How Hope Works | Eight Days Later | Judah Smith

Hey, church home. Happy Easter. Come on. It is Easter Sunday. Here we are. Uh for those unfamiliar with the way of Jesus and following Jesus, Easter Sunday is like it's like our Super Bowl, man. This is it. This is it. So, Easter is so important. We have gone back in time to access a chapel, a wooden chapel.

Okay, not back in time, but how amazing is this chapel? Uh thank you creative uh content team uh who are all behind the cameras right now. I think this is such a cool chapel. If you stay tuned after I deliver this message, we even have recorded some music in this chapel that I think will inspire you and soothe your soul.

Uh I love Easter. Uh what am I reminded of? The truth is I was the Easter Bunny for our church for many years. True story. And that might be offensive to some people who don't think that uh the Easter Bunny is in the Bible, but uh well, bunnies are in the Bible, I think.

Right. I mean, all the animal kingdoms in there. So, um yeah, it was the Easter Bunny. My mom got the idea that we should buy an Easter Bunny outfit and that her 16-year-old son, I believe I was the Easter Bunny from like maybe I was a little bit older, but like late high school into Bible college.

Um, and I got to tell you, you wouldn't believe what people's kid kids um do to terrorize the Easter Bunny on Sunday. Uh, man, it was hot in that suit. Um, but uh that's oftentimes what I think about Easter Sunday. Also, Easter Sunday reminds me of pastels. I love pastel.

You love pastel colors. I love pastel colors. Um, I really like hard-boiled eggs. I got I'm going to shoot straight with you. I really am fond of hard-boiled eggs. Um, it's funny, the older you get, I wanted all of the eggs to be like chocolate or filled with candy. now at 46.

You give me like a dyed hard-boiled egg, that's a win for me, man. That is some good protein. Anyways, I digress. Uh, happy Easter to you and to your family. Thinking about you. Hey, if there's anything we can do for you, for your loved ones, for your friends, for your space and place in the world, let us know on Pastor Chat.

Um, you can go there right now. you can stop this recording and check it out and let us know anyway. We can pray for you, encourage you. That will be awesome. Um, man, oh man, I love this day. Now, for a quick catchup, Easter is the celebration of the predicted resurrection of Jesus Christ.

An actual, factual, documented event. Friends, we have more proof of the life and ministry and journey of Jesus than we do proof of the existence of Abraham Lincoln. For instance, for those here in the US, the evidence is overwhelming. This supernatural phenomenon, it actually happened. There was a man born in a barn named Jesus, born of a virgin.

He was, we don't hear from him. We see him at birth. We see him at approximately two or three years old. We see him at 12. We don't see him again till he's 30. At 30 years old, Jesus manifest his divinity, manifest his miracles by extending a party, uh by making drinks at a party.

He turns water into alcohol. That is my man. That is my guy. It's literally his first miracle. A lot of people, in fact, some of you are watching this going, "Wait a minute. The first miracle Jesus ever did was make alcohol at a party. Why did anybody ever tell me this?"

Uh, because it makes us feel uncomfortable. But, uh, Jesus likes to party. Jesus loves you. He wants to bring you joy in your life. So, he starts his ministry at a wedding feast, at a party. He does all of these miracles and heals and loves and cares for people.

By the way, he had a special love and care for marginalized people groups in his time and in his era. He cared for children. He cared for women. He was uh well the best. And he is the best, the best man that ever lived. Some three and a half years into his ministry, he started to tell those closest to him, "My time has come."

He would go to Jerusalem and there he would be given a mock trial and he would be sentenced to the excruciating, embarrassing, humiliating public death of Roman crucifixion. He would die between two thieves for some six hours as he suffocated in his own blood in his lungs incredible agony.

He would say seven different statements. One of the last was, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. He did it for your forgiveness and mine." He did it because he loved us. Now, he said, "What I will do to prove that I am exactly who I claimed to be."

Jesus never claimed to be merely a prophet. He never claimed to be merely a good guy. He never claimed to simply be a public figure figure or preacher. He claimed to be God. And he said essentially, I will prove to you that I am exactly who I say I am.

And here's how I'll do it. I will die, but three days later, I will get up from the grave. And by defeating the ultimate adversary, the ultimate enemy, death itself. You'll know that everything I did and everything I said is true. And the world has changed as we know it.

Easter is more than bunnies and chocolate and eggs. It is the day that all of our hopes were actually realized, substantialized, uh, finalized. Jesus is as good as we thought, maybe even goodter. Not a word, but fun to say. He is God and he is alive. So, here's what I get to do right now.

I get to uh give you more of my reflections on my hero, the person that's changed my life. I love doing what I do. I really do. And there have been extended seasons of my journey as a preacher where I think I was captured more with the art form, the delivery, and the position than I was with the person I was talking about.

But I got to tell you at my age and stage in life, I am in love with Jesus. This is not a tradition. This is not a dogma. This is not merely doctrine to me. This is me telling you about a man who has changed my today. Who has completely changed my yesterday and is the only reason I have optimism and hope for tomorrow.

Jesus. Yeah. He can help me with my money. He can help me with my brain. He can help me with my body. He can help me with my friendships. He can help me with my pain and my problems and my plight. But actually, it's Jesus that I really want more than uh relief after paying taxes.

Come on. If you're out there in the United States of America, tax day just came and went. So, I can only imagine how you and I feel today. And yet Jesus is more than just a way of escape. He's more than just a solution to our problems. He is a person that I'm in love with, enamored with, captivated with, captured with.

And today I get to tell you more about him. What I'd like to do is take you to the Easter story to take you through a portion of scripture uh we've been looking at this month and we'll continue to look at even uh next Sunday if you want to join us as we've been talking about how hope works.

But I want to take you to John chapter 20 and verse 19. And we'll talk more about this next Sunday as well. But listen to the story. Listen to these words. And then I'm simply going to extrapolate, which is just a fun word to say. That's why I said it, but pull out for you and for me some observations that I think not only will will help us today, but I hope will perhaps stick with us throughout our journey.

Um because life is at least we know unexpected and unpredictable. So I want to read to you starting in verse 19 of John chap 20. It says this, "That evening the disciples gathered together and because they were full of fear. They were afraid of the reprisals of the Jewish, excuse me, the reprisals of the Jewish leaders, they locked the doors to the place where they met and suddenly the scripture says Jesus appeared to them and he said, "Peace to you."

And I I love these portions of scripture because we think, you know, Jesus said, "Peace to you." But that would be like a normal greeting. And I don't mean to lessen the power of the moment, but basically Jesus was like, "Hey, what's up?" Literally, that's what he said.

He's like, "Hello, how are you guys? Good to see you. Peace to you." Which would be a very traditional, "Hey, how are you?" in today's culture. So now, um, you got the disciples who for fear that the same way Jesus was crucified, they'll be crucified. So now they're locked in a room hoping nothing bad happens to them.

Now, now keep in mind these same people, Jesus did tell them that on the third day, he would get up from the grave. But fear is illogical and often times helps us be incredibly forgetful. They have forgotten everything he says. And now Jesus is in the middle of the room and he's like, "Hey, what's up?"

It says in verse 20, "Then he showed them the wounds of his hands and his side, the scars." They were overjoyed to see the Lord with their own eyes. And we'll we'll talk more about that joy even next week. But Jesus repeated his greeting. Basically saying, "So what's up?"

And he said, "Just as the father has sent me, I'm now sending you." Now I I I I this is early in the message, but I want to show you who Jesus is. You know, a lot of people in my role tell people like you in in your world that if you want to be used by God, you better do the work, be prepared, and um be good enough, moral enough, godly enough, kind enough, diligent enough, vigilant enough.

You you you you need to pray. You need to read your Bible. You need to But but it says the disciples were terrified, locked themselves in a room. Jesus walked through those walls. And essentially the first thing after hello, what's up? How are you? Is I have a plan for you.

I have a path for you. I have a purpose for you. I got good news today. And I know this message has kind of we're just getting right into it, but here on Easter Sunday, do you ever feel like God can't have a plan for me? Why? Because I'm a problem.

I'm broken. I'm a mess. I'm a nightmare. I'm a train wreck. God's got plans for good people. God's got a purpose and a path for noble people and honorable people. No. No. God has path for afraid people. God has path, a path for sinful people. God has a plan for you.

He says, "Just as the father has sent me." Wait, what? I'm sending you. Jesus just said, "Just as the father had a plan for my life." That is a divine plan, guys. That's like the ultimate plan. Whatever you think about Jesus, no one's ever been more famous than Jesus.

No one's ever been more remembered than Jesus. No one's ever had more impact than Jesus. No one's ever had a greater legacy than Jesus. No one's ever like Jesus is known in every continent in all the cultures. He's there's only a few people probably in deep uh rainforests who not heard the name of Jesus.

His name is everywhere. We've used it to distinguish the difference of time in history as we know it. He says in the same way the father sent me with a plan is the same way I'm going to send you with a plan. meaning it's significant the plan I have for your life.

It's significant the path I have for your life. And and I don't know why I'm jumping into this so early here on Easter Sunday, but I got to tell somebody somewhere out there in the middle of this ancient chapel that God has a plan for you. His plan hadn't changed for you.

His purpose hasn't changed for you. You are not here by accident. Please hear me. One of the biggest crocs in the world is that we're all just random amiebas that by time and chance are simply here and existing. I'm not here to discuss science, creation, evolution. I'm just here to say you're here on purpose that I know.

You have a plan. I'm sure of it. I'm not saying you have the plan. I'm just saying God has a plan for your life. Today matters because you matter and God had it in his plan. And maybe you're like me. And the moment somebody like me, a preacher says, "God has a plan," you start to think, "Oh, really?

So when my dad died, was that his plan?" So when this pain happened in my life, is that his plan? The scripture makes it very clear that God enacts and allows the free will of you and I. Though he is sovereign and though he is in control, he allows free will to the extent that free will has colluded and caused extraordinary pain.

Wars and rumors of wars and pestilence and disease and these things proliferate on the planet as we speak. And yet there is a father. There is a God and he has a plan for your life even in the middle of the pain. Every day is numbered. The scripture says every hair on your head is counted.

You matter. I don't know who I'm talking to that it's not in my notes. Not that I have notes, but that was not necessarily my plan. But it occurs to me that these terrified disciples who've locked the door and completely forgotten the words of Jesus, he does not hesitate to say, "My plan is still in place and I'm going to send you the same way I was sent here."

Then taking a deep breath, he blew on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. I send you, he says, to preach the forgiveness of sins. And people's sins will be forgiven. But he says, but if you don't proclaim the forgiveness of sins, they will remain guilty. Jesus is not saying that everything hinges on your sermons.

He's saying if people don't know, they don't know. So I just want to say this on Easter Sunday. I'm happy to tell you the story of resurrection. I'm happy to tell you the nuances of these ancient Bible stories and about the person that's changed my life. But more than anything, please hear this.

There is only one way for the forgiveness of sins in human history. And that way has been cleared and made possible by the person of Jesus. That's why he said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing." The truth is you and I don't totally understand, if at all, understand what we're doing in life.

What it all means, where we're headed. How does linear time and space affect eternity? Why does it feel like when people die, our brains go on tilt and can't comprehend and make sense of it? Why does it feel like we're so incomplete? Why does it feel like we're so disconnected?

Why are we so infatuated with aliens? Why do we wonder? Why do we lean in when people tell us their afterlife story, but yet they've come back? And what does it all mean? And where do we all go? And why, as we age, do we become increasingly more reflective?

Why, as we age, do we feel like we know less than we've ever known before? I'm telling you, it all points to the mystery that ultimately is culminated in a person. And that person is Jesus. And I'm telling you, there's a lot of things I don't understand and I don't know.

But what I do know is that God has fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus. and I am captivated and captured with him. How do I know that there is this supernatural phenomenon called the Bible? It is a book that has transcended time as we know it.

It has been preserved in ways that are supernatural. It is by definition a phenomenon even its compilation or or compiling I believe is is mathematical in its sense and it is mindboggling when you do the research. But it's more than a book. It points me to a person.

And I got to tell you, I've encountered that person and he is the only one that has brought me full and actual lasting relief for my guilt, my shame, and my pain. He is the forgiveness of sins. And it says if you don't proclaim the forgiveness of sins that they'll remain guilty.

There is a guilt that is like a wet blanket on this planet. And the truth is there are so many things you and I do to hurt ourselves and others because of guilt. It is this nagging, gnawing sensation we can't shake and get rid of. And that guilt drives us to do things that pain other people and pain ourselves in ways we can't really ascertain, understand, or even comprehend.

But that guilt can be relieved and you can be forgiven. How? Not by going to church. Not by reading that book, the Bible. Not by doing anything, but by receiving everything. He says, if you don't proclaim the forgiveness of sins, they're going to remain guilty. Which is to say, they won't know that there is relief.

Jesus says to these disciples, I have a plan, and it's to preach forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. My message today is forgiveness. Friend, you are already forgiven. Do you know that? Everything you've ever done, you're already forgiven. Here's the truth that nobody's saying. Jesus forgives people that they never will forgive.

Jesus forgives, you know, the pariah of the culture. You know, the culture canceled and written off and sent to jail to mock and belittle. Jesus forgives. There's there's not a single person he won't forgive. You're already forgiven. Well, then what do I need to know that? Because there's one little dynamic that we are given the privilege to participate in activating the realization of this forgiveness.

And it's simply acceptance just to receive. So much is made of faith and believing in the context of church and religion but it simply means to receive. So going on in our story, one of the 12 wasn't present when Jesus appeared to them. His name was Thomas. His nickname was the twin.

So the disciple informed him, "Hey, we've we've seen the Lord Jesus with our own eyes." Still unconvinced. Thomas says this and he sounds like me and most men I know. He says, "There's no way I'm gonna believe." All right, nice story. And all the guys are like, "No, like all the guys and girls like, bro, we we we we saw him."

He's like, "Listen, unless I personally see the wounds of the nails in his hands and touch him with a finger and put my hand in the wound of his side where he was pierced, then I ain't no chance I'm going to believe." And this leads us to the message.

You're like, "Judah, hasn't there already been a message?" Yes, there has. But the title of my message is this. For the last remaining few minutes we have, it says, "Eight days later." Eight days later, Thomas and all the other disciples who had seen Jesus remember had seen his scars and his hands and his side says even though all the doors were locked.

What Jesus suddenly he did it again just like he did in verse 19 verse 26 he walked through the walls and what does he say? Peace to you which is to say what's up. How are you guys doing? So, hold on a second. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Eight days later, eight days later, a week and a day, they've seen resurrected Jesus.

They've seen the scars in his hands and his side. And eight days later, they still lock in the doors. Which is to say, have you ever realized what the human condition is capable of? Just give us 8 days and we can take over our life again. Just give us eight days and we can forget that we had seen the resurrected Jesus.

Some of you right now, you're watching this, you have been so hard on yourself. You stop going to church because people were hard on you and you were hard on you and you think God is hard on you and you keep going through the same cycle in your life.

You say you're going to change. You say you want to change. You're determined you're going to change. Your marriage is going to change. Your parenting is going to change. Your kids are going to change. Your career is going to change. Your attitude is going to change. Your outlook's going to change.

Your perspective. I'm going to change, change, change, change, change. And for eight days, you change. And then you go back to exactly who you were before. And you've decided that you're not cut out for this. You've decided, I'm not like those great grand people who can change and be noble and moral and excellent and kind and good and generous and have ex impeccable decorum and the way that they speak and their kindness.

I I'm just no good. Eight days later, just eight days later. Oo, how many times I've said I was going to work out and just a few days later I'm not working out. last night at dinner, family dinner. I said, "I'm going to start working out again." And the response of my family was again.

When did you start working out in the first place? And shout out to my middle son, my 18-year-old Judah Elliot Wendle Smith. He said, "Well, Dad, you did work out in high school." And I said, "There it is. I'm going to start working out again." Are you like me?

You say you're going to do something, you don't do it. You start doing something and you stop doing it quicker than you could ever imagine. New Year's resolutions are laughable to me because they are New Year's suggestions as far as I'm concerned in my life. I say I'm going to do it and I don't do it, but then I beat myself up for not doing it.

Eight days after Easter, you know where the disciples are? They're locked in a room again. Check it out. when you get time. John 20 verse 19 just to verse 26. What is that? Six verses. Seven verses I think. Seven verses. 19 to 26. Locked in a door. Jesus walks through the walls, shows them as they're like overjoyed.

Seven verses later. Guess where they are? Right back where they were before. Does that sound familiar? Now, if I'm Jesus, I'm walking through the walls and I'm saying, "Are we for real? Is this for real? Are we doing this again?" But Jesus had other plans. In fact, he says, "What's up?"

And then looking around the room, he finds Thomas, the one guy that hasn't seen him, and he says, "Put your fingers here in the wounds of my hands. here. Put your hand into the wounded side and see for yourself. Thomas, don't give into your doubts. Believe. Thomas said, "You're you're my Lord.

You're my God." You want to know who Jesus is? Jesus is the gracious, kind God who walks through walls again. Now, if I have to keep walking through walls to get people to believe, eventually I'm going to get a bit of an attitude. If I'm Jesus, I'm going to be like, "You know what?

I'm tired of walking through your walls. Why don't you unlock your doors? Stop being afraid and actually remember who I am and what I'm doing. Why are you still locking doors when you know I walk through walls? Why are you still walking locking the doors when you know I got up from the grave?

Why are you still taking things into your own hand thinking a deadbolt's going to save you when I clearly am the only one that can save you cuz I got up from the grave? Why are you still trusting your alarm system when I'm all the trust and protection you need?

But he doesn't do that. He just walks through the walls again. And and and and notice it's apparent to me he came through the walls for one person. And you know who that one person was? It wasn't the most noble. Wasn't the most committed. It certainly wasn't the most believing.

He came for one disciple. In fact, the one disciple who was the most skeptical, who said, "I'll never believe." This dude has an entire group of friends saying, "We saw him." And he's saying, "No, you didn't. No, you didn't." And they're like, "Yo, bro, we did though. No, you didn't."

What? Thomas, you imagine being in the steam room with Thomas. You know, everybody's in there just in the steam room. Everybody's going to steam room infrared sauna. You know, they're all just in there. He's like, "Thomas, we saw him." Thomas like, "I don't believe you guys." Well, bro, they're all of We think we're all just making it up.

I don't know. I just don't believe you. Now, if I'm Jesus and I hear about this, I'm walking through the wall and I am going to let Thomas know I'm a little annoyed with his unbelief. Gee whiz, Tom, what do I Thomas? What do I have to do?

I showed myself to all of your friends and you still He doesn't do that. He just walks right over to Thomas and he says, "I'm here." I don't think you realize what Jesus will do just for you. I don't think you realize the extent of his love just for you.

Just you. As skeptical, as pained and selfish as you and I can be, he'll walk through the walls just for you. Now he says something and I'm done. I promise I'm I'm concluding. This will be my longest message for the month of April. He says, "Thomas, now now you've seen me and you believe, but there are those who've never seen me with their eyes and yet they believe in me and they will be blessed even more."

And that's where I want to end Easter Sunday 2025 because that verse is about you and that verse is about me. You have been really hard on yourself lately. I bet if I had to guess in 2025, April 2025, I think one of the things that is paining people like you and me is how hard we are on each other.

Some of you are so gracious and kind and forgiving for others but so hard on yourself. Jesus wants to pronounce an extra blessing on you today. Now I I can relate to Thomas big time. Doubts, skepticism, absolutely. But something very wonderful happens at the end of our story.

He says, "You know, Thomas, you you believe that's good. That's good." Right in that moment, Jesus had you and me in mind. 8 days after Easter Sunday, when his followers seemingly have forgotten everything and are back to locking doors and some holy huddle, hoping they too won't be crucified.

Jesus does not condemn them. Jesus doesn't even rebuke them. He just comes again, reveals himself again, and then says to Thomas about you and me, "There will be those Thomas as I levitate into the clouds and I am no longer physically, visibly here. I'll be in my spirit form.

There will be people talking about you, he's talking about me, who will believe and they will be even more blessed. What if you believe that? that you're even more blessed. That God wants to bless you. That God wants to pile on your life supernatural surprises that only shock you but thrill you.

He wants to bless you. You know that. So, in in my own way on Easter, I hope that you're not so hard on yourself. I really do. I really do. And that you can forgive yourself. Um I recorded a prayer one time and and I didn't even prepare to record it.

Just I said, "Man, we got to turn on the recorder. I got I got something I want to pray." And it was uh it was a like a guided prayer to music. And I kept saying over and over, "I I got to live with myself." And that's what nobody tells you about the things you do you're embarrassed of.

Even if nobody knows, you got to live with yourself. Perhaps recently you've been going to sleep at night and your mind's been wandering to all the dumb things you've done, whether known or not known. What if right now we could pray and if Jesus has forgiven you, maybe it's time for you to forgive you and to actually expect that the words he said to Thomas are true for you that you believe and you've never even physically seen Jesus, but you believe there is a unique and special blessing on you.

What are blessings? Blessings are so kind of antiquated and arbitrary in terms of time and tradition now has oh bless you, blessings. You know, it's always what grandma says to everyone. Blessings on you. May the Lord bless you, keep you, you know, be blessed. But blessings literally means supernatural phenomenon that happens to you, that literally thrills you, excites you, fulfills you, makes you happy.

I know that might sound kind of ambiguous, but I assure you it's very specific that perhaps later this evening on Easter Sunday, God wants you to see some of those blessings. See some of those blessings. But I think where it starts is that you get to forgive you and perhaps you get to sleep better tonight.

You got to live with you. You and I, we we've done some things we're not proud of, but God forgives you. We can forgive ourselves, and we can move forward through this painful place and planet called Earth with an anticipation of good things. That's what we've been talking about, hope.

I pray in some small way here on this Easter Sunday, you have found increasing hope in your mind, in your soul, and in your body. God has a plan for you. I'm telling you, he's got a good plan for you. Let me pray for you. God, thank you for um for resurrection.

Thank you for Easter. Thank you for today. Thank you for walking through walls. Thank you for loving Thomas because if you love Thomas, we know you love us. Thank you for telling Thomas about us. We don't deserve nothing, but because of you, we receive it. Forgiveness, freedom, faith, hope, love.

Thank you, God. Thank you, God. If you're listening to me right now, you're watching this and you would like to receive the free gift of forgiveness that only Jesus offers, just say, "I receive it." Say it out loud. I think when you hear yourself say it, it'll become even more real to you.

You'll never be the same. I promise you, Jesus is real and he does everything he says. I love you, church. Thank you for watching. Please, if you're watching this by yourself, let us know your thoughts, things you're feeling, questions you have on Pastor Chat. We want to interact with you and encourage you any way we possibly can.

And I know it sounds like a commercial, but next week I'm going to conclude a series we've been doing called How Hope Works. So, join us next Sunday if you get the chance. And I love you and I'll see you in May. May is going to be well.

See you next week in April, but I'm looking forward to the month of May as well. All right. Love you guys. ((music playing)) When peace like a river attend my way. When sorrows like sea below rose, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say. It is well. It is well with my ((music playing)) soul and my sin nor the bliss of his glorious love. and my sin not in heart but in hope.

It was nailed to the cross and I no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh my ((music playing)) soul. So it is well and with my soul. So it is well. It is well with my ((music playing)) soul. And Lord, face the day when my faith shall be sad. And the clouds be rolled back as the scroll.

And the trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend. Even so it is well in my ((music playing)) soul. It is well. It is why I ((music playing)) saw m ((music playing)) Yeah. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing))