Move Anyway | Part 2 | Matt Johnson

Devotional

Day 1: Fingerprints on the Risen Flesh

Thomas stood with the disciples behind locked doors. Jesus entered unhindered, showing scarred hands and side. “Put your finger here,” He told Thomas. The man who demanded physical proof gasped, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus met doubt with tangible grace, not condemnation. [39:00]

Jesus’ resurrection body carried eternal wounds. Those scars proved His victory over death and His willingness to bear humanity’s worst to redeem it. He didn’t erase Thomas’ doubt with arguments but with His presence.

You measure your faith by how much you “feel” certain. Jesus measures it by His finished work. When doubts arise, don’t hide them—bring them to the One whose scars answer every fear. What lie about God’s character have you believed that His wounds disprove?

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’”
(John 20:27, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make His nearness as real to you as His scars were to Thomas.

Challenge: Write down one doubt you’ve hidden, then cross it out with “Christ’s scars prove ______.”

Day 2: “Let Us Also Go to Die”

Thomas gripped Jesus’ words: “Lazarus is dead. Let’s return to Judea.” The disciples protested—Jews there wanted Jesus stoned. Thomas interrupted, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” This same man later labeled “doubter” once led the charge toward sacrifice. [52:08]

Courage often walks beside unresolved questions. Thomas didn’t need full understanding to follow. His loyalty outweighed his confusion because he knew Jesus’ identity: the Life-Giver worth dying for.

You’ll face moments where obedience feels riskier than your faith feels strong. Follow anyway. Jesus honors raw devotion over polished certainty. Where is God asking you to move forward while still carrying questions?

“Then Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’”
(John 11:16, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one fear that paralyzes you, then ask for Thomas’ brand of stubborn loyalty.

Challenge: Text one person today: “I’m praying for your courage in ______.”

Day 3: The Way Through Locked Doors

Thomas squinted at Jesus’ metaphor: “I go to prepare a place for you.” “Lord,” he blurted, “we don’t know where You’re going!” Jesus didn’t scold him. He simplified: “I AM the Way.” Truth became a Person, not a path. [56:19]

Jesus reroutes our obsession with directions into relationship. We want Google Maps for life; He offers His hand. Thomas learned that following Christ means clinging to the Guide, not memorizing the route.

You strain to see five steps ahead while Jesus says, “Hold My hand.” His “way” isn’t a checklist—it’s His heartbeat. What practical decision can you make today by focusing on His presence over the plan?

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
(John 14:6, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for being both destination and road. Ask Him to quiet your need for control.

Challenge: Spend 5 minutes in silence before making your next decision, listening for His lead.

Day 4: Nonsense at the Empty Tomb

The women sprinted from the tomb, reporting angels and resurrection. The disciples called it “nonsense.” Even Peter—who saw the empty grave clothes—returned home “marveling,” not believing. Their doubt wasn’t singular to Thomas. [01:05:06]

Resurrection upends human logic. The disciples’ initial disbelief proves the story wasn’t fabricated—they were skeptics turned witnesses. God uses ordinary doubters to proclaim extraordinary truth.

You disqualify yourself from sharing faith because you’ve doubted. But the disciples’ credibility grew from their wrestling. Who needs to hear your story of “I struggled, but Christ proved real”?

“But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”
(Luke 24:11, ESV)

Prayer: Confess where you’ve muted your story because of past doubts. Ask for boldness.

Challenge: Share one sentence about Jesus’ faithfulness to you on social media or a text.

Day 5: My Lord and My God

Eight days later, Thomas stood in the same locked room. Jesus returned, offering His scars again. This time, no fingers touched flesh. Thomas collapsed in worship: “My Lord and my God!” Jesus blessed future believers who’d trust without seeing. [01:09:29]

Thomas’ confession became the New Testament’s clearest declaration of Christ’s divinity. His doubt, met by grace, produced rock-solid theology. Jesus uses our honest struggles to deepen our awe.

You think doubt distances you from God. But surrendered, it becomes the altar where you confess Christ’s supremacy. What area of wrestling can you place before Him today, expecting fresh revelation?

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
(John 20:28, ESV)

Prayer: Worship Jesus aloud using Thomas’ words. Add one specific title for Him from your life.

Challenge: Write “My Lord and my God” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Sermon Summary

A call to anchor identity in Christ unfolds with a backyard softball story and a careful walk through Scripture. The narrative shows how people measure their relationship with God by performance, riding a faith roller coaster that rises with success and plunges with failure. Clear gospel claims receive attention: Jesus is God in the flesh, died for sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. Those facts stand independent of human performance, and the passage urges building life on that firm foundation rather than on shifting emotions or achievements.

Scripture passages move the argument from diagnosis to remedy. John 10 highlights Jesus declaring himself shepherd and judge of hearts, insisting that followers hear his voice and belong to his fold. Scenes from John 11 and 14 portray Thomas not as a caricatured doubter but as a man who both pledges radical loyalty and asks honest questions about the way forward. Jesus answers by identifying himself as the way, the truth, and the life, making identity the basis for direction. That identity carries consequences: because Jesus is who he says, people can trust his promises and follow him even into danger.

The resurrection functions as decisive proof that Jesus fulfills his words; eyewitness reports met initial disbelief, yet the risen Lord appears and offers peace. The story of Thomas culminates in a candid encounter where touch leads to confession and Jesus pronounces blessing on those who believe without seeing. The teaching insists that doubt does not expel a person from grace, and that honest struggle often precedes deeper faith. Community emerges as essential: early disbelief among the closest followers shows that struggles occur even within the inner circle, so believers need one another to carry and interpret testimony.

Practical application presses toward reorienting identity from performance to adoption. Confidence flows from what Christ has accomplished, not from fluctuating feelings. Hearing Jesus, following his way, and trusting his resurrection produce steadier discipleship and a life that reflects resurrection hope. Ultimately, identity in Christ provides the basis for confident direction, resilient faith, and the peace Jesus offers to the fearful and the wavering.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus' identity defines Christian identity Jesus stands as the authoritative revelation of who God is, and his revealed identity gives shape to human identity. Making his person the bedrock means rejecting identities built on achievement, guilt, or shifting emotions. Grounding identity in his finished work frees the heart from performance-based religion and opens the door to secure sonship and daughterhood. [36:14]
2. Identity shapes faithful direction Knowing who Jesus is clarifies where to go and how to live, because the declared way comes from the one who made the way. When identity provides direction, choices align with the path Jesus sets rather than with cultural pressure or fear. This alignment enables courage to follow even when the road leads toward opposition or sacrifice. [56:53]
3. Life arises from trusting Christ The resurrection confirms that Jesus' words carry life, not mere moral advice, and trusting him produces real, sustained life. Trust transforms daily existence from survival under guilt into growth under grace, because resurrection power reorients hope and purpose. True spiritual vitality comes when faith rests on what Christ accomplished, not on fluctuating personal performance. [59:08]
4. Doubt can lead to faith Honest questioning did not exile Thomas; it drew him into encounter and confession, and Jesus honored those who believe without sight. The early disciples themselves stumbled at first, showing that doubt often precedes conviction rather than negating it. Community, Scripture, and the risen Lord’s patient presence tend the soil of unbelief into trust. [69:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:52] - Series Introduction and Title
[33:14] - Softball Story and Faith Roller Coaster
[34:53] - Performance versus Identity
[35:38] - Gospel Foundations: Who Jesus Is
[41:39] - Jesus Defines His People (John 10)
[51:40] - Thomas' Brave Resolve (John 11)
[56:53] - I Am the Way: Direction and Truth (John 14)
[68:43] - Thomas' Confession and Blessing (John 20)
[72:29] - Final Invitation and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 20:24-29 (ESV)
24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 14:5-6 (ESV)
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Observation Questions

In John 20:25, Thomas insists on physical proof of Jesus’ resurrection. How does his demand contrast with the disciples’ earlier reaction to the empty tomb (Luke 24:11)? [01:05:06]
What specific actions and words does Jesus use to address Thomas’ doubt in John 20:26-27?
How does Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 (“I am the way, the truth, and the life”) directly respond to Thomas’ question about direction?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have allowed Thomas to physically touch His wounds instead of rebuking him for doubt? What does this reveal about how God responds to honest questions? [01:09:29]
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). How does this statement redefine faith for believers today compared to those who witnessed His resurrection firsthand?
In John 14:6, Jesus ties His identity (“I am”) to being the source of direction (“the way”). How does knowing who Jesus is change how we discern where He calls us to go?

Application Questions

When have you tied your confidence in God’s love to your “performance” (e.g., spiritual habits, moral behavior) rather than His finished work? What practical step could help you rest in your identity as His child this week? [36:14]
Thomas’ doubt led to a deeper confession of faith (“My Lord and my God!”). How could you create space in your life or small group to honestly process doubts without fear of judgment? [01:07:31]
Jesus called Himself “the way” in response to Thomas’ confusion. What area of your life feels directionless right now? How might focusing on Jesus’ identity (rather than outcomes) clarify your next step? [56:53]
The disciples initially dismissed the women’s testimony of the resurrection as “nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Who in your life might God be using to speak truth to you in an unexpected way? How will you actively listen?
Jesus repeatedly says, “Peace be with you” to fearful disciples. What fear or anxiety do you need to surrender to Him to experience His peace today?

Sermon Clips

No. I would interpret this as Thomas going, listen, we followed you up until now. We wanna keep following you. Would you tell us where What's the way? I wanna know what the way is. I wanna be with you. I wanna keep following you. Why do we not call this guy Thomas the devoted? Right? He wants to go and die with Jesus. Jesus says, I'm going away, but you know the way. And he's like, I'm not really sure what the way is, but would you please tell me I wanna follow you. He wants to be with Jesus. [00:56:26] (30 seconds)

Isn't it true that we are more apt to define ourselves by our failures than our successes at times? So we jump all over the guy when he shows a little bit of wavering in his faith. Oh, he's just a doubter. But this statement, this is incredible conviction. I'm ready, Jesus. I am ready to follow you and go and die with you if that's what it takes. You're gonna go minister to Lazarus. I'm going with you. I've seen what you've done in the past. I'm ready. Let's all go that we can die with him. [00:52:26] (31 seconds)

If your faith is up and down, you might be basing your faith and your identity on your performance. And nowhere does Jesus say, if you perform well enough, I might consider you maybe a disciple. Jesus says, no. You just have you hear my voice and you and you'll follow me. And and you're my sheep. I my sheep know me, and they they hear my voice. Jesus doesn't say, my sheep are perfect individuals and never mess up. And praise God, he never says that or none of us would be sheep. We we base our faith on what Jesus accomplished on the cross, not on on how good our performance is on a day to day basis. [00:59:20] (47 seconds)

Isn't it true that we are more apt to define ourselves by our failures than our successes at times? So we jump all over the guy when he shows a little bit of wavering in his faith. Oh, he's just a doubter. But this statement, this is incredible conviction. I'm ready, Jesus. I am ready to follow you and go and die with you if that's what it takes. You're gonna go minister to Lazarus. I'm going with you. I've seen what you've done in the past. I'm ready. Let's all go that we can die with him. [00:52:26] (31 seconds)

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