Shamwows & Bummer Lambs | Justin Graves
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John 20:1-10; 19-29 (NLT)
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
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One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
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I. Doubt often grows where distance is present.


II.  Jesus can handle your doubts and invites you to come and see.
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John 1: 43-46 (NLT)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

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John 10: 11-15 (NIV)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Bummer Lamb picture
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III.  Jesus doesn’t just sound good- He proves true.  

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Romans 5:8 (ESV)
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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John 3:17 (NKJV)
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
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We want to follow up on this week’s message with a few questions that help you respond personally to what God is saying through His Word. Let this be a time of honest evaluation and spiritual reset.
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1. Where in your life have you noticed doubt growing, and do you think distance from Jesus could be contributing to it?

2. How do you typically respond when you experience doubt—do you lean in toward Jesus or pull away from Him?

3. What does this message teach you about the character of Jesus when it comes to your doubts and questions?

4. Practice (This Week):
Set aside intentional time each day this week (10–15 minutes) to draw near to Jesus—read a Gospel passage (start in John 20–21), talk honestly with Him about your doubts in prayer, and write down one truth you see about who He is. Then act on it by taking one step of obedience that reflects trust in Him.