sins aren't forgiven, and so you and I have the role of sharing the gospel with everyone. Now it's interesting to note in that verse he says and with that, he breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. This is a moment of filling them with what they need to accomplish the mission that he's called them out for. Remember the mission. Just as the Father sent me, I'm sending you out, and so maybe the question for you is where is Jesus sending you? Where is he sending you to? Who is he sending you to?
Speaker 1:We had a missions meeting at our church on Sunday. Tons of people involved in what's happening next in our church and, if you don't know, in 2025,. We've got trips going to the Dominican Republic, we've got trips going to Honduras, we've got trips going to Africa, we have some trips going in different places in the United States, and so we're sending constantly people to go and share the gospel, and so maybe that's you. That's where you're being called to, or maybe you're being called to your neighbor or your family or your friends or a stranger down the street. God is calling you to share his message and you have to be open and ready to do that. Now there's one person in this story not in that room that night is a guy by the name of Thomas.
Speaker 1:Verse 24 picks up and says now, thomas, one of the 12, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. Imagine that for a moment you find out that Jesus came, visited, showed his scars and everybody was excited, but you just happened to miss church that night. And so you missed out on meeting Jesus, you missed out on hearing his voice. You missed out on hearing his voice, you missed out on seeing the evidence, you missed out on the moment that he brings peace to you. And so the other disciples. They told Thomas as soon as they saw him we've seen the Lord. And that must have been an exciting moment for them to be able to say, hey, he's not dead.
Speaker 1:But Thomas's response is probably very similar to how you and I would respond. But Thomas's response is probably very similar to how you and I would respond. He said unless I see the nail marks in his hands, unless I put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. It's crazy. Imagine your friends telling you hey, jesus is alive, we saw him. You'd be like, hey, yeah, sure. Next thing you're going to tell me Elvis is flipping pancakes at the Waffle House, right?
Speaker 1:It's one of those moments that you've got to decide are you waiting for evidence or do you trust? And it's interesting that Thomas didn't trust. These were guys that he knew. These were guys that he had ran with. They had no reason to try to trick Thomas, but this was a moment that he chose not to and notice the word he uses. But this was a moment that he chose not to and notice the word. He uses the word. Unless we have those moments as well, thomas is setting up his own conditions for belief, and you and I have those moments. Unless God answers this specific prayer, I'm not going to trust him, or unless my life gets easier, I won't believe. He's struggling and for the next week, thomas spends a week before he actually gets to meet Jesus, a week of wondering, a week of saying, man, I wish I had been there. I can't believe I missed it, but he did. Now Scripture says, picking up in verse 26,.
Speaker 1:A week later, his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them, though the doors were locked. Jesus came and he stood among them again and said peace, be with you. It's another moment. They're gathered together. It's the next Sunday, right? They're in this room hanging out together, gathering together as they do weekly. And this time Thomas is there and Jesus shows up in the middle of the room and he says peace.
Speaker 1:And this time, thomas is there and Jesus shows up in the middle of the room and he says peace, be with you. And then he scans the room and he sees Thomas, the guy that wasn't there before, thomas, the guy that we call doubting Thomas for the rest of his life, the rest of eternity. And he says Thomas, come here, thomas, put your finger here, see my hands, reach out your hand and put it into my side. And then he has this call for Thomas Stop doubting and believe. Instead of scolding Thomas, he offers Thomas exactly what he needs Thomas needed to feel, thomas needed to see and Thomas needed a chance to believe. And on that, thomas looked at Jesus and said my Lord and my God.
Speaker 1:Up till this moment, when he's referring to Jesus, he always calls him teacher or rabbi, but in this moment, he announces that he's Lord and God, and not only that he's my Lord and my God. Faith is personal, it's a decision that you have to make. And he says my Lord and my God. I want you to think about the declaration he makes there, because it's in that moment that he sees Jesus for who he really is not just a teacher, not just a miracle worker, not even just the Messiah. He sees Jesus as God, the creator of all things, the sustainer of life, the one who holds the universe in his hands. Can you imagine the weight of that realization? To look into the face of Jesus and declare I get it, you are God. It's a recognition of Jesus's divinity, of his power, of his ultimate authority over everything. Then Jesus told him because you've seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed, and that's you and I. He says man, blessed are the people. There's a blessing upon you from Jesus himself if you've believed and you didn't have the opportunity, like Thomas did, to actually see. So let that sit in your heart for just a moment Now.
Speaker 1:John went on and finished this chapter, verses 30, 31. He says Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, but they're not recorded in this book. But the ones that are recorded John was very specific with the stories he chose, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name, man. What an incredible story. What an incredible experience that the disciples had to meet Jesus, to see the scars and to be able to declare my Lord and my God. I don't know where you're at on your faith journey. But I want to remind you, faith isn't about having all the answers, it's about trusting the one who does.
Speaker 1:Now I've spent most of today working on next week's message and so let me give you a quick teaser, just one of my thoughts that I'm wrestling with this week the stories about the resurrection, about Thomas and them meeting Jesus. I think for John would have been a great way to end this story, a great way to end this gospel. But John writes one more chapter, and it's not a chapter of conclusion, it's a chapter of redemption, it's a chapter of healing. He finds these guys fishing and he calls them out. If you don't know that story or it's been a while since you heard it don't miss either Church on Sunday or next week's podcast as I unpack the last chapter in John, chapter 21. Last thing I'll tell you is this If you don't know, I've got a book coming out in middle of January called Be Free.
Speaker 1:Be on the lookout for that. If you want to join me on this journey of getting the word out on that book, you can go to my website at nick-williamscom backslash team and that'll get you on the book team. You can sign up for the newsletter as well. Final announcement at the end or at the beginning of next year I'm diving into a new series, so not my preaching series, although I will continue that. We're going to dive into the book of Romans next year and go verse by verse through there, but on this podcast I'm also going to be doing a secondary series talking through theology, the basics and the foundations of our faith, questions like who is God, who is Jesus, or why do we trust the Bible?
Speaker 1:Where did the Bible come from? We're going to dive into some of that over the 52 weeks of next year. I hope you'll join me on that journey next week or the following. I will give you a link to sign up for the newsletter to follow the written part of this, if you want to do that as well. Anyway, I hope you have an incredible week. I hope, just like Thomas, that you can declare that God, that Jesus is my God and my Lord, that you can tell people about him, that you can follow the calling that Jesus gave us, that, just as my father has sent me, I am sending you. So go out, share the gospel and until next time, I hope you have an incredible week.